Miriani

The Dawn of a Bright New Trade

Last weekend, a crew of pilots captained by Jack Mason and Cody Lee along with High Guard Captain Colin Torres took the leviathan Dauntless Defense along with the battlecruiser Acta Non Verba through an unstable wormhole in sector 15 to finish the mission to destroy a Praelor hive world on the other end. Prior to this mission, several crews managed to destroy a Praelor spacestation structure with explosive technology developed by the High guard. During these incursions, many alliance pilots opted to stay behind in local space to defend alliance space from Praelor threats. Their diligence was rewarded when a swarm of Praelor invaded sector 15 during the critical hive world mission.
On the Praelor side of the wormhole, the crews battled a fleet of Praelor for control of the airspace above the hive world. The crews split, with Jack Mason flying the leviathan into atmospheric combat while Cody Lee's crew took point on the ground. The ground crew encountered massive resistance from the Praelor. Similar to their invasion of Zander, the Praelor had structures positioned at strategic points.
The ground crew entered a network of cave tunnels and were eventually pinned down by hostile forces. The air crew landed to assist, and soon, most of the alliance pilots banded together to finish eradicating the Praelor threat. Upon reaching the heart of the hive world cave, the pilots made an astounding discovery.
An alien creature resembling a red cube with limbs was being held hostage by the Praelor. The pilots opted to release the creature and allow it on board the High guard leviathan for safe transport back to Rolukssica. The alien showed limited ability to communicate or understand English, transmitting a series of electronic beeps and hums. The creature was remanded into High guard custody, and eventually, produced a drawing which led to a breakthrough discovery.
In a highly publicized meeting on Pax station today, a representative from the Pax Diplomatic Organization revealed the creature to be from a race called the GADZOOKS. These are the alien ships alliance pilots often trade with on trips out of local space in return for replacement parts. A translation device engineered by High guard scientists allowed the GADZOOKS creature, who calls itself "Speeds Among Small Treetops," to speak to the assembled crowd.
During the course of the meeting, the simmering tension between High Guard and Pax boiled over as diplomat Annie Ness made critical remarks of the High guard's treatment of the creature. Admiral Dean Cantrell and Vice Admiral Louis Bloomberg were in attendance at the meeting. High Guard maintains that all personnel treated the GADZOOKS humanely and allowed it all freedoms permitted under its alien status. The repercussions of Ms. Ness's remarks remain to be seen.
Alliance pilots have been asked to return to Pax at noon galactic time tomorrow to vie for the chance to fly Speeds Among Treetops back to its home world, Yewmi. Due to the rescue of one of its citizens, the GADZOOKS government has opened limited ground trade with the alliance piloting community. Once the location of Yewmi is released, no doubt all pilots will be eager to make the journey.
Pax hopes that trade will continue to expand with the GADZOOKS race, about whom they have limited knowledge. Photographic data beamed in from Yewmi can be viewed in the Pax conference room, along with the drawing Speeds Among Small Treetops provided to High guard on the night of its rescue.

Dated: 02/22/2366