Freeport 6

CLASS: Cochrane

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 820

Originally a loose assemblage of habitat modules intended to provide quarters for Deep Space Engineering crews constructing a Trade Lane through the system, the station was abandoned upon completion of the Trade Lane and eventually became home to the Zoners. The station was dubbed Freeport 6, and with the addition of a Synth Foods biodome, has become largely self-sufficient. Because of its strategic location in the Border World systems, it is a frequent waystation for cargo runs to and from Kusari. The Independent Miners Guild also sells some of the Niobium and Beryllium mined in the deeper Taus on the freeport.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Outcasts
* Independent Miners Guild
* Zoners
* Kishiro Technologies
* Bounty Hunters Guild
* IDF Shipping
* Gallic Metal Service
* Gateway Shipping
* Crayter Republic
* Gas Miners Guild
* Samura Industries
* Hogosha

* Outcasts

## News

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.

Presenting the potential for cataclysmic damage to personhood and proprety prompted Ageira to shut down the gates leading into the system, as well as the respective trade lanes. In the time since then however, Ames has relayed a stunning report that the storm despite being violent at first, has now settled into quite a passive albeit looming stance over the system. Perhaps more surprising than even this is the phenomena regarding the storm's interactions with the established lane and gate network in the system, seeming to bend and contort around the structure rather than engulf them. This stellar formation has produced the spatial equivalent of a tunnel that travelers into the freshly reopened Kepler have taken to dubbing the "Murky Road", prompting a small degree of sensationalized tourism into the system. Which comes as a small positive after the harsh loss of the otherwise frequent traffic.
This news comes at the tail end of previous publications that cited the storm as having origins in Alberta, supposedly arriving via some form of leakage through the jumpholes in the system. Newer research has allowed for discoveries which now suggest the contrary and this has in turn reinvigorated research into these storms and their enigmatic natures.

At present, no house stands to conclusively fill the vacuum of power in the Taus, clouding the future to secure exploitation of its rich natural resources in ambiguity. Following the withdrawal of Kusari from Tau-23 after the final confrontation in Languedoc, the lanes within the system seem to have been subject to sabotage, and Gallia has released a public statement that Orkney would instead be favored over Tau-23 for the route to Tau-31, likely owing to Orkney being the last major Tau system that Gallia holds bases in. Niobium futures have ballooned in response to plummeting consumer confidence in stable Niobium extraction, resulting in vicious multinational corporate and paramilitary competition over Tau resource exploitation. The Taus are now a lawless battleground of conflicting corporate interests, small scale military skirmishes, and pirate incursions, all scrambling for a piece of Niobium.
Given the thorough depletion of military might and expansionist ambitions in the surrounding devastated houses, chances are low that the Taus will find themselves tamed by a lawful house in the foreseeable future.

The acceptance and incorporation of the Royal Enclave comes amid sweeping changes in our governmental body to a military structure to ensure swifter and more capable responses should such a cowardly invasion occur again.
Many fear the incorporation of the Enclave will lead to the Sirian Houses recognizing Kusari's claims of Gallia still having and utilizing weapons of mass destruction like the Warwolves used during the Glassing of Leeds, though rumors have already started to spread that the dismantling of these weapons is a concession the Royal Enclave has agreed to do.
As one of the first acts of the new government, a controversial peace treaty has been signed with Kusari, giving the invading House rights to Tau-53 and mining rights to Tau-23. While some voice discontent with this agreement, the government has pointed out that the war has led to an increase in criminal activity in Gallia that requires immediate attention to control.
One government official was cited saying "We have done well for centuries on our own, if Kusari wants to burn bridges with this agreement we will simply focus on our own development and our relations with Rheinland instead."

