This page contains a list of all the Galnet articles concerning Salomé and the Formidine Rift, in chronological order of release. Several of these were used in previous pages of the guide but some were left out to reduce overall length when I felt they were unnecessary. All are included here as an appendix to the guide for completeness.
Prism Senator Missing
21 JUL 3301
Prism Senator Missing
In the early hours of this morning, a security alert was received from the Imperial suite where Senator Kahina Tijani Loren has been residing.
The entry to the residence was found to be locked, and no response was received from inside. Security personnel were authorised to break in.
The interior of the suite was found to be pristine, with no evidence of habitation. In-room holofac consoles were found not to have been used throughout the duration of the Senator’s apparent occupation. A search has revealed no sign of the Senator’s whereabouts.
Ambassador Cuthrick Delaney made a brief statement to the press. “Senator Kahina has previously empowered me to represent the Prism system on her behalf. I will do my best to discharge that duty according to her instructions. Senator Kahina is a very private individual, and has not sought my, or any other, counsel in the last month. We do not know where she has gone. Naturally we are concerned about her safety and would urge anyone who knows of her whereabouts to contact the authorities immediately. Her disappearance is very disturbing indeed.”
Reaction across the Empire was muted, but many have speculated that something underhand has happened to the visiting Senator.
“Doesn’t matter what Delaney says,” said a commentator from the Imperial Citizen. “Prism belongs to Patreus now, Kahina’s just abandoned it and all the citizens she professed to care about. She’s a coward and an irrelevance.”
“Did she get too close to the fires burning in the Empire?” asked Kazien Vantris, chief editor of the Imperial Herald. “Or is she pursuing some other objective? She was always determined and bold. Wherever you’ve gone, Lady Kahina, farewell.”
Lady Kahina’s Imperial Courier, the ‘Seven Veils’, still at the Capitol spaceport, was impounded and examined. It was found to be completely stripped of all valuable equipment, with the modifications made at Avalon shipyards discovered to be carefully crafted fakes.
Lady Kahina’s Imperial tiara was found in the cockpit, along with a small medallion bearing an ancient symbol on one side and the word ‘Salomé’ on the other.
The symbol is believed to belong to an organisation some refer to as ‘The Dark Wheel’.
Freelance Report: Formidine Rifters Seek Help
18 JUN 3302
The Formidine Rifters are an unlikely collective of explorers from various backgrounds, systems and factional allegiances who have put aside their political differences to work together toward a common goal. For several months, they have been working together to map the region between the two farthest galactic arms just past the Heart and Soul Nebula.
Commander Finn McMillan of the Earth Expeditionary Fleet, one of the many Rifters devoted to this project, addressed the galactic exploration community today:
“We would like to invite all explorers dedicated to expanding human knowledge to join us in the Formidine Rift. We have reason to believe that there is something beyond the galactic arm that may change humanity’s view of the cosmos, but we simply need more eyes, ears and minds to help us unravel this mystery.”
Jaiotu
Galactic News: Salomé – Traitor or Terrorist?
13 AUG 3302
The Imperial Citizen has published a scathing two-part editorial on an individual by the name of Commander Salomé, alleging that she is in fact Lady Kahina Tijani Loren, the missing Imperial senator.
“We note with dismay that a certain Commander Salomé has resurfaced once again. Many will be unaware of her activities, obscured as they are by her carefully cultivated innocence and charm, so it falls to the Imperial Citizen to reveal the sordid truth. She is Lady Kahina Tijani Loren, the disgraced senator.”
“Although Salomé enjoyed the comforts and privileges afforded to most high-born Imperial children, her parents had little use for a third daughter and shipped her off to boarding school at the first opportunity. This served only to foster Salomé’s sense of rebelliousness and her disdain for her family.”
“Despite her privileged upbringing, Salomé grew up to be petty, mean and bitter. But she was also shrewd and politically astute, successfully avoiding an arranged marriage by palming off her would-be husband onto one of her older sisters.”
“Salomé hated her father, but despite her antipathy, she was clearly influenced by him. After all, this was the man who expelled colonists from the Chione moon in 3297 by bombing it – an act condemned as a war crime by the Federation.”
