Far Frontiers Gateway sector

[Murph]

242-2507 Gateway News Service- Gas Tank

An explosion occurred at one of the fuel storage tanks at Orbital Station #1 which was being dismantled. A worker was using a laser cutter to disassemble one of the remaining fuel storage tanks, and apparently the storage tank had been used unknowingly to store an explosive mixture of gasses which exploded when the laser cut through the wall of the tank. The tank ripped itself loose from the structure and proceeded on an exceptionally erratic course which finally ceased when the gas had run out.

The high pressure container was listed as empty in the records, but it appears that a software oversight in data entry had been made, and the cylinder which contained 5,000 tons of high pressure gas was full. The worker was severely injured, but a nearby work pod was able to grab him before he drifted into space.

His suit was torn, but the self sealing feature of the heavy work suit sealed the rip long enough for rescue crews to arrive and get him into a rescue pod. The large gas tank damaged three other work pods, one work ship, and the station, also imparting a momentum that required a deep space tug to arrest. The cylinder was captured after a short time.

Station #1 is being dismantled to make way for the new station which is being constructed nearby. The new station will have increased capabilities as well as being a larger and more modern facility. The old station is a relic of the initial settlement of the sector, and was in desperate need of upgrade. A spokesman for New Texas Orbital Construction, Inc said that they were now going back over all records to ensure that the remaining eleven fuel tanks were completely drained.

The errant cylinder did not impact any of the new construction of Station #1 in its flight across the system. However debris from the station has escaped and could pose a minor hazard to navigation, so all ships in the area are warned to be aware of the potential for damage from loose debris.

The worker, Mr. Walter Model-Higgins is listed at Station #2 infirmary as in stable condition, suffering from vacc exposure, and two broken legs. Doctors tell us that his recovery is assured, and he has been placed in a regen pod to heal.

 

[Grav_Moped]

242-2507 Gateway News Service- Gas Tank

Good story, implausibly poor workplace safety practices.

Checking for pressure ahead of time should have been standard procedure, and pressure of any sort in a tank to be cut up would be a work-stopper.

Just means foul play is involved...

 

[Murph]

There is always the losing bidder....

 

[Badenov]

Good story, implausibly poor workplace safety practices.Mr

Checking for pressure ahead of time should have been standard procedure, and pressure of any sort in a tank to be cut up would be a work-stopper.

Just means foul play is involved...

I suspect the pressure guage had been tampered with to give a false indication of no pressure. Mind you, the worker should have opened any closures in case the heat from cutting caused any sort of residual to build, and that would have vented the tank, too. I've forgotten almost all of what little I ever knew about gas-free engineering, but this was a comedy of errors. So yeah, when Mr. Model-Higgins gets out of the hospital, it will probably not go well for him.

 

[Murph]

244-2507 Gateway News Service- Gas Tank

Orbital Mechanics Inc, the losing bidder in the Gas Tank station #1 project have filed a complaint with the System Manger citing that the winning bidder, New Texas Orbital Construction has failed to live up to the contract terms, especially in the area of safety for workers, and therefore the contract needs to be re-bid and New Texas Orbital Construction banned from the bidding process.

Orbital Mechanics cites the several safety issues that have been encountered, some of which New Texas Orbital Construction have claimed appear to be intentional sabotage to cause problems with the contract. NTOC has filed a counter to this citing what they think are issues of intentional sabotage, although they admit that they cannot prove that it is intentional. The latest episode where the fuel tank not only was full of highly pressurized gas, but all computer and gauge readings showed the tank was empty are evidence of sabotage by parties unknown.

The System Manager has requested assistance from the New Texas Rangers, Space Investigations branch in looking into this latest incident. The competition for the contract to dismantle Station #1 and potentially Station #2 has been heated, with NTOC winning by a small margin over Orbital Mechanics, Inc. The Thevins Corporation also placed a losing bid for this contract as well as Gateway Construction Services.

