Galnet News

The Rising Cost of Getting High

In reaction to the changing political landscape in the Federation, many systems have begun taking a much firmer stance against the supply and distribution of illegal narcotics.

Traditionally, prohibition has served to do nothing more than increase the risk and reward for those involved in the trade of prohibited materials. This time appears to be no different.

With the supply no longer adequately able to meet the demand, many buyers are being forced to pay prices that would have been unimaginable just weeks ago.

While stricter penalties and additional costs may be enough to dissuade infrequent users, for the vast majority the question of cost is less an issue of if, and more a question of how.

Smugglers across the galaxy have seen their profits rise by as much as 5000% in the last couple of weeks, with many expecting that profits will continue to rise, as more and more systems begin to crack down on the delivery of illicit goods to their stations.

As heir to the legacy of Simguru Rishi Antal, the master of transcendental technology, Pranav has a lot to live up to. There are many people who thought that Utopia, along with its various projects and subsidiaries, would inevitably fall apart once Rishi was no longer leading them. Pranav has proved them all wrong.

Pranav, known as Simguru Antal to his followers, not only managed to maintain the original Utopian Commune, he has actually expanded the Utopian Commune Programme to include Polevnic, Neris, Hip 117972 and Hip 1389. Never one to rest on his laurels, Pranav is already planning on expanding Utopia’s reach into another half a dozen systems in the very near future.

“We live in an imperfect world, one constructed from the chaos that is this universe’s random nature,” Simguru Antal told GalNet.

“The struggle of men and women to impose order through innovation and understanding is the key to humanity’s ultimate happiness. The advancement of our species towards that inevitable point of peace and prosperity is not only my love, my passion, it is my very reason for being. It is the reason that all of us are here. To make our dreams, and our passions, become a reality.”

“If Utopia is to succeed, we must be driven by our righteous desires, not by our base ones. After all, it is only through mastering ourselves that we can hope to master the worlds around us.”

For decades, the Utopian compound on Antal was seen as a place where people could visit the future. Technology that was years ahead of its time was openly on display for anyone to see. The secrets uncovered by the Utopian engineers were made freely available for study, regardless of the factional leanings of those who wished to explore their mysteries.

That freedom of information, that willingness to share knowledge and ideas, is what has allowed Utopia to grow into a living network of technological communes that will help lead the galaxy towards a better tomorrow.

In the last five years, hundreds of thousands of scientists, programmers and engineers have begun their journey into the Utopian lifestyle. Their hard work and dedication has been rewarded with a wealth of new technologies that will revolutionise the galaxy once mass production has been achieved.

Of course, mass production is difficult without the right materials to do the job. Utopia estimates its workshops require around 30 million tonnes of assorted metals per month. So far, no single supplier has been able to meet their requirements. As such, Utopia will be offering a range of bonuses each month to any interstellar traders who bring the Utopians a large supply of metal.

Those interested in offering assistance to the Utopian Project are asked to deliver metals to Lobachevsky Station in Antal.

The presence of Archon Delaine and the Kumo Crew has long plagued the people of the Pegasi sector, and now things have started to take a very serious turn for the worse.

Having free reign for so long has emboldened Archon, who has set himself up as a self-styled Pirate King , demanding tribute and enforcing his will on the various other militant organisations operating throughout the Pegasi sector. Those who defy him find themselves shredded apart by a swarm of raging Kumo fighters.

Many of the Pegasi pirate lords have begun taking orders from Archon. In doing so, they have likewise set themselves up as local warlords who enforce Archon’s will and taxes on those systems too weak to oppose them, while raiding, pillaging and pecking away at those that are not.

Two crews in particular, the Hand Gang of Gandii and the Camorra of Krisha, are currently engaged in attempts to take direct control over systems within Archon's domain. If they succeed, they will be accepted as members of the Kumo Crew. If they fail, it is likely none of them will ever be seen again.

Members of the Kumo Crew, potential allies and killers for credits alike are all invited to aid the Hand Gang of Gandii and the Camorra of Krisha in their attempts to take over Gandii and Krisha. Pirates wishing to share in the plunder can contact representatives of the crews aboard Lu Hub and Fincke Depot respectively.

Villain, murderer, madman. Titles with which Archon Delaine, the self-styled Pirate King, are all too familiar.

37 years ago, Archon Delaine rose to prominence after brutally beating the Kumo Crew’s previous leader to death with his bare hands. Thus, at the tender age of 15, Archon assumed the role of Pirate Lord and began to cut a bloody swathe across the Pegasi sector.

During the first 20 years of his rule, Archon Delaine faced a constant stream of challenges from upstarts and other crews alike. Each and every challenger was struck down, and as each one fell, the legend of Archon grew ever greater.

Growing weary of the constant infighting, Archon oversaw a massive restructuring of his ‘family’. He turned them from a loosely affiliated rag-tag assortment of pirate crews into a single-minded killing machine whose only desire is to obey Archon’s every order. Under his leadership, the Kumo Crew has gone from being a feared local drug cartel to one of the most influential criminal syndicates in the galaxy.

The systems he runs still function – in some cases better than before they were taken. The Kumo Crew rule by fear and are utterly intolerant of those who work against them, but in equal measure have been known to protect and reward those in the systems they have subjugated who have shown loyalty, brutally enforcing their own ruthlessly simple ethos.

So far, Archon Delaine has only been active in the Pegasi sector, but some reports have begun to surface of Kumo Crew members beginning to move out of the sector.

The results are in and Zachary Hudson is the overwhelming choice for the new President of the Federation.

