Sigma Base

[dragoon500ly]

This is a background for an upcoming playgroup. As always, criticism, sniping, and comments are carefully accepted. After all, it's just a game! Enjoy!!

Overview

In my timeline, Sigma Base starts construction on 7 March 1975 and is completed on 25 July 1989. Sigma is built in north-central Missouri some ten miles north of the town of Brookfield. Located midway between Brookfield and Sigma Base is a section of rail line belonging to the BNSF Railway (Galesburg IL---Kansas City, MO---Pueblo, CO), this branch line is one of several east-west lines connecting, eventually, the East and West Coasts and sees a tremendous amount of rail traffic (as many as 120+ trains a day).

On the northern side of this rail line is Consolidated Industries (a subsidiary of Morrow Industries) shipping container storage, manufacturing, and refurbishment facility. This facility actually generates a handsome return for Consolidated, although not nearly enough to match the expenditures of building Sigma Base. The surface facility took in dozens of trainloads of “empty” shipping containers that were shuttled around the extensive yard with certain containers that had been “contaminated” being sent to a decontamination facility to be “sterilized.” Inside this facility, the containers were unloaded of their various pallets of supplies and then carefully steam-cleaned and then rotated out to the refurbishment facility where they were sandblasted and then repaired, repainted, and shipped out to new customers.

So heavy was the traffic moving through this facility, that the local workers seldom (if ever) noticed that more people entered the facility than left it. In any event, the Base personnel numbers were kept to an absolute minimum and all of them were carefully selected. To ensure security, all of them were ultimately destined to staff the Base and so the only people who knew the exact location of the Base were the people who were in it. As the underground portions of the Base were completed, permanent personnel moved into them and began operation of the Base or updated and modified existing equipment.

In the end, all of the people who knew the exact location of the Base became part of its staff. Other people knew of the Base, and a handful knew of its approximate location. These latter were also provided with clues that might enable them to reach the Base in the event of some emergency. But ultimately knowledge of and access to Sigma Base was the carefully guarded secret of its personnel. Even the Council of Tomorrow and its Chairman, Bruce E. Morrow were not privy to the exact location.

During the planning phases of Prime and Sigma Base, there was much discussion about the basic design, and what needed to be included in order to accomplish their mission. At a bare minimum, each base would have to provide for living areas, stowage for stores/supplies/raw materials, and basic manufacturing facilities in addition to command, control, communications, and intelligence facilities. The additional study determined that all of these functions would be essential to the mission.

Due to the separate locations, it was determined that different methods would be used for each base. While Prime Base would consist of three cylinders plus support annexes, Sigma Base would consist of tunnels sunk into the bedrock with support annexes.

[dragoon500ly]

Sigma Base consists of four tiers of tunnels, stacked in layers.

Tier One consists of five major tunnels interconnected with four secondary tunnels. Each of the major tunnels has a series of bays cut into both sides. The secondary tunnels also have smaller bays that are used as storage lockers. Tier One is dedicated primarily to three primary entrances (Personnel, Vehicle, and Aviation); as well as three decontamination facilities (one for each entrance). Base Security has three complexes (covering each of the entrances). Near the personnel, entrance is a medical screening facility; a central in-processing facility (complete with an MPID shop); transit team quarters, a dining facility; an exercise and recreation area; a housing/billeting office and a personnel assignment and adjustment office and an accounting/supply center. There are two Trans Cores that link with the lower tiers.

Tier Two also consists of five major tunnels, interconnected with five secondary tunnels. Two Trans Cores link it with the other tiers. This level is dedicated to Project-wide operations. Tunnels 2, 3, and 4 contain the operations floor; operations support; branch operations; the communications intercept center; the communications center; computer center; briefing rooms; a dining facility; an exercise area; base administration section, base internal telephone exchange; base video complex; base fire department (manned 24-7); the Project technical library; general technical library; the World Holo Map room and its viewing and control section and the Archives office (archive material is stored in the GSSP.) Tunnels 1 and 5 (the outmost tunnels) are divided into spare parts/raw materials storage; machine shops and parking areas for “deep storage” vehicles and aircraft. The secondary tunnels, as for Tier One, have smaller bays that are used as storage lockers.

[dragoon500ly]

Tier Three has seven major tunnels, interconnected with seven secondary tunnels pattern. Two Trans Cores like it with the other tiers. The main tunnels house food services (two sets of kitchens, dining rooms; and cleaning facilities; school and day-care/nursery; playground; civic center (with restaurant/bar; BX/commissary; auditorium; two community halls; concourse/park; club/lounge; arcade; tailor shop; class VI store; fast food & ice cream parlor; barber/beauty shop; a convenience store); exercise & recreation area; base laundry; library; hospital. Scatted around the major tunnels are (46) single-occupancy quarters; (227) dual-occupancy quarters; (100) tri-occupancy quarters; (50) quad-occupancy family quarters and (10) laundry rooms for a total population of 1,000.

