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The Lane Hackers

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The Lane Hackers
"Making the corporate weenies cry, so our kids can live in a free and just galaxy."

"The Lane Hackers are a criminal group with the technical expertise to monitor and disrupt Trade Lanes for the purpose of seizing valuable cargo. The powerful alliance between Lane Hackers, Liberty Rogues and Outcasts serves as the dominant unlawful force in Liberty space and most Independent Worlds."

Information • Recruitment • Diplomatic Channel • Internal Comms • Manual
Dossiers • Mission Archives • Assassin Assignments • Job Board
Radio Free Liberty • External Statements
Mactan Network

Technical Manual

Directory

⚡ The Lane Hackers
⚡The Tripartite Alliance.............

❖ Outcasts
❖ Liberty Rogues

⚡The Archenemies

❖ Ageira Technologies
❖ Interspace Commerce

⚡Business Partners

❖ Golden Chrysanthemums
❖ Hogosha
❖ Mollys

⚡Secondary Hostiles

❖ Bounty Hunters Guild
❖ Xenos

⚡Independent Worlds

❖ Western Operations
❖ Mactan Base
❖ Planet Curacao
❖ Northern Operations
❖ Leiden Base

⚡Liberty

❖ Alberta
❖ Cochrane Depot
❖ Amarillo Base
❖ Other Operations

⚡Foreign Houses

❖ Bretonia
❖ Kusari

⚡Miscellaneous

❖ Counterfeit Software
❖ Rheinland-Kusari Embargo

The Lane Hacker Manual is composed of the Technical Manual and the Lore Manual.

The Lore Manual focuses on the saga of the Lane Hackers; essentially, it serves as a presentation and repository of all Lane Hacker-related news reports, infocards and rumors of the organization. It also includes information about the activities of organizations which indirectly affect the Lane Hackers and provides further analysis on some historical events that happened in Liberty.

Hopefully, this encyclopedia will provide players with a better understanding of the history, relations and operations of the Lane Hackers without adding the development that the LH~ player faction has contributed since 2007. Even for the most proficient in Lane Hacker lore, there is always something new to learn.

Each chapter provides an accumulation of all the information about a subject while the original sources can be found inside the spoilers. The blurred spoilers work as references to the exact sources of each passage. For more information about the history of Liberty you can also download this document.

⚡ The Lane Hackers

The majority of the Lane Hackers are former Ageira Technologies employees. The organization was founded when Los Angeles Ageira employees who created the extremely complex scanning and database system known as USI (Universal Ship Identification) left the company rather acrimoniously in 750 A.S. and built Mactan Base in Magellan system. The last straw was that they did not receive anything for creating USI, a software which revolutionized Sirius' commerce overnight. Some decades later, a major scandal erupted within the company because of the Galileo Bypass Project which resulted in the unnecessary construction of a hugely expensive set of jump gates and trade lanes in Galileo system and the company "redeemed" itself by ousting several executives and the USI scanner hardware R&D division of Planet Denver. This would become the second part of the core of the Lane Hackers which was established in Galileo after building Leiden Base. The investigation continues to this day, but, so far, authorities have been unsuccessful in locating the Lane Hacker bases. ^{[News reports §5.1, 16.1, 22.3 Infocards §13.1, 16.2, Rumors §1.3, 1.8, 1.12, 1.13, 1.16, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.17, 5.18, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 19.15, 22.43, 22.44, 22.45, 22.46]}

The Hackers' ability to access the USI allows them to accurately project the position of any vessel and the cargo that it is carrying at all times, a powerful tool as long as the vessel keeps using the trade lanes. Additional security measures have been added to the network, but the Hackers have remained one step ahead, leading Ageira security experts to believe that there are many sympathetic programmers and executives still within the company.^{[News reports §3.2, 5.2, 19.2, 20.1, Infocards §12.2, 13.1, 16.2, 19.3, Rumors §1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.7, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 12.11, 12.26, 12.27, 12.28, 12.29, 12.35, 15.8, 15.9, 19.13, 20.8, 20.9, 20.19]} It should be noted that the Gallic trade lane network operates in a different manner than Ageira's and the two networks are not connected, which means that the Lane Hackers do not have access in Gallia.

Although minions and accomplices with no meaningful information are being occassionally arrested, no Lane Hacker has ever been captured despite having very large bounties on their heads. The Hackers prefer to die rather than be captured. Furthermore, they prefer to sell their information to others rather than do the dirty work themselves, although they occasionally intercept a convoy and tractor in the cargo if it is particularly desirable. ^{[News reports §10.1, 14.2, 20.1, Rumors §1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 6.9, 6.10, 10.7, 10.12, 10.13, 12.19, 12.20, 12.21, 20.19, 20.20, 21.10]}

The Lane Hackers believe that Ageira is lying and oppressing to its employees. On top of that, they believe that they did not receive the recognition and money they deserved; while, within the Lane Hackers, their work is acknowledged and rewarded. Most Hackers are rich, living luxurious lives and thus can afford to have as much cardamine as they want and possess the best artifacts. They are very intelligent and speak in a sophisticated manner. Some of them them do not enjoy permanently living in their asteroid bases, and miss the planetary life. As heavy cardamine consumers, the Lane Hackers find Maltese food more palatable than synth paste. On the other hand, their cardamine dependency frequently allows the Outcasts to have the upper hand in negotiations. The Lane Hackers ignore politics and live for pleasure and for every moment. Female slaves can occassionally be found working in Lane Hacker bars which reveals that Hackers have little to no morality. They are also known to avoid direct confrontation when possible, unless it is the henchmen of the despised Ageira and Interspace Commerce. ^{[News report §1.2, 3.1, 22.2, 22.3, Infocards §13.1, 17.1, Rumors §1.6, 1.9, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.9, 4.10, 5.9, 6.9, 10.14, 10.15, 12.14, 12.32, 13.7, 14.5, 14.6, 16.5, 17.3, 17.4, 17.16, 19.15, 20.21]}

Lane Hacker operatives reportedly use Tachyon weapons and Graviton shields. Some of their secondary enemies include Deep Space Engineering because of its close association with Ageira, and Cryer Pharmaceuticals due to its research into a cardamine alternative. Captured corporate employees are usually interrogated by Lane Hackers specially trained for the purpose of extracting any valuable information they might have. ^{[Infocard §1.2, Rumors §1.19, 1.20, 1.21, 1.22]}

1. The Lane Hacker sources

News report §1.1 Wrote:MACTAN -- Every Hacker has Artifacts these days, and it looks like there isn't much of a market for them among our own numbers. This is a good thing, since we can sell directly on Liberty's black market. "We'll make more off of them if we stop picking the best ones for ourselves anyway, plus with the new ban on Artifacts, the prices should go up, netting us more in the long run," quoted John Gustafson.

Cryer Pharmaceuticals infocard §1.2 Wrote:Cryer Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology corporation headquartered in Liberty. They focus on drug research and other medical sciences. Their research into a Cardamine alternative, dubbed "Stabiline", have made them a target for the Outcasts, Golden Chrysanthemums, Liberty Rogues and Lane Hackers.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.3 Wrote:Our founders designed the entire USI software system to track ships and their contents throughout the entire Trade Lane network in the Sirius Sector. Ageira didn't give us a penny extra. So they left and started the Lane Hackers, along with a scanner hardware development group from Colorado. IC uses the USI system to calculate precise shipping insurance rates. With USI there is no cheating, like there was in the old days. The shippers hate it, but they have to insure their shipments. Since we have access to the data, we know the precise cargo each ship is carrying, along with it's position on the Trade Lane network - so long as the ships are using the Lanes.

Ageira Technologies rumor §1.4 Wrote:Universal Ship Identification (USI) is a system in which ship cargo manifests are downloaded into databases as ships pass through Jump Gates and Trade Lanes. Somehow the Lane Hackers got their hands on the technology and now know which shipments carry the most valuable Commodities, making it easy for them to target specific transports.

Ageira Technologies rumor §1.5 Wrote:The Lane Hackers are Ageira’s worst enemy. They use their stolen technology to interfere with our shipping and undermine the safety of our Trade Lane systems. Our USI system was supposed to benefit commerce in Sirius, but it has been twisted into a way to know which ships to pirate.

Liberty Security Force rumor §1.6 Wrote:The Lane Hackers have stolen advanced Ageira technology, which has given them the ability to predict and intercept cargo shipments throughout the Trade Lane network. They are a very smart criminal organization, but sooner or later they will make a mistake.

Interspace Commerce rumor §1.7 Wrote:The Lane Hackers' theft of our proprietary technology has been most unfortunate. Ageira is in the process of patching the software and modifying the hardware scanners to make it Lane Hacker proof, at which point we feel that full confidence in IC and Ageira will be restored. Problem is, so far they seem to keep up with the changes we make. I don't like it, it suggests either Ageira or ourselves have a leak quite high in the organization.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.8 Wrote:Ageira wonders how we can keep up with its advances in Trade Lane technology and security. Truth is, everybody who was sympathetic to the Lane Hackers didn’t necessarily stop working for Ageira. That’s right -- we’ve got insider friends who keep us one step ahead of the game.

Los Angeles rumor §1.9 Wrote:I hear the Lane Hackers get lonely for California sometimes. They got some asteroid base out in the Barrier someplace, where you never see the sun. IC and Ageira are determined to catch them. They might start right here. Word is, the Hackers got some secret friends inside still. That's how they are keeping up with all the security patches that Ageira releases.

Ageira Technologies rumor §1.10 Wrote:The Lane Hackers very rarely do their own dirty work; they usually sell or trade ship Commodity information to the Rogues or Outcasts. The most infuriating part of it all is that there has been no way to stop them yet. We kill the occasional Rogue or Outcast, but we’ve never been able to catch a Lane Hacker.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §1.11 Wrote:If I can ever capture a Lane Hacker alive, Ageira and IC would both pay me enough money to retire. No Lane Hacker has ever been captured -- though occasionally one will get blown to pieces with his ship.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.12 Wrote:No actual Lane Hacker has ever been captured. Sure, some of our lackeys have gotten tagged by the police or military, but nobody ever knows enough to finger the Lane Hackers. It just goes to prove that we’re smarter than everyone else. That’s why we left Ageira. We didn’t get the recognition and money we deserved. The executives thought they could get fat and rich on us carrying them, but now they have to spend billions on upgrading their security with new, cheaper "experts", only to find we are always one step ahead.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.13 Wrote:Becoming a Lane Hacker was the best choice I made in life. I was fed up with all the lies and oppression Ageira was doing to their workers. Here my work is recognized and awarded, I have all the things I need in life.

Cochrane Outcast rumor §1.14 Wrote:I stop here occasionaly with my smuggling convoy for a drink and some holo entertainment, but I never have too many contact with the Lane Hacker pilots. They seem like an odd lot, I can't even understand half of the words they are saying.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.15 Wrote:Cardamine has changed my life. It's the greatest stuff you can imagine. You have really strange hallucinations with heavy doses -- flying across alien landscapes, seeing creatures and places that you can't imagine. It's truly an amazing trip, I've noticed that I'm gradually losing interest in eating the regular old Synth Paste. I've heard that Outcast Food is more palatable to heavy Cardamine users. Not sure why.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.16 Wrote:Being a Lane Hacker is a commitment to a way of life. I guess some would call us hedonists -- maybe we are. We live for pleasure and the moment. I used to work for Ageira and I can tell you that this is a much better way to live. We enjoy the finest things in life -- we eat the best foods, we wear the best clothes, and we have the best toys. And the Cardamine. As much Cardamine as you want. If we could just land on Curacao, life would be perfect.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.17 Wrote:The Lane Hackers are disinterested in politics. We do not fight for any political cause or rally behind a flag. The only thing that is important to a Hacker is money so that any wants are fulfilled. Ok, money and bringing down Ageira. I almost forgot how I've dedicated my entire life to destroying Ageira... I must need to replenish my Cardamine.

Cochrane Outcast rumor §1.18 Wrote:Not many people are aware of this, but Lane Hackers sometimes buy off slave girls for their bars. I guess they appreciate better things in life with the best women they can find in Sirius sector. That is why I often come by on this base.

Independent Miners Guild rumor §1.19 Wrote:Those Lane Hackers are a funny bunch. They fancy themselves as the Sirius Sector's Robin Hoods. They avoid direct confrontation when possible, unless it is the henchmen of Interspace, DSE or Ageira. They like to frequent our base a lot, as that cloudy ice asteroid base of theirs can become a wee bit claustrophobic at times. A lot of them are addicted to Cardamine. They also trade drugs for Trade Lane info with the Outcasts.

Rumor §1.20 Wrote:I've heard that the Lane Hackers use Graviton-based shields around their ships, so Laser or Photon-based weapons only have a minimal impact. You're better off using something else.

Rumor §1.21 Wrote:Lane Hackers often employ Tachyon-based weapons in combat, making them a serious threat. Keep that in mind when venturing forth in the Independent Worlds.

Lane Hacker rumor §1.22 Wrote:If you manage to kidnap any of these corporate brainiacs, don't listen to their technobabble. Just drop them off here for interrogation. All you're going to get from them is lies until they've had their tongues loosened up by our Specialists.

⚡ The Tripartite Alliance

It is widely known that the alliance between the Outcasts, the Lane Hackers and the Liberty Rogues serves as the dominant unlawful force in Liberty space and most Independent Worlds. In this alliance, the Outcasts provide cardamine and extremely skilled pilots, the Lane Hackers provide valuable information and the Rogues have the numbers. ^{[News reports §2.1, 2.2, Infocard §19.3, Rumor §4.4]}

So, it comes as no surprise that, when Interspace Commerce announces the number of shipping losses, the Lane Hackers are responsible for the greatest loss in profits of stolen goods, the Liberty Rogues for most strikes undertaken and the Outcasts having scored, by far, the most kills. ^{[News report §2.3]}

2. The Alliance sources

News report §2.1 Wrote:BUFFALO -- The trade and use of Cardamine has brought three criminal factions together around the Outcasts, who produce the powerful narcotic. The Golden C. use Cardamine as part of their ritualistic subculture and distribute it into Kusari space. The Lane Hackers trade valuable shipping information to the Outcasts in exchange for the drug. Finally, there are the Rogues. They supply and shelter the Outcast smugglers on their way through Liberty space. This symbiotic relationship has been very effective in spreading the drug throughout Sirius.

News report §2.2 Wrote:BUFFALO -- Since early 812 A.S. tensions have been steadily rising between the houses of Bretonia and Kusari, and it is expected open war will break out soon. What was less than expected however was news of Corsair involvement. A few weeks ago the Corsair plot was uncovered by Outcast operatives: the Corsairs and their Hogosha allies are attempting to use their influence on Samura to steer the Kusari government into open war with Bretonia! While the reasons for such a move are unknown as of yet, many speculations have emerged, including a possible renewed Corsair offensive on Cambridge while the Bretonian Armed Forces are busy elsewhere, and perhaps even a renewed strike on Outcast holdings in the Omicron systems in an attempt to tip the scales in the long war.

Word has also came in of many factions now supporting the Corsairs in their move, including the Gaians in Bretonia and the Farmers Alliance movement in Kusari. This has immediately prompted a call for a summit on the issue, and today marks a breakthrough in the proceeding talks as a majority of Liberty Rogue, Lane Hacker and Molly leaders officially came together on Buffalo base to sign an alliance with the Outcast nation. The Junkers have also expressed their support, and in Kusari the Blood Dragons and Golden Chrysanthemums have invited Outcast representatives to discuss long term plans. Outcast leaders have stated that they hope this to successfully tip the scales in their favour and nip the Corsair threat in the bud.

News report §2.3 Wrote:CORTEZ -- IC has released numbers detailing the credit amount of shipping losses incurred each year by the three criminal groups that populate the system. According to IC statistics the Lane Hackers are responsible for the greatest loss in profits of stolen goods. The Liberty Rogues account for the most strikes undertaken, and the Outcasts kill more than both of the other two groups combined. "These numbers are very disconcerting, and obviously more must be done to stop the perpetrators of these terrible crimes," said Raymond Green, an IC representative.

▸ Outcasts

The Lane Hackers maintain strong ties of cooperation and respect with the Maltese, more commonly known as the Outcasts. The Hackers receive cardamine, and, in return, they sell information to the Outcasts about upcoming convoys. As the Lane Hackers are dependent on cardamine, the Maltese exploit it during negotiations. They particularly want to learn to hack into the trade lane network, something which only the Lane Hackers are capable of. The common zones of operations between the two organizations include the western Independent Worlds, California and Manchester systems.^{[News reports §2.1, 3.1, 3,2, 22,2, Infocards §12.2, 13.1, 13.2, 19.8, 22.5, Rumors §1.10, 1.15, 1.19, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.18, 10.11, 10.12, 10.15, 12.12, 12.19, 12.20, 12.24, 12.25, 12.32, 13.7, 13.8, 14.9, 14.10, 19.20, 19.21, 19.22, 19.23, 19.24, 20.7, 20.11, 20.12]}

The biggest cardamine smuggling route begins from the Taus, moving through Baffin and Coronado to reach the Montezuma and Mactan bases. It is then shipped deeper into House Liberty, currently the biggest cardamine consumer in Sirius. When the Outcasts are away from Planet Malta, they use inhaler masks which allow them to constantly inhale trace amounts of cardamine. The Outcasts are considered as odd by the Lane Hackers and during the heat of combat they can give themselves a cardamine boost with a flick of the wrist, giving them the edge over their enemy. This cooperation also extends in providing military assistance whenever possible. It is quite common for Hackers to rescue Outcasts or the reverse. ^{[News report §3.3, Infocard §13.2, Rumors §3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 12.15, 12.32, 13.7, 13.8]}

Freelancers who want to be on good terms with the Outcasts, are first expected to work their reputation with the Rogues, then to smuggle cardamine for the Hackers. At this point, these individuals cannot easily turn back since they are cardamine addicts. ^{[Rumors §3.13, 3.14, 3.15, 13.8]}

The Outcasts treat the Rogues as expendables by assigning them the most dangerous smuggling operations, and, in more rare cases, even killing a low-ranked Rogue for endangering them during an operation. ^{[Rumors §12.17, 12.18, 13.10]}

3. Outcast sources

News report §3.1 Wrote:LEIDEN -- The days of trading information with the Outcasts for Cardamine may soon be drawing to an end as Outcasts threaten to boost Cardamine prices. "The Outcasts have to realize what a service they are getting by trading us for information," said division manager Gary Holden, "If they try and put the squeeze on us, then they are going to lose millions when they stop getting all those choice shipments." Information will be withheld from the Edge World Cardamine suppliers if they hike the prices again.

News report §3.2 Wrote:MOJAVE -- The Outcasts are the scourge of Sirius and have now emerged as the most pressing security problem in California. No shipping convoy or transport is safe from the drug-smuggling mask breathers who call themselves Outcasts. They have attacked yet again; this time it was Gold shipments inbound from Bretonia. IC contends that the attack was premeditated and that the Outcasts had inside information regarding the convoy's cargo manifests. This is a tell-tale sign of Lane Hacker involvement. The cooperation between these two criminal groups can only spell more trouble for the people of this system.

News report §3.3 Wrote:MAGELLAN -- A military patrol witnessed a strange example of fraternity between criminal factions last week when Lane Hackers came to the rescue of a badly damaged Outcast ship. The patrol came upon a single Outcast and damaged his craft considerably, but before they could finish him off four Lane Hacker ships swept in and fended off the patrol until the Outcast's nanobots got the engines going again. The Hackers provided cover for the ship until the pilot escaped, and then they retreated into the Barrier Ice Cloud.

Outcast rumor §3.4 Wrote:Of all the factions in Sirius, these are the ones that know what they want and how to get it. They have more money than they need, and all the information they need to get more. We are blessed that the Hackers are so willing to spend their money on our Cardamine. Their intelligence helps us nab the goods we need back home, so once we deliver a load of Cardamine, we're always eager to fill up our freighters again before heading back.

Outcast rumor §3.5 Wrote:The Lane Hackers Trade Lane technology access is truly remarkable; Hackers give us specific information regarding ship manifests. As payment, they often alert us to high-value cargo coming through the system in return for our Cardamine shipments. If we could only get our hands on their technology...

Outcast rumor §3.6 Wrote:Our most valued Cardamine customer is the Lane Hackers. Not only do they pay us well for our Cardamine, they will barter valuable Trade Lane information for it. I foresee them becoming completely dependent upon us. Soon their Trade Lane technology will be ours.

Outcast rumor §3.7 Wrote:The grant "Outcast Alliance" has really taken a beating in the past few years. We've fared the worst in Bretonia and Rheinland, and a lot of Outcasts think that is because these Houses are free of dependence on Cardamine. Fortunately, Liberty is not similarly free... You have to love the irony.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §3.8 Wrote:I just came back from a tough battle in the Roatan Cloud. I was ambushing some Lane Hackers when some Outcasts showed up out of nowhere. Barely got out. My wingman didn't. I think I'll need a couple of those Curacao shooters from the bar tonight.

Outcast rumor §3.9 Wrote:I'm starting to get sick - guess I've been away from home too long. These runs to Liberty can be taxing. The inhaler masks aren't a long term substitute for the Cardamine-infused biosphere of Malta, and the concentrated Cardamine doses we sell to the Rogues and Hackers aren't suitable for us. It'll be a week or two before my condition gets critical. I plan to be back home well before then.

Lane Hacker rumor §3.10 Wrote:The Outcasts are a pretty odd lot. Can't figure them out sometimes. They wear those funny breathers that act as Cardamine inhalers. In the heat of battle they can give themselves a Cardamine booster with a flick of the wrist. Maybe that's why they're such awesome pilots.

Outcast rumor §3.11 Wrote:If you want to get in with us, you'll need to take some Cardamine on a short run. Be friendly to the Hackers and Rogues; stay away from those Corsairs, though. Bad news. The Corsairs came here on the same sleeper ship as us, the Hispania, but decided to abandon the ship before it arrived at its destination. We had to build our fortunes with less then half the resources the other Houses had.

Outcast rumor §3.12 Wrote:We have stopovers in Trafalgar, Mactan, and Montezuma on our journey in from Tau-23. If you want to make big money in the Cardamine business, you need to work your way up the stream a bit from here.

Outcast Mactan rumor §3.13 Wrote:I've just completed a Cardamine run from our base in Newcastle, Cape Wrath. Unlike Liberty, there aren't many places to lay over in Bretonian space, but that's alright. The main route into Liberty doesn't go over Magellan anymore, but passes by Baffin and Coronado.

Outcast rumor §3.14 Wrote:So you're interested in working for us? Try running a load of Cardamine to Magellan or Cortez for us. The Lane Hackers would appreciate that. Be sure to stay away from any military or police ships, they'll likely open fire on you if you're loaded with Cardamine.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §3.15 Wrote:They say if you want to get in with the Outcasts, get friendly with the Rogues. Then graduate to the Lane Hackers. Run some drugs. Then you're on your way. Hard to turn back at that point, since you'll be a Cardamine addict for life.

▸ Liberty Rogues

The Liberty Rogues are the main allies of the Lane Hackers. The two organizations have numerous dealings, the biggest of which is the exchange of information about upcoming shipments. ^{[News report §19.2, Infocards §12.2, 13.1, 19.3, Rumors §1.10, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 12.26, 15.11, 19.13, 19.30]} The Lane Hackers move cardamine from Mactan to Montezuma Base and supplies from the black markets of Alcatraz Depot. The Lane Hackers also maintain a permanent presence in Padua Base and Fort McMurray. ^{[Infocards §12.2, 15.3, 19.3]}

Another major business between the two organizations is the exchange of goods. Mactan and Leiden provide most of the basic supplies for Montezuma and Padua bases respectively. Considered a dangerous task, the Rogues are usually hired to move stolen or illegal cargo from the Independent Worlds deeper inside Liberty where the Junkers smuggle it into the legal markets. Unlike most commodities however, the Lane Hackers are heavily involved in cardamine smuggling. The Rogues still retain the majority of this business, however, and are not expected to easily let it go. ^{[News report §19.2, Infocard §15.3, Rumors §4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 12.29, 13.4, 13.8, 13.9, 13.10, 15.12, 15.13, 15.14, 15.15, 16.5, 16.6, 16.7, 16,8, 16.9]}

The Rogues consider the Hackers as posh and rich corporate types, and it is true that few things a Rogue has in common with a Hacker. While the Rogues are the product of Liberty's penal system, the Hackers are usually former Ageira employees and thus many of them have a smug attidute towards their allies. Despite their differences, however, the Rogues consider the Lane Hackers as valuable assets, so they prefer to kill one of their own rather than let him cross their allies. As it is well-known that Lane Hackers are usually wealthy, Liberty Rogues who have been captured sometimes claim that they are Lane Hackers in order to bribe their captors to set them free, supposedly in exchange of large amounts of money. ^{[Rumors §4.8, 4.9, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 15.10, 17.17, 17.18, 21.15]}

4. Liberty Rogue sources

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §4.1 Wrote:The Rogues in the area seem to know which ships are bringing the Gold into Fort Bush. They must be getting the information from the Lane Hackers. Whenever Gateway ships Jump into the system, some of us are contracted to escort them into this base.

Liberty Rogue rumor §4.2 Wrote:There are many Silver and Diamond shipments in this system that the Lane Hackers give us information on -- well, perhaps "give" isn't the right word. The Lane Hackers are eager to trade their information for access to our black market contacts.

