The Quest To Find Raxxla

[Louis Calvert]

Incidentally regarding the omission of Mimas from the game...I was googling “DB+Star+wars” yesterday and found this reference

CEO David Braben on Frontier Developments' new HQ, its Jurassic Park Evolution success and the future

Independent games studio behind Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster has new games on the way

www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk

which gave the interesting quote
“”The first time I saw it was in the film Star Wars, in 1977, and I thought ‘Wow, this is so much closer to those worlds’. My dad described Star Wars as a ‘rescue the princess’ story and I remember getting quite annoyed. I thought ‘No, it’s not: it’s a world and they happen to be rescuing a princess in this world’.”

For David, story and narrative are not the same thing.”
(as if we needed confirmation of the latter ).

Since IRL Mimas resembles the Star Wars “Death Star” and was imaged by Voyager 1 (the Voyagers perhaps as the toast’s “vagabonds”?) maybe Raxxla is a hidden tribute to that film franchise/station? Back to Sol!

Interesting. Well... I did all that research into Sol and specifically Mimas a while back so that's there if you want to check something

I did look at the Voyager record covers as you suggested, they are the same as the 'real' ones, they're actually pretty well replicated in-game I didn't find anything at all in the Voyager's appearance, position or audio that suggests they have anything to do with Raxxla. Sadly.

When it comes to the Dark Wheel, I don’t think you can ‘find them’. They contact you, when you are worthy.
You have probably been tested or had the opportunity to be tested several times. Not at the level where they reveal their true identity though.
I doubt that is even possible in the game yet.

TDW --> TDW "dark" station --> Raxxla...?

Whilst I've always harboured thought they are the link and would be cool to find the station anyway... Have I missed something? There's no confirmation in lore they found Raxxla (ED lore not FFE, etc!).

Isn't the current lore they found Soontil but never found Raxxla?

My reasoning is that the Dark Wheel have been looking for Raxxla for centuries. So they might have more 'clues', or they actually have found Raxxla but can't get there... maybe they're not strong enough to wrest it off whoever is using it as mentioned in the Codex and TDW novella, so maybe that's why they 'went public' and started recruiting... There's lots of possibilities.

Dark Wheel is mentioned in the Raxxla codex, and vice-verasa. Nothing is done by accident.

That leads me to...

Shinrarta Dezhra is more important than we remember:​

As you'll recall back in 3300 the DW were a minor faction in Shinrarta only, and essentially people had to 'earn' access to have access to them. Since then they've spread out so that's no-longer a condition, but it was true back when all the narrative was being put together.

I think the Shinrarta DW faction is the real one, and always has been, offering jobs to Elite pilots from the secret home system of the mega-powerful Pilot's Federation.

• Getting to Shinrarta is a major task. Weeks of work for the super-dedicated, months for some, years for others.
• It's close enough to Sol to have been settled early on, only 64ly
• It must have been settled (or claimed) way before the PF actually existed, officially 2805. By then Lave was colonised (2412), for reference.
• Someone other than the PF must have claimed Shinrarta early on - a group that evolved into the PF, or merged with the PF, more specifically evolved into the EFP
• The Dark Wheel are supposed to have existed since "the earliest days of interstellar travel" (according to the Codex).
• Therefore, the Dark Wheel existed before the PF, and could have been the ones to claim Shinrarta originally.

Beacon 0251: Much of what the Pilots' Federation does revolves around secrecy; and this has many layers. Within the Pilots' Federation, the Elite Federation of Pilots is even more mysterious and secretive, and at the centre of that is the elusive 'Founders World'.

It is the only system directly controlled by the EFP, and even its location is closely guarded. The secrecy is maintained by the EFP using 'misinformation' - there are a great many rumours of its rough location - and they all contradict each other. Only a select few - the members of the EFP - know the truth.

We're explicitly given a very detailed history of the PF. We're told the PF was a small informal organisation in the early days mostly relating to ship parts. It then grew because of interstellar piracy, the then again later to include lots more services and only in 3100 did it develop the "Elite" ranking system officially, and then began to more rapidly expand and integrate more and more services, creating the powerhouse it is today. All that is secret from the public (we're not the public, the vast majority of the trillions of people in the galaxy don't get to know about Shinrarta, only a few thousand of us actually do, that's a miniscule fraction of the pilots in the galaxy.

Remember the Codex and Galmap and Galnet are part of the Pilot's Federation software that our ships run. We're already special

The Dark Wheel now are a sub-faction of the PF, but they are older than the PF (according to Lyta Crane in the Codex...)

I think we've sort of forgotten how special it was to earn Elite rank and visit Shinrarta for the first time, read all these Tourist beacons (that you won't have had access to within the game before), learn all this incredible backstory about how the PF/EPF are a hidden powerhouse - and you get to work for the illusive Dark Wheel running missions!

I think that meets the spirit of the conditions established in the Codex. That's the narrative of the Dark Wheel - if you like, the sequel to the Dark Wheel novella. We get to play that story now, essentially.

So, my assumption is, there's maybe still something somewhere in Shinrarta that's been missed all these years.... somehow... or at least maybe it'll give some idea of how to contextualise the Raxxla codex maybe, or something...

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

Voyager's appearance, position or audio that suggests they have anything to do with Raxxla. Sadly.

I just want to add one thing because there is a positional quirk with Voyager 1 and New Horizons - the larger dish aims directly at Polaris* (independently confirmed by multiple CMDRs and with the Stellarium app). Voyager 2 does not in-game because IRL Voyager 2 had a gyroscope failure.

* - Polaris in First Encounters was a Thargoid system

That said, Polaris does not fit the type of star for Thargoids. It is very warm and having two of them in the same system won't help matters ( data pulled via Wikipedia ). It is a cepheid variable with a mass of 5.4 solar masses. It therefore far better fits asymptote giant branch stars which are much better matches for Guardians. Perhaps we found living Guardians. Should be noted, the First Encounters journals did delve into a separate unknown species beyond Thargoids. It also covered a good deal of anatomical details of Thargoids (GalNet "Galactic News: The Thargoids" appears largely based on the "Thargoids: Truth or Fiction" series of journals from First Encounters.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

Interesting. Well... I did all that research into Sol and specifically Mimas a while back so that's there if you want to check something

I did look at the Voyager record covers as you suggested, they are the same as the 'real' ones, they're actually pretty well replicated in-game I didn't find anything at all in the Voyager's appearance, position or audio that suggests they have anything to do with Raxxla. Sadly.




My reasoning is that the Dark Wheel have been looking for Raxxla for centuries. So they might have more 'clues', or they actually have found Raxxla but can't get there... maybe they're not strong enough to wrest it off whoever is using it as mentioned in the Codex and TDW novella, so maybe that's why they 'went public' and started recruiting... There's lots of possibilities.

Dark Wheel is mentioned in the Raxxla codex, and vice-verasa. Nothing is done by accident.

That leads me to...

Shinrarta Dezhra is more important than we remember:​

As you'll recall back in 3300 the DW were a minor faction in Shinrarta only, and essentially people had to 'earn' access to have access to them. Since then they've spread out so that's no-longer a condition, but it was true back when all the narrative was being put together.

I think the Shinrarta DW faction is the real one, and always has been, offering jobs to Elite pilots from the secret home system of the mega-powerful Pilot's Federation.

• Getting to Shinrarta is a major task. Weeks of work for the super-dedicated, months for some, years for others.
• It's close enough to Sol to have been settled early on, only 64ly
• It must have been settled (or claimed) way before the PF actually existed, officially 2805. By then Lave was colonised (2412), for reference.
• Someone other than the PF must have claimed Shinrarta early on - a group that evolved into the PF, or merged with the PF, more specifically evolved into the EFP
• The Dark Wheel are supposed to have existed since "the earliest days of interstellar travel" (according to the Codex).
• Therefore, the Dark Wheel existed before the PF, and could have been the ones to claim Shinrarta originally.

We're explicitly given a very detailed history of the PF. We're told the PF was a small informal organisation in the early days mostly relating to ship parts. It then grew because of interstellar piracy, the then again later to include lots more services and only in 3100 did it develop the "Elite" ranking system officially, and then began to more rapidly expand and integrate more and more services, creating the powerhouse it is today. All that is secret from the public (we're not the public, the vast majority of the trillions of people in the galaxy don't get to know about Shinrarta, only a few thousand of us actually do, that's a miniscule fraction of the pilots in the galaxy.

Remember the Codex and Galmap and Galnet are part of the Pilot's Federation software that our ships run. We're already special

The Dark Wheel now are a sub-faction of the PF, but they are older than the PF (according to Lyta Crane in the Codex...)

I think we've sort of forgotten how special it was to earn Elite rank and visit Shinrarta for the first time, read all these Tourist beacons (that you won't have had access to within the game before), learn all this incredible backstory about how the PF/EPF are a hidden powerhouse - and you get to work for the illusive Dark Wheel running missions!

I think that meets the spirit of the conditions established in the Codex. That's the narrative of the Dark Wheel - if you like, the sequel to the Dark Wheel novella. We get to play that story now, essentially.

So, my assumption is, there's maybe still something somewhere in Shinrarta that's been missed all these years.... somehow... or at least maybe it'll give some idea of how to contextualise the Raxxla codex maybe, or something...

For the record, loving this. Shinrarta Dezra has crossed my mind a number of times and it is huge. The gas giants are just far enough to be really inconvenient to go directly looking and it has 8 moons of an unnamed gas giant. Given it is exclusively controlled by The Pilots' Federation they could have something hiding in the far reaches of the system.

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

Well, come to that there’s no confirmation that TDW actually exist! And the lore about them finding Soontil but not Raxxla comes from a book, external to the game and therefore not necessarily canon.

I’m musing over my breakfast injection of sanity (mug of coffee reawakening the little grey cells) and want to push a discussion on this point. And on further thought it is the last day of the year and it seems a good time to post a long meandering message!

