Merchant City, Altareth: Sources from across the Firmament are confirming massive star-cruiser traffic converging on Altareth – something momentous is underway.
All around Altareth are new signs announcing that the many new arrivals will soon have the opportunity to participate in something of great political and economic consequence. The more observant residents of Altareth had noticed signs of activity across the planet with hoards of new arrivals – licensed and unlicensed. Reliable sources report that the Altareth authorities will have major announcements within the upcoming weeks.
As a quintessential trade world, Altareth has always been a favored destination for starfarers eager to make their fortune. Its booming economy is like a magnet for the savvy and foolish alike. And earnings reports from Altareth trade unions show a sharp rise in recent months.The planet has also long been a mecca for tourists and pleasure-seekers, given its lenient trade-friendly law codes. But something more than trade and tourism is going on.
The Altareth Port Authority has reported thousands of vessels in low-orbit holding patterns awaiting clearance to dock. The dock patterns, however, suggest many of these are being shown priority, as though having arrived on invitation. The backup itself has attracted opportunists, smugglers, and mercenaries whose star-cruisers are flooding the Altareth sky.
Unable to keep up with the demand, Altareth port officials are reporting unauthorized touchdowns, mostly in the far reaches of the Holna Ocean.
Experts have found little evidence for the sudden and massive convergence at Altareth. Some are convinced there must be some new technology coming to market. Others worry there’s growing political instability, and the whole affair will amount to nothing more than a power grab. But none of this explains the prioritization of landing clearances. What we do know is that the influx is unsustainable. At some point, Altareth will be forced to close its ports.
Regardless of the reason, we’ve not seen this level of interstellar confluence since the Tyburn Armistice. And it very much feels like we are again on the brink of something cataclysmic.
Red Sun News Brokerage invites readers already on Altareth to share details of on-world activity. Although Altareth interstellar comms have been blocked, we’re able to receive information by piggy-backing on a recursive energy channel used for emergency broadcast. And any readers willing to travel to Altareth and investigate from the ground, we’ve learned that an illicit float dock has been established in the Holna archipelago. We can expedite your landing and swift-boat you to the primary Altareth port district.