Galnet News

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit has unveiled a secret cabal of Imperial senators who masterminded the NMLA’s terrorist activity.

The information was obtained after ACT successfully penetrated the NMLA’s dark-comms network. Captain Saskia Landau provided this summary to the media:

“Senators Gereon, Jourdain, Nerva, Scordato and Torquatus were at the heart of a powerful conspiracy to permanently remove the position of Emperor. They called themselves the Lords of Restoration, based on their aim to restore executive power to the Senate.”

“The NMLA became their terroristic agents, weaponised to assassinate the Duvals and other obstacles. Its members were militarised at Darkwater training camps and provided with sophisticated equipment by corrupt Imperial Intelligence agents. But the Lords could never fully control the terrorist figurehead Theta Seven, whose attacks against non-Imperial starports were not part of their original plan.”

“Marlinism was also exploited as a political lever. The hope was that, compared to this democratic ideology, citizens would view a senator-led Empire as a moderate compromise once the Imperial Family was gone. While this led to the establishment of the Marlinist Colonies, the Lords’ later attempts to influence those systems via puppet politicians did not succeed.”

“Following the assassinations of Prince Harold and other Duvals, the Lords abducted Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval in January 3307. She was kidnapped en route to a secure location, with Senator Nerva falsifying confirmation of her safe arrival. This allowed the Lords to engineer communications with the Senate via a virtual doppelganger, which were accepted as genuine since they were verified by Imperial Intelligence agents.”

ACT is working closely with Imperial security agencies to identify all those who collaborated with the Lords of Restoration.

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

The HIP 12314, Dan and Nauni systems have come under heavy attack by Thargoid vessels.

Vox Galactica featured this report by freelance war correspondent Jade Sanderlyn:

“The Thargoids have been unusually aggressive in recent months, as attested by the drifting wreckages of many independent ships. When Salvation repelled their forces from the Delphi, Maia and Merope systems in December, some believed it was only a matter of time before the aliens retaliated. It appears that time has come.”

“Although the Thargoid species is often viewed as territorial, on this occasion they have pushed further towards human space. Authorities in all three systems were unprepared for the incursions and have sent out a general call for assistance.”

“The superpowers are still in the process of forming their anti-xeno taskforces, and thus unable to help. Fortunately, despite Aegis being officially defunct, some of its support megaships have yet to be decommissioned. These have been staffed with emergency crews and rushed into service in all three systems.”

“As pilots race into combat once more, many must be wondering if the risks are now even greater. Have the Thargoids extended their reach into human space? Which systems might they strike at next? And is further escalation a price to be paid every time Salvation’s superweapon is deployed?”

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

Deliveries have been requested in the Alcor and Colonia systems to implement services to the Colonia Bridge starports.

A press release from Brewer Corporation provided the details:

“The fourth and final phase of our Colonia Bridge project will take place over the next four weeks. Our goal is to finish constructing the starports that were recently added to the route between the Colonia and Alcor systems.”

“For the first week, we require deliveries of Coffee, Emergency Power Cells, Geological Equipment and Liquid Oxygen to Macdonald Settlement in the Alcor system and Jaques Station in the Colonia system. If we receive sufficient commodities, we can add Universal Cartographics and Vista Genomics to all six stations.”

“Everyone at Brewer Corporation was impressed by the galactic community’s dedication to improving the travel corridor to the Colonia region. For this week’s initiative, contributing pilots have the opportunity to be rewarded with a generous number of credits. In subsequent weeks, we will be offering a variety of additional rewards.”

“Following feedback from our shareholders, we also plan to install beacons to recognise the major contributors to all phases of the Colonia Bridge project. The top ten contributors of every past and upcoming Colonia Bridge initiative will be listed on these beacons to immortalise the names of these pilots.”

The Colonia Bridge starports currently offer rearm, refuel and repair services as well as basic commodity trading. The second, third and fourth weeks of this phase will focus on adding further services.

Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has been found alive after being secretly imprisoned by the private military firm Darkwater Inc.

