| Freeport 9 | |
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| Owner | |
| Corsairs | |
| Location | |
| E-4/5, Omicron Theta |
CLASS: Frontier
GRAVITY: Complete
DOCKING: Yes
AMENITIES: Yes
CREW: 450
Freeport 9 was one of the first human settlements in the Edge Nebula. Built by Zoners who felt they could not be far enough from the influence of the major Houses, it was the most remote civilian outpost in the colonies until the construction of Freeport 11. Despite its location in a system filled with strange nebulae and forbidding black crystals, the Freeport became a relatively busy destination, hosting a diverse range of pirates, explorers and corporate researchers. Despite this, 9’s open-door neutrality was a constant source of friction with the Corsairs and Outcasts, largely due to Bounty Hunters and The Core frequently visiting.
These tensions were managed by the Zoners providing useful cargo services, and the Corsairs and Outcasts keeping one another in check. This dramatically changed in 831 AS with Theta’s Outcasts vanishing overnight to respond to the Maltese Slave Revolt. The Corsairs reacted almost immediately by launching a surprise attack, boarding the Freeport using warriors aboard a transport that claimed to be purchasing Food Rations. The Corsairs have since maintained control over the station through military force and Zoner hostages. When the Outcasts returned to Omicron Theta in 833 AS, the resulting battles were the bloodiest seen in decades. Following a humiliating defeat that saw the Battlecruiser Kefalonia destroyed, the Corsairs raised additional reinforcements and dug in.
When the next wave of attacks came late in the year, the Outcasts unexpectedly withdrew, abandoning the Zoner Militias as a mere diversion to occupy the Corsairs’ attention. The conflict spluttered to an end with all involved parties badly bloodied. Seemingly drawn like sharks to the conflict, Theta has since been subject to unprecedented Nomad raids. With neither the Corsairs or Zoners having the appetite for further fighting, a peace treaty was begrudgingly negotiated that established a joint administration of Freeport 9. While the station is far from free, the Zoners have regained a large degree of autonomy over their own affairs.
Bribes & Missions Offered
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Commodities
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Ships sold
| Ship | Class | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Roc | Bomber | 70,176$ |
| Spatial | Bomber | 49,776$ |
| Kestrel | Freighter | 2,916$ |
News
| [834 AS] Corsairs and Zoners reach accord |
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CORFU -- 834 -- Following difficult negotiations, Corsair and Zoner delegates have reached an agreement over the status of Freeport 9. Since the withdrawal of the main Outcast fleet, Corsairs, Zoner militias and The Core have extracted a steady grind of attritional losses on each other. The Corsairs had initially demanded total surrender, however mounting losses and a spike in Nomad attacks appears to have changed their mind. The Corsairs have agreed to release all hostages, and establish a joint administration of the Freeport to immediately end the fighting. While the Corsairs will not permit their enemies to land, the Zoners now have far more autonomy to carry on with their lives. Neither side is happy with the deal, but it seems to be preferred to continued bloodshed. |
| [833 AS] Stabline Prices Spike Over Atka Destruction |
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SIGMA-17 -- 833 -- Cryer’s share prices have tumbled on the news that Atka Research Station has been destroyed by brutal Outcast pirates. The remote station served as the primary manufacturing point for the revolutionary drug Stabline, which had promised to eradicate Cardamine dependency across the Colonies. Cryer spokeswoman Alicia Fisher confirmed that critical staff and research materials were successfully evacuated due to the timely intervention of private security forces and the GMG paramilitary. She noted that adequate Stabiline stockpiles exist to “manage demand for priority clients” while a replacement facility is sourced. Cryer is believed to have entered emergency negotiations with the governments of both Kusari and Bretonia to explore potential options. |
| [833 AS] Outcasts retreat, sealing Corsair victory |
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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] Freeport victory thwarted by Outcast betrayal |
