Commercial – Colonization
Bridges Unlimited is a corporation founded by Jacob Kolikov in 2304. His vision was to place stations in systems where colonists might not desire to settle. The idea being that he could build a “bridge colony” to allow ships to stop at systems without ready sources of hydrogen. In the process, he could place a station there with many forms of entertainment which would not only satisfy those who had to stop but perhaps be a draw to the system in and of itself.
The first system he colonized was Selu (Clement, Sequoyah 0405). Though Selu is not a bridge world, he felt it would be a good place to test his business model. If it worked here, he would develop other locations without Zimm Points.
Jacob was a wealthy man through an inheritance from his family on Terra. The Kolikovs became very wealthy in the hotel business in the United States and then across Terra in the 1950s and 1960s, and Jacob was the sole heir to the fortune. His first plan was to build a station in the Cascadia subsector, between Kyiv (Clement, Cascadia 0503) and Catalunya (Clement, Cascadia 0202).
However, this failed to attract investors, who felt the established routes worked well enough.
Undeterred, Jacob approached the United States government who had staked claim to the Selu system, but had done little other than scientific research in the system. He agreed to lease Selu (a moon orbiting the gas giant Yowa) and allow US military vessels access to the station without cost. The United States agreed, and their participation encouraged other investors to join the effort. Selu Station was under construction by 2308.
After several false starts and construction problems, the station was finished in 2312. Jaco was already living in a large home inside Selu Station when the first workers arrived to live and work there.
Selu Station was not an immediate success. Most who were traveling between Boone (Clement, Sequoyah 0305) and Sequoyah (Clement, Sequoyah 0605) traveled instead to Gansagi (Clement, Sequoyah 0404). While he was able to get some to travel directly to Selu from Fimbulvetr (Clement, Sequoyah 0606) rather than travel to Sequoyah first, most traffic continued along the established Sequoyah-Gansagi route.
Over time the Station began to attract travellers and settlers. In 2323, the company established a colony in the CXE-807 system (Clement, Dade 0807) which ended in a mysterious disaster. In 2354, the corporation established a bridge colony in the Tupolev system (Clement, Superior 0710).
Locations
Headquarters
- Selu Station, Selu (Clement, Sequoyah 0405)
Important Bases / Facilities
- Tupolev (Clement, Superior 0710)