Issue #34
Monday, September 12th, 2005Galaxy Wide Déjà vu
What I thought was just the after effects of a bad burrito turned out to be a galaxy wide phenomenon. All around the galaxy, reports of people having the most vivid of dreams were reported. And these weren’t just ordinary dreams – the dreams were connected somehow – people interacted and both remembered the same dream. The dreams seemed to last for days and then just… stopped.
Everyone seemed to wake up at exactly the same time as they had two days prior. While the Empire blames the Federation and ignores the reasoned and obvious solutions as to why the Federation could not have done it, scientists in the Neutral Zone have been hard at work trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. Hypothesis run all over the map including but not limited to:
- The Cybernetic Station has infected enough people and the station is testing its ability to screw with pilots’ minds.
- The galaxy passed through some kind of temporal distortion that temporarily allowed us to live simultaneously in a parallel universe.
- Space dragons have the ability to shift in time – bringing along the entire sector in the process.
- A particular strain of barley used in liquor around the galaxy had a VERY hallucinating effect.
- All of our minds are stuck in some kind of ‘Matrix’ and the system had a glitch.
- Extremists have the absurd idea that we don’t exist at all – that we’re nothing more than 1’s and 0’s in a computer program. Silly extremists.
Whatever the cause – the effects seem to be over for now.
Wanted! For Killing Phantoms?
So now everyone is running around with a two-day memory that never ‘really’ existed. Actions were performed that would have had ramifications – some even serious ramifications had they ‘really ‘existed.
The question has come up in a few cases around the universe where money hungry pilots have asked for compensation based on emotional distress caused from the ‘dream’.
Several alliances are debating whether or not to attack pilots that had attacked them during the dream. The intent was obviously there, but no party actually incurred any losses. So do alliances now have justification for attacking aggressors? Interesting question…
Getting Rid of Crabs
In the sector of Bedaho, space crabs born from the exotic matter located there populated the region and made it difficult to navigate, and even more difficult to harvest. While traders generally avoided the area, fighters of every shape and sort congregated to begin the task of hunting the crabs. There seemed to be no end of the crab population as they stacked five to six deep in some places. Fighters in the area had an enjoyable time blasting away at will. But like any wildlife that is over ‘harvested’, the species couldn’t keep up with the fighters and eventually the fighters won out.
Or so we thought.
The crabs were back after everyone awoke from the dreamstate. Fighters immediately set back towards Bedaho to complete what they THOUGH had been completed. It didn’t take long before the crabs of Bedaho were once again history.
Scientists are irritated that fighters didn’t at least CATCH one or two for scientific study.
Something In the Water
There’s an old human saying when women get pregnant around the same time that “It must be something in the water.” Well, that appears to LITERALLY have been the case on the water plant of Ericon I. It seems that the planet’s oceans have been infected with some kind of fertility increasing parasite. Resistant to traditional water treatment methods, the parasite infected Ericon I water supplies and has been ingested by a majority of the Ericon population. And what does the parasite do? Well, somehow, it negates all traditional forms of birth control. Additionally, the parasite seems to work as a natural aphrodisiac. Around the entire planet, ‘protected’ couples found themselves not so well ‘protected’.
Hospitals have been packed with expectant mothers and additional doctors and supplies have been requested from Ericon II and even Alpha Centauri. This will literally become an Ericon “Baby Boomer” generation. Doctors have been working 24/7 trying to figure out a way to kill the parasite. Rumors have it that the black market has been trying to isolate certain portions of the parasite for their own private use.
PACK Attack
PACK is back in the middle of the action this week. The last few weeks have seen PACK being attacked by Extinction Agenda and individuals from various other alliances. After infiltrating the interior, raiders have been raiding and destroying the PACK’s infrastructure.
Finally, PACK called it quits – they picked up and began the move. The destination? The sector of Beethi. However, EA and company had anticipated this move. Instead of the military outpost receiving supplies, it received a pilot in a body bag being led by a contingent of enemy fighters. The PACK military outposts in Beethi were destroyed. With no real leg to stand on, PACK began negotiations for a cease-fire.
And then it happened.
Everybody woke up from the dream!
With the foreknowledge of the impending attack, supply ships were able to circumnavigate around the hazards and make their way to Beethi. EA, with their primary mission completed (opening up the PACK sectors to all traders) and having a change of heart, agreed to allow PACK to go on their way.
However, all was not well in the sector of Beethi. The Guild, occupying the sector of Edbeeth right next door, would be sharing the same host planet of Olphize and wasn’t exactly happy to have PACK as neighbors. After a brief exchange of words, it looked as if it would once again come to arms.
The Guild and Revenant Squadron set up ambushes in the Beethi sector with the goal of making it painful for any PACK members there. After some negotiations, it obviously didn’t take PACK long before they decided Beethi wasn’t worth the effort. The likelihood of a peaceful coexistence with its neighbors looked unlikely. The conflict was over relatively quickly with a few losses by PACK, and losses to the guild by Freewind, who stumbled across a Guild ambush. Not setting off the ambush he picked off the guild one by one and adding another four kills to his kill tally.
Anyway, with peace nowhere on the horizon, PACK packed up and was on the move again. This time to the sector of Facece in the South Pardus Rim. By the time of this printing, PACK will likely be well under way of getting their new sector established.
Good luck to PACK.
Universal War?
An announcement by the People’s Revolutionary Movement (PRM), with Crake as its spokesman, caused some commotion late last week. Claiming that the Scorpion Guard, Ruby Legion, The Shadow Order, and PACK have threatened and twisted the whims of the galaxy, PRM has asked the universe to unite to destroy this entente. The entente, PRM claims, is headed by the Scorpion Guard and that the other alliances can distance themselves from the Guard and be spared the wrath of the PRM.
For obvious reasons, the announcement was met with more than a bit of skepticism, starting with what is the real connection between other alliances and the Guard, is the Guard as powerful as it claims to be, what’s the difference between actions of the ‘ententre’ and what the PRM is trying to do, and on and on.
What PRM really looks to be doing is stirring up a bit of trouble around the universe. The Guard in particular has become a target by various alliances and individuals here recently. Recent actions against PACK can be at minimum, indirectly related to their involvement with the Guard. The PRM looks to be trying to not only continue the momentum against the guard, but increase it.
How well PRM does remains to be seen.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Our warnings? Ignored. Our pleadings? Discarded. Our begging? Mocked. I see that talk will not convince you.
Actions speak louder than words.
Make no mistake. We have the resolve and we WILL be heard. Preparations have long been underway for this day. Your day. The beginning of your deliverance is nearly at hand.