Barnard's Star
Farther away from Sol, tensions between the various factions that humanity has splintered into post Catastrophe are starting to fray at the tenuous fabric of peace. The Consortium and the Gaule Protectorate orbit each other wearily, in a very literal sense as their respective stations are the two farthest from the dwarf planet, Van de Camp. Between them, the first Freebooter and Independent stations encountered beyond Sol keep a watchful eye, representing the first vestiges of pioneer-like and perhaps slightly more rebellious, independent spirits among the farther flung survivor’s communities.
Barnard's Star Jump Gate
Amid the endless blackness, a giant halo of grinding metal wrestles with the wormhole’s mouth. The jump gate of Barnard’s Star slowly spins, preparing for the passage of the next queueing vessel. Nearby, the Consortium’s Gate Defense Ship keeps a watchful eye, its black form outlined against the red surface of Barnard’s Star behind. Understanding this station’s Cat timeline is vital for present-day Consortium-Gaule relations. The mysterious Bakker Inquest recently sought answers, closing the system’s passage to Sol in the process. With the classified report now complete, single-jump Sol access is finally restored.
Those who survived here rebuilt a station forever cast in Catastrophe’s shadow. Rumor and hearsay spread like a reactor fire as scavengers spoke of a Consortium-Gaule battle. Some accused the Gaule of a bold bid for control of the gate. Others turned their blame to the Freebooters of Caen Station. Fickle narratives sowed doubt and distrust. Post-Cat, little was done to improve system harmony until the Consortium finally launched the Bakker Inquest a few cycles ago.
With the murky timeline of vital import to present-day Consortium-Gaule relations, the political will was quickly found. Bakker started with the single, awkward fact: a Gaule ship, the Mistral, was destroyed shortly after reaching Barnard’s Star jump gate. The passage to Sol, by which it had come, was closed for the inquest’s duration. Cycles of relative isolation followed here, with the indirect route to Sol, via Struve 2398, needing five costly interstellar jumps. After the inquest’s recent conclusion, the jump gate’s Casimir Ring once again offers direct access to Sol. Some on the station remain fearful of the inquest’s classified findings, while others simply celebrate the departure of Bakker and his serious-minded inquisitors.
Orwellian level: high
Law level: high
Caen Stronghold
Greetings! Today we will take you on a journey to a fabulously colorful location located within the system of Bernard’s Star. Wel…ERROR….to Cane’s Lega…INCOMING TRANSMISSION…
FREQUENCY OVERRIDE…NEW NETWORK HOST ESTABLISHED…
Black holes and vicious vacuums! You ain’t getting no tour of our station from some Consortium star-lubber who’s never even had the joy of breaking his teeth on a fist! Welcome to Caen Stronghold you wonderful, deep pocketed, credit spending buffoons! Courtesy of the Freebooters! We’re gonna tell you a little bit about the best station in the galaxy, so strap on your interstellar stabilizers and tune your CORETECHS into this!
Caen Stronghold is THE place to be brothers and sisters among the stars. Simply ain’t no place like it in the galaxy. See, thanks to a very large number of heavy ordnance ballistic weaponry that fairly covers the topside of our humble station, courtesy of some hefty scavenging off of a number of old battle cruisers, our old pals from the Consortium and Gaule Protectorate tend to have to leave us alone. It’s our little and very polite way of saying, “No cold callers thank you very much!”
What does this mean for you, the ever enterprising tourist with a sackful of credits to spend? It means no rules! Well, ok, it means no interstellar laws. We still got some rules… folks fight, folks drink and debauch…but our local merchant princes do keep a certain kind of law when absolutely required. Can’t have every boozed up space trekker and star smuggler out there just murdering each other in plain sight, that gets awful messy, awful fast.
Whoah… that got pretty grim there hey? Ok, how about some local history! Well, trouble is we don’t have that in much supply! See, when the first folks came to Caen Stronghold after the Catastrophe, all we found was a big old crater in the middle of the main city and a dark and dead station. Still don’t quite know, to this day, what caused it!
