Madeira Base

From Discovery Wiki
Madeira Base
Owner
Independent Miners Guild
Location
B-5/6, Omega-47

CLASS: Mponeng

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 360

Madeira Base is the second serious attempt of the Independent Miners Guild to establish a foothold in the deeper Omegas, after historic failures in Omega-41. Established in 826 AS, Madeira's existence still remains tenuous due to the remote and hazardous nature of Omega-47, and the deadly supply route through Omega-5. Despite this, the Guild has successfully scratched out a living mining the El Aaiun Field's untapped resources, primarily by bartering goods for protection with the Red Hessians and Coalition. This has -- for now -- kept the Corsairs at bay.

The Guild envisions Madeira as the first step of a pivot away from the political volatility of the Houses, toward servicing the lawless customers of the untamed frontier. So far this has largely been limited to smuggling smelted metals to the Zoner shipwrights of Omega-49. Owing to the perpetual warfare of Omega-5 and the intensifying conflict in Omega-47 itself, this is considered to be the single most dangerous contract available to Guild crews. This strategy has also proved controversial within the Guild, as it distances traditional allies such as ALG and Gateway who are unwilling to provide support in such deadly regions.

Despite the risks, Guildmasters have continued to authorize expansions of Madeira, notably including a small drydock to repair arriving transports and their defense garrison. Madeira is also the launching point for IMG surveyors in the region -- these are primarily concerned with trying to locate Silver deposits that are alleged to exist in the El Aaiun field. As of 835 AS, a feverish excitement has seized the station amid rumors of a pioneer team's discovery of a nearby Jump Hole to a new, unexplored sector of the Omegas.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 34$
Ablative Armor Plating 112$
Black Market Munitions 162$
Energy Field Equipment 81$
Gin 46$
Medical Equipment 40$
Rheinbier 49$
Detroit Light Arms 147$
Tungsten 62$
Military Surplus 1,254$
Black Market Pharmaceuticals 226$
Slog 177$
Counterfeit Computerware 226$
Cobalt 24$
Food Rations 27$
Kyushu Rice 68$
MOX 53$
Basic Alloy 33$
Super Alloy 125$
Construction Machinery 50$
Optronics 146$
Daumann Side Arms 113$
Gallic Enfer Blasters 145$
Black Market Blasters 197$
Bio-Neural Processors 159$
Black Market Light Arms 212$
Kemwer Technologies 233$
APM Advanced Hardware 51$
Cryocubes 158$
Black Market Augments 206$
Neon 70$
Industrial Materials 56$
Munitions 53$
Xenobiotic Filters 67$
HazMat Canisters 113$
Passenger Cabin (Bretonia) 44,596$
Passenger Cabin (Rheinland) 51,058$
Passenger Cabin (Omega) 30,379$
Silver Ore 158$
Xeno Relics 184$
Hessian Tears 178$
Molybdenum 224$
Deuterium 278$
Gold 228$
Wildcat Gold 231$
Niobium 251$
Diamonds 176$
H-Fuel 121$
Avionics Systems 13,311$
Interior Systems 10,358$
Propulsion Systems 11,912$
Superstructure Systems 12,068$
Reactor Systems 11,083$
Exotic Systems 40,781$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Hangar Provisions 250$
Whiskey 32$
Crew 259$
Beryllium 49$
Toxic Waste 37$
Oxygen 25$
Water 25$
Mining Machinery 42$
Pharmaceuticals 40$
Hull Panels 54$
Consumer Goods 51$
Engine Components 116$
Volgograd Ordinance 100$
Synth Paste 39$
Iron 13$
Silver 221$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Annapurna Freighter 62,726$
IMG Transport Transport 422,006$
IMG Heavy Transport Heavy Transport 956,006$
Asteroid Miner Heavy Miner 207,905$
Serenity Transport 391,006$
Ceres Civilian Gunship Gunboat 956,480$


News

[835 AS] Bloody Skirmish in Omega-47

OMEGA-47 -- 835 -- Numerous pilots have reported a significant skirmish in Omega-47 last week. The clash took place north of the system's central star, between the Corsairs and a combined Hessian-Coalition force. The confrontation inflicted heavy losses on all sides, leaving no faction satisfied with the outcome. This marks yet another bloody chapter in the relentless struggle for dominance in the Omegas between the Corsairs and the Red Alliance. Both sides hope controlling Omega-47 will open the flanks of Omega-5, securing a final decisive victory.

[835 AS] Junker Convoy Attacked by Rheinlanders?

BORNHOLM -- 835 -- Junkers on Bornholm Station in Omega-55 have reported unusual instances of Rheinland vessels attacking their convoys. The attacks have been so devastating that no ship has survived to recount the events firsthand. The only evidence the Junkers possess are intercepted radio signals emitted shortly before the convoys were presumably destroyed or captured. An official complaint has been filed with the Rheinland government, but there has yet to be an official response.

[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] Specter of Bretonia returns

GRAN CANARIA -- 834 -- The Bretonian occupation of Gran Canaria remains a scar that will never fully heal for many. For years, we thought the Zoners were rid of the Bretonian menace -- the Blackout plunged ‘48 into an isolation that was well appreciated. Now it seems those days have come to an end. A connection has been discovered to Dublin once more, soon putting us on the front line of another of Bretonia’s wars. While community leaders have urged for calm, many feel that if the Mollys fall, we will be in the crosshairs next. Militant companies have already begun to form, vowing that this will never be allowed to happen again.