There is no in-game confirmation that TDW (& their hidden space station) exist, it is all rumour according to the Codex, our only known canon source. TDW is a nice concept, but is it a red herring?? Perhaps we should concentrate on what we do know!

We do have confirmation of Pilots Federation. There were several different spellings of PF in the Shinrarta Tourist Beacons, which led to my hypothesis that this represented different factions within PF. Those disparate spellings were corrected (obfuscation, or storyline retcon/deletion?). HOWEVER it is proven possible (& several of us have experienced this) to become allied with Pilots’ Federation Local Branch in Shinrarta (by normal mission completion), and quite independently get allied with PilotsFederation by killing Thargoids- I have a pic of that Allied status message on my gaming machine & I was already allied with PF in SD. Is this ability to get independent Allied status a programming bug, or perhaps an indication of a real in-game feature?

I have already posted this but will do so again:
From EDSM searching on “Pilot” in Minor Factions (not player faction) I saw:

1 Pilots Federation Local Branch -PFDemocracy 0 controlled stations 0 controlled systems.

2 Pilots’ Federation Administration - PFCorporate 5 systems 7 stations Otegine/Aldrich, Matet/Coelho, Dromi/Mawson+Dimery+Aitkins, Sharur/Archias, Orna/ Fuzong, however all these systems need Pilot’s Federation permit-newbies area!! Recently implemented so unlikely to be relevant.

3 Pilots’ Federation Local Branch - PFDemocracy 0 stations 0 systems - in ShinDez

4 PilotsFederation - no detail! -rank via rescue missions or Thargoid kills 0 stations 0 systems

5 The Pilots Federation - IndependentDemocracy 0 stations 0 systems Shinrarta Dezhra

So:
A) Pilots’ Federation (Admin for noobs area,

Local Branch for ShinDez)- missions

B) Pilots Federation (Local Branch) - combat bonds??

C) PilotsFederation - antixeno/rescue from attacked stations

D) The Pilots Federation -?? (same as b?) might have been in SD then converted to superpower -codex entries/exploration? BH in SD??



The different (original, now corrected!) spelling discrepancies were noticed in the Tourist Beacons in Shin Dez. Perhaps this beacon set of clues with different spellings is really why they are located in Shin Dez which you have to be Elite to enter? (I.e. part of the “personal journey”?)

We know from Elite Premonition that TDW in Shin Dez are “at the outer rim”.
Obfuscated In The Outer Rim (Answering The Call Of Adventure)- old SD mission.



Clearly for some arcane reason FD had set up several factions of PF in-game. Rochester raised a bug report on these different spellings & the response (later deleted!!) indicated that all spellings were correct so there must be a reason. Clearly this is an obfuscation on the basis that most people would assume this was a single faction and put the differences down to bad spelling on FD’s part (which has always struck me as a bit strange, especially since MB was an author and Exec Producer who should have enforced good spellchecking practice). I suspect we need to ally with all these variants to trigger some event. Could this be part of the “obfuscation on the outer rim” from the early SD missions?

This would certainly comply with the definition of a “personal journey”, and might explain why nobody has as yet reported receiving any TDW invitation-there is some part of PF that we are not yet impacting. We need to gain their attention! Discussion on that is in the spoiler below.

To test this hypothesis is a bit of a lengthy effort; we need to test if these two Allied status messages can still be received and compare if the PF spellings for them are unchanged. It needs someone who has not yet done so to attempt to become Elite to gain the system permit & become Allied with PF (fairly easy to do) in Shinrarta, and independently to undertake extensive anti-xeno activities, though with the current Thargoid invasion this is an opportune time to do so. It takes quite a lot (~1860 IIRC, my hands are still painful!) of Thargoid Scout kills to get the final Combat Elite rank (which gave me the second PF Allied message). However I expect many reading this thread will already be well on the way to this level.

Anyone up to the challenge?

Spoiler: Original TB spellings and consequent hypothesising

Shinrarta PF Tourist Beacons - original spelling (now corrected!):



0244/Pilots’ Federation Origins/The Pilots’ Federationhas existed for a very long time. It was founded in 2805 during the great surge of private ownership of small starships enabled by the hugely competitive modular ship designs made available during the previous decades. / It was founded as much as a way of agreeing prices for ship parts en masse (where member benefit from group discounts), but soon becane much more, providing a system where trusted pilots could share route information and protect each other from a new scourge - also enabled ny the proliferation of small starships - of interstellar piracy. Over the years an unofficial tally of pirate kills amongst some members began as 'bragging rights' but soon members started showing their kills on their online IDs, and before long those without such a rating were referred to as 'Harmless' - and by implication not so desirable to provide cover on a route known for pirate attacks. / Gradually, the Pilots Federationgrew to encompass a great many pilot-owners and their ships. It also provided an element of respectability as the itinerant nature of their lifestyles had started to bring suspicion amongst planet-siders - where the lack of accountability of space farers brought about by their ability to simply move on to a different system before the law caught up with them gave them a bit of a reputation as cowboys or as thieves in certain places. The Pilots Federationwould not tolerate dishonourable behaviour among its members, and so such members would wear the PF's logo with pride - earning them a little respect in their dealings, and an antidote to the cowboy image.



0245/The Elite/In 3100 the Pilots Federationbegan issuing modified version of its 'wings' badge that included the pilot's rating written across it in capitals, and made official the names of these ratings, starting with 'Harmless, then 'Mostly Harmless', all the way to 'Elite'. The most coveted was the 'Elite' badge, and the first of these was awarded to Commander Peter Jameson, who wore it on the rear of his Cobra MkIII for the rest of his life. / Before long this small and highly respected group of pilots with these coveted badges became known as 'The Elite'. They received all sorts of offers - both commercial and personal - (including offer of marriage!). The commercial side became valuable - whether it was transporting royalty or taking unknown items 'no questions asked'. The group was considered utterly trustworty, with the confidentiality assured, and its members took this very seriously.



0246/The Elite Federation of Pilots/As their reputation spread, the small group became overwhelmed. There was no way they could satisfy anything like all the demands on them, so the formed 'The Elite Federation of Pilots'. This was a sub-groupof the Pilots Federationand it ran its own system to exchange offers between its members. It was quite secretive, and hugely respected, and there was a high demand for their services. Their main problem was how few 'Elite' pilots there were. Many pilots would get rich and retire long before they attained the coveted 'Elite' status; the fundamental problem was that the rating was a kill count. Wise members of the group realised that, in fact, they were no better pilots than some younger pilots with much lower ratings - they had just been doing it for longer - though others outside the group didn't see it like that. They wanted the cachet of employing an 'Elite' pilot. They were also aware that the pirates were getting better. They were better organised than in the early days, and better equipped. / It is rumoured they run secret bases and have their own technologies, but what is known for certain is they are highly respected, and get generous discounts throughout human space. In practice the aura of secrecy proved a great strength. The EFP now has representatives throughout human space and beyond, and it is an organisation to which every pilot aspires to be a member.



0247/Pilots’ Federation Secrecy/The Pilots’ Federationin many ways is a secretive organisation. This in part reinforces its status of neutrality. It exists to support pilots, not nationalities or political factions. Over the years this has led to its acceptance (albeit grudging in some cases) in practically all human domain. / Despite its ubiquitous presence it has very little direct dealings with the public. Even member pilots tend to interact via the networked rankings and bounties system. The prime exception to this is registration. A pilot has to register in person for their PF license. Registration is performent at offices throughout human habitted space. / The PF represents the nearest thing to law in uncontrolled and ungoverned space. Their existence provides a safely net for human expansion in space beyond the major factions. / The Elite Federation of Pilots (EFP) continues as a select and extremely secretive group within the larger organisation.



0248/Pilots’ Federation Interests/The Pilots Federationas an organisation controls a vast financial empire. This is not public knowledge, although the major intelligence services are aware of the fact. However for the most part these financial resources are used to improve safety for pilots and for funding bounties used to improve safety for pilots and for funding bounties where local authorities do not (or in uncontrolled space), some governments have been known to take advantage of this. / The Pilots Federation also takes a private interest in the independent venture with new colonies, this will typically be masked by front companies. In only one known case has the PF taken control of a world or system - see the Founders' World section below. / As well as providing fund for bounties it also receives transaction fees for completed bounties that are processed through the PF bounty system - and in many cases retains unclaimed bounties where, for whatever reason, the pilot who has earned it doesn't claim it. / By far the most significant contribution to the PF's finances is the near monopoly it has for the embedded ship and station systems.



0249/Pilots’ Federation's Near Monopoly/Historically the Pilots’ Federationhas been a trusted soure of information for pilots. As humanity expanded into space that need for informatiuon continued to grow. / Before 3100 they provided data for many ship and station manufacturers. After 3100 in an understated, but effective campaign of acqusitions and mergers they came the dominant provider of this data as well as the hardware and software solutions serving that data. / From star chart data, ship data and bounty management systems the Pilots Federation expanded their data sources to include markets, newsfeeds and communication systems. / In 3300 the Pilots Federation's GalNet system has a near monopoly on all shipboard and station embedded systems. The systems are fitted as standard on nearly all independent ships and even some militaries. It's a testament to the trusted nature of the PF that his monopoly has occured with the little resistance bar some back room negotiations.



0250/Pilots’ Federation's Influence/Officially, the Pilots Federation is apolitical: as an organisation it does not interfere with the internal workings of systems or factions. However this official stance is a misnomer. The PF wields considerable power through its web of political contacts as well as the application of the bounty system and control of the ship and station embedded systems. / It also uses a lot of soft power by providing pilot safety support throughout human space. / There are also known cliques within the PF (The Dark Wheel is probably the most famous) that have their own agendas.Officially these are discouraged, but in an organisation so large they are tolerated as long as they don't overstep the mark.



