## Articles from Across the Universe: Galactic News

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### “THE SLENATA SLASHER BROUGHT TO JUSTICE”

SEPTEMBER 13TH, FS 503 - In a daring raid by law enforcement in the city of Slenata in the Pan-Gezenan Federation, the man known as the ‘Slenata Slasher’ has been brought into custody. Identified as 38-year-old Rasek-Vinatok, the Slenata Slasher is suspected to be responsible for anywhere between 12 and 23 murders and disappearances over the course of the last four months.

The ‘Slenata Slasher’ started his spree killings in early June, with the deaths of Steps-With-Grace and Filez-Monark, aged 23 and 25. The couple were found dead in their apartment in the West Mona neighborhood of Slenata, each missing their eyes, tails and left hands. The killings initially perplexed investigators – cameras in the hallway outside their department did not show anyone entering their apartment in the time before the killings, or departing after. Later forensic evidence indicated that the killer had rappelled onto their second-floor balcony from the alley behind their building.

Upon entering his home, police found several alarming pieces of evidence, including a small Velako-branded backpack filled with body parts wrapped in synthfiber shopping bags. Among them was the severed head of Hans Greyoll, a Solarian immigrant who went missing last month and was last seen driving home from his job as a construction worker at a new naval installation in Mekabak. Other items found in the killer’s home include a large collection of weapons (a switchblade, three hatchets, a chainsaw, one bolt-action rifle, two handguns and an energy gun), a well-used compact motor vehicle and a large supply of liquid plasma stored in jerry cans.

Rasek-Vinatok was employed as a cashier at a local 24-hour supermarket, usually working the night shift. Our publication reached out to his manager, Lost-In-Thought, for comment.
“He was an odd fellow, in retrospect,” she commented. “He was always kind of a spaceshot, especially when we’d go long stretches without any customers. Most of the other cashiers would sit at their kiosk and read or something like that, but he’d always just stare into the middle distance. I guess he musta been fantasizing, or something.” Other employees refused to comment. Prior to his employment at the supermarket, Rasek-Vinatok was a private in the PGFMC, before being discharged due to failing his psychological examinations.

The SPD released the following statement yesterday evening, about half a day after the raid: “The investigation into Vinatok’s activities are still underway. We have reason to believe that alongside some of the other recovered evidence, other items may be hidden on the property or elsewhere. In the meantime, we request that any persons with evidence of Vinatok’s recent travel please inform us at your earliest opportunity. Thank you.”

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### “NANOTRASEN IN FREE-FALL AFTER DISASTROUS PROJECT DEMONSTRATION”

NOVEMBER 23RD, FS 496 - In the wake of a nigh-apocalyptic research project failure during a recent demonstration of novel Nanotrasen teleportation technology, Nanotrasen’s stock, credit value and industrial capacity has collapsed.

The project, referred to as “Project Gateway”, was an attempt by Nanotrasen to pioneer a form of teleportation technology that allowed the rapid transport of goods and personnel across exceptionally long distances, facilitating an even more explosive growth in its abilities to manufacture and distribute its various products (and threatening to put notable competing brands such as Donk! Co. solidly out of business). While the official demonstration of the product was only yesterday morning, the teleportation devices referred to internally as “Gateways” have been in use across many Nanotrasen research outposts, manufacturing stations and, most notably, installed directly in the offices of several high-ranking executive staff members. Sporadic mishaps had been reported, however the Gateways were considered stable enough by Nanotrasen leadership to be widely distributed despite a lack of extensive stress testing.

Because the novel teleportation devices had seemed to be such a rousing success - with some figures suggesting anywhere between a 200% and a 350% increase in productivity for stations with the devices installed - the public demonstration yesterday drew heavy crowds. Among them were a large majority of Nanotrasen’s primary executives and shareholders, as well as a handful of interested dignitaries and military personnel interested in contracting the technology to suit their particular needs. Once the demo was underway (after a short speech by Nanotrasen’s head of finance, who credited the shareholders, the executive council and the ‘enduring corporate spirit’ of the company with the discovery, curiously leaving out any mention of the myriad scientists and engineers who developed the technology), all seemed well. However, once the devices were activated in full, the Gateways seemed to go wildly haywire.

