| The Space Stations The space stations created from 2100 to 2110 were very revolutionary, both in their size and in their technological complexity. There are only three space stations in use today, and their names are The Grace, The Sentinel, and The Miracle. The largest of those space stations is the Sentinel, and it keeps a constant orbit around the Earth, between the Earth and her moon. Its orbit keeps it constantly between the Earth and the moon, and it can be seen at night very easily with use of a telescope. The Grace also orbits the Earth, and The Miracle is in a slow orbit around Mars. The shape of every space station is like a round, flat disc. The spherical structure located at the center of a space station acts as a technological headquarters. These control rooms are often called �the brains� of the space stations and anyone working in the brains of a space station are usually of considerable rank in the United Military. The centers of the space stations are like the center of a bike wheel. Spokes radiate out from it, and along the spokes, which number from six to fourteen depending on the space station, there is usually any number of businesses running on a daily basis. The spokes are like the commercial areas of a space station, and Truman�s Lane of the Sentinel is the most famous spoke, since it acts almost like a mall and Las Vegas combined. Each spoke usually has a name, which will be listed below. The outer ring, or the tire of a bicycle�s wheel, is the living quarters. All of the residents of a space station live in the outer ring, though most of them will work in either the center or in one of the spokes. There are also schools there, and artificial parks. Many of the oxygen and distilling machines, to make the air breathable and the water drinkable, are located in the outer rings, for easier access in case of a power failure in the central sphere of a space station. Obviously, there are also some power generators in the outer rings of space stations, though they will only work for a limited time. The time is different for each space station, and is calculated according to the elapsed time it would take for a rescue to arrive. In the event of a general power failure, the brain of a space station would be locked down, and there would be very limited access. Power to the spokes of a space station would be cut off, and the generators of the ring would be turned on. Only emergency lights would be turned on during a power failure, and many of the automated conveniences, such as moving sidewalks and elevators, would be stopped. A sweep of the spokes would commence, looking for stragglers, and anyone left behind would be evacuated. Rescue teams would arrive before the eventual stopping of the emergency generators, and the nuclear grid located in the brain would be repaired. The reason for such protocol is the incident in 2114 which led to 7,000 deaths. Those 7,000 people were a third of the population of the space station Blessing. The deaths were caused by a major central power failure, and the failure itself was caused by very primitive means: explosives. The leftover, splintered militant groups of the Hybrid Protection Union lashed out on the space station, with its diverse population of humans and hybrids, with a series of bombings which completely removed the center of the space station from its spokes and outer ring. The rescue procedures that ensued were not enough to save all of the 21,000 residents. The space station, knocked off its orbit by the explosions, eventually went further and further from Mars and left its orbit, only to be partially caught in Earth�s before it was flung out into space. The disaster brought many new laws and regulations into play, and it was also the end of any affiliates with the HPU. Go Back |