No sss this week.

Game 2:

Welcome back folks. The serious damage to the tractors has been resolved,
though there are still technical issues that we are hoping will not impede
further progress to the games.

We have our best men on the case and the culprit or culprits will be discovered.

We take you now to event two, the eagerly anticipated Tractor Pull. Contestants are to drag a cart laden with the finest heifers across the open field in the shortest time. Which reminds me; we are reliably informed that Michelle Diaz herself will be gracing us with her presence before the end of the games. Seems she has decided to wait until after this event to make an appearance - a wise decision, we don't want embarrassing mistakes when it comes to rounding up all the fat cows.

The contestants are warming up and taking the strain on the harness... and there goes the starter.

Seems to be a slow start, the Mohache entry appears to be singing to them, though not sure what he hopes to achieve.

The others though are beginning to move and the pace is picking up. Mungo of the Falconians seems to be doing well. I doubt that his stubby little wings could lift that bruiser of the ground even on a low-G world. The Imperial contestant appears to have lost an appendage, though we can't be sure whether it is an arm or a leg - that's hive for you. We are being informed that it is not life threatening and the contestant is continuing.

The Wimbles and the Mohache are still to leave the starting line, though the Wimble appears to have poured himself a beer and sat down on the wheel. The Detinus and Falconians are neck and neck though the CIA are not far behind, but wait, the Mohache has stopped singing and the he is now on the move, with surprising speed, though in a somewhat jerky fashion.

Can we have a close up on that? I can't believe it, he has coaxed the cattle to jump each time he pulls the tractor, well bugger me, cunning little bloke. The other contestants have stopped and are simply watching as he strolls past with his bouncing bulls.

And the winner, though now not much of a surprise is the Mohache, followed by the IMP and Mungo of the FCN in third place.

GTT Trigger Firefight In Yank

AFT positions have taken a hammering this week as multiple GTT and DEN positions opened fire against their starbases in Yank. Reports indicate that the AFT have taken very heavy damage, losing multiple vessels, and suffering heavy casualties.

This is not the first time that GTT positions have accidentally triggered major accidental incidents of this nature, which has lead to certain rumblings of displeasure. Though the GTT were quick to announce that they were at fault, and will be paying full reparations to the AFT for their actions.

There has been no comment from the Kastorian Military Junta.


Detinus Games - Stories From Around The Village

With security officials now a little nervous about what revenge Michelle Diaz might be about to wreak upon the event following the announcers little� faux pas, earlier today, the evening of the second day of competition has been a little tense around the village.

Rumours are circulating of a strange alien intelligence that has somehow become involved with the games. And a disturbing number of lawyers have been seen scurrying back and forth clutching copies of the DTR system laws.

Still, on the plus side, at least nobody has spotted the ARC or TCA yet.

Dismas Liberation Organisation

The DLO have issued another press release aimed at assisting the Peripheries in translating recent GTT communications:

More Fox Speak:
What he said: "To the DLO: Get a Life"
What he meant: "You're annoying me. Stop it. I'm the only one allowed to be a bully around here".

Overheard in the GTT Board room:
"The DLO were right, What kind of a name is 'Sebastian"?
"Right, we'll have to off him"
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
"I guess we could claim suicide."
"He shot himself in the head 6 times?"
"It wasn't a vital spot"
"I know.....we'll report that he 'flew into an asteroid'"
"C'mon, no one is stupid enough to believe that!"

LOOK, FOX's LIPS ARE MOVING! He must be lying again!
Who is he blaming for what or shifting blame to this time?
This week, the stupid OPS put their foot in it again. They didn't answer our demand for information fast enough, so we destroyed one of thier ships.
But wasn't it an 'act of piracy' on the part of the OPS to attack one of your ships without declaring war first?
FOX: 'STOP repeating what *I* said! That isn't important now that we shot them. We're bigger than them and what are *they* going to do about it? In fact what are any of you going to do about it?'

From DLO management: It's about time for Fox to call us cowards for 'hiding in the shadows and not confronting them face to face'. Spot on! We ARE cowards. And we prefer to remain live cowards to taunt you when and where we choose. Ignore the taunts of our boarders as well. We look forward to your contributions in building our fleets. Thank you in advance!

News From Earth

There are rumblings of trouble on Earth, more news as we get it.

GTT shares skyrocket

The board of the GTT corporation are rumored to be very pleased this week
A large transfer of 7.5 million stellars to the affiliation fund has sent GTT shares through the roof, as the corporations liquidity goes ever higher, matching it's growing list of assets.

Wolfpack Press Release

from Wolfpack to the APTF

When are you lot going to find that asteroid in Titan?
Its taking you bloody ages!
Ive lost count of how many times I been past D14 and seen all those ships there.

FLZ Press Release - Consortium Activities

Some years ago, prior to the savage Consortium invasion of Crusade, where 99% of the casualties were civilians, the population of Cause boasted the considerable population of:

Sentient Life:
80% Flagritz
20% Native
Population: 1.750.147
(edit: added the ".")

Why considerable? Well, because the world had previously suffered the crusading, liberating efforts, or tender attentions of the Felini Tyrany. Please use the most suitable adjective to the actions of these vicious predators, which some seem to regard as fluffy amicable companions.

Surface Exploration/Cause/Ruin
The region consists of many prefabricated buildings and more permanent structures. These have largely been destroyed either through demolitions or from weapons fire. The difference is determined on whether the location of subsequent debris. Certain zones within the ruins are pure devastation
These have obviously been hit by nuclear weapons although the effects show that they have been dampened by ISR fields. Bones of Flagritz are scattered throughout the region.

Special Action/Cause/FLZ Cla' Ras Fell/Civilian Surveillence for Hostile Forces/204.43
Since the destruction of the civilised regions following the last war with the Felini, the population has become scattered, generally living on small islands or close to the ruins of the previous civilisation. As there are large centralised conurbations (urban/cultivated sectors), the population is not particularly useful.
It is not a complete waste of time however as there has been a report of a seaborne GP moving away from this starbase in the last few days. The GP moved far out to sea. The force was however little more than a couple of shuttles and it has disappeared (incredibly low sensor profile).

Investigation/Cause/Civilian Industry
Since the destruction of the urbanised regions, all large-scale industry has ceased to exist. This means that until they are rebuilt, there is no possibility of any industrial modules being built by the civilian population.

Due to the actions of the Felini, Cause, once a true garden, now requires domes to support <best translation> "humanoid" life. But even so the scars were beggining to be mended.

Right after the invasion, the population census suffered from the deaths of some colonists, and the discovery that 3% of the native population were in fact survivors of the Felini marauding force that rampaged through this region.

Sentient Life:
80% Flagritz
17% Native
3% Felini
Population: 1.715.625
(edit: added the ".")

HOWEVER...

The results of a mission undertaken yesterday shows a radically different census. The champions of light and virtue, once again, decided to run amok. (By again, we mean the total eradication of Flagritz life in the system battlefield).

