"Tales From Where Angels Fear to Tread" A White Star Lines Publication, A Division of Orbital Spa and Cruise 24 Arpil 827 A.S.
A Sudden Surprise
Cloaking technology has come a long way this century. What was once the most highly guarded experimental technology of the Liberty Navy has made its way into the general market in the decades since the Nomad War. While still not standard issue on every ship, more and more freighters and liners are carrying the devices. Seeing a ship appear from nowhere has gone from a once in a lifetime opportunity to being uncommon for those who make their living amongst the stars.
Of course, the main clientele of OS&C are precisely those who do not see such ships up close and personal on a daily basis.
Captain Theobold Franklin of OS&C|Reverie got to treat his Kusari passengers to such a sight in Manhattan Orbit. "We picked up an energy spike as a huge ship decloaked right in front of us, said Franklin. "It was a Liberty Atlantis Carrier, the LNX-Valley.Forge of the 5th Navy Fleet."
Many passengers rushed to the windows to see one of the finest pieces of Liberty Hardware casually toy with the laws of physics for her patrol, but the whole point of a cloak is being able to hide from curious eyes. "The Carrier sped up and suddenly cloaked again," said Franklin. "Many passengers still remained for some time on the panorama windows to see if the Valley Forge would reappear, but she did not."
Hopefully, the Reverie's passengers soon found other spectacular sights to distract them, but all of them will remember the time they caught a glimpse of one of Liberty's most elusive capital ships.
A New Port-of-Call?
The Zoners of Galileo have tirelessly dedicated themselves towards building and maintaining Freeport 12 in the Galileo system between Kusari and Liberty. The facility is well known among shipowners in Sirius for the specialty equipment they produce for aftermarket modification of vessels. Many OS&C liners have left Freeport 12 with new docking bays and cloaking devices. But Leon Dante, CEO of the station, would like to add a new reason for Orbital Vessels to stop by Galileo instead of passing through neighboring Kepler.
"We have just recently had a total refit of both facilities which are normally used as manufacturing factories for our equipment," said Dante. "We decided to use very vast areas of unused space due to new state of the art manufacturing modules which have been built and means we have our manufacturing done all in one place aboard each facility."
And what do the Zoners of Galileo plan to install the freed up cubic of their station?
"A shopping mall, a fully functional night club, a fully functional casino, 1000 accommodation suites which are divided at 500 per facility, also bars and restaurants."
While the ZoG are well known for their shipping and manufacturing prowess, they are significantly less experienced in carrying human cargo and have reached out to OS&C for assistance. "Equipping Freeport 12 with a nightclub and other exotic entertainments sounds like a capital idea," said Jonathan Seabourne, captain of OS&C|Breezewood. "Most Kusari traffic will probably simply head for the Golden Dragon in Shikoku, but I know a lot of Liberty customers would be very excited by the prospect of the forbidden fruits offered by a station outside of house space that's a little closer to home."
The Golden Dragon, a Hogosha-run facility in Shikoku, is notoriously skeptical of foreigners, and the feeling is oftentimes mutual. "Most Libertonians also dislike dealing with the Hogosha," said Seabourne. "Hopefully they don't take too much offense at diverting some patrons."
Negotiations are still ongoing, but commercial routes to the accommodations are expected to begin in the near future.
A Delightful Consolation
As the Rheinland Crisis continues, more and more trips to Baden Baden have been cancelled out of an abundance of caution. Most of OS&C's non-Rheinland customers have taken up on the corporation's complimentary upgrades to other Orbital properties such as Curacao and Luxury Liner Hawaii. Others have accepted vouchers for future trips. However, Rheinlandic visitors to Baden Baden that wish to still enjoy their vacation but not risk travel complications from leaving their house have a new option on the table: Planet Hamburg.
"Hamburg is an ideal world for winter games," said Linus VonClaussen, the Ducal liege of the planet. "It is rather more seasonal than New Berlin, and has its temperate spells. The alpine quintessence of our breathtaking glacial seas have the potential to form a remarkable tourist attraction." Unlike New Berlin where half of its luxury accommodations are constantly shut down due to its exceptionally slow day-night cycle, Hamburg is bathed in a more tolerable climate that allows for its snowy slopes to be enjoyed rather than endured.
Already, over 9,000 passengers once bound for the warm volcanic springs of Baden Baden have opted to swap out their snorkels for skis thanks to incentives from OS&C. Initial reviews have been glowing for Hamburg's underappreciated amenities. Its quaint hostels and B&B's have yet to be overrun by throngs of tourists, and its alpine charms stem from the genuine lifestyle of the people instead of an artificial veneer put on as a show.
Of course, other OS&C customers have started making inquiries to the new route in Rheinland, but the corporation is currently declining such requests. "We'll keep it as a purely internal route for now until the current conflict is resolved," said Seabourne. It makes sense that the corporation will not bring in new customers while evacuations of Baden Baden are ongoing, but once Rheinland settles down, Denver might face new competition for Libertonian socialites looking to hit the slopes.
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OS&C|Breezewood
Captain Jonathan Seabourne, Editor-in-Chief, Wanderlust Magazine
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