The System Manager said at this time it appears, pending a full scale investigation, that it was sloppy work on the part of the safety managers at NTOC who failed to determine if the tank had been depressurized and the entries into the computers show that the tank had been emptied a week prior to the accident. But, he stated, he was not going to rule out the possibility of an intentional cause of the accident until such time as the New Texas Rangers have had a chance to look over things. But in the meantime he was going to order work suspended on the project, and all evidence preserved.

NTOC filed a protest since their contract has a non-completion clause which if the work extends past the grace period they will be fined for each day of non completion of the work. Negotiations are ongoing to see if the grace period can be extended to cover this ordered shut down of work. Orbital Mechanics has protested since NTOC is already behind schedule on the project.

 

[Murph]

250-2507 Gateway News Service- Ashmodai

A level one alert was called this morning as a large chunk of orbital debris was spotted entering the atmosphere. Space defense command was able to destroy the largest portion of the debris, with the estimated 400 meter in diameter rock being blasted into much smaller portions which mostly burned up before striking the ground.

Some smaller portions of the body did hit off shore and so a Tsunami warning was issued for all coastal areas. One portion did strike in the Satan's footstool area, and there is concern that the magma chamber of the Hellsbridge volcano is showing signs of eruption due to this strike. All settlements in the are are being requested to evacuate, along with those in the way of the pyroclastic flows or mud flow areas. As a result of the strike there have been several large tremors in the 4-6 range which have caused damage to structures.

An estimated 12,000 persons are having to be evacuated until such time as the government is able to determine that the volcano is not likely to erupt. Also all mining operations in the region have been ordered to be secured, and evacuated until the situation has resolved itself. All space to ground travel has been diverted to flight path Gamma until the situation has resolved itself.

 

[Diveguy]

242-2507 Gateway News Service- Gas Tank

An explosion occurred at one of the fuel storage tanks at Orbital Station #1 which was being dismantled. A worker was using a laser cutter to disassemble one of the remaining fuel storage tanks, and apparently the storage tank had been used unknowingly to store an explosive mixture of gasses which exploded when the laser cut through the wall of the tank. The tank ripped itself loose from the structure and proceeded on an exceptionally erratic course which finally ceased when the gas had run out.

The high pressure container was listed as empty in the records, but it appears that a software oversight in data entry had been made, and the cylinder which contained 5,000 tons of high pressure gas was full. The worker was severely injured, but a nearby work pod was able to grab him before he drifted into space.

His suit was torn, but the self sealing feature of the heavy work suit sealed the rip long enough for rescue crews to arrive and get him into a rescue pod. The large gas tank damaged three other work pods, one work ship, and the station, also imparting a momentum that required a deep space tug to arrest. The cylinder was captured after a short time.

Station #1 is being dismantled to make way for the new station which is being constructed nearby. The new station will have increased capabilities as well as being a larger and more modern facility. The old station is a relic of the initial settlement of the sector, and was in desperate need of upgrade. A spokesman for New Texas Orbital Construction, Inc said that they were now going back over all records to ensure that the remaining eleven fuel tanks were completely drained.

The errant cylinder did not impact any of the new construction of Station #1 in its flight across the system. However debris from the station has escaped and could pose a minor hazard to navigation, so all ships in the area are warned to be aware of the potential for damage from loose debris.

The worker, Mr. Walter Model-Higgins is listed at Station #2 infirmary as in stable condition, suffering from vacc exposure, and two broken legs. Doctors tell us that his recovery is assured, and he has been placed in a regen pod to heal.

Interesting real-world info. In the U.S. (can't speak to other nations) a freight rail tanker car is considered "empty" on a manifest if it has less than 10% of volume of material.

These cars hold about 34,000 gallons of material.

Meaning they could have up to 3,400 gallons of "Whatever" and be labeled as empty for all concerned.

In 2005 in Texarkana, Texas one such rail car had been transporting propylene - subsequent to a derailment this tanker was punctured and leaked the gas into the environment. Upon finding an ignition source it then exploded in a VERY large fireball. Fortunately, there was only one fatality.

So, it's certainly plausible for a similar situation to occur in the far future. HAZMAT shipping, storage and the like will always have some residual and secondary concerns.

