> Opening Communications Linkup
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CommID: Jean Pierre LeBlanc Target: IMG Leadership Subject: Java Station
Bonsoir. We hope this message finds you in good health. Then again, we'd be pleased as punch if the message finds you period. We're not used to interfacing with your Sirian communications networks.
We of the Gallic Metal Service have enjoyed the arrangement that has been established in Tau-23. However, being so far from Gallic space, it leaves us longing of home and fine cheeses and wines. While your Java Station doesn't provide those creature comforts, per se, we'd like to look into an arrangement for setting up an outpost on board.
Up until now we've had some good laughs out in the field. The entirety of your workforce has been wholly pleasant, which has been a breath of fresh air, and we've shared some good times and large cups of plasma with some of those Outcast loons, yes?
What we're asking for, in essence, is a lease to a docking port and a small bit of storage space on your lovely station. You see, our ships, unlike yours, run on a petroleum-based fuel, and it's wholly impractical to have to retreat back into Royalist space every time the needle on the gauge hits 'E'. We'd like to be able to store a decent supply of Oil as well as one of the renowned EFL Mobile Fueling Stations, which comes to roughly 10,000 units of space, and then the docking berth with which to utilize these, of course.
If my conversion is correct, and I do believe it is, we'd be offering something on the order of 10,000,000 of your “Sirian Credits” in exchange for a month of usage, with the lease being renewed monthly, of course, as long as the credits keep flowing. Furthermore, if anything ever comes down on you lovely folks because of an action of the GMS, we’d be completely understanding if you gave us the boot.
So, monsieurs and mademoiselles, I patiently await your reply. The price for the lease, of course, is negotiable, as is the duration. We plan on staying in Tau-23 for quite some time and we look to this as being our first step toward a cooperative effort between our groups.
Oh, and one more thing before I end the transmission. If you'd be so kind, please drop a line to the captain of the IMG ship Sea of Silence 2. Let her know than Jean Pierre says hello, and that she's welcome to a night of the finest dining anywhere, all she has to do is give us a ring, yes?
Regards,
Jean Pierre LeBlanc
Director of External Operations, GMS
**** Incoming Transmission ****
From: Johnathan Sanders
To: Mr. LeBlanc
Subject: Storage leasing, Java Station
Encryption: Moderate (Gallic Civilian, compatible)
Good day mr. Leblanc,
Thanks to some earlier dealings with Isle De France shipping, we are able to receive Gallic civilian transmissions without much trouble. Your request however is troublesome, for practical reasons. It is my understanding most your vessels run on fossil fuel, and that you wish to store this fuel at Java. The quantity is significant, and would take up at least an entire bay. And that's where the trouble is.
Sirian vessels run on a different kind of fuel, we call H-Fuel. It is, in essence, fuel for a nuclear fusion torch, consisting of a mixture of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium. All Sirian vessels use H as their primary fuel, although the engine designs vary. Sirian fuel storages need to cool this fuel to a liquid state. Thus, our fuel storage systems are cryogenic, high pressure ones. Oil on the other hand (from the samples provided to us by IDF) is a moderately viscous liquid which must be heated to prevent it from freezing in deep space, but does not need to be pressurized in storage.
It will require extensive work to convert a fuel storage bay to receive this type of liquid. We do have the space, but our systems can't handle oil storage at present. Is there any chance we could get some specifications on a generic oil storage bay? I imagine given your ships running on oil, such fueling stations would be pretty common in Gallia. We can see about what costs would need to be incurred to convert one of the H-fuel silos to store an amount of oil instead, and if those costs would weigh up against the income from a longer term lease.
Regards,
- Johnathan Sanders, on behalf of the Independent Miners Guild
**** Transmission Closed ****
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.
> Opening Communications Linkup
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CommID: Jean Pierre LeBlanc Target: Jonathan Sanders Subject: Java Station
We appreciate your prompt response, Monsieur Sanders.
As you request, we have the specifications of a standard Oil storage container:
Height: 1.00 meter Footprint: 0.50 meter x 0.50 meter Description: Generally made of some sort of corrosion-resisting metal alloy and roughly cylindrical, the standard Gallic Oil Container is lovingly crafted to represent perfection in both form and function. Incredibly basic regarding technological amenities, the strength of the container comes from its representation of Ze Arch joined with itself. Nothing more advanced has proven to be nearly as cost effective.
With that out of the way, all we need from you is a place to put the oil drums. We'll take care of installing Gallic climate control, Gallic fire suppression, and Gallic fuel dispersal systems. Essentially, we'll be moving each drum to the dispersal unit which is connected via a series of Gallic hoses to the Gallic outlet adjacent to the docking port we also requested.
