BSE: Battle in Forus System - Wk22 From: kerry@freeside.fc.net (Kerry Harrison) Date: Tue, 14 Jun 1994 20:08:16 +0000 United Press Intergalactic - News Update Forus system, planet New Boston - 194/22 Imperial Military sources announced today that the only pirate ship to have escaped the devastation inflicted upon the RIP fleet in Old World, was caught and destroyed. The RIP Commerce Interceptor (699) took off from New Boston and entered orbit, only to be met by an Imperial Fleet consisting of the ISP Pommern, ISP Hannover, ISP Schlesien, ISP Schleswig-Holstein, ISP Helgoland, & ISP Thuringen. The battle lasted only 1 round as the pirate tried to flee the Imperial fleet, however it was vaporized after taking approx. 9500MU damage in Main and over 6000 MU of damage in it's Engines. The Starcaptain of this pirate ship was Ens. Olaf Steen-Jensen. This reporter wonders if there are any surviving members of the "Jensen" family left, and how many family members it has to bury before it forsakes piracy. This family which once rivaled the Kriegers in size, is fast becoming extinct by the guns of the ISP. While Star Admiral von Ludendorf refused an interview, sources close to him indicate that the Imperial Offensive against the RIP is based on 2 things. First, the ISP PD wishes to present these Imperial victories to His Highness, the Emperor, as a birthday present, and second but most important, the Empire has awakened after a long sleep, and doesn't like what it sees, and the the RIP are simply the first of the Emperor's enemies to fall. Joe Bob Briggs, UPI UPI News Service is pleased to present the public with this audio interview with a colonist at the FET colony Salem, on New Boston: I was in the starport, working, when it happened. First we all heard the explosions, and then we looked up and saw it, a RIP corsair fleeing at top speed across the sky, at low altitude, and behind it, 6 huge ships. I had always heard about the Imperial Dreadnoughts, but I had never seen one of them before...and here were 6 of 'em chasing this pirate. And shees, the firepower they had; their misses were destroying mountain ranges. I had always heard rumors of a pirate base here on New Boston, ever since I first was assigned here 1.5 years ago, but the FET had always denied it, and I had never believed it...now here were the ISP themselves. Maybe there is some truth to the rumor about the existance of a class 3 RIP colony (RIP Slave Driver <1864>) here on New Boston. A crewman off of a recently landed AFT ship also told me that there was an even larger ISP fleet blockading the space square, and that there was a 3rd fleet with ITS transports nearby too. He also mentioned something about something called an "assault tank", but i ain't too familiar with that item and don't remember what he said. I sure am glad that the FET is freindly with the Empire, however, I wouldn't want that firepower turned loose on us. ....................................... ...................... end transmission from FET Salem ....................................... Up