NewOriginalSchwann

Zhu Confirmed as Ambassador, Embassy in Tau Ceti Reopens! FINALE of Pharsalia After the traditional SANN jingle the camera zooms in on the ever-present figure of Harold MacMillan, host of The State of Sol. Macmillan takes a moment to straighten his tablet, nods to the camera, and begins speaking. “Good evening, and welcome back to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. Today’s top stories are connected, and take us to both the heart of Unity Station and the streets of Mendell City, Biesel, with our teams on the ground at both locations to bring you the latest news regarding our nation’s diplomatic thaw with Tau Ceti. We go first to Unity Station, where Le Quynh Cong is waiting to give us the latest from the Senate on ambassador-appointee Jianguo Zhu’s confirmation. Le?” The camera switches from MacMillan to a bespectacled Haiphongese woman -- this time without her respirator -- standing in the Alliance’s halls of power: the Solarian Senate. She nods and waves to the camera, smiling for it. “Hi Harold! Is the connection good?” “Le, good to hear from you. We’ve got a steady connection — what’s new in the hearings?” “Right,” Cong nods, “I’m happy to report that Zhu has officially been named ambassador to Biesel by an overwhelming majority of senators, with only a small coalition led by Senator Trang voting no to his nomination.” “What made them vote no? Any explanation?” “We got a quote from Senator Trang shortly after the vote, Harold. She says that, ah— that she supports the pursuit of further relations with Biesel, but does not believe a Lunarian is the best fit for the position, citing the Sol System's continued dominance over politics.” “So, were most of the ‘no’ voters from outside the Sol System?” “They were, or they were part of the Communist Party - Senator Pavlov voted no as well, and told Plutonian media his reason for doing so was Biesel’s suppression of socialist and communist movements in service of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate.” “Did you get a quote from Ambassador Zhu?” Cong shakes her head. “No, but we got a quote from Secretary Ortiz’s office: it says the Department’s happy to see a formal reopening of relations, and wishes for a continued dialogue with Tau Ceti as we move forward.” “Right. Thank you, Le.” “Of course, Harold.” The camera switches from Cong after she nods to it, swapping back to MacMillan in his studio. “With Ambassador Zhu now confirmed, we go to our reporter on the ground in Mendell City: Cèline Eylenbosch. Cèline?” The camera swaps to an evocative sight: the Solarian flag flapping in the wind in what’s clearly Mendell City. The shot slowly zooms out to show the flag is flying on a flagpole atop an elegant white building set back from the road which stands in a fenced-in lot featuring a few trees. At its front stands a gate with — contrasting the elegant surroundings — four Solarian Army guards with rifles and body armor, complete with helmets. A human Mendell City Police Department officer stands beside one of the soldiers, apparently talking with her idly, and is only wearing a basic vest. The camera then pans to show Cèline Eylenbosch, looking as elegant as ever. Barely visible on her arm is a Solarian blue armband with “PRESS” written on it in multiple languages. She smiles and nods to the camera. “Hello Harold, and all our dear viewers. I’m delighted to announce I’m one of the first — perhaps the first — Solarian reporter in Mendell City since 2462.” “Right Cèline, how does it look on the ground in Mendell City?” “Why, it’s positively thrilling here! As you can see behind me,” Eylenbosch points over at the gate, “the Army’s on the ground here and already working with the locals – the protest last week has the embassy on a heightened state of alert, per a spokesperson we met with, but otherwise it’s proceeding as hoped – for now.” “For now?” “Well, Harold,” Eylenbosch smiles just a bit, “You never know what could happen here – Mendell City’s known for civil unrest and riots, especially since the secession – hopefully the embassy can be stable, hm?” “Let’s hope so. With that aside, what kind of people have shown up at the embassy so far?” “On its first day? Not many people aside from the ambassador – a few Solarian citizens showed up to have their paperwork updated and got a photo with the ambassador for being the first Solarians to visit the new embassy. Exciting, isn’t it?” “I never imagined paperwork could be, but here we are!” Eylenbosch laughs for a moment. “Here we are indeed, Harold. That’s all I have for now.” “Right. Take care out there, and stay safe.” “Of course, Harold,” Eylenbosch nods to the camera. “Back over to you.” The camera switches back to MacMillan in his newsroom, who nods to the camera. “The State of Sol will be right back – so stay tuned!” MacMillan waves to the camera as it zooms away from him and fades out. The commercial, a bit unsurprisingly, is for an independent travel agency called Pan Solarian, and is advertising the fastest, most luxurious flight to Mendell City from Callisto.

Prime Minister Strom Names First Ambassador to Biesel Article 8 of Pharsalia UNITY STATION, SOL SYSTEM — Earlier today (GST) the Department of State and Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) released a statement saying veteran foreign service officer Jianguo Zhu had been chosen as the first person ever appointed ambassador to Tau Ceti. Zhu is a veteran diplomat and with previous experience in Persepolis, Vysoka, Xanu, and skrellian space, and his appointment is expected to be confirmed by the senate, “within the week,” according to a source within the Department of State speaking on the condition of anonymity. The SANN reached out to office of Senatorial President Toshiyuki Sumida and received the following statement: “The Senate stands ready to help the Alliance enter a new chapter of diplomacy, but wishes to advise that the interests of the Solarian people must be respected — even if they are currently living under foreign governments.” SANN reporting has discovered the embassy will likely be in Mendell City’s first district, Biesel, Tau Ceti, in a building indicated by a member of the Mendell City Police Department speaking on the condition of anonymity as being a former Solarian government building from the pre-secession era. The MCPD source indicated they were aware of plans by residents of Mendell City to protest the embassy’s reopening, but stated they were not at liberty to discuss the matter further. The SANN reached out to Biesel Security Services Bureau with a request for comment but did not receive a reply. In response the SISA’s office for interstellar medial affairs was contacted, and a spokesperson provided the following statement: “The Solarian Interstellar Security Agency is committed to ensuring the safety and security of Solarians at home and abroad, and is watching the situation in Tau Ceti closely with our foreign and domestic partners. Solarian citizens seeking to travel to Tau Ceti should be aware of any alerts and advisories issued by the Department of State.” The Department of State’s travel advisory for Tau Ceti, per their website, remains at Level 3: Reconsider Travel, due to instability throughout its territory and the presence of organized crime in Mendell City, in addition to a limited Solarian government presence. The only higher category is Level 4: Do Not Travel, which currently applies to some worlds in the Coalition of Colonies. Further Reading: VSI: Next Monkey King Movie Expected Summer 2467 Venusian Tourist Extradited from Dominian Custody Following Intrusion into Military Zone, Conviction by Military Court Xanu’s Nouvelle-Rochelle Captains Thrash Callisto’s New Edinburgh Castilians in Latest Cricket Match

BREAKING: Alliance and Tau Ceti Move to Reopen Relations – Developing Story Article 7 of Pharsalia After the SANN’s traditional opening jingle, the camera zooms in on the ever-present, and ever-steady, face of Harold MacMillan, host of The State of Sol. The veteran newscaster nods to the camera, takes a moment to move his dataslate, and begins speaking. “Good evening, and welcome back to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. Today’s top story is a breaking one, having only just come out of Unity Station: the Alliance and Tau Ceti have, after over a decade of no relations, decided to formally reopen diplomatic relations between Unity Station and Mendell City. For more on this we go to our ace reporter, Cèline Eylenbosch. Cèline?” The camera switches from MacMillan in his broadcasting room to a view of an iconic blonde Cytherean woman standing in a fancy-looking hallway with oak doors and red carpet – the halls of Unity Station, for any viewers familiar with the Alliance’s capital. A bar at the bottom marks her location at “Unity Station - Department of State.” Eylenbosch is, once again, well-dressed in the latest fashion trends out of Idris Incorporated’s spring catalogue. A Cytherean to the core. She smiles to the camera and begins speaking. “Good evening, Harold, and hello, my dear viewers.” “Cèline, what does it look like in the Department of State?” “Well, Harold,” Eylenbosch points a finger to a door behind her, turning slightly. Is that Idris Incorporated's 2467 Vermilion Sunrise re-release on her index fingernail? “behind this door, our secretary of state and Tau Ceti’s diplomatic teams have just finished their negotiations, and a clerk just notified us a few minutes ago that both parties have agreed to reopen formal relations – that’s why I called you and said it was so urgent.” “So, what does this mean for the Alliance? What’s the next step” “I’m not Doctor Principi, Harold,” Eylenbosch wags a finger at the camera, grinning a bit coyly, “but I can still tell you what’s going to for sure happen – no theory though.” “Right, right.” “An ambassador will need to be appointed to Tau Ceti, and our embassy there will have to be reopened. The senate will have to confirm the ambassador, of course, but that shouldn’t take long – it’s a simple majority.” “That sounds easy enough. Has Ambassador Oritz offered any comments yet?” “Nothing yet,” Eylenbosch can’t help but look a bit disappointed, pouting for the camera, “but we did get a quote from a foreign service officer in the diplomatic security branch who spoke on condition of anonymity. They said there are concerns in the Department about ‘blowback’ – their words, not mine – from the residents of Mendell City, where the embassy’s set to be.” “What are they concerned about?” “Mendell City was one of the targets hit when the 35th Fleet invaded it prior to its attempt to overthrow the Alliance, and there’s still a lot of ill-will there. The SISA is currently working with their security agency, according to our source, to stop any violence from breaking out – but there might be protests, Harold. Hopefully we’re there to capture it, hrm?” Eylenbosch’s earlier disappointment fades, replaced with enthusiasm. She wants to be there, in the thick of it. “I’d hate to miss a story only to have the Tau Ceti Times pick it up – wouldn’t you?” “I have to say,” MacMillan laughs for a moment, “it wouldn’t fit the SANN to lose an exclusive to Tau Ceti.” “It wouldn’t!" Eylenbosch grins for the camera again, "But that’s why you have me, my dear viewers, to bring you the hard-hitting information from the ground – should it come to be!” “I’m sure they appreciate you, Cèline. Anything else to add? Further comments?” “Nothing at the moment, Harold. Back over to you.” The camera switches back to a view of Harold, once again in his office. He nods to the camera. “That was Cèline Eylenbosch reporting live from Unity Station. As we move to enter this new era of Sol-Tau Ceti relations, you may not know what’s coming in geopolitics: but you’ll always know the SANN will be there for you: so stay tuned!” MacMillan points to the camera as it fades out and into a commercial.

