Galnet archive

Subject D-2 Departs on Lone Mission

Mystery surrounds the unexpected disappearance of Seo Jin-ae, who has reportedly departed the facility she’d been staying at.

Professor Alba Tesreau provided a statement to the media:

“Seo Jin-ae’s mental and physical health have improved over the past three months, with the discomfort caused by her cortical implant significantly reduced. This afternoon, I learned that she failed to attend a routine therapy appointment, and was soon found to have left the facility altogether. Somehow Seo managed to depart without logging her ID at the primary entry point.”

“Initially I feared that she had been abducted by Azimuth operatives, sent by the company which subjected her to horrific neurosurgical procedures. But I soon received a time-delayed communiqué from Seo explaining her departure was voluntary. She offered heartfelt thanks to me and other former Aegis members for our help, but declared: ‘I have unfinished business with Salvation.’”

“I don’t know what this refers to, since Salvation died in HIP 22460. Seo is a headstrong and determined individual who clearly prefers operating alone. I believe she should not be travelling without protection, though. Her ability to interpret the Thargoids’ actions could make her a target for those who mean her harm. I urge anyone who encounters her to alert local authorities.”

Azimuth Biotech offered a response from Director Nassim Qadir , head of the corporation’s medical research division:

“This erratic activity from Ms Seo displays typical characteristics of delusion and paranoid obsession with Salvation, whose death has been confirmed by eyewitness reports. We must question what type of ‘medical help’ she has been subjected to, if it forced her to abscond in this fashion. She would receive far more effective therapeutic care at our facilities.”

Azimuth Conducts AX Weapons Research

The corporation Azimuth Biotech has outlined its plans to support the war effort against the Thargoids by improving ship anti-xeno firepower.

CEO Torben Rademaker was interviewed on The Tau Ceti Journal’s official ICE-cast, where he explained:

“As you may recall, one of the many reasons Aegis became redundant was its poor record in improving AX armaments past the initial rush of designs. Azimuth Biotech has established a research and development division specifically designed to correct their failings at a steady, sustainable pace.”

“One of the inherent limitations with Aegis’s designs is the maximum number of AX weapons that a ship can be outfitted with. The enhanced versions based on Ryder and Nemo’s designs share this limitation. We seek to increase the upper limit of AX weapons a ship can utilise, and our research teams are already reporting promising results.”

One of the ICE-cast’s interactive audience questions asked why Azimuth was not working with Proteus Wave technology to build more anti-xeno superweapons. Rademaker replied:

“Under my guidance, the corporation has moved away from Salvation’s esoteric field of research and adopted a more conventional direction. It seems clear to me that the superweapon project led by my predecessor was, ultimately, a failure.”

Rademaker also answered an accusation that Azimuth was responsible for the loss of life in HIP 22460, and that he should face trial for ‘causing the Thargoid Maelstroms’:

“Sadly, I often come across such simplistic blame-seeking from those with limited comprehension of the issue. The plain fact is that nobody could have predicted the Thargoids’ excessive reaction to our activities in HIP 22460. The Proteus Wave was deemed an acceptable means of ending the war, approved by individuals with far more military experience than Salvation could claim.”

Rademaker’s only response to a subsequent barrage of abuse from a member of Operation Wych-Hunt was less verbose. The interview feed was terminated.

A Retrospective of 3308 (Part Three)

The concluding article in a series by historian Sima Kalhana, providing an overview of last year’s key events.

“The aftermath of the Battle of HIP 22460 was an unsettling time. With Salvation dead, Azimuth Biotech fell under new management and struggled to maintain prominence. The Empire withdrew from further collaborations with the other superpowers. And despite widespread fears of Thargoid reprisals, a xeno-peace movement sought diplomacy with the aliens to prevent further conflict.”

“September brought further mysteries with sightings of eight swirling anomalies in deep space, detectable by ship scanners within a certain range. Initially assumed to be stellar phenomena, these rogue signal sources were later discovered to be travelling faster than light.”

“Professor Alba Tesreau continued to call for Aegis to be reinstated, and held a symposium in October to outline her plans. This was gatecrashed by a woman named Seo Jin-ae, formerly Subject D-2 in Azimuth’s notorious Project Seraph experiments. Her neural link to a Thargoid vessel provided a degree of insight into the aliens’ behaviour. With Tesreau’s help, she later claimed the rogue signal sources were of Thargoid origin, summoned in response to events in HIP 22460.”

