Briancon Station

From Discovery Wiki
Briancon Station
Ew14 03 base.png
Owner
ALG Waste Disposal
Location
C-4, Languedoc

CLASS: Guesclin

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 500

Built in high orbit of Planet Ales, this base served as a main port for the oil refining EFL was tasked with. Though important by purpose, the base had little in the way of defending itself, and was thus captured easily by the Council during their advance. Alarmed by the loss of the base, the Monarchy relocated a battlecruiser force to secure the station and its operations.

With the arrival of the Gallic Royal Navy and its recapture, Briancon was repurposed once again, now acting as the main industrial base for scrap metal salvaging, at large due to the presence of significant deposits of a mish-mash of military hardware and scrap metal left over from the many battles of the Second Gallic Civil War and the Kusari invasion.

This continued until 746 AGS, when the newly formed Gallic Union finally chose to sell the base to ALG, owing in part due to EFL's inefficient methods of refining scrap materials and to secure a partnership with a foreign corporation.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 25$
Ablative Armor Plating 101$
Cracking Catalysts 31$
Energy Field Equipment 59$
Hydrogen 53$
Medical Equipment 47$
Molybdenum 109$
Rheinbier 44$
Titanium 41$
Tungsten 26$
Zinc 21$
Slog 116$
Boron 55$
Cobalt 40$
Copper 175$
Oxygen 5$
Water 5$
Food Rations 17$
H-Fuel 100$
Optical Chips 40$
Mining Machinery 24$
Construction Machinery 18$
Pharmaceuticals 14$
Polymers 21$
Optronics 108$
Consumer Goods 22$
Engine Components 88$
Neon 54$
Synth Paste 28$
Wine 37$
Aluminium 193$
Industrial Materials 23$
Xenobiotic Filters 60$
HazMat Canisters 30$
Passenger Cabin (Rheinland) 46,218$
Passenger Cabin (Gallia) 12,197$
Xeno Relics 244$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Basic Alloy 5$
Hull Panels 15$
Crew 219$
Toxic Waste 31$
Scrap Metal 3$
MOX 37$
Promethene 23$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Rheinland Armored Transport Transport 33,155$
Rheinland Heavy Transport Heavy Transport 1,006,006$
ALG Transport Super Train 1,256,006$


News

[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.

[834 AS] Kusari minister cancels ALG contract

NEW TOKYO -- 833 -- Shortly before the execution of the Roppongi cleanup contract between ALG and the Kusari government, the Minister of Industry and Development personally intervened to void his department’s negotiations. Citing "security concerns and political unreliability", the Minister disqualified ALG from further involvement. The contract was then awarded directly without tender to Samura Heavy Industries. ALG has condemned the move as “the lowest and most despicable of state corruption”, and threatened to take immediate legal action to protect their investments and reputation. Samura has pledged prompt action to make New Tokyo’s orbit safe -- despite the Keiretsu having no experience in this field of work.

[833 AS] ALG reports escalating attacks in New Tokyo

NARITA OUTPOST -- 833 -- In recent months, ALG employees have reported a sharp increase in intimidation attempts by suspected Hogosha agents. The Rheinland-originating corporation says its Kusari-based personnel have been subjected to stalking and harassment, with several managers forced to leave Narita Outpost after personal information about their families was leaked to Farmers' Alliance terrorists. The corporation says these threats are linked to the ongoing negotiations for the decontamination of Roppongi Station. State Police have advised they are investigating ALG’s allegations.

[832 AS] Roppongi cleanup negotiations enter final stages

WICHTER STATION -- 832 -- After a demanding pre-tender selection and contract negotiation process, ALG are on the verge of finalizing a new deal for the deconstruction of the Roppongi Wreck in the New Tokyo’s orbit. The station was destroyed early last year when a dirty bomb was detonated aboard by the Farmer’s Alliance. The new contract would be a significant milestone for ALG, providing both high profile, valuable work, but also a significant expansion of the corporation’s relationship with the otherwise conservative Kusari market. ALG already handles much of Kusari’s Toxic Waste disposal from civilian corporate shipyards.

[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.

[829 AS] Tau In Transition

Freeport 6 -- 829 AS -- Bretonia and Kusari have been quiet in recent weeks as the Tau cluster continues adjustments, partly by design, into a new reality. Kusari has abandoned Tau-53 completely as trade with Gallia is frozen indefinitely, a nearly depleted hydrocarbon deposit seemingly not worth the investment in itself. Misaki Station has seen its manufacturing facilities detached and towed to a new location as Samura attempts to recoup some of its investment in Tau-53. Meanwhile, both Gallia and Bretonia have readjusted their Tau focus to Tau-23 as Orkney descends into chaos. Existing gate infrastructure in Tau-31 and Languedoc have been redirected to Tau-23, and a collective deja vu is felt among Tau denizens and observers from all Houses as the resources of Tau-23 are eyed by competing mining interests. Trade between the houses however, as in Kusari, is completely off the menu. Independent trade factions have also been warned against attempting to cross the divide.

