ALG is a nuclear, chemical and space engineering company founded in Rheinland and operating across the sector. With close partnerships to out-of-house and outlawed organizations such as the IMG and the Bundschuh, it has positioned itself in recent years as a force resolutely opposed to house imperialism, earning the ire of the governments of both Bretonia and Rheinland. Suffering major losses in the Rheinland Civil War, ALG currently finds itself in a difficult rebuilding phase.
ALG is an industrial company originating in Rheinland, specializing in chemical, metallurgical, and ship manufacture, with a heavy focus on the usage of recycled waste products in their smelters and refineries. Their services of industrial cleanup with a particular emphasis on hazardous materials have led them to expand operations across Sirius, following the trail of waste left by industry, mining, construction, and on occasion, warfare. The company’s often remote operations deep in the sector’s debris fields, competition with the houses’ established titans of industry, particularly Daumann, and ideological underpinnings of environmentalism and progressive labor regulations have over its long history amalgamated into a corporate entity somewhat outside the traditional structural, diplomatic, and political setup of most of Sirius’ great companies.
In this position, they have found their primary commercial partners not in the houses’ venerable grand corporations, but in the younger, more dynamic Independent Miners Guild and Gateway Shipping, together forming a triangle of mining, shipping, and industry.
The company’s swiftness to forge new ties, such as the partnership with EFL upon the house’s opening to commerce, willingness to deal on the hazy or even fully opposite side of the law, and persistent problems with its parent house culminated into its position of open hostility to the de facto government of Rheinland during the civil war, support of the democratic Rheinland United Republic counter-state, and ever-increasing efforts to establish itself as a fully independent entity.
2 History
2.1 Foundation
In 88 A.S., industrialists Walter Albrecht and Hanna Lorentz established a recycling plant and foundry complex in the mining town of Leuters, province of Weissharz, Planet New Berlin - the Albrecht-Lorentz-Gusswerke - an acronym carried on right up to the present day, although unused in official communication for centuries. The plant's primary purpose was to process waste material from Daumann and Kruger's asteroid mining operations in the New Berlin system, as the young house aggressively pursued extraction of its nearby available resources. As the foundries expanded from processing mining waste to scrap metal, other industrial and domestic waste, and raw metals, it soon became apparent that planetside operations could not keep up with the ever-increasing pace of mineral exploitation. Conscious of the danger of unchecked expansion leaving the system ruined and even hazardous to shipping, the Rheinland government issued a commission to ALG for the construction of a station specialised in scrap smelting and hazardous waste neutralisation: Dortmund Station. The fact that Rheinland remains the cleanest house in Sirius bears testament to the prescience of this decision and the success of ALG.
Other early work conducted by ALG and recorded by the historians includes the development of new alloys and construction methods capable of withstanding the unusually harsh conditions of Stuttgart during its colonisation in circa 100 A.S. In the years following, ALG would expand into manufacturing a range of technologies, including nuclear devices, alloys, ship panels and its famous hazmat canisters. Most notable of all, however, is the reprocessing of nuclear waste in breeder reactors, producing much of the MOX that has powered the trade lanes, jump gates, stations and ships of Sirius for generations. In 460 ALG was again contracted to clear up the Ruhrfeld, the last remaining mined-out field in New Berlin. The Ruhr Uranium field was notoriously treacherous even while in operation, and the challenge honed the skills of ALG and cemented their sector-wide reputation as the last word in industrial cleanup.
2.2 The 80 Years War
Helgoland Station, Sigma-13
Centuries later, and ALG had followed the trail of ecological destruction left by the colonists into every house. In circa 600 A.S. came the outbreak of the 80 Years War between an imperial Rheinland and the Gas Miners Guild. The events of this period continue to profoundly influence ALG and led to its realignment away from the other house corporations as well as its close ties to the GMG.
The 80 Years War was lobbied for intensely by Kruger, with its eyes on the riches of the Crow Nebula, and Daumann, anxious to boost demand at its shipyards in the wake of a major war. ALG, though considerably smaller than its competitors and with little influence, was opposed to war but was summarily overruled. After decades of brutal warfare, the GMG finally all but destroyed the navy of Imperial Rheinland in the climactic Battle of the Yanagi Nebula.
Under the terms of an emergency bailout from Liberty brokered by Interspace Commerce, a humiliated Rheinland was required to clean up the desolation of Sigma-13, in what would become the largest and most complex cleanup operation ever conducted in Sirius. Naturally this responsibility fell to ALG. Working alongside GMG scavengers in a process only completed in 818 A.S., ALG representatives soon built up a relationship with the Guild, assisted by the pacifist ambitions of the nascent democratic Federal Republic. Helgoland Station in the system, built for the operations and transferred to the Guild on completion of cleanup duties in 818 A.S. remains a monument to this perhaps unlikely alliance, given the competing technologies of nuclear fusion (in the form of H-Fuel) and fission (in the form of MOX). At the same time, ALG began forming tentative links with anti-imperialist radicals under the banner of the newly-formed Bundschuh movement.
2.3 Realignment
In the years after the war, confronted with the devastation and human misery wreaked on Rheinland and disgusted with the impenitence of its fellow corporations, ALG looked to create a more dynamic triumvirate of industrial manufacturer, miner and shipper, unencumbered with, and separate from, the legacy of Rheinland’s giants. The newly founded Gateway Shipping and the extra-house Independent Miners Guild made natural partners.