 

[Murph]

Interesting information, thank you.

 

[Murph]

There is a group of former PCs who are called the "Herpes Brothers", and there is quite the tale attached to them. Their mission is to go around known (and unknown) space "collecting" every venerial disease that can possibly be collected. They were rolled up in a Traveller campaign purely to annoy another player who was somewhat of a stuffed shirt rules lawyer. I will not inflict them here, but the players named them CompleXXX, SimpleXXX and Konrad (Don't ask), and the three guys played them with both gusto and over the top antics, causing our rules lawyer much mental anguish since he was stuck with them in their ship which they had renamed the "Loathsome Traveller". I have them in the newsletter in honor of one regretfully passed on player, and those who tormented him.

 

[Murph]

256-2507 Gateway News Service- Sutekh

The Sutekh System Defense forces scrambled to intercept a fast moving intruder into the Sutekh Beta system. The object was moving at .25C which required all vessels to boost hard in an attempt to match velocity with the object. After running their tanks almost dry, the system defense cruiser Mjollnir matched velocity with the object.

The unidentified object was a space vessel, and not just any space vessel, it was the missing starship Silver Dawn, which went missing almost 300 years ago after a suspected misjump. The 4,000 ton exploration craft was in one of the first attempts to survey the sector and it went missing as it was attempting to jump from Xanadu to Sutekh.

The fate of the Silver Dawn has always been a mystery, the vessel did not respond to hails, but had its automatic transponder active showing Texas Space Navy vessel. As the Mjollnir approached, it saw that the ship was relatively intact, and it was able to dock with the ship and start the process of slowing it down.

Sutekh Marines boarded the ship which was almost completely shut down, the fuel tanks had less than 1% fuel remaining. They discovered that the cargo holds had been filled with collapsible tankage, which were empty, and additional jury rigged fuel tanks were strapped outside of the hull.

The ships computer was in low power mode, but operational. It took some time, but historical records of the software were transmitted to the Mjollnir. It appears that the ship had misjumped over 800 parsecs away, and has been travelling back ever since. As the Marines explored the craft they discovered the crew in cryosleep chambers, 11 of which were still operational. So out of a crew of 56, there are 11 still alive. Due to the age of the chambers, no action is going to be taken to revive the crew until such time as the ship can be moved to a fully equipped space station.

Two fuel tankers have been sent to rendezvous with the derelict ship, but it will take several days to match speed. A carrier has been dispatched as well to try and load the ship and take it back into the inner system. The Silver Dawn was famed for its exploration of New Texas, and some of the other planets in the sector as part of the old United Nations Space Exploration Agency.

Initial finding indicate that the crew spent a year looking for the sector, and once they found it, they charted a course back and boosted hard at 1G for almost a month running down 50% of the fuel on board. Then the engines and most systems were shut down as the crew entered cryosleep. The computer was active, but all active sensors were shut down to save power, along with almost all life support systems except in the cryo bay.

We are told that Mjollnir has exhausted its fuel supply, but has managed to slow both ships down so that others can reach them, and fuel tankers are in route to the location of the two vessels. The crew which is still showing life signs are being monitored by medical personnel from the Mjollnir. Three of the cryotubes are showing signs of failure, so it has become critical to get the crew to a hospital.

An urgent request has gone out to both Sutekh and Xanadu for medical staff to rush to Cthulhu Orbital station in Beta System since there is no historical record for the revival of humans who have been in cryosleep for so long. We at GNS will keep you updated on this story. We are being told that it appears that it will be at least 270 day before the ships can rendezvous with Cthulhu Orbital.

 

[Murph]

257-2507 Gateway News Service- Wayfarer Belt

The Fragrant Lily, which is owned by Homer-Wayland Inc has been seized by Belt authorities after the ship was caught illegally disposing of garbage around Gas Giant Wanderer. The ship dropped assorted trash into space with the intent of it re-entering the gas giant's atmosphere. However it did not, and the Free Trader Solar Trace struck a portion of the trash, which caused a hull tear which depressurized one cabin on the ship.

