Into the Void

After the announcement by the Explorer's Association, Utopian deep space engineers are once more preparing to apply their expertise by aiding the construction of a new space station within the challenging environment of the Pleiades Nebula.

Drawing from experiences of the highly successful deep space commune of Takurua, Utopian engineers along with Sirius Inc explorers are readying a task force to aid in this new venture.

Utopian engineer Del Arris officially confirmed Utopias response in a later statement:

“Utopia and Sirius Inc have begun assembling teams of explorers, traders and engineers to assist in this task, and will shortly begin deployment.

Our experience with Foothold Orbital at Takurua, and activities on the fringes of inhabited space in Sothis will prove invaluable in dealing with the dangers and pitfalls of such a perilous undertaking. Together we will redefine the frontiers of knowledge, and challenge what is possible.”

Commander Gan

Sagittarius A* Messenger | Interstellar Press

Published in Antal and Takurua.

What's happening in Takurua?

In the past few weeks, political analysts have expressed confusion at traffic reports coming in from the Sirius Corporation terraforming base Foothold Station in the backwater system of Takurua, home to Utopia's much-publicised deep space commune. Reports indicate that the number of Utopia dissidents being removed from the system for processing far exceeds the 100,000 Sirius Corp terraforming personnel currently stationed at Foothold. We caught up with Utopia futurologist and project lead Dr Saeed McNamara at Foothold Station for comment.

"There's nothing unusual about it." he told our reporter, "We help thousands of Utopia citizens make the pilgrimage here every week so they can experience the unique qualities of extreme isolation, much like the monasteries of the ancient past. We also put them through tests to test their suitability for a special self-improvement initiative we're developing. We're looking for the best and brightest, so most are simply reassigned after a couple of weeks of meditation and testing."

"I don't like the term 'dissident'", he added "It implies they're good for nothing, when really there's a special place for everyone in Utopia, and we don't give up until we've found the place where everyone can flourish."

Dr McNamara declined to comment on the nature of the "self-improvement" program, stating only that if successful, it would be a huge step forward for all mankind.

Commander Jendrassik

Q1 Eridani Dispatch | Interstellar Press

Published in Takurua.