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Disgraced TCAF Admiral Gerald Biedermann Hospitalised on Live Show Article 8 of Shake-ups and Break-ups, Pt. 1 The former Tau Ceti Minutemen admiral, Gerald Biedermann, aged 70, has received much attention following his hospitalisation on a live show broadcast. Gerald Biedermann received a Bad Conduct Discharge from the Tau Ceti Armed Forces (TCAF) in 2467 for anti-corporate sentiments after 43 years of service as a well-respected, career naval officer, from proto-TCFL militias and through into the Tau Ceti Minutemen under the TCAF. Since then, Mr. Biedermann has appeared in anti-corporate circles and on live shows to speak out on his treatment and concerns about the TCAF. Yesterday, Mr. Biedermann was invited on one such liveshow, the Plex 3 at Jie Live Show, broadcast to residents of Mendell City. Tragedy struck at 21:23, half way through the show, during a segment where Mr. Biedermann strongly criticised the Peacekeeper Mandate, abandonment of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone's security to the megacorporations, and then a perceived three-way tug-of-war between military senior leadership, the president and a corporate-biased secretary of defence. Mr. Biedermann could be heard gasping mid-sentence and suddenly clasped his chest and collapsed. First-aiders on the live show were quick to spring into action. Paramedics arrived at 21:38 and got to work identifying the cause of Mr. Biedermann's chest pains and collapse. At 22:14 after thorough examination, the paramedics blue-lighted a fast deteriorating Mr. Biedermann to hospital for an abnormal heart rhythm caused by a pacemaker failure. As a result of Mr. Biedermann’s history and comments made on the Plex 3 at Jie Live Show, the Tau Ceti intranet has been ablaze with conspiracy theories. Less reputable, anti-corporate media outlets and Mr. Biedermann's cult following have been labelling the incident as an attempted assassination with little basis. The Mendell City Police Department have acknowledged to the incident but have said that no investigation is being opened. Mr. Biedermann’s family have yet to make a comment to any media outlet, but the granddaughter of Mr. Biedermann posted on Chirper: ‘me and my family just had a big scare and could have lost someone we love. please stop trying to contact us about another news hit piece or your theories’. Most Read: | Biesel | Mendell City's District 11 brownouts seem to resolve after 2 weeks — City blames phoron cabling thieves. | Health & Medicine | NanoTrasen Corporation unveils new SurePump Model 3 bionic heart | Defence | SecDef Nathan Trasen eager to attend joint military exercise with Elyra later this year ((To be continued then…))

Armed Forces Reform Bill Assented: The Highlights Article 7 of Shake-ups and Break-ups, Pt. 1 The Armed Forces Reform Bill, proposed by the Cetian Congress of Conservatives, has been assented by President Åke Torvald after approval by the Tau Ceti Assembly of Spokespeople and State Senate. The Armed Forces Reform Bill is an expansive revision of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces (TCAF) that was drafted in light of the Strategic Military Review 2467 Report (SMR) commissioned by the Cetian Conservatives. Published in March, the SMR was an in-depth analysis of defence policy by foreign policy, defence industry, and military experts. The bill was deemed by President Åke Torvald to be ‘necessary [...] to field an effective military’. Here are the important highlights of the bill: Planetary Forces: A new branch of the TCAF is to be founded, dedicated to planetary air, sea and land operations: the Home Defence Forces. Each major inhabited body of the Republic of Biesel is to have its own Home Defence Force. The new branch will be staffed by personnel transferred from the other TCAF branches who have specialised or who have experienced in planetary operations, particularly the Minutemen. Planetary TCAF infrastructure will be reorganised under the Home Defence Forces branch, except where required by another branch of the TCAF. Space Forces: The Tau Ceti Minutemen and Republican Fleets will be merged into a single Republic Astroforce instead of both holding spacebound responsibilities. Vessel armaments and staffing will be reorganised to accommodate smaller fleet tactics and strategies operating at high distance and high relative velocities – ‘hit and run’ movements. A new class of droneships and siloships with cross-system capabilities is to be designed and fielded. A 7.5bn investment into remote- and AI-guided drones and missiles, as well as piloting software, is to be made. An Electronic and Cyberwarfare Legion of the Republic Astroforce will be founded to make use of remote and AI-guided armaments, and other electronic warfare systems. An undisclosed, multi-billion sum will be paid to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate for the purchase of the military artificial intelligence Aura by the Tau Ceti Armed Forces for use by the Electronic and Cyberwarfare Legion. A 3bn investment into long-range laser and electromagnetic armaments is to be made. NanoTrasen Corporation is to be re-contracted for laser and electromagnetic armament research-and-development and production. Zavodskoi Interstellar is to be re-contracted for shipbuilding research-and-development and production and the development of select ballistic armaments. Corporate Auxiliaries and Private Military Contracting: The Corporate Auxiliaries will be decommissioned as an official branch of the TCAF at the end of 2468, pending final review of the new Republic Astroforce’s shipbuilding and armament production targets. Personnel and equipment belonging or loaned to the TCAF will be rolled into the Republic Astroforce. The Private Military Contracting Group will be contracted for the provision of military contractors where necessary. The Corporate Reconstruction Zone is to primarily be defended by private military contractors. 50bn is to be saved by 2473 for emergency military contracting purposes. Foreign Legion: The Foreign Legion will be merged into the Republic Astroforce and Home Defence Forces as the RAF Foreign Legions and HDF Foreign Legions. The Foreign Legions will continue to serve the same functions as their predecessor in regards to citizenship opportunities, however now requires a senior commissioned officer’s reference to be submitted with a citizenship application. First Strike Weapons: A 5bn investment into bluespace warhead delivery mediums is to be made. 4.5% (up from 2.0%) of the strategic phoron reserve is to be dedicated to first-strike, phoronic warheads. Civilian: A Civil Preparedness Leaflet is to be published on the government website and mailed to accessible residences biannually, containing advice on various disaster responses (natural disasters to invasions). Industry and infrastructure planning is to account for sabotage risks when implementing new industrial facilities or infrastructure, alongside other routine considerations. Most Read: | Transport | Delays Over Valkyrie Exchange Terminal During Major BSSB-BIS Smuggling Investigation | Technology | What are AI singularities and what's stopping Huginn from achieving one? | Arts & Culture | TCAF Second Invasion hero Symphony added as playable Foreign Legionnaire: Heroes of Tau Ceti character skin.

