Pilots Federation ALERT

The Kumo Crew syndicate has procured enough materials to introduce a new product to the market.

The drug originated with the Blue Viper Club, a piratical travelling community whose dredger is currently in the vicinity of Kumo City station.

It was confirmed that enough shipments of agronomic treatment, liquid oxygen and performance enhancers were received to enable immediate mass production. Pilots also fought to protect haulage vessels from pirate ships, suspected to be Kumo Crew rivals.

The Interstellar Health Organisation has obtained a product sample and confirmed that, despite the name ‘helix’, it is a new variant of the recreational drug onionhead. As such, the product will be legally classified as onionhead gamma strain when it appears on the market.

Despite claims of medicinal and psychological benefits, it is likely to be illegal in most systems. President Zachary Hudson, Princess Aisling Duval and several other political heavyweights have expressed outrage at the open manner by which its ingredients were procured.

Archon Delaine, warlord of the Kumo Crew, responded:

“Every system government generates revenue from the pharmaceutical trade, so the holier-than-thou attitude from these hypocrites turns my stomach. Helix brings happiness, and provides income for my people. I make no apologies!”

Rewards for pilots who contributed to this campaign are now available at Kumo City in the Pegasi Sector PN-T C3-14 system.

The Marlinist Consulate, established to represent Marlinists across the galaxy, has triggered political instability among the colonies.

Local newsfeed The Marlin Standard detailed the situation:

“The formation of the Marlinist Consulate will shortly conclude with the public election of its leader. The prime consul will serve as the official Marlinist representative to the superpowers, establish foreign embassies and make wide-reaching diplomatic decisions.”

“One of the two leading candidates is Verity Dexter from the Marlinism Reformation Party, who promises to speak for the Neo-Marlinist fringe. The Free Marlinist Movement’s candidate, Kayode Tau, directly opposes that position.”

“Senator Lorcan Scordato has championed Dexter’s bid, proposing that she be recognised as an Imperial patron to represent pro-Marlinist citizens of the Empire. Despite many protests, Chancellor Blaine concurred that patronage is within the purview of individual senators.”

“Some Marlinists see this as a chance to finally obtain influence in the Senate, after centuries of being marginalised. Others are enraged at Neo-Marlinists gaining legitimacy and acting as the NMLA’s political wing.”

“The rift has affected parliament, where First Minister Fairfax again urged Minister Aaron Whyte to cease representing the NMLA and hand over all information to ACT. Whyte retorted that his diplomatic breakthroughs would soon make the counter-terrorism unit redundant.”

A new product being manufactured by the Kumo Crew could be a version of onionhead, the controversial recreational drug.

Dr Himari Grey, an independent healthcare analyst, published this review on Vox Galactica:

“Little is yet known about ‘helix’, but the persistent rumour that it is derived from onionhead has sparked keen interest from physicians, politicians and narcotics users alike.”

“Onionhead’s active ingredient is extracted from plant seeds found only on Panem in the Kappa Fornacis system. Its psychotropic and hallucinogenic qualities are well documented, but there is conflicting evidence regarding addictive strength and toxicology.”

“This didn’t stop it being banned in the Federation in 3300 by former President Jasmina Halsey, who was concerned about its popularity among youth culture. Political fireworks followed when Fleet Admiral Vincent bombed onionhead crops against her orders, which five years later led to the Scythe of Panem terrorists seeking revenge.”

“Production soon shifted to the Tanmark system, where the Lucan onionhead strain boosted its popularity. Two further variants have appeared since, a result of enterprising genetic engineers modifying the seeds to flourish in different ecospheres.”

“Could helix be another strain? The Interstellar Health Organisation (IHO) is currently acquiring samples for analysis, so we’ll soon know if this marks a new chapter in onionhead’s notorious story.”

Pilots Federation ALERT

The dredger belonging to the Scriveners Clan has left the Perseus Dark Region KC-V c2-2 system, where the Hesperus megaship is located.

The 200-year-old ‘ghost ship’, once owned by Azimuth Biochemicals, was discovered in April when the nomadic clan began salvaging it for materials and data.

Erik Gunnarson of the Wallglass Investigations Agency speculated:

“When the Scriveners laid claim to the Hesperus, I expected only a cloud of fragments would remain. But their salvage operation has been prematurely abandoned, after stripping the megaship’s innards and leaving behind a mostly intact hull.”

