A Bretonian Corporate Odyssey

[Bowex]

To a company with a history as long and coloured as Borderworld Exports, image is extremely important. A touch of grandeur is lent to the corporation through the use of a small number of the most desired and luxurious ships in the Sirius sector - the Royal Liner. Originally designed as a show of power and class, these monolithic ships were designed to ferry monarchs between Houses to diplomatic talks and meetings. Is has thus seemed fitting that Bowex should use such vessels as an iconic symbol of their own domination of the Bretonian market, and continued success on a galactic scale, despite an increasingly turbulent and hostile environment.

A Cruise Through the Past

BES - Henry VIII

The Henry VIII was originally crafted in Southampton Shipyard two-hundred and fifty one years ago in 568 AS. The VIII was originally the ruling Monarch's (Queen Elizabeth IV) personal liner. Three years after the Queen's death, fifty seven years later, the VIII was due to be decommissioned and torn apart to create a new generation of liner. Instead of being consigned to a grim death at the hands of a welding saw, Borderworld Exports recognised its potential as a future corporate flagship.

After placing a bid on the then derelict Liner, the hulk was sold on at its scrap price, much to the jubilation of the Bowex Board of Directors. It was in general agreement that the VIII was an investment well made. Bowex immediately set to renovating the ship at their brand new facilities at Scarborough Shipyard, investing millions of credits into the project and creating employment for hundreds of people throughout the development.

The VIII's refitting was eventually completed in 639 AS, fourteen long years after Bowex's initial purchase, placing the ship at a venerable age of 71. After this the VIII came into active service as Bowex's flagship, where it played host to a plethora of diplomatic meetings and social occasions. The Liner could frequently be spotted in New London's orbit, although its role as Bowex's flagship often took it abroad to all three Houses.

Over the following centuries, the VIII gained a reputation as a well maintained and stylish ship, and was a frequent destination for senior employees for rest and relaxation. However, the aura of peace and tranquillity that surrounded the ship was shattered after the blight of war fell over Bretonia, with the encroaching Kusari invading the Leeds system.

The Liner was sometimes used to evacuate refugees from Planet Leeds itself, and move them to Port Jackson on Gran Canaria (previously Planet Sydney) where they could begin a new life, or simply bide their time until it was safe to return home. These duties raised public opinion of Bowex as a national asset, as well as the public profile of the ship itself. During such operations, the VIII wouldn't be seen without a powerful escort, consisting of escort fighters and heavy transports.

The VIII was scheduled for refits at Baltimore Shipyard in Liberty on it's two-hundred and fiftieth birthday, due to the strain placed by the war on Bretonian shipyards closing them to public access. The ship underwent modernisation and upgrades, although the primary purpose of the refits was to overhaul the interior in preparation for it's upcoming role as a museum ship orbiting Planet New London.

Disaster struck in 818 A.S. - it was intended that the VIII would embrace a new role as a orbital museum from the 21st of February, 818 A.S., when it would have been officially opened by the Prime Minister. Shortly before this could happen, Scarborough Shipyard was attached by the nefarious terrorist organisation, the Slaver's Union. It quickly became apparent that the Henry VIII was the raid's primary target, as sadistic criminals boarded and hijacked the venerable vessel. After a flotilla of criminal forces smashed local ExSec fighters, the VIII absconded, escaping before BAF response patrols from the Arc Royal could arrive.

None of the skeleton crew operating the liner were ever heard of again. Bowex is currently offering a 20 million credit bounty on any information that leads to the liner's recovery, as well as a 5 million bounty on all and any pilots affiliated with the Union. The incident provoked widespread outrage and horror throughout Bretonia, and has seen a massive rise in calls to the government to harshly and permanently crack down on the slave trade all across Sirius.

BES - Victoria I

The Victoria I was originally commissioned in early 817 A.S. as a memorial to the terrible loss of the Bretonian men and women killed during the war, specifically the fall of Glasgow Outpost and the lives of employees lost therein. Shortly after the fall of Glasgow and Stokes, national and corporate moral was at an all time low - it was decided that a new symbol of hope was required to rekindle national pride and ferocity.

