With the end of the Tour of Duty, things have returned to their usual routine in the United Space Confederation (USC). After six weeks of intense naval operations, ranging from security patrols to large-scale mining and hauling expeditions, a pause for more casual activities has been very welcome. Even so, the past weeks have been busy: many citizens have returned to their regular work, while others have organised smaller but still vital operations to support the USC and its citizens.
Hand Mining for MES
On Monday, October 26th, Citizen Patholo organised a mining expedition to search for Hadanite, a mineral in high demand at MES as it works through its very long list of crafting orders. The resource shortages described in the Terra Gazette have certainly not spared the USC, and minerals of all categories are often in short supply.
A small fleet of ships was sent to the moons of Crusader to look for Hadanite deposits. Patholo’s previous expeditions had yielded very little, often turning up only a single deposit after an hour of searching.
This time, with the help of a mining team, deposits were found much more quickly and in ample amounts. The haul included a large quantity of usable Hadanite and even some very high-quality material. Present Mole and several other prospectors also mined a few additional minerals. All in all, it was a very successful expedition, and one that certainly warrants repeating.
Tech Smuggler Scavenging
On Sunday, October 25th, Citizen Edgy Socrates put together a special operation in response to the ongoing resource shortages first reported by the Terra Gazette. The shortage has reached the USC in one way or another: minerals are scarce and highly sought after for crafting, and MES is already working overtime to finish its orders. While some citizens have turned to organising mining expeditions to help out, Edgy Socrates came up with another solution.
Crafted components are often of good, if not greater, quality, but they are not the only way to equip a ship. The Tech Smuggler space stations across Nyx offer another option: those who know where to look can scavenge high-quality components to install in their ships.
With the upcoming IAE set to release a large number of new ships to USC citizens, and those ships needing components, Edgy Socrates called on members to go out together and scavenge the Tech Smuggler stations for as many components as possible. The aim was to ease the pressure on MES’s component crafting.
The operation went off without a hitch and achieved its goal. It was an admirable effort, although having to scavenge for components does show the severity of the ongoing shortage. Still, we hope to see more of these runs in the future!
Stanton/Nyx Hauling
Image by Nhube
On Tuesday, October 27th, Resident Nhube called for a hauling marathon, sending out Hull Cs for large-scale commodity trading over several hours. The run aimed both to turn a profit for the participants and to help fill the Org bank’s coffers, an institution that has been vital in paying for many operations and helping citizens buy their ships.
Contested Zones Takeover
On Saturday, October 24th, a group of USC citizens led by Citizen BGThompson flew out to Pyro to take over one of the many contested zones on the space stations. Pyro is a lawless place where pirates and the scum of the verse feel at home, so upstanding citizens often step in to bring order to the chaos and make the system at least somewhat safer for certain activities.
Image by AnderGW
A secondary goal was to acquire a large number of ComBoards to meet each participant’s needs. The mission got underway, and the group managed to take over the contested zones and achieve its goals.
Flight of the Snubs
Image by LooneeyToonni
On Thursday, October 29th, Citizen Kil-Roy hosted a special operation to test snub fighters in combat and in various formations.
This was not the first time snub fighters have been put to the test, but once again a team assembled to fly them in combat situations in the Nyx system.
The whole operation was based on a Polaris-class corvette serving as a mothership, from which many snub fighters could be launched and, if needed, serviced.
Image by Nhube
Overall, the operation went well: all missions were completed, and the team even flew some fancy formations. A few feedback calls focused mainly on concentrating fire on certain targets first and making use of the snub fighters’ agility. A next round is already under discussion, and we certainly hope to see more snub fighter activity!
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