Epistolary Experiment (17/30)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Partial Service Restoration, Spinward Constellations; Possible Coreward Outages Expected
Outer Ring Netweavers, ICC, is pleased to announce that full extranet service, including open-service relays, has been restored to the Galith Waste, Frentish Nebula, and Cordai Gap constellations. Service has also been fully restored to regions of the Crimson Expanse, Vanguard Reaches and Csell Buffer to trailing of the Borderline, although service delays due to enhanced security protocols may still affect this area.
To coreward, similar enhanced security protocols are currently in operation in the Uulder Shore, and may affect further coreward constellations in upcoming weeks. ORN reserves the right to move to a full extranet shutdown (except for high-protocol overweaves and military priority traffic) in these coreward regions in the event of an unanticipated threat excursion, although none such is anticipated at this time.
ORN apologizes once again for the inconvenience and asks for its customers’ understanding of the exigencies of war.
Contact:
Serril Cyprium-ith-Reyne
Sophont Relations
Outer Ring Netweavers, ICC
“…distress, distress … this is VNS Egalitarian, calling distress … computer malfunction … three links from Manar … distress, distress … fuel dumped automatically … explosion in low power room … distress, distress … self-repair systems not responding … Egalitarian, calling … battery power only …”
– Republic communications intercept, received at Tarqil (Crimson Expanse)
“Wanted: contributions of goods and knowledge for the poor benighted sod-clingers on the Republic’s ‘Protectorate’ worlds. Suggestions include cornucopias, design libraries, field power reactors, nanosources, hosted freelibs, toolmaker’s tools, starship drive-parts, and anything else you think the Vonnies would prefer they didn’t get. You get us the materiel, and we’ll get it to them. Help a fellow soph and kick a slaver in the cloaca at the same time!
“Donations accepted at Warehouse 22-19L, Ocella Down, care of Starfall Arc Free Merchant Confraternity”
– seen on public notifications channel, Ocella (Imperial Core)
FROM: CORE COMMAND
TO: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)
*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY GRUMPY BADGER
FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, COMMANDING FIELD FLEET SPINWARD:
1. CORE COMMAND HAS RECEIVED REPORTS OF ATTACKS BY THE ILTINE UNION ON THE SARAGÓS SYSTEM.
2. THIS INCIDENT IS NOW CODED GRUMPY BADGER. TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SHOULD NOW BE CODED EYES ONLY GRUMPY BADGER, AND SHIFT IMMEDIATELY TO ONE-TIME PAD SERIES Q012.
3. NO RESPONSE TO THIS INCIDENT IS REQUIRED FROM FIELD FLEET SPINWARD; ADMIRAL, YOUR PLATE IS FULL ENOUGH. DIRECT RESPONSE TO ILTINE ACTS OF AGGRESSION WILL BE HANDLED BY HEAVY SIX UNITS, CAPITAL FLEET.
4. FIELD FLEET SPINWARD IS AUTHORIZED, HOWEVER, TO DEAL WITH FURTHER ILTINE AGGRESSION AT ITS DISCRETION.
5. STAND BY TO PROVIDE LOGISTIC SUPPORT AS REQUIRED TO CAPITAL FLEET UNITS.
6. AUTHENTICATION PADLOCK WILLOW WOLF GATEWAY CIRRUS PRAYER / 0xAE9532BB81200A18
ADM/FLT RELEQ CLAVES-ITH-LELAD, FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY
Consolidated Mutual Mitigation & Surety today announced a reduction in shipping insurance rates across previously affected regions of the spinward Worlds back to pre-war levels, except for shipping within the border constellations (the Crimson Expanse, Vanguard Reaches, and Csell Buffer) and the territorial volume of the People’s State of Bantral, while simultaneously imposing a 15% rise in rates on the constellations currently forming the coreward battlespace. The Exchange responded favorably to this news, and to the parallel announcement by several commercial banking consortia of favorable bridging terms to shipcorps whose business has been adversely affected by the ongoing military action, moves seen as showing a determination to restore and normalize the interstellar economy as quickly as possible.
CMMS closed today at Ex. 1835.6, up 293 basis points on market opening.
– the Seranth Times, financial section
From: Simichie Anant
To: Lt. Halet Makeer, VNS Social Harmony
Subject: Homemade cookies!
I hope you enjoy them. Let me know how they tasted, okay?