Research Station Ktynga

AFSS Norby's Comet

Research Station Ktynga is a high level classified station that was built in a polar orbit around Jupiter. The station resembles a starfish 1.35 miles across. Each of the five arms is a demo-arco structure and contains extensive housing, science labs, storage facilities of a full spectrum of security levels, as well as everything else a space station generally needs to operate. The hub houses the central powerplant, docking facilities, and system admins. There is an outer ring connecting all of the arms, and this is the main transit system for passengers, and contains a series of magnetic trams.

A1 - 'The Apartment'

The primary residential sector, Arm 1 contains 75% of the residential space on Norby's Comet. It is styled like metropolitan efficiency apartments, though most are 40-70% larger than terrestrial units. On Norby's Comet, the central room of the domicile is multi-role and can be quickly and easily reconfigured into an exo-lab (very low security) a recreation center, a computer lab (game hub), emergency housing, and so forth. The modular design and engineered occupants of the station preclude the need for large dedicated recreation centers.

A2 - 'the University'

The 'University' is the local term for the science and research arm of the station, and it has some of the best facilities in the solar system, where the resident scientists are pushing the edges of theoretical science, arcanotech, and Imbrian technology recovery. The command staff and resident scientists are set up in an academcian's hierarchy, and is one of the few areas of internal friction. The hyperintelligent researchers are not geared towards mundane administrative tasks, and frequently clash with the normal level intelligence admins who actually keep everything running and rein in the more outrageous projects.

A3 - 'the Campus'

The Campus is the secondary residential sector, and houses the administrative staff, and the station staff who are basically the janitors, and technicians. The Campus also houses some of the senior research staff, especially those who are moving from group work into solitary work, or are transitioning from teams to becoming division heads. The Campus has some amenities not available elsewhere, such as gourmet coffee shops and high end commercial outlets. (this is where the CE versions of Starbucks and the Apple Store would go)

A4 - 'the Mall'

The Mall is the commercial arm of the station and houses the handful of station restaurants (Thai, Chinese, Amero-Burger, Pizza, Soup and Salad, and a vend-o-mat), the cinema, library, and the station commissary. Despite being over 360 million miles from Earth, Norby's Comet keeps on the edge of pop/nerd culture ranging from media and entertainment offerings to its merchandising.

A5 - 'the Vault'

Access to the Vault ranges from low to highly restricted. The 'front' of the Vault is basic storage for non-perishable goods and station supplies that arent kept in the Hub. Further out towards the rim security increases where the Vault houses the station arsenal, hazardous waste, the small and rarely used brig, and the Security Protocol Sector where classified items, Imbrian relics, hyper and arcanotech devices not being used or studied, and anomalous materials are held. At Security 5, the Vault becomes an archive of indescribable horror and blasphemous realities.

The HUB

The center of the station, the HUB has a medium sized pressurized bay, and the ability to extend docking booms for ships too large for the bay. The command center, the CIC, the communications array, and the independent station AISC are also housed in the HUB. The station has two completely separate computer systems (deliberately built with non-compatible technology and power requirements) so that if something goes horribly wrong in the research side, it wont automatically compromise things like station keeping, life support, or the communications array. While it is technically possible for someone to built a connection rig allowing the two systems to speak to each other, and the minds on the research side are certainly up to the task, it would be time consuming, as this was fully realized when Ktynga was being built, and was made as difficult as possible. (we can link the two AISCs, but it is going to take a 30 meter power transmission cable, a hole cut in two bulkheads, two power inverters, an array of noise cancelers and capacitors, someone to stand in a specific doorway so the door doesn't shut, and someone to teach our computer how to speak in their computer's language)

Residents

The majority of the residents of Norby's Comet are technically clones or cascade clones (a cascade clone being when the engineers only lock in half or less of the sequence and allow nature and random generation to handle the rest, creating functionally a series of clone 'siblings' rather than identical clones). These clones have been raised and largely educated (some through psychotronics, on Earth, and have attended various high level education facilities. The best are cherry picked and sent to Norby's Comet where they are allowed to work in a tighly controlled and regulated environment, isolated from the chaotic and destructive mundane world. The research staff specifically do not know that they are phenocladistically engineered.

Clade 1 - Codename Einstein

The Einstein Clade is engineered for extreme intelligence, bordering on hyper-intelligence. These researchers are fantastic in theoretical physics and dimensional science labs, but they falter in things like personal healthcare, interpersonal relationships, and generally being a functional member of any sort of society. These represent the smallest clade and are the 'point of the spear' in the research and science sector. They commonly suffer from OCD, paranoia, BPD, and a host of other defects that generate when a being is pushed past the biological limit of how much cognitive power they can handle.

Clade 2 - Codename Hubble

The Hubble Clade is above human average intelligence, and in their own right, are exceptional scientists. In the Ktynga scenario, the Hubble clade exists for the main purpose of grounding out the Einstein clade and keeping them functional, maintaining social balance and harmony with the other clades, and being liaison between scientific and station staff. The majority of project leaders and division heads come from Hubble lines.

Clade 3 - Codename Friedmann

The Friedmann clade is intellectually on par with Hubble, but has an intentional 'deviance' factor. The Friedmann isn't expected to solve the big problems, or the catastrophic ones. They are designed to tackle the unusual or out of the box problems. This means that the Friedmann clade experiences a much higher than normal level of failure as their asymmetrical approach to problem solving not always the best method. This has the side effect of depression and increased social difficulties, and often makes the Friedmann the omega in their various social circles.

Clade 4 - Codename Copernicus

The Copernicus Clade is designed to be the ultimate problem solvers. Where the other clades pursue theoretical and abstract projects, the Copernicus is a hands on doer. This emphasis on engineering, design, and construction makes the Copernicus popular as a clade, but looked down on in Ktynga as their applications are considered lower than the former's ideals. This is a light-hearted relationship because at the end of the day, it is the Copernicus clade that actually builds the equipment that the Einsteins and Hubbles have to have to do their work.

Support Clades

There are a number of supporting clades that live on Norby's Comet. While some of these are functional, many have as their primary purpose assisting in the stability of the social 'biome' of the station. Humans, even super intelligent genetically engineered humans, have a functional need for socializing and community.

Demi-Meretrix - a full fledged meretrix clade would not be able to tolerate living on Ktynga, nor would the station inhabitants being able to tolerate them. Thus, a demi-meretrix, a concubine for socially inept scientists, was designed. These demi-meretrices are predominantly found in the service sector and in the Mall arm of the station. They are fully capable and intelligent, they just happen to have their libidos engineered to be triggered by shy awkward weirdos with neurodivergent scientists.

Kirby Clade - the Kirby clade is designed to be a collector of minutia of popular culture and media, to be quick witted, but submissive and servile to those of greater intelligence. Where the demi-meretrix allows for the scientists and researchers to find sexual gratification, the Kirby clade allows for these awkward weirdos to experience social success and 'domination' as the Kirby is designed to be a perpetual loser.

Functionality

Norby's Comet has a dual purpose. The main and obvious purpose for the station is the front and center high end classified research and reverse engineering going on in the labs. Propulsion, power generation, high energy physics, dimensional science, and the like. The second and concealed purpose is the manipulation and study of of the staff. The scientists, doctors, and engineers are engineered, their environment is artificial, and their social biome is carefully controlled. At any time every staff member on the station is involved in two projects, their known project, and the experiment that they are part of. The controllers on the station might set various members of a social circle at odds with each other, or deliberately promote a member to provoke a different member. They create rivalries, and engineer liaisons between staff members, often to study how they will interact in situations where their interactions are forbidden.