Norfolk Shipyard

From Discovery Wiki
Norfolk Shipyard
Owner
Liberty Navy
Location
F-5/4, New York

CLASS: Alabama

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 1120

Built in 87 AS, Norfolk Shipyard has the honour of being both the oldest shipyard in Liberty and the second oldest in the Sirius sector, after Yokohama Shipyard in Kusari. Constructed and maintained by the Liberty Navy, it has the distinction of manufacturing many of the battleships and cruisers of the Liberty Navy. Of particular interest, is the unique, triple hulled armor plating design that all Liberty Navy vessels have, although the manufacturing procedure used at Norfolk is highly classified.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 18$
Ablative Armor Plating 80$
Cracking Catalysts 78$
Energy Field Equipment 22$
Hydrogen 29$
Medical Equipment 42$
Nanotubes 25$
Detroit Light Arms 33$
Titanium 40$
Tungsten 42$
Zinc 69$
Boron 13$
Beryllium 48$
Cobalt 47$
Hydrocarbons 44$
Water 5$
Food Rations 29$
Kyushu Rice 37$
Basic Alloy 11$
Super Alloy 79$
High-Temperature Alloy 124$
Superconductors 36$
Optical Chips 19$
Construction Machinery 12$
Pharmaceuticals 17$
Polymers 45$
Optronics 100$
Consumer Goods 22$
Daumann Side Arms 75$
Gallic Enfer Blasters 138$
Bio-Neural Processors 41$
Cryocubes 159$
Nanocapacitors 49$
Neon 13$
Osmium 588$
Prometheum 58$
Quantum Multiplexors 66$
Synth Paste 14$
Industrial Materials 14$
Munitions 16$
Xenobiotic Filters 28$
HazMat Canisters 104$
Passenger Cabin (Liberty) 11,211$
Iron 10$
Bioproduce 17$
Xeno Relics 201$
Hessian Tears 214$
Molybdenum 223$
Deuterium 138$
Gold 214$
Wildcat Gold 217$
Niobium 220$
Copper 183$
Diamonds 211$
Iridium 280$
Platinum 158$
Aluminium 208$
Osmiridium Panels 564$
Osmian Platinum Foil 472$
Osmiridium Cylinders 764$
Osmian Platinum Crystals 688$
Avionics Systems 9,845$
Interior Systems 8,924$
Propulsion Systems 10,575$
Superstructure Systems 10,927$
Reactor Systems 9,456$
Exotic Systems 39,147$
Advanced Directing Mount 7,510$
Multi-Mode Focusing Chamber 7,058$
High-Precision Barrels 7,363$
Armored Gun Housing 7,538$
Particle Ram 9,391$
Cryogenic Stabilization Matrix 7,674$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Hull Panels 30$
Hangar Provisions 250$
Liberty Ale 25$
Crew 205$
Toxic Waste 24$
Scrap Metal 10$
Oxygen 7$
MOX 40$
Engine Components 116$
H-Fuel 138$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Liberty Gunboat Gunboat 1,057,506$
Liberty Heavy Transport Heavy Transport 1,086,006$
Liberty Cruiser Cruiser 2,297,900$
Liberty Battlecruiser Battlecruiser 4,650,400$
Liberty Dreadnought Battleship 7,135,000$
Liberty Carrier Dreadnought 8,235,000$


News

[835 AS] Interspace voids Coronado Trade Lane policy

SCOTSDALE REFINERY -- 835 -- Ageira Technologies and Deep Space Engineering have threatened to sue Interspace Commerce over an insurance dispute. Interspace provided a loss prevention policy for Coronado’s Trade Lane construction project, however the financial giant says the policy is now void. Describing the Jericho Pulse as an “act of god”, Interspace exercised force majeure clauses to deny compensation claims. Local transports caught in the blast are similarly out of pocket. Liberty itself has yet to comment on the situation, however the prospect of starting over with massively increased risk premiums has thrown the project’s future into question.

