TEXT: Supplement STP-002:
  Starports!
  TRAVELLER®
  Science-Fiction Adventure 
  in Unknown Space
  StarTraveller Productions
  STP  002
  
  Supplement MK-002:
  Starports!
  TRAVELLER®
  Science-Fiction Adventure 
  in Unknown Space
  http://micki001.cnc.net
  MK- 002
  
  -  -
  Contents 
  A starports book needs to excite the player. The material needs to be interesting, 
  fun, and useful. 
  - Marc Miller on Starports
  - Starport Design
  - Expanded encounter tables: in port and startown
  - Details of starport classes, facilities, tech and purpose variations
  - Planetary interdiction and smuggling
  - Ship encounters and ships in port
  - Vehicles: shuttles, tugs, rescue craft, security/patrol craft
  - Installations: ship tender, small orbital dock, interdiction satellite
  Credits
  There are many people who contributed to this document:
  Rob Eaglestone
  Bruce Allen Macintosh 
  Leonard Erickson 
  Thad Coons               
  <104765.503@compuserve.com> 
  Ernest N Rowland         
  <erowland@ionet.net> 
  Simon Early              
  <sre@taz.compulink.co.uk> 
  Michael Kent             
  <mkent@atlantic.net> 
  Ian Whitchurch           
  <ianw@orac.net.au> 
  Jeff Cornish             
  <JCornish@appiangraphics.com> 
  Marc Miller              
  <CardSharks@aol.com> 
  Kenneth Bearden          
  <dreamer@brokersys.com> 
  Erwin Fritz              
  <erwin@fritz.cuug.ab.ca> 
  James Kundert            
  <james@dumbcat.sf.ca.us> 
  George Herbert           
  <gherbert@crl.com> 
  Mark Clark               
  <markc@brahms.udel.edu> 
  Jeff Zeitlin             
  <jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com> 
  Bryan Borich             
  <Kagehira@aol.com> 
  Andrew Moffatt-Vallance  <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz> 
  Michael Koehne           
  <kraehe@bakunin.hb.north.de> 
  Stewart Eyres  
  The Port Authority Handbook 
  The Compleat Starport (Judges’ Guild) 
  Miscellaneous JTAS articles
  ® Traveller copyright by and trademark of Far Future Enterprises. In addition, 
  all content herein cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the 
  author who contributed it.
  
  - 3 -
  Marc Miller on Starports
    
  Attached is what I know about starports. 
  - Marc Miller
  tHe sitUAtiON iNsYsteM 
  A star system is composed of a primary star and one or more stellar 
  companions. Orbiting these stars are a variety of planets, planetoid belts, and gas 
  giants. Orbiting planets and gas giants are a variety of satellites. But the focus is 
  one world... the mainworld... which is the overall best planet or satellite in the 
  system. 
  The mainworld has a starport which, for all practical purposes, is the destination 
  of interstellar traffic entering the system. Starports vary in their capabilities and 
  facilities, depending on the details of the world itself.
  CLAssiFiCAtiON OF stArPOrts 
  Starports are classified by their location and by their capabilities. 
  LOCAtiON 
  A starport may be located on a world surface, or it may be in orbit above the 
  world. 
  Down. A starport may be located on a world surface. If so, the starport is most 
  frequently referred to by the world name followed by the word Down. Thus, Sylea 
  Down is the main world surface starport for the world of Sylea. 
  Why a surface port? Landing close to the market is convenient for all 
  concerned. If the environment is at all tolerable, then life support and labor costs 
  are minimized. 
  Highport. A starport may be located in orbit above a world. If so, it is most 
  frequently referred to by the world name followed by Highport. Thus, Sylea 
  Highport is the main orbital starport for Sylea. A highport maintains scheduled 
  links by shuttle with the world surface (if there is no surface starport, then with 
  an air transport hub). 
  Why a highport? Many very large ships never land on a world surface; the 
  cargo they carry is off-loaded in orbit and shuttled down. Some worlds are 
  naturally inhospitable (bad surface weather, a water world, fluid oceans, or 
  perhaps government type D or E) and ship owners prefer not to risk their 
  equipment venturing down to the surface. Class A and B starports for worlds with 
  Atmosphere + generally have a Highport. Class A, B, or C starports at worlds 
  with Atmosphere B+, or Hydrographics A, or Government D or E can b expected 
  to have a Highport. 
  Spaceports. There is typically one major starport in a star system. Other 
  facilities, especially those on smaller, less important worlds in a system, are 
  called spaceports. They are established primarily to foster in-system travel. 
  Good spaceports are often established in support of farming projects, mining 
  projects, or small colonies.
  
  - 4 -
  stArPOrt tYPe 
  Starport type is based on a simple letter classification system (ranging from A 
  to E) which details their basic facilities. 
  A. Excellent quality facility with refined and unrefined fuel available on 
  site. Facilities include capability to perform annual overhaul and new starship 
  construction (TNAS certified designs). A naval base may be present. A scout base 
  is usually not present. A surface installation is present. A highport may be present 
  (generally if the world atmosphere is +). 
  B. Good quality starport with refined and unrefined fuel available on site. 
  Facilities include capability to perform annual overhaul and new spacecraft 
  construction (TNAS certified designs). A naval base may be present. A scout 
  base may be present. A surface installation is present. A highport may be present 
  (generally if the world atmosphere is +). 
  C. Routine quality starport with unrefined fuel available on site. Facilities 
  include some capability for repair (primarily replacement of TNAS-certified parts). 
  A naval base is usually not present. A scout base may be present. A surface 
  installation is present. A highport is usually not present. 
  D. Poor quality starport with unrefined fuel available on site or closeby. It has 
  no repair or construction facilities. A naval base is not present. A scout base may 
  be present. A surface installation is present. A highport is not present. 
  E. Frontier starport. With no facilities, the installation is little more than a flat 
  expanse of bedrock and a sign. This designation effectively means there is no 
  starport, but there have been previous landings and that location is indicated in 
  records. 
  X. No spaceport or starport. The world has no indigenous space access 
  capability.
  sPACePOrts 
  Worlds other than the mainworld in a system may also have spaceports. 
  F. Routine quality spaceport with unrefined fuel available on site and minor 
  repair facilities. A system defense field may be present. A military base may be 
  present. A surface installation is present. There is no highport. This designation is 
  a poor cousin to starport type B. 
  G. Poor quality installation with unrefined fuel available nearby. No repair 
  facilities are available. A system defense field may be present. A military base 
  may be present. A surface installation is present. There is no highport. This 
  designation is a poor cousin to starport type C. 
  H. Primitive quality installation with no facilities beyond a beacon identifying 
  the location. Unrefined fuel may be available nearby. This is a surface installation; 
  there is no highport. A system defense field may be present. A military base may 
  be present. This designation is a poor cousin to starport type D. 
  Y. No spaceport or starport. The world has no indigenous space access 
  capability.
  tHe eLeMeNts OF tHe stArPOrt 
  A starport at its simplest is a bare spot of bedrock capable of supporting a ship 
  which wants to land. The remaining elements of a starport are added later to 
  support and maintain the traffic that passes through the port. 
  
  - 5 -
  Each starport is characterized by a few basic elements. Without them, the 
  starport is not really a starport. 
  The Beacon. The location of the starport is broadcast throughout the system 
  from a central beacon. At its simplest, the beacon puts out a continuous tone 
  which allows ships to home on its position. In more complex systems, the beacon 
  provides range and position information for ships in the system, traffic control 
  information on sister frequencies. 
  The Landing Pad. Starships approach from beyond the atmosphere. When 
  starships set down, most make use of their lifters in order to make a smooth, 
  relatively slow approach along designated approach corridors. To deal with 
  ships with disabled lifters, or for ships which use lifting surfaces, the landing pad 
  includes long, broad runways. 
  For highports, this a designated holding area. 
  Traffic Control Facility. Space traffic controllers provide basic information to 
  ships within the system, vectoring them safely in their approaches or departures. 
  The traffic control facilities are located at the starport. In some systems, an 
  auxiliary control facility is located in an outer orbit.
  tHe terMiNAL 
  The starport terminal houses the basic services for passengers and freight. 
  The Concourse. Passenger services are handled at the concourse. Ticketing, 
  baggage check, and final boarding all take place at this facility. 
  Freight Docks. Freight (materials carried by ships for a fee) is loadedand 
  unloaded at the freight docks. Speculative cargoes are held until sold at the 
  exchange. 
  Customs and Immigration. Applicable laws concerning the people and goods 
  moving to the world are enforced by Customs and Immigration. 
  The Exchange. Speculative cargo is bought and sold at the Exchange. A variety 
  of brokers handle the transactions and make the process. 
  Accommodations. Passengers passing through the starport can stay overnight 
  at the starport hotel, buy meals at a variety of restaurants, purchase basic 
  goods and souvenirs at the shops, and pass time at theaters or entertainment 
  complexes. The level of accommodation available varies widely. 
  Data Terminals. Information is available about the world, its products and 
  services, and recreation at a variety of data terminals. On some worlds, the data 
  terminal may be a computer; on others, they may be staff people with prodigious 
  memories; on yet others, they may be librarians). 
  Message Center. Access to communications, including physical mail, electronic 
  mail, telephone, and video is generally available at the message center. 
  Emergency Medical. Suitable facilities are provided for emergency medical 
  treatment. The medical staff has the training and experience to deal with a wide 
  variety of medical emergencies.
  PeriPHerAL FACiLities 
  Situated around the edges of the starport are a variety of associated activities 
  and facilities. 
  Starport Defense Establishment (SDE). In addition to security personnel (who 
  function as police), a starport may have an SDE (with a military function). 
  
  - 6 -
  The SDE is established to defend the starport against organized assault, and 
  its equipment may include troops, fighter craft, missile defenses, and artillery. 
  The SDE, to maintain its independence from the local world, is often a mercenary 
  force specifically created for the job. 
  Since an SDE is rarely larger than absolutely necessary, it is possible to gauge 
  the local perceived threats to a starport by observing the size and equipment of 
  the LDE. 
  Scout Base. The scout service (whether of the Imperium or of some other 
  interstellar community) may maintain a port facility for the support and 
  maintenance of its vessels (including those vessels which it may have out on 
  loan to detached duty scouts). It is possible that the world on which a scout base 
  is located is not a member of the  interstellar community which the scout service 
  serves. 
  Many scout bases make the information they have accumulated available 
  outside of their service (including maps, charts, and world surveys). 
  Naval Base. The Navy (whether of the Imperium or of some other interstellar 
  community) may maintain a port facility for the support and maintenance of its 
  vessels. The base includes administration sections, warehouse for provisions and 
  resupply, and some security personnel. 
  The continuing interest of naval personnel in their career area makes naval 
  bases favorite stopovers for veterans (even of other navies). 
  Sometimes a specific naval base may be considerably more extensive than the 
  typical installation. Their facilities and equipment come to dominate the starport 
  rather than complement it. 
  System Defense Field. The interplanetary defense forces of a system may 
  maintain a facility for the support of their vessels (system defense boats) as 
  they rotate off station from the outer reaches of the systems. The field has a 
  minimum of facilities (provisions are trucked in when needed; repair trucks call 
  as required). 
  Shipyard. Ships are built at shipyards. For ships of moderate size which will be 
  streamlined and capable of landing on worlds, construction often takes place on 
  world surfaces at starport shipyards. 
  Most shipyards specialize in the construction of a specific assembly (which local 
  industry has shown itself capable of producing) such as jump drives, avionics, 
  detectors, or even stateroom modules. Other components are purchased from 
  other shipyards and imported as part of the TNAS-certified parts system. 
  Warehouses on-site store components until they are ready for assembly. Ships 
  themselves are constructed in open-air bays (or in enclosed assembly structures 
  if the local environment requires). 
  Repair Facility. Minor repairs to ships are often accomplished on the landing 
  pad. More complex or extensive repairs require that the ships be moved to the 
  repair bays at the edge of the starport. Support installations near the bays house 
  the instrumentation and equipment necessary for repairs. 
  Transport Hub. The starport is usually integrated into the global transportation 
  net, and arriving passengers transfer from the terminal to the transport hubs. 
  Depending on the world, the hubs may support sea or undersea transport, air 
  transport, or ground rail transport. In addition, personal vehicle rental may be 
  available. 
  Industry. Many industrial processes are best carried out in zero-G and/or 
  vacuum. What better place for such operations than adjacent to a major orbital 
  
  - 7 -
  transportation center? Industrial modules attached to the Highport create products 
  or commodities which benefit from immediate access to the ships calling at the 
  port. Some factories have long-term supply contracts with the highport itself.
  OrgANizAtiON 
  A starport has an organizational structure which includes a leader and a 
  mission; the details of each starport are different, although they are generally 
  variations on a basic theme. 
  The Port Authority. Regardless of the local government in power at the starport, 
  the governing authority for the facility is the Port Authority. Financed by a variety 
  of charges and levies on passengers, cargo, and ships, the Authority uses its 
  money to build and maintain its facilities, and to provide variety of services. 
  Like starports, Port Authorities vary widely in structure and approach to their 
  responsibilities. Some are strong corporate organizations devoted to the pursuit 
  of profit; others are non-profit organizations which view their responsibilities 
  more as services to the citizenry; yet others consider themselves a quasi-official 
  arm of local government. 
  The Port Warden. The person in complete charge of the starport is the Port 
  Warden. Appointed by the Port Authority, the Warden is the chief executive officer 
  for the facility, and wields great, but not unlimited power. 
  The Mission of the Starport. The starport, as an organization, is committed to a 
  mission (although that mission may not be clearly or publicly stated). 
  Typical missions are: 
  - To efficiently provide facilities and services necessary to accommodate 
  interplanetary and interstellar traffic for this world. 
  - To produce a maximum of income for the organization which operates this 
  starport. 
  - To insulate this world, to the maximum extent possible, from outside 
  influences. 
  - To meet the minimum requirements for maintaining interstellar trade.   
  Regulation Enforcement. The police and security arm of the Port Authority 
  has the responsibility of protecting the orderly operation of the starport and of 
  enforcing its regulations. It consists of enforcers and emergency technicians. 
  The typical enforcer carries out the role of helpful police officer, often assisting 
  passengers in mundane tasks. Behind the scenes, however, a stronger, better 
  armed force stands ready to back them up if necessary. 
  Emergency technicians provide basic services such as paramedical response, 
  rescue operations, and fire fighting. Emergency tech stations are situated 
  throughout the starport, providing the ability to make a quick response anywhere 
  within the starport’s boundaries. 
  eACH stArPOrt is UNiqUe 
  Starports vary widely due to the circumstances and environment in which they 
  exist. When the differences in world size, atmosphere, and hydrographics are 
  coupled with population and technological levels, government, and trade 
  classifications, it becomes clear that each starport is an individual facility.   
  UNOFFiCiAL FACiLities 
  