[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.

[828 AS] Tau Turbulence

FREEPORT 6 -- 828 AS -- After decades of constant warfare and shifts in dominance - the balance of power within the Tau sector has once again been reset. With the most recent conclusion of a brief yet bitter invasion by Kusari into Gallic space, the Taus have seen a rapid destabilization along the shattered Gallic defenses and Kusari borders. Coupled with a Bretonia still reeling from economic desolation by the Gallic invasion only a few years prior, the Taus have become something of a no-man's-land between the depleted militaries of the Gallic, Kusari, and Bretonian empires. In the aftermath of the decisive end of the Kusari-Gallic war, the once dominant Gallia pulled almost all its strength back to Gallia to repel the Kusari invasion, leaving in their wake a sector more independent than ever.

At present, no house stands to conclusively fill the vacuum of power in the Taus, clouding the future to secure exploitation of its rich natural resources in ambiguity. Following the withdrawal of Kusari from Tau-23 after the final confrontation in Languedoc, the lanes within the system seem to have been subject to sabotage, and Gallia has released a public statement that Orkney would instead be favored over Tau-23 for the route to Tau-31, likely owing to Orkney being the last major Tau system that Gallia holds bases in. Niobium futures have ballooned in response to plummeting consumer confidence in stable Niobium extraction, resulting in vicious multinational corporate and paramilitary competition over Tau resource exploitation. The Taus are now a lawless battleground of conflicting corporate interests, small scale military skirmishes, and pirate incursions, all scrambling for a piece of Niobium.

Given the thorough depletion of military might and expansionist ambitions in the surrounding devastated houses, chances are low that the Taus will find themselves tamed by a lawful house in the foreseeable future.

[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."

[743 AGS] Upheavals within the Gallic Assembly

MARSEILLE -- 743 AGS -- For several weeks, tensions have been rising between the Duchy and Minarchist deputies. Both states are being confronted with the Kusari invaders; and every state has been asking for more resources to be allocated to their own front lines. The Duchy has been particularly expressive in their requests as the Kusari Forces have captured Lorraine, and are currently executing a bloody siege on Nevers. Meanwhile the République has been trying to monitor the two rivaling states, and the military has been tasked with coordinating their strategic plan with the assistance of the Parisian Assembly.

The situation was not resolved with the Minarchy supporting a vote of no confidence in the current leadership; later causing the resignation of Jean Besson, the President of the Parisian Assembly, on the 15th of October. Elections to renew the Assembly were held on the same day of Jean Besson's resignation, and the results were revealed on the 18th of October.

To the surprise of many, the Militarists were victorious; with considerable support of the Defense Forces, and thanks to their alliance with moderates and independents within the other parties. The new President of the Assembly, Dorian Lasalle made a short but resolute announcement after his nomination to President, the most important role in the Assembly: "My new government and I will immediately start to solve the internal affairs and a solution with the conflict against Kusari will soon be found. Then, a new era for Gallia will rise."

Overall elections have opened many doors for the Militarists and closed some for divisionist representatives at the Parisian Assembly. The recent conflicts have shown an increase in unity among the states, confronted to their most difficult challenge since their creation in 742 A.G.S. The final seat count sets the Gallic Defense Guard Party (GDG) as the single largest party with 52 percent of the seats, followed by the Union for Tradition Party (UT) with 25 percent, the Democratic Federation of the Liberals Party (DFL) with 11 percent, the Gallic Commerce Guild (GCG) with 9 percent, and the Pacifists of Paris Party (PP) with only 3 percent of the seats.

The GDG, an authoritarian right leaning party of ex-officers from the Defense Forces, is arguably the biggest victor in these elections with their impressive 52 percent of the total seats available in the Assembly. The surprise and confusion is shared among all parties, but is overall explainable with the rapidly increasing popularity of militant views since the start of the invasion by the Kusari Empire.

Nevertheless, the rest of the deputies have accepted to collaborate with the GDG for the greater good of Gallia, solving the internal conflicts and finding a favorable outcome to the war with the Empire. Many citizens within every state have shown their hopes and concerns regarding the unexpected push of the GDG in the Assembly but President Lasalle reassured them saying "Every state will be listened to and we will work with all the parties for the greater good of Gallia".