Gateway Shipping rumor §4.3 Wrote:Gateway ships Robotics to this base from Aland Shipyard in Omega-3. The Rogues' ability to sniff out the Robotics convoys seems uncanny. I'm told that they get their info from the Lane Hackers, so they are the real enemy -- the ring leaders versus the attack dogs.

Junker rumor §4.4 Wrote:Even the Liberty Rogues have tested the Council of Dons' patience in the past year. So far, things are tense but we have maintained a working relationship. I sense trouble ahead, though. The Lane Hackers are increasing their Cardamine requisitions all the time. Some of us think they intend to replace the Rogues as the primary Cardamine suppliers in Liberty. The Hackers would have to be crazy to try that. The last thing anyone wants to do is cross the Rogues.

Liberty Rogue rumor §4.5 Wrote:We juice up on much of the Cardamine that the Outcasts bring here. They take the rest with them as they go into Liberty. The Hackers ship from Mactan to Buffalo, Alcatraz, and Rochester.

Liberty Rogue rumor §4.6 Wrote:We ship Gold stolen by the Outcasts and Lane Hackers in the Barrier on to Buffalo. It eventually gets sold by the Junkers planetside -- a nice, clean operation.

Junker rumor §4.7 Wrote:If the Hackers ever do make a move against the Rogues, the Junkers will be the first to know about it. Most of the Cardamine only gets to Liberty's planets on Junker ships, so the Hackers would have to obtain Junker cooperation in order to push the Rogues out of the Cardamine business. The Junkers would drive a hard bargain to participate in something like that. Rogues aren't known for forgiving anyone who stabs them in the back.

Liberty Rogue rumor §4.8 Wrote:The Junkers don't take a lot of new blood these days; they have their own inner circle. The LPI are corporate lap dogs, the Lane Hackers are rich corporate types turned bad, and the Outcasts - hell, they aren't even human anymore. And don't even get me started on the Xenos or the Legion; fanatical patriots, the whole lot of them. It was Rogues or nothing for me.

Liberty Rogue rumor §4.9 Wrote:The Lane Hackers appreciate the good things in life -- the Cardamine -- just like us; difference is, they got things all figured out. Me, I’m just having fun. After my last trip through the Huntsville I didn’t really care what happened to me, I only knew I’d be damned if I was gonna play by the rules anymore.

Lane Hacker rumor §4.10 Wrote:The Rogues are a simple lot. We don't really have much in common with them, except maybe the love for Cardamine. Most Rogues are products of the Liberty penal system. We're too smart to get caught by the LPI or navy. We'd rather die than set foot in Texas.

Liberty Rogue rumor §4.11 Wrote:One of our guys was gonna rat the Hackers out to a Hunter that had credits to burn. He didn’t make it to the rendezvous. The Hackers are too valuable to us to scrape for some temporary cash. Too bad I was the one who had to smoke one of our own.

⚡ The Archenemies

▸ Ageira Technologies

Part of the "Big Three", Ageira Technologies is a corporate giant with a long history of both major innovations and achievements. Known as Valhalla Research in the first centuries after settlement, its founders were among Liberty's initial population. The company is also infamous for its failures and scandals, the biggest of which are the Texas Incident and the Galileo Bypass Project. ^{[Infocards §14.3, 24.1, 24.3, Rumor §5.6]}

The Texas Incident, also known as the Dallas Incident, happened in 500 A.S. During tests which would revolutionize jumping technology, an unforeseen concentration of dark matter along the jump route created a feedback wave that not only destroyed Dallas Research Station but expelled huge masses of dark matter and radiation into the entire system while the jump gate collapsed in itself creating a black hole which still lies on the edges of the system. According to some, Texas used to contain a number of planets, while others attribute the creation of jump holes to this failed experiment. Valhalla Research did not pay reparations to the citizens of the now-irradiated Planet Houston, probably because it would bankrupt. Shortly afterwards the government also pulled their funding from the system and ever since Texas has been plagued from high criminal rate while the prisoner labor is the only business that thrives. Naturally, the citizens of Texas still have bitter feelings about the government and Ageira Technologies. Even after three centuries have passed, the extensive debris fields scattered all over the system have not been salvaged because of the high levels of radiation except the East Dallas Debris Field in which salvage operations by ALG and LPI Sugarland's inmates have been initiated the last few decades. ^{[News report §22.1, Infocards §22.4, 22.7, 22.8, 22.9, 22.10, 22.11, 22.12, Rumors §22.27, 22.28, 22.29, 22.30, 22.21, 22.22, 22.33, 22.34, 22.35, 22.36, 22.37, 22.38, 22.39]} The Galileo Bypass Project was the construction of the auxiliary trade lane routes and jump gates in Galileo system after Ageira advised Liberty's government that a dark matter storm would pass through Kepler system in 780 A.S. The storm did not arrive when it was predicted which evolved into a major scandal for the corporate giant and ultimately led to the creation of the second core of the Lane Hackers. ^{[News report §16.1, Infocards §16.2, 22.6, 22.13, 22.14, 22.15, Rumors §15.9, 22.39, 22.40, 22.41, 22.42, 22.43, 22.44, 22.45, 22.46]}

It is commonly known that Ageira's intellectual properties have been stolen by their former employees, the Lane Hackers. They frequently use them during their operations, the most important of which is their ability to hack into the USI and monitor the trade lane and jump gate network. Subsequently, the mega-corporation would go to extreme lengths to monitor and spy on its employees in case some of them seek to join their nemesis. In return, the Lane Hackers frequently attack Pueblo Station in order to disrupt its daily operations and their top priority is the interception of transports carrying new versions of trade lane and jump gate components. ^{[News reports §3.2, 5.1, 16.1, 19.1, 19.2, 20.1, 22.3, Infocards §5.4, 5.5, 12.2, 13.1, 16.2, 19.2, Rumors §1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.12, 1.13, 1.16, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 12.11, 12.26, 12.27, 12.28, 12.29, 12.35, 15.8, 15.11, 19.12, 19.14, 20.8, 20.9, 20.19, 22.43, 22.44, 22.45, 22.46]} Every year, the very best students from Liberty's universities are handpicked by Ageira recruiters, a fact which reveals why it produces the most sophisticated technology in Sirius. Despite Ageira's constant upgrades in its security systems, the Lane Hackers remain one step ahead, no doubt because they have sympathizers and operatives who are still working inside the company. It is also well known that Ageira offers massive bounties for captured or dead Lane Hackers. ^{[News reports §5.2, 22.2, Infocard §13.1, Rumors §1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 5.9, 5.10, 10.12, 10.13, 20.20]}

For centuries now, the corporate giant's headquarters have been moved from Planet Manhattan to Planet Los Angeles. Since 215 A.S. Ageira mass-produces its two most valuable products; jump gate and trade lane components with the highly-secure Pueblo Station being the main manufacturing plant for many centuries. Considering that they have maintained this monopoly ever since these technologies were invented, the company goes to extreme lengths in order to ensure that it does not fall to unauthorized hands. In addition to the multiple security layers of the containers, they closely monitor the transporation as well, trusting only Ageira, Deep Space Engineering and Universal Shipping transports. Before they reach the construction site, the containers are temporarily stored in Interspace Commerce stations. Over the years, Ageira's competitors managed to retrieve some containers; however, their efforts to reverse engineer the technology have proven futile. It is also known that Ageira Technologies has the ability to remotely deactivate trade lanes and jump gates. ^{[Infocard §24.1, Rumors §5.11, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14, 5.15, 5.16, 5.17, 5.18, 5.19, 24.8]}

Other Ageira products are the military-grade superconductors manufactured by their industries at Planet Denver; they are much more advanced than the ones produced in other Houses and, it thus comes as no surprise that the militaries of most Houses are major clients of this product. Detroit Munitions is where the famous light arms are being produced and shipped to all corners of Sirius. Ageira's manufacturing plants in Los Angeles also produce competitive optical chips which dominate Liberty's market. Hamilton Station in Ontario system serves as a storage depot and a mining machinery manufacturing plant which mainly supports the mining operations of the nearby Planet Huron. Leduc Station in Alberta produces bio-neural processors; however, there are rumors and oddities which imply that there is something more sinister at work there. Finally, after the Liberty Navy's failure to effectively produce military vehicles on its own, the government in 819 A.S. handed the lucrative contract to Ageira Technologies along with a large portion of Liberty Navy's military production. This led to a dramatic increase of Ageira's influence to Liberty's government and it is obvious that it is to the company's advantage for Liberty to remain at war for as many years as possible. ^{[News report §5.3, Infocards §17.2, 18.1, 18.2, Rumors §5.20, 5.21, 5.22, 5.23, 5.24, 5.25, 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 17.19, 17.20, 17.21, 17.22, 17.23, 17.24, 17.25, 17.26, 17.27, 17.28, 17.29, 17.30, 17.31, 17.32, 17.33, 17.34, 17.35, 17.36, 17.37, 17.38, 18.8]}

5. Ageira Technologies sources

News report §5.1 Wrote:LOS ANGELES -- Ageira employees are threatening to strike after management's last request that every employee be fitted with a location transmitter. It would be inserted under the skin as a permanent fixture, which would allow Ageira to monitor the location of its workers at all times. The device was proposed to combat the chance that any more Ageira staff would join the Lane Hackers if they decided to leave the company. "If their intentions are innocent, then no one should have a problem getting the chip," reported an Ageira area director for operations in California.

News report §5.2 Wrote:COLORADO -- Our code breakers cracked the new encryption code that Ageira designed to protect its USI systems. It would not have been possible without the help of our company operatives. It looks like we are still one step ahead of the game; Ageira will have to come up with another way of stopping us from conducting business. Scores of Lane Hackers still work for Ageira and act as informants for our organization. Through their brave contributions we continue to prosper.

News report §5.3 Wrote:FORT SEVERN -- 819 A.S. -- Ageira Technologies has secured a highly sought after contract to take over Military Vehicle manufacturing. Despite the highly sensitive nature of the top secret design specifications developed by the Navy for construction of its equipment, cost overruns and failure to meet production deadlines led to the Liberty government forcing the Navy to license the production to a civilian company. Ageira sees the new contract as a means of diversifying its military hardware portfolio, while other Liberty companies are quietly concerned about Ageira's rising influence within the Liberty government. Critics are quick to point out the "close" relationships between government and industry in Bretonia, Rheinland, and Kusari as problematic for civil reforms, but Ageira spokesmen herald the close cooperation between the company and the government as necessary for the profitable and efficient manufacturing of military equipment and the stability of the Republic.

Pueblo Station infocard §5.4 Wrote:Pueblo Station is the main Ageira Trade Lane and Gate component manufacturing plant. It has been in operation for centuries, but much of it's interior is still a very closely guarded secret. Components only leave the secured sections in "Whiteboxes", secure containers with an elaborate locking mechanism set to destroy its contents if any form of tampering is detected. To date, no white box is known to ever have been compromised - but to keep up with innovations, Ageira continues to refine their design, and holds an annual "Crack the Whitebox" contest to see how the boxes stand up to Liberty's finest rogues.

Security around Pueblo is tight. The Lane Hackers frequently attack the facility, but their attacks are more a disruption then a serious threat to Pueblo. Rogue fighters have also on occasion threatened the facility, but aside from a major incident in 800 A.S., their attacks seem mostly focused on seizing cargo they can use.

Notice: All ships should be aware that Ageira Technologies facilities are protected by private security authorized to use deadly force against any deviation from standard flight procedures.

Wreck infocard §5.5 Wrote:The transport Bradley was attacked by Hackers in the Barrier Cloud in Magellan a while ago. It was carrying Trade Lane parts to Bretonia. The Hackers supposedly towed it off the Trade Lane somewhere into the cloud to study the latest version of those Components more carefully, but were ambushed by Bounty Hunters before they could do so. That transport is probably still out there.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.6 Wrote:Ageira has a long and distinguished history. Its founders were among the initial population of Liberty, soon after planetfall on Manhattan in 1 AS. All scientists and engineers -- they were handpicked by the Liberty government to exploit and develop new transportation technologies for the future.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.7 Wrote:The Lane Hackers are a misguided group of software and hardware development engineers that never appreciated the opportunities that Ageira presented. They stole extremely valuable Ageira intellectual property and used it to their own personal advantage. Due to their shortsighted actions, the criminal scourge has spread like a plague throughout the entire Sirius network of Trade Lanes.

Kishiro Technologies rumor §5.8 Wrote:Security around here seems pretty lax compared to a Kishiro base. I guess Ageira is not nearly so paranoid. You'd think they would be, since so many of their former employees are now Lane Hackers.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.9 Wrote:The very best students from the Liberty University of New York are handpicked by Ageira recruiters. Our corporation has always selected from the top one percent of each graduating class. The members of the Lane Hackers who left Ageira were no different.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.10 Wrote:Ageira Technologies produces the most sophisticated technology in the Sirius Sector. We have exclusively designed and manufactured all of the Trade Lanes and Jump Gates that have made hyper-fast, long-distance space travel feasible for the first time in human history.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.11 Wrote:Originally, Ageira was headquartered in Manhattan, but we moved our operations to California. We felt it was important to put weapons manufacturing in the heart of Liberty.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.12 Wrote:The LPI does its best in this part of space, but it just doesn’t have the agents or the ships to protect all the shipping that passes through this system. IC, which insures much of our cargo, has been a close Ageira ally since Trade Lanes first went into mass production back in 215 AS.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §5.13 Wrote:The Trade Lane technology that Ageira uses to run its Jump Gates is its most sensitive secret. We manufacture the Trade Lanes, but the real technology, the Jump Gate “engine” if you will, is housed in a black box that is plugged into the Ring that we construct. Any attempt to open the box will cause it to self-destruct, and it usually takes whoever was trying to open the box with it.

Universal Shipping rumor §5.14 Wrote:Our shipping firm brings Trade Lane Parts from Trenton to Waterloo. It is a lucrative run, but exclusive to the triad of Universal, Ageira and DSE. That may seem a bit extortionate, but it's neccesary because of the sensitive nature of those components. Less reputable firms don't have the neccesary security measures in place.

Interspace Commerce rumor §5.15 Wrote:Universal hauls Trade Lanes Parts wherever there are Trade Lanes between Liberty and the House capitols. Interspace has stations like this one in all the capitol systems, which are used to store the Gate and Lane Parts temporarily. Then Deep Space takes over and ships them to the actual construction or repair sites.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.16 Wrote:Planet Kurile has become a prime destination for Trade Lane Parts. Samura has lagged behind schedule for years with the Sigma 17 lane construction project. They claim that Corsair attacks have caused unavoidable setbacks, but I have my doubts about that. This product is so expensive that it would be far more economical to pay an entire BHG battle group to guard the construction project than to keep on losing so many shipments. At least our self-destruct protocols keep our technology safe from prying eyes. By now, the Corsairs know to just blow up the cargo themselves rather than to let it blow them up when they inspect it.

Kishiro Technologies rumor §5.17 Wrote:We have several large laboratories here dedicated to reverse engineering the Liberty Jump Gates and Trade Lanes. Parts have been gathered in random criminal raids throughout the years to avoid arousing the suspicion of IC and the LSF.

Kishiro Technologies rumor §5.18 Wrote:If we unlock the secrets of Trade Lanes and Jump Gates, Kusari will finally be free of the Liberty yoke. We have been exploited far too long by Ageira and IC. All of Sirius will be on a level playing field.

Kishiro Technologies rumor §5.19 Wrote:We've attempted to reverse-engineer Ageira products at our Kansai research center, but so far, unsuccessfully. If we could duplicate the Trade Lanes, we could finally be free of Liberty's stranglehold on that most critical technology.

Borderworld Exports rumor §5.20 Wrote:Ageira is the most lucrative producer of Superconductors in the Sirius Sector. None of the other Houses can stay competitive with Liberty. We ship them from Denver to Southampton Shipyard in the New London system.

Samura Industries rumor §5.21 Wrote:Samura uses Superconductors for construction of Kusari naval force ships in the Yokohama Shipyard. House Kusari would love to manufacture these items internally, but we have been unable to duplicate Ageira's manufacturing techniques, which are truly a mystery.

Samura Industries rumor §5.22 Wrote:The antimatter research is a cover for our real purpose here: replicating the Ageira Superconductors. Somehow Liberty has learned extremely advanced manufacturing techniques to create compounds that we've never seen.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.23 Wrote:In 614 AS, Ageira began crafting Side Arms and personal weaponry at this manufacturing plant, and since then Detroit has been synonymous with firepower. When you want to put someone down fast, look to Detroit to meet your needs.

Universal Shipping rumor §5.24 Wrote:When you think Optronics, the Kusari manufacturers come to mind. But when it comes to Optical Chips, Ageira builds some of the finest in all of Sirius. They are shipped here from Los Angeles to be used in the construction of ships of all sizes.

Kishiro Technologies rumor §5.25 Wrote:Ageira managed to corner the Liberty market for Optical Chips. But don't worry, we'll eliminate that little slice of competition soon enough.

Cryer Pharmaceuticals rumor §5.26 Wrote:The scientists at Cambridge Research Station really prize Ageira's Optical Chips. There are always Pharmaceutical orders waiting for delivery when you arrive.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.27 Wrote:Ageira has been supplying the technological innards for Liberty's military hardware for decades, so moving into control of full scale production is not really a stretch for us.

Ageira Technologies rumor §5.28 Wrote:War is good for business, no doubt about it. Most people worry about wars starting, but I worry about when they end. Who will we sell our new line of military hardware to if all the politicians decide to talk instead of shoot? We need to keep electing warmongers if this company is going to stay on top.

▸ Interspace Commerce

Part of the "Big Three", Ageira Technologies and Deep Space Engineering created Interspace Commerce in 204 A.S. initially named as Interspace Corporate. This economic giant dominates the market through its control over the USI (Universal Ship Identification) which allows it to accurately insure ships and cargo. Before the Rheinland-Kusari Embargo of 521 A.S., Interspace Commerce's main activity was to provide loans for the construction of trade lanes and jump gates; after the fiascos, they reoriented on insuring all of these constructions. Kusari and Rheinland have banished IC from residence in their major planets and they are not allowed to build bases in their minor systems. The USI was created by Los Angeles Ageira employees who eventually left the company and founded the Magellan Lane Hackers. Ever since, the Lane Hackers use the USI to their own advantage which has incurred massive financial losses for the IC since almost every commercial transport is insured. One of the latest great ventures of Interspace Commerce is the funding and insurance for the development of the Okinawa system; in spite of the Hogosha's efforts, it was completed; ever since, IC receives 5% of the H-fuel profits made by Okinawa's gas mining production.^{[News reports §2.3, 3.2, 19.2, 15.1, 20.1, Infocards §12.2, 13.1, 16.2, 19.3, 24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 24.4, 24.5, 24.6, 24.7, Rumors §1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.7, 5.18, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.11, 12.11, 12.26, 12.27, 12.28, 12.29, 12.35, 15.8, 15.11, 19.13, 20.8, 20.9, 20.19, 24.8, 24.9, 24.10, 24.11, 24.12, 24.13, 24.14, 24.15]}

One of the main goals of this mega-corporation is to limit trade lane piracy, but not fully, since no one would then insure their cargo. Subsequently, the Bounty Hunters Guild is one of main partners of Interspace since the corporation offers the largest number of bounties of any entity in Sirius, and its guild members maintain a permanent presence in IC installations. Interestingly enough, the largest bounties placed by Interspace and Ageira are for the live capture or assassination of any Lane Hacker. IC also uses its own agents in order to track down the Hackers. As expected, of course, the Lane Hackers also share a similar animosity towards Interspace Commerce. ^{[News reports §10.1, 14.2, 20.1, 22.2, Infocard §24.4, Rumors §1.9, 1.11, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 6.13, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14]}

6. Interspace Commerce sources

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.1 Wrote:Interspace Commerce began as a banking institution formed to supply other Houses with the capital necessary for the construction of Trade Lanes within their space. Over time we became an insurance agency.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.2 Wrote:Few people understand what Interspace Commerce really does. We are primarily in the insurance business - specifically, hazard insurance for ships and cargos that use Ageira-manufactured Jump Gates and Trade Lanes in the Sirius Sector. Stations like this one are both major trade hubs, and control stations from which we keep track of insured cargo.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.3 Wrote:Any Trade Lane construction venture that begins is insured by us. If it isn’t, then the Trade Lane doesn’t get built. No one can risk losing the enormous capital required for the construction.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.4 Wrote:Recently we partnered with Ageira to create the Universal Ship Identification system, or USI. It is installed in Jump Gates and Trade Lanes so we can see the cargo that is being hauled by each individual vessel, allowing for proper tariffs to be levied and shipments to be properly tracked.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.5 Wrote:We developed USI technology in tandem with Ageira. It allows us to track shipments anywhere on the Trade Lane grid using powerful ship-sized scanners. There is no easy way for shippers to cheat us by overstating the value of their cargos in case of loss, or attempting to ship high-value cargos without our knowledge. This allows us to set our rates at a premium and minimize fraud.

Los Angeles rumor §6.6 Wrote:This is where they do all of the software development for Ageira. Few years back, some programmers got uppity and took off with a bunch of source codes for the USI tracking software. IC was furious; came in and had a big investigation done. Hasn't stopped the Lane Hackers.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.7 Wrote:The Lane Hackers are a bunch of California boys who split on Ageira and became the worst possible enemies of IC. They have Trade Lane technology, which allows them to punch ships out of the Trade Lanes. Once that happens, the shipments are basically theirs.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.8 Wrote:The Lane Hackers must be destroyed. They know which shipments to hit that hurt us the most. Once they are gone, IC will double its current profits; the increase in revenue will be enormous.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.9 Wrote:The Lane Hackers’ illegitimate use of our Universal Ship Identification system is infuriating. A technology created for the good of Sirius commerce is being exploited by a bunch of hedonistic junkies! That is why IC has begun hiring the Bounty Hunters in force.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.10 Wrote:Outcasts, Corsairs, Red Hessians, Blood Dragons, Golden Chrysanthemums, Liberty Rogues, Unioners, Xenos, the LWB, the Farmers Alliance, Gaians, and Lane Hackers -- all these groups attack Trade Lanes. And that’s why IC will pay any Bounty Hunter top dollar to kill them, any of them. But especially Lane Hackers.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.11 Wrote:We work in tandem with the Bounty Hunters. They perform the unpleasant job of criminal disposal, much like the Deep Space workers handle the manual labor of building and maintaining the Trade Lanes and Jump Gates for Ageira, and ultimately, us. We offer more bounties then any other company out there, and tailor them to specific regions. We know where the hotspots are since that's where most insurance claims get filed.

Interspace Commerce rumor §6.12 Wrote:The Bounty Hunters Guild, though perceived as not entirely trustworthy by some, is very helpful to us. They handle all of the nasty work that goes into insuring the progress of Sirius and Liberty.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §6.13 Wrote:We maintain a presence here at the IC headquarters as a show of support. After all, IC has been insuring investments throughout Liberty for a very long time. This corporation is very interested in curbing piracy. Of course not entirely, or no one would need IC anymore.

...part.one.concluded...accessing.part.two...

