Holmfirth Base

Holmfirth Base

File:Br02 06 base.png

Owner

Gaians

Location

C-2, Manchester

CLASS: Thirsk

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 80

Constructed in 807 AS after Planetform announced their intention to begin the terraforming of planet Wight, Holmfirth base is quite a large ice asteroid that has been hollowed out by the Gaians to serve as their main base of operations for the Manchester system, and contains a sizeable population of pilots, mechanics, engineers and even the occasional Corsair.

Located not far from the jump hole to Newcastle, the Gaians mostly use the base to launch attacks on BPA Newgate and Birmingham Station, although occasionally they will strike across the system to hit Sheffield Station. The BMM have attempted to increase security around Birmingham Station, but barely a day goes past without a Gaian attack on the station, and Planetform transports are always being hijacked along the trade lanes. The spoils and survivors of such raids are always taken to Holmfirth, where a majority of the captured goods quickly find their way onto the black markets.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes

Corsairs Junkers Gaians

Missions

Gaians Corsairs

Commodities

Imports

Commodity Price Criminals 439$ Gin 34$ Liberty Ale 30$ Medical Equipment 30$ Light Arms 66$ Prisoners 194$ Black Market Pharmaceuticals 36$ Counterfeit Computerware 51$ Gold 185$ Copper 104$ Oxygen 14$ Food Rations 33$ H-Fuel 192$ MOX 25$ Mining Machinery 28$ Pharmaceuticals 30$ Consumer Goods 15$ Ageira Gate/Lane Parts 604$ Black Market Munitions 65$ Black Market Augments 55$ Synth Paste 17$ Munitions 59$ Xenobiotic Filters 52$

Exports

Commodity Price Deployable Mining Container 50,000$ Water 13$

Ships sold

Ship	Class	Price

News

[833 AS] Cambridge on the Line

NORFOLK -- 833 AS -- The number of recorded Corsair incursions across Cambridge has increased by 193%% in the last 3 years. According to Captain Edwards of the Battleship Norfolk, this is simply a result of the successes in detecting and reacting to attacks. "You can't respond to a Corsair you don't know is there," he noted. "The Cambridge Line ensures we know when and where to deploy our resources for maximum effect." Retired Major Jane Gilliam disagrees. "The Line was never fit for purpose," she says. "The Regents lobbied London to keep it, and so the pantomine continues." It is speculated that the spike in Corsair raids may have been prompted by increased resistance elsewhere, or a shift in their internal politics. Regardless of their true motivations, Interspace Commerce has recognised the elevated peril and adjusted its premiums accordingly.

[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] Bretonia Announces Poole Draw-Down

NEW LONDON -- 831 AS -- The Bretonian government has announced a controlled withdrawal from the Poole system, citing ballooning costs and an increasingly strained state budget. Poole was once of critical importance to Bretonia, briefly hosting a Super Gate to Liberty during the Gallic War, and acting as a launching point for Bretonia's colonial ambitions in Omega 48. With the end of the war and Bretonia's withdrawal from Planet Gran Canaria, Poole's prominence waned. The cost of policing the system and maintaining infrastructure has significantly outweighed collected tax revenue in recent years, with Planetform's Terraforming Gas operations reporting disappointing year on year returns.DSE has already confirmed that it will begin deconstruction operations shortly, with the dismantling of the Cambridge jump gate expected to be completed by 833 AS. Planetform has confirmed its intention to withdraw prior to this point, while settling shareholder anxiety with the announcement of promising preliminary findings for a replacement site in Newcastle.

[831 AS] Bretonian Focus Turns on Mollys

SHEFFIELD -- 831 AS -- The Bretonia Police Authority has announced that the eradication of the Molly movement is their top priority. In light of the loss of the Dublin system and the seemingly connected 'Blackout', the dangerous terrorist movement has leaped to the top of Bretonia's most wanted board. Bounties on Molly terrorists have doubled, with Bounty Hunters flocking to the beleaguered House. Guild Master Tina Hale of Sheffield Station commented that, "this is a good deal for a job that's less dangerous than many of our Edge World boards." Despite this, prospective Hunters should be cautious, as the Mollys are notoriously cunning and brutal fighters. The bounties and Police crackdown do appear to be having some initial effects however, with reports of Molly attacks on shipping in the Cambridge and Newcastle systems falling over recent weeks.

