In which Gregory lands in the Republic.

After the antiseptic gardenlike sanity of Legena the Republic is a striking contrast.
We got our first taste of this as we boarded  one of the sixteen 'railheads' in orbit that anchor the 'sky-bridges' that are sole legal means of getting to the surface.
The Republic does not allow any flying below its final wallscreen.
The crowds in the station were numerous and diverse. Bald headed Arturians mixed cheek by jowl with Carthaginians , Idian Azi mixed with the descendents of SPQR  slaves and a contingent of  Manbots rubbed elbnows with Trianian Homo Bellici.
They had to the Republic for freedom of worship, to escape economic and political oppression or just to get a new start.
Mixed amongst the immigrants were residents come to meet them or on the way to shuttles off planet.
We saw all this but didn't mix. We were with the President and so Republican gendarmes cleared the way for us.

(by Steve Bishop)

Early 1895

Tensions rise in Yukon cluster

Kif begin commerce raiding

"This is no longer just piracy." Said the military expert Annie Lyctical. "Heavy Cruisers are attacking and destroying Trilar commercial ships.

Meanwhile the Black Forest mobilized in its Yukon area and ordered a partial mobilization in the North.

"They are ratcheting up the pressure but nobody really knows what they want." Said Lyctical. "Reliable sources report the Trilar have made several peace offers."

The Trilar have equipped their merchantmen with guns and armor and begun to escort them in convoys.

Several fierce skirmishes have resulted.

"Public opinion in Kif is fighting mad." Reported Flack Flarrigan on the scene. "The Domicrator might lose her job if she didn't respond to this."

As usual the Black Forest was silent. Sources who were interviewed off the record indicated that the Queen feels that the Kif must be accommodated in this manner since they are the Black Forest's only ally.

Lunar fleet ambushed at Igor

A Parthian fleet under the command of the notorious pirate leader Raven Feeder  surprised and largely destroyed a Lunar fleet. Some heavy elements did make it to join the rest of the Lunar fleet.

For the last three years Luna had been besieging the Parthian Satrapy of Igor and routinely rotates forces that are stationed there. It was in the midst of such a rotation that the ambush occurred.

Besieger besieged

More Parthian forces have entered the Igor system and forced the Lunar fleet into a fortified 'camp'. Igor's own forces freed of besiegement joined in.

Admiral Trägheit, the commander of the siege forces, expressed confidence the 'incident' would be brief when the 'relief fleet arrived'.

"It's only a matter of time." He asserted.

Daring exploits by Lunar Commodore Wilfox

Nigel Wilfox, nephew of the Wilfox was commander of a light flotilla of the incoming fleet. He was ordered by Admiral Xingu to cover the retreat  of the Lunar fleet.

Separated from that fleet he now runs hit and run raids against the Parthian forces in the Igor system.

Ironically it was Nigel Wilfox who ambushed and captured Ravenfeeder during the recent Black Forest-Republic war.

It came again without his bidding. He had lost track now of how many times it had been. Luke lurched quickly from his recliner and stuck his head into his room's large waste receptacle. His unrepentant stomach once again convulsed to discharge a lunch that had long since departed. His mind reeled and his sides ached deep within his torso, as his body writhed in spasms of fruitless dry heaves.

It had been more than two weeks since Jackov had dragged Luke back into space, headed God knows where. This was the first time in over 30 years that Luke had been off a planet, and his body had seriously forgotten what it was like. Even with artificial gravity on the ship, adapting to the change in environment seemed impossible. Occasionally, he would be OK for a day or two, then the spasms would return and he would spend long hours repeatedly making unwelcome love to that damned receptacle. Luke decided he really hated space travel.

He was tired as he came awake, which seemed odd, somehow upside down. Isn't rest supposed to...? He ordered his eyes to open, but they didn't; and if they did, it was only a little. But just a little. Yes, a little. But still unable to focus. Focus. Yes. Raw shapes forming in a misty soft light. He recognized he was in the infirmary of the ship. In the secure portion. Why secure, he asked himself. He was aware it had been all darkness for him, not even dreaming. Maybe this was now the dream? No, this was consciousness. Real. Sort of. The pain was real. Finally, he realized he was being reconstructed. But it was a lengthy, exhausting process. And he still felt tired.

He now forced his eyes open a little more, slowly, pushing the pain aside. He saw the fuzzy shape of Clegg sitting near him, the only other one in the room.

"Chraa...," he strained, trying his voice.

"Ah, welcome back, sir." Clegg was visibly pleased that H. T. had awakened, even if only a little bit.

"Ch... shw... how... tell shme... schtatus." Every breath proved an effort.

Clegg knew what he wanted and proceeded straight to the point. "It was a 3.2 kilogram ion-ether bomb," he began.

Teddy Rose, The President of the Republic rose as the Lunar Ambassador  entered.

"Welcome" he said walking around his desk to shake hands, He then led the Ambassador over to a pair of comfortable chairs near a fireplace.

"You know of course why I am here." Said the ambassador going directly to business

"Trilar of course."

The North cluster was once again at war though it was undeclared.  The Trilar held slaves of Kif origin or Kif parentage.. When this had been proven the political situation within the Kif nation had quickly pushed the Domacrator to demand their release and the punishment of those who had authorized or engaged in the act.

"Gewürztraminer (???v??tst?a?mi:n?) is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz ... Gewürztraminer is a variety with a pink to red skin color, which makes it a "white wine grape" as opposed to the blue- to black-skinned varieties commonly referred to as "red wine grapes". The variety has high natural sugar and the wines are white and usually off-dry ..."   --- from the ancient archives of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mountain Overlook, Gewürztraminer (LNS) -- Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the virtual owner and ruler of your own country? Yes, so have we. That's why we sent reporter Sluggo Jones of our Legena News Service (LNS) to interview Duke Rinehart McCarthy, leader of the Grand Duchy of Gewürztraminer. Gewürztraminer (or Gewürz as it is more commonly called) is located near Flesh in what is known as the Wine Area.