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The Stargazer Vol 4, Iss 1
THE News for the Dragon Quadrant
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Your UDA news source, quarterly news journal.
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The 16th Day of Unus, Year 3491. | Sponsored by TriTeq Industries, Inc.
Issued on March 31, 2000 RL Time. | "When you want the best, get Teq."
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In this issue:
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TOP NEWS
DRANTRAN DENIES PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF DANGER ON DELTA HAUS
UDA News
Recent Killings Prove Existence of Ancient Cult
Three year UDA sting operation usurped by Mercenaries
Business Universe
Delta Haus Investment Considered High Risk
On the Wire
TriTeq Reroutes Guild Messaging Service
Cutting Edge
Lacknee Airswimmer Sabbatical Produces Mixed Results
Xenoculture
Fashion Maven Esla Signs Rasmon's Deal
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TOP NEWS
========
DRANTRAN DENIES PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF DANGER ON DELTA HAUS
-------------------------------------------------------
Next Octo, the case for the United Dragon Alliance vs. DranTran Corp. in
regard to the dangers of Delta Haus will be heard at the UDA High Court.
Until a week ago, DranTran was considered the sympathetic company, but
recently some evidence has come to light which might hamper that generous
public image. In an early press release, Quadrant Attorney General Evan
Je-Last stated, "Basically what we have here is a clear cut case of
neglect." He continued, "DranTran, despite their early denials, knew
there was danger down on that planet but proceeded to send in a unarmed
surveillance team anyway."
The startling accusation came about after six members of an exploration
and surveying team went missing three weeks ago. DranTran immediately
expressed its greatest concern and sent a dispatch team out to find the
group. "It's important to realize that this is what corporations are
expected to do when this sort of thing happens. The problem isn't one of
an insufficient cure. It's more to do with inadequate prevention." Mr.
Je-Last stated.
In an accompanying data packet, the prosecutor's office explained that it
believes that DranTran had prior knowledge of the dangers on Delta Haus,
particularly of the caves which lie hidden beneath the surface of Dagger
Isle - the primary land outcropping on Delta Haus. The office claims to
have evidence that UDA Marines have been going to the small island for a
few years now as part of their basic training, and furthermore, that
DranTran has been running the service to shuttle the Marines to the planet.
While this alone is not sufficient to prove neglect, evidence of inadequate
equipping of the survey team or deliberate withholding of information in
the team briefing would certainly weigh heavily against the transportation
giant.
More on the complex issues surrounding Delta Haus can be found in an
extensive article in this quarter's Business Universe.
-Smilodon
UDA Newswire
UDA News
========
Recent Killings Prove Existence of Ancient Cult
-----------------------------------------------
A recent splurge of killings are related to the revival of an ancient cult,
claims Amkar Krishnov, Pulitzer prize winning author of "Poisoned Sight,
Poisoned Minds: A History of Luischawn's Blood Monks," noted cult
Historian, and famed translator of ancient languages. "It's obvious to
anyone who cares to look that the Cult of the Stone Dragon has been
re-emerging," Krishnov spoke with great fervor in a private interview
with the Stargazer.
The interview with Krishnov came after another person was stabbed to death
late Friday night, bringing the tally of victims up to 10 in the last two
weeks. The victims were in most cases stabbed, although other wounds have
been noted.
Krishnov pointed to the killings, explaining that the Cult is one based
around murder. "The reason behind their killing is unknown, but some
legends suggest it is for a special item of jewelry made from Sakieve, a
rare metal/ceramic compound," Krishnov said. "And surprisingly, Sakieve
has been found in minute traces on the dead bodies!"
Although information on the Cult is scarce, both due to the super-secretive
nature of the cult, and the explosion which destroyed much of Alexandria II
in 3429, we know with relative certainty they are not a myth, Krishnov
continued.
"The facts are there, and from what I've uncovered from Huanathan and
Altairn ancient records, the Cult has always been around...," Krishnov
emphatically stated, "Just underground." Krishnov expounded a bit on his
recent translations and research into ancient Altair and Belarth records.
