Leiden Base

Leiden Base

File:Iw06 01 base.png

Owner

Lane Hackers

Location

B-3/2, Galileo

CLASS: Cray

GRAVITY: Complete.

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 240

Leiden Base was built in 782 AS by a group of former Ageira Technologies employees after the Galileo bypass scandal resulted in several executives and an elite development team being forced out of Ageira. They quickly got in contact with the Lane Hackers at Mactan, securing the northern Independent Worlds as their primary areas of operation, preying on the heavy shipping between Liberty and Kusari.

Originally the Lane Hackers on Leiden focused on simple piracy, using their knowledge of the Trade Lane systems to obtain information on the most tempting of targets, carrying off what they could loot and destroying the rest. In recent time, the Lane Hackers have also begun to take an interest in smuggling Alien Artifacts. The Hogosha control the flow of artifacts through Kusari, and the Lane Hackers deal with them on Leiden out of necessity. The Lane Hackers also have dealings with the Golden Chrysanthemums, trading Cardamine for information on ship movements along the trade lanes in Kusari.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes

Golden Chrysanthemums Hogosha Lane Hackers Liberty Rogues Samura Industries

Missions

Lane Hackers

Commodities

Imports

Commodity Price Medical Equipment 24$ Light Arms 58$ Black Market Pharmaceuticals 21$ Counterfeit Computerware 41$ Oxygen 16$ Water 16$ Food Rations 45$ H-Fuel 132$ MOX 54$ Pharmaceuticals 25$ Optronics 44$ Consumer Goods 16$ Cardamine 193$ Consumer Goods 193$ Ageira Gate/Lane Parts 267$ Black Market Munitions 68$ Black Market Augments 30$ Platinum 99$ Synth Paste 31$ Munitions 55$ Xenobiotic Filters 48$ Xeno Relics 245$

Exports

Commodity Price Deployable Mining Container 50,000$

Ships sold

Ship	Class	Price
Longsword	Heavy Fighter	18,108$
Rhino	Freighter	19,206$
Broadsword	Bomber	82,562$

News

[832 AS] A Different Kind of Heat

HOUSTON -- 832 AS -- A horrifyingly large scale firefight broke out in one of Houston's major city centers - Marlton, hundreds upon hundreds of arrests have been made and dozens of brave officers lost their lives in the vicious attack. The attack itself seems to have specifically targeted the city's dedicated police station, resulting in significant amounts of private property damage. The attack appears to have been highly coordinated, reliant on insider information, and carried out by contractors or former professionals, with one LPI spokesperson going so far as to say that this must have been a bought and paid for terrorist attack. Many of the perpetrators of the attack were killed by officers on scene, or by the Naval Emergency Response Team that responded to scattered reports of small arms fire. The LPI has currently released no statement about the progress of the investigation.

[832 AS] Kusari's Plight

KAGOSHIMA -- 832 AS -- Synth Foods audacity knows no bounds. They use a time of tragedy as an opportunity to bloat their already bloated purses with more ill-gotten wealth. We cannot allow this. There can be no room for Synth in Kusari. They already control too great a share of the market and with Kyushu's food production on a downward spiral after the storm, our intervention is necessary now more than ever. We must commit ourselves fully to our mission for the greater interests of Kusari unless we wish to live under the jackboot of Liberty and its vile corporate interests!

[832 AS] Counting Doses

ROCHESTER -- 832 AS -- The catastrophic crash of the Cardamine market has been tough for all the associates involved in the chain of its distribution, and the substantial drop-off in the quantity of it available for use and resale has caused a new problem in this series of bad episodes. The Rogues and Hackers, former partners in feeding the needs of the underworld are now at each other's throats, unable to meet demands for the drug both by their own and by customers, it seems as if stealing it from each other at gunpoint is the new business model.

[831 AS] Lack of Cardamine, Liberty's Underworld Burns

When the convoys heading from Cali to Mactan and Buffalo thinned out - and even stopped for a brief moment - the underworld in Liberty literally imploded. Previously close alliances quickly fell apart to the displeasure of the Outcasts, and every part of the underworld in Liberty was desperately trying to get as much Cardamine for themselves as possible. The Outcasts and their most loyal agents stepped in almost immediately in anticipation of something like this happening, and set new rules for distribution according to set keys. A small group of Liberty Rogues defied them and followed their own rules of distribution, but they didn't fare too well - the Dons, despite the ongoing crisis in Malta, do not tolerate insubordination. For this reason, several powerful Junkers and Rogues immediately decided to dilute Cardamine instead of redistributing ostentatiously against the wishes of the Outcasts at the expense of their clients, thereby raising their own shares. Fortunately for these savvy businessmen, word did not reach the Outcasts until some time later, and thanks to an improved network of cooperation, most of the organizers were able evade Malta's assassins. However, all these measures had only limited effectiveness. Many end-clients and casual Cardamine users have been forced to seek medical attention due to their deteriorating health due to potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. It is not known how many Cardamine users eventually died because of the shortage, but it appears to be in the order of single-digit percentages - much to the very verbal displeasure of the Outcasts themselves.