[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] Senator avoids assassination attempt

PLANET DENVER -- 835 -- The 14 year old daughter of Senator James Woodson has been killed in a “monstrous” bomb attack on her Denver home. Senator Woodson was attending Congress on Manhattan at the time, issuing a speech calling for harsher economic sanctions against Kusari. LPI leaks have blamed The Order for the attack, however force insiders claim many believe the murder may have been a botched Kusari assassination attempt against hostile politicians. Senator Woodson has withdrawn from public service to grieve, with knowledgeable sources claiming the devastating loss has led to a traumatic amnestic episode.

[835 AS] Interspace addresses Pennsylvania piracy

PLANET ERIE -- 835 AS -- Interspace has issued a new report describing Pennsylvania as the most dangerous of Liberty’s core systems. Since Erie’s annexation, Zoner Militants have been responsible for the majority of strikes against corporate and government entities on Erie and in space, however this has begun to change. LSF raids targeting dissident leaders appear to have set back Militant activities, while Liberty Rogue and Xeno attacks have continued to rise -- driven by the influx of impoverished Liberty settlers seeking a fresh start. LPI sources admitted that the Militants continued to be a severe problem, buoyed by disgruntled Zoners and reconstituting Insurgency survivors.

[835 AS] Erie camps scheduled to close

PLANET ERIE -- 835 AS -- For several years, internment camps on Erie have held captives from the Insurgency Campaign. Most were residents of the Commonwealth terrorist state, or Insurgency combatants. Newly appointed governor Mike Davis has confirmed that the last of the camps will be emptied by year’s end, as court backlogs are cleared and captives finally processed. Common sentences include corrective labor on Planet Houston. While most internees once possessed Liberty citizenship, some were Bretonian Refugees. Bretonia publicly applauds Liberty’s apprehension of Insurgency “terrorist agents”, but it is believed private negotiations on repatriation have been a point of contention for some time.

[835 AS] Congressional support for Navy hardens

PLANET MANHATTAN -- 835 -- In the wake of congressional hearings into the LSF’s bungled Ontario operation, a growing group of representatives are calling for budget cuts to the agency in favor of boosting the Navy’s capabilities. While interservice jockeying in Congress is not uncommon, the LSF’s Ontario scandal -- combined panic over “Artifact sites” and rising concerns over the Kusari Empire -- are beginning to tip the scales in favor of more traditional military responses. While the impact on both services is unlikely to be felt until the next budget approval, the tarnished influence of LSF advocates is already increasingly apparent.

[835 AS] LSF Director dismissed after congressional grilling

PLANET MANHATTAN -- 835 -- Following a four-hour closed congressional hearing, Adam C. Maxwell has been officially dismissed by President Hawthorne as a Director of the Liberty Security Force. Congressmen cited a loss of confidence following the destruction of the DSE Construction Ship Robert S. Peary in Ontario, and the gross mismanagement of the Battlecruiser Lehigh’s deployment in the system. Sources familiar with the investigation have blamed the systematic withholding of intelligence from the Liberty Navy for the fiasco, resulting in a botched emergency response to terrorist attacks.

[835 AS] Leaks reveal Ontario alien technology

MANHATTAN -- 835 -- The neural net is abuzz with speculation and worry after sensor readings of an active alien facility in Ontario were widely distributed. The datafeed claims the source of an enormous beam of energy is an ancient alien ruin on Planet Sudbury. Inert alien ruins are often discovered in the remote Edge Worlds, enticing adventurers and scientific expeditions. According to professor Johan Miller of the Hammer Institute, the discovery of an active Daam-K’vosh site is “unprecedented”. In an attempt to reduce panic, government officials have confirmed that steps have been taken to secure Liberty’s borders, and reiterated that there is currently no threat to Liberty’s people.