The Lane Hackers

⚡ Business Partners

The Lane Hackers have a number of business partners. For example, Leiden Base is supplied by Ames Research Station and Airdrie Hideout was supplied by Freeport 14. Some Zoners are also responsible for distributing the Lane Hacker-produced counterfeit software. Cochrane Depot purchases most of its basic supplies from the local Junker base. In addition, Junkers are critical black market contacts and on a much smaller scale, the Zoners. Finally, IMG's Freeport 4 is providing basic supplies for Mactan Base. ^{[News reports §2.2, 19.2, Infocards §12.2, 13.1, 19.3, Rumors §1.19, 4.5, 4.6, 9.1, 9.2, 12.32, 12.33, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5, 15.19, 16.4, 16.5, 17.6, 17.7, 18.12, 18.13, 18.17, 18.18]}

▸ Golden Chrysanthemums

The Leiden Lane Hackers maintain a strong partnership with the Golden Chrysanthemums. The Sisters bring much needed cardamine and H-fuel, and, in return, they receive consumer goods, side arms and software for their main base in Hokkaido as well as information on ship movements along the trade lanes in Kusari. In fact, most of the basic supplies that the GC receive come from Leiden Base, some of them are further moved to Kyoto Base. ^{[News report §2.1, Infocard §16.2, Rumors §7.1, 7.2 7.3, 7.4, 16.10]}

This partnership has been further established in late 815 A.S. with the construction of a small depot named Morioka Base inside Keiun nebula in the southern part of the Shikoku system and is occassionally visited by the Leiden Hackers. The Golden Chrysanthemums dislike the Liberty Rogues for their lack of manners, finding the Hackers more to their taste. In fact, the Hackers offer protection to all Sisters who travel to Leiden and strive to provide those living in Leiden a lifestyle similar to what they are accustomed to. ^{[Infocard §21.1, Rumors §7.3, 7.4, 19.26, 21.5, 21.6]}

7. Golden Chrysanthemum sources

▸ Hogosha

The Lane Hackers also have a stake in the artifact business via their Hogosha contacts. The Kusarians ship the artifacts from the Sigmas through Kusari and drop a significant portion of them to Leiden Base. There, they exchange hands and the Rogues are hired to smuggle them further into the House as they are in high demand among Liberty's elite. ^{[News report §1.1, Infocard §16.2, Rumors §8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 15.12, 15.13, 15.14, 15.15, 16.11, 19.26, 21.5]}

The Hogosha maintain a permanent presence on Leiden Base which is not entirely safe for them considering the presence of Golden Chrysanthemums as well. The Hogosha and Liberty Rogues share a mutual disdain for each other while the former have ambiguous opinions about the Lane Hackers; some Hogosha consider them okay, while others consider them as "drug addicts". ^{[Rumors §8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 15.12]}

8. Hogosha sources

▸ Mollys

Despite the lack of continuous direct contact, the Lane Hackers maintain good relations with the Mollys through their Liberty Rogue and Outcast contacts. In 812 A.S. the Mollys had even signed an alliance with the Outcasts which allowed them to enter the cardamine smuggling business. Futhermore, both the Lane Hackers and Mollys have a common area of operations in the eastern part of Manchester. ^{[News report §2.2, Infocard §22.5, Rumors §20.11, 20.12]}

The Lane Hackers are also one of the main clients of Molly gold which is smuggled to them with the help of Junkers. ^{[Rumors §9.1, 9.2]}

9. Molly sources

⚡ Secondary Hostiles

▸ Bounty Hunters Guild

As the name implies, the Bounty Hunters Guild is an organization that fulfills bounty contracts for the capture, but most usually assassination, of people deemed unlawful by the Houses or other legal institutions. Despite of the Guild's unquestionable efficiency, the public does not consider it a reputable organization. One of the main reasons is that a large portion of the Guildmembers are former convicts who have now turned against their former comrades. Interspace Commerce is BHG's biggest contractor since the mega-corporation offers the most bounty contracts in Sirius and subsequently members of the Guild can be found in IC installations all around Sirius. ^{[News report §10.1, Infocards §12.5, 24.4, Rumors §6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, 10.16, 14.8, 14.9, 15.15, 19.17, 19.21, 20.18, 21.10]}

Lane Hacker bounties in particular are highly sought after because of the extravagant prices that Ageira Technologies and Interspace Commerce are offering. Their most effective tactic in order to intercept Hackers is to lay a trap in high value shipments which are much more likely to be intercepted by the Hackers themselves than any other organization. As expected, the Lane Hackers consider the Guildmembers as scumbags and even go as far as to spend resources setting up ambushes and traps.^{[News report §10.1, 20.1, 22.2, Infocards §12.5, 19.10, Rumors §1.9, 1.11, 6.9, 6.10, 10.11, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, 12.11, 12.34, 15.18, 20.9, 20.19, 20.20]}

Compared to regular law enforcement, their main advantages are that they are more daring and since many of them are former criminals, they also have very good knowledge of the unlawfuls' tactics and of the jump hole network. This knowledge is a well-guarded among the guild ranks and harsh punishments await those who share intel. The Bounty Hunters Guild administers two bases within the Lane Hackers operational zones. Deshima Station in Shikoku and Sheffield Station in Manchester. Another difference from regular law enforcement is that bounty hunters also operate out of civilian bases or freeports. They do not initiate fights inside the no-fire zones of freeports, however; they carefully wait for their target to exit the zone before they ambush them. ^{[Infocards §15.3, 20.2, Rumors §7.1, 10.16, 10.17, 10.18, 12.32, 12.33, 13.5, 13.9, 14.5, 14.6, 14.8, 14.9, 14.10, 15.21, 15.22, 17.37, 17.38, 19.28, 20.10, 20.11, 21.10, 21.11, 21.12, 21.13]}

10. Bounty Hunters Guild sources

News report §10.1 Wrote:Gary Burnam, William Lieberman, and Hamilton Jones were all killed when they stumbled into an IC/Bounty Hunter trap last week. The three pilots attacked a Kusari Luxury Goods armored transport as it approached the Galileo Jump Gate in Colorado. They sent a distress call as they made the first pass. The reports are inconclusive, but it is believed that four Hunter ships were hidden in the transport's relay signature. Flight leader Burnam gave the order to retreat, but shortly afterwards all three of their com-signals went dead. A day later IC paid the Guild three pilot bounties.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.2 Wrote:Bounties used to be for bringing back the offender dead or alive. Somewhere back when the Lane Hackers started itching old Ageira and IC, it changed to dead only, please.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.3 Wrote:I’ve killed Red Hessians in Rheinland; Rogues, Lane Hackers, and Outcasts in Liberty; Mollys in Bretonia; Hogosha and Blood Dragons in Kusari; I’ve even bagged a few Corsairs. But I’ve never brought any of 'em in. Bounty Hunters aren’t paid to capture criminals; we’re paid to kill them.

Liberty Police Incorporate rumor §10.4 Wrote:I don’t know why they call them Bounty Hunters -- in my book they are assassins, plain and simple. You hire them to go hunt someone down and kill them. Very rarely are they required to bring someone back alive -- and that’s usually the runaway son of some executive.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.5 Wrote:I'm pretty new to the Bounty Hunters Guild. They call me a "reformed" Rogue. Spent ten years in Sugarland rolling Sheet Metal. Now I'm out here hunting my old comrades down. At least it's legit work. I can live on a real planet instead of inside a stinky rock somewhere out in an asteroid field.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.6 Wrote:I just got back from a tough run into the Alamosa Field. It was swarming with Rogues and Hackers. They must have a Hole somewhere up there. Bagged me two Rogues, though. Not a bad day's work. Way better than my old job at LPI.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.7 Wrote:IC hires Bounty Hunters to take care of the dirty work that goes with insuring shipments and operations throughout Sirius. If somebody starts to cost IC more money than it costs to hire Bounty Hunters, then we deal with them.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.8 Wrote:IC thinks we're scum, but they need us. They never set foot outside their sanitized offices. Wouldn't last a second out where they send us. But I guess that's why they pay us so damn well. I don't need to like the folk who sign my paycheck. I just do the job they ask me to do.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.9 Wrote:Interspace pays the best of all. You'd better be good, but they'll reward you well if you can get the job done. It's funny, I've been working with Interspace for years now, they reward faithful service. The Bretonian government can't pay out for any contracts right now, so it's good to have a job.

Roppongi Interspace rumor §10.10 Wrote:Unlike our other House bases, Bounty Hunters Guild members are not allowed to base themselves on our station, at the request of the Kusari government. So we must make frequent visits to Deshima to communicate with the Guild management -- a process that I find distasteful.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.11 Wrote:There's plenty of work for us Bounty Hunters in this part of the Barrier. Between the Rogues in the Wendell field and the Lane Hackers and Outcasts in the Barrier Cloud, it's a non-stop hunting party. Gotta watch out for those Outcasts, though - I've lost more than a few buddies to those lowlifes. Tough bastards those.

Los Angeles BHG rumor §10.12 Wrote:We run patrols throughout the system. Most of the bounties are put up by Interspace and Ageira, who seem to really hate the Lane Hackers' guts. You get a lot less for a Rogue, but they're easier to find and take out. Outcasts tend to be problematic. Unless you're good, they're not worth the credits on their head. They make you work for it. Me, I like that. My buddies, most of em don't.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.13 Wrote:IC wants me to hunt down and kill every single Lane Hacker I can get in my sights. They don’t want them captured, nor do they want information from them like Ageira does. They just want them dead.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.14 Wrote:The Lane Hackers are a smart bunch. Heck, I kind of respect them. But IC wants 'em wiped, so I’m going to perforate some rich-boy California types for IC. I love my job; nothing like blowing holes in rich people.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.15 Wrote:The way to get a Lane Hacker is to give him Cardamine. They like to spend time in California, so that is where I will go. I’ll snag a little Cardamine on the way and use it to buy my way in with them. Once I have their trust… well, you get the idea.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.16 Wrote:The LPI doesn't have the guts to come into the fields very far. First sign of trouble, and they're hightailing it back to Denver. That's where we come in. Since a lot of us are Rogues who did time in Sugarland or Huntsville, we know where the Jump Holes and bases are. Guild rules are that you tell no one or you may have a little "accident" out there.

Curacao BHG rumor §10.17 Wrote:I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but I've had a few. There are some Jump Holes I know of in this system. One is in the southeastern quadrant in the Paloma Cloud, and it leads to California. The other is in the Corcovado Field. That one goes to Magellan.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §10.18 Wrote:There is a law in the Bounty Hunters Guild that must never be broken. The proper authorities can't ever be told the location of the Jump Holes. Any Bounty Hunter who breaks this rule is expelled from the Guild, and is usually the victim of an accident.

▸ Xenos

The Xenos are a terrorist organization in Liberty that follow a nationalist agenda and are mostly composed of unemployed workers and former prisoners. They are at odds with the Lane Hackers, and blame them for not knowing what real work is while the Hackers profit by using Rogues to do their dirty work for them. It is well known that Xenos receive many new recruits from former convicts and their numbers grow every year. ^{[News report §11.1, Rumors §11.3, 11.4, 19.18]}

Xenos operate a lot in Colorado and Kepler systems but not in California and are hostile towards the Lane Hackers; however, their main focus is to hit Kusarian shipping. Before the northern trade lane in Ontario was constructed, the Xenos mostly attacked shipments travelling between Toronto Station and Fort Severn because, according to them, the trade lane between Toronto and Hamilton was well-defended. Kusari is lobbying the government of Liberty to step up its operations against the Xenos with limited success; primarily because most of the Xenos' activities indirectly benefit Liberty's corporations by focusing on their foreign competitors. ^{[Rumors §11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8, 11.9, 15.15, 15.18, 15.19, 15.20, 15.22, 15.23, 18.15, 19.18, 19.26, 19.27, 19.28, 19.29, 21.9]}

The Lane Hackers consider the Xenos as misguided and both organizations will probably stop fighting each other if a greater common enemy arrives on the scene, such as the Liberty Navy. ^{[News report §11.2, Rumor §15.18]}

11. Xeno sources

News report §11.1 Wrote:HUNTSVILLE -- Soon a Xeno leader will finish his sentence aboard the Huntsville and likely rejoin his partners in crime. Figures show that for every Xeno that enters the Texas prison system, three more exit. Apparently the Xenos are using the LPI ships as prime recruiting stations for their war against foreign shippers. This criminal group is currently the fastest growing illegal faction within Liberty. If this trend continues, Xenos will outnumber Rogues in fifteen years.

News report §11.2 Wrote:GUNNISON -- A Liberty Navy patrol stumbled upon a skirmish between Lane Hackers and Xenos in the Alamosa Field. "It was pretty obvious that the Hackers were winning the scrap, Xenos were blowing up left and right," reported Navy captain Alison Chamberlain. The Navy patrol entered the fray to find themselves being fired upon by both sides. "One minute they were killing each other, then both groups were raining shots down on us," Chamberlain added. More navy ships arrived shortly and the remaining pirates retreated.

Ageira Technologies rumor §11.3 Wrote:The Xenos are just disenchanted lower-class workers who sate their avaricious desires through criminal piracy. Thankfully, the Battleship Rio Grande does a good job of beating those scum back into line.

Xeno rumor §11.4 Wrote:The Lane Hackers in Galileo are a bunch of pansy rich boys who can’t do their own dirty work. It’s that kind of attitude that has let foreigners come in and take jobs from the Liberty working man. At least they use Rogues to do their work for them and not Kusari pirates. That still makes the Rogues the pawns of the rich and lazy. Lane Hackers don’t know what real work is, how hard it is for so many of us to survive.

Xeno rumor §11.5 Wrote:We're unable to establish the exact location, but we think there's a Jump Hole between the Kuryo and Matsuo Clouds. That's how the Lane Hackers get into the system. We'd love to shut it down, but we have to find it first. A lot of Bounty Hunters are out there, which makes poking around difficult.

Kishiro Technologies rumor §11.6 Wrote:Those cursed Xenos are a serious problem for us in Colorado and Kepler. We've lobbied the Liberty government to step up patrols, but that has proved unsatisfactory. The Xenos seem to attack only Kusari ships, not Liberty commerce. We don't understand their hatred for us.

Liberty Navy rumor §11.7 Wrote:We're pretty sure that the Xenos have a base in the Denko Cloud in Kepler. They won't let us go take a looksee though. They say the radiation levels are too high. That sounds like a bunch of political red tape to me.

Xeno rumor §11.8 Wrote:With that battleship near Toronto, it's hard to do anything near the only lane in this system. But they don't have enough patrols for the entire system, and it's a long way across open space to Fort Severn.

Xeno rumor §11.9 Wrote:There's three ways out of this system for us, but only one we actually use. The California Jump Hole is too close to that Lane Hacker base in the St. Lawrence Field, and Fort Severn's practically sitting atop the Alberta one. We have to dodge the Ottawa's patrols every time we head for Colorado, but once we're through, it's just a short flight to good old Ouray.

...part.two.concluded...accessing.part.three...

The Lane Hackers · (This post was last modified: 09-01-2019, 01:52 AM by The Lane Hackers.)

⚡ Independent Worlds

▸ Western Operations

The Lane Hackers mainly operate in the Independent Worlds. It is much safer than the core systems of a House, since law enforcement is less present in these areas. No doubt this is why the first two, and biggest, Lane Hacker bases are located in the Independent Worlds. Subsequently, the Lane Hackers can frequently be encountered in the systems of Magellan and Cortez. Both of these systems are patrolled by the militaries of the two Houses and host a large contingent of Bounty Hunters. As of late, mainly the Liberty Navy is patrolling the Independent Worlds since BAF is occupied with the war against Gallia, but some believe that the Liberty Navy does not have enough men in order to be efficient. These patrols are usually based out of Battleship Yukon and are considered very dangerous and risky, some Naval officers even state that the LPI would never be able to respond sufficiently. Orbital Spa & Cruise security is also known to conduct patrols inside the Paloma Ice Field. Furthermore, the ice clouds provide excellent cover for Lane Hacker attacks inside the Barrier, Roatan and Corcovado. Being too close to California's jump gate for comfort, Hackers leave operations inside Wendell Ice Field to the Rogues. Accessing Cortez from Magellan system is quite safe and quick as the jump hole lies just to the north of Mactan Base while the jump hole to access Manchester lies west. Inside Cortez, the Lane Hackers use Montezuma as a forward tactical base to stage their attacks as well as a place to sell information and cardamine. ^{[News reports §3.3, 12.1, Infocards §5.5, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 19.4, Rumors §10.11, 10.17, 12.6, 12.7, 12.8, 12.9, 12.10, 12.11, 12.12, 12.13, 12.14, 12.15, 12.16, 12.17, 12.18, 12.19, 14.8, 14.9, 14.10, 20.8, 20.13, 20.14, 20.15, 20.16, 20.17, 20.18, 20.19, 22.25]}

Despite all those advantages, Hackers attack only high-value shipments and prefer to sell information about less important convoys to the Outcasts and Rogues. High-value shipments include gold coming from Dublin, luxury goods from Manhattan, robotics from Aland Shipyard, H-fuel and optical chips bound to Bretonia, MOX from Bretonia and Boron from Pittsburgh. They do not smuggle the stolen goods themselves, preferring to sell most of them to the Rogues in order to keep them pleased and instead they elect to smuggle cardamine into Liberty. ^{[Infocard §13.1, Rumors §4.5, 4.6, 12.19, 12.20, 12.21, 12.22, 12.23, 12.24, 12.25, 12.26, 12.27, 12.28, 12.29, 12.30, 12.31, 13.9]}

The Mactan Lane Hackers regularly visit Freeport 4 for supplies and because their asteroid base gets claustophobic at times. Bounty Hunters surround the freeport too, but the no-assault policy does not allow them to engage their targets. In the long past, Wendell Ice Field was used as a test field for jump gate technology by the government of Liberty. Eventually, the Lane Hackers were founded and salvaged whatever was left behind. Now, it is only used by the IMG for the production of water and oxygen. ^{[Rumors §1.19, 12.32, 12.33, 12.34, 12.35, 12.36]}

12. Western Operations sources

News report §12.1 Wrote:MANHATTAN -- The Liberty Navy announced today that it will soon extend its patrol routes to include the previously unprotected stretches of Trade Lanes extending into the Barrier Clouds east of Freeport 4 and Curacao. New London has supported the move, noting that the Bretonia security forces will be unable to fulfill their patrol duties in the Independent Worlds for some time to come. Observers of the situation remarked that the Bretonia Armed Forces is more concerned with possible Molly attacks on New London than rampant piracy outside of its frontiers.

Montezuma Base infocard §12.2 Wrote:Completed in 684 AS, Montezuma has been the main base from where the Liberty Rogues raid civilian traffic in both the Magellan and Cortez systems. Trade between Liberty and Bretonia has always been heavy, so the Rogues have no shortage of targets to ply their brutal trade. The base isn't as well concealed as most other Rogue bases, and some of the Rogues suspect that both Liberty and Bretonia are aware of the base's location, but so far, neither nation has made an aggressive move towards the Corcovado Ice Field. The base is also frequented by Outcasts, Lane Hackers and Junkers seeking to buy and sell Cardamine, supplies or information.

As the Gallic incursion pushes into Cortez, Montezuma has attempted to remain unnoticed and has significantly reduced its patrols of the system in a bid to remain hidden. With security on high alert, all rogue ships in Cortez have been instructed to flee into Bretonia or Liberty instead of risk giving away Montezuma, Inverness or Coronado installations. The notable reduction in activity in Cortez has lead to a surge of rogue activity within the neighbouring systems.

The Barrier infocard §12.3 Wrote:An outcropping of the Barrier, a massive cloud of ice crystals. The scattering effect of the crystals provides excellent concealment for Lane Hackers to attack the traffic passing between Bretonia and Liberty. Liberty Navy patrols have been increased, but with little effect.

Roatan Ice Cloud infocard §12.4 Wrote:A medium-sized cloud of ice crystals. A popular hiding place for Rogues and Lane Hackers to attack Trade Lane traffic to and from Manchester.

Wreck infocard §12.5 Wrote:The Charles Kane and its escorts were ambushed in the Roatan Ice Crystal Cloud several weeks ago, probably by Rogues or Lane Hackers. They commandeered the ship and flew it further into the cloud. Several Bounty Hunters happened upon the hijacked ship, and a fierce firefight ensued. Only one limped back to tell the tale. She said the ship was still out there in the cloud, abandoned and drifting with the field.

Independent Miners Guild rumor §12.6 Wrote:Universal Shipping brings us our Mining Machinery out of Liberty. We also need a steady supply of Engine Components for ships that need repairs. These Independent Worlds can be a bit rough, especially towards Bretonia. Their Armed Forces are a bit tied up with Gallia at the moment, so they don't have many patrols out. The nebula is also much more dense at their end, which makes for a better ambushing spot, something the Hackers make liberal use of.

Liberty Navy rumor §12.7 Wrote:I'm on leave from the Yukon. They gave my squadron some time to recuperate after doing a month of combat patrols in Cortez. Liberty is a joke compared to the Independent Worlds. The LPI wouldn't last two seconds out there.

Liberty Navy rumor §12.8 Wrote:I'm doing patrols into Cortez. We usually just hang around at the Gate, but sometimes we venture down to Curacao. After that the convoys are on their own. I call it the "Cortez gap."

Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing rumor §12.9 Wrote:Polymers are a valued Commodity in Liberty. We used to produce them here, but Douglas Station in Omega 3 received equipment upgrades that we didn't get, so now they are BMM's main supplier. The Liberty Navy is responsible for patrolling the Independent Worlds, but I can tell you her fleet ain't big enough to get the job done.

Universal Shipping rumor §12.10 Wrote:These Independent Worlds are the roughest areas that Universal has to traverse. At least we don't have to deal with the Border Worlds. Just last week we lost a shipment to Hackers in the Roatan Cloud.

Universal Shipping rumor §12.11 Wrote:I just signed off a load of Side Arms to the Bretonian Police. It's a rough run from Detroit - seems like the bad guys know every move we make, especially in Cortez. Must be those Lane Hackers at it again. Still, we made it in one piece. Must have helped to let it slip within a Bounty Hunter's hearing that there'd be a Side Arms convoy departing. I choose being bait over being game any day.

Independent Miners Guild rumor §12.12 Wrote:The Lane Hackers and Outcasts prefer the safety of the Barrier Clouds for their attacks. The bloody Rogues don't care - they'll attack shipping in the Wendell Field, until the Liberty Navy shows up from the California Gate. Then they all scatter like rats. Kind of funny to see as long as you're not the one getting shot at.

Lane Hacker rumor §12.13 Wrote:In this system we make plenty of raids on valuable shipments traveling between Liberty and Bretonia. We use the Jump Hole to raid shipments in Cortez that may be trying to bypass Magellan, and the Jump Hole from Cortez to California let's us get back to our beloved homeland. Financial freedom has its costs, I guess but it's quite the adventure being out here. More exciting than that stuffy lab in Pueblo Station.

Lane Hacker rumor §12.14 Wrote:There's a Jump Hole into Cortez from here. That's how the Rogues get into this system. There's no way directly into California except through the Gate. It's been a while since I've seen the beautiful skies of Los Angeles.

Independent Miners Guild rumor §12.15 Wrote:I'm not supposed to say anything, but there's a Lane Hacker base in the Barrier Cloud in the west. You'll also find Jump Holes to Manchester and Cortez. Watch yourself out there. Outcast drug runners will waste you in a second if you don't know what you're doing. They don't like us miners much.

Lane Hacker rumor §12.16 Wrote:We mainly use Montezuma as a forward tactical base to stage attacks on Trade Lanes in Cortez via the Jump Hole into California. We prefer the safety of the Barrier Clouds, whereas the Rogues will attack almost anywhere.

Montezuma Rogue rumor §12.17 Wrote:Things got a little frosty around here last week. An Outcast killed one of ours for accidentally alerting some Bounty Hunters to his location. When the Outcast landed, the kid's best friend stood up to the masker. The Outcast, without saying a word, pulled a Detroit Pocket Canon and blew him in half.

Montezuma Rogue rumor §12.18 Wrote:Running Cardamine from Cortez is one of the toughest jobs you can do in Sirius. I don't know why the Outcasts can't do it themselves. They always make us do all the dirty work. One day we'll be in charge.

Gateway Shipping rumor §12.19 Wrote:Be careful in those Barrier Clouds. It's hard to see until it's too late. Lots of Lane Hackers and Outcasts but little in the way of security forces. My best friend's convoy got nailed last week at the Manchester Gate by some Lane Hackers. He was hauling Gold from Bretonia to New York, not low-value stuff like Oxygen and Water.

Planetform rumor §12.20 Wrote:Once you leave Bretonian space into the Independent Worlds, you are usually rid of the Gaians. Of course, that's when the Outcasts and Liberty Rogues become a problem instead. We rarely get hit by the Lane Hackers, I guess they don't think our cargo is worth the time.

Borderworld Exports rumor §12.21 Wrote:Bowex deals in Luxury Goods acquired from Newark. Only the finest products are shipped by Border World Exports. Unfortunately, these are the very items coveted by the villainous Lane Hackers. They attack our shipments in the Independent Worlds of Cortez and Magellan between here and New London.

Gateway Shipping rumor §12.22 Wrote:Just got in on a Gold run from the Hood in Dublin. Everything was fine until we got to the Barrier Cloud in Magellan. The Lane Hackers were waiting as usual -- pounced on us as soon as we entered the Trade Lane to Freeport 4. We got lucky when a Universal convoy showed up. Still lost one of my escorts.

Borderworld Exports rumor §12.23 Wrote:Normally I run Luxury Goods from Newark to New London. That is a cargo more befitting of a senior Bowex captain. Unfortunately, I lost a recent shipment in Magellan to Lane Hackers, and was promptly demoted to the Pittsburgh to Stokes Boron run. Maybe it's a hint that I should get out of the shipping business.

Universal Shipping rumor §12.24 Wrote:Universal handles various levels of Commodities on the Manhattan to New London route. Our armored transports handle the Bretonian Gold bound for Manhattan, and the Luxury Goods on the return trip. If they're well escorted, they usually make it okay through the Independent World gauntlet. The same can't be said for all their escorts. Between the Liberty Rogues, Lane Hackers and Outcasts, they've got a lot to do.

Gateway Shipping rumor §12.25 Wrote:I hate crossing the Independent Worlds. When I signed up for the H-Fuel run from Los Angeles to here I thought it would be an adventure. I'd say it's closer to a nightmare. Gateway doesn't pay me enough to get killed. Gateway's route goes by Sheffield and over Manchester. Our IMG partners often help us out near Freeport 4, but travelling through the Barrier ice fields is quite dangerous. Lane Hackers, Outcasts and Liberty Rogues are on the prowl there.

Gateway Shipping rumor §12.26 Wrote:I've heard that some of the Rogues in this system have been tipped off about our Gold shipments to Fort Bush, not by the Lane Hackers but by Bowex. I wouldn't put it past those corporate bastards.

Gateway Shipping rumor §12.27 Wrote:The Robotics shipments we bring in from Omega-3 are a fight all the way to this station. First we have to fight the Hessians out of Omega-3. Once we hit the Bretonian Trade Lanes, we have to contend with the Mollies and Corsairs and in the Independent Worlds there's the Lane Hackers or whomever they've sold our cargo manifests to. Once we get into Liberty space, we have to fight the Rogues off.

Cryer Pharmaceuticals rumor §12.28 Wrote:I haul Fertilizers from Shinkaku Station all the way here. You really have to push it to make it through the Tau war zone. We typically pick up a load of Optical Chips for Waterloo on the return. That's less time-sensitive but more dangerous for the Lane Hackers in Cortez and Magellan. They always seem to know when we're coming. Waterloo always has Passengers ready to head out to Dublin's Graves Station, and from there it's through the Taus again with Gold to Narita. From there, it's an easy trip with Mining Machinery back to Shinkaku. Not a circuit for the fainthearted, to be sure.

