Far Frontiers Gateway Sector #2

[King Midas]

145-2511 Gateway News Service- Esperanza/New Acadia

In the colony of New Acadia, the famed Gator ‘rassler Boudreux Broussard has announced that he is going to finally retire, and enjoy his golden years with his remaining limbs. Mr. Broussard is famed for his Broussard Gator Hammer Slam technique. His son Boudreux Broussard Junior is now taking over from his father as the premier gator “rassler on Esperanza.

The Broussard Family is not only known for its famous gator ‘rassling, but for its restaurant which serves up some of the most stick to your ribs meals in the colony of New Acadia. If you are fortunate enough to get a seat (cafeteria style only), make sure you try all of the treats such as fried gator, jambalaya, gumbo, and the ever popular firecracker gator soup, so hot and spicy it is claimed by many to be able to bring a man six days dead back to life! We can assure you that this soup, which is filled with meat, okra, onion, and peppers, lots and lots of peppers is not for those with a weak constitution. Be prepared, and sign that waiver!

Something I just posted in another thread:

<Strong flavored stock> That's one way to put it.
How does the group feel about "heat"?
I like a little bit of tang, but what is usually labelled "mild" is still too strong for my taste and needs to be cut.
A few years back we went to an Asian caucus political meeting at a South Indian restaurant (Spousal unit is Japanese). Let's just say this poor Caucasian went through a lot of bread!

If the people of the Traveller universe are like me, I don't think South Indian or Cajun cuisine would be all that popular.* We prefer some black or red pepper, garlic, onion, and some herbs (parsley and basil mainly).

* I know, I know. IMO "TexMex" is more of a showmanship thing than a real cuisine.

 

[Murph]

In my house Jalapenos are a primary food group, and spicy is a way of life. But a word of wisdom: Never, Ever go into a Thai Restaurant and tell them to "Hurt Me", they take that as a challenge....

 

[Traveller76]

In my house Jalapenos are a primary food group, and spicy is a way of life. But a word of wisdom: Never, Ever go into a Thai Restaurant and tell them to "Hurt Me", they take that as a challenge....

"Please sign this Release Form before we serve you..."

 

[Murph]

I knew better, but a buddy decided to "macho it out" and made the request. He managed to eat about three forkfuls of his meal, and then surrendered in pain. I tried it, and it was too macho for me.

 

[Murph]

For an upcoming group get together, a preview of the next newsletter:
173-2511 Gateway News Service- New Texas

The New Texas Music fest has kicked off with Jack “Banjo” McPool premiering his latest song, the ballad: The Wreck of the Abundant Herald. The cargo ship Abundant Herald vanished 50 years ago in the Dusk system under very mysterious circumstances. The plaintive melody brought the audience to tears. With his permission, we have reproduced the song:

The Wreck of the Abundant Herald


The legend lives on from the Gateway of stars

To the ports on the moons of the giants

The void, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the dark of the nebulas turn violent


With a load of raw ore, twenty-six thousand tons more

Than the old Herald weighed empty

That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed

When the gales of the sector came early


The ship was the pride of the New Texas-based side

Coming back from some deep-system mining

As freighter ships go, she was bigger than most

With a hull that was polished and shining



She was hauling some gear in the hold down below

That the captain had kept under cover

Was it heavy-glass crates or some ancient star-gates?

No one will ever discover.


Solar wind in the wires made a high-pitched hum

And the ion clouds started to thicken

And every man knew, as the view screen turned blue

That the pace of the storm was to quicken


The dawn came late and the stars had all fled

In a green-glowing wash of radiation

And the cook came on deck saying fellas, it's a wreck

"If we don't hit the jump-gate station."


The Captain wired in to the Dusk Command sayin' ions are crashing the sensors

We've lost all our thrust and our jump drives are dust

And the static is growing much denser

On the port cargo rim, a main hatchway gave in

He said, fellas, it's been good to know ya


Then the scanners caught sight of a shimmering light

That no natural storm could ever show ya

There were shapes in the mist, neither metal nor mist

That danced round the hull like a fire

Then they came near and they sensed the great fear

And they sang like a celestial choir


They might have split up or they might have burned out

The Herald was doomed when the great storm had caught her

And all that remains is the faces and the names

Of the wives and the sons and the daughters


In a cathedral of glass on the New Texas plains

The pilgrims all gathered in mourning

They sang of the ship and the crew on the trip

That vanished without any warning

The cargo lies in the deep cosmic trench

Where the light of the suns cannot follow

And the secret she kept is where memories are swept

In the heart of the galaxy, hollow.

The Abundant Herald was a massive ship designed for carrying heavy cargo and some passengers. It had been contracted to take a cargo of building materials to the Dusk system for the newest station, the fabled raw ore as it was calling the hauling trade. The ship was under a well seasoned crew that ranged from the 40 year veteran captain down to the newest ships crewman who had over 4 years of service. The Abundant Herald belonged to the New Texas Shipping Company which handles cargo on the New Texas to Gateway run, and this was its tenth run into the Dusk system. The entire crew was from New Texas and the ship was considered the pride of the company fleet. It had been built 45 years prior to its disappearance, one of the largest ships yet to come out of the New Texas Yards.