“Why have they done this? Perhaps because this particular dredger clan avoids outsiders. Public interest in the Hesperus inspired thousands of curious travellers to see it for themselves, potentially drawing more scrutiny than the secretive tribe could bear.”

“Alternatively, the Scriveners detected richer pickings elsewhere – either fresh resources for the dredger to consume or new information for their ‘Knowledge Core’. In theory they could still be tracked down as their vessel’s hyperdrive has a similar range to modern-day fleet carriers.”

“We know very little about the Scriveners, and even less about other clans. However, with the recent appearance of the Blue Viper Club dredger at Kumo City, I’m hopeful more may be revealed about these roaming societies.”

Pilots Federation ALERT

The Azaladshu Free faction has defeated the forces of Neche Inc and retained independence from the Federation.

As a result, the Azaladshu, LFT 824, LHS 277 and LTT 3919 systems have confirmed their independent status. The victory also inspired the Coalition of Uteran, Lp 726-6 Free and Gluscap Labour factions to secede from the Federation, affecting all systems under their control.

Mayor Constanza Noguera, leader of Azaladshu Free, declared:

“A Federation that abuses the rights of its people has no authority. With the help of our loyal supporters, we’ve made a stand for dignity and civil rights.”

The situation has caused turmoil in Congress, with President Zachary Hudson being criticised for his inability to contain this rebellion.

Shadow President Felicia Winters responded to accusations that she orchestrated the seceding factions:

“I support their rejection of our harsh surveillance laws, but not their methods of protest. I have no wish to see the Federation lose member systems for any reason.”

Pilots who supported the Azaladshu Free faction can collect their rewards at Eratosthenes Ring station.

Le groupe paramilitaire ALNM a confirmé que la faction Marlinism Reformation Party agit désormais en tant que représentante politique.

Une déclaration anonyme a été diffusée via les canaux de propagande de l'ALNM :

« Nous soutenons le ministre Whyte pour représenter la cause néo-marliniste et parler en notre nom. Nos objectifs restent les mêmes : le retrait de la famille Duval et l'instauration des élections démocratiques au sein de l'Empire. »

Les réactions ont été couvertes par plusieurs fils d'actualités :

L'Imperial Herald : « La proposition du sénateur Scordato d'ouvrir les relations diplomatiques avec les colonies marlinistes est déjà discutable. Mais l'empereur pourrait-elle accepter un jour le dialogue avec des extrémistes qui ont essayé d'assassiner la famille impériale ? »

Le Federal Times : « L'idée de négocier avec des terroristes est aussi abjecte pour l'Empire que pour la Fédération. Et pourtant, l'occasion d'empêcher un autre “Neuf Martyrs” ne peut être ignorée. »

L'Alliance Tribune : « En l'absence d'une avancée de l'UAA, peut-être qu'une discussion pacifique est la meilleure manière de désamorcer la menace terroriste... Même s'il s'agissait du dénouement escompté par l'ALNM depuis le début. »

Le Marlin Standard : « Beaucoup de nos concitoyens accueillent avec bienveillance des liens plus étroits avec l'Empire, surtout si cela implique de pouvoir contacter les amis et la famille laissés derrière. Cependant, l'utilisation de notre parlement comme plateforme par l'ALNM a causé une agitation généralisée. Aaron Whyte étant ouvertement défié par les autres ministres, une guerre civile marliniste n'a plus l'air si impensable. »

Pilots Federation ALERT

A Blue Viper Club dredger has entered the Pegasi Sector PN-T C3-14 system, and may have links with the Kumo Crew syndicate.

The Dredger-class bulk cruiser has taken position near Kumo City, one of five starports recently constructed by pirate warlord Archon Delaine.

Dredger Clans are nomadic communities that travel on the fringes of civilisation, and their ancient vessels are rarely seen. Pilots in Pegasi Sector PN-T C3-14 have been warned to keep a safe distance from the dredger.

Francesca Wolfe of the Wallglass Investigations Agency published her observations:

“The Blue Viper Club is a fiercely independent tribe with an unsavoury reputation. Dredger Clans typically survive by gathering materials and salvage, but these people indulge in more criminal behaviour including drug running and raiding outposts.”

“The clan occupies more than one dredger, but these have never entered an inhabited system before now. There has been no conflict with local factions or system security. However, unmarked personnel shuttles have been witnessed travelling to and from the dredger.”

