Hostage Crisis in Eotienses Turns Bloody

A tense hostage situation in Eotienses on Tuesday morning turned bloody as East India Company members failed to negotiate the liberation of an Imperial trader from the Code, a well-known pirate group. The Imperial trader, unaffiliated with either group, was destroyed after an attempted escape, resulting in tens of millions of credits in property loss as well as small-scale skirmishes between the two organizations throughout the night. EIC members later went on to admit that poor communication and victim anxiety led to this tragic outcome.

Though it is unclear exactly what the hostage believed, Commander Trillen is quoted as saying: “The members of Code appeared to be getting a little jumpy and I started to worry that things were not going to end well. I contacted Commander Egg90 asking if he was ready to run if $@%# hit the fan, but I think he misinterpreted that because at that very second he boosted and was destroyed by the members of Code.”

After the destruction of the trader, chaos broke out as both sides opened fire on one another. The fighting was reported to have lasted for several hours with both sides suffering major losses, and damages are currently estimated in the hundreds of millions of credits.

Galnet News reached out to The Code, who had this to say: “The approximate ship destruction estimate is currently sitting at 3 EIC deaths for every 1 Code death. The Code apologizes for the destruction of all these EIC vessels, but we will destroy anyone who gets in our path of riches and plunder.”

Dick McKinley - Galnet News

Merchant Marines Launch Operation Papercut

Reports coming in from Eotienses indicate that a group of Federal Commanders, known as the Merchant Marines, are currently engaged in a series of unauthorised attacks against Imperial traders in the employ of Senator Patreus.

In a statement released to GalNet, the Merchant Marines had this to say:

“The Merchant Marines have launched Operation Papercut. We plan to blockade the Eotienses system in an attempt to stop Imperial traders from supplying Parkinson Dock with industrial materials. The group fears that High Tech production could turn Eotienses into a catalyser for the Imperial war machine already fuelled by Denton Patreus.”

“The Marines intend to interdict all traders in the system and thus halt economic growth. Traders will be given a single warning to leave the system. Any further action will result in more aggressive coercion.”

GalNet reached out to President Halsey’s office to request an official statement in regards to the Merchant Marines' actions. At time of press, the President’s office had not yet chosen to reply.

Eotienses Rejuvenation Project Unveiled

In what many pundits are calling a clear attempt to consolidate his position as the most influential arms dealer in the Empire, Senator Denton Patreus has today announced an initiative to rejuvenate Parkinson Dock, in order to promote the development of High Tech goods in Eotienses.

The initiative, which is being overseen by the Citizens’ Forum, aims to bring thousands of new jobs to the region. Imperial corporations are already engaged in a hot bidding war over rights to establish a presence on the newly reinvigorated Parkinson Dock, despite rumours that most of the available space has been reserved for businesses with established ties to the Senator.

In order to properly repurpose the facilities aboard Parkinson Dock, the Citizens’ Forum has placed several sizable orders of Industrial Materials in the local market. Once those orders are filled, engineers will be able to start work on the rejuvenation process.

Patreus Queries Emperor's Coma in the Senate

In the first Senate session in the New Year since the public holidays, Senator Denton Patreus, Senator for Eotienses, has asked the burning question of the Senate. He directed it at the Chancellor, Senator Blaine.

"It saddens us to hear that his grace Emperor Hengist has fallen into a coma, but we need to think for the future of our beloved Empire. How long will his grace be in a coma before we trigger the succession? This has not happened in over a thousand years, and it is for us to decide. One day? One week? One month? One year? 

We need a strong leader, and we should set a date in the near future when we review the situation."

There was a frisson of mumbling in the Senate after his comments and a general consensus to review the situation at the next session.