"Some of these records date back to well over 20,000 years ago--very well
preserved indeed. He mentioned that, while he could not discuss his
findings in much detail at this time, evidence of killings similar to the
recent ones currently under investigation were well documented over
thousands of years ago in Altairn cultures.
Corroborative evidence exists in ancient Belarth texts describing an
extremely rare metal and ceramic compound apparent in the bodies of murder
victims. Whether this ancient compound is Sakieve has yet to be discovered,
but I am still searching," he said. "Right now I'm still trying to convince
the UDA authorities to test the bodies for the presence of Sakieve during
the autopsies," Krishnov explained. "Unfortunately they aren't taking me
very seriously." In conclusion, Krishnov also pointed to even more recent
Rheleign legal documents, only about a thousand years old, of court cases
which prosecuted Rheleign and imprisoned them for life without being
implicated for any stated crime; they simply declared allegiance to the
cult.
"Mr. Krishnov's claims are of course ludicrous," Chief of Security Hartero
Kwasnye told the press. "With all due respect to Mr. Krishnov, we have
professional Criminologists working on the case. Criminologists are trained
in dealing with criminals, while Mr. Krishnov is trained in dealing with
books." Chief Kwasnye continued, "We have hired a freelance group of
Spaetor Criminologists in order to assist with the investigation."
The Spaetors, who call themselves the 'Telepathic Resonance Group,' are a
division of Synergy Logic Solutions. Renowned for being able to solve the
unsolvable, the Group set aside their research into ancient Earth serial
killers to assist the UDA authorities. "We should have the investigation
wrapped up in the next few days," asserted Jatharian Vitredash, the lead
investigator of the Group.
While the Stargazer has not managed to receive confirmation that Sakieve
was indeed found on the corpses, we will continue to keep our readers
posted. Meanwhile, a special hotline has been opened for anyone with
information meaningful to the investigation. See the SDO Security 'Net
Listing for more information.
-Lazarus 23
Editor's Note: Shortly after attending the interview with Lazarus 23
Mr. Krishnov was killed in a freak Gravi-Belt accident.
As he had not purchased clones from Darvan Life Insurance,
our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends.
Three year UDA sting operation usurped by Mercenaries
-----------------------------------------------------
UDA authorities have spent the last three years following a trail of murder
and destruction in an attempt to apprehend the leader of a terrorist group
known as the Cyborg Liberation Army (C.L.A.). This radical group of
militant criminals is responsible for at least 500 deaths in connection
with the bombing of several government buildings in three systems.
"They were extremely well organized," commented SDO Chief of Security
Hartero Kwasnye, "There were several times we thought we almost had them,
only to find that they were already a step ahead of us." Chief Kwasnye was
loaned to the task force due to his extensive experience in dealing with
terrorists.
Without any warning, the C.L.A. upped the ante and resorted to kidnapping
Julia DeGrance, leaving a ransom note demanding 10 million gold coins
(about 80 million credits) in exchange for Ms. DeGrance's safe return.
Julia DeGrance is the Queen of the largest country on the planet Gamma
Artur. As the planet is still at the midieval level in its technological
development, King DeGrance did the only thing he could think of and put out
a call for a group of stalwart heroes to rescue his beloved Queen.
"We were naturally quite upset to have all that work scattered to the
wind by a group of amateurs," said Chief Kwasnye. "And while we generally
frown on vigilante justice, in this case their prompt actions likely saved
thousands of lives."
The mercenaries were led by Ebon, who also led the strike force that
helped repel the Aernooern (See Stargazer v3i1), and Genie, a long time
resident of SDO. "The C.L.A. forgot Evil Overlord Rule of Thumb number 13:
I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove
it by leaving clues in the form of riddles," said Ebon, when responding to
questions about how they managed to track the C.L.A. to their base. "We
just followed the trail they set up for the money to be delivered," added
Genie.
They finally caught up with a Cyborg who claimed to be the Commander of
the C.L.A., and before they could apprehend him, he revealed that Queen
DeGrance had been fitted with far more cybernetic implants than her body
could handle. This process warped her mind and turned her into an enraged
killing machine. In response to questions about the battle, Padan remarked
emphatically that he never expected what happened. "This Borg chick shows
up on my ship. My ship! Well, that was about all I was going to tolerate!
