In what can only be described as a devastating blow for the Federation, the Crimson State Group and the Sons of Conn have managed to wrestle control of Hartsfield Market from the Lugh for Equality Party.

The fighting in the halls of Hartsfield was particularly bloody, with tens of thousands having been killed on both sides of the conflict. Federal forces managed to hold the bridge for almost 78 hours after the rest of the station fell, but the Sons of Conn were eventually able to break through the Federation’s defences to claim their prize.

Reports coming in from Hartsfield Market suggest that the Crimson State Group is currently in the process of accessing the station’s command protocols. They are expected to be in full control of the station shortly.

Hartsfield Market is home to the master controls of Lugh’s military defence network, ownership of which will allow the Crimson State Group to exert their influence across the entire system.

Recent popularity polls have scored the President at a shockingly low 26% approval rating, with 43% of those questioned stating that they strongly disapprove of the President’s current policy decisions.

Doubtless the latest developments in the war for Lugh are sure to be of huge concern for President Halsey. Not only has her mismanagement of the war caused the death of countless innocent Federal civilians, many of whom died as a direct result of orders given by the President, but it also now seems certain that Hartsfield Market will fall to the rebel forces.

The Federation’s failure to protect Hartsfield is being blamed on a lack of equipment, a shortage caused in no small part by the President’s failure to ensure the appropriate supply chains were set up prior to launching an attack on Lugh’s airspace.

If something isn’t done to rectify the President’s mistakes soon, the Crimson State Group will capture Hartsfield and with it control of Lugh’s satellite defence system.

Federal forces continue to dominate the skies of Lugh. The Crimson State Group’s air defences have been all but shredded, with the majority of their fleet now adopting a defensive position around Balandin Gateway and Knight Dock.

Thanks to the actions of a crack troop of Federal Marines, Seega Port was secured with only a handful of soldiers being lost in the process. Federation forces are now working hard to secure Read Gateway for use as a staging post, from which they plan to launch a series of attacks against Crimson State starports.

Despite millions of lives having already been lost in the conflict, rumours from Lugh suggest that the Crimson State Group is preparing a desperate last-minute attempt to stop the Federation from crushing the native uprising.

However, in a sign that the local population may be losing faith in the CSG’s ability to secure the system, hundreds of refugee ships have started to flee from Lugh 6 in a bid to escape the Federation’s wrath.

The system of 78 Ursae Majoris, home to over 10 billion people, has erupted into civil war today. The conflict started just hours after news broke that the frontier system was planning to announce its intention to secede from the Federation.

We spoke to local resident and farmer, Gryph Jones, who woke up this morning to find he now lives near one of the heaviest focal points of the conflict. He had this to say on the matter:

"Pah! The Federation! Now, I won't say I support this war, the revolutionaries are monsters and criminals, but the inability of the local Federal government to keep things under control is exactly why those folks are so unpopular here! The Feds are too busy playing with Lughnatics and Onionheads half a galaxy to focus on places like this - maybe both sides will kill each other off, I can't help but think we'd be better off for it.”

The fighting has been fierce in the Lugh system this past weekend. Hundreds of thousands of ships have been shot down and millions have lost their lives in the opening salvo of the war.

Federal pilots are currently dominating the skies of Lugh, where they outnumber the native Crimson State Group 2 to 1. The Crimson State defences are in particularly bad shape, with reporters on the ground claiming that we are just days away from the first CSG outpost falling to the Federal Navy.

However, reports are coming in that spies loyal to the Crimson State Group are currently working to seriously undermine the Lugh for Equality Party on their home station of Hartsfield Market. If the undercover operatives succeed at their task before the Federation manages to stamp them out, the Crimson State Group could snatch Hartsfield Market (and control of the system) from out of the Federation’s grasp.

In an apparent show of solidarity for the visiting Senator and in protest at her perceived shabby treatment at the hands of her Federation hosts, dozens of independent Commanders have volunteered to escort Lady Kahina Tijani Loren's Imperial Courier through Federal space for the duration of her trip.

The unofficial escort is primarily composed of Imperial Cutters in private ownership, causing acute embarrassment to the Federation, who are powerless to prevent newsfeed images of what appears to be a sizeable Imperial fleet gallivanting unchallenged against the unmistakable backdrop of core Federation worlds.

Lady Kahina was briefly interviewed by The Mars Herald and was asked, "What do you think of your welcome into Federal space?"

She replied with "When I receive one, I shall let you know."

President Halsey has today officially declared war on the Crimson State Group.

Ownership of Lugh has been hotly contested in recent months. The movement for an independent Lugh, led by the Crimson State Group, had managed to achieve a staggering 91% approval rating among the local populace. However, the figures are heavily disputed by the Lugh for Equality Party, which has recently released statistics claiming that less than 30% of the population are actively engaging in the political process.

GalNet sources close to the President have suggested that the upcoming attack will be launched from within Lugh itself. Loyal Federal pilots who want to assist with the reclamation of Lugh should sign up for active duty aboard Hartsfield Market, although Federal mercenaries are advised that it may be several days before backup arrives.

In response to the declaration of war, Éamonn Uí Laoghaire has declared that the Crimson State Group will be offering very generous payouts to any independent pilots who choose to side with Lugh in the upcoming conflict against the Federation. Mercenaries interested in taking the Crimson State Group up on its offer should sign up for active duty aboard Balandin Gateway.

Speaking before a gathering of the Alliance Assembly today, Prime Minister Edmund Mahon has issued a warning to the Crimson State Group that it stands alone in its opposition to the Federation’s continued governance of Lugh.