“Loren’s family was murdered in 3300 by a group of freedom fighters known as Reclamists, but she was somehow spirited safely away. She claims to have been kidnapped, abused and held to ransom, only to overcome her enemies and return the Prism system to Imperial control after a battle with the Federation. The truth is that she did nothing of the sort.”
Galactic News: Salomé – Pride or Prejudice?
19 AUG 3302
The Imperial Citizen has published its second editorial on Commander Salomé, who the Citizen alleges is Lady Kahina Tijani Loren, the missing Imperial senator.
“According to Lady Kahina’s account, she escaped a hardened gang of freedom fighters and faced down a notorious pirate lord. Is it not more likely that she colluded with these terrorists to murder her family so she could become a senator? Is it not convenient that she slaughtered these terrorists before they could be questioned, and then did the same to her mentor? And with a sword, too.”
“Don’t forget that Kahina almost triggered a war between the Empire and the Federation. Thousands died in that battle – a battle she started. Heroine of the Prism system? Hardly. She was responsible for the largest loss of life that Imperial outpost ever saw, exceeding even her father’s appalling legacy.”
“Not content with acquiring her father’s senatorial position via her so-called ‘reclamation’, Lady Kahina then gallivanted around the core worlds trying to gain support in a bid to become Emperor. She soon found, however, that her self-image was out of step with reality. But did she return to her supposedly beloved homeworld? Of course not. She disappeared for several months only to reappear, as if she were the patron saint of explorers, on the far side of the galaxy in the Distant Worlds Expedition.”
“Along the way she engendered the support of misfits, miscreants, starry-eyed explorers and dissident organisations masquerading as legitimate factions. Why she seeks such support is not known.”
“Have no doubt – this so-called ‘lady’ is no saint. Whatever she does is solely to further her own interests, manipulating those around her as she has always done. She is clearly deluded, but her powers of persuasion are formidable. Many have sworn loyalty to her, particularly those disaffected by the politics of the core worlds.”
“Beautiful and charismatic she may be, but she is also a bloodthirsty, selfish and manipulative individual who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Do not trust a word she says.”
Freelance Report: Commander Salomé Hijacked in Cemiess
23 AUG 3302
Recent articles published by the Imperial Citizen may have inspired an act of violence in the Cemiess system over the weekend. Commander Nodus Cursorius of the Chapterhouse of Inquisition reported a transmission from Commander Salomé of the Children of Raxxla, indicating that her ship had been attacked by unknown forces.
A transcript of Commander Salomé’s distress call follows:
“Heavy fire…mayday! Imperial markings! Traitors… Shields are down, we’re taking damage…it’s… I thought I sensed his arrogance! How dare… We’re being boarded. I only have moments. Please get word to the Children of Raxxla, tell them I have new information. The Rift, Hawkin’s Gap and the Conflux are connected with strange happenings in the Pleiades. They must find out before…”
At that point Commander Salomé’s transmission was silenced. Despite a thorough search, no sign of her has yet been found.
The Imperial Citizen had suggested that Commander Salomé is in fact Senator Kahina Tijani Loren of the Prism system. The publication also implied that she had engineered the events that led to her family’s death in order to position herself as heiress of the Loren family dynasty.
Jaiotu
Galactic News: Kahina Loren Implicated in Patreus Assassination Attempt
19 SEP 3302
Sources close to the Imperial Senate have released a statement indicating that Lady Kahina Tijani Loren, erstwhile senator of the Prism system, has been charged in connection with the attempted assassination of Admiral Denton Patreus.
Prior to this development, Lady Kahina had not been heard from since mid 3301. Details of her recent activities are shrouded in mystery, although under the alias Commander Salomé she has been linked to various revolutionary organisations, including the Children of Raxxla, the Phoenix Group, the Dark Wheel and now Emperor’s Dawn.
After Lady Kahina went missing in the Cemiess system last month, the Children of Raxxla attempted to destabilise the system’s economy to force system authorities to reveal her whereabouts.
“Her intentions are clear,” said a reporter for The Imperial Citizen. “She hates Patreus for his takeover of the Prism system – which I might point out was entirely legal – and harbours ridiculous delusions of becoming Emperor. She’s been sowing seeds of discontent everywhere she goes. As we reported last month, she is dangerously unstable and an irresponsible warmonger. Now that she’s been caught, she should be dealt with harshly. The same applies to the factions loyal to her.”