Tau Ceti's Diplomats Arrive at Unity Station -- SANN Analysis Article 6 of Pharsalia After the SANN’s opening jingle the camera zooms in on, as it always does, Harold MacMillan. Once again sitting across from him is Doctor Giacomo Principi, of the Callistean Institute of Interstellar Studies. After taking a moment to adjust the papers on his desk, MacMillan nods to the camera and begins speaking. “Good evening, and welcome to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. Today’s feature story is the recent, and long-awaited by many, arrival of Tau Ceti’s diplomatic delegation at Unity Station. Returning to the show to discuss these events is Doctor Giacomo Principi of the Callistean Institute of Interstellar Studies. Doctor, thank you once again for coming.” “Of course, Harold. I’m happy to be here.” “Now, Doctor, could you start by explaining a bit about the current state of Alliance-stay Ceti relation for our viewers?” “I can, yes,” Principi clears his throat. “As you know, roughly 15 years ago in ‘52 the government ceded — some would say it failed to intervene — independence to Tau Ceti. Since then there have been no formal diplomatic relations between Unity Station and Mendell City, and two failed interventions in Tau Ceti by the Navy, with the most recent — in ‘62 — resulting in the civil war.” “So what’s changed, doctor? Why pursue relations now?” “The interstellar realist perspective is that Tau Ceti now controls more of the Spur than ever before, following defections and annexations during ‘62 and ‘63. Tau Ceti’s government has, through its use of force, legitimized itself — but I wouldn’t call it stable.” “Why wouldn’t you?” “Their new zone of control,” Principi draws a circle in the air using his pen, “isn’t stable, Harold. Arguably their frontier administrative center — Mictlan — is a potential flashpoint for internal security problems, with it having recently experienced what I would describe as a civil war and-or revolt against Tau Ceti.” “Doctor, would you still say Biesel is worth engaging with diplomatically?” “Yes,” Principi replies without hesitation. “The Coalition has internal conflict but we still engage with them. We need to look ourselves in the mirror and accept Tau Ceti is a peer rival of the Alliance now, for better or worse.” “What do you mean by that, Doctor? By peer rival.” “Ah! What I mean to say is Tau Ceti has the ability to contest the Alliance on ‘even grounds,’ despite its smaller military. It can being a great economic force to bear against us during a period when much of the Alliance is recovering from a period of crisis.” “Thank you, doctor. As a closing statement, what do you want to see from these negotiations?” “If you’ll permit me to be naïve, Harold, I’d like to see us go through the rest of this century without another crisis centered around Tau Ceti. I’d like for my children to grow up in a better Spur than ours.” “Let’s hope your naïvity becomes reality, hm?” “Let’s, Harold.” “Right — Doctor Principi, thank you for your time.” “Thank you for having me.” “The State of Sol will be right back,” Harold points at the camera, “so stay tuned!”

Government Confirms Tau Ceti to Send Diplomatic Mission to Unity Station Article 4 of Pharsalia UNITY STATION, SOL SYSTEM — Earlier today (GST) the Department of State announced the government of the Tau Ceti System (GTCS) will send an official diplomatic mission to Unity Station as part of ongoing negotiations between Tau Ceti and the Alliance. This delegation is the first of its kind from the GTCS since its declaration of secession and has been cited as, “an important step towards normalizing relations between our peoples,” by a Department of State spokesperson contacted by the SANN. The Department of State provided the SANN with the following statement: “Normalized relations with Tau Ceti will allow our nation to turn the page to a new Spur, leaving behind a decade of attempts by rogue elements to invade other powers that led to our civil war. Secretary Ortiz eagerly awaits meeting with her counterparts from Tau Ceti.” Reactions to the diplomatic mission from the GTCS, and of normalizing ties, have been mixed across the Alliance, with the Solarian Federation of Labour Unions calling it a step towards building a united front against megacorporation dominance, and the Society for a Free Mictlan (SML) calling it, “an insult to every Solarian living under the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate’s illegal occupation of our territory.” A spokesperson for the SML provided the following statement to the SANN: “While the SML has full confidence in Prime Minster Strom, we oppose any move to normalize relations with Mictlan’s occupiers. One only needs to look back to their ‘peacekeeping’ to see the price everyday Solarians paid for Biesel’s rescue: destroyed houses, murdered innocents, cyborgified dissidents. Is this a state we should have relations with? No!” The SANN will continue to report on Tau Ceti's diplomatic mission as the situation develops. Further Reading: Navy Announces “OBSIDIAN CAGE 67” Readiness Exercise at Coalition Border to Test Readiness Ulrike de Esterházy von Galántha Confirmed by Senate as Ambassador to Moroz Ton Gwai Triads Score 9-7 Win Over Colettish Guards in Latest Game

XNS Exclusive: Konyang Reacts to the Alliance's New Diplomatic Stance Towards Biesel Article 3 of Pharsalia SUWON, REPUBLIC OF KONYANG — In what XNS host Mariska van den Soeterik has called, “a stunning reversal over a decade’s worth of efforts to isolate Biesel,” the Alliance has stated it will seek a diplomatic relationship with what many Solarian politicians have called a rogue breakaway state: the Republic of Biesel. To give you an understand of how this has impacted what many analysts view as the Coalition’s most vulnerable world to the Alliance, our very own ace reporter Liao Qi has traveled to Konyang to catalogue the views of its everyday citizens — human and synthetic. Below it an excerpt from the XNS’ soon-to-release documentary What Our Future Holds: Konyang, the Rampancy Crisis, and the Alliance. The camera focuses on a middle-aged man smoking a cigarette under an awning. Round glasses sit on his face and his hair is starting to go grey around the edges. He’s wearing a National Police rain slicker with a badge on it marking him as Inspector Myung-Ki Hak — assuming, of course, you can read Konyanger Common. A voiceover begins. “Inspector Myung-Ki Hak,” Liao Qi’s voice begins, “is a twenty-five year veteran of Konyang’s police, having served in Suwon — the Republic’s capital — for his entire career. Inspector Hak tells us the rampancy crisis of 2466 was the worst state he’s seen the planet in.” Hak exhales upwards, takes the cigarette out of his mouth, then looks to the camera and begins speaking. “We all know the story, but most off-worlds don’t know the details of it, how it happened. I was there, so,” he shrugs his shoulders, “I can.” “What was it like during the first days?” “Confusing. I worked homicide at the time — still do — and kept having to respond to these calls out for dead or injured people with synthetic subjects. These were pretty brutal attacks too, at least some of them. Just savaged beyond recognition — like hit-and-run vics we get sometimes,” Hak takes another drag from his cigarette, then sighs after exhaling the smoke. “That started escalating fast — really, really fast — over the next few months, and it only really stopped when the corporates brought that device.” “Where were you when the crisis stopped?” “You’re going to be disappointed, Liao: I was asleep after an all-day shift trying to keep my department secure!” Hak laughs, waving his hand! Qi appears to join in for a few moments. “Right. Now, with the crisis behind us, how is Suwon?” “We’re recovering, but it’s slow. It’s always slower to build things than it is to destroy them — people spend 21 years raising a kid only for them to get shot during an overloader deal gone wrong. Life goes on for them as it goes on for our damaged metropolis. The big issue on everyone’s mind is what Sol will do with us.” “And what do you think they’ll do?” “Nothing good,” Hak scowls, then drops the cigarette butt and snubs it out with his shoe. “I think Strom’s the latest edition of Sol’s long-standing tradition of invading and killing anyone who stands against them.” “So you think he’ll invade?” “I think we should be asking when he’ll invade, not if. And when he does come, he’d better be ready for a fight. I’ll go the way of Commodore Taeyang if I have to.” The video ends with a shot of Hak's face, still scowling. What Our Future Holds: Konyang, the Rampancy Crisis, and the Alliance will premiere on the XNS on 24 April 2468. Further Reading: Places to See: The XNS’ Guide to the Scarlands Coalition Member-States to hold “Initiative North” Naval Readiness Exercises Near Konyang C.F.X.P. Heads to New Hai Phong in First Football Match in Sol Since Callisto-Xanu Game

