08 APR 3302
From a vantage point more than 65,000 light years from Sol, a transmission has been received regarding the Distant Worlds Expedition. Sent by a Commander Salomé, the message congratulates Dr Kaii and Commander Erimus on their colossal achievement, and pays homage to the hundreds of other explorers who took part.
"The voyage has yielded a wealth of exploration data, and may well contain remarkable new discoveries about the galaxy in which we live. It has been a pleasure and privilege to be involved, and I wish all the explorers a safe voyage home."
Early analysis of the recovered data indicates that a number of new routes have been scouted, including pathways to Beagle Point, the Core, the Formidine Rift, the Norma Expanse and many other parts of the galaxy. These routes combine in a complex cobweb, paths through the void. Sceptics were quick to put these discoveries in context, however:
"Scouting a route is all very well, and we applaud the achievements of these adventurers," said Karl Devene, head of Astrocartography at Mars High. "But these explorers should not be under the impression that these areas can be considered even partially charted. There is much that remains to be done."
08 APR 3302
Unusual news has emerged from the galactic centre, where an independent pilot has declared herself 'Queen of Sagittarius A*'.
Commander Lysianassa, the self-proclaimed monarch, made the 26,000 light year journey in a fully armed Federal Corvette with heavy bulkheads and prismatic shields. Most explorers travelling to the centre of the galaxy are lightly armed, if at all.
The legality and morality of Commander Lysianassa's right-by-conquest approach has been hotly debated by independent pilots. Lysianassa claims to have brought law and order to an otherwise anarchic system, thus protecting defenceless explorers, but not all agree. Some recognise the authority of 'Her Royal Majesty Queen Lysianassa', but others claim she is nothing more than a criminal with delusions of grandeur.
There are currently no provisions in interstellar law about the neutrality of Sagittarius A*, but it is widely considered a heritage site for humanity.
Commander Queen Jezza
08 APR 3302
This report presents the latest data on conflict among the galaxy's minor factions.
Here are the latest factions to experience a civil war:
Friends of Sandjin
Sandjin Drug Empire
CD-39 4830 Purple Boys
CD-39 4830 Comms Limited
Alpha Volantis Gold Drug Empire
Monarchy of Alpha Volantis
HIP 57645 Resistance
HIP 57645 Clan
Camorra of Warra
Warra Netcoms Systems
Civil wars occur when minor factions compete for control of major assets such as starports. When a faction is involved in a civil war, the standard of living, development level and security level in the system it controls are temporarily reduced. Combat activities can bring a civil war to an end.
Here are the latest factions to experience war:
Fintamkina Purple Dynamic Ind
Independent Gladyangar Revolutionary Party
New HIP 82515 People's Party
Volsum Blue Fortune Solutions
Revolutionary HIP 100934 Left Party
Constitution Party of Gende
Liu Di Imperial Society
Mizar and Co
Independents of Ross 340
Hollos Blue Legal Corporation
Wars occur when a minor faction invades a star system controlled by another minor faction. For the duration of the war, the standard of living, wealth level and security level in the disputed system are reduced. Combat activity between the two warring factions determines the outcome of the conflict. If neither faction succeeds in dominating the other, the war ends in a ceasefire.