Island Rumours

These rumours are specific to the New Islands and Old Islands sub-sectors of Reft.

D66	Rumour
11	The Art of Nikateema. The famous artist Nigel Nikateema will be holding a special event to show off some new paintings on New Colchis. The initial event will be a private affair limited to a few serious art collectors, but they will be put on public display for a short while afterwards.
12	The Silver Case. There is a young woman with a silver suitcase travelling the trade routes, generally taking high passage and accompanied by a couple of body guards. The contents of the case isn’t known, but it’s said to contain industrial secrets that she is trying to sell to the highest bidder.
13	Furries. The 'famous' Imperium-denialist Tom Hagitty of New Home has put out a Cr10,000 reward for anyone who can show proof that Aslan and Vargr are just humans in stupid custumes. All you need to do is to pull the costume off one of them in public whilst videoing it.
14	Ghost Signals. A ship taking a shortcut across the Crescent Run between Topas and Elysee picked up a radio distress signal whilst in empty space. They calculated that the ship was at least a light year from their position, and they didn’t have enough fuel to investigate.
15	Zweihänder. An ancient relic from old Terra, a Zweihänder said to have been owned by the hero Grote Pier, has been stolen from the Museum of Old Terra on Neubayern. A reward of Cr50,000 has been raised for anyone you can retrieve it, though it will probably sell for more on the black market.
16	Pirates. A group of women have been pretending to be on the run from their pimp, and seeking passage aboard a ship to a new world. However, they are actually skilled hijackers, and a couple of ships that they’ve been given passage on have gone missing, their crews never seen again.
21	Spy Ring. Several Neubayern spies have been captured on Joyeuse, and are being put on trial. If convicted, they will be sentenced to death. As well as spying, they are accused of murder, extortion and theft. The Neubayern embassy on Joyeuse is protesting against this, and Joyeuse registered ships are receiving extra attention from Neubayern allied worlds.
22	Robot Rights. A group protesting for the rights of droids at Serendip Belt has been broken up and its leaders arrested for causing social unrest.
23	Social Rank. A hacker going by the name of Griffin has claimed to have hacked the social ranking system in Serendip Belt, the mechanism by which all citizens are scored according to how well they contribute to, and fit into society. They are said to be charging large sums of money to get your social rank raised.
24	Cold Bug. A couple getting off a ship after being in cold sleep at Sturgeon’s Law when psychotic and started attacking random people. They killed someone and injured several more before they were shot and killed. It is believed that they picked up some cheap cybertech at New Colchis, and that it malfunctioned during low passage.
25	General Products. The megacorporation General Products ships a lot of high tech goods into the Islands from the Imperium, much to the annoyance of New Home and Amondiage. Since many of them are sold through New Colchis, New Home is trying to put pressure on that world to raise import taxes.
26	Delgado Trading LIC. The trans-Rift trading vessel Great Red Starship made a detour from Schlesien Belt to Sansterre and requested asylum. The crew claimed that they had been forced to work against their will through unfair contracts and enforced debts by Delgado Shipping, and that they had taken control of the vessel shortly after leaving Amondiage. Delgado Trading LIC is denying the claims, and demanding that their ship is returned to them, and the crew are handed over and charged with piracy.
31	Gasbag. Geschichtkreis Sternsciffbau AG (GsbAG) has recently donated spare parts to several family run mining settlements in Serendip Belt that were suffering from life support system failures which were putting the families in danger.
32	Instellarms, LIC. Instellarms has accused a number of its employees of selling off some of its weapons to third parties at way below market rates. They had access to it's warehouses on Elysee, and altered computer records to hide their activities.
33	Ling Standard Products LIC. Operating mining activities in the outer reaches of several systems across the Islands, LSP has recently suffered several unusually aggressive pirate attacks that have resulted in many deaths. They are seeking information on those responsible.
34	Holovid Divers. A new craze amongst teenagers in the islands is to film themselves diving from orbit with a half charged grav belt and trying to land safely. Several have been killed attempting this, and pressure is being put on governments to ban it.
35	The Great Maker. A new religion has been started on Herzenslust, with its founders claiming tax exempt status. They claim to have found texts from the ancients which refer to the Great Maker, and are pertitioning the government for official recognition.
