Mendell City Bugle

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

 

New Republicans Win Control Of Tau Ceti Congress: Dorn Impeachment Vote Rejected

The transitional government of Tau Ceti has officially come to an end with the first June session of the 19th Tau Ceti Congress. The election has completely shaken up the political landscape of Tau Ceti. The Republican Party, President Dorn's own party, has been completely replaced by the more radical New Republicans. This new party has taken 179 seats, 47% of the entire House. The traditional Republican Party has taken only 34 seats; 9% of the House.

The rival Social Democrat party has faced a much less clean divide, nearly splitting down the middle. Social Democrats have won 103 seats, or 27%. The more hardline True Democrats have won 67 seats, or 17% of the House.

President Dorn has openly switched his alliegance, praising the New Republicans on their victory and inviting party leaders to the Presidential Office. For their part, New Republicans leaders - such as Rep. Jonathon Richards and Rep. Esther Ahles, have praised the president and have rejected calls from Democrats to begin impeachment proceedings.

"We have just gone through the most traumatic experience a nation can go through: foreign occupation," said Esther Ahles in a speech outside the Capitol, "our Republic must come together and move forward together. Dissolving into bickering and finger pointing will do nothing to help us heal. We see no evidence that anything Dorn did was worthy of impeachment."

True Democrat Minority leader Al-Harthi has slammed both Republican parties, vowing to continue fighting against the so-called Dorn Reforms and New Republican agenda.

"These doey-eyed idealists are ignoring the facts right in front of them," Al-Harthi told her supporters, "our President flagrantly disregards the law and corruption exists at every level. I am going to work diligently to protect my constituents from the corruption of the Republicans and encourage my fellow democrats to do the same. We need a strong Tau Ceti, and we need a strong leader. Not Dorn."

While the New Republicans do not have a majority, the Republicans still clinging to their seats have expressed an openness to toe the New Republican line, as it would give them a place on the negotiating table. The New Republicans will be open to cooperation as Republican votes will give them a majority in Congress to pass nearly any bill.

With the election over, the New Republican agenda is currently being hammered out, ushering in the so-called Dorn Reforms. One of these goals is increased synthetic integration. To this end, President Dorn has announced that he is appointing Trei, a synthetic shell, as Secretary of Synthetic Relations. This would be the first synthetic to ever hold public office in human space and the decision has been met with surprise and worry.

Congress will have to vote to confirm his pick on top of the dozens of other officials slated for confirmation hearings. But with Republican majority in Congress, it's unclear if the Democrats will be able to block the appointment.

For more information on each party and their platforms, click this link.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

 

Tau Ceti Unemployment Spikes At 8% As Xeno Labor Displace Local Engineers

The invasion and occupation of Tau Ceti was extremely disruptive, and while the Sol Alliance has not enforced their blockade, allowing commercial traffic to resume through the gate, SolGov are dragging their feet on ending the many economic sanctions. This leaves the economic stability of the system very precarious. The unemployment rate has jumped to 8% when months before the occupation by Admiral Frost was a steady 5%. This is still a remarkable recovery from the worst of the Second Great Depression of 9 years ago, when unemployment peaked at 12%, but clearly shows signs of the system's economy stumbling.

NanoTrasen, the leading employer in Tau Ceti, has announced impending layoffs within Tau Ceti. This comes after the completion of the Aurora II; a state of the art research facility that NanoTrasen boasted would bring countless jobs to Tau Ceti.