Tier Four, the bottommost layer of the base consists of seven tunnels interconnected with seven secondary tunnels and with two Trans Cores. Tunnels 1, 2, and 3 contain hydroponics/fish farms. Secondary Tunnel D ends in a blast door that gives access to the Annexes and General Support Stores Pods (GSSP). Tunnel 4 houses additional hydroponics/fish farms as well as the farm administrative office. Tunnel 5 has farm stores and cleaning, sterilization, and maintenance facilities. Tunnel 6 houses the distillation & Brewing center and its associated supplies. Tunnel 7, due to the nature of its activities is connected to the other major tunnels by only two secondary tunnels (B and F) and these are sealed with blast doors. This is the location of Sigma’s Laboratories and Research. Here are the biology labs, chemical research, NBC warfare lab, and physics research labs.

[dragoon500ly]

Past the secondary tunnel D’s blast door are a series of annex tunnels: Annex A is the shop's section, consisting of, two woodworking shops; four machine shops; two forge rooms. Annex B is the engineering and production area, this consists of a mechanical engineering and maintenance facility; a materials and electronics engineering facility; a production & assembly area; a hydro/aerodynamics engineering facility; a fusion engineering facility, and a laser/energy facility. Annex C is a printing facility with an extensive printing store area. Annex D is the base arsenal, this consists of three sections: the base armory (repair/maintenance and reloading facility; the base arms room (ready stores of arms & ammunition, and the nine arms bays (which hold extensive weapons, ammunition, and related equipment.)

The General Support/Stores Pods: Like Prime, Sigma Base is can provide almost all of its needs. Please note that the GSSPs are intended to keep Sigma running and can only support the field teams assigned to the base. Sigma does have access to three supply bases that are intended to support field teams in the Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma areas.
GSSP is the anagram identifying the bulk supply and inventory system of Sigma. There is no office that controls and monitors the Pods. The Base accounting system keeps track of supply levels, and the location of each and every item. As levels decrease, the inventory system also keeps track of Sigma’s own production and directs any excess production into the GSSPs for long-term storage and eventual issue.

[dragoon500ly]

The Pods are sometimes referred to as warehouses, although sizes, shapes and special equipment varies. Each pod is a very large room with load-bearing walls and pillars and a locking door. Near the door is a computer terminal that serves as an inventory control point.

In essence, the GSSPs can be divided into three broad categories: Base supplies, foodstuffs and luxury goods. These are, at best, very broad groupings and there is some amount of overlap between the groups.

Base supplies are those items stored for the use of Base personnel and equipment supporting the mission operations. A very general list would include (but by no means limited to): uniforms, boots, POL products, rations; replacement power tools, tool kits; light bulbs, toilet paper, tarps, camouflage netting, paper, pens, pencils, hardware (nuts, bolts, nails, screws, etc.), electric wiring, kitchen gear and so forth. I will never draw up a total inventory list, but as Prime Base suggests, “require your players to think of and ask for what they want, or think they need. Then, if the item(s) is responsible, include it.”

Another thing to consider is the difference between perishable and permanent items. The GSSPs will include a large amount of perishable and very, very few permanent items. There would be a large amount of lights bulbs and vehicle spares….and very few replacements vehicles.

[dragoon500ly]

Foodstuffs are self-explanatory. Sigma produces plenty of vegetables and fish, even limited beef, pork, and chicken that will support its population. But the vast amount of foodstuffs will be in bulk containers, 55-gallon drums or cases of barley, coffee, corn meal, flour, malt, pepper, rice, salt, spices, sugar, tea, wheat, yeast, etc. as well as drums of fruits, fish, meats, and vegetables.

There are also GPPSs that are refrigerated storage. Here are stored items such as frozen beef, pork, poultry, mutton and fish, frozen fruits and vegetables, whole milk, and a slew of other items. Non-food items such as whole blood, camera, x-ray film, and selected drugs are also included.

Luxury items consist almost entirely of consumer goods such as items for the BX/Commissary system. The emphasis for this class of items includes jeans, flannel shirts, and other civilian clothing and footwear, brand name liquor, assorted soft drinks and beers, specialty foods, coffees, teas, and other delicacies, tobacco products, perfumes, jewelry, watches, and other items that would fall under this category.

[dragoon500ly]

Finally, there are four annexes that are placed at the extreme northern end of the base. These are the Power Annex, which maintains three fusion reactors (primary, secondary, and emergency), four bays with emergency e-batts, the Emergency Power Grid Control, the Base power plant (underground hydro-electric), Main Power Grid Control, and the Main Power Grid. The Water Annex contains a 1.7 million gallon tank of fresh water; four water wells. The Sewage Annex which filters, and recycles “gray” water and dries out and burns “black” water. Finally, there is the Air Annex which filters and recycles the base’s atmosphere and as well as filters and purifies outside air and then runs both through the base’s HVAC systems.

