| Ciutadella Outpost | |
| Owner | |
| Corsairs | |
| Location | |
| G/H-6/5, Omicron Kappa |
CLASS: Menorca
GRAVITY: Complete
DOCKING: Yes
AMENITIES: Yes
CREW: 250
The Corsairs first detected the AI of Planet Gammu almost a century ago as they emerged from their mysterious underground cities. The machines would only respond aggressively when provoked, leading most Corsairs to avoid them when possible, unwilling to trigger a conflict with unknowable consequences. Despite this, concern would grow on Crete in 810 AS following a sudden surge in AI activity across Kappa. Ciutadella was rapidly constructed as a monitoring station in response.
Following the completion of Yaren Base in Omicron Delta, Ciutadella's squadrons would frequently scramble to chase off AI drones who were shadowing Corsair Iridium transports and pulsing garbled transmission bursts. When these transmissions were later studied by Order analysts based on Crete, they were discovered to be using extensively modified Western Alliance encoding. Using preserved records from the Hispania as a reference point, the first meaningful communications were established with Kappa's AI drones.
Ciutadella's role would change significantly following the Corsair expulsion from Omicron Delta in 822 AS. No longer needed as a supply relay, the station would instead be responsible for blocking any potential Nomad or Core advance on Gamma. When these invasions failed to materialise over the following years and with eventual collapse of Delta jump hole, Ciutadella's garrison was steadily eroded away. As Corsair operations intensified elsewhere, many believed the station had outlived its purpose and could be decommissioned.
Spared only by lingering paranoia about the Gammu AI's intentions, Ciutadella would continue with a skeleton crew up until the Core invasion of 832 AS. Without the forces to meaningfully intervene, the Corsairs have observed while the Core launched a lightning assault on Planet Gammu, subjugating or expelling the machines there. Despite urgent calls for reinforcements, the Corsairs have little left to spare, owing to their large expeditionary attacks in Dublin and Dresden, and the deteriorating situation in Omicron Theta.
Bribes & Missions Offered
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Commodities
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Ships sold
| Ship | Class | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Gladiator | Heavy Fighter | 17,558$ |
| Legionnaire | Light Fighter | 15,242$ |
| Praetorian | Bomber | 72,376$ |
News
| [834 AS] Penitence implores Elders for reinforcements |
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PENITENCE -- 834 -- Commanders seeing to the Dresden theater have issued a public letter to the Elders of Crete, urgently calling for reinforcements or permission to withdraw. The redeployment of the Penitence’s squadrons to bolster the defenses of Freeport 9 have left the battlegroup unable to carry out effective military operations. The Hessians have now committed to a full offensive into the Schwefelnebel to sever the supply lines to Frankfurt. If reinforcements are not dispatched urgently, or the Penitence withdrawn, the situation may rapidly worsen resulting in the loss of many Corsair vessels. Crete insists that the moment of victory approaches, and a final effort is all that is needed to crack the Omega-5 lines. |
| [834 AS] Corsairs and Zoners reach accord |
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CORFU -- 834 -- Following difficult negotiations, Corsair and Zoner delegates have reached an agreement over the status of Freeport 9. Since the withdrawal of the main Outcast fleet, Corsairs, Zoner militias and The Core have extracted a steady grind of attritional losses on each other. The Corsairs had initially demanded total surrender, however mounting losses and a spike in Nomad attacks appears to have changed their mind. The Corsairs have agreed to release all hostages, and establish a joint administration of the Freeport to immediately end the fighting. While the Corsairs will not permit their enemies to land, the Zoners now have far more autonomy to carry on with their lives. Neither side is happy with the deal, but it seems to be preferred to continued bloodshed. |
| [834 AS] Order strikes Corsair smugglers |
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BATTLESHIP DELOS -- 834 -- The Order has treacherously struck at Corsair freighters passing through Omicron Delta. Their arrogance knows no bounds. We have survived in this region for centuries longer than their organization has existed, yet they have the hubris to condescend to the Corsairs of the dangers? We bear The Order no ill will so long as they focus their attention where it belongs -- the Nomads. The moment they interfere with Corsair business, they can expect a Corsair blade. With the situation in Omicron Theta now stabilizing, the Elders have retasked the Battleship Delos to Omicron Delta to safeguard Xeno Relic smuggling routes. The Order, Core or anyone else shall interfere at their peril. |
| [832 AS] Breaking the Stalemate |
