Battleship Somerset

CLASS: Invincible

CREW: CLASSIFIED

ARMAMENT: CLASSIFIED

The Armed Forces' newest asset, the Somerset represents the continuation of the Warick programme that took place years prior. Introducing a new class – that of dreadnoughts – to Bretonia's arsenal, it ensures that any future invader would meet a short end against this vessel.

However, reality is much worse with the Somerset. Being a new model, it is plagued by technical errors and failures, making any deep space mission almost impossible. The vessel also utilizes outdated combat mechanisms, making its combat effectiveness questionable in case of direct engagements. Still, the Armed Forces remain adamant that the battleship will serve its purpose in years to come.

To do so, it was positioned in orbit of the capital – serving as the first stopgap between any vessels moving to New London and the Kingdom's most important planet.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Bounty Hunters Guild
* Border World Exports
* Gateway Shipping
* Bretonia Police
* BMM

## News

Jane Gilliam, whose commendation for repelling a Corsair raiding party as an Armed Forces Captain featured in a CNS article in 800, was not so convinced. "We all knew even back then that The Line wasn't fit for purpose. The Heilbronn disaster should have seen it scrapped, but the Regents on Cambridge didn't want New London looking too closely and pressured the Norfolk to lobby to keep it. If William was still with us, he'd say the same."
The exact catalyst for the extra attention from the edge world pirates is unclear, with various commentators speculating on increased resistance to their operations in Rheinland, Hessian efforts in the deep Omegas, or a shift in their internal politics. Regardless of their true motivations, Interspace Commerce has recognised the elevated peril and adjusted its premiums in response.

While this troubling trend is observed throughout the Sirius colonies, Liberty is bearing the brunt of the crisis among the four major Houses. Remarkably, even Rheinland, where historical data indicated low Cardamine consumption, has witnessed a notable rise in medical cases linked to the illicit narcotic. Experts postulate that the extensive black market responsible for Cardamine distribution might be facing a shortage, or worse, that Outcast factions deliberately curtail the supply to bolster demand. Regrettably, no law enforcement agency has been available for comment on these concerns.
The long-standing debate over Cardamine's controversial nature, juxtaposing its euphoric and purported medicinal qualities with the genetic alterations it inflicts upon long-term users, continues to echo. A key point of contention revolves around the plight of innocent consumers caught in this crisis. Yet, according to independent polls, a substantial majority of our viewers maintains that the substance must remain banned.
In response to this escalating crisis, Cryer Pharmaceuticals has announced a forthcoming press conference. During the event, the company intends to unveil plans for an expanded production of Stabiline, their touted "wonder drug". This announcement promises affordable access to Stabiline for all patients grappling with Cardamine withdrawal, sparking a remarkable 15%% surge in Cryer Pharmaceuticals' stock following the revelation.

Ageira disputed this finding in their own press release, calling EFL 'fantasists' and countering that their own scientists had narrowed the cause to a rare 'hypernova' stellar event that originated outside the Sirius sector. Both corporations claim that network-wide hardware safeguards have been implemented that would prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Independent researchers have sharply criticized the corporate announcements, accusing both of self-interested misdirection.
Professor Sophia Nagel from Heisenberg Research Station called EFL's accusation 'incoherent' and the hypernova explanation 'nonsense' that did not explain the characteristics of the 'Blackout Pulse'. Despite multiple different Pulse recordings being widely disseminated across the neural net, public efforts have so far failed to triangulate its source.

With the end of the war and Bretonia's withdrawal from Planet Gran Canaria, Poole's prominence waned. The cost of policing the system and maintaining infrastructure has significantly outweighed collected tax revenue in recent years, with Planetform's Terraforming Gas operations reporting disappointing year on year returns.DSE has already confirmed that it will begin deconstruction operations shortly, with the dismantling of the Cambridge jump gate expected to be completed by 833 AS.

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Planetform has confirmed its intention to withdraw prior to this point, while settling shareholder anxiety with the announcement of promising preliminary findings for a replacement site in Newcastle.

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While Bretonia is indeed witnessing an extraordinarily high rate of economic growth in particular, it may be the case that the strain of this effort is becoming untenable, and potentially the rewards misplaced. Timothy Ball, of the independent think tank Economic Review Institute, believes this may indeed be the case. "Bretonia's economy is definitely on the rise. While still not at pre-war levels, and not expected to be for some years, the recovery we've witnessed so far has been uneven", he says. "The reconstruction of damaged and destroyed public infrastructure is underway, but seems to be lagging behind the rate of recovery being enjoyed by several major corporations. This can be explained by various factors for a time, but unless rectified, at some point this inequality could become a major point of domestic political contention."

