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The Glenlivet, Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich distilleries simultaneously launched their first single malts since the onset of the Blight. The fifteen-year-old malts were given pride of place at a gala event in Edinburgh Castle. Representative from the United States, China, the GEO, Dundalk Shipbuilding Incorporate State, Biogene Incorporate State and a host of international celebrities were their to toast the launch.
GEO High Commissioner for Trade & Industry, Mr Mohan Singh, said: "It is a great privilege to be here in this historic monument on this occasion. It is marvellous to see a once proud industry rise from the chaos of the Blight and once more take its place on the world stage. It is with immense pride that I raise my glass, and to all concerned, say slainte' mhath!*"
Mr Singh's speech was followed by many more ringing endorsements. The various distillers say that they have already received many advance orders from afar as Mars, the Belt and even Poseidon.
Donald Grant/Scottish Times/UK Media/CommCore Worldwatch
*slainte mhath (pronounced slann-ge-vah) is a traditional Gaelic toast meaning good health.
In an official press release today, Hanover Industries said they were proud to announce that they secured the services of Rachael O'Rourke as a liaison officer for the Kingston area. O'Rourke, formerly a senior figure within the NRM, has so far refrained from commenting on the matter but sources within Hanover Industries have told this reporter that she was lured in to the fold by an impressive cash deal. Mr Eric van Kleef, of Hanover Industries, said "I think this day will prove to be a good one for Kingston and for Hanover Industries. Ms O'Rourke will be a valuable connection between Kingstonian, indeed all native, society and Hanover Industries. Her experience and intellect can only serve to better the position of both parties."
O'Rourke is the first notable native figure to 'defect' to Hanover Industries. As of today, no persons associated with the NRM have commented on this event. Maria Matsumoto, an activist with Native Rights Now! based in Haven, has, however, made this statement: "Ms O'Rourke can now consider herself cut off from the rest of native society. Her treacherous action can only be viewed with contempt by all right thinking natives on Poseidon. We should, and indeed will, do our utmost to ensure that Ms O'Rourke does not enjoy her ill gotten position of power for very long." Miss Matsumoto was later arrested by officers from the office of Marshal Peter Church, charged with incitement to commit murder.
On the streets of Kingston, reaction was mixed. The newcomer community has reacted with an amazing degree of apathy. The native community has more mixed views, yet the majority opinion is against Hanover and against the actions of O'Rourke.
- M. Craig, Colonial Times Newsnet
Three native insurgent groups, The Sword Of Zion, The Children Of The Widow, and Westcape Liberation League, have all released statements taking joint credit for the slaying. All three statements accused Baum of masterminding a cover-up of Hanover's military activities in Westcape, and promised further attacks on Incorporate personnel and property. Hanover Industries and Lavender Organics facilities in Kingston, already on edge because of the large number of visitors in town for the Zion Music Festival, have tightened security even further. In an apparently unrelated incident, two HSS guards and three natives were injured when a brawl broke out at a protest rally in front of Kingston Spaceport's main terminal, this afternoon. Seven natives were taken into custody by the HSS.
Gertrude Baum was born in the Hanover city-state in 2150. She attended the University of Hanover and became a reporter for United Bavaria Media Financial News in 2173. She rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually heading UBM's documentary division. In 2194, she was transferred to Poseidon as a senior public relations officer, and eventually became one of Hanover Industries' most well recognized spokespersons. During her career, she produced several award-winning documentaries, including 'Rolf Danzinger: His Life And His Legacy,' and 'Lebensraum, City of Promise.' She is survived by two sons.
- Gail Arthur, CTN/net
Ocean life in the region was visibly disturbed by the tremors. A herd of 300 migratory sunbursts mysteriously beached themselves on a beach near the NIS company town of Simushir. One Kauai fisherman reported seeing several ray-like creatures believed to be aborigines. Scientists would not comment on the suspicious timing of the incidents.
- Kai Poh, CTN/net
"She was wild, fantastic, brilliant!" cried ecstatic young Haven resident Tora Petrel, her hair dyed in imitation of her idol. She and her friends admitted to paying exorbitant prices to scalpers in order to get their tickets. Local drama producer Garth Tung would not speak to reporters, but was seen giving the concert a "thumbs up" after the show. Even native councilman Deacon Kingsley was seen at the show, a surprise to some, since the Schneider Interstellar Tour is sponsored by Hanover Industries.