Lane Hackers rumor §12.29 Wrote:Since we know what ships are hauling what, we can hit the Gold freighters and sell the Gold to the Rogues at their Montezuma base in Cortez. This keeps the Rogues pretty happy with us, and oftentimes they do our dirty work, which leaves more time to pursue our own diversions - like dropping Cardamine.

Borderworld Exports rumor §12.30 Wrote:MOX shipments from LD-14 are scheduled regularly for this battleship. We've had added trouble in the past year from the Hackers in Cortez and Magellan, but hopefully they'll shift more of their attention to Ageira's operation in Alberta and we'll catch a break for a change.

Borderworld Exports rumor §12.31 Wrote:Bowex transports Basic Alloy from here in Manhattan to Pittsburgh, where we pick up Boron for delivery to Ship Hull Panel factories. I was hired by Bowex to pilot their freighters, but I've been thinking about going into a new line of work. I was almost killed a few days ago when Lane Hackers attacked my ship in the Independent Worlds.

Lane Hacker rumor §12.32 Wrote:Between you and me, that chunk of ice in the Barrier Cloud gets a little close at times, especially with those weirdo Outcasts stopping by on their drug runs all the time. It's a beautiful view of the Barrier from the Freeport, so we visit here as often as we can sneak by the Bounty Hunters. Or blast through them if need be. It helps to know when they go out there alone.

Independent Miners Guild rumor §12.33 Wrote:The Lane Hackers sometimes land here to get supplies. The Bounty Hunters are always hovering around the station, watching their prey mosey right by them. That's the way it is with Freeports. Both the Bounty Hunters and Hackers know better then to start trouble near a freeport. That just gets them thrown out.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §12.34 Wrote:It's pretty frustrating not being able to just take out my Detroit Executioner and waste the Lane Hackers that come into this bar. It'd certainly be easier than chasing them down in space. Guess that's the downside of Freeports, but you can still pick up on a good lead or two. The IMG folks running the place are okay, but not real friendly. Got that Bretonian superiority attitude going or something.

Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing rumor §12.35 Wrote:I don't even like stepping foot onto this base because the stench is overpowering on the cargo deck. No telling what goods pass through there, but that's a freeport for you. Next time I'm going to bring a breather mask. I run the Gold from this base to Liberty. Once I leave this system I have to cross the Independent Worlds, which is always a fight. The criminals always seem to know when I'm passing through, too.

Independent Miners Guild rumor §12.36 Wrote:We produce Water and Oxygen here from our mining operations north of the base, in the Wendell Ice Field. The Liberty government used the area for jump gate technology tests in the past, but those operations have been moved. The Lane Hackers have secreted away whatever Liberty left behind, so it's just us and the ice up there.

▸ Mactan Base

The first, and most populous, Lane Hacker base, Mactan was built in 753 A.S. and was the home of former Los Angeles Ageira employees who created the software known as USI (Universal Ship Identification). The authorities have so far failed to locate Mactan which serves as the Hacker base of operations in Magellan and the surrounding systems such as Manchester, Kansas and Leeds. Rogues and Outcasts also maintain a permanent presence there. ^{[Infocard §13.1, Rumors §1.9, 12.15, 20.7, 20.8, 20.18, 20.19]}

Mactan Hackers purchase most of their supplies, such as water, oxygen, food, H-fuel and various consumer goods, from the nearby Freeport 4 and thus maintain cordial relations with the IMG. Some of those supplies are then taken further north by the Rogues in order to supply Montezuma. Gateway Shipping is the main supplier of Freeport 4. Since Bounty Hunters lurk around the freeport, the Lane Hackers prefer to utilize freelancers to move those supplies as that would generate less attention. ^{[Rumors §12.32, 12.33, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5, 13.6]}

Mactan is also a major cardamine smuggling center. Cardamine from Cali Base or Cape Wrath reaches Mactan before it is taken further into Liberty by the Rogues, Hackers or Outcasts. After Gallia invaded Magellan system and it became a warzone several crucial assets of the Lane Hackers were moved to Airdrie Hideout however Mactan still remains a significant producer of unregistered Detroit firearms known as Black Market Light Arms. ^{[Infocards §13.2, 17.1, 22.20, Rumors §3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 13.7, 13.8, 13.9, 13.10]}

13. Mactan Base sources

Mactan Base infocard §13.1 Wrote:The Magellan Lane Hackers are mostly composed of former Los Angeles Ageira Technologies employees who created the extremely complex scanning and database system known as USI (Universal Ship Identification). Departing the company rather acrimoniously in 750 A.S., they have become a growing problem in the Independent Worlds.

The investigation into the former Ageira employees continues to this day, but has so far been unsuccessful in locating Mactan Base, which was completed in 753 A.S. No Hacker has ever been captured, although various Rogues in the Independent Worlds have been caught possessing remarkably accurate information regarding upcoming high-value shipments.

Security measures have been added to the software, but the Hackers remain one step ahead, leading Ageira security experts to believe that there are many sympathetic programmers still within the company, possibly being secretly paid off with the proceeds from the thefts.

The Lane Hackers prefer to sell their information to others rather than do the dirty work themselves, although they sometimes swoop in and tractor in a cargo if it's particularly juicy. Fancying themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods, they avoid direct confrontation when possible, unless it is the henchmen of the despised IC and Ageira.

The Mactan Hackers like to frequent Freeport 4, as their asteroid base within the ice fields of Magellan can become rather claustrophobic. Their cardamine addiction forces them to trade Lane shipment info for drugs with the Outcasts and the Liberty Rogues at Mactan base, although usually it ends up being the Liberty Rogues who act upon any information, taking the fall when anything goes wrong.

Wreck infocard §13.2 Wrote:The Outcast ship Lorenzo was making a Cardamine run from Cali to Mactan when it was caught by a military patrol in the LD-14 Asteroid Field. It turned further into the heart of the field to escape its pursuers and stumbled into an old radioactive pocket. The crew is presumed dead, but the ship is probably still intact. No one has retrieved the cargo yet due to the high radiation danger in the area.

Montezuma Rogue rumor §13.3 Wrote:This base requires that all of its supplies come in from the IMGers at Freeport 4. We bring Water, Oxygen, Food, and Consumer Goods from there.

Liberty Rogue rumor §13.4 Wrote:The Lane Hackers got themselves a deal with those miners on Freeport 4. They pick up a lot of basic stuff. Food, Water, Oxygen, that kind of things. We need some of that for Montezuma in Cortez, so we pick that up here, if we can't grab what we need from passing transports.

Lane Hacker rumor §13.5 Wrote:We buy supplies for our base in the Barrier Cloud to the west. It's pretty mundane stuff - H-Fuel, Food, Oxygen, and Water. We prefer if freelancers like you haul them, as it attracts less attention with Bounty Hunters. Watch out for the Rogues though, they will try to rob freelancers like yourself blind.

Gateway Shipping rumor §13.6 Wrote:Gateway supplies most of the IMG bases in the Sirius Sector and hauls their products to market. Take Freeport 4 in Magellan, for example. We ship them their Food and H-Fuel. We bring Passengers back into Liberty, and Consumer Goods or Basic Alloy back here. Not a killer run, but it pays the bills.

Lane Hacker rumor §13.7 Wrote:The Outcasts use our base as one of their waystations on the long journey into Liberty from the Edge Worlds. We trade information for Cardamine, which we need on a daily basis. Funny, we didn't use to need it all the time like nowadays. We have to take Cardamine with us any time we leave base, as we start to get sick pretty quick otherwise.

Lane Hacker rumor §13.8 Wrote:The Outcasts run Cardamine in here from somewhere out in the Tau worlds. They ship it out from here into Liberty, with the Rogues handling much of the dangerous work in New York. We pay a pretty high price even here. If you wanted to make a killing, get in close with the Outcasts and buy some Cardamine further up the stream, closer to the source.

Lane Hacker rumor §13.9 Wrote:We often make Cardamine shipment transfers at the Rogue base in the Cortez system, or here. I'm heading on to California Rogue hideout with my Cardamine - I can take more money with a little more risk. The Rogues can then handle the last leg into Liberty. I don't like going there, too many Bounty Hunters.

Liberty Rogue rumor §13.10 Wrote:We pick up Cardamine from this base and take it out to Montezuma and further into Liberty. The Outcasts sometimes carry it in themselves, but other times they don't want to and we have to handle the last leg. That's fine though, bringing in a load of Cardi always gets you free drinks at the bar in Buffalo.

▸ Planet Curacao

Curacao is a planet in the Cortez system exploited by Orbital Space & Cruise as a luxury holiday resort for the wealthy and the elite. According to the Boorman Treaty, Curacao operates outside of House Law and thus its patrons can enjoy a wide variety of exotic comforts and even contraband such as cardamine if they can pay the price. The planet is also known to contain high levels of oxygen which creates a rejuvenating effect. Anyone who can afford the costs is welcome and thus many Lane Hackers wish to spend their free time there. ^{[Infocard §14.3, Rumors §1.16, 14.4, 14.5]}

However, Lane Hacker attacks on supplying vessels for Curacao, Interspace Commerce's threats that they will stop insuring cargo bound for Cortez system and the negative publicity that they may receive are the three main reasons why Orbital does not allow Lane Hackers to visit the famous resort. OS&C security is also known to conduct patrols in Cortez for the purpose of keeping the unlawful population in check. ^{[News report §14.1, Rumors §1.16, 14.5, 14.6, 14.7, 14.8]}

Despite that, Hackers still visit the planet without Orbital's permission; a dangerous undertaking considering that the Bounty Hunters Guild maintains a large contingent on the planet and even agents of Liberty Security Force and Interspace Commerce sometimes operate there. ^{[News report §14.1, 14.2, Rumors §10.17, 14.8, 14.9, 14.10]}

14. Planet Curacao sources

News report §14.1 Wrote:CURACAO -- Orbital Spa and Cruise Lines responded vehemently to the claim made by a Liberty Security Forces report, which stated that Lane Hackers had occasionally been spotted at the Curacao resort in the Cortez Border World. The report also inferred that some Orbital staff aware of the infrequent Lane Hacker visits looked the other way because of potential profits from vacationing pirates aboard the base. "This accusation is an outrage," said an anonymous Orbital executive. "If it were a private organization making such claims, our lawyers would be preparing for a libel suit."

News report §14.2 Wrote:CURACAO -- None of our numbers have ever been captured alive, but that fact almost changed recently when one of our own was identified while she was on an impromptu vacation in Curacao. Sue Williams found herself surrounded by undercover IC operatives at the Orbital Spa and Cruise Lines Resort last week. She was able to send a distress call to a patrol that was passing near the planet. "We got her message. She seemed worried, so Jake and I went to get her out of there," quoted Hacker pilot Robert Butcher. The two pilots flew in and picked her up just as the IC agents were about to close in.

Planet Curacao infocard §14.3 Wrote:Unfettered by colony law, Curacao is run by Orbital Spa and Cruise Lines as a pleasure planet where every whim and decadent urge is fulfilled. Many goods that are illegal in the neighbouring houses (such as Alien Artifacts, drugs like Synthetic Marijuana and even Cardamine) are available on Curacao - for a price.

The planet is largely tropical. There are no large landmasses, but several beautiful archipelagos exist with some native palm-like forests growing on the larger islands. The waters of Curacao were unsuitable for any Earth fish species, or even algae, and the planet was initially ignored as one being unable to support human life. The Boorman Treaty forbade either Liberty or Bretonia from laying claim to the planet, so any expensive terraforming operations were out of the question.

It wasn't until 375 A.S. that Curacao became a place of renown. The planet was used as a midpoint for the trade lanes leading through Cortez. Realising the inherent advantage of a lawless tropical world, an upstart Liberty luxury cruises company called Orbital Spa and Cruise made a gamble and established a resort planetside. It was an instant success. Free of any taxations on gambling, royalties on trade and regulations on conduct, the company could cater to every whim of those select few who could afford their services. The company was the first private entity to be able to afford a Valhalla Research (which later became Ageira) docking ring in 432 A.S., without needing to take out a loan from Interspace.

Curacao is still a very exclusive resort planet, with less than 100.000 guests and 300.000 people employed in the pampering of said guests. The planet features state of the art casinos, gigantic ocean liners that navigate its vast ocean, multiple small aerodromes for orbital shuttles - including a racetrack for the daring pilots, and possibly the most luxurious accomodations that can be found anywhere in Sirius.

Orbital Spa and Cruise rumor 14.4 Wrote:The unusually high oxygen content of Curacao's atmosphere has a rejuvenating effect on most of our patrons, which primarily include the Liberty wealthy. They can hop a special transport and be here in a matter of days via the Jump Gates and Trade Lanes.

Orbital Spa and Cruise rumor §14.5 Wrote:Orbital will normally accept any guest that can pay their way, even a Bounty Hunter. On our Hawaiian ship you can spot Hogosha and even the odd Corsair or two. The Lane Hackers have expressed interest in staying here, but we feel their piracy against our ships is too severe to ignore.

Lane Hacker rumor §14.6 Wrote:We'd like to use the hotel on Curacao. Orbital Spa and Cruise wouldn't care if we did, but IC won't insure any Trade Lane shipping in this system. Besides, there are too many Bounty Hunters lurking around the hotel. They give me the creeps.

Orbital Spa and Cruise rumor §14.7 Wrote:We ship Luxury Goods from here at Newark to Curacao in the Cortez system. We strive to provide our guests with the absolute best of all things, so when they think luxury, they think Orbital. It's quite a commitment since these shipments are often attacked by Rogues and Lane Hackers.

Orbital Spa and Cruise rumor §14.8 Wrote:We send patrols out into the eastern fields to keep the considerable criminal population in check. Fortunately, there is a substantial Bounty Hunter contingent based here to provide some sense of security. Unfortunately, their rather crude behavior and offensive odor has been a problem with our regular guests.

Curacao BHG rumor §14.9 Wrote:This is one nice place to be based, although those snooty, rich Manhattan types don't seem to like us much. Lots of work around here. Rogues, Lane Hackers, Outcasts. We've got our hands full in Cortez.

Curacao BHG rumor §14.10 Wrote:We do a lot of patrols in this system. There's a Rogue base somewhere out in the Corcovado Field. Good luck getting close to it. It's swarming with Rogues, Hackers, and Outcasts.

▸ Northern Operations

The northern Lane Hackers are based out of Leiden Base in Komatsu Cloud, and, because of the frequency of their attacks, the authorities of both Houses suspect that they have a base hidden somewhere inside. The dark matter clouds provide excellent cover but they are also lethal to unshielded ships. The Libery Navy's patrols on Galileo and Kepler systems begin from Battleship Rio Grande in Colorado system, and, because of the dangers involved, only experienced Navy pilots are assigned missions in those systems while the rest patrol the trade lanes in Colorado. Furthermore, the navies of both Houses have split the two systems in half. The Liberty Navy patrols the southern trade lanes while Kusari Naval Forces, which operate from Battleship Myoko, patrol the northern part; because of this agreement, Kusari does not allow the Liberty Navy to search in their sector for the Lane Hacker base. In addition, according to Interspace Commerce, Kusari Naval Forces contribute very little in the protection of their section which prompted the economic giant to increase its premium insurance on cargoes travelling through those two systems. ^{[News reports §15.1, 15.2, Infocards §15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 21.2, Rumors §15.6, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9, 15.10, 21.14, 22.46]}

Leiden Hackers share the system with the Rogues of Padua Base and thus, they maintain an unofficial arrangement; the northern part of the system is operated by the Lane Hackers and the southern part by the Liberty Rogues. As expected, the Hackers sell the majority of their tracked information to the Rogues, but they keep the most lucrative intel for themselves. The Lane Hackers have also involved the Rogues in the artifact trade by having them purchase artifacts from Leiden and move them to the Junker base in the New York system, a run considered quite dangerous. The return trip to Galileo usually involves light arms smuggling. ^{[News report §1.1, Infocard §15.3, Rumors §8.1, 15.9, 15.10, 15.11, 15.12, 15.13, 15.14, 15.15, 19.30]}

As strategically important as the jump hole connecting Liberty with Galileo is, the jump hole leading to Kepler is equally important to the Lane Hackers as it enables them to purchase all the basic supplies from Ames Research Station but also to hit convoys travelling in the system, such as niobium shipments. However, unlike Galileo system, the presence of the Bounty Hunters Guild and Xenos in Kepler is much more intense, adding an additional danger to Lane Hacker operatives. Kusarians blame Liberty for not cleaning up the Independent Worlds from criminal activity since the criminals originate from their House and find the Independent Worlds much more dangerous than Kusari space. The Xenos of Nome Base are buying their supplies from Ames and their main concern is to attack Kusari shipping. Deshima Station is the main supplier of Ames and Universal Shipping is usually hired to conduct those trade runs. ^{[News reports §15.1, 15.2, Rumors §10.6, 11.5, 11.6, 15.16, 15.17, 15.18, 15.19, 15.20, 15.21, 15.22, 15.23, 16.3, 16.4, 21.9, 22.25]}

When the Houses of Liberty and Kusari sought a jump gate connection, they couldn't bypass Kepler and Galileo systems because of the existence of dark matter in those systems. As it was painfully learned from the Texas Incident, the concentration of dark matter along the jump route would possibly create a disaster. Subsequently, Ageira Technologies constructed in 550 A.S. Langley Research Station in Kepler to study the Kuryo Anomaly in preparation for the construction of trade lanes in the eastern part of the system which would bypass the dark clouds before reaching the jump gate to Shikoku. Many years later, it was discovered that a dark matter storm would pass through Kepler and possibly destroy the trade lane network. In 677 A.S., Deep Space Engineering established Ames Research Station in order to investigate the strange dark matter clouds and also to study the dark matter storm that was scheduled to pass through the system in 780 A.S. On the advice of Ageira Technologies, the Liberty government funded the construction of the auxiliary trade lane routes and jump gates through Galileo since they couldn't allow trade with Kusari to stop. This became known as the Galileo Bypass Project and it was fully funded by Liberty since Kusari did not wish to pay for it. The storm did not arrive when it was expected but four years later in 784 A.S. and it destroyed Langley Research Station as well as the trade lane network of Kepler, the remnants of which can still be found within the eastern dark matter fields. Deep Space Engineering subsequently faced heavy financial losses by constructing new trade lanes and was eventually forced to abandon Ames. Around 790 A.S., a group of Zoners moved onboard the station and eventually DSE agreed to transfer the full ownership of the station to them. Since then, the research station operates as a freeport. ^{[News report §16.1, Infocards §22.6, 22.13, 22.14, 22.15, Rumors §15.9, 15.23, 22.39, 22.40, 22.41, 22.42, 22.43]}

15. Northern Operations sources

News report §15.1 Wrote:GALILEO -- Shipping insurance giant IC has once again raised premiums on cargoes traveling through the Independent Worlds. Company executives claim that without additional military protection they can no longer assume the costs of lost cargo, given the current rate structure. They also specifically cited the inability of the Kusari military to properly secure the safety of vessels near the Shikoku Jump Gate. The Kusari government and Samura condemned the action, asserting that Liberty criminals inhabiting those areas were responsible for the bulk of the recent insured losses.

News report §15.2 Wrote:KEPLER -- In a blunt communication sent to Manhattan from New Tokyo, the Kusari government blamed Liberty for the pirate troubles in the Independent Worlds between the two Houses. The key to their claim is the number of area pirates that can be traced to Colorado or other Liberty systems. Manhattan issued a terse reply to sum up Liberty's official position. The Independent Worlds are not the territory of either House, and therefore any pirates who operate in that area are not the personal responsibility of Liberty's government.

Padua Base infocard §15.3 Wrote:Undoubtedly the most veiled and well-hidden of all Liberty Rogue hideouts, these murky tunnels, roughly cut from the core of a massive, deformed asteroid in the centre of Galileo's Reppu dark matter cloud, have housed perhaps the shadiest and most dubious elements of the Rogues for over a century, ever since the base's construction in early 602 A.S. Copiously dosed with pharmaceuticals to counter Reppu's constant radiation, Padua's murderous population subsists by striking at and hijacking trade between Kusari and Liberty.

The Reppu cloud scatters most known scanning devices. The Rogues use this effect to strike from the nebula unexpectedly, and often vanish into the murky mists once law enforcement shows up. Rogues generally waste no time in travelling to Padua once in the Reppu, as the disruptive effects of the nebula will quickly erode most normal matter, including their own spaceship hull. The Kusari and Liberty navies are reluctant to enter the nebula for this reason, although Bounty Hunters will sometimes follow the Rogues in.

Padua is also frequently visited by the Lane Hackers from Leiden. The two groups have an informal division of their influence in the system, with the Rogue turf being the south part of the system, and the Lane Hackers staying up north. The two factions trade frequently, as the availability of goods on both bases tends to depend on what their raiders are bringing in.

Komatsu Cloud infocard §15.4 Wrote:A medium-sized cloud of dark matter. Lane Hackers are believed to be taking advantage of the scanner-blocking properties of the cloud to attack traffic throughout the system; however, neither the Liberty nor the Kusari Navies have located their base of operations.

Wreck infocard §15.5 Wrote:The Universal Shipping transport Chesapeake was hijacked several months ago and flown into the Komatsu Cloud. It is rumored to still be there, serving as a Pharmaceuticals storage depot for the Lane Hackers and Rogues.

Rio Grande LN rumor §15.6 Wrote:I'm stuck running Trade Lane patrols. We do all of them that fan out from the ship. Pretty boring work, not what I signed up in the Navy for. I hear they put you on the Galileo and Kepler patrols when you've proved yourself a bit. Don't want any greenies out there.

Rio Grande LN rumor §15.7 Wrote:The navy patrols the Independent Worlds of Galileo and Kepler. We split duties with the Kusari armed forces. They cover the northern half of the Trade Lanes; we do the southern half. It's kind of dark and spooky up there -- no suns. All those dark clouds make the baddies hard to see.

Myoko KNF rumor §15.8 Wrote:The Lane Hackers make attacks upon our vessels in Galileo. They have a base there in the Komatsu Cloud, though its exact position within the cloud is unknown. They are always able to sniff out the most expensive cargoes to seize. We have taken to escorting the most lucrative shipments; sometimes it is not enough just to run patrols.

Rio Grande LN rumor §15.9 Wrote:The Lane Hackers and Rogues both have bases somewhere in Galileo, probably in those dark matter clouds. Kusari won't let us go take a look though. Says it's their responsibility. Hey, Liberty was the one that paid for those Trade Lanes up there. Kusari didn't have to put up a cent for the Galileo route.

Liberty Rogue rumor §15.10 Wrote:We share this system with those posh Lane Hackers. They attract the Liberty Navy 'cause Ageira despises them. It's a nice dark system -- lots of places to hide. But you gotta have a decent shield if you want to hang out in the clouds 'cause of all the radiation from that dark matter, or whatever they call it.

Leiden Hacker rumor §15.11 Wrote:Although we sell much of the information we retrieve from Universal's data banks, we use some of the data ourselves to attack the most tempting targets. There are four jump holes in this system. The two most valuable to the Lane Hackers are the jump holes to Colorado and Kepler.

Liberty Rogue rumor §15.12 Wrote:We don’t like dealing with the Hogosha, and they don’t like dealing with us. But we get along with the Lane Hackers alright, and they cut us into the Artifact trade.

Liberty Rogue rumor §15.13 Wrote:We ship Artifacts to Rochester from Leiden. They are highly illegal, and the LSF will smoke you if you get scanned with 'em. But the demand is high on Manhattan's black market, all the Manhattanites love 'em.

Liberty Rogue rumor §15.14 Wrote:That Artifact run from Leiden can be rough. There's a long stretch across Colorado where you're pretty exposed -- Bounty Hunters always out there, circling like vultures. Once you get to the Silverton Field, you got the Xenos.

Liberty Rogue rumor §15.15 Wrote:The Freespirit was beginning its regular Artifact run from Leiden to Rochester when it was ambushed by Bounty Hunters. It fled into the Reppu Cloud and disappeared. No one has been able to locate the ship for some time.

Lane Hacker rumor §15.16 Wrote:The Jump Hole to Galileo is between the edges of the Kuryo and Matsuo Clouds. Aim for the gap and you won't miss it.

Zoner rumor §15.17 Wrote:In the east of this system between the Kuryo and Matsuo Clouds, you can find a Jump Hole leading to Galileo -- and Hacker territory.

Ames Hacker rumor §15.18 Wrote:We like to hit Niobium and other high-value shipments coming through this system. Unfortunately, the misguided Xenos and scumbag Bounty Hunters are often lurking, so we have to be careful -- especially when we leave the no-fire zone around the station.

Zoner rumor §15.19 Wrote:The criminals in the area use our base as a supply point. Lane Hackers and Xenos come here to buy various supplies.

Ames Universal rumor §15.20 Wrote:Xenos have a strong presence in Kepler. I must admit, I don't mind those psychotic bastards. They don't really attack us; they're too busy blowing up Kusari ships.

Zoner rumor §15.21 Wrote:Ames, our base in Kepler, gets almost all of its supplies from Deshima. Aside from the basics, we also get Engine Components here. We are pretty close by, really.

Ames Universal rumor §15.22 Wrote:I'm a pilot for the Universal ships that come through this area. They usually just need me on the stretch from Deshima to Ames, with the clouds and all. It can get really bad through here. Depends on how hungry the Hackers are. They tend to strike from the east side of the Trade Lanes, Xenos from the west. They don't bother us much.

