Trafalgar Base

From Discovery Wiki
Trafalgar Base
Owner
Junkers
Location
C/B-4/3, New London

CLASS: Ramshackle

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Limited

CREW: Unknown

Trafalgar Station was founded shortly after Bretonia's industrial boom when mass amounts of salvage and ship debris were beginning to coalesce into the Southampton Debris Field. During the Gallic War, many pirate factions utilized Trafalgar as a launching point for raids on Gallic supply transports in Leeds. This made the base a high priority target for the Gallic Royal Navy when they stormed New London using the nearby jump hole. While largely destroyed during Gallia's assault, repairs and repressurization were quickly carried out to bring the station back into service as a fuel depot and staging ground.

Following the devastating conclusion of the Battle of New London, the Bretonia Armed Forces occupied the station to monitor smuggling routes through the debris field. In a seemingly bizarre show of generosity, Bretonia later ceded control of the station back to the Junkers in early 827 AS. As a consequence, there is uneasy speculation in the Bretonian underworld about the nature of any deal the Junkers may have cut with the Crown, and what that means for their own interests. Despite this, scrap salvaging has resumed, as has Trafalgar's role as Bretonia's black market of choice.

With the opening of Belvedere Refinery, Trafalgar has added a veneer of legitimacy to its operations, mimicking the mutually beneficial relationship the Junkers and ALG shared during the Sigma 13 cleanup. Since the Bretonian withdrawal from Dublin in 831 AS, the space around Trafalgar has also been the site of several bloody clashes between Corsair and Molly patrols. While the Junkers have attempted to keep the peace around their base, neither faction appears willing to accept a truce, however temporary.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 31$
Criminal Cells (Bretonia) 12,840$
Criminal Cells (Gallia) 32,560$
Criminal Cells (Kusari) 28,252$
Criminal Cells (Liberty) 13,617$
Criminal Cells (Rheinland) 18,675$
Energy Field Equipment 53$
Gin 32$
Liberty Ale 37$
Medical Equipment 27$
Rheinbier 49$
Rum 54$
Sake 49$
Detroit Light Arms 91$
Stabiline 100$
Vodka 52$
Whiskey 23$
Black Market Pharmaceuticals 166$
Counterfeit Computerware 170$
Kyushu Rice 36$
Pharmaceuticals 25$
Hull Panels 41$
Cardamine 227$
Consumer Goods 193$
Artifacts 225$
Consumer Goods 188$
Daumann Side Arms 118$
Gallic Enfer Blasters 109$
Black Market Blasters 147$
Black Market Light Arms 153$
Kemwer Technologies 288$
Xeno Relics 235$
Volgograd Ordinance 185$
APM Advanced Hardware 120$
Gaian Wildlife 300$
Black Market Augments 188$
Synth Paste 27$
Wine 69$
Hypnotainment Bands 194$
Industrial Materials 29$
Munitions 45$
HazMat Canisters 101$
Nox 192$
Consumer Goods 163$
Passenger Cabin (Liberty) 39,384$
Passenger Cabin (Kusari) 47,967$
Passenger Cabin (Rheinland) 51,724$
Passenger Cabin (Gallia) 46,469$
Passenger Cabin (Omega) 45,400$
Passengers (Omicrons) 80,954$
Gold Ore 144$
Iron 20$
Hessian Tears 214$
Gold 142$
Shigeakiki 246$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Hangar Provisions 250$
Black Market Munitions 174$
Crew 224$
Military Surplus 633$
Slog 97$
Toxic Waste 14$
Scrap Metal 9$
Oxygen 11$
Water 11$
Food Rations 19$
MOX 18$
Basic Alloy 23$
Super Alloy 62$
Mining Machinery 17$
Construction Machinery 38$
Consumer Goods 32$
Xenobiotic Filters 53$
Passenger Cabin (Bretonia) 12,933$
Wildcat Gold 193$
H-Fuel 151$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Gitano Light Fighter 8,582$
CSV Very Heavy Fighter 4,351$
Bull Dog Heavy Fighter 32,783$
Collector Very Heavy Fighter 24,429$
Recycler Bomber 53,512$
CSF Freighter 26,676$


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] 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] 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] Outcast assassins prowl Bretonia

NEWCASTLE -- 835 AS -- Newcastle’s criminal underworld waits with bated breath, following the disappearance of Outcast Arnold De Angelis, son of Don Liviano De Angelis. The enraged cartels have dispatched a squad of their elite assassins, who have resolved to uncover the fate of the missing son and mete out retribution -- whatever the cost. While a hundred thousand credit bounty for information has been offered, Dardi Squadron also promises to leave a trail of corpses in their wake. The presence of some of Sirius’s deadliest killers has already led to unease among Newcastle’s Gaians, Mollys and Bounty Hunters.

