Black-Bart

The Daramo system is currently under Federal control, but recent reports indicate that both Imperial and independent forces – the latter under the rule of Pirate King Archon Delaine – are attempting to wrest power from the Federation.
The Federation is evidently not about to capitulate. In a statement, Admiral Yorke of the Federal Navy said:
“The Daramo system is of considerable strategic value to the Federation, and we will not surrender it without a fight. We have issued an emergency call to all Federation-aligned pilots – you are needed in Daramo!”
The Empire, predictably, has responded in kind. Captain Danvers of the Imperial Navy said:
“In the interest of the wellbeing of the citizens of Daramo, it is imperative that Imperial law be instated as soon as possible. If the Federation is allowed to retain control of the system, the people of Daramo will be sure to suffer.”
The Independents of Daramo have stepped in to coordinate operations on behalf of the Federation, while the Vaka Citizens of Tradition have been authorised to oversee the Imperial campaign. Both factions have set out week-long operations to take control of the system, which will begin on the 23rd of June 3302.Update from Galnet News

A spokesperson for the technologically progressive enclave Utopia confirmed that its appeal for exploration data has reached a successful conclusion. In a statement, the spokesperson confirmed that the campaign received the enthusiastic support of the galactic community, resulting in large quantities of fresh exploration data.
Simguru Pranav Antal, leader of Utopia and architect of the initiative, released a brief statement to the media:
“My thanks go to those who took the time to support this campaign. The data you have provided will now be analysed, and with luck it will tell us more about what happens to the many spacefarers who disappear every day, every week, every year. How many are abducted? How many run out of fuel, far from home? And how many simply disappear without explanation? Your data will help us answer these questions.”
Pilots who contributed to the initiative are now free to collect their rewards from Terry Port in the Garoku system.Update from Galnet News

The third and final heat of the Dangerous Games Wildcard competition is over.
For this stage of the competition, pilots were asked to fill their cargo holds with conductive fabrics and deliver them to Tartarus Point for their chosen faction. Hundreds of pilots participated in the event, eager to help their faction secure a place in the Dangerous Games. But ultimately it was the EG Pilots that accumulated the most conductive fabrics and once again claimed victory.
With the competition over, the results of each heat have been reviewed to determine which faction received the most support over the course of the campaign. The final result indicates that the winner of the Dangerous Games Wildcard competition is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the EG Pilots.
The EG Pilots will now enter the Dangerous Games, competing with the Alliance Elite Diplomatic Corps, the Border Coalition, GalCop, the Interstellar Communist Union and the Social Eleu Progressive Party for the right to join the ranks of the galaxy’s most powerful.
Trinity Avon, a reporter for The Sovereign, commented on what has proved to be a dramatic competition:
“Each faction has enjoyed its share of success, but ultimately there could be only one winner. The EG Pilots have proved they can attract considerable support, but does that mean they can go toe to toe with the likes of the Alliance Elite Diplomatic Corps and the Social Eleu Progressive Party? Only time will tell.”
The Dangerous Games will begin on the 30th of June.Update from Galnet News

The ‘Rewired’ news feed is known for its prodigious output, sometimes releasing hundreds of stories a day. But balancing such productivity with thorough fact checking is a tall order, and the feed’s critics sometimes claim that at least half its output consists of redactions, corrections and apologies.
But despite these jibes, only the most obdurate critic would deny that Rewired has broken major stories in the past, its guerrilla style approach allowing it to react faster than some of its larger, more established rivals.
The channel’s latest report will interest many of the galaxy’s independent pilots:
“Word is that Broo Tarquin will now work with pilots who can bring him 50 units of Fugin Tea, instead of the 100 he used to ask for. And Didi Vatermann’s only asking for 50 units of Lavian Brandy, which is a damn sight less than the 200 she previously insisted on. Seems it just got a whole lot easier to spec your ship.”Update from Galnet News

Every year, thousands of people disappear into the vastness of space. Some simply venture out too far and lose their way. Others are abducted by pirates and sold into slavery, their identities irrevocably erased. Others still may suffer more mysterious fates.
For many, these disappearances are a fact of life – an inescapable consequence of living among the stars. But Pranav Antal, leader of the technologically progressive enclave Utopia, is unwilling to simply accept such losses. The simguru, as he is known, has launched a campaign to gather exploration data with the aim of discovering why so many of those who traverse the depths of space vanish.
“The purpose of this campaign is to acquire concrete information about these disappearances so we can do more to prevent them. But I must stress that even if we are able to locate missing individuals, it is likely that they will be too far from our base of operations to make rescue possible. This is an intelligence-gathering operation only.”
Utopian representatives have promised to reward pilots who deliver exploration data to Terry Port in the Garoku system. The campaign begins on the 16th of June 3302 and will run for one week.Update from Galnet News