While other, more technologically-oriented publications may go into the scientific reasoning behind the phenomena, the important factors for the layperson are thus: as a result of the Gateway Disaster, approximately one thousand Nanotrasen installations were destroyed or heavily damaged. Over 10,000 Nanotrasen personnel were injured or killed, including the majority of Nanotrasen’s executive council and controlling shareholders. Overnight, Nanotrasen’s capacity to fulfill its product orders or even back its own currency has plummeted. Nanotrasen, most likely, will never be the technological giant it once was. It would take a miracle to achieve that.

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### “ANTI-CORPORATE LIBERATION FRONT DECLARES INQUIRY INTO NANOTRASEN ACTIVITIES, STUDENT UNION OF NATURAL SCIENCES THROWS ITS SUPPORT BEHIND THEM”

JANUARY 3RD, FS 480 – After the Anti-Corporate Liberation Front of Sol officially declared its intentions last year to launch inquiries into the business activities of Nanotrasen Technical Holdings and invited other public organizations to support their coalition, the leadership of the Student Union of the Natural Sciences has declared its support for their effort.

A heated public debate occurred three weeks ago between the Nanotrasen Coalition Party representative Amelia Becker and ACLF representative Xer’Ant’Hal over a recent pricing change for DeForest Medical insurance policies. Representative Xer’Ant’Hal argued that the policy, which prevented individuals associated with certain educational institutions and political factions (including the ACLF as well as the Galactic Engineer’s Concordat and the Tati’zion Union of Syebanltch) from obtaining access to most of DeForest’s medical amenities and services, was a discriminatory measure that punished those who did not “play to the party line” of Nanotrasen interests. Notably, Xer’Ant’Hal presented data indicating that in upwards of sixty percent of the Intersolar Cantons, DeForest Medical insurance was the only medical care available for those in the middle-class and lower-class income brackets, thus enforcing a sort of adherence to Nanotrasen policy in order to obtain necessary care. Representative Becker responded that Nanotrasen Technical Holdings was free to provide care as it liked to its customers, and cast doubt that there was “truly no other option” for those in under-serviced areas. She went on to point out that Nanotrasen maintains “the vitality of its brand and the associations with such” as best as it can, and by narrowing its customer base, it hoped to “cultivate loyalty among its consumers”.

This debate is the latest in a series of such incidents between the two groups, although the Anti-Corporate Liberation Front has stood in opposition to the ambitions of Nanotrasen Technical Holdings since its founding in FS 321 during a hunger strike aboard a Nanotrasen research station. Previously, ACLF actions against the corporation have included organized boycotts, protests of new installations both planetside and elsewhere, and in one particularly striking case, a civilian blockade of a newly-founded Nanotrasen colony in the region of largely-uncharted space known as the Frontier. The ACLF’s message of halting corporate influence in politics and curbing their abilities to restrict civil liberties has since resonated significantly throughout civilized space, with ACLF offices and coalitions appearing across every democratic government in the galaxy, including the Solar Confederation, the Pan-Genezan Federation and some of the member colonies of the Colonial League of Independent Planets.

This final event, however, seems to be the proverbial last straw – soon after the debate finished with Representative Xer’Ant’Hal being hauled away by Nanotrasen private security due to claims by Representative Becker that she “feared for her safety”, the ACLF branch of Sol officially proclaimed its intent to direct its full efforts towards investigation into Nanotrasen activities, rather than their previously more broad approach to opposing general corporate influence. Representatives Xer’Ant’Hal and Becker were both unavailable for comment, although the local field office for the ACLF reached out to our publication to notify us that she had not been seen since the incident, and her apartment appeared to have been ransacked.

