There is Tritium in those rings

Angelina Castro mining Tritium

Prospectors have scoured Aetolian systems for worthwhile hotspots of valuable ores and came across a hotspot of Tritium in the rings of Degardhi 3, a class I gas giant first mapped by Jester Harold.

Tritium is in strong demand at the Aetolian Claw, the fleet carrier bound for Colonia and reached peak spot prices of 77,000 credits per ton. 

Also in high demand on the Claw is Osmium needed for persuading Marsha Hicks to help engineer modules. Hicks is located in the Colonia area and has continued demand for Osmium. 

Rumours has it the Claw is getting ready to start their multi-day journey soon. While it is much faster to travel vast distances with a FSD optimized ship, travelling with a carrier allows to bring all the ships needed for a stay at the destination. 

Colonia visit

The diplomatic corps of Aetolians is planning a field trip out to Colonia. The main goal is to unlock the 4 mega engineers. 

To do so the following engineers need to be unlocked and levelled up: Elivira Martuuk, The Dweller, Tod McQuinn and Liz Ryder. 

Also a combat rank of expert or higher is required for one engineer, and a exploration rank of surveyor or higher for another and a trading rank of dealer or higher for a third engineer. 

Activities to unlock those 4 mega engineers will include some mining, piracy and maybe trade. 

To understand the history of Colonia, it all starts with Jaques, a centuries-old cyborg bartender, formerly a member of a Federal black ops team called the "Quinentis Fourteens". Jaques' dream was to own a space station and possibly equip it with a FSD and using it to explore the galaxy. 

At some point between 3200 and 3300, Jaques gained full ownership of the Starport Peters Base in Facece. He eventually made his dream a reality, despite some delays: he had to exchange Peters Base, a Coriolis, for a more resilient Orbis, which he named after himself.

After wandering space for over forty years, Jaques returned to the Core Systems on February 7, 3301, and later arrived in Gliese 1269, where he settled on a more ambitious goal. On May 5, 3302, Jaques sponsored a Community Goal to gather enough Hydrogen Fuel to attempt a jump to Beagle Point, on the far side of the galaxy. The fuel drive concluded successfully on May 12, and Jaques announced that he would go ahead with the jump. The jump proceeded a week later, despite a last-minute sabotage attempt by a group of cultists. Unfortunately, Jaques Station never arrived at Beagle Point, and observers speculated that Thargoid Sensor interference could be to blame for the mis-jump. It was even feared that the station had been destroyed.

Jaques Station with the hyperdrive visible

Against all odds, the explorer Commander Cly stumbled across Jaques Station in the Eol Prou RS-T d3-94 system while surveying the Eol Prou AA-A H89 Nebula.

Shortly after it had jumped, Jaques Station's drive engines, navigation system, and power distributor malfunctioned in hyperspace; rather than continue pushing to Beagle Point and potentially tearing the station to shreds, Jaques dropped at the nearest safe system. When asked if he would make a second jump to Beagle Point, Jaques responded, "I don't think Jaques Station will be jumping again anytime soon. The old girl wasn't really built for long-distance travel, and the last leap put a lot of strain on the superstructure. I think I'm going to be in Eol Prou whatever-it's-called for the foreseeable future. Still, the view here is lovely, so it could be worse."

In the weeks and months afterwards, Jaques Station in the newly renamed Colonia system became the main hub for colonization efforts in the surrounding Colonia Region. A number of infrastructure building and immigration promoting initiatives were launched by the Colonia Council in response to a growing desire among citizens of the Core Systems to establish a new center of civilization away from the constant squabbling between the Federation, Empire, and Alliance, and later the emerging Thargoid threat. Jaques has no plans to leave Colonia, and his station will remain a fixture in the region for the foreseeable future.

Argonomic Treatment Rush in Nyan

Nyan system has been in dire need for Agronomic Treatments for a few days now. A colourful group of commanders supporting the Aetolian cause have joined the fleet carrier Aetolian Claw to source the commodity and deliver it where it is most needed.

Two Anacondas on the Aetolian Claw, outfitted for cargo transporting to the surface site, Ledyard Surrvey

With pricing going as high as 30,000 cr per ton, the possible profits were remarkable. Commanders B2M-Ace, cataddi_, semaj-ratcliff and others were jumping in to help out the Nyan system and at the same time boost their bank accounts.

Some have even used their income to fund a Lakon Spaceways Type-9 Heavy to be able to haul more than 750 tons of cargo at once. 

Agronomic Treatment is a Chemical Commodity that was developed by the Interstellar Association for Agriculture with assistance from Rockforth Corporation, Vandermeer Corporation, and Neomedical Industries. It was created in October 3305 to counteract an aggressive crop blight that had been spread to hundreds of systems via contaminated Rockforth Fertiliser. 

Thargoid incident in Hyades Sector

Thargoid ship scanning in Hyades Sector 

Commander Worf was mining for Meta-alloys on Hyades Sector AQ-Y D81 planet C 2 when suddenly an unknown object appeared and started to bombard him with electromagnetic energy. Turns out, it was a Thargoid ship scanning him and his equipment. 

Incidents with Thargoids seem to be on the rise. We have asked Aetolian leadership to comment on what the risks are and whether there are plans to mitigate thems but so far the office of Chancellor Steven Patel has remained quiet. 

Meta-alloys have a complex lattice structure with large internal voids. They are cellular in nature, and formed organically. They are incredibly strong - much stronger than foamed aluminium for example. Many elements form the structure so technically they are alloys, but the composition is different in different parts of the cell walls for strength. They are easily machined, but as yet cannot be manufactured, only found in space. They are associated with recently discovered alien entities nicknamed 'Large Barnacles' by interstellar explorers. These appear to be common in certain parts of space, although no-one is certain why. This material has been heralded as the next step in materials technology. It is ultra-light and stronger and more versatile than most commercially available alloys.

Exploration of the Guardian AI machine

Guardian Machine, activated and ready to be scanned. 

After the success of the previous expedition, scientists supported by the Fleet Carrier Aetolian Claw and an undisclosed number of attaches and envoys of the Diplomatic Corps have made the trip to Synuefe NL-N C23-4 to study mechanisms and defence systems of the ancient Guardian civilization.
The data and materials gathered have shown to be sufficient to unlock ship modules that extend the travel distance of any FSD, add additional shield resistance or prevent caustic attacks from Thargoid weapons amongst other technologies. 

Further trips might be needed as not all participants of the expedition could gather sufficient materials.