Canterbury Station

Canterbury Station

File:Br01 05 base.png

Owner

Planetform, Inc.

Location

F-4, New London

CLASS: Eden

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 780

Canterbury Station houses the headquarters for Planetform Inc., a pioneer in transforming uninhabitable or marginally habitable planets into terrestrial worlds. With the sparseness of suitable planets outside of the core systems claimed by Liberty, Planetform Inc. has conducted a considerable amount of business in Bretonia and abroad.

During the conflict with Gallia, Planetform suffered several severe losses of business in Edinburgh and Tau-31, due to the occupation of Planet Harris and the cessation of work on Planet Ayr. Canterbury itself played host to Allied forces during the Battle of New London, weathering many attacks by the Gallic Royal Navy. Owing mostly to the bravery of the Battleships MacDuff and Ottawa, damage to the base was limited.

Following the cessation of hostilities, Planetform began to assess the extent of damage to existing projects, and explore new business opportunities to replace those contracts that were deemed non-viable. Work has already been resumed on Planet Harris, although Planet Ayr's project remains mired in contractual disputes with the Bretonian government. New projects have also been authorized by the Bretonian government on Planet Wight in Manchester, although this decision is deeply controversial.

Gallia - the cause of many of Planetform's woes over the last decade - may also engage the corporation's services in the years to come. Such agreements have been heavily endorsed by the Bretonian government, who see Planetform's work as a means to build centuries-spanning economic links between the two Houses.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes

Bretonia Police Bretonia Mining & Manufacturing Gateway Shipping Universal Shipping Planetform, Inc. Independent Miners Guild Bounty Hunters Guild

Missions

Planetform, Inc. Bretonia Police Bounty Hunters Guild

Commodities

Imports

Commodity Price Robotics 21$ Hessian Tears 158$ Cracking Catalysts 63$ Energy Field Equipment 47$ Hydrogen 52$ Medical Equipment 18$ Molybdenum 162$ Nanotubes 49$ Titanium 23$ Tungsten 22$ Zinc 54$ Deuterium 172$ Boron 38$ Gold 107$ Wildcat Gold 110$ Cobalt 23$ Hydrocarbons 19$ Niobium 140$ Copper 107$ Oxygen 4$ Water 4$ Diamonds 134$ Food Rations 10$ Basic Alloy 18$ Super Alloy 37$ Superconductors 65$ Optical Chips 26$ Construction Machinery 34$ Pharmaceuticals 16$ Hull Panels 24$ Polymers 23$ Optronics 116$ Consumer Goods 23$ Bio-Neural Processors 96$ Cryocubes 117$ Nanocapacitors 57$ Neon 34$ Platinum 216$ Prometheum 39$ Quantum Multiplexors 63$ Synth Paste 15$ Aluminium 190$ Industrial Materials 25$ HazMat Canisters 37$ Passenger Cabin (Bretonia) 10,610$ Biodome Materials 74$ Xeno Relics 198$

Exports

Commodity Price Deployable Mining Container 50,000$ Solar Panels 15$ Gin 27$ Crew 211$ Terraforming Gases 22$ Xenobiotic Filters 60$

Ships sold

Ship	Class	Price
Hawk	Light Fighter	14,182$
Falcon	Heavy Fighter	18,778$
Eagle	Very Heavy Fighter	24,079$
Roc	Bomber	70,176$
Vulture	Bomber	61,826$
Havoc Mk II	Bomber	71,612$
Voyager	Freighter	22,126$
Repair Ship	Repair Ship	30,175$
Large Train	Train	906,006$

News

[834 AS] Notorious privateer released from prison

NEWGATE -- 834 -- Henry King has been released from Newgate Prison on parole, having served a 5 year sentence. Leading a squadron of privateers, King rose to fame for daring strikes on Gallic supply lines across the Taus and even Languedoc. It is believed that King had the largest personal bounty in Gallia for his exploits, which were recently adapted for holoreel in the feature-length hit, “Blade and Blaster”. King continued to attack Gallic Confederacy targets after the war’s end, and was arrested for piracy upon returning to Bretonia. When asked for a statement by journalists, he replied “444” before climbing into a waiting shuttle and departing.

[834 AS] Senior admiral unexpectedly retires

NEW LONDON -- 834 -- In an unexpected move, Lady Watson has announced her retirement from the Armed Forces, resigning her commission as an Admiral with immediate effect. Admiral Watson had been tipped as the most likely candidate to lead Bretonia’s pacification of Dublin, prompting surprise and concern among commentators. The Admiral’s office issued a curt statement advising that she was stepping down to spend more time with her grandchildren. Despite this, anonymous Whitehall sources claim the admiral was disgusted by the treatment of Admiral Byng, and had reached “breaking point” over alleged political interference in the planning and disposition of the upcoming campaign.

