Final election results are in from the Federation: President Souro Foiritan has claimed victory by a narrow margin, beating his opponent, Senator Mentas Blaque, by just a single point. This will make him the first president in Gallente history ever to serve more than one term in office.

"I am proud, and I am humbled, to be granted the opportunity to serve this great nation for five more years," said the President in an address to his supporters, delivered minutes ago from the steps of the presidential residence in Caille.

After thanking his family, his cabinet, his campaign staff and his supporters, President Foiritan expressed his intent to lead the Federation into "an era of prosperity and goodwill, in which we shall continue to proudly hold aloft the ideals that have made our country what it is."

"I want to wish Senator Blaque and his family the best, and I thank him for a challenging and spirited campaign," he said.

Senator Blaque has issued a concession statement congratulating Foiritan on his victory. In it, he "strongly urges" the President to "safeguard the values and integrity of our nation."

Nearly 2.8 trillion citizens voted in the election, by far the highest turnout in the history of Gallentean democracy.

According to the latest numbers from the Gallente Electoral Commission, incumbent President Souro Foiritan has gained three points on his opponent, Senator Mentas Blaque, bringing the race to a close two points. The news comes in the wake of a concerted showing of Matari and Intaki immigrants at polls in border regions of the Federation.

The cities of Aubruille, Sargai and Sebirouse, the three most populous cities of Sinq Laison, a border region of the Federation, have seen large rallies of Matari and Intaki voters storming voting locations in calculated rushes, events which are widely believed to be orchestrated by several nameless grassroots immigrant organizations.

Four hours ago Temperance Square, the bustling site of Sebirouse's central voting location, played sudden host to a seventeen-hundred person mixed crowd of Matari and Intaki, assembled within three minutes from smaller groups in several different parts of the square. The silent mob proceeded to the voting station, where every one of them cast their vote for incumbent President Foiritan. The same phenomenon was reported in precisely the same manner in Abruille, Sargai, and dozens of smaller cities. The proceedings were more or less peaceful in all places, with only a few minor incidents of violence reported.

Analysis of the past few hours has been rife with speculation on the nature of these groups. Many commentators believe them to have been carefully trained and controlled, while others believe them to be nothing more than the end result of ideological memes spreading rapidly through a threatened subset of the population.

Whatever their cause, they appear to indicate a trend: incumbent President Souro Foiritan now stands only two points behind his opponent, Mentas Blaque. The current total tally of polled districts stands at 359 out of a total 528.

According to early numbers just in from the Gallente Electoral Commission, presidential contender Mentas Blaque currently leads incumbent President Souro Foiritan by a five-point margin. Votes have been fully counted from 233 districts out of 528.

An interview with Senator Blaque was aired two hours ago on a popular Gallente feednet, wherein the Senator reaffirmed the driving points of his campaign.

"I think Gallenteans should be proud to call themselves Gallente... I, I think that there is such a focus on being open towards other cultures that people will... sometimes they will tend to forget that they have a rich and proud heritage of their own to draw on. The citizens of our great nation should be more aware that we are just that, a great nation." he said.

The Senator furthermore expounded upon his platform's proposed shifts in focus towards what they term "domestic naturalization," a process involving state-sponsored segregation of immigrant populations to areas specifically designated for them, referred to in the doctrine as "cultural habitats."

The 18-minute interview has provoked mixed reactions from international parties. Keitan Yun, a senior representative from the Minmatar Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented that the senator "sounded like he was reading aloud from one of those old ultranationalist textbooks that have by now become the stuff of parody."

Larik Saal, Amarr Ambassador to CONCORD, meanwhile approved vociferously of the Senator's proposals, stating that the Federation "is in great and dire need of a ruler capable of drawing the lines where they need to be drawn."

Updated election numbers will be provided as they come in.

At 12:00 noon EVT today, polls for the Office of the Presidency opened in the five-hundred-twenty-eight voting districts of the Gallente Federation. With the projected turnout approaching 2.5 trillion voters, today's election is shaping up to be one of the biggest in the Federation's history.

Booths have been opened in every major city and municipality across the Federation, and already citizens are flocking to cast their votes. Sepault Farina, analyst at the Center for Democratic Advance, a Sovicou political think-tank, touts today's proceedings as the "grand finale of a drawn-out farce that has been going on for the better part of two years. One can scarcely believe it's finally going to be over."

Preliminary numbers are unavailable at this point, but updates will be provided as the day progresses.

Representatives of the Caldari State's Chief Executive Panel issued a public statement this morning, refuting several claims recently put forth by noted economist Arvelan Tokaru.

In an in-depth article published in respected economic journal The Wiramar Index last Monday, Dr. Tokaru warns that numerous signs indicate the Caldari State may be headed for a major recession.

Foremost among these, she claims, are rising unemployment numbers and crippled supply chains stemming from rift trade agreements with the Amarr Empire, previously the State's top trading partner. Dr. Tokaru also states that in an attempt to salvage the situation, the Chief Executive Panel has engaged in what she terms "back-against-the-wall protectionism," heavy-handedly levying tariffs that are beginning to cause diplomatic ill-will among smaller trading partners and "are sure to backfire in the long run."

The Executive Panel in its statement wholly refutes these claims, stating that unemployment numbers are at much the same level they have been at over the last two years, and that the tariffs have been imposed to promote protection of jobs within the State and maintain the domestic standard of living. According to them, the rift trade agreements with Amarr are "an unfortunate consequence of administrative difficulties within Empire agencies, which we have been assured will be rectified soon."

A number of analysts from within the State have spoken out in support of Tokaru's claims, reporting that the State's methods for calculating unemployment figures are misleading and that the actual numbers are higher than they have been for over eighty years.

"They only include workers who sign on," stated an analyst who wished to remain anonymous. "If you haven't reported yourself to the Bureau of Civilian Affairs - a trek through a bureaucratic labyrinth which takes the better part of a day, and can go wrong in numerous ways, all of which will result in your application being rejected without notification - you're not included among the unemployed. This excludes large portions of the population who, even notwithstanding the inefficiency of the bureaucracy, have long since given up any chance of finding steady work."

"There is a very definite underclass here," he said, "and it is growing."

Late Tuesday evening a group of ships, from the previously unknown Blood Sephrim, entered Amarr Empire space and gave local capsuleer pilots an ideological sermon before losing a vessel in combat with one of the pilots.

Just after 1900 galactic standard time Tuesday, a trio of pilots from what they declared to be the 'Blood Sephrim', an organisation unheard of until this point, entered the Kourmonen system of The Bleak Lands region. They immediately launched into a sermon about maintaining the purity of race, a common theme amongst both Amarr Empire and Blood Raider rhetoric, with lines from Agrippa Aristophanes such as "The Blood Sephrim are here to save Amarr, and spread the reclamation".

However, unlike in typical amarrian rhetoric, the Blood Sephrim pilots claimed that there was purity in all races with the Amarr race the most pure of all, as opposed to the Amarr race being the only pure one, with all others subservient to it. Agrippa Aristophanes: "We feel that purity can be found in any race. And we above all seek purity. Some may feel our methods are unorthodox, but they are the one true way." The Sephrim pilots continued to preach to and debate with locals for a further 20 minutes, several times insinuating that the Blood Sephrim were preparing to take a more active role in the undertakings of the Empire and the Theology Council, which of late have been rather public and detrimental.

The sermon was abruptly ended however when a local pod pilot, Laqutis, challenged the religious beliefs of the Blood Sephrim by insisting that they should worship him as a god instead. The situation quickly degenerated until a formal duel was declared between Laqutis and the Sephrim pilot Platon Callias, with each side resolving to settle the religious dispute in a one versus one contest decided by battleship fire. The duel was not to be, however, as the Sephrim pilot was cut down by eight battleships on arriving at the duel location, in a complete lack of regard for honour and protocol.

Although the Blood Sephrim made several bold claims with regards to the Amarrian Empire, their small number of complete obscurity ensured that Empire spokesmen remained silent on the issue, which has been accompanied by silence from what is believed to be the Sephrims former organisation, the Blood Raiders.

In an alarming display of strength last Wednesday evening, a fleet from the Amarrian Imperial Navy, at the behest of the Theology Council, destroyed a large installation belonging to the Order of St. Tetrimon on the fringes of Amarr space.

The Navy fleet, comprised of seven Revelation-class dreadnoughts and three Archon-class carriers, was dispatched from the Amarr solar system by Theology Council representative Deacon Lorenzo Azir shortly after 1900 New Eden standard time. Adressing the fleet leader Commander Jonnes TaKrima, Deacon Azir levelled allegations that the Tetrimon Cult had been spying on the private communications of the Theology Council. Speaking over the system wide public communications channel Deacon Azir stated, "We, the Theology Council, can not tolerate the level of insolence witnessed. Especially not from an old cult without the rights to spy on what isn't for their eyes or ears. This will teach them a lesson to remember for the future." The statement was followed by a blessing in an ancient Amarrian language, before the fleet conducted its final departure checks and left the system.