Unidentified Object Scanned in Northern Reaches Article 6 of Shake-ups and Break-ups, Pt. 1 On the 4th of June, a freighter sighted what they claimed to be a ‘ghost ship’ in the Northern Reaches. The IFV Drink Up Thee Scrumpy, a small, independent freighter transporting cargo from Ganymede to Lhokgon, was using a series of warp lanes between the Nueva Patria and New Peoria systems. At 17:22 Galactic Standard Time, after entering the system of New Peoria, The IFV Drink Up Thee Scrumpy performed a sensor scan that our experts say was timed ‘just right’ to capture an unidentified object transiting the system’s star. Video: While our experts contest that this is a supernatural ghost ship, this is still an interesting discovery that we are looking to get to the bottom of. It is currently hypothesised to range from a derelict vessel colliding with debris, explaining the sudden change in velocity, to a recorded sighting of a military stealth ship. Our attempts to request a copy of scan data have not been replied to. However, Truth Finder has been able to verify that the IFV Drink Up Thee Scrumpy is an authentic freighter vessel that was operating between Nueva Patria and New Peoria during the time it claimed to be within the region of space. If you have any information on this sighting of an unidentified vessel in the New Peoria system, please contact Truth Finder.

Private Military Contracting Group Ready and Able to Commit to the CRZ Article 5 of Shake-ups and Break-ups, Pt. 1 The Private Military Contracting Group has announced that it is ready and able for the increased security contracting load in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone as part of the Republic of Biesel’s plans to focus on the Tau Ceti system. With the Republic of Biesel’s government planning to defer its security objectives in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone to megacorporation asset protection and private military contractors, the Private Military Contracting Group has been preparing to commit additional security forces to the CRZ to work alongside asset protection. Many of these PMC are expected to be reassigned from existing assets within the Tau Ceti system, particularly those made available to the PMCG by Nexus Corporate Security, which the Republic of Biesel's government has reaffirmed the defence of as its chief security objective. The Stellar Corporate Conglomerate and constituent megacorporations have also released similar statements committing to an increased asset protection presence in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone as the TCAF plans to shift its resources to the Zoleth Line or out of the CRZ. Notably, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals has committed to a sizeable allocation of its limited asset protection resources to and around Port Antillia, coinciding and contingent on the biomedical company's plans to establish a firm presence on the planet. These plans are expected to go into effect mid-to-late June when the Republic of Biesel's bill to revise the TCAF and its objectives is ratified.