A record number of attendees appeared in Congress on Mars to take part in yesterday's Vote of No Confidence against the Liberal Administration, with almost every member of Congress appearing in person to cast their vote.

In the end, a shocking 66% of Congress voted to remove the Liberal Administration from office, a clear indicator that the collected Federal worlds feel a change in leadership style is necessary. Surprisingly, a large number of known Liberal supporters voted to remove their own leadership from power. Most commentators agree that this is a reflection on Halsey’s actions and the current unpopularity of Federal government among frontier systems. Winters needs to build her own supporter base before she can bring power back to the Liberals.

President Hudson will be officially sworn into office later today, after which he is expected to spend the remainder of the week finalising his administration. Most of the previous Shadow Cabinet are expected to be included, although as always some change is inevitable.

The Federal Republican Association has gained a massive swell of support over the last year. Now that President Hudson is officially in office, we can expect a much more aggressive stance on decision-making coming from Mars once the new administration is fully established.

The Federal Navy has today released its official report into the disappearance of Starship One. As expected, the 600,000 word document provides a detailed analysis of the inner workings of Starship One.

The report confirms that the abnormal energy signature detected by Guardian Wing Alpha, immediately prior to Starship One’s last known jump, was almost certainly caused by mechanical failure. The report includes an in depth comparison with the failure of the Highliner Antares and concludes there were remarkable similarities in the unusual failure mode, and it is still unclear why the automatic shutdown systems did not operate (most of which were not present on the Antares). The failure began with a power surge in the central power plant – something not especially unusual in a high capacity hydrogen reactor – causing several other core systems to overload.

Despite going over hours of evidence, including video feeds detailing the last several days of life aboard all four ships of Starflight One, investigators were not able to identify any signs of foul play. In the end, the team has concluded that the cause of Starship One’s loss was a complex multi-stage engine failure.

Members of Congress from across the Federation have made their way to Mars today, in response to Shadow President Hudson's call for a Vote of No Confidence Against the current administration.

For months now, the Shadow President has been involved in an intense lobbying campaign against President Halsey and her administration. The Shadow President has pointed to the loss of dozens of member states to the Alliance, a rampant increase in crime rates, and a defanged Federal Navy as some of the more devastating effects of Jasmina's time in office.

However, now that President Halsey no longer appears to be a concern, Congress could decide to allow Acting President Winters to assume the office of President in Jasmina's stead. Felicia Winters has always been very popular amongst Congress, even before her ascension to the office of Secretary of State. Now that she's assumed the role of Acting President, it's could be possible that her peers will elect to see what kind of leader Felicia will be.

Members of Congress will be permitted to cast their vote at any time in the next 12 hours. Last-minute lobbying efforts from both sides are expected to be extremely intense, although pundits believe that Shadow President Zachary Hudson will almost certainly carry the day.

After a series of skirmishes between independent pilots and pirates, as well as the drawn out battle against the Sobek Boys, 78 Ursae Majoris was facing a security threat in the run-up to Federal President Jasmina Halsey’s planned visit. News of the catastrophic accident that is believed to have consumed Starship One, and taken the President’s life, has been spreading through the galaxy, but 78 Ursae Majoris has now been secured.

The system saw a huge influx of independent pilots as Andrew Bailey, Mayor of Townshend Hub and local leader of the Alioth Independents, declared the security and military campaign. Independent pilots were tasked with eradicating criminal elements in and around Alliance territory, along with being enlisted in a military campaign against the Sobek Boys, a criminal syndicate operating from the Sobek system. There was a lull in fighting the Sobek Boys however, as the objective took a few days to actually reach a completion mark. Some might think there might be more behind as to why this objective wasn't touched in the starting days. Ivan Shevchenko, a known mercenary and fighter pilot, has given us his opinion on the matter:

"There is a large difference between fighting traditional asteroid belt pirates, and a well organized militia force. And that isn't something I say lightly, having been in the conflict areas. The Sobek Boys' ships were well armed and heavily reinforced. A whole gang of pirates running around with that kind of gear is bad for any system or region of space. But that could also be the reason as to why nobody was really wanting to fight them. Nobody wants to be tangled up against that kind of firepower, even I don't and I own one of the best bounty hunting vessels you can get. On the other hand, independent pilots could've also been distracted by the other directive Mayor Bailey put out to stopping pirate activity. At the same time though I have to say, who knows. I suppose in the end though, all of us who helped put a stop to the Sobek Boys and pirate activities in and around 78 Ursae Majoris did a very good thing for the Alliance and its members."

- CMDR Shevchenko

It has now been 5 days since Starship One lost contact, and the search and rescue teams have yet to find any trace of the missing ship or her crew.

According to Lieutenant Barringer of the Federal Transport Safety Administration:

“Starship One’s disappearance appears to have been caused by a major malfunction in the Frame Shift Drive’s safety systems. It looks like there was a major power surge, followed by four separate system failures in quick succession according to the data we have, resulting in a catastrophic explosion. We do not believe this explosion would have been survivable by anyone on board.”

“The FTSA has seen each of these failures in commercial and military hyperdrives in the last few years, but each one has resulted in the drive shutting down and the ship failing to enter hyperspace.

“There are strong similarities with the loss of the Highliner Antares in 3251, but since then we have many more safety systems designed to prevent such failures. At the moment it looks like this was a terribly unlucky tragic accident. We have not found any evidence of tampering, and all the systems passed their automated pre-flight checks.”

“Our condolences go out to the loved ones of those lost.”