Pinnacle Station

Pinnacle Station

File:Li09 09 base.png

Owner

Militants

Location

G/H-7/6, Pennsylvania

CLASS: Ramshackle

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Partial

CREW: Unknown

Pinnacle Station is the local headquarters of the Erie Militants, a resistance movement that opposes Liberty's annexation of Pennsylvania. Pinnacle was quickly and haphazardly constructed in 830 AS, in the bloody aftermath of the Liberty Navy's Operation PESTISIDE. The station is named after the Aquillon Carrier that initially coordinated the Zoner resistance to Liberty's occupation of Planet Erie. The carrier's destruction led to the name becoming a defiant symbol of resistance for the movement.

Cobbled together from salvaged scrap and smuggled components, Pinnacle now coordinates Militant strikes across Pennsylvania and Texas. These routinely target Planet Erie, and the prison convoys hauling dissidents to Planet Houston. The Militant strategy to date has focused on making Liberty's control over the system as bloody and expensive as possible, in the hope Congress will eventually run out of patience and order a withdrawal. This has mainly taken the form of propaganda broadcasts, piracy, and bomb attacks on Liberty businesses and infrastructure.

The Erie Militants have made little headway in their goal so far. This is largely thanks to the LSF's efforts in arresting or assassinating rebel leaders, and Erie's urban Zoners being marginalized or assimilated by the booming Libertonian population. Despite this, a string of recent successes have been driven by an influx of ex-Liberty Insurgency veterans. These survivors now provide the Militants' driven but inexperienced pilots with formal training on the methods of resisting Liberty's expansion, improving their effectiveness.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes

Lane Hackers

Missions

Militants Zoners

Commodities

Imports

Commodity Price Criminal Cells (Liberty) 14,616$ Medical Equipment 56$ Oxygen 8$ Food Rations 37$ Kyushu Rice 51$ H-Fuel 98$ MOX 48$ Pharmaceuticals 34$ Consumer Goods 22$ Cardamine 272$ Consumer Goods 271$ Synth Paste 24$ Xenobiotic Filters 36$ Xeno Relics 232$

Exports

Commodity Price Casualties 8,684$ Detroit Light Arms 45$ Water 9$ Daumann Side Arms 103$ Gallic Enfer Blasters 165$ Black Market Light Arms 85$ Volgograd Ordinance 230$ Munitions 31$

Ships sold

Ship	Class	Price
Jackdaw	Heavy Fighter	31,269$
Osprey Mk II	Bomber	86,312$
Prosecutor	Very Heavy Fighter	23,679$
Broadsword	Bomber	82,562$
Roc	Bomber	70,176$
Liberty Blackmarket Gunboat	Gunboat	990,006$

News

[835 AS] Senator avoids assassination attempt

PLANET DENVER -- 835 -- The 14 year old daughter of Senator James Woodson has been killed in a “monstrous” bomb attack on her Denver home. Senator Woodson was attending Congress on Manhattan at the time, issuing a speech calling for harsher economic sanctions against Kusari. LPI leaks have blamed The Order for the attack, however force insiders claim many believe the murder may have been a botched Kusari assassination attempt against hostile politicians. Senator Woodson has withdrawn from public service to grieve, with knowledgeable sources claiming the devastating loss has led to a traumatic amnestic episode.

[835 AS] Interspace addresses Pennsylvania piracy

PLANET ERIE -- 835 AS -- Interspace has issued a new report describing Pennsylvania as the most dangerous of Liberty’s core systems. Since Erie’s annexation, Zoner Militants have been responsible for the majority of strikes against corporate and government entities on Erie and in space, however this has begun to change. LSF raids targeting dissident leaders appear to have set back Militant activities, while Liberty Rogue and Xeno attacks have continued to rise -- driven by the influx of impoverished Liberty settlers seeking a fresh start. LPI sources admitted that the Militants continued to be a severe problem, buoyed by disgruntled Zoners and reconstituting Insurgency survivors.

[835 AS] Erie camps scheduled to close

PLANET ERIE -- 835 AS -- For several years, internment camps on Erie have held captives from the Insurgency Campaign. Most were residents of the Commonwealth terrorist state, or Insurgency combatants. Newly appointed governor Mike Davis has confirmed that the last of the camps will be emptied by year’s end, as court backlogs are cleared and captives finally processed. Common sentences include corrective labor on Planet Houston. While most internees once possessed Liberty citizenship, some were Bretonian Refugees. Bretonia publicly applauds Liberty’s apprehension of Insurgency “terrorist agents”, but it is believed private negotiations on repatriation have been a point of contention for some time.

