News Brief # 12: Several of Our Starships are Missing

Stardate: Fiday, 090-130 ABY/Fringe Info Network (FIN)--Tarsus Bureau

Subsector:  Shannekam

"All the news that's fit to transmit."

Starships Declared Missing

In a press release, a spokesbeing from the Bureau of Ships and Services (BOSS) announced that an unusually large amount of shipping has failed to make scheduled planetfall within the subsector.  Shortly after this announcement, BOSS changed the status of the following freighters from "overdue" to "missing:"

--the Thri-Keen, departed Talchis on 337-129 ABY, bound for Gulnok

--the Nokomsis, departed Gulnok on 338-129 ABY, bound for Bowman

--the Marluuk Ghilsi, departed Shanneka on 340-129 ABY, bound for Tarknal

--the Globtik Solymi, departed Tarknal on 343-129 ABY, bound for Gulnok

--the Liikiran Dreamer, departed Bowman on 350-129 ABY, bound for Bongolaan

--the Lysen Kaashir, departed Tatooine on 357-129 ABY, bound for Bowman

--the Gambler's Luck, departed Zenya on 361-129 ABY, bound for Zandamak

--the Dyshii, departed Zandamak on 365-129 ABY, bound for Ku Crassus

--the Shaarin Challenger, departed Bongolaan on 001-130 ABY, bound for Tarsus

--the Amuar, departed Ku Crassus on 002-130 ABY, bound for Merantis

The spokesbeing did not rule out the possibility of piracy being the leading cause for the disappearances of such a large number of vessels.  If this is the case, then it may explain why only two ships were possibly lost within the Merantis Star Cluster (circled in green).  This volume of space is regularly patrolled by planetary defense forces of the member systems. 

The Shaarin Challenger was one of several ships that made a hasty lift-off from Bongolaan in the early morning hours of the New Year's Coup.  All other ships have been accounted for, having either escaped from, or been captured by, Imperial warships dispatched to reclaim the Gabaki-producing planet.  Since then, no other ships have been reported overdue, or missing, within the Fel Empire (circled in read).  However, this may be due to Imperial censorship of such data.

GM Notes:

This news brief is derived from the Traveller News Service feature of The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society, No 8, page 5, Regina/Regina, Date:  054-1107.

The ship names are derived from the The Best Ship Names post from Citizens of the Imperium.

News Brief #11: Possible Scandal in Shanneka University

Stardate: Fiday, 083-130 ABY/Fringe Info Network (FIN)--Tarsus Bureau

Subsector:  Shannekam

"All the news that's fit to transmit."

Shanneka University Professor Under Investigation

Professor Janos Gazdag, of the College of Economics, is currently under investigation by Shanneka University's Board of Ethics.  He reportedly received a donation in excess of 100,000 Credits from an anonymous patron, for his upcoming disertation, An Economic Assessment of the Independent/Non-Aligned Worlds of Shannekam Subsector.  University by-laws stipulate faculty members must report any single-source funding in excess of 10,000 Credits.

Failure to report such funding can give the impression of currying favor, or worse, birbery.  Not only could the professor be fined, if found guilty of violating university ethics, but his entire work may be rejected during the peer review process.

If An Econimic Assessment does get vetted by the university, it will be the first to examine the Gross Star System Product (GSSP) of every world within the Shannekam Subsector.  (GSSP is the market value of all goods and services produced within a single star system).