The Wire

[Nelle Kozera]

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The Wire is one of the most prolific and varied Magazines in the galaxy to date. Begin one of the few Corenet magazines that have gained this level of popularity. The wire is known for its various columns from all over the Galaxy, ranging from political and economic commentaries to personally opinions of those that publish on The Wire. Some of these Columns are published by a single person others are published by larger originations and from time to time governments will publish something in the wire. The wire has strict hands off policy in regards to content. They are aware of the varied species and varied views that will appear on The Wire. Because of this, they refuse to censor any content from any nation, publisher, etc etc. As a result The Wire has also been the battleground for many cross species intellectual debates. Or used as a propaganda engine for some nations.

Current Date is 2583 GSY (Galactic Standard year)

(OOC: This RP is something of an odd ball. There is no plot to this, its largely free form RP. The only restrictions for this RP is that people that name the Columns that they are Publishing under. I recommend having no more than 3-4 columns as to prevent things from getting Cluttered. For Example, if I has to make a post it could be under "Zendacar Times" Or something of that nature. If you have any questions please put them in the OOC topic. Also the Wire is an AoR based RP.)

[SliceOfDog]

It Sib

[The following article has been automatically translated]

The Curious Case of the Various Peoples of the Island of Gial-yss of the Planet T389-L8

Researched and Compiled by Kia Nbis

I struggled greatly to capture the essence of my feelings of this matter in a short title, and found the word "Curious" to be the most apt in my vocabulary to describe them. However, I find this still sadly lacking. It does not portray the sheer frustration, if such a word can in itself be applicable, that one experiences, or perhaps suffers, when dealing with the aforementioned inhabitants of Gial-yss.

For those of you who might not be aware, Gial-yss, shown in the hologram provided [Hologram omitted in raw-text file], is an island of roughly 8,000 square miles and covered entirely by thick forest the likes of which cannot be found throughout the entirety of the remaining planet (with the obvious exception of the aquatic forests several miles below the planet's sea-level). The forest, which was originally thought to be incapable of sustaining sapient life, was found in 2579 GSY to in fact support several civilisations of nomadic tree-dwelling specimens, referred to as Gialyssiks. The Gialyssiks, of which there are currently 0 (number automatically updated based on Tansa Hiib data files [Last update: this nanosecond]) mostly congregate in groups of 25 - 200, although several communities, if they may be so called, have been discovered to number as many as 1,000.

Though initially hostile, as all primitive races tend to be, the Gialyssiks soon accepted Tansa Hiib rule and allowed our people to study them. I was soon assigned to front the project, being situated at a research facility on an adjoining pacified island, and my team very quickly found the sheer extent of their poor quality of life. The beings were extremely prone to illness and disease, having no formal medicine to speak of, relying instead on charms and worship, and their diet consisted mostly on various forms of insect and a particular fungus which fermented under the roots of local flora, despite being surrounded by masses of animal life of significant nutritional value. A shocking 14% of Gialyssik young survive past a year of life, despite their natural capability living for 60 years or more, allowing for scientific and medicinal advancements.

As is clear to all reading this report, it was immediately apparent to our research teams that it was our duty to introduce a great quality of life to these beings. However, this is where our interactions became, as previously stated, "curious". All attempts to improve these savages' way of life were ultimately rebuffed. We attempted to introduce medicine, which caused immediate fear and confusion in the Gialyssik population, despite our medicinal teams being clearly identified to contrast with the initial contact teams, who would understandably cause fear in less intelligent species who do not comprehend cease-fire. [Hologram omitted in raw-text file. Editor's note: the hologram displayed a Medicinal Team uniform and a First Contact Team uniform. The former had brown and white clothing with a blue arm-band and a medicine bag, and the latter entirely brown clothing with no arm-band and a holstered pistol] Our attempts to inoculate new-born young were inexplicably met with violence. To improve the diet of the species we attempted to introduce advances weaponry into the tribes, and began to teach them the art of hunting. They showed fear also at the weaponry, which was considered comical among much of our team, and opposed the processing of nearby animal life for consumption. I also personally oversaw the removal of a section of foliage to begin building proper shelters and farm-land, which sparked numerous conflicts which at points escalated to outbreaks of violence, unfortunately leading to numerous instances of injury, and the regretful expiration of several hundred Gialyssiks. It is astounding, on reflection, that no serious casualties were caused.

However, to return to my previous assertion, I am wracked with "curiosity" as to the nature of these nomads. They treat our every attempt to improve their way of life with the utmost disdain, despite our clearly having a greater understanding of their situation. Their current lives are disordered, difficult and short, with the vast majority of their population experiencing death by violence or illness shortly after the age of procreation. We shall of course continue our attempts, but I fear that in their current state they shall never come to accept our superior way of life, and the distress we are beginning to feel from this campaign begs the question as to whether or not it would be more suited to Pordina to repeat our actions at Ketos 3.

As of compiling this report the Gialyssiks have still not successfully mastered our language. I believe that it may be simpler for our linguists to begin attempting to learn theirs, limited though their concepts are. There are only so many words, I am sure, that one can have for "tree".

[Samantha Arrow]

[OOC Notes on Lightfirean press. The Lightfireans have a nearly communist, or at least a very socialist handle on nearly all aspects of their society. Therefor the press there is a creation of the government, so it's always likely an excerpt from Lightfirean press will always hold the Governement in mostly good light. Because all industries are government, their titles are simple. Here we see Lightfire News]


{Auto Translated}

Lightfire News

The Recent Debate in the Elder Senate on Slavery

Three days ago the highest step in the Lightfire Union, the Elder Senate, had the debate of slavery brought to their doorstep once more. The argument was posed that even in the most savage of planets, slavery is usually entirely abolished before the innovation of space flight. Yet the Lightfire Union still has it instated well into being a galactic power.

On the abolitionist side, the common points were made. That it is inhumane, unjust, and simply evil. Yet when asked to explain more deeply they could not come up with much scientific evidence - only moral and religious grounds which never hold up well in the Lightfirean legislative.

The only point that held weight was the point of it being inhumane. In most slavery cases throughout history slaves are treated terribly. Beaten, abused, given little of the necessities of life such as food and water. However, when this same argument was made last year, we at Lightfire News promised you that we would investigate - now we have our report:

The first thing we encountered was there really isn't very much slavery even being used. It actually took time to find a 'free labor facility'. It turns out, technology has replaced the need for labor in most areas. The only sources left are for front line military battalions, and new colonies that don't have access to high-output machinery yet.

First we took a look at new colonies. Yes, the slaves did have to do hard manual labor such as mining and constructing buildings without access to high tech machinery. However since the new colony is so reliant on them to help establish this new community, they are treated just as nearly the same as Lightfirean citizens as long as they work hard. They are fed generous portions of the nutritional supplement they need, and are housed in quality shelter. We even asked one directly if he felt he was being treated well, he said this "The work is hard, but our food and shelter needs are more than adequate. We are even almost respected for our work." With that personal message from a slave himself, we felt assured there is no wrong doings happening in free labor facilities.

Next we took a trip to a Lightfirean military transport ship. Slaves in military service are used for the front lines in battle. From all we could tell, there was exactly no difference in how they were treated from regular soldiers, the only difference was there is no contract end for them. There weapons are also locked out by controls in the ship's bridge, only allowing them to be used if an officer gives the command. There is even a way out of slavery when they serve in the military. If they can survive 10 front line deployments in battles that become victories, they are free to go(someplace outside of the Lightfire Union) - once the war is finished, they can't leave if 10 battles are won but there is still the war to be won.

So as you can see, the slaves are not mistreated and even have a chance to obtain there freedom. They tackle the hard jobs that keep the Lightfire Union going strong. The Elder Senate holds firm that without slavery, our economy without currency would fail.

[If someone would like, they can make a real investigation into the slavery thing for another article. PM me if you are interested]

[macrorufus]

Source: Maramoon Media (UB-AoR)
In some parts of our galaxy life continues as 'normal' for the lucky. Despite the invasions from the Universal Commonwealth, or perhaps in spite of the invasions, we see an echo of mundanity. We are of course talking about the release of the new holo-game 'Hail of Duty 6: Drone Warfare.'

