Rochester Base

From Discovery Wiki
Rochester Base
Owner
Junkers
Location
D/C-3, New York

CLASS: Ramshackle

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Limited

CREW: 430

Where there's junk, there are the Junkers. They've been around since the earliest days of the Trade Lanes. Descended from the working classes, they developed within the House systems as a sort of necessary evil, handling the dirty work that no one else would. They do well salvaging valuable materials from the ever-increasing debris fields throughout Sirius, with the notable exception of Kusari. To this day they remain held at bay by the Hogosha.

Anyone who deals with Junkers knows they live by a strict code; if you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family. A Junker will double-cross you without a second thought, and they're fiercely protective of each other. Most House corporations consider the Junkers to be simple criminals, but Junkers will occasionally do favors for the police, turning in the odd, mid-level criminal or letting them know about the occasional drug shipment. So despite some harassment, the police stop short of shutting them down. The infrequent police cleanup operations are little more than exercises in public relations, though there's no love lost between the two groups.

The Junkers make their official money from salvaging debris within the fields, but also have a good deal going with various criminals, who like their "no questions asked" policy. Tolerated by the governments, Junkers sometimes deal in contraband, but they are extremely hard to catch red-handed. They are frequently patronized by the criminal element for the refuge they offer within the often hostile territory of House capitol systems.

The Junkers of Rochester have a particularly hard time with a wide variety of issues, both from the law, and from unlawful elements fighting over the lucrative business the base is key to. Recently, a large scale attack by the Xenos caused the base significant damage, though it is difficult to tell the difference considering the original state of the base.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes
Missions


Commodities

Imports
Commodity Price
Robotics 21$
Black Market Munitions 147$
Hessian Tears 232$
Criminal Cells (Liberty) 11,232$
Energy Field Equipment 28$
Gin 53$
Medical Equipment 47$
Molybdenum 167$
Rheinbier 53$
Rum 75$
Sake 50$
Detroit Light Arms 32$
Stabiline 137$
Vodka 72$
Whiskey 41$
Military Surplus 813$
Slog 135$
Heavy Water 100$
Counterfeit Computerware 102$
Gold 180$
Wildcat Gold 204$
Silver 167$
Niobium 200$
Copper 127$
Oxygen 5$
Diamonds 195$
Food Rations 32$
Kyushu Rice 38$
H-Fuel 84$
Mining Machinery 19$
Construction Machinery 15$
Pharmaceuticals 18$
Hull Panels 22$
Consumer Goods 26$
Daumann Side Arms 87$
Gallic Enfer Blasters 148$
Black Market Blasters 191$
Kemwer Technologies 243$
Azurite Gas 152$
Xeno Relics 196$
Volgograd Ordinance 231$
APM Advanced Hardware 160$
Black Market Augments 147$
Iridium 204$
Platinum 109$
Wine 88$
Aluminium 163$
Industrial Materials 17$
Munitions 17$
Xenobiotic Filters 34$
Passenger Cabin (Bretonia) 38,842$
Passenger Cabin (Kusari) 35,020$
Passenger Cabin (Rheinland) 41,656$
Passenger Cabin (Gallia) 64,581$
Passenger Cabin (Omega) 65,088$
Passengers (Omicrons) 76,900$
Shigeakiki 153$
Iron 12$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Black Market Light Arms 75$
Hangar Provisions 250$
Liberty Ale 29$
Black Market Pharmaceuticals 97$
Scrap Metal 8$
Water 7$
MOX 43$
Basic Alloy 19$
Cardamine 262$
Artifacts 263$
Bio-Neural Processors 65$
Synth Paste 19$
Nox 232$
Passenger Cabin (Liberty) 11,234$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
Gitano Light Fighter 8,582$
CSV Very Heavy Fighter 4,351$
Bull Dog Heavy Fighter 32,783$
Collector Very Heavy Fighter 24,429$
Recycler Bomber 53,512$
CSF Freighter 26,676$
Junker Gunship Gunboat 975,006$
Pirate Transport Transport 426,006$


News

[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.

[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] 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.

[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] Dublin dust-up

TRAFALGAR -- 832 AS -- The Mollys have finally pulled off their long awaited gambit, at least partially seizing Dublin for themselves. Intense fighting continues, although now with the Corsairs rather than the Armed Forces. This is good news for the clans of Trafalgar, as Dublin is ripe with wrecks and desperate customers. With ALG subcontracting at their New London salvage yard, we've never looked more legitimate. It remains to be seen whether Bretonia will explode, but if it does, we'll be on hand to clean up the mess and make a killing in the process.

