Issue #12
Monday, April 11th, 2005Scorpion without a Cause?
Anubis doesn’t lose many battles. But he lost a rather large battle this week over at the infamous Scorpion Bar and Grill. His opponent? A never-ending bottle of beer. While the sponsor of the battle hasn’t been discovered (yet), the happy Anubis took advantage of the opportunity to drink his fill. Unfortunately for the other patrons, Anubis has been known to get violent when drinking and soon the Scorpion Bar and Grill was in an all-out Wild West bar brawl. The bouncers, one black eye, one broken nose, and one cracked rib later, were finally able to toss Anubis out of the bar. But Anubis wasn’t done yet. He’d had an epiphany!
Oh, yes, the mighty Anubis was king of the world. But the Guard would need help. And who else would help an outside thinker than another outside thinker. Yes, Anubis contacted the head of AWC, Paradis, with the grand plan of taking over the Neutral Zone. The two agreed and before the night was through, the SG had surrendered to the AWC and had joined forces with the grand plan of making the Neutral Zone realm of the AWC. Residents of the NZ who hadn’t already started packing up were buttoning the hatches. It was going to be a bumpy ride. Before the night was over, Anubis had claimed the lives of a few unlucky traders and the entire neutral zone shuddered with impending doom. There was a bit of a break when Anubis relinquished command of the Guard and decided to go it alone with the AWC. However, the end of the Neutral Zone was near. Or was it?
Anubis woke the next morning with a monster headache, a few bruises, the surrender acceptance from AWC, his resignation letter to SG, and enough hate mail/death threats to fill that fighting ship of his.
And he didn’t remember a thing.
Reports have come in saying Anubis has been doing some back peddling over the previous nights’ escapades. Reports have it that the SG are still honoring the surrender to the AWC but that the ‘imminent’ attacks on the NZ may not be so imminent. It looks like the SG have accepted Anubis’ apology (assumption) and all seems to be getting back to normal again in the world of the Guard. Here’s hoping Anubis brings a friend to fly him home next time he goes drinking!
Rumors of Lave
Deep in the recesses of Fed space, backed between pirate bases and rocky maggot infested watstelands stands the Fed station of Lave. Once the last bastion to the final frontier, Lave is now nothing more than a safe haven for poor traders looking for a safe place to dock among the rocks.
Years ago, Lave station was a thriving community, home to those wanting to get away from the packed sectors of Sol and enjoy an exciting life out towards the frontier. Miners, explorers, and hunters all gathered at Lave to share stories, trade, and make a life for themselves. That was before the ‘event’. Late one night, an explosion rocked the starbase. Thousands died in the initial explosion and hundreds more were sucked into space as emergency airlocks were shut tight to seal off a total collapse of the station. Only through the miraculous efforts of station mechanics did the station survive at all. The source of the explosion was never determined, but rumor has it that Imperial spies were responsible.
Thousands fled Lave the following weeks. The hardy ones that remained were confident that Lave could be rebuilt and restored and an undertaking began to rebuild Lave. And then it started. Strange creaks in the night, brief glimpses of a person that had been lost in the explosion, occasional gusts of wind through sealed corridors. Reports were scoffed at in the beginning, but soon it became more and more common. An entire group sat and watched out the promenade window as a ghost ship came and docked to a non-existent port. In the station’s bar, you were likely to find as many ghosts (or evidence thereof) as you were live beings. Less than two months after the initial explosion, the station of thousands dropped to a population of 500 (live beings). The population has fluctuated very little since then.
What will happen to Lave in the future is anybody’s guess. However, based on current political circumstances, Lave is likely to remain a ghost-town for some time to come.
Keldon Base Race, Part Deux!
Much to the dismay of Keldon alliances, the Scorpion Guard fought and won a battle for a starbase in the Keldon home sector last week. The Scorpion Guard officially had a solid foothold for any… work… that was needed in the area. Residents were futher dismayed by the massive number of explosives being shipped to the starbase. Obviously an attack was being planned, and Keldon citizens were concerned about the safety of so many explosives in their home system. Who was the target? Well, the answer was finally discovered as the Scorpion Guard base was destroyed in a massive explosion aka The Bard’s Nest. Why the destruction? The Guard is being mum on the issue but sabotage is rumored to be involved. The explosives had a much more sinister motive.
Alliances stared in shock at the fireworks display, and then scrambled into action. Two outposts have already been established in yet ANOTHER race for the base competition. Whomever gets this starbase will have solid influence in the highly populated Keldon area. What happens next will be very interesting.
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The Trader’s Handshake
I’ve spent a good amount of time traveling around the universe in different sectors meeting new people and saying “hi” to those I run across. What I find interesting is the Trader’s Handshake that takes place in space while parked over a base or planet. Generally when I run across someone I know and haven’t seen in awhile, I’ll give them a token credit or two to let them know they’ve been noticed while I go about my business. What I find interesting is the different things that traders will pass back and forth in these “handshakes.” One particular trader had the habit of getting back into his ship and realizing his entire cargo hold, all 150+ tons of it, was filled with fuel. Other traders have been known to pass the token credit or two. Still others have been known to pass on pets (cats in particular - 1 animal embryo, 1 ton food/water). All in all, it’s just one of the little things that makes life interesting in the universe.
Into the Dark Dome
Ever wonder how those body parts got to the black market? We did too. And so investigative reporters went undercover to get the scoop on what was happening in… the DARK DOME.
The journey started on Orerve I where the reporters were beat up and dropped 10 feet to make it look like they were escaped slaves. I think one of our reporters broke a leg. Cameras from atmospheric satellites showed the reporters eventually captured and taken into custody. (Excpet the one who broke his leg… he was shot)
We waited in orbit for quite some time. We saw drug ships come and go. We were lucky, only half the reporters we sent were sold to drug producers where they were never heard from again. After two weeks (and another ½ of the remaining dead due to poor conditions), the survivors were herded onto a transport. This was our chance. Our one chance to see for ourselves where these contraband body parts came from.