[833 AS] Admiral Found Guilty Over Dublin Disaster

BATTLESHIP ESSEX -- 833 AS -- A military tribunal has found that Admiral James Byng was guilty of failing to do his utmost to prevent the loss of Dublin and the New London Jump Gate. The charges concerned the deployment and disposition of forces under Byng's command, the botched boarding of Graves Station and the decision to retreat from the system. The admiralty judges commuted a capital sentence to a dishonorable discharge, noting the admiral's exemplary service during the Gallic War. Representatives speaking on Byng's behalf decried the tribunal as a sham, claiming he was being scapegoated by the corporate and government interests who bore actual culpability for the uprising. The Battleship Essex continues to maintain a blockade of Dublin, with government sources stating that the Molly terrorists will be crushed and the system brought to heel in short order.

[833 AS] Cambridge on the Line

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

[831 AS/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] Bretonia Announces Poole Draw-Down

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

[831 AS] Bretonian Focus Turns on Mollys

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

[831 AS] Bretonia Withdraws From Dublin System

WATERLOO -- 831 AS -- Markets are down across Sirius as the sector grapples with the twin shocks of The Blackout and Bretonia's withdrawal from the Dublin system. Molly separatists appear to have exploited a worker revolt on Graves Station to take control of and later destroy the base. Of even greater concern is the attack that crippled the New London jump gate, forcing the Battleship Essex to retreat. EFL have accused the gate destruction and faulty Ageira infrastructure of causing The Blackout, which the Liberty corporation denies. The Mollys have since declared their ownership of Dublin, while Bretonia has imposed a strict blockade, jeopardizing the sector's Gold supply. Gold exports previously made up a significant element of Bretonian state revenue, helping to fund post-war recovery efforts. While the reconstruction of LD-14 in the Leeds system offers some relief, Interspace Commerce has already downgraded Bretonia's sovereign credit rating, citing increased volatility and risk for lenders. Bretonia has confirmed that action to retake the system will be launched shortly, providing assurances to partners in the other Houses.

[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.

[831 AS] Cost of Rebuilding too High?

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

[829 AS] Marauding in Manchester

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

[817 AS] Planetform sanctioned over disputed terraforming

PLANET ATKA -- 818 -- Rheinland's Reichstag today passed a motion applying sanctions to Planetform Inc, condemning the Bretonian corporation for its work on Planet Atka in Hudson. The motion prohibits Planetform from entering or purchasing goods in Rheinland until such a time as the company ceases work on Atka and "desists in furthering Liberty’s imperialism". The move has drawn protests from both Bretonia and Liberty, and severs Planetform’s access to Rheinland-sourced Terraforming Gasses. Planetform representatives have called for peace talks between Rheinland and Liberty over Hudson’s status, arguing that a terraformed planet in the dangerous Independent World would mutually benefit both.

Rumors

Planetform, Inc.

There are rumblings that terraforming was never a viable technology. The founders of this company became very rich without ever having actually completed one project. The government did not want to admit to the Bretonian people that it had let Leeds become poisoned to the point of ecological collapse, so they sank trillions into terraforming as the solution to all of Bretonia's problems. Will it work? California Minor is almost done, but the Bretonian projects are far behind schedule, courtesy of the Gaian movement. This is the headquarters for Planetform. We're the only corporation in Sirius that specialises in terraforming, that is, to alter climate on a planetary scale. The projects we undertake are gigantic, and take centuries to complete. That's why only the major Houses can afford our services. Even a minor adjustment would take at least a century and a half to do. Privately, I doubt that terraforming will ever produce the results expounded by our company, at least in the time frame promised. The use of Alien Organisms has shown promise, but tests show that they will accelerate the process twofold at most, which puts us several hundred years behind schedule on worlds that require the creation of an entire biosphere. Planetform's official view of the Gaians is that they are a terrorist organization engaged in open piracy. We do not understand why the Bretonian public sympathizes with this group of ruffians. Planetform has several ongoing projects. The California Minor project, which is nearing completion ahead of schedule. The Atka project in Hudson, which is getting started. The Harris project, which is all but suspended due to the Gallic invasion. And finally, the Ayr project. Officially, the status of that project is unknown until the damage can be assessed, but unofficially, it's likely to be abandoned. I used to haul Silver up to Planet Harris in the Tau-31 system. Occasionally I can still slip through and sell it for a hefty profit, but it's very risky right now. Any Gallic patrols and any pirate out there will be gunning for you. Gaian terrorists target Planetform throughout Bretonia. It's strange that they have as much support as they do - one would think that their association with Gallia and the Corsairs would earn them few friends in Bretonia. I suppose we'll need to drag those academic types out of their ivory tower, and give them a healthy dose of reality by strapping them in with a Planetform Pelican bound for Harris... We've got operations in California, Tau-31, and Edinburgh. Edinburgh was the problem child until Gallia rolled in there. The costly Phase 1 stage was interrupted, which probably means we'll need to start from scratch there. But I don't see Bretonia fielding the bill for that any time soon. Luckily the Harris project was a little further along, reducing that operation won't hurt it, just delay it. We discovered the power of the Alien Organisms by accident. In 740, A Kusari ship hauling them across Tau-31 was attacked by pirates and ventured far off course. A hull breach killed the crew, and the ship drifted into the gravitational field of Harris. The Alien Organisms not only survived the impact, they flourished in the frigid, oxygen-deficient environment of the planet's surface. Add some raw Hydrocarbons and Fertilizers for them to feed on, and you get a rather rich primordial soup to feed a future ecology. Planetform was chartered in 450 AS at the request of the Bretonian government. Several Cambridge researchers teamed up with a group of experienced California atmospheric modification experts from Los Angeles. They outlined methods to transform arid, lifeless planets with minimal atmospheres into new locations for human settlement within 400 years. The company has since expanded it's potential to include arctic worlds which need their temperature raised. Leeds is dying, even without Gallia bombing the surface to bits. BMM has polluted the biosphere to such an extent that the planet is no longer capable of supporting life by itself. The atmosphere is toxic, but the government has refused to make that public, fearing a revolt that would put the Founders Day to shame. BMM refuses any kind of accountability for that. I wonder what they'll do now. They won't be able to muscle their way into New London or Cambridge as easily. We bring in our basic supplies like Food, Oxygen, and Water from New London. The Gaians will even attack the lowly supply ships, if given the chance. Hells, they'll attack even empty transports if they belong to Planetform!

