[Alaska] The Battleship Atum is one of the newest Osiris class ships to be produced at Evora Shipyard, and was officially commissioned for duty at the end of 816 A.S. Positioned in Alaska only a few months ago, it serves the Order as a forward outpost for operations within Liberty space. From its position, hidden within Alaska's nebula, Order forces fend off attempts by the Liberty Navy and the Bounty Hunters Guild to advance into Omicron Minor proper. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Alaska] The Juneau Shipyard is the Liberty Navy's top secret installation that was built soon after the Texas Incident in 510 AS. All research and development of the Osiris class of battleships occurred at this facility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Alaska] Kodiak Research Complex was constructed in 803 A.S., as a large fully equipped and self-sufficient facility led by the Liberty Security Force. The station was initially built inside an old ice asteroid, to study what the Slomon K'Hara and the Daam-K'vosh left after the brief Nomad war. Most of the artifacts left over by these races were never studied completely or deeply by any organization beside The Order. The Valhalla Project was also restarted, although no details have ever been made public. Until 817 A.S, the location and existence of the facility was classified. Only high ranking military officers and some members of the government knew about the complex. Punishment for disclosure of any information related to the station was long term imprisonment on Prison Fairbanks in Alaska. Nowadays, the base is more well known among naval officers, but is still secret to the public and access to the station is still heavily restricted to LSF and Navy personnel only. Kodiak Research Complex is equipped with a large range of technologies and sections to run tests in multiple different environments. It also has the facilities to manufacture some prototype ships based on new research designs. The station has all the necessary equipment to survive on its own for more than six months, thus creating less suspicion about supply ships heading to unknown locations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Alaska] Fairbanks is a prison facility recently built by Liberty Navy in a remote area of Alaska system. If rumors are true, convicts from Mitchell were transferred to Fairbanks after a mysterious accident that happened on Mitchell in 805 A.S. No information was released to public on this subject, since the Navy and Liberty Security Force try to keep existence of both Alaska prison stations secret. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Alaska] The LCI Mitchell is a prison ship operated by the Liberty Security Force (LSF). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Alberta] Fort McMurray is a notable installation of the Liberty Rogues, probably being the first base that the Rogues built in a system with no lawful activity. The Liberty authorities have shown interest in Alberta only recently, after the unexpected success of Ontario operations. However, most of the system is still under control of local Liberty Rogues who consider McMurray to be their permanent home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Alberta] Exploration of the Alberta system proved to be a dangerous business due to constant Liberty Rogue threat. Red Deer was built to defend Ontario against the Rogues and provide a safe haven for local police operations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Baffin] Pueblo Bonito was constructed by a mysterious Sect of Zoners who worshipped an ancient Terran Goddess. They modeled the base interior after the ruins of a lost tribe which once inhabited a western continent of Terra known as "Unistat". The ice covered asteroid that Pueblo Bonito has been carved into contains the similar cystal formations to the Goddess's Geode. Interestingly it has one natural cavern in the center shaped like an almost perfect pyramid. The Zoner Sect which inhabits Baffin has made this miraculous place a Temple to their Goddess, open only to members of their Sect. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Baffin] Sedona Station is the collection point for the small proto-nomad "Scrubbies" discovered in the Devon Ice Cloud by a Zoner explorer. These fish-like organisms have the ability to consume inorganic matter, and convert it to organic compounds and breathable gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. Thus, they are valuable as self-contained "terraforming machines". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Baffin] Shasta was built above the entrance to an immense hollow geode, which is lined with massive quartz crystal spires. The interior of the geode was found to have curative properties, as well as activating the "Chakras" of the human nervous system. Like all zoner freeports Shasta is open to all, and regularily provides tours to the planet's surface via an orbital elevator. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bastille] A station built to supply the administrators with precious ships and equipment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bastille] Most inmates of the Navy Prison Station in the Bastille system are former freelancers who were caught breaking the law. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bastille] Most inmates of the Police Prison Station in the Bastille system are former freelancers who were caught breaking the law. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bering] Built out of the old framework of an abandoned Republican Shipping outpost, Freeport 2 was founded in 650 A.S. by displaced Texas settlers, Hamburg drifters, and a variety of other individuals looking for safe haven. They aligned themselves with the Zoner movement and its open-to-all philosophy, then purchased a series of Synth Foods biodomes for fFood production. The exploding demand for fFood from the adjacent Texas Ssystem and from local criminal elements has provided them with a steady market for their surplus. Aside from the Zoners, Xenos and Unioners also frequent the station. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bering] The history of the Unioners is intimately tied to Alster. The shipyard opened in 412 AS, specializing in commercial transports and heavy lifters. Conditions were appalling in the yards, worker safety being merely a tertiary concern of the owners. Coupled with the excessively long spaceside rotations, the workers' morale gradually deteriorated until a major accident killed several hundred workers in 512 AS. Three months later, the workers formed the Alster Union. Because of their highly specialized skills, the management had no choice but to capitulate to their demands. During the next century the union gradually strengthened and eventually included the dockworkers on the Altona Station above Hamburg. By the end of the 80-Years War, the union demanded increasingly high wages and progressively fewer annual hours. The system was out of balance. Republican was no longer competitive with Kusari shipbuilders. With the war over, demand for ships plummeted. The bloated headcount of Alster was now a sore point for Republican Shipping, desperately trying to restore profitablity. Management was now back in the driver's seat after almost 200 years of acceding to union demands. They fired tens of thousands and won major concessions from the remaining workers, who lost centuries of gains in a matter of days. As unemployment rocketed towards 30 percent in Hamburg, a radicalized version of the union reformed -- more of a revolutionary cell than anything. The presence of Freeport 2 in Bering proved alluring to the nascent Unioner movement of Rheinland during the unsettled times. Following the popular uprising of 702, the station's population exploded. In 720 the Zoners laid down the ultimatum: Take your criminal activities somewhere else. They would sell basic supplies to the rebels, but no more. So the Unioners carved their Pacifica base out of an asteroid in the Tanner Belt. The Unioners range from Bering to New Berlin. Most of their attacks are focused on the Altona Outpost and the Alster Shipyard in Hamburg, which has alienated them from some of their still employed brethren. The bulk of their Trade Lane raids are directed against Republican ships traversing the Independent Worlds. Their main commodity is Diamonds, which they run from Kreuzberg to Dawson. Unioners are often spotted buying supplies on Freeport 2. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Braunschweig] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Braunschweig] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bremen] Battleship Westphalia was stationed in Bremen to defend the system from possible Liberty claims. After Liberty attacked in 817 A.S., the battleship became a front line of Rheinland defense against the aggressors. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bremen] Cloppenburg Base was constructed by the Bundschuh in 802 A.S., when the faction gained limited (if short lived) financial support from the Order. At the time, Bremen was a desolate system without any governmental presence, and the outlaying base was used to help political dissidents escape prosecution from the Rheinland regime - a plan that came to an abrupt end following the Liberty invasion. Cloppenburg is currently used as a forward observational outpost and staging ground for Bundschuh operations in Bremen and Hamburg. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Bremen] A Rheinland Military research and development facility located in the Bremen system. No further information available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] A large factory and resource storage facility, Alesia was built by Gallic Mining Service in 611 A.S. Since then, the installation gained so much economical significance that its defense from the Council is on top priority for Gallic Navy. Alesia is populated by employees of all Gallic "Big Three": GMS, ELF Oil & Machinery and IDF Shipping, along with Police authorities and representatives of many smaller companies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] Avallon is a space fortress built by Gallic Royal Navy in 659 A.S. It was a forerunner of Gallic Border Worlds exploration, providing stable basis for operations of Navy and Police in Burgundy and nearby systems. Avallon still plays an important role in protecting the system both from The Council and from numerous unlawfuls that are plaguing the local trade routes, destroying corporate convoys and plundering goods that remain intact. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] A heavily modified battleship of Normandie class, Beuvray was stationed in Burgundy to assist offensive and defensive operations of the Navy against the Council. Fighting in Burgundy continues to present day, with some areas of the system still being under full Council control, and the crew of Beuvray always stays prepared to counter the enemy's assault. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] One of the older battleships of Richelieu class, Rocroi has participated in most large battles that took place in Burgundy and Champagne during the Second Gallic War. The battleship has an experienced crew ready to counter any threat, its courage acknowledged even by the Council. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] Bourbon once belonged to Junkers, but in 671 A.S. it was captured by Unione Corse, with all inhabitants, including women and children, supposedly massacred or thrown into space. It is unknown what caused this outbreak of hostility between factions who generally stay neutral to each other or act as allies. Most probably, it was revenge for a hostile act of the local Junker leaders. Nevertheless, the base has since belonged to Unione Corse, and the Junkers never made demands to regain it. Instead, in 690 A.S. they built Bourg-en-Bresse Space Port as their new base of operations in the Burgundy system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] The largest Junker installation in Gallia, Bourg-en-Bresse is often considered the center of their operations in Gallia and even in all known space of Sirius. It's only partially true, since Junker leaders prefer to stay on New Paris in luxury and safety. However, this space port is the largest Junker installation currently in existence, and certainly serves as the headquarters for all their activities in the Gallic Border Worlds. Built in 688-690 A.S,. after their previous base in Burgundy, Bourbon, was overtaken by Unione Corse, Bourg-en-Bresse has tough armor and advanced weapon systems, but enjoy relative safety since all factions in Gallia, lawful and unlawful, prefer to maintain neutral relations with the Junkers. Only exception are the Maquis, who were most probably encouraged to start a war against Junkers by the Council after the High Command became aware of the Junkers' espionage network established in Liberty, Bretonia, and Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] Dijon is the largest space colony in the Gallic Border Worlds. Built in 709-714 A.S., it houses more than three thousand civilians, corporate workers, miners, Police and Navy employees. Shortly after the Second Gallic War has begun, the station was heavily fortified to counter potential Council assaults that were soon to follow. The Council failed to catch the colony defenders unprepared, as it worked in Nimes, but the war made it tougher to find freelance jobs that many locals relied on to earn their living, forcing them to emigrate back into the core systems of Gallia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] A large asteroid within the Nievre Asteroid Field was considered a perfect place to establish a base by Council engineers. A safe position within the field guarantees that Gallic capital ships would never reach it, and smaller Navy forces can be driven away without much trouble by local defenders. To make things worse for the Gallic Navy, activity of various pirate groups within Voiron is also on the rise, making it even more difficult to stage attacks against Macon. Therefore, Burgundy is always under threat of Council attacks, with Gallic government unable to remove the cause of this threat. Council used this strategic advantage to distract Navy from their offensive in Languedoc, providing enough time to destroy the massive Languedoc mine fields that were hiding Gallia from the Four Houses for centuries. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] Montbard was built inside a large asteroid in the center of Morvan asteroid field. The base is mainly populated by Gallic Brigands along with their Maquis allies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Burgundy] A warm oceanic world with small islands suitable for human settlements, Nevers was the first colonized planet in the Gallic Border Worlds. High property costs didn't encourage speedy population growth, and industry had no resources and cheap labour to develop, contrary to what happened on Planet Marne in the nearby Champagne system. Currently, the planet is one of the most well-known resorts in the Gallic space; despite the war, Nevers remains a relatively safe place, and convoys with tourists coming to and from the Core Systems are very well defended and rarely subject to pirate attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [California] Perhaps the most recognizable Rogue base of all (for scoundrels and rapscallions, anyway), Alcatraz has become a welcoming beacon and a safe haven for all the flotsam and jetsam Liberty has to offer. One of the few Liberty Rogue bases within Liberty proper (most criminals tend to live at the fringes of society in more than one sense), Alcatraz was originally constructed in 715 A.S. as a waystation and resting place for Californian pirates and drug runners headed into New York, as well as a remarkably secure place of refuge for those attempting to evade the long arm of the law. Housed within a hollowed-out ice asteroid deep in the notorious Californian Whitney field (the LPI harbours a whole range of superstitions about the cloud, since pirates that manage to enter even the outskirts of Whitney almost always manage to slip away), Alcatraz had always maintained a colourful assortment of patrons and population. The lively if somewhat chilly bar pours a mind-boggling assortment of Liberty's best drinks, and the local bartender is rumoured to be one of Sirius' most well-informed, and for the right price, he can put in a good word for even the most despised foe with Liberty's criminal triad. Said triad is well-represented here, with Outcast cardamine smugglers abound in the system and a sizeable percentage of the orange dreamers frequent Alcatraz for a Sidewinder Fang and the latest news from around the area. Alcatraz's version of the Colony News Service has a direct port to the Newark Station feed, which was a gift from a particularly technically-minded Lane Hacker that happened through the area one day, and is as such a popular source of amusement and first-rate information. Lane Hackers from Magellan drink their fair share here, as well, and even Corsairs have been known to dock here once or twice, although they never stay onboard long due to the amount of Outcasts and Lane Hackers around. The omnipresent Liberty Rogues that run the show here maintain a solid background core, keeping a watchful eye over proceedings and moving quickly to quell any potential fights before they start. Alcatraz might be best compared to an unlawful Freeport of sorts, since if you're not a Xeno, you're welcome here to drink, deal or simply kick back after a long, hard day busting Universal Shipping open. Be warned though, the no-blaster rule is strictly enforced. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [California] Commissioned in 739 A.S., the Battleship Yukon has been patrolling the California system for nearly eighty years. It was originally scheduled to be decommissioned in 805 A.S., but a campaign by the residents of Los Angeles a year before its removal from active service, sponsored by Synth Foods, resulted in the Yukon being sent to Norfolk Shipyards for a complete overhaul, extending its operational lifespan until at least 825 A.S. The Battleship has been an integral part of the Liberty Navy's efforts to keep the Lane Hackers and Liberty Rogues under some semblance of control within the system, with limited successes to date. Most patrols start out at the Yukon before heading into Magellan, Cortez and occasionally Ontario, to assist traders and put down the unruly pirates from the independent systems. The current commander of the Yukon is the newly minted Flag Captain Luke Sensicle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [California] First surveyed when the California system was opened up for exploration, California Minor is a small, icy world with a barely breathable atmosphere. It has always been considered unsuitable for conventional terraforming ever since the initial survey landings, largely due to the frigid surface conditions and overall distance from the sun, although the surveys did detect unusual geothermic readings deep below the planet's crust. In 741 A.S., Planetform devised a method to channel the planet's enormous subterranean stores of geothermic energy, releasing greenhouse gases and introducing alien organisms into the atmosphere to speed up the terraforming process. Planetform estimates that the terraforming process will likely be completed around the year 826 A.S. Despite the harsh planetary conditions, the increasing availability of jobs on the planet has attracted large numbers of manual labourers, particularly from the Colorado system, and California Minor's population is estimated to be just over 8 million at present. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [California] With the majority of the planet covered in deep salt water oceans and gorgeous, white sand beaches, Los Angeles was popular with the wealthy and privileged of Manhattan, before the terraforming efforts failed during the Great California Drought of 543 A.S. The ocean water was discovered to be unusable due to a chemical that, although it is completely harmless to humans besides from tasting foul, fatally disrupts the growth of crops and certain species of terrestrial animals. The available water supplies from the Tahoe and Sierra ice clouds were quickly running out, and as a result it was becoming ever more expensive to ship water into the California system. Over the course of the following century, most of Los Angeles' population subsequently emigrated to planet Denver in the Colorado system, with only those who did not want to move, or couldn't afford to, remaining behind. A large portion of the remaining industry relied heavily on farming genetically modified livestock that are able to process the chemical in the water, although a number of corporations still retained offices on Los Angeles, including Universal Shipping's corporate training academy. It wasn't until Synth Foods perfected their patented and hugely popular Synth Paste, created from a genetically engineered plant similar to that of the Earth Kelp, that the planetary economy resurged. The resulting success of the new food paste prompted Synth Foods to relocate their headquarters to Los Angeles, and the booming technology market has also encouraged Ageira Technologies to construct an optical chip plant here. With all the new jobs available on the planet, coupled with the recently opened trade lane to the Ontario jump gate, the population of Los Angeles has jumped to over 360 million, and the increasing prosperity promises a brighter future for the entire California system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [California] Originally built prior to the Nomad war, Riverside station was destroyed during the Battle of Mojave between loyalist Liberty Navy forces and Nomad infested Liberty Navy pilots in early 801 A.S. It remained as a twisted heap of broken debris and scrap metal that the Junkers occasionally salvaged from to recycle for many years, until finally after many complaints from shipping companies the Liberty Police agreed to clean it up. The attacks on the California trade routes by the Liberty Rogues had increased tremendously, with little to no police presence around the planet Mojave, and it was decided to rebuild Riverside Station. In 815 A.S. the station was declared operational once more and the presence of Riverside has helped to reassure shipping passing through California. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [California] San Diego Border Station monitors the Magellan Jump Gate to stem the rise of criminal activity throughout the area, particularly that of Lane Hackers, Rogues, and Outcasts. The facility is entirely owned and operated by Liberty Police, Inc. (LPI) and its support staff. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [California] There are few research facilities in Sirius as mysterious as the rocky white fortress that is Willard Station, hidden within the misty depths of the Tahoe Ice Cloud in the California system. Liberty Security Force transports frequent the station, although their contents are always shielded from scanning, and the Liberty Navy are careful to keep the inquisitive and the insane away from the station, either by the expedient of making verbal demands to withdraw, or simply allowing their massed energy weapons to do the talking for them. Much of the research at the facility is classified, though since the highly publicised attack on Willard in 800 A.S. by a seemingly "rogue" Rheinland Military battle group, security has been further tightened with additional weapon platforms and patrols. It is known, however, that artifacts of unknown origin are researched here, although where they come from is anyone's guess. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cambridge] The Battleship Norfolk anchors the Cambridge Line of electronic surveillance satellites to suppress the chronic pirate and smuggling activity in the system. Food transports, pharmaceutical shipments, and the local Trade Lanes are enticing targets for pirates who strike across the Line before retreating to the safety of the Barrier ice clouds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cambridge] The Cambridge Research Institute is widely known as the largest intellectual institution in Sirius, surpassing its rival institutions in prestige by no short distance. This is mainly due to its proximity to Planet Cambridge, site of the largest university and research complex in the Sirius sector. Technically owned by Cryer Pharmaceuticals, the station is primarily a medical institute, though it produces medical and domestic goods to be shipped throughout Sirius. Although there are many avenues of research currently being explored onboard the station, the most highly publicised one to date is that of the collaborative work between Cryer and Planetform to solve the disease issues on the planet Carlisle in the Newcastle system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cambridge] One of the largest mining facilities IMG has produced to date, Cardiff Mining Facility collects Beryllium from the nearby Cardiff Asteroid Field. Despite being a highly lucrative operation, corporate takeover attempts have been few and far between. The majority of the Beryllium mined at Cardiff is shipped to either Liberty or Rheinland through Gateway Shipping, though the occasional independent entrepreneur will stop by for a purchase. Some Beryllium was originally transported to LD-14 and Stokes for use in the fusion reactors and production facilities there, although with the recent invasion of the Leeds system by the Kusari Navy, the IMG has ceased shipping to the station amidst threats from both the Bretonian government and the commander of the Battleship Norfolk. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cambridge] Discovered in 794 A.S. by Molly scouts returning from a reconnaissance mission into Omega 5, Lisburn Rock was the perfect location to construct a fortress for basing Molly forces at, from which they would be able to combat Corsair incursions into Bretonia. A huge rock asteroid located on the edges of the Keswick ice cloud in Cambridge, the interior was hollowed out and construction was eventually completed in 804 A.S. Raiding parties are often launched from the base on the nearby trade lanes, and with the convenient location of the Omega 3 jump hole, supplies from Freeport 1 are fairly easy to obtain, as well as providing the Mollys with a place to dispose of stolen goods. The Corsairs often strike across the Cambridge Line from Omega 5, and while the Mollys don't hold much love for the Bretonia Armed Forces, they consider Bretonia to be their turf and Lisburn Rock is their frontline defence against the invading Corsair squadrons. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cambridge] A serene, beautiful planet covered in lush, green plains and deep blue oceans, planet Cambridge is eminently suited to human colonisation. Settled during the colony's formative years, the planet is largely given over to farming and scientific concerns, with heavy industry of any kind strictly prohibited. It is also home to the Cambridge Research Institute, a science academy that is devoted to pure scientific research. Many important scientific breakthroughs have occurred on Cambridge through the Institute, without which the Bretonian food shortages would also be considerably more severe. Thanks to advances in crop engineering, Cambridge is also now the primary food producer for the entire of Bretonia. Despite its relatively small population, currently standing at a little over 120 million, Cambridge has always tended to attract a large number of potential immigrants, many of whom are turned away due to population and security restrictions on the planet itself. Such restrictions have since become more severe since the planet was bombed by a MOX warhead during an attack by a terrorist organisation known only as the Phantoms. Over 4 million people died, and large tracts of the western continent still remain uninhabitable until hazmat crews have finished cleaning up the area. One of the terrorists, going only by the presumed codename Ember, was initially reported to be captured but subsequently disappeared, and the Bretonian government has sizeable bounties on all Phantom terrorists to this day. Due to its prominence in Bretonia as both the primary food producer and as a bastion of scientific knowledge, it is perhaps inevitable that Cambridge harbours a large portion of the Green Front party members and offices, with a majority coming from the professors and students, as well as a number of vociferous researchers and local aristocracy. This has lead to many arguments between the various academic departments over the morality and viability of human terraforming, and its long term effects on the landscape of Sirius. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cassini] The Liberty Rogues' main headquarters outside of Liberty, Attica Station serves as a command and control node. It is also known to be the place from which all variety of shady deals are made. The construction of this monolith of a HQ nearly bankrupted the Rogues. However, knowing it would stand even the most violent assaults, they believed it worth it. Attica is known in the crime world to be one of the most heavily defended bases there are. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cassini] The oldest of the LR's destroyers, after a long and illustrious career of piracy and larceny, the Graviton has been permanently assigned to Attica to stand Guard over the Rogues' most important facility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cassini] Despite Sylpheed claiming that the Quietly Confident is a battleship, empirical evidence suggests otherwise. Despite not being exactly as advertised the Quietly Confident is still a potent defender of Cassini, stationed next to Terre Haute. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cassini] A DSE deep space research facility, in place to research the nearby pulsar. It was cut off from most supplies when the Rogues fortified the system, receiving only sporadic supplies, a full evacuation has been made impossible as DSE no not want the Rogues to gain the valuable data contained within the base. The inhabitants are only a hair's breadth from going insane and becoming a new threat to the Rogues bastion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cassini] San Quentin is the Rogues' primary diplomatic centre, after preliminary talks have occurred on other bases it is here that all final details are hammered out. Only recently opened up to allies of the Rogues, Sylpheed feels it is imperative that San Quentin be used properly for the first time since it was created. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cassini] Named for a harsh prison on old Earth, Terre Haute is a recent addition to the Cassini system, being only marginally older than the Nomad War. Terre Haute produces the Rogues' heavy hitters and also the destroyer shells used for guarding the entries into Cassini. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Representative of the new Alsace class battleships built by the Council, Chaumont was heavily damaged by Gallic Navy in Burgundy, and since then remains stationed not far from the Lorraine Jump Gate to defend the system from GRN attack patrols and scouts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Chalons-en-Champagne was built in 709 A.S. on the orbit of Planet Marne. Serving to supply corporate needs and to provide safe heaven for local Police patrols, this station was captured by the Council in 798 A.S., shortly after Reims was captured in a similar fashion. Council was quick in converting Chalons-en-Champagne into a ship-building facility, capable of constructing and repairing Council ships of almost any class, large and small. The station was also heavily fortified to counter potential attacks from the Lorraine system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Courville was a Gallic Royal Police installation that was destroyed by offensive Council forces in 802 A.S. Later, in 812 A.S., it was partially repaired by the Council and re-pressured to guard entrance to Champagne system from Burgundy. Several weapon platforms with long-range weaponry were constructed around the station to provide additional protection. Most of the station, however, remains devoid of atmosphere and gravitation; Council says that it has no resources to complete repairs. Some say that the station will not be able to hold for long against a full-scale offensive of Gallic Navy fleets, and in this case Council is planning to sacrifice Courville to buy some time for regrouping its forces near Marne and Reims. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] A well-established base of Gallic Brigands in the central part of the Ardennes asteroid field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] An installation of Unione Corse hidden within the Seine Nebula. Unione Corse avoid attacking the Council and mostly use the ships based in Joinville to raid nearby systems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Maquis operate openly in Champagne space, dispatching raiders to nearby Burgundy and Lorraine. The Council tolerate their presence, since Maquis avoid attacking Council shipments and often offer unvaluable military help. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Montmirail Base was built by the Council in 742 A.S., shortly after Macon. It was actively used for building up Council forces prior to the Second Gallic War; from here, Council staged its first attacks against the Gallic Navy in 798 A.S. After the fighting on Marne was over, many Council members who previously lived on Macon and Montmirail have settled planetside. Of Montmirail's 1800 population recorded before the war, only about two hundred remain there nowadays, mostly patrol fighter pilots, marines and maintenance engineers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Marne is a densely populated industrial world that holds more than three quarters of all Gallic Border Worlds population. Discovered in 506 A.S. by a Gallic expedition sent from Burgundy, this planet has immediately attracted attention of authorities and corporations. Atmosphere was suitable for colonization, and planet's crust appeared to be rich in oil and metal ores. ELF Oil & Machinery, Gallic Metal Service, and a number of other companies from the Core Systems have all participated in building up the industrial infrastructure. But when millions of workers were transported to Marne in 615-650 A.S., they didn't find the perfect living conditions and beautiful cities that they were promised. Instead, vast cities consisted of similar blocks of flats and were located right next to plants and factories: there were few policemen to stop the crime, almost no social services, and even no fresh air because of massive and uncontrolled pollution. On some distance from the cities, small towns were built to house higher-class settlers. Those towns were heavily guarded by Police and private security guard against the crime that was increasing steadily since the colonization had started. Throughout the last two hundred years, the workers of Marne had to repeat the history of struggle for their rights that took place on Earth in the XIX century. Most of them supported the Gallic Liberation Movement, while some followed more radical path and to become revolutionary socialists. Only a few of the planet's populace supported the royalist Conservative Party and various nationalistic movements. After the Liberation Movement was disbanded and banned in 720 A.S., the officials on Marne became more and more reluctant to uphold the previosly secured workers' rights. Lacking peaceful ways to express their protests, the workers started to realize that period of bloodless struggle has come to an end. Many joined a group named the Council that followed Liberalist political ideas. Many even joined the Maquis, a terrorist organization formed within the Council structure. Over the years, Marne has become an ill-famed place for corporate officials. Streakbreakers, corrupt policemen, and even random rich sitizens were regularly found dead, gunned down by long-range sniper rifles or simply stabbed to death in the streets. Security was tightened, but it was too late. When the government has initiated a tactic of revenge, arresting random Council activists not in any way privy to the cause in response to each crime committed against higher-class Marne colonists, a massive rebellion had become inevitable. The rebellion that started in 794 A.S. is universally considered the beginning of the Second Gallic War. After two years of fighting, the Gallic Army has gained the upper hand due to advanced warfare technologies and tight control of the space around the planet. However, the government was unaware that Council was going to interfere and use its newly gained military might to turn the tides of war. In 798 A.S., when the Gallic Army has initiated an overall offensive, the Council breached the planetary defenses, and Council corps landed on the planet. Gradually, the situation on Marne has changed: in 801 A.S., after years of bloody fighting, the whole planet was under control of the Council. Marne soon became the center of Council government and seat of the High Command. Cities were rebuilt, but millions of former workers have lost their job because the factories where they worked were destroyed or plundered; those workers formed an endless supply of dedicated recruits who joined the Council fleets in order to fight their former opressors from the Core Systems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Marne is a densely populated industrial world that holds more than three quarters of all Gallic Border Worlds population. Discovered in 506 A.S. by a Gallic expedition sent from Burgundy, this planet has immediately attracted attention of authorities and corporations. Atmosphere was suitable for colonization, and planet's crust appeared to be rich in oil and metal ores. ELF Oil & Machinery, Gallic Metal Service, and a number of other companies from the Core Systems have all participated in building up the industrial infrastructure. But when millions of workers were transported to Marne in 615-650 A.S., they didn't find the perfect living conditions and beautiful cities that they were promised. Instead, vast cities consisted of similar blocks of flats and were located right next to plants and factories: there were few policemen to stop the crime, almost no social services, and even no fresh air because of massive and uncontrolled pollution. On some distance from the cities, small towns were built to house higher-class settlers. Those towns were heavily guarded by Police and private security guard against the crime that was increasing steadily since the colonization had started. Throughout the last two hundred years, the workers of Marne had to repeat the history of struggle for their rights that took place on Earth in the XIX century. Most of them supported the Gallic Liberation Movement, while some followed more radical path and to become revolutionary socialists. Only a few of the planet's populace supported the royalist Conservative Party and various nationalistic movements. After the Liberation Movement was disbanded and banned in 720 A.S., the officials on Marne became more and more reluctant to uphold the previosly secured workers' rights. Lacking peaceful ways to express their protests, the workers started to realize that period of bloodless struggle has come to an end. Many joined a group named the Council that followed Liberalist political ideas. Many even joined the Maquis, a terrorist organization formed within the Council structure. Over the years, Marne has become an ill-famed place for corporate officials. Streakbreakers, corrupt policemen, and even random rich sitizens were regularly found dead, gunned down by long-range sniper rifles or simply stabbed to death in the streets. Security was tightened, but it was too late. When the government has initiated a tactic of revenge, arresting random Council activists not in any way privy to the cause in response to each crime committed against higher-class Marne colonists, a massive rebellion had become inevitable. The rebellion that started in 794 A.S. is universally considered the beginning of the Second Gallic War. After two years of fighting, the Gallic Army has gained the upper hand due to advanced warfare technologies and tight control of the space around the planet. However, the government was unaware that Council was going to interfere and use its newly gained military might to turn the tides of war. In 798 A.S., when the Gallic Army has initiated an overall offensive, the Council breached the planetary defenses, and Council corps landed on the planet. Gradually, the situation on Marne has changed: in 801 A.S., after years of bloody fighting, the whole planet was under control of the Council. Marne soon became the center of Council government and seat of the High Command. Cities were rebuilt, but millions of former workers have lost their job because the factories where they worked were destroyed or plundered; those workers formed an endless supply of dedicated recruits who joined the Council fleets in order to fight their former opressors from the Core Systems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Champagne] Reims was built by EFL Oil & Machinery in 643 A.S. In 798 A.S., when the civil war on Marne have entered its crucial stage, the station was captured by Council marines. Casualties were high, cause Council troops in the beginning of the war were outgunned and badly trained, but numerical superiority has ensured Council a victory in their first hostile action against Gallic government. Now Reims plays an important role in Council's economy, being a point of transit for smuggled goods coming to and from the Core Systems of Gallia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Chester] Unknown object. No further information available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Chugoku] The history of the Blood Dragons goes back to the fourth century. The founding members of the group were the Shogun's Royal Guard during the Hideyoshi family dynasty. In a bloody coup during the celebration of the revived Sakura festival in 321 AS, the Shogun was surrounded in the palace by Samura-backed elements of the military and asked to surrender, along with the Royal Guard. The Shogun, humiliated by the shame he had brought his family, committed suicide. The guards, headed by Kozue Okamura, did not acquiesce so easily. In a bloody battle, they fought their way out of the palace and retreated into the darkness of northern Kusari space. Here they regrouped and began a long guerrilla campaign aimed at overthrowing the Samura-controlled Kusari government The Blood Dragons are a tight group who hold the sympathy and support of individuals in the highest levels of Kusari government. They periodically launch surgical strikes and commando raids from their Kyoto base designed to destabilize the current government to the point where sympathetic officials could potentially seize power. Blood Dragons prefer to target Samura and Kusari Naval Forces bases and ships, although they occasionally attack other House shippers for supplies. The group is loosely allied with the Golden Chrysanthemums, who provide refuge and a forward tactical base for assault crews in the Hokkaido system. The Golden C. also provide many of the essential Commodities that the Blood Dragons need, a critical function given the complete lack of Blood Dragon landing rights within the rest of Kusari space. The Chugoku Gate construction is viewed as a direct threat to the continued survival of the group. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Colorado] Constructed in 777 A.S., the Battleship Rio Grande has been at the forefront of many assaults against the Xenos and Liberty Rogues. It first became famous in the 792 A.S. campaign against the Xenos in the Hudson system, later followed by the 808 A.S. campaign against the Liberty Rogues, again in the Hudson system. Currently commanded by Commodore John Palmer, the Rio Grande's primary mission is to safeguard the vitally important Ageira Technologies manufacturing facility at Pueblo Station, and is also occasionally assigned to patrol the Kepler and Galileo systems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Colorado] The Xenos were originally comprised of heavy manufacturing and mining workers within Colorado and Texas. Quite a number of their ancestors also worked at the Ames Research Station, which was a good employer for generations. But Liberty increasingly made money from its information technology licensing and Trade Lane associated monopolies rather than hard, manufactured goods. Over time most of the blue-collar workers became unemployed and were pushed to the economic fringe of Liberty society, with this trend culminating in the collapse of almost all Colorado based mining industries in 600 A.S., precipitated in no small part by the failure of the terraforming projects in the California system, and the exhaustion of silver reserves in the Silverton field. As the Liberty rich moved to Colorado to escape the paradise lost in California, the Xenos were displaced to a small base in the mined out Silverton asteroid field, located inside a hollowed out asteroid known as Ouray. The base took several years to make habitable, with the various construction projects finally completed in 628 A.S. Once settled in to their new home, the Xenos began launching sporadic raids focused against foreign shippers, in the hopes of driving them out of Liberty. Whenever they were captured they were sent to Huntsville prison in Texas, where cross-fertilization with other inmates only helped to swell their ranks. Xenos also hate the foreigner Outcasts that feed the habits of Liberty's morally corrupt rich. For this reason, most of those declared NCR for drug crimes are placed aboard the Sugarland to keep the two groups separate. Because of the Xeno preference for other Houses' ships, Universal Shipping has actually benefited from the attacks and has lobbied the government to take it easy on them. It is rumoured that some of their attacks on foreign shipping were not Xenos, but actually mercenaries hired by Universal to harass the competition. As a result, certain clandestine deals (that Universal strenuously deny) have been struck, and as such the Xenos have entered into an "agreement" with the Liberty corporation. The agreement was that the Xenos are to ignore Universal Shipping in return for supplies, information and political pressure on the Liberty government in their favour. The Xenos are currently one of the poorest of all the criminal factions, so they have little resources to buy better ships and weapons. To gain a more stable income stream, they hope to evict the Junkers from Texas, and ultimately New York, and thus control a crucial market for black market goods, mostly artifacts, "cracked" software, and illegal gold and diamonds. The implications of the drop in cardamine sales are obvious. The Xenos' love of side arms regularly brings them into conflict with Ageira, especially around the Detroit Munitions plant. They also regularly attack the Junkers in the Jersey Debris Field of northern New York, in the hopes of displacing the scrap merchants as the premier smuggling outfit within Liberty. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Colorado] Originally home to miners, smelters and shipyard workers, Denver has always had a sizeable population, but during the economic collapse of the silver industry in 600 A.S., many of the workers were put out of jobs and either left the system or ended up joining the nascent Xeno movement. The planetary population plummeted, with the remaining people left to scratch a living on Denver's farmsteads, and also in the small, but profitable, tourist industry. With the California water shortages continuing unabated, the wealthy elite of Los Angeles began to search for an alternative holiday destination and place to call home, and they found it in the guise of Denver's rough savannahs and beautiful, pristine beaches. The resulting emigration injected new life into the planet's economy, reviving its flagging fortunes, even as the newly arrived upper class were in the process of systematically taking control of the local government authorities. Nowadays the planetary population of Denver stands at a healthy 945 million people, making it the second most populated planet in Liberty after Manhattan itself. Such is the attraction of Denver that Cryer Pharmaceuticals maintains one of the largest medical research facilities in Sirius, just outside the capital city of Crichton Springs, while the headquarters of the Ageira Technologies corporation is also located on the planet. It is widely known that the Liberty Police are paid extremely handsomely by the wealthy residents to ensure the continued peace and security of Denver. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Colorado] Ageira Technologies manufacturing facility. Notice: All ships should be aware that Ageira Technologies facilities are protected by private security authorized to use deadly force against any deviation from standard flight procedures. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Connecticut] Five neutral Arena stations located in Connecticut provide Arena competitors with repairs, ammunition and amenities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Connecticut] Five neutral Arena stations located in Connecticut provide Arena competitors with repairs, ammunition and amenities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Connecticut] Five neutral Arena stations located in Connecticut provide Arena competitors with repairs, ammunition and amenities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Connecticut] Five neutral Arena stations located in Connecticut provide Arena competitors with repairs, ammunition and amenities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Connecticut] Five neutral Arena stations located in Connecticut provide Arena competitors with repairs, ammunition and amenities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Coronado] Barrier Gate is one of the few and the largest privately owned space stations in Sirius. Freelancer George Tinsley made a name for himself in underworld circles when he discovered the "Barrier Pass", a shortcut between Tau and Liberty space that completely bypasses Bretonia. Knowing full well that his secret would not remain that way for long Tinsley called in favours and invested his entire fortune into having a rock on the edge of the Barrier Ice Field hollowed out and turned into a base. When the IMG workers he had hired finished, Tinsley began to tell his peers about the new passage. Although retired from freelance piloting Tinsley has become the administrator of Barriers Gate which has grown steadily over last decade. The station is ocupied by people on the run, Bretonian draft dodgers, and refugees. Most of the revenue on the station is generated by smugglers and pirates, although the IMG use the station as refuge from the cold conditions on Pecos. As Tinsley planned Barrier Gate has become the place where the Outcasts exchange cardimine with the criminals of Liberty, producing astounding profits. Not that his plan hasn't been without its problems. Tinsley is constantly fighting subtle attempts to take over the station from the Rogues, Junkers and the Outcasts themselves. In addition, the publication of the Barrier Pass and the new station earned Tinsley several large bounties from Molly gangs who have lost most of their Cardamine smuggling business. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Coronado] Pecos is a larger moon composed of rock and ice caught in a 37 year cycle of melting and thawing as it orbits Salina bringing it closer and further away from the sun. The IMG established a small mining colony during 812 A.S. after completing work on Barrier Gate. Pecos posses a breathable but dangerously thin atmosphere, elevations above 30 meters over the "sea level" require machine assisted breathing. Deep within the moon crust is frozen deposits of what IMG suspected to be natural frozen heavy water which is on track to become one of the strongest sources of Deuterium in Sirius. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Coronado] The Armstrong is a heavily modified Star Liner owned by Deep Space Engineering. Dispatched from the newly colonized Ontario system in 814 A.S. the Armstrong has just arrived in Coronado after a year long flight through the void between systems. The Armstrong's primary directive is to explore the Coronado system for assets and send possible jump gate telemetries for future colonization. When it arrived, the Armstrong's crew was extremely surprised to find that the IMG had already established a mining colony on Pecos. Although the two groups are not openly hostile to one another, the local IMG is giving the Armstrong the cold shoulder fearing a possible Liberty takeover of their lucrative mining operation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cortez] Completed in 780 A.S., Montezuma is the home and birthplace of the Liberty Rogues' infamous spacecraft, the Greyhound, and is rather less well-hidden than most other Rogue bases. Some of the more paranoid elements within the Rogues suspect that the Liberty Navy has a very good idea where the Cortez Rogues take their spoils after a long, hard day of honest piracy. Regardless, Montezuma remains, as it has always been, a popular destination for much of the pirate element that accumulates around western Liberty. The colourful assortment of Rogues, Lane Hackers, Outcasts, and the like sprawled across rickety chairs or lounging at the tiki bar serves as a vibrant reminder of the diversity Liberty has to offer in criminal terms, though it also has a more sinister connotation, as the more discerning visitor aboard the ice asteroid may soon realize what a potent threat the pirate hordes can and do pose to the safety and sanctity of the House where they ply their trade. Nick Creeley, Montezuma's greying chief, once proposed that the Outcasts aboard the station teach the Rogues the tricks to their skilful piloting, but arrangements eventually petered out in the face of disorganized chaos. Practically any good or ware can be purchased in Montezuma's expansive storage bays, from artifacts to niobium, it is for sale here. The prices are in proportion, as well, since Montezuma's dealers do a brisk trade most every day supplying Liberty's undesirables with their daily necessities. "Shady" transactions aren't made aboard this base, with bales of dried cardamine lie heaped beside food rations and superconductors. The nature of the ware doesn't matter, only the amount of credits in the buyer's pocket do. Crime in the region generally is centered on here and Bretonia, as the only House that yet maintains truly positive relations with Liberty, does a brisk interregional trade, and the Rogues accordingly fatten their pockets with trader spoils. Life is easy on Montezuma, they say, and the Rogues certainly maintain that appearance, for the sake of business if for nothing else, but the ominous threats of the Navy finally getting wise as well as of the roiling pirate masses loom more or less constantly, and every now and again, as the space-raid klaxons wail, it's all the Rogues of Cortez can do to thrust aside their fears. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Cortez] Unfettered by colony law, Curacao is run by Orbital Spa and Cruise Lines as a pleasure planet where every whim and decadent urge is fulfilled. The only sound that can be heard over the lapping waves on its fabulous beaches is the tremendous outpouring of credits by its patrons. This is not a planet for the idle vacationer; it was established to cater to the affluent from Manhattan and Los Angeles who, in many cases, have more currency than morals. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dauphine] Embrun is a battleship of an older Normandie class that was built in 710 A.S. Although less efficient in action than Richelieu battleships, Embrun had several upgrades of its defense systems, making it an ideal choice to guard the unsafe border between Dauphine and Burgundy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dauphine] One of the newest battleships of Richelieu class, Guillestre has played an important role in the numerous battles for Dauphine that Gallic Royal Navy has decisively won in 808-812 A.S., practically taking the system away from Council's control. Now it is stationed near the jump hole to Languedoc, guarding the entrance from the Council raiders who are regularly testing Dauphine defenses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dauphine] Briancon is a large commercial space station maintained by EFL Oil & Machinery and Gallic Royal Police. Since the Gallic Border Worlds became an area of fighting between the Council and the Gallic Navy, Briancon was one of the first installations to receive advanced weapon systems, which included long-range missile turrets. Reinforced armor and weapons guaranteed safety for the station's inhabitants even in the years when the Council was raiding Dauphine system on a regular basis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dauphine] An installation orbiting Planet Drome, Gap is most known for a fierce battle fought on the station's decks by the Council's marines and Gallic Army space detachment in 809 A.S. The battle ended in favour of the Army, but no less than 400 men and women were killed in action from both sides, with almost half a hundred missing, possibly blown away into open space. In the chaos that followed, no one had a single chance to search for the bodies: after losing the station, the Council moved heavy warships to the station that opened fire in attempt to destroy the airlocks and depressurize the station. This act was one of the few cases when the enraged Council openly attacked civilian population. Luckly, however, the Battleship Guillestre of Gallic Royal Navy soon arrived, leading a large Gallic fleet. Council ships were driven away, leaving behind the partially destroyed airlocks. Soldiers who were guarding them were dead, but station engineers manually locked inner airlocks, thus avoiding civilian casualties. The Council tries to avoid discussing this subject whenever possible. If Council representatives are directly asked about what happened in Gap, they claim that the warships opened fire by mistake, and that officers who incorrectly interpreted orders of the Council High Command were severely punished. What were the actual orders of High Command, however, remains unknown. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dauphine] Grenoble is a small space station built by the Council in 811 A.S. in order to prepare the invasion of Languedoc. Unlike several maintainance and storage satellites that later self-destroyed when Royal Navy ships approached them, Grenoble was not destroyed but rather given to the Maquis in order to compensate their help in the Languedoc campaign. Maquis extended the station and reinforced its hull to counter possible future assaults of Navy fighters. Grenoble is located in a convenient location next to the Languedoc Jump Hole, not far from the Montelimar Base belonging to Unione Corse, and Brigands' Narbonne Base on the other side of the hole. Currently it is a busy junction between black market routes running to and from Languedoc and Dauphine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dauphine] Well-hidden inside a nebula and an asteroid field, the Montelimar Base is just as secretive as Unione Corse themselves are. Providing safe ground for Corse operations in Dauphine and Languedoc, this station remains closed for all except the most trusted Corse partners. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dauphine] Valence was built by Gallic Brigands inside a hollow rock asteroid. While providing backup for usual Brigand activities in the system, it also used as a transit point for Council supplies coming to Languedoc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dresden] Commissioned in 805 A.S., the Battleship Altenburg was initially assigned to patrol the Stuttgart system along with the Battleship Karlsruhe. However, due to the ever increasing Red Hessian raids on the Leipzig and Bautzen stations in the Dresden system, the Rheinland Military high command were forced to station the Altenburg near to Leipzig in early 813 A.S., in order to discourage further attacks. The frequency of the raids against Leipzig have dropped considerably since, which have led some Rheinland Military commanders to believe that the Altenburg is having an effect, but in reality it is more likely that the Red Hessians are far too preoccupied in their war against the Corsairs to be able to spare much manpower for raiding parties. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dresden] Built in 288 A.S., shortly after the construction of the New Berlin to Dresden Jump Gate, Bautzen Station supports the Kruger Minerals mining operations in the Dresden system. Smaller than the rival Daumann facility at Leipzig, Kruger chose to focus solely on the extraction of Diamonds from the shifting clouds and rogue asteroids that populate Dresden, particularly in the Schwefelnebel. It is from here that the famous blue diamonds, also known as "Hessian Tears" originated, mined from the lava fields of Dresden by the tireless efforts of Kruger miners. The vast majority of the diamonds mined in Dresden are used in industrial concerns, however, as their quality is often not good enough for the luxury goods markets. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dresden] Leipzig Station is the main ore processing and smelting operation for Daumann Heavy Construction in Dresden. A chaotic system of fierce tidal eddies and volcanic asteroids, Dresden is an unforgiving environment; conditions aboard Leipzig are reportedly little better, with overcrowding a constant problem and industrial accidents a common occurrence. Cargo runs are usually under heavy protection since their valuable cargo makes them a particularly attractive target for pirates. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dresden] Pirna Border Station is the command center for the Rheinland Federal Police in the Dresden System. The Federal Police are tasked with protecting Daumann cobalt convoys outbound from Leipzig Station from pirate attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dresden] Completely covered in a massive cloud of industrial smog, Vogtland base is the very heart of Red Hessian operations in Rheinland, and the primary manufacturing facility for most new ships and weaponry. It was the first ever permanent base to be established by the movement. Despite the Popular Revolution beginning in earnest in 672 A.S., the Hessian movement had made use of mobile bases comprised of hijacked and retrofitted transports, before the political fiasco of 700 A.S. forced the Bundschuh back underground, and the miners into another uprising. With the second attempt being far less successful than the first one, the Red Hessian ranks swelled with people poised to take the situation into their own hands, resulting in an upsurge in vigilantism. First discovered in 701 A.S. during reconnaisance conducted by Hessian raiders searching for possible attack routes and hiding spots, the enormous asteroid, so conveniently locked in a gravity well between several jump hole anomalies, has since been the major landmark for Hessian ships to rendezvous at before proceeding to assault nearby trade. By 703 A.S., efforts had been made by the former miners to build a fuel, supply and storage station there, thus providing the raiders with a viable fall back point and staging area. It wasn't long before living quarters and massive docking spaces were carved into the rock itself, and the refuel and resupply area was moved inside the cavernous space within. Many years later, Vogtland would become nothing short of a small space city, filling up almost the entire asteroid, housing and supporting nearly half a million Hessians in-between their raids and battles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dublin] The history of the Mollys is intimately linked with that of Dublin. During the height of the Dublin Gold rush, the field manager in charge of the primary large-scale corporate operation in the system was a ruthless tyrant named Sir Edmund Graves. Graves pushed the miners to the limit in the name of profits, causing many unnecessary deaths. Greed combined with absolute control had proved too tempting. He and his lieutenants began skimming a percentage off the Gold take on a weekly basis. The miners were pushed harder to cover up the shortfall in shipments back to New London, and the situation became critical. The Founders Day Revolt, as it came to be known, occurred on the annual national Bretonian holiday in 752 AS that commemorated the original founding of New London centuries before. The workers mutinied, executed Graves and his compatriots, and took control of the mining ships Endeavor and Glorious. The Bretonian military response was swift and furious. Bretonian gunboats arrived shortly, and in the ensuing battle, destroyed the Endeavor and its mutineers. They pursued the Glorious across the system into a dense field, where they stumbled into a large, explosive booby trap set by the fleeing miners. One gunboat was destroyed; several were damaged. The Battleship Hood was rushed in from New London to restore order. This proved to be the last straw. The remaining miners in the system declared their independence from the ruthless oppressor, and began a long guerrilla war of attrition against the Bretonian government. In the most famous incident, they disabled the Hood's engines with a huge mine and set off a large chain-reaction explosion in the ship's aft. The repairs required were extensive and could only be undertaken in the New London shipyard. Unfortunately, the ship was considered too unstable to undertake the journey back through the Jump Gate. It was officially abandoned and stripped of most weaponry, engines, and sensitive electronics. The ship was later reoccupied by the IMG and now serves as the only Freeport within House frontiers. Despite few tangible victories in their effort to free the Dublin system from control of the Bretonian government, they've still managed to fight a vastly superior military force to a near standstill. The Armed Forces patrols from the Essex usually only respond when the Mollys make attacks on the BMM operation in the GS&M Gold field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dublin] Home to the Bretonia Armed Forces in this system, the Essex scans all ships that pass through the Jump Gate for illicit Gold shipments smuggled from the Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) operations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dublin] The Hood was an abandoned hulk until it was re-pressurized by a few enterprising members of the Independent Mining Guild looking to make a fast buck. The Hood is now a floating bazaar where the Mollys come to trade, usually paying in Gold. The most popular pastime aboard the ship involves racing through the neighboring asteroid field; most races generally end with a survivor as opposed to a winner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dublin] Originally built in 744 A.S., Graves Station is known as the single most lucrative mining operation in Bretonian space. Despite being within the bloodiest battleground Bretonia has ever engaged in combat in, Graves Station mines a substantial amount of gold from the nearby Graves Asteroid Field, the richest source of gold yet found in Sirius. Despite being such a successful operation, Graves is more famous for it's history. Originally owned by Graves Mining Inc., the station was the site of the infamous Founder's Day Revolution, or, more commonly known as the birth date of the Molly Revolutionary organisation, when miners aboard the station rebelled against Lord Edmund Graves, the head of Graves Mining Inc., for the dismal wages and horrible conditions he forced his workers to endure. After the revolt the government temporarily took control of the station to restore order, although these days it is again run by BMM and Lord Edmund's daughter, Selena Graves, is the current station commandant. She has spent a considerable amount of time and money to right the wrongs of her father and the miners are generally paid a generous wage for the dangers inherent in their work, though a contingent of BPA constables are permanently stationed on board to dissuade any future misconduct. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Duesseldorf] Duisburg was built in 805 A.S., being the first installation of the Unioners in a desolate Duesseldorf system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Duesseldorf] Speyer is the major ship building and maintainance facility of the Unioners. Constructed in 817 A.S., this base is populated with a fairly large number of Unioners who once were shipyard workers. Some say that this installation might one day be converted into a fully-capable shipyard, of course, if the faction will be able to afford construction costs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dundee] Stirling is one of the older battleships of Bretonia stationed in Dundee to keep the system secure both from the roaming Kusari forces and from the Mollys who consider Dundee as their new base of operations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dundee] The Bretonia Police started to operate in Dundee only recently. Danger posed by remaining Kusari forces makes the job of patrolling this system very dangerous, and Dunblane quickly gained a reputation of place where delinquent and generally untrustable police pilots are sent for service. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Dundee] Tayport is a new Molly base recently constructed in the Dundee system. It is rumored that Bretonia Armed Forces tolerated the Molly presence in the system in exchange for guarantees that the Mollys would stay away from any military or support ships belonging to the Armed Forces. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Edinburgh] Aberdeen Border Station is on constant watch for contraband runners and eco-terrorists. It is an official facility operated by the Bretonia Police Authority and its support staff. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Edinburgh] Soon after tourists began to arrive in Edinburgh in 690 AS, Cambridge scientists voiced their concern over the enormous ecological damage that even the most regulated visits could inflict on the planet. Almost from birth Cambridgers had drilled into them the stories of how New London and Leeds were blighted, so they tended to be very environmentally sensitive. A few of the younger and more militant scientists studying on Edinburgh actually went so far as to begin a campaign to sabotage tourist transports in an effort to discourage visits, but with little effect. Once Cobalt was discovered on Gaia in 740, the BMM began to make noises in New London about the need to establish a mining base there. What had been a quiet, bloodless campaign of active resistance blossomed into full-fledged conflict. Graffiti with slogans such as "GAIA WILL NOT BLEED" was spotted soon after. The eco-terrorist movement had begun. Eventually any plans to mine the surface of Edinburgh were dropped -- mostly out of fear that it might cut into the burgeoning tourist industry -- but the Gaians had already broadened their horizons by an influx of radical elements from Cambridge who sought a ban on terraforming technologies. Planetform, Inc. was the natural target. What emerged was a militant terrorist group philosophically opposed to the exploitation of planets, and terraforming in particular. The group enjoyed considerable popular support on Cambridge, funded by the efforts of the legitimate arm of the Gaians called the Green Front. While the Gaians and the eco-terrorist movement as a whole have made little progress outside of Bretonian space, Green Front propaganda is a common sight in Bretonia. Green Front commentators are often present on the news, and unlike the Mollys, a certain amount of tolerance for them exists in the government from those disinclined to antagonize their Cambridge connections. Over the years, the movement has broadened considerably until the majority of its sympathizers are environmentally conscious individuals from throughout Bretonia. The sole Gaian base lies deep within the Islay Ice Cloud at the northeastern edge of the Edinburgh system. From here, the eco-terrorists coordinate attacks on their enemies within Bretonia space and the Tau-31 system. Occasionally, raids are made on the center of all evil -- Planetform, Inc. headquarters at the Canterbury Station in the New London system. Ironically, although they have strong Cambridge roots, there is no activity within that system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Edinburgh] Owned and operated by Orbital Spa and Cruise Lines, the Shetland is a moveable feast for the rich and those who service them. Aside from its gourmet restaurants and shopping arcades, guides aboard the Shetland offer tours of the protected preserve of Gaia -- a beautiful, pristine world -- but planetside visas are an extraordinarily rare and expensive item. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Edinburgh] The second most recent attempt of Planetform's at terraforming a planet, Perth is the headquarters of Planetform's operations on the Planet Ayr. Because of it's recent development, Perth is a hub of activity, with trade convoys entering the area laden with silver, terraforming gases, alien organisms, and basic supplies. The convoys, and the station itself, are frequent targets by the Gaians, who base themselves in the same system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ellesmere] Alert Station is, according to records,one of the most remote base in Liberty space. It was built shortly after the Eureka Research Station, in 812 A.S., to train new LSF agents. The station houses all the necessary equipment to train them, as well as habitation and recreational facilities for long term stays. Agents based at Alert have to go through rigorously intensive testing during their stay on the station, including training in hostile environments, zero gee combat and espionage. Alert Station also monitors all the traffic inside the system and act as a refueling depot for LSF pilots venturing out of Liberty. However, access to the station is extremely restricted. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ellesmere] Constructed in late 811 A.S., the Eureka Research Station is one of the most top secret, and largest, military facilities ever constructed by Liberty. However, the station's existence is known only to high ranking military personnel, since the government does not want its citizens to know about anything related to the facility or the research conducted there. Nevertheless, rumours still persist in military circles of new and potentially dangerous technologies that are continually being pursued to give Liberty that little extra edge against the other houses. Visitors to the facility are forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, holding them to the utmost level of secrecy. The research staff is very closely monitored, although there have been attempts in the past to divulge information about Eureka to the public, but the government has always strongly denied the allegations and the people who leaked the information invariably go missing or turn up dead. The station, built in orbit of the Planet Fosheim, is also used as an observation platform and staging ground for planet side landings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ellesmere] Grise Fjord shipyard is a highly advanced ship construction facility. It is used by the LSF to manufacture large vessels at a faster rate. The facility is equipped with a wide range of automated machinery to increase productivity without requiring too many workers. Grise Fjord was built not long after the completion of Alert Station. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Frankfurt] After the Nomad war ended in 802 A.S., the resulting economic upswing in all four Houses finally gave Rheinland the financial stability to begin reconstructing its capital ship fleet. With the commissioning of the Battleship Westfalen in 803 A.S., the first of the Bismarck class, it wasn't long before more followed it. The Battleship Koblenz was launched in 809 A.S. and was immediately stationed in orbit of the planet Holstein to protect Daumann interests from the Red Hessians. Of late, the attacks against Holstein have slacked off, and the Rheinland Military high command eventually decided to relocate the Koblenz to guard the classified Schatten military research facility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Frankfurt] Believed to be founded by a group of New Berlin University students in 679 AS, the movement had much support among the liberal elite of New Berlin, tired of the corrupt practices of the government that had led them to financial ruin near the end of the 80-Years War. During the Dresden rebellion of 700 AS, the Bundschuh found their first official cause -- shipping supplies "liberated" from Frankfurt to the Kruger and Daumann rebels. Three months after that, sympathetic maintenance workers started sabotaging Daumann manufacturing operations in New Berlin. The industrial heart of Rheinland stopped beating, and the Popular Revolution had begun. Five years later the Emperor was overthrown,, and a new coalition government was established in its place. While the Bundschuh initially pushed for a full investigation into the activities of companies such as Kruger Mining and Daumann Heavy Construction, more pragmatic elements within the government decided that for the newly formed Rheinland Republic to succeed, it needed the support of the aristocrats who controlled those and other major companies. Both Kruger and Daumann were eventually required to pay substantial reparations intended to "improve the Rheinland Republic for the good of all people," and all Rheinland companies were forced to comply with a newly ratified Workers' Rights Convention. By 715 AS business in Dresden had more or less resumed as usual. The Bundschuh were driven underground, an impractical brand of idealism ill-suited to building a consensus among the many different government factions and the aristocrats who controlled the purse strings. The Bundschuh took the ideological high route, attracting the purists dedicated to overthrowing the corrupt Rheinland regime represented by the government, Daumann, and Republican. The Red Hessians adapted the more pragmatic approach of stealing and plundering in the guise of fighting the powers that be. As a result, the Red Hessian ranks swelled, and the Bundschuh dwindled. The Bundschuh have always looked to the Unioners, LWB, Red Hessians, and disgruntled Republican, Daumann and Kruger workers for possible recruits. So they maintain a distinct note of neutrality towards the criminal groups, although they find the Red Hessian practice of indiscriminate piracy distasteful. They prefer to focus on Daumann, Republican, and military bases, although they do raid a ship on occasion for supplies, preferably Samura or Kishiro, as they have no more love for Kusari than the rest of the Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Frankfurt] Fulda Border Station is the command center for the Rheinland Federal Police in the Frankfurt system. The Federal Police is tasked with handling the interdiction of all illegal activity in the area, including drugs, smuggling, and pirate activity. They also maintain a watchful eye on the Gas Mining Guild (GMG). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Frankfurt] Originally built by the Imperial government at the beginning of the Eighty Years War to serve as a forward base against the periodic GMG strikes into Frankfurt, the Mainz station is known for its dual role in those times, serving as both a defensive fort and a storage facility for whatever H-Fuel supplies could be liberated from Sigma-13. It managed to endure for the entirety of the war (including several organised attacks on Holstein itself), only to become a symbol of imperialist aggression after the decisive victory of the GMG in the Battle of the Yanagi Cloud ignited the first sparks of civil unrest in Rheinland. With the coming of the Popular Revolution in 672 A.S., much of the Mainz garrison was withdrawn to New Berlin to help contain the population, and the station fell into disrepair shortly. The turning point in its history came when the reformed Rheinland government decided to change it into a way station for foreign shipping, to encourage freight companies to expand. The Mainz station was set out for auction in early 694 A.S., and Republican Shipping, Rheinland's leading transport company, managed to buy it out in a winning bid. The last military personnel were evacuated from the station a year later. The newly renovated Mainz Storage Facility was officially opened for business in 702 A.S. Its H-Fuel tanks left over from the war with the GMG were refurbished as a valuable asset, and the station legally became the drop-off point for Kusari fuel heading into Rheinland. Nowadays, the Mainz Storage Facility is one of the biggest shipping ports in Rheinland, invaluable to both the economy and shipment security in Frankfurt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Frankfurt] Officially Mannheim Station is owned by Kruger Minerals and they use the base to mine deuterium from the nearby gas giant of Heidelberg. Originally constructed in 670 A.S. by Daumann, Mannheim never made much profit, although Daumann used it more for the prestige of owning the only H-Fuel manufacturing facility in Rheinland than for making money directly, for it gave them a bit more power, especially over their Kruger rivals. Eventually, however, as the after-effects of the Eighty Years War faded away, Daumann made several deals and swapped the ownership of Mannheim and its gas miners in exchange for the ownership of the Planet Holstein. Kruger, happy to be rid of its failed terraforming project on Holstein, was unaware of the raw material deposits that Daumann surveyors had found on Holstein, nor of Daumann's intent to restart the terraforming process. Nevertheless, Kruger has made a reasonable amount of money out of selling H-Fuel at an extremely high cost to the Rheinland Military, who have had little choice but to buy it from Kruger, for the Gas Miners Guild would charge the Rheinland Military an exorbitant price. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Frankfurt] Initially charted in the original exploration of the Frankfurt system in 82 A.S., the planet Holstein was ignored for centuries by the government as its primary concern was the industrial development of Rheinland. Eventually, with the help of prominent politicians on New Berlin, Kruger Minerals succeeded in obtaining the financial loans from Interspace Commerce in order to terraform Holstein, which started in 519 A.S. With the outbreak of the Eighty Years war between Rheinland and the GMG in 589 A.S., the terraforming operations were abandoned as Kruger hastily pulled out of the system. The Frankfurt system became a staging point for military supplies moving to the frontlines in Sigma 13 for many years, with little corporate activity, until the war came to an abrupt end in 668 A.S. After the war, Kruger suffered a stock crash and was forced to make considerable reparations to the Gas Miners Guild, and its operations in Frankfurt never really recovered, with the mining corporation focusing more attention on the Omega 3 and Omega 7 systems. Republican Shipping seized upon the opportunity to construct Mainz Storage Facility in orbit of Stulingen, a moon of Holstein, with Daumann constructing Mannheim and a number of deuterium gas miners in the atmosphere of the gas giant Heidelberg. With the end of the Nomad War, Kruger Minerals offered to transfer ownership of the planet Holstein to Daumann in exchange for the gas miners on Heidelberg. Daumann readily agreed, and upon gaining the rights to the planet, eagerly restarted the terraforming process. Since the planet is already habitable, although with somewhat unpleasantly cold conditions, a number of settlements have already sprung up on the surface under Daumann's watchful eyes, with the current population settling at slightly over 60 million. It is expected that the terraforming operation will be completed within the next couple of years, so patrols have been stepped up to ensure the final stages are completed without interruption. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Frankfurt] Schatten Research Facility was constructed some time during the year 803 A.S., but beyond that, nobody seems to be able to agree on much more. The base is well protected within the alien minefield in the Frankfurt system, virtually inaccessible save for one entry passage. The base itself is the headquarters for major Rheinland special operation projects, which obviously makes it quite a tempting target. However, the division of Black Legionnaires, some of the toughest ground troops in Sirius, stationed on the base for internal security and the high presence of military vessels in and around the station based off of the battleship Koblenz make an assault almost impossible. Beyond that, nobody is quite sure what goes on within the station. It's essentially a giant Faraday Cage; no transmissions get out of the base, and there hasn't been a tool invented that can penetrate the electronic shielding. Reports range from experiments in genetic manipulation, to cybernetic enhancements, to Nomad technology, and even to the Nomads themselves. It has been rumoured, from time to time, that the research facility is the command centre of the BDM, the Rheinland office of naval intelligence, but nothing has ever been confirmed or even slightly validated. No sortie sent against the base, from the Unioners, Red Hessians, or even one memorable attack from the Corsairs, has ever breached the station defences, and it seems likely that for now the secrets of Schatten will remain safe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Fukuoka] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Galileo] Leiden Base was built in 782 A.S. by a group of former Ageira Technologies employees after the Galileo bypass scandal resulted in several executives and an elite development team being forced out of Ageira. They quickly got in contact with the Lane Hackers at Mactan, securing the northern Independent Worlds as their primary areas of operation, preying on the heavy shipping between Liberty and Kusari. Originally the Leiden Hackers focused on straight out piracy, using their knowledge of the Trade Lane systems to hack information on the most tempting of targets, carrying off what they could loot and destroying the rest. After meeting with representatives of the Golden Chrysanthemums to negotiate smuggling arrangements, cardamine has since started flowing southwards from Kusari, with the shipments exchanging hands on Leiden Base. The Liberty Rogues at Padua have taken to purchasing cardamine off the Golden C. girls as well, although the Liberty Rogues prefer to sell it on than consume it themselves. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Galileo] Undoubtedly the most veiled and well-hidden of all Liberty Rogue hideouts, these murky tunnels, roughly cut from the core of a massive, deformed asteroid in the centre of Galileo's Reppu dark matter cloud, have housed perhaps the shadiest and most dubious elements of the Rogues for over a century, ever since the base's construction in early 702 A.S. Copiously dosed with pharmaceuticals to counter Reppu's constant radiation, Padua's murderous population subsists by striking at and hijacking trade between Kusari and Liberty. The Rogues' burgeoning Artifact trade is housed here, funnelling said artifacts from the north to Liberty proper, where they ultimately end up at Rochester Base in New York's Jersey field. The Reppu cloud obfuscates scanners and makes it impossible to catch criminal elements fleeing from local law enforcement, relatively sporadic though it may be, a fact that has been thoroughly exploited not only by Padua's Rogue inhabitants, but also by the Lane Hackers housed in Leiden to the distant north of the system, who can frequently be seen docking here to divulge important information on traders and cargo convoys passing through the system. Padua, comparatively out-of-the-way, has in recent years been receiving a population boost from an unusual source: the Rogue Guard. The Liberty Rogues' home system of Cassini may be found immediately north of Padua proper and is defended rigorously and zealously, and uninvited "visitors" are well advised to stay clear of the system. Padua's slanting hallways harbour many a dark secret; visitors hurrying through the dimly-lit passageways may see gleaming eyes peering at them from behind chiselled doorways, or hear the malignant click of a Detroit blaster being cocked. Despite, or perhaps because of, its suspicious and vaguely threatening ambience, Padua remains fairly popular, especially for Rogues looking to make a quick getaway and/or lay low for a while. Its bar is said to be the finest in all Liberty, though the Hackers of Leiden vehemently claim that theirs is really the best. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Halle] A small and desolate Police installation in Haale system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Halle] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hamburg] Constructed by Republican Shipping, the Alster Shipyard specializes in the construction of freight ships and transports; however, Alster is most well known as the birthplace of the Unioner movement. After the economic collapse and the ensuing Popular Revolution, the Unioners became increasingly radicalized until they were added to the official list of terrorist factions. While the Alster Shipyards continues to operate, Republican Shipping -- in conjunction with the Rheinland Federal Police -- is believed to have purged most of the Unioners from the facility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hamburg] Originally built in 706 A.S. to handle all the goods flowing into Rheinland from Liberty, Altona Station has been an important base for Republican Shipping for over a century. In recent years, especially with the increasing tensions with Liberty, business onboard the station has slowly been declining in favour of relatively new warehouse facilities on the surface of planet Hamburg. The Unioners also like to attack the station and any convoys going to and from it, despite the heavy police presence around the planet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hamburg] The Battleship Westfalen has had a long and turbulent history, ever since the original battleship was commissioned in 676 A.S. It was the only battleship to survive the Eighty Years War against the GMG, with the broken remains of her sister ships still scattered across the Sigma 13 nebula even today. Falling apart, with a serious shortage of manpower and spare parts, the Westfalen was eventually relocated to the Hamburg system in order to clamp down on the ever-increasing Bundschuh and Unioner attacks. After nearly a hundred and thirty years of increasingly unreliable service, the battleship was finally scrapped, its parts sent to ALG for recycling. However, due to the exemplary record of the ship, and its history of service, it was agreed to christen the first of the new Bismarck class battleships as the new Westfalen, and the vessel is once again stationed in Hamburg, serving as a highly visible symbol of the Chancellor's growing military power. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hamburg] Lubeck Border Station is the command center for the Rheinland Federal Police in the Hamburg system. The Federal Police is tasked with handling the interdiction of all illegal activity in the area, including drugs, smuggling, and pirate activity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hamburg] While slightly more pleasant than New Berlin, with temperatures rising as high as 8°C at the equator, Hamburg is still a planet of forbidding grey skies, frosty summers and bitterly cold winters. Despite similar weather conditions to that of planet New Berlin, the axial inclination of Hamburg is such that a day lasts roughly 26 hours, and the seasons are roughly similar to those on old Earth. The famous Rheinland explorer, Joachim Schiller, discovered the Hamburg system in 87 A.S. and many settlers arrived later the same year to colonise planet Hamburg. Several corporations including Kruger Minerals and Republican Shipping also quickly set up bases, keen to exploit the resources of the newly discovered system. Hamburg prospered over the centuries, becoming a cosmopolitan planet largely owned by Republican Shipping, through which pours large amounts of side arms, pharmaceuticals, water, oxygen and other vital commodities to and from Liberty and the other houses. Some cargo is offloaded onboard Altona, although most tends to be stored in planet-side warehouses these days, to guard from the endless Unioner attacks that plague the system. The planet's population is a curious mixture of suits, dock workers, security, police, traders, bounty hunters and other freelancers, looking for work amidst the bars, offices and markets that dominate Hamburg's capital city, Hafen City. The planet suffered severely in the aftermath of the Eighty Years War, with over 30% of the entire system's population unemployed by 680 A.S. It has slowly recovered since then, especially during the reign of Kanzler Rheinhardt, and the planetary population has settled at around a comfortable 1 billion people, most of which are still employed by Republican Shipping and the burgeoning tourist industry, particularly in winter sports such as grav skiing and ice fighting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hamburg] When the unpleasant necessity of protecting the fledgling Rheinland Republic required the construction of a special prison for handling violent radicals, the Vierlande Prison was stationed in Hamburg in 715 AS. Its extreme isolation and lack of appreciable sunlight make it one of the more dreaded destinations for captured Red Hessians, Unioners, and other criminals. Sentences are almost always for life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hamburg] Wedel is a Unioner base in Hamburg. Originally a Kruger mining facility, it was abandoned by its workers in an act of defiance during early 670 A.S. when the political and economic implications in Rheinland were affecting Kruger directly, after the catastrophic defeat of the Rheinland Military in the Battle of the Yanagi Nebula in Sigma-13. The facility was eventually struck from the books by the company, with the reason quoted as "insufficient profit capabilities". A reactivation process was planned for the future, but prospectors confirmed what was mostly obvious about the Alster asteroid field: it was nearly depleted of minerals. The plans for renovation were then canceled. Still capable of operation (but dismissed as wreckage) it was passively inhabited by squatters for the next ninety years, until eventually claimed by a large party of Unioners in 760 A.S. Since then, Wedel acts as a focal point for resupply, smuggling and even raiding operations in Hamburg and New Berlin. Relatively well hidden in the rocks of the Alsterfeld, it is a vital base to Unioner operations all across Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hiroshima] Kusari Naval Forces Guard battleship located in Hiroshima system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hiroshima] Built in 817 AS, Kure shipyard is the latest acquisition of the Naval Forces. Superior equipment does not only give it the ability for construction and maintainment of all Naval Forces capital ships, it is also known as a research and development center. Parts are temporarily used as storage for the toxic waste gathered from the Iwo Jima cloud. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hiroshima] Matsue base was constructed in 799 as a last redoubt for the Emperor and his family when the conflict with Rheinland began. Later known as the Nomad crisis. As the crisis ended, the Admiralty of the Kusari Naval Forces saw the advantage of Hiroshima as a remote but strategic system. The headquarters were moved to Matsue, which also serves to train new staff officers. While the Emperor resides in his castle on New Tokyo, his guardians watch over the Blue Lagoon from Hiroshima, having Honshu and New Tokyo both within arms' reach. Since the war with Bretonia began, the station has been additionally outfitted as a small laboratory for classified military projects. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hokkaido] Most scholars date the start of the group as the publication of Golden Chrysanthemum in Bloom in 642 A.S. The author, Yuyu Matsuda, was a young but critically acclaimed poet. Charismatic and well-spoken, Matsuda had a considerable following among young Kusari women who found their lives lacking in direction but were reluctant to become married and fulfil their traditional role in Kusari society. Yuyu decried what she saw as the corruption of the Kusari male-dominated culture and preached a revolution led by the long-suffering women of Kusari. These ideas were eventually encapsulated in Golden Chrysanthemum in Bloom, in which Matsuda described a fictitious nation called Yomi. A place of fat, lazy male bureaucrats who handed out concessions at the whim of entrenched mega-corporations, Yomi was eventually engulfed in revolution and united under the rule of a benevolent Empress personally selected by the goddess Amaterasu to watch over her people. Matsuda looked to the foreigners as a model, where women could be president and run corporations. The Chrysanthemum went on to become a best-seller. Unfortunately, in 648 A.S., Matsuda crossed the dangerous line between ideas and actions when she was implicated in the botched assassination attempt of the planetary governor of Kyushu. Rather than face the ignominy of imprisonment, Matsuda chose ritual suicide instead. An increase in attacks on government personnel and installations followedsoon after. Unfortunately, any attempts to locate the Golden Chrysanthemum base or learn more about their organization has been thwarted by their willingness to die rather than talk. A Golden C. pilot will trigger her ship's self-destruction rather than be captured, and suicide attacks are common. Attempts to infiltrate the Golden C. have proven equally fruitless, due to the rituals, security measures and Cardamine addiction required to become a fully fledged member. On several occasions the Kusari government has received the finger of an undercover agent wrapped in a page from one of Matsuda's books. The Kusari State Police tries to keep a watchful eye on the faction, but has been unable to curb their activities with any real success. This is somewhat due to the assistance of the Blood Dragons, who have made use of Ainu Depot as a rest stop on the long journey to the inner systems of Kusari. The Blood Dragons also share the group's desire to overthrow the government and reform House Kusari, although this may eventually lead to an ideological conflict between the two groups, as the Blood Dragons may not concede to all the social reforms that the Golden Chrysanthemums will insist upon. Originally, the Golden Chrysanthemums were never as well armed as the Blood Dragons nor as influential as the Hogosha, and were more of an irritant to the government than an actual threat. In recent years however, especially in the wake of the war against Bretonia, greater amounts of funding from the increased popularity of Cardamine, and recruits from the dissatisfied younger elements of Kusari society, have flooded into the organisation. The Golden Chrysanthemums have grown to potentially rival the paramilitary power of the Blood Dragons, both in technology and in the quality of pilots, although due to their radical ideas they still lack the considerable political influence that the Blood Dragons secretly wield within elements of the Kusari government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hokkaido] Constructed at Yokohama Shipyards in 798 A.S., the Battleship Matsumoto is one of the Genji class battleships that were built primarily as mobile bases and for securing key locations from pirate forces, rather than for the crushing brutality of frontline warfare against other capital ships, where manoeuvrability is often the key. As a result, the Matsumoto lacks the agility of its brothers but packs in considerably more armour, sensors and firepower. Currently the battleship is under the command of Shosho Tatsuya Mochizuki, and has been stationed near to the Chugoku Gate construction site in order to safeguard the area from Blood Dragon and Golden Chrysanthemum attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hokkaido] In 798 A.S., construction was started on the jump gate leading to the Chugoku system, with most of the workers coming from Deep Space Engineering. Officially, the Kusari government states that the Chugoku system holds a considerable amount of mineral wealth that would benefit Kusari, but it is widely known that the primary reason for constructing the jump gate is to wipe out the Blood Dragon threat once and for all. Due to the heavy radiation and unpredictable gas clouds of the Hokkaido system, and the extremely high rate of terrorist attacks, Interspace Commerce refused to insure the venture until the Kusari government agreed to move the Battleship Matsumoto to cover the construction site. The jump gate construction project and the trade lanes leading to it were originally supposed to have been completed in 803 A.S., but thanks to the efforts of the Blood Dragons and their Golden Chrysanthemum allies, the project is more than three billion credits over budget and is still not close to being completed. Samura Industries is insistent that it will be constructed by 820 A.S. by the latest, but the commander of the Battleship Matsumoto, Shosho Tatsuya Mochizuki, remains intensely sceptical, as do others in New Tokyo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hokkaido] Built by Samura Industries shortly after the New Tokyo to Hokkaido jump gate was completed, Sapporo Station was originally intended to act as a base of operations from which Samura could survey the surrounding gas clouds and systems for resources. Ever since Kishiro and the GMG signed an agreement to open up Sigma 19 for exclusive exploitation, Samura has found itself all but locked out of the H-Fuel markets, despite the majority of the fuel still being stored at Osaka Storage Facility. But with the Chugoku Gate construction project pressing ahead, and the resulting drastic increases in piracy and terrorism, Samura has been forced by the Kusari Shogunate to house Deep Space Engineering and Universal Shipping officials, as well as offering a convenient base for the Kusari State Police to operation from in their never ending attempt to curb the rampant terrorism throughout Hokkaido. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Honshu] Akita Border Station is the primary enclave of the Kusari State Police in the Honshu system. It is tasked with interdicting pirates and smugglers entering Kusari space from the lawless Border Worlds through the Hiryo Cloud. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Honshu] Steeped in history, Aomori Station is the primary base of operations of the Gas Miners Guild within Kusari space. Built in 284 A.S., it began life as an equipment and ship repair depot for the fledgling GMG miners, who were working the dangerous gas clouds of the Crow Nebula. It has been expanded and extensively renovated over the centuries to become a massive space habitat and administrative heart of the Gas Miners Guild. Originally, Aomori was the main point of contact between Samura and the GMG, but after their "special relationship" broke down and the GMG joined forces with Kishiro, virtually all of Samura's administrative staff have left the station. The GMG considers Aomori Station and the surrounding area, including the jump gate, to be their sovereign territory, and this is fully recognised by the Kusari government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Honshu] Built by Kishiro Technologies in 748 A.S., Kansei Research Station was formed as a joint project between Kishiro and the Kusari Naval Forces, much to the ire of Samura. The facility is tasked with developing new shielding and scanning technology that are specifically designed to operate within the treacherous gas nebulas common throughout Kusari, although there are many whispered claims of alien artifacts research and jump gate technology filtering out of the station from time to time. Kansei is a highly prestigious posting for Kishiro scientists fresh out of New Tokyo University, though the security measures can be rather daunting, and the Kusari Naval Forces have constant patrols coupled with heavy weapons platforms and the defensive minefield. The Blood Dragons pose the biggest threat to the facility, frequently launching raids, though the Hogosha and even the Golden Chrysanthemums have been known to attack it on occasion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Honshu] The Osaka Storage Facility was built in 350 A.S. by Samura Industries, and is the largest facility of its type in the Sirius sector. Originally, fuel shipments from the Crow Nebula were stored here for the Gas Miners Guild before being shipped across Sirius to various markets, but ever since the GMG-Kishiro alliance was signed, the amount of fuel stored at the facility has declined. Security at the facility has always remained tight, especially in the light of recent attacks and infiltration attempts by the Blood Dragons. With the recently constructed trade lane to the Okinawa jump gate located at the planet Honshu bringing in more H-Fuel shipments, traffic past the station has decreased dramatically, leading some to speculate that Samura may be forced to sell the facility off to Kishiro or the GMG in the near future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Honshu] Settled in 56 A.S., planet Honshu was the first colony in Kusari, after the initial colonisation of planet New Tokyo. It bears a number of similarities to the capital planet, mainly in that it is an ocean world with few sizeable land masses. With so little land available for farming, the settlers turned to fishing as their primary industry. Unfortunately, very few Terran fish species took to the oceans of Honshu, although tuna and salmon were among those that were able to survive. The colonists struggled to feed themselves for several centuries, until a catastrophic decline in the fish stocks in 250 A.S. caused most of the inhabitants to abandon the planet and seek their fortunes elsewhere. The vast majority of the population cast their eyes on the nearby Crow Nebula and its bountiful gas resources, which eventually lead them to form the Gas Miners Guild. With the colonists abandoning their ancestral home in favour of the Crow Nebula, Honshu lay fallow for over 250 years. Eventually, in 510 A.S., Kishiro Technologies decided that Honshu would be the perfect location to construct its main optronics production facility, especially after planetary surveys revealed the oceans to contain significant quantities of various chemicals and raw materials that were useful in the manufacture of optronics themselves. Since the optronics factories can be built at sea, this has left a significant amount of the available land masses for the construction of towns and cities, and the population of Honshu has climbed steadily ever since, bypassing the 170 million mark in 817 A.S. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Honshu] Construction finished on Yukawa Shipyard in 118 A.S., and it is the primary shipbuilding facility for Kishiro Technologies. Large parts of the shipyard have been replaced, added to and upgraded over the years to keep up with technological developments, and many of the key manufacturing components such as hull panels come from Rheinland via an ALG contract set up with Kishiro. While Yukawa mainly manufactures ships for the commercial and civilian markets, ever since the corporate agreements between Kishiro and the GMG were signed the vast majority of all GMG vessels are constructed at Yukawa and the shipyard works around the clock to meet the ever increasing demands. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hudson] Built in 774 A.S., out of an old, abandoned mining facility from "the days when Liberty did its own mining", Barrow is a bastion of the Xeno cause against Rheinland. Any Republican ship seen passing is immediately tagged for destruction, something the Xenos refer to as "making more Rheinland widows". Also important to the economy of the base is interdicting hostile diamond shipments, mostly those of the Rogues or Unioners. As a matter of fact, the base launches as many sorties against their hostile pirate brethren as they do against foreign shipping, making staunch opponents of both the Unioners and Rogues in the area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hudson] Cold Bay is a small Planetform base built near Planet Atka in 816 A.S., being the first hidden step in preparations for Atka terraforming ordered by the Liberty government. Rheinland discovered this base in 817 A.S. and demanded its immediate deconstrucion, since populating Atka would mean that Liberty is going to claim the whole Hudson system as a part of its own territory. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Hudson] Little is known about this shady asteroid base, tucked away in the southeast of the sleepy Hudson system. It was originally constructed in 736 A.S., and appears to shelter a moderately sized contingent of Liberty Rogues. Despite rumours of light arms and diamond smuggling deals within its shadowy corridors, little has ever been proven. Indeed, Dawson's very location remains uncertain and unknown to the Liberty Navy, although up until recently the Liberty Navy rarely bothered to take any overt interest in the region. The truth, surprisingly enough, isn't far from popular belief. Dawson is indeed a Liberty Rogue installation, though it's never been particularly large due to somewhat turgid regional trade and a tendency for cargo haulers to avoid Hudson in favour of the more compact, though admittedly less well-protected, neighbouring Bering route. Since the war between Rheinland and Liberty started, traffic through the region has crawled nearly to a standstill, with all non-living goods indefinitely suppressed and slow but steady militarization of the zone's Rheinland and Liberty poles, although a hefty amount of smuggling still continues. Never particularly lively, Dawson, like the other pirate havens in the region, has been stripped of population, spacecraft and resources until its begun to resemble a clearing house. The remnants of the onboard criminals are the bare minimum necessary in order to ensure the continuation of Dawson's primary trade, even more so than piracy, which is diamond and weapon smuggling. Dawson handles practically every black market diamond shipment that passes through the region, and it is Dawson that doles out armament to fellow pirates and insurgents. However, due to increased military patrols as a result of the Rheinland - Liberty hostilities, and the terraforming project on the planet Atka, Dawson has managed to maintain some importance as a safe criminal port of call during these turbulent times. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Humboldt] The Rogues are a product of over two centuries of systematic lower-class cleansing that occurred on the Liberty planets of Manhattan, Denver, and Los Angeles. Relocated to the Texas prison system, many of them end up planetside on Houston upon release. Some stayed straight and joined the population scratching out a living. The rest returned to their life of crime, often ending up vaporized by a pursuing Liberty police patrol or back in prison for longer stretches, manning the prison factories that are the economic lifeblood of the Texas system. Some say the massive LPI roundups of even minor offenders in Liberty have more to do with staffing these plants cheaply than reducing crime. Fresh out of the incubator of the Texas prison system, they have limited choices. Either they work in the factories of Houston for a pittance, join the Bounty Hunters and hunt down their former brethren, go radical and hook up with the Xenos, or rejoin their former partners in crime. The latter path is the obvious one for most. Simply put, these are not-too-quick opportunists, people willing to do whatever it takes to make a buck and get by until tomorrow. Usually they end up taking the fall for anything illegal that occurs in Liberty, whether they were involved or not. The Rogues are generally a disorganized lot. They are responsible for most of the Trade Lane attacks in Liberty space and the adjacent Independent Worlds, usually operating in groups of only two or three ships, without much grasp of advanced tactics. They also provide shelter for the Outcasts in exchange for Cardamine. Recently they have become the smugglers for much of the Cardamine in Liberty space, supplementing or even replacing the Outcasts on certain high-risk routes. This has made them accomplices to the most persecuted criminal group in Liberty space. They admire the Outcasts, wishing they could be as smart and careful as the Edge World faction. But they regard the LPI as their ultimate masters, perhaps aware that soon they will probably be under the LPI's thumb once again. The primary Rogue base is Buffalo, deep within the confines of the Badlands of New York. Secondary bases are in the Whitney Asteroid Field in California, the Reppu Cloud in Galileo, the Corcovado Field in Cortez, and the Wrangell Field in Hudson. Rogues are frequent visitors to Junker and Lane Hacker bases. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Illinois] Hidden deep within the Illinois system, Attica is the most heavily-defended and secure Super Max prison facility in Sirius. Enshrouded in a mine field in the middle of a system full of the LPI's finest, the infeasibility of escape is multiplied by the fact that an entire SWAT Heavy Weapons division is stationed on board. Absolutely no ships are permitted to stay on board the Attica, and the only ships allowed to dock are transports bringing new prisoners and supplies. Both occasions are cause for a substantial increase in security, in case any of the inmates should somehow break free of their cell and try to escape. The cells themselves are impregnable, some fitted with EMP devices to keep cyborgs or Nomads from breaking loose. Inmates are confined to their cells 24/7, behind ten-foot thick walls and doors. A testament to the security of the prison, there are two cells side-by-side with names engraved on the doors. The first is Mon'Star, and the second is Dark Star. It is rumored that the LPI has such convicts as Phantoms, Order pilots, Coalition pilots, Nomads, and some of the worst Xenos and Hackers in here, but nothing is confirmed as no one but LPI personnel are allowed on board. Only once has their ever been a rumor of a breakout, of a criminal named Salazar Kithe. However, most believe this to be a foolish lie, as the station is truly the most secure facility in Sirius. Current warden is Simon "Hardass" McPherson. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Illinois] Galesburg was built as a supplementary base in the Illinois system where the elite Liberty Police Inc. pilots receive their training. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Illinois] This derelict Dreadnought was found by the LPI when they bought the Illinois system. Evidence indicates that it was lured into Illinois and attacked by a pirate fleet, which disabled life support and comm systems, then let it drift. When the LPI sent teams aboard, the body count was staggering, as everyone had died of suffocation. Dragged to the Colorado jump gate by numerous Heavy Lifters and renamed the "McNeil Island", the Dreadnought has been repaired. The engines, however, were so badly crippled that it would have taken several months in Norfolk to repair. Since then, it has served as the majordeterrent for any incursion by outside forces, and its mighty guns keep all non-LPI ships from intruding. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Illinois] The HQ of the LPI, this base was built to replace One Police Plaza on Manhattan, and it has expanded to fill its frame in bureaucracy. Designed by the famous architect Sen Kellis, the station is one of the most impressive in all of Sirius. The current Chief of Police holds his office here, as does each of his Deputy Chiefs. Hell, most LPI that have an office have it here, or at least space for one. The station also comes equipped with no less than 14 Sunbuck's depots, each one boasting a state of the art serving facility and extra toughened chairs for those with a bit extra body weight (Most of the LPI). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Illinois] The first LPI outpost set up in this system, Springfield remains the base of operations for outgoing Liberator patrols. It is also where the LPI's ships are maintained, re-armed, and stocked up. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Inverness] A large freeport built by Junkers in the desolate Inverness system. Built in 799 A.S., it was known as the largest Junker installation in Sirius sector - until the existence of Junkers of Gallia was revealed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Kepler] Ames Research Station was originally constructed in 677 A.S. by Deep Space Engineering, to investigate the strange dark matter clouds that were in the eastern areas of the system, and also to study the dark matter storm that was scheduled to pass through the system in 684 A.S. As it happened, the storm entered Kepler 104 years later than it was expected to, destroying the old trade lane that passed through the western area of the system and rendering it extremely dangerous to travel through. Deep Space Engineering incurred heavy financial losses during the construction of the new lane to the Shikoku Jump Gate, and as a result their operations on Ames were scaled back almost completely to the point of abandoning the station. Around 760 A.S., a group of Zoners moved onboard the station, slowly taking over previously vacated habitation decks and science laboratories, bringing the station back up to operational status. In exchange for keeping the station running and use of the repair facilities onboard, DSE agreed to give the Zoners complete ownership of Ames. Since then, the Zoners have run it as a Freeport and despite DSE's occasional complaints about allowing even Xenos to dock, it has been run profitably and has become a convenient stopover for anyone passing through the independent systems between Kusari and Liberty. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Kepler] Located in the extremely radioactive Denko dark matter Cloud in Kepler, Nome is a desolate base that serves two roles: a fallback for the Xenos of Ouray, should pressure in Colorado get too high, and a staging platform for raids on Kusari shipping moving into Liberty. Constructed in 710 A.S., Nome relies heavily on the Zoners of Ames Research Station for anti-radiation medication, all the while scratching out a living by supplementing their supply of vital medicine by raiding Cryer convoys. Any extra supplies, such as food, H-Fuel, and water are moved to Ouray, the "front lines" so to speak. In return, the Xenos of Ouray move stolen Light Arms to Nome. Despite the harsh conditions, the population of Nome remains fairly high, higher than that of most other Xeno bases, perhaps due to its secluded location and lack of any official patrols through the dark matter cloud. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Kyushu] The Battleship Nagumo is the only Meiji-class battleship to remain in service this day. Constructed in 723 A.S., it was designed as part of Kusari's emphasis on centralization and self-preservation known as Sakoku, functioning as a strategically placed deterrent against any hostile intrusion coming from the neighbouring Tau systems. Whilst it could be treated as a historical monument because of its uniqueness, the Kusari government have chosen not to promote the battleship in this way, as to them it is seen as a failure. The majority of Meiji-class battleships were decommissioned after rumours of a serious structural flaw on stabilizing fins and the suicide of Yasuhiro Takeshi, one of Samura's engineers who had overseen the project. Whilst the rumours remained unconfirmed, the Emperor demanded that all Meiji-class battleships be pulled from service in order to restore the honour of Kusari's Naval Forces as well as the Kusari citizens' faith in them. The Nagumo was the last Meiji-class battleship scheduled to be decommissioned and be replaced by the new Bakumatsu-class Battleships that were being produced by Samura, as its militarily vital position in Kusari was one of great importance and as such the Nagumo could not be moved until another battleship was constructed. However, when it came to constructing the replacement battleship for the Nagumo the Kusari government was running low on funding and a decision was made to upgrade the battleships scanner systems and armour as well as to reinforce the stabilizing fins with extra support structures. Over time its mandate has grown from Sakoku-based principles, to the prevention of the trafficking of cardamine from the Tau systems by Golden Chrysanthemums, protecting Nansei Research Station from attacks by the Blood Dragons and to maintain Kusari law in Kyushu. Currently, with the Tau war continuing, its mandate was rewritten to include the protection of Kusari systems against Bretonia's Armed Forces. The Nagumo also serves as the command centre for Taisho Hikaru Sulu as well as the battle groups under his command. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Kyushu] Kyushu is often referred to as the Samura company planet within Kusari, as so many of its inhabitants depend on Samura's continued largess. As part of an effort to stimulate rice production on Kyushu, Samura gradually organized the Kyushu farmers into cooperatives that would buy Fertilizer and customized seeds from their laboratories in New Tokyo. Consumers paid exorbitant amounts for the rice produced, which everyone swore was much higher quality than that produced in any other part of Kusari, and thus worth the premium price it fetched in Samura's Tokyo supermarkets. With the eventual introduction of Trade Lanes, Kusari farmers were opened to competition with the rest of the Sirius Sector. They lobbied the government heavily, financed with Samura money, which had the most to lose from cheaper foreign competitors. The government acquiesced for several centuries, leading to astronomical Kusari Food prices. Eventually, under pressure from the Liberty government, Kusari reopened the agricultural imports market, despite intense lobbying by Samura. Synth Foods moved in and became an overnight success, opening franchises in the urban areas of Honshu and New Tokyo. Demand for expensive Kyushu Food dropped, and many independent farmers were forced out of business. Feeling betrayed, some of the farmers proceeded to organize the Farmers Alliance, a militant group that lobbies for "farmers' rights" -- which include such things as government subsidies and restrictions on the sale of foreign foods in Kusari. In fact, the Farmers Alliance generally is opposed to foreign influence of any kind, particularly the Trade Lanes that have so damaged their livelihoods. The general population ignores the Farmers Alliance for the most part, though they do have some support among older Kusari citizens. In reality The Farmers Alliance is little more than a puppet of Samura, who wishes to return to its Food and trade monopoly days. Samura uses them for much of its dirty work, attacking foreign shippers, Synth Foods, and even Kishiro on occasion. The Farmers Alliance likes the Hogosha, as they represent the traditional criminals of Kusari that fit in with society. They abhor the Golden Chrysanthemums and their disgusting drug habit. The Blood Dragons are also viewed with suspicion, since whatever Samura says is the truth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Kyushu] In 400 A.S., the Kusari government began offering incentives for corporations to move to the Kyushu system and set up offices and business there. Taking advantage of the offer, Samura Industries began construction on Nansei Research Complex, which finished later the same year. The research facility was designed primarily to study antimatter and antimatter based weaponry, using the solar panel arrays along the station to utilise the vast amounts of cheap energy available from the proximity of Kyushu's star. Nansei has several metric tons of antimatter in storage for research purposes, and the storage facilities are often a favourite target of attacks by the Blood Dragons and the Golden Chrysanthemums, and has led to the Battleship Nagumo being stationed nearby to oversee both the defence of the Tau-29 jump gate and of Nansei itself. The consequences for the Kyushu system were the Blood Dragons ever to succeed in destroying the storage containers would be disastrous, though Samura insists that the antimatter is heavily protected and poses no risks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Kyushu] The planet Kyushu was first surveyed in 65 A.S. by the Kusari explorer Isao Yoshida, and colonists from New Tokyo landed on the planet later the same year. Although Kyushu is severely lacking in any sizeable quantities of mineral resources, it does possess a perfect climate for rice farming and also has the largest land masses of any inhabited world in Kusari, all of which are eminently suited for agriculture. As such, although the planetary population has recently risen above 535 million as of 816 A.S., over three quarters of it is still employed in the various agricultural industries. For several centuries, the independent farmers of Kyushu provided the vast majority of the food for planet New Tokyo, although with the invention of Synth Paste by the Liberty corporation, Synth Foods, the Shogunate has issued farming directives in an attempt to further develop the planet. This has resulted in Samura Industries assuming control of Kyushu in 674 A.S., and organising the farmers into workers collectives, growing new genetically engineered rice from its research laboratories the New Tokyo system. Unfortunately for the farmers, Synth Paste has become increasingly popular amongst all the Kusari youth, especially due to its cheap cost and the ability to change the flavour to anything you desire. The demand for traditional rice products from Kyushu has dropped dramatically, prompting many of the farmers to take up arms, and as a result it is widely regarded as the birthplace of the radical isolationist movement known as the Farmers Alliance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Kyushu] Tsushima Depot is the start of a vertically integrated chain completely owned and operated by Samura. Hydrocarbons imported from the Shikoku system are processed into Polymers here and then shipped to Samura's shipyards and manufacturing plants in New Tokyo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Languedoc] Carcassone was the flagship of Gallic Royal Navy forces that were preparing to enter Languedoc and "liberate" the system from dangerous Council presence. However, the plans of attack had to be delayed when Council and Maquis jointly attacked the Navy in Burgundy and in the Core Worlds in 816-817 A.S., which bought some time for the Council to eliminate Navy defences near Languedoc mine field, and finally breach the field itself. Carcassone has finally entered Languedoc in the middle of 817 A.S. as a forerunner of larger Navy forces tasked to retake Montpellier and seal the mine field - or at least diminish the Council presence in the area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Languedoc] Maquis have established a base of operations in Languedoc in 691 A.S., in the times when they were still part of The Council, and long before the system was taken under control of their former home faction. Maquis of Languedoc are known to be very loyal to the Council, and even dispatched ships to fight with Gallic Navy on Council's side when battles for Languedoc took place. In exchange, Council supports Limoux both financially and technically, repairing their ships and providing new ones. Using the help they receive, Maquis send raiding parties as far as Dauphine and Burgundy, plundering civilian convoys, and attacking Navy patrols. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Languedoc] A small installation of Junkers in the Languedoc system. Seemingly insignificant, this place is an importaint point of transit for information and materials that Junker agents from the Four Houses collect and send back to their homeland of Gallia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Languedoc] Montpellier is a defensive installation built by the Navy over two hundred years ago to secure the mines that hide the pass into the Orkney system. In 817 A.S. it was heavily damaged by a suicide attack of a Council battleship that carried thermonuclear explosives. Most of the station, however, survived, and after breaching the mine field Montpellier was rebuilt, repressured, and assigned to a new task: defend the newly discovered path to other Houses from any attempts of the Gallic Royal Navy to retake the path and threaten the newly established Reunion Station. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Languedoc] Narbonne is an asteroid base located in the center of the Lozere Field. Established more than two hundred years ago and providing shelter for pirate patrols from nearby Dauphine and even from Burgundy, the Narbonne Base started operating long before the system of Gallic Trade Lanes and Jump Gates reached Languedoc. During the Second Gallic War, the base had served as an important transition point for the Council and Maquis fighters heading to attack Gallic Navy forces near Nimes and Remoulins. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Languedoc] Nimes is the second largest settlement (after Planet Quillan) in Languedoc, a system located on the very edge of the Gallic space. For nearly 15 years, it was one of the few places controlled by the lawful Gallic forces after Languedoc system was overrun by the Council. However, in 814 A.S. it was quietly penetrated by Council special forces with the help of loyal civilians. In a few hours, all Police and Navy defenders were neutralized, and the Council reported about the most bloodless victory in the history of Second Gallic War. Since then, Nimes has become the center of Council administration for Languedoc and Dauphine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Languedoc] A mining colony was established on Quillan in 699 A.S., when easily accessible deposits of copper and other metal ores were found on the planet's surface. For a long time, the Gallic Metal Service was administering the colony with the help of Gallic Police and smaller shipment companies from Gallia. Despite rising pirate acitivity in Languedoc, Quillan mining operations proved to be profitable, and resource extraction on the planet was rising until the beginning of the Second Gallic War. In the end of 815 A.S., a large Council fleet has breached through Quillan's orbital defenses. The Council armed forces landed on the planet in attempt to gain control of the mining operations. Gallic Army regiments stationed on planet's surface resisted the invaders, but after many months of fierce fighting the Council troops gained the upper hand. The victory was ensured by both numerical superiority of the Council and by the support of local miners who were inspired by the success of Marne rebellion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] The Battleship Derby is one of newer battleships recently constructed in Southampton Shipyard for the needs of Bretonia Armed Forces. This battleship was stationed in Leeds near Glasgow Outpost to secure the border of Bretonia from hostile Kusari forces. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] Commissioned in 799 A.S., the Battleship Nagasaki is one of the most powerful battleships in the Kusari Naval Forces. Commanded by Taisho Nagano of the Kusari Kaigun, it has seen action in several conflicts, including against Rheinland during the Nomad War, and against Outcast war bands in Tau-29. More recently, however, it was instrumental in Kusari's offensive push into Leeds against Bretonia, and has been stationed outside Glasgow Outpost to maintain order onboard the captured station, and to hold the Tau-31 Jump Gate. Some people onboard Glasgow have speculated that perhaps it is also serving as a deliberate reminder of the might of Kusari, and what will befall anyone who gets in the Shogunate's way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] The Battleship York is stationed in Leeds primarily to provide security for the LD-14 Uranium Processing Center, but also to patrol the neighboring Tau-31 system for criminal activity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] The main base of operations for the Bretonia Police Authority in Leeds, responsible for putting a halt to the piracy and drug trafficking conducted under cover of the substantial smog clouds in the system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] Before 816 A.S., Glasgow Outpost was the headquarters for Bowex (Border World Exports), a very large, very old shipping conglomerate. Bowex, which received its royal charter from Prince Harry XXI himself in 310 A.S., claims a long and storied history in which the company was involved in most of the major events of Bretonian history. Prior to the war with Kusari, Bowex was the leading Bretonian shipping concern and handles most of the shipping in and around Leeds. When Kusari onslaught against Bretonia had reached the Leeds system, Bowex officials moved to New London and other stations located in safer areas of Bretonia. The outpost still formally belonged to the company, but in fact was operated by Bretonia Armed Forces. Glasgow was reinforced with hull plates and modern station weaponry, yet, the Armed Forces did not have time and resources to renew the dated and inefficient internal security systems. Kusari Navy used this weakness in the battle for the Jump Gate, dispatching several small groups of commandos that were able to neutralize many of the station's defenders by a surprise attack, and gaining partial control of weapon systems. Yet, remaining defenders of Glasgow did not surrender, and fighting on the station continued long after the surrounding space was cleared of Bretonia Armed Forces presence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] Being based in one of the only sources of abundant uranium in Sirius, LD-14 is both a mining station and a refinery. Refining the Uranium with processed plutonium from the Sigma systems to produce MOX, LD-14 is one of the only commercial suppliers of capital ship fuel within Sirius, making the operation valuable to both BMM, and the Mollies, who raid both the station and shipments from the station on a regular basis to feed their own fuel needs. Recently, however, the Battleship York has fallen back to defend LD-14 after the Kusari Naval Forces captured Glasgow Outpost and Stokes Mining Station, and it seems likely that the battleship will remain positioned around the refinery for the foreseeable future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] Perpetually swathed in its trademark smog storms, planet Leeds is a vast metropolis of manufactories, smelters, processing plants and environmentally sealed apartment blocks. Centuries of industrial abuse aided and abetted by morally corrupt corporations, lack of official oversight and severe overpopulation have lead to the planet being the symbol of everything the Green Front, and their unlawful counterparts the Gaians, fight against. The Leeds system was quickly recognised as the most resource rich system under Bretonian control during the House's formative years. Many new companies, including Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing, were given near carte blanche to develop the system as they saw fit, and many colonists were given extremely generous incentives in order to move to Leeds and serve as the workforce. The planetary population has since climbed steadily, and the last census of the Leeds system in 816 A.S. listed the planet as having over 2.2 billion inhabitants, making it arguably the most heavily populated planet in the Sirius sector. Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing has since become the largest commercial concern within the system, and controls the bulk of the manufacturing and smelting facilities on Leeds itself, while the majority of the cargo transportation is handled by Bowex. Since the beginning of the war and the subsequent capture of Glasgow Outpost and Stokes Mining Station at the end of 816 A.S., traffic through the Leeds system has slowed considerably, although the planetary defences have been bolstered by the stationing of the Battleship Derby in orbit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Leeds] Stokes Mining Station was run by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) until 817 A.S.. It was the largest orbital facility in all of Bretonia and has operated continuously for centuries. Aside from BMM, representatives from Kusari shipping companies were also present, negotiating for the basic materials required to fuel their own industries. In 817 A.S., when Kusari fleets reached Stokes, Bretonia Armed Forces chose to defend the station at all costs. The decision was rumored to be inspired by BMM lobby within the New London government elite. From strategic point of view, this was a grave mistake, since Stokes is a large and spread out installation hardly suitable for defensive purposes. Bretonian fleets around Stokes were swiftly scattered and had to retreat, and station itself was captured by Kusari Naval Forces with minimal casualties. Samura and Kishiro, despite their fierce competition, joined forces to operate the facility after it was overtook from BMM. The mining operations were restored in a matter of weeks by Kusari workers brought from Kyushu; it was rumored that certain IMG members and former BMM employees collaborated with Kusari companies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lewis] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Londonderry] The home of the Mollys After the destruction of Planet Cork by a Corsair invasion force, majority of Mollys moved to the Coleraine base built inside a huge asteroid. Molly High Command and the bulk of all Molly forces live on this station. It was the brainchild of Dr. Patrick O'Carrol. Approaching without given permission will be treated as a hostile action and target will face immediate extermination. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Londonderry] Foyle is the main Molly ship production facility where they assemble the Rogue Gunboats and the mighty Ridgeback after getting the parts shipped in from their allies. Several well-known ship designers from Bretonia who are believed to have defected to the Molly's may be conducting their work here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Londonderry] Since its independence from Bretonia has been declared, the Molly's no longer had access to the smelters and refineries of planet Leeds. Molly gold was beginning to find major markets throughout Sirius, and demand was higher than Mahgerfelt station could meet. Profits are higher than anyone could have imagined, and Garvagh Station is a fine example of that. It is one of the largest known industrial facilities in the galaxy, producing millions of gold bars per hour. This station is the center of the Molly economy, and crucial to the survival of their war efforts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Londonderry] Following the destruction of all life on Planet Cork by the Corsairs, all survivors fled to nearby Colerain base, the Military HQ of the Mollies freedom movement. Colerain was not outfitted to maintain so many refugee's, and plans for a civilian station where quickly drawn up. The station was named Kilrea, after Shamus Kilrea, the man who helped to evacuate thousands of refugees from Cork's surface just before the orbital bombardment commenced. The inhospitable and volitile world of Cork, which Kilrea orbits, is a reminder to all residents of Kilrea station that evil lurks in the hearts of men, and what that evil is capable of. It is a driving force, for all Mollys, man, woman, and child to never let such a catastrophe ever happen again. Kilrea Station orbits the desolated planet Cork. For generations to come, it will be the home for all Molly civilians. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lorraine] The Epinal, an honoured Richelieu class battleship, is stationed near the jump gate from Champagne to Lorraine. Securing the Lorraine mine fields is on very high priority for the Gallic Royal Navy, since revealing the route from Lorraine into the Outcast territory will make Gallia vulnerable for Outcasts who will consider the House as a new and convenient market for spreading their notorious drug, Cardamine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lorraine] Chateau Salins was built in 768 A.S., at the time when pirate activity in Lorraine was already on the rise. Heavily fortified, this system serves home for half a thousand of civilians, also being an important defensive installation for Lorraine space. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lorraine] Covert network of the Junkers exists not only in the Houses of Sirius. Once Gallic top officials received information about the Corsairs and the Outcasts, they wanted to learn more of the two groups. Narrow paths between mines were created that no stock ship could use, and special mine runners piloted by the most experienced Junkers were dispatched to transfer agents to Malta and information they collect back to Gallia. Lixheim, along with Lodeve, are the two stations where those mine runners are stationed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lorraine] In many ways similar to Montpellier Station in Languedoc, Luneville was built to maintain and secure the mines that surround jump hole leading into the dangerous Outcast space. Only by pure luck the Outcasts didn't discover this path before massive mine fields were set up. Ancient mine fields of unknown, presumably alien origin are encountered in some places of Sirius, so the Outcasts did not show much interest to the field itself. Main threat, ironically, came from the inside - the Council started a war in order to breach the fields and reveal existence of Gallia to the rest of Sirius. Luneville's defenders face constant threat of Council and Maquis attacks that has become more frequent in the recent two years, when the High Command was preparing a bold offensive against Languedoc mine field. In Lorraine, however, the Gallic Navy is way too strong to act openly, and Council leaders have chosen another tactic to create a path between the mines... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lorraine] A civilian installation built in 773 A.S., Metz is largely operated by the Royal Police. Since Lorraine system lacks any habitable planets, The station houses food, water and oxygene supplies for nearby installations. Role of Metz station increased since the first biodome was attached to it in 780 A.S., with more biodomes constructed later, making it the largest food production facility located in open space. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lorraine] An installation of Unione Corse hidden within the Sarre nebula. It is rumored that Corse are interested in the intelligence that Junkers collect on the Four Houses, and are eagerly waiting for an opportunity to reach the other Sirius colonies themselves. If the rumors are true, Thionville was constructed not only to supply the local Unione Corse raiders, but also to get closer to whatever infomation the Junkers might be hiding. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Lorraine] Maquis used a large asteroid in the central area of Le Thillot asteroid field to establish a secret base. From here, they launch attacks against Gallic Royal Navy installations and patrols in Lorraine system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Luneburg] Built by the Rheinland Military in 802 A.S., the Mecklenburg Station played an important role in the struggle with The Wild raiders passing through New Berlin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Magellan] Freeport 4 was originally a Bretonian station that was abandoned but later reopened by unemployed miners from New London. The miners eventually joined the Independent Mining Guild (IMG) and declared the station a Freeport, open to all. The population largely subsists on whatever income it can manage by selling Water and ice to the IMG, freelancers, or anyone else who has the credits, and by repairing the odd commercial transport damaged by asteroids or pirate raids. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Magellan] The Magellan Lane Hackers are mostly composed of former Los Angeles Ageira Technologies employees who created the extremely complex scanning and database system known as USI (Universal Ship Identification). Departing the company rather acrimoniously in 750 A.S., they have become a growing problem in the Independent Worlds. The investigation into the former Ageira employees continues to this day, but has so far been unsuccessful in locating Mactan Base, which was completed in 753 A.S. No Hacker has ever been captured, although various Rogues in the Independent Worlds have been caught possessing remarkably accurate information regarding upcoming high-value shipments. Security measures have been added to the software, but the Hackers remain one step ahead, leading Ageira security experts to believe that there are many sympathetic programmers still within the company, possibly being secretly paid off with the proceeds from the thefts. The Lane Hackers prefer to sell their information to others rather than do the dirty work themselves, although they sometimes swoop in and tractor in a cargo if it's particularly juicy. Fancying themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods, they avoid direct confrontation when possible, unless it is the henchmen of the despised IC and Ageira. The Mactan Hackers like to frequent Freeport 4, as their asteroid base within the ice fields of Magellan can become rather claustrophobic. Their cardamine addiction forces them to trade Lane shipment info for drugs with the Outcasts and the Liberty Rogues at Mactan base, although usually it ends up being the Liberty Rogues who act upon any information, taking the fall when anything goes wrong. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Manchester] The BPA Newgate is a deep-max penitentiary, specially built as a high-security prison for those inmates deemed too risky to house on inhabited planets -- usually serial felons, terrorists, and escape artists. Not only do several meters of armored plate stand between Her Majesty's guests and freedom, but a thousand miles of hard vacuum in every direction provide an effective deterrent to escape. The Newgate is also the headquarters for the Bretonia Police Authority in the system, and is usually host to more than a few bounty hunters. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Manchester] One of the newest installations owned by BMM, Birmingham mines the abundant gases found in the Manchester system. Mining from both the Birmingham and North Sheffield Ice Fields, attacks from the Gaians during the operation aren't uncommon, due to Birmingham's supplying of Planetform Inc for various terraforming projects, most notably the recently started Cold Bay terraforming operation in the Hudson system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Manchester] Constructed in 807 A.S. after Planetform announced their intention to begin the terraforming of planet Wight, Holmfirth base is quite a large ice asteroid that has been hollowed out by the Gaians to serve as their main base of operations for the Manchester system, and contains a sizeable population of pilots, mechanics, engineers and even the occasional Corsair. Located not far from the jump hole to Leeds, the Gaians mostly use the base to launch attacks on BPA Newgate and Birmingham Station, although occasionally they will strike across the system to hit Sheffield Station. The BMM have attempted to increase security around Birmingham Station, but barely a day goes past without a Gaian attack on the station, and Planetform transports are always being hijacked along the trade lanes. The spoils and survivors of such raids are always taken to Holmfirth, where a majority of the captured goods quickly find their way onto the black markets. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Manchester] Kingston Border Station is operated by the Bretonia Police Authority as a base for interdicting smugglers, pirates, and Lane Hackers operating in the Manchester system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Manchester] Liverpool Border Station is the command center for the Bretonia Police Authority in the Manchester System and is tasked with suppressing the smugglers, pirates, and Lane Hackers who use the local ice fields for cover. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Manchester] Sheffield Station houses many of the off-shift prison, manufacturing, and mining personnel who work in facilities scattered throughout the Manchester system. A large number of guilds and shipping companies have regional headquarters on Sheffield, including Bowex and Gateway Shipping. But the Bounty Hunters Guild more or less administrates the station, and its members keep the BPA Newgate prison filled to capacity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Minnesota] One of the most recently built warships of the Liberty Navy, this ship has received a name of Minneapolis and was assigned to guard the entrance to Minnesota system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Minnesota] Duluth is the Transport Wing depot of The Kings of Fighters are an independant trader group that broke away from Universal Shipping. Led by Chakotay they seek their fortune by subcontracting the more dangerous (and more profitable) trade routes from Universal Shipping, whose banner and ID they still carry. The Transport fleet and other friendly allies regularly dock here and book in for routine maintenance, repairs and re-fueling. They have now expanded operations and build and repair small numbers of Transport ships and also accept occasional contracts to supply the Zoners, IMG, Spa and Cruise, Agiera Tech, DSE and some of the mining guilds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Minnesota] The Moorhead Station was recently built in Minnesota to claim the system as part of the Liberty territory. Since Rheinland is gathering forces in Bremen, Liberty media suggested that Rheinland is planning an surprise attack against Denver through an array of empty systems that connect Bremen and Minnesota. Apparently, the media were not the only ones to think so, but for now the only threat for Moorhead are occasional Liberty Rogue patrols raiding the system, not Rheinland warships. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Minnesota] Saint Paul base is the Minnesota home of the Kings of Fighters, who subcontract under the banner of Universal Shipping, one of the Big Three family of Liberty companies that also includes Ageira Technologies and Deep Space Engineering. Universal Shipping made its fortune by gambling on shipping silver from California to Colorado for use in terraforming Los Angeles, long before Jump Gates and Trade Lanes reduced the risk of transporting goods over such long distances. Universal then cemented its reputation as the premiere Liberty shipping company in 181 A.S. by signing a contract to handle all shipping between Ageira Technologies facilities and Deep Space Engineering construction sites. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] The Augsburg Orbital Colony originally began construction in 781 A.S., but did not finish until 805 A.S., due to a shortage of funding. It was an effort by the Rheinland government to experiment with orbital cities in order to increase available living space without the need for planetary environments. Built around a modular design for easy upgrades, with large food producing biodomes and efficient solar and nuclear powered storage batteries, it is one of the largest space stations ever constructed, with a current population capacity of over a million people. Unfortunately, due to the final cost of construction, stretched out over twenty five years, the apartments onboard Augsburg were too expensive for the average citizen to afford, and as a consequence it has since become a refuge for the wealthy elite who don't want to live on the cold and cluttered planets of Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] The Augsburg Orbital Colony originally began construction in 781 A.S., but did not finish until 805 A.S., due to a shortage of funding. It was an effort by the Rheinland government to experiment with orbital cities in order to increase available living space without the need for planetary environments. Built around a modular design for easy upgrades, with large food producing biodomes and efficient solar and nuclear powered storage batteries, it is one of the largest space stations ever constructed, with a current population capacity of over a million people. Unfortunately, due to the final cost of construction, stretched out over twenty five years, the apartments onboard Augsburg were too expensive for the average citizen to afford, and as a consequence it has since become a refuge for the wealthy elite who don't want to live on the cold and cluttered planets of Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] Commissioned in 811 A.S. at the Oder Shipyards, the Battleship Regensburg started out patrolling in New Berlin and Frankfurt, until being assigned to the Munich system after the Unioners launched a raid on Ingolstadt, killing over seven hundred people onboard the station. Despite the presence of the battleship, it appears that the Unioners have boldly increased their attacks on shipping and facilities within Munich, and the escalating hostilities between Liberty and Rheinland is leaving the Rheinland Military unable to send enough reinforcements to adequately secure Munich's trade lane system from piracy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] Eltmann Outpost is a Bundschuh base that lies in the southern end of the Schwarzwald Cloud. Constructed in 809 A.S., it is the Bundschuh's first attempt to expand their operations outside of Frankfurt, and the first base they have ever built, after the construction of Bruschal Base in 718 A.S. many of the Bundschuh initially decried the financial expenditure of creating another base, but have since agreed it was for the best, especially since the money has begun flowing in from raids on transports throughout the Munich system, in additional to the occasional attack on Augsburg Orbital Colony. Occasionally the Red Hessians and the LWB will be sighted at the base, usually after raids on military convoys travelling from Nuremberg to Frankfurt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] Ingolstadt Station was constructed in 730 A.S., a considerable amount of time after the initial colonisation of the planet Nuremberg, in order to handle the ever increasing exports of military vehicles from Nuremberg. Most of the space onboard the station is taken up with secure storage bays for the vehicles, and dozens of ships dock with the orbital facility every day. After the Nomad War ended in 801 A.S., Republican Shipping decided to move its centre of operations to the Munich system, and although there are large corporate offices planetside, Ingolstadt Station was expanded considerably with additional modules to accommodate the increased administrative workforce, and now serves as the headquarters for the Republican Shipping corporation throughout Rheinland. In recent years security has been tightened considerably around the station after the Unioners have expanded their operations in the Munich system. After an attack by the Unioners in 815 A.S., which left over seven hundred personnel onboard the station dead, Republican Shipping has requested additional weapons platforms to bolster defences. The Rheinland Military appears to be dragging their feet in delivering them however, although in truth this is mainly due to the hostilities between Liberty and Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] Secretly constructed in 762 A.S., Leipheim Base lies in the south eastern reaches of the Alps Cloud. Carved out of a large asteroid within the nebula, the base is home to a large number of Unioners, many of whom prefer the seclusion that Leipheim offers, compared to the more well known Pacifica Base in Bering. Occasionally the LWB are seen at Leipheim, after having made a raid against Nuremberg in order to sabotage the military vehicle production facilities in their never ending efforts to make the Rheinland government use the planet for food production instead. Prior to the end of the Corsair-Unioner alliance in 816 A.S., Leipheim Base was the primary Artifact smuggling route into Rheinland space, and large numbers of smugglers often docked with the base to pick up consignments of artifacts for transportation into the core systems. Since the alliance ended, the number of smugglers has dropped, but the base is still heavily tied into the Artifact trade and there is still a considerable amount of the contraband moving through the base, waiting to be shipped into the core systems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] First charted in 539 A.S., after the discovery of the Munich system in the same year by a Kruger survey vessel, the planet Nuremberg was largely ignored for nearly twenty years, despite a pleasantly temperate climate, with large tracts of plains and savannah that were suitable for farming and settlement. Kruger was instead more interested in the Schwarzwald and Alps clouds, which contained significant amounts of cobalt and silicon, and constructed several small automated mining platforms within the nebulas. In 557 A.S. a jump gate was constructed, connecting the Munich system with Frankfurt, and civilian traffic was able to move freely into the system for the first time. Upon further inspection of Nuremberg, it was agreed to begin colonisation immediately, and hundreds of thousands of people from across Rheinland flocked to the new planet in the hopes of securing some of the available land for themselves. Deep Space Engineering soon moved in to begin construction on a series of trade lanes, and the Battleship Erlangen was stationed in orbit of Nuremberg to maintain order. Nuremberg's oceans were soon revealed to be largely unsuitable for fishing, as most of the dangerous oceanic predators, such as the Pirasharq, quickly destroyed any imported fish stocks. On the land it was a similar story, and it was discovered that the initial planetary scans had missed the dangerous Gimeni worms that inhabited the soil across much of the planet. Virtually all of the imported crops also failed to germinate, despite seemingly ideal conditions. After several years, science teams from Planetform were able to determine that a chemical in the soil was responsible. It was soon found that the skin of the Gimeni worm secretes a chemical that kills any plant life not native to Nuremberg. In despair, many of the planet's population started abandoning Nuremberg and returning to other parts of Rheinland, leaving the planet largely deserted, until in 738 A.S. when Daumann and Republican Shipping jointly purchased the planet from the bankrupt Rheinland government in order to build manufactories for the construction of military vehicles. As such, many of Nuremberg's current population and available land is devoted to the manufacture of the heavily armoured vehicles, and the heavy industry has slowly been polluting the planet. Despite the population climbing above 675 million as of 816 A.S. and the increasing demand for imported food to Nuremberg to support them, the Rheinland government has refused to grant construction approval for any farming concerns, despite continual lobbying by the legitimate political arms of the LWB and Bundschuh, especially after it was discovered that the native grasses could be safely ingested by a number of animals, including pigs and cows, thus making it safe for livestock farming. This has angered the LWB and the Bundschuh, and to some extent even the Unioners, and raids on the planet have become fairly commonplace over the last few decades. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Munich] A medium-sized mining facility that was constructed in 813-816 A.S. by Daumann Heavy Construction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Nagano] Shibukawa Depot is a small installation recently established as a base of operations for Farmer's Alliance patrols in Nagano and Okinawa. Funded by Samura, the depot is a defensive outpost established for the purpose of defending Planet Tomioka and the Takasaki Dust Field. This base serves it's purpose well, as the Farmer's Alliance maintains almost complete control over the field, which is the only remarkable area of the system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] The Battleship Strausberg was initially scheduled for launch in 814 A.S., but due to a series of explosions caused by the Unioners at the Oder Shipyard, it was not launched until 815 A.S. Upon its commission it was immediately stationed outside Bonn Station, after the Rheinland Military High Command had become concerned about intelligence reports that Interspace Commerce is covertly supplying the Red Hessians and the Unioners. In recent years it has also been instrumental in reducing the amount of LWB raids from Stuttgart, and the Rheinland Military has so far resisted pressure by politicians to move the battleship to the Hamburg system in light of Liberty aggression. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] Originally constructed in 521 A.S., to oversee the transition of trade lanes and jump gates to Rheinland ownership after Interspace Commerce was all but forced to sign agreements to nationalise them, Bonn Station has since become the headquarters of Interspace within Rheinland, and is the station where all cargo being shipped out of Rheinland is insured for the journey. Thoroughly angry with having to wipe countless billions of credits of debt away almost overnight, after Kusari and Rheinland both nationalised their trade lanes and jump gates, Interspace Commerce has never been satisfied with the two hundred years of tolls it got in exchange, and it is for this chief reason that a good deal of animosity towards Rheinland and Kusari exists even today. As a result, Interspace Commerce often allows ships from the Bundschuh, Red Hessians and even the Unioners to dock and purchase supplies, and even going so far as to donate money to their causes or share information of cargo shipments with them. This has angered the Rheinland government considerably, although as yet it has been completely impossible to prove. However, the Rheinland Military has recently stationed the Battleship Strausberg outside the station to keep an eye on Interspace's activities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] Brandenburg Border Station is the command center for the Rheinland Federal Police in the New Berlin system. Without a substantial military, it falls to the Federal Police to handle Red Hessian attacks against Trade Lane traffic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] Dortmund Station is the primary processing facility for ALG Waste Disposal, one of the great Rheinland success stories and a leader in the field of waste disposal. While ALG handles the majority of waste disposal throughout Rheinland -- making Rheinland one of the cleanest industrialized houses in the sector -- teams are also frequently dispatched under special contract to handle industrial accidents in other colonies. Today ALG is expanding into the re-smelting of Scrap Metal and Toxic Waste to produce Alloys and MOX. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] Essen Station is the headquarters and primary manufacturing facility for Kruger Minerals, a once proud company currently experiencing hard times. Wishing to exploit the vast gas resources of the Crow Nebula despite claims made to the territory by the Gas Mining Guild (GMG), Kruger was a primary supporter of the 80-Years War. After that conflict ended in disaster, Kruger's capital was exhausted and the company persecuted. Today Kruger is attempting to rebuild by allying itself with ALG Waste Disposal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] Kaiserslautern Depot is a key LWB base in New Berlin, crucial to all Rheinland revolutionaries operating in the system. It started out as a mining operation in the Saarfeld, and was reused as an ore storage facility after Kruger miners finished carving out the metals from its insides. Abandoned shortly before the Popular Revolution, it was later used by the Red Hessians as a temporary base during their raids into New Berlin. Several years later the aging depot would become a problem to maintain for the Hessians, as they continued transferring as many resources and personnel as possible to their war against the Corsairs in Omega-5. Instead of abandoning the depot completely however, it was decided that control would be transferred over to the emerging LWB instead. The Red Hessians still maintain a number of members on the station, along with the pilots from the Bundschuh, Unioners, and Junkers who stop by on business. As Kaiserslautern grew as a hub for the revolutionary elements in Rheinland, it also began to be used in a new endeavor: the repatriation of liberated slaves. Many slaves are brought, primarily from Liberty, and set free on Kaiserslautern. The logistics of this operation are mainly conducted by the Bundschuh. While many of the formerly enslaved attempt to return to their previous lives, a good portion end up joining the Hessians in their war in the Omega border worlds. A smaller amount join the LWB, under the promise of becoming independent farmers if Planet Stuttgart is successfully freed from Synth Foods' control. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] Despite the inherent dangers of the Ruhrfeld, including lethal radiation fields and explosive gas pockets, a large population of Junkers moved into the asteroid field and began building Kreuzberg Depot, which finished construction in 618 A.S. Most of the Kreuzberg Junkers spend their time sifting through the wreckage of ships destroyed in gas pockets or in fights with the local law enforcement who occasionally venture into the field. They also do a steady trade in artifacts and all manner of other goods that both the Corsair smugglers and Red Hessian pirates who dock at the station are only too happy to dispose of. Many LWB and Unioners also frequent the base to resupply while on their way to raid planet New Berlin, or repairing on their way back to their bases. It is also rumoured to be one of the waypoints for the illegal blood diamond smuggling rings that the Red Hessians are known to be involved in, though the diamonds are not actually acquired from here. The Rheinland authorities dislike the Junkers, but have so far made no attempt to remove them, as they provide a valuable service in clearing up dangerous wreckage and debris that not even ALG is willing to deal with, and so for now their presence remains tolerated, albeit barely. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] One of the first large-scale projects undertaken by Daumann Heavy Construction, the Oder Shipyards, is the largest in Sirius. In the past the majority of the Rheinland Navy was constructed in its massive bays, but after the destruction of the Navy during the 80-Years War and the economic crash that followed, Daumann has been forced to transition into the less lucrative fields of commercial and civilian ship construction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] New Berlin is, much like the huge contrast between rich and poor in Rheinland, a planet of extremes. Each day and night on the planet lasts for nearly a standard year, with the night side plunged into a frigid, bitter winter with temperatures as low as -35°C in the equatorial regions, and the day side having a slightly more temperate summer where the temperature just about climbs above the freezing point of water. Despite the extremely hostile environment, the planet is very close to the abundant natural resources of the Walker Nebula, so the crew of the sleeper ship Rheinland chose to land on New Berlin in 3 A.S., making it the capital of Rheinland. The colony grew quickly, with deep space industry the primary concern of the fledgling government. The Aachenfeld and Harzfeld asteroid fields quickly became the focal points of huge mining enterprises, stripping asteroids of raw materials to fuel the orbital industrial platform that would eventually become known as the Ring. Food shortages became a huge problem in the formative years, due to New Berlin's climate being largely unsuited to crop growing outside of the huge hydroponics farms that were constructed across the surface, although population control measures introduced by the first Emperor managed to make the situation slightly more tolerable. The planet's population as of the 816 A.S. planetary census was just over 1.3 billion people, making it one of the more populated planets in the Sirius sector, despite the harsh climate conditions. Rheinland's military and economic power continued to grow exponentially over the centuries until the Empress Jessika Leicht, pressured heavily by Kruger Minerals and ill-advised by the Imperial Navy's high command, declared war on the Gas Miners Guild in a surprise attack on Sigma 13 in 589 A.S. The war lasted for eighty years, going from strength to strength until, with the economy crumbling around them, the Imperial high command ordered an all-out last ditch attempt to take Sigma 13. This resulted in the Battle of the Yanagi Cloud in 668 A.S., which ended in the complete destruction of the entire Rheinland Imperial Navy. With its military might shattered and the economy in ruins, the then-Emperor Albrecht Friedmann was forced to sign a peace treaty in 669 A.S. with the GMG, acknowledging the sovereignty of the Gas Miners Guild over all of the Sigma systems. This final, humiliating act became the trigger for the Popular Revolution, which began on Von Rohe's Day in Dresden in 672 A.S., and quickly spread to the rest of Rheinland. Within five months, Emperor Friedmann had been deposed and a coalition government installed. Many promises of a glorious future for all Rheinland went unfulfilled in the chaos that followed the uprising, leaving many who had fought in the revolution with a bitter taste in their mouths. Rheinland, and in particular the New Berlin system itself, struggled for over a century to pull itself out of the economic slump left by the aftermath of the Eighty Years War, even more so after the Nomad War ended in 801 A.S. With the ascension of Kanzler Rheinhardt in 814 A.S., however, the economy took a major upswing, including the discovery of additional diamond fields in the Dresden system, increasing farming productivity on the planet Stuttgart and the military armaments industries in Munich gaining ground. As a result, goods and passengers have been flowing in from all corners of Sirius, and planet New Berlin is once again enjoying something of an economic and social renaissance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Berlin] The Ring is probably the most recognizable symbol of Rheinland and a source of great pride among its people. Originally a loose amalgamation of shipyards, habitats, manufacturing centers, and smelting plants built to support the first great push into space from the surface of New Berlin, the structures soon merged into the shape from which its name is derived. The Ring is now a single, massive complex that produces vital components for Rheinland industry. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Hampshire] Battleship Concord is the primary base for Liberty assault fighter parties operating in the Bremen system. It also provides defense for Bremen jump hole exit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Hampshire] Whitefield was recently dispatched from New York to be stationed in the New Hampshire system. Being one of the newly built battleships of the Navy, its main duty is providing safe haven for local military patrols. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] The Battleship Suffolk is Her Majesty's chief display of military might, stationed in the area between New London and the Cumbria Field to protect both civilian and commercial traffic from piracy and terrorist attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] Canterbury Station houses the headquarters for Planetform, Inc., a pioneer in transforming uninhabitable or marginally habitable planets into terrestrial worlds. With the sparseness of arable planets outside of the core systems claimed by Liberty, Planetform, Inc. has been conducting a considerable amount of business in Bretonia and elsewhere. However, its operations have recently come under attack by Gaian eco-terrorists, and by necessity security guidelines have grown more stringent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] Constructed in 672 A.S., Kensington Shipping Platform was the fruit of Gateway's relative success in the past two centuries. Rising from relative obscurity, Gateway Shipping has shown itself to be a strong competitor to Border Worlds Exports. Though they may not hold major contracts with Bretonian giants such as BMM and Border Worlds Exports, Gateway Shipping has had great breakthroughs with upstart corporations such as the Independent Mining Guild, Planetform, ALG Waste Disposal, and several other small firms that produce domestic products within Bretonia who were scorned from their respective businesses by BMM and BowEx. By filling niche markets, Gateway has found its place in the Bretonian market, a place large enough to actively compete with BowEx, though the former giant still holds the majority of market share. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] In 809 A.S., the Mollys bought three destroyers from the Outcasts to have better chances to oppose Corsair intervention into Dublin. Later they acquired more, and since the plans of Corsair invasion in Dublin were delayed, they used the destroyers to achieve their own goals. Terrorizing Bretonia corporations was always a high priority for the Mollys, and they have stationed one of their destroyers in the Somerset Asteroid Field to provide supplies and repairs for local raiding squads. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] Shrouded in an almost perpetual fog, not helped by the constant drizzling rain, the heart of Bretonia is planet New London, with its capital city and seat of government bearing the same name. Colonised in 19 A.S., the vast majority of the Bretonian aristocracy lives here, although even the poorest citizen lives in relative comfort and security. A large majority of New London's population works to support Bretonia's obscenely large bureaucratic system, an almost impenetrable network of obscure titles, government offices and paperwork. Most of the New Londoners are a dour and cynical sort, no doubt enhanced by the miserable weather, what with the fog and the acid rain, not to mention the atmospheric pollutants from the unregulated heavy industry used extensively in the formative years of the colony. Nevertheless, New London is a considered to be a desirable place to live, and attracts countless tourists and immigrants, with the planetary population currently estimated at a respectable 1.1 billion. Despite this, all of the major Bretonian corporations have offices on New London, including Bowex and Gateway. The Bretonia Police Authority's central headquarters is here, although the military mainly only have recruitment outlets on the planet, since their administrative and operational headquarters lies in the Salisbury system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] The Southampton Shipyards are a massive assemblage of floating steel where most of the Bretonian naval fleet is constructed. The yard is organized around an enormous structure known by most employees as "The Bridge." The Bridge is a well recognized object of pride for most Bretonians, symbolizing the brilliance and dedication of the Bretonian people. Though Southampton is largely controlled by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) and the Bretonia Armed Forces, it is frequented by almost anybody who has business in New London space. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] Thames Outpost is populated almost exclusively by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) staff and workers. The Bretonia Armed Forces also keeps a small presence aboard in an effort to maintain a measure of security in the face of possible raids by pirates or criminal groups such as the Mollys. While the outpost itself has little strategic importance, it does have a significant amount of valuable resources that are constantly transferred between storage bays and transports. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] Where there's junk, there are the Junkers. They've been around since the earliest days of the Trade Lanes. Descended from the working classes, they developed within the House systems as a sort of necessary evil, handling the dirty work that no one else would. They do well salvaging valuable materials from the ever-increasing debris fields throughout Sirius, with the notable exception of Kusari. To this day they remain held at bay by the Hogosha. Anyone who deals with Junkers knows they live by a strict code; if you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family. A Junker will double-cross you without a second thought, and they're fiercely protective of each other. Most House corporations consider the Junkers to be simple criminals, but Junkers will occasionally do favors for the police, turning in the odd, mid-level criminal or letting them know about the occasional drug shipment. So despite some harassment, the police stop short of shutting them down. The infrequent police cleanup operations are little more than exercises in public relations, though there's no love lost between the two groups. The Junkers make their official money from salvaging debris within the fields, but also have a good deal going with various criminals, who like their "no questions asked" policy. Tolerated by the governments, Junkers sometimes deal in contraband, but they are extremely hard to catch red-handed. They are frequently patronized by the criminal element for the refuge they offer within the often hostile territory of House capitol systems. Liberty has two groups: a major population in the New York system, and a smaller enclave in Texas. The Junker base of operations in New London is located near the shipyards within the Southampton Debris Field. In New Berlin they scavenge the remaining pockets of industrial waste and scrap within the asteroid fields. Their latest foray is a departure -- a base in the Border Worlds. Attracted by the ALG operation in Sigma-13, they have set up shop near the facility and do most of the dirty work, picking off the best loot from the old ships for themselves. It also serves as a convenient launching point for Cardamine and Artifact runs into New Berlin. Long-distance smuggling is new for the faction, which is still perfecting this skill. