Vogtland Base

CLASS: Roterberg

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 1140

Completely covered in a massive cloud of industrial smog, Vogtland base is the very heart of Red Hessian operations in southern Rheinland, and a major manufacturing facility for ships and weaponry. It was the first permanent base to be established by the movement, becoming operational in 680 AS, well before the miner uprising that crippled Daumann two decades later.

By 824 AS the Red Hessians had shifted focused to expanding their existing facilities rather than attempting to build up new ones. A clear example of this is Vogtland, which has had its manufacturing capabilities steadily upgraded as its role as the industrial heart of the Hessian movement becomes ever more prominent. Expansive foundries and storage yards have recently been added to the base as demands upon Vogtland have begun to strain its production capabilities.

After the loss of Leipzig and Kassel after the Military assault on the system in 832, Vogtland and Wolfsburg became the only Hessian bases of operations in the system, forcing them to adopt a more defensive stance to ensure their safety, which by consequence notably reduced the number of long-range raids launched into deep Rheinland territory.

## News

The defenders despite being outnumbered valiantly kept the enemy occupied while Battleship Kassel got into position to ambush and critically wound the Strausberg, forcing the enemy to withdraw, and eventually scuttle the vessel, becoming a monument to Hessian control over the system. Unfortunately, the Leipzig was beyond saving, but their sacrifice will not be forgotten.
The loss of Strausberg caused riots sprung up all over Rheinland against Kaiser, demanding his resignation, which are further incited by numerous supporters to our cause. We expect a concentration of Military forces in the core systems, allowing us to pillage the border worlds all more easily as a result.

After declaring a massive 5%% increase in military spending and hurling a bunch of insults at us, we do not expect much to come out of this announcement, but as a precaution, command is issuing minor reinforcements of our most vulnerable asset: Leipzig Station. A number of fighter wings are being redeployed, including the Schalke Squadron, our latest addition to our forces, ready to show the Kaiser what they're made of!
We expect it all to be a crude attempt at increasing popular opinion without actually doing anything, but report any unusual Military movements directly to your superiors.

As Crete demanded the Zoners of Theta turn over any Hunters aboard their stations and surrender docking control, the Freeport 9 administrators were confident that some kind of compromise could be found. A delegation from Gran Canaria was requested to assist with negotiations, due to the close ties between Zoner and Corsair communities on the planet.
Tragically, the Corsairs interpreted this delay as refusal, and launched a surprise attack while the delegation was en-route. Many of Freeport 9's crew are now being held as hostages while the Corsairs pillage the station. An urgent conclave has been called on Gran Canaria to discuss the Zoner response, while militias on Pygar have taken up arms in case the violence spreads.

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.

For decades the Zoners of Freeport 9 have kept themselves safe from Corsair reprisals by offering useful services, with their biodomes providing Crete with respite from the famines that once ravished it. Despite this, outrage has swept Omicron Gamma after a flight of Hunters killed Commander Juan Garcia, before retreating back to the No Fire Zones of Omicron Theta.
The Council of Elders have ordered the administrator of Freeport 9 to attend Planet Crete to hear their demands. Elder Garcia has vowed that the station's halls would "run red with blood" unless the Zoners turned over all BHG aboard the Freeport. The Zoners are yet to respond, likely trying to anticipate how the Corsairs will react.

The Corsairs see the Pygar colony as a direct competitor for the region's scarce resources, with Elder Garcia warning that there would be "dire consequences" should Freeport 9's biodomes reduce or divert their exports to Planet Crete. Whispers of alien ruins and Artifacts discovered below Pygar's surface may also antagonize the Corsairs, who rely on the Artifact trade as a source of wealth. The hardship of Pygar's extreme conditions and the uneasy relationship with the Corsairs has already led many colonists to consider a return to the now liberated Gran Canaria.

## Rumors

* All the supplies we need to keep this base going are bought by us from Junkers in Kreuzberg and brought here. Thank goodness for our lovely black markets in New Berlin.

* We might eventually win this system from the corporates. Ore deposits here will soon be exhausted, and our attacks cost them dearly. Intelligence suggests they may be moving the bulk of their mining operations to Omega-7. If that happens, it will be a great victory for us.

* I'm one of the few Red Hessians left who really tries to fight for the cause. Mostly, my brotherhood is one of pirates, but there are still some of us who haven't lost the meaning in all of the greed that has overcome the others.

* Diamonds come to this base from Freital in Omega 11. We will take them to the Junkers in New Berlin to be sold on the black markets. It is these Diamonds that fund the majority of all Red Hessian operations.

* What a fitting place this cloud is; formed from the sulfurous waste of the smelting plants in the system, crafted by Daumann and Kruger's heedlessness. Now it hides their greatest threat: the Red Hessians. It also hides the Jump Holes to New Berlin and Stuttgart.

* The Giftnebel is a dangerous cloud to move through, but its proximity to the Kruger and Daumann operations here makes it worthwhile. We know this system well, and that helps us when we raid the corporates trying to ship their goods back to New Berlin.

* I fought during the battle for Leipzig, and let me tell you, I've barely made it out alive. The heroic story of a massive Military defeat that the higher-ups are preaching is full of crap, but you haven't heard that from me, got it?

* Aye fought during the battle for Leipzig, and lemme tell ye, I've barely made it out alive! \*hic\* Shame about the Kassel though. \*hic\* I mean… yay Hessians!

* We may have suffered some losses near Leipzig, but nothing compared to the Military losses. No doubt the Corsairs would be eager to come in and take advantage of the situation but the minefield keeps us safe for the time being.

* Along with basic supplies, we also purchase Side Arms and Engine Components from the Junkers in New Berlin to ship here. Surplus weapons and engine parts get sent to Freital.

* Years ago this was our only base. But we have expanded, due greatly to the Jump Holes that have been found. Also, we've had great success mining and stealing Diamonds. Hessians know the corporate strategies and protocols -- we used to be part of them. That's why our strikes are so effective.

* We may have suffered some losses near Bautzen and Leipzig, but nothing compared to the Military losses. No doubt the Corsairs would be eager to come in and take advantage of the situation but the minefield keeps us safe for the time being.

* This base serves as a trade depot for other Hessian bases in the area. The basic supplies we ship here also get shipped to Freital. If you made these shipments, it would be easier for us since the police actively hunt for us.

* The Rheinland Republic was supposed to be about the common man getting paid well for hard work, about companies that cared if their employees were safe. Those brave souls who died fighting to overthrow the empire -- why? Rheinland has the same masters, only now they rule a republic instead of an empire.

* We take basic supplies from this base to our home base Darmstadt, in Stuttgart. I am reminded why I must fight for my system when I come to this place of poison sulfurous clouds.

* The Hessians do business with the Junkers in New Berlin for Engine Components and Side Arms. Then we do business with the Red Hessians here. We require the same things to remain a thorn in the side of Synth Foods and the traitorous ALG.

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