In the absence of the King or any heirs, Valentin Trintignant, Duke of Burgundy, gathered the support of the nobility of Burgundy, the Marquise de Vandoevres and Marquis de Roanne in Lorraine, while offering the Vicomptesse Allos de Metz, Grande Maitresse de l'Office Royal des Eaux et Forets the financial support needed to continue their terraforming operation in Lorraine. The Duke initiated talks last week to discuss the glassing of Leeds and the Crown's imminent defeat at the hands of Allied forces in Bretonia. Only minutes after the Council's Fleet moved on Planet New Paris, Trintignant declared himself Grand Duke of The Grand Duchy of Burgundy and authorized the surrender of the Royal Navy. His haste in calling for a ceasefire likely saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gallic citizens threatened by collateral damage from battle over Planet New Paris. While most Royalist ships in Gallia's core systems recognized and surrendered to the authority of the Duchy, Admiral Savatier did not, and slipped the Rocroi away from the site of the battle in the confusion. Battleship Rocroi and her cohort remain at large, but have not been seen or heard from since the battle.
The Council reciprocated not only the ceasefire but also with the formation of a new governing body. The systems of Champagne, Picardy, and Orleanais declared their independence as the Republique of Gallia, a decision which appears to have been in the works for some time. Unlike the ad hoc vassalage of the Duchy, the Republique presented itself with a fully fledged constitution and complete governing body, led by President Orianne Castaignède, the former Governor of Marne.
The systems of Languedoc and Languedoc both formed provisional governments following the fall of the Monarchy, however both declined invitations to join the Republique. This decision could be linked to the significant losses both systems incurred on account of the Council's direct and indirect interference during the Second Gallic War. Officials from Gap and Quillan are rumored be engaged in preliminary talks with the Minarchy of Provence, who have extended offers of free trade and protection to the two war torn systems, which seem reluctant to view both the Duchy and Republique as having the best interests of the historically poor region in mind.
Ile de France, possessing no noteworthy standing military of its own following the mass exodus of nobles to the Gallic Hebrides, has declared itself a neutral, autonomous territory. This decision was grudgingly accepted by the Republique, aware of its low reputation among Parisians owing to decades of royal propaganda. Such a move was seen as the best way to demonstrate the fall of the Monarchy and secure the former seat of royal power without bloodshed. In response political instability after the Exodus of the King, the Acting Viceroy of Ile de France, a former low ranking regional official who now speaks for the political associations on New Paris, has called for the Republique, Duchy, and Minarchy to send diplomatic representatives to the negotiating table, where it seems the future of Gallia will be decided in the weeks to come.

The most notable of these figures is the former Marquise of Marseille, Renée Hennequin d'Avignon, who retreated from the Provence system during the Minarchy's uprising. d'Avignon, who records now show to have been the head of the Crown's spy network on Planet Marseille, possessed close ties to both the upper echelons of Royal Intelligence and high ranking Gallic nobility. The displaced Marquise claims to be acting under authority of King Charles XI himself, citing a letter of regency allegedly left in her care during the final days of the war.
While such a decree, if legitimate, would make the former Marquise Queen Regent of the Kingdom of Gallia, d'Avignon has rejected this title, instead fashioning herself Director-Regent. This is likely a calling to her position of Director within the GRI, which she rose to near the end of the war, as well as an attempt to garner favor with the unusually robust military demographic of the new state.
d'Avigon's first edict as Director-Regent of the Royal Enclave was to declare the authority of Grand Duke Trintignant null and void. She has also issued the immediate expediation of construction efforts on Planet Bordeaux, the Enclave's capital. Flooded with hundreds of millions people, primarily displaced nobility, servicemen, and Bretonian serfs, the incipient nation-state currently faces a great food and housing crisis. The Director-Regent has authorized the use of whatever means necessary to clear arable farmland and extract resources needed for the erection of more permanent housing in lieu of Bordeaux's tent cities.
Despite these challenges, the Royal Enclave refuses to surrender to Bretonia, and the three system state maintains a military disproportionately large to its small size. Analysts have surmised that the Enclave's position within the Hebrides is a tenable one, should they be able to resolve their present issues and avoid succumbing to civil unrest. The Enclave's fleet has shifted to a more defensive posture, and it appears that the only system outside their borders which they presently have a vested interest in is Dublin, where Enclave patrols have been seen engaging Bretonian forces on roughly equal footing. Elsewhere, the Enclave's military activies appear to be limited to smaller scale anti-shipping raids and hit and fade strikes on soft targets.
While it remains to be seen whether or not the Enclave will stand the test of time, it appears that if so, they could remain a thorn in Bretonia's side for years to come.

