Black-Bart

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 RusticolusUpdate from Galnet News

In September, Gutamaya Shipyards released a new version of the enduringly popular Eagle. This month, the company has announced the launch of a new fighter designed specifically for the CQC Championship – the Imperial Fighter. Gutamaya has said that the small, manoeuvrable vessel will be ideally suited to close-quarters dogfights, and more than capable of going toe-to-toe with other CQC fighters.
As befits a ship created with the CQC Championship in mind, the Imperial Fighter offers a delicate balance of defence, firepower and manoeuvrability. The ship is more agile than the F63 Condor, which offers a similar spread of features, although it lacks the Condor’s speed and hull strength. In terms of firepower, the Imperial Fighter matches the Condor with two small hardpoints.
The Imperial Fighter’s specifications are not the only important factor, however. According the ship’s designer, Pascal Roux, the vessel was created as a tribute to the late Emperor, Hengist Duval. In an interview with the Imperial Herald, Roux said: “What I admired most about the Emperor was his balance of elegance and strength, and the fighter represents my attempt to reflect those qualities.”
The Imperial Fighter is due to be released for use in the CQC Championships in December, and will go on general sale in early 3302.Update from Galnet News

The Voice of Varati today received a statement from Dr Arcanonn of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group:
“As news of further station malfunctions spreads, I urge all those who have been selling Unknown Artefacts to stop doing so immediately, to avoid any further station shutdowns.”
“There is a strong positive correlation between the stations experiencing faults and the sale of UAs at those stations. Our own observations at Bond Hub in Varati support this: the artefacts appear to affect stations in the same way they affect ships, with potentially disastrous consequences.”
“Given these findings, we are deeply troubled by the surge in value of UAs across the black market, which clearly led to this increase in sales. Who caused this increase? Did they know the effect it would have?”
Commander Lord ZoltanUpdate from Galnet News

It has been over a month since the Empire won a decisive victory against the insurgent organisation Emperor’s Dawn by destroying its outposts in the Namarii, Tabaldak and LTT 874 systems. The victory prompted Imperial Senator Denton Patreus to declare that “Emperor’s Dawn is no longer a threat”, but now it seems the organisation may merely have been driven underground.
According to the Federal Criminal Investigations agency, Emperor’s Dawn has established a base in the Federation-controlled system of Kausalya – an announcement that is sure to dishearten Senator Patreus. The reason for the insurgents’ infringement is not known, but military analysts have speculated that, given the system’s proximity to Empire-controlled space, the insurrectionists may attempt to use Kausalya as a staging ground for attacks against the Empire. Zachary Hudson, the President of the Federation, was quick to respond to the news:
“Perhaps the terrorists think our distaste for the Empire is so great, we will tolerate their presence in our space. Perhaps they thought we simply wouldn’t notice their incursion. In any case, they are wrong, and they have made a costly mistake. We will mete out such punishment that the very fires of hell will seem but guttering candles in comparison. Emperor’s Dawn is about to learn what it means to cross the Federation.”
President Hudson confirmed that he has authorised the payment of privateer bonds to pilots who help the Federation combat Emperor’s Dawn. He concluded his address with the words: “Federation pilots – to your ships! We have work to do.”Update from Galnet News

Every week, hundreds of pilots plunge into unexplored regions of space to gather valuable information on previously uncharted star systems. And with every expedition, our knowledge of the cosmos increases.
Few organisations have a better appreciation of the value of this information than the Explorer’s Association, which today issued a public appeal for exploration data. A spokesperson for the association released a brief statement:
“There is always a demand for fresh data, both within the commercial sector and among the galaxy’s various geopolitical entities. On this occasion, the request has been issued on behalf of several private concerns that are in need of accurate, up-to-date information. Any pilots who contribute to this initiative will be generously rewarded.”Update from Galnet News