Using the Imperial Navy's network of cynosural jump fields, the fleet made its way to the Myyhera system, a small area of space in The Bleak Lands which was home to a recently constructed Tetrimon Cult installation. Wasting little time, the fleet immediately warped to the first moon of the third planet in the system and laid siege to the installation's massive shield systems. Bewildered locals and passers-by looked on as the Imperial Navy fleet attacked the installation, unopposed by any Tetrimon vessels and even aided in their endeavour by an Arbitrator-class cruiser piloted by loyalist capsuleer Rythm. The fleet proceeded to take down the installation's central structure before laying waste to every facility in the compound. In just under two hours the formidable capital fleet had, in Commander Jonnes TaKrima's words, "...destroyed this instrument of crime." He then went on to add, "The Empire doesn't have time for people who defy Imperial decree. I hope everyone here learns a lesson from this."

The absence of any Tetrimon personnel on or around the installation was of greater concern to some individuals. Yoreth Thinka, a local capsuleer pilot who witnessed the Navy's impressive take down of the facility commented, "It's hard to believe that the Tetrimon failed to answer a call of arms to actually protect their property." Analysts believe that although the loss of the installation was a significant financial blow to the Tetrimon Cult, they lacked the kind of physical assets necessary to successfully defend against such a large and powerful attacking force. Apparently choosing to sacrifice the installation in order to preserve as many ships and people as possible.

Spokesmen from the Tetrimon Order have yet to make any official announcements regarding the events; nevertheless it is widely assumed that the cult's espionage activities were aimed at encouraging the Theology Council into legitimising the Tetrimon scriptures currently under theological investigation. Deacon Lorenzo Azir's statement and the actions of the Imperial Navy suggest that the entire operation has backfired on the cult. The Theology Council is now expected to reject the scriptures and force the Privy Council to reinstate the Order of St. Tetrimon's exile within the week.

BLEAK LANDS. The Blood Raider hub decimated by Amarrian loyalist forces last Sunday has been described by a Cult of Catechization High Priest as being "just a leftover of their Bleak Lands forces."

According to High Priest Delsiah of the Cult of Catechization - who was responsible for the operation - the hub's Blood Raider personnel had remained in the region and strangely "did not leave in their exodus last year."

The Amarrian loyalist forces, lead by a Cult of Catechization fleet and supported by several Amarrian paramilitary pod-pilot organizations such as Aegis Militia and SHOD among others, proceeded from the Myyhera system to Haras' tenth planet to "cleanse a Blood Raider pit that our scouts had reported earlier," as explained by High Priest Delsiah. "In His infinite mercy, it pleased God to let our lasers remove the heretic scum with ease, and make their death swift."

When asked on whether or not this newly discovered hub could be a spear head in a Blood Raider effort to reclaim their former territories in the Bleak Lands, or even a staging point for an attack similar to the Mabnen I disaster. High Priest Delsiah said that "all our intelligence shows that this was just a remaining tumour of a foul infestation that shall never taint Amarrian lands again; our Emperor's subjects can sleep tight knowing our Empire's borders are well guarded."

However, according to High Priest Delsiah the Cult of Catechization believes that "other remaining tumours may still exist," and further scout and cleansing missions may be required in the near future; explaining that "after we finish analyzing the evidence gathered in this operation, we will know better what next steps should be taken."

The Blood Raider hub was comprised of a Chapel and some 50 vessels, according to figures released by the Cult of Catechization and later confirmed by CONCORD reports.

The Khanid carrier 'Equinox' was at the centre of further controversy last week, as Capsuleer forces loyal to the Kingdom were called upon to intervene in an attempted theft of the capital vessel. The 'Equinox', skeleton crewed and fresh out of the Dark Amarr Creations (D-AC) shipyards, was on its way to be delivered to the Royal Khanid Navy's fleet yards in the Irmalin system, where it was scheduled to receive its full crew complement and begin operations testing in preparation for active service.

However, unbeknownst to Khanid officials, 'Equinox' pilot Sana Apres had been presented with a lucrative offer from an organisation known as the Ultra Unionist Movement, a hard-line group working towards the reunification of the Amarr Empire and the Khanid Kingdom. For an undisclosed ISK amount, Pilot Apres had agreed to deliver the 'Equinox' into the hands of the UUM instead.

Khanid security forces moved quickly once 'Equinox' began to divert from its planned course. RKN Agent Argen Senerva turned to loyalist capsuleer forces to supplement a D-AC fleet in charge of securing the delivery. Capsuleers responded with a thirty-ship fleet including elements of Brudershaft des Warhaftigen, Royal Knights of Khanid, Beginning of the End, Templarii Holdings, Kydance Radiant Industries, Copasetic Joint Special Task Force, and Space Ghosts.

Brudershaft and DA-C forces intercepted the now errant 'Equinox' first in the Baratar system, only to find the Carrier being escorted out of its cynosural jump-in point by a UUM fleet. A fierce battle ensued, as Agent Senerva brought the Khanid Dreadnought 'Clairvoiance', delivered beforehand in secret by the Brudershaft to D-AC, against the 'Equinox'. Ardor, leader of the Brudershaft, flexed his muscle as the battle commenced surrounding 'Equinox' with two Archon-class carriers from his corporation. Under assault by three capital vessels, UUM forces began to buckle and take heavy losses, finally being wiped out as further Khanid loyalist support arrived on the scene. Amid the laser fire, the escape pod of UUM leader Thelus Duant escaped the carnage.

As the dust settled, Pilot Apres, surrounded and beaten reset the 'Equinox' on course for it's scheduled rendezvous in exchange for leniency when charges were filed against her.

The fleet then continued to its destination, but met a large pirate fleet before reaching it. The D-AC fleet and their capsuleer support held this wave of ships off, allowing the capital vessels to leave unharmed. Whether this pirate fleet was hired by the UUM or were merely acting independently is not known at this time. Both the 'Equinox' and 'Clairvoyance' reached the Fleetyards in Irmalin unscathed, where Pilot Sana Apres was taken into custody by Khanid forces. She now faces charges including intent to steal Royal Khanid Navy property and collaborating with enemies of the Kingdom.

The incident has caused great concern among the Kingdom's rulers. Holder Tanamar Ured, a self-declared 'Unionist', expressed dismay. "While so many among us pray for a better future alongside our Amarr brothers, the actions of Thelas Duant and his violent brood do the cause no favours. To defy the King and his forces in the name of such a noble goal is disgusting and abhorrent in the extreme."

Those groups involved with the D-AC effort have been reported to Royal Khanid Navy Command. Thelus Duant's whereabouts are unknown as Khanid forces continue to pursue him and his Ultra Unionist followers.

Grand Master Horm of the Order of St. Tetrimon excommunicated an Amarrian pilot for heretical acts against the Order and the Amarr Empire earlier this week. The pilot, Revan Neferis, recently sought redemption from the Order but was unable to complete the conditions for a full pardon according to Horm's judgement. The Grand Master then condemned Revan "...to burn in the pits of damnation and heresy."

Revan Neferis was originally condemned as part of the Tetrimon Order's denouncement of the Verisum family as heretics. The Grand Master announced that the Verisum Family had committed several crimes against the Empire and the Order, including threatening pilots of the Order, flying alongside known enemies of the Empire, feuding with Imperial loyalist forces, and releasing private communications into the public domain. Most of the Verisum Family refused the Grand Master's offers of redemption, but Revan Neferis decided to seek a pardon from the Order.

In an announcement sent over the GalNet last week Horm outlined several conditions for Revan to fulfil in order to achieve the pardon. Horm also addressed those who wondered why Revan was even being considered for a pardon stating that, "...redemption has happened to those that some would deem unworthy in the past. The actions committed, while severe are nothing that cannot be undone. I consider the conditions above being met in full to be undoing most of the damage she's caused and therefore worthy of at least a Pardon on the charges of heresy." The Grand Master then went on to add a further condition, "If she obtains it, I hope she will continue to walk the proper path that these conditions were meant to put her on. If she does not, then may God have mercy on her soul."

Revan soon released her own statement, announcing her progress on each demand set forth by the Grand Master. Within a week she was able to complete all of the Order's conditions, but according to Horm, the spirit of the law was not being followed. "The way in which you have met these demands is simply unacceptable, you feel nothing and it truly does show," Horm stated. "There is clearly nothing left in your body but heresy, damnation, and lies."

In response to the incident, the Verisum Family has declared war on the Order, and Horm has since banned the entire family from Tetrimon public channels. Lady Neferis, no longer able to pursue a pardon, has resumed her position within the Verisum Family.

