Galnet News

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.”

This report presents the latest data on starports experiencing technical issues as a result of Thargoid Sensor related interference.

The following starports are currently closed:

al-Din Prospect, Alpha Centauri

Forbes Terminal, Algorab

Mayer Hub, Kulici

Thornycroft Settlement, Kulici

Schwann Port, Hajangai

Meanwhile, the following starports are on the brink of closure:

Ocrinox's Orbiter, Munshin

Galileo, Sol

Kraft Works, Alberta

Here are this week’s major stories.

A descendant of Amaro Hem, one of the INRA’s senior members, has been murdered by terrorist group the League of Reparation. The murder recreated the circumstances of Commander John Jameson’s death, and has been interpreted as an act of poetic justice by the League of Reparation. Senior Agent Tanya Ramirez said that the League was using theatrical tactics to ensure its message reached the media.

In other news, Princess Aisling Duval met with not one but two of her suitors over the weekend – Federal Ambassador Jordan Rochester and Senator Caspian Leopold. The former was invited to a function at the princess’s palace on Emerald, while the latter made an unofficial visit the following day.

Meanwhile, the Lave Radio Network has announced plans to broadcast its annual conference from the Diso system. To ensure they can share the event with the entire galaxy, the Network has placed an open order for various commodities. But the Lave Jet Family has responded with a rival campaign designed to undermine the Lave Radio initiative, inviting pilots to liberate commodities from those supporting the Lave Radio campaign.

Two initiatives to restore starports damaged by the Thargoids have reached successful conclusions. Hundreds of pilots supported the campaigns by delivering construction materials to Dantec Enterprise in the Socho system and to The Oracle in the Pleiades.

Finally, a valuable work of art has been stolen by a mysterious and highly skilled criminal. A spray-painted graphic of what looked like a winking cat was discovered at the scene of the crime, which took place in the Garden City Gallery on Turner’s World in the Alioth system. Garden City security forces are investigating, but as yet have no leads.

And those are the main stories this week.

A valuable work of art has been stolen by a mysterious and highly skilled criminal.

The theft took place in the Garden City Gallery on Turner’s World in the Alioth system. Sergeant Femi Abram of the municipal police discussed the incident:

“Our security specialists are currently at a loss to explain how this occurred. The piece in question was inside a titanium vault surrounded by plasma grids, proximity alarms and thermal sensors. This morning we found the vault door open and all security systems disabled. On the wall was a spray-painted graphic of what looked like a winking cat.”

The piece in question is a digital painting titled Youscape. This unusual cyber-artwork includes micro cameras linked to an AI node that monitor the viewer’s reactions. Over time, the image alters in response to the owner’s tastes.

The artwork was scheduled to be auctioned the following day. The artist, Barclay Uxor, told the media:

“Some lowlife scum has robbed the artistic community of a ground-breaking achievement – and cost me millions of credits, too. To leave common graffiti in its place is the ultimate insult!”

Garden City security forces are continuing to investigate, but as yet have no leads.