President Torvald Addresses Plans for Republic’s Defence in Light of Armed Forces Reform Bill Article 4 of Shake-ups and Break-ups, Pt. 1 President Åke Torvald has reaffirmed his support for the Armed Forces Reform Bill after its clearing of the Assembly of Spokespeople and ahead of its deliberation in the Senate. The president weighed in on a series of Chirper posts: ‘The Armed Forces Reform Bill is necessary if we are to field an effective military that can punch up and not have to rely on the coddling of megacorporations or the benevolence of friends elsewhere in the Spur. A small but well-supported and well-equipped force. One that acts on smarts and not its size.’ The bill seeks to implement this strategy with a multi-billion investment and large strategic phoron reserve allocation into next-generation extreme-range sensor systems akin to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate’s Venator quantum sensors line, remote and AI-guided drones and missiles, and the design of droneships, sensor relays and a corp of the Armed Forces to make use of such. Long-range laser and electromagnetic armaments have also received a significant investment and allocation of phoron, with NanoTrasen Corporation alongside Zavodskoi Interstellar contracted for the production of these phoronic armaments. With more sophisticated systems planned to appear in vessels, new officer recruitment targets have been set to see these systems operated, and enlisted recruitment targets have been reduced. Overall, these changes appear to set a new goal: smaller fleets that minimise direct engagement with an enemy for longer distance, calculated strikes with high-range equipment. President Torvald said: ‘In a pitched battle, we lose. If not for chance intervention, we would have twice to single battlegroups already. But this is space, it doesn’t play by the same rules as other fronts. Our forces need to be geared for the environment they are in, and not to what military tradition from Earth and Luna dictates a military should look like.’ Notably, the bill also reallocates a significant amount of defence maintenance funding away from the Corporate Reconstruction Zone (excluding the Zoleth Line) and to installations within the Tau Ceti system. This appears to be in line with previous statements made by President Åke Torvald, including a controversial post he made in March saying: ‘The [Corporate] Reconstruction Zone should, you know, have its security guaranteed by the corporations too instead of leaving that burden almost entirely on us. Otherwise, at this point, it should be the Republic Reconstruction Zone.’ Secretary of Defence Nathan Trasen was approached for comment by Tau Ceti Times reporters in regards to what appears to be the prioritisation of Tau Ceti’s defence at the expense of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. Mr. Trasen addressed the concerns saying: ‘I’m sure that’s not what he meant [...] President Torvald and I work very closely in all things defence. We both think the Corporate Reconstruction Zone and its planets are critical objectives of ours. [...] Both the TCAF and megacorporate asset protection forces have a major role in ensuring its security and always will.’ Most Read: | Biesel | Mendell City’s District 11 plunged into the longest brownout yet, ongoing for 74 hours. | Culture | Devin Paraiyar says contact with another sapient alien species will be made in our lifetime. | Crime & Policing | ‘What was I meant to do? Drag ‘em all the way to court?’: Independent Biesellite spacevessel crewperson convicted for murder after killing a pirate boarder.

i would like to see mindshields go bc they are a paper shield at best (easily bypassed with EMPs or surgery) and as such just a nuisance hurdle for antag gimmicks, and because i have faith in command whitelistees. like, you can technically just spam an EMP Rune until you roll the mindbreaker meltdown, then convert as per usual. vampires, now uplink-bound, can just purchase a box of emp grenades. but psiprotect isnt a suitable replacement in its current state and isn't intended to persist after the ADFT arc (subject to change of plans). psiprotect causes tremors, which technically makes you ineligible for all command roles (tremors are a cited example of Limb Impairment), if not for the extraordinary circumstances of ADPI in the Lemurian Sea.

ive been a bit mixed on mechanical skills, but can appreciate their purpose (not so large a reliance on rule restrictions). the problem i see as skills keep getting added is there are already many skills and more are coming, and i'm already seeing some that have unremarkable differences or don't really fit the skill system imo. ministry and leadership do the same thing with rather minor differences. why not merge them into an all-purpose 'Oration' or 'Charisma' skill, bc that's what they're really doing (and it would encompass secular counselling, acting performances, telling a good joke, etc.) instead of there inevitably being lots of different flavoured 'use speech ability to increase morale' Ministry, Performance, Humour, Leadership, and so on skills. tenacity also just doesn't seem like a skill to me? you can't learn tenacity or the ability to bleed slower. the description says that it represents your 'will to live' — that's not a skill. something like tenacity could've been tied to the morale system (higher morale = higher will to live) or the planned Quirks system. similarly, carousing is a very weird skill that, again & as currently implemented, is not a skill and instead changes your bodily traits instead of reflecting anything learned. this could've been a planned Drug Resistance quirk or something. i dont think bodily/personality traits should be tied to a skill system. on the morale system, which is a bit tangential to skills but was added in the same PR (i think) and heavily interacts with it. i'm not a fan of the morale system at all for the same reason i wouldn't be a fan of emotional moodlets. they are prescriptive to how my character should feel, and while i can just ignore the system, people are putting points into morale skills, so you are doing a disservice/invalidating their skill purchases by ignoring the morale system. i would like it if you could select which morale sources affect your character, but that would probably require another character set up tab — some characters may seek alcohol, others the words of others, some may be hardened against morale bonuses.

Double Murder in Triesto: Is It Related to the Zeng-Hu HQ Attack? Article 4 of True Widows Truth Finder has been made aware of an ongoing, double-murder investigation into two Assunzione citizens, which our analysts suspect may be related to the Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals Frontier Headquarters attack and data leak. Two individuals were found together on the 17th of May in an alleyway of the Trieto arcology’s lower levels - a man and a woman, both of whom have not yet had their identities confirmed by city authorities. Both persons were found dead, the man with a fatal gunshot wound to the head and several to the torso, and the woman with a lethal stab wound and gunshot wounds to the lower extremities. The Triesto Metropolitan Police Service have so far declined to make a statement to Truth Finder, but have said that an investigation is underway. CCTV camera footage was posted by the owner of an adjacent motel on Chirper recently on May 24th, however was reportedly taken down for breaching community guidelines on the posting of violent content. Fortunately, Truth Finder was able to preserve this footage. Video: The preserved CCTV footage shows the murder victims cutting through an alleyway, where an unidentified figure in a military suit approaches from behind. Both persons are shot at by a firearm and fall to the ground, where the figure can then be seen executing them both. This manner of death, so soon after the attack on the Zeng-Hu Frontier HQ in Triesto, and a frightening exchange of phrases suggests that these events are connected. The Triesto Metropolitan Police Service and Fire Service concluded their investigation into the Zeng-Hu HQ fire last week, releasing a statement attribuing the fire to a negligent employee who supposedly confessed to causing the fire. Now, with greater stakes and two murders involved, we believe the megacorporation is going to have a much harder time suppressing whatever business it is they do not want found. Truth Finder will do whatever it takes to see Triesto’s investigation into the fire re-opened with this double murder in mind.