The game was designed on Calera and outsourced to Infinity Bard (a subsidiary of Imperium Entertainment). The player controls a CCA drone, starting off with the humble Shao or Spider Drone. As they work their way through the game they gain access to more weaponry and different drones. The enemy in the game are the fascistic and oppressive Nanitial race, felinoid from appearances. The majority of content features urban landscapes, but Infinity Bard has announced that they are working closely with the CCA firm 'Actisight' to produce the sequel 'Hail of Duty 6: Naval Warfare.'

The game managed to make record sales in the first day sales alone, cross-galaxy, seeing a total volumne of 8.2 billion sales, making Hail of Duty 6: Drone Warfare, the most sought out game at this time. However, the game has received some denunciations for its controversial mission. Some nations have requested that this mission be cut out from the game if it is to be sold in their domestic markets. The mission in question has the player performing terrorist raids from the point of view of the Nanitial race, most notably in the form of shooting civilians.

[Brome Teks]

Translated transcription of an interview on an evening news broadcast. Dated approximately 14 days prior to the first meeting of the Galactic Assembly.

Host, Nakka Praeorz
Interviewee: Queral Kadzha

Host: … That concludes our coverage on the new improvements to the Nubian Project. Next up, We have a special guest, Noted Economist and Professor of Economics at Hraluu University, Queral Kadzha. Professor Kadzha has been offered a position to Senior Ambassador Tallak Jirad Pirad as his financial advisor at the Galactic Assembly next month. This interview is part of our coverage of that event. He is joining us live now via hologram From his office at H.U.

[The hologram of the interviewee appears in the studio]

Host: Professor, good evening, or afternoon over there as I understand it. Thanks for showing up here with us today.

Interviewee: Thanks Nakka, it’s a pleasure to be on today.

Host: So as I understand from what we’ve been covering this last month, each nation participating in the Assembly will be sending a party of 10 people, of a composition of that nation’s choice. The president decided to send our two best diplomats and a few others to represent us. What is your role in that team?

Interviewee: Well, my job is to provide Senior Ambassador Pirrad and our other delegates with sound financial advice when it comes to making votes in the assembly. In addition to that, when needed, I can make speeches or offer advice on economic matters to the assembly as a whole.

Host: Interesting. We’ve heard rumor that the other nations will be sending a less varied party to the assembly. What’s your opinion on this?

Interviewee: Well, politicians can only get us so far, that’s why our delegation includes a non-civilian military advisor, myself, Doctor Norak Katikas, and a pair of politically immune judges. I hear rumor that the Lightfireans {Literal translation: Fire foxes} are going to be sending their highest ranked government official, akin to their prime minister. Our president is too busy to do this task, but trusts us to serve the AGSF in his place to the best extent of our abilities.

Host: I have no doubt someone of your background will do just that. What sort of things do you personally hope to see come out of the assembly?

Interviewee: I personally hope to see international trade get a boost. In the classes I teach at H.U., I often stress the importance of international trade and how it is a win-win situation for all nations involved. I hope to be able to make the others see that an boost the overall strength of the galactic economy. The Imperium of Shadows is a prime example of this. Both of our economies started to do better when they opened their borders for trade with us.

Host: Quite right. Well it was nice to have you on the show today, we’re out of time for this segment.

Interviewee: Thanks again, it was a pleasure to be on.

The hologram disappears

Host: Now on a fitting note, to business news…

[BIos_Reaper]

[Theft of Important Technology causes Wide-scale unemployment and Economic Recession]

Source: [The Asister, Altinian Interstellar News Media Conglomerate]

[A holographic image of a building in ruins appears, a building that once shone brilliantly with holographic names and sponsors, a building that once provided jobs to over a million people, the remains of one of Arctic Electronics Corps. Altair division]

Newscaster: "Unemployment has sored sky-high following the theft of important technology from the Arctic Electronics Corps. Altair division laboratories. The technology in question has not yet been disclosed to the public but ArcE Corp. had invested heavily in it in the hopes of competing with some of its rival companies, most notable AGSF and CCA. It is as of yet unknown who or what slipped past the tight security of the facilities underground laboratories, we go now live to one of the former employees of the facility, an Erinder Aldeer."

[A holographic image of a middle-aged Altinian male appears, looking rather blue and more than a bit angry at this turn of events]

Erinder: "I think it is quite obvious who is behind this.. The Reavers. Who else could slip past security without even leaving a trace and plunge an entire countries economy down the drain for the sake of a petty contract? I'm almost certain one of our competitors hired the [bleep] to steal our technology, like the [bleep] haven't done that in the past anyway..."

Interviewer: "It seems to have become common practice to blame every theft of important technology and or data on the Imperium of Shadows, why is that?"

Erinder: "Because that's all they do, steal and assassinate most likely. I could care less what their culture is like, they keep doing this and nobody in the galaxy is in any hurry to put a halt to them and their insidious plans to releave the galaxy of its currency and technology. Only reason the Confederacy hasn't done anything is because they haven't hit the major industrial worlds yet... but mark my words those [bleep] will... I just hope I'm there to finally see one vaporized by a T-61 IFL.." (Infantry Fighting Laser; Commonfound anti-personnel class 12 ultra-violet laser rifle)

[The holographic image fades out]

Newscaster: "The Confederacy has expressed it's uttermost apologies for not having guarded one of its most recent colonies more thoroughly, the military has offered to sink some of its excess research budget into the planets proverbial cash reserves to give it some breathing space. ArcE Corp. has announced that it's Altair branch is not out for the count, they hope to re-open the facility within five standard Altair weeks and promise to run a tighter security sweep to ensure even infiltrators will not escape with their prize in the future. This is Arien Eldwell, signing off for Asister daily."

[The newscast closes]

[Brome Teks]

[News Broadcast snippet]

“And now to international news, the Imperium of Shadows has recently agreed to connect several major production worlds of the Federation to their interstellar rail network. For those of you watching who are unfamiliar with this, the Imperium rail network is a massive infrastructure project that makes going between worlds literally as easy as boarding a train. It uses high-speed mag-rails and a complex network of worm-hole gateways to send passenger and freight trains from world to world at incredibly high speed. Because of it, many experts have rated the Imperium as having the best transportation infrastructure in the known galaxy.

“Experts and commentators alike have praised the move, as it will cut interplanetary shipping costs several times over. Stockholders in companies that ship between worlds by other means were a bit less pleased, but there is still plenty of business elsewhere, and Galactic Express actually saw their stocks jump as they had managed to secure quite a few shipping contracts via the rail network. Hraluu and Korogoshia are some of the first worlds being added to the network, with other major population centers and industrial sectors coming in the future.

“Meanwhile, the reduced shipping costs are expected to bolster trade between our nations and improve our economy even further. Almost every expert agrees that increased trade is good, as it helps stabilize our economy against the normal market cycle. It also steadies it against other influences as well, as one radio talk host put it, “We don’t want to wind up like the Altinians, with very little trade and an economy so fragile that a single corporation undergoing a setback causes wide-scale recessions.” Too true. Financial experts say to expect jumps in about 50 or more points in companies that regularly export electronic goods in the next two quarters or so.”

The host puts her papers aside. “That concludes our segment, up next is Okazak Kriluu with financial news, no doubt he’ll have good news regarding this latest development too.”

A brief transition plays to show a new Zrackli in front of a screen showing various economic graphs, with a ticker on the top of the screen showing the latest stock updates of a number of major corporations.

“Thanks, Nakka. There is indeed good news thanks to the Reavers. As you said, Gal-Ex has seen their stocks jump in anticipation of the addition of Korogoshia to the rail network. We’ve also seen Corona Corporation jump quite a bit this last quarter with the release of some of their new products…”

[End of segment.]

