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
Hessian Tears 154$
Molybdenum 162$
Light Arms 32$
Gold 160$
Silver 151$
Copper 119$
H-Fuel 145$
Pharmaceuticals 16$
Consumer Goods 18$
Cardamine 197$
Artifacts 207$
Black Market Munitions 48$
Gaian Wildlife 314$
Black Market Augments 33$
Iridium 188$
Xenobiotic Filters 32$
Nox 188$
Passengers (Liberty) 247$
Exports
Commodity Price
Deployable Mining Container 50,000$
Liberty Ale 26$
Crew 273$
Black Market Pharmaceuticals 8$
Counterfeit Computerware 33$
Scrap Metal 8$
Oxygen 6$
Water 6$
MOX 39$
Basic Alloy 19$
Cardamine Cartridges 55$
Low-Grade Artifacts 48$
Synth Paste 13$


Ships sold


Ship Class Price
CSF Freighter 26,676$
Recycler Super Heavy Fighter 53,502$
CSV Very Heavy Fighter 4,351$


News

[832 AS] Dublin Dust-up

TRAFALGAR -- 832 AS -- It seems that the Mollys have finally pulled off their long awaited gambit, and at least partially seized Dublin for themselves. Intense fighting continues, although now with the Corsairs involved rather than the Armed Forces. This is good news for the families of Trafalgar, especially after the Kingdom of Bretonia permitted ALG to situate itself in the system and begin its "recycling" operation.

With recent waves of unrest and conflict brewing across Sirius, salvaging in freshly independent frontiers is quickly setting itself up as being the means by which we corner more lucrative markets.

[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.

[832 AS] Cardamine Withdrawal Epidemic!

MANHATTAN -- 832 AS -- Reports of Cardamine withdrawal-related hospitalizations have surged to unprecedented levels, with a specific hospital on Planet Manhattan recording a staggering 450%% increase compared to the previous year. A growing number of addicts are seeking emergency medical care, apparently unable to obtain their regular dose of the highly addictive drug. Symptoms of withdrawal rapidly progress into severe sickness, pushing many of these individuals into critical condition.

While this troubling trend is observed throughout the Sirius colonies, Liberty is bearing the brunt of the crisis among the four major Houses. Remarkably, even Rheinland, where historical data indicated low Cardamine consumption, has witnessed a notable rise in medical cases linked to the illicit narcotic. Experts postulate that the extensive black market responsible for Cardamine distribution might be facing a shortage, or worse, that Outcast factions deliberately curtail the supply to bolster demand. Regrettably, no law enforcement agency has been available for comment on these concerns.

The long-standing debate over Cardamine's controversial nature, juxtaposing its euphoric and purported medicinal qualities with the genetic alterations it inflicts upon long-term users, continues to echo. A key point of contention revolves around the plight of innocent consumers caught in this crisis. Yet, according to independent polls, a substantial majority of our viewers maintains that the substance must remain banned.

In response to this escalating crisis, Cryer Pharmaceuticals has announced a forthcoming press conference. During the event, the company intends to unveil plans for an expanded production of Stabiline, their touted "wonder drug". This announcement promises affordable access to Stabiline for all patients grappling with Cardamine withdrawal, sparking a remarkable 15%% surge in Cryer Pharmaceuticals' stock following the revelation.

[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] 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] Core of an old problem

MANHATTAN -- 831 AS -- After a recent leak by an undisclosed source claiming to have loose ties to the Liberty Security Force, Congress has been sent into furious debate following intense public uproar, all in response to allegations that the Core has cooperated with the loathsome Outcasts. These allegations come as a shock and have significantly impacted the investment climate, leading many to reconsider Core stocks as an addition to their portfolios. While the investigation is as of yet inconclusive in its findings, analysts believe that values may not reach their historic peaks again as a consequence of this potential breach of trust.

[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.

[830 AS] Rampant Human Trafficking Cases on Erie

ERIE -- 830 AS -- A scandal rocked Planet Erie's administration when a video recording of Insurgency prisoners, escorted by LPI officers, were being loaded aboard a transport bound for the Edge Worlds, surfaced on the Neural Net. As the Republic's forces maintain law and order on the pacified planet, this leak has undermined their authority, causing waves of public outcry and calls for police reform by both local Zoners and Liberty citizens alike.

In the video, a number of restrained people that have been identified as former residents of Planet Vespucci, board a Dromedary-class vessel registered to a freelance trader Vincent Ruthen. They are under supervision from several LPI officers, who exchange words with the ship's crew. Private investigators have trailed the ship, determining that it did not land at its purported destination of Gas Miner Naha in the Sigma-13, instead electing to travel away from civilized space into the Edge Worlds. The people aboard it have effectively vanished from the colonies.

