Galnet News

Research into the recently recovered Unknown Artefact has intensified. Scientists, engineers and Commanders are flocking to assist Dr Arcanonn and his team from all across populated space, political allegiances temporarily forgotten in the search for answers.

Many theories have been hypothesised, among them that the Artefact is some kind of stasis pod, an alien exploration probe or even an exotic frame-shift drive. The object’s strange sounds have been picked apart by experts and it has been subjected to a vast array of tests, including exposure to a sample of Hafnium 178 that was ‘liberated for science’ from yet another Federation convoy.

The mysterious object continues to defy all attempts at analysis and, in a controversial move, Dr Arcanonn has publicly accused the Federal authorities of withholding information regarding the Unknown Artefact.

He is quoted as saying, "On behalf of all humanity, my team and I demand answers. The potential repercussions of the Artefact’s existence are staggering. We still know very little but it is clear that the technology involved is very different to our own.”

Commander Arcanonn concludes his appeal: “The potential for scientific advancements are huge but so are the dangers. The Federation has to come forward and tell us what they know of this object and its origins. The time for secrecy is over."

Despite a rather sceptical response to the President’s planned tour of Federal frontier systems, particularly the bizarre choice to visit 78 Ursae Majoris (a system which overwhelmingly voted to leave the Federation nearly two months ago), the President’s office has announced that the series of visits with local leaders will go ahead as planned.

The following systems have already been announced as being part of the President’s trip:

Hip 53688

Tinia

78 Ursae Majoris

Su

Furuhjlem I-645

Saga

Delphin

Nanoman

Coriccha

Ross 860

Another dozen systems are expected to be added before the President sets off on tour later in the week.

Senator Kahina Tijani Loren’s Imperial Courier was seen departing early morning local time from the Avalon shipyards. It rendezvoused with The Imperial Interdictor Atticus, Admiral Brice last known to be in command.

The convoy is believed to be enroute to the Achenar system.

According to the Imperial Herald, Senator Loren is “being hailed as a true daughter of the Empire, and assigned the rights and responsibilities as appropriate to her rank.”

Quite what this means is not clear, even to seasoned Imperial watchers.

Senator Loren’s political leanings are even less clear. She is reportedly in favour of slavery, having been quoted as saying “Slavery is a safety net, it ensures nobody can starve or fall into poverty.”

She is also clearly prepared to use violence to achieve her aims – as revolutionaries on her home world of Prism were summarily executed after she returned to power.

By contrast she seems to be in favour of closer political ties with the Federation and the Alliance. Her recent trip to the Sol system was either a carefully orchestrated political gambit, or just happy chance. Either way, her positive profile with in the Federation is certainly a factor.

Senator Loren was involved in a wide-spread space battle during the reclamation of the Prism, which may have influenced her views on the effectiveness and desirability of major naval engagements.

After months of being terrorised by malicious criminals intent on turning the Old Worlds into some kind of ‘New Caribbean’, residents of the Lave cluster finally banded together this past weekend to crack down on the lawless scum that had been pillaging and plundering their way across the sector.

Inspired by the recent help freely given to the people of Reorte by the Alliance Elite Diplomatic Corps, Silver United Solutions decided to offer a set of substantial rewards to any pilot brave enough to help remove the criminals known as the Jet Gang from Zaonce.

The initiative was an overwhelming success. 5,535 pilots were temporarily deputised during the course of the weekend, leading to the Zaonce Jet Gang (and many other local pirate crews) being crushed by the raw power of the makeshift fleet.

To celebrate their success, Silver United Solutions has organised a special discount on all Faulcon DeLacy ships being sold from Ridley Scott Station, Zaonce. A limited number of Pythons have been made available for the duration of the sale.

Turmoil hit the small system of Quivira late last week, as thousands of Imperial pilots descended to deliver the wrath of Senator Denton Patreus on his debtors. In the first two days of the war, tens of thousands of Independent pilots lost their lives while bravely attempting to hold off Imperial forces from taking Godel Dock.

Despite the defenders’ best efforts, Imperial ground troops were able to storm the station, seizing control of Quivira’s defence systems and effectively bringing an end to the conflict during the early hours of Sunday morning.

In the face of overwhelming loss, the People’s Quivira for Equality Party were forced to retreat to Brendan Gateway to lick their wounds. Once the people’s party leadership had successfully regrouped, they launched a counterattack in an attempt to retake Godel Dock. With the help of hundreds of Independent and Federal pilots, the People’s Quivira for Equality Party and the Nationalists of Quivira were successful in forcing Quivira Electronics Plc to retreat back to Stapledon Dock.

War has once again engulfed Quivira. No quarter is being offered, and none is expected. For troops on the ground, the only acceptable outcome is overwhelming victory or a quick and painless death.

Commanders willing to fight to defend Quivira from the Imperial invasion should sign up for active duty aboard Godel Dock.

Commanders wishing to profit from the subjugation of Quivira by Imperial forces should sign up for active duty aboard Stapledon Dock.

