Independent Miners Guild

Independent Miners Guild
Alignment	Corporation

ALLIES:

ALG, Gateway Shipping, Bounty Hunters Guild, Mollys

COMPETITORS:

BMM, Daumann, DSE, GMS, Kruger

ENEMIES:

Outcasts, Corsairs, Liberty Rogues

The Independent Miners Guild (IMG) is a loose confederation of miners who work in the undeveloped border worlds, staking claims and harvesting deposits far from the reach of the larger corporations. Originally made up of disaffected BMM gold miners, their numbers quickly swelled with former employees of most of the mining concerns in Sirius, eventually making the IMG one of the largest unaffiliated mining organizations in existence. Despite this, their claim to particular fields is usually ignored by corporations muscling their way in for a slice of the pie, leading to all sorts of underhanded conflicts throughout the border worlds the Guild calls home.

Ships used

Ship	Class
Repair Ship	Repair Ship
Starblazer	Very Heavy Fighter
Sunburst	Freighter
Large Transport	Transport
Hawk	Light Fighter
Armored Transport	Transport
IMG Transport	Transport
Large Train	Train
Manaslu	Light Fighter
Train	Transport
IMG Heavy Transport	Heavy Transport
Lhotse	Very Heavy Fighter
Spatial	Bomber
IMG Gunboat	Gunboat
IMG Cruiser	Cruiser

Bases owned

Base Owner System Region South Shields Refinery Independent Miners Guild Newcastle Bretonia Dounby Station Independent Miners Guild Orkney Tau Border Worlds Freistadt Base Independent Miners Guild Omega-7 Omega Border Worlds Java Station Independent Miners Guild Tau-23 Tau Border Worlds Holman Outpost Independent Miners Guild Tau-31 Tau Border Worlds Singapore Drydock A Independent Miners Guild Tau-44 Tau Border Worlds Singapore Drydock B Independent Miners Guild Tau-44 Tau Border Worlds Singapore Shipyard Independent Miners Guild Tau-44 Tau Border Worlds Madeira Base Independent Miners Guild Omega-48 Omega Edge Worlds Falkland Base Independent Miners Guild Tau-37 Tau Edge Worlds Pecos, Camp Lister Independent Miners Guild Coronado Independent

Bribes

Base Owner System Region Barrier Gate Station A Freelancers Coronado Independent Freeport 1 Zoners Omega-3 Omega Border Worlds Nimes Station IDF Shipping Languedoc Gallia Minato Harbor Crayter Republic Tau-44 Tau Border Worlds South Shields Refinery Independent Miners Guild Newcastle Bretonia Freistadt Base Independent Miners Guild Omega-7 Omega Border Worlds Battleship Zuschen Red Hessians Omega-41 Omega Edge Worlds Freeport 10 Zoners Tau-37 Tau Edge Worlds Portsmouth Drydock Bretonia Mining & Manufacturing Cambridge Bretonia Borneo Crayter Republic Tau-44 Tau Border Worlds Briesen Mining Facility Daumann Heavy Construction Omega-7 Omega Border Worlds Freeport 6 Zoners Tau-29 Tau Border Worlds Shasta Orbital Skyhook Zoners Baffin Tau Border Worlds Dounby Station Independent Miners Guild Orkney Tau Border Worlds Falkland Base Independent Miners Guild Tau-37 Tau Edge Worlds Holman Outpost Independent Miners Guild Tau-31 Tau Border Worlds Battleship Norfolk Bretonia Armed Forces Cambridge Bretonia Belvedere Refinery ALG Waste Disposal New London Bretonia Portsmouth Shipyard Bretonia Mining & Manufacturing Cambridge Bretonia Barrier Gate Station B Freelancers Coronado Independent Planet Yuma Crayter Republic Coronado Independent Pecos, Camp Lister Independent Miners Guild Coronado Independent Halifax Freeport Freelancers Leeds Bretonia Singapore Shipyard Independent Miners Guild Tau-44 Tau Border Worlds Planet Cambridge Bretonia Police Cambridge Bretonia Planet Gran Canaria Zoners Omega-48 Omega Edge Worlds Battleship Essex Bretonia Armed Forces New London Bretonia Sulawesi Citadel Crayter Republic Tau-44 Tau Border Worlds Java Station Independent Miners Guild Tau-23 Tau Border Worlds Nago Station Kishiro Technologies Tau-29 Tau Border Worlds Planet New London Bretonia Police New London Bretonia Planet Harris Planetform, Inc. Tau-31 Tau Border Worlds Canterbury Station Planetform, Inc. New London Bretonia Zvyozdny Gorodok Sirius Coalition Omega-52 Omega Edge Worlds Mactan Base Lane Hackers Magellan Independent Madeira Base Independent Miners Guild Omega-48 Omega Edge Worlds Barrier Gate Station C Freelancers Coronado Independent Torshavn Space Port Gaians Cambridge Bretonia Perth Station Bretonia Armed Forces Edinburgh Bretonia Riverside Station Synth Foods, Inc. California Liberty Kensington Shipping Platform Gateway Shipping New London Bretonia Sheffield Station Bounty Hunters Guild Manchester Bretonia

