HIWG HIWG Document #: HD3417 revision 1 Date: 04-01-1993 From: Leighton Piper Gushemege Sector Developer 11 Skeffington Rd. Preston LANCS, PR1 5UP. To: David Burden, Gushemege Sector Analyst Kevin Parry, HIWG UK J. Duncan Law-Green, Vland Domain Editor Clayton R. Bush, Quadrant 1 Editor Subject: Travel Companies of Gushemege Abstract: seven major travel-orientated companies that operate within Gushemege; an outline of their routes, operations and fleets. TRAVEL COMPANIES OF GUSHEMEGE Comstellines LIC (CLIC) Fligh Transportation (FLT) GushLines LIC (GLLIC) Haamaan Annani Bilaan (HAB) Khiira and Rure Spacelines (KARS) Sesh-Ifaen Freight Tractors Ag (SIFTA) StellaTrek Travel Lines (STTL) Vapethi Enth Kev (KEV) Vipach Traders (VT) INTRODUCTION Starships are the lifeblood of the Imperium. They are essential for the economic and political, survival and growth of any interstellar state. The vessels provided the means to move goods, people and importantly ideas from one world to the next. Harnessing this economic power are the starship owners, who ply the spacelanes transporting whatever the customer needs moving, for as much as he or she can get. The majority of merchant vessels are free traders of one description or another. These are single ships owned by an individual or small group of people whose independence is not confined to shipping schedules. Their ownly travel guide is the liklehood of making a good profit. While the free traders are in the majority, the part of the industry that most ordinary peoplr or travellers see are those vessels that are owned by the shipping firms. These may range in size from a couple of type A free traders to thousands of different designs as run by the largest megagcorporations. It is these travel companies of Gushemege that are outlined below. First a brief word on the administration of trading and travelling in Gushemege. The multitude of civilian vessels of that operate in known space are usually required to be registered. That is the type of ship, its primary function, its construction and ownership details are recorded at one world or another. This sort of information is also usually incorporated into each vessels transponder ID code, and is a mandatory required for all vessels operating within the Imperium. The ship registration is usually recorded with each systems' Starport Authority which will send the latest information to a regional administrative centre, usually at the local Imperial governmental trade offices at the subsector and sector capital. The central clearing house for starship registration and a whole host of trade, travel and allied commercial functions within Gushemege is the Gushemege Transport and Trade Authority (GTTS or 'GUTTS' as it is affectionatly known). The GTTS works in conjunction with the various STA's to ensure a reasonable standardisation of services and costs (according to starport classification with which they oversee) of both shipping and starports. It also undertakes safety audits and investigations, as well as running investigations into illegal activities. Although the GTTS like its brethren operating in other sectors has few legal powers, its recommendations and reports are in most cases respected and adhered to. It can rely on local and Imperial legal agencies if it feels that safety, commercial, legal and operational protocals are being breached through invoking numerous of the Imperial Trade Charters (ITC's). It is through GTTS and its equivalents that comparable standards of trade, transportation and travel can be maintained overv the vast space of the Imperium. COMSTELLINES This a small line serving Balech and Sallounn subsectors. The line owns a small number of jump-2 and jump-3 passenger liners/ freight vessels. Known to be corrupt, paying backhanders to the Duke of Balech for its franchise to operate and license to carry certain illegal goods (this has now become almost the accepted practice for transport companies wishing to use Balech space). The Duke has used Comstellines on certain clandestine operations. Comstellines have been indicted a number of times for breaches of trade and safety laws but has managed to avoid court cases through bribery and intervention by the Duke. Despite this it is popularly said that Comstellines' ship captains will carry anything for a price. FLIGH TRANSPORT Fligh (pronounced 'flee-gh') Transportation is a large freight and passenger carrier operating out of Edat (2921). It is primarily a feeder line serving the length of the Oulpath between Shakhamash and Phaln. Edat's zero law level has encouraged all sorts of work practices and financial dealings which would be illegal on virtually any other world. Although the company is not corrupt, its shady activities has on more than one occaision brought it under close inspection by the Gushemege Transport and Trade Authority. FLT operates a fleet of some 50 ships, with a further 50 operating under license to smaller concerns throughout the region. The vessels are a mixed bag of designs, reflecting the wide variety of vessels that would normally be found operating in Imperial space. GUSHLINES LIC Established in 177, GLLIC were the first company to obtain a franchise to operate in Gushemege (from Emperor Martin I ). They operated as a moderately successful company serving the Gushemege Main and the important indusrial, agricultural, rich and class-A starport worlds just off it. In 1063 there was a fierce and bitter take-over by Tukera Lines which resulted in major reorginisation of the routes, travel policy and personnel. GushLines now operates as semi-autonomous subsidiary specialising in the routes to the more fringe regions of the Main. GLLIC operates many of the same vessels as the parent company. There are some fourty jump capable ships with the Gushlines flag. HAAMAN ANANI BILAAN HAB serves the coreward border of Gushemege, extending into Corridor, Vland and Dagudashaag. HAB has its origins in Vland subsector. HAB have remained prosperous, still trading in its original zone of influence despite