[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] 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] Liberty and Kusari trade sanctions

DESHIMA -- 835 -- Liberty’s President Hawthorne has announced sanctions targeting key Kusari high-tech industries, blocking their access to advanced Superconductors and funding. This came following a “security incident” in the Independent Worlds, and a failed Farmers Alliance attack on Deshima Station, which Liberty says is part of a state-endorsed campaign of terrorism against its citizens. Kusari has dismissed the claim as “lurid nonsense”, and responded by banning the export of Optronics to Liberty until its “economic coercion” is ended. Liberty has vowed to increase pressure until Kusari takes steps to eradicate the Farmers Alliance and root out their backers.

[835 AS] Alliance attack on Deshima thwarted

DESHIMA -- 835 -- The Bounty Hunters Guild have confirmed a major terrorist attack on Deshima Station has been thwarted. “Agents of the Farmer’s Alliance were apprehended while attempting to smuggle a large-yield dirty bomb aboard,” confirmed chief security officer Bill Parker. The attempt was foiled thanks to precautions put in place following the deadly Alliance attack on Roppongi Station in 832 AS. According to Parker, “this was the exact same playbook”. The detained crew and fissile material are believed to have been provided to the LSF; Kusari has lodged a furious complaint with Manhattan about the unauthorized interference in its own investigation.

[835 AS] Liberty court rules on Platinum dispute

MANHATTAN -- 835 -- Liberty’s Supreme Court has issued its verdict on the Galileo Platinum dispute between DSE, Samura and Kishiro. Ruling in DSE’s favor, the court has ordered the Kusari corporations to end all mining activities in Galileo, and pay compensation to DSE for losses. Kusari’s courts have objected to the ruling, calling it an “unprecedented breach of protocol” due to the Liberty court’s failure to consult and reach a mutual finding on issues of cross-border law. Liberty has threatened to deploy the Navy to evict illegal miners, while Kusari has warned that this would be interpreted as an “illegal act of hostility”.

[835 AS] Galileo on the brink

GALILEO -- 835 -- Following an unspecified “security incident” in the Independent Worlds, military forces in Colorado and Shikoku have been ordered to high alert. Observers have raised alarms as the Liberty Navy and Kusari Naval Forces surge to their respective borders, warning of a heightened risk of “accidental escalation” in Galileo. Despite urgent calls for information from local system representatives, the governments of Kusari and Liberty remain tight lipped, other than confirming Manhattan and New Tokyo were in “active dialogue”. Both Houses have since put traffic controls in place, and are actively stopping and searching shipping entering their mutual borders.

[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] Newark Accords bolster Sigma security

NEWARK -- 834 -- Core, GMG and Interspace executives have met with Liberty delegates aboard Newark Station. A substantial investment package has been agreed to secure the export of goods from the Omicron region, and suppress pirate threats throughout Sigmas-17 and 19. GMG spokesman Tomoharu Saitou announced the talks’ success, stating that “the discussions were fruitful, building a righteous coalition against criminal filth across the Sigmas.” The export of exotic goods from the Edge Nebula has become increasingly important to House economies and cutting-edge research, with Iridium and Alien Organism shipments often subject to fierce bidding wars among corporate customers.

[834 AS] Cadet fraternity disciplined over hazing

WEST POINT -- 834 -- West Point command staff have issued a reprimand against a popular cadet fraternity after being implicated in the hazing of new applicants. The practice has been prohibited since the death of Christine Belton 33 years ago, however it is widely understood that hazing at the academy has continued by imposing bizarre, dangerous or humiliating tasks on potential aspirants. The most recent incident was detected when the Mississippi Training Facility’s transponder was overwritten to broadcast as the Battleship Missouri. Investigation revealed cadets training aboard to be the culprits, who had pulled the prank in an attempt to impress fraternity leaders.

[833 AS] Liberty addresses Gold concerns

LOS ANGELES -- 833 -- While speaking at an industry event, Secretary of Commerce Trombly responded to Interspace’s startling report on the Bretonian Gold Crisis. Liberty has long been reliant on Gold imports for a range of purposes, with the current scarcity causing prices to spike and damaging economic growth. Bretonia’s continued blockade of the Dublin System has so far failed to dislodge the Molly revolutionaries within, while causing further damage to the broader Sirian economy. Trombly confirmed that, “Liberty does not see a viable short-term military resolution to this issue,” and called upon Bretonia to enter into negotiations with the Mollys, offering limited relief on wartime debts as an incentive.