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FREEPORT 9 -- 833 -- Drawn from across the Sigmas, Omicrons and Omegas, Zoners were emboldened to take up arms against Corsair aggression by the recent victory at Freeport 9. The Outcasts had promised the next strike would be decisive, after their reinforcements had regrouped. When the moment came, the Zoners held to their agreement and attacked -- but where were the Outcasts? We were thrown to the wolves, and the promised Outcast strike on the Corsair flank never came. We now know we were sold out, used as a distraction to stop the Corsairs from interfering with an attack on Atka Research Station. The Freeport could have been recaptured were it not for this betrayal. |
| [833 AS] Elders dismiss general over failure |
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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.” |
| [833 AS] Corsair garrison fleet destroyed |
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CORFU -- 833 -- In a shocking turn of events, the Corsair garrison fleet occupying Freeport 9 has been severely damaged. After weeks of heavy fighting, the Outcasts with aid from Zoner militias punched through the Corsair perimeter and struck the Battlecruiser Kefalonia, the command ship for the Corsair defense. Exhausted, both sides have withdrawn to regroup; Corsair reinforcements are already flooding into the region, while the Outcasts call up more pilots from Malta. Emboldened, many more Zoners have also taken up arms, now confident that the Freeport can be recaptured. Despite this, crossfire has inflicted serious damage, with two biodomes already destroyed. Pygar community leaders have called for an urgent ceasefire to allow talks to commence. |
| [832 AS] Core on Our Doorsteps! |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
| [831 AS] Freeport 9 Seized Over Zoner Treachery |
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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/747 AGS] Gate Corps Clash Over 'Blackout'! |
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ABBEVILLE -- 831 AS/747 AGS -- EFL's 'Resilience Taskforce' today reported its findings on The Blackout, claiming to have gathered forensic evidence that proved the cause as Ageira negligence. A spokesperson claimed that the destruction of the Dublin jump gate by Molly separatists had created a hyperspace feedback loop that was propagated and amplified through the Ageira gate network. Ageira disputed this finding in their own press release, calling EFL 'fantasists' and countering that their own scientists had narrowed the cause to a rare 'hypernova' stellar event that originated outside the Sirius sector. Both corporations claim that network-wide hardware safeguards have been implemented that would prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Independent researchers have sharply criticized the corporate announcements, accusing both of self-interested misdirection. Professor Sophia Nagel from Heisenberg Research Station called EFL's accusation 'incoherent' and the hypernova explanation 'nonsense' that did not explain the characteristics of the 'Blackout Pulse'. Despite multiple different Pulse recordings being widely disseminated across the neural net, public efforts have so far failed to triangulate its source. |
| [831 AS] Jump Hole Upheaval Causes Chaos |
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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! |
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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. |
| [831 AS/747 AGS] 'Blackout' Causes Jump Network Fail |
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MANHATTAN -- 831 AS/747 AGS -- Two days ago Jump Gates failed simultaneously across Sirius, freezing commerce and neural net access across the sector. When the network resumed 31 hours later, restored communications broke the news of Bretonia's loss of the Dublin system. This twin shock has plunged the market into chaos, prompting fears of sector-wide economic recessions. Interspace estimates indicate that the stoppage alone caused billions of credits in losses. Gallia immediately accused Liberty of culpability for the outage, claiming the destruction of Dublin's jump gate instigated a cascading failure in faulty Ageira infrastructure. Ageira has sharply refuted the allegation, claiming such a systemic effect would be physically impossible. Independent researchers in Cologne and the Edge Worlds have also announced that a hyperspace pulse of unprecedented strength was detected moments before The Blackout, with data about 'The Pulse' being widely shared across the neural net in recent days. House authorities have remained tight lipped, refusing to comment on their own observatories' data. |
| [830 AS] Tempers Flare over Pygar Colony! |
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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. |
| [828 AS] Reconquista |
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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
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| Zoners |
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NOTE: Page generated on the 07/06/2024 at 15:16:43 UTC