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  1. Drift💫A Space Odyssey
  3. Lore

Shardplain

At a glance

  • World type. A Caraphex factory and mining world in the Mid.

  • What it does. Makes heavy tools and rig parts for mining, ship-breaking, building and salvage.

  • The Caraphex chain. Ravel sends crews, Shardplain makes tools, Pitchmire pumps fuel, and Mandible Reach breaks ships.

  • Reputation. Tools that do not break, hard bargains, fast test yards and long shifts.

  • Who runs things. The Toolmaker Combine, the Calibration Directorate, the Port Inspection Office, the Clade Council, the Debt Court Annex and the pay houses.

  • Buys. Fuel and oil from Pitchmire, water from Vellari haulers, ore and alloy from the Talarq and belt stations, and rig frames and scrap from Mandible Reach.

  • Sells. Graded tools and cutting heads, drill rigs, haul-rig parts, grade marking dies, safety labels and install crews.

Role in the Drift

Shardplain makes the standard tools the Drift runs on. Its factories turn out cutting, drilling, fastening, lifting and survey gear for Core freighters, belt miners, building crews and ship-breakers. Its ports also run fast test yards. Crews bring worn tools in, get parts replaced and get a new grade mark that courts and insurers trust. Many convoys stop here to re-tool before a risky job.

Land and weather

Shardplain has wide, hard flats of silica and layered mineral shelves. Open-pit mines surround most factory basins. The days are long and hot. The dust is sharp, gets into everything and cuts lungs. Outside the covered zones, everyone wears a mask, a suit and eye shields. Most towns sit next to foundry rings, test yards and locked warehouses.

History

  • USD 0027.0. The Caraphex constellation forms, with Shardplain as its tool maker.

  • USD 0032.5. The Calibration Directorate sets the Shardplain grades, from grade 1 to grade 7. Kedra courts start using them in rulings.

  • USD 0048.0. Mobile test crews become legal. Shardplain sends roaming test yards out to belt stations and moving shipyards.

  • USD 0064.6. Factories set fair pay rules for mixed crews of machines and living workers.

  • USD 0082.0. A wave of fake grade marks. Joint stings with Kedra lead to harder marking metal and coded serial numbers.

  • USD 0106.2. Syndicates squeeze Caraphex crews for protection money. Free Companies sign on with the Clade Council to guard convoys.

Government and law

Shardplain is run by a Prefecture under Caraphex clade rule. It follows Central Authority trade law and accepts Kedra rulings.

  • Debt Court Annex. Handles debt claims on unfinished orders, wage fights and equipment seizures.

  • Port Inspection Office. Checks ship papers and the blacklist, and tests grade marks.

  • The Clade Council. The Caraphex labor union. Sets shift limits, safety rules and tool training.

  • Fraud Office. Hunts fake grade marks, mislabeled alloy and illegal mobile test yards.

Every tool lot has a batch file, an alloy sheet, a wear schedule and a test record. Breaking the rules means fines, a spot on the blacklist or seized equipment.

Economy

Foundries turn ore and alloy bars into blanks. Assembly lines fit bearings, gaskets, cutters and sensors. Test yards check torque, heat and wear, then punch in the grade mark.

Price drivers. Alloy prices, fuel from Pitchmire, convoy timing and how many testers are free. Rush jobs cost extra. When convoys bunch up, locked storage, spare rigs and test slots sell out.

Ports and factory districts

  • Port Strake. Main entry for Core freighters, with a direct rail line to Foundry Basin 17 and the Calibration Ring.

  • Port Halver. Bulk arrivals of ore, alloy bars and fuel tanks, plus locked warehouses.

  • Foundry Basin 17. The largest melt and casting line, with fire-brick shops and heat-treating towers.

  • Calibration Ring. Test stands, torque rigs, wear tunnels and marking halls. It hands out grade marks and service logs.

  • Tool Bazaar. Only listed sellers. Every item is checked against its batch file.

  • Pay Row. Pay houses linked to Mandible Reach. They hold a buyer's money until the tools arrive.

  • Inspection Campus. Ship paper checks, blacklist reviews and test labs that break sample tools on purpose.

  • Worker Habs. Stacked housing blocks next to the plants, with clinics, training halls and food depots.

Grades and tools

  • Shardplain grades. A ladder from grade 1 to grade 7 for strength, heat tolerance and service life.

  • Grade marks. Punched into the metal with a coded serial, a date, a test type and the tester's number. A mark runs out on a set date or when the tool hits its wear count.

  • Safety labels. Picture labels with the max torque, max heat and the gear a worker must wear.

  • Service logs. Each tool lot has a log kept on Shardplain and copied to Brightline computers.

  • Rig sensors. Better rigs send out torque, heat and shock readings for warranty and safety checks.

Society and culture

Life is simple and built around work. People respect tool skills, on-time delivery and clean records. Children learn assembly basics and safety rules early. Shifts are long but set. Most families have at least one plant worker and one yard tech. Off shift, workers crowd into cheap canteens and bet on the next day's test results.

Languages. Trade Common is standard, and Caraphex work-cant is used on the floor. Foremen and testers often learn Kedra legal terms and Keth route words.

Factions and power players

  • Toolmaker Combine. The biggest foundries and assembly lines. It sets export deals and buys alloy.

  • Calibration Directorate. Sets the grades, the test methods and the marking metal, and licenses testers.

  • The Clade Council. Speaks for the workers. It runs training, shift rotations and safety.

  • Pay houses. Hold payment until an order arrives, so buyers and makers do not get stiffed.

  • Port Inspection Office. Works with the Central Authority against fake marks and mislabeled alloy.

  • Free Companies. Hired for convoy escort, strike security and gathering evidence in disputes.

  • Syndicate brokers. Sell low-grade tools with high-grade marks, mostly through small sellers.

Relations with other worlds

  • Ravel. Sends trained clade crews for heavy lines and remote test yards.

  • Pitchmire. Sends fuel and oil. Shortages slow the whole planet.

  • Mandible Reach. Buys tough tool sets for ship-breaking and keeps copies of pay records for big orders.

  • Talarq worlds. Supply fire-proof parts and alloy know-how. Many safety labels are shared.

  • Kedra. Settles customs fights, debt claims and fake-mark cases.

  • Slipwind. Keth routes and beacon updates for safe deliveries.

  • Brightline. Keeps copies of service logs and runs warranty computers.

  • Vellari worlds. Deliver ice and water for cooling and washing.

Crime and danger

Most crime is fraud and bad goods. People fake grade marks, mislabel alloy, steal batch files and sell used tools as new. Small lots go missing from the yards when convoys pile up. Inspectors run surprise checks, break sample tools in tests and compare serials against the copies. Repeat offenders get blacklisted across the constellation. The Fraud Office and the Toolmaker Combine both post bounties on known forgers.

Risks and pressure points

  • Supply shocks. Fuel or alloy shortages delay orders and raise prices.

  • Pile-ups. Convoy waves clog the test rings and the locked stores.

  • Labor pressure. Pushes for more output cause accidents. The Council answers with slowdowns and strikes.

  • Hacked records. Hackers go after service logs and serial numbers. Copies limit the damage, but not all of it.

  • Warranty fights. Missing sensor data or a broken mark can void a warranty and lead to fast seizures.