Galnet archive

Freelance Report: Diplomatic Summit in Alioth

A summit for the Alliance of Independent Systems was held at Irkutsk Station this week, attended by ambassadors and diplomatic envoys from an array of political backgrounds. Eleven fleets, from both Alliance and Independent governments, were represented.

The main topic under discussion was establishing a framework for a quick-response force to protect parties from the growing threat of Imperial and Federal expansion. Other Topics included factional sovereignty, self governance, the benefits of free trade, and the role of communication in maintaining civility across diverse cultures.

Commander Noir1787 | Radio Sidewinder reporter

Alioth Guardian | Interstellar Press

The Worlds Beyond

Utopian delegates returned today from the first symposium of the Pioneers Cooperative, a group dedicated to supporting expansion into uninhabited space. Also attending were representatives from Loren's Legion, Communism Interstellar, the Black Birds Squadron, Aisling's Angels, the Canonn, the Independent Pilots Consortium, Emperor's Grace, the Mercs of Mikunn, United German Commanders, EXO, the First Great Expedition, the Code, Adle's Armada, the Guardians of Harmony, CHIMERA, the Distant Worlds Admins and the Hutton Orbital Truckers.

"To live is to grow, and mankind must push ever outwards", said one attending Utopian explorer. "Humanity has come here today, unified, under a banner of progress, and Utopia is proud to add its support to this noble venture. Our commune in Takurua demonstrated that expansion beyond the core systems is possible, and the success of Obsidian Orbital in Maia shows that mankind has a shared desire to expand the frontiers of human space and scientific understanding."

Commander Gan

Utopia News Network | Interstellar Press

Prime Minister Mahon Holds Influence over 1,000 Systems

The office of Edmund Mahon has announced the signing of the Prime Minister's one thousandth trade agreement. This is a momentous achievement for the Prime Minister and his supporters, and a testament to the hard work and dedication of independent pilots throughout the Alliance. The achievement is impressive given the Prime Minister's relatively small number of supporters. It is also important to remember that Mahon's space doesn't have the reach of the combined borders of the Federation, and has far less than the Empire. It is evidence that the Alliance should be counted among the galaxy's major powers, and a pointed reminder that it intends to maintain its autonomy.

Commander NOIR1787

Alioth Guardian | Interstellar Press

The Loss of Starship One Linked to Mechanical Failure

The Federal Navy has today released its official report into the disappearance of Starship One. As expected, the 600,000 word document provides a detailed analysis of the inner workings of Starship One, including the first publicly available copy of the schematics for the Sirius Starstrider Class Frame Shift Drive.

The report confirms that the abnormal energy signature detected by Guardian Wing Alpha, immediately prior to Starship One’s last known jump, was almost certainly caused by mechanical failure. The ‘S’ Class is reported as having ‘notoriously high maintenance requirements’ and ‘an abysmally high failure rate, although failure typically results in the FSD shutting down completely’.

Despite going over hours of evidence, including video feeds detailing the last several days of life aboard Starflight One, investigators were not able to identify any signs of foul play. In the end, the team concluded that the cause of Starship One’s misjump was nothing more than a simple engine failure.

In light of the new report, concerned interests from across the galaxy have begun calling for tougher oversight into the development and deployment of Frame Shift Drive technologies.

Shades of the Antares Incident

At a press conference held earlier today, Acting Federal President Felicia Winters made a personal appearance to address the rdisappearance of Starship One after failing to re-enter normal space following a routine hyperspace jump.

“The disappearance of Starship One has us all on edge. Tensions are high, and the rumour mills are making all their usual noise about terrorists, aliens, conspiracies and cover-ups. I’m afraid the truth will likely get you all far fewer viewers, but it is the truth that the people of the Federation need to hear from me now.”

“I’m told the early investigations from telemetry and uplink data suggest an explosive drive failure destroyed Starship One in hyperspace, catapulting all three of her protective Guardian Wing out of hyperspace. Wreckage is likely spread across interstellar space. I’m told there are parallels with the loss of the Highliner Antares way back in 3251 when she was lost with all hands on her maiden voyage.”

“I know I remember where I was when the Highliner Antares disappeared, and I fear we will always remember where we were the day Starship One was lost.”

“While we don’t know what caused this incident – yet – we do know that Starship One’s engines experienced an unexpected surge of power just seconds before making its last jump.”

“The search efforts will continue, of course. Our hearts and hope go out to the friends and families of President Halsey and all those lost yesterday in this terrible incident.”

Federal Search Efforts Continue

It has been almost 48 hours since the disappearance of Starship One. Early reports indicated that the ship was lost with all hands, and in this instance GalNet is pleased to announce that the early reports were mistaken. Three ships from Starship One’s Guardian Wing made contact with Navy HQ shortly after the initial disappearance. Unfortunately, they were not able to shed any light on the ultimate fate of Starship One.

Despite thousands of Federal scouts combing the sectors along Starship One's secured route, designated Spaceflight One, no trace of the missing ship has been found.

Specialist teams from Core Dynamics and the Sirius Corporation are currently attempting to analyse the wake and uplink data captured by the President’s Guardian Wing escorts in the moments before all four ships jumped. Theories involve either a rare misjump or some sort of catastrophic drive failure. Unfortunately, results so far are inconclusive as to what may have happened to President Halsey and her team.

One member of the crew of one of the President’s Guardian Wing, who wished to remain nameless, spoke exclusively to GalNet about the last moments before the President’s disappearance.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. One minute everything was fine. Pre-jump checks? Normal. Engine power? Normal. Our drives were slaved to Starship One, as is normal. The entry to hyperspace seemed normal at first, but then there was a terrible shock wave and our ship started tumbling. We exited hyperspace uncontrolled and in deep space – something I’ve never seen before. Our ship had taken damage. We couldn’t reach Starship One via comms, but managed to make contact with the other two members of the Guardian Wing. We first searched the deep space around our positions, then jumped to the destination point rendezvous as quickly as we could. Nothing. Not even wreckage. ”

The Federal Navy are requesting that any pilots interested in helping to search along the Starflight One route should sign up for active duty as a member of the search and rescue team aboard Leoniceno Orbital in Azaleach.