Falkland Base

From Discovery Wiki
Falkland Base
Owner
Independent Miners Guild
Location
C/B-6/7, Tau-37

CLASS: Tautona

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 220

The Independent Miners Guild (IMG) established Falkland Base on an asteroid in the Tau-37 system soon after the construction of Freeport 10. Falkland has easy access to the rich deposits of Niobium in the system, a mineral rare enough to make the high-risk effort involved in mining and transporting it back to the colonies extremely profitable. However, Falkland and other IMG operations are subject to frequent attacks by the Outcasts, making life aboard the base a dangerous proposition at best. In the IMG, Falkland has a reputation of being an operation that attracts miners who enjoy to live on the edge. The miners who sign up on Falkland leave either rich, or dead.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 45$
Energy Field Equipment 52$
Gin 62$
Medical Equipment 58$
Detroit Light Arms 145$
Outcast Pilot 63$
Gallic Brigand 72$
Slog 144$
Hydrocarbons 24$
Oxygen 11$
Food Rations 34$
Kyushu Rice 24$
MOX 43$
Basic Alloy 28$
Construction Machinery 40$
Pharmaceuticals 38$
Hull Panels 47$
Daumann Side Arms 146$
Gallic Enfer Blasters 86$
Hangar Provisions 258$
Prometheum 33$
Synth Paste 49$
Wine 59$
Industrial Materials 42$
Munitions 69$
Promethene 46$
Xenobiotic Filters 79$
HazMat Canisters 126$
Niobium Ore 127$
Xeno Relics 228$
H-Fuel 109$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Casualties 59,035$
Toxic Waste 38$
Water 11$
Mining Machinery 23$
Consumer Goods 30$
Iron 33$
Niobium 155$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Lhotse Very Heavy Fighter 27,879$
Manaslu Light Fighter 19,602$
Nanda Devi Bomber 72,976$


News

[835 AS] Coronado disaster sparks panic

YUMA -- 835 -- Public data feeds have lit up with distress calls from Coronado, after a system-wide EMP pulse wreaked havoc. Emergency requests for aid have been issued by the Crayter Republic and IMG, with early reports indicating that the system’s Trade Lane project has been destroyed. Ageira has confirmed that the Jump Gate remains unaffected thanks to post-Blackout safeguards, allowing relief to be delivered from Bretonia and Liberty. Panic erupted on many Liberty worlds after footage was released showing an energy field around the moon Jericho, seeming to indicate another activated alien site. President Hawthorne has called for calm, and reiterated that security forces were moving to contain the situation.

[835 AS] Gallic threats raise Tau fears

SCALPAY OUTPOST -- 835 -- The Taus are once more on edge, after Gallia threatens the use of force to retrieve the Tau-23 to Tau-31 Jump Gate. Bretonia constructed the first Jump Gate in the system, which was later annexed during the Gallic War. Bretonia was gifted the current Gallic Jump Gate by Kusari during their invasion of Gallia, and has held it since -- with Gallia formally ceding its Tau claims through the Treaty of Rishiri. Bretonia has historically refused to discuss the Gate’s status until its own demands on the extradition of war criminals and payment of Gallic War reparations are met. The Bretonian government has warned that Gallic aggression or threats “will not be tolerated”.

[834 AS] Independent Miners assert Jericho rights

PECOS -- 834 -- The Guild has issued a new set of ultimatums to Yuma. This time, Guildmasters are demanding that Crayter withdraw the defense grid around the moon Jericho. The miners assert the grid infringes the Guild’s claims, which they say includes exclusive rights to exploit the moon’s resources. Pecos miner Shane Harlon noted, “there’s probably a whole lot of Uranium down there, given the radiation band. If there is, it’s ours.” So far Crayter has dismissed the demands, calling the mineral claim “nonsense” and stating simply that their troops were stationed on site for “public safety”.

[834 AS] IMG and Crayter relationship deteriorates

JAVA STATION -- 834 -- The Crayter Republic and Independent Miners Guild have been drawn into a fierce dispute, marking yet another low point in their tumultuous relationship. Despite limited cooperation against the Outcasts, the two groups have been mired in mutual hostility and suspicion since the Aland Crisis of 826 AS. More recently, Crayter forces attacked and destroyed an IMG refugee liner they claimed was smuggling weapons into Gallia. The Guild has called the claims “preposterous” and formally expelled all Crayter representatives from their stations. Gateway Shipping has offered Lewes Shipping Platform as a venue for mediation to try and resolve the situation.

[834 AS] Nagapasa destroyed by Crayter troops

JAVA STATION -- 834 -- Following a complex and perilous rescue operation of former Outcast slaves from Freeport 10, the Liner Nagapasa was attacked by Crayterian ships in an unjustifiable act of aggression. Crayter claims the vessel was being used to smuggle goods into Gallia, however the Nagapasa at no point entered Gallic territory, and was at the time maneuvering to avoid Outcast patrols. It is believed three Guild crew and seven passengers were killed in the assault, with survivors rounded up and transported away to Crayter territory. The Guildmasters have demanded the immediate return of all IMG members, and expelled Crayter vessels from IMG stations while an investigation is conducted.

