Tilon Quill
Intergalactic
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: A station marking the entrance to the extragalactic star cluster Cosm's Well, as visited in the first major modern expedition there, in the 860s.
- Image Source: 'Quasar' by Luca Georges Francois, ArtStation
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Based on an old Silk Holdings space platform.
- Affiliation: An extended family of Duros spacers, the Merjesh.
- Market Status: Open Market; that is, anyone can visit or reference it.
- Model: N/A
- Production: Unique
- Material: Durasteel hull
- Classification: Multipurpose space platform
- Length: 400 m
- Width: 400 m
- Height: 800 m (long axis)
- Armament: None
- Defenses: Average
- Hangar Space: Several docking bays and ports suitable for a variety of vessels.
- Maneuverability Rating: Very Low
- Speed Rating: Very Low
- Hyperdrive: None
- Standard life support.
- Standard comms.
- Standard sensors.
- Standard tractor beams.
- Standard maneuvering and repositioning systems.
- Standard deflector shields.
- None.
- Can accommodate significant levels of civilian traffic and operations.
- The best public jump-off and resupply point for accessing Cosm's Well, with the best maps.
- Superb selection of radiation shields, anti-radiation medications, and similar gear.
- Has reasonable HoloNet connectivity to the main galaxy.
- Orbits a pulsar, so visitors have an excellent view.
- Extremely remote, far from the vast majority of threats.
- Completely unarmed, relying on docked ships/hired visitors for incidental defense.
- Very limited ability to move.
The Merjesh, a family of Duros spacers, established the Father Torus station long ago in the early ninth century. It served as a trade station and waypoint for a number of piecemeal excursions into the globular cluster called Cosm's Well. Father Torus made a decent living, even a profitable one. The Merjesh occasionally amplified those profits by selling altered maps and then scavenging the unlucky who fell afoul of unmarked hazards.
In the mid-860s, a large expedition backed by the Outer Rim Coalition reached Father Torus and resupplied there before entering Cosm's Well. The expedition centered on the ORC science vessel Baobab under the command of Captain Shira Varanin. Taraxyr, a navigator from Companion Esk, warned the Baobab expedition of the Merjesh's treachery, and the expedition was able to avoid relevant hazards. While at Father Torus, a number of others rendezvoused with the expedition, including the disillusioned Jedi
Jend-Ro Quill
. Simultaneously, Jedi-corporate interests attached themselves to the expedition and set up HoloNet relays between Cosm's Well and the edge of the galaxy.In the four decades since, Cosm's Well has seen slow but steady Jedi-corporate traffic, and Father Torus has entered a new phase. It is still the best public access point to Cosm's Well, and the Merjesh - with a new generation in charge - have not repeated their altered-map stunts. Father Torus has a great deal to offer to explorers and far traders. However, proliferation of Jedi-corporate beacons and relays, as well as an unsuccessful effort to build a megastructure, have made the Merjesh nervous about what the future holds for their family station.