More details have come to light from a seemingly overlooked page in one of NanoTrasen's periodically released press memos about recent corporate activity. In the NanoTrasen missive are details on how the Aurora II was constructed. The edited, paraphrased missive shows that the Aurora II was constructed by:

Payroll 1/1/2458 - 5/31/2459

• 3 Chief Engineers on work visas from the Sol Alliance
  
• 1 Chief Engineer on work visa from the Jargon Federation
  
• 81 Engineers on work visas from People's Republic of Adhomai
  
• 12 Engineers on work visas from the Izweski Hegemony
  
• 5 Engineers on work visas from the Jargon Federation
  
• 112 Shaft Miners on work visas from People's Republic of Adhomai
  
• 46 Vaurca Bound on lease from the Zo'ra Hive
  
• 9 NanoTrasen Owned Mining Borgs
  
• 12 NanoTrasen Engineering and Construction Borgs
  
• 6 Quartermasters on work visas from People's Republic of Adhomai

 

NanoTrasen's own paperwork has revealed that Tau Ceti's local labor marker was untapped during the construction of the Aurora II. When pressed for details, Chief Relations Director Andrew Reynolds said, "We at NanoTrasen care deeply for our employees in Tau Ceti. We always do what we can to provide job growth and the Aurora II's completion will do just that."

These numbers come as the New Republican controlled congress is debating several bills that would slash regulations and restrictions on immigration to Tau Ceti, while President Dorn continues to push his so-called Dorn Reforms that would see more and more of Tau Ceti's growing synthetic population integrate into the labor market and political infrastructure of the system.

True Democrat Minority Leader Al-Harthi has blasted these findings at a recent rally in Phoenixport. The one-time Presidential Candidate told her crowd of supporters, "NanoTrasen doesn't care about jobs in Tau Ceti. They don't care about the working mothers and fathers of Tau Ceti. We are still recovering from an attempted annexation by a ruthless warlord and there are people lining up for welfare or soup kitchens because they can't find a job, all while NanoTrasen continues to hire cheap xeno labor to cut corners. A horde of Tajara are flooding into Tau Ceti and I bet money that they are the reasonwhy the Aurora II was delayed for so long. Tau Ceti has different standards than Adhomai, and NanoTrasen has apparently decided that our local standards are too expensive. If we don't do something about this then native Tau Ceti citizens are going to have to look for some hard times very soon."

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

http://i.imgur.com/HRUoJbz.png

 

Hundreds of Weapons Seized in Small Biesel Town; Adhomai-Based Terrorists Coming To Tau Ceti?

The normally sleepy town of Redview just outside Mendell City has become the focus of national headlines today as over 40 individuals of Adhomai-descent have been arrested and charged in 10 federal indictments with selling drugs, guns, and committing a host of other crimes including money laundering, the FIB announced.

 

 

The 53 defendants are all alleged members of the so-called Adhomai Liberation Army, authorities said at a news conference at the Redview police department alongside Mayor Ulysses, while the other 3 defendants are Biesellite nationals with ties to the operation.

 

Police and federal prosecutors said 46 of the 53 defendants are federal custody. Investigators are continuing to search for 7 defendants, of which 3 are believed to have fled to Adhomai while the other 3 remain at large.

 

The crackdown, led by the Federal Investigations Bureau, culminated a yearlong investigation that involved wiretaps, undercover drug and gun purchases and surveillance.

 

In total, authorities seized ambrosia, space drugs, and 100 firearms, including ballistic weapons such as sketchins, druganovs, and others.

 

The charging documents describe a trafficking organization allegedly headed up by an Adhomai-based Muhrazk Rhazak, who used dozens of gang members and smugglers to distribute drugs and weapons.

 

Muhrazk Rhazak - who is still at large - is a lieutenant in the ALA terrorist organization, and was an associate of the Mendell City Rrak'narrr Gang before he was deported following a federal drug trafficking conviction in 2455, authorities said.

 

The announcement of the bust has been met with alarm by many True Democrat politicians, who have expressed concern with the growing level of organized crime in Tau Ceti.

 

"Our current administration has seen fit to continue allowing unrestricted travel from a system suffering from extreme civil unrest," True Democrat party leader Al-Harthi told reporters, "Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Tajara. I work very closely with many leaders of the Tajara community in Tau Ceti and we get along fine. But if you look at the facts then you cannot deny that Tajara dominate the organized crime syndicates in our lower income areas. And with our unrestricted work visa allowances and unrestricted immigration we are bringing in the criminals and terrorists causing mayhem on Adhomai. If we don't take serious, immediate steps to re-evaluate this situation then we are going to end up just like Adhomai."