In the last century ALG observed what was considered a worrying return to the dark days of pre-war imperial Rheinland, in both the lobbying of its rivals and an increasingly assertive and militaristic government. In essence still loyal to the ideals of the post-war Federal Republic of 705 A.S., ALG was an at times outspoken critic of the government, and has acted as a more or less covert supporter of the suppressed Bundschuh movement.
The twenties of the 9th century would see a sequence of developments that would lead to ALG's already-strained relationship with its parent house to fracture to the point of the company taking an active role in a civil war, and subsequently ceasing operations within core Rheinland space entirely, exemplified by the construction of Wichter Station at a location deliberately chosen for its relative distance from Rheinland's eye.
The first signs were Daumann and Kruger's increasing efforts to lobby against the Independent Miners Guild and the Federal Republic's increasingly hostile stance against ALG's closest partner, which ultimately led to the company breaking ties with their former partner, Kruger Minerals.
Further distancing came with the outlawing of the Order due to their assistance of the Bundschuh, a government stance which the company did not follow due to their own close ties to the outlawed political movement. These ties gained importance with the rise of the authoritarian Core PMC in the Omicrons, who were viewed favorably by the federal government and supported by ALG's corporate rivals. Initially neutral in the conflict between Core and Order, ALG committed to the latter when Core ships attacked civilian convoys heading to Freeport 11, an animosity that remains to this day.
In 824, a shock attack on Fulda border station by GMG ships led to a new war between the Guild and the Republic, which escalated to involve the Empire of Kusari as it spiraled into a territorial conflict over the valuable Sigma-21 system. Once again, ALG's position differed drastically from the federal government and other corporations: Due to their strong ties with the Guild and having been informed by the Order that the attack was a false-flag operation by Nomad agents, ALG maintained its ties to the Republic's enemies and lobbied for the war's end.
A pivotal event for the company then came with the Aland crisis of early 826, when the Kingdom of Bretonia attacked the Independent Miners Guild over their refusal to hand over Aland Shipyard for their desperate war effort. ALG made the difficult decision to honor their longstanding alliance, cutting ties with the Kingdom and joining the Guild's valiant but ultimately unsuccessful defense attempt, losing most of the Aland-based Beta squadron in the process, but gaining important strategic experience against a house fleet.
This caused a stir in Rheinland, where antagonism towards the Guild and worry over the involvement of the Red Hessians in the conflict largely outweighed concerns over an aggressive Bretonia at their doorstep. A parliamentary inquiry was held to determine if ALG's independent actions violated Rheinland law, and although the company was ultimately cleared, this would mark the end of ALG's good standing in its home state.
2.4 Civil War and the present day
As the Gallic war and thus the Aland war was concluding, the Federal Republic was undergoing a crisis of government. In March 827, a minority government had been formed that included the radical reformist United Democratic Foundation, which pushed for legalization of the Bundschuh party and actions to be taken against Bretonia's aggressive diplomacy. This led to widespread unrest as the reactionary Imperialist Party and its supporters engaged in protests and uprisings, initially centered around Hamburg, where they enjoyed the greatest support, but spreading across the house within weeks.
Previously, the BDM had been put under investigation by the Bundestag over their unilateral withdrawal from the Sigma conflict, and numerous sympathetic legislators expelled. Seeing the imminent crisis, ALG, BDM, and the Bundschuh began coordinating what would become the democratic side of the looming civil war.
By mid-April, the monarchists had declared the Federal government illegitimate, and wide-scale fighting had commenced planetside and in space; by early May, the Federal government had fled into exile and monarchists at least nominally controlled all population centers.
Virtually all of ALG's planetside facilities, from storage depots to power plants and smelters - including the original Albrecht-Lorentz plant - were seized, and Dortmund was scuttled to prevent its capture. Almost immediately after the outbreak of open hostilities, the Red Hessians launched an offensive across Cologne to capitalize on the chaos, and forced the evacuation of Wuppertal.
Reeling from the loss of its two most important stations and most planetside holdings, a drastically-reduced ALG was forced to swiftly reorganize its remaining assets and prepare to fight for a democratic Rheinland. Wichter was heavily fortified and declared the new HQ, its production line changing from mostly cargo ships to fighters, bombers, and gunships. Upon its formation, the company officially recognized the democratic Rheinland United Republic as the sole government of the house, and with the other major corporations backing the monarchists, made up virtually all of the Republic's economic capabilities. Negotiations were attempted with the Hessians in an effort to gain their support for the RUR, but these were unsuccessful.
While the monarchist side held significant advantages in fleet strength and resources, holding effectively all of Rheinland's population, morale dropped swiftly as the democratic side tenaciously held onto their territory across northeastern Rheinland. Eventually, with a costly offensive into Thuringia that ended with the sides refusing to continue fighting, the war ground to a halt by mid-December, and in February 828, the Holstein Accords were signed, uniting Rheinland into one state with a government intended to serve as a compromise between the two sides.
As the dust settled, ALG was left in a dire spot. Although the accords guaranteed a return of the company's seized assets, many returns are tied up in litigation likely to take years. Wuppertal was retaken following the unified state's successful push against the Hessians in Cologne, and resumed full operations in early 829, but Dortmund was left to be dismantled, a sign of the company's increased efforts to distance itself from the house.