[Nelle Kozera]

[Zendacar Broadcasting Network (ZBN)]

[Translation in process…]

[Translation complete…]

[Stream active…]

[The Hologram shows three Reavers setting around a desk shaped like a half circle, in the back arcane looking pictograms have a small translation text box over them with the words “Zendacar Broadcasting Network”]

Center: “…For those in the Imperium many of you may have seen the recent news broadcast blaming our nation for the theft of an "apparently" important technology from the Aeterian Alliance. Recent polls of [Reavers] across the Imperium has watched approval rating of the Alliance drop from twenty percent to dreadful fifteen percent.”

The other two shake their heads.

Left: “Though the possibility of addressing the issue from our side seems rather bleak, we are not getting much of anything from the Imperial Families but we were able to get in touch with the public relations department of Cyo-Satha inc. For those that maybe unaware, Cyo-Satha specializes in Information retrieval and Data security, though the majority of their business is actually foreign. While we do not have any footage they have expressed shock at the event, and said that it was rather unforchant. But they are also pleased that they have recived over contracts from over ten different companies looking to employ their services. No word yet if any of those are from the alliance...”

Right: “Relating to the Broadcast, popular political personality Shi’Tan has addressed the broadcast on [her] holo-program [The Sanctum]”

[The Hologram changes to what appears to be a dark colored stage with black and white patterns decorating the stage. In the middle sits a Reaver leaning back, looking rather relaxed.]

Shi’Tan: “I find it interesting that the Alliance automatically blames us when anything happens to them that something goes wrong. I mean really we may have the best stealth forces in the galaxy bar none, but that suddenly means that are the cause of every little bump in the night? [Cut] us a break here, I mean honestly, even looking at this statistically we couldn’t be the cause of every theft. More likely we are the cause of none. They are merely [Soulless] animals looking for something to blame, they had better wake up…”

[The Hologram fades back to the news station…]

Center: “Thanks for watching, next we explore popular new music coming off the mesa…”

[Stream Ends…]

[macrorufus]

Source: Maramoon Media (UB-AoR)

Outrageous Claims by CCA!
[Scene displays CCA Government Spokesman]
"We believe that this revision to national boundaries will assist in the development and improvement of peace and prosperity throughout the galaxy. We have submitted this document in good faith to the Aeterian Alliance and await their response."

[Pans back to reporter.]
"This single statement has been the only released comment issued by the Caleran Government over the incredibly controversial document forwarded to the Aeterian Government. The document calls for a revision of national boundaries in order to reflect 'the growing bond between the Aeterian Alliance and the Caleran Core Alliance.' However, the revisions put forwards on the document place the 5 closest systems to Caleran Space that belong to the Aeterian Alliance firmly within Caleran borders. It is this revision that has caused such a surge of controversy. We will be following the developments closely as we await the receival of the document."

"The CCA is the smallest nation currently within our galaxy, and so its request for a revision of borders comes as a huge surprise. The move though has been popular with the CCA population. It's most likely that this request is nothing more than a political gaffe to boost approval ratings of the Caleran Government."
"Thank you for watching, this is Nar'itha, Imperium Correspondant, signing off."

[SliceOfDog]

[The following footage taken from a broadcast by It Sib State Network. Several Baasholan are show on different screens, in discussion]

First Male: As the situation between the Imperium of Shadows and the Aeterian Alliance becomes increasingly tense, we must ask ourselves whether we wish to become involved in this situation. Before we go into futher detail, can we get an initial view of your opinions? Which nation, if any, deserves our support in this matter, and to what extent?

Second Male: ([Translated text appears: Scholar of Foreign Affairs - Pok Hamull]) Well the real question is of course not who deserves our support, but who might greater assist us or else harm us in the future.

First Male: Of course.
Third Male: Absolutely
First Female: Yes

Second Female: ([Translated text appears: Head Scholar of Ul-Jov sector - Hanb Baide]) Well, I don't think that is really the case. I don't believe, at this time, it would serve us at all to get involved. We have nothing to gain from helping foreign nations who have been nothing if not hostile to our attempts of indoctrination

Third Male: ([Translated text appears: Advisor in Foreign Trade]) Actually I feel that's irrelevant. What this incident shows us is what we had always suspected: the superiority of the Imperium of Shadows over the Aeterian Alliance. The Alliance is clearly destabilised by the loss of this single artefact, which they failed to protect. The Imperium on the other hand have displayed a feat of subterfuge that should be lauded.

First Male: So you feel that the Imperium is the superior force in this case?

Third Male: Without question.

First Male: And we should support them because of this?

Third Male: Of course.

First Female: Well certainly. I mean we'd hardly support the weaker nation.

First Male: Well do you not think that that is a very simplistic way of viewing the situation? Should ethics not be taken into account?

[All laugh]

First Male: But seriously, at this point we still aren't aware that the Imperium is responsible. They continue to deny responsibility for the act.

Second Female: Precisely why we should hold back. If we supported them and it was found they were not responsible, our image would be tarnished.

[End section]

[Arratra]

Source: Asteroid City News
Type: Clip from news program

[Translation complete]
[Playing]

*female Draconian looks up from her notes*
"In our leading story tonight, a Gekko scout ship has been attacked by unknown forces during an exploration mission fifteen light-years into the Terrigen Veil nebula. A reaction force from Jump Zero arrived at the scene three hours later, after the scout ship managed to escape and report the attack, but the aggressors had vanished. The Admiralty has advised caution when travelling near the border with the Veil, and to keep defensive shields active during FTL jumps. No lives were lost aboard the scout ship.
*glances down at the notes*
A breakthrough in medical research has uncovered a gene responsible for-.
[snippet ends]

[BIos_Reaper]

[Error in The Wire (or possibly intended sabotage) leads to Falsehood and Misinformation]


[Extract from Daily News Network 3]

[A three-dimensional optical hologram of a middle-aged male Altinian news anchor (distinguishable by the soft grey colored undertones in his fur) in a rather technological looking suit appears, behind him and in front of him are several semi-transparent holographic interfaces and to the left and right are two other Altinian news anchors in similar outfits but one is female and wears a slightly different attire though not a dress]


Middle News Anchor: "Welcome to Daily News Network 3, I'm Deren Taloran here with my colleagues Estera Danius and Hael Maeso. Our top story today; It has been brought to the attention of the Alliance that a possible act of sabotage and information falsification has led to a newsflash released not four days ago by The Wire to turn out to be grossly incorrect and has resulted in reduction of faith in the Alliance by non-Alliance citizens and a noticeable reduction in desire for interaction on behalf of those who believe the Alliance economy fragile enough to suffer at the hands of a single theft, this is not true."

[The image focuses on the Right News Anchor]

Right News Anchor: "Indeed it is not so Deren, the newsflash has been found to be incorrect as significant key intelligence was missing from it, most prominantly the info in regards to the status and location of said economic setback. The theft ocurred in Arctic Electronics corp. Altair division which is a recently established colony with naught but ten thousand inhabitants so far.

Other key pieces of information missing include an article that states that said artifact was a bait, an attempt at luring would-be thieves into attempting to acquire the artifact which is in fact a high-powered transceiver utilizing a shielded entanglement frequency and bandwith impossible to monitor, the apprehanding or potential elimination of the perpetrators is expected to occur sometime within this week."

[The image focuses on the left News Anchor]

Left News Anchor: "Indeed Hael, this clever ploy was cooked up on the spot and not saved on any data-cache to prevent any potential leaks as only the head of the company's Altair division was even aware of it. The transmitter was also rigged with a small-yield self-destruct device to deter attempts at disarming the device but to continue on with the story.

The information which was to be handed to the Wire was corrupted, containing false holographic interviews, a voice not on any file by this news network and even falsified data that our economy suffered any ill affects at all. It is suspected that infiltrators from a would-be terrorist cell operating somewhere within Altinian space perpetrated this incident in an attempt to deter future interactions of our species with the rest of the galaxy."

[The images re-focuses on the middle News Anchor]

Middle News Anchor: "Indeed Estera, we hope that this information will encourage the Wire's personnel to tighten their security and screen all incoming data to prevent data-falsification, it is not implied that the Wire's security is lacking, but that this was a complicated task performed by people who knew what they were doing, as much as we would like for them not to be able to do such things it proves that the state of the galaxy is more fragile now than ever, especially with the recent invasion by the Universal Commonwealth and the Destruction of the Reaver homeworld."