36	Presentations in History. There is an archaeological conference being held at New Colchis, the quad-yearly Presentations in History. Many xenoarchaeologists from across the Islands are expected to turn up and present their latest and best papers.
41	Gems. A gemstone smuggling operation working out of Berlichingen has been busted by the government, and the crew of a trading ship A Fool's Hope have been arrested. Extra security is being added to the mines.
42	No Jump. A trading vessel leaving Topas discovered that its jump drives exploded leaving the ship stranded in space long enough for a couple of pirate vessels to raid them. The ship had just been overhauled by a local repair shop, and foul play is suspected, though the government has not charged anyone.
43	Intoxing. Several people visiting the famed hot springs of Gloire have come away with serious infections, several of which have been fatal. The tourist attraction and health spa has seen a drastic drop in numbers.
44	Siblings of Disunity. A group claiming to be members of the Universal Siblinghood of Disunity have claimed the murder of Charles Gedron, a reporter who leaked information about corruption in several major corporations. They claim that spreading secrets will hasten the end of the universe.
45	Best Workplace. The Islandbridge Trading Corporation has recently won the award for Best Workplace Environment for the fifth year in a row. Employees claim they are happy with their wages and cheap high quality accommodation, and enjoy the free weekly BBQs.
46	Nobles of the Sword. An attempt has been made to turn some of the dueling that happens between the Nobles of the Sword in Achille into a holovid series. The Nobles of Achille hadn't been told that they were being recorded, and the journalists from Serendip Belt are now the matter of a diplomatic incident whilst Serendip tries to secure their release.
51	Heavy Robotics. There is a bidding war between General Products LIC and Serendip Automata to supply the high gravity world of Guria in the Colchis system with robots to help with opening up full scale mining operations there.
52	Gotta Catch Them All. A recent craze for mini mechanised Droyne dolls has got out of hand on several worlds. Supplied by General Products, these small collectable metal toys with holovid projector are highly sought after, especially Gold Sport, which has caused near riots on New Colchis.
53	Lady Terrorist. An interview with the well known terrorist Eloise Brodeur has recently been broadcast across the Islands. In it, she claims to be fighting against the corruption of the Topas government, which has caused more deaths through its deliberate mismanagement of life support systems than her organisation ever has.
54	Truth Conference. A conference is being held on Elysee, organised by the Society for Truth. They claim that the Imperium is a lie put out by their governments to justify control and the restrictions of freedom.
55	Fighting Cats. A new tournament is being started on Serendip Belt by a group of Aslan. They have shipped in some Feakhefourar and are running sponsorship and betting on matches to be held in the Park Garden of C-Jammer. It is said that the fighting rings on New Colchis are not pleased with this development.
56	The Great Eggs. The Crystal Eggs of Lord Jacques are being put on display on various worlds across the Islands, leaving their museum on Jouyese for the first time for over 200 years. These crystal masterworks are valued at several million credits apiece, and how they are being shipped is a closely guarded secret.
61	Library. The Islands Library is a ship travels the Crescent Run, providing a collection of old vintage books from the time of the Migration. They have reading sessions at the starports they stop at, which are often reasonably well received. Unfortunately it has broken down and is in serious need of funds.
62	The Purity Project. A Solomani group is trying to perform a survey of the Islands, collecting the DNA of as many people as possible to get an idea of how 'pure' their ancestry is. They have been hitting regulatory hurdles which they claim are being put in place due to Imperium interference.
63	Detox. A new detoxification gel is being sold across the Islands, by a new company called AstroKlenz, based out of New Colchis. They claim a number of vague health benefits, and it is selling well. There have been some attempts by both rivals and skeptics to obtain the secret formula of the gel.
64	The Silence. The Universal Siblinghood of Disunity has opened places of Silence on several worlds. The idea is to turn up for a weekend, and not say anything. Just relax and stop the flow of information for a bit.
65	Disaster Zone. The Neubayern heavy metal band Disaster Zone has had its permit to play revoked due to health concerns about the level of noise. Fans are angry, and the band is threatening to play anyway in a public area.
66	Starport Bombing. There has been an explosion at Amondiage downport, caused by a bomb set by a group seeking independence for Acadie. Several supposed ringleaders were rounded up and executed for the action.