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New London] Waterloo Station acts as headquarters for the local branch of Interspace Commerce (IC) as well as foreign shippers such as Republican Shipping and Universal Shipping. It is a busy, bustling place, constantly humming with activity as business transactions are conducted around the clock. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Tokyo] Hogosha translates literally as "guardian" or "protector," reflecting the organization's rather romantic view held not only by its own members, but by a large portion of the Kusari population -- though by no means the majority. Far from protectors, the Hogosha are actually descendents of the organized crime syndicates that grow within the shadow of any sizable human society -- though the Hogosha have an oddly symbiotic relationship with both the government and Samura. Their political connections would make any serious attempt to dismantle them an embarrassment to Kusari as any number of secrets and deals that had been kept out of the public eye came to light. However, neither do the Hogosha have a free license to operate. Arrests of low-level Hogosha operators who flaunt their activities are frequent and help keep up appearances -- very important in Kusari. "Hard" crime, such as drug smuggling, is not tolerated. Individual opinions vary, but most police consider the Hogosha a necessary evil required for the smooth functioning of Kusari society. The government simply treats the Hogosha like any other large keiretsu. The Kusari population as a whole has a similar attitude: It is pointless to like or dislike the Hogosha; they are simply a fact of life. The Hogosha handle Artifact and gun smuggling and the fencing of stolen goods. They also do occasional dirty work for Samura. They view the Blood Dragons as a major threat to their existence and have engaged in turf wars with them, mostly in the asteroid fields of Tokyo. The Golden Chrysanthemums are a new problem, as they have few qualms about dealing in the drug trade or its consequences. Since they have no corruptible leaders or long associations with Samura or the Kusari government and police, The GC -- like the Blood Dragons -- are dangerous to the Hogosha way of life. They view the Junkers as their only real competitors within the Sirius Sector, and their only obstacle to expansion into the other Houses. They have approached the Corsairs to assist them in their plan, although no concrete steps have been taken. The Hogosha made a recent arrangement to purchase Artifacts directly from the Corsairs on the cruise ship Hawaii, a move that infuriated the GMG, who formerly served as the middleman between the two crime syndicates. It also raised the ire of the LSF, who applied pressure on Orbital Spa to deny landing privileges to the two factions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Tokyo] After the construction of the Jump Gates that linked Kusari to the other Houses, it was decided that a new station would be necessary to offload and store the new goods flowing into the New Tokyo system, and also serve as an administrative centre for foreign corporations. Initially, this was all done onboard Roppongi Station and also at Deshima, but as time went by it became clear that this wasn't enough. With this in mind, Narita Outpost was completed in late 714 A.S. While not as large as Roppongi Station in terms of population, the bulk of Narita consists of warehouses and deep freeze storage. Several House corporations have offices here, primarily Republican Shipping, Universal Shipping and Gateway Shipping; with the advent of the Bretonia-Kusari war, however, Gateway was expelled from the system and its offices closed down. Universal currently rents out the warehouses and it is unknown whether Gateway will be able to re-establish a presence on Narita once the fighting ends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Tokyo] Surveyed and colonised in 5 A.S., planet New Tokyo is the capital of the Kusari Empire. It is an ocean world of serene beauty, its gently rolling seas marked only by the tiny island chains that make up the many archipelagos scattered across the surface. Due to the lack of available land on which to farm and build, the Kusari have economised and much of their technological advances have been geared towards constructing huge skyscrapers and tower blocks, packing as much as possible into as small a space as possible. New Tokyo is also the most populated planet in Kusari, with a population in excess of 1.7 billion as of the latest House census. It is little wonder, therefore, that when foreign visitors land in the capital city of New Tokyo, they often feel cramped and claustrophobic. Despite all this, the Kusari have managed to craft a great deal of beauty into everything they have created, from the glittering towers and spires of the capital, to the sleek, graceful designs of their fighters and capital ships. It is a vibrant world with centuries of history and some of the most advanced technology in Sirius, but it is not without conflict, for Kusari is a culture in transition. Bureaucrats and corporations wrestle with the popular media and the younger generations over how best to handle the rapidly increasing changes in Kusari society. The Kusari Emperor, aided by the ruling body known as the Shogunate, works closely with corporate Keiretsu, such as Samura and Kishiro, to advance the interests of the Kusari Empire while maintaining the heritage of its proud people. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Tokyo] In the early years of the Kusari Empire, foreign immigration was strictly controlled and permanent foreign settlements on New Tokyo were strictly forbidden. While the Kusari Shogunate was unwilling to bend these rules, it still accommodated foreign business interests by allowing Interspace Commerce to construct Roppongi Station in 318 A.S. Despite the restrictions placed on permanent residencies elsewhere in Kusari, and the outrage expressed by conservative Kusari politicians at the Hideyoshi controlled Shogunate for allowing foreigners into the New Tokyo system, Roppongi Station's business flourished, with many corporations opening offices onboard. When the Hideyoshi Emperor was deposed in 321 A.S., Roppongi's future was plunged into doubt. Thankfully, even the conservatives had recognised the financial benefits of leaving it alone, and in any case they had no desire at the time to upset Interspace Commerce, which at that time owned the rights to all the jump gates and trade lanes within Kusari. The conservatives were still reluctant to have too many foreigners in New Tokyo, however, and Deshima Station in Shikoku was eventually constructed in 350 A.S. with the aim of reducing the "outsider" population. The Kusari-Rheinland embargo in 521 A.S. resulted in both those Houses nationalising their trade lanes and jump gates, causing Interspace Commerce to lose countless billions of credits almost overnight, as Kusari and Rheinland wiped away their debts to the Liberty corporation. Thoroughly angry with their losses, and the paltry two hundred years worth of tolls they extracted in exchange for their losses, Interspace began covertly funding independent pirates to raid Kusari shipping. After the formation of the Golden Chrysanthemum terrorist organisation, it is widely believed that Interspace has been funding them, just as they later began funding the Red Hessian pirates, and that the pirates in return sell stolen goods cheaply to Interspace. It is likely that these practices continue to this day, although Interspace's involvement has never been substantiated, and always sues any such allegations as "slander". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Tokyo] Shinagawa Station is the headquarters for Kishiro, one of the two largest keiretsu -- vast corporate networks -- in the Kusari Empire. While not as politically well-connected as their primary competitor, Samura, Kishiro has instead focused its efforts on developing cutting-edge technology. Its most notable breakthrough was in 91 AS when scientists working aboard Shinagawa perfected the mass production of Optical Chips using a common Polymer base. These Optical Chips have since become key components in everything from Optronics to ships to Jump Gates and Trade Lanes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Tokyo] Shinjuku Station is the corporate headquarters for Samura, the oldest of the keiretsu -- vast corporate networks -- in the Kusari Empire. The history of Samura is deeply intertwined with that of the Empire, and Samura maintains close ties with the Kusari Shogunate, its ruling governmental body. Samura holds key contracts for the construction of the Kusari Navy and terraforming in the Tau Border Worlds, and previously held the exclusive rights for the distribution of valuable resources produced by the Gas Mining Guild (GMG). However, because the agreement with the GMG has recently expired, Samura faces intense competition for the GMG's business from archrival Kishiro. Samura is also engaged in a protracted dispute with Synth Foods over the lucrative race to feed the ever expanding Kusari population. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New Tokyo] Constructed in 50 A.S. by Samura Industries, Yokohama Shipyard was the first orbital construction facility in Kusari, and also the first shipyard built by any House in Sirius. Originally it manufactured gas miners and gas transports for the H-Fuel industry, as well as navy vessels for the ever expanding Kusari Naval Forces, but it was eventually forced to concede the gas miners and transport contracts to its archrival,Kishiro Technologies. Yokohama still does a considerable amount of business manufacturing space habitats to house the overflowing New Tokyo population, and despite stiff competition from Kishiro, in 815 A.S. it was granted the license to continue its centuries old tradition of constructing Kusari Naval Forces ships for another 15 years at least. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Baltimore Shipyard was originally constructed by Deep Space Engineering in 699 A.S., after they moved their headquarters to the planet Pittsburgh. The shipyard is known for its quality manufacturing processes on the construction of numerous vessels, including civilian liners and yachts, and even a number of smaller craft such as the "Chesapeake" class shuttle. Although the shipyard takes construction orders to manufacture civilian vessels to the client's specifications, there is usually a waiting list as priority is given to Deep Space Engineering transports and luxury liners. The Xenos are also reputed to have contacts at Baltimore that supply them with spare parts for small fighters and occasionally bombers, but this is always strenuously denied by DSE executives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] The Battleship Missouri is the flagship of the Liberty Navy. Commissioned in 799 A.S., the Missouri has state-of-the-art weaponry and is constructed around a unique triple-hulled design that incorporates integrated armour plating. The armour plating is specially manufactured in the Norfolk Shipyards for the Liberty Navy using a classified, proprietary process. The Missouri has seen action in a number of conflicts, including a brief battle near the Zone 21 minefield during a skirmish with Order forces in early 801 A.S., and more recently in the audacious Lane Hacker led raid on Norfolk Shipyard in 814 A.S. Admiral Wendi White is in command, and has been the captain of the Missouri since its commission to active service. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] The Rogues are a product of over two centuries of systematic lower-class cleansing that occurred on the Liberty planets of Manhattan, Denver, and Los Angeles. Relocated to the Texas prison system, many of them end up planetside on Houston upon release. Some stayed straight and joined the population scratching out a living. The rest returned to their life of crime, often ending up vaporized by a pursuing Liberty police patrol or back in prison for longer stretches, manning the prison factories that are the economic lifeblood of the Texas system. Some say the massive LPI roundups of even minor offenders in Liberty have more to do with staffing these plants cheaply than reducing crime. Fresh out of the incubator of the Texas prison system, they have limited choices. Either they work in the factories of Houston for a pittance, join the Bounty Hunters and hunt down their former brethren, go radical and hook up with the Xenos, or rejoin their former partners in crime. The latter path is the obvious one for most. Simply put, these are not-too-quick opportunists, people willing to do whatever it takes to make a buck and get by until tomorrow. Usually they end up taking the fall for anything illegal that occurs in Liberty, whether they were involved or not. The Rogues were initially a disorganized lot, but over the last century have slowly evolved into quite a highly organised collection of criminals. They are responsible for most of the Trade Lane attacks in Liberty space and the adjacent Independent Worlds, usually operating in groups of three or more ships, utilising a variety of tactics. They occasionally provide shelter for the Outcasts in exchange for cardamine, but they are not averse to dealing in the artifacts trade either. The main Rogue ethos seems to be to make money however possible, regardless of how low or uncivilized their actions may be. Buffalo Base is the original Liberty Rogue hideout, deep in the badlands of the New York system. Constructed in 672 A.S. by malcontents from Houston and Manhattan, it has served as the main operations centre for the Rogues across the entire of Liberty. With the authorities loathe to patrol or pursue suspects within the confines of the extremely dangerous Badlands, Buffalo Base is the safest criminal hideout in Liberty, and arguably one of the safest in the entire Sirius sector. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Detroit is the headquarters for Detroit Munitions, one of the oldest privately owned companies in Liberty. Detroit has been manufacturing small- and medium-sized arms since its founding by patriarch Ed Garner in 614 A.S. His name still graces the company's most popular line of blasters, despite the occasional attempt by an Ageira executive to have his own name imprinted onto a weapons line. Although Detroit Munitions as a company has been extremely successful, it eventually decided to partner with Ageira Technologies, in an effort to gain access to even more advanced weapons research, particularly in light of the contracts that Ageira holds with the Liberty Navy and the Liberty Security Forces. Ageira now owns the station itself and pays for its upkeep, although Detroit Munitions has several new outlets on Denver and a weapons testing range on Pittsburgh's moon of Maine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Ft. Bush was one of the earliest outposts established during the settlement of Liberty. As Liberty expanded, Fort Bush became a popular jumping-off point for any number of wild business ventures as explorers set out to make their fortunes among the stars. Today Ft. Bush provides a haven for traders from all over Sirius who have business to conduct in Liberty. A branch of Liberty Police, Inc. (LPI) headquartered aboard the station helps maintain the peace necessary to a free economy by suppressing pirate activity in the debris fields and administrating automated weapons platforms that defend the nearby Trade Lane junction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] The Liberty Rogue destroyer, dubbed the "Drunken Codger" by easily amused Liberty Rogue pilots who frequently use it to rearm and repair their vessels, was originally constructed at the Terre Haute Shipyard in the Cassini system in 812 A.S., with its primary function being the protection of the shipyard facilities there. With the Liberty Police increasing its patrols and cracking down harder on the Liberty Rogues, eventually the Rogue leadership decided to move the destroyer near to the Detroit debris field in the New York system, to help reinforce the Rogue pirate activities in the heart of Liberty. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Interspace Corporate was founded in 204 A.S. by Ageira and Deep Space Engineering, since they could pool the necessary capital in insurance and finance. Built in the same year, Newark Station is the local headquarters for the now renamed "Interspace Commerce" (IC), one of the largest financial concerns in the Sirius Sector. While Interspace was initially responsible for financing the construction of the vast Jump Gate and Trade Lane network that connects the various colonies, it was forced to divest itself of these holdings as a result of the Rheinland-Kusari Trade Embargo in 521 A.S. The corporation changed its name to Interspace Commerce and has since transitioned to insuring cargo shipments within and between the various colonies. The remainder of the Newark Station population is a constantly shifting crowd of traders, technocrats, executives, and Bounty Hunters, all cutting deals and arranging for the transport or protection of their goods. Newark is also ideally located in central New York to act as a Headquarters for the Angels. It has been rumored that the Angels garnered one of the best offices on Newark by gathering potential employees for Interspace. As a place where bounty hunters, traders and many other types of pilots live and work from, the Angels have an ear to the ground on Newark, able to read more out of financial and insurance records than most accountants. Occasional maintenance drones can be seen cleaning the outside of Newark, when an unfortunate trading vessel tries to enter the docking pattern at high speeds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Built in 87 A.S., 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 armour plating design that all Liberty Navy vessels have, although the manufacturing procedure used at Norfolk is highly classified. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Founded in the year 1 A.S., Manhattan was the first human colony established in the Sirius Sector. Over the last eight centuries it has grown into a teeming world of over 2.1 billion people who live and work in a number of large metropolises that dot the planet's surface. It still remains a bustling tourist destination, however, with many gorgeous sandy beaches and crowded shopping promenades. Nearly the entire population is dedicated to the manifest destiny of the Liberty free market, and today Manhattan is the hub of a vast commercial network that stretches into almost every corner of Sirius. While "going to Manhattan" has become a commonly accepted phrase for leaving home to seek your fortune, the cost of living on Manhattan itself is extravagantly high. If a trend is new and exciting – and expensive -- then it almost certainly originated here. Despite the turmoil surrounding the brief, but bloody, Nomad war that ended in 801 A.S., Manhattan has continued to grow, and shipments arrive from all over Sirius on a daily basis. While there are reminders of the Nomad War still left over, most people prefer to focus on the future and, for Liberty at least, it appears to be a bright one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Pittsburgh is covered by a single vast desert, broken only by large rocky outcroppings that were big enough to escape being swallowed up by the sand. Without any ice asteroids in close proximity, the planet was not considered a good candidate for terraforming and remained sparsely populated until a full-scale mineral survey in 650 A.S. pinpointed enormous deposits of Boron in the form of borax salts deep within the Corridera Plateau. A large scale mining operation was established on the planet in 660 A.S. by Deep Space Engineering to exploit these deposits, and it is now one of the only raw material extraction facility left within Liberty space. Since the success of DSE's boron mining concerns, there has been an increasing need for miners and other workers. Many refugees that come seeking asylum in Liberty often get redirected to Pittsburgh to find work in the boron mines, and to live in the cities that are slowly sprawling outwards around the mining facilities, and Liberty authorities estimate that Pittsburgh's population will reach the 85 million mark by 820 A.S. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Where there's junk, there are the Junkers. They've been around since the earliest days of the Trade Lanes. Descended from the working classes, they developed within the House systems as a sort of necessary evil, handling the dirty work that no one else would. They do well salvaging valuable materials from the ever-increasing debris fields throughout Sirius, with the notable exception of Kusari. To this day they remain held at bay by the Hogosha. Anyone who deals with Junkers knows they live by a strict code; if you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family. A Junker will double-cross you without a second thought, and they're fiercely protective of each other. Most House corporations consider the Junkers to be simple criminals, but Junkers will occasionally do favors for the police, turning in the odd, mid-level criminal or letting them know about the occasional drug shipment. So despite some harassment, the police stop short of shutting them down. The infrequent police cleanup operations are little more than exercises in public relations, though there's no love lost between the two groups. The Junkers make their official money from salvaging debris within the fields, but also have a good deal going with various criminals, who like their "no questions asked" policy. Tolerated by the governments, Junkers sometimes deal in contraband, but they are extremely hard to catch red-handed. They are frequently patronized by the criminal element for the refuge they offer within the often hostile territory of House capitol systems. Liberty has two groups: a major population in the New York system, and a smaller enclave in Texas. The Junker base of operations in New London is located near the shipyards within the Southampton Debris Field. In New Berlin they scavenge the remaining pockets of industrial waste and scrap within the asteroid fields. Their latest foray is a departure -- a base in the Border Worlds. Attracted by the ALG operation in Sigma-13, they have set up shop near the facility and do most of the dirty work, picking off the best loot from the old ships for themselves. It also serves as a convenient launching point for Cardamine and Artifact runs into New Berlin. Long-distance smuggling is new for the faction, which is still perfecting this skill. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] Trenton Outpost is the headquarters of Universal Shipping, one of the "Big Three" family of Liberty companies that also includes Ageira Technologies and Deep Space Engineering. Universal Shipping made its fortune by gambling on shipping silver from Colorado to California for use in terraforming Los Angeles, long before Jump Gates and Trade Lanes reduced the risk of transporting goods over such long distances. Universal then cemented its reputation as the premiere Liberty shipping company in 181 A.S. by signing a contract to handle all shipping between Ageira Technologies facilities and Deep Space Engineering construction sites. It is often rumoured that Universal Shipping has made several clandestine deals with the Xenos, as vessels that carry both the Universal Shipping transponder and ident codes are always ignored by the Xenos. This is strenuously denied by the Universal's Executive Board, but nevertheless the rumours continue to persist, and Universal Shipping has never yet lost a vessel to the Xeno Terrorists. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [New York] West Point Military Academy has been training the best and brightest officers in the Liberty military for over 600 years. Completed in 189 A.S. and formally opened a year later, the current commandant of West Point is Admiral Matthew Evans, son of the former commandant, Walter Evans. West Point has had many famous personalities who have both trained at the Academy and served on its teaching staff, including decorated veterans such as Captain Jason Findley and Captain Marcus Walker. Rear Admiral Jun'ko Zane of the Liberty Security Force is currently teaching at West Point, although it is believed that she will be reassigned next year to a classified location once her teaching stint at the academy ends, and either Commodore Juan Cruz or Captain Nikki Kidman are expected to replace her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Built at Southampton Shipyard in 809 A.S., the Battleship Ark Royal was immediately sent to the Newcastle system to deter the Mollys from making further assaults against Bretonian corporations and shipping, especially in light of their capture of Belfast Production Facility. After the destruction of the Battleship Leicester, the Bretonia Armed Forces were given strict orders to leave Belfast well alone, but rumours amongst the naval personnel persist that if the Mollys try to capture another station, the Battleship Ark Royal will be moved in along with the Battleship Grimsby to put a stop to it, although with the current peace talks it seems unlikely anything will happen for now, and the Ark Royal will most likely be reassigned to the Tau frontlines sometime in the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] The Battleship Wessex was originally stationed outside the research facility Sunderland when it was first being built, but after many years it was decided that the battleship was unnecessary as the alien ruins were completely lifeless. Shortly after the Nomad War, however, it was decided to station the newly commissioned Battleship Grimsby nearby to reassure the public. Many of the scientists object to having a heavily armed battleship keeping watch over Sunderland; but as they are given no say in the matter it is likely that the Battleship Grimsby will be keeping watch on them for the foreseeable future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Belfast has had a grim and bitter past. Built in 776 A.S., the facility has been mining resources from the crust of the nearby planet Middlesbrough. The Mollys didn't take too kindly to the new trade lane and manufacturing base infringing on their territory, especially with it dangerously close to Mull Base, and started launching attacks against it. Molly agents secretly started applying for and receiving jobs aboard Belfast, ready for the day when they would claim it for their own. In 795 A.S., the Mollys struck. They launched an all-out offensive using all of their limited gunboats and most of their heavy fighter craft. They broke out from the nearby barrier nebula and opened fire on Belfast's defence turrets, disabling them. While the battle between the Bretonia police and the Molly fighters raged outside, the Molly undercover agents onboard Belfast moved quickly. Pulling concealed weapons free they turned on their management, slaughtering them and throwing their bodies out of the airlocks. Belfast was theirs. With her smelters working at even 60% capacity, the facility can create more than enough materials for the Mollys to construct more components and ships. Shortly after the hostile takeover, the Bretonians attempted to retrieve their lost station, but the Mollys fought hard to keep it. Along with several newly constructed weapon platforms and heavy fighter cover, they drove back the Bretonian forces twice. After the loss of their second destroyer and the complete destruction of the Battleship Leicester with all hands lost, the Armed Forces finally admitted defeat. However, they ordered the Battleship Ark Royal to keep an eye on Belfast, although since the Kusari Navy captured Glasgow Outpost, it is likely that the Ark Royal will soon be sent to the frontlines against Kusari. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] The Cape Wrath asteroid was hollowed out in 811 A.S., to help the Outcasts create a solid foothold in Bretonia. They wanted a base to launch attacks against the Gaians and the IMG, while being close to both the IMG base and busy trade routes for supplies. Cape Wrath was constructed using materials and tools smuggled through the Tau 31 jump hole, although this became increasingly difficult after the rising tensions between Bretonia and Kusari forced their smuggling transports to divert ever further afield. The Outcasts are loosely allied with the Mollys and are frequently plagued by Gaian and bounty hunter raids, despite the fact that neither the Gaians nor the bounty hunters have the power to directly destroy Cape Wrath. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Stationed in orbit of planet Carlisle, Gateshead is a busy trans-shipment point currently owned by the Bretonia Police Authority. From here, police ships patrol the surrounding nebulas, protecting nearby trade lanes from the Outcasts and the Mollys. The police also protect the nearby Lancaster Trade Station from possible attack, although with the recent Molly peace talks, attacks have almost ceased completely. The station also houses numerous Cambridge scientists and Planetform engineers from New London, who are studying planet Carlisle in order to prepare it for colonization, although how long it will be until Carlisle is deemed acceptable for settlement is unknown. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Lancaster Trade Centre is the heart of stock brokering in Bretonia. Formerly located on New London, the endless Molly and Corsair attacks caused many traders and investors to worry about their safety, which the Bretonia police couldn't guarantee totally. Due to Newcastle's distance from all the major centres of pirate activity, it was considered to be a safer prospect for business deals. Traders from around Sirius come to Lancaster to adjust their stocks, buy from sellers, and sell to the highest bidder. Enormous sums of money pass through the station's airlocks every day, and Gateshead station keeps a close eye on the proceedings to ensure the safety of all concerned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Mull base was created by the Mollys in 772 A.S., shortly after the jump hole from the Chester system was discovered. They used it to launch attacks against the Belfast Production Facility, before taking it over in a daring raid. The base is heavily fortified, and has good trade relations with Arranmore Base in Dublin, from whom Mull gets a lot of its supplies and recruits. The Barrier Nebula was chosen because of its excellent sensor disabling properties, and the large asteroids make it very difficult for the Bretonia Armed Forces to explore in any great detail. Mull base is also the key nuclear weapons manufacturing centre for the Mollys, using plutonium smuggled in from Kusari and the Sigma systems. The Bretonian authorities have tried for years to find Mull, as for obvious reasons they do not like the idea of nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists, but all attempts to find it have so far met with failure. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Scarborough Station is the headquarters of Borderworld Exports for the Newcastle system, and its main purpose is the manufacture of super alloys and high temperature alloys, although they do manufacture a number of vessels here also. In recent years, large numbers of police pilots and bounty hunters have also been frequenting the station because of the endless Molly attacks from the nearby Belfast Production Facility. Belfast is officially abandoned, but everyone knows that it was in fact captured by the Mollys many years ago. Borderworld Exports has been trying to get a battleship stationed outside Scarborough for some years now, but with little success, although the Bretonian government did concede some ground, by agreeing to base the Battleship Ark Royal in Newcastle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Concealed deep within the Northumberland Ice Cloud, Skye Base was constructed by the Gaians as a base to help expand their movement, especially in trying to prevent the exploitation of the planet Carlisle. Being the second Gaian base ever to be constructed, it is quite small. However, it is big enough for its main purpose of refuelling and restocking raiders, on their way to disrupt traffic throughout Newcastle. The Gaians constantly have to put up with Molly raiding parties, and much of their available resources are often diverted in attempts to prevent the Mollys from finding Skye. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] South Shields Refinery is a huge manufacturing complex orbiting the planet Hartlepool. The Independent Miners Guild was the first to discover the Newcastle system, in mid 588 A.S., and constructed South Shields in 590 A.S., when Bretonian corporations were only just starting to explore Newcastle and evaluate its resources. The refinery mainly purifies water and oxygen from the nearby Galloway Ice Cloud, but it also manufactures a small amount of Deuterium and H-Fuel, using resources mined from the atmosphere of Hartlepool. The BMM has been lobbying to drive the independent miners out of the refinery for many years now, but without much success. The Bretonian Government initially refused due to the BMM already having caused the uprising in Dublin that resulted in the formation of the Molly movement, and these days it argues that South Shields makes a good "hostage" to blackmail the IMG with in case the miners openly support Kusari during the war, although many believe it is unlikely the IMG will do so. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Newcastle] Sunderland Research Station was constructed in 612 A.S., and is the largest and most important research facility that the Bretonia Armed Forces controls. Built next to the strange alien ruins that were discovered in 598 A.S., the station has attracted considerable attention from the scientific communities from all four Houses. However, details of what is actually going on inside the station remain unknown to the public, and all personnel working onboard are made to sign strict secrecy agreements. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Okinawa] Originally the Battleship Himeji, commanded by Chujo Michio Raikatugi, was permanently stationed outside Governor Tekagi's fortress in the Tohoku system, along with the Battleships Ishioka, Musashi and Sennan. During the Nomad War , towards the end of 800 A.S., the Blood Dragons led an attack on Tekagi's fortress, resulting in the destruction of the Battleship Musashi and the death of the Nomad-infested Tekagi. After the Governor was killed, the Nomad-controlled crews of his defence fleet began to fall into a retreat towards an unknown jumphole in the Tohoku system, while members of the Blood Dragons and hired Freelancers withdrew with the alien artifact that they had been sent to recover from the fortress. The Blood Dragons, fighting against heavy odds, sent a call to arms to the Golden Chrysanthemums, who responded with all available ships. As they arrived, the Battleship Sennan was destroyed in a fiery explosion as the magnetic fields around the fusion reactor collapsed. With extensive engine damage, partially inflicted by the dying Sennan, the Battleship Himeji changed course, limping towards the Nagano jumphole, pursued by large numbers of Golden Chrysanthemum fighters, bombers and transports. The Battleship Ishioka escaped, and its whereabouts today remain a mystery. The Himeji managed to jump into Okinawa, but was finally disabled on the other side, near to the Sendai Research Complex. Golden Chrysanthemum and Blood Dragon soldiers boarded the ship, and assisted by agents of the Order from Sendai, captured the vessel, destroying all traces of Nomads found onboard. The ship was discovered to have too extensive damage to move it too far, so it was slowly nudged into a parking orbit of the research station and left there under the control of Golden Chrysanthemum techs and soldiers, in gratitude for their assistance. Over the ensuing years since the end of the Nomad War, the Golden Chrysanthemums have spent a considerable amount of effort and time to repair it, using hijacked materials from Samura military freighters transporting parts to the various shipyards across Kusari. Eventually, in 813 A.S., the ship was deemed fully operational once more and with much ceremony the Sisterhood re-christened the ship to the Battleship Matsuda, in honour of Yuyu Matsuda, founder of the Golden Chrysanthemum movement. At present, the Matsuda is tasked with guarding the Cardamine run through Okinawa and the jumphole to Honshu, and is home to a large population of Golden Chrysanthemum families in addition to the crew. Outcasts and Blood Dragons are also known to frequent the ship for supplies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Okinawa] Constructed in 814 A.S. by the Gas Miners Guild after the discovery of vast untapped hydrogen reserves in the Mintaka Hydrogen Field, Fujisawa has grown to become one of the largest bases in operation by the GMG, supplying H-Fuel to various markets across Sirius and assisting Isehara with raw materials needed for its terraforming projects. Fujisawa is also serving as a way station, repair depot and barracks for the security forces that are heavily present in the system due to the sensitivity of the project being undertaken by the Gas Miners Guild and its corporate ally, Kishiro. Both Kishiro and the GMG have invested enormous sums of money into the joint project, with the Guild providing both raw materials and the security muscle necessary to protect their interests. With the ever increasing attacks against Gas Miner Ogashawa in Sigma 19 by the Corsairs, Outcasts and even Samura's dirty tricks operatives, the Hogosha, the GMG hope that Fujisawa and the Planet Miura terraforming project will help revive their and Kishiro's fortunes in Kusari and the Sigmas, both economically and politically, allowing them to pull out of the Omicrons somewhat and come to some form of unofficial agreement with the Outcasts to lessen the pressure exerted on them by the incessant assaults. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Okinawa] After the discovery of the Okinawa system, Kishiro and the GMG required a considerable amount of money to quickly begin the construction of the system's infrastructure. Unfortunately, the only corporation both willing and able to underwrite the project was Interspace Commerce, who agreed to insure and finance it in exchange for 5% of the H-Fuel profits and also being permitted to construct a base in Okinawa. The GMG grudgingly agreed, and construction started on Furyoku Station at the same time as Fujisawa Mining Facility was assembled. The station was eventually completed in early 816 A.S., despite a number of sabotage incidences that were believed to be the work of Hogosha agents. The base handles a large portion of the traffic moving in and out of Okinawa, and the GMG often stores a large amount of H-Fuel reserves at Furyoku. Attacks in the system against GMG and Kishiro facilities, as well as the Interspace base, have been more or less non-existent, save for the occasional raiding parties that are almost certainly Hogosha in origin. Part of the reason for this is almost certainly due to the influence and dealings that Interspace are known to have with the Golden Chrysanthemums. In exchange for the lack of piracy and attacks on their facilities and transports within Okinawa, it appears that both the Kishiro and GMG authorities within the system have taken to turning a blind eye whenever a Golden Chrysanthemum vessel has been seen docking with Furyoku Station. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Okinawa] Isehara finished construction in 814 A.S., four months after the terraforming of Planet Miura was started, to handle the flow of goods to and from the planet, including the ore shipments that frequently make their way up from planet-side and the transports full of prisoners to work in the plutonium mines. As the base of operations for the entire terraforming project on Planet Miura, quite a few Kishiro scientists, advisors, and even an unspecified number of former Planetform engineers hired for a huge sum are based onboard the station, with sophisticated tracking and weather satellite arrays to keep track of the planet's progress. The station itself has a considerable security detachment from both Kishiro's personal forces and the Gas Miner Guild's own paramilitary squadrons, and the civilian transports that make their way to and from the base carrying supplies are generally considered relatively safe from hostile attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Okinawa] After having learned of their rival Kishiro's plans in conjunction with the Gas Miners Guild for the Okinawa system in early 815 A.S., Samura Industries decided that it could risk somewhat more indirect intervention to destroy or at least delay the plans of its rivals. To this end, it has enlisted the aid of the Hogosha, insisting that they build an outpost to keep an eye on developments within the system, and disrupt them wherever possible. The Hogosha readily agreed, having no love for Kishiro or the Gas Miners Guild in particular and secretly began construction on Kamakura base within the Hasuda Asteroid Field. Construction was completed in late 816 A.S., despite several delays and near discovery of the base by Golden Chrysanthemum and GMG patrols, and the Hogosha makes full use of the base's strategic location to launch raids on both the Kishiro and GMG installations, as well as the Nagano jump gate construction site. As their supply lines have become more stabilised, the Hogosha's strategic options have opened up and in addition to a small ship production facility onboard, a fully integrated repair yard was installed to enable the Hogosha to operate with a greater degree of effectiveness so far from their main base. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Okinawa] Built in 692 A.S., four years after the Okinawa system was discovered by Blood Dragon scouts, the Sendai Research Complex was originally designed to house weapon and ship R&D for the Blood Dragons in an uncharted system, to maintain security and secrecy. It is believed that the principle design work behind the Blood Dragon Bomber, whose designs were copied from a captured Kusari bomber, was completed here, although finalized specifications and prototype testing were done at Mito Shipyard. In 735 A.S., research was expanded to include a Xenoarchaelogical department and an alien biology division, after unusual artifacts of alien origin were discovered in the Tohoku system. This work became of further importance in 793 A.S., after scouts in the employ of Governor Tekagi discovered the Tohoku system and construction began on the fortress base that the Governor would later occupy. Their research soon became of interest to the Order, who contacted the Blood Dragons in 794 A.S. with the proposition of a mutual exchange of knowledge, although how the Order found out about the top secret research conducted by the Blood Dragons in the first place remains unknown. The two groups agreed and Order scientists soon moved aboard Sendai to assist in experiments. The Order quickly became concerned with the unusual activities of Tekagi, with numerous reports of mysterious artifacts being uncovered by the Governor's agents, and of strange ships sighted around his fortress, and the Blood Dragons agreed to construct a forward observation post in the Tohoku system, in the form of Ryuku Base. It was scientists working at the Sendai Research Complex, under the supervision of Lord Hakkera and Research Director Yuu Funabashi, which eventually realised the importance of the Proteus Tome and its connection to the Daam-K'Vosh, and transmitted all their gathered information to both groups in the hopes that the Tome could be retrieved from Governor Tekagi's grasp. Things came to a head during the Nomad War, although Sendai saw little actual action, save for assisting in the disabling and capture of the Battleship Himeji as it retreated from the Nagano Jump Hole. Nowadays, with the Nomad war long over and the Order's alliance with the Corsairs, no Order scientists remain onboard the research base, although the Blood Dragons do still continue their investigations into both the Nomads and their origins, and also into various other alien life forms they have encountered, such as those on the Planets Niiza and Miura. Scientists on both sides occasionally submit reports to each other regarding any new and useful data they might have obtained from their research into the exobiology and astrosociobiology of the Nomads and Daam-K'Vosh. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Okinawa] With construction of the jump gate having been underway for some time, the project is still expected to take a while longer to complete, especially given the strict directives to Deep Space Engineering, who are being paid a very handsome amount of money for their silence and speed in the construction project. Considerable amounts of supplies are constantly being shipped in to both the construction site and the nascent beginnings of a trade lane route to the planet Miura, all paid for by the GMG and Kishiro. Despite the extremely high levels of security, there have been a number of attacks on the installation by the Hogosha, who prefer to use lightning hit and run strikes against the jump gate site in order to disrupt progress. Because of this, many of the DSE workers are demanding higher wages due to the dangers involved, and efforts are being increased to tighten security around the base. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-11] A large, strategically important Red Hessian base situated in the Jeschke Fragment, Freital is considered both as a supply base on the way to Omega-5, as well as an important forward base vital to conducting successful raids on Daumann shipping and operations in the region - and ensuring that the Corsair plague does not spread beyond the nearby jump holes. The asteroid currently bearing the base had been discovered by Hessian raiders somewhere around 709 A.S., soon after the discovery of the Omega-11 jump hole in Dresden. The fast attack raiders relied on strike craft to conduct hit and run operations on diamond transports passing to Stuttgart from Solarius Station. However, the massive amounts of radiation expelled by the dying sun in the centre of the system have made long term operations difficult without a resupply point. The Hessians adopted a strategy of hiding their ships behind the dense carbon rocks in the outer asteroid fields to shield them from the sun's rays while waiting for transports to pass by. In time, they mapped specific rocks capable of protecting their ships better than others due to their mineral composition. A fuel and supply depot was eventually built around one of the asteroids, expanding into the rock itself ever since. In 712 A.S. - at the completion of internal hangars - the base was christened as Freital amongst the Red Hessians. It quickly became a station full of cynical veterans, mostly attracting people by the prospect of robbing the most lucrative Daumann transports in all of Rheinland, regardless the risk of radiation poisoning or the occasional Corsair attack. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-11] Locked in a geosynchronous orbit within the planetary shadow of Solarius, Solarius Station is the sole safe haven in the dangerous environ of Omega-11. At the heart of the system is a late-stage red giant that releases random radiation storms, fatal to any organic life unfortunate enough to be caught without protection. Despite the hazards, however, the Omega-11 system is also one of the most abundant sources of Diamonds in Sirius, the valuable gemstones locked in the circle of volcanic asteroids that ring the dying sun. Daumann Heavy Construction obtained the contract to develop Omega-11 and by 410 AS had managed to finish the construction of Solarius Station -- at the cost of 87 men and women who died "for the greater glory of Rheinland and its people." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-15] Despite the disastrous destruction of their research installation in orbit of the planet Skagen many years ago, the Rheinland Military decided to station the Battleship Schwerin in orbit of the planet Rugen in order to guard the known jump hole to the Dresden system. Launched in early 816 A.S., the Battleship Schwerin is one of the newest battleships in the Rheinland Fleet, although its captain, Commodore Jessika Lowe, has seen action in many engagements against the Corsairs during the brief but bloody Corsair invasion of Rheinland. Due to the heavy pirate activity in Omega-15 that not even the recently constructed Bounty Hunter base of Rostock has been able to contain, the Battleship Schwerin is the Rheinland Military's frontline defence against the Red Hessians, Junkers and Corsairs that continually try to enter Dresden. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-15] Where there's junk, there are the Junkers. They've been around since the earliest days of the Trade Lanes. Descended from the working classes, they developed within the House systems as a sort of necessary evil, handling the dirty work that no one else would. They do well salvaging valuable materials from the ever-increasing debris fields throughout Sirius, with the notable exception of Kusari. To this day they remain held at bay by the Hogosha. Anyone who deals with Junkers knows they live by a strict code; if you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family. A Junker will double-cross you without a second thought, and they're fiercely protective of each other. Most House corporations consider the Junkers to be simple criminals, but Junkers will occasionally do favors for the police, turning in the odd, mid-level criminal or letting them know about the occasional drug shipment. So despite some harassment, the police stop short of shutting them down. The infrequent police cleanup operations are little more than exercises in public relations, though there's no love lost between the two groups. The Junkers make their official money from salvaging debris within the fields, but also have a good deal going with various criminals, who like their "no questions asked" policy. Tolerated by the governments, Junkers sometimes deal in contraband, but they are extremely hard to catch red-handed. They are frequently patronized by the criminal element for the refuge they offer within the often hostile territory of House capitol systems. Liberty has two groups: a major population in the New York system, and a smaller enclave in Texas. The Junker base of operations in New London is located near the shipyards within the Southampton Debris Field. In New Berlin they scavenge the remaining pockets of industrial waste and scrap within the asteroid fields. Their latest foray is a departure -- a base in the Border Worlds. Attracted by the ALG operation in Sigma-13, they have set up shop near the facility and do most of the dirty work, picking off the best loot from the old ships for themselves. It also serves as a convenient launching point for Cardamine and Artifact runs into New Berlin. Long-distance smuggling is new for the faction, which is still perfecting this skill. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-15] Rostock Station serves as headquarters for the Bounty Hunters Guild in the Omega space. It provides repairs, supplies and amenities for Bounty Hunters heading deeper into the Corsair and Red Hessian-controlled systems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-3] A large station within Wilkes Ice Field, Aland was built in 810-817 A.S. by the Independent Miners Guild. Guild used unoccupied space between two trade lanes to construct their first shipyard capable of building and maintaining large vessels. Additionally, the building site attracted a number of refugees from Holman, South Shields and Hood who were seeking for jobs and safer places to stay. Now, Aland Shipyard has become home for over a thousand Independent Miners who came here from Bretonia and Omega Border Worlds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-3] Douglas Station is owned and operated by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) for the manufacturing of Polymers using the abundant raw materials in the system. Security around the facility is abnormally high due to frequent skirmishes with Corsairs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-3] Freeport 1 was built in 738 A.S., by a group of vagrants, wanderers and social outcasts that had left territories of the Houses in order to live beyond the rules and regulations enforced in the core systems. It was the first ever Freeport to be constructed, as the name clearly states, and it quickly gained popularity with the criminals, outlaws and others of a dubious disposition as a place to easily obtain supplies and repair their ships. Most of the criminals who visit Freeport 1 tend to be members of the Mollys or the Corsairs, although the occasional Red Hessian and Gaian are seen onboard. Over time, however, Freeport 1 has grown, with new cargo modules and habitation decks being constructed until the Freeport was barely recognisable from the small platform it started out as. Small ships are known to be constructed here, sold to both freelancers, criminals and other zoners, and although Bretonia has made irritated noises towards the Freeport, they have as yet left it alone, preferring to put up with the annoyance of criminals docking there to the unknown consequences that might otherwise occur by antagonising the largely peaceful Zoner society. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-3] Planetary data is CLASSIFIED. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-3] Rugen Station was built by Daumann Heavy Construction for the manufacturing of Polymers using the abundant raw materials found in the system. While pirates are always a problem, Daumann's long-running rivalry with the neighboring Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) operation on Douglas Station has resulted in more than a few exchanges of weapons fire. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-41] Freeport 5 was originally built by the Independent Mining Guild (IMG), but the base was subsequently abandoned due to the intense radiation that plagues the system. A small, particularly dedicated band of Zoners moved in soon after and declared the base Freeport 5. Despite being shielded by a planetary fragment, the intense radiation requires a constant influx of Pharmaceuticals for both the Zoners and those travelers unfortunate enough to become afflicted with radiation poisoning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-41] A Corsair base. Corsairs are a well-trained, well-armed, organized group of pirates engaged in a wide range of illegal activities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-47] The Battleship Fes is a heavily modified Osiris class vessel procured by the Corsairs from the Order under the terms of their alliance, and lacks many of the technological innovations inherent in the standard Order design. It is also the only Osiris known to exist in the Corsair fleet. Commissioned in early 809 A.S., the ship has seen little action, mainly patrolling the Omicron Gamma system for incursions until the large scale Red Hessian offensive of 811 A.S. that resulted in the capture of Casablanca and the planet Tangier. Following the failed Corsair counterassault on Casablanca and the decision to commit more forces to Omega-5 instead, the Fes was relocated to Omega-47. The Corsair council stationed it at the jump hole to Omega-41, in order to prevent Hessian scouts and fighters from pouring in through the hole. Well manned and supplied, the Fes also serves as a refuel base for Corsair pirates on their way to Omega-49 and Dublin. It rarely leaves the confines of the eastern Walker Nebula cloud to avoid detection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-47] Casablanca is a base orbiting the gas giant Rabat in the Omega-47 system. Formerly inhabited by Corsairs attempting to mine the large quantities of neon present in the atmosphere of the bases' primary, it was captured by the Red Hessians as a strategic objective in their offensive of 811 A.S. The assault fleet holding the area was later engaged by a Corsair counter attack, but was able to successfully defend itself. Although the base was planned to become a major checkpoint on the road to Omega-41, the Corsair battleship Fes that has been stationed in the system to guard the jump hole since, as well as the stream of pirates constantly heading towards Omega-49 has turned Casablanca into a fortified mining outpost and refuelling base, focusing on local defence rather than war preparations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-47] With Phantom incursions in the north taking greater form, those in charge of these marauding butchers took it upon themselves to commision a new base, built as far away from the Revenant as possible, which was eventually finished in 817 A.S. The result was the forward station dubbed 'Temple of the Eidolon'. Whilst not as well equipped as the Revenant, the Eidolon suits the needs of the Phantoms for now, as further activities in the galactic south of Sirius unfold. Hidden deep within the Walker nebula in the Omega-47 system, this base has yet to be found by passing patrols and it's secrecy is so far assured. However, with the corrupting influence of C'tan technology, even the Walker nebula may not be enough to hide this base forever. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-47] Viernheim is a newly built Red Hessian base orbiting the planet Tangier, commissioned in early 815 A.S, and designated to assist in the construction of the planet's docking ring once all materials are assembled. Apart from its primary function, it also serves as a refueling base, and more importantly: a blood diamond storage platform. Diamonds mined from the planet's surface are transported to this base using short range upper atmospheric orbiters, where they are available for pickup by space freighters and transports, which then ship them to Vogtland. Relatively well equipped and manned, Viernheim is able to support its own fighter garrison and a number of small capital ships for defense purposes, while still retaining at least two transport docking bays for incoming and outgoing shipments. The Corsairs have occasionally attempted to destroy the facility, with the most recent attack occurring in late 816 A.S A.S, but the heavy Red Hessian defences have always managed to keep the edgeworld pirates out of torpedo range. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-49] Lanzarote Base was originally built as a base of operations for the Zoner expedition that charted the Omega-49 system and eventually settled Planet Gran Canaria. Meant to be a drop-off and loading point for the raw materials that were supposed to come up from the surface of Planet Fuerteventura, this purpose was almost completely abandoned when it was discovered that the planet below did not have significant resource value, except for large deposits of gold ore. Much of the support structure meant for handling these resources was dismantled in place, resulting in the debris field now surrounding the station. Currently, Lanzarote Base serves as an early warning station to detect ships coming in from the Dublin jump hole. It also handles and processes the automated shipments of gold ore from the mining operation on Planet Fuerteventura. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-49] Discovered in 769 A.S. by a Zoner expedition, Planet Gran Canaria became their new hope for a peaceful life on a hospitable world far from House territory. Hailed as a paradise world among the barren and lifeless rocks so common in the Edge Worlds, the Zoners quickly took advantage of their discovery, sending a large surveying and colonization team to the Omega-49 system, hoping to establish themselves there before other groups arrived in-system. In 772 A.S., a jump hole to Dublin was discovered in the Barrier Nebula outcropping in the system. The Zoners realized that if the Bretonian government found out about the system, they would try to annex it and bring in Bretonian settlers, considering the crowding on Bretonian planets and the desirability of a planet like Gran Canaria. In addition, the Mollys in Dublin would also be a threat to the Zoners' new home. In 803 A.S. the Zoners, realising that Bretonia will eventually stumble on the system during their endless skirmishes with the Mollys, made a strategic decision to sell secret routes into Omega-49 to the Corsairs, in exchange for enough money and resources to continue building up the planet. Under this agreement, the Zoners also secured their bases that were in Corsair territory, such as Freeport 9, and the Corsairs gained an alternate route to strike Bretonia and the Mollys from where they least expected it. Nowadays, more Corsair refugees are settling on Planet Gran Canaria, as well as various settlers, social outcasts and wanderers from all over Sirius who prefer their feet on a planet instead of the deck of a ship or a Freeport. The planet's population has correspondingly risen dramatically since it was first colonised, and there are known to be at least 420 million people living on the planet as of early 817 A.S. The relationship between the Zoners and Corsairs on the planet is largely cordial, but both groups are still wary of each other, mirroring the wider diplomatic situation between the two powers, especially since the Red Hessians, bounty hunters and even Bretonian scouts have landed on the planet in recent years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-5] Cadiz is a Corsair base floating next to the infamous Hammen Hole in Omega-5. Formerly designed as a large population centre to house nearly 30,000 people, it has since mostly turned into a war armoury, with crowds of rough and rowdy pirates inhabiting its quarters. The Corsairs had originally founded the base in 720 A.S. after surveying the Omega-5 system and discovering several jump holes leading to a number of important systems within. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-5] Ronneburg is the name of a Red Hessian base located near the infamous Hammen Hole in Omega-5. Functioning almost solely as a resupply and repair station, it is known among the ranks of the Hessians as "the last gate to hell". Originally founded in 724 A.S. (before the beginning of the actual Hessian - Corsair conflict) Ronneburg was a base composed of a few asteroids joined together to create a strong outer crust, while still allowing for an installation to be built within. Originally, the point of this was to protect the base against collisions with other, nearby rocks. Ronneburg was to become a major staging point for Hessian raids into Omega-3 and Omega-7. The Omega-5 system, although without any clear purpose or resources, contained abnormal amounts of jump hole anomalies leading to all across southern Sirius. Such a crossroads system was immediately recognised as being extremely valuable for the purposes of launching supply raids further and further away from the Dresden system. When the Corsairs began their all out assault on Hessian bases in 740 A.S., Ronneburg was quickly established as the very frontline, and the focal point of the Hessian defence until a few years later, when the Corsair offensive had lost the initiative, and the Hessians successfully managed to push the attackers back towards their own base in the system. For the next seventy years a nigh constant string of conflicts would rage on between the two bases, obliterating men, ships and asteroids alike, slowly clearing a large empty area in-between the bases which eventually became known as the Hammen Hole. Strong defensive lines created by both sides on either side of the Hole quickly brought the war to a stalemate, as neither side was strong enough to breach each other's defences. Battles would still rage on in the middle, with both sides sending small raiding parties to distant jump holes. A careful, if not terrible, balance would be achieved at the cost of hundreds of lives lost in this drawn out war. Despite all this, Ronneburg still serves as the most important defensive point and supply base for the Hessians in the distant Omega systems, particularly for raiding parties and convoys heading to the Casablanca and Viernheim bases in Omega-47. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-50] Boa Vista is a large Zoner installation in Omega-50 that was built only recently. Well-defended and perfectly fit for the peaceful Zoner colonists, it already houses more than 3000 civilians who came from different regions of Sirius, mainly Bretonia and Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-50] Mindelo was built by the Corsairs in 816 A.S. and quickly gained reputation as the safest Corsair hideout available in all Omega space. Since the Red Hessians never enter the system, and Bretonia is reluctant to explore the worlds near its border, the Corsairs of Mindelo lead a more or less peaceful life that's interrupted by occasional raids into Omega-47. However, since the planning of Tau campaign is underway, Mindelo might become an important outpost for Corsair expansion into Bretonia territory. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-50] Porto Novo is an immense installation that was built in 813-815 A.S by the Zoners. It is one of the largest civilian bases in all Sirius, housing more than 5 thousand inhabitants. Population of Porto Novo is quite versatile and includes Zoners from all over Sirius, Corsairs, Bounty Hunters, occasional IMG members who fled Bretonia for freedom of the Edge Worlds, and even the Gaians. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-52] Orbiting Planet Volgograd, Mykolaiv is at the height of Coalition science, turning out new technologies at what Rheinland experts call an "alarming rate". Although small, facilities exist to produce Coalition Capital Ships, as well as repair them when damaged. The Coalition's Chief Engineer, a Rheinland defector, is renowned for both his engineering skills, and his ability to make a ship look both deadly and beautiful. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-52] Sevastopol is the main fuelling storage and production facility for the Coalition. The depot acts as a secondary shipyard facility as well. Not fully equipped to handle building new capital ships, Sevastopol is capable of repairing Coalition warships of all sizes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-52] It is believed that the Coalition travelled to Sirius aboard the sleeper ship Hispania, and after sabotaging it beyond repair, they scattered in small craft throughout Sirius. Hundreds of years later, their population base has grown enough to once again become a threat for the nations that originated from the Alliance. Members of the Coalition spring from both ancestors of the surviving saboteurs and defectors from all over Sirius. Little else is known about the resurgent Coalition, although rumours of both its ideals and it ferocity spread like wildfire to all corners of civilized Sirius. Not satisfied with a mere space station as their primary base, the leadership of the Coalition had a small moon orbiting Planet Volgograd hollowed out and carved into a massive "Moon Base". Several facilities deep within the rock are hidden from all but the most loyal Coalition troops; containing incredible research and development facilities, as well as vast arsenals of weaponry. Housing a myriad of facilities, this base is one of the largest asteroid bases found in Sirius. Snubfighter construction facilities are housed in one of the largest areas of the base, and produce the Coalition's line of small craft. Also inside the base are troop processing and training, sleeping facilities, recreational areas, and the famous 'Kalishnikov's' was moved into Zvezdny in its entirety. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-54] Positioned on the edge of the Schutznebel, Kassel is a base in charge of defending the northern part of the Omega-54 system. It's extensive platform ring, as well as a large garrison of defense fighters help keep stragglers out of the Odenwald. The base itself was constructed in four months from raw materials mined in Omega-54 itself, after the discovery of the Omega-11 jump hole hidden within the nebula in 766 A.S. The base itself is regarded as a pinnacle of Hessian engineering, with it's heavy armour created out of advanced alloys made from the myriad of metals found in the Odenwald - in case a Corsair fleet ever made it's way into the system. In reality however it is questioned whether the Corsairs are at all aware of the Omega-54 jump hole in Omega-11, and the Red Hessians are keen to keep it that way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-54] Northeim is the Red Hessian pilot training and fighter production facility. Hidden deep within the metal rich rocks of the Odenwald, the base itself is surrounded by a number of hazard areas within which new Hessian pilots learn the art of survival in the dangerous Omega border worlds. Experienced fighter jocks are known to refer to it as "the factory", due to the rigorous discipline and radical training programs involved. Northeim itself was first designed as a generic asteroid base, to offload some of the workload of training new troops from Vogtland. It was officially opened in early 766 A.S. and has been growing in importance ever since. With the construction of it's own fighter manufacturing line in 780 A.S., Northeim was retasked into a dedicated training facility, and has been responsible for the majority of the hardened fighter pilots fighting on the Omega-5 frontline since. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-54] Offenbach is a base placed between the Odenwald and Taunus asteroid fields. It is charged with the defense of the Dresden jump hole, and making sure no enemies get past the gun range of the outpost. It houses a steady garrison of defense fighters and a number of powerful defense cannons in order to decisively hold the area. The outpost was commissioned in 764 A.S., shortly after the stabilisation of the Omega-54 jump hole and the subsequent survey of the system itself by the Red Hessians. Constructed with resources stolen or mined from Dresden and Omega-11, the base was built with strong defensive capabilities in mind, in order to safeguard the system entry point from possible hostile incursions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-54] Orbiting planet Wiesbaden is Wolfsburg Shipyard - the main facility in charge of Red Hessian vessel design and construction. With the escalation of the Hessian-Corsair conflict in the middle of the 8th century, demands for heavier and larger ships began to pour in. The improvised dry dock at Vogtland was hard pressed with the ever-increasing need for more vessels, while being unable to construct more than one capital ship at a time. The Hessian high command's decision was unanimous: a dedicated shipyard facility was required in order to continue the expansion further into the Omega systems, and the Hessians chose Omega-54 as the perfect place for this new project. Since the completion of construction in 765 A.S., Wolfsburg has been responsible for the vast majority of Hessian capital ships fighting in the Omega border worlds, and it's engineering crews are constantly working on new designs as well as improvements on existing designs, to improve the fighting ability of Hessians all across their battle lines. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-55] Meerbusch Base is one of the bases that The Wild call home. No further information available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-55] Recklinghausen Base is one of the bases that The Wild call home. No further information available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-56] The Alabama Shipyard is administered by AP Manufacturing, a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in shipbuilding, ship breaking, station construction, modular construction, civil and military engineering, renewables and project management, and is the exclusive supplier of vessels to the Bounty Hunters Guild. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-56] Outpost of the Bounty Hunters Guild in the recently discovered Omega-56 system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-56] Remote space station built by Bounty Hunters Guild. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-58] An installation of The Wild located near the large Nomad Gate they are building. Functions and population of this station remain unknown. No further data available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-58] Station built by The Wild to supply the Nomad Gate contruction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-7] The Briesen Mining Facility is controlled by Daumann Heavy Construction for the extraction of Copper and Cobalt deposits from the system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-7] Elbich Mining Facility is owned and operated by Kruger Minerals. Elbich focuses exclusively on the extraction of Silver from local asteroid fields. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omega-7] Freistadt Base is run by the Independent Mining Guild (IMG) to provide support for the mining of Copper, Cobalt, and Silver from nearby asteroid fields. Of course, the IMG asks few questions about where the ore was actually mined, and a few Red Hessians have been known to take advantage of that fact when selling their goods. Gateway Shipping handles most of the cargo runs from Freistadt, while Deep Space Engineering teams and members of the Bounty Hunters Guild are also frequently seen aboard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Alpha] Ibiza was originally a small research installation designed to improve the quality of all manner of Outcast technologies, as well as being a port of call for patrols and smugglers; Ibiza produced the venerable Inferno, headed the recently discontinued GRAVISSIMA weapon project and in recent years has made significant upgrades to the conventional fusion drives in use with most of the Outcast military. Also included in the original plans was a small survey module for planning future strip-mining operations on Mallorca, in an effort to harvest the sizeable Deuterium content in its atmosphere and ocean core. This was cancelled shortly after the Ruling Council decided that beginning a mining operation would be less cost-effective than simply continuing to import Deuterium and H-fuel from beyond the borders; some 20 years later, this decision is being revisited, with the steadily increasing size of the Maltese Navy in response to the growing BHG, Corsair, IMG and now Gallic threats. Those same threats inspired, in 804 A.S., a massive expansion of its armour and weapons systems, as well as docking facilities and storage for Cardamine haulers and Navy ships. It will likely play an important role in Alpha's defence were forces from the south-eastern end of the sector to break through the line at Eta. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Alpha] The fifth sleeper ship, the Hispania, launched at the same time as its sister ships and broke through the Coalition blockade in the Sol system. Unfortunately, a saboteur from the Coalition had secreted themselves onboard and destroyed the engines just as the vessel arrived in the Sirius sector. The passengers awakened from their cryogenic sleep to discover the engines destroyed and the ship drifting towards an unknown star system. After numerous arguments between the various factions onboard, half of the colonists on the Hispania decided to take the escape pods to continue the journey, while the remaining half coaxed the damaged vessel onwards to its eventual destination in the Omicron Alpha system, arriving some time in the year 41 A.S. Upon their arrival, the crew discovered a planet capable of supporting human life in orbit of the primary star. The Hispania's passengers named the planet Malta -- a harsh place of acidic oceans, gray skies, and vast plains covered in a species of tall, thin, orange grass. Taking the escape pods, they left the wreck of the Hispania in orbit of the planet and began to make a home for themselves on Malta. Eventually the Outcasts -- as they came to think of themselves -- began a limited exploration of their home system. As pilots wandered farther and farther afield in search of resources, many became seriously ill. Upon planet fall, the crews mysteriously recovered. The Doctors were baffled. After making a number of genetic scans of critically ill pilots, the doctors made a startling discovery. Their genetic code had been altered considerably. The Outcast human DNA was found to contain strands identical to that of the orange grasses that covered the planet -- from which the drug Cardamine was derived. Trace amounts were present in everything on the planet, from the air the Outcasts breathed, to the water they drank. Once pilots made lengthier journeys away from Malta, their bodies went into shock, followed by death. The Outcasts were now truly separated from the rest of humanity -- changed so that they could never expand beyond the planet on which they had landed. They needed the Cardamine now, like air, food or water. But with the origin of the sickness solved, they could at least compensate by carrying supplies of Cardamine with them and resume their exploration of their surrounding systems. When they finally encountered the rest of the Houses in the seventh century, a new strategy emerged. The Outcasts would deliver the poison that would rot the other Houses from the inside out and grow rich from the profits of their trade. Malta's population at the last planetary census in 816 A.S. stood at roughly 215 million, with an estimated two million other Outcasts spread across Sirius in various capacities. There is still a reasonable Catholic following on Malta, lovingly preserved by the Spaniards and Italians on the original Hispania and present ever since the first settlements were established. The planet's crust is largely devoid of usable metallic elements, with a few notable exceptions, namely at the heart of her largest continent, and highly unusual deposits of metallic Copper on the ocean floor. Most of its land mass is covered in prairies with natural, low-grade Cardamine grass; large plantations with heavily bred and modified strains (to the point where purple veins riddle the surface of the grass, which has thickened so much that it's more of a stalk than grass proper). Malta's architecture is a largely low-hung and flat, one-story affair in the rural areas; cities are an expression of extremes, built almost entirely in the rare hilly regions of the planet. There is little at ground-level, except starports; most structures are built both deep into the ground and into massive towers that reach towards the sky, yet constructed yet again as to mimic the textures of the ground. The oceans-relatively shallow due to the planet's high granite content-are largely devoid of salt; they appear to hold a slightly green tint from the surface. These days the Outcasts conduct a lucrative drug-smuggling operation using the network of Jump Holes to escape detection and transport their product into the heart of the House systems. They remain relatively few in number; a crash in the birth rate seems to have been another side effect of their genetic modification. Cryer Pharmaceuticals were originally supposed to have been covertly working on a way to solve the sterility issues amongst the Outcasts, although it later transpired that this was merely a cover for their continued efforts to obtain Cardamine samples and create a synthetic version of the drug that would be approved as a legal medication within Liberty. Due to the threat that this research poses to the Outcasts' source of income, Atka Research Station has come under repeated attacks by Outcast raiding parties in recent years, and the Outcasts always destroy any Cryer transports encountered throughout Sirius without mercy. In 786 A.S. the Outcasts, with the influx of Corsairs from the recently discovered Gamma Jump Hole, erected a massive minefield one system over, and Cardamine trade in that direction was diverted through the Sigma systems instead. The Ruling Council of Dons ordered an immediate surge in resources to the newly constructed shipyards at Corsica to complete the fortress section above the shipyards and voted unanimously to double the state-provided budget of the largely self-funded Navy. Requiem-class Dreadnoughts began appearing in the field, and production of the new Reconquista-class Battleship was ordered into full swing. Valetta shipyard was constructed in orbit in 816 A.S., for the purpose of increased production of Sabres and Falcattas, and the opening production run of the new Tridente-class Gunboat. Since the recent discovery of Gallia and jump holes leading directly to the new House in Outcast territory, additional military build-ups have further been announced, and many Dons are extremely worried about the shift in the balance of power that this new House represents in Sirius. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Alpha] Valetta Shipyard was recently built on the orbit of Malta to construct and maintain large Outcast ships, particularly battleships and destroyers. Stationed on the orbit above Planet Malta, Valetta has also become an important component of Outcasts' planetary defense system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Beta] An Outcast base. Outcasts are believed to be involved in the production and distribution of the drug Cardamine, which has been declared illegal in the four major Houses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Delta] Hidden deep inside Palau Cloud, Dabadoru Station construction has completed in the end of 816 A.S. It provides safe haven, repairs and supplies for Bounty Hunters operating in the Nomad Worlds. Location within an asteroid field ensures that this station is safe from Corsair and Nomad capital ships that frequent Omicron Delta. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Delta] Freeport 11 is the new outpost built by Zoners in Omicron Delta. Strategically placed between Nomad systems and Corsair territory, Delta is an attractive system for criminals, explorers, bounty hunters and The Order. Although building biodomes in this far-away and dangerous place was very expensive, Zoners quickly started to make huge profits from trading food and oxygen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Delta] Lost alien battleship. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Delta] Orbiting the planet Nauru in the Omicron Delta system, Yaren Base is one of the Corsairs' most distant outposts. Built in 812 A.S. to better facilitate the construction of planet-side mining camps and research installations, Yaren Base has since been expanded to include ship repair and refuelling capabilities, as well as a few long term habitat modules. Most of the Iridium mined on Nauru gets transported up to Yaren and then onto Freeport 11, where the Zoners ship it off to Evora Shipyard, Tripoli Shipyard and even into the main Sirius Houses. Since the Bounty Hunters Guild finally managed to construct Dabodoru Base in Omicron Delta in 817 A.S., Yaren has been further upgraded to include more advanced weapon systems and several new fighter wings from the Corsair navy, and it looks set to continue being of great importance to the Corsairs in the foreseeable future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Eta] Etna Base is the only Corsair installation in the Omicron Eta system. Occupying a strategic location near the Theta jump gate, this base serves both for defense against the Outcasts and for stationing numerous Corsair raiding parties. Outcasts have already declared destruction of Etna to be the primary goal of their Omicron Eta operations, but no success was achieved so far. The Corsairs at Etna Base have experienced chronic supply shortages throughout the war, and medical supplies have never been a high enough priority to satisfy the tremendous need for them created by the extreme casualties suffered. After one particularly bloody battle, an Outcast hospital ship was captured by the Corsairs as it was attempting to retrieve escape pods from the battlefield. Desperate to save their dying pilots, Corsair doctors turned to the extreme measure of harvesting viable organs from the captured Outcasts on the hospital ship. The doctors speculated that the cardamine infused tissues of the Outcasts would be rejected by the Corsairs' bodies but the only alternative was to watch their comrades die. Strangely, the organs adapted much better than expected, leading to speculation that cardamine dependency was centered in the brain tissues instead of the rest of the body. Emboldened by their success, the Corsairs began scavenging every battlefield for bodies that could be harvested to keep their injured comrades alive. Unfortunately, the demand quickly outstripped supply, and they began searching for new sources of what the doctors publicly referred to as "bio-meds". Soon, Etna Base became a prominent destination for prisoners, captured pilots, and even civilians kidnapped and sold into slavery. Once wealthy Corsairs on Crete learned of the availability of young, healthy organs, demand for the procedures quickly developed as a way to rejuvinate the sick and elderly. The Corsairs' envy over the Outcasts' increased life expectancy due to cardamine lead to an insatiable appetite for a chance at a longer, healthier life, so long as the beneficiary had enough credits to spend. The profit potential of selling human organs throughout Sirius to the desperately ill, or the wealthy whose bodies were being worn out through a decadent lifestyle swiftly turned a gruesome life-saving procedure into a major business operation. The Corsairs were unable to meet the huge demand from the limited facilities on Etna Base, so a deal was struck with a nearby independent facility to operate an additional mass organ harvesting operation. Today this operation supplies various medical facilities throughout Sirius with the human tissues necessary to replace organs failing due to sickness or old age, and provides the Corsairs and their partners with a substantial, steady stream of credits. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Eta] Lentini is a small military installation that orbits Planet Catania. Build in 816 A.S., the station was purposed to defend the sideway around the Eta minefield. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Eta] Palermo Base is the front line of Outcast defence against Corsair onslaught in Omicron Eta system. This heavily armored installation was constructed in 786 A.S., shorly after the nearby mine field was set up. Its main purpose is to keep the passage into Omicron Alpha, the Outcast home system, secure from Corsair forces. Despite significant Corsair presence in nearby areas, the Palermo defenders successfully fulfil their duty: large Corsair fleets never succeed in breaching the mine field that demarcates the system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Eta] The largest Outcast base in Omicron Eta, the Siracusa is located not far from the jumpgate into Omicron Alpha. Once a safe haven and a profound ship engineering facility that housed lots of Outcast civilians, Siracusa has now become a dangerous place to live in due to constant Corsair threat. Although no major accidents have occured so far like it was in Palermo, the Corsair fighters did succeed in repressuring certain areas of the station with missile fire, killing 28 of the station populace during the last two years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Gamma] The ancestors of the Corsairs that had set adrift from the crippled Hispania made planetfall on Crete shortly after the other Houses arrived in the Sirius Sector. Scratching out a living, the Corsairs managed a bleak existence for four centuries. Eventually they developed a strong self-identity, isolated from the rest of the Houses. In 450 AS, that insular world changed. An exploratory expedition headed by Franz Schulman -- financed by Daumann and the Rheinland government -- stumbled into the system while mapping the far reaches of the Walker Nebula. The local inhabitants, sensing a historic opportunity, attacked the landing party en masse, killing all save Schulman, whom they took hostage to gain control of the mother ship Schiller in orbit above the planet. No one is entirely sure who first nicknamed them the "Corsairs," recalling the ancient pirate clans of the Mediterranean, but the name came into popular use among the Houses sometime around 500 AS. The Corsairs began attacking unprotected outposts and ships, plundering whatever supplies and equipment they could lay their hands on, before escaping through one of their secret Jump Holes. The systematic expansion of the Houses into the Omega Border Worlds further fueled the Corsair movement, dramatically increasing the quantity and variety of accessible goods. The final chapter began in the sixth century AS, when an enterprising, well-armed Liberty freelancer named Jim Bown made his way to Omicron Gamma. He brought various Consumer Goods to trade, but the Corsairs could offer little but Artifacts. A year later, he returned. Those trinkets were all the rage with the elite of Manhattan. He saw a great business opportunity if they could set up a viable trade route to Liberty. The Corsairs were on their way. They grew rapidly in size and sophistication as they built up the Artifact trade. The primary smuggling route goes north to Sigma-19, where Artifacts are traded with the Hogosha onboard the Hawaii. They have also opened up a route into Rheinland via the Yanagi Junker base in Sigma-13. In the west the Corsairs invaded Bretonia in order to reach the Junker Trafalgar base in New London. The Bounty Hunters Guild has taken advantage of several Freeports in the Edge Worlds to attack the Corsairs' home system. So far they've been more of nuisance than a real threat, but the presence of Zoner-controlled bases so close to Omicron Gamma has provoked intense debate among the Elders of Crete regarding the future of nearby Independent bases. