Galnet News

Meet the Powers – Zemina Torval

Senator Zemina Torval is the subject of this article from political commentator Marcus Macmillan about the movers and shakers in 3301.

In many ways Senator Torval represents the solid and traditional politics of the Imperial Senate. She is seen as a paradox by some, particularly with regard to her views on Imperial slavery. She adopts the position that tradition expects but that many fail to achieve in the care of the millions of slaves from her business interests. She can be vocal in condemning those who fail to take proper care of their slaves, but she is equally open about how they form the foundation of the Empire.

She takes the long and more considered approach to amassing power. She lacks the impetuousness of Patreus, but is quite willing to work with him to achieve her goals. She prefers diplomacy to force, but has a substantial military fleet capable of handling most situations.

Her desire for power is more than personal ambition: she is, in a sense, the matriarch of a developing dynasty. Torval focuses her energy on building a legacy for future generations. Even though she was born wealthy, she still possesses a strong work ethic and will labour tirelessly to get things done.

While her time is dominated by her senatorial responsibilities and business concerns (she is, famously, the controlling shareholder in Mastopolos Mining), Torval tries to find the time to be with family, who are very important to her. In her younger days she enjoyed hunting, but that pastime is now limited to her rivals in business and the Senate.

GalNet Weekly Economic Report

In this weekly digest the latest GalNet data is compiled to show the economic states for a short list of minor factions and the star systems they inhabit (*).

Here are 10 of the 3,995 minor factions currently enjoying an economic boom:

Gyton's Hope Resistance

Beldarkri Constitution Party

Progressive Party of No Myoin

Obambivas Netcoms Ltd

Codorain Network

New HIP 60953 Constitution Party

Gender Flag

Obambivas United Industries

Narakapani Exchange

Lactonacaya Empire League

When in boom, the wealth of the system is increased for the duration and all trade missions have doubled effects on influence. It can also positively increase the minor faction’s influence. Boom can be entered by consistent trade profits and completed trade contracts. Booms tend to last until they run out or some other indicator takes precedence, such as famine.

Here are 10 of the 93 minor factions currently experiencing an economic bust:

Wolf 1301 Crimson Electronics

LTT 9097 Gold Advanced Co

LHS 1197 Gold Family

HR 692 Empire League

HR 826 Movement

Official AZ Cancri Dominion

Mob of Groombridge 34

NLTT 12619 Confederacy

Forculus Ltd

Values Party of Jitani

The wealth of a system diminishes while in bust and the minor faction’s influence is also lessened. The effect of trade contracts and actions do not contribute to boom while a bust is active. A bust generally has to run its course before ending.

* Data is correct at time of publishing

Fight Against Cerberus Plague Continues

The drive to deliver quantities of Ceremonial Heike Tea to Hart Station in the Bast System continues, as the starport’s medical teams work around the clock to create as much of the Cerberus Plague antidote as they can. According to Carl Simmons, the Chief Medical Officer of Newton Dock, the rare tea is the only substance that can counter the virulent effects of the disease.

Independent pilots who are in a position to help with the effort are reminded that the Union Of Bast Liberals is offering incentives to pilots who deliver Ceremonial Heike Tea, which can only be purchased in Brunel City Station in Heike, to Hart Station.

Remembering the Antares Incident

Continuing GalNet’s exclusive series highlighting key events in human history, historian Sima Kalhana remembers the Antares Incident.

In last week’s article about the Sirius Corporation, I described the Antares iIncident as one of the corporation’s greatest failures. Until the recent disappearance of Starship One, this was considered the most infamous spacegoing accident of all time.

The Highliner Antares was to be the first of a new type of fast, comfortable liner, making a trip in hours rather than the weeks that were common at the time, and offering a previously unseen level of luxury – something we are accustomed to in the top-class liners of today. It was the first ship to use a production version of a new type of hyperdrive, a predecessor to the modern fast hyperdrives.

The Antares vanished during its maiden voyage in the Sirius system in 3251, with many celebrity guests on board. The event is poignantly remembered in this quote from the Federal Times:

“Your reporter watched the departure of Antares on her maiden voyage, the monolayer streamers glinting in the harsh light of Sirius as she moved gently away from the orbital habitat and out to launch range. Spacemen talk of a graveyard of lost ships, a place where all who lose their lives in the colossal drive to colonise the galaxy rest in gentle luxury.

“We can be sure that the great Highliner Antares is now in their company.”

The exact cause of the accident was never properly determined. The final report indicated that it was most likely caused by the unlucky failure of a single component during the start of the jump, causing a small fire in a key part of the drive that resulted in a massive explosion and consequent misjump at the same time. There were, of course, a great many fanciful explanations, too.

Since the accident, no confirmed wreckage of the ship has ever been found, although several claims of discovery have been made over the years. Combined with the lack of a definitive cause, this has led to considerable speculation and many conspiracy theories concerning what actually occurred.

The final safety report into the incident found there were insufficient safety precautions within the internal drive systems. This delayed the commercial introduction of these drives for several years, damaging the Sirius Corporation, and ultimately resulting in the fitting of many additional safety features to these new hyperdrives. It was later speculated that the deaths of those on the Highliner Antares effectively saved the lives of many more in the subsequent decades, as the number of ships that went missing was measurably reduced, and the new drives proved to be much more reliable than the earlier, slower drives they replaced.