This is the latest case in a streak of such disappearances, with investigators estimating as high as ten percent of all inmates thought to be awaiting their trial in LPI internment camps have been covertly shipped off-world for unknown reasons. The fate of these people is yet unclear, but theories range from secret trials to unethical experiments aboard Atka. Outraged by what is apparently an LPI-sanctioned human trafficking operation, protesters flooded the streets and had to be dispersed by police riot control squads.

A Liberty Police official has denounced allegations of corruption, stating that "All interned personnel are secured and all prisoner transfers have been done within the framework of the legal code". He refused to comment on the evidence presented, dismissing it as "slanderous fabrication against the good, hard-working officers of Liberty law". Meanwhile, political opposition already promises increased oversight over the law enforcement corporation for the next election cycle.

830 AS - Victory Over Veracruz!

OHIO -- 830 AS -- An announcement by the Liberty government today unilaterally declared victory over the once-Insurgency as the LNS Ohio settled into high orbit over Veracruz last week. The Battlecruiser Triton, the infamous warship that felled the Delaware, was left as little more than debris burning through the planet's atmosphere that now rests in a crash site located on Veracruz's smallest continent.

Over the last few days, Archer-class siege cruisers have been deploying their massive coaxial cannons to suppress military infrastructure on the planet, systematically targeting the very last bastions of the Insurgency. First to be destroyed were the planet's few remaining ground to space weapons installations, quickly crippled by bomber strikes from the Ohio herself, before the remaining desolate ground defences and deserted infrastructure were reduced to rubble, their populations having already long fled the world.

A small service was held on the Ohio as the bombardment drew to a close in memory of Rear Admiral Dylan Brandt and those thousands of sailors and marines who had given their lives in the name of Liberty; fought their own lost brothers-in-arms so that others may not live under their misguided yoke, and many more who had their lives irrevocably changed as a result of the evils the campaign sought to end.

The announcement also confirmed identical monuments to the Insurgency campaign would be erected on every world in Liberty, from Planet Houston to Planet Erie, each monument an obelisk carrying the names of every serviceman lost in the conflict and serving as a reminder that Liberty is stronger when it stands together.

[830 AS] Troubles in Erie's Paradise

ERIE -- 830 AS -- It was the early hours of the morning when a missile was launched from Erie's surface; A missile that struck its target of an LSF satellite in orbit of Erie. The attack was claimed to have originated by militant Zoners seeking to separate themselves from Libertonian governance, and proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

For some time, it had been alleged that Insurgent and Xeno-backed cells had been stirring trouble on Erie, inciting violence in the population and seeking to turn the planet into a second Veracruz. Never, however, had such open acts of terror been visited upon the governing Libertonian forces.

The response was quick and decisive. In coordination with the LSF, Vice Admiral Hamish aboard the Battleship Alma lead a Liberty Navy task force directly into the system in Operation Pesticide, escorted primarily by Siege Cruisers, Gunboats and fightercraft, with many of the Navy's capital warships tied in the Vespucci campaign or ever watchful at Liberty's borders. They were met by Zoner Q-ships based from Bethlehem, with many coming from as far as Galileo or even the Sigmas, accompanied by a motley assortment of freelancers and other anarchist elements. Leading the Zoner line was a Aquilon-class carrier, the Pinnacle.

While the Pinnacle came under heavy bombardment from the Alma and her task force, supplies quickly gathered onto Zoner transports from Erie attempted to run the Navy blockade. While some transports were lost to Navy bombers, others yet escaped to parts as of yet unknown. This 'victory', however, came at a heavy price. The Pinnacle was lost with most of her hands still on board and the rest captured, while the Liberty Marines landed virtually unopposed, quickly securing population centers for both the safety of Libertonian assets and the civilians on Erie itself. The Alma is settled now into the low orbit of Erie, a constant reminder to those below that they are under the protection of the Liberty Navy. A comfort to some, a dire warning to many more.

[829 AS] Battleship Delaware lost In Vespucci: Part II

LOS ANGELES -- 829 AS -- Navy pilots fought in a heated scrap with many of their former comrades-in-arms as a fearsome shroud of flak rippled around the great Battleship Delaware, several trails of explosions snaking towards myriad bombers and torpedoes swarming the vast Mitchell-class. Delaware herself launched volley upon volley of anti-capital torpedoes at the Insurgent Battlecruiser Triton, whose own flak screen was considerably weaker than that of the Battleship. The missiles found their mark, but the battlecruiser retained its hull integrity as the Insurgents' one advantage in fighter superiority began to shine through. Torpedoes and antimatter cannons landed hits on the Delaware's vital flak batteries as they went silent, one by one.