[831 AS] Cost of Rebuilding too High?

NEW LONDON -- 831 AS -- Bretonia continues to face a difficult and lengthy recovery process following the conclusion of the Gallic War. The Bretonian people initially accepted this, and quietly pledged to come together and struggle on. While Bretonia is now witnessing an extraordinary rate of growth, it has come at the cost of severe cuts and harsh industrial quotas. Professor Timothy Ball of the Economic Review Institute says, "the recovery we've witnessed so far has been uneven, mainly benefiting Bretonian corporations and Crown agencies. If dividends of recovery are not felt by the average citizen, this inequality could become a major point of domestic political contention."

[829 AS] Marauding in Manchester

MANCHESTER -– 829 AS -- Reports from the Manchester system have now been confirmed by BPA and Bretonian intelligence officials: Liverpool Border Station, guarding over the Magellan jump gate and serving as the command center for police operations in the system, has been destroyed in what is being deemed a terrorist attack. Yesterday at 2200 hours SMT, nearby Sheffield Station and Kingston Border Station received automated distress signals from Liverpool, indicating an emergency aboard the station. Guild patrols redirected from Sheffield arrived on the scene within minutes, finding the border station destroyed. Search and rescue operations headed by Guild and BPA units commenced immediately and successfully salvaged several escape pods bearing several dozen survivors, who were immediately delivered to hospitals on New London. BPA spokesperson Sandra Halling held a press conference earlier this morning. According to joint police and BIS investigations, Liverpool was destroyed by antimatter explosives planted aboard the station. Their detonation caused a catastrophic chain reaction, resulting in the station's own reactors melting down and exploding. Of the estimated one-hundred-twenty persons on board at the time of the attack, seventy-eight have been reported as dead or missing. \So far, no party has taken credit for this heinous attack. However, Bretonian police surmises that it was likely perpetrated by either the criminals known as the Mollys or the infamous pirate organization, the Lane Hackers. The attack occurred following a significant redeployment of local Armed Forces units to the Cortez system for the purpose of joint operations with Libertonian security forces. This, says Halling, may have allowed terrorist sympathizers to exploit undermanned BPA patrols and smuggle illegal explosives through Manchester's ice fields, onto Liverpool Station. While investigations continue, Bretonian Police Authority has reinforced patrols within Manchester and established traffic controls at Kingston Border Station and Birmingham Station. Traffic to and from Liberty has been advised to reroute through the Cortez system.

[828 AS] Shotgun Diplomacy

ERIE -- 828 AS -- In a turn of events for the quiet system, the Liberty Navy press corps has released information about an incident involving a Slave Liner. Spokesperson to the CNS Bradley Stern addressed the conference by stating the ship had refused to comply with orders issued by patrols, and that it was being conducted in a manner that raised all manner of red flags. The Delaware was forced to position itself such that the ship was forced to stop, and when a cargo scan was conducted it was revealed that the Liner was carrying a vast quantity of munitions. With its secret loose, the Liner attempted to escape and was promptly disabled by secondary cannon fire. Upon further investigation, the Navy has successfully identified the ordnance being transported as being sourced from Rheinland. Going as far as to state that they contained serial codes which correspond with weaponry used by Rheinland's own Military. Naturally given the circumstances around the discovery of these weapons and Liberty's history of hot and cold relations with the neighboring House, it is expected that this development will lead to further scrutiny when it comes to potentially suspicious activity.