0251/Pilot’s Federation's Secrecy/Much of what the Pilots Federation does revolves around secrecy; and this has many layers. Within the Pilots Federation, the Elite Federation of Pilots is even more mysterious and secretive, and at the centre of that is the elusive 'Founders World'. / It is the only system directly controlled by the EFP, and even its location is closely guarded. The secrecy is maintained by the EFP using 'misinformation' - there are a great many rumours of its rough location - and they all contradict each other. Only a select few - the members of the EFP - know the truth. / The system is governed by the EFP and it is here that the organisation's headquarters is based. / EFP members are allowed to retire here in relative anonymity.



PF CLIQUE ANALYSIS

Shinrarta Dehzra is controlled by EFP

Perhaps the various spelling variations are themselves obfuscation and the clue just lies in the phrasing of the tourist beacons? BUT definitely achieve separate PF ally for xeno/rescue!



Pilots Federation

TB 0246, 0245

Davanix claims Allied from combat bonds after fighting against Jupiter Rochester in the HIP 54530 CG, but could be “The Pilots Federation” clique if they are different!

#21,388



He said he’s allied with 4 PF cliques, and 3 PF cliques are hidden in the background - confirmed by fdev a while back in the issues tracker however they didn't answer why they are needed or what they are for.

#21,386





Galnet : The authorities are reporting that they have managed to contain the dramatic increase in black-market trading in the past week with numbers of illegally traded items considerable down on last week...The recent reduction in commodity supply rates have driven traders farther afield in search of profitable trade routes, but it would seem that only 2% of Commanders can really call themselves adventurersvisiting more than 20 different markets when exploring for opportunities and no single Commander has yet to trade commodities in every single market currently available...Puzzled mechanics working in shipyards across the sector have noticed that some Frameshift drive cores have needed replacing much earlier than expected. One was overheard talking in a bar on Smithy’s Claim: “These cores are normally good for 1000 light years, and yet nearly 1 in 20 of my customers has needed a complete drive overhaul, where have these Commanders been flying?” (Adventurers-perhaps a reference to TDW description?)

29 August 3300 all seem to be black market/piracy-related posts

15 August 3300

12 August 3300

8 August 3300

11 December 3304: A new networked database system named the Codex has been released to the galactic community. The Codex is a joint initiative from the Pilots Federation and Universal Cartographics.

7 October 3307: Pilots Federation ALERT* The battle between Delta Pavonis Galactic Interstellar and EG Union has concluded successfully for Yuri Grom’s forces.



Pilot’s Federation

TB 0251

1 July 3300: Significant numbers of fatal unprovoked attacks on Pilot’s Federation members are being detected. Pilots Federation members are reminded of their obligation to uphold the values of our organization by seeking out and destroying enemies of the Pilot’s Federation.Bounties have been placed on the heads of all such rogues. (BH or assassination missions?)



Pilots’ Federation

TB 0250, 0249, 0248, 0247, 0244

Faction in Shinrarta Dehzra; Jorki Allied with Local Branchthrough data/cargo missions & exploration data.

responsible for setting the new pilots’ locked region, and also for granting all our pilot’s Licences.

TDW is a subfaction.

20 April 3305: The Pilots’ Federation has revealed plans to establish a restricted area of space for newly licensed Commanders.

18 February 3308: Pilots’ Federation ALERT* Commanders are resisting Thargoid incursions in the Dan, HIP 12314 and Nauni systems.



PilotsFederation

rank via burning station rescue missions or Thargoid kills. Jorki Allied

No relevant Galnet posts!



The Pilots Federation

EDSM shows no existence anywhere - Jorki rep at ~ -40%? Is this the Superpower?

29 July 3302: “The Pilots Federation was established in 2805 in response to a surge in private-starship ownership. It was created principally to allow pilots to share reliable trade-route information, and to provide them with a system of mutual protection against the rising scourge of interstellar piracy.”

“At the time, independent pilots were generally mistrusted, the itinerant nature of their profession giving rise to perceptions of irresponsibility. The Pilots Federation’s strict code of conduct put an end to this, and over time a galaxy-wide respect for its members emerged.”

“As piracy became more prevalent, the Pilots Federation started issuing bounties on known pirate vessels.Some of those outside the organisation condemned the initiative as bloodthirsty, but few were able to argue with the impact it had on piracy. Shortly thereafter, the Pilots Federation introduced an official ranking system to reflect the number of combat victories achieved by each of its members. Pilots who accumulated the largest number of kills were awarded the title of Elite – a citation that became highly coveted among independent pilots.”

“The Pilots Federation derives the bulk of its wealth from the GalNet data network. Originally a system of ship, bounty and star-chart data, it evolved into an interstellar aggregator of market information and galactic news. By 3300, the Pilots Federation was not only the dominant provider of this information, it was also the main manufacturer of the hardware and software serving this data. Today, Pilots Federation systems are fitted as standard on virtually all independent starships.”

“In 3290 the Pilots Federation expanded its ranking system to encompass the fields of trade and exploration. In 3301 it expanded it again to include pilots who had distinguished themselves in the Close Quarters Combat championships.”

“The Pilots Federation has always remained politically neutral, avowing that it exists to support pilots rather than nationalities or political factions. The organisation is based in the Shinrarta Dezhra system, which can be accessed only by invitation. Receiving an invitation is typically dependent on achieving a high rank in the Pilots Federation. This stipulation has contributed to perceptions of the organisation as secretive – a perception compounded by the fact that the Pilots Federation has very little direct interaction with the public.”

24 June 3301: The Pilots Federation Supports Fuel Rat Initiative

Each year, thousands of pilots go missing in the black.

Some are waylaid by pirates. Others are lost to the dangers of space. However, an estimated 63% of all deep space losses are attributed to pilots who simply run out of fuel in an area where others rarely tread.

Now a new initiative, which is being backed by the Pilots Federation, is hoping to turn those figures around. A group of independent pilots, calling themselves the Fuel Rats, have begun patrolling the outer fringes of civilisation. Their mission? To provide assistance to traders and explorers before their life support runs out.

6 July 3303: The Pilots Federation has announced that its campaign to clear the LHS 3447, Eravate and Asellus Primus systems of agitators has been a success. Hundreds of combat pilots responded to the appeal, taking to their ships to eliminate the criminals operating in the systems.

11 FEB 3307: Pilots Federation ALERT ... Jupiter Division ships have engaged in battle with rival Federal vessels in the HIP 54530 system...The Pilots Federation has agreed to supply all ships participating in this conflict with temporary permits to access HIP 54530. These will expire early on Thursday the 18th of February 3307.



Summary- likely ranking activities:
visit more than 20 different markets

Trade at all available markets??

Long distance travels from Smithy’s Claim (Dahan 2c, Dahan Gateway?)

Support PF-sponsored CG

provide assistance to traders and explorers before their life support runs out-join Fuel Rats?

seek out and destroy enemies of the Pilot’s Federation-BH



So: Ps_F/ P’s_F/ Ps’_F/ PsF/ T_Ps_F

1. Ps_F: # markets traded, Anti-piracy missions.
2. P’s_F: BH enemies of the Pilot’s Federation-sponsored CG/BH/Assassination?
3. Ps’_FLB: Missions for SD faction YEP
4. PsF: Kill Thargoids YEP
5. T_Ps_F: refuel stranded pilots? sponsored CG

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

How does one contact FD Support without going throughnthe useless process of raising a bug report?

Ive done a search on “Sima Kalhana” and FD have done it again- released Galnet ”a retrospective of 3308 (part two)” but without yet releasing part one!

Doh FD, xmas hangovers clearly still lingering!!

 

[Louis Calvert]

Retrospective part one was released, I read it, it was a couple of days ago. It's just a case of (for whatever reason) it's not appearing on the archives. I'm sure they'll fix it soon

I know you can't see my replies Jorki but I'd be really interested to know what you mean by:

There is no in-game confirmation that TDW (& their hidden space station) exist, it is all rumour according to the Codex, our only known canon source. TDW is a nice concept, but is it a red herring?? Perhaps we should concentrate on what we do know!

It's a shame you couldn't see my entire post just before yours detailing all the in-game Dark Wheel stuff

I know you know this info though, so I'm wondering what you actually mean???

The issue with apostrophes I personally don't think is important. I've known English degree-holders, published authors, and extremely well-paid people in corporate marketing copywriting who write for multi-million pound projects that can't work an apostrophe. It's not at all uncommon. The fact that they've all been corrected now suggests it was a grammatical error rather than a significant hint.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

I’m musing over my breakfast injection of sanity (mug of coffee reawakening the little grey cells) and want to push a discussion on this point. And on further thought it is the last day of the year and it seems a good time to post a long meandering message!

There is no in-game confirmation that TDW (& their hidden space station) exist, it is all rumour according to the Codex, our only known canon source. TDW is a nice concept, but is it a red herring?? Perhaps we should concentrate on what we do know!

We do have confirmation of Pilots Federation. There were several different spellings of PF in the Shinrarta Tourist Beacons, which led to my hypothesis that this represented different factions within PF. Those disparate spellings were corrected (obfuscation, or storyline retcon/deletion?). HOWEVER it is proven possible (& several of us have experienced this) to become allied with Pilots’ Federation Local Branch in Shinrarta (by normal mission completion), and quite independently get allied with PilotsFederation by killing Thargoids- I have a pic of that Allied status message on my gaming machine & I was already allied with PF in SD. Is this ability to get independent Allied status a programming bug, or perhaps an indication of a real in-game feature?

I have already posted this but will do so again:
From EDSM searching on “Pilot” in Minor Factions (not player faction) I saw:

1 Pilots Federation Local Branch -PFDemocracy 0 controlled stations 0 controlled systems.

2 Pilots’ Federation Administration - PFCorporate 5 systems 7 stations Otegine/Aldrich, Matet/Coelho, Dromi/Mawson+Dimery+Aitkins, Sharur/Archias, Orna/ Fuzong, however all these systems need Pilot’s Federation permit-newbies area!! Recently implemented so unlikely to be relevant.

