The Wire

[Nelle Kozera]

Wire Editorial staff to Alk T'thitbar:

As you are probably aware we have published your request for the removal of documents from our Data Hubs. We apologize if this has caused some inconvenience for you, but what you ask is not acceptable as we are a nonprofit organization and thus cannot ask our donors to compensate you for actions that may or may not be true. If such allegations are true then it would be ethically wrong to compensate you for your ill practices, if they are false we apologize for any losses, but we stand as a beacon of free speech and will continue to publish any and all material submitted to us that could hold a grain of truth within along aside all other news media across the galaxy. If you wish to recuperate your losses you should attempt to clean up your image instead of blaming the massager for adding a little transparency to governmental actions across the galaxy.

Sincerely,
Lig’ Nau,
Head Editor,
The Wire.

[SliceOfDog]

The following letter is secret and confidential.
It should be read only by Lig’ Nau, Head Editor of The Wire.
If it is intercepted by anyone who is not Lig' Nau, it should remain sealed and unread and either be forwarded to the office of Lig' Nau or returned to the nearest Tansa Hiib embassy or representative.

-----------------------------------SECRET DOCUMENT : DESTROY AFTER READING----------------------------------------------

Dear Lig' Nau.
We must insist that this matter remain private, as it is, as previously mentioned, an extremely damaging one for our nation. We have been falsely slandered by what we can only assume is a direct enemy of our government; perhaps a fugitive or a terrorist intent on mass disruption of our nation's leadership. By publishing these unfounded and anonymously sourced materials, you are doing great harm to our people. We must remind you that the Tansa Hiib government directly funds its schools and hospitals, and any loss of money or trade negatively impacts our frail, young and old citizens.
It is for this reason that we must insist on some form of reparations. We also demand that we be given access to any leads you may have on the source of this so-called information (that, we might remind you, was published as 'news', despite being clearly fabricated) and that the documents be removed immediately.
It has also come to our understanding that our previous communiqué has been published openly by your organisation. It was strictly a private matter, as is this, and we will not tolerate further flouting of common decency and respect. If you continue to refuse our demands and the chance to negotiate in confidence, we shall be forced to take action.

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

-------------------------------------SECRET DOCUMENT : DESTROY AFTER READING------------------------------------------

[Nelle Kozera]

Wire Editorial staff to Alk T'thitbar:

Well you apparently didn’t read our letter; this organization is and will remain a publisher of all material that could be true. Now you say that these are slanderous but can you allow third party to investigate these? I doubt it. In anycase again the Wire holds no responsibility for your losses are we refuse to pay any form of reparations to the Government of Tansa Hiib. Secondly we do not have the money the pay for cost if we were ever to consider it. We are a Nonprofit organization thus has no surplus currency to fork over to you because you are unable to keep people quite. In any case as you can tell, all further documents sent to us demanding reparations for your losses will get published along with all other material related to the matter.

Sincerely,
Lig’ Nau,
Head Editor,
The Wire.

[SliceOfDog]

TOP SECRET

FOR THE EYES OF LIG' NAU ONLY

We understand, and accept that at this point in time reparations cannot be paid (although we resent your implication that letters demanding reparations must be published. We believe this to be a pointless and infuriating rule, yes for simplicity's sake we shall accept these demands)

However, we take great issue with your suggestion that we must have a third party investigate this matter before it may be removed. We trust that a similar demand was not made of the anonymous terrorist source of misinformation? This is a clear case of double standards, and is an open insult to the integrity of our government and its people. We assure you on the honour of our great Leader that these lies are false. That must be enough, and if the documents remain it shall be taken as a clear assault on the name and image of our Leader, which we deem an Act of War.

Continued aggravation of our nation will result in retaliation.

As this message was not demanding reparations, it should not be made public.

Alk T'thitbar.

[Nelle Kozera]

Wire Editorial staff to Alk T'thitbar:

An act of War on forty people mind you, the entire staff of the Wire including myself is tiny. The overwhelming majority of the published material from this organization is written by independent bodies and writers. And you are correct we did not ask this of the writer of the “Slanderous” article. It doesn’t take much to get published on the Wire. What does take a lot of effort is to get an article removed from the Wire. To get an article removed it most proven irrevocably false by a non affiliated third party to remove basis from your own claim. And while your message isn’t about reparations you are threatening the The Wire Organization and thus it will also be published.