With Rheinland's other companies emboldened or at least largely unaffected by the war, ALG's position relative to them was greatly weakened, and the company has all but dropped contractual partnerships within the house, preferring to do business with non-state actors such as the ascendent Technocracy of Auxo and the newly-formed Bristol Constructions concern, as well as their oldest and closest partner, the Independent Miners Guild.
The exception to this are the Bundschuh, the only close relationship the company holds in the house, now strengthened by a bloody war fought side-by-side.
Uncertainty marks the current day for ALG, looking to re-establish themselves as a smaller, but more independent and much more heavily militarized company, bringing their traditional expertise in industry and construction to an increasingly colorful list of clients.
3 Diplomacy
Not afraid to engage with anyone whose ideals coincide with their own, be they lawful, quasi-lawful or unlawful, ALG retains a complex and expansive range of diplomatic relations across Sirius.
For the purposes of rule classification, "allied" and "friendly" are considered allied factions, "positive", "neutral", and "cool" are considered neutral, and "unfriendly" and "hostile" are considered hostile.
While ALG has never shared the hostility of other Rheinland companies towards the Bundschuh, it was contact with the Vereinigte Widerstandsarmee that really moved us closer together. ALG opposed Rheinland's harsh treatment of political dissidence that lead to the outlawing of the Bundschuh party, and had been secretly working with them, supplying them with materials they have no easy access to. Furthermore, former President Atzenbruck and the leader of the Vereinigte Widerstandsarmee, Erich Klugmann, had been romantically involved, leading her to push the board of directors to improve relations. Although the Widerstandsarmee were over the years replaced as the dominant Bundschuh faction first by Die Weiße Rose and now by the Neue Widerstandsbewegung, ALG's support remained as strong as ever, especially with the new installation of Wichter Station having the remoteness to actively supply the movement. With the outbreak of the Rheinland civil war and important role of the Bundschuh on the democratic side, this support has gone into the open, and the conclusion of the war has left the two organizations as battle-forged siblings-in-arms - the only close relationship ALG still holds in its house of origin.
Independent Miners Guild
Our closest and most important ally. They have the miners, we have the smelters. We work together on almost everything, and have fought together in every corner of Sirius. Technology sharing, shipping, secret arrangements, lobbying for each other, there's little ALG and IMG have not done together. Without them, our business would be completely different. When the Kingdom of Bretonia attacked the Guild with the attention of conquering Aland Shipyard, we stood by their side and fought together, the first time ALG had been involved in a full-on war against one of the houses.
The Order
When the Order was outlawed in Rheinland, it was because they were assisting the VWA. As we considered the VWA friendly, we did not follow the government's line in regards to the Order. We believe the Order has an important role to play in humanity's defense against the Nomads, and a common ally in the Bundschuh. With ALG's declaration of hostilities against the Core, relations improved further. Order personnel work on ALG's flagship, the battlecruiser Erdbeben, and trade and cooperation with the organization continues, strengthened even more by the Rheinland civil war and ALG's increased push towards the Sigmas and beyond.
friendly – good partners that we've worked with or fought alongside regularly
Auxo
Initially something of a mystery when we first encountered their ships in the Omicrons, our first positive experiences were of the at the time battlegroup's ships defending our own against aliens and Core. As they eventually settled into the Liberty borderworlds, setting up a small but well-organized enclave, we opened up business relations, helping the group with construction projects. As our distrust of the houses grew, we valued them for their fierce independence and hostility towards the Kingdom of Bretonia, and they offered what support they could in the civil war.
Bristol Constructions & Manufacturing
Newcomers on the commercial scene, this independent company's Bering operation quickly became the new center of our scrapping business in southern Liberty. We've assisted them with the expansion of their shipping fleet, and have opened a small branch office on their station. With our operations moving away from Rheinland, we are poised to further expand relations with partners like Bristol abroad.
Gateway Shipping
One of our oldest partners together with IMG, Gateway Shipping is still the main hauler of our products. While we've drifted apart somewhat, we would still never hesitate to make new deals with Gateway. They are a rare operator of non-ALG Golems.
Gas Miners Guild
Old partners when we were cleaning up the Yanagi debris field, the Gas Miners Guild were the ones to buy Helgoland, and our relations have remained positive since. We've had long-standing technology sharing agreements, and they match our ideological position of greater independence from the houses just like the IMG does. In more recent history, we have supported their colonization efforts in Sigma-21, and when the Federal Republic of Rheinland declared war on the Guild after a false-flag attack on the Frankfurt-Sigma-13 jump gate, we condemned the declaration and did not follow the government's stance.
positive – we've had dealings with these groups, or fights on the same side, or some other reason to hold them in higher than average regard
EFL Oil & Machinery
Our path into Gallia is forged by EFL. Especially our technology sharing program has brought us closer; they hold the rare distinction of operating a Golem. As a company heavily invested in heavy industry, we have a great deal in common, while our geographic distance kept us from becoming competitors - until the opening of the Zurich connection and the salvaging competition over the Gallia-Kusari war's debris. Relations became more strained as a result, though they remain positive overall.
Liberty Insurgency
We had been brought closer to the southern Liberty separatist movement by business contracts and a mutual partner in the Lane Hackers, and opened up commercial scrapping operations in their heartland system of Bering. Our business relationship became closer than the stony relationship with the Republic of Liberty ever was, but now hangs somewhat in limbo as monarchist control over Hamburg severed our direct connection, and Liberty's offensive into Bering brought the border world back under at least nominal house control.
