The Privateer/Extra!Net Issue

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EXTRA!NET - "Read All About It!" The Coalition Network's Most-Read News Feed

COLONY SHIP M.I.A. - 37,000 Colonists Unaccounted For

SYSTEM 101-HG - The Solar Liberty Coalition government announced today that the 37,000 colonists aboard the SLCG Makin Atoll are now declared "Missing In Action," as two weeks of search parties and fruitless scans come to a close with no solid evidence. The Makin Atoll, a colony ship intended to eventually serve as a permanent starbase, last reported its vitals data to the Coalition on the 14th of June, reporting no unusual activity and all systems go for their mission. Rumors and speculation abound, but Coalition officers will neither confirm nor deny suspicions that there may have been pirate activity near the 101-HG system at the time the ship disappeared.

"While it is true that a ship of this size and importance does not simply go missing, we cannot speculate at this time," said the Coalition's Chief of Relations, Colonel Raine Huxley. Col. Huxley then went on to declare that those colonists aboard the Makin Atoll were "brave young men and women that deserve to be honored," though no date has yet been set for any sort of memorial service. Further questions to Col. Huxley regarding the Coalition's next move remained unanswered as of this writing.

The writers and editors at Extra!Net wish to express their condolences to relatives and friends of the missing colonists. We hope and/or pray for their safety. [E!N]

PIRATE STARBASE DESTROYED; COALITION'S PUSH CONTINUES - Skirmish Near Fringe Space Claims 100 Pilots; No End In Sight

CAIAPHAS - Coalition authorities reported this morning that, following a full-scale assault that took place this morning, the Coalition Navy was victorious against a notorious fleet of pirates stationed in fringe space. The SLCN Iwo Jima lead the charge against the pirate starbase Caiaphas, with a reported 4,600 enemy fighters downed, over 1,000 arrests, and at least 100 Coalition pilots lost. The Iwo Jima is reportedly planning to stay near the site of the now-destroyed Caiaphas station for an undisclosed time, as Navy patrols continue to sweep up the remnants of the battle.

The Iwo Jima's CO, Rear Admiral Autry, sent word to Extra!Net that a list of names of those lost to the battle is currently being drafted, and relatives will be contacted as soon as the true extent of Coalition losses can be determined. [E!N]

FUEL PRICES ONCE AGAIN ON THE RISE - Earth Nations Union Taxation To Blame

EARTH - While the use of fossil fuels has become nearly as rare as paper documents since the end of the last Terra-Colonial War, many pilots, both freelance and Coalition alike, find themselves paying just a little more than usual to fill up their thrusters; this upward trend in costs for both thruster fuel and E400 catalyst is the most noticeable effect had by a new trade tax, recently imposed by the Earth Nations Union. On this new tax, Extra!Net economist Ryan Breissen said, "A lot of pilots are understandably going to be angry about it. After all, high import tax was one of the big reasons why we colonists went to war against Earth half a century ago. But they have every right to tax what's theirs; after all, it comes from their planet, they're the ones that drill and refine it. All we do is buy."

Breissen and the Extra!Net market analysis team both agree that, regardless of the motives behind the tax, it is unlikely to go away soon, and the upward price trend will only grow steeper. Impatient pilots, meanwhile, are advised to conserve thruster fuel, for use only in the event of an attack by marauders or zealots. [E!N]