I jacked in and moved the ship out into deep space, then went and bobbed
around outside a bit, gave my girl Meladhrin a call, and she showed up with
the Rhuidean (her ship). So Queenie bounced around inside the Nox for a
while as we got ready to take her down. Then we just did a little hostile
boarding action and it was all better," Padan said with a grin. "At least
there was no upholstery to speak of or I would have had to charge the King
for blood removal."
When asked about the inhumane treatment of her highness, Chief Kwasnye
remarked, "It appears from the information we obtained after the battle
that they originally intented to just take the money and run. From what
we've uncovered so far, the C.L.A. got tipped off that the mercenaries
were the only thing that was being sent and decided to give them a nasty
surprise. Unfortunately her husband became quite distraught when he learned
of this and had to be sedated in order to stop him from throwing himself
from the battlements of his castle."
In an amazing development, Dr. Vliet Rhodalco was preparing for an autopsy
when Ms. DeGrance began breathing again. "Apparently the C.L.A. put in a
robust regeration system," Dr. Rhodalco explained. After 18 hours of
extremly intensive surgery, Dr. Rhodalco and his staff were able to remove
most of the implants. When Dr. Rhodalco was asked about her status, he
said, "She has a long way to go but is making an amazing recovery already.
Once we get the rest of that junk out of her body, she should be able to
return home in a month or two."
"Unfortunately the C.L.A. Commander managed to escape in all the confusion,
so in that respect we are back to square one," Chief Kwasnye remarked in a
press release. "However, if Ms. DeGrance had not been stopped right away,
the losses would have been nothing less than catastrophic." The UDA
graciously offered the heroes a token of their appreciation, and it has
been reported that the victory celebration at S'methena's went on for three
days straight.
-Rhys Istaloth
Business Universe
=================
Delta Haus Investment Considered High Risk
------------------------------------------
The announcement from the Quadrant Attorney General's office charging
neglect on the part of DranTran Transportation Services is only the latest
in a series of problems plaguing the development of the water world of
Delta Haus.
Long a geocosmic mystery, Delta Haus is known to have a fluctuating
magnetic field that interferes with all known frequencies of standard
transporter technology. Even using small landing craft that independent
explorers deploy in such cases are rarely successful, and reports of crash
landings there are the norm. How DranTran shuttles negotiate the erratic
Van Allen Belt of the planet remains an enigma.
After five more people went missing from the well organized and heavily
outfitted rescue team, the United Dragon Alliance immediately tried to
place the planet under isolation, allowing only UDA recruits access to the
planet. DranTran's refusal to discontinue its regular shuttle run, citing
military interference in quadrant commerce, was the likely factor prompting
this week's announced court action.
Reports from the rescue team of abducted colleagues and equipment vandalism
are not the first to come from the planet. One offworlder, Diedre Quiv-
Lye, was arrested last month for attempted arson, as well as various
accounts of sabotage of an autonomous collective exploring the Southern
Isthmus of Dagger Isle. Quiv-Lye has been denied access to the press, but
tracing her employment history initiated an interesting data trail for the
Stargazer.
Quiv-Lye, a Frenalian, was a highly placed manager in the Acquisitions
Division of SeetKorp until rumors of her close personal involvement with
the recluse Capone Synergy of Synergy Logic Solutions Company lead to a
loss of favor among the executive staff at Seetkorp. Later Quiv-Lye served
briefly as the Frenalian liaison to the CRITTERS coalition.
Speculation that a joint project is being researched by the three companies
has been the talk of the financial world for some months -- it's no secret
that CRITTERS, SeetKorp and DranTran have all been pumping large amounts of
money into surveillance and reconnaissance missions to Delta Haus since
early last year. DranTran has already publicly announced its interest in
adding a more permanent landing site to Beta Haus, but the reasons for the
other companies' involvement remains obscure.