3 Pilots’ Federation Local Branch - PFDemocracy 0 stations 0 systems - in ShinDez

4 PilotsFederation - no detail! -rank via rescue missions or Thargoid kills 0 stations 0 systems

5 The Pilots Federation - IndependentDemocracy 0 stations 0 systems Shinrarta Dezhra

So:
A) Pilots’ Federation (Admin for noobs area,

Local Branch for ShinDez)- missions

B) Pilots Federation (Local Branch) - combat bonds??

C) PilotsFederation - antixeno/rescue from attacked stations

D) The Pilots Federation -?? (same as b?) might have been in SD then converted to superpower -codex entries/exploration? BH in SD??



The different (original, now corrected!) spelling discrepancies were noticed in the Tourist Beacons in Shin Dez. Perhaps this beacon set of clues with different spellings is really why they are located in Shin Dez which you have to be Elite to enter? (I.e. part of the “personal journey”?)

We know from Elite Premonition that TDW in Shin Dez are “at the outer rim”.
Obfuscated In The Outer Rim (Answering The Call Of Adventure)- old SD mission.



Clearly for some arcane reason FD had set up several factions of PF in-game. Rochester raised a bug report on these different spellings & the response (later deleted!!) indicated that all spellings were correct so there must be a reason. Clearly this is an obfuscation on the basis that most people would assume this was a single faction and put the differences down to bad spelling on FD’s part (which has always struck me as a bit strange, especially since MB was an author and Exec Producer who should have enforced good spellchecking practice). I suspect we need to ally with all these variants to trigger some event. Could this be part of the “obfuscation on the outer rim” from the early SD missions?

This would certainly comply with the definition of a “personal journey”, and might explain why nobody has as yet reported receiving any TDW invitation-there is some part of PF that we are not yet impacting. We need to gain their attention! Discussion on that is in the spoiler below.

To test this hypothesis is a bit of a lengthy effort; we need to test if these two Allied status messages can still be received and compare if the PF spellings for them are unchanged. It needs someone who has not yet done so to attempt to become Elite to gain the system permit & become Allied with PF (fairly easy to do) in Shinrarta, and independently to undertake extensive anti-xeno activities, though with the current Thargoid invasion this is an opportune time to do so. It takes quite a lot (~1860 IIRC, my hands are still painful!) of Thargoid Scout kills to get the final Combat Elite rank (which gave me the second PF Allied message). However I expect many reading this thread will already be well on the way to this level.

Anyone up to the challenge?

Spoiler: Original TB spellings and consequent hypothesising

Shinrarta PF Tourist Beacons - original spelling (now corrected!):



0244/Pilots’ Federation Origins/The Pilots’ Federationhas existed for a very long time. It was founded in 2805 during the great surge of private ownership of small starships enabled by the hugely competitive modular ship designs made available during the previous decades. / It was founded as much as a way of agreeing prices for ship parts en masse (where member benefit from group discounts), but soon becane much more, providing a system where trusted pilots could share route information and protect each other from a new scourge - also enabled ny the proliferation of small starships - of interstellar piracy. Over the years an unofficial tally of pirate kills amongst some members began as 'bragging rights' but soon members started showing their kills on their online IDs, and before long those without such a rating were referred to as 'Harmless' - and by implication not so desirable to provide cover on a route known for pirate attacks. / Gradually, the Pilots Federationgrew to encompass a great many pilot-owners and their ships. It also provided an element of respectability as the itinerant nature of their lifestyles had started to bring suspicion amongst planet-siders - where the lack of accountability of space farers brought about by their ability to simply move on to a different system before the law caught up with them gave them a bit of a reputation as cowboys or as thieves in certain places. The Pilots Federationwould not tolerate dishonourable behaviour among its members, and so such members would wear the PF's logo with pride - earning them a little respect in their dealings, and an antidote to the cowboy image.



0245/The Elite/In 3100 the Pilots Federationbegan issuing modified version of its 'wings' badge that included the pilot's rating written across it in capitals, and made official the names of these ratings, starting with 'Harmless, then 'Mostly Harmless', all the way to 'Elite'. The most coveted was the 'Elite' badge, and the first of these was awarded to Commander Peter Jameson, who wore it on the rear of his Cobra MkIII for the rest of his life. / Before long this small and highly respected group of pilots with these coveted badges became known as 'The Elite'. They received all sorts of offers - both commercial and personal - (including offer of marriage!). The commercial side became valuable - whether it was transporting royalty or taking unknown items 'no questions asked'. The group was considered utterly trustworty, with the confidentiality assured, and its members took this very seriously.



0246/The Elite Federation of Pilots/As their reputation spread, the small group became overwhelmed. There was no way they could satisfy anything like all the demands on them, so the formed 'The Elite Federation of Pilots'. This was a sub-groupof the Pilots Federationand it ran its own system to exchange offers between its members. It was quite secretive, and hugely respected, and there was a high demand for their services. Their main problem was how few 'Elite' pilots there were. Many pilots would get rich and retire long before they attained the coveted 'Elite' status; the fundamental problem was that the rating was a kill count. Wise members of the group realised that, in fact, they were no better pilots than some younger pilots with much lower ratings - they had just been doing it for longer - though others outside the group didn't see it like that. They wanted the cachet of employing an 'Elite' pilot. They were also aware that the pirates were getting better. They were better organised than in the early days, and better equipped. / It is rumoured they run secret bases and have their own technologies, but what is known for certain is they are highly respected, and get generous discounts throughout human space. In practice the aura of secrecy proved a great strength. The EFP now has representatives throughout human space and beyond, and it is an organisation to which every pilot aspires to be a member.



0247/Pilots’ Federation Secrecy/The Pilots’ Federationin many ways is a secretive organisation. This in part reinforces its status of neutrality. It exists to support pilots, not nationalities or political factions. Over the years this has led to its acceptance (albeit grudging in some cases) in practically all human domain. / Despite its ubiquitous presence it has very little direct dealings with the public. Even member pilots tend to interact via the networked rankings and bounties system. The prime exception to this is registration. A pilot has to register in person for their PF license. Registration is performent at offices throughout human habitted space. / The PF represents the nearest thing to law in uncontrolled and ungoverned space. Their existence provides a safely net for human expansion in space beyond the major factions. / The Elite Federation of Pilots (EFP) continues as a select and extremely secretive group within the larger organisation.



0248/Pilots’ Federation Interests/The Pilots Federationas an organisation controls a vast financial empire. This is not public knowledge, although the major intelligence services are aware of the fact. However for the most part these financial resources are used to improve safety for pilots and for funding bounties used to improve safety for pilots and for funding bounties where local authorities do not (or in uncontrolled space), some governments have been known to take advantage of this. / The Pilots Federation also takes a private interest in the independent venture with new colonies, this will typically be masked by front companies. In only one known case has the PF taken control of a world or system - see the Founders' World section below. / As well as providing fund for bounties it also receives transaction fees for completed bounties that are processed through the PF bounty system - and in many cases retains unclaimed bounties where, for whatever reason, the pilot who has earned it doesn't claim it. / By far the most significant contribution to the PF's finances is the near monopoly it has for the embedded ship and station systems.



0249/Pilots’ Federation's Near Monopoly/Historically the Pilots’ Federationhas been a trusted soure of information for pilots. As humanity expanded into space that need for informatiuon continued to grow. / Before 3100 they provided data for many ship and station manufacturers. After 3100 in an understated, but effective campaign of acqusitions and mergers they came the dominant provider of this data as well as the hardware and software solutions serving that data. / From star chart data, ship data and bounty management systems the Pilots Federation expanded their data sources to include markets, newsfeeds and communication systems. / In 3300 the Pilots Federation's GalNet system has a near monopoly on all shipboard and station embedded systems. The systems are fitted as standard on nearly all independent ships and even some militaries. It's a testament to the trusted nature of the PF that his monopoly has occured with the little resistance bar some back room negotiations.



0250/Pilots’ Federation's Influence/Officially, the Pilots Federation is apolitical: as an organisation it does not interfere with the internal workings of systems or factions. However this official stance is a misnomer. The PF wields considerable power through its web of political contacts as well as the application of the bounty system and control of the ship and station embedded systems. / It also uses a lot of soft power by providing pilot safety support throughout human space. / There are also known cliques within the PF (The Dark Wheel is probably the most famous) that have their own agendas.Officially these are discouraged, but in an organisation so large they are tolerated as long as they don't overstep the mark.



0251/Pilot’s Federation's Secrecy/Much of what the Pilots Federation does revolves around secrecy; and this has many layers. Within the Pilots Federation, the Elite Federation of Pilots is even more mysterious and secretive, and at the centre of that is the elusive 'Founders World'. / It is the only system directly controlled by the EFP, and even its location is closely guarded. The secrecy is maintained by the EFP using 'misinformation' - there are a great many rumours of its rough location - and they all contradict each other. Only a select few - the members of the EFP - know the truth. / The system is governed by the EFP and it is here that the organisation's headquarters is based. / EFP members are allowed to retire here in relative anonymity.



PF CLIQUE ANALYSIS

Shinrarta Dehzra is controlled by EFP

Perhaps the various spelling variations are themselves obfuscation and the clue just lies in the phrasing of the tourist beacons? BUT definitely achieve separate PF ally for xeno/rescue!



Pilots Federation

TB 0246, 0245

Davanix claims Allied from combat bonds after fighting against Jupiter Rochester in the HIP 54530 CG, but could be “The Pilots Federation” clique if they are different!

#21,388



He said he’s allied with 4 PF cliques, and 3 PF cliques are hidden in the background - confirmed by fdev a while back in the issues tracker however they didn't answer why they are needed or what they are for.

