Galnet archive

Freelance Report: Cerberus Plague Past and Present

Carl Simmons, chief medical officer at Newton Dock in the BD-02 4304 system, spoke at a health summit over the weekend. His keynote address was on the Cerberus plague.

"The original Cerberus plague spread to over 30 systems inside a month, putting billions of lives at risk," said Simmons. "It is unlikely we would have been able to eradicate the disease had the cure been discovered any later, as ceremonial Heike tea would not have been available in sufficient quantities. Trillions could have perished."

"We cannot afford to underestimate this new strain of Cerberus plague, and I urge the medical community to take the outbreak seriously. If Heike tea is not delivered in sufficient quantities, or if this strain proves resistant to the tea's effects, the consequences could be catastrophic."

Commander Corrigendum

Community Goal: Wilkes Orbital in Need

The normally peaceful Wilkes Orbital has been the focus of considerable attention in recent weeks. First, the starport was at the centre of a campaign to drive the Blue Hand Gang from the nearby Orulas system. Then authorities at the station announced that the escape pods recovered in the operation contained Professor Ishmael Palin and the other members of his research team. Now it seems that the majority of those recovered from the criminals, including Professor Ishmael Palin, have been infected with a strain of Cerberus Plague, the deadly pathogen that claimed millions of lives last year.

Governor Lawrence, the principal administrator of Wilkes Orbital, has released a statement to the media:

"The situation is certainly serious, but it's important to keep things in perspective. At present, the disease is confined to those who were rescued from the Blue Hand Gang, so it should be perfectly possible to keep it contained. The pertinent task is to cure the infected."

Governor Lawrence was asked how he intended to proceed.

"This is a new strain of the Cerberus Plague, one we've never seen before. But it seems that Ceremonial Heike Tea, which was used to cure the original strain of the plague, is also effective against this version of the disease. We have therefore issued an open order for Ceremonial Heike Tea with which to cure the infected. Any surplus tea will be stockpiled in anticipation of further outbreaks, although I should stress that such a scenario is extremely unlikely."

The appeal for Ceremonial Heike Tea begins on the 17th March 3302 and will run for one week.

Galactic News: Lave Radio Campaign Comes to an End

The Lave Radio Network has announced that its campaign to create a new interstellar transmitter has been a resounding success. The galactic community responded enthusiastically to the campaign, delivering large quantities of Cherbones Blood Crystals to Lave Station for use in the new transmitter. In a brief statement, the network extended its gratitude to those who supported the campaign:

"We would like to thank all those who responded to our appeal, and helped to keep us broadcasting. We promise to take better care of this transmitter, and not to use its parts to fix the vending machine."

The Lave Radio Network confirmed that the new transmitter would be operational within a matter of hours.

Freelance Report: Pleased To Eat You

"We've heard a lot about these barnacles," said controversial chef Oliver Gordon today outside his restaurant 'PanGalactic', "but the most important question has yet to be asked. How do they taste?"

"I have sampled delicacies from across the galaxy, including Ceti rabbits and Vacuum krill. Now I seek new flavours with which to tantalize my clientele. I intend to create a dish fit for an emperor: space barnacle broth with a Deuringas truffle oil foam and Ochoeng chilli reduction."

When asked about the ethics of eating what could be a sentient being, Gordon was dismissive:

"Food is beyond such concerns. There can be no higher honour than to be lovingly prepared by my highly trained master chefs and served to the galaxy's most demanding connoisseurs."

Commander Gan

Faction Issues Festive Request

Despite sharing a standard galactic calendar, most human societies prefer to mark the passage of days and years in relation to the stars of their home systems. But a large proportion of the galaxy's human population still observe some shared traditions, despite those traditions being rooted in the seasons of a planet many have never even visited. Of these, winter solstice festivals are perhaps the most prevalent.

This year, an organisation based in the Hel system is issuing a special appeal to commemorate the approaching winter solstice. The Hel Purple Energy Industry has issued a request for Crystalline Spheres – a commodity currently available only at Snow Moon in the Bento system. A spokesperson for the Hel Purple Energy Industry issued a brief statement:

"It might be an antiquated festival, but we believe the winter solstice is a great opportunity to unwind and spend some quality time with friends and family. And what better way to mark the occasion than to invite people to gather up snowballs – I mean, crystalline spheres – and haul them across the galaxy?"

The appeal begins today and is scheduled to run for one week.

Galactic News: Faction's Appeal Successful

According a statement from the Green Party of HIP 112974, the faction's recent appeal for onionhead has been successful. In the statement, a spokesperson confirmed the faction had received sufficient quantities of the drug to establish a new onionhead-trading operation:

"We're hugely grateful to all the traders who made deliveries to la Cosa City, and all the pilots who kept the traders safe by clearing the agitators from our spaceways. May this be the start of a long a profitable relationship between the Green Party of HIP 112974 and the galactic community."

The Green Party of HIP 112974 has confirmed that those who contributed to the appeal could collect their rewards from la Cosa City in HIP 112974.

Diamond Frogs Contribute to Christmas Initiative

Over the past few days, private military contractors the Diamond Frogs have been hard at work on Operation: Mistle Toad, a concentrated effort to deliver personal gifts to the Santa Muerte system. A notable highlight of the campaign came when DF Commander Doot stopped by in an Imperial Cutter packed to the gills with 704 tonnes of personal gifts...twice!

Just a day before the planned close of the event, the combined efforts of the Diamond Frogs and other pilots resulted in a final tally of 250,000 tonnes of personal gifts. Moreover, the event organisers announced they have launched an initiative to give new members of the Pilots Federation a brand-new Faulcon DeLacey Viper Mk IV. This is in addition to a substantial cash reward for those who helped brighten up the season, to the tune of up to 100 million credits for the top 5% of contributors.

'Disc' Commander Felix Dyson, Radio Skvortsov

Appeal for Crystalline Spheres Comes to an End

Last week, the Hel Purple Energy Industry launched a public appeal for crystalline spheres to commemorate the upcoming winter solstice festival – a tradition from Earth's ancient past. Hundreds of independent pilots got into the spirit of the occasion, taking to their ships to deliver the requested commodities to Snow Moon in the Bento system. A spokesperson for the Hel Purple Energy Industry said:

"We're thrilled with how it's turned out, we really are. Some said this appeal didn't have a chance of succeeding, but the response from the galactic community shows that the winter solstice still means something to people. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check on the turkey."