“It is not the place of the Alliance to intervene in matters of legitimate Federal governance. No laws have been broken, no rights have been abused and as such no military aid will be forthcoming for the freedom fighters of Lugh. Similarly, until such time as the residents of Lugh have fully seceded from the Federation, any applications to join the Alliance of Independent Systems will be automatically rejected on the grounds that Lugh is not a fully functioning independent state.”

The news will come as quite a blow for Lugh, and the Crimson State Group in particular, who will now need to find allies closer to home if they want to have any hope of winning their fight for independence.

Crimson State Group representatives who were still present on Alioth were forced to make a hasty departure earlier today, as reports of Federal checkpoints being established around local exit points began to hit the Alliance blogosphere.

It would appear that the Federation means to finally show its hand in what has been a long and arduous game of poker between the Federal goliath and a small but proud people willing to defy the domination of their oppressors.

In the wake of his unsuccessful attempts to reach a favourable conclusion with representatives of the Alliance, Ambassador Éamonn Uí Laoghaire had this to say:

"Lugh is a sovereign state. This is an undeniable truth. An error does not become truth by multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it! Though the storm clouds gather around us, it has been written in our ancient 'Leabhar Gabhála Lugh' that the Sons of Conn will come to Lugh’s aid at his time of direst need. That also is a universal truth."

The Federation may have won the war in the Banki system, but survivors on both sides are still in a struggle for survival.

After a long and bitter conflict, the Federation was able to clutch a victory (as well as a base) after offering greater incentives for Commanders willing to fight on their side. This strategy drew in throngs of Commanders from throughout the galaxy, tilting the scales decisively in favour of the Federal Navy.

At the end, the situation grew very grim for the Banki Gold Gang. Hundreds were killed, thousands were wounded, and medical supplies stretched perilously thin. Despite winning the war, the Federation now has to deal with a destitute populace, an outbreak and the threat of famine on the horizon.

The CEO of the Gold Advanced Partners and current governor of Banki, Christopher Kailson, has put out this passionate plea for help:

"Banki needs the support of Commanders now more than ever. Supplying even a small amount of Banki’s needs will help to ease the suffering of the ill, the orphaned, and the poor.”

- CMDR John Paul Wilson

Senator Patreus and the Citizens of Tradition have been successful in their crusade against the Falisci Purple Gang. Falisci has fallen to Imperial forces and is currently in the process of being assimilated into Imperial society.

All outstanding payments due to Imperial veterans of the Falisci war are now available for collection from Dornier Terminal in Ngaiawang. To celebrate Senator Patreus’s victory, Senator Torval is offering a 10% discount on all Imperial slaves purchased from Dornier Terminal until next weekend.

However, the war for control of Falisci may not quite be over yet. Reports have started to come in from the region that a civil war is currently brewing between the Citizens of Tradition and the Federal Social Falisci Partnership Party. If the Social Falisci Partnership Party is successful in its attempt to disrupt the Citizens of Tradition’s hold over Phillips Landing, the Federation may be able to gain control over Falisci.

Lugh Ambassador Éamonn Uí Laoghire, the leading spokesman for the Crimson State Group, held his third and final rally on Alioth today.

After a heated speech, in which he spared no quarter for the Federation and their mistreatment of the Lugh population (who he repeatedly referred to as 'The Sons of Conn'), Uí Laoghire was met by a standing ovation from the massive crowds who had assembled to hear him speak.

"Our children are disappearing. In the past year alone we have seen the numbers rise to 25,431 individual cases. You will not get these figures from the Federation. Of course not! But make no mistake, they know what’s happening. What are the Lugh for Equality Party really up to? They took our land and now they’re trying to take our future. The Sons of Conn will take it no more! We demand complete separation from all Federal ties immediately! One people, one system under Lugh's glorious light!”

The ongoing conflict between the Federal Navy and the Polahukuna Raiders has taken an unexpected turn this weekend, following reports that the Federation have begun work on a new Farragut class battlecruiser in the shipyards aboard Hudson Dock. For their part, the Polahukuna raiders appear to have returned home to lick their wounds. However, reports are coming in from BD+03 2338 that traders bringing supplies to Hudson Dock are coming under heavy fire from a band of imperial mercenaries known as the East India Company.The Imperial Senate is denying any knowledge of the attacks.

In imperial space, the Citizens of Tradition, acting under the authority of Senator Denton Patreus, have begun a full scale invasion of the Falisci system. The initiative to secure the spaceways around Dongzi and Ngaiawang against criminal activities is being led from Dornier Terminal in Ngaiawang.

Alioth played host to scenes of chaos today when Éamonn Uí Laoghire addressed the crowds after his second attempt to gain an audience with Alliance representatives failed. While engaging with the huge numbers that had gathered to hear him speak, Éamonn was targeted by a single shot that was fired from a nearby building.

The shot missed the ambassador, but killed a member of the crowd. The ambassador was rushed to safety as the crowd began to flee the scene in terror, causing enough chaos for the assailant to escape undetected.

Uí Laoghire later returned to the steps outside the central council building to deliver his most defiant speech yet.

"We declare the right of the people of Lugh to the ownership of Lugh. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished that right, nor can it ever be extinguished, no matter how many murderers the Federation sends to try and silence us.”

Following the Federation's success in routing the rebel forces from Banki and BD+03 2338, Admiral Vincent has declared his intention to follow the invaders of BD+03 2338 back to their own homes.

"I think the message is clear," Admiral Vincent declared at press conference earlier today. "We will not allow terrorists to break our laws or brainwash our people. The Polahukuna Raiders, and those like them, need to learn that their actions have consequences. The Federation will not sit idly by and let the infections of chaos and anarchy spread and fester."

The Admiral went on to say that he would reveal plans as to the nature of the Federation's foray into Polahukuna shortly.