Inter-Galactic News

Issue 48, June 1999

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Outer-Comm.

To: All
From: Admiral Cararr of the Imperial Navy (FCN)

The Falconian Empire, have lost some valued members, due to a Shuttle crash and we mourn their loss.
Due to this, then do the Empire now need some new Noble avians to take up the role as Captains and Governors within our Empire. We need you to help out with Exploration, Trade, Colonisation and Defence.
We have lots to offer, both goods and abilities, but also that we are in peace with all affiliations, even the RIP, whom most Humans fear. So if you want to build a colony in peace or if you wish to own a Warship, then contact our Recruitment Centre's right away and we will talk further with you.
Note: Contact us, if you are interested in joining us, because you will not be allowed to join us, if we don't tell Mica about you, this is too make sure, that no one joins to spread the plague to other affiliations, to make trouble for us. Dan.

To: All
From: ENA (Eclypse News Agency)

*** ENA Newsflash *** ENA Newsflash *** ENA Newsflash *** ENA Newsflash ***
The reshuffle within AFT leadership has lead to a change of direction for the AFT Master of Defence. In addition to the military defence of AFT property, the current holder of this office, Honest Ted, will also officially be responsible for maintaining and enhancing veracity within the AFT.
The position has been renamed to AFT, Defender of Justice (Honest Ted)
*** End of Newsflash *** End of Newsflash *** End of Newsflash *** End of Newsflash ***

To: All
From: Emperor Sarek

The Falconian Empire now consist of two systems, Acropolis (162) and Storm (145) and both these systems are currently under Falconian Law. New Laws are expected soon and a few changes will be done, but anyone with permits now, will not be effected by these new changes. Anyone got some questions, then will I try to answer you back as soon as I can.

Confederate News Network Bulletin - 18:00 DMT

Cathedral Central recently lifted restrictions on live reports from Biggin Hill. A CNN reporter, John Flanders, is at the Brotherhood colony.

"For ten weeks now this small Brotherhood installation has borne witness to a furious air campaign. An incessant force of Imperial fighter aircraft has taken to the air to strip BHD Biggin Hill, formerly Fessin Maxor, of its air defences. Each new morning would begin in a similar fashion. Waves of gleaming Imperial fighters and bombers would rise from their VTOL pads, outside the colony, and roll over Biggin Hill. Each time they would encounter the same thing - angry defiance as Biggin Hills ragtag fighters snarled into the air to greet them."

"The resulting dogfights were as savage as they were destructive, as the evenly matched forces battled at ten thousand feet. Many fighters were destroyed in the air, raining burning debris upon the colony. Others would be sent spiralling earthwards to explode. Doomed Brotherhood fighters would turn away from Biggin Hill, sparing the civilians unnecessary suffering. It has been the cause of much reflection here that ruined Imperial fighters seem to plunge, more often than not, into the colonies buildings and streets."

"Each fierce battle has ended in a similar manner. Brotherhood attack jets have succeeded in repelling the Imperial aircraft and inflicting telling losses. Following each dogfight, Brotherhood bombers have rained death upon the few troops the Empire has risked putting in the field. Brotherhood land forces have sustained some minor damage from Imperial bombers."

"After each major engagement, the Brotherhood made good their losses using the colonies factory base. The weekly arrival of many cloaked ships marked the Empires contributions. This unbroken pattern has raged for over two months. The Empire deliver aircraft and the Brotherhood shoot them down."

"The Brotherhood has lifted reporting restrictions following an atrocity which threatens to destroy this hard won status quo. Presumably realising they would always have a fight on their hands while Brotherhood industry remained operational, the last attack involved a change of tactics. During the routine air engagement, numerous Imperial fighters left the battle and flew low over the colonies civilian quarter. Brotherhood workers realised in horror their predicament, but too late, as the Imperial fighters strafed the colonies factories and mines. By concentrating their machine guns and cluster bombs on packed assembly yards and open factories, the Imperial fighters succeeded in killing many civilian personnel. One weeping old woman told me she could not identify her son, presumed killed in the attack. The Imperial weapons rendered many of the bodies unidentifiable."

