Gateshead Station

From Discovery Wiki
Gateshead Station
Owner
Bretonia Police
Location
C/D-4, Newcastle

CLASS: Zeus

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 1,4K

Stationed in orbit of planet Carlisle, Gateshead is a staging ground for the ships guarding the colony, currently administered by the Bretonia Police Authority. From here, police ships patrol the surrounding field boundaries, protecting nearby Trade Lanes from Outcast, Gaian, and Molly raiders. The BPA also dispatches patrols to nearby mining operations in the west and north, and the jumpgate to Leeds. Additionally, the station houses numerous fabrication units to produce goods associated with the colonization of Carlisle.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 28$
Energy Field Equipment 54$
Medical Equipment 34$
Detroit Light Arms 80$
Alien Organisms 68$
Kyushu Rice 34$
Fertilizers 26$
MOX 23$
Basic Alloy 7$
Mining Machinery 23$
Construction Machinery 41$
Hull Panels 32$
Terraforming Gases 31$
Daumann Side Arms 129$
Gallic Enfer Blasters 97$
Ageira Gate/Lane Parts 924$
Synth Paste 24$
Industrial Materials 10$
Munitions 40$
Xenobiotic Filters 56$
Passenger Cabin (Liberty) 39,483$
Passenger Cabin (Bretonia) 22,140$
Iron 8$
Xeno Relics 230$
Silver 201$
H-Fuel 117$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Military Surplus 300$
Hangar Provisions 250$
Marines 403$
Criminal Cells (Bretonia) 5,123$
Crew 213$
Oxygen 3$
Water 3$
Food Rations 25$
Super Alloy 33$
Pharmaceuticals 34$
Consumer Goods 17$
Scientists 245$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Hawk Light Fighter 20,182$
Falcon Heavy Fighter 24,778$
Passenger Liner Liner 1,250,000$


News

[835 AS] Freiburg targeted in terrorist strike

FREIBURG STATION -- 835 -- Emergency responders have rushed to Freiburg Station after a serious terrorist attack killed 7 Gallic visitors. 3 Gull-class Transports attempted to ram an IDF Shipping convoy moored to the station, exploding once they hit their targets. 1 of the vessels was successfully disabled by the station’s defense grid. The assailants had just arrived from Omega-7, broadcasting the convoy shipping papers of a small export company based on Freeport 1. RFP officers believe the Gallic ships were the actual target, and have suggested either the LWB or Bretonian radicals could be responsible. Bretonian and Rheinland authorities are cooperating to investigate the incident.

[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”.

[835 AS] Recapture of Dublin commences!

BATTLESHIP ESSEX -- 835 -- Admiralty representatives have confirmed that the Bretonian operation to recapture Dublin has been initiated. Defense commentators have long assumed the Bretonia Armed Forces would breach the system via a Jump Hole believed to be concealed within the Cumbria Asteroid Field. Forecasts predicted a bloody advance, given the Mollys renown expertise as ambush fighters, and prolific use of concealed mines. Despite this, Bretonian officials confirm that the Battleship Somerset has established a bridgehead in the system without casualties. “This will be a quick operation,” Admiral Rowley noted. “The Mollys cannot stand in open space.”

[835 AS] Lend-Lease ships return to Liberty

CORDOVA -- 835 -- Liberty’s Hawthorne administration has ended the wartime Lend-Lease program with Bretonia. The initiative saw Liberty provide large loans and huge quantities of military materiel during the Gallic War, throwing the beleaguered House a vital lifeline. The sudden development sees most remaining Liberty capital ships in Bretonian service returned to their parent House with immediate effect. Anonymous Bretonian sources have expressed dismay with Liberty’s insistence on an expedited return, arguing it undermines domestic security at a critical moment of Armed Forces’ preparations for a major deployment.

[835 AS] Bretonia and Rheinland call for de-escalation

CURACAO -- The governments of Bretonia and Rheinland have called on Kusari and Liberty to attempt formal talks, amid fears that continued escalation and military friction could spark war. Queen Carina and Emperor Frederick have offered to mediate an emergency summit on Planet Curacao after Kusari and Liberty imposed mutual sanctions that are already having rippling effects across Sirius. Gallia’s Grand Marshall de Varax meanwhile has condemned Kusari as a “belligerent and destabilizing actor”, and called for Liberty’s demands to be met. Neither Kusari or Liberty has agreed to attend, with each demanding pre-conditions be met by the other. Gallia has not received an invite.