Rumors

Kensington Shipping Platform We're just stopping by to pick up basic supplies for the Hood in Dublin. We usually get Food, Water, Oxygen, Pharmaceuticals, and such. There are lots of miners to support out there. We handle those supply runs ourselves - saves the Gateway boys the need to cross into Dublin. The Mollys and Corsairs run a lot of ambushes in Dublin. Some of our pilots are more used to that kind of Borderworld-ish nature. The Gold run from the Hood used to be a cake walk back when the Mollys weren't really our enemies. That all changed when the Corsairs came to town. Corsairs have been hurting our operation pretty badly. We lost two Gold shipments in a row last month. If we spot the Mollys and Corsairs going at it, we usually help the Mollys out if we can. I'm based in Cambridge most of the time, where Beryllium at Cardiff is mined - I've just shipped a load of it here. Cardiff was the founding operation of the IMG, and it's been going ever since it was established. We usually pick up our Mining Machinery here for the return trip. South Shields Refinery Our escort fighters are some of the best in the colonies, rivalling the military in skill. We frequently manage to beat back enemy raiding parties, which is just as well since the Outcasts love to continually launch raids against our operations and convoys. A number of our lads have gone and joined up with the Armed Forces now that Gallia has invaded Leeds. They forfeit their Guild membership when doing so, but we don't stop anyone from leaving if they want to. Unlike BMM, we don't work that way. Folk choose to remain with the Guild. That's one of the things that draws people to our organisation. We're doing what we can to help Bretonia, but the truth of the matter is that we don't have a whole lot to call on. Most of the ships that managed to escape the Languedoc massacre were heavily damaged, and fuel shortages are a big problem for us as well. Bretonia sometimes captures a Gallic supply ship or two - they have no need for that kind of fuel, so it gets sent to us, while the ships get stripped down for raw materials. Hopefully we can adapt our ships to run on Sirian fuel soon. South Shields is one of the largest bases the IMG has constructed to date. So far it's been a struggle to get it to break even, but with the Gallic invasion it looks like we've caught a break. The amount of military forces defending here caused piracy to diminish, we're actually getting a good deal of transports through now. Bretonia also has greater demands for raw materials, which means the Hydrocarbons we produce at this base get used locally. BMM's retasking of Birmingham has boosted the Hydrocarbon demand quite a bit. South Shields is much larger than it needs to be for its current role. It was intended to produce Hydrocarbons, which the nearby asteroids are rich in, to provide an alternative to the BMM. But collecting enough dirty ice has proven a challenge, with two consecutive conflicts making the area a hazard to work in. To use some of our excess capacity, we've tried our hand at H-fuel synthesis. We keep the operation small scale for now - we don't want to step on the Gas Miners Guild's toes - but it's a very profitable thing to do. The war is creating fuel shortages, which drives up H-Fuel prices and offsets the higher production costs easily. We warned them. The Bretonians, the Kusari. None of them would listen. And now look where it got them, two house fleets all but decimated when they could have stood against the Crown together, and had a fair chance. At least Bretonia realised that Gallia heavily relies on their capital fleets and denied them further progress by disabling the Jump Gates from Leeds. It will slow the Gallic Navy down, but it won't be enough to stop them. The IMG were the first Sirians we met when we broke through Languedoc. They have been good to us - a deal with them to settle in Rousillion saved thousands of lives. They were also the only ones to heed our warning prior to the Gallic fleet's arrival. The miners had no chance to stand against them, so their only real choice was to remain neutral when the real fighting started. Good day sir, what will it be? Bretonian Stout? Liberty Ale? Rice Sake? We even have a few cases of wine, brought in by a friendly freelancer. Yes, we do see our share of strange faces at this base. You'd almost think this were a freeport. While I can't remember the last time I saw a Constable visit our station, South Shields does fall under Bretonian law. Folk visiting here should remember that, because the last thing the IMG needs is trouble with the Constabulary. It is not easy to have to exist on both sides of an armed conflict, one that appears to be involving at least four Houses now. Keeping a low profile keeps us safe, and employed. It's all we can do for now. South Shields primarily refines Hydrocarbons mined from the Galloway field's dirty ice. It's become a little more risky now that Gallia and Bretonia are coming to blows inside that field. The Outcasts also remain a threat, but the Gallic invasion of Bretonia seems to have shifted their focus to them. South Shields isn't running a big profit at the moment, but it has a lot of potential, being where it is. End of the line? A very Bowex way of thinking, that. The BMM has been trying to force us out of the system ever since Bretonia built their gate into this system. We're not worried, their lobbying has no chance of succeeding. We were building the first parts of South Shields before Bretonia was even done surveying this system. Bretonian burocracy slows Bowex and BMM down a lot, so we were able to seize an opportunity before they did. We sometimes send scouts into the Galloway ice cloud to look for new deposits of Hydrocarbons amidst the ice, but in recent years it has become increasingly dangerous, as more and more Outcasts have flooded into the area. We believe they may have built a base somewhere in the field, though we don't know where. Gallia has also found their way through, most likely through the Tau-31 jump hole, and has begun probing the Bretonian defenses in the system. At least they won't be able to move their battleships through that way - the Tau-31 asteroid field is far too dense for those massive ships to maneuver through. Looks like the remnants of the Kusari fleet are headed home with the help of the Council. We noticed