Bounty Hunters Guild

No Jump Holes in the Devon field -- makes it a little bit quiet. The Somerset is another story. It's swarming with Corsairs, that is. They run the Artifacts across to Trafalgar from the Cambridge Hole, and then they start hittin' the ships that wander into their range. Guess they don't like buying things that they can steal instead. Savages... They've got me here chasing Gaians up in the Devon field. It's not very complicated work. Those Gaians are a little green - pun intended - when it comes to tactics and combat. They got lots of spunk, though. I'm glad we don't need to go to Edinburgh anymore. It's pretty messy up there. The Gaians have more cover and seem to be more organized than everyone else here. I don't get why they think that stupid planet is so important. Now Gallia will probably turn it into a colony world of theirs. Hope those Gaian nutters are pleased with themselves. Planetform seems to have loads of money to pay us for hunting down those Gaians. They must get it from the government. It's no problem with me. I'll just keep poppin' them as long as they can afford me. We're heading out to the Somerset to hunt some Corsairs. It's real bad down there. Ya don't want to go in alone or your kin will be gettin' a little notice from the Guild offering their condolences. Corsairs always roam that field in packs, so we gotta do the same. The Gaians don't know what to make of those real criminals, the Corsairs and Outcasts. I think all those Cambridge University grads are scared to death of the Border World bad guys. Still, they seem to be getting along, oddly, with the Corsairs...

Bretonia Police

We run patrols on all four Trade Lanes that originate here. The Manchester Jump Gate and Cambridge Trade Lanes are the bad ones. Sometimes an entire squadron is lost. Corsairs move about freely, unafraid of our ships. The military is occupied on the far side of the system, with the Mollys. I think I prefered it when it was just the Gaians we had to worry about. First the Mollys, who've been gaining in strenght steadily. How many bloody miners did BMM sack over the years? And as if that wasn't enough, the Corsairs show up. I was just trying to make it to retirement on New London making customs inspections. They issued a directive for all able bodied pilots to be on active combat duty until the Gallic threat is eliminated, so here I am, just trying to survive. Again. I hope my reflexes haven't dulled on the five years I spent planetside. This is a new post for the Police Authority. The sudden rise in the Corsair population in eastern London forced headquarters to substantially increase patrols on these Lanes. Planetform was happy to accomodate us on their HQ. More police here means fewer Gaian problems for them. The Corsairs are fairly indiscriminate in their targets. They seem to hate everybody, and relish confrontation. They will never allow themselves to be captured. I've seen more than a few attempts to ram you even with their ship afire and weapons knocked out. I guess it's more honorable for them to die than surrender. Not to say we haven't caught a few of them - there's a wing in Newgate reserved for Corsairs. Can't mix those up with the Mollys or there'll be blood, and lots of it. I find the Bounty Hunters a distasteful and crude lot. They do perform essential and unpleasant tasks for the authority, though - they go after the criminals on their own turf. At least we don't have to go into the Somerset.

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