In a tragic turn of events, the intercepted communication recently published by Tech4 News was revealed to be a chilling forewarning of a ground assault by Angel Cartel forces on civilian facilities owned by Native Freshfood. Reports from capsuleer networks are still being gathered, but the number of casualties at the Tialdshad Genesis Vaults on Oddelulf III in Molden Heath is said to exceed 1000. Had capsuleers not responded to intercept Angel Cartel orbital support, the death toll may have been much higher.

Local emergency aid networks are mobilising to offer assistance, but the Matar Society for Natural Preservation – the organisation overseeing the Genesis Vault project – are said to be guarded about allowing aid workers onto the site. The purpose of the attack is unclear and evidence gleaned from sophisticated capsuleer comms equipment suggests that the assailing forces may not even have known their objective.

On the GALNET Intergalactic Summit communications service favoured by capsuleers, Akrasjel Lanate shared this intercepted conversation between the Angel Cartel operative responsible for the previously leaked information.

[16:55:48] Erdrin Sostold > What Domination wants to do with this is beyond me
[16:56:13] Haltz Krisbrid > You and me both, brother
[16:56:26] Erdrin Sostold > None of this looks like it doesn’t belong here
[16:56:30] Erdrin Sostold > If they were hiding anything
[16:56:35] Erdrin Sostold > we’ve either got it already
[16:56:39] Erdrin Sostold > or we’re damn unlikely to find it

This clearly suggests that the operatives were operating under orders from the Dominations, the command level upper heirarchy of the Angel Cartel. It also suggests that the attack either failed to secure their objective, or there is more occurring of which even these individuals were unaware.

Speculation is abound and fears are mounting that further attacks could occur at other sites. Gunger Anra, foreman of the Matar Society for Natural Preservation has declined to comment on any potential threat to their largest remaining Vault site on Bogelek II.

Tech4 has also received further communications from a number of anonymous and capsuleer sources.

The following questions were transmitted direct to the Tech4 GALNET site:

Why would an agricultural company whose mission is to re-establish Minmatar food and cuisine buy only Frozen Food and Superconductors?

Why would an agricultural company be mostly anonymously owned (55% of shareholders are unknown or anonymous)?

And the following sequence of communications were obtained by a capsuleer passing through the Placid region:

Almost Showtime
From:
Sent: XXXXX
To:

You ready for another serving of salad man?

Re: Almost Showtime
From:
Sent: XXXXX
To:

Hell yes. Those slugs won’t know what hit em. Lock and load.

Re: Re: Almost Showtime
From:
Sent: XXXXX
To:

Just remember, the capsuleers are onto us. We need to work faster then we did fighting the savages. The slugs are more organized, and the capsuleers are gonna be looking for us.

Re: Re: Re: Almost Showtime
From:
Sent: XXXXX
To:

Yeah, damn podders, sticking there nose into other folks business. Alright, I’ll go over the team protocols, make sure we don’t have any more delays. Wanna meet up at Cascades afterward the raid?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Showtime
From:
Sent: XXXXX
To:

Definitely man. I’ve been craving Batere’s cooking for ages.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Almost Showtime
From:
Sent: XXXXX
To:

Sweet, I’ll meet you there after the op. Those research slugs have got no idea what’s about to drop on them. Bang! bang! bang! Surprise! You’re dead. Ha!

To further add to the mounting tensions, renowned capsuleer freedom fighting organisation, Ushra’Khan, are thought to be mobilising in response to the Oddelulf attacks which is causing increasingly aggressive sabre-rattling from opposing factions.

Clearly events are picking up pace and Tech4 only hopes that innocent civilians will not be caught in the crossfire.

Sendaya System, DERELIK

A Tech4 operative was recently supplied with a curious communication.