[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] Notorious privateer released from prison

NEWGATE -- 834 -- Henry King has been released from Newgate Prison on parole, having served a 5 year sentence. Leading a squadron of privateers, King rose to fame for daring strikes on Gallic supply lines across the Taus and even Languedoc. It is believed that King had the largest personal bounty in Gallia for his exploits, which were recently adapted for holoreel in the feature-length hit, “Blade and Blaster”. King continued to attack Gallic Confederacy targets after the war’s end, and was arrested for piracy upon returning to Bretonia. When asked for a statement by journalists, he replied “444” before climbing into a waiting shuttle and departing.

[834 AS] Junkers unwelcome in the Sigmas

KREUZBERG -- 834 -- The GMG have long mistrusted the Junkers, ordering our people out of Sigma-13 as soon as the Yanagi cleanup operation was completed. Yanagi’s “import/export” arrangements were among the most profitable of Junker operations; some of the more daring clans recently set up shop in an abandoned gas miner in the hopes of reprising this trade. Sadly, GMG forces appear to have tracked Corsair smugglers back to Madrid Base, arresting many of our kin and destroying the station. While we won't discourage Junker entrepreneurs from making their fortune, remember that reward does come with risk in the Sigmas.

[833 AS] Carlisle cartels move on Slog

CARLISLE -- 833 -- Slog has got its hooks into Bretonia’s workers, and there’s cash to be made filling that demand. It seems the Gaians and Mollys certainly think so, as both groups have sent their own people to put the screws to the producers on Carlisle. What once was an independent operation is now being torn in half by the Bretonian underworld, as both factions see the trade as a quick, if dirty, means of funding their causes. It remains to be seen how the Gaians and Mollys will settle their differences. If you’re in the market for Slog, your options have never been better.

[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] A different kind of Houston heat

MARLTON CITY -- 832 AS -- A huge firefight has been reported in one of Houston's urban centers, involving a gang of heavily armed assailants and dozens of casualties. The target appears to have been a major LPI penitentiary facility, with one force spokesperson going so far as to say that the raid must have been carried out by a professional mercenary outfit. Malton City has gone into lockdown amid rumors of a mass breakout by Pennsylvania convicts. An enormous manhunt has been launched, involving Marine support from the Battleship Arkansas.

[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.

[832 AS] Counting doses

ROCHESTER -- 832 AS -- The catastrophic crash of the Cardamine market has been tough for all the associates involved in the chain of its distribution, and the substantial drop-off in the quantity of it available for use and resale has caused a new problem in this series of bad episodes. The Rogues and Hackers, former partners in feeding the needs of the underworld are now at each other's throats, unable to meet demands for the drug both by their own and by customers, it seems as if stealing it from each other at gunpoint is the new business model.

[832 AS] Dublin dust-up

TRAFALGAR -- 832 AS -- The Mollys have finally pulled off their long awaited gambit, at least partially seizing Dublin for themselves. Intense fighting continues, although now with the Corsairs rather than the Armed Forces. This is good news for the clans of Trafalgar, as Dublin is ripe with wrecks and desperate customers. With ALG subcontracting at their New London salvage yard, we've never looked more legitimate. It remains to be seen whether Bretonia will explode, but if it does, we'll be on hand to clean up the mess and make a killing in the process.

[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 AS] Lack of Cardamine, Liberty's Underworld Burns

When the convoys heading from Cali to Mactan and Buffalo thinned out - and even stopped for a brief moment - the underworld in Liberty literally imploded. Previously close alliances quickly fell apart to the displeasure of the Outcasts, and every part of the underworld in Liberty was desperately trying to get as much Cardamine for themselves as possible.

The Outcasts and their most loyal agents stepped in almost immediately in anticipation of something like this happening, and set new rules for distribution according to set keys. A small group of Liberty Rogues defied them and followed their own rules of distribution, but they didn't fare too well - the Dons, despite the ongoing crisis in Malta, do not tolerate insubordination.

For this reason, several powerful Junkers and Rogues immediately decided to dilute Cardamine instead of redistributing ostentatiously against the wishes of the Outcasts at the expense of their clients, thereby raising their own shares. Fortunately for these savvy businessmen, word did not reach the Outcasts until some time later, and thanks to an improved network of cooperation, most of the organizers were able evade Malta's assassins.

