|
Virtual Eclipse | Science Fiction | Role Playing | Club | Help |
| Background | Database | Encyclopedia | News | Training |
"The Voice of the League" - Capella Edition - 0.50 N*Credits
Death descended on Hilton Hotel earlier today in the form of a hired death squad. A police investigation is still underway but a preliminary report suggest the attack was a "Death-O-Gram" sent by mobsters to Joseph Parker, the local Anti-Corruption Party candidate in this months mayor election.
ACP security had sealed off the entire forth floor conference suite as a precaution. The building shook as the professional hit mob blasted through a wall to break in. Terrified hotel guests made frantic calls to the Capella Police Force as weapon fire and explosions shook the floor below them.
Police from the 12th Precinct, donned riot gear and rushed to the scene. In the time it took the police to arrive the black clad killers stalked the conference floor forcing back security teams with suppressing fire and grenades. Bursting into the conference room, the killers executed everyone there.
As the blood of their victims spilled onto the hotel carpet, the murderers coldly stepped over the dead, blew the windows out with explosive charges, and abseiled down to the street.
Pedestrians ran in panic as the building shook and glass showered down onto the street. Black smoke poured out of the window as the killers finished their decent and ran to a stolen delivery vehicle parked nearby. Inside the van were high performance bikes which the killers used to effect their escape as the police approached.
John Tindel, the leader of the Anti-Corruption Party has expressed his shock at the attack on his colleagues last night: "I really can not believe it. Joseph and Barry were great men. Some of our greatest supporters and fundraisers were out there to support them. I am still waiting for confirmation of exactly who we have lost." It is believed that local party spokesman, Barry Lewis was amongst those killed.
The Capella Fabian Society, declared today a "terrible day for democracy." They called upon the ACP to provide a new candidate. "To show our solidarity against mob violence, we will pull out of the local election. We ask our local supporters to vote for Joseph Parker's stand in".
Andrew Sutton, the Fimory Free Front candidate for mayor, surprised some by also expressing his sorrow about the death of his rival: "Joseph Parker was a keen campaigner against corruption, as am I. Although he falsely accused some Fimory members of mob connections, I am sure that everyone in the FFF is shocked. It looks like mob infiltrators in the ACP have sold him out. If we win the election we will make sure those that committed this crime are punished."
All the ballot papers have been printed and it is not certain if the ACP can legally change their candidate two days before the election.
If they won't change the ballot, vote Parker and force a second election - Don't let mobsters control your city.
Television science program, History Squad, have discovered their biggest find - a lost colony. The team usually known for digging up the first settlements of inhabited colonies, were testing a new robot flying camera.
The camerabot is a miniature dropship with several cameras and sensors onboard. It can land and take off by itself or can be controlled remotely. It was built to enter atmospheres the way our pre-contra-grav ancestors did. They descended using risky heat shields.
Needing an air worthiness certificate, History Squad technicians made a test flight at the nearest uninhabited Earth-like planet. Signals from the starship to the camerabot activated an ancient landing beacon below, and the technicians sent the camera down to look.
History Squad now have a full archaeology team on the way, to investigate the site. The planet is under claim of one of the power blocs but if evidence proving a previous claim is found that may be overturned.
History Squad lawyers made a deal with a judge of the power bloc. All details will be kept anonymous during the investigation. The judge is rumoured to have laughed at lawyers attempts to get six months on site, informing them with the show's famous catchphrase: "You have just three weeks to investigate!"
Fifty three years ago they didn't have a starport, now the inhabitants of Mu Herculis IV (an independent world) have clubbed together to build the first ever array telescope large enough to detect Earth like planets 50 light years away. It has been funded and built by amateurs with no government aid.
Just coming into the office are reports that Joseph Parker escaped the assassination attempt earlier today. We are not aware of the full story but it appears some of his Anti-Corruption Party bodyguards took control of a Hilton Hotel lift, before or during the attack.
Witnesses on nearby buildings say they saw Joseph Parker emerge onto the hotel roof, minutes after the attack, surrounded by guards. He was bundled into a helicopter, which quickly took off and flew in the direction of Parker's home. We are still not sure if anyone else escaped with him.
How Parker evaded the death squad itself is still unknown. It is possible that the ambush on the ACP was set off too early before he was in the conference centre.
The Fabian Society have announced their delight at Joseph Parker's survival and have confirmed that they will not stand against him in the Mayoral Election.
Reports are coming in that a major disaster has occurred at Sky City, a floating mining complex, run by Fusion Fuels, in the upper atmosphere of an ice giant planet in the UV Ceti binary system. Six nearby starships have answered the distress call.
A spokesman for Star Lifters, who own four of the diverted ships, suggests assistance from normal starships will be limited: "Most Wormdrive ships are designed purely for generating artificial wormholes and can not safely enter a planetary atmosphere".
"Rescue attempts by shuttles are also in question as they lack the high power Contra-Grav-Thrusters that push a starship around a star system. The CGT on a dropship only has a thrust of several G. A dropship is also programmed to land on terrestrial planets. If a pilot is not very careful he might easily fly beyond the point of no return. Our crews will probably all be depending on Sky City's extra large dropships to ferry our rescue equipment down".
UV Ceti A & B will also interfere with assistance. The system's two stars, flare up every few hours, causing havoc with communications and sensor equipment.
Fusion Fuels are dispatching special rescue vessels from gas mines at Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani. They are expected to arrive in the next few days.
Sky City, is one of the oldest of the so called anti-gravity cities, that extract valuable gases from the smallest and coolest Giant Planets.
© The Independent News Company. Registered in The LOIW. Contact: capellanews#independent.com.loiw