Sentient Life:
30% Flagritz
57% Native
13% Felini
Population: 716.225
(edit: added the ".")

Close to 1 million Flagritz are missing and presumed butchered, no doubt in retaliation to the recent and consecutive naval defeats that have resulted in the destruction of over 100 consortium capital warships.

Do these people care about the welfare of other sentients? Perhaps...perhaps some members of this group do not know what their "friends" are doing, but it's very unlikely, since both FCN and SMS have visited this planet and in fact use it as a R&R and maintenance area. What we do know for a fact is, the Felini are mass murderers. We'll eventually manage to find out if SMS and/or FCN knew of this or if they assisted in the act(s) either actively or passively.

AFT In Hot Water?

The AFT have fallen foul of the GTT in the Caribbean system, having discovered several AFT outposts that had not been registered with the new system overlords.

From Wolfpacks Blog

That scurrilous degenerate Wolfpack has had yet more success lately, as evidenced by his latest broadcast:

"Busy day, ships to steal an bullets to dodge.

First up me scouts saw a hh freighter, she be ideal for another pirate boarding ship.

"Wolfpack - Viceroys Vigilante" goes in and there be a big chunk of the FET battle fleet!!!

Scanned:
GTT SHIP TCF ADORJAN (93863) - {150 Heavy Hulls}
Navarino Class Freighter {Heavy Armour}
Attempting to board GTT SHIP TCF Adorjan (93863).
Approaching target:

4 rounds of fire from these, all full size battleships.
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-Drunken Master (10672)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-02 (25430)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-03 (33674)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-04 (38637)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-05 (45211)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-06 (55973)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-07 (58073)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-08 (58930)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-09 (60506)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-10 (61042)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-11 (76870)
Incoming Fire from FET FPG-PIKE-13 (91970)

Post Battle Summary
CLASSIFIED

Finally we gets ta grips with the GTT, having taken quite a pounding.

Boarding Action for the Control of GTT TCF Adorjan (93863)

Round 1: Battle is 257:2 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 24.14% control [75.86%]
1.41% chance of losing control

Round 2: Battle is 802:5 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 24.27% control [51.59%]
11.34% chance of losing control

Round 3: Battle is 221:1 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 24.73% control [26.86%]
39.12% chance of losing control

Round 4: Battle is 2136:7 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 24.85% control [2.02%]
94.07% chance of losing control

GTT TCF Adorjan (93863) has fallen to the attackers.
Boarding Successful - Position now under your control.

Full of cargo an ready to move, a fine boarder in waiting.

Then me other 2 ships reports in from hitting a QNG convoy.

"Wolfpack - Cirdans Curse"

Scanned:
QNG SHIP 7100-001-WAYFARER-6 (55896) - {100 Light Hulls}
Pioneer Class Freighter {Light Ablative Armour}
Attempting to board QNG SHIP 7100-001-Wayfarer-6 (55896).
Approaching target:

4 rounds of fire from these,
Incoming Fire from QNG 3050-001-Ferocity-2 (1529)
Incoming Fire from QNG 3075-002-Gold Star-8 (3418)
Incoming Fire from QNG 6075-001-Seraph-8 (4207)
Incoming Fire from QNG 3075-003-Snapdragon-1 (35315)
Incoming Fire from QNG 3075-001-Unconquered-1 (43116)
Incoming Fire from QNG 5150-001-Acherontia-6 (96802)
Incoming Fire from QNG 7100-001-Wayfarer-6 (55896)

Post Battle Summary
MINOR BUT STILL CLASSIFIED

Boarding Action for the Control of QNG 7100-001-Wayfarer-6 (55896)

Round 1: Battle is 9:1 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 16.15% control [83.85%]
0.42% chance of losing control

Round 2: Battle is 10:1 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 16.53% control [67.32%]
3.49% chance of losing control

QNG 7100-001-Wayfarer-6 (55896) has fallen to the attackers.
Boarding Successful - Position now under your control

"Wolfpack - Archangels Hunter"

Scanned:
QNG SHIP 7100-003-TRAVELLER-9 (45546) - {100 Light Hulls}
Pioneer Class Freighter {Light Ablative Armour}
Attempting to board QNG SHIP 7100-003-Traveller-9 (45546).
Approaching target:

4 rounds of fire from these,
Incoming Fire from QNG 3050-001-Ferocity-2 (1529)
Incoming Fire from QNG 3075-002-Gold Star-8 (3418)
Incoming Fire from QNG 6075-001-Seraph-8 (4207)
Incoming Fire from QNG 3075-003-Snapdragon-1 (35315)
Incoming Fire from QNG 3075-001-Unconquered-1 (43116)
Incoming Fire from QNG 5150-001-Acherontia-6 (96802)

Post Battle Summary
MINOR BUT STILL CLASSIFIED

Boarding Action for the Control of QNG 7100-003-Traveller-9 (45546)

Round 1: Battle is 85:9 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 15.14% control [84.86%]
0.35% chance of losing control

Round 2: Battle is 31:3 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 17.81% control [67.06%]
3.57% chance of losing control

Round 3: Battle is 93:8 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 20.61% control [46.44%]
15.36% chance of losing control

Round 4: Battle is 97:8 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 21.16% control [25.28%]
41.71% chance of losing control

QNG 7100-003-Traveller-9 (45546) has fallen to the attackers.
Boarding Successful - Position now under your control.

One of me ships needs a week in dock an parts, but 2 light freighters and a 150hh future boarder is a good days work.
Nice of owners to leave all with cargo."

Slavers In Yank?

The Planet Mookie in Yank has been broadcasting the presence of slavers on all civilian news transmissions.

Confederation troops from the nearby Starbase of Vasco Da Gama have been dispatched and have made initial contact with the locals:

Investigation/Mookie/Slavers/Events/209.35
The team contact the civilian authorities in an attempt to determine what
happened.
The short reply is that everything has been dealt with some time ago.
Digging further, it would seem that the slavers were swiftly engaged by the
OPS shortly after they had rounded up a number of civilians.
Accounts of the civilians are somewhat contradictory but the few points
they agree on is that an officer from an OPS ship personally engaged the
pirate officer and shot him before releasing the captives. It is also
discovered that they were given stellars - considerable amounts (though
many did not report this for fear of being taxed).
As to what happened to the rest of the pirates, there is strong
disagreement, though there were reports of revenge killings against
kastorian visitors to the world.
All in all, it is a curious tale.

Ships For Sale

Due to popular demand and lack of supply, the Kastorian Military Junta are offering ships for sale on a first come, first served basis.

3 each of the following ships with the specifications and price per ship are available.

Surveyor - 20HH - $30,000
Solo - 50NH - $50,000 - (all sold)
Barge - 50LH - $30,000
Far Courier - 75NH - $75,000
Mayflower - 75LH - $45,000
Caravel - 75LH - $40,000

Purchase can be achieved through special actions issued at Rubis.

Trouble Mounts For OPS

More and more rumours of the OPS being involved in the slave trade are surfacing, and with the OPS refusing to answer questions coming at them from multiple affiliations regarding the activities of their vessels in the St. Dismas system, it seems likely that further action might soon be taken.