However, all these measures had only limited effectiveness. Many end-clients and casual Cardamine users have been forced to seek medical attention due to their deteriorating health due to potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. It is not known how many Cardamine users eventually died because of the shortage, but it appears to be in the order of single-digit percentages - much to the very verbal displeasure of the Outcasts themselves.

[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] 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.

[828 AS] Reconquista

CRETE -- 828 AS -- Following a lull of successful conquests waged by the Corsairs, the Elders have finally broken their silence and issued an ultimatum.

"The standing Navy of the Corsair Empire as well as its irregular raiders must do everything within their means to break existing stalemates or make progress. The enemies of Crete have grown arrogant and take for granted that Corsair offensives have lost their steam, this is an assessment which must be proved woefully wrong."

In response to these express instructions, activity across every Corsair installation has intensified to levels that suggest substantial mobilization.

[821 AS] Junk futurism

KREUZBERG -- 821 -- Only the Houses are arrogant enough to think they can predict the future, and look where it gets them. Augsburg Orbital was supposed to the luxury housing of tomorrow, and a blueprint for Rheinland's future. Now it's a derelict wreck because Rheinland cut their observatory service decades before the place even opened. Their loss is our gain -- the evacuation order left the place stuffed with valuable salvage, and there's a narrow window to get rich before the Dark Matter storm destroys everything. Rheinland clans are already heading over to Munich to have a look. Be careful though, the Battleship Regensburg is shooting looters on sight.

[803 AS] Junkers look after their own

KREUZBERG -- 803 -- The clans of Kreuzberg have reported record breaking numbers looking to become Junkers as work dries up on Rheinland planets. When people can't make ends meet the traditional way, they start to think about other opportunities. Jakob Mehler of the Mehler Clan commented, “outsiders might work with us or for us, but they ain't us. If you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family.” The sentiment seems to be shared by the other Clans, who agree that the Junkers need to look out for their own first, especially when hard times are coming. For many unemployed Rheinlanders, that’s going to mean a cold shoulder in the Scrap fields.


Rumors

Junkers
  • Us Junkers, we're a different breed from the rest of our "clientele." We just want to get along with everyone. You know why? Cuz that's the way to make money. We don't care about politics or which group killed this other group. To Junkers it's all about how many credits we can get our hands on, so we get all kinds on our bases and that's how we like it. One rule though: No guns in the bar.


  • Sometimes people wonder where the Junkers come from. It's true you can find us throughout Sirius except Kusari space, but no one knows where we started. The truth is that the Junkers are comprised of all kinds. We are the ones who weren't happy working for one group or another. Our blood is from all the people of Sirius, even the Kusari. Truth is, once yer a Junker you aren't nothing else but a Junker, and whatever you were before falls away.


  • The war-torn Corsair base Cadiz in Omega-5 is in need of H-Fuel and Engine Components. Be careful getting there. The Red Hessians don't like freelancers helping their enemy, and the Mollys are none too keen on Corsair sympathisers either.


  • If you need cash, you can ship supplies to the Molly base Arranmore in Dublin. They need Oxygen, Water, H-Fuel, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, Food, Side Arms, and Engine Components. Some of that you can pick up here, the rest you might need to find a Freeport for if you're not too good with the law.


  • The Gaians wouldn't have any place to get their supplies if it weren't for this base, but you should see how they gulp and sniff whenever they set foot in here. I hate dealing with them, but they bring us money in return for the supplies they need for their base in Edinburgh.


  • Business is booming friend. Want my advice? Snatch whatever workable salvage you can from Dublin and bring it back to us here. We'll pay you a pretty penny for it considering how valuable ship components are becoming to the Mollys and Corsairs. Just be careful when they start fighting, can't guarantee they won't accidentally kill you out of spite for our frugality.


  • The Corsair ship Caraz was making a routine Artifact smuggling run from Cadiz to Trafalgar several weeks ago, but it never arrived. Several intercepted military comms. suggest that it was damaged by an Armed Forces patrol and pursued into the Grasmere Ice Cloud.


  • The Artifacts that come into Bretonia pass through here. They are brought to us by the Corsairs from their bases in the southern Edge Worlds. We do run into New London, which can get pretty risky with the police and military hovering about. If you get scanned, it's over.


  • The Corsairs require Gold and Engine Components for their Tripoli Shipyard in Omicron Gamma. If you're friendly enough with them, you could make some very good money - if you can survive that trip. Between Bounty Hunters, Red Hessians and heavy radiation, it's no cakewalk.