  -  -
  Not all facilities at a starport come under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority. 
  The Scout Lounge. Those who conduct surveys of star systems and who 
  continually venture out into unexplored or under-explored space are a special 
  type of people. After long periods of time alone or with their fellow crew, they 
  naturally gravitate to others of their kind... to share stories and experiences which 
  may help them survive. The typical starport has a Scout Lounge for this type of 
  people. 
  The Scout Lounge is usually operates as a semi-private club; theoretically 
  anyone can use its services, but in practice it is only patronized comfortably by 
  scouts (and those with an affinity for scouts). 
  The Hiring Hall. Crew members looking for work gather at the hiring hall. 
  Ships calling at the starport look first to the hiring hall when they need new or 
  replacement crew. Because of ship schedules which must be met, it is possible for 
  a crew person to be hired and off world within a few hours notice. 
  The Lone Star. Many starports have a recreation facility which welcomes and 
  serves all comers. At its tables, people meet and enjoy light music or video, 
  conversation, and meals. To many the Lone Star is an opportunity to meet 
  others on a casual basis, to develop acquaintances, and even grow them into 
  friendships. 
  The Traveller’s Aid Society.  Some individuals make travel their primary 
  vocation. If they are able, they join the Traveller’s Aid Society which provides 
  facilities to its members. The Traveller’s Aid Society s a joint operation of several 
  large hotel chains, which provide the facilities within or adjacent to their own 
  hotels and restaurants. Members join by depositing a large sum of money as 
  annuity, with the proceeds paying for the benefits they receive. 
  Startown. Although starports are often established near large cities, the 
  community which springs up at the gates to the starport has come to be called 
  (generically) Startown. This community is the home of many of the starport 
  employees and houses many stores, restaurants, and meeting places that serve 
  those who want to wander outside of the starport boundaries. 
  eXterNAL CONtrOLs 
  Starports and spaceports exist to participate in interplanetary or interstellar 
  trade. They belong to a network of similar installations, and each depends on the 
  other to provide the traffic that gives meaning and purpose to the installation. 
  Starports and spaceports must be responsive to four distinct external controls 
  or powers. 
  Local World or System Government. Local government exercises considerable 
  power over a starport (or spaceport). Through taxation and law, the starport is 
  dependent on the goodwill of local government. This influence is primarily felt in 
  the statement of the mission of the starport. 
  Interstellar Government. Interstellar government has a vested interest in 
  creating and maintaining viable starports on worlds where trade produces 
  economic benefits. Interstellar Government influences starports through pressure 
  on local government, and by establishing bases (naval or scout) which increase 
  the viability of the local starport. 
  The Ship Owners and Operators. Ship owners and operators serve  starports 
  which allow them to make profits. Even high service fees, taxes, and assessments 
  do not deter them if there are profits to be made. 
  The Passengers and Freight Shippers. Passengers and Freight Shippers are 
  
  -  -
  rarely organized, but their power is felt if they do not patronize a starport. The 
  organization representing the passengers is the Travellers’ Aid Society which 
  works with starports to improve facilities and services as is economically 
  feasible.   
  trAveL zONes 
  A Travel Zone is a notification that a specific world may be dangerous to 
  travellers. 
  Amber Travel Zones. An Amber Travel Zone label is cautionary: the location 
  may present some level of hazard to travellers. That hazard may be natural 
  (disease, local predators or parasites), sociological (uncommon or strange social 
  practices), or governmental (repressive, intolerant, or xenophobic policies). 
  Travellers are warned to be aware of these hazards and guard against them. The 
  Amber Travel Zone label is applied by the Travellers’ Aid Society. 
  Red Travel Zones. A Red Travel Zone label is interdictive: the location presents 
  such a level of danger that travel to the location is prohibited. The Red Travel 
  Zone label may be applied by the Travellers’ Aid Society, or by an interstellar 
  government (for the worlds within a system), or by local government (for a world 
  within a system).   
  UNderstANdiNg stArPOrts 
  The key to understanding a starport is a continuing awareness of its purpose. 
  Starports exist to foster traffic, and thus trade, between the stars. Governments 
  may attempt to control or suppress the activities of starports, but when they do, 
  they naturally suppress the benefits of trade and commerce for their worlds. The 
  natural state of starports is to flourish; if the starport’s worldhas resource which 
  can be profitably marketed to other worlds, the starport generate economic 
  benefit. 
  Extra-Territoriality. In order to foster interstellar traffic, starports are extra-
  territorial. Just as embassies are treated as if they are the territory of their owning 
  nations, starports are treated like they are off-world space. Passengers and crew 
  alike are allowed to leave their starships and wander freely (subject to security 
  and safety restrictions) throughout a starport. Goods are not subject to customs 
  or taxes until they leave a starport. The laws of the world do not apply to until a 
  traveller leaves the starport. 
  Law and Order. There must be some law and order within a starport, and the 
  means of achieving that order is the local Starport Regulations. Established by 
  the Port Authority, these regulations define in detail what behaviors are permitted 
  and prohibited. For most people, ordinary behavior is sufficient to stay within the 
  regulations. Strange requirements are typically posted clearly. 
  Ship Construction and Repair. Starships and spacecraft require an extensive 
  system of construction and repair sites, and the overhead of designing 
  and maintaining the many parts which go into ships can be overwhelming. 
  Consequently, many starports subscribe to the TNAS (Quality Ship Design 
  Scheme): a set of standard component specifications which are manufactured on 
  worlds with the appropriate tech level and industrial capacity, but which can be 
  assembled and maintained at any starport of the appropriate type, regardless of 
  local tech level or industrial capacity. 
  Money. Ultimately, every starport must make money if it is to remain in 
  operation. Starports cannot give their services away, but most find a way to hide 
  
  - 10 -
  those charges away from the consuming public. Restaurant charges include a 
  surcharge; starship lines pay a portion of their ticket price and freight charges 
  to the starport. Since all of this is concealed from the typical passenger, the 
  impression is that the starport is a free facility.
  stArPOrt AMBieNCe 
  The ambience of the starport is of prime importance. When travellers arrive at 
  a starport the atmosphere and the condition of the facilities create an impression 
  that will stay with them for a long time. This impression (and the elaboration of 
  this impression) develops over time. 
  The appearance of a starport may range from modern or new to old and 
  decayed. The staff of a starport may be respectful and attentive, or rude and 
  obnoxious. Officials may be straightforward and honest, or they may be corrupt 
  and self- serving. 
  MANY diFFereNt stArPOrts 
  Starports vary in the way their provide their services. Major influences on them 
  include the world trade classifications, the elements of the UWP, and other less 
  clear factors. 
  Water World. With land at a premium, starships land in the water (perhaps 
  sheltered by natural or artificial islands) and are serviced by boats. 
  Asteroid Belt. Ships dock in the microgravity of an asteroid. 
  Storms. If a world has an exceptionally turbulent atmosphere, most traffic may 
  choose to call at the highport and shuttle down on craft specifically engineered 
  for local conditions.
  Traveller copyright by and trademark of Far Future Enterprises. In addition, any 
  program/article/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the 
  consent of the author who contributed it.
  
  - 11 -
  A Look Around the Starport
  dePArtMeNts
  The Starport Authority
  Typically abbreiviated to the SpA, the Starport Authority is a non-profit executive 
  agency of the Imperium, which holds treaties with most of the Imperium’s 
  member worlds to operate the local starport or starports, and maintain the 
  extrality zone so crucial to free trade. At the same time, the SpA upholds Imperial 
  and local safety and customs regulations, and is responsible for certifying 
  starports operated by non-SpA authorities. On many worlds, particularly those 
  run by private companies or oppresive governments, the starport is operated 
  by a non-SpA agency, but the standards of such agencies are still policed by the 
  SpA. Alongside the I.I.S.S., the Imperial Navy, and the Ministry of the Commerce 
  Convention, the SpA is able to certify the competency of ship crews, and check 
  the ability of a given vessel to fulfill the requirements of each type of passage. 
  Freight Handling
  This division of the SpA operates the warehousing in each starport, and is 
  responsible for loading and unloading of vessels in port. In addition, the Freight 
  Handlers must keep track of all freight passing through their hands. Freight 
  Handling personnel seconded to Customs & Security are responsible for ensuring 
  smuggling in the legitimate freight is prevented, freight is handled in a safe and 
  secure manner, and any relevant health and safety regulations are observed. 
  Passenger Services
  This division of the SpA operates the Passenger Terminal, and is responsible for 
  getting passengers and their luggage to and from the vessels in port. At the same 
  time, they liase with the transport companies over ticketing arrangements, and 
  with the High Passage agency over the generic tickets sold on a standby basis. 
  Passenger complaints are also in the purview of this division, although only local 
  regulations generally have any bearing on most problems. Finally, Passenger 
  Services personnel are seconded to Customs & Security to ensure smuggling 
  does not take place in passenger baggage, passports and visas of travellers are 
  in order, and to attempt to thwart the efforts of hijackers. These Customs officials 
  are also responsible for policing the extrality line in the Passenger Terminal, as 
  this is recognised as the most vulnerable part of starport security.
  Ship Services
  This division handles all routine maintenance required by vessels in port, such 
  as life support and instrument calibration, reprovisioning, and refuelling. Ship 
  Services personnel also maintain the starport’s own equipment, and are often 
  responsible for major repairs and maintenance, and occasionally ship-building. 
  Ship Services personel working for Customs & Security guard against sabotage 
  of vessels in port, and have a duty to carry out safety checks and warn of any 
  contraventions.
  Administration
  The Administration division both operates the starports on a day-to-day basis, 
  and carries out the majority of the SpA’s interstellar duties. The latter include 
  
  - 1 -
  inspections for quality and safety, certification of non-SpA facilities, liaison 
  with subsector and Imperial government, other interstellar agencies, and large 
  corporations, and administration of the SpA budget at the interstellar level. In 
  border regions, the SpA also interacts with similar agencies of oter interstellar 
  states. 
  At an individual port, the traffic control personnel are considered part of the 
  Administration division, and those seconded to Customs & Security handle the 
  most sensitive and important cases of smuggling, etc., and also investigate 
  violations by SpA personnel. 
  tHe trAveLLer stArPOrt
  The following ideas of the Traveller Starport are based on discussions on 
  the xboat mailing list, and the form of starports as suggested by illustrations, 
  particularly those in Starter Traveller, the Traveller Book, the Traveller Adventure, 
  and in several DGP MegaTraveller publications. 
  Starports are divided into the orbital facility (Upport, Shiny Side, High Port, 
  etc.), and the surface facility (Downport, Dirtside, Low Port, etc.). Most ports have 
  a surface facility, and many have a orbital component. Occasionally, a starport 
  may only have an orbital part. 
  The Downport
  The basic view of the Downport is of a large, open area, with the starport 
  facilities placed in a number of monolithic buildings. Landings and take offs 
  are performed from landing pads, with most vessels lifting off by gravitic VTOL. 
  In many places, runways are also installed, to allow aerodynamic landings by 
  appropriately equipped vessels, and to receive transworld ballistic transport 
  services. 
  In the standard Starport Authority (SpA) model, a Downport is designed on a 
  concentric semi-circle basis. At the centre are the port administration, customs 
  & security HQ, and passenger terminals. Many offworld companies, brokerage 
  firms, and freight factors, will have offices in this building. In the next layer of the 
  semi-circles will be placed the warehousing, where exporters store their goods. 
  Beyond that are the freight terminals and parking areas. These are often combined 
  in a single unit, allowing the routine maintenance and fuelling of a vessel to be 
  carried out alongside loading and unloading. Finally, beyond that lie the landing 
  grounds, with pads and runways set out according to the requirements of local 
  traffic and weather conditions. Where shipyards are present, a wedge of the 
  semi-circle is taken over by the Docks, with Dock administration attached to 
  the central buildings, stores and smaller workshops in the warehousing sector, 
  and the construction yards adjoining the parking bays, and opening out onto 
  dedicated landing grounds. The schematic in figure  illustrates these design 
  concepts. These basic ideas are subject to tremendous variation according to 
  local conditions. For example, the starport at Leedor on Aramis has semi-circular 
  landing grounds which lead directly to vast ship-lifts which are used to bring 
  vessels out of the corrosive atmosphere into sealed parking bays where loading 
  and maintenance can be carried out in relative comfort. The Naasirka docks have 
  completely separate landing pads, and vast caverns dedicated to construction and 
  maintenance. In addition, the mines to the south of the city have a loading facility 
  completely separate from the starport, and made necessary by the difficulty of 
  transporting bulk ore through the city. 
  The Orbital Port
  
  - 13 -
  The design of orbital port varies tremendously with local technology and 
  requirements. Typically, there is a large zero-g wharehousing area, garvitied 
  areas provided for passengers, staff, and ship crews, and dock facilities of a range 
  of capacities, which can accept vessels from small launches to large freighters. 
  When not loading, vessels are placed in parking orbits, often maintained by 
  robotic ship-shepherds. Refuelling and routine maintenance is carried out by fuel 
  lighters and mechanic tugs, or occasionally at a dedicated facility separated from 
  the bulk of the port for reasons of safety. Where shipyards are present, they will 
  be almost exclusively zero-g, and often capable of handling far larger vessels 
  than the ground facilities. 
  The extrality status of the orbital facility varies with the local conditions. In 
  some places, the enitire facility is extra-territorial, with customs checks done on 
  the dock. In other cases, local governments or companies occupy a large part 
  of the facility, and the starport authorities have limited powers. In any cases, 
  most orbital facilities have extensive R & R areas, equivalent to the ground side 
  startown. 
  The starport of Aramanx in the Aramis subsector is an example of an exclusively 
  orbital port. Aramanx is heavily balkanised, and to site an extrality zone anywhere 
  on the surface would present tremendous political and diplomatic problems. As 
  a result, all the freight and ship handling is concentrated in orbit, with regular 
  shuttle services to the spaceports of trading nations onworld. The facility is divided 
  into four distinct parts. Closest to the worlds is a large rotating habitat, called 
  Aramanx Station. This provide garvitied accomodation at a low technology level, 
  with the added bonus of providing a range of gravity regimes to cater for visitors 
  from several surrounding worlds who could never survive a visit to the surface. 
  This station is home to offices of all the major onworld and offworld companies 
  involved in interstellar trade, and to the starport administration offices. There are 
  many hotels, bars, eateries, and other facilities for the entertainment of visiting 
  crews and passengers in transit, as well as the indiginous staff of the station. All 
  the possible services available in most downport startowns are available, and 
  strict customs controls with regard to visas, and so forth, are not applied within 
  the station. Most Aramanx governments maintain offices on the station. 
  Tethered in a higher orbit is the working part of the starport; a large zero-g 
  warehouse complex, and an attached passenger terminal which can handle both 
  starships and surface-to-orbit shuttles. Port control is also sited in this region, 
  one of the few places that artificial gravity is employed. Security levels in this 
  part of the starport are highest, as the bottle-neck between the shuttle docks 
  and the starship docks allows for the easy monitoring of illegal emmigrants or 
  immigrants. Most passengers booked on scheduled vessels arrive directly at the 
  shuttle dock from the world surface, but many other travellers only book passage 
  after arriving at Aramanx Station. This is especially true of travellers from nations 
  where the major transport companies do not maintain offices. 
  In a trailing orbit from the docking complex, and tethered to it, is the fuel depot, 
  an array of liquid hydrogen tanks and fuel probes which are used to refuel visiting 
  vessels. A fleet of fuel lighters are able to supply vessels while they remain in 
  their parking orbits. 
  Finally, far to trailing of the main starport are the shipyards, which are capable 
  of building non-starships, and providing most types of maintenance and major 
  repairs. The only permenant facilities in this area are a small rotating habitat 
  providing gravitied accommodation for the work crews in their off-duty hours, 
  and several modular workshops. When construction or repair takes place, a 
  framework of protective girders is assembled around the vessel in question, and 
  
  - 14 -
  the workshops attached for ease of access.
  stArPOrt CAPABiLities
  Based on suggestions by Jeff Zeitlin jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com made on the 
  xboat mailing list on Mon, 07 Nov 94 19:40:00. 
  The basic starport classes (A, B, C, D, E & X) were originally defined on the 
  basis of their ability to provide fuel and maintenance, and the abilities of the 
  shipyards. This has been refined by Jeff Zeitlin, as shown in table . 
     
