Galnet News

In a press release submitted to GalNet news, Commander Swift Arrow is announcing his recent return from the NGC 3199 Nebula. Swift Arrow is claiming to be the first explorer to fully map out the entire NGC 3199 Sector, and the 2nd explorer to visit the nebula (the 1st was Commander Celmascant). According to the data turned in to Universal Cartographics, all but 5 of the 750 systems in the NGC 3199 Sector have been fully scanned for the first time by Swift Arrow.

The 35,000 light year journey started with an excursion to the Butterfly Nebula before heading to NGC 3199 and finally back to civilized space, a trip lasting approximately 5 weeks. Representatives from the Sirius Corporation, Patron's Principles, Chapter of Isinor, the Alioth Independents and the Sublime Order of Van Maanen's Star have expressed great interest Swift Arrow's findings. The data was sold piece meal to each organization, who made various bids ranging from 7.1 to 11.2 million credits for specific high value systems. However, the largest bidder by far was the Patron's Principles, who paid a whopping 37.3 million credits for a lion's share of the data. The total value of the exploration data was just shy of 71 million credits.

Swift Arrow has issued a statement saying that he intends to release a guide to the NGC 3199 sector shortly in order to aid future explorers in further research of the area, including a short list of recommended points of interest and systems to avoid.

In recent weeks the tiny system of Falisci has become a hotbed of activity.

First came the war against the Falisci Purple Gang, which saw Senator Patreus and the Citizens of Tradition dominate the region with their superior firepower and overwhelming numbers. By the end of the week long struggle, the Falisci Purple Gang’s leadership was in chains, and its members sold off to work as Imperial Slaves.

Then the Social Falisci Party, backed by a coalition of Federal squadrons, began attempting to exert their influence over the system. Imperial pilots fought back until it became clear that the Federation had grown tired of its futile attempts to overthrow the rightful rulers of the region.

The region may be devastated and its people may be in chains, but the Emperor’s peace has finally come to Falisci.

In an open letter addressed for the attention of Senator Kahina Tijani Loren, Alliance representatives from Alioth have extended an invitation for her to visit their star-systems with the assurance the her trip will be free from “bungling bureaucracy, petty-minded procrastinators and deranged docking debacles.”

Apparently Lady Kahina’s visit was placed on the agenda at a recent diplomatic exchange between the Alliance and the Federation with assurances sought by Alliance representatives that “somebody competent would be checking the paperwork in detail, and if at all possible, that landing pads could be reserved in advance.”

Lady Kahina is currently being entertained on Earth, where she was greeted by enthusiastically cheering crowds on arrival at the historic Cambridge spaceport before being taken to London to be met by Ambassador Waite.

The Mail on Mars even commented that “We should have more Senators drop in for visit, she’s done more for Imperial Federation relations in a month than all those ambassadors have done in decades.”

Beyond the borders of occupied human space, the vast mysteries of the universe are waiting to be discovered. The last thousand years of human history have been shaped by our combined ability to travel through the stars in search of a better future.

Yet what has humanity done with this precious gift? The same thing we’ve always done. We wasted it.

Greed and war run rampant throughout the galaxy, and the concept of freedom has become nothing more than a buzzword spewed by people who have never known it.

The Alliance knows there’s a better way, but to prove it they need YOUR help.

For the next two weeks, the Alliance of Independent Systems will be collecting exploration data for an exciting new colonisation initiative due to launch later this year.

Commanders interested in working with the Alliance should deliver any information they’ve uncovered in relation to potential colony sites to Purple Power Interstellar aboard Ziemkiewicz Ring in Tsu.

The strike against Federal civilians by the Federal Navy, coupled with the capture of Hartsfield Market a few hours later, caused mass confusion and disenchantment among Federal pilots operating in the area. Mercenaries who had previously fought for the Federation began defecting en masse, bolstering CSG forces to the point where they almost equalled the Federal forces in size.

As a result of having gained control of Lugh’s satellite defence system during the capture of Hartsfield Market, the Crimson State Group managed to force the retreat of the Federal battlecruiser from its position around Lugh 11. Then, with the help of thousands of mercenary defectors, the Crimson State was able to re-establish control over the majority of Lugh’s airspace.

For now the Federal Navy has retreated to fallback positions in Khaka and other local systems. Reports from Lugh suggest that the Lugh for Equality Party has established a ceasefire with the Crimson State Group, as both parties attempt to agree on what course of action would be best for the people of Lugh.