[The right news anchor is focused on again]

Right News Anchor: "In other news, Altinian scientists in corroboration with the Dae'Morian Republics discovered three standard decades ago have devised a way to cease use of the artificial intelligence implant method of increasing Altinian intelligence in favor of utilizing biological means to create a better future! Stay tuned, the research is not expected to yield results until post to a few decades of research and development.

In related news, the Dae'Morian Republics leaders and ours have been in talks about a more permanent relationship between our people and theirs, a proposition the Alliance welcomes whole heartedly, there are even plans to expand and open our boarders to other races, "We have remained isolationist for too long, it's about time we found out who we can trust, instead of trying to discern it through a telescopic system" quote Aldran Toloren, elder councilor of our government. "It's time to break down the walls."

[With that the image focuses on the middle news anchor]

Middle News Anchor: "And that's all we have for today, stay tuned for more exciting developments and hopefully a changed outlook on our small species, this is Daily News Network 3, signing off."


[With that the image fades away, how others perceive this however will depend on them]

[Brome Teks]

[Translated Segment from the Zalla Media Corporation, on one of their political talk channels]

[An introduction graphic plays, stating that this is the talk show of poltical commentator Zilk A’Kerrick. The screen pans in to a studio, showing A’Kerrick sitting at a desk in front of a number of screens and holograms. ]

“Good evening AGSF, I’m Zilk A’Kerrick and [boy] have we got a show for you today. Some of you, hopefully all of you, may remember a few days ago when the Aeterian Alliance released a news story about, and I quote, “Theft of Important Technology causes Wide-scale unemployment and Economic Recession.” They were complaining that someone had stolen a single object from one of their corporation’s headquarters and that it was causing a large economic setback. Most notably, they almost instantly blamed the Imperium of Shadows for the theft. One of their interviewees on the news broadcast even stated that he hoped the Reavers would get shot by someone. Here, let’s watch the clip."

Spoiler

Erinder: "I think it is quite obvious who is behind this.. The Reavers. Who else could slip past security without even leaving a trace and plunge an entire countries economy down the drain for the sake of a petty contract? I'm almost certain one of our competitors hired the [bleep] to steal our technology, like the [bleep] haven't done that in the past anyway..."

Interviewer: "It seems to have become common practice to blame every theft of important technology and or data on the Imperium of Shadows, why is that?"

Erinder: "Because that's all they do, steal and assassinate most likely. I could care less what their culture is like, they keep doing this and nobody in the galaxy is in any hurry to put a halt to them and their insidious plans to releave the galaxy of its currency and technology. Only reason the Confederacy hasn't done anything is because they haven't hit the major industrial worlds yet... but mark my words those [bleep] will... I just hope I'm there to finally see one vaporized by a T-61 IFL.." (Infantry Fighting Laser; Commonfound anti-personnel class 12 ultra-violet laser rifle)

“Pretty much what you might expect from those guys, their obsession with size and dominance is second to none.

“But that’s not what I’m going to talk about tonight. After their news broadcast, there was a massive backlash against the Altinians for their knee-jerk reaction of blaming the Imperium for everything that goes wrong.”

[A few translated clips from various other news corporations as well as other nations play. All of them are responses to the Aeterian Alliance’s prior news broadcast.]

“So get this. Today they started [backpedaling] so fast that you could [hear the chain squeaking] [indirect translation]. They just released another newscast today saying that their previous one was wrong, it wasn’t the Reavers who stole the object, it wasn’t a large recession, and it wasn’t even a real Altinian news corporation who broadcast it!”

[A clip of the more recent broadcast plays, showing each of the points. It then returns to A’kerrick just shaking his head and grinning.]

“Wow. So let me get this straight. It was all a ploy by the Arctic Electronics Corporation to catch an internal terrorist group. Astonishing. I guess if it was all planned, then those thousands of employees losing their jobs was also planned! And I also guess that’s why the Aeterian government needed to sink additional funds into the colony, despite this all supposedly being a trick that, according to the Altinians, went perfectly according to plan. They even said that this plan was so secret that they didn’t keep any information about it stored anywhere. Viewers, this is why the AGSF is reluctant to let individual corporations sponsor new colonies, if one has a problem, then that’s a whole colony without it’s livelihood.

“But that’s not all. Not only did they claim this was all a ploy, but they also claimed that the news broadcast defaming the Imperium was made by an Altinian terrorist cell… hoping to harm Altinian foreign relations. [Great Scott], Altinian news corporations. Don’t you even watch the broadcasts before you put them onto the air? But it gets better. They then blamed the Wire for their error, stating in essence that it was not their fault at all for giving the wire a news broadcast that ‘They didn’t make.’ That is an impressive lack of personal responsibility, Altinian news corporation. If something like that happened with ZMC, I can think of at least 5 people off the top of my head who would get fired for not doing their jobs. Jobs like watching the shows before we broadcast them to everyone in the galaxy.

“Viewers, this is the next in an impressive line of acts of [Orwellian] information control by the Aeterian Alliance. They clearly didn’t think about the backlash that would be created by their latest sensationalist news broadcast to vilify the Reavers, and now that they’ve actually seen it, they’re trying really, really hard to do damage control. Who do they think is buying this [crap]? They claim their ‘ploy’ had no records of it anywhere because it was so top secret. What I think is more likely, they didn’t plan for it at all, as indicated by the mass layoffs and financial bailout of the colony. And thus this ‘ploy’ is a fabrication attempting to improve the galactic view of them as a whole. They don’t want to accept responsibility for their actions. Instead they want to do what we’ve seen here and blame it on a phantasmal terrorist group in their midst. Hey Alliance military, here’s a thought. Use those thought police-esq brain implants you give to every single one of your citizens before they’re old enough to object. That ought to help you find these terrorists and keep them from spreading lies via your own news corporations.

“On that note viewers, there’s even more evidence that they’re trying to [backpedal]. Here, watch this clip.

Spoiler

Right News Anchor: "In other news, Altinian scientists in corroboration with the Dae'Morian Republics discovered three standard decades ago have devised a way to cease use of the artificial intelligence implant method of increasing Altinian intelligence in favor of utilizing biological means to create a better future! Stay tuned, the research is not expected to yield results until post to a few decades of research and development.

“For those of you unfamiliar with Reaver biology, they have an organ that allows them to link their thoughts up using those dreadlock-ish tendrils on their heads. They can do it with other species with the aid of some technology. However, they’re easily able to tell the difference between a natural mind and a mind with electronic augmentation. According to them, electronics lack a certain something, so they refer to them as ‘Soulless.’ Because the Altinians have a practice of implanting every single one of their citizens with electronic implants before they’re old enough to object, the Reavers have said that the Altinians feel soulless to them, which has been a major impediment to relations between them for some time, possibly even before the AGSF was star-faring.

“So that means that this new thing they’re doing is using biology instead for implants. If you [read between the lines], they’re basically saying, ‘Hey Reavers, forget about all of that vilification and lying we’ve been spreading about you, let’s be friends now, eh?’ Yeah, I’m not buying it.

“So viewers, what do you think? Are the Altinians simply trying to rewrite history like they’ve done in the past, or has this all been as clever a ploy as they say? Visit our website [listed below] and tell us what you think in the comments.”

[An info-graphic plays as the show cuts to commercial]

[Samantha Arrow]

[An excerpt from a popular blogger - his current most stirring article]

From the Desk of Bar' Taymar

You all saw it on Lightfire News. One of our ships was able to redirect an asteroid that was heading towards one of our rim colonies. Make no mistake, this asteroid had gone undetected until it almost seemed to late (4 hours till impact).

Why am I mentioning this? Well it's long been a practice to use a laser when an asteroid is in deep space to slowly push it out of the way - something that could not be done in this short amount of time. Trying to blow it up causes more problems than there was in the first place.

