by Vesper Naskingar, Angel Cartel / Serpentis correspondent

As per tradition, the YC 114 Impetus Annual Holoreel Convention distributes t-shirts to its attendees, which are highly sought after by collectors and fashionistas alike. Due to their limited availability being far lower than market demand, and the subsequent high prices making them only affordable to even the richer kind of capsuleers, producers of counterfeit goods see their trade booming as nearly perfect copies are released onto the market at prices even non-capsuleers can afford.

Now five weeks since the convention, the firsts of these imitations have begun to appear on the black market, and thus shipments turned up on Angel Cartel operated stations within the Curse region. However, an unforeseen order by the Dominations meant they never ‘hit the streets’. Last night, in a massive coordinated raid on five main warehouses, billions worth of dupes were seized and sprayed with cloth-dissolving nanites, making what is left of the products unable to be sold. Warehouse owners were then advised to clean up the mess at once and that further action would be taken should new shipments be found in their possession, or that of anyone on board any Angel Cartel property.

People are puzzled by this decision, as the Cartel tends to operate under “all business is good business”. What is even more surprising is that the Serpentis have promptly declared their support of these actions, and say they will respond similarly if these goods are found on their stations. As last year’s fakes were not met with a similar fate, speculation is rife about just what is at the source of this decision, the most popular theory being that the Cartel and Serpentis must have an interest in keeping the prices of the originals as high as possible. Dominations officials however state that the YC 114 Impetus Annual Holoreel Convention is one of the few good things coming from the Empires and thus should be met with greater respect. What the precise impact of this blockade will be on the rest of the black market sales, or even on the originals, is unclear at present. However, as the Cartel and Serpentis are two major players in illegal logistics, it is suspected that the distribution of the counterfeit shirts will be hindered by it.

The Caldari Navy Assembly Plant orbiting the fourth moon of Jita IV in The Forge region.

JITA, THE FORGE REGION – On Friday, the Caldari State Navy Police released a press statement that a Minmatar female had been murdered on 4-4 Navy Assembly Plant int Jita. This is not an uncommon story, murders occur every day on the larger stations, especially one as busy as Jita 4-4. However, no details have been released other than the suspect is believed to be the pretend capsuleer con-artist that the Police had already issued warnings about.

Tech 4 News has learnt that this may not be a simple murder and details of the horrific injuries sustained by the victim have been suppressed. T4N spoke to the janitors that discovered the body. Tanamachi is a Technician 3rd Class in the Waste Disposal and Recycling section of the stations engineering crew. Tech 4 News spoke to him yesterday:

“Yeah, I saw the body. Me and Kakuta had gone to check on a blockage in one of the garbage chutes on deck 54. It was jammed up tight so we had to go down to deck 55 to try and get under what was causing the blockage. Anyway Kakuta opens an access panel and an arm falls out! A severed human arm! We poke a stick in there and the rest of her comes tumbling out. Her arms and legs had been cut off to get her in the shute but that wasn’t all. She’d been cut. And I ain’t saying just a little. She’d been sliced and diced like from one of them horror holo-vids. I’ll be having nightmares for months. And you know all me and Kakuta got? Half a day off. That’s it, half a day after seeing that! I’m telling you, a man don’t forget that for half a day off! She’d died a horrible death, that was no robbery, that was personal. Someone wanted that poor Minny woman to suffer. You should have seen it!”

A standard garbage chute on Jita 4-4 where the mutilated body was discovered.

T4N, under a false media outlet name, contacted the station security office of the Caldari Navy who own the station. They had this to say:

“We do not comment on the specifics of any murder. Unfortunately in cases like this we have a lot of people confessing and we need to ensure that details are kept out of the media so we can separate the real suspects from the fakes.”

When asked regarding the involvement of the con-artist fake capsuleer the police did confirm he was a suspect without giving details why.

“We can confirm that the individual who has been posing as a capsuleer on Jita 4-4, drugging and robbing women is a person of interest in this investigation. However at this stage we are unable to give further information.”