"United Bavaria Media is proud to bring Asuka to Poseidon, and we promise more excitement in the months to come," said Hanover Industries spokesperson Gertrude Baum, speaking from Kingston, where she is overseeing the preparations for Schneider's next concert stop.
- Kai Poh, CTN/net
Hanover Industries spokesperson Gertrude Baum said: "We advise all Hanover citizens in Kingston to spend their off-duty hours only within the Volkhaus arcology, until the festival is over in two weeks. During this time, additional security measures will be taken at important facilities, including Kingston Spaceport." She refused to comment on whether or not Asuka Schneider's highly anticipated concert would be canceled because of security problems. The sold-out concert is scheduled to take place in the Hydrodome on the final day of the festival.
Lavender Organics security captain Karim Shah announced that LavOrg citizens were advised against visiting the Incorporate's facilities in Kingston in the immediate future. When asked about why the warnings were only being issued now, he said: "We had already anticipated some additional security demands, but recent events have forced us to upgrade our risk estimates."
In response to the Incorporate announcements, NRM spokesperson Thomas Strong denied that there was any threat of ecoterrorist attacks, and insisted that the NRM was capable of ensuring peace and order in Kingston.
The number of Incorporate citizens applying for reassignment from Kingston skyrocketed following the recent slaying of tribal reggae musician Ruth Noa by the Hanover Security Service. The killing has sparked outrage in the native community, and ecoterrorist band Poseidon's Price is rumored to be coming to the Zion Music Festival to perform a memorial concert for Noa.
- Gail Arthur, CTN/net
GEO Marshall Ozala, who headed the operation, said: "These [censored] sons of [censored] lure rural women to Bucharest with false promises of wealth and happiness. In reality, the average mail-order bride usually ends up as the abused sex slave of some drunken prospector who can't even speak her language but who paid 30,000cs plus travel costs to buy her."
- Kai Poh, CTN/net
The most controversial award-winner was Poseidon's Price, which won Best Neo-Folk Performance (Band) for the pirate radio hit "Storm Widow's Vow." The band was unable to attend. Founded in 2189 by maverick proteges of Deon Malcolm, Poseidon's Price is on the run from the GEO and Incorporate security agencies for its involvement in the ecoterrorist group known as The Children of The Widow. Another absentee, Douglas J. Jones, barred from Kingston by the NRM, won Best Neo-Folk Performance (Male) for "Dancing In The Photic Zone." Suzannah Malcolm-Peters, Deon Malcolm's niece, received the award for Best Neo-Folk Performance (Female) for "Rain Shadow."
The Best Reggae Performance (Band) award went to "Don't Point That Gun At Me" by the Kraken Girls, largely due to a massive last-minute sympathy vote following the tragic shooting death of band member Ruth Noa last week. Bluffman Tyler won Best Reggae Performance (Male) for his update of his mentor Deon Malcolm's classic hit "Fork Leaf Girl." Best Reggae Performance (Female) was won by singer-actress Jessica Thorn for "She Got Water."
The dominance of Deon Malcolm's proteges in the 2199 awards has led many musicians to question the integrity of the voting process. Although Malcolm has not been an NRM member for decades, his critics say he uses his NRM contacts to wield considerable power in the tribal music scene. Malcolm has denied these allegations.
- Gail Arthur, CTN/net
The heavily hyped free episode paid off quite well for Windworlds Productions, the GEO subsidiary behind "Patrol": Earth subscriptions increased by nearly 9 million in the wake of the episode. Already, imitations are popping up. A spin-off series, "Poseidon Dolphin Patrol," is in the works at Windworlds, to be shot entirely on location in New Fremantle. Meanwhile, United Bavaria Media announced a new interactive Commcore drama program, also to be shot on Poseidon, which will be based on the exploits of the Hanover Security Service.