[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] Stabline prices spike after Atka destruction

SIGMA-17 -- 833 -- Cryer’s share prices have tumbled on the news that Atka Research Station has been destroyed by brutal Outcast pirates. The remote station served as the primary manufacturing point for the revolutionary drug Stabline, which had promised to eradicate Cardamine dependency across the Colonies. Spokeswoman Alicia Fisher confirmed that critical staff and research materials were successfully evacuated due to the timely intervention of private security forces and the GMG. She noted that adequate Stabiline stockpiles exist to “manage demand for priority clients” while a replacement facility is sourced. Cryer has begun emergency negotiations with the governments of both Kusari and Bretonia to explore options.

[833 AS] Liberty draws down forces in Crayter territory

YUMA -- 833 -- Liberty has announced the end of the Battlecruiser Yellowstone’s tour of Coronado, where it has spent several years targeting drug smugglers in the dangerous Barrier Pass. President Hawthorne has reportedly lost patience with indefinite foreign deployments of Liberty forces, and ordered the ship to be withdrawn to bolster domestic piracy and smuggling suppression in California. A Department of Defense spokesman stated, “we have for many years provided the Crayter Republic with the training and material support needed to police their territory. We have faith they will be up to the task”. The Yellowstone’s withdrawal comes as Deep Space Engineering deepens its own investments in Coronado, with the expansion of the Scottsdale Refinery.

[833 AS] LPI commissioner sentenced following Erie probe

PLANET ERIE -- 833 -- Helen O’Shea, Pennsylvania’s former LPI Commissioner, has been sentenced on corruption charges over the mismanagement of Erie’s planetary internment camps. The facilities were constructed to temporarily hold prisoners from the Liberty Insurgency while the courts cleared sentencing backlogs. Following allegations of human trafficking, the LSF launched a major investigation, discovering that as many as 10 percent of inmates were suspected of having been sold to traffickers. O’Shea is the latest and most high profile prosecution to date, and is expected to serve a ten year sentence at a minimum security penitentiary on Planet Los Angeles.

[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] 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] 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] Bretonia withdraws from Dublin system

WATERLOO -- 831 AS -- Markets are down across Sirius after the twin shocks of The Blackout and Bretonia's retreat from Dublin. Molly separatists have destroyed Graves Station and the New London Jump Gate, forcing Bretonia from the system. The separatists declared their rule over Dublin and its Gold, while Bretonia has imposed a strict blockade. With Gold production effectively ceased, legal supplies are limited to Bretonian stockpiles. Technology, manufacturing, and shipbuilding sectors are all expected to be adversely impacted. Interspace Commerce has downgraded Bretonia's sovereign credit rating, citing increased risk of default following the loss of Dublin's critical state revenue.

[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.

[830 AS] Rampant human trafficking on Erie

ERIE -- 830 AS -- Scandal has rocked Planet Erie after videos leaked of LPI guards loading Insurgency prisoners onto Freelancer Vincent Ruthen’s Dromedary freighter. Public records indicate Ruthen has prior convictions for trafficking, while the freighter's manifest falsely claimed it was shipping Neon to Planet Denver. Outraged Zoner communities claim this is the "tip of the iceberg", describing widespread abuse at LPI operated internment camps. A Police official denounced the allegations of corruption, stating that "all prisoner transfers have been conducted within the framework of the legal code". He refused to comment on the evidence presented. The Erie Interim Administration has formally requested the LSF investigate the situation.

[830 AS] Victory over Veracruz - Insurgency destroyed!

VESPUCCI -- 830 AS -- Liberty has declared victory over the Liberty Insurgency after the Carrier Ohio settled into orbit over Planet Veracruz. Archer-class siege cruisers and the Ohio's bomber squadrons suppressed military infrastructure on the planet, before systematically destroying the last bastions of the Insurgency. As the bombardment drew to a close, a service was held aboard the Ohio in memory of Rear Admiral Brandt and the thousands of sailors and marines who gave their lives to ensure the Insurgency's defeat. President Hawthorne has confirmed identical monuments to the campaign will be erected on every Liberty planet, with each obelisk bearing the names of those lost.

