Editing Lancer: In Golden Flame (section)

==Icebreaker Borealis==

Even the impoverished workers of Calliope need a little rest and relaxation sometimes, and the Icebreaker Borealis prides itself as the foremost purveyor of luxury in all the Long Rim, let alone Calliope.<br>

Built around the CPS Borealis, an old ice mining frigate, the Icebreaker is a chaotic tangle of districts and modules lashed together into a loose cylinder and haphazardly secured to the ship’s outer hull.<br>

The station provides all manner of pleasure and vice, from its casinos, dive bars, holodromes and drug dens to subaltern fighting pits, massage parlors, and an establishment that confidently advertises itself as “the only five-star resort and spa in the Long Rim.”<br>

The Icebreaker Borealis boasts that it’s the only reason anyone from the rest of the galaxy comes to Calliope at all. That’s not entirely unfounded, either; a lot of IPS-N freighters making a trek through the Long Rim pass through Calliope specifically to provide their crews with shore leave on the Icebreaker. Harrison Armory crews travelling to or from the Dawnline Shore are known to stop over for month-long breaks between nearlight travel. SSC even has an office which seems to far exceed the size necessary for handling the tiny amount of business they do in the system.<br>

Union’s civilian offices are also here, with its small corps of administrative staff constantly fielding aid requests on the one hand and insults on the other<br>
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''The Starstrip''<br>
“Try your luck in the Long Rim’s most luxurious gambling halls! Take a load off in unrivalled comfort at our galaxy-class resorts! Bask in the talent of our exclusive shows and acts! The Starstrip: walk the road to the stars.”<br>

The only thoroughfare that runs the entire sprawl, in a looping paht of twists and winds. It links all the major casinos, hotels, shopping malls and theatres. It bustles at every hour of day and night, a constant chuyrn of people seeking excitement, distraction and oblivion.<br>

The number one rated casino on the Starstrip is the Gift-Bronze Casino and Resort, owned by board member Evelina Bondarchuk, with a neo-deco architecture, attentive staff and unrivalled wine selection. Accusations of bribery to the Cultural Review magazine who gave it this rating who gone unanswered.<br>
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''Hisotric Borealis''<br>
“Marvel at the inner workings of Calliope’s largest industrial spaceship, and relive its proud history with one of our affordable guided tours! Proof of zero-g training and signed safety waiver required.”<br>

Sections of the parts of the old ship are open to the public, having been converted into exhibitions on the history of the ship and Calliope at large. Engineering and reactor sections are off limits, of course, as those sections are still in use to power the ship. The ship's mining laser was broken down for parts about a century ago. The primary engines haven't been activated in about that long either, and have long since been disabled; since no one believes the station could take sustained acceleration anymore<br>
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''Gladiator's Draw and Quarter''<br>
“Your thirst for mech-on-mech destruction might never be sated, but we gave it our best shot at the Draw and Quarter!”<br>

By far the most popular sport in Calliope is live mech combat, outpacing Jovain windsurfing by a wide margin. In fact, it's one of Calliope's most successful breakout industries: a vast subculture of Union citizens thirst for mech violence that isn't legal to conduct anywhere in Union space. Calliope's export of gladiatorial mech combat is second only to Suldan, and the lack of any safety measures and the tacit encouragement of fights to the death (until the Emir's recent deposal and restructuring of the government) have long since kept Calliope on top in Union media presence<br>

There's three primary leagues in Calliope. Moon Glacier, Thunderstorm and Hellfire. While only Moon Glacier is 'native' to Icebreaker, all three hold most of their matches in the Draw and Quarter, since it has, by far, the best facilities and arenas in the entire system. It does somewhat annoy Hellifre fans that their league doesn't hold any matches on Hell's Gate station itself, and have long since petitioned Jerry to construct a mech fighting league. He's promised that he'll have a look once he's cleared out his current list of priority tasks. He made that promise on the second day after he became Acting Station Manager, and has never had to even consider fulfilling it in the years since.<br>

By popular vote, the top ten arenas in the Quarter are The Mechropolis, Laserhäus, Deadmetal, Ring of Fate, All Tomorrow’s Junkers, The Despair Shop, One Weird Trick Shot, House of Godhead, Don’t Tell Management and a nameless HORUS-operated arena marked only by a memetic glyph that is inherently understood to mean “mech fighting ring” by those who read it. <br>
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''Raphael Baza's Bizarre Bazaar''<br>
The Bizarre Bazaar is the most prestigious and flamboyant marketplace on the entire station, occupying an entire district by itself; holding court to thousands of merchants peddling their wares. You can buy items from all across the Long Rim and beyond here. Some are even being legally sold.<br>
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''Serendipity Resort Hotel''<br>
“If you want Armory Executive treatment without Armory Executive prices, look no further than the Serendipity Resort Hotel. Serendipity Resort Hotel: ain’t chance a funny thing?”<br>

Rita hasn't paid for a top luxury hotel, but the Serendipity Resort Hotel isn't half bad, and certainly singificantly more comfortable than your sleeping quarters back on the Gate. It has six bars, tow restaurants, a gym, a sauna and a swimming pool.<br>
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''Deepest Fairyland''<br>
“Doesn’t your visit deserve a little wonder? Step off the forest path and enter Deepest Fairyland! But be warned – you may not realize how much time you’ll spend there! Kids’ admission half-price.”<br>

Evelina Bondarchuk's other crown jewel, Deepest Fairyland is the largest theme park in the Long Rim. Originally built with a fairytale theme, it's long since been expanded to incorporate multiple other aesthetics.<br>
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''Grand Aurora Ampitheater''<br>
“Does your soul thirst for music? Come to the Grand Aurora Amphitheater and dance until the dawn! Witness the greatest son et lumière in the galaxy, courtesy of our roster of local DJs! Please note the Board of Icebreaker bears no responsibility for any medical complications caused by use of club drugs.”<br>

The largest live music venture in Icebreaker. It usually plays host to electronic dance usic, but there's often liver performances by hand picked local talent<br>
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''Uncrowned King Bar and Grill''<br>
“If you’re looking for the authentic down-home Long Rim tavern experience, you can find it down any number of alleyways and access corridors! Please remember that station security forces can’t always guarantee a response time of less than five minutes!”<br>

A crummy dive bar in the Draw and Quarter, with a glass wall that overlooks the House of Godhead arena. The only thing worse than the ambience is the food.<br>

In other words, the perfect spot for a covert meeting with the station director.<br>
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''Union Liason Offices''<br>

Calliope does not qualify for a Union Administrator, and technically falls under the Bureau of Orbital and Non-Terrestrial Management, who have sent a series of civilian liasons to the system to handle Union affairs and relations. They have an office on Icebreaker, and are currently represented by Kileyna Morton, who has the most difficult job in the system (except for Jerry): Represent Union and its Utopian goals in a place defined by the absence of both. Their main accomplishment was the establishment of a neutral omninode in the system, as well as getting a Union Navy Carrier assigned to the system for security and aid purposes.<br>

Kileya splits their time between the offices on Icebreaker and the current carrier assigned to Calliope, which is the UNS-CV Thames.