[835 AS] Shocking battle in Kepler

AMES RESEARCH STATION -- 835 -- Ames Research Station has been thrown into chaos after a battle erupted nearby. Barbara Kaestner of the rescue ship Sunnyvale noted, “transponderless ships appeared from no-where and started blasting one another. Then the Lane Hackers joined in too!” The survivors seem to have grabbed their own pilots and beat a hasty retreat into the dark matter storm. Ames suffered light damage to its port wing during the commotion, with the station crew urgently requesting replacement materials to patch the compromised radiation shield. Who was responsible and why remains a mystery.

[834 AS] Fresh start, old baggage

PLANET ERIE -- 834 AS -- Many impoverished Liberty citizens have been flocking to Erie, looking for a fresh start. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done in Liberty. Dragged down by debts, criminal records, or a lack of jobs to go around, many have ended up resorting to crime to make ends meet. The Liberty Rogues and Xenos have both seen recruitment surge, as gangs take up the very profitable activities of smuggling and shakedowns. The Navy and LSF are mostly interested in squashing the Militants who want to topple the new governor, leaving breathing room for the common crook.

[834 AS] New governor appointed to Erie

PLANET ERIE – 834 -- Veteran political troubleshooter Mike Davis has been dispatched to Pennsylvania as Planet Erie’s new governor. Davis’ policy team is renown for presiding over the economic regeneration of Planet Denver, and guiding the controversial LPI sweeps that pushed out many less affluent citizens. Since its annexation in 830 AS, Erie has continued to prove troublesome for the Interim Administration there. Davis’ appointment as governor appears to indicate a directive from Manhattan to finish pacifying the unruly frontier, to pave the way for full assimilation as a core Liberty territory. Governor Davis has his work cut out for him, as previous efforts have been violently resisted by Erie Militants.

[833 AS] LPI commissioner sentenced following Erie probe

PLANET ERIE -- 833 -- Helen O’Shea, Pennsylvania’s former LPI Commissioner, has been sentenced on corruption charges over the mismanagement of Erie’s planetary internment camps. The facilities were constructed to temporarily hold prisoners from the Liberty Insurgency while the courts cleared sentencing backlogs. Following allegations of human trafficking, the LSF launched a major investigation, discovering that as many as 10 percent of inmates were suspected of having been sold to traffickers. O’Shea is the latest and most high profile prosecution to date, and is expected to serve a ten year sentence at a minimum security penitentiary on Planet Los Angeles.

[832 AS] A different kind of Houston heat

MARLTON CITY -- 832 AS -- A huge firefight has been reported in one of Houston's urban centers, involving a gang of heavily armed assailants and dozens of casualties. The target appears to have been a major LPI penitentiary facility, with one force spokesperson going so far as to say that the raid must have been carried out by a professional mercenary outfit. Malton City has gone into lockdown amid rumors of a mass breakout by Pennsylvania convicts. An enormous manhunt has been launched, involving Marine support from the Battleship Arkansas.

[832 AS] Explosions rock Erie's capital

PLANET ERIE -- 832 AS -- Citizens of Lake City awoke this morning to rippling explosions targeting the LPI garrison. While no group has yet claimed these attacks, the LSF was quick to accuse Erie Militants. Twenty three LPI officers were killed, with eighteen more wounded. The Erie Interim Administration was quick to condemn the attacks, which resulted in the single largest loss of serving officers since the end of the campaign against the Insurgency. A crackdown on suspected militia groups is expected in the coming days, following the deployment of further Marine reinforcements to the troublesome frontier planet.

[830 AS] Rampant human trafficking on Erie

ERIE -- 830 AS -- Scandal has rocked Planet Erie after videos leaked of LPI guards loading Insurgency prisoners onto Freelancer Vincent Ruthen’s Dromedary freighter. Public records indicate Ruthen has prior convictions for trafficking, while the freighter's manifest falsely claimed it was shipping Neon to Planet Denver. Outraged Zoner communities claim this is the "tip of the iceberg", describing widespread abuse at LPI operated internment camps. A Police official denounced the allegations of corruption, stating that "all prisoner transfers have been conducted within the framework of the legal code". He refused to comment on the evidence presented. The Erie Interim Administration has formally requested the LSF investigate the situation.

[830 AS] Liberty underworld bolstered by Insurgency survivors

FONTANA -- 830 AS -- The Liberty Insurgency dramatically exploded following Liberty's invasion of Vespucci, with the human wreckage now scattered across Liberty's underworld. While some slunk away into the crowds of Planet Erie or the obscurity of foreign Freeports, others sought refuge with the Liberty Rogues, Xenos, or Technocracy. Those survivors are now having to prove their worth with their new hosts, with the Xenos in particular having an extremely rocky history with the Insurgency and its predecessors. More than anything else, these pariahs provide an object lesson on the risks of fighting Liberty head-on.

