RE Fun Fact Friday #98
Maintaining economies and supplying ventures on planets far away is a big deal. Whether that is kickstarting a colony’s industry, trading with other planets or factions, or logistically supporting a war or other conflict. The advances in FTL technology has allowed planets to become more specialized in what they produce, and import what they lack.
Cargo ships make up a large portion of interstellar traffic in Resonant Evolution. They could be smaller ships transporting small batches of tech or equipment to the neighboring planet, or gargantuan freighters transporting thousands of containers of material, manufactured goods or food to a foreign spaceport.
The large majority of these cargo vessels are civilian owned and operated, with governments often contracting them to do work for more official business. There is some semblance of international cohesion though. Standards have been adopted through the relatively new Galactic Senate, which is an optimistic name, to set standards for interstellar travel between nations and other factions: Cargo containers are of a standard size(s), measurements and other metrics, communication is done in certain languages based on different zones, transponder beacons are required to identify and locate civilian vessels, etc.This initiative to standardize commercial trade was a big reason why the Galactic Senate was created, it has done little else.
Cargo ships and RE come in many different designs. Since there is no wind resistance, and weight almost negligible thanks to zero gravity and hyperdives, the configuration of these ships is all over the place. Most push the cargo in front of them, leaving the engines in the back with more space. Others might have “holds” (separate cargo container holding sections) with dedicated engines in the far back. It can be stacked high or long, whatever configuration interferes with the ship's sensors less.
They usually have smaller crews, most processes and procedures are automated. All the crew really have to do is make sure all the systems are running correctly and the FTL engages correctly. Docking with space stations is normally done automatically.
Cargo ships are plagued with long and lonely voyages, the small crews don't help with this. If you don't like the other 3 people you're stuck with for 2 months, you’re out of luck. But for the same reasons, small crews also can create really strong friendships and bonds.
All ships in RE have to do hyperspace cooldown breaks in order for the hyperdrive to not overheat and to relieve the ship from the structural stresses of FTL travel. These breaks are often planned out for the entire ship and often occur in star systems. In large active hyperlanes it is pretty common to find several ships in different stages of this cooldown in one system. These “rallies” give crews the opportunity to talk with and even meet and trade with other crews.
Space Stations are important steps for loading and unloading cargo. They are important because larger cargo ships are unable to escape the atmosphere due to their weight. They are designed and built in space to go from one station to the next, loading cargo at one and offloading it at the next. Cargo is often unloaded autonomously by the station, storing it in its own “holds” awaiting for it to be ferried to the planet.
Space stations are the real ports of a planet, offering refueling and exchange of goods, and just like naval ports in our world cultural diffusion.
After long journeys in hyperspace, it is often necessary to relax. Too frequent jumps and time being in hyperspace can cause hyperspace sickness or madness. Oftentimes it is mild, but not always. So virtually all space stations have places to relax, and spend the money you just earned. Some ports may be nicer than others, and have more upscale amenities, while others may satisfy more hedonistic desires.
Space stations employ smaller ships colloquially called “ferries” that transport one or more containers or parcels of cargo down to or up from the surface. These smaller craft are able to make the trip up from the surface unlike the larger space-bound cargo ships.
Not all planets will have space stations. So cargo ships will either stick around until all the ferries grab all the containers, or let the hold go and go off to their next job.
Space ports act as logistical distribution centers for imported cargo. Once cargo is brought down from orbit, it is fed into the logistical machine that is a space port. Containers can be unpacked on the spot, led into adjoining land distribution centers, or flown away via AV (aerial vehicle) ultimately headed to its final destination. Space ports usually handle this allocation, there is often more staff dealing with this distribution than air traffic controllers or personnel transport.
Logistics win wars, This cannot be understated on a galactic scale. You can easily turtle on a singular planet, producing everything you might need, but if you want to go out and conquer another or even just colonize it, you need to have a large and well stocked supply train behind you.
You may have to build your own impromptu space port or station while you prepare an invasion of a planet you destroyed their version of. Personnel need food, water, ammunition. Vehicles, and not to mention ships need fuel. Ships need resupplies of missiles and other ammunition to keep fighting without having to turn back for friendly ports. All of these necessitate a vast logistical fleet, often conscripted or contracted civilians.