SANN LIVE: Department of State to Announce New Diplomatic Initiative Article 1 of Pharsalia After the SANN’s opening jingle the camera focuses in on the ever-present face of the network: Harold MacMillan. The newscaster nods to the camera, slides his dataslate away, and begins speaking. “Good evening, and welcome back to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. Today’s feature story is an impending announcement by the Secretary of State, Carmen Mercado Ortiz, following her recent confirmation by the Senate after weeks of hearings related to Strom’s cabinet formation. With the press conference about to begin, let’s go to our reporter on-scene: Cèline Eylenbosch.” The camera switches from MacMillan to a blonde-haired Cytherean woman — now dressed in spring fashion — standing in a fairly crowded conference room. “Hello Harold, and hello dear viewers,” Eylenbosch smiles at the camera. “Cèline, what does it look like in there? How’s the atmosphere?” “Oh it’s practically electric, dear viewers. Rumors have been spreading for most of today about what these new initiatives are — Secretary Ortiz has only ‘officially’ been in her position for a week. So what could she possibly have dreamt up in that time, hrm? Dare I say, could it be a rapprochement?” “With what?” “Well, the most rumored-about one is, of course, Tau Ceti, Harold. Not even the most speculative Binyarian tabloid would guess Gadpathur!” Eylenbosch laughs at her own joke! “But Biesel? The Spur wonders, don’t they?” “Right. How long until it starts?” Eylenbosch looks down at her watch, bringing it up far enough for the viewers to get a look — and Idris-produced Model 89 Ophelia, by the looks of it. Holographic too, and apparently in the colors of Venus’ flag. After a moment of viewing it — long enough for anyone watching to get a good look at the Ophelia — she looks back to the camera and smiles at it, letting her watch-hand drop back down. “In a few minutes, Harold, so let’s switch this to the stage view,” Eylenbosch gestured to the camera, causing the viewer’s eye to swap to a different camera overlooking the stage. As per most Solarian Alliance press conferences the podium is covered in microphones from various agencies and nations — some from as far away as Assunzione or Novi Jadran. After a few moments a Solarian Army guard touches his earpiece and leans over to open a door behind the podium, letting a middle-aged woman in a typical Solarian business suit out. She says something to him briefly, then takes the podium, taking some glasses out of her pocket and putting them on. On her lapel, right below the Solarian flag pin, is a Mictlani flag pin. “Thank you for your presence,” she begins, leaning a bit towards the microphones. “I am pleased to, on behalf of the Solarian people, discuss our upcoming diplomatic agenda for Prime Minister Strom’s term. “As our Alliance is emerging from a period of struggle unseen since the Interstellar War, I wish to assure the Spur writ large that our nation wishes, above all, to seek a peaceful future in the wider interstellar community, while respecting the interests of Solarians everywhere. With that said, the main purpose of this conference is to announce that we are seeking to reopen diplomatic relations with nations Frost’s dictatorship severed relationships with.” A murmur goes through the crowd of reporters as camera lenses flicker. “First among these is the nearby system of Tau Ceti, also known as the Republic of Biesel,” Ortiz pauses for a moment, letting her words sink in. “There are, as the interstellar community is aware, numerous diplomatic conflicts which may ‘bubble over’ between the Alliance and Tau Ceti. It is in the interest of both our government and Tau Ceti’s to ensure war does not break out, and that a diplomatic solution may be reached.” More murmuring and camera lenses flickering fills the air as Ortiz stops talking for a moment. “I now leave the floor open to questions.” A sea of hands shoots up. Ortiz points to a well-dressed man in the front row. “Secretary Ortiz, Liao Qi with XNS. Does the Alliance have any interest in changing its relationship with the Coalition, particularly around Konyang?” “At the time our government believes our relationship with the Coalition, where we maintain diplomatic missions with nearly every member-state aside from Gadpathur, is not in need of further modification. We trust our partners sitting in Xanu feel the same.” “Thank you, Secretary.” Another sea of hands shoots up. Ortiz picks out a well-dressed, if pale, woman in foreign clothes. “Senator Ortiz, Anastazija Leno with the Novi Rijeka Gazette. Over the past years we’ve seen further cooperation between the Empire of Dominia and the Alliance. Can you speak to any plans to further strengthen this relationship?” “Cooperation between the Empire and Alliance has mostly been under the purview of the Department of Defense, so it’s outside of my responsibility. I can, however, say that the Solarian people appreciate the cooperation with your navy to reduce piracy near the Southern Reaches.” “Thank you, Lady Secretary.” The sea of hands goes up yet again. Ortiz picks out a distinctive blonde-haired woman in the first row. “Hello, dear Secretary. Cèline Eylenbosch, SANN. How long have these negotiations been ongoing for, with Tau Ceti?” “Roughly two weeks, with them having started under the acting secretary. There haven’t been any official diplomatic meetings, yet, but I can say Prime Minister Strom has approved this initiative — he wants to see the Alliance’s border security issues handled within his term, and so do I.” “Thank you.” The sea of hands goes up again. Ortiz picks out a man further in the back who is dressed sharply. “Secretary, I’m Baqir Yassin, ENN. With the Alliance posed to reopen relations with Biesel, are there any plans to change its relations with the Republic of Elyra?” “Not at this time, no. So long as Elyra tightly restricts its fuel exports, we cannot see a deeper relationship with it,” Ortiz looks down at her podium, then back up. “And I must apologize, that’s all the time we have for questions. Thank you for coming, and long live the Solarian Alliance.” Ortiz waves to the crowd, then turns and walks back through the door to the shouted questions of unlucky reporters and the snapping of cameras. The view switches back to Eylenbosch, who looks positively thrilled. “Well, dear viewers, isn’t this exciting news?! Back over to you, Harold!” Eylenbosch waves to the camera, which then switches to a view of MacMillan. “It is,” MacMillan straightens his posture, looking at the camera/viewer. “The State of Sol will be right back after this short break, so stay tuned!”

While I cannot speak for Campin and Lain, I am not interested in modifying the cantons in this manner. I do not doubt they are going to stay as-is, in the upper corner of the flag. This topic — modifying Solarian flags to remove their cantons — tends to come up every few months, and my response has always been the same: there is not a great interest on the team to make modifications to these flags. I understand there are size inconsistencies in the cantons, and one could correct them, but I do not want to see the design modified.

I'm pleased to report this has been accepted after consideration by the human lore team, and will be put onto the wiki shortly. Congratulations, and thank you for your contribution!

I don't recall if there was a head of security in the round, and lacks the logs for it so I'm going off my memory here. I remember Taylor Morgan, an officer, telling me the CE wanted my engineering key removed, "to prevent leaking information to a saboteur," or something along those lines. So from my knowledge it appears the CE ordered it, but I can't be sure.

I can log onto the server, right now, and suffer a dozen fates far more horrid than getting shot in my head in a trench. My last death was getting my leg broken by a sword and burning alive, while screaming, in a phoron fire that followed it. It happens. The art is incredible and is an easy way to get someone invested into the setting. Like Outboard, I don't think it's edgy or, "haha murder, guys." To say such discounts it as a piece of art.

