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78 Ursae Majoris Celebrates Security with Shield Sale

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

Federal Search Efforts Continue

It has been almost 48 hours since the disappearance of Starship One. Early reports indicated that the ship was lost with all hands, and in this instance GalNet is pleased to announce that the early reports were mistaken. Three ships from Starship One’s Guardian Wing made contact with Navy HQ shortly after the initial disappearance. Unfortunately, they were not able to shed any light on the ultimate fate of Starship One.

Despite thousands of Federal scouts combing the sectors along Starship One's secured route, designated Spaceflight One, no trace of the missing ship has been found.

Specialist teams from Core Dynamics and the Sirius Corporation are currently attempting to analyse the wake and uplink data captured by the President’s Guardian Wing escorts in the moments before all four ships jumped. Theories involve either a rare misjump or some sort of catastrophic drive failure. Unfortunately, results so far are inconclusive as to what may have happened to President Halsey and her team.

One member of the crew of one of the President’s Guardian Wing, who wished to remain nameless, spoke exclusively to GalNet about the last moments before the President’s disappearance.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. One minute everything was fine. Pre-jump checks? Normal. Engine power? Normal. Our drives were slaved to Starship One, as is normal. The entry to hyperspace seemed normal at first, but then there was a terrible shock wave and our ship started tumbling. We exited hyperspace uncontrolled and in deep space – something I’ve never seen before. Our ship had taken damage. We couldn’t reach Starship One via comms, but managed to make contact with the other two members of the Guardian Wing. We first searched the deep space around our positions, then jumped to the destination point rendezvous as quickly as we could. Nothing. Not even wreckage. ”

The Federal Navy are requesting that any pilots interested in helping to search along the Starflight One route should sign up for active duty as a member of the search and rescue team aboard Leoniceno Orbital in Azaleach.

Securing the Borders in the Ceti Sector

The return of Onionhead to Panem may be a blessing for the farmers of Kappa Fornacis, but for their neighbours, the Fornacian dream has turned into a living nightmare.

“It’s not right,” one concerned resident of the nearby BD-18 394 system told GalNet. “Sure, they’re doing alright over there in Kappa F, but what about us? What do we get? I’ll tell you, smugglers and pirates, that’s what.”

Crime has spiralled out of control throughout the Ceti Sector, with many locals echoing the sentiment that the Farmers Union of Kappa Fornacis should be held responsible for attracting such unsavoury characters to what was once a peaceful area.

In an attempt to clean up the sector, the Independent Autahenetsi Labour Party are currently offering a range of bonus payments to any Bounty Hunters who sign up to act as Federal Ceti Sector Security Services Agents at Artyukhin Ring in Autahenetsi.

Pilot Breaks Galactic Record Twice

The accomplishments of independent pilots participating in the Buckyball Run A* rally race continue to make headlines around civilized space. This 26,000 light year rally race to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy has so far attracted over 40 fearless competitors. One of these competitors, Commander Alot, has made a name for himself by beating the galactic record for the quickest run twice in less than a month.

Alot’s current time to reach Sagittarius A*, an incredible 9 hours 39 minutes, was accomplished aboard a Faulcon DeLacy Anaconda named ‘Rhonda’. In comparison, his previous record-breaking attempt was done in 11 hours 46 minutes using a Lakon Spaceways Asp called the ‘Big Bird’.

When asked for a statement, Alot answered philosophically:

“Nothing lasts forever. I'm quite sure that in time my record will be beaten. In fact, I've already heard of several skilled pilots planning their next attempts, and I wish them the best of luck.”

At the time of broadcast, Commander Kligg has already taken the lead, passing Commander Alot by a mere 8 minutes, using an Anaconda named the ‘Rub Tub’. However, Kligg himself speculated in a short statement that it was only a matter of time before Alot climbs back to the first position.

Léonard Chamberlain - GalNet News Correspondent

Quivirans Defy Doom

The war-torn region of Quivira has finally settled into an uneasy peace, following an intense period of fighting which saw hundreds of thousands dead and several billion credits worth of damage done to the local economy.

