BBC News: Flames erupt near the Goodman Ranch.

[Wolfs Ghost]

Bretonian Broadcasting Corporation

02/14/820 - Cambridge System - Earlier this morning, police and local firefighters responded to reports of a large fire that appeared to be in the vicinity of the Goodman Ranch. Emergency crews arriving on the scene found the main house of the ranch engulfed in flames, with the fire beginning to spread towards a large stand-alone garage.

The Goodman Ranch, established in the early colonization of Cambridge, was co-owned by both the Goodman's and the Green Front political party. Spokesman Heath Selwyn told BBC that the Ranch had occasionally played host to Green Front sponsored labs where students of various nationalities and grades had come to learn about the environment. He also mentioned that the only resident who continued living on the Ranch's property was the now disgraced Commander Austin Goodman.

Commander Goodman, a man who in his early military career had distinguished himself by thwarting an attempted assassination attack on Prime Minister George Mountbatten, had received one of the houses highest military honors, the Carina's Cross.

An officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, told BBC that Commander Goodman recently abandoned his military posting, and has been charged with desertion in times of war, treason as well as other multitude of crimes.

Commander Goodman has since been on the run with a number of associates.

Update

At exactly 0500 Cambridge Central Time, majority of the fire was contained. What triggered the blaze is currently unknown, it's speculated that the ignition may have been of natural causes. Emergency Crews are still on the scene combating the remaining fires. Once the fire is completely out, crews will begin to search the remains of the building.

---

[RmJ]

Jeeral Stamen, the Captain of the Oracsus, sits idol inside his small cabin sipping on his tea. Long awaiting his contract deal, participant, to finally arrive.


Jeeral motions to his helper from the back bulkhead, "Hey check this out. Seems our well beloved friends have returned." His helper, who is mute, sends hand gestures in the order of "Who are you talking about?" Jeeral smiles and signals with his hands "Hippies." The helper smiles and nods then returns back to what he was doing before.

Jeeral mutters to himself as he changes the channel, "When this stuff makes the news it's no accident."

---

[Sand-Viper]

Ozei Ruousha sat in the cockpit of his Orchid, tapping an index finger against his console out of boredom. As the Kusarian wracked his brain in thought, his vessel cruised along in the Tohoku system.

"Wonder if I can get any radio reception out here..."

After some time browsing through numerous stations, most of them either too garbled or uninteresting, Ozei finally settles upon a news broadcast that had only a mild amount of static. A name in the broadcast catches his ear, and he kicks up the volume to get a better listen of the news reporter.

"A fire? On Goodman's ranch?" Ozei frowned in thought, his helmet collapsing into his space suit. His hand strokes his 5 o'clock shadow as he contemplated for a moment. "Austin neglected to tell me he had a ranch."

Ozei continued to listen to the end of the broadcast, before shutting off the radio to prevent the next story from cutting off his puzzling. "And now Austin has been labeled a deserter and traitor." The Kusarian slowly shakes his head, then smirks slightly. "Never staying out of trouble, is that man? Makes me wonder what he has gotten himself into this time. Mayhaps I shall attempt seeking him out myself to ask him?"

The Orchid pulled into Ryuku base as Ozei finished his sentence. With no leads on anything at present time, perhaps Ozei would try looking for Austin Goodman.

---

The Gaelic Wyvern Inn
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[Wolfs Ghost]

Bretonian Broadcasting Corporation

03/3/820 - Cambridge System - Earlier today, Police Authorities recently released to the BBC an update involving the fire that engulfed the Goodman Ranch on February 14th. At least one person was killed prior to the blaze.

Inspector Martin Langley had this to add;

"With DNA evidence we've gathered, it has been confirmed that the victim who died was infact Commander Austin Goodman. Investigators found several bullet casings scattered among the rubble after sweeping the house. We can only assume that he was murdered before the blaze was set. With the lack of a body and only the medal that Austin was known to carry on him at all times, we cannot do a proper autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Rest assured, whoever murdered this man will be brought to justice."

Commander Austin Goodman was born July 8th, 790 A.S., and served in the Armed Forces during both the Kusari invasion, and the Gallic invasion.

[Sarawr!?]

Rachel sat staring quietly at the extranet terminal in the Officer's Quarters aboard the LNS Minuteman, one of the Liberty Navy's few Bretonian built gunboats. Her hands were covering the lower half of her face as she read and reread the news report. Rachel was stunned, but some part of her mind told her that she shouldn't really be surprised. Still, she had known Goodman for a number of years.

"This can't be right..." She thought to herself.

Rachel had learned a long time ago to question official stories in the absence of conclusive information.

Meanwhile, several Junior Officers who were gathered around a table behind Rachel had begun to play a game of Blackjack, despite Navy regulations against gambling...Luckily for those Junior Officers, Rachel was so focused on the Goodman story that she didn't even notice them.

---

[LN] Recruitment | Rachel Baker Bio

[SummerMcLovin]

Sitting down in his apartment after coming off duty, Page sat down to watch the news which had just finished going through the headlines. Seeing the first story, his thoughts went to the Cross in the inner pocket of his overcoat hanging by the door and the badge he'd placed on the desk beside him. The war had changed a lot, for so many people...

Bretonian Broadcasting Corporation

13/03/820 - Planet New London - A memorial service for those who have recently been taken from their family and House by the invading Gallic forces is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. Among the victims being remembered is Commander Goodman, who perished in a fire last month.

[l3wt]

In a sparse room somewhere on the borders between Houses, a Bretonian fugitive looks up from his obsessive work and stares at the screen. He carefully sets aside the precious tools that he was using to calibrate his current project, and places the last set of tiny mechanisms - sensors, miniature servos, and other equipment - back inside their sheathes of high-grade carbon nanotube, ballistic fiberweave and thermal dispersal mesh. He flips a switch, and watches with some satisfaction as the mechanisms underneath bend the material to their will. It was not entirely ready, though. Not yet.

He taps a contact on his PDA, making a call.

"Hello? Yeah, it's me. Yes. I've finished calibrating the last servos, it should stabilize properly now. There's still the issue of the more fragile mechanisms breaking under too much pressure or overuse, yeah, but once nanobot distribution is fixed that should be rendered mostly irrelevant in combat situations."

He pauses, listening to the response.

"I know, I know, continued damage to this thing will be unsustainable for us financially if we have to keep replacing the more expensive materials, but once again, once we get the nanobot thing right, we should be punting the cost/practicality curve all the way into Nomad space."

Another pause. He wonders how to properly broach the subject of what's on the news.

"Miniaturizing the servos further? Yeah, that is a possible solution too, but I'll need access to more advanced manufacturing facilities for that, I can only do so much with these tools, remember? Also, look. I need to tell you something."

He rubs his tired eyes.

"Goodman's ranch burned down. Police are saying they found a body. His."

Silence.

"I'm going back into Bretonia. I want to verify this for myself. Could you please make sure it's ready by...

He smiles, appreciation clear in the expression.

"Thanks. Seriously. Of course I'll be fine! After all..."

He hooks a very odd wire into a piece of tech in the base of his neck, grins as the advanced materials lying on his workspace changes behaviour.

"...You'll both be with me every step of the way."