Avallon Fortress

From Discovery Wiki
Avallon Fortress
Owner
Gallic Navy
Location
E-3/4, Burgundy

CLASS: Foix

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 870

Avallon is a space fortress built by Gallic Royal Navy in 659 AS. It was a forerunner of Gallic Border Worlds exploration, providing a staging ground for operations of Navy and Police forces in Burgundy and nearby systems. During the Second Gallic War, the installation played an important role in protecting the system both from the Council, and still guards against the numerous outlaws who plague Gallia's trade lanes.

Although the war is over, Avallon has continued to grow. Burgundy is under constant threat of Maquis attack, and with no true shipyards in the Grand Duchy's territory, there are plans in place to expand Avallon's facilities into a fullscale shipyard capable of maintaining multiple warships at once.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 15$
Detroit Light Arms 170$
Outcast Pilot 89$
Pirate Pilot 17$
Maquis Pilot 47$
Unione Corse Pilot 65$
Gallic Brigand 59$
Military Surplus 1,242$
Oxygen 1$
Water 1$
Food Rations 5$
H-Fuel 108$
MOX 41$
Basic Alloy 7$
Construction Machinery 15$
Hull Panels 25$
Consumer Goods 32$
Daumann Side Arms 121$
Synth Paste 35$
Munitions 60$
Xenobiotic Filters 67$
Passenger Cabin (Gallia) 10,016$
Royalist Pilot 76$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Criminal Cells (Gallia) 5,000$
Medical Equipment 69$
Pharmaceuticals 29$
Engine Components 122$
Gallic Enfer Blasters 53$
Wine 16$
Cigars 31$
Marines 712$
Promethene 26$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price


News

[749 AGS] Border checkpoints contain unrest

NEW PARIS -- 749 -- Seditionists in Champagne have been agitating against Gallia’s fruitful trade with Rheinland, and the Grand Marshal's policies. The Gendarmerie have begun to carry out targeted raids on Planet Marne to preemptively detain or incapacitate ringleaders likely to be associated with public disorder. GNI agents believe the rising unrest is being instigated by the Maquis, who have duped naive members of the Marne Industrial Union with their deluded propaganda. This crackdown will excise these malign influences from our society, restoring tranquil prosperity. Gendarmerie cruisers have been posted at all entrances to Ile-de-France to stop and check traffic until the disorder has been quashed.

[749 AGS] Versaille's future uncertain

NEVERS -- 749 -- During a shareholder meeting on Nevers, IDF Shipping officials confirmed that Versailles Station continued to be a concern for the group, posting quarter-on-quarter losses. The former royal palace occupies a prestigious position in orbit of New Paris, and is among the most luxurious and culturally significant Gallic orbitals. IDF is believed to have received several offers from foreign organizations looking to purchase or lease Versailles, including Orbital Spa and Cruise and Rheinland’s Imperial Shipping. It is speculated that IDF plans to make a final funding pitch to Nevers’ elite Gonzaga Society early next year before considering these proposals.

[749 AGS] Grand Marshal secures economic victory for Union

NEW PARIS -- 749 AGS -- The Grand Marshal has declared a decisive victory in trade negotiations with Rheinland. Military envoys successfully pressed the Rheinlanders for concessions as recompense for a number of insulting breaches of diplomatic protocol during the recent state visit. As a result, excellent rates on imported minerals have been secured, in addition to the removal of tariffs on Gallic agricultural surplus. The Treaty of Oerlikon will be an enormous boon to rebuilding Gallia's strength and greatness; Bretonia, Kusari and Liberty's furious criticisms of Rheinland for their forward thinking is simply evidence of their weakness and fear.

[748 AGS] Lorraine Evacuation Nearing Completion

ORLEANS -- 748 AGS -- According to the information released by the Ministry of the Interior, the evacuation of the Lorraine system is proceeding ahead of schedule. The final convoy of refugees from Metz has arrived in the Orleanais system, pending resettlement onto Orleans in the coming days. As of now, only EFL staff and a token Navy garrison remain in Lorraine to oversee the deconstruction of the remaining infrastructure. According to official projections, the docking ring and the remaining trade lanes will be dismantled and shipped back to the core worlds by the end of next month, with jump gate shutdown following soon after.

Once a beacon of our national ingenuity, Metz was the site of the experimental Metz Mirror Array, more commonly known as the MMA project. The project was intended to assist the terraforming operations through a sophisticated array of orbital mirrors. The array would redirect additional sunlight onto the equatorial band of Metz, further raising local temperatures on the otherwise icy world.

