Tour Compendium

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Sirius Tour Guide
Visiting the Heart and Soul of Rheinland (1/2)

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A nos chers auditeurs.

This is your auditory guide to one of Sirius's many gorgeous and interesting sites.

Today we'll take a look at the heart of Rheinland. A nation forged by war, a tragic cesspit of political schemes and once breeding ground to the spreading Nomad forces, aiming to conquer Sirius. Let me take you on a journey to Planet New Berlin, Rheinland's snowy capital.


Exiting one of the many tradelanes leading to Rheinland's junction for commercial, civilian and even military traffic will present a view of a large, surprisingly colourful planet, orbited by a celestial body as white as silk.

As the liner enters a stable orbit around planet New Berlin, you will notice a loop like structure encircling the planet, aptly called 'The Ring'. What once were a plethora of shipyards, mooring fixtures and servicing bays have been jointed together into an unparalleled gigantic complex that provides space for large part of Rheinland's economic production capability.

While there are active warships patrolling the area, such as the battleship Bayern, there is also the decommissioned battleship Westfalen, which has been turned into a museum with the help of public funding. It pays tribute to the 80 Years War that Rheinland waged against the Gas Miners Guild starting around 600 AS. Reason for the war's outbreak were rising tensions between Kruger Minerals, a Rheinland company which aims their efforts at extracting valuable resources within Rheinland and its neighbouring territories, and the Gas Miners Guild, who focus their work on harvesting highly sought after gasseous elements from gas pockets within the Sigma systems to be refined into H-Fuel. Kruger's forceful expansion into the Sigma systems and support from Rheinland's government are said to have escalated the conflict, forcing Kusari's hand in an attempt to keep their monopole on the H-Fuel market, thus funding further militarisation of the GMG. Battleship Westfalen was the sole surviving "Bismarck"-class battleship of the Battle of Yanagi Cloud, serving as one of the few remaining witnesses of a war that cost hundreds of millions, potentially billions their lives.

Resting close to this behemoth of time is the Seewinde monument. This "Oasis"-Class Passenger Liner used to serve as a burial ship in the aftermath of the 80 Years War, being the sole Rheinland Military vessel that was permitted by the GMG to enter Sigma-13. It was tasked with retrieving the bodies of Rheinland personnel from the Yanagi-Debris field, completing its mission 818 AS. With many of the wreckages being covered in volatile gas clouds and thus too dangerous to access, it is less than unlikely that every soldier managed to return home. Accusations of the Seewinde being harassed by the GMG have not died down, even a decade after the end of its mission. There are however no official reports from either side that give any merit to these claims.

Finishing our tour around the planet is Bodo's Wurstbude, a famous family-owned restaurant aboard a repurposed civillian transport. It's owned by Bodo Uwe Bartels, Magda Bartels and their son Ottmar Bartels. Their most famous dish, a sausage covered in ketchup and curry powder alongside riffled fries, was praised by Interspace Cuisine's space food poll and should make for a good snack before you take a look at New Berlin's surface.

See you next time for the second part of our Grand tour de Nouveau Berlin.

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Orbital Spa & Cruise Gallia Integration Initiative
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