The system is still rife with unrest. The war has caused the local populace to resent both the Crimson State Group and the Federal Congress. Although the CSG has managed to establish their dominance over the system, whether they can keep it in the face of internal and external opposition still remains to be seen.

The turning point in the war came during the Federation’s attack on Read Gateway.

Cormac Uí Laoghire led the defence of the outpost personally, and after several days of fierce fighting, the Crimson State Group finally managed to achieve their first victory by successfully defending Read Gateway.

However, the reality is that it was more a failure on President Halsey’s part than a victory on behalf of Crimson State. The defence only succeeded due to the Federation running dangerously low on weapons for their troops.

As soon as it became apparent that the Federation was having difficulty acquiring the weapons they needed to end the war, the Crimson State Group took advantage of the military intelligence obtained during Operation Dullahan to attack Hartsfield Market.

The battle for Hartsfield Market lasted for almost 5 days, during which time the Federation managed to establish complete dominance over the skies of Lugh. Unfortunately for President Halsey, air superiority alone was not enough to win the war, a fact she soon learned when the CSG tricked her into ordering a strike against Federal refugees attempting to flee the conflict.

The past fortnight has seen a devastating war rage through the once peaceful nation of Lugh.

The Crimson State Group, led by Éamonn Uí Laoghire, has long sought to establish Lugh as an independent system. However, it wasn’t until Éamonn attempted to gain support from Alliance officials that things began to get violent.

Fearful that yet another rich, powerful system would soon leave the Federal fold, President Jasmina Halsey ordered the Federal Navy to suppress the populist uprising. Thousands of Federal pilots flocked to obey the President’s command, and in the early stages of the war, the Federation dominated the skies of Lugh. Countless Sons (and daughters) of Conn lost their lives in an attempt to stop the Federal Navy from simply crushing the rebel forces.

Their sacrifice bought time for the Crimson State Group to come up with a plan. As the Federation continued to rampage its way through the system, members of the Dukes of Mikunn, Emperor’s Grace and the East India Company engaged in guerrilla tactics to keep the Federation’s attention away from the work being carried out by the main CSG strike force.

Splitting their forces in two, the Crimson State Group focused on obtaining enemy intelligence and collecting weapons for their ground troops. All the while, they made sure to deliberately avoid engaging in open conflict with the vast Federal fleet.

Despite the valiant efforts of the CSG allied fleet, the Federation managed to tear through the Crimson State’s air defences, exposing the CSG-controlled outposts to a series of attacks by Federal marines. The Federation looked unstoppable as they stormed through Seega Port unchecked.

Thousands of traders have started flocking back to Kappa Fornacis following the announcement that Onionhead is once again available for sale onboard Harvestport.

Demand for the original strain of Onionhead has remained high over the last few months, despite (or perhaps due to) the Federation’s attempts to completely wipe the plant from the face of the galaxy. Street prices for the totally organic narcotic had skyrocketed by several hundred per cent, although the price is expected to level out again now that a new supply has become readily available.

For now the Onionhead trade on Kappa Fornacis is being allowed to continue unabated, but once the war in Lugh is over, the Federation is sure to turn its attention back to the farmers of Panem.

Following last night’s special session, Congress has decided to temporarily pull the Federal Navy from active duty in Lugh. Navy vessels are currently in the process of being diverted to Qureshi Enterprise in Khaka, where they will remain until such time as Congress decides on how to best end the current conflict.

Despite the official withdrawal of the Federal Navy, Lugh continues to find itself embroiled in an ongoing civil war between the Crimson State Group and the Lugh for Equality Party. The outcome of which is still far from certain.

So far on the Federal side, Lugh for Equality has managed to gain control over the skies of Lugh. On the other side of the war, the native Crimson State Group has managed to take a significant advantage in terms of acquiring armaments for their ground troops.

The Federal forces need more guns, while the CSG need more dedicated combat pilots. With millions of residents having already lost their lives in the fight for an independent Lugh, it seems that neither group will give up the fight without a decisive outcome.

The debate in Congress turned ugly tonight, as members of both parties grilled the President over her mishandling of the Federation’s interests during the last six months.

Particularly hot topics included the heavy-handed ban against Onionhead, the resultant bombing of Panem, the loss of multiple frontier systems to pirates and apathy, as well as her most recent blunders in the handling of the attack on Lugh.

Shadow President Hudson went so far as to remark:

“The Federal Navy handed you victory in Lugh on a silver platter, and how do you thank them? You murder thousands of our own people! The incompetence has to stop and it has to stop now!”