[832 AS] Corsairs on the Rise

FREISTADT -- 832 AS -- While the northern Tau territories of Hispania are grappling with the relentless advance of the Outcasts, the situation unfolds quite differently in the Omegas. Here, the Corsairs, another faction bearing the legacy of Hispania, are steadily gaining momentum and expanding their influence.

This shift has been particularly evident in recent events, as the Corsairs grow increasingly assertive across the Omegas. A stark example of this newfound vigor occurred when the famed space bazaar, the Battleship Hood in Dublin, met a merciless end at the hands of a Corsair battlecruiser. Furthermore, the once-unassailable Red Hessians now find themselves locked in a fierce struggle to safeguard their positions in the Dresden system against the relentless advance of the Rheinland Military.

The Corsairs appear poised to intensify their pressure on all independent and free-spirited individuals in the Omega Region, spurred on by the defeatist sentiments expressed by certain Zoners and independent miners who might consider Corsair protection if it promises safety.

Despite the imposing presence of our pivotal IMG station, Freistadt Base in Omega 7, which remains under the watchful guardianship of the formidable Elbe Border Fortress, the situation in the deeper reaches of the Omegas portends increasing complexity in the years ahead. Combined with the diminishing influence of Bretonia in the region and the resurgent Rheinland's efforts to reclaim its lost Dresden system, the Corsairs' audacious pursuits are set to escalate.

[831 AS] Allied forces breach Omicron Alpha

CARRIER MALACHITE -- 832 AS -- Crayter's Senate has approved the deployment of the Carrier Malachite in support of the ongoing Maltese slave rebellion. Heavy casualties have been inflicted on the expeditionary force by the Dreadnought Basilica and Malta's defense grid, however the latter has since been disabled through the valiant action of liberated slaves. IMG Guildmasters are now drafting plans for orbital drops to supply or evacuate the resistance battalions, while the Crayter military prepares to tackle the hated Basilica.

[832 AS] Outcasts bloodied in Tau-37

FREEPORT 10 -- 832 AS -- The Outcasts have suffered a blow in the Taus, after months of conflict with a coalition of BHG, Crayter and IMG forces. The intense campaign was provoked by the withdrawal of most Outcasts to their homeworld in response to a massed slave uprising. The few defenders left to hold the Bermejo Cloud have been forced to retreat, after an allied assault destroyed Genoa Base. Freeport 10's Zoners have noted that the trickle of Cardamine shipments through the system seem to have now ceased altogether. An anonymous Crayter commander has declared they intend to breach Omicron Alpha and "burn the plantations to the ground."

[831 AS] Gate corps clash over 'Blackout'!

ABBEVILLE -- 831 AS -- EFL's 'Resilience Taskforce' today reported its findings on The Blackout, claiming to have gathered forensic evidence that proved the cause as Ageira negligence. A spokesperson claimed that the destruction of the Dublin Jump Gate by Molly separatists had created a hyperspace feedback loop that was propagated and amplified through the Ageira gate network.

Ageira disputed this finding in their own press release, calling EFL 'fantasists' and countering that their own scientists had narrowed the cause to a rare 'hypernova' stellar event that originated outside the Sirius sector. Both corporations claim that network-wide hardware safeguards have been implemented that would prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Independent researchers have sharply criticized the corporate announcements, accusing both of self-interested misdirection.

Professor Sophia Nagel from Heisenberg Research Station called EFL's accusation 'incoherent' and the hypernova explanation 'nonsense' that did not explain the characteristics of the 'Blackout Pulse'. Despite multiple different Pulse recordings being widely disseminated across the neural net, public efforts have so far failed to triangulate its source.

[831 AS] Jump Hole Upheaval Causes Chaos

HEISENBERG -- 831 AS -- Jump holes across Sirius have become increasingly volatile and chaotic over the last year, with Professor Sophia Nagel from the Heisenberg Research Station linking the unusual phenomena to the Pulse. The Pulse was an unprecedented blast of hyperspace energy that was detected immediately prior to last year's Jump Gate Blackout.

Professor Nagel and her team are certain the Pulse originated from outside Sirius, but are otherwise no closer to identifying its source or mitigating a future Blackout event. "Following the Blackout, we began to see immediate signs of jump hole destabilization in multiple different regions, with many ultimately falling out of phase alignment altogether", she commented. The dramatic upending of Sirius' jump hole network has already prompted many groups to abandon stations and withdraw from systems that appear to risk being cut off.

While months-long trips between the stars are possible thanks to the Liberty Engine and many centuries of innovation, few ships are designed or provisioned to make such arduous journeys. Those who were displaced by Sirius' redrawn map hope that system connections will return, while adventurers and explorers rush to discover new routes.

