compiled by  Daashulinta Sharakkannik

Starports

Edited 14 Feb 2001

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             Upgrading your starport
             Package deals
             Landing facilities, beacons, towers, sensors
             Parkbays
             Parking orbit transponders
             Utility spacecraft
             Fuel and maintenance
             Drydocks and shipyards
             Warehouses
             Concourses and habitats
             Maglev terminals
             Bases
                

Credits Bruce Allen Macintosh Leonard Erickson Thad Coons              <104765.503@compuserve.com> Ernest N Rowland        <erowland@ionet.net> Simon Early             <sre@taz.compulink.co.uk> Michael Kent            <mkent@atlantic.net> Ian Whitchurch          <ianw@orac.net.au> Jeff Cornish            <JCornish@appiangraphics.com> Marc Miller             <CardSharks@aol.com> Kenneth Bearden         <dreamer@brokersys.com> Erwin Fritz             <erwin@fritz.cuug.ab.ca> James Kundert           <james@dumbcat.sf.ca.us> George Herbert          <gherbert@crl.com> Mark Clark              <markc@brahms.udel.edu> Jeff Zeitlin            <jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com> Bryan Borich            <Kagehira@aol.com> Andrew Moffatt-Vallance <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz> Michael Koehne          <kraehe@bakunin.hb.north.de> Stewart Eyres  The Port Authority Handbook The Compleat Starport (Judges' Guild) Miscellaneous JTAS articles

Contents A starports book needs to excite the player. The material needs to be interesting, fun, and useful. Expanded encounter tables: in port and startown Details of starport classes, facilities, tech and purpose variations Planetary interdiction and smuggling Ship encounters and ships in port Vehicles: shuttles, tugs, rescue craft, security/patrol craft Installations: ship tender, small orbital dock, interdiction satellite Startown: Use in adventures, extrality, R&R, alien quarter Arrival: scan the starport Smuggling goods into/out of the system Get rescued by the starport authority Get harrassed by the starport authority Get blown up by the starport authority Get mugged at Startown Who visits a starport? Make money -- own a starport! Make a base -- build a starport!

Arrival: Scan the Starport Space is mostly cold, tiny bits of debris floating in a vacuum. Occasionally, however, an Imperial system will see a brilliant flash of light, out of which emerges a starship looking for a starport to berth at. The Rylos II precipitated into normal space with a lurch. Happily, she has arrived in the target system undamaged. Her sensor operator scans the system -- since this system is supposed to have an A-class port, there should be no problem with pirates, so the liner needs not be discreet. A starport's interstellar trade is at the mercy of the closest and largest starports. Since this world is on an X-Boat route, jump-4 freighters will dominate the port, and worlds as far as 4 parsecs away will dominate this world's trade. Often, a world on the X-Boat route will have a critical product that sectors of worlds depend on; this also can boost a system's trade levels and effect their starport's structure. A far trader, the Marliiner, operates off the X-Boat routes, servicing minor worlds and feeder routes. A typical non-X-Boat world usually sees jump-1 and jump-2 vessels; their sphere of trade is dominated by the worlds close by. Their starports are general-purpose affairs, rounded enough to handle any general situation, or a small number of guests, or the occasional load of cargo. So then, starports are custom-built to accomodate the particular types of traffic passing through them. In general, traffic is of two kinds: passengers and freight. Freight can be broken down into categories, such as agricultural, industrial, critical, or luxury products. To determine what starport the Rylos II is approaching, consider the current system against the two or three most important worlds along the X-Boat route here, and tally them up using a point system. Points are given to broad categories based on starport quality, population size, technological level, etc. To see how I implement this method, visit my link on Interstellar Trade. The output of this system is an average number of passengers and dtons of freight moving through the starport per week. To determine the type of freight moving through the system, consider the source (Note: some of these categories are not exclusive):

	Freight Bound Out-System	Freight Bound In-System	Freight Passing Through System
Agricultural world	Major and minor lots - Agricultural goods and raw materials	Major lots - Industrial goods Minor lots - Luxuries	depends on location
Industrial world	Major and minor lots - Industrial goods	Major lots - Agricultural goods and raw materials	depends on location
Rich world	Minor (or major) lots -  Luxury products and finished goods	Major and minor lots - All kinds	All size lots - Various kinds
Subsector capital	A few 100-dton lots - Critical products	Major and minor lots - All kinds	All size lots - All kinds of cargo
Poor or desert world	Major and/or minor lots - Raw materials	Incidental lots only - Agricultural products and industrial goods	Incidental lots only - Various kinds
World on the X-Boat route	depends on world type	depends on world type	All size lots - All kinds of cargo

 

To determine the facilities a starport has, map the freight index and the passenger index in the tables below:

 

	Passenger Index # 1	2	3	4	5
Frt. # 1	facilities for 5 scouts or yachts	facilities for 10 traders + hostel	25 berths, a hotel and convention center	200 berths, several hotels,  restaurants, and tourist svcs	multiple downports with 200+  berths each
2	facilities for 5 subsidized merchants	facilities for 10 merchants + hostel	facilities for 25 liners + hotel  + convention ctr	200 berths, hotels, restaurants, tourist svc, cargo svc.	as above, with cargo svc.
3	facilities for 20 merchants and freighters	facilities for 20 freighters + a hotel	as above	as above	as above
4	facilties for 10 freighters	facilities for 20 freighters + a hotel	as above + 10 orbital berths	as above + 10 orbital berths	as above
5	facilities for 100 freighters	facilities for 100  freighters + hotel	facilities for 100 freighters + hotel + convention ctr	as above + 100 orbital berths	as above + 100 orbital berths
6	multiple orbital ports as above	multiple orbital ports as above	multiple orbital ports as above	multiple orbital ports as above	multiple orbital ports as above
7	major in-system cargo transfer points at various orbits around the primary.	major in-system cargo transfer points + hostel on mainworld	major in-system cargo xfer points + hotel + convention ctr on mainworld	as above + major  in-system cargo  xfer points	as above + major in-system cargo xfer points

 

Scouts: 100-dton exploratory ships Yachts: 200-dton touring ships for the rich Traders: 200-dton free traders, far traders, or secure traders Subsidized merchants: 400-dton merchant ships Liners: 600-dton passenger and freight ships Freighters: 1000 to 75,000-dton bulk freight carriers Cargo Transfer (Xfer) Points: major freight dropoff and pickup points that are not orbiting the mainworld.

 

Local ship encounter tables These ships are part of in-system traffic, and include system defense elements as well as commercial ships.

