Issue 6

Gateway (Sol)

An interstellar freighter on collision course with the Beanstalk had to be destroyed by two German Wespe fighters on OQC duty at 01.25 GMT. The freighter, an independently operated trader registered by Libyan authorities, failed to respond to repeated warnings from the OQC Flight Control, and was subsequently annihilated 2 minutes before impact. As is customary in situations of this kind, "Condition Yellow" was announced at Gateway and all normal operations were suspended as hatches were sealed and emergency staff donned vacc suits. The identity of the vessel destroyed has not been disclosed at this time, but it has been confirmed that there were no survivors. An official inquiry into the incident has been announced by OQC. News subscribers may remember that this is the first time in fourteen years that such action has had to be taken. (Gateway PBS)

Munich (Earth)

Twenty-four year old French soccer star Alois Piquet has joined the Bavarian club AR-I Munich in a 100MLv move from BC Superior. The star was instrumental in BC Superior's win in the Interstellar Trilon Cup win last season, scoring two goals in the bitterly fought second half, for BC to win by three goals to two. Like many before him, Piquet's footballing skills have often been overshadowed by scandals following in his wake. Two Munich players, Tom Zelig and Franz Erich Rieber, have already publicly stated that they would "rather play soccer in the American local leagues for free than play alongside that French maniac". Manager of AR-I Munich, Trudi Stein, replied that "they ( Zelig and Reiber ) are currently at the club's Jamaican resort, and I believe that their agents were negotiating their contracts which were due to expire shortly...". (Zappa I-Stellar Sport)

Alexei Leonov Base (L4, Sol)

Captain Yuri Pavlowski of the Russian merchant vessel Krasni Koshka accepted Russia's highest award last week when his crew and his ship were made Heroes of the Russian Union by Admiral Lena Gelenova of the Russia Battleship Vladivostock, acting on behalf of the still-unwell Russian president. The citation demonstrates that Pavlowski and his crew put their own lives at considerable risk when they docked with the crippled American liner Las Vegas late last year. Over one hundred and fifty crew and passengers managed to squeeze into the 'Koshka only four minutes before the Las Vegas ploughed into the atmosphere of Venus, Sol.

Virtually unladen, the 'Koshka burnt out its thrusters after prolonged firing at seven G, just fifteen seconds after emerging from the planet's stutterwarp cut off point. Without the instant and expert response that the Russian crew put into the rescue, the citation reads, the loss of the Vegas would have been one of the worst space accidents in the last thirty years. Many survivors of the event were on hand to offer their thanks. (Pravda)