Luxury Liner Barbados

CLASS: Enterprise

AMENITIES: Full

PASSENGERS: 700

The latest addition to the Orbital Spa and Cruise fleet, the Barbados sits in orbit around the planet of Iridescencia, a beautiful yet incredibly hostile world whose frequent electrical storms and volcanic eruptions wrack the sky, putting on a spectacular lightshow which changes in hue when viewed from different angles. OS&C has been quick to capitalise upon the spectacle by setting the Barbados' orbital path to slowly wind its way around the planet, giving visitors a once in a lifetime show on every pass.

The placement of the new liner has also caused controversy within Liberty as the Vespucci system is located in the heart of the Insurgency space, a nation openly at war with the Republic. To compound the matter, rumours have begun to circulate that Synthetic Marijuana, a banned substance in Liberty, is used and freely available aboard the Barbados, though the supply of which is unknown.

In light of Liberty's Navy offensive against the Insurgency in the years 829-830 AS, the liner temporarily relocated back to Cortez for extended maintenance, returning into the system in 832 AS, long after Insurgency was no more.

## 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.

Over the last few days, Archer-class siege cruisers have been deploying their massive coaxial cannons to suppress military infrastructure on the planet, systematically targeting the very last bastions of the Insurgency. First to be destroyed were the planet's few remaining ground to space weapons installations, quickly crippled by bomber strikes from the Ohio herself, before the remaining desolate ground defences and deserted infrastructure were reduced to rubble, their populations having already long fled the world.
A small service was held on the Ohio as the bombardment drew to a close in memory of Rear Admiral Dylan Brandt and those thousands of sailors and marines who had given their lives in the name of Liberty; fought their own lost brothers-in-arms so that others may not live under their misguided yoke, and many more who had their lives irrevocably changed as a result of the evils the campaign sought to end.
The announcement also confirmed identical monuments to the Insurgency campaign would be erected on every world in Liberty, from Planet Houston to Planet Erie, each monument an obelisk carrying the names of every serviceman lost in the conflict and serving as a reminder that Liberty is stronger when it stands together.

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.

Admiral Brandt was heard to give the order to abandon ship right as the ship's hull could take no more and began to be torn asunder, with hull breaches on multiple decks. Tragically, the armored engines of the Delaware had suffered a great deal of damage, and as the armor and shielding was whittled away, vast quantities of radiation and superheated gas began to flood into the crew compartments of the vessel.
In an emotional announcement, the Liberty Navy officially stated that they consider the Delaware to be lost with all hands, including Admiral Brandt himself. No life pods could be secured in the heat of battle, with the remainder of the Delaware's escort making a fighting retreat back to the LNS Ohio which had herself been caught lagging behind the Delaware's doomed thrust into the heart of the Insurgency. The Ohio now remains with her own escort, augmented by survivors of the Delaware's battlegroup, and will continue as the Liberty Navy's bastion in the Vespucci system, ready to ensure that the Insurgents pay dearly for the toll they have extracted upon one of Liberty's finest Admirals.

Leading a fearsome line of some of Liberty's most advanced warships, the Delaware bore down on the Insurgency's remaining, cobbled-together fleet in the Vespucci system, out of position from dealing with a Bretonian thrust from Magellan. Immediately caught was the Battleship Vanquisher, one of the scant few Arbiter-class Battleships available to the Insurgents. Caught by itself, the Vanquisher put up a fearsome fight but was ultimately unable to stand against the Delaware and its escort, despite its fighter component dealing severe damage to much of the Delaware's own, smaller fighter contingent, as well as the Delaware herself.
With the great Arbiter all but vanquished, the Interdictor-class Battlecruiser Triton stared down the guns of the damaged Delaware and her escort. Outnumbered two-to-one, and outgunned to an even greater degree by the Libertonian heavyweight, Triton and her escorts launched their one and only advantage, their fighter and bomber superiority gained at the Vanquisher's expense.

## Rumors

* Let IDF Shipping have their sweet connections to the Crown. We prefer the independence. Sure, IDF may get access and more government contracts, but they sacrifice control over their own affairs. I can see that getting very irritating, very quickly.

* Those Maquis are dangerous, but you cannot ignore that they plan their strikes well. They attack different parts of a system at the same time, making it nearly impossible to do something about their strikes. Even if we are lucky and catch some they never give us the required information.

