=== Races | Culture | Institutions | Buildings & Organizations === ====== GUARDING TROOPER STATION – MORNINGSTAR ====== {{:local_community_b_center_courier_station_guarding_troopers_morningstar_scenic2d.png?direct&400|}} ===== Overview ===== * **Location:** Civic Ring, [[morningstar|Morningstar]] * **Address:** SE Civic Ring Road 1 * **Surroundings:** Opposite the [[local_community_center_of_morningstar|Morningstar's Local Community Center]] and [[morningstar_courier_station|Morningstar's Courier Station]] The Morningstar station served as the local arm of the [[guarding_troopers|Guarding Troopers]] during the [[beta_age|Beta Age]] in the [[the_humans|exohuman]] [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]], maintaining law and order for a mountain settlement known for its lumber mills and stone trades. Staffed by 10 troopers and 6 [[guarding_bots|Guarding Bots]], it enforced frontier laws in an environment of perpetual twilight and rugged terrain. Following the dissolution of the Guarding Troopers in April 2631 and the creation of the [[federal_confederation|Federal Confederation]] in 2632, the station transitioned into the [[local_sheriff_s_office_of_morningstar|Office of the Local Sheriff in Morningstar]] under the new [[federal_sheriff|Federal Sheriff System]]. ===== Architectural Significance ===== * **Construction Material:** Straight wooden logs notched into square-corner cabins, set atop rough river-stone plinths. * **Roof & Roofline:** Short-Wave Antenna (retractable mast for connection to the [[shortwave_radio_network_of_the_exohumans|Exohuman Shortwave Radio Network]]) * **Floors:** 1,5 (main cabin and attic mezzanine) * **Power Supply:** [[quantum_fusion_batteries|Quantum Fusion Batteries]] * **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. * **Design Purpose:** Traditional settler craft adapted for rapid assembly — robust against seasonal storms, with reclaimed shuttle-canopy glass panes in windows. The exterior resembles an oversized log cabin: heavy beams interlock at corners, and broad overhanging eaves protect against rain. A carved wooden plaque above the door bears the Guarding Troopers emblem. ===== Building Structure ===== {{ :102_map_guarding_trooper_station_morningstar.jpg?direct&200|}} **Ground Floor** * **Reception & Records Nook:** A timber counter where residents submit petitions or fines; secured by sliding wood shutters. * **Guard Room:** Central open space with wooden benches, weapon racks, and a hearth to ward off damp chill. * **Armory Alcove:** Enclosed corner cabinet locked with iron straps, housing 10 [[laser_gun|Laser Guns]], 5 [[guarding_troopers_stun_gun|Stun Guns]], 10 [[guarding_troopers_combat_knife|Combat Knives]] and 2 [[combat_drones|Combat Drones]]. * **Command Cabin:** Officer’s desk, map table, and communication horn linked to patrol skiffs. * **Washroom & Gear Rack:** Small chamber with basic wash basin and hooks for cloaks and boots. * **Restrooms (2):** Two unisex restroom stalls, featuring the [[aurorasan_system|AuroraSan System]]. **Attic Mezzanine** * **Detention Cells (4):** Short-term lockups — 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 toilet. Ventilation is provided through a narrow conduit connected to the station’s centralized air system. * **Interrogation Alcove:** A curtained alcove with a single lamp. ===== Look and Feel ===== Despite its log-cabin exterior, stepping inside reveals a tightly organized frontier police station. The air is cool and dry. Walls of interlocking timber are lined with duty rosters, and shifting-shade maps of patrol zones. The floorboards are reinforced with metal strips to handle heavy boots and bot treads. Every piece of furniture is functional: sturdy desks for filing reports, wall-mounted clipboards for incident logs, and secured cabinets for evidence storage. Movements are efficient and deliberate — troopers check their gear at marked stations, bots glide silently along designated paths, and the station hums with the precise rhythm of law enforcement at work. ===== Roles and Responsibilities ===== * **Station Commander (1):** Appointed by the General at New Kourou; oversees station operations * **Patrol Troopers (8):** Foot patrols in and around the settlement. * **Investigator (1):** Handles property disputes and minor criminal cases * **Guarding Bots (6):** 4 Patrol Bots on multi-terrain treads; 2 Cell-Guard Bots in the detention loft. ===== Security Measures ===== * **Silent Alarm Network:** A hardwired alarm system connected all key stations within the building. Triggering it initiated a coordinated lockdown and immediate bot deployment. * **Armory Access:** The Alcove was secured (locked with iron straps) and could only be accessed upon authentication by a Guarding Bot. * **A Prison Cell Guarding Bot** monitored the Detention Cells in the attic 24/7. It was armed with a Guarding Troopers Laser Gun and authorized to use lethal force in the event of an escape attempt. * **Perimeter Sweeps:** A Guarding Bot, accompanied by a [[combat_drones|Combat Drone]], controlled each perimeter of the station in a fixed circular rude. ===== Player Interaction ===== === Legal interactions: === * 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 Alcove for 30 minutes – based on an appointment. * Defend a falsely accused NPC and help gather evidence === Illegal interactions: === * 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. ===== Public Access, Operating Hours and Operational Rhythm ===== * **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 * **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:** Morningstar station conducts a full lockdown and evacuation drill on the first day of each month to test protocols and community readiness. ==== Operational Rhythm of the Detention Cells in the Attic Loft ==== The Detention Cells 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 Extension’s main door. * **10:00 – Interrogations and Transfers:** The Interrogation Alcove 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:** Guarding Bots continue passive patrol. Doors remain locked until the next 06:00 cycle. ===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters ===== * **Shadows Behind Bars** – During a routine lockdown drill, the lights in the Detention Cells 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 … ===== Related Pages and Further Information ===== * [[beta_age|Beta Age]] * [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]] * [[morningstar|Morningstar]] *[[the_human_legal_and_governmental_system_in_the_beta_age| Exohuman Legal and Governmental System of the Beta Age]] * [[guarding_troopers|Guarding Troopers]] * [[local_sheriff_s_office_of_morningstar|Office of the Local Sheriff of Morningstar]] (successor [[the_gamma_age|Gamma Age]]) **Local Stations of the Guarding Troopers in the Free State of Settlers:** * [[guarding_troopers_headquarters|Headquarters of the Guarding Troopers in New Kourou]] * [[local_station_of_the_guarding_troopers_firetown|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Firetown]] *[[local_guarding_troopers_station_of_hope| Local Guarding Troopers Station of Hope]] * [[Local Guarding Troopers Station of Morningstar|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Morningstar]] * [[Local Guarding Troopers Station of Arla Town|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Arla Town]]