Entry in the Unique Space Station Contest.
History The asteroid now known as Gray Fang has a somewhat long and turbulent history. Originally used as a forward command base for Vodoni raids in sphere, she was abandoned with the fall of the Vodoni empire. A derelict for many years, off and on used by pirates, smugglers, traders, and even an elven armada, this base has had many names and many uses. Its last denizen was an adult krajen, who being the scourge of TideSpace shipping was hunted down and slain at this very rock. Thus the name Squidhome stuck and most every race avoided it like the plague for fear of the spirits of sailors slain by the krajen, but not every race of course (there's always one). A clutch of Neogi Deathspiders had just raided several large Dwarven Citadels and were rather heavily damaged but possessed several thousand new Dwarven Slaves. Eager to take advantage of this fact and to get their claws in the door of Tidespace, they sought out a place none should want to visit. Thus it was that they scuttled into Squidhome, renamed it (at least for their records) Gray Fang, and over several years carted in more dwarves, all given the task of renovating the Neogi's new home. Throughout it all, she has always vaguely resembled a somewhat crumpled spider form and so the Neogi have had a lot less work to do than had they started on a regularly shaped rock. Appearance Construction is not yet complete on Gray Fang, but someday she will appear as a giant, dessicated tarantula made of gray rock, its legs curled beneath it, meeting at the base of the 32000 ton work of malevolent art. Right now, the front 4 legs are completed as well as the head and thorax, and to an extent, the abdomen which curves lightly and melds with the rear 4 legs forming a solid side of the base. Thus fewer than half the future ship berths to be are available at the present moment, the back 4 legs are as yet uncarved and are a solid mass of stone which will eventually seperate from the abdomen. The base is mostly a uniform gray yet might appear speckled from the hundreds of places where dwarven artisans work at all hours to bring the base to its fully operational status. Utility Currently the base is home to 4 Deathspiders and 3 Mind Spiders, berthed along the inside of the Legs. Because of the massive size and form of Gray Fang, there are actually 3 different gravity planes, the main one runs along the bottom of the thorax portion of the base, however two planes run through the legs and as such, a Neogi can walk up the inside of any leg to arrive at the main station (The legs are very wide, allowing for Deathspider sized vessels to land with full clearance around them for barricade facilities, alternately 2 vessels may tether to any single landing berth). The eventual number of ships berthable will be in the hundreds, as each leg alone can berth at least 20 vessels. The Abdomen is home to the slave pits, the great old master pits, and the ship construction facilities (which are as yet inoperable). The extreme bottom of the Abdomen is completely hollow and planned to hold the great old masters, however there are none at the moment. Next up are the slaves chambers, enough space to hold ten thousand slaves, but not even close to full. Above that are levels upon levels of Umber Hulk breeding grounds and homes. Here is where the Lord Servants are indoctrinated by the neogi and are purposefully above the other slaves, making escape or revolution a difficult prospect at best. Also found in the Abdomen is a tower within with is completely full of water that runs from top to bottom. Along the top of the station there are forests, small because they have had not so long to grow. Eventually they will provide the wood to construct vessels as well as help replenish the air envelope. The bottom of the thorax section (also the inside of the station) is covered in ordered fields of wheat, harvested to feed the slaves. The forests and the wheat combine to give the Gray Fang a somewhat shaggy appearance. The trees are about the only color to be seen on the station. They provide all the air the limited number of neogi aboard need as well as enough for the eventual population increase. Construction Most of the heavy duty cutting and carving is done by Umber Hulk Lord Servants, they are simply better suited for the work than Dwarves. However, much of the planning and finishing touches are performed by the more artistically inclined Dwarfs. All are slaves and all are driven incessantly to finish the station, given very few breaks and little time to sleep. This has lead to a nearly 50% mortality rate among slaves here and until the station is finished, the Neogi will be hard pressed to keep the slave quarters even moderately stocked. Estimated completion time is another 42 years, but