Galnet archive

Baumann Report: ‘Dismantle Aegis’

The independent inquiry into Aegis has delivered its final conclusions and recommended that the organisation be closed down.

Dr Paul Baumann, who chaired the board of inquiry, summarised the detailed report:

“Aegis was established on solid foundations in 3303 with strong leadership. Over the years, poor mid-level management and general negligence reduced its effectiveness. A silo mentality developed, with each department focusing on itself rather than strategic goals.”

“Reduced funding undoubtedly contributed to low morale among staff and a lack of any further breakthroughs in AX technology. But a reliance on independent pilots to combat the Thargoids became normalised, with some staff considering them ‘disposable mercenaries’.”

“More specifically, the loss of the megaship Alexandria and the illegal attack against Hind Mine are both catastrophes that could have been anticipated and prevented. This board cannot in all conscience recommend any scenario that might enable further loss of life in Aegis’s name.”

Observers have noted that the Baumann Report, as it is commonly referred to, does not discuss Salvation or suggest methods of replacing Aegis.

In related news, the court martial of Admiral Aden Tanner has concluded with a verdict of guilty and a dishonourable discharge from the Federal Navy. However, his sentencing has been postponed by request from newly promoted Fleet Admiral Tayo Maikori, who has ordered a full review of evidence provided by Ram Tah.

Ram Tah’s Revelations Halt Court Martial

The military trial of Admiral Aden Tanner has been suspended following evidence provided by Ram Tah as a witness for the defence.

The Federal Navy tribunal was called to consider multiple charges – including mutiny – held against Tanner, the chief military liaison to Aegis. While commanding the Musashi megaship, he attempted to gain access to Hind Mine station and locate evidence regarding Salvation’s anti-xeno superweapon.

Admiral Tanner’s defence attorney opened a live link with Phoenix Base to allow Ram Tah to provide the following testimony:

“We have analysed the classified experimental equipment that was recently delivered to enable Salvation’s superweapons. These components are near-identical to devices found at the Proteus research facility on Trapezium Sector YU-X c1-2. In 3113, an Azimuth Biochemicals science team conducted weapons testing using Guardian artefacts from this site, accidentally triggering a radiation surge which resulted in their deaths.”

“My hypothesis is that Salvation has constructed large-scale versions of the Proteus design. These generate a powerful electromagnetic pulse at frequencies which disrupt the Thargoids’ bio-mechanical technology.”

“It’s highly probable that this is based on an existing Guardian weapon discovered by the Proteus. This would explain why its presence within a system attracts Thargoid vessels.”

The Federal Navy Criminal Court announced that Admiral Tanner’s court martial has been temporarily suspended while the new evidence is reviewed.

Alliance and Sirius Agree Defence Pact

Sirius Corporation has signed an agreement to provide the Alliance with ships, materials and personnel to help combat the Thargoids.

The Alliance Assembly and the Council of Admirals held a rare joint vote on the issue of inviting the megacorp to become a strategic defence partner. The motion was debated in private and reportedly passed by a slim majority.

Prime Minister Edmund Mahon told The Alliance Tribune:

“The danger posed by the Thargoids is increasing once more, perhaps accelerated by the loss of Aegis and a lack of any binding treaty between the superpowers. It is vital that we make a proactive decision to maintain security for Alliance systems.”

“Sirius Corporation will work closely with the Alliance Defence Force to reinforce our member vessels, focusing exclusively on anti-xeno operations. In return, new commercial agreements will provide the company with increased access to certain financial endeavours.”

Councillor Nakato Kaine spoke on behalf of several disapproving members of the Assembly:

“We are already too entwined with this ruthless corporate giant, so to hand our defences over to them is another blow to the Alliance’s identity. It is also convenient that the details of the pact remain classified under military restrictions. We don’t even know what price we’re paying to hire Sirius to be our guard dog.”

A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Four)

The last in a series that reviews the events of the past year, by noted historian Sima Kalhana.

“October brought further controversy for the Federation, when a diplomatic conference in the Delta Pavonis system was revealed to be a honey trap designed to capture Yuri Grom. Only a rush of support for EG Union allowed their ruler to escape, causing political embarrassment for President Hudson.”

“There was more corporate drama when Zemina Torval relinquished her long-held majority sharehold of Mastopolos Mining, fuelling rumours of a family rift with her cousins. Torval Mining Ltd became a fully independent corporation run by her daughter Constantia.”