Princess Aisling Duval also addressed the arrest, saying: “I was always suspicious about her. Now her true colours have been revealed. I hope she receives a just punishment for her atrocious crimes. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover she was behind the instability of the past year. My thanks go to our loyal Imperial security services for their diligence.”
Lady Kahina has reportedly been moved to the Achenar system to await trial.
Galactic News: Curious Transmission Partially Decoded
01 OCT 3302
In early August, an antique Cobra Mk III was interred at the Tionisla Orbital Graveyard. Shortly before the ship was laid to rest, a beacon aboard the vessel transmitted a repeating sequence of curious characters.
The sequence was picked up by several listening and relay posts in the Tionisla system, and it has now been determined that it contains content obscured with an unknown encryption. The encrypted data is followed by an apparently meaningless clear-text phrase: ‘The vain queen rides a giraffe that remembers her daughter’s hero.’
Intelligence services within the Alliance, Empire and Federation are said to be investigating the message, but no official statements have yet been made. Both the sender and intended recipient of the message remain a mystery.
Freelance Report: The Cassiopeia Expedition
14 OCT 3302
The Earth Expeditionary Fleet has announced plans to mount a bold expedition beyond the Perseus Arm to find two stellar objects in the Cassiopeia constellation first noted by Earth astronomers in the distant past.
“The Cassiopeia Project differs from other expeditions,” said Commander Finn McMillan. “We will attempt to locate two supernova remnants, which have yet to be found despite numerous attempts from independent explorers. Our targets are Cassiopeia A and Tycho’s Star.”
“This is not space tourism. The expedition to Cassiopeia A will take us into an area of space referred to as the Formidine Rift, which before the advent of the frame shift drive had a reputation as a kind of Bermuda Triangle. Few who venture into the Rift return to tell the tale.”
The expedition is expected to depart from Chi Orionis in the first week of November 3302.
Jaiotu
Galactic News: Patreus’s Flagship Attacked
04 NOV 3302
Eyewitness reports from the Eotienses system indicate that an attack has taken place on Admiral Denton Patreus’ flagship, the INV Imperial Freedom. The Majestic-class Interdictor was heavily damaged in the altercation and was ignominiously forced to withdraw from the field of combat.
An organisation known as the Children of Raxxla has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the organisation said it had been ‘”backed into a corner” after diplomatic entreaties regarding Kahina Loren – whom it referred to as Salomé – had gone unanswered.
The attack appears to have been a response to the ‘guilty’ verdict passed on Loren last week, and based on the assumption that she was aboard the INV Imperial Freedom. Vessels bearing Children of Raxxla markings were witnessed intercepting escape pods ejected from the beleaguered Interdictor.
The Children of Raxxla spokesperson said the group “harboured no ill will towards Patreus”, and that “the guilty parties continue to lurk in the shadows”.
Imperial security forces have condemned the attack, saying:
“This group has shown its true colours. Kahina Loren was known for inciting violence, and these terrorists are clearly intent on continuing her legacy.”
The damage to the INV Imperial Freedom represents a blow to Admiral Patreus’ ambitions to strengthen the Imperial fleet, exposing these battleships’ vulnerability to attacks from well-organised independent forces.
Community Goal: Competing Appeals for Exploration Data
17 NOV 3302
The Federal astrocartography department has issued a public request for exploration data. Mark Devene, head of the department, elaborated on the nature of the appeal:
“We are looking for data from three specific zones in order to verify certain hypotheses. We want high-quality information on system configurations, planet types, spectral classes and compositions.”
“We are looking at the following coordinates: PLAA AEC IZ-N C20-1, PRU AESCS DL-W C15-37 and EAFOTS EU-R C4-1. Explorers might be more familiar with the colloquial names for these areas – Hawkin’s Gap, the Conflux and the Formidine Rift. Pilots should travel to one of these locations and investigate out to a radius of 200 light years.”
The Tau Ceti Crimson Legal Solutions has volunteered to coordinate the Federal operation. Meanwhile, mysterious organisation The Children of Raxxla has issued an identical request, claiming the data will be used to prove the innocence of the group’s leader, Kahina Loren.
