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Main course and effect
🕑 Added 2022-03-16 22:07:07 +0000 UTCThe winding road from cause to effect and effect to cause can oft lead one situation's attempted cure becoming another situations curse apparent. The attempt to saving something most cherished causing the loss of another's cherished item is often the basis of an antagonists back-story, yet often the truth of such matters can be far more murky with responsibilities ultimately vanishing into the air like the mist of a Fogged Leopard on a windy morning.
The station itself by now has had many names and many owners, with most of said owners never using the station beyond it's value as an asset, let alone setting paw upon it. With such situations often many of the current crew might not even know what the official name of the station actually is, having given the station a name of their own choosing, ever simply not bothered with names outside the section they were assigned to live on.
The station is vast indeed, a true city station larger and more complex then is practical for most space based operations. Despite that, it certainly is not close to being on any list of largest stations in the galaxy. it is complex, indeed, but falls far short of any empires core science and research stations. If anyone could describe the station, it would be average. Size, complexity, space and facilities.
Originally designed as one of a number of safe havens by the Quokybara Coalition during a time of great anxiety for the alliances two species, it was intended to serve as a total replacement for core world cities and even outer colonies entire. Many were hastily made as the rodent and marsupial species of the Quokybara Coalition were feasted upon without possibility of resistance in the hope that even if they were forced to scatter into the galactic winds at least the two species would continue to survive in some form. Truly, if some of the curious species traits were highly useful, in the case of others their unique traits if anything added to their desirability as prey.
With their unexpected friendly integration into other larger empires and safe havens these stations ultimately became as unnecessary as the Quokybara Coalition itself and so were sold in large numbers, leaving them to be preferred choices for those needing affordable space-based real estate with acceptable facilities and capabilities. While some alterations needed to be done to such stations (most notably the removal of the swimming pools found in most habitation and work rooms throughout the station), the softly bulky furnishing, large space and high ceiling ensured the stations overall design needed very little work to be usable by all species.
Despite all of the quality, craftsmanship and care though, the stations were indeed constructed quickly by species concerned with escaping their end via rampant and ravenous predation by other, less innocent folk. While sturdy and resilient, the stations constantly need repair work, maintenance and upkeep. While capable, none of the stations had computer systems and programs completed or fully functional. All issues that could be resolved easily when filled by the Quokka and Capybara crew and populations. However, now after several owners and no crew specifically trained or such stations, the work that would take moments requires increasing skills to complete. Worse still, most stations lay largely empty, with presumably faulty sensors reporting ghosts and scan echoes indicating false creatures of all types roaming the abandoned sectors. Well, usually false.
With the stations new crew installed the Science Director determined that much of the station would be considered required at first with the potential for expended operations as the station progressed in it's new mission, in her new mission. While technicians would roam into the abandoned sectors with security details for repairs and upgrades, largely these unneeded parts were left to the Grimalkin to stalk the corridors and access tubes. More effective then any spanner and security team combination, the Grimalkin could largely ensure the station did not need fear being overrun by creatures such as Kessler Rats, Fengus, newly hatched Ursidaegrades or other space based creatures.
However, despite these precautions, nobody on board were under illusions that there would be no problems. Computer glitches caused by incomplete software, degraded components or incompatible improvements have been known to cause issues with some of the core systems of the station. Backups exist of such systems, especially critical components, but such systems usually need short times to initialize. While the Quokybara Coalition were rushed in their construction and innocent of many of the more terrible technological fates possible in space, they ensured fail-safes and backups of all core systems to be safe.
However, even with a fail-safe, there may be issues. As is their usual agreement, the stations Grimalkin crew exist on traditional agreements their race make with all those who might accept them. Those on a ship or station manifest are considered equals, untouchable, entirely above being eaten. Those creatures and intruders not part of the official crew? Little more then padding on the Grimalkins flanks. This system by and large works without problems, aside ship captains too lazy to update manifests, but what happens when the central database goes down? What happens when the people management software reports no crew? What happens in those short periods between systems report none of the information they should and the computer is brought back up to speed. When the database fails to deploy, the Grimalkin do enjoy.
At least many that fall to the Grimalkin in the less inhabited parts of the station during these technical problems seems to offer little to no resistance. Some even seem to encourage their fate, possibly even delight in it...
And thus, in their own haste to escape a fate as a highly desired meal for others, those of the Quokybara Coalition have innocently created situations where others might suffer that exact same fate.
Main course and effect.