[834 AS] Corsairs and Zoners reach accord

CORFU -- 834 -- Following difficult negotiations, Corsair and Zoner delegates have reached an agreement over the status of Freeport 9. Since the withdrawal of the main Outcast fleet, Corsairs, Zoner militias and The Core have extracted a steady grind of attritional losses on each other. The Corsairs had initially demanded total surrender, however mounting losses and a spike in Nomad attacks appears to have changed their mind. The Corsairs have agreed to release all hostages, and establish a joint administration of the Freeport to immediately end the fighting. While the Corsairs will not permit their enemies to land, the Zoners now have far more autonomy to carry on with their lives. Neither side is happy with the deal, but it seems to be preferred to continued bloodshed.

[833 AS] Freeport victory thwarted by Outcast betrayal

FREEPORT 9 -- 833 -- Drawn from across the Sigmas, Omicrons and Omegas, Zoners were emboldened to take up arms against Corsair aggression by the recent victory at Freeport 9. The Outcasts had promised the next strike would be decisive, after their reinforcements had regrouped. When the moment came, the Zoners held to their agreement and attacked -- but where were the Outcasts? We were thrown to the wolves, and the promised Outcast strike on the Corsair flank never came. We now know we were sold out, used as a distraction to stop the Corsairs from interfering with an attack on Atka Research Station. The Freeport could have been recaptured were it not for this betrayal.

[833 AS] Corsair garrison fleet destroyed

CORFU -- 833 -- In a shocking turn of events, the Corsair garrison fleet occupying Freeport 9 has been severely damaged. After weeks of heavy fighting, the Outcasts with aid from Zoner militias punched through the Corsair perimeter and struck the Battlecruiser Kefalonia, the command ship for the Corsair defense. Exhausted, both sides have withdrawn to regroup; Corsair reinforcements are already flooding into the region, while the Outcasts call up more pilots from Malta. Emboldened, many more Zoners have also taken up arms, now confident that the Freeport can be recaptured. Despite this, crossfire has inflicted serious damage, with two biodomes already destroyed. Pygar community leaders have called for an urgent ceasefire to allow talks to commence.

[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.

[803 AS] Rheinland deserters ravage Omegas

FREEPORT 5 -- 803 -- There is a new menace prowling the Omegas, killing without remorse or restraint. Rheinland Colony War defectors have been sighted indiscriminately attacking trade ships in Omega-5 and 41. These Rheinland marauders are known by the Hessians as the “Wild Hunt”, for the way they appear using cloaking devices, kill or kidnap pilots, and vanish as quickly as they arrived. No Wild ship has ever responded to hails or expressed a motive, nor has there ever been a ransom demand for those taken. If you come across a Wild ship, we recommend you dump your cargo to shed weight, and run as fast as you can.


Rumors

Independent Miners Guild
  • We’ve had a lot of refugees pouring in lately. Between the Gallic war, our beef with Bretonia, the Rheinland civil war, and now this mess with the backstabbing Crayter "Republic," there’s no shortage of hands around here. That’s good news, though - it means we can shove more of ‘em out there to hunt for silver and whatever else might be worth something. Sometimes, you gotta toss enough bodies at a problem to get it solved. Think they all make it back? Nah, we’d risk starving the station if they did.

    The Corsairs don’t know exactly where this base is, but they don’t care - they’ll slaughter any miner they catch out in the field. Honestly, I’ve started seeing it as a win-win situation. Cold? Yeah, maybe. But we’ve got way too many mouths to feed for what the station can handle right now. Guess that changes if we strike it big with a juicy deposit somewhere. Until then, it is what it is.


  • Yeah, I used to be a Hessian. Why'd I give it up, you ask? Honestly, I'm not cut out for the fighting. It never sat right with me that we were killing and robbing the people we were supposedly fighting for. Normally, being a Hessian is for life and you don't get to just leave, but with how close they are with the Guild, there wasn't much my former superiors could do.


  • Before the civil war in Rheinland, I ran a small business on Stuttgart with my wife. When the Imperialist riots broke out, we knew we had to escape. We sold it all at a deflated price and hitched a ride with a Guild transport. The military government here had a shocking shortage of administrative staff, so now we help coordinate supply deliveries with IMG bases elsewhere in the Omegas. I'm not actually sure we're any better off than we would have been if we'd stayed.


Red Hessians
  • I fled from New Berlin to join the Hessian cause, because I bought into their propaganda. Now that I've been with them for a few years, I'm not sure I want to stay here. It's two sides of the same coin, both justifying endless violence until one side gives in, which won't happen anytime soon. I think I'll join the Zoners on Gran Canaria and find a job there, at least I'll be less involved with all the endless space warfare.


  • Fucking Joachim over there thinks he's so slick for finding a way to leave this life behind him. I'd take him out myself, but it would cause a diplomatic incident between us and the Independent Miners. It's cowards like him that caused us to lose Viernheim in the first place.