Both campaigns begin on the 17th of November 3302 and will run for two weeks.
Galactic News: Exploration Data Appeals Conclude
01 DEC 3302
A spokesperson for The Children of Raxxla has announced that its appeal for exploration data has received the enthusiastic support of the galactic community, which delivered large quantities of astronomical data to Sereborv Terminal over the past two weeks. A competing initiative from the Federation proved less popular with the galactic community.
In a brief statement, the spokesperson thanked those who had contributed to the initiative, and continued to say:
“We know there are secrets buried in this data. We only hope we can unlock them in time.”
Pilots who contributed to the initiative are now free to collect their rewards from Sereborv Terminal in the HR 6421 system.
Galactic News: Federal Exploration Programme in Disarray
23 DEC 3302
Last month, the Federation launched an appeal for exploration data from a number of remote locations. A competitive appeal was simultaneously launched by a mysterious group known as the Children of Raxxla, which succeeded in completely derailing the Federal initiative. Karl Devene, head of Astrocartography at Mars High, was forced to resign as a result.
Federal exploration projects are currently on hold as a result of the failed initiative, and Devene’s successor has not been announced. Meanwhile, the Children of Raxxla has yet to reveal any findings from the data it received, leading some to speculate that the organisation never intended to.
“I believe it was a cynical attempt to sabotage Federal research,” said a spokesperson for Mars High Astrocartography. “It was never about exonerating Salomé – they just used her plight to gain the data at the expense of the Federation. Unfortunately, the galactic community proved itself easily manipulated.”
Other commentators have concurred with the analysis. Jackson Trent, associate editor of The Imperial Citizen, said:
“I don’t understand the allure of Raxxla. They attacked Patreus’s flagship and have proved themselves to be criminals of the worst kind. Patreus dealt with Emperor’s Dawn – perhaps it’s time for him to deal with the Children of Raxxla.”
Salomé, known in Imperial circles as Kahina Loren, was killed when the convoy transporting her to Koontz Asylum was interdicted and destroyed. She had been convicted of the attempted assassination of Denton Patreus.
Meanwhile, independent pilots returning from the expedition have reported a series of curious beacons in deep space, but few details have surfaced.
Galactic News: Children of Raxxla Release Report
03 FEB 3303
The Children of Raxxla, based in the HR 6421 system, have released an analysis of the exploration data recovered by the galactic community in November last year.
A spokesperson for the organisation said:
“There was a vast amount of data to sift through, but our analysis led to some notable discoveries in the Formidine Rift, the Conflux and Hawkin’s Gap. There are indications that some kind of covert mission took place in these regions back in the 3270s. So far we have found shipwrecks, beacons and abandoned settlements dating from that time, and logs and records relating to this strange mission.”
“It appears that a fleet was despatched, over 30 years ago, to install a series of beacons in the region. None of the ships returned to their point of origin. It seems that this mission was called ‘the Dynasty Project’. The purpose of the mission isn’t yet clear, but it was evidently a massive undertaking, particular given the technological limitations of the time – it would have taken a year to complete that journey 30 years ago.”
The spokesperson was asked if the data supported the organisation’s belief that Kahina Loren was innocent of the attempted assassination of Admiral Denton Patreus.
“Unfortunately there is nothing in the data that throws new light on Salomé’s demise. But before she was arrested, she indicated that these three sectors were significant. We now believe that that is why she was killed.”
Freelance Report: Imperial Commanders Support Salomé
01 APR 3303
Reports have been received from Imperial space that many Imperial pilots are defying the standing kill-on-sight order on Commander Salomé, also known as Kahina Tijani Loren. The pilots pledging to support the disgraced senator are offering escort services and fuel, and have even promised to reward other Commanders willing to help.
“The issue is that we are not in possession of the facts,” said Commander Jayridium, who is offering up to 50 times the listed bounty to anyone who can arrange a meeting with Salomé. “I am joining the effort to protect her. The truth must be heard!”
Commander Jayridium joins several others in an effort to help Salomé – an effort that could make them outcasts.
Peter Brady
Galactic News: Message Received from Col 70 Sector
08 APR 3303
A weak signal from the Col 70 Sector has been detected by listening posts in both Federal and Imperial space.