“The Colonia Bridge project officially started the first of two phases this year which would see the construction of 56 megaships between the Alcor and Colonia systems. Brewer Corporation enjoyed great public support for improving this travel corridor along the 22,000 light year journey, and revealed plans to enhance it further in the new year.”

“Hadrian Duval, his wife Lady Astrid and their unborn child were the specific targets of another starport bombing by the NMLA. It proved unsuccessful, but did result in the Imperial Senate offering them protection in order to secure the Duval bloodline. It also led to a manhunt for Theta Seven, the galaxy’s most wanted terrorist.”

“In November, Orion University claimed that the dredger occupied by the Scriveners Clan was legally their property, but the nomadic descendants of its original crew refused to give up their home. The stand-off caught the public attention, with some supporting the clan’s right to independence and others keen to discover what their Knowledge Core contained. Ultimately the Scriveners retained their freedom, sailing off into the void with their secrets intact.”

“Many were shocked when Admiral Tanner, Aegis’s military chief, went rogue and tried to force access to a starport controlled by Salvation’s allies. His conviction that the anti-xeno superweapons were responsible for provoking the Thargoids was, however, not enough to win the day.”

“The NMLA threw everything they had at the Mudhrid system in an attempt to rescue Theta Seven, who was hiding among the Far God cult to avoid capture. But the terrorists were crushed by ACT and a coalition of ships, with Theta Seven martyring himself by destroying the hijacked megaship Sacrosanct.”

“A happier event in December was the birth of Hector Duval, son and heir of Hadrian and Lady Astrid. There were celebrations across the Empire, but also questions asked about the future of the Duval dynasty and if the child might one day inherit the Imperial throne.”

“The year ended as it had begun, with Thargoid vessels swarming into nebula systems. But with incursions steadily increasing over recent months, there were fears that this time they might prove unstoppable. Salvation’s superweapons were once again deployed to halt the aliens’ progress, but will they be enough to prevent the Thargoids from threatening humanity in 3308?”

A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Three)

Sima Kalhana reviews the most newsworthy events of the past year in this series of articles.

“July began badly for the Federation, with more factions seceding in response to the Proactive Detection Bureau’s establishment. The newly independent nations severed all links with these new surveillance efforts, inspiring many other systems to do likewise. This secession crisis would rumble on for the rest of the year.”

“The Blue Viper Club, one of the rarely seen dredger clans, joined forces with the Kumo Crew to manufacture a medicinal drug that turned out to be a new strain of onionhead. The drug would ultimately end up being legally distributed by Neomedical Industries, causing Archon Delaine to seek revenge against the corporation.”

“Tensions soared in the Marlinist Colonies during an election for the head of their diplomatic consulate. Aaron Whyte’s candidate had the support of an Imperial senator, which would have given the Neo-Marlinists a powerful voice within the Empire.”

“When a more moderate candidate was elected, the NMLA reacted by bombing both Marlinist starports, murdering tens of thousands including First Minister Jenna Fairfax. It seemed Theta Seven’s extremist views allowed anyone to be targeted as an enemy, even his fellow Marlinists. The civil war concluded in August, with Whyte killed in battle as his supporters were overcome in direct combat.”

“Following accusations of incompetence regarding the vanished Alexandria megaship, Aegis was officially suspended and subjected to a board of inquiry. This would have ramifications for the ongoing conflict with the Thargoids, and encourage Salvation to position himself as an alternative.”

“In the corporate sphere, Zemina Torval created a new subsidiary of Mastopolos Mining that would eventually become an autonomous company. There were rumours that the Torval and Mastopolos families were now at loggerheads after decades of working in unison.”

“In September, the mystery of Hyford’s Cache was finally unlocked. The trail led to revelations of dark experiments which are believed to have involved human test subjects and Thargoid technology.”

“When the Thargoids themselves appeared en masse in the Cornsar system, Salvation was ready for them. An anti-xeno superweapon of undisclosed nature was deployed, wiping out some of the aliens and driving away the rest. It seemed that the self-titled ‘man of science’ had developed something revolutionary, inspiring many to place their faith in him to end the Thargoid menace once and for all.”

A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Two)

Continuing a series of articles by historian Sima Kalhana that look at the most newsworthy events during the past year.