[742 AGS] New Weapon Against Bretonian Resistance

CALAIS -- 742 AGS -- The Agincourt System has been under full control of our navy for nearly six years. Nevertheless, small pockets of Bretonian resistance still remain dug into deep mining tunnels and bunkers, eager to use any opportunity to disturb the order which the royal army is tasked to maintain. The military research and development team of Calais has agreed to provide us with some insight in the, very literally said, groundbreaking weapon which should finally put an end to Bretonian resistance, no matter how deeply dug in. It is the "Triumph"-class, the newest addition to the Royal Navy. The state-of-the-art design carries a minified version of the "Warwolf" cannon amidships on the bottom of the hull and is the only capital ship known to man that is capable of atmospheric flight below 5000 meters, thanks to its eight horizontal thrusters. Although unmatched, our Valors would be defeated by Admiral Nature in such a task, as the magnetosphere greatly disperses the effect of their mighty forward cannons. The Triumph is able to fly past the magnetosphere, and thus exert its full firepower on the ground.

Royal military analysts predict that the Bretonian resistance will surrender as soon as they witness this weapon in use, but even if they do not, their neutralization will be ensured promptly.

[733 AGS] Business in Gallic Border Words: Risks and Profits

ALESIA -- 733 AGS -- The Second Gallic War made conducting business hazardous all around the Gallic Border Worlds. New threats are not directly related to the military conflict between Gallia and the Council. Instead, the war gave rise to unprecedented increase of piracy in all Border Worlds, except for Lorraine. Criminal activity is on the rise even in the well-protected Core Systems. Using the war and chaos associated with it, Gallic Brigands, Corse and other groups gained access to new ships and weaponry, and gained opportunities to increase their numbers by rallying recruits from Council-controlled worlds of Marne and Quillan.

As a result, most financial institutions refuse insurance for any shipments going to and from the Core Worlds. Even if they do, insurance is so expensive that only a few shippers are able to afford it. As of now, the only efficient way to protect cargo is hiring Gallic Navy escort. Presence of Navy fighters usually scares pirates away, however, the Navy has many other duties to perform. Government promises to increase Police presence in the area, however, increased numbers of Police does not guarantee presence of their ships in the areas where pirates are going to attack. According to the reports from Briancon and Gap installations in Languedoc, some police patrols deliberately avoid patrolling areas where commercial transports are present and where pirate attacks are most likely to occur.

Solar Engineering, the only large space corporation without a significant presence in the Border Worlds, has actually gained profits from the war rather than losses: gaining large government contracts for building up the Core World defenses, its stock value has risen more than 80%% over the last 15 years, an unprecedented rise for any large company listed on the New Paris Stock Exchange (NPSE) for the last four hundred years.

[814 AS] ALG announces Sigma-13 milestone

HELGOLAND STATION -- 814 -- ALG representatives have announced that all commercially viable salvage has now been retrieved from the Yanagi Cloud debris field in Sigma-13. This means the project now enters its second and most hazardous phase, which focuses on the clearance of material deemed too contaminated or dangerous to be recycled, such as unexploded mines and heavily irradiated or otherwise contaminated ship hulls. ALG’s cleanup effort has repeatedly missed project milestones, which the corporation blames on poorly motivated Junker subcontractors. It now forecasts final debris clearance for 824 AS.

[812 AS] Daumann battleship contract greenlit by courts

ODER SHIPYARD -- 812 -- Following a protracted legal dispute, the High Court has dismissed ALG’s legal challenge to the award of the Next Generation Bismarck contract to Daumann Heavy Construction. This clears Oder Shipyard to begin serial production of the Battleship Bremen. The tender award to Daumann attracted significant controversy after the Schweizer Commission found that the corporation’s practices during the buildup to the Colony Wars were likely fraudulent or deceptive. As a result, the government has proposed clawing back paid funds by garnishing income from any state contracts and mineral sales. Anti-corruption activists have protested that this is effectively rewarding criminal conduct with repeat business.

[806 AS] Kruger CEO Ousted as ALG Takeover Fails

ESSEN -- 806 -- The partnership between ALG Waste Disposal and Kruger Minerals has dramatically collapsed. Frustrated by perceived Kruger mismanagement, ALG moved forward with plans for a hostile takeover by buying out key private stakeholders. Kruger’s outraged family board immediately implemented a number of ‘poison pill’ clauses and sought emergency funding from New Berlin investors to fend off the acquisition. A deal was struck with the wealthy Puttkamer family which saw Sebastian von Puttkamer appointed as board chairman, and CEO Wolfgang Schwarz dismissed. Investors have long considered Kruger to be in poor health, needing radical restructuring to restore profitability. Share prices for both companies fell on the news of the failed ALG takeover.


Rumors

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