Battleship Westfalen

CLASS: Bismarck

CREW: CLASSIFIED

ARMAMENT: CLASSIFIED

The sole remaining ship in the once grand Rheinland Navy, the Battleship *Westfalen*, is tasked with preventing the spread of pirates into Rheinland space and dealing with attacks by Unioner terrorists. In the past the *Westfalen* also assisted in preventing breakouts from nearby Vierlande Prison.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* ALG Waste Disposal
* Synth Foods, Inc.
* Republican Shipping
* Orbital Spa and Cruise
* Universal Shipping
* Bounty Hunters Guild

## Commodities

* Food Rations
* MOX
* Mining Machinery
* Pharmaceuticals
* Light Arms

* Oxygen
* Water
* H-Fuel

## Rumors

* The structural integrity of this ship is suspect. It suffered a lot of damage during the Eighty Years War, but was forced to remain in service, since all of its sister ships are now Scrap Metal in the Sigma-13 system. We are always nervous when we have to enter the reactor compartments of this ship. Especially since the recent accident.
* Our most lucrative runs for MOX are into Colorado. One must first survive the Xenos in the Independent Worlds, however. The Rogues would also like to get their hands on bomb-making material -- especially the group found in Hudson.

* There are a few reformed Hessians among us here in Hamburg. They're the lucky ones who got out of Vierlande before their sentences were up. One guy had some story about some neutron star in Omega-41. That's way out there in the Edge Worlds in Corsair land.
* The Hole to Bering is up in the Nordheide. If you're looking for diamond smuggling Unioners, then that's the place to be. There isn't a direct route between here and Hudson, which keeps the Xenos and Rogues out of Hamburg.
* Some of the Hunters use this as a base for journeys into Hudson. Most of the bounties up there are for Xenos and Rogues. Republican posts the bulk of them, though Universal and IC chip in on occasion.
* Just came back from Hudson. We were cruising for baddies in the gap between the Wrangell and Kenai Fields. Ran right into a little skirmish going on between the local thugs. I got me two Xenos and a Rogue. Buy you a drink?
* Hudson is a little rougher than Hamburg. No safe havens, not even any military in the Rheinland part of the system. Liberty Navy's putting a lot of pressure on them, but they can't do much about it. You can see why. Look around at this dump.

* This ship is a deathtrap. They had an explosion last week in Fusion Reactor 6. Had to seal off the entire A Deck. They're not even going to fix it. That's a sorry state of affairs. The *Westfalen* will never be able to make a jump again.
* There are rumors circulating that ALG is planning on building a new shipyard in Dortmund to build the Bremen and her sister ships. They're willing to build them at cost in order to gain entry into this new market. That's an attractive proposition for Berlin at this point and time.
* The Rheinland Military is tasked with patrolling the northern areas of Hamburg and the adjacent Independent Worlds of Bering and Hudson. But we only have enough working fighters to cover the Trade Lanes in the immediate area, plus a daily patrol into the Nordheide. We assign Bounty Hunters to handle many of our other patrol routes in the area.
* Ever since we lost the war, Rheinland just hasn't been the same; the entire colony feels beaten and bereft of vigor. Look around, there is no one smiling or enjoying themselves. What will it take for my House to heal?
* Daumann is the real culprit in the Eighty-Years War. The Imperial Navy Command had grave doubts about the wisdom of fighting a guerrilla-style war in the Crow Nebula against an enemy that was so well-supplied by Kusari. But Daumann saw the huge profits to be made in lucrative shipbuilding contracts, and bribed hundreds of key government officials. The rest is history.
* Many of the young officers are leaving the Rheinland Military, tired of the poor conditions and low pay. Most of them end up flying commercial transports for Republican or Synth Foods. The rest end up with the Bounty Hunters Guild.
* The Rheinland public doesn't respect the military anymore. We lost the Eighty-Years War to a ragtag bunch of gas miners as far as they're concerned. That is one reason it has been so difficult for Berlin to increase our budget -- the politicians backed by the Bundschuh always vote it down.
* The Bundschuh continues to attack this floating piece of junk for some reason. We usually run them off after a few minutes. I guess they don't have any other obvious military targets left in Rheinland -- except maybe the Oder Shipyard. Have to have an enemy to keep the cause going.

* Republican is competing with ALG to win the contract for constructing the next generation of Rheinland battleships. We have a clear advantage in ship design and practical construction experience. But they have a definite strength in alloys and specialized Hull Panel fabrication.
* Although it's not far to Hamburg from here, the Unioners will attack us if given the opportunity. Their preferred method is to disable a Trade Lane ring near the center of the stretch, then flee back into the Nordheide at the first sign of a military patrol.