Galnet archive

Freelance Report: Out of Reach, Not Out of Mind

Following recent reports of a possible alien wreck in the Pleiades, the Canonn Interstellar Research Group has released further information about the Unknown Probe.

Shortly after planetary data was found in the Probe's tight-beam transmission, a message was sent to the Canonn from a pilot by the name of Commander Wace. It read: "The headerless octal number - it is distance compared to Merope!"

A list of data followed, obtained by monitoring the Unknown Probe in different systems. The octal number was shown to steadily decrease as Commander Wace neared the permit-locked Col 70 Sector.

In an impressive display of field mathematics, Commander Wace pin-pointed the Col 70 Sector FY-N C21-3 system as the Probe's 'zero point'. Unfortunately, the Canonn is prevented from further investigation of the system by the permit lock of the Col 70 Sector.

Commander Han Zen

Freelance Report: Unknown Probe Transmission Decrypted by Canonn

The Canonn Interstellar Research group has discovered, recorded and translated a tight-beam transmission from an Unknown Probe directed at Merope 5c.

Research into the Probes has so far been hindered by their scarcity, but with the number of Probes found increasing, transmission analysis efforts ramped up, leading to successful decryption. The transmission was found to contain blocks of octal numbers describing planetary data such as radius, surface temperature, gravity and atmospheric composition.

The nature of the 'receiver' on Merope 5c is now under investigation.

Commander Muetdhiver

Freelance Report: Dr Arcanonn Appeals for Help

The image transmitted by the mysterious Unknown Probes is still a mystery. But while the image occupies his teams, Dr Arcanonn of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group believes there is more to discover about the Probes themselves. The problem is supply.

"The only known sources of Unknown Probes are Federal military convoys in the Ross 47, G 99-49, Wolf 294 and Wolf 504 systems."

"The Federal military apparently knows where the Probes can be found, but they're keeping it a secret, so it's up to us to lift the veil."

"Since Unknown Artefacts are found in a 135–150 light year shell around Merope, we believe the probes are in a similar region - possibly even the same region. We also think they will be found in anomalous signal sources, the same as the Artefacts."

"So please help science, and break the Federal monopoly on these Probes. It could be the most important thing you ever do."

Commander Lord Zoltan

Galactic News: Unknown Probe Breakthrough

The Canonn Interstellar Research Group has announced that one of its scientists has made a discovery regarding the so-called Unknown Probes.

According to a statement, a pilot by the name of Commander Rizal72 has confirmed that when the mysterious objects are examined with an advanced discovery scanner, they emit an electro-magnetic pulse that temporarily incapacitates the scanning ship. The pulse is followed by a brief burst of sound, similar in nature to the 'chittering' produced by the Unknown Artefacts.

Following this announcement, Commander Rizal72's colleagues at the Canonn Interstellar Research Group began subjecting recordings of the sound to various tests. They soon discovered that the sound contained an encrypted image, which some have interpreted as a depiction of interstellar bodies.

The meaning of the image, and the origin and purpose of the Probes, remains unclear. Clearly, there remains much to discover.

Freelance Report: The Demands of Supply

"Commanders are advised to search within nebulae for rocky or high-metal content worlds with a composition of between 66.5% and 99.1% rock and 8.9% and 33.5% metal, with 0% ice. Temperatures between 194K and 451K should be sought. To narrow the field, Commanders should also seek bodies with gravity between 0.06g and 0.3g."

This text is taken from 'Barnacle Search Criteria', a recent publication from the Canonn Interstellar Research Group.

Commentators are divided on what impact, if any, this information will have on the increasingly volatile situation in and around the Merope system. But many agree that if the barnacles are being viewed as a finite resource, the Canonn's data may serve to defuse tensions, at least temporarily.

The publication of the criteria is believed to have followed a private conference between Dr Arcanonn and Professor Cora Shaw, director of the Palin Institute. Dr Arcanonn commented:

"We must not let the drums of war drown out the fact that the stated positions of the Federation and the Empire are, upon review, far from irreconcilable."

Freelance Report: Canonn at Full Tilt

Following a recent statement from Admiral Maxton Price of the Federal Navy concerning Farragut Battle Cruisers in the Merope system, Dr Arcanonn of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group has responded:

"Admiral Price's authoritative assurance is most welcome. Canonneers and other researchers can hereafter refer to his words as we learn more about the barnacles, and why the Unknown Artefacts point towards Merope."

Dr Arcanonn also confirmed that barnacle sites had been located in the Witch Head Nebula, while Canonn vessels continue to search for barnacles in other nebulae.

Concluding his statement, Dr Arcanonn commented on the elusive Unknown Probes – believed to be related to Unknown Artefacts.

"We are now examining an Unknown Probes secured by my esteemed colleague Professor Monkey D Luffy. Early research indicates that it orients itself towards Merope 5 C, a site of barnacle proliferation. Obviously, Merope remains under intense scrutiny."

Nicholas Powell

Galactic News: Federation Issues Rebuttal

Admiral Maxton Price of the Federal Navy has rejected claims that Farragut Battle Cruisers stationed in Merope have made unprovoked attacks on independent pilots operating in the area. In a statement, Admiral Price argued that the allegations were baseless, and that the Federation had not initiated any conflict:

"It is true that Federal vessels have exchanged fire with independent pilots, but these exchanges were not instigated by the Federation, and any claims to the contrary are false."

Admiral Price was asked to respond to calls from Dr Arcanonn of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group for a public enquiry into the Federal presence in Merope. He responded:

"The presence of Federal ships in Merope is entirely legitimate. If our ships are fired upon, they will respond in kind, but I can assure you that the Federation does not have a military agenda in Merope."

Freelance Report: Escalation in Merope?

Following reports of unprovoked assaults on Canonn vessels from Farragut Battle Cruisers in the Merope system, Dr Arcanonn of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group has released the following statement:

"This is a regrettable misstep, and I invite the Federation to explain how these battle cruisers can represent anything other than militarised resource denial. The presence of gun emplacements by as-yet unknown parties was already a cause for concern, and this worrying development smacks of gunboat diplomacy."

At least eight Farragut Battle Cruisers are understood to have been sighted in Merope, all identified as Federal.

Dr Arcanonn continued: "I am morally compelled to insist on a public inquiry examining the deployment of warships to a system that plays home to an insufficiently understood phenomenon."

Commander Nicholas Powell