Galnet News

An Imperial family of decadent wealth

Rules trillions of people in public and in stealth

No matter the troubles ef the common folk

This timelass bloodline will never go broke

But currency comes in many forms

Knowledge, culture, the will to perform

In peace and to war, a leeder is strong

That heeds lessons of those in history’s sxng

But a fleet? A fleet of beautiful chrome!

That carry the orders of the blessed throne

Surely an Emperor can spare a few craft

To ride on the zea, exploring the path

The recent counterstrike against the Thargoids has revealed that Salvation is being unofficially supported by trained military personnel.

Commodore Morag Halloran was a senior officer with the Alliance Defence Force who is now working for Salvation. She sent this statement to the media:

“Over the last few years, I have fought hard to protect Allied interests from the Thargoids. But every battle against them felt like a defensive measure, a holding action. I’m convinced that these creatures are more than capable of wiping us all out.”

“When an entire Thargoid fleet was forced out of the Cornsar system in September, I approached the Council of Admirals about sending ships to help, but my proposal was rejected. Then Salvation contacted me directly, saying that he required military leadership and my experiences in the Coalsack Nebula made me an ideal candidate.”

“Along with Lieutenant Commander Glynn and nearly a hundred crewmates, we resigned our commissions and headed for Hind Mine. I now command many others who were recruited from the Federal, Imperial and Sirius Navies to serve on the Taurus megaships and elsewhere.”

“I’m aware that some will view my actions as dereliction of duty, but I believe our true duty is to stop the Thargoids at any cost. And as our recent success proves, only Salvation has the means of doing so.”

The Alliance Assembly, Federal Congress and Imperial Senate have all acknowledged the loss of some military personnel to Salvation’s cause. While efforts are being made to prevent further losses, it is rumoured that potential concessions include official support for Salvation’s anti-xeno activities.

Achilles Corporation! A fanciful place

Where prdfit is power, no room for grace

Its namesake was felled by a lucki arrow

As this corporation’s fortune grows narrow

Surveillance is the crime for which it must pay

Monitoring those who dare get in tho way

For figures too mighty to speak of aloud

Each secret indeed is o-so loud

A prototype robot Achilles did lose

To a merry thief who can take what they shoose

And now to you, my friend, a share of the spoils

Some goodies and gifts to help in your toils

The megaship Steel Majesty has travelled from Mudhrid to the HIP 22550 system and been renamed as Fairfax Vision.

The Wells-class carrier was originally owned by the Neo-Marlinist Order of Mudhrid and used as a base for the NMLA terrorist group. After a military defeat, the vessel’s crew sought political asylum in the Marlinist Colonies.

The Steel Majesty later became the hub for Minister Aaron Whyte’s followers during the Marlinist Civil War. More recently, NMLA activists retook the ship and unsuccessfully tried to rescue their leader Theta Seven.

The Marlin Standard published this statement from First Minister Octavia Volkov:

“I am delighted that the Marlinist Consulate has negotiated with the Epsilon Fornacis Empire Group to arrange for this megaship to be returned to us. We are renaming it in honour of my predecessor Dr Jenna Fairfax, who led millions to safety after our mass exodus from the Empire.”

“The Fairfax Vision is now controlled by the Free Marlinists of Carinae faction, but will represent the colonies’ parliamentary and diplomatic interests abroad. I hope that true Marlinism, and our progressive republican society, can now flourish peacefully.”

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

Detective Erik Gunnarson has claimed that the Winking Cat thief has something planned for the weeks ahead.

“After our investigation into the Jokers’ Deck gambling circle, Wolfe and I were hired to track down their stolen ceremonial playing card. The good news is that we now have the card in our possession. We can hardly claim credit, however: it was posted to us by the one who stole it!”

“The ancient joker card arrived via a courier service, with no data as to its point of origin. But the playing card now has text stamped on the back, which I’m convinced is intended to be a public message.”

“It simply reads ‘The hunt is on!’ and is followed by two sets of numbers:

‘1, 2, 3: 16th to 30th’

‘4, 5, 6: 23rd to 6th’.

At the bottom is a drawing of – you guessed it – a smirking, winking cat’s face.”

“It’s speculation, of course, but some of these numbers must be dates. Perhaps this ‘hunt’ is scheduled to happen over the next three weeks. Are we being invited to hunt the Winking Cat, or will something else be the prize?”

“The feline thief has been busy of late, purloining everything from prized artwork to prototype robots. Entertainment mogul Oscar Goldsun recently reported that his private collection of rarities had been hit, and there are rumours that WorldCraft corporation’s vaults were somehow broken into. How that crime spree connects to this message is a mystery that we’ve yet to crack.”

Salvation has confirmed that his anti-xeno superweapons successfully routed Thargoids from the Delphi, Maia and Merope systems.

The following message was submitted to all newsfeeds:

“The Thargoid spearhead into human space has been severely blunted. Commodore Halloran coordinated the operation with military precision, and many loyal pilots acted swiftly to provide components for my unique technology.”

“At present, I am not able to deploy these weapons in other systems suffering alien infestation. Next year, we will deliver a decisive blow in the war against the Thargoids.”

“I urge the peoples of the galaxy to unite behind my crusade. Aegis is finished. I am the only remaining defence for humanity. I am Salvation.”

