Planet Crete

Planet Crete

File:Hi02 01 base.png

Owner

Corsairs

Location

E/F-5, Omicron Gamma

DIAMETER: 17,609 km.

MASS: 7.02 x 10e24 kg.

TERRAIN: Terrestrial

TEMPERATURE: -2°C to 41°C

ESCAPE VELOCITY: 14.01 km/sec

The ancestors of the Corsairs were survivors of the crippled Sleeper Ship Hispania, who used the vessel's escape pods to land on Crete in 35 AS. Those settlers found themselves on a harsh, rocky world that was ill suited to human colonisation or the crops brought from Sol. The Corsairs scratched out a bleak existence for four centuries, suffering many famines that threatened to eradicate their shrinking population. Through these hardships, the Corsairs would develop a strong, insular self-identity that separated them from the other Houses. In 450 AS, that insular world changed.

An exploratory expedition headed by Franz Schulman - financed by Daumann and the Rheinland government - stumbled into the system while mapping the far reaches of the Walker Nebula. Crete's desperate inhabitants, sensing a historic opportunity, attacked the landing party en masse. They killed all save Schulman, whom they took hostage to gain control of the orbiting mother ship Schiller. Once they had secured the ship and all of its technologies, they were outraged. The Schiller's databases indicated that the Houses had made no attempt to locate the Hispania or its survivors. Suspicion that the other Houses were behind the sabotage of the Hispania turned into hatred, and with a renewed determination, the sons and daughters of Crete took to the stars again.

No one is entirely sure who first nicknamed them the "Corsairs," recalling the ancient pirate clans of the Mediterranean, but the name came into popular use among the Houses sometime around 500 AS. The Corsairs began attacking unprotected outposts and ships, plundering whatever supplies and equipment they could lay their hands on, before escaping through one of their secret Jump Holes. The systematic expansion of the Houses into the Omega Border Worlds further fueled the Corsairs, dramatically increasing the quantity and variety of accessible goods. This in turn allowed them to build stronger ships and weapons and grow their population.

The final chapter began in the sixth century AS, when an enterprising, well-armed Liberty freelancer named Jim Bown made his way to Omicron Gamma. He brought Consumer Goods and Food to trade, but the Corsairs could offer little but Artifacts. A year later, he returned. Those trinkets were all the rage with the elite of Manhattan. He saw a great business opportunity if they could set up a viable trade route to Liberty. The Corsairs were on their way. They grew rapidly in size and sophistication as they built up the Artifact trade. The primary smuggling route now goes north to Sigma-19, where Artifacts are traded with the Hogosha onboard the Hawaii. They have also opened up a route into Rheinland via Freeport 8 in Sigma 15. In the west the Corsairs invaded Bretonia in order to reach the Junker's Trafalgar Base in New London.

In recent years, tensions between the Corsairs and local Zoners have steadily grown. This is caused partially by Bounty Hunters using nearby Freeports to attack the Corsairs' home system, but also concerns that Zoner colonies on Pygar would compete for Freeport 9's Food exports to Crete. Crete currently has a population the planet can barely support, with regional famines a commonplace occurrence if crops fail. The Corsairs attempted to resolve Crete's Food insecurity in 831 AS by seizing control of Freeport 9 and its biodomes, although this has also severed their access to Zoner markets for other essential goods such as Fertilisers and Pharmaceuticals.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes

Corsairs

Missions

Corsairs

Commodities

Imports

Commodity Price Hessian Tears 135$ Gin 52$ Liberty Ale 73$ Medical Equipment 48$ Molybdenum 176$ Rheinbier 45$ Sake 68$ Light Arms 165$ Crew 442$ Black Market Pharmaceuticals 74$ Counterfeit Computerware 94$ Gold 257$ Silver 147$ Niobium 162$ Copper 208$ Diamonds 126$ Luxury Food 55$ Fertilizers 43$ H-Fuel 145$ Pharmaceuticals 44$ Luxury Consumer Goods 75$ Black Market Munitions 50$ Xeno Relics 175$ Gaian Wildlife 413$ Black Market Augments 43$ Iridium 114$ Platinum 220$ Wine 84$ Aluminium 155$ Munitions 58$ Tea 61$ Fire Pearls 59$

Exports

Commodity Price Deployable Mining Container 50,000$ Rum 3$ Artifacts 105$ Oxygen 25$ Water 25$ Basic Alloy 57$ Consumer Goods 59$ Cigars 78$

Ships sold

Ship	Class	Price
Legionnaire	Light Fighter	15,242$
Titan	Very Heavy Fighter	24,379$
Centurion	Heavy Fighter	12,367$

News

[834 AS] Order strikes Corsair smugglers

BATTLESHIP DELOS -- 834 -- The Order has treacherously struck at Corsair freighters passing through Omicron Delta. Their arrogance knows no bounds. We have survived in this region for centuries longer than their organization has existed, yet they have the hubris to condescend to the Corsairs of the dangers? We bear The Order no ill will so long as they focus their attention where it belongs -- the Nomads. The moment they interfere with Corsair business, they can expect a Corsair blade. With the situation in Omicron Theta now stabilizing, the Elders have retasked the Battleship Delos to Omicron Delta to safeguard Xeno Relic smuggling routes. The Order, Core or anyone else shall interfere at their peril.

