I want to be able to forward deploy one or more fleets, several jumps from my home system. This will, of course, require that they have maintenance facilities, and no doubt either a colony or recreational facilities where the fleet will be parked. A tiny colony would be easy, but supporting the number of planet-based maintenance facilities required would not. Moreover, I may want to reposition the fleet's deployment. Hence the idea of an orbital Fleet Support Base that contains sufficient maintenance modules and a recreational facility. Perhaps obviously, I would make this a refuelling hub as well. Questions loom large however.
Will the onboard maintenance facilities generate maintenance supply points? Do I need to build Maintenance Storage Bays to hold them? Do they go to waste if the bays get full?
Do I need cargo shuttles onboard? If so, how many?
Will this automatically die if an enemy fleet gets close to it? Is there any point adding CWIS to it, or a wing of FACs to guard it? Its active radar range will not be impressive.
For roleplaying reasons, I am tempted to add an orbital habitat to it, especially as it apparently adds very little to the build cost. Is this an utterly stupid thing to do? Might there be any benefit in doing so?
Will its own recreational facilities give it effectively infinite deployment time?
Is there anything I ought to know that I have omitted to ask?