Republic Citizens Polled on TCAF Support Post—Peacekeeper Mandate Article 2 of Shake-ups and Break-ups, Pt. 1 The majority of Republic of Biesel citizens do not feel proud of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, a poll conducted by the New Gibson University has revealed. Social researchers from New Gibson University (NGU) devised the survey in light of the Peacekeeper Mandate and its effects on the Tau Ceti Armed Forces’ (TCAF) recruitment rates and support. The survey was made available both online and had physical copies mailed out to all citizens of the Republic of Biesel, from Tau Ceti’s outer planets to Mictlan and Port Antillia in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. The findings revealed that less than half of Republic citizens felt pride towards the TCAF, falling from 67% in 2462 to 44% in 2468. Half of the respondents who indicated no pride for the TCAF referred to the Peacekeeper Mandate in their reason why. Other reasons included lingering humiliation from the Second Invasion of Tau Ceti in 2462 and the general readiness of the TCAF. On the other hand, those who indicated pride cited the TCAF’s multicultural environment and its role in policing piracy and smuggling within the Republic’s borders. These views are prominent among all age groups surveyed by NGU, however the reasons and themes expressed in qualitative responses indicate differing reasons. Citizens in the age bands 16—25 were more likely to refer to online media content in their responses, with the infamous ‘Redsnouts’ special forces unit and its rumoured scandals mentioned in 19% of responses in the age group. Those in the age band 60—80 were more likely to cite core republic values and the right to self-sovereignty, with 36% responding an opportunity for referendum should have been given to Mictlan and Port Antillia prior to their acceding into the Republic of Biesel. The researchers said, ‘It is clear that the Peacekeeper Mandate has deeply affected views towards the Tau Ceti Armed Forces.’ The poll also confirmed concerns regarding fast-dropping recruitment rates into the TCAF. Whereas in 2460 62% of citizens said they would enlist if the Republic of Biesel had to go to war, only 49% of respondents said they would answer the call. However, when the qualifier of enlisting in the event of an attack on the Republic of Biesel was made, the number of respondents who said they would enlist in the TCAF sharply rose to 66%. Dr. Michael Holtqvist, the lead researcher, said, ‘These findings are of absolutely no surprise to my team and I. The Peacekeeper Mandate was not popular during or after — we saw protests, we saw politically-motivated arrests when our news and media flipped on the government. Something will have to change if faith in the TCAF is to be restored.’ Though, he noted: ‘It should be noted though that this is the first major, wide-spanning survey that includes all within the current Republic of Biesel — Port Antillians, Mictlanians [sic], and Cetians — where previous surveys only sampled those in Tau Ceti. This will certainly have its own, confounding effect on results, but nonetheless it is critical they are involved in such surveying.’ Most Read: | Phoron Scarcity | Einstein Engines acquires multiple NanoTrasen Corporation phoronic production facilities on New Gibson after massive auction. | Crime & Policing | Woman, aged 108, caught after 63 years on-the-run for Idris Incorporated high-value transit vessel robbery. | Health & Medicine | "YomiGenetics saved my life." - Port Antillian teen back in school after brain tumour treatment.

Congress to Deliberate New Armed Forces Reform Bill Article 1 of Shake-ups and Break-ups, Pt. 1 The Cetian Congress of Conservative’s Armed Forces Reform Bill has begun running through the hoops of Congress’ chambers, with experts predicting the bill to clear both the Tau Ceti Assembly of Spokespeople and the State Senate with record timing. The Armed Forces Reform Bill is an expansive revision of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces that was drafted in light of the Strategic Military Review 2467 (SMR) commissioned by the Cetian Conservatives. Published in March, the SMR was an in-depth analysis of defence policy by foreign policy, defence industry, and military experts. It highlighted several areas of concerns, which the Cetian Conservatives aim to rectify with the Armed Forces Reform Bill. The changes that seek to be implemented with the bill vary from the revision of public defence objectives, the contracting of military equipment production, and both macro- and micro-level structuring of the TCAF branches. The bill also includes a number of measures intended for civil preparedness, from information leaflets addressing various emergencies to incorporating anti-sabotage assessments into routine civil infrastructure planning. The Tau Ceti Armed Forces and its preceding Tau Ceti Foreign Legion have been shaken up numerous times by the government’s attempts to modernise its military. However, President Ake Torvald has insisted that it is necessary. ‘What we have isn’t going to work out against any contemporary military [...] The idea that we could pull a force of comparable size to the longstanding military forces elsewhere out of our arses in six years is mythical,’ President Torvald said. ‘We need to make sure that what we do have can punch above its weight.’ In his typical fashion, the president added a jab at the former president Joseph Dorn, ‘It doesn’t help that the last administration’s blunders on Mictlan tanked our recruitment rates too [...] we have to account for that too.’ Most Read: | Megacorporations | ‘I knew I shouldn’t have plugged it in’: Man confesses to Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals Coalition Headquarters fire | Crime & Policing | Illegal Readic racing tournament organiser arrested in series of arrests on Anemenostrovilos. | Defence | Republic of Biesel to organise the largest non-Solarian joint-military exercise of the century with Elyra.

