Galnet News

Renowned billionaire Zachary Rackham, owner of Rackham Capital Investments, has made a sizeable charitable donation to build new shipyards in the Colonia region.

Mr Rackham, known in some circles as ‘Calico Zack’, made this statement:

“If there’s one thing I remember from flying around the galaxy in a second-hand Sidewinder with a leaky life-support module and only fifty credits in my pocket, it’s the thrill of exploration. And Colonia is the embodiment of that spirit, the farthest-flung outpost of civilisation.”

“That’s why I want to support it by funding the development of new shipyards. Every planetary port in the region, bar Colonia Hub, will soon be able to offer pilots the support services they need. It’s my way of celebrating a youth filled with poverty and danger, by giving a boost to the next generation of explorers.”

Bryanna Blanco, a financial journalist for The Federal Times, also published a statement:

“Obviously this is tremendous news for Colonia and all those operating within the region. The timing of Rackham’s donation is curious, however, coming as it does shortly before a company-wide audit. Having such a colossal sum placed beyond the reach of tax officials will certainly help that old pirate – and his crew of accountants – sleep better at night.”

Here are this week’s major stories.

Princess Aisling Duval’s anti-slavery campaign has merged with independent charity Universal Liberty. The rebranded organisation is named Unchain. The former head of Universal Liberty, Jarl Toredo, expressed his delight at the union, while rebuffing questions about his rumoured romantic attachment to Aisling Duval.

Lori Jameson has made a public statement regarding the League of Reparation, which claims to be seeking justice for her ancestor, Commander John Jameson. She denied any connection to the organisation while describing its actions as “misguided, unnecessary and evil”.

Meanwhile, an independent journalist has suggested that the League of Reparation may be responsible for many more deaths than previously suspected, drawing a link between the terrorist organisation and various unsolved homicides. Chief Inspector Kay Kilbride of Alliance Interpol denied that the cold cases had any connection to the League of Reparation.

A new academic article has drawn attention to a fringe religion that worships the Thargoids. The sect, which has no formal name, believes that the Thargoids are heralds of an omnipotent entity called the Far God. Dr Alfred Ulyanov, a leading expert in exotheology, has published an extensive commentary on the sect.

In other news, Senator Caspian Leopold has launched an initiative to construct a rehabilitation centre for those affected by heightened military action in the core systems. A spokesperson for Senator Leopold said: “An escalation in hostilities from both Thargoid and human parties has left a lot of innocent civilians without food or shelter. Senator Leopold has heard their cries for help, and is building a sanctuary where the safety of refugees can be guaranteed.”

Finally, the competing campaigns from the Lave Radio Network and the Lave Jet Family have come to an end. Both factions received support from independent pilots, to whom generous rewards were promised, but ultimately there could be only one victor.

And those are the main stories this week.

The engineer Lori Jameson has made a public statement regarding the League of Reparation. The terrorist group claims to be seeking justice for the betrayal of her ancestor, the legendary pilot Commander John Jameson.

Her message was recorded at Jameson Memorial and broadcast by several media networks:

“There’s been a lot of speculation about what connection I might have with the so-called League of Reparation, which has murdered a number of people in recent weeks. The answer is none whatsoever. Like all of you, I am sickened by this bizarre form of genealogical terrorism.”

“I’m not prepared to discuss my family in a public forum, but I want everyone to know that I am personally appalled by this, and am doing everything I can to help the authorities.”

“I’m sure that Nexus – whoever or whatever it might be – is listening to this message. So to them I say: stop. These acts of revenge for my great-grandfather are misguided, unnecessary and evil. If you really want to honour his name, you’ll allow us to live in peace without fear.”

Senior Agent Tanya Ramirez, a member of the tri-power taskforce dedicated to stopping the League, added:

“I can confirm that Lori Jameson is cooperating with our investigation. We are completely satisfied that she, her family and her associates are entirely unconnected to the League of Reparation. We hope that her message convinces Nexus to see sense and stop this pointless violence.”

A fringe religion that worships the Thargoids has come under the spotlight in a new academic article.

The author, Dr Alfred Ulyanov, is a leading expert in exotheology. He summarised his work for the media:

“A recent report by Gethin Okonkwo highlighted the emergence of doomsayer cults in response to the return of the Thargoids. But few are as strange as my current object of study – an organisation that considers the Thargoids to be not merely alien, but divine.”

“This mysterious sect doesn’t have a formal name. The central tenet of its faith is that the Thargoids we have encountered so far are messengers – dark angels sent to prepare us for the true sacred presence, which will soon enter our plane of existence from another universe. They refer to this as the Far God.”

“As with many monotheistic belief structures, this cult considers the Far God to be unknowable and omnipotent, but also apocalyptic. Only true believers such as themselves will survive its manifestation.”

“Visiting one of the cult’s hive-chapels is an unsettling experience. Aside from a few pulsing green lights they are very dark, and most surfaces are covered in a black coral-like substance. The congregation’s prayers are directed toward an altar resembling the starfish shape of Thargoid vessels, almost like an octagonal crucifix. It’s impossible to ignore that the entire place reeks of ammonia.”

