Canterbury Station

CLASS: Eden

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 780

Canterbury Station houses the headquarters for Planetform Inc., a pioneer in transforming uninhabitable or marginally habitable planets into terrestrial worlds. With the sparseness of suitable planets outside of the core systems claimed by Liberty, Planetform Inc. has conducted a considerable amount of business in Bretonia and abroad.

During the conflict with Gallia, Planetform suffered several severe losses of business in Edinburgh and Tau-31, due to the occupation of Planet Harris and the cessation of work on Planet Ayr. Canterbury itself played host to Allied forces during the Battle of New London, weathering many attacks by the Gallic Royal Navy. Owing mostly to the bravery of the Battleships MacDuff and Ottawa, damage to the base was limited.

Following the cessation of hostilities, Planetform began to assess the extent of damage to existing projects, and explore new business opportunities to replace those contracts that were deemed non-viable. Work has already been resumed on Planet Harris, although Planet Ayr's project remains mired in contractual disputes with the Bretonian government. New projects have also been authorized by the Bretonian government on Planet Wight in Manchester, although this decision is deeply controversial.

Gallia - the cause of many of Planetform's woes over the last decade - may also engage the corporation's services in the years to come. Such agreements have been heavily endorsed by the Bretonian government, who see Planetform's work as a means to build centuries-spanning economic links between the two Houses.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* BMM
* Gateway Shipping
* Universal Shipping
* Planetform, Inc.
* Independent Miners Guild
* Bounty Hunters Guild

* Bretonia Police
* Bounty Hunters Guild

## News

Jane Gilliam, whose commendation for repelling a Corsair raiding party as an Armed Forces Captain featured in a CNS article in 800, was not so convinced. "We all knew even back then that The Line wasn't fit for purpose. The Heilbronn disaster should have seen it scrapped, but the Regents on Cambridge didn't want New London looking too closely and pressured the Norfolk to lobby to keep it. If William was still with us, he'd say the same."
The exact catalyst for the extra attention from the edge world pirates is unclear, with various commentators speculating on increased resistance to their operations in Rheinland, Hessian efforts in the deep Omegas, or a shift in their internal politics. Regardless of their true motivations, Interspace Commerce has recognised the elevated peril and adjusted its premiums in response.

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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While Bretonia is indeed witnessing an extraordinarily high rate of economic growth in particular, it may be the case that the strain of this effort is becoming untenable, and potentially the rewards misplaced. Timothy Ball, of the independent think tank Economic Review Institute, believes this may indeed be the case. "Bretonia's economy is definitely on the rise. While still not at pre-war levels, and not expected to be for some years, the recovery we've witnessed so far has been uneven", he says. "The reconstruction of damaged and destroyed public infrastructure is underway, but seems to be lagging behind the rate of recovery being enjoyed by several major corporations. This can be explained by various factors for a time, but unless rectified, at some point this inequality could become a major point of domestic political contention."

Yesterday at 2200 hours SMT, nearby Sheffield Station and Kingston Border Station received automated distress signals from Liverpool, indicating an emergency aboard the station. Guild patrols redirected from Sheffield arrived on the scene within minutes, finding the border station destroyed. Search and rescue operations headed by Guild and BPA units commenced immediately and successfully salvaged several escape pods bearing several dozen survivors, who were immediately delivered to hospitals on New London.
BPA spokesperson Sandra Halling held a press conference earlier this morning. According to joint police and BIS investigations, Liverpool was destroyed by antimatter explosives planted aboard the station. Their detonation caused a catastrophic chain reaction, resulting in the station's own reactors melting down and exploding. Of the estimated one-hundred-twenty persons on board at the time of the attack, seventy-eight have been reported as dead or missing.
\So far, no party has taken credit for this heinous attack. However, Bretonian police surmises that it was likely perpetrated by either the criminals known as the Mollys or the infamous pirate organization, the Lane Hackers. The attack occurred following a significant redeployment of local Armed Forces units to the Cortez system for the purpose of joint operations with Libertonian security forces. This, says Halling, may have allowed terrorist sympathizers to exploit undermanned BPA patrols and smuggle illegal explosives through Manchester's ice fields, onto Liverpool Station.
While investigations continue, Bretonian Police Authority has reinforced patrols within Manchester and established traffic controls at Kingston Border Station and Birmingham Station. Traffic to and from Liberty has been advised to reroute through the Cortez system.

## Rumors

* Planetform's official view of the Gaians is that they are a terrorist organization engaged in open piracy. We do not understand why the Bretonian public sympathizes with this group of ruffians.

* We've got operations in California, Tau-31, and Edinburgh. Edinburgh was the problem child until Gallia rolled in there. The costly Phase 1 stage was interrupted, which probably means we'll need to start from scratch there. But I don't see Bretonia fielding the bill for that any time soon. Luckily the Harris project was a little further along, reducing that operation won't hurt it, just delay it.

* This is the headquarters for Planetform. We're the only corporation in Sirius that specialises in terraforming, that is, to alter climate on a planetary scale. The projects we undertake are gigantic, and take centuries to complete. That's why only the major Houses can afford our services. Even a minor adjustment would take at least a century and a half to do.

