New Tortuga Travelers should be advised that New Tortuga, despite it's stance as a major interstellar crossroads and freeport, is also reputed to be the home port of many of the pirate organizations that plague the shipping lanes. The Guardsmen Interstellar Security Service has been trying to crack the main organization, the League of Silence, for years, to no avail. It is believed that the League has heavy influence in New Tortuga's central government. Settled two hundred years ago by humans seeking to open a trade route between the Terran Protectorate and the Xintrin Merchant Guild, New Tortuga later became a pivotal world in the Free Colonies, which broke away from the Protectorate sixty years ago. It is in a constant power struggle with Bifrost over the shipping lanes, trade contracts and the formation of new colonies. While Bifrost boasts security, a more cosmopolitan society and stability, New Tortuga is a hard competitor, due to the fact that just about anything goes and there is little government interference on trade. It is a true freeport open to anyone or anything with something to buy, sell or trade. The fact that this has led to the planet becoming a center of illegal narcotics, slave trading, smuggling and piracy seems to bother the planetary government very little, as long as a healthy stream of credits flows into New Tortuga's coffers. Rendered in DOGA-L3 with background from Celestia. Postwork in GIMP 2.6 Enjoy, and let me know what you think.