Gateshead Station

CLASS: Zeus

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 1,4K

Stationed in orbit of planet Carlisle, Gateshead is a busy trans-shipment point currently administered by the Bretonia Police Authority. From here, police ships patrol the surrounding nebula boundaries, protecting nearby trade lanes from Outcast and the Molly raiders. The BPA also dispatches patrols to the nearby Heaton Mining Facility from Gateshead. The station also houses numerous fabrication units to produce goods associated with the colonization of Carlisle and to supply nearby bases.

## 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

* Some of the IMG escorts are better pilots than us. I suppose being out there in the Border Worlds without any Navy or Police to call on toughened them up, but it's still embarrassing when we receive a call from Bowex begging for help, and we arrive to find an IMG escort wing decimating the criminals. We're being beaten at our jobs by miners.

* Welcome to Gateshead, the gate to Carlisle. Be aware that the Carlisle surface is under quarantine and classified a biohazard, level four. How may I serve you today?

* We're in the process of upgrading our equipment. Most pilots have received the new Cavalier and Paladin models, allowing us to better combat the new pirate vessels, which tore our obsolete Cavaliers to pieces. It is an expensive process, but the war has worked in our favor - these craft are being massproduced.

* Well, so much for peace with the Mollys. I suppose that it was inevitable. Hopefully the Armed Forces will make a proper statement about this. Booting those savages from Belfast would be a start.

* They say the surface of Carlisle is hostile to human life. From orbit it looks quite lush down there though - not as lush as Gaia, but still, a nice terrestrial world with a healthy bit of plantlife. I've only heared one story that might explain things. A scientist remarked a bio-seal on a colleague's suit failed. Apparantly, his skin started to dissolve, and his organs liquified, leaving little more than bones and goo behind. What could do such a thing?

* Some of our pilots are former Armed Forces people who have finished their tours of duty in the Tau systems. They're incredibly good pilots, and the Outcasts and Gaians don't stand a chance against these guys. Some of them have called in some favors with the military, and secured themselves a Crusader. It makes sense, since they know how to handle one.

* The Outcasts used to give us a lot of grief in the north of Newcastle. I wager there's a jump hole leading to the Tau worlds somewhere. Now the Outcasts are gone, but the Gallic forces have replaced that threat. I wonder if they are using that same route.

* Gateshead was constructed in orbit of Planet Carlisle initially as a supply station for a colony that was to be established there. That was, until the planet proved to be hostile to human life. Until that problem is solved, we won't be sending anyone down there, not without a proper bio-suit.

* We need to update our defenses on this base soon. The Gaians won't attack Gateshead while the Armed Forces are using it as a staging grounds - Macduff would tear them a new one. But if the military leave, the station will be vulnerable. The defenses are outdated, and can barely deal with the odd fighter.

* I advise you to avoid pretty much everywhere off the trade lanes. There are so many dangerous parts of Newcastle; If you wander off the beaten track you're just asking to die. Aside from the usual criminal groups using the asteroid fields to ambush unsuspecting ships, there are also rumors of old minefields scattered throughout the region.

* This place was built back in 692 AS to accommodate the many police patrols that pass through here, and the scientists that are always nosing about on Carlisle. It's not a bad place to be posted, and keeps you out of the line of fire, if you know what I mean?

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