Subject: Local Scandal Sheet
The following is the text of three stories that are in the local
"starport rag" on the planet that my campaign is currently
visiting. All of these are designed to be lead-ins to possible
adventures. More to come...
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Liner Damaged Near Jump Point
SKYSIDE - The Blaine Starlanes passenger liner Kleoptra was
towed back into port early this morning after being struck by an
object of unknown origin late yesterday as she approached the
outbound jump point. The impact caused damage to the thruster
plates of the Kleoptra, and Captain Yelena Gaashurika advised
Skyside that she was aborting the jump, and requested assistance
in returning to port for repairs. Neither Captain Gaashurika nor
any of her crew were available for comment.
A spokesperson for Blaine Starlanes stated that "as per Blaine
Starlanes policy, all passengers will be accommodated at Skyside
at company expense until either repairs are completed, or a
replacement ship arrives. Passengers wishing to transfer their
reservations to other carriers will be able to do so through the
Blaine Starlanes Skyside ticketing agent, at no additional cost
to them."
Space Guard rescue teams have indicated that no traces of the
object have yet been found, but that examination of the damage
continues. They have also requested that all Blaine Starlanes
vessels undergo sensor evaluation, but have refused further
comment at this time.
Religious Riots in Bitra Kill 50
AVRIL, BITRA - A series of riots here over the past week have
resulted in the deaths of 50 religious fanatics. The riots
started as a result of the destruction of the Joramite shrine
here by members of the Shudiri faith. Police in Avril have been
ineffective in quelling the riots, and the mayor has asked the
Bitran Council of Suffetes to send in PDF troops to assist. The
council is expeced to act on the request by 240-1129, and the
request is widely expected to be granted, accompanied by a
declaration of martial law and the imposition o a dusk-to-dawn
curfew.
The Council of Suffetes has issued a strong condemnation
of the riots, noting that tolerance for all religions is
explicitly written into the Bitran Charter. The riots have
resulted in the drestruction of some Cr25,000,000 to homes and
business, and losses due to looting are estimated at an
additional Cr2,000,000.
The riots are viewed as a major blow to the reelection hopes of
the incumbent Liberal Democratic members of the Bitran delegation
to the planetary Assembly. The Liberal Democrats ran on a
platform of "law and order - but with tolerance" in response to a
series of highly charged demonstrations just prior to the last
election, three years ago. Since that time, religious and
political strife has continued, but has been kept under control.
Ista Down to Close
ISTA DOWNPORT, ISTA - At a press conference earlier today, the
Starport Authority issued a statement stating that because of
the recent volcanic eruption and resultant ashfall on Ista
Island, effective 30 days from today, Ista Downport will be
permanently closed to all air, grav, and space vehicles with
displacements greater than 50 tons. Ista down handles 15% of all
incoming space traffic for the planet, but the closure is not
expected to cause problems with shipping, as both Fort and Igen
Downports are operating below capacity. It is expected that crew
displaced by the closure will be relocated to one of the other
starports. Local travel into and out of Ista is not expected to
be affected, as the craft used for this purpose are almost
universally below the 50t limit.
Nerat Plague Contained
HALF-CIRCLE, NERAT - Health Service officials announced today
that the spread of the unknown plague in Nerat is considered to
be checked, but that the area is still under quarantine. In the
past week, the number of reported new cases of the disease fell
to only 400, as compared to 650 the week before. All of the
reported new cases are in the southern part of the peninsula,
where the disease was first reported. The quarantine area is
designated as being all of Nerat peninsula south of Half-Circle
Seaport. Half-Circle Seaport is not included in the quarantine
area.
Travel into or out of the quarantine area is banned, except for
delivery of food and medical supplies, and medical personnel
engaged in plague-connected work. The Department of Immigration
is cooperating with the Health Service to provide an examination
checkpoint at Nerat Plains Travel Center to prevent infected
individuals from leaving the quarantine area. All other travel
between Nerat regional travel centers and Benden and Igen has
been suspended until further notice, and COACC, the PDF, and the
Coastal Patrol are turning back any unauthorized vehicles that
attempt to enter or leave the quarantine zone.
The Health Service has refused to comment on speculations as to
the origin of the disease or progress toward a cure, except to
say that research is continuing.
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Jeff Zeitlin [email removed]
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~ QMPro 1.52 ~ # XXXX * I *TRIED* to register it!