An anonymous source claims that a series of intercepted messages, whilst apparently innocuous, may be a code. The fluid-router communication was intercepted by CONCORD decryption specialists based at the CONCORD Bureau at Sendaya V in the Anares constellation of the Ammatar-claimed Derelik region. They were reportedly monitoring traffic originating from the neighbouring system of Doril, a system on the edge of Angel Cartel territory in the Curse region.

The anonymous source was unforthcoming with details of how he came by high-security CONCORD information, but was able to say that whilst the messages are believed to hold important information, CONCORD decryption algorithms have yet to deliver any results.

The full message sequence is as follows:

Post-op fun?
From: Erdrin Sostold
Sent: XXXXXXXXXXX
To: Haltz Krisbrid
What say you? Shall we hit the pleasure hubs after dropping on the savages?

RE: Post-op fun?
From: Haltz Krisbrid
Sent: XXXXXXXXXXX
To: Erdrin Sostold
Sounds like a plan. Nothing gets me thirstier than a raid. Got rid of your crotchrot yet or you still out of commission?

RE: RE: Post-op fun?
From: Erdrin Sostold
Sent: XXXXXXXXXXX
To: Haltz Krisbrid
Shove it up your ass! That was just a rumor… Those dancers will be all over me. I’ll throw you some castoffs, though, so you’re not in the corner all night crying into your drink like last time.

RE: RE: RE: Post-op fun?
From: Haltz Krisbrid
Sent: XXXXXXXXXXX
To: Erdrin Sostold
Keep dreaming. You know Kera’s all mine. Anyway, just make sure you don’t wind up in the medcenter again with a bullet in your buttcheek. Meet you at the usual place after the op.

RE: RE: RE: RE: Post-op fun?
From: Erdrin Sostold
Sent: XXXXXXXXXXX
To: Haltz Krisbrid
Sweet. Numbskull gardeners won’t know what hit ‘em.

First appearances suggest that this is nothing more than two individuals – suspected of Angel Cartel affiliations – making plans to blow off some steam after a planned raid. However, CONCORD intelligence suggests there is possibly a deeper meaning to the language used and that something greater may be afoot.

“Savages” may be an unkind reference to Minmatar interests, however if other key phrases such as “crotchrot”, “dancers” and “Numbskull gardeners” have ulterior meanings, they are currently unknown. CONCORD operatives are continuing their investigations, but at time of writing,  the two pilots, Erdrin Sostold and Haltz Krisbrid are unregistered on GALNET and may be aliases. Who or what “Kera” is, is also a mystery.

[Tech4 Media Group would consider ISK rewards for any new information pursuant to this story. T4 Capsuleer Liaison - Prof. Uriah Tedanih.]

The vast majority of media coverage involving capsuleers is negative. This is primarily because the lynchpin of their existence is war. The capsuleer-driven economy is almost entirely centred around weapons of mass destruction and the platforms to deliver them and whilst these gods of war are often deserving of criticism as they continue to destroy each other and those around them, some good does come of their existence.

As has always been the way throughout human history, war pushes the boundaries of technology and eventually, the benefit of those advancements distil down to the general populace. This recent press release received from the Lai Dai Research corporation details the benevolent applications of technology originally designed to enhance capsuleer training.

FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
Lai Dai Research :: Biomedical and Cybernetics Division
114.07.17

Lai Dai Research is pleased to announce the tentative release of the next generation of Transcranial Microcontroller products, the Tietosh Constellation. This family of six implant sets are designed to interact with an installed TCMC to increase the users’ functionality. Full details are being prepared for release, but the basic set will include the following implants:

- Cerebellar-Limbic Bridge: to aid in fine motor control
- Hippocampal-Forebrain Bridge: to aid in memory retention and clarity
- Cingulate Ion Buffer: to aid in the application of willpower and rational thought
- Wernike Ion Buffer: to aid in sophisticated speech
- Pons Coordination Matrix: to aid in regularizing autonomic metabolism
- Auxilliary Midbrain Processor: to aid in emotional and sensorial control

The Tietosh implant set is intended for the medical rehabilitation market, with alternate secondary markets for any individual wishing to improve their performance in key targeted areas. It will be made available for sale to specific sectors of the public once it has cleared human testing, which is predicted to finish in less than two months.

