GUARDING TROOPERS' HEADQUARTERS

• Location: Western Civic Ring, New Kourou
• Address: NW Talara Road 2
• Surroundings: Embedded in the administrative district of the Free State of Settlers, adjacent to the Headquarters of the Central Bank of the Free State of Settlers.

With a modest staff of 60 Guarding Troopers, the Guarding Troopers’ Headquarters served as the Exohuman's primary law enforcement and penal authority in the governmental and legal system of the Free State of Settlers during the Beta Age. It fulfilled local and inter-settlement responsibilities, overseeing public safety, criminal investigations, and penal enforcement as the basement of the Headquarters served as State Prison.

Following the dissolution of the Guarding Troopers in April 2631 and the establishment of the Federal Confederation in 2632, the station was re-designated as the Headquarters of the Federal Sheriff under the new Federal Sheriff System. Its function as a central prison was replaced by the Federal Prison near Firetown.

• Construction Material: Repurposed metal sheets and composite panels salvaged from the Last Frontier.
• Floors: 2
• Roof & Roofline: Short-Wave Antenna (retractable mast for connection to the Exohuman Shortwave Radio Network)
• Air Vents: The Cell Block`s air exchange was managed by a centralized, mechanical ventilation system with a central intake on the exterior of the building.
• Power Supply: Quantum Fusion Batteries
• Design Purpose: Designed for pragmatic efficiency, built rapidly using modular cargo elements from the ship’s hull and cargo containers.

Its harsh, industrial look mirrored the psychological pressure it exerted on those entering, whether as officers, detainees, or citizens filing reports. Yet for many settlers, the very presence of this structure meant the beginnings of safety and structure.

Basement:

• Cells (12): Used for both short-term holding and long-term sentencing. Harsh conditions, minimal comfort. no natural light, and reinforced steel doors fitted with narrow viewing slits. Each cell contains a small cot, a bolted-down stool, and an AuroraSan System. toilet. Ventilation is provided through a narrow conduit connected to the station’s centralized air recovery system.
• Interrogation Room: Equipped for confessions, initial questioning, and psychological pressure tactics.
• Confiscated Goods Room: Contained seized items, weapons, and punishment tools

Ground Floor (Local Policing and Intake):

• Reception and Records Desk: Central intake for arrests and citizen reports. Managed the criminal logs of New Kourou.
• Armory Locker: Holds 30 Laser Guns. 60 Stun Guns, 60 Combat Knives and 10 Combat Drones.
• Guard Room: Briefing area and resting quarters for patrolling officers.
• Marking Room: Special chamber where convicted individuals received their Mark of Shame tattoos under sedation or restraint.
• Two Restrooms: Two unisex restroom stalls, featuring the AuroraSan System.

Second Floor:

• Investigation Office: Workspace for 15 Troopers handling complex or multi-settlement crimes.
• Commander's Office: Occupied by the Chief Trooper overseeing the entire station.
• General Trooper's Office: Office of the Supreme Leader of the Law Enforcement Organization
• Briefing and Training Room: Used for combat drills, legal instruction, and inter-department coordination.
• Two Restrooms: Two unisex AuroraSan System-Restroom-Stalls.

Inside, the Guarding Troopers’ Headquarters feels cold, metallic, and oppressively strict. Faint chemical smells linger in the air — sanitizer, resin, sweat. Walls are unpainted metal with mounted light strips and a distinct echo that follows every footstep. Conversations are quiet, purposeful. Even the public reception desk has a defensive posture to it — separated by a steel grate.

The basement, dimly lit and poorly ventilated, is dominated by the hollow clang of closing cell doors and the murmur of detainees. Above, the second floor carries an eerie calm — a place where fates are decided in silence, behind sealed doors.

• General Trooper: Leadership of all Guarding Troopers in all settlements – in coordination with the Settler's Council
• Station Commander (1): Appointed by the General Trooper. Oversees all station operations, liaises with regional command, and holds disciplinary authority.
• Investigators (15): Handled major crimes including violence, sabotage, and inter-settlement cases.
• Local Patrol Troopers (15): Maintained order, mediated disputes, and ensured day-to-day safety within New Kourou.
• Penal Enforcement Troopers (30): Managed detainment, prisoner transport, public punishment events, and facility security.
• Administrative Clerk (1): Maintained criminal logs, handled public documents, and monitored records.

Non-Human Staff:

• Prison Cell Guarding Bots (2): The Guarding Bots permanently surveilled the Detention Cells. They were armed with Laser Guns.
• Penal Enforcement Guarding Bots (4): Accompanied Penal Enforcement Troopers and supported them during prisoner transport, public punishments, and emergencies.
• Local Security Guarding Bots (10): Deployed as surveillance and response units in key buildings classified as high-security. Operated semi-autonomously, often rotating between civic zones and public institutions.