   
  Fuel 
  Customs Graving 
  Dry 
  Tourist 
  Cargo 
  Landing
  Class 
   
   
  Dock 
  Dock 
  Service 
  Service 
  Fees
  A 
  ref 
  yes 
  yes 
  yes 
  yes 
  yes 
  1,000
  B 
  ref 
  yes 
  yes 
  light 
  yes 
  yes 
  700
  C 
  unref 
  yes 
  light 
  no 
  yes 
  light 
  300
  D 
  unref 
  yes 
  no 
  no 
  light 
  light 
  00
  E 
  none 
  yes 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  100
  F 
  ref 
  no 
  light 
  no 
  yes 
  light 
  150
  G 
  ref 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  75
  H 
  none 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  50
  X/Y 
  none 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  no 
  -
  Fuel: ref= refined; unref= unrefined; none= no fueling services.
  Customs: yes= Customs, Health, Immigration facilities, outworld passenger 
  equipped; no= no offworld processing, passengers must enter through CHI-
  equipped starport.
  Graving Dock: yes= capable of major repairs and retrofits, short of building new 
  ship from ground up; light= no retrofits, hull punctures, or drive replacements; 
  no= no major repair facilities.
  Dry Dock: yes= can build new ship from ground up, any size; light= can build 
  new ships other than line combat ships; no= cannot build ships.
  Tourist Service: yes= Hotels, shops, guides, duty-free, restaurants, etc.;light= 
  Hotels, shops, duty-free, cafes, no guides or full restaurants; no= Transportation 
  to town only.
  Cargo Service: yes= Can do anything up to and including load a starship into 
  the hold of another, larger starship; light= can handle anything that doesn’t 
  require anchored machinery to load; no= load your own damn cargo.
  Landing Fees: First payment typically covers first 144 hours (6 standard days) 
  in port, and then a charge is made again for every subsequent 4 hours or part 
  thereof. Charges are reduced by approximately 0 % for the secondary ports in a 
  system. These costs include traffic control and basic security, provision of loading 
  and unloading where available, and cover port maintenance. The rates given are 
  SpA standards; privately run starports may vary costs.
  Often, the quality of a world’s Starport is heavily influenced by local culture 
  and politics. The local economy could stand to benefit tremendously by having 
  many of the necessary services provided by companies from outside the Starport. 
  In most well populated systems, all services can be had, but at a cost over and 
  above that of the landing fee. Life Support etc.
  
  - 15 -
  CALCULAtiNg “LiFe sUPPOrt” COsts
  The CT/MT ``Life Support’’ payments cover a multitude of items, such as 
  food, air supplies, recycling components, and recalibration of environmental 
  equipment, including gravity and inertial compensators. This last aspect means 
  that the costs include the hire of technicians with specialist equipment to carry 
  out this routine maintenance. The basic rules require a payment of Cr. 000 per 
  week per living being aboard the vessel, plus Cr. 100 per week per operating 
  low berth. Life support costs vary with the demands of different metabolisms. 
  In addition, in reality life support provision would be big business, and many 
  starports will be served by competing companies. Finding the best deal from 
  these companies is a task. 
  To assemble the requirements for ``Life Support’’:
  Routine, Service, Admin or Streetwise, 1 hour, (safe)
  Referee: This task is Simple at A or B type starports, Difficult at E type starports, 
  and Formidable at X type starports. Increase difficulty one level if the world 
  population is less than 100. Failure indicates the steward should keep looking (no 
  Determination necessary); on success all needs are filled. 
  Roll once for each different sort of living being carried, and once for low berths. 
  Living beings from similar environments may share the same requirements; for 
  example, Vargr and Human requirements are compatible. The final cost for life 
  support of a typical living being is Cr. 1600 + 1D per week per person, divided by 
  0 for low berths. On exceptional success the cost cannot exceed Cr. 000 (or Cr. 
  100 for low berths) per person per week. Vessels may ``stock up’’, but beyond 4 
  weeks supplies for the full complement, extra storage space must be set aside. 
  In addition, the environmental systems should be recalibrated regularly by an 
  appropriately qualified individual. SpA regulations require that SpA certified staff 
  carry out this recalibration where possible. In all cases except for type X starports, 
  and for type E starports where the population is below 100, all life support 
  requirements can be filled by paying twice the required cost. This assumes that 
  all possible supplies and all possible maintenance is carried out, without regard 
  for what is already in an acceptable state. 
  COMPONeNts OF A tYPiCAL stArPOrt.
  While the design of a Starport and its buildings varies tremendously with 
  technology, environment, politics, and capabilities, the functions of the facilities 
  are dictated by the needs of visiting vessels.
  Freight Terminal
  A large part of most starports is set aside for warehousing of imports and 
  exports, and often transshipments are stored here as well. The Freight Terminal 
  acts as a clearing station for all the cargo and freight which passes through, 
  directing loading crews to newly arrived vessels, cataloguing the location of 
  various stored cargoes, and ensuring the security of their clents wares. In most 
  cases, the parking areas for the vessels include loading facilities. Although 
  dedicated systems exist for special cargoes such as petrochemicals and grain, 
  most freight is loaded and unloaded in standard 54 klitre containers, using small 
  ground or grav vehicles to haul the them around. For smaller freights, cargo robots 
  are often employed, and on lower technology worlds, large gangs of human (or 
  other sophont) stevedores are the only way to carry out loading. Members of the 
  SpA Freight Handling division are seconded to Customs & Security, using their 
  
  - 16 -
  special knowledge to enforce the regulations concerning freight and cargo. As the 
  parking bays often incorporate loading facilities, Freight Handling works closely 
  with Ship Services. 
  Passenger Terminal
  Usually located near the entrance to the Staport, the Passenger Terminal 
  provides booking offices, luggage loading facilities, waiting rooms, and various 
  resteraunt and shopping facilities for passengers leaving and arriving at the 
  world. The Starport hotel, and a TAS Hostel, where present, are often closely 
  linked to the Passenger Terminal. In addition, the local transit system, whether 
  rail, monorail, subsurface shuttle, road, or air, generally has an interface with 
  the Passenger Terminal. The part of the Starport is unusual in that portions of 
  the building often lie outside the extrality line, allowing passengers to book 
  tickets and so on without passing through customs. As the Passenger Terminal is 
  generally the best appointed part of the Starport, and the most closely involved 
  with the world beyond, Port control & Administration is generally co-located 
  here.
  Customs & Security
  Customs & Security is carried out by units seconded from the other 
  SpA divisions (Ship Services, Freight Handling, Passenger Services, and 
  Administration), and equipped to deal with acts of violence and to investigate 
  and prevent contravention of customs and safety regulations. In order to facilitate 
  these duties, dedicated offices are present in the buildings of the other divisions, 
  and Customs are often headquartered separately from the Port Control & 
  Adminstration. 
  Landing Grounds
  While flight in a modern starship is extremely safe, when accidents or malicious 
  acts do cause crashes, the results can be devastating. As a result, the landing 
  grounds of many starports are located far from any buildings, and in most cases 
  an approach over the sea or wilderness is preferred. However, as technology 
  advances, it becomes possible to ensure safe landings in all but the most dire 
  cases, as starports are often equipped with repulsor systems which guide vessels 
  down to the ground. Thus, on many advanced worlds, the starport is surrounded 
  by the local city, which has expanded to surround the extrality zone. The landing 
  grounds are the responsibility of Ship Services, which maintains emergency 
  teams. 
  The Harbour
  The Harbour is a generic term referring to the parts of a starport set aside 
  for the parking and routine maintenance of starships. This area is dotted with 
  Parking Bays, which in addition to protecting the surroundings from the effects of 
  explosions, incorporate freight handling equipment, refuelling lines, passenger 
  loading areas, and workshops for routine maintenance. In many cases, these 
  services are provided by mobile teams in vehicles, and the Parking Bay is no 
  more than a blast shield. The nature of the Harbour zone is such that the various 
  divisions must interact closely to ensure smooth operations. 
  The Docks
  The domain of Ship Services, the Docks incorporate the starport’s Shipyard, 
  and so are capable of major repairs. In most Ay and Bee type starports, the 
  activities of the Docks are subcontracted to a shipbuilding company, as the SpA 
  
  - 17 -
  has little interest or capacity for such activities. However, the See and Dee type 
  starport Docks are run entirely by Ship Services. 
  Port Control & Administration
  A starport is a complex facility to operate, and often the most sensitive part 
  of a world, in terms of economic and strategic importance. As a result, the 
  administration section is often large, and certainly very important. In addition, the 
  Administratin division incorporates the starport’s traffic control, which depending 
  on the local political situation can extend to control of the entire system’s traffic. 
  In addition, the complex interaction of Passenger Services, Freight Handling, 
  Ship Services, and Customs & Security requires constant supervision. Finally, 
  the Administration division is responsible for liaison with local and Imperial 
  authorities. 
  Private Facilities
  Many large companies build or hire their own facilities, sometimes within 
  the starport extrality zone, and sometimes elsewher on the planet. The facilities 
  often provide better service than the standard starport, but of course this is 
  restricted to the company’s own vessels. Such private facilities provide a more 
  secure environment to carry out company business, which often makes them a 
  point of suspicion amongst local law enforcers. However, where access to better 
  maintenance or fuel is crucial, a company may find it worth their while to run their 
  own facility. 
  
  - 1 -
  Getting Around the Starport 
  Space is mostly cold, tiny bits of debris floating in a vacuum. Occasionally, 
  however, an Imperial system will see a brilliant flash of light, out of which 
  emerges a starship looking for a starport to berth at. 
  The Rylos II precipitated into normal space with a lurch. Happily, she has 
  arrived in the target system undamaged. Her sensor operator scans the system -- 
  since this system is supposed to have an A-class port, there should be no problem 
  with pirates, so the liner needs not be discreet. 
  A starport’s interstellar trade is at the mercy of the closest and largest starports. 
  Since this world is on an X-Boat route, jump-4 freighters will dominate the port, 
  and worlds as far as 4 parsecs away will dominate this world’s trade. Often, a 
  world on the X-Boat route will have a critical product that sectors of worlds 
  depend on; this also can boost a system’s trade levels and effect their starport’s 
  structure. 
  A far trader, the Marliiner, operates off the X-Boat routes, servicing minor 
  worlds and feeder routes. A typical non-X-Boat world usually sees jump-1 and 
  jump- vessels; their sphere of trade is dominated by the worlds close by. Their 
  starports are general-purpose affairs, rounded enough to handle any general 
  situation, or a small number of guests, or the occasional load of cargo. 
  So then, starports are custom-built to accomodate the particular types of traffic 
  passing through them. In general, traffic is of two kinds: passengers and freight. 
  Freight can be broken down into categories, such as agricultural, industrial, 
  critical, or luxury products. 
  To determine what starport the Rylos II is approaching, consider the current 
  system against the two or three most important worlds along the X-Boat route 
  here, and tally them up using a point system. Points are given to broad categories 
  based on starport quality, population size, technological level, etc. To see how 
  I implement this method, visit my link on Interstellar Trade. The output of this 
  system is an average number of passengers and dtons of freight moving through 
  the starport per week. 
  To determine the type of freight moving through the system, consider the 
  source (Note: some of these categories are not exclusive):
  
  - 1 -
  FreigHt tYPe eNCOUNtered 
  (BY WOrLd tYPe)
  Freight Bound Out-
  System
  Freight Bound In-
  System
  Freight 
  Passing 
  Through 
  System
  Agricultural 
  World
  Major and minor lots 
  - Agricultural goods 
  and raw materials
  Major lots - Industrial 
  goods 
  Minor lots - Luxuries
  depends on 
  location
  Industrial world
  Major and minor lots 
  - Industrial goods
  Major lots - 
  Agricultural goods 
  and raw materials
  depends on 
  location
  Rich world
  Minor (or major) lots 
  -  Luxury products 
  and finished goods
  Major and minor lots 
  - All kinds
  All size lots 
  - Various 
  kinds
  Subsector 
  capital
  A few 100-dton lots 
  - Critical products
  Major and minor lots 
  - All kinds
  All size lots 
  - All kinds of 
  cargo
  Poor or desert 
  world
  Major and/or minor 
  lots - Raw materials
  Incidental lots only - 
  Agricultural products 
  and industrial goods
  Incidental 
  lots only - 
  Various kinds
  World on the 
  X-Boat route
  depends on world 
  type
  depends on world 
  type 
  All size lots 
  - All kinds of 
  cargo
  To determine the facilities a starport has, map the freight index and the 
  passenger index in the tables below:
  
  - 0 -
  tABLe OF AvAiLABLe 
  stArPOrt FACiLities
  Passenger 
  Index # 1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  Frt. 
  # 1
  facilities for 
  5 scouts or 
  yachts
  facilities for 
  10 traders + 
  hostel
  5 berths, 
  a hotel and 
  convention 
  center
  00 berths, 
  several 
  hotels,  
  restaurants, 
  and tourist 
  svcs
  multiple 
  downports 
  with 00+  
  berths each
  
  facilities for 
  5 subsidized 
  merchants
  facilities for 
  10 merchants 
  + hostel
  facilities for 
  5 liners 
  + hotel  + 
  convention 
  ctr
  00 berths, 
  hotels, 
  restaurants, 
  tourist svc, 
  cargo svc.
  as above, 
  with cargo 
  svc.
  3
  facilities 
  for 0 
  merchants 
  and 
  freighters
  facilities for 
  0 freighters 
  + a hotel
  as above
  as above
  as above
  4
  facilties for 
  10 freighters
  facilities for 
  0 freighters 
  + a hotel
  as above + 10 
  orbital berths
  as above + 
  10 orbital 
  berths
  as above
  5
  facilities 
  for 100 
  freighters
  facilities 
  for 100  
  freighters + 
  hotel
  facilities for 
  100 freighters 
  + hotel + 
  convention 
  ctr
  as above + 
  100 orbital 
  berths
  as above + 
  100 orbital 
  berths
  6
  multiple 
  orbital ports 
  as above
  multiple 
  orbital ports 
  as above
  multiple 
  orbital ports 
  as above
  multiple 
  orbital ports 
  as above
  multiple 
  orbital ports 
  as above
  7
  major in-
  system cargo 
  transfer 
  points at 
  various 
  orbits 
  around the 
  primary.
  major in-
  system cargo 
  transfer 
  points + 
  hostel on 
  mainworld
  major in-
  system cargo 
  xfer points 
  + hotel + 
  convention 
  ctr on 
  mainworld
  as above + 
  major  in-
  system cargo  
  xfer points
  as above 
  + major 
  in-system 
  cargo xfer 
  points
  Scouts: 100-dton exploratory ships 
  Yachts: 00-dton touring ships for the rich 
  Traders: 00-dton free traders, far traders, or secure traders 
  Subsidized merchants: 400-dton merchant ships 
  Liners: 600-dton passenger and freight ships 
  
  - 1 -
  Freighters: 1000 to 75,000-dton bulk freight carriers 
  Cargo Transfer (Xfer) Points: major freight dropoff and pickup points that are 
  not orbiting the mainworld.
  LOCAL sHiP eNCOUNter tABLe 
  These ships are part of in-system traffic, and include system defense elements 
  as well as commercial ships.
  Roll 
  Ship type 
  Number 
  Volume 
  Contents
   
  In-system freighter 
  d6 
  5,000 
  cargo
  3 
  Grav fighter   
  d6 
  4  
  n/a
   
  (near a planet only)
  4 
  Smuggler 
  1 
  00 
  cargo
  5 
  Boat 
  1 
  10 * d6 
  cargo/passengers
  6 
  SDB 
  d6 
  400 
  power
  7 
  Shuttle 
  1 
  100 
  cargo/passengers
   
  Patrol ship 
  1 
  400 
  power
   
  Yacht 
  1 
  00 
  cargo/passengers
  10 
  Pirate 
  1 
  400 
  power/cargo
  11 
  Fighter 
  d6 
  10 n/a
  1 
  In-system liner 
  d6 
  10,000 
  passengers
  BertHed-sHiP eNCOUNter tABLe
  These ships can be found berthed in orbit or at the downport.
  Roll 
  Ship type 
  Number 
  Volume 
  Contents
   
  Cruiser 
  d6 
  30,000 
  power
  3 
  Liner 
  d6 
  600 
  cargo/passengers
  4 
  Trader 
  d6/ 
  400 
  power
  5 
  Shuttle 
  1 
  100 
  cargo/passengers
  6 
  Scout 
  1 
  100 
  equipment
  7 
  Trader 
  d6/ 
  00 
  cargo/passengers
   
  Ship’s boat 
  1 
  10 * d6 
  passengers/ 
   
   
   
   
  equipment
   
  Patrol ship 
  1 
  400 
  power
  10 
  Corsair 
  1 
  400 
  power/equipment
  11 
  Merc Cruiser 
  d6 
  00 
  power/equipment
  1 
  Freighter 
  d6 
  30,000 
  cargo
  sHiP CONteNts 
  “Power” units are related to the drive, weapons, and sensor systems of a 
  starship. 
  Cargo. Roll a random cargo for the ship, or pick a cargo from a resource such 
  as  101 Cargos. 
  