[830 AS] Militants take up arms in Pennsylvania

PINNACLE STATION -- 830 -- Many Zoner captains flocked to Pennsylvania to protest Liberty’s overreach when the direction of President Hawthorne’s demands became clear. This included the Carrier Pinnacle and several Fearless destroyers. The Battleship Alma’s callous destruction of the Pinnacle as it protected fleeing evacuation freighters should serve as a wakeup call to any who believe Liberty’s occupation will be business as usual. Those with the will to resist are assembling in the Driftwood Ice Asteroid Field, where Pinnacle Station is being assembled. Liberty cannot be allowed to crush our freedom and steal our homes. Whatever it takes, we will strike back against oppression and liberate Erie from the invaders!

[830 AS] Liberty annexes Planet Erie

PLANET ERIE -- 830 -- The Liberty Navy has launched Operation PESTICIDE to annex Pennsylvania, following the collapse of talks between Liberty and Zoner authorities. President Hawthorne declared that Liberty could no longer tolerate a "lawless frontier" within its very core, and that the Zoners had repeatedly refused to extradite criminals and terrorists from the Pennsylvania protectorate. The recent destruction of an LSF satellite was the straw that broke the camel's back. Militias congregating around Planet Erie were routed following the Zoner Carrier Pinnacle’s destruction. The Battleship Alma then secured Erie’s orbit and landed Marines to impose Liberty law on Lake City. Surviving militants have vowed to resist Erie’s occupation.

[830 AS] Trouble in paradise on Erie

PLANET ERIE -- 830 AS -- Since the destruction of Williamstown Depot near Planet Tremont, Liberty and Erie's autonomous Zoner government have been locked in a standoff. Liberty has long suspected the Insurgency attack on its logistics station was facilitated by informants on Erie, and has accused the Zoners of allowing Insurgency and Xeno operatives to roam the planet with "impunity". This morning, a missile streaked from Erie's wilderness, shooting down an orbiting LSF satellite that had been tracking "terrorist activities". Liberty has accused Zoner militias of the attack, and ordered Erie authorities to hand over the perpetrators, and all Insurgency affiliates. Zoners have denied responsibility, calling the attack a “Liberty false flag”.

[829 AS] Navy bloodied by Pennsylvania strike

WILLIAMSTOWN DEPOT -- 829 -- The Liberty Navy have been struck an embarrassing blow in their campaign to scour the Insurgency from the Independent Worlds. The Navy has been carrying out combat operations across Kansas, but staging its forces and logistics from Pennsylvania. In an attempt to disrupt the Navy’s inevitable advance towards their heartlands, the Insurgency launched a surprise raid on Williamstown Depot. Liberty authorities have tersely commented that search and rescue efforts are still ongoing, but it appears the fuel and munitions store detonated after being struck by multiple torpedoes. When asked for comment, President Hawthorne stated simply that she would not discuss ongoing combat operations.

