Doctor Elana Lorax, a leading contributor in the field of xeno biology, has released a statement to the media:

"Before we reached for the stars we destroyed countless species on our homeworld. Similarly, the colonization of Tau Ceti, Delta Pavonis, Achenar and many other systems resulted in the mass extinction of native life."

"But humanity has yet to learn its lesson. The cry for meta-alloys is not unlike the lust for beaver-pelt top hats in ancient times. Thousands of barnacles have been destroyed, and for what? Defunct stations can be replaced. If the barnacles are destroyed for their meta-alloys we will lose their secrets forever."

Doctor Lorax continued: "With a little patience we could unlock the secrets of the barnacle. Xeno biologists and chemists could learn to synthesize meta-alloys, given time. Unfortunately it seems humanity is going to destroy another unique lifeform for short-term, and short-sighted, gain."

Commander Corrigendum

Princess Aisling Duval's recent emancipation effort has been criticised following revelations that over seven million slaves were purchased directly from slavers in the systems surrounding Uibuth. These purchases were made by independent traders supporting the princess's liberation programme.

One Commander, who refused to take part in the programme, said: "I can't see how funding slavers is going to stop the slave trade, unless Aisling expects them to retire now they're wealthy."

Commander Dissident Smith

Verity Gavroche, public correspondent for the Canonn Interstellar Research Group, has been speaking to Dr Arcanonn about his teams' ongoing research:

"I realise the public might think our research has stopped because the barnacles and the Unknown Artefacts have not been in the news, but I can assure you that we are still hard at work. Many Commanders have undertaken expeditions to distant nebulae in the hope of uncovering more barnacles. We've also been working hard to map all the barnacle sites in the Pleiades. In fact, a new site was recently discovered on Pleiades Sector IH-V C2-16 C4."

"We are also trying to understand why the barnacles appear in the Pleiades. Are the raw materials in the nebulae important for their growth? Perhaps the ancient cloud the Pleiades is moving through has long held the 'seeds' for Barnacle growth, and they've only now taken root? We don't know, but we will continue our research."

Commander Lord Zoltan

Benjamin Gorrister, founder of the Carmack Intergalactic Mining Association, has announced an initiative to discover the location of pristine metallic rings. With nearly 300 locations identified so far, the CIMA is currently leading the way in data collection on pristine metallic rings. In a statement, Gorrister said:

"In memory of George Washington Carmack, who triggered the greatest gold rush in human history, we are offering rewards to all Commanders who provide us with the location of new pristine metallic rings. Each new discovery will be rewarded with 100,000 credits. We will give an additional 30 million credits to the pilot contributing the most information, 20 million credits to the second-place contributor, and 10 million credits to the third-place contributor. May the best prospector win!"

The event will run for 42 days, starting on the 21st of February 3302.

Karen Keish

Theta Wave News

Grant Academics, whose slogan is 'We Make Learning Easy', has announced a partnership with the Buckyball Racing Club to provide students with chauffeurs during the upcoming Spring Break vacation. The most talented pilots in human space will escort students from the Exigus campus to the biggest tourism hotspots in the region.

"Students will be entirely safe in the hands of these veteran pilots," said a member of the Grant Academics board of directors. "I have personally interviewed the BRC member coordinating the event. Commander Seneh is a Grant Academics alumnus and recent inductee to the Pilots Federation, and she has assured me that the BRC will closely monitor its pilots."

The BRC chauffeurs will be available from the 18th March and will return those under their care to the Exigus campus no later than 26th of March.

Commander JAK

Buckyball Racing Club

An initiative by the Paladin Consortium to deliver water purifiers to recently liberated imperial slaves in LFT 37 has been declared a rousing success, due in part to the actions of the Diamond Frogs private security firm.

Diamond Frog pilots were hired by the Paladin Consortium to run interference within the system, preventing opportunistic raiders from picking off the cargo vessels making deliveries to Onnes Gateway.

