Issue #13
Monday, April 18th, 2005The Universe Under Attack!! Tomorrow?
The rumor mill has been extremely busy this week. All across the galaxy, rumors of impending attacks have been spreading like wildfire across the different spy networks. OSN in the Fed areas, AWC in the Neutral Zone, Coldzig Legion in the Empire. Rumors of doom and death have been spreading… but nothing has happened. So far, it’s been a very quiet week. Calm before the storm maybe?
Perhaps…
Catching Paradis
It has become a sport now. A deadly sport in many cases, but it couldn’t quite be called a sport unless there was an element of risk involved. The sport? The hunting of Paradis. It has become more and more common where members of different alliances team up in ambushes several deep in order to take out the biggest fish in the pond, Paradis and his Doomstar. The most recent destruction of Paradis was an ambush setup by Wayfarer, Kora (KIA), Rocketman (KIA), Joe Bunda (Wounded), Razor (Wounded), Zardoz, Lech, Jake Lightspeed, Juggernaut, and Nosforontu.
As resistance becomes more and more organized and the ambush plans become more and more natural, Paradis and AWC may have a tougher and tougher time getting their plans into action. It will be interesting to see how Paradis responds to the new more organized threat to his domination.
The Sol of the Tribune
Well, it’s been a long time coming, but the Tiacken Tribune has moved locations. Yes, that’s right, you heard it correctly. The insurance company denied our claims to rebuild in Tiacken and forced the Tiacken Tribune Headquarters to relocate to a ‘safer’ sector. Well, apparently they’ve never tried pulling a STARBASE PERMIT!!
Shortly after the sudden disappearance of the Chaos Sanctuary, the Tiacken Tribune invaded the Starbase Offices of Sol. Our goal? The Starbase Permit office! We had less than two hours to make it to the office before closing time and the permit office was infamous for closing early. At closing, the janitors roam the halls. That is one encounter we had to avoid at all costs!!
The Tribune brought the best of the best for this operation. The second division lawyer marines, the fifth division paper pushers, and of course, the starbase special operations group armed to the hilt with bullshit detectors, red tape cutters, and of course, the indispensable bureaucracy destruction devices (BDD). This group had been defeated in their assault on Edmize, and they had their pride at stake! There would be no defeat this time…
The team infiltrated the building exterior quite easily only having to neutralize one potential threat with a quick stroke of a pen. The unit did their job and did their job well. We made it to the elevators with very little resistance. However, once we made it to the 13th floor, we had the Company ready and waiting. However, they had never messed with the Tribune HQ special forces either!! The special ops team armed with their bullshit detectors were able to wind their way through the bureaucracy. When needed, the lawyers supported with threats of legal action against any who stood in our way. The paper pushers cleaned up the mess that the two left behind. There were a few tense moments, but they were quickly forgotten as we saw the end in site, the Starbase Permit office!!
The team flanked the project manager as he approached the Permit office. Behind the desk was a grizzled veteran – a tough foe who had obviously seen his share of combat. He looked at his watch before grunting his acknowledgment that there was a job to do and came to the counter. He leafed through our request and dismissed us with a wave of his hand. We hadn’t gone to the 17th floor to receive structural approval, the 14th floor for zoning approval, the 3rd floor for parking approval, the 45th floor for landscaping approval, and the 28th floor for approval for approvals. We just didn’t have the time! Time was wasting away and we couldn’t afford a 24 hour delay! It was time for drastic measures! We broke out the BDD!! The group backed away as the Special Operations lead handed the grizzled Starbase Permit officer the BDD. It was a gamble… our entire operation could be won or lost on this one move and nobody wanted to be close if the operation went bad. Things would get really, really ugly if they did. Inside the BDD was thousands and thousands of credits.
