Far Frontiers Gateway sector

[Murph]

262-2509 Gateway News Service- Esperanza

Fromage et Cie cheese makers has announced their latest cheeses for the market. With a new smelly cheese that is reportedly even smellier than the Fromage Vert et Blancs, which was reportedly the smelliest cheese ever made. The new cheese the Fromage Cheval Blanc is a semi hard cheese with a hard non edible rind, that conceals a cream and blue interior.

The Cheval Blanc cheese has, what is kindly described as, a “delightfully pungent, yet enticing aroma, redolent of spice, old leather, Durian, and corpse flower”. The cheese is said to go very well with crackers, or can be put on toasted bits of crusty bread. One reviewer said: “Once you get past the gag reflex, this is a really tasty cheese, that once you have eaten it, like a masochist you want to go back for some more.” Another said: “Like going back for a root canal without any pain meds, this cheese just draws you back for one more bite.”

Their other cheeses are the Cold creek cheese, a white cheddar like hard cheese that has a delightful smell and taste, and the soft Blancs et Blanc cheese which is a Camembert like cheese that is perfect for a cheese dish. Once more Fromage et Cie has proven to be master cheese makers on Esperanza, with their offerings being popular across the subsector. However both the Fromage Vert et Blancs, and the new Fromage Cheval Blanc, by law must be shipped in a hermetically sealed container, and opened by people in full environmental suits.

 

[bookwyrm]

However both the Fromage Vert et Blancs, and the new Fromage Cheval Blanc, by law must be shipped in a hermetically sealed container, and opened by people in full environmental suits.

The excessive gap between the flavor & aroma is quite amusing. Transportation for the cheeses looks like a slapstick comedy just waiting to happen.

Lastly, the last sentence is a great punchline for the whole post.

 

[Murph]

263-2509 Gateway News Service- Dunwich

The Overlord of City State has issued a statement through his spokesman that two “recovery teams” from GeneCo have been found in their territory, and regrettably they have suffered extensive injuries from the “Elves” and “Dwarves” as well as other citizens and one customer at a bakery named Rondar, who took umbrage at their being present. The recovery teams have been shipped to Arkham Hospital where they are under guard, and will be executed per Arkham colony law.

When asked what happened, we were only told that one of the “recovery teams” had been at a tavern when a bar fight broke out, and they were bludgeoned by multiple customers who recognized them. The six members of this team were beaten severely, and then arrested by local constables who took them to a shuttle to Arkham since all GeneCo personnel are to be extradited to Arkham for trial and execution. The Overlord’s spokesman told us that per their treaty with Arkham, they and most other colonies on Dunwich turn over any GeneCo, Black Sun, or affiliated groups to Arkham.

The other team was at a bakery when a fight broke out over a disagreement about strawberries, specifically strawberry tarts of all things. One of the customers then took out all four members of the recovery team during a struggle over their purchase of the last of the strawberry tarts on the shelf. The bakery is famous for the quality of its baked goods, and is very popular with both locals and tourists.

The customer known as Rondar, was apparently a regular and liked strawberries. Words were exchanged over the tarts which led to the fight. Rondar was seen sitting on top of the groaning recovery team members eating their tarts. We are told that Rondar is an escaped heavy labor unit slave, who lives in the area, and gives blacksmith demonstrations where he picks up and carries his anvil around the arena.

 

[Murph]

A little treat for those who have suffered through this. Newsletters 151 and 152

 

[Murph]

280-2509 Gateway News Service- Hades Station

The terrorist group formerly known by a very long acronym is now asking to be called PSARSs (Planetary Saviors against Reprehensible Scum). This name was vetted and approved both by their PR firm, and by their attorneys. The group would like to apologize for the delay in the name change, but have to report that one of the revolutionary sisters was unhappy with the name change, and she and her other sisters were finally outvoted in committee which allowed the new, cool, revolutionary name to be voted on by the brethren and sisteren.

The new group the PSARS will work endlessly to end the scourge of Anagathics, and other technology which is not needed to allow humans to live a quiet, pastoral life on planets without resorting to the evils of technology. The leaders have stated that technology is evil,and against the will of “Mother Gaea” and so humans should do without technology. The group was seen at a robot coffee outlet, and has thanked their cybertech group for making sure that their drive to do away with evil technology is working properly and had the best computer support. Also they have hired a starship to take them to Ultima Thule, where they will be using some of the latest devices to avoid detection.