Ames Universal rumor §15.23 Wrote:Dropping off some Water and Oxygen for those antisocial Zoners. Can't see what they like about this dark and forbidding place. Just look around you -- Xenos, Lane Hackers, and those sleazy Bounty Hunters. Not exactly a savory bunch. I can feel the predators' eyes watching me. They'll probably ambush us once we get out of the Freeport's no-fire zone.

▸ Leiden Base

A major scandal occurred when the Dark Matter Storm did not arrive in Kepler system when it was expected; Ageira Technologies, who was responsible for advising Liberty's government to construct the extremely expensive set of of trade lane routes and jump gates in Galileo system was blamed. Thus, the company tried to redeem itself by forcing out several executives and the USI scanner hardware R&D division. These employees would eventually re-emerge as the second core of Lane Hackers, constructing Leiden Base in 782 A.S. in Galileo system and establishing operations in northern Liberty. The base, which has not yet been discovered by the authorities, is strategically positioned next to the jump holes leading to Kepler and Shikoku allowing them to easily operate in both of those systems. Ironically, the storm arrived four years after its original prediction in 784 A.S. vindicating those who had supported this theory but the damage to Ageira has already been done. ^{[News report §16.1, Infocards §16.2, 21.1, 21.4, 22.6, 22.13, 22.14, 22.15, Rumors §11.5, 15.8, 15.9, 15.11, 15.16, 15.17, 15.18, 15.19, 15.22, 15.23, 16.3, 21.10, 21.11, 21.12, 22.39, 22.40, 22.41, 22.42, 22.43, 22.44, 22.45, 22.46]}

The Leiden Hackers have several important trade agreements. They purchase most of their basic and consumer goods from Ames Research Station, and, in return, they provide the Zoners with counterfeit software to distribute. The Golden Chrysanthemums maintain a permanent presence on Leiden as they purchase all their basic supplies and software for Ainu Depot and bring cardamine and H-fuel from Kusari. The Hogosha occassionally visit the station as well in order to sell alien artifacts. The Liberty Rogues of Padua bring side arms and pharmaceuticals; in return, they purchase most of the basic supplies that their base requires as well as software and artifacts. ^{[Rumors §7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 15.15, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, 16.7, 16.8, 16.9, 16.10, 16.11, 19.30]}

16. Leiden Base sources

News report §16.1 Wrote:KEPLER -- Ageira scientists believed that a phantom dark matter storm passing through Kepler would destroy everything within the system. It was estimated to hit the system in 780 AS. This was the justification used by company executives to convince the Liberty government to build the auxiliary Trade Lane routes and Jump Gates through Galileo. When the storm didn't arrive, the ensuing scandal fueled the growth of the Lane Hacker criminal organization. Most people believed that the storm would never arrive but four years after the prediction the storm arrived in Kepler dramatically confirming Ageira's claims.

Leiden Base infocard §16.2 Wrote:Leiden Base was built in 782 A.S. by a group of former Ageira Technologies employees after the Galileo bypass scandal resulted in several executives and an elite development team being forced out of Ageira. They quickly got in contact with the Lane Hackers at Mactan, securing the northern Independent Worlds as their primary areas of operation, preying on the heavy shipping between Liberty and Kusari.

Originally the Lane Hackers on Leiden focused on simple piracy, using their knowledge of the Trade Lane systems to obtain information on the most tempting of targets, carrying off what they could loot and destroying the rest. In recent time, the Lane Hackers have also begun to take an interest in smuggling Alien Artifacts. The Hogosha control the flow of artifacts through Kusari, and the Lane Hackers deal with them on Leiden out of necessity. The Lane Hackers also have dealings with the Golden Chrysanthemums, trading Cardamine for information on ship movements along the trade lanes in Kusari.

Liberty Rogue rumor §16.3 Wrote:There are two Jump Holes in the Komatsu Cloud, which hides the Lane Hackers' Leiden base. The northern Jump Hole leads to Shikoku, the other to Kepler.

Lane Hacker rumor §16.4 Wrote:The Ames Research Station is the main supply source for our base in Galileo. We ship all the essentials like Food, Water, Oxygen, and Consumer Goods there.

Lane Hacker rumor §16.5 Wrote:The Rogues are very good customers for the Software we distribute through the Zoners. Cardi and the latest hologames make for serious relaxation after a day of raiding.

Lane Hacker rumor §16.6 Wrote:We receive Side Arms and Pharmaceuticals from the Rogue base Padua in the Reppu Cloud and ship Food, Software, Oxygen, and Water there.

Liberty Rogue rumor §16.7 Wrote:Padua receives the supplies we get from the Lane Hackers at this base. Padua requires the importation of all of its vital supplies, including Food, Consumer Goods, Oxygen, and Water.

Liberty Rogue rumor §16.8 Wrote:We make a run to Leiden every third week to pick up the essentials that keep this base going: Food, Consumer Goods, Oxygen, and Water.

Liberty Rogue rumor §16.9 Wrote:The Lane Hackers' Leiden base provides us with all of our supplies. Their base is located in the Komatsu Cloud due north of the Reppu Cloud that hides this base.

Lane Hacker rumor §16.10 Wrote:We get shipments of H-Fuel from the Golden Chrysanthemums in Hokkaido and ship them Food, Side Arms and Software. Those Golden Cs love the latest Software versions. And guns, they really love guns.

Lane Hacker rumor §16.11 Wrote:This base serves as the primary trans-shipment point for Artifacts inbound from Sigma-17. The Hogosha run them through Kusari space, terminating their long run here. The Rogues then haul the Artifacts into Rochester via their base in the southern end of the system. Don't know why people love those Artifacts so much.

...part.three.concluded...accessing.part.four...

The Lane Hackers

⚡ Liberty

Inside the core systems of Liberty, the Lane Hacker operations and numbers are much smaller than in the Independent Worlds. This is primarily because of the large number of law enforcement agencies and bounty hunters. Inside Liberty, they operate from strategically important areas where they can easily strike civilian shipping and slip away, monitor Ageira Technologies' activities, or smuggle cardamine.

▸ Alberta

Airdrie Hideout was built to spy on Ageira Technologies. Located deep inside Cold Lake Nebula, the base was a home to a rather small but influential group of Lane Hackers, and because of the secrecy involved, all of them had standing orders not to return to Airdrie if pursued. The entire spectrum of activities onboard Airdrie was not known even among normal Hackers, however the best, latest and most secret Lane Hacker technologies were found on this base. Equipment and other items stolen during Lane Hacker operations were sent to Airdrie for reverse-engineering. Only trusted Lane Hackers know about Airdrie and it was known to consume more cardamine than all the other Lane Hacker bases combined. In some cases, Airdrie served as a retirement post for Lane Hackers. For unknown reasons, the initially discomforting nebula surrounding the base was viewed by some as a "warm blanket" after long stays. Lane Hackers purchased all of their basic supplies from the local Zoners of Freeport 14, and, in return, the Zoners received counterfeit software to distribute. The Lane Hackers paid the Zoners greatly in order to keep their activities and interactions secret, even if pursued. As a result of the Gallic invasion of Magellan system, several crucial assets of Mactan Base were moved to Airdrie which was severely expanded with new modules and a dry dock. In 827 A.S., the encroaching dark matter storm forced the decommissioning and relocation of the station's resources to a new outpost in Texas, but not without first interfering with the escape of Ageira from the system. ^{[Infocard §17.1, 462614, News report §2160533, Rumors §12.30, 17.3, 17.4, 17.5, 17.6, 17.7]}

Fort McMurray is a desolate Rogue outpost on the far side of Alberta inside Athabasca Asteroid Field. The Rogues of McMurray are supposedly responsible for destroying the Liberty Police outpost that operated inside the system, however there is a number of statements which question the official story. The Liberty Rogue operations in Alberta are also significantly limited and few. Dark matter from the storm that passed through the system in the past years can still be found in the western part of Athabasca and it is considered dangerous to travel there because of the very high radiation levels. The Lane Hackers maintain a permanent presence on McMurray, where they service the sensors of the Fort or install early warning systems. ^{[Rumors §17.8, 17.9, 17.10, 17.11, 17.12, 17.13, 17.14, 17.15, 17.16, 17.17, 17.18]}

Leduc Station is a highly secure and extremely advanced Ageira production plant inside the Cold Lake Nebula, and, officially, is the site where bio-neural processors are being manufactured. However, there are many inconsistencies which suggest that there is more at work there and this is also the reason that brought the Lane Hackers to Alberta; they have strict orders not to approach the station. Camrose Supply Depot was constructed in order to store the abnormally massive numbers of resources that Leduc constantly requires and reportedly can even offset the loss of the Rheinland market which happened because of the war. Resources are being transported to the Ageira station by Deep Space transports but strangely and inexplicably Leduc was constructed in a desolate system, very far away from the main trade paths. Some of these resources are extremely rare. According to statements, the nearby Planets Edmonton and Calgary seem to be special to scientists. Furthermore, there are no recreation rooms in Leduc and according to some, the Ageira employees who formerly worked in Leduc have developed erratic behavior. Radiological warnings can be found on the station even if Ageira does not officially do anything involving radioactivity. Furthermore, strange energy readings can also be detected near the station and unknown, non-standard vessels have been occassionally sighted entering the nebula with Ageira's knowledge and permission. Finally, despite the extremely advanced technologies being used on the station, Ageira allows scientists from all over Sirius to visit Leduc and study its advanced manufacturing process and quality control. ^{[Infocard §17.2, Rumors §17.19, 17.20, 17.21, 17.22, 17.23, 17.24, 17.25, 17.26, 17.27, 17.28, 17.29, 17.30, 17.31, 17.32, 17.33, 17.34, 17.35, 17.36, 17.37, 17.38]}

17. Alberta sources

Airdrie Hideout infocard §17.1 Wrote:Airdrie Hideout used to be a home to a small but influential group of Lane Hackers whose activities were shrouded in secrecy. Only the most trusted Lane Hackers knew the base's location, and most Lane Hackers visiting Alberta used the Rogue's Fort McMurray to resupply. Rumors about the station's purpose ranged from ordinary outpost to a top secret weapons laboratory, and every Hacker asked about the base had a different answer. There was only one generally well known fact about Airdrie: it's requisitions of Cardamine exceed that of every other Lane Hacker base combined.

This changed when the front of the Gallic war reached Magellan. With their home system being overrun by warring fleets, The Lane Hackers decided to evacuate their most crucial assets to their hideout in Alberta. Airdrie was severely expanded to accommodate new weaponry research modules and ship assembly units. Additionally, a dry dock has been erected to service larger vessels and streamline upgrades of existing fleet. With its expansion and quadrupled crew Airdrie Hideout became a Lane Hacker technological hub where most advanced weapons and ships were being researched and developed.

Amarillo Base infocard §462614 Wrote:The dark matter storm that advanced on Alberta led to mass evacuation of the system, including of the Lane Hacker presence. Their evacuation was delayed slightly by the deconstruction of Airdrie Hideout; after investing resources into expanding the base during the Gallic invasion of the Barrier, they couldn't afford to abandon it entirely.

In utmost secrecy, they relocated the modules that once made up Airdrie Hideout into the Texas system, where it was reconstructed as Amarillo Base. The new base is considerably more compact than Airdrie was, as the formerly sprawling structure was broken down and repurposed to serve as additional protection against the intense radiation of the Grande Negra in addition to purpose-built shielding.

Though some even within the Lane Hackers questioned the wisdom of building a base in the deadliest cloud in Liberty, a small band of influential Hackers considered the risks worth the chance to dig through the wreckage of the Texas Disaster. Amarillo is run by a skeleton crew of ambitious Hackers, though no one knows what exactly they intend to use that wreckage for. Supply shipments for Amarillo carry medicine as if it were oxygen, desperately hoping to stave off radiation sickness long enough for the base's great experiment to bear fruit.

Leduc Station infocard §17.2 Wrote:Leduc Station was constructed soon after Camrose Supply Depot. The facility is specially designed to protect the production process of Ageira's bio-neural processors, which uses a combination of biological and inorganic materials. All personnel and other objects entering the station are processed through a biological screening to prevent the introduction of microorganisms that might infect the production line, and the station's air and water purification systems are the most advanced in Sirius. Leduc Station does not maintain a large inventory of supplies or inventory, and relies on "just in time" supply shipments from Camrose Supply Depot.

News report §2160533 Wrote: With the final furious burst of corporate activity in the two systems, it is perhaps unsurprising that Liberty's criminals are seizing what may be their last opportunity to profit from the situation. The Rogues and Lane Hackers have stepped up their attacks across both systems. Local Xenos have waded into the carnage as an unaffiliated wildcard that is equally liable to fire upon pirate and law enforcement alike.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.3 Wrote:I thought assignment to this base was some sort of punishment, but then I arrived and found out that the cardamine allotment is double that of any other Hacker base and costs the same! I've never felt so alive!

Lane Hacker rumor §17.4 Wrote:At first this nebula made me uneasy, now I feel naked anytime I fly in open space outside of it. There's something, I don't know, comforting about it. It's like being wrapped in a warm embrace, or getting a fresh cardamine ration after a long patrol.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.5 Wrote:I always said I wanted to retire to some little cantina in the middle of nowhere and just serve drinks and tell old Hacker stories. I just didn't think there was anywhere in Sirius as nowhere as this base. Be careful what you wish for.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.6 Wrote:Orders are that we are never to return to Airdrie if there is any chance of pursuit by hostiles. The Zoners on Freeport 14 are well paid to make sure we are accommodated if we need to be resupplied, even if the Navy is hot on our tail.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.7 Wrote:Zoners in Alberta and Yukon shouldn't be mistreated. So long as they are cooperative, they will have no trouble from us. It's a symbiotic relationship, really. We benefit from the use of Freeport 14, and they get to sell our software to help us undermine Ageira.

Liberty Rogue rumor §17.8 Wrote:It was busy around here for a while, some bigshot Rogue bosses and even some Junker chick were visiting for a few weeks, but now it's gone quiet again. We're back to being that ball of rock stuck out in the arse end of nowhere. Even the Hackers visit us less.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.9 Wrote:Nothing makes me smile like the sight of a derelict LPI outpost. Those corrupt nitwits got just what they deserved from the Rogues!

Liberty Navy rumor §17.10 Wrote:The calamity at Red Deer Station is an unfortunate circumstance, and rest assured that the criminals responsible will be pried out of their hiding places and brought to justice. The Liberty Rogues have gone too far this time.

Liberty Navy rumor §17.11 Wrote:Red Deer suffered a catastrophic decompression from hostile laser fire, it's all in the official report. It's odd though, because I've never heard of a laser that could cut through our station's ablative armor plating like that. After all, why build an outpost if a fighter can carve it up like a chicken dinner? They must have just gotten lucky and happened to hit a defect in the station's construction.

Liberty Navy rumor §17.12 Wrote:Don't tell anyone you heard this from me, but I managed to read the preliminary report about the Red Deer disaster. There was laser damage found on the station's hull, but it was on the opposite side from where the hull rupture occurred. And the hull rupture was several meters across and centered on one of the station's main support beams. Decompression couldn't blow out that much of the hull, and certainly not right across a structural beam. But all of that was left out of the public report. There's something not right about that whole incident, and somebody doesn't want the public asking too many inconvenient questions.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.13 Wrote:I used to think that the LPI and Navy pilots could spin some tall tales, but these bounty hunters put them to shame. One of them claimed that he had singlehandedly destroyed five Rogue Werewolves with his Sea Serpent, all in the same ambush! I don't hear any of them bragging about any kills since they arrived in Alberta though.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.14 Wrote:I was a little worried about pirate activity in this system after Red Deer Station was destroyed, but so far I haven't seen any signs of Rogues. They must be laying low in fear of Navy retaliation.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.15 Wrote:I don't get it. Why did the Rogues risk bringing down the unholy wrath of the Liberty Navy on their filthy hides by blowing up Red Deer Station, but haven't made a move since? I feel like everybody in this system is just waiting for doom to strike, but nobody knows where it's going to come from next.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.16 Wrote:Have you been to Fort McMurray since the dark matter storm arrived? It's an exciting trip. Just make sure you don't leave the safety of the base's shadow, or you'll start feeling a tingle that has nothing to do with cardamine.

Libert Rogue rumor §17.17 Wrote:There's a Hacker knocking about somewhere, been looking at some of our sensor technology. I don't see why we need a Hacker to service it, we're plenty capable of doing it ourselves. I hate that sense of smug superiority they have, makes me want to smack them in the mouth. I know what would happen if I did that though. Boss would sling me out of the airlock.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.18 Wrote:I've been working on some of the early warning systems we installed here a few years back. These Rogues really need to learn how to handle this stuff. Trust me, it's like working with trained monkeys.

Ageira Technologies rumor §17.19 Wrote:This is the most advanced production facility in Sirius. Everything is state of the art, from the life support systems to the assembly line.

Ageira Technologies rumor §17.20 Wrote:This facility is so advanced, scientists from all over Sirius come here to study our manufacturing process and quality control. I worry that they'll copy it and help some other company compete against us, but the supervisors say there's no chance of that happening. Seems strange to me, though. Why build this station so far from anywhere and then open it up to so much attention?

Ageira Technologies rumor §17.21 Wrote:I took a wrong turn the other night on the way back to my bunk when my shift ended and I ended up on the wrong deck. I had just figured it out and was turning around when some rude security guard came around the corner and started interrogating me like I was a criminal. I almost thought the guy was going to arrest me for getting lost. Some people never miss an opportunity to use their authority like a club I guess.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.22 Wrote:There's more going on this system than just the usual Ageira scheming. I can feel it closing around us like this nebula.

Lane Hacker rumor §17.23 Wrote:We have standing orders not to approach Leduc. We aren't supposed to get within 10 clicks of the station. Well, except in case of emergencies, whatever that means.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.24 Wrote:The amount of supplies we're bringing into Alberta is enough for an army. I can't imagine what they're going to build here that requires so much.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.25 Wrote:I've never seen such an inventory of supplies! And they keep ordering more and more. I hear that Camrose is bursting at the seams with supply containers, and they're even going to be setting up no-grav depots outside the station to keep bringing in more. I can't imagine that Ageira's production operation at Leduc could possibly need all of this. It's not my problem though, I'm just happy to get paid to transport something.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.26 Wrote:When the war with Rheinland started, all the talk was about how many of us were going to be out of work since trade with Rheinland was cut off. But then, just in the nick of time, this huge expansion project in Alberta started and we've been busier than anytime I can remember. I just hope it keeps up until the war is over.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.27 Wrote:The Rheinland war really cut into our profits, but opening Alberta is almost making up for it. That's pretty strange. How can one middle of nowhere system replace trade with an entire House? That company bulletin must have been stretching the truth.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.28 Wrote:It makes no sense for Ageira to build a production facility so way out in the middle of nowhere like this. Sure, their bioneural processors are supposed to be a technological leap past the competition, but what's the big deal about all the secrecy? Their lane and gate parts are secure and they're made in Colorado. Oh well, I'll take the extra pay and they can keep their hush-hush activities for all I care.

Borderworld Exports rumor §17.29 Wrote:We have some major deals in the works with Ageira. Apparently they need a special new alloy for some top secret project they're working on in the Alberta system. I don't know the details yet, but they are very anxious to get us to guarantee delivery schedules. Don't they know there's a war on? ALG is also desperate to strengthen their iridium supply lines. The Omicrons are dangerous for shipping, but if anyone can do it, Bowex can do it better. The Corsairs love credits as much as anyone, you know. We just need to find the right pirate big shot to pay off.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.30 Wrote:Planets Edmonton and Calgary sure seem to be special to these scientists. They don't seem to want to tell you much about why, though.

Ageira Technologies rumor §17.31 Wrote:I had to wait three weeks for this leave opportunity to come over here from Leduc. The lack of recreation facilities in this system was cleverly left out of the promotional campaign Ageira ran to recruit volunteers for work here, but even this supply depot is an improvement over Leduc's night life.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.32 Wrote:I've had this funny feeling ever since I came on board this station but I can't figure out why. It's like everybody but me knows something big is going to happen. The other day I asked one of those scientists if he learned anything new on his trip to Leduc, and he got all flustered like I had asked him about some big secret or something. Then he went on and on about advanced assembly line manufacturing processes and technobabble that made no sense to me. Then he left in a hurry like he said too much. Now that I think about it, they all seem real skittish after a trip to Leduc. Maybe they figure Ageira is going to put them out of a job.

Ageira Technologies rumor §17.33 Wrote:When we disembarked from the shuttle yesterday I overheard the pilot talking about strange energy readings that he noticed when we left Leduc. He said something like "not since the squirrel war" and he had a really frantic look on his face. I think he's been on one too many deep space runs. I hope they pension him off to Denver or somewhere, because I'm not too keen on riding a shuttle piloted by some old guy who starts having war flashbacks during docking maneuvers.

Ageira Technologies rumor §17.34 Wrote:Don't get me wrong, the pay for working at Leduc is great and it's a dream job if you have the tech skills, but it's just so boring after hours. They built that station so secure that not even an amoeba can get aboard without alarms going off, but the architect didn't include a recreation room or even a single lounge anywhere! It's nothing but work rooms, cafeteria, docking bay, bunk rooms, and corridors. There's only so many corridors you can walk before you're reaching for the pills to knock yourself out for the night to avoid the boredom. A leave pass for Camrose is worth its weight in gold at Leduc.

Ageira Technologies rumor §17.35 Wrote:Now that I think about it, when I was lost the other night I saw an emblem on a door that doesn't make any sense. It looked like a radiological warning, but that can't be right. We don't do anything on this station that involves radioactivity.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §17.36 Wrote:A friend of mine says he saw the strangest thing last week when he was leaving Leduc Station. Another transport was lining up to dock so he had to steer wide around it, taking him further out on the far side of Leduc than he had been before. He says for just a few seconds his scanners picked up all sorts of strange energy readings, but then they just vanished. He was pretty jumpy about it, but no matter what the shipyard's warranty says you can't trust these fancy optronics to never go haywire on you.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §17.37 Wrote:There is a LSF agent that's been skulking around the station lately. I was just about to turn a corner in the corridor when I overheard him say something about "dark matter influenced", but then he stopped talking as soon as he heard me. These spooks are worse than naval officers. If they aren't trying to pull rank, they're looking down their noses at you with that "need to know" look they teach them in spook school. They're always off "investigating" when things get hot, and the only intel you can get out of them is the same prattle you can get from the barkeep. I may have to pay the barkeep for it, but at least he doesn't read me the "don't even tell your sweetheart" lecture.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §17.38 Wrote:My patrol finally got a hostile contact today. It was at long distance so we couldn't identify the ship, but the IFF was definitely not on the registered list so it couldn't have been government, corporate, or civilian, and that only leaves the criminals. It was traveling from the vicinity of Planet Edmonton towards Cold Lake Nebula and we were on an intercept course with the star at our backs so the cosmic radiation was probably masking our energy profile from detection. We would have been able to identify it and engage about 3 klicks inside the nebula, but just as we were about to enter it we got a priority wave off transmission from Leduc. I can't believe it. First time we actually have a paycheck on the scope and those corporate security weasels decide to get stingy! And now we've been given standing orders not to enter the nebula at all! I sure hope they sent that to the pirates too.

▸ Cochrane Depot

Cochrane Depot is a Lane Hacker installation constructed in Ontario soon after Ageira Technologies and Deep Space Engineering moved into the system, mainly for the purpose of monitoring their activities. The base, which has not yet been discovered by the authorities, is located inside St. Lawrence Ice Field, where it provides quick access to nearby jump holes, allowing the Lane Hackers to not only operate easily in that system but also in California, Colorado and New York systems. ^{[Infocards §18.1, 18.4, 18.5, Rumors §18.6, 18.7, 18.8, 18.9]}

The Lane Hacker operations in Ontario are mainly targetting Hamilton Station, which, for unknown reasons, produced high emissions of radiation even though this Ageira installation simply serves as a storage depot and mining machinery manufacturing plant. Cochrane also monitors the transmissions sent from Hamilton. Platinum shipments leaving the safety of Toronto, and Ageira's robotic shipments for the mining operation, are regularly raided by the Lane Hackers on the trade lanes. Liberty Navy shipments from Fort Severn carrying military vehicles, firearms and munitions, are also targetted for their high value. In addition, Ageira convoys from Alberta loaded with bio-neural processors are being particularly targetted for their valuable cargo which the Lane Hackers use in ship construction. In fact, the demand is so high that this source for procuring processors is not enough and they hire Zoners from Freeport 14 to regularly ship them to Cochrane. ^{[Infocard §18.2, Rumors §18.8, 18.9, 18.10, 18.11, 18.12, 18.13, 18.14]}

Because of the large number of attacks from Liberty Rogues, Lane Hackers and the neighbouring Xenos of Dryden Base, the Liberty Navy was forced to reassign Battleship Ottawa in permanent orbit around Planet Huron, from California to Ontario. Patrols from Battleship Yukon also used to enter Ontario. This has impacted Xeno activity in the system, but the Lane Hackers frequently find ways to outsmart the Navy. Stolen cargo, such as platinum, is usually sold to the local Junkers of Thunder Bay, but high tech equipment is sent to Airdrie for reverse engineering. Outcasts maintain a permanent presence in the depot since they bring cardamine. Cochrane Hackers frequently visit Thunder Bay Depot to purchase all the basic supplies that their base requires and to obtain information from the underworld or simply to entertain themselves. Due to the Gallic threat, Battleship Ottawa was moved closer to California Jump Gate further weakening the overall security of the system. ^{[Infocards §18.3, 18.4, 19.6, Rumors §1.14, 1.18, 11.8, 11.9, 18.13, 18.14, 18.15, 18.16, 18.17, 18.18]}

18. Cochrane Depot sources

Cochrane Depot infocard §18.1 Wrote:The Lane Hackers established themselves in Ontario shortly before Ageira and DSE initiated the constuction of Hamilton and the Jump Gate. It isn't clear what their motives are, but most people suspect they are merely trying to harass and disrupt the operations of Ageira in the system.

