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Grey Swan Fleet Destroyed in Shamash

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

Crazed pilots that were killing civilians in the Shamash system have been eliminated.

The local security force vessels participating in Fleet Exercise Grey Swan were exposed to an anomalous signal, which then circulated through the fleet’s networked comms. This apparently triggered a violent mania that caused them to attack passing traffic.

Captain Ulrich Maurer of the megaship Khonsu Gleam announced that an operation to eliminate the threat had concluded:

“All Grey Swan ships have now been targeted and destroyed. Though tragic, this action undoubtedly saved many thousands of lives and has brought peace to the system once more. San Tu State Network, in agreement with Shamash Future, has agreed to reimburse all independent pilots who took part. Payments are available for collection at the Khonsu Gleam.”

Shamash Future confirmed that Garrett Orbital, which was locked down due to several of its crew becoming homicidal, is now functioning as normal. The scars of the survivors may take much longer to resolve, however.

Research has begun into the cause of this event, although few details of note has been identified. One possible explanation was floated by Jaya Chaudhary, host of historical ICE-cast Ghastly Pasts:

“The horror which unfolded in Shamash bears strong similarities to the fate of the generation ship Thetis. This vessel from the 22nd century was discovered in the Nefertem system in 3303. Logs describe how its entire population turned on each other in a murderous rage, after a signal was picked up while passing an unnamed planet. This ‘whispering’ sound compelled everyone who heard it to kill on sight.”

“The Thetis phenomenon had never been encountered before or since – until now. What was once a chilling tale from the pages of history has become a sickening reality. We do not know where the signal was transmitted, how it interacts with the human mind or whether we’ll encounter it again. These questions are attractive to researchers, but uncovering any answers may prove highly dangerous.”

Eliminate Threat of Grey Swan Fleet

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

Commanders have been asked to help destroy the rogue Grey Swan pilots killing civilians in the Shamash system.

Military squadrons taking part in Fleet Exercise Grey Swan became irrationally violent following an unexplained mass hysteria that swept through Garrett Orbital during a fleet training exercise. Captain Ulrich Maurer, commanding officer of the San Tu State Network megaship Khonsu Gleam, broadcast the following message:

“Shamash Future’s security forces have asked us to help stop the carnage taking place throughout this system. No medical or technological solution has been found for affected pilots, who seem reluctant to leave Shamash. Therefore, to prevent the loss of more innocent lives, there is regrettably no choice but to eliminate every ship in the Grey Swan fleet.”

“We are urgently seeking to recruit independent pilots with combat experience. Financial rewards and other incentives will be available at the Khonsu Gleam. Hopefully we can perform this unpleasant task as efficiently as possible.”

Wing Commander Mackenzie Coates was coordinating Fleet Exercise Grey Swan when a bizarre signal caused its crews to become homicidal. She told a local newsfeed:

“This is a nightmarish situation. I’m trained to deal with pirates, invaders and even Thargoids, not to hunt down my own friends and colleagues. The thought of them being turned into deranged savages… I know they wouldn’t want to live like that. But I can’t be the one to pull the trigger – there are survivors on Garrett Orbital who need my help.”

Participants are advised that the Khonsu Gleam aims to complete the combat operation by Wednesday 1st November.

Titan Survivors Kept in Quarantine

Thousands of people rescued from captivity within the Thargoid motherships remain isolated under strict medical and security protocols.

Professor Alba Tesreau, head of Aegis, spoke at a press conference:

“I’m relieved to see that the sub-surface extraction missiles are proving effective, especially considering how quickly they went into production. Many pilots are using them to excavate bio-storage capsules from beneath the hulls of the Thargoid Titans.”

“Each resuscitated individual has undergone an exhaustive range of physical scans and psychological evaluations. Some are being treated for stress-related conditions and mental trauma, but otherwise they appear to be unharmed. With no clear evidence that these people have been infected or influenced by the Thargoids in some manner, Aegis has sent a number of proposals to superpower governments as they consider the next steps.”

Despite this announcement, everyone extracted from a bio-storage capsule remains under military quarantine. The Alliance, Empire, Federation and independent factions have all instructed that any citizen who was abducted by Thargoids must be kept in high-security isolation until further notice.

As discussed by reporter Ernesto Rios for Vox Galactica:

“There is widespread concern that whatever the Thargoids had planned for their human captives was set in motion before rescue efforts began. While scientific analysis of the captives disputes this notion – as all results have thus far – the returnees may face prejudice and mistrust when they are permitted to rejoin society.”

