Jian Xi is a researcher in stasis biology, i.e. suspended animation.
He serves The Alliance at the station on Thoth, known as the "Ice World" for its stable sub-arctic cold conditions.
Water and ice, mostly ice, cover everything.
The Alliance is here because of our interest in these guys, the Zeels. They eat fish and flourish in the cold ecosystem.
And this guy, who also eat fish, but larger fish. Of course some of the fish also eat fish.
There are two realtively new research facilities here at Swerdlov Base. This structure houses operations that are basically doing pure research.
This facility is a bit newer and besides research most of our production work is also done here.
We have a number of these snocat tractors that serve for basic transportation though the terrain is too inhospitable even for them at any distance from the base.
The original Sverdlov Base was this structure which still houses our power generation facility. The base was originally set up by The Hegemony, but now The Alliance controls everything.
Most of our work involves these stasis modules where volunteers basically enter a state of suspended animation wherein they are pretty much frozen in time.
In fact we have some of these guys who have been chilling for a LONG time, decades or even centuries in a few cases. The Alliance figures this might be a method to reach destinations otherwise beyond our grasp. Part of our research is focused on their dreams, we are testing "the bug juice" from Shanzi. All very interesting in an arcane sort of a way.
Meanwhile, when we revive them or remotivate them, the view will be much the same as it was then they went under. Cold and colder.