Refinery FeTPP-012

FeTPP is, in its current state, little more than a remote outpost nestled amongst the hills north west of the Mariana Bay. Travel by land to the site of the old refinery is treacherous due to its isolated location, but the old the train link to Laures remains in service, if somewhat infrequently after the old place shut down. A veritable death trap, the remnants of the vast, ruined hulk that was once the secondary iron ore processing plant are largely inaccessible and any attempts to enter the area have been sternly cautioned against.

The FeTPP-012 Refinery is technically a neutral settlement, but as almost all travel to and from the place passes through Laures most trade ends up there.

Geography and Climate
Located up in the Laurean Mountains, the climate around the FeTPP-012 facility is naturally quite harsh with thick ice and heavy snowfall being a daily hazard. Temperatures frequently drop below -15°C during dark months when night descends on Thaeta, and rarely rise above freezing, even during the light months. Due to the extreme cold conditions, specialised chips are advised and thick clothing is a necessity.

The town itself is situated within a small valley, protected from the more severe winds by rock walls on either side. The location was selected for just such a reason. Outside of the town the landscape is brutal and rocky, almost impossible to navigate by foot. The facility is located further up the mountainside and is more exposed to the elements. It is strongly recommended that visitors to FeTPP-012 take the train, rather than risk the trek up the mountain.

Commerce
The residents make a living scavenging the less lethal parts of the old refinery, where the air is less toxic and rubble is less likely to fall from above. It is a meagre way to make a living, but the locals say that wealth and riches await anyone willing to venture further into the depths of FeTPP.

The village buildings consist largely of residences, though several businesses have opened up in some of the disused sections of the largely disused railway terminal in town. A number of tech stores and food stalls operate out of the empty ticket booths and the old station cafeteria remains open in the main building. Only one platform continues to run intermittently, with a bi-weekly train running to and from Laures, down the mountain.

Infrastructure
As it is today, FeTPP is a collection of ramshackle, makeshift houses bunched around the old station, one of the few buildings preserved from the blast due to its location further down the mountainside. These shacks are largely residential, the majority of the business establishments being located within the station terminal itself. The settlement is not large, but contains some two thousand residents all told. While some of the buildings originate from before the explosion, as residency for the workers and their families, the majority were constructed later.

The shadowy bulk of the actual facility is visible from the village and accessible via an old road up through the valley. Much of the main refinery building is unexplored, including the vast network of underground tunnels and rooms holding much of the old ore processing equipment. A chain link fence surrounds much of the site, but on the surface there is little remaining but rubble and three semi-collapsed buildings. There are two roads from the refinery, one back down to the village and the other further up into the mountains to a series of now disused mines.

History
First constructed in 52 AL to process iron ore from mines further up in the Laurean Mountain range, the FeTPP-012 Refinery was already largely defunct. Many processing plants were set up around this time in order to handle the increasing demands of a growing propulace. Being one of the richest sources of mineral wealth on Thaeta, the immense mine networks outside the fledgling city of Laures required an increasing number of refineries. It was later argued that it was the desire of Hannibal Artois, the man responsible for the construction and management of the plants at the time, to augment production that ultimately led to the tragic incident that made FeTPP as it is today.

A number of elusive reports and official complaints made by the chief engineer responsible for the operations of the FeTPP-012 Refinery, Doctor Hannah Mensch, suggested that the machinery and equipment in use at the plant were antiquated and outdated even when they were first installed at the site. A series of requests for confirmation and updated facilities were consistently and frequently denied. After Doctor Mensch’s disappearance in 72 AL, nine years after her appointment to the post, her reports were deleted from public record and the Conclave now denies they ever existed.

The cataclysmic explosion at the FeTPP-012 Refinery in 73 AL that left most of the workers dead and almost all of the buildings destroyed was blamed on a number of potential causes. It is commonly agreed that faults in already faulty machinery, exacerbated by poor maintenance and dodgy upgrades were a defining factor in the FeTPP incident, however whispers also accuse both Laurean rebels and Nexus patriots of sabotage, in an attempt to disrupt trade between the two cities. The residents of what remains of the FeTPP-012 Refinery believe that the answer lies in the office of Doctor Mensch, near the heart of the ruined plant, deep underground.

Culture
The demographic spread is approximately 60% human, 30% bionic and 10% cyborg or android. The residents of FeTPP are largely the families of the old refinery workers, and scavengers come to rake over the ruin. Due to its proximity to Laures, there is a higher proportion of pure humans in comparison to other variants, yet the draw of recoverable technology still brings in the occasional enhanced lifeform.