the bulk of their fleet passing by the edge of our sensor range a while ago, headed to Rousillion. I guess that'll mean more trouble in the Taus before soon. I'm glad we don't have many interests in Tau-29. South Shields was the first station built in Newcastle. The IMG wanted a foothold in the system before Bowex and BMM would shut us out, and we managed to get in just in the nick of time. You see, by Bretonian law, a system linked to Bretonia by jump gate becomes subject to her law, but any preexisting stations get grandfathered in as permitted structures. We used the same loophole in Tau-23, much to BMM's annoyance. Most of our pilots come from Liberty and Bretonia. Some Red Hessians or Mollys who don't want to be on the wrong side of the law anymore also join up with us. That's why we have a number of Rheinlanders working in Bretonia and vice-versa. Some people need to leave their home to be safe. The IMG doesn't much care about your past so long as you clean up your act. The IMG has their own set of weapons by now. We had to develop them ourselves. Initially, we'd use whatever we could buy from the houses we were in, but eventually, Bretonia and Rheinland passed laws restricting their weapons to their military and police. The "Vampire" series are loosely based on the Bretonian Splitters, but heavily modified so they don't consume as much power. Don't head towards the Barrier wisp east of here. The Armed Forces warned us to stay clear of it, stating it's restricted space. That's enough for me, there's nothing of value in those nebulas anyway. One of the Bounty Hunters mentioned he was attacked in there, by Bretonian military ships. He was pretty pissed off about it too. Dounby Station We've detected small amounts of Cobalt and copper in the Westray field which this base is in. Nothing to write home about yet, but we're not done surveying the entire asteroid field. There might be isolated pockets worth mining. I'm sure Gallia will buy up whatever resources we can mine here. The Outcasts use the same jumpholes we do to move around the area. They often have raiding parties waiting at the jumpholes, so we don't go anywhere without a few escorts. Our transports and freighters are small and well armed. The Houses don't like that, but it is how we stay alive out here. Bretonia used to claim this system as part of their house. Well, I've yet to even see a single Bretonian vessel down here, aside from those belonging to the Guild. Bretonia didn't give a damn about this corner of space, a mistake they are now paying for. The Gallic Navy moved every last ship fighting on that front exclusively through here. I hear our prospectors found another small patch of Cobalt in the Westray. The density is very low though, so mining the stuff will be slow. Still, if it is enough to keep this base running and everyone on it breathing, I'm not one to complain. We come across Gaians every now and then here in Orkney. I'm not sure where they are coming from, we're a long way from the Harris terraforming project. Not sure what they're doing out here either, unless they've thrown in their lot with the Gauls. The Gallic Police and Gallic Navy don't like going into the asteroid fields. I guess they have grown to rely on their big guns. Can't say I blame them, since they seem to have a lot of those, but big aren't much help asteroid fields. Suits me, us miners prefer to be left alone anyway. Dounby was originally intended as an exploration outpost from which we could survey the asteroid fields and planets in this system. That's mostly out the window now, we're still on a Gallic supply route and too close to their space. If Gallia starts to expand, Orkney is likely to be their first port of call. Besides, initial surveys didn't reveal much of use in this system anyway, aside from the resouces here in Westray. This system used to be the most quiet corner of Tau space. Sure, there were Outcasts here, but that's the Taus for you. But aside from the occasional scrapes with those, and a lost Gaian now and then, noone ever bothered to go here. Until the Council blew through that ruddy minefield... A few days before the Gallic Navy started to pour into this system by the hundreds, a large fleet of Council transports moved through, heading to Tau-23. I'm not sure where they have gone to from there, but the convoy was massive. The remains of Reunion station and the mine field still linger near the Languedoc hole, the Royals have renamed it "Cordes" now. It's best to stay clear unless you have business there. Most of the mines are still active, and can chew through your shields in seconds. Even if you make it to your escape pod, who will risk their neck to pull you out of there? Several Council and Gallic Navy wrecks still float among the asteroids here. There's also a few near the minefield around the Languedoc hole. If you're interested in a deep scan of Gallic ships, checking one of those out should get you what you need. Some of them might even have some equipment left on them. Freistadt Base Usually IMG has to compete with BMM for resources within systems. Here in Omega-7, BMM knows that it would be too costly to start operating where we have already laid stakes. No, this system was left to us. Now I just hope that the Rheinland companies will do the same. I'm glad I don't work for Kruger anymore. No sir, I wouldn't step foot on that base of theirs for anything. You can bet the men there are working obscene hours, eking out profits for the executives in New Berlin -- and getting shot up by Hessians. The Hessians don't really attack us, so that is good. We don't have to fear for our physical safety, but Gateway does all the shipping to this base and their convoys often get attacked on the way in. So the pirates do make our lives a bit harder sometimes, but I'm not going to try and explain that to the Hessians who come here. We were the first ones in this system that decided to try and scratch out a living, mining metals. Recently, the large corporations from Rheinland have moved in; both Daumann and Kruger. It is disturbing to see them coming into our space. Many of us became IMGers to get away from those damned companies. Many IMG miners are sympathetic to the Hessian cause. This has more to do with who these miners are then the IMG: Many of our members are ex-Daumann or ex-Kruger workers who were badly treated by these companies. The