BYOND Key: NewOriginalSchwann Game ID: cyu-dLZV Player Byond Key/Character Name: QuestioningMark/Cam Mueller Staff Involved: I did not ahelp this in-round as I assumed it was a revolution round, or another one where we would have a mutiny. Approximate Date/Time: 9:30 PM EST 03 March 2025 Let me preface this by saying I’m not really an experienced engineering player (I regularly played it during the Aurora II, so about three years ago or more, with my Horizon engineering rounds coming here-and-there irregularly), with me mostly hanging out in security or medical, so I don’t necessarily have knowledge of what systems and expectations engineers are/should be familiar with. I spawn in on a new engineer and get called to the lobby, then get intercepted along the way by the CE, Cam Mueller, who tells me he needs to take me down to the lower level to “test my knowledge.” of some systems. I’m not unused to hearing about CEs wanting to “knowledge check” new characters, so I figure I need to go on and show I’m not some hub player who doesn’t know what they’re doing. So I go down and get told to pull open the engine purge valves, being told they’ll put gas into the engines. I have no reason not to believe this – it’s my in-character boss, he seems to be testing me for my knowledge, and have no idea how the thrusters work as a player, so I go along with it. There is a desire, I find, to look as if you know what you are doing in front of your in-character supervisor. We do this to both sets of thrusters, then I get a short speech about how important it is to know atmospherics as an engineer. Fast forward a bit, shortly after transfer’s been called, and I get told to go to security by an investigator. I walk there, ask what’s going on, some lines are exchanged, and the investigator starts holding me at gunpoint and telling me I’m under arrest for sabotage. This is, understandably, a shock to me and I initially assume there must have been some misunderstanding, like I pulled the wrong valve or something. My radio is taken, the engineering key popped out at the direction of Mueller (per security), and I’m thrown into processing, questioned, then put into permanent holding. I remain in it for the rest of the round. I play with OOC turned off, so my communications with the player were after this via Discord. I said some things I should not have, and I apologize for those. It was inappropriate for me as a player, let alone as staff. Returning to the matter of the complaint, I don’t really agree with the justification behind the player’s actions. A head of staff wields immense power over their subordinates and is expected to move the round forward, but I don’t believe that’s a good enough reason to have one of your subordinates – who may be a new player – arrested and thrown into security for 20-30 minutes when they’ve done nothing wrong. I was excited, with a new character who seemed to be clicking with the rest of my department – perhaps this was finally the character I needed to break into engineering with a solid, good personality – but that experience, and my agency, was ripped from me by the decision of my head of staff. Not an antagonist head of staff, not an antagonist themselves, but my head of staff, who wanted to get money for disabling the thrusters and needed a “fall guy” for his attempt to drive the round forward. Sabotaging your own ship and blaming one of your subordinates is not something I believe a character would reasonably do for any amount of money as a head of staff. Furthermore, I do not believe the argument of, “my character is racist and nasty,” is enough to justify this. There were two tajara and an unathi in the department when I arrived – why hadn’t he decided to involve one of them in his attempt to drive the round forward? When I first joined this server years ago, I played with antagonist heads of staff and was one of the voices pushing for their removal, which was ultimately successful. This round reminded me of why I, and others, fought so hard for the removal of antagonist heads of staff. Considering the totality of information, I must ask if this is what we want from a head of staff, a role which we place behind a whitelist in the hopes they’ll be able to direct the round? A player who is taken to security and handcuffed loses all agency, and ordering their radio taken away from them only exacerbates this lack of agency – their round is, in essence, ruined, and their time wasted. It’s nothing a head of staff should do outside of exceptional circumstances, such as if they are an antagonist – a loyalist, for example. Ultimately, with my initial anger at it having faded, I find myself more disappointed in this than anything else. A head of staff should know better.

Government Formed — Alliance to be Governed by Populist-Sol First Coalition! Epilogue #4 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election UNITY STATION, EARTH — Earlier today (GST) the Senate announced the successful formation of a coalition government between the Populist and Sol First parties, with both parties combined surpassing the required 50% limit to form a government. As part of a power-sharing agreement between the two parties, Hendrick Strom has accepted Senator Toshiyuki Sumida as the Senatorial President, giving Sol First a degree of influence over proceedings they have not possessed since the mid-2450s. When contacted by the SANN, the Sol First Party’s office for interstellar relations provided the following comment: “The Sol First Party is pleased to work alongside our colleagues in the Populist Party to further Solarian interests at home and abroad, while respecting the values that have long made our nation a great one.” The opposition is slated to be headed by Senator Anastasie Renaud’s Popular Democratic Party, with Sen. Renaud serving as Shadow President for the Senate. Madelyn Fitzpatrick, spokesperson for Sen. Renaud, provided the following statement to the SANN: “Senator Renaud and the Popular Democratic Party are excited to get to work governing the Alliance, and see this as a chance to prove our platform – and our effective governance – to the Solarian people.” The junior partners of the opposition are the Socialist Unity Party, led by Sen. Trang, and the Communist Party, led by Sen. Pavlov. Neither responded to the SANN’s request for comment. Further Reading: All-Xanu Beer Lover’s League Publishes “Steins of Sol” Recommendation List Silversun Tourism Board Reports Increased Visitors during Winter Season Konyang’s Suwon Sea Bandits Prepare to Head to San Colette

Senate Swears in Hendrik Strom as Prime Minister! Epilogue #3 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election The camera zooms in on the serious — and now well-rested — face of Harold MacMillan, complete with his iconic Callistean flag lapel pin. He nods to the camera. “Welcome back to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. Today we go to Unity Station, where the Senate has just voted to confirm Prime Minister-elect Strom as PM. Reporting live from outside the Senate chambers is our ace reporter, Cèline Eylenbosch. Cèline?” The camera switches to Eylenbosch, who is once again standing in the Alliance’s halls of power. Behind her is a well-furnished wooden door in a classical Earther style, potentially leading into a senator’s office. Beside her stands a quite tall Solarian woman of likely middle age, clad in a business suit with a Lunarian flag lapel and wearing glasses. The Cytherean nods to the camera and smiles at it, then begins speaking. “Hello, dear viewers, and thank you, Harold. As you’ve said, the Senate voted earlier to confirm Strom as our next Prime Minister. With me to discuss the confirmation is Senator Haruka Mori, a representative from Harmony City, Luna, and member of Sol First. Senator, can you start by explaining how the vote went for our dear viewers?” Eylenbosch levels her mic towards Mori. “First, let me begin by stating my opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the stances of Sol First. For being a procedure we haven’t done since 2461 — and arguably since before that, considering how few senators were able to attend Frost’s confirmation due to harassment by his paramilitaries — it went quite smoothly. Most of this is formality, with us simply confirming what the people have already decided.” “Did anything unexpected happen, senator? I’ve heard rumors of a disturbance inside there.” “There was, ah, one incident involving Senator Trang. She claimed that New Hai Phong’s seats would abstain until its election disputes had been resolved — corruption issues, according to her own words.” “Did her party abstain?” “Some did. As you and I are talking about the success of this vote, it was, as they say, compter pour des prunes — it only damaged their reputation, ultimately.” “Ahhhh, dear senator, you mean to say it was a worthless gesture?” “It was, yes. I'm not unused to political stunts, but I hope this isn't a bad sign for their future coalition partners if they choose to join one.” “And what do you, dear senator, think of our new prime minister?” “I’m pleased to see a return to democracy by our Alliance and am confident the PM will work to advance traditional Solarian values and principles.” “And what of the word on everyone’s lips, coalition? Are you willing to work with him?” “I can’t speak for Senator Sumida, so I’ll have to refrain from commenting on the matter.” Eylenbosch looks almost disappointed by this response, as if she’s had a toy stolen from her hands. “I see. Well, dear viewers, on that mysterious note we must return to you, Harold. Thank you for your time, Senator Mori.” “Of course,” the Lunarian nods politely as the camera switches back to a view of MacMillan. “Thank you, Cèline,” MacMillan points to the camera elbow resting on his desk. “The State of Sol will be right back after this break, so stay tuned!