Special Report


Declassified Entries From The Journal Of Star Admiral Janus.

Friday September 11th, 2009
Document Status: Declassified
Translation Process: Complete

Entry 24
The plan has not gone totally according to plan.
Instead of finding 39 hard targets orbitting the wormhole, it is found that the SMS flotilla has fled the location. This flotilla makes for most of the defense forces usually stationed at the wormhole and is mostly composed of Nebulon and Nemesis class warships, along with a few token escort carriers and scouts.

Entry 25
Since the SMS forces fled the area the number of kills is substantailly lower than desired, even so 1 150 HH, 10 100HH, 1 50HH and 1 25NH warships were destroyed, along with the 2 small platforms that guarded the area, totallying 487 hulls.
Imperial Navy losses are themselves almost negligible losing only 1 scout, 1 60NH support vessel and a lone 75HH that instead of picketing a supposedly quiet area is attacked by the fleeing SMS flotilla.
I've ordered that the CF-BDS 3b be avenged. Perhaps we may still be able to intercept the SMS force.

Entry 26
Today I almost killed an Imperial courier. The A'Kla, despite having used their ISR engines abover 108% efficiency was unable to intercept the SMS force. They must have truly be in a hurry to leave the area.
A'Kla and B'Kla will move back to the forward bases for rearmament and some sort of celebration. Only I know this failure to destroy the SMS Flotilla may upset the out turn of the upcoming 2 missions.

Entry 27
It's time! I cannot delay any further a major naval action at Breeze. The consecutive ambushes and lightning strikes at both Zephyr and Crusade have greatly diminished the Consortiums abbility to wage war, however the Breeze platform has enabled them to gain a foothold in Breeze. Although I still feel confident my plan was the correct one, I can't help but feel that some political support could be easilly be removed if enough civillian outrage is shown.

Entry 28
Operation "Hunting for the Watcher" has been approved. The Breeze platform and all support warships are to be destroyed.

Entry 29
Although the death of the heroic Breeze defenders is a stain on my record, I can't but smile upon the stunning success of "Hunting for the Watcher" operation.
Again, while X'Kla monitors the situation and while C'Kla is steadily built to A'Kla and B'Kla standards, these two veteran fleets converge upon Breeze.
Following the previous defeats the Consortium forces are unable to raise much of a force and what they were able to is destroyed.
1 100HH, 1 75 NH, 2 60NH and sadly 1 100LH and a 100XLH, that didn't follow the instructions to "behave" were destroyed. But more importantly, the main target was hit so severely it ceased to be a fighting threat. 1424 out of 1579 platform hulls have been destroyed, along will all it's weapons.
The victory wasn't bloodless however and 2 200NH escort carriers were destroyed as the platform concentrated fire upon these 2 luckless ships and crews. A third ship was lost as well, the heroic crew of the CF-Defender R4, a 60NH support vessel.
With the destruction of these last forces, the Consortium troops on the ground are at our mercy.

Entry 29a
It seems the Imperial Navy has destroyed over 13.191 warship and platform hulls, the equivalent of 66 baseships, since I took over the command of the A'Kla and the coordination of B'Kla.
Sadly we have lost 39 warships since that day, 18 of which on the 2nd day of my first battle as commander of the A'Kla. On a brighter note our losses are on the vast majority 60NH type support vessels.

Entry 30
General Xa informs me he is ready to begin ground assault at Breeze. Given the estimates on Naval forces still available to the Consortium forces in the region, the ground assault force will only be escorted by B'Kla, while A'Kla remains

From The Nexus

Suggestions for new players:

www.kjcgames.co.uk/phoenix/nexus/index.php?a=posts&tid=19320&lr=on#post_tag

******
Contacts:
Editor: Simon Field - sss [dot] editor [at] googlemail [replacetoavoidspamdot] com

*** The Detinus Games ***

Game 3:

Tactical Ground Combat: Proudly sponsored by the SMS - For All Your Mining Needs.

Well folks, seems that there has been shenanigans in the computer system, quite a few bugs have been found and sabotage has been suspected. Virtual armour with pre programmed vulnerable points, weapons that jammed for certain species and augmented lag. Seems somebody has been busy but at least we are now ready for an honest fight.

The contestants each start from a random location in this virtual arena. If you look at the graphic display below you can see the view from each contestant and a plan view showing their relative location.

There are a number of open and enclosed environment including vacuum, zero-G and aquatic, though with no Aquaphids competing we note that nobody will have distinct advantage. That also explains the empty seats in the area. Jones of the CIA seems pretty competent and is heading directly for Dewiek, representing the IMP team - quite an eclectic mix of species in the IMP team, even a human by all accounts (came back triple positive on the gonad check, though I reckon they were just talking balls).

And we have our first casualty, the Meklan of the OPS has stepped on a mine - I didn't know we had mines. And is that a group of Detinus Lawyers we can see clustered around the managers seating area?

The Dewiek is looking twitchy; he must know somebody is tracking him. You can see on the plan only a wall separates them. Jones has used a rocket launcher - do we have them in the arena?

The wall is down and so too is the Dewiek. The Imperials are eliminated. Haw Meeh of the Mohache seems intent on sprinting across the open fields drawing fire though to what purpose we have yet to see. The Falconian is in the thick of it with the Detinus across the virtual forest. It is hard to see who has the advantage though the Detinus competitor does seem to edging the centurion back towards the enclosed region. There is still no sign of the Vehrenberg contestant though you can see that he appears to be at the bottom of the aquatic chamber.

Seems the MOH does have a plan after all, he has triggered some automated cannons - didn't seem them listed. There he goes sprinting past the Falconian and Detinus competitors with a stream of bullets churning up the ground behind him. That took the pair of them by surprise and out of the game.

Jones of the CIA has been jumped by Sylv'ya Chaeron, the other IMP contestant - are you allowed two entries? Seems he had a last trick up his sleeve though as Sylv'ya Chaeron has been blown to bits when she attempted to pick up the rocket Jones' launcher. Boobytraps?

We are getting reports of a punch-up in the VR booths between the CIA and IMP. Seems the Dewiek got a whiff of something dodgy.

With the other competitors out it is now just the MOH and the HVB. The Vehrenberg competitor is aware of this and has come out of hiding. There are both stalking towards the zero-G region from different zones. They have both seen the fixed rapid laser turret and are leaping across open space to it, they have seen each other and are firing in mid flight. There's a leg hit on the Mohache, he is venting and out of control and slams into the turret. He has not ghosted so the system is treating it as a flesh wound. The Vehrenberg contestant has entered the turret rather than finishing off the
Mohache. Wow, that must be a full simulated photon battery in the face. Poor chap will be wearing shades for the rest of his life.

We have a winner - depending on the results of the punch-up. House Vehrenberg is champion of the Tactical Ground Combat.

Their prize (painstakingly designed to be covered with tasteful representations of the SMS logo) will be awarded to them via a representative of the SMS. Did we mention the SMS sponsored this event enough yet?