[830 AS] Liberty annexes Planet Erie

PLANET ERIE -- 830 -- The Liberty Navy has launched Operation PESTICIDE to annex Pennsylvania, following the collapse of talks between Liberty and Zoner authorities. President Hawthorne declared that Liberty could no longer tolerate a "lawless frontier" within its very core, and that the Zoners had repeatedly refused to extradite criminals and terrorists from the Pennsylvania protectorate. The recent destruction of an LSF satellite was the straw that broke the camel's back. Militias congregating around Planet Erie were routed following the Zoner Carrier Pinnacle’s destruction. The Battleship Alma then secured Erie’s orbit and landed Marines to impose Liberty law on Lake City. Surviving militants have vowed to resist Erie’s occupation.

[830 AS] Trouble in paradise on Erie

PLANET ERIE -- 830 AS -- Since the destruction of Williamstown Depot near Planet Tremont, Liberty and Erie's autonomous Zoner government have been locked in a standoff. Liberty has long suspected the Insurgency attack on its logistics station was facilitated by informants on Erie, and has accused the Zoners of allowing Insurgency and Xeno operatives to roam the planet with "impunity". This morning, a missile streaked from Erie's wilderness, shooting down an orbiting LSF satellite that had been tracking "terrorist activities". Liberty has accused Zoner militias of the attack, and ordered Erie authorities to hand over the perpetrators, and all Insurgency affiliates. Zoners have denied responsibility, calling the attack a “Liberty false flag”.

[829 AS] Battleship Delaware lost In Vespucci: Part II

LOS ANGELES -- 829 AS -- Navy pilots fought in a heated scrap with many of their former comrades-in-arms as a fearsome shroud of flak rippled around the great Battleship Delaware, several trails of explosions snaking towards myriad bombers and torpedoes swarming the vast Mitchell-class. Delaware herself launched volley upon volley of anti-capital torpedoes at the Insurgent Battlecruiser Triton, whose own flak screen was considerably weaker than that of the Battleship. The missiles found their mark, but the battlecruiser retained its hull integrity as the Insurgents' one advantage in fighter superiority began to shine through. Torpedoes and antimatter cannons landed hits on the Delaware's vital flak batteries as they went silent, one by one.

Admiral Brandt was heard to give the order to abandon ship right as the ship's hull could take no more and began to be torn asunder, with hull breaches on multiple decks. Tragically, the armored engines of the Delaware had suffered a great deal of damage, and as the armor and shielding was whittled away, vast quantities of radiation and superheated gas began to flood into the crew compartments of the vessel.

In an emotional announcement, the Liberty Navy officially stated that they consider the Delaware to be lost with all hands, including Admiral Brandt himself. No life pods could be secured in the heat of battle, with the remainder of the Delaware's escort making a fighting retreat back to the LNS Ohio which had herself been caught lagging behind the Delaware's doomed thrust into the heart of the Insurgency. The Ohio now remains with her own escort, augmented by survivors of the Delaware's battlegroup, and will continue as the Liberty Navy's bastion in the Vespucci system, ready to ensure that the Insurgents pay dearly for the toll they have extracted upon one of Liberty's finest Admirals.

[829 AS] Battleship Delaware lost In Vespucci: Part I

LOS ANGELES -- 829 AS -- The state-of-the-art Delaware was the tip of Liberty's spear in the Kansas system; it was from here that the charismatic RAdm. Dylan Brandt commanded the fleet that secured the system from both Rogue and Insurgent elements. But now, he sought to strike a crippling blow to the Insurgency in their very home, an attack to break the back of the movement and stand as a warning to those who would stand against Liberty's unity.

