The Scope's Galactic Hour with Ret Gloriaxx brings your roundup of the latest news from around the cluster as YC123 ends and YC124 is about to begin, with the peoples of New Eden celebrating a year ending in a relatively peaceful period following the Triglavian Invasions and Equilibrium of Mankind crisis.
Above: CONCORD HQ, Yulai System
New Eden's YC123 Ends as Yoiul Festival Celebrations Usher in YC124
Celebrations of the Yoiul Festival are reportedly being attended by increased numbers over last year's events, despite lower numbers travelling and muted economic activity amidst an end-of-year slump. The drop in industrial and market activity has been widely attributed to deferred sovereign debts, and the end of many wartime investment and construction programs. Numbers travelling during the Yoiul Festival have fallen by more than 60% compared to the same period YC122, accounted for both by the lack of wartime traffic and an adjusted fall in traffic attributed to the economic slump.
Despite the fall in interstellar economic activity in the last quarter of YC123, a relatively peaceful, if uneasy period has seen a certain optimism break out among many New Eden citizens. Large crowds have evidently been determined to celebrate the interstellar end-of-year festival across all populated planets, major colonies, and space-based settlements. Even more citizens have taken part in the increasing habit of celebrating the Yoiul Festival as a family event within the multivarious cultures of the New Eden empires and states.
With the Amarr Empire continuing to observe the festival as a religious holiday in accordance with the order of the late Emperor Heideran VII, and with the Empire finally emerging in the last few months from a sustained and intense period of heresy-hunting and crackdowns on dissent, the atmosphere in Amarr cities has been a particularly fervent mix of piety and indulgence over the Yoiul period.
Above: SARO Marshal-class Battleships in Yulai
In the Gallente Federation, in contrast to last year's low-key and muted post-war observances, a return to festive abandon and hedonistic excess has been in much evidence on the streets of major cities such as Caille and New Riennes. While not reaching quite such levels in all cases, celebrations among Federation communities has been notably less restrained in most cases.
A highly celebratory atmosphere within the Minmatar Republic has been amplified today by the announcement that the 5th Tribal Assembly will begin gathering at the Great Caravanserai on Matar in January, in accordance with the biennial requirement as laid out by the articles of the Tribal Republic. Although it was believed highly unlikely by Minmatar politicians and media that Sanmatar Maleatu Shakor would seek to delay the gathering, rumors that the "Shakor Security State" might further tighten its grip had been gathering for the last six months, making the announcement something of a relief for many.
In the Caldari State, enthusiasm for the Yoiul Festival has grown with worker classes taking every advantage of a holiday period observed in some fashion or other by all of the "Big 8" megacorps and the State at large. Even so, the Caldari State's intense concentration on developing its military and industrial capacity since the end of the Triglavian Invasions, combined with lingering discontent over the performance of Caldari leadership continues to cast a long shadow over its society.
Capsuleers are also celebrating New Year YC123-124 across New Eden, with the elite immortals marking the occasion in various ways as the year draws to a close.
News in Brief
Above: Veles Clade occupied station (Vale II in far background)
CONCORD Inner Circle Reportedly Considering "EDENCOM Intelligence Report on Diplomatic Opportunities with Triglavian Clades"
Yulai, Genesis – Confidential sources with access to CONCORD's Inner Circle have told the Scope's Galactic Hour with Ret Gloriaxx that the top council of the interstellar security and diplomacy organization has given "serious consideration to a report from EDENCOM Intelligence on diplomatic opportunities with Triglavian clades".
Notably, the source has indicated that the report discusses the "potential for differing diplomatic and security postures with regards to different clades" and does not limit itself to consideration of the Triglavian Collective as a unified enemy. Despite this, Triglavian forces continue to mount raids across New Eden, with EDENCOM Command and the core empires pursuing a policy of deadly force response, containment, and aggressive counter-raiding against Triglavian-held systems. The Scope's Galactic Hour with Ret Gloriaxx has been unable to obtain comment from CONCORD, or any empire delegation or government.
Above: Jita 4-4 Trading Hub Contributes Significantly to High Traffic During Yoiul Festival Season
InterBus Reports Decrease in Accidents During Yoiul Festival Spaceship Safety Campaign
Jita, The Forge – InterBus has reported that recorded safety incidents and accidents across space traffic are once again down, and attributed this to its Yoiul Festival safety campaign. The InterBus safety campaign takes a light-hearted approach to the topic of safety, with spaceship safety displays and holoprojections using old spacer legends of clone blanks coming to life and wreaking havoc aboard ships. The "Yoiul Clones" campaign is intended to be eye-catching and highlights the serious subject of ship safety in this unusual manner so as to overcome "warning fatigue" experienced by many in the relatively hazardous space-industrial sectors.
