my name is Ezrael Vertiga, civilian. A months ago I had the pleasure to see one of the T-520-GS Bishamon Gunships near Manhattan. Fantastical design. I'm used to fly a Montante Class Gunboat, but sadly the maintenance of that ship is soon about to cost more money than aquiring a new gunboat would. Thus I wanted to know whether there is the possibility of buying a Bishamon Gunship for my personal use. Under what conditions would that be possible?
I am Mia Takashi, Guildmistress of Gas Miners Guild. Guild's precious Gunboat is only available to our paramilitary personnel, however I might think about selling you one of these Gunboats if you prove me you're useful and worthy. First of all, I would love to obtain something like CV from you. Including your birthplace, experience and your previous occupations.
Are you a good fighter? Then this task shouldn't be difficult for you. Or are you just an explorer? Right this should work as well, dear Ezrael. Finish one or two tasks you will be given and Gunboat will be available.
My CV is fairly short, which is not necessarily bad. I'm from Curacao, used to be a biology teacher. Tragic backstory is that in the end of 822 my parents died to a Nomad incursion in the Cortez system, causing OSC pilots to attack them in panic, which lead to the destruction of the liner my parents were using. To take revenge for them, I sold their subcompany and made a contract with the Core which allowed me to restore and use one of their battleships to fight the Nomads in the Omicrons. Had to realize the Core has no interest in actually fighting the Nomads but rather use them like a regrowing ressource. That, and the weird events that lead to the first Core-Zoner-Conflict a few months ago lead me to the decision of doing better things with my life. Right now, I'm trying to rebuild the company of my parents, and some reliable ships would be useful for that. Which lead me to contact you, simply to inquire the availability of the Bishamon.
To answer your questions: I'm definitely not a skilled fighter, but a passable battleship commander. So unless you don't happen to have a battleship lying around that I could command for your interests, I can only offer you the alternative. However, it pretty much depends on what you have in mind. Exploration can cover a lot.
Dear Ezrael. I am quite satisfied by your answers and sharing of your life with me. It's good to see people like you flying around. Now back to the business aye? We currently have one battleship parked at our shipyard, however it's not supposed to be commanded by outsiders. We are way too proud of it. So about the exploration and info gathering. We would love to find out something about Alpha Omicron assets. Just bases, solar objects and nothing more. Plus if you manage to get some detailed informations regarding Kurile from SAMURA Industries then I will happily hand off one of our gunboats without additional fees. Otherwise if you'll manage completely just exploration then you are able to aquire the gunboat with the fee of 10,000,000 Credits + Ship dealers price.
NAME: Omicron Alpha DESCRIPTION: Outcast/Maltese home system, regular capital ship patrols, weapon platforms dispatched at the jump hole connections to Omicron Tau at the coordinates C|5 and Omicron Beta at F|5, the jump hole to Omicron Phi at D|3 is unprotected. One sun, five planets, one hell of an asteroid base, an outpost, a shipyard and one world with Docking Ring and Mooring Fixture. One Edge-type nebula, a debris field, a small dust field.
NAME: Malta TYPE: Planet LOCATION: D|5 DESCRIPTION:
Neural Net Database Wrote:DIAMETER: 13,534 km.
MASS: 6.02 x 1024 kg.
TERRAIN: Terrestrial
TEMPERATURE: -23°C to 31°C
ESCAPE VELOCITY: 12.69 km/sec
The fifth sleeper ship, the Hispania, launched at the same time as its sister ships and broke through the Coalition blockade in the Sol system. Unfortunately, sabotage by Coalition agents that had secreted themselves onboard crippled the engines just as the vessel arrived in the Sirius sector. The passengers awakened from their cryogenic sleep to discover the ship was drifting towards an unknown star system. When the Hispania drifted within range of a red dwarf system, conflict aboard the ship escalated, and about half of the surviving colonists decided to take escape pods, chancing their survival on the promise of a habitable world. The remaining half coaxed the damaged vessel onwards to its eventual destination in the Omicron Alpha system, arriving some time in the year 41 A.S. Upon their arrival, the crew discovered a planet capable of supporting human life in orbit of the primary star. The Hispania's passengers named the planet Malta -- a harsh place of acidic oceans, gray skies, and vast plains covered in a species of tall, thin, orange grass. Taking whatever equipment they could salvage from the crippled Hispania, they left the hulk in orbit of Malta and began to make a home for themselves on Malta.
