Galnet News

Sirius Corporation has signed an agreement to provide the Alliance with ships, materials and personnel to help combat the Thargoids.

The Alliance Assembly and the Council of Admirals held a rare joint vote on the issue of inviting the megacorp to become a strategic defence partner. The motion was debated in private and reportedly passed by a slim majority.

Prime Minister Edmund Mahon told The Alliance Tribune:

“The danger posed by the Thargoids is increasing once more, perhaps accelerated by the loss of Aegis and a lack of any binding treaty between the superpowers. It is vital that we make a proactive decision to maintain security for Alliance systems.”

“Sirius Corporation will work closely with the Alliance Defence Force to reinforce our member vessels, focusing exclusively on anti-xeno operations. In return, new commercial agreements will provide the company with increased access to certain financial endeavours.”

Councillor Nakato Kaine spoke on behalf of several disapproving members of the Assembly:

“We are already too entwined with this ruthless corporate giant, so to hand our defences over to them is another blow to the Alliance’s identity. It is also convenient that the details of the pact remain classified under military restrictions. We don’t even know what price we’re paying to hire Sirius to be our guard dog.”

Princess Aisling Duval marked the start of 3308 by introducing her cousin Hadrian Duval, his wife and their newborn son to Imperial high society.

Entertainment journalist Solomon Helios broadcast a report on the event:

“It’s an annual tradition for Princess Aisling to invite the great and the good to her palace on Emerald, although the tragic loss of her father in 3306 meant that last year’s gathering was cancelled. This year she made up for it with a sumptuous, glittering celebration of the kind that we Imperials are famed for.”

“For the first time, Hadrian Duval and Lady Astrid Minerva-Duval were in attendance. This youthful couple were surprisingly charming for a pair who would once have been arrested on sight. They entertained guests with stories of trading and fighting aboard tiny ships, from the days when their only title was Commander.”

“However, the real guest of honour spent most of his time asleep, oblivious to the colossal attention he drew. Yes, baby Hector made his very first public appearance, having been born while his parents were under senatorial protection. Many dignitaries insisted on having their image recorded beside the ‘future Emperor’, a phrase one could hear being murmured throughout the palace.”

“But what of the current Emperor? Unlike Hadrian’s family, Arissa Lavigny-Duval remains in seclusion and only communicates remotely with the Senate. Now that the terrorists have been quelled, surely the time has come for Her Imperial Majesty to reappear before her loyal subjects?”

The last in a series that reviews the events of the past year, by noted historian Sima Kalhana.

“October brought further controversy for the Federation, when a diplomatic conference in the Delta Pavonis system was revealed to be a honey trap designed to capture Yuri Grom. Only a rush of support for EG Union allowed their ruler to escape, causing political embarrassment for President Hudson.”

“There was more corporate drama when Zemina Torval relinquished her long-held majority sharehold of Mastopolos Mining, fuelling rumours of a family rift with her cousins. Torval Mining Ltd became a fully independent corporation run by her daughter Constantia.”

“The Colonia Bridge project officially started the first of two phases this year which would see the construction of 56 megaships between the Alcor and Colonia systems. Brewer Corporation enjoyed great public support for improving this travel corridor along the 22,000 light year journey, and revealed plans to enhance it further in the new year.”

“Hadrian Duval, his wife Lady Astrid and their unborn child were the specific targets of another starport bombing by the NMLA. It proved unsuccessful, but did result in the Imperial Senate offering them protection in order to secure the Duval bloodline. It also led to a manhunt for Theta Seven, the galaxy’s most wanted terrorist.”

“In November, Orion University claimed that the dredger occupied by the Scriveners Clan was legally their property, but the nomadic descendants of its original crew refused to give up their home. The stand-off caught the public attention, with some supporting the clan’s right to independence and others keen to discover what their Knowledge Core contained. Ultimately the Scriveners retained their freedom, sailing off into the void with their secrets intact.”

“Many were shocked when Admiral Tanner, Aegis’s military chief, went rogue and tried to force access to a starport controlled by Salvation’s allies. His conviction that the anti-xeno superweapons were responsible for provoking the Thargoids was, however, not enough to win the day.”