 

[Grav_Moped]

The New Texas Music fest has kicked off with Jack “Banjo” McPool premiering his latest song, the ballad: The Wreck of the Abundant Herald.

The future is banjo.

Foggy Mountain Spaceship:

(Video is AI, audio is not.)

 

[kilemall]

The future is banjo.

Foggy Mountain Spaceship:

(Video is AI, audio is not.)

Space Above and Beyond postulated rock was largely unknown and country was the default US popular music.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Space Above and Beyond postulated rock was largely unknown and country was the default US popular music.

Wouldn't surprise me if music licensing fees played a role there, but I'm cynical like that...

"The future is banjo" is the group's tagline. I'd add to that, " -- it's just not very evenly distributed." from William Gibson.

 

[Diveguy]

For an upcoming group get together, a preview of the next newsletter:
173-2511 Gateway News Service- New Texas

The New Texas Music fest has kicked off with Jack “Banjo” McPool premiering his latest song, the ballad: The Wreck of the Abundant Herald. The cargo ship Abundant Herald vanished 50 years ago in the Dusk system under very mysterious circumstances. The plaintive melody brought the audience to tears. With his permission, we have reproduced the song:

The Wreck of the Abundant Herald


The legend lives on from the Gateway of stars

To the ports on the moons of the giants

The void, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the dark of the nebulas turn violent


With a load of raw ore, twenty-six thousand tons more

Than the old Herald weighed empty

That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed

When the gales of the sector came early


The ship was the pride of the New Texas-based side

Coming back from some deep-system mining

As freighter ships go, she was bigger than most

With a hull that was polished and shining



She was hauling some gear in the hold down below

That the captain had kept under cover

Was it heavy-glass crates or some ancient star-gates?

No one will ever discover.


Solar wind in the wires made a high-pitched hum

And the ion clouds started to thicken

And every man knew, as the view screen turned blue

That the pace of the storm was to quicken


The dawn came late and the stars had all fled

In a green-glowing wash of radiation

And the cook came on deck saying fellas, it's a wreck

"If we don't hit the jump-gate station."


The Captain wired in to the Dusk Command sayin' ions are crashing the sensors

We've lost all our thrust and our jump drives are dust

And the static is growing much denser

On the port cargo rim, a main hatchway gave in

He said, fellas, it's been good to know ya


Then the scanners caught sight of a shimmering light

That no natural storm could ever show ya

There were shapes in the mist, neither metal nor mist

That danced round the hull like a fire

Then they came near and they sensed the great fear

And they sang like a celestial choir


They might have split up or they might have burned out

The Herald was doomed when the great storm had caught her

And all that remains is the faces and the names

Of the wives and the sons and the daughters


In a cathedral of glass on the New Texas plains

The pilgrims all gathered in mourning

They sang of the ship and the crew on the trip

That vanished without any warning

The cargo lies in the deep cosmic trench

Where the light of the suns cannot follow

And the secret she kept is where memories are swept

In the heart of the galaxy, hollow.

The Abundant Herald was a massive ship designed for carrying heavy cargo and some passengers. It had been contracted to take a cargo of building materials to the Dusk system for the newest station, the fabled raw ore as it was calling the hauling trade. The ship was under a well seasoned crew that ranged from the 40 year veteran captain down to the newest ships crewman who had over 4 years of service. The Abundant Herald belonged to the New Texas Shipping Company which handles cargo on the New Texas to Gateway run, and this was its tenth run into the Dusk system. The entire crew was from New Texas and the ship was considered the pride of the company fleet. It had been built 45 years prior to its disappearance, one of the largest ships yet to come out of the New Texas Yards.

Well done, sir. Well done.

 

[Murph]

The GM for the upcoming game, set in the sector actually wrote it. He is a brilliant GM, and invites to his games are eagerly awaited. I am adding it and two other articles in the newsletter to set background a bit. We are coordinating on the pre game news and set up. But it will be in my sector, which is fun for me.

 

[Traveller76]

I have been listening to this song over and over again and it feels like it would work in this Universe.

Johnny Blue Sides & the Dark Clouds Mutiny After Mid Situation (**2026**)

 

[Murph]

176-2511 Gateway News Service- Dunwich

Sainte Foix has arrested a group of alleged corporate investors who had arrived for a visit to this reclusive colony. One of the group was spotted breaking into the main hospital’s genetic repository, and after a short struggle he was subdued. However he suddenly suffered a massive cardiac arrest, and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

The genetic repository is where the genetic tracking database as well as samples of the citizens of Sainte Foix are kept. As police attempted to speak with the other members of this group, they attempted to flee the colony via air raft, which, not surprising many familiar with the conditions around Sainte Foix, crashed, killing three of the seven on board.

Search groups have gone out in an attempt to locate the missing occupants in some of the most inhospitable mountainous terrain on the planet. Wind gusts in excess of 50 k/hr with heavy snowfall is hampering the recovery/rescue efforts. Temperatures are dropping into sub zero ranges at night, and so unless the escaped fugitives are familiar with wilderness survival, the chances of them living very long is small.