*** It's War! ***

The Falconian Republic have declared war on the Obsidian Predator Swarm! We have no concrete announcement on why yet, but speculation suggests that it is because of the recent failure of the OPS to clear their name with regards to slavery accusations.

*** DTR Celebrate Planetary Colonisation ***

News agencies throughout the Detinus Republic are proudly reporting on the opening of towns and cities across the planet of Zaro, where brand new starports have paid welcome to the arrival of over 1 million eager colonists happy to settle on a freshly terraformed planet, marking the culmination of years of hard work by planetary engineers.

*** Falconian Celebration Press Release ***

Greetings,

I thought I would remind all parties attending the celebrations next week to start making your way to Falencia if you had not done so already.

Some last-minute notes for guests:
1) Ceremonies will begin 209.39.2 promptly.
2) Escorts are requested to double check their enemies list as we will not tolerate any accidental firings in this peaceful gathering of sentients
3) Security will be extremely high at this event. Agents / operatives discovered and traced back to a faction will likely earn the wrath of not just the Republic but all those in attendance.
4) Those wishing to join the hunt are requested to bring the appropriate gear.
5) Gifts to be given during the official ceremonies are to be delivered to Falencia before the start.
6) If you have not done so already, please details the name of the VIPs in your party so they can be honourably mentioned at the start of ceremonies. This should be done by private message.

Lastly, I look forward to meeting the many honoured guests who have RSVPd and welcoming them to the paradise that is our homeworld.
Good Hunting,
Goshawk

*** IMP In Hot Water ***

The Imperial services vessel Panther has been judged in violation of the Masters System Mandates, and the RIP have duly issued notice that they have fallen under a 'First Offence' category, incurring a 100 stellar fine and the need to post a public explanation for their presence in the Masters System.
There has as of yet been no response from the IMP.

*** Pirate Attack ***

The pirate ship Golden Scythe recently failed to board an Imperial ship in the Capellan system. Expecting an easy ride, the pirates ran into heavy defensive missile fire, followed by a surprise counter-attack by a battalion of Imperial Marines.
It is understood that pirate casualties number over 500. For the loss of 2 Imperial Marines.

*** Pirate Destroyed ***

A GTT patrol has destroyed the pirate carrack class freighter Turkey Shoot in the St. Dismas system.

*** Pirate Large Escapes Again ***

A massive anti-pirate task force spent months seeking out the location of Pirate Large's secret base in Titan system only to be thwarted when the asteroid Ocracoke Island was discovered to contain the outpost "Pirate Large was 'ere". Marines of the Imperial Capellan Legion and soldiers of the Krieger Guard stormed the base and quickly discovered no one was home. APTF warships entered orbit and destroyed several stealth scouts skulking in orbit and dozens of docked pirate scout ships were taken by fierce boarding actions on the ground.
The outpost was stripped to bare bones and the metals deposit had been stripped of every last chunk of ore indicating this base had been here a long time.
Viceregal Press Office.

*** Wolfpack ***

The [insert adjective here] pirate Wolfpack has been boasting of yet more successes in his blog. Can nobody stop this [insert adjective here] [censored] pirate?

"Simple an easy
Fresh from attack on QNG few days earlier "Wolfpack - Cirdans Curse" didn't have time to offload prisoners or charge cloak
The crew were looking for a bonus......

Attempting to board SMS SHIP Ore Carrier Eight (15796).
Approaching target:

Boarding Action for the Control of SMS Ore Carrier Eight (15796)

Round 1: Battle is 533:5 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 24.17% control [75.83%]
1.41% chance of losing control

Round 2: Battle is 651:5 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 24.24% control [51.59%]
11.34% chance of losing control

Round 3: Battle is 186:1 in favour of Attacker
Defender lost 24.74% control [26.85%]
39.14% chance of losing control

SMS Ore Carrier Eight (15796) has fallen to the attackers.
Boarding Successful - Position now under your control.

More prisoners an the SMS captain headed back for a long stay in the Wolf-Lair."

*** Falconia ***

A number of pirate ground parties have tickled the defences of the Falconian capital this week. Though the FCN authorities assure everybody that everything is perfectly secure, and the pirate activity will not interfere with the scheduled celebrations.

***** Periphery Classifieds *****

*** GTT Issue Reward For Identification ***

20,000 stellars reward for documented proof (1) of what affiliation owned ship #17826 before it turned pirate. The above reward is offered to all except pirates and Dorsai. The first is obvious, the second is personal.
(1) Documented proof is forwarding the emailed turn that shows the ship with its original affiliation.

*** Ambrosia Wanted ***

Greetings,
I'm looking for 10KMu or more of Ambrosia (30268) at a competitive price for a forestation project.
PM me if you can assist.
Goshawk

*** Exploitation ***

Could anyone exploiting resource ID 77*1* on Rogue, Crossley please make contact with the CIA?

******
Contacts:
Editor: Simon Field - sss [dot] editor [at] googlemail [replacetoavoidspamdot] com

*** Civil War! ***

Crisis has struck at the very heart of the Commonwealth this week as forces calling themselves the Real-Confederacy have broken away from the CNF following their recent strikes against GTT positions. Supreme Commander Jackson of the CNF naval forces has issued the following statement:

+++ Incoming Transmission from CNF HQ +++

Greetings,

I am Thomas S. Jackson, leader of the Confederate Naval Forces. I am giving this address to share with you the truth of events that have occurred this past week.

On Monday this week the GTT publicly (and privately) revealed that they had been the victim of Pirate attacks in the Inner Empire and that the ensuing transmission logs revealed CNF teleporter pickups from a hidden location in the system. An immediate investigation was launched by the Supreme Commander into the events and the CIA commissioned to find out the truth of the matter.

All attempts from CNF HQ to contact Advocate General Eddy Smith were met with communications failures until Wednesday when an encrypted data packed was received via public access networks showing that the general had gone rogue and was clearly behind the attacks and the pirates. Further investigation and reports from around the peripheries showed that the general was the driving force behind the 'Real CNF' terrorist group that had been attacking FET and GTT installations in the Inner Empire and Darkfold peripheries over past weeks. Later investigation by the CIA on outposts on Darkfold also confirmed this to be true along with reports from neutral parties confirming contact from general Smith of the 'RCNF'.

Immediate orders were despatched to all commanders to disregard the orders of General Smith, capture if possible and follow orders from CNF HQ until further notice. Later that day came a shocking revelation that not only was General Smith behind the terrorist group but also that it had split away and registered with the EEM to become affiliation registered (RCF), taking with him CNF Starbase Cutting Edge in Yank as well as a number of non-affiliation hq network linked assets.

Reports today confirmed the capture of some RCF vessels in CNF Starbase ports and a firefight with RCF held positions loyal to the General. Confirmation from the FET came also that a state of war had been declared by the RCF on the Imperials and FET affiliations.

This is indeed a sorry and black week indeed for all humankind.

