lodestargalacticnews-blog

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

Condemned musical reports record sales

The farcical comedy Bolorma!, telling the story of Calati Bolorma and the background to the Catechromean War, has reported record sales this season after its condemnation by the Samrajya Principality's Bureau of Standards. The play, which opened to a lukewarm reception in the theatre circuits of Ma'la'in two years ago, was visited by members of the Bureau earlier this year and resulted in the highly publicised and high-spirited interaction between the largely Martan cast and the Sinhana dignitaries. The Bureau expressed disgust at the performance and the 'harassment' they received from the cast, and petitioned the theatre to end the production immediately. The theatre's ongoing legal battle with the Bureau has become a public spectacle all its own; security personnel for the Prime Court were forced to disperse crowds of jeering observers to the public hearing.

All this publicity has done wonders for the production of Bolorma!, and the cast have announced plans to make a tour of the Principality. Strandmaster Cilanti of the Narcissum has stated their 'delight' at the play and its sympathetic portrayal of their people as the overlooked native inhabitants of the Catachromean system. Cilanti's claims to have been present during the war cannot be substantiated, although it is known that the Narcissum are biologically immortal.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

Gah’kon bust valued in billions

The total estimated value of a gah'kon haul that was captured by Ma'la'in Security Personnel in a raid on the offices of the Dewriver Valley Banking Consortium last week is reported to be C62.3 billion. The dragonfly-like insect is highly prized in Bah'kon traditional medicine (the name 'gah'kon' refers to the unique kinship the race feel with the insectoid species and reflects its important status in Bah'kon culture and faith), but its trade is highly regulated by the Office of the Prelate. The haul, which represents almost a tonne of live and dried specimens, was located following months of surveillance on Dewriver. A statement from the CEO of Dewriver denies all wrongdoing and claims that the lower spire facilities where the haul was found are sub-contracted to a private firm.

In accordance to the Prelate's wishes, the United Council of Planets will oversee the return of the gah'kon to the planet Bah'Kon over the coming month. It is known that at least five citizens remain under arrest following the raid, but Metro MSP have not released any further details.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

'Mother of AI' passes away

It is reported that Bran Tis'Ra Ellertah, prominent cybergeneticist and lead researcher on the 'True Intelligence' project that created the Ones, passed away in her sleep late last night. Bran Tis'Ra is popularly known as the 'Mother of AI' for her pioneering work in assembling the baseline genecode from which all AI are developed.

Bran was born into the prominent Ellertah clan 126 years ago (approximately 113.3 years on the Ti'Vor homeworld), the second child of Dia and Lis'jon, then respectively the CEO and CFO of Ellertah Cryptosecurity. Her parents showered her and her four siblings with every opportunity they could afford, and Bran sped through her education before abruptly abandoning her studies in her primary foundation year to join a professional Banngoro stable. By the time she was in her late teens she had already made waves in Ti'Vori pop culture as a firm fan favourite in the Banngoro leagues, but quit the sport after losing the Vookh Championship to her brother in the contentious 星65 Tournament.

She disappeared from the public eye for a number of years and found work at her parents' firm analyzing blockchain transactions. Despite a rocky beginning she threw herself into the work, and before long applied as a junior researcher to the on-going Ti'Vori-Formikrabo-Oraigner True Intelligence project. She spent the next decade working up the ranks until she was appointed lead researcher on the project by 亮19 after showing remarkable promise in cybergenetics.

The breakthrough of 亮26 is largely attributed to her, although she famously refused to accept that her code was 'alive' for years, even after the United Council of Planets had ratified the AI Bill of Rights. For her stance she was vilified by a once-adoring public and accused of racism, bigotry and worse. Professional character assassins raised the spectre of the 星65 Tournament once again, and the allegations of match-fixing and betting fraud nearly bankrupted Ellertah Cryptosecurity.

It wasn't until about thirty years ago that Bran made a public acknowledgement of AI personhood, and then shocked the galatic community by adding that she was to marry one. In the twilight of her life she enjoyed a renewed popularity as a forerunner for AI Rights and activism, remaining a fixture of the circuit until ill health forced her retirement last year. She is survived by her spouse and leaves behind no children.

Her mixed legacy will be an issue of debate among historians for generations to come, but for now we at Lodestar would like to extend our grateful thanks to the brilliant mind and work of a woman who mothered an entire race.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

Bedabin Reclamation Project granted UCP funding

The Bedabin Reclamation Project, a joint venture of Resh-SP Energy and Nguya Ecological Enterprise, has been granted funding by the United Council of Planets under its new wave of cultural initiatives. The project, which sees Sinhana and Ti’Vori technology used in the reclamation of parts of the planet Bedabin, has had great success over the past twenty years through private investment alone, and the Bedabin people of the cultural reserve on Ma’la’in have welcomed the new opportunities that state funding will grant them. The UCP is understood to have begin the process of funding additional archaeological surveys on the ruined planet to locate potential new sites for biodomes like the ones already in place over Estabin, Tegui and Marin. The scientific community is championing the initiative as a proof of concept that races whose cultural legacy was thought destroyed by war may still yet be given something back. Already the Bedabin Reclamation Project has successfully recovered archives of works authored by the Bedabin that were considered forever lost. In response to this progress, the radical Bah’kon sect known as the Azure Shells have restated their intention to annihilate the Bedabin race and attempted attacks on the planet’s installations have increased in frequency. The Azure Shells have been disavowed by both the Bah’kon Interstellar Empire (Continuing) and the Order of the Silent, and are considered Class Alpha Terrorists by the UCP and Samrajya Principality.  