Rumors

Militants

There's a memorial here called the Hall of Heroes, in a sub-deck off the main hangar. Half those lost weren't even twenty. Most died dirt-side, fighting on the ground. Squashed by Marines in armor we couldn't even scratch. We lost precious pilots and birds when the Carrier Pinnacle went down, too. A glorious stand against tyranny. They're all martyrs for the cause, and we'll carry those names forward to freedom. The Zoners who wanted to resist the occupation the "right way" -- meaning ineffectually -- tried appealing to the other Houses for help. That went about as well as you'd expect. All of the Houses play the same games, and none of them want the others meddling in their domestic business. The only way this is being put right is if we take up arms and do it ourselves. The Liberty Rogues aren't friends, just temporary associates. They spent decades raiding Zoner settlements on Erie and hitting shipments across Pennsylvania. Their piracy gave Liberty the excuse to send in the LPI, back in the 770s. They don't care if Erie is free or not, so long as they can profit off the chaos. Luckily, chaos is what we need right now. We borrow, scrape and steal for everything we need. Sometimes we run distractions for the Xenos in exchange for supplies. Or barter the cargo we've stolen with the Liberty Rogues or Junkers. Sometimes the Technocracy just gives us gear, and we’re grateful. Still, there's always strings attached -- what are they really getting out of this? After Vespucci, the Insurgency's survivors scattered. Some drunk themselves to death aboard Freeports, others went to the Xenos or Technocracy for refuge. I escaped into Magellan, sold my fighter to the Junkers in Inverness, then kept running. Ended up breaking rocks on Falkland for a few years to clear my head. Now I'm back to try and right some wrongs. When the annexation first happened, we thought it was a war we could fight and win. The Pinnacle was the biggest ship any of us had ever seen. How could we lose? This weren't a war though, for Liberty it was barely a skirmish. They called it Operation PESTICIDE -- vermin control. We learned an expensive lesson then. We can't fight Liberty head on, but we can hurt them in other ways. We're going to bleed them every day until they call it quits. Don’t count on the Bethlehem Zoners. They don’t want anything to do with us, Erie, or Liberty. When things got bad, they turned their backs on everyone as isolationists -- they've got theirs, right? Liberty won't be satisfied with what they've got though, one day the Marines will come knocking. Bethlehem trades with us on occasion, but nothing more. They're cowards, the lot of em. Liberty’s had internment camps on Erie for years. Allegedly they're for holding captives from the Insurgency, until their day in court. We know that ain't true though. The LSF has been going hard on the communities they think support us, and we know folk that have vanished in the night and wound up there. They're trying to break apart our supporters, ship off "malcontents" to the penal colonies in Texas. There's no worse scum in the universe than Zoners who've turned on their own. Some in Lake City say they've seen what way the wind's blowing, and have taken Liberty's silver. They'd turn us in for the bounty, or for Liberty citizenship, or to curry favor with a local LSF thug. When the day of liberation comes, they'll be up against the wall with the rest of the invaders. A lot of Militants have gone into the prisons of Texas, but they rarely leave as one. That's not rehabilitation -- no. Once you're between The Walls, you join a gang for protection. The Liberty Rogues or Xenos run the roost there. When you get into that life, it's hard to get out again, even if you've served your sentence and got loose. Debts and obligations, and those folk don't like getting short changed. Mike Davis thinks he's the governor of Erie. He's also the mastermind behind Liberty's assimilation plan -- the corporatization of Erie, the disappearance of outspoken Zoners, the mass importing of "undesirables" from Houston and Denver. Every day that passes, Erie becomes more like Liberty… and loses a little more of its soul. Davis is our number one target. Folks here got mixed feelings on the Liberty Insurgency. Some say it's the Insurgency's fault for bringing war to Pennsylvania and getting the system annexed. I don't believe that -- Liberty would always have had an excuse once their mind was made up. Some Insurgency survivors arrived recently to help out with pilot training. Whether that's out of guilt, or for revenge, who's to say? The Erie Militants are ferocious and willing, but they're desperately lacking in technique, bless them. I rounded up a few other ex-Insurgency veterans to set up a guerrilla warfare flight school here on Pinnacle. Our job is to whip them into shape before they try to take on the largest navy in Sirius with nothing more than bravado. They need to know what targets are worth hitting and which risks are worth taking. The Liberty Insurgency left a long shadow and many scars. After the Commonwealth was toppled and replaced by an autocratic military council, many of us had one foot out the door. Liberty's Invasion of Vespucci may have been what killed the Insurgency in a literal sense, but the dream of a better Liberty had died many months earlier. Liberty’s carrot-and-stick routine works on the weak-willed. The Zoners out in Erie's wilderness are reliable, but the cityfolk were always there because they wanted an easy life. Half of em weren't even real Zoners, just Liberty's dregs trying to skip house. Some of those so-called Zoners will try to sell us out to LPI. If you're doing business on Erie, watch your back.

Xenos

You can put a gun in a Zoner's hand, but they're still Zoners at the end of the day. They love to sit on the fence. These Militants are begging and scraping for our help, but they're also knocking at the door of the Junkers, Rogues, hell -- even the Technocracy. Anyone who'll hear them out. Thing is, you got to get off that fence and pick a side if you want friends. And they need friends something fierce. The Erie Militants have no chance on their own -- they'd be better off joining The Xenos. We've got a well established base here in Pennsylvania, and the support of the other Xeno Clans. There's more of us and we're better supplied and equipped. Hell, maybe Erie could be the capital of that Free Republic the Separatists on Fort Ramsey are always in hysterics about. We occasionally ship guns, equipment and H-Fuel here from our base in the Meadville Field. The Militants pay for it in stolen cargo and favors. When we've got sensitive missions in Pennsylvania or Texas, we often ask the Militants to go make a commotion somewhere else in the system. We call them "Noisemakers", as the Navy seems to have standing orders to go after them as a priority.

Liberty Rogues

Us Rogues don't really care who's in the governor's seat on Erie. In some ways, Liberty is good for business -- when the corpos are feeling safe, credits and cargo flow into the system. More targets to raid, a bigger market for Slog and Cardamine. But if Liberty took a black eye and had to scale back patrols? That'd be perfect. Calling Pinnacle Station a deathtrap doesn't do it justice. I wouldn't be surprised if this lot lose more men to faulty wiring than the Liberty Navy. I'm only here to barter some goods before heading on to Beaumont -- I'm not planning on spending the night, and I wouldn't recommend you do either. The Militants insist on Freeport rules for Pinnacle, which is ironic when this place ain't exactly got an open-door docking policy. Probably to keep us and the Xenos apart. Now, I never had no beef with the Xenos' cause, but when they stepped into the Cardamine business, that pushed our costs up. Move on a man's business, and there's going to be trouble.