Yesterday morning, the Student Union of Natural Sciences convened for an emergency meeting pertaining to, among other subjects, the ACLF’s plans to investigate Nanotrasen. In the past, SUNS has worked in tandem with the Anti-Corporate Liberation Front on multiple occasions, particularly in respect to subversion of intellectual property law by Nanotrasen as well as aggressive poaching of SUNS researchers and their studies for purposes of product development. In a speech made to the general leadership by Dr. Krakicckiitalakia, a senior member of the organization, he stated, “Nanotrasen has time and time again demonstrated its lack of respect for or comprehension of the importance of a strong, independent education.” With a significant majority vote, the Student Union of Natural Sciences motioned to throw its support behind the ACLF’s coalition. Alongside the ACLF’s stated intentions to investigate working conditions in Nanotrasen facilities and predatory pricing schemes, SUNS has noted its interest in looking into Nanotrasen research and development methodology. How the organizations proceed in doing so remains to be seen.

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### "INTEQ RISK MANAGEMENT ADDRESSES ALLEGATIONS"
*by Ask No Questions*

MARCH 22nd, FS 503, LUNA-TOWN - Since the end of the Inter-Corporate War between Nanotrasen and the Syndicate coalition six years ago, our beloved slice of the galaxy has seen a flurry of change as new companies emerge to fill the vacuum left by Nanotrasen's downsizing. One such newly-minted organization making waves here in CLIP space is Inteq Risk Management Group, a private security company that prides itself on its professionalism and reliability. IRMG first came to prominence in 498 after a daring rescue of CLIP Minutemen forces caught off-guard by the surprise appearance of the New Frontiersmen. Inteq's success over the past five years, however, has also brought scrutiny, with some voices falling just short of accusing IRMG of harboring war criminals and violating humanitarian laws. Here with me today is Margaux Berge, Honorable Vanguard and chief of communications for Inteq Risk Management Group, to answer some questions about IRMG's past, its present, and its future.

ASK NO QUESTIONS: Let's start with the basics: Inteq is a fairly new player in CLIP space, and many citizens may not be familiar with your company yet. Tell me a little about Inteq's history.

MARGAUX BERGE: Inteq was officially founded in 497 FS, a few months after the end of the ICW. Our first members were all former Nanotrasen and Syndicate personnel stranded by both organizations' rapid withdrawal from the Frontier. Since then, we have recruited actively, with a focus on providing jobs for veterans of the Inter-Corporate War. Many have struggled to find employment since the end of the war, and IRMG is proud to support our fellow veterans.

QUESTIONS: How did Inteq's first members overcome the tension of having been on opposite sides of the war?

BERGE: To put it simply, they had much common ground to work with. Nobody had much love for their former employers after being abandoned, and bonding over common experiences from both sides of the war proved surprisingly easy. Going into further depth ultimately describes one of Inteq's central pillars- Inteq believes in leaving the past behind. Everybody here has been given a second chance. So long as we meet that simple expectation of leaving our past in the past, every member of Inteq has the same opportunity to succeed as any other, to use their skills to better themselves and make the Frontier a safer place.

QUESTIONS: You mentioned a "pillar." It sounds like Inteq has stronger principles than one might expect for a private security company.

BERGE: We do. Inteq isn't just some band of mercenaries, thirsty for blood and coin; I see Inteq as a brotherhood. Every member of Inteq has made the same agreement: Grow beyond your past. Work hand in hand with your brothers in arms. Be the best the Frontier has to offer. I believe this bond has been a critical part of Inteq's success.

QUESTIONS: Quite the manifesto. Let's move on to the more recent past. Some citizens throughout the League have raised concerns about Inteq's conduct in the past year. Do you have anything to say to these concerns?

BERGE: Inteq, like any military or corporate organization, handles any misconduct internally first. We take our standards of conduct very seriously, and any Inteq members who violate them severely enough are ejected from the company entirely.