Most of them that found their way to the station in those early days had been between destinations when it all went to funky town. Pilots, smugglers, traders, and the like. Generally folks who were competent with a spanner one way or another. Well, they set about on fixing up the place, plugging up the giant hole and jury-rigging the power and life support systems back online.
More and more trickled in and our happy little community grew. Even got ahold of a couple of big old cruisers and promptly stripped ‘em of all their heavy guns. See, life was turning out to be quite passable on this old rig, quite passable indeed! And most folk knew that someone always likes to come along and strip that precious freedom away.
So you set your mind at ease. When you come to Caen Stronghold, your freedom is your own! Best keep an eye on your credit purse though!
Orwellian level: low
Law level: low
Estación de Amazon
Estación de Amazon is the outer station in Barnard’s Star, lonely in its orbit on the outskirts of the system. This remote station has a secret: a potential solution to the water shortage plaguing what’s left of humanity.
The Gaule Protectorate recently acquired this station peacefully from its former independence. Its position in the far reaches of Barnard’s Star makes it tactically useless, but what’s inside could present something of immeasurable value. Unique in the known galaxy, Estación de Amazon is populated by densely packed rainforest in which it’s possible to grow over a hundred varieties of fruits and vegetables.
More interesting still, it is the only known station in the quadrant that can boast a water cycle of such greatly increased efficiency. The station has real, freshwater rivers and even an elaborate swamp system in the ruins. This almost closed system makes Amazon an incredibly valuable source of research in the hopes of replicating this unique environment. The shock of green and the presence of so much water and even rain is enough to make even the most seasoned spacer gape.
Orwellian level: high
Law level: low
Hopkins' Legacy
Once a station of lawless fighting between those who survived the Catastrophe, Hopkins' Legacy has been taken over by the Japanese Tanegashima Fleet, and is now the headquarters for Yasutsuna Corp. The station is an odd mix of old, pre-Cat tech and glossy, new, state of the art machinery and equipment brought on-station by Fleet members who've moved aboard. The Lionhearts, a group of native station residents, were only too happy to make room for the newcomers, whose arrival helped hasten the retreat and defeat of the Lionhearts' opposition. Together, the Lionhearts and the Fleet personnel have established law and order on a station which has known only war since the Catastrophe. Those who oppose this new peace have been pushed to the dark corners of the station, far from the lights that now shine on this new prosperity.
Orwellian level: high
Law level: high
The Maid of Orléans
A Gaule military base that was once a luxury retreat for the rich and famous, The Maid holds a unique position due to several of her warships having survived the Catastrophe. This, combined with her shipyards, has allowed The Maid to be the pre-eminent power in Barnard’s Star. However, the military acted with restraint, recognizing humanity’s precarious position.
The officers on The Maid enforced law and order, but coordinated relief efforts throughout the Barnard’s Star system, earning the grudging admiration of the other stations and a measure of peace in the reconstruction. The Maid is a Gaule station, but it was originally a station named “Amethyst,” constructed by the Consortium almost 800 cycles before The Catastrophe. This would not have been known, but during The Catastrophe, a few Gaule naval ships “running dark” in military drills had escaped the destruction, only to return to The Maid to find most residents dead. Those naval ships held some historical records and after Gate 420.C was reopened between Sol and Barnard’s Star, those records were leaked to the Consortium.
With the re-opening of Gate 420.C between Sol and Barnard’s Star, that peace is coming to an end. The Consortium wants the Amethyst returned but recognizes that, after several centuries, they no longer have a legitimate claim. The Gaule would be hard-pressed to say “no” were it not for the Gaule naval ships already in the system. To add to this, many residents of The Maid of Orléans are unhappy with the strict military discipline imposed by the Gaule and many now advocate for rejoining the Consortium. Thus, a tense stalemate is evolving.
Orwellian level: low
Law level: high