Eventually the Outcasts -- as they came to think of themselves -- began a limited exploration of their home system. As pilots wandered farther and farther afield in search of resources, many became seriously ill. Upon returning to Malta fall, the crews recovered quickly. After making a number of genetic scans of critically ill pilots, the doctors made a startling and disturbing discovery. Their genetic code had been altered considerably. The Outcast human DNA was found to contain strands identical to that of the orange grasses that covered the planet -- from which the drug Cardamine was derived. Trace amounts were present in everything on the planet, in their food, their water, even the very air. Once pilots made lengthier journeys away from Malta, their bodies went into shock, followed by death.
The Outcasts were now truly separated from the rest of humanity -- changed so that they could never expand beyond the planet on which they had landed. They needed the Cardamine now, like air, food or water. But with the origin of the sickness solved, they could at least compensate by carrying supplies of Cardamine with them and resume their exploration of their surrounding systems. Over time, their knowledge of Cardamine improved, and the Outcasts learned that distributing it in a highly concentrated dose causes extreme euphoria. When they finally encountered the rest of the Houses in the seventh century, a new strategy emerged. The Outcasts would deliver the poison that would rot the other Houses from the inside out and grow rich from the profits of their trade.
Malta's population at the last planetary census in 816 A.S. stood at roughly 470 million, with an estimated 2 million other Outcasts spread across Sirius in various capacities. The planet's crust is largely devoid of usable metallic elements, with a few notable exceptions, namely at the heart of her largest continent, and highly unusual deposits of metallic Copper on the ocean floor. Most of its land mass is covered in prairies with natural, low-grade Cardamine grass; large plantations with heavily bred and modified strains have been built on the most fertile sites. Malta's architecture is a largely low-hung and flat, one-story affair in the rural areas; cities are an expression of extremes, built almost entirely in the rare hilly regions of the planet. There is little at ground-level, except starports; most structures are built both deep into the ground and into massive towers that reach towards the sky, constructed yet again as to mimic the textures of the ground. Malta's oceans are strongly acidic and home to algae that tolerate it's high acidity. They appear to hold a slightly green tint from the surface.
These days the Outcasts conduct a lucrative drug-smuggling operation using the network of Jump Holes to escape detection and transport their product into the heart of the House systems through various proxies. They remain relatively few in number; a crash in the birth rate seems to have been another side effect of their genetic modification, although the modifications have lengthened the Outcasts lifespan and physical resilience considerably. There have been no known cases of cancer on Malta since the Outcasts made planetfall.
A new development has been Cryer's continued efforts to create a synthetic version of Cardamine that would be approved as a legal medication within Liberty. This poses a direct threat to the Outcasts' source of income. The Atka Research Station, with nearby access to Edge Nebula clouds, is the most immediate threat to the Outcasts. The location of the base within Corsair territory has brought the Outcasts into conflict with their ancient brethren. The Atka Research Station has come under repeated attacks by Outcast raiding parties in recent years, and the Outcasts always destroy any Cryer transports encountered throughout Sirius without mercy.
Usually, capital ship patrols protect Malta itself, although the Maltese didn't place a stationary warship in the orbit.
Neural Net Database Wrote:DIAMETER: 4,912 km
MASS: 2.010 x 10e24 kg
TERRAIN: Volcanic
TEMPERATURE: -188°C to 513°C
ESCAPE VELOCITY: 3.27 km/sec
A hot, rocky, and heavy moon in a semi-inclined orbit above Malta, Vesuvius is the result of an approximately 30 million year old collision of two captured asteroids, that has been cooling off ever since. Said asteroids were likely destined to impact Malta, but said cataclysm was staved off when the two met, forming Malta's only natural satellite and "guardian angel" that has protected the world from collisions ever since.
Though portions of Vesuvius are still prominent volcanic features, there are a small number of shielded settlements in the form of research outposts on, and below the surface. An 816 census put the population of the moon at no more than 600, most of which are centered around the planet's lone spaceport near the equator.
