Intergalactic Summit

Gutter Press today received a report from a concerned pilot, that Asteroid Rustlers had struck in Khanid Prime, the capital system of the Khanid Kingdom !

Thievery !

An investigation by Gutter Press agents, revealed that several asteroid belts were completely empty of Scordite, while other asteroids were left untouched.

Several large scale mining operations, one consisting of several Hulks and Orcas, reported a complete absence of Scordite in the system.

Speculation as to the identity of the rumoured thieves is rampant, with some blaming Serpentis activity, as that organisation seeks to recover following the Operation Frostline losses.

Baffling !

Gutter Press asked several local residents for their opinion:

"Me and mah crew were gonna git some mining done, when we found some damn roid rustler had gone and stole all the Scord !", said one miner. "I had to go back to the station, jes so I could git out the capsule, and throw mah hat on the floor and cuss, I was that mad, darnit."

"Scordite rustlers ? It's not that more valuable, surely ? to go to all that effort just to pick out Scordite ?", said one industrialist.

"I heard that King Khanid once ordered an asteroid belt to be removed, because it obstructed his view of space", said a nightclub owner.

Unusual !


In other news, rumours of a number of resignations and disciplinary procedures amongst staff at a CONCORD station in the Genesis region, following alleged leaks of confidential information.


Gutter Press. A thin, newslike substance to spread on the daily bread of information, the diet of those who like to stay ahead of events.

This sounds like a typical mining day. Somebody decided that Scordite's the money-maker and mined it all in a Retriever.

I don't blame them. I'm in desperate need of pyrite and have been mining massive scordite for a few days now. Building this battleship its sure taking a lot.

Normally I do to but this is a special case, I need over 2 million units of pyrite crystals and scordite happens to be the best source of it near me.

Well it actually doesn’t sound that unusual.

I remember fondly roving bands of freelance miners traveling from system to system.

Demons continue to overrun the Khanid Kingdom. Scordite-eating Demons.

But I have solved the problem. In my dabbling in the dark and arcane demonic arts, I have learned the concept of a magical circle of protection, a barrier through which (for example) demonic forces may not cross. And one way to create such a magic circle of protection is by means of consecrated slave blood. Fortunately for me, Khanid Prime is a one-stargate system, so instead of a circle of protection, I only need create a barrier against demonic entry on this one stargate. This I have done by sacrificing 1381 slaves in each of two Sigil Industrials. (Well, I actually destroyed three industrials, but forgot to load one of them with slaves). Hopefully, these two industrials worth of consecrated slave blood will prevent additional Scordite-eating demons from entering the Khanid Prime system.

I spent the remainder of my stay in Khanid Prime pining away for Shirley Serious. I miss her so much.

P. S. I see that Shirley has re-adopted the use of one-word exclaimatory paragraphs throughout this story, consistent with earlier Gutter Press style. I was the one who requested this change, I believe, and I applaud it.

I have names for your 'demons'. They are called 'Retrievers', 'Procurers', 'Covetors', 'Skiffs', 'Mackinaws', 'Hulks', 'Orcas', 'Ventures' and 'miners.

These beings forage in the belts, grazing on the choice rocks, especially ones that are swollen in ISK and desired minerals. Every so often, the dread Orca will emerge from its slumber and cry out the clarion call of the Great Devouring, and all the others that hear it will be inflicted with a voracious hunger. These will band together into a great Devouring Horde, ravaging the belts and devouring every rock within 20km of each in a great feeding frenzy, leaving worthless dust in their wake. Eventually, the Orca will tire, the great hunger for ores will be slaked and they will scatter once more into individual foragers, once again grazing upon the most ISK-rich of asteroids.

After a preliminary investigation, I can find nothing to indicate that the OP is in any way accurate.

However, if there are people in Khanid who are in need of Scordite, I happen to have a surplus of it at the moment and can sell it at a very popular price.

This is starting to look like one of those High Espionage holoreels that Isi keeps making me watch.

You are also dressed in black, you are lean and your face is charismatically handsome! I won't believe a word you say nor accept an invitations to dinner from you!