[833 AS] Outcasts retreat, sealing Corsair victory

FREEPORT 9 -- 833 -- Facing superior Corsair forces, the Outcasts have fled from battle in Omicron Theta, abandoning their Zoner lapdogs. Valiant Corsair fighters cut down their pitiful enemies, putting these upstart Zoners in their place. Despite this, victory has come at the cost of many precious Corsair ships, and ambushes on our freighters continue in the system's nebulae. The Elders recognize that the Zoners are feeble minded and were manipulated by the treacherous Outcasts -- Crete has generously offered peace terms to local Zoner leaders so that they may accept Corsair rule and ensure their survival.

[833 AS] Elders dismiss general over failure

CRETE -- 833 -- Outraged at the destruction of the Battlecruiser Kefalonia and damage to Freeport 9, the Elders have summoned General Galvez to answer for his failure to anticipate the scale of the attack. The Home Fleet is now being reorganized under new command, with the Battleship Delos providing immediate cover while the Battlecruiser Vis and squadrons from Rheinland are urgently pulled back from their present campaigns. Elder Garcia commended the Freeport’s defenders for their tenacity, congratulating them on throwing back the Outcast invaders. “We held our ground, at a cost,” she noted. “The Outcast feel they have struck a blow, but the wreckage shows they’ve paid a severe cost in blood they cannot well replace. When they return, we shall be ready.”

[832 AS] Breaking the Stalemate

PETRA -- 832 AS -- Grinding stalemates against the Hessians in Omega-5 and Omega-48 have gone on for decades, with tens of thousands having met their end in these systems. High Elder Montoya once pioneered the Road to Rheinland strategy to break this impasse. He envisioned an assault through the Sigmas into Rheinland, crippling the Hessian back lines in Dresden. While the High Elder has since passed, today we have the power to once again put his bold plan into action. Our scouts aboard the Battlecruiser Penitence report that the Rheinland Military and Hessians have severely bloodied one another in a massive clashes within Dresden. Both are weakened and preoccupied; all we must do is administer the fatal blow. The Elders have directed our forces to assemble at Petra and prepare to break through Frankfurt into Dresden. Be wary of the Bundschuh, who have harassed our raiders and resupply freighters in the area. They will likely try to stop us, and are to be shot on sight.

[832 AS] Core on Our Doorsteps!

CIUTADELLA - In a surprise attack, the Core battleship Mars has emerged from the Theta Jump Hole in the Omicron Kappa system, and launched a massive attack on the Artificial Intelligence planet of Gammu! They cowardly waited for our forces to be dispersed between various theaters, the latest one being the Outcast return to Omicron Theta, and took advantage of our inability to crush them like the pests they are. Special orders were relayed to Battleship Delos in Theta to coordinate additional patrols in the Amarus Cloud to interfere with their shipments of Gammu materials as much as possible.

[832 AS] The Outcast Menace Returns

DELOS -- 832 AS -- In a bitter day for the Corsair Empire, the Outcasts have returned to Omicron Theta. The crew of the Battleship Fes gave their lives to raise the alarm, allowing the Corsair defenders of Freeport 9 to assemble and repulse the assault. The Elders have authorised the deployment of elements of the Omicron Gamma defence fleet to respond to the Outcast invasion and secure our borders. These elite fighters are more than a match for the drug-addled Outcasts and will hold the line until the Northern and Southern Fleets complete their assignments in Dresden and Dublin. The Battleship Delos has been dispatched to the system to coordinate our counter-attack and avenge the loss of the Fes. The Elders have announced that a great honor will be bestowed upon the pilots responsible for the destruction of the Outcast Battlecruiser Augusta.

[832 AS] Gunboat Prosperity

CRETE -- 832 AS -- The rightful occupation of Freeport 9 has relieved some pressures on Crete, but stressed others. While we now control the biodomes of Omicron Theta, Food production has begun to decline. Our engineers think this is because of the high-yield synth crops depleting the soil. The Zoners seem to have prevented this previously by importing Fertilizers from the Houses. Similarly, Crete, Leon and Cadiz are facing a shortage of Pharmaceuticals, complicating the treatment of our casualties. The Zoners now refuse to sell us these goods, so we must look elsewhere to obtain what we need. The Elders have decreed that the raiding fleets are to redouble their efforts in Cambridge, and make new inroads into the Frankfurt system. Petra Base in Sigma 15 is to be reinforced, and the Fertilizer convoys from Planet Holstein treated as priority targets. The Corsairs have always prized strength, and we have the strength to take what we need from the weak. Prosperity is there to be seized.