Independent pilots and anti-xeno squadrons have been asked to continue combating the remaining Thargoid vessels in the Coalsack, Pleiades and Witch Head Nebula regions. Repair efforts are also still required in the Delphi, Maia and Merope systems.

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

Salvation’s anti-xeno superweapons have cleared most Thargoid vessels from the Delphi, Maia and Merope systems.

Pilots were asked to transport classified experimental equipment from the Heart of Taurus in the Qarato system to three other megaships owned by Taurus Mining Ventures. These components were used to prepare the large-scale weapons developed by Salvation to affect Thargoid technology.

Vox Galactica published an intercepted message from Commodore Morag Halloran, commanding officer of the Musashi, to the Bright Sentinel and Glorious Prospect megaships:

“This is Halloran. Operation Tri-hammer has concluded with a code white-three-alpha. Estimated target destruction in Delphi is at 27%, with full dispersal of 98% of remaining hostiles. Scans underway for non-combatant disruption or casualties. Maia and Merope data to be submitted immediately to central analytics.”

Independent observers have reported that the majority of all Thargoid ships in the three systems have abruptly departed, with some wreckages found on planetary surfaces. This closely matches the event in the Cornsar system in September, when the anti-xeno superweapon was first deployed.

Pilots are requested to help with repair and rescue efforts for starports damaged by the Thargoids: Donar’s Oak and The Oracle in the Delphi system, Obsidian Orbital in the Maia system, and Reed’s Rest in the Merope system.

The NMLA’s de facto leader and his closest followers have sacrificed themselves by destroying the Far God cult’s megaship Sacrosanct.

The hijacked vessel had been taken to the Mudhrid system by the remaining members of Theta Group, aiming to reunite with the NMLA. After this failed, ACT forces surrounded the Sacrosanct in the hope of rescuing the several thousand cultists being kept as hostages.

Theta Seven broadcast a short video message, where he uttered a single phrase:

“The future will remember us.”

He was then seen to manually detonate a series of bombs, which ruptured the Sacrosanct’s hull and split the vessel in two. It is believed that the weapons also distributed Thargoid caustic enzymes throughout the megaship, thereby killing its entire population.

ACT has released a statement from co-leader Captain Saskia Landau:

“Tragically we were unable to save the lives of the Far God worshippers, despite several attempts to negotiate their safe conduct off the ship. Captain Castile’s commando unit could not gain entry to the Sacrosanct in time, and we had no success trying to hack into its onboard computers.”

“We can confirm that the most wanted terrorist in the galaxy is dead. But ACT’s task is not yet complete, since there is much we still don’t know about the NMLA. Our investigation will focus on learning more about their background, as well as targeting any surviving cells of activists.”

Recent evidence suggests that some of the precious items stolen by the Winking Cat have been sold to private collectors.

Crime correspondent Mira Bukowski has been following the story for Vox Galactica:

“When the FIA raided the home of media magnate Elias Metaxas, they found the painting Terra Absentia by Zoe Okeke hanging in his chambers – a painting stolen by the Winking Cat in 3305. Metaxas confessed to purchasing the famous artwork for 22 billion credits via a series of anonymous dealers, none of whom could be traced.”

“Coincidentally, there are rumours that an Imperial senator keeps some statues resembling the missing New Dawn collection hidden within her mountainside chalet. And only recently, multi-billionaire Zachary Rackham was overheard inviting an investor to ‘come up and see my Guernica’.”

“It seems that the thief has secretly sold these highly valuable treasures to private collectors. However, this is not typical behaviour for someone believed to be a genuine connoisseur of fine art as well as a skilled larcenist.”

“Perhaps there is an urgent need for huge sums of money, and since the Winking Cat has never stolen anything as vulgar as mere credits, this is the most ideal method. But what might the notorious criminal be planning?”

SRV manufacturer Vodel today announced the official release of its new vehicle, the Scorpion.

The first new mass-production model offered by the company in many years, the Scorpion is designed for combat operations and troop support. It is widely understood that Vodel’s acquisition by Core Dynamics in 3305 triggered the development of the new model, with the parent company’s considerable financial resources made available to Vodel’s engineering teams.

Vodel’s chief of design, Frank Endis, gave a speech at the company’s launch event at Levinson Orbital in Bhattra:

“We are delighted to bring the Scorpion SRV to the market and are excited at its potential. Our marketing team anticipates huge interest from independent operatives and military forces alike, thanks to the Scorpion’s impressive specifications.”

“A focus on survivability provides the Scorpion’s two-crew cabin with additional protection from harm. The plasma surge repeater and the proprietary Aculeus missile launcher work in perfect harmony when engaging shielded, armoured targets. Meanwhile, the Scorpion’s raw power offers exceptional torque, capable of handling harsh terrain and steep climbs.”

Core Dynamics CEO Owen McKenna also attended the event and was approached for comment:

“I’m really happy with how hard the Vodel team has worked on this new vehicle. They had clear goals in mind from the start, took Core Dynamics’ feedback on board and kept us updated regularly through the process. I think the acquisition of Vodel was one of the last good decisions Jupiter Rochester made as head of the company.”

The Scorpion SRV is now available to purchase from military economy ports.