Zeng-Hu Frontier HQ Attack: PsiProtect Scandal - Thousands Dead or Harmed and Drug Still NOT RECALLED Article 3 of True Widows A major leak of confidential Zeng-Hu files revealing a drug scandal has hit the extranet following the megacorporation’s Frontier HQ attack on Assunzione. PsiProtect is a brand of genetically personalised drugs produced by YomiGenetics (a Zeng-Hu keiretsu member), marketed around the Orion Spur to those experiencing chronic psionic echoes and frequently supplied to Assunzionii Expeditionary Corps personnel. The drug brand appeared briefly in the Xanan New Service’s 2464 Lemurian Papers reported on by Truth Finder here. From 7 of Zeng-Hu’s own files, 7,127 people Spur-wide are believed to be dead as a direct result of complications arising from the use of the PsiProtect formulation marketed as 'PsiProtect Broad Use’. 120,179 people were recorded as experiencing a moderate to severe degree of neurological impairment after using the medications for as little durations as 2 months. Despite this, neither Yomi Genetics or Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals have issued a recall for ANY PsiProtect product. The medications continue to be prescribed to those experiencing psionic echoes and continue to be supplied to the Assunzionii Expeditionary Corps to fatal consequences. This must change and the limelight must continue to be shone on this scandal. The names and personal information of 42 Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals senior personnel involved in the research, production or marketing of PsiProtect products were also leaked in the files, alongside the compromising personal data of thousands of other Zeng-Hu employees operating within Coalition space. The leaked documents also reveal a number of other sensitive projects and internal concerns the Zeng-Hu Frontier Headquarters has had in recent years. However, insufficient details are available to truly piece together a story. These files were posted on 64tan on the 20th of May by an anonymous individual using the online moniker eyespy281, who claimed to have been involved in the attack on the Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals Headquarters. In their post, which has since been taken down, eyespy281 said, 'literally using motel wifi to post this fml its a miracle the upload finished. they are coming for me, its been a good one. make it count'. No manifesto or apparent motive is present in the post or on the user's profile, which has also since been deleted, and we have been unable to contact them. Truth Finder is aware of no group that has claimed responsibility for the attack. Both Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and YomiGenetics have not responded to our e-mails requesting comments. These leaked files can be found here, as well as on other download mirrors. As all ways, we recommend saving your own copies. If you have any further information regarding the attack, please contact us. ——— [[Available for download is a compressed folder with hundreds of Zeng-Hu Coalition Branch internal documents. Personnel records, Lemurian Sea expedition logs, internal product reviews, etc. — this is a pretty painful data leak. Some files have been renamed to sort to the top, others left untouched.]]

Zeng-Hu Frontier HQ Fire: Not Just An Electrical Fire Article 2 of True Widows Truth Finder has received submissions regarding the Zeng-Hu HQ fire in an arcology of Assunzione. On review, one thing is for sure: it was not an electrical fire - it was an attack. Our team has sifted through hundreds of contradicting videos and accounts which are circulating the extranet, many of which are likely artificially generated to obscure the Truth, but we have identified two submissions that are verifiably legitimate. This material is provided as-is except where edited to conceal any personal identities. ——— Video 1: Video 2: ——— The corporate media will not report on this, which means we have an obligation to.

Major Fire at Zeng-Hu Pharmaceutical’s Coalition Headquarters in Assunzione Article 1 of True Widows TRIESTO, ASSUNZIONE (GST) - A major fire has broken out at Zeng-Hu Pharmaceutical’s Coalition headquarters building in Triesto, Assunzione. At 04:12 AM Assunzione Standard Time, residents of Triesto were awoken to a loud explosion from the megacorporation’s headquarters. Earlybird commuters below the building also reported the ground shaking and debris ejected by the explosion falling onto surrounding buildings and roads. For around two hours, a large fire was seen burning at the source of the explosion, until the efforts of the Triesto Metropolitan Fire Service saw the flames extinguished. Fortunately, the TMFS reports that there have been no fatal injuries as a result of the incident. The headquarter building was evacuated of its overnight and early-arriving employees, of which 12 were treated for minor-to-severe smoke inhalation symptoms. Residents of Triesto have been advised to shut their windows and wear masks when outside, due to the smoke billowing from the headquarters building and the resulting strain on the arcology’s scrubbing system. However, it is reported the fire is now out. The Triesto Metropolitan Police Service and Zeng-Hu corporate security forces have cordoned off the immediate area due to structural concerns, debris, and the smoke. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals has released a preliminary statement attributing the fire to the improper use of an unsafe electrical appliance, ‘which caused an ancillary thermal event’ responsible for the explosion. The TMFS has yet to comment on their own fire investigation, citing difficulties accessing parts of the headquarters building and uncooperative Zeng-Hu employees, but says they will have one ‘within 48 hours’. Video: Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals Fire Incident in Triesto, Assunzione Further Reading: Interfilm Director Tanvi Vijayalakshmi Dies, Aged 78, At Height of Inspiring Career The Burzsia Invasion, One Year On Around The Spur: Biesel's Unorthodox Uses of Phoron — From Atomic Wristwatches to Neural Wiring

