User:Dante the Ghost/Sandbox

Makes sense.

Overview
Launched to Titania on 15.12.799/999.M28, the Titanian Expedition's job is to mine a rare energy crystal found nowhere except on this planet to alleviate an existential crisis that threatens Kōneria. With an initial mission complement of 840 men this has since expanded to over 5000 several resupply missions later.

As the energy crystals were rarely found upon the surface the base was established in the ice shell and steadily dug down to the subsurface ocean below. Along the way countless rooms were dug out of the ice and rock to expand the base. Once the ocean was reached the majority of the mining vehicles brought were then converted into submarine vessels, with a number retaining their original specifications. The base completed a month after landing, the original colony was then abandoned and is now mostly used to store surface vehicles and to provide power from the constant wind and lightning storms which ravage the planet.

Buildings
Shaped like a large "bowl" inside the ice the Kōnerian Central Command (KCC) features numerous chambers containing storage facilities for the crystals and local materials, barracks for the miners and base personnel, and vehicle garages for the underwater vehicles. A small number of research facilities have been created to study the vast variety of chemotrophic and chemoautotrophic ecosystems encountered in the ocean, once thought to be impossible due to the energy requirements. Vehicles are manufactured here from locally mined metals once a factory was set up along with a 3D printing system; smelters and refiners were also set up, and small payloads of metal are set back with the energy crystals, including captured hydrogen.

Bordering the subsurface ocean are thirty underwater towers, extending a few hundred meters into the water, arranged in a rough circle to match the base. These are simultaneously defense towers and sonar/radar distortion generators, as occasionally predators would sometimes track to attack the base. Contained in these towers are the garages, stacked upon one another, connected via elevators and staircases. Topside is the old base, which has been converted into power plants and garages.

Finally, last but not least, in the long cable which connects the subsurface mining base to the small space station high in the atmosphere. Due to the dangerous lightning storms and fantastic wind speeds, it was deemed unsafe for TAVs to continue flying back and forth between space and the ground; one or two accidents solidified that belief. A smaller version of the Celestial Dock, the space station, called simply Titania I, has one major hub with its own power source. It oversees the launch catapult where the IP-C SC Capital Star rests during its unloadings and uses for its return, usually coinciding with the arrival of another IP-C SC. The station also controls a number of satellites which map the surface of the planet, and monitors all activity down below.

Underwater
The TMP submersible is one of the simplest and smallest vehicles of the Titanian Expedition; just over six meters, the size of a large truck on Lylat, driven by twin electric motors, it is equipped with a drill and a multipurpose claw. It contains enough cargo space for a few hundred crystals, a sleeping station for its one pilot, and enough consumables for a few days; also possesses two AUVs ("Autonomous Underwater Vehicles") with space for ten crystals, and one DPR ("Diver Propulsion Vehicles").

Next up is the TMP/M-DM submersible. Measuring twelve meters, it is a larger version of the Miner equipped with three arms—a drill, multipurpose claw, and a shovel—and with more cargo space. Like the Miner it is manned by one pilot, but possesses more creature comforts—in addition to a sleeping station it has a small kitchenette adjacent for longer stays. Carries two AUVs and a DPR.

The TMP/LMU submarine measures up to forty meters in length and sports several drilling apparatuses of all varieties upon its numerous arms. This vehicle is usually the mothership for the smaller vehicles and is the repositories for their crystal cargoes. In addition it has an onboard smelter and refiner for any ores collected, space for fifty AUVs and six men, and can stay out in the field for a week or more.

The TMP/ADU Harvester submarine is the same size as the one before, but prioritizes cargo space over necessities: room for several thousand crystals. This one is the “transport” unit for the smaller vehicles, ferrying crystals to the Command Base for storage and bringing back extra supplies to keep miners going in the field. Due to increased attacks by the local wildlife it is equipped with repurposed tools for defense.

The TMP Driller is an underwater vehicle that functions effectively as a base, and has a powerful set of motors for propulsion; for local movement its six support pylons can be utilized as legs. It is crewed by five men and has three living modules—sleeping hab, recreation hab, and command hab—with numerous AUVs to help mine crystals; and with docking space for twelve TMPs, four M-DMs, and one LMU. Its central drilling arm, used for melting through rock and ice effectively, is able to be converted into a massive energy cannon for when particularly aggressive wildlife attack.

Topside
The TMP Mining Tank was originally built for mining into mountains where richer sources of crystals could be found buried deep within; but is now largely a militarized vehicle, sporting heavier armors over storage-space, a missile-rack, several machine guns and a large railgun; plus two arms, one of which contains a claw. Carries two men, both well armed if the tank is rendered inoperable, and has consumables up to a week with rationing; half that if not.

The TPM Crystal Reaper is reminiscent of a farm harvester and uses both powerful, rotating blades to slice up icy fields (and free crystals from the ground) and suction hoses to draw up any harvested crystals. As crystals are rare on the surface, it is capable for going for weeks before needing to return. It is crewed by two men.

The TMP/RaD Tricycle is for reconnaissance. Originally built to find more crystal fields it now serves as a patrol unit for the Expedition. It can carry up to three men, one pilot and two soldiers, and support them for four weeks' worth of consumables, if rationed. If not, one week. Has one mobile turret with targeting capabilities doubling as cockpit and two independently operated laser-cutters.

The V/STOL Dropship ferries cargo between separated Expedition vehicles, and can carry several from place to place. Operated with a three man crew with consumables lasting for a week, it features multiple claw arms for latching onto vehicles, and two machine guns on its wings and a rotary cannon on its nose.

Facility information
Official Name: The Titanian Expedition

Colloquial Name: Kosmos

Location: Titania

Purpose: Refine mined energy crystals and ship them back to Kōneria

Diameter: 10 kilometers

Radius: 5 kilometers

Area: 78.54 kilometers

Circumference: 31.42 kilometers

Armament:
 * Defense Stations
 * Sonar distortion field

Complement:
 * 5000 men and women
 * TMP Miner I—(Titanian MultiPurpose)
 * TMP/M-DM II—(Mobile-DualMining)
 * TMP/LMU IV—(Light Mining Unit)
 * TMP/ADU Harvester LXIV—(Armored Drilling Unit)
 * TMP Driller
 * TMP Mining Tank VI
 * TMP Crystal Reaper V
 * TMP/RaD Tricycle XXXII—(Reconnaissance and Defense)
 * V/STOL Dropship III

Historical information
Built: 15.12.799/999.M28

Destroyed: ???

In use: Yes

Controlled by: The Titanian Expedition

Notable info: Mining energy crystals to avert an existential crisis.