Introduction
Ground crews, also known as dock(-side) crews or station(-side) crews, are one of the often-forgotten key elements that make our great ships able to fly in space. We wanted to take a look into them, why they matter, how there are organized. This primer will focus on the ground crews that are directly hired, on a long-term basis, by a capsuleer, to provide ground services to said capsuleer in space-based environments.
In Section 1, we will look at the definition and origin of the term. In Section 2, we will discuss what are the benefits, and the downsides, of having a ground crew as an immortal. Then, in Section 3, we will look at the key roles that can be found in most crews. Last, but not least, in Section 4 we will discuss key processes for capsuleers’ ground crews.
What is a ground crew
The term “ground crew” originates from when our ancestor travelled by air and sea. In such ancient times, there were groups of land dwellers who provided support to airships when grounded, helping in docking operations, loading and unloading of cargo, maintenance and more. Similar groups were seen in the sea ports, where these groups, often external contractors and not actual seafarers, would provide similar services to the ships docked in the port. There was a clear distinction between who operated the airship while in the air or the sea ship while at the sea, and who provided support while on the ground or in port. Even with the rise of space flight, such term has lasted to this day. Nowadays, however, the term “ground crews” usually refers to crews located in planet side spaceports or in space stations providing services to spaceships.
In the years since men have spread through the stars, there had been an increase in automation of ground crews: drones are now a key element in every crew, able to handle the most dangerous and difficult tasks, such as refuelling or heavy-duty cargo lifting. Nonetheless, humans are still present, providing the human touch and the flexibility that drones lack. Most stations and ports require a human to interface with the station’s management and infrastructure before drones can take over the menial tasks.
Every space station, repair dock or planet-side spaceport have ground crews. The standard ground crew is crewed by local labour force, and they provide their services for a fee to every ship docking at their location. They answer to the station or the spaceport management and not to the ship’s captain. These ground crews will have a varying range of skills and knowledge, but they are usually able to generally support any model and type of ship coming to the berth.
Ground crews directly attached to a capsuleer are, however, different. First and foremost, these ground crews answer directly to the immortal pilot they serve and not to the station’s or spaceport’s management. They are paid and maintained by the pilot they serve. They are, in fact, a liaison between the two, working with the station’s or port’s management on behalf of the pilot. If classic land crews are tied to their physical location, capsuleer’s ground crews can be highly mobile, changing their base of operations multiple times during their services, often on a short timeline. Their knowledge is also often much deeper than common crews as their maintenance is tailored to specific models and types of ships. However, ground crews attached to a capsuleer are also subject to a higher risk as they could end up in a station or on a ship under attack: mortal personnel caught in between a fight of immortals. This can lead to a higher turnover but also to generally higher wages than normal ground crews.
Why a ground crew
Why should a capsuleer hire a stable ground grew?
Advantages
A dedicated ground crew can provide dedicated and tailored services made to suit the needs and requirements of a capsuleer in a way than a normal ground crew cannot. A normal, general purpose ground crew is able to conduct basic operations that works for everyone, but it is hard to get a truly tailored service from them. They have a general knowledge of many subjects but they lack in depth knowledge, which, on the other hand, it is something in which dedicated ground crews excels.
A dedicated ground crew is, as per its purpose, on a constant ready state to be able to service the capsuleer on a moment’s notice. The same cannot be said of general purpose ground crews: in the event that the demand for ground crews exceeds the supply, a capsuleer will be forced to wait for their turn. This is not something that happens when there is a dedicated crew on standby.
Last, but not least, a dedicated ground crew, especially if it is a veteran crew, can be extremely efficient. They don’t have to find or understand what is needed from them. Due to their experience, they know, and they can move without direct orders. Such characteristic also means less need of supervision from the capsuleer.
Disadvantages
A dedicated ground crew is a cost. How much of a cost depends on the arrangements. For those who provide full accommodation, then it means paying for the crew accommodations as well as a wage, medical coverage and other benefits. In some cases, even lunch can be part of the deal. In other cases, when no accommodation or additional perks are provided, the crew still has to be paid. Then, all the tools and drones used by the crew to provide the tailored service must be financed. In addition to these costs, a dedicate berth in a spaceport or in a station has its price. The spaceport or space station could also levy additional fees.