By now, I’m sure our investigative reporters were getting nervous, but that’s ok, we had everything under control. All we had to do was press this little button and the system authorities would be right behind us. So we followed the slave transport way out into space, past normal boundaries, towards the fringes of the NZ. Hmmm… I wonder if this button would work from this range? What we saw was a big large dome. There didn’t seem to be any entrances, exits, windows… just a big large dome. Hmm…
Daring to get a closer look we got closer to the transport. Close enough for us to see it and it us. Nothing changed and we realized the ship was an auto-pilot! The ship moved up and docked with the dome. We pushed the button. Repeatedly… and waited.
Several hours later, the system authorities arrived with the heavy weaponry. The slave transport was boarded. Nobody on board. As the officials tried to enter the dome, the main door opened where nice neat little boxes of body parts were pushed onto the transport by a robotic arm. Obviously there were no survivors. However, we found out where the contraband parts come from!!
Seeing as we found out all about the DARK DOME, the Tribune considers the operation a success!!
[Condolences to the 20 families of those lost in the operation. No details can be given as to the condition, whereabouts, or status of the remains. Donations for the survivors can be sent to the Tribune.]
Did you know:
…that while explosive missions are extremely profitable, there is a chance based on your maneuverability rating that the explosives will explode in a wormhole. The damage taken to the ships hull is random between 3 and 4 a ton. For example, 10 tons of explosives will do between 30-40 damage if they explode in a wormhole. Armor and/or shields do not make a difference.
…that if you happen to be in a Starbase Race and lose, you have to cancel your upgrade if you ever decide to try building another starbase? The upgrading on the first base will continue until cancelled, and you can’t be upgrading two bases at one time.
Shining Night back in Spotlight
Not to be outdone by announcements by the AWC, the Order of the Shining Night (OSN) went back to action this week. Testing the defenses of the Retho sector, the OSN met stiffer resistance than that from the Tiacken sector. While temporarily shutting the sector down, the OSN was forced to retreat from the organized resistance. Claims from the OSN state that millions in damages were inflicted while resistance from Retho claim that the OSN is weak and that Retho sent the pirates home. As always, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. In hopes of preventing future intrusion, the residents of Retho have been reported to be putting up a wall of military outposts. Both sides claim success
Monkeys Chased the Weasels
Shortly after the announcement by the Guard as to the surrender to the Anti-Weasel Coalition, the Space Monkeys also surrendered. This puts the AWC coalition up to three alliances (DOW, SG, SM) and an unspecified number of individuals who have surrendered to Paradis and his coalition. Assuming the rate of indoctrination continues, AWC might have a very solid following here in the future. Other potential suitors for AWC indoctrination may be OSN who has also ‘claimed’ Tiacken in the NZ and are performing their trial by fire. How the two ‘cooperate’ remains to be seen.
Military in the NZ
Captain… err “Admiral” Soban had begun a quest to create an unofficial alliance to rid the Neutral Zone of the AWC and OSN. Based out of Zirr in the Neutral Zone, the RA Military would be an OSN/AWC resistance force. Captain…err, “Admiral” Soban would pay resistance fighters based on ship and mission type. With his help, he would free the Neutral Zone of OSN and AWC tyranny. Unforutnatley, it looks like “Admiral” Soban took his quest too far. After receiving little help, he joined up with Admiral Paradis and the AWC. It looks as if “Admiral” Sobann wishes to be part of the ‘liberating’ force one way or another.
Public Service Announcement
The Tiacken Board of Loot Patrol would like to remind the remaining residents of Tiacken that looting without a license is against the law. A looting license may be obtained from your local pirate guild where initiation is generally some sort of humiliating and/or painful experience. May also require feats of strength and/or character. To find your local pirates guild, simply walk around town screaming “I HAVE LOTS OF CREDITS ON ME!!” Looting Tiacken without a license will result in having to defend yourself from other local pirates, generally resulting in a painful and sometimes excruciating death.
Thank you.
This has been a Public Service Announcement from the Tiacken Board of Loot Patrol.
For Sale: One Starbase
2,000,000,000 miles, good condition, freshly washed.
Following her departure from TSO, Fiona put her starbase location up for sale to the highest bidder. As one of the cornerstones of the TSO Olbea triangle, the loss of the Lindel Elenea station was a major setback for the planet of Olbea and the Adda starbase. The populations have dropped on all three significantly from their highs: Lindel purposefully while Olbea and Adda are finding a new equilibrium to support the lessened support from Lindel.
Sited right across the sector from Olbea, the starbase has major financial and military implications for TSO. Needless to say, TSO had threatened to attack any non-TSO trading outpost that went up in that location so potential suitors for the site were limited. Fiona and Tiava met on Lindel to discuss the sell of the station. After a very long and… spirited… discussion, the two finally agreed on a price of $5M for the location to be paid through a neutral party upon the TSO upgrade to SB. Let’s hope the sale goes as planned.
About Home
Well, since the Tribune doesn’t actually HAVE a home at the moment, home is where the heart is. And the heart of the Tribune is still and forever will be, in Tiacken. May the conquerors enjoy their empty sector… for now. The dislocated are out enjoying their freedom. But make no mistake, we will be back to reclaim what is rightfully ours. Be it by treaty, negotiation, or force, we shall wrench Tiacken from the infidels… from their dead cold hands if necessary!! TIACKEN WILL ONCE AGAIN BE OURS!!
…
Hmm… I seemed to have gotten a bit personal here.
Uh… good trading and happy hunting.