The Imperial Herald published a special report on recent events:

“The absence of the Emperor from public life for over a year has prompted much speculation. The Senate claimed that she was being kept safe from assassination attempts by the NMLA, and that they remained in contact with her.”

“In truth, she was being held captive by the NMLA’s secret benefactors. This group of Imperial senators referred to themselves as the Lords of Restoration. They were revealed only after ACT recruited independent pilots to help decipher the terrorists’ dark-comms network.”

“Chancellor Blaine immediately ordered the Imperial Guard into battle against Darkwater soldiers. A ship fleeing from the Summerland system was intercepted, aboard which was a cryogenic pod containing the Emperor herself. She was swiftly returned to Capitol, and is currently under the care of the Imperial Palace medical team.”

“The IISS has launched a security operation based on ACT’s information. This reveals that groups within the Senate, Darkwater and Imperial Intelligence formed a long-running conspiracy to fund and empower the NMLA. Senators Alberto Gereon, Karl Nerva, Ursula Torquatus and several others have been placed under arrest.”

“ACT has stated that it will provide additional information soon.”

The recent battle in the Reorte system has caused Sirius Corporation to question the terms of its partnership with the Alliance.

The Alliance Tribune’s political correspondent Vanya Driscoll reported:

“When Sirius Corporation megaships arrived in four Allied systems, it’s fair to assume they anticipated a degree of public resistance. But being directly attacked by the Reorte Mining Coalition clearly wasn’t part of their risk assessment.”

“Li Yong-Rui has urgently sought assurances from the Alliance that such conflicts will not happen again. The megacorp’s CEO claimed that he has a duty to protect his employees from aggression by their own clients.”

“In response, Prime Minister Edmund Mahon personally guaranteed that this unfortunate incident was a one-off, stressing that Sirius personnel have been welcomed in the Alioth, Arimpox and Di Jian systems. He added that the Alliance Defence Force is working closely with Admiral Nikolas Glass, the Sirius Navy’s representative.”

“But others in the Assembly are now openly questioning the wisdom of the strategic defence pact. Although Councillor Nakato Kaine’s opposition to Mahon is often viewed as predictable, more members now agree with her that many Allied factions will reject the assertion that Sirius Corporation is an ally to be trusted.”

Shutdown procedures for the anti-xeno organisation are continuing, despite Aegis’s warnings that Azimuth has returned.

Conrad Sterling reported on the situation for Vox Galactica:

“We now know that the Alexandria megaship was targeted by a hostile force that could be Azimuth Biochemicals, the 200-year-old corporation which owned the Adamastor and Hesperus. In the face of this new evidence, Aegis leaders have petitioned for it to be reinstated.”

“Even while accounting for this new evidence, the Baumann Report has exposed a litany of organisational failures within Aegis. There is still a broad consensus among politicians that the organisation should have done more to repel the Thargoids.”

“Many senior military figures have switched focus to Aegis’s controversial rival Salvation, despite his mysterious nature. As one Imperial Navy admiral succinctly put it: ‘Salvation’s methods have proved more effective in counteracting the Thargoid threat.’”

“The issue of military staff defections also appears to have been resolved. Alliance, Federal and Imperial fleets have opened channels of secondment, allowing naval crews to voluntarily take positions aboard Salvation’s vessels without resigning their commissions.”

“However, one of Aegis’s requests has been authorised. There will be a public ceremony to posthumously award medals of honour to Captain Jacob Morales and the four thousand people who lost their lives aboard the Alexandria.”

The Federal government has announced plans to extend Zachary Hudson’s term as president beyond the legally allotted span.

Every Federation president serves a single term of eight years. President Hudson assumed the role in June 3301, and is therefore due to step down in June 3309 following an election to select his replacement.

Secretary of State Lana Berkovich delivered the proposal to Congress:

“We live in extraordinary times, and all signs point to further challenges in the coming years. Our people deserve a steady hand at the helm rather than being forced to change political course, especially with the tempestuous developments found within our neighbouring superpowers.”

