*The time passed slowly on Jakarta station. The station remained geostationary around it's gas giant, so there wasn't really any day or night. For sake of ease it's clocks had once been synchronized with New London's time but... noone paid attention to it anymore. John had a small office for his work there. R&D division meant he was on the move a lot. Usually. Not so much of late. Progress on the new IMG ship designs was largely done locally, and was progressing smoothly. He kept close tabs on it - especially the new bomber. Perhaps their last line of defense against that loaded cannon called Gallia. It had to be finished in time.
So he was confined to the station for the present, by necessity. With the other directors on surveys and other sorties, the day-to-day handling of the Guild was his responsibility. No rest for the wicked. He had just finished sending a few applicants to the Guild their welcome, and leaned back in his chair. The datapad he held blinked a few times, then displayed a "Communication sent", and went blank. He sighed - the pad blinked on again, displaying an incoming report. Dublin, a large Corsair group. "Nothing unusual." he mumbled, and deleted it from his inbox. Only 12 messages to go. So many things going on.
He sighed again, and pressed the voice to text button on the pad. And dictated to it:
"I should note these things down. Mull them over. See the connections. See the way the winds blow - the Guild depends on the sails being set correctly. As a director, the lads trust me to do this. But Sirius is so chaotic, rapidly changing. Where to begin?
Ah, yes, the Outcasts perhaps. Our greatest enemies. But now, only in the Taus, are they our enemies? And even at that, some of them, that one called Chenzo, not quite human if the rumors are true, suggests some form of truce is possible? Unlikely. The Colonials would never go for it, and the Guild as a whole just has too much bad blood against them. But the Outcasts support the Bretonians, and 'though some in the BAF claim it temporary, I fail to see why this would be the case. Should Kusari be beaten back, I can take a guess what'll happen to our Tau side bases. War trophies. No way.
Kusari. Enigmatic house. Beautiful house. Bretonia stepped on the tail of a sleeping dragon, and feels it's breath. But they too are a threat to our Tauside operations, and more. At least they are honest - for the most. Surprising to see a nation where the corporations are likely even deeper integrated into the government then Liberty, have relatively few issues with discontent workers. I suppose it's the strong sense of nationality.
Liberty. Of all the houses I dislike them the most. First founded - that can't have been a coincidence. Monopolists, with the gate/lane network exclusively managed by Ageira and DSE. I wonder if they realise just how big a threat Gallia is to them, not just in a military sense. Losing exclusivity on gate and lane management would be the end of the Liberty economy. Knowing them, there'll be only one response possible. Military enforcement of their monopoly. Ageira has no other way to survive. I wonder if the Lane Hackers have realised this. It'll just bring more war into the Taus. And to Bretonia.
Bretonia. I don't know what to think of it anymore. Siding openly with the Outcasts. Slavers. How do they think they can maintain face with any civilized faction in Sirius? Have they grown so damned desperate that they are grasping at straws now? Needing Malta to survive is admitting you've already lost in my eyes. But the Armed Forces don't see it that way. With Kusari halfway to the New London gate, they still feel to need to cling to the hopes of victory. Even when I'm positive Kusari would let it be - Concede Harris, issue a formal apology, and Leeds should be Bretonian again. Kusari was assaulted in their sense of honor, in the Tau invasion. I don't get why Bretonia let themselves sink so low. Too late now. Even Rheinland is displeased with them.
Rheinland. I get those guys the most. Straightforward, to the point. Dealing with a Rheinlander doesn't require a verbal dance. Slowly crawling out of the mess that the Nomad wars left with them, and yet eager to start another war with Liberty. I suppose it's a nation that needs to reclaim it's self-esteem, and lashes out as a result. The price is paid by the working folk. No surprise the Hessians are growing in number these days.
Hessians. They want what's best for the working folk, much the same way we do. I'm glad they see us not as another greedy corporation. It would be impossible to compete with Daumann and Kruger without their approval of our presence. Especially now that those corporations have moved out into Omega 7. I suppose we'll need to send out prospectors again - see if we can find additional resources in the system. The distrubution and abundance of resources suggests there may be some deeper in the nebula. If only we could modify a few GMG scanners...