 

Roll	Ship type	Number	Volume	Contents
2	In-system freighter	d6	25,000	cargo
3	Grav fighter  (near a planet only)	2d6	4	n/a
4	Smuggler	1	200	cargo
5	Boat	1	10 * d6	cargo/passengers
6	SDB	d6	400	power
7	Shuttle	1	100	cargo/passengers
8	Patrol ship	1	400	power
9	Yacht	1	200	cargo/passengers
10	Pirate	1	400	power/cargo
11	Fighter	d6	10	n/a
12	In-system liner	d6	10,000	passengers

 

Berthed-ship encounter tables These ships can be found berthed in orbit or at the downport.

 

Roll	Ship type	Number	Volume	Contents
2	Cruiser	d6	30,000	power
3	Liner	d6	600	cargo/passengers
4	Trader	d6/2	400	power
5	Shuttle	1	100	cargo/passengers
6	Scout	1	100	equipment
7	Trader	d6/2	200	cargo/passengers
8	Ship's boat	1	10 * d6	passengers/equipment
9	Patrol ship	1	400	power
10	Corsair	1	400	power/equipment
11	Merc Cruiser	d6	800	power/equipment
12	Freighter	d6	30,000	cargo

 

Ship contents "Power" units are related to the drive, weapons, and sensor systems of a starship. Cargo. Roll a random cargo for the ship, or pick a cargo from a resource such as  101 Cargos. Passengers. Roll up random passengers for the ship. Equipment. Select a shipment or two of equipment, perhaps from a resource such as the Central Supply Catalog.

Starport Encounter Table

Roll	Encounter type	Number	Posessions
2	Scientists	d6	?
3	Scout	1	cash
4	Marines	2d6	blades
5	Pickpocket	1	knife
6	Police	d6	pistols
7	Starmen	d6	cash, weapons
8	Local workers	2d6	?
9	Mercenaries	d6	blades
10	Thugs	2d6	knives
11	Explorers	d6	knives
12	Aliens	d6	blades

Starport Events Table

Roll	Event	Description
2	Solar flare	Space: Treat as a single hit by a nuclear weapon. Ships must land, immediately jump, use a planet to block the flare, or ride it out.
3	Illness	A contagion has been brought to the starport, from the surface or a ship. Use biological warfare rules.
4	Meteorite storm	Treat as a missile attack (2d6 missiles).
5	Malfunction	An inbound or outbound ship has lost maneuver, fuel intake, comms, or landing gear functionality, through system or pilot error.
6	Mayday	An inbound ship has lost maneuver capacity and is hurtling toward a valuable target.
7	Bump priority	An inbound or outbound priority override has been requested. All ships in that category must be notified and reassigned time slots.
8	Routine message	Arriving ship crew wait for 2d6 hours, then proceed to go through the inspection routine (customs, health, immigration, technical).
9	Await Inspection	A ship qualifies for an inspection, either due to paperwork mismatches or random selection.
10	Port quarantine	A ship and/or a berth is placed under quarantine for d6 weeks.
11	Weather	Poor visibility, high winds, and/or electrical storms dictate restricted access to the downport.
12	Port sensors	Collision alert or ground emergency. Policy is to abort approach until the port can determine is the problem is with a ship malfunction or a traffic control tower malfunction.

 

General Products Retail Catalog issue 1107-200 Starport Modular Components Upgrading Your Starport You've come to the right place to build or upgrade a starport! First, let's go through the very basics in starport design. Normally, a starport's facilities determine its class. In the table below, a 'y' means the facility is required, an 'o' means the facility is optional, and a '-' means the facility is not present.

 

	A	B	C	D	E/H	F	G
Landing area	y	y	y	y	y	y	y
Parking area	y	y	y	y	o	y	o
Beacon	y	y	y	y	o	y	y
Fuel depot	y	y	y	o	-	o	o
Warehousing	y	y	o	o	-	o	-
Ship maintenance	y	y	y	-	-	o	-
Ship construction	y	y	o	-	-	o	-
Facility maintenance	y	y	y	o	-	o	o
Concourse	y	y	o	o	-	o	o

 

How big should I build my starport? Your starport should match the world's interstellar needs as closely as possible. Please refer to the section on determining freight and passenger numbers to decide what to outfit your starport with.   Should I claim extrality for my starport? Most starports are granted extrality; that is, the world's jurisdiction ends where the starport grounds begin. Laws, regulations, and government are conducted in accordance with the customs of interstellar authority. In these cases, the law level is roughly equivalent to the starport's rating (A=5, B=4, C/F=3, D/G=2, E/H=1), and is also influenced by the world population. Small or primitive starports, however, are often under local government jurisdiction. Please note that starports that are under local jurisdiction will be under the influence of local authorities, and will also be taxed. However, under local jurisdiction your starport will never have to harbor those that break the law on planet.   What fees should I charge for the use of my starport? Berthing fees. These depend on the port size, social conditions on the world, the nature and quality of facilities, and the world's trade codes. Drydock fees. These depend on ship tonnage, time spent in dock, workers' salaries, and equipment purchased. Transaction fees. This is a percentage of all transactions made by parties using the starport. Usually only a fraction of a  percent of the freights' value, these fees can really add up to serious cash. World subsidy. This can make or break a starport. If the world is willing to subsidize a starport, then life can be good indeed. If not, then the mortgage holders might decide to downgrade the facilities, which further restricts trade... which can be a vicious downward spiral for the otherwise hopeful starport prime.   Suggested Pricing Schedule A B C D E Berthing fee Cr100 Cr80 Cr60 Cr40 - Drydock fee per dton per day Cr100 Cr80 Cr60 Cr40 - Tax per Passenger Cr100 Cr100 Cr100 Cr100 - Tax per dton Freight Cr100 Cr100 Cr100 Cr100 - Facility tax (restaurants, etc) 4% 3% 2% 1% - World Subsidy per capita (Yearly) Cr10  Cr8  Cr6 Cr4 - Starport Components 1. a landing area/volume 2. a parking bay/orbit 3. a beacon 4. a tower 5. warehouses 6. a plant maintenance center 7. a concourse 8. a fuel depot, with fuel shuttles or a refinery (or both) 9. a ship maintenance/construction yard 10. people In addition, starports will have available a standard port authority checklist against which they measure ships' spaceworthiness. Starport abilities derive from these components. Based on your need, you will want to customize your starport to fit your needs. As you browse this catalog, you will find various options that will significantly flesh out your starport installation. Enjoy!