  -  -
  Passengers. Roll up random passengers for the ship. 
  Equipment. Select a shipment or two of equipment, perhaps from a resource 
  such as the Central Supply Catalog.
  stArPOrt eNCOUNter tABLe
  Roll 
  Encounter type 
  Number 
  Posessions
   
  Scientists 
  d6 
  ?
  3 
  Scout 
  1 
  cash
  4 
  Marines 
  d6 
  blades
  5 
  Pickpocket 
  1 
  knife
  6 
  Police 
  d6 
  pistols
  7 
  Starmen 
  d6 
  cash, weapons
   
  Local workers 
  d6 
  ?
   
  Mercenaries 
  d6 
  blades
  10 
  Thugs 
  d6 
  knives
  11 
  Explorers 
  d6 
  knives
  1 
  Aliens 
  d6 
  blades
  
  - 3 -
  stArPOrt eveNts tABLe
  Roll 
  Event 
  Description
   
  Solar flare 
  Space: Treat as a single hit by a nuclear weapon. 
   
   
  Ships must land, immediately jump, use a planet  
   
   
  to block the flare, or ride it out.
  3 
  Illness 
  A contagion has been brought to the starport,  
   
   
   
  from the surface or a ship. Use biological warfare  
   
   
  rules.
  4 
  Meteorite storm 
  Treat as a missile attack (d6 missiles).
  5 
  Malfunction 
  An inbound or outbound ship has lost maneuver,  
   
   
  fuel intake, comms, or landing gear functionality,  
   
   
  through system or pilot error.
  6 
  Mayday 
  An inbound ship has lost maneuver capacity and  
   
   
  is hurtling toward a valuable target.
  7 
  Bump priority 
  An inbound or outbound priority override has  
   
   
  been requested. All ships in that category must be  
   
   
  notified and reassigned time slots.
   
  Routine message 
  Arriving ship crew wait for d6 hours, then  
   
   
  proceed to go through the inspection routine  
   
   
  (customs, health, immigration, technical).
   
  Await Inspection 
  A ship qualifies for an inspection, either due to  
   
   
  paperwork mismatches or random selection.
  10 
  Port quarantine 
  A ship and/or a berth is placed under quarantine  
   
   
  for d6 weeks.
  11 
  Weather 
  Poor visibility, high winds, and/or electrical storms  
   
   
  dictate restricted access to the downport.
  1 
  Port sensors 
  Collision alert or ground emergency. Policy is  
   
   
   
  to abort approach until the port can determine if  
   
   
  the problem is with a ship malfunction or a traffic  
   
   
  control tower malfunction.
  
  - 4 -
  Interstellar Transport
  FreigHt
  Freight (as distinct from Cargo) encompasses in this context all items 
  transported according to volume displaced and charged at a flat rate of Cr. 74 
  per kilolitre, regardless of the value of the Freight. Thus, this explicitly excludes 
  items purchased by the carrier’s operators with the intention of later sale for profit 
  (referred to throughout as Cargo), and the transportation of sophonts under one 
  of the three standard passage tariffs, or as part of a charter arrangement (referred 
  to throughout as Passengers). 
  The Ministry of the Commerce Convention (MCC) divides Freight into three 
  categories, according to there relative size and frequency. Major lots are 
  between 10 and 64 kilolitres displacement, and generally consist of one of the 
  world’s Primary Exports (see Cargoes below). Minor lots are 54 to 34 kilolitres 
  displacement, and are generally composed of the world’s less important exports, 
  and transhipments from other worlds. Minor lots are on average more abundant 
  than Major lots, as there is a greater variety of Freight available to fill smaller lots. 
  A third class of Freight is referred to as Incidental, and often consists of small one-
  off shipments which cannot wait, or shipments by small operators. The flat rate 
  per kilolitre is in part designed to allow even small exporters to operate, and the 
  Incidental lot size of  to 54 kilolitres was introduced with this in mind. However, 
  as most exporters attempt to minimise other costs by making up larger lots, the 
  Incidental is the least likely Freight size to be available. 
  Add the world population to the starport weighting (table 3.1), and find the 
  relevant row on table 3.3. Roll for each each Freight size; the referee determines 
  if the world is on a trade route. A major lot is 10xD6 klitres, a minor lot 54xD6 
  klitres, and an incidental lot xD6 klitres. 
  Finding Freight
  When a vessel arrives at a world, the crew generally links into the local 
  commercial networks, and attempt to find what Freights are available. This 
  involves carrying out the tasks listed in section 3.1. As most exporters stick 
  with scheduled services, these tasks represent the crew’s efforts both to find 
  exports, and to persuade the exporters to use their vessel. As a result, finding the 
  available Freights is easier where there is less population. In addition, the tasks 
  are quicker on worlds with higher technology, as the information networks are 
  more sophisticated. The search for Freight is generally more efficient if the crew 
  already have a destination in mind. 
  PAsseNgers
  Imperial Commerce Convention (ICC) regulations regarding the commercial 
  carriage of Passengers are exceptionally strict where officially certified High, 
  Middle, or Low Passages are offered. In addition, where passage is offered under 
  different payment arrangements, it is considered good and proper practise to 
  observe the requirements laid down by the ICC. These are enforced by the MCC, 
  usually via the Imperial agencies of the Imperial Navy, the IISS, and the Starport 
  Authority. The number of passengers available depends on the local population, 
  as dictated by table 3.. 
  
  - 5 -
  Standard Passage -- Tariffs and Conditions of Carriage
  The following conditions are stipulated under the ICC for the commercial 
  transport of passengers using standard passage tickets. All passengers carried 
  conscious must be provided with: A private stateroom; full provision of food and 
  water, including means to prepare the former; a proper and sanitary environment 
  environment; and access to adequate medical care. These requirements must be 
  varied according to the biological and social requirements of of the passenger. 
  All passengers carried unconscious must receive all care and attention necessary 
  to maintain there metabolic function without injury. A qualified medic must be 
  available through out the passenger’s stay on the vessel. 
  A vessel carrying passengers in commercial service must avoid any gas giant 
  refuelling where other means are available. Those carried as working passage, or 
  as part of a charter, must give proper consent to such wilderness refuelling where 
  alternatives exist. 
  A passenger travelling on a High Passage ticket is entitled to the services of a 
  qualified Steward, shared with no more than seven other passengers. In addition, 
  provision for adequate entertainment should be made, and as many meals as the 
  passenger ordinarily consumes should be prepared by the Steward. These last 
  two points are subject to variation with the agreement of the passenger. 
  A High Passenger is entitled to usurp the place of a Middle Passenger if there 
  are not sufficient conscious berths. A Low Passenger is secure in their position, 
  with Low Berths being assigned on a first come first serve basis. 
  The holder of a Working Passage is entitled to passage for three jumps in return 
  for service as a crew member, subject to proper discharge of duty. After that time, 
  the individual must either be offered a permanent contract or be asked to leave. 
  If a Working Passage is terminated in Deep Space, passage to the vessel’s next 
  destination must be provided free of charge. 
  The standard tariffs are: Cr. 10,000 for a High Passage, Cr. ,000 for a Middle 
  Passage, and Cr. 1000 for a Low Passage. A Passage is defined as transport 
  between the vessel’s current location and its next port-of-call. These tariffs 
  apply to interstellar travel only. Standard passage tickets are issued by a non-
  profit executive agency of the MCC, called High Passage (although they issue all 
  types of ticket). These tickets are accepted by all carriers, being cashed with High 
  Passage when received. In addition, many of the larger transport firms issue their 
  own tickets, and these are generally honoured by other carriers. 
  For vessels under charter, rates are subject to negotiation. However, the going 
  rate is equivalent to paying for 0 % of the vessel’s cargo capacity, plus Cr. 000 
  for every conscious passenger berth, and Cr. 00 for every unconscious passenger 
  berth, per jump or two week period, whichever comes first. The chartering 
  individual is then able to utilise the full capacity of the vessel, and direct the 
  vessel’s movements within the dictates of safety and the law. Individuals are free 
  to negotiate different terms to suit their condition.
  Finding Passengers
  This process is similar to that for finding Freight, and involves tasks in section 
  3.1. High Passengers require the presence of a trained Steward, and Low 
  Passengers will usually need to be convinced of the credentials of the Ship’s 
  Doctor. The mainstay of vessels operating on irregular schedules are the Middle 
  and Low Passengers. As with Freight, finding passengers is generally more 
  efficient if the crew already have a destination in mind.
  
  - 6 -
  Interstellar Trade and Commerce
  iNtersteLLAr trAde
  The bulk of interstellar trade is carried out by producers on one world paying 
  merchants to haul their goods as freight to purchasers on another world, with 
  the entire transaction already agreed before hand. Equally, the bulk of interstellar 
  haulage is carried out by the large transportation firms, who also fill there 
  remaining hold space with whatever speculative. Thus, the ``small fry’’ take the 
  left-overs, whether that be freight or speculative cargo. Despite this, in an empire 
  containing 11 000 star systems and an estimated 0 milllion million sophonts, the 
  left-overs are enough to make shrewd independent merchants rich several times 
  over. 
  Trade Classifications
  The Imperium is said to have been created on the basis of commerce, and 
  in many ways is thought to be sustained by continued commerce; some would 
  claim that it exists only for commerce. Regardless of the truth of these claims, 
  the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service, in consultation with the Ministry of the 
  Commerce Convention, has developed several general trade classifications to aid 
  merchants in their decisions regarding markets. 
  Agricultural worlds have a combination of physical conditions and size of 
  population which enables the production of a surplus of foodstuffs and other 
  agriproducts. Thus, Agricultural worlds are good markets for other Agricultural 
  worlds, and for Barren, Industrial, or Rich worlds. They are good sources of cargo 
  for export to Agricultural , Asteroid, Desert, High Population, Industrial, Low 
  Population, Non-agricultural, and/or Rich worlds. 
  Asteroid worlds have their main population centres located in or around a major 
  asteroid belt. They produce raw materials, and are often the source of equipment 
  suited to the asteroid environment. Thus, Asteroid worlds are good markets for 
  other Asteroid worlds, and for Agricultural, Industrial, Non-agricultural, and/or 
  Vacuum worlds. They are good sources of cargo for export to Asteroid, Industrial, 
  Non-agricultural, Rich and/or Vacuum worlds. 
  Barren worlds have virtually no population (a small survey team at most) and 
  no form of government. Raw materials, novelty items, and survey information 
  may occasionally be available. In addition, visiting merchants may be able to 
  gather trade goods for themselves. Barren worlds are not good markets. When 
  available, trade items originating on Barren worlds may be worthwhile exporting 
  to Agricultural or Industrial worlds, depending on the nature of the goods. 
  Desert worlds have little or no free standing water. As a result, they have few 
  trade goods which are sought after elsewhere, unless local characteristics allow 
  for additional trade classifications. Desert worlds are good markets for other 
  Desert worlds, and for Agricultural, Industrial, Non-agricultural, and/or Rich 
  worlds. They are good sources of cargo for export to Desert worlds and/or Non-
  agricultural worlds (which often have similar environmental survival problems). 
  Fluid Oceans indicate a world where the hydrographics consist of a substance 
  other than water. The unique conditions provided by large quantities of whatever 
  exotic fluid make up the seas means that Fluid Ocean worlds may be sources 
  of raw materials for industry. Thus, Fluid Ocean worlds are good markets for 
  Industrial worlds, and for other Fluid Ocean worlds (which may have similar 
  
  - 7 -
  environmental survival problems). They are also good sources of cargo for export 
  to Industrial and/or Fluid Ocean worlds. 
  High Population worlds have at least 1 000 million inhabitants, leading to 
  economy of scale production, and a wide range of goods for domestic markets. 
  Thus, the products of these worlds sell well on other High Population worlds, and 
  also on Low Population and Rich worlds. They are good markets for goods from 
  Agricultural, Industrial, High Population, and/or Rich worlds. 
  Ice-capped worlds have there hydrographics locked into permanent ice caps. 
  Goods from such worlds sell well on Industrial worlds, but they are indifferent 
  markets. 
  Industrial worlds are High Population worlds with significant industrial 
  development, to the point that other activities are of minor importance to the 
  local economy. Goods from Industrial worlds sell well on most other worlds, and 
  are markets for goods from most other worlds. 
  Low Population worlds have less than 10 000 inhabitants. Goods from such 
  worlds sell well on Industrial and Rich worlds. As such worlds are rarely self-
  supporting, they are excellent markets for goods originating on High Population 
  and Agricultural worlds. 
  Non-Agricultural worlds are unable to produce enough food agriculturally 
  to feed its population; synthetic food production generally provides basic 
  subsistence. Thus, Non-Agricultural are receptive markets for goods from 
  Agricultural, Asteroid, Desert, and/or Rich worlds. They are good sources for 
  exports to Asteroid, Desert, and/or Rich worlds. 
  Non-Industrial worlds have insufficient population (less than 10 million) to 
  support significant industrial development. Thus, they are rarely self-sufficient in 
  terms of industrial products, and generally rely on natural resources to support 
  an export economy. They are sources of goods for export to Industrial worlds, but 
  they sell poorly on other Non-Industrial worlds. 
  Poor worlds have environments which result in low grade living conditions. 
  They are markets for goods from Industrial worlds, and are bad sources of 
  exports. Goods from Poor worlds rarely sell well on other Poor worlds. 
  Rich worlds have the environment, population, and society which result in 
  high grade living conditions. Rich worlds are good markets for goods from 
  Agricultural, Asteroid, High Population, Industrial, Low Population, and/or Water 
  worlds, and other Rich worlds. Goods originating on Rich worlds sell well on 
  Agricultural, Desert, High Population, Industrial, Non-Agricultural, and/or other 
  Rich worlds. 
  Vacuum worlds have no atmosphere. This environment results in goods which 
  sell well on Asteroid, Industrial, and/or other Vacuum worlds. They make good 
  markets for exports from Asteroid, Industrial, Non-Agricultural, and/or other 
  Vacuum worlds. 
  Water worlds have over 5 % of there surface covered in water (or another fluid 
  if the world is also Fluid Oceans). These worlds are good markets for Industrial 
  worlds and other Water worlds. They are good sources of exports to Industrial, 
  Rich, and/or Water worlds. 
  BUYiNg
  Primary Exports
  Each world description has one or more exports listed; these are that world’s 
  
