episode 6 the return of pathfinder

To my gentle listeners who may have wondered where i was, to those who feared my death or capture at the hands of the nefarious, and to those who asked where I could have gone, I give you thanks and come to tell you I am alive. I have been involved in a sabbatical of sorts. While all the details may not be revealed for the safety of those who helped me, I will say i have learned many things. I learned one should not taunt those who chase you to much for they will find ways to be faster. I have learned that the wonders and mysteries of this planet are not so alien as we think. I have learned that Voltaire was right when said “Clever tyrants are never punished.�. I have learned there is something moving in the shadows. Sadly there are things I have learned and cannot prove or show. I lost many a compatriot in my journey and found it gave me the will to continue. They will not be forgotten. To Annabell, Bubbles, Dr. Park, and the others I say thank you and god speed.

In a related note I will publicly ask that any one with information as to what is being made at the facility 30 miles southwest of Shakleton, please contact me at my public data drop.

It is the tragedies we all look to. So it is I must report upon the disappearance of the Cyclops and her crew last week while exploring the moon of Phaeton. The mission was routine for a full day before anything appeared to be amiss. At this time there is no indication what exactly happened. The team led by Cpt. Wells left the ship for an eva and explore on this almost featureless orb. Almost an hour later, approximately 11 hundred hours, they simply stopped sending telemetry or communication at all. The last sent telemetry indicated a sharp spike in their vitals as if frightened then no signal. Further visual inspection by the Ships sent by the Eos Space force found nothing. No ship. No bodies. No trace. Jack Richards the minister of space who strongly advocated this mission resigned today. He stated it was due to stress though undoubtedly the cabinet had pressured him to do so. It was announced yesterday that control of the further explorations would be held by the more militant Eos Space force. Gentle listeners i wish I could tell you the reason for the Cyclops disappearance. I wish i could give you some secret reason. But sadly life does not always have a reason. They were brave souls and our hearts go out to their families. Fly true my friends.

  Lt. Marcus Dubois of the EFL's scout team the Bonefishers, has reportedly turned down the invitation to the first annual eos unlimited martial arts tournament and symposium. The tournament has been organized to feature the best of the best in martial arts. Many traditional forms will be represented as well the few Martial arts that have evolved on Eos since the human occupation. Though not confirmed there is even talk of some Velin practitioners coming. The Zero G boxing prationers will demonstrate their form from orbit using a holographic projector to show the ground based audience. Of course Dawning star Kung Fu will be well represented by Shia Rober amoung others. The EFLSF Style, now somewhat infamous, was actually invited to participate but Lt. Dubois the head of the style declined to participate. He had issue with the tournament being held in dawning star for one thing. Also he stated"The only real test is life or death". A man of few words it seems.

The tournament organizers point to Lia Qian as a major sponsor of the tournament.

REports are out of the settlement of New Dheli that the local law enforcement has begun a crack down on the group known as Gadia Lohar. This goup of nomadic settlers has been accused of crimes all over the continent. This family oriented group has origins in the old earth nation of india. They have  refused to settle down in any permanent settlement and can be found traveling all over eos. Petty thefts and smuggling has been known to follow them. Mathew D'Souza, the head of the New Dheli police force announced that being a member of Gandia Lohar will be cause for a person to be classified as a "suspicious person". Strangely the Gandia Lohar have been seen often in the company of the Velin though their ties are unclear. Roger's point and Shakleton settlements also appear to be considering similar measures.

As an interesting note, it is always a good idea for a citizen of any government to see what its annual budget may be. This will tell you so many interesting things. For instance I did find myself in possession of the proposed budget for next fiscal year for the Dawning Star Republic. It has many interesting things in it. There is a 20% increase in budgeted moneys for the the controversial homestead project. This is the project which is trying to “civilize� the Velin. There is a nearly an 80% increase in funding for projects building power plants. This is interesting because we are already over capacity in many areas for power needs. One simply does not need so much centralized power when power generation by an individual is relatively cheap and easy. Another strange entry indicates a 50% increase in funding to the Southland Terraforming Project. This odd as most of the other terraforming projects are staying even in their annual budgets. There are even a couple getting cutbacks. Whats more Southland already gets more annual budgeted funds than half of the other Terraforming facilities combined. Very interesting indeed.

music is from the podsafe network

Viva malta by Lee "Scratch" Perry