Battleship Norfolk

CLASS: Dunkirk

CREW: CLASSIFIED

ARMAMENT: CLASSIFIED

The most iconic battleship in the Kingdom, the Norfolk has – for the majority of its service – anchored the Cambridge Line of surveillance satellites. Though the Line's success has been called into question over the years, the Norfolk remains firmly ready to protect the southern border from smugglers and pirates alike.

Its longest deployment was in the Omega-3 system, securing Aland Shipyard for the military's use during the Second Gallic War, and routing Hessian and IMG forces that attempted to resist the takeover. In addition, it was also a member of the reclamation of Leeds, however the late arrival resulted in the genocide being carried out, and any hopes of saving planet Leeds promptly destroyed with it.

Battleship Norfolk has since been recalled to its original position, guarding the Cambridge Line once more, as Bretonia faces ever-growing internal turmoil.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Border World Exports
* RGS Shipping
* Bounty Hunters Guild
* Cryer Pharmaceuticals
* Gateway Shipping
* Independent Miners Guild

* Bounty Hunters Guild

## 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

* Cambridge used to be such a peaceful place, and then the Corsairs showed up. They've built that Cambridge Line to assure all those university types in Cambridge that everything is under control. Fact is the Line's useless. The weapon platforms are too far apart, and the Corsairs just go around the ends of the Line. It is also too far from the Trade Lane itself to help in the defense of it.

* I can take some amount of consolation in the fact that the Essex made it out of Dublin alive. She's a seasoned warship, with a crew to match, and I reckon that if we could find some way to open up Dublin again that the Essex would be the one leading the charge. More likely is that Parliament will fight itself over nothing, so this might as well be wishful thinking on my part.

* The Norfolk serves as a keystone in the defense of Bretonia against the scourge of the Corsairs. The Cambridge Line stretches between here and Cambridge to offer additional protection for ships traveling along that Trade Lane. Despite all this, ships still get hit by the Corsairs far too often.

* We patrol the Trade Lane into the Keswick Cloud, a favorite crossing point for Corsairs, and the Lane to Cardiff. The Omega-3 Gate area is particularly contentious right now as the Mollys too have found their way there. We've allocated an entire squadron to patrol just that vicinity.

* We've extended our patrols into Nottingham per the conditions of the Omega Trade Lane Pact with Rheinland. Rheinland is finally keeping up their end of the bargain in Omega-7, but moving a battleship into the system wasn't exactly what the Crown was hoping for. No doubt Rheinland is making a statement against our colonization of Nottingham. But whatever the reason, it makes our jobs in the Omega borderworlds a little easier.

* Omega-3 is a sea of ice asteroids. Corsairs are more of a problem in our end of the system; the Red Hessians take over at the east end. They're more focused on that Daumann installation, Rugen, but they still pose a threat to shippers near the Omega-7 gate. Daumann doesn't like us around their installation. Suits me, they can deal with those pirates themselves then.

* Captain Edwards says we're going out into the Grasmere tomorrow on a search and destroy mission to look for Corsairs. Guess I better record a message for my family, in case I don't come back.

* Word from Freeport 1 is that the Corsairs are losing their turf war with the Hessians in Omega-5. That'll save Bretonia's rear. Once the Hessians cut off Omega-5, the Corsairs won't have an easy access route into Cambridge anymore. Of course, then it will be the Hessians that start raiding ships here. Which might be much worse, since the Hessians would actually team up with the Mollies rather then fight them.

* I used to be an IMG miner in Cardiff. This is much better work -- yeah, a little more dangerous, but a lot more rewarding. They recruited me for my knowledge of the Grasmere and Keswick Clouds. I grew up flying around Cambridge, so I know 'em like the back of my hand.

* The Guild is gaining membership in Rheinland. It was tough for a while, but the pay is better than the Federal Police can offer, and you have more freedom to boot. Of course, the Red Hessians are growing, too, so it's not an easy job. The Mollys and Gaians would be chicken feed for that lot.

* There are some top Hunters of the Guild out in the Omega Sector. I was talking to one of 'em last week on Freeport 1 -- said he'd made it all the way to Freeport 5 in Omega-41. That's on the edge of nothing, that is. He talked about a neutron star's deadly radiation that'll fry ya in a couple of minutes if you aren't properly protected.

* Our group went on a long-range patrol along the Corsair Artifact smuggling route to the New London Jump Hole. I got one of 'em in my sights, but his buddies laid some wicked covering fire that forced me to break off. Those Corsairs are a wily lot. If you can tag one, the Crown pays good money for their scalps though.

* We are delivering supplies from Cambridge for the battleship. It's not much of a run, but it keeps me busy. The Corsairs rarely bother us along the Cambridge line. We bring the Side Arms and H-Fuel in from further afield as needed. Detroits' a good place to pick up Side Arms if you want to go direct. You can get H-Fuel straight from the GMG in Okinawa if you travel through Rheinland, too.

* We had a rough MOX run on the way in. Mollys attacked us as we left LD-14. The Armed Forces saved the day on that one. Then the Mollys bit us again in New London. This time it got dicey, since all we had were police in the area. I lost an escort on that one. We're fortunate we got through Cambridge without trouble - Mollys have been moving in on this system too.

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