Wanderlust: The In-Flight Magazine of OSC

[Jonathan Seabourne]

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Wanderlust Magazine


"Tales From Where Angels Fear to Tread"
A White Star Lines Publication, A Division of Orbital Spa and Cruise
11 July 827 A.S.

A Royal Coronation

Kusari has been sadly underserved by OS&C assets since the loss of Mackinac several months ago. Orbital has deployed several stop-gap measures including increasing trips to the Golden Dragon Casino and partnering with the Zoners of Galileo to offer amenities and transit to Freeport 12. With luxury accomodations in Kusari proper at a premium, one enterprising OS&C captain had an enlightened idea: why not bring the richness of Kusari to the people instead?

The liner Kyushu Princess took to the stars for its maiden flight under Captain Asami Tamura. Every OS&C liner has its particular quirks and features that make them unique. However, they have traditionally adhered to a general aesthetic that gives novel amenities a certain familiar feel for our experienced travelers. Navigating to the forward lounge on an OS&C vessel is a universally familiar process. Once you arrive, though, you might find a zero gravity acrobatics performance or a space menagerie of Gaian wildlife depending on the vessel. However, the Kyushu Princess represents a radically different design motiff to better capture the spirit of Kusari.

"The Kyushu Princess will have all of the luxuries a normal OS&C package offers, including but not limited to Bars, Restaurants, Casinos, Pools and Waterparks," said Captain Tamura. "[However], most excitingly, traditional Kusari festivals shall be held on board as well as seminars teaching ancient and current Kusari traditions.

Between themed rooms and the more "traditional" uniforms of the OS&C staff, jaded travelers looking for something new or first time flyers looking for a taste of Kusari closer to home will be well satisfied.

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An Interest in Conflicts

After a brief lull of peace in the wake of the Gallic War, the rivalies of Sirius have once again heated up. The factions of the sector find themselves jockeying for position to take advantage of neighbors that have recovered more slowly, and the skies are once more filled with fiery explosions and silent wrecks.

Fortunately, Orbital seems well positioned with the affected parties for this round of conflicts. The progress of the Rheinland civil war has seen the Stuttgart system well secured under the Imperial government. As a result, the volcanic streams of Baden Baden are once again available to all the citizens of Sirius to enjoy. The reorganization of the Liberty Insurgency also poses no threat to Orbital assets as both sides in the conflict respect Orbital's neutrality with our passenger service an explicit exception to Liberty's embargo of Vespucci. And Kusari's occupation of the Taus sees no threatened destinations with Orbital's new Gallic assets well behind the front lines in New Paris and most destinations booked to the isolated (and protected) Provence system. For the first time in recent memory, Orbital has no cancellations due to security concerns. Even with our abundance of caution for the safety of our guests, Orbital's shrewd diplomacy means precious few villains out there want to take shots at Orbital liners. Those that matter don't mind us, and those that mind don't matter.

In fact, Orbital's "just passing" mindset offers a unique opportunity for our travelers: the chance to witness these historic battles without having to enlist and risk life and limb. Recently, Captain Caitlyn Cross of the liner Red Velvet Club stumbled across an engagement between the Insurgent vessels INS-Renegade , INS-Gallant.Gallows, Non.Sequitur and the Liberty vessels 5th|LNS-Vermont, LNS-Alabama, 5th|LNS-Loyalist. and LPI-SWAT-Elizabeth. Once the dust settled in the California system, the Liberty forces were victorious. "All in all, it was an impressive show of Force," said Captain Cross. "My Crew and I had a Breathtaking view."

It was unfortunate that Velvet was making a cargo run at the time, meaning only her crew got to witness the awesome firepower of the Liberty war machne first hand. But other vessels making the run to Curacao will surely come across Insurgent activity, and potential passengers on the fence about booking a voyage would be well served to do so sooner rather than later. The legendary spas of Curacao are always worth the trip, but the potential for some fireworks along the way courtesy of the Liberty Navy will likely be a limited time offer.

