Head: Ret. Ninja Trooper
Body: DG CC

Space Station (The Artifex) Security
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This feature news presentation is brought to you by Farhaven's First News at Five, as we delve into life aboard the largest satellite in the sky
-Story by Jess Dash

A security position at the orbital Farhaven space station "The Artifex" used to be hard work. Even with a full staff of security personnel, in addition to Farhaven Customs Officers and an on-site Inter-Planetary Authority Agency, the amount of traffic through the complex was of such high volume, it seemed the work never ended. With the useful services provided by Big Papa's space yard, on-station housing and food and hotels, and a full operating space port, it was safe to say that the station had a larger population and greater traffic than the entire planet beneath it. That was until about 5 years ago.

It was at that point that an ore strike planet-side on Farhaven changed that world from a small and sparse agricultural community to a booming mining hub. The creation of new jobs for companies who owned contracts for mining, and the influx of prospectors (legal and otherwise) to find new strikes brought in an entirely new infrastructure of commerce and government to a previously isolated and rural environment.

As a result of the growing population (and its inherent needs) along with the need for direct access to interstellar freight vessels, a large inter-planetary space port was built on Farhaven itself. The passenger shuttle capabilities between The Artifex and the older, small planetary hub were now simply inadequate to meet the needs of this newfound industry. Only one Passenger Transport Line maintains a contract with the station, sending a vessel sporadically, at best. Most station-side traffic comes from residents, or spacers and adventurers passing through on their way to the more remote corners of the Fringe.

That brings us back to space station security. In the years since the opening of Farhaven Spaceport Prime (IPA ID: FH02), traffic through the Artifex has dwindled to a near standstill. No longer is the station a thriving city in its own right - businesses and residents alike have fled planet-side. Likewise the Farhaven Customs Service, and the Inter-Planetary Authority. There is no longer an official government presence on the station itself, and the various agencies which previously accounted for more than 250 on-site officers and staff have been replaced by a single, solitary keeper of the peace: Officer Jonn.

Officer Jonn has never held an actual law enforcement position. In fact, he was once just an owner of a small business here at The Artifex himself. After the authentic law enforcement agencies abandoned the station, however, those residents and business owners who stayed behind recognized the need for some form of on-site authority to keep the station from reverting to The Law of The Fringe. Because Officer Jonn worked out of his station-side apartment, he conveniently had plenty of free time to pick up the job of "law enforcement" as something of a hobby. Big Papa Rollins, owner of the largest business on the station explained why he ultimately made the decision on Jonn's hiring:

Quote:
"Well, to be honest, he does look like a cop. That's a real big part of keeping the peace - looking the part. I was actually kind of surprised to hear he wasn't one already. I mean look at him. And, well, he already fit the uniforms we had leftover, so you know, no need to hassle with that."

With traffic light, and much of the large complex vacant, Officer Jonn really doesn't have a whole lot of enforcement responsibilities. He rushes to the terminal at the first sign of an arriving ship, to provide a greeting, and perform mostly unnecessary scans and declarations (it is the Fringe afterall, so good luck keeping a spacer from bringing his weapons with him anyway).

In some respects he is being paid to act like a security officer more than to be one, but he does take his job seriously. Sometimes too much so:

Quote:
"You know, to be fair, I think Jonn gets bored sometimes with the lack of action. I mean he researched the part really thoroughly, so it has to be frustrating to not put that knowledge to use. But I don't think that justifies him giving me 3 jay-walking tickets so far this year for crossing the freight lane, when everybody knows those tracks have been shut down for years."

For his own part, Jonn most enjoys his interaction with new visitors to the station, and likens his job to that of a Tour Guide. When visitors arrive, he shows them the key locales aboard the station, delivers baggage to their rooms, and performs other services as requested:

Quote:
"I feel like I'm more of a guide than an officer. I'm here to guide visitors through the desolation of this near empty city, so that they can become efficient members of the community and not wander around aimlessly for days on end like a bunch of zombies with no real purpose..."

Officer Jonn added (though we aren't sure what it means, and quite frankly now wonder what's in his coffee mug):

Quote:
"I guess you could say I am the Julie to the Cantina's Isaac"

And with that gem, we'll take it back to the news desk.