Beaumont Base

From Discovery Wiki
Beaumont Base
Owner
Junkers
Location
D/E-3, Texas

CLASS: Ramshackle

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Partial

CREW: 360

This Junker base is rumoured to be the centre of slavery in Liberty, although little has been proven to date; shady shipments often depart to the southwest, that much is certain. Hidden deep within the North Dallas Debris Field, it is frequented by Liberty Rogues and Outcasts; this is the furthest south in Sirius that Outcasts will ever come. Disgruntled Xenos seeking to displace their Junker competitors in the cardamine trade launch sporadic attacks against Beaumont; though the occasional missile breaches the perimeter, no serious harm has yet been caused. Said cardamine often changes hands here; drug runners hailing from as far away as the Edge Worlds make port here to fuel Liberty's orange dream. The Beaumont bar is perhaps Liberty's most prime source of gossip and information; murderers lurk in the shadowy corners, ready to divest themselves of dark secrets, adventurers discuss their latest exploits, and the Junkers know everything there is to know, for a price.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Hessian Tears 150$
Liberty Ale 31$
Molybdenum 180$
Light Arms 41$
Silver 160$
Niobium 185$
Pharmaceuticals 30$
Consumer Goods 15$
Cardamine 221$
Consumer Goods 221$
Black Market Munitions 50$
Gaian Wildlife 353$
Black Market Augments 47$
Xenobiotic Filters 27$
HazMat Canisters 43$
Nox 203$
Consumer Goods 203$
Passengers (Liberty) 301$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Crew 239$
Black Market Pharmaceuticals 22$
Counterfeit Computerware 45$
Scrap Metal 18$
Oxygen 14$
Water 15$
Diamonds 166$
Food Rations 59$
H-Fuel 163$
MOX 46$
Artifacts 234$
Aluminium 157$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Mining Drone Light Fighter 1,604$
Maintenance Drone Light Fighter 508$
Scanner Drone Light Fighter 508$


News

[834 AS] Junkers unwelcome in the Sigmas

KREUZBERG -- 834 -- The GMG have long mistrusted the Junkers, ordering our people out of Sigma-13 as soon as the Yanagi cleanup operation was completed. Yanagi’s “import/export” arrangements were among the most profitable of Junker operations; some of the more daring clans recently set up shop in an abandoned gas miner in the hopes of reprising this trade. Sadly, GMG forces appear to have tracked Corsair smugglers back to Madrid Base, arresting many of our kin and destroying the station. While we won't discourage Junker entrepreneurs from making their fortune, remember that reward does come with risk in the Sigmas.

[832 AS] A Different Kind of Heat

HOUSTON -- 832 AS -- A horrifyingly large scale firefight broke out in one of Houston's major city centers - Marlton, hundreds upon hundreds of arrests have been made and dozens of brave officers lost their lives in the vicious attack. The attack itself seems to have specifically targeted the city's dedicated police station, resulting in significant amounts of private property damage. The attack appears to have been highly coordinated, reliant on insider information, and carried out by contractors or former professionals, with one LPI spokesperson going so far as to say that this must have been a bought and paid for terrorist attack. Many of the perpetrators of the attack were killed by officers on scene, or by the Naval Emergency Response Team that responded to scattered reports of small arms fire. The LPI has currently released no statement about the progress of the investigation.

[832 AS] Kusari's Plight

KAGOSHIMA -- 832 AS -- Synth Foods audacity knows no bounds. They use a time of tragedy as an opportunity to bloat their already bloated purses with more ill-gotten wealth. We cannot allow this. There can be no room for Synth in Kusari. They already control too great a share of the market and with Kyushu's food production on a downward spiral after the storm, our intervention is necessary now more than ever. We must commit ourselves fully to our mission for the greater interests of Kusari unless we wish to live under the jackboot of Liberty and its vile corporate interests!

[832 AS] Counting Doses

ROCHESTER -- 832 AS -- The catastrophic crash of the Cardamine market has been tough for all the associates involved in the chain of its distribution, and the substantial drop-off in the quantity of it available for use and resale has caused a new problem in this series of bad episodes. The Rogues and Hackers, former partners in feeding the needs of the underworld are now at each other's throats, unable to meet demands for the drug both by their own and by customers, it seems as if stealing it from each other at gunpoint is the new business model.

