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The Rheinland was among the second wave of sleeper ships to arrive in the Sirius
Sector, along with the Kusari. The Rheinland eventually elected to make planet-fall
in an area of Sirius close to the Walker Nebula and with easy access to the resources
required to rebuild the Rheinland nation.
Extensive information, including visual documentation, is available for Rheinland
space. Addition data has become available on the Walker Nebula Border Worlds and
is included below.
The Walker Nebula Border Worlds
Omega-7 lies deep within the clouds of the Walker nebula, filled with mineral rich
asteroids and explosive gas pockets. Not really a system, it’s more of a waypoint
along the Trade Lane that was constructed from Cambridge to Stuttgart in the middle
of the eighth century. The long and dangerous construction process took 20 years,
with drifting asteroids an ongoing problem.
Five years after the Trade Lanes’ completion, a motley crew of independent miners
from Bretonia and Rheinland rehabilitated an abandoned DSE construction site for
use as a mining base. They named it Freistadt, a free port operated along similar
lines as the Zoner run bases scattered throughout the Border and Independent Worlds.
In 760, they became official members of the Independent Miners Guild. Over time,
the miners discovered significant pockets of silver, copper, and cobalt. Lacking
the facilities to refine the minerals, they shipped much of the raw ore to the relatively
new ALG smelter in Berlin. The IMG dominates mineral production in the system to
this day, although Kruger and Daumann have recently opened mining operations in
higher risk areas off the Trade Lanes.
Piracy is an ever present threat in Omega-7. The ongoing attacks by Corsairs and
Hessians have led Interspace Commerce to recommend closing the Rheinland-Bretonia
Trade Lane unless security can be improved. Little can be done given the complete
lack of funding available for Rheinland Military patrol operations
Omega-11 is a dying and dangerous system located at the southern edge of the Walker
Nebula. At its heart is a late-stage red giant, a sun grown huge and hot as it begins
to burn off the last of its helium reserves in its final death throes. Most of the
planets in the inner system have already been consumed in the fires of the Omega-11
solar furnace, leaving only the volcanic planet of Schutz. Between the sun and the
orbital path of Schutz lies the astronomical anomaly known as the Von Rohe Belt,
named after the famous Rheinland deep space exploration leader who initially surveyed
Omega-11 in 110 AS. Von Rohe theorized that the belt was comprised of the molten
remnants of a destroyed inner planet. Rich in diamonds, it has lured miners to Omega-11
ever since.
With the construction of the first jump gate to Omega-11 in 376 AS, commercial exploitation
became a priority despite the inherent dangers. Daumann established the Solarius
base within the planetary shadow of Schutz, the only area close to the Von Rohe
Belt safe from the debilitating effects of the frequent solar storms. Mining the
Belt is a very simple process that hasn't changed much in the preceding centuries.
Ships make runs to the inner edge of the Belt and literally grab as many of the
molten asteroids or loose diamonds as they can before retreating to the relative
safety of Solarius.
The system also sits astride the Omega Jump Hole network, so both Red Hessians and
Corsairs are frequently spotted in the area. Attacks are common along the tenuous
supply line that stretches from Solarius back to the Suttgart Gate. Omega-11 offers
great riches, but only to those who are able to take care of themselves in this
lawless frontier.
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