Leading a fearsome line of some of Liberty's most advanced warships, the Delaware bore down on the Insurgency's remaining, cobbled-together fleet in the Vespucci system, out of position from dealing with a Bretonian thrust from Magellan. Immediately caught was the Battleship Vanquisher, one of the scant few Arbiter-class Battleships available to the Insurgents. Caught by itself, the Vanquisher put up a fearsome fight but was ultimately unable to stand against the Delaware and its escort, despite its fighter component dealing severe damage to much of the Delaware's own, smaller fighter contingent, as well as the Delaware herself.

With the great Arbiter all but vanquished, the Interdictor-class Battlecruiser Triton stared down the guns of the damaged Delaware and her escort. Outnumbered two-to-one, and outgunned to an even greater degree by the Libertonian heavyweight, Triton and her escorts launched their one and only advantage, their fighter and bomber superiority gained at the Vanquisher's expense.

[829 AS] Navy bloodied by Pennsylvania strike

WILLIAMSTOWN DEPOT -- 829 -- The Liberty Navy have been struck an embarrassing blow in their campaign to scour the Insurgency from the Independent Worlds. The Navy has been carrying out combat operations across Kansas, but staging its forces and logistics from Pennsylvania. In an attempt to disrupt the Navy’s inevitable advance towards their heartlands, the Insurgency launched a surprise raid on Williamstown Depot. Liberty authorities have tersely commented that search and rescue efforts are still ongoing, but it appears the fuel and munitions store detonated after being struck by multiple torpedoes. When asked for comment, President Hawthorne stated simply that she would not discuss ongoing combat operations.

[829 AS] Imminent defeat of the Insurgency

MANHATTAN -- 829 AS -- The Liberty Navy has finally published news on its most recent major operation. The Navy has committed the Delaware and Ohio fleets to clearing out the threat of the Insurgency once and for all. Major Insurgency installations have already been destroyed in Kansas, with Admiral Brandt announcing expectations that the Insurgency will be defeated within a year and with minor losses. Following this press release, the Navy received record applications for West Point Academy while arms market has seen an explosion in investors at Detroit Munitions. President Hawthorne praised the men and women of the Navy for their bravery on Liberty's frontiers.

[829 AS] Ontario festers

MANHATTAN -- 829 AS -- Having been a longstanding den of criminals and smugglers, Ontario has finally taken a plunge into complete anarchy. The Navy issued a categorical notice of withdrawal and advised all legitimate operations in the system to follow suit, as no further attempts could be made to keep the increasingly expensive operations secure. This comes after heated debates divided Congress for months until the deadlock was broken by an independent economic publication, revealing that revenue was overshadowed by security expenses that were double the amount gained. DSE has officially commented saying that this closure of business is a minor setback to future operations, and that the ultimate prosperity of the market is assured.

[829 AS] Fingers in the broth

MANHATTAN -- 829 AS -- Liberty's High Congress has passed the recently submitted Organization Categorization Revision Act (O.C.R.A) by a considerable majority. The Act sets out to revise long-standing categorizations of domestic and foreign organizations, which in turn allows or disallows certain actions by Navy and Law Enforcement agencies.

It is widely speculated that the recent surge taking place in the Kansas system is related. The oddly self named Insurgency has long been categorized as a "Domestic Paramilitary Organization" that is of extremist political nature, in effect making them Liberty citizens with rights as such. The Act recategorizes them as a "Foreign Supported Terrorist Organization", a drastic shift in political standing. Sources have speculated the move is related to the Bering operation that precipitated the formation of the Insurgency as the root cause of the change in policy. Despite considerable cost both monetarily and in terms of material, the operation failed to expunge the organization to the desired level. The Act comes a considerable spending package for future operations and gives free rein to Liberty Navy admirals to take necessary measures to properly remove the long-standing issue.