Junkers
Partners in the scrap business, our ships often find themselves together in the debris fields of Liberty. We've done a number of technology-related projects together, and particularly during the war with Liberty found ourselves in a similarly grey area of the law. Occasionally, ALG will find themselves called in to "clean up" a mess caused by the less innocent side of Junker activities. However, we are wary of individuals we don't know - it's hardly unknown for opportunistic Junkers to turn to robbery away from the prying eyes of the houses.
Lane Hackers
Our relationship with the Lane Hackers is a relatively recent one. Being forced during wartime into operating largely outside the law, our distrust of the Republic of Liberty initially led to an understanding. This developed into a highly secret, profitable business relationship: The Hackers call on ALG ships to dispose of cargo they happen to "find" in the lanes, and we pay them for their services.
Marinenachrichtendienst
We had little in the ways of relations with the MND for most of their history, with some issues stemming from their fierce persecution of the Bundschuh and occasional cases of Nomad infiltration. This changed during the last days of the Federal Republic however, with the anti-war elements of the agency taking action against the Sigma conflict, and consequently forming a substantial part of the democratic fleets in the Civil War. How Rheinland's intelligence sector navigates the post-war landscape remains to be seen, but we will not soon forget our common fight for democracy.
Union Corse
We mainly encounter the Corse when visiting the Taus, where they help our ships fighting the Outcast menace. We've had a deal or two besides this as well, leading to a good view of them.
neutral - we've had ambiguous relations with these groups, or no relations, or we rarely have contact, or we are indifferent to their aims and actions. Any factions not explicitly mentioned elseware default to this.
Artificial Intelligence
We've had next to no contact with Artificial Intelligence and no reason to consider them as anything but neutrals.
Bounty Hunters Guild
When a corporate transport needs protection for money, the Bounty Hunters Guild is there. However, ALG has not been a customer of their services as often as many other companies, and with our diplomacy increasingly drifting away from the houses and towards those the Guild hunts, we don't retain much of a relationship with them.
Coalition
Contact with the SCRA is rather uncommon. Though they are considered enemies of Rheinland, they have never given us a reason to consider them anything but neutral, and we have been engaged in a long-term cleanup project within their space, strengthening relations.
Gallic Navy,
Gallic Gendarmerie
As traders from a neutral house, we had straightforwardly neutral relations with the military and police of the Kingdom of Gallia, and this changed little with the tumultuous changes the house went through post-war.
Gaians
We've had occasional arrangements with the Gaians. Although we're a company invested in heavy industry, they tend to respect us for our ecological aims in recycling and waste disposal. There have occasionally been attempts by both to further develop relations, and recent contracts may lead to further strengthening of our ties.
Hogosha
We have had a few positive dealings with the Hogosha, but there is too little contact overall to form a real opinion of them as a whole.
Kusari Naval Forces,
Kusari State Police
Previously simply law enforcers from a neutral house we had no particular stance toward, everything changed with the outbreak of hostilities between the Federal Republic of Rheinland and the now-reformed Empire of Kusari, with the latter assisting the Gas Miners Guild in the Sigmas. We strongly opposed the war as we did before Kusari became involved, and although a breakdown of relations seemed unavoidable in the first weeks of the conflict, Kusari re-granted our trading rights in the house. Tensions remained for the duration of the war, but have since returned to normal levels.
Liberty Navy,
Liberty Police Inc.,
Liberty Security Force
The war is long over, but before and after its conclusion, relations with the Republic of Liberty have been tense. They had caused more problems for us than we were comfortable ignoring, so relations remained cool. However, most of our issues lie in the distant past now, and our stance has gradually normalized over the years.
Mollys
With Mollys, there had long been two types of interaction: when we're working in Dublin with the IMG, in which case they are friendly, and when we are alone, when they're often rather unfriendly. However, relations warmed as we sought each other out during our shared defense of the IMG in the Omega war, and with our increased distancing from the houses, we are sympathetic to their separatist cause.
Other corporations
Other corporations that we've not had extensive dealings include Ageira Technologies, Cryer Pharmaceuticals, IDF Shipping, Gallic Metal Service, Interspace Commerce, Kishiro Technologies, Orbital Spa & Cruise, Planetform Inc.,Samura Heavy Industries, Synth Foods and Universal Shipping.
cool - we have some reason to distrust these or avoid working with them, or maybe we fight occasionally
Blood Dragons
We rarely encounter the Blood Dragons. When we do, we don't know whether to expect an honorable warrior unconcerned with us, or a ruthless pirate.
Bretonia Armed Forces,
Bretonia Police,
Secret Intelligence Service
As our closest ally, the IMG, entered a state of war with the Kingdom of Bretonia, we honored our alliance and entered the war on their side. Though we didn't have much in the way of ideological or personal animosity towards the enforcers of the Bretonian Crown besides a general distaste for monarchies, they were as a result considered hostile targets. Though the war has ended and open hostility ceased, we are far from normalizing relations.
Bowex
On our own, we have no reason to distrust Bowex. However, as staunch rivals of Gateway, one of our closest allies, we do not pursue close relations with them. With the conflict against the Kingdom of Bretonia, our relations worsened even more.
Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing
Same as above, due to BMM's fierce rivalry with the IMG, we had a somewhat negative view of them, which has been greatly reinforced by the war.
Deep Space Engineering
We will not soon forget when DSE tried to muscle us out of Texas, and subsequently lobbied the Liberty government against us when their forces were defeated. However, this was long ago and there has been positive contact since, so our relations have warmed somewhat.
