ALG field reports to Management

[Luminium]

PRIVATE MESSAGE
TO: ALG management

FROM: Anja Saebel, ALG Waste Disposal

SUBJECT: Planet Saarbrucken Findings

ENCRYPTION: MAXIMUM - LINE IS SECURE
SOURCE: Bochum Depot, New Berlin

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Guten Tag,

Saebel here. Just got back from the Cologne system after completing the requested preliminary survey of Planet Saarbrucken's orbit. The trip went well. No threats were encountered, despite the system's frontier security standards. After a brief stop at Wuppertal Refinery for refueling, I have set a course for Saarbrucken.

Spoiler

On approach to Saarbrucken. Past this damaged trade lane ring, a large debris field reveals itself.

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Initial sensor readings picked up a large number of objects of varying sizes in the planet's orbit. Their composition (mostly beryllium, aluminium, and titanium) indicates ship debris of battles past. Upon closer examination, the debris field was confirmed to contain several ship hulks in varying stages of decay, a derelict space station, and a remnant of a defunct trade lane. In addition, many smaller fragments present a minor navigational hazard. Their sheer amount makes cataloguing them a task outside the scope of the present mission, but an initial estimate puts their number at hundreds of thousands.

Spoiler

About to enter the debris field. Planet Saarbrucken is in full view now, and it's not looking pretty. ALG Waste Management and Reprocessing Division has their work cut out for them.

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Some of the ships in the debris field appear salvageable. With luck and some repair work on their critical systems, they could be dragged to a shipyard and put back into service. Alternatively, they could be scrapped for parts.

Spoiler

This Valkyrie-class Rheinland fighter was discovered on site. Like everything else here, it shows signs of battle damage but appears relatively intact. Attempts to rouse the ship's power plant have failed - a critical component must have been destroyed in the battle. A partial log recovered from the ship's datacore shows the fighter was taking part in an engagement against a Red Hessian squadron. After a brief dogfight, the ship took a hit and the pilot ejected. There are no signs of his or her fate.

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Of particular interest is the derelict space station. Cross-examining its profile with our databases confirms it to be Tholey Station - once an outpost of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, it was captured by the Red Hessians in the Rheinland Civil War and later destroyed by the Rheinland Navy. It is difficult to say whether it could be restored to full functionality as a military outpost, but its wreck could be a source of useful materials for any colonial ventures on Saarbrucken's surface.

Spoiler

The remains of Tholey Station. Sensors show that the station has been stripped of many of its components before it was destroyed by weapons fire, suggesting the civilian evacuation and subsequent Red Hessian occupation did not go without consequences. A recovered log confirms several instances of looting did take place before the station's destruction. More distressing, however, is the station's population record, which is higher than the number of people evacuated from Tholey prior to the Hessian takeover. The implication is that a small number of Tholey's inhabitants were left behind and ended up captured by the Hessians. Their fate is unknown.

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Another large derelict is a Red Hessian Vidar-class battlecruiser. The plasma scarring on the hull and a number of breaches are mostly superficial: the ship appears to have been disabled by a lucky shot to the bridge. Still, the power core and life support are non-functional, suggesting critical systems failure. The weapons have long been stripped. The aft section is mostly intact, and the ship's engines look repairable. This makes it a potential hazard: if a wreck this large was deorbited into Saarbrucken's surface, the impact would annihilate a city.

Spoiler

This dead giant is just another drifting monument to the ones lost in the Rheinland Civil War. I was unable to recover any logs or personal effects from the ship.

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The planet Saarbrucken is ill-suited for colonization efforts. Though nominally habitable, the failed attempt by the Red Hessians to colonize this world shows that extreme preparation needs to be taken for a successful colonization effort. Even in such a case, it is unlikely for a potential colony to become profitable within the span of a generation, possibly several generations. However, the debris around the planet itself could be of use to the ALG, if a recovery operation was being considered. It would remove a serious navigational hazard and serve as a springboard towards expanding ALG operations in the system.

This concludes my report.

Auf Wiedersehen,
Anja Saebel, ALG Waste Disposal

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