Hamilton station infocard §18.2 Wrote:Residing on the outskirts of Lawrence Ice Field, the Hamilton Station houses production and storage facilities for Ageira Technologies. Hamilton was constructed as a supply depot for Ageira and DSE while the construction of the Jump Gate and Trade Lane was ongoing. Ageira has not yet sold the station, leading some to speculate that the company is expecting to build additional Lanes or even another Gate in Ontario in the near future. It is currently producing Mining Machinery for the automated mines on Huron.

Battleship Ottawa infocard §18.3 Wrote:Built in 806 A.S. the Battleship Ottawa served its formative years patrolling the remote regions of the California system, a task that was little more than a token gesture from the Liberty Navy to aid ongoing anti-smuggler efforts.

When the opening of Ontario in 809 A.S. saw the fledgling system become a piracy hotspot the Ottawa was pulled from its solitary posting and assigned guard duty, protecting civilians from frequent attacks by the Rogues, Lane Hackers and Xenos who had established themselves throughout the system. The Ottawa maintained this position for nearly two decades until the Gallic Royal Navy destroyed San Diego Border Station in the California system during 823 A.S..

The incursion, though quickly expunged, sent shockwaves throughout Liberty resulting in renewed focus in defense from the Gallic threat and shortening the response times of adjacent forces. This has led the Ottawa to be placed on high alert and repositioned closer to the California gate, leaving the Ontario tradelanes once again at the mercy of pirates.

St. Lawrence Ice Field infocard §18.4 Wrote:A dense field of ice asteroids in the Ontario system. Significant presence of Lane Hackers might indicate that there is a Hacker base located within the field.

Wreck infocard §18.5 Wrote:Torbay was a Lane Hacker Dagger that split with its patrol for unknown reasons and encountered a group of Liberty Navy fighters on its way back to Cochrane. The Dagger attempted to escape, but pilot was killed by enemy fire, and the ship was left behind somewhere in the St. Lawrence Ice Field.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.6 Wrote:Not many people know about this base, mostly Lane Hacker allies and occasional smugglers supplying it. It gives us quick access to the California and Colorado systems when there is a special shipment to be ambushed by surprise.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.7 Wrote:There's not as much traffic here as in Magellan, but Ontario is very conveniently placed. From Cochrane we can hit California, New York, and Colorado. I wonder how much time it will take for the Navy to figure out we have a base here.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.8 Wrote:The base was primarily built to monitor Ageira operations in this system, we frequently catch their shipments of Robotics on lane to Toronto station, in this system and we monitor their transmissions from Hamilton base.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.9 Wrote:The real reason we're here is Hamilton. There is something strange going on there, much more than the so-called "mining operations". Our recon wings have detected high emission of radiations all around the station. Strange, I tell you.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.10 Wrote:There is a lot of military material passing through Ontario. Guns, munitions, and of course, Military Vehicles. All these shipments are heavily escorted, but the price for these on the black market is so high that it's worth the risk, tenfold.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.11 Wrote:This is the place where we make most of our Bio-Neural Processors. We hit Ageira's high-tech computing systems, bring them here in transports and adjust them to our needs. When you think about it, most of our ships are built thanks to these. Funny, isn't it?

Zoner rumor §18.12 Wrote:This is a great stop when we're moving from Alberta to California, and we often drop of Bioneural Processors here to the Lane Hackers. I don't understand what they do do with them, but they pay a nice amount of credits for them.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.13 Wrote:We do quite well raiding the convoys that stop at Hamilton and Toronto. We unload the Platinum to the Junkers, but the high tech material we send to Airdrie for research and reverse engineering.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.14 Wrote:Cochrane has been used for hitting convoys shipping Military Vehicles from Fort Severn. We were causing so much trouble the Liberty Navy dispatched the Battleship Ottawa to protect the convoys. But we still find a way to intercept traffic.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §18.15 Wrote:This system is going to hell. First the Junkers moved in, followed by the Hackers. Then the Xenos showed up. Soon there won't be so much as an asteroid that isn't corrupted by Liberty's ruling hooligans!

Lane Hacker rumor §18.16 Wrote:Battleship Ottawa is a joke. It never leaves Huron's orbit, so all we have to do to hit Navy shipments is to wait for the Ottawa to be behind Huron. With the planet on their way, undocking fighter wings have to travel all around it. It takes so much time that we're already docked by the time they leave orbit.

Junker rumor §18.17 Wrote:We do a small amount of business with the Lane Hackers hiding in the St. Lawrence Ice Field. Most of what we sell them comes from Rochester, and most of the goods we fence for them go to Rochester as well since there isn't much market for them out here, except for the small amount we ship to the Rogues and Zoners in Alberta.

Lane Hacker rumor §18.18 Wrote:There is a Junker base located in this system, some of our pilots visit it frequently to gather useful rumors from the underground world and to relax in various entertainment rooms.

▸ Amarillo Base

Amarillo Base was constructed during the dark matter storm in Alberta from the technologies and minds of Airdrie Hideout. The Lane Hackers had sought to expand operations West, and the necessary replacement of Airdrie presented an opportunity. The strong presence of Junkers and Liberty Rogues in Texas had precluded the necessity of an outpost, and the proximity of the Hellfire Legion presented a disincentive. With the absorption of the Legion into the Liberty Insurgency under Battlegroup Harmony, and rebuilt relationships with the Büro Der Marineintelligenz and the Die Weiße Rose of the Bundschuh, the establishment of a garrison became practical.

From Amarillo Base, agents of the Hackers are now able to conduct operations into Bering, Hudson, Puerto Rico, and Rheinland at large. The base still operates on the strict protocols of secrecy practiced at Airdrie Hideout, in no small part because many of them are the same staff. Indeed, the placement of the base in the Grande Negra in Texas has meant that extremely little is known about the base, even within the Lane Hackers.

While construction was stymied by environmental difficulties and operational security requirements, ongoing persistent work by the Inner Circle has reduced the radiation surrounding the base to more practical, and far less immediately deadly levels. What radiation persists, alongside warning markers for the same, provide a plentiful discouragement for any curious or explorative eyes. Little traffic around the station, and a more covert, intelligence-focused operation also lend to the base going unnoticed. Future works by the Inner Circle will seek to restore the base to a comparably comfortable size as Airdrie Hideout, and render the base accessible to vessels larger than snubcraft, which to now has presented an extreme logistical challenge for supplies and large technologies.^{[Infocard §462614]}

Amarillo Base sources

▸ Other Operations

Lane Hacker operations extend to other systems in Liberty, but California and Colorado seem to gather the highest activity among those. In sharp contrast, based on the lack of any sources about Lane Hacker activity in southern Liberty systems such as Texas, Bering and Hudson, we can safely assume that Lane Hacker operations there are very infrequent. ^{[Rumors §19.13, 19.14]}

Located for decades in orbit of Planet Los Angeles, the Liberty Navy in California operated out of Battleship Yukon. Despite being scheduled for decomissioning, the dreadnought had remained in service in an effort to decrease the criminal activity in the system; however, it has had little success. Due to the Gallic threat it was recently moved to the neighboring Cortez system and Battleship Alma was reassigned in California. Liberty Rogues, Lane Hackers and Outcasts mainly operate in California, while the Xeno activity is rather weak. Lane Hackers also maintain a permanent presence in Alcatraz Depot where they trade valuable information for goods, and smuggle cardamine. San Diego Border Station, the Liberty Police's base of operations in western California, protected the jump gate leading to Magellan. Tahoe Ice Cloud seems to gather the highest criminal activity in the system. The western side of the trade lane between Los Angeles and San Diego are under Liberty Navy's responsibility and the eastern part under Liberty Police's responsibility. It is also reported that the attrition rate of the law enforcement is significantly high. ^{[News report §3.2, Infocards §18.3, 19.3, 19.4, 19.5, 19.6, 19.7, 19.8, Rumors §10.12, 10.15, 13.9, 18.6, 18.7, 19.15, 19.16, 19.17, 19.18, 19.19, 19.20, 19.21, 19.22, 19.23, 19.24, 19.25]}

Operations in Colorado are mostly based out of Alamosa Asteroid Field as this is where the jump hole to Galileo is located. The jump gate to Galileo is close and sometimes they operate against targets approaching the gate. Cochrane Hackers also frequently enter and operate in the system by using the jump hole from Ontario. A favourite target in Colorado is Pueblo Station which is regularly attacked in an effort to disrupt its normal activities. In addition, they send enigmatic transmissions on the system-wide frequency. Operations in New York system are much less frequent, and are mostly based out of Cochrane Depot. Rogues are known to move light arms from Rochester to Leiden and return back with artifacts. In 814 A.S., the Lane Hackers conducted an audacious raid against Norfolk Shipyard, however further details are not known. In addition, there are reports about Lane Hacker operations in Pennsylvania and Kansas systems. ^{[News reports §10.1, 11.2, 19.1, 19.2 Infocards §5.4, 19.7, 19.9, 19.10, 19.11, 19.12, Rumors §10.6, 10.16, 10.17, 18.6, 18.7, 19.26, 19.27, 19.28, 19.29, 19.30]}

19. Other Operation sources

News report §19.1 Wrote:DENVER -- LPI investigators are puzzled today as they wrestle with the third encrypted message that has been intercepted in as many weeks. The transmissions are coming from multiple locations within the northern Colorado asteroid fields. Frustrated by the LPI's failure to make headway in the investigation, Ageira has loaned their top encryption specialists to aid the police effort. One source theorized that the transmissions are using a modified Ageira encryption algorithm, which suggests Lane Hacker involvement.

News report §19.2 Wrote:MONTEZUMA -- The intelligence purchased from Lane Hackers has more than paid for itself within the past several months in Cortez. Looted Luxury Good shipments from New York have been earning the majority of the money at the base. Once the cargo is acquired, Rogue smugglers make their way back to New York, where the goods are fenced to the Junkers at excellent prices. Unfortunately, this lucrative cycle may be nearing its end, since the Luxury Goods shipments are entering the system with more and more escorts. Soon they will not be worth the price paid in pilots and ships.

Alcatraz Depot infocard §19.3 Wrote:Perhaps the most recognizable Rogue base of all (for scoundrels and rapscallions, anyway), Alcatraz has become a welcoming beacon and a safe haven for all the flotsam and jetsam Liberty has to offer. One of the few Liberty Rogue bases within Liberty proper (most criminals tend to live at the fringes of society in more than one sense), Alcatraz was originally constructed in 515 A.S. as a waystation and resting place for Californian pirates and drug runners headed into New York, as well as a remarkably secure place of refuge for those attempting to evade the long arm of the law. Housed within a hollowed-out ice asteroid deep in the notorious Californian Whitney field (the LPI harbours a whole range of superstitions about the cloud, since pirates that manage to enter even the outskirts of Whitney almost always manage to slip away), Alcatraz had always maintained a colourful assortment of patrons and population. The lively if somewhat chilly bar pours a mind-boggling assortment of Liberty's best drinks, and the local bartender is rumoured to be one of Sirius' most well-informed, and for the right price, he can put in a good word for even the most despised foe with Liberty's criminal triad.

Said triad is well-represented here, with Outcast Cardamine smugglers bringing in the orange drug, Lane Hackers bartering information for goods, and even the occasional Junker looking to pick up or drop off a load of cargo. The omnipresent Liberty Rogues that run the show here maintain a solid background core, keeping a watchful eye over proceedings and moving quickly to quell any potential fights before they start - unless it is them starting it.

Alcatraz might be best compared to an unlawful Freeport of sorts, since if you're not a Xeno, you're welcome here to drink, deal or simply kick back after a long, hard day of busting Universal Shipping open. Be warned though, the no-blaster rule is strictly enforced.

Battleship Yukon infocard §19.4 Wrote:Commissioned in 739 A.S., the Battleship Yukon has patrolled the California system for over eighty years. It was originally scheduled to be decommissioned in 805 A.S. had it not been for a successful campaign by the residents of Los Angeles that resulted in the Yukon being sent for a complete overhaul, extending its operational lifespan until 825 A.S..

The Battleship has been an integral part of the Liberty Navy's efforts to keep the Lane Hackers and Liberty Rogues under some semblance of control within the system, with limited successes to date. Previously, patrols would start out at the Yukon’s former position close to Los Angeles before heading into Magellan, Cortez, and occasionally Ontario, to assist traders and put down unruly pirates from the independent systems.

Due to increased Gallic activity within the Manchester and Magellan systems, the Yukon has been stationed outside of California for the first time. Near the independent world of Curacao, it serves as a patrol point and major command center for the combined forces of the treaty allies of the region, while retaining a vigilant watch over Bretonia’s key arterial trade route.

Battleship Alma infocard §19.5 Wrote:Commissioned in 814 A.S, Battleship Alma's first posting was in the Hudson system, where it's battlegroup was expected to play a pivotal role in the war against Rheinland. However, as hostilities seemed to concentrate mainly along the New Hampshire-Bremen Corridor, Alma's battlegroup saw relatively light action as it held position over Planet Atka, guarding the terraforming operation there.

Upon the cessation of hostilities between Rheinland and Liberty, the Alma was redeployed to the Texas gate in Hudson system acting in the role of commerce protection. In accordance, its battlegroup strength was reduced to picket levels with many units being redirected towards the new front developing in California.

In response to the increased Gallic activity with Cortez and Magellan, the Alma has been reassigned to the California system to act as both support for the forward Yukon battlegroup and as a safeguard against Gallic incursions. Returned to full strength, Alma currently reinforces the system from its position in close orbit around California Minor.

San Diego Border Station infocard §19.6 Wrote:San Diego Border Station monitors the Magellan Jump Gate to stem the rise of criminal activity throughout the area, particularly that of Lane Hackers, Rogues, and Outcasts. The facility is entirely owned and operated by Liberty Police, Inc. (LPI) and its support staff.

Battleship Missouri infocard §19.7 Wrote:The Battleship Missouri is the flagship of the Liberty Navy. Commissioned in 799 A.S., the Missouri has state-of-the-art weaponry and is constructed around a unique triple-hulled design that incorporates integrated armour plating. The armour plating is specially manufactured in the Norfolk Shipyards for the Liberty Navy using a classified, proprietary process.

The Missouri has seen action in a number of conflicts, including a brief battle near the Zone 21 minefield during a skirmish with Order forces in early 801 A.S., and more recently in the audacious Lane Hacker led raid on Norfolk Shipyard in 814 A.S. Admiral Wendi White is in command, and has been the commander of the Missouri since its commission to active service.

Tahoe Ice Cloud infocard §19.8 Wrote:A nebula of ice crystals. Two Trade Lanes pass through the cloud, but the presence of the San Diego Border Station and frequent Navy patrols discourage attacks. Rogues, Lane Hackers, and Outcasts are the most commonly spotted criminals. Willard Research Station is located deep within the Tahoe cloud, but the exact nature of its research is classified by the Liberty Navy.

Alamosa Asteroid Field infocard §19.9 Wrote:A large rock asteroid field. Initial surveys indicated no ore or other resources worth mining. Alamosa is a favorite refuge of Rogues and Lane Hackers attempting to escape capture by the Liberty Navy.

Wreck infocard §19.10 Wrote:Lynch is a Barracuda-type heavy fighter that once belonged to a well-known Bounty Hunter, David Brenson. Lane Hackers somehow found out who was Brenson's next target, and sent a large squad to overtake him and his teammate in Pennsylvania. Though outnumbered and outgunned, Brenson managed to destroy all of his attacker's ships, but his ship was damaged beyond repair and is still trapped somewhere in the Driftwood Asteroid Field. Brenson's body was never found.

Wreck infocard §19.11 Wrote:This Dromedary-class freighter once belonged to an independent space explorer. In the Kansas system, he was unlucky enough to stumle upon a Lane Hacker patrol. After refusing to give out the cargo, the pirates disabled the ship's engines, boarded the ship, and took all goods their ships were able to carry.

Wreck infocard §19.12 Wrote:The Lane Hacker who once owned this craft was clearly a skilled and wealthy pilot: not many Hackers ever get a chance to pilot a Sabre. However, in the vasts of Kansas system combat skills matter less than a properly maintained engine fueling system. Attracted by strange emissions from the Tuttle Creek Nebula, the pilot had just enough fuel to approach the source of this emission, hoping that there is a base or a ship where he might get help. He never knew what the true source was.

Liberty Rogue rumor §19.13 Wrote:There are many Silver and Diamond shipments in this system that the Lane Hackers give us information on -- well, perhaps "give" isn't the right word. The Lane Hackers are eager to trade their information for access to our black market contacts.

Borderworld Exports rumor §19.14 Wrote:Finally a familiar run again. Albeit with a slightly changed starting point. Delivering Beryllium to Liberty was one of the runs I was often assigned to before the Tau war. Good folk, down in Liberty. Well, except the Xenos of course. And the Rogues. And Lane Hackers. But otherwise, good folk! Always kind enough to set me up with a load of Light Arms or Superconductors to bring back to Bretonia.

Liberty Navy rumor §19.15 Wrote:This academy is near the California Jump Gate. California is a favorite hangout for the Lane Hackers. Lane Hackers were former Ageira employees who turned to crime. They’re smarter than most of the criminals you’ll go up against.

Storyline rumor §19.16 Wrote:I heard that you have to fly to the California system. It’s really easy to get there and it’s not very far. Take the Trade Lane from Manhattan to West Point, and from there to the California Gate. After that, fly to Mojave and take the Trade Lane directly to California Minor. The only thing that you need to be careful about is the Lane Hackers, since they’ve been very active lately and it’s quite possible you could be attacked.

California BHG rumor §19.17 Wrote:I'm getting bored around here. Same old stuff with the Rogues and Hackers. I want to get out to the Border Worlds. The Corsairs and Red Hessians are supposed to be nasty in the Omega systems.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §19.18 Wrote:California is Rogue central. We got 'em in all the asteroid fields. No Xenos, though. Never been any mining or manufacturing workers in this system.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §19.19 Wrote:Fastest way to some quick bounties? Head straight for the Trade Lane to the Magellan Gate, around the middle of the Tahoe Cloud. You'll get some strikes pretty fast in that area.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §19.20 Wrote:This is a good spot for hunting Hackers and Outcasts, probably the best in Liberty space. They all collect in the Tahoe Cloud to the west of the Lane. Happy hunting!

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §19.21 Wrote:Next week they're transferring me to the Los Angeles-San Diego Trade Lane patrol through the Tahoe. You're liable to run into Rogues, Lane Hackers, even Outcasts. It's an assignment for gung ho young 'uns straight out of the academy, or bored vets about to join the Bounty Hunters. I'm neither.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §19.22 Wrote:The military handles most of the tough Lane Hacker and Outcast areas of the western Tahoe Cloud. They don't want us interferin', they say. Just a bunch of privileged, arrogant hotheads in my opinion.

Liberty Navy rumor §19.23 Wrote:We handle the west side of the Trade Lane to the Magellan Gate, LPI, the east. In my opinion, we should handle everything in there. They wouldn't know what to do with a Lane Hacker or an Outcast if they caught one.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §19.24 Wrote:I'm just countin' the days. I got thirty-two left before I go back to a life. The attrition rate here is real bad. So far, twenty guys this month got vaporized by Outcasts, Hackers, or Rogues. That's some bad odds. I need to look for a new line of work if I make it through this.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §19.25 Wrote:They set up this border station to keep a watch on the Magellan Gate, since it's so isolated from everything else in the system. Then some genius planetside decided that we needed to do patrols into the Tahoe Cloud.

Zoner rumor §19.26 Wrote:Xenos do a lot of their pirating in Colorado. You’ll find Lane Hackers there, too. Going north into Shikoku and beyond, you will run into the Kusari criminals such as the Golden Chrysanthemums, Blood Dragons, and Hogosha.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §19.27 Wrote:We patrol the Trade Lanes in the eastern half of the system; the navy boys the west side. Mostly Xenos in their part of the system. We get more Rogues on this side. Also get a few Lane Hackers in the Alamosa Field.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §19.28 Wrote:There's a couple of Holes into this system. Us Bounty Hunters aren't supposed to tell anyone about them, but you look okay to me. The first one is in the northern end of the Alamosa Field; it goes to Galileo. There's another one into Kepler from the Copperton Field. The Xenos use that one a lot.

Liverty Navy rumor §19.29 Wrote:We run two patrols into the fields from the Rio Grande. One goes into the Copperton Field, the other into the Alamosa. Usually the bad guys hightail it out of there when we show up, but not always. I killed me twelve Rogues and twenty Xenos so far since being posted up here -- no Lane Hackers yet, though. They don't stick around as much as the others.

Padua Rogue rumor §19.30 Wrote:Rochester has plenty of Side Arms to sell, so we pick them up and run them here. The Side Arms we bring in usually head on over to Leiden, where we trade the Lane Hackers for cash or info on ship cargoes headed through the system.

⚡ Foreign Houses

▸ Bretonia

By using the jump hole to the west of Mactan Base, the Lane Hackers can access and operate in Manchester system though they usually stay inside the protection of North Sheffield Ice Field. Mostly, they target shipments carrying valuable cargo, such as gold. ^{[News report §20.1, Infocards §20.3, 20.4, 20.5, Rumors §20.6, 20.7, 20.8, 20.9, 20.10, 20.11, 20.12, 20.18]}

The Bretonia Police patrols the trade lanes and the perimeters of the ice field by using the two border stations as their bases of operations. The Armed Forces are assigned patrols in the much less safe Independent Worlds. The Bounty Hunters Guild is also a frequent sight in the system as it administers Sheffield Station. The Lane Hackers active operations in Bretonian space also extend into the Leeds system which is accessed from the jump hole in Magellan. ^{[Infocards §20.2, 20.3, 20.4, Rumors §20.10, 20.11, 20.12, 20.13, 20.14, 20.15, 20.16, 20.17, 20.18, 20.19, 20.20, 20.21, 22.25]}

20. Bretonia sources

News report §20.1 Wrote:KINGSTON -- Two days ago the Lane Hackers seized a Bowex Gold shipment headed for Liberty space and disappeared before authorities could get to them. The Hackers are known for their advanced technology that allows them to strike with stunning accuracy at the most valuable ship convoys. This attack was no different. IC is posting mammoth rewards for the live capture of any Lane Hacker, and many Bounty Hunters are getting ready to try and collect. As of yet the well financed pirate organization has been too slippery to let one of its own be captured alive.

Sheffield Station infocard §20.2 Wrote:Sheffield Station houses many of the off-shift prison, manufacturing, and mining personnel who work in facilities scattered throughout the Manchester system. A large number of guilds and shipping companies have regional headquarters on Sheffield, including Bowex and Gateway Shipping. But the Bounty Hunters Guild more or less administrates the station, and its members keep the BPA Newgate prison filled to capacity.

Liverpool Border Station infocard §20.3 Wrote:Liverpool Border Station is the command center for the Bretonia Police Authority in the Manchester System and is tasked with suppressing the smugglers, pirates, and Lane Hackers who use the local ice fields for cover.

Kingston Border Station infocard §20.4 Wrote:Kingston Border Station is operated by the Bretonia Police Authority as a base for interdicting smugglers, pirates, and Lane Hackers operating in the Manchester system.

North Sheffield Field infocard §20.5 Wrote:A large field of ice asteroids. The North Sheffield Field has been a favorite haunt of Lane Hackers who find it a convenient location to lurk prior to attacking any of the several nearby Trade Lanes.

Gaian rumor §20.6 Wrote:Us here at Holmirth are really getting tired of the Lane Hackers. I was -THIS- close to catching a Planetform ship, when all of a sudden a group of hackers show up!

Bretonia Police Authority rumor §20.7 Wrote:I wish I knew how the Outcasts and Lane Hackers are getting into this system. They don't come through the Jump Gates, that's for certain, unless it's some kind of crazy Lane Hacker technology we don't know about. They're probably using a few Jump Holes, which we haven't yet located.

Lane Hacker rumor §20.8 Wrote:There's a Jump Hole into Manchester just to the west of this base. Our raiders often pop through and hang out in the North Sheffield Field, waiting for an unsuspecting Bowex Gold shipment on the Trade Lanes. It's easy to intercept them when you know when they're coming.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §20.9 Wrote:Lane Hackers do a lot of raiding in this system. They know when the Gold shipments are going to come through, and yellow metal is one of their favorite finds.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §20.10 Wrote:There are two Jump Holes in this system. The Hole to Leeds is in the Birmingham Ice Field; the Hole to Magellan is in the southern part of the Sheffield North Ice Field.

Sheffield BHG rumor §20.11 Wrote:This base's location between the two major ice fields in this system leaves us with plenty of options. All kinds of scumbag criminals come into this system. You name it, we got it: Mollys, Gaians, Outcasts, and even Lane Hackers. Most of the action takes place north of the Trade Lanes, except the occasional Molly raid on the Newgate.