  -  -
  Primary Exports. The numbers of lots of such exports available for purchase at 
  any one time depends on the world’s population, and the world’s starport. 
  Population 6+: Number of major cargo lots is starportweighting+1D6-4 (see 
  table 3.1), determining which sort are available randomly from those listed for 
  the world. 
  Population 5-: Population -1D6+1; if zero, no cargo, if less than zero, wait that 
  number of additional days before rolling again. Note that population 0 worlds will 
  only have cargoes at the referee’s discretion. 
  These Primary Cargo lots are available immediately, with the size being 
  determined according to the type, from the lists below. If these cargo lots are not 
  satisfactory, reroll in 3D6-population days (minimum  days), plus any extra for 
  population 5- worlds; DM +3 if nearest world more than  pc distant. 
  Secondary Cargoes
  Secondary Exports may be sought, if the available Primary Exports are not 
  acceptable. Roll 1D6 for the number of lots available in a given week; DM -
  1 for B type starports, - for C type starports, -3 for D type starports, -1 for 
  population 5-, + for population +. E type starports have a single Secondary 
  Export available every1D6-1 Weeks (DM - if population +) plus 1D6-1 days. The 
  nature of Secondary Exports are randomly determined by the referee according 
  to the world’s trade classifications. A new set of Secondary Exports will become 
  available in the same time as Primary Exports. 
  FiNdiNg CArgO
  Cargo is often sitting in warehouses, waiting for a buyer to come along. 
  Many starport Brokers have lists of available cargo, but much of this is already 
  earmarked for their regular customers. The crew of a vessel need to dig up those 
  cargo lots that are available for purchase, and this involves tasks listed in section 
  3.1. They then need to assess the cargo value, and negotiate a good price. 
  Lot Size
  Each cargo type has a lot size, as determined from the cargo listings. Major lots 
  are 10 klitres to 64 klitres; minor lots are 54 to 34 klitres; and incidental lots 
  are  to 54 klitres.
  Lot Quality
  Each lot has a quality which is represented by a number ranging from 0.5 to 
  5.0. The possible range for this quality depends on the cargo type, as given in the 
  cargo listings. The quality of a given lot is determined by the referee, but a PC can 
  estimate that quality (see section 3.1). While the quality does in part differentiate 
  between different quality lots of the same product, it also allows the fairly broad 
  export categories to include a range of different types of product. For example 
  `Meat’ could include high and low quality pork, but in addition includes veal, 
  which generally commands a higher price. 
  Market Fluctuations
  Fluctuations in the local market for a given cargo price are represented by the 
  Market Modifier, which usually ranges between 0.5 and .0. In special cases, the 
  referee may decide to set an unusually high or low modifier. Normally modifiers 
  are rolled by the referee on the table below: 
  
  -  -
  Market Modifiers.
  2D6  Modifier 
  0-1 
  0.5
  -3 
  0.50
  4-5 
  0.75
  6-7 
  1.00
  - 
  1.5
  10  
  1.50
  11  
  1.75
  1  
  .00
  Roll D6 to determine what the seller believes they can get for their cargo. 
  Subtract 1D4 from this roll to determine from the table the minimum acceptable; 
  this is at least 0.5 lower than the maximum, but never lower than 0.5. Add 1D6-
  1D6 to the roll to determine the actual local Market Modifier; typically this remains 
  stable for D6 weeks. Roll D6 for the Market on possible destination worlds. 
  Asking Price
  Multiply the Base Cargo Cost by the quality value and the Market Multiplier, 
  and multiply this by the size of the lot. This is the Asking Price for the cargo lot in 
  question. The minimum price the seller will accept is determined using the second 
  modifier rolled. The inclusion of two modifiers (quality and market) introduces 
  some uncertainty into the buyer’s knowledge of the cargo’s real value. 
  Buying the Cargo
  Once a cargo is located, and the Asking Price determined, the buyer may 
  attempt to negotiate for a good price. However, prior to this, they may wish to 
  determine the state of the market both locally, and at the intended selling point, 
  using the task in section 3.1. Once the PCs are happy with the market, they may 
  attempt to negotiate a good price (see section 3.1). 
  seLLiNg
  At the destination, the PCs may attempt to sell their cargo. The Base 
  Cargo Price depends on the cargo’s source and and the current market. 
  The following table shows the effects of the trade classifications of the 
  cargo’s source world, and the interaction with those of the market world.  
  Source                      Destination Code
  Code  -  Ag  As  Ba  De  Fl  Hi  In  Lo  Na  Ni  Po  Ri  Va  Wa 
  -     -  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   - 
  Ag    -  +1  +1  -   +1  -   +1  +1  +1  +1  -   -   +1  -   - 
  As    -  -   +1  -   -   -   -   +1  -   +1  -   -   -   -   - 
  Ba    -  +1  -   -   -   -   -   +1  -   -   -   -   -   -   - 
  De    -  -   -   -   +1  -   -   -   -   +1  -   -   -   -   - 
  Fl    -  -   -   -   -   +1  -   +1  -   -   -   -   -   -   -  
  Hi    -  -   -   -   -   -   +1  -   +1  -   -   -   +1  -   - 
  Ic    -  -   -   -   -   -   -   +1  -   -   -   -   -   -   - 
  In    -  +1  +1  -   +1  +1  +1  +1  -   -   +1  +1  +1  +1  +1 
  Lo    -  -   -   -   -   -   -   +1  -   -   -   -   +1  -   - 
  Na    -  -   +1  -   +1  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   +1  - 
  Ni    -  -   -   -   -   -   -   +1  -   -   -1  -   -   -   - 
  Po    -  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -1  -   -   - 
  Ri    -  +1  -   -   +1  -   +1  +1  -   +1  -   -   +1  -   - 
  Va    -  -   +1  -   -   -   -   +1  -   +1  -   -   -   +1  - 
  Wa    -  -   -   -   -   -   -   +1  -   -   -   -   +1  -   +1
  
  - 30 -
  Add up the modifiers for each intersection of the source trade classifications 
  and the destination trade classifications, and multiply by Cr. 74. Add this to Cr. 
  370. For manufactured goods, take the magnitude of the difference in TL between 
  origin and destination, multiply by Cr. 74, and subtract that from the price so far 
  (technology incompatibility). For processed goods, subtract the destination TL 
  from the source TL, multiply by Cr. 74, and add to the price so far (better/worse 
  quality processing). Finally, add 10 times the starport weight, and multiply this 
  total by the lot size, and whatever the seller believes the lot quality and local 
  market to be. This is the Asking Price. The range of quality and market give the 
  seller an idea of the upper and lower ranges of this price. The seller now needs to 
  find a buyer, using the task in section 3.1. 
  Brokers
  For both buying and selling, the PCs may elect to employ a Broker. This is an 
  individual or company with Bargain, Marketing and Admin skills, who hire out to 
  buy and sell cargoes, and find Freights. In selling, the Broker takes 5% of the final 
  price per level of skill applied. In buying, the Broker charges a flat rate of Cr. 500 
  for every cargo found, and Cr. 10 per skill level per klitre for each cargo purchased 
  at a reduced price. When finding Freights, the Broker takes .5% of the payment 
  for carrying the Freight, per skill level applied. The quality of Broker available 
  depends on the Starport type, as shown in table 3.1. 
  
  - 31 -
  Trade Tasks
  An individual can only search for one type of Freight, Passenger or Cargo at a 
  time. More than one individual may search at once. 
  PAsseNgers 
  To find/attract passengers:
  (varies),(skill), EDU or CHA, (varies) (uncertain)
  Referee: This task is Simple on Lo pop. worlds, Difficult on Hi pop. worlds, and 
  Routine elsewhere. The skill is Service for High Passengers, Admin for Middle 
  Passengers, and Streetwise or  Liaison for Low Passengers; roll separately for 
  each type. See below for time increments and results. 
  FreigHt 
  To find major or minor Freight:
  (varies), Liaison or Admin, EDU or CHA, (varies) (uncertain)
  Referee: This task is Simple on Lo pop. worlds, Difficult on Hi pop. worlds, and 
  Routine elsewhere. See below for time increments and results. 
  To find incidental Freight:
  (varies), Streetwise or Liaison, EDU or CHA, (varies) (uncertain)
  Referee: This task is Simple on Lo pop. worlds, Difficult on Hi pop. worlds, and 
  Routine elsewhere. See below for time increments and results. 
  The above tasks assume the individual is looking for Freight or passengers to 
  a single destination. If they look for several destinations simultaneously, roll the 
  percentage found for each destination separately, and divide each by the number 
  of destinations being considered. Alternatively, different people can look for 
  freight to different places.
  tiMe iNCreMeNts
  These indicate working  hours required.
  TL Time
  0-5  
   
    
  1 hr
  6-  
   
    
  1 hr
  10-1   
  45 min
  13+  
   
    
  30 min
  Results:
  No Truth ˉ  
   
  (1D4-1) 10% of that available
  Some Truth  
   
  (1D4+3) 10% of that available
  Total Truth  
   
  (1D4+6) 10% of that available
  Mishap  
   
  Vessel is `blackballed’ for that type of passenger or  
   
   
   
    Freight.
  Increase subsequent task difficulty by one for every level of severity.
  
  - 3 -
  If none are found, roll Determination task to continue search.
  CArgO
  To find a Primary Export:
  (varies), Admin, EDU or CHA, (varies) (uncertain)
  Referee: This task is Simple on Lo pop. worlds, Difficult on Hi pop. worlds, and 
  Routine elsewhere. Use the time increments and results above. 
  To find a Secondary Export:
  (varies), Streetwise or Admin, EDU or CHA, (varies) (uncertain)
  Referee: This task is Simple on Lo pop. worlds, Difficult on Hi pop. worlds, and 
  Routine elsewhere. Use the time increments and results above.
  qUALitY
  To estimate a lot’s quality:
  Routine, Marketing, (skill), (varies) (uncertain)
  Referee: The second skill is one relevant to the cargo type. On No Truth, 
  misrepresent the cargo quality by D3-1D3); on Some Truth misrepresent the cargo 
  quality by  1D3-. In all cases, give the result with a  error. The time increment 
  depends on the cargo type. Increase difficulty one level for insufficient samples, 
  and one level for insufficient equipment. 
  Often, cargo quality is already certified, and the above task represents the 
  buyer’s attempt to verify the validity of this certification. In this case, the time 
  increment is 1 min at TL 10+, 5 min at TL 5-, and 10 min at TL 0-4. 
  MArkets
  To estimate the state of the market:
  Routine, Marketing, (skill), (varies) (uncertain)
  Referee: The second skill depends on the setting. Special DM -1 for each parsec 
  or X-boat link to the market location. The time increment is 15 min at TL 10+, 30 
  minutes at TL 5 to , and  hours at TL 4 or less. On No Truth, misrepresent the 
  cargo quality by D3-1D3); on Some Truth misrepresent the cargo quality by  1D3-
  . In all cases, give the result with a  error. 
  BUYiNg
  To negotiate a buying price on a cargo lot:
  Routine, Bargain, (skill), 1 min (confrontation)
  Referee: The second skill depends on the setting. This is an interpersonal task. 
  On Active Cooperation, the seller drops to their minimum price. On Passive 
  Cooperation, the seller drops to a price mid way between the maximum and 
  minimum. A Neutral result gives no change, while an uncooperative result 
  indicates no deal. Active Uncooperative makes any subsequent attempts to buy 
  the same cargo type Difficult for 1DD6 days. Initial offers excessively above or 
  below the lot’s real value may allow the application of extra DMs. 
  
  - 33 -
  FiNdiNg BUYers 
  To find a buyer for the cargo:
  (varies), Marketing, (skill),  hours
  Referee: The difficulty is Simple on Hi population worlds, Difficult on Lo 
  population worlds, and Routine elsewhere. Allow 3 attempts on Hi population 
  worlds, 1 attempt on Lo population worlds, and  attempts elsewhere. For 
  manufactured goods, increase difficulty one level for each difference in TL range 
  (0-3, 4-5, 6-, -10, 11-13, 14+). 
  Additional attempts may be made following a successful Determination task. 
  Once a buyer is located, a price is negotiated using the task below. The buyer will 
  generally offer below the local market initially. 
  seLLiNg
  To negotiate a selling price on a cargo lot:
  Routine, Bargain, (skill), 1 min (confrontation)
  Referee: The second skill depends on the setting. This is an interpersonal 
  task. On Active Cooperation, the buyer accepts the asking price. On Passive 
  Cooperation, the buyer agrees to the maximum he wishes to pay. A Neutral result 
  gives no change in the offered price, while an uncooperative result indicates no 
  deal. Active Uncooperative makes any subsequent attempts to buy or sell the 
  same cargo type Difficult for 1DD6 days. Initial asking price excessively above or 
  below the lot’s real value may allow the application of extra DMs.
  
  - 34 -
  Trade Tables
  PriMArY CArgO
  Population 6+: Number of major cargo lots is starportweighting+1D6-4 (see table 
  3.1), determining which sort are available randomly from those listed for the 
  world. 
  Population 5-: Population -1D6+1; if zero, no cargo, if less than zero, wait that 
  number of additional days before rolling again. Note that population 0 worlds 
  will only have cargoes at the referee’s discretion. 
  Reroll in 3D6-population days (minimum ), plus any extra for population 5- 
  worlds; DM +3 if nearest world more than  pc distant, round fractions up. 
  seCONdArY CArgO
  Roll 1D6 for the number of lots available in a given week; DM -1 for B type star-
  ports, - for C type starports, -3 for D type starports, -1 for population 5-, + for 
  population +. E type starports have a single Secondary Export available every 
  1D6-1 Weeks plus 1D6-1 days. A new set of Secondary Exports will become 
  available in the same time as Primary Exports. 
  Market Modifiers.
  D6  
  Modifier 
  0-1 
  0.5
  -3 
  0.50
  4-5 
  0.75
  6-7 
  1.00
  - 
  1.5
  10  
  1.50
  11  
  1.75
  1  
  .00
  Roll D6 to determine what the seller believes they can get for their cargo. 
  Subtract 1D4 from this roll to determine from the table the minimum acceptable; 
  this is at least 0.5 lower than the maximum, but never lower than 0.5. Add 
  1D6-1D6 to the roll to determine the actual local Market Modifier; typically this 
  remains stable for D6 weeks. Roll D6 for the Market on possible destination 
  worlds. 
  tABLe 3.1: stArPOrt WeigHtiNgs
  Table 3.: Number of Passengers. DM -3 for destination population 0-4, DM +1 
  for destination population +, +source world TL, -destination world TL, DM -1 
  if destination is a Red Zone, and no Middle or Low Passengers. DM -6 if destina-
  tion is an Amber Zone.
  
  - 35 -
     
  Table 3.3: Freight Availability. DMs are -3 is the destination population is 0-4, +1 
  if the destination population is +, +origin TL, -destination TL. No major lots for 
  Amber Zone destinations, no Freight for Red Zone destinations.
     
  Table 3.4: Ag Worlds. DM +1 if Govt +, +1 if Law +
     
  Table 3.5: Ri and Wa Worlds. DM +1 if Govt +, +1 if Law +, +1 if Wa and Hi.
     
  Table 3.6: Ni Worlds. DM +1 if Govt +, +1 if Law +
     
  Table 3.7: In Worlds. DM +1 if Govt +, +1 if Law +, +1 If Wa and Hi
     
  Table 3.: As, Va, De, and Na Worlds. DM +1 if Govt +, +1 if Law +, -5 if Ba.
     
  Table 3.: Ba, Fl, Ic, Po, Hi and Lo Worlds. DM +1 if Govt +, +1 if Law +, +1 if 
  Wa and Hi, -7 if Ba.
     
  Table 3.10: Type of Raw Material available. *Ferrous Metal Ore if no native life.
    
  Table 3.11: Raw material trade categories. 
  *Roll 1D6 where numbers appear.
     
  Table 3.1: Type of Agricultural Goods available. 
    
  Table 3.13: Agricultural goods trade categories. *Roll 1D6 where numbers ap-
  pear.
     
  Table 3.14: Type of Processed Material available. DM +3 if Ag.
  
  - 36 -
    
  Table 3.15: Processed material trade categories. *Roll 1D6 where numbers ap-
  pear.
     
  Table 3.16: Type of Manufactured Goods available. D6-1 for TL 0-, 3D6- for TL 
  +.
    
  Table 3.17: Manufactured goods trade categories. *Roll 1D6 where numbers 
  appear.
     
  Table 3.1: Quality of broker available at a starport of given quality.
  