#21,386





Galnet : The authorities are reporting that they have managed to contain the dramatic increase in black-market trading in the past week with numbers of illegally traded items considerable down on last week...The recent reduction in commodity supply rates have driven traders farther afield in search of profitable trade routes, but it would seem that only 2% of Commanders can really call themselves adventurersvisiting more than 20 different markets when exploring for opportunities and no single Commander has yet to trade commodities in every single market currently available...Puzzled mechanics working in shipyards across the sector have noticed that some Frameshift drive cores have needed replacing much earlier than expected. One was overheard talking in a bar on Smithy’s Claim: “These cores are normally good for 1000 light years, and yet nearly 1 in 20 of my customers has needed a complete drive overhaul, where have these Commanders been flying?” (Adventurers-perhaps a reference to TDW description?)

29 August 3300 all seem to be black market/piracy-related posts

15 August 3300

12 August 3300

8 August 3300

11 December 3304: A new networked database system named the Codex has been released to the galactic community. The Codex is a joint initiative from the Pilots Federation and Universal Cartographics.

7 October 3307: Pilots Federation ALERT* The battle between Delta Pavonis Galactic Interstellar and EG Union has concluded successfully for Yuri Grom’s forces.



Pilot’s Federation

TB 0251

1 July 3300: Significant numbers of fatal unprovoked attacks on Pilot’s Federation members are being detected. Pilots Federation members are reminded of their obligation to uphold the values of our organization by seeking out and destroying enemies of the Pilot’s Federation.Bounties have been placed on the heads of all such rogues. (BH or assassination missions?)



Pilots’ Federation

TB 0250, 0249, 0248, 0247, 0244

Faction in Shinrarta Dehzra; Jorki Allied with Local Branchthrough data/cargo missions & exploration data.

responsible for setting the new pilots’ locked region, and also for granting all our pilot’s Licences.

TDW is a subfaction.

20 April 3305: The Pilots’ Federation has revealed plans to establish a restricted area of space for newly licensed Commanders.

18 February 3308: Pilots’ Federation ALERT* Commanders are resisting Thargoid incursions in the Dan, HIP 12314 and Nauni systems.



PilotsFederation

rank via burning station rescue missions or Thargoid kills. Jorki Allied

No relevant Galnet posts!



The Pilots Federation

EDSM shows no existence anywhere - Jorki rep at ~ -40%? Is this the Superpower?

29 July 3302: “The Pilots Federation was established in 2805 in response to a surge in private-starship ownership. It was created principally to allow pilots to share reliable trade-route information, and to provide them with a system of mutual protection against the rising scourge of interstellar piracy.”

“At the time, independent pilots were generally mistrusted, the itinerant nature of their profession giving rise to perceptions of irresponsibility. The Pilots Federation’s strict code of conduct put an end to this, and over time a galaxy-wide respect for its members emerged.”

“As piracy became more prevalent, the Pilots Federation started issuing bounties on known pirate vessels.Some of those outside the organisation condemned the initiative as bloodthirsty, but few were able to argue with the impact it had on piracy. Shortly thereafter, the Pilots Federation introduced an official ranking system to reflect the number of combat victories achieved by each of its members. Pilots who accumulated the largest number of kills were awarded the title of Elite – a citation that became highly coveted among independent pilots.”

“The Pilots Federation derives the bulk of its wealth from the GalNet data network. Originally a system of ship, bounty and star-chart data, it evolved into an interstellar aggregator of market information and galactic news. By 3300, the Pilots Federation was not only the dominant provider of this information, it was also the main manufacturer of the hardware and software serving this data. Today, Pilots Federation systems are fitted as standard on virtually all independent starships.”

“In 3290 the Pilots Federation expanded its ranking system to encompass the fields of trade and exploration. In 3301 it expanded it again to include pilots who had distinguished themselves in the Close Quarters Combat championships.”

“The Pilots Federation has always remained politically neutral, avowing that it exists to support pilots rather than nationalities or political factions. The organisation is based in the Shinrarta Dezhra system, which can be accessed only by invitation. Receiving an invitation is typically dependent on achieving a high rank in the Pilots Federation. This stipulation has contributed to perceptions of the organisation as secretive – a perception compounded by the fact that the Pilots Federation has very little direct interaction with the public.”

24 June 3301: The Pilots Federation Supports Fuel Rat Initiative

Each year, thousands of pilots go missing in the black.

Some are waylaid by pirates. Others are lost to the dangers of space. However, an estimated 63% of all deep space losses are attributed to pilots who simply run out of fuel in an area where others rarely tread.

Now a new initiative, which is being backed by the Pilots Federation, is hoping to turn those figures around. A group of independent pilots, calling themselves the Fuel Rats, have begun patrolling the outer fringes of civilisation. Their mission? To provide assistance to traders and explorers before their life support runs out.

6 July 3303: The Pilots Federation has announced that its campaign to clear the LHS 3447, Eravate and Asellus Primus systems of agitators has been a success. Hundreds of combat pilots responded to the appeal, taking to their ships to eliminate the criminals operating in the systems.

11 FEB 3307: Pilots Federation ALERT ... Jupiter Division ships have engaged in battle with rival Federal vessels in the HIP 54530 system...The Pilots Federation has agreed to supply all ships participating in this conflict with temporary permits to access HIP 54530. These will expire early on Thursday the 18th of February 3307.



Summary- likely ranking activities:
visit more than 20 different markets

Trade at all available markets??

Long distance travels from Smithy’s Claim (Dahan 2c, Dahan Gateway?)

Support PF-sponsored CG

provide assistance to traders and explorers before their life support runs out-join Fuel Rats?

seek out and destroy enemies of the Pilot’s Federation-BH



So: Ps_F/ P’s_F/ Ps’_F/ PsF/ T_Ps_F

1. Ps_F: # markets traded, Anti-piracy missions.
2. P’s_F: BH enemies of the Pilot’s Federation-sponsored CG/BH/Assassination?
3. Ps’_FLB: Missions for SD faction YEP
4. PsF: Kill Thargoids YEP
5. T_Ps_F: refuel stranded pilots? sponsored CG

You may be able to do these tests in either Asellus Primus or LHS 3447. They are the original start systems and are permanently accessible by all CMDRs. Only the much newer Pilots' Federation Administration region is locked after you leave.

 

[cmdr milesred]

fwiw as thargoids were not always available to be targets
there was once a time when bounty hunting gave a percentage to the pf, to empire, to federation, as well as to any local factions.
for someone like me that simply became triple elite long ago, before thargoids were available, becoming elite and gaining entrance to shinrarta came without ever going there, same as being allied everywhere I went because of the shares of bounties.
nowadays I believe you only get any pf percentages if you work for the pf aka kill thargoids.

mostly pointing out that shooting a thargoid was never a requirement and for the fun of it, becoming allied with the pf was a no effort gain.
watching the codex become, and watching new fake pf factions appear was easy to spot , still is as I am only allied with the real one.
meaning they did not always exist.

many things changed as time went by.
I mentioned before about the wiki's, and that the codex has done similar. meaning history gets written and re-written as things change.
the codex is named appropriately in my mind. because it only means library card to me, one that watched it become and grow, and also saw all my data change before and after the codex. many many errors. some change some don't.
I see it more as a reminder or a guide for the new. but by no means is it accurate in all things.

much lore is in a similar situation. some was re-written in front of many of us, more than once.

 

[Macros Black]

I’m musing over my breakfast injection of sanity (mug of coffee reawakening the little grey cells) and want to push a discussion on this point. And on further thought it is the last day of the year and it seems a good time to post a long meandering message!

There is no in-game confirmation that TDW (& their hidden space station) exist, it is all rumour according to the Codex, our only known canon source. TDW is a nice concept, but is it a red herring?? Perhaps we should concentrate on what we do know!

We do have confirmation of Pilots Federation. There were several different spellings of PF in the Shinrarta Tourist Beacons, which led to my hypothesis that this represented different factions within PF. Those disparate spellings were corrected (obfuscation, or storyline retcon/deletion?). HOWEVER it is proven possible (& several of us have experienced this) to become allied with Pilots’ Federation Local Branch in Shinrarta (by normal mission completion), and quite independently get allied with PilotsFederation by killing Thargoids- I have a pic of that Allied status message on my gaming machine & I was already allied with PF in SD. Is this ability to get independent Allied status a programming bug, or perhaps an indication of a real in-game feature?

I have already posted this but will do so again:
From EDSM searching on “Pilot” in Minor Factions (not player faction) I saw:

1 Pilots Federation Local Branch -PFDemocracy 0 controlled stations 0 controlled systems.

2 Pilots’ Federation Administration - PFCorporate 5 systems 7 stations Otegine/Aldrich, Matet/Coelho, Dromi/Mawson+Dimery+Aitkins, Sharur/Archias, Orna/ Fuzong, however all these systems need Pilot’s Federation permit-newbies area!! Recently implemented so unlikely to be relevant.

3 Pilots’ Federation Local Branch - PFDemocracy 0 stations 0 systems - in ShinDez

4 PilotsFederation - no detail! -rank via rescue missions or Thargoid kills 0 stations 0 systems

5 The Pilots Federation - IndependentDemocracy 0 stations 0 systems Shinrarta Dezhra

So:
A) Pilots’ Federation (Admin for noobs area,

Local Branch for ShinDez)- missions

B) Pilots Federation (Local Branch) - combat bonds??

C) PilotsFederation - antixeno/rescue from attacked stations

D) The Pilots Federation -?? (same as b?) might have been in SD then converted to superpower -codex entries/exploration? BH in SD??



The different (original, now corrected!) spelling discrepancies were noticed in the Tourist Beacons in Shin Dez. Perhaps this beacon set of clues with different spellings is really why they are located in Shin Dez which you have to be Elite to enter? (I.e. part of the “personal journey”?)

We know from Elite Premonition that TDW in Shin Dez are “at the outer rim”.
Obfuscated In The Outer Rim (Answering The Call Of Adventure)- old SD mission.