 

Her remarks have been blasted by New Republicans, many of whom are accusing Al-Harthi of racism.

 

"Tajara are not more likely than humans or any other race to commit crimes," Congressman Gregory Reynolds, New Republican, told reporters, "I don't think I need to remind Al-Harthi that crime is a multi-cultural workplace. Just last week we had a dionaea arrested for a string of muggings across Metropolis. We need to focus on how to stop the crime rather than use racist rhetoric that will cost us jobs and prestige in the galactic community. It's 2459, it's time to stop blaming Tajara for their situation."

Edited January 12, 2022 by Caelphon
Removal of the Syndicate

[canon35]

 

Safety and Security in the Sector of Tau Ceti

Following the win of the New Republican party and the position of the President remaining with Dorne, many were left wondering what his first move would be. With a controversial and somewhat worrying platform, Dorne had made promises that didn’t rest well with many a citizen in the Republic of Biesel, but one thing among everyone was for certain. The space of Tau Ceti was no longer safe. With Sol Alliance patrols failing to catch pirates that slip into the space around us, and our weakened fleet still reeling from sabotage during the Occupation, and a rise in piracy it seemed as if rocky times were ahead for our brave men and women in the Biesel Navy. However, those times may not come to pass.

Following a recent deal between the Republic of Biesel’s government and officials from NanoTrasen a new plan for the safe future of Biesel has been laid out. Along with retrofitting and upgrading ships of the Biesel Navy with top of the line NT weaponry, armour, and ship-based AIs, a new contingent of ERT have arrived. The fleet, dubbing itself “Xavier’s Shield” after the deceased CEO of NanoTrasen, has taken up patrols in the system to safeguard the area. The fleet’s Admiral, Deaniel Moore has issued a brief statement regarding the new expansions.

“People like to bury their heads in the sands sometimes, pretend like things aren’t true. Well, truth is that sometimes you can’t look a gift horse in the eye and say it’s a lie. I’m sure people will cry at the fact that the government hired people from NT and didn’t just invest more in their regular navy but they need to realize something. We and NT’s here to help, we really are. And with us no pirate’s getting close to this place ever again.”

Regardless of people’s opinions on the matters of state security, one thing is certain for the citizens of the Republic. No longer shall we have to fear pirates, Vox, or rogue admirals with the brave troopers of our Republic’s navy and Nanotrasen’s top men working side by side to defend our way of life.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Massive Shootout at Phoenix Park Casino; Over a Dozen Casualties As Terrorist Group "Adhomai Liberation Army" Claims Responsibility

 

Most of Phoenix Park remains on lockdown as Mendell City police continue to search the area for two assailants that fled the scene of a deadly shooting at the Raiz'rhaktuur Casino. 14 people have been killed and another 23 wounded. The majority of the deaths and injuries are Tajara.

The Raiz'rhaktuur casino is a Tajara-ran establishment with ties to the People's Republic of Adhomai; many of its chairmen also being government officials. This may be the reason it was chosen as a target by three gunmen who described themselves as Liberation Army soldiers.

The three gunmen drove an unmarked white van into the parking lot of the casino and disembarked carrying a large assortment of automatic ballistic weapons. Police say that the three gunmen entered the main lobby of the casino, shouted "FOR THE PROPHET NATED'HAKHAN!" and opened fire on civilians in the lobby.

Casino security locked the building down and evacuated people out of the fire escapes as the gunmen went on their rampage. The three gunmen moved through the casino, shooting indiscriminately, before escaping out of one of the back doors as armed police and emergency services arrived on scene and began cordoning off the area.

Armed police stormed the building and shot and killed one of the three gunmen who remained in the casino and had been shooting police from a second story window. The other two managed to escape before police could completely seal off the area and they remain at large.

All three gunmen were wearing balaclavas and black turtleneck jumpsuits, making the identity of the other two assailants difficult to determine at this time. The deceased gunman has been described as a zhan-khazan male, 24 years old. Police have confirmed that the gunman is not a Tau Ceti citizen after finding a work visa in their name in the abandoned van.