Decried by its detractors as a "fool king's endeavour", the ambitious project never had the opportunity to prove its capabilities, as the nearly complete array fell victim to Kusari's invasion of Lorraine. With the array gone and supplies severed, the terraforming project and the biosphere it maintained collapsed during the occupation, leading to widespread famine across Metz. Unfortunately, in the wake of King Charles' gambit in Bretonia and the near complete destruction of Lorraine and Languedoc by Kusari forces, the Union government has declared the system a total loss and ordered a full evacuation of the planet.

[831 AS/747 AGS] Gate Corps Clash Over 'Blackout'!

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/747 AGS] 'Blackout' Causes Jump Network Fail

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.

[744 AGS] - Food issues on Metz

METZ -- 744 AGS -- Ever since the very first day of human settlement on Metz, the terraforming of the planet faced numerous challenges, and the most prominent of them was the development of agriculture. Metz only receives enough light to warm the equatorial regions above freezing while the warmest summers rarely exceed 20 degrees celsius, and only where the warm waters hold sway over the weather. Despite the climate not being favourable, the Gallic authorities never questioned the potential of the planet, and the Gallic Office des Eaux et des Forêts, the successor of the Office Royal des Eaux et Forêts ordered several projects to undertake the terraforming of the frigid world of Metz.

The most ambitious project was by far the Metz Mirror Array or MMA, which consisted of a vast phalanx of reflective satellites in orbit of the planet meant to increase the sunlight during Metz's 28 hours day. Contracted by EFL, the project was about to be finished when Kusari began its invasion of our Home. Most of the MMA satellites were spared during the earliest hours of the war as the initial fighting occurred around the stations of Roanne and Montigny. Unfortunately, the rest of the MMA was completely destroyed by the scorched earth tactic of Kusari's retreat.

On the planet's surface, the 70 million inhabitants suffered the long six months of the war. Being unsupplied, the oil reserves necessary to provide energy to the generators of the water reclamation facilities were dry by the end of the summer. As consequence, the quantity of water collected for agriculture was well below the required quantities for sufficient production. This was also coupled with a very early winter, with the first frosts in the equatorial regions by the end of September. These multiple factors resulted in serious consequences on Metz's food production and reserves, to the point that the possibility of famine was even evoked.

While this statement is revealed to be false, the food situation on Metz is more than worrisome and the confusion created by the end of the war and the Reunification makes the Metz supplying mission in food even more complex.

[743 AGS] Gallic-Kusari War Close to Conclusion?

LODEVE SPACE PORT -- 743 AGS -- An unprecedented loss of life occurred throughout Gallia as Kusari, Confederate and Enclave forces came to a massive confrontation in the early hours of the day. The fighting was most intense in the Languedoc system as several fleets of all sides rained down fire on each other. Several eye witness reports indicate the crossfire was visible from as far as Planet Quillan.

In the heat of battle the Confederate forces seemed to be losing to the Kusari invaders, but in their hour of need the Royal Enclave arrived on the scene and jumped to Gallia's aid. Even with their combined forces it was a devastating battle. With significant losses on both sides, the Languedoc system has suddenly become a graveyard of destroyed vessels and their former crew.

The struggle was not in vain as the Kusari forces located in the system ended up pulling out of Languedoc and regrouped in the Tau-31 system, giving the locals in Languedoc a much needed reprieve from the ongoing fighting.

However distressing unverified messages are coming from the Lorraine system, claiming that the Kusari forces have started pulling out of the system and are applying a scorched earth tactic. Taking down as much of the local infrastructure and bases as they pull back to the Tau-53 system.

We are working around the clock to try and verify these messages, as well as the resulting loss of life if it is true.

With the Kusari forces pulling out of our house we can finally hope the end of the war is near, however it is clear it has come at a great cost.

[743 AGS] Gallia Reunited?

NEW PARIS -- 743 AGS -- After having come to the peoples aid on more than one occasion during the Kusari invasion of Gallia, the Enclave has been officially recognized and accepted as part of our government.

The acceptance and incorporation of the Royal Enclave comes amid sweeping changes in our governmental body to a military structure to ensure swifter and more capable responses should such a cowardly invasion occur again.

Many fear the incorporation of the Enclave will lead to the Sirian Houses recognizing Kusari's claims of Gallia still having and utilizing weapons of mass destruction like the Warwolves used during the Glassing of Leeds, though rumors have already started to spread that the dismantling of these weapons is a concession the Royal Enclave has agreed to do.

