CORRECTION: Alkotó Nuke the Gate Event Time

UUNN Newswire

(Wake Station) Our earlier story on the Alkotó celebrations included an incorrect calculation of the Ekoos Time (EDT) for the Nuke the Gate event – which will be at 20:00 EDT.  The relevant paragraph should have read:

Gate Nuking traditionally takes place at 24:00 GBS Time (Midnight GMT; 20:00 EDT), so all pilots are warned to stay well away from the Wake/Purian Lake gate between 23:50 and 00:10 GBS time to avoid unfortunate accidents.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this error.

BREAKING NEWS: STCC Votes to Move Holiday

114.4.17
by Thane Carios

(Solrain Core) In a shocking turn of events, the STCC (Solrain Traders and Citizens Council) voted very late last night to move the observance of the Alkotó holiday from the 22nd to the 30th of this month.

A prepared statement from Cristofore Parce, STCC Premier, was released this morning:

“Although the holiday is nearly upon us, the STCC has decided to push the official date of Founder’s Day (Alkotó) to 114.4.30 – the end of the month. We have decided to do this to include a commemoration of The Second Collapse — which occurred just two years ago on that day — as part of our traditional holiday. We would also like to propose a temporary truce for that day so that members of other factions can join the festivities. All of the events originally scheduled for the 22nd will simply now take place at the same times on the 30th. We apologize for the late decision but we feel it serves the interests of all.”

When asked about how this impacted his preparations, the Governor of The Wake station, Hantor Rebenios said, “Well it’s kind of a nice surprise. We have an extra week to get ready now.”

Critics have hinted that this move has more to do with balance sheets and income statements than with The Second Collapse, suggesting that corporate special interest groups have been lobbying for an end-of-month closing date for many years, and that with this year being a tough economic year, and extra week of profits could make the difference between no-bonus and big-bonus for some CEOs.

Solrain history scholars note that this may actually be the third date on which the ancient holiday of Alkotó was celebrated as some recent finds have suggested a similar holiday being celebrated on “the sixteenth day of the eighth month” in the distant past.

STCC Calls for Alkotó Supplies

114.4.15
by Kedra Brenari

(Wake Station) The STCC has put out a call for all Solrain pilots to help with preparation for this year’s Alkotó celebrations on 104.04.22.

“We are thrilled to host the official Alkotó festival this year,” said Hantor Rebenios, Governor of The Wake station. “And T&P has been a great partner in helping us pull things together. But we need our independent Solrain pilots to help as well by hauling in supplies for the event. We still need Organic Foods, Beers (all types), Water and Textiles for the various Corporation dinners that will be hosted here after The Closing.”

“We’ll also need about 50 Sabre missiles delivered as well,” Rebenios added.

Modern Alkotó is primarily “celebrated” as the end of the Fiscal Year (“The Closing”), when books are closed and profits are calculated. Most Solrain Corporations treat their employees to a fine dinner. Fireworks — usually accompanied by a concert or music of some sort — are the traditional finale to this holiday. Since Pilots and Space Station Residents can’t enjoy fireworks the alternate tradition is “Nuking the Gate” where a number of Sabre missiles are fired at a specified gate with the resulting light show broadcast throughout the Commonwealth.

Because the political climates with both Octavius and Quantar are tense this year, there have been no official invitations made outside of Solrain. “Unofficially,” said an unnamed STCC official, “all pilots with peaceful intentions are welcome to help us prepare and to join the celebration on the 22nd – especially for The Nuking of the Wake/Purian gate.”

Gate Nuking traditionally takes place at 24:00 GBS Time (Midnight GMT; 19:00 EDT), so all pilots are warned to stay well away from the Wake/Purian Lake gate between 23:50 and 00:10 GBS time to avoid unfortunate accidents.

Alkotó is an ancient feast that predates the Sorian culture, and is now sometimes referred to as “Founder’s Day.” Many scholars insist that the original translation/meaning was closer to “creator” or “begetter of all things” and that the newer “Founder’s Day” was simply the result of modern-day secularization of Solrain culture.