[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] Gate corps clash over 'Blackout'!

ABBEVILLE -- 831 AS -- 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] Pulse phenomenon linked to Blackout

AMES RESEARCH STATION -- 831 -- Independent researchers have announced that a hyperspace pulse of unprecedented strength was detected moments before The Blackout, destroying many of the sector’s most sensitive and finely tuned observatories. Surviving data about 'The Pulse' has been widely shared across the neural net in recent days, prompting mass speculation. Professor Katsuma Oster of Ames Research Station described the signal as “astounding”. “These readings are unprecedented, as if reality itself were struck like a gong.” House authorities have remained tight lipped, refusing to share their own observatories' data.

[831 AS] 'Blackout' causes jump network failure

MANHATTAN -- 831 AS -- Two days ago Jump Gates failed simultaneously across Sirius, freezing commerce and neural net access across the sector. When communications resumed 31 hours later, the news broke of Bretonia's loss of the Dublin system. This twin shock has plunged markets into chaos, prompting fears of sector-wide economic recessions. Interspace estimates that the stoppage alone caused billions of credits in losses. Gallia immediately accused Liberty of causing 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.

[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 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] Prison rumble

FONTANA FREEPORT -- 829 AS -- Liberty's underworld is abuzz with the shocking news that the LPI's infamous Attica Supermax prison has been... stolen. It's still unclear what happened there, but the LPI seem to have washed their hands of the situation, and left the Rogues and Xenos to brawl over an alleged mass breakout. What is known is the Attica Supermax prison is no longer where it should be, and the LPI is locking down that side of the system with a phony story about training exercises.

[828 AS] Kepler Reopened

AMES -- 828 AS -- In line with Ageira's prediction prior to 801 AS, the darkmatter storm makes an appearance after nearly two decades and no doubt sets the cosmic standard for being fashionably late.

Presenting the potential for cataclysmic damage to personhood and proprety prompted Ageira to shut down the gates leading into the system, as well as the respective Trade Lanes. In the time since then however, Ames has relayed a stunning report that the storm despite being violent at first, has now settled into quite a passive albeit looming stance over the system. Perhaps more surprising than even this is the phenomena regarding the storm's interactions with the established lane and gate network in the system, seeming to bend and contort around the structure rather than engulf them. This stellar formation has produced the spatial equivalent of a tunnel that travelers into the freshly reopened Kepler have taken to dubbing the "Murky Road", prompting a small degree of sensationalized tourism into the system. Which comes as a small positive after the harsh loss of the otherwise frequent traffic.

This news comes at the tail end of previous publications that cited the storm as having origins in Alberta, supposedly arriving via some form of leakage through the jumpholes in the system. Newer research has allowed for discoveries which now suggest the contrary and this has in turn reinvigorated research into these storms and their enigmatic natures.

[827 AS] Junker woes in Liberty

ROCHESTER -- 827 -- The Junkers have suffered a blow in New York, after an fierce Xeno attack heavily damaged Rochester Base. An improvised force of Junkers, Liberty Rogues and Lane Hackers repelled the assault, but not before several torpedoes found their mark. The Junkers have posted record bounties for Xeno kills, however the disruption is likely to severely impact the flow of contraband down to Manhattan for some time. Rogue boss Arthur Clemons joked, “I wouldn’t want to be a Xeno right now. You ain’t long for this world if you get between an Outcast and business.”

[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
  • The New York Debris Fields give us plenty of cover to operate in; we've pulled most of the scrap and salvage from Jersey, but we still find plenty of goodies in the Pittsburg and Detroit Fields. You might run across an occasional fragged ship floating in there too. Those are the guys who crossed us.


  • We ship Artifacts to Manhattan - one of the riskiest runs for a Junker there is.


  • If the heat from Liberty Police ever gets too bad, we just serve up some petty criminal or deadbeat hauling some illegal cargo. LPI doesn't really care as long as it looks like they are cracking down on criminals; an arrest here and there with some confiscated contraband usually gets them off our backs for a while.


  • Rochester ships black market H-Fuel to Manhattan. It's all stolen property that we are selling back to the very people who owned it in the first place.