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PETRA -- 832 AS -- Grinding stalemates against the Hessians in Omega-5 and Omega-48 have gone on for decades, with tens of thousands having met their end in these systems. High Elder Montoya once pioneered the Road to Rheinland strategy to break this impasse. He envisioned an assault through the Sigmas into Rheinland, crippling the Hessian back lines in Dresden. While the High Elder has since passed, today we have the power to once again put his bold plan into action. Our scouts aboard the Battlecruiser Penitence report that the Rheinland Military and Hessians have severely bloodied one another in a massive clashes within Dresden. Both are weakened and preoccupied; all we must do is administer the fatal blow. The Elders have directed our forces to assemble at Petra and prepare to break through Frankfurt into Dresden. Be wary of the Bundschuh, who have harassed our raiders and resupply freighters in the area. They will likely try to stop us, and are to be shot on sight. |
| [832 AS] Core on Our Doorsteps! |
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CIUTADELLA - In a surprise attack, the Core battleship Mars has emerged from the Theta Jump Hole in the Omicron Kappa system, and launched a massive attack on the Artificial Intelligence planet of Gammu! They cowardly waited for our forces to be dispersed between various theaters, the latest one being the Outcast return to Omicron Theta, and took advantage of our inability to crush them like the pests they are. Special orders were relayed to Battleship Delos in Theta to coordinate additional patrols in the Amarus Cloud to interfere with their shipments of Gammu materials as much as possible. |
| [832 AS] The Outcast Menace Returns |
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DELOS -- 832 AS -- In a bitter day for the Corsair Empire, the Outcasts have returned to Omicron Theta. The crew of the Battleship Fes gave their lives to raise the alarm, allowing the Corsair defenders of Freeport 9 to assemble and repulse the assault. The Elders have authorised the deployment of elements of the Omicron Gamma defence fleet to respond to the Outcast invasion and secure our borders. These elite fighters are more than a match for the drug-addled Outcasts and will hold the line until the Northern and Southern Fleets complete their assignments in Dresden and Dublin. The Battleship Delos has been dispatched to the system to coordinate our counter-attack and avenge the loss of the Fes. The Elders have announced that a great honor will be bestowed upon the pilots responsible for the destruction of the Outcast Battlecruiser Augusta. |
| [832 AS] Gunboat Prosperity |
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CRETE -- 832 AS -- The rightful occupation of Freeport 9 has relieved some pressures on Crete, but stressed others. While we now control the biodomes of Omicron Theta, Food production has begun to decline. Our engineers think this is because of the high-yield synth crops depleting the soil. The Zoners seem to have prevented this previously by importing Fertilizers from the Houses. Similarly, Crete, Leon and Cadiz are facing a shortage of Pharmaceuticals, complicating the treatment of our casualties. The Zoners now refuse to sell us these goods, so we must look elsewhere to obtain what we need. The Elders have decreed that the raiding fleets are to redouble their efforts in Cambridge, and make new inroads into the Frankfurt system. Petra Base in Sigma 15 is to be reinforced, and the Fertilizer convoys from Planet Holstein treated as priority targets. The Corsairs have always prized strength, and we have the strength to take what we need from the weak. Prosperity is there to be seized. |
| [832 AS] The Gold-Paved Path to Victory |
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CADIZ -- 832 AS -- The Gallic War left Bretonia a wounded beast, stumbling along in a desperate attempt to prolong the inevitable. This new 'peace' has left the Bretonians weak, lazy and complacent. This presents us with critical opportunities. Our reavers scourge their trade lanes to feeble opposition, each raid securing the plunder and materiel needed to rebuild our mighty fleets. Now, the Mollys have seized the Dublin system, and its immense Gold wealth along with it. The Mollys are but gnats compared to the mighty Corsairs - the Elders have decreed that the system will be ours. The Battlecruiser Santander has already struck a great victory by eliminating the Battleship Hood. The Mollys fear to meet us in open battle, but soon they will be forced to fight or starve. With the wealth of Dublin secured, no one will be able to oppose us. The path to the Corsairs' great victory in Bretonia and Rheinland is paved in Gold. |
| [831 AS] Freeport 9 Seized Over Zoner Treachery |
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FREEPORT 9 -- 831 AS -- For decades we tolerated the insolence of Freeport 9's Zoners. They wrongly assumed that the Corsairs would simply ignore the sheltering of our enemies and the disrespect of our laws, so long as their biodomes continued to provide for Crete. The death of Juan Garcia was but the latest in a line of killings by the Bounty Hunters Guild, abetted by the Zoners who provide them with safe harbor. The Elders have decided: no more. One opportunity was offered for the Zoners to make amends for their transgressions, and instead they chose to ignore our reasonable demands. Last night, Freeport 9 was boarded and the station administration placed under arrest. From this day forward, the biodomes will provide exclusively for the Corsairs, and the docking bays will admit only those we allow. Fortunately, our ancient enemies the Outcasts appear to be preoccupied with a self-inflicted revolt on their poisonous planet. By the time they turn their focus back to the Omicrons, we will be secure in our conquest. |