The wanted man, reported by Tech 4 News last month, appears to be the prime suspect and women are warned to be extra vigilant on Jita 4-4.

Tech 4 News was also able to obtain copies of the preliminary autopsy report. This is complied before the Chief Medical Examiner undertakes the full examination. The report refers to a number of major wounds but perhaps the most disturbing is the following section.

“The arms, legs and torso all show shallow incisions caused by some form of blade. The depth of the wounds and their very specific targeting appear to indicate that they have been inflicted purely to cause pain and distress. Preliminary inspections shows the victim was alive when the incisions were made, given the clotting of the blood in each wound. An initial count puts the number of separate wounds at over 100.”

Clearly this is not a simple murder for the purposes of robbery. Anyone with any information on this murder is advised to contact the Caldari Navy Police on comm channel 55.

By Eduard Kenton

The Senate Bureau orbital facility above the sixth moon of Villore VII

Villore, ESSENCE: Senator Trebon Guillo (Essence – Attyn) held a press conference today to herald the introduction of a symbolic bill to cut all funding to CONCORD. Head of Senate Aulmont Meis immediately referred the bill to the Committee on Appropriations for consideration. The Chairperson of the Committee, Senator Aleyn Huer (Essence – Charmerout), is not expected to bring the bill up for a vote.

Mr. Guillo introduces this legislation yearly, and it has become something of a tradition around the Senate halls. Originally introduced in YC 101 during his first term in office the Senator’s legislation has never made it out of committee. According to the Senator, he continues to reintroduce the bill every session as a continuing protest against CONCORD.

“We have ceded too much of our sovereignty to a secretive and guarded institution that no longer has our best interests at heart,” said the Senator on Tuesday. “Rather than acting as a forum to maintain relations amongst the interstellar community, it has grown to adopt its own agenda. Rather than letting the citizens of the cluster determine its own best interest, CONCORD seeks to decide for the rest of us what our best interests are.”

In particular, Mr. Guillo cites Directive Alpha Gamma 12 as the most well-known example of the Federation ceding sovereignty to the CONCORD Assembly. Directive Alpha Gamma 12 is a notorious piece of CONCORD legislation, allowing them to seize any piece of technology that they feel may disrupt the current balance of power in one nation’s favor, and release it to the other nations in an auction system that allows firms in each nation to bid on the technology. Of course, Jove technology is exempt from these provisions. Nationalists and CONCORD critics throughout the cluster have long pointed to Alpha Gamma 12 as an example of CONCORD’s intrusion into sovereign affairs.

“It is simply unconscionable that the Federation abides by Directive AG-12,” said Mr. Guillo. “The Gallente Federation is the proud home of the smartest scientists and researchers in the cluster. Why should we have to give up our hard-earned technology to our interstellar neighbors? It is shocking that President Roden and past administrations have allowed this to continue, especially given the state of human rights and civil liberties in some of our neighbors. If we can gain the upper hand by using our advanced technology, why should we give these advantages to anyone else?”

When a member of the press noted that cutting CONCORD funding at this point is only symbolic, given that CONCORD is entirely self-sufficient based on customs duties and other taxes on Empyreans, Senator Guillo merely chuckled, saying “[s]ince this bill is probably going to be just as productive as the past 13, I don’t really think I have anything else to work with other than symbolism.”

The dark underbelly of the Senate Bureau is masked by distorted light from the distant nebula.

Asked to respond, Head of Senate Meis’s office only commented, “[w]e trust the Appropriations Committee to give due consideration to Senator Guillo’s proposal.” Neither the Appropriations Committee nor the Senate has ever seen fit to closely examine Senator Guillo’s proposal, and the Senate itself has shown no appetite to re-negotiating the foundational CONCORD treaties. Defenders of the Assembly point to the advantages of CONCORD oversight, including a number of times that Alpha-Gamma 12 has benefited the Federation.

