The minor changes between 2005 and 2006 appear to be rejigging the text a little without removing or adding anything substantive. Curious. I wonder if it was to do with a general move towards US English style that I recall taking place a few years back.
The changes are:
"is only formed during a supernova" ->
"forms only during supernovas"
"propelling the otherwise desolate cloud-ring into the limelight of international politics." ->
"propelling the otherwise desolate cloud ring into the international political limelight."
"been confirmed as only Arteu" ->
"been confirmed, as only Arteu"
"and they’re not likely to disclose its whereabouts." ->
"and are not about to disclose its location."
"going on weekly excavation expeditions." ->
"hunting it down on weekly excavation expeditions."
"flood the market with nocxium, bringing down the price." ->
"flood the market with nocxium, thus bringing down the price."
"In between they spend their energy on playing elaborate hide-and-seek games" ->
"In between, they spend their energy playing elaborate games of hide-and-seek"
"The empires monitor the goings on in Miennue" ->
"The empires monitor the goings-on in Miennue"
"but the ever increasing pressure from competitors makes it harder for them to keep their secret for much longer." ->
"but ever-increasing pressure from competitors is making it harder and harder for them to keep their secret safe much longer."
"Sooner or later any of the numerous methods employed by those pursuing the asteroid: bribes, threats, tracking devices, bugs, are bound to unveil the secret that Arteu has so meticulously kept concealed." ->
"Sooner or later, one of the numerous methods employed by those pursuing the asteroid -- bribes, threats, tracking devices, bugs -- is bound to unveil the secret that Arteu has so meticulously kept concealed."
"But in the meantime Arteu and Outer Ring Excavations are getting fantastically richer by the minute." ->
"In the meantime, Arteu and Outer Ring Excavations are getting richer -- fantastically so -- by the minute."
My theory would be that they put some dedicated copyeditors to work on the chronicle archives. Perhaps as part of the acquisition of White Wolf and their sizeable staff of dedicated writers.