How did they do it then? Well don't ask me the science behind it, but I can tell you what they used. They used the Focusing Array. Yes, that seemingly useless disk-shaped object that's been installed on the front of a lot of new military ships lately. All they claimed it did was allow for faster FTL communication, and focusing of radiation. However, they also mentioned the technology could be used in a huge variety of ways.

So I'll tell you what I think they've done. They've discovered how to use the Focusing Arrays to manipulate dark matter, or in other words manipulate gravity for those who have been hiding under a rock and don't know what us Lightfireans us dark matter for.

Why do I think this? Well, after the asteroid was miraculously pushed out of the way, there were gravometric distortions in the area. On top of that, high quantities of dark matter that don't match the ones we know about(Alpha, Beta, and Gamma dark matter).

This... Dark matter zeta(DMz), as our government has officially recognized it(but not that they were responsible for it's discovery) appears to be much more violent than the types we know. Alpha being useless matter, Beta having no affect on matter, and Gamma being very stable.

Honestly I think the government is designing a whole new form of weapons. Dark Matter Zeta weapons... Warheads and such. Think about it - if they can make these disturbances more extreme, then a ship could be ripped apart by gravometric fluctuations.

You know what else? I think they've derived this Focusing Array from ancient Seeder technology. You remember we found partial remains of one of these ancient ships not too long before these arrays started being added to our ships.

Final thought. I think they want us to think this, they want us and other races to get scared. In fact, I bet they set up the asteroid situation JUST to showcase it. If they really wanted this to be secret, there wouldn't have even been data on what an asteroid even is.

[The article was quickly deleted and Bar' Taymar vanished. With media being the way it is at this point though, the document was already spread across the stars. He came back to the blog yesterday, and said this:]

My mistake. I talked to government officials. They told me what really happened was they surrounded the asteroid with ships, all of them went to maximum FTL speed. The combined fields of warped space was enough to bring the asteroid along with them, in essence accelerated the asteroid before the planet got to the point where it would have been impacted. Then the dropped it into the system's star... This is my last post, I don't want to cause another stir like this.

[Arratra]

[Source: Homeworld News]

*News Anchor (male Draconian) looks up from his notes.*
"In our continuing coverage of the reaction to the attack on the scout ship within the Terrigen Veil, a reconnaissance-in-force has been deployed into the Veil to locate the aggressors. Suspicion rests firmly on the shoulders of the Universal Commonwealth, mainly due to their unprovoked attacks on the AGSF and Imperium, although it is feared that it might be the Andrians that are responsible. Civilian ships are advised not to lower shields except in port, but travel in areas near the border with the Terrigen veil are not advised."

[Crusadra]

-Cuts in to a fairly old male King'ras-

"Hello folks, I am Clin'ton Gas'den. Today we are going to go over something called... Irresponsebility. We all know how the Alter's act... fairly big headed and most importantly... childish. We of the SRC take care of our children because we are adults and because we are adults we have resposebilites to our children to run things and teach them how to properly live... as well show them that we -TAKE- responsebility for our actions." He chuckles then 'ehms!'

"The Alter's have done somthing that shows just how irresponseble they can be, and thats blame the Reavers for something they most likely didn't do..." He clicks a button and a picture of For'dez and Carsona appear, "Here we have a prime example of what the Alter's think... this picture is of the SRC's Grand Ambassador and his wife, the Reaver's High Delegator... and as we can see both are happy and posing for our fairly brave reporters in the field... you wanna know what the Alter's would think this is Folks? It a f***in' ransom! They stole him and want to ruin oyr god-like way of managing our lives!" He give a funny face and comical pose before coughing and giving a super serious look.

"You. Are. All. F***in'. Retarded! The Reavers don't steal... they copy and spy! They have their own d*** rescources, so why steal yours when they can make their own f***in' version? Seriously... you bunch of idiots need tp get your heads out yer a**es and take yer own d*** responsebility for your race's Corperate Espionage... then return to the living as regular... people..." He then face palms.

"Oh thats right... you bunch of twits worship technology... Sorry Ford, Ol'buddy, seems you have to deal with more than expired trade agreements and an evident corperate theif for a wife!" He then begins to laugh before commercial.

[macrorufus]

((will be more active next week! 8D This is a UB-AoR Wire Post))

"Welcome to Maramoon Media's Political Channel! Today we're covering a small, relatively minor nation in our galaxy. It's quite well known for its often contradictory, and entirely insane foreign policies. We are of course referring to the Caleran Core Alliance."
The program switches to the recent outrageous calls for a border revision.
"For example, this recent appeal to the Aeterian Alliance smacks of just wishful thinking. There's no way the CCA would expect that to be accepted. Similarly, the CCA has won little friends in this galaxy, as it has thus far failed to actually engage the Universal Commonwealth in combat, preferring to skulk around debris fields like some old-age looter."

"So we ask, why? Why does the CCA act so oddly? I have here today two analysts of the Caleran Government. So, we turn now to Yuan Renmin. Renmin?"

"Thank you, Nar'itha. Well, it is my opinion that the CCA is playing a highly calculating game. They are without a doubt the smallest space-faring nation here, and technologically are still playing 'catch-up', with the exception of their AI programming. It stands to reason then that the CCA is sitting on the fence. I don't wish to be rude about the current government, but I suspect if the war continues to go in favour of the UC, then the CCA may well attempt to side with them. It's my belief that the CCA's policies are entirely based on where-ever they think they might gain an advantage."

"Let's look at their current 'war' effort, though the term effort and war don't really apply to them. They are avoiding major battles, and I suspect they are trying to avoid being 'known' by the UC, since it wouldn't take much to wipe them out. Though they could easily assist other nations under their flag! Why weren't they at Korogoshia? They show a calous disregard for the citizenry of other nations. And now their most recent policy plan. It's quite clear to me that they are hoping to use the current war with the UC as a means of squeezing their neighbouring nations out of a concession or two."

"Well that's quite a fascinating viewpoint, on the other hand though, our second analyst here today believes it to be a case of what can be simply termed as madness. Is that correct Khallia?"

"Well, Nar'itha, I'm hesitant to use the word 'madness' per se, but I think you'll find that that's broadly correct. The Caleran Core Alliance is a very minor power, with no real ability to project itself. It's technologically backwards, their very culture with their respect for ancestors turned drones is backwards looking! It's my view that the CCA has no real idea how to portray itself internationally. It's really ineptitude!"

"In any case, their recent war effort is rather simply paralysis. The government can't really decide whether it should become more active, and internationally 'responsible' for its actions or to shrink away from the galaxy's spotlight. It's a spacefaring nation that wants to be treated like an equal to the other nations, yet for it to do so, it really needs to start being more aware that its actions are going to be criticised and it will be expected to realise its own responsibilities. Even more so this can be seen with their recent demand! What were they thinking? There's no way the AA would ever accept their ludicrous 'offer.' It's clear to this analyst that the CCA is groping wildly for a chance to shine, and failing to realise that it needs to be more competant in its political manouvring."

[macrorufus]

Source: Maramoon Media (Galactic Assembly - AoR)

Title: Zhenlianbang announces unique bio-science endeavor.

Presenter: Today, the Zhenlianbang, known colloquially as the Zhen Federation announced a very strange government research project. From what we've been told the research programme is said to be quite long term. It may be years before we see any results. We're here today with Born 1st Scholar Tuo Han Fei. Mr. Tuo, would you like to comment?

Mr. Tuo: *wheeze* Thank you, Madam. Our research programme builds on the success of the deviator gas programme. We've discovered that we can tailor make chemical weapons that change a man's loyalties. We can make drugs that cause a man to do anything for more, no matter how opposed to the act he is, drugs that make men ignore wounds, and others that turn pain into joy. Under Zhengao chemicals, a man's morality can disappear altogether. *wheeze.* So I ask, and intend to discover, if one can remove morality biologically, using our bio-science. To split a creature biologically from what defines 'good' and 'evil.'

Presenter: Well, Mr. Tuo that's a highly extravagant research programme. Though your programme, despite endorsement from the Emperor, still faces a lot of academic disproval, even amongst your Zhengao colleagues.

