Galnet News

Independent reporter Gethin Okonkwo, who was previously thought missing, has revealed that he has been living undercover within the Far God cult for the past three months.

In an op-ed piece, Mr Okonkwo shared his experiences:

“I was fascinated by Dr Ulyanov’s research and I desperately wanted to understand this doomsayer cult further, so I decided to covertly study the Far God sect by posing as an adherent.”

“During this time, I visited hive-chapels in several different systems, narrowly escaping death when one was attacked by the Church of Eternal Void. On many occasions, I was physically and verbally abused by members of the public, including Juanita Bishop’s campaign followers.”

“At no point did I see evidence of actual contact with the Thargoids, bar the occasional use of alien material as holy artefacts. Most worshippers are essentially fatalists, attracted to the idea of an apocalypse. Some are convinced that they alone will survive the Far God’s manifestation. It is a strange and often contradictory faith, but no less so than other religions.”

“I recorded my experiences within the sect using concealed micro-cameras. I am voluntarily sharing this data with the Federal Intelligence Agency to prove that the Far God sect is not dangerous, and with the hope of ending its persecution.”

With the Alliance presidential race gathering speed, political journalist Vanya Driscoll has published an analysis in The Alliance Tribune:

“The election of a new president is usually a ceremonial matter, during which voters select a public ‘face’ for the Alliance, but this year is a genuine power struggle – one that may have major consequences.”

“Elijah Beck is the only candidate who seems content with the status quo. By contrast, entrepreneur Fazia Silva promises to boost the economy and increase commerce. Her new financial policies have been welcomed by interstellar corporations and small businesses alike.”

“President Gibson Kincaid is causing the most controversy, however. His proposal that the role of president should include executive powers is being taken seriously by the Assembly. Kincaid claims that having a single controlling voice will enable the Alliance to ‘challenge our rivals’ dominance’.”

“There is a surprising amount of support for this combative rhetoric. Many agree that the Alliance could be stronger, and that Prime Minister Mahon is often hamstrung by bureaucracy. Rumours suggest that the Empire and Federation are watching this election far more closely than usual.”

The Libertas Cooperative has announced that its appeal for commodities has reached a successful conclusion, having received an overwhelming response from the galactic community. Land enrichment systems, animal monitors, aquaponic systems and marine equipment were delivered to Ocrinox's Orbiter over the past week, allowing construction of a megaship where manatees will be farmed.

With the initiative at an end, Progenitor Selena Conley of the Libertas Cooperative issued the following statement:

“The people of Munshin, and our partners at Munshin Manatee Meat, extend the warmest of thanks to all pilots who supported our project. Increased production of manatee meat will give a much-needed boost to the Munshin system’s economy.”

Pilots who contributed to the initiative can now collect their rewards from Ocrinox's Orbiter in the Munshin system.

Two rival technology companies – Supratech and Herculean Machines – have appealed for commodities to support the release of forthcoming products.

Scorpio DeVorrow, CEO of Supratech, issued the following statement:

“The Torc is the latest in personal computing, featuring state-of-the-art holographic technology. Anyone who wants to benefit from the next generation in wearable hardware should support its development.”

Meanwhile, Maddox Hurd, head of Herculean Machines, had this to say:

“The Duradrive cannot be rivalled for power or customisability. What people need in this challenging age is a robust product, not some ephemeral toy that malfunctions when exposed to a stiff breeze.”

To bring their products to market, both companies have placed open orders for commodities. Supratech requires Conductive Fabrics, Robotics and Microcontrollers, while Herculean Machines has asked for Consumer Technology, Hardware Diagnostic Sensors and Computer Components. Pilots wishing to support Supratech should deliver commodities to Roberts Port in the Fedmich system, while pilots wishing to support Herculean Machines should deliver commodities to Cowper Dock in the Anima system.

The campaigns begin on the 20th of September 3304 and will run for one week. If either party achieves its aims earlier than planned, both campaigns will end immediately.

Business magnate Lloyd Hardacre has been arrested for corporate fraud after his personal administrative robot revealed incriminating evidence.

The incident occurred at Burnell Station during the annual general meeting of Copernicus Shipping Ltd, an interplanetary haulage firm founded by Mr Hardacre.

One witness, a company shareholder, told reporters:

“Halfway through Hardacre’s financial presentation, we saw off-the-books logs that were very obviously illegal. Hardacre ordered the robot to stop, but it continued projecting data from its internal drives. Eventually he ran from the hall in panic.”

Lieutenant Inspector Ramesh Thorne of the Federal Security Service made this statement:

“We have placed Mr Hardacre in custody while we verify multiple instances of fraud and misuse of company funds. We are also investigating how his personal admin robot managed to obtain such information, and why it chose to make the data public at this time.”

A collection of historically significant artworks has been stolen from the Imperial Museum of Culture on Eotienses A 3.

A local media report stated:

“The museum’s most popular exhibit is the New Dawn Collection, a sequence of sculptures by legendary artist Lal Candromir. These figures date back nearly a thousand years and commemorate the early settlers of Eotienses agreeing to join the Empire.”