“Are we looking at a piratical alliance between the Blue Viper Club and the Kumo Crew? Is Archon Delaine expanding his reach to the Dredger Clans? Or have they brought him something of value that they discovered in deep space?”

Pilots Federation ALERT

Rival delivery campaigns by Aegis Research and Taurus Mining Ventures in the PMD2009 48 system have concluded.

Guardian artefacts were delivered to the megaship Glorious Prospect, which was contracted on behalf of the anonymous ‘Salvation’, in greater quantities than to the Aegis megaship Archimedes.

Patience Middleton congratulated those who supported Taurus Mining Ventures:

“This is a clear show of faith in the noble goals of ‘Salvation’. As a further sign of our commitment to those goals, we are pleased to provide the top 75% of contributors a specially engineered Class 2 Fixed Guardian Shard Cannon.”

The Pilots Federation has issued a caution that any ship modules offered by Taurus Mining Ventures will be automatically marked as ‘‘hot’, requiring extra costs to be cleaned prior to installation.

The Azaladshu Free faction, which controls four systems, has seceded from the Federation in protest against civilian surveillance.

The unexpected declaration followed the election of new leadership for Azaladshu Free, which currently controls the Azaladshu, LFT 824, LHS 277 and LTT 3919 systems.

Mayor Constanza Noguera announced:

“The Federation has become corrupt, authoritarian and untrustworthy. In particular, the public surveillance laws to spy on innocent people cannot be tolerated. From now on, we will govern our systems as independent sovereign nations.”

Political observers believe that several other Federal factions are also planning to declare independence. All are within Shadow President Felicia Winters’s sphere of influence, although she has publicly renounced any support of these actions.

Congress has stated that secession is illegal under the Federal Accord, and ordered Azaladshu Free to revert to normal membership status. The Federal Navy and other military organisations have been placed on alert.

President Hudson has reacted strongly, stating that “This degree of organised criminal behaviour only proves that the Proactive Detection Bureau is needed to maintain order.”

Shadow President Winters countered by claiming “Removing our citizens’ right to privacy is the cause of this rebellion, not the solution.”

A proposal for the Empire to formally open diplomatic relations with the Marlinist Colonies has been made by Senator Lorcan Scordato.

The eight systems are populated by ex-Imperial citizens who fled to avoid persecution for their beliefs in Marlinism, which advocates democratic representation.

Returning from a fact-finding mission to the colonies, Senator Scordato told the Senate:

“The Marlinist community is primarily focused on peaceful co-existence alongside the Empire, rather than trying to reform the Republic of Achenar. And now that Minister Aaron Whyte speaks for the Neo-Marlinists, we have an opportunity to prevent further extremist actions via diplomacy.”

Although some senators agreed, others such as Denton Patreus stressed that “As a matter of honour and principle, the Empire does not negotiate with terrorists.”

Several newsfeeds observed that both the Alliance and the Federation are looking into opening formal diplomatic channels with the Marlinist Colonies. Similar debates have occurred in the Assembly and Congress regarding the acceptance of an NMLA political wing.

First Minister Jenna Fairfax has repeated calls for the Marlinism Reformation Party to cease representing the Neo-Marlinist fringe. However, she also announced plans for a Marlinist equivalent to the Imperial Diplomatic Corps that would undertake ambassadorial duties.

Pilots Federation ALERT

Two Alliance stations have been constructed following a successful re-election campaign by Prime Minister Edmund Mahon.

Enterprise Market in the LHS 2522 system and Prosperity Core in the Sharru Sector FW-W c1-19 system are now fully operational. Prime Minister Mahon welcomed visitors to the new starports, promising that they would “further enhance the Alliance’s commitment to creating opportunities”.

However, Councillor Nakato Kaine triggered heated debate in the Alliance Assembly when she made this announcement:

“My investigation turned up irregularities in the tritium mining campaign, suggesting that it only received enough deliveries to allow one starport to be built. Furthermore, docking records seem to indicate that Sirius Corporation made up the shortfall with a number of unregistered donations.”

“Sirius Corporation now has a presence in the Sharru Sector FW-W c1-19 system. This suggests disturbing parallels with the company’s recent dealings to help build Archon Delaine’s new starports. The question is – what did Mahon promise in return?”