[831 AS] Jump Hole Upheaval Causes Chaos

HEISENBERG -- 831 AS -- Jump holes across Sirius have become increasingly volatile and chaotic over the last year, with Professor Sophia Nagel from the Heisenberg Research Station linking the unusual phenomena to the Pulse. The Pulse was an unprecedented blast of hyperspace energy that was detected immediately prior to last year's jump gate Blackout. Professor Nagel and her team are certain the Pulse originated from outside Sirius, but are otherwise no closer to identifying its source or mitigating a future Blackout event. "Following the Blackout, we began to see immediate signs of jump hole destabilization in multiple different regions, with many ultimately falling out of phase alignment altogether", she commented. The dramatic upending of Sirius' jump hole network has already prompted many groups to abandon stations and withdraw from systems that appear to risk being cut off. While months-long trips between the stars are possible thanks to the Liberty Engine and many centuries of innovation, few ships are designed or provisioned to make such arduous journeys. Those who were displaced by Sirius' redrawn map hope that system connections will return, while adventurers and explorers rush to discover new routes.

[830 AS] Troubles in Erie's Paradise

ERIE -- 830 AS -- It was the early hours of the morning when a missile was launched from Erie's surface; A missile that struck its target of an LSF satellite in orbit of Erie. The attack was claimed to have originated by militant Zoners seeking to separate themselves from Libertonian governance, and proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. For some time, it had been alleged that Insurgent and Xeno-backed cells had been stirring trouble on Erie, inciting violence in the population and seeking to turn the planet into a second Veracruz. Never, however, had such open acts of terror been visited upon the governing Libertonian forces. The response was quick and decisive. In coordination with the LSF, Vice Admiral Hamish aboard the Battleship Alma lead a Liberty Navy task force directly into the system in Operation Pesticide, escorted primarily by Siege Cruisers, Gunboats and fightercraft, with many of the Navy's capital warships tied in the Vespucci campaign or ever watchful at Liberty's borders. They were met by Zoner Q-ships based from Bethlehem, with many coming from as far as Galileo or even the Sigmas, accompanied by a motley assortment of freelancers and other anarchist elements. Leading the Zoner line was a Aquilon-class carrier, the Pinnacle. While the Pinnacle came under heavy bombardment from the Alma and her task force, supplies quickly gathered onto Zoner transports from Erie attempted to run the Navy blockade. While some transports were lost to Navy bombers, others yet escaped to parts as of yet unknown. This 'victory', however, came at a heavy price. The Pinnacle was lost with most of her hands still on board and the rest captured, while the Liberty Marines landed virtually unopposed, quickly securing population centers for both the safety of Libertonian assets and the civilians on Erie itself. The Alma is settled now into the low orbit of Erie, a constant reminder to those below that they are under the protection of the Liberty Navy. A comfort to some, a dire warning to many more.

[828 AS] Kepler Reopened

AMES -- 828 AS -- In line with Ageira's prediction prior to 801 AS, the darkmatter storm makes an appearance after nearly two decades and no doubt sets the cosmic standard for being fashionably late. Presenting the potential for cataclysmic damage to personhood and proprety prompted Ageira to shut down the gates leading into the system, as well as the respective trade lanes. In the time since then however, Ames has relayed a stunning report that the storm despite being violent at first, has now settled into quite a passive albeit looming stance over the system. Perhaps more surprising than even this is the phenomena regarding the storm's interactions with the established lane and gate network in the system, seeming to bend and contort around the structure rather than engulf them. This stellar formation has produced the spatial equivalent of a tunnel that travelers into the freshly reopened Kepler have taken to dubbing the "Murky Road", prompting a small degree of sensationalized tourism into the system. Which comes as a small positive after the harsh loss of the otherwise frequent traffic. This news comes at the tail end of previous publications that cited the storm as having origins in Alberta, supposedly arriving via some form of leakage through the jumpholes in the system. Newer research has allowed for discoveries which now suggest the contrary and this has in turn reinvigorated research into these storms and their enigmatic natures.

[828 AS] - Shigeakiki. What is it?

