Volume 0 Issue 004

| Mainnet News | Jan 30th, MY 153 |

Big Moves in Big Asteroids

Two Huges Sold at Auction, While a Shocking 13 EAs Confirmed Lost

There have been some huge changes in the ownership to the mineral rights to some of the largest asteroids in the belt after an auction that ended on Sunday.

A pair of consecutive asteroids were up for auction: /33 (a 63,828 km2 pure C-type at 1,077d OP) and /34 (a 62,042 km2 Sm-type at 757d OP), both unscanned. The simultaneous auctions strained the ability of the Adalian colonists to afford them, and some speculate that a more patient seller might have been able to get better prices by selling them one after the other instead.

The exact terms of the sale are secret, but both have had additional transfers after the auction to accounts tied to the First Alliance. A representative for the alliance would not comment on the sale, transfers, or future plans for the rocks, saying "First and Always" on the record.

Meanwhile, the colonist community discovered today that the ownership rights to 13 asteroids from the first asteroid sale had all been simultaneously corrupted on the new Adalian StarNet blockchain a month ago. While the details of what happened are unclear, all signs point to this being an intentional act of sabotage by the anoymous original owner.

The 13 included 6 Mediums (the largest being 1,510 km2) for a total of 7,434 km2 of combined space with very unclear ownership going forward. All had been scanned, with 3 Rares, 1 Superior, 4 Exceptionals, and 1 Incomparable. These repesent nearly one percent of the asteroids from the first sale, and will be felt as a noticable setback to our colonization efforts.