'''The Star Cross Space Station''' which lies in orbit around Ain between the planets of [[Jihar]] and [[Falkaris]] is the main business branch in the [[Ainar|Ainar System]] of [[Palaxis Heavy Industries]] a subsidiary corporation of [[Diamond Enterprises]]. ===Description=== Over a kilometer in diameter, ''Star Cross'' is composed of a broad outer docking ring; an inner habitat ring containing residences; and a central core containing the promenade, etheric reactors, and the operations center. Four sets of docking pylons sweep up and down equidistantly around the docking ring, defining a spherical shape and giving it (if viewed from the top or bottom) the impression of a star-burst with a halo surrounding it. Within Star Cross, the promenade serves as the main public thoroughfare in which visitors and workers congregate, on which can be found a variety of small businesses (all subsidiaries of Diamond Enterprises), the infirmary, the central security office, a mineral assay office, and a recreation hall for the miners and private security teams. A weapons storage area is located on the fourth level, Section 2 of the habitat ring . On level five is the mechanized defense hangar where small fighter craft and armored suits designed to operate on space or land by Palaxis Heavy Industries reside, they are only used should the station come under attack. There are normally about 1,300 permanent residents and workers of the station, though the station can accommodate up to 7,000. ===History=== Founded in 3217 ED by Palaxis Heavy Industries, the Star Cross station served as a jumping off point for inter-planetary expeditions into the Ainar system by interested corporations and historical groups. Though the [[Eternals]] were aware of Palaxis' activities in the area they had no reason to afford them extra scrutiny. It wasn't until after the appearance of [[New Thallien]] in 3509 ED that tensions began brewing between the Eternals and the Palaxis corporation. Palaxis had claimed salvage rights on the asteroids and debris in the Ainar system sevreal hundred years prior and claimed that they had exclusive rights to own and operate their industries off of the resource-rich New Thallien. The Eternals had persisted that New Thallien was a protected world due to the outstanding circumstances that were brought about by its appearance, and the Palaxis corporation (backed by funding from Diamond Enterprises) formed a blockade against Eternal vessels entering Thallien space, demanding that they adhere to local government treaties on space policy. What could have broken down into a potentially scandalous conflict between the arms manufacturing company and the Eternals ended when a member of the Eternals society, a Rho whom served as a barrister of the law with some reknown in his mortal homeworld fiercely ''objevted'' to the corporations handling of the situation and appealed to the [[Covenant of Allied Systems]](CAS) whom held dominion over the mostly uninhabited Ain system to revoke Palaxis' liscense in regards to Thallien space. With the clout of the Eternals at his backing and the abuse of several legal loopholes, Palaxis' mining and mineral salvaging rights were removed in regards to the newly formed world, as it was not present at the time of their contract signing and thereby is not a part of their collective property. Defeated, the Palaxis corporation returned to their mining operations on the edge of Ainar while building growing distaste for the strongarm tactics of the Eternals. As of 4319 ED the Star Cross Station has become a metropolitan hub for archaeologists, explorers and scientists who have come to the newly famous Ainar system in search of the secrets of one of the oldest solar systems in the galaxy, the majority of the workers who mine the planets on the outer rim of Ainar have come to a begrudging acceptance of the Eternals growing presence in this region, though they are among the least vocal of anti-eternal settlements in this region of space.