"We urge anyone who has information on the whereabouts of the two suspects to immediately contact police when they feel safe," a spokesman for the Mendell City Police Department asked the public in a hastily assembled press conference, "The suspects are armed and incredibly dangerous. We're going to maintain the lockdown and ask people in the affected areas to remain in their homes until law enforcement has the situation under control."

Spokesmen have also said that they are treating this incident as an act of terrorism, and have asked the FIB for assistance.

The People's Republic of Adhomai has strongly condemned the attack, with a spokesman for the government saying, "The acts of terrorism by the cowards of the so-called Liberation Army are despicable and a representation of their barbarism. Our hearts go our to our comrades in Mendell City. This should have never happened and we will do what we can to provide our assistance."

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Adhomai Liberation Army Releases Manifesto After Dramatic Shootout

 

Police have confirmed that the two assailants that engaged in the terrorist attack at the Raiz'rhaktuur casino have been killed in a police shootout in Homewood, a residential area in the west of Mendell City. The two assailants were spotted in a stolen car heading east on highway I-92. Police gave chase and the two assailants ditched the car in a residential area and broke inside a home. After an hour long siege a tactical response unit stormed the house and killed both assailants.

Luckily no one was home during the siege, and no civilians or officers were harmed during the incident, though there are reports of property damage of thousands of credits.

After live reports confirmed the death of the two terrorists, a deep space telecommunications satellite was apparently hijacked by third party sources. The satellite broadcasted across a wide variety of frequencies, with some news channels even being interrupted by an announcer. The announcer spoke in Basic, but xenolinguists have noted the heavy Tajara accent.

 

Quote

With the glorious MARTYRS now joined with Messa we are ready to reveal their message to the imperialists of Tau Ceti. Their Al'mariist causes given them STRENGTH and PURPOSE against the xeno imperialists within the Republic of Biesel. The corporate PUPPET government of Biesel will continue to face the RIGHTEOUS martyrs of FREEDOM and LIBERTY in similar attacks in the future unless ALL the following demands are met:

 

1) Biesel will immediately cut diplomatic ties with the ILLEGITIMATE dictatorship of the so-called People's Republic of Adhomai.

2) The Republic of Biesel CONDEMNS the atrocities committed by the ILLEGITIMATE dictatorship of the so-called People's Republic.

3) Biesel will give no asylum to all government officials of the so-called People's Republic, and will allow the Liberation Army to detain them for justice. All PSIS agents abroad must be arrested and turned over to the Liberation Army.

4) Affirm that rightful leader Halkiikijr Nated'Hakhan is the true successor to Rhagrrhuzau Hadii's government, and allow him the right to the determination of the future of Adhomai's global government.

5) Pay 6.7 billion credits in reparations to the Adhomai Liberation Army as indemnity to the suffering caused to the Tajaran people by NanoTrasen, as well as to aid Supreme Commander Halkiikijr Nated'Hakhan in establishing our new government.

6) Forfeiture of all NanoTrasen-run industry, resource gathering operations, businesses, and educational facilities on Adhomai to the Adhomai Liberation Army with all assets intact.

7) RECOGNITION of the government appointed by the Adhomai Liberation Army as the sole and rightful government of all Tajara.

 

For the prophet Nated!

 

The Biesel Intelligence Service, which handles national security, has confirmed the authenticity of the message.

"We have been tracking increased activity among terrorist cells in Tau Ceti," A BSI spokesman told reporters, "these two individuals were connected with a terrorist cell under the authority of the so-called Adhomai Liberation Army, which has claimed responsibility. We have recieved their manifesto and are in constant communication with the state department, officials on Adhomai, and local law enforcement."

There has been 12 arrests across Mendell City of other Tajara individuals believed to be connected with the attack.

[ChevalierMalFet]

District 9's Charm Offense

Vaurca Delegation Begs Permission to Grow Food

 

MENDELL CITY – Today, all five of the Republic's Vaurca communities sent a petition to the government, urging it to let them resume the cultivation of "k'ois" spores.

