The news reporters this issue were:
William Knight, ANWTK@acad2.alaska.edu
Mike Phillips, msphil@birds.wm.edu
JLOUD@GAMMA.IS.TCU.EDU
Leonard Scott, LENSCOTT@AOL.COM
POLICE STRIKE ENTERS SECOND WEEK!
NEW NEURAL LINK MAKES SOLDIERS FASTER, BETTER!
Omni-Consumer Products, reeling from a terrorist bombing and
repeated problems managing Detroit's Police Department, has just
unveiled a new product targeted at the military market, literally.
This advanced neural enhancer, called a 'Gun-Target Link', allows the
properly-enhanced soldier to fire more rapidly and more accurately.
In trial runs, this was demonstrated to cut the civilian losses
(sometimes called collateral damage) almost to zero.
The Marine Corps and the Army immediately ordered more tests,
supplying their own volunteers, despite objections from the ACLU.
There are some concerns in the medical community as well, as the exact
impact of that much intrusive surgery into the nervous system, despite
decades of successful organ transplants, remains to be seen. The
American Medical Association recommends caution and careful clinical
testing.
[GM's note: this is the introduction of the first true 'cyberware' into this campaign, which has been deliberately kept very low-tech]
Mike Phillips: msphil@birds.wm.edu
United Terra : Acey-Two : New Dallas :
HELLISH HORNETS A CONTINUING PROBLEM?
After delivering their report to colonial leaders, the United
Terra Reconnaissance and Peace-keeping Force (UTRPF) has released some
information to the public. The new colony on the southern continent
was destroyed by humongous hornets, said to span more than two-feet in
length. UTRPF has promised to leave a garrison in New Austin, in case
the Hell Hornets, as they have been named, are discovered on the
northern continent.
Also in the information released was a description of a large,
underground chamber which had held more than two hundred of the
hornets in stasis. The power to the stasis chamber was failing as the
UTRPF investigators approached it, although the troops were successful
in eradicating the hornets.
Satellites are being placed in orbit to seek out energy emissions,
in case there are more such buried chambers on Acey-Two. As New
Austin mourns the loss of its sister city to the south, citizens can
only look to the future and hope for the best.
A small parade and holiday was held to celebrate the return of the
UTRPF troops from the southern continent. The mayor and his advisors
presented the leader of the troops with an honorary key to the colony,
and promised that they and their brethren would be welcome any time
they chose to return. On behalf of the UTRPF, the Lieutenant in
charge of the small force accepted and gave a brief speech.
Mike Phillips: msphil@birds.wm.edu
New nation-state mini-bio's:
Current: Year /Month /Day 20,223 05 40
TRI-ALLIANCE DIPLOMAT KILLED BY EXTREMISTS IN FORIA
22,223 /02 /06 -Cinemay /Di Bhon
Gunmen killed the Tri-Alliance's naval attache to the Trium
nation-state of Foria on a downtown street in Cinemay, and a
previously unknown extremist group claimed responsibility say
government officials.
A man and a woman grabbed Capt. Juan Larou one block away from the
Tri-Alliance embassy, shooting and killing him, witnesses reported.
A note was left at the scene and signed by the religious, Movement
for Unification.
The CommonWealth embassy in Cinemay said they have no knowledge of
prior activities by the group. ***
COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL ARRESTED ON BRIBE CHARGE
22,223 /01 /17 -Taracot /New Haven
A CW immigration official has been arrested on charges of
approving hundreds of fraudulent identity cards for workers seeking
amnesty in exchange more than CR 250,000 in bribes, authorities said.
Joseph Vega, an adjudicator in the New Haven legalization office
of the Ministry of Culture, accepted the money in exchange for
processing 500 to 600 identity cards, according to records filed
Monday in the Magistrates Office in Bankal-New Haven.
Mr. Vega is currently being held at the Provincial Guard Penal
Station for extradition to the Leppord Province where he'll appear
before the MOC's home office. ***
ARMS REDUCTION TALKS CALLED OFF
20,223 /04 /19 -Trancom /Goliath
In a surprise move, Supremacon diplomats called off further talks
on arms reductions.
Confidential sources in the CommonWealth say this is just a ploy
on the Supremacon's parts, to force the CommonWealth into making
concessions to regain the Supremacon's presence at the negotiations
table. ***
HORAUIS EXPLORER ATTRACTS STUDENTS WITH LIVE TRI-DEE
22,223 /04 /07 -/Reft Sector
"To educate, you have to entertain," says Dr. Cornis Balla,
Historian at Reese Institution of Preservation and discoverer of the
ruins of the derelict vessel Horauis.