Senate Polls Conclude — Coalition Government Guaranteed? Epilogue #2 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election NEW EDINBURGH, CALLISTO — The Department of the Interior has announced that all senatorial races have been, as of today, concluded with winning candidates aside from several precincts on New Hai Phong, which remain contested due to allegations of corruption and voter suppression. DoI reports indicate big gains in the Senate for the Populist Party and Popular Democratic Party, currently represented by PM-elect Strom and Sen. Renaud, with minor gains for Sol First and the Socialist Unity Party. The Communist Party has polled below all other parties in the election. No party has polled above the 50% required to form a government in the Senate, and the next few weeks are likely to contain negotiations to form the first coalition government since the 2450s. When asked by the SANN, PM-elect Strom provided the following comment: “I’m pleased at how well the Populist Party has performed in the elections and look forward to working with any potential coalition partners in the future. As Solarians, whether in the Senate or in our nation as a whole, it’s important we come together as a united people instead of letting our differences tear us apart.” Sen. Renaud provided the following comment to the SANN: “The success of social democracy in the recent election proves the Alliance is ready to look inwards and take action to address what led us to the crisis of Frost’s government in the first place. As one of the two largest parties in the Senate, we look forward to working together with our partners to better the Alliance for every Solarian!” The breakdown of parties in the Senate is projected to be as follows: Populist: 30% Popular Democratic: 28% Sol First: 22% Socialist Unity: 15% Communist: 5% Prime Minister-elect Strom is expected to be sworn into office by the Senate in the following days. Further Reading: Sen. Sumida, PM-Elect Strom Rumored to be in Coalition Talks All-Xanu Republic Ambassador Meets, Congratulates PM-Elect Strom During Visit to Venus Sen. Trang to Throw First Pitch at Next Ton Gwai Triads Game

Leaders of the Orion Spur Congratulate Prime Minister-Elect Strom on Victory Epilogue #1 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election UNITY STATION, EARTH - Congratulations from across the Orion Spur have begun to come in for Prime Minister-elect Strom following his victory in the 2467 elections. While Senatorial elections are still being counted and decided, below are some selected responses from interstellar leaders. The All-Xanu Republic and the Office of the President wish to extend our sincere congratulations to Prime Minister-elect Strom for his victory in the election, and look forward to continuing an amicable relationship with the Alliance. The Grand Council would like to congratulate Strom on their election victory. Grand Councillor Jrugl and the other council members are overjoyed to see a return to normalcy within the Solarian Alliance. May the prosperous friendship between the Federation and Alliance continue, Stars willing. The Office of the President of the Republic of Assunzione extends its formal congratulations to the Prime Minister-elect of the Solarian Alliance, and hopes the Alliance will continue to respect and uphold interstellar peace. Crown Princess Priscilla, on behalf of His Imperial Majesty, extends our Empire’s sincerest felicitations to Prime Minister-elect Strom for his victory, and eagerly anticipates further cooperation with the Alliance. May the Goddess watch over the Alliance as it continues to recover from its civil war. The Republic of Biesel extends its congratulations to the Solarian Alliance for its return to a free and democratic system of governance, and to the newly elected Prime Minister Strom for his victory in the election. The President wishes the new Prime Minister the best of luck, and is hopeful that the return of democracy to the Alliance means it will continue to uphold the spirits of interstellar cooperation and internal reformation it has begun to rebuild after losing them under the leadership of former Prime Minister Frost. The Office of the President of the Republic of Konyang extends its congratulations to the Alliance for its return to democracy, and is hopeful it will continue to uphold interstellar peace under democratic leadership. The Serene Republic of Elyra and Prime Minister Nouzari extend our warmest congratulations to the Alliance for its return to democracy following civil unrest. The Federal Technocracy of Galatea, and Chief Director Ceridwen Yarwood, wish to extend our felicitations to the Alliance for its return to the Spur’s longest-standing democratic tradition. Prime Minister-elect Strom and the Alliance may be assured of the Federation’s continued friendship and support. The United Syndicates of Himeo extends its congratulations to the Solarian people for their return to democracy after multiple years of authoritarianism. Further Reading: Department of the Interior Announces Senate Votes to be Counted by Monday SISA Arrests 15 in Connection with Plot to Illegally Close New Hai Phong Election Precincts Celebrations Continue in Susuhe District, Venus, Following Strom’s Victory

BREAKING NEWS: RENAUD CONCEDES – HENDRIK STROM BECOMES THE ALLIANCE’S NEXT PRIME MINISTER! FINALE of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election After the SANN opening jingle, the camera zooms in on the once-tired – and now very, very alert – face of Harold MacMillan. It is as if the news has jolted the underslept, overworked veteran newscaster back into awareness through pure adrenaline alone. He nods to the camera. “Breaking news out of New Edinburgh just now, where Senator Renaud has conceded her candidacy in response to the gap between her and Senator Strom widening to well over a billion votes. We now go to the Susuhe District, Venus, where Senator Strom is preparing to give his victory speech.” MacMillan gestures to the camera, which switches to a view of an auditorium with a podium flanked by Solarian flags. Behind it stands Strom – around him is an utterly packed arena filled with Venusians, mostly Jintarians, and a press pit filled with cameras and microphones bearing nearly every national symbol in human space – there are local Solarian agencies, the Mendell City Bugle, the Elyran News Network, the Xanan News Service, the Imperial News Network, and dozens more – all preparing to broadcast this event. The SANN’s camera zooms in on Strom, who moves his hands to silence the cheering crowd. “Good evening, my fellow Solarians. Let me begin by stating I want to express my deep appreciation for every Solarian who voted for me and for the Populist Party – I cannot possibly begin to tell you how proud I am of what we’ve done today! I hope that in my victory, every Solarian from humble origins can see a path for themselves to even the highest office in our Alliance. “I also wish to express my support to the billions of Solarians who chose to vote for other candidates in our election. I understand the sting of defeat can make one feel very low, and assure you I will fight for you as Solarians no matter who you voted for. I wish to express my support for the other candidate as well – every party gave it their all this election, and I firmly believe that more competitive elections lead to better candidates winning. A one-party state only benefits those in charge. “Regardless of who you voted for, we, as Solarians, can take comfort in the knowledge that, despite the best efforts of Frost, ATLAS, and other enemies of Solarian democracy, our process works. Our Alliance has taken five candidates through the greatest system in the history of the human race and chosen the most qualified one not through birth, not through corporate sponsorship – no. Our victor was chosen by one Solarian, with one vote, repeated billions of times. Despite a civil war having ended just two years ago, despite the mismanagement of Frost and his cronies, billions of Solarians came out to vote today! And that, my fellow Solarians, is more important than whatever party you chose to cast your ballot for. “But with the election over we must now look to the great tasks ahead of us, and they are indeed numerous. A civil war launched by would-be dictators, fascists, and autocrats has devastated great swaths of our nation, megacorporations still hold entire Solarian worlds in grips that strangle those living there, and the growing pains of our efforts to create the Spur’s largest non-megacorporate economy plague many areas of our Alliance. It is impossible to stand idly by and we, as the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations, are called to act: to bring our Alliance into a new era of prosperity, without internal conflict and free from megacorporate influence, once and for all! “While in my election headquarters I noted several broadcasters, such as the Susuhe Chronicle, calling this one of the greatest political victories of the 25th century. To that I say – apologies to my hometown broadcaster – it will only be one of the century’s great political victories if our Alliance can, after my term is concluded, walk away with its head held high, stronger than it has been in decades. That is the victory the Solarian people deserve – to live in a new era of prosperity and progress. “It is my great hope that, for the next four years, we can conduct ourselves in a manner that will make the Solarians of future centuries look back and say, ‘This was the start of a new age of prosperity for our Alliance,’ and think on this time with pride, not the shame we feel when we look back to the start of this decade. “Thank you, and long live the Solarian Alliance!” Strom flashes his traditional V for victory sign with one arm as the crowd cheers for him and a large holographic screen behind him displays a fluttering Solarian flag. A new day, it seems, has dawned over the Alliance. The camera feed fades out.

BREAKING: Pavlov, Sumida, Trang Concede — Race Narrows to Strom and Renaud Article 30 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election After the SANN opening jingle the camera zooms in on Harold MacMillan, who sits behind his desk and leans on it slightly -- coffee mug off to one side and stack of papers to the other. The veteran newscaster still looks tired -- he's been at this for well over 24 hours, with only short breaks -- but maintains his ever-resolute demeanor and expression “Breaking news in the election just now as three candidates have conceded defeat in the race. We now go to Luna, where Senator Sumida is about to give a short speech announcing his withdrawal.” Macmillan gestures at the camera, which swaps to a view of a well-decorated room featuring a stage and podium. Behind the podium sits Senator Toshiyuki Sumida, the Sol First Party’s soon-to-be-former candidate for PM. “My fellow Solarians,” Sumida begins. “We have fought a hard campaign and given our all in hopes of winning the prime minister’s office, but we can no longer ignore the stark reality of statistics: we have lost our chance. Sumida pauses for a moment. “But do not be disheartened or ashamed, as the struggle for our venerable Solarian principles continues, and our party is performing well in senatorial polling. We may not be the prime minister’s party, but we will be a voice he or she cannot ignore. Please accept my sincerest apologies for my failure to secure the position, and may our Alliance continue to prosper. Thank you,” as he ends his speech, Sumida steps out from the side of the podium and bows deferentially to the audience. Sumida’s speech is followed not by cheering, or jeering, but by polite clapping as he gracefully stands back up, then exits both the stage and the race. The camera switches back to MacMillan. “With Senator Pavlov declining to hold a speech we now go to New Hai Phong, where Senator Trang is preparing to concede.” MacMillan gestures to the camera again, which switches to a view of a union hall on New Hai Phong. In contrast to the well-dressed and formal-looking Lunan, Trang’s sleeves are rolled up to her elbows and her suit jacket is off. She leans on her podium as a crowd looks on, then stands up and begins speaking. “I know you’re disappointed in this — believe me, I am too — but let me tell you that we have not even begun to fight for our cause as a party! Trang pauses a moment as the crowd cheers and claps. “We have not won the prime ministership, no, but we remain a force to be reckoned with in Solarian politics! And while we are,” she pauses again, “will we ever stop fighting against corruption and corporatism?!” Trang leans her mic towards the crowd. “NO!” they respond as one. “Then we may have conceded this race, but we’ll never concede our ideals!” Trang throws her fist into the air to cheers! “Thank you for choosing me to be your candidate, and long live our Alliance and the Socialist Unity Party!” The crowd cheers as Trang exits the race with her popularity intact. The camera switches back to MacMillan. “Two to go, audience. Exit polls indicate Strom leading slightly across the Alliance, but only by a few tens of millions. Will he retain that edge? Stay tuned.” The camera fades out as MacMillan looks through his papers, holding them with one hand while flipping through with the other.