* Ever since the Marne Rebellion, Planet Bourges has seen a boom of economic development. This had to replace the production lost from Planet Marne, I guess that's why I'm here. So far I like it, though I'm still trying to get used to all the earth tremors.

* We are under orders to ignore the Unione Corse until we have proof of them doing something illegal. I really wonder who tries to protect them. They are hardly anything close to innocent in my opinion.

* Have you heard of the journalist murders that happened a few years back? That is what happens to people that stick their nose into others' business. You should be smarter than them.

* We bring in Petrochemicals from Beauvais Facility over in Il-de-France. Personally, I wouldn't say that Beauvais has the best quality product out there. I blame the Junkers cutting corners. There are a wide variety of Petrochemicals that industry needs. Many of them require precise control over temperature, pressure and the concentration of ingredients. Any slip-ups and you start getting fatty acids or wax, instead of solvents. You know how many container valves have been jammed with waxy crud every month? I think the Junkers deliberately contaminate our supplies, as the cleanup of their mess puts us behind schedule - and makes them look good!

* We usually send out three patrols a day, that allows us to cover all of the system's shipping activities. However, if our people run into real trouble we sometimes have to hope for the Royal Navy being close.

* Flying in the borderworlds, most pilots see the danger as their last moments alive, but I see it as an adventure - supplying our brave soldiers while facing the hazards of pirates, terrorists, and hostile militaries!

* While Senonches Mining Facility produces Copper much more cheaply than we can mine it here, there is a modest mining operation on Bourges that supplies nearby markets. We even manage to schedule some shipments to Riom Shipyard in Auvergne, since the price there is so high.

* The IDF will do all in its power to make sure that the Royal forces have everything they need. This is how it goes when a large part of the company is owned by the Royal family itself.

* I see the local jewelers are making arrangements for another shipment of Pearls to be sent off to Luxury Liner Belleville. I wish I could go with them because I am overdue for a vacation. With the war getting underway all leave in my section has been cancelled indefinitely. How long does management expect us to keep working under these conditions? I expect to see people resigning by year's end - if they don't go crazy first.

* The most successful NOX smugglers know how to avoid our patrols. Some of our own people must sell information about the patrols to them.

* If you want to see some Brigands in action you should visit the Indre Asteroid Field. They seem to like this place a lot, most of the traffic coming close to this place, however, does disappear.

* I had some sympathy for the Council's goals when they first rebelled. But now, after I can see their true face of supporters of murder and piracy, my only hope is that they are crushed by the Navy.

* The constant earthquakes on Bourges create difficult circumstances for industry and building construction. Because it's so light weight, Aluminium is very important as a building material, although we have use it in alloys to bolster its strength. Our local sources can't keep up with the demand, so we import Aluminium from Guise Mining Facility on a regular basis.

* What a great job, I risk my life nearly every day and even the pirates I am supposed to fight have more money than me. Maybe it's time to find better employment.

* Corruption is a big problem within the Royal Police, many officers gladly accept bribes in order to have a bit more cash at the end of the month. Sadly, the civilians tend to generalize things like this and ignore the honest officers' good work.

* Believe it or not, Solar actually pays bonuses at Mortagne Production Facility in Pearls instead of credits. Rumor has it that some Solar major stockholder won a gambling bet with a GMS stockholder, and the result is that Solar now owns rights to a certain amount of Pearls on an annual basis for the next ten years.

* You would think that the military success of the Royal Navy would make things better for us back here in Gallia, but that's not what has been happening. It seems like prices of everything are going up. More and more resources, both financial and human, are going towards the war effort. This isn't at all like the government said it would be.

* We stockpile Superconductors from Abbeville Production Facility here on Bourges so that La Charite can make more efficient use of space. Whenever they are running low, we can just transport them up to the station. The important thing is that the Robotics production line never stops for lack of materials.

* Surplus Copper dug up in the Maine system finds its way onto the Chateau-Gautier Freeport. We get orders to ship the metal across Gallia to places with high demand like Planet Bourges. While the war is making it hard to get hold of some commodities, it's making it easier to cut deals with the corporations. Even a few years ago they wouldn't have let me set foot on some of their bases. With the massive demand for commodities, and the people to move them, they have little choice but to accomodate us.

* We're starting to see some contraband in Gallia that we've never had contact with before. There's some new drug the kids call "Cardi" that seems to be all the rage these days. I've heard it's terribly addictive and destructive to the body. All signs point to Sirius as the source for this poison. If it sells like some of my collegues claim it does, I want to get my hands on some.

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