“Just look at the new battlecruisers the navies came out with at the end of last year,” says Senator Mera Hoyn (Aunia), a noted CONCORD defender and chairwoman of Naval Appropriations subcommittee. “Without AG-12, we would have been defenseless if the Caldari had decided to press their advantage with their advanced Nagas. AG-12 gave us enough heads up to create our own doctrines and own responses, notably the Talos. I’d rather have to give up some of our own military secrets and know exactly what our neighbors are up to then hoarding everything to ourselves but knowing nothing else. And CONCORD has allowed the cluster to prosper in innumerable ways while avoiding the uglier consequences of continued war.”

Asked to comment on the legislation, an Inner Circle spokesman said only “CONCORD is committed to remaining above internal sovereign politics. We believe our record speaks for itself in maintaining the status quo, and we are proud to continue the work that the nations of New Eden commanded us to perform over a century ago.”

Nevertheless, Senator Guillo remains committed to his quest. As he noted near the end of his press conference, “stranger things have happened than a formerly hopeless bill being passed.”

Romantic luxury resort or biofuel harvesting facility?

Shocking reports are coming out of a remote tourist destination located on an island on the third planet of the RYK-VK system. The resort, touted as an idyllic natural beauty spot with volcanically heated outdoor pools, attracts visitors from afar, lured by the promise of rejuvenation from long soaks in its blue lagoons.

However, following the disappearance of several tourists, undercover investigations have revealed the possibility that the resort is responsible for the disappearances.

The entire island is powered by a fuel processing plant located close to the resort. The fuel source produced there is designated 8P-RYL and has long been thought to be extracted from the volcanically active substrate which also heats the resort. However, samples taken from the pools frequented by tourists have proven to contain a biological dissolving agent and an anaesthetic. Whether these are naturally occurring or have been deliberately added is the subject of much discussion.

Fuel Cell Containment Facility Interior

Experts are speculating that even short-term exposure to the water in the pools, as often is the case with tourists, may cause the completely painless process of triggered epidermal apoptosis, effectively causing parts of the victim to melt into the water. Evidence of degenerated human matter was discovered at the bottom of the pools which supports this theory.

Professor Harpa, a consultant biochemist, read the reports and stated, “In most cases, exposure would simply act as an exfoliant, resulting in a harmless amount of biological matter to be harvested from swimmers. Continued immersion might cause flesh to begin to form a slurry and slough off. However, if an individual were to remain exposed for a long enough period of time, it would be possible for them to be almost completely dissolved. If sedated or otherwise unconscious they may never be aware of the process until it was too late.”

A local man, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “There have been rumours for a long time, but nothing has ever been proved. Some say that nanites in the water collect the dissolved tissue and take it to the [fuel processing] plant to be converted into energy.” He added, “It makes you frightened to turn the lights on, in case it’s powered by people!”

Both the tourist resort and the power facility have close affiliations with the sinisterly named Crowd Control Productions organisation, one of the most influential local corporations. The corporation has thus far refused to comment. Investigations are ongoing.

Addendum: An individual known as CCP Sisyphus, a spokesman for Crowd Control Productions, has since publicly stated, “Nothing to see here. Move along, move along. These are not the biofuels you are looking for.”

All investigations have now been halted whilst clarification on which biofuels we are looking for is ascertained.

8P-RYL Fuel!

The Federal Navy Assembly Plant in the Dodixie System

This week’s undercover report highlights the dreadful trade in human trafficking, and we’re not talking about slaves in the Amarrian Empire. We’re talking in the heart of the Gallente Federation – Dodixie.

Whilst the system of Dodixie is well known for its trade-hub status, there is more going on there than the sale of legitimate goods and a thriving economy driven by the capsuleers. Our investigation has highlighted a worrying trade in trafficked people throughout the system.

A tip led us to a small bar on Deck 23 of the Federal Navy Assembly Plant station in Dodixie, one of the top four busiest stations in the galaxy. Our reporter posed as a bar owner from a mining outpost in a distant null security system and made some enquiries where he could purchase some girls from to attract more customers. We were offered a selection of girls depending what our needs were. The contact, Vian, was quite forthcoming in what he could provide.