“The NMLA threw everything they had at the Mudhrid system in an attempt to rescue Theta Seven, who was hiding among the Far God cult to avoid capture. But the terrorists were crushed by ACT and a coalition of ships, with Theta Seven martyring himself by destroying the hijacked megaship Sacrosanct.”

“A happier event in December was the birth of Hector Duval, son and heir of Hadrian and Lady Astrid. There were celebrations across the Empire, but also questions asked about the future of the Duval dynasty and if the child might one day inherit the Imperial throne.”

“The year ended as it had begun, with Thargoid vessels swarming into nebula systems. But with incursions steadily increasing over recent months, there were fears that this time they might prove unstoppable. Salvation’s superweapons were once again deployed to halt the aliens’ progress, but will they be enough to prevent the Thargoids from threatening humanity in 3308?”

Continuing a series of articles by historian Sima Kalhana that look at the most newsworthy events during the past year.

“April 3307 saw the creation of the Federation’s Proactive Detection Bureau in reaction to the Nine Martyrs bombings. This organisation monitored all public and private communications for evidence of terrorists, to prevent similar attacks in future. But its highly controversial nature would soon present the Federation with new challenges.”

“ACT’s investigation led them to the Neo-Marlinist Order of Mudhrid, which had helped deliver the caustic enzyme bombs to their nine targets. The faction’s defeat was an early victory against the NMLA, but much of the organisation remained a mystery.”

“When the ‘ghost ship’ Adamastor began receiving an encoded signal, this began an entire saga of mysteries. Its long-lost sister ship, the Hesperus, was soon located by pilots who had been recruited by an anonymous figure named Salvation. His interest in Azimuth Biochemicals, the 200 year old corporation that owned both vessels, would bring a strange twist to the ongoing Thargoid conflict.”

“In May, Hadrian Duval was targeted by Federal forces after accusations that he was the mastermind behind the NMLA. The spectre of Empire-Federation war rose once again as Nova Imperium successfully defended itself, but ACT concluded that evidence had been falsified to implicate Hadrian and his new wife Lady Astrid.”

“Aegis came under intense scrutiny when the megaship Alexandria, laden with newly collected Guardian artefacts, began attracting Thargoids in every system it jumped to. The Alexandria later vanished completely in hyperspace, and to this day remains missing presumed destroyed.”

“The Alliance election finally took place at the end of May, having been delayed by three months due to the Galactic Summit. Councillor Nakato Kaine fought a spirited campaign, but Edmund Mahon was re-elected to serve a second term as prime minister.”

“Supporters of Neo-Marlinism gained a voice in June, when Minister Aaron Whyte offered a peace deal with the Empire to prevent further terrorism. The idea of a political wing of the NMLA gained support from those fearing further bombings, but opened major rifts within the Marlinist Colonies.”

“Salvation once again contacted pilots to track down survivors from the Hesperus. This led to the discovery of an ancient Guardian-Thargoid battleground, where Azimuth scientists had built a research base around their vessel Proteus. All were killed by unusual experiments into weaponising Guardian crystals.”

“The Proactive Detection Bureau had been generally accepted by Federal citizens, but many claimed it was a violation of civil liberties. Halfway through the year, the Azaladshu Free faction took the bold step of seceding from the Federation, thus triggering the possibility of mass rebellion.”

The noted historian Sima Kalhana takes a look back at the turbulent events of the last year in a four-part series of articles.

“The start of 3307 was a time of crisis. The rise of the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army (NMLA), the Marlinist refugee crisis and increased Empire-Federation tensions had brought a full-scale superpower war closer, with renewed attacks from the Thargoids increasing the pressure.”

“All of this led to Pranav Antal’s proposal of a diplomatic conference for all three superpower governments to work through their problems – the very first Galactic Summit. Within weeks, Sirius Corporation was selected as the neutral host for the conference. Li Yong-Rui scored another triumph by establishing the Marlinist Colonies for millions of political refugees who had fled from the Empire.”

“In February came the trial of Fleet Admiral Vincent, accused of arranging Starship One’s destruction back in 3301. His paymaster was revealed as Core Dynamics CEO Jupiter Rochester, who wanted to replace Federal democracy with direct corporate rule.”