Hessians hate the Rheinland mining consortiums for the same reason. This system used to be free from pirates, but after the revolt, the Hessians gathered together and started attacking shipments moving between Rheinland and Bretonia. A lot more of us miners came here after the revolt as well. Daumann and Kruger are both evil companies that worked us for nothing but promises and heartache. I hope the Hessians kill them all. Kruger and Daumann both continue to expand into the system, which forces us to move out further and further from Freistadt in search of new claims. Those blasted companies keep mining out the fields we find, and there's little we can do about it. At least the Hessians give them more grief then they do us. The local word is that one of the early Corsair raiding parties into Omega-7 headed straight into the Gubenfelde gas pocket just south of the Omega-3 Gate. It is believed that the remains of at least three ships are still in there. Watch out for the gas pockets in this system. If you fly through one of those, you are going to become a permanent fixture of your ship. You will melt right into your seat. I've seen it happen; some fool was not being careful and -- kapow! -- vapor. It's easy to get lost in here if you leave the Trade Lanes. It's a dangerous system to live in, but being friends with the Hessians helps. Well, not friends, but not enemies either. Imagine getting lost and then beset by pirates. It's over pretty quick. The Hessian movement opposes the current expansionist, militaristic government of Rheinland. They're fighting a war on two fronts: One with the Rheinland military forces, the other with the Corsairs. If they could concentrate all their forces on Rheinland, I bet they could beat the military back easily. Omega-5 is the site of a full scale war between the Corsairs and Hessians. The two factions are vying for control of this critical Jump Hole crossroads in the Omega Sector. Within the area of the no-man's-land and the Hammen Hole are numerous dead ships from both sides. Most are picked clean, but there are some that may still yield some weapons. The Republican freight train Bremerhaven was attempting to evade a Corsair attack along the Trade Lane when it blundered into the Furstenfelde gas pocket and was disabled. Attempts to rescue the crew and its cargo of Engine Components were unsuccessful. The drifting ship serves as a reminder of the dangers of venturing off the safe path in the Walker Nebula. I hear word that Dresden is running out of raw materials to mine. That's why it doesn't surprise me to see Daumann sniffing around here. If I had to wager, I'd say they are just testing the waters for a larger operation in Omega-7. They weren't here ten years ago when Dresden was still doing fine. You wait and see. I'm right. This base was left behind by the companies that built the Trade Lanes and Jump Gates in this system. What we mine is the amount that will buy us the Food and supplies we need from Freiburg. We don't need to amass a fortune or anything like that. Just trying to get by. A Red Hessian attack on the Kruger freighter Monschau failed when the ship attempted to flee. Unfortunately, it flew straight into the Ebersfeld gas pocket that separates the IMG mining area and the Elbich Mining Facility. No one has yet dared to retrieve the cargo of Silver, as the risk of explosion is too high. Java Station Lots of people who come here think we are a pretty strange breed. It's true we are loners, but if you want to meet some strange ones you should check out the wackos in Tau-37. Those guys get a rush from knowing that Outcasts might kill them at any time. This is dangerous space out here, and the other guys you see here in the Border Worlds are veterans. Anyone who comes here before they are ready doesn't last very long. If you are a Zoner it's a little different, but then the miners you see out here are a different breed, too. We operate this base here because of the rich Niobium deposits. Once it is mined, our pilots ship it out to Holman. From there we don't really care what happens. It takes a lot to keep an operation like this running. One thing we always need more of is Mining Machinery. We pick it up in Holman, and the surplus is shipped to Falkland. The IMG freighter Barossa is believed to have been ambushed by the Outcasts in the Malvinas Cloud while making a routine shipment of Niobium to Java. The Outcasts left the ship adrift after the fight, as a warning to others in the system. The Outcasts have no need for Niobium, so the ship might still have it's cargo. The IMG has treated Gallia just like any other house. We offer to sell them the Niobium and Beryllium we mine in this system. I think Gallia's just using us in that respect, not wanting to risk their own miners against the Outcasts. Those brutes attack us at any chance they get. They're nothing new to us, but the Gallic companies have never come up against such a vicious enemy, I'd wager. The IMG signed a nonagression pact with Gallia mostly because we were pressured into it. The Guild also didn't warn Kusari or Bretonia about an impending attack. I doubt they would have listened, the Council had sent the same warnings months ago and were ignored. The IMG has gone deep into the riskiest areas of Sirius space looking for valuable minerals. The most dangerous post you can man for the IMG is Falkland, which is hidden among the asteroids of Tau-37. The Outcasts do not know its location, or they would have destroyed it for certain. Niobium is an important Commodity that can be used for several things. That's why we come this far to get it. Once we bring it back here from our mining operations, it is shipped to Freeport 6, and the Zoners take it from there. Sure, the Outcasts attack this base every once in a while, to disrupt our operations. Their real focus however is on the Gallic Navy now that they've moved in in force. Still, it's kind of a rush, knowing that an Outcast might be sitting there, in the Niobium field, waiting to smoke you. I always get goosebump when I get sent out there, so I guess I like it! It sure is good to see someone who isn't a miner around here. I know there are Gallic and Kusari folks here too, but company staff are usually jerks who can't wait to get out of here. They all think we are weirdoes. You don't think I'm strange, do you? I've been out in the Edge so