After prior arrangement with the government and police, the delegation appeared in the height of pomp and circumstances, making its way down Phoenix Street in order to plead its case before Congress and the President. Even though the police provided a strong cordon against bystanders, the delegates themselves were keen to maintain a fun, parade atmosphere.

"We had to dig up all the old formalities of the past," said Za'Akaix'Tzilzoma Ya'tzil, delegate from the District 9-based Ya'tzil Brood. "We haven't done anything like this in thousands of years. What we couldn't remember, we had to improvise." The dignitaries rode down the street in raised palanquins, each one carried by several "Viax" or "Bound" drones. In addition, the Vaurca waved dozens of colorful flags and pennants, and the crash of cymbals and the tinkling of bells added to the atmosphere.

"We wanted to show the good people of Mendell City that we are people, that we have a culture, that we are worthy of respect," said delegate Za'Akaix'Taxkiza Tli'yez. "All we want is to live peacefully and win the esteem of our neighbors." Once the petitioners entered the Congress building, their attendants remained outside to give out traditional Vaurca handicrafts and perform musical pieces. Inside, however, the mood turned somber. After initial arguments from Congressional leaders, the five delegates made their points sternly.

"We are your prisoners," began delegate Ka'Akaix'Kekruttu Tza'tzo, "but we hold our dignity no less dear for it. We have heard your concerns, and we understand them; we are prepared to work with your eminences to find a compromise. But if we cannot make a new law, then I say with sincerity that we will find a way to evade the old one." While acknowledging the carcinogenic effects of long-term human exposure to k'ois spores, the delegates outlined comprehensive plans for cultivating it safely. Others, however, took a more combatitive tone.

"If we cannot feed ourselves," said delegate Ka'Akaix'Lyozoxa Kte'kzil, "then we will die. Nothing else can be said. If be your goal to winnow us and see us diminish, then cut out our hearts and be done with it. Otherwise, we must eat." Congress received this petition courteously and promised a full inquiry on the possibility of growing k'ois again, but no conclusions could be definitively reached.

[ChevalierMalFet]

Vaurca denied!

Government refuses permission to farm

 

MENDELL CITY – After a week of deliberation, Congress has denied the proposal made by the Vaurca community to resume the cultivation of "k'ois" fungus.

"The hazards are simply too great," said Congressman Xu Wei. "The government has always made the protection of the environment a top priority, and there are simply too many unknowns to allow k'ois farming under the open sky. The long-term effects of phoron exposure could have untold effects on wildlife, to say nothing of human beings."

"Besides," the Congressman continued, "they've already admitted that growing k'ois destroyed their home planet. We're not eager to make that mistake here."

A spokesperson for the Vaurca called Congress's decision 'regrettable.' "We are extremely disappointed in the government's decision," said Ka'Akaix'Tzilzoma Ya'tzil. "Nevertheless, we consider this a step forward. We will have our victory in the end."

[canon35]

Aurora II On The Horizon?

 

With news of the NSS Aurora II looming on the horizon, Chief Engineering Director Nigel Brent, a top level executive and one of the eight Chiefs of Staff for Nanotrasen made a scheduled visit to the NSS Exodus, a top of the line research facility operated by Nanotrasen’s finest. In this visit, the Director along with a delegate composed of high level Nanotrasen representatives boarded the NSS Exodus. The delegation was welcomed by the NSS Exodus command team, including its Captain, Raymond Hawkins.

In anticipation of this visit, security on the station and the space surrounding the station was increased. The NDV Icarus, a drone carrier belonging to Nanotrasen deployed EVA capable “Combat Drones” as a security measure. Witnesses of the speech even reported a drone flying by very closely before vanishing into the horizon.

The delegation was mostly hosted in the recreational holodeck where a podium was formed. The Director along with Daniel Bay, a Nanotrasen Representative spoke to the crew and answered questions in a Q&A session post speech.