The situation was the same on a similar yet greater scale on Planet Toulouse itself. The planet, which possesses an atmosphere disagreeable to the human lung, was dependent upon great domed cities for habitation, and vast fields of atmospheric scrubbers which Crown scientists project would have cleared the atmosphere of its irritants fully within the next several years. Nuclear warheads were smuggled onto the planet's surface as the Montmorency, which spearheaded the assault, was occupied at Perpignan, and detonated at every city and scrubber field, as well as at both of the planet's polar ice caps, releasing many tons of greenhouse gases and causing sea levels to rise significantly.
Despite these setbacks, EFL has expressed confidence that Toulouse can still be terraformed, and in time will serve as a new home for the Crown's people. Plans are already underway to commence repairs on the planet's docking ring so that cleanup crews can begin preparing the planet for eventual colonization. The Montmorency has been stationed in orbit of Toulouse, and now presides over Roussillon to ensure security throughout the Gallic Hebrides for the posterity of Gallia for years to come.

## Rumors

* I make a run to Freeport 10 in Tau-37 every so often. I take Robotics, Hull Panels, and Polymers up there. I suppose you could do the same. That is, if the Outcasts will let you that far north. I'm not sure why Freeport 10 needs that many Robotics and Hull Panels, but it's not really my concern.

* If you want to make money as a Zoner, you can take the long trip out towards Freeport 11. That base is all the way in Omicron Delta, clear on the other end of Sirius. Bring back Iridium for a substantial profit.

* The farther north you go in Sirius, the closer you get to the Outcasts' home systems. They don't tolerate many intruders, and we only operate this base in relative safety because we provide them with something. If you have nothing to offer them, they will kill you - no question.

* The Bounty Hunters at this base are being paid by Kishiro, mostly in an effort to curb Outcast piracy. So far they are meeting with limited success. Other Bounty Hunters have been hired by Bretonian or Libertonian firms, and they have come up here tracking Outcasts back from House space. I wonder why Kishiro is so interested in paying Bounty Hunters to hit Outcast Cardamine shipments out by the Shinkaku field. I thought they usually don't help Samura out.

* I'd say that of all the bases in this system, Samura's base has to struggle the hardest to survive. Their base is too close to the Cardamine trade route, which makes Shinkaku the subject of Outcast aggression. Nago isn't exactly a safe place either, but they can receive help from Kusari a lot faster then Shinkaku.

* Bases are always going to need basic supplies if they don't produce them themselves. They are lower-end commodities but can still earn you some money. Freeport 10 doesn't produce everything it needs. You can take Basic Alloys and Food there, but you will be passing by a lot of Outcasts who need those goods just as badly.

* The IMG sells a lot of Niobium that they mine up in Tau-23 on this base. There is a demand for that metal in Liberty and Rheinland, so I suppose you could take it there if you're looking to trade with those Houses.

* Zoners basically want to get along with everybody. We try to produce various basic commodities at our bases that others will need. Food, Water, Oxygen, that kind of stuff. This way we can go where the governments aren't. We survive by trading with other independently minded factions, and otherwise mind our own business.

* This system is a crossroads between Kusari, Bretonia, and Gallia. All kinds of criminals and traders pass through, and we accept them all. Zoners do not care what your allegiance is. As long as you respect our ways, we will respect yours. Bretonia is a little harder to get to these days, but we still manage to find ways around the Gallic blockade.

* After I'm done refueling my ship here, I'm going to go all the way up into Outcast space. I've been sneaking farther and farther into their territory every trip I make up here looking for a good ambush point. I think I found the spot I was looking for on my last run. If this plan works, I will be able to retire to California in less than a year.

* This is the place to be if you are hunting Outcasts. There is a Jump Hole to the north side of this system's oxygen field that leads to Tau-23. In Tau-23 you had better be sneaky, or have a posse with you, because the Outcasts are very strong there -- whole squadrons of them. If you're really skilled or plain psychotic, you can head even further north into Tau-37. But to go there you need to either be suicidal or desperate.

