Galnet archive

Freelance Report: Buckyball Spring Break Controversy

Accusations of reckless endangerment have been levelled at the Buckyball Racing Club regarding its upcoming Spring Break chauffeurs event. Commander Seneh, the event organiser, had this to say:

"This event is a community outreach programme. There will be no 'first place', or prizes. While it is true that the club will give performance scores to participating pilots, those scores will be based on the happiness and safety of the escorted students, not on distance travelled or speed."

She continued: "All participants are Pilots Federation members, but some are still provisional, myself included! We appreciate that having a documented safety rating from a Grant Academics sanctioned event will help our careers, so we intend to respect our passengers and fly with the utmost care."

Veteran Buckyball pilots will escort students from the Exigus campus of Grant Academics to the biggest tourism hotspots in the region between the 18th and 26th of March.

Commander Jak

Buckyball Racing Club

Freelance Report: Buckyball Racers to Chauffeur Students

Grant Academics, whose slogan is 'We Make Learning Easy', has announced a partnership with the Buckyball Racing Club to provide students with chauffeurs during the upcoming Spring Break vacation. The most talented pilots in human space will escort students from the Exigus campus to the biggest tourism hotspots in the region.

"Students will be entirely safe in the hands of these veteran pilots," said a member of the Grant Academics board of directors. "I have personally interviewed the BRC member coordinating the event. Commander Seneh is a Grant Academics alumnus and recent inductee to the Pilots Federation, and she has assured me that the BRC will closely monitor its pilots."

The BRC chauffeurs will be available from the 18th March and will return those under their care to the Exigus campus no later than 26th of March.

Commander JAK

Buckyball Racing Club

Another Jeffress Treasure Hunt

Eccentric billionaire Alfred Jeffress has made headlines in recent weeks with not one but two galaxy-wide treasure hunts, each of which saw the reclusive philanthropist give out enormous cash prizes. Now Jeffress has announced a third treasure hunt, and once again he has promised to reward the winner with a share of his vast personal fortune.

The event is expected to follow the same format as the previous two. A mystery object has been placed somewhere in space, and the first person to find and deliver it to a specified location will win the competition. As before, the hunt begins with a riddle, composed by Jeffress, which will lead participants to the mystery object:

"To win the prize, follow a story of kings, crowns and jewels, not tall tales told by fools. Your quest to restore the king's crown starts in the middle. Travel where all frequencies of light reside to start solving my riddle."

Jeffress has promised that this hunt will be the most challenging yet, having devised even more cryptic clues this time.

Freelance Report: Pilot Breaks Eight-Hour Sagittarius A* Barrier

Buckyball champion Commander Alot has broken the eight-hour barrier for a trip from Sol to Sagittarius A* in his ship, Rhonda the Anaconda. Having failed in his first attempt to set a sub-eight hour record by just six seconds, Commander Alot ultimately succeeded in completing the 25,900 light year journey in 7 hours, 56 minutes and 41 seconds. He announced his success in characteristically matter-of-fact style at 2.00 pm on the 24th of January: "That's. More. Like it."

No stranger to the Sagittarius A* Buckyball challenge, Commander Alot has made the trip no fewer seven times. He has more or less dominated the number-one slot since first wresting it away from the original record holder, Commander Anuranium, in April 3301, when he completed the run in 11 hours and 46 minutes.

As tributes from fellow Buckyball pilots poured in, the 'fastest pilot in the galaxy' confirmed he would be taking a well-earned break from the cockpit, although he said he hoped to catch up with the Distant Worlds expedition later in the year.

Commander Alec Turner

Freelance Report: Officials Deny Funding 'Turbo Hour' Endurance Race

Officials at Kanwar Horizons in the Turbo system have strenuously denied allegations of involvement in an unsanctioned Buckyball Racing Club event known as the 'Turbo Hour Endurance Race', which will apparently run alongside the station's annual air show and starship exhibition.

Station entertainment director Hector LeMans described as "preposterous" claims that the Turbo Blue Netcoms Exchange was secretly bankrolling the race in order to attract larger crowds. "Our air show is wholesome entertainment, and we don't want it ruined by these Buckyballers and their 'high-octane' shenanigans," he said.

LeMans had a clear message for anyone tempted by rumours of free ship resprays for the winners: "I'm sure that authorities in the 49 D Orionis, Unkulcay and Vasak systems would agree that racers will find the same strictly-enforced speed limits and standard market prices for fuel and repairs at our stations as any other law-abiding pilot."

The air show will run from the 25th of January to the 12th of February.

Commander furrycat

Another Jeffress Treasure Hunt

Eccentric billionaire Alfred Jeffress has made headlines in recent weeks with not one but two galaxy-wide treasure hunts, each of which saw the reclusive philanthropist give out enormous cash prizes. Now Jeffress has announced a third treasure hunt, and once again he has promised to reward the winner with a share of his vast personal fortune.

The event is expected to follow the same format as the previous two. A mystery object has been placed somewhere in space, and the first person to find and deliver it to a specified location will win the competition. As before, the hunt begins with a riddle, composed by Jeffress, which will lead participants to the mystery object:

"To win the prize, follow a story of kings, crowns and jewels, not tall tales told by fools. Your quest to restore the king's crown starts in the middle. Travel where all frequencies of light reside to start solving my riddle."

Jeffress has promised that this hunt will be the most challenging yet, having devised even more cryptic clues this time.

The Mischief Mile

Racers and Fuel Rats have been gathering in the Tepech system for the latest Buckyball Racing Club event: The Mischief Mile.

The race will run from 00:01 GMT on the 5th of December until 23:59 GMT on the 13th of December, beginning at Hooke Hub in Tepech and finishing at Ocampo Station in Mirateje. Participants are required to travel the width of populated space as fast as possible, hitting checkpoints in Fuelum (home of the Fuel Rats Mischief), NLTT 48288 (the most popular place in the galaxy to run out of fuel) and MCC 811.

There are three classes, depending on the ship used in the race: Fuel Rat Regulars, Fuel Rat Crazies, and Bonus Snickers.

Commander Rusticolus

Treasure Hunt Comes to an End

The treasure hunt organised by the billionaire and philanthropist Alfred Jeffress has come to an end, with a pilot by the name of Commander Woodhouse claiming victory. Hundreds of people took part in the competition, but ultimately there could only be one victor.

As with Jeffress's previous treasure hunt, competitors were required to solve a series of riddles to find the mystery objects at the centre of the search – a trio of time capsules. The clues took pilots first to Slipher Hub in the Faust 68 system, then to Dickensport in Fomalhaut, and finally to the Cernunnos system.

When the winner was announced, Alfred Jeffress released the following statement:

"I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to the winner. You will receive your prizes soon! As for the other competitors, I would once again like to encourage them to remain hopeful – there will be another Jeffress treasure hunt, and next time the winner could be you!"