That's the beauty of Gallic fuel, it requires very little in the way of sophisticated storage systems.
If you require further information, please do let me know and I'll be happy to accomodate.
Regards,
Jean Pierre LeBlanc
Director of External Operations, GMS
**** Incoming Transmission ****
From: Johnathan Sanders
To: Mr. LeBlanc
Subject: Storage leasing, Java Station
Encryption: Moderate (Gallic Civilian, compatible)
Mr. Leblanc,
I suppose I misunderstood your earlier transmission. When you mentioned fuel storage I assumed you wanted to hire one of the storage tanks, not a cargo bay. If I read your clarified requirements, all you need is a climate controlled storage bay (with minor power requirements for some pumps, likely), and insulated pipeworks connecting out to a modified docking port. Provided the docking port itself isn't an issue (given it's an external structure, modifications should be relatively simple) I think we can accomodate you. I'd suggest mooring 12 and cargobay 12-ST. The mooring design is Bretonian, which since the start of the Tau conflict has seen very little use, so changing the external interface will not impact station operations by much. The adjacant bay was used for short-term cargo storage, for loading and unloading vessels rapidly, and connects directly to the mooring - it should suit your needs.
I recommend you draw up a list of the required modifications once your engineers inspect the bay. Out own people will want to doublecheck your plans just to make sure they won't either pose a risk to the station, or interfere with it's normal operations. I'm sure you understand the reasons for this. Fuel type is not likely to be the only incompatibility between our organisations, but it's something that can be worked on.
Barring any unforseen difficulties in making this work, Java will be able to accomodate you.
Regards,
- Johnathan Sanders, on behalf of the Independent Miners Guild
**** Transmission Closed ****
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.
> Opening Communications Linkup
> Locating IMG Directory
> Transmitting Message
CommID: Jean Pierre LeBlanc Target: Jonathan Sanders Subject: Java Station
My apologies on the ambiguity of my request - yes, all we require is a cargo container, not a refit of your existing fuel systems.
I do believe you've hit the nail on the head with our request, but to review,
A refit of one external docking clamp.
An empty cargo space allowing for 10,000 units of cargo storage
One climate control unit
Optional - An interface to power the climate control and the fuel allocation systems
Optional - An uplink interface to the NeuralNet to update stellar charts
As for the docking clamp, we'll provide you with a pair of 4RC-H Gallic Universal Docking Clamps. The 4RC-H does provide for the docking ship to be fueled through the umbilical, which would make our infringement on your hospitality much more brief. Within the cargo storage, along with the oil drums, we'd supply a device with which to extract the fuel from the drum as well, and then the hosing necessary to run from this extraction system out to the docking clamp.
The reason the power interface is optional is that we would also be willing, depending on which you'd prefer, to install a dedicated array of solar panels, no larger than 25 square meters, in order to power the systems necessary here so that we don't constitute any further drain on your on-board systems.
Your hospitality and willingness to accommodate us means more than you could know. The materials I've described above will arrive with the next transport we send in-system along with a specialist who will be able to assist your technicians with the installation procedures.
As for the cost of the refits, please forward us the estimates, as well as the name of the account to send payment to. Once we've agreed upon the cost of the refits, I'll have both the cost for that and our first month's lease wired to the account.
Regards,
Jean Pierre LeBlanc
Director of External Operations, GMS
**** Incoming Transmission ****
From: Johnathan Sanders
To: Mr. LeBlanc
Subject: Storage leasing, Java Station
Encryption: Moderate (Gallic Civilian, compatible)
Mr. Leblanc,
While I can appreciate you not wishing to impose on our hospitality, I do not think using solar panels is feasable in Tau 23. The Tau asteroid fields are extensive and envelop the entire system. Not only do they blot out most of the sunlight at the distance Java is from the sun, but smaller asteroids frequently strike the station. Java is heavily armored to withstand smaller asteroid impacts - larger asteroids on a collision course are either shot up by patrol ships or moved out of the way by tug vessels. But the small, fast asteroids would render any solar panel swiss cheese, no pun intended, in a matter of days. Solar energy is simply not feasable in the Tau 23 system.
I recommend we instead devise a way to have you simply draw power from the station's fusion reactor. If your systems could be powered by 25 square meters of solar panels, the drain will be minor (in comparison to the Beryllium and Niobium processing facilities - smelters are a rather large draw on power, I'm sure you are aware). Java uses two forms of power distribution - we have high-energy plasma to power the smelters and station defense grid, and we have an electrical grid that powers pretty much everything else. I think the electrical grid would be the best bet for compatibility. If your systems can run on an alternating current, it'll just be a matter of figuring out the proper transformer coiling.