Clearly for some arcane reason FD had set up several factions of PF in-game. Rochester raised a bug report on these different spellings & the response (later deleted!!) indicated that all spellings were correct so there must be a reason. Clearly this is an obfuscation on the basis that most people would assume this was a single faction and put the differences down to bad spelling on FD’s part (which has always struck me as a bit strange, especially since MB was an author and Exec Producer who should have enforced good spellchecking practice). I suspect we need to ally with all these variants to trigger some event. Could this be part of the “obfuscation on the outer rim” from the early SD missions?

This would certainly comply with the definition of a “personal journey”, and might explain why nobody has as yet reported receiving any TDW invitation-there is some part of PF that we are not yet impacting. We need to gain their attention! Discussion on that is in the spoiler below.

To test this hypothesis is a bit of a lengthy effort; we need to test if these two Allied status messages can still be received and compare if the PF spellings for them are unchanged. It needs someone who has not yet done so to attempt to become Elite to gain the system permit & become Allied with PF (fairly easy to do) in Shinrarta, and independently to undertake extensive anti-xeno activities, though with the current Thargoid invasion this is an opportune time to do so. It takes quite a lot (~1860 IIRC, my hands are still painful!) of Thargoid Scout kills to get the final Combat Elite rank (which gave me the second PF Allied message). However I expect many reading this thread will already be well on the way to this level.

Anyone up to the challenge?

Spoiler: Original TB spellings and consequent hypothesising

Shinrarta PF Tourist Beacons - original spelling (now corrected!):



0244/Pilots’ Federation Origins/The Pilots’ Federationhas existed for a very long time. It was founded in 2805 during the great surge of private ownership of small starships enabled by the hugely competitive modular ship designs made available during the previous decades. / It was founded as much as a way of agreeing prices for ship parts en masse (where member benefit from group discounts), but soon becane much more, providing a system where trusted pilots could share route information and protect each other from a new scourge - also enabled ny the proliferation of small starships - of interstellar piracy. Over the years an unofficial tally of pirate kills amongst some members began as 'bragging rights' but soon members started showing their kills on their online IDs, and before long those without such a rating were referred to as 'Harmless' - and by implication not so desirable to provide cover on a route known for pirate attacks. / Gradually, the Pilots Federationgrew to encompass a great many pilot-owners and their ships. It also provided an element of respectability as the itinerant nature of their lifestyles had started to bring suspicion amongst planet-siders - where the lack of accountability of space farers brought about by their ability to simply move on to a different system before the law caught up with them gave them a bit of a reputation as cowboys or as thieves in certain places. The Pilots Federationwould not tolerate dishonourable behaviour among its members, and so such members would wear the PF's logo with pride - earning them a little respect in their dealings, and an antidote to the cowboy image.



0245/The Elite/In 3100 the Pilots Federationbegan issuing modified version of its 'wings' badge that included the pilot's rating written across it in capitals, and made official the names of these ratings, starting with 'Harmless, then 'Mostly Harmless', all the way to 'Elite'. The most coveted was the 'Elite' badge, and the first of these was awarded to Commander Peter Jameson, who wore it on the rear of his Cobra MkIII for the rest of his life. / Before long this small and highly respected group of pilots with these coveted badges became known as 'The Elite'. They received all sorts of offers - both commercial and personal - (including offer of marriage!). The commercial side became valuable - whether it was transporting royalty or taking unknown items 'no questions asked'. The group was considered utterly trustworty, with the confidentiality assured, and its members took this very seriously.



0246/The Elite Federation of Pilots/As their reputation spread, the small group became overwhelmed. There was no way they could satisfy anything like all the demands on them, so the formed 'The Elite Federation of Pilots'. This was a sub-groupof the Pilots Federationand it ran its own system to exchange offers between its members. It was quite secretive, and hugely respected, and there was a high demand for their services. Their main problem was how few 'Elite' pilots there were. Many pilots would get rich and retire long before they attained the coveted 'Elite' status; the fundamental problem was that the rating was a kill count. Wise members of the group realised that, in fact, they were no better pilots than some younger pilots with much lower ratings - they had just been doing it for longer - though others outside the group didn't see it like that. They wanted the cachet of employing an 'Elite' pilot. They were also aware that the pirates were getting better. They were better organised than in the early days, and better equipped. / It is rumoured they run secret bases and have their own technologies, but what is known for certain is they are highly respected, and get generous discounts throughout human space. In practice the aura of secrecy proved a great strength. The EFP now has representatives throughout human space and beyond, and it is an organisation to which every pilot aspires to be a member.



0247/Pilots’ Federation Secrecy/The Pilots’ Federationin many ways is a secretive organisation. This in part reinforces its status of neutrality. It exists to support pilots, not nationalities or political factions. Over the years this has led to its acceptance (albeit grudging in some cases) in practically all human domain. / Despite its ubiquitous presence it has very little direct dealings with the public. Even member pilots tend to interact via the networked rankings and bounties system. The prime exception to this is registration. A pilot has to register in person for their PF license. Registration is performent at offices throughout human habitted space. / The PF represents the nearest thing to law in uncontrolled and ungoverned space. Their existence provides a safely net for human expansion in space beyond the major factions. / The Elite Federation of Pilots (EFP) continues as a select and extremely secretive group within the larger organisation.



0248/Pilots’ Federation Interests/The Pilots Federationas an organisation controls a vast financial empire. This is not public knowledge, although the major intelligence services are aware of the fact. However for the most part these financial resources are used to improve safety for pilots and for funding bounties used to improve safety for pilots and for funding bounties where local authorities do not (or in uncontrolled space), some governments have been known to take advantage of this. / The Pilots Federation also takes a private interest in the independent venture with new colonies, this will typically be masked by front companies. In only one known case has the PF taken control of a world or system - see the Founders' World section below. / As well as providing fund for bounties it also receives transaction fees for completed bounties that are processed through the PF bounty system - and in many cases retains unclaimed bounties where, for whatever reason, the pilot who has earned it doesn't claim it. / By far the most significant contribution to the PF's finances is the near monopoly it has for the embedded ship and station systems.



0249/Pilots’ Federation's Near Monopoly/Historically the Pilots’ Federationhas been a trusted soure of information for pilots. As humanity expanded into space that need for informatiuon continued to grow. / Before 3100 they provided data for many ship and station manufacturers. After 3100 in an understated, but effective campaign of acqusitions and mergers they came the dominant provider of this data as well as the hardware and software solutions serving that data. / From star chart data, ship data and bounty management systems the Pilots Federation expanded their data sources to include markets, newsfeeds and communication systems. / In 3300 the Pilots Federation's GalNet system has a near monopoly on all shipboard and station embedded systems. The systems are fitted as standard on nearly all independent ships and even some militaries. It's a testament to the trusted nature of the PF that his monopoly has occured with the little resistance bar some back room negotiations.



0250/Pilots’ Federation's Influence/Officially, the Pilots Federation is apolitical: as an organisation it does not interfere with the internal workings of systems or factions. However this official stance is a misnomer. The PF wields considerable power through its web of political contacts as well as the application of the bounty system and control of the ship and station embedded systems. / It also uses a lot of soft power by providing pilot safety support throughout human space. / There are also known cliques within the PF (The Dark Wheel is probably the most famous) that have their own agendas.Officially these are discouraged, but in an organisation so large they are tolerated as long as they don't overstep the mark.



0251/Pilot’s Federation's Secrecy/Much of what the Pilots Federation does revolves around secrecy; and this has many layers. Within the Pilots Federation, the Elite Federation of Pilots is even more mysterious and secretive, and at the centre of that is the elusive 'Founders World'. / It is the only system directly controlled by the EFP, and even its location is closely guarded. The secrecy is maintained by the EFP using 'misinformation' - there are a great many rumours of its rough location - and they all contradict each other. Only a select few - the members of the EFP - know the truth. / The system is governed by the EFP and it is here that the organisation's headquarters is based. / EFP members are allowed to retire here in relative anonymity.



PF CLIQUE ANALYSIS

Shinrarta Dehzra is controlled by EFP

Perhaps the various spelling variations are themselves obfuscation and the clue just lies in the phrasing of the tourist beacons? BUT definitely achieve separate PF ally for xeno/rescue!



Pilots Federation

TB 0246, 0245

Davanix claims Allied from combat bonds after fighting against Jupiter Rochester in the HIP 54530 CG, but could be “The Pilots Federation” clique if they are different!

#21,388



He said he’s allied with 4 PF cliques, and 3 PF cliques are hidden in the background - confirmed by fdev a while back in the issues tracker however they didn't answer why they are needed or what they are for.

#21,386





Galnet : The authorities are reporting that they have managed to contain the dramatic increase in black-market trading in the past week with numbers of illegally traded items considerable down on last week...The recent reduction in commodity supply rates have driven traders farther afield in search of profitable trade routes, but it would seem that only 2% of Commanders can really call themselves adventurersvisiting more than 20 different markets when exploring for opportunities and no single Commander has yet to trade commodities in every single market currently available...Puzzled mechanics working in shipyards across the sector have noticed that some Frameshift drive cores have needed replacing much earlier than expected. One was overheard talking in a bar on Smithy’s Claim: “These cores are normally good for 1000 light years, and yet nearly 1 in 20 of my customers has needed a complete drive overhaul, where have these Commanders been flying?” (Adventurers-perhaps a reference to TDW description?)

29 August 3300 all seem to be black market/piracy-related posts

15 August 3300

12 August 3300

8 August 3300

11 December 3304: A new networked database system named the Codex has been released to the galactic community. The Codex is a joint initiative from the Pilots Federation and Universal Cartographics.

7 October 3307: Pilots Federation ALERT* The battle between Delta Pavonis Galactic Interstellar and EG Union has concluded successfully for Yuri Grom’s forces.



