CONCORD Stuns Empires Again With Discovery of Uncharted Deep Space Jumpgate System

YULAI – Just one day after the release of information revealing the existence of dozens of abandoned stations in the outer regions, CONCORD stunned government leaders and civilians again with the announced discovery of an uncharted network of jumpgates surrounding Empire space. The origin of the gates is linked to the mysterious Immensea organization, but not yet fully understood. The network was designed to enable a ship to reach almost any unregulated system without ever crossing Empire borders.

The following text is the official CONCORD press release:

“Pursuant to our ongoing investigation into the abandoned Immensea stations, our scouts have discovered a network of uncharted jumpgates which routes almost every deep-space region directly to each other. They were built for the explicit purpose of creating back-door accessibility to the systems in unregulated space, completely eliminating the need to traverse Empire territory to reach them. These gates are believed to have played a crucial role in the construction of the Immensea outposts. Without them, it seems highly improbable that they would have been able to move the enormous amounts of materials, manpower, and resources required to build these stations in such a short period of time without being noticed by Empire surveillance assets.

“The jumpgate’s engineering is primarily a Gallente design but with some slight modifications. It is apparent that the builders took some shortcuts to hasten construction time and were forced to manufacture custom parts which could not be purchased from Empire corporations or governments without risking exposure. It is unknown at this time how the builders obtained the engineering schematics for Gallente jumpgates. Preliminary findings indicate that the oldest gates are located adjacent to Amarr and Minmatar controlled space, and that their construction predates the oldest of the Immensea outposts.

“By comparing the age and placement of these jumpgates throughout space, a pattern emerges which supports a theory suggesting that the Immensea came into contact with the architects of the gates, and forged a partnership which allowed for significant acceleration of both projects. With access to the Immensea bases, the gate builders would no longer have to smuggle equipment through Empire shipping lanes to construction sites. Conversely, the Immensea could use the gates to push deeper into unregulated space with decreasing reliance on Empire trade routes to accelerate their own expansion.”

“This theory assumes that the deep space jumpgate construction project did not have the knowledge or support of any of the member governments on the CONCORD Assembly.”

“We have conclusive evidence that the gates have been and continue to be used extensively by outlaw organizations which include the Serpentis, Angel Cartel, Guristas, and Blood Raiders. Like the Immensea—whom we do not yet suspect of directly participating in pirate operations—these cartels benefited directly from the construction of the gates, and thus explains how their industrial and military capacity has been able to keep pace or even exceed Empire growth. The unrestricted access to both abundant resources and a transportation network that circumvents Empire space has enabled them to thrive with minimal risk of interference from law enforcement agencies.”

“The exact locations of these gates are currently being added to the CONCORD Navigational Services World Map. We remind you that these areas are well outside the jurisdiction of the DED. Ship captains are advised to use extreme caution when approaching them. The pirate organizations that have been using these gates exclusively to this point are not likely to be welcoming of foreigners.”

“Commander Tantoseisen Kakkichi has been an active participant in our continuing investigation and has made invaluable contributions to our progress thus far. However, until such time as we feel confident that a thorough understanding of the Immensea and the jumpgate architects is achieved, the gag order will remain in effect. We will release more information at the appropriate time.”

Representatives from each of the CONCORD Assembly members are planning to release statements in response to this latest development.