“April 3307 saw the creation of the Federation’s Proactive Detection Bureau in reaction to the Nine Martyrs bombings. This organisation monitored all public and private communications for evidence of terrorists, to prevent similar attacks in future. But its highly controversial nature would soon present the Federation with new challenges.”

“ACT’s investigation led them to the Neo-Marlinist Order of Mudhrid, which had helped deliver the caustic enzyme bombs to their nine targets. The faction’s defeat was an early victory against the NMLA, but much of the organisation remained a mystery.”

“When the ‘ghost ship’ Adamastor began receiving an encoded signal, this began an entire saga of mysteries. Its long-lost sister ship, the Hesperus, was soon located by pilots who had been recruited by an anonymous figure named Salvation. His interest in Azimuth Biochemicals, the 200 year old corporation that owned both vessels, would bring a strange twist to the ongoing Thargoid conflict.”

“In May, Hadrian Duval was targeted by Federal forces after accusations that he was the mastermind behind the NMLA. The spectre of Empire-Federation war rose once again as Nova Imperium successfully defended itself, but ACT concluded that evidence had been falsified to implicate Hadrian and his new wife Lady Astrid.”

“Aegis came under intense scrutiny when the megaship Alexandria, laden with newly collected Guardian artefacts, began attracting Thargoids in every system it jumped to. The Alexandria later vanished completely in hyperspace, and to this day remains missing presumed destroyed.”

“The Alliance election finally took place at the end of May, having been delayed by three months due to the Galactic Summit. Councillor Nakato Kaine fought a spirited campaign, but Edmund Mahon was re-elected to serve a second term as prime minister.”

“Supporters of Neo-Marlinism gained a voice in June, when Minister Aaron Whyte offered a peace deal with the Empire to prevent further terrorism. The idea of a political wing of the NMLA gained support from those fearing further bombings, but opened major rifts within the Marlinist Colonies.”

“Salvation once again contacted pilots to track down survivors from the Hesperus. This led to the discovery of an ancient Guardian-Thargoid battleground, where Azimuth scientists had built a research base around their vessel Proteus. All were killed by unusual experiments into weaponising Guardian crystals.”

“The Proactive Detection Bureau had been generally accepted by Federal citizens, but many claimed it was a violation of civil liberties. Halfway through the year, the Azaladshu Free faction took the bold step of seceding from the Federation, thus triggering the possibility of mass rebellion.”

New Phase for Alliance-Sirius Partnership

The Alliance Assembly has invited Sirius Corporation to collaborate on enhancing protection for member systems against the Thargoids.

Political journalist Vanya Driscoll reported on the development for The Alliance Tribune:

“Sirius Corporation has been a key partner in the Alliance’s expansion programme. Most notably, its subsidiary Sirius Atmospherics helped establish colonies in the Coalsack Nebula to support meta-alloy harvesting.”

“But according to insiders, the suspension of Aegis and the increasing Thargoid presence has raised fears that Alliance systems may be vulnerable to xeno invasion. This has led to Prime Minister Edmund Mahon suggesting a strategic defence contract with the megacorp.”

“In response, CEO Li Yong-Rui himself has travelled to the Alioth system. It’s understood that high-level discussions are taking place on ways in which the company might augment the Alliance Defence Force’s capabilities.”

“Councillor Nakato Kaine, Mahon’s political rival, has repeated her claim that Sirius Corporation has a disturbing amount of influence over some council members. She fears that private agreements are being made behind closed doors, and has called for increased transparency.”

The Triumph of Salvation

Salvation has confirmed that his anti-xeno superweapons successfully routed Thargoids from the Delphi, Maia and Merope systems.

The following message was submitted to all newsfeeds:

“The Thargoid spearhead into human space has been severely blunted. Commodore Halloran coordinated the operation with military precision, and many loyal pilots acted swiftly to provide components for my unique technology.”

“At present, I am not able to deploy these weapons in other systems suffering alien infestation. But my colleagues and I are working day and night on a final solution to the threat. Next year, we will deliver a decisive blow in the war against the Thargoids.”

“I urge the peoples of the galaxy to unite behind my crusade. Aegis is finished. I am the only remaining defence for humanity. I am Salvation.”

Independent pilots and anti-xeno squadrons have been asked to continue combating the remaining Thargoid vessels in the Coalsack, Pleiades and Witch Head Nebula regions. Repair efforts are also still required in the Delphi, Maia and Merope systems.