08-06-2017, 12:31 PM
The Borderworld Standard - 824AS
![[Image: Freeport2.png]](http://discoverygc.com/wiki/images/5/51/Freeport2.png)
A Freeport No Longer
The Bering system was once a major trade artery between the Houses of Rheinland and Liberty, where vessels of all kinds would pass through its dense asteroid fields funnelling a wealth of commerce between the two colonies. A previously lively system that had danced to the vibrant rhythm of inter-House trade and at its core Freeport 2, a former nexus of peoples from all walks of life.
We Zoners had made a living servicing and resupplying those who plied the lanes in the name of commerce in addition to selling food from the biodomes to the worlds of Houston and Hamburg.
However, not all the visitors to our Freeport were of the lawful persuasion. Both Xenos and Unioners frequented our markets for supplies with the occasional handful of Junkers, the presence of which attracted a constant Bounty Hunter presence to the station. While the mixture was quite volatile, an equilibrium developed between the groups that kept the situation tense but relatively peaceful. This balance of power would eventually shift with the onset of the Liberty - Rheinland war and the subsequent destruction of the Hamburg gate.
In a single act of senseless violence Bering fell into isolation.
Without the flow of trade and constant influx of credits the populace of Freeport 2 began to migrate away, seeking greener pastures away from the fighting and the now dead-end system. While great battles raged in the surrounding region only a handful of minor skirmishes occurred in Bering and very few visited the station in search of repairs.
Those of us who remained thought the ending of the war would bring back our livelihood and restore our Freeport to its former glory, even if only a fraction of the trade resumed. We assumed both gates would be repaired and in time things would return to how they were yet only Hudson was reconnected.
Freeport 2 was left forgotten and isolated. More Zoners abandoned the station until only one biodome was required to feed the meager population. Eventually new faces began to arrive seeking supplies, repairs and trade but we didn’t celebrate. The opening of the Hudson gate had created a concentrated flow of traffic, forcing all ships through a single narrow tradelane between Rheinland and Liberty. The perfect storm for piracy with Bering as an ideal staging area.
There was no balance or equilibrium to keep the peace now. Bounty Hunters came from Hudson with guns blazing and the pirates replied in kind. Now the space around our Freeport has become a haven for every desperado and smuggler in the area.
We have bartered with those on both sides of the law as a means of survival yet there is no denying the looming fear we feel as more and more lawless souls arrive. They are beginning to outnumber us and every day we see fewer Bounty Hunters trying to apprehend their targets.
Those of us who remain can only speak within the safety of our homes and must walk the corridors in groups with our weapons hidden beneath our clothing. What was once our Freeport is becoming our prison. One we intend to flee before the last door is locked■
We Zoners had made a living servicing and resupplying those who plied the lanes in the name of commerce in addition to selling food from the biodomes to the worlds of Houston and Hamburg.
However, not all the visitors to our Freeport were of the lawful persuasion. Both Xenos and Unioners frequented our markets for supplies with the occasional handful of Junkers, the presence of which attracted a constant Bounty Hunter presence to the station. While the mixture was quite volatile, an equilibrium developed between the groups that kept the situation tense but relatively peaceful. This balance of power would eventually shift with the onset of the Liberty - Rheinland war and the subsequent destruction of the Hamburg gate.
In a single act of senseless violence Bering fell into isolation.
Without the flow of trade and constant influx of credits the populace of Freeport 2 began to migrate away, seeking greener pastures away from the fighting and the now dead-end system. While great battles raged in the surrounding region only a handful of minor skirmishes occurred in Bering and very few visited the station in search of repairs.
Those of us who remained thought the ending of the war would bring back our livelihood and restore our Freeport to its former glory, even if only a fraction of the trade resumed. We assumed both gates would be repaired and in time things would return to how they were yet only Hudson was reconnected.
Freeport 2 was left forgotten and isolated. More Zoners abandoned the station until only one biodome was required to feed the meager population. Eventually new faces began to arrive seeking supplies, repairs and trade but we didn’t celebrate. The opening of the Hudson gate had created a concentrated flow of traffic, forcing all ships through a single narrow tradelane between Rheinland and Liberty. The perfect storm for piracy with Bering as an ideal staging area.
There was no balance or equilibrium to keep the peace now. Bounty Hunters came from Hudson with guns blazing and the pirates replied in kind. Now the space around our Freeport has become a haven for every desperado and smuggler in the area.
We have bartered with those on both sides of the law as a means of survival yet there is no denying the looming fear we feel as more and more lawless souls arrive. They are beginning to outnumber us and every day we see fewer Bounty Hunters trying to apprehend their targets.
Those of us who remain can only speak within the safety of our homes and must walk the corridors in groups with our weapons hidden beneath our clothing. What was once our Freeport is becoming our prison. One we intend to flee before the last door is locked■
Signed, F. Grande
Tags: Zoners, Pirates, Freeport 2, Bering, Rheinland - Liberty war.