A spokesperson for the Crom Silver Boys, a notorious crime syndicate, has released a statement confirming that its appeal for narcotics was eagerly received by the galactic community.
Given the illicit nature of the operation, the exact number of participants is not known. But reports from the Herthe system indicate that hundreds of pilots contributed to the campaign, delivering controlled substances for the criminals’ drug-production scheme.
With the criminals’ targets met, production of crom silver fesh is scheduled to begin immediately. The new narcotic will follow the closely guarded recipe for wolf fesh, the psychoactive drug formerly produced in the Wolf 1301 system. The Crom Silver Boys have promised to release the new commodity to the market at Chorel Survey as soon as possible.
Jimmy ‘Ice Pick’ Falcone, spokesperson for the Crom Silver Boys, released a brief and slightly perplexing statement:
“Crom silver fesh will soon be available to pilots who have proved we can trust them.”
Pilots who contributed to the initiative are now free to collect their rewards from Walheim Enterprise in the Herthe system.Update from Galnet News

On the 10th of February 3301, two Faulcon DeLacy Cobras launched from Allen Platform in the Dijkstra system. Piloted by Commander Dr Simms and Commander Sid Solo, the ships were fitted for an endurance attempt unlike any other. Now, more than 16 months later and having circumnavigated the galactic core, the pair is about to return to inhabited space.
There have been many changes since they left: software updates have allowed them to go from making short hops of 100 light years to plotting routes of 1,000 light years at a time, improved communications and wing dynamics have facilitated the sharing of exploration data in a manner unprecedented before their departure, and planetary landings have now been authorised. Indeed, neither ship is fitted for SRV activity.
What are their feelings as they approach the human sphere? “I’m not sure,” said Dr Simms, “I’m worried about docking at a space station again. It’s been so long since I saw anything other than stars and distant worlds, I’m not sure I remember how to land.”
Commander Sid FunkletonUpdate from Galnet News

Following reports of unprovoked assaults on Canonn vessels from Farragut Battle Cruisers in the Merope system, Dr Arcanonn of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group has released the following statement:
“This is a regrettable misstep, and I invite the Federation to explain how these battle cruisers can represent anything other than militarised resource denial. The presence of gun emplacements by as-yet unknown parties was already a cause for concern, and this worrying development smacks of gunboat diplomacy.”
At least eight Farragut Battle Cruisers are understood to have been sighted in Merope, all identified as Federal.
Dr Arcanonn continued:
“I am morally compelled to insist on a public inquiry examining the deployment of warships to a system that plays home to an insufficiently understood phenomenon.”
Commander Nicholas PowellUpdate from Galnet News

The Formidine Rifters are an unlikely collective of explorers from various backgrounds, systems and factional allegiances who have put aside their political differences to work together toward a common goal. For several months, they have been working together to map the region between the two farthest galactic arms just past the Heart and Soul Nebula.
Commander Finn McMillan of the Earth Expeditionary Fleet, one of the many Rifters devoted to this project, addressed the galactic exploration community today:
“We would like to invite all explorers dedicated to expanding human knowledge to join us in the Formidine Rift. We have reason to believe that there is something beyond the galactic arm that may change humanity’s view of the cosmos, but we simply need more eyes, ears and minds to help us unravel this mystery.”
JaiotuUpdate from Galnet News

It is almost a month since Jaques departed from Gliese 1269 for Beagle Point in his specially modified Orbis Starport. Pilots from the Distant Worlds Expedition and the FGE exploration wings had been eagerly awaiting Jaques’s arrival.
Jaques’ travel time was originally predicted to be about one week, but this time passed with no sign of the space station. Many pilots remained hopeful that Jaques would arrive in time for the end of the Distant Worlds Expedition on the 5th of June, but the closing ceremony was conducted without him.
With the expedition over, anxiety started to take hold of the remaining pilots, as many had been depending on Jaques’ arrival to replenish supplies and make essential repairs for their onward journeys.
Fearing that the starport might have suffered an accident, searches of planets in the Beagle Point region were organised, led by Commander ‘Erimus’ Kamzel. On the 12th of June almost twenty pilots conducted an intensive search around the base camp on Darwin’s Legacy, covering nearly 20,000 square kilometres, but no sign of the spaceport was found.
The search took place in almost total darkness, at low altitude. Several ships and SRVs suffered damage, and one pilot ran out of fuel, necessitating rescue by the Fuel Rats. With hope all but lost and the risks to pilots becoming ever greater, the search was reluctantly called off.
Commander Mad BillyUpdate from Galnet News