Brandenburg Station

CLASS: Cathedral

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 380

Brandenburg Station is the command center for the Rheinland Imperial Police in the New Berlin system. It was decided that Brandenburg's centuries-old structure was in need of desperate update; as a result, it was towed and expanded upon beside Bonn Station. The Imperial Police released a statement shortly after the several-months' project announcing that the freshly refitted Brandenburg would serve New Berlin well as a western base of operations.

The updated station boasts a top-of-the-line hangar system and refuelling depots; additionally an onboard factory is capable of replacing several wings of snubcraft patrols at a time. Sporadic Hessian, Unioner, and even Bundschuh raiders have harassed the modern facility as of late, but the station has thus far confined the dissidents to the system's asteroid fields.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Gateway Shipping
* Orbital Spa and Cruise
* Universal Shipping
* Bounty Hunters Guild
* Daumann Heavy Construction
* Kruger Minerals
* Synth Foods, Inc.
* RGS Shipping
* ALG Waste Disposal

## News

While the battlegroup successfully managed to destroy both Leipzig Station, as well as Bundschuh controlled Bautzen Station, the assault ended in a catastrophic loss of the Battleship Strausberg, having been ambushed by a heavy Hessian battlegroup. While the Strausberg itself managed to successfully withdraw from the battle, its engines failed halfway towards the New Berlin Jump Gate, and the order was made to scuttle the ship to avoid it falling into the Hessian hands.
As a result, massive riots are taking place all around Rheinland, demanding Kaiser's resignation from his position due to his reckless actions making Rheinland even less safe than it already is. We have reached out to the Kaiser Cabinet, but were refused any comments at the time of publication.

Shortly afterward, a bill mandating a 5%% increase in military spending was passed, along with some minor policies aimed at increased security in the core systems. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

"Those unfortunate events are indeed less than ideal, but they do not affect our supply lines nearly as much as one would make you think. The main concern, that is the Corsairs, is negligible. While formidable and savage, they are too preoccupied with the Outcast situation in Omicron Theta, allowing our heavily armed convoys to pass back into Sigmas without much difficulty. There is also a secondary source of supplies in the Zoners of Freeport 10, with whom we continue to have cordial relations with."
When questioned about the specifics regarding their operations on newly-conquered Planet Gammu, the spokesperson offered no comment. Following the press conference, the company stocks recovered 25%% from the sudden drop of 40% they suffered when the news of Jump Holes collapse spread, maintaining the heightened level caused by Planet Gammu acquisition.

The announcement was made during a surprise press conference held at the Core Branch Office on Planet Holstein in Frankfurt. Apparently, over the past 4 years, Core's flagship: Battleship Mars has been preparing this operation, eventually springing into action shortly after Omicron Theta has reportedly become a battleground between The Corsairs and The Outcasts.
"We expect many great technologies to be made possible with our findings on Gammu, but I can't provide any specifics at the time.", said Core Public Relation Spokesperson Kenneth Raeman. "We also expect interference from the Corsair Empire, although they currently seem too occupied elsewhere to pay us much attention. Of course, fortifying our position in the system is very much a priority for when that state of things eventually changes. In the meantime, our ground based teams are hard at work excavating the secrets of their former inhabitants while our laboratories on Nauru are studying the first objects brought from the planet."
As a result of these news, Core stocks have seen a record one-day gain of 75%%.

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.

The incident came as a shock to the public and the law enforcement alike, as pirate activity was believed to have completely died out in the desolate Munich system. The frequency of strikes, from both Corsairs and domestic pirates, have steadily declined ever since the antimatter storm first ravaged the system. While the chaotic evacuation efforts from Nuremberg had initially caused a spike, as the system's population decayed to just skeleton crews and Junker scavengers, the criminal element became nearly absent. Some theorize that the Corsairs were there for the Bessemer specifically, intending for one last taunt at Rheinland's people. Thankfully, the Dohna and her crew were there to thwart their efforts.
The ATS Bessemer was dispatched into the Munich system in order to deploy a network of specially reinforced satellites, meant to monitor the advent of the antimatter storm's core. According to the University of Berlin, the core will wash over Munich around the end of this month, stripping away planetary atmospheres and most likely collapsing all remaining jumphole anomalies. The probes deployed by the Bessemer will provide the scientific community with first-hand data of the storm and its effects, transmitting it back to Berlin through a central relay nested within the safety of Raubling's hulk.
With the task complete, the Bessemer was meant to be the final ship to make the jump from Munich, with the Jump Gate being shut down later the same day. However, due to the damage sustained in the attack, the RPU Dohna did the honours instead, covering the Bessemer's departure to ensure its safe return.

## Rumors

* I wouldn't be surprised if there's a Jump Hole in the Saarfeld. It sure seems to get a lot of criminal traffic. My guess is that the Hole accesses Dresden or Stuttgart. Hard to tell which.

* There are many of us torn by our orders to dispose of so many of the Rheinland workers who have fallen onto hard times during the last eighty years. The LWB is a good example. They were once prosperous farmers on Stuttgart. Now they have resorted to violence against the foreign corporation of Synth Foods, which has occupied their homeland. Is that so wrong?

* Daumann and Kruger convoys coming in from the Dresden Gate have been attacked numerous times in recent weeks. The Hessians patiently wait in the fields on either side until they enter the Trade Lane. Then they come out, guns blazing.

* We do two field patrols out of here; one along the northern end of the Saar, the other into the Harz. Neither one is a walk in the park. The Hessians and the LWB lurk everywhere.

* Many of my comrades are joining the Bounty Hunters. They say you can make as much in one day killing Hessians as we get paid in a month. That is, if we get paid at all. The rich aristocrats of Berlin do not seem to be feeling our pain at all. There is money in Rheinland, but it is concentrated in the hands of an elite few.

* Privately, the people of Rheinland are very unhappy with the greedy Liberty companies -- especially Synth Foods. They have destroyed the traditional way of life for the growers of the WVS on Stuttgart and stolen one of Rheinland's most precious assets from her people.

* The asteroid fields around us were once the pride of Rheinland. Generations of early settlers mined the metals that brought riches to all. Then the rich and powerful grew greedy, and decided that they needed more. So they took it from the common man, instead of expanding their companies through innovation and sensible investment.

* Berlin ordered this post built about fifty years ago. The Hessians were using the old Saar and Harz mining areas as staging grounds to attack the southern Trade Lanes. We're the only thing holding back the Hessian hordes from controlling the entire southern end of the New Berlin system.

* This is as far as Republican goes. The Trade Lane south of here and the Dresden system are off limits to our ships. Too dangerous out there. Daumann hauls its minerals and alloys to the Ring. We pick up the cargo there for the remainder of the journey to Liberty or the other houses.

* Just dropping off some supplies and Side Arms from Berlin. We don't deliver them as often as we used to, since the government can't afford to pay us. But we can't let the police run out of Water and air now, can we?

*NOTE: Page generated on the 28/10/2023 at 17:59:46 UTC*