The actions of the Order have received some criticism from political and religious experts. Professor Telm Nadar, a social sciences teacher at Hedion University commented that, "Such strict behaviour towards capsuleers should be frowned upon as it will eventually drive them away." Nadar went on to suggest that the Grand Master should have been more lenient, citing that "It is important to maintain positive relations with the capsuleers. History has shown that entities strong enough to fund their own, albeit small, military factions can make life very difficult for organizations in desperate need for support ."

What Nadar means by this exactly is unknown, though many think it to point towards a possible dissatisfaction within the Theology, or even the Privy, Council regarding the actions of the Cult.

MOLDEN HEATH. Questions are finally starting to be answered in relation to The Minmatar Republic's 'Alfhild' Mothership-class vessel that went missing nearly three weeks ago. While initially there was hope that there was no connection between the disappearance of the 'Alfhild' and prominent Republic captain Karishal Muritor, such hope has proven to be in vain. Captain Muritor confirmed his possession of the 'Alfhild' several hours ago.

Muritor made his claim by transmitting the following message to The Republic Fleet before disappearing near the Odatrik system: "If you would stand before me and call this state of affairs in which we are held right and true, then I am sure that it is better for me and my men to fight and die without any right than to live in such a lie." Visual data sent with the message confirms that the message was sent from the 'Alfhild'.

With no other transmissions received from the captain following his earlier disappearance, The Republic Fleet has attempted to distance it self from their former compatriot. Pressure from the Amarrian Empire is mounting, according to anonymous sources, as Captain Muritor's motives remain unclear. In a statement issued by the Republic Fleet an hour after receiveing the broadcast, a fleet representative declared Karishal Muritor and all of his followers outlaws. The Republic Fleet also vowed to bring Captain Muritor into Republic custody and promptly dispatched a task force headed by Vice-Admiral Kanth Filmir.

The loss of the 'Alfhild' and its carrier group consisting of the 'Magni' and 'Modi' along with secondary fleet assets is one of the largest thefts of military hardware in recent memory. The Republic Fleet confirmed today that they are no longer in possession of the mothership and its escorts, and that Captain Muritor is no longer registered as a Republic Captain, but rather has formed a dissident group known as "The Defiants".

The Republic refused to comment on the intentions of The Defiants or of Karishal Muritor. However, experts within The Amarr Navy have speculated that they [The Defiants] will attempt to raid and disrupt operations on the border regions of Amarr space. Several key Amarrian commanders have also spoken out and have suggested that Muritor is still acting on behalf of The Republic Fleet despite the declaration made today by The Republic. The Republic continues to deny all allegations of associating with the rebellious Karishal Muritor.

HEIMATAR. The Republic Fleet's 'Alfhild' Mothership-class vessel is suspected stolen or missing, according to CONCORD's Bureau of Traffic Control. Although not yet confirmed nor denied by Republic Fleet officials, CONCORD's BoTC issued a warning today after the 'Alfhild' performed an unscheduled jump from its official docking premises at the Republic Fleet Testing Facilities Station in the Pator system.

According to CONCORD officials, "an initial low-level warning was issued as per the Capital Ships Control Protocol of the Yulai Convention that forbids freelance Capital Vessels to jump into High-Sec space, and requests all Empire Capital Vessels to inform CONCORD prior to any such displacement. Although in our records the 'Alfhild' Mothership-class vessel is still formally listed as under Republic control, and has not been declared neither stolen nor MIA by the Fleet, following Protocol procedures the warning was upgraded to medium-level after the Republic Fleet's failure to explain the reasons of the vessel's displacement. Furthermore, our readings show that at least two other Carrier-class vessels, the 'Magni' and the 'Modi', along with several heavy support vessels, have also been mobilized unscheduled."

The 'Alfhild', last seen in the Odatrik system according to the CONCORD source, is currently listed under command of Captain Karishal Muritor, who last Sunday failed to attend Amarrian Holder Gavit Torash's inauguration ceremony where he was expected to lead the escort for Republic Parliment diplomat Horish Karator. "We were given no reason for Mr. Karator's absence," said House Torash's representatives, "save for some almost insulting comments about not having assembled a proper escort." It is not clear as of yet if Captain Muritor's absence at the inauguration, the 'Alfhild's disappearance, and/or the Molden Heath incident two weeks ago where Captain Muritor lost a squad to a pirate raid, are in some way connected. According to the same previous CONCORD source, "Mr. Muritor is still listed as a Republic Fleet Captain in our records, and no change of his status has been received by our offices."

The Amarrian Empire has issued a formal request to CONCORD demanding the "immediate disclosure of the missing Capital vessels' current position and future waypoints", said Commander Quibih Jafi of the Amarrian Navy, under threat of "denying such information of all Amarr Navy Capital assets" should the Republic Fleet fail to comply. The Caldari and Federation Navies have issued no comment as of yet on the subject.

Last week, the Republic Fleet denied a request by one of its captain's to lead a task force in what has been described as the 'pacification of criminal elements' in the Molden Heath region after the loss of his patrol.

Karishal Muritor - Captain 1st Class, who was presented with the prestigious Drupar's Sun award earlier last month for 'consistent and meritorious service to the Republic' - had allegedly deviated from his assigned patrol route and was attacked in the Oddelulf system by several capsuleer pilots who were believed to be under the employ of the Outbreak corporation. The attack resulted in the total destruction of the outnumbered Republic patrol.

Muritor, who has earned a reputation throughout the Minmatar Republic as a daring and highly skilled commander is reported to have repeatedly petitioned his superiors to assign a task force to the region during the inquest into the loss of his patrol. A spokesperson for the Republic Fleet issued a statement in which he explained: "Captain Muritor was found to be off his assigned patrol route when the Republic craft under his command were destroyed. Currently, he has been releaved of his duties until further inquiries are made."

The spokesperson went on to add that "The captain's request to assign valuable Fleet resources to purge the relatively benign criminal element of Molden Heath has been denied. While we regret the loss of the men and women under Captain Muritor's command, we hope that this experience will increase his respect and obedience for the directives set out by the Republic Fleet."

While Karishal Muritor has remained silent since his duties were temporarily ended, a source close to him is said to have commented that the captain was "angered and dismayed by the decision of the Admiralty" but had reluctantly accepted their judgment and will await his punishment. Critics of the Captain have since described this incident as an example of the type of cavalier attitude towards the rules that has been increasing, which "might be instrumental in the success of an incautious rebel fleet has no place in the Republic."

Captain 1st Class Karishal Muritor of the Republic Fleet was today awarded Drupar's Sun, one of the most prestigious medals given by the Republic, at a Fleet award ceremony held on Matar. In addition, Captain Muritor was awarded a promotion, from Captain to Captain 1st Class, for his consistent and meritorious service to the Republic.

"I accept the honour bestowed upon me by Admiral Fogneko with gratitude," stated Captain Muritor. "I consider this to be a symbol of the growing fortitude of the men under my command. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to make the progress I've made in the fight against the interstellar crime syndicates that plague the fringe systems of our Republic."

Captain Muritor, despite being at 43 the youngest Captain 1st Class in Republic Fleet history, is widely regarded as one of the more capable commanders within the organizations's ranks. His long list of achievements includes a number of high-profile victories against pirate raiders on the Republic's outer rim, among them victories that have led to the folding of three separate pan-regional smuggling cartels.

CURSE. News reports from the border stations tell of a new group of hostile pilots attacking wayfarers and residents in this traditionally notorious area of space.

The hostile pilots, identified as members of the Dark Angels Corporation, were first sighted around the Utopia and HLW-HP solar systems last Sunday, apparently roaming the area attacking all ships in their path with no clear provocation or cause.

Those who encountered the group, allegedly numbering in five vessels, reported that they did not respond to hails or contact attempts. A civilian transport captain, who narrowly escaped after being attacked, spoke to the Interstellar Correspondents about his ordeal. "I picked up a distress broadcast in HLW-HP but the signal was all garbled like their comm. arrays were damaged. All I could make out were the words 'dark angel' and 'ghosts'. When I went to investigate the source those ships were waiting for me and attacked without warning! I barely made it out of there in one piece."

Though the details are unclear, reports indicate that a Jericho Fraction's Blackbird-class Cruiser and a Legio Nova Invicta's Interceptor were the only confirmed casualties of the seemingly random attacks, though several civilian vessels have been reported missing in the area since the weekend.

After an initial skirmish, the hostile crafts were eventually hunted down and destroyed in the CL-85V solar system by a capsuleer force of around twenty vessels, primarily consisting of Legio Nova Invicta pilots. No Dark Angels representative could be contacted for comment after the battle, and the pilot's motivations remain a mystery

YULAI. Frustrated by the lack of support from university administration officials; professors, researchers, and students have come together to create the Utopian Scholar Foundation - a multicultural academic institution free from the influence of the Empires.

The foundation, headed up by Dr. Rolleniae of the University of Caille, seeks to represent students and professors as well as other scholars from across New Eden. It aims to be the voice of those who wish to promote academic interests, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.