With a slight smirk, the grizzled veteran looked up…
“APPROVED”
However, we weren’t out of the clear yet. The permit had been approved, but it would still take six days for all the inspections to go through. Each inspection would happen at the same time every day, and fifty tons of metal a day were required to reinforce various parts of the station as well as create the energy containment chamber needed for energy production. With a quick flip of wrist, the outpost was notified that upgrading could begin. With a walk out that was much easier than the walk in, we began the journey (once again) to starbase.
For those of you who have never had the chance to build a starbase, it is a nerve wracking six to seven days – especially if you are in a potentially hostile situation. It is a week of sitting on pins and needles waiting for the worst to happen. Every little thing makes you wonder. The outpost we started off with was minimally defended. There had been no official threats regarding the outpost, and the Tribune had purposely done their best to keep the outpost very low-key. However, a week is a very long time and word starts getting out eventually. On day four, the Tribune HQ came under attack!! Bells wailed, sirens roared, defense mechanisms began to fire, flashes of light briefly filled space. Come to find out, it was an attack by a fellow alliance member and his mining laser?
Potential SB owners are paranoid. VERY paranoid. Was the attack an accident? Was he a spy testing defenses? Did he just want to destroy something? Security forces tried tracking him down with no success. No matter what the deal, it was time to improve outpost defenses. This outpost was not going down without a fight!! And so several hundred thousand credits later, the outpost was adequately defended. Not enough to hold off an entire alliance, but enough to hold off your pirate wannabe. It would take some time to take the outpost out now. The Tribune HQ staff hoped it was enough.
It was.
Late last week, the final inspection was approved. Champagne was poured, and the Tribune HQ was born. The entire operation was a success!
[Shameless Plug: The Tribune HQ is the NE corner of the Sol sector replacing the old Chaos Sanctuary. Working to establish a consistent supply of metal, ore, and energy, the Tribune HQ is looking to be the one stop shop for all your upgrading needs. When in the area, please stop on by to say hi and help make Sol a better place to live.]
War of the Shadow
It was only a matter of time. The Shadow versus the Shadow. Eventually the OSN would come up against TSO in a battle under the name of the Shadow. Which one is stronger? It looks like we will find out shortly. Nathan Forester placed 1M worth of bounties on TSO buildings late last week. While nothing earth shattering has occurred yet, it is only a matter of time before someone comes in to begin claiming bounties. TSO is powerful, but can they fend off every bounty hunter in the galaxy?
In an interesting twist, Nathan Forester removed the 1M in bounties later the same day. Speculation runs rampant as to the reason for this removal. However, Nathan himself hinted in general chat that the objective had been achieved. What was this objective? Was it mere bribery from TSO to go away? Was it a message sent to everyone that Olbea and TSO were more than vulnerable? Several theories abound, but it looks very likely that it had something to do with the on again, off again, on again sale of the Lindel Starbase. The starbase would likely have been an extremely useful staging area for OSN against any attacks into TSO space. It looks to the Tribune that OSN forced TSO’s hand in order to seal the deal. As to whether OSN was acting on their own or was paid to do so, well, that remains ‘in the shadow’.
Wanted:
Evil genius wishing to remain anonymous is recruiting motivated sidekicks. Must provide own dental, life, and ship insurance. Those with weak stomachs need not apply. Experienced hunters and cannon fodder accepted. Answer under code 667 to the Tiacken Tribune.
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SG Drug Outlets
The Scorpion Guard recently announced a new venture to provide drugs via trade outposts in the home sectors around the universe. As we all know, drugs have the ability to allow traders to become more… productive. [commonly reported averages are between 150-200 extra turns for every drug used]. However, since drugs are produced using inhuman methods on, well, humans, the Federation and Imperium have declared the PRODUCTION of drugs illegal as well as the selling of these drugs to Fed/Imp stations. However, the authorities have turned a blind eye to the private buying and selling of drugs in the local markets. The Scorpion Guard has seized the opportunity and announced their intention of creating a drug network across the galaxy.