My friends - perhaps these events represent a failure to listen or perhaps some personal failing or error. Perhaps it is the desire for power by the few over the many. Perhaps it just reflects the portion of humanity that is incapable of listening to reason. We have known such madness before in the shape of the IBH and others. Such radicals cannot be allowed to gain the centre ground for we have in our sights the end goal of general peace in our time and restoration of the throne and a duty to improve the lot of those for whom we collectively claim to represent. Now should be a golden age of prosperity, justice and rebuilding. I therefore call for all RCF personnel and General Eddy Smith to lay down arms - I can understand your feelings having fought the civil war for such a long time but this is not the way to affect change.

To the GTT and other commonwealth partners I re-affirm our commitment to peace and I trust our actions speak louder than any words could.

I will repeat my orders for all - every member of the CNF is a soldier, a professional and above all a Confederate. We move forward as one and place our faith in the Emperor and True One, only then may we collectively achieve our aims.

Thank you for listening and good night,

Regards,

Supreme Commander Jackson

*** The Detinus Games ***

Special Action/Lycosidae/Detinus Games/Tractor Pull/209.
We take you now to the orbital arena specially built for the Zero-G Gymnastics
event.

This even has been proudly sponsored by the Falconian Republic, who clearly
feel a few millions years of natural aviation should stand them in good stead
for this event.

First up is Johnson of the CIA - hum, haven't all their competitors been called
Johnson? They all look surprisingly similar as well.

He leaps through a short routine, very short in fact and finishes with what can
hardly be called much more than a roly-poly ending right in front of the
judges. The crowd seem unimpressed but the judges obviously saw more as they
are awarding him some unbelievably high marks. With five judges scoring the
total is 49.4 out of total of 50 - remarkable. Can somebody check the judges
water?

Second up is Ratan Ferris of the Felina and there he goes straight into some of
the most spectacular twists, tail flashes and leaps I have ever seen. The crowd
is cheering and after Johnson's somewhat half-hearted attempt this is much more
like it.

He finishes with full claws out, virtually scaring one of the judges to death,
but clearly impressing them all.

The panel are scoring though a few have failed to give him as high a score as
the CIA candidate and he walks away with a still impressive 49.1.

Following him is the Vehrenberg contestant who has opted for some slow and
stately manoeuvres with a backing of Brotherhood zealots chanting in the old
school. Quite atmospheric though I suspect that the religious overtones has not
done them any favours with the secular judges though the display was still
quite impressive.

The Mohache contestant Oska Minar has obvious brought a lot of supporters and
it is clear to see why. I bet the judges would have given him a 10 just getting
into that tight outfit. Doesn't leave much to the imagination? He step forward
and sweeps a bow, you can hear the women in the audience ooohing, and now they
are arrghing, oh, that because he his tights have ripped.
......
And after a night's packed activity we are down to the last contestant, the
Falconians.

Sreech sweeps his wings out as the music starts and launches. He swoops, twists,
unfurls and misses the ground by millimetres. He is cocky and that's for sure,
though not as cocky, or ballsy as Oska that's for sure.

Some more dives, twists and curls later and he lands. All very dramatic and the
crowd is in its feet, well floating and the judges are also clapping - unheard
of.

They have awarded him... wait, that can't be right, they have given him 49.3.
Second place to CIA Johnson. He is clearly crestfallen and struts off spitting
feathers.

*** Trouble In Earth Orbit ***

A large number of DTR medical aid and civilian transport ships have come under attack in Earth orbit by IMP warships.

With heavy casualties being reported by the unarmed DTR vessels, the Imperial Authorities are launching an investigation into which of their starcaptains opened fire in error, on two consecutive days, and why so many of their warships felt the need to open fire in support.

It is however largely felt that the accident could have been a whole lot worse.

*** GTT Claim Storm ***

The Storm system claim is currently contested as the GTT attempt to wrest it away from the current Krell government.
With many parties suggesting this is just the latest in a series of system annexations carried out at threat of gunpoint by the GTT, the GTT themselves have stated that they seek to bring law to a previously lawless and dangerous system.

*** FET At War? ***

Reports indicate that the FET may be prepared to continue prosecuting their war against the AFT, as a number of FET warships continue to engage AFT positions in various systems despite the signing of the AFT/GTT peace agreement.

*** FCN Press Release ***

Greetings,
The EEM has kindly offered us a new channel for our Open Development Zone to help collaboration and discussions between magistrates and residents of these systems (Aladdin, Curly and Teller).
I would like to invite all parties with business in these systems to get in touch for access to this group so we can work together for mutual prosperity.
Goshawk

*** Dorsai Enterprises Press Release ***

As of this date 209.39.1 (9:06 pm EST) the following shall apply for Dorsai Enterprises positions.
Dorsai Enterprises from this date forward declares total and complete neutrality in all political and military operations.
This includes any and all current political and military discussions and operations that may occur or be occurring at this time.
Dorsai Enterprises positions will only carry other Dorsai Enterprises positions on their defend and support lists and the only entry on the attack lists will be PIR.
Dorsai Enterprises will trade with all who wish and will respond to such inquiries only by PM.
Dorsai Enterprises will shutdown all transmissions on public channels at the end of this transmission.
On a personal note, I would like to compliment Fox, Pennyworth, Tannis, Bobbost, Stryker, Drake and others for a wonderful set of verbal swordplay Normally I would be looking forward to long series of exchanges save for the actions of others who shall remain nameless.
<Signing Off>

*** INDs Banned ***

All IND positions have been banned from the orbit of Dogleg in the Capella system.

*** Mystery Transmission ***

The following transmission has been picked up by IGN news reporters on Falconia for the upcoming FCN celebrations. We are as yet unsure who transmitted it, and what their purpose was.

Commander: "Ensign status update. Any communications from the surface of Falconia yet?"
Ensign: "Sir we have a communication from the Republic."
Commander: "DTR on the FCN Homeworld again? Thieving bastards..."
Ensign: "... no Sir... the Falconian Republic."
Commander: "Falconian Republic? What's that... some sort of deep space coffee franchise?"
Ensign: "... negative Sir.. you did get the memo... Democracy is all the craze on Falconia..."
Commander: "Democracy eh?.... Begin a research project immediately. Contact the science guilds, I want Karl Rove cloned and brought to me immediately. I'll put a stop to this Democracy once and for all."
Ensign: "Orders sent Sir, a communiqu� from Falconia.."
Commander: "Who from?"
Ensign: "Goshawk.. Consul of the Falconian Republic."
Commander: "Goshawk? Goshawk of House Hawk? Didn't I use to bully him at school?"
Ensign: "Sir I believe you ate his Mother."
Commander: "I wasn't the only one.. quite a goer she was."
Ensign: "No you actually ate Her."
Commander: "As in dead?"
Ensign: "Yes Sir."
Commander: "Wow this might be awkward..."