"Following the fighters came a wave of bombers. These concentrated primarily on the colonies mining sector. By carefully targeting the most vulnerable shafts with heavy bombs, many of the mines were collapsed. Hundreds of workers were crushed underground. Many trapped civilians roasted alive as a flight of Imperial bombers sprayed napalm over the ruined buildings. Brotherhood sources claim the Empire deliberately targeted the colonies supply of Moxa, stored in a civilian warehouse. This is obviously speculative but the former FET status of the colony may lend credence to this belief. Whether or not it was a freak bomb that set off the highly combustible Moxa, the resulting explosion levelled an adjacent residential block. Many families were killed outright. Several of the injured were killed by Imperial bombs as they were conveyed to hospital."

Cathedral Central had this to say about the attack...

"Whatever the differences between the Empire and the Brotherhood, this despicable attack is an atrocity. The damage to Biggin Hills industrial sector has inevitably compromised the colonies ability to defend itself and may therefore shorten the duration of our resistance at Milkrun. This does not justify the attack upon defenceless civilians. Following the acquisition of Biggin Hill, a communitarian society was constructed in which former FET and FGZ nationals could dwell in peace. The colonies luxury supply was diverted to purely local use. These people were liberated by the Brotherhood. They do not deserve to die at the hands of the Empire."

"We will not stand by and watch as the Empire murders the remaining civilian population. If the Empire will suspend their bombing campaign we will hold an internationally monitored referendum to determine the colonies administration. Alternatively we would be prepared to evacuate the surviving civilian population to a neutral party. It would not surprise us if the Empire deny these reasonable requests and continue with their murderous bombing campaign. We request that the international community exert pressure on the Empire over this terrible atrocity. The Brotherhood is open to a diplomatic resolution to this engagement. We await a statement from the IMP butchers as to whether they share either our concern or convictions concerning the murder of innocent civilians and children."

To: All
From: Ambassador Delivos

I am writing to you all today to make a formal apology to the NKT, especially their Grand Master, Sebastian de Blanchefort. We had a trade deal six months ago, and because I was not sufficiently specific with my terms and conditions, I put myself into a position that pledged my sale of goods to Mr Blanchefort when in fact that was not my actual intention. Mr Blanchefort pressed for the goods and, foolishly, I declined to deliver them; he even kindly arranged payment although I still refused that I had pledged him the goods he sought. This was wrong and shameful and I am truly sorry that such an act should have been undertaken on my part. I continued in my abuse of Mr Blanchefort for some months after the incident, as I was at the time being unreasonable and had become enraged and irritated at his demands when I should have simply met them. I included in my insults toward Mr Blanchefort some excessively insulting behaviour, which, even under my own eyes at the time, was unnecessary and, besides being bad for business, a generally ridiculous way to conduct proceedings. In recent weeks I have realised the wrongs of my ways. As the goods have now been exclusively sold, I am unable to offer them to Mr Blanchefort in a form of recompense for my ill behaviour; instead, we have both found ourselves to be reasonable people, and come to an agreement over material goods, which I have every intent to fulfil; the first part of my compensation is already paid. Once again, I must say that I am truly sorry for what happened and that my behaviour was inexcusable in the extreme. I can only pray that a misunderstanding of this magnitude never occurs again between myself and Mr Blanchefort.

