Winking Cat

Template:CharacterInfobox The Winking Cat thief 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 3305. The thief's signature is an image of a winking cat, which is left behind in place of the stolen art.

Timeline

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.