Voting Begins to Close Across the Alliance Article 29 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election After the opening SANN jingle the camera focuses on, as always, the indomitable if tired Harold MacMillan. He nods to the camera — the papers and Callistean flag coffee cup remain on his desk. “Good evening, and welcome back to the SANN’s special coverage of the 2467 federal elections. Across the Alliance, including here on Callisto, polls are beginning to close and more ballots are being counted. With me by phone is Doctor Giacomo Principi, a Solarian election expert. Doctor, can you hear me?” A short pause follows before Principi, through a phone on MacMillan’s desk, responds. “Yes, Harold. I can hear you— sorry, it’s a bit crowded in here,” Principi is a bit hard to make out over some background noise in his audio. “Can you hear me?” “We can, yes. It’s a bit hard though, lots of background noise.” “Sorry— I’m with my staff and we’re monitoring the election results as they come in. You said you had questions?” “I do, yes. What do you think of the election so far?” “Well, it’s gone quite smoothly aside from some minor disturbances — the kind of things local police handle, such as unruly voters and the like. It’s a sign of the durability of Solarian democracy — we endured Frost, and now we’re going back into the right path.” “That’s good news for us,” MacMillan nods to the camera. “Any idea who will win?” “Well,” Principi hrms, pausing for a moment. “It’s still hard to say, Harold. But we’ve seen two candidates pull ahead in early polling.” “Which ones?” “Strom and Renaud — Pavlov was leading for a bit as the Soviet republics tend to count their votes faster. Both performed strongly in polling, so it’s not as surprising as it might seem.” “Any other observations?” “Sumida and the SFP aren’t doing as well as anticipated outside of areas they’ve traditionally performed well in, and neither is Trang. We won’t be able to speculate about why until much later, but the gap between these two candidates and the leading two is only getting larger based on government numbers.” “Thank you, Doctor.” “Of course.” “That was Doctor Principi. We go now to another source, our very own Le Quynh Cong reporting live from Cua Song. Le?” The camera switches to the bespectacled reporter, yet again wearing her respirator and now standing outside of an election precinct somewhere in urban New Hai Phong. Behind her a line of Hai Phongers file into the precinct — the line is definitely smaller here, but there’s an impressive number out for how late it is. Cong waves to the camera. “Hi Harold!” “How’s the situation there?” “Good! Precincts across the planet like this one are staying open until midnight, so workers can get in to vote, and most of the people you can see behind me are Hephaestus workers coming in from second shift or getting ready to leave for third shift.” “You’ve been reporting from New Hai Phong all day, Le. Have there been any incidents?” “One, Harold, but we didn’t see it personally. An election precinct in an area dominated by the Socialist Unity Party was shut down temporarily by police due to alleged dangerous weather conditions and civil unrest, but was opened shortly after by soldiers from the 4th Haphongese Armored Division working with election officials. A source close to Senator Trang informed me she’s been involved in multiple holocalls with Governor Lai and is alleged to be threatening to demand a recount of the planet’s votes if necessary.” “Concerning news, Le. Hopefully there’s no further disruptions.” “Hopefully,” Cong nods to the camera. “Back over to you.” The camera switches back to MacMillan. “The SANN will be right back with more coverage of the elections, so stay tuned!”

Solarians go to the Polls! Article 27 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election The camera, after the traditional SANN jingle, focuses on an unexpectedly tired-looking Harold MacMillan, with a mostly drained Callistean flag-decorated coffee mug sitting next to him on his desk on a coaster. While he might have slight bags under his eyes, the veteran newscaster looks as confident as ever as he nods to the camera. “Good evening, and welcome to a special edition of The State of Sol. I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. This election cycle our coverage begins very early, with multiple planets across the Alliance choosing to open their polls at midnight on the 27th. We now go to, well, about an hour’s ride by rail from our office to an election precinct in New Edinburgh, where our ace reporter Cèline Eylenbosch is reporting live. Over to you Cèline.” In contrast to the somewhat tired MacMillan, Eylenbosch looks as good as ever — as if she fell off the cover of an Idris fashion magazine. She smiles at the camera. Behind her is a line of Callisteans outside the concrete-and-glass facade of a government building stretching up into the sky. In the background cars whizz by, some honking, and an elevated magnetic railway hisses by, cars rattling slightly as they pass. “Thank you, Harold. I’m here at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Street government building, which serves as the election precinct for the surrounding half-kilometer of Callisto,” behind her the line of voters have noticed Eylenbosch and are starting to wave to the camera, some whistling and waving both Callistean and Solarian flags. “As you can see, dear viewers, Callisto’s excited to vote. Aren’t you?” Eylenbosch levels her camera at a young woman with a Callistean flag hat and a takeaway coffee in her hand. “I’m totally excited to vote!” she yells, throwing a V for victory sign up into the air. “GO RENAUD!!!” Her fellow Callistean join in with clapping and whistling as Eylenbosch turns the mic back to herself and begins walking down the line, using some device in her hand to manipulate the camera’s angle — she’s apparently using a camera drone rather than an actual cameraman. As the camera turns to look down the line, more Callisteans wave to it. The crowd here is a diverse one — men and women, young and old, middle-class bureaucrats and working-class longshoremen. A car honks as it passes by, Callistean flag trailing from one window. “As you can see, today’s events have drawn quite the crowd.” The camera switches focus back to Eylenbosch, who now stands beside a middle-aged man in a Solarian Army veteran’s hat. “Are you excited, my dear veteran?” she turns her mic towards him. “I’m as excited as any man can be!” he responds. Eylenbosch’s expression changes a bit — this man has a Mendell City accent. “Are you from Tau Ceti?” she asks, looking curious. “Yeah! I am, yeah. I left it in ‘52 after it seceded — like hell was I going to sit by and stay in a ‘democracy’ run by the Trasens!” “You think Biesel isn’t a democracy?” “Hell no!” some Callisteans around the expat clap and cheer at his comments. “Dorn and that new guy, Torvald, they’re both owned by NT! But we’ve got a real democracy here in the Alliance, and that’s something worth fighting for!” “Is that why you joined the Army?” “Yeah! Then I volunteered for the Coletters — the regular Army said I was too old, but I still got some fight in me!” the man grins as a man behind him claps him on the shoulder. “Never put an old soldier down!” “Thank you for your time, sir,” Eylenbosch nods her head to the veteran and keeps working her way down the line. “How are things in the office?” “I’m going to try to get some sleep in the break room in a bit,” MacMillan responds. “Then get back to coverage. High spirits otherwise.” Eylenbosh nods to the camera. “I’ll be here in the meantime, dear viewers, providing the coverage you’ve come to expect from the SANN. For example, what do you think about the election?” Eylenbosch levels her microphone at a thirty-something man in a business suit and overcoat, who looks up from his phone in momentary surprise – he almost drops it, but manages to keep his grip on it. “I’m, ah– I’m excited for it! Sorry, you kind of surprised me. I didn’t get to vote during the last election because ATLAS closed this precinct,” the crowd around him boos and jeers at the mention of the group, “but now I’m here, and I’m not letting anyone take this from me! GO RENAUD!!!” The crowd near the man cheers as Eylenbosch turns the mic back to herself. “Thank you. Harold, back over to you.” The camera switches back to MacMillan at his desk. He’s refilled his coffee mug in the meantime, and added a few new papers – printed ones, not the dataslate he’s typically seen with – to his desk. He nods to the camera. “The State of Sol will be right back with more continuous coverage in just a few minutes. For now, stay tuned – and have a good night.” The camera zooms out as the traditional SANN jingle plays, and MacMillan rubs his face and then speaks to someone off camera, lifting up a few papers. Whatever he says isn't recorded by his mic.