QUESTIONS: There have been rumblings from Solarian space about IRMG's deployment of capital punishment in more extreme cases. Does IRMG actually carry out executions?

BERGE: I would remind the people of my homeland that CLIP is not some frontier canton subject to the whims of the Solarian bureaucracy. It is the Confederated League of *Independent* Planets for a reason.

QUESTIONS: There certainly are some in the core worlds who pay little regard to CLIP's sovereignty.

BERGE: It is an unfortunately common attitude, but thankfully one not reflected in the halls of power.

QUESTIONS: Thankfully! If there's one thing everybody in CLIP can agree on, it's that protecting our independence is paramount.

BERGE: To answer your previous question, IRMG operates in full compliance with CLIP confederal law and any applicable local laws, even though the Inteq Mothership operates in international space. We take our good reputation very seriously.
*(Editor's note: CLIP law does not forbid capital punishment.)*

QUESTIONS: Well, I for one appreciate all the work Inteq has done helping the Minutemen protect us here in the League.

BERGE: The Minutemen are Inteq's oldest and closest partner. You can be certain that IRMG will be happy to help the CMM whenever they have need of us.

QUESTIONS: IRMG's relationship with the Minutemen only seems to be getting stronger. I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

BERGE: As do I! The future, as they say, is looking bright.

QUESTIONS: Well, I can't wait. Thanks for talking to me.

BERGE: The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for having me.

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### “ZOHILI SMUGGLERS PICKED UP OFF COAST OF THE PAN-GEZENAN FEDERATION”

MARCH 8TH, FS 502 – During a routine coastal patrol, Pan-Gezenan naval forces picked up three cargo ships operated by smugglers originating from the Zohil Explorat, carrying large volumes of contraband. The ships, carrying both goods for distribution within Zohili territory as well as items to be sold at its destination, a port in the Antechannel League.

On March 5th, the PGFN vessels Perdition, Solemnity and Righteous were patrolling off the western coast of the Pan-Gezenan Republic, approximately one hundred kilometers from shore, when they encountered three unmarked cargo ships traveling at speed. Consulting their trade route schedules, Captain Glimpses-The-Past of the Perdition, the leading vessel of the patrol, noticed that the three boats were not registered. Issuing a command for its sister crafts to follow the trio of cargo ships, the Perdition issued a hail to all three of the vessels, instructing them to decelerate and prepare for inspection. When the vessels did not respond to the hailing and sped up, the PGFN crafts utilized their Verity-class magnetic inhibitors (a newly-minted directed magnet used to assist in docking and pull hostile ships closer for boarding) to hold the unmarked cargo ships in place, before sending teams to examine the vessels.

Upon boarding the crafts, PGFN soldiers encountered armed resistance, with the crewmen utilizing military-grade Zohili energy weapons to defend themselves. While PGFN troops were able to dispatch the attacking crew members with relative ease due to the vast disparity in training and protective equipment, thirteen casualties and eight fatalities were sustained in the skirmish. The captain of the lead cargo ship was captured without significant injury, and is presently in custody under charges of fleeing from a PGFN patrol and attempted murder of PGFN forces. Additionally, a full manifest of the ships’ cargo was found intact on one of the vessels, although the other two ships had managed to dispose of theirs prior to capture.

Examination of the cargo contents of the vessels yielded a high quantity of Zohili contraband. The cargo was neatly organized between ‘interior’ products marked for distribution within Zohili territory and items being sold to black market dealers within foreign countries, such as the PGF or Zale. Interior contraband included PGF media endorsement materials, non-Explorat-endorsed religious texts, Zohili energy weapons (several of the cases had been broken open and taken from, likely for use in the ships’ defense) and large quantities of bath salts, an illegal narcotic stimulant. Contraband for distribution to foreign markets included a large number of Zohili cloaking devices, multiple Zohili religious icons and a complete set of prototype infiltration armor, designed to allow operators to rapidly change the appearance of their clothing while still maintaining significant armor presence. Efforts are underway to continue examining the contents of the vessels in order to ascertain their intended buyers as well as to identify their larger network.