Neural Net Database Wrote:DIAMETER: 4,912 km
MASS: 2.010 x 10e24 kg
TERRAIN: Volcanic
TEMPERATURE: -188°C to 513°C
ESCAPE VELOCITY: 3.27 km/sec
A hot, rocky, and heavy moon in a semi-inclined orbit above Malta, Vesuvius is the result of an approximately 30 million year old collision of two captured asteroids, that has been cooling off ever since. Said asteroids were likely destined to impact Malta, but said cataclysm was staved off when the two met, forming Malta's only natural satellite and "guardian angel" that has protected the world from collisions ever since.
Though portions of Vesuvius are still prominent volcanic features, there are a small number of shielded settlements in the form of research outposts on, and below the surface. An 816 census put the population of the moon at no more than 600, most of which are centered around the planet's lone spaceport near the equator.
Neural Net Database Wrote:DIAMETER: 21,891 km
MASS: 7.32 x 10e24 kg
TERRAIN: Terrestrial
TEMPERATURE: 4°C to 39°C
ESCAPE VELOCITY: 16.23 km/sec
>>>RESTRICTED<<<
An oddity in the annals of human exploration. While initial surveys indicated a seemingly idyllic world of thick forests and low fogs, the first expeditions to make planetfall quickly learned that an essential component of the planetary ecology was a fast-acting organic poison fatal to human beings. Every plant and animal examined on the planet contained this poison to one degree or another and any plans for settlement were quickly abandoned.
Neural Net Database Wrote:>>>WARNING: NAVIGATIONAL HAZARD<<<
A large Edge nebula. Rumored to be used as a burial ground for Outcast pilots and their ships.
Contains both the jump hole to Omicron Beta as well as an unstable jump hole. Probes seem to be useless with that one. As shown on the footage, a good number of small Maltese ships are floating around the jump hole, without any power, mostly heavily damaged. Contains also Planet Carinea and the asteroid colony Santa Verna of the Maltese.
NAME: Hispania Debris Field TYPE: Debris Field LOCATION: D|6 DESCRIPTION:
Neural Net Database Wrote:SCANNING...... profiling indicates that there is a 78.3% probability that this field is the remains of the sleeper ship Hispania.
Valetta Shipyard was recently built on the orbit of Malta to construct and maintain Outcast capital ships. It is the largest shipyard the Outcasts posess, and routinely receives shipments of materials from smugglers coming from the house systems, who are looking to trade supplies for Cardamine.
Ibiza was originally a small research installation designed to improve the quality of all manner of Outcast technologies, as well as being a port of call for patrols and smugglers; Ibiza produced the venerable Inferno, headed the failed GRAVISSIMA weapon project and in recent years has made significant upgrades to the conventional fusion drives in use with most of the Outcast ships. Also included in the original plans was a small survey module for planning future strip-mining operations on Mallorca, but this was cancelled shortly after the Outcast leaders decided that beginning a mining operation would be less cost-effective than simply continuing to import materials from beyond the borders. Ibiza is home to an important field-testing laboratory where the Outcasts tailor their processed Cardamine for use in off-world life support systems on their bases, ships and personal breathers.
Ibiza also monitors the eastern approaches to Malta. Ships coming from Omicron Beta and Omicron Eta are routinely scanned by the station. To deal with would-be hostiles, the station has small group of defenders permanently assigned to it - additional ships can be summoned from Malta within minutes.
NAME: Santa Verna TYPE: Asteroid Colony LOCATION: E/F|3/4 DESCRIPTION:
Neural Net Database Wrote:The rock base of Santa Verna was hollowed out from a massive asteroid that was dragged into Carinea's orbit to serve as a listening post and logistics installation. The initial plan was to have it monitor any and all vessels entering or exiting the Siniestre nebula, while also keeping tabs on the Omicron Phi jump hole. After Santa Verna was established, the station's proximity to the nearby graveyard drew the attention of some of the more religious sects of Maltese society, who have since turned a significant portion of the station's interior into places of worship. In time, Santa Verna became a hub for those of Malta to have their questions answered and voices heard after their rhetoric had fallen on deaf ears.