| [831 AS] Jump Hole Upheaval Causes Chaos |
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HEISENBERG -- 831 AS -- Jump holes across Sirius have become increasingly volatile and chaotic over the last year, with Professor Sophia Nagel from the Heisenberg Research Station linking the unusual phenomena to the Pulse. The Pulse was an unprecedented blast of hyperspace energy that was detected immediately prior to last year's jump gate Blackout. Professor Nagel and her team are certain the Pulse originated from outside Sirius, but are otherwise no closer to identifying its source or mitigating a future Blackout event. "Following the Blackout, we began to see immediate signs of jump hole destabilization in multiple different regions, with many ultimately falling out of phase alignment altogether", she commented. The dramatic upending of Sirius' jump hole network has already prompted many groups to abandon stations and withdraw from systems that appear to risk being cut off. While months-long trips between the stars are possible thanks to the Liberty Engine and many centuries of innovation, few ships are designed or provisioned to make such arduous journeys. Those who were displaced by Sirius' redrawn map hope that system connections will return, while adventurers and explorers rush to discover new routes. |
| [831 AS] Corsair Elder's Son Killed by BHG! |
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FREEPORT 9 -- 831 AS -- The presence of Bounty Hunters so close to the Corsair home world has long been a source of anger for the Edge World pirates. Zoner Freeports offer a safe harbor and open market to all comers - including the BHG. For decades the Zoners of Freeport 9 have kept themselves safe from Corsair reprisals by offering useful services, with their biodomes providing Crete with respite from the famines that once ravished it. Despite this, outrage has swept Omicron Gamma after a flight of Hunters killed Commander Juan Garcia, before retreating back to the No Fire Zones of Omicron Theta. The Council of Elders have ordered the administrator of Freeport 9 to attend Planet Crete to hear their demands. Elder Garcia has vowed that the station's halls would "run red with blood" unless the Zoners turned over all BHG aboard the Freeport. The Zoners are yet to respond, likely trying to anticipate how the Corsairs will react. |
| [830 AS] Tempers Flare over Pygar Colony! |
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PYGAR -- 830 AS -- The Zoners have seen many trials over recent years, with the Bretonian invasion of Gran Canaria being one among many. It was this occupation that forced many settlers off-world, with some braving the deadly storms of Pygar to eke out a difficult existence under the barren planet's surface. The arrival of Zoner colonists in Omicron Theta has not been met with warmth by all, however. The Corsairs see the Pygar colony as a direct competitor for the region's scarce resources, with Elder Garcia warning that there would be "dire consequences" should Freeport 9's biodomes reduce or divert their exports to Planet Crete. Whispers of alien ruins and Artifacts discovered below Pygar's surface may also antagonize the Corsairs, who rely on the Artifact trade as a source of wealth. The hardship of Pygar's extreme conditions and the uneasy relationship with the Corsairs has already led many colonists to consider a return to the now liberated Gran Canaria. |
| [830 AS] Corsair Empire salutes High Elder Montoya |
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CRETE -- 830 AS -- The Corsairs all across the Empire salute High Elder Montoya, who died among his family aged 78. The High Elder dedicated his life to the Corsair people, having won a lifetime of glory leading strikes into Bretonia, Rheinland and the Sigmas. Montoya pioneered the 'Road to Rheinland' strategy, commanding the Northern Fleet as it entered Sigma 15 in 815 AS. While that campaign would falter in Frankfurt, Montoya's steady leadership ensured that many Corsair warriors returned to Crete to continue to fight for the Empire and future victory. In his later years, Montoya would act as a steadying hand on the Council of Elders, counseling against rash decisions and reckless action. The Council has since inducted Elder Rosita Garcia to their number. As she commemorated the launch of the Battlecruiser Santander, she declared that "Sirius shall be set alight as a pyre in Montoya's honor". The Santander and its squadrons have been dispatched to pillage Bretonia. |
| [828 AS] Reconquista |
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CRETE -- 828 AS -- Following a lull of successful conquests waged by the Corsairs, the Elders have finally broken their silence and issued an ultimatum. "The standing Navy of the Corsair Empire as well as its irregular raiders must do everything within their means to break existing stalemates or make progress. The enemies of Crete have grown arrogant and take for granted that Corsair offensives have lost their steam, this is an assessment which must be proved woefully wrong." In response to these express instructions, activity across every Corsair installation has intensified to levels that suggest substantial mobilization. |
Rumors
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NOTE: Page generated on the 15/12/2024 at 15:50:59 UTC