"Tales From Where Angels Fear to Tread" A White Star Lines Publication, A Division of Orbital Spa and Cruise 6 June 827 A.S.
A Return to Normalcy
With the politics of Stuttgart stabilizing in favor of the Empire, Orbital's board voted to re-open the resort world of Baden Baden to non-Rheinlandic customers for the first time since the start of the Civil War. "While the war is far from over, the Stuttgart system is no longer the entrenched front lines of the conflict," said Jonathan Seabourne in a statement earlier today. "The absence of Republic capital ships means that we can safely transport passengers in and out without fear of being caught in the crossfire." Both sides in the conflict avoided confrontation with OS&C assets and Baden Baden's combination of humanitarian assistance with refugee evac along with SPA-SEC vessels in orbit ensured that the volcanic pleasure planet remained neutral in the conflict. Luxury accommodations are currently being converted back to their original purposes and the first batch of outside visitors are expected later this month.
A Run for the Money
The OS&C liner Red Velvet Club is well acquainted with the rougher company of Sirius. It comes with the territory she traverses. Triton Expedition vessels venture far from police and military patrols, and her luxuries are an inviting target for the pirates of the sector. A delicate balance exists between liners and raiders, and mutual understandings have emerged to keep all parties involved flying. When one side violates those understandings, things can take an unfortunate turn.
The Velvet was taking VIP's to Freeport 11 when it was stopped in Omicron Rho by the Auxesian pirate ~Barbarossa~. "I am no stranger to piracy," said Captain Caitlyn Cross, "and will "donate" as much money as the rest of you each month to ensure the safety of my passengers." However, the pirate demanded an excessively high fee that would have wiped out the profits of the journey and risked the solvency of the Velvet.
The Captain scanned her target and made the bold choice to run for Durban Station. Fortunately, Captain Cross's experience served her well and she made the right call. "As the fight started it showed that this pirate was, even though he had a bomber fully loaded with torpedoes, a terrible shooter." The evasive options for a Palace-class liner are limited, but Cross managed to dodge most of Barbarossa's attacks and repair what damage she took mid-flight. Eventually, the Core Battleship Olyana arrived on the scene and made quick work of the pirate thanks to the capital ship's superior range.
The Velvet needed only minor repairs after the incident, prompting Captain Cross to offer some advice to other would-be pirates. "A little cost analysis would have saved the pirate a lot of repair and ammo costs."
A Fond Farewell
Captain Jack Ashton has stepped down as Subdirector for Orbital Network Express. Ashton served the corporation well with his organization of the Riviera Resort project which he saw through to the end before handing off the access codes to his successor. "It has been a great honor to be entrusted with the task of having our first space station built, and of leading ONE and OS&C into this new era," said Ashton as he left Orbital's first foothold in Gallic space.
The rest of the board of directors has been universal in praise for Ashton. "We would not have been able to do all that we've done without him," said Jonathan Seabourne. "I'll be sorry not to see him at board meetings, but I too know well the siren song of the stars, and piloting a corporate desk leaves precious little time to actually fly."
Ashton remains a Captain, of course, and will certainly entertain many guests aboard the Boundless Pleasure in the future. His successor, Richard Charles, has already been hard at work organized a fleet of company owned rather than individually franchised logistics transports, ensuring that ONE will continue to improve its ability to satisfy the luxury needs of all of Sirius and beyond.
> > > > Closing Transmission < < < <
OS&C|Breezewood
Captain Jonathan Seabourne, Editor-in-Chief, Wanderlust Magazine
![[Image: Luxury_liner.png]](https://discoverygc.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Luxury_liner.png)
![[Image: PojtqNs.png]](https://i.imgur.com/PojtqNs.png)