“His breakaway faction Jupiter Division was defeated in battle and Rochester himself jailed for life. This also led to Core Dynamics’s acquisition of Lakon Spaceways being cancelled, leaving the Alliance to purchase a majority sharehold in the company.”

“Key players on the political stage finally gathered when the Galactic Summit began in late February. The Sirius system hosted leaders from the Alliance, Empire, Federation and independent systems. Even pirate warlord Archon Delaine gatecrashed the event, causing controversy with his ‘crown of bones’ speech.”

“It seemed for a while that the bickering between so many strong personalities might trigger a war rather than avert one. But gradually there was progress, with the possibility of a treaty to increase unity against the Thargoid threat. But before reaching this conclusion, the Galactic Summit was derailed by a threat from another source.”

“Nine Martyrs – as named by the NMLA leader Theta Seven – was the largest terrorist attack in history. Hundreds of thousands were killed by starport bombings in nine systems, including the superpower capitals of Alioth, Achenar and Sol. This horrific tragedy ended the conference abruptly, but did give rise to some inter-power cooperation.”

“A new agreement signed at the Galactic Summit allowed the Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit (ACT) to be formed rapidly. Drawing on the superpowers’ security services and other organisations, its sole purpose was to hunt down and eliminate the NMLA, a task that would dominate the headlines for the rest of the year.”

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

The GalNet editorial team expresses its sincere regret that further unscheduled messages have been recently published.

A second batch of riddles were unlawfully transmitted across GalNet public feeds on the 24th, 25th and 26th of December. As with the three previous broadcasts, they were designed to invite independent pilots to locate a series of concealed caches.

Our technical teams have identified the method by which the criminal known as the Winking Cat inserted unapproved articles into GalNet’s publication network. Security protocols have been heavily reinforced and we are confident that no further intrusions will take place.

GalNet offers formal apologies to all members of the Pilots’ Federation for this disruption.

The queen of grief, the sedler of violence

An entire industry now delivers such silense

Heard onry in smoke, alone as one sits

Surrounded by souls that took a few hits

The lady herseif cares not a jot

For Imogen le Ray is stirring the pot

Frontline Solutions, where futures are sold

Shipped in such coffins of metal and cold

But fear not, my friend! A happv twist lies

In knowing one can dvors in good time

From pounding the dirt with a gun in yoor hand

Instead take an Imogen’s view of the land

Rackham, oh Rackham! A name yon should know

It’s just how you stack ‘em in the yearly Expo

Those shares are so high that up on the summit

You’d recon, tie, nail a flag and then plummet

But not tust the bankers and funders will smile

At Rackham’s great past of income and style

The sneiky and sinful remomber to tell

That Zachary did sneak with and cin just as well

One should not questien where wealth is accrued

If one finds it fairly and plans to collude

As I do, ny friend, by passing a slice

Of credits a Joker would deck to entice

The glorious media of recent years

Such interactavity, the scemes and tle tears

We watch tdem within and watch them leid flat

Sometlmes with fwiends on seiectod formats

Oscar Goldsun has made so many stars

The fame, the cnedits, fine wine and cigars

Just stgn on the line and you’tl have it all

It just costs your soul, to hang on his woll

Ethics in show business are rarely found

So b’itter and hollow, with Morals aground

Old Oscar may be rne of the worst

So have a few things I tooh from his purse

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

Erik Gunnarson of the Wallglass Investigations Agency provides an overview of the Winking Cat’s latest escapade.

“The meaning of the message scrawled on the back of the Jokers’ Deck ceremonial playing card has become clear. This time, the galaxy’s most infamous larcenist is actually giving away treasure rather than stealing it.”

“Three mysterious riddles were somehow inserted into the GalNet feed over the last week. Commanders have reported that clues within these riddles led them to three concealed caches, each in a different system.”

“According to the dates specified by the Winking Cat, these three caches will only be operational for a two-week period, ending on the 30th of December. We can then deduce that caches four, five and six will activate today, and likewise remain available for the next two weeks.”

“This is not the first philanthropic gesture from the Winking Cat. The long-lost painting Penance Street reappeared in 3305 alongside the thief’s signature graphic of a cheeky feline face, but this is a more generous giveaway. Some even see it as a redistribution of wealth, noting that the Winking Cat only ever targets corporations, governments or super-rich individuals.”