This was accepted and implemented by Naut the long way around. https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php/Mendell_City

hi rooster, thank you for applying, your application was pretty good. nevertheless, I have decided to go with the other two deputy candidates. feel free to message me if you have any questions.

hello girdio, this was a great application all round. I think you've a good eye for themes, your proposal was well-written, and I think your ideas are on track for where i'd like to take things with you. your application has been accepted

thank you for the answers, louise the application was a bit sparse and the informal tone didn't help you, however your proposal & private examples of previous works definitely made up for this. I think you identified some of the larger problems (particularly with the megacorps) and I think you'll mesh well with the current plans for the RoB. i will be going ahead and accepting your application.

hi louise your responses to the Republic of Biesel questions were a little sparse. Do you have any thoughts on internal Republic politics and where you would take that? Can you list one or two of the ideas you had for Reade? i also DMd you about the private examples of past work

New Gibson (and Port Antilila) are both in need of major revision to make them origins that stand out on their own. New Gibson doesn't particularly have any pull-factors that bring players to it and the planetary environment is a bit vapid (another barren planet with Earth-simulating biodomes that negates the barrenness). The Undirstad-Overstad is also done better by Venus, which has the same Industrial Workers vs. Hydroponicists/Entertainers divide. I'd resolve to change up the planetary environment and make it something a bit more alien (eg. giving it an unusual biosphere that exists despite the frigid conditions) as New Gibson is one of the only planets I'd have domain over where I can explore alien planet environments. Expanding on the basis behind the Understad-Overstad divide so its not just 'We do the hard work while you live in the glitzy domes' would also be on my list and can be tied into this. New Gibson would also be included in my ramble about introducing a unique 'phoronpunk' aesthetic to Biesel. Being the industrial planet in Tau Ceti, that will probably present in all kinds of wacky phoronics industry stuff and probably giving New Gibson a transhumanist streak (can't lose your extremities to frostbite if they are cybernetic). Expanding on NanoTrasen's role on New Gibson would be included in the above, though I'd also want to bring in other megacorps (history of Hephaestus being here, until they recently gave way to EE and OX due to various reasons), bc New Gibson has shockingly little on megacorps for being in Tau Ceti. Much of this also goes for Port Antillia tbh. An Earth-like with not much going on it to pull players in; making the biosphere more alien is easy enough to get something interesting going on there.

'appearing to be a genuine beacon of liberty' would probably be the better phrasing. an effort to appear as such was made, otherwise various alien freedoms would just not be where they are. of course the reasoning behind this is incredibly malicious and its largely bc the corporations want a larger workforce, but the facade was a more convincing one imo. It all boils down to me believing the 2 centre states in our lore (Sol and Biesel) being very similar politically (at least in recent characterisation): they both have a strong streak of nationalism and they both have a streak of imperialism. the Sol Marine's 'oorah' is mirrored 1:1 by the Legionnaire's 'for the republic'. ofc there are differences, but I don't think they'll be very significant come talk of war and I think its the imperialism/nationalist that is going to pop out come pre-NBT2. So, I think the 2 centrepiece states need to be differentiated. The Alliance has always been the nationalistic/imperialistic one of the two, with Biesel going that route later on, so that's why I'm specifically saying Biesel should find its own path. Good vs. Evil is a boring theme in war stories, so I hadn't thought of or intend to white-wash Biesel. I think Biesel is too far gone for that and it's been rotted too deep by the megacorporations, of which the megacorporations are the arch-evil of the greater setting. This should not be a concern and Biesel will have its fair share of being evil. I just don't want it to be an overtly imperalistic or nationalistic flavour of evil, because that domain is what Sol is or has just shed out of. As for the ultimatum, I respect and don't want to waste the LTAs time and I think they can handle the bluntness. I don't like the characterisation of Biesel in years past much, I think it can be improved with the NBT2 in mind and result in an overall better outcome without departing too far from current direction (afaik). If this is one of the 'fixed' things or if my plans do significantly depart from current direction, then the LTA needs to know that in my application now and not in a few weeks. This is me letting the LTA know what strings I would like to play with, so that if this particular string is inflexible they can shoot me down and give another candidate a go.