[835 AS] Arrests made after Freiburg killings

FREIBURG -- 835 -- Freiburg patrons scattered in terror after a bar disagreement between Bretonian and Gallic customers escalated to murder. Witnesses report an IDFS officer said “something about Leeds” to a drinking Bowex transport team. Within moments, a brawl erupted, with Gateway employees assisting their normally bitter rivals. “There was a flash of light and three bangs, and before I knew it, two Bretonians and a Gaul were dead,” bartender Benno Gramann explained. The RFP have held six Bretonians on suspicion of murder and released two Gallic citizens on bail, sparking outrage in Bretonia.

[834 AS] Police Authority lands blow against Slog

CARLISLE -- 835 -- Following a series of raids, 74 people have been arrested on Planet Carlisle in connection with the production of Slog. The outlawed narcotic has wreaked havoc on industrial towns across New London, Carlisle and Sprague, with some calling it the "working man's scourge". Chief Inspector Harry O'Donnell confirmed that a suspected laboratory was stormed by armed constables, resulting in the seizure of narcotics and equipment. Anonymous sources allege a number of those arrested were biochemists employed by Planetform Incorporated.

[834 AS] H-Fuel prices spike as market volatility increases

MANHATTAN -- 834 -- H-Fuel prices across Sirius have spiked after demand for future supply contracts surged. This unusual increase has been driven by Liberty corporations who are buying up all surplus stocks, although what has provoked the sudden frenzy remains unknown. Universal Shipping and Synth Foods both declined to comment on their own significant increase in buying activity, however many have noted that neither has the storage capacity to account for the excess. Share prices for Kishiro, GMG and Samura all rose on the news, despite Kusari warning that it may impose export caps on H-Fuel to limit market volatility and curb inflation.

[834 AS] BMM challenged on environmental record

REDCARR -- 834 -- The Green Front environmental group have sued BMM over alleged waste disposal violations at Redcarr Production Facility in Newcastle. The group assert that Toxic Waste is being vented into the moon Middlebrough’s orbit, rather than being handled in accordance with Bretonian safety regulations. Retired MP Terence Wimberley has led the move, declaring that the “private prosecution will hold BMM executives accountable, before they can ruin another system with their reckless corner cutting.” BMM has decried the case as a “malicious waste of public resources,” but offered no specific comment on the allegation itself.

[833 AS] Gold insecurity invites crisis

WATERLOO -- 833 -- Interspace analysts have published a report on the continued volatility of sector-wide Gold supplies, claiming that further instability invites disaster. The reports note the pressures placed on advanced Optronics, Bio-Neural Processor and Quantum Multiplexor manufacturing were already causing spiraling cost increases in adjacent market sectors. Market analysis also indicates that the bulk of Bretonian exports now consist of recycled and in some cases adulterated materials, likely indicating that stockpiles are running low. Interspace has called upon House authorities to collectively find the means of addressing the Dublin question before economic crisis becomes inevitable.

[833 AS] Cambridge on the Line

NORFOLK -- 833 AS -- The number of recorded Corsair incursions across Cambridge has increased by 193%% in the last 3 years. According to Captain Edwards of the Battleship Norfolk, this is simply a result of the successes in detecting and reacting to attacks. "You can't respond to a Corsair you don't know is there," he noted. "The Cambridge Line ensures we know when and where to deploy our resources for maximum effect." Retired Major Jane Gilliam disagrees. "The Line was never fit for purpose," she says. "The Regents lobbied London to keep it, and so the pantomine continues." It is speculated that the spike in Corsair raids may have been prompted by increased resistance elsewhere, or a shift in their internal politics. Regardless of their true motivations, Interspace Commerce has recognised the elevated peril and adjusted its premiums accordingly.

[832 AS] Houses outraged by Roppongi attack

NEW TOKYO -- 832 -- Kusari has received blistering criticism from the other Houses after the destruction of Roppongi Station. Roppongi hosted House embassies in Kusari, and was a major business hub for foreign companies. Liberty’s President Hawthorne is said to be “incandescent” over the attack, which killed Ambassador Luisa Mason and her aides. She has threatened consequences unless Kusari exert all “means and resources” towards the Farmers Alliance’s eradication, and announced the LSF will be taking “enhanced measures” to protect Liberty citizens. Interspace Commerce has quadrupled its bounties on Alliance targets. Kusari has opened an inquest into the attack.

[831 AS] 'Slog' banned throughout Bretonia

NEW LONDON -- 831 -- The drug 'Slog,' otherwise known as Carix, has officially been banned across Bretonia. It is now a criminal offense to possess or distribute this drug in any quantity. The strict prohibition comes in response to the rising popularity of this dangerous substance, which has ravaged the Bretonian working class. Authorities claim the Slog trade creates extreme public health hazards, and has strong links to the funding of terrorism. Despite this, journalists have suggested that the government’s real fear lies in decreased productivity, which Bretonia's struggling post-war economy cannot afford following the loss of Dublin.