[832 AS] Dublin Dust-up

TRAFALGAR -- 832 AS -- It seems that the Mollys have finally pulled off their long awaited gambit, and at least partially seized Dublin for themselves. Intense fighting continues, although now with the Corsairs involved rather than the Armed Forces. This is good news for the families of Trafalgar, especially after the Kingdom of Bretonia permitted ALG to situate itself in the system and begin its "recycling" operation. With recent waves of unrest and conflict brewing across Sirius, salvaging in freshly independent frontiers is quickly setting itself up as being the means by which we corner more lucrative markets.

[831 AS] Lack of Cardamine, Liberty's Underworld Burns

When the convoys heading from Cali to Mactan and Buffalo thinned out - and even stopped for a brief moment - the underworld in Liberty literally imploded. Previously close alliances quickly fell apart to the displeasure of the Outcasts, and every part of the underworld in Liberty was desperately trying to get as much Cardamine for themselves as possible.

The Outcasts and their most loyal agents stepped in almost immediately in anticipation of something like this happening, and set new rules for distribution according to set keys. A small group of Liberty Rogues defied them and followed their own rules of distribution, but they didn't fare too well - the Dons, despite the ongoing crisis in Malta, do not tolerate insubordination.

For this reason, several powerful Junkers and Rogues immediately decided to dilute Cardamine instead of redistributing ostentatiously against the wishes of the Outcasts at the expense of their clients, thereby raising their own shares. Fortunately for these savvy businessmen, word did not reach the Outcasts until some time later, and thanks to an improved network of cooperation, most of the organizers were able evade Malta's assassins.

However, all these measures had only limited effectiveness. Many end-clients and casual Cardamine users have been forced to seek medical attention due to their deteriorating health due to potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. It is not known how many Cardamine users eventually died because of the shortage, but it appears to be in the order of single-digit percentages - much to the very verbal displeasure of the Outcasts themselves.

[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] 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/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.

[830 AS] Rampant Human Trafficking Cases on Erie

ERIE -- 830 AS -- A scandal rocked Planet Erie's administration when a video recording of Insurgency prisoners, escorted by LPI officers, were being loaded aboard a transport bound for the Edge Worlds, surfaced on the Neural Net. As the Republic's forces maintain law and order on the pacified planet, this leak has undermined their authority, causing waves of public outcry and calls for police reform by both local Zoners and Liberty citizens alike.

In the video, a number of restrained people that have been identified as former residents of Planet Vespucci, board a Dromedary-class vessel registered to a freelance trader Vincent Ruthen. They are under supervision from several LPI officers, who exchange words with the ship's crew. Private investigators have trailed the ship, determining that it did not land at its purported destination of Gas Miner Naha in the Sigma-13, instead electing to travel away from civilized space into the Edge Worlds. The people aboard it have effectively vanished from the colonies.

This is the latest case in a streak of such disappearances, with investigators estimating as high as ten percent of all inmates thought to be awaiting their trial in LPI internment camps have been covertly shipped off-world for unknown reasons. The fate of these people is yet unclear, but theories range from secret trials to unethical experiments aboard Atka. Outraged by what is apparently an LPI-sanctioned human trafficking operation, protesters flooded the streets and had to be dispersed by police riot control squads.

A Liberty Police official has denounced allegations of corruption, stating that "All interned personnel are secured and all prisoner transfers have been done within the framework of the legal code". He refused to comment on the evidence presented, dismissing it as "slanderous fabrication against the good, hard-working officers of Liberty law". Meanwhile, political opposition already promises increased oversight over the law enforcement corporation for the next election cycle.

[830 AS] Troubles in Erie's Paradise

ERIE -- 830 AS -- It was the early hours of the morning when a missile was launched from Erie's surface; A missile that struck its target of an LSF satellite in orbit of Erie. The attack was claimed to have originated by militant Zoners seeking to separate themselves from Libertonian governance, and proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

For some time, it had been alleged that Insurgent and Xeno-backed cells had been stirring trouble on Erie, inciting violence in the population and seeking to turn the planet into a second Veracruz. Never, however, had such open acts of terror been visited upon the governing Libertonian forces.