As one of the first acts of the new government, a controversial peace treaty has been signed with Kusari, giving the invading House rights to Tau-53 and mining rights to Tau-23. While some voice discontent with this agreement, the government has pointed out that the war has led to an increase in criminal activity in Gallia that requires immediate attention to control.

One government official was cited saying "We have done well for centuries on our own, if Kusari wants to burn bridges with this agreement we will simply focus on our own development and our relations with Rheinland instead."

[742 AGS] Second Gallic War has Ended!

NEW PARIS -- 742 AGS -- The Second Gallic War ended in a ceasefire last Saturday, as Royalist forces under command of Rear Admiral Bastien Savatier de Fontenoy received the order to surrender from the Grand Duchy of Burgundy, a royalist secessionist polity formed in a state of emergency by the Duke of Burgundy.

In the absence of the King or any heirs, Valentin Trintignant, Duke of Burgundy, gathered the support of the nobility of Burgundy, the Marquise de Vandoevres and Marquis de Roanne in Lorraine, while offering the Vicomptesse Allos de Metz, Grande Maitresse de l'Office Royal des Eaux et Forets the financial support needed to continue their terraforming operation in Lorraine. The Duke initiated talks last week to discuss the glassing of Leeds and the Crown's imminent defeat at the hands of Allied forces in Bretonia. Only minutes after the Council's Fleet moved on Planet New Paris, Trintignant declared himself Grand Duke of The Grand Duchy of Burgundy and authorized the surrender of the Royal Navy. His haste in calling for a ceasefire likely saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gallic citizens threatened by collateral damage from battle over Planet New Paris. While most Royalist ships in Gallia's core systems recognized and surrendered to the authority of the Duchy, Admiral Savatier did not, and slipped the Rocroi away from the site of the battle in the confusion. Battleship Rocroi and her cohort remain at large, but have not been seen or heard from since the battle.

The Council reciprocated not only the ceasefire but also with the formation of a new governing body. The systems of Champagne, Picardy, and Orleanais declared their independence as the Republique of Gallia, a decision which appears to have been in the works for some time. Unlike the ad hoc vassalage of the Duchy, the Republique presented itself with a fully fledged constitution and complete governing body, led by President Orianne Castaignède, the former Governor of Marne.

The systems of Languedoc and Languedoc both formed provisional governments following the fall of the Monarchy, however both declined invitations to join the Republique. This decision could be linked to the significant losses both systems incurred on account of the Council's direct and indirect interference during the Second Gallic War. Officials from Gap and Quillan are rumored be engaged in preliminary talks with the Minarchy of Provence, who have extended offers of free trade and protection to the two war torn systems, which seem reluctant to view both the Duchy and Republique as having the best interests of the historically poor region in mind.

Ile de France, possessing no noteworthy standing military of its own following the mass exodus of nobles to the Gallic Hebrides, has declared itself a neutral, autonomous territory. This decision was grudgingly accepted by the Republique, aware of its low reputation among Parisians owing to decades of royal propaganda. Such a move was seen as the best way to demonstrate the fall of the Monarchy and secure the former seat of royal power without bloodshed. In response political instability after the Exodus of the King, the Acting Viceroy of Ile de France, a former low ranking regional official who now speaks for the political associations on New Paris, has called for the Republique, Duchy, and Minarchy to send diplomatic representatives to the negotiating table, where it seems the future of Gallia will be decided in the weeks to come.

[742 AGS] Grim Times for the Gallic Crown

NEW PARIS -- 742 AGS -- The situation in the Core Worlds has grown increasingly dire, as a large fleet of Council warships has been spotted amassing near the Orleanais Jump Gate in Ile de France this morning. The insurgents have been quick to capitalize on the Crayterian victory in the Barrier last week, seizing Planet Amiens and rallying with forces from Provence at the edge of the Chevreuse field.

News from the Bretonian front is not much better. The fighting over New London remains fierce, and though the Bretonian blockade of the planet has been breached and preparations are underway to deploy Triumphs into New London's atmosphere, reports indicate the battle damaged or destroyed over 60%% of the material of those fleets and that the death toll is in the tens of thousands.

Front line forces are unable to retreat without risking total defeat at the hands of the Sirians. The Epinal, Rocroi, and Venissieux have been recalled to New Paris, but odds appear grim, and military analysts have thus far declined to comment on whether or not the ad hoc defense will be able to defend the capital. En masse evacuation from the Core Worlds has begun, with standing orders from the Crown for all loyal citizens to proceed to Bordeaux and Toulouse post-haste, where they will be provided for.

