Galnet News

A tense hostage situation in Eotienses on Tuesday morning turned bloody as East India Company members failed to negotiate the liberation of an Imperial trader from the Code, a well-known pirate group. The Imperial trader, unaffiliated with either group, was destroyed after an attempted escape, resulting in tens of millions of credits in property loss as well as small-scale skirmishes between the two organizations throughout the night. EIC members later went on to admit that poor communication and victim anxiety led to this tragic outcome.

Though it is unclear exactly what the hostage believed, Commander Trillen is quoted as saying: “The members of Code appeared to be getting a little jumpy and I started to worry that things were not going to end well. I contacted Commander Egg90 asking if he was ready to run if $@%# hit the fan, but I think he misinterpreted that because at that very second he boosted and was destroyed by the members of Code.”

After the destruction of the trader, chaos broke out as both sides opened fire on one another. The fighting was reported to have lasted for several hours with both sides suffering major losses, and damages are currently estimated in the hundreds of millions of credits.

Galnet News reached out to The Code, who had this to say: “The approximate ship destruction estimate is currently sitting at 3 EIC deaths for every 1 Code death. The Code apologizes for the destruction of all these EIC vessels, but we will destroy anyone who gets in our path of riches and plunder.”

Dick McKinley - Galnet News

Leaked images from the Avalon shipyards appear to indicate that Senator Kahina Tijani Loren’s Imperial Courier, the ‘Seven Veils’, is undergoing a significant refit just weeks after her recent visit to the Sol system.

Security at the Avalon shipyards, which are owned and managed by Persephone station, is extremely tight. The images themselves are grainy and ill-defined, but seem to show that the drives, shields and possibly the frame-shift drive components have been significantly upgraded.

Sources within the Empire note that Senator Loren has been seen at several significant social events within Imperial space recently. Despite this, she has refrained from speaking to any member of the press since returning from Sol.

Speculation is rife as to her involvement with the ongoing struggle for power within the Senate. Loren has yet to declare her support for any of the leading contenders, a fact which some political pundits believe is a strong indication that she may be considering her own play for power.

For months now, the Old Worlds have been terrorised by roaming gangs of psychopaths and thieves. Residents’ pleas for help have been rejected by the Council of Admirals, who maintain that matters of internal security are the sole responsibility of member states. Many see this rise of lawlessness as an opportunity. Pilots on both sides of the law are now flocking to the sector in the hope of making their fame and fortune.

Inspired by the recent changes brought about by independent members of the Pilots Federation, a network of local business leaders have banded together to improve conditions in the Old Worlds. They are sponsoring the formation of a new coalition, and though they have yet to officially announce the group’s manifesto, support for the movement is already spreading.

One member of the new coalition, Silver United Solutions, has announced that they are currently in the process of recruiting experienced security professionals to help protect the residents of Zaonce from the various gangs operating in the sector. Potential recruits are asked to report to Ridley Scott in Zaonce for assessment.