“The Far God cult was overjoyed by the Thargoids’ recent victory, but its radical True Chapters sect was accused of sharing classified media from HIP 22460 which included the ‘Thargoid roar’. The Federation outlawed the religion, forcing the True Chapters megaships to flee.”

“By November, it was confirmed that all eight rogue signal sources were approaching the core systems. Congressman Dalton Chase arranged for the xeno-peace movement to outfit the Kingfisher megaship, which was sent to meet and communicate with one of the so-called ‘stargoids’. It was swiftly destroyed, establishing a grim prelude for the bloodshed to follow.”

“Taranis, the first of the anomalies, arrived in Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 on 29th November, manifesting as a colossal gas cloud. This Maelstrom immediately unleashed vast numbers of Thargoid vessels into neighbouring systems, ferociously attacking all orbital and planet-based habitats.”

“The remaining seven Maelstroms arrived during December, empowering the Thargoids to invade and conquer systems. Superpower militaries, anti-xeno squadrons and independent pilots rushed to their defence, but were clearly unprepared for an onslaught of such magnitude.”

“By the end of 3308, Thargoid forces were raging across the core systems, causing millions of casualties and displacing millions more from their homes. The cataclysmic events of the past year have cast a chilling shadow over the future, with only one certainty: that 3309 will be dominated by the Second Thargoid War.”

A Retrospective of 3308 (Part One)

In the first of a three-part series of articles, the historian Sima Kalhana reviews the key events of the past year.

“3308 began with the announcement that the Alliance and Sirius Corporation had agreed an anti-xeno strategic defence pact. This controversial decision would face many challenges before it was ratified, including armed rebellion in the Reorte system.

One of the pact’s driving forces was the loss of Aegis, disbanded following the publication of the Baumann Report. Even the rediscovery of the lost megaship Alexandria could not prevent Aegis’s shutdown, despite evidence that it had been raided by agents with ties of Azimuth Bioschemicals.

The superpowers began establishing their own anti-xeno taskforces and research projects. But their focus was on the mysterious scientist named Salvation, who was developing a superweapon that promised great victories against the Thargoids.

In February, the atrocities of the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army (NMLA) were finally halted. A cabal of Imperial senators named the Lords of Restoration were exposed as its masterminds, planning to oust the Duval and grant exclusive power to the Senate.

This came with the shock discovery that Emperor Arissa Lavingy-Duval had been abducted by the Lords of Restoration over a year ago, replaced by a virtual doppelganger communicating via Imperial Intelligence channels. The private military firm Darkwater Inc, which had trained the terrorists, was wiped out in the Battle of Summerland. This victory was notable for ending the NMLA threat and returning Arissa to the throne.

There was also drama within the Federation, as President Zachary Hudson proposed to remove the fixed term limit for presidents. This would allow him to stand for re-election in 3309. The Hudson Contravention brought public unrest, which only calmed when the congress decided to postpone their vote. It remains an outstanding issue, even as a presidential election year approaches.

March saw the completion of the Colonia Bridge, after several multi-stage initiatives. Starports and stationary megaships now formed a permanent travel corridor from the core systems to the distant Colonia region.

The Thargoids emerged again in April with the invasion of the Didio, Novas and Sosong systems. This brought an opportunity for the superpowers to work together with Salvation. Interviews with Jade Sanderlyn provided insights into each superpower’s approach. Within mere months, their reliance on Salvation would lead to an event that altered tje course of history.

The Time for Aegis?

Professor Alba Tesreau has again called for the anti-xeno initiative Aegis to be reformed by the superpowers.

“The arrival of the Maelstroms has escalated the Second Thargoid War beyond anything we have experienced before. The Thargoids are relentlessly attacking every human settlement within reach. And that reach is steadily expanding on eight fronts, spreading deeper into the core systems.”

“In these dire circumstances, the decision to shut down Aegis seems to be a grave mistake. Now, more than ever, superpower-level resources are needed to establish large-scale research and defence projects. This is the surely the time for Aegis to be revived with as much funding and resources as possible.”

