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We've been getting questions lately about when the next CIC Birthday Party will be held, and since it's almost August, it's time to firm up a date! This year we'll be holding the big event on August 21 - three weeks from now. The official start time will be Saturday evening at 7:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm PDT and 11:00 pm GMT). If that's not a good time for you, there will be plenty of people stopping in all day long to visit and catch up. Some details are still in the planning stages, but things will be similar to last year with the main festivities in #Wingnut on our Discord server. We'll have a night full of Wing Commander memories as well as a few new things to share. We hope to see you there - it'll be a ton of fun!

Speaking of website birthdays, WingCenter.de celebrated 20 years online earlier this month! They haven't updated in quite a while, but at least the site has remained in archival form

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Here's a little goodie that came in the mail this week. Many years ago we posted about the March 1998 review of Wing Commander Prophecy in PC Gamer. What we didn't show off at the time was that issue's nifty cover disc featuring the WCP demo. As far as WC-themed promotional discs go, it's pretty slick with a prominent Panther fighter and a Tiamat coming through the wormhole on the sleeve. Although it says "Not to be sold without magazine," I'm happy that someone broke the rules so that I could have one of my very own after all these years! And if you weren't aware, this isn't a tiny gauntlet. The full blown Prophecy demo includes four in-plot missions that weren't included in the game! You can download them (and many other awesome WC demos) here!

Sure, you've played Prophecy... but did you ever play the demo? If not, you're missing out on a special little chunk of the game. Unlike most game

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There's even more Rapier news to report in addition to the massive rundown of LOAF's research. AD pointed out that we have a more recent bead on the whereabouts of an existing Rapier fighter. It seems that one of them - potentially the Planet Hollywood craft - apparently made its way to an automotive junkyard at some point in the last two decades. The owners didn't know what it was, so there it sat until The MIXX Radio came across it. It's missing the wings, rotary neutron gun and a few things, but it could be much worse. We're looking forward to seeing where it goes from here!

This is a reply to a many year old tweet, but I believe I have the whereabouts of the US Rapier that was in Planet Hollywood. It will soon be in my possession. Here is a pic from today. It’s missing some pieces. I hope to get some of it back to a Rapier state. I’m going to try and copy all your info on the background.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

New Kuwembaa Labour, which controls five systems, has triggered a second wave of secession by severing ties with the Federation.
Following the victory of the Azaladshu Free, a minority of Federal factions are breaking away from the superpower in protest against its civil surveillance laws.
Governor Sonal Mishra of New Kuwembaa Labour made this statement:
"The Federal government has granted itself draconian powers to spy on its own citizens. Regrettably, the only way to avoid this is to withdraw from the Federal Accord. I urge the president to respect our wishes and accept our sovereign status."
In response, President Zachary Hudson ordered Governor Mishra to abide by constitutional law or face the consequences. He has also redirected the Fortress Liberty megaship to the Kuwembaa system.
Political commentators believe that three other democratic Federal factions are ready to follow the example

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Sad to learn that Paul Alexander passed away last month. Mr. Alexander was a prolific science fiction artist who was responsible for, among many things, the four wonderful cover paintings for Baen’s initial package of Wing Commander novels.

Artist Paul Alexander, 83, died June 14, 2021 at the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville OH.

Paul R. Alexander was born September 3, 1937, in Richmond IN, the son of the late Fred and Ora Olive Alexander. After graduation from Wittenberg University in 1959, and then the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, he found work in the art field with architectural firms, and then moved into advertising, concentrating mostly on still-life and “men and machines” subject matter.

In 1976 he began working with an art representative in New York who brought his work to the attention of Ace Books. Impressed by his command of hardware and machinery illustration, Ace

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
Independent pilots have supported the Far God cult by delivering commodities to the Panjabell system.
The Pleiades Concordat paid for shipments of auto fabricators, emergency power cells and insulating membrane transported to Moore Hub station. These will be used to outfit megaships that will be populated by the Thargoid-worshipping cultists.
Local reporters spoke to one of the sect's newest converts, Leonard Yates from Agassiz Settlement, now known as the Eighty-Ninth Adherent of the Sixtieth Chapter:
"The beneficence of the galactic community is deeply appreciated. Our missionary megaship, the Testament, will help carry news of the oncoming apocalypse to every system."
"The other megaships – the Perdition and the Sacrosanct – will soon embark on a holy pilgrimage. They will carry thousands of us faithful worshippers into the void to commune with the Far God and