This RP is still in very early stages. However, I've placed it here so that people may show interest, offer criticisms and suggest ideas as it evolves. Please note that I have not set a deadline on this project, and at the moment it is merely a hobby.
Life In the Belt
The S-Type asteroids Espolla, Theater and Coyama were colonised by Earth in the 24th century.
RP Summary
Characters are workers based on the three asteroids.
The game world is a small scale sandbox, with full freedom of movement.
From the start of the RP, and intermittently after, the GM will create disasters that the characters must face. - Not so sure about this anymore. Let me finish building the world, then I'll get back to it.
RP Story
By 2121, Earth was on the verge of a wide-reaching civil war. With an unsustainable population, and steadily depleting resources, military clashes were erupting across the borders of a dozen nations. The United States vied with China, Russia with Europe, and India with everyone. Every oil well, every patch of arable land and every ore vein became a scene of potentially catastrophic flash points. Nuclear arms were poised to strike at the drop of the pin, and each day ushered in more fears of mutually assured destruction.
Mankind had unwittingly walked into the very fate he had sworn to avoid. Unwilling to switch from fossil fuels at a rate that would accommodate their depletion, developed nations had been taken almost by complete surprise by the shortage of resources - despite decades of warning from leading scientists and think tanks. Their infrastructures were unable to withstand a sudden switch to renewable energy, and so naturally, national leaders projected their countrymen's aggression away from themselves, and towards their neighbours.
Thankfully, some men and women with sense, and of positions of power, pooled their resources. It was immediately understood that humanity had committed a grave and stupid error. The only remedy to the situation, would be to obtain resources from elsewhere to buy time for the switch to renewable sources. Immediately probes were dispatched to the Asteroid Belt to look for precious metals and other valuable resources.
Gaining support from governments world wide, these forward looking individuals established the United Nations Space Command - a globalised body dedicated to exploring and colonising space, with the aim of securing much needed materials for Earth. The Moon was colonised in short order, and by 2125 had three functioning titanium ore mines.
The influx of precious metals, though expensive, eased world tensions slightly. The prospect that harvesting more materials from space was a viable idea, eased them even more.
The Asteroid Belt provided a great opportunity of resource exploitation. Many of the belt's asteroids were rich in precious metals, and although these would do little to dent the hurt caused by the lack of fossil fuels on Earth, they at least provided a life line to the faltering economies of many nations.
Ceres, Vesta, and Pallas, and Hygiea, the largest asteroids of the belt were colonised in 2200. By now, global tensions had thawed and the threat of a future Resource War looked unlikely. Industries had finally adapted to renewable energy, despite the decades of collapse caused by fossil fuel depletion. However, Earth's population was still increasing; materials were becoming harder to obtain, despite the UNSC's expanding mining programmes. Therefore, more money was poured into the organisation, and more asteroids were colonised. Aspiring minds started to look to Mars.
This pattern of systematic resource accumulation continued into the 24th century. By then, the UNSC had become marginalised by the divided powers of Earth. Heated political debates about asteroid ownership were held daily, and once again, weapons of mass destruction were being waved around like bananas in a cage full of gorillas. It seemed the Resource War had only been averted, and that ultimately, it was inevitable.
Then, in 2321, the Deep Seam Mining Installation on Ceres was struck by a terrorist attack. More specifically, its anti-impact missile defence systems were disabled as they targeted a meteorite on course for the Dwarf planet. The damage caused by the impact was complete, and led to a 100% fatality rate across Ceres. At the time, Ceres was heavily funded by the U.S government, and Chinese saboteurs were blamed, despite the nation's denial.
This led to a retaliation, and the Chinese bases on Pallas and Vesta suffered catastrophic disasters... and so began a shadow war of industrial sabotage.
It wasn't long until a full scale war broke out on Earth, and in space.
World War Three lasted just seven hours, and caused two billion casualties. The powers, destroyed as they were, and riddled with radioactive wastelands, signed a peace treaty after realising the folly of such a war. For the next 80 years, the UNSC would resume impartial control of all off-world installations, and a slow-disarmament programme on Earth was initiated.
It is now the year 2421. There hasn't been a war in a century. Earth is healing from the scars caused from World War Three's nuclear fire, and relations between states has never been better. Yet, little known to the world, another catastrophe is about to fall upon Man.
For from the darkness of space, do menacing eyes observe.
The Asteroids
Espolla
History: Established in 2319, Espolla houses the oldest colony of the three asteroids. Owing to the rock's high platinum and cobalt reserves, it was deemed a high priority by the Chinese government of the time, and colonised outside of the UNSC's jurisdiction.
Up until 2321 it was a promising installation, shifting an annual platinum tonnage of 300,000. The base's facilities were state of the art, and the Chinese workers who manned it were fresh and eager; happy they were, to have escaped the suffocating crowds of Earth and start a new life.
When World War Three erupted, Espolla was struck by three nuclear warheads fired by neighbouring Theater - then a U.S sponsored "defence" installation. Many died, and seven of the nine residential hubs were wiped from the face of the rock.
Since the War, Espolla has been under the control of the UNSC. However, with her platinum and cobalt running low, she has not received much funding beyond which is necessary to maintain the mining operations. The equipment used by its workers, most of whom are still of Chinese origin, is last generation tech and dangerous to operate when compared with modern models.
