NEW IN FEDERATION II THIS WEEK

New Medallions

Family Jewels, the high-class jewellery shop on the Moon, has added three new medallions to its illegal stock. You can now get a celtic cross, a yin-yang symbol, and a star of david. These replace the ankh, marillion and pentagram medallion, which have been withdrawn from sale. The medallions cost one slithy tove each, and are displayed when somebody examines you.


Talk to Tracey

The incredibly thick receptionist on Phobos, who authorizes you to use a buggy, is now a proper mobile that you can talk to. To talk to her (or any other mobile that is chat-enabled), type her name followed by a word or phrase you think she might respond to, for example: Tracey hello. Tracey, being of very limited intelligence, doesn't have anything vital to say, but her brainless prattle can be entertaining. Try talking to her about her job, Phobos, Earth, and scientists; her responses might give you some hints about what other subjects she talks about.

Don't forget that Diesel, owner of the best bar in the Galaxy, Chez Diesel, is also a talking mobile - she has a very extensive range of conversation. More talking mobiles will be added soon.


Company Money Details

By popular request, the company display now gives the full amounts of groats, rather than rounding them to the nearest megagroat, making precision calculations of how your company is doing much easier.


Spaceport Announcements

If you're in the habit of hanging around in Earth's spaceport, watching the tourists stagger past with their unruly luggage, you will notice that there are now some new announcements being made over the tannoy. However, if it's your intention to sit there until you have heard all the new messages, you may have a long wait, because the frequency of the announcements has been reduced from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. This is because staff who worked in various parts of the spaceport were getting so annoyed by the constant messages over the PR system, that they threatened to go on strike.

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BELLA'S HAIKU CONTEST

Back in February, Bella announced that she would give a slithy tove to the person who could compose the best haiku about Fed II. A haiku, you will recall, is a Japanese verse of three lines, with a set number of syllables in each line - five, seven and five. Lots of people sent in their haikus, and here is a selection of the best of them. It is interesting that several common themes emerged, the most popular being death of one form or another.

Arlene sent in a suicidal haiku:

I have lost my friend
TDX! I will find you,
Transuranics Room.

Nightdroid had this to offer:

Your hauling macro
Steers your ship into the sun
You die yet again

Another popular theme for the haikus was Diesel and her dangerous baseball bat. This was the subject of the following two entries, submitted by Darkangel and Knight respectively:

Diesel swings big bat
Knocking groundhogs off their start
She has lost control

Diesel wields mean Bat
Her Bar is Social Center
Of Solar System

An honorable mention should go to Aristocles who sent in 9 different haikus, all of them excellent. Here's two of them:

Stamina drops low:
I seek the Lucky seven.
Where Phorban Ale flows.

Customs boards my ship.
They inspect my cargo hold.
Thanks for the fuel, boys!

But there can be only one winner, and the judges decision is that the best haiku was the following, another one about death, by Gemma:

Shooting 'round the stars,
I ignore the danger signs.
Oops! I'm dead again.

Congratulations, Gemma - by the time you read this, you will have been awarded your prize of a slithy tove. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest for your excellent haikus - they really were good!

Play Federation II
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http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/index.html