 

Package Deals With our handy-dandy component packages, starport design has never been easier!  Components have been paired together based on compatability. Buy the package, purchase any remaining needed components, and you're ready to go! Downport Freight Package: MCr250 Two parkbays (upgrade to six parkbays for only MCr400) One 5km landing strip with 1km-diameter landing pad B-0 orbital telemeter B-2 surface laser transceiver SB-8 Freight Shuttle (upgrade to a SB-9 for only MCr300) F-11 100kt fuel tank M-3 maintenance building W-9 warehouse (upgrade to a W-10 for only MCr 9) Parkbays, landing strip, and buildings all attached by maglev Orbital Fuel Outpost: MCr250 One dedicated landing strip on the world surface for shuttles Three SB-8 fuel shuttles (upgrade to SB-9s for MCr300 each) B-0 orbital telemeter T-7  4-person orbital control station 10 O-1 orbital parking-orbit transponders F-10 10kt orbital fuel tank R-8 surface fuel refinery "Class D" Starport Package: MCr250 Except for defense, this package is nearly a complete starport. One 5km landing strip 20  1km-diameter landing pads B-0 orbital telemeter B-2 surface laser transceiver T-7 4-person surface control station Three SB-8 multipurpose shuttles (upgrade to SB-9s for MCr300 each) F-11 100kt fuel tank (or 10 F-10's) M-3 maintenance building 10 W-9 warehouses (upgrade to W-10s for MCr 9 each) DD-8 100t drydock & S-2 minor repair station (1 ship capacity) C-8 concourse complex LS-9 up to 100-worker station support H-7 10 dton secure installation. Orbital option: one orbital F-11 and one orbital W-10 (MCr200) "Class C" Upgrade Package: MCr360 Upgrade the "Class D" package to a minimal "Class C" with this package! 10 A-9 1000t hangars (MCr 100) M-9 maintenance complex (MCr 10) 10 W-10 warehouses (MCr 100) DD-9 1000t drydock (MCr 100) S-3 repair center/10 ships (MCr 50)

 
 

General Products' All-Purpose Airstrip (shown with outbuildings and beacon) Land Ships Safely Ships have to land!  There are two ways to land a starship: some are airframe, which means they can use a runway, while the rest must stick to vertical thrust to slowly set themselves down onto pads. VTOL ships land from orbit in a number of hours equal to the size code of the world. Airframe ships may land from orbit in one hour, regardless of world size. Most Imperial-standard landing strips have both built-in: a 5km long strip for airframe landings, ending in a 1km diameter circular landing pad. These strips are also used for airframe take-off. When building a decent facility (for instance, one with a parkbay), don't bother adding in the cost of landing strips. Landing facilities may also have an attached beacon, perhaps placed midway along the strip or near other outbuldings. A beacon may include sensors and comm equipment, and may have its own power plant. The control tower contains the main body of comm equipment and traffic control logic, as well as the administrative offices.   Component                          Price (MCr) Module L: Landing Facilities (all tech levels) L-0 1km radius landing pad          0.03 L-1 2km radius landing pad          0.06 L-2 4km radius landing pad          0.12 L-3 3km x 500m landing strip        0.03 L-4 4km x 500m landing strip        0.04 L-5 5km x 500m landing strip        0.05 L-6 6km x 500m landing strip        0.06 L-7 7km x 500m landing strip        0.07 L-8 8km x 500m landing strip        0.08 Module B: Beacons                   Down         Orbital B-0 telemeter                       1            2 B-1 standalone transponder          5            10 B-2 radio transceiver (TL5)         0.05         0.1 B-3 laser transceiver (TL9)         0.5          1 B-4 maser transceiver (TLE)         5            10 B-5 multichannel maser xcvr (TLF)   50           100 The B-5 is a large relay station with room for 1 operations or maintenance personnel. Larger installations are considered Control Towers: Module T: Traffic Control Towers    Down         Orbital T-6 small control outbuilding       1            10 T-7 4-person control station        5            50 T-8 8-person control tower (TL9)    25           250 T-9 16-person control tower(TLC)    100          1000    Tower sensors: for best results, place    two PEMS and two AEMS in orbit.    PEMS: Passive sensors (TL B-F)    TP-11: standard 100d sensor      10           20    TP-13: high-res 100d sensor      100          200    TP-14: inner system sensor       1000         2000    TP-15: inner + GG sensor         10,000       20,000    AEMS: Active sensors (TL B-D)    TA-11: local orbit control       50           100    TA-12: general system sensor     500          1000    TA-13: deluxe system sensor      5000         10,000

 
 

Close-up view of a single parkbay. Single Parkbay (with outbuildings)  Double Parkbay (with outbuildings)  6x11 Parkbay Complex Parkbays Ships are moved via maglev rail to parkbays, which are circular platforms with 11 bays, each of which can hold a ship of up to 1000 tons. Maglev rail enters the parkbay and runs in a circle around the inside, with a branch into each bay. In the center is a single shielded vertical liftoff platform (also connected to the maglev system). All parkbays are available at TL 10. Component                           Price (MCr) Module P: Parkbays (up to 1000 ton ships) P-0 custom parkbay                  - P-1 single 11-ship parkbay          100 P-2 double 11-ship parkbay          200 P-3 triple 11-ship parkbay          300 P-4 quad 11-ship parkbay            400 P-6 6x11 parkbay                    600 P-8 8x11 parkbay                    800 Parking Orbit Transponders Think of them as being like the deep water mooring bouys at some shallow water ports. The ship is assigned a parking spot, which is marked by the transponder. It matches orbit with it and is then parked. Module O: Parking Orbit Transponders (TL 7) O-0 custom orbit transponder        - O-1 standard telemeter transponder  4 O-2 programmable transponder        8 *Note: To hold ten thousand ships, you only need 40 orbits with 250 slots each or 50 with 200 slots each. Assume the radii are set every 100 km or so, that has the ships spread out in an annulus 5000 km "across". There's still plenty of space for traffic. Module A: Hangars H-0 custom hangar                   - H-6 Ship's Locker                   0.01 H-7 10t small vehicle hangar        0.1 H-8 100t boat hangar                1.0 H-9 1000t hangar                    10 H-10 10,000t hangar                 100 H-11 100,000t hangar                1000

 