Ckey/BYOND Username: sadkermit Position Being Applied For: Biesel/Megacorporations Lore Writer Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page? yes Past Experiences/Knowledge: deputy lore master Oct 2024—Nov 2025. diona deputy writer for 9 months before that Examples of Past Work: Bits and pieces and a lot of editing for the Phoron Rework (eg. Interstellar Travel page rework, Technology page) SCCV Horizon page glam-up Megacorporations landing page Biesel/Megacorp side of the Pale Blue Dots (Nralakk megacorp expansion initiatives) and Pharsalia (Sol consulars lead-up) article arcs Crescent Expanse mini-arc Bits and pieces of the 2024 diona revamps (eg. Narrows rework, Titan’s Rapture/Hieroaetheria system/environment. What do you think you can bring to the setting as the megacorporation lore writer? Something fun, hopefully. This project is for a game and so everything I write I try to ensure can be threaded into gameplay or is accessible to include in character creation. As such, a lot of material I contribute probably includes something gimmicky — it’s there to stand-out on a wiki page to catch an eye when someone is thinking of character creation ideas. A double-edged sword, but more authentic sci-fi writing. Aurora is a hodge-podge of sci-fi–flavoured fantasy, soft–sci-fi, hard sci-fi, non–sci-fi, and anything other varieties of sci-fi, so committing either way is a bullet to the foot, but I tend to lean towards harder sci-fi, insofar as it contributes something useable and isn’t completely at odds with existing lore. The Warp Travel section (particularly dangers of) is probably the best place to illustrate what I mean, with warp travel having a few sprinkles of real science splashed in to contrast it against bullshit travel. It can be fun and sometimes interesting and is just a different flavour of lore. Familiarity, prior experience. Unless NBT2 plans have significantly changed, I am already aware of and geeenerally aligned with overall plans/heading and it won't be hard onboarding me. I presume a general direction for Biesel is already there and just needs discussion by this new Biesel/Megacorps team, revision and writing. What are megacorporations and Biesel lore lacking the most in your opinion? Do you have any ideas on how to rectify such? An actual presence. The LTA have been occupied with other projects that have seen megacorporation and Biesel lore severely lag behind other lore teams. I presume this is half the reason why Biesel/Megacorporation lore is being split from the LTA to be its own team (and so you have more peons to do your writing for you lol). Something I said I wanted to do in my DLM app then never did (because I was wound up with DLM-specific tasks and hadn’t the energy to pursue this) was use the Relay more for slice-of-life megacorp/Biesel posts. I had begun to do this shortly before I left with the introduction of Spurley, but I resigned before I could get that ball rolling. Mini-events are another way to do this, and I do intend to pick up where I left off with frequent events, granted with less independence I had when both DLM+admin but I’m quite okay nagging at those I will need to rely upon (hi, Fyni). A lot of megacorporation lore is alluded to but not written. A defining trait of megacorporatiosn is being equivalent in power/influence to a state, and while it is mentioned that NanoTrasen has a navy and that Hephaestus has sovereign territory, this can be hard to find. It wouldn't be too hard to expand some of the megacorporation pages to emphasise just how mega they are. Stuff like this will be necessary to show the decline of the megacorporations come NBT2 as they start to lose these bits and pieces. Biesel continues to be a flavourless area, and its recent characterisation is one I am not fond of. It has slowly turned into a Sol Alliance copycat with its jingoism and imperialism, which has only solidified it as being the Space USA and also ruined its themes of being an underdog, champion of freedom, etc. Torvald is a nothingburger who says whatever is most convenient for the article/lore team at the time, which means his true direction is invisible. Biesel has grown out of being the 'default' player origin, but still has the bland 'default' origin flavour. I think this can be remedied without conflicting with the NBT2 vision, so I have a couple of plans: Introduce a unique flavour to Biesel so it stands out as its own origin, which I am gonna temporarily dub ‘phoronpunk’. The Phoron Rework already started this and I know the NBT2 intends to have mechanics surrounding phoron-tech, and so this kind of sets up where phoron tech will be visually distinct, instead of just Normal Looking Equipment with Hidden Phoron Inside. Biesel is described as one of the most technologically advanced states, so this intends to have that be apparent, instead of an unsubstantiated factoid. Cultural revisions will also have to be made to go with this. It’s probably far too late idc, as it's something I absolutely want to do, which is trying to rein in the jingoism and USAisms. I haven’t decided the specifics on this yet and it will be something I’d want to discuss with deputies. Biesel needs a political re-themeing that isn’t just 1:1 taken from the Alliance’s homework. Pre-Collapse, it was an underdog that relied on being a genuine beacon of liberty to attract support, even where this came at great cost (eg. the sky-rocketting crime and societal decay in parts of Mendell), so that would be my start to see if these themes can be salvaged. The beacon of liberty part is forever tarnished by its CRZ conquests and would need lore developments to repair, and the underdog theme isn’t too far gone (especially if Biesel’s CRZ conquests were to fall into total megacorporate control as part of corporate-political manoeuvring [surprisingly, for megacorporations, they hold very little independent land, save for a couple of exceptions]). I don't think changing any of this will be detrimental to NBT2 plans and the way I intend to do it has the NBT2 setting in mind but, frankly, if the current characterisation of Biesel is locked-in then this application does die here. On the other hand, what do you think is the strongest point of our megacorporation lore? Lots of room for darker themes and social commentary. The tendrils of megacorporations run deep with a Spur-wide effect and affecting all characters in the current setting. This isn’t novel and exists IRL, so yeah. Based on what has been revealed so far about Anabasis, what are your thoughts on the corporations' place in the new setting and what ideas do you have about them, if any? I was privy to and contributed a lot of stuff that I still think is unannounced, so sorry-not-sorry about the lack of specifisc, I'm just avoiding leaking stuff. You can find some of my comments/edits/notes in the earlier NBT2 docs for such. A lot of the megacorporations simply do not belong in the new setting and can be cut loose. Only the interesting ones with a role to play need to stay. The megacorporations that do remain will be forever changed — for 400 years they have essentially had dominion over humanity’s expansion and settlement into the stars. Their influence is going to significantly dwindle, and go from tugging at the strings of states to having to rebuild their spiderweb, which is a whole other game to what they have been playing in previous centuries. I think that’s quite interesting and will be fun to characterise. One megacorporation may continue to hold actual land with a claim on a small region of space; a megacorporation elsewhere might be entirely in the shadows, subtly influencing states here and there. Each megacorporation should have a distinct role in the new setting. Additional Comments: weh