The ship had to be authorised specifically by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Sir Edward Grey, in order to circumvent the ban on non essential public ship construction in Bretonian nationalised shipyards. Taking almost a year to construct, the external hull was fabricated at Scarborough Shipyard, while internal components were outsourced to independent contractors on Planets Leeds and New London.

Part of the reason for the approval was the amount of work it would generate for the populace as a whole, although rumours hint that the support of the majority of the Cambridge Deans (who had been promised access to the construction site for their students of solar engineering) may have played quite a role in influencing the decision.

Designed on the same principles as the VIII, the Victoria is extravagant to the extreme - a sign of Bretonia's progress into the future, unphased by war or strife. There are a number of business conference rooms, as well as sleeping quarters for crew and guests.

When the Victoria's commission was first announced, bookies all over New London and Leeds opened shop to take bets on which ship would take the crown of the next corporate flagship: the Victoria or the Majestic Skies? - those who placed their money on the Victoria are now a little richer.

The shuttle bay's rear wall is ostentatiously clad in black marble, in which are carved the names of every single man and woman who fell in the defence of, and during the capture of LD-14 and Glasgow Outpost. This sets a sombre, yet dignified setting for all who enter.

The Victoria was officially declared Bowex's new corporate flagship on the 21st of February, 818 A.S, in a sombre ceremony attended by the Queen and the Prime Minister. The occasion was hideously marred by the hijacking of the Henry VIII by the nefarious Slaver's Union, with the loss of all hands. The procedure was seen by many that Bretonia would not be cowed by aggressors, nor terrorists: Bretonia would persevere, with Bowex taking a prominent role in the bloody war for an even greater tomorrow.

BES - Majestic Skies

The Majestic Skies was to be the first of a new batch of Royal Liners commissioned by Bowex in 798 A.S. in response to the rise in tourism industry in and around the Sirius sector. With the positioning of the OSC Hawaii and OSC Shetland in 791AS, Orbital Spa & Cruise got the jump on the burgeoning industry, but Bowex was not to be outdone.

In 795 A.S., plans were first drawn for this new Royal Liner, originally named Phoenix, as it was to rise from the old designs of the venerable Liners of old such as the Henry VIII and the Britannia. The keel was first laid in 797 A.S. at Southampton Shipyards, with final construction happening at Scarborough Station. The name of the new ship was changed after a passage in a communique from Queen Carina herself, read at the christening ceremony, stated "May this new Royal Liner, and those that will follow her, soar the majestic skies of Bretonia for generations to come." (Queen Carina - Royal Communique 27A341, 798 AS)

The newly christened Majestic Skies could not have come at a worse time for Bowex, and it's new division Bowex Cruise Lines. In it's first year of service, the upper crust of Bretonia and Liberty both enjoyed the many luxuries of the ship. But the closed-door policy of Rheinland and the insular Kusari remained off-limits to the ship, and to Bowex Cruise Lines. In 799, the keel of the second ship, the Tranquil Skies, was put on hold as military buildups throughout the sector caused a push at Southampton and Scarborough for "more economical" ships.

The Nomad war, and subsequent strife between the Houses of Bretonia and Kusari, caused the sister ship's keel to be converted into what is now the battleship Ark Royal, completed in 809 AS. As such, Bowex Cruise Lines is still only operating the one ship. With tensions lessened with Rheinland, the Skies did open new routes, whisking passengers and elites to the vistas of Munich, the Sigmas, and the upper Omegas.

After the turmoil of the Nomad War, Bowex used it's substantial influence in Sirius corporate economics to barter trade deals with Orbital Spa & Cruise that allows the Majestic Skies to use their bases as a port of call for next to nothing. Also because of recent wars between Houses, the Majestic Skies can also from time to time be seen flying Refugees from the stricken planet of Leeds to Port Jackson, allowing the poor souls who have lost everything a modicum of luxury before they are repatriated on Gran Canaria (previously Planet Sydney).

Though it did lose the battle to become Bowex's new flagship to the Victoria I, the Majestic Skies continues to be one of the prides of Bretonia; a symbol of the Queen's power and grace as it makes its way throughout Sirius.

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