Ah, the GMG. Kinsmen I see them, to our own Guild. Working folk that were forced from their homes by happenstance, but through hard work, made their own fortune out in the Sigmas. And now they control the means that makes Sirius move, having successfully defended it in a massive war of attrition in the Sigmas. No house in all of Sirius is foolish enough to anger them anymore. But even they need some support to keep up with the demand. Pecos is our ace in this. The Deuterium there is crucial to H fuel production. I can see why the Colonials take such an interest in it.
Ah, the Colonial Republic. Closest ally to the Guild. When their fleet arrived there was much confusion, but we've grown to work as one. Their industrial capacity combined with our contacts siriuswide, and resource gathering siriuswide, have made it possible for us to survive sustained Outcast pressure for decades now. Their fightersquads make the Niobium operations possible - and we in turn sustain their economy with raw materials. I do not see this changing any time soon.
Who else? Ah, the Mollies. Dublin's free men. Those that gave us the Hood in a sense, seeing as they laid waste to it while it was still an Armed Forces vessel. I personally hope they will achieve their ultimate goal, establishing Dublin as a free state for the Mollies, and thus ensuring that BMM never gets to legally enslave any miner again. The war with Kusari has swung things in their favor - the Armed Forces and BPA simply cannot divert resources to combat them, so they've thrown an accord. This is the time for the Mollies to fully establish themselves, and we're helping them out in various ways. Let's face it - if BMM is ousted from Dublin, the gold trade is going to be the Mollies say, and that'll only be good for IMG. Who knows? They might even simply contract us to mine it for them, and stick to doing what they do best. Keeping their home clean of unwanted elements.
BMM. Bah. If it were my say we'd commit every Pytho we have and blast that last outpost of theirs Tauside, into oblivion. And blame Kusari. But that is too risky, we have too much invested in Bretonia. Some mercenary attacks have raided our mining operations in Dublin of late, I strongly suspect they are behind it. I have no proof though. That's always the problem. Respond in kind? I'm sure the Reavers wouldn't mind earning some extra cash. But again, too risky. Best keep it clean - with the Mollies on our side, we're not exactly defenseless in Dublin. And there's other ways to outfox the competition.
Competition. Kruger, and Daumann. Mostly Kruger. Ever since they set up that Elbich facility near the prospected fields they've been hauling ever greater quantities. I don't think they ever paid a prospection fee. Figures. Note to self: Place a few smart mines or automated defense platforms around future positive prospection zones, to drive the message home. IMG finding resources does not equal a corporate welcome mat. Still, without those resources the Rheinland economy would likely have completely collapsed. Dresden is all but mined out, having been stripmined in the Nomad wars. Squandered resources. And Rheinland doesn't dare venture into the Omicrons, or deep Omegas. The Corsairs would bury them.
Corsairs. I'm not sure what to think of them. On the one hand they are the fiercest enemies of the Outcasts. But the saying, the enemy of my enemy does not really apply. The enemy of my enemy is still a cutthroat. The Omega facilities... even Dublin sees a lot of them. I do not understand their motivations. Simple thievery? But on a galactic scale? What drives these folks? I wonder if the Hispania had a reactor leak of sorts, most the folk that came out of it turned out to be pretty bad. 'Though I am unsure about the Coalition's remains.
SCRA. They call themselves. Rote Armee. Red Army. No wonder they have banded up with the Hessians. And no wonder I suppose that they are at odds with just about every house in the realm. I'm not sure how I feel about them. They are a political hot potatoe - but they seem to appreciate the Guild's structure that revolves around improving standards for the working folk. Our miners as a result are often sympathetic to them. I wonder if they are secretly trying to recruit among our ranks. It wouldn't surprise me. I wouldn't even mind. Guild members are free. But I'm not sure if they'll ever end up with formal relations with us. Just too risky. We have our people to consider.
Who else? Ah, the Gaians. Ecoterrorists or ecoactivists? Depends on who you ask. I know BMM's answer, which is why I tend to lean towards the other. But the BPA doesn't see it that way. They are few in numbers, fewer in friends these days. They are looking towards us now it seems, though why remains to be seen. A mining guild supporting an ecological group, it would be odd. Would create problems I suppose, too. But then again. Bretonia openly associates with Outcasts? So why could we not, outside their borders, show the same courtesy to their enemies...