“Cult members tend to wear simple hooded robes with no markings. They are intense and resolute, but many look unhealthy. It seems that this lifestyle attracts those on the very edge of society, whose low self-esteem leaves them vulnerable to beliefs that erode their identity.”

“As an exotheologian, I am of course fascinated by the sociological impact of non-human influences. But even for a scientist, it is difficult not to feel pity, and perhaps a little revulsion, for those who identify more with a hostile species than with their own people.”

The Lave Radio Network has announced that its campaign has reached a successful conclusion. Scores of pilots supported the initiative by delivering commodities to Lave Station, thereby allowing the network to broadcast its annual conference to the entire galaxy. A rival campaign from the Lave Jet Family was unable to destabilise the Lave Radio initiative, despite also receiving the support of independent pilots.

As the campaign drew to a close, one of the organisers released a statement:

“The signal is spreading. We would like to extend our gratitude to the galactic community for making this possible.”

Pilots who contributed to the initiative can now collect their rewards from Lave Station in the Lave system.

A recent report suggests that terrorist organisation the League of Reparation may be responsible for many more deaths than previously suspected.

Independent journalist Flint ‘Firemaker’ Lafosse shared his theories on the Rewired newsfeed:

“We know these League guys are wiping out people whose grandfolks used to work for the INRA, and it seems like things started when they poisoned that Imperial senator. But what if that wasn’t their first murder, merely the first time they claimed responsibility? What if they’ve been active for years and nobody noticed?”

“I’ve been digging through old records of unsolved homicides. There’s a dozen in the Federation alone where the cause of death was some kind of ‘nerve agent’ – just like with the senator and a few others. Not all the victims were identified, but I found four who definitely had the INRA in their past. These people didn’t die recently but between one and five years ago. Coincidence?”

“The League also likes to blast its targets out of the sky. Think of all those unexplained shipwrecks found drifting in space over the years. How many were because one of the crew had some long-forgotten INRA connection? Dozens…hundreds? How long has the League been hiding among us, silently taking out ordinary people? And who’s next?”

Chief Inspector Kay Kilbride of Alliance Interpol responded on behalf of the united taskforce investigating the League:

“We cannot verify that these cold cases have any link with the League of Reparation. We’d also like to caution against this kind of baseless conjecture, which only serves to spread confusion. We are still pursuing more concrete leads, and hope to make a breakthrough very soon.”

Due to heightened military action in the core systems, Senator Caspian Leopold has launched an initiative to construct a rehabilitation centre for those affected by the ongoing conflict.

A spokesperson for Senator Leopold gave the following statement to the media:

“An escalation in hostilities from both Thargoid and human parties has left a lot of innocent civilians without food or shelter. Senator Leopold has heard their cries for help, and is building a sanctuary where the safety of refugees can be guaranteed.”

The Nifelhel Corp., which is overseeing the initiative, has placed an open order for Cobalt, Semiconductors and Synthetic Fabrics, promising to reward pilots who deliver these commodities to Biruni Port in the Niflhel system. The organisation has also placed a kill order on all ships on its wanted list, to ensure those contributing commodities to the initiative can do so safely.

The campaign begins on the 14th of June 3304 and will run for one week. If the final target is met earlier than planned, the campaign will end immediately.

The Lave Jet Family has announced that its campaign to prevent the Lave Radio Network from broadcasting its annual conference has reached a successful conclusion. Scores of pilots supported the initiative by delivering commodities to construct a signal jammer, thereby preventing Lave Radio from transmitting the conference.

The Lave Jet Family has extended its gratitude to those who supported the campaign.

Pilots who contributed to the initiative can now collect their rewards from Lave Station in the Lave system.

The Lave Radio Network has announced that its campaign has reached a successful conclusion. Scores of pilots supported the initiative by delivering commodities to Lave Station, thereby allowing the network to broadcast its annual conference to the entire galaxy. A rival campaign from the Lave Jet Family was unable to destabilise the Lave Radio initiative, despite also receiving the support of independent pilots.

As the campaign drew to a close, one of the organisers released a statement:

“The signal is spreading. We would like to extend our gratitude to the galactic community for making this possible.”

Pilots who contributed to the initiative can now collect their rewards from Lave Station in the Lave system.

Princess Aisling Duval’s anti-slavery campaign has merged with independent charity Universal Liberty. The rebranded organisation is named Unchain.

The former head of Universal Liberty, Jarl Toredo, made an announcement to the media:

“There’s no shortage of poverty and suffering within the Empire, however much some may try to hide it. Few have the courage to face the truth, but Princess Duval has been an inspiration. So I’m very pleased that we’re joining forces with her campaign to end slavery.”

“I was born into slavery. My parents were still slaves when they died. It is for them, and for all human beings treated as less than human, that we demand legal slavery be abolished. I’m proud to be part of Unchain, which will spread our message across the Empire.”

When asked about rumours linking him romantically with Aisling Duval, Toredo said only:

“I suspect Her Highness’s attention is focused elsewhere.”