Although no public announcement has been made by the foundation regarding how the organisation will operate, the USFTN has still managed to appear at several major centers of learning scattered across the four empires, where affected members of the academic community have flocked to join the growing organisation.

Scholars within the community have been motivated to join the foundation following the student protests that have appeared on several university campuses across New Eden. Tensions between students and administrative staff have been steadily increasing in the past several weeks due to many universities resisting inter-empire academic development, an issue the USFTN was founded upon. For the most part, these protests have remained peaceful. But, as reported earlier, they have recently turned violent, prompting authorities to increase police presence at the site of each protest.

The sudden turn to violence at these protests is perhaps one of the reasons that prompted the USFTN's creation. The Utopian Scholar Foundation hopes to organize protestors among academic community into a cohesive voice, one whose call for less political involvement in academic interests will be heard by policymakers in the four empires.

While more specific details regarding how the USFTN will operate still remain unclear, the foundation appears to be well-funded and well-run. With its recent purchase of office space in the CONCORD station in the Yulai system, the foundation will likely become an important player in inter-empire relations over the coming months.

ESSENCE. Throughout the universities of New Eden, a number of student protests have turned violent leading to arrests as tensions rise between students and the administrative bodies regarding a recent resurgence in the desire to leave the control of the four empires, and see the fostering of new inter-empire relationships.

In many universities, capsuleer and planet bound students are feeling pressured by the overbearing presence of the university administration boards allowing the politics of New Eden to restrict academic development between all the empires. During a meeting concerning these issues in the Aporulie system, one Gallente student explained that instead of the divisions that currently divide the empires they "intend to work as a group to conduct groundbreaking research and other studies that cannot currently exist in this politically charged atmosphere."

The concern of the university ruling bodies is twofold, the empires in general are usually quite unwilling to share information across the ideological divisions that currently exist in New Eden, and this may also be motivated by military concerns despite the uneasy peace between them. Secondly, co-operation with universities in other empires may result in budget cuts or sanctions against them. Both factors are driving university administrators to oppose co-operation at this time.

As tensions rise between students and university officials, a multitude of students from various universities have begun to actively protest against the university administrators with demands that their voices be heard. In various public speeches, students from the University of Caille have suggested the formation of a focused study group in a neutral territory that is open to students from all across New Eden. Shortly after this announcement the protest began to turn violent, and Gallente security forces moved in to calm the situation, with a number of students arrested.

In the wake of this protest, numerous others are planned at universities across New Eden.

Last Wednesday a convoy of rescue ships finally landed on the surface of the planet Reschard V, seven months after the planet was reduced to an uninhabitable wreck by an as yet unexplained disaster.

The convoy of rescue ships, under the aegis of The Servant Sisters, were finally able to land on the surface of the planet during the first lull in the planet-wide megastorms since the incident occurred. Despite the scale of the destruction - and the significant period of time which the entire surface of the planet has been incapable of supporting life and almost completely devoid of infrastructure - the search and rescue parties received quite a shock.

Amongst the ruins and caves dotting the landscape, the teams found and rescued well over 2000 survivors from the disaster. Suffering from malnutrition and disease, and with rumours of cannibalism filtering through the fleet, they were quickly evacuated to medical vessels in orbit, before being moved to an undisclosed location where their physical and mental states can be assessed and treated. Representatives from the Sisters quickly announced to the media that there was no evidence of cannibalism at any of the survivor sites, and that search and survey missions of the planet will continue until it is no longer safe to remain on the surface.

In related news, investigators from Mordu's Legion and CONCORD have confirmed that the disaster was not of natural origin. Releasing small sections of the compiled data to the public, the investigation team announced that scans of the system shortly before the event occurred indicated the presence of an Avatar-class vessel; an Amarr Empire designed Titan, in low orbit over the planet. This was further confirmed by scans conducted in the days after the event, which detected an energy signature on and around the planet consistent with the doomsday device known as 'Judgement'. According to experts this weapon, normally used to annihilate entire fleets, is quite capable of causing the level of destruction seen across the entire planet of Reschard V.

This was where the good news from the investigators ended, as according to all available data, the Avatar immediately jumped out of the system after the weapon had been fired. However, due to the simultaneous activation of over two dozen cynosural fields across the galaxy, they were unable to track the vessels course, and beyond that all contact with the vessel was lost.

Although the investigation team has not announced any cessation in their activities regarding this incident, the fact that even the ships identity cannot be determined from the small amount of existing data, suggests that the galaxies fears will not be alleviated any time soon.

LUMINAIRE - Last weeks daring theft of a Federation Navy mothership by Admiral Siral of the Serpentis Corporation resulted in not only the loss of the stolen ship, but the destruction of four CONCORD Special Operations vessels. The stolen Federation Nyx was destroyed in the PFP-GU system of the Syndicate by a combined fleet of Goonswarm and 3rd Front Alliance vessels. However the CONCORD losses occurred in Stacmon where they were the victims of an unruly gang of capsule pilots that had been originally formed to help eradicate the Serpentis Admiral.

CONCORD Inspector Ronier was one of the first to respond to the report of the stolen Federation Nyx in the Luminaire system. After he had confirmed the reported crime he quickly called on the local capsule pilot community for assistance. Although he assured all pilots in the system that CONCORD would not engage them if they attacked the Nyx, many were hesitant to open fire on the mothership. This hesitation provided the Serpentis Admiral with the opportunity to jump the capital ship to the PFP-GU system and escape.

CONCORD ships then moved to the Stacmon system and used it as a rallying point for pilots who wished to help in the attack against Siral in PFP-GU. While pilots where assembling in Stacmon in answer to CONCORD's call to arms, an unknown pilot was attacked by the stolen mothership in PFP-GU and sent a message via an alliance FTL channel informing 3rd Front Alliance and Goonswarm of the threat.

3rd Front was the first to engage Admiral Siral in PFP-GU and were quickly joined by Goonswarm. 3FA pilot Shade Gallowglass recalled "Her shields and armor were taking a beating and still [the mothership] fired on and on. The fighters seemed endless." The combined fleet of 3rd Front and Goonswarm was enough to destroy the stolen mothership.

Those pilots in Stacmon that were hastily recruited to help CONCORD pursue the renegade Admiral did not take kindly to the news that the vessel had been destroyed. Although all pilots that joined the FTL channel created by CONCORD for the operation were informed that 'A combined bounty of 750million ISK has been queued for those involved in the destruction of the stolen mothership piloted by Admiral Siral.' Many of those assembled in Stacmon had only seen Inspector Ronier's statement that, "Our rally point is Stacmon, Come quickly and you will be rewarded."

With the stolen ship destroyed and no reward forthcoming for the pilots that had gathered in the Stacmon system the situation became intense. Capsuleer Syris Anu provoked hostilities in the CONCORD channel shouting "Get him! He led us astray!" which prompted the assembled fleet to attack the Concord pilots. Inspector Ronier and Sergeants Judra, Alfotada, and Tomon lost their vessels during the retaliation. Sergeant Judra's capsule was also confirmed destroyed though the sergeant is believed to be recovering at a Concord cloning facility after a successful clone activation.

Inspector Navikila did issue this after action statement "We find the actions of the pilots in question to be on par with general pod pilot activity. On a daily basis we see the best and worst of human nature, so while this incident saddens us, it does not surprise us." When asked if the Pod Pilots involved in the attack on CONCORD would be punished, Navikila declined to comment.

All subsequent inquiries into the incident and possible penalties for pilots involved have been referred to Assistant Commissioner Aldun. Who stated "CONCORD has no public statement at this time."

LUMINAIRE - Last weeks daring theft of a Federation Navy mothership by Admiral Siral of the Serpentis Corporation resulted in not only the loss of the stolen ship, but the destruction of four CONCORD Special Operations vessels. The stolen Federation Nyx was destroyed in the PFP-GU system of the Syndicate by a combined fleet of Goonswarm and 3rd Front Alliance vessels. However the CONCORD losses occurred in Stacmon where they were the victims of an unruly gang of capsule pilots that had been originally formed to help eradicate the Serpentis Admiral.

CONCORD Inspector Ronier was one of the first to respond to the report of the stolen Federation Nyx in the Luminaire system. After he had confirmed the reported crime he quickly called on the local capsule pilot community for assistance. Although he assured all pilots in the system that CONCORD would not engage them if they attacked the Nyx, many were hesitant to open fire on the mothership. This hesitation provided the Serpentis Admiral with the opportunity to jump the capital ship to the PFP-GU system and escape.

CONCORD ships then moved to the Stacmon system and used it as a rallying point for pilots who wished to help in the attack against Siral in PFP-GU. While pilots where assembling in Stacmon in answer to CONCORD's call to arms, an unknown pilot was attacked by the stolen mothership in PFP-GU and sent a message via an alliance FTL channel informing 3rd Front Alliance and Goonswarm of the threat.

