Phoebe Station was secret laboratory located on Phoebe. It was used for research on the protomolecule by Mars and the Protogen Corporation.
Description[]
The base showed its military origins in its bones. The corridors, hardened to shield lab personnel from the void’s vicious background radiation, were in the colors of the Martian Navy. Each hallway bore the identification marks that told installation order, structural specifications, location within the base, and the date on which it needed replacement. The walls sported the same anti-spalling coatings as MCRN ships.
The food in the mess tasted of Mars - hot chili peppers, hydroponic fruit, ramen noodles in vacuum-sealed pouches, and daily low-g pharmaceuticals.
Station personnel had no extra space. Rooms held a rack of bunks four high with a shared very small head.
History[]
The station was established by a joint research group between Protogen and the Martian Naval Scientific Service. In addition to the researchers, Mars provided naval support staff, raising the station population to a few hundred people.
Events[]
As the Protomolecule research progressed, Protogen intentionally infected the Martians and trapped them in a sealed level 4 containment lab, to observe the initial infection stages on humans. Protogen researchers couldn’t afford to let the transformation fully run its course in a location they didn’t control, so once they had the early-stage data they gassed the Martians and then burned the bodies. [1]
The MCRN Donnager was sent to investigate why Phoebe Station had been silent for several weeks. The crew found that everyone on board was dead, incinerated and refrozen to the walls of the ice tunnels. All computer cores were also destroyed, indicating that there was a cover up.[2] Later, the UNN Nathan Hale was on route to Phoebe with the MCRN Scirocco following close by. When the Nathan Hale began a hard burn to Phoebe, the Scirocco fired five missiles at Phoebe Station, destroying the station and the moon.[3]
References[]
- ↑ The Expanse Novella The Vital Abyss
- ↑ The Expanse TV Series - Season 1, Episode 4: "CQB"
- ↑ The Expanse TV Series - Season 2, Episode 2: "Doors & Corners"