Battleship Essex

CLASS: Dunkirk

CREW: CLASSIFIED

ARMAMENT: CLASSIFIED

The former home of the Bretonian Armed Forces in the Dublin system, the Essex was the gatekeeper to New London. Boasting one of the most experienced crews in Bretonia, the fleet gained decades of experience fighting the Mollys in Dublin before going on to play a decisive role during the Gallic War. The Essex and its fleet were instrumental during the Siege of New London, routing several warships and forcing the Corsairs to abandon their attack.

In 831 AS, the Second Revolt broke out on Graves Station. It quickly became apparent that the Mollys had instigated the mutiny, with their agents taking control of the base and broadcasting the execution of a number of high ranking BMM officials. Political pressure from New London following these broadcasts forced the Essex to deploy immediately to recapture Graves Station, rather than waiting for reinforcements or further intelligence.

Avoiding the mistakes of the Battleship Hood 80 years prior, the Essex took position at the edge of the Graves Gold Field where it would act as a staging post for the boarding action. Bretonian forces quickly secured the space around Graves, allowing boarding freighters to deliver the Essex's Marines. The reason for lack of resistance immediately became clear as the station was scuttled by pre-placed mining charges. Simultaneously, waves of Molly squadrons began closing on the Essex fleet, in an attempt to pin it in place.

News of a separate assault on the jump gate would reveal that this was little more than another diversion. As confirmation was received that a bomb had been detonated on the gate and its core was showing signs of destabilizing, a full evacuation order was issued. The Essex and its fleet successfully fought its way out of the system, inflicting heavy losses on its attackers. While the Essex successfully made the jump to New London, several of its escort cruisers were lost when the gate exploded.

The Essex currently guards the non-functional Dublin jump gate in New London. It is responsible for running patrols into the Cumbria Asteroid Field and enforcing the Dublin Blockade. It is alleged that the Essex has standing orders to allow Corsairs to enter the system, and to kill anything leaving.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* BMM
* Independent Miners Guild
* Bounty Hunters Guild

## News

While this troubling trend is observed throughout the Sirius colonies, Liberty is bearing the brunt of the crisis among the four major Houses. Remarkably, even Rheinland, where historical data indicated low Cardamine consumption, has witnessed a notable rise in medical cases linked to the illicit narcotic. Experts postulate that the extensive black market responsible for Cardamine distribution might be facing a shortage, or worse, that Outcast factions deliberately curtail the supply to bolster demand. Regrettably, no law enforcement agency has been available for comment on these concerns.
The long-standing debate over Cardamine's controversial nature, juxtaposing its euphoric and purported medicinal qualities with the genetic alterations it inflicts upon long-term users, continues to echo. A key point of contention revolves around the plight of innocent consumers caught in this crisis. Yet, according to independent polls, a substantial majority of our viewers maintains that the substance must remain banned.
In response to this escalating crisis, Cryer Pharmaceuticals has announced a forthcoming press conference. During the event, the company intends to unveil plans for an expanded production of Stabiline, their touted "wonder drug". This announcement promises affordable access to Stabiline for all patients grappling with Cardamine withdrawal, sparking a remarkable 15%% surge in Cryer Pharmaceuticals' stock following the revelation.

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.

With the end of the war and Bretonia's withdrawal from Planet Gran Canaria, Poole's prominence waned. The cost of policing the system and maintaining infrastructure has significantly outweighed collected tax revenue in recent years, with Planetform's Terraforming Gas operations reporting disappointing year on year returns.DSE has already confirmed that it will begin deconstruction operations shortly, with the dismantling of the Cambridge jump gate expected to be completed by 833 AS.

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Planetform has confirmed its intention to withdraw prior to this point, while settling shareholder anxiety with the announcement of promising preliminary findings for a replacement site in Newcastle.

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## Rumors

* With all the trouble at the fronts in Leeds and Newcastle, some of my subordinates think we'll be retasked to the frontline soon. What they don't know is that we might already be on it. The Mollys are treacherous - I would not put it past them to throw an accord with Gallia. If Gallia tries to use Dublin as a flank for attacking New London itself, we'll be the last line of defense here. But I doubt that will happen. The Mollys want this system for themselves, and throwing their lot in with Gallia means their dreams of self-rule go out the window.

* The captain of this battleship does not underestimate the cunning and ability of the Mollys in this system. This is not true of the former captain of the battleship Hood, which is now a nest of criminals, vagrant miners, and other similar filth. The Hood was abandoned after being badly damaged in a Molly trap. It should have been scuttled more thoroughly if you ask me.

* The separatists in this system are only part of the problem; the Corsairs also pose quite a threat to the Gold mined here. Aside from Corsairs and the Mollys, there are all kinds of criminals in this lawless system and that is why we run patrols by the Hood. All the criminals in this system get their supplies here.

* The Mollys are smart about their attacks. They attack in several different parts of the system simultaneously so we have to split our forces. The trouble comes from not knowing which attacks have the greatest number of ships. When they attack they do as much damage as they can, and then they split up and get out, making the chase very difficult. We usually only bag one or two of them - if they make it to the Arranmore asteroid field we have orders to abandon the pursuit.

* I don't understand why there are Bounty Hunters in this system. If the military can't curb the crime in this sector, then there is not much that common rabble will be able to do about it, either. I think that if the Gold shipments from Graves keep decreasing, Lady Edmund and BMM will be replaced with someone who can do the job right.

* There are two groups of criminals operating in Dublin. The Corsairs, who hail from somewhere deep in the Omega's and steal whatever they can get their hands on. They are common thieves, but with a vicious nature. Then there are the Mollys, who were once Bretonian miners. They chose the revolt against the Crown over their labor conditions and they are by far the most numerous criminals in Dublin. The two groups fight each other as well as us.

* The most embarrassing epoch in Bretonian military history was the time right after the Founders Day Revolt. The destroyers made the first mistake by following the Mollys into an asteroid field and ran into a minefield. Even worse was when the Hood made the same mistake and got too badly crippled to make it back home to New London. It was decommissioned and stripped of all weaponry, engines, supplies, and materials, but the hull was left mostly intact. Some independent miners later salvaged her and turned her into a Freeport. A bloody disgrace that is.

* I escort the BMM Gold shipments that leave the system and the supply shipments that return. My role is to protect the goods at all costs. We have two wings flying the escort missions: one to defend against attack and one to pursue the attackers after they are repulsed.

* The dragnet that the military creates to stop pirated or illegally mined Gold from leaving the system is not as effective as they would have you believe, or else how would the Mollys continue to fund themselves? They are getting their Gold out of the system through various Jump Holes, but in smaller ships.

* Whenever the Mollys make an attack, the corporations that pay my expenses expect me to bring back some heads. I have to go searching for the Mollys in their own territory -- the asteroid fields. This is where the Mollys are most dangerous. Remember, they are miners, so they know the asteroids better than anyone else.

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