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‘Ghost Ship’ Arrives in Chukchan System

*Pilots Federation ALERT*

An abandoned megaship that set out two centuries ago has returned on automatic pilot to the Chukchan system.

Local security forces were scrambled to intercept an unidentified vessel that was detected on a collision course with Chukchan 5 B.

The megaship displayed no signs of life, so tugs were deployed to wrench it into a safe orbit. This caused onboard power systems to overload with explosive results, damaging cargo holds and spilling debris.

The name of the ship was confirmed as the Adamastor, but no further information is available in the public domain.

Specialists from the Alliance Salvage Guild boarded the derelict to conduct an investigation. Their preliminary report stated:

“The Adamastor has been travelling at sublight speed through interstellar space for nearly two hundred years. There are no remains of the crew. All escape pods and secondary craft have been launched, and several airlocks were manually opened from within.”

“A complete absence of identification suggests that this ship was intended for clandestine operations. All data drives have been deliberately erased.”

“There is evidence of a reinforced cargo hold, fitted with what looks like the remains of environmental equipment. Recent fire damage makes it impossible to be more specific.”

“The ship’s original destination is unknown, having returned to its launch point on autopilot. Calculating its trajectory implies that it passed near the HIP 61595, HIP 64011 and HIP 65201 systems.”

The Adamastor will remain in orbit for further examination.

Senators Support Nova Imperium

Several Imperial senators have spoken in support of isolationist group Nova Imperium.

Senator Pal Vespasian made the following statement:

“Many of us see Nova Imperium not as extremists, but as realists. The citizenry is afraid of both Thargoid invasion and of being weakened by collaboration with foreign systems. They look to the Emperor for salvation…and she offers them none.”

“We intend to invite Imperator Mordanticus to address the Senate and detail his policies. This is a historic opportunity to restore the Empire’s honour and integrity.”

“Furthermore, Nova Imperium’s proposal to install a new Emperor has my full backing.”

Fringe Doomsayer Cults on the Rise

An increasing number of religious movements in the core systems are proclaiming that humanity is on the verge of destruction.

Awareness of the issue has been raised by independent reporter Gethin Okonkwo, who published an article outlining the phenomenon:

“The return of the Thargoids has led to the emergence of dozens of radical groups. Although their nature varies, the message is the same: the apocalypse is coming.”

“Some of these groups are distinctly religious in flavour. The Church of the Eternal Void, for example, preaches that the war for human souls is almost lost. Their view of the Thargoids as ‘demons from a hellish universe’ and the Guardians as ‘beings of light who have decreed us unworthy of salvation’ runs along classic theological lines.”

“Others, such as Generation Omega, stoically accept that our time is almost over. They state that ‘superior spacefaring lifeforms will naturally destroy inferior ones, just as our own cultures have overrun each other since prehistory’. Generation Omega plans to build mass euthanasia centres for planetary populations, declaring that the human era deserves to end in a dignified manner.”

“Of course there have always been ‘doomsayers’, and naturally our governments refuse to accept them as legitimate. But that hasn’t stopped these organisations from attracting thousands of citizens and millions of credits, with their followers growing in number rapidly.”

“During wartime, many people become desperate for the certainty that such belief systems provide. We are likely to see these radical elements increase their influence as long as the shadow of the Thargoids falls over us.”

Authorities in the core systems responded to Okonkwo’s article by restating that the Thargoid threat is being controlled and that such fearmongering is unwarranted.