Pilot’s Federation

TB 0251

1 July 3300: Significant numbers of fatal unprovoked attacks on Pilot’s Federation members are being detected. Pilots Federation members are reminded of their obligation to uphold the values of our organization by seeking out and destroying enemies of the Pilot’s Federation.Bounties have been placed on the heads of all such rogues. (BH or assassination missions?)



Pilots’ Federation

TB 0250, 0249, 0248, 0247, 0244

Faction in Shinrarta Dehzra; Jorki Allied with Local Branchthrough data/cargo missions & exploration data.

responsible for setting the new pilots’ locked region, and also for granting all our pilot’s Licences.

TDW is a subfaction.

20 April 3305: The Pilots’ Federation has revealed plans to establish a restricted area of space for newly licensed Commanders.

18 February 3308: Pilots’ Federation ALERT* Commanders are resisting Thargoid incursions in the Dan, HIP 12314 and Nauni systems.



PilotsFederation

rank via burning station rescue missions or Thargoid kills. Jorki Allied

No relevant Galnet posts!



The Pilots Federation

EDSM shows no existence anywhere - Jorki rep at ~ -40%? Is this the Superpower?

29 July 3302: “The Pilots Federation was established in 2805 in response to a surge in private-starship ownership. It was created principally to allow pilots to share reliable trade-route information, and to provide them with a system of mutual protection against the rising scourge of interstellar piracy.”

“At the time, independent pilots were generally mistrusted, the itinerant nature of their profession giving rise to perceptions of irresponsibility. The Pilots Federation’s strict code of conduct put an end to this, and over time a galaxy-wide respect for its members emerged.”

“As piracy became more prevalent, the Pilots Federation started issuing bounties on known pirate vessels.Some of those outside the organisation condemned the initiative as bloodthirsty, but few were able to argue with the impact it had on piracy. Shortly thereafter, the Pilots Federation introduced an official ranking system to reflect the number of combat victories achieved by each of its members. Pilots who accumulated the largest number of kills were awarded the title of Elite – a citation that became highly coveted among independent pilots.”

“The Pilots Federation derives the bulk of its wealth from the GalNet data network. Originally a system of ship, bounty and star-chart data, it evolved into an interstellar aggregator of market information and galactic news. By 3300, the Pilots Federation was not only the dominant provider of this information, it was also the main manufacturer of the hardware and software serving this data. Today, Pilots Federation systems are fitted as standard on virtually all independent starships.”

“In 3290 the Pilots Federation expanded its ranking system to encompass the fields of trade and exploration. In 3301 it expanded it again to include pilots who had distinguished themselves in the Close Quarters Combat championships.”

“The Pilots Federation has always remained politically neutral, avowing that it exists to support pilots rather than nationalities or political factions. The organisation is based in the Shinrarta Dezhra system, which can be accessed only by invitation. Receiving an invitation is typically dependent on achieving a high rank in the Pilots Federation. This stipulation has contributed to perceptions of the organisation as secretive – a perception compounded by the fact that the Pilots Federation has very little direct interaction with the public.”

24 June 3301: The Pilots Federation Supports Fuel Rat Initiative

Each year, thousands of pilots go missing in the black.

Some are waylaid by pirates. Others are lost to the dangers of space. However, an estimated 63% of all deep space losses are attributed to pilots who simply run out of fuel in an area where others rarely tread.

Now a new initiative, which is being backed by the Pilots Federation, is hoping to turn those figures around. A group of independent pilots, calling themselves the Fuel Rats, have begun patrolling the outer fringes of civilisation. Their mission? To provide assistance to traders and explorers before their life support runs out.

6 July 3303: The Pilots Federation has announced that its campaign to clear the LHS 3447, Eravate and Asellus Primus systems of agitators has been a success. Hundreds of combat pilots responded to the appeal, taking to their ships to eliminate the criminals operating in the systems.

11 FEB 3307: Pilots Federation ALERT ... Jupiter Division ships have engaged in battle with rival Federal vessels in the HIP 54530 system...The Pilots Federation has agreed to supply all ships participating in this conflict with temporary permits to access HIP 54530. These will expire early on Thursday the 18th of February 3307.



Summary- likely ranking activities:
visit more than 20 different markets

Trade at all available markets??

Long distance travels from Smithy’s Claim (Dahan 2c, Dahan Gateway?)

Support PF-sponsored CG

provide assistance to traders and explorers before their life support runs out-join Fuel Rats?

seek out and destroy enemies of the Pilot’s Federation-BH



So: Ps_F/ P’s_F/ Ps’_F/ PsF/ T_Ps_F

1. Ps_F: # markets traded, Anti-piracy missions.
2. P’s_F: BH enemies of the Pilot’s Federation-sponsored CG/BH/Assassination?
3. Ps’_FLB: Missions for SD faction YEP
4. PsF: Kill Thargoids YEP
5. T_Ps_F: refuel stranded pilots? sponsored CG

Sadly all of my seven accounts are already Elite's with no appetite for getting another Elite.

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

Well, progress update from Jorki:
currently at PSR J1915+1606, which should be the Hulse–Taylor binary pulsar (NS+pulsar), but it aint! FD have messed it up. In-game it's a NS + K type star. Which just about finishes my Gravitational Wave-based search. There might well be other potential GW sources in-game, but I think Jorki & Tyko between them have tested the major contenders. So I’m laying that theory to rest....
Hey Ho!

now just 9.6 kylies (121 jumps) to Colonia!

Happy New Year to all!

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

Sadly all of my seven accounts are already Elite's with no appetite for getting another Elite.

Yes, I know what you mean! Testing this hypothesis needs the SD permit and a taste for Thargoid bashing by someone who hasnt achieved Allied with PF through the latter as yet. Must be someone close to that point with all the Thargoid War effort.....

Edit
Perhaps it would be clearer to say that if anyone participating in the Thargoid War effort gets a message saying they are now Allied with PilotsFederation then PLEASE TELL US and show the screenshot so we can be sure of the spelling. In addition we also need to know whether you’re already allied with Pilot’s Federation Local Branch in Shinrarta Dezhra.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

a taste for Thargoid bashing

Sadly, this pretty much excludes me as I am solidly in the Thargoid peace camp and convinced we are presently making matters far worse for ourselves. Look, I don't want the Bubble to burn but we at least partly brought this on ourselves. That and recent investigations into the type of systems that are Soontill and Polaris haven't exactly helped ease the feeling something is significantly "off" with what we are told vs what we see.

I'm happy to help in other areas but I don't bash Thargoids. One other note, the "octagonal starships" as they were described in "Galactic News: The Thargoids" makes it sound like those were either scouts or a separate species entirely (based on early observations) This just doesn't scream Thargoid mothership(s). Hard, sharp lines aren't really the design aesthetic we see with our flowery star brethren. Does anyone know for certain the exact number of sides to a Thargoid Scout?

 

[CMDR Davanix]

Sadly, this pretty much excludes me as I am solidly in the Thargoid peace camp and convinced we are presently making matters far worse for ourselves. Look, I don't want the Bubble to burn but we at least partly brought this on ourselves. That and recent investigations into the type of systems that are Soontill and Polaris haven't exactly helped ease the feeling something is significantly "off" with what we are told vs what we see.

I'm happy to help in other areas but I don't bash Thargoids. One other note, the "octagonal starships" as they were described in "Galactic News: The Thargoids" makes it sound like those were either scouts or a separate species entirely (based on early observations) This just doesn't scream Thargoid mothership(s). Hard, sharp lines aren't really the design aesthetic we see with our flowery star brethren. Does anyone know for certain the exact number of sides to a Thargoid Scout?

View attachment 339961

8 sides

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

8 sides

So. probably we are dealing with Scouts at first and have seen progressive escalation...

On the more directly related to Raxxla front, all indications are that Thargoids are if not natives to Witchspace itself are pretty damn capable of manipulation of it to maximize the effectiveness of their jumps (up to and including militarization of these same abilities). So, why would a species that can at will manipulate the fabric of space/time build much of anything especially if ammonia gas giants serve as temporary bases when this side of Witchspace? Even surface sites for Thargoids looks like crashed ships and similar. The only species that we have seen (remnants of) that would need infrastructure is the Guardians. They were social and built communities. They also had the monolith network for sharing information much like Pilots' Federation shared infrastructure. 2296 is damn early so what did we stumble on that some species built that would have been useful? Humans don't get stations until much later when hyperspace becomes commercially available. I suppose the other possibility is a natural phenomena that was harnessed in some fashion. For it to be important, it had to have some important utility.

 

[cmdr milesred]

odd things to say

why would Thargoids not want to do everything they can do in order to ensure the safety of a queen?

they are intelligent, sentient beings that apparently live a very long time.
it would be foolish and not beneficial to any species to Not protect their queen/mother
we don't know that they do anything at all with ammonia gas giants
we do know they spend their time away from our view in what we call witchspace. a thing we don't really even know what it is. other than a path we take and cannot derail from once taken.
I picture it as the underside of the carpet we call space, only because they seem to use it like a metaphorical carpet.

and I have mentioned many things about the crashed ones, the large ones not the tiny robot scouts, the ones we visit the ones with the map of all their property.
a person might want to visit a few and inspect them before talking about them.
this is a very common pattern
hence the aggrevating conversations that Thargoids don't exist, or where is the pilot, or what do they look like.
They have been there for a very long time.
I could guess that less than 1% of cmdrs gave any time to research. just because of the afore mentioned conversations from the blind.
Their map tells a lot, yet skipped over by almost everyone.
What the ships are and what they do and what is in them also seems very ignored or missed.

wording, phrasing is important.
even though they are or appear very old, they are children.
Earth interfered with them and now we pay the price for that.

maybe a different analogy is required to see a clearer picture of the insect life as we apparently don't know it.
wrong bug, but think of sand mites. or intelligent ants. capable of total genetic control from what we can see.
AUGenetic Army Ants led by a cicada/mantis momma that has been alive for eons

maybe focus on why they are around Maia and why that nebula is so important to them. why it is a huge part of their equation.
you get to see it every time you jump.

sorry, very off topic imo.

