Black-Bart

Rose Trebek, leader of the Joint Security Taskforce, has announced that the operation to clean up the Orulas system has been an overwhelming success. According to Trebek, hundreds of combat pilots supported the initiative to disrupt the operations of the criminal Blue Hand Gang.
Trebek released a statement to the media in the wake of the campaign’s success:
“We had two primary objectives: to clear the spaceways of Orulas, and to liberate the escape pods the criminals were transporting through the system. Thanks to the many brave combat pilots who supported the initiative, both objectives were successfully completed. The recovered escape pods have been delivered to Wilkes Orbital, and the occupants will now be returned to their families.”
Asked about the system’s future, Trebek was characteristically pragmatic:
“The pilots who contributed to this initiative have done an outstanding job, but the Blue Hand Gang hasn’t been completely destroyed. We’ve won the battle, but the war is far from over.”Update from Galnet News

The campaign to construct a new starport in the LHS 3447 system has been eagerly received by the galactic community, but recent reports indicate that the traders delivering metals for use in the construction project are being targeted by marauders. To protect these pilots, the Pilots Federation, in association with LHS 3447 Dynamic and Co, has placed a kill order on all wanted ships operating in the system. A spokesperson for the Pilots Federation issued a brief statement:
“We will not tolerate any harassment of those who have chosen to support this campaign. We are therefore offering generous bounties on all wanted vessels found disturbing the peace in LHS 3447.”
The campaign begins on the 3rd of March 3302 and will run for one week. Pilots who want to help are invited to hand in bounties at Worlidge Terminal in LHS 3447. If the final target is met earlier than planned, the campaign will end immediately.Update from Galnet News

The Lave Radio Network has launched a campaign to construct a new transmitter relay in the Diso system. John Stabler, Head of Operations at Lave Station, said:
“We were performing scheduled maintenance when we discovered that our interstellar transmitter was broken. Very broken. It seems most of the components had been scavenged by raiders, or taken home by staff, or something.”
“Unfortunately we can’t afford real estate in the Lave system,” explained Commander Jarvis, head of station entertainment at the Lave Radio Network. “It’s wonderful that the Lave system is free from dictatorship these days, but territory used to be a lot more affordable. Now scalpers and investors have the best of it. Nevertheless, we’re very glad for this opportunity to foster a relationship with the…*sigh*…Diso system.”
The Lave Radio interstellar transmitter system uses powerful focusing crystals found only in the Cherbones system. These blood crystals are extremely rare, and are extracted via a highly dangerous mining operation. Lave Radio’s second technician – a former Cherbones Mining Authority employee – spoke fondly of his first assignment:
“Those were happy times. There was a fair amount of injury, but what posting doesn’t have its share of dangers? I mean, everything’s dangerous in space: gantries, zoological laboratories, airlocks, vending machines – everything.”
The Lave Radio Network has asked the galactic community to deliver as many blood crystals as possible to Lave Station in the Lave system for the new interstellar transmitter. The campaign begins on the 3rd of March 3302 and will run for one week. If the final target is met earlier than planned, the campaign will finish immediately.Update from Galnet News

Professor D Luffy, head of research at Bond Hub in the Varati system, has released a statement about the station’s need for meta-alloys:
“My researchers are ready to receive as many meta-alloys as the community can deliver. We’re certain we can repeat the success of the Obsidian Orbital engineers and reverse the malfunctions plaguing so many stations in the bubble.”
“My colleagues and I understand the concerns about harvesting meta-alloys from the barnacles, but this plague is affecting millions of people and it seems the meta-alloys have been given to us specifically as a cure.”
“We do not condone the destruction of barnacle sites, and we are prepared for the possibility that something bad could happen as a result of using the meta-alloys in this way, but we must balance the need for caution against the needs of humanity. So, please, bring your meta-alloys to us and let us do the rest.”
Commander Lord ZoltanUpdate from Galnet News

Kruger 60 Free has announced that the galactic community has responded with surprising enthusiasm to the recent appeal from conspiracy theorist Ricardo Bentonio. Hundreds of pilots chose to support Bentonio’s campaign, bringing him cartographic data so he could prove that the 29th of February 3302 was an ‘aberrant day’ heralding the imminent collapse of the universe.
Although no indications of universal catastrophe have been reported, Bentonio still appears to believe that the irregular day is a harbinger of humanity’s impending doom:
“It will happen – you mark my words! This day is an anomaly, and should never have been. It’s the end!”
At the time of writing, the universe continues to exist.Update from Galnet News

