Galnet News

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.”

The Alioth Independents has announced that its 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 their gala event.

With the initiative at an end, Durien Ballas, chairman of the Alioth Independents, issued the following statement:

“This will be an event like no other, and we are proud to be introducing Fazia Silva and Elijah Beck to the galactic stage. Along with Gibson Kincaid, I’m sure they will soon do battle in a good-natured yet robust election campaign.”

Pilots who contributed to the initiative can now collect their rewards from Smith Landing in the Amber system.

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.

Progenitor Selena Conley of the Libertas Cooperative issued the following statement:

“For years, the people of Munshin have been lucky enough to dine on the finest meat in the galaxy. We are proud to be working in association with Munshin Manatee Meat to help bring their product to a much wider consumer base.”

To facilitate construction of the manatee farm, the Libertas Cooperative has placed an open order for land enrichment systems, animal monitors, aquaponic systems and marine equipment. It promises to reward pilots who deliver these commodities to Ocrinox's Orbiter in the Munshin system. The organisation has also placed a kill order on all ships on its wanted list, to ensure that those contributing material can do so safely.

The campaign begins on the 13th of September 3304 and will run for one week. If the final target is met earlier than planned, the campaign will end immediately.

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.

Addressing a rally during her congressional campaign, Mrs Bishop stated:

“I speak for all those who live in fear of Thargoid infiltration. If elected, I will make sure this foul cult is outlawed and all its followers put to death. Congress has a duty to protect families from these alien-loving collaborators.”

Vihaan Niven, an independent political analyst, commented:

“Juanita Bishop’s statement has triggered considerable debate in Congress. Some congressmen have aligned with her, eager to be seen as ‘tough on Thargoids’. But others have criticised Mrs Bishop for her ‘inhumane rhetoric’ and for proposing the execution of Federal citizens without trial.”

“Meanwhile, the Federal Intelligence Agency continues to arrest adherents of the Far God sect and detain those who have had contact with them. As casualties from the Thargoid conflict mount, it’s hard to see this most unlikely of faiths surviving much longer.”

In an interview with independent media outlet Vox Galactica, engineer Ram Tah has discussed the XG Project, which produced the recently released XG fighters.

“Ever since the first Guardian ruins were discovered, I’ve been trying to combine their technology with our own. I drew up a blueprint for the original fighter, the XG1, before inviting other technicians to refine the design with a view to producing something commercially viable.”

“The seventh iteration, the XG7, successfully merged human and Guardian ingenuity. The XG8 Javelin and XG9 Lance soon followed.”

When asked what the future holds, Ram Tah remarked:

“My hope is that the XG Project is merely the start of a whole new era of technological development. While the current focus is the Thargoid threat, the achievements of our galactic forebears might one day improve every aspect of society.”