Holman Outpost

CLASS: Cochrane

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 250

While Tau-31 was considered infeasible for development by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing (BMM), the smaller Independent Mining Guild (IMG) -- was eager to exploit areas in which BMM feared to tread. The IMG repressurised an abandoned depot left over from the trade lane construction and began to harvest large quantities of pure Water and Oxygen ice in the system. Water and Oxygen were shipped to Harris to supply the terraforming effort.

The invasion of Kusari, and later Gallia into Tau-31 prevented the IMG from supplying the Harris project any longer. For a time, the station became a gathering point for civilian refugees from Harris, until the Royal Navy began watching the station more closely upon the completion of New Tours. Holman has also sustained moderate damage throughout the past decade, with only patchwork repairs possible due to its unenviable position. After the Crayter Republic broke the back of the Royal Navy's rear echelon at New Tours, the carrier Hades was stationed to keep watch at Holman. Despite a history of close partnership between the Crayterians and the Guild, relations broke down when the IMG refused to cede Aland to Bretonia, stymieing the war effort against Gallia, resulting in a lasting distrust of the Guild.

At present, the station is still operating, but at a much lower pace. Oxygen and Water harvested here are used to supply Zoner and IMG bases further out in the Tau systems. Guild operations continue largely as they did under the imperial peace imposed by Gallia, but there exists an air of tension between the Guild captains whose vessels are subject to random shipboard inspections and the Crayterians monitor the station's traffic day and night, waiting for a mistake to be made.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Planetform, Inc.
* Independent Miners Guild
* Gallic Metal Service
* IDF Shipping

## News

This shift has been particularly evident in recent events, as the Corsairs grow increasingly assertive across the Omegas. A stark example of this newfound vigor occurred when the famed space bazaar, the Battleship Hood in Dublin, met a merciless end at the hands of a Corsair battlecruiser. Furthermore, the once-unassailable Red Hessians now find themselves locked in a fierce struggle to safeguard their positions in the Dresden system against the relentless advance of the Rheinland Military.
The Corsairs appear poised to intensify their pressure on all independent and free-spirited individuals in the Omega Region, spurred on by the defeatist sentiments expressed by certain Zoners and independent miners who might consider Corsair protection if it promises safety.
Despite the imposing presence of our pivotal IMG station, Freistadt Base in Omega 7, which remains under the watchful guardianship of the formidable Elbe Border Fortress, the situation in the deeper reaches of the Omegas portends increasing complexity in the years ahead. Combined with the diminishing influence of Bretonia in the region and the resurgent Rheinland's efforts to reclaim its lost Dresden system, the Corsairs' audacious pursuits are set to escalate.

Within a month of the IMG's plea, the political leadership of the Crayter Republic unanimously concurred on the imperative need for assistance. Simultaneously, several of our courageous pilots volunteered to become supply carriers destined for the strife-torn planet Malta. While executing cargo operations in the perilous Omicron Alpha system posed a grave risk, the opportunity to strike a significant blow against the Outcasts on their home turf was deemed too compelling to forego.
In tandem with the preparations for breaching Outcast defenses on planet Malta, our fleet took the bold step of extending emergency military support to the IMG at Falkland Base. The ultimate objective: to drive the Outcasts out of the Tau-37 system once and for all.

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.

Professor Nagel and her team are certain the Pulse originated from outside Sirius, but are otherwise no closer to identifying its source or mitigating a future Blackout event. "Following the Blackout, we began to see immediate signs of jump hole destabilization in multiple different regions, with many ultimately falling out of phase alignment altogether", she commented. The dramatic upending of Sirius' jump hole network has already prompted many groups to abandon stations and withdraw from systems that appear to risk being cut off.
While months-long trips between the stars are possible thanks to the Liberty Engine and many centuries of innovation, few ships are designed or provisioned to make such arduous journeys. Those who were displaced by Sirius' redrawn map hope that system connections will return, while adventurers and explorers rush to discover new routes.

