Galnet archive

Investor Funds Colonia Shipyards

Renowned billionaire Zachary Rackham, owner of Rackham Capital Investments, has made a sizeable charitable donation to build new shipyards in the Colonia region.

Mr Rackham, known in some circles as ‘Calico Zack’, made this statement:

“If there’s one thing I remember from flying around the galaxy in a second-hand Sidewinder with a leaky life-support module and only fifty credits in my pocket, it’s the thrill of exploration. And Colonia is the embodiment of that spirit, the farthest-flung outpost of civilisation.”

“That’s why I want to support it by funding the development of new shipyards. Every planetary port in the region, bar Colonia Hub, will soon be able to offer pilots the support services they need. It’s my way of celebrating a youth filled with poverty and danger, by giving a boost to the next generation of explorers.”

Bryanna Blanco, a financial journalist for The Federal Times, also published a statement:

“Obviously this is tremendous news for Colonia and all those operating within the region. The timing of Rackham’s donation is curious, however, coming as it does shortly before a company-wide audit. Having such a colossal sum placed beyond the reach of tax officials will certainly help that old pirate – and his crew of accountants – sleep better at night.”

INRA Descendant Murdered

A descendant of Amaro Hem, one of the INRA’s senior members, has been murdered by terrorist group the League of Reparation. His body was found in the wreckage of a crashed ship.

Senior Agent Tanya Ramirez, part of the tri-superpower taskforce investigating the League, provided a full explanation at a press conference:

“We have identified the deceased as Luca Hem, an unemployed construction worker living at Houtman City in the Aeternitas system. He was reported missing by his family two weeks ago. We can confirm that he was the great-grandson of Amaro Hem, who was a programme coordinator with the INRA.”

“Luca Hem’s body was found strapped into an ancient Cobra Mk III, the same model flown by Commander Jameson. Forensics indicate he was still alive when the ship struck an asteroid in the Aeternitas A Belt. The Cobra’s derelict condition suggests it wasn’t travelling under its own power, and was most likely salvaged from a scrapyard specifically for this purpose.”

“According to logs discovered at the Taylor Keep INRA facility, Amaro Hem was responsible for ensuring that Jameson did not return from his mission against the Thargoids. This staged murder, recreating the circumstances of Jameson’s death, is obviously intended as an act of poetic justice by the League of Reparation.”

“Luca Hem’s wife and children have been taken to secure locations for their own protection, as have nine individuals from other families related to Amaro Hem.”

Agent Ramirez concluded:

“It’s clear that the League is using theatrical tactics to ensure its message reaches the media. Our taskforce is working hard to discover more about this organisation, and to bring these terrorists to justice.”

Coalition of Othime Campaign

The Coalition of Othime has announced plans to develop refinery facilities in its home system through the construction of a new asteroid base.

A spokesperson for the Coalition said:

“Othime relies heavily on its refineries, but those refineries are limited to small and medium cargo vessels, which limits the amount of revenue we can generate. A new asteroid base would allow us to support large ships, such as the Anaconda and Imperial Cutter, and allow us to compete with other refineries in the sector.”

The organisation has placed an open order for various commodities, and has placed a kill order on all ships on its wanted list to ensure that those contributing material to the campaign can do so safely. Pilots who contribute to the initiative will be generously rewarded.

The campaign begins on 8th of March 3304 and will run for one week. If the final target is met earlier than planned, the campaign will end immediately.

Galactic News: Taipan AX1 Announced

A spokesperson for Faulcon DeLacy has announced that the manufacturer has teamed up with Aegis to produce a new version of its popular fighter, the Taipan. The spokesperson confirmed that the development was a direct response to the rising Thargoid threat.

Barr Winters, a Faulcon DeLacy engineer who worked on the new Taipan, elaborated on the ship’s specifications:

“The new Taipan has been equipped with two AX multi-cannons, replacing the default utility mount and small hardpoints. These cannons are slightly punchier than standard, which we hope will make the ship particularly effective against Thargoid vessels.”

The new Taipan, which will be known as the AX1, is not to be confused with the existing Aegis Taipan variant. The ship will be available from the 13th of November 3303.

Galactic News: Curious Message Discovered

A group of EM-transmission technology enthusiasts in the Tionisla system claims to have found a message in the exploration data gathered last year as part of a campaign organised by the Children of Raxxla.

A spokesperson for the group, which calls itself The Hamsters, said:

“It was inside one of the beacon modulator wave harmonics, and it seems to be some sort of rhyme. We’ve studied it but have come up with nothing, so we thought we’d share it with the galactic community.”

The message is reprinted in full below.

The river to the underworld

Gaia’s daughter all unfurled

Fourth minor bear in vain

By viper’s sting was slain

Also known as Nemesis

The doom of Chimera

She is tasked with soothing pain

Suckling Odysseus from afar

Mother of the mother of

Leader of the Titans

He transformed into a hawk

A daughter of Daedalion’s

The piercer was how he was known

Mother of Ulysses

Ruler of the winds

God of night, primordial flees

Zeus’ namesake now lies in Sol

Achilles’ favoured horse

Women of vengeance infernal

The vain queen rides not forth

A final word, a course to follow, a poor miser’s sum

If you would understand it all, seek Fibonacci’s Zephyrum

Galactic News: Distress Call Received from Col 70 Sector

Recent reports indicate that a garbled distress call from somewhere in the Col 70 sector has been received. The news has been met with surprise from some quarters, given that permit restrictions have made the sector relatively inaccessible.

"We're not sure what to make of it," said Perry Hussein, a member of the Federal intelligence community, "but it was definitely a distress call and the ship that sent it appears to have been destroyed. The telemetry indicates it was an older vessel, perhaps Cobra class."

Galactic News: Theft at Darnielle's Progress

A carefully orchestrated heist, involving the theft of a large quantity of meta-alloys, has taken place at Darnielle's Progress in the Maia system.

Security personnel at the starport confirmed that an unidentified Cobra-class vessel was involved in the robbery. After the ship docked at the starport, the pilot and four other passengers disembarked before the ship was serviced and refuelled.

Later, the pilot requisitioned the largest available quota of meta-alloys, whereupon the automated units inexplicably loaded it to maximum capacity. The Cobra immediately departed, breaking speed limits and ignoring hails.

Attempts were made to track the ship, but no trace of it was found.

Investigations are ongoing. Pilots are asked to report any sightings of a Cobra with the callsign 'lima uniform charlie'.

Galactic News: Theft at Darnielle's Progress

A carefully orchestrated heist, involving the theft of a large quantity of meta-alloys, has taken place at Darnielle's Progress in the Maia system.

Security personnel at the starport confirmed that an unidentified Cobra-class vessel was involved in the robbery. After the ship docked at the starport, the pilot and four other passengers disembarked before the ship was serviced and refuelled.

Later, the pilot requisitioned the largest available quota of meta-alloys, whereupon the automated units inexplicably loaded it to maximum capacity. The Cobra immediately departed, breaking speed limits and ignoring hails.

Attempts were made to track the ship, but no trace of it was found.

Investigations are ongoing. Pilots are asked to report any sightings of a Cobra with the callsign 'LMC'.