Research Director Atkio Vanamoinen :: Lai Dai Research, Biomedical and Cybernetics Division

With the number of space structures and ships being destroyed by capsuleer aggressions resulting in countless decompression injuries, survivors of such disasters often suffer long-term cerebral impairment due to vacuum-induced hypoxia.

It is the hope of this correspondent that we will indeed see some uplifting stories in the future, where technology of capsuleer origin might improve lives rather than ruin them.

 If you have a story regarding capsuleer technology benefiting  lives, please contact us.

Unconfirmed reports are coming out of the M-MD3B system in the Great Wildlands of several hundred deaths at a Thukker Mix orbital facility, following a capsuleer-led assault. It is believed that the attack was a protest statement against recent design revisions made to the Vagabond Heavy Assault Ship, manufactured by Thukker Mix.

The Great Wildlands region of space is known to be dangerous and falls outside the purview of CONCORD, as such there are far fewer emergency organisations available to respond to such events. Station personnel are trained and equipped to deal emergencies and Sisters of EVE response teams were also reported to have attended the aftermath, but no clear explanation has been forthcoming from Thukker Mix, nor can exact casualties be ascertained.

As part of the secretive Minmatar Thukker tribe, the corporation’s reticence is unsurprising. The Thukkers have a long history of being guarded and untrusting of outsiders. This attack will have done little to bridge that gap.

Millions witnessed the associated protest staged in the Caldari system of Jita last week, where 200 over-entitled capsuleers saw fit to flex their military might once again by terrorising those in the vicinity of the Caldari Navy Assembly Plant in orbit around the 4th moon of Jita IV.

Evil capsuleers on another reign of destruction and terror.

Whilst not close to the scale of last year’s terrifying events, the sight of 200 Minmatar warships firing upon the still-shattered Ruevo Aram memorial is enough to give even the most foolhardy of travellers pause. After destroying one of their own vessels above the memorial (and reportedly at least one passing ship), the fleet left in the direction of New Caldari and was reported to have fled beyond the borders of the region sometime thereafter.

It remains to be seen if any response will be forthcoming from Thukker Mix or if the design concerns that so offended the capsuleers are to be addressed.

Capsuleers are reported to be united in protest over design changes to the Vagabond Minmatar Heavy Assault Ship. In a recent revision of their hull design, manufacturers Thukker Mix removed the twin vanes that were positioned to the aft of the command-and-control deck. As part of their ongoing maintenance contracts, this also included the removal of the structures from vessels already in service.

Whilst there has been no reported decrease in the performance of the Vagabond, Thukker Mix have been unforthcoming with an explanation for the revision. As the research and development arm of the secretive Thukker tribe, they have a history of being guarded about their latest technological developments. Thukker Mix declined to confirm that the vanes were removed to allow the Vagabond hull to better withstand re-entry for planned atmospheric flight and battlefield strafing maneuvers.

In any case, segments of the capsuleer population have openly opposed the change, demanding the return of the “frill”. In a chilling echo of last year’s terrifying protests over capsuleer treatment aboard stations, many pod-pilots plan to gather at the Jita memorial at 1900 on July 15, where they intend to start a protest “march” to the headquarters of Thukker Mix in the Great Wildlands region.

Thukker Mix refused to comment and whilst CONCORD are expected to contain any outbreaks of violence in Jita, they cannot provide the same protection to bystanders elsewhere along the march route and advise all travellers to exercise extreme caution.

The Kisogo Jumpgate to Urlen

Kisogo (State News Agency) – A transport shuttle collided with a capsuleer owned starship yesterday near the Urlen gate in Kisogo. Despite a rapid response from the Navy Rapid Response Emergency Fleet (NRREF), 37 passengers of the shuttle died and another 45 suffered injuries. No reports of deaths or injuries from the capsuleer ship were forthcoming as it continued to the gate and jumped through to Urlen without stopping to answer requests from authorities.