"Poseidon Patrol," which stars Anesh Khan, Carmelita Y Rosario, Jonathan Young, and native sex symbol Jessica Thorn, debuted in 2194 on the Windworlds Commcore site as a subscription-only series. The series, focusing on the heroic efforts of the GEO Patrol in Haven, was one of the first to use the VirtuaScope imaging process. Despite gaining a cult following, the series suffered from production setbacks and poor reviews. In the words of Garth Tung: "It didn't help when that hurricane trashed our Haven studio, although we did get some great footage. And yeah, the plots were hokey, but it all changed once we got those dolphins on the writing team..."
In the past two years, however, the series has gradually become a popular favorite on both Poseidon and Earth. Analysts cite the exotic locations and high action content as reasons for its success. "Poseidon Patrol" is one of the most popular of about a dozen Commcore dramas currently being shot on Poseidon.
- Kai Poh, CTN/net
During the performance, Noa, percussionist for the band Kraken Girls, pointed and fired a realistic toy gun at the lead singer, as part of a mock argument meant to be a skit between songs. Apparently unaware of the skit, two HSS guards fired some twenty rounds into Noa, without warning, in front of a horrified audience of hundreds. Enraged fans fell upon the two guards, beating and stabbing them to death. Sixteen people were injured in the ensuing riot before authorities could bring the situation under control. Damages to the Hazards Casino are estimated to be around 500,000 cs.
The surviving Kraken Girls have announced their intention to sue the HSS. Hanover Industries spokesperson Gertrude Baum announced that the HSS would contest the suit, and that all visitors would be issued full refunds. "We also vehemently deny allegations that the HSS officers were so-called 'trigger-happy veterans' freshly transferred from a hypothetical combat zone," she said. She went on to deny anonymous Commcore rumors stating that Hanover Industries has been concealing severe manpower losses brought on by dangerous operations in Westcape.
- Gail Arthur, CTN/net
This statement came in response to rumors on CommCore that Atlas is spending hundreds of millions in scrip to find new Long John fields because of the impending depletion of the Pebble Rocks Field. Atlas scrip exchange rates had plunged sharply in response to the rumors.
Serviced by Atlas Materials' Undersea Habitat Two, the Pebble Rocks Field is the oldest and most famous Long John deposit on Poseidon.
- Sonia Candellario, ROMA-2 Financial News Service
Although the festival was officially organized by Kingston government officials, the influence of the NRM has been felt many times in the past few months. Certainly, NRM factions have shown their support for the festival from the start. But some Incorporate music labels are grumbling about payoffs, extortion and threats to performers. And NRM politics have barred several "unwanted" reggae groups from playing at the festival. Finally, a fierce statement last week by NRM lieutenant Roberto McKay heightened suspicions that the festival could serve as a cover for mass gatherings of some of Poseidon's most notorious ecoterrorist groups. In his words: "It will be a convention of our world's greatest freedom fighters."
Additional controversy has arisen because of an announcement by the architect of the Kingston Hydrodome, William Corwin, who claimed earlier this week that the Hydrodome was "unsafe for seating over the 29,500 seat capacity." Many of the festival's sponsors, including Hanover Industries, have raised questions of safety, but Kingston officials have thus far dismissed Corwin's statements as "nonsense."
None of this has deterred hordes of music lovers from all over the Archipelago, who have been converging on Kingston and the surrounding area over the past week. Some came by sailboat, some by dolphinback, and some by expensive jumpcraft. One group of gangly native youths claims to have paddled a raft all the way from the Sierra Nueva Cluster! Already, the surrounding countryside is dotted with makeshift tents, and houseboats fill Annotto Bay. Town officials are at a loss to handle the sudden influx of new arrivals. The most conservative estimates place their number at 6,000, although some cite four times that figure.
In the coming month, the festival will highlight every musical style on the planet: tribal reggae, dolphin song, neo-folk, post-electronic abstract, revival pop and experimental biorhythm, among others. Major venues such as the Hazards Casino and the Hydrodome have scores of top-billed performers on their schedule, and many shows are already sold out. But you don't even have to buy a ticket to enjoy the music: every night, numerous struggling unknowns will be putting on free shows all along the Broadwalk, in hope of getting signed by a major label. To top it all off, Bavarian pop superstar Asuka Schneider is set to play in the Hydrodome at the end of this month, in the sold-out closing show of the festival. It will be the second leg of her historic first concert tour of Poseidon, which begins in Haven in two weeks.