A GRI asset who asked that we did not disclose their identity has claimed that the King's transport, flying under civilian flag, came under fire from Maquis terrorists while en route to the Brittany jump corridor. Though the transport survived the attack, King Charles is allegedly comatose. Our source could not provide any further comment on the state of the King or who was heading the state in the absence of a monarch.

[742 AGS] Crown Formalizes Claims III

ROUSSILLON -- 742 AGS -- The bounty of the Hebrides came at a cost however, as Council terrorists in Roussillon fought fiercely to prevent the Crown from seizing the opulent region for the prosperity of the Gallic people. Perpignan, a large spaceport located at one of Toulouse's Lagrange points, purported housed a large population of noncombatants. The station, which could have served as a major trade hub in the central Hebrides, was destroyed in the fighting as Council militants who occupied the base refused to surrender, resulting in unnecessary loss of life.

The situation was the same on a similar yet greater scale on Planet Toulouse itself. The planet, which possesses an atmosphere disagreeable to the human lung, was dependent upon great domed cities for habitation, and vast fields of atmospheric scrubbers which Crown scientists project would have cleared the atmosphere of its irritants fully within the next several years. Nuclear warheads were smuggled onto the planet's surface as the Montmorency, which spearheaded the assault, was occupied at Perpignan, and detonated at every city and scrubber field, as well as at both of the planet's polar ice caps, releasing many tons of greenhouse gases and causing sea levels to rise significantly.

Despite these setbacks, EFL has expressed confidence that Toulouse can still be terraformed, and in time will serve as a new home for the Crown's people. Plans are already underway to commence repairs on the planet's docking ring so that cleanup crews can begin preparing the planet for eventual colonization. The Montmorency has been stationed in orbit of Toulouse, and now presides over Roussillon to ensure security throughout the Gallic Hebrides for the posterity of Gallia for years to come.

[742 AGS] Crown Formalizes Claims II

BRITTANY -- 742 AGS -- The Brittany system, best known as a military stronghold and beachhead into Sirius, was also brought under the Crown's administration. Once known informally as Tunisie by the military, the system's provisional control has been a point of jovial contention within the ranks of the Royal Navy's admiralty. Nestled between the Barrier and the Hebrides, command authority of the system was occasionally called into question. The King's declaration put an end to this light hearted feud, renaming the system and placing it decisively within the newly formed Hebrides administrative region of Gallia.

Despite the strong military presence, Brittany still sees Brigand and Outcast raiders skulking the peripheries of the system, and the Royal Police have warned against traveling outside of the designated patrol zones until the Brittany can be brought under more thorough local control. Though lacking any habitable worlds, the system is replete with dense mineral rich asteroid fields containing Cobalt, Molybdenum, and other valuable resources. GMS and EFL have already staked claims upon several sites within the system, undeterred by local pirate activity. Analysts say that once industry in the system enters full swing, Brittany could generate thousands of new job opportunities for citizens of the Crown.

[742 AGS] Crown Formalizes Claims I

AQUITAINE -- 742 AGS -- Gallia formalized its claims on the trio of systems known as Edinburgh, Roussillon, Orkney, today by decree of the King, following last week's decisive victory in the Council's once hidden stronghold of Roussillon. Edinburgh and Orkney, originally charted and explored by Bretonia, were rechristened as Aquitaine and Brittany respectively by the Société Astronomique Gauloise. Though the Royal Navy occupied the two systems for many years, they were never formally annexed due to security concerns within the Hebrides, the ruby red nebula bordering Bretonia and Gallia. With Roussillon now under the Crown's control, key military officials have stated that they are confident the Hebrides region is now safe for colonization.

Of particular interest is Planet Bordeaux, formerly Gaia, located in the Aquitaine system. The idyllic world, dubbed the Jewel of the Gallic Hebrides, has a mild but tropical climate, and in all respects appears to be perfectly suited to human habitation. Once a Bretonian nature preserve, new surveys have shown Bordeaux to be a veritable treasure trove of fossil fuels and metals, the likes of which have not been seen since the Marne Rush of 4th century. The Crown has already issued a subsidy for Gallic citizens relocating to Bordeaux to incentivize colonization on the new world. A groundbreaking ceremony is to be held tomorrow morning, formalizing Bordeaux's status as capital of the Aquitaine system as construction on its first city commences.

[735 AGS] Bretonian Booty Replenishes Crown Coffers

NEW PARIS -- 735 AGS -- The first benefit of the patriotic war against the treacherous Bretonians is the flow of seized goods being shipped from the GRN forces in the newly acquired Edinburgh and Leeds systems back to Gallia. After the enormous expenditures made during the war with The Council, the Crown has been reluctant to increase taxes on Gallic citizens to raise funds, so the seizure of Bretonian goods during raids into the Newcastle system is welcome news to the Royal Treasurer.