Farmers Alliance
The Farmers Alliance is largely unknown to us, though they have occasionally pirated our ships in Kusari.
Gallic Brigands
Again, an unlawful organization we have little contact with. What contact we have had has been negative.
Red Hessians
Our relationship with the Hessians is somewhat differentiated. They have never held the hatred they have for Republican, Daumann and Kruger for us, and we have on occasion had downright friendly encounters. In addition, we have mutual allies in the Bundschuh to work with. The strong, non-ideological elements in the movement that cause mayhem in Rheinland had always been a thorn in our side, though.
The Kingdom of Bretonia's war against IMG changed the situation, as we found ourselves fighting the same house as mutual allies of the Guild, and consequently signed a ceasefire within Rheinland as well. With the outbreak of the civil war and the Hessians great hostility against the monarchist side, there was hope for a lasting understanding, however this ultimately failed as the Hessians refused to return Wuppertal and failed to negotiate productive agreement with the RUR. Though the ceasefire with the Red Hessian Army is still intact, we have largely abandoned our attempts at cooperation with the movement.
RGS Shipping
Since the foundation of Gateway Shipping, we have found our primary shipping partners in them and did not do much business with the company then known as Republican Shipping. With their seemingly frictionless turn to the monarchist state, our previously largely non-existent relations have become cool.
Rheinland Police
Aside from one very public scandal involving former president Atzenbruck, our relations with the Police had been largely uneventful during the days of the Federal Republic. At the outbreak of the war, there was a split in their ranks as there had been in the Military, but they generally stuck to simple law enforcement and did not play a major role in the fighting. Still, with most seemingly having been content on enforcing the laws of the usurpers, we cannot view them favourably, and the end of the war did little to dispel that.
unfriendly - there are serious issues here, these groups frequently fight us or are entirely untrusted for some other reason
Daumann Heavy Construction
As fellow Rheinland companies, we have had occasional trade contracts with Daumann Heavy Construction, despite being corporate rivals in Rheinland's industrial sector. However, as they moved closer with Kruger, our previous partners against their position, intensified their rivalry with the Independent Miners Guild, and started taking active steps to curb our influence in areas of competition such as the Cologne system, relations increasingly soured. With them endorsing the Monarchist government in Rheinland, our relations became somewhere between icy and openly hostile, although the end of the war meant an end to the latter.
Corsairs
Wherever they show up, they cause chaos and mayhem. The Corsairs are a major enemy of Rheinland, and we are no exception. Whether it's the Omegas, Stuttgart or Frankfurt, when Corsairs show up it usually ends in battle. That said though, our animosity isn't personal the way it is with the Unioners or Xenos, for example. Indeed, there have been moments of mutual respect, such as when we fought Bretonians. Their Council of Elders even allowed safe passage to the Erdbeben after Aland fell.
Crayter
Our positive view of the Colonials was based on a single thing: the common alliance with the IMG. We flew together in convoy, and they assisted us against the Outcasts. Our good relations with Gallia would have likely prevented us from getting closer, but their betrayal of the IMG - their one-time closest ally, who happened to be our closest ally as well - completely tanked any semblance of good relations. Traitors and so-called independents that lick the boots of the houses deserve no trust or respect.
Golden Chrysanthemums
We mainly see the GC together with Outcasts, and that makes them very suspicious. While they do not target us or the Guild in particular, there is no reason to consider them anything other than unfriendly at best.
Liberty Rogues
In our experience, Liberty Rogues are pirates, an occasional menace to our Liberty shipping. Though we have promised the Lane Hackers not to go against them actively, we don't trust them in the slightest.
Kruger Minerals
Since the planned merger fell through, our relations with Kruger have dropped significantly. We had previously formed a commercial partnership to counter Daumann's dominant position in Rheinland industry, but this soon became unsustainable as the rivalry between the two died off and was replaced by a partnership. With Kruger openly supporting the Monarchists in the war, our relations hit an all-time-low from which they are unlikely to recover.
Rheinland Military
Our long-standing friendship with the Bundschuh, corporate competition with the Daumann-Kruger bloc, long-standing issues with Rheinland's previous imperialist aspirations, and generally progressive and democratic-leaning ideals left absolutely no doubt as to which side to back when civil war erupted in Rheinland, while the majority of the Military backed the other. Being the primary enemy during civil war and enemy to some of our closest friends, like the Bundschuh, the Order, and the Gas Miners Guild before, during, and after the war, ALG has traded more shots than pleasant words with Rheinland's armed forces in the last ten years. Now increasingly distant from the house overall, this relationship seems unlikely to improve.
hostile - we have nothing good to say about these groups, and they are generally treated as enemy combatants
The Core
After their attack on Freeport 11, an important trading partner for us, and subsequent attacks on civilian shipping with humanitarian aid -including our own ships-, the Core are considered hostile terrorists. The total disregard for human life they have displayed means we are unlikely to ever trust them again. Although this conflict has long since passed, we have not had any positive contact since. The construction of Wichter Station has also suddenly brought us very close to their self-proclaimed "Empire", which may well be a further source of conflict in the future.
Nomads and infected
Nomads and infected are enemies of humanity, as far as we are concerned. With Rheinland suffering the most in the last Nomad war, we are intent on not repeating the mistakes of the past.