“My symposium in October proved that there is an increasing appetite for collaboration. Many Allied and Federal military leaders have already discussed working together. Shadow President Winters recently suggested helping those beyond Federal borders, and Deputy Prime Minister Corcoran has championed the prospect of coalition in the Alliance.”

“Sadly, the Empire’s current isolationist policy means that Aegis would necessitate a return as a dual-superpower initiative. But even that would be an improvement on the fractured, uncoordinated response to the Thargoid conquests.”

There has been no official response to Professor Tesreau from the Alliance or Federation, but several individual congressmen and council members have repeated their support for the reformation of Aegis.

In the Empire, only the Citizens’ Chronicle newsfeed reported on Tesreau’s ongoing campaign, commenting: “Even among the Imperial nobility, few dare to question the Emperor’s decree. But those few are growing bolder.”

Enhanced AX Weapon Update

Pilots’ Federation ALERT

The continued project to provide enhanced AX weaponry for all ships has announced its latest progress update.

Independent pilots have been tasked with establishing a manufacturing base at select locations in the core systems. Thanks to these focused efforts, the following weapons are now available for purchase:

Enhanced AX Multi-cannon (Turreted)

Enhanced AX Missile Rack (Turreted)

Enhanced AX Multi-cannon (Fixed)

These modules are offered at all rescue megaships, which can be found using the Galaxy Map filter. Ships looking to engage Thargoid forces are advised to equip these weapons, particularly in Maelstrom systems where Guardian-based technology has proven ineffective.

Work continues on the other enhanced weapons, based on designs by the engineers Liz Ryder and Zacariah Nemo which improve the original Aegis models. A further update will be provided next Thursday, unless no additional modules have been established during the week.

Plans for Enhanced AX Weaponry Accelerate

Two leading engineers have revealed designs to improve the stock anti-xeno weaponry available to pilots.

Liz Ryder and Zacariah Nemo have provided module modifications for many years, specialising in explosive and kinetic weapons respectively. Over the past year they have collaborated privately on the AX weapon designs introduce by Aegis in 3303, seeking to improve the efficiency of delivering a compound, hazardous to Thargoid vessels, which tips AX ammunition.

While something of a pet project between the two, the recent invasion of human space by Thargoid forces has made the need for these designs far more urgent. Ryder explained to The Imperial Herald:

“Zac and I share a passion for weapon upgrades, and have often used this project as a way to unwind after a long week’s work. He’s a weird guy but fascinating to work with. But when the Taranis signal arrived and the Thargoid forces started taking control of systems, we knew we had to reveal the designs to the public.”

“They’re not quite ready to go, though, which is why we’re only announcing the project now. We’re going to need help from independent pilots to finish off the prototypes and get a manufacturing base set up.”

The designs would improve the effectiveness of both the fixed and turreted AX multi-cannon and missile rack designs. A gimballed AX multi-cannon is also scheduled, with a campaign to introduce this coming next week.

Details about each weapon’s project is available from most mission boards.

Council of Admirals Divided Over Unified Fleet

The Alliance Defence Force has been unable to reach a consensus over the proposal to combine the superpowers’ forces against the Thargoids.

Admirals Liam Flanagan , George Varma and Rachel Ziegler all openly support the concept of a unified fleet formed of Allied, Federal and Imperial vessels. However, Admirals Nikolas Glass, Maristela Silva and Tahir West have rejected this in favour of focusing on the strategic defence pact with Sirius Corporation.

Fleet Admiral Hayley Sorokin, the highest ranking officer in the Alliance Defence Force, has yet to reveal her own view. When pressed by a journalist from the Old Worlds Gazette, she commented: “A decision of such magnitude is more political than military, and therefore the province of the Assembly.”

There was a more forthright statement from Admiral Ziegler, who previously commanded an Allied anti-xeno taskforce:

“This refusal to accept that we must come together to fight the Thargoids is enormously disappointing. Many of our counterparts in the Federal Navy are keen to increase links between militaries, and I firmly believe that we would soon convince the Empire to join us. We must not indefinitely rule out re-establishing Aegis or a similar anti-xeno initiative.”

In related news, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Corcoran has proposed a bill to the Assembly approving the reformation of Aegis. However, this has not received enough support to be formally debated and would achieve little without similar acts in the Federal Congress or Imperial Senate.