Gateway Station

'Gateway Station'

Type	Fixed-position orbital military base
Faction	Planetary Union Fleet
Speed	Stationary (in stable orbit)
Propulsion	N/A (legacy grav-stabilizers, minimal maneuvering capability)
Armor	Segmented hardened alloy exterior Reinforced pressure-integrity hulls per building Crysteel dome over hub and piers
Armament	Perimeter point-defense turrets (limited coverage) Legacy kinetic flak cannons on outer hull Station defense managed primarily by docked vessels
Hangar Capacity	1 repair hangar per pier (5 total) Dedicated hangar for PUV James Keeling Armored launch pads for Ochtheras and other small craft
Notes	Legacy installation (over 100 years old) Formerly supported five full battle groups Currently semi-abandoned, repurposed for secret operations

Overview

Gateway Station is a fixed-position military orbital base capable of supporting and housing multiple large Fleet vessels. Constructed over a century before the events of the The Crypt series, it remains one of the largest non-mobile space stations ever built by the Planetary Union Fleet.

Design

• Central disk-shaped hub is 1.75 km across
• Five 1-kilometer piers radiate from the central hub like spokes on a wheel
• Each pier connects to a specific sector of the central hub
• Each pier sector contains:
  • Sector command
  • Housing for ship crew and pier personnel
  • Admin offices
  • Barracks and lounges
• The center of the hub contains:
  • Shared warehouse and cargo processing facilities
  • Training facilities
  • Central housing and administrative offices
• Covered walkways and crysteel domes protect from vacuum; each building retains pressure integrity
• Entire base has adjustable fakegrav (0.2g to 2.0g)
• Each pier sector is capable of full lockdown via security checkpoints

Nomenclature

Although Gateway Station is a military installation, many of its internal facilities are referred to using civilian-style terms such as “buildings,” “rooms,” and “warehouses.” This is a holdover from the station’s legacy design, originally modeled after terrestrial bases and planetary naval facilities.

Official Fleet documentation uses terms like:

• Sector
• Subsector
• Compartment

However, on Gateway Station, the following are commonly used:

• “Building” refers to any large, stand-alone structure, often pressure-sealed and hardened
• “Room” refers to specific compartments inside a building (e.g., Room 1402)
• Warehouses and reception centers are identified by pier sector and facility number (e.g., Two-Three = Pier Two, Warehouse Three)

Each pier sector uses its own localized numbering and signage

Central hub facilities use a shared numbering scheme accessible from all pier sectors

Fleet personnel aboard Gateway commonly switch between official nomenclature and legacy terminology in casual and semi-formal communication. This dual-usage system is understood station-wide, especially given Gateway’s age and patchwork modernization efforts.

Tactical Role

Gateway Station is designed to support five full battle groups simultaneously. It functions as:

• Resupply and refit facility
• Training hub for Raiders and Fleet crew
• Secure drydock for highly classified ships

Due to its orbit and location, the station is Ideal for operations near Tower Republic, the Leekee Collective, and is a critical staging area for missions near the Zone of Interference.

Notable Features

• Pier Two is home to the PUV James Keeling and has been extensively resecured for black-ops containment
• The central hub remains semi-operational, with limited staff maintaining shared resources
• Each pier’s facilities include:
  • Reception center for intake and ceremonies
  • Sector-specific enlisted clubs and lounges
  • Admin structures referred to in-universe as "buildings" but formally considered subsectors and compartments
• Due to its outdated and massive scale, Fleet could not afford to build another facility like Gateway