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### “SOLARIAN ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS LEAD TO DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT PICTOGRAMS”

JANUARY 12TH, FS 499 - During a recent archeological dig on the Eastern North American continent, researchers have discovered yet another instance of a particular pictographic sequence referred to as the “Owned Age Symbols”.

The symbols have been discovered independently of one another over the last several decades of archeological study, including across the North American continent, parts of the European continent and in some locations in the South American continent. Despite the disparate cultures and peoples of these locales, the series of pictographs remains consistent across distances. Its design is simple, and can be replicated quickly without a deft hand.

Investigations have been made into the meaning of these symbols as well. One popular theory is that the symbols are connected to some kind of ascetic death cult, dedicated to a deity of unknown name. This mystery deity is often referenced alongside these pictograms, with several notable features. He (their gender is evident, according to a manuscript found in former Palo Alto on the North American continent) has strong associations with destruction and grief, and seems to have tempestuous relationships with other, similarly unnamed deities that appear alongside him. His ownership of lost souls seems to be the base of his power, hence the referral to the pictograms as “Owned Age”. Curiously, he also seems to be frequently related to childbirth (perhaps in association with the circle of life and death, correlating to his relationship to death) and, most oddly, the forest.

In terms of the actual meaning of the pictograms themselves, archeologists are torn. Because of the deific association, some theorize that the symbols are meant to invoke this deity in some capacity, potentially as a talisman against his influence or to plead for his intervention against an undesirable party. However, the symbols appear frequently enough without direct mention of the god such that the general consensus finds it more likely that the pictograms have a simpler meaning. Instead, many believe that the symbols function as a sort of shorthand for the concepts that the deity controls, almost as an archaic or ritualistic language. Thus, as intrepid explorers of humankind’s former history, we must ask ourselves: what did these symbols mean? What do they have to tell us about our future, from the faraway past? As a small item along the reams of lost information from our history, it stands for that last, final question: what have we lost?

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### “POSSIBLE CURE DISCOVERED FOR JESTER’S DISEASE?”

AUGUST 18TH, 499 FS – Researchers onboard a remote medical station near the planet Northic in the Sunspan system have announced they may have engineered a vaccine for Meliz-Nolan Syndrome, commonly known as Jester’s Disease.

Jester’s Disease was discovered in 456 FS by a BARD assessment team analyzing a xenofauna carcass recovered from an incursion into a colony under their control. Before they had been able to identify it, the disease had spread across the colony and offworld, due to a trader who contracted the illness being med-evacuated to a nearby planet’s hospital. Since then, the disease has been endemic to colonies and planets in the Frontier.

After an incubation period of approximately twenty-four to thirty-six hours, Meliz-Nolan Syndrome is characterized by a number of symptoms, primarily affecting the inner ear, brain and lungs. These symptoms include a severe loss of coordination, seizures, and a spasming of the respiratory system that results in the hoarse, choking guffaws that give the illness its common moniker. While the latter can cause severe respiratory distress if engaged for a significant period of time, proper usage of medical ventilators can provide relief for the afflicted. Despite this, Jester’s Disease is responsible for the deaths of many in areas lacking access to robust medical care, and can often monopolize entire hospital wards during large outbreaks due to its need for constant attention.

Work on a vaccine for the illness has been ongoing since its discovery, with little success. The illness has been resistant to traditional methods of both pharmaceutical treatment and vaccination creation, such as the Pathological Automatic Neutralization machine (also known as the PANdemic Device), which necessitated the lengthy process of creating the vaccine manually.