The Horauis (Hore-ruse) was originally a colony world/ship lost
during the second expansion era. Until Dr. Balla's discovery, it was
believed that the Horauis had been destroyed in a nova.
Balla plans to send live transmissions of his party's exploration
of the Horauis to classrooms and museums around the Tri-Alliance. ***
VALKYRIES GAIN TIE WITH JETS
20,223 /01 /10 -Nolan /Nifflehiem I /Svernia
Mar Bronsky and Ulh Svar scored minutes apart in the third period
Sunday night to give the Valhalla Valkyries A 4-4 tie with the Eistar
Jets in Nolan. ***
GRAV BALL GREAT, SZIN KCIRTAP, DIES AT 290
22,223 /05 /13 - Nclop /Fisher /Katherian Federation
League of Fame member Szin Kcirtap, the last player to score 1,000
in the Upper Division, died yesterday at the age of 290 of natural
causes.
Szin was one of the original Katherians to start the Katherian
Federation of Grav-Ball. ***
UNITED PLANETS ANNOUNCE WIDER RANGE OF COVERAGE FOR UPDATED GENERAL
HEALTH PLAN
22,223 /02 /11 -United Planets General Forum/ United Planets
In another bold move, the UP widened it's health coverage for all
UP citizens. The new coverage will include some 25 new areas that had
previously been in dispute. ***
William Knight: ANWTK@acad2.alaska.edu
The Milky Way galaxy is known as the Dark Glass.
In the Dark Glass universe, the far flung planets of the galaxy
are accessible via hyperspacial rivers (complete with life forms, some
dangerous to starcraft). The hyperspace routes have many tributaries,
just enough to prevent any one power from dominating them. However,
travel time is very slow and some places (planets, stations, stars)
are off the hyperspacial routes.
Starcraft take several months to reach the larger empires. The
closest to Earth (in the Fringe of the galaxy) is the Sadian Empire.
The Sadians look like turtles. They have a program called First
Contact which states that no civilization may be contacted until they
have at least one other planet outside their own solar system.
Toward the galactic core and North-West of the Earth lies the
Annowre Empire. They look like gazelle, only instead of hooves they
have fingers on front and back legs (four-legged race). The Annowre
are aware of Earth but consider it to fall under Sadian rule.
West of the Earth, toward the core, is the Thpooky Empire (the
smallest -- only one other planet). They look like human-sized
elephants with huge eyes and flexible trunks; they work in pairs and
their trunks have thumbs . They require dark as their eyes are so
big. Although the smallest empire, they are the most vocal in
galactic politics. They are benevolent.
Farther West/Southwest is the Brendan Empire. They look like
skunks; they are solitary, small, and like to keep neutral in galactic
politics.
In the galactic core are the dreaded Srehcraeser; their mouths are
nearly inflexible, and they hate nearly everybody. They are the
largest, almost the most technologically advanced, and look like,
uh... sort of like large tubar-shaped bodies with long flexible necks
and at least six noodly legs. Really ugly.
The Sadian's have contacted us, forgoing their First Contact
plans; "An empire is a space faring civilization with more than one
planet outside it's solar system claimed by the empire and recognized
by the other space faring races," said Dracian, diplomat and
representative of the Sadian Empire (six outside planets).
The reason is that Srehcraeser have just released their improved
terror weapon.
The mutnauq wave of positive Death is regarded as tested in the
early Aidepolcycne Britannica by the Srehcreaser.
The Thpooky and the Sadia, unable to convince the Brendans to
unite against this threat, have accelerated their program of first
contact to counteract the threat.
FLASH -- STARCRAFT STOLEN
Six humans have stolen one of the Sadian starcraft and have
disappeared into hyperspace.
The self-proclaimed Captain Cain said he would return the craft
after he checked out the Sadian story. Strong protests were lodged by
the Sadian's diplomat.
Since the hyperspacial rivers are slow to travel (from Earth to
the Core of the galaxy where the Srehcreaser reside on Lack-Ox II is
three to four months), we can only wait to see what happens.
The Sadians are offering their starcraft on a monthly leasing
basis, but this does not condone the actions of Captain/pilot Cain.