[832 AS] The Gold-Paved Path to Victory

CADIZ -- 832 AS -- The Gallic War left Bretonia a wounded beast, stumbling along in a desperate attempt to prolong the inevitable. This new 'peace' has left the Bretonians weak, lazy and complacent. This presents us with critical opportunities. Our reavers scourge their trade lanes to feeble opposition, each raid securing the plunder and materiel needed to rebuild our mighty fleets. Now, the Mollys have seized the Dublin system, and its immense Gold wealth along with it. The Mollys are but gnats compared to the mighty Corsairs - the Elders have decreed that the system will be ours. The Battlecruiser Santander has already struck a great victory by eliminating the Battleship Hood. The Mollys fear to meet us in open battle, but soon they will be forced to fight or starve. With the wealth of Dublin secured, no one will be able to oppose us. The path to the Corsairs' great victory in Bretonia and Rheinland is paved in Gold.

[831 AS] Freeport 9 Seized Over Zoner Treachery

FREEPORT 9 -- 831 AS -- For decades we tolerated the insolence of Freeport 9's Zoners. They wrongly assumed that the Corsairs would simply ignore the sheltering of our enemies and the disrespect of our laws, so long as their biodomes continued to provide for Crete. The death of Juan Garcia was but the latest in a line of killings by the Bounty Hunters Guild, abetted by the Zoners who provide them with safe harbor. The Elders have decided: no more. One opportunity was offered for the Zoners to make amends for their transgressions, and instead they chose to ignore our reasonable demands. Last night, Freeport 9 was boarded and the station administration placed under arrest. From this day forward, the biodomes will provide exclusively for the Corsairs, and the docking bays will admit only those we allow. Fortunately, our ancient enemies the Outcasts appear to be preoccupied with a self-inflicted revolt on their poisonous planet. By the time they turn their focus back to the Omicrons, we will be secure in our conquest.

[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.

[831 AS] Corsair Elder's Son Killed by BHG!

FREEPORT 9 -- 831 AS -- The presence of Bounty Hunters so close to the Corsair home world has long been a source of anger for the Edge World pirates. Zoner Freeports offer a safe harbor and open market to all comers - including the BHG. For decades the Zoners of Freeport 9 have kept themselves safe from Corsair reprisals by offering useful services, with their biodomes providing Crete with respite from the famines that once ravished it. Despite this, outrage has swept Omicron Gamma after a flight of Hunters killed Commander Juan Garcia, before retreating back to the No Fire Zones of Omicron Theta. The Council of Elders have ordered the administrator of Freeport 9 to attend Planet Crete to hear their demands. Elder Garcia has vowed that the station's halls would "run red with blood" unless the Zoners turned over all BHG aboard the Freeport. The Zoners are yet to respond, likely trying to anticipate how the Corsairs will react.

[830 AS] Tempers Flare over Pygar Colony!

PYGAR -- 830 AS -- The Zoners have seen many trials over recent years, with the Bretonian invasion of Gran Canaria being one among many. It was this occupation that forced many settlers off-world, with some braving the deadly storms of Pygar to eke out a difficult existence under the barren planet's surface. The arrival of Zoner colonists in Omicron Theta has not been met with warmth by all, however. The Corsairs see the Pygar colony as a direct competitor for the region's scarce resources, with Elder Garcia warning that there would be "dire consequences" should Freeport 9's biodomes reduce or divert their exports to Planet Crete. Whispers of alien ruins and Artifacts discovered below Pygar's surface may also antagonize the Corsairs, who rely on the Artifact trade as a source of wealth. The hardship of Pygar's extreme conditions and the uneasy relationship with the Corsairs has already led many colonists to consider a return to the now liberated Gran Canaria.

[830 AS] Corsair Empire salutes High Elder Montoya

CRETE -- 830 AS -- The Corsairs all across the Empire salute High Elder Montoya, who died among his family aged 78. The High Elder dedicated his life to the Corsair people, having won a lifetime of glory leading strikes into Bretonia, Rheinland and the Sigmas. Montoya pioneered the 'Road to Rheinland' strategy, commanding the Northern Fleet as it entered Sigma 15 in 815 AS. While that campaign would falter in Frankfurt, Montoya's steady leadership ensured that many Corsair warriors returned to Crete to continue to fight for the Empire and future victory. In his later years, Montoya would act as a steadying hand on the Council of Elders, counseling against rash decisions and reckless action. The Council has since inducted Elder Rosita Garcia to their number. As she commemorated the launch of the Battlecruiser Santander, she declared that "Sirius shall be set alight as a pyre in Montoya's honor". The Santander and its squadrons have been dispatched to pillage Bretonia.

