The Tiacken Tribune

Beethi Blown Apart, Would-Be Defenses Crumble Due to Incessant Nagging….

On Saturday the universe witnessed one of the most coordinated strikes in recorded history. A mega-alliance consisting of a great number individual alliances struck a major blow against the Mooninites, competely obliterating the claimed sector of Beethi. For those who had not seen the protective areas prior to the strike, Beethi was protected by 4 MO’s, at least two of which were fully loaded. The attackers dismantled those with minimal casualties. This writer has received reports that Scorpion Guard was paid 3 million credits for missile delivery alone. As the Imperial MO busters did their work, hordes of fighters scrambled to the area. The Mooninites, who had caught wind of the impending attack, reacted as swiftly as they could, and rushed to the defense of their sector. MERC also sided with the Moonies in this action, though the price they demanded (if any) has not yet been revealed.

With the structural defenses blocking the sector in tatters, a massive supply chain entered the sector and set up several Soul Reaper MO’s to hold the gap. Fighters from many alliances saw the news on GNN and rushed to attempt to become part of history. Many succeeded. The entire Beethi economy was reduced to rubble floating in space. Many crusaders entering the system saw that it was overrun with drug labs and slave camps and happily began transporting slaves to local planets for release while eliminating the offensive buildings from the sector. For the rest of the fighters, however, the focus was on the high-level combat facilities. Factories were rent asunder by the combined might of the attacking forces.

The Tribune has also been informed that the defenders did have a plan to defend the sector in place. That plan, an admitted long-shot, was derailed when Prince Kevorkian, a key player in the defensive scheme, began to experience serious mechanical failure, including system reset. Because of these failures, along with some excellent missile and bomb work by the attacking forces, Kevorkian had 2 ships destroyed. When the Tribune dug a little deeper, we discovered that one of the Prince’s wives was responsible. Did her nagging ruin the slim chance that Beethi might remain intact? We think so.

As things currently stand, the combined alliances are bracing for a potential counterstrike by the Mooninites and its allies. The suspected spies within the Mooninites have been expelled from the alliance, and little is known about when or how the counterattack will occur. Whether this action prefaces the beginning of peace in the West Pardus Rim remains to be seen, but this reporter strongly suspects that a new conflict over Beethi will erupt all too soon. With galactic war on our doorsteps, the alliance that took down Beethi must soon turn on itself. When that happens, conflict over the rights to Beethi will surely arise.

Galactic reactions to the attack on the Mooninites has, surprisingly, been varied. A great many pilots have expressed outrage that such an enormous force overwhelmed the “hapless” Moonies. Others believe that the Mooninites have finally got their comeuppance. The Tribune has no official stance on the matter, and just thinks that the work “karma” sums up the situation perfectly…of course…whether it has yet to come back around is a matter of continued debate.

One more question remains. When war does find us, will the Federal tactic of learning from our enemy be successful? Red Cell, in particular, should have learned a great deal about how to take down MO’s. Whether this information is kept classified or sold to other Federation alliances during any upcoming conflict is yet unknown. One thing is certain, however. If we do see war, no space is safe. Be on your guard.

Shark Bait Postponed Due to Humanitarian Concerns

As many of you know, the Tiacken Tribune has always been dedicated to the highest forms of entertainment. Earlier, the Tribune promised a return of the hit series Shark Bait. That has proven difficult to achieve. Our first attempt at rediscovering the show landed us at Tiacken I. Unfortunately, it seems as though the population at the planet has diminished significantly since the Tribune moved its headquarters elsewhere. Honestly, there were no crooks to find to feed to the sharks (which, I might add, were looking particularly hungry). There just aren’t many Grocks left out there… Seeing this, the Tribune contacted a local slave dealer to have 2 slaves shipped in for your entertainment. The winner would receive freedom. The loser, well… I suppose freedom is a relative term anyhow….Regardless, as the 2 slaves were in transit, they were “rescued” by crusaders. So our attempts thus far have been a failure. You should rest assured, however, that the Tribune remains dedicated to the highest form of entertainment available in this universe, and will not rest until we figure out a way to bring it to you.

Does More Sentient Life Exist in Unkown Space?

A good question. A young pilot named Grek has postulated that there is, indeed, an outer rim to the Pardus galaxy yet undiscovered. Using advanced theories on Jeff K Foam singularities, he has theorized that the exotic matter is the birthplace of the universe. Currently his theories have come under fire from many senior pilots who think that they’ve seen it all. Well, they haven’t. The Tribune looks forward to Grek’s continued success in the field of extra-stellar geography.