  - 37 -
  Starport Operations
  You’ve come to the right place to build or upgrade a starport! First, let’s go 
  through the very basics in starport design. 
  Normally, a starport’s facilities determine its class. In the table below, a ‘y’ 
  means the facility is required, an ‘o’ means the facility is optional, and a ‘-’ means 
  the facility is not present.
  stArPOrt FACiLities 
  AvAiLABiLitY tABLe 
    
  A 
  B 
  C 
  D 
  E/H F 
  G
  Landing area 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  y
  Parking area 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  o 
  y 
  o
  Beacon 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  o 
  y 
  y
  Fuel depot 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  o 
  - 
  o 
  o
  Warehousing 
  y 
  y 
  o 
  o 
  - 
  o 
  -
  Ship maintenance 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  - 
  - 
  o 
  -
  Ship construction 
  y 
  y 
  o 
  - 
  - 
  o 
  -
  Facility maintenance 
  y 
  y 
  y 
  o 
  - 
  o 
  o
  Concourse 
  y 
  y 
  o 
  o 
  - 
  o 
  o
  HOW Big sHOULd i BUiLd MY stArPOrt? 
  Your starport should match the world’s interstellar needs as closely as possible. 
  Please refer to the section on determining freight and passenger numbers to 
  decide what to outfit your starport with.
  sHOULd i CLAiM eXtrALitY FOr MY stArPOrt? 
  Most starports are granted extrality; that is, the world’s jurisdiction ends where 
  the starport grounds begin. Laws, regulations, and government are conducted in 
  accordance with the customs of interstellar authority. In these cases, the law level 
  is roughly equivalent to the starport’s rating (A=5, B=4, C/F=3, D/G=, E/H=1), and 
  is also influenced by the world population. 
  Small or primitive starports, however, are often under local government 
  jurisdiction. 
  Please note that starports that are under local jurisdiction will be under the 
  influence of local authorities, and will also be taxed. However, under local 
  jurisdiction your starport will never have to harbor those that break the law on 
  planet. 
  WHAt Fees sHOULd i CHArge FOr tHe Use OF MY stArPOrt? 
  Berthing fees. These depend on the port size, social conditions on the world, 
  the nature and quality of facilities, and the world’s trade codes. 
  Drydock fees. These depend on ship tonnage, time spent in dock, workers’ 
  salaries, and equipment purchased. 
  
  - 3 -
  Transaction fees. This is a percentage of all transactions made by parties using 
  the starport. Usually only a fraction of a  percent of the freights’ value, these fees 
  can really add up to serious cash. 
  World subsidy. This can make or break a starport. If the world is willing to 
  subsidize a starport, then life can be good indeed. If not, then the mortgage 
  holders might decide to downgrade the facilities, which further restricts trade... 
  which can be a vicious downward spiral for the otherwise hopeful starport 
  prime.
  sUggested PriCiNg sCHedULe
   
  A 
  B 
  C 
  D 
  E
  Berthing fee 
  Cr100 
  Cr0 
  Cr60 
  Cr40 
  -
  Drydock fee  
  Cr100 
  Cr0 
  Cr60 
  Cr40 
  - 
       per dton, per day
  Tax per Passenger 
  Cr100 
  Cr100 
  Cr100 
  Cr100 
  -
  Tax per dton Freight 
  Cr100 
  Cr100 
  Cr100 
  Cr100 
  -
  Facility tax  
  4% 
  3% 
  % 
  1% 
  - 
       (restaurants, etc)
  World Subsidy  
  Cr10 
  Cr  
  Cr6 
  Cr4 
  - 
       per capita (Yearly)
  stArPOrt COMPONeNts 
  1. a landing area/volume 
  . a parking bay/orbit 
  3. a beacon 
  4. a tower 
  5. warehouses 
  6. a plant maintenance center 
  7. a concourse 
  . a fuel depot, with fuel shuttles or a refinery (or both) 
  . a ship maintenance/construction yard 
  10. people 
  In addition, starports will have available a standard port authority checklist 
  against which they measure ships’ spaceworthiness. 
  Starport abilities derive from these components. Based on your need, you will 
  want to customize your starport to fit your needs. As you browse this catalog, you 
  will find various options that will significantly flesh out your starport installation. 
  Enjoy!
  PACkAge deALs 
  With our handy-dandy component packages, starport design has never been 
  easier!  Components have been paired together based on compatability. Buy the 
  package, purchase any remaining needed components, and you’re ready to go! 
  Downport Freight Package: MCr250 
  - Two parkbays (upgrade to six parkbays for only MCr400)
  
  - 3 -
  - One 5km landing strip with 1km-diameter landing pad
  - B-0 orbital telemeter
  - B- surface laser transceiver
  - SB- Freight Shuttle (upgrade to a SB- for only MCr300)
  - F-11 100kt fuel tank
  - M-3 maintenance building
  - W- warehouse (upgrade to a W-10 for only MCr )
  - Parkbays, landing strip, and buildings all attached by maglev
  Orbital Fuel Outpost: MCr250 
  - One dedicated landing strip on the world surface for shuttles
  - Three SB- fuel shuttles (upgrade to SB-s for MCr300 each)
  - B-0 orbital telemeter
  - T-7  4-person orbital control station
  - 10 O-1 orbital parking-orbit transponders
  - F-10 10kt orbital fuel tank
  - R- surface fuel refinery
  “Class D” Starport Package: MCr250 
  Except for defense, this package is nearly a complete starport. 
  - One 5km landing strip
  - 0  1km-diameter landing pads
  - B-0 orbital telemeter
  - B- surface laser transceiver
  - T-7 4-person surface control station
  - Three SB- multipurpose shuttles (upgrade to SB-s for MCr300 each)
  - F-11 100kt fuel tank (or 10 F-10’s)
  - M-3 maintenance building
  - 10 W- warehouses (upgrade to W-10s for MCr  each)
  - DD- 100t drydock & S- minor repair station (1 ship capacity)
  - C- concourse complex
  - LS- up to 100-worker station support
  - H-7 10 dton secure installation.
  - Orbital option: one orbital F-11 and one orbital W-10 (MCr00)
  
  - 40 -
  General Products’ All-Purpose Scout Base
  (shown with outbuildings)
  LANd sHiPs sAFeLY 
  Ships have to land!  There are two ways to land a starship: some are airframe, 
  which means they can use a runway, while the rest must stick to vertical thrust to 
  slowly set themselves down onto pads. VTOL ships land from orbit in a number 
  of hours equal to the size code of the world. Airframe ships may land from orbit 
  in one hour, regardless of world size. 
  Most Imperial-standard landing strips have both built-in: a 5km long strip for 
  airframe landings, ending in a 1km diameter circular landing pad. These strips are 
  also used for airframe take-off. 
  When building a decent facility (for instance, one with a parkbay), don’t bother 
  adding in the cost of landing strips. 
  Landing facilities may also have an attached beacon, perhaps placed midway 
  along the strip or near other outbuldings. A beacon may include sensors and 
  
  - 41 -
  comm equipment, and may have its own power plant. 
  The control tower contains the main body of comm equipment and traffic 
  control logic, as well as the administrative offices. 
  stArPOrt COMPONeNt tABLe 1
  Component   
  Price (MCr) 
  Module L: Landing Facilities (all tech levels) 
  L-0 1km radius landing pad   
  0.03 
  L-1 km radius landing pad   
  0.06 
  L- 4km radius landing pad   
  0.1 
  L-3 3km x 500m landing strip 
  0.03 
  L-4 4km x 500m landing strip 
  0.04 
  L-5 5km x 500m landing strip 
  0.05 
  L-6 6km x 500m landing strip 
  0.06 
  L-7 7km x 500m landing strip 
  0.07 
  L- km x 500m landing strip 
  0.0 
  Module B: Beacons 
  Down 
  Orbital
  B-0 telemeter 
  1 
   
  B-1 standalone transponder 
  5 
  10 
  B- radio transceiver (TL5)  
  0.05 
  0.1 
  B-3 laser transceiver (TL)  
  0.5 
  1
  B-4 maser transceiver (TLE)  
  5 
  10 
  B-5 multichannel maser xcvr (TLF) 
   50 
  100 
  The B-5 is a large relay station with room for 1 operations or maintenance 
  personnel. Larger installations are considered Control Towers: 
  Module T: Traffic Control Towers 
  Down 
  Orbital
  T-6 small control outbuilding 
  1 
  10 
  T-7 4-person control station 
  5 
  50 
  T- -person control tower (TL) 
  5 
  50 
  T- 16-person control tower(TLC) 
  100 
  1000 
   
   
  Tower sensors: for best results, place two PEMS and two AEMS in orbit. 
  PEMS: Passive sensors (TL B-F) 
   TP-11: standard 100d sensor 
  10 
  0 
   TP-13: high-res 100d sensor 
  100 
  00 
   TP-14: inner system sensor 
  1000 
  000 
   TP-15: inner + GG sensor  
  10,000 
  0,000  
  AEMS: Active sensors (TL B-D) 
  TA-11: local orbit control 
  50 
  100 
  TA-1: general system sensor 
  500 
  1000 
  TA-13: deluxe system sensor 
  5000 
  10,000
  
  - 4 -
  PArkBAYs 
   
  Single Parkbay (close up)
  Single Parkbay (with outbuildings) 
  
  - 43 -
  Double Parkbay (with outbuildings)  
  6x11 Parkbay Complex
  
  - 44 -
  Ships are moved via maglev rail to parkbays, which are circular platforms with 
  11 bays, each of which can hold a ship of up to 1000 tons. Maglev rail enters the 
  parkbay and runs in a circle around the inside, with a branch into each bay. In the 
  center is a single shielded vertical liftoff platform (also connected to the maglev 
  system). 
  All parkbays are available at TL 10. 
  
  - 45 -
  Component    
  Price (MCr) 
  Module P: Parkbays (up to 1000 ton ships) 
  P-0 custom parkbay   
  - 
  P-1 single 11-ship parkbay   
  100 
  P- double 11-ship parkbay   
  00 
  P-3 triple 11-ship parkbay   
  300 
  P-4 quad 11-ship parkbay     
  400 
  P-6 6x11 parkbay     
  600 
  P- x11 parkbay     
  00 
  PArkiNg OrBit trANsPONders 
  Think of them as being like the deep water mooring bouys at some shallow 
  water ports. The ship is assigned a parking spot, which is marked by the 
  transponder. It matches orbit with it and is then parked. 
  Component    
  Price (MCr) 
  Module O: Parking Orbit Transponders (TL 7) 
  O-0 custom orbit transponder 
  - 
  O-1 standard telemeter transponder   
  4 
  O- programmable transponder 
   
  *Note: To hold ten thousand ships, you only need 40 orbits with 50 slots each 
  or 50 with 00 slots each. Assume the radii are set every 100 km or so, that has 
  the ships spread out in an annulus 5000 km “across”. There’s still plenty of space 
  for traffic. 
  Module H: Hangars 
  H-0 custom hangar    
  - 
  H-6 Ship’s Locker    
  0.001 
  H-7 10t small vehicle hangar 
  0.01 
  H- 100t boat hangar 
  0.1 
  H- 1000t hangar     
  1 
  H-10 10,000t hangar  
  10 
  H-11 100,000t hangar 
  100
  sPeCiALized sPACesHiPs 
  Shuttles 
  SB-7 10t shuttle   (TL)     
  10 
  SB- 100t shuttle  (TL)     
  50 
  SB- 1000t shuttle (TL)     
  350 
  The SB-7 is an airframe, single-passenger (or 1t cargo) orbital speeder. 
  Privately-owned shuttles can often be found for hire at class E starports. Their 
  rates will be high. 
  Tugboat 
  The tug is equipped with engines and structure strong enough to pull a ship ten 
  times its volume from space to orbit and back. A tug requires a crew of . 
  TB- 100t tugboat  (TL)     
  0 
  TB- 1000t tugboat (TL)     
  100 
  
  - 46 -
  TB-10 10kt tugboat (TLA)     
  400 
  Search/Rescue Boat 
  The search and rescue boat is equipped with excellent sensors, fast engines, 
  and a spare crew. The ship carries medical personnel, engineers, emergency 
  supplies, and emergency low berths. 
  RB- 00t search/rescue boat  (TL)  
   
  50 
  RB- 000t search/rescue boat (TL)  
   
  300 
  RB-10 0kt search/rescue boat (TLA)  
   
  1500 
  Defense Boat 
  From the tiny grav fighter (which pulls 17 G’s) to the massive SD Cruiser (which 
  sports a spinal weapon), system defense boats are armored, fast, and carry 
  expert gunners. 
  DB-6  4t grav fighter  (TLC)    
   
   
  4 
  DB-7a 10t fighter      (TLC)    
   
   
  15 
  DB-7b 40t heavy fighter(TLC)    
   
   
  50 
  DB-  400t system defense boat (TLC)    
   
  400 
  DB-  4000t system defense b. (TLC)    
   
  3000 
  DB-10 40,000t SD cruiser       (TLC)    
   
  0,000
  FUeL ANd MAiNteNANCe 
  Fuel depots can be as simple as huge holding tanks, and may have mechanical 
  hookups or pumps to refuel ships with. 
  Component    
  Price (MCr) 
  Module F: Fuel Depots        
  Down 
  Orbital 
  F-0 custom tank      
  - 
  F-7 10t fuel tank    
  0.001 
  0.5 
  F- 100t fuel tank   
  0.005  
  1 
  F- 1000t fuel tank  
  0.01 
  5 
  F-10 10,000t fuel tank       
  0.1 
  10 
  F-11 100,000t fuel tank      
  1   
  100 
  F-1 1mt fuel tank   
  10  
  1000 
  F-13 10mt fuel tank 
  100 
  10,000 
  F-14 100mt fuel tank 
  1000  
  100,000 
  Fuel tankers, which may be simply shuttles or modular cutters, are ships 
  outfitted to carry fuel, and may or may not have refineries on-board to provide 
  refined fuel for the starport holding tanks. Tankers run at the going price of 
  spaceships; for example, the price may be around MCr4 per ton of fuel the 
  tanker can carry (or per normal spaceship cost). Refineries are priced per normal 
  spaceship cost and volume.
  Fuel refineries are cousins to the shipboard fuel refineries, and are used to 
  refine fuel on the spot for ships requiring it. 
  Module R: Refinery Installations   
  Down 
  Orbital 
  R-0 custom refineries        
  - 
  R-7 10 tons/hour      (TL)  
  1   
  10 
  R- 100 tons/hour     (TLA)  
  10 
  100 
  R- 1000 tons/hour    (TLB)  
  100 
  1000 
  
  - 47 -
  R-10 10,000 tons/hour (TLC)  
  1000        
  10,000 
  R-11 100,000 tons/hour(TLC)  
  10,000 
  100,000 
  R-1 1mt/hr   (TLD)  
  100,000 
  1,000,000 
  Module M: Installation Maintenance Centers 
  M-0 custom maintenance center        
  - 
  M-6 storage shed     
  0.01 
   