Following the recent retirement of the last Saud Kruger Narwhal from the presidential fleet, critics of the Hudson administration have commented on the decision to make use of two Core Dynamics Farragut-class battle cruisers as presidential transport vessels.
In an interview with the Federal Times, Congresswoman Kristine Lasky said: “These aren’t industry-standard ships that can be purchased from the market. These are mainline warships – the largest in the Federal Navy’s inventory. That the president intends to make use of not one but two of these ships should seriously concern taxpayers.”
“Is it necessary for the president to deploy a battle group every time he visits a foreign dignitary? What message does that send to other heads of state? It looks less like a matter of security and more like a show of force!”
Congresswoman Lasky announced that she will call upon the Federal Accountability Office to investigate the acquisition and deployment cost to the taxpayer, and put forward a measure to limit the president’s use of the ships to a handful of occasions per fiscal year.
Commander DriggersUpdate from Galnet News

Notorious conspiracy theorist Ricardo Bentonio has issued an appeal for cartographic data with which to substantiate an extraordinary claim. According to a recent press statement, Bentonio has unearthed ancient records that prove that the 29th February 3302, which appears on all galactic calendars, should not exist. He has convinced Kruger 60 Free to fund the one-day appeal, believing that the cartographic data will prove him correct.
Bentonio elaborated on his theory at a press conference:
“We’re not just talking about computers shutting down or ship systems failing. We’re talking about the end of life as we know it! We’re talking about the very fabric of space-time collapsing in on itself, and the entire universe coming to an end!”
Despite Bentonio having been widely derided as a tin-foil-hat-wearing crackpot, it’s likely that the financial incentives he is offering will earn him some support. Pilots who want to contribute to the initiative are invited to deliver cartographic data to Jones Estate in the Groombridge 34 system on the 29th February 3302.Update from Galnet News

For the past six years, the Federation has used a pair of customised Saud Kruger Narwhal Liners (upgraded variants of the successful Beluga Liner) as the personal vessels of the Federal president. Last year, one of these vessels was lost in a tragic accident. Today, the remaining vessel will be retired.
Bexley Jones, a spokeswoman for President Zachary Hudson, said: “It is of the utmost importance that the ship bearing the callsign ‘Starship One’ can function as a mobile base of operations for the president, providing him with everything he needs while off-planet, in addition to offering him total safety. Given the Beluga’s primary designation as a passenger vessel, we have decided that it is unable meet these demands.”
Jones confirmed that the remaining Narwhal will be replaced with a pair of modified Farragut Battle Cruisers, a mainstay of the Federal Navy. The formidable vessels are equipped with an extensive array of heavy weaponry, and are capable of transporting multiple Federal Corvettes and a large F63 Condor squadron. “In these dangerous times, it is essential that the presidential vessel be able to offer comprehensive military support, and the Farragut Battle Cruiser can do just that”, said Jones.Update from Galnet News

Responding to the suggestion that more meta-alloys be shipped to stations experiencing technical issues, Dr Arcanonn of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group has issued a statement:
“Many teams from the Canonn Interstellar Research Group have already started collecting meta-alloys. Some have been doing so for many days. But one thing bothers me. The community painstakingly collected and shipped thousands of tonnes of meta-alloys to Obsidian Orbital for Professor Palin. Where did they go? Surely the engineering teams at Obsidian Orbital didn’t use them all up?”
“I want to urge personnel at Obsidian Orbital to help us by releasing their remaining stock of meta-alloys to the commodities market. Once the existing supply runs out, we will return to the barnacle sites to collect more.”
“Since one of the affected stations is in my home system, I’m as eager as everyone else to deal with these malfunctions. It seems we have the means to fix the problems, so let’s do it.”
Commander Lord ZoltanUpdate from Galnet News

Last month, the eminent scientist Ishmael Palin issued an appeal for meta-alloys, the rare material produced by the ‘barnacles’ of the Pleiades Nebula. The request was enthusiastically received by the galactic community, but the professor’s research into the meta-alloys was brought to an abrupt halt when he and his team disappeared en route to Maia b1ba.
Since then, certain sections of the galactic community have raised questions over just what has happened to these meta-alloys. Many have cited the tremendous effort involved in collecting and transporting the materials, and some have even called for them to be made available on the Obsidian Orbital commodities market.
Authorities at Obsidian Orbital have not yet commented on the situation, but an anonymous report has emerged that appears to shed some light on the situation:
“The truth is that most of the meta-alloys were sold on the black market to various private companies. It seemed a little weird to me, so I did some digging and found out that almost all the companies were fronts for some big conglomerate I’d never heard of. I don’t know what they plan to do with the meta-alloys, but I thought the public should know.”
The legitimacy of the report has not yet been confirmed, but if it is genuine it raises the questions of who purchased the meta-alloys, and why.Update from Galnet News