For most of his career Professor Palin worked for the Federation, but when his research programme was abruptly terminated, he decided to establish an independent team dedicated to studying the Unknown Artefacts, meta-alloys, and all things alien, especially if there is a suggestion it relates to Thargoids. After receiving a generous donation from an anonymous benefactor, he set up a permanent research base in Maia, far outside human space and its regulations, focused on the development of new defence technologies.

Home system	Maia
Allegiance	Independent
Discovery	Reputation of 3 or higher with Marco Qwent.
Meeting Require
Unlock Require	Provide 25 units of Unknown Fragments.
Reputation Gain	Craft modules. Sell exploration data to Palin Research Centre.