Bretonia Police Authority rumor §20.12 Wrote:Our patrol areas focus on the Sheffield North Ice Field and the Birmingham Ice Field. In any one of those areas you will encounter several criminal groups that populate this system, including Mollys, Gaians, Lane Hackers, and Outcasts.

Liverpool BPA rumor §20.13 Wrote:This base was built here to protect damaged ships arriving from the Border Worlds and to patrol the Trade Lanes between the Gate and Sheffield. More recently, Armed Forces have started to use it to patrol from here to Freeport 4. We see ships in all kinds of conditions. Once a ship that was on fire arrived with no engines. The pilot brought it in using inertia from the Jump Gate. Bloody good feat of flying that was. We had to use a few service pods to bring it to the station.

Liverpool BPA rumor §20.14 Wrote:I'm glad that we don't have to patrol into the Independent Worlds. I hear Magellan is a dangerous place. Luckily, that's assigned to the Armed Forces and Liberty Navy. From the condition of some of the ships that arrive, I'd say they are understaffed.

Kingston BPA rumor §20.15 Wrote:The demand here for H-Fuel is pretty high since patrols are constantly launching from this base. Police patrols run along the lanes and perimiter of the asteroid fields, and military patrols head into Cortez, as far as Curacao. Those patrols keep us covered as best as they can, so we try to make sure they're well supplied.

Kingston BPA rumor §20.16 Wrote:This station was constructed to protect the convoys traveling through the system from the Independent Worlds. The Jump Gate just beyond this station leads to Cortez, which is dangerous space for anyone. Luckily, Cortez is outside of our jurisdiction - it's up to the Liberty Navy and Armed Forces to keep the lanes clear there.

Gateway Shipping rumor §20.17 Wrote:I ship Food and Consumer Goods to this base from Kensington. It's a living, and you only have to jump from one system away. Mollys can be quite a problem on occasion, so be careful if you try it. But it is a hell of a lot safer than crossing the Independent Worlds.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §20.18 Wrote:I usually don't bother with the prison convoys. The Police Authority usually escorts those themselves, so there's nothing in it for me. They'll claim any pirate kills as their own, which means I don't get paid. It's easier to nab a few Gaians near Birmingham, or a few Hackers coming from Magellan. If you bag both groups on the same trip, you get payment from both Liberty and Bretonia.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §20.19 Wrote:I was patrolling the Sheffield North a few weeks ago when I stumbled across three Lane Hackers. They were caught by surprise, too busy waiting on a Gold shipment that was coming by. I bagged one of them before they knew what hit 'em. The other two punched it for the Jump Hole to Magellan and escaped. That's how they work, those Hackers. They know when the good shipments are coming. So you know when to expect them to lay in wait.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §20.20 Wrote:I may be a Bretonian Bounty Hunter, but I've been making a lot of good money from a Liberty company. Ageira is paying me big bucks to dust any Lane Hackers that I catch in this system. Bowex and BMM pick up the tab for any Mollys that cross my path.

Bretonia Police Authority rumor §20.21 Wrote:Look, every bobby knows that Gaians smell like week old socks, never trust a Mollys' golden grin because his mate is sneaking up behind you with a laserdrill, and you can't turn your back on your meal while there's a Corsair in the room. But what's with those Lane Hackers? We busted up some piracy they were doing on the lane to Planet Leeds a few days ago, and I got called names with so many syllables I thought those Hackers must have been having seizures. Maybe it was cardamine withdrawal or something.

▸ Kusari

Shikoku system in Kusari is an active area of operations for the Lane Hackers of Leiden Base. By using the nearby jump hole, they can enter Shikoku and usually attack the traffic that passes through the Keiun Cloud. However, convoys consider Kusari space much safer than the Independent Worlds. Lane Hackers are frequent visitors to Morioka Base belonging to the Golden Chrysanthemums which supports the cardamine smuggling operations. They also provide protection to all Sisters who travel to Leiden Base. ^{[Infocards §21.1, 21.4, Rumors §7.1, 7.2, 19.26, 21.5, 21.6, 21.7, 21.8, 21.9, 21.10, 21.11, 21.12]}

Even though Kusari is still much safer than the Independent Worlds, Kusarians are discontent that Liberty's criminals have spread into their core systems and are trying to contain it by posting large bounties for Lane Hackers and Liberty Rogues. The Bounty Hunters Guild is particularly active in this system and their Hunters are quite effective against criminals since they know Shikoku's jump hole network. Deshima Station serves as their headquarters in Kusari. Battleship Myoko is also assigned to the area by the Kusari Naval Forces in order to reduce the criminal activity in the system and also serves as the base of operations for the patrols heading to the Independent Worlds. All captured foreign criminals are being transferred to the nearby Fuchu Prison, where they spend their sentence mining hydrocarbons or working in Planet Junyo's fishing platforms. The prison is administrated by the Kusari State Police and some of them are discontent with the efficiency of the Naval Forces. ^{[Infocards §21.2, 21.3, Rumors §7.1, 21.7, 21.8, 21.9, 21.10, 21.11, 21.12, 21.13, 21.14, 21.15, 22.25]}

21. Kusari sources

Morioka Base infocard §21.1 Wrote:Constructed in late 815 A.S., Morioka is a small depot constructed by the Golden Chrysanthemums in the southern part of the Shikoku system. Hidden by the Keiun nebula, it is mainly used by Cardamine smugglers. The Liberty Rogues and the occasional Lane Hacker visits the station for this purpose. Blood Dragons looking to make repairs also visit, but they rarely stay longer then needed.

Battleship Myoko infocard §21.2 Wrote:One of the first ships constructed for the Kusari Navy by Samura, the Battleship Myoko is the most venerable of those military ships still in service. The Myoko was scheduled for decommissioning in 806 AS, but as tensions with Bretonia rose, Kusari opted to instead refit the ship and keep her in service. It is currently deployed in the Shikoku system to help stem the growing tide of piracy from the Independent Worlds, and serves as a base for Kusari Naval Forces patrols in Shikoku, Galileo and Kepler.

Fuchu Prison infocard §21.3 Wrote:Originally located in the New Tokyo system, Fuchu Prison was moved to the Shikoku system in 600 AS to handle the burgeoning foreign criminal element that was plaguing the area. While nearly 70% of the prisoners are from outside of Kusari space, the remaining 30% are almost exclusively members of a radical, political terrorist group called the Blood Dragons. "Rehabilitation through work" is a core principal of the Fuchu Prison mandate, and inmates are routinely deployed to mine Hydrocarbon and work the Junyo fishing platforms.

Keiun Cloud infocard §21.4 Wrote:The Keiun ("Beautiful") Cloud lives up to its name, and were it not for the presence of pirates, would probably be a major Kusari tourist attraction. Unfortunately, its proximity to the Jump Gates leading to Galileo and Kepler make it ideal cover for Independent World pirates wishing to interdict traffic to and from Deshima Station.

Kusari State Police rumor §21.5 Wrote:This system is a crossroads of Kusari and Liberty shipping. Consequently, we get a lot of Liberty criminals here. There are Rogues and Lane hackers as well as our own Blood Dragons, Golden Chrysanthemums, Farmers Alliance, and Hogosha.

Kusari State Police rumor §21.6 Wrote:The Golden C. usually attack from the Keiun. The bold Blood Dragons will attack from anywhere. Most of the other criminals fly within the clouds to hide themselves, yet the Dragons will cross in open space, daring anyone to give chase, even the military.

Kusari State Police rumor §21.7 Wrote:Battleship Myoko was sent here to secure the Jump Gates and stop the flood of Gaijin criminals currently pouring in from the Border Worlds. I am glad they are here, but sadly they are not enough. If they did a better job, we wouldn't have half of this facility filled with foreigners.

Kusari Naval Forces rumor §21.8 Wrote:I fly a patrol into the Keiun to hunt down Gaijin pirates. They are mostly coming in from that area. I also escort convoys from the Border Worlds. Often times the ships have been so beaten up out there that to be attacked here in Shikoku almost ensures their death.

Kishiro Technologies rumor §21.9 Wrote:We get attacked on the way down from Shikoku by Lane Hackers and Rogues, and both ways by Xenos. Kusari space is certainly much safer than this. We don't have crime problems like this. I wish Liberty would clean up the Independent Worlds, since the criminals come from here.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §21.10 Wrote:Strange that Samura never pays to have Farmers Alliance activity popped in this area. They seem most concerned with Lane Hackers and Rogues that enter the system and loiter near the Keiun. They use the Jump Hole from Galileo.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §21.11 Wrote:In the east of this system between the Kuryo and Matsuo Clouds, you can find a Jump Hole leading to Galileo -- and Hacker territory.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §21.12 Wrote:To be a decent Bounty Hunter you have to know the Jump Hole networks that span all of Sirius. There are two Jump Holes in this system. The one leading to Kyushu is in the Saiun on the northern end of the system. In the south you will find a Hole to Galileo tucked into the Keiun.

Kusari Naval Forces rumor §21.13 Wrote:The Blood Dragons are fierce opponents, and the police require our help to fight them off. Bounty Hunters are also successful at dealing with them, and I know that Samura has hired many of these mercenaries to deal with the problem. Deshima is home to the Bounty Hunters Guild in Kusari. No where else will you find their bases operating in this part of space.

Myoko KNF §21.14 Wrote:Our patrols enter in the Border Worlds in an attempt to stem piracy in this system and in nearby areas. If we can reduce the number of criminals in Kepler and Galileo, we will reduce the criminals in Shikoku.

Kusari State Police rumor §21.15 Wrote:There is a Liberty Rogue here who always claims to be a Lane Hacker. He has been here three years, and every day he offers me more money to let him escape. I think yesterday he offered me enough to buy my own planet, the poor fool. I know he has no money. Even if he were a Lane Hacker I would not take his money; we aren't the LPI.

...part.four.concluded...accessing.part.five...

The Lane Hackers · (This post was last modified: 06-27-2019, 02:23 AM by The Lane Hackers.)

⚡ Miscellaneous

The spoilers of this section contain some miscellaneous information about the Lane Hackers as well as some uncategorized Lane Hacker operations. ^{[Rumors §22.21, 22.22, 22.23, 22.24, 22.25, 22.26]}

The most important miscellaneous information is the following:

The Lane Hackers maintain a substantial number of operatives onboard Barrier Gate Station. Furthermore since the main cardamine smuggling route passes through Coronado, this base is one of the primary places where cardamine exchanges hands before it is moved deeper into Liberty. ^{[Infocard §22.5, Rumor §3.13]}
Lane Hacker profits made by their operations continue to increase. ^{[News report §22.2]}
In important occassions Lane Hackers use fake identities in order to enter lawful bases or planets. ^{[News report §22.3]}
Lane Hacker technicians were involved in the development of Bayonet. ^{[Infocard §22.16]}
The Independent Miners' Guild manufactured and sold Warans to the Lane Hackers. ^{[Infocard §22.17]}
Lane Hacker technologies were involved in the development of Prosecutor and Unioner Battleship Secondary Turret. ^{[Infocards §22.18, 22.19]}

Sources concerning the Texas Incident are listed here. ^{[News report §22.1, Infocards §22.4, 22.7, 22.8, 22.9, 22.10, 22.11, 22.12, Rumors §22.27, 22.28, 22.29, 22.30, 22.31, 22.32, 22.33, 22.34, 22.35, 22.36, 22.37, 22.38, 22.39]}
Sources concerning the Dark Matter Storm of 784 A.S. are also listed here. ^{[Infocards §22.6, 22.13, 22.14, 22.15, Rumors §22.39, 22.40, 22.41, 22.42, 22.43, 22.44, 22.45, 22.46]}

22. Miscellaneous sources

News report §22.1 Wrote:HOUSTON -- Before the Dallas Incident, Liberty invested heavily in Texas. Houston residents were led to believe that the system would be the research center of the entire House. Virtually overnight the government moved out, leaving nothing but destruction and decay in its wake. Many citizens feel that the government had no right to leave Texas so abruptly because of a terrible government error. "There wouldn't be no crime here if they gave folks an option," says Fertilizer plant worker and Houston native Frank Stalls. Perhaps there is a better alternative to solving crime than building new prisons.

News report §22.2 Wrote:MAGELLAN -- Despite increased bounties offered by IC and Ageira, Lane Hacker operations are just as successful as ever. This quarter both bases posted record profits from lucrative heists that we pulled off. "I don't know how Liberty ever gets any Gold from Bretonia with the operations we are pulling," Lane Hacker executive Bill Hunter quoted. Privately many members admit that mounting Cardamine abuse could be a serious drain on Hacker income if not curbed in the near future.

News report §22.3 Wrote:LOS ANGELES -- Apparently, piracy isn't the only thing that Lane Hackers are good at. This year the California Cup was won by none other than Gilbert Hudson, former Ageira employee and Lane Hacker. Hudson, who entered the competition under a false name, was identified by a former Ageira co-worker, who recognized him as he took center stage to accept the cup. As soon as Hudson saw LPI security guards making their way through the crowd towards the stage, he grabbed the cup and fired a message from a wrist transmitter. A moment later a ship descended from the skies. Hudson hopped aboard and fled with several police cruisers in hot pursuit.

Freelancer Official Liberty Overview §22.4 Wrote:500 A.S. -- The Texas Incident.

The entire Texas system was decimated.

Ageira Technologies scientists aboard the Dallas had begun the second phase of testing a new, long-range jump gate that would have allowed travel beyond the confines of the Sirius Sector -- and could have potentially opened the entire galaxy for exploration. Unfortunately, an unforeseen concentration of dark matter along the jump route created a feedback wave that not only destroyed the Dallas and everyone aboard, but expelled huge masses of dark matter and radioactivity. A quarantine was immediately erected across half the system -- not for security, this time, but for the safety of anyone foolish enough to stray into the dangerous morass. The jump gate itself sank into a monstrous singularity that still hangs at the edge of the Texas, an evil, swirling eye, that casts its gaze upon the wasteland of Houston.

Barrier Gate Station infocard §22.5 Wrote:Barrier Gate is one of the few privately owned space stations in Sirius. Freelancer George Tinsley made a name for himself in underworld circles when he discovered the "Barrier Pass", a shortcut between Tau and Liberty space that completely bypasses Bretonia. Knowing full well that his secret would not remain that way for long Tinsley called in favours and invested his entire fortune into having a rock on the edge of the Barrier Ice Field hollowed out and turned into a base. When the Independent Miners Guild (IMG) workers he had hired finished, Tinsley began to tell his peers about the new passage.

Although retired from freelance piloting, Tinsley has become the administrator of Barrier Gate, which has grown steadily over the last decade. The station is ocupied by a motley crew of Rogues, Hackers, Outcasts, Bounty Hunters, IMG, Colonials, Zoners and various Freelancers all looking to trade or lay low for a while. Most of the revenue on the station is generated by smugglers and pirates, although the IMG use the station as refuge from the cold conditions on Pecos.

As Tinsley planned, Barrier Gate has become a place where the Outcasts exchange Cardamine with the criminals of Liberty, producing astounding profits. Not that his plan hasn't been without its problems. Tinsley is constantly fighting subtle attempts to take over the station from the Rogues, Junkers and the Outcasts themselves. In addition, the publication of the Barrier Pass and the new station earned Tinsley several large bounties from Molly gangs who have lost most of their cardamine smuggling business, which have thus far gone uncollected.

The arrival of the Colonial Republic in the system has presented the station and it's inhabitants with a quandry of possibilities and concerns. The Republic has not stated its intentions in regards to the station and so poses both a potential grave threat but also a potential market for the Gate's many amenities.

Ames Research Station infocard §22.6 Wrote:Ames Research Station was originally constructed in 773 A.S. by Deep Space Engineering, to investigate the strange dark matter clouds that were in the eastern areas of the system, and also to study the dark matter storm that was scheduled to pass through the system in 780 A.S. As it happened, the storm entered Kepler 4 years later than it was expected to, destroying the old trade lane that passed through the eastern area of the system and rendering it extremely dangerous to travel through. Deep Space Engineering incurred heavy financial losses during the construction of the new lane to the Shikoku Jump Gate, and as a result their operations on Ames were scaled back almost completely to the point of abandoning the station.

Around 790 A.S., a group of Zoners moved onboard the station, slowly taking over previously vacated habitation decks and science laboratories, bringing the station back up to operational status. In exchange for keeping the station running and use of the repair facilities onboard, DSE agreed to give the Zoners complete ownership of Ames. Since then, the Zoners have run it as a Freeport and despite DSE's occasional complaints about allowing even Xenos to dock, it has been run profitably and has become a convenient stopover for anyone passing through the independent systems between Kusari and Liberty.

West Dallas Debris Field infocard §22.7 Wrote:>>>WARNING: NAVIGATIONAL HAZARD<<<

This debris field is all that remains of the Jump Gate machinery whose malfunction in 500 A.S. led to the Texas Incident. Liberty technicians were testing the prototype of a new form of Jump Gate that was intended to revolutionize travel across Sirius; their prototype version was to connect California to Texas. Due to a bizarre and critical technical error, the Jump Gate, instead of initializing upon start up, fatally ruptured; the initial explosion, setting free copious amounts of dark matter and radiation, inundated half a star system before petering off. Texas' beauty was forever ruined in the disaster, with half the system made fatal to all organic life; its economy was shattered, and the system experienced a massive exodus that would cripple its productivity for the indefinite future. Curious pilots may see the cataclysmic Jump Gate's core here, although they are cautioned, for the area is heavily radioactive; for the most part, however, it's merely a refuge of last resort for criminals seeking to avoid capture by Liberty authorities.

Grande Negra infocard §22.8 Wrote:>>>WARNING: NAVIGATIONAL HAZARD<<<

A large region of dark matter and radiation left behind after the Texas Incident of 500 A.S. decimated the system. Unlike the northern Pequena Negra, the Grande Negra is centred around the fatal Jump Gate's destructive epicentre; as a result, the Grande Negra is far larger than its sibling, although the two clouds' compositions are identical. Much of the Dallas Research Complex was forever swallowed by the Jump Gate's detonation; therefore, whatever resources and technology the Liberty government of over three centuries ago stored there might still remain, shielded from dark matter by storage containers. Archaeologists speculate that were the Grande Negra to be lifted, a perfect tableau of life prior to the Incident would be found; Police patrols going about their business, supply transports, and personnel carriers, frozen doing what they had been when the Incident happened. Other than treasure-hunters and suicidal explorers, however, no ships are ever seen entering this zone; even the truly desperate aren't mad enough.

Pequena Negra infocard §22.9 Wrote:>>>WARNING: NAVIGATIONAL HAZARD<<<

A smaller region of dark matter and radiation left behind in the wake of the Texas Incident. Pilots should not be fooled by the Pequena Negra's relatively compact size; its composition is precisely the same as that of its larger sibling and is equally lethal to unshielded organics. Despite the Pequena Negra's dangers, it experiences at least sporadic traffic due to its proximity to the criminals of the North Dallas Debris Field. The occasional Liberty Rogue can be seen escaping pursuit into the cloud, as there is believed to be a jump hole located somewhere inside the cloud; Texan authorities are under strict orders not to pursue into either Negra. The question is merely how many fugitives ever come out again.

South Dallas Debris Field infocard §22.10 Wrote:The South Dallas Debris Field consists of the remnants of the Dallas Research Complex; those that hadn't been swallowed by the Grande Negra after the Texas Incident. The zone appears to house a large contingent of Xeno terrorists, and it is rumoured that they are engaged in constructing a more permanent home. Unfortunately for both parties, the jump hole to the Junker controlled system of Puerto Rico lies to the field's northwest; the Junkers and the Xenos, ancestral enemies, are engaged in a haphazard struggle for control of the region.

Wreck infocard §22.11 Wrote:The remains of the Dallas Research Station Superconductor Laboratory, which was destroyed in 500 AS after a failed Jump Gate experiment.

Wreck infocard §22.12 Wrote:Scanners read this elongated lump of metal as being not just another piece of scrap but an older model of the C-class utility transport; caked with grime and decay, it's hardly identifiable after centuries in the Grande Negra. The only database match is the Ft. Worth, a supply vessel that had been dispatched to Dallas with a load of Gate/Lane Parts sometime immediately prior to the Texas Incident of 500 A.S.

Wreck infocard §22.13 Wrote:A Universal large transport named the McKinley was caught in the Dark Matter Storm of 784, which destroyed the old Trade Lane through the eastern part of the system. It was carrying a load of Superconductors.

Wreck infocard §22.14 Wrote:The Kamakura Maru, a Samura transport carrying a cargo of Niobium, was caught in the Dark Matter Storm of 784. The storm destroyed the old Trade Lane route through the eastern part of the system. The ship is believed to lie somewhere in the Matsuo Cloud.

Wreck infocard §22.15 Wrote:The Samura armored transport Nikko Maru was carrying Luxury Goods from Manhattan to New Tokyo when it was caught in the Dark Matter Storm of 784. It lies somewhere in the Matsuo Cloud along the abandoned Trade Lane.

BWX-F1A "Bayonet" Border Worlds Heavy Fighter infocard §22.16 Wrote:The Bayonet, as it has come to be known, was in development for almost two decades. Blending traditional Border Worlds ship technologies with state of the art systems designed in collaboration with Lane Hacker technicians, it brings an exquisite mixture of firepower, armor and speed to the battlefield.

The vessel's oversized heatsinks play host to a dizzying array of sensitive electronic surveying and splicing equipment, allowing it to maintain the role of a dedicated intelligence gatherer while its more combat orientated brethren dominate the battlefield.

CTU-6b "Waran" Civilian Bomber infocard §22.17 Wrote:Based loosely on an old, unpopular bomber design, the "Waran" still bears the name of the vessel it has come to replace. Many rumors circulate about it's origins. Some say Junkers mated the powercore of the old Waran to the Raven's Talon frame. Some say the Independent Miners secretly constructed this bomber as a craft for unscrupulous clients such as the Lane Hackers. Whatever the origin, the result is a sturdy bomber capable of unleashing withering firepower on a hapless target.

As with all bombers, this ship maneuvers poorly for a craft of its size. Nevertheless, its firepower and widespread availability found quick popularity with the "more power, more guns, fewer problems" crowd, which it turned out included virtually anyone interested in blowing things up. From Junkers to Gaians to Bundschuh to Xenos, this ship has found universal employment by pilots for whom style is not a concern.

Series HF-V "Prosecutor" Hellfire Legion Very Heavy Fighter infocard §22.18 Wrote:The product of seventeen years of hard work from the greatest minds of the Hellfire Legion's R&D division, the Prosecutor-class Very Heavy Fighter represents a seamless blend of Libertonian, Borderworlds, and Lane Hacker technology. Designed to go toe to toe with any other fighter craft in Liberty and come out alive, the Prosecutor is set to become the standard-issue strike-craft in the Legion fleet, and it is destined to play a major role in all upcoming Hellfire Legion conflicts.

UNT "Organiser" Unioner Battleship Secondary Turret infocard §22.19 Wrote:Oddly, sensor data reveals this weapon to be the only known heavy weapon in the Unioner arsenal that does not contain any recognisable trace of Eighty Years War era engineering. Instead, the Organiser features advanced, possibly Lane-Hacker acquired guidance systems, providing target acquisition capabilities that the rudimentary anti-fighter weaponry that the Rheinland battleships of the Eighty Years War could not match, capable of organising hostile strike craft into fire pockets with extreme ease. Despite being a masterful work of ordinance design in hugely adverse conditions, the minimal number of questionably functional battleships the Unioners possess limits the cannon to being little more than a shrine to Unioner technical brilliance, instead of a viable weapons system. The riveted construction of the turret implies the weapon has been built entirely by hand, in contrast to every other large capital artillery piece presently used by humankind. Caution is advised.

Black Market Light Arms infocard §22.20 Wrote:The famous Light Arms produced by the Ageira affiliate, Detroit Munitions, are considered by many as the best personal weapons in Sirius. Naturally, most House authorities try to restrict their legal sales, which created incentives for distribution of their black market version.

Cleverly kept off the official books at Detroit Munitions, and occassionally produced by the Hackers at Mactan, these weapons are unregistered, untaxed, and unaccounted for. But most importantly, they lack Ageira's safety mechanisms, which make them particularly valuable to unlawful organizations.

Lane Hacker rumor §22.21 Wrote:I heard from someone the other day that The Professor was spotted walking down one of the corridors here. Can you believe that? Probably just some drunken rumor. Everybody knows that The Professor is just some Hacker myth made up to make Ageira execs wet their pants in the middle of the night.

Universal Shipping rumor §22.22 Wrote:We handle all manner of precious cargo bound for the outer colonies. We ship Luxury Goods to New London, New Tokyo, and New Berlin. It is extremely dangerous between New London and here, especially because of the Lane Hackers. They aren't the dangerous part, it's the Outcasts who they sell the shipping information to that you have to worry about. On second thought, if you see a Hacker in a P-Trans, don't laugh, juice the cruise engines!

Kishiro Technologies rumor §22.23 Wrote:We pick up Gold on some of our return trips - always a stressful journey. It's as if you shine in the dark for the criminal elements like the Mollys and the Lane Hackers. They come like moths to a flame.

Samura Industries rumor §22.24 Wrote:Bretonia is the largest source of Gold for the entire Sirius Sector. We are heading back to Yokohama with a load as soon as we can arrange the escort. Between Outcasts, Lane Hackers, Liberty Rogues, Xenos, Blood Dragons and Golden Chrysantemums, whomever we hire will have plenty to do.