- Gail Arthur, CTN/net
ERT paramedic Gordon Subramaniam told reporters: "We were lucky to spot the remains of his hopper while flying through the area. It turned out a nearby native village had taken him in. Unfortunately, it was inhabited solely by female natives belonging to some sort of strange fertility cult. They had him stripped and tied down for a ritual of some kind, and they were crawling all over him. We had to fight them off with stun guns and bare knuckles, but thankfully, we rescued him. Funny thing, though...he struggled against us and screamed unintelligibly as we hauled him into the VTOL. You'd think he wanted to stay or something."
Poh suffered from dehydration and minor bruises, and remains in stable condition at Dyfedd's general hospital. Doctors said that he was feverish, and kept asking them to "send me back to Paradise."
- Gail Arthur, CTN/net
Furthermore, only six Warden licenses were issued in the past six months, as opposed to 29 in the six-month period prior to that. A source in the Justice Commission, who declined to be identified, claimed that this drop was due to the recent wave of attacks targeting Wardens. Nine Wardens were murdered in the Pacifica Archipelago in the first six months of 2199.
Famed ecologist Nelson Ifube commented on the report: "The recent realization among (black marketeers on both worlds), that entire microhabitats will soon vanish due to predation, has not slowed down the rape of the planet. Rather, it has accelerated it! As species are endangered, they become more rare, more sought-after. Their prices skyrocket, and the poachers become even more desperate to bag them before they're gone."
- Gail Arthur, CTN/net
Hanover Industries spokesperson Gertrude Baum announced that all visitors would be issued full refunds. "We also vehemently deny the rumor that manpower problems forced the Hanover Security Service to man the event with raw recruits," she said.
The cause of the blimp's detonation is unknown, but after reviewing surveillance files, the HSS has ruled out foul play. "Some field scientists have observed blimps spontaneously combusting in the wild," suggested Baum. "It is very rare, but it has been known to happen."
- Kai Poh, CTN/net
Deepcaller, chief shaman of the Perth congregation of the Church of Whalesong Theogony, dismissed the outspoken activist's views as representing neither the official stand of the Church nor the opinions of the majority of cetacea. He did, however, express misgivings in regard to the "Water Monkeys," the legendary tribe of human aquaforms that supposedly abandoned dry land and human ways in favor of blue water and dolphin culture. Dr. Michael Adler's expedition to Poseidon in search of the truth behind the Monkey folk tales has spawned a verbal firestorm in many communities. Cetacea in this case have proven themselves every bit as contentious as humans.
"The Church of Whalesong Theogony is not an exclusive body," Deepcaller said, emphasizing that it is open to anyone who professes to its beliefs. He expressed doubt, however, that amphibious aquaforms could truly appreciate the complexities. "It is physical as well as spiritual. Part of the Whalesong is the rapture of the dive, and while I can easily see human aquaforms who have the diving reflex comprehending the mysteries of the Whalesong after repeatedly experiencing diving rapture together with proper exposure to the Songs themselves, I'm afraid I can't quite see how the conversion to water breathing could convey the same experience."
Deepcaller agreed with a few of Freedom's points. The Church has publically condemned all attempts at morality legislation aimed at the cetacea. "We are not human," Deepcaller said. "Why should we be forced into human ways of behavior?" On the other hand, the Church has been conspicuously silent on the subject of cross-species relationships. "[Freedom] could have chosen his words better, but it's true that some of the humans who have tried to become pod members have done so solely out of sexual desire, with no real interest in delphinic culture." He went on to say that in his personal opinion, dolphins could resolve such situations by themselves, without assistance from the human-dominated legal system.
"I'll be very interested to see what Dr. Adler finds, if anything," Deepcaller concluded. "If the Water Monkeys do exist, I'm certain that both human and dolphin will have had to adapt to each other. What this could mean to human law, the Church's dogma, and both species' cultures remains to be seen."
-- Andrew Ragland, araglan@us.ibm.com
The following interview was conducted via implanted translator. Emotional content has been inferred from gestures, attitude, tone and volume of original speech, and was added after review of interview recordings.