The rock base of Seguro Refugio was hollowed out from a massive asteroid slowly falling into Soledad, which was slowly brought into a stable orbit after the hollowing reduced it's mass. It was the first base in Omicron-81, and would remain so for 20 years. Serugo Refugio was used to thoroughly map the system. When usable resources of copper and bauxite were discovered on Alcara's moon, it quickly became evident that the planet would be a good site for a shipyard. Construction of Cartagena soon started, while supplies and construction crews were housed on Serugo Refugio.
Once the shipyard was completed, the asteroid base was all but abandoned. It became a home for the "outcasts among the Outcasts", people whom the Outcast leaders considered dissidents. Due to their low birthrate, the Outcast culture evolved to value every member of their society - exiling unwanted members are socially more acceptable then executions. Life on the station is not as luxurious as that on Malta, but those living aboard are nevertheless content to stay, knowing they are forever bound to the orange grass.
NAME: Omicron Beta DESCRIPTION: On my way to reach Omicron Alpha, I passed a few things you may find interesting, or, as most of them aren't new, maybe an update is helpful. I moved basically in a straight line from Sigma-19 to Omicron Alpha, so I didn't check out the other points of interest in Omicron Beta, as for example the Omicron Chi Jump Hole, if it still is out there. During my time in the Core, I had to detour there once, thus I know there is a chance of it being out there, probably still under the watch of the Order. If necessary, I can take another look at it, if you wish.
Quote:DIAMETER: 21,302 km
MASS: 9.25 x 10e24 kg
TERRAIN: Barren
TEMPERATURE: -100°C to -6°C
ESCAPE VELOCITY: 21.24 km/sec
An incredibly dense planet that may have once been the core of a larger gas giant before it suffered some unknown cataclysm. While initial surveys located deposits of useful resources, the lack of any atmosphere and the expense of climbing out of the planetary gravity well made further development seem untenable.
Getting a picture of it is rather hard, as the nebula doesn't allow to get a clear image. It's partially visible in the Galicia Research Station file, though.
NAME: Omicron Beta Edge Nebula TYPE: Nebula LOCATION: system-wide DESCRIPTION: This thick cloud of the Edge Nebula fills the entire system and beyond. Alien Organisms can be found literally everywhere, which is interesting, given that Omicron Beta doesn't even have a sun to warm up the system.
NAME: Omicron Beta Asteroid Field TYPE: Asteroid Field LOCATION: system-wide DESCRIPTION: The Edge Nebula is filled with dark-green-ish planetary fragments that are weirdly horizontal aligned.
Galicia Research Station was set up not too far from Ruiz and in far orbit of Planet Elysium in order to further study the mysterious former gas giant. That's not all, though, for a few laboratories have been set aside to examine and experiment on Cardamine away from the prying eyes of the Maltese population. Those scientists perform tests on the drug to collect data on some of its auxiliary genetic alterations and conduct detailed analyses about Cardamine's euphoria inducing effects on the human body. This station also recently led a controversial project to test the feasibility of growing Cardamine grass inside its bio-domes, thus potentially on other planets as well, but with very little in the way of success. Another rendition of the project is currently being planned, which is to be aided by a more public campaign in an attempt to boost support of the concept.
NAME: Ruiz Base TYPE: Asteroid Outpost LOCATION: E|4/5 DESCRIPTION:
Quote:CLASS: Carbonera
GRAVITY: Partial
DOCKING: Yes
AMENITIES: Limited
POPULATION: 240
Ruiz Base was established by the Outcasts somewhere between 300 and 400 A.S., but records from that period have largely been lost. The asteroid and most of the surrounding fragments orbit Planet Elysium slowly, suggesting that Elysium itself is the gravitational heart of this region of space. Scattered pockets of common minerals have been found among the asteroid fields, which allowed the Outcasts to build a greater number of ships as early as 500 A.S.
In more recent times, Ruiz has become an important defensive outpost, repelling frequent Gas Miners Guild (GMG) incursions.
NAME: Omicron Tau DESCRIPTION: I add this as a little gift, if you want to call it that way. The Maltese have a second planet in this system, and Omicron Tau is a very interesting thing in general, as it contains some things you don't see that often in other places of Sirius.
Quote:DIAMETER: 26,343 km.
MASS: 4.90 x 10e24 kg.
