Ronneburg Base

CLASS: Unknown

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Limited

POPULATION: Unknown

The story of the Hessians emerges from the turbulent history of the Dresden system, the mining heartland of Rheinland since the beginning of the third century. Mining there was dirty, dangerous work, but Daumann and Kruger had little reason to lose sleep over the welfare of their employees. The price of the occasional disability pension or life insurance policy was nothing compared to the money made from extracting and refining the metals and materials that fed Rheinland industry.

As the 80-Years War wound down to its ignoble conclusion, Rheinland found itself virtually bankrupt. Kruger and Daumann released thousands of employees throughout Rheinland. Promises of bonuses were left unfulfilled, and in many cases, miners were left completely destitute. An uprising was almost inevitable. A group of miners took control of the Daumann Heavy Construction facility on Von Rohe's Day in 700 AS.

The revolt soon spread from Dresden to the rest of the Rheinland, gaining widespread backing from the legions of newly unemployed workers. The industrial heart of Rheinland stopped beating; the Popular Revolution had begun.

Within five months a new coalition government was established. Both Kruger and Daumann were required to pay reparations, and all Rheinland companies were forced to comply with a newly ratified Workers' Rights Convention. They have been careful to adhere to the letter of the law, if not the spirit. The compromise left many that had fought in the revolution bitter. Many workers could not accept the prospect of working for their old taskmasters and decided to form the Red Hessians, a group dedicated to destroying the two companies.

It was not long before Red Hessian political ideals were replaced by greed, which has led them to become more like pirates than activists. The police have been forced to maintain a significant presence in Dresden in an effort to prevent Hessian strikes from clogging the gears of Rheinland industry.

The Hessians have gradually expanded, assisted by their close proximity to Stuttgart Food shipments and an extensive Jump Hole network within the southern Sirius Sector. They now own a string of bases in the southern Rheinland Border Worlds. In Omega-5 they encountered their first real obstacle -- the Corsairs. They have fought the Edge World faction to a tenuous stalemate, with the Ronneburg base barely holding on against the stronger Corsair presence in that system. Fortunately, they live in a rich area of Sirius in terms of raw materials, especially Diamonds. Their preferred targets are Daumann and Kruger, although almost any shipper is vulnerable to attack.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Red Hessians
* Zoners

## Commodities

* Oxygen
* Water
* Food Rations
* Artifacts
* H-Fuel
* Pharmaceuticals
* Engine Components
* Light Arms

## Rumors

* This is where Daumann and Kruger are coming, so this is where we must be. I don’t think it’s worth it. The Hammen Hole is where Hessians and Corsairs have staged their largest battles. Out there you’ll find good salvage -- if you don’t become salvage yourself.
* The Schmidts mined for Daumann over several generations, we fought in the popular Revolt; my family is part of Rheinland history. I’m the last one left of my line, aside from one brother, and here I sit in Omega 5 not fighting for our rights against Daumann or Kruger, but risking my neck fighting Corsairs.
* The Omega-3 Jump Hole is where you’ll find the action these days in our war against the Corsairs. Both sides run patrols there. We lie in wait so if any Corsair ships come through we can hit them. Funny -- the Corsairs do the same thing.
* This system is an important one for the Hessians; it has Jump Holes that lead to Cambridge, Omega-3, Omega-7, Omega-11, and Omicron Theta. That’s a lot of traffic we can raid, and that’s why it can’t fall to the Corsairs; if they gain control we will be able to expand no further.
* The Hessians in Vogtland will tell you that we are chasing Daumann and Kruger operations here to Omega-5; it seems to me that it’s the other way around. We came here originally to build a new main base of operations. Now we are entrenched in a bitter battle.
* Everything that we need at this base comes from Darmstadt, Freital, or Freistadt. Not just basic supplies, but Side Arms and Engine Components, too. This base is a military operation, so other Hessian bases funnel supplies here.
* I have a friend who is stealing Diamonds in Omega-11. The greedy swine was supposed to come here with me to help win the war against the Corsairs. He said he didn't want to die poor and unimportant. Unimportant indeed -- I have fought my way to squadron leader.
* The Corsairs have better ships and many of them are better pilots than your average Red Hessian. Usually a Corsair will win one on one, but we have numbers on our side. I am confident of victory; it is just a matter of wearing them down. Besides, I've lived long enough to learn how to kill Corsairs on my own.
* Omega-5 is the site of a full scale war between the Corsairs and Hessians. The two factions are vying for control of this critical Jump Hole crossroads in the Omega Sector. Within the area of the no-man’s-land and the Hammen Hole are numerous dead ships from both sides. Most are picked clean, but there are some that may still yield some weapons.