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A Whale of a Time

Terrestrial cruise lines offered many curious sights for planet bound denizens in the days of old Earth. With only a single planet to explore, enterprising captains had to make the most of the sights that humanity's homeworld had to offer. From glass bottomed boats to examine her extensive coral reefs to river cruises to explore historic ruins from the comfort of a stateroom, all sorts of curious itineraries opened up that seem quite pedestrian compared to the offerings of a modern interstellar luxury liner. However, Earth's mega-fauna did offer one experience that Earth's space-bound descendants could never quite fully replicate: whale watching.

Whales were giant sea-based mammals that had evolved similar features to that of fish. They breathed air but had giant fins and massive bodies that could not survive outside of the salt water oceans they called home. These "gentle giants" were sources of endless fascination as vessels would take day trips out to their feeding grounds to watch them surface. The less developed biospheres of Sirius's oceanic worlds has not given an opportunity for whale-sized creatures to evolve. However, that didn't stop Captain Jack Ashton from improvising a curious work-around that seemed to focus more on the "giant" and less on the "gentle" aspect of those ancient cetaceans.

"A very small group of wealthy unnamed individuals contacted me asking to rent the Boundless Pleasure for a trip to Freeport 11 in Omricon Delta," said Captain Ashton. "After a short pit stop I managed to enlist the crew of Barbarosa The One Eyed to take us Nomad spotting and man did we get lucky." Nomads, the enigmatic alien constructs of Sirius are known for their massive vessels that are as elegant as they are deadly, breath-taking in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Some would consider taking a Democritus-class luxury yacht into Nomad-infested space to be a deathwish, and they'd be absolutely right in thinking so. Fortunately, Ashton skillfully timed his excursion to have some unexpected escorts.

"Flying straight through an active battle between Zoners, Corsairs and Rogues we saw both Nomad gunboats, cruisers, and various other vessels." Even though Nomads have no respect for OS&C neutrality, clearly these "whales" had bigger fish to fry with so much action about. The Boundless Pleasure's passengers certainly had their choice of sights between multi-way battles and giant alien space ships. We can only hope that the ship had enough portholes to accommodate everyone.

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A Bridge Too Far

Pennsylvania has a reputation for being a "safe" system. Its isolation from inter-Liberty trade routes make it a location that is not well traversed by the experienced pilots of Sirius despite Bethlehem station being a major travel hub for OS&C passengers going on to nearby Zoner, Junker, and other stations that do not have OS&C landing rights. As a result, both the Navy and criminal elements in Liberty use Pennsylvania as a sort of proving grounds for training rookie pilots until they earn their spurs. The entire system is essentially an extension of Valley Forge, and it can sometimes make for spectacular fireworks when a pilot bites off more than they can chew.

"I was ferrying some VIPs from Curacao to connecting flights out of Bethlehem when I passed LNS-Blitzburgh," said Captain Jonathan Seabourne of the liner Breezewood. "She was taking it to a squadron of Rogue gunboats and a cruiser. Sadly, the Rogue firepower proved too much for the mighty warship and she ended up getting lit up like a Christmas tree."

Breezewood was running empty on a return trip to Manhattan and so detoured for SAR operations once the enemy flotilla dissolved. No Navy crew could be recovered from the wreck, but curiously 10 or so Rogue lifepods made it through, some still having labels and tags to show their initial processing in Blitzburgh's hold. "It seems the detention cell on board Blitzburgh was the safest place to be," said Seabourne.

The pilots and other recovered effects were taken to Harrisburg station and formally turned over to the authorities, at which point Breezewood was automatically issued the standard bounty money for the Rogues. "I transferred the resulting bounties to Blitzburgh's accounts," said Seabourne. "I hope it'll find its way to the families of the fallen.

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OS&C|Breezewood

Captain Jonathan Seabourne, Editor-in-Chief, Wanderlust Magazine

"Where Angels Fear to Tread"

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Orbital Spa and Cruise

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