Samura Industries rumor §22.25 Wrote:Bretonia's not too dangerous. At least compared to Kusari space and the Independent Worlds we now must cross. The Blood Dragons are the most serious menace with Kusari. The Outcasts, Lane Hackers and Xenos replace them as the threat once you leave Shikoku.

Samura Industries rumor §22.26 Wrote:I just sold a shipment of Manhattan Luxury Goods for the spoiled brats of our Shibuya district. The trip from Liberty is tiring, given the threat of Xeno and Lane Hacker attacks. Then you must contend with those crazy Golden Chrysanthemum pirates, who would rather steal their designer clothes than buy them like a proper Kusari woman.

Liberty Navy rumor §22.27 Wrote:One of my ancestors was on guard duty aboard the Dallas on that fateful day. He and everyone else onboard was killed instantly. The ironic part was that the naval commander had recommended the ship be moved to a safe distance from the experimental Jump Gate, so the test didn’t begin until they had repositioned the Dallas to twice the normal distance.

Ageira Technologies rumor §22.28 Wrote:There has been one most unfortunate occurrence in Ageira's past: the Dallas Incident in 500 AS, a Jump Gate research project in the Texas system that went horribly wrong. Thousands of dedicated Ageira employees were lost in one dreadful moment. To this day the Texas system remains mostly off-limits due to the radiation and debris hazards.

Liberty Navy rumor §22.29 Wrote:This system used to be the testing grounds for Ageira’s Jump Gate projects in the early days of Liberty. After the Dallas got destroyed with about half of Texas, the government pulled stakes and left the system.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §22.30 Wrote:Somewhere in the Grande Negra Cloud, the main complex of the Dallas Research Station is rumored to still have some relatively intact pieces. There was a lot of Superconductor research there, so some storage containers may still exist.

Deep Space Engineering rumor §22.31 Wrote:In 521, the supply ship Ft. Worth was approaching the Dallas Research Station from Houston when it was caught in the tremendous system-wide explosion that occurred during the failed Jump Gate experiment. The ship was far enough away from the initial blast that some people think it may still be floating out there in the Grande Negra Cloud. The Ft. Worth was carrying a full load of Jump Gate Parts.

Liberty Navy rumor §22.32 Wrote:The epicenter of the Dallas explosion was almost directly across the sun from us, between those two dark matter clouds. Rumor is that a Jump Hole was formed by the incident. That's when all the crime problems in Liberty started.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §22.33 Wrote:Did you know that there weren’t any Jump Holes in Texas before the Dallas incident? The criminals in all of Sirius were helped more than they could possibly know. Texas is the crossroads of the criminal universe. If it weren’t for the Jump Holes, we would have crime locked down to nothing.

Liberty Navy rumor §22.34 Wrote:Our battleships have been patrolling this system since the catastrophe with the Dallas. At first we patrolled this system to protect citizens from going into deadly radiation areas caused by the failed Ageira experiment, but now we patrol to curb the piracy in the lawless area of the Forbidden Zone.

Liberty Navy rumor §22.35 Wrote:I hope Planetform can thaw that snowball yonder. Would be nice to have a fresh world for the Houston slummers. Houston isn't really suitable for mass habitation anymore, ever since the Dallas project blew up. Impoverished folk can still work the land, unless the land itself becomes sterile. Ageira never paid for any reparations to the planet. Would probably bankrupt them if they were made to.

Bounty Hunters Guild rumor §22.36 Wrote:The Texas system at one time was just wide open space with a couple planets. All the crap you see in this system -- the dark matter clouds, the debris fields with the radiation -- it is all Ageira’s fault. It all happened in one fateful day centuries ago.

Ageira Technologies rumor §22.37 Wrote:Ageira is somewhat disliked in Texas because of the whole Dallas incident. The sad truth is that no one could have done better, but you can't always fight perception. So we ship Side Arms manufactured here to the Texas prison for them, and we also ship to the battleships and other police bases in Liberty.

Liberty Police Incorporated rumor §22.38 Wrote:The East Dallas Debris Field is where many inmates are transported from the other penal ship Sugarland to clean up the scrap. The radiation has died down quite a bit in that field since the Dallas incident, but it is still too dangerous for civilian workers.

Zoner rumor §22.39 Wrote:Langley Research Station was established by Ageira in 550 to study the Kuryo Anomaly in preparation for the construction of Trade Lanes by Deep Space Engineering. Jump Gates couldn't bypass this system because of the danger in traversing the dark matter clouds of the Anomaly -- a lesson painfully learned in the Texas Incident. Langley was destroyed during the Dark Matter Storm of 784. Its remnants still lie somewhere inside Kuryo Cloud.

Zoner rumor §22.40 Wrote:The Trade Lane path through the sister system of Kepler, Galileo, was constructed mainly as an insurance policy in case the Kepler Trade Lane was ever severed, something that Liberty and Kusari could not allow to happen.

Zoner rumor §22.41 Wrote:There’s an old Trade Lane route through this system that was damaged during a storm around 20 years ago. People say there are some old shipwrecks along it.

Zoner rumor §22.42 Wrote:The Zoners occupied the research station soon after it was opened and eventually took over its operation when the research phase was complete. It's a difficult place, as the clouds are constantly on the move and could someday engulf the Freeport.

Zoner rumor §22.43 Wrote:Lane Hackers partly owe their origin to the Ames Research studies, which predicted that a huge storm would disrupt the system in 780. On the advice of Ageira technicians, Liberty financed a costly alternative Trade Lane through Galileo. When the storm didn't materialize, Ageira tried to redeem itself by ruthlessly ousting an elite development team and several executives, who re-emerged as the core of the northern Lane Hackers.

Zoner rumor §22.44 Wrote:The Lane Hackers in this system are former Ageira personnel who got panned after the Kepler Storm scandal cost IC and Ageira an untold fortune. Now they are making Ageira and IC pay an even dearer price for making them take the fall.

Universal Shipping rumor §22.45 Wrote:Denver is the site of our USI scanner hardware R&D division. A while back a bunch of high-level employees got forced out after a big screw-up. They drifted up into Galileo and set up base, calling themselves Lane Hackers. Nothing but trouble on the Trade Lanes ever since.

Liberty Rogue rumor §22.46 Wrote:Watch the black matter in the system. If you fly into some, you aren’t gonna fly back out. Black matter is what led to all the Trade Lane trouble with Ageira and the corporate venture that blew up in its face. To pin it on somebody, Ageira canned a few of its top-level execs and a development team; those guys now operate the Hacker base in Leiden.

▸ Counterfeit Software

The people of Sirius connect and communicate in the neuralnet via the wireless channels built into trade lanes and jump gates. Most software used in Sirius is also transferred through those channels. Subsequently, the channels are extensively firewalled against intrusions, and no unlawful factions, except for the Lane Hackers, can gain access to them. This makes the Lane Hackers the main producers of counterfeit software in Sirius, which they distribute it through the Zoners of Ames Research Station and Freeport 14 and it is much sought after by every illegal organisation. ^{[Infocard §23.1, Rumors §16.5, 16.6, 17.7]}

In Gallia, where the Lane Hackers do not have access in the House's network, the Council is the primary producer of counterfeit software which is in high demand from the Gallic Brigands. However, the Brigands still visit Ames Research Station in order to purchase Sirian software. ^{[Rumors §23.2, 23.3]}

23. Counterfeit Software sources

▸ Rheinland-Kusari Embargo

During the first centuries after the trade lane and jump gate technology was invented, all the Houses in Sirius spent massive amounts of money investing in those two tools since they revolutionized commerce, transportation and communication. Eventually, they were forced to take large loans from Interspace Commerce, which was named as Interspace Corporate back then, in order to continue funding those projects. In addition, they heavily disapproved that Liberty owned such vital constructions. Rheinland and Kusari couldn't meet their obligations to Interspace Corporate and responded by nationalizing their trade lanes which instantly wiped out massive amounts of debt. This action was considered unacceptable by the largest finance institute in Sirius, which used the government of Liberty to threaten the two Houses with dire consequences. In return, both Houses responded by embargoing Liberty in 521 A.S. in what came to be known as the Rheinland-Kusari Embargo. ^{[Infocards §24.1, 24.2, 24.4, Rumors §5.18, 6.1, 24.8, 24.9, 24.10, 24.11]}

Liberty, which was working for Interspace Corporate's interests, was exploring a military solution because of its far superior military; however, that was considered unfeasible due to the shortage of fuel caused by the embargo. Another option was to remotely deactivate the trade lanes and jump gates in both Rheinland and Kusari, an action which some believe would have lead to war, while others think that it would have forced the two Houses to back down and renegotiate with Interspace and Liberty. Eventually, Liberty and Interspace Corporate backed down and a compromise was reached in 523 A.S. called Sirius Commerce Pact. Interspace agreed to forgive Rheinland's and Kusari's debts and allow them to nationalize their trade lane and jump gate network except critical components of the jump gates and trade lanes which remained under Ageira's property in exchange of 200 years of tolls. ^{[Infocards §14.3, 24.2, 24.3, 24.5, 24.6, Rumors §24.8, 24.9, 24.10, 24.11, 24.12]}

Shortly after the dispute was settled, Liberty's corporations returned to Kusari after their brief eviction, but not in Rheinland, which allowed it only after the Eighty-Years War. In addition Interspace was forbidden to build a base in any minor system of Rheinland and Kusari as well as reside on any major planet of those two Houses. This incident forced Interspace Corporate to shift its main business into the insurance sector and change its name into Interspace Commerce. However they never forgave what the two Houses did, which among other things, damaged their public reputation and since then they have been secretly funding, supplying or even sharing cargo shipment information to dissenting and terrorist groups in those two Houses.^{[Infocards §24.4, 24.5, 24.6, 24.7, Rumors §6.1, 6.2, 24.9, 24.10, 24.11, 24.12, 24.13, 24.14, 24.15]}

24. Rheinland-Kusari Embargo sources

Freelancer Official Liberty Overview §24.1 Wrote:215 A.S. -- While jump gates already link most of Liberty, other houses continue to clamor for gates of their own. Valhalla Research builds a manufacturing facility for the mass production of crucial jump gate components in Colorado to meet the demand. Once constructed, components are transported by Sirius Shipping to the Monument Construction sites in whichever systems the gates are being constructed. While theoretically a private enterprise, it doesn't escape the notice of the other houses that the jump gate technology remains under the complete control of Liberty...but for now there is little they can do about the matter.

Freelancer Official Liberty Overview §24.2 Wrote:521 A.S. -- Rheinland/Kusari Trade Embargo.

After having pursued ambitious programs to construct jump gates and trade lanes, both Rheinland and Kusari find themselves deeply in debt to Interspace Commerce and chafing over what they (with more than a little justification) view as inflated construction costs and usurious interest rates. Already uncomfortable with complete Liberty ownership of such a vital part of their sovereign space, both nations move to completely nationalize their jump gates and trade lanes. All payments to Interspace Commerce from either house cease.

Liberty is incensed, and insists that such actions are unlawful and will carry "dire repercussions." Rheinland responds by ceasing all mineral shipments to Liberty; Kusari soon follows, embargoing critical shipments of fuel. With resources in New York totally exhausted and those in Colorado declining rapidly, Liberty quickly finds that its threats sound more than a little hollow.

Freelancer Official Liberty Overview §24.3 Wrote:523 A.S. -- Sirius Commerce Pact

After several years of negotiation, the Sirius Commerce Pact is widely hailed as a miracle of compromise. Interspace Commerce agrees to forgive all debts while ownership of all jump gates and trade lanes is officially turned over to the house in whose space they reside, though the critical components of jump gates and trade lanes remain the sole property of Valhalla Research. In return for clearing their debt, all houses agree to pay a toll to Interspace Commerce for the next 200 years.

Newark Station infocard §24.4 Wrote:Interspace Corporate was founded in 204 A.S. by Ageira and Deep Space Engineering, since they could pool the necessary capital in insurance and finance. Built in the same year, Newark Station is the local headquarters for the now renamed "Interspace Commerce" (IC), one of the largest financial institutions in the Sirius Sector. While Interspace was initially responsible for financing the construction of the vast Jump Gate and Trade Lane network that connects the various colonies, it was forced to divest itself of these holdings as a result of the Rheinland Kusari Trade Embargo in 521 A.S.

The corporation changed its name to Interspace Commerce and has since transitioned to insuring cargo shipments within and between the various colonies. The remainder of the Newark Station population is a constantly shifting crowd of traders, technocrats, executives, and Bounty Hunters, all cutting deals and arranging for the transport or protection of their goods.

Roppongi Station infocard §24.5 Wrote:In the early years of the Kusari Empire, foreign immigration was strictly controlled and permanent foreign settlements on New Tokyo were strictly forbidden. While the Kusari Shogunate was unwilling to bend these rules, it still accommodated foreign business interests by allowing Interspace Commerce to construct Roppongi Station in 318 A.S. Despite the restrictions placed on permanent residencies elsewhere in Kusari, and the outrage expressed by conservative Kusari politicians at the Hideyoshi controlled Shogunate for allowing foreigners into the New Tokyo system, Roppongi Station's business flourished, with many corporations opening offices onboard.

When the Hideyoshi Emperor was deposed in 321 A.S., Roppongi's future was plunged into doubt. Thankfully, even the conservatives had recognised the financial benefits of leaving it alone, and in any case they had no desire at the time to upset Interspace Commerce, which at that time owned the rights to all the jump gates and trade lanes within Kusari. The conservatives were still reluctant to have too many foreigners in New Tokyo, however, and Deshima Station in Shikoku was eventually constructed in 350 A.S. with the aim of reducing the "outsider" population.

The Kusari-Rheinland embargo in 521 A.S. resulted in both those Houses nationalising their trade lanes and jump gates, causing Interspace Commerce to lose countless billions of credits almost overnight, as Kusari and Rheinland wiped away their debts to the Liberty corporation. Thoroughly angry with their losses, and the paltry two hundred years worth of tolls they extracted in exchange for their losses, Interspace began covertly funding independent pirates to raid Kusari shipping. After the formation of the Golden Chrysanthemum terrorist organisation, it is widely believed that Interspace has been funding them, just as they later began funding the Red Hessian pirates, and that the pirates in return sell stolen goods cheaply to Interspace. It is likely that these practices continue to this day, although Interspace's involvement has never been substantiated, and always sues any such allegations as "slander".

Bonn Station infocard §24.6 Wrote:Originally constructed in 521 A.S., to oversee the transition of trade lanes and jump gates to Rheinland ownership after Interspace Commerce (IC) was all but forced to sign agreements to nationalise them, Bonn Station has since become the headquarters of IC within Rheinland, and is the station where all cargo being shipped out of Rheinland is insured for the journey.

Thoroughly angry with having to wipe countless billions of credits of debt away almost overnight, after Kusari and Rheinland both nationalised their trade lanes and jump gates, IC has never been satisfied with the two hundred years of tolls it got in exchange, and it is for this chief reason that a good deal of animosity towards Rheinland and Kusari exists even today. As a result, IC often allowed ships from the Bundschuh, Red Hessians and even the Unioners to dock and purchase supplies, and was even going so far as to donate money to their causes or share information of cargo shipments with them.

This has angered the Rheinland government considerably, and when hard proof was finally obtained in late 818, Rheinland wasted no time in evicting IC from it's borders. Bonn Station was seized, and put under Police control. With the exception of Interspace, other businesses that had offices on Bonn were allowed to resume operations from the station after the station was searched by Police investigators.

Furyoku Station infocard §24.7 Wrote:After the discovery of the Okinawa system, Kishiro and the GMG required a considerable amount of money to quickly begin the construction of the system's infrastructure. Unfortunately, the only corporation both willing and able to underwrite the project was Interspace Commerce, who agreed to insure and finance it in exchange for 5% of the H-Fuel profits from Isehara, and the ability to purchase goods from Isehara and Miura at cost. To facilitate trade, Interspace would also be allowed to establish a base in orbit of the planet. The GMG grudgingly agreed, and construction started on Furyoku Station at the same time as Fujisawa Mining Facility was assembled. The station was eventually completed in early 773 A.S., despite a number of sabotage incidences that were believed to be the work of Hogosha agents.

The base handles a large portion of the traffic moving in and out of Okinawa, and the GMG often stores a large amount of H-Fuel reserves at Furyoku. During the construction of Miura's orbital facilities the Hogosha frequently disrupted operations by launching small raids against the bases, but these have become more and more sporadic now that the facilities are operational.

Liberty Navy rumor §24.8 Wrote:The Kusari-Rheinland embargo was an incident that reminded Liberty that her forces must remain ever-vigilant. We believed our military might to be unstoppable, but we were wrong. Once the H-Fuel stopped flowing into Liberty we could no longer power our attack crafts and had to acquiesce to the demands of the foreign powers.

Freeport 6 IMG rumor §24.9 Wrote:This system was one of the reasons that Interspace became an insurer and not a lender. It was the loans that Rheinland and Kusari took from Interspace to finance these Border World Jump Gates and Trade Lanes that bankrupted the two houses. They defaulted on their loans to Interspace and embargoed Liberty to make their point. Interspace chose to take the loss rather then scuttle the Gates and Lanes - something they probably could have done, but that would have meant war.

Interspace Commerce rumor §24.10 Wrote:The tolls that Kusari and Rheinland had to pay us were not nearly the full amount that we had put up to fund their Jump Gates. The compromise reached in the Sirius Commerce Pact was not a compromise for our corporation, but unfortunately Liberty didn’t have the military clout to enforce the payment of Rheinland and Kusari’s debts to us.

Interspace Commerce rumor §24.11 Wrote:Bretonia has been quite agreeable to the terms of Interspace, unlike Kusari and Rheinland, who defaulted on our perfectly legal Trade Lane financing terms in 521. Because Liberty was not ready to back us up, we lost significant leverage and were forced to transform our company from finance to insurance. If you ask me, Liberty has only hurt itself with that - If Ageira had simply deactivated the gates remotely, we'd have had all the leverage we need.

Interspace Commerce rumor §24.12 Wrote:After the Rheinland-Kusari Embargo of 521, IC lost millions of credits as both Houses nationalized their Trade Lanes. The massive debts that those Houses had incurred were wiped away, and the Trade Lanes became theirs.

Interspace Commerce rumor §24.13 Wrote:We've never been allowed to establish permanent offices anywhere except on Deshima and Roppongi. Kusari is very distrustful of outside influences. Roppongi was closed for a short duration following the Trade Lane Dispute of 521, when all Liberty representatives were evicted from Kusari space. However, eventually deals were worked out - Kusari needed Liberty's cooperation to maintain the gates and lanes. We're despised by most of Kusari, but they know they need us to keep their empire running.

Interspace Commerce rumor §24.14 Wrote:Our relations with Kusari and Rheinland have never really recovered. They have banished our company from residence in their major planets, and we cannot even build bases in any of their minor systems. The irony is that we were the ones who lost all the money.

Interspace Commerce rumor §24.15 Wrote:The Rheinland government asked IC to leave after the trade dispute of 521. We were not able to return to New Berlin until the agreement between Liberty and Rheinland following the Eighty-Years War. Liberty companies were granted free access to Rheinland space at that time.

...encryption.in.progress...disconnecting.from.network...hack.terminated...

The Lane Hackers

"Making the corporate weenies cry, so our kids can live in a free and just galaxy."

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The Lane Hackers · 06-27-2019, 02:24 AM,

The Spyglass Lore

The Hellfire Legion

Hellfire Legion started in 800 AS as a Liberty renegade fleet led by Drake Thastus. Shortly after its escape, the Hellfire Legion fleet was ambushed by the Liberty Navy in Magellan. The Lane Hackers, perceiving The Legion as a potential ally in their fight against the Liberty, sent their fighter wings to help the Legionaries to break through the ambush and gave them shelter in a nearby Vespucci system. While The Lane Hackers were helping the Legion to build their infrastructure in the Vespucci system and joined their Spyglass program, Professor Moriarty signed a mutual protection pact with Lord Commander Denelo Mori. However, shortly after Mori's death, the Hellfire Legion radically changed the direction it was heading, severing any relations with the Outcasts and Liberty Rogues, while forming an alliance with the Xenos. The relations between the Legion and The Lane Hackers started to slowly deteriorate with numerous incidents which finally led to Legionaries betraying Hackers and expelling them from Vespucci system. Even though The Lane Hackers tried to maintain neutrality afterwards, occasionally even selling information to the High Command, the Legion's more and more aggressive stance finally led to the outright hostility followed by numerous skirmishes. Ever since the two factions treat each others' vessels as hostile targets of opportunity.

The Vagrant Raiders

The Vagrant Raiders were a paramilitary group founded shortly after the Nomad War by a smuggler John Petrucci. Originally recruiting mostly from Liberty pirates and closely affiliated with the Lane Hackers, the Raiders were smuggling cardamine from Omicrons to Liberty, while pirating traders along the way. Despite close ties and fully convergent agendas, The Vagrant Raiders were showing a strong aversion and general animosity towards The Lane Hackers. Numerous arguments between Overlord Petrucci and Professor Moriarty, as well as Taskmaster Escher and Professor Phate finally led to severing any ties between the Lane Hackers and Vagrant Raiders. Only after changing leadership and loosing their flagship Metropolis The Vagrant Raiders decided to reestablish Cardamine operations in Liberty and increase cooperation with The Lane Hackers. Once Blain Spike, formerly independent business partner of the Lane Hackers, took over the remnants of the Vagrant Raiders a pact of friendship was signed by Ms Elektra King on behalf of the professorship. However, after over a year of successful operations the Vagrant Raiders once again lost their strength and numbers. When former Overlord Harlod Kane and Taskmaster Escher reappeared and took control over the weakened Raiders, Professor Nicole Hunter decided to cautiously monitor their doings before making any commitments. It turned out to be a wise choice, as the new Vagrant Raiders were slowly transforming into a semi-lawful para-military organization with ties to the Liberty government. This turn of events seriously cooled down relations between the Lane Hackers and the Vagrant Raiders. After destruction of Interspace operated Ithasca Station in Kansas and gathering strong evidence of Vagrant Raiders cooperating with Interspace Commerce and Ageira Technologies a declaration of open hostility was only a matter of time if it wasn't preceded by the group's dissolution.

The Spyglass Battleship

During his escape to Magellan, Drake Thastus was commanding Ragnarok, a prototype battleship of Spyglass class designed originally by the Liberty Navy. Once The Hellfire Legion arrived safely to Vespucci, Ragnarok was disassembled and reverse-engineered in cooperation with The Lane Hackers. What was unique in this prototype were not its quite powerful armaments, but incredibly sophisticated array of scanners and devices to conduct advanced electronic warfare. Hellfire Legion engineers managed to reproduce the ship skeleton, plating, engines and avionics, while Lane Hackers technicians focused on what was most interesting for them - electronics and software. Once the original prototype has been completely disassembled, the Hellfire Legion managed to reproduce several copies. Only two of them were in service outside of Hellfire Legion fleet. Fu Manchu was Lane Hacker mobile base of operations, while Metropolis served as home for the Vagrant Raiders. Both these battleships were lost or destroyed. Over the years, Hellfire Legion decided to even further cut the costs on expensive electronics while boosting pure combat potential of their vessels. This is how Arbiter class of battleships had been developed. The Legion slowly replaced all of their Spyglasses with Arbiters. Spyglass battleships no longer exist, although at some point Vagrant Raiders re-pressurized wreck of Metropolis and for some time used it as their stationary base of operations. The aura of uniqueness and specialty which surrounds this class of battleships is still fooling many people, who forget that it was developed over two decades ago and by today standards it is already outdated.

The Spyglass Scanner

Since both Hellfire Legion and Vagrant Raiders were more interested in sheer fire-power of their vessels, only Lane Hacker Fu Manchu Spyglass battleship had complete set of scanners and electronic warfare armaments of the original prototype. Before their flagship was lost, The Lane Hackers even further refined original battleship's sensor array developing their own upgraded version of Spyglass Scanner, a very sophisticated and thus expensive piece of equipment allowing detection of threats and possible targets from a significant distance, as well as data injections into the trade lane network, basic transponder spoofing or limited electronic warfare. A limited number of these scanners remained in the hands of Hellfire Legion after the schism, though huge energy consumption made the scanner mountable only on large or specialized ships. After loss of their flagship The Lane Hackers discontinued the original scanner and focused their efforts on researching scanner miniaturization. This resulted in development of a superior Spyglass Network Scanner.

The Spyglass Network Scanner

Because Spyglass Scanner requires a powerful data processing unit to perform massive iterative recalculations of the raw signal data installing it on small vessels is impossible without reducing its efficiency. In order to overcome this limitation Lane Hackers have built an extensive network of interconnected data processing hubs called The Spyglass Network. Each Lane Hacker base houses an enormous number of data storage units and processors connected into whole network through extremely powerful communication arrays.

The Spyglass Network Scanner is a lightweight version of the Spyglass Scanner. It relies on Lane Hackers' distributed network of data processing hubs instead of a ship's own capabilities to perform extensive computations of the raw signal. It allows Lane Hackers to use the scanner to its full potential on small ships that are unable to support a more powerful processing unit. It is also the most guarded technology of The Lane Hackers, which they refuse to share with even their closest allies.

The Minified Spyglass Scanner

With Spyglass Network Scanner operational The Lane Hackers became more liberal with selling their technology to their allies and business partners. A miniaturized version of original Spyglass Scanner with reduced power consumption at the cost of lower scanning range was deemed fit to be openly sold and is now available to be purchased on the Black Market.

The Lane Hackers

"Making the corporate weenies cry, so our kids can live in a free and just galaxy."

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