  • We like to get along with everybody around here; the more the merrier I always say. Of course, that only counts if "the more" means more people with money. The more criminals that need us means we have our hands in all that many more pockets, and that's really what we want.


  • Everyone is welcome here to do business and we don't ask a lot of questions, but if you are up to know good and you try and sneak onto the station while the navy is watching, you may find yourself getting tossed out an airlock.


  • You'll meet a few Rogues and Outcasts around here. It's not a good idea to be seen flying with them. However, if you stay close enough to track them and still stay off the scanners, you might be able to share in the profit when they hit big convoys.


  • I can't stand landing on Planet Manhattan. There's too much corporate greed and harassment by the LPI. Just leave me in the scrap field and I'm happy.


  • We get our Artifacts from Beaumont,in the Texas system. That's the last stop on their long journey before coming to New York.


  • The Combat Service Freighter is made by Junkers and sold here. It's one of the best in Sirius. Learn how to fly that well and there isn't a pilot around who will be able to catch you.


  • We get our Artifacts from Leiden, up in the Galileo system. The Hogosha hand them over to the Rogues there.


  • I used to be a captain in the Liberty Navy, but I never really fit their mold of what an officer should be. Now I have the freedom to do all the things I could never do in the navy.


  • Talk to the veteran Junkers around here if you need work. They can make you rich as long as you don't mind dangerous runs and making your own rules as you go.


  • You should learn your way around the scrap fields if you want to survive here. Don't ever use the Trade Lanes if you're hauling anything you don't want the law to see. Remember, they are always watching.


  • You can learn a lot from what you see on this base. It's never a good idea to talk about what you see here though. We've found the station's fusion reactor leaves no trace of those who talk about things they shouldn't.


  • If you're looking to make a fortune right now, you should consider running Cardamine to us. Scarcity has sent prices soaring, but it's also made product harder to sell, considering that everyone either wants in on the business now or needs their fix. So if you do have the stomach for this sort of thing, I'd invest in people to have around as muscle, keep the upstarts out of your hair, as well as particularly pushy clientele.


Liberty Rogues
  • Operating from here or our base in the Badlands, you'll find Liberty Rogues pirating the Trade Lanes and hitting the storage depots near the various commercial stations in this system.


  • The Junkers want us to take on the Xenos since they have been staging more attacks on them lately. We'll oblige, as we're not sure what the Xenos are really up to. Some of the bosses think they want to take over the Cardamine business from us. Fat chance of that.


  • We've been running H-Fuel up from Buffalo. It's a pretty wild ride across New York. Anytime you cross patrolled Trade Lanes, a navy shipyard, and a battleship patrolled sector, you gotta expect trouble. All our H-Fuel is smuggled into Liberty after getting stolen in the Independent Worlds -- kind of like recycled property. That's the way I see it.


  • Running Cardamine from Cortez is one of the toughest jobs you can do in Sirius. I don't know why the Outcasts can't do it themselves. They always make us do all the dirty work. One day we'll be in charge.


  • Just making a supply run back out to Buffalo. Why do people like me always get the lousy jobs? I have to run the gauntlet of the LPI and navy through the Detroit Field and across the Trade Lanes with little profit in it for me.


  • That Artifact run from Leiden can be rough. There's a long stretch across Colorado where you're pretty exposed -- Bounty Hunters always out there, circling like vultures. Once you get to the Silverton Field, you got the Xenos.


  • This is a good base if you want to hang out and attack the local Trade Lanes. Gotta watch out for those Xenos in the eastern part of Jersey, though.


Outcasts
  • If I were to tell you what matters most to our people, the answer might surprise you -- it’s not money, power, or starships. Our families are the very purpose of our existence and the reason we do what we do. We strive to provide for our loved ones, protect them, and pass on the torch to the next generation. Entire family branches live close together, often forming villages or smaller towns. Every Outcast has a large family -- life without one is practically unimaginable, incomprehensible to us.


  • Although rare, it is not impossible for a Maltese man or woman to take a outsider as a life partner. These are usually short-lived romances, more of a distraction than anything else. Even if we don't have the familial customs of the Corsairs, such affairs do not always leave foreigners unscathed -- our men are known as free-spirited heartbreakers, while our women... well, I would compare them to the wild Maltese roses: stunning, eternally youthful, but with deadly, poisonous thorns.