With him are two other men and three women identified as:
Captain/navigator Lorien (no other name given), technician/weapons-ops
Jacob Cut, diplomat/explorer/trader Helen de Fise, Albert Wilde (no
position given), and writer Pat Rich.
JLOUD@GAMMA.IS.TCU.EDU
Spinward marches : Glisten : World of Caledonia :
MARCO SPOTTED, LOST -- THE SEARCH CONTINUES
Marco, the self-styled "pirate lord," who hijacked over 23 cargo
ships along the Marastan - Bendor trade route was believed to have
been spotted in the second largest city of Barberra by Imperial
Intelligence agents, but was lost shortly thereafter among the crowd
of the Barberra Municipal Railway Station. A detachment of the
Intelligence agents are being sent to investigate. Some consider it
ironic that he would be here, on a world run by the very companies he
robbed. If caught, local laws would require his execution by flailing.
The government is offering a reward of 300,00Cr for his capture.
Spinward marches : Lunion : World of Shirene :
TWENTY MISSING ON CIRCUMPOLAR EXPEDITION
Twenty men of the Mangotrate Nutrition Corporation who were on an
expedition to discover new life forms in the Shirene Jungle on the
northern continent were apparently attacked by something which
destroyed their equipment and abducted them. Their last transmission
to headquarters was of seeing movement beyond camp, and then the sound
of gunfire. A rescue team found only the broken remains of the
expeditionary force's equipment. No trace of the men was found and it
is not known whether the men are dead.
The Mangotrate Nutrition Corp. has owned this world for over 17
years after an Imperial auction, and has over 250,000 employees living
on-world. Company spokesperson, Wenda Tempton, says that nothing like
this has ever happened before, and that a squad from their security
division will look into the matter.
Leonard Scott: LENSCOTT@AOL.COM
Current: Year Month Day City Nation World
20,224/11/hh#15 Fairbanks/ Northland/ Erth
(1) 3,000 troops from the 2nd, and 3rd King's Rifle Regiments plus
elements from the 3rd Shock Guards Regiment seized the city of
Fairbanks last week and continue to hold despite repeated
counterattacks by Frigian forces. HUMINT (Human Intelligence)
reports indicate that Frigian forces were taken by complete surprise
and that the Ice Lords are hastily trying to put together a plan of
action. It is expected that Northland colonists can move into the
city within two months, if troops continue to advance at pre-
calculated rates. #END OF EXCERPTS
OCEANIA/NORTHLAND FORMULATE TRADE PACT
Current: Year Month Day City Nation World
20,224/ 10/ 09 Pacifica/ Kinru Island/ Oceania/ Erth
Diplomats from the Oceania Empire and the Northland Kingdom,
signed an agreement yesterday in the Oceania city of Pacifica, to
eliminate several tariffs and duties with the intent of increasing
trade between the two nations. Labor leaders from Oceania remain
skeptical, seeing the agreement as being "forced upon them" by
Northland diplomats in an attempt to flood the Oceanianic market with
inferior Northland goods. Oceania government officials claim that
union leaders are disgruntled antagonists that do not represent any
official agency.
SECOND GENERATION "HOG" ARMOR NOW AVAILABLE
Current: Year Month Day City Nation
20,224/ 10/ 20 Port Seetle/ the Free Lands(old Washington)
Harley-Davidson Spokesperson, Ron Cwikle, announced that the
company had perfected it's "HOG-2" power armor and that they are now
accepting orders for the second generation models. The arrival of the
new armor has been anticipated for some time in hopes that the
problems that plagued the HOG-1 would be fixed. At the moment,
Harley-Davidson hasn't stated what the HOG-2 armor will cost, but
insiders indicate that it will be comparable to the HOG-1 (around 1
million Gold Eagles or New Dollars).
ROCKET BLASTS LIGHT UP SKY
Current: Year Month Day City Nation
20,224/ 10/ 29 the Cold Lands (north of Fairbanks)/ Frigia
For the second time in a month, rockets have been launched from
the Cold Lands within the realm of the Ice Lords of Frigia. Pillars
of flame from the launches have been observed as far south as
Anchorage. Informed sources within the High Command have stated that
General Blue has sent elements of the 1st Special Forces Group to
investigate. When questioned, officials within the High Command
declined to confirm or deny this. Speculation about the rocket
launches is that the Ice Lords might have discovered the pre-Rifts
space center north of Fairbanks. What the Ice Lords of Frigia intend
to do with the rockets is as yet, unanswered. William Knight: ANWTK@acad2.alaska.edu