Rumour Mill Turn 8
Cluster News
Bodies Discovered: Since its foundation, Kadris has experienced the disappearance of numerous slaves from the work camps and factories, seemingly without trace. With the dispatch of Batarian Internal Affairs, the truth has been uncovered. Kadris' pitiless cold made it seem unlikely that life could possibly thrive without advanced technology, but life it seems has found a way, as the genetic material and remains of nearly 400 slaves have been discovered in the snow. While some off the 400 are almost completely gone with only trace remnants left behind, almost 350 of them were discovered pulled limb from limb and packed into snow filled caves, seemingly to preserve them for future consumption. While there are still several hundred unaccounted for slaves, it is likely that they too have fallen victim to whatever creatures lurk upon the freezing world. The Hegemony has deployed numerous surveying and hunting teams in the hopes of dealing with this beast, whatever it may be.
Planetoid stopped, moved out of range: While Kappa Su prepared extensively for a potential disaster, such measures proved unnecessary as the well-practised and choreographed means of stopping meteors and asteroids went into effect, albeit on a far larger scale than almost ever before in recorded history. Yet a success it still was, with the planetoid successfully redirected away from the colony and a general demobilisation issued to the once "sleepy" colony, which has endured far more excitement in the last decade than it has ever had in the past. With the asteroid stopped, eager scientists poured over it to discover how such a large body had started its collision course and concluded that some time in the past a massive detonation had forced it from its system into dark space, where it was slowly drawn into Kappa Su. Unfortunately, while it has changed or at least influenced numerous astrophysics theories there is not much else that can be drawn from the planetoid scientifically. Mineralogically is another matter, however. The planetoid was rich in material before it was blasted off, and millions of years of gathering debris in the void of space has increased this significantly. As thanks for their assistance in stopping the planetoid, Kappa Su's administration has given the Nal'vatanis Corporation exclusive rights to exploit the windfall for the time being.
Massive industrial buildup: The colony of Perkwunous has for the most part spent the last few years quiet despite the impactful discoveries found on the planet, but that changed in a big way this year. While already the administrative centre of the Nal'vatanis network of refineries and rapidly becoming a centre for trade, the colony has suddenly made massive investments into their orbital infrastructure, specifically expanding their berth space and repair yards considerably. This has come as a relief to many local ship owners as it reduces the need for damaged ships to be tugged out of the cluster to larger yards, which is always a vulnerable transition. Combined with the expanded trade port and large element zero deposits, the planet is well on its way to becoming a formidable economic centre despite its challenging environment.
Enkindled almost rooted out: For the last two years the Enkindled fanatics have hidden within the Prothean ruins, trying to keep out scientists and explorers in a desperate attempt to stave off the wrath of their gods, efforts that proved remarkably effective thanks to the skill of their brainwashed drell assassins. Aided by the fact that the asari huntresses were under strict orders to be careful in the delicate ruins, the drell were able to inflict constant guerrilla casualties before melting into the shadows like they had never been there at all. But regardless of any skill, time wears on supplies and willpower. Unable to leave the ruins to steal food and water, the Enkindled slowly weakened as the asari grew more adept at hunting them through the ruins, until at last the Enkindled were forced into a position where they had to act. Scientists had discovered a Prothean datacore and moved in to recover it, the "violation" of such a sacred artefact forcing the Enkindled to action, with their remaining drell attempting to intercept the crowd of researchers and guards. For such a brutal engagement it was almost completely without the use of guns or biotics, both sides fighting almost exclusively in hand to hand, an area in which the malnourished drell proved to be almost supernaturally skilled, fighting through the asari to close on the researchers, dozens of Huntresses crippled or dead around them. Salvation arrived in the form of the drell dispatched by the Illuminated Primacy, the fresh and equally skilled drell managing to defeat their counterparts with ease before dispersing to capture the remaining Enkindled. With the capture of the Enkindled reinforcements on Perkwunous, it seems likely that when the last few Enkindled are captured the chapter on Olmantsi will be finished, even if confusion and crisis within the Primarcy continues to grow.