3rd Front was the first to engage Admiral Siral in PFP-GU and were quickly joined by Goonswarm. 3FA pilot Shade Gallowglass recalled "Her shields and armor were taking a beating and still [the mothership] fired on and on. The fighters seemed endless." The combined fleet of 3rd Front and Goonswarm was enough to destroy the stolen mothership.

Those pilots in Stacmon that were hastily recruited to help CONCORD pursue the renegade Admiral did not take kindly to the news that the vessel had been destroyed. Although all pilots that joined the FTL channel created by CONCORD for the operation were informed that 'A combined bounty of 750million ISK has been queued for those involved in the destruction of the stolen mothership piloted by Admiral Siral.' Many of those assembled in Stacmon had only seen Inspector Ronier's statement that, "Our rally point is Stacmon, Come quickly and you will be rewarded."

With the stolen ship destroyed and no reward forthcoming for the pilots that had gathered in the Stacmon system the situation became intense. Capsuleer Syris Anu provoked hostilities in the CONCORD channel shouting "Get him! He led us astray!" which prompted the assembled fleet to attack the Concord pilots. Inspector Ronier and Sergeants Judra, Alfotada, and Tomon lost their vessels during the retaliation. Sergeant Judra's capsule was also confirmed destroyed though the sergeant is believed to be recovering at a Concord cloning facility after a successful clone activation.

Inspector Navikila did issue this after action statement "We find the actions of the pilots in question to be on par with general pod pilot activity. On a daily basis we see the best and worst of human nature, so while this incident saddens us, it does not surprise us." When asked if the Pod Pilots involved in the attack on CONCORD would be punished, Navikila declined to comment.

All subsequent inquiries into the incident and possible penalties for pilots involved have been referred to Assistant Commissioner Aldun. Who stated "CONCORD has no public statement at this time."

NONNI - Pilots in Lonetrek were left bemused last Monday by a shotgun trade between Obuchi Kun, a known Gurista operative and Auluras Reikatoh, the CEO of Igneus Civitas. The Gurista operative fled after the trade was completed before Caldari law enforcement could arrive on the scene.

Caldari officials and a squad of marines were mere minutes away from apprehending Kun, who they believe has been working for over five months on a secret project for the Guristas.

However, Kun slipped away to destinations unknown whilst Reikatoh was led away for questioning. The unfortunate industrialist had suffered various threats to his family and personal wellbeing, as well as an assortment of bribes as his paymasters closed in on their purchases.

The list of items was not easy to acquire and the Igneus Civitas Corporation had to rely on the generosity of a plethora of capsuleers to assist them in their search. The items included 100,000 units of Electronic Parts and Coolant, an undisclosed amount of Plutonium and a large quantity of data chips and mechanical parts.

Naturally the events stirred the collective curiosity of the pod-pilot community and one brave soul, Vickers, the CEO of Mentally Unstable Enterprises was ready to back his words up.

"Leave here Gurista scum," said Vickers. "Or fall before me like so many of your brethren have before!"

Perhaps it was this threat or the rapidly approaching marines that saw Kun decide that discretion was the better part of valour and slip into the murky backworlds of Lonetrek.

Reikatoh, clearly traumatised by the whole ordeal told witnesses: "I don't want anything more to do with Guristas."

Speculation has spread amongst pod-pilots following last week's announcement that the Angels required a similar shopping list in the South. Exactly what the Guristas' plans are or indeed who they intend enacting them against remains a mystery at the present time.

It has been reported that a live test of a new jump drive system created by InoTech Star Drive Solutions failed in spectacular fashion late last Sunday evening, resulting in the destruction of a small Caldari Navy taskforce.

Shortly after 2100 New Eden standard time, InoTech initiated a major test run of its highly advanced Jump Drive Technology. The Jump Drive prototypes, which had previously been used in a series of relatively successful but limited tests within Caldari space, were installed in a number of Caldari Navy warships in order to conduct more advanced testing. The Caldari Navy, reportedly looking to be the major beneficiary of the new system, has taken control of all further testing after an earlier trial saw a number of InoTech test ships overshoot their destination and illegally enter Gallente Federation space.

According to Navy sources the object of the test was to use the prototype Jump Drive to send five combat fitted navy vessels long distance into the 6WW-28 system in Vale of the Silent from a secret location within Caldari space known as the "Icarus Testing Range." With the CEO of InoTech, Inoki Shotsu, on board one of the Navy carriers present and reportedly under arrest by order of the Caldari Business Tribunal, the operation was led by InoTech deputy leader and chief test pilot Seda Inzi. Arriving at the target coordinates intact, surrounded by a heavy Caldari Navy support fleet; the test appeared to have been a success.

However as the remaining four ships, piloted by volunteers from APEX Unlimited began to follow with jumps of their own, a phenomenon described as a "spatial rift" formed in the middle of the Navy fleet and widened with each subsequent jump sending the test ships far off course. The spatial rift collapsed and caused a shockwave of tremendous power to echo out from its point of origin, annihilating the entire Navy fleet including two Chimera-class carriers.

Though the event was witnessed by a small patrol from the Kimotoro Directive the Caldari Navy has yet to confirm its losses from the incident, but sources estimate that the final toll will reach several billion ISK. No word has been given on the future of the Jump Drive prototype or that of InoTech Star Drive Solutions. However with its CEO apparently detained and under investigation and the Corporation's main supporter reeling from such a significant and high profile loss; many industry analysts are predicting that the prototype will never leave its current phase.

OUTER RING. Recent ORE-Ishukone trade deals have come to a halt this week, following one of the largest losses of assets in interstellar history. Officials are still trying to determine how several billion ISK worth of minerals carried aboard a Charon-class freighter, owned by Outer Ring Excavations, managed to vanish off the map.

The plan was for an Ishukone Watch escort squad to rendezvous with the freighter at the ORE refineries in 4C-B7X. From there, they would escort the shipment back to Ishukone offices in Empire space. However, about two >hours after the Ishukone team's scheduled arrival, reports came in from the F7C-HO system that they would not make it. The few remaining survivors relayed intelligence and distress calls, detailing how they were overwhelmed by Outbreak forces in the system and had suffered heavy losses. Once word of this reached the ORE officials, both parties quickly realised something had gone terribly wrong.

ORE officials rushed off a confused reply, stating that according to their security logs the freighter had already departed, on schedule and with a full Ishukone Watch escort. Eyewitnesses in Syndicate also confirmed the presence of what appeared to be Ishukone Watch vessels on their way to Outer Ring. More intriguing however were the eyewitness accounts that followed after, stating that the freighter was spotted during a battle between Mercenary Coalition vessels and the same Ishukone Watch escort that was supposed to have been destroyed.

Eden Ramani of Intaki Union soon explained the mysterious second escort in a communication on Galnet. She claimed that Vika Kuvakei, wife of esteemed Intaki spiritual leader Vremaja Idama, was responsible for organising the entire attack. Ramani claimed Vika had approached Intaki Union leadership with a plan involving the impersonation of Ishukone Watch officials, a plan that was refused and made available to the public. Following the allegations made by Ms Ramani, an official investigation was opened by the Federal Intelligence Office to establish whether Kuvakei or possibly her husband, were guilty of orchestrating an inter-Empire incident. Both individuals are wanted for questioning in the Federation to clarify their alleged role in the event.

During preliminary enquiries into the Mercenary Coalitions involvement, it was initially stated that an official representing Ishukone CEO Otro Gariushi himself had approached them. The comment was later retracted in a follow-up interview with Ms GoGo Yubari. She did admit however that given the nature of the operation, and the level of inside knowledge her people had, that ruling out an inside job was not out of the question. News outlets were looping a statement made by Ishukone CFO Kinachi Hepikemi last month and re-evaluating his comments about "associated risks" inherent to trading with ORE.

Speaking on the execution of the contract, Ms Yubari commented, "We finally caught up with the freighter in 3KNK-A...dispatching its escort." Whilst she was unable to ascertain their true identities, she did go on to introduce another involved party. "While we had been away members of Omerta Syndicate and their allies had successfully engaged Veritas Immortalis forces inside PF-346. It is my suspicion that they had also been contracted to catch the freighter." Commenting on their presence in the system, a tight-lipped Yuki Li said only, "The MC were taking something from Ishukone...we were more than happy to lend a hand." Ms Yubari concluded by stating that the contract was a success, "we travelled back through PF-346 and onwards to our target system...without resistance."

FIO officials are asking for any information relating to the identity of the Ishukone impostors, as well as anything that may point to who was ultimately behind the heist. It is also believed that Ishukone and ORE have established a joint investigative unit in search of further answers.

ESSENCE - The newly formed Caldari Pleasures Corporation began acquiring goods, services and personnel from the Oursulaert system last week. The corporation's founders recently announced their intention of setting up an entertainment and relaxation centre in the Sivala System of the Citadel region. Viga Monten and Grenall Vek started the company with the idea that Caldari business travellers need a place to relax and unwind that will rival even the most luxurious of the Gallente pleasure hubs.