The occupant of that cabin was sucked into space, and their name is not being released until notification of next of kin. The Fragrant Lilly was hired to pick up garbage from the independent orbital stations and take it to the central trash repository where it would be compacted, sealed in cryoplast and shot into the sun. However Homer-Wayland has been vocal about the costs of trash collection, but has been forbidden from raising rates by the Belt Authority.

New Texas Rangers are investigating, it appears the the system manager has directed their trash haulers to just dump the trash into the gas giant so as to cut costs, and increase profits for Homer-Wayland Corp. While one of the least glamorous jobs in the universe, it is a critical one since only a portion of trash can be recycled by stations with their onboard equipment. All trash haulers are licensed and bonded to ensure that they live up to the contract and only deliver the trash to the specified delivery points.

Dropping trash in space lanes is a Class 2 felony, going to a Class 1 if there are injuries, and a Capital felony if lives are lost. The crew of the Fragrant Lily has been charged with Capital Murder under New Texas law. The investigation is ongoing to see if any of the corporate officers can be charged. It appears in the initial stages that this has been an ongoing issue for some time. Homer-Wayland can also be fined very heavily if it is found to have intentionally ordered or allowed this sort of behavior.

New Texas Space Traffic and system control laws are very strict, due to the need for safety of all space travelers, especially since the number of vessels has been increasing each year. There have been issues in the Belt due to the age of equipment, and the need for more modern equipment for traffic control which has been deferred due to budget realities.

 

[Diveguy]

256-2507 Gateway News Service- Sutekh

The Sutekh System Defense forces scrambled to intercept a fast moving intruder into the Sutekh Beta system. The object was moving at .25C which required all vessels to boost hard in an attempt to match velocity with the object. After running their tanks almost dry, the system defense cruiser Mjollnir matched velocity with the object.

The unidentified object was a space vessel, and not just any space vessel, it was the missing starship Silver Dawn, which went missing almost 300 years ago after a suspected misjump. The 4,000 ton exploration craft was in one of the first attempts to survey the sector and it went missing as it was attempting to jump from Xanadu to Sutekh.

The fate of the Silver Dawn has always been a mystery, the vessel did not respond to hails, but had its automatic transponder active showing Texas Space Navy vessel. As the Mjollnir approached, it saw that the ship was relatively intact, and it was able to dock with the ship and start the process of slowing it down.

Sutekh Marines boarded the ship which was almost completely shut down, the fuel tanks had less than 1% fuel remaining. They discovered that the cargo holds had been filled with collapsible tankage, which were empty, and additional jury rigged fuel tanks were strapped outside of the hull.

The ships computer was in low power mode, but operational. It took some time, but historical records of the software were transmitted to the Mjollnir. It appears that the ship had misjumped over 800 parsecs away, and has been travelling back ever since. As the Marines explored the craft they discovered the crew in cryosleep chambers, 11 of which were still operational. So out of a crew of 56, there are 11 still alive. Due to the age of the chambers, no action is going to be taken to revive the crew until such time as the ship can be moved to a fully equipped space station.

Two fuel tankers have been sent to rendezvous with the derelict ship, but it will take several days to match speed. A carrier has been dispatched as well to try and load the ship and take it back into the inner system. The Silver Dawn was famed for its exploration of New Texas, and some of the other planets in the sector as part of the old United Nations Space Exploration Agency.

Initial finding indicate that the crew spent a year looking for the sector, and once they found it, they charted a course back and boosted hard at 1G for almost a month running down 50% of the fuel on board. Then the engines and most systems were shut down as the crew entered cryosleep. The computer was active, but all active sensors were shut down to save power, along with almost all life support systems except in the cryo bay.

We are told that Mjollnir has exhausted its fuel supply, but has managed to slow both ships down so that others can reach them, and fuel tankers are in route to the location of the two vessels. The crew which is still showing life signs are being monitored by medical personnel from the Mjollnir. Three of the cryotubes are showing signs of failure, so it has become critical to get the crew to a hospital.