In related news, there are reports that the Thargoid barnacle matrix sites have recently undergone enormous growth, with sightings of ‘towering spires’ and similar megastructures. Aegis and other scientific bodies have sent analysis teams to all known sites to gather data.

Felicia Winters Elected as Federal President

The Federation has voted to elect Felicia Winters as its next president, with a four per cent vote majority over her rival Jerome Archer.

The current shadow president of the Liberal Party will be officially inaugurated in the new year, entering an eight-year term of office. Congressman Isolde Rochester will also be sworn in as vice president in Winters’s administration.

President Zachary Hudson will remain in power during the transition period, but will not be expected to implement any major policy changes. The Liberal Party will replace the Republican Party as the superpower’s governing authority in 3310, with Jerome Archer assuming the role of shadow president.

President-elect Winters addressed her supporters during a celebratory rally in Olympus Village on Mars:

“The people of the Federation have spoken! I thank you all for turning my party’s vision into a reality. My aim is to govern fairly for everybody, regardless of their political allegiance. Together we will create optimism where there was fear, give shelter those who are vulnerable, and improve the quality of life for each and every Federal citizen.”

Vice President Jerome Archer formally conceded the election during a session of Congress:

“My compliments to Felicia Winters, who fought a strong campaign. I look forward to taking on the role of shadow president next year, and ensuring that her government’s proposals are thoroughly scrutinised from day one.”

Former presidents Antonia Madison and Jasmina Halsey – whom Winters temporarily replaced after the Starship One disaster – offered their congratulations. Prime Minister Edmund Mahon of the Alliance, First Minister Octavia Volkov of the Marlinist Colonies, and CEO Li Yong-Rui of Sirius Corporation sent similar messages to the Winters campaign.

No formal acknowledgement was received from the Empire. However, Princess Aisling Duval joined Professor Alba Tesreau and other members of Aegis leadership to state: “We trust that President Winters will remain committed to our unified approach, ensuring the development of technology needed to secure victory in the ongoing Thargoid war.”

First Captives Freed from Thargoid Titans

The first humans rescued from the Thargoid motherships have started to arrive, almost all of whom have so far survived extraction.

The highly dangerous task requires using an upgraded pulse wave xeno scanner to detect human life signs on the Titans. The new sub-surface extraction missiles then target and jettison the bio-storage capsules – as the structures are officially designated – which are then recovered using a cargo scoop.

All recovered individuals are being assessed by medical specialists. The tri-superpower agency Aegis released this statement to the media:

“In each case, research teams successfully cracked open the capsules and removed the comatose person. They were suspended within a chemically complex gel, not unlike amniotic fluid, with tubes supplying breathable air and basic nutrients. Between thirty and ninety minutes later, the person wakes.”

“All recovered individuals are currently being kept in strict medical quarantine under military guard. Molecular scans are being conducted to ensure that no traces of Thargoid material remains, and a period of long-term observation now begins.”

Dr Himari Grey, an independent healthcare analyst, was permitted to observe these procedures. As part of a report in The Empirical scientific journal, she noted:

“The former abductees I have seen looked physically healthy, and returned to consciousness easily. Most remembered little about their abduction, though several mentioned an overwhelming urge to ‘escape their ship’ prior to blacking out. Some described being semi-aware of their time in stasis, saying it felt ‘like an extended dream’. Others were in a state of shock or showed signs of psychological trauma – understandably, considering the nightmarish circumstances.”

“The capsules are clearly designed to sustain oxygen-breathing life forms indefinitely, protected both from the vacuum of space and the Thargoids’ ammonia-based environment. But what the aliens intended to use these people for remains unknown.”

Aegis later stated that identities are being logged and will soon be made public, with the hope that families and friends will be able to visit.

Deliver Resources for Extraction Missile Manufacture

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

Aegis has requested materials to construct sub-surface extraction missiles that recover imprisoned humans from the Titans.

Professor Alba Tesreau, head of Aegis, announced:

“Using blueprints provided by Sirius Corporation, engineering teams have worked around the clock to modify sub-surface displacement munitions. These adaptations enable the projectiles to breach sections of the Titans’ hulls and jettison the bio-storage capsules embedded within.”