Specialized Spaceships Shuttles SB-7 10t shuttle   (TL9)            10 SB-8 100t shuttle  (TL8)            50 SB-9 1000t shuttle (TL9)            350 The SB-7 is an airframe, single-passenger (or 1t cargo) orbital speeder. Privately-owned shuttles can often be found for hire at class E starports. Their rates will be high. Tugboat The tug is equipped with engines and structure strong enough to pull a ship ten times its volume from space to orbit and back. A tug requires a crew of 2. TB-8 100t tugboat  (TL8)            20 TB-9 1000t tugboat (TL9)            100 TB-10 10kt tugboat (TLA)            400 Search/Rescue Boat The search and rescue boat is equipped with excellent sensors, fast engines, and a spare crew. The ship carries medical personnel, engineers, emergency supplies, and emergency low berths. RB-8 200t search/rescue boat  (TL8) 50 RB-9 2000t search/rescue boat (TL9) 300 RB-10 20kt search/rescue boat (TLA) 1500 Defense Boat From the tiny grav fighter (which pulls 17 G's) to the massive SD Cruiser (which sports a spinal weapon), system defense boats are armored, fast, and carry expert gunners. DB-6  4t grav fighter          (TLC)   4 DB-7a 10t fighter              (TLC)   15 DB-7b 40t heavy fighter        (TLC)   50 DB-8  400t system defense boat (TLC)   400 DB-9  4000t system defense b. (TLC)   3000 DB-10 40,000t SD cruiser       (TLC)   20,000

 

Fuel and Maintenance Fuel depots can be as simple as huge holding tanks, and may have mechanical hookups or pumps to refuel ships with. Module F: Fuel Depots               Down       Orbital F-0 custom tank                     - F-7 10t fuel tank                   0.001      0.5 F-8 100t fuel tank                  0.005      1 F-9 1000t fuel tank                 0.01       5 F-10 10,000t fuel tank              0.1        10 F-11 100,000t fuel tank             1          100 F-12 1mt fuel tank                  10         1000 F-13 10mt fuel tank                 100        10,000 F-14 100mt fuel tank                1000       100,000   Fuel tankers, which may be simply shuttles or modular cutters, are ships outfitted to carry fuel, and may or may not have refineries on-board to provide refined fuel for the starport holding tanks. Tankers run at the going price of spaceships; for example, the price may be around MCr4 per ton of fuel the tanker can carry (or per normal spaceship cost). Refineries are priced per normal spaceship cost and volume..   Fuel refineries are cousins to the shipboard fuel refineries, and are used to refine fuel on the spot for ships requiring it. Component                           Price (MCr) Module R: Refinery Installations    Down       Orbital R-0 custom refineries               - R-7 10 tons/hour      (TL9)         1          10 R-8 100 tons/hour     (TLA)         10         100 R-9 1000 tons/hour    (TLB)         100        1000 R-10 10,000 tons/hour (TLC)         1000       10,000 R-11 100,000 tons/hour(TLC)         10,000     100,000 R-12 1mt/hr           (TLD)         100,000    1,000,000 Module M: Installation Maintenence Centers     Orbital M-0 custom maintenance center       - M-6 storage shed                    0.01       2 M-7 portable outbuilding            0.1        5 M-8 permanent outbuilding           1          10 M-9 maintenance complex             10         100 The Shipyard A shipyard is necessary for the construction and maintenance of spaceships and starships. Shipyards can be quite large -- their size may depend on the amount of trade going through a system, or the size of the local population, or even the strategic importance of the system's location. A shipyard consists of two components: a drydock area, which holds ship hulls, and the shipyard itself, which embodies all machinery and support for the build process. A shipyard will have one naval architect's office per 100 ships (or 1000 dtons). Drydocks and shipyards are built at the tech level of the mainworld. Module DD: Drydocks                 Down       Orbital DD-0 custom drydock                 - DD-7 10t drydock                    1          10 DD-8 100t drydock                   10         50 DD-9 1000t drydock                  100        200 DD-10 10kt drydock                  n/a        2000 DD-11 100kt drydock                 n/a        20,000 DD-12 1mt drydock                   n/a        200,000 * Drydocks are required for shipyards. Module S: Shipyard                  Down       Orbital S-0 custom shipyard                 - S-1 machine shop                    1          10 S-2 minor repair center/1 ship      10         100 S-3 repair center/10 ships          50         1000 S-4 repair center/100 ships         400        4000 S-5 overhaul center/10 ships        200        2000 S-6 overhaul center/100 ships       1000       6000 S-7 overhaul center/1000 ships      8000       50,000 S-8 boatyard/1 ship/year            400        4000 S-9 boatyard/10 ships/yr            2000       15,000 S-10 boatyard/100 ships/yr          16,000     100,000 S-11 boatyard/1000 ships/yr         160,000    1,000,000 S-12 shipyard/1 ship/yr             10,000     20,000 S-13 shipyard/10 ships/yr           50,000     100,000 S-14 shipyard/100 ships/yr          400,000    4,000,000 S-15 shipyard/1000 ships/yr         4m         40m S-16 shipyard/10,000 ships/yr       50m        500m   Warehouses Warehouses (with environmental controls,  security systems, heavy shielding, &tc) are used to store goods for transport. One complex is used to store out-bound freight, while another complex is used to store in-bound freight. There is usually an additional set of warehouses dedicated to storing ship parts, construction equipment, and other starport machinery. Module W: Warehouses                Down        Orbital W-0  custom warehouse               - W-7  10t storage                    0.01        5 W-8  100t storage                   0.1         10 W-9  1000t storage                  1           50 W-10 10kt storage                   10          200 W-11 100kt storage                  100         500 W-12 1mt storage                    1000        4000 The Concourse The concourse is where all public areas are housed, including retail shops, services, non-starport-related offices, passenger ticketing, and gates. Also included is the surface transport terminal, which often has its own customs and security office from the mainworld government. It also has scheduled (or not!) shuttle flights to and from orbit. Module C: Concourses                Down        Orbital C-0  custom concourse               - C-7a portable outbuilding           0.1         1 C-7b permanent outbuilding          1           20 C-8  outbuilding complex            10          500 C-9  large starport complex         100         5000 C-10 industrial starport complex    300         50,000 C-11 commercial starport complex    1000        100,000 A major subsection of the concourse is the living quarters for the starport personnel and visitors. Larger starports require ship crew to leave their ship while they are docked. In some cases, the living quarters represent a hostel or hotel; on others it may represent a whole uburban or suburban section of the port. Personnel requirements can balloon rapidly. Think about the personnel requirements for a town or city. However, please note that downports can pull workers from Startown and therefore may require less maintained living space than orbital ports. Generally, a habitat needs 10 dtons per person. Module LS: Living Section           Down        Orbital LS-0  custom living section LS-7  10 dtons (1 person)           0.01        0.2 LS-8  100 dtons  (10 people)        0.1         2 LS-9  1000 dtons (100 people)       1           20 LS-10 10,000 dt  (1000 people)      10          200 LS-11 100 kt (10,000 people)        100         2000 LS-12 1 mt (100,000 people)         1000        20,000 Hospitals are ranked by volume; however, they are also divided into room-spaces when they are built. This table may also be used to desginate research centers, laboratories, and other secure installations. Essentially, any building which needs redundant power systems and separate, secure environmental and network controls fits in this category. Generally, these facilities need 2 dtons per person. Module H: Hospitals, etc            Down        Orbital H-7  10 dtons (5 people)            10          100 H-8  100 dtons (50 people)          100         500 H-9  1000 dtons  (500 people)       1000        5000 H-10 10,000 dtons (5000 people)     10,000      20,000 Other buildings cost MCr0.1 per dton for a downport location, and MCr0.2 per dton for a location on the highport. Examples of other buildings include: The Scout Lounge The Hiring Hall The Lone Star The Travellers' Aid Society Starship architect (Naval architect?) University departments Space academies Conference/exhibition centers Brokerages Various entertainment centers Maglev The starport maglev rail network connects the internal starport components together: airstrips, parkbays, building complexes, and shipyards. Likewise, the external maglev rail network comprises the transport between the starport and the outside world, and usually only connects to the concourse and warehousing, which tends to allow better installation security. Maglev is first available at TL 9 at twice the listed cost. At TL A and above the cost is as listed. Module X: Maglev Rail Networks X-0 custom network                  - X-1 starport module connection      2 X-2 external module connection      5