long I don't even know what's normal anymore. After the Gallic Navy overran the Council in Languedoc, a lot of ships passed through Tau-23, heading south. It was a hush-hush operation but the size of it has thrown off a lot of rumors. One of them is that an entire planet was evacuated, but I'm not sure if I believe it. Where would you leave that many people? More than anything else, this is Outcast space. You have to respect that or else they will bury you. Don't underestimate the Outcasts. Generally they leave us alone, but that is because we are smart enough to stay out of their way. The Gallic Navy has a heavy presence in this system now. You don't want to get in their way. True, they've thus far left us be and focused their efforts on the neighboring houses, but we don't know how long that is going to last. That king of theirs is a warmonger, I tell you. Freeport 6 The Niobium deposits found in the systems north of this one are incredible. The best IMG pilots ship Niobium to Liberty and Bretonia from Falkland or Java. Getting to Bretonia is difficult these days, as the Gallic folks don't like the idea of us IMG pilots supplying their enemies. Still, IMG pilots know how to get around outside of the Jump Gates and Trade Lanes, it is how we prospered, and still do. This system was one of the reasons that Interspace became an insurer and not a lender. It was the loans that Rheinland and Kusari took from Interspace to finance these Border World Jump Gates and Trade Lanes that bankrupted the two houses. They defaulted on their loans to Interspace and embargoed Liberty to make their point. Interspace chose to take the loss rather then scuttle the Gates and Lanes - something they probably could have done, but that would have meant war. The IMG has gone deep into the fringes of Sirius to look for valuable minerals. The most dangerous post you can man for the IMG is Falkland; it's hidden among the asteroids of Tau-37. The Outcasts do not yet know of its location, which is probably why that base still exists. Java is not a whole lot safer, but it is bigger and has better defenses. Holman Outpost Holman isn't on the frontline anymore. Wouldn't surprise me if it happened again though. Last time we saw a war this big was when Rheinland started to create a mess all over Sirius. They ran out of steam pretty quick though. What did they call it, the "Nomad" war? We've begun selling water and oxygen to the Gallic Navy. They've got quite an overstretched supply line as is, and if we weren't selling it to them I suspect they'd seize this mining operation for themselves. Bretonia isn't going to like us doing this, but what choice do we have? Being an independent miner isn't a picnic, but at least we don't have to answer to some corporate task master. That's why we can expand more quickly than the larger corporations, like BMM. They paid tremendously for Jump Gates to Tau-23; we used Jump Holes and got there first, and that's why the Niobium is ours. I'm glad that Gallic Battleship has finally left. This station has suffered enough damage for one war. We're still trying to repair the damage the Yamaguchi did when it was stationed here. This is the first of the Border World systems north of Bretonian space, and from here it gets crazier the farther you go. I like it here because it isn't too dangerous, but you still get away from colonial control. Mining Water and Oxygen isn't too profitable, but it's a job. Sometimes we are contacted to pull asteroids out of the Trade Lanes, too. If you want to be a successful IMG miner, you have to know the locations of Jump Holes. There are at least two in this system: the Hole to Edinburgh is in the west of the system, and the Hole to Tau-29 is due north of this base just beyond the parallel of the sun. The IMG brings Niobium to this base from our station in Tau-23. That is a dangerous piece of space, but we get regular shipments from Java. The Outcasts often attack those convoys on the way back, stealing supplies they can use themselves. We used to supply the terraforming operation on Harris with water. Terraforming a desert world takes a lot of water after all, and bringing the Leeds kind wasn't what Planetform had in mind. The Kusari and Gallic invasions have ground that operation to a halt. We don't make nearly as much as before, and all these Refugees crowding the station do not help either. I used to work for BMM until I discovered that they didn't care about me. That's why I joined the IMG -- to be my own boss. I get paid for the amount of Water and Oxygen I mine -- not some set salary that is always going to keep me under someone's thumb. Kusari got ambushed in this system. The Kusari battleship Yamaguchi sustained heavy damage, and was cut off from Kusari. It withdrew into Bretonia, and from what I've heard, has now joined with Bretonian forces against Gallia. The Bretonian battleship Macduff which was defending Harris also got hit hard. Our ships are one of the few Sirian factions that don't draw much attention with the Gallic Navy. Some of our transports make their way into Gallia to pick up some exotic supplies and bring them here, or further into Sirius. If you try and cross the lines into Bretonia with those, the Gallic Navy will shoot you down. The Whetstone never completed its scheduled run from Holman to the Tau-31 Gate construction site. The cargo of Robotics is likely still intact because it is not valuable enough to the Outcasts to haul away. It most likely lies somewhere in the system's northwest quadrant. Singapore Shipyard Most of this system has fallen under Gallic influence now. I suspect they wanted it as a flank to hit Kusari on, but that fight seems to have ended. I'm not sure what they want with this system now. Borneo isn't ready for habitation, and aside from this station, there's only the Minato civilian spaceport left. It is both a blessing and a curse to be this remote. The closest friendly bases are those in the neighboring Tau-39 system, but those won't be quick to respond if there's trouble here. Luckily, there's rarely trouble here, since the Outcast bases are even further away then our own, and Gallia hasn't shown any intention to give us trouble here. I hear the Gallic's want to colonize Borneo. The Colonials had enough trouble when they had a steady flow of resources going for it, how do the Gallics think they will manage it with their