“Independent orbital station in the remains of Halcyon's first colony ship. Captained by Junlei Tennyson and run by descendants of the original crew.
„—Halcyon map description
UDL-001 The Groundbreaker or simply Groundbreaker was the first colony ship to arrive in Halcyon during the Crossing. By 2355, it has been converted into an independent orbital station, and is the only place in the entire Halcyon system that is not controlled by the Halcyon Holdings Corporate Board or any other corporation.
Background[]
The crew of the Groundbreaker is fiercely protective of their independence from the corporations, and the corporations value the station's role as a thriving freeport enough that they are willing to deal with it on relatively equal terms. In practical terms, while the Groundbreaker rules itself, it cooperates with the corporations to an extent, such as by impounding ships that the Board happens to flag.
The Groundbreaker is commanded by engineer-turned-captain Junlei Tennyson. Udom Bedford is the Halcyon Holdings Corporation representative stationed aboard.
According to Junlei, lots of corners were cut when the ship was built, prompting Captain Guiying Tennyson to spend half of her career attempting to patch the ship back together after the Crossing from Earth to Halcyon.[1] In addition, the ship has tinkerings and bypasses that only the Tennysons know about.[2]
Faction Relationships[]
The Groundbreaker maintains a somewhat tense relationship with the Board, owing to their declared independence from Board authority, as well as their control of shipping routes outward from the Halcyon System. Nonetheless, given that Groundbreaker lacks any semblance of military might against the Board beyond the mardets stationed aboard the ship, the loose hierarchy in charge of the Groundbreaker often seeks to find (illicit) ways of delaying, stymieing, or pitting corporations under the Board's thumb against each other, usually through black market fences like Gladys Culkelly. Nonetheless, the Board maintains an embassy aboard the Groundbreaker run by bureaucrat Udom Bedford. Depending on the actions of the Stranger, the Groundbreaker's crew may be compelled to rebel against the Board's system-wide authority.
The Groundbreaker is generally neutral to Sublight Salvage and Shipping Corporation, and allows them to operate an office and warehouse aboard the ship, helmed by Lilya Hagen.
Overview[]
The entrance to Groundbreaker is always by the Groundbreaker Docking Bays in the south of the location. Felix Millstone can be recruited in the Docking Bays. To access the rest of Groundbreaker, one must pass through Groundbreaker Security before reaching the Promenade - the central area of the ship. Groundbreaker Security is also connected to the Stevedore Quarters and Repair Hangar.
The Promenade is filled with corporate establishments and businesses. On the southern end of the Promenade is the Rest-N-Go, The Lost Hope, Grounderbreaker's Medical Bay (where Ellie Fenhill can be recruited), a Spacer's Choice Vendor, Belle's Shells and the entrance to the Groundbreaker's Waste Disposal. The northern end of the Promenade is home to SubLight Salvage and Shipping Corporation's headquarters, the Halcyon Holdings Corporation Embassy, Auntie's Kitchen, Ike's Armory and a Spratwurst Vendor.
At the northernmost exit from the Promenade is the entrance to Groundbreaker Engineering. Junlei Tennyson and other Groundbreaker staff can be found in Groundbreaker Engineering.
Near the entrance to Groundbreaker engineering is an elevator which provides access to the Back Bays. The Back Bays are the semi-abandoned lower decks of the Groundbreaker which generally provides a home for orphans and outlaws. They are currently occupied by a group of outlaws led by Gunnar MacRedd.
Key Items[]
Unique weapons[]
| Icon | Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
 |
Montag | Pickpocketed or looted off of Captain MacRedd. |
 |
Salvager's Helper | Purchased from Gladys Culkelly. |
 |
Prismatic Hammer | In the sealed Repair Hangar which can be accessed via a loose panel in the back of the Stevedore Quarters. |
Unique armor[]
| Icon | Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
 |
Defective MoonMan Helmet | In the locked (Lockpick 20) storage room in the Spacer's Choice Vendor. |
|
MoonMan helmet | Purchased from Martin Callahan or looted off his body. |
| Sublight VP Armor | Received for completing The Chimerist's Last Experiment. | |
 |
Welder's Goggles | Received for completing Happiness is a Warm Spaceship. |
Quest items[]
Logs[]
Notes[]
- One Rest-N-Go Keycard can be used to open any of the three safes located in the storage room behind the counter in Rest-N-Go. Two can be found in the open (must be stolen), and a third is pickpocketed from Milo Ottinger.
- Raising your reputation on The Groundbreaker will substantially lower prices at shops on the Promenade.
- Groundbreaker used to have a self-destruct mechanism, but Junlei repurposed it some years before.[3]
Related achievements-trophies[]
| Icon | Name | Description | Gamer Score | Trophy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
SubLight to the End | Completed the Sublight quest lines. | 15 | Bronze |
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Fluid Circulation Pump Terminal, Cobbled Together, Maintenance Shaft (Groundbreaker)
- ↑ Junlei Tennyson, after completing Happiness is a Warm Spaceship, Groundbreaker Engineering
- ↑ Junlei Tennyson: "I gelded that thing years ago. Now it brews stim that goes down stronger than Nanner Spank. Family recipe.