In October last year, the Federation was criticised for positioning a Farragut-class Battlecruiser above Maia A 3 a, not far from the personal research base of Professor Ishmael Palin.<br />

The deployment, which came only days after Professor Palin announced a breakthrough in his research into meta-alloys, was widely interpreted as an attempt to restrict Palin’s movement and curtail his research.<br />

The condemnation of rival political powers and the efforts of a number of political campaigners did little to affect the blockade. But recent reports from Maia indicate that the Federal ships have now withdrawn, effectively ending the cordon of Maia A 3 a.<br />

Rici Stewart, writing for The Imperial Herald, offering the following evaluation:<br />

“The Federation knows that blockading Professor Palin was – at best – unethical, so I’m not surprised they chose not to comment on their withdrawal. They just slipped away in the night.”<br />

“As with their efforts to control meta-alloys, the Federation’s attempts to restrict access to Palin’s base were far from successful. I guess the Federation has realised it can’t control the galaxy. If you ask me, this is another sign that the Federal-Imperial cold war could be coming to an end.”<br />

Naturally, Professor Palin was pleased with the development:<br />

“We may never know exactly why the Federation blockaded Maia A 3 a. Frankly, the galaxy’s superpowers have always been rather incomprehensible to me. All I can say is: I’m glad they’re gone.” GalNet, 09.09.3303