 
 

Bases (military customers only!) Scout bases have refueling equipment, a parkbay, some service equipment and warehousing, and administration offices. They are open to public use for a price. Such a base may cost MCr200. A minimal scout base are equipped at 1 class lower than the commercial port, and usually (or perhaps initially) have the following:   Scout Base Element Quantity Cost (MCr) Parkbay 1 100 TP-11 PEMS 1 10 R-8 Refinery 1 10 DD-8 100t drydock  S-2 minor repair/1 ship 1  1 10  10 C-2 outbuilding 1 1 misc buildings, equipment,  and supplies 9 Total 150 Scout way stations are larger than scout bases, with facilities used to service the X-boat system, including tenders. MCr100 per ship in the X-Boat network to be serviced. The average way station is orbital or off-orbit and will have:   Way Station Element Quantity Cost (MCr) F-10 10k fuel 10 1 R-9 refinery  R-8 backup 2  2 200  20 DD-9 2 400 S-5 overhaul 1 200 C-4 concourse 1 100 Total 921 Naval bases are huge affairs, often larger than the local starport itself. First-Strength bases are equipped at the same class as the commercial port; Second-Strength bases are equipped one class lower. In an emergency the naval base will open its facilities to the public for a price. A naval base has, at the minimum:   Naval Base Element Quantity Cost (BCr) Airstrip 1 - Parkbay 6 0.6 TP-14 PEMS  or equiv. 2 2.0 TA-13 AEMS  or equiv. 2 10.0 Defense Boats varies 5.0 DD-10 drydock  S-6 shipyard 1  1 2.0  1.0 misc. other 0.4 Total 21.0 People Starports employ people unique to the world. Naval architects Starship Repo men Starport Authority workers

 

Excerpts from the Port Authority Handbook (PAH) "Ships and vessels arriving insystem must, upon entering normal space, transmit, and continue to transmit, proper identification via transponder. Furthermore, these ships must establish direct contact with the nearest Starport Traffic Control Center. Communication with starport controllers will establish such special rules, regulations, and requirements as shall be deemed necessary by local authorities." - PAH 112ed Ships not emitting a transponder signal may well be mistaken for pirates. Moreover, the crew may expose itself to danger or violations of local law by not discovering restrictions or hazardous conditions insystem. For example, a system's refueling policy may be broadcast (i.e. no gas giant/wilderness refueling without a permit). "Upon arrival at any starport facility, all civilian vessels shall furnish to appropriate authorities such records, registries, and relevant documents deemed necessary to establish the said vessel's condition and past history; said vessel shall be required to furnish health statements, issued and signed by the ship's medical officer, for each passenger and crewman on board. Customs, immigration, and health standards for the planet must be met, and Inward Clearance granted to the ship, before it shall be permitted to discharge cargo, passengers, or personnel." -PAH 112ed After landing, the ship must wait for several people to perform an Inward Clearance check on the ship in person. Upon their arrival, several documents must be presented. Planetary law level is a general guide as to whether or not these papers will be accepted, plus any crew member with Admin skill. ship's registry papers (signed by the owner) ship's log (signed by the ship's captain) medical log (signed by the ship's medical officer) cargo manifest (signed by the cargo master) passenger manifest (signed by the head steward) crew manifest (signed by the captain or owner) etc! If documentation is insufficient, hurdles will be imposed: a quarantine, confiscation, fines, or worse. The hurdle can be cleared by correcting the problem, bribing one of the people responsible for Inward Clearance (or perhaps just paying fines or fees). The presence of a noble or influential passenger can help; or perhaps an old friend who has pull with the Port Captain's office. Safety requirements for spaceships and starships generally follow this pattern:

 

1. Computer software	no illegal software
2. Evacuation planning	a. One vac suit per crew member  b. Two rescue balls in each stateroom  c. One emergency vac suit per airlock      and ship's locker  d. One emergency vac suit per airlock      in ship's boats  e. One rescue ball per seat in ship's boats  f. One hazard suit per airlock in ship's boats  g. One hostile environment kit per 4 seats      in ship's boats  h. One standard Imperial Survival Kit     per airlock
3. Portable life support systems (PLSS)	Life support in vac suits inspected every year
4. Emergency survival system	Extra survival bubbles or rescue balls  on bridge & engineering
5. Small med kits	Bridge, engineering, airlocks, ship's boats
6. Tools	a. Bridge: 1 set of electronic tools  b. Engineering: 1 set of mechanical      & electronic tools  c. Ship's boats: 1 set of mechanical tools  d. 1 set of metalworking tools in engine room
7. Rescue system	a. 1 hull patch per displacement ton  b. 1 portable airlock  c. 1 radiation counter per airlock  d. Entry cutter  e. Iris valve opener  f. 1 flashlight per crewmember  g. laser cutter
8. Survival items: any 3 of the following	Atmosphere tester (2)  Emergency radio beacon (1)  Survival still (2)  Backpacks (1 per crewmember)  Flare gun and flares (2)  Inertial locator (1)  Machete (1 per crewmember)  Night glasses (1)  Desert survival kits (1 per crewmember)  0.05MW or greater fusion+ plant