[831] BPA investigation probes droid safety

MANCHESTER -- 831 -- Detectives investigating the sabotage of Liverpool Station have made a significant breakthrough, after security logs from the attack were forensically reconstructed. Inspector Giles Mattin confirmed that the station’s service droids may have played a role, with footage showing the robots attacking the crew before heading to the reactor. “Anomalous network activity indicated the units were remotely compromised, possibly by Lane Hackers or The Technocracy. We are coordinating closely with Ageira Technologies to ensure the public’s safety,” he concluded. Calls have been made for Parliament to ban service droids across Bretonia until their safety can be verified. Industry leaders have called the proposal “premature alarmism”.

[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] Bretonia announces Poole draw-down

NEW LONDON -- 831 AS -- The Bretonian government has announced a controlled withdrawal from the Poole system, citing ballooning costs and difficult post-Dublin state budget. Poole was once of critical importance to Bretonia, briefly hosting a Supergate to Liberty during the Gallic War, and acting as a launching point for Bretonia's colonial ambitions in Omega-49. This importance declined after the war and the abandonment of Gran Canaria. The cost of policing the frontier system has significantly outweighed tax revenue for many years. DSE has already confirmed that it will begin deconstruction operations soon, with Jump Gate and Trade Lane components expected to be removed by 833 AS.

[831 AS] Bretonian focus turns on Mollys

SHEFFIELD -- 831 AS -- The Bretonia Police Authority has announced the eradication of the Molly movement is their top priority. Following the loss of the Dublin system, the dangerous terrorist movement has leaped to the top of Bretonia's most wanted board. Bounties on Molly terrorists have doubled, with Guild Hunters flocking to the beleaguered House. Sheffield Guildmaster Tina Hale commented that, "these are Edge World rates for domestic threats." Despite that, prospective Hunters should be cautious, as the Mollys are notoriously cunning fighters. The crackdown appears to be having some effect, as reports of Molly attacks on shipping in Cambridge and Newcastle have already fallen.

[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] Gruesome reports as Dublin falls

Grotesque broadcasts have issued from Graves Station after Molly saboteurs captured the base. The terrorists filmed the execution of senior BMM officials with pickaxes, murdering station administrator Dame Helen Raleigh and maintenance chief Harland Streeve. The Battleship Essex was quick to respond to the atrocities, dispatching a boarding force to retake Graves. Unwilling to face justice for their crimes, the hijackers detonated the station, murdering all aboard. Simultaneous suicide attacks against the New London Jump Gate forced the Essex's withdrawal. The Government has stressed that this withdrawal is temporary, and that a blockade will be imposed while forces are assembled to pacify the system.

[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.

[831 AS] Cost of Rebuilding too High?

NEW LONDON -- 831 AS -- Bretonia continues to face a difficult and lengthy recovery process following the conclusion of the Gallic War. The Bretonian people initially accepted this, and quietly pledged to come together and struggle on. While Bretonia is now witnessing an extraordinary rate of growth, it has come at the cost of severe cuts and harsh industrial quotas. Professor Timothy Ball of the Economic Review Institute says, "the recovery we've witnessed so far has been uneven, mainly benefiting Bretonian corporations and Crown agencies. If dividends of recovery are not felt by the average citizen, this inequality could become a major point of domestic political contention."

[829 AS] Marauding in Manchester

MANCHESTER -– 829 AS -- Reports from the Manchester system have now been confirmed by BPA and Bretonian intelligence officials: Liverpool Border Station, guarding over the Magellan Jump Gate and serving as the command center for police operations in the system, has been destroyed in what is being deemed a terrorist attack.

Yesterday at 2200 hours SMT, nearby Sheffield Station and Kingston Border Station received automated distress signals from Liverpool, indicating an emergency aboard the station. Guild patrols redirected from Sheffield arrived on the scene within minutes, finding the border station destroyed. Search and rescue operations headed by Guild and BPA units commenced immediately and successfully salvaged several escape pods bearing several dozen survivors, who were immediately delivered to hospitals on New London.

BPA spokesperson Sandra Halling held a press conference earlier this morning. According to joint police and BIS investigations, Liverpool was destroyed by antimatter explosives planted aboard the station. Their detonation caused a catastrophic chain reaction, resulting in the station's own reactors melting down and exploding. Of the estimated one-hundred-twenty persons on board at the time of the attack, seventy-eight have been reported as dead or missing. \So far, no party has taken credit for this heinous attack. However, Bretonian police surmises that it was likely perpetrated by either the criminals known as the Mollys or the infamous pirate organization, the Lane Hackers. The attack occurred following a significant redeployment of local Armed Forces units to the Cortez system for the purpose of joint operations with Libertonian security forces. This, says Halling, may have allowed terrorist sympathizers to exploit undermanned BPA patrols and smuggle illegal explosives through Manchester's ice fields, onto Liverpool Station.