Sincerely,
Lig’ Nau,
Head Editor,
The Wire.

[macrorufus]

Attn: Lig'Nau
Director

Dear Lig'Nau,
RE: Tansa Hiib Issue

It is the findings of the third party appointed to deal with this matter that we find the Wire's information to be in error. The Tansa Hiib have always held themselves to a morally disciplined nature, and have been unfairly accused by the Wire's unknown source. The planet of Kak'lathet has been unfairly treated as a result. We urge the Director to amend this mistake.

Sincerely,
Tang Yu Nan

[SliceOfDog]

Lig’ Nau,
There was no threat made as of yet against the Wire. The aforementioned Act of War was issued from you against us, by way of your attacking the good name of our Leader. Any actions taken by us will be strictly in self-defence.
However, as you have now received a Third Party assessment of the scenario which supports our correct claims, we can see no reason why the documents should remain, and therefore demand that they be taken down immediately. Your demand of a Third Party investigation have been met.

Alk T'thitbar.

[SliceOfDog]

(The following arrived in an unlabelled black box delivered by an unknown source: A photograph of a Baasholan operative handing an unlabelled briefcase to Tang Yu Nan, head of the 'Third Party investigation' and an extract of a document taken from the Kak'lathet hall of records. The document lists recent expenses made by the government. Among the list is "20,000 - Tang Yu Nan", which is listed as a "Mutually beneficial expenditure". A handwritten note is also included, which reads only "Try harder next time")

[Nelle Kozera]

Wire Editorial staff to Alk T'thitbar:

I find it unforchant that you had to pay someone to give you a positive third party assessment, our own research and our sources have given us a lead that proves basis to their claim and therefore is inadmissible as evidence.

Attached to the message was the following image and documents:

Spoiler

A photograph of a Baasholan operative handing an unlabelled briefcase to Tang Yu Nan, head of the 'Third Party investigation' and an extract of a document taken from the Kak'lathet hall of records. The document lists recent expenses made by the government. Among the list is "20,000 - Tang Yu Nan", which is listed as a "Mutually beneficial expenditure"

Now if you would like an actual third party investigation to be taken place then we can refer you to reputable investigation agencies and corporations which have been used in the past to have articles removed from the wire in the past.

Sincerely,
Lig’ Nau,
Head Editor,
The Wire.

[Arratra]

Source: Asteroid City News
Type: Clip from news program
Period: Shortly before end of three-year gap in Galactic Assembly

[Translation complete]
[Playing]
*News Anchorwoman glances down at her notes, then looks square at the camera*
"The ongoing pirate activity inside the Terrigen Veil has finally been eliminated. As regular viewers may remember, the pirates were traced two years ago to a previously undiscovered species of reptilian raiders. Regretably, negotiations with the raiders failed, leading to the near-death of Representative Leonidas, who was on the team on the surface to negotiate a cease-fire and possible trade treaty."
*graphic switches to video images of Draconians and Gekkos surgically striking the raiders' military assets*
"In lieu of a possibly long and bloody ground campaign, the Admiralty opted for swift and surgical orbital drop missions, and pinpoint orbital strikes against the reptilians' space capabilities. All shipyards and interplanetary-capable spacecraft were destroyed, and the route through the Veil cleared, with minimal loss of life on both sides."
*Image returns to anchorwoman*
"In related news, a mixed-crew scout vessel has reached the other side of the Veil, charting the first safe FTL route through the notoriously difficult-to-navigate nebula, and have discovered a potentially terraforming-compatible planet orbiting a star near the end of the passage through the nebula. A small refuel-and-recharge station has been commisioned for the other side of the nebula, acting as a waypoint in expansion into the Terrigen Arm, and navigation beacons are now being deployed inside the Veil to allow easier navigation of the route.
"The Arm is still officially off-limits to unauthorised personnel; no decision has been made by the Assembly as to colonisation rights within the Arm as of yet."