Junkers. Just when you thought you knew them as simple two faced folk who care about none but their own. Salvagers, sometimes before the ship's a wreck. Smugglers, as such they have their uses. Generally if there's profit in it for them, they'll be predictable. But of late things are changing. Kusari is angry with them, and they with Kusari. That will lean them towards Bretonia. Although I doubt they'll choose direct aid - it could mean supplies appearing out of nowhere for the Armed Forces. Supplies that used to be destined for Kusari. Salvagers have their ways. I just hope our own fleet won't be in the crossfire, Tauside. Or even Sigmaside. But at least in the Sigmas they're often hounded by the Hogosha.
Not that they're any better. Hogosha. Kusari civilians? More like Kusari privateers. Seems the law doesn't apply to them in general. Note to self, issue directives to only retaliate, but retaliate excessively to drive the point home. No sense in stepping on that same dragon's tail Bretonia did, but if I understand Kusari correctly, it's best not to be seen as weaklings. We'll see. Perhaps we can coax Kusari into better restraining these civilians. Here's to hoping.
Seems that Sirius is dividing. The Kusari-Bretonian war and Liberty-Rheinland one are slowly becoming a single front. Jotting down who's supporting who:
Bretonia
Liberty
Mollies
Outcasts
Liberty Rogues
Junkers? (Indirectly - but they hit Kusari vessels in the Sigmas pretty hard not long ago. This puts them with the Bret/Liberty front)
Xenos? (They're both stepping up attacks on Kusari transports, and actively supporting Liberty forces sometimes if reports are true - the latter is surprising)
Kusari
Rheinland
Hogosha
Corsairs (Rumored cooperation with Kusari, and they're definately hitting Bretonia harder then Rheinland these days. Not sure what is going on between them and the Hessians)
Blood Dragons? (There have been reports of Blood Dragon vessels in support of Kusari Navy vesus Bretonian vessels)
RHA (Surprising, but they seem as eager to replace their own government as to preserve their own house)
Gaians? (Heavily against BMM and Planetform, and have been spotted working with Corsairs in the past)
Unknown:
Lane hackers - Probably too small a faction to be directly influential, though their intelligence gathering over the GateLane net would be a boon
GMG - And I really should get a clarification on where they stand.
Order - Do they even care? They got other fish to fry I think
Bountyhunters - Don't seem to want to get caught in wars. Probably making a killing on convoy escorts these days though.
Gallia - Who knows where that loaded cannon is aimed at. Whichever way though, we're straight in the firing path, Tauside. Not going to be pretty.
Zoners - Guess they just try to stay out of the fighting most of the time. Their disorganized nature is what's keeping them safe - they're no threat to anyone. Civvies in the eyes of the houses.
We're split across both ends of that front. The Taus, the Omegas. We cannot get involved, on either side. We'd lose half of what we are either way. We must be neutral, appeasing all involved so they'll leave us to our labor in peace. The safety of the Guild, and all it's members, must be the primary concern. All else is secondary, including profit."
He pressed the save button, and shut the pad down. The inbox had grown to 15, but he'd get to them in the morning. A clear mind, the Guild needed a clear mind, he thought.
Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.
Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.
"Progress updates, John. Projects Anvil and Magma."
A young man strode into John's office without knocking. He was used to it, and it didn't bother him that much anymore. Tauside, a lack of privacy was the least of your concern.
"Looks like they hit a snag with the structural integrity on Anvil."
"You read this, then, Dennis?" John replied.
"Ehh... well." The young man looked apologetic. John just sighed. "Nevermind. Project lead should have flagged it as confidential and locked this pad. Still, given you've read it... what do you think of them?"
The commpad Dennis passed to Johnathan contained several spaceborn craft designs. They didn't look like anything Sirius would recognize. Perhaps that was for the best. The Guild had to be it's own entity, unaffiliated.
"I think many of our hotshots will prefer the Colonial line we've been using for the past years. It's what they've grown used to. Besides... err... these things have an... odd... appearance."
"You mean to say they're butt-ugly?" Johnathan grinned. "Seems to be the consensus. Still, we build our craft to keep our people safe, not to cater to the aestethic sense of even the Kusari. Looks are secondary to combat performance. The Nyx has proven that point. But you're probably right, not all of our pilots will want to switch. But that's not my chief concern."
"Then what is, sir?"
"Wether they'll be ready in time."
"Ready for what exactly?"
John sighed. He was wondering about that himself. That accursed hole that was blown open by the Council. Had those Gallic rebels in their efforts to make contact with Sirius, inadvertently put us all in harms way?
