Could "colossal" be some sort of clue or a hint..
I thought maybe the Colossus Computer used to decrypt encoded messages in WWII.. perhaps a link to the Unknown Artefacts?
The wiki page for the Colossus Computer has a reference to a 1970s sci-fi film called
Colossus: The Forbin Project... I think it's about a rogue government supercomputer that becomes intelligent and takes over the world.. Isn't there something in the Elite universe Lore about rogue AI that are far out there in the Galaxy?
Could it be non-Thargoid, AI NPC antagonists to be introduced?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus:_The_Forbin_Project