* Planetform has several ongoing projects. The California Minor project, which is nearing completion ahead of schedule. The Atka project in Hudson, which is getting started. The Harris project, which is all but suspended due to the Gallic invasion. And finally, the Ayr project. Officially, the status of that project is unknown until the damage can be assessed, but unofficially, it's likely to be abandoned.

* Leeds is dying, even without Gallia bombing the surface to bits. BMM has polluted the biosphere to such an extent that the planet is no longer capable of supporting life by itself. The atmosphere is toxic, but the government has refused to make that public, fearing a revolt that would put the Founders Day to shame. BMM refuses any kind of accountability for that. I wonder what they'll do now. They won't be able to muscle their way into New London or Cambridge as easily.

* I used to haul Silver up to Planet Harris in the Tau-31 system. Occasionally I can still slip through and sell it for a hefty profit, but it's very risky right now. Any Gallic patrols and any pirate out there will be gunning for you.

* We discovered the power of the Alien Organisms by accident. In 740, A Kusari ship hauling them across Tau-31 was attacked by pirates and ventured far off course. A hull breach killed the crew, and the ship drifted into the gravitational field of Harris. The Alien Organisms not only survived the impact, they flourished in the frigid, oxygen-deficient environment of the planet's surface. Add some raw Hydrocarbons and Fertilizers for them to feed on, and you get a rather rich primordial soup to feed a future ecology.

* Gaian terrorists target Planetform throughout Bretonia. It's strange that they have as much support as they do - one would think that their association with Gallia and the Corsairs would earn them few friends in Bretonia. I suppose we'll need to drag those academic types out of their ivory tower, and give them a healthy dose of reality by strapping them in with a Planetform Pelican bound for Harris...

* We bring in our basic supplies like Food, Oxygen, and Water from New London. The Gaians will even attack the lowly supply ships, if given the chance. Hells, they'll attack even empty transports if they belong to Planetform!

* There are rumblings that terraforming was never a viable technology. The founders of this company became very rich without ever having actually completed one project. The government did not want to admit to the Bretonian people that it had let Leeds become poisoned to the point of ecological collapse, so they sank trillions into terraforming as the solution to all of Bretonia's problems. Will it work? California Minor is almost done, but the Bretonian projects are far behind schedule, courtesy of the Gaian movement.

* Planetform was chartered in 450 AS at the request of the Bretonian government. Several Cambridge researchers teamed up with a group of experienced California atmospheric modification experts from Los Angeles. They outlined methods to transform arid, lifeless planets with minimal atmospheres into new locations for human settlement within 400 years. The company has since expanded it's potential to include arctic worlds which need their temperature raised.

* The Gaians don't know what to make of those real criminals, the Corsairs and Outcasts. I think all those Cambridge University grads are scared to death of the Border World bad guys. Still, they seem to be getting along, oddly, with the Corsairs...

* They've got me here chasing Gaians up in the Devon field. It's not very complicated work. Those Gaians are a little green - pun intended - when it comes to tactics and combat. They got lots of spunk, though.

* We're heading out to the Somerset to hunt some Corsairs. It's real bad down there. Ya don't want to go in alone or your kin will be gettin' a little notice from the Guild offering their condolences. Corsairs always roam that field in packs, so we gotta do the same.

* Planetform seems to have loads of money to pay us for hunting down those Gaians. They must get it from the government. It's no problem with me. I'll just keep poppin' them as long as they can afford me.

* I'm glad we don't need to go to Edinburgh anymore. It's pretty messy up there. The Gaians have more cover and seem to be more organized than everyone else here. I don't get why they think that stupid planet is so important. Now Gallia will probably turn it into a colony world of theirs. Hope those Gaian nutters are pleased with themselves.

* I find the Bounty Hunters a distasteful and crude lot. They do perform essential and unpleasant tasks for the authority, though - they go after the criminals on their own turf. At least we don't have to go into the Somerset.

* This is a new post for the Police Authority. The sudden rise in the Corsair population in eastern London forced headquarters to substantially increase patrols on these Lanes. Planetform was happy to accomodate us on their HQ. More police here means fewer Gaian problems for them.

* We run patrols on all four Trade Lanes that originate here. The Manchester Jump Gate and Cambridge Trade Lanes are the bad ones. Sometimes an entire squadron is lost. Corsairs move about freely, unafraid of our ships. The military is occupied on the far side of the system, with the Mollys.

* The Corsairs are fairly indiscriminate in their targets. They seem to hate everybody, and relish confrontation. They will never allow themselves to be captured. I've seen more than a few attempts to ram you even with their ship afire and weapons knocked out. I guess it's more honorable for them to die than surrender. Not to say we haven't caught a few of them - there's a wing in Newgate reserved for Corsairs. Can't mix those up with the Mollys or there'll be blood, and lots of it.

* I was just trying to make it to retirement on New London making customs inspections. They issued a directive for all able bodied pilots to be on active combat duty until the Gallic threat is eliminated, so here I am, just trying to survive. Again. I hope my reflexes haven't dulled on the five years I spent planetside.

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