The message is incomplete, but it appears to pertain to some kind of rally point. Meanwhile, Federal and Imperial intelligence services have confirmed that thousands of covert and coded messages have recently been transmitted in the vicinity of the Col 70 Sector.
“Something is going on out there,” said an unidentified member of the Imperial intelligence community. “We think it could be…her.”
A bounty has been issued for Commanders Salomé, Tsu Annabelle Singh and Raan Corsen, but with all three fugitives still at large, the Empire has increased the bounties to five million for Salomé and two million apiece for Singh and Corsen. An Imperial spokesperson reiterated that pilots should not attempt to communicate with these individuals, and should shoot on sight.
Imperial intelligence services have also placed a bounty on one Commander Yuri Nakamura, referred to as ‘Conformist Oboe XX’ in an intelligence briefing given to the media. A two- million-credit bounty has been placed on Commander Nakamura.
Galactic News: Curious Message Discovered
17 APR 3303
A group of EM-transmission technology enthusiasts in the Tionisla system claims to have found a message in the exploration data gathered last year as part of a campaign organised by the Children of Raxxla.
A spokesperson for the group, which calls itself The Hamsters, said:
“It was inside one of the beacon modulator wave harmonics, and it seems to be some sort of rhyme. We’ve studied it but have come up with nothing, so we thought we’d share it with the galactic community.”
The message is reprinted in full below.
The river to the underworld
Gaia’s daughter all unfurled
Fourth minor bear in vain
By viper’s sting was slain
Also known as Nemesis
The doom of Chimera
She is tasked with soothing pain
Suckling Odysseus from afar
Mother of the mother of
Leader of the Titans
He transformed into a hawk
A daughter of Daedalion’s
The piercer was how he was known
Mother of Ulysses
Ruler of the winds
God of night, primordial flees
Zeus’ namesake now lies in Sol
Achilles’ favoured horse
Women of vengeance infernal
The vain queen rides not forth
A final word, a course to follow, a poor miser’s sum
If you would understand it all, seek Fibonacci’s Zephyrum
Freelance Report: Formidine Rift Discovery
27 APR 3303
A few days ago, a curious message was discovered by the Hamsters, a group of EM-transmission enthusiasts in the Tionisla system. A short time later, a combined effort from the Children of Raxxla and several other groups decoded the message and discovered it pointed to the Syreadiae JX-F c0 system in the so-called Formidine Rift.
Travelling to the system, pilots discovered a bulk cruiser called the Zurara. The ship’s logs painted a haunting picture, indicating that the ship’s crew sabotaged the vessel before killing themselves. The Zurara had been adrift in the system ever since.
ABish
Galactic News: Terrorist Salomé Killed
04 MAY 3303
Imperial despatches have confirmed that Commander Salomé, also known as Kahina Tijani Loren, was killed in the Arumclaw system on the 29th of April by a bounty hunter known as ‘Besieger’.
Salomé was escorted by several heavily armed vessels, but her Imperial Clipper ‘Seven Veils’ was nevertheless destroyed by weapons fire. Three commanders were seen fleeing Arumclaw shortly afterwards.
Surveillance reports indicate that Salomé’s co-conspirators – Raan Corsen, Tsu Annabelle Singh and Yuri Nakamura – remain at large.
Moments after Salomé’s destruction was confirmed, a transmission was detected in the Teorge system, leading to the discovery of a series of logs. The logs, which apparently date from 3275, contain nebulous assertions regarding a scheme from an unidentified super organisation to manipulate the Empire, Federation and Alliance.
A number of factions tried to defend Salomé and her allies as they travelled from 46 Eridani to the core systems. Imperial intelligence is reportedly trying to identify the factions that supported the conspirators, but anecdotal reports indicate that many have already fallen into disarray in the wake of Salomé’s death.
“She was a force of evil who attempted to sow the seeds of conflict among those who strive for peace,” said Princess Aisling Duval. “Her warmongering is at an end, and the galaxy is now a safer place. It’s just a shame that so many innocent lives were lost before she was brought down.”
Admiral Denton Patreus refused to address claims that the bounty hunter was in his employ, saying only, “Let that be an end to this sorry affair”.