Magash Highport is a large modern facility. As well as commercial and private berthing , it contains two separate shipyards, warehousing facilities and a Scout Base. Over 2 million passengers pass through Magash Highport every week.
On old Terra there is a saying among seamen that all ports look alike. Spacers say the same. Most Spacers and visitors from offplanet will be reasonably familiar with the look and feel of Magash Highport which is Imperial norm.
Magash has a Class VI Starport. Many spacecraft that are not capable of planetary landings visit the Highport. Shuttles run to Magash Down which is equipped to handle both orbital shuttles and suborbital transports. Shuttles also run to the other spaceports on Magash.
The design of orbital ports vary tremendously with local technology and requirements. Like many very large starports, Magash Starport is made up of several independent hulls joined together by shuttles. Magash Highport has an orbital dry-dock capable of both repair and construction work.
The Central Highport has a large zero-g warehousing area. Gravitied areas are provided for passengers, staff, and ship crews. Dock facilities with a range of capacities, can accept vessels from small launches to large freighters. When not loading, vessels can be placed in parking orbits, maintained by computer controlled robotic ship-shepherds. Refueling and routine maintenance is carried out by fuel lighters and mechanic tugs, or at a dedicated facility separated from the bulk of the port for reasons of safety. The highport shipyards are an almost exclusively zero-g facilities, and are capable of handling far larger vessels than Magash's ground shipyard facilities.
The legal status of the orbital station is in line with Imperial Standard. The entire facility is extra-territorial, with customs checks done on the dock. The Imperial Starport Authority Customs/Security Service maintains a small force to maintain station order. Magash Highport has extensive R & R areas, equivalent to the ground side startown. All the possible services available in most downport startowns are commonly available here, and strict customs controls with regard to visas, and so forth, are not applied within the station. Most Imperial government Ministries maintain offices on the station. Most passengers booked on scheduled vessels arrive directly at the shuttle dock from the world surface, but many other travellers only book passage after arriving at the orbital Station. This is especially true of travellers from worlds where the major transport companies do not maintain offices.
Tethered in a higher orbit is the working part of the station, a large zero-g warehouse complex, and an attached passenger terminal which can handle both starships and surface-to-orbit shuttles. Port control is in this region, one of the few places that artificial gravity is employed in this complex. Security levels in this part of the starport are highest, as the bottleneck between the shuttle docks and the starship docks allows for the easy monitoring of illegal emigrants or immigrants. Because Magash is the home of Silvan Diisarirga in her capacity as Duchess of Sabine, the Diisarirga Huscarles have a very close relationship with the ISA Customs Service.
In a trailing orbit from the docking complex, is the fuel depot, an array of liquid hydrogen tanks and fuel probes which are used to refuel visiting vessels. A fleet of fuel lighters are able to supply vessels while they remain in their parking orbits. Also in this complex are the orbital facilities of Isirihikag Organics, the major supplier of fuel to the starport.
Finally, far to trailing of the main starport are the shipyards, which are capable of building starships, system craft and providing most types of maintenance and major repairs. Magash Shipbuilding and Spacedock Company and Geschichtkreis Sternschiffbau AG (GSbAG) share administrative and design facilities, but have separate workshops and construction berths. Also in this structure is the Scout Waystation facilities. The domain of the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service, the Docks, incorporate the Waystations's Shipyard, which is capable of major repairs of ships under 5000 dtons.
A large part of both Magash Highport and the various downports is set aside for warehousing of imports and exports, and often transshipments are stored here as well. The Freight Terminal acts as a clearing station for all the cargo and freight which passes through, directing loading crews to newly arrived vessels, cataloguing the location of various stored cargoes, and ensuring the security of their clients wares.
Magash Down is located in the Irahiir Caverns. There is no true extrality line. The starport is located in a series of underground chambers that are connected to the rest of the Irahiir facilities through three mass transit tunnels. Custom controls are primarily centered on these gateways. While commercial and private spaceports on Magash use a large number of freestanding berths on the surface, all of the berths at Magash Down are underground. This makes freight handling and repair work much more convenient at the Imperial port than at its commercial rivals. Magash Down handles twenty times the freight of all other planetside ports combined.
The IISS has a base on Magash, which is the down portion of the Waystation. The berths here are intended primarily for Type S scout couriers and other small craft. Like the Down the station is located at Irahiir Caverns. The main office of the Traveller's Aid Society is at Magash Down. Hotels for the tourist and business travellers are easily reached by mag-lev train.
In most cases, at the downport, the parking areas for the vessels include loading facilities. Although dedicated systems exist for special cargoes such as petrochemicals and grain, most freight is loaded and unloaded in standard containers, using small ground or grav vehicles to haul the them around. For smaller freights, cargo robots are often employed.
Located near the entrance to the Starport, the Passenger Terminal provides booking offices, luggage loading facilities, waiting rooms, and various restaurant and shopping facilities for passengers leaving and arriving at Magash. The Magash Starport hotel, and a TAS Hostel, are closely linked to the Passenger Terminal. In addition, the Passenger Terminal is interfaced with the local transit system, which includes the Irahiir mag-lev monorail, subsurface shuttles, road, and ballistic suborbital transport. This part of the Starport is unusual in that there is no real extrality line, merely checkpoints at the three mass transit tunnels that join to the Irahiir Arcology. As the Passenger Terminal is the part of Magash Downport most closely involved with the world beyond, Port control & Administration is co-located here.
Customs & Security is carried in a variety of ways. The Imperial Starport Authority Customs/Security Service maintains agents dirtside. The Duchess's office maintains a cadre of Rangers to supplement the custom agents, though they must be sensitive to the concerns of Irahiir Security. The huscarles of house Diisarirga also maintain a contingent at the highport.
While flight in a modern starship is extremely safe, when accidents or malicious acts do cause crashes, the results can be devastating. As a result, the landing grounds of many starports are located far from any buildings, and in most cases an approach over the sea or wilderness is preferred. Magash Down which is located almost entirely underground, is at the northern edge of the Irahiir arcology, which is itself almost entirely subterranean. The underground berths are the responsibility of Ship Services, which maintains emergency teams. Magash Startown is a rather tame version of the typical port town. The Star Rangers and Irahiir Security keep spacers on Magash in tight rein.
At Magash, the activities of the Docks Down are limited to ships owned by the IISS, including ones on loan to Detached Duty Scouts. Other IISS activities are also located here, including administrative offices and cartography facilities. A single tunnel joins the Scout Base to the Downport.
All major starports are complex facilities to operate, and are often one of the most sensitive parts of a world, in terms of economic and strategic importance. As a result, the administration section is often large, and very important. It certainly is at Magash. In addition, the Administration division incorporates the starport's traffic control, which controls traffic not only to Magash Downport but also at the other spaceports and traffic throughout the entire system. The complex interaction of Passenger Services, Freight Handling, Ship Services, and Customs & Security require constant supervision. Finally, the Administration division is responsible for liaison with local Ducal and Imperial authorities.
Many large companies have built or hired their own facilities within the starport extrality zone. Tourist shops and restaurants also are located in the starport.