AINU -- 828 AS -- A brand new kind of drug enters the market today. This new Cardamine derived stimulant is composed of multiple herbs and chemicals and is designed to enhance the performance of Chrysanthemum pilots during combat in high risk encounters against the Kusari Police and Navy. "This stimulant affects the nervous system which results in heightened senses. This can lead to oversensitivity. One of the most common symptoms is light sensitivity. Darkened visors or sunglasses can alleviate this." says Ishida Morika, a spokesperson for the Golden Chrysanthemum cell that developed the drug. "These, like all effects of the stimulant, last roughly an hour and leave no permanent alterations. The only permanent effect is Cardamine addiction. None of the other components have addictive qualities." Ishida goes to elaborate further and states that "The full formula is a closely guarded secret and shall not be made public." This new drug is currently focused mainly for the Kusari market, but Ishida has not ruled out the possibility of expanding it further.

Rumors

Lane Hackers

We get shipments of H-Fuel from the Golden Chrysanthemums in Hokkaido and ship them Food, Side Arms, and Software. Those Golden Cs love the latest Software versions. And guns, they really love guns. Cardamine has changed my life. It's the greatest stuff you can imagine. You have really strange hallucinations with heavy doses -- flying across alien landscapes, seeing creatures and places that you can't imagine. It's truly an amazing trip. I've noticed that I'm gradually losing interest in eating regular old Synth Paste. I've heard that Outcast Food is more palatable to heavy Cardamine users. Not sure why. The Kobe Maru was making its weekly Artifact run across the Shikoku system when it was ambushed by the Blood Dragons. The ship is presumed destroyed, and its whereabouts are unknown, although it's been rumored to be drifting somewhere in the Shiun Cloud. We get most of our basic supplies -- such as Food, Consumer Goods, Oxygen, and Water -- from the Zoner Ames Research Station. We receive Side Arms and Pharmaceuticals from the Rogue base Padua in the Reppu Cloud and ship Food, Software, Oxygen, and Water there. The Shibuya Maru was making a Cardamine shipment across the southern end of the Shikoku system when it was intercepted by a Bounty Hunter named Jake Rush. He swears that he opened fire and badly wounded the ship. He searched the cloud for some time, but never found the Shibuya. The word around Deshima is that it never made it to the Galileo system. It's probably out there somewhere in the Keiun Cloud. Ageira wonders how we can keep up with its advances in Trade Lane technology and security. Truth is, everybody who was sympathetic to the Lane Hackers didn't necessarily stop working for Ageira. That's right -- we've got insider friends who keep us one step ahead of the game. The Freespirit was beginning its regular Artifact run from Leiden to Rochester when it was ambushed by Bounty Hunters. It fled into the Reppu Cloud and disappeared. No one has been able to locate the ship for some time. The Lane Hackers are disinterested in politics. We do not fight for any political cause or rally behind a flag. The only thing that is important to a Hacker is money so that any wants are fulfilled. Ok, money and bringing down Ageira. I almost forgot how I've dedicated my entire life to destroying Ageira...I must need to replenish my Cardamine. Although we sell much of the information we retrieve from Universal's data banks, we use some of the data ourselves to attack the most tempting targets. There are four jump holes in this system. The two most valuable to the Lane Hackers are the jump holes to Colorado and Kepler. The Golden Chrysanthemums get most of their supplies from us. We keep them living in the style that they are accustomed to. In return, they supply us with all the Cardamine we can use from their Hokkaido base.

Golden Chrysanthemums

Down here we run Cardamine and H-Fuel from our base in Hokkaido in exchange for many of our basic supplies. Leiden indirectly supplies the Blood Dragon base in Chugoku via Ainu. That's the real reason we have to make so many runs down to this alien place. They often protect us from hostile attacks, so it's worth it. We run supply shipments of Food, Side Arms, and Software to our base in Hokkaido. It's a long, dangerous run past the Farmers Alliance in Kyushu and the Bounty Hunters of Shikoku, but well worth it financially. The Jump Hole to Shikoku is very close, just to the north of this base. It is the first of three jumps to get to the dangerous but beautiful Hokkaido system.

Hogosha

This is the cheapest place to buy Side Arms within Hogosha territory, if you can call this black rock fragment in a dark matter cloud "territory" in the conventional sense. Within Kusari space Side Arms cost considerably more. We use the Jump Hole to Shikoku, then skirt the west end of the system through the nebula clouds to avoid detection by the Blood Dragons -- our mortal enemies. The police and Bounty Hunters rarely bother us. At the far end of Shikoku is a Jump Hole to Kyushu, followed shortly by a Hole to New Tokyo. Very convenient. This is the end of our Artifact smuggling route that begins in the Border Worlds and crosses all of Kusari space. We don't like to see the Golden Chrysanthemums here, but we have no choice if we want to sell these trinkets to the rich Liberty fools on Manhattan. The Lane Hackers seem okay, though -- nothing like those disgusting Rogues.

NOTE: Page generated on the 07/06/2024 at 15:55:47 UTC