The deep maints are a series of procedurally generated maintenance tunnels based off of the same concept from Eris (I think). They would be filled with the usual gamut of maintenance loot, along with the occasional machine board, and even more rarely, McGuyvered super-gizmos which cannot be taken out of the deep maints. Such loot would be offset by dangerous monsters ranging from malfunctioning drones that beat you down with their tools to lost crew whose minds were consumed by the endless labyrinth. Beware, however; the deep maints have driven many who came before into the depths of madness - and you could very well be next.
LORE:
A failed experiment in harnessing bluespace technology, the original purpose of the deep maints has been lost in a mountain of paperwork somewhere in the bowels of Centcom's archives. What is known about it is that its existence is made possible by a combination of a theoretically infinite bluespace pocket and material synthesis mechanisms similar to those found in Nanotrasen's engineering cyborgs. Whether deliberately, accidentally, or as a machination of fate or some other force, entrances to the bluespace pocket have been installed within the maintenance shafts of some stations.
Records indicate that a significant number of personnel - mostly assistants - have been reported missing and completely unaccounted for on such stations where entrances to the deep maints are present. Policy dictates that any attempts to retrieve those reported lost in the deep maints are only to be conducted by personnel from the same station that they were reported missing from.
Myriad rumors have surfaced about the deep maints and what lies within them. Some say that the drones that built the deep maints have gone rogue, and will hunt down anyone that encroaches on their domain. Others say that makeshift societies of assistants and other lost crew have formed within the deep maints, attempting to eke out something resembling a satisfactory existence free of corporate influence. One particularly adamant lizardwoman is convinced that the bluespace pocket containing the deep maints encroaches upon the domain of the Geometer of Blood herself.
Whatever may or may not be true about this place, the deep maints have attracted explorers, deserters, and general ne'er-do-wells alike into its causeways and corridors. Whether you seek adventure, loot, freedom, or escape from whatever catastrophes are otherwise unfolding around you, the deep maints offer a tempting alternative to lavaland or outer space. One must take heed, though, for the deeper you descend into the deep maints, the tighter their grip upon your body, mind, and soul.
BASICS:
The entrance(s) to the deep maints has a chance to spawn in maintenance, taking the place of a piece of rare maintenance loot. The deep maints proper are a multi-z area laid out like a series of tunnels with side rooms of various sizes. In order to prevent skipping through levels of the deep maints with explosives, the plating that makes up the floor is indestructible. Each successive level of deep maints is more dangerous than the last, but has more and rarer loot.
LOOT:
In addition to the usual run-of-the-mill maintenance loot, the deep maints also spawn a wide variety of items that are usually available roundstart on most stations. This includes tools, machine boards, machine components, food, reagents, and clothing. Just about anything that you would have a good reason to bring back to the station cannot be removed from the deep maints, to prevent powergamers from using the deep maints for loot (though they can still be used as a base of operations for shady activity).
MONSTERS:
Like any good dungeon-like structure, the deep maints have their fair share of mobs to fend off. Here is a sampling of some of the enemies that could appear.
- Malfunctioning Drones: The drones responsible for building the deep maints have gone rogue, and will attack anyone trying to encroach upon their creation. These drones chase you down and beat you with their tools. While they don't do much damage on their own, the injuries they inflict can easily rack up as you continue traversing the deep maints.
- Insane Assistants: Assistants who have lost their minds to the deep maints. Each one wields a different weapon, but tend to have makeshift weapons like spears and pipeguns. Watch yourself around them - they may not be as dangerous as the assistants stationside, but they are far more numerous.
- Proteons: Currently, they only appear on the ruin where you get the cleric mace design disk. Given the lore in their description, it would make sense for them to appear down in the deep maints.
- Swarmers: Small packs of yellow swarmers that have found their way into the deep maints in the process of infesting a station. While they can't kill you, if they manage to staminacrit you, they could teleport you near mobs that can kill you.
- Gold Core Mobs: It should come as no surprise that some individuals have set up xenobiology labs in the deep maints. These monsters are the fruits of their labors.