supply lines getting hit by the Outcasts all the time? While IMG shipyards usually accept commissions by other factions, Singapore doesn't get many of those. The occasional Freelancer or Zoner may stop by, but the remote location of this yard doesn't make it easily available to people. The kind of folk that do come here for a commission usually don't want the authorities to know about it. I don't like it, but that's how it works out in the Borderworlds. Seen my beautiful ship in the dry docks? She's a lovely one alright. Haven't had a chance to get her a proper overhaul for months now. Our normal docks were too full and Aland is just too far away. This shipyard's got plenty of room though, and a brilliant equipment setup too. The Colonials handed over official control of the station to us soon after the Gallic invasion started. Thanks to our neutrality, the shipyards have been kept out of Gallic hands. Our mining fleet has definitely benefitted from having such a large shipyard at their disposal. When the Colonials controlled the station it was mainly used for military purposes. Now all of its capacity goes to our mining fleet. Watch out if you go towards the nearby nebula. Large parts of it have highly unstable gases, which tend to react violently with standard engine exhausts. Heavy shielding helps a lot - fighters are advised to stay out of there unless on the short stretch to Tau-39. Bigger ships can often evade raiders by going into a nebula like that - smaller craft will quickly succumb, but stronger ships can shrug the explosive blasts off, and even intentionally trigger them to damage any pursuers. Quite a handy packet they have here. Most of the raw materials needed to keep this yard afloat are imported from the Timor and Java mining bases. But that's just the bulk minerals, for the hightech stuff we still rely mostly on imports. Most of it used to come from Bretonia, but nowadays we import most from Kusari. With the war and all, it's easier that way. Singapore is the second largest shipyard the IMG has, second only to Aland in Omega 3. Singapore handles most of the large ship construction and maintenance in the Tau region. Anything Jakarta can't handle gets sent here. When the Colonials left they took everything they could with them, leaving nothing behind for the Gallic invaders. Except this shipyard. It's too large to be deconstructed and moved, but it's well hidden. We keep it operational for our own needs. The exploration cruisers we operate are generally built here. We used to build fullsized carriers as well, but getting the necessary construction materials has become much harder without the Colonial industry supporting the shipyard. Importing parts is impractical because of the remote location of this yard. Most of the craft being built or overhauled here are large asteroid miners, or large transport ships. Very large ships require a spacedock to lock them down while they are being maintained. Even for smaller ships such a dock is useful, because the facilities and lighting a dock offers make working on a ship much easier. Freeport 10 Almost all of the basic supplies used in Falkland are brought there by us from this base. It's a dangerous run because we could be discovered by the Outcasts. If they followed us back to our base, we would all be killed. An identifier from one of our destroyed ships came back online a few days ago. That is very strange, since we are certain that the ship was destroyed. Whoever cloned the ship I.D. is a cruel deceiver. The dead pilot's wife has been frantic hoping he's still alive since the signature came back up. The toughest and bravest miners in all of Sirius work at the Falkland. Death looms over all of our heads every day, but we have a good hiding spot and the Niobium profits are incredible, so long as we can keep the Outcasts off our backs. Falkland Base There's two kinds of miners on Falkland. Those who have no choice, and those who have no fear. Those who have no choice come only for the credits. If they live long enough to make what they need, they'll run back to the colonies. Those who have no fear never leave Tau-37. Eventually the Outcasts see to that. How long they survive depends on how well they handle themselves in space combat. Some dirty Bounty Hunter paid me for poor old Rodney's ship identifier. I didn't know the jerk would use it right here in this system; I thought he'd be setting traps somewhere else. If they find out I'm the one who sold it to him, the other miners are going to kill me. The richest deposits of Niobium aren't directly around this base but further northwest. The Outcasts know this as well, and have been looking for our base in that direction as a result. Their raiders are also much more numerous in that field, so watch your back if you go there. Mining Machinery is brought here from Java. If we are going to leave the system, we will take the Niobium we have mined and deliver it to Freeport 6, where it can be distributed. The IMG freighter Barossa is believed to have been ambushed by the Outcasts in the Malvinas Cloud while making a routine shipment of Niobium to Java. The Outcasts left the ship adrift after the fight, as a warning to others in the system. The Outcasts have no need for Niobium, so the ship might still have it's cargo. Falkland is supplied almost entirely by the Zoner base in this system. We can't make supply runs too frequently for fear of being discovered by the Outcasts, and when we do we send our best pilots Niobium mining is the only thing we are here for, and the only thing we are concerned with. That, and staying alive long enough so that we make enough to get out. Basic supplies come from the Freeport and from Java, but we have to stockpile a bit since you never know when the Outcasts might take out a shipment. This place is as far away as you can get from house space. We are in the middle of nowhere unless you count the Outcasts. Me, I don't give them lads any mind. If they kill us, then they kill us, a man doesn't control when his ticket gets punched. This base can't last. It is too remote, even for the Guild. If the Outcasts ever attack it in force there'll be nothing we can do. We don't have the number of ships that they have, and we can't call in a house navy like BMM would. I hope there's an evacuation plan, or there's going to be hundreds of dead miners when the time comes. I also