Above: Federation Senate Station in Villore Engulfed by Volatile Ice Storm
Spatiotemporal Data Anomalies Detected as New Eden Experiences Increase in Volatile Ice Storms
Bourynes, Sinq Laison – As New Eden experiences an increase in the "volatile ice storm" class of metaliminal storms, scientists from a joint research group comprised of members of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research, Sisters of EVE, and Caille University have reported anomalous spatiotemporal data returns from across New Eden. The research group is working on the hypothesis that there is some connection with the volatile ice storms, given metaliminal storms are associated with known hyper-energetic micro-variations in background space-time measurements. The research group has not raised concerns over navigation hazard over and above the CONCORD and InterBus warnings on the dangers of metaliminal storms, and volatile ice storms in particular.
Outrage as Shipments of Midna Lyre's Rock Opera "Arias on a Crimson Chalice" Intercepted in Bleak Lands
The Bleak Lands – Amarr authorities have protested "in the strongest terms" to the CONCORD Assembly, Gallente Federation, and Minmatar Republic following their seizure of multiple shipments of controversial rock star Midna Lyre's latest album in transit across the Bleak Lands from Minmatar occupied systems. The rock opera "Arias on a Crimson Chalice" is an adaptation of the notorious Omir Sarikusa's "Meditations on a Crimson Chalice" and is the veteran "Sonik Sabik" artist's most controversial work to date, being explicitly based on the collected musings of the criminal Blood Raider Covenant sect's leader.
Sarum Military Circuit spokesman Lord Qatib Olacar xer Sarum condemned the "outrageous dissemination of vile Sarikusan blood rhetoric by Tribal rebels sponsored by the terrorist Shakor regime." The Republic's Hetman General Kanth Filmir responded, "As usual the Amarr cry their hot, salty tears over some words they don't like, despite building their own corrupt empire out of bricks mortared with the blood of our people. It's contemptible."
Above: FDU Station in orbit of Intaki II
Federation Protests "Lawless Atmosphere of Placid Region Systems Under Caldari State Occupation"
Yulai, Genesis – Federation representatives at the CONCORD Assembly have filed multiple protests against the Caldari State under the provisions of the CONCORD Emergency Militia War Powers Act YC110. The protests allege that under Caldari State occupation a "lawless atmosphere has descended on Placid Region systems" and requesting emergency authorization for Federation Navy and Gallente Police Directorate forces to provide security and law enforcement coverage in such systems.
Caldari State representatives have dismissed the protests as "a criminal attempt to usurp the interstellar legal order" and warned of dire consequences if Federation Navy forces "intrude within the Caldari Militia Zone." Despite the claims and counter-claims of the Federation and State, CONCORD law enforcement agencies have been increasing their presence in Placid and Verge Vendor "in response to increased criminal and terrorist activity by warclone renegades, illegal technology smugglers, and outlaw colonies."
In Other News
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Republic Fleet Ordnance Lands Engineering Armies on Planets of Klogori Under "Fortress Angils" Directive
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Fleet Escorts Civilian Traffic Through Angils Constellation as Republic Funds New Territorial Guard Units
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House Sarum Continues to Build Up Fortifications, Fleet Anchorages, Military Jump Gates and Troops in Eugidi Constellation
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Sarum Command Focusing on Maintaining Grip on Fortress Worlds and Installations in Eugidi as Amarr Forces Fall Back Elsewhere
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Conflict Analysts "Divided" on Prospects of Renewed Assault on Floseswin After "Long Months of Blockade and Sarum Investment in Eugidi"
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Federal Defense Union Offensive Recovers Eleven Systems in as Many Days; Megacorp "Asset Security" Units Evacuate as State Protectorate Falls Back
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Intaki Assembly Closes Cities to All Aerospace Traffic and Mobilizes Planetary Defense Units as Population Fears of New Corporate Raids Mount
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DERAIL/Red Troop Taskforce "Accelerates Operational Tempo" in Pegeler Constellation as Gallente Militia Offensive Destabilizes Region
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Angel Cartel War With Thukker Crime Organizations Spills Over in Sinq Laison as Struggle Over Colelie-Ennur-Poitot Smuggling Triangle Continues
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Aenebra Assassins Strike in Syndicate, Massacring Pro-Federation Station-Owner Family in EZA-FM System
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Silphy en Diabel Accuses V. Salvador Sarpati and Serpentis of Using "Drug-Fuelled Cult Murderers as Proxies"
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Guristas Pirates and Shadow Serpentis Units Clash in Serthoulde Amidst Chaos of Federal Militia Offensive
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Khanid Kingdom Publicly Executes "One Thousand Sansha's Nation Operatives" on Mishi IV as Royal Regime Continues to Root Out "Rebels and Heretics"
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Tanoo System Theology Council Judge Issues Religious Epistle on "Risks of Fanaticism and Error in the Administration of Holy Justice" in Response to Mass Executions