"You've heared the rumors no doubt, Dennis. About the Gallic royals. I can't say if all of them are true, but... it's safe to say there is a strong possibility that a large fleet will come barreling past Dounby and Java. Wether we'll be in the eye of the storm or in the whipping winds, I don't know - but it'll mean trouble either way. Even if that storm passes us by, I would not put it past the Maltans to seize the opportunity to launch their own campaign then, to try and push us out of Tau space."
"Is that why Java is welcoming those... Gallic miners then? Those Archies?"
"Archies? I believe they call themselves the GMS."
"People have started to nickname them Archies. Don't know why."
"Well, you're right in a sense. It'll help to make us less of a target. Besides, the GMS pay us well for the use of our base, and it gives us a good chance to take a good look at some of their fighter and civilian craft. That gives us some insights into their design philosophies, and gives us an indication of what to expect. I was highly surprised to learn their engines actually run on fossil fuels. They must have one hell of a supply train going within their own empire, to keep that fleet fueled. Chemical fuels powering cruise drive speeds... I had not even deemed it possible."
Johnathan pushed a few buttons on the pad, bringing up a few highlighted sections, then locked the pad.
"Anvil and Magma are our hidden aces, should things go hostile, Dennis. They are a radical turn from anything we've thus far used. Heavier craft. With offensive and defensive capabilities. They'll be costly to maintain, but the tide in Sirius is turning, and not in our favor."
"We'll manage, sir. We always do."
John nodded. "We'll have to. Well, I have to go over these in-depth. Was there anything else?"
"No sir. Good day to you."
Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.
Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.
And so the engine of war clanks up into another gear. How long will we avoid it? Miners... it's ignorant to think we have no play in this. The raw materials we collect, and sell, usually to the highest bidder. Most of them go straight into the war machine. But the prices go up with the risks. Embargoes raised, and retaliation risked to any who break it. Demands go up, as do prices. The Junkers are in for a golden time.
Some strategic thoughts come to mind. Rheinland and Bretonia coming to blows... Bretonia's standing army is already severely battered in the Tau conflict. The nation faces military annihilation. However, a direct conflict with Rheinland might incline Liberty to respond and try to open a second front on Rheinland. Right in the Omega systems. I bet Liberty is itching to be able to strike at Rheinland's primary mining operations in the Omega systems, and put their ailing economy out of it's misery entirely. But that might incite Kusari to intervene on Rheinland's behalf as well. It's known those nations have become rather friendly in the recent past.
And there are other players to consider. The GMG, caught between Rheinland and Kusari. Their nature is as ours. Stay neutral, keep supplying. But I doubt either Kusari or Rheinland would allow for H Fuel export to their enemies. Good news for Pecos and South Shields, I suppose... If we can rack up H fuel synthesis. Perhaps we should investigate if the process can be done on Cardiff as well. Feels wrong to profiteer like this, but the alternative is leaving many Guildsmen unemployed. The loss of the Dublin Arranmore cooperation already forced a refocusing once, and the risk of the Omega border being closed is significant.
The Red Hessians. How will they react to a Bretonian invasion? The Bretonians are responding to the Kanzler's actions, which would suggest they, at least in the short term, have goals coinciding with the Hessians. But the Hessians are Rheinlanders - as such, unlikely to welcome Bretonian warships in their space. Note to self, contact them, find out how they see the current situation.
And what of ourselves. Guildsmen. Many of our ranks come from both Bretonia, and Rheinland. I cannot envision us siding with either without creating a rift within the Guild. But if our hand is forced, what option will remain. Aland is too large to move. Freistadt, and the mining operation there too important, though it has the advantage of still having the structural reinforcements of the last time it was threatened.
Troublesome times. We must be cautious.
Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.
Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.
Perhaps it is odd to feel this way. But it feels as if I'm staring at a stormcloud rolling closer and closer. Gallia has begun pushing deeper into Bretonian space, into the already ravaged Leeds system. I suppose there's not much left to destroy in that system by now, courtesy of BMM's production and resource extraction methods. Leeds is toxic. The planet is toxic. The very nebulas that once graced the system are toxic. I do not get why there is so much conflict over a place as this.