Thanks to the efforts of dozens of Commanders taking part in a hunt across hundreds of systems, Dr. Arcannon and his team are delighted to announce that they have finally managed to retrieve an Unknown Artefact.

The artefact was recovered from a Federal Navy Convoy, following a broadcast from the group that their ships’ systems were failing. CMDR Red Wizzard is said to have demonstrated outstanding initiative, bravery and skill in recovering the artefact. Sadly, none of the convoy survived to accompany Commander Wizzard back to civilisation.

A team of scientists are currently analysing the mysterious object in an undisclosed laboratory somewhere near Timocani. It is hoped that the artefact will provide a clue as to how to cure the people of He Bo.

Scientists working on the mysterious item have yet to ascertain the origins of the artefact. Early reports indicate that all attempts to take samples from the object have met with failure.

CMDR Arcanonn wishes to extend a warning to all Commanders. The artefacts emit a strange form of radiation that will severely damage the systems of any ship carrying the object. As such, all potential artefact hunters are advised to travel as part of a wing in case of module failure.

A tense hostage situation in Eotienses on Tuesday morning turned bloody as East India Company members failed to negotiate the liberation of an Imperial trader from the Code, a well-known pirate group. The Imperial trader, unaffiliated with either group, was destroyed after an attempted escape, resulting in tens of millions of credits in property loss as well as small-scale skirmishes between the two organizations throughout the night. EIC members later went on to admit that poor communication and victim anxiety led to this tragic outcome.

Though it is unclear exactly what the hostage believed, Commander Trillen is quoted as saying: “The members of Code appeared to be getting a little jumpy and I started to worry that things were not going to end well. I contacted Commander Egg90 asking if he was ready to run if $@%# hit the fan, but I think he misinterpreted that because at that very second he boosted and was destroyed by the members of Code.”

After the destruction of the trader, chaos broke out as both sides opened fire on one another. The fighting was reported to have lasted for several hours with both sides suffering major losses, and damages are currently estimated in the hundreds of millions of credits.

Galnet News reached out to The Code, who had this to say: “The approximate ship destruction estimate is currently sitting at 3 EIC deaths for every 1 Code death. The Code apologizes for the destruction of all these EIC vessels, but we will destroy anyone who gets in our path of riches and plunder.”

Dick McKinley - Galnet News

Leaked images from the Avalon shipyards appear to indicate that Senator Kahina Tijani Loren’s Imperial Courier, the ‘Seven Veils’, is undergoing a significant refit just weeks after her recent visit to the Sol system.

Security at the Avalon shipyards, which are owned and managed by Persephone station, is extremely tight. The images themselves are grainy and ill-defined, but seem to show that the drives, shields and possibly the frame-shift drive components have been significantly upgraded.

Sources within the Empire note that Senator Loren has been seen at several significant social events within Imperial space recently. Despite this, she has refrained from speaking to any member of the press since returning from Sol.

Speculation is rife as to her involvement with the ongoing struggle for power within the Senate. Loren has yet to declare her support for any of the leading contenders, a fact which some political pundits believe is a strong indication that she may be considering her own play for power.

For months now, the Old Worlds have been terrorised by roaming gangs of psychopaths and thieves. Residents’ pleas for help have been rejected by the Council of Admirals, who maintain that matters of internal security are the sole responsibility of member states. Many see this rise of lawlessness as an opportunity. Pilots on both sides of the law are now flocking to the sector in the hope of making their fame and fortune.

Inspired by the recent changes brought about by independent members of the Pilots Federation, a network of local business leaders have banded together to improve conditions in the Old Worlds. They are sponsoring the formation of a new coalition, and though they have yet to officially announce the group’s manifesto, support for the movement is already spreading.

One member of the new coalition, Silver United Solutions, has announced that they are currently in the process of recruiting experienced security professionals to help protect the residents of Zaonce from the various gangs operating in the sector. Potential recruits are asked to report to Ridley Scott in Zaonce for assessment.

Deep in the heart of the Empire, a handful of nations stand defiantly independent from their neighbours.

One such nation is Quivira. Home to 37.5 million residents, Quivira has managed to maintain its independence by acting as a major supplier of industrial goods to its neighbours.

Early last year Quivira suffered from a period of deep recession, during which time it took out a series of bridge loans with Silver Universal Plc . A recent increase in rates left the People’s Quivira for Equality Party unable to pay off their debts, a fact which has caused the system to become the victim of legal action carried out on behalf of Senator Patreus.

Quivira Electronics Plc, an Imperial corporation, has now been authorised to actively reclaim the debt owed to Senator Patreus by the system’s current leadership. As a first step towards that goal, Quivira Electronics Plc has taken ownership of Stepledon Dock. With the Senator’s blessing, Quivira Electronics is now hiring freelance reclamation agents to help extract the remaining debt.

In response, the People’s Quivira for Equality Party have set up a defence fund with the Bank of Zaonce, the contents of which will be paid out to any independent pilots who come to Quivira’s aid in its time of need. The defence of Quivira is being organised aboard Godel Dock.