[831 AS] Slave uprising on Malta

JAVA STATION -- 831 AS -- A slave rebellion on Planet Malta has sent shockwaves through the region. The Independent Miners Guild quickly requested weapons, supplies, and ships to support a daring plan to smuggle arms to the embattled slaves. Within a week of the IMG's call, the Crayter Republic dispatched an expeditionary force to render aid, with support from Bounty Hunter mercenaries. The Allied force is intent on driving the Outcasts out of Tau-37, breaching Outcast defenses surrounding Planet Malta, and assisting the revolutionaries in toppling the Outcast regime.

[831 AS] Pulse phenomenon linked to Blackout

AMES RESEARCH STATION -- 831 -- Independent researchers have announced that a hyperspace pulse of unprecedented strength was detected moments before The Blackout, destroying many of the sector’s most sensitive and finely tuned observatories. Surviving data about 'The Pulse' has been widely shared across the neural net in recent days, prompting mass speculation. Professor Katsuma Oster of Ames Research Station described the signal as “astounding”. “These readings are unprecedented, as if reality itself were struck like a gong.” House authorities have remained tight lipped, refusing to share their own observatories' data.

[831 AS] 'Blackout' causes jump network failure

MANHATTAN -- 831 AS -- Two days ago Jump Gates failed simultaneously across Sirius, freezing commerce and neural net access across the sector. When communications resumed 31 hours later, the news broke of Bretonia's loss of the Dublin system. This twin shock has plunged markets into chaos, prompting fears of sector-wide economic recessions. Interspace estimates that the stoppage alone caused billions of credits in losses. Gallia immediately accused Liberty of causing the outage, claiming the destruction of Dublin's Jump Gate instigated a cascading failure in faulty Ageira infrastructure. Ageira has sharply refuted the allegation, claiming such a systemic effect would be physically impossible.


Rumors

Independent Miners Guild
  • We don't get many visitors here. We like it that way. The fewer people that know about this base, the better. If the Outcasts get wind of us being here we'll be under constant attack. Like Java, but worse.


  • There's two kinds of miners on Falkland. Those who have no choice, and those who have no fear. Those who have no choice come only for the credits. If they live long enough to make what they need, they'll run back to the colonies. Those who have no fear never leave Tau-37. Eventually the Outcasts see to that. How long they survive depends on how well they handle themselves in space combat.


  • The Bounty Hunters are often a valuable decoy. They've tried to patsy us for their activities a few times, but I don't think they know we use them as well. A few well-placed rumors on Freeport 10 can cause Hunters and Outcasts to clash at a position of our choosing, which distracts them long enough for one of our convoys to slip through. Most of the time.


  • Mining Machinery is brought here from Java. If we are going to leave the system, we will take the Niobium we have mined and deliver it to Freeport 6, where it can be distributed.


  • The IMG freighter Barossa is believed to have been ambushed by the Outcasts in the Malvinas Cloud while making a routine shipment of Niobium to Java. The Outcasts left the ship adrift after the fight, as a warning to others in the system. The Outcasts have no need for Niobium, so the ship might still have it's cargo.


  • The richest deposits of Niobium aren't directly around this base but further northwest. The Outcasts know this as well, and have been looking for our base in that direction as a result. Their raiders are also much more numerous in that field, so watch your back if you go there.


  • Some dirty Bounty Hunter paid me for poor old Rodney's ship identifier. I didn't know the jerk would use it right here in this system; I thought he'd be setting traps somewhere else. If they find out I'm the one who sold it to him, the other miners are going to kill me.


  • This base can't last. It is too remote, even for the Guild. If the Outcasts ever attack it in force there'll be nothing we can do. We don't have the number of ships that they have, and we can't call in a house navy like BMM would. I hope there's an evacuation plan, or there's going to be hundreds of dead miners when the time comes. I also hope I'll be long gone by then.


  • The slave revolt has been a tipping point in our struggle against the Outcasts here. And while the revolt did fail in ousting the maskers from their position of power entirely, it has leveled the playing field for the rest of us. We plan to send envoys to Freeport 10 as a show of support, together we might deter any acts of aggression the "victors" of this war might be planning.


  • Niobium mining is the only thing we are here for, and the only thing we are concerned with. That, and staying alive long enough so that we make enough to get out. Basic supplies come from the Freeport and from Java, but we have to stockpile a bit since you never know when the Outcasts might take out a shipment.


  • This place is as far away as you can get from house space. We are in the middle of nowhere unless you count the Outcasts. Me, I don't give them lads any mind. If they kill us, then they kill us, a man doesn't control when his ticket gets punched.


  • My brother works for BMM. There is no way I would ever do that work. BMM will work you to death and then dock your pay for sleeping on the job when you keel over. I've got my pride. I don't need some damn overseer yelling at me about corporate profits and what not. It's just me, the Niob and the Outcasts out here. And the Outcasts you can shoot back at.


  • Falkland is supplied almost entirely by the Zoner base in this system. We can't make supply runs too frequently for fear of being discovered by the Outcasts, and when we do we send our best pilots


  • It's not for everyone, living on this base, under the constant threat of annihilation by the Outcasts. Were it not for the value and rarity of Niobium, noone in their right mind would have set up shop on the Outcasts doorstep. But we have.