Yet while things change, they stay the same. Outcast raiders have not grown any less numerous. Some of the miners are growing concerned that the Gallic mining corporation will eventually move in on the niobium deposits. "Rocks for the Arch." Heh. Those guys are as crazy as the Falkland boys. But they are a potential problem.
Still, it's clear that Gallia isn't as comfortable in an asteroid field as us miners. They seem to have invested a significant portion of their might in capital ships. And those have serious problems maneuvering through the Tau fields. The Gallic miners seem tasked to keep a cordon open, but they cannot clear the vast ranges of the Tau fields entirely.
But the Gallic miners aren't the only threat that has come out of Gallic space. New raiders. Council, Brigands, Maquis, and the Corse. I'm still not certain what to think of all these.
The Brigands... they seem disorganized, which makes them unpredictable. They remind me of the Liberty Rogues in a sense. Opportunistic. They could be a threat to traders entering Tau space, but beyond that, I doubt they have the potential to do much more. There have been rumors of them making overtures to the outcasts. Likely to bring that drug of theirs out into Gallia, they seem the types.
The Council are more a military then a raiding force. Still, they have few resources to call on. I hear the fleet that evacuated to Rousillion wasn't the only one, and that the larger portion of their forces is still stuck deep within Gallia. It is a point of concern. A military that does not have the ability to sustain it's forces can, and often will, try to annex nearby resources in order to survive. Settling them on Tau-113C was, and still is, risky to our operations in Coronado.
The Maquis are very unpredictable. Driven by hatred against the monarchy, they do not discern between royalists and those who in their eyes, are aiding them. And they have the coordination and expertise to be able to cripple a base. I would not put it past them to strike at one of our Tau bases. Unlikely perhaps, as there are several royalist bases that would in my mind be more tempting to them, but not impossible.
The Corse, those worry me the most. They remind me in a sense of the Hogosha. "Citizens" who would have no qualms about robbing us blind on one hand, then turning around and claiming us the attacker when the law shows up. I only hope they are not as woven into Gallic society as the Hogosha are in Kusari society. It is strange that these societies tolerate such organisations to even exist openly. It speaks to the integrity of those governments I suppose... or lack thereof. A good reason to remain out in the fringeworlds. When we're attacked here, in these systems many of us call home, we can retaliate, and retaliate harshly. An even playing field. Something these organisations are unaccustomed to.
The Omega region is once again stable. Most of the fighting there has died down. Bretonia and Rheinland settled their differences without too many losses on their side, and the mid omega gate was reopened for trade once more. Even the fighting between the Hessians and Corsairs seems to have died down a bit, although I wager that won't last. It is not in the nature of either faction to sit idle. No, they're both preparing something...
Bretonia still seems intent on resettling Sprague. With their war with Gallia going badly, I cannot blame them. Any voice against their expansion into this planet is likely to fall on deaf ears - or worse, to be considered a voice against Bretonia itself. In the long run it may mean that Aland will be more difficult to operate, but at the same time, a heavier Bretonian presence will mean they will bear the brunt of the Corsair raiders in the system. If Bretonia survives, the will need shipbuilding capacity to rebuild their navy. Being close to the resource-rich Omega borderworlds, Aland is in a very strategic position to do just that. Imagine what a blow that would be to BMM - to have our shipwrights land an Armed Forces contract. If only Bretonia could swallow it's pride. Unlikely.
Omega 7 has not changed much in the last months. It continues to be a wealth of mineral resources, the constantly shifting nebulas bringing new resource pockets every now and then. Rivalry and sabotage from Kruger and Daumann has died down as well. Kruger is still facing some internal problems from what I hear. Daumann... seems more focused on its operations in Munich. All the better, it lets our miners do their labor in peace. It may seem strange, but ranking the Corsairs as the worst problem in Omega 7 seems almost a blessing.
Still. We need to be prepared. Rheinland is still in a very precarious position, both economically and militarily. They seem to seek closer cooperation with Kusari, a nation with few mineral resources and a fleet in need of rebuilding. Providing Kusari with raw materials (and by proxy, Gallia) may be a means by which they could try to alleviate their economic problems. A Rheinland monopoly on it's resources would be tempting to them - although evicting our miners would likely mean most of them would join the Hessians. No, that wouldn't be a boon to Rheinland.
Contingencies. Plans. Only a few are ever set into motion. Fewer yet work out. But without them we face the world with even less preparation. One does, what one can do.
Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.
Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.