Grenall Vek described their plan to offer "new and exciting, never before seen entertainment!" to the local Oursulaert pilots, who seemed glad to aid the new corporation in its endeavour. He made several deals and purchased pleasure hub essentials such as Spiced Wine, Quafe Ultra, Holoreels and of course "Exotic Dancers of the highest quality." Vek was also surprised by the donation of a Marine security detachment and janitorial personnel from pilot Doh Tajori, who seemed eager for a free pass to a not yet announced grand opening party.

Although details about the new corporation's finances and any possible partners were not available, both Vek and Monten were very confident that they would be able to fill a niche market that has been lacking for the business-weary Caldari that frequent the Essence and Citadel regions.

All inquiries to the Caldari government about permits for such a station in the Caldari Border Zone went unanswered. A low level official who requested anonymity remarked, "This is another case of the Gallente way of life poisoning the good Caldari people."

Late last week a patrol force of Mordu's Legion vessels, tasked with removing Guristas elements from several systems in the Pure Blind region, suffered significant losses after being caught in an ambush by an as yet unknown pirate fleet.

The five ship patrol fleet embarked from its current base of operations at the Mordu's Legion Testing Facilities in the 5ZXX-K system on a wide pattern patrol through several constellations of the Pure Blind region. The fleet, centred around the Caldari Navy Raven of Colonel Akuras, was reportedly on a mission to clear several Guristas pirate infestations at the behest of The Servant Sisters of EVE. Shortly after engaging and defeating a number of small Guristas groups operating in the X-7OMU system, the fleet received orders to make an immediate return to base. The return voyage mimicked the largely uneventful outward trip until the patrol entered the R6XN-9 system, where the Mordu's Legion ships were immediately set upon by a large number of unidentified pirates.

The initial engagement was swift and brutal, resulting in the destruction of three of the mordus vessels and their pilots pods, including that of Colonel Akuras. The fleets second in command Major Koinahaila, piloting a second Caldari Navy Raven, along with Sergeant Major Jian in a Vulture, managed to flee the carnage and make their way to the final stargate in the chain. However, both pilots were again set upon immediately after entering the 5ZXX-K system by compatriots of the first raiding party, that had inexplicably evaded detection by Mordu's forces stationed in the system. The second brief engagement did not end well for Major Koinhaila this time, resulting in the destruction of his ship and pod, however Sergeant Major Jian was able evade the pirate raiding fleet and make his way back to the station safely.

Mordu's Legion Command spokespeople have refused to answer questions on the incident, instead releasing a statement "The Legion has adjusted its standing towards the culprits accordingly. At this time, we will not be releasing the names of the pirates involved in this action." Inside sources have suggested that an embarrassed Mordus Legion Command have made several key staff changes in its forces in the system, notably in the stations sensor and reconnaissance departments. An unconfirmed rumour that Colonel Achuras remarked to medical staff and observers that "it took twelve of the bastards to take me out" has been strongly denied by the Legion, whose response to questions regarding the rumour was "we will not be releasing the numbers of classes of ships involved at the present time." All pod pilots have been advised to steer clear of the area if possible, until such time as the Legion, or possibly even the Caldari Navy itself, have identified and dealt with this publically unknown menace.

CATCH - Over the past weeks the G-7WUF system, and its surrounding systems, has been the scene of large scale fighting between the Interstellar Alcohol Conglomerate [IAC] and the Mercenary Coalition [MC].

The attack on Conglomerate owned space stations in G-7WUF by over 20 Coalition Dreadnaught class vessels started a conflict that not only tested the resolve of the IAC, but also triggered several other alliances to come to IAC's aid. Despite admitting to heavy losses, the Conglomerate's morale appeared high and through dogged determination and help from allies they have managed to retain sovereignty of all their claimed systems.

The only warning that Mercenary Coalition had a contract to oust Interstellar Alcohol Conglomerate from its home system of G-7WUF was the nearly two dozen cynosural fields heralding the appearance of MC Dreadnaughts with the singular purpose of forcing all IAC stations into reinforced mode. Over the next week the IAC battled the Mercenaries, and their allies in Firmus Ixion [FIX], to hold their claim to G-7WUF. The tide of the battle changed though when Curatores Veritatis Alliance [CVA], Axiom Empire [AXE], and other friendly alliances came to the aid of the beleaguered IAC. When asked if MC was surprised by this development, CEO Seleene of Body Count Inc., the executor corporation of Mercenary Coalition commented, "A bit, but they were dealt with ...CVA had their fleet destroyed and sent home."

When it appeared that the IAC defenders were holding the line, the original unnamed contractor apparently hired KIA Corp to help in reinforcing MC. This led to a final push by the attackers to take control of G-7WUF. During this pivotal battle Tyrrax Thorrk, Spokesperson for IAC, stated "IAC is here to stay and there's nothing the MC can do about it, with or without their lackeys in KIA or their employers in FIX." Although there were logistical problems with such a huge number of fleet engagements, in the end IAC survived the onslaught and MC withdrew from IAC space. KIA Corp soon followed with IAC remaining in control of their stations and sovereignty over G-7WUF.

A statement issued on GalNet by Seleene, revealed that the contract was voided because no payment had been made to continue the war and they were unable to contact the original client.

The GalNet is buzzing with conspiracy theories that the attack on IAC was a diversion to keep them from helping ASCN in the war with BOB, and some say that there never was an anonymous client and MC was helping BOB in their efforts. When asked if there was any correlation between the two wars Seleene responded, "Thus far, no one has paid us to take part in it. Until they do, what BOB and ASCN do to each other is not our concern."

OIMMO. The Mito constellation, home to the Caldari State loyalist capsuleer alliance the Kimotoro Directive, is fast becoming a hotbed of violence and intrigue as numerous organizations become drawn into a conflict over territory and ideology. Despite some initial defeats the Directive is showing little sign of backing down, suggesting that Mito may be a war zone for quite some time.

Now the target of two war declarations, the Kimotoro Directive has stated that both wars were expected for a long time and that they will outlast their aggressors. From the first moments The Black Rabbits Corporation appeared in Mito, the Directive began engaging their forces. As a self-proclaimed "brotherhood" of criminals, anti-State radicals and Guristas Pirates sympathisers, the Rabbits were seen as an immediate threat. "We began engaging them within a day of their showing up in Mito...the war was an obvious escalation," commented Nikolai Nuvolari, speaking on behalf of the Directive. The Star Fraction was the second organization to declare war upon the Directive, having also raised alarms when they were seen moving combat vessels and supplies into Mito.

The reasoning behind The Black Rabbits' war declaration, which has now triggered five other wars, represents a mix of desires. Primarily they seek to have their activities in Mito left largely undisturbed; however they also aim to prove assertions of protectionism made by the Directive to be false. "They claim to be paramilitary knights securing the low-security areas of the State border," explained Naphtalia, CEO of the Rabbits, "they are incapable of doing this."

Since the outbreak of war between the two organizations, other corporations have come to align themselves with either side. Pro-State factions such as APEX Unlimited and Omerta Syndicate have joined in the war against the Rabbits, declaring CONCORD-Sanctioned hostilities. Vendrin, CEO of APEX Unlimited spoke about his corporation's involvement: "Whatever issues APEX has with certain members of the Kimotoro Directive, we are still loyal to the State...we felt that we had to respond with declarations of war." CEO of Omerta Syndicate, Yuki Li echoed his sentiments.

The most notable of the third party organisations joining the Mito conflict has been the pro free space radicals, The Star Fraction, who have since declared their support for the Rabbits in the war against the Directive. Their presence in Empire space after long years crusading on the lawless frontiers represents what CEO Jade Constantine referred to as, "a return to the source."

Elaborating on the rationale behind Star Fraction involvement, Ms Constantine stated: "The flashpoint is in the State...the old empires are using the capsuleer caste as a medium to transmit their contagion...the weak point in that strategy is the capsuleer caste militias in high security space." Whilst the Star Fraction shares similar aims as the Rabbits in terms of seeking to "liberate" the Mito capsuleer locals by showing them that no claims of protection can ever be reliably fulfilled - they also see their struggle as one to silence the pro-status quo voices of the Directive.

Kimotoro Directive members have been quick to label the Star Fraction as nothing more than pirate sympathisers and anarchists seeking to impose their radical vision on unwilling State citizens. Arguments between the involved organizations have flared up into an all out public relations war spanning multiple communications on the Galnet and other communications networks, with each side claiming the moral or ideological high ground.

Despite the influx of corporations joining the fighting and a total of seven active wars against the Rabbits, they remain resolute against the Kimotoro Directive and there is little hope for a quick end to the conflict.

FEYTHABOLIS. A Doomsday-class device was activated successfully on Sunday by the Ascendant Frontier Titan during a skirmish with Band of Brothers forces.