Complicating the matter further is information revealed by an anonymous
source from within CRITTERS revealing that the Frenalian Institute of
Environmental and Ecological Research signed a contract and transferred
150 million credits into an SLS bank account. The missing surveillance
team was primarily interested in eco-systems of islands, specifically
microsystems." the source said. "It has been the ambition of F.I.E.E. to
establish a stable microcosmic dome city on another planet for some time
now."
The source declined to speculate or comment further on the establishing of
a new Frenalian colony, a delicate political topic, particularly involving
the named corporate structures.
-Lyla Springbow
UDA Newswire
Cutting Edge
============
Lacknee Airswimmer Sabbatical Produces Mixed Results
----------------------------------------------------
Following in the manner of Kaslia Smodinton's sabbatical announced in last
quarter's Stargazer (see Stargazer v3i4), Lacknee Airswimmer requested and
received permission from UDA to take a similar leave of absence.
Choosing to focus his research on a single wild magic spell, Airswimmer
seems to have actually changed the nature of the spell "wild enchant
weapon." Darvots (and other practitioners willing to brave the often
unexpected results of casting wild magic spells) have already begun to feel
the effects. No wild enchant magic spell cast in the last quarter has
boosted the effectiveness of a weapon; however, several reports have come
in that certain weapons thusly enchanted actually weigh less after the
enchantment completes. In addition, wild magic researchers are finding
that weapons previously too powerful to use as a base item for the spell
can now be enchanted with ease.
Reactions from users of the spell were mixed. As one cadet commented, "Bah!
I liked it better the old way. Peace through superior fire power is my
motto!" Yet another cadet, a Darvot, was quite happy with the spell change.
"It's much nicer because the lighter weapons are much easier for me to
use," she beamed.
-Khaivhei
UDA Newswire
On the Wire
===========
TriTeq Reroutes Guild Messaging Service
---------------------------------------
In a press release today, TriTeq Industries announced it had completed
installation of the all-new private circuit for guild members. "Each guild
has a completely isolated network," said Infoteq. "TriTeq's highest quality
encryption standard has been deployed on these new networks to ensure
completely secure transmissions."
Members of a specific guild can access an overview of the communications on
this channel by entering "guildb" from their terminal.
The secure networks for the guilds allow for the organizations to conduct
official guild business in a more timely manner due to the remote access
made possible by this technology. One T'Aendriel, who preferred to remain
anonymous, remarked that the isolated networks provided much needed
security for the guild, and allowed him to conduct guild business from the
comfort of his ship. "I may be called upon to seek balance in another part
of the galaxy, and the guildb board allows me to keep up to date on current
events while I'm away. I can also participate in the many meetings we have
using the g-comm channel and give my updates real time."
-Index dahtHtml
Xenoculture
===========
Fashion Maven Esla Signs Rasmon's Deal
--------------------------------------
The top fashion designer in the quadrant is coming to Rasmon's! Wearing
one of her signature "Almost Skin"(tm) jumpsuits, Esla herself took the
microphone to announce the exclusive contract. "For a long time have I
wanted to see the perfect blend of technology, magic, and design. This has
now been accomplished," she said, flashing a perfect smile. "Rasmon's
will install one of my new Perfect Fit (tm) devices in the Women's
Department of each of its stores."
The Perfect Fit System (tm) has been the exclusive domain of select
boutiques for many years. Its unique blend of nanotechnology, supplemented
by obscure Jomu magicworks, has never been patented, and security at the
manufacturing facility where the devices are assembled has never been
breached. A favorite of wealthy atelophobics, the device has never been
known to provide less than a perfect garment.
-T'heelha B.
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Editorial Staff
Editor: Domino
Publishers: Infoteq, Trillian, Dranor
Reporters: Lazarus 23, Rhys Istaloth, Index dahtHtml, T'heelha B.
Guest Reporters: Smilodon, Lyla Springbow, Khaivhei
Please direct all comments to: Stargazr@dracon.net
If you wish to become a part of the Stargazer staff, please send email to:
Stargazr@dracon.net with the subject: "Stargazer Staff Application".
Please include a sample of writing over 100 words in length.
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