[823 AS] Liberty and Rheinland formally end conflict

NEW BERLIN -- 823 -- President Powell and Chancellor Neumann have signed the Treaty of Atka formally ending the state of war between their two Houses. 6 years of devastating conflict has seen tens of thousands killed and both Houses severely economically damaged. The agreement sees Rheinland cede all claims on Planet Atka, while Hudson and Bering are split in half, creating two security zones. The boundary between these two zones remains neutral territory, to be policed by the Bounty Hunters Guild under a joint contract. In return, Liberty has agreed to immediately end all economic sanctions, and fund 85% of the Jump Gate cleanup and reconstruction project.

[817 AS] War with Rheinland!

HUDSON -- 817 -- President Powell has declared a formal state of war against Rheinland, to a standing ovation in Congress. During an impassioned speech, the President described how Rheinland had treacherously slain a number of Navy personnel in the Hudson Security Zone after initiating an aggressive and unwarranted military buildup across Liberty’s borders. He pledged that Liberty would defend its “intrinsic economic interests” in the region and punish flagrant Rheinland breaches of the Boorman Treaty. He has blamed Chancellor Reinhardt for escalating diplomatic disputes into direct armed conflict, comparing him to the disgraced Chancellor Niemann who triggered the Colony Wars seventeen years ago.

[817 AS] President Powell Grilled in Senate

MANHATTAN -- 817 AS -- Former President Barbara Jacobi, now a senator and a member of the Liberty Reform Party, has sharply criticized President Powell for “reckless escalation that has driven us to the brink of war with Rheinland”. Jacobi famously opted not to press Rheinland for reparations after the Colony Wars, likewise persuading Bretonia to drop their own claims. President Powell fiercely disagreed with this position, and based his election campaign on the feeling that Liberty had been “weak” in failing to punish Rheinland for the conflict. Jacobi and other members of the Reform Party have continued to condemn Powell’s policies, and called for immediate deescalation to find a peaceful solution.

[817 AS] Liberty Declares Border Security Zone

HUDSON -- 817 -- In a significant escalation to ongoing tensions, Liberty has established a Border Security Zone in the two Independent Worlds of Bering and Hudson. President Powell announced that the Liberty Navy will maintain a blockade along what Liberty deems its zone of control. This is purportedly to prevent intrusions by the Rheinland Military, and thwart attempts to facilitate terrorist attacks in Liberty territory. All civilian shipping bound for Liberty through the affected systems are now being stopped for mandatory inspections. Rheinland has furiously condemned the move as military aggression, and called the deployment a flagrant violation of the Boorman Treaty.


Rumors

Ageira Technologies
  • From Jump Gates to Side Arms and Optical Chips, Ageira is the high-tech leader for all of Liberty and Sirius. What other company has given so much toward the progress of all the people here?


  • 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.


  • Super Alloys are shipped in from Scarborough Shipyard in Newcastle, Basic Alloy is shipped from Manhattan, and Ship Hull Panels are shipped from Stokes and Kyushu. These components will be used in the construction of Liberty's naval fleets, the ships that symbolize Liberty's dominance in Sirius space.


Bounty Hunters Guild
  • The scum you see here in Liberty is all that you find in an area with the greatest police and military presence in Sirius. Once you leave Liberty, you start meeting the real bad ones: Mollys in Bretonia, Red Hessians in Rheinland, and Blood Dragons in Kusari.


  • Some people say that Outcasts and Corsairs used to be the same people. I guess it's possible, though if you've ever seen an Outcast you might think differently. They are just different from the rest of the people of Sirius and the Corsairs. I can't imagine them being friendly with anyone but other Outcasts.


  • A Bounty Hunter named Harry Riggs went out after some Outcasts in the Badlands but never came back. He had some decent weapons on his ship.


  • Ever been out away from colony space? It's dangerous out there in the Edge Worlds, and you can get popped in the blink of an eye. But that's where you have to go to get the meanest and the toughest criminals.


  • Most Bounty Hunters you run across have either been hunting for a few years and know the ropes, or they're green -- in which case they'll probably be dead within a month or two.


  • Think you're a good pilot? Well, tell me what you think of yourself after you tangle with a Corsair. That's if you survive, which honestly, I doubt you would.