Additional "habitable" planet discovered: As exploration of the cluster continued, hopes of finding another liveable world stayed alive, maybe even a garden world if the explorers were lucky. This wish was granted, albeit only to an extent. A methane world with an ammonium biosphere, a stark rarity in the galaxy, but a garden world to the enthusiastic and clamouring volus. Currently designated VL-52, the Vol Protectorate has already petitioned the Council for colonisation, a request that is almost guaranteed to go through due to how rare it is for such worlds to be discovered and how relatively useless they are for anyone else. In fact, behind closed doors the various corporations and clans are already debating who among them will be given the opportunity to develop this new, unclaimed world. Whomever it is, the presence of the volus will assuredly be a boon for such a growing cluster.
Systems Alliance News
Dead Sun: The Blue Suns rose to prominence as humanity's premiere mercenary outfit in the wider galaxy, promising reliable and high-quality protection in exchange for a reasonable amount of credits. A worthy goal and dream for any PMC, but like so many noble ideas they have quickly burnt themselves out. Only a few short years ago the Suns suddenly fell into considerable infighting across the galaxy, with contracts suddenly abandoned and refunds hastily handed out, although the exact cause was unknown. Maybe they were fighting some unknown force, perhaps a copycat group, or (as is most likely) the heads of the company had decided one of them wasn't getting a big enough share of the pie. Whichever or whoever is the cause, the burning star of the Blue Suns is no more, with upper management and founders Zaeed Massai and Vido Santiago apparently meeting on the Kolvardar mining and refining platform. When Massai left, the platform was little more than a ruin and the Suns had officially dissolved. Where he has gone is currently a mystery, but the remnants of his organisation have scattered across the galaxy, some with hopes of recreating the majesty of the Suns, others happy to take their credits and return to a more peaceful life.
Shadow Broker?: This was the year of the conspiracy theory as humans started to float their own theories on the extranet. Famous names like Froggy Boi and F + L = T (Fact + Logic = Truth) began comparing notes with asari and salarian theorists, who passed their notes on to "secret" contacts in the true power of the galaxy, the Courts of Dekunna, whispering about what and how the galaxy really was, and the Council just wanted to keep them all blind so that they wouldn't challenge their power. All rather ridiculous, but two of these conspiracies did capture the imagination of the human public to a greater extent. First, the Shadow Broker, the mysterious and supposedly real information dealer that could give a person access to anything, know any secret or kill anyone that threatened them. While the Council insists that there have been many "Shadow Brokers" all of whom use the title as a means of inflating their reputations rather than having legitimate meaning, the idea of the Shadow Broker has struck a cord with humanity and brought back an ancient meme… the Illuminati. It's hard to go on the human extranet without hearing the Illuminati theme with the traditional triangle given a "dark" twist, usually to make the joke that the Broker has been messing around in human civilisation since the dawn of time. That being said, several conspiracy theorists do believe that to be the case.
Asari Hysteria!?: The
other conspiracy theory is one of ancient pedigree and headaches, the "replacement" conspiracy. The theory goes that as asari progeny with both asari and non-asari partners are always asari, the asari engaged in a massive conspiracy to wipe out all other life in the galaxy and replace them all with asari. This theory is old, in fact it goes back to just after the earliest first contact between the Salarian Union and Asari Republics when translations were slow, communication slower, and rumours spread a pace that made wildfires look sluggish by comparison, with the idea firmly lodged within the galactic consciousness ever since. The theory does not possess, according to the numerous studies done to determine its validity, a shred of truth. It lacks even the basic logical foundation for anything resembling truth. The asari reproductive cycle is considerably slower than that of any other known species, with their biological and societal development slowing down the speed even more, and the only reason the asari population is not at risk of shrinking is because of their long lifespans and said ability to reproduce with all species. Of course, this matters not to the believers who dismiss all studies as being subverted by the secret Matriarch council. Regardless, this almost memetic conspiracy has made the jump once again and is now firmly ingrained in humanity's conspiracy mindset, but has also made its way into certain "special interest" groups. These groups claim to be concerned for humanity's future and are demanding various measures to "curb" the influence of the asari in human space. So far, they have been stringently ignored, so long as they remain peaceful.