Mr. Tuo: *puff* What would they know? Half of them merely spend their time refining our technology, no longer bothering to push the boundaries. Even if this fails, we will KNOW it is not possible. I do not expect to fail, but even so, I still believe that there is still a chance that the programme could fail, and that even if I knew it would fail, I would still push it to its end.

Presenter: Well, that's all well and good, but why would you wish to perform such research, and if you suceed where do you go from there?

Mr. Tuo: This research programme will allow us to determine if morality can be controlled chemically and biologically. It will be of great use to any nation wishing to bestow what they perceive as a better standard of behaviour amongst its people. And of course, the Government's interest is in the opposite. To determine if a weapon can be made that will provoke anarchy, fear and destruction from even the humblest of innocents.

Presenter: Before we finish this programme, Mr. Tuo, surely you must face some concern that this experiment, successful or not, is akin to playing God with people? Do you think this is the reason for two attempts on your life?

Mr. Tuo: Do I think? I know it to be the case. But I will not be shaken from my research. I do it, for the sake of improving biological science beyond the dreariness of its normality.

The interview concludes, and Zhengao soldiers escort the scientist out.

Presenter: Well, that's it for today's programme. The actual project will still take several years before any real progress is made. Whether Mr. Tuo can manage his goal, is to be seen in the future. And now, Sports.

[SliceOfDog]

(Footage of a local news network from a planet on the fringes of Tansa Hiib territory, sent from an anonymous source)

In business news, there is evidence to suggest that our government have sent a questionably large sum of money and other services, such as personal protection and a team of Baasholan chemical biologists, to a member of the foreign "Zhenlianbang" group known as Tuo Han Fei. It is extremely rare for our government to place funds into foreign nations, but when queried on the matter most officials declined comment. One, who wishes to remain anonymous, called it "simply an investment into the future".
More on this story as it progresses.

[Nelle Kozera]

[Zendacar Broadcasting Network (ZBN)]

[Translation in process…]

[Translation complete…]

[Stream active…]

“Ah hello and welcome to the [The Sanctum] I’m Shi’Tan. As many of you may have seen already there is a new Viral Video buzzing around the Core Net that seems to show one of our officials in a…well you just have to see this if you haven’t already. She pointed to a nearby Hologram…

The Hologram showed a place in a populated center where well known Imperial Magistrate Carsona Lillian was walking through the Market of Maranova. She appears that she was going to get something to drink from the local Café. She appeared to be unescorted which wasn’t unusual it was almost unheard of for Imperial officials to have “High profile” body guards.

As she is walking shots rang out in the middle of the crowd, a moment later there was a Flash of light as Carsona was holding a glowing sword which she was to cut a Caleran in half with the glowing sword but after she was done she was holding her mid section…

“Now your most likely wondering, No Carsona was not killed but she was injured three shattered [Ribs] and one her [hearts] was torn. Personally I didn’t think Carsona could take that much damage but [God Damn] Seriously look at this…”

She replayed the image but this time highlighted the bullet impacts before freezing it drawing over the image.

“Right there that one see it how can she move after that, and look.”

She moves it forward just a bit highlight the sword.

“Where the [Hell] did that [Sword] come from?! Though as is expected Carsona has received no political backlash from the Imperial side of the events and most wish her well. From what we can gather she will make a full recovery in a matter of days. Though we got a snippet from the imperial Intelligence network, that agents are looking into this event.”

“Anyway it appears that the Zhen Federation has gone off the deep end. Though we a message from the families saying this…”

"Imperium is currently indifferent about Morality Project. Imperium officials have deemed the project requires further investigation before support can given or withdrawn..."

“Hmm I wonder…”

[End of excerpt…]

[macrorufus]

Source: Maramoon Media [Pre-UB AoR, Pre-GalAssem AoR// Reason for CCA not being in Gal Assembly]

CCA Denies Involvement In Attack!

The Caleran Government today, denies any and all involvement with the attack on Carsona Lillian. The official statement prepared by the Government places the blame on a rogue-faction of Anti-Reaver Groups operating in the disguise of the Government's arm, in an attempt to discredit the government.

Unfortunately, due to the strike actually managing to take place, it would appear that the CCA is currently persona non grata with the IoS. The IoS has currently refused to allow the CCA representation in the Galactic Assembly as a response to their actions. It's unclear whether the IoS blame the Government or not, but in either case, the IoS is showing that actions against it will not come without some form of punishment.

[macrorufus]

[Source: Maramoon Media - UB AoR]

CCA Shows Aeterian Alliance Sign of Friendship!

Today the CCA military extended an offer to the Aeterian Alliance, proposing a series of joint military exercises from space operations to ground deployments. The CCA military heads believe this will allow better communication between the two nations, and help promote stability in the region.

It will also be a unique opportunity for the two cultures to meet and learn from each other. The CCA government hopes this will foster a new era of co-operation between the two nations, and eagerly await the Aeterian response.

[Crusadra]

>Video feed buffering...<
>Translating...<
>Transmission start.<

*Focuses in an a King'ras woman, who was flattening her clothing before looking to the camera.**

"Good evening eveyone, I am Sa'ya Fen'x and today we are going to explore the quote, unquote, Grand Family. Which consists of Grand Admiral Vin'cen For'dez, Grand Ambassador For'dez and Grand President Hen'dric For'dez. Are we a Republic... or a monarchy? Some have been known to ask our citizens and military... in all honesty, I would believe its the latter."

**Focuses out and into a video clip.**
"Here we have the good Grand Ambassador at a conference a just in the past week speaking to the populace about the more recent accusations against the For'dezs and their positions in the government."

Ford: "We are not a monarchist government, for that isn't how the SRC was created. The SRC was based on the principles that the Great One has laid out for us... it isn't so simple to explain how things work in my family... but I will explain what I can."

Reporter: "Ambassador, what are said principles?"

Ford: "Peace is above all. If peace can't be obtained then go to war with the intentions of overall peace. Total Warfare is not an option. Burning Plains policy is not an option. The SRC is the grand uniting of the nations that were based on King'ras Major, our home-world. We may have claimed to be a Confederacy, but in all we are a republic."

Reporter#2: "Ambassador, what about your family controlling the main offices in the government? Wouldn't that bother the populace to a greatly irritable degree?"

Ford: "Who would you rather have... a man who isn't what he says, or a man that is?"

Reporter#2: "Rather odd question Ambassador... I'd choose the man who is."

Ford chuckles, "Then you have him. I've been the Ambassador for a good while... I have an exceptional wife... a loving daughter... and a great nation. You try finding someone who can stand in front of trillions of people and talk to them with ease... the list is little to none. Any more questions?"

Reporter#2 sits.

Reporter#3: "What about your father and bro-"

Ford: "The populace elected my brother into office, which he holds with great honor and my father has held his position with effective vigor for the past 50 years, ever since the late Ga'lic Pen'tren held office. We do our jobs just like everyone else... I make sure that my family and nation gets the right friends to helps us along... my Brother leads you all into a brighter future... and my father defends us to ensure our stability and high moral... now with all that said... any more questions? ... None? Good! Conference over everyone. Thank you for coming." He'd smile and walks off screen.

**Focuses out and then back onto Fen'x.**
"Great isn't he folks? There would be more, but frankly... we are out of time. Have a pleasant night and a good morning."

>Video feed ends<

[SliceOfDog]

(The following report was hand delivered by an anonymous source. It arrived in an unlabeled black box, containing various loose documents. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the report, although it is clearly a Baasholan as the written sections are in the language of the Tansa Hiib empire)

[First document, a news report from the government sanctioned news outlet of Tansa Hiib fringe world Kak'lathet]

(A reporter behind a desk) An update on the current Izzet crisis: As the casualties of the civil strife continue to rise, the government is asking whether we can do more to help. They have already increased trade with the stable areas of the nation's near-by planets in the hope of boosting their economy back home, as well as providing much needed medical care. (Over the next few sentences, blurred images of what appear to be quadruped dragons in a makeshift hospital, mass graves and crumbling buildings)
Though the Izzet nation has never been economically stable, violence has been escalating rapidly over the last few decades, with all hopes of peace seeming a distant and futile hope. As always, it is the innocent civilians who suffer the cost. Conservative estimates place 98.35% of all Izzet civilians under the poverty line, struggling to get through each day with a single meal. The average doctor has the medical ability of a Baasholan teenager, with an average of only 78.6 doctors per populated planet owned by the Izzet nation. However, hope is close at hand. Ulipher.