The Department of the Interior’s Frequently Asked Questions for the 2467 Election Article 27 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election NEW EDINBURGH, CALLISTO — With one day left until the Alliance’s federal elections the SANN has compiled a helpful list of election FAQs with assistance from the Department of the Interior. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions from the DoI’s website, www.sdoi.sgov/elect2467/faq. Q: Can I still register to vote on election day? A: Yes. Bring a valid ID showing Solarian citizenship such as a passport or passcard with you to your local election precinct and you will be able to vote. Legal permanent resident cards are not considered to be a valid proof of citizenship. Q: When do polls close? A: This is decided by local authorities. However, no election precinct is plowed to close before 1900 and all are required to be open by 0500. Precincts not following this guidance should be reported to the Department of the Interior. Q: When will I know who won the election? A: Preliminary results for Prime Minister are expected on 28 February, but a full count may take until early March. Preliminary results for the Senate are expected by early next week. Q: What is being done to combat potential election fraud? A: Election officials at the Department closely coordinate with the SISA and a number of Solarian police forces. Election fraud is a federal crime punishable by a minimum of five years in prison, with restitution. Crime doesn’t pay. Q: Are election materials available in multiple languages? A: Election materials are available in all human languages aside from Tau Ceti Basic, which is banned by the Foreign Influence in Elections Act of 2452 and the Preventing Illegal Alien Voters Act of 2462. Q: Are partisan materials or clothes allowed inside election precincts? A: No. You will be asked to remove or conceal any items, and partisan political activity is banned within 100 meters of an election precinct. Q: Who should I call if there’s an emergency at my election precinct? A: Contact your local emergency services, not the Department of the Interior. Some election precincts may have Solarian Army personnel stationed at them who can be identified by brassards with “ELECTION SECURITY OFFICER” on them, and should be alerted to any potential issues. In an emergency, please follow their instructions if they are present. Further Reading: Renaud Holds “Double Overtime” Rally in New Valletta with Returning Callistean Football Team Visegradi National Defense Force Announces Increased Security Measures for Election Day Gen. Patrick Edwards States Solarian Army’s NORCOM at Heightened Readiness State for Election

Live from Binyaria! Article 26 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election After the SANN introductory jingle, the camera focuses on — as always — the mustached face of Harold MacMillan. He nods resolutely to the camera and straightens his posture. “Good evening, and welcome back to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. We go now to the Susuhe District in Binyaria, Venus, where our reporter Eberechi Oteh is reporting live from a rally in support of Senator Strom’s campaign for PM, with only two days left until the election! Eberechi, over to you.” The camera switches to Oteh, standing in a crowd of Jintarian’s mostly dressed casually — there’s very few suits here, and most are in Strom’s traditional grey coloration, with few accessories. One woman a bit further back is wearing a white coat which stands out in the crowd — potentially a doctor, potentially a Cytherean, potentially just another Jintarian. The atmosphere is lively — there’s an excitement to the crowd one can feel even through the camera — and a large Solarian flag dominates the background. It’s patriotic, if nothing else. Oteh nods to the camera. “Thank you, Harold,” he begins, pointing at the crowd behind himself, “as you can see, with only two days until the election, these SPP supporters are certainly excited about their chances!” “It seems so! Who have you seen at this rally, Eberechi?” “Mostly Jintarians — Cythereans aren’t a common sight at these rallies, and there’s a competing Sumida rally going on in ‘Cytherean Bibyaria’ as the locals call it. Even without Venusian entertainment being underrepresented, there’s still a good variety of people here. In fact—“ “There he is!” someone in the crowd shouts! “It’s Senator Strom!” Anything Oteh intended to say is drowned out in the crowd’s cheering as, behind the reporter but still in the camera’s view, the Pride of Jintaria walks through the doors under the flag and into the room. Strom flashes a V for victory sign above his head and motions for the crowd to be quiet. Aside from an aid next to him, the senator stands alone — he has no bodyguards and no surrounding cadre of officials. It’s Strom, a man next to him with a briefcase, Oteh, and the crowd. After the crowd quiets he gestures to the aide, who takes a microphone from his briefcase and hands it to Strom. “My fellow Jintarians!” Strom pauses just after he begins, letting the words linger in the air. “I speak to you today not as Senator Strom, not as Emergency Governor Strom — no! I speak to you as Hendrik Strom, a fellow Jintarian, and from the same level as you!” Strom gestures around at the crowd. He’s literal about being on the same level — the senator isn’t on a stage, and some in the back are standing on their toes to see him. “My fellow Jintarians, and my fellow Solarians who have dared to support real change: we have fought hard for the victory we’re going to enjoy in two days!” Strom throws his fist into the air as the crowd goes wild! “And after I win, I will keep fighting like hell for everyday Solarian people!” The crowd cheers again! Strom puts the mic down and walks into the crowd, shaking hands and taking to people as he goes — the Jintarian seems comfortable like this, mingling with others and getting face-to-face with voters. The camera focuses back on Eberechi, who is now standing next to a middle-aged man dressed in what could reasonably be described as business casual. A reflective-striped jacket sits over his collared shirt, with the name “MARKOWSKI” printed on the left breastpocket. “And there you have the candidate, Harold. With me is an attendee who expressed interest in speaking with me, Vincent Markowski.” “Thanks for talking with me. It’s not every day the Power Complex gets its voice heard, you know.” “You’re an engineer in Binyaria’s power station?” “It’s a huge level, not really ‘just’ a station. But yes, I work down there as a shift supervisor. Most of us are Jintarians just like the Senator, but we've got a few Martians too -- refugees from when Frost blew up Mars.” “Why do you support Strom?” “That's an easy question. I support him because he advocates for the common Solarian and good, traditional Solarian values. I supported the SFP during the last election, when I was younger, and they were just a Trojan horse for ATLAS and Frost, so why the hell would I vote for them again?!" Markowski shakes his head. "Strom will bring real change!” “Right, Vincent, thanks for your time,” Oteh moves to cut the interview. “Harold, back over to you.” “Thanks Eberichi. On that note we need to go to a short commercial break. The State of Sol will be right back with more hard-hitting coverage of our elections in a few minutes, so stay tuned!”

Election Week Analysis: WHO WILL WIN? Article 25 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election After the traditional SANN opening jingle the camera zooms in on the face of Harold MacMillan. Sitting across from him is the familiar, bespectacled face of Doctor Giacomo Principi, of the Callistean Institute of Interstellar Studies. MacMillan nods to the camera. “Good evening, and welcome back to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. With me today is Doctor Giacomo Principi, an expert on Solarian elections who’s come to talk to us about what the election looks like only a few days out. Doctor, once again, thank you for coming.” “Of course, Harold. I’m happy to be here — and please accept my sincerest apologies about Callisto drawing on Saturday.” MacMillan laughs! “Thanks, doctor. I know we’ll get them back in the Orion League later this year.” “I hope so! Anyways, anyways — let’s get to politics. With only a few days to go until the election on the 27th this may be the last time we have a clear, Alliance-wide picture of what voters might do.” “And what does the picture look like?” “Candidates are, as you’ve seen, doing last-minute ‘blitzes’ across the Alliance to rally support for themselves and their parties — you’ll recall our earlier discussion about potential coalitions in government We've seen Trang cross the Northern Reaches, Sumida the Southern Reaches, and both Renaud and Strom traveling throughout the Inner Ring." “I do recall our discussion. You still think we're going to have a coalition government?” “Well, as it stands polling shows some of the comments last week by Trang and the SSUP have damaged Sumida and the SFP, though we can’t truly say how badly -- but, it doesn't look like we'll have a SFP majority” “Is that good for Trang?” “I can’t say. Not every Sumida-slash-SFP defector-votee is going to go over to the SSUP. They might instead go for Strom, or even Renaud.” “If you do have to guess, where do you think they’d go?” “Strom,” Principi replies without hesitation. “He’s got the conservative leanings of Sumida without the corporate language.” “Something else you spoke about to me earlier, doctor, was the struggle Trang has to get dominance on other planets like she has on New Hai Phong. Can you elaborate a bit on that for the viewers?” “Certainly,” Principi clears his throat. “We won’t know exactly why until further analysis is done – of the academic sort, Harold – so I can only truly give you my theory. This being she has a good message very applicable to New Hai Phong’s struggle, but one potentially not as ‘impactful’ to a voter not from the planet. How many other planets have struggled with tajaran immigration or Hephaestus corruption in its manner?” MacMillian hrms to himself. “What about the other candidates, Renaud and Pavlov?” “Renaud’s performing well across the board, so no real change there. Pavlov’s, well, the Communist Party has always been a somewhat niche candidate, Harold. I think it’ll be strong enough to serve as a junior coalition partner.” “Right. Doctor, now we come to the ultimate question,” MacMillan leans forward a bit. “Who do you think will be our winner?” Principi thinks on the question for a moment. “I don’t believe I should spoil the surprise for our viewers, Harold.” MacMillan laughs! “And there you have it! Doctor, thank you for your time.” “Thank you for having me.” “The State of Sol will be right back after a short commercial break. Up next: coverage of the ongoing peacekeeping efforts on Lycoris. So,” MacMillan points his pen at the camera/viewer, “stay tuned!” The camera zooms out as MacMillan and Principi, both now not being recorded, talk once again among themselves.