 
 

Starport UBP, modified (Universal Base Profile, modified) B35673 Sa To Co (OV) - overall        ABCDEFGHYX The following 5 elements have values 0-F. Capacity represents dtons as an exponent of ten. The original version used a logarithmic scale based on 10, 30, 100, 300... (DS) - dock size (SF) - ship repair facilities ( > 9 = shipyard ) (FA) - fuel available (LA) - living area (CH) - cargo handling (FC) - facility classifications: Or - orbital facility Sa - orbital satellite Be - surface beacon instead of downport To  - tourist facilities Li   - living cargo facilities Co - commercial facilities

 

Poor Starports "Poor" spaceports will generally not be able to handle anything larger than a 95-ton Shuttle, and sometimes not even that. As handlers of in-system travel, the staff of such a spaceport will likely not be set up to deal with unfamiliar visitors (ie. star travellers). The usual users will be scheduled runs, familiar "bush pilots", and local launch owners who don't have the private space to keep their vehicles. They will likely have control "towers", but will generally prefer to find out about their traffic via hand-offs from other ports. They will not necessarily be set up to detect visitors popping out of jumpspace. Small worlds, or ones with poor starports, rely on the free traders for all freight and cargo to and from the world ... somewhere with only 100 T total exports per week will not expect (or even support) 10 free traders each week!  As I mentioned in my posting on starport berths, IMTU these low-traffic systems are good adventure fodder: "Nope, 'fraid we ain't got none cargo this week. You might want to visit Joe Windlake's place, as I hear he is harvesting real soon. "No, you don't need a special bit of paper to fly your space wagon there ... just be careful where you land. I reckon you'd be better taking a ride, t'aint mor'n five days by horse and I'm sure fancy chaps like you will have one of them floating contraptions to do it in no time. Joe'll be happy to set aside a place to set down once he knows you're coming. "Radio? No, I don't reckon he has one" .   E-class starports E starports are the private airstrips of the interstellar scene. They are usually small and often unmanned. They are, however, still starports. The landing area is sufficiently built/packed/reinforced to handle starships up to a certain volume, be it 100 dtons, 1000 dtons, or higher. When manned, they will have someone on hand who can tell offworlders the things they need to know about the world.

 
 
 