Once a month, a shuttle from Earth arrives to deliver much needed spare-parts and other supplies. Once every six months, a fleet of shuttles from the Moon arrive to collect the harvested metals.
Locations:
Mine 01
Summary: Mine 01 is a deep mining installation, located four miles beneath the asteroid's surface. It is extremely cold near Epolla's core, which is made mostly of ice, meaning the area carries several life threatening environmental hazards.
It is operated by a team of 120 workers, and carries a high fatality rate (6 deaths per year) due mostly to cave ins stemming from poor structural support practices.
An automated cargo-train ferries mined ores from Mine 01's depths to the surface, where it is then taken to Spaceport 01 by another train.
Facilities:
Staff Sleeping Quarters
Canteen
Rec Room
Shaft A
Shaft B
Shaft C
Depleted Shafts
Medical Center
Command Room
Train Station
Mine 02
Summary: Mine 02 is a platinum surface mine, and a nearly depleted one at that. Though tests have shown further reserves beneath an ice plate approximately two miles below ground, the UNSC has dismissed the need to access them.
Therefore, Mine 02's operation is a rather lax affair. The foremen do not really care what happens, so long as it happens safely, and that their quotas are hit. No one is in a rush to finish a job that will leave some people without a livelihood.
A team of just sixty men, and two 20-tonne tracked drilling machines operate the once vast installation. A few diggers and manually driven carriers are used to extract the ores once they're loosened, but they are then flown by piloted craft to Spaceport 01 to await the six-monthly collection.
Facilities:
Staff Sleeping Quarters
Canteen
Rec Room
Shaft A
Depleted Shafts
Medical Center
Command Room
Control Tower
Shuttle Pads
Mine 03
Summary:Mine 03 is the most technologically advanced mining installation on Espolla. Around 90% of the work is carried out by drones that are controlled by a highly sophisticated central computer. At the time of Espolla's colonisation, the technology used in Mine 03 was cutting edge, and though it has now been surpassed, it is still superior to the manual operations of Mines 01, 02 and 04.
20 Technicians oversee the operation from the control room, and rarely need to leave the room's safe confines. Even if a drone malfunctions, there is a small fleet of maintenance drones that see to the repairs.
The only work the Technicians do, aside from acting as supervisors, is load the automated cargo-trains with the the mined ores. The drones cannot do this, because the antiquated fission reactors of the cargo-trains can interfere with the central computer's communications should they get too close.
Mine 03 deals with cobalt, and her reserves still have some decades left.
Facilities:
Staff Sleeping Quarters
Canteen
Rec Room
Shaft A
Shaft B
Shaft C
Shaft D
Shaft E
Medical Center
Command Room
Central Computer
Train Station
Mine 04
Summary: Mine 04 is a platinum mine, and the largest on Espolla. Housing 470 workers, and boasting a network of tunnels that span a 30 mile radius, it has access to the bulk of the asteroid's mobile plant.
On an average day, Mine 04 produces five hundred tonnes of platinum, by far the lionshare of the asteroid's total daily output. Espolla's cargo-train network is centred around Mine 04, with 10 of the 14 serviceable trains dedicated to it solely.
There is an onsight hospital, and it is also the site of Espolla's UNSC Union office. Industrial disputes are settled there, though often in favour of the UNSC.
Despite the large scale operation, there is only 2 work related deaths a year on average.
Facilities:
Staff Sleeping Quarters
3 x Canteen
5 x Rec Room
Shaft A
Shaft B
Shaft C
Shaft D
Shaft E
Shaft F
Shaft G
Depleted Shafts
Hospital
Command Room
Union Office
Cargo-Train Terminal
Cargo-Train Control
Cargo-Train Maintenance
Residential Hub 01
Summary: Residential Hub 01 is a surface colony of typical 24th century design. 70% of the structure exists underground, and is encased in several layers of lead, titanium and a hardened layer of Espolla's regolith.
It is in effect, a self sustaining town. It has shops, restaurants, residential quarters, bars, cinemas, libraries, hospitals and offices. Although it should be noted, that conditions are generally cramped owing to the practical need of reducing the costs of colony building.
The colony is governed by the elected UNSC officials, who reside at the local branch office.
Residential Hub 01 houses the families of the miners who operate Mines 01-03.
Facilities:
Residential Blocks
Security Block
Shuttle Bay
Train Station
Restaurants
Bars
Indoor Park
Indoor Sports Center
2 x Hospital
UNSC Branch Office
Cinema
Small Indoor Stadium
Comprehensive School (All Ages)
Residential Hub 02
Residential Hub 02 serves two purposes. Firstly, and most importantly, it acts as a Solar Station which is responsible for providing 80% of Espolla's power. To do this, massive fields of solar panels surround Hub 02 on all sides, and are constantly maintained and monitored by a team of twenty specialists.
Secondly, the Hub is the residence of Spaceport 01's workers. As there are much fewer residents at Hub 02 than Hub 01, it is naturally much smaller, roughly half the side and boasting half the facilities. However, it is more modern, and offers more effective life support technologies.