 

[Murph]

272-2509 Gateway News Service- Grande France

There is certainly interesting times ahead for the two colonies on this francophone world, with the New Quebec colony commenting on those from New Paris: Faux achetés en magasin français, ils sont un fléau sur ce monde! (Fake store bought French, they are a blight on this world!).

The New Parisians have commented on the New Quebec colony: Faux aspirants français, il faut qu'ils aillent de l'avant et prennent la baguette ! ( Fake wannabe French, that needs to just go ahead and take the baguette!) We at GNS suspect that this display of fraternal affection is just a start to a long, and interesting relationship.

Both colonies are expressing an impressive level of invective towards each other as only true Frenchmen can accomplish. We look forward to further reports from this distant colonial world, but at this time the Gateway News Service cannot in good conscience suggest tourists place Grande France on their list of places to see just yet.

 

[Murph]

A special report is in the works on "Operation Octupus". It will explain and shock many.

 

[Grognard_1]

None of those cheeses can beat the Crottin de Gravité.

A Brie Too Far by Tales from the Morrigan

Scarred-Snout demands the sector’s finest cheese, which means French bureaucracy, fashion laws, and probable jail.

soren-boye-petersen.itch.io

 

[Murph]

Operation Octopus, or Operation nightmare

 

[Murph]

285-2509 Gateway News Service- Shangri La

The colony of “It’s Home” on this world, which is an independent colony has renamed itself to Rio Lobo. All further references to this colony will no be using the Rio Lobo name. When asked why the name change, the colonial administrator would only say: “Well everyone decided the original name sucked, so we changed it.” When asked why Rio Lobo, we were told that it was one of the colonists favorite “movie” and the name sounded cool.

The administrator told us that in light of the revaluations coming out of Gateway, there is no way his colony will ever agree to be part of the Gateway colony. He said that with their good birth rate, they have now passed the 30,000 colonist mark. After talks, they have merged with the K’Grech colony which has 4,200 K’Grech. The Gateway Colonial Governor had no comment for us, on any topic.

The Rio Lobo colony is set in the Shangri La highlands approximately 800 kilometers from the starport and planetary capital. The capital of the colony has also been renamed as Rio Lobo, on the banks of the Rio Azul. The colony is hoping that its location will bring in tourists looking for that "Swiss mountain" experience, plus there are indications that mining might be a profitable business venture. When they founded their colony, the Gateway Governor did everything she could to destroy the colony short of actual combat or embargoes of food, and critical medical supplies. Since that time the new colonial governor has adopted a policy of ignoring its existence, and allowing the colonists to finally access the starport which the previous governor had declined to allow, forcing the colonists to set up their own downport so ships could bring in supplies.

 

[Murph]

286-2509 Gateway News Service- F205X (Broken Drive)

An exploration party has discovered the crew of the lost Amaterasu ship Hijime Maru, and 1,800 ton Leviathan class ship which went missing after a misjump last year. The ship which had terraforming supplies destined for Esperanza to be used around its new sea, vanished after its jump from New Joseon. The Hijime Maru suffered a complete failure of its jump drive, which required it to set down on F0205X.

This planet which has a UPP of E868000-0 is in a primitive stage of development so the crew was forced to use the supplies on board to survive, they managed to live on the cargo which included 100 tons of Funga meals destined for a K’Grech ship to tranship to Han Shan, which has caused a level of disgust by survivors to this "delicacy". The crew used the supplies to survive, and have officially named the planet “Broken Drive”. Based on this, the official name will reflect the naming conventions of the first settlers, even involuntary ones.

In other news, suit has been filed in the Admiralty court of Amaterasu over the “Illegal and unlawful use of the cargo without the permission or consent of the owners”. The combination of cargo owners have claimed under the ancient General Average Doctrine of Admiralty law, that even though the cargo was used to save the life of the crew, the cost of such has to be paid to the owners for the loss of the value of the cargo with all members sharing equally. The ship owners are also suing the Gateway Yards dockyard for failure to provide proper maintenance and ensure that their ship did not suffer misjumps or other system failures.

However legal scholars have stated that because of precedent over the use of cargo to survive, there are legal theories which state that if a starship crashes or stranded then if the crew uses the cargo, they cannot be held liable if the cargo is used to save life, or prevent the crew from adverse activity due to being stranded. But this has not yet been tested in any court in the Far Frontiers Sector with the only precedents being from the Terran sector pre-collapse of the Gate.

