Starbase 668
From USS Takeda Shingen
Starbase 668 makes its home in a small little bit of space that's squished between Klingon, Orion and Federation space. The Federation got their grubby little hands on it when they made friends with the species who had previously owned the place. Now it's become Star Fleet's favorite dumping grounds for those that the upper brass don't care for but can not come up with a good enough reason to drum them out of Star Fleet. It is pretty well known by those assigned there that once you're transferred there, the only way off is death or retirement. This rule has been broken only once that anyone knows of, and the name of the lucky officer is whispered in awe among the corridors of the station.
Along with the Star Fleet presence comes the usual mix of civilians, as well as people passing through on business that they will identify as nothing more than their own. Most people are welcome, as the station likes to think of itself as a neutral place in the universe. Affectionately nick named Milliways by the Star Fleet personal stationed there, they are tipping their hats to an old piece of literature from earth, Restaurant at the End of the Universe. It is better known as part of a series recognized by the first book in the four (plus) book "trilogy", Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by the great Douglas Adams.
It's nature as a Starfleet Dumping ground has become well known to anyone who has any interactions with it. Starfleet won't actually admit to this tactic, and worse yet, will try to deny their connection with the station or the presence of Starfleet personal stationed there. Attempts to contact the station via Starfleet communication channels by Starfleet personnel with too low of a rank or security clearance will often simply error out without explanation. It is even difficult to communicate with the station from the Federation equipment used by the civilian sector. The average Starfleet office has heard rumors of Milliways, but likely has dismissed them as just that. Enlisted personnel are on average better at sorting the signal from the noise within the fleet rumor mills and believe the story of Milliways.
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People and Places of note
Due to its unique nature, and its purpose foisted upon it by Starfleet, there are people and places that one should be aware of before stepping foot onto the station.
Local Wildlife
Raymond "Mouse" Dean
If there is an emergency situation, the first instinct of most people is to check in with the highest ranking officer on duty. Those who've been on the station for any length of time will instead check in with Mouse. The well known colloquialism "Do you want to speak to the man in charge, or the woman who knows what's going on?" has been modified by natives of Milliways to "Do you want to speak to the commanding officer, or the yeoman who knows what's going on?" Mysteriously, a sign stating just this was hung above the view screen in the command without comment one day. It has since been taken down, repeatedly, but usually shows up again within 24 hours. The Captain who is currently in command of the station has given up on fighting this, and the sign has stayed posted for six months straight now.
He acquired his nick name from Diziara when she quickly sized him up her first day on duty at the station. She was moments away from strangling the station commander when he stepped in, soothed the situation and got her a duty assignment. Depending on the competency of the commanding officer, his job set ranges everywhere from simply making things run smoothly to doing the commanding officer's job for him (i.e. writing the duty schedules, handling the day to day paperwork, greeting new officers and visitors with official business) and all the way down to doing the commanding officer's dirty work.
Tumor
His name says what most people need to know about this large hulk of a man: he's dense, generally unwelcome, and usually malignant. Only those who out rank him, or have beaten him in a fight get to call him that to his face, but no one seems to actually know his real name, so everyone calls him that anyways. He is often know for being drunk or drugged, and making unwelcome passes at anything female and vaguely attractive that crosses his field of vision.
He originally came to Milliways as a security officer, but the depression over his dead Starfleet career lead to him hiding in the alcohol and drugs. When this started getting in the way of even making the pretense of doing his duty, and when he was more often in the holding cell than he was guarding it, he was strongly encouraged to turn in his resignation. Even though he is no longer a part of Starfleet, he has not been inclined to leave the station and seems to keep his bar tabs in good enough standing that the proprietors of the bars have not seen fit to ban him from their establishments despite the frequent disturbances he causes.
Businesses of Note
There is a wide selection of establishes of various repute that one can pay a visit to while on the station. Here's a short list of the ones the Locals favor.
So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
This small bar has been known by many names over the years, and the latest owner elected to carry the theme of Douglas Adams inspiration started by the relatively recent influx of down trodden Starfleet personnel. While a lot of the traffic that passes through typically will make their way to the larger bar, those who are regulars on the station will usually go to the smaller bar when they want to hide from the chaos.
Meta
Starbase 668 is a sister RPG to the USS Takeda Shingen. It is also located on LJ: Community.livejournal.com/Starbase668.