Outcasts
There's likely no group we've ended up exchanging shots with as often as the Outcasts. The primary enemies of our closest allies, they have time and time again attacked us in the Taus. Our very first dedicated combat squadron was stationed in the Taus as a response to the Outcast menace.
The fact that they are occasionally assisted by Nomads just makes them worse.
Unioners
Of all the unlawful organizations in Rheinland, it is only the Unioners that have been completely hostile to us without exception over the years. They rarely appeared to follow any kind of ideology beyond robbing for money, and when they did it was something we completely oppose. No other group in Rheinland had been considered shoot-on-sight in all cases, but Unioners had earned that distinction, and when the war broke out and the group endorsed the Monarchists, hostility intensified even more - if that can even be considered possible. They can fairly be considered the arch-enemy of the company.
Xenos
It's hard to imagine a group the Xenos dislike more than a foreign corporation that works closely with Junkers. Thankfully, encounters are rare, but they hardly ever end peacefully.
4 Operations
ALG operates throughout Sirius. Still based in Rheinland but seeing little future in a house that harbours little sympathy for it, the corporation is increasingly seeking to escape the oppressive and inveterate atmosphere of its origin altogether.
4.1 Bases and former bases
Dortmund Station, New Berlin
Dortmund Station - scuttled
Dortmund Station was the most venerable of ALG’s solar installations. Bathed in the eternal glow of its nuclear furnaces, Dortmund served as the company's headquarters and one of the largest smelting plants in Sirius for centuries, tirelessly processing scrap, waste and raw metals into usable alloys, ship components, and various chemical products. This came to an abrupt end with the monarchist coup, which left ALG scrambling to remove as much of the station's industrial hardware as possible before the inevitable boarding, indefensible as the station is in the heart of New Berlin. With the monarchist government's initial hesitance to move against the company, this effort was largely successful, and much of the smelter's valuable equipment was brought to Wichter before the station was scuttled to prevent its use by the monarchists. Since then, the station's remains have been a navigational hazard at the lane junction, the clean-up progressing slowly even though the war has long since concluded.
Helgoland Station, Sigma-13
Helgoland Station - sold
Helgoland Station was constructed in the aftermath of the 80-years war, to serve as ALG's base of operations for the cleanup of the Yanagi debris field, acting as a collection point for scrap and other waste products collected from the battlefield. After the monumental task was concluded in late 818, the station was sold to the Gas Miners Guild, who have since expanded the station for ship manufacture.
New Augsburg Outpost, Munich
New Augsburg Outpost
Formed out of salvageable wings of the Augsburg Orbital Colony following the catastrophic Munich Disaster, Neu Augsburg represents something of a dissapointment for ALG. ALG hoped to construct a new station outside the system’s most radioactive zone and attract a corporate buyer, but the economic stagnation of Munich has prevented this from happening. The station now functions mainly as a humble storage depot maintained by a small crew, serving as one of the main trading stations for supplies and personnel visiting Munich, and as a research station studying the effects of the dark matter storm and working on shielding and metallurgical means of protecting against it.
Wuppertal Refinery, Cologne
Wuppertal Refinery
A monument to the short lived partnership between ALG and Kruger Minerals, Wuppertal was constructed in 804 A.S. as a joint venture, though the partnership floundered soon after and ALG took over sole ownership and staffing. Initially intended to perform the hybrid roles of both waste purification and extraction of the mineral wealth of Planet Steinfurt’s asteroid belt, in which it orbits, the asteroid field remains unmined due to ALG’s reluctance to defray the extremely high investment required to start operations, unappealing as long as IMG is able to supply the same materials at a lower cost. Thus, Wuppertal's main operation is the refinement of nuclear fuel for fission reactors, and the processing of chemical and nuclear waste, while also gaining strategic importance with the opening of the Zurich gate to Gallia.
Wuppertal Refinery was ALG’s first base to fall in the Rheinland civil war, with dire warnings from the Hessians necessitating the evacuation of all personnel, which went peacefully but involved an as-yet-unexplained act of sabotage that heavily damaged the station.
During the conflict, it was occupied by Junkers, quick to capitalise on a huge station lying empty, although some of ALG’s engineering staff returned to assist in restarting nuclear fuel production, in an attempt to support the Hessians’ defense against the monarchists in southern Rheinland.
With the Hessians unable to reach accomodation with the RUR and the subsequently reuinted Rheinland state ruthlessly pushing them out of Cologne, ALG retook ownership of Wuppertal and expelled the squatters. The subsequent repair work took almost a year, but the station resumed full operational capacity in the spring of 829 - currently under the watchful eyes of the battleship Altenburg, sent to reclaim the system.
Wichter Station, Sigma-15
Wichter Station
Orbiting planet Baltrum in the underdeveloped Sigma-15 system, Wichter Station is the most remote of ALG’s facilities and represents the first concrete realisation of its ambitions to move beyond Rheinland altogether. Its location, leaning into the Sigma and Omicron regions, provide it much-needed autonomy and relative solitude in which to carry out its operations, and have allowed it to service the organizations of the region that the company has ties with but the Federal Republic did not: the Bundschuh, Order, and Gas Miners Guild. The station was originally constructed mainly as a shipbuilding facility, but with the loss of Wuppertal and Dortmund, Wichter has taken over the role of the company’s de facto headquarters and center of economic and defensive capacity. Due to its vital role, the station has become increasingly fortified and hosts the bulk of ALG’s security fleet, as well as most of the smelting equipment salvaged from Dortmund.