“Well it all depends on what you want and what you want to spend. For a handful of credits we can supply you with some Minmatar refugee girls. You get what you pay for, so these we recommend keeping in a darkened back room and send the guys to them once they handed over their cash first. If they have good eyes they might not pay afterwards. For 20,000 credits upwards we’ve got decent dancing girls that your customers can watch and then take to your back-room. Again mostly Minmatar, but a few Gallente and some wayward Caldari. If you looking to spend 50,000 upwards then we’ve got some fine Gallente women. However, you need to keep them secure and out of the public eye, oh, and make sure the customers aren’t bleeding hearts either who may turn against you following a good sob-story. These are more likely to run and go to the authorities than the cheaper ones. If you’re looking to spend ISK rather than local credits, then we can do you something special.”

This was all offered within 20 minutes of making contact. The dealer went onto explain how the cheaper girls can be kept in line with fear and intimidation. Many of them were fleeing their former lives for a variety of reasons and simple threats to send them back can keep them from causing trouble. However, the implication was that all the girls are being forced against their will. Some having no choice, others being blackmailed or threatened. When we said we were not looking to spend local credits and had Interstellar Credits (ISK) the story became even more menacing.

“If you have the ISK then you just need to find the women you want anywhere on station. Take a discreet holopic of them in a crowded area and we’ll track them down. We can usually deliver within a week. Obviously they will not be keen on the new life you have planned for them. Leverage will cost you more, but we can supply two methods. A distance-detonated explosive, surgically implanted into them is cheapest. Just have a transmitter in your bar and let them know the range. They rarely wander far, but be careful. Loose lips can turn one of your customers against you. It can also leave a little scar. For best results we recommend Vitoc which we can supply. Just let them know your store is flushable and if the security services raid your bar it’ll all be destroyed. When they know they’ll not be able to get anymore in time, they’ll be as loyal as a slaverhound puppy to you. These are the best two ways for the price. I’ve heard that some of my competition are advertising that they have adapted Sansha style nanites to control a girl’s will, but that’s a crock. Don’t waste your money.”

At this point our reporter arranged a further meeting where he would provide the holo’s and deliver the ISK down-payment as well as collecting a case of Vitoc. The secret recording of the meeting and a pre-copy of this report was handed to the Federal Navy Security Services before that meeting was due to take place.

The Federal Navy Security Services made the following statement the day following the scheduled meeting.

“Thanks to some excellent investigative journalism by Tech 4 News, the Federal Navy Security Service has arrested three Gallente and two Caldari citizens on charges of human trafficking, false imprisonment, blackmail and false accounting charges. In addition we have recovered 20 litres of Vitoc and related dispensary equipment. Finally a total of 18 women from all four Empires were rescued and are receiving medical attention and support from the corporation. The Federal Navy Security Services would like to point out this is an isolated incident and that law and order on this station is of the highest levels.”

Whilst Federal Navy Security Services are to be commended in the swift action against this trafficking ring, their claim that this is an isolated incident is viewed as highly unlikely in academic circles. We spoke to Professor Chan of the University of Caille School who is the senior professor of criminal studies at the Egghelende V Moon 13 station.

“The truth is that there is money to be made with trafficking humans, a lot of money. And when you have a lot of money then blind eyes are turned, doors are left unlocked and obvious things are not seen. From seedy cantinas in null sec mining outposts to the high-class bars on the capsuleer decks in stations in high-security home-systems, people can make a lot of money from this. For them [Federal Navy Security Services] to say that your investigation revealed an isolated incident is like saying an Amarrian Holder with slaves is an isolated incident! My research has shown there is a shocking amount of trade in humans being undertaken throughout Empire space. This is especially true in the large trade hubs such as Dodixie, Rens and Jita where the amount of shipping helps cover their tracks.”

Whatever the truth, Tech 4 News will continue in exposing this vile trade wherever we find it.

The Tech4 mobile broadcasting platform stationed in Eram.