ED: End blockquote
New Zealand (UPI) - Humans attempting to take up dolphin cultural ways would be shoving their way into the pod unwanted, says Freedom, well-known cetacean rights advocate. The outspoken champion of separate governments for humans and cetacea said that he sincerely hopes the so-called "Water Monkeys," humans who have abandoned dry land and human ways for blue-water life and delphinic society, do not exist.
"For centuries, humans slaughtered us. Finally, they recognized our intelligence only after they tinkered with our genes to their satisfaction. We have attempted to rebuild our culture in the wake of their passing, and now they want to come about and push themselves in amongst us in the privacy of our pods? This is unconscionable and we will not accept it." Freedom gained notoriety last year when he successfully opposed allowing humans and genies into his chapter of the Church of Whalesong Theogony.
"Humans have invaded nearly every sphere of our existence, from our morals to our daily lives to our reproduction. We will keep our faith for ourselves. Can you not understand that we desire our own waters in which to swim? Can a human possibly hearken to the whalesong, when it was by human hands that the last true singer died?" When questioned about his reaction should Dr. Michael Adler, noted cultural anthropologist and human-cetacean relations expert, locate the Water Monkeys, Freedom had this to say:
"Adler knows nothing about the cetacea. Like all humans, he blinds himself with his own arrogance and cannot truly understand. He talks of Jamake Highwater's idea of seeing by becoming as if he understood it, but Highwater himself could not have put himself in the place of the cetacea,and he was much closer to being truly sentient than Adler will ever come. Any cetacea that share their lives to that extent with humans have spent too much time among the apes, and picked up the odious habit of keeping pets." But what of the Church's recent statement on human-cetacean relations, calling for an end to legislation forbidding interspecies marriage or sex, and the opening of both cultures to each other?
"Every war must have its Neville Chamberlain, to put it in a frame you can understand. The Church elders who promulgated that arrant nonsense meant well, but were deluded. Humans will never accept dolphins for what we are. Our sexuality repulses them, or draws to us their worst elements. They cannot decide whether to enshrine or deride us, and certainly will never accept us as equals. Why should we offer equality among our numbers to humans?" Why indeed? Tomorrow's article will attempt to answer that question, in an interview with Starseeker, Priest of the Church of Whalesong Thoegony.
Q: Dr. Adler, how soon do you expect to launch your expedition?
A: As soon as these two say I'm ready. Right now, they're still trying to get
it through my thick skull that just because it looks like a rock doesn't mean
it is one.
(Dr. Adler held up a bandaged left hand.)
Q: What happened?
A: Mistook my corals. Turns out there's one can sting right through a Kevlar
glove. Julie tells me the swelling will go down in another day or two, but
it's a nuisance having to keep my hand wrapped up in watertight bandaging. Can't
afford a blood scent in the water, you know.
Q: Other than that...
A: Other than that, it's going well. Julie tells me, and I'm paying her to be
brutally honest, that I should have enough of the basics down to set off next
week. Diving here isn't that radically different from back home, although the
conditions are quite dissimilar. I don't need protective gear against the
water itself, for example, just against what lives in it. With the environment
being
so inviting, I'm not surprised that the legend of the Water Monkeys has
evolved. I can well understand the drive to abandon land entirely for the
sea.
(Here Dr. Adler gazed pensively out across the waves until I cleared my throat.)
Hm? Oh, yes. We'll be setting off in search of the fabled aquatic humans next week. I don't think I'm going too far to tell you I've already had a presurgical examination by a biomod specialist. When I've located the Water Monkeys, and I have no doubt that I will, the only proper way to study their culture is immersively, no pun intended. Once I learn enough of their customs, I'll go and live among them, to see the world from their point of view.
Q: Isn't that a rather drastic step?
A: Drastic? Perhaps. But Science requires us to do what we must in the name of
valid results. For an anthropologist, the only way to truly understand a
culture is to become part of it.
(Here Nilufer sprayed Dr. Adler with seawater, reminding him that there was still much to do before next week.)
Life supports within the ship were begining to fail however all bar one are making slow recoveries on Lunar, the fith crew member sucumming to massive metabolic faliure upon reawakening.