While casualties were low, this is yet another landmark in the scale that capsuleer-driven politics and warfare are taking.

Witnesses to the event mention a "blinding white light" that engulfs everything in sight, leaving nothing but scorched remains behind it.

The conflict between the two neighbours erupted shortly after BoB's announcement that it had taken the path of war once again.

While the target was not known at the time, it was not long before reports of scouts and raiding parties into ASCN territory surfaced on the Gal-Net channels, shortly followed by confirmation on both parts that war had erupted.

When asked about the purpose of this war, BoB ranking officer Kryztal simply indicated that it was for glory and land, rhetorically asking "what bigger goal is there [than] to destroy a Titan and gain more space?"

Commenting on the use of the Judgement device, she feels that "[it] must have been a mistake", since not only was the body count low, but included friendly-fire.

On the ASCN side, morale is high and confidence strong in these early stages, as confirmed by High Command Officer Gilbert Drillerson: "Morale is very high in ASCN and we are looking at continued fighting with comfort and confidence."

Speaking about the current situation, he observed that "until Capital ships are committed to assaulting Starbases, nothing has really changed" and that the intensity of the coming battles will only increase.

Both observation and confidence were shared by Kryztal, who stated that "[BoB] is in no hurry" and that there was "no doubt that we will be the ones standing victorious when [the war] ends."

An ultimatum and an offer to the inhabitants of the GQ2S-8 system was made by BoB, which ASCN has promptly, but unofficially, dismissed.

Neighbouring alliances have been following the events closely, and while some of them have stated their verbal support to one side or the other, few have taken the step of siding with one of the protagonists, the usual exception being the Axiom Empire, ASCN's unfaltering ally.

Political analysts and other experts have since been studying this "clash of the titans" with a mix of interest and apprehension, as explained by Kep Ekatemi, political analyst at the University of Caille; "Until now, Doomsday-class weapons only existed as rumours, but now they are very real and have already been used, which makes them much more palpable!"

For him, the scale of the conflict - opposing two of the largest Capsuleer alliances - added to the potential use of the heaviest Capital-class ships, has created an electric atmosphere and become the focus of all attention.

OUTER RING. In a surprising change of policy, the Serpentis Corporation have appointed a former Outer Ring Excavations (ORE) station administrator - Fazin Oorund - to the position of Lord Admiral. He is now responsible for communications between ORE and Serpentis, and will assist with decisions between the executive boards of both Corporations for their combined strategic benefit.

This appointment follows the Serpentis' hostile takeover of ORE, after Mordu's Legion had departed the region, taking a majority of their defence fleet with them roughly 5 months ago. The takeover saw the murder of the previous station administrator in 4C-B7X, who is commonly believed to have deactivated the defence grid and allowed the Serpentis to stage a relatively bloodless takeover of the station; and subsequently all other ORE stations after obtaining the security override codes.

The Serpentis takeover was widely unpopular amongst ORE workers, and there were subsequently many strikes and resignations throughout ORE staff with a large number leaving returning to the central systems to find other work. Despite these difficulties, Fazin Oorund - having been appointed Station Administrator after the murder of his predecessor - was able to start negociations with Admiral Brion, the head of the Serpentis fleet that had staged the takeover.

Within three months the negotiations between Fazin Oorund and Admiral Brion had brought the region under control, and in the last month ORE has begun turning a profit and its operations in Outer Ring are growing again. Fazin Oorund is also a very popular figure within ORE due to his influence and profit making strategies. His popularity is also presumed to be the reason behind his sudden promotion into Serpentis.

Lord Admiral Fazin Oorund is being joined by Serpentis advisor Admiral Alurath, who will be co-ordinating all static security forces within Outer Ring. Admiral Brion will stay in command of the Serpentis Expeditionary Fleet, which will continue to operate within Outer Ring.

Over the past few months there have been a growing number of pod pilots taking notice of a young, quick witted and sometimes foolhardy capsuleer named Innominate Nightmare. Much to the dismay of his instructors at the Caldari State War Academy, he decided to jump in a shuttle and head off to unsecure space in search of what he termed "The meaning of life". Recently though, his actions have made some people wonder if his intentions are philosophical or financial in nature.

His journey so far has taken him from the Venal region in the north to the Stain region in the south and he has had many interesting, amusing, romantic and sometimes dangerous encounters with capsule pilots in the many solar systems he has visited.

When asked what his most memorable experience has been so far, he answered, "it could be quite difficult to choose a favourite, although if I were forced to pick I would have to go with the parade of capital ships that ASCN gave me to when I first arrived at their home system."

Although he had started his self appointed 'experiment' with a meagre one million ISK, his wallet soon grew with donations from pilots he has encountered. Some have given him money or ships, while others have offered to let him fly with them as they destroyed pirates and let him take a portion of any salvageable equipment or cargo.

His self generated celebrity has caused Innominate to also become the target of some amorous approaches from other pod pilots, most notably Missytrex who promised him a vast fortune, and Frivolous who offered to kill Missytrex to acquire his favor. Innominate briefly flirted with the idea of hiring the Mercenary Coalition to dispatch Missytrex so he could steal her assets and run off with Frivolous, but this scheme was short lived after the Mercenary Coalition refused the contract.

Just recently though Innominate has offered to let pilots purchase shares in his one man corporation named "Innominate Neutrality".

Valued at one million ISK per share, he has made five thousand shares available to potential investors as souvenirs of his experiment, while keeping five thousand and one shares for him self as CEO. Many capsuleers have already invested in "Innominate Neutrality" even though he has said publicly that he has no business plan. Innominate explained, "I now found myself with a balance rapidly approaching one billion ISK".

Many are wondering what the future holds for "Innominate Neutrality" and it's adventurous CEO.

Tranquility will have an extended downtime, Wednesday 1 November, running for 24 hours from 10:00 to 10:00 GMT. This downtime will add 10 new nodes, more RAMSAN capacity and connections to more internet backbone providers for increased stability and fault tolerance.

Later in November, we will have 2 new IBM Bladecenters coming with 28 new servers for Tranquility. Read more on that in the recent blog.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Be sure to set long skill training.

Update: As of 1130 GMT on 31 October, 18 tickets remain for the Fanfest. If you want a ticket this is your last chance.

Due to a very positive community response, we are rapidly approaching the maximum number of tickets we may sell for the Fanfest due to limitations imposed by the size of the venue. That's right, the Fanfest is in danger of being sold out.

If you have booked your travel arrangements but not purchased your Fanfest ticket, it is in your best interest do to so immediately. There are no gaurantees that tickets will be available at the door and once we have sold out, that's it. We can't make any exceptions.

For more information, please visit the Fanfest information page.

It's almost time for the Party at the Top of the World. Don't be left standing out in the cold.

Tranquility will have an extended downtime, Wednesday 1 November, running for 24 hours from 10:00 to 10:00 GMT. This downtime will add 10 new nodes, more RAMSAN capacity and connections to more internet backbone providers for increased stability and fault tolerance.

Later in November, we will have 2 new IBM Bladecenters coming with 28 new servers for Tranquility. Read more on that in the recent blog.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Be sure to set long skill training.

In preparation for the world wide release of CCP Games' new Collectible Card Game (CCG), the official CCG website has been redesigned and is now open.

Turn your browser to EVE: The Second Genesis and take a look at what the site has to offer.

Included in the redesigned site are:

• News and articles pertaining to the exciting new CCG,
• A sortable card list,
• Art Gallery,
• CCG related forums,
• Events and Tournament information,
• and much, much more!

What are you waiting for? Pull out your cards, grab your rule book and surf on over. You won't be disappointed.

Dear players.

Our email support has not been working properly since the 24th. That means that all emails sent out by support staff since the 24th have in all probability failed to reach their destination.

We therefore ask everyone with outstanding petitions to log into the support site, to see if they were among the players that did not receive their answers last week.

The problem causing this has been identified and fixed and the fix will be deployed in tomorrow's downtime, on the 29th.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

GM Arkanon

Yes, it's time for more of that. The first upgrade is on the 1st of November as you might know already, we're adding more internet backbones, both to add more capacity but also to offer you multiple routes to access Tranquility (called multi-homing). The EVE cluster doesn't use that much bandwidth though, however we need low latency so we always aim for low utilization to allow for that.

But like, there's more, right?

Absolutely. Another ultra-cool RAMSAN is coming in too. This will allow us to move more tables in our SQL server over to the RAMSAN and have more headroom in case we need move some of the new stuff over there in Kali. These things are so fast that we can't even max out it's data throughput.

But mooooore!!!

Of course there is more. 5 new IBM LS21 dual-processing AMD Opteron blades are coming. That's 10 more nodes to the 102 we already have. But no siree, that's not all. You see, this is just the latest batch being installed on Tranquility on November 1st. There's still more coming.

Moooooooooooooooooore!!!!