Though there were a few close scrapes, Commander Kermit Laphroaig praised the tenacity of his fellow mercenaries, and reported that despite the overwhelming hostility of the operational area none of his pilots lost their cool in the face of adversity.

'Disc' Commander Felix Dyson - Radio Skvortsov

The first round of the Galactic Base-Jumping Open will take place on Saturday the 6th of February at 10.00 pm UTC (5.00 pm EST).

The event will take place at the 'monolith' on Altais 2B (coordinates 46 1.8) – a six-kilometre high tabletop that is ideal for SRV base jumping.

The event is rated as 'moderate', and the categories are best crash, best trick, best base jump, and monolith base-jumping champion.

So get your SRV planetside, and join in!

Commander PeachSlicesV

Anti-meta-alloy protests have spilled into violence during the final day of Professor Ishmael Palin's request. Groups of protestors blockaded the entrance to Obsidian Orbital, and as talks between station personnel and the protestors broke down, tempers flared. One of those gathering meta-alloys for Professor Palin offered this first-hand account:

"I received a message from one of my wing-mates that things weren't looking good at Obsidian, but I had a full hold, so I had to go. As I dropped into Maia I saw that my ship's computer had put me about eight kilometres from the starport. Then I saw the Cutter coming at me with hardpoints deploying, and the next thing I knew I was taking fire!"

"My Asp isn't the best when it comes to a head-on fight, but I knew if I could get through the mail slot I would be fine. I boosted like hell and just managed to make it through. I lost my shields and about 50% of my hull, but I managed."

For the time being, it's a dangerous game in Maia.

Commander Manfred Winfred

Buckyball champion Commander Alot has broken the eight-hour barrier for a trip from Sol to Sagittarius A* in his ship, Rhonda the Anaconda. Having failed in his first attempt to set a sub-eight hour record by just six seconds, Commander Alot ultimately succeeded in completing the 25,900 light year journey in 7 hours, 56 minutes and 41 seconds. He announced his success in characteristically matter-of-fact style at 2.00 pm on the 24th of January: "That's. More. Like it."

No stranger to the Sagittarius A* Buckyball challenge, Commander Alot has made the trip no fewer seven times. He has more or less dominated the number-one slot since first wresting it away from the original record holder, Commander Anuranium, in April 3301, when he completed the run in 11 hours and 46 minutes.

As tributes from fellow Buckyball pilots poured in, the 'fastest pilot in the galaxy' confirmed he would be taking a well-earned break from the cockpit, although he said he hoped to catch up with the Distant Worlds expedition later in the year.

Commander Alec Turner

Dr Arcanonn from the Canonn Interstellar Research Group has released a statement to the galactic media:

"I am now working from a new laboratory, two kilometres underground, at a secret location. My colleagues have forced me to relocate in the interests of my own safety. The death threats began shortly after I urged the galactic community to search for the barnacles. As word reached us of fellow scientists disappearing under mysterious circumstances, we realised the threats were not idle."

"But the work must go on. I urge you to continue to gather meta-alloys for Professor Palin. He is our best hope to solve the station malfunctions. But stay away from people harbouring the irrational idea that this endeavour will lead to our annihilation."

Commander Lord Zoltan

Yesterday, Professor Ishmael Palin called upon independent pilots to deliver meta-alloys – produced by the newly discovered 'barnacles' in the Pleiades Nebula – to Obsidian Orbital, suggesting that the material could be the cure for the technological virus spreading through inhabited space. But Professor Violet Belbin of the Xenological Research Institute has expressed doubts:

"I would caution against assuming that this material is the answer to our problems. The nature of these 'barnacles' is not fully understood. They could be a form of alien life, and harvesting them could have unforeseen consequences. The Xenological Research Institute is sending a team to Maia and asks that Professor Palin takes our concerns into consideration."

Pilots have already started delivering cargo holds full of meta-alloys to Professor Palin's base of operations at Obsidian Orbital.

Commander Stateira 'Starcloak' Eleshenar

Zandu Science Journal | Interstellar Press