TERRAIN:
TEMPERATURE: 0°C to 43°C
ESCAPE VELOCITY: 10.27 km/sec
Soledad is the only other planet that the Outcasts have settled to date. As seen from space Soledad is a beautiful planet with green continents and an abundance of water. But the planet is surrounded by a rather powerful magnetic field that quickly corrodes any electronics that come into it's influence. No ship can withstand extended exposure and building docking rings is impossible. Because of these challenges only a small group of scientists resided on the planet at first.
And then these scientists discovered that when alien organisms were seeded into the world's natural soil that Cardamine plants would grow. Because of these first few experiments wild Cardamine grows in a narrow Malta-like tropical zone near the planet's equator. A small group of farmers now reside on Soledad growing Cardamine. Small shuttles take essentials for life on Soledad down from Genoa Base and return with Cardamine for processing.
NAME: Unknown TYPE: Gas Cloud LOCATION: E/F|2 DESCRIPTION: This is strange, as it is different from regular nebulae. It seems like a focused gas pocket, but it appears to be similar from the appearance to phenomena that occur in house space more and more frequent since the latter half of 823. The nebula is reducing the sensor range a little bit, but seems otherwise non-lethal.
Quote:CLASS: Grand Marsamxett
GRAVITY: Complete
DOCKING: Yes
AMENITIES: Yes
POPULATION: 530
Construction of Venice started in 806 A.S., to make use of the rich mineral deposits found on Planet Soledad. Although several key materials are in short supply, the abundance of common metals such as copper and iron made the orbit of Soledad a logical choice to build a new shipyard. A second facility proved to be necessary, as the fighting on multiple fronts was starting to overwhelm Valetta with it having been running at maximum capacity. The Outcasts continue to face a multitude of threats from nearly all of their borders.
In a matter of five years, the shipyard was completed. Since then, both Venice and Valetta have been operating with capacity to spare. Venice, which has undergone a number of renovations since it became operational, mainly handles the construction of transport ships, while Valetta focuses on capital warships.
As you can see on the footage, the Maltese are experimenting with one of their ships here. Looks like a Storta, but seems like this is a carrier with some sort of AWACS support.
Quote:CLASS: Comune
GRAVITY: Complete
DOCKING: Yes
AMENITIES: Yes
POPULATION: 270
Alcara Depot was constructed in 823 A.S and represents a revolutionary change in the mindset and operations of both the Outcasts and Junkers. While the pair are no strangers to cooperation - the Junkers' redistribution network being one of the largest markets for Outcast Cardamine in Sirius - they had previously possessed an "arm's length" relationship. With the Outcasts' notorious xenophobia prohibiting foreign installations within their territory, and the Junkers primarily concerned with discrete operations within and bordering House space, many believed that state unlikely to change. Despite that, Alcara is the fruition of a decades long Junker experiment into the viability of long range smuggling and born from years of discrete negotiation between the cartels of Malta and the recently evicted clans of Yanagi Depot.
The Junker's expertise as cargo handlers and reputation as shrewd businessmen has already made Alcura the prime destination for freelance merchants looking to trade with the Outcasts. The station is also infamous as a holding pen for captured slaves that are en-route to the plantations of Malta. The Junkers of Alcura are responsible for the initiation of what has been referred to as "black marketeering on an industrial scale", effectively operating as the first de facto Maltese corporation. While this outsourcing of shipments has freed many Outcast pilots to occupy themselves elsewhere, it has caused considerable concern for the Zoners of Freeport 10 who had previously ingratiated themselves by providing a unique service as middlemen for goods exclusive to the Houses. Lingering mistrust from many Outcasts and outright hostility from the denizens of the Taus mean the Junkers of 80 walk on a razor's edge.
The mine field in the central part of the Omicron Tau system never attracted much attention of the Outcasts due to its desolate location and presumably non-human origin. However, in the recent couple of years occasional Outcast patrols that ventured in the area observed strange activity inside the field, as if there was a jump hole hidden inside. To monitor this activity, Genoa Base was built on some distance from the mine field, equipped with powerful scanners pointed towards the center of the field. Furthermore, a perimiter of small probes monitored the backside of the asteroid field.
