New Berlin System
New Berlin is the capital system of Rheinland. It was the first system colonized by the Rheinlanders. Most of the main Rheinland Corporations have put their bases in this system. There are also a considerable criminal presence in the system.
Planets[]
Planet New Berlin[]
Planet New Berlin
On New Berlin, the capitol of Rheinland, day and night each last for nearly a standard year, with the nightside of the planet being plunged into frigid, bitter winter, and the dayside a more temperate summer in which temperatures hover above the freezing point. Despite this potentially hostile environment, New Berlin is very close to the abundant natural resources of the Walker Nebula and so became the first planet settled by the Rheinland people.
After the economic collapse brought about by the 80-Years War with the Gas Miners Guild (GMG) and the subsequent Popular Revolution in 702 AS, New Berlin became a society of marked contrasts. As millions try to recover from years of economic mismanagement and political scandal, the black markets of Rheinland boom while the underground clubs and cabarets of New Berlin are rumored to provide anything -- for a price.
Potsdam[]
Potsdam
A tiny moon with no appreciable resources. Scientists speculate that it may have wandered into the system from elsewhere and been captured by New Berlin's gravity well.
Bases[]
Bonn Station[]
Bonn Station
Bonn Station was constructed soon after agreements had been reached with Liberty regarding the disposition of Trade Lanes and Jump Gates in sovereign Rheinland space, providing a headquarters for Interspace Commerce (IC) to oversee the transition of the Jump Gates and Trade Lanes to national control. Now IC works closely with shipping companies to insure shipments throughout Sirius.
Brandenburg Border Station[]
Brandenburg Border Station
Brandenburg Border Station is the command center for the Rheinland Federal Police in the New Berlin system. Without a substantial military, its falls to the Federal Police to handle Red Hessian attacks against Trade Lane traffic.
Dortmund Station[]
Dortmund Station
Dortmund Station is the primary processing facility for ALG Waste Disposal, one of the great Rheinland success stories and a leader in the field of waste disposal. While ALG handles the majority of waste disposal throughout Rheinland -- making Rheinland one of the cleanest industrialized houses in the sector -- teams are also frequently dispatched under special contract to handle industrial accidents in other colonies. Today ALG is expanding into the re-smelting of Scrap Metal and Toxic Waste to produce Alloys and MOX.
Essen Station[]
Essen Station
Essen Station is the headquarters and primary manufacturing facility for Kruger Minerals, a once proud company currently experiencing hard times. Wishing to exploit the vast gas resources of the Crow Nebula despite claims made to the territory by the Gas Miners Guild (GMG), Kruger was a primary support of the 80-Years War. After that conflict ended in disaster, Kruger's capital was exhausted and the company persecuted. Today Kruger is attempting to rebuild by allying itself with ALG Waste Disposal.
Kreuzberg Depot[]
Kreuzberg Depot
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.
Liberty has two groups: a major population in the New York system, and a smaller enclave in Texas. The Junker base of operations in New London is located near the shipyards within the Southampton Debris Field. In New Berlin they scavenge the remaining pockets of industrial waste and scrap within the asteroid fields. Their latest foray is a departure -- a base in the Border Worlds. Attracted by the ALG operation in Sigma-13, they have set up shop near the facility and do most of the dirty work, picking off the best loot from the old ships for themselves. It also serves as a convenient launching point for Cardamine and Artifact runs into New Berlin. Long-distance smuggling is new for the faction, which is still perfecting this skill.
Oder Shipyard[]
Oder Shipyard
One of the first large-scale projects undertaken by Daumann Heavy Construction, the Oder Shipyards, is the largest in Sirius. In the past the majority of the Rheinland Navy was constructed in its massive bays, but after the destruction of the Navy during the 80-Years War and the economic crash that followed, Daumann has been forced to transition into the less lucrative fields of commercial and civilian ship construction.
The Ring[]
The Ring
The Ring is probably the most recognizable symbol of Rheinland and a source of great pride among its people. Originally a loose amalgamation of shipyards, habitats, manufacturing centers, and smelting plants built to support the first great push into space from the surface of New Berlin, the structures soon merged into the shape from which its name is derived. The Ring is now a single, massive complex that produces vital components for Rheinland industry.
Jump Gates/Holes[]
Wrecks[]
Unioner Fighter (C3, center-top)[]
Wreck of Unioner Fighter
A destroyed Unioner ship. Most likely cause is radiation. There may be Diamonds aboard.
- Contains:
Players note: There aren't any Diamonds aboard.
Red Hessian Fighter (C3, lower-right)[]
Wreck of Red Hessian Fighter
The remains of a Red Hessian fighter, probably trapped by the radiation in the area.
- Contains:
- 2x Natter Zwei
- 1x Natter Turret
Fields[]
Aachenfeld[]
A mined-out asteroid field. Its proximity to the Ring and Oder shipyards has made it a favorite hiding place for Bundschuh terrorists, while Unioners prefer to hit the diamond convoys passing along the Trade Lane to the Kruger Minerals headquarters on Essen Station.
Harzfeld[]
A mined out asteroid field. Frequently used by Red Hessian pirates to attack Daumann and Kruger shipments arriving at the nearby Dresden Jump Gate -- or to make the occasional daring raid on the multitude of cargo ships docked at the Ring.
Ruhrfeld[]
The New Berlin System was initially settled because of its abundant and easily accessible resources. But while the other asteroid fields in the area yielded their treasures with relative ease, the rich Ruhr Asteroid Field proved to be a treacherous terrain of toxic gases and radioactive pockets. The debris from many a destroyed ship still litters the area, providing ample fodder for local Junkers. Unioners and the LWB have also been known to take advantage of the natural cover provided by the field to attack nearby Trade Lanes.
Saarfeld[]
A mined-out asteroid field. Red Hessian pirates will often retreat into this field following attacks on the nearby Trade Lanes.