GalNet/3308/November
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01 NOV
Council of Admirals Divided Over Unified Fleet
The Alliance Defence Force has been unable to reach a consensus over the proposal to combine the superpowers’ forces against the Thargoids.
Admirals Liam Flanagan , George Varma and Rachel Ziegler all openly support the concept of a unified fleet formed of Allied, Federal and Imperial vessels. However, Admirals Nikolas Glass, Maristela Silva and Tahir West have rejected this in favour of focusing on the strategic defence pact with Sirius Corporation.
Fleet Admiral Hayley Sorokin, the highest ranking officer in the Alliance Defence Force, has yet to reveal her own view. When pressed by a journalist from the Old Worlds Gazette, she commented: “A decision of such magnitude is more political than military, and therefore the province of the Assembly.”
There was a more forthright statement from Admiral Ziegler, who previously commanded an Allied anti-xeno taskforce:
“This refusal to accept that we must come together to fight the Thargoids is enormously disappointing. Many of our counterparts in the Federal Navy are keen to increase links between militaries, and I firmly believe that we would soon convince the Empire to join us. We must not indefinitely rule out re-establishing Aegis or a similar anti-xeno initiative.”
In related news, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Corcoran has proposed a bill to the Assembly approving the reformation of Aegis. However, this has not received enough support to be formally debated and would achieve little without similar acts in the Federal Congress or Imperial Senate.
23 NOV
Praise for the Pro-Peace Project
Congressman Dalton Chase has applauded the increased public support for the goal of opening diplomatic channels with the Thargoids.
During an exclusive interview with ICE-caster Joy Senne, he said:
“Not so long ago, the idea of communicating with the Thargoids seemed absurd. But look at what’s happening in Andavandul right now! There’s so much support from the galactic community. People are placing their faith in a better future than just endless warfare.”
“My only regret is that I won’t be joining my fellow campaigners aboard the Kingfisher after all. The duties of my new congressional position mean that my diary has become full extremely quickly, with many commitments to uphold. But I’ll be travelling with them in spirit as they journey out to meet Taranis, and prove to its Thargoid controllers that humanity is ready to co-exist peacefully.”
Joy Senne revealed that she had planned to ICE-cast a live show from the Kingfisher megaship, as it encountered the interstellar anomaly known as Taranis in the Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1 system:
“I was so disappointed when they told me that only direct transmissions aimed at Taranis would be permitted, to avoid confusing the ‘stargoid’ with other signals. Our good friend Heimar Borichev was due to join the crew today, but he messaged me less than an hour ago saying he’d fallen ill unexpectedly. So it’s left to the brave volunteers – we’re counting on you, Kingfisher!”
The Sovereign newsfeed confirmed these plans for its deputy editor, adding that opinion polls in independent systems suggested a 32% approval rate for the Thargoid Advocacy Project. Allied and Federal media primarily view the xeno-peace movement as ‘misguided’, while in the Empire the most common keyword associated with them is ‘suicidal’.
24 NOV
Kingfisher Megaship Vanishes
*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*
Contact has been lost with the Kingfisher megaship in the Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1 system, just over a day since its arrival.
The Kingfisher was equipped to transmit signals to the interstellar anomaly named Taranis, with the goal of opening communications with it should such a possibility exist. Over 3,000 supporters of the xeno-peace movement were aboard the megaship when it departed the Andavandul system.
Rani Zaman , a spokesperson for the Thargoid Advocacy Project team monitoring long-range comms with the megaship, issued a statement to the media:
“I regret to say that all attempts to raise the Kingfisher on any frequency have failed. The last message we received was highly distorted, but seemed to be a distress call. We are asking for immediate assistance to locate the megaship and provide whatever support may be needed.”
The Federation responded by cancelling the temporary permit restriction to the Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1 system for all vessels except fleet carriers. This permit was arranged at the request of Congressman Dalton Chase, who played a key role in procuring the Kingfisher megaship for use by TAP volunteers. With access to the system reinstated, Federal investigators have been despatched to assess the situation.
Observers have confirmed that the Taranis anomaly passed through Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1 at faster-than-light speed. As with the other rogue signal sources, Taranis continues to move towards the core systems.
25 NOV
Xeno-Peace Supporters Killed by Thargoids
Investigations in the Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1 system haver confirmed that Thargoid vessels attacked and destroyed the Kingfisher megaship.
Vox Galactica published this on-the-scene report from field correspondent Ernesto Rios:
“Independent and Federal sources have verified that the Kingfisher was struck by multiple barrages from Thargoid weaponry. Medical teams are currently exploring the wreckage of the megaship in search of crew and passengers. Sadly, from what I’ve seen, the scale of the damage suggests that the chances of survival are extremely low.”
“Further confirmation came with the discovery of a log made by Dr Elias Pope of Orion University, who was overseeing attempts to communicate with the Thargoids. Although I have yet to hear this recording myself, it apparently describes exactly what happened when the Taranis anomaly passed through the system.”
“As news of the tragedy spreads, it has triggered a vociferous backlash against the Thargoid Advocacy Project. This fringe group recently gained a degree of respectability with the involvement of Congressman Dalton Chase and other media figures. But now there is widespread anger that, as Sol Today’s editorial put it, ‘Thousands of people were sent to die based on a vague hope that these alien warmongers might suddenly play nice.’”
“Congressman Chase himself told the press that he is reviewing the latest reports from Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1, and cannot yet make any official comment. As the public face of the Kingfisher mission, it’s likely that any formal demands for accountability will be directed his way.”
“Meanwhile, Taranis draws ever closer to human-inhabited space. The Kingfisher’s destruction proves definitively that the rogue signal sources are of Thargoid origin, and that their intentions are hostile. With the prospect of the Second Thargoid War escalating to new levels, tensions throughout the core systems have never been higher.”
28 NOV
Militaries on Alert as Taranis Approaches
The Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 system has been identified as the location where the rogue signal source named Taranis will finally arrive.
Professor Ishmael Palin gave a statement to confirm the findings of several scientific groups:
“Data correlated from many long-range scans proves that the anomaly’s velocity is reducing steadily. At its present rate of descent, Taranis will arrive at Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 in approximately 24 hours. I have sent a research team, led by my colleague Dr Leroux, to gather data on its arrival.”
Admiral Maxton Price of the Federal Navy commented:
“Fortunately, this particular system is uninhabited so no populations are directly at risk. We are monitoring the situation rather than deploying capital ships. Civilian traffic is ordered not to enter Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 until we know more about Taranis’s capabilities.”
The Alliance Defence Force issued a similar announcement from Admiral Rachel Ziegler:
“The Thargoids’ overall strategy remains unknown, as does the true nature of these rogue signal sources. But there is certainly no reason to place ourselves in their path intentionally. It’s possible that, as with HIP 22460, the Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 system could become a no-go zone occupied by an overwhelming number of Thargoid vessels.”
Despite making no official statement, it is believed that the Imperial Navy is likewise holding back from deploying a military fleet to the Taranis anomaly. Independent analysts have suggested that the destruction of the Kingfisher megaship in Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1 has contributed to the superpowers’ caution, with capital ship losses in HIP 22460 also fresh in the memory.