Galnet archive

Conflict Erupts in the Reorte System

*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*

The Reorte Mining Coalition has declared its intent to remove the Sirius Corporation presence from its home system.

The megaship Chariot of Rhea arrived in Reorte as part of Sirius Corporation’s new role as the Alliance’s strategic defence partner. But the system’s controlling faction ordered it to withdraw. The megaship’s non-compliance has resulted in skirmishes targeting Sirius forces.

Fergus Cassidy, CEO of the Reorte Mining Coalition, announced:

“We fully support Councillor Kaine’s position that Sirius Corporation is operating illegally under Alliance law. Therefore, we will defend our territory from this aggressive foreign entity.”

A response was broadcast by Captain Delfina Dominguez of the Sirius Navy, who commands the Chariot of Rhea:

“Our presence is authorised by the military contract between Sirius Corporation and the Alliance Defence Force. If local forces continue to attack, we will have no option but to defend our assets.”

The fighting is not believed to have reached surface level and is expected to remain a ship-based conflict.

To rally support from independent pilots, both factions are offering access to permit-locked systems. Reorte Mining Coalition will sponsor distribution of an Alioth system permit, while Sirius Corporation will authorise a permit to the Sirius system.

Prime Minister Edmund Mahon has ordered the Reorte Mining Coalition to cease hostilities immediately. However, Councillor Ainsley Niven – who represents Reorte in the Assembly and is a political supporter of Nakato Kaine – claims that the faction has the right to protect its territory, since it was not invited to ratify the defence pact.

Reorte Resists Sirius Corporation

The presence of Sirius Corporation in the Reorte system at the Alliance’s invitation has been challenged by the controlling faction.

In its new role as a strategic defence partner, Sirius Corporation recently established itself in several Alliance systems. But its megaship in Reorte, Chariot of Rhea, has found itself blockaded by system security and refused permission to offload cargo or personnel.

A broadcast was made by Fergus Cassidy, CEO of the Reorte Mining Coalition:

“Councillor Kaine is right to say that Sirius is acting illegally. The prime minister did not consult us or any other Allied faction on working with them, and there’s good reason to be sceptical of their motives. We regard the Chariot of Rhea as an intruder and insist that it leaves immediately.”

Li Yong-Rui has assured Alliance leaders that Sirius Corporation will only be collaborating on anti-Thargoid defence projects. He stressed that there will be no disruption to any local civil or commercial activity.

The Alliance Tribune commented on the situation:

“Many Allied systems welcomed the news that our military is being bolstered by Sirius Corporation. But others expressed disapproval, particularly among the Old Worlds where the populations tend to be more sceptical of change. What happens in Reorte could determine whether or not the new defence pact becomes widely accepted.”

Sirius Gov Enters the Alioth System

Prime Minister Edmund Mahon has invited Sirius Corporation to establish a permanent presence within the Alliance.

The Alliance Tribune’s political correspondent Vanya Driscoll reported:

“Sirius Corporation’s new role as a strategic defence partner has expanded swiftly, with a Sirius faction established in the Alioth system to represent the megacorp. In addition, several megaships have arrived in other Allied systems to provide support.”

“The Alliance Defence Force and some government departments now have official advisors from Sirius Corporation on their staff. Prime Minister Mahon announced that these developments will streamline joint operations with the Sirius Navy, and in turn provide effective countermeasures against Thargoid aggression.”

“But Councillor Nakato Kaine claims that the presence of Sirius Gov is illegal as it was not ratified by the Assembly. She has pointed out that since the defence pact makes this a classified military matter, any civil action to reverse Mahon’s executive decision has been deliberately blocked.”

Sirius Navy Unites with Alliance Defence Force

A new member has been appointed to the Council of Admirals to represent Sirius Corporation as the Alliance’s strategic defence partner.

Political correspondent Vanya Driscoll reported for The Alliance Tribune:

“There are always six seats on the Council of Admirals, taken by senior military commanders from the largest regional fleets. Not only is this the first time that a seventh position has been created, it’s also the first to come from outside the Alliance.”

“The new addition is Admiral Nikolas Glass, a highly decorated officer with the Sirius Navy. His new role is to coordinate the Alliance’s anti-Thargoid operations, which from now on will be directly supported by Sirius Corporation.”

“Prime Minister Edmund Mahon and Fleet Admiral Hayley Sorokin both endorsed this development as a way of strengthening the Alliance Defence Force, which lacks the might of the Federal or Imperial Navy. Many member systems have demanded increased protection against the Thargoid threat, so this news is likely to be well received.”

“As expected, Councillor Nakato Kaine opposed the defence pact, with Admiral George Varma also critical of ‘merging commercial interests with military matters’. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Corcoran also admitted that she abstained during the recent joint vote, but chose not to elaborate on her reasons. So it seems that the Assembly is not fully confident about this union with Sirius Corporation.”

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 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.”

New Alliance Starports Become Operational

*Pilots Federation ALERT*

Two Alliance stations have been constructed following a successful re-election campaign by Prime Minister Edmund Mahon.

Enterprise Market in the LHS 2522 system and Prosperity Core in the Sharru Sector FW-W c1-19 system are now fully operational. Prime Minister Mahon welcomed visitors to the new starports, promising that they would “further enhance the Alliance’s commitment to creating opportunities”.

However, Councillor Nakato Kaine triggered heated debate in the Alliance Assembly when she made this announcement:

“My investigation turned up irregularities in the tritium mining campaign, suggesting that it only received enough deliveries to allow one starport to be built. Furthermore, docking records seem to indicate that Sirius Corporation made up the shortfall with a number of unregistered donations.”

“Sirius Corporation now has a presence in the Sharru Sector FW-W c1-19 system. This suggests disturbing parallels with the company’s recent dealings to help build Archon Delaine’s new starports. The question is – what did Mahon promise in return?”

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister clarified that Sirius Corporation was one of many companies currently partnered with the Alliance to support its expansion programme. It did not address the discrepancy in tritium deliveries or refer to any contributions from the megacorp.