Initially the situation looked promising for the People’s Quivira for Equality Party. Independent and Federal Commanders flocked from all across the galaxy in an attempt to repel Senator Denton Patreus’s attempts to extract the debts owed to him by the Quiviran government. Early attempts at repelling the Senator’s mercenary forces proved to be a success, and the freedom fighters were able to buy enough time for the People’s Quivira for Equality Party to evacuate a great many innocent civilians to neighbouring systems.

Unfortunately, once the Party’s credits ran out, so too did the support of Independent and Federal pilots.

Sol Unplugged?

For the first time in almost a decade, Utopixx Entertainment, the subsidiary of Reynhardt Intellisys responsible for some of the top virtual reality experiences in the galaxy, has posted an operating loss of almost 5,000,000,000,000 credits.

Investors were shocked by the news, which saw Reynhardt Intellisys shares drop by almost 14%.

Reynhardt Intellisys has issued the following statement in an attempt to explain the drastic change in profits:

“Overall, uptake of Utopixx products in Independent, Alliance and Imperial markets remains strong. We continue to see a yearly growth rate of between 1 and 2% per sector, which in many cases means that we are exceeding our targets.”

“The losses posted for this year are partly due to the construction of a completely new and extremely exciting line of VR-Streams, which includes the latest instalment in the popular CQC franchise.”

“In-sim purchases within Federal markets have fallen below expected levels, but an analysis of the market suggests that such losses are part of a general downward trend that appears to be affecting a wide range of media companies operating in Federal systems. The cause of this drop-off in purchases remains unclear at this time.”

78 Ursae Majoris Increases Security Ahead of Presidential Visit

Excitement is in the air in 78 Ursae Majoris, as millions of residents have begun preparing Seddon Gateway for the arrival of Federal President Jasmina Halsey. The exact date of the President’s arrival has yet to be announced, but residents haven’t let that stop them from arranging a week of festivities and cultural displays aboard the station.

Another group preparing for the President’s visit is the Alioth Independents, who have today announced that they will be launching an initiative to increase security in the local cluster ahead of President Halsey’s visit.

Andrew Bailey, the Mayor of Townsend Hub and local leader of the Alioth Independents had this to say about the new initiative:

“We are very conscious that once President Halsey arrives, the whole galaxy will have its eyes on our little system. 78 Ursae Majoris has been nothing but peaceful and productive since electing to join the Alliance and the Alioth Independents will do everything in our power to ensure it remains that way throughout the President’s visit.”

“Firstly, we will be running a cluster wide security campaign from Townsend Hub. As part of which, agents of the Alioth Independents will be offering a range of bonuses to bounty hunters who help clear out any unruly criminal elements in the sector.”

“Secondly, members of the Alioth Independents and our allies will be launching a military campaign to finally rid the cluster of the criminal cartel known as the Sobek Boys. Military capable Commanders interested in assisting with the campaign can likewise signup for active duty aboard Townsend Hub.”

The Sinner, the Saint and the Saviour

Two days ago, Senator Denton Patreus officially declared War on the impoverished system of Quivira. Thousands of vessels loyal to Patreus have been pouring into Quivira ever since, bringing death and destruction to any non-Imperial ships that they find.

Fortunately, most of Quivira’s residents had already been successfully evacuated to nearby systems. This is in no small part thanks to the efforts of Independent and Federal Commanders working to thwart Senator Patreus’s plans for Quivira.

While the Senator begins to carve up the system for his followers, other members of the Imperial court appear to be seriously concerned about the millions of displaced civilians who now find themselves lost, angry, but not quite alone in Imperial space. In an effort to soothe the situation, both Aisling Duval and Arissa Lavigny-Duval have set up campaigns aimed at helping the refugees get back on their feet.

Citizens willing to aid the Princesses in their endeavours can sign up to help Aisling’s agents at Henry O’Hare’s Hanger in Summerland. Similarly, Arissa’s agents can be found working aboard Lambardelli’s Legacy in Persephone.