hope I'll be long gone by then. It's not for everyone, living on this base, under the constant threat of annihilation by the Outcasts. Were it not for the value and rarity of Niobium, noone in their right mind would have set up shop on the Outcasts doorstep. But we have. The Bounty Hunters are often a valuable decoy. They've tried to patsy us for their activities a few times, but I don't think they know we use them as well. A few well-placed rumors on Freeport 10 can cause Hunters and Outcasts to clash at a position of our choosing, which distracts them long enough for one of our convoys to slip through. Most of the time. We don't get many visitors here. We like it that way. The fewer people that know about this base, the better. If the Outcasts get wind of us being here we'll be under constant attack. Like Java, but worse. The slave revolt has been a tipping point in our struggle against the Outcasts here. And while the revolt did fail in ousting the maskers from their position of power entirely, it has leveled the playing field for the rest of us. We plan to send envoys to Freeport 10 as a show of support, together we might deter any acts of aggression the "victors" of this war might be planning. My brother works for BMM. There is no way I would ever do that work. BMM will work you to death and then dock your pay for sleeping on the job when you keel over. I've got my pride. I don't need some damn overseer yelling at me about corporate profits and what not. It's just me, the Niob and the Outcasts out here. And the Outcasts you can shoot back at. Planet Gran Canaria I'm just here on vacation. I work on the Guild's gold mining operations out of Hood, in Dublin. Recently I found a very rich gold asteroid, almost solid gold, out in the Hood field which was supposed to be mined out! Not sure how it got there but I'm not complaining, me and my crew can take the rest of the year off. I've just delivered a group of settlers to the surface. Ah, right. Refugees. Well, I suppose that depends how you look at it. Regardless, the Zoners don't seem to mind our people making a home for themselves here, although sharing a planet with the Corsairs is bound to be a battle in the making. I'll be headed back to Dublin soon. Not looking forward to the trip. First I have to make my way from the planet to the Barrier nebula wisp that shrouds the jump hole and hope the Corsairs don't catch me on long range sensors. Then I have to hope they aren't waiting at the hole itself. And once through it, I have those damned Mollies on my tail! We'll usually side with the Mollies if we see them and the Corsairs clash. The Corsairs are driven only by greed. The Mollies are simply fighting for what they feel is theirs by the sweat of their brows. If you've been treated like a slave for most of your life, wouldn't you demand compensation from your captor? That's how most Mollies feel towards Bretonia, and especially BMM. Freighter runs like these don't pay much more than a borderworld run. The people who take them however are a different breed. Supply of our military is vital to keeping Bretonia alive. I don't have the skill to be a fighter pilot, but by doing this, I can do my part for Queen and House. Barrier Gate Station A The DSE survey vessel Armstrong was destroyed in a pirate attack. Can't say I'm unhappy about it. We know damn well that this is a prime smuggling route into Liberty, and I think the Rogues were as unhappy with DSE nosing around here as we were. I guess they finally did something about it, which is more than I can say for the IMG. Folks aren't sure exactly who blew up the Armstrong. All I heard was that a bunch of pirates had a fair go at it. Nothing uncommon there, happened all the time. What made this different was the weaponry they were packing. Whatever it was, it had a serious punch. We are happy to see DSE gone. It is not the corporation itself that had us worried, we work with them all the time.It is the fact that they are a precursor to Liberty annexing a system. We spent 7 years putting Paisley together and are not interested in it being taken out from under us. The Crayter Republic withdrew to here after being forced out of their own system in the Taus by the Gallic Navy. They use our Pecos base as a refuge for now, but will likely want to try and inhabit Yuma. But they have to solve the same problems DSE faced in their attempts, in removing the native plant life. I think they have a good chance, they've got more resources out here than just a single survey vessel. I'm sure we'll catch the blame for the Armstrong's demise, but what the hell was DSE thinking sending an unescorted survey vessel out this far? Those arrogant bastards have themselves to blame. I hear not a single lifepod made it out, which would account for several hundred dead. I wonder if any of them made it to the planet surface. We rotate shifts from our deuterium mining on Pecos so that everyone gets a chance to relax off world. Though with the Republicans settling properly on the planet, even our colony has boomed business wise. Folks come here for the less..legal fun. Watch the casino though. It is really easy to lose a week's pay if you are not careful. Pecos, Camp Lister We don't often venture into the nearby Barrier nebula, at least not into the parts that aren't charted. Ships get lost there and aren't seen again. I've heared rumors on Barrier Gate that smuggler ships sometimes vanish too. Better to stick to open space when possible, at least you see what's coming. I've got your poison, if you've got the credits. Business here has jumped with the Republic's arrival. I've even managed to get ahold of most of the alcohol I need thanks to a few contacts over on the Gate. No DSE watching us means we can be a bit more forward with our dealings on the Gate. The Colonial's know they can trust us, and we trust them. DSE never did manage to find a jump hole here. It's funny when you think about it. One of the largest corporations in the universe can't manage to find a jump hole in one small system, even with others using it all the time! We've expanded the mines recently, allowing us to get more miners down and bigger machinery in. Things are going pretty good around here. The Republic's arrival has created a trade boom for our colony and a lot of the lads don't need to go to the Gate for all their leisure time now. After being forcibly