An urgent request has gone out to both Sutekh and Xanadu for medical staff to rush to Cthulhu Orbital station in Beta System since there is no historical record for the revival of humans who have been in cryosleep for so long. We at GNS will keep you updated on this story. We are being told that it appears that it will be at least 270 day before the ships can rendezvous with Cthulhu Orbital.

Ooohhhh looking forward to what comes of this one!

 

[Murph]

In honor of one of the folks in the group, he always wants Thud and Blunder in huge amounts, I have crafted a...story, a narrative, so...special that it has to be read to be believed. It is very long, and reads like a combination of Soldier of Fortune, Penthouse letters, and Her Alibi (with Tom Selleck). I was almost ashamed of myself writing it, but it is hilariously bad. Coming soon to a newsletter near you.

 

[Murph]

A small sample:
260-2507 Gateway News Service- Freedonia

A massive fire fight occurred at the summer cottage of Bilmont Cockvalve, and a reporter from our sister publication Soldier of Fantasy happened to be close, so we are getting a report from him at the scene. Soldier of Fantasy, THE premier magazine for mercenaries, private eyes, and discerning soldiers of fortune across the sector:

Good morning this is R. Brown Guccione, reporting live from the Cockvalve manor here on Freedonia. I was able to interview some of the staff and servants who gave me the lowdown on the events which occurred at the modest 150 room villa today. I was told that the famous Mr. Cockvalve had gone out into the gardens with his morning coffee which as usual for him, was single origin beans from Provincia Do Brazil, picked one at a time at the peak of ripeness, then hand processed by the maidens of the village of Atacama. Then packed and shipped via message boat straight to his kitchen, where they are lovingly prepared to his exact specifications each morning.

As Mr. Cockvalve walked out into the garden, he was suddenly attacked by a cyber enhanced ninja, backed up by two others. Cockvalve tossed the scalding coffee into the highly reflective Hiroshi cybereyes of the first with one hand, and with the other, pulled the katana made of orbitally grown metal, folded 10,000 times to a razor edge, out of the ninja's hand, and in a seemingly effortless backhand move, decapitated the first of his assailants.

The other two circled him, but Cockvalve knew that two are weaker than one and in swift order decapitated both of the other Ninjas in an astonishing show of swordsmanship, the likes of which have never been seen on Freedonia before, with one of the ninjas managing to leave only a faint slice down Cockvalve's impressively muscular torso, which slowly started weeping tears of blood, but being a wound which Cockvalve could ignore as he laughed at the blood pooling on the flagstones, asking the assembled assassins if that was the best they had.


IT GETS WORSE......

 

[coliver988]

Bodice rippers in the far future (and hey, origin of the term here phrases.org.uk)

 

[Murph]

And it goes on for two more pages….getting worse and worse.

 

[Diveguy]

A small sample:
260-2507 Gateway News Service- Freedonia

A massive fire fight occurred at the summer cottage of Bilmont Cockvalve, and a reporter from our sister publication Soldier of Fantasy happened to be close, so we are getting a report from him at the scene. Soldier of Fantasy, THE premier magazine for mercenaries, private eyes, and discerning soldiers of fortune across the sector:

Good morning this is R. Brown Guccione, reporting live from the Cockvalve manor here on Freedonia. I was able to interview some of the staff and servants who gave me the lowdown on the events which occurred at the modest 150 room villa today. I was told that the famous Mr. Cockvalve had gone out into the gardens with his morning coffee which as usual for him, was single origin beans from Provincia Do Brazil, picked one at a time at the peak of ripeness, then hand processed by the maidens of the village of Atacama. Then packed and shipped via message boat straight to his kitchen, where they are lovingly prepared to his exact specifications each morning.

As Mr. Cockvalve walked out into the garden, he was suddenly attacked by a cyber enhanced ninja, backed up by two others. Cockvalve tossed the scalding coffee into the highly reflective Hiroshi cybereyes of the first with one hand, and with the other, pulled the katana made of orbitally grown metal, folded 10,000 times to a razor edge, out of the ninja's hand, and in a seemingly effortless backhand move, decapitated the first of his assailants.

