The news is dominated today by staggering claims that the Lazloi have destroyed the Gateway system. Needless to say, people are a little sceptical and have accused the scientists and reporters involved of scaremongering. In the studio today we have our very own Lazloi expert, Jai Houdri from the Intersolar News Service. Jai, sounds a little far fetched doesn't it? Hi Jane, yes it is. You have to remember that the Lazloi are quite few in number, we estimate there are only a few million of them at the most. Even that is probably on the high side. There are claims that the Lazloi are some kind of super race, with force fields, disintegrator beams, teleporters and antimatter power. While it is true that they are little more advanced than we are, you have to remember that space has always had its fair share of legends. I don't think we should be following the hair-brained stories of a grizzled old space dog. No indeed Jai, so these stories about their ships and technology are exaggerated? Completely Jane, they are theoretically impossible. I did hear once that they are genetically engineered? That's right Jane, we can attribute that to a remark made by a Lazloi some two hundred years ago during one of their visits. There are precedents for this kind of thing across known space, so nothing unusual there. So Jai, where are these stories coming from? There are other rumours that a small Lazloi ship was sighted on the ground on the outskirts of Tharios, a design not seen before. We've heard stories of gangs of so-called zombies wandering the streets, even alien monsters, it sounds like a bad movie! Jane, I can summarise it in two words: mass hysteria. We know from recent reports that the Lazloi left the system shortly after a large fleet appeared there. We are still waiting confirmation but I think we can assume that it was the Echolian Navy come to deal with the situation. This kind of tension and conflict is bound to upset people. There's a lot of uncertainty at the moment, a lot of pressure. People think they see things, and before you know it, another story is born. File it under mystic healing and unidentified flying objects. The breaking of this blockade will be a welcome relief for everyone, especially for traders and commercial transports that have been losing money for months. The prospect of a long-term blockade would have been catastrophic. Yes indeed Jai, without the route through Gateway, the economy would collapse. So a final thought, is this the last we will see of the Lazloi? Jane, if you look at the historical record, you'll see that they only appear every generation or so, some fifty to a hundred years. Admittedly this time has been quite exciting, and the authorities are no doubt keeping some of the best bits to themselves, but I think we'll see normality return quickly. People will forget them pretty soon. Thank you Jai. Next on News Round; the story of the talking dog, and the jackpot rollover. That's right after these messages… -- KLMI News Round at Six, Jane Tyrman and Jai Houdri, one week after the destruction of the Gateway system. Apologies for a very simplistic image, but I liked the contrast between the grubby and industrial surroundings, and the carved metallic design aesthetic of the Lazloi runabout. Amazingly, I have finally reached the end of part one, only took three years or so. I can't believe it took so long, can't believe people are still interested in reading this stuff :-) Environment is the Warehouse District by Stonemason, Lazloi runabout is an original model created in Hexagon. Rendered in Vue 6 Pro Studio, lighting adjustments in Photoshop CS2. Thanks for looking, comments appreciated.