#### Several Hours Later and one communiqu� later ####

Commander: "Ensign, I have been asked by the Consul to initiate first contact protocols..."
Ensign: "Sir are these the same first contact protocols you used with the FLZ?"
Commander: "No... I don't think that went too well.... Do we have any others?"
Ensign: "Sir we have the ones you used for first contact with the USN..."
Commander: "Bugger."

*** Funeral Of Marcus Rhodes ***

Cecil J Rhodes invites the ambassadors of the planet Detinus to the funeral
of Marcus Rhodes, which is held on the sea shore on Detinus.
Once all are in attendance Cecil begins the short ceremony of spreading
Marcus' ashes into the sea and then begins his speech.

'My Father Marcus was an explorer and a diplomat. His one goal was to
return home to Detinus, to protect our homeworld and see it prosper. Even
though an uncertain peace has stilled the guns of the Imperials there is
still much that we can do.
He died trying to further his goal of keeping Detinus secure by attempting
to open communications with the authorities on Earth. The rebuff was
deadly which is why I stand before you today to ask you to help us secure the
future of Detinus by sending a clear message to all Imperial factions that
the Detinus Republic is here to stay.
But for now I just wish to say farewell to my father, may you rest in
peace'.

*** FCN Press Release ***

Greetings,

The vessel AE Veracity (965) was boarded by Hawk police (Falconia division) today in orbit of Falconia.
The ship in question has been loitering in orbit for over a year (first scanned 208.38.2 - when the Republic was formed) and two communications were sent over the past year to Alexandra Enterprises enquiring as to whether it required assistance. Both were met with promises to move the ship on, which have not materialized.
As such patience for a ship in orbit that has not had any business with the Republic in all the time it has been there was exhausted in prelude to tightening security for this week's events.
The Kastor Kastorians continue to be welcome to Acropolis on legitimate business and this action is not intended to mark the beginning of any hostilities.
I hope guests to our home system will recognise our hospitality has certain, very generous, limits.

Goshawk

*** Coronation Of Lysander! ***

Greetings one and all

This momentous event will be happening in the week before the yearly get together.
Week commencing 16th November at House LiQuan on Masada in the Fortress system.
Transport can be arranged for all, Has everyone is invited to attend this great occasion.
All confederate and Imperial block affiliations have knowledge to get there, has do the MOH the Princes favourite.
If transport cant be obtained by any one these please contact the myself and I will arrange transportation from our base in Yank.
Security for this occasion is being handled by Mr Laton of the CIA.
Any requests concerning this are to be directed to him.
Baron LiQuan

*** FLZ On The Move ***

Flagritz ground forces are reported to have attacked a Felini outpost in the Vanus system.
The FLZ 36th Imperial Guard regiment have successfully captured a command complex and 9 mines.
Victory to the Empire!

***** Periphery Classifieds *****

*** Calling the ZEK/Zerk ***

Please contact our newsroom.

***** Message From The Editor *****

Congratulations to Vasco on the birth of his baby boy.
More Phoenix babies!

Simon.

******

Contacts:
Editor: Simon Field - sss [dot] editor [at] googlemail [replacetoavoidspamdot] com

***IGN: Falconian Celebration Special***

*** Live From Falconia! ***

Greetings,

Today the Falconian Republic celebrated its First Year. Below are the reports of the press and the full text of Goshawk's speech follows.

Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Opening Ceremony/209.39
Some alterations have to be made to the new senate as the civilian builders never thought to accommodate land-bound visitors.
The presence of temporary ladders to mezzanines and ground seating (carefully placed so as not to be positioned under any of the perches) detract from its original elegance, but will serve for the festivals (then they will be ripped out).
The nobles, heads of state and various other aliens are escorted in on the ground (how very inconvenient) and given places appropriate to their perceived rank or threat.
Their names are read out as they pass the opening - Ms. Diaz, Admiral Simms, Archduke Jasil, the LiQuan sibling, Balaazar and various other dignitaries. If any of them feel like dinner, with so many falcons, vultures and others staring down at them from their lofty positions, they conceal it

Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Entrance of Goshawk/20939
If the sweeping majesty of hundreds of marines in full battledress descending into the senate halls from one of the higher entrances is nothing special, then the beast being ridden by Goshawk on their tails most definitely is.
From all accounts it appears to be nothing short of a dragon of legend, complete with scales, wings and a savage demeanour. It constantly fights its rider, snapping at the swooping troops, though to his credit, Goshawk manages to both keep it mostly under control and still hold a benevolent smile on his face.
Amongst the human guards, all hands are on weapons and all eyes track the beast as it descends to the main podium.
Goshawk dismounts and the beast is immediately leapt on by what are presumably a dozen trainers and it is dragged off-stage, seeming to writhe in anger or agony.
Goshawk opens with a welcome, then the audio is turned up, though the unmistakable sounds of crunching bones and screams are heard from backstage.

Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Moment of Silence/209.39
Amongst the aliens there is the notable exception of Flagritz.
They do however get an indirect mention as prayers are given to the safety of troops that are fighting and have fallen for the Republic.
This ends with a period of silence, broken only by the rustle of wings and a loud wet slap of Harkon of House Vulture defecating from his perch not too far behind that of the ground seats occupied by the human representatives.
There is no mistaking his opinion on the recent developments both within and without the Republic.

Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Wimble Address/209.39
His carefully crafted speech read, 'Grandfather Oran has asked me to convey the Wimble Nation's congratulations and best wishes on this momentous occasion. As a peace loving people, we welcome any steps taken by the more powerful affiliations to develop trade and understanding and any actions that may counter the twin scourges of piracy and slaving. May this meeting provide opportunities for all present to gain greater understanding of each other to allow us to work more closely together in the future. Your very good health!'
However, having discovered an interesting crumb on his shirt while approaching the podium, Great Uncle Tarron Guutan of the Wimble Nation, merely chugs the contents of his wine glass, belches loudly and says "Damn fine cake that, oh, and keep up the good work, cheers," raising his glass to disappointingly discover that it is already empty. As he leaves the podium he pauses slightly, mumbles something about slavery bad, trade good, and ambles off in search of more cake.

Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Imperial Address/209.39
Former Emperor Jasil with former Viceroy Simms, veterans that shaped much of the Peripheries over the past decades arrive for the Republic's Celebrations.
The admiral makes the speech while Jasil takes a less formal role of meet and greet.
The speech is fairly typical, praising longstanding good relations, trade and openness in diplomacy while condemning piracy and slavery.
While not as short or as enthusiastically received as the Wimble speech, few would dare describe it as boring such is the respect for the admiral (and it amuses him to punish them for it).

Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Banquet/209.39
Despite wimbles apparently sticking together, as seen by Great Uncle Tarron Guutan seeming ability to get served before the banquet has even been set, food is eventually presented and all are fed.
For this though, the humans and other ground crawlers are given a separate room with no perches, galleries or doors metres above ground level. There is also a strict though unusual code of conduct, hastily added after Harkon's outburst. It's just one of those things when you have to sit where you... anyway, it seems to come as relief to the humans.
The food is first class, presented by wimbles master chefs and therefore not lacking either in taste or quantity. It is augmented by dairy products from the aptly named Milkrun, roo bears and some that appear to be marinating while still alive (served at a separate quarter for those that prefer their food served with bite - literally).
Treasure Winters, hot from the Detinus Games (which, ahem, still appear to running) entertains all with some mangled renditions of Falconian classics before moving onto safer ground.
There is considerable banter though the trip, longwinded speeches and the threat of a hunt tomorrow means that some at least retire early.

