Vol 877 Issue 42 42-1122

Archduke Astridi arrives on Regina

Dines with Regent, Zhodani representative
Archduke Astridi arrived on Regina today with a flourish. His limousine swept off to the Savoy for a private meeting with Grand Admiral Grey, before the official greeting party could even make it to his boarding gate.

Later in the afternoon he met with the Regent at the Ducal Palace, where his substantial entourage will be staying during his time on planet.

 Always the man of taste, later in the evening he was seen dining at the Epicurean society, with the Regent and General Karel Zuluk, the Zhodani delegate to the current negotiations.

No announcement has been made publicly as to the reason for the Archduke's visit, however it clearly seems related to the ongoing Imperial-Zhodani negotiations of the Treaty ending the last Frontier War.

Tank accident damages starport
No one was seriously injured in a plasma discharge from a MiTec Continental Siege Unit, which was located in the MilTec warehouse on Up Port. The energy weapon from the tank penetrated several structural walls within the Up Port before terminating at Drobérte's Chocolate Shop, where it did substantial heat damage to the inventory.

MilTec Manager Kelly Merton stated that the accident occurred while a Continental Siege Unit was being prepped and checked for delivery. Merton stated that an employee had recklessly left the safety interlock panel open while powering up the bolo to conduct a systems weapons check . While the panel was open, the firing stud was apparently depressed by once of the warehouse cats, who had entered the vehicle through the open hatch.

 Merton stated that several of the standard operating protocols for the warehouse crew are being revised to ensure that such an incident can not repeat itself.

The Regina Starport Authority has sent MilTec a Class One Advisory letter along with a bill for starport repairs and fines totaling $10 Megacredits. A Class One Advisory letter is sent in instances where the accident potentially endangered starport exterior integrity. The Starport Authority spokesman stated that this level of Advisory letter and punitive fine was necessary because of the nature of the weapon discharged. "It the bolo had been oriented differently within the warehouse, say turned 90 degrees from it's current position, the plasma discharge would have breached the exterior wall of the station."