BREAKING NEWS – This will be developed as events unfold!
All Time Dates are Milky Way Central Time
MW 400:323 Three satellites have exploded off of the mining colony of Centralica Moon, just off of Jupiter. A government ship from the Martian High Council and two ships from the Martian Muckraker have responded. We are amplifying their distress signal on all distress and news frequencies. Available starships please respond!
MW 4003:58 Transmission from Centralica: “This is Cazimir! Does anyone copy?!? My cybernetic body has a reduced need for auction so I am alone in the transmission room. Falling debris damaged our biosphere. Oxygen is leaking fast. All carbon based personnel have retreated to bunkers in the colony. Our oxygen tanks are linking fast. I have contact with all bunkers at main camp. There is an away team outside the biosphere that is not responding, I repeat there is an away team that are not responding. In one hour they will be presumed dead. We need the debris field cleared so we can mount an escape. ”
MW 4004:07 Transmission from Muckraker One: “We copy! This is Malach of the Martian Muckraker! Distress signal being broadcast by Hyperspace Tachyon Transmission Protocol. We lack sufficient resources to clear debris field. We are seeking help. ”
MW: 4005:33 Centralica: “This is Cazimir! Update; sensors indicate away team is alive and equipment is fully functioning. They are refusing to respond! I repeat! They are refusing to respond!”
Ship Automated Recording from the Muckraker One – Transcribed – Part 1
“C’therax, why on earth would they not be responding! They have to be incredibly low on oxygen!” Malach said.
“How should I know? Focus lazers on the debris field…” C’therax snapped.
“C’therax this is a news vessel! There is no way we can clear this…wait…a C’ruluian transport ship is hailing us…they will be here in the hour. Their mobius drive is at full time-space distortion.”
“Then we have an hour to figure out why…”
“What do you mean?”
“Sp’Rark! I want you to pull all personnel data that is in the public record for this mining colony….:
MW: 4006:59 Muckraker One: “This is the Muckraker one! Is it possible to detonate Mine 745 safely? We repeat! Is it possible to detonate mine 745 safety? It will help us calibrate our instruments if a sufficiently large flare can be produced!”
Ship Automated Recording from the Muckraker One – Transcribed – Part 2
“Why on Earth would we want them to do that C’therax? Our sensors are just fine!” Malach said.
“That mine is right next to the island’s central computer. It goes up, the employment records go up,” C’therax answered.
“Wait…what? Why would we…hold on the away team is responding…sensors are picking up the explosion…why…”
“They feared the C’rululian military was going to answer our distress signal.”
“You mean the colony was hiring interplanetary nationals without the consent of the C’rululian empire…”
“And they were willing to risk death before surrendering to deportation. Times are desperate. They need to send a money stream back to their home planets.”
“C’therax! We just destroyed evidence…”
“If we didn’t they would have suffocated outside of the biosphere. Now that the records are gone, they feel they can risk being picked up by authorities. The story about needing the calibrate our sensors should give us cover, should anyone ask why. I didn’t say the plan was legal Malach. I just said it was right. Sp’Rark, ensure this ship log gets encrypted and erased. We can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands.”
The Martian Muckraker 