The Vault

From afar, The Vault hangs amid deep space like a glittering gem, a diamond flickering amidst the endless darkness. As you approach, scanned and intercepted by numerous defenses - both visible and hidden - you can't help but think how fragile it looks... a patchwork of layered armor and energy fields forming an enormous web of constructs. But it is not fragile. Those layers of armor are shifting battle platforms, layer upon layer of redundant gun emplacements, ablative and repellent armor, sensors and strongpoints. The sheets of energy that flow between and around them are combat-grade shields, a perpetual barrier against kinetic and energy weapons. The only point of entrance is the shield gate, and enormous egress point at the tip of the diamond, itself made up of tiers of blast doors, force fields, and impenetrable locks. Getting in without an invitation is, by design, impossible. Within the outer shell of the station, tendrils of access tubes, "chains" as they are called, connect various modules in a vast web. These chains drag the modules along, repositioning based on the needs of the Archivists, Analysts, Keepers, and Watchers within, as well as protecting the contents from prying eyes... and keeping the most dangerous contents away from each other. The modules themselves vary: hab units, armories, training facilities, labs, supply storage, defensive fortifications, mission control, the office of The Curator... and the most mission-critical component of all, the secure cells where each artifact in The Vault's enormous collection is stored. These dangerous items, both new and old, are studies and contained within The Vault, never to be released again. The Vault has changed many times over the millennia, refit to meet the challenge of containment as new threats and new technologies emerge. The current Curator, the administrator of the entire Vault program, has seen to it that the weapons and equipment available to The Vault are the very best, able to defeat anyone who dares to attack them... but their greatest challenge may come from within...