Admiral Brandt was heard to give the order to abandon ship right as the ship's hull could take no more and began to be torn asunder, with hull breaches on multiple decks. Tragically, the armored engines of the Delaware had suffered a great deal of damage, and as the armor and shielding was whittled away, vast quantities of radiation and superheated gas began to flood into the crew compartments of the vessel.

In an emotional announcement, the Liberty Navy officially stated that they consider the Delaware to be lost with all hands, including Admiral Brandt himself. No life pods could be secured in the heat of battle, with the remainder of the Delaware's escort making a fighting retreat back to the LNS Ohio which had herself been caught lagging behind the Delaware's doomed thrust into the heart of the Insurgency. The Ohio now remains with her own escort, augmented by survivors of the Delaware's battlegroup, and will continue as the Liberty Navy's bastion in the Vespucci system, ready to ensure that the Insurgents pay dearly for the toll they have extracted upon one of Liberty's finest Admirals.

[829 AS] Battleship Delaware lost In Vespucci: Part I

LOS ANGELES -- 829 AS -- The state-of-the-art Delaware was the tip of Liberty's spear in the Kansas system; it was from here that the charismatic RAdm. Dylan Brandt commanded the fleet that secured the system from both Rogue and Insurgent elements. But now, he sought to strike a crippling blow to the Insurgency in their very home, an attack to break the back of the movement and stand as a warning to those who would stand against Liberty's unity.

Leading a fearsome line of some of Liberty's most advanced warships, the Delaware bore down on the Insurgency's remaining, cobbled-together fleet in the Vespucci system, out of position from dealing with a Bretonian thrust from Magellan. Immediately caught was the Battleship Vanquisher, one of the scant few Arbiter-class Battleships available to the Insurgents. Caught by itself, the Vanquisher put up a fearsome fight but was ultimately unable to stand against the Delaware and its escort, despite its fighter component dealing severe damage to much of the Delaware's own, smaller fighter contingent, as well as the Delaware herself.

With the great Arbiter all but vanquished, the Interdictor-class Battlecruiser Triton stared down the guns of the damaged Delaware and her escort. Outnumbered two-to-one, and outgunned to an even greater degree by the Libertonian heavyweight, Triton and her escorts launched their one and only advantage, their fighter and bomber superiority gained at the Vanquisher's expense.

[829 AS] Imminent defeat of the Insurgency

MANHATTAN -- 829 AS -- The Liberty Navy has finally published news on its most recent operation, beyond the Pennsylvania system. The Navy has committed two vessels and their escorts to clearing out the threat of the Insurgency once and for all. Battleship Delaware and Ohio have since reported the successful destruction of two major Insurgency installations and report that they assume to see the end of the Insurgency within the year. Admiral Brandt, who is charge of this pacification operation, has stated that the defeat of the Insurgency is not only certain but he expects to come home without major losses. Following this press release, the Navy received record applications for its West Point Academy and the arms market has seen an explosion in investors. If support for the Navy continues like this, experts anticipate a return to the Navy's peak operations of 800 AS.

[829 AS] Ontario festers

MANHATTAN -- 829 AS -- Having been a longstanding den of criminals and smugglers, Ontario has finally taken a plunge into complete anarchy. The Navy issued a categorical notice of withdrawal and advised all legitimate operations in the system to follow suit, as no further attempts could be made to keep the increasingly expensive operations secure. This comes after heated debates divided Congress for months until the deadlock was broken by an independent economic publication, revealing that revenue was overshadowed by security expenses that were double the amount gained. DSE has officially commented saying that this closure of business is a minor setback to future operations, and that the ultimate prosperity of the market is assured.

[829 AS] Colorado Training Exercises?

ONE POLICE PLAZA -- 829 AS -- The LPI has been rerouting civilian traffic from the New York-Denver lane, effectively locking off that part of the Colorado system. The reason stated for this interruption are training exercises. An official release states that the takeover of the Battleship Rio Grande by the LPI has delayed important training. A source close to the LPI's board of directors has instead suggested that this might be related to the LPI not meeting its arrest quota. Regardless of the reasons for this unusual interference in commercial traffic, Ageira has publicly voiced complaints that Pueblo Station is not receiving the same amount of patrols as the Navy had provided before. In turn the rates Ageira pays private security and the BHG rose while LPI and Ageira shares fell.

[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.


Rumors

Junkers
  • 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 Beaumont,in the Texas system. That's the last stop on their long journey before coming to New York.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


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


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


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


Liberty Rogues
  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • 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.


NOTE: Page generated on the 17/11/2023 at 17:48:45 UTC