Winking Cat

Template:CharacterInfobox The Winking Cat is an unidentified individual who has been responsible for a number of high-profile art thefts in Alliance, Empire, and Federation space between 3304 and 3307. The thief's signature is an image of a winking cat, which is left behind in place of the stolen items.

Timeline

Template:Scrollbox-begin 12 OCT 3307

• The secretive gambling circle of the super-rich has been raided by the notorious criminal known only as the Winking Cat. The information was revealed by Francesca Wolfe of the Wallglass Investigations Agency, who infiltrated the event. Her report, which was relayed from an unidentified location, has been published by her fellow detective Erik Gunnarson. "I'm not sure this will reach Gunnarson, but I must try. After the security alert the staff started getting their IDs checked, which might have revealed mine to be fake. I managed to slip out of the warehouse and into an abandoned industrial district. I still don't know what planet I'm on, but I've found an old comms transmitter to send this message. Before I escaped, I learned what had caused the alert. There was a VIP ceremony involving the group's most precious possession: an ancient Joker playing card. Apparently this has been passed between senior members of Jokers' Deck for centuries, always held by the current host. But when Lexi October publicly unveiled the card, she found it had been replaced by one showing a different graphic – a winking cat. It's two years since we’ve heard from the galaxy's greatest larcenist, but there's no doubt that only the Winking Cat's legendary skills could have circumvented their security systems. I'm fascinated that a battered scrap of card has greater value than any of the billion-credit items being wagered here. Guards are searching for the thief now. I hope I can get off-world before they find me instead. They're armed to the teeth and not in the mood to talk..."

31 AUG 3305

• The notorious art thief known as the Winking Cat has resurfaced in the Alioth system during the Alliance Festival of Culture. For the festival's sixth week, Garden City Gallery on Turner's World hosts an exhibition of the visual arts. Advanced security measures have been employed to prevent a repetition of the high-profile incident that occurred in June 3304, where the unique work 'Youscape' was stolen from a gallery vault. Local correspondent Daron Warmack reported for The Alliance Tribune: "When gallery staff noticed a painting hanging in a previously empty room, they were shocked to recognise it as 'Penance Street', the long-lost masterpiece of famous artist Megan Madigan. Experts have verified that this is the original artwork, which vanished in transit 60 years ago. A graphic of a winking cat was also discovered on the wall behind the picture. The Winking Cat has returned one of the Alliance's greatest art treasures – a personal contribution to the festival, perhaps, or maybe an act of penance." The Alliance Festival of Culture will conclude next week in the Diso system.

14 FEB 3305

• A number of invaluable art treasures have been stolen from the Museum of Civilisation on Mars. Museum historian Dr Imogen Ryang said: "The stolen pieces include Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait with Two Circles (17th Century), Guernica by Picasso (20th Century) and Terra Absentia by Zoe Okeke (23rd Century). Each of the works was replaced with the image of a winking cat. The loss of so many cultural artefacts is incalculable. This despicable criminal should have been hunted down long ago." Culture journalist Kioko McGrath published an alternative view in The Federal Times: "High-profile crimes such as this have resulted in the 'winking cat' motif becoming a popular anti-establishment symbol, appearing in advertising, graffiti and music. Ironically, the calling card of an art thief is now itself a culturally significant work of art."

01 JAN 3305

• The theft of a spectacular work of art has soured New Year festivities for thousands of Federal citizens. Kioko McGrath, culture correspondent for The Federal Times, reported: "A colossal holo-sculpture was due to be unveiled at midnight to mark the start of 3305. Inspired by the Federal insignia, the intention was for the sculpture to be visible above Olympus Village, and seen by millions of people. But upon activation, the image that materialised was a gigantic cat's face, winking repeatedly. The original holo-sculpture code was later discovered to have vanished." The Federal Security Service believes the culprit to be the same art thief who stole valuable works on Alioth and Eotienses A 3, both of which were marked with an identical 'winking cat' motif. There are no leads at present.

20 SEP 3304

• A collection of historically significant artworks has been stolen from the Imperial Museum of Culture on Eotienses A 3. A local media report stated: "The museum's most popular exhibit is the New Dawn Collection, a sequence of sculptures by legendary artist Lal Candromir. These figures date back nearly a thousand years and commemorate the early settlers of Eotienses agreeing to join the Empire. This morning, visitors found the entire exhibit empty, with every single one of the Candromir statues gone. Painted onto the wall was a graphic of a winking cat. The museum cannot explain how its security systems were so completely circumvented." Captain Madoc Evander of the Imperial Internal Security Service commented: "We are performing forensic analyses and interviewing all staff and visitors. As yet, we cannot confirm any connection between this theft and one that occurred three months ago in the Alioth system, despite the identical 'winking cat' motif. We will make every effort to capture this criminal and recover these precious cultural artefacts."

09 JUN 3304

• A valuable work of art has been stolen by a mysterious and highly skilled criminal. The theft took place in the Garden City Gallery on Turner's World in the Alioth system. Sergeant Femi Abram of the municipal police discussed the incident: "Our security specialists are currently at a loss to explain how this occurred. The piece in question was inside a titanium vault surrounded by plasma grids, proximity alarms and thermal sensors. This morning we found the vault door open and all security systems disabled. On the wall was a spray-painted graphic of what looked like a winking cat." The piece in question is a digital painting titled Youscape. This unusual cyber-artwork includes micro cameras linked to an AI node that monitor the viewer's reactions. Over time, the image alters in response to the owner's tastes. The artwork was scheduled to be auctioned the following day. The artist, Barclay Uxor, told the media: "Some lowlife scum has robbed the artistic community of a ground-breaking achievement – and cost me millions of credits, too. To leave common graffiti in its place is the ultimate insult!" Garden City security forces are continuing to investigate, but as yet have no leads.