Of particular interest is Planet Bordeaux, formerly Gaia, located in the Aquitaine system. The idyllic world, dubbed the Jewel of the Gallic Hebrides, has a mild but tropical climate, and in all respects appears to be perfectly suited to human habitation. Once a Bretonian nature preserve, new surveys have shown Bordeaux to be a veritable treasure trove of fossil fuels and metals, the likes of which have not been seen since the Marne Rush of 4th century. The Crown has already issued a subsidy for Gallic citizens relocating to Bordeaux to incentivize colonization on the new world. A groundbreaking ceremony is to be held tomorrow morning, formalizing Bordeaux's status as capital of the Aquitaine system as construction on its first city commences.

## Rumors

* Kusari got ambushed in this system. The Kusari battleship Yamaguchi sustained heavy damage, and was cut off from Kusari. It withdrew into Bretonia, and from what I've heard, has now joined with Bretonian forces against Gallia. The Bretonian battleship Macduff which was defending Harris also got hit hard.

* Holman isn't on the frontline anymore. Wouldn't surprise me if it happened again though. Last time we saw a war this big was when Rheinland started to create a mess all over Sirius. They ran out of steam pretty quick though. What did they call it, the "Nomad" war?

* We've begun selling water and oxygen to the Gallic Navy. They've got quite an overstretched supply line as is, and if we weren't selling it to them I suspect they'd seize this mining operation for themselves. Bretonia isn't going to like us doing this, but what choice do we have?

* The IMG brings Niobium to this base from our station in Tau-23. That is a dangerous piece of space, but we get regular shipments from Java. The Outcasts often attack those convoys on the way back, stealing supplies they can use themselves.

* If you want to be a successful IMG miner, you have to know the locations of Jump Holes. There are at least two in this system: the Hole to Edinburgh is in the west of the system, and the Hole to Tau-29 is due north of this base just beyond the parallel of the sun.

* Being an independent miner isn't a picnic, but at least we don't have to answer to some corporate task master. That's why we can expand more quickly than the larger corporations, like BMM. They paid tremendously for Jump Gates to Tau-23; we used Jump Holes and got there first, and that's why the Niobium is ours.

* Our ships are one of the few Sirian factions that don't draw much attention with the Gallic Navy. Some of our transports make their way into Gallia to pick up some exotic supplies and bring them here, or further into Sirius. If you try and cross the lines into Bretonia with those, the Gallic Navy will shoot you down.

* The Whetstone never completed its scheduled run from Holman to the Tau-31 Gate construction site. The cargo of Robotics is likely still intact because it is not valuable enough to the Outcasts to haul away. It most likely lies somewhere in the system's northwest quadrant.

* We used to supply the terraforming operation on Harris with water. Terraforming a desert world takes a lot of water after all, and bringing the Leeds kind wasn't what Planetform had in mind. The Kusari and Gallic invasions have ground that operation to a halt. We don't make nearly as much as before, and all these Refugees crowding the station do not help either.

* I'm glad that Gallic Battleship has finally left. This station has suffered enough damage for one war. We're still trying to repair the damage the Yamaguchi did when it was stationed here.

* I used to work for BMM until I discovered that they didn't care about me. That's why I joined the IMG -- to be my own boss. I get paid for the amount of Water and Oxygen I mine -- not some set salary that is always going to keep me under someone's thumb.

* These miners will sell anything to anyone. To them it does not matter who is in charge, just as long as they get paid for their labor. The Gallic Navy has let them be, and is now using them for their own purposes. Battleship Guillestre will make sure they don't doublecross us.

* The Outcast attacks are intensifying here in Tau-31. With Carcassonne gone, patrols have to be sent from Guillestre. I suppose this system is just not important enough. A barely habitable planet and a half-wrecked mining station isn't worthy of our Navy.

* Quite convenient how the Navy arranged for the supply line to be ran. Now that there is a jumpgate in Tau-23 to Languedoc, we can run a nearly unlimited number of ships through there.

* The miners here mine water and oxygen which helps us supply our fleet. While many supplies have to come from Gallia, at least these most basic supplies can be bought here. We ship it from this base to our various battleships in the region.

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