  M-7 portable outbuilding     
  0.1 
  5 
  M- permanent outbuilding    
  1   
  10 
  M- maintenance complex      
  10  
  100 
  tHe sHiPYArd 
  A shipyard is necessary for the construction and maintenance of spaceships 
  and starships. Shipyards can be quite large -- their size may depend on the 
  amount of trade going through a system, or the size of the local population, or 
  even the strategic importance of the system’s location. 
  A shipyard consists of two components: a drydock area, which holds ship hulls, 
  and the shipyard itself, which embodies all machinery and support for the build 
  process. 
  A shipyard will have one naval architect’s office per 100 ships (or 1000 dtons). 
  Drydocks and shipyards are built at the tech level of the mainworld. 
  Module DD: Drydocks  
  Down        Orbital 
  DD-0 custom drydock  
  - 
  DD-7 10t drydock     
  1   
  10 
  DD- 100t drydock    
  10  
  50 
  DD- 1000t drydock   
  100 
  00 
  DD-10 10kt drydock   
  n/a 
  000 
  DD-11 100kt drydock  
  n/a 
  0,000 
  DD-1 1mt drydock    
  n/a 
  00,000 
  * Drydocks are required for shipyards. 
  Module S: Shipyard  
  Down 
  Orbital 
  S-0 custom shipyard  
  - 
  S-1 machine shop     
  1   
  10 
  S- minor repair center/1 ship       
  10  
  100 
  S-3 repair center/10 ships   
  50  
  1000 
  S-4 repair center/100 ships  
  400 
  4000 
  S-5 overhaul center/10 ships 
  00 
  000 
  S-6 overhaul center/100 ships        
  1000        
  6000 
  S-7 overhaul center/1000 ships       
  000        
  50,000 
  S- boatyard/1 ship/year     
  400 
  4000 
  S- boatyard/10 ships/yr     
  000        
  15,000 
  S-10 boatyard/100 ships/yr   
  16,000      
  100,000 
  S-11 boatyard/1000 ships/yr  
  160,000     1,000,000 
  S-1 shipyard/1 ship/yr      
  10,000      
  0,000 
  S-13 shipyard/10 ships/yr    
  50,000      
  100,000 
  S-14 shipyard/100 ships/yr   
  400,000     4,000,000 
  
  - 4 -
  S-15 shipyard/1000 ships/yr  
  4m  
  40m 
  S-16 shipyard/10,000 ships/yr        
  50m 
  500m 
  WAreHOUses 
  Warehouses (with environmental controls,  security systems, heavy shielding, 
  &tc) are used to store goods for transport. One complex is used to store out-
  bound freight, while another complex is used to store in-bound freight. There 
  is usually an additional set of warehouses dedicated to storing ship parts, 
  construction equipment, and other starport machinery. 
  Module W: Warehouses  
  Down 
  Orbital 
  W-0 custom warehouse 
  - 
  W-7 10t storage 
  0.01 
  5 
  W- 100t storage 
  0.1  
  10 
  W- 1000t storage 
  1 
  50 
  W-10 10kt storage 
  10 
  00 
  W-11 100kt storage 
  100  
  500 
  W-1 1mt storage 
  1000 
  4000 
  tHe CONCOUrse 
  The concourse is where all public areas are housed, including retail shops, 
  services, non-starport-related offices, passenger ticketing, and gates. 
  Also included is the surface transport terminal, which often has its own customs 
  and security office from the mainworld government. It also has scheduled (or 
  not!) shuttle flights to and from orbit. 
  Module C: Concourses 
  Down 
  Orbital 
  C-0 custom concourse 
  - 
  C-7a portable outbuilding 
  0.1  
  1 
  C-7b permanent outbuilding 
  1 
  0 
  C- outbuilding complex 
  10 
  500 
  C- large starport complex  
  100  
  5000 
  C-10 industrial starport complex 
  300  
  50,000 
  C-11 commercial starport complex 
  1000 
  100,000 
  A major subsection of the concourse is the living quarters for the starport 
  personnel and visitors. Larger starports require ship crew to leave their ship while 
  they are docked. In some cases, the living quarters represent a hostel or hotel; on 
  others it may represent a whole uburban or suburban section of the port. 
  Personnel requirements can balloon rapidly. Think about the personnel 
  requirements for a town or city. However, please note that downports can pull 
  workers from Startown and therefore may require less maintained living space 
  than orbital ports. 
  Generally, a habitat needs 10 dtons per person. 
  Module LS: Living Section 
  Down 
  Orbital 
  LS-0 custom living section 
  LS-7 10 dtons (1 person) 
  0.01 
  0. 
  LS- 100 dtons (10 people) 
  0.1  
   
  LS- 1000 dtons (100 people) 
  1 
  0 
  
  - 4 -
  LS-10 10,000 dt (1000 people) 
  10 
  00 
  LS-11 100 kt (10,000 people) 
  100  
  000 
  LS-1 1 mt (100,000 people)  
  1000 
  0,000 
  Hospitals are ranked by volume; however, they are also divided into room-
  spaces when they are built. 
  This table may also be used to desginate research centers, laboratories, and 
  other secure installations. Essentially, any building which needs redundant 
  power systems and separate, secure environmental and network controls fits in 
  this category. 
  Generally, these facilities need  dtons per person. 
  Module H: Hospitals, etc. 
  Down 
  Orbital 
  H-7 10 dtons (5 people) 
  10 
  100 
  H- 100 dtons (50 people) 
  100  
  500 
  H- 1000 dtons (500 people) 
  1000 
  5000 
  H-10 10,000 dtons (5000 people) 
  10,000 
  0,000 
  Other buildings cost MCr0.1 per dton for a downport location, and MCr0. per 
  dton for a location on the highport. Examples of other buildings include: 
  - The Scout Lounge
  - The Hiring Hall
  - The Lone Star
  - The Travellers’ Aid Society
  - Starship architect (Naval architect?)
  - University departments
  - Space academies
  - Conference/exhibition centers
  - Brokerages
  - Various entertainment centers
  MAgLev 
  The starport maglev rail network connects the internal starport components 
  together: airstrips, parkbays, building complexes, and shipyards. Likewise, the 
  external maglev rail network comprises the transport between the starport and 
  the outside world, and usually only connects to the concourse and warehousing, 
  which tends to allow better installation security. 
  Maglev is first available at TL  at twice the listed cost. At TL A and above the 
  cost is as listed. 
  Module X: Maglev Rail Networks 
  X-0 custom network 
  - 
  X-1 starport module connection 
   
  X- external module connection 
  5
  BAses (MiLitArY CUstOMers ONLY!) 
  Scout bases have refueling equipment, a parkbay, some service equipment 
  and warehousing, and administration offices. They are open to public use for 
  a price. Such a base may cost MCr00. A minimal scout base are equipped at 1 
  class lower than the commercial port, and usually (or perhaps initially) have the 
  
  - 50 -
  following:  
  Scout Base 
  Quantity 
  Cost (MCr)
  Parkbay 
  1 
  100
  TP-11 PEMS 
  1 
  10
  R- Refinery 
  1 
  10
  DD- 100t drydock 
  1 
  10
  S- minor repair/1 ship 
  1 
  10 
  C- outbuilding 
  1 
  1
  misc buildings, equipment, and supplies  
  
  Total 
   
  150
  Scout way stations are larger than scout bases, with facilities used to service 
  the X-boat system, including tenders. MCr100 per ship in the X-Boat network to 
  be serviced. The average way station is orbital or off-orbit and will have: 
  Way Station  
  Quantity 
  Cost (MCr)
  F-10 10k fuel 
  10 
  1
  R- refinery 
   
  00
  R- backup 
   
  0
  DD- 
   
  400
  S-5 overhaul 
  1 
  00
  C-4 concourse 
  1 
  100
  Total 
   
  1
  Naval bases are huge affairs, often larger than the local starport itself. First-
  Strength bases are equipped at the same class as the commercial port; Second-
  Strength bases are equipped one class lower. In an emergency the naval base will 
  open its facilities to the public for a price. A naval base has, at the minimum: 
  Naval Base 
  Quantity 
  Cost (BCr)
  Airstrip 
  1 
  -
  Parkbay 
  6 
  0.6
  TP-14 PEMS or equiv. 
   
  .0
  TA-13 AEMS or equiv. 
   
  10.0
  Defense Boats 
  varies 
  5.0
  DD-10 drydock 
  1 
  .0
  S-6 shipyard 
  1 
  1.0
  misc. other 
   
  0.4
  Total 
   
  1.0
  PeOPLe 
  Starports employ people unique to the world. 
  - Naval architects
  - Starship Repo men
  - Starport Authority workers
  eXCerPts FrOM tHe POrt AUtHOritY HANdBOOk (PAH) 
  “Ships and vessels arriving insystem must, upon entering normal space, 
  transmit, and continue to transmit, proper identification via transponder. 
  
  - 51 -
  Furthermore, these ships must establish direct contact with the nearest Starport 
  Traffic Control Center. Communication with starport controllers will establish 
  such special rules, regulations, and requirements as shall be deemed necessary 
  by local authorities.” 
  - PAH 112ed 
  Ships not emitting a transponder signal may well be mistaken for pirates. 
  Moreover, the crew may expose itself to danger or violations of local law by 
  not discovering restrictions or hazardous conditions insystem. For example, a 
  system’s refueling policy may be broadcast (i.e. no gas giant/wilderness refueling 
  without a permit). 
  “Upon arrival at any starport facility, all civilian vessels shall furnish to 
  appropriate authorities such records, registries, and relevant documents deemed 
  necessary to establish the said vessel’s condition and past history; said vessel shall 
  be required to furnish health statements, issued and signed by the ship’s medical 
  officer, for each passenger and crewman on board. Customs, immigration, and 
  health standards for the planet must be met, and Inward Clearance granted to the 
  ship, before it shall be permitted to discharge cargo, passengers, or personnel.” 
  - PAH 112ed 
  After landing, the ship must wait for several people to perform an Inward 
  Clearance check on the ship in person. Upon their arrival, several documents 
  must be presented. Planetary law level is a general guide as to whether or not 
  these papers will be accepted, plus any crew member with Admin skill. 
  - ship’s registry papers (signed by the owner)
  - ship’s log (signed by the ship’s captain)
  - medical log (signed by the ship’s medical officer)
  - cargo manifest (signed by the cargo master)
  - passenger manifest (signed by the head steward)
  - crew manifest (signed by the captain or owner)
  - etc!
  If documentation is insufficient, hurdles will be imposed: a quarantine, 
  confiscation, fines, or worse. The hurdle can be cleared by correcting the 
  problem, bribing one of the people responsible for Inward Clearance (or perhaps 
  just paying fines or fees). The presence of a noble or influential passenger can 
  help; or perhaps an old friend who has pull with the Port Captain’s office. 
  Safety requirements for spaceships and starships generally follow this 
  pattern:
  1. Computer software 
  no illegal software
  . Evacuation planning 
  a. One vac suit per crew member  
  b. Two rescue balls in each stateroom  
  c. One emergency vac suit per airlock and ship’s locker  
  d. One emergency vac suit per airlock in ship’s boats  
  e. One rescue ball per seat in ship’s boats  
  f. One hazard suit per airlock in ship’s boats  
  g. One hostile environment kit per 4 seats in ship’s boats  
  h. One standard Imperial Survival Kit per airlock
  3. Portable life support systems (PLSS) 
  Life support in vac suits inspected every year
  
  - 5 -
  4. Emergency survival system 
  Extra survival bubbles or rescue balls on bridge & engineering
  5. Small med kits 
  Bridge, engineering, airlocks, ship’s boats
  6. Tools 
  a. Bridge: 1 set of electronic tools  
  b. Engineering: 1 set of mechanical & electronic tools  
  c. Ship’s boats: 1 set of mechanical tools  
  d. 1 set of metalworking tools in engine room
  7. Rescue system 
  a. 1 hull patch per displacement ton  
  b. 1 portable airlock  
  c. 1 radiation counter per airlock  
  d. Entry cutter  
  e. Iris valve opener  
  f. 1 flashlight per crewmember  
  g. laser cutter
  . Survival items: any 3 of the following 
  Atmosphere tester ()  
  Emergency radio beacon (1)  
  Survival still ()  
  Backpacks (1 per crewmember)  
  Flare gun and flares ()  
  Inertial locator (1)  
  Machete (1 per crewmember)  
  Night glasses (1)  
  Desert survival kits (1 per crewmember)  
  0.05MW or greater fusion+ plant
  stArPOrt UBP, MOdiFied (UNiversAL BAse PrOFiLe, MOdiFied) 
  B35673 Sa To Co 
  (OV) - overallABCDEFGHYX 
  The following 5 elements have values 0-F. Capacity represents dtons as an 
  exponent of ten. 
  The original version used a logarithmic scale based on 10, 30, 100, 300... 
  (DS) - dock size 
  (SF) - ship repair facilities ( >  = shipyard ) 
  (FA) - fuel available 
  (LA) - living area 
  (CH) - cargo handling 
  (FC) - facility classifications: 
  Or - orbital facility 
  Sa - orbital satellite 
  Be - surface beacon instead of downport 
  To  - tourist facilities 
  Li   - living cargo facilities 
  Co - commercial facilities
  
  - 53 -
  POOr stArPOrts 
  “Poor” spaceports will generally not be able to handle anything larger than a 
  5-ton Shuttle, and sometimes not even that. As handlers of in-system travel, the 
  staff of such a spaceport will likely not be set up to deal with unfamiliar visitors 
  (ie. star travellers). The usual users will be scheduled runs, familiar “bush pilots”, 
  and local launch owners who don’t have the private space to keep their vehicles. 
  They will likely have control “towers”, but will generally prefer to find out about 
  their traffic via hand-offs from other ports. They will not necessarily be set up to 
  detect visitors popping out of jumpspace. 
  Small worlds, or ones with poor starports, rely on the free traders for all freight 
  and cargo to and from the world ... somewhere with only 100 T total exports per 
  week will not expect (or even support) 10 free traders each week!  As I mentioned 
  in my posting on starport berths, IMTU these low-traffic systems are good 
  adventure fodder: 
  “Nope, ‘fraid we ain’t got none cargo this week. You might want to visit Joe 
  Windlake’s place, as I hear he is harvesting real soon. 
  “No, you don’t need a special bit of paper to fly your space wagon there ... just 
  be careful where you land. I reckon you’d be better taking a ride, t’aint mor’n five 
  days by horse and I’m sure fancy chaps like you will have one of them floating 
  contraptions to do it in no time. Joe’ll be happy to set aside a place to set down 
  once he knows you’re coming. 
  “Radio? No, I don’t reckon he has one”.  
  e-CLAss stArPOrts 
  E starports are the private airstrips of the interstellar scene. They are usually 
  small and often unmanned. They are, however, still starports. The landing area 
  is sufficiently built/packed/reinforced to handle starships up to a certain volume, 
  be it 100 dtons, 1000 dtons, or higher. When manned, they will have someone on 
  hand who can tell offworlders the things they need to know about the world.
  BertHiNg COsts
  There has been some discussion on the subject of starship expenses, 
  particularly Berthing Costs.  The concensus was that the costs in the various 
  versions of Traveller were unrealistic, but that no one had the expertise to say by 
  how much. I have been doing some research.  The figures below are real-world; 
  thanks to the Colorado Springs International Airport and the Port of Houston 
  Authority.  First, what are we talking about?
  “Berthing Costs.  Landing fees, handling costs, facilities use charges, and other 
  starport fees are a common practice, and such charges must be paid as they 
  occur.  The average cost is Cr100 to land and remain for up to six days; thereafter, 
  a Cr100 per day fee is imposed for each additional day spent in port.  In some 
  locations, this fee will be higher, while at others local government subsidies will 
  lower or eliminate it.”
  - Book 2, p. ; MT (Imperial Encyclopedia), p. 0; and T4, p. 7
  TNE, p. , reads identically, except cost is Cr1000 for the first 6 days.
  “Starport Docking Fees (per 1,000 cy per day)   $500”
  - GURPS Space, p. 3
  There are two candidate models for “starports” in the real world: commercial 
  
  - 54 -
  seaports, and commercial airports.  I looked at both. The rates quoted are current 
  as of 15 May 1.
  Colorado Springs International Airport is about a “Class III” facility; it has 
  full services but no significant repair or rebuild capability. Charges for non-
  preferential (i.e., not previously contracted - charter instead of scheduled airline) 
  aircraft are:
  Landing fee: $3.04 per ,000 lb landed gross weight
  Gate fee: 
  $55.50 per use (enplane or deplane operation)
  Ground power: 
  $5.00 per use
  Ticket counter: 
  $31.00 per use (less than 6 positions)
   