The shuttle, a Kismit class passenger ship operated by Kisogo-Urlen Transit Authority, was at full capacity of 300 passengers and 20 crew when the accident happened. Commander Lee of the NRREF gave a press conference as rescue operations completed:

“The KUT shuttle had just dropped out of warp and was starting the approach to the gate when one of its collision avoidance repulsors suffered a catastrophic failure in its power core. As per Space Lane Safety Policy, the captain of the shuttle immediately aborted the gate approach and attempted to move at a safe vector away from the gate so that the ship could wait for tugs to take it back to station. During the maneuver a Caracal-class cruiser warped to the gate at an unauthorized approach vector and distance. Normally the repulsors on the shuttle would move it out of the way of the other vessel despite its unsafe approach.”

He also added that the cruiser appeared to take no damage and there is no indication that the capsuleer in command of the ship “even knew a collision against its shields even happened”.

An independent holovid studio has secured the rights to produce a holovideo of last year’s Raskaan Veyden disaster.

The ‘Raskaan Veyden‘ was an Eifyr & Co. Science & Exploration frigate which was lost last November whilst exploring wormhole space. Of the eleven personnel aboard, only civilian reporter Mielikki Valpuri has been recovered, and then under mysterious and controversial circumstances which has since plunged Tech Four Media Group into legal and financial difficulties.

The forthcoming holoreel, being produced by the little known Freebooted Studios, has come under early criticism from humanitarian quarters for insensitive handling of the subject matter. An early preview showing of the title footage suggests a sensationalist approach to the subject matter, with actors and dramatic scores delivering a fictionalised account rather than a documentary approach as preferred by some parties.

The families of the crewmen were unavailable for comment, however an Eifyr & Co spokesman released the following statement, apparently on their behalf;

“Eifyr & Co have every faith in Freebooted Studios to produce a holovid which will treat the story of the brave crew of the Raskaan Veyden with respect and dignity. The families of the lost crewmen have given their blessing to this project.”

The preview footage suggests a dramatic feature, with the Raskaan Veyden story possibly being the first episode in a series of short holovids focusing on the Tech Four team.

Download the T4 Trailer

Tech Four HoloVid Reel Title Preview [ 2:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This transmission was recently received from a Tech4 News source [identity withheld]:

FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

Lai Dai Corporation :: Biomedical Research Division
YC114.03.25

Lai Dai Corporation reports an assassination attempt and data raid. Both attempts were foiled by local security forces.

The Lai Dai Neurotechnology Research Institute in orbit of Kakakela VI was infiltrated late on the 24th by a black-hooded individual who is believed to have entered via the environmental ducts. This individual, who has been identified by security footage as Luminaire General Seriphyn Inhonores of the FDU, proceeded to attempt to kill a patient within the facility, at that time unconscious from an earlier medical procedure. Medical technicians alerted security to his presence, preventing his continuation to the secured data storage wing. General Inhonores escaped via the main docking bay after wounding a Junior Vice-Director. His escape vessel, a Tristan class frigate without pod fittings, was damaged and crashed into the local moon. Lai Dai security search and rescue teams are conducting an operation to recover the pilot and crew, to be repatriated after clearance.

Vice-Director Atkio Vanamoinen has been admitted to the local medical ward for gunshot wounds. The assassination target is a researcher attempting to assemble a permanent solution to the “Rogue Drone” problem in deadspace locations around the Cluster. Her name has been withheld for security purposes.

Lai Dai Protecion Services are launching a full audit of the station’s security systems to ascertain how Inhonores was able to slip aboard undetected. The Station’s security director has been temporarily relieved of his position pending the results of the LDPS inquest. A reward is offered for any information which helps close these dangerous security loopholes.

Security Director Halvas Nimmoda :: Lai Dai Protection Services

This information is uncorroborated.

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.