Attached is what I know about starports. Marc Miller   THE SITUATION INSYSTEM         A star system is composed of a primary star and one or more stellar companions. Orbiting these stars are a variety of planets, planetoid belts, and gas giants. Orbiting planets and gas giants are a variety of satellites. But the focus is one world... the mainworld... which is the overall best planet or satellite in the system.         The mainworld has a starport which, for all practical purposes, is the destination of interstellar traffic entering the system. Starports vary in their capabilities and facilities, depending on the details of the world itself.   CLASSIFICATION OF STARPORTS         Starports are classified by their location and by their capabilities. Location         A starport may be located on a world surface, or it may be in orbit above the world.         Down. A starport may be located on a world surface. If so, the starport is most frequently referred to by the world name followed by the word Down. Thus, Sylea Down is the main world surface starport for the world of Sylea.         Why a surface port? Landing close to the market is convenient for all concerned. If the environment is at all tolerable, then life support and labor costs are minimized.         Highport. A starport may be located in orbit above a world. If so, it is  most frequently referred to by the world name followed by Highport. Thus, Sylea Highport is the main orbital starport for Sylea. A highport maintains scheduled links by shuttle with the world surface (if there is no surface starport, then with an air transport hub).         Why a highport? Many very large ships never land on a world surface; the cargo they carry is off-loaded in orbit and shuttled down. Some worlds are naturally inhospitable (bad surface weather, a water world, fluid oceans, or perhaps government type D or E) and ship owners prefer not to risk their equipment venturing down to the surface.         Class A and B starports for worlds with Atmosphere 2+ generally have a Highport. Class A, B, or C starports at worlds with Atmosphere B+, or Hydrographics A, or Government D or E can b expected to have a Highport.         Spaceports. There is typically one major starport in a star system. Other facilities, especially those on smaller, less important worlds in a system, are called spaceports. They are established primarily to foster in-system travel.         Good spaceports are often established in support of farming projects, mining projects, or small colonies.   Starport Type         Starport type is based on a simple letter classification system (ranging  from A to E) which details their basic facilities.         A. Excellent quality facility with refined and unrefined fuel available on site. Facilities include capability to perform annual overhaul and new starship construction (TNAS certified designs). A naval base may be present. A scout base is usually not present. A surface installation is present. A highport may be present (generally if the world atmosphere is 2+).         B. Good quality starport with refined and unrefined fuel available on site. Facilities include capability to perform annual overhaul and new spacecraft construction (TNAS certified designs). A naval base may be present. A scout base may be present. A surface installation is present. A highport may be present (generally if the world atmosphere is 2+).         C. Routine quality starport with unrefined fuel available on site. Facilities include some capability for repair (primarily replacement of TNAS-certified parts). A naval base is usually not present. A scout base may be present. A surface installation is present. A highport is usually not present.         D. Poor quality starport with unrefined fuel available on site or closeby. It has no repair or construction facilities. A naval base is not present. A scout base may be present. A surface installation is present. A highport is not present.         E. Frontier starport. With no facilities, the installation is little more than a flat expanse of bedrock and a sign. This designation effectively means there is no starport, but there have been previous landings and that location is indicated in records.         X. No spaceport or starport. The world has no indigenous space access capability.   Spaceports         Worlds other than the mainworld in a system may also have spaceports.         F. Routine quality spaceport with unrefined fuel available on site and minor repair facilities. A system defense field may be present. A military base may be present. A surface installation is present. There is no highport. This designation is a poor cousin to starport type B.         G. Poor quality installation with unrefined fuel available nearby. No repair facilities are available. A system defense field may be present. A military base may be present. A surface installation is present. There is no highport. This designation is a poor cousin to starport type C.         H. Primitive quality installation with no facilities beyond a beacon identifying the location. Unrefined fuel may be available nearby. This is a surface installation; there is no highport. A system defense field may be present. A military base may be present. This designation is a poor cousin to starport type D.         Y. No spaceport or starport. The world has no indigenous space access capability.     THE ELEMENTS OF THE STARPORT         A starport at its simplest is a bare spot of bedrock capable of supporting a ship which wants to land. The remaining elements of a starport are added later to support and maintain the traffic that passes through the port. The Basic Elements         Each starport is characterized by a few basic elements. Without them, the starport is not really a starport.         The Beacon. The location of the starport is broadcast throughout the system from a central beacon. At its simplest, the beacon puts out a continuous tone which allows ships to home on its position. In more complex systems, the beacon provides range and position information for ships in the system, traffic control information on sister frequencies.         The Landing Pad. Starships approach from beyond the atmosphere. When starships set down, most make use of their lifters in order to make a smooth, relatively slow approach along designated approach corridors. To deal with ships with disabled lifters, or for ships which use lifting surfaces, the landing pad includes long, broad runways.         For highports, this a designated holding area.         Traffic Control Facility. Space traffic controllers provide basic information to ships within the system, vectoring them safely in their approaches or departures. The traffic control facilities are located at the starport. In some systems, an auxiliary control facility is located in an outer orbit.   The Terminal         The starport terminal houses the basic services for passengers and freight.         The Concourse. Passenger services are handled at the concourse. Ticketing, baggage check, and final boarding all take place at this facility.         Freight Docks. Freight (materials carried by ships for a fee) is loadedand unloaded at the freight docks. Speculative cargoes are held until sold at the exchange.        Customs and Immigration. Applicable laws concerning the people and goods moving to the world are enforced by Customs and Immigration.         The Exchange. Speculative cargo is bought and sold at the Exchange. A variety of brokers handle the transactions and make the process.         Accommodations. Passengers passing through the starport can stay overnight at the starport hotel, buy meals at a variety of restaurants, purchase basic goods and souvenirs at the shops, and pass time at theaters or entertainment complexes. The level of accommodation available varies widely.         Data Terminals. Information is available about the world, its products and services, and recreation at a variety of data terminals. On some worlds, the data terminal may be a computer; on others, they may be staff people with prodigious memories; on yet others, they may be librarians).         Message Center. Access to communications, including physical mail, electronic mail, telephone, and video is generally available at the message center.         Emergency Medical. Suitable facilities are provided for emergency medical treatment. The medical staff has the training and experience to deal with a wide variety of medical emergencies.   Peripheral Facilities         Situated around the edges of the starport are a variety of associated activities and facilities.         Starport Defense Establishment (SDE). In addition to security personnel (who function as police), a starport may have an SDE (with a military function). The SDE is established to defend the starport against organized assault, and its equipment may include troops, fighter craft, missile defenses, and artillery. The SDE, to maintain its independence from the local world, is often a mercenary force specifically created for the job.         Since an SDE is rarely larger than absolutely necessary, it is possible to gauge the local perceived threats to a starport by observing the size and equipment of the LDE.         Scout Base. The scout service (whether of the Imperium or of some other interstellar community) may maintain a port facility for the support and maintenance of its vessels (including those vessels which it may have out on loan to detached duty scouts). It is possible that the world on which a scout base is located is not a member of the  interstellar community which the scout service serves.         Many scout bases make the information they have accumulated available outside of their service (including maps, charts, and world surveys).         Naval Base. The Navy (whether of the Imperium or of some other interstellar community) may maintain a port facility for the support and maintenance of its vessels. The base includes administration sections, warehouse for provisions and resupply, and some security personnel.         The continuing interest of naval personnel in their career area makes naval bases favorite stopovers for veterans (even of other navies).         Sometimes a specific naval base may be considerably more extensive than the typical installation. Their facilities and equipment come to dominate the starport rather than complement it.         System Defense Field. The interplanetary defense forces of a system may maintain a facility for the support of their vessels (system defense boats) as they rotate off station from the outer reaches of the systems. The field has a minimum of facilities (provisions are trucked in when needed; repair trucks call as required).         Shipyard. Ships are built at shipyards. For ships of moderate size which  will be streamlined and capable of landing on worlds, construction often takes place on world surfaces at starport shipyards.         Most shipyards specialize in the construction of a specific assembly (which local industry has shown itself capable of producing) such as jump drives, avionics, detectors, or even stateroom modules. Other components are purchased from other shipyards and imported as part of the TNAS-certified parts system.        Warehouses on-site store components until they are ready for assembly. Ships themselves are constructed in open-air bays (or in enclosed assembly structures if the local environment requires).         Repair Facility. Minor repairs to ships are often accomplished on the landing pad. More complex or extensive repairs require that the ships be moved to the repair bays at the edge of the starport. Support installations near the bays house the instrumentation and equipment necessary for repairs.         