Mired in accusations of terrorism and collusion with criminal elements, Tech4′s legal team in Yulai have managed to secure the release of much of the originally planned transmission. Listen in now to hear Paydas Adavaar share his wit and wisdom with a crate of Quafe Ultra, the Technology Focus team attempting to harness wormhole technology and an unexpected arrival who turns everything on its head.

With CONCORD approval of the material herein, Tech Four Media Group can assure all listeners that there is no hidden terrorist brainwashing technology in this transmission, despite the claims of certain inebriated Gallente broadcasters.

Click below to hear the truth.

Tech4 News Episode 3: Shades of Sansha Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the late part of YC113, the intrepid Tech4 broadcast team attempted to transmit their third main cluster-wide broadcast. However, for various reasons they transmitted from a custom Iteron V industrial vessel rather than from their usual secure location. This made the Directive Enforcement Department’s (DED) task of locating and shutting down the Tech4 broadcast operation much easier.

In the twelfth month of of YC113, the DED successfully jammed the outgoing Tech4 signal and silenced the broadcast team. Furthermore, the DED managed to apprehend some of Tech4′s number and held them due to (unproven) suggestions of collusion with terrorist elements. In that time, CONCORD has successfully prevented any further clusterwide broadcasts pending legal proceedings which have been taking place in secret at CONCORD headquarters in Yulai.

It is only through the tireless work of the network of journalists and reporters who have rallied to the Tech4 cause in the last few months that has allowed any coverage to continue.

However, this reporter is pleased to announce that a significant portion of the legal proceedings in Yulai are now over and whilst much of the information seized by the DED remains in their custody, they have allowed the release of a portion of the original broadcast, which is being prepared for immediate transmission.

The general population of New Eden has finally been given back its voice.

Stand by for Tech4 News NEOCOM signal injection.

The perpetrator is suspected to still be on the Caldari Navy Assembly Plant above the fourth moon of Jita IV.

A security alert has been posted on Jita 4-4 station advising women to watch out for a confidence trickster who has so far stolen more than 80,000 local credits in two separate attacks.

Superintendent Chan of the Internal Security Police stated the suspect was impersonating a capsuleer.

“The suspect is around 6 feet tall, medium build with mousey hair. He waits in bars for women to spot what they think are capsuleer implant sockets on the back of his neck. These are in fact realistic replicas held on by an organic glue. He allows the women to seduce him and take him back to their quarters. After indulging in their “hospitality” he drugs and robs them. He clears out any valuables and by using the unconscious victims datapad and thumbprint, he transfers any money they have from their accounts.”

When asked to confirm the number of victims Superintendent Chan admitted they were not sure of the scale of the attacks.

Women should be wary of the corridors and bars on Jita 4-4.

“These women are picking the perp up in a bar and taking him straight back to their quarters. Many women may be hesitant to admit that after falling foul of this individual. Whilst only two women have come forward to report the attacks at this time, there is probably many more. We would urge any women who have been duped by this man to contact us. The more information we have on this criminal, the better the chance that we can catch him.”

When asked regarding specific charges Superintendent Chan admitted that the drugging and thefts were the only acts they could charge the suspect with.

“This man was willingly invited back to the woman’s quarters and did not force them to do anything before drugging them. Impersonating a capsuleer is not a criminal act in this sense.”

by Harika Korr

Khanid Prime I, basking in the glow of The Cauldron nebula.

In late January, there was a scandal on Khanid Prime.

Silas Vitalia, an acknowledged Holder, patriot and commander of the (now closed) corporation Khanid Provincial Vanguard (KPV), held a celebration in recognition of the corporation’s five years of faithful service.  Many capsuleers from all walks of life and across New Eden attended, and were witness to a ceremony that officially declared her as a member of the Sani Sabik cult.  The news soon leaked to the authorities, but Ms Vitalia easily escaped before any action could be taken.