One attorney, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Gateway News Service that this was delightful case, and he saw years of litigation forthcoming, along with an impressive number of billable hours and this case could remain in the court system for years, if not decades! He was positively giddy at the prospect of years if not decades of litigation since no exact case is on point to this specific example. We have been told that attorneys are lining up to get involved in this case.

It does appear that the ship can be repaired and returned to the settled area of the sector, which will be done as soon as parts and repair crews can be sent to Broken Drive. It appears that a dozen of the crew have elected to remain on the planet, claiming it for colonization. Since these are now “married” couples they have chosen to stay, and possibly avoid decades of litigation, if that is possible. Terran plant species have found the climate and ecosystem very favorable, in many places, completely displacing local flora. Local animal life is edible by humans after cooking.

 

[Murph]

294-2509 Gateway News Service- New Avalon

The Great Hunters society has announced that it would be honoring the late "Thousand head" Spiccolli with a special memorial in their Hall of Great Hunters. A special expedition went to Canyon, and was able to recover a Night Terror dropping which contained his data watch, four buttons from his jacket, and one finger. This treasure has been returned intact and encased in lucite which will then be displayed in a place of honor in the Hunters Hall.

Many of the society have expressed grief at the loss of such a great member of their society, but others have been less charitable, with one member who requested anonymity stating: "He was a complete tool, and would blast away at anything, then claim it was the most dangerous ever to vapid brain dead media types. We are better off with him as fertilizer".

Another member, echoed this sentiment, claiming that he gave hunters a bad name by his publicity seeking antics. The Grand Hunter of the society came out and issued a statement that while members are free to express their opinions, it would be best to remember Great Hunter Spiccolli as one of their highest scoring members.

 

[Murph]

299-2509 Gateway News Service- Friedland

The Herpes Brothers ship arrived on their “Escape from Nuevo Sol, the Degradation Odyssey Tour” As per standing orders to shoot on sight, the Friedland authorities have refused to allow anyone from their ship to disembark onto any Friedland property. Since anyone who entered the ship would not be allowed to disembark again, we interviewed the trio via vid.

Simplexxx told us that for some reason the authorities, church, and many of the rich landowners were somewhat annoyed at their tour on this wonderful world, with so many interesting people and several new strains to catch. Complexxx told us that in retrospect, perhaps inviting the daughters of the rich and powerful on Nuevo Sol, to a “hot oil, get down and boogie utter degradation party” was perhaps not their best idea since immediately afterwards they were given an ultimatum to leave or else.

Konrad told us that the “Or Else involved some really gnarly things to be done to us, and it looked like a real bummer, so we decided to pack up with the crew and some new chums who just could not get enough of Simplexxx and Complexxx’s new “equipment package”. Apparently their families were enraged, and took some shots at our shuttle as we lifted off back to our ship which had left earlier.“

All three said that it was not their fault that “Girls just want to have fun, and they are the moral degenerates to give it to them!” Apparently several of the “New Chums” were being threatened with being locked up in a maximum security hospital wing and observed until things rotted off, which was not something they were interested in allowing to happen.

We asked where they were going next, and they would only tell us, “Virgin territory dude!, Really virgin territory, its going to be uber gnarly, and I hear that the parties are outa sight!” With this Freedonia has declared a level one biohazard alert, and put is Orbital Quarantine Service at its highest state of alert short of actual biowarfare. Xanadu has held meetings to see if they could exclude the Herpes brothers from their system, and New Texas has placed a biological contamination Ranger team on standby, along with several extra system defense quarantine cruisers.

Some are actively hoping the Herpes brothers head to Gateway, since they are one of the few worlds that can survive contact with them. Or Marduk, a world which deserves to have them back. We will see soon enough as to where this outlaw band of utter degenerates jumps to, and it will not be a fun time for whichever world gets to “host” their tour.

 

[Murph]

302-2509 Gateway News Service- Freedonia

Sir Richard Cochrane has gotten his license restored, much to his relief, and he has promised that he will obey as many traffic laws as he is capable of obeying, but wanted to remind the authorities, that sometimes you just have got to have a little fun. He has developed his charter hunting yacht service using his special 400 ton hunting yacht.