Lawful alliances across the galaxy are up in arms over the announcement but not really quite sure about what to do. Drugs ARE illegal, but both the Fed and Imp governments are not punishing the outpost owners, nor are they punishing the buyers or sellers from these outposts. The message the governments seem to say is that drugs are ok as long as they aren’t produced in government space, or sold to any government facility. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ve heard about the upcoming drug stations.
Did you know…
…that your building repairs 15% of your armor (then hull) every 3 hours when you dock and log out in it?
…that when you accept a mission, another takes its place immediately. Always recheck the mission board after you accept a mission. Occasionally you’ll get lucky and get another mission to the same place (or same kind of kill). In addition, missions are refreshed twice a day. (hate to get stuck with a missin board full of “kill 2 medusa in 10 minute” missions…)
Public Service Announcement
The Greater Pardus Albino Space Worm Adoption Agency is happy to announce the adoption of “Alf”. Living near the minefield in the NE portion of Sol, Alf has been adopted by the Tiacken Tribune. Please respect the wishes of the Tribune and do not annihilate Alf and his offspring with lasers and missles for a mere few nuggets of ore. Also, should something unpleasant happen, please do not sell the remains to the Tribune HQ. The Tribune will think very unhighly of you. Should you have problems with Alf, please log a complaint with the Tiacken Tribune Department of Albino Space Worm Control.. Thank you.
This has been a Public Service Announcement from the Greater Paruds Albino Space Worm Adoption Agency.
The Extender
After five attempts, Largestar Inc (production ‘experts’ of the ill-fated Doomstar), finally received a grudging approval from the Federal Board of Space Transportation. The approval was to begin production on the Extender. Having been described thus far as “a pregnant SSC”, a “pufferfish” and an “Easter Egg – there’s goodies inside!”, the Extender has become the laughing stock among fighting pilots around the Federation. However, the value of the Extender to traders and starbase owners makes up for its dubious looks. With a hull capacity of 310, the Extender has the capacity that the high level traders need. Expecting trouble? The Extender has two weapon turrets and FOURTEEN missile slots. FOURTEEN!! For those of us counting, that is FOURTEEN fleet missiles (5 tons each – 70 tons total), that you could pack onto the ship and STILL have room for profitable trading. Much like the “pufferfish” the extender could really prick someone who was not prepared. Owners are expecting some respect after a few hotshots are shot down by the extenders short term firepower. Until that happens though, expect the Extender to be the laughing stock of the Federation.
Tribune Updates
The Tribune will begin including a section each week dedicated to quick follow-ups on the previous week’s stories (which, of course, don’t make the main page…)
- The Lindel station in Olbea was not sold. Interested parties need to PM Fiona if interested.
- The starbase race in Keldon was ‘won’ by Tsunami. FHA bought out the Technocracy location and the new FHA starbase went into service late last week.
About Home
Looking for a place to settle down? Looking for a planet that has nice quiet parks, good schools, and a good reputation? Looking for a place to raise your family in peace, quiet, and security?
If so, then Tiacken is not for you! Invaded and ‘claimed’ by the Order of the Shining Night, the Tiacken sector is a decaying wasteland of people and buildings. The few settlers left are the stubborn fools who actually ‘believe’ in the garbage their ‘emperor’ spouts. Be wary fellow settlers, Tiacken is not the Tiacken we all used to know and love.
The order may claim our system. They may claim our planets, our cities, even our very homes! They may destroy our buildings and scatter our friends across the galaxy, but they can never, EVER destroy the hope that resides deep within us.
That’s right OSN. We’re onto you. You can have Tiacken, but the thing you want most – our loyalty, our fealty, our acceptance of your ‘shadow’ – is the one thing you’ll never receive. The tighter you grip, the faster it spills out between your fingers. Make no mistakes ‘emperor’, YOU shall be tested. And YOU shall be found wanting. Tiacken will once again belong to its rightful owners. Don’t make yourself too comfortable there ‘emperor’. We are coming. Like the “Shadow”.