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

odd things to say

why would Thargoids not want to do everything they can do in order to ensure the safety of a queen?

they are intelligent, sentient beings that apparently live a very long time.
it would be foolish and not beneficial to any species to Not protect their queen/mother
we don't know that they do anything at all with ammonia gas giants
we do know they spend their time away from our view in what we call witchspace. a thing we don't really even know what it is. other than a path we take and cannot derail from once taken.
I picture it as the underside of the carpet we call space, only because they seem to use it like a metaphorical carpet.

and I have mentioned many things about the crashed ones, the large ones not the tiny robot scouts, the ones we visit the ones with the map of all their property.
a person might want to visit a few and inspect them before talking about them.
this is a very common pattern
hence the aggrevating conversations that Thargoids don't exist, or where is the pilot, or what do they look like.
They have been there for a very long time.
I could guess that less than 1% of cmdrs gave any time to research. just because of the afore mentioned conversations from the blind.
Their map tells a lot, yet skipped over by almost everyone.
What the ships are and what they do and what is in them also seems very ignored or missed.

wording, phrasing is important.
even though they are or appear very old, they are children.
Earth interfered with them and now we pay the price for that.

maybe a different analogy is required to see a clearer picture of the insect life as we apparently don't know it.
wrong bug, but think of sand mites. or intelligent ants. capable of total genetic control from what we can see.
AUGenetic Army Ants led by a cicada/mantis momma that has been alive for eons

maybe focus on why they are around Maia and why that nebula is so important to them. why it is a huge part of their equation.
you get to see it every time you jump.

sorry, very off topic imo.

Been working on that via the bio-research front. To be honest, both Guardians and Thargoids seem to have life forms that they used for resources and modifications to planets/moons. I didn't say Thargoids don't have elaborate social structure with supporting infrastructure. More the case we don't know the degree to which they live in space vs planets vs Witchspace.

We have seen proof of some social structure on Guardians but less so for Thargoids (most of that is still glorified rumors). But there are enough rumors that suggest even Thargoids may have something more permanent this side of Witchspace. Thargoids especially could have long-term bases as their preferred environment allows for much longer lived stars.

The fact the system labeled Soontill and Polaris both are too warm for Thargoids, though, is problematic. Ammonia gas only exists in much colder environments. Maybe 3309 will bring more interesting worlds to explore and new ways to interact with the galaxy. It would be interesting to finally get some vague ideas of what Raxxla might be. Even confirmation of whether Holdstock influenced what it might be would be nice (and to be honest I still have high hopes on that being the case).

 

[CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian]

So, this is more to explain how I tend to operate because I get that my methods are non-traditional and use a mixture of methods to reach my conclusions. At the end of the day, I want information that fundamentally takes this from random guesses to actually being able to say we are looking for these particular types of systems with certain key things being present. I want information that changes it so the odds aren't so awful. Doing that means looking at the big picture and using tiny details to instantly eliminate certain prospects so we don't waste time and efforts. Information matters only in that it somehow makes the search easier.

There are, in fact, methods to how I do this. The goal was not to upend everything just because the opportunity presented itself. Though, for the Holdstock inspired version of Raxxla to be true I did need to prove to myself Earth was in all parts of the lore from the beginning. This has only ever been about finding those details that make finding the mysteries of Elite Dangerous ever so much easier (because often there are ideas that can be used elsewhere).

 

[Rochester]

Of the Wyrdest things?

Still resolving some loose threads from my ‘closed’ Milton Hypothesis and was surprised by the level of Apophenia when mapping LHS 316 - the calculated nearest system to the hypothetical celestial North Pole.

LHS 316 is not the celestial North Pole just the system closest to it, when plotted it actually falls below it ‘within’ the sphere of influence denoted by the hypothetical Crystalline Sphere diameter generated by calculating John Miltons Paradise Lost measurements of Pandemonium.

Amongst others, very close to LHS 326 and the hypothetical celestial North Pole; and above the sphere of influence is the system Wyrd - a system I’ve been aware of for some years, utilised for the engineer… but generally ignored.

The name Wyrd in Anglo-Saxon is a word roughly corresponding to fate or personal destiny!

A journey everyone takes?

Wyrd hosts the workshop of the The Dweller, who is of the Aganippe underworld; likely of the Aganippe system - Aganippe is the name attributed in Greek myth to a spring linked to the fates!

Wyrd in old Norse is Urðr a personification of a deity: Urðr or Urd; one of the Norns or fates in Norse mythology.

Note in my ‘Yggdrasil / John Milton conundrum’ hypotheses I intentionally restricted my search to ‘direct match spellings’ only, no anglo-Saxon interpretations (of which there are many) were included.

Apart from trying to find correlations, my whole approach is to find locations worthy of interaction, this looks like as good as any to begin ‘playing the game’ and ‘following the missions’!

*Red denotes the hypothetical celestial North Pole, a sphere of influence is shown in white; Wyrd is shown in purple.

 

[John Stoutbeard]

How does one contact FD Support without going throughnthe useless process of raising a bug report?

Ive done a search on “Sima Kalhana” and FD have done it again- released Galnet ”a retrospective of 3308 (part two)” but without yet releasing part one!

Doh FD, xmas hangovers clearly still lingering!!

Part 1, concise version: https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/azimuth-historical-perspective-part-one
Full version: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-azimuth-saga-the-story-so-far.585804/
Just wanted to mention this since I use the full version in looking for breadcrumbs.

Salvation (The Witch) may have been looking for Raxxla, but ended up totally sidetracked with the Thargoid / Guardian discoveries being made at those times (early investigations). Perhaps it's a way for him to get even more funding.
The early expeditions may have been an attempt (Adamastor etc) to track Raxxla down. 'Shady cabal' with the same interest (TDW?) may have sabotaged and robbed the Adamastor because of competing interests. Technology & Power. Both the Thargoid tech and Raxxla findings would provide that for both parties.
All of this is happening in around 3110, perhaps it's the first organized and well funded attempts to find out more about Raxxla.

----

There is no in-game confirmation that TDW (& their hidden space station) exist, it is all rumour according to the Codex, our only known canon source. TDW is a nice concept, but is it a red herring?? Perhaps we should concentrate on what we do know!

We do have confirmation of Pilots Federation.

Notes on ...
What we know of PF symbology

• Codex, TDW Article - the PF symbol.
  
• Galaxy map, Map mode button uses the PF symbol:
  
• Codex. Colonia (does it mean it was established by PF?): PF symbol.
  
• Codex, Handbook, Salvage and Rescue activities. PF Symbol again:
  
  • Note: Scriveners (stripping the Hesperus) are salvagers.

Perhaps FDev have made an oversight and is using this symbol willy-nilly.
Or perhaps they have made a conscious decision that the PF symbol belongs to these areas.

The Elite/In 3100 the Pilots Federationbegan issuing modified version of its 'wings' badge that included the pilot's rating written across it in capitals,

And this is the time 'things changed'. Same time as Adamastor (and the sistership Hesperus - I not found dates for Hesperus) set out in 3111.

Ghost Ship Adamastor | Canonn Research Group

The Adamastor, a Lowell class science megaship, can be found orbiting Chukchan 5 b. It is on fire and there are cargo and engineering materials nearby. Scanning the ship with the Datalink scanner reveals the usual array of subtargets, including a data point that gives more information about the...

canonn.science

Thargoids & PF will always be linked in the narrative, it doesn't mean it has something to do with Raxxla.
But I do like the idea of such a narrative. Azimuth & Salvation, TDW and they all set out to grab more power but ends up stirring the hornets (petals) nest.
Anyway, I'll keep hopping around to check out some systems from the lore.

----

Minor Note on ... Sosong (one of the invaded systems in the past)
Sosong A 3 anomaly; Peter's Usquebaugh; A Settlement Icon missing, showing up as POI instead. Settlement not showing up in the system map nor planet map.
Acts as POI when filtering the NAV panel - not acting as Settlement. 1000ls POI view distance applies.
Note; Still has the 'Shield' for a settlement. A very curious thing.

Bug or not, don't know. Not seen this kind of bug anywhere else in the game (over the past 8 years).

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

Of the Wyrdest things?

Still resolving some loose threads from my ‘closed’ Milton Hypothesis and was surprised by the level of Apophenia when mapping LHS 316 - the calculated nearest system to the hypothetical celestial North Pole.

LHS 316 is not the celestial North Pole just the system closest to it, when plotted it actually falls below it ‘within’ the sphere of influence denoted by the hypothetical Crystalline Sphere diameter generated by calculating John Miltons Paradise Lost measurements of Pandemonium.

Amongst others, very close to LHS 326 and the hypothetical celestial North Pole; and above the sphere of influence is the system Wyrd - a system I’ve been aware of for some years, utilised for the engineer… but generally ignored.

The name Wyrd in Anglo-Saxon is a word roughly corresponding to fate or personal destiny!

Wyrd hosts the workshop of the The Dweller, who is of the Aganippe Unerworld (?) - Aganippe is a Greek myth reference to a spring linked to the fates!

Wyrd in old Norse is Urðr a personification of a deity: Urðr or Urd; one of the Norns or fates in Norse mythology.

Note in my ‘Yggdrasil / John Milton conundrum’ hypotheses I intentionally restricted my search to ‘direct match spellings’ only, no anglo-Saxon interpretations (of which there are many) were included.

Apart from trying to find correlations, my whole approach is to find locations worthy of interaction, this looks like as good as any to begin ‘playing the game’ and ‘following the missions’!

View attachment 340017
*Red denotes the hypothetical celestial North Pole, a sphere of influence is shown in white; Wyrd is shown in purple.

"It's the Wyrding Way"!