  • The pirates and raiders here in Liberty are punks compared to what you'll find on the fringes of Sirius. Sure, there are Outcasts here, but they are an Edge World syndicate that travels into the heart of Liberty to sell their Cardamine.


Border World Exports
  • Bowex is one of the oldest and most reliable shipping firms in all of Sirius. We have more ships and greater hauling ability than the upstarts at Gateway Shipping. Their company will not last the test of time, as Bowex has.


  • Bowex ships Deuterium here from Gran Canaria in Omega-49.


  • The Mollys in Dublin hit the last shipment headed here before this last one. All hands were lost, but that is the cost of shipping valuable Commodities like Gold. That is what Bowex is known for -- um, the shipping valuable Commodities part, not the dead-employee part.


Deep Space Engineering
  • Deep Space Engineering maintains the only civilian shipyards in Liberty space: Baltimore Shipyards. We manufacture components that are shipped here and used at this military shipyard, so you can see that Deep Space builds or helps build the finest ships in Sirius.


  • Deep Space ships Uranium from Isehara in Sigma-59 to this shipyard. That gives us a profitable return trip after delivering Gate and Lane Parts.


  • Sometimes we supplement our shipping routes with MOX. BMM supplies most of our needs from LD-14, but before the war with Rheinland ALG supplied us large quantities from Dortmund.


Liberty Navy
  • ALG ships MOX to this facility from Rheinland. If you ever want to ship MOX, you are going to have to be pretty good friends with the people in Dortmund. A lot of criminal factions would like to get their hands on MOX -- it's possible to separate small amounts of plutonium from it.


  • The sorties launched from this base are patrols tasked with keeping the inbound Commodities to this base safe so that ship production is never slowed by thieves and pirates.


  • This base is the home of Liberty naval ship construction. In this place the greatest ships are built in all of Sirius. And the best naval officers command them. I served on the Missouri; she's one of Norfolk's finest.


  • The majority of Liberty naval ships protect our shipping concerns in the Independent Worlds. That is where the more dangerous pirates and criminal activities take place. The exception is the Missouri, which is stationed in New York to keep the jewel of Sirius safe.


  • Liberty Navy Patrol 27 flew into Badlands two weeks ago on their regular route, and then disappeared without a trace. An extensive search by authorities has not turned up anything so far. The patrol comprised three elite fighters.


  • The Bounty Hunters you see here are pretty good; we're near the Badlands and I've seen these guys around before. Usually you only see green Bounty Hunters once.


Gateway Shipping
  • Even though this run is a dangerous one, we need to fulfill this contract with the Liberty Navy. When this company first began no one believed it would survive, but we grow stronger every day.


  • 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.


  • 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 Mollys 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.


Liberty Police, Inc.
  • If we didn't need labor for our consumer goods facilities, I'd kill all the Rogues I came across. I just get tired of putting away the same scum and watching 'em get released a couple years later to start doing the same illegal activity.


  • This is more navy space than it is an LPI patrol area. We send a flight down the Trade Lane between here and Ft. Bush, but that's to protect against Rogue attacks launched from the Pittsburgh debris.


  • I sure as hell don't like hanging out with all these navy guys around. They are so straight-laced it makes me itch just to watch 'em march around from place to place in here. They need a couple of Liberty ales to loosen those stuffy collars.


Universal Shipping
  • Universal ships MOX to this base from Leeds. I've been a pilot for this MOX run for many years. I remember when I first started long ago. I've seen so much since then that it feels like more than a lifetime ago that I was strapping into my own freighter for the first time.


  • Quantum Multiplexors are in demand here. Samura's new Misaki Station supposedly has automated much of their production process, and it's a good thing, too, because even now they can barely keep up with orders. Between retrofits and new capital ships, Norfolk burns through its inventory pretty fast.


  • H-Fuel from Ft. Bush and Basic Alloys from Manhattan are brought to this base by Universal Shipping. The Basic Alloys are dropped off here. I head up to Ft. Bush to pick up the H-Fuel, come back here to unload it, and then head back to Manhattan to start all over.