The Revolutionary Noti Values Party has announced that its request for Xihe Companions has been successful. The organisation issued the appeal last week as part of an initiative to improve its so-called ‘Master Chefs’ – a special strain of slave labour specifically designed to serve as culinary workers. According to a spokesperson for the group, the Xihe Companions will be used to develop implants that will give the slaves access to every known recipe and culinary technique.
The creation of the Master Chefs has angered human-rights campaigners, which have accused the Revolutionary Noti Values Party of inhuman practices. The campaigners have cited a Federal Times report in which it was claimed that the slaves were subjected to “the most punishing, dehumanising training imaginable”. The organisation was approached for comment, but responded only with an image of its shareholders laughing uproariously while drinking cocktails.
The Master Chefs will be available for purchase before the end of the year.Update from Galnet News

Officials at Korolyov Hub in the Arawere system have reported that the technical issues affecting the starport have intensified, prompting them to suspend all station services. The starport’s shipyard is still accessible, however.
Meanwhile, malfunctions have been reported in a number of previously unaffected systems, prompting speculation that the galaxy may be the grip of a fast-spreading technological virus. The affected starports are:
Lobachevsky Outpost, Pic Tok system
Ray Gateway, Diaguandri system
Vizcaino Enterprise, Nganji system
Talos 2, Peregrina system
Carter Port, Rhea system
Scientists and engineers across the galaxy are actively investigating the issue, searching with increasing desperation for a solution, but at the time of writing no significant progress has been made.Update from Galnet News

In this latest edition of our series revisiting key points in human history, award-winning journalist Fiona Parker discusses ‘the missing’ – the lost explorers who played a key role in the golden age of human exploration.
“Our preoccupation with progress means we tend to forget about those who fall by the wayside, but our present-day interplanetary civilisation would arguably not have come to pass without the pioneers of the mid-third Millennium.”
“Between 2200 and 2700 the galaxy bore witness to a period of massive expansion, as huge numbers of expeditions and colonisation missions set off into the black. At the time, sending messages at faster than light speed was impossible, so it could take years, or even decades, for a message to reach its destination. In those days, you really were on your own, with nothing but your own ingenuity to rely on in times of crisis.”
“We knew much less about the galaxy then than we do now, and scanning technology was considerably less sophisticated, so colonisation missions were particularly risky. Sometimes colonists were confronted with issues they couldn’t possibly have prepared for, and many of the early settlements lasted only a few years.”
“Of course, this phenomenon is not confined solely to the past. Only last year we lost Jasmina Halsey, the former Federal president, when her starship disappeared during an interplanetary tour. It’s a fact both of our past and our present – an inescapable reality of life among the stars.”Update from Galnet News

On the 1st of May 3301, an Asp Explorer named ‘Skyprowler’, piloted by Commander Katejina, left its berth in the Smethells 56 system and began an ambitious expedition to circumnavigate the Milky Way.
During the epic journey, Commander Katejina travelled to some of the furthest reaches of the galaxy, including Sagittarius A* and the distant Aphelion regions. The intrepid commander catalogued data on almost 16,000 star systems, travelled in access of 400,000 light years, and clocking in a total of 201 consecutive days in the cockpit.
Katejina returned from her expedition last week to the congratulations of the galactic community. Her achievements have been catalogued, and will no doubt inspire future adventurers.
Commander ErimusUpdate from Galnet News

A joint initiative from the Pilots Federation and the Fuel Rats has resulted in a distinctive new colour scheme for search-and-rescue vessels. The livery has been designed to assist with the instant recognition of friendly rescue ships, thereby minimising unintentional attacks and soothing the nerves of those in need of rescue.
The unique colour scheme was created by a member of the Fuel Rats Mischief, an auxiliary of the celebrated volunteer-run rescue service. The designer, who goes by the name of Commander Father Cool, originally intended the livery to be used by the Fuel Rats, but ultimately the Pilots Federation decided it would be more suitable as a colour scheme for dedicated search-and-rescue vessels.
The new paint scheme will soon be seen on search-and-rescue ships throughout inhabited space.Update from Galnet News