While investigations continue, Bretonian Police Authority has reinforced patrols within Manchester and established traffic controls at Kingston Border Station and Birmingham Station. Traffic to and from Liberty has been advised to reroute through the Cortez system.


Rumors

Bretonia Police
  • Gateshead has a large internal warehouse for storing Military Surplus that has been shuttled up from Carlisle. That covers goods ranging from armored combat vehicles to infantry arms and suits. The BAF handles the logistics of signing off on the export orders, but we still handle location security and access. Making sure that they're only loaded onto transports with authorization.


  • Welcome to Gateshead Station, the gateway to Carlisle. Be aware that access to Carlisle's surface is restricted to the Clean Zone. Areas outside the Clean Zone are under quarantine and classified as a biohazard, level four. How may I serve you today?


  • We're in the process of upgrading our equipment. Many pilots have received the latest Cavalier and Paladin models, the ones that saw war service. Most of these are off-casts from BAF scout squadron stockpiles, as they now have far more ships than pilots to crew them. A consequence of Bretonia's reservists and conscripts being released.


  • I've got a fair respect for IMG security escorts, but they're not all made equal. The lads starting out at South Shields aren't much better than the other local corporates. You can always spot a veteran who's rotated in from one of their operations in the deep Taus though. That far out, your weapons and your skills are the only thing keeping you alive. Mediocre pilots don't get to come back again.


  • Gateshead was heavily fortified during The War. In the years since, it's mostly been repurposed as a police patrol base, and a chemical factory for Cryer and Planetform. The reinforced armor and weapon compliment is still useful, as we're a frequent target of Gaian terrorists.


  • Gateshead was constructed in orbit of Planet Carlisle initially as a supply station for a colony that was to be established there. Of course, the horrifying last transmission of the IMG freighter Fortunate put paid to that. Now there's a thriving colony below, sustained by the bacterial treatment aerosol fabricated by Cryer and Planetform on this base.


  • The surface of Carlisle is hostile to human life. From orbit it looks lush down there though -- not as beautiful as Gaia, but still green and vibrant. Outside the Clean Zone, the surface is deadly however. A scientist remarked a bio-seal on a colleague's suit failed. Apparently, his skin started to dissolve, and his organs liquefied, leaving little more than bones and goo behind. Horrifying.


  • A lot of lane policing has been handed off to private security forces by the Crown, mostly because we're stretched so thin we can barely cover the entire network. In the long run it's far more expensive to pay Bounty Hunters to do it, rather than training your own pilots. But that training comes with a long wait time, and you pay upfront for equipment and ships. Hunters bring their own gear and can be deployed immediately. There's a lot of short term thinking going on in Bretonia these days.


  • Gateshead is hardened against attack, as a legacy of wartime fortifications. Due to that, the largest security issues arise from the possibility of items smuggled aboard. Especially after the attack on Deshima several years ago, we are careful to thoroughly scan and inspect inbound freighters for explosives or other harmful substances. It wouldn't be out of character for the Gaians to try and hijack a supply ship to slip a bomb aboard.


  • A lot of Bretonian Military Surplus has ended up on the black markets. Locally and abroad, we've seen the most sophisticated organized crime outfits appearing with military grade hardware, which they certainly aren't afraid to use. We don't know where the leak is, but we can promise you it isn't on Gateshead. There must be someone crooked at the stockpiles on Carlisle.


Border World Exports
  • Newcastle is an important system for Bretonia. Scarborough is second only to Portsmouth in terms of productive capacity, and the mining platforms on Middlesbrough are stemming some of the bleeding from the loss of Leeds. We're slowly rebuilding our industrial heart here, but it'll be centuries before that job is finished. The loss of Leeds will be felt for generations.


  • Bowex has a number of supply contracts with Gateshead Station. This covers everything from Police supply needs for H-Fuel and weaponry, to the export of Military Surplus, or importing the precursor chemicals needed by Cryer and Planetform for the onboard aerosol fabrication plant.


  • Gateshead was built in 692 AS to accommodate scientists that were studying Carlisle, and the police patrols needed to keep them safe. During The War, Gateshead was heavily fortified and placed under the Battleship MacDuff's command. Our transports used it as a forward distribution point for supplies headed to the BAF front lines.