FTS Meridian, commonly known as "Meridian Station," is a civilian trade station located in the Meridian system, a largely barren system centered around a white dwarf star. The station serves as the last major resupply point within a day's journey of the classified League military installation known as the Anchorage.
Despite its proximity to the black site, elaborate protocols ensure that traffic between the two locations cannot be easily tracked, maintaining operational security for the Anchorage while allowing Meridian to function as a vital logistics hub.
Command Section
Commercial Ring
Docking Complex
Habitat Rings
The station's most infamous establishment, the Deep Space Bar and Lounge occupies prime real estate in the upper habitat ring. Officially a restaurant and entertainment venue, it's an open secret that the establishment offers:
The bar is considered neutral ground where military personnel, traders, and less savory elements can coexist relatively peacefully. Station security maintains a deliberate blind spot regarding the establishment's activities, understanding that it serves as a pressure valve for personnel on leave from classified installations.
Meridian Station processes significant cargo volume despite its remote location:
While officially a civilian station, Meridian maintains an unusual security profile:
Personnel traveling between Meridian and the Anchorage follow strict protocols:
These measures ensure that even regular traffic analysis cannot reliably locate the Anchorage based on Meridian's traffic patterns.
Meridian Station has developed a unique culture as a frontier waypoint:
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell": The unofficial station motto. Residents and visitors alike understand that curiosity about others' business is unwelcome and potentially dangerous.
Shore Leave Paradise: For military personnel assigned to classified installations, Meridian represents civilization, offering entertainment and amenities unavailable at their posts.
Grey Market Hub: While not as lawless as stations in Freelancer space, Meridian operates in legal grey areas, with authorities willing to overlook minor infractions that don't threaten security.
Meridian Station began as a modest civilian fuel depot established by the Meridian Trade Consortium, a small collection of independent freight haulers seeking to create a waypoint along emerging trade routes. The original station was little more than a fuel processing facility, basic food storage, and minimal crew quarters - a simple refueling stop in the dead system.
For over a decade, Meridian Station barely survived as a marginal operation. The remote location and lack of local resources meant most traffic consisted of desperate ships needing emergency refueling or crews seeking basic provisions. The station's profits were minimal, and the Trade Consortium considered abandoning the venture multiple times.
Everything changed when League Intelligence, recognizing the need for a logistics hub near their classified operations, began quietly funneling money into the station through shell companies and intermediaries. What appeared to be a sudden uptick in legitimate commerce was actually carefully orchestrated military contracts disguised as civilian trade. The influx of capital allowed for massive expansion and improvement of facilities, transforming the humble fuel stop into a major trade hub.
Meridian Station has evolved into a crucial logistics hub that serves multiple purposes while maintaining plausible deniability about its true importance. The League Navy's "unofficial" presence has prevented it from descending into complete lawlessness, while its civilian administration provides cover for sensitive military operations.
The station walks a careful line between legitimacy and the grey market, between military necessity and civilian enterprise, making it one of the most unique installations in League space.