Transportation within StarBase 118
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With a structure as large as StarBase 118, the moving of people from one area to another is a colossal task. This article will give a clearer understanding of transportation within StarBase 118.
Turbolifts
A vast, highly complex, network of turbolift shafts span the starbase, both vertically and horizontally, to enable officers and civilians alike quick access to all parts of the station. Several classes of turbolift are available depending on the occupant's security clearance.
Type A, Cargo
Cargo lifts are used for large items, which do not necessarily need to be transported. Often this includes beaming-sensitive equipment, or simply large containers of delicate items. These lifts are approximately four meters in diameter, with an enlarged door opening. They travel only in special tubes, located in certain areas of the base.
Type B, Large Personnel
Large personnel lifts (or, express lifts) are designated for long-range distance travelling on the base. Approximately 75% of the base's lift-tubes are accessible to Type B cars. At 3.5 meters wide, they allow space for a bench, attahced to the interior wall of the lift, as well as a central pole passengers can use to stabilize themselves with.
Type B cars move at a higher rate of speed than the Type C cars (mentioned below), and also receive higher priority in tube-access than Type C cars. As such, Type C cars will automatically be routed out of the travel path of a Type B, even if it means the Type C car must pause at a wait station. Type B only access certain decks of the base, which requires that some passengers access a Type C car from their current location, to an express lift's designated deck.
Type C, Standard Personnel
Standard personnel lifts are designated for short-range travel on the base, usually spanning less than 30% of the base's length. Standard lifts can access any lift tube (including Cargo lift tubes) by using a special device. If it is necessary for a standard lift to access an express tube, the lift will be routed to the location of the nearest lift-expander. Expanders act as a larger outer wall for the standard lift, while holding it inside a fitted compartment. Expanders increase the speed of the lift as well.
Notes on Habitation Dome/Commercial sector
Because the habitation dome is a hollow interior of the base, a special system was designed to allow for the least impact on the dome's interior view, while allowing lifts to traverse through this area. A highly compact "core" extends from the top to the bottom of the dome, and contains four express sized, transparent tubes. Two of the four core tubes are express-only, through which Type B cars travel, without stopping, to lower or upper portions of the base. The other two tubes make dedicated runs from a wait station above the dome. (Those personnel wishing to access to floor of the dome from decks below, have access through standard lifts, which run only to the floor of the dome, from below. These lift stations can be found at various locations on the floor of the dome.) Specialized Type B cars, which do not contain the benches normal to Type B cars, will load and unload passengers on the floor of the dome, and at the wait-station. Both the wait-station and the load/unload area on the floor of the dome require the lifts to move out of the lift-shaft, allowing other express lifts to use the tube if it is not currently occupied. Lines for lifts to access decks above the dome, can often be as long as five to ten minutes, during certain hours of the day.
Safety Precautions
With such long turbolift shafts, numerous safety precautions must be utilized to protect personnel from faulty systems.
Expansion Bladder
The first measure of safety installed on all lifts and expansion cars, is called the expansion-bladder. (While named confusingly, this tool is not actually associated solely with expansion lifts, and is used on all sized lift cars).
In normal functioning, small locks powered by the lift's main systems keep special compartments on the exterior of the lift closed. Should power fail, the spring-powered locks automatically disengage, opening compact compartments of densely-woven inflating bladders. These bladders also utilize the lift's power to not inflate, and thus when power fails, they expand and wedge between the lift, and the shaft wall. While not necessarily powerful enough to stop the lift quickly, they can slow the car's speed significantly over long distances, eventually causing it to stop due to lack of momentum. This system also accenuates the effects of the emergency braking systems.
Emergency Braking Systems
These brakes utilize entirely independant power systems, and, in the event of a power failure, slow the lift to a stop. Should the braking systems be malfunctioning, the expansion-bladder is used.
Emergency Netting
This third, and final precaution, is used only as a last resort. This system consists of a large net, woven of incredibly stretchable material. All shafts are outfitted with a mechanism which slides the nets through the lift's path when the computer systems detect a lift is out of control. These nets can often cause significant injuries to personnel inside the lift, and as such cannot be used on express cars travelling at over 140kph.
Transporters
There are hundreds of small transporter stations around the base, which makes moving people between certain areas quicker and easier. These transporter stations are usually manned by just one officer, and are for use by anyone. Each person who lives on the base has a limited number of transports per week, which helps keep the energy consumption by these transportation devices down to a manageable level. Site-to-site transports are only allowed by command staff of high enough clearance. All other personnel must utilize station-to-station transporting.