A white out blizzard struck on the second day, forcing all activity to halt until the storm passed ten hours later. The storm bumped almost half a meter of new snow in the area. Sainte Foix Command has called off the search due to worsening weather conditions in the Sainte Foix mountain range. There are a few small isolated settlements in the mountains, but none of them have reported any contact with the missing fugitives.

A police spokesman has told us that a search of the items that this group left has revealed some encrypted data systems, and other items which have led the Primacy to declare that the party of merchants were actually working for GeneCo or New Drakkensburg. A warrant has been issued for the missing people, and all other colonies have been alerted in case they show up so they can be detained and returned to Sainte Foix. As is common on almost all the colonies of Dunwich, belonging to GeneCo, Black Sun or New Drakkensburg is an almost automatic death sentence if caught.

 

[Murph]

177-2511 Gateway News Service- Marduk

The Amaterasu garrison force in Outer Slobbovia has come under attack by insurgents who targeted several off duty soliders in Slobbovia City. The soldiers were at a local bistro enjoying some down time, when a bicycle drove past and a hand grenade was tossed into the crowded patio area. Casualties were reported to be heavy, with the assailant being able to escape down an alleyway before abandoning the bicycle.

This is the latest episode in what is shaping up to be a rather active insurgency against the Amaterasu occupation forces in the two colonies. In New Podunk, there have been a number of incidents of sabotage against the garrison, as well as two, fortunately foiled attacks against troops who were off duty.

Due to these incidents, the government of Amaterasu is surging security police forces into both colonies, and taking a far harder line in dealing with the insurgents. However, the harder line is very unpopular with the citizens of those two colonies, and experts warn that any further crack downs run the very real risk of increasing support for the insurgents. Right now, we are being told that the colonies have grudgingly accepted the occupation forces, but the actions of the security police are alienating some former supporters.

A spokesman for the occupation forces told us that they suspect that lawyers, guns and money are flowing into the two colonies from outside. There is a great deal of information coming in, that New Drakkensburg and the Black Sun group are providing aid and equipment to the insurgents from the adjoining colonies of Iaavs, New Qom, and Bubbaland. The commander of Amaterasu forces has asked for permission to conduct search and destroy raids inside of those colonies to shut down the supply bases. As of this report, that request has been denied. But if the insurgency continues to grow, that decision could be revisited.

 

[Murph]

184-2511 Gateway News Service- Britomart

The Cleaners Inc. store in the capital of Stonerville has burned to the ground. Police are unable to find any clues to this fire, which to the most inattentive person appears to be arson. An eye witness told GNS: “Like man, I saw that really scary dude, like totally splashing thermoconcentrate on the outside, and then some other scary dudes and dudettes showed up and like knocked out the window, and tossed in some, like Molotov cocktails things, which started burning, like really bright. Then they started like, shooting inside of the store, and there was fire everywhere.”

He said that he told the police this, but a police spokesman told us that it appears that the store suffered from an electrical issue which started the fire. He did tell us that their fire suppression systems were not up to code, so Cleaners Inc will be receiving a hefty fine. The police were seen cleaning up the crime scene the next morning.

When asked about the dozen bodies inside of the store, he would only tell us that it appears that Cleaners Inc did not have the proper emergency fire doors, and required equipment. When asked about the doors being welded shut from the outside, he responded that was utterly ridiculous, and it is obvious the Cleaners Inc people are attempting to cover up their lack of civic virtue. He also denied that the deceased all suffered from gunshot wounds, which he instead stated most likely were self inflicted.

The store manager Mr. Albrecht Telamon, who is an old and close friend of the owner of the company Mr. Erich Wulfe was among those deceased. Mr. Telamon was one of the original employees hired back when Cleaners Inc was just a small store on Hades Station, having served in the Sutekh Army with Mr. Wulfe. He was the subsector manager for the chain, and just happened to be on Britomart.

The police have refused to accept that this incident was a crime, which was perpetrated on the store by a group of unknown assailants. The Chief of Stonerville police said for the media to “Stop spreading those vicious and unfounded rumors! This is an example of an electrical fire that caused some fatalities due to a complete lack of following civic safety regulations. Stop calling it a crime, it is an accident!”

Mr. Erich Wulfe was contacted, and he had no comment at this time, other than to say that the loss of any of his employees was a sad day for his business, and especially his very good and close friend Albrecht who has been with him since his days in the Army on Sutekh. He said that the company is going to look closely into this matter and he would be getting back to us as soon as the review was completed.

The close and tight knit family of Cleaners Inc employees is taking the loss of so many of their fellow employees hard. All stores on Britomart have been closed for three days of mourning. The bodies of the employees are being returned to their homeworlds on the companies dime, with Mr. Wulfe picking up the cost of the funerals.

 

[Starglim]

I knew better, but a buddy decided to "macho it out" and made the request. He managed to eat about three forkfuls of his meal, and then surrendered in pain. I tried it, and it was too macho for me.

I suspect I know what they use, and yep - those lovely friendly people will have no difficulty creating a dish that a physically normal human being cannot eat. (Birds, I understand, should be fine - they don't have the nerve receptors that interact with capsaicin.)