Commerce Class Trade Station
Name/Type: Commerce Class Trade Station
Designer/Manufacturer: Stellar Enterprises
Designation: Trade Station
Size: 10,500 meters in diameter
Shield Rating: 30,000 SBD (internal shields)
Hull Rating: 2200 RU
Weapons: 30 Quad Turbolaser Cannon, 60 Rotating Heavy Laser Cannon turrets, 2 100-Cell anti fighter missile banks, 20 Medium Tractor Beams, 10 Heavy Tractor Beams
Fighter Complement: 36 Hellhound Droid Fighters
Troops: 500 Security/Peacekeepers, 2000 Combat Droids
Support Craft: 4 Steadfast Class Gunships
Description: The Commerce Class Trade Station is the first of its kind. It was designed to be built by Stellar Enterprises for the use of a way station hub. Merchants and convoys are able to stop at the station to trade their goods or simple take on new ones. There is plenty of space on board to allow whole freighters to unload and store their cargos for limited times before they are later transfered to other vessels heading to other locations. The Station is also capable of fully inspecting and processing cargo that if bound for the planet over which it orbits.
There is space of onboard for many small freighters and shuttles that would constantly move to and from it carrying the goods a certain planet creates then storing them on freighters for delivery to other lands. Once these goods are transfered the now empty shuttls can be loaded with cargo bound for the planet.
The mid section of the whole Commerce Station contains the operation centers as well as the power systems, shields, barracks for troopers and pilots, containers of ready to use combate droids, targeting systems, and other neccessary systems for the daily operations. From here the whole station can be monitored with video feeds and life sign detectors. This makes sure that everything is progressing smoothly and also allows the commanders of the stations to monitor anything that might seem out of the ordinary or illegal.
Throught the station there are heavy blast doors that could be closed off at any point in case of an emergancy. All docking bays are heavily reinforced and lined with blast absorbing materials incase of an attack of accident in which a ship explodes. This prevents the ship from damaging others nearby or the station as a whole. Each docking bay is seperated for privacy and security reasons. Its outer doors could be open from the central control center at anytime to vent incase of fire or chemical spill or any other reason that is deemed neccessary.
The docking bays line the equators of both top and bottom round hulls of the station. These hulls contain the massive cargo storage areas and also large conveyor belts that allow cargos to quickly be moved to the proper docking bays. Droids and off load assistance is also available, for a small fee of course.
There are more docking station on the ventral and dorsal parts of the station in the indented area. The sides of these areas are capable of housing light and medium freighters, while external docking stations. The flat portion, however, is large enough to dock heavy bulk freighters. The floor of these flat parts opened to allow ships to enter into the stations larger hangers underneath.
In addition this station will have repair and refueling capability with many trained mechanics stationed onboard. Entertainment and shopping districts will be included for people that want to get out and have some fun before getting on their journey again. Hotel and sleeping space is also available for tourists of all kinds. They can stay on the station and take shuttle trips down to the planet for sightseeing. Cruise companies will be able to have their own docks and reserve special high class to low class sleeping accomidations for their guests.
For the size of this station, it is very lightly defended. It had medium shields, but few weapons. Most of the weapons are geared towards smaller ships like fighters. Defense against larger ships falled to the 4 Steadfast Gunships that are dedicated to each station. These ships are docked outside close to the center section and are always on stand by. Enterance ways connect to each ship and allows the crews to rush onboard in case of an emergance and quickly undock.
For maximum defense these stations will be supported by a ground based shield projector like that that provided heavy shields to the death star. Since this Station will be locked into a geosync orbit around the planet it is over, it will remain in the same location for most of its life. This will allow the shield projector to be actived in case of an attack or emergency. This shield will provide the time needed for other forces to gather to respond in the station's defense. Incase the projector is disabled, the station will have its internal shields to protect it, although these shields are not nearly as strong as the planetary based ones.