(29 November 3049)

There’s been rumors a’spinning over strange happenin’s in the Periphery. A JumpShip missing. Pirate activity down. Collapsing crime syndicates as leadership appears to be vacant.

Gents. Seriously. Periphery. Let’s spell it all out together: P-E-R-I-P-H-E-R-Y.

I can’t believe we’re even slapping gums over this topic. There’s a reason they call it the Periphery. It’s the outback, the wild frontier, the great unknown, the BFE. They sleep with laser pistols not just under their pillows, but in their hands. They got lostech like they’re still in the depths of the Third War, alien beasts that can tear you in half soon as look at ya, not to mention more pirate activity than you can shake a Lyran fist clenching an L-bill at.

What spins around, comes around, gents. This isn’t some big mystery for us to uncover like we’re enjoying an afternoon holovid murder mystery. It’s the same ol’ same ol’. In another couple of months, things along the coreward will move back to normal (or as normal as those Blake-forsaken shores can get) and then perhaps the spinward edge of the Sphere will start yapping about strange happenin’s…’cause when it comes to the Periphery, there will always be strange happenin’s.

Keep it locked and loaded, gents.

—Jacob Hardenson, MercNet