  • The Outcast fighter Puno stumbled into one of the Southampton Debris Field radiation zones on the first Outcast drug run into the New London system in 751. It still lies there, untouchable to anyone who values their life.


  • Things are good here, the Mollys and Corsairs make frequent visits for supplies they can't get elsewhere. But therein lies the problem - because both the Mollys and Corsairs make those visits at the same time, more often than not. I swear, one of these days someone's going to start shooting, and they'll take the whole base down with them. I'm not looking forward to cleaning up after whoever's left standing - if anyone even is.


  • We buy Engine Components, Basic Alloys, Side Arms, and other basic necessities in New London. That's all legal, of course. We run those goods in small freighters by the dozens, and tag none of them. Those burocrats at docking control never could keep track of us that way.


  • The Gaian base is known as Islay; they call it "the Sleet." Everyone knows that it's in the Islay Ice Cloud, but they don't know where - it's too well camouflaged. It's situated very close to a hidden Jump Hole to Leeds, which is really handy for hit-and-run attacks against BMM and the Trade Lanes, or for hitting the ice mining by Planetform's Perth base at Ayr.


  • I'm hearing talk that the price for gold is skyrocketing. I've also heard that the Essex withdrew from Dublin, so it sounds to me like that's what I'm going to be spending the next few months running into Kusari. We might be seen as "scum" there, but that doesn't mean the right people won't know a good deal when they see it.


  • We sell the Mollys' Gold, Corsairs' Artifacts, and Outcasts' Cardamine in New London. You can make very good money doing it, but don't get caught. We'll say we've never seen you before.


  • Criminals deal with us because we can go where they can't. They could run the gauntlet into Liberty from here, but they wouldn't be able to dock anywhere. We Junkers have a cover. Most authorities don't know if we're hauling scrap or contraband, and that's how we get through. We can get our ships onto almost any planet, so criminals have to deal with us. Still, you got to be smart when running contraband - if you're caught, you'll either have to bribe someone or you won't be docking on your destination any time soon.


Corsairs
  • Once we drop our Artifacts here, the fun begins. We raid the Trade Lanes here in Bretonia to supply our bases back home along the Edge Worlds. Before we discovered that we could make such a nice profit from selling the Artifacts, we lived solely by raiding. Bretonia is a relatively easy place to raid, compared to Rheinland or the Sigmas. The police here are not very skilled fighters, and the military are too preoccupied with a war. The only worthy opponents here are a few Bounty Hunters.


  • Now that there has been a ban declared on Artifacts, it has been more difficult to sell as many as before, but we have compensated by raising the prices. Everyone always wants what they can't have, and now the rich fools who crave these toys will pay almost any amount for them. We drop them off here and have the Junkers handle the last leg.


  • There are Outcasts on this base. They arrived in Sirius on the same ship as us - the Hispania, but they refused to join us on Crete. Now they are just like everyone else - targets. It's not that we don't like them, but that won't stop us from taking one of their shipments or putting them in the airlock. Somehow I doubt those masks they wear would save them from that.


  • The Trujillo stumbled into a gas pocket in the old Somerset mining area during the early days of Corsair incursion in the New London system. The ship was lost deep inside the hazard area. Several attempts were made to rescue the Artifacts it carried, but to no avail.


  • You could run reinforcement supplies to our base in Cadiz if you want to gain favor with the Corsairs. We need H-Fuel and Engine Components there to continue fighting the Red Hessians in Omega-5. The easiest way to get there is to use a jump hole in Cambridge. That is how we get into Bretonia too.


  • Bretonia offers many tempting targets. We soon realized that we didn't need to buy the Gold from the Junkers; we could go steal it ourselves from the Mollys and IMG. Once we dispose of the Mollys, the Bretonian underworld will be ours - the Gaians aren't a threat to our presence here.


  • This is the last stop for us on our Artifact run from our homeland. Maybe one day you could run Artifacts for the Corsairs. It's dangerous but pays very well. If those aren't two things that interest you then I'm wasting my time talking to you. Just make sure to stay clear of those Red Hessians.


Gaians
  • The conditions on this base are absolutely appalling. It goes against a Gaian's very nature to be surrounded by the cretinous scavengers who populate these dingy corridors. Yet we are compelled to purchase those things we need to maintain our existence at our own base in the Islay Cloud of Edinburgh: Pharmaceuticals, H-Fuel, Food, Consumer Goods, and such. We can't get them from anywhere else reliably.