“We could spend the next few months in a testing cycle, and ideally that would be the case – but lives are at risk and we can’t be sure how much time our missing have. Therefore, we have approved mass production of these sub-surface extraction missiles. Industrial materials are urgently needed to establish assembly centres, so that we can distribute them as rapidly as possible.”

Princess Aisling Duval, who is coordinating the Empire’s involvement with Aegis, transmitted a personal message:

“My heart goes out to the families and friends of the millions unaccounted for following the Thargoid invasions. But I urge you all to hold onto the hope of seeing your loved ones again. With this breakthrough, we finally have a chance to rescue some of those poor souls. Nobody doubts that this will be dangerous, and yet if this war has proved anything, it’s that we can rise to any challenge when we work together.”

Aegis has requested shipments of CMM composites, neofabric insulation and osmium, to be delivered to Springer Gateway in the Senlu system. To protect transports, bounty vouchers for all wanted ships in the system will be redeemed by the Green Party of Senlu.

Thargoid War Update: September 3309

The race is on to develop technology which can recover humans from Thargoid Titans, reports Vox Galactica journalist Jade Sanderlyn.

“Now we know the stomach-churning truth: the Thargoids are keeping people they abduct alive. The dramatic leak of a high-level conversation within Aegis confirmed that Thargoid tactics had shifted to incorporate the mass abduction of humans. Seo Jin-ae’s telepathic connection to the aliens revealed that captives are being stored inside pod-like structures aboard the Titans. She also sensed that the Thargoids considered these captives an important part of their invasion plan.”

“Aegis took these visions seriously, releasing an update to the pulse wave xeno scanner that was designed to test her hypothesis. Sure enough, those pilots who dared make a close approach to the Thargoid motherships detected human life-signs beneath their hulls. This is where civilians from conquered systems are being held. For what purpose? We scarcely dare imagine.”

“Demands to save these people from their unknown fate have rippled across every inhabited world. To their credit, the three superpowers have empowered Aegis to make this its top priority. Even Sirius Corporation has offered assistance, sharing designs for a modified sub-surface displacement missile that might be capable of extracting these pods from within the Titans. Time is of the essence, since not even Seo Jin-ae knows for certain what the Thargoid intentions are for the prisoners.”

“From the scientific community to the general public, there is enormous speculation. What state will the captives be in, assuming they can be recovered alive? Will they even be recognisably human? Some xenologists claim that the life-support chambers – to protect humans from the Thargoids’ toxic atmosphere – mean a stable physical condition is probably. But whether this is a necessity of their capture methods or an intentional step in a broader process remains unclear.”

“Meanwhile, anti-xeno forces continue to achieve impressive results. The number of Thargoid-controlled systems has reduced significantly from only three months ago. Alien fleets are apparently struggling to expand their territory, with organised system defences supported by the Pilots’ Federation preventing the loss of new systems. What seemed like a near-hopeless task when the Maelstroms arrived has become a shining example of human courage and determination for future generations.”

“This is Jade Sanderlyn for Vox Galactica. Stay safe out there.”

Aegis Resolves to Free Abductees from Titans

With human life-signs now confirmed beneath the hulls of the Thargoid Titans, the urgency to mount a rescue mission has intensified.

Many pilots equipped with the updated pulse wave xeno scanner detected signals that match living humans on every Titan mothership. As a result, Aegis has prioritised finding a way to recover the abducted. A potential solution has emerged, reportedly via a low-ranking engineer within Sirius Corporation.

Director Ivano Colombera, the Empire’s scientific liaison to Aegis, explained:

“Li Yong-Rui has shared Sirius Corporation’s projects to counter Thargoid abductions, and this has accelerated our work. Among their research was a blueprint that repurposes sub-surface displacement missiles – a commonly used mining tool – to breach Thargoid vessels and expose captured escape pods.”

“These missiles were originally designed to extract mineral deposits from within asteroids without causing its destruction. Our consensus is that with some modifications, they could be deployed to target the human storage chambers within the Titan and retrieve the captives safely.”

Aden Tanner discussed the approach with cautious optimism:

“This could be the non-lethal rescue method we've been searching for. However, these missiles are intended for minerals not people, and Thargoid technology is poorly understood. We must ensure that we won't inadvertently harm those we’re trying to save, and prevent an aggressive reaction from the Titans themselves if possible.”

Aegis confirmed that it has begun manufacturing prototype sub-surface missiles capable of penetrating the Titans’ outer hulls. Further developments are expected to be announced shortly.