Belvedere Refinery, New London
Belvedere Refinery
The newest of ALG’s bases, Belvedere was constructed as a processing plant to handle the overwhelming task of New London's post-war cleanup. Initially hesitant to even offer the contract to ALG, at the conclusion of the war still a hostile entity within the Kingdom, beneficial terms and the lack of other companies with the necessary expertise eventually led to a formal agreement with the company. Wary of their former enemy operating a major station in their capital and its potentially great long-term value, Bretonia keeps a close eye on ALG's operation in the form of increased police presence stationside.
While ultimately beneficial for both parties, commencement of Belvedere's operations has not eliminated tensions between them.
4.2 Ships
4.2.1 Technologies
One area in which ALG particularly distinguishes itself is the sheer variety of space technologies its engineers have mastered. As well as the usual Rheinland and civilian ships, it is not uncommon to see ALG convoys including IMG ships sourced from their close partners, and occasionally GMG and even Gallic designs. ALG is also one of very few corporations to produce a unique ship type exclusively for its own usage, the mighty HWDU-430 "Golem", a large transport type with a heavy emphasis on radiation and corrosion shielding, suitable for hauling hazardous materials. The Golem is the jewel in the crown of ALG's spacefaring engineers and one that is jealously guarded - Golems in unauthorised hands never survive for long.
4.2.2 Naming conventions
This section describes the standard naming convention for ships in the ALG fleet.
Tags
ALG vessels use a variety of subtags to denote their Division or specialisation.
Shipping vessels (freighters, transports and trains) from Divisions I and II use the -TGX- subtag (for transports) and the -TGS- subtag (for freighters). This tradition is believed to go back to the first designations of the makeshift vessels that first performed these roles at the end of the first century A.S..
Division III (Security) vessels do not use a subtag.
Division IV (R&D) vessels use the -R&D- subtag.
Division V vessels use the -V- subtag.
Touring Division vessels use the -Tour- subtag.
In addition to these subtags, vessels piloted by employees with the rank of Recruit must append [R] to the end of their ship names.
Names
In all divisions, freighters and transports take the name of a geographical entity from the Germanosphere of Planet Earth. Personal snubcraft take the name of their pilot. Capital vessels operated by Security Division are named after natural disaster types (for example, Erdbeben) - gunboats are traditionally named after extreme weather events (for example, Taifun). Liners operated by Touring Division use vaguely inspiring names that are conducive to advertising (for example, Fortschritt).
5 Organisation
An unconventional corporation inspires an unorthodox structure. From the very beginning of ALG's expansion from its humble origins to a true house corporation, it has prided itself on treating its workers more fairly than the great majority of its peers. Accordingly, its structure has gradually been shaped over centuries through workplace democracy to its present form.
The most important unit of organisation in ALG is the Division. These Divisions are organised along lines reminiscent of 20th century theories of syndicalism. Each Division is somewhat akin to a union, or traditional guild, and is made up of workers with complementary skills and expertise (for example, transport crews and logisticians, military pilots and weapons specialists, metalworkers and metallurgists and so on). These divisions each have their own obligations and operate with one another under mutual contract to form a whole - the corporation.
Every two years, each division elects a directorate from within their midst. This functions as a cabinet responsible for managing the division for the duration of its term. This directorate is led by a director, who represents the division’s interests at a top level board. The board of directors in turn elects a president, who functions chiefly as a spokesperson and as a negotiator for the corporation as a whole or, on the rare occasion a dispute arises, between the divisions themselves. The current president is Erich Stohl, who entered the role after the retirement of his predecessor, Lena Atzenbruck.
5.1 Divisions
The divisions, with their directors, are:
Division I - Waste Management and Reprocessing
Director: Marika Hornik
The largest and oldest of ALG’s divisions, Division I’s duties encompass scrap and waste mining, salvage operations and the reprocessing of waste materials.
Division II - Shipping
Director: Anita Raichert
The shipping division is also responsible for the construction and maintenance of ALG’s own Golem and various other house designs manufactured on license. ALG does not currently construct military ships.
Subdivisions:
Touring Subdivision
Subdirector: Ian Winkler
Initially an experimental venture operating refloated liners, Touring Division (as it is informally known) is rapidly rising to prominence as an operator of hospital ships in the Rheinland civil war.
Division III - Security
Director: Kai Richter
True to its name, Security Division is responsible for ensuring the security of ALG’s operations and defending its interests across Sirius. As a corporation with few friends within the houses and their militaries, Security Division has grown to an impressive paramilitary fleet atypical of a house corporation. Its flagship is the Erdbeben, a Sagarmatha-class battlecruiser recently completed by the IMG.
Squadrons:
ALG’s combat assets are divided into six squadrons stationed around Sirius to protect their operations and those of their allies, although three of them have been merged under a single operational command to act as a unified Rheinland fleet.
Alpha Squadron
Base of Operations: Java Station
Lead Ship: Orkan, Gasherbrum-class
Alpha Squadron protects the Independent Miners Guild’s operations in the dangerous Tau sector, and ALG vessels shipping the region’s resources back to the houses. Alpha pilots are considered some of the company’s most experienced, due to the almost superhuman skills of their primary enemy, the Outcasts. The fierceness of their opponents, the region’s lack of infrastructure, and the sheer distance from civilization means the security pilots bold enough to apply for an assignment to Alpha can expect hefty bonuses.