Yesterday at 2200 hours SMT, nearby Sheffield Station and Kingston Border Station received automated distress signals from Liverpool, indicating an emergency aboard the station. Guild patrols redirected from Sheffield arrived on the scene within minutes, finding the border station destroyed. Search and rescue operations headed by Guild and BPA units commenced immediately and successfully salvaged several escape pods bearing several dozen survivors, who were immediately delivered to hospitals on New London.
BPA spokesperson Sandra Halling held a press conference earlier this morning. According to joint police and BIS investigations, Liverpool was destroyed by antimatter explosives planted aboard the station. Their detonation caused a catastrophic chain reaction, resulting in the station's own reactors melting down and exploding. Of the estimated one-hundred-twenty persons on board at the time of the attack, seventy-eight have been reported as dead or missing.
\So far, no party has taken credit for this heinous attack. However, Bretonian police surmises that it was likely perpetrated by either the criminals known as the Mollys or the infamous pirate organization, the Lane Hackers. The attack occurred following a significant redeployment of local Armed Forces units to the Cortez system for the purpose of joint operations with Libertonian security forces. This, says Halling, may have allowed terrorist sympathizers to exploit undermanned BPA patrols and smuggle illegal explosives through Manchester's ice fields, onto Liverpool Station.
While investigations continue, Bretonian Police Authority has reinforced patrols within Manchester and established traffic controls at Kingston Border Station and Birmingham Station. Traffic to and from Liberty has been advised to reroute through the Cortez system.

## Rumors

* The Suffolk is the last defence of Planet New London. If she falls, the Armed Forces will be no more. The only time we ever saw true combat was when renegade Rheinland forces invaded in 800 AS. But we gave those Rheinlanders a good whatfor. None of them ever set foot on New London until the end of that war.

* The Mollys once attempted to drop some MOX bombs into the upper atmosphere of New London. Those aristocrats were always a worried bunch. Now they actually have something serious to worry about. They've seen on Cambridge what that kind of thing can do. Still, once a Molly leaves the asteroid field, exposed, it takes our sensors less then a few seconds to pick him up.

* That war with the Corsairs and the Outcasts? Pah, nothing compared to those battleships of Gallia... Have you seen them? Behemoths that burn the skies. Their extremely large size makes them very vulnerable to both bombers and long range weapons though.

* We do regular patrols into the Cumbria Field looking for Mollys. Just the other day we spotted a Corsair assault group. That gave us all the chills because they aren't supposed to be over this far. They must have sniffed out that Dublin Gold and decided that they want some for themselves.

* I don't really think the Mollys are as bad as we've all been told by the government. From what I hear, BMM is a pretty nasty place to work, especially Graves Station. I wonder why the government doesn't put a stop to that. Slavery after all -is- illegal by Bretonian law.

* Beware of the Cumbria Gas Pocket; it can put some holes in your shield pretty quick. It's easy to avoid, except when you've got Mollys or Corsairs breathing down your neck. But if you're getting swarmed, it can even the odds quite nicely.

* All this talk about Mollys bombing London is just that, talk. It's a bunch of hot air pumped up by BMM. I've heard they're bribing the government and the media to keep the Mollys on the defensive. The planetary defenses would pick up and annihilate any Mollys before they even got into range. But I ain't going to speak out against them - the bounties the government posts on the Mollys allow me to make a little on the side.

* There's a Jump Hole into Dublin from the Cumbria. The military would love to know about it, but hey, us Bounty Hunters have to make a living now, don't we? Besides, they wouldn't be able to do much about it anyway. Taking one of their heavies into an asteroid field is just asking to get it clipped.

* They brought me in from Freeport 1. I've got a good amount of experience with Corsairs as I've been out in the Omega systems for a couple of years. The Corsairs that come into Bretonia are their pirates. The ones in the Omegas are much tougher - they're fighting a war with the Hessians down there. Heaven help 'em if those bastards make it into Bretonia.

* I've seen some pretty good action off the Suffolk. Just head into the Cumbria Field. It's got your Mollys and Corsairs - they get straight to business. And I thought New London would be a snoozer post.

* Bowex has the exclusive contract to supply virtually all military and police bases in Bretonia. Virtually, yes, since the Police Authority has decided to let their installation in Poole be serviced by Gateway. We'll have to have the government put a stop to that. What's good for Bowex is good for Bretonia, I say.

* I'm just making my usual battleship delivery run for the week: Side Arms, Food, Oxygen, H-Fuel, and Water. The short hop from New London to here isn't too bad usually. I'll head to the Essex in Dublin next. That may be more interesting.

*NOTE: Page generated on the 28/10/2023 at 17:59:45 UTC*