“This morning, visitors found the entire exhibit empty, with every single one of the Candromir statues gone. Painted onto the wall was a graphic of a winking cat. The museum cannot explain how its security systems were so completely circumvented.”

Captain Madoc Evander of the Imperial Internal Security Service commented:

“We are performing forensic analyses and interviewing all staff and visitors. As yet, we cannot confirm any connection between this theft and one that occurred three months ago in the Alioth system, despite the identical ‘winking cat’ motif. We will make every effort to capture this criminal and recover these precious cultural artefacts.”

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:

Alexandria Dock, Chanab

Rond d'Alembert Lab, HIP 88595

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

Black Station, Lausang

Pook Dock, HIP 35873

Somerset Station, I Carinae

Bester Terminal, Jen Nik

Burton Vision, Dimocorna

Cauchy Dock, Decht

Klink Dock, Inino

Semeonis Hub, Nuwach

Sinclair Colony, San Qin Gu

Asimov Landing, LHS 2441

Mouchez Platform, Deacon's Star

Smith Landing, Amber

Descartes Terminal, Nu Guang

Rennie Hub, Kupol Bumba

Wingqvist Terminal, NLTT 57216

Here are this week’s major stories.

An anonymous source has revealed that Maddox Hurd, owner of technology company Herculean Machines, was previously investigated by the Federal Security Service. The source disclosed that Hurd accepted financial contributions from individuals connected to criminal networks when establishing his company. In the wake of the news, a number of Herculean Machines’ corporate investors have withdrawn their support.

The candidates in the Alliance presidential election have been announced: Fazia Silva, a successful entrepreneur from the Vamm system, and Elijah Beck, an experienced politician from Leesti. It is understood that all three candidates – Kincaid, Silva and Beck – are roughly equal in terms of popular support.

Meanwhile, Juanita Bishop has called on Federal Congress to make Thargoid worship a capital crime, and for all members of the Far God cult to be executed. Some Federal congressmen have aligned with Mrs Bishop, eager to be seen as ‘tough on Thargoids’, but others have criticised her for her inhumane rhetoric.

In other news, Ram Tah has revealed more about the XG Project, which produced the recently released XG fighters. In an interview, the engineer revealed that he had been trying to combine human and Guardian technology since the first Guardian ruins were discovered. He closed the interview by expressing hope that the XG Project was the start of a new era of technological development.

The Libertas Cooperative has announced plans to construct a manatee farm on behalf of food supplier Munshin Manatee Meat. This will take the form of a megaship, where the creatures will be bred, processed and prepared for distribution. To facilitate construction of the manatee farm, the Libertas Cooperative has placed an open order for various commodities.

Finally, the Alioth Independents have announced that their appeal for exotic food and drink has reached a successful conclusion, having received an overwhelming response from the galactic community. Huge quantities of Esuseku Caviar, Ceremonial Heike Tea and Live Hecate Sea Worms were delivered to Smith Landing over the past week, which will now be used to host a special gala event.

And those are the main stories this week.

The candidates in the Alliance presidential election have been announced.

Political journalist Vanya Driscoll shared the news in The Alliance Tribune:

“The candidates running against President Gibson Kincaid, who is seeking a second term, have now launched their campaigns.”

“Fazia Silva is a successful entrepreneur from the Vamm system. Although lacking political experience, she intends to leverage her business acumen to increase trade and boost economies throughout the Alliance. She has delegated control of her corporate empire to her sister, freeing her to run for office.”

“Elijah Beck, by contrast, is a highly experienced politician. Hailing from the Leesti system, he has served in the Assembly for over four decades. He is generally considered a safe pair of hands, but it’s unlikely that he would bring about any significant changes as president.”

“Recent polls suggest that Kincaid, Silva and Beck are roughly equal in terms of popular support, but it’s still early days. All three will vigorously campaign for support in the coming weeks, in advance of the public vote on Tuesday the 16th of October.”

An anonymous source has revealed that Maddox Hurd, owner of technology company Herculean Machines, was previously investigated by the Federal Security Service.

The source shared recently declassified FSS records on the Rewired news channel, and stated:

“When establishing Herculean five years ago, Maddox Hurd accepted financial contributions from individuals connected to organised-crime networks, such as the Red Family. While Hurd did not technically break the law, the FSS has kept a close eye on him ever since.”

In the wake of this news, a number of Herculean Machines’ corporate investors withdrew their support. Maddox Hurd told the media:

“This is a smear campaign, and those underhanded snakes at Supratech are behind it!”

Scorpio DeVorrow, CEO of rival company Supratech, declined to comment, but Harlow Nassry, technology journalist at The Federal Times, observed:

“With Herculean Machines losing investment and Supratech’s facility destroyed, both companies are in a compromised position. Unless they can drum up additional support, neither will be able to unveil their new designs at the Rackham Ultratech Expo in October.”