But what does that really mean?  To many of us, Sani Sabik is the name of the bogeyman, inextricably linked with the horror of the Blood Raiders and their empire in the depths of unregulated space – “nullsec” in Capsuleer parlance.  To those in the Amarrian bloc, Sani Sabik are a creeping cancer, a heretical plague on the true faith, but even there few really know what it means.  Perhaps it is time to lift the lid on the cult.

New Eden Heresies

I spoke with Arminelle Binck, professor of Interstellar Law at the University of Caille.  “Although it is rarely practiced openly due to all the negative connotations,” he explains, “Sani Sabik is only illegal in its own right in the Amarrian Empire and associated regions; the Ammatar Mandate and Khanid Kingdom.  Of course, there are plenty of other legal issues. While Sani Sabik cults cannot be arrested for their beliefs, I can name a dozen instances in the Federation alone of criminal cases of kidnapping, murder, torture and other such matters.  Even the accusation of being a Sani Sabik can result in social exclusion and mistrust; not least in the Republic, where it has numerous associations with the Amarrians.  Sani Sabik practitioners face accusation of being Ammatar or worse, along with all the usual problems.”

“It’s a taboo, and thus engages a macabre fascination,” says Dr Patrice Asseya, of the University of Caille’s psychology department.  “Numerous sensationalist works in all formats have spread from sources across New Eden.  At least two highly popular holo-series, numerous novels and several musicians have all ridden on the forbidden allure of the blood cults.  On a more scientific note, it appeals on a primal level; human beings are, at heart, predators.  Studies of serial killers have often revealed an inner need to express hunting instincts; Sani Sabik cults provide a semi-acceptable venue to exorcise these unacceptable cravings.”

Bloody Rituals

A Sani Sabik priest conducting a ritual

Midna Lyre, a musician, is an open Sani Sabik convert and the source of great controversy – including an attempt on her life during a concert.  Nevertheless, her widespread support has gone some way to bringing at least the concept of Sani Sabik into the mainstream.

In an interview four years ago, the young Gallente singer explained Sani Sabik in a seemingly harmless fashion.  “The Sani Sabik faith is all about personal strength. It’s about improving yourself, about being a strong individual.  It’s about seizing your destiny and making it what you want… yes, I use blood in rituals, but it is not stolen blood from unwilling people.  We willingly exchange blood.  It’s about strengthening the bonds between us… it’s very spiritual, like touching the hand of God.”

But to what extent is this take on the matter a common one among the faith?  Since the Amarrian rejection of Sani Sabik, forcing the cult into an underground status or expelling it entirely from the Empire, there has been no easy way to exchange information and beliefs between isolated cults; even with the comparative acceptance in society outside of the Empire, Sabik followers have little in the way of easy communication.

The primary exception to that, of course, is also the heart of most of the ill-feeling towards members of the cult; the Delve region, and its rulers, the Blood Raider Covenant.  Almost universally hated and distrusted, even among the other grand criminal empires operating beyond the reach of the law, the Covenant has been responsible for countless atrocities, slave raids and many other crimes.  Unlike the tame beliefs of Midna Lyre and her associates, attacks upon Covenant installations have revealed horrific machines designed specifically to drain unwilling victims of blood.

Delving into Darkness

“The Blood Raiders are a totalitarian, nightmare society that makes some of the darker periods of the Amarrian Empire look utopian,” explains Guddik Stierata, an intelligence analyst for the Directive Enforcement Department of CONCORD.  “Blood Raiders specifically value the blood of clones for their rituals, so they have been known to actively and specifically target capsuleers, whereas a comparable Guristas or Angel battlegroup will simply deal with any threat that approaches them.  But just because they value clone blood over all others does not mean they will ignore others; a ship captured by the Covenant will sometimes be modified on the spot into a processing plant to mechanically extract the blood of the crew.  Those that are taken alive will either be drained later at a more secure facility, or be made a slave.  Those who have been rescued from Covenant slave camps have usually been treated horrifically.”