At the far end of the annex/GSSPs system are a security complex and another blast door, leading to the Annex Tunnel. The tunnel runs just short of three kilometers to the north of the Base. The tunnel is six meters wide and four meters high and it doesn’t run in a straight line. Starting three hundred meters from the blast door, it turns gradually northwest (in all a 10-degree turn) and after running five hundred meters, there is a blast door and a turn north (another 10-degree turn) and it then runs a kilometer north before another blast door and a 20-degree turn the northeast. The last one point five meters is straight and ends in another blast door. At the near end of the tunnel, its depth is eighty meters but gradually rises to a depth of three meters below the surface.

[mmartin798]

Just trying to wrap my head around Sigma Base's role. I am assuming it is C3I, as there just does not seem to be any manufacturing capability other than for food and base maintenance.

If these assumptions hold, then I think the base looks pretty complete. The only thing that was not clear is the scale of the base. Boring tunnels will generate a significant amount of slurry that has to be moved off site. The longer the tunnels, then more slurry needs to be taken away. This might make keeping it secret harder, especially if samples of the slurry need to be tested prior to disposal.

If the tunnels were blasted instead, then a similar problem with the tailings.

[dragoon500ly]

Work is in progress, but any manufacturing will be in the annexes. But I'm sketching a fifth annex. I researched exactly what type of manufacturing would be suitable. So far I'm considering ammo; body armor; computers; radios; and medical supplies, suggestions are cheerfully welcomed!

Looking over a geological survey of the terrain in my anticipated location, this is limestone with shale outcroppings (mostly the hills and ridgelines). So, insofar as the tunnels go, I'm looking at a tunnel-boring machine with the waste being funneled to the surface and shipped out via the storage containers.

[Grumpy0ldTroll]

Sorry for the thread jacking.

Talking about tunnels reminded me about a video I watch a month ago. An automated way of building the tunnel before you bore it.

https://youtu.be/bfJY0syocfU

Only brought it up because it would sound like a Morrow thing of building something in stealth. Still have to get rid of the slurry as was suggested earlier.

I assume that you could bring in the huge equipment at the end to remove the excess material. Maybe allow it to look like a much smaller operation.

[dragoon500ly]

Depending on how you time the tunnel boring, I can see the slurry being transported to be used in the construction of the cover facility.

[mmartin798]

Just doing some quick and dirty calculations. Assuming each of the 24 main tunnels are 150m long and 15m in diameter, the amount of material to be removed is about 832,000 yards. A large side dump trailer can carry about 26 yards. So to clear just those tunnels will need about 32,000 trailer filled. That might draw some attention if people see that coming from the same site.

[dragoon500ly]

That's fairly close to the numbers I keep coming up with.

So I see three possible choices:

Option one is to go with a combination limestone quarry that is later "roofed over". On a scale of one to ten, this is, at best a "2".

Option two is to go with a higher-tech solution, possibly a tunnel-boring machine with a laser cutter, I'm going with a "5" for this one.

Option three is based on a geological survey of the area that calls attention to several small caves in the limestone/shale strata. This one is problematic at best since most of the caves are described as "small". A PD solution is to rule that a possible large cavern was discovered and modified for use as a base. This one I'm calling a "2-3".

[nduffy]

The failed super-collider in Waxahatchie TX, Big tunnel just waiting for something to happen to it. I am actually working on a campaign where it is a regional supply base. So it was grabbed up under the guise it was bought by a private research group studying the effects of radiation, dark matter, and neutrinos. It gave a great cover for all the equipment that was hauled in in trucks, hidden under tarps and delivered at night.

[mmartin798]

The only real problem again is government regulations. The inspections and permits for the radiological material in some of the instrumentation, the semi-annual fire inspections and so on will make it quite difficult to keep the secrets.

[.45cultist]

Dragoon, there are lots of limestone tunnels used for storage. These could be "Starnaman" type depots. If you use these or say Sigma has such, have sections "closed due to instability" and sealed off with hidden entrances.

[dragoon500ly]

Sorry that I have been quiet on Sigma Base lately. Managed to get my greedy paws on copies of three geological surveys of my anticipated location. Nothing like obscure 600+ pages of scientific research!

This portion of northwest Missouri is comprised of mostly limestone and shale. There are mentions of numerous small caves with minor tunnel networks. The largest appears to be four caverns interconnected with tunnels and ranging about 0.75---2 kilometers in length and covering an area of roughly 4 hectares.

What is interesting are several comments on areas of shale that are described as "badly decayed", "rotting", and "crumbling". Which suggests areas that may be easier to tunnel. This leaves the question of shoring up any digging operations to insure that local seismic activity does not collapse all of the work. (The proposed site is on the outskirts of the New Madrid Seismic Zone.)

This, of course, leaves several options for a demented PD....