The Naplian, Part 1

The Naplian stood on the gantry gazing at the ungainly shape over a mile distant with pride. It had been a long, arduous task, organising the dozens of human and Kastorian construction workers into a cohesive working group, but on reflection she decided it was well worth it - before her lay the ponderous bulk of a Garbage Scow class starship. Over two miles in length and approximately three quarters a mile in width, the mass of hulls nicknamed "the Garbage Scow" by the human contingent of the work force was physically much larger than some ships with a greater cargo capacity. Designed with only a vague plan in mind, the starship was a masterpiece in seat-of-the-pants technology. Where hull plating and infrastructure supports had proved insufficient to secure the ship superstructure, hulls had been welded over and then plated over on top, providing a bit more carrying capacity, which in turn required more engine capacity to enable the ship to haul the extra cargo - and it's own incredible weight - between planets and star systems. Where the extra plating and hulls came from was of little concern to the Naplian, and pieces of flitters, shuttles, and even the odd complex module could still be identified here and there across the pitted and haphazard surface. The humans, had they had their own way, would never have built the craft in this state. They were being paid well enough, though, so followed their orders to the letter. The configuration pattern of the engine hulls to allow the ship to jump at maximum speed and distance alone had given her nightmares, although she was rather pleased with the bridge, crew quarters, and life support systems - one thing she had managed to keep to the original design - although given the capacity of the ramshackle main section, she did have twinges of conscious about the number of lifeforms it was actually capable of carrying. This was put to the back of her mind, however. As the last flitter returned to Opportunity's civilian quarter from the colony's distant starport, she touched a contact on the portable display unit. "Graltz, final status on the Cataphoric Reference please."
"Ready for take off, although it may take a while to get off the ground."
The image of a rough shaven, tired, and highly stressed human face appeared on the Naplian's PDU. "She's got effective capacity at 5-125-20, but she's about as fast as a large gas giant."
"I'm aware of the ship's projected speed, don't worry." She grinned, "How's the infrastructure?"
"Don't even go there! You people really are a brave race, you know that?"
He chuckled back, although the human engineers' smile had a crazed look.
"There is no way you'd ever find a human flying it; even the most insane of pirates would balk at trying to pilot one."
"We'd like it to stay that way, thanks. And we couldn't even have built it, if it wasn't for the sympathisers we've got amongst you - thank all of your staff for us, we owe you."
"Some of us have done it for love of the underdog, it's true, but don't get too misty-eyed. Most of this bunch are a cut-throat mob of tough-skinned cowboys, and have already booked the next flight to Hypso with the money you paid."
"Still, we owe you."
"Not if that thing falls apart you don't. The maximum structural integrity we've been able to boost the ship to is 70%, and I don't like your chances of ever repairing any further damage - the only reason we've managed to get the integrity that high is by using top-of-the-line materials, stuff practically straight out of the SMS' metallurgy labs. It'd be hard to find replacement parts that could be adapted."
"I wouldn't worry about that too much. Don't suppose you ever flew in a Hulk, did you?"
"Erm, no. Why?"
"Ask me someday. Just think about why it was called the Hulk, okay?"
"Erm... I don't like the sound of that. Weren't the Hulks the ships you used to build at Class Ones? I'd like to know how you got authorisation from the EEM to build that new Naplian Cruiser replacement of yours -"
"Hold on one minute, I've got another call coming through. Can I get back to you?"
The female touched a second contact on the PDU, which had been blinking a light at her for about ten seconds. After a moment's fuzz, the display cleared to show the image of a high-ranking, slightly aged male Naplian.
Touching the first two long, dextrous fingers of the four on each hand to her forehead as a mark of respect, the technician said in a tone of awe:
"Commander! I'm honoured! What can I do for -"