The response was quick and decisive. In coordination with the LSF, Vice Admiral Hamish aboard the Battleship Alma lead a Liberty Navy task force directly into the system in Operation Pesticide, escorted primarily by Siege Cruisers, Gunboats and fightercraft, with many of the Navy's capital warships tied in the Vespucci campaign or ever watchful at Liberty's borders. They were met by Zoner Q-ships based from Bethlehem, with many coming from as far as Galileo or even the Sigmas, accompanied by a motley assortment of freelancers and other anarchist elements. Leading the Zoner line was a Aquilon-class carrier, the Pinnacle.

While the Pinnacle came under heavy bombardment from the Alma and her task force, supplies quickly gathered onto Zoner transports from Erie attempted to run the Navy blockade. While some transports were lost to Navy bombers, others yet escaped to parts as of yet unknown. This 'victory', however, came at a heavy price. The Pinnacle was lost with most of her hands still on board and the rest captured, while the Liberty Marines landed virtually unopposed, quickly securing population centers for both the safety of Libertonian assets and the civilians on Erie itself. The Alma is settled now into the low orbit of Erie, a constant reminder to those below that they are under the protection of the Liberty Navy. A comfort to some, a dire warning to many more.

[830 AS] Victory Over Veracruz!

OHIO -- 830 AS -- An announcement by the Liberty government today unilaterally declared victory over the once-Insurgency as the LNS Ohio settled into high orbit over Veracruz last week. The Battlecruiser Triton, the infamous warship that felled the Delaware, was left as little more than debris burning through the planet's atmosphere that now rests in a crash site located on Veracruz's smallest continent.

Over the last few days, Archer-class siege cruisers have been deploying their massive coaxial cannons to suppress military infrastructure on the planet, systematically targeting the very last bastions of the Insurgency. First to be destroyed were the planet's few remaining ground to space weapons installations, quickly crippled by bomber strikes from the Ohio herself, before the remaining desolate ground defences and deserted infrastructure were reduced to rubble, their populations having already long fled the world.

A small service was held on the Ohio as the bombardment drew to a close in memory of Rear Admiral Dylan Brandt and those thousands of sailors and marines who had given their lives in the name of Liberty; fought their own lost brothers-in-arms so that others may not live under their misguided yoke, and many more who had their lives irrevocably changed as a result of the evils the campaign sought to end.

The announcement also confirmed identical monuments to the Insurgency campaign would be erected on every world in Liberty, from Planet Houston to Planet Erie, each monument an obelisk carrying the names of every serviceman lost in the conflict and serving as a reminder that Liberty is stronger when it stands together.

[829 AS] Battleship Delaware lost In Vespucci: Part II

LOS ANGELES -- 829 AS -- Navy pilots fought in a heated scrap with many of their former comrades-in-arms as a fearsome shroud of flak rippled around the great Battleship Delaware, several trails of explosions snaking towards myriad bombers and torpedoes swarming the vast Mitchell-class. Delaware herself launched volley upon volley of anti-capital torpedoes at the Insurgent Battlecruiser Triton, whose own flak screen was considerably weaker than that of the Battleship. The missiles found their mark, but the battlecruiser retained its hull integrity as the Insurgents' one advantage in fighter superiority began to shine through. Torpedoes and antimatter cannons landed hits on the Delaware's vital flak batteries as they went silent, one by one.

Admiral Brandt was heard to give the order to abandon ship right as the ship's hull could take no more and began to be torn asunder, with hull breaches on multiple decks. Tragically, the armored engines of the Delaware had suffered a great deal of damage, and as the armor and shielding was whittled away, vast quantities of radiation and superheated gas began to flood into the crew compartments of the vessel.

In an emotional announcement, the Liberty Navy officially stated that they consider the Delaware to be lost with all hands, including Admiral Brandt himself. No life pods could be secured in the heat of battle, with the remainder of the Delaware's escort making a fighting retreat back to the LNS Ohio which had herself been caught lagging behind the Delaware's doomed thrust into the heart of the Insurgency. The Ohio now remains with her own escort, augmented by survivors of the Delaware's battlegroup, and will continue as the Liberty Navy's bastion in the Vespucci system, ready to ensure that the Insurgents pay dearly for the toll they have extracted upon one of Liberty's finest Admirals.

[829 AS] Battleship Delaware lost In Vespucci: Part I

LOS ANGELES -- 829 AS -- The state-of-the-art Delaware was the tip of Liberty's spear in the Kansas system; it was from here that the charismatic RAdm. Dylan Brandt commanded the fleet that secured the system from both Rogue and Insurgent elements. But now, he sought to strike a crippling blow to the Insurgency in their very home, an attack to break the back of the movement and stand as a warning to those who would stand against Liberty's unity.