  • If it wasn't for the Green Front, I doubt the Gaians would be able to operate at all. We have the support of the intellectuals in Bretonia and the educated elite of Cambridge but without the financial assistance that Green Front brings in... Well, let's just say that good causes don't fund themselves.


  • The Mollys' hatred for BMM is an advantage to our own attacks upon that corporation, and though we don't share the same motivations that the Mollys do, our disgust with the despoilers of BMM is just as intense. Unlike many underground operations, we are not motivated by the acquisition of money. We are a political organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for all who live in Bretonia, even our enemies, though they are too blind to see it.


Mollys
  • One of our lads, Roger Patience, got captured last week by the police in Manchester during a MOX raid. He's one of our best. He was on a prison convoy headed for Newgate Prison. We cracked him out in Manchester yesterday as it broke from the Trade Lanes. If you see him, he might buy you a drink to celebrate his new-found freedom.


  • We like to get our supplies for Arranmore here in New London. We can get the basics from the Hood easily, but commodities like Side Arms and Engine Components aren't available there.


  • The Molly fighter Vanguard was on a Gold run from Dublin to Trafalgar when it was intercepted by a Bretonia Armed Forces patrol in the Cumbria Asteroid Field. They gave chase and he fled into a known gas hazard area. Unfortunately, his luck ran out that day when he encountered a particularly dense pocket. The ship still lies there, awaiting anyone foolish enough to knowingly enter a volatile gas zone.


  • The Junkers like to deal with us because we bring them something everybody wants: Gold. We used to mine it for BMM; now we steal theirs or mine it from our own fields. We aren't thieves, though. We paid for that Gold in blood and the broken hands of our brethren and fathers before us. Graves was nothing more than a slaver. He and his ilk got what was coming.


Outcasts
  • The San Vicente was making a Cardamine run from Cali to New London when it was ambushed by an Armed Forces patrol in the West Leeds Smog Cloud. The cargo was recovered by the military, but it is possible that one of the larger pieces of debris still has some equipment attached.


  • The Outcast ship Lorenzo was making a Cardamine run from Cali to Mactan when it was caught by a military patrol in the LD-14 Asteroid Field. It turned further into the heart of the field to escape its pursuers and stumbled into an old radioactive pocket. The crew is presumed dead, but the ship is probably still intact. No one has retrieved the cargo yet due to the high radiation danger in the area.


  • Gallia has become a greater threat to us then Bretonia or even those annoying IMG miners ever posed. They encroach on both Malta and all our smuggling routes over the Tau borderworlds towards Liberty, and could threaten Malta itself. The Dons have made hampering Gallic efforts in Bretonia a priority. So long as Gallia is busy with Bretonia, they won't have the resources to focus on us.


  • From here we ship to Liberty via the Rogue base Montezuma in Cortez. They can't get enough of our Cardamine, so as long as we keep it flowing they are under our control. They make good attack dogs. Soon more of the criminal factions will become addicted, along with the house elite who are just looking for their next highs. When we've got control of both, we'll essentially control the houses - then our revenge will be complete.


  • So you're interested in working for us? Try running a load of Cardamine to Magellan or Cortez for us. The Lane Hackers would appreciate that. Be sure to stay away from any military or police ships, they'll likely open fire on you if you're loaded with Cardamine.


  • We buy Side Arms for the Cali base in Tau-23 here. It's not an easy Jump Hole route between Trafalgar and our base out there. Fortunately, the Barrier offers plenty of cover, and there are several routes available to us. My favorite is over Dublin and Edinburgh. The Gallics make things a bit more interesting on that route now, but dealing with militaries is nothing new to us. They can't use their capital ships inside the asteroid fields, so we have the upper hand there.


  • BMM was no match for our forces in Tau-23. The IMG are more tenacious but also hardly a match. The Gallic forces that have taken over the BMM base are a different story. Their craft aren't as strong as ours, but they are highly maneuverable. Still, we will force them out of the system and destroy the Jump Gate. Our survival as a sovereign nation is at stake. Cali is a crucial distribution point for Cardamine on the trip to Bretonia and Liberty.


  • Cardamine was the one good thing that fate gave us. When we first landed on Malta the weak who didn't want to live anymore could go to a better place chewing the orange grass. Taking an extreme dose of Cardamine raw from the grass is almost always fatal, but it's a gentle way to go. It was also a curse, as we became dependent on Cardamine to survive, though we don't get a high from it anymore. Now we use Cardamine to make money. Eventually we'll run Sirius. Once a large enough portion of the populace is hooked, we've got them. The Rogues and Golden Chrysantemums are proof of that.