I am Mirko von der Lippe. Commander of the Planophore. Maybe you didnt know much about me or my family, so i tell u a short story of our history.
This family is one of the oldest families of Rheinland. They landed on New Berlin with the Rheinland sleeper ship in the year 3 A.S., and worked hard for a new start in sirius. Nothing new for them, the whole history of the family was hard work, and our history didnt began with founding New Berlin. Our history is older, older than humans settlement in sirius.
1000 years before leaving the earth, that family founded the state of Lippe in germany, which exists 795 years until 1918 A.D. Through the centuries, my family learned a lot about diplomatic matters and behavior. Our ancients were trading goods over the whole earth in ships of wood, energized from the wind. Cannot imagine? Yes, on wodden ships, only 90 ft long. We saw the first explosives in europe, dealt with the Thirty Years' War, we also fought Napoleon and Adolf Hitler.
Members of my family ruled a small state in europe from 1948 to 1980 as the Prince Consort of Queen Juliana. His daughter Beatrix ruled the state for the longest episode in the states history - from 1980 - 2065. Beatrix was the oldest Queen on earth, because her life has counted 127 years. After that long time, Willem-Alexander was king only for a year, after him his daughter Catharina-Amalia climbed the throne.
It was very important for a small state, to be able to balance out the big players in the game named life, and we learned to surwive and find our gap to increase our prosperity. We think, that listening and empathy is very important, and we never are biased. On this side, we are similar to the zoners. My grandfather Heinrich worked for the zoners as translator, while Elisabeth - his wife - prepared the finest sauerkraut of Gran Canaria. Both were submitted from family members in Rheinland, to strengthen the diplomatic relations to the zoners. My father August is born as a zoner on Gran Canaria, was in the zoners guard for 12 years, before he became a ship trader on that planet. Berta, my mother, is working for the Gran Canarian Stock exchange.
Now it comes to me:
Like other sons of our family, i have to work for my own. We are a rich familiy, of course, but that doesnt mean, i can lay down the whole day, while eating gingerbread. My father gave me an amount for the start, and i started my chareer as a freelancer, to open diplomatic channels for a trading chareer. Following the tradition of my family, i want to be a successful trader. For that, i have to handle with different problems, especially the war between bretonia and Kusari, and maybe soon the war between Rheinland and Liberty. Furthermore some of the sairs become more and more unfrienly against us zoners.
As zoner born, i prepare to join the zoners after solving all diplomatic matters. Until that point, i work as a freelancer. As a zoner i have to explain everytime, why i want to do some work for someone, while having no enemies, so i decided to own a freelancer passport, instead of zoner. I heared rumors around orkney, about a new jump hole. If this is true, my family is one of the first, who looks out for new trading partners in the - if they exist - systems. Maybe, just maybe, my dream gets real, and i become a successful trader. But for now, until my new zoner whale is ready, i freelance for diplomatic solutions.
-- Lots of days later --
The last weeks, i finished my diplomatic matters, and today, i gave up that Freelancer passport for a Zoners Guard one. Also i am happy that my new ship, the Zoners whale, was finished weeks before i expected.
Now, i am the proud owner of my own trade ship, a Zoner Borderworld Transport "ZBT-100Z 2".
Due to that fact, that "ZBT-100Z 2" isnt neither practical nor pronounceable name for a trading wessel, i have decided to give the "ZBT-100Z 2" a name.
The ceremony has happened yesterday, in the orbit of Gran Canaria. The bottle of sparkling wine crashed at the hull. From this moment, my ship is listed as "Planophore". That describes the weakness correctly.
Furthermore, two scientists are onboard now, so we are able to research. Sometimes we trade with strange commodities, so that we can easier check out the risk of that. On the other hand, the space itself needs to be researched. Strange things going on in Omega 41, if i can trust rumors. The neutron star changed his behaviour, they say. My first traderoute should lead there, i think...
The last months, the research section has been enlarged, now we have twelve scientists onboard. They try to develop better pharmaceuticals. Also a group of them is working on some ship equipment, especially hull components, high-temperature superconductors and their relation to ship engines.