*** The FCN Celebrations - The Longwinded Speeches - Pt1. ***

Senators, Honoured Guests, Friends and Allies:

I would firstly like to welcome all of you to our homeworld and thank you for coming to share this significant milestone in the rise of the Falconian people amongst the galactic community. Your generous spirit and the good-will shown is a testament to the value of civility and honour amongst nations.

Let me specifically welcome our most honoured guests: Archduke Jasil and Lord Admiral Simms representing the Human Empire, Deputy Speaker Ms. Diaz and Senator Sylvansight of the Detinus Republic, Demetrius and Jessica LiQuan representing the noble houses of the Confederacy, Avatar Nevets Motnahp of the Felini Tyranny and Hucuuron Balaazar of the SMS as well as the honoured representatives of the GTT, FET, AFT, Wimble and Mohache nations.

Welcome, friends. Welcome and long may the peace and partnership between our people continue!

Whilst I will reflect more fully on the past year with my esteemed Senate colleagues and hope to speak individually with all our honoured guests on specific matters, let me outline, if I may, the challenges ahead and my determination to have the Republic lead as well as follow the galactic community in dealing with them.

The galaxy today, remains as chaotic and prone to conflict today as it did a year ago. The same challenges that have plagued us before remain challenges to be solved and whilst some progress has been made, much work remains to be done.

First amongst them, is the dismal state of trade in the galaxy. Trade between nations, in my view, is the best insurance against conflict. Trade builds cooperation and trust amongst factions that have been at war and averts the mistrust that can develop when we remain out of touch. For trade to work, we must accept that even when there is an imbalance in our relative strengths, we must act fairly and justly and abide by common law. Trade need not be a zero-sum game and should be undertaken in partnership rather than at the point of a gun. Together, I believe we can reinvigorate trade in the Peripheries and raise the living standards of all the sentients whom we represent. There are opportunities aplenty for all, whether part of a Falconian trading house, a peaceful farming nation, a megacorporation or a small association of traders. Let us not think on who has more or what we can take by force but instead forge a new path where we work together in peace towards a shared prosperity.

Secondly, and naturally this is a topic that the Republic feels very passionately about, we must work together to end the immoral practice of slavery. I am realistic about the prospects of this occurring within my lifetime but I am also hopeful that this is not a burden the Republic must share solely with its closest allies going forward. There is much to be said for respecting the sovereignty of nations but a line must be drawn where the freedoms of one group impinges upon the freedom of others. We must act together to send a strong signal to all who would deny freedom to sentients that their evil practice will, at the very least, exclude them from the space lanes and worlds of civilized nations.

Finally, I hope today marks the beginning of a new understanding between Falconians and the rest of the Peripheries: that our intentions are peaceful, our will strong and our objectives not in conflict with other civilized nations. Let us put our troubled history to rest, and voice as one this simple truth: Together we are stronger, more prosperous and more secure than any one nation standing alone.

Thank you for your time and once more, welcome to Falconia: Long may it be free!

Long Live the Republic!

Goshawk

*** Confederate Civil War ***

Reports indicate that the Confederate naval forces have begun a series of operations designed at reclaiming assets from the Real-CNF rebels. Details are scarce, but we understand they have met with significant success.

*** DTR Address FCN Celebrations - the longwinded speeches pt2. ***

News just in that Mme Diaz' shoe closet has just been broken into and ransacked. Reports tell us that various Senators have started wearing high heels hoping to "follow in the footsteps" of Mme Diaz and further their ambitions.

"Senator Sylvansight walks to the podium and delivers a flowing speech. Several different themes are touched on, the recurring one being a drawing of parallels between the current state of slavery in the peripheries - in all it's guises - and her own time spent as a slave at IND Opportunity before she was liberated by the DTR - and their offer of citizenship afterwards which was gratefully accepted. In The Detinus Republic even former slaves can reach the rank of Senator and.... who knows where from there. An observant member of the audience might have thought they noticed a flashing glance towards Ms Diaz, the hint of a smile and an ambitious glint in the eyes�. but perhaps it was just a trick of the light, with all that movement in the perches up above it's hard to be sure. Sylvansight finishes up by complimenting the chef, congratulating her hosts on their first year towards a better way of life and wishing the Falconian Republic good health for the future.

For The Republic!"

*** Michelle Diaz Addresses FCN Celebrations - nobody dares call this long-winded ***

Special Action/Republic Celebrations/Detinus Republic's Address/209.39
The 30 female human veteran marines from this ship and the 106 female human
veteran marines from Galaxia (4083) head over to Arrow (210). There
they form an honour guard to escort Vice Speaker Michelle Diaz
surrounded by an additional 110 female human veteran marines to the
festivities which are taking place at Falencia to celebrate the
Falconia Republic's first year celebrations.
Michelle Diaz is lead up onto stage by a select number of her
attractive, but clearly well trained, honour guard who are
exceptionally well dressed in glistening, thigh length black boots by
Fratelli Prada and an exquisite red dress by Vivienne Westwood.
Michelle Diaz, also wearing thigh length black boots and a stylish
but elegant white sequined dress by Alexander McQueen starts her
address (after a couple of minutes wait whilst much of the audience
has finished gawking at Michelle's honour guard on stage).
'Goshawk, Falconians, ladies and gentlemen. Today is a great day in
the history of the Falconian nation when we celebrate the creation of
the Falconian Republic. This is a truly symbolic moment in the
peripheries when a nation has chosen to abandon its old ways and to
embrace respect and justice for not only their people but sentients
across the peripheries. Throughout the time I have known Goshawk, he
has pushed and prodded the Falconians in the right direction and now
we can celebrate the result of his hard work.
(Looking at Leonore Sylvansight, Michelle continues) This challenge
has been too great for me to overcome and so I hope that all of you
in this audience will take up this challenge and follow the
leadership that Goshawk has shown and rid the peripheries of slavery,
in whatever form it may take, and not allow excuses to hold anyone
back from their duty in giving all sentients the right to their
dignity, respect and freedom of expression.'
Michelle quickly leaves the stage and is surrounded by her honour
guard as the returns to her ship, the hint of a tear in her eye
barely perceptible to anyone but the most observant person.

