Clarion Station is a commercial space station in orbit around Clarion in the White Light system. It is the base of the Clarion Royal Marines.
Starships arrive and depart Clarion Station about once every 100 to 200 minutes,[1] shuttles to and from the planet do so even more frequently. This heavy traffic brings thousands of characters of all races through the station, so huge crowds can be seen on the business deck at all hours.
Corporate Presence[]
All of the major corporations in Frontier have offices on Clarion Station. Agents for these companies can be encountered throughout the business deck. Independent freighter owners and pilots are also common, searching for cargoes or buyers.
Entertainment Presence[]
Nightclubs and restaurants of all sorts are common on the station, from the cheapest dive to the most elegant dining room. A dinner can be purchased for anywhere between 5 to 200 credits. Many places have live music.
The Dance and Dice is a favorite hangout for spacers of all types. Characters can try their luck gambling by rolling d100. The minimum bet is 50 credits.
The following are winning rolls:
| Dice Result | Payoff on bet |
|---|---|
| 00 | 25 x bet |
| 99 | 10 x bet |
| any other doubles | 7 x bet |
| any other result | no payoff |
There are rumors that the dice at the Dance and Dice are not always honest. Of course, the club keeps a number of goons on hand to reason with anyone who does not understand or appreciate such tactics.
The Spacer Club is another popular place for ships crews and those wishing to do business with them on Clarion Station. Many deals have taken place over the years in this club. Z’nivik K’kktl, the Vrusk bartender, has seen and heard much over the years and is a wealth of information. Whether he will be willing to share any of that information is another matter.
Security and Law Enforcement[]
Legally, the station is considered the same as the soil of the planet it orbits. Therefore Spacefleet has no jurisdiction over it. A branch of the Royal Marines are responsible for station security. In addition, Star Law keeps an Officer and a contingent of Deputies on-board, as it does on any space station.
Military Presence[]
Clarion Royal Marines[]
The Clarion Royal Marines currently have about 300 personnel, four active ships (three assault scouts and a frigate) and some auxiliary vessels. Ships of the Royal Marines carry the designation CMS, which stands for Clarion Militia Ship. These ships include both purpose-built Osprey-class scouts and both refitted and recommissioned UPF surplus ships, modified for customs inspections and system patrol.
Approximately fifty Marines are actual ship's crew; the remainder are station-based support personnel, such as technicians, computer programmers, boarding parties, and station police. The color scheme of the Royal Marines is light green (called "royal green" on Clarion) on a black field. The Marine fleet consists of the following ships:
Active Ships
- CMS Leo (Leo-class frigate — Flagship)
- CMS Falcon (Osprey-class assault scout)
- CMS Wasp (Osprey-class assault scout)
- CMS Osprey (Osprey-class assault scout)
Auxillary Ships
- CMS Swallow (Stiletto-class assault scout)
- CMS Flitter (Stiletto-class assault scout)
Other CRM Forces
- White Light Squadron (6 fighters)[2]
- Transport Wing (4 Shuttles and 6 Launches for planetary transport and customs inspection)
Clarion Royal Guard[]
The Clarion Royal Guard (Planetary Army) maintains a small fleet of ships for their own use and for royal business. Ships of the Clarion Royal Guard carry the designation RCS which stands for Royal Clarion Ship.[3]
The Guard maintains a small detachment at Clarion Station's CRM section to crew and maintain the "Royal Yacht" RCS Valiant, as well a Liaison Officer. Security is maintained by the Royal Marines.
- RCS Valiant (Lightspeed Lady-class yacht)
- Aerospace Logistics Group (5 ground-based Shuttles of various types and sizes; only 1-2 is on the station at any given time)
UPF Spacefleet[]
Spacefleet maintains a presence at Clarion Station; a recruiting detachment, a liaison office, a gunnery detachment (manning the station's anti-ship armaments) and a fighter squadron. Security is organic to the units present.
Gunnery functions are shared with Royal Marines gunners.
- 17th Fighter Squadron (6 Fighters)
- 17th FS Support Group (2 Shuttles)
The 17th is part of the 9th UPF Flight, consisting of the 17th, 34th and 35th Fighter Squadrons; stationed on Clarion Station, UPFSS Fortress Redoubt and at Valentina Spaceport, respectively.