Few weeks ago, we were stranded in the border worlds, only 12k away from a freeport. Out of helium, which resulted in disabled superconductors. Neither the cruise engine nor the thruster was useable, so we had to slink slowly to the next Freeport. The radiation of the neutron star was strong, so that the Planophore got heavy damage. That was very annoying. Better superconductors, which work on higher temperatures, would help to reduce the consumption of helium. As a first result of our researching, the ships hull was a little bit strengthened.
After the success with the enlarged scientist-section, we got problems with our pharmaceuticals. Because we have had some "drugs" onboard, while it was only for research. Not all people outside did understood and/or tolerate it. At many times, i was forced to handle out <strike>the 4 units of cardamine and/or synthetic mariuana</strike> my resources for my scientists.
Now to my ship, the beautiful Planophore:
I was on my way back to bering in a small rented ship, because sadly - sniff - the Planophore became destroyed. We were in gallia, trying to trade some whine, and we brought neon to them. But after the deal, while in space, suddenly two gunboats plopped out of space, and, short story, destroyed my ship.
Also bad luck, it seems that my passport was corrupted. Last weeks, it was impossible to dock on any house-related base. My intention was only to take a rest, not a trading deal. But no base accepted my papers as a harmless Zoner and - i didnt mentioned it before - also as a proud Delegate of the CoZ.
I was looking through my papers, passport documents, laws, about what ship classes are allowed on each passport. And then i saw the misunderstanding. I thought, that my passport does allow me to have diplomatic relations with the houses. But it doesnt. Due to the fact, that i still have few widespreaded family members in Rheinland, and due to the time i also have good friends in Liberty and fringe systems like cortez, i got a new passport few weeks ago.
The good, old Zoner Passport. I also bought the rented ship, because it worked fine. Its a Border Worlds Transport, its a good ship, little smaller, but it has enough space for my scientists, and a large cargo section for ressources and trading stuff.
Furthermore i will see, what happens to our Council. I am not happy about that kind of splittering - it seems very strange. For me, until further notice, i dont have anything to do with the ZA. Wait and see...
Oh yes, the ship. Its name. Its a pity, it has to run under the old name, because of insurance problems. It seems, that i have to wait a week or two more, until my ship insurance feels free to verify my report and all logs of the destroyed vessel. Obviously they think, if they dont have verified its destruction, the ship is still in space.
Odd insurance laws... for some mysterious reasons they told me, that I have to fly as "Planophore" like before. I will do so, otherwise I will loose my insurance. Officially the ship wasnt destroyed, and it is the same ship like before, a "Border Worlds Transport"...
Strange. I am sure, that the destroyed ship was a "ZBT-100Z 2", not a "Border Worlds Transport". But I will follow the contracts I signed.
Its time for something new. I have heard news and rumors around the borders of sirius. It seems, that there is more unknow space outside, than we all expected. The first expedition month ago leaded me to a house, that was first detected 10 month ago: Gallia.
I found some places to trade with, and I did some hidden supports to some gallic people. But during my trading runs, I saw some unknown bases on long range scanners. Also I have head rumors about a second way to Gallia, which leeds to outcasts space - maybe it is time to do a second exploration.
The Planophore is fitted with a strong hull, thus prepared to the radiation of those outsided systems. I hope we can explore new routes to known and unknown space.
All this rumors. Life is hard as a zoner. What to do, how to decide? It seems, that i failed in some diplomacy, as my contact persons on some gallian bases were vanished. In the past i corrupted few of them, to have the possibility to dock, but that is now impossible. I also have heard about other systems in gallia, but i dont know where to search for an entrance to them. I want to start an expedition with the Planophore into the depps of gallia. I have to map each sun and planet, and hope to find a neutral base maybe. I will take a lot of inventory for the long journey.
Said expedition will be prepared in the next weeks, and i am hopeful to build up new trading relations. My plan was to start the expedition from Freeport 6, but as some rumors say, that said Freeport is threatend, i sent a person to buy the stock we need on Freeport 10. The Planophore will arrive there, when all the supplies are collected. Until that, i trade arounf from here to there, without any favorized route.
![[Image: QLRpcZ1.png]](https://i.imgur.com/QLRpcZ1.png)