The questions surrounding this shipcan only be answered upon full recovery of the crew, but from information learned so far the ship appears to be constructed pre-blight and the passengers bear a sub-dermal identification chip indentifying them as "original colonists" from Poseidon.
Indeed, computer logs appear to indicate that the ill fated craft, dubbed the "Lazurus" left Poseidon orbit in 2096. Scientists are still baffeled as to how any of them were able to survive an apparent one hundred and three years of stasis. More details as we get them.
This is Tanya Goodchilde reporting for CTNnet
GEO headquarters
Mr. Michael Adler, cultural anthropologist and renowned authority on human- cetacean relations, arrived on Serpentis Station one week ago. He graciously allowed a brief interview regarding his current research while still in cryosleep rehabilitation.
Q: Dr. Adler, I understand you have come to Poseidon under the auspices of
both Hydrospan and the World Geographical Society?
A: Correct. They're sharing the funding for this expedition. Both
organizations have shown great support for my work, and appreciate the
potential cultural benefits.
Q: So why have you come to Poseidon?
A: I'm chasing down one of the more persistent local legends, that of the
(cough) aquatic humans, the so-called Water Monkeys. (cough) There's been too
many reported sightings and contacts to dismiss this as the meanderings of
drunken sailors or wishful thinking. (here Dr. Adler paused for a drink) I
believe the Water Monkey legend to have a basis in truth.
Q: You believe that there are blue-water dwelling humans who have forsaken
land?
A: Absolutely. It's not impossible, you know, especially for the amphibious
aquaforms, what natives call the squids. Indefinite immersion would be a
simple thing for them, taking up a way of life not dependent on the presence
of land.
Q: Since you obviously have the support of Earth's largest concentration of
cetacea, why is the Church of Whalesong Theogony opposing your landing
permit?
A: (cough) I'm afraid I really can't go into that, other than to say that
there are cultural differences between Earth's cetacea and those of Poseidon.
Excuse me, but it's time for my exercise therapy.
More to follow as this story develops.
((ITAL: Worldspan is a subsidiary of Hydrospan))
A heavy equipment operator in Raideen's dock faciliities until his discharge, Mr. Kostoglotov won a previous suit against his employer two years ago. Under a corporate safety directive, all heavy equipment operators were to have been fitted with neural jacks at corporate expense, both for better control of their gear and for monitoring of employee condition. Mr. Kostoglotov argued successfully that such an invasive technology would violate his religious strictures against body modification. Reverend Arnold Stanger of the Church of Christ in Nature testified that his synod strove to emulate the life of Christ in its simplicity and closeness to nature, that modification of the human body, a Divine creation, was strictly forbidden, and that the Church forbade any form of biomod or other alteration of nature.
The same argument is now being applied to this case. Mr. Kostoglotov claims that since uplifted cetacea are a work of Man and not a creation of God, that he is forbidden to come into contact with them, and that his employer's orders to work with a team of dolphin unloaders constituted a violation of his freedom of religion. The corporation is countersuing on behalf of its dolphin workers, claiming that Mr. Kostoglotov violated their civil rights and breached his contract with the corporation by his refusal to follow reasonable directives.
Today, Reverend Stanger announced that, as before, the church would support Mr. Kostoglotov in his action before the court. Other organizations have considered filing amicus briefs to join the suit on one side or the other, including the Church of Whalesong Theogony, the GEO Civil Liberties Union, Hydrospan Corporation and the Gaian Confederation. Whatever the final decision is, a precedent will be set.
-- Lynn Korabik, UPI
Schneider and her touring group are scheduled to begin the second stage of the Schneider Interstellar Tour in early April of this year. The first stage of the tour on Earth, in the summer of 2199, broke attendance records in every one of its fifteen engagements across the globe.During Asuka Schneider's stay on Poseidon, which will be her first, the star will perform live in major colonial cities including Haven, Kingston and Lebensraum, and will begin location shooting for her new film "A Tale of Two Planets," which co-stars Travers and Jones.