(Switch to an outside broadcast, where Ulipher, a second reporter, is walking through a large warehouse of Baasholan processing food, clothing and medicine. Ulipher speaks) Yes, I'm here in one of many charity workhouses that have sprung up over the last few weeks in response to hearing of this crisis. As you can see, many of the workers here are civilians, and not one of them is getting paid. This may seem like confusing behaviour, but speaking to the volunteers it soon becomes apparent why.

(Footage of Ulipher speaking to a young, female Baasholan, who is smiling as she folds and packs clothes) Well when I heard about this crisis I was just overwhelmed with a sense of injustice. We have so much and take so much for granted, it just seems horrible that other living things could suffer so much. So I just knew I had to do something.
Ulipher: And you do this for nothing at all?
Volunteer: Really doing this is it's own reward. It just makes you feel good, you know? I know I'm making a positive difference to something's life, and that's a great feeling.

(A second volunteer, an older man, overseeing distribution of medical supplies) I decided to lend a hand because I know that those damn Izzet leaders won't do a thing to help their own kind. It really says a lot that our own government has done more to save the lives of children injured in the conflict than their own leaders or, [Hell (loose translation)] even their own parents. Makes you proud to belong to the Tansa Hiib.
Ulipher: (Turning back to camera) Well there you have it, these volunteers are saving lives and having a good time while they do it. We only hope that the Izzet crisis is resolved soon. Back you in the stu- (Broadcast cut off)

[Second document, a short film with a dubbed, clearly artificial voice. The film shows two pictures. One is a normal Izzet, the other a strange bipedal creature with yellowish scales]

Voice: The majority of Kak'lathet citizens have never seen a clear image of an Izzet. News footage is blurred and grainy, often shot from afar, with shaky cameras or where the Izzet is partially obscured. We set out to see if Baasholan can recognise which of these two images is an Izzet.
(Footage flicks through various Baasholan choosing between the images. Around 300 civilians in all are asked to pick. 2% pick the Izzet, 87% pick the second image, 3% say neither and 8% don't know. When told one image was fake, 96% chose the Izzet (including the female volunteer shown in the first clip) and 4% chose the second image. After this, the images reappear, and the voice continues)
Clearly the majority of Baasholan believe that the second image is an Izzet. We know it is not, but then what is the second image? (The Izzet fades away, replaced by an image of Lord ash-Jamank, the Tansa Hiib delegation leader. The two images combine, showing massive similarities in shape, stance and general physiology. The voice continues) The second image was a simple photo manipulation of a well known Baasholan figure. It took less than an hour to create, yet it fooled the majority of the Baasholan we asked, who were unable even to recognise one of their own. They have been subjected to supposed film of Izzets for 5 months.

[Third document, various shipping logs from one port on Kak'lathet over a one month period. Out of the shipments whose destination was a world under Izzet control, the logs show that 78 shipments of medicine were distributed among various Tansa Hiib military outposts, and 43 among other Tansa Hiib civilisations. 90 shipments of building supplies were sent to Padiseid, a new Tansa Hiib world on the fringe of their territory. 400 shipments of clothing were traded among other nations, with the profits going to the Kak'lathet government (none of these nations being controlled by the Izzet League) and 160 shipments of clothing were distributed among Tansa Hiib colonies. 572 shipments of food were distributed among Tansa Hiib colonies and ships, and 1,029 never left the planet. Not a single shipment reached a destination controlled by the Izzet League]

[Fourth document, charts comparing various Izzet planets to those belonging to the Tansa Hiib. Most Izzet planets export and import significantly more, earning more money from foreign nations than the Tansa Hiib planets. Less of the Tansa Hiib civilians are unemployed, but most have significantly less wealth than the Izzet. The Izzet civilians travel several thousand percent more than Tansa Hiib civilians on average, and significantly more Izzet live on multi-species planets. The death rates of the two nations, as well as the abundance and skill of medical practitioners, are roughly equal, although the death rate on Kak'lathet is higher than the 4 closest Izzet colonies. This has been underlined in red ink]

[Fifth document, an extract from a report taking place on Ravnica, the university planet owned by the Izzet League. The Baasholan reporter is blurred out and has a clearly artificially dubbed voice-over]

Reporter: "Were you aware that no less than 7 planets owned by the Tansa Hiib [Utilitarian Dictatorship (closest translation)] have been sending millions of Hypogryphs[Izzet currency] worth of aid to your nation?"
Izzet Professor: “And over….wait what? What aid? Why would we need Aid? (He points around) Do these people look like they are starving or need of Aid? Honestly that’s something that is totally idiotic the Izzet League has absolutely no need for aid what so ever…”
Reporter: "So you never received this aid, nor did you request it?"
Izzet Professor: “That’s should totally self evident from my former statement, but I will repeat myself for your benefit, no we haven’t.”
Reporter: "And how do you respond to the assertion that your race has a failing economy, little-to-no medical care and over 98% of your population under the poverty line?"
Izzet Professor: “I actually don’t think there is anyone in the Izzet league that is below the poverty line. It’s almost unheard of for anyone in the Izzet league to have anything less than a [Masters] degree. Failing economy, only the Arrkric Greater Star Federation has an economy able to match our own. The league having a failing economy is pretense. And a poorly fabricated one at that. Medical care? We have some the most advanced doctors in the galaxy and everyone has free health care! Whoever is making these statements is complete and total fool and never once done a single [nanogram] of research. Now where were we, ah yes taking a tour of Ravnica…”

[Sixth and final document, anonymous written article]

This Izzet crisis is [bullshit (closest translation)]. Complete and utter [bullshit (closest translation)]. People don't realise they're being lied to, or perhaps they don't realise because they're being lied to, but they're being taken advantage of. They've growing crops, making clothes, building supplies, even volunteering to test medicines on themselves to help a race they don't even know, and they're doing it for nothing. They slave away all day for barely anything at all, and then when they have free time, they do it for literally nothing. And this quasi-fictional race aren't getting the goods anyway, we are! The government take the 'aid' and send it wherever the fuck they want.
I mean, just think about the clothing. Izzet don't even wear clothes. Who do these volunteers think they're making tonnes of clothing for? And if the Izzet did wear clothes, why are the volunteers making it to fit beings the size of our own race, instead of the 3 times larger Izzet? Ignorance, pure ignorance, and it has to stop. And perhaps [I (closest translation)] am the one to stop it...

[Samantha Arrow]

[This video, made by an anonymous person quickly went viral.]

[GNN reporting on it]

Lightfirean New Weapon Technology?

Well here it is folks if you haven't seen it already (video begins to play). An anonymous filmer was in, what must be a cloaked ship because it goes unnoticed. He records what looks to be a Lightfirean cruiser, chasing down a frigate of a minor race they've been at war with called the Hazmar. Strangely, the Lightfirean ship isn't shooting at it, even though the Hazmar vessel is firing on them as it tries to flee. But then, once the Lightfirean cruiser gains on it, it's torpedo port opens and fires three torpedoes. They smash into the enemy ship - and are clearly not a standard Lightfirean antimatter torpedo.

When they detonate, the ship seems to collapse in on the location like a tin can being smashed. After that, the Lightfirean vessel turns to try to leave but slowly gets pulledback towards the compact rubble of the frigate. The Lightfirean vessel similarly gets crushed into the rubble, though not as badly. However, it's power core overloads and destroys all the remnants of what happened there - except the cloaked ship that got this footage.

It's all speculation right now, as the Lightfireans have not made a single statement on the event. Theory is that the Lightfirean vessel was an automated science vessel, armed with experimental Dark Matter Zeta torpedoes. As you recall not long ago their was a more peaceful incident involving this "Dark Matter Zeta" where a asteroid was apparently pushed out of a collision path with a Lightfirean colony.