Yeah, how can we stop when we're having so much fun? We can't. We're bringing in 28 more blades. Yes, that's 56 nodes. Plus the 10. Plus the 102 already there. Do the math, that's 168 nodes of uber-cool yaardware! IBM is sending them to us as fast as they can. They know what's at stake here. You. We hope to have them in mid November. Then we'll release Kali.

Kali?

Yes, Tuesday we started public testing of Kali on Singularity. Note that Singularity doesn't have the capacity to host all the players helping out to test, we had more hardware coming to reinforce Singularity, but that has to wait, because we rerouted that hardware to Tranquility. We hope you understand.

But it's all good though. We're getting very good feedback on Singularity, we're fixing at lightning speeds, about 100 fixes daily submitted and tested which might seem a lot - and very little to others. The fact is, we have hundreds of thousands of lines of code and having it tested properly is very important to us. We won't catch all the bugs, but we think you get the scale of the effort going on right now at the office.

So more features and more bugs, why aren't you fixing stuff instead?

Kali contains a lot of improvements, fixes and optimizations that are too big to deploy in the Tranquility codebase, the changes are simply touching too many systems. So Kali isn't just "new stuff", it's a lot of fixes. A whole parking lot of fixes. A parking lot the size of Iceland of fixes. And Iceland is bigger than ... oh, never mind.

We also have a team working on hotfixes on Tranquility, which was one of the reasons we postponed the Kali public testing. We simply had a lot of good fixes we needed to test so we could deploy it to Tranquility. Most important of those is probably the fix which addresses solar systems which have a lot of Starbases.

We deployed that Tuesday and we're now looking at other areas to improve in Kali based on the stress tests on Singularity. Large gangs for example, the update to all gang members of changes in damage states is really heavy. We have other leads too, but please help us out during the weekend to stress test this specifically.

To sum this up, we're fixing, we're optimizing, we're bringing in more hardware and we're working on Kali. We should also have a quote.

"In a mad world only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Ah heck, one more. Funnily it reminds me of forums.

"Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong." - Oscar Wilde

Podpilots, we salute you!

Hi everyone,

Quite a few things to announce from dynamic content’s little corner of the CCP offices. More people have been added to the dynamic team, among them a fiercely prolific Chronicle and short story writer with serious skills (who has provided us with a one-story-a-week release pipeline through the new year), and a dedicated Events Coordinator who will oversee and supervise events, helping us put out a more regular events schedule which will utilize the 18 CCP staffers who have expressed interest in that area. In addition, more people are being shifted, part-time and full-time, into helping create event content – dungeons, items and logistical tools for dedicated use with events and RP, all things which will enable more widespread event participation.

You may have heard of the recent security breach suffered by AURORA. The short version: a player was able to phish one of the event producers’ passwords and gain access to the entire event management system, meaning that arc plans for the next six months were compromised and had to be scrapped. Ever in pursuit of the silver lining, we have decided to use this setback as an opportunity to do some much-needed re-shuffling of the way events are handled. The coordinator and myself will align the event staff with the mounds of interested in-house people to bring you as dynamic and immersive a storyline as possible, erasing whatever distinction may once have existed between "AURORA events" and "CCP events."

The new arrangement should bring us loads more events, with a particular emphasis on events relevant to the four empires (though the outer factions will continue to get their lovin’). We are in the process of constructing a unified timeline of story arcs for the new arrangement and getting all of the team on board. You will start to see some RP love, both in-game, on the forums and on the web site, in the very near future.

Chronicles and short stories will be published at a rate of one per week, every Monday from now. Look for the first one to hit the site today, followed by another one every Monday henceforth. We'll adhere to the schedule as religiously as possible, though momentary setbacks can always occur in the publication process so perhaps a Monday or two might be missed somewhere down the pipeline.

To whet your appetites, here is a small excerpt from an as-yet unpublished Chronicle by our new writer, that man of mystery known only as Abraxas.

----

Methods of Torture – Caldari

    He lies in the middle of a golden field. The sun, not yet high, gently warms him. The field has grown and not been harvested, so from where he's lying it looks like the long stalks of wheat are reaching for the skies.
    He lifts one hand and reaches, too. Then he lowers it. All the while, he keeps his vision focused on the sky, on the distance.
    Not once did he cry out in pain. All that was done, really, took place while he was asleep, or just somewhere else. And there was no speaking to others; it is Not Done to share these things.
    Sometimes he fingers the scar behind his ear, where they went in.

   It is a fact of nature that the things that grab our attention, the ones to which we react the strongest, are the things that shock us. Something comes at you slowly and deliberately, and you have time to think. Something jumps at you, and you don't. You can't put any of your filters in place; you just react instinctively. If the threat disappears as quickly as it appeared, though, all that instant mania was for nothing.
   It is also a fact that high level organisms, having developed the capacity for abstract thought and imagination, can be made to feel threatened in a far greater variety of ways than the simple things that merely crawl around in the grass.

   It is a symptom of madness that thoughts become uncontrollably disjointed. This can be encouraged.

----

Why settle for only a small dose of uncontrollable madness, though? Here’s the new one.

ECM changes

Before I tell you what changes we're going to make, let's go over what's wrong with ECM to begin with. In my opinion there is not much wrong with dedicated ECM ships. They are very powerful and can lockdown multiple opponents but they are very vulnerable. Anyone that has failed a jam in one of these ships knows how fast they go down. It seems fair to sacrifice hard defenses for electronic warfare, but this isn't really totally true. You're using a low slot when armor tanking, leaving a med slot free for electronic warfare.

So what is the problem? Being able to tank and jam at the same time is part of it, the other is how powerful a single jammer is. It's a bit unfair towards people that can afford to put a single jammer in their med slot. They're not sacrificing a whole lot of resources for a module that makes you unable to lock for 20 seconds and with about a 30% chance of success.

If we work with the system we have right now, what can we do about this? To us it's pretty simple, move part of your jamming power to the low slots, decrease strength of single jammers and make jammers reletively more powerful on ECM ships (that does not mean boost ecm ships).

Step 1: Lower the jam strength of all ECM modules,
Step 2: Increase the ship bonuses of all dedicated ECM ships,
Step 3a: Create a new low slot module that boosts the jam strength of all ECM modules,
Step 3b: Stacking nerf the jam strength attribute.

There are two ships that get kind of nerfed by this, the Griffin and Blackbird. Neither have bonuses to ECM strength, Griffin's current bonuses are ECM cap need and missile kinetic damage. The Griffin only has two launcher hardpoints so I don't think it's a huge nerf to it if the kinetic missile damage bonus is changed to ECM strength.

The Blackbird is a bigger problem. It's getting two ECM bonuses: ECM cap need and ECM range. The cap need bonus is necessary to be able to run the jammers, especially multispectrals, while the range is very useful as it is its sole defense. One of these bonuses needs to be changed to a ecm strength one. Personally I'm in favor of changing the cap need. That would really coerce a Blackbird pilot to use racial jammers instead of multispectrals.

Is this all? This is the general scheme yes, we've also tweaked the cpu need of ECCM and backup arrays a bit.

Best regards
Tuxford

QA is now well into crunch mode, working on the new content for Kali which is now just about feature complete but there are still bugs and more testing to work through.

Generally, this means we are exploring strange new locations and shooting the locals.

Outside of having fun testing and shooting each other everything is approaching completion. This release is one of the biggest expansions CCP has released and there is a lot to test. We are almost ready to open Kali to public testing.

I have managed to get over being shocked into helpless awe every time I see the seamless map now, and it's becoming an ordinary part of the game. The testing of the new COSMOS constellations is pretty much complete now, but it turns out they were a small task in the grand scheme of Kali. Our attention is now on the exploration and invention features, including Salvaging and Rigs. I foresee a lot of death and destruction in the future, given that the only source of components for rigs will be dead ships.

Need to cut this blog short as I have a long list of testing tasks to get through (its presently 8pm, and I don’t expect to go home much before 10). Looking forward to the FanFest in a couple of weeks though.

Oh, and here’s a competition for you. Question is, how much had I drunk at this point?

I apologize in advance for the frivolous nature of this blog in light of our recent operational issues but we have a 40 day plan at the end of which we will have 73% more hamsters powering Tranquility and Kali deployed.

Now what I wanted talk about in this blog was completely different. As CCP has grown we have been improving our information systems and processes.

We are utilizing the open source project Trac for this purpose, with good results.

Now we'd like to see if we could somehow contribute back by assisting Edgewall Software in pushing their excellent Roadmap along.

Even though we have many capable programmers here in house which could do this, we would rather have them focus their efforts on improving EVE Online..

If there is anything I have learned about the EVE Community in the past 7 years is that it's full of highly qualified people, some of which even have extensive experience in participating in open source projects.

So my question to you is whether we anyone here which would like to participate in a modest experiment to bring more hands on deck to advance Trac?

If so please state your interest either to kieron, in the blog's discussion thread or just directly through Edgewall's We Need Your Help Page.