*** Good lord, more speeches! ***

Nevets stands and stalks to the podium

Honoured representatives of the peripheries i will keep this short, i would like to personally thank Goshawk for the invite here to share in such a marvellous occasion.
I hope this is the first of many years for the republic and that my people and yours continue to strengthen the bonds we have forged.
Nevets raised a glass of wine and turned to the FCN delegation
May your claws be forever sharp

with that he drains his glass and bows to the dignitaries and re-takes his seat


Peregrine Lanner stands and walks to the podium:-

"Consul Goshawk and noble members of the senate .....
On behalf of Frontier Exploration and Trade I would like to thank you for your invitation to these celebrations and to offer my sincere good wishes and congratulations on the anniversary of the founding of the Falconian Republic.
The Consul's words on trade are most welcome, the FET is willing to do whatever it can to stimulate trading opportunities and I would be quite happy to attend any conference etc on this subject, to discuss ways that trade may be improved.
The Consul's consistent outspoken attacks on the practice of slavery is to be commended and supported. The basic right to be born a free person and to maintain that freedom is beyond question. If one chooses to abuse that freedom then there will inevitably be a price to pay, but to be born/sold into servitude cannot be accepted.
Weighted against this must be the fact that customs vary between nations, sometimes these customs seem unjust and people feel they have the moral right to take action. A careful line must be taken to ensure that such action is justified, on occassion that line is very difficult to define. One man's servant may be another man's slave.
I would like to offer my condolences to all those who have fallen in the ongoing conflict between the Consortium and the Flagritz . My hope is for an honourable settlement in that matter.
In closing, I would again thank the Consul and the Senate for the hospitality of the Falconian Republic, may the republic continue to grow and thrive under Consul Goshawk's strong leadership."

Lanner bows and returns to his seat.

Mary Stryker rises from her seat and walks to the podium to address the crowd on the Anniversary of the founding of the Falconian Republic.

Mary praises the progress of the Falconians in the transition from an Empire to a more representative form of government. She shares her hope that the continued progress of the Falconian People in their striving for democracy will augur a better future for all. She also singles out the fledgling Republic's unflinching opposition to slavery as deserving of special praises. Mary offers the regrets of her husband, James, who was unavoidably detained and unable to attend the festivities. She and her son, Benjamin Stryker wish all the best to the young Republic as it progresses through the coming years on its journey to a fuller and more rewarding future

She waves to the applauding crowd as she returns to her seat next to her son.


Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Imperial Address/209.39
Former Emperor Jasil with former Viceroy Simms, veterans that shaped much
of the Peripheries over the past decades arrive for the Republic's
Celebrations.
The admiral makes the speech while Jasil takes a less formal role of meet
and greet.
The speech is fairly typical, praising longstanding good relations, trade
and openness in diplomacy while condemning piracy and slavery.
While not as short or as enthusiastically received as the Wimble speech,
few would dare describe it as boring such is the respect for the admiral
(and it amuses him to punish them for it).

*** Agent Actions ***

Detinus Republic news sources are carrying stories of multiple agent actions across several different DTR starbases, the first time in years that such activities have been detected.

*** Flagritz On The Attack ***

Following last weeks inaccurate reporting that the Felini outpost Vanus 2 had fallen to attacking Flagritz troops, when in fact they had been defeated by the rapid deployment of several hundred elite Felini defenders, it seems as if the FLZ have returned to have a second crack at it. Perhaps encouraged by the aforementioned erroneous news reports of their success.

Glory To The Empire this time perhaps?

We can but wish those evil alien overlords all the best of luck.

*** More From The Celebrations ***

Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Arrival of SMS Selwyn Dagger/209.39
The only excuse Selwyn has is that there is a lovely bit of geology on Cosmara that delayed him. Still he is here and to all accounts he has missed, though missed may not be the appropriate word, all those self-congratulatory speeches - lovely bit of alabaster that, didn't think the Falconians knew anything about stone.
What's all this about a hunt? How about some prospecting instead?


Special Action/Falconia/Republic Celebrations/Hunt/209.39
Rising early (dawn chorus has an altogether new meaning on Falconia), the various delegates are treated to a light breakfast (no catching of worms for them).
After this they are taken to the hunting ground as per the concession with the civilian house that owns the territory.
This is a region of open meadows and copses, giving hunters the ability to show off their diving, speed and manoeuvres as they hunt some of the finest prey available on the world.
Those that decline the opportunity to hunt, a large mezzanine (unnervingly without a parapet) has been constructed, hundreds of metres above the ground in order to offer an excellent view of the events.
As some are helping themselves to second breakfast, the huge dark shadow of Goshawk riding his intractable beast sweeps past and the horn is blown to single the start of the event.

*** End Of An Era ***

The DTR are sadly reporting this week that Michelle Diaz, stalwart of inter-stellar politics and shoe-conoisseur extraordinaire has announced her intention to retire from public life after 16 years.
This brings to an end the longest serving political career in the Peripheries. And she will be very sadly missed by all.

*** HLQ Indentured Servitude ***

The holding of slaves and/or indentured servants, depending on how you look at it, by the House LiQuan continues to be a hot topic this week, as pressure mounts on the HLQ to look into ways of freeing their slaves/servants as a matter of some urgency.

*** FLZ Press Release ***

* * * * STANDARD TERRAN TRANSLATION * * * *

No response from the Tyranny to date.
The better part of 1,000,000 civilians unaccounted for by the current rulers of that planet.
Now, on occasion I have had a lifeform go missing on me, but 1,000,000?
Perhaps the Empire should ask the Cliriq to look into this in greater detail.

Ambassador H'minee
Party for Peaceful Integration

***** Periphery Classifieds *****

*** DLO Press Release ***

The two sides of Mr. Fox.

We want to be loved!
But we want to control all of known space!
But we really are loveable!
If you don't like our taking over other systems, too bad. Attack us. See how that goes for you.
But we're really the good guys. See? We have contained the big evil OPS at the Twilight Stargate.
What do you mean that we killed more AFT civilians than the OPS took slaves? Killing Civilians isn't illegal or immoral (in our book). They were in our way. They shouldn't have been there. It's the AFT's fault we attacked them.
If you criticize us you're just biased.
What about the Krell? WE will look after them. WE know what's best for them.
See, we really are the good guys!
So what if we've sacked the AFT, driven the OPS before us, and now have free reign to exploit the Krell? Shut up - YOU may be next!
Why do you hate us? We want to be loved.

*** Ships Wanted ***

The Wimble Nation finds itself in need of a few (shall we say five-ish) large-ish (100-150 hulls?) vessels with a good strong chassis (heavy hulls). I hasten to add that we do not intend to use them as warships and would be willing to prove that if necessary - and if any putative seller can suggest a way to do so. I don't think the old Broadswords have quite got the leg room that I am looking for.

If you do have any such vessels on your back-lots that are surplus to (your) requirements then please contact me and let us see whether we can come to a mutually acceptable transfer of title deeds and remuneration. Provided they are at least self-mobile (so that my captains can drive them away at a reasonable speed), I am happy to come to some arrangement on returning any installed items should that be necessary. I have a few boys in the ship yards who are looking forward to the challenge of refitting some old clunkers - sort of "rite-of-passage thing" as they call it.

(Although how I'll pay the patch costs I have yet to work out! Youngsters these days...)

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Contacts:
Editor: Simon Field - sss [dot] editor [at] googlemail [replacetoavoidspamdot] com