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Galactic News: Bentonio's Request Rebuffed

Arlo Cortez, a member of Jasmina Halsey's personal staff, has responded to a recent statement from Ricardo Bentonio, the notorious conspiracy theorist. In an official press release, Cortez said:

"The suggestion that Jasmina has been somehow 'silenced' by oppressive governmental powers is patently ridiculous. The decision to admit Jasmina to the Clearwater Clinic was made by her friends and family. No one else was involved."

Cortez also said that Bentonio's request to meet with Halsey would not be granted:

"Our paramount concern is that Jasmina receive the care and attention she needs. She will not be meeting with members of the press, representatives of the Federation, or crackpot conspiracy theorists."

Freelance Report: Conspiracy Theorist Defends Halsey

Notorious conspiracy theorist Ricardo Bentonio, speaking from the Groombridge 34 system, has issued a statement of support for former Federal president Jasmina Halsey:

"They're calling Halsey crazy, but she may just be a modern-day Joan of Arc – a conduit chosen by the Architects of Creation to speak to mankind. The powers-that-be want to silence her by locking her away. I demand that I and a small group of scientists be granted an audience with President Halsey so we can find out the truth."

Bentonio recently made headlines after issuing a plea for cartographic data to prove that the 29th of February was an 'aberrant day' heralding the imminent collapse of the universe. What Mr Bentonio did with that data, and whether it helped to prove or disprove his theories, has not been released to the public.

Commander Finn McMillan

Galactic News: Jasmina Halsey to Undergo Psychiatric Review

A member of Jasmina Halsey's personal staff has announced that the former president's appeal for exploration data failed to uncover any evidence of the entities she claims to have seen. The campaign yielded a huge quantity of exploration data, but despite being subjected to extensive examination, the information did not yield any proof of Halsey's assertions.

The spokesperson went on to say that the former Federal president had been admitted to a secure psychiatric facility on Mars for "extended care and review". This announcement follows weeks of speculation concerning Halsey's mental health, which was called into question by commentators both within and outside the Federation.

Halsey's spokesperson declined to answer journalists' questions.

Galactic News: Exploration Data Appeal Reaches Conclusion

The office of Jasmina Halsey has announced that the former president's appeal for exploration data has reached a successful conclusion. Although Halsey's claims of transcendent experiences have been dismissed by much of the political elite, the wider galactic community was more receptive, with hundreds of independent pilots taking to their ships to gather exploration data for Halsey's appeal.

In the wake of the appeal's success, a member of Halsey's personal staff released a statement to the media:

"On behalf of President Halsey, I would like to thank all those who supported this appeal. The data you submitted will now be analysed to determine if it can tell us more about the beings seen by President Halsey. With luck, this investigation will set us on a path to making contact with these extraordinary beings."

Community Goal: Jasmina Halsey Appeals for Exploration Data

Since being discharged from the medical centre at Leoniceno Orbital, former Federal president Jasmina Halsey has repeatedly spoken about the allegedly transcendent experiences she had while drifting through space.

The former leader purports to have seen "the true architects of creation" and to have been shown what she describes as "the infinities of the cosmos" – assertions that, along with her slowed speech, have seen her condemned as mentally unstable by some commentators.

Now the former president has launched an appeal for exploration data that she hopes will validate her claims. According to a member of her personal staff, the former leader believes the data will prove there are super-intelligent beings living in the depths of space.

The former Federal president released a brief statement to the media:

"They are out there. I have seen them. We must put aside our petty differences and work together to establish contact. There is so much we could learn from them."

The Azaleach Partnership has agreed to coordinate the campaign on Halsey's behalf, and to reward pilots who deliver exploration data to Leoniceno Orbital. The appeal begins on the 7th of April 3302 and will run for one week.

Freelance Report: Following the Breadcrumbs

Imperial investigator Cornelius Gendymion has released a statement to the Prism Herald addressing accusations that Imperial agents were responsible for the destruction of Starship One.

"It seems Federal Times reporter Elaine Boyd's investigations are being ignored by her countrymen. You may recall that she highlighted the suspicious deaths of key individuals involved in both the Antares and Starship One investigations before her alleged suicide. Her data detailed an off-the-books investigation into the Antares by Vice-President Nigel Smeaton, and also alleged that he was murdered."

"Congressman George Fallside's apparent foreknowledge of Smeaton's death was waved away, but I suspect Jacob Harris might have better luck finding Starship One's saboteurs if he searched within the Federation – perhaps starting with folks who have ties to Core Dynamics."

Commander Corrigendum | Loren's Legion

Galactic News: Did the Empire Destroy Starship One?

Tensions between the Federation and the Empire look likely to increase following an announcement from Federal politician Jacob Harris. In a statement released to The Federal Times, Harris claimed that the destruction of Starship One was not the result of mechanical failure, as was widely reported, but was in fact the result of deliberate sabotage by Imperial agents.

"I cannot identify my sources for fear of compromising their safety," said Harris, "but I can assure you that their information is correct. Starship One was destroyed by the Empire in an attempt to destabilise the Federal power base. It was made to look like an accident – the official Federal investigation even concluded it was an accident – but it most certainly was not."

Imperial officials were quick to condemn Harris's claims, citing both his lack of evidence and his reluctance to reveal his sources. Among those voicing scepticism was Senator Zemina Torval.

"This is nothing more than uncorroborated gossip," said the senator, "and it is highly irresponsible of Jacob Harris to disseminate such rumours. The Empire would never perpetrate such an act, and given Harris's well-known predilection for scaremongering, I think only a fool would believe him."

The Federation appeared less eager to dismiss Harris's claims, although a statement from Shadow President Felicia Winters indicated that she was not necessarily ready to accept the story, either.

"These rumours are certainly troubling, but it would be highly imprudent for us to believe them without evidence. Harris has made an extraordinary claim, so the burden of proving that claim rests with him."

Galactic News: Halsey Talks to the Media

Former Federal president Jasmina Halsey spoke to select reporters at Leoniceno Orbital today, answering the questions many have wanted to ask since she was recovered from the wreckage of Starship One. When asked about Starship One's destruction, Halsey replied:

"I remember very little, really. A thunderous noise, then silence. Being thrown across the bridge in my chair, and then being unable to breathe. I remember one of my bodyguards getting me to the pod as things floated about silently, like a dream. The last thing I remember is a terrible pain in my ears and a very loud noise as the pod filled with what looked like steam."

The former president's voice was distant, and she seemed to drift off between sentences. She certainly did not sound like the forceful leader from earlier this year.

A reporter from the Alliance Tribune asked President Halsey what it was like to drift through space for so long:

"It was wonderful. Amazing. I saw the universe, and our galaxy within it, as I'd never seen it before, and I felt the presence of the real caretakers of our galaxy. The paradox of their existence - tiny yet gargantuan, fleeting yet eternal. They spoke to me as I drifted in the void. It was amazing. I must share their message."

This unorthodox statement prompted a flurry of further questions, but Halsey's escorts promptly led her from the room.