Sir Richard has told the GNS that he has gotten booked with a charter which will take up the remainder of the year, and next year he already has three charters booked. He told us that this charter is to take a party of hunters to Canyon to attempt a successful Night Terror hunt. He said that while the hunters are there, he will be relaxing inside of his ship while the hunters attempt to return in one piece. As part of his service, he has gotten permission to land in otherwise forbidden areas, provided that they land first at the starport, and after their hunt is completed, they return to the starport for inspection.

Sir Richard said that he has been asked to take another party to Canyon for the Spiccolli memorial hunt scheduled for later in 2510. The hunter who is able to successfully bag a Night Terror will be presented with a small pyramidal trophy with his/her name engraved on it, and a tiny bit of Night Terror dung inside, which will most likely contain bits of the former great hunter. Sir Richard told us that apparently the crew returned with over 20 kilos of dung, most of which was suspected of containing bits and chunks of the late great hunter.

Sir Richard in the mean time will be found either at The Club, or relaxing at his beach side residence sipping iced tea, and enjoying his freedom to drive. He told us he really does plan to behave this time. Really, Seriously. He promises.

 

[Murph]

306-2509 Gateway News Service- New Texas

The New Texas Space Force has taken control of six new cruisers and over a dozen escort ships which were recently constructed, these new TL 12 ships will replace some older vessels which are being placed in reserve status in case of urgent need. Also the Space Navy has increased its number of reservists who will be able to train on the ships in the reserve.

We are being told that several of these older ships which were originally TL 10, but have been upgraded over the years to TL 11 are going to be getting some basic TL 12 systems, mainly communication and sensor upgrades as far as possible on such old hulls. These ships are generally smaller than the current ships in service, and so will be good training for new recruits and reservists.

Also the New Texas navy has announced a new series of 74,999 ton ships to supplement the ones currently in service. These battle cruisers are to be equipped with the new New Texas Arms Meson gun system. They will replace on a one for one basis ships already in service which have a spinal mount particle weapon system. New Texas expects to purchase 8 over the course of a decade to replace older ships which will either go into the reserve fleet or be sold to smaller worlds.

The New Texas Yards have developed quite a reputation for upgrading older ships into more modern and effective vessels at a lower price than a new scratch built ship would cost, something that has attracted sales and interest from over a dozen worlds. Xanadu, which purchases its warships from the New Texas Yards, is reportedly very interested in sending many of its older ships in for upgrade to more modern systems.

 

[Murph]

Again the 1,999 ton, 19,999 ton, and 74,999 ton designs were used to Min/Max Trillion Credit Squadron hit tables, so it has become somewhat of an inside joke among the guys I play(ed) Traveller with. We had two guys that would Min/Max like no one has ever done before they were both annoying, and hilarious in their attempts to rules lawyer every possible advantage out of the Trillion Credit Squadron rules.

 

[kilemall]

Again the 1,999 ton, 19,999 ton, and 74,999 ton designs were used to Min/Max Trillion Credit Squadron hit tables, so it has become somewhat of an inside joke among the guys I play(ed) Traveller with. We had two guys that would Min/Max like no one has ever done before they were both annoying, and hilarious in their attempts to rules lawyer every possible advantage out of the Trillion Credit Squadron rules.

To be fair the game literally is ship design than test by demolition derby and of course featured 1980s AI min maxing.

 

[mike wightman]

Again the 1,999 ton, 19,999 ton, and 74,999 ton designs were used to Min/Max Trillion Credit Squadron hit tables, so it has become somewhat of an inside joke among the guys I play(ed) Traveller with. We had two guys that would Min/Max like no one has ever done before they were both annoying, and hilarious in their attempts to rules lawyer every possible advantage out of the Trillion Credit Squadron rules.

That is using the rules as intended. Another trick is to make sure you have one of every weapon type to soak weapon damage results.

 

[Murph]

Absolutely, so all Traveller ships ended up looking darn near identical, with nothing over 74,999 tons in the navy. It got a little tiresome after a while, but they were right. 100% correct.

 

[Murph]

308-2509 Gateway News Service- Hopalong

The Herpes Brothers ship has arrived and started fueling. The brothers enjoyed the hospitality of the station, which had a biohazard crew following them around and decontaminating areas of the station where the trio visited. Some of their crew did not disembark, apparently in concern over the decon teams ominous presence. We once more asked where they were going, and were told: “Fertile ground me boy, fertile ground!” As the trio departed the station, a great sign of relief was heard, and the med bays stood down from red alert.