Colony plague: The arid colony of Muramar's Well is not a very well known colony. It's a calm place, stable and with good connections to its surrounding area, with good exports of manufactured goods and imports of water to offset some balance issues. In many ways it's just one of over one hundred worlds, a number that has risen enormously in recent years, that make up the Systems Alliance. This year, that changed as an infection emerged from the world and began to rapidly spread among the population, with only the swift actions of the Governor enacting a quarantine before the virus spread off world. Trapped on the planet with the Alliance standing at a distance, but lacking the equipment needed to analyse the virus quickly and devise a vaccine or cure. Hope seemed lost until a sudden and vast number of FTL signatures appeared, a fleet that had veered drastically off course arriving in the system. At its head was a Dreadnaught, a former Kamar-class renamed the Bounty Guard, and at its back was a full medical fleet of the Ilumi-Saralax Organisation. Analogous to the Red Cross of Earth, their duty was to intervene in disasters of any kind be they from war, natural disaster, or disease. With thousands of years of history, the complete support of the Council and its constituent members, and countless civilian charitable donations backing them up there were few that would gainsay them. Indeed, it is traditional for Citadel members to donate surplus military vessels to the Organisation, who would strip the weapons and armour to make room for additional medical equipment and hospital beds.
The fleet had been moving into Alliance space to meet with the Red Cross to discuss a potential merger or at least cooperation between the two, but with news of the plague and no one else having the equipment or expertise to assist the fleet immediately diverted itself. Right now, they are in a race against time, with diagnosticians and virologists working hand in hand to try and keep up with newly emerging symptoms and create a cure. If they fail then the entire colony may perish, but they are also in a fight for their own lives. The disease likely originated from the wildlife of Muramar's Well and has already jumped species once to devastating results. The chances of it doing so again is perilously high.
BAaT Troubles Continue: After last year, BAaT has come under increased scrutiny and even the release of their mark two biotic amp has done little to improve their situation, with numerous watchdog groups furious at the profound rush the amp demonstrates. While it will let a biotic control their abilities and even enhance them to an extent, it also causes frequent headaches that are almost impossible to fully remove as the amp is surgically implanted. While BAaT still retains a complete blackout in regard to most formal investigation, the Parliament has announced an investigation will proceed starting next year as rumours of abuse of BAaT's young charges and various concerns about where the money being funnelled into BAaT is going continue to grow.
Batarian Outrage: The successful release of the film
The Abyss has prompted significant anger from the Batarian Hegemony, claiming it is culturally insensitive towards their people, specifically their caste system. The film, according to writer Lopez Montilo, is intended as an exploration of how fear combined with advanced technology and increasing authoritarianism could potentially lead to a society of oppression. The plot of the film takes place in a parallel Systems Alliance, known as the Trust, ruled over by autocratic, belligerent rulers, but primarily focuses on the Abyss: an area where the lowest of the low are forced to work in deep mines. They are compelled to do this because of chips implanted within them prenatally that allow anyone with a higher level of chip to force them to obey any order. It would seem that these themes hit a little too close to home for some of the Batarians, with several within their noble castes launching lawsuits for cultural defamation, although not much is expected to come of this.
Candidates emerge: It has been nearly ten years since the Systems Alliance Parliament was formed in the confused aftermath of the First Contact War, and now it is finally the time for new elections. Currently, all the seats from the original congress are up for re-election, as is the position of Prime Minister, and people jockey across the Alliance to secure favour for their candidacy over their rivals. However, this is also a period of immense instability and flux. If the elections go through as planned, then the Parliament will have proven that it is a viable system. If not, then crisis awaits. Currently, to become Prime Minister a single person needs the support of a majority of the parliament, and there are four people who have a realistic shot at this. Mostly, they have similar internal social policies, and the differences come from their major foreign policy objectives and spending plans. Iona Tilla, who has the support of the Mercantilists, representative of Italy. Her platform calls for continued economic growth and closer integration with the Citadel's trade network, possibly inspired by Volus trading contracts she secured for her nation which have led to a massive economic expansion. Gaius Korolov, from Shanxi. His platform is one of defence, calling for a massive expansion of humanity's navy, unsurprising given his home world was the centre of the First Contact War. Tyron Taylor of Birkenstein, whose position is one of expansion and scientific power, pushing for a continued expansion of humanities borders with colonisation while also ensuring that all colonies have a complete educational system (something that is notoriously spotty.) Finally, there is the Terra Firma candidate, Inez Simmons, their party head. He is calling for a withdrawal from the Citadel and for a refocusing of Alliance resources on Earth, specifically focusing on the impoverished areas of the planet. While Simmons is unlikely to get enough votes outside of Terra Firma to be a serious candidate, he still commands wide support and the party may end up in the role of kingmaker.
