Turn 3 News:
The Economy: 1d100+35 (Previous turn over 125)-5 (No Stewardship Advisor)+10 (Economic Perceptions of Growth)+10 (Will of the Hive)-5 (Military Troubles)-5 (Perception of treaty troubles)+10 (Open Up Avenues)-5 (Non-Productive Mines)+11 (Stewardship)=1d100+56=137, economy continues to explode. In a good way. Gain 100 more Wealth a turn. Economists are starting to talk about the 'Gazinitah miracle.' In Gazinitah, at least. The rest of the galaxy still pays only dim attention to the Gazinitah economy.
Local News:
The Fleet Returns...Most of It: The fleet returns from its unannounced mission, to great surprise and then horror at the losses. While the numbers is small in absolute terms, they are the heaviest casualties suffered by the Gazinith navy since the 1900s, if not the heaviest casualties in the hive's history. Many cry out against the 'Great Murderer' Captain Bizentara, and as many condemnations come as praise, and yet the military as a whole seems in awe of him, and there is a strong undercurrent of support, even as plenty of public figures react in horror to the events and the deaths.
[] Have your news agencies release more information about the battle, making logical arguments that the casualties suffered were the least possible against these odds and that it was Bizentara's skill that allowed so many to survive.
[] Have your allies/friends make an emotional/moral argument primarily, that the lives lost are well worth it for saving so many slaves and helping so many people.
[] Make a personal appeal, resting on your own authority and popularity as Speaker in order to help Captain Bizentara.
[] Do nothing, surely it will blow over, and no need for the Captain to get a swelled head…
[] Write-in.
Radicals Break into Palaces: The palace of the former Rulers have recently been the scene of a spate of break-ins by radical elements, opposed to reconciliation with the old regime. Their movement is small, only a few hundred thousand supporters, and that's counting those who support it in word or money only, but it has grown somewhat with the revelation that there might be some economic problems and treaties that Gazinitah has been signed onto. It's likely to grow, though it'll still remain small, probably only a few million bugs. Miniscule in size, but like a fly or gnat biting away at the body politic.
[] Suppress the movement, both through the law courts and prosecuting those you find that are guilty, and through internal security and propaganda aimed at undermining their cause and their beliefs.
[] Legally prosecute those directly guilty of crimes, while leaving the leaders and most important figures untouched to continue to grow the movement.
[] Aim propaganda at the leadership of the movement, but do not prosecute the grunts/low-level figures who are the ones doing the actual crimes, with or without the leaderships' knowledge.
[] Take no action. A few hundred thousand or a few million is nothing, a startlingly small and irrelevant movement that barely rates on a population chart. It'll blow over.
Playing Games: Entertainment holovids have continued to spring up, the market by now starting to get close to saturated, and new games, gameshows, and other events are constantly springing up. Ultimately, the Hive seems to be coming alive under the leadership of Speaker Vorzhan, and the continued opinion improvement has been very drastic, to the point where some are beginning to collect the Speaker's quotes, sayings, and ideas, and refer to them as having some validity greater than merely being right. The Hive thrives, despite some problems. +10 to this turn's economy roll, you can see it at the top of this update.
Intergalactic News:
DCI Takes Over Transport Crash Investigation: The retrieval operation and investigation surrounding the passenger transport crash on the Ilwari colony of Nstra has been formally placed under the oversight of the Department of Criminal Investigation, the special investigative arm of the Union's Military Police. (Viewers should recall that, given that the military is the Union's government, all public services are run by the military- the Military Police are effectively the civil police.) "Based on current information, we are currently treating the crash of Union N-935 as suspicious," said spokesperson Colonel Ysav Ti Kasr at a press conference earlier this week.
Negotiations Flounder on Barsa Homeworld: Negotiations aren't dead, but they are sleeping. After months of debate and meditation, several key figures in negotiations between Eranit and the Confederacy have walked out, declaring that this meeting is unwise. Those that remain are still trying to work towards a solution, but if they fail there is the risk of war or economic turmoil in what is still one of the largest economies in the galaxy.
Battle on Pirates' Moon: A huge event took place, one so large and important that it managed to shake the galactic foundations to its core. The infamous Pirates' Moon has been entirely cleared, and by Gazinitah of all powers, and now what remains has been occupied by an expeditionary force of Sol, in a controversial move. Questions are being asked, not only in the Republic but across the galaxy, as to just what happened. Either way, much has changed, and Gazinitah is in the spotlight for the moment, and not just for its internal changes. Still, an issue has to be decided on the occupation of Pirates Moon…
[] Jointly occupy it with Sol. While the force that Gazinitah sent and the money it would spend would be relatively token, as would the aid provided, it would be something of a drain, but it would allow them to share in the success or failure of the enterprise, and might win points with Sol. Lose several frigates/corvettes temporarily, until occupation ends. Lose 25 Wealth a turn in the Military category, 25 Wealth a turn in the general budget. Might have opportunities later, might have problems later.
[] Leave it to Sol, taking no part in the occupation, might lead to decreased opinion, might be a smart choice, might not.
Sol News:
The Debate Rages On: Prime Minister Mutumbo's decision to send a fleet and troops to the "Pirates' Moon" has aroused great controversy on Sol, overshadowing several of his domestic initiatives in trying to streamline some of the governmental functions and centralize power further. All of that seems a world away as many accuse him of being a warmonger, of being wasteful of capital that could be used for other purposes, and more seriously, that it isn't a good step and that there is no plan at the moment for when to end the occupation. Calls have come, and are gaining strength, for him to further define his foreign policy aims, rather than continue to keep them obscure and vague, as well as specify what counts as 'Victory' in the Pirates Moon. As such, his popularity rating has decreased somewhat, but for the moment his party is sticking with him.
Spy News:
Technocracy: There have recently been shakeups in the Technocrat Imperium. In addition to some serious arguments, many of them public, on the latest design innovations and the narrowing tech gap, even among the highest level officials, there is talk of an incident in which ships disappeared from dock, somehow unrecorded. There is also increased mercenary activity across the Imperium, for unknown reasons. The spies will report in when they've gotten more information.