  $73.00 per use (6 or more positions)
  Apron parking: 
  $100.00 per use (>  hours)
  Presumably, scheduled airlines get a significant break on this, but I didn’t 
  check.
  Port of Houston Authority covers a collection of terminals best described 
  as “Class V” - there are full shipbuilding facilities available. Fees here are 
  significantly more complicated, but divide generally into two categories: dockage 
  and wharfage. Dockage are those fees that pertain to the ships themselves. Many 
  fees are based on the size of the ship, measured in Length Over All (LOA):
  Harbor fee: $130.35 (vessels 100-4 ft LOA - ~ -311 dtons)
   
  $35.00 (vessels 50+ ft LOA - ~ 311+ dtons)
  This covers “expense of administration, maintenance and operation of 
  fire prevention and suppression, personnel and equipment, with the view of 
  preventing fires, aiding vessels in distress, and aiding in the extinguishing of 
  fire in vessels and equipment and in their cargoes aboard such vessels, or upon 
  wharves and in other facilities in the harbor.” I found no mention of “harbor 
  pilots”, as such.
  Dockage:
  LOA (ft) 
  $/ft/day 
  $/ft/day  
   
  (main) 
  (container)
  0-1 
  1.6 
  1.0
  00- 
  1.5 
  .16
  300-34 
  1.6 
  .16
  350-3 
  .13 
  .4
  400-44 
  .4 
  3.1
  450-4 
  3.06 
  3.30
  500-54 
  4.07 
  4.3
  550-5 
  4.17 
  4.4
  600-64 
  4.6 
  5.10
  650-6 
  4. 
  5.0
  700-7 
  6. 
  6.64
  00- 
  7.30 
  7.
  00+ 
  .50 
  .53
  Notice that these are not linear - there are breakpoints, which 
  correspond to the lengths of the various wharves. The larger a ship is, the fewer 
  wharves it can actually use. 
  Rates are charged in 1-hour blocks, and go down over time:
  
  - 55 -
  3d day 
  0%
  4th day  
  75%
  5th day  
  60%
  6th+ day 
  50%
  Failing or refusing to vacate a berth when ordered: 
  $1,500/hour (main terminal) 
  $700/hour (container terminal)
  Note that you can be ordered to vacate for refusing to pay overtime to unload 
  your ship. You then wait until all the ships that *are* willing unload before you 
  get your turn again.
  Water: 
   
  $35.00 + $4.50/1,000 gal.
  Electric Power: no data (supplied by subcontractors)
  Wharfage fees apply based on the cargo, rather than the ship. All fees have a 
  $15-0 or one hour minimum.
  Clearing Berth:  
  $17.00 (500 tons of cargo or less)
   
   
  $56.00 (more than 500 tons of cargo)
  This charge does not apply to bulk, container, or vehicle cargo.
  Terminal fee:  
  $.65/vehicle
   
   
  $4.00/passenger
  Cranes and handling  
  equipment:  
  $00-400 per hour, no operator provided
  Loading and Unloading: 
  $1.0/ton (main port)
   
   
  $3.00/ton (container port)
   
   
  $6.3/ton (container, net weight), or
   
   
  $63.50/container (loaded)
   
   
  $6.00/container (empty)
  There are discounts for more than 3000 units or 500 hours per year.
  Any single package (not container):
   
  5-0 tons: 
  +$3.1 
   
  0-35 tons: 
  +$5.0 
   
  35-100 tons: 
  +$.60
  Wharfage: 
  $.0/ton
   
  $0./ton (bulk, delivered in pipeline)
  Cargo can remain on the wharf for up to 30 days without charge (‘free time’). 
  After that:
  Demurrage: $5.00/day (container)
   
  +$1.00/day (loaded, days 11-0)
   
  +$.00/day (loaded, days 1-30), etc up to
   
  +$.00/day (loaded, days 1+)
   
  $0.15/ton/day (days 31-37)
   
  $0.1/ton/day (days 3-50)
   
  $0.35/ton/day (days 51+) 
  There are also a tremendous number of services available, from marking crates 
  to opening and resealing boxes for Customs inspection.
  
  - 56 -
  Quick Interstellar Trade System
  Once upon a time, we started thinking abstractly about passenger and freight 
  traffic along the Spinward Main; in particular, we decided to figure out a simple 
  way of determining, in general, just how busy all these Imperial starports really 
  were. This is the fruit of our labor. 
  iNstrUCtiONs
  Traffic is determined between pairs of ports. First, select two worlds. Next, 
  determine the trade indices of each world. Finally, use those indices to find the 
  trade volume passing between these two ports. 
  Heuristic. Usually, any given world will have one major neighbor whose traffic 
  surpasses the others by an order of magnitude or more. In such cases, it’s only 
  really necessary to figure out which neighbor that is, and then you’ve pretty much 
  pinned down the total traffic through your port. 
  The Trade Indices. Add up all applicable modifiers from the table below to 
  determine the composite trade index for a world: 
   
  Feature 
  Mod.
   
  A or B starport 
  +1
   
  D,E, or X starport 
  -1
   
  TL A+ 
  +1
   
  TL 7- 
  -1
   
  Military and/or 
   
    Scout bases 
  +1
   
  Capital world 
  +1
   
  On the Xboat route 
  +1
   
  High population 
  +1
   
  Low population 
  -1
   
  Rich world 
  +1
   
  Poor world 
  -1
   
  Agricultural world 
  +1
   
  Industrial world 
  +1
   
  Amber zone 
  -
   
  Red zone 
  -
  This produces a value V ranging anywhere from -1 to . Figure out the trade 
  indices for two worlds, and call them V1 and V. 
  Modifiers for Passenger vs. Freight Traffic.  For more detailed traffic information, 
  you may use two indices -- one for passengers and one for freight -- and use these 
  rules of thumb for calculating index modifiers: 
  Passenger index +1 modifiers: Starport A/B; TLA+; Capital world; Xboat route; 
  High population; Rich world. 
  Passenger index -1 modifiers: Starport D,E,X; TL 7-; Low population; Poor 
  world; Industrial world. 
  Passenger index - modifier: Amber zone. - modifier: Red zone. 
  Freight index +1 modifiers: Starport A/B; TLA+; Capital world; Xboat route; High 
  population; Rich world; Military/Scout bases; Agricultural or Industrial world. 
  
  - 57 -
  Freight index -1 modifiers: Starport D,E,X; TL7-; Low population; Poor world; 
  Non-Industrial world; Amber zone. 
  Freight index - modifier: Red zone. 
  Suffice it to say that there are many interpretations of the UWP, and this system 
  is tailored with the general view in mind rather than a perfect and detailed view. 
  Figuring in distance.  Distance to the neighbor world affects trade volume. For 
  every two parsecs from the neighbor world, subtract one point from both world 
  indices. 
  The Sparse Imperium.  If your interstellar traffic is sparse, then you may want 
  to subtract one point per parsec before applying distance modifications; or 
  alternately, you could halve the trade indices before applying distance mods. 
  The Busy Imperium.  If you prefer more trade, then you may want to double or 
  treble the trade indices before applying distance modifications; or, alternately, if 
  you want far-flung trade, you could subtract one point from the trade indices for 
  every eight parsecs.
  Throw Out the Negatives.  Negative trade indices indicate that the port in 
  question receives no publicly-advertized regular traffic. Now, if that world 
  happens to have a class A starport, one might wonder just what is going on there, 
  whether there is actually corporate or government traffic, or if something sinister 
  is going on... 
  Determine Traffic Volume.  Traffic volume is determined by multiplying the 
  trade indices together, and taking their square root. The resulting number, X, is 
  an exponent of ten. Treat it like this: 
  trAFFiC vOLUMe tABLe
  Value 
  Traffic
  1 
  10
   
  100
  3 
  1000
  4 
  10,000
  5 
  100,000
  6 
  1,000,000
  7 
  10,000,000
   
  100,000,000
  For the general index, this number represents passengers per week through the 
  pair of starports in question. Freight can be assumed to be somewhere between 
  1 and 10 times this amount, in dtons. My preference is to multiply the traffic 
  number by .5 to get the passenger count, and to multiply the traffic number by 
  10 to get the freight count. 
  Example: Inthe. 
  Yori    110 C360757-A   Ri De    713  index= dist=3 
  Inthe   410 B575776- A Ag     X 43  index=4 
  Risek   71 A3557-A N Ni     X 401  index=4 dist=3 
  Macene  61 B000453-E N Ni As    11  index=3 dist=3 
  The distance to each of these worlds is 3 parsecs; using normal rules, this 
  reduces each trade index by 1. So, the trade level with Yori is sqrt(1x3) = 1.7: 
  perhaps 150 passengers per week and 1500 dtons of freight. Trade with Risek is 
  sqrt(3x3) = 3, or 500 passengers per week and 10,000 dtons of freight. Trade with 
  
  - 5 -
  Macene is sqrt(3x) = .4, or around 50 passengers per week and 1000 dtons of 
  freight. The grand total, then, for Inthe is 00  passengers per week and 1,500 
  dtons of freight. 
  Example: Jae Tellona. 
  Jae Tellona 14 A560565-  N Ni De X 13 index=3 
  Rhylanor    716 A43434-F  A Hi Cp X 10 index=6; dist= 
  Porozlo     715 A67A74-B    Hi      01 index=4; dist=1 
  Rhylanor is the dominant partner by far. So then, we have 6 x 3 = 1;  the square 
  root is 4: maybe 5,000 people per week, and freight would be 100,000 dtons per 
  week through Jae Tellona. Pretty heavy. But don’t worry; Rhylanor is handling 
  close to twice that, because a similar volume is arriving from Porozlo. 
  Example: Mora. 
  Mora     314 AAAC7-F A Hi In Cx X 11 index=7 
  Fornice  305 A354A7-C   Hi       X 0 index=4; dist= 
  7x4 = ; the square root is 5, giving us 50,000 passengers arriving at Mora per 
  week, and 1 million dtons of freight arriving per week!
  Starport Capacity.  Once you have the weekly passenger volume, you can 
  figure out what the starport is built to handle: 
  stArPOrt CAPACitY tABLe
  Weekly  
  Daily  
  Hourly  
  Monthly  
  Yearly 
  100M  
  14M  
  600k  
  400M  
  5B 
  10M  
  1.4M  
  60k  
  40M  
  500M 
  1M  
  140k  
  6k  
  4M  
  50M 
  100k  
  14k  
  600  
  400k  
  5M 
  10k  
  1.4k  
  60  
  40k  
  500k 
  1k  
  140  
  6  
  4k  
  50k 
  100  
  14  
  1  
  400  
  5k 
  10  
  1  
  -  
  40  
  500 
  1  
  -  
  -  
  4  
  50 
  
  - 5 -
  Starport Shuttles.  Use this table to determine quantity and type of shuttles the 
  starport uses. 
  sHUttLe AvAiLABiLitY tABLe
  Pass/hr  
  1000t 
  100t 
  VIP   
  Parkbays  Downports  
   
  (200p/760t)  (16/72)  
  (30/20) 
  600k  
  16  
  300  
  400  
  3  
  36+ 
  00k  
  74  
  100  
  133  
  110  
  1+ 
  100k  
  47  
  50  
  67  
  55  
  + 
  60k  
    
  5  
  40  
  33  
  5+ 
  40k  
  14  
  5  
  7  
  3  
  4+ 
  0k  
  5  
  5  
  14  
  13  
  3+
  10k  
  4  
  14  
  7  
  7  
  + 
  k  
  3  
  14  
  6  
  6  
  + 
  6k  
    
  14  
  4  
  5  
  + 
  5000  
  3  
  5  
  4  
  5  
  + 
  4000  
  1  
  14  
  3  
  4  
  1+ 
  3000  
  14 
  14  
    
  3  
  1+ 
  000  
  10  
  4  
    
    
  1+ 
  1500  
  7  
    
  1  
    
  1+ 
  1000  
  5  
  4  
  1  
  1  
  1+ 
  600  
  3  
  4  
  1  
  1  
  1+ 
  400  
    
  4  
  . 
  1  
  1+ 
  00  
  1  
  4  
  . 
  1  
  1 
  100  
  . 
    
  . 
  1  
  1 
  60  
  . 
  4  
  . 
  1  
  1 
  30  
  . 
  3  
  . 
  1  
  1 
  1  
  . 
  1  
  . 
  1  
  1 
    
  
  - 60 -
  System Defense 
  UNderLYiNg AssUMPtiONs
  The Imperium is interested in preserving trade between member worlds. 
  System defense, then, is in direct proportion to the volume of trade on that world. 
  Interstellar trade volume can indicate what level of Imperial system defense the 
  system will receive, and also indicate the amount of system defense which should 
  be provided by the mainworld. 
  Interplanetary trade for a system is estimated using the “Rob & Jon” starport 
  trade system; therefore, a good idea of what that system’s worth can be taken 
  directly from there. This trade system can be found at the menu level of this 
  collection. In short, the system uses a point system to determine the trade index 
  of a world: the likelihood that that world contributes to the Imperial economy. 
  MetHOd
  The tonnage the Imperium will dedicate to defending a world is equal to the 
  freight tonnage passing between this world and its largest trading partner per 
  week (perhaps, MCr1 of ship value per dton of freight). The tonnage of colonial 
  forces the world will maintain in addition to Imperial presence is equal to ten 
  raised to the trade index of that world (perhaps worth dtons x KCr10). This is 
  considered to be mortgaged equipment, rather than owned outright, and comes 
  out of the starport’s revenue and world subsidies. 
  Note that world defenses might not necessarily be invested in ships; for 
  instance, some local defense money might be spent on a mortgage for a deep 
  meson site. 
  System Defense Example - Jae Tellona 
  Jae Tellona   14A560565-  N Ni De      Xb : 3 points 
  Porozlo       715A67A74-B    Hi            : 3 points 
  Rhylanor      716A43434-F  A Hi Cp      Xb : 6 points 
  Celepina      13B434456-  A Ni         Xb : 3 points 
  Major trading partner: Rhylanor. 
  Freight = 10 ^ ( sqrt ( 3 x 6 ) ) = 17,37 dtons per week. 
  This means the Imperium has 17,000 dtons’ worth of system defenses keeping 
  guard over Jae Tellona. Total fleet price: 17 billion credits! 
  Moreover, Jae Tellona has a colonial force totalling only 1000 dtons, worth 
  about MCr 10 in yearly mortgage fees. But with the Imperium there, who’s 
  worried? 
  System Defense Example - Treece 
  Treece is a backwater on the Spinward Main, with a trade index of -3. With a 
  little creativity we should be able to figure out what’s happening there. 
  Treece        311 D366-    Na Po    : -3 points 
  This tells us that Treece itself has no system defense; however, there should be 
  some number of Imperial patrols that cruise through. 
  sqUAre tHe iNdeX.
  
  - 61 -
  The result is the number of weeks between visits by Imperial patrols. That 
  means that, for Treece, for every week an Imperial patrol squadron does a flyby, 
  there are  weeks of insecurity. 
  This means a trade index of 0 (zero) implies there’s probably always one patrol 
  squadron passing through the system, though there may be occasional gaps.
  sUMMArY
  A few months ago, Jon Buller and I cooked up a relatively simple way to 
  calculate trade between two systems, and by implication a way to calculate 
  the total interstellar trade in one system. From this, then, we have attached a 
  revenue onto every system. Since the 3I protects trade, then, the budget for this 
  protection can be tied into the commercial revenue of a system. By making a few 
  major assumptions (i.e. one week of trade in a system equals the system defense 
  budget and determines the patrol schedule for that world), hard numbers have 
  been derived as to how well-guarded any given system is. Moreover, the results 
  appear to scale nicely, allowing people to scale defense up or down based on how 
  the Imperium operates in their Traveller Universe.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Traveller/EXTRA/Fan Materials/Supplements/Starports!.pdf