* This base is where I refit and resupply. It is a long and dangerous trip here. I've been hunting an Outcast by the name of Santiago Llorens. He torched my partner and good friend back in Cortez. There's another Bounty Hunter here trying to catch him too, but I'm going to get to Santiago first. I don't care about the credits. I just want to see that cur go up in flames.

* I've been tracking an Outcast named Santiago Llorens in this system for several days. I followed him back from Bretonia. Once I bag the scum I won't have to take another job for months. This guy has killed over a hundred men and stolen goods worth millions of credits. The Interspace bounty on him is so high that I doubt I'm the only one following him. But I got an advantage - I knew the man once. I know how he thinks. I know when he'll head for Cali. I'll be waiting.

* A lot of the Cardamine that leaves Outcast space comes through here. There are smuggling routes that go through Baffin to Liberty, and through Tau-31 to Bretonia. Cryer Pharmaceuticals has hired me to try and capture a live Outcast with all his gear, including his mask and his Cardamine shipment. I don't usually bring guys back alive, so I'm charging them double. They'll also have to take posession pretty quick. Live Outcasts tend to expire after a few days.

* Freeport 6 is neutral territory between Kusari and Gallia. I am glad to have access to this station - it makes face-to-face meetings with my Kusari counterparts very easy and informal. Relations are still rather new, and we're still in the process of making new business deals and arrangements. Some have been done officially with lots of press, but for a quiet chat, this station is not a bad place.

* IDF brings Manifolds from Languedoc down here to exchange for Sirian goods like Synth Paste. Gallic Junkers make the Manifolds, but aren't liked too much deeper in Sirius because of our history of spying on the other Houses. Zoners don't seem to care too much here, I guess they always assumed that Junkers are untrustworthy spies for someone, somewhere. That or they just plain do not care.

* The IMG has gone deep into the fringes of Sirius to look for valuable minerals. The most dangerous post you can man for the IMG is Falkland; it's hidden among the asteroids of Tau-37. The Outcasts do not yet know of its location, which is probably why that base still exists. Java is not a whole lot safer, but it is bigger and has better defenses.

* This system was one of the reasons that Interspace became an insurer and not a lender. It was the loans that Rheinland and Kusari took from Interspace to finance these Border World Jump Gates and Trade Lanes that bankrupted the two houses. They defaulted on their loans to Interspace and embargoed Liberty to make their point. Interspace chose to take the loss rather then scuttle the Gates and Lanes - something they probably could have done, but that would have meant war.

* If you enjoy danger, you could try running the Gallic blockade with either H-Fuel or Hull Panels. Bretonia is in need of both. If you come back this way, take Super Alloys here, or further into Kusari - our shipyard in Honshu can always us that. However, if the Gallic Royal Navy catches you, they will not confiscate your goods - they will simply destroy your ship with you in it.

* Kishiro sees great new opportunities in Gallia. There are practical commodities like Cryocubes in great demand across Kusari. There are also some quite exotic things to be found, like fine Wine and Holo Sculptures. Kusari corporations were the first to be granted trade access to Gallia, and Kishiro stands to reap the benefits of this peace.

* The terraforming job at Harris was almost complete. We were preparing a new bread-basket for Bretonia, only to have it threatened by Kusari, and now I fear it is being delivered into the hands of Gallia. Last I heared the project is still going, albeit at a lower pace. They were up to the final phase - the establishment of an ecology. What a shame.

* I am getting out of this sector as soon as I can. I hear that there are new terraforming projects going on in Rheinland and with the GMG, I should buy myself a one-way passage through Kusari and see what is on the other side of Sirius, as far away from the warzone as possible. I'm sure the GMG or Daumann would hire an experienced terraforming engineer.

* I plan on shipping Helium-3 from our Hokkaido fields out to New London. The demand for fuel in Bretonia is very high now, the price makes the longer route through Liberty worth it. Bretonia has access to a supply of Deuterium, and Hydrogen isn't hard to obtain, so they can mix over 5 times the volume in fuel for each shipment of Helium-3 we deliver. Gallia may not like this, but we have contracts to maintain.

* Samura has to content itself with using this base as a meeting point with Gallic merchants. We would prefer to host them on Shinkaku Station, but protocols forbid it for the timebeing. I dislike stations as these. They play host to many people, including many of our enemies.

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