To Boldly Go

18 years after the Battle of Yavin...
A divergent, persistent and interactive Star Wars timeline with a rich history and established characters.

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"Certified Local Madman"
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To Boldly Go

Post by Darkheyr »

Ardustaar
Farantur - The Factory Moon


Only the soft hum of engines could be heard as the Gauntlet-class courier slowly made its way through the skies of Farantur. It was a detour, really - but the scenery had it's beauty. There were moons far more populated - Nar Shaddaa came to mind - but then again, Farantur wasn't covered in gigantic hab blocks. It was a shipyard. The shipyard, as far as civilian space construction in Ardustaar was concerned. So far off from 'civilized' space, and so unknown to most people in the galaxy, it was a moon given in its entirety to the fabrication of starships, space stations and modular components. Entire megacomplexes dedicated to nothing but the assembly of shuttlecraft, manufactoring centres producing endless rows of space-worthy cargo supercontainers. In the skies, sprawling orbital yards were reserved for the superfreighters and other capital ships prowling the Emerald Way and the trade routes of Ardustaar. In between, hundreds and thousands of cargo ships and shuttles raced back and forth, carrying raw materials, prefab components ready for assembly, and all the necessities the superfactory and its 2 billion employees required. Further off, the massive shape of the gas giant Taras Dor, the 'Great Watcher', dominated the horizon with its gold and silver coloured skies. Sensors would have had even more to tell, but the Gauntlet's pilot left those to the ship's AI systems. For now, she was content to take in the scenery laid out for her.

On occasion, her eyes fell on sprawling business complexes - headquarters and divisions of such companies as Nardan Space Manufactoring, Killian Shipyards, and even more well known, galactic megacorps like Hoersch-Kessel Drives. Eventually, her course brought her to higher altitudes, leaving the lights of Farantur below. She passed the asymmetric shape of a Kartanin ship - a midsized Drikaara-class cruiser - whose appearance and oversized main battery suggested the same barely-restrained aggressiveness the feline warriors portrayed in person.

Finally, her destination came into view - one of the orbital yards, one of the larger ones. Mile-long skeletal arms stretched out from a roughly cubical, 300 metres wide control centre. And between those arms came her destination, project, and for the foreseeable future, new home.

The Bold Venture.

She looked different. To be expected - though partly modified for exploration years ago, that work had never been finished - until now. She started out as a Providence-class destroyer, in service with the CIS navy during the Clone Wars. A ship of war - but a modular ship of war. Now, gigantic panoramic windows lined the bridge and several observation decks. Armor plating suffered, for both windows and all manners of additional external equipment. Launch bays for scout probes, massive sensor towers, and all the equipment necessary to map out new hyperspace routes, planets and star systems. Exploration perfected. And that was just what you could see from the outside.

She took control, passing both yard and ship, then returning for another circle. Finally, she coordinated her approach with station control.

The Gauntlet set down in the Venture's hangar bay - busy, already. Shuttles and vehicles were moved in.

Engines died down.

Lenara smiled at the prospect of exploring the galaxy again.
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