Clarke County

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Spacecraft Registry
L5 Station Clarke County
Spacecraft Characteristics
Drive RatingStation-keeping only
Flag of RecordFenspace Convention
FactionNivenites, Heinleinians, others
Registry NumberL5-Z
PurposeResidence; Meeting point
Other Crewapproximately 400 people
Operational StatusActive
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You’d think a man like me, so dearly in love with the ideals of socialism, would absolutely detest Clarke County and it’s aggressively capitalist minarchy. And well… you’re not totally wrong. But you’re not totally right, either.

Clarke County, a cluster of Von Braun tubes stacked together like a floating office building, is in some ways what Island One should’ve been. This is where a bunch of people who were totally devoted to the idea of living in space ended up, and instead of growing bitter like the Islanders, they embraced the potential of handwavium. They’re building a society in Clarke County that’s one part Heinleinian, one part Nivenite Belter and one part Gerry O’Neill. It’s the one thing a Fen station should be, no matter the politics; it’s alive and vibrant. We were welcome on Clarke County with open arms. They might have been looking forward to fleecing a pair of commies, but the smiles and greetings weren’t less than genuine.

The interior of the station is covered in bright murals, mostly landscapes; I recognized the hills around Pike’s Peak on one mural, though the long catapult running up the eastern slope of the mountain obviously was the artist’s addition. The locals are a mix of older Heinleinians and younger Duncanite types looking to make it big in the orbital wilderness. The younger ones are all full of piss and vinegar, talking about their plans for the economic domination of the Convention and the victory of “freedom forever.” Their elders are a little more pragmatic; they’ve been around a long while, and they recognize that Clarke County is still a small fish in a big pond.

Still, business is booming around the station. Because of the County’s economic views, they’ve become the default trade point for wildcat miners and other Belters that aren’t part of the Greenwood axis. There’s always a ship full of metal or supplies hanging off the docking ports. As long as the boom lasts, Clarke County will remain prosperous. But that’s not a sure thing – more and more wildcats are starting to hook up with Greenwood.

S. Malaclypse Fnord

habitat for fendanes with Nivenite and Heinleinian tendencies

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