23 SEP 3308
The anti-xeno strategic defence pact between the Alliance and Sirius Corporation has been fully ratified as a legally binding treaty.
The Assembly voted to approve the agreement at the end of June, following months of debate. The decision was influenced by the outcome of two competing initiatives to procure resource packages for the Alliance Defence Force (ADF).
Admiral Nikolas Glass, the Sirius Navy representative on the Council of Admirals, delivered this statement:
“Now that the legalities have been addressed, a demonstration of the defence pact’s potential is long overdue. I am very pleased to announce that a new anti-xeno taskforce is being assembled under the name Operation Tyndareus, in honour of the megaship lost in HIP 22460.”
“A tactical combination of ADF ships and Sirius Corporation’s resources will deliver a devastating counterstrike at the next opportunity. This will demonstrate that our unified forces can repel Thargoid attackers and defend Allied space.”
Shortly before this announcement, an editorial in the Old Worlds Gazette remarked: “So far, Sirius has not fired a single shot in this war. Do they plan to save us by offering the Thargoids special discounts?” Other critics agreed that the defence pact looked increasingly like an administrative exercise rather than a military strategy.
Councillor Hildegard Dressler, who represents the Leesti system, told The Alliance Tribune:
“I know that the prime minister shares the public’s frustration with the slow process of bureaucratic approval. He has called upon Sirius Corporation to fast-track its plans urgently, and Operation Tyndareus will be the result.”
23 SEP 3308
*Pilots’ Federation ALERT*
Inexplicable visual phenomena located in deep space have caused extensive speculation and media interest.
There is no official terminology for the signals but they are referred to by many names, most popular of which is ‘the anomalies’. Appearing as a bright flare with spiralling radial arms, they emit electromagnetic feedback that can be detected using full spectrum system (FSS) scanners.
The first anomaly was discovered beyond the permit-locked Col 70 sector, with additional signals now observed. Multiple calculations have verified that the objects are moving, supposedly at faster-than-light speeds. Various estimates as to their trajectory have been made, but the great distances involved defy accurate measurement.
The appearance of the anomalies so soon after the Battle of HIP 22460 has led many to assume that they are somehow related to the Thargoids. These fears have been exacerbated by the claims of the Far God cult that this is a sign of their deity’s imminent arrival, but early analysis has yielded no evidence that the anomaly is Thargoid in origin.
The engineer Kit Fowler collated several ideas during his End Times broadcast:
“The anomaly could be some form of hyperspace distortion generated by an exceptionally large object heading our way. Or maybe the Thargoids have built a dimensional portal, through which their fleets can attack anywhere. Perhaps they’ve fired a colossal system-destroying weapon at Sol, as an act of revenge against humanity for the Proteus Wave. We’ve got to prepare for the very worst, people!”
However, Professor Elizabeth Perez of Orion University quickly dismissed these theories:
“Such outlandish notions illustrate how people draw imaginary patterns between unconnected events. Scientific progress has not stopped us inventing human-centric explanations for natural phenomena, especially when experiencing feelings of guilt or paranoia.”