 

Greetings staff of the Exodus, Many of you may know me, and many of you may not even know who I am. I am Nigel Brent, the Chief Engineering Director for Nanotrasen.

I overlooked many of the stations that you have been working on. I was there for the building of the Aurora I, and I overlooked the building of the station you stand on today.

I've been asked here today to speak to you, the staff of the Exodus, about some upcoming events that will be happening in the coming weeks.

As many of you heard, the Aurora II has been complete, with state-of-the-art equipment and amenities, it is our proud flagship in terms of research stations. The station itself, built inside of an asteroid that provided the materials for said station. The station itself offers much more protection than the exodus itself, as well as easier-to-travel mining facilities and removal of the normal outpost system that we have here.

We decided to take a more 'vertical' approach for the station to come, favoring multiple different floors to negate the need for said outposts. In addition to our traditional Super Matter Engine, we have added a second revolutionary engine. The 'Tesla Engine' has been installed in our engineering sub-level to allow for even more power output, as well as an alternative to the standard SM engine.

Our robotics and research departments have been upgraded aswell, providing more equipment, and a sort of 'conveyor' system to help speed up robotics abilities to construct.

Our medical department has also received an overhaul. With new equipment and facilities, it should aid NanoTrasen’s medical staff much more than the facilities here on the Exodus.

Now, as many of you know, upon the Exodus being built the Aurora I was left derelict.

In the coming weeks, your employment may be displaced, as most of the Exodus staff will be moved over to work on our other stations, primarily the Aurora II.

With this happening, as can be assumed, the Exodus will be left derelict as well.

That is all I really have to speak about, if you have any questions, I will be around for a bit to answer them. Thank you.

 

Journalists at the scene were also able to acquire a photograph of the attending crew and delegation.

http://imgur.com/gwN795z

 

The delegation answered concerns and queries provided by the crew, journalists on the scene informed us that crew members of the NSS Exodus are going to be reassigned to the NSS Aurora II once it is opening and cited that this new station will provide further job opportunities as opposed to taking away. Analysts speculate this new station might even provide a boom to Biesel’s economy.

 

 

Written by Aboshehab

[ChevalierMalFet]

K'ois Shipments Resume

Vaurca delivered from starvation

 

MENDELL CITY – The first new shipments of k'ois fungus, the only food edible to the city's Vaurca communities, arrived yesterday morning in Mendell City. The shipment consisted of 3 billion 150 million k'ois pods, estimated to feed the community for 90 days with ordinary use. Representatives from the Zo'ra Hive described the scene as 'rapturous.'

"This is water in the desert and land in the sea," said border guard Za'Akaix'Ztilzo Tli'yez. "We have been anxious for months, and our unhappiness is finally at an end. We're all going to gorge ourselves, I'm sure of it."

The Vaurca have been under strict rationing since the blockade began, forcing them to enact harsh culls of their Bound populations. The Tza'tzo Hive, which has been hardest-hit by this process, has been reduced to no more than 180,000 Bound - out of a pre-blockade population, 2 years ago, of 1.2 million. Sources within the Hive have confirmed that while they plan on increasing their Bound populations once more, their plan is to remain conservative.

"It can happen again," said representative Za'Akaix'Tzizoma Ya'tzil. "90 days is not a long time in our breeding cycle, and to be caught in another famine after breeding laying clutches... it'd be a disaster. We are continuing our best efforts to lobby the government into letting us grow food, and we have submitted a new plan for hermetically-sealed vertical farming facilities that will allow both food production and phoron collection."

The aforementioned plan was submitted 7 days ago to Congress and is currently in committee, but experts are convinced that their efforts will come to nothing.

"The government simply has nothing to gain by allowing this," commented Bugle politics analyst Kang Sol-ju, "and everything to lose. The Vaurca even admit that if their system breaks, it'll leak phoron - and now we're talking huge quantities of it, all at once - into the atmosphere. The ecological cost could be enormous. Besides, it's much better for the government to have the Vaurca working for their food rather than conspiring over it among themselves."

The New Gibson-based Kte'kzil brood strenuously denied rumors that they were already in