Torval Mining Ltd: Difference between revisions

*[[Sima Kalhana]] reviews the most newsworthy events of the past year in this series of articles.<br/>"July began badly for the [[Federation]], with more factions seceding in response to the [[Proactive Detection Bureau]]'s establishment. The newly independent nations severed all links with these new surveillance efforts, inspiring many other systems to do likewise. This [[Federal Rebellion of 3307|secession crisis]] would rumble on for the rest of the year. The [[Blue Viper Club Clan Dredger|Blue Viper Club]], one of the rarely seen [[Dredger Clans|dredger clans]], joined forces with the [[Kumo Crew]] to manufacture a medicinal [[drug]] that turned out to be a [[Onionhead Gamma Strain|new strain]] of [[onionhead]]. The drug would ultimately end up being legally distributed by [[Neomedical Industries]], causing [[Archon Delaine]] to seek revenge against the corporation. Tensions soared in the [[Marlinist Colonies]] during an election for the head of their [[Marlinist Consulate|diplomatic consulate]]. [[Aaron Whyte]]'s [[Verity Dexter|candidate]] had the support of an [[Lorcan Scordato|Imperial senator]], which would have given the Neo-Marlinists a powerful voice within the [[Empire]]. When a more [[Kayode Tau|moderate candidate]] was elected, the [[Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army|NMLA]] reacted by bombing both Marlinist starports, murdering tens of thousands including First Minister [[Jenna Fairfax]]. It seemed [[John Tyburn|Theta Seven's]] extremist views allowed anyone to be targeted as an enemy, even his fellow Marlinists. The civil war concluded in August, with Whyte killed in battle as his supporters were overcome in direct combat. Following accusations of incompetence regarding the vanished [[Alexandria]] megaship, [[Aegis]] was officially suspended and subjected to a [[Paul Baumann|board of inquiry]]. This would have ramifications for the [[Second Thargoid War|ongoing conflict]] with the [[Thargoid]]s, and encourage [[Salvation]] to position himself as an alternative. In the corporate sphere, [[Zemina Torval]] created a new subsidiary of [[Mastopolos Mining]] that would eventually become an autonomous company. There were rumours that the [[Torval family|Torval]] and [[Mastopolos family|Mastopolos]] families were now at loggerheads after decades of working in unison. In September, the mystery of [[Hyford's Cache]] was finally unlocked. The trail led to revelations of [[Project Seraph|dark experiments]] which are believed to have involved human test subjects and Thargoid technology. When the Thargoids themselves appeared en masse in the Cornsar system, Salvation was ready for them. An anti-xeno superweapon of undisclosed nature was deployed, wiping out some of the aliens and driving away the rest. It seemed that the self-titled 'man of science' had developed something revolutionary, inspiring many to place their faith in him to end the Thargoid menace once and for all."<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/61bc624fc9a41028410f101a GalNet: A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Three)]</ref>

*The last in a series that reviews the events of the past year, by noted historian [[Sima Kalhana]].<br/>"October brought further controversy for the [[Federation]], when a diplomatic conference in the [[Delta Pavonis]] system was revealed to be a honey trap designed to capture [[Yuri Grom]]. Only a rush of support for [[EG Pilots|EG Union]] allowed their ruler to escape, causing political embarrassment for [[Zachary Hudson|President Hudson]]. There was more corporate drama when [[Zemina Torval]] relinquished her long-held majority sharehold of [[Mastopolos Mining]], fuelling rumours of a family rift with her cousins. Torval Mining Ltd became a fully independent corporation run by her daughter [[Constantia Torval|Constantia]]. The [[Colonia Bridge]] project officially started the first of two phases this year which would see the construction of 56 megaships between the Alcor and [[Colonia]] systems. [[Brewer Corporation]] enjoyed great public support for improving this travel corridor along the 22,000 light year journey, and revealed plans to enhance it further in the new year. [[Hadrian Augustus Duval|Hadrian Duval]], his wife [[Astrid Minerva-Duval|Lady Astrid]] and their unborn child were the specific targets of another starport bombing by the [[Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army|NMLA]]. It proved unsuccessful, but did result in the [[Imperial Senate]] offering them protection in order to secure the [[Imperial Family|Duval bloodline]]. It also led to a manhunt for [[John Tyburn|Theta Seven]], the galaxy's most wanted terrorist. In November, [[Orion University]] claimed that the [[dredger]] occupied by [[The Scriveners Clan Dredger|the Scriveners Clan]] was legally their property, but the [[Dredger Clans|nomadic descendants]] of its original crew refused to give up their home. The stand-off caught the public attention, with some supporting the clan's right to independence and others keen to discover what their Knowledge Core contained. Ultimately the Scriveners retained their freedom, sailing off into the void with their secrets intact. Many were shocked when [[Aden Tanner|Admiral Tanner]], [[Aegis]]'s military chief, went rogue and tried to force access to a starport controlled by [[Salvation]]'s [[Taurus Mining Ventures|allies]]. His conviction that the anti-xeno superweapons were responsible for provoking the [[Thargoid]]s was, however, not enough to win the day. The NMLA threw everything they had at the Mudhrid system in an attempt to rescue Theta Seven, who was hiding among the [[Far God cult]] to avoid capture. But the terrorists were crushed by [[Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit|ACT]] and a coalition of ships, with Theta Seven martyring himself by destroying the hijacked megaship [[Sacrosanct]]. A happier event in December was the birth of [[Hector Mordanticus Duval|Hector Duval]], son and heir of Hadrian and Lady Astrid. There were celebrations across the [[Empire]], but also questions asked about the future of the Duval dynasty and if the child might one day inherit the Imperial throne. The year ended as it had begun, with Thargoid vessels swarming into nebula systems. But with incursions steadily increasing over recent months, there were fears that this time they might prove unstoppable. Salvation's superweapons were once again deployed to halt the aliens' progress, but will they be enough to prevent the Thargoids from threatening humanity in 3308?"<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/61bc62d8c603c657161a1dbf GalNet: A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Four)]</ref>