[828 AS] Reconquista

CRETE -- 828 AS -- Following a lull of successful conquests waged by the Corsairs, the Elders have finally broken their silence and issued an ultimatum. "The standing Navy of the Corsair Empire as well as its irregular raiders must do everything within their means to break existing stalemates or make progress. The enemies of Crete have grown arrogant and take for granted that Corsair offensives have lost their steam, this is an assessment which must be proved woefully wrong." In response to these express instructions, activity across every Corsair installation has intensified to levels that suggest substantial mobilization.

Rumors

Corsairs

Hola, Senor. Do you have any information about slavery within the Empire? My team of investigators is ready to take your statement, if you do. We will not tolerate this loathsome practice that has been so heinously promoted by the Outcasts. Those drug abusing degenerates think nothing of exploiting the vulnerable in their quest for cheap cardamine and domination over their peaceful neighbors. The proximity of our base Cadiz to the Trade Lanes and Bretonian space makes it a primary source of stolen goods for the Corsairs. H-Fuel, Pharmaceuticals, and Polymers are frequently shipped here from that base. Corsairs have the purest hearts and are the most fair minded citizens in all of Sirius, I declare! We shall crush the despicable slave trade and its wicked promoters wherever we find them. I have heard far too many rumors of this practice existing at remote Corsair installations. Personally, I do not believe them. The Etna Six were an aberration brought on by extended exposure to Outcasts within the Etna battle zone. Such greed and casual disregard for humanity is totally foreign to the average Corsair. We traveled to Sirius on a sleeper ship like everyone else. Our ship, the Hispania, fell victim to sabotage en route. We were forced to abandon her and make our way through the void. We found this planet with barely enough supplies to feed half of us. Few crops would grow in these infertile sands, and our numbers dwindled to almost nothing. The first outsider accepted by the Corsairs was a freelancer named John Bown. He fought several of our best pilots when he entered the system, so he was able to pass. He left with a cargo bay full of Artifacts, and that is when trade began. Our economy flourished, allowing us to feed more of our people. The supplies we use to run our bases are either stolen or purchased with the money we make from selling stolen goods. The Construction Machinery here is almost all stolen. There is a legend that a secret Jump Hole lies at the center of the Graveyard of the Innocents in the Malvada Cloud. A young Corsair completing his adulthood initiation rites stumbled across it while trying to find his Artifact. He entered it and emerged in an uncharted system. Strange alien ships soon appeared in the distance, and he fled for his life back to known territory. Few people believe the story. Many think our rites of initiation are barbaric, but we can't feed, clothe, and train every Corsair born. The initiation keeps our population problems in check. At the age of sixteen every Corsair must fly into the radioactive Malvadas Cloud in an unshielded ship and return with an Artifact. Some return as they left, others become sterile, and the rest die. The Malvada Nube serves as the key adult initiation ritual within the close families of the Corsairs. Young pilots must fly a stripped ship into the cloud, find an Artifact, and return safely to Crete. Almost 30% never return. The radiation levels are high, and it is rumored that there are strange beings that guard the best areas. By tradition, a lost trainee's ship and body are never recovered, just left as a reminder to future generations of failure's cost. The Corsairs are consolidated into family lines that are brought together and strengthened by marriage. Our society is a closed one; we do not wish to dilute our blood with the seeds of weaker men. It is possible to fly with the Corsairs and to be trusted by us, but an outsider will never marry into the families of Crete. There were Artifacts all over Crete at one time. Most of those have been sold now, but we still find Artifacts in the Malvadas and Napo Clouds. Any Corsair could have many of the alien trinkets, but they have no function and are therefore meaningless, except for trade. Let some other fool spend his money on them. The Artifacts we trade in Yanagi more than pay for the Side Arms, Consumer Goods, and Fertilizers that we bring to this base on our return. If you hear of any rumors of slavery within the Empire, be sure to bring it to my investigators' attention. We will track them down and get to the bottom of the matter, I assure you. I believe all such rumors to be paranoid chatter or Hessian inspired lies, but it is my duty to pursue them all until the purity of the Corsair way of life is evident to all of Sirius. The Zoners at Freeport 5 and Freeport 9 have access to many of the supplies we use at this base. In exchange for the Oxygen and Water we have in abundance here we are able to get all manner of goods. The second year after planetfall we ran out of Food. The family leaders gathered together and decided upon a course of action. The Ventru line was chosen, and they gave themselves up to be butchered. Every Corsair is a Ventru, though the line no longer lives, they are a part of us all. The Artifacts that end up in Manhattan usually pass through Bretonia's market first. We export Alien Artifacts to the Junker base Trafalgar. I don't suppose there would be anything to stop you from doing the same.

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