Beta Squadron
Base of Operations: Wichter Station
Lead Ship: Taifun, Gasherbrum-class
Beta Squadron had previously been responsible for the Omega border worlds, protecting the company’s shipping routes between Rheinland and Bretonia from its home base of Aland Shipyard. While the region had been persistently threatened by border world raiders, particularly Corsairs, everything changed with Bretonia’s attack on Aland. The squadron found itself suddenly in a war against a house military force, and gained valuable experience in large-scale fleet engagements, but also suffered heavy losses. With the loss of Aland and the deteriorating situation in Rheinland, what remained of the squadron was merged first with Gamma to protect Wuppertal, and then with Epsilon to protect ALG’s new de facto headquarters, Wichter Station.
Gamma Squadron
Base of Operations: Wichter Station
Lead Ship: Hagelsturm, Oder-class
Gamma Squadron was formerly stationed in Stuttgart to protect southern Rheinland operations. The squadron was relatively small and considered less experienced, due to the company generally relying on the Federal Police for security within the house. When tensions within the house rose, the squadron was reassigned to Wuppertal but like Beta, did not interfere during the Hessian offensive in the system, and was ultimately pulled back to Wichter.
Delta Squadron
Base of Operations: Beaumont Base
Lead Ship: <none>
Delta Squadron protects ALG’s scrapping operations in southern Liberty. Due to the company’s troubled history with the Republic of Liberty and often clandestine operations within her borders, Delta pilots were selected more for their stealth and situational awareness than pure combat skills. The squadron is relatively small and although highly trained, lacks experience against serious opponents.
Epsilon Squadron
Base of Operations: Wichter Station
Lead Ship: Schneesturm, Oder-class
Epsilon is charged with security in northeastern Rheinland. Previously stationed on Holstein and charged with protecting ALG’s orbiting Bodensee Outpost, the squadron was reassigned to Wichter upon the station’s construction. With the outbreak of the civil war and the region’s emergence as the stronghold of the democratic side, Epsilon’s operational command was combined with Beta and Gamma to form the unified Rheinland fleet. Formerly engaging in minor fights against Corsairs and Hessians, the fleet’s primary enemy is now monarchist Rheinland, and the protection of ALG’s increasingly-fortified Wichter station, their now most-important holding.
Zeta Squadron
Base of Operations: Battleship Hood
Lead Ship: <none>
Zeta is the most recently-formed and smallest squadron, possessing a mere handful of small craft on the IMG’s Hood. The squadron was originally charged with defense of the company’s Danzig Depot, a scrapping operation in New London that was eventually abandoned as the Gallic war spread to the system in earnest. Unlike Beta, Zeta had no role in the conflict with the Bretonian Crown beyond basic scouting patrols, and after the conflict ended was further reduced in strength.
Division IV - Research and Development
Acting Director: Ottilie Schaefer
R&D is tasked with bending experimental technology to the benefit of ALG as a whole. It also provides technical expertise on matters falling outside the typical duties of engineers in other divisions and indeed, other organisations.
Division V - Corporate Security
Director: Helmut Weinstein
Officially termed Corporate Security but usually referred to by those in the know as simply “Division V”, this division is devoted to pursuing the less salubrious aspects of ALG’s agenda. The epitome of “the ends justify the means”, Division V is tasked with liaison with unlawful entities (beyond core alliances which are typically forwarded directly to the office of the president), protection of trade secrets and other intelligence and counter-intelligence tasks. Few in ALG are aware of its precise scope, and thanks to Director Weinstein’s efficiency, fewer still outside it.
//ooRP information Information for current and prospective ALG members
Like what you see? Head to our Recruitment Office. We don't bite, promise.
1 What we do in-game
ALG flights in-game generally involve mining our own ores (Premium Scrap, Military Salvage and Uranium Ore) and trading these and other ores, as well as completing RP contracts. With the outbreak of war in Rheinland, we also fly combat patrols. ALG has a complex RP and diplomacy, as evidenced by the substantial size of that section above. We pride ourselves on the quality of our RP are therefore looking for players with good RP skills in-game and to a lesser extent, on the forums.
2 Guidelines for ALG pilots
Follow the server rules, no excuses.
No wehraboos. If you're playing Rheinland chars to indulge in your Nazi fantasies, this is the wrong faction.
No OOC in local or system chat. If you get disconnected during an fight and you log back in, you can obviously ask if you can continue, but make sure to use // to explain you're talking OOC. Keep it to 1 line only and in dire need only.
Remember to pay your escort ships! 5% of the profits of a run is a good minimum guideline.
Cargo restrictions:
ALG Waste Disposal employees must not, under any circumstances, carry the following items, except Division V ships on specific contracts:
In addition to these forbidden commodities, ALG ships (with the exception of Division V) should strive to follow the relevant laws of the house they are operating in. These laws are required reading for ALG pilots. As a general rule, ALG ships should never carry cargo intended for human consumption - being accused of giving people radiation poisoning is terrible PR.
As with any faction, your in-game repsheet is largely irrelevant. Your diplomacy should be entirely informed by the Diplomacy section above.
Failure to comply will result in locked-up transportation by our security team to nearest police or naval facility, being handed out and your ship or ships being sold on an auction to pay the fine and lawyers for ALG Waste Disposal. If you're that good to have escaped expect anyone right up to our comfort-zone to be hired to chase your behind to kingdom come.