Leading a fearsome line of some of Liberty's most advanced warships, the Delaware bore down on the Insurgency's remaining, cobbled-together fleet in the Vespucci system, out of position from dealing with a Bretonian thrust from Magellan. Immediately caught was the Battleship Vanquisher, one of the scant few Arbiter-class Battleships available to the Insurgents. Caught by itself, the Vanquisher put up a fearsome fight but was ultimately unable to stand against the Delaware and its escort, despite its fighter component dealing severe damage to much of the Delaware's own, smaller fighter contingent, as well as the Delaware herself.

With the great Arbiter all but vanquished, the Interdictor-class Battlecruiser Triton stared down the guns of the damaged Delaware and her escort. Outnumbered two-to-one, and outgunned to an even greater degree by the Libertonian heavyweight, Triton and her escorts launched their one and only advantage, their fighter and bomber superiority gained at the Vanquisher's expense.

[829 AS] Fingers in the broth

MANHATTAN -- 829 AS -- Liberty's High Congress has passed the recently submitted Organization Categorization Revision Act (O.C.R.A) by a considerable majority. The Act sets out to revise long-standing categorizations of domestic and foreign organizations, which in turn allows or disallows certain actions by Navy and Law Enforcement agencies.

It is widely speculated that the recent surge taking place in the Kansas system is related. The oddly self named Insurgency has long been categorized as a "Domestic Paramilitary Organization" that is of extremist political nature, in effect making them Liberty citizens with rights as such. The Act recategorizes them as a "Foreign Supported Terrorist Organization", a drastic shift in political standing. Sources have speculated the move is related to the Bering operation that precipitated the formation of the Insurgency as the root cause of the change in policy. Despite considerable cost both monetarily and in terms of material, the operation failed to expunge the organization to the desired level. The Act comes a considerable spending package for future operations and gives free rein to Liberty Navy admirals to take necessary measures to properly remove the long-standing issue.

[821 AS] Junk futurism

KREUZBERG -- 821 -- Only the Houses are arrogant enough to think they can predict the future, and look where it gets them. Augsburg Orbital was supposed to the luxury housing of tomorrow, and a blueprint for Rheinland's future. Now it's a derelict wreck because Rheinland cut their observatory service decades before the place even opened. Their loss is our gain -- the evacuation order left the place stuffed with valuable salvage, and there's a narrow window to get rich before the Dark Matter storm destroys everything. Rheinland clans are already heading over to Munich to have a look. Be careful though, the Battleship Regensburg is shooting looters on sight.

[803 AS] Junkers look after their own

KREUZBERG -- 803 -- The clans of Kreuzberg have reported record breaking numbers looking to become Junkers as work dries up on Rheinland planets. When people can't make ends meet the traditional way, they start to think about other opportunities. Jakob Mehler of the Mehler Clan commented, “outsiders might work with us or for us, but they ain't us. If you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family.” The sentiment seems to be shared by the other Clans, who agree that the Junkers need to look out for their own first, especially when hard times are coming. For many unemployed Rheinlanders, that’s going to mean a cold shoulder in the Scrap fields.


Rumors

Junkers
  • If you're looking for some quick money while still learning the ropes around here just ask some of the other Junkers about collecting scrap in this system. It's a small part of our operation, but there's plenty of work for those who need quick cash.


  • Our legitimate cover business in Texas is mining Scrap Metal from the Texas Debris Fields and shipping it to Sugarland for recycling. We're providing a useful service to the Liberty government.


  • Beaumont serves as a criminal supply center for many of the Rogue bases in Liberty. Consumer Goods, Light Arms, H-Fuel, Water, Food, and Oxygen are all shipped to Buffalo, Dawson, Fortaleza, and Alcatraz.


  • You can make a healthy profit running artifacts into Manhattan from here, but make sure you have a fast ship or you'll never make it past the patrols.


  • The first Junkers in Sirius came from Gallia. They came here to spy on the houses for Gallia. After being here for a few generations, they realized they could make more money and have more freedom working for themselves than they ever could serving some far off king. So don't believe what you hear from the Xeno propagandists and their political friends in the government. Junkers are Liberty Patriots just as much as anyone is.


  • This side of the Texas system is the major corridor for smuggling into Liberty. Smugglers take the jump hole from Hudson. Then they either come here or take the jumpholes to California or Pennsylvania.