"Please, please, call me Pallas, first of all. Then tell me your name. I'm too old for all that title nonsense. And smile, it's nice to see a pretty girl smile."
The technician had the decency to blush - and then smiled. She had rarely been called a pretty girl, having given most of her young life primarily to the Naplian Resistance, secondly to starship engineering, and had always considered herself at the very least plain, if not downright uninteresting.
"Okay... Pallas. I'm Lieutenant Horaou. Loas, I mean. What can I do for you?"
"I was just wondering about the state of my ship. Is it ready?"
"Yes... Pallas. Ready as it'll ever be. The humans seem, ah...'unsettled' is the word, I guess, about the hulls' integrity, but it's absolutely nothing to worry about. She'll fly until you run her into a star, or run out of fuel - not that you'd ever do anything like that I'm absolutely certain I'm sure. Oh dear..."
She blushed again, and hung her head to hide her face behind long, straight, dark head hair, which was highly unusual on a Naplian. Loas had heard many stories about Pallas Maunder, from his early days as an emergency flitter pilot back on Utopia, his later exploits as a ground and space fighter pilot in the Naplian Resistance force on the homeworld, to his help in the relatively recent re-organisation of the movement on the Naplian home-in-exile, Mobile Bay. The story of how he had raised the money to purchase the Cataphoric Reference, then a Yacht, from the EEM had gone down in history amongst the Naplian people. Having raised an initial stake of 10 stellars, he then spent months on end, in the numerous gambling dens of the embassy colonies on the planet, practically plucking money from the hands of decadent Imperial, corporate, and Confederate starcaptains. Then, finding his way across space in a wreck of a shuttle, he landed days later at KAS Rubis, and begged on his knees in front of a board of EEM-appointed salesmen to be granted a ship. Impressed at his determination and humility, the Kastorians, normally taciturn in matters of the Democratic Native Alliance, offered him a Yacht, at a debt of 30,000 stellars. Needless to say, a crew was no easy matter to train on his own, but mere weeks later the Cataphoric Reference left Balmoral's docks without incident.
Lines crinkled around the older Naplian's skin as his furred, leathery face creased into a smile. "Don't worry, Loas. You have done some excellent work here - construction of a ship this big is no small matter in 5 days, and you will be well-honoured for your hard labour. Don't be surprised if you find yourself put in command of your own ship before long." He grinned suddenly, and his eyes sparkled with a roughish glint of humour.
"I expect it to be named after me though!"
"I.. yes! Thank you - of course... I mean -"
"But anyway, may I drag my crew aboard yet? If I leave them to Opportunity's recreation complexes much longer I'll never see them again."
"Certainly... you can leave any time. Everything's in place. Oh, and good luck in your mission, I only heard the other day -"
"Thank you, but the less said about that the better. We don't know who could be monitoring our lines. Be sure that I'll be in touch before long, in any case." His pale blue eyes glittered with meaning. With that, the connection closed and Loas was left staring at a blank screen, still slightly off-balance, with the conversation she'd just had scattering her thoughts to the wind. Almost an hour later, a small flitter flew from the civilian section to the sleeping giant of the starship. The Naplian girl stood, watching silently and alone from the same balcony, as tiny figures left the craft which was dwarfed by the mass of metal lying next to it. Alone the shuttle flew back, and almost quarter of an hour later a vague glow appeared from the 20 engine nacelles scattered in such an exacting pattern across it's surface, as the thrust engines struggled to find the cohesive electromagnetic pattern that would propel them to the upper atmosphere, and from there to orbit. Inch by painstaking inch the ship seemed to rise, and she knew that with the ship's incredibly slow speed, it would take nearly 13 time units - a day and a third or so - for it to reach the planet's orbit. The solitary figure turned and walked from the balcony, certain in the knowledge that the ship epitomised the Naplian people, even down to it's name - there was always a sense of something about to happen.