The other two circled him, but Cockvalve knew that two are weaker than one and in swift order decapitated both of the other Ninjas in an astonishing show of swordsmanship, the likes of which have never been seen on Freedonia before, with one of the ninjas managing to leave only a faint slice down Cockvalve's impressively muscular torso, which slowly started weeping tears of blood, but being a wound which Cockvalve could ignore as he laughed at the blood pooling on the flagstones, asking the assembled assassins if that was the best they had.


IT GETS WORSE......

I must sadly confess to as a youngster perusing stories from both publications and not realizing they were pure fiction...
You have captured the spirit well!

 

[Murph]

I’m still editing, and it just keeps getting…more lurid.

 

[Murph]

262-2507 Gateway News Service- New Paris

Minister of the Interior Le Petomaine has been forced to step down, and was taken into custody by New Parisian Gendarmes today as he was not able to make the scandal go away or be forgotten. Despite being one of the President's most staunch allies, President Vert D'Argent was forced to throw his old friend under the bus.

Le Monde broke the story and has uncovered a great deal of the dirty dealings, kickbacks, bribes, extortion involved in this sordid affair. Or as Le Monde put it: Le Ministre, aux doigts brûlés, reçoit la visite des gendarmes en raison de ses délits qui le rattrapent. Son copain le Président ne peut pas le sauver. (The Minister with burned fingers, gets a visit from the Gendarmes due to his crimes catching up to him. His buddy the President cannot save him.)

He has been taken to the Central Prison in Landing on New Paris where he is being held pending trial. When we attempted to get a statement out of the President, his Press Secretary would only tell us that they were monitoring the situation, and had complete faith in the judicial process.

 

[Murph]

265-2507 Gateway News Service- New Rome/Gateway

HABEMUS PAPEM! So announced the Protodeacon Cardinal Edward with the traditional formula in Latin:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;

habemus Papam:

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,

Dominum Roger

Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Takahashi

qui sibi nomen imposuit Luke II.

I announce to you a great joy;

we have a pope:

The most eminent and most reverend lord,

Lord Roger

Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Takahasi

who has taken the name Luke II.

The Cardinal who is now Pope Luke II was formerly the Cardinal Archbishop of New Joseon, and is known as a moderate conservative who is quite the shrewd administrator, having cut costs, removed bloat, and in his own personal life lived quite modestly during his time as the Apostolic prelate on New Joseon. The new pope was born on Gateway in the year 2442, attended the University of New Avalon, served in the Gateway Navy on System Defense Boats for a term, getting out as a Lieutenant. He then attended the Pontifical University in New Rome where he graduated with honors, and eventually obtained his doctor of Theology and Canon Law.

He was then the Parish priest for Saint Wang's on Gateway, before moving on to Sutekh, where despite the hard core secularism of the Cheval Family, he became close to the entire Cheval family. Upon his promotion to Bishop in 2495 he transferred to Freedonia where he took over the Diocese of Nacogdoches on Freedonia, before becoming an Archbishop in 2503 and being transferred to New Joseon. He was made a Cardinal in 2506 by the late pope, and was elected in the concave today as the latest Pope of the Church in the Gateway Sector.

He said he took the name Luke to remind him to be a healer, and doctor of the Church until such time as it can reconnect with the Terran Sector. The New Pope, broke with tradition, and held his first Apostolic meal at Gordo's fine Tex-Mex restaurant in New Rome, since he is a big fan of Tex Mex cooking. He told the assembled press that he was there to take care of the church, keep the budget balanced, and ensure that his priests were doing their jobs. He then paid a visit to his family where they had a rather large celebration.

The new Pope's family works for Gateway Corporation, McVickers Lines, or is serving in the Gateway Military. They are some of the earliest settlers on Gateway, having arrived just 10 years after the start of colonization of the system through the Gate. He had also invited his old crew of the "Rusty Butterknife" as they called their SBD (SDB 267) to the family event. A good time was had by all.