Galnet News

Tensions have been running high aboard Effinger Port this week as doctors, nurses and scientists worked around the clock to find a cure for the Volungu Blight.

A breakthrough finally occurred on Wednesday night after medical staff supplied by Aisling Duval managed to identify the pathogen behind the Blight. Once that was done, doctors were able to develop a course of treatment to fully eradicate all traces of the disease from patients’ bodies.

While the cure comes too late for the thousands of families in Volungu, Furbaide, Liaedin and LHS 3505 that lost loved ones over the last week, the news doubtlessly comes as quite a relief to the hundreds of thousands more who are currently waiting to receive the cure aboard their local stations.

The secret is out! There’s a metal rush happening in LAWD 26, with thousands of entrepreneurs heading to the region in the hope of making their fortune before one of the big three mining corporations can establish a presence in the system.

News first broke about the newly discovered pristine mining site early last week, when a large quantity of raw gold was found aboard a Sidewinder that had been abandoned at Crook's Hub Starport in Toolfa. It turned out that the Sidewinder belonged to a Commander Hank Stone (deceased), a well known prospector who had struck it rich when he discovered the previously untapped source of metals.

Doubtless it won’t be long before the corporations move in to strip mine the area, but until they do there are some serious credits to be made in LAWD 26 by anyone willing to work hard and get their hands dirty!

Alioth played host to scenes of chaos today when Éamonn Uí Laoghire addressed the crowds after his second attempt to gain an audience with Alliance representatives failed. While engaging with the huge numbers that had gathered to hear him speak, Éamonn was targeted by a single shot that was fired from a nearby building.

The shot missed the ambassador, but killed a member of the crowd. The ambassador was rushed to safety as the crowd began to flee the scene in terror, causing enough chaos for the assailant to escape undetected.

Uí Laoghire later returned to the steps outside the central council building to deliver his most defiant speech yet.

"We declare the right of the people of Lugh to the ownership of Lugh. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished that right, nor can it ever be extinguished, no matter how many murderers the Federation sends to try and silence us.”

The Defence Force of Tanmark, in association with the Farmers Union of Kappa Fornacis, is pleased to announce the success of their initiative to increase the local production of Lucan Onionhead.

Over the last week hundreds of independently minded contractors delivered over 500,000 tons of land enrichment systems to Cassie-L-Peia. Specialist farmers from Kappa Fornacis were then able to stimulate the mass growth of Lucan Onionhead clones.

When asked for comment, President Halsey’s office reiterated that Lucan Onionhead is illegal within all Federal jurisdictions and that anyone caught transporting, cultivating or otherwise selling the drug would be subject to prosecution.

Aisling Duval made her presence felt in Furbaide today, as she arrived at Effinger Port to offer assistance to overworked medical staff currently caught in the struggle against the virulent and deadly Volungu Blight. Along with her usual entourage, the Diva Duval bought dozens of Imperially trained doctors and nurses, all of whom will be offering their services for free to anyone afflicted by the Blight.

It is hoped that the biomedical expertise provided by the Imperial doctors will shed some light on the genetic makeup of the disease, whose aggressive transmission and resistance to known drug therapies has local medical staff completely stumped.

The death toll for the disease is now reaching into the thousands, and with no cure in sight the situation can be expected to get worse before it gets better.

Inspired by Universal Cartographics recent push to expand humanities borders, the Sirius Corporation has today announced its plan to launch a number of new colonial outposts to the very edges of occupied space.

Ana Quin, Sirius' Junior Vice President of Interstellar Logistics, had this to say about the announcement:

"We're very excited to move forward with this project. It's been a long time coming, but finally the board have agreed it's time to get the ball rolling. We've got the tech and the volunteers, all we need now is to know where to send them."

Sirius is currently offering sizeable monetary rewards for explorers who bring usable exploration data containing potential candidate sites to their offices aboard Nourse Orbital in Lambda Andromedae.

Despite Admiral Vincent's strong words during yesterday's press conference, President Halsey has refused the Admiral's request to send additional forces for the attack on Polahukuna.

In response, the Federal Navy, in conjunction with Core Dynamics, has declared their intention to commission the creation of a new capitol ship. The new ship will be built in the recently recaptured shipyards of BD+03 2338, and the Admiral's personal contingent will remain in the locale in order to protect the construction of the new vessel.

The Alioth system has been at the centre of controversy today after the arrival of Éamonn Uí Laoghire, the leading spokesperson in the current bid for independence of the Lugh system.

While at the time of this report Ambassador Uí Laoghire has not yet been granted an audience with Alliance state officials, he did address the huge throngs of supporters who came out to greet him on the steps of the state residence.

"Since its earliest inception the Lugh system was settled by a sovereign people of one lineage and one religion who have made it their spiritual home. Popular support for The Crimson State Group in the last polls was at 87%. The only thing standing in the way of the will of the people is the Federal Navy! I have come here today to request that the Alliance of Independent Systems recognise the legitimacy of a free and democratic Lugh."

It’s been said before, but it's worth saying again. Remember to set aside credits for your insurance excess.

Only recently Commander Gui returned home to Sol with his newly purchased Anaconda. Having equipped it with all the essentials he departed... straight in to an incoming Type 9. Without the 4 million credits to cover the excess for his ship, he was left with no choice but to resort to a budget Sidewinder. His loss for that one incident was 80 million credits.

Though many pilots can turn to creditors to cover some of the costs in case of emergency, 200 thousand credits is not enough to cover the cost of a truly premium vessel.

The moral of the story? Always check your rebuy costs in your systems screen before launching. Don't leave the space port without having the excess..

You’ve been warned commanders...

Commander Sheehy of the Reorte Chronicle

There’s trouble brewing in Cemiess, caused in no small part by the recent influx of emancipated Imperial Slaves who now call the area their home.

The number of petty thefts and burglaries being reported on Emerald has risen by over 300% compared with the same period in 3300, resulting in local social sites being flooded with complaints from long term residents who claim they fear for their families’ safety.

In response to the unrest, Commissioner Chamberlain of Emerald Security issued the following statement:

“While we appreciate the situation may feel like it’s spiralling out of control, we do advise all citizens to remain calm. Crime is up, but no more than what we might expect to see after any large group suddenly moved into the area. We understand residents are concerned about their security and as such a curfew is being put into effect. However, we would like to stress that this is purely a temporary measure until such time as our newest residents have integrated more fully with the local community.”