We'll await your transport, and engineering crews. It's hard to make estimates until we know what all would need to be done.
Regards,
- Johnathan Sanders, on behalf of the Independent Miners Guild
**** Transmission Closed ****
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.
CommID: Jean Pierre LeBlanc Target: Jonathan Sanders Subject: Java Station
Ah, your call, of course. I think it has become quite clear that while I'm suave and business-savvy, I am anything but an engineer.
The captain of the transport reported the transfer of our specialist as well as the materials to your station. Now we can get the final stages of planning underway. This is exciting, no? The first tangible steps toward relations between our companies - Gallic and Sirian - who would've thought? The beauty, it is almost as fantastic as the day my son finally learned the difference between a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon! That was a great day indeed, hon hon hon!
Regards,
Jean Pierre LeBlanc
Director of External Operations, GMS
**** Incoming Transmission ****
From: Johnathan Sanders
To: Mr. LeBlanc
Subject: Storage leasing, Java Station
Encryption: Moderate (Gallic Civilian, compatible)
Mr. Leblanc,
Being the R&D director within IMG I tend to get an engineering itch every now and then. I apologise if I went a bit too deep in detail for your tastes. I too look forward to coexisting with your organization. From report I've been getting your miners are focusing primarily on the southern Beryllium fields, which are being controlled by a Bretonian competitor of ours. This suggests our interests in Tau 23 are divergent, and we'll not get in eachothers way much.
Regardless, an estimate by our combined engineering team suggests modifications to the dock should not take too much time. The dimensions on your own dock, and ours, fit closely enough to not require modifications to the station hull. Was that a standard Gallic docking berth you brought, or something you custom made, out of curiosity?
The ducting isn't a problem either. We'll simply remove the heavily insulated H refueling pipes, and run your hoses through the existing gaps. The power interface was a bit tricky, but should work out. We´ll install an extra breaker between the interface and the station´s grid though, just as a precaution.
Barring any unexpected setbacks this should take no more then a week to complete. Given the low-tech nature of your oil storage systems, the modifications to the storage bay itself should be minor: The existing climate control is within the required specifications according to your engineers, and fire surpression can be handled effectively by decompressing the cargo bay in the event of a fire. The pump unit and power conversion unit can be bolted down anywhere on the deck plating.
An uplink to the station´s public neural net links can also be provided. There are two existing terminals in the bay. Your engineers indicate making those compatible will take a bit longer, but I suspect that´s not a top priority as it´s irrelevant to refueling your ships. You could simply leave them as-is as well.
As to the cost, a one time fee of 8 million (payable to IMG|Guildfunds) should cover the labor, and minor station adaptations. Since you´re bringing most the parts yourself, those costs are relatively low.
Regards,
- Johnathan Sanders, on behalf of the Independent Miners Guild
Ps. what are a ´Merlot´ and a ´Cabernet Sauvignon´? Some indiginous animal species on the Gallic world you live on, I assume?
**** Transmission Closed ****
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.
CommID: Jean Pierre LeBlanc Target: Jonathan Sanders Subject: Java Station
Non, you've not been too in-depth, you've provided a learning experience regarding foreign technology that's been enlightening. The docking fixture we've provided is a standard Gallic one. Once the refit is complete you would have the capability to service any Gallic ship smaller than our Obstinate-class Naval Cruiser, should you choose to do so.
At this point we've authorized all GMS ships to use the bay, of course, as well as most EFL Oil & Machinery ships, since they'll be the ones bringing our fuel supplies. EFL is also the only other party that has access to the cargo bay. You shouldn't expect too much Gallic traffic other than that, although if you do experience any issues regarding the visitors using our docks, do not hesitate to notify me and we'll take immediate action.
Payment, covering both the cost of refit and the first month's lease has been wired to the specified account. Each month's payment will be made by the 15th, at the latest, and confirmation returned to this channel.
We thank you again, Monsieur Sanders, for your time and assistance. As both a gift to show our gratitude, and as an answer to your final question, please enjoy and share these with the rest of the Guild's leadership:
Maybe some day I can give you a tour of the fields where those were crafted, one bottle each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines, but, ah, that will have to be some time in the future. For now, I bid you adieu.
May the blessings of Ze Arch be with you,
Jean Pierre LeBlanc
Director of External Operations, GMS