Atacama Base

CLASS: Nazca

GRAVITY: Limited

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Limited

CREW: 80

Atacama was the first base established in the Vespucci system, originally as a remote outpost of the Lane Hackers. It was eventually abandoned by the Lane Hackers in favour of newer bases constructed jointly with the now defunct Hellfire Legion. When the Hackers were ousted from Vespucci, Atacama was all but forgotten save by the oldest veterans of the Legion.

With the formation of the Commonwealth government in 822 AS, corporations including OS&C and Deep Space Engineering were invited into Vespucci to provide the state with taxable income. This decision prompted a schism within the Legion, with a number of disgruntled veterans deserting the Legion over a perceived betrayal of its founding ideals.

These defectors would restore Atacama and reach out to the Gaian movement, enlisting their aid in expelling Orbital and DSE from the system. Bolstered by Gaian funding and manpower, the mixed crew would wage a moderately successful campaign against the Commonwealth, and its Insurgency successors, for the remainder of the decade.

Ultimately, their former brothers in arms would succumb to the Liberty Navy onslaught in 829 AS, leaving Atacama deprived of its original purpose. The base's garrison would shrink significantly as the old Legion veterans scattered across Liberty, while the Gaians downscaled their presence after both Orbital and DSE departed the system.

Currently, Atacama serves as a listening post, keeping a keen eye on Veracruz and Vespucci as a whole in anticipation of other local powers attempting to seize the now vacant system. A small team of scientists is monitoring the planetside environment in the wake of the bombardment, while the remaining security forces launch sporadic patrols and salvage runs into the old battlefields.

## News

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 some time, it had been alleged that Insurgent and Xeno-backed cells had been stirring trouble on Erie, inciting violence in the population and seeking to turn the planet into a second Veracruz. Never, however, had such open acts of terror been visited upon the governing Libertonian forces.
The response was quick and decisive. In coordination with the LSF, Vice Admiral Hamish aboard the Battleship Alma lead a Liberty Navy task force directly into the system in Operation Pesticide, escorted primarily by Siege Cruisers, Gunboats and fightercraft, with many of the Navy's capital warships tied in the Vespucci campaign or ever watchful at Liberty's borders. They were met by Zoner Q-ships based from Bethlehem, with many coming from as far as Galileo or even the Sigmas, accompanied by a motley assortment of freelancers and other anarchist elements. Leading the Zoner line was a Aquilon-class carrier, the Pinnacle.
While the Pinnacle came under heavy bombardment from the Alma and her task force, supplies quickly gathered onto Zoner transports from Erie attempted to run the Navy blockade. While some transports were lost to Navy bombers, others yet escaped to parts as of yet unknown. This 'victory', however, came at a heavy price. The Pinnacle was lost with most of her hands still on board and the rest captured, while the Liberty Marines landed virtually unopposed, quickly securing population centers for both the safety of Libertonian assets and the civilians on Erie itself. The Alma is settled now into the low orbit of Erie, a constant reminder to those below that they are under the protection of the Liberty Navy. A comfort to some, a dire warning to many more.

## Rumors

* Many of the tools and technologies that we developed for the battlefield have been converted for use domestically. Surveillance and attack drones are used to disrupt and quash anti-Crown protests and military tribunals have taken the place of civilian courts when dealing with crimes against the state. Naturally, we see these as positive developments to enhance the security of the people of Gallia.

* Marines that are not ready to go to the front are shipped out here from Battleship Montreuil. A few months additional training and they will be ready to face battle in Sirius. Apart from general combat drill and marksmanship, we practice a lot of ship-boarding and zero-G combat. Until we are landing on Sirian planets, it's what the Marines will have to contend with for the most part.

* The Maquis carry no honor in life nor in death. They attack women, children, and civilians without remorse. We shall not rest until they are all brought to justice.

* Given some of the enhanced daily punishments that prisoners receive for treason, most Gallic citizens have to think twice, three times, or even four times before they even utter a word of discontent about our Royal Highness. That makes my job easier, so I'm all for it.

* The central duty of the King is to protect the national security of the Gallic citizenry. He is vested with vast powers to do so. We in the Royal Navy are His favorite tools to accomplish this.

* Ahh, Promethene fuel fresh from Briancon Station ready to go straight into the engines of our ships. With a full load of Promethene, all we need is to top up our Oil reserves from Planet Mayenne, and we can keep ourselves running at full power as long as have to. I do hope our war planners have located Hydrocarbon supplies inside Sirius. I feel we shouldn't be relying on the home reserves of Oil for the entire duration of the war. Why not use the enemy's resources against them?

* Life is good out here. To think where we are now used to be the front lines of the Second Gallic War. Now we are very much the rearguard of the Royal Navy. The most action I see these days is escorting Prisoner transfers to Fleury-Merogis over in Ile-de-France. Oh how they cry and scream when they find out where they are headed! Officially, we are supposed to keep quiet about their destination, to keep the transfers calm and orderly, but sometimes we get bored and let slip where we are going. It's the perfect excuse to break out the stun-guns!

* Lock and load! I always get excited every time we bring in a new shipment of Light Arms from Calais. My men and I are reduced to school children visiting the local candy store. As long as weapons discipline is maintained, I let the men enjoy themselves with their new toys. I feel it is also important that the men give their frank opinions on any new weapons being trialed. Our lives may depend on it one day.

* I am shipping out for shore leave in the next few hours. Here on the Nogent-le-Rotroi it's quieter than it's been for generations. With the war getting under way I look forward to heading out to the Maine planets along with the other Spaceship Crew. I mean it's not as though we hunger for leave due to the combat hardship we experience. It's more just a way of staving off boredom for a few days. There is an ancient Sol saying "War is long periods of boredom, broken by short periods of terror" - truly wise words!

* We keep a reserve supply of Deuterium on board to fortify the Promethene in our heavy reactors. It gives us more power output when we need it, but it releases some quite nasty neutron radiation as a consequence. I learned about it at school, growing up on Planet Chateauroux. Being from a family of Deuterium miners teaches you a thing or two about it, non? I am the only one in my family to have joined the Royal Navy. It was an easy choice to make as I was fortunate enough to marry into a mid-ranked Naval family. I gained enough favor to be assigned to a quieter part of Gallia. It's not as cushy as being stationed in Ile-de-France, but I am not being shipped off to the front lines either!

* Those traitors in the Council pay dearly for their crimes. The King considers them the worst of the worst, and the Gallic people support the very harsh punishments that they receive daily in prison.

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