When the Council breached the mine field in 817 A.S., the Outcasts interpreted their initial mineclearing efforts as an invasion. A large asteroid with an unknown engine signature plowed through the minefield, seemingly directed at Genoa. Torpedo fighters scrambled and quickly pulverised the guided asteroid as it exited the minefield. When Council scouts followed in it's wake, the fighter pilots assumed them a followup attack. The resulting short, but fierce battle was the first engagement between Sirian and Gallic forces. The Council scouts were all but wiped out.
The Outcasts sent their own scouts through the jumphole after bringing additional ships to Genoa. It did not take them long to determine the Junkers knew more than they were letting on about what lay beyond the mines. One of the first bases the Outcasts found was the Gallic Junker base Lixheim. After "persuading" several Junkers who were still on Malta to provide the Outcasts with the answers they needed, it was decided the minefield would stay in place, now serving to keep the Gallic forces out of Outcast controlled space.
Genoa has recently been expanded. Additional fighters have been stationed at the base to respond to possible incursions from Gallia. Outcast leaders do not believe that the Gallic forces in Lorraine will be an immediate threat, as the Council has the system cut off.
Quote:DIAMETER: 12,802 km.
MASS: 5.88 x 10e24 kg.
TERRAIN: Water
TEMPERATURE: 2°C to 38°C
ESCAPE VELOCITY: 11.83 km/sec
Initially discovered by the Gas Mining Guild (GMG) in 620 AS, the planet Kurile exists at the heart of an anomaly, a gravitational tidal pool that creates a clear zone in the middle of the otherwise treacherous nebula. The planet itself is entirely covered in water with a saline content so high that it is toxic to almost all known aquatic life elsewhere in Sirius. Despite this, Kurile possesses a single native life form, a microorganism that manages to thrive in its otherwise poisonous oceans. Samura eventually managed to construct a collection platform on Kurile to harvest the microorganisms for use at the fisheries on Planet Junyo. The planet harbors some 2500 workers, all of whom live on the floating platform.
Sigma-17 was as dead as always when I was there to scan the planet in the Kunashir Cloud. The last time I saw it, Kurile still had working Docking Rings and a Mooring Fixture, but as you see on the footage, that isn't the case anymore, and you're probably well aware of it. Currently, there are two stable atmospherical entry points, which seem to be both discovered, one by Samura and the other by the Gas Miners Guild, with GMG definitely being in the better position, given that Samura seems to not gain any profits from their controlled part of the planet, not offering any exports, while the GMG part seems to be alright and able to export ressources from Kurile. It looks like GMG has the upper hand on Kurile, which makes sense, given that GMG can access the planet easier than Samura, as they would need to enter Honshu and avoid trouble with Kishiro and then would need to enter Sigma-19 and avoid trouble with GMG.
That is, however, everything I was able to find out.
Encryption: GAS23 ~ Theta63-44-21-Helium15-43-Omega15-22-29
Subject: A Gunboat
Greetings once again,
Your report is well written and detailed. You are allowed to purchase T-520-GS "Bishamon" GMG Gunship with AWACS support. However you will have to follow some rules, otherwise your access to this vessel will be revoked and you will be put on to-be-shot-on-sight list.
The Agreement Wrote:1. You will have to report status of your ship and its condition to Gas Miners Guild once a month.
2. You will have to deliver Bishamon Gunship to Fujisawa twice a year. A regulary check up.
3. You won't share this Gunship with anyone else.
4. Gunship parts cannot be replaced by third party equipment.
5. Gunship's internal systems and hardware cannot be repaired in any installation or planet. Only on GMG stations and planet Miura.
6. Guild reserves right to revoke your access to Bishamon Gunship at any time if any of these conditions aren't fulfilled.
Please confirm you've read these conditions and accept them.
I hereby confirm I have read the conditions and gladly accept them. First status report will be send via this channel with the beginning of the new month (+/- 1 week due to RL things, will contact you if something happens that hinders me to write here.)
All systems are within operational parameters. No damages, and so far I only got to use it once, during a passage through Liberty and Bretonia. As you can see, I ordered people to give the ship a different paintjob. Ebony isn't really my color.
Just as last time, all systems are within operational parameters. Used the ship for four flights in the recent weeks, all of them rather eventless, except the last one in Magellan during a gallic attack. A gallic battlecruiser was trying to chase me but I was able to escape in the Barrier Cloud. The Bishamon didn't even take a scratch.