The automated ship decided to use the Hazmar frigate as a test subject for the weapons. It creates massive amounts of gravity, which crushed the frigate and prevented the Lightfirean ship from escaping. Realizing the mission had failed, the ship self destructed to destroy the evidence.

Lightfireans have poor detection technology, so the cloaked ship went unnoticed and brought these disturbing images to light. Luckily, it looks like using the weapons would be a suicide run for the Lightfireans, seeing as they can't escape from the gravity either.

[JanetStarhatcher]

[Article Received]...
[Translation in progress]...
[Error, File format not supported]...
[Install new language software? y/n]...
y...
[Installing...complete]...
[Translating]...

{From the One Mind of the Morga Nalafe}
[An humanoid insect creature with large eyes, four arms, and what appears to be hair is looking toward the screen. Its lips do not move, though sound is coming from it in the broadcast. The strands of 'hair' are connected to a console on the desk, proving that the strands are neural in nature. (some form of antenna?)]
"This is the absolute newest news in the news world! So listen up my fellow Morga Nalafe, It appears that we are not alone in this universe! Shocking, I know. We all know of the planet of origin for our species and how we had to abandon it, but can you believe that sentient life developed elsewhere? As proof we have a broadcast from an alleged alien species! Even more shocking, IT'S NOT JUST ONE!!!

Our most outward outpost has picked up a faint signal that had to be meticulously translated to our [spoken/sung] language. We'll play a segment for you, our audience, right now!"

[music begins to play, a large complicated piece with several harmonies and a rapid pace]

"And again in our [thought/normal] language"

"The majority of Kak'lathet citizens have never seen a clear image of an Izzet. News footage is blurred and grainy, often shot from afar, with shaky cameras or where the Izzet is partially obscured. We set out to see if Baasholan can recognise which of these two images is an Izzet."

"Can you believe it! There's apparently not one, but two species in this one broadcast! Unfortunately they were only able to translate the verbal segment of the broadcast, the video segment was not able to be translated into something that the One Mind could recognize... But isn't this [cool/amazing (closest translation)]!!! I mean just think of everything we can learn from them!!! Maybe we could even open up trade with them one day! Just think of all the shiny new stuff we could get! [its long, thin wings flutter for a moment lifting her from her chair for a moment] This is the beginning of a brand new day in the history of our species!!!! And the best part? We're even sending this broadcast to the location of origin of the broadcast we received! Along with the proper codes for translating it back, hopefully they get more than just audio from it!!! This is Athin Aya signing off and being the first to say, HI [ALIENS]!!!!!!!!
[End Transmission]

[macrorufus]

[[AoR - UB RP]]
Broadcast from the CCA Government to the AA Government, after the pre-emptive strike.

We, the Caleran Core Alliance, hereby declare War on the Aeterian Alliance. The drones and officers of our Army and Navy shall do their utmost in prosecuting the war. Our public servants of various departments shall perform faithfully and diligently their respective duties; the entire nation with a united will shall mobilize their total strength so that nothing will miscarry in the attainment of our war aims.

To insure the stability of Caleran space and to contribute to world peace is the far-sighted policy which was formulated by our government at the dawn of our nation's creation, and We keep this close to heart. To cultivate friendship among nations and to enjoy prosperity in common with all nations, has always been the guiding principle of our nation's foreign policy. It has been truly unavoidable and far from our wishes that our nation has been brought to cross swords with the Aeterian Alliance. The Alliance has obstructed by every means our peaceful growth, menacing gravely the existence of our nation. Patiently have we waited and long have we endured, in the hope that our government might retrieve the situation in peace. But our adversaries, have shown not the least spirit of conciliation. This trend of affairs, would, if left unchecked, not only nullify our nation's efforts of many years for the sake of the stabilization of CCA space, but also endanger the very existence of our nation. The situation being such as it is, the Caleran Core Alliance, for its existence and self-defense has no other recourse but to appeal to arms and to crush every obstacle in its path.

The hallowed spirits of our drone ancestors guard us. We rely upon the loyalty and courage of our people in our confident expectation that the sources of evil will be speedily eradicated and an enduring peace immutably established in the contested regions, preserving thereby the glory of the CCA.

[BIos_Reaper]

[A transmission for the CCA (as I am too neck deep in work for in-depth)]

"We do not comprehend this hostile act against peaceful worlds but be assured that if any innocent lives are lost because of your needless lust for power we will answer for the transgression and make you pay dearly for every life you dare try and take"

With that the defenses of all the worlds in question engage, even if the invasion carries through they will not deal enough damage to deter the Alliance from systemtically exterminating any offending forces, that is to say, if they are unintelligent enough to begin any act of hostility.

[SliceOfDog]

Secret. For the eyes of the Editor/s of The Wire only.

It has recently come to our attention that a series of inflammatory documents were recently published by your organisation which reflect negatively on our government and our people. The documents in question, purporting to relate to our fringe-world of Kak'lathet, are extremely insulting to our nation and have already caused damage to international relations, in the form of a drop in trade. We understand that this may not have been intentional, but if these documents were to fall into the wrong hands the results could prove disastrous. It is with this in mind that we respectfully request that the documents in question be immediately removed from your distribution lines and either handed over to our possession or destroyed.

We also request compensation for our loss in trade, to the sum of 6,000,000,000,000 Kak'lathet Empots. This figure is non-negotiable.

You will also understand that we desire our communications and future transactions to be held in utmost confidentiality. Public mention of this interaction would only exacerbate the situation.

Thank you, and we appreciate you discretion in this matter.

Sincerely,
Alk T'thitbar,
Foreign Relations Master,
Goverment of Kak'lathet,
Bowed to the Greater Government of Tansa Hiib.

[macrorufus]

[[AoR - Galactic Assembly RP]]
2nd phase of morality project too successful?

Presenter: Today's topic is the not-so secretive Zhen Federation morality project. The ZLB Government has announced that the lead scientist, Tuo Han Fei, has delivered successful results way ahead of schedule. I have here a minor spokesman for the project, who will enlighten us further.

Spokesman: I'm here on behalf of Mr. Tuo, who dares not leave his laboratory. We believe other parties are interested in finding him and stopping his research. However, I represent the government, not the laboratory, and I am proud to announce that the project has entered its second phase much earlier than anticipated. We believe to have found the correct gene sequence and have begun ... adaptive .. tests on the sequence, resulting in two embryos.

Presenter: These embryos.... these are clones then?

Spokesman: That is indeed the case. The two were essentially twins, both having the same donor, Mr. Tuo's genes in point of fact. However, this research is shaky and as of yet we have nothing to show interested /acedemic/ parties, other than the firm knowledge that we believe one to be 'evil' and one to be 'good.'

Presenter: If I am correct in my understanding of the research programme, surely Zhengao bio-science is advanced enough to have already developed weapons or otherwise from this vector? Why the laborious process to make these embryos?

Spokesman: It is the Government's position that Mr. Tuo's work has been successful so far, and we believe it prudent not to question his methods.

Presenter: Is there any truth to the rumour that the ZLB government and the Tansa Hiib government is working closely together on this project?

Spokesman: Such a falsehood is not plausible. There are no outside parties interested in this project, and the Zhenlianbang does not seek to aggravate foreign nations with its biological projects.

--------
Violence on minor agri-world as riots break over tainted products. Linked to Zhenlianbang.

Today, fingers are pointed in blame on Hel'iso Minorus, a SRC agri-world. The past few nights have seen riots and with them a huge rise in violence, normally peaceful and serene towns were gripped by a spate of murders and worse. However, after two days silence and fierce investigations, fingers are pointed at the Zhen Federation. Foreign contaminants were discovered in the city food supply, and were traced back to a ZLB tradeship. The Zhen Federation has denied responsibility and has claimed that the tradeship's crew were operating illegally.

However, the Zhen Federation has publically apologized for its failure to stop what they labelled the actions of a dangerous minority.