LIVE: Xanu vs Callisto Article 24 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election The camera opens to an overhead shot of Hastings Colosseum in downtown Nouvelle-Rochelle, the field visible below, and a sizable number of people milling around outside the stadium. The stands appear to be packed. The camera switches to a well-dressed and bald man in a press box high over the field. “Welcome to The Hall of Columns, Hastings Colosseum here in the New Columbia District of Nouvelle-Rochelle. I’m Romeric Dubois, and today we are bringing you the highly anticipated matchup in this Orion Cup group, Callisto against Xanu!” The camera switches views again as Dubois continues speaking, showing both teams lined up in the tunnel, waiting for the go. Xanu, being the home side, are in their traditional green and orange colored shirts. Callisto is forced into their away colors of red and yellow. “It’s been the most anticipated matchup since these groups were announced, fierce rivals going toe to toe with qualification for the knockout rounds on the line for Xanu. A win will do it for them today, but Callisto simply need a point to go through, and they are the favorites.” Whilst he was speaking, the players moved onto the field for the traditional pre-game ceremony. The Orion Cup anthem is played as the starting 11 are lined up in the center of the field. Both teams then exchange memorabilia for the game, and assume their positions. Callisto lines up to kick off, and on the referee’s whistle, do so. “And we’re off!” The game starts quickly, with both teams playing aggressively, in the fashion only a rivalry could bring out. After 15 minutes, there have been a few chances at both ends, but nothing clear cut. After another 8 minutes, Callisto’s star forward, Geoff Higgins, gets on the end of a ball from the defense. “And here’s Higgins on the end of that ball, he’s gotten through the defense…and he scores!” The away section, easily some 30,000 Callistean fans, fills the stadium with cheers as Higgins slots the ball past the goalkeeper and runs over to celebrate in front of them. The remainder of the half goes by without much but further physical play, resulting in a few yellow cards being brandished. “After 45 minutes, Callisto leads 1-0. There have been chances at both ends, but the Crimson Cats defense was exposed at the back by Geoff Higgins, and that one mistake is all it takes against this Callisto team.” Xanu kicks off the second half, with a new life about them. Imposing themselves on Callisto, it takes just 3 minutes for them to get their own chance from their own star midfielder, Jacques Yao. “Here’s a chance…oh, what a save from the keeper! It’s retrieved by Xanu, and crossed into the middle– YAO!!! GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!” The stadium practically explodes as Yao heads the ball past the Callistean goalkeeper, then jumps atop an advertisement board and throws his arms up in celebration. The Callisto team restarts the action, and begins relentlessly attacking the Xanu goal, but to no avail. Xanu gets a few more chances over the next 30 minutes, but can’t find the goal they need. In the 88th minute, the game heats up. Geoff Higgins, the Callistean striker, dives in hard for the ball against Yao, who goes down hard, and causes the teams to come together in anger. “And oh! Higgins has caught Yao there, he could be in trouble! Something of a melee has broken out here, and the referee is going to have a lot of work to do. It’s all started with Higgins lunging in hard, and I think he caught Yao high on the leg, who is in some distress on the floor. And- oh! A red card! It’s a red card for Higgins, he’s off! Callisto down to ten men late in the match!” After Higgins has marched off the field, and the teams have been cleared, the game has gone into stoppage time, with the official signalling 5 minutes to be played. Yao lines up a free kick from the previous foul, but at a tough angle. “He could try his luck from here, but the angle is working against him. The referee blows the whistle…and he takes it– OH MY! HE’S DONE IT! HE’S SCORED! XANU HAVE SURELY GOTTEN THE WINNER!” Yao expertly curls the ball off the far post and into the back of the net, sending the crowd into a frenzy as he is mobbed by his teammates. Views of the crowd show utter pandemonium, with fans jumping, mobbing each other, and cheering. Callisto gets the game restarted, with a scant few minutes remaining, throwing everything they have at the Xanu net. With mere seconds to go, they manage to win a corner. “This is surely the last kick of the game, the crowd is waiting for the final whistle if Xanu can defend this corner. Callisto has sent their keeper up for the corner. They line up, the ball is whipped in…AND THEY’VE SCORED! THE KEEPER, RICHARD ANSELMO, HAS SCORED WITH WHAT IS SURELY THE LAST ACT OF THE GAME! OH MY WORD.” The Callistean goalkeeper found himself beating the defender on him, and heading the ball past his opposite number. The visiting section of fans now replicates the scenes the entire stadium had just moments prior, as Anselmo runs to the Callistean dugout and is mobbed by his teammates. The Xanan team is practically frozen in place on the field, completely devastated by what has just occurred. After the prolonged celebration ends, the teams kick off, and the referee immediately brings the game to an end. “There’s the final whistle, what drama to end the match. Xanu 2, Callisto 2, off the header from the Callistean keeper to give them the point they needed to progress…and heartbreak for the Xanan team. That’s all here, we’ll have post-match coverage coming up right after this.”

Live from San Colette! Article 23 of WINNER TAKES ALL: The '67 Solarian Federal Election As the traditional SANN opening graphic and jingle ends, the camera zooms in on the ever-present face of Harold MacMillan: mustached and with the Callistean flag pin adding a bit of local flair to his suit. “Good evening, and welcome back to The State of Sol. As always I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. As the eyes of the Spur go to Xanu in anticipation of tomorrow’s football game between Callisto and Xanu, the SANN goes to the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette’s capital, Nueva Isabela, where Céline Eylenbosch is reporting live from a Sol First Party rally. Over to you, Céline.” The camera switches to the blonde and well-dressed Cytherean star of the SANN, who is standing in a fancy-looking ballroom surrounded by well-dressed Coletters — some wearing Solarian Navy or Colettish Civil Guard uniforms. “Thank you, Harold, and good evening, dear viewers. I’m reporting from a meeting of the Fraternal Order of Naval Officers — the largest Navy veteran organization and an endorser of Senator Sumida.” “Who’s at this meeting aside from veterans, Céline?” Harold asks. “Many people, Harold. Notable members of civil society, engineers and researchers, and members of San Colette’s local military forces. If only you had tuned in earlier, President Sarmiento just spoke.” “The President of the Colettish Republic?” “The same, Harold,” Eylenbosch sighs a bit, “if only she had stopped for an interview, hm?” “Do you have anyone to interview?” “Oh, Harold, you wound me. Of course I have someone to interview,” Eylenbosch snaps her fingers to someone behind the camera, making eye contact with them, then looks back to the camera. “They’ll be here in a moment.” A few moments later, true to Eylenbosch’s word, a serious-looking younger woman in a Civil Guard dress uniform enters the frame and stands opposite the Cytherean — she’s just a bit shorter than Eylenbosch, who angles the mic to her counterpart. “Good evening. I am Corvette Captain Leticia de la Fuente of the Colettish Civil Guard,” de la Fuente pauses for a moment. “It seems I have a habit of being interviewed by the media.” “What do you mean, hm?” “Well, ah, I worked with the XNS when they were reporting from here during the Civil War. But that was only for a few weeks, I reported to the frontline after that.” “So you’ve seen combat?” Eylenbosch lights up a bit at the prospect. “I have, yes. I was engaged in space, orbital, and terrestrial combat during the Civil War.” “A legitimate war hero, dear viewers! Why do you support Sumida?” “He’s the only candidate, speaking as myself and not for the Civil Guard, who seems to truly value the Solarian Armed Forces. Strom talks about them, and I value what he did in the Civil War, but I don’t think the Populists can ever truly understand the military, especially the Navy.” “Why is that, my dear hero?” “We have an institutional tradition stretching back to before the space age, ma’am. There’s a pride that comes with wearing a uniform and serving the broader Alliance.” “And what about the Mandates?” unlike Cong, Eylenbosch has not caused a stir in the crowd. They continue politely talking with one another as the officer and Cytherean talk. “If we set up a system where the Mandates rely on handouts from Unity Station, we’re just recreating the system that let disloyal officers step in and establish fiefdoms when it collapsed. We have to pick ourselves back up after a certain point.” “Thank you, my dear captain, for your time. Harold, back to you.” The camera switches back to MacMillan, who looks as comfortable as ever. He nods to the camera. “The State of Sol will be right back with more of the news you rely on from around the Spur. But before we go to commercial break, one last message from me:” MacMillan raises his fist! “Go Callisto, beat Xanu!”