Yet despite their reputation, reports of defections by ships, crews and even some capsuleers, individuals one would assume would steer clear of the Covenant, mount up every year.  Why?  “Power fantasies,” Dr Asseya opines.  “The Blood Raider Covenant represents the what happens if one takes the predator instincts and lust for power inherent in both the human psyche, and in the Sani Sabik tradition, to their logical conclusion.  Both the stories and many of the factual reports centred around the Raiders paint a very clear dividing line between the ruling class, the Raiders themselves; and the slaves, who exist only to serve in any way the Raiders desire.  Common sense would suggest that capsuleers would stay away from the Covenant due to the value of clone blood among the Raiders, but studies have shown that over ninety-seven percent of capsuleers suffer from what some refer to as the deity complex; they have absolute confidence in their effective immortality, distinct signs of narcissism and egocentricity to the exclusion of all else, and display an inability to empathize with normal human beings.  The fact that they even use an implicitly derogatory term for us – ‘baseliners’ – merely reinforces that diagnosis.  With this in mind, is it any great surprise that many are attracted to a society that reinforces and caters to their delusions of godhood?”

Angels and Demons?

It sounds a dangerously convincing argument.  To what extent are all Sani Sabik on a spiral towards that of the blood-stained demons of Delve, then?  Are moderates like Midna deceiving themselves, or is there really another way?

In the second half of this in-depth study, I will be seeking out real Sani Sabik; seeing how they live, what their beliefs mean to them, and concluding once and for all if there is a place for this ancient blood-cult in New Eden.

The Caldari Navy Assembly Plant orbiting the fourth moon of Jita IV in The Forge region.

The Association of Independent Starship Captains (AISC) agreed today to raise minimum wages for standard ship crews by 3% in response to the chronic crew shortage affecting the industry. The Association’s bi-annual crew pay review meeting was held at their head office on Jita 4-4 station.

Hanza Gregor, Chairman of the Association said, “There are issues with normal hard-working captains finding and retaining good crew. This is a galaxy-wide issue and is not a problem limited to one or more Empires. The capsuleers do not use AISC agreed union rates and generally pay wages far in excess of these. These rates are so high that non-capsuleer ship owners are often unable to pay equivalent rates. Unfortunately, many crews are lured by these excessive pay rates without thinking of the consequences. Capsuleers don’t usually advertise that last year over a billion crew were killed whilst serving on capsuleer vessels.”

He later added that “trying to get a true number is almost impossible and a billion lives lost may be a low estimate.”

Capsuleer crew positions, whilst lucrative, often come at a price.

Tech4News visited the capsuleer docking hangers to ask some of those looking for crew work why they were risking themselves.

Mart Eglart is a 22 year-old engineering technician fresh out of university. He told our correspondent that capsuleer crewing was all he was interested in because “money is much better than standard crew and you get all the adventure.”

A woman calling herself Sheeza declined to give her full name and said “these pod jockeys pay too well. I’m a qualified nurse so there is always a need for people with my skills, especially on their ships.”

Our correspondent also visited the lower-deck docking areas where the non-capsuleer ships can be found. It was notable that the hangers were lacking the crowds and buzz that was found in the capsuleer hangers. We spoke to Shizim Haart, captain of the Badger Class Industrial Solar Wind:

“It is just impossible to find good crew. Most of the best crew are up on the capsuleer deck. I offer AISC pay, a full medic bay, fresh food too, none of those ration packs! We have a proper galley and cook. However, what are these when the eggers are offering ten times the local credits that I am. If I paid capsuleer rates I’d not break even on my most lucrative runs. Main benefit I offer is it’s very unlikely you’ll end up as a frozen corpse, drained of blood by the Raiders or end up one of them Sansha zombies. But even that doesn’t hold water against the cash the capsuleers are throwing around”

A rookie crew in training.

There have been calls from AISC representatives to regulate capsuleer crew pay but the unanswered question is who would set the rates. CONCORD has stated that it not looking into the matter at this time and current political climate makes it unlikely that any agreement will be reached between the major governments on this matter.

With the current crewing crisis already starting to increase the cost of basic house-hold imports there may be soon renewed calls to being capsuleer pay in line with AISC rates.