The research team is funded by the Catherine Schure Memorial Foundation, established in 411 FS after the death of its wealthy founder at the hands of cancer. The foundation is dedicated to the eradication of a variety of lethal illnesses, specializing in those with significant long-term care requirements, such as Meliz-Nolan Syndrome. Research into the disease has been ongoing since its designation by BARD scientific teams, and the particular effort undertaken by the Northic team began in late 489 FS.

In a press release issued one week ago, the Schure Memorial team announced in an unusual turn of events that they intended to release the patent for the vaccine at a shockingly low price, claiming it as a “common good” for its widespread distribution. “Meliz-Nolan Syndrome has plagued the Frontier for decades. Watching hospitals fill with patients unable to be cured – or watching hospitals pile bodies into morgues when they lack the resources to take care of the afflicted – has been a burden too great for us, and we wish to ensure that no one should have to make a choice between financial stability and the lose of a loved one.” Shortly after this press release, however, DeForest Medical made an announcement that they had purchased the Catherine Schure Memorial Foundation, a plan that had apparently been ongoing since the beginning of the year. After the purchase had been completed, DeForest officially recanted the press release, and instead announced that the vaccine would be sold at “standard market value” only through official DeForest Medical Insurance. Shortly thereafter, the Northic facility was liquidated.

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### “SOLAR TRANSPORT BOMB THREAT ACTUALLY PRANK”

JULY 23RD, 503 FS - After a tense several-hour standoff, it has come to light that the bomb threat against the SGSV Vitality was in fact a practical joke in exceptionally poor taste.

Earlier this morning, shortly after the Vitality departed from New Dresden but before it left the system, the Solarian Transit Authority received an anonymous communication from an at-the-time unknown source calling itself ‘Shadowstalker’. The subject identified themselves as a member of the Gorlex Marauders, and stated that they had planted a high-density nuclear explosive on the vessel in retaliation for Solarian support of Nanotrasen and its associates post-war via economic legislature and a harsher crackdown on hostile Syndicate activity within its borders. Any attempt by the transport to leave the system or land back on Earth would result in remote detonation of the device. The Solar Confederation government would have 24 hours to publicly withdraw support for Nanotrasen, N+S Shipping and Vigilitas or the bomb would detonate. After this threat was made public, prominent members of the former Gorlex Marauders – including Cybersun representative METAL-182 and New Gorlex Republic Lieutenant Emilia Hirsch – made public claims that they did not coordinate this threat, alleging that the bomber was acting alone.

Immediately after receiving the communication, Solarian authorities went to work. While some DAA officials began drafting bills alongside Terran Regency officers, members of the Evidenzkompanien started gathering information on ‘Shadowstalker’, in order to determine their location and potentially prevent undermining Solarian political affairs. Within a few hours, Evidenzkompanien cryptography experts were able to navigate the fairly-novice encryption used by the source, resulting in a Verwaltungskompanien SWAT team being sent to the indicated location – a sophomore dorm at the Weber Institute of Technology in Neue Waldstätte. Breaching the apartment, the team discovered 21-year-old Sees-Seven-Suns, a Computer Science student at WIT. After being taken into custody, the subject claimed the whole affair had been an elaborate practical joke, alongside an attempted test of their encryption skills. After looking at a timetable for Solar Transport departures, she chose the SGSV Vitality because it happened to have a loathed professor on board. She made the following statement before being taken into custody.

“I was just super tired of all those stuck-up SUNS kids, always talking about how cool they are, all self-righteous and shit. Who cares? They’re working with…fuckin’…terrorists, man. People blowing shit up. I just wanted to take them down a peg. I learned all about that Inter-Corporate War or whatever in my Modern History course, and I know they’re crazy. I wanted to show people that they’re crazy.”

In the wake of the event, the Evidenzkompanien has made no comment on the affair, beyond its retelling of the events leading up to and including the capture of Sees-Seven-Suns. SUNS has also given no comment on the prank or on the subject’s comments, although a meeting for the leadership of SUNS has been scheduled for August 5th, and will be televised.