James Tyler, Commodity Specialist aboard the YKE Drimo [V4W-L9N], has released a status report on behalf of YKE Technologies, regarding Day Two of the initiative:
"We need all the support we can get. To all Alliance & Independent groups, this region is vital to the future of inter-species relations. The research being done in this Nebula pertains directly towards negotiation, coexistence, and the pursuit of peace. If Kumo Council is successful in these elections, it could destabilize years of potential progress."
"The blockade system is actively being contested. To prevent escalation between Human pilots, envoys were placed in each system to make contact with arriving Commanders. Discussion was the primary intention, but few pilots were spotted in the area. Despite this, it appears that Kumo Council was victorious in California Sector HR-W d1-28 on the second day of Elections. We suspect that Commanders supporting the Kumo Council are using unidentified techniques (solo, pg) to evade contact with YTEC personnel. This is most unfortunate, as we do not wish to engage in unnecessary conflict."
"It appears that Kumo Council has the advantage in the election, as mission boards only give election missions to the Kumo Council minor faction. Turner Research Group only has Donations, Megaship Data Uplink & Planetary Scan Jobs available to assist in the election. The Megaship Data Uplink missions are bugged… so please avoid those, if possible. Patience is required to assist TRG in each cycle."
"Whilst interacting with the Non-hostile Thargoid population, personnel across multiple squadrons noted an odd pink hue attached to an Interceptor's scan upon approach. This shocked the xeno research crew onboard the Drimo, as many of us have never seen such colors associated with Thargoids before."
"CMDR Draco25240 provided a refreshing perspective on the California Nebula's history, which we would like to share here."
Humanity colonized the California nebula and discovered barnacles there in 3302, but unlike the Pleiades, Witch Head and Coalsack, chose not to harvest it; interaction with the barnacles was limited to research at most. In turn, there wasn't a single case of Thargoid hostility in that region for 5 consecutive years, both lore-wise and for CMDRs.
It wasn't until 3307, when a Sirius-backed Kumo initiative rolled into town with the intention to harvest, that they made their first aggressive response in the region, exclusively focusing on the new stations set up by the Kumo Crew for this purpose within days of them going live.
Even after that, and still going to this day, there are no hostile hyperdictions there, the NHSS with interceptors still only have wrecks of ships with meta-alloys and Thargoid tech floating around the wreckage (indicating recent harvesting by the human ships), and the research bases are still left untouched by them, 7 years after being set up in a region where the Thargoids are active.
"We uphold the belief that inter-species negotiation has the potential to not only de-escalate the current conflict, but to potentially end the entire Second Thargoid War. A new era for progress for both species, removed from conflict. Saving lives is the goal."
Day One Status Report of the Initiative can be found