A dedicated ground crew is also a logistic problem to be managed. Especially when the base of operation has to be moved, the crew, their belongings and all the tools must be packed and moved to the new location. While the complexity is limited for smaller crews, it is not so limited for larger crews, especially if they service multiple pilots on arrangements of shared services.
Last but not least, a ground crew is a responsibility for the capsuleer who hire them. While most of the capsuleer have a rather dismissive stance on their responsibility to non capsuleer personnel under their watch, a righteous, honourable capsuleer should recognize how they are responsible for their ground crew.
The roles
Each ground crew is different, each with its own nuances, but there are a few roles that are recurring. These roles are the following:
Head of the crew
As per their title, this figure is the head of the crew. They overseers the crew’s activity and act as liaison between the crew and the capsuleer. They can also represent the crew in formal meetings and with the station management.
Station relationships
This figure has the role to coordinate with the management of the space station where they are located so that the crew has the right conditions and locations to operate.
Administration
This figure(s) is tasked to manage the administration of the ground crew. Such role includes wages, budgeting and procurement, as well as onboarding and offboarding of crew members.
Specialized Technician
This figure is a technical role that specialize on specific technical topics. Most crew will have multiple people with different expertise fulfilling this role. This role covers experts on ships’ systems, weaponry and drones as well as experts on the tools used by the crew itself. These are the technical people that actually work with ships’ crews to conduct repair and maintenance operations.
Some of these roles can overlap. For example, a head of the crew could also manage the relationships with the space station. How much there is overlap, heavily depends on how big a ground crew is. The bigger the crew the more specialized the roles will be while, in smaller crews, is not unusual to see people fulfil multiple, different roles. While a more structured approach brings a clearer chain of command, it also implies a slower and more complex management. On the opposite, a smaller crew with multiple “jack of all trades” can be faster and nimbler but also it might be harder to properly follow a chain of command and guarantee accountability. Both approaches come with their pros and cons. It is on the capsuleers and their crews to decide which approach to take; many veteran crews find their own balance in between these two approaches.
The processes
As with the roles, each crew has its own processes but there are a few processes that are recurring. These processes are the following:
Administrative processes
The management of a ground crew includes all a series of processes shared across every structured organization, such as the hiring and onboarding of new members, the termination of contract and offboard of leaving members, the procurement processes to provide the needed resources and tool to operate.
Additionally, the administrative processes also cover all the processes that pertains to the management of the relationships with the space station or spaceport. These processes include the permits to operate and compliance efforts with local regulations, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Supply Chain Agreements.
Relocation
Under this term we find all the processes that come into play when a ground crew is moved from one location to another. Under this term we find the accounting processes for all supplies and personnel, the processes for the recission of outstanding contracts and the preparation of new contracts at the destination, all the processes overseeing the packing, the loading and unloading of supplies and personnel, the actual physical move between locations.
Emergency relocation
A subset of the relocation processes is the emergency relocation processes. These processes are triggered in the event that a relocation is happening during a state of emergency, such as during an evacuation. While the standard relocation processes are defined in a way to provide a comprehensive outcome, the emergency relocation processes are focused on speed and efficiency: during emergency situation, there is no time to account for every asset or to load every crate. Priorities must be set and resources must be prioritized.
These processes are particularly important for ground crews operating in theatres of war and in capsuleer’s owned stations. In such scenarios, it is recommended that every crew member to have a ready backpack with important documents and critical supplies, so to be easily gathered and carried. It is also recommended for the ground crew to train and prepare for these situations and to define key emergency roles. Accurate accounting of resources can also be key during the emergency relocation processes.
Conclusion
This primer wants to cover the basic of a ground crew for a capsuleer, its pros and cons, key roles and key processes. We recognize that hiring and maintaining a long term, stable ground crew is not easy and comes with its challenges and benefits.
This primer is, by no means, a detailed and in-depth guide on the topic. A proper and in depth analysis would require more than the space of a primer. However, we believe we have provided a starting point from which conduct further analysis on the topic based on one’s unique situation.
Entry in the Prose category for the YC 127 New Eden Writing Contest .