Rumors

Gaians

The Gaians refuse to use Neutron or Particle weapons because those are hazardous to make and use. Photon weapons may be less advanced, but they are simple and get the job done. Not to mention that they cut through the Positron shields that most Bretonian Police use quite easily. Holmfirth is a lot less interesting than Islay when it comes to research potential. Gaia is amazing, while Wight is... well, not so much. Most of the Gaians here are activists who want to hurt Planetform. All their traffic to Liberty passes through Manchester, so it's a good place to interdict them. Rumor had it that after the chaos that occurred back in 800 Planet Nottingham is going to stay unihabited for the long haul. Of course, rumors are rarely true. Bretonia needed room to locate the displaced population from Leeds. The snobs don't want them to stay on New London or Cambridge forever, so they're being sent to a place that's barely habitable. Typical Bretonian politics that - move the problem along until it's somewhere you can forget about it. Holmfirth is a convenient place. Whenever a Gaian gets sent to Newgate is released, this is their first stop. Residing here, I get to hear a lot of interesting stories. Did you know that someone actually broke out of Newgate for instance? His name was Willy Logan - flushed himself out the waste disposal, then rode a dud mine to Sheffield. Unfortunately, the Mollys got to him before the Bounty Hunters could. He crossed a Molly once, so that could only end one way. Sometimes I think those Zoners have the right idea; Running off to live away from civilization means getting away from the smog here. Still, I would prefer to stay and make a difference. Recently, many of our researchers have become even more fascinated with the alien artifacts found in the depths of Sirius space. Rumour has it there are some that may lead to a breakthrough, and help get rid of terraforming once and for all. The Corsairs sometimes bring some artifacts with them when they are headed to Dublin, some end up in our posession. Having a Bounty Hunter Guild station so close is a problem for the inhabitants here. Many more bounties are collected on Gaians in Manchester than Edinburgh. Still, the Bounty Hunters prefer Mollies. They don't come near the lane between Birmingham and the New London gate very often, so that's where we hit Planetform the hardest. Being a researcher has its advantages. We used to be able to visit Gaia's surface to catalogue the unique ecosystem there. Unlike those Orbital Spa tourists who pollute the place and practise bloodsports on the local wildlife. But worse still are Planetform and BMM, who would like nothing less then to clear the native ecology in favor of a more Terra-like one, so large scale colonization could begin. The Gallic invasion has put a permanent stop to that however. I just finished an interesting book on the degradation of Rheinland's Planet Stuttgart's environment. It seems Synth Foods' treatment has done a number on it, and intentionally to boot. That smells of Planetform's planning - destroy the local ecology so that only what you intend to can survive. There is a peculiar bit of scenery up in Newcastle, hidden among the eastern nebula. Those stationed at Skye have been investigating, but it's slow going with all the heavy guns the Armed Forces have allocated to the area. The Gallic forces have done a real number on the bases in Leeds. LD-14 is completely shut down from what I hear, and Stokes is heavily damaged. The planet itself is being invaded, but that planet is dead already. I'm more worried about what Gallia will do with Edinborough now that the system is more or less theirs without contest. Many at the Cambridge University support the Gaian cause. Just between you and me, some of my associates take it a bit too far sometimes. The pen is mightier than the sword, afterall, isn't it?

Freelancers

I heard some of our men stumbled across a Molly yesterday. I've been told the drunk was so scared, he flew straight into the sun. Heh. Not the brightest boys those Mollys. Except for that one, now. Trading goods to bases as this doesn't make you as much money as dealing with corporate bases, but goods delivered here mean more than just credchips in my pocket. The Gaians require Munitions, Light Arms, H-Fuel, Engine Components and Hull Panels to keep their ships and activists operational. Holmfirth is a great pitstop for Freelancers travelling between Liberty and Bretonia. Particularly those of us who aren't appreciated on bases such as Sheffield. Still, if you're good with the Gaians, you're likely to be attacked by the Mollies, so travelling away from the Trade Lanes can be dangerous.

Junkers

While the Gaians often times come by Trafalgar to get supplies, out here at Holmfirth we usually deliver. I just brought some things in from Inverness. We come here mainly via Newcastle - being a Junker has it's advantages. Once we've delivered goods and are empty, we can simply head back to Trafalgar by the New London Jump Gate. Synthetic Marijuana is a big thing around here. It's like the Gaians can't get enough of the stuff. It helps my bottom line, so it's fine by me. Unlike Cardamine, Synthetic Marijuana isn't addictive physically. It also hampers your flying ability rather then enhancing it. The great thing about living in Bretonia is that even the so called criminals here have a moral basis, whether it be the environment or freedom. You can't say the same for Liberty. The problem with that is that they have a moral basis, so they don't like dealing with actual criminals. The Gaians are a strange lot. About half of them are scientists and the other half are common thugs. There is a smaller, organized group of militants in the mix though. They're the ones who might get results some day. Most of them are just a Bounty Hunter paycheck waiting to happen.

NOTE: Page generated on the 07/06/2024 at 15:55:46 UTC