“It is therefore in the public interest that we temporarily suspend the arbitrary eight-year limitation, to allow President Hudson to continue steering the Federation through the coming storms.”

Shadow President Felicia Winters condemned the proposal:

“Hudson has already violated the Federal Accord with his surveillance laws, but now we can see how little he values our constitution. This is the act of a dictator, not a democratically elected president.”

A few Republican congressmen reluctantly agreed with Winters, joining calls for President Hudson to withdraw the proposal. However, political analysts believe that Hudson enjoys the support of his entire Cabinet and a majority of the Republican Party.

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit has launched an effort to locate and decipher the NMLA’s dark-comms network.

The request was sent by Captain Saskia Landau, one of ACT’s co-leaders:

“ACT is working to gain access to the Omega Grid version that was provided to the NMLA by its mysterious benefactors. Most of our agents seconded from the IISS have been recalled, and some Senate leaders are blocking our progress. Therefore, we urgently need support from independent pilots, which will contribute to our wider efforts to decrypt the network.”

“To begin with, we have triangulated the possible location of an Omega Grid beacon somewhere within the HIP 290 system. If it can be found, this will validate our strategy and quickly lead to further discoveries.”

“Messages relayed across this network are likely to be encrypted. Our analysts have put together a partial cipher key from other data. Any files recovered from the beacon may help with deducing the rest of the cipher.”

“If the beacon in the HIP 290 system is found, any pilot who scans it can expect further instruction on subsequent days.”

The partial cipher key is as follows:

A = H

B = G

C = J

E = L

F = K

L = Q

M = T

O = V

P = U

Q = X

S = Z

T = Y

U = B

V = A

W = D

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

The Reorte Mining Coalition has succeeded in forcing Sirius Corporation to withdraw from the Reorte system.

Despite the megacorp’s strategic defence pact with the Alliance, Reorte’s controlling faction claimed the Sirius megaship Chariot of Rhea was an illegal intruder. This resulted in open conflict, which has ended with Sirius Corporation’s defeat.

Fergus Cassidy, CEO of the Reorte Mining Coalition, transmitted this message:

“With the support of many brave pilots, we have prevented Sirius from sinking its claws into the Reorte system. I hope our victory will convince the Alliance’s leaders to think twice about their deal with the devil.”

Captain Delfina Dominguez has confirmed that Sirius Corporation has started to withdraw from Reorte. The megaship Chariot of Rhea will leave Reorte and jump to the Leesti system pending further discussions with Allied leaders.

Sources have confirmed that permits to the Alioth and Sirius systems have been allocated to independent pilots depending on the faction they supported during the conflict.

The Assembly has held emergency meetings to debate this turn of events. Councillor Ainsley Niven, who represents the Reorte system, delivered a warning to Prime Minister Mahon:

“You have invited Sirius Corporation to provide military aid against the Thargoids, but without seeking the approval of those we are pledged to protect. That is not the way of the Alliance, no matter how grave the threat.”

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit is actively investigating Imperial Intelligence, despite the Senate ordering it to cease operations.

Inspector Mara Klatt, one of ACT’s co-leaders, told the media:

“We are convinced that elements within Imperial Intelligence provided support to the NMLA. Our view is that a modified version of the Omega Grid software was supplied to the terrorists, allowing them to build their own dark-comms network. Thanks to Captain Saskia Landau’s inside knowledge, we are learning how to detect a unique identifier associated with the network employed by the NMLA.”

“Our actions may have political repercussions, but this taskforce is dedicated to finding and destroying the NMLA. We must follow the trail wherever it leads.”

Civil and military leaders in the Empire have reacted with outrage, including Senator Zemina Torval:

“Are we expected to risk our citizens’ lives by letting our security services be compromised? How might the Alliance or Federation respond if we attempted to hack into Interpol or the FIA?”

However, a plea for cooperation was made by Princess Aisling Duval:

“If nefarious groups within our Empire have helped the NMLA, we must uncover the truth. I firmly believe that the Emperor herself remains in danger, and ACT might help us to learn her fate.”