Fleet Doctrine Altered: Following the First Contact War and the sudden increase in technological sophistication derived from alien equipment, humanity has had to swiftly retool how it actually fights war. In large part this is because humanity lacked the ubiquitous GARDIAN systems found in Citadel space, which allowed for carriers to have a far greater impact then than now. With military strategists pouring over historical records and combat simulations they have created a new doctrine, although the details of this doctrine are still being kept secret for now. When the fleet next sees large scale battle, the secret shall be revealed.
Galactic News
Record Breaking System Discovered: Discovered in the Serpent Nebula on a newly found secondary route, the Ylaira system overflows with minerals. Billions of credits worth of the stuff simply floats through space to say nothing of the dozen massive planets, with a combined total of hundreds of moons, and a pair of supermassive gas giants heavy with element zero. Overall, it contains everything from simple copper to usually artificial materials like Wooznium alloys. Given its proximity to the Citadel the usual politicking and fighting that usually accompanies such discoveries (once a millennium as they maybe) was unneeded, as despite groans of disappointment the Council unanimously claimed the system for personal use, although they do have something to do with it.
Gargantuan Shipyard Theory Completed: It has taken nearly 100 years, a long time even for Asari, but an in-depth study in to how to theoretically construct massive space-borne objects has been concluded. While there are already large megastructures constructed by individual polities, (the largest currently is the pinnacle of the Palavan Defence Network, Rhyjudis Mons,) these individual examples pale in comparison to the works of the Protheans, the Citadel and Mass Relays. While there have been viable plans for ships surpassing the size limits of Dreadnaughts before, there was no shipyard able to assemble them, at least not without them being utterly prohibitive in cost. This is the case no more. The life's work of engineers Tolara Vex, Nix, Tax, and Rox in association with the Asari Void Architect Esanna'su'lan and the Scientist General of the Turian Hierarchy Naval Research Division Baras Katrax, allows for the creation of a new shipyard of unprecedented size. While not of the size to create a new Mass Relay, the Council has already green-lit the Ylaria system as the home of this new shipyard, the first of its kind, as well as the construction of the long dormant ship, the Destiny Ascension.
Tech Stasis Achieved: While the idea of stasis is not new, only skilled biotics could actually perform the technique, and even then not for very long due to the immense strain it put on the body, both mental and physical. But this year Dr Halasia of Thessia, a noted expert in the field of element zero research, unveiled a successful stasis locked object (a teapot) without the use of biotics. Several emitters were used which projected a complex mass effect field imitating the actions of biotics in order to project stasis. While the Doctor insists that this is merely a prototype and cannot be taken as anything suitable for the mass market, the public has gone wild with speculation as to what this could lead too. After all, objects in stasis are effectively frozen in time, and as such the applications in construction and defence are enormous. Potentially this may even open up the secrets of the quantum lock shielding the Mass Relays from damage. While the public speculates, the scientific community pours over Dr Halasia's extensive thesis, proving her discovery by successfully replicating her effect (this time on a Punchmaster toy robot). Possibly one of the largest discoveries in the field of Element Zero research of the last few years, if not decades, Dr Halasia has thus been nominated for a Unity Globe in Element Zero Physics.
Terminus Koriolas Facility Ready: Terminus Space is usually where unscrupulous individuals go in order to test inventions that do not meet the ethical standards applied under Citadel law, but usually this is a quiet affair… until something activates incorrectly and people die. Not so this year, as the much anticipated Koriolas facility (located on the aptly named planet "Useless") has opened its doors for blatant testing. Jointly owned by several different corporations, the facility's promise to let those interested test their inventions with minimal (read: no) oversight, no matter what it may be with the exception of potentially planet cracking weaponry. With a fleet standing in orbit to shell any compromised testing site, the facility has seen lunatics across both the Terminus and Citadel space converge upon it, and it is already taking in a disturbing amount of revenue and corpses from this unusual venture.
Once more I return, essay complete, computer fixed and text rewritten twice thanks to crashes.
Thanks for ever and ever to
@EternalStruggle the great and the good.
