Events in the Placid region of Gallente space took a turn for the worse yesterday when two Vindicators which appeared to be from the Serpentis fleet entered the Ouelletta, destroying several privately owned starships. Following this initial attack a valiant attempt by the locals to repel the invaders was made. It failed dramatically, however, causing a withdrawl to one of the local stations for all those in the defending fleet.
Although the losses, which included two battleships, one cruiser and several smaller ships are minor in comparison to losses incurred in other recent pirate activities - such as the raid on Khanid space by the Blood Raiders last week - this attack is still seen as a disturbing development to the Gallente authorities. A source within the Federal Navy commented that “over the past few weeks Placid and other regions of the Federation have seen a dramatic increase in Serpentis activities. Whilst this attack in itself was not regarded as a major threat to security, the overall trend is very worrying to Federation officials, especially due to the current stability of the political climate”.
Whilst there is no firm proof on the reason behind these attacks, it is widely believe that they are somehow linked to the elections; however the Serpentis’ ultimate aim in this campaign against the Federation is still completely unknown.
Until this situation has been resolved, the Placid authorities urge all pod pilots living in and passing through the region to be especially wary when travelling and to report any sightings of Serpentis ships to the authorities immediately.