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Gamma] Skiros was built in 816-817 A.S. using the technologies that the Corsairs borrowed from The Order and Zoners. It is a heavily armed multi-purpose installation with relatively dense population, containing an industrial module, shipyard module, and biodome. Stationed at a busy location not far from Omicron Theta jump hole, Skiros Station guards the most frequently used entrance into Corsair home Omicron Gamma system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Gamma] With their newly-discovered source of income from the Artifact trade, one of the first things the Elders of Crete did was order the construction of a shipyard in Omicron Gamma, close to their home planet of Crete. Tripoli shipyard started as a humble fighter production facility, but has been continuously improved and expanded over the years. The most recent upgrade was the installation of battleship-scale drydocks, allowing the Corsairs to build their own line capital warships worthy of challenging any ship in Sirius, thus removing their reliance on Order capital ship construction facilities for their own vessels. In addition, Tripoli shipyard itself is now the equal of any shipyard, lawful or otherwise, in the sector. While the Corsairs have constructed additional shipyards since then, in the rest of Corsair territory Tripoli remains the heart and soul of their shipbuilding industry, and remains operated by only the best and brightest that the Corsairs have to offer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Iota] Unknown organic forms detected on planet surface. Landing and even approaching this planet is extremely dangerous. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Kappa] Icy world of Gammu was colonised by a group of deep space settlers several years after Primus, in 496 A.S. Few inhabitants of this inhospitable place did not know anything of radiation that plagued the planet's surface, much like on Primus. Of planet's 1400 initial population, more than a quarter was dead by 528 A.S. because of radiation. The colonists tried to evacuate the planet and almost succeeded, but fully loaded transports and escort ships were destroyed by a large Nomad fleet. Numerous service robots with enhanced artificial intelligence remained planetside and kept up two robotic plants constructed by the colonists. When Corsairs rediscovered the planet several hundred years later, the planet was filled with thousands of self-sufficient robots. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Kappa] Primus was discovered by a privately financed deep space recon expedition in 490 A.S. First explorers were amazed by weird wildlife species inhabiting the planet and lack of any large plants. Air was fine for breathing, and soon several thousands of colonists settled the planet. In 40 years time, many of them died of unknown causes. The colonists conducted further research that revealed strong radiation sources inside the planet that were harmful to human beings planetside. Transports were sent to Primus in hope to evacuate the planet's population before it's too late. However the transports were destroyed by unknown alien ships. Afterwards, aliens (that were later called "Nomads") took the system under their control, and Primus became unreachable for humans. Communications with planet were lost, and after the only jump hole into Omicron Theta collapsed, inhabitants of Primus - if any of them survived - were completely isolated from Sirius sector. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Minor] The Battleship Isis was one of the first true Order battleships, wholly constructed with Order resources and facilities, finally being commissioned in late 806 A.S. State of the art at the time, the Isis served as a testbed for several classified Order technologies, which slowly spread to other Order equipment, and eventually the House governments of Sirius. With an oversized power core and reinforced superstructure, the Isis was built tough to withstand the rigors and dangers of testing experimental technology. As the scientists and engineers perfected the equipment tested on the Isis, Order naval command decided to refit the entire ship, swapping out the old experimental equipment for the much safer improved versions, to the relief of everyone onboard the Isis. Still bearing the marks of early combat duties and weapons testing, the old workhorse has been given a new role, protecting Omicron Minor and Planet Toledo, home of the Order. To this day, the Isis is still serving faithfully, helped in no small part by the original design specs of the ship. With the boosted reactor capable of powering a blizzard of long-range fire, and the reinforced structure with heavy armor protecting the ship from all but the heaviest guns and torpedoes, the Battleship Isis is truly a sight to behold, and as of yet still unmatched in combat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Minor] Planet Toledo, home of the Order, was discovered and settled by Order forces in 730 A.S., while they were scouting in the edge worlds for a suitable location to establish a forward base in the Edge Worlds. A barely-hospitable ice world, the Order engineers focused much of their effort on establishing a sizable main base and several mining operations scattered around the planet. Eventually, living quarters and production facilities were installed, and the Order started using Toledo as their main base of operations, as well as for construction of their fighters. The population grew steadily, as the Order carefully recruited through their Zoner and Liberty government contacts, ensuring a constant stream of engineers, scientists and pilots to keep the Order functioning effectively. Near the end of the Nomad War, Toledo was heavily bombarded by Nomad capital ships, damaging or destroying many of the Order settlements and bases on the planet. Following the war, with the planet Toledo no longer being a closely guarded secret, the Order embarked on a huge expansion project to encourage many more settlers, pilots and other technical staff to live there, as well as starting a terraforming project aimed at eventually making the whole planet bearable to live on. As of 816 A.S., the planetary population was estimated to be around 17 million people, most of whom are Order personnel and their families, who work in the support sections of the Order organisation to assist the ever growing naval forces. With the Nomads seemingly on the move again, and the construction of a new bounty hunter base in a nearby Omicron system, the Order has stepped up its ship production, and freighter traffic to the planet has increased dramatically as more and more supplies are brought in to fuel the industry needed to protect the guardians of humanity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Theta] Zoner installation located between Planet Pygar and Omega-41 jump hole. This lonesome place serves as a supply station for Freeport 9 and provides shelter and repairs for occasional Bounty Hunter and even Corsair pilots. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron Theta] Freeport 9 is very nearly the only human population for hundreds of light years in every direction -- which is exactly the way the Zoners like it. Despite its location in a system filled with strange nebula and forbidding black crystals, however, Freeport 9 is a frequent stop for criminal organizations looking to buy Food from the Freeport's biodome, while Cryer Pharmaceuticals has shown an intense interest in the Alien Organisms that colonize many of the asteroids in the system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-100] Battleship Apophis is stationed on the orbit of Planet Braga to assist in defending the Lisbon Station. The battleship was built on Evora Shipyard and originally patrolled between Evora Shipyard and Braga. After repeated Nomad attacks against Lisbon, the battleship was placed near Braga to protect the station in case of further Nomad attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-100] Evora Shipyard was constructed by The Order on the orbit of Planet Viseu. As well as building ships, the shipyard is used to repair and re-supply ships entering and exiting the Amadora Asteroid Field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-100] First line of defense for The Order in Omicron-100. Along with the Battleship Apophis this station is more than enough for any aggressive force entering Order controlled space. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-100] After the disaster on Planet Braga, The Order had a lot of salvaged construction equipment that they could use to build a new base. They searched the system until they discovered a giant asteroid in the northern area of the Amadora Asteroid Field. The Order mined out and pressurized the core of the asteroid, and built Mora Station inside it. It is a great feat of Order engineering, as well as a fortress from which The Order explore and guard the northern part of Omicron-100. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-74] Corinth is the main research center of the Zoners, often visited by scientists of The Order. New Zoner equipment and weaponry is being developed here, using the latest technologies available in Sirius. Some of the best armor upgrades, as well as new Fury 4 and Fury 5 photon blasters, originate from Corinth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-74] Freeport XV is the biggest producer and exporter of food in the Omicrons. The station was recently modified to house numerous biodomes. In addition to supplying local Zoner demands, the biodomes provide food for Corsairs, The Order, and other factions that experience food shortages. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-74] Livadia Shipyard is the major ship construction facility for the Zoners. This shipyard is the site for building a large number of different ships, including civilian fighters ranging from Hawks to Eagles, freighters and transports, and capital ships. Zoner Juggernauts and other battleships that originate from Zoners were built in Livadia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-74] Sparta, along with numerous weapon platforms, was built to guard Corinth Research Station. Most of the area's Zoner Guard patrols originate from this station. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-80] The mine field in the central part of the Omicron-80 system never attracted much attention of the Outcasts due to its desolate location and presumably non-human origin. However, in the recent couple of years occasional Outcast patrols that ventured in the area observed strange activity inside the field, as if there was a jump hole hidden inside. To monitor this activity, Genoa Base was built on some distance from the mine field, equipped with powerful single-direction scanners pointed towards the center of the field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-81] In 817 A.S., the Outcast Council of Dons authorized construction of a new shipyard in the newly discovered Omicron-81 system. They deemed it necessary to build this new shipyard due to the four-front war the Outcasts were fighting against the Corsairs, the Bounty Hunters, Liberty and IMG. Also scientists had discovered that Corsica was not as stable as once thought, and that within one hundred years she would be pulled in and torn apart by the Black Hole of Razgriz. Construction was handed off to a splinter Outcast group, who had discovered the system and claimed it as their home. Cartagena Shipyard would be the most massive shipyard in all of Sirius, focusing on mass-producing fighters, bombers, and gunboats for the Outcast Nation, while retaining the ability to swiftly build Outcast destroyers, dreadnoughts, and battleships. Hidden behind Planet Alcara, Cartagena draws resources from Alcara and the mineral-rich Moon Terre. With all these rich materials and skillful workers at her disposal Cartagena is able to quickly build many ships of war for the Orange Dream. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-81] Galicia Research Station was set up in the Huescar Nebula in order to study it and all the strange effects it has on local space. The scientists on Galicia also do many secret tests on Cardamine and its genetic effects on the human body. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-81] Puertollano is a small base near the Omicron 81 hole manned by a determined group of volunteers. Their job is to interrogate any ship entering Omicron 81 and give advance information to Cartagena Shipyards and Seguro Refugio on all ships entering the system. Puertollano also co-ordinates all patrols in Omicron 81. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-81] The rock base of Seguro Refugio was hollowed out from a massive asteroid slowly falling into Soledad and pulled into a stable orbit. With the massively important Cartagena Shipyard project well under construction the Outcasts needed a place to store supplies, house workers, and provide a defense. After Cartagena was completed Seguro fell under the command of the Outcast group that found Omicron-81 and built Cartagena. Seguro became a hub for Omicron-81 supplying the settlers of Soledad, co-ordinating shipments for Cartagena and becoming a safe haven for those wishing to escape the near-tolitarian political structure of Malta. Any dissidents found their way here after their protests fell on deaf ears. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-82] It is unknown where this station came from or exactly who built it. The remains of some planetoid that wandered this system appears to be the main composition, with a complex of unknown metallic material built into the dense rock. Rumored to be the home of the terrorist leader Dark Star and his disciples, it is as deadly as it is mysterious. Avoid at all costs! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-85] A remote station deep within the confines of the Austera Nube, apparently guarding the Omicron Alpha jumphole. >>>AVOID IF HOSTILE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-85] There isn't much info on this base built inside one of the large pieces of obsidian asteroids in the Austera Nube. Older Outcasts tell a story of a planet named Corsica. The size of the complex indicates that it may be the source of the feared Outcast Dreadnoughts guarding the Outcast space. Rumor is that this might be the home of the legendary Ghosts of Razgriz... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-85] One of the Dreadnoughts guarding Outcast space well hidden in remote areas of Outcast space. Swift response time and powerful armament together with their fighter wings makes these beasts a backbone of Outcasts' defense fleet. >>>AVOID IF HOSTILE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-91] Alexandria was the first station to be constructed by the Corsairs in Omicron-91. It was used as a base by which Corsairs could explore the system, charting its contents and documenting it for future reference. Now, the storage facilities for exploratory machinery have been converted into storage space for raw materials and finished goods, bound for either Rhodes shipyard or Barcelona station. The station itself is located within the Santa Marina asteroid field. This positioning allows pilots in training to practice asteroid field combat, while also having ample protection that the weapons platforms around Alexandria give. The site for Alexandria was chosen here in the asteroid field specifically because of the lack of sensor-blocking materials within the field. This allows the powerful sensors on Alexandria to constantly scan Omicron-91 for any hostile forces and deploy a counter attack if necessary. This hasn't had to be used yet, though. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-91] Completed in the closing stages of 816 A.S., Barcelona is a piecemeal station modelled on basic Zoner designs. Taking the liberty of looting parts of the wreckage of Freeport 7, Corsair pilots brought the completion date of this station forward by two years. Barcelona's main functions are the production of small fighter vessels and the cultivation of food for the Corsair people. The high level of security in Omicron-91 means that visitors to the station are rare. Components and materials that are unsuitable for the fabrication of capital ships often go to this station to be used in the construction of the fighter-class vessels for sale here. Barcelona itself is a heavily protected and secure installation financed by the Brotherhood. Though not built for war, Barcelona has powerful defences capable of fending off a sizable attacking force, preventing damage to the precious biodomes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-91] Guarding the entrance to Omicron-91, the Prox was the first battleship to be commissioned by the Brotherhood. Having fought through many successful engagements across Sirius, it outlived its usefulness and was decommissioned in 812 A.S. The Prox was due for deconstruction in 813 A.S., but narrowly escaped its fate when the Brotherhood announced its intentions to develop the system fully. Given a partial overhaul on Tripoli, and a later refit at Rhodes, the Prox is now the fully functioning guardian for Omicron-91. All traffic that passes into and out of the system is cleared by the communications controllers on the Prox. Any unsuitable or unwanted vessels are turned away at this point, though many simply come to visit this famous battleship. Onboard the Prox, there is an expanded power grid in place of the now empty engine bay. The weaponry has been overhauled and as a result, this battleship is quite lethal to any attackers or threats. For any Corsair visitors though, the Prox is a nice place to be. There is a museum deck for those wishing to learn about the Brotherhood and its organisational history, a restaurant serving food produced on Barcelona and there's even an arcade section for children. On the one hand, the Prox is the gatekeeper for Omicron-91. On the other, it is a place for your average Corsair to relax. As such, the Prox is the only installation in the system that Corsairs are free to dock upon as they please. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-91] Located within the smaller Unquera cloud, a medium-sized offshoot of the Walker nebula in Rheinland, Rhodes shipyard is well hidden and protected from any would-be invaders to this system. Silently producing the massive weapons of war to be used by the Corsairs in engagements across Sirius, Rhodes is the focal point for any capital ship construction that Tripoli cannot handle. Rhodes itself is a large shipyard devoted to the manufacture of capital class vessels. The total productive capability of Rhodes is three times larger than that of Tripoli. However, due to the shortage of suitable materials needed for the construction of these warships, Rhodes is currently operating at less than 20% capacity. The facilities available to Rhodes are comparable to those available to house shipyards. Sporting some of the most technologically advanced equipment, looted from various locations around Sirius, the capital ships that roll off from the Rhodes production lines are of the highest quality. Older warships can also be reconditioned and retrofitted here. Numerous weapons platforms protect the vulnerable warships under construction or refit from attack. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-94] Originally deployed in 804 AS, the Delos was among the first Osiris class battleships constructed for the Corsairs. Due for decommission in 814 AS after the Corsairs developed superior battleship designs of their own, the Delos was re-deployed at the last minute when survey teams reported contact with unidentified hostile ships in Omicron-94. Since 814 AS, the Battleship Delos has been deployed at the border of charted space in Omicron-94, patrolling the frontier to ensure the safety of the outposts located in the system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-94] Syros was a project undertaken by the Corsair nation in 802 AS, overseen by one of Crete's powerful military families. Originally intended to act primarily as the base of operations for forces in the area, the station was later expanded to include a dry dock. Since the creation of the dry-dock, Syros has been known dubbed a "Shipyard" and has acted as a servicing and repair facility for Osiris, and now Legate class battleships. After the Delos' deployment to Omicron-94, Syros Shipyard was expanded to include a secondary dry-dock, the construction of which is still underway and is estimated to reach completion over the next 12 months. Despite its size and facilities, constructions of new vessels rarely take place at Syros due to the difficulty of transporting raw materials to the region. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-94] Within the asteroid belt of Santorini, in orbit of the planet, Thira Colony was established in 810 AS. With precious little raw materials in the system, the planetoid chosen was almost entirely impermeable and thus perfect for a "dig in" outpost. With the increased frequency of attacks on Omicron Gamma and other Corsair establishments in the Edge by their enemies, the Elders of Crete felt it necessary to lay provisions for a tactical retreat to a defensible location if such drastic action was ever called for. Thira was the centerpiece of this plan, which was designed to help house the populous of Crete, out of harms way if the time ever came when Crete was no longer defendable. By current projections, the Thira project has only utilized ten percent of the planetoid's volume so far, and thus has huge potential to be expanded if necessary. Operating at a sustainable five percent capacity, Thira Colony currently only houses around 200 people, but is largely self sufficient. Occasional gas-scoops from nearby planets provide the station with Oxygen and water to sustain it's current populous, and enough food can be produced in experimental hydroponics centers within the planetoid to feed the minimal crew that currently reside there. Renowned as the "quietest place in the Corsair Empire", Thira is intended to act as the last place of refuge if Gamma is ever overthrown. Management of the "Colony" is currently the responsibility of one of the military families of Crete. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-94] Deep within the Andros Field, Tinos Outpost was established shortly after the system's discovery by the Corsairs in 786 A.S. Originally intended to act as the watchtower at the furthermost frontier of the Corsair Empire, Tinos Outpost's purpose was adjusted with the construction of Syros and the deployment of the Battleship Delos to Omicron-94, with the Station acting as a relay station for communications between the isolated system and Corsair command on Planet Crete. After discovery of possible hostile forces in the Aegean Nebulae, an experimental satellite monitoring system was put in place, with sensor satellites deployed across the system to give warning of any incursion. With telemetry relayed back from these satellites to Tinos Outpost, the station is able to distribute intelligence from the satellites to all other bases and allied vessels in the system, with whereabouts and tactical data about the perceived threat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Omicron-99] According to initial scans, The Ravine is a city built inside a large asteroid positioned between two suns. Unknown life forms detected; contact is considered extremely dangerous. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ontario] Battleship Ottawa was built in 806 A.S. and was used for patrolling remote regions of California system. After Ontario was opened for settlement and commercial activities in 809 A.S., piracy in the system has been constantly on the rise. To counter threat of Lane Hacker and Xeno attacks, Ottawa was stationed in the system on the orbit of planet Huron. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ontario] No one knows exact reasons of Lane Hacker interest in Ontario, but one thing is for certain: in a place where Ageira is present, there would be the Hackers as well, to overtake profits of the company and lives of its pilots. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ontario] Built out of junk and scrap collected from other station building sites, Dryden is a terrible place to live in. Yet it provides a good opportunity for skillful Xeno pilots to gain some loot from unwary civilian convoys. While the presence of Battleship Ottawa made piracy in Ontario more challenging business, there's still not enough military patrols in the system to defend all civilian shipments. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ontario] Fort Severn was constructed by the Liberty Navy to supply Navy and Police patrols operating in Ontario Several Liberty pirate groups showed interest in Ontario operations and established secret hideouts throughout the system. Severn helps to counter pirate threat whenever possible. The Fort has also been tasked as the retailer for Liberty's new war machines. Their production at an undisclosed location is a joint project of Deep Space Engineering and the Liberty Government, and the location of the production facility is one of Liberty's most closely guarded secrets. Fort Severn also receives shipments of materials for transfer to the production facility, although many of the components of the vehicles are supplied directly by DSE. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ontario] Residing on the outskirts of Lawrence Ice Field, the Hamilton Station houses production facilities of Ageira Technologies. Hamilton was constructed to provide enough supplies for nearby mining operations, as well as for station building sites, and possible future trade lane and jump gate construction sites. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ontario] Thunder Bay became one of the first bases established in the Ontario system. Junkers have an unmistakable feeling for where profit lies; shortly after Ontario was opened for settlement, they already knew that the system has great potential for long-term development. This means that both freelancers and unlawfuls would need a safe haven and a supply depot. Thunder Bay was quite expensive to build, but trading profits have covered the costs in less than 3 years of its operation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ontario] Iron ore deposits that were recently discovered on the nearby planet Huron have provided abudant materials to construct Toronto as well as a number of other stations in the Ontario system. The Toronto Station became the primary settlement of Liberty in Ontario, a system that has long been considered unimportant due to lack of planets suitable for terraforming. Now, when extended surveys proved the presence of valuable mineral resources in the system, Toronto was constructed to house corporate workers, miners, police, and civilian authorities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Orkney] Independent Miners Guild has built this base inside one of the Westray Field's larger asteroids in 801 A.S. Certain rare metals were discovered in the field, however, economical significance of this area proved to be lower than initially expected. The station was populated only with few IMG engineers for almost 10 years. After that, the war between Bretonia and Kusari forced many miners to escape from Tau region, and some families chose Dounby as their new place of living. Despite sporadic raids of the Outcasts, they lived a calm and peaceful life, until the cameras that monitored space around the station silently displayed large explosions inside the mine field located not far from their home... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Orkney] Kirkwall is a secret Outcast installation built in 805 A.S. inside a large asteroid field. While Orkney system is not a part of any Cardamine routes, and is not within the scope of Outcasts' economical interests, Dons of Malta consider it worthy to maintain a presence not too far from a mysterious mine field that is very similar to one located in Outcasts' own Omicron-80 system. Events that happened in 817 A.S. showed that this precaution was a far-sighted one, and now the Outcasts are considering Kirkwall as a valuable base of operations that will allow to venture into the hostile space of Gallia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Orkney] Reunion was constructed by the Council in 817 A.S., only a few weeks after the path in the Orkney mine field was cleared. Named after a French island in the Indian ocean of ancient Earth, this base is a symbol of the actual reunion of Sirius colonies and the House of Gallia, which was isolated from the rest of human civilization for over seven hundred years. The station was built in a haste using whatever materials could be brought into Orkney from Languedoc. Larger construction elements, including dock ports and solar panels, were purchased from Independent Miners Guild. Despite having poor living conditions, the station has become a very busy place, serving a large amount of ships coming to and from Gallia. From here, the Council launches recon missions in order to seek a place of refuge within Sirius when Languedoc defenses will be breached by Gallic Royal Navy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] Junkers were part of the original populace who settled in Pennsylvania. After arrival of Liberty Rogues, Junkers were most ready to trade and exchange resources with them. Zoners demanded that the Rogues should not be allowed into Erie, however, Junkers ignored the request, and the current relations between Junkers and local Zoners are quite tedious. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] Battleship Gettysburg was stationed in Pennsylvania after the local factions asked Liberty for protection against local pirates. Since then, the crew of Gettysburg faithfully fulfils the duty, trying to halt crime rise that has been characteristic for this system during the recent decade. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] Bethlehem is a Zoner installation built in 780 A.S. Unlike larger Philadelphia, it remained independent from Liberty civilian authorities after the House took Pennsylvania under its control. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] Harrisburg is a large installation built in close orbit of Planet Erie in 807-812 A.S. It houses over three thousand colonists, mainly Zoners and representatives of Liberty corporations, and consists of multiple station modules with factories, living quarters, storage facilities, and two biodomes. While Zoners form the majority of its population, the station is controlled by Liberty Police Inc. and was built using the money of Liberty corporations that now participate in its operation. Harrisburg is a remarkable sign of economical growth that Pennsylvania system is experiencing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] Relative safety of Pennsylvania and presence of barely defended civilian convoys has attracted a significant Xeno population. Some of them are struggling for survival, while some have built a fortune after hijacking a couple of especially valuable Zoner shipments. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] Pennsylvania houses a large populace of Liberty Rogues, many of whom are family members of other Rogues who operate in more dangerous areas of Liberty. Niverton guarantees safety for all of them, since Navy or Police patrols rarely venture in the area, and asteroid field doesn't allow capital ships to operate efficiently. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] While Liberty government showed no interest in Pennsylvania and allowed Zoners and civilian companies to populate the system, the settlers established first cities on Planet Erie and turned to building space stations. Philadelphia became the first of them, completed in 764 A.S. More components were attached to the station later, including a large manufacturing plant and biodomes. As new bases were built in Pennsylvania and economical activites were rising, piracy started to increase as well, and Zoners had to use the help of Liberty government to keep unlawful presence under control. Nowadays, Philadelphia became the center of Liberty government in Pennsylvania, lead by governor, Sebastian Guillemot, formerly a lawyer and high-ranked employee of Ageira Technologies. Station is controlled by Liberty Police Inc., with more than 2000 civilians, personnel and corporate representatives residing in the station's living quarters. Manhattan intentionally decided to keep Liberty officials away from Planet Erie to give the colonists an impression that they are truly independent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pennsylvania] The green world of Erie was discovered in 679 A.S. Although the Pennsylvania system is located relatively close to New York, it took some time before Liberty became interested in its exploration. Erie was the only planet in the system with environment suitable for human colonization. Ecosystem of the planet was exceptionally rich with various land and water species, and in some way resembled Earth of Triassic period. At first, Liberty considered Erie to be suitable place of colonization for undesired elements from Manhattan. Later, however, it became known that some of microorganisms that inhabit Erie can infect humans, and numerous predators pose significant danger. Since Liberty was not ready to provide socially undesirable colonists with expensive medical supplies or weaponry to defend themselves, plans to colonize Erie have been delayed. In 761 A.S., a group of Zoner colonists landed planetside. Awared of the dangers posed by local wildlife, they drained swamps in a few selected areas to eliminate insects that were major carriers of local diseases. Later, well-developed settlements were built in the drained territories. Settlements grew into cities, and many Zoners started to consider this planet as their new home, much like to Gran Canaria. Liberty, of course, was aware of their progress, unwilling to allow an independent colony to arise within its borders. Liberty Security Force agents on the planet have secretly bribed a group of high-rank Zoner councellors who controlled most of the planet's economy and space transit. At about the same time, Liberty Rogues and Xenos have found jump hole paths into Pennsylvania and established bases of operation there. While the Zoners had enough firepower to fight back the intruders and protect their convoys, some of the councillors overestimated the threat, attempting to cause panic between pilots and civilian population. In the end, government of Erie made an ambiguous decision to invite Liberty Police Inc. to protect their Pennsylvania bases and trade routes. Most of the local Zoners reacted negatively to this decision, and some even started to assemble resistance detachments in order to start a guerilla war in case Liberty will overstep its bounds. Liberty officials were witty enough to see economical benefits that the presence of Zoners provided, and avoided the fighting. Declaring Pennsylvania an independent system under Liberty protectorate, they offered Zoners economical and political freedom. Moreover, Liberty has built a system of trade lanes to allow safer and faster travels between Pennsylvania stations and New York. While the system is supervised by Liberty governor, the Zoner cities on Erie are self-governed and enjoy complete autonomy, unlike former Zoner space stations that have completely been taken under control of LPI. Zoners, of course, are not fully satisfied with their agreement with Liberty; however, they have to admit that any attempts to overthrow the Liberty reign will result in a war with the nearby House, leading to destruction of their new world. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Poole] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Puerto Rico] Arecibo is the first station constructed by Junkers in Puerto Rico. Currently it serves as a front line of defense against intruders, as well as a checkpoint for all allied ships heading further into the system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Puerto Rico] Carolina is a small outpost on the outskirts of Puerto Rico. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Puerto Rico] Culebra is a mining facility built to extract scarce ore resources from Rincon asteroid field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Puerto Rico] Vieques Shipyard is one of the primary ship building facilities for all kinds of Liberty unlawfuls. It also serves as a repair depot for capital ships belonging to pirates. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Quebec] Battleship Alma is stationed in the Quebec system for defensive purposes and to serve as a supply stage for local Liberty Navy patrols. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Saar] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Salisbury] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Salisbury] Installation of the Bretonia Armed Forces in the recently discovered Salisbury system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Shikoku] Constructed at Yokohama Shipyards for the Kusari Naval Forces by Samura, the Battleship Myoko was commissioned 117 A.S. Despite being the oldest Kusari battleship still in active service, it has received many overhauls and upgrades over the centuries in order to remain a competitive fighting force. The Myoko was originally scheduled to be decommissioned and moved to the New Tokyo system to serve as a museum, but its operational lifespan was extended first to 815 A.S., and again to 825 A.S. after the Kusari-Bretonia war broke out. The Battleship Myoko is commanded by Shosho Jun Takei, and is presently stationed in the Shikoku system, not far from Deshima Station, in an attempt to stem the ever-increasing piracy from the Independent Worlds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Shikoku] The Shikoku system was originally a gateway for almost all of the traffic originating from Liberty and the independent worlds. Entry requirements for the New Tokyo system were initially very strict, and as a result, Shikoku became home to a large band of itinerant foreigners. Deshima Station was constructed in 350 AS to house this population, and despite the significant relaxation of New Tokyo system entry requirements, it still serves as a way station. Over the years Deshima has been substantially improved through the addition of a Synth Foods biodome, the construction of additional living space, and a partnership with Kishiro to manufacture Consumer Goods. The Bounty Hunters Guild also recently opened an office here as the large numbers of foreigners in the system includes a significant criminal element. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Shikoku] Originally located in the New Tokyo system, Fuchu Prison was moved to the Shikoku system in 600 AS to handle the burgeoning foreign criminal element that was plaguing the area. While nearly 70% of the prisoners are from outside of Kusari space, the remaining 30% are almost exclusively members of a radical, political terrorist group called the Blood Dragons. "Rehabilitation through work" is a core principal of the Fuchu Prison mandate, and inmates are routinely deployed to mine Hydrocarbon and work the Junyo fishing platforms. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Shikoku] Ohashi Station was originally constructed to process all requests for entry into the New Tokyo system by foreigners. As entry requirements were relaxed, however, Ohashi transitioned into a base of operations for the Kusari State Police, who patrols the area in an effort to suppress the activities of the Blood Dragons. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Shikoku] The planet Junyo was surveyed in 57 A.S., during the exploration of the Shikoku system by the famous Kusari explorer, Isao Yoshida, who named the planet after his ship, the Junyo Maru. It is covered almost entirely by a single deep ocean that remains liquid across the entire surface of the planet, due to the Shikoku system's young, hot sun. Despite being habitable for humans, the planet was largely ignored by the Kusari government, although a small number of settlers did relocate to the Ishizuki Plateau, a flat area of arable land that is the planet's only land mass. With the impending collapse of fisheries throughout Kusari in 630 A.S., Samura Industries purchased the planet from the Kusari government in an effort to begin terraforming Junyo's ocean using the recently discovered alien organisms from the planet Kurile. By 680 A.S., the ecosystem had been altered considerably; to such an extent that wide-scale production of luxury foods was able to begin planet-wide. As of the end of 816 A.S., Junyo had attained a population of around 30 million, all of whom were employed in some way by the lucrative luxury foods business on the planet, although Samura has nevertheless slowly been losing ground to the more competitive Synth Paste produced by the rival Liberty firm, Synth Foods. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-13] Rich in vital gas resources, the Sigma-13 system has been contested by a number of groups since its discovery in 60 AS. Conflict reached a fever pitch when the system became one of the more fiercely contested prizes during the 80-Years War between the Gas Mining Guild (GMG) and Rheinland. Using speed and a thorough knowledge of the territory, the GMG managed to push back the Rheinland forces, finally obliterating the bulk of the Rheinland Navy at the Battle of the Yanagi Nebula. Since that time the system has been almost exclusively under GMG control, and the Gas Miner Naha has provided support for the GMG's extensive mining operations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-13] At the Battle of the Yanagi Nebula, the forces of the Gas Mining Guild managed to obliterate almost the entire Rheinland Navy in a surprise maneuver. The remnant of that great battle is a vast field of Scrap Metal and radioactive cores that has rendered the area a major navigational hazard. Under an agreement brokered by Interspace Commerce (IC), ALG Waste Disposal has been allowed to build Helgoland Station and begin clean-up of the affected area, shipping Scrap Metal and other waste back to Rheinland for re-smelting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-13] Where there's junk, there are the Junkers. They've been around since the earliest days of the Trade Lanes. Descended from the working classes, they developed within the House systems as a sort of necessary evil, handling the dirty work that no one else would. They do well salvaging valuable materials from the ever-increasing debris fields throughout Sirius, with the notable exception of Kusari. To this day they remain held at bay by the Hogosha. Anyone who deals with Junkers knows they live by a strict code; if you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family. A Junker will double-cross you without a second thought, and they're fiercely protective of each other. Most House corporations consider the Junkers to be simple criminals, but Junkers will occasionally do favors for the police, turning in the odd, mid-level criminal or letting them know about the occasional drug shipment. So despite some harassment, the police stop short of shutting them down. The infrequent police cleanup operations are little more than exercises in public relations, though there's no love lost between the two groups. The Junkers make their official money from salvaging debris within the fields, but also have a good deal going with various criminals, who like their "no questions asked" policy. Tolerated by the governments, Junkers sometimes deal in contraband, but they are extremely hard to catch red-handed. They are frequently patronized by the criminal element for the refuge they offer within the often hostile territory of House capitol systems. Liberty has two groups: a major population in the New York system, and a smaller enclave in Texas. The Junker base of operations in New London is located near the shipyards within the Southampton Debris Field. In New Berlin they scavenge the remaining pockets of industrial waste and scrap within the asteroid fields. Their latest foray is a departure -- a base in the Border Worlds. Attracted by the ALG operation in Sigma-13, they have set up shop near the facility and do most of the dirty work, picking off the best loot from the old ships for themselves. It also serves as a convenient launching point for Cardamine and Artifact runs into New Berlin. Long-distance smuggling is new for the faction, which is still perfecting this skill. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-17] The Atka Research Center was constructed by Cryer Pharmaceuticals to study the Alien Organisms commonly found in the Edge clouds. Cryer is intensely interested in the commercial applications of these Organisms because they have proven useful in several phases of terraforming. Cryer imports substantial quantities from the nearby Samura operation on Kurile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-17] Initially discovered by the Gas Mining Guild (GMG) in 620 AS, the planet Kurile exists in the heart of an astronomical anomaly -- a gravitational tidal pool that creates a clear zone in the middle of an otherwise treacherous nebula. The planet itself is entirely covered in water with a saline content so high that it is toxic to almost all known aquatic life elsewhere in Sirius. Despite this, Kurile possesses a single native life form, a microorganism that manages to thrive in its otherwise poisonous oceans. Samura eventually managed to construct a research platform on Kurile as part of an effort to harvest the microorganisms for use as fish food on Junyo -- an incredibly success initiative. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-19] The Gas Mining Guild (GMG) first surveyed the Sigma-19 system in 550 AS and determined that it was rich in resources -- though far distant from the GMG's usual markets. After intense negotiations, the GMG signed an agreement with Kishiro to finance a Jump Gate to the system in exchange for mining rights. Once the Jump Gate was opened in 650 AS, the Gas Miner Ogashawa was stationed in the system by the GMG and began full-scale operations. The fact that several Kishiro expert advisors are permanently assigned to the ship and that the Ogashawa provides support for Kishiro's own mining activities in the system has reportedly not been well received by its corporate rival, Samura. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-19] The spectacular vistas of the Sigma-19 system -- said by many to be among the most beautiful in all of Sirius -- did not go unnoticed by the tourist industry for long, and in 791 AS Orbital Spa and Cruise Lines stationed its state-of-the-art luxury liner Hawaii in the system. An incredibly popular destination, the Hawaii has operated at near capacity almost from the beginning. The location of the ship outside the policed boundaries of the colonies is also rumored to be part of the attraction, and much of the popularity of the Hawaii lies in the implied promise of forbidden fruit available to those who can afford a ticket. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-59] Niigata station is the new GMG installation in Sigma-59 system. It is one of the largest Gas Miner Guild's stations found in Sirius, and will soon become the residence of GMG's chief executive office. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Sigma-59] Sakhalin Station was the first to be constructed by GMG in the remote Sigma-59 system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Stuttgart] Commissioned in 805 A.S., several months prior to the launch of the Battleship Altenburg, the Karlsruhe was assigned to protect Rheinland interests in the Stuttgart system, focusing particularly on the near continual raids on Planet Stuttgart by the LWB. Since the Battleship's arrival, attacks by the LWB in Stuttgart have stopped almost completely. However, ambushes along the trade lane from the Stuttgart Jump Gate in New Berlin have increased substantially, leading most military analysts to believe that the shrewd farmers have simply shifted their operational focus to more vulnerable spots. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Stuttgart] The planet Stuttgart has been the breadbasket of Rheinland since its settlement in 94 A.S. Over time, its farmers formed a powerful union, named the WVS. The organization managed to successfully lobby the Rheinland government to subsidize Stuttgart agriculture for hundreds of years, generating a huge amount of wealth amongst the farming dynasties and increasing the planet's food output considerably, especially in the growing of Blue Jillies. But with the end of the Eighty Years War in 669 A.S. and the government completely bankrupted, the subsidies were no longer tenable and were cut almost overnight. In a secret deal during the war, the Rheinland government desperately borrowed huge sums from Liberty. Facing default on their loans at the end of the war, they were forced to offer something to House Liberty. Synth Foods wanted complete access to planet Stuttgart, which the Rheinland government granted in exchange for renegotiated debt repayment terms. The Liberty food giant moved in immediately, buying out huge numbers of nearly bankrupt Stuttgart farmers and proceeded to crush entire farming dynasties over the following decades. Some collapsed in suspicious circumstances, such as the Erlichmann family whose farms and plantations suffered a number of sabotages shortly before their buyout by Synth Foods. Much of Stuttgart was subsequently converted into vast expanses of the bio-engineered mono-crops of Synth Foods. The government backed the foreign company wholeheartedly and looked the other way as Synth Foods used unscrupulous business practices to further consolidate its control over Stuttgart. The remaining independent farmers were ultimately forced to buy all of their fertilizers and seeds from Synth Foods and sell all of their production to them at low fixed rates -- prices that were designed to squeeze the maximum out of the farmer and shift all risk away from Synth Foods. The once proud Stuttgart farmers were reduced to indentured servants. Inexorably, Synth Foods assimilated the bulk of the planet's arable land, dutifully paying its Rheinland federal taxes and feeding the bribe machine in New Berlin. The WVS tried to fight back legally in the courts but soon discovered that their influence had been sold to a higher bidder. This sparked a number of sabotage incidents at Synth Food owned factories and it lead to Synth Foods forcing the Rheinland government to replace virtually all of the original WVS board members with their lackeys in 775 A.S., destroying the farming union's voice in New Berlin. It was this final act that lead radicals from the WVS, including the former head of the Erlichmann family, to found the Landwirtrechtbewegung -- farmers rights movement -- simply referred to as the LWB, later the same year. The LWB built a small depot called Darmstadt within the Ostnebel. This serves as a base for operations targeted at Synth Foods convoys within Rheinland space. The Red Hessians also use it as way station along one of their routes to Omega-11. The "war" has been going on for over forty years now, and both sides claim to be winning -- although Synth Foods now controls 90 percent of the planet's agriculture vs. 55 percent just four decades ago. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Stuttgart] Freiburg Station was originally constructed in 312 AS as a clearinghouse for produce harvested on Stuttgart, but now it also handles traffic from foreign shipping companies who increasingly use the Stuttgart system as an alternative to shipping through the Hamburg system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Stuttgart] Konstanz Border Station is one of two command centers for the Rheinland Federal Police in the Stuttgart System. The Federal Police is tasked with handling the interdiction of all illegal activity in the area, including drug trafficking, smuggling, and pirate activity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Stuttgart] Baden Baden is an idyllic world of large oceans, black sand beaches, and the odd hot spring bubbling from volcanic outcroppings of rock. Orbital Spa and Cruise Lines maintains a popular resort here, though it has seen a decline in business as the economic situation in Rheinland grows worse while radicals sympathetic to the LWB farmer's movement attack government officials who vacation here. Orbital has reportedly been trying to remedy the situation by attracting bargain-hunting Liberty tourists. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Stuttgart] Colonised in late 94 A.S., shortly after the exploration of the Stuttgart system by the famous Rheinland explorer, Von Rohe, Stuttgart was hailed as the Jewel of Rheinland. A green, almost inconceivably fertile world, owing to the high concentration of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere, planet Stuttgart was colonised heavily by tens of thousands of would-be farmers, attracted by the prospect of making a living on a planet that did not spend most of its time bathed in sub-zero temperatures. It quickly became the primary food producer for the whole of Rheinland, with many plants from Earth and elsewhere in Sirius being grown with ease in the oxygen rich atmosphere. It was during the formative years that many of the huge farming clans and dynasties started, the largest of which were the Bachmeier, Erlichmann, Sterl and Weiss families, who controlled enormous plantations and farms across the planet. The farmers organised themselves into a collective known as the WVS, a powerful Farmers Rights union that lobbied New Berlin for farming subsidies successfully for centuries. The government money boosted Stuttgart's food output and generated a huge amount of wealth for the farmers, but the happy situation was not to last. As the Eighty Years War against the Gas Miners Guild wound down towards its ignoble conclusion, the Rheinland government, realising that it was almost bankrupt, decided to cut all subsidies to planet Stuttgart almost overnight. The WVS protested massively, but was completely ignored. It later came to light that the Rheinland government had borrowed massively from Liberty during the many years of fighting against the GMG and, with the end of the war in 669 A.S., Liberty was calling in its debts. Having no money to pay them with and in an attempt to renegotiable more favourable loan conditions, the Rheinland government gave Liberty corporations, Synth Foods in particular, unrestricted access to the planet Stuttgart. With the Rheinland currency completely devalued and unemployment skyrocketing by the day, the vast majority of the farmers on Stuttgart were virtually bankrupt along with the rest of their nation. Synth Foods moved in immediately, buying out many of the farming dynasties over the following decades, including the huge Erlichmann family, which had had a series of mysterious disasters occurring on a number of plantations in the year preceding their collapse. Most of the remaining farmers were forced to buy all of their seeds and poor quality fertilisers from Synth Foods, and sell much of their produce to the Liberty corporation at the same time. Despite this, the population continued to rise as immigrants poured in to serve as the labour force on Synth Food plantations, with the current population estimated at around 540 million as of 817 A.S. In 770 A.S., Synth Foods began increasing the carbon dioxide level in Stuttgart's atmosphere in order to make it even easier to manufacture Synth Paste. Again, the WVS protested heavily to the government, but was duly ignored. This sparked a number of sabotage incidents at Synth Food owned factories and it lead to Synth Foods forcing the Rheinland government to replace virtually all of the original WVS board members with their lackeys in 775 A.S., destroying the farming union's voice in New Berlin. It was this final act that lead radicals from the WVS, including the former head of the Erlichmann family, to found the LWB later the same year, in the hopes of one day driving Synth Foods from Stuttgart and returning the planet to its rightful place as the Jewel of Rheinland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Stuttgart] Ulm Border Station is one of two command centers for the Rheinland Federal Police in the Stuttgart system. The Federal Police is tasked with handling the interdiction of all illegal activity in the area, including drug trafficking, smuggling, and pirate activity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-23] Constructed inside a hollowed out asteroid within the Tau-23 system, Cali base was initially built in 734 A.S. as a small refuelling outpost for Outcast smugglers. It has been substantially upgraded over the years to become one of the most important forward bases for the Edge World pirates, particularly in light of the recent discovery, and breaching, of the minefield guarding the entrance into Gallia. Fighting between the Outcasts and the Independent Miners Guild is prevalent throughout the system, and occasionally the IMG even attack Cali Base itself, although the Outcasts are always quick to launch reprisals against Java in return, and for the most part the fighting is restricted to ambushing the other side's transports than to huge space battles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-23] The Independent Mining Guild (IMG) recently established Java Station in order to lay claim to the rich mineral resources present here, despite stiff competition from Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM), a company that had hoped to exploit the system itself once the Tau-31 Jump Gate was completed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-23] A system as rich in resources as Tau-23 was ripe for exploitation, and once surveyed by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM) in 730 AS, the construction of a Jump Gate network linking the system with Bretonia became a high priority. While work on the Tau-31 Jump Gate has proceeded apace, the project has recently come under intense attack by the criminal organization known as the Outcasts, though the reasons behind the hostilities remain unclear. BMM has been forced to hire extra security to protect the construction project and has even attempted to begin limited mining of the valuable Beryllium deposits in the system as a way to offset the skyrocketing costs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-29] Originally a loose assemblage of habitat modules intended to provide quarters for Deep Space Engineering crews constructing a Trade Lane through the system, the station was abandoned upon completion of the Trade Lane and eventually became home to the Zoners. The station was dubbed Freeport 6, and with the addition of a Synth Foods biodome, has become largely self-sufficient. Because of its strategic location in the Border World systems, it is a frequent way station for cargo runs by Bretonian and Kusari shipping companies, as well as a springboard for Independent Mining Guild (IMG) and Zoner expeditions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-29] Constructed in 603 AS by Kishiro, Nago Station is one of Kishiro's primary sources for the Hydrocarbons needed to fabricate the Polymers used in Optical Chips. Optical Chip manufacturing is one of Kishiro's major business sectors, and Kishiro depends on a supply of Polymers to manufacture them. The station also houses a standing security force to repulse frequent attacks by pirates and protect its interests from interference by corporate rival Samura. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-29] Shinkaku Station was built in 602 AS to provide Kusari corporate giant Samura access to the abundant ammonia, water, and oxygen ice fields present in the system. From these raw materials, Shinkaku produces the valuable Fertilizers and Terraforming Gases that Samura needs to remain competitive with Liberty food giant Synth Foods. However, the frequent attacks on Samura operations throughout the system by unidentified criminal elements have made extra security a necessary measure. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-31] The Battleship Macduff is the key element of Harris defense against Kusari Naval Forces, being the only Bretonian battleship that stayed in Tau-31 system after Leeds Jump Gate area came under Kusari control. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-31] Battleship Yamaguchi was heavily damaged in the battle for the Stokes Mining Station. After partial repairs, it has been stationed next to Holman Outpost to provide cover for Kusari supply lines in this region. It acts as a replacement for Battleship Nagasaki that was relocated into the Leeds System to protect Tau-31 Jump Gate from expected Bretonia counterattacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-31] While Tau-31 was considered infeasible for development by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM), the smaller Independent Mining Guild (IMG) -- eager to exploit areas in which BMM feared to tread -- was quick to establish Holman Outpost to mine the large quantities of pure Water and Oxygen ice in the system. Water and Oxygen are then shipped to Harris in partnership with Planetform. The IMG and Deep Space Engineering also use the station to supply their respective operations in the recently opened Tau-23 system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-31] Previously a barren world, Harris was the object of one of the first large-scale terraforming efforts by Planetform, Inc. Initiated in 450 AS, the project was made easier by the abundance of pure Water and Oxygen ice in the system, while Terraforming Gases were easily transported by Bowex from the Stokes Mining Station in nearby Leeds. Harris was originally scheduled for colonization in 820 AS, but the project has recently suffered a series of setbacks due to attacks by Gaian terrorists. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-37] The Independent Mining Guild (IMG) established Falkland Base on an asteroid in the Tau-37 system soon after the construction of Freeport 10. Falkland has easy access to the rich deposits of Niobium nearby, a mineral rare enough to make the effort involved in mining and transporting it back to the colonies extremely profitable. However, Falkland and other IMG operations are subject to frequent attacks by local pirates, making life aboard the base a risky proposition at best. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-37] Until Freeport 10 was established in 760 AS by a band of Zoners looking to establish an outpost as far from the colonies as possible, Tau-37 remained a virtually unexplored system at the distant edge of the Sirius Sector. Largely self-sufficient due to a Synth Foods biodome, the Zoners have continued the open-to-all tradition of the Freeports and frequently play host to members of the Independent Mining Guild (IMG) and Outcasts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-39] Jakarta Orbital Facility was built in 816-817 A.S. as a foundation of Independent Miners Guild colonization of the formerly desolate Tau-39 system. Populated by a large number of miners and their families, the station is an important outpost on the IMG path to explore and populate more Tau Border Worlds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-39] Timor is a mining base recently built inside a large asteroid within the Arafura Asteroid Field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-42] As the Farmers Alliance raised its profile in Kusari, its leaders and bases became the target of frequent Blood Dragon and GC attacks. The leadership of the Alliance it need a stronghold to protect it's operational leadership. Hidden in a nebula, Cape Soya Station is the Farmers Keep, built by Samura with defense in mind, no expense was spared. The base is equipped with the latest technology. This station is the last line of defense for the Farmers, housing the permanent residences of some of the most high profile Alliance leaders, it is also rumored that on occasion members of the Hogosha and Gaians seek sanctuary on Cape Soya. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-42] Saga Base was once the headquarters for the Farmers Alliance operations, but with the expansion of the Alliance's operations in Tua-42, the construction of the Tokia Shipping Platform and Cape Soya station, much of the command level operations have been moved off the station. Saga has become a communication and coordination hub for the Alliance, housing advanced scanning and communication equipment developed by Samura, giving the Alliance the ability to identify trade convoys as far away as the border worlds. This equipment has dramatically improved the effectiveness of the Alliances operations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-42] Tokai was built as a routing point for food produced on Planet Miyazaki, receiving the heavy lifters from the planet, and transferring them onto transport for delivery throughout Kusari. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-44] The Minato Harbor was built by the Independent Mining Guild in cooperation with Zoners to develop the natural riches of nearby planet Borneo. The planet is entirely covered by a deep ocean where organic life is abundant. New, often edible species of aquatic life are being discovered almost every day. Borneo is an undepletable source of food, feeding all IMG bases in the region. When large pockets of gas were discovered beneath Borneo's ocean bottom, IMG constructed several drilling platforms that send the mined gas (mostly O2) to the orbiting Harbor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-44] The Sarawak Station was built by Independent Mining Guild to monitor the nearby radioactive planet. It serves both as an early warning station and as a nuclear physics lab with an abundance of material to experiment on just next door. This proximity is both a blessing and a curse for the scientists here; rare, but unpredictable radiation waves sometimes reach as far as the station and pose a great danger to its personnel. Apart from theoretical nuclear physics, the station houses development of the new IMG ships, weaponry, and shields to aid in the Guild's constant struggle against Outcasts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-44] Constructed shortly after the Nomad War, Singapore is the IMG's primary shipyard. Thanks to a tight cooperation with the Zoners, it is capable of building powerful battleships, known as Battlestars. It also specializes in the construction of mining vessels and large freighters. Singapore was built in a remote area to ensure its safety in case of an unexpected attack. Outcasts, primary IMG enemies, are aware of the shipyard's existence, but were so far unable to locate it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-44] The first station built in Tau-44, Sulawesi serves as a defensive installation as well as a resupply base for local Independent Miners Guild patrols. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-45] Alamo Base was established by Deep Space Engineering in 795 A.S. after an initial survey detected the presence of untapped mineral resources on Planet Death Valley. DSE had hoped to use the base to do a more detailed survey of the planet and eventually to establish a colony on the planet. They kept the location of the system and the existence of the base a secret at the higest levels of the corporation to prevent others from trying to claim a piece of their profits. Unknown to DSE, however, was the presence of a Xeno Guard base in the system. The Xenos reacted to the corporate presence with extreme hostility, and eventually drove DSE from the base and the system. Since DSE's failure in this system, they concluded that, despite the resouces on Planet Death Valley, it wasn't worth the cost necessary to drive the Xenos from the system. Instead, they swept the whole incident under the rug and removed all references to the system from their records. As a result, the very existance of the Tau-45 system remains unknown to nearly everyone in Liberty, including the Libertonian government. The system itself was designed and overseen by Sel Ketal, a famous architect who joined the Xeno cause. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), the Xenos do not have the means to exploit Death Valley's resources, or their fortunes might be much different. Still, they guard it jealously all the same. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-45] Gonzales Station was originally a part of the Planet SAC-T45a development project, before DSE was driven out of the system by the Xenos. Today, the Xenos use it as their primary water collection facility. Unfortunately, the base has falen into disrepair somewhat since the Xenos took over management. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-45] Refugio is the home of many non-combatant Xenos, and is the main industrial and food production facility for the entire Xeno movement. It is from this base that the Xenos launched their assault on Alamo Base, which resulted in the Xenos gaining control over the entire Tau-45 system. How the Xenos originally came to Refugio is not entirely clear, but it is believed to be that it was established shortly after Nome Base, when the Xenos discovered Tau-45. Originally, Refugio served as a retreat for workers seeking to escape oppression in Liberty. Today, Refugio Base is the home base of one of the most feared wings of the Xeno Guard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-63] Mito is a shipyard complex secretly built by the Blood Dragons in Tau-63. Dragons keep its existense secret even from their allies; surrounding territory is patrolled by the fearsome Dragon Guard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-63] Mito is a shipyard complex secretly built by the Blood Dragons in Tau-63. Dragons keep its existense secret even from their allies; surrounding territory is patrolled by the fearsome Dragon Guard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-65] The Chanai biodome project is often regarded by many within the Golden Chrysanthemums to be of critical importance to their organisation, providing the vast majority of the necessary food supplies to the growing Sisterhood population, in addition to the schools and nurseries for the young children. Beginning construction in 809 A.S., after meeting with Synth Foods representatives and signing a secret agreement to covertly assist Synth Foods within Kusari in exchange for a number of biodomes to support their organisation and increasing their pressure on the Farmers Alliance forces in Kyushu, Chanai has been instrumental in allowing the Sisterhood forces to drastically increase the scope of their operations within Kusari, building up their manpower base to begin to rival even the Blood Dragons. The occasional raids against the installation by the Farmers Alliance and the Hogosha have resulted in some delays in the past, with the worst setback occurring in 812 A.S. at the Battle of Chanai, when Farmers Alliance bombers broke through the Golden Chrysanthemum defence line and fired on the central biodome. The biodome was completely destroyed and over two thousand Sisterhood workers were killed, including an unspecified number of children. The attacking Farmers Alliance ships were all destroyed, but the setback was costly, and Chanai was finally completed in 816 A.S., two years behind schedule. It is because of that battle that the previously respectful animosity between the Golden Chrysanthemums and the Farmers Alliance cemented into a feeling of implacable hatred and loathing. After Chanai was finished, a large number of people moved to live onboard the station, relocating from Morioka and Takada Shipyard. An extensive entertainment complex and Cardamine storage depot was also built into Chanai to accommodate Golden Chrysanthemum pilots who are recovering from injuries or taking a relaxing break from the frontlines. Almost all of the Sisterhood's schools and medical facilities are located here, and it is chiefly for this reason that many families call Chanai their home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-65] Kawada Research Complex was built in 791 A.S., in conjunction with Blood Dragon engineers, primarily to study the Ekitei X-Ray Pulsar, but also as a secluded location where work on new weapons and ship testing could proceed away from prying eyes. Despite being completed with the help of the Blood Dragons, the majority of the staff is female, although there are nevertheless a number of Blood Dragon technicians remaining onboard. Several weapons have been released for Golden Chrysanthemums to use during recent years, including the development of the Suncannon type D in 815 A.S., which is the latest in the Suncannon line. There are rumoured to be other weapons under development, although as yet nothing further has been released and much of the information is strictly classified, even to other members of the Sisterhood. The X-Ray Pulsar is deemed to be an important research project, as it releases radioactive energy in the form of periodic bursts. The massive energy collector panels along the station both trap the energy pouring from the Pulsar and shield the station's inhabitants from the deadly radiation. It is hoped by Golden Chrysanthemum scientists that the energy could be harnessed to solve many of the power problems facing their organisation's continued expansion and growth, and any new technology derived from such advances could also perhaps be offered as a bargaining chip in a political settlement for equal rights for all women throughout Kusari. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-65] Constructed in 654 A.S., five years after the completion of Ainu Depot in Hokkaido, Morioka Base was designed to house many of the dependents of the Golden Chrysanthemums. Initially just a collection of space habitats welded together, eventually it was formalised into a proper station with docking ports, repair bays and active defences. Most of the Sisterhood took breaks from the frontlines at Morioka in the past, although these days many of them prefer to relax on Chanai instead, helping out in their spare time with the Biodome projects. For over a century and a half the station has been important coordinating forces with Ainu Depot due to its relative proximity to the Hokkaido jump hole, especially with the construction of other bases within Tau-65, and it remains an important station and resting place for Golden Chrysanthemum forces, despite most of the families and recreational facilities being moved to Chanai. Many people also visit to view the spectacular rings around the planet Hiura, which lies close by Morioka, although it is unlikely to have popular appeal as a tourist destination due to the substantial control the Golden Chrysanthemums wield over anyone entering the Tau-65 system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tau-65] The Takada Shipyard building project began in 713 A.S., using the stolen blueprints of Yokohama Shipyard, although due to financial and material shortages it was never finished until 725 A.S. Built in orbit of the planet Kitahara, the shipyard was designed to handle the testing of finalised prototype ships designs and construction of actual ships for use by the Golden Chrysanthemums and their allies. Several designs for heavy fighters were tested here, although most were eventually scrapped, due to being unable to compete with existing fighters constructed by the Kusari Naval Forces. Most of the Sisterhood's ship repair facilities are located at Takada, and a number of Outcast engineers also reside onboard the station to assist in keeping the organisation's ships at an operational status. A number of docking berths for capital class vessels were also constructed as part of the shipyard, for although the Golden Chrysanthemums do not have many warships, many of their allies do, and some often call at Takada for repairs. A large amount of the materials for the shipyard production lines come from freighters hijacked across Kusari, although there are small mining operations on the planet below, with captured prisoners working the mines. The shipyard also serves as an important way station for traffic between the planet and the other bases within the system, although vessels approaching the shipyard should check their IFF to ensure it is up to date as the various weapon platforms, Sisterhood patrols and active minefields are not very forgiving of unauthorised intruders. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Texas] The Battleship Mississippi, constructed in 745 A.S., is easily the oldest ship still serving in the Liberty Navy. More than one high-ranking officer affectionately refers to the warship as "Old Miss"; though originally set to be decommissioned in 805 A.S., public protest (not very enthusiastically from the Sugarland and Huntsville) as well as the Mississippi's symbolic status (a foreboding icon of fear for Texan pirates, as well as a beacon for the often-oppressive conditions of lawful work in Texas) led to its being permitted to remain in active service until 825 A.S. at least. As Sirius-wide technological advancements since the Nomad War have been comparatively modest, with perhaps a few exceptions (rumours of cloaking devices installed on Liberty Navy ships run rampant), the Mississippi remains nearly as effective as the day it was built. The Mississippi's primary duty is to provide additional security for the prison ships in orbit around Houston, as well as attempting to hold the Texas Line surrounding the F-Zone. The battleship has been under the command of Commodore Dane Caruthers since before the Nomad War. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Texas] This Junker base is rumoured to be the centre of slavery in Liberty, although little has been proven to date; shady shipments often depart to the southwest, that much is certain. Hidden deep within the North Dallas Debris Field, it is frequented by Liberty Rogues and Outcasts; this is the furthest south in Sirius that Outcasts will ever come. Disgruntled Xenos seeking to displace their Junker competitors in the cardamine trade launch sporadic attacks against Beaumont; though the occasional missile breaches the perimeter, no serious harm has yet been caused. Said cardamine often changes hands here; drug runners hailing from as far away as the Edge Worlds make port here to fuel Liberty's orange dream. The Beaumont bar is perhaps Liberty's most prime source of gossip and information; murderers lurk in the shadowy corners, ready to divest themselves of dark secrets, adventurers discuss their latest exploits, and the Junkers know everything there is to know, for a price. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Texas] The prison ship Huntsville, under the control of Liberty Police, Incorporated (LPI), is commonly referred to by prisoners and locals alike (there's often no difference) as "The Wall". Xenos make up a large percentage of the population and are isolated here to minimize exposure to other inmates in the penal system, since for every Xeno that mingles with other prisoners, three leave jail several years later, although Xeno recruitment has been on a downward slope recently partially due to the LPI being increasingly effective at cracking down on the terrorists and partially due to said prisoner separation system. Apart from the prisoners and jailers, the Bounty Hunters Guild also maintains an onboard presence in the event of any unforeseen escape attempts. Outcasts who end up on Huntsville or Sugarland quickly die from cardamine withdrawal, or else are murdered by the Xeno prisoners. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Texas] The prison ship Sugarland, under the control of Liberty Police, Incorporated (LPI), was built in 600 A.S. to handle the Huntsville's criminal overflow. Sugarland is particularly hard-time, as a smelter worked by prison labour operates around the clock to re-process scrap from the Texas and New York debris fields (Scrap Metal; the Texas Incident's sole advantage). Apart from the prisoner population, a large contingent of cops, Hunters, and representatives of ALG Waste Disposal (the sole Rheinland faction still permitted into Liberty) round out the personnel on board. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Texas] Houston is an arid world whose population has slowly increased to slightly over 450 million people; these mostly consist of what Manhattanites would term "the economically undesirable", many of them former inmates of the orbiting prison ships. The cheap labour force has attracted a number of industries, however, including a major Deep Space Engineering manufacturing plant and several factories specializing in Consumer Goods and Construction Machinery. The presence of phosphates in Houston's alkaline deserts has also produced a booming market in Fertilizers. Houston's biggest industry, however, is fuelled by Liberty's criminal element; the vast majority of Libertonian prisoners are housed in the system and prison gangs from the Huntsville and the Sugarland, as well as rehabilitated former inmates looking to go straight, power Texan industries. Both the Liberty Police, Incorporated and the Bounty Hunters Guild maintain their respective local headquarters on the planet; the Bounty Hunters Guild is thicker here than anywhere else in Sirius. After all, not only forcing prisoners to labour is profitable; capturing them is vital, too. Houston is most often "visited" by Liberty Rogues and Xenos; Outcasts also end up pumping Fertilizers here, as the Texas system is the furthest south that Outcasts are generally seen in Sirius. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tohoku] After Governor Tekagi's discovery of the Proteus Tome inside the asteroid that would eventually become his fortress, the Order contacted the Blood Dragons to offer them an alliance, with an agreement to share any information that either side uncovers in relation to the increasing threat of the alien race known as the Nomads, although many years later Order and Blood Dragon scientists would learn that the Nomads' real name was the Slomon K'Hara. A lot of the information, however, refers to an ancient race known as the Daam-K'vosh, who had existed for millions of years but inexplicably vanished many millennia ago, and a great deal of the language could not even be translated. Ryuku base was built in 798 A.S. as a forward observation post, shortly before the completion of Tekagi's Arch, and the Blood Dragons immediately began moving in the necessary equipment to repair and rearm their fighters in preparation for the eventual assault on the fortress. Several Order agents were also based onboard, conducting observations and interrogations of a number of kidnapped personnel from military transports heading from the fortress to the Hokkaido system. Eventually, in early 801 A.S., the Blood Dragons were contacted by several associates and, along with a freelancer by the name of Edison Trent, successfully launched a raid against the fortress to recover a Daam-K'vosh artifact called the Proteus Tome. Governor Tekagi was killed in the fighting, as were many of his Nomad-controlled followers. The rest fell into disarray and retreated towards an unknown jump hole in the Tohoku system and escaped. The Proteus Tome was eventually taken by the freelancer to the Order, which eventually resulted in the defeat of the Nomads. Nowadays Ryuku base is a fairly quiet place, although quite a number of transports and Blood Dragon patrols dock at the base before travelling on to Sendai Research Complex in the Okinawa system. In recent years, however, Nomad and Wild activity has been increasing; this has led to speculation that Tekagi's former followers may have returned to wreak revenge on the Blood Dragons for their part in the loss of the Proteus Tome and the death of the governor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tohoku] Heaven's Gate. Scans indicate a large, fortified structure consistent with a military stronghold. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tottori] Remote space station. Avoid contact if hostile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Tottori] A small Hogosha installation in the Tottori system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Unknown] Ancient eons before man realized that the stars could be grasped rather than worshiped, this long abandoned construct now serves as the home of those who felt compelled, or drawn, from all across Sirius to seek it. While portions of the station has been amended with human comforts vast swaths of the building remain darkened and impenetrable, locked behind force shields of a technology that remains unknown. Despite its adapted nature there is something alien held within the lacing halls and domed enclaves, something which twists at the senses yet draws one ever closer. The station emits a strange signal pattern, which so far has evaded decryption. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Vespucci] Due to the completed construction of Fort Leniex, a shift of priorities led to America Base having a key role in acting as a forward communications station, providing intelligence to the rest of the Lane Hackers. It is a small station, yet large enough to hold the most complex of communications and sensory equipment, including a downsized, yet equally effective, replica of the Spyglass Scanner. Additionally, due to its position, the station serves as a quick to access maintenance port for the Lane Hackers and their allies. Housing multiple automated repair, refueling and rearming facilities, it is able to service moderately large numbers of small craft quickly and efficiently. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Vespucci] The Dreadnought Ravager is the Guardian of the Passage. Constantly on the lookout for freindlies and enemies, either greeting with a smile or engaging with a never ending fury, the Ravager monitors any entries or exits made by every vessel into the heart of the Lane Hackers' home. It's advanced weapons and extensive scanner technologies make the Ravager judge, jury and executioner in one, ever vigilantly guarding the home of the Lane Hackers, so that no enemies may pass lest they be cleansed by the fires of hell. Libera Te Ex Inferis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Vespucci] The recently constructed Fort Leniex is the home of the Lane Hackers. The installation was apparently constructed around the same time the asteroid cloud around it formed, masking the entire construction process from all eyes. Little is known about the true capabilities of the fort or of the secrets it houses within. Long-range scans have proven to be inconclusive due to the interferences caused by the Leniex Asteroid Cloud. All probes sent into the area have been destroyed at the outer edges of the cloud. No manned surveillance vessels have returned. According to rumors, the fort is protected by a highly advanced, and terrifyingly deadly, remote weapons network. In addition to this, the fort itself is bristling with the latest defensive weaponry. The fort is said to feature multiple warship manufacturing facilities capable of constructing ships of any size, more than enough facilities to service and maintain said ships, an extensive weapon manufacturing complex, highly-advanced research facilities, the most advanced long range scanning and communications network in existence and other, more secret, defenses. In addition, a contingent of the Lane Hackers' finest dwarfing the one at Monterrey is said to be always stationed on the fort, making any attempt to intrude or gather valuable information about it a suicidal task at best. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Vespucci] Even after the construction of Fort Leniex, Monterrey Base still remains the fall-back fortress of the Lane Hackers in Vespucci. It also serves as a secondary equipment, ship and fuel distribution facility to the Lane Hackers. Monterrey itself features an extensive defensive weapons array, including numerous very heavy, and deadly, weapon platforms, which alone are able to fend off any possible assault. In addition to this, a large contingent of the Lane Hacker Guard remains stationed on the base, ensuring that to date Monterrey still rivals the strongest military outposts and space stations of the Liberty Navy in defense and firepower. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Virginia] Guardian of Virginia. All ships must pass Battleship Petersburg upon entering Virginia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Virginia] Radford Station was built as a training grounds for future Liberty Guard pilots. The Arlington Nebula serves as the base's flight training location and is kept off-limits to most personnel. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Virginia] Headquarters for the Liberty Navy in Virginia. Main base for Liberty Guard pilots. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Virginia] San Jacinto Station is the primary repair and refit dock for Virginia. Capable of fitting Liberty Dreadnoughts and Assault Battlecruisers into its docks, it also sustains many of the Texas and Californian fleets. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Yukon] Freeport-14 is the latest addition to the Zoner Freeports family. Located in a desolate and unexplored Yukon system, this station was literally built in the middle of nowhere in 815-816 A.S. Some of its inhabitants came from Kusari or Liberty; some are "Zoners within Zoners", a small group of people who prefer to live isolated even from their own brethren. The latter once settled in Messina Freeport, but were forced to leave it due to an excalating conflict between the Corsairs and the Outcasts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Document Generated 2010-02-15T00:28:37-05:00