To: All peaceful, sane peoples.
From :Pallas Maunder, DNA Commander-in-Chief.

As most of you are by now no doubt aware, the DNA have broken an artificial, heavily enforced peace within the Yank system, a peace enforced at the business end of a gun owned by the KAS. We broke this law for a reason most, if not all, other races could see the point behind; the liberation of thousands of innocent civilians from almost certain death and torture, at the hands of an evil and corrupt race. Despite the success of our intentions, the Kastorian Military Junta has decided our fate; and it is a heavy one to bear for an activity most would give praise for. We have been given 8 weeks - until the end of week 31 - to remove our civilians from the surface of Mobile Bay. Any Naplian's found afterwards will be hunted down and exterminated by those puppets of the Flagritz, namely the Kastorian Junta. It is for this reason I am begging to any and all interstellar powers for help. If any of you have starships capable of carrying quantities of life-forms, I beg for some of your valuable freighting time, to help us save thousands of lives...
What I ask of you is this: Visit the surface of Mobile Bay, whether it be landed in a starport or on the physical surface of the planet. You then need to fill your ship to life support capacity with DNA Colonists (193), then fly to IND Opportunity (3995), on Hammer (1044) in Solo (121), and deliver the colonists to DNA Ground Party "DNA Refugees (2130) ". (OOC: Not quite certain how Mica's going to react to this just yet, I've got to mail him about the finer points, but the special action needed should be something along these lines: "Visit the surface of Mobile Bay and contact the nearest Naplian village. Inform them of the sentence of death passed on them by the KAS, then offer to take as many as the ship can carry to the DNA ground party in Solo").
This will take up a week or so of your ship's time; but please, I beg you - aid us. Your help will never be forgotten. To those of you with colonies on the planet, who have spare residence space to take refugees from the surface, I beg you to do so. I will arrange to have our people relocated from your colony as fast as possible, but please offer asylum to as many as you can. My regards, and my prayers, go with you all.
(Note: Opportunity is now under DTR control, I don't know if this effects things? [ed])
(Note: DNA Haven (2875) on Hammer will now take these deliveries. [website ed]).