• Perimeter Patrols: Continuous movement of Penal Enforcement Troopers around the headquarters and the surrounding civic zone ensured constant presence and visibility. Patrols followed strict routes and were supported by Combat Drone for rapid response.
• A Penal Enforcement Guarding Bot assisted during prisoner transport and public punishments, acting as mobile crowd control and backup.It was accompanied by a Combat Drone.
• Secure Interrogation and Marking Chambers: Restricted access areas, requiring verification. Guarding Bots were programmed to deny unauthorized personnel and notify the Commander in Chief of any anomalies.
• Armory Access: The Armory Locker was secured (locked with iron straps) and could only be accessed upon authentication by a Guarding Bot.
• Silent Alarm Network: A hardwired alarm system connected all key stations within the building. Triggering it initiated a coordinated lockdown and immediate bot deployment.
• Two Prison Cell Guarding Bots, each equipped with a Laser Gun, monitored the Detention Cells 24/7 and were authorized to use lethal force in the event of an escape attempt.

• Reception Hours: 06:00–20:00 local time, daily; after-hours requests handled via secured drop-chute.
• Shift Rotations: Four trooper squads rotate through 6-hour shifts to ensure 24/7 coverage — each shift includes 1 Investigator on call.
• Bot Maintenance Window: Automated diagnostics and firmware updates occur every day from 02:00–03:00, during which human troopers increase patrol frequency.
• Monthly Drills: The Headquarters conducts a full lockdown and evacuation drill on the first day of each month to test protocols and community readiness.

The Detention Block followed a rigid daily cycle designed to maintain discipline with minimal staff oversight..

Daily Schedule:

• 06:00 – Wake-Up and Early Meal: Prisoners receive morning rations (hot broth and nutrient paste) through the hatch slots in their doors.
• 07:00 – Sanitation: Each prisoner receives a cloth moistened with warm water, a towel, and a toothbrush with edible toothpaste.They will be collected again 30 minutes later.
• 08:00 – Inspection and Report: A trooper checks each cell through the viewing slit, and signs off the inspection sheet pinned outside the Detention Block’s main door.
• 10:00 – Interrogations and Transfers: The Interrogation Room is used for questioning or documentation. Prisoners moved to other facilities are escorted out under armed supervision.
• 13:00 – Midday Lockdown: Lights dim to half intensity; Guarding Bots perform localized diagnostics and recharge via the wall sockets.
• 17:00 – Circle Walk: Inmates are escorted in small groups of two or three to the Circle Yard for a ten-minute “exercise walk.” The supervising Guarding Bot scans constantly from its raised perch.
• 19:00 – Late Meal: Hot stew is distributed cell by cell. The corridor heating system activates for two hours, creating a low metallic hum that masks other sounds.
• 22:00 – Late Cycle: Corridor lights dim to red. Guarding Bots continue passive patrol, and one human trooper remains on watch in the Guard Room. Doors remain locked until the next 06:00 cycle.

• Report a missing person or stolen property.
• Request assistance with enforcing a local curfew violation.
• Submit a general complaint or suggestion through the reception slit.
• Check the status of outstanding fines or permits.
• Retrieve items from the station’s lost-and-found via a signed form.
• Visit a detained criminal in the Interrogation Room for 30 minutes – based on an appointment.
• Defend a falsely accused NPC and help gather evidence

• Attempt to free a detained criminal from the holding cells.
• Bribe a Guarding Trooper or Bot for illicit favors or to overlook a violation.
• Forge station documents or clearance papers to evade fines or gain unauthorized access.
• Smuggle contraband – drugs or weapons – into the holding cells for a detained criminal.
• Disrupt or sabotage a public punishment event
• Incite unrest among prisoners during lockdown hours

• Shadows Behind Bars – During a routine lockdown drill, the lights in the Basement flicker out, and one of the cells is found empty — its inhabitant nowhere in sight. With the security slits sealed and Guarding Bots on alert, the PCs must investigate inside the station: question troopers, inspect the interrogation niche for clues, and determine if the escape was aided by a saboteur within the ranks or something more supernatural lurking in the stone walls …

• Beta Age
• Free State of Settlers
• Exohuman Legal and Governmental System of the Beta Age
• Guarding Troopers
• Headquarters of the Federal Sheriff (successor Gamma Age)

Local Stations of the Guarding Troopers in the Free State of Settlers:

• Headquarters of the Guarding Troopers in New Kourou
• Local Guarding Troopers Station of Firetown
• Local Guarding Troopers Station of Hope
• Local Guarding Troopers Station of Morningstar
• Local Guarding Troopers Station of Arla Town