Miriani

A MOON UNDER HOSTILE OCCUPATION AND REPORTING RESTRICTIONS FINALLY LIFTED.

AUTHOR: Isabella Vickers

Pilots and civilians alike have been thrown into a state of chaos these past months as one of the most critical locations for obtaining armaments was seized by the Ontanka. A civilian scientist was captured, and taken to a destination that would prove to be a hive world some six thousand lightyears out in uncharted space.

With High Guard out of the picture, the piloting community turned to their alliance representatives. Not all, it seems, were willing to assist in the mission to bring the scientist home. A councilwoman from the Commonwealth was quoted as saying: "We did our jobs. We protected our home space like we always have and will continue to do. Little effort was made to bring us onboard with the rescue mission, and we felt this was an expensive operation that we did not have the funds to contribute effectively with. Was it the wrong decision for us to make? Maybe. However, a wrong decision is better than indecision."

When asked about this lack of assistance, a local postal worker living on Aquili, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I'm deeply saddened and disappointed, to tell the truth. We don't hear from our alliance leaders much these days, so when rumours started flying that they were refusing to cooperate with this rescue mission, it's fair to say many of us couldn't believe it. Louise McCloud is disgusting both inside and out. You take a look at her, she's a slob. She talks like a cargo runner, she doesn't have her facts, she'll say anything that comes to her mind... I mean she's basically a disaster."

Meanwhile, the AIE and Hale made major contributions to these rescue efforts, with the AIE providing highly skilled bounty hunter crews, their regular duties changed to that of solely fighting alongside the pilots and, ultimately, defeating the Praelor Ontanka and bringing the scientist home. Hale were responsible for a highly-experimental modification to the catapult in sector 32, that transported a small number of vessels to another Ontanka hive world that was believed to be another possible imprisonment site for the missing scientist.

Randy Lewandowski, a high-ranking member of the AIE council went on record stating: "This was a long and stressful operation for all those involved. There were undeniably many bumps along the way, but ultimately the mission was a success. I suppose that is all that matters!"

When putting together this news article, it became apparent that many had negative feelings towards Randy, and when asked about his unpopularity, he stated: "It was only a select few individuals I personally had problems with. Those who want respect, give respect. Often, I was not shown anything like it."

In an unprecedented move like nothing we have seen in recent history, ISC decided to try and fill the void that High Guard had left. Pilots worked closely with a diplomat named Renee Martin. While not involved in frontline missions, the ISC were responsible for bringing two new ships into limited production: the four-person ironclad and the one-person bomber. The development and manufacturing of these starships was directly and solely funded by pilots, who were able to deposit credits into a specialised fund that Renee put into place. I managed to catch up with Renee last week, and she had the following to say.

"It was a brand new experience working directly alongside pilots, both for myself and the rest of my team. It was a very enjoyable project, and I am overjoyed that our contributions aided in the successful completion of their mission."

The question remains, of course, why a restriction was placed on any form of reporting on this entire situation. It was only once the scientist, who's name will be kept out of this article for their own privacy, was brought to the Desoleon hospital that the restriction flag was removed. I feel honoured to have gotten the opportunity to interview this brave and resilient individual. It was truly an eye-opening experience, and I wish I could write down my entire transcript in this article. Alas, I have to settle for a tiny minority of what was said.

"Was I scared? Of course I was. Who wouldn't be. What kept me going day by day was the knowledge that somewhere, somebody was trying to come to my aid. The Ontanka are a cruel and violent race, keeping me just barely alive to try and get information out of me. I still did not lose hope. If I lost hope, I'd have lost everything."

I then informed them I would be writing this article, and if they had anything to say to pilots or civilians alike.

"I'm eternally grateful for the group of pilots that battled so hard to bring me home to my loved ones. I know the Ontanka seem unbeatable, but you have shown what is possible whenever we work together. We must never give in, never let them rule our thoughts, or come between us and de vide us. If they succeed, we will lose everything we hold close to us."

Early yesterday morning, it became apparent that Tethys was back under human control and operation. The details of how this came to be are still unknown, but I'm sure I speak for all my readers out there when I say that, however it came about, the galaxy can once again breathe easy knowing one of their most critical suppliers is no longer under hostile occupation.

Originally published on 01/02/2369 in the Desoleon Daily.

Dated: 01/03/2369