Transport Hub. The starport is usually integrated into the global transportation net, and arriving passengers transfer from the terminal to the transport hubs. Depending on the world, the hubs may support sea or undersea transport, air transport, or ground rail transport. In addition, personal vehicle rental may be available.         Industry. Many industrial processes are best carried out in zero-G and/or vacuum. What better place for such operations than adjacent to a major orbital transportation center? Industrial modules attached to the Highport create products or commodities which benefit from immediate access to the ships calling at the port. Some factories have long-term supply contracts with the highport itself.     Organization         A starport has an organizational structure which includes a leader and a mission; the details of each starport are different, although they are generally variations on a basic theme.         The Port Authority. Regardless of the local government in power at the starport, the governing authority for the facility is the Port Authority. Financed by a variety of charges and levies on passengers, cargo, and ships, the Authority uses its money to build and maintain its facilities, and to provide variety of services. Like starports, Port Authorities vary widely in structure and approach to their responsibilities. Some are strong corporate organizations devoted to the pursuit of profit; others are non-profit organizations which view their responsibilities more as services to the citizenry; yet others consider themselves a quasi-official arm of local government.         The Port Warden. The person in complete charge of the starport is the Port Warden. Appointed by the Port Authority, the Warden is the chief executive officer for the facility, and wields great, but not unlimited power.        The Mission of the Starport. The starport, as an organization, is committed to a mission (although that mission may not be clearly or publicly stated). Typical missions are:                 To efficiently provide facilities and services necessary to accommodate interplanetary and interstellar traffic for this world.                 To produce a maximum of income for the organization which operates this starport.                 To insulate this world, to the maximum extent possible, from outside influences.                 To meet the minimum requirements for maintaining interstellar trade.           Regulation Enforcement. The police and security arm of the Port Authority has the responsibility of protecting the orderly operation of the starport and of enforcing its regulations. It consists of enforcers and emergency technicians.         The typical enforcer carries out the role of helpful police officer, often assisting passengers in mundane tasks. Behind the scenes, however, a stronger, better armed force stands ready to back them up if necessary.         Emergency technicians provide basic services such as paramedical response, rescue operations, and fire fighting. Emergency tech stations are situated throughout the starport, providing the ability to make a quick response anywhere within the starport's boundaries.   Each Starport Is Unique         Starports vary widely due to the circumstances and environment in which they exist. When the differences in world size, atmosphere, and hydrographics are coupled with population and technological levels, government, and trade classifications, it becomes clear that each starport is an individual facility.   UNOFFICIAL FACILITIES         Not all facilities at a starport come under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority.         The Scout Lounge. Those who conduct surveys of star systems and who continually venture out into unexplored or under-explored space are a special type of people. After long periods of time alone or with their fellow crew, they naturally gravitate to others of their kind... to share stories and experiences which may help them survive. The typical starport has a Scout Lounge for this type of people.         The Scout Lounge is usually operates as a semi-private club; theoretically anyone can use its services, but in practice it is only patronized comfortably by scouts (and those with an affinity for scouts).         The Hiring Hall. Crew members looking for work gather at the hiring hall. Ships calling at the starport look first to the hiring hall when they need new or replacement crew. Because of ship schedules which must be met, it is possible for a crew person to be hired and off world within a few hours notice.         The Lone Star. Many starports have a recreation facility which welcomes and serves all comers. At its tables, people meet and enjoy light music or video, conversation, and meals. To many the Lone Star is an opportunity to meet others on a casual basis, to develop acquaintances, and even grow them into friendships.         The Traveller's Aid Society  Some individuals make travel their primary vocation. If they are able, they join the Traveller's Aid Society which provides facilities to its members. The Traveller's Aid Society s a joint operation of several large hotel chains, which provide the facilities within or adjacent to their own hotels and restaurants. Members join by depositing a large sum of money as annuity, with the proceeds paying for the benefits they receive.         Startown. Although starports are often established near large cities, the community which springs up at the gates to the starport has come to be called (generically) Startown. This community is the home of many of the starport employees and houses many stores, restaurants, and meeting places that serve those who want to wander outside of the starport boundaries.   EXTERNAL CONTROLS         Starports and spaceports exist to participate in interplanetary or interstellar trade. They belong to a network of similar installations, and each depends on the other to provide the traffic that gives meaning and purpose to the installation.         Starports and spaceports must be responsive to three distinct external controls or powers.        Local World or System Government. Local government exercises considerable power over a starport (or spaceport). Through taxation and law, the starport is dependent on the goodwill of local government. This influence is primarily felt in the statement of the mission of the starport.         Interstellar Government. Interstellar government has a vested interest in creating and maintaining viable starports on worlds where trade produces economic benefits. Interstellar Government influences starports through pressure on local government, and by establishing bases (naval or scout) which increase the viability of the local starport.         The Ship Owners and Operators. Ship owners and operators serve  starports which allow them to make profits. Even high service fees, taxes, and assessments do not deter them if there are profits to be made.         The Passengers and Freight Shippers. Passengers and Freight Shippers are rarely organized, but their power is felt if they do not patronize a starport. The organization representing the passengers is the Travellers' Aid Society which works with starports to improve facilities and services as is economically feasible.   Travel Zones         A Travel Zone is a notification that a specific world may be dangerous to travellers.         Amber Travel Zones. An Amber Travel Zone label is cautionary: the location may present some level of hazard to travellers. That hazard may be natural (disease, local predators or parasites), sociological (uncommon or strange social practices), or governmental (repressive, intolerant, or xenophobic policies). Travellers are warned to be aware of these hazards and guard against them. The Amber Travel Zone label is applied by the Travellers' Aid Society.         Red Travel Zones. A Red Travel Zone label is interdictive: the location presents such a level of danger that travel to the location is prohibited. The Red Travel Zone label may be applied by the Travellers' Aid Society, or by an interstellar government (for the worlds within a system), or by local government (for a world within a system).   UNDERSTANDING STARPORTS         The key to understanding a starport is a continuing awareness of its purpose.         Starports exist to foster traffic, and thus trade, between the stars. Governments may attempt to control or suppress the activities of starports, but when they do, they naturally suppress the benefits of trade and commerce for their worlds. The natural state of starports is to flourish; if the starport's worldhas resource which can be profitably marketed to other worlds, the starport generate economic benefit.         Extra-Territoriality. In order to foster interstellar traffic, starports are extra-territorial. Just as embassies are treated as if they are the territory of their owning nations, starports are treated like they are off-world space. Passengers and crew alike are allowed to leave their starships and wander freely (subject to security and safety restrictions) throughout a starport. Goods are not subject to customs or taxes until they leave a starport. The laws of the world do not apply to until a traveller leaves the starport.        Law and Order. There must be some law and order within a starport, and the means of achieving that order is the local Starport Regulations. Established by the Port Authority, these regulations define in detail what behaviors are permitted and prohibited. For most people, ordinary behavior is sufficient to stay within the regulations. Strange requirements are typically posted clearly.         Ship Construction and Repair. Starships and spacecraft require an extensive system of construction and repair sites, and the overhead of designing and maintaining the many parts which go into ships can be overwhelming. Consequently, many starports subscribe to the TNAS (Quality Ship Design Scheme): a set of standard component specifications which are manufactured on worlds with the appropriate tech level and industrial capacity, but which can be assembled and maintained at any starport of the appropriate type, regardless of local tech level or industrial capacity.         Money. Ultimately, every starport must make money if it is to remain in operation. Starports cannot give their services away, but most find a way to hide those charges away from the consuming public. Restaurant charges include a surcharge; starship lines pay a portion of their ticket price and freight charges to the starport. Since all of this is concealed from the typical passenger, the  impression is that the starport is a free facility.   STARPORT AMBIENCE         The ambience of the starport is of prime importance. When travellers arrive at a starport the atmosphere and the condition of the facilities create an impression that will stay with them for a long time. This impression (and the elaboration of this impression) develops over time.         The appearance of a starport may range from modern or new to old and decayed.         The staff of a starport may be respectful and attentive, or rude and obnoxious.         Officials may be straightforward and honest, or they may be corrupt and self- serving.   MANY DIFFERENT STARPORTS         Starports vary in the way their provide their services. Major influences on them include the world trade classifications, the elements of the UWP, and other less clear factors.         Water World. With land at a premium, starships land in the water (perhaps sheltered by natural or artificial islands) and are serviced by boats.         Asteroid Belt. Ships dock in the microgravity of an asteroid.         Storms. If a world has an exceptionally turbulent atmosphere, most traffic may choose to call at the highport and shuttle down on craft specifically engineered for local conditions.

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