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

Crisis on Uzlin deepens

The humanitarian crisis in Ozru on the planet of Uzlin has worsened this past month with another outbreak of GN41 influenza in the cramped refugee camps. The virus is known to spread through air-borne spores that infect the respiratory systems of the host, leading to 2-3 weeks of severe symptoms including coughing, dehydration and haemorrhaging that can prove fatal. Thousands more displaced Uzlin fleeing the Sinhana coup in the mineral-rich plains of Ozru are now thought to be at risk of catching the disease.

The so-called 'Jacinth State' in Ozru has attacked Galactic Health Organization (GHO) operatives and raided aid supplies intended for the refugees in neighbouring Ozgo. The Provisional People's Commonwealth of Oz have called for further international support and renewed their petition of membership to the UCP, who still recognise the defunct United Technocracy of Oz as the legitimate government. The UCP has suspended the special allowance for Uzlin asylum-seekers until the crisis has been resolved, drawing strong criticism from the Samrajya Principality.

As the virus spreads through the camps and the ongoing conflict claims yet more lives, we would remind you to please think of the Uzlins.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

White Star Line to open

The highly ambitious White Star Line, brainchild of the prestigious Fennser Shipping Company operating from Ascension, will soon open to passengers. It is the first voidspace link offering a direct service between the territories of the Martan Union and the Samrajya Principality, although talks to extend the line to UCP territory fell through in recent months with the cooling of relations between the Principality and the UCP.

Nonetheless, the completion of the line represents a joint technological enterprise not seen since the creation of AI. Martan, Ti’Vori and Bah’kon engineers came together to pioneer development of the new voidgates the line uses. Additionally, the MUS Chevreuil Blanche, the line’s first (and currently only) dedicated service is reported to be the very last word in luxury travel. The Societé Progressif of Ascension, who backed the project, are sending a delegation of eight of its most famous members to join the service on its maiden voyage. Departure is to be in two weeks, pending final checks on the line.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

Principality ships in border dispute

Three warships of the Seventh Fleet of the Samrajya Principality were sighted in Ti’Vori territory earlier this month. A statement from the Calati claims that the ships were undergoing emergency repairs after their voidbeacons malfunctioned, stranding them in Ti’Vori space. The Ti’Vori government’s offers of repair crews and escort ships were rebuffed by the Principality, weakening ties between the two states.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

UCPS Inebriated Cockroach celebrates 30th anniversary

The voidship UCPS Inebriated Cockroach celebrates its thirtieth year of service this month. First of its kind, the Cockroach has served well over a million passengers on its voyages. Some readers may recall the diplomatic incident that occurred on the Cockroach four years ago, when claimant to the Mirigitulonian throne, Gorias Cestoda Helminthes V (Antaux Nombrii) was discovered hiding aboard the vessel as a stowaway following an unsuccessful rebellion.

Plans for the celebration are well underway, and will include a voyage to Captain Ashenstone’s birthplace on Bael, as well as a rare guided tour of the restricted sections of Bael’s Hall of Memories. Tickets for this voyage sold out almost as soon as they were released, and on the resale market they’re said to fetch upwards of C7,000,000.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

Varg worker’s strike continues

The workers on the Modannian world of Varg are entering the second month of strikes over the scrapping of capital punishment for crimes against industry. Mounting pressure from the Martan Union and Ti’Vori Consortium led to the Republic of Modannia suspending capital punishment in its foundries.

Unexpectedly, a worker-led revolt sanctioned by the Barons of Varg has shut down almost 60% of productivity on the planet in protest. Spokespersons for the movement cite tradition and the rule of law as being cornerstones of the Modannian way of life, and a recent poll of the strikers showed that almost 85% were in favour of reinstating the laws in full, with the remaining 15% in favour of reinstating capital punishment only for industrial treason and espionage. 

Baron Bjar of Dun Russ Foundry published a statement protesting ‘foreign influence’ in the workings of the Modannian government, and made impassioned calls for the execution of those thanes who had voted in favour of repealing the laws.

[lodestargalacticnews-blog]

Archivist to visit Bah’kon

The Archivist, the most senior member of the Bah’kon Order of the Silent, is said to be making plans to visit the eponymous Bah’kon homeworld within the next few months. The Archivist has not left his sanctuary on the planet Tamrin for nearly fifty years, and has never set foot on Bah’kon. The Bah’kon Interstellar Empire (Continuing) refuses officially to recognize the Order of the Silent as a legitimate state, but in recent years relations have thawed between the two peoples and their rival faiths.

The Archivist’s agenda includes a tour of Bah’kon’s Holy Valley, the supposed birthplace of their race, as well as a face-to-face meeting with War Matron Zhar’izz, First Prelate of the Immortal Empress. 

The Archivist is known for regularly speaking in the UCP’s chambers by pre-recorded message, urging peace and reunification between the splintered Bah’kon people.