| Scottsdale Refinery | |
| Owner | |
| Deep Space Engineering | |
| Location | |
| E-4, Coronado |
CLASS: Cochrane
GRAVITY: Complete
DOCKING: Yes
AMENITIES: Limited
CREW: 640
Scottsdale Refinery was originally the Deep Space Engineering (DSE) construction site for the Cortez - Coronado Jump Gates, part of a broader effort to invigorate the Crayter Republic’s economy and open it to Libertonian trade. The base served as the logistics hub for construction supplies and personnel assignments until the completion of the Gates, when plans were set in motion to decommission the station. Before this could happen, Liberty’s Hawthorne administration applied significant political pressure to encourage the administrators to develop Copper mining operations in Coronado's Sierra Vista nebula.
With the station re-tooling to attempt what many believed was an excessively risky and unprofitable venture, subsidies from Libertonian and even Crayterian investors ensured a rapid initial growth. Despite this, the remote nature of the largest deposits, the lack of a convenient shipping pipeline, and harassment by local unlawful elements left DSE sour on the operation's future. In response, Liberty threatened to cut DSE's state contracts if they downscaled the operation before the next Federal election. As a result, Scottsdale continued to produce nominal amounts of Copper for export back to Texas and Colorado.
By late 834 AS, Scottsdale was "complete", however frequent attacks on mining ships continued to depress productivity. The situation dramatically worsened the following year, when an energy pulse from the moon Jericho struck the station, knocking out most onboard systems. While basic functionality was quickly restored, DSE faces the difficult prospect of rebuilding its refinery hardware, and recouping the costs from Interspace -- who claim this kind of situation is not covered by a standard insurance policy.
Bribes & Missions Offered
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News
| [835 AS] Interspace voids Coronado Trade Lane policy |
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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] Hinsdale Refinery fully operational |
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HINSDALE REFINERY -- 835 AS -- Executives from Deep Space Engineering have cut the ribbon on the newest Platinum-processing line at Hinsdale Refinery. This officially launches full operations at the largest ore-processing refinery in Colorado since the collapse of the industry over two centuries ago. This comes mere weeks after the Liberty Supreme Court ruled in DSE’s favor over the long-running Galileo Platinum dispute; Kusari vehemently opposes the ruling. The opening was marked by a significant security presence, largely driven by the increased tensions with the Kusari Empire. |
| [835 AS] Omega-11 lanes open for business |
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BADEN BADEN -- 835 -- In a ceremony hosted on Baden Baden, Ageira, DSE and DHC officials toasted the first Diamond shipment to use Omega-11’s newly completed Trade Lane. The troubled project was beset by many delays owing to the dangerous conditions, frequent attacks, and -- at times -- alleged sabotage. EFL Oil & Machinery has been a staunch critic of the project, while Rheinland has reveled in its status as a battleground market, where Ageira and EFL vie for influence. Despite the strained smiles at today’s ceremony, Ageira is well aware of Rheinland’s intent to play them against their bitter rival to secure favorable deals. |
| [834 AS] Independent Miners assert Jericho rights |
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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”. |
| [833 AS] LPI commissioner sentenced following Erie probe |
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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. |
| [831 AS] Courts battle over Galileo Platinum dispute |
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MANHATTAN -- 831 -- Legal filings have been issued on both Manhattan and New Tokyo by Deep Space Engineering, Kishiro Technologies and Samura Heavy Industries. Public briefs shed more light on the dispute's background, with each corporation asserting that freelance prospector "Taro Yamada" had sold them exclusive rights to his discovery of Platinum in Galileo. Both courts have claimed jurisdiction over the complaint, and issued their own separate injunctions holding mining operations until their rulings have been issued. DSE has issued a bounty for the capture of Yamada alive. |
| [831 AS] Gate corps clash over 'Blackout'! |
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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] Platinum claim triggers dispute |
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REPPU CLOUD -- 831 -- In a confusing turn of events, Deep Space Engineering, Kishiro Technologies and Samura Heavy Industries have all issued press statements claiming to have discovered the same Platinum deposits in Galileo. Galileo's mysterious asteroid fields have never previously been commercially surveyed due to the presence of hazardous Dark Matter clouds. Each corporation asserts their exclusive right to exploit the Platinum, citing recognised conventions on pioneer rights. DSE has already threatened to sue its Kusari rivals over any infringement, ensuring a costly legal battle is almost inevitable. |
| [831 AS] Pulse phenomenon linked to Blackout |
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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 |
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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] Liberty annexes Planet Erie |
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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 |
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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”. |
| [828 AS] Cortez cleanup begins after delays |
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CURACAO -- 835 -- DSE has accepted a cleanup and salvage contract to address war debris in Cortez. The Aruba Debris Field has long been a cause for complaint by Orbital Spa and Cruise, over concerns that the unsightly wreckage would blight local tourist attractions. The site does not obstruct traffic, so clearance has been of low priority to both Bretonia and Liberty. This appears to have changed following a significant Orbital contribution to a clean-up fund. DSE was appointed as the primary contractor, as preferred subcontractor ALG does not have capacity for the job. The Rheinland group is facing manpower constraints following the Rheinland Civil War, and exploding demand for battlefield salvage across the sector. |
| [733 AGS] Business in Gallic Border Words: Risks and Profits |
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ALESIA -- 733 AGS -- The Second Gallic Civil War made conducting business hazardous all around the Gallic Border Worlds. New threats are not directly related to the military conflict between Gallia and the Council. Instead, the war gave rise to unprecedented increase of piracy in all Border Worlds, except for Lorraine. Criminal activity is on the rise even in the well-protected Core Systems. Using the war and chaos associated with it, Gallic Brigands, Corse and other groups gained access to new ships and weaponry, and gained opportunities to increase their numbers by rallying recruits from Council-controlled worlds of Marne and Quillan. As a result, most financial institutions refuse insurance for any shipments going to and from the Core Worlds. Even if they do, insurance is so expensive that only a few shippers are able to afford it. As of now, the only efficient way to protect cargo is hiring Gallic Navy escort. Presence of Navy fighters usually scares pirates away, however, the Navy has many other duties to perform. Government promises to increase Police presence in the area, however, increased numbers of Police does not guarantee presence of their ships in the areas where pirates are going to attack. According to the reports from Briancon and Gap installations in Languedoc, some police patrols deliberately avoid patrolling areas where commercial transports are present and where pirate attacks are most likely to occur. Solar Engineering, the only large space corporation without a significant presence in the Border Worlds, has actually gained profits from the war rather than losses: gaining large government contracts for building up the Core World defenses, its stock value has risen more than 80%% over the last 15 years, an unprecedented rise for any large company listed on the New Paris Stock Exchange (NPSE) for the last four hundred years. |
Rumors
| Deep Space Engineering |
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| Ageira Technologies |
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| Universal Shipping |
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| Liberty Security Force |
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