Rock Hermit (Oolite)

Rock Hermit
Size (metres, W×H×L)	750 x 750 x 750
Manoeuvrability	Roll: 0.0 Pitch: 0.0
Rotating	No
Energy recharge rate	5
Armaments	None
Defenders	2 Defenders 1 Scavenger
OXP or standard	Standard
Beacon	R

Overview

Rock hermit is a generic name for an asteroid that has been hollowed out for the express purpose of accommodation. This practice began in the early days of asteroid mining by prospectors looking for a cheap place to base their operations. Today, rock hermits are frequently occupied by retired bountyhunters and pirates seeking protection from the law.

Notable Features

Usually small traders are welcome to trade, swap gossip or to get robbed. Often Rock Hermits are home to shady affairs so narcotics can be obtained here at a low price. Food and luxuries are the stuff a hermit cannot produce, so these will go at a premium. Assure you get paid before you offload your fine Ineran Brandy though! Do not let the unglamorous name fool you: rock hermits are not defenceless. Most have a small fleet of ships ready to be launched.

Docking with a Hermit

Insofar as docking with a GalCop station is a similar exercise, some Rock Hermits do not rotate. Commanders should be aware however the standard dimensions of a hermit docking port as set down in the Hermit Almanac (see below), is a relatively narrow 138 x 138 x 330 (WxHxL). Given the standard hexagonal design. A tilted roll angle, keeping your wing tips to the corners is probably the best landing option for ships with a wide beam.

Famous Anecdotes

Xiibli Nbilibli: The legendary Blue Slimy Frog whose 'ColdCrushCorp' mining concern based in Eszara spanned Galaxy Two.

It is alleged that 'ColdCrushCorp' was the front for a massive smuggling ring. Xiibli was said to be the richest amphibian since the 'great marauder' Bloxfod Agriblad of Biabite. After 37 years of complete monopoly the 'ColdCrushCorp' was plunged into a financial scandal. The subsequent investigation promised to uncover corruption that went to the very top of GalCop. However the star witness Mau-Mau Mau-Mau, a feline from Soinuste (Chief accountant of Plyforth/Garand/Plyforth), mysteriously disappeared just hours before he was to take the stand. With Its reputation in ruins and a now hawk-like eye on its dealings from GalCop special anti-corruption department, 'ColdCrushCorp' was broken up into many smaller companies (who were greedily bought by ColdCrushCorp's previously intimidated rivals). Xiibli disappeared and many rumours circulated in dark corners of Corolis taverns about Xiibli having Hyper-spaced to Galaxy 4 to start a new empire of space junk yards. In fact the truth has only very recently been revealed that Xiibli had had a full body transplant and lived out his days as rock hermit dealing in gemstones & precious metals in the Atzaxe system until he was assassinated by Zau-Mau Mau-Mau the brother of Mau-Mau Mau-Mau. A posthumous DNA test revealed his identity. In excess of 100 tonnes of Gold was found hidden in the caves of his asteroid.

The demise of the Lavian Tree grub?

The Hermit Almanac

Weighing in at a hefty 14,000 pages, it is said that the hand-bound pages of Red Chaldo's The Hermit Almanac were responsible in part for the deforestation of Lave.

Covering such diverse topics as GalCop Asteroid excavation regulations (40 chapters) to the finer points of Galactic Brandy tippling. The Almanac will be found in any serious Rock Hermit's quarry. Antique hand-scribed versions (like the one shown) have been known to change hands for over 100,000₢. One particularly famous copy (said to have belonged to Chromebeard) was used as stake collateral aboard FurCorp heiress Magda DeMug's own CoachWhip liner in a no holds barred poker game. This copy is reputed to contain the only sure-fire prophylactic against the Hermit's Bane, apparently involving vast quantities of lethal spotted craboids boiled up in Dileonian lethal water and the resulting concoction dissolved in lethal brandy and the resulting salve then applied to the affected parts. This is usually regarded as sounding too much like someone's sense of humour to have any chance of success. The last person who tried it (another one of those eccentrics who seem to populate Galaxy 7 in vast hordes) died in the process, foaming at the mouth about some sort of Dawn Chorus, which must have been some sort of reference to the Orbelaxe Academy.

Oxp's affecting hermits

• Rock Hermit Locator an early .oxp (2007) allowing Rock Hermits to be located on the Advanced Space Compass (ASC)
• Rock Hermit Beacons OXP based on the above but has differing Rock Hermits with differing strength beacons located on the ASC. By Dybal (2020).
• Smugglers allows purchase of Rock Hermit Waypoints for different systems. Rock Hermits become centres of the Black Market in many systems, and also sell equipment such as Smuggling Compartments.
• Spicy Hermits emphasises the different roles of Rock Hermits and introduces abandoned ones.
• Pirate Coves Yet another variety of Rock Hermit
• Harder Hermits OXP Renders hard and nasty Rock Hermits truly vicious!
• Griff's Glowroids - better known as Hermit's Bane!
• Hermitage - acquire, own and run your own Rock Hermit!

• And see Links below!

Notes On Other Versions of Elite

Rock Hermits appear in many other versions of Elite, and in some they release ships if fired upon (such as Spectrum Elite), while in Archimedes Elite they can be 'mined' (without releasing mineral fragments) for a value of 2cr - however, this does earn you a black mark on your legal status, and as such is frowned upon by the police. See also Legends of Elite.

Custom Paintjobs

Hermit's Bane

• 

  Griff's Rock Hermit

• 

  Accessories OXP
  Rock Hermit

Real Hermits

We have a couple in our community, people who disappear from public gaze and slowly, slowly work away on an oxp or two. Check out CommonSenseOTB's work on Oolite 2.0, Frame's work on Babylon 5 and DGill's work on Feudal States.

Links

• Piracy
• Icosahedron Station
• Coriolis Station
• Dodecahedron Station
• Free Trade Zone
• Ye Olde Hermit Markets (2015-7) with 2 oxps by Spara: improving market profits (2015 & 17) and to identify the variety of Hermit when docked (2016).
• Owning your own Rock Hermit (2012).
• Owning your own Rock Hermit (2019).
• Owning your own Rock Hermit OXP (Hermitage by Phkb (2021)

• Griff Station Bundle - contains new textures for hermits
• Noshader Griff's alternate stations - contains an orange hermit!
• Accessories OXP - an old ambience OXP has different textures for hermits

Fiction

• Much of Stranger's Hermit takes place at a Rock Hermit in the Usanat system.