the station is operable and several other Captains have expressed interest in joining the Neogi alliance, these are mostly lesser captains with few tattoos. Any who join up now must add slaves to the job and most Neogi are too greedy to give away slaves to something that might not ever be completed, especially in their own lifetimes. Weaponry and Defenses I should note that the main defense of Gray Fang at the moment is its secrecy. But in the odd event of discovery, the Deathspiders and Mindspiders form the bulk of her defenses, backed up of course by the hordes of Umber Hulks aboard. There are, however, secondary defenses, such as heavy weapons in the head area (also the Great Captain H'Zulks chambers) At every ship berth there are 2 light weapons pointed TOWARDS the docking vessel. There are additional weapons implacements along the outside hull of the station and more will be manned and constructed when Gray Fang is finished. In addition to the station ships (4 Deathspiders and 3 Mindspiders) there are 7 Deathspiders and 12 Mindspiders that regularly stop off and utilize it as a trading post for slaves and new umber hulks. At any time 2 of these will be docked. There are no active patrols for this station, as they are attempting to keep a low profile till they are fully operational. Personalities H'Zulk Neogi Mage H'Zulk is a relatively young Neogi and is one of the few partners that will be able to enjoy the fully operational benefits of Gray Fang. He is extremely charismatic for a Neogi and while he is as evil as his brethren, shows considerable restraint in the slaughtering of his slaves. He uses Magic sparingly and none of his fellows know he is a mage, in fact the only being that does is his Lord Servant Klupatat. Like most Neogi, he is plotting and scheming towards the end of never becoming a Great Old Master. To this end he has obtained a ring of longevity and surrounds himself with loyal Umber Hulk slaves. As he considers himself an intellectual he often permits audiences with his more gifted slaves but invariably pronounces them fools. He trusts none save his Lord Servant and a warning to those he calls friend, he has none. Klupatat Umber Hulk Klupatat is H'Zulks Lord Servant and utterly loyal slave. Not particularly bright, but he has an uncanny ability to sense threats to his master (though often the threat was arguably non existant, but that's a bit late for those caught in the act of conspiring....) and deals with them harshly and swiftly. J'Yuask Neogi Fighter J'Yuask is the slave master of Gray Fang, as in he actually owns only 1 Umber Hulk and has little desire for more and as such he assigns quarters and pens for incoming slaves. He avoids the other Neogi, who cannot understand his lack of greed. Any and all ships that dock with Gray Fang can expect a quick visit from J'Yuask, who quickly records all slaves and insures that no 'misunderstandings' occur. This is a position of great importance as Neogi rarely trust one another very much and detailed records are kept to make sure neutrality is obeyed. 4 Umber Hulks belonging to H'Nuay (Sergeant at Arms) accompany him in order to enforce his orders, as well as his Lord Servant who carries him everywhere. It is due to J'Yuasks recent rise to power that slave populations have risen, and the death rate is down to 50%. He is harsh to the weak but lets the slaves manage themselves to a small extent and so much more rarely now are they worked to death. H'Nuay Neogi Fighter H'Nuay is a typical scheming Neogi and was at once a Mind spider captain but fearing his Broods intentions of Great Old Mastering him, he sought to lead them to better things and prove his leadership. Thus he joined in the construction of Gray Fang and his official task is Defense of the station, giving him command of roughly 200 Umber Hulks. He is smart and old which is rare for neogi, but he has not slipped and is a good opponent for any invading commander. It should be noted that the 4 umber hulks that accompany J'Yuask are also in fact there to keep him honest (well, at least as honest as a neogi can be) Helal HornFlayer Human Paladin Helal is the leader of the slaves, he was once a mighty warrior and the neogi delight in torturing him in front of his companions. Captured only two years after the construction of Gray Fang was begun, he slew no less than 8 Umber Hulks before finally being overcome. This intrigued the neogi and they kept him as a pet and an example to the other slaves. He gets on well with the few humans and all the dwarves aboard Gray Fang, however the other species tend to disdain his views and generally avoid him. His sword 'HammerJag' is still aboard the station and should he recover it, it would surely spell bad news for the neogi. He holds faith that all will be rescued and soon.
