Galnet News

The third and final heat of the Rise to Power campaign is over.

For this stage of the competition, pilots were asked to recover salvaged precious gems and deliver them to Laura Elizabeth in the Meropis system. Matters were complicated by the fact that the event organisers refused to reveal the precise whereabouts of the salvage site, giving just a single clue to its location.

Once the location was found, a desperate race began as pilots urgently ferried the gems to the Laura Elizabeth starport in support of their chosen faction. Ultimately, it was the EG Pilots who received the most salvaged precious gems and claimed victory. But the celebrations were short-lived, as the EG Pilots waited tensely for the announcement of the overall victor.

Now that the results of each heat have been reviewed, the event organisers have announced that the winner of the Rise to Power campaign is...the EG Pilots.

Trinity Avon, reporting for The Sovereign, commented on what has proved to be an exciting competition:

"The EG Pilots have shown that they has the necessary strength and influence to be recognised as a power in their own right. I for one look forward to seeing what the future holds."

A spokesperson for Bava Blue Travel Systems has announced that hundreds of independent pilots responded to the recent Imperial appeal for exploration data, delivering large quantities of astronomical information to Bauschinger City in the Bava system. The appeal was part of an Imperial campaign to locate further barnacles, the only known source of meta-alloys.

In a brief statement, the spokesperson thanked the many Commanders who supported the campaign:

"We are immensely grateful to all the intrepid explorers who contributed to this initiative. Your data will now be analysed to see if it can reveal the location of further barnacle sites. Of course, this process is not an exact science, so it may take some time. We will keep the galactic community abreast of our progress."

Jaques, the owner and operator of Jaques Station, has issued an appeal for commodities to repair his beleaguered starport.

The station has been in poor shape ever since Jaques made an unsuccessful attempt to travel to Beagle Point. Since then, a number of independent pilots have voluntarily delivered meta-alloys to the station, resulting in the reopening of the starport's commodities market. But to restore the starport to full functionality, a full-scale campaign is needed. In a statement, Jaques said:

"We're very grateful to all the pilots who brought us meta-alloys over the past few weeks. But to get the station back online, we're also going to need power generators, tantalum, structural regulators and energy grid assemblies. So we're asking all pilots to deliver whatever they can."

Jaques has promised to reward pilots who deliver the requested materials to Jaques Station in the Eol Prou RS-T d3-94 system. The campaign begins on the 21st of July 3302 and will run for four weeks. If Jaques's targets are met earlier than planned, the campaign will end immediately.

Recent developments in Unknown Probe research have raised concerns among military strategists.

Today, Captain Alexis Corvus of Task Force Athena briefed the Imperial Senate on the implications of an offensively deployed Unknown Probe.

"The offensive potential of these Probes mustn't be underestimated. A single fighter with a discovery scanner and a probe in its cargo hold could potentially disable dozens of spacecraft. A customized torpedo designed to similarly trigger its payload could be even more disruptive, allowing a hostile fleet to prey on the disabled vessels."

"The zeal with which the Federation has been collecting resources like these probes leads me to believe they have already considered these use cases. Moreover, the stationing of no fewer than five Farragut-class Battlecruisers in Merope suggests this matter is of grave importance to them. If we mean to maintain the status quo, we must act prudently."

Commander Corrigendum

This report presents the latest data on democratic activity among the galaxy's minor factions.

Here are the latest factions to hold elections:

Flousop Electronics Partners

United Ross 780 Progressive Party

Green Party of LTT 1349

Umaspi Collective

Tai Sheshy Empire Pact

People's Procyon Values Party

Sirius Free

Lalande 15394 Federal Systems

League of Ruhanga Dominion

Zac Cechaqu Commodities

Elections occur when two minor factions with a similar political structure resolve a conflict over ownership and influence within a system.

At 7.00 am tomorrow morning (GMT), the monitoring of powers' activities will go offline for a short period while the latest data is assembled. Pilots who operate for one of the powers should deliver any cargo or vouchers before this time to ensure their activities are registered.

The recent meta-alloy rush has left many of the barnacles in the Pleiades Nebula barren.

As many scramble to meet the high demand for the material, it seems the Federation lacks the resources to provide adequate defence.

Federal vessels have reportedly transported huge quantities of meta-alloys from the Merope system, suggesting that it may be partly responsible for the drought.

One independent researcher said:

"As far as we know, a barnacle will 'regenerate' after one week, although we don't know if this is always the case."

"Research indicates that harvesting only 'ripe' spikes will keep the barnacle healthy. A simple scan and visual check will confirm spike maturity."

"Further testing will be needed to determine the specifics, but with the crisis facing civilised space, conducting controlled experiments on barnacles has become next to impossible."

"The way things are going, we risk losing these magnificent entities for good."

Commander BluWolve

The Canonn Interstellar Research Group has announced that one of its scientists has made a discovery regarding the so-called Unknown Probes.

According to a statement, a pilot by the name of Commander Rizal72 has confirmed that when the mysterious objects are examined with an advanced discovery scanner, they emit an electro-magnetic pulse that temporarily incapacitates the scanning ship. The pulse is followed by a brief burst of sound, similar in nature to the 'chittering' produced by the Unknown Artefacts.

Following this announcement, Commander Rizal72's colleagues at the Canonn Interstellar Research Group began subjecting recordings of the sound to various tests. They soon discovered that the sound contained an encrypted image, which some have interpreted as a depiction of interstellar bodies.

The meaning of the image, and the origin and purpose of the Probes, remains unclear. Clearly, there remains much to discover.

This report presents the latest data on the security status of the galaxy's minor factions.

Here are the latest factions to experience a lockdown:

Gondul Jet State Company

Atrimih Gold Transport Comms

Justice Party of Zeta Tucanae

Tatapai Company

Revolutionary Nysa Future

Social Cupinook Free

Itzamnet Group

Guaneponne Partners

Raurici Empire Consulate

Social G 181-6 Liberals

When a faction experiences a lockdown, the security rating of the system it controls temporarily increases and the system's wealth temporarily decreases. Bounty hunting activity can shorten the lockdown period.

Here are the latest factions to experience civil unrest:

Firdaus Crimson Family

Ovid Vision and Co

Ringardha Commodities

Haokipi Galactic Network

Labour of LHS 283

HIP 33368 Vision Network

Eranin Industry

Movement for LHS 450 Progressive Party

CD-53 136 Imperial Society

Theotokos Universal Exchange

Civil unrest is the result of illegal activity. When a faction is affected by civil unrest, the standard of living in the system it controls temporarily decreases, as does the system's wealth. Combat missions and activities can bring civil unrest to an end.

The historical re-enactment society Ex Luna Scientia has partnered with the Buckyball Racing Club to organise a commemorative race celebrating the 1,333rd anniversary of the first landing on Earth's Moon.

The Fly Me to the Moon race will run from the 19th to the 21st of July and will start at Lem Dock in the Chaac system. The finish line is at Moon Prospect in the Turot system, where participants will compete in surface racing in their rovers.

The race is open to everyone, from regular Buckyballers to first-time racers. The race committee has suggested that, due to the risks involved, all participants take out full insurance coverage.

Commander Aken B