the fractionation of the region with the onset of the Rebellion. Its interfacing role between Vland, Lucan and Strephon has been a primary reason for its continued existence. An unwritten agreement allows HAB to come and go throughout its trading area without interference. It has been used many times by the competing factions to transport emissaries and valuable goods over the borders. HAB's operations are a necessary in this respect and are well protected in this respect, having the general high regard to avoid the hassles of competing beaurocracies and militant elements. The company utilizes a number of vilani-specific and standard Imperial designs in the 400 - 5000 ton range, with approximately 60 ships in service. Due to the dangerous and fluid nature of the borders in its zone of operations, all HAB ships have the latest transponders and commo gear as well as having the company logo stenciled in large, fluorescent colours all over the exterior. KHIIRA AND RURE SPACELINES This company was set up with a grant in the 1016 by the sector government to serve the coreward fringes of Rure and Khiira. KRS still recieves financial support from the Munnarn government to foster travel and trade in the area. The company have the local 'mail' contracts for the Munnarn-Puumariash runs which helps to offset the lack of passengers, relatively low volumes of trade and large distances involved. Beside the twice weekly mail runs there is a circular route taken travelling through Rure, then to Khiira, Riften and Gandonen. There are weekly departures from Munnarn and Puumariash in either direction. All the ships are small (in the 400 - 1000 ton range) - the most popular being a jump-3 version of the type R subsidized merchant (type M3). Price concessions operate for journies in Khiira subsector, and amount to 15% off the standard passage prices. Freight is carried at a 20% discount. The company claim the difference from the Khiira subsector government. SESH-IFAEN FREIGHT TRACTORS AG This company are primarily involved as bulk cargo shippers operating on the Gushemege and Dagudashaag border. Based on the world of Masa (Gushemege 2513) with a regional headquarters at Ushra (Dagudashaag 1016). SIFTA are a relatively new firm dating back only to 936, with the formation of a business partnership between two long-standing friends Kornelias Sesh and Amarti Ifaen. The original company was a brokerage firm, buying and selling goods/ cargos. The switch followed a number of problems with delivery of cargo by certain less-than-reliable carriers. To ensure reliability Sesh and Ifaen purchased a surplus naval transporter as a back-up. Prolonged business allowed them to purchase more vessels (again navy surplus or moth-balled ships) to set up their own shipping line. The fleet is now comprised of several designs based around the Tukera "Prosperity"-class freighter and a Vland inspired "Balaanii"- class merchant freighter (a boring but very reliable design). There are some 30 vessels now in service with SIFTA. STELLATREK TRAVELLINES StellaTrek Travel Lines are the major competitor to GushLines along the Main and are the specific reason for the take-over of GLLIC by Tukera Lines. Although only set up in 994, STTL exploded onto the massed transport market fifty years later and were so seriously undermining the financial base of GLLIC that they were easy meat for the predatory Tukera (who were looking to expand their market into the spinward regions of Gushemege). Stellatrek are based on Viskka (Taapvaia 2310) with a secondary base at Intnalta (Sallounn 1129), and have the financial muscle of the Irkhi-Painntu trade alliance of Taapvaia to back them. The success of Stellatrek ensured a rapid uptake of shares when the company was floated on the Sharenga stockmarket in 1117 despite the onset of the Rebellion. Just under 20% of the stock was snapped up by Makhidkarun. Other major stockholders include Esgakii LIC, Glirse LIC and interestingly, Tukera. STTL maintain a large fleet of moderate to large vessels (subsidized liners, long liners and larger cargo-orientated ships), and operate out of all class A and B starports on the Main as well as all class C starports with a population of a million (6) or more. The company are constantly on the look-out for starship crews due to continued poaching and threats by GLLIC employees. Consequently STTL offer 10% over the standard wages for their crews' services. VAPETHI ENTH KEV This small company is wholly owned, run and staffed by Vapethi, the minor race originating on Inapiirn. This travel company operates in the Inapiirn cluster, serving the Vapethi colonies and the human worlds of Hartesh (0623), Younis (0722) and Inapiirn (0723). VEK (which translates as Vapethi Sky Travellers) also makes regular runs to Rucciset (0422), Drayrk (Rure/0920) and Tungohl (0725). The company runs ten vapethi designs with virtually identical specifications to the "Empress Marava"-class far trader, but due to to the increased tensions within Balech subsector the vessels now carry triple laser and missile turrets (usually one turret of each). VIPACH TRADERS As the name suggests, Vipach Traders serves Vipach subsector. VT is a small company operating half a dozen type A2 Far Traders out of Dikaash (0738). VT are another company operating under the patronage of the local subsector government and Ilelish merchants. Their weight has helped to offset the constant interruptions in trade and the volatility of the faction borders. Safety has come bottom of VT's list of priorities. In 1101 a vessel crashed on approaching Ginupa Down starport, the following public inquiry and report of the Accident Investigation Unit of GTTS revealed that poor workmanship and shoddy maintenance procedures were the primary factors in the loss of power (and hence the ship). The public humiliation lead to serious financial problems when its revenue from passengers dropped by over 50%. The company are now looking for financial sources to help clean up their tarnished reputation and obtain newer ships.