evicted from their home, the Colonials came here. They are still getting established. The surface of Pecos isn't very pleasant, but once these guys find a way to deal with the foliage on Yuma, they can settle on that world. I suppose the prospect of warmer temperatures will keep those Colonial science teams motivated. You probably have heard about it already, but folks have seen strange things out in the wastelands here. Our colony is further away from the largest wasteland than the Colonial settlements but we still get our fair share of stories. It's been a long time since I was out there and I don't intend going out there again. Not when you lose half your team to bloody animals. Now that the Colonials are here we don't need to worry so much about Liberty moving in on this mine. With the DSE surveyor gone, it'll take Liberty at least another 10 years to get to this system. By then we'll have firmly planted our flag in this side of the system. We know there's a prime smuggling route through this system. It's a long way from this base though, so we have no reason to harass the ships passing through. They let us be, and we let them be. It works out well for us. I'm hoping the Colonials will do the same. I was recently back on Falkland. That place is a mess. The war really has taken it's toll on the folks there. Out here the worst we have are pirates who fancy a pop at one of our transports. They usually don't last long. Barrier Gate Station B The DSE survey vessel Armstrong was destroyed in a pirate attack. Can't say I'm unhappy about it. We know damn well that this is a prime smuggling route into Liberty, and I think the Rogues were as unhappy with DSE nosing around here as we were. I guess they finally did something about it, which is more than I can say for the IMG. Folks aren't sure exactly who blew up the Armstrong. All I heard was that a bunch of pirates had a fair go at it. Nothing uncommon there, happened all the time. What made this different was the weaponry they were packing. Whatever it was, it had a serious punch. We are happy to see DSE gone. It is not the corporation itself that had us worried, we work with them all the time.It is the fact that they are a precursor to Liberty annexing a system. We spent 7 years putting Paisley together and are not interested in it being taken out from under us. The Crayter Republic withdrew to here after being forced out of their own system in the Taus by the Gallic Navy. They use our Pecos base as a refuge for now, but will likely want to try and inhabit Yuma. But they have to solve the same problems DSE faced in their attempts, in removing the native plant life. I think they have a good chance, they've got more resources out here than just a single survey vessel. I'm sure we'll catch the blame for the Armstrong's demise, but what the hell was DSE thinking sending an unescorted survey vessel out this far? Those arrogant bastards have themselves to blame. I hear not a single lifepod made it out, which would account for several hundred dead. I wonder if any of them made it to the planet surface. We rotate shifts from our deuterium mining on Pecos so that everyone gets a chance to relax off world. Though with the Republicans settling properly on the planet, even our colony has boomed business wise. Folks come here for the less..legal fun. Watch the casino though. It is really easy to lose a week's pay if you are not careful. Barrier Gate Station C The DSE survey vessel Armstrong was destroyed in a pirate attack. Can't say I'm unhappy about it. We know damn well that this is a prime smuggling route into Liberty, and I think the Rogues were as unhappy with DSE nosing around here as we were. I guess they finally did something about it, which is more than I can say for the IMG. Folks aren't sure exactly who blew up the Armstrong. All I heard was that a bunch of pirates had a fair go at it. Nothing uncommon there, happened all the time. What made this different was the weaponry they were packing. Whatever it was, it had a serious punch. We are happy to see DSE gone. It is not the corporation itself that had us worried, we work with them all the time.It is the fact that they are a precursor to Liberty annexing a system. We spent 7 years putting Paisley together and are not interested in it being taken out from under us. The Crayter Republic withdrew to here after being forced out of their own system in the Taus by the Gallic Navy. They use our Pecos base as a refuge for now, but will likely want to try and inhabit Yuma. But they have to solve the same problems DSE faced in their attempts, in removing the native plant life. I think they have a good chance, they've got more resources out here than just a single survey vessel. I'm sure we'll catch the blame for the Armstrong's demise, but what the hell was DSE thinking sending an unescorted survey vessel out this far? Those arrogant bastards have themselves to blame. I hear not a single lifepod made it out, which would account for several hundred dead. I wonder if any of them made it to the planet surface. We rotate shifts from our deuterium mining on Pecos so that everyone gets a chance to relax off world. Though with the Republicans settling properly on the planet, even our colony has boomed business wise. Folks come here for the less..legal fun. Watch the casino though. It is really easy to lose a week's pay if you are not careful. Lewes Shipping Platform Bowex is busier than ever these days. The end of the war with Kusari has created some interesting trade opportunities. Hopefully we'll be poised to exploit them to the hilt. I've just dropped off a load of Super Alloy and I'll make a quick trip with Mining Machinery to Toronto before heading back to Scarborough with Platinum. I can believe that LPI is too chicken to retaliate for Red Deer Station, but that doesn't mean the Navy should sit around on its thumbs. I guess the Admirals figure the Rogues would never be so brazen as to attack us directly like that. I bet that's what those poor schlubs at Red Deer thought just before the station exploded. I've heard some quiet chatter that we're selling Military Vehicles to the Council's planets, up in Gallia. That's probably a good move. The more the Gallic Royal Navy has to worry about their rear area, the less they can focus on the front line against us.

NOTE: Page generated on the 20/12/2024 at 17:26:36 UTC