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister clarified that Sirius Corporation was one of many companies currently partnered with the Alliance to support its expansion programme. It did not address the discrepancy in tritium deliveries or refer to any contributions from the megacorp.

WARNUNG der Pilotenvereinigung

Piloten haben Waren angeliefert, um es der Sirius Corporation zur ermöglichen, einen voll augmentierten Detailoberflächenscanner dauerhaft zu produzieren.

Das verbesserte Schiffsmodul wird in Kürze käuflich erwerbbar sein. Zuvor war es nur in einer Terraforming-Initiative von Sirius Atmospherics Ende 3306 erhältlich.

Der augmentierte Detailoberflächenscanner V1 erhöht die Sondenreichweite auf das Doppelte des momentan erreichbaren, was effizienteres Erschließen von Planeten ermöglicht.

Der Erfolg des Projekts wurde von Sinclair Faraldo, Marketingdirektor der Sirius Corporation, verkündet:

„Wir sind den Piloten, die CMM-Komposite, Myon-Bildgeber und synthetische Reagenzstoffe wie angefordert geliefert haben, sehr dankbar. Die Massenproduktion des verbesserten Detailoberflächenscanners hat bereits begonnen, und er wird bald bei Menschentechnologie-Brokern verfügbar sein.“

Alle Piloten, die an dieser Kampagne teilgenommen haben, können nun ihre Bezahlung an Bord von Ashby City im System Luyten’s Star abholen.

Pilots Federation ALERT

Pilots have delivered commodities to enable Sirius Corporation to mass produce a fully engineered detailed surface scanner.

The enhanced ship module will shortly receive a commercial release, having previously only been available during a terraforming initiative by Sirius Atmospherics in late 3306.

The Engineered Detailed Surface Scanner V1 increases probe coverage to twice the normally achievable range, offering a more efficient mapping of planetary surfaces.

The project’s success was declared by Sinclair Faraldo, marketing director for Sirius Corporation:

“We are most grateful to all pilots who brought us shipments of CMM composites, muon imagers and synthetic reagents as requested. Mass production of the enhanced detailed surface scanner has already begun, and it will be available for purchase from human technology brokers very soon.”

All pilots who took part in this campaign can now collect payment from Sirius Corporation at Ashby City in the Luyten’s Star system.

The Marlinism Reformation Party, which now represents the Neo-Marlinist fringe, has suggested a peace deal between the NMLA and the Empire.

Minister Aaron Whyte explained the proposal during a session of the Marlinist Parliament:

“Via anonymous intermediaries, we have received assurances that the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army is keen to take advantage of our representation. I see this as a hugely positive step that will prevent further conflict.”

“In essence, the NMLA is offering reparations for the unfortunate casualties of its anti-authority activities within the Empire. In return, it requests a permanent presence in the Imperial Senate as a means of continuing political dialogue.”

Many other parliamentarians considered the proposal to be highly controversial. Minister Octavia Volkov declared:

“Providing the NMLA with a political wing, pretending they are reasonable people, suggesting they could pay off the families of everyone they’ve murdered… Whyte, you are an insult not just to Marlinism but to all humanity!”

First Minister Jenna Fairfax called for unity, insisting that the Marlinist Colonies must stand together to ensure their survival. However, she has officially requested that the Marlinism Reformation Party reverses its stance on negotiating with the NMLA.

The fall of Jupiter Division has undermined the popular movement calling for the Federation to be governed by corporations.

Conrad Sterling, political journalist for Vox Galactica, reported on developments:

“Core Dynamics’s recent victory in the Ts’ao Tach system dealt a severe blow to the corporatists. Many companies withdrew their support even before the last shot was fired, and plans for Jupiter Division to become the movement’s central organisation have been abandoned.”

“Sighs of relief were undoubtedly breathed through the corridors of power on Mars when this threat to the Federation’s democratic principles was defeated. And yet, despite Congress downplaying it and many Federal newsfeeds neglecting to cover the story, calls for a corporatocracy have not been completely silenced.”

“Citizens who seek an alternative to voting for either Hudson or Winters are still attracted to the idea. Would corporate rule be more honest? Opinions vary, but many supporters claim ‘big business’ already possesses true power behind closed doors.”

“It now seems that history will record this as a path not taken. With Jupiter Rochester imprisoned and Jupiter Division dissolved, replacement figureheads for the corporatist movement are unlikely to arise in time to preserve it.”