Tickets for Schneider's performances on Poseidon were sold out nearly six months ago, long before she even left the Solar System. In response to this situation, officials of United Bavaria Media, the Hanover Industries subsidiary Schneider is contracted to, have announced plans to expand her engagements. Discussions have begun with the government of Kingston to move one of Schneider's planned concerts from the Hazards Casino to the Kingston Hydrodome, to satisfy the overwhelming demand from Schneider's fans. GenDiver representatives were also reported to be attempting to get Schneider to perform at the company town of Santa Elena.
The Schneider Interstellar Tour is expected to be the biggest entertainment event in the history of Poseidon, and the Hanover Security Service is hiring on more personnel in order to handle the increased security demands for the duration of the tour.
Kai Poh, CTN/net
One of the founders of the Union movement, Gil Amandi, a disgruntled former employee of Hanover Industries, stated: "We are not out for more than our fair share. We merely want standardized contracts and better protection from freebooters and the Incorporates." Seeking to escape the shadow of labor corruption scandals in the past, he added "This isn't about power plays or illegal activities of any kind. If anything, it's usually the employers who double-cross pilots or force them to break the law." Amandi promised that fees paid by members would only go to the Union medical fund and the legal "war chest."
In response to the news, a number of Incorporate public relations departments suggested that the planned activities of the Transport Pilots' Union would amount to "nothing less than economic terrorism." GEO officials are planning to send observers to act as a watchdog agency for the Union.
Kai Poh, Field Reporter CTNnet
GEO Marshal Peter Church announced that no organization had yet claimed responsibility, but a cetacean cult in Nomad, The Human Transcendence sect, is under suspicion.
Kai Poh, Field Reporter CTNnet
The actual sequence of events is still unclear at this point, but sources say several men attempted to take the restaurant's clientele hostage. Survivors claim the terrorists exchanged gunfire with someone in the restaurant, but it is uncertain who or why. The ultimate tragedy struck however when explosive charges, apparently planted by the terrorists, detonated prematurely. The structure flooded instantly, with all but a lucky few drowning in the crushing torrent.
"This is an unprecedented tragedy in the history of Dyfedd, and I will not rest until the f*ck*ng b*st*rds that did this are rotting at the bottom of the ocean," said Major Ashton Clark, chief of Dyfedd security for Lavender Organics. When asked to comment, Lavender management said it would be making a press release later today.
"Just doing my job Miss", was all Peacekeeper Captain Peotr Kasprov had to say when questioned about his part in the rescue attempt. Kasprov, apparently a diner himself, almost drowned trying to save others. Despite the valiant efforts of bystanders and ERT personnel alike, 68 people died in the attack and at least 18 are still missing. No information has yet been released regarding the attackers, or what it is they may have wanted. The newly appointed District 12 Marshal, Brian Flanagan assures that he will "pursue this case until the perpetrators are brought to justice."
Though the scene here is still one of controlled chaos and confusion, this reporter will continue to follow the situation and provide updates as further information becomes available.
-Samantha Murphy, CTNnet, Dyfedd
The reclusive "Human" is reported to be a dolphin living in Nomad who is undergoing experimental bio-mod surgery to convert himself into human form. In a statement issued in Haven yesterday by Whalesong Theogony spokesperson "Orator," the religious organization denied any involvement with the incident. The GEO Patrol is increasing security around the headquarters of the Church of the Whalesong Theogony in Haven to guard against possible retaliations.
- Kai Po, Field Reporter CTNnet
Dr. Guyten indicated that the project would require from three to five years to complete, but that they currently only had funding for 40 months of operations. Guyten expressed hopes that the expedition might stimulate renewed popular interest in exploratory science, increasing Incorporate donations to the project.
However, many of these groups have declared themselves to be sovereign nations and recognize no authority. Many groups refuse to pay local or national taxes or to let local law enforcement officials onto their property. In a recent surprise turn of events, Jericho was discovered to be manufacturing military grade weapons and electronics. Federal officials confiscated grenades, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and crates of assault weapons.
Federal officials refuse to say how they accomplished this raid without apparent bloodshed, but rumor has it they relied heavily upon inside information. Officials have announced that many of these weapons were sold locally and that regional law enforcement should be wary that criminal elements may have recently aquired more sophiticated weapons than authorities are used to dealing with. Other wilderness communities denounced Jericho's actions and assured authorities that they are not engaged in any illegal trade.