To: All
From: Azog, Son of Bolg, DEN Ranger The Imperial Will

After due consideration, the House of Bolg wishes to announce that the ship "The Imperial Will" is to be leased to any interesting party, and therefore any bid will be accepted by the House of Bolg. Bids are not restricted to members of the Imperial Services and it's allies but open to all. The House of Bolg wish to make clear that they have no agreement or association with any of the Imperial Services.
Contact: Mark Halpin, Flat 5, 3 Springfield Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 6JL.

Priority Markets

S.O.	Colony	Sys.	S.S.	Item	Buying	Selling	Price
CLN	CLN Constantinopolis (1265)	25	839	Fissionables		3000	10
				Pulac Crystals	2000		20
CLN	CLN Skypoint (1824)	38	3032	Processed Thorlium	1000		125
CLN	CLN Sabeltand (1412)	97	2349	Chemicals		1000	30
				Fibrillium	300		300
CLN	CLN Gomorrah (3170)	98	1555	Fissionables	1428		20
				Pulac Crystals	5000		30
CLN	IND High Star (1971)	103	1841	Condensed Metals	4000		12
				Metals/Non-Metals	30000		2
CLN	CLN Lunar Eclipse (4805)	138	2239	Chic Clothing		7000	9
				Structural Units	3000		22
CNF	CIA Serpent's Hold (4341)	4	251	Chemicals	10000		100
				Mines		80	3000
CNF	IND Weregild (2332)	4	2349	Hive Eggs	100		200
				Mines	10		3000
CNF	CIA Shadowland (4748)	4	2349	Colonists	1500		15
CNF	CIA Langley (2301)	17	1636	Fissionables		10000	5
				Untooled Factories		10	5000
CNF	IND Thorn (140)	17	2258	Ambrosia		500	50
CNF	CIA Armoury (179)	17	2456	Waste	2000		30
				Luxury Foodstuffs	6000		8
CNF	BHD Osgiliath (1440)	17	3047	Fissionables		9500	40
CNF	BHD Opacus Custos (3012)	18	2352	Indigon	100		500
				Mines	56		4000
CNF	CIA Entropy (488)	24	2342	Colonists	2000		10
CNF	AFT Return (4313)	41	1850	Heaven Herb		10000	15
FCN	FCN Dark Sun City (586)	162	1148	Luxury Foodstuffs		20000	4
				Processed Thorlium	500		300
FCN	FCN Falencia (3351)	162	1148	Jacium	148		600
				Precious Metals	470		150
IMP	FET Tortuga (4734)	1	349	Colonists		10000	7
IMP	GTT HQ (467)	1	1440	Colonists		10000	1
				Pulac Crystals		10000	6
IMP	EEM Hypso (4802)	1	1939	Ambrosia	500		50
				Luxury Goods	1000		5
IMP	FET New Kyoto (4297)	1	1939	Luxury Goods		10000	4
IMP	FET Serendipity (3379)	132	357	Euphoria		8000	40
				Medical Supplies		8000	40
IMP	FET Dragonnest (227)	147	2832	Colonists	10000		20
IMP	IND Freedom City (2653)	149	2150	LBCM	1000		600
				Photon Guns	1000@200	1934@360
IMP	GTT Outcasts (1821)	150	1034	Artworks		10000	2
IMP	AFT Eclypse (1124)	150	2232	Photon Guns		719	180
IMP	GTT Xanadu (4810)	158	1146	Teleporters	2		17000
IMP	IMP Sevastopol (4997)	159	2438	Medical Supplies	7324		50
IMP	IMP Leeward (4871)	159	2438	Clothing		4000	5
				Green Troops		450	60
IMP	FET Port Royal (1571)	160	740	Luxury Foodstuffs		4000	45
IMP	CLN Outreach (1758)	160	740	Pulac Crystals	500		40
IMP	GTT Bannockburn (3411)	160	740	Colonists		30000	5
				Luxury Foodstuffs		30000	5
IMP	DEN Aslan (1665)	163	2856	Stargate Key 163		2	30000
				Teleporters		4	25000
IMP	FET Falconhaven (4806)	165	2259	Colonists	10000		10
				Luxury Goods		1000	20
IMP	GTT Liberty (3240)	165	2936	Korondite	625		80
				Xbureaucrat		80	500
IMP	IND Amity (1831)	166	1745	Metals/Non-Metals		6180	5
				Processed Thorlium		100	170
IMP	FET New Hope (951)	166	1745	Strion		7527	160
IMP	Heartbreak Ridge (2963)	172	1642	Medical Supplies	1000		80
				Metals/Non-Metals		1000	5
IMP	AFT Amythest (282)	173	532	Life Supports		90	20
IMP	IMP Cezta (2625)	173	532	Fissionables		1996	20
IMP	GTT New Christiania (4707)	173	532	Maintenance-Bots	2		10000
				Veterans	10		1000
IMP	GTT Thermopylae (1152)	178	1742	Teleporters	3		26000
				Alien Pets		1500	3
KAS	CIA Sin City (209)	146	631	Veterans	70		500
KAS	SQM Windhooks (2071)	146	1947	Luxury Foodstuffs		5000	4
KAS	EEM Balmoral (4100)	146	2857	Condensed Metals	1000		6
				Untooled Factories	10@8000	5@10000
KAS	CNF Sarajevo (3874)	146	2857	Celesium	100		30
				Crew		100	70
KAS	KAS Rubis (4063)	146	2951	Chemicals	20000		100
				Jacium	9170		300
KAS	GTT New Atlantis (2069)	146	2951	Processed Thorlium	500		150
				Teleporters	2		25500
KAS	AFT New Aurora (4428)	146	2951	Food		2000	3
KAS	FET Alliance Station (604)	146	2951	Jac/Thor Alloy	100		50
KAS	DEN Minotaur (1322)	146	2951	Stargate Key 121		10	30000
				Teleporters		4	25000
KAS	DTR Babylon (2350)	146	2951	Small Arms	1770@10	4122@12
				Veterans	70		400
KAS	DOM Mycenae Sound (3114)	146	2951	Jacium	250		325
KAS	CIA Atlantis (3315)	171	1433	Colonists	19992		10
				Condensed Metals	5000		15

Space Academy XXI

This months new arrivals to BSE are as follows:

Ship Name	Ship Number	Address
Seraph	4207	Jon Rees, 9 Malt Kiln Road, Plumley, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 0TS.
Senja Clematia	1787	Kevin Hardy, 15 Vienne Close, Northampton, Northants, NN5 6HE.
Locuse	2185	Tim Dunn (ax4885), H.M.Y.O.I. Castington, Morpeth, Northd, NE65 9XG.
Moldy Crow	2169	Andrew Elliott, 5 Hornbeam Close, Bridgewater, Somerset, TA6 4NU.
Mad Celt I	2278	Pedro Gustavo, Urb. Portela Lote 169, 11 DTO 2685 Sacavem, Portugal.
The Searcher	11	Christoper George, 37 Laurel Drive, Bradwell, Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 8PB