  • We provide a lot of the essential supplies for criminals in California and New York. It's just a quick trip through the Holes.


  • If you can slip past the patrols getting into Manhattan, you can make a fortune as a smuggler. If you aren't quite ready for that then try taking your cargo to Buffalo or Rochester in the New York system. It doesn't pay as much, but it's much safer.


  • We have a problem here in Texas with the Xenos: those crazy bastards hate everybody. It doesn't make any sense. If they had dealings with us, we could both profit. But as it is, they run attacks on us. The Junkers could be good friends to them.


  • I've been poking around these fields for twenty years. Had a few radiation scares. Heard there's some great loot in those dark clouds, but I'm not going in there. Radiation's supposed to be lethal to even a decently shielded ship.


  • The income we get from hauling scrap to the Sugarland from the debris in this system goes into our Xenos account. The Xenos account is the money we use to hire Junker-friendly smugglers and pirates to attack the Xenos and defend us against their attacks. What a waste of money.


  • The Outcasts stop here on their long Cardamine runs in from the Edge Worlds. I don't trust them a bit. They don't like any of us; we're just pawns to them. One day something bad will happen.


  • Occasionally bounty hunters come snooping around here. If Junkers were to attack them it would bring too much heat from the navy so we just tip off the Rogues and the Outcasts so they'll know just where to find them.


  • We bring in some of the stolen Diamonds from Rheinland and sell them on the open market in Houston. No way they can tell where they came from, is there?


  • The Xenos are a small group and they are poor too. That's why they have no chance against us right now. Everybody owes the Junkers a favor or two, and we have plenty of money so we can buy protection as well. The problem is that the Xenos keep growing. Seems like every third ex-con that walks from Huntsville becomes a Xeno.


Outcasts
  • Several weeks ago I dragged a Bounty Hunter through the edge of the Negra Pequena and watched his ship disappear into the darkness -- quite enjoyable. His last distress call was sent wideband, so I was able to hear the fear in his voice.


  • You can make a healthy profit running artifacts into Manhattan from here, but make sure you have a fast ship or you'll never make it past the patrols.


  • There are many Silver and Diamond shipments in this system that the Lane Hackers give us information on -- well, perhaps "give" isn't the right word. The Lane Hackers are eager to trade their information for access to our black market contacts.


  • The Xenos in this system are a hindrance to our drug trade. They are rather fun to kill, though, because I know that they hate us so much. The Junkers will pay for proof of a dead Xeno, so I might as well make money doing it.


  • The Outcasts who get caught hauling in Liberty space end up on the Sugarland, so we run occasional raids on the prison transports sending our men into lockup. A lot of Outcasts, once sent to the Huntsville or Sugarland, get killed by Xenos. So LPI decided to put all of us on the Sugarland, and all the Xenos on the Huntsville.


Liberty Rogues
  • The Rogues can get to New York through the Jump Hole hidden in the same debris field this base is in. Also, there is a Jump Hole to California in the West Dallas Debris Field, though you have to be careful. Parts of that area are radioactive. There's another Jump Hole to the Hudson system in the South Dallas Debris Field. That about covers it.


  • I've served three sentences on the Huntsville. If you've served time there, you know the real name given to her by the inmates. We call the Huntsville "the Walls."


  • The Rogue fighter Prudhoe was making a Diamond run from Hudson to Beaumont when it was ambushed by a Xeno assault patrol. It fled into the Pequena Negra Cloud, with the Xenos in hot pursuit. No one has seen them since. People here figure they all died in there from the radiation.


  • This system is home to a lot of Liberty Rogues. Most of us have spent about half our lives on either the Huntsville or Sugarland. I just got off "the Walls" myself a few months ago; I wouldn't be surprised if I were heading back some time or other. Going back isn't so bad -- it gets to be kinda like home. A lot of my buddies are in there pulling time.


  • This system is my home, and this base is one of my favorite hangouts. You can get whatever you want at this base or on the Lanes picking ships for cargo. One day I'm going to retire with a mountain of Cardamine and Gold.


  • I kind of like the Xenos. Truth is I almost joined up with them on a tour of "the Walls," but I decided to join up with the Rogues instead. But the Junkers will pay me good money or Cardamine to kill Xenos, so if I see one flying solo, then I'll kill him. If there's more than one, I don't pay them much mind.


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