my officer/investigator play wasnt too affected. a lot of the time i didnt even equip the .45 pistol/revolver and was able to wait until i got a weapon from the armoury. no different than having a (mini-)disruptor. on the traitor side of things (bc my merc rounds were totally unaffected), it was honestly a bit frustrating at first. before, i could do minimal/light violence with a bit of a grace period until the armoury was opened. during the testmerge, there were a number of times i just had a .45 quickdrawn and fired on me within 5 minutes of such minimally/light violence, where i wasn't even particularly trying to escalate to a gunfight. unlike disruptor where the fire rate and projectile speed is slow and gives you time to react/break the firing line, theres little you can do when the same happens with a .45 othen than take it or hope you had pre-dosed on stims/been wearing okay armour. bit of a vibe kill each time and made me wish i had just bought uplink stims as a crutch or locked-in more without goofing around. i got used to it and just settled on doing totally non-violent gimmicks whenever i rolled traitor, bc i preferred the goofy factor/not having to lock in, and couldn't discount that at least 1 officer may immediately resort to the .45. but, i still prefer the leeway and guarantee no overeager officer can mess you up on first encounter (unless you fumble bad)

disruptors being dentrimental to security is kind of the entire point; they were nerfed to make room for low intensity/low gear/roleplay-focused antags (which i like doing now and then). they can do shenanigans, get into an escalatory stand-off with disruptor-using officers, and usually get away from that first fight before having to lock-in with uplink gear/expect to be detained post-armoury activation. .45 rubbers at the start makes zero difference when it comes to any antags who bought even a mid-range uplink weapon bc that will still trigger an armoury activation, and all of the difference for low intensity antags (bleeds that leave trails; brute that slow-releases pain ontop of initial pain; bonebreaks that do eeeven more pain and can do organ damage that do yet more pain, potentially lasting the rest of the round if you dont find 5 mins to use sana) and as a security player too, the use of force escalation up to using rubber rounds is significantly higher than using a taser-esque disruptor. where my characters ditched the disruptor because its plain dog shit, my characters probably will ditch the .45 too bc if an antag is armed/armoured the armoury is probably going to be opened

all of the xenoscience roles can also pilot the intrepid when the quark is unavailable, which is scarcely contested as BCs have the canary as their designated shuttle, so i dont think xenoarchs are going to get stuck often bc a scientist/other xenoscience role beat them to the quark. generic scientists being allowed to pilot the shuttle does stop them bringing in a pilot to fly, but scientists being able to launch their own expeditions independently means there's more chance engineers/medics/others get the opportunity to join such an expedition. 1 scientist relying on finding 1 pilot vs. 1 scientist being able to give an opportunity to all crew to join an expedition (not that a scientist may open their expedition to all crew every time, but the few times make it count perhaps). anyway i fancy the idea bc i like playing non-mechanical social scientists, but that locks me out of starting expeditions (eg. visiting local cultists to do a social survey) unless said social scientist is an RD, which then has its own restrictions (not being able to leave ship if you're the sole command member, ie. most of the eurohour rounds i played on that character)

the commissary/vending machine changes have been fun for me and go hand-in-hand together rather well. i already liked the commissary but never really had a reason to visit it, but its quite easy to find a reason to pop by. so, nicely done my one suggestion would be adding a a self-checkout, using the Idris Ordering Terminal like the one by the kitchen, for when there is no one staffing the Commissary. there's been a few rounds lately where the HTs are just too busy with other duties, so a self-checkout means other crew can still pay if they need something semi-urgently (eg. chocolate for the kitchen), but also loosens the shackles tying HTs to the commissary once its been advertised as open. bonus points if the Ordering Terminals can be turned on/off by the HTs as they staff/unstaff the counter., as im not sure if that functionality is present rn. bluespace flare behaviour could be merged with the marshalling wands. press Z to continuously wave the wand, while doing so a new landing point is generated a few tiles ahead of whichever direction the signaler is facing. up until the wand-waving action is cancelled. bluespace flares could remain as a limited resource for any expeditioner or entirely removed to necessitate a HT being needed to open up those extra/emergency landing points.