[735 AGS] Sirian Campaign Picking Up Steam

NEW PARIS -- 735 AGS -- The Royal Navy is claiming victory after victory in the Bretonian colonies. After successfully flushing out what appears to have been local pirate forces, our forces took the sparsely inhabited "Edinburgh" system with only token resistance. The first real test of our forces against the enemy came in the toxic wasteland called Leeds, where the first heavily inhabited planet lays. Enemy resistance was stiff, but our forces have managed to gain the upper hand in virtually the entire system. This puts the Gallic Expeditionary Forces in a position to strike at New London, and the heart of Bretonia. Military analysts predict that all organised Bretonian resistance will falter if New London falls, and that taking London itself would mean a quick end to to the war, avoiding needless bloodshed.

[734 AGS] The Reconquest Begins

NEW PARIS -- 734 AGS -- King Charles XI addressed the nation today to announce the beginning of the Great Reconquest, the reclamation of the rich and fertile regions of Sirius stolen from the rightful control of Gallia by the Libertonian and Bretonian traitors.

"My faithful subjects! We have stood by long enough while the ravenous remnants of the Alliance feasted upon the lands they have eyed for themselves from long before the landing! We know what they did to assure themselves domination, we know that they led Coalition forces to our sleeper launch site so that they may escape like the rats that they are, and take the best of this region for themselves. All their actions must have consequences! Starting from today, they will be running once again. They will run, or they will be included into the rightful control of House Gallia! Hail the reconquest!"

The crowd gathered at Ile du Palais cheered throughout the speech. The first Royal Navy units are expected to reach and pacify Tau-23 within days, officially marking the first step on the road to victory.

[733 AGS] The 2nd Gallic War: True Goals of the Council

BRIANCON -- 733 AGS -- The so-called Second Gallic War that was inspired by the Council two decades ago is nowhere near its ending. The Council, the powerful and wealthy group formed mainly by Royal Navy and Royal Police deserters, and financed by semi-legal businesses and criminal cartels of the Core Worlds, is sometimes described as a revolutionary movement. Yet, through the course of the war the Gallic media collected evidence that Council is nowadays more like a state within a state, having its own bureaucracy, enforcement agencies, and even newly established oligarchy that came into fortune due to the war.

The Council leaders claim that their goal is to change the government of Gallia and overthrow the monarchy, in addition to breaking the isolation of Gallia from the rest of Sirius worlds. According to our today's expert Robert Broussard, Doctor of Economy and senior consultant of Solar Engineering and Ile-de-France Shipping, the Council never had an intention to overthrow the New Paris monarchy. "Our information on the Council agenda is mainly based on their own public announcements and press releases. Yet, New Paris is so far from the Gallic Border Worlds that the Council will not be able to overtake the Core Worlds by force, even if all Border Worlds fall under their supreme rule," - Broussard says, - "On New Paris and other prominent worlds of Gallia, public support for the warlike actions of the Council is relatively low, and the Council is aware that the chances to inspire revolts in the heart of our nation are very slim."

Independent analysts estimate black market operations in Gallia rising by 150%% during the last 30 years. At the same time, frequency of pirate attacks had risen twice in the Core Worlds, and more than three times in the Border Worlds. This unprecedented wave of piracy occured mainly because of the demand for various smuggled goods that the Council generates, and because of the overall chaos caused by the war. Royal Police was caught unprepared by this new dangerous tendency, unable to defend corporate and civilian shipments. The pirate groups are expected to grow even larger now that the path to Sirius was breached by the Council in Languedoc. Being able to take advantage of this new development, pirate groups like the Unione Corse, Gallic Brigands, and Maquis now plan their expansion into Sirius, searching for new markets and recruiting more pilots.

The Council supports those pirate groups almost openly, in return for their help against the Royal Navy. Sporadic raids of Brigands and Maquis never cause significant losses, but play a crucial role in delaying Navy operations against the Council. Almost every asteroid field and nebula in Gallia is now swarmed with ships of various unlawful groups. It remains unknown for how much longer the Council resistance will continue, but it is already evident that there are forces within the Council and within the pirate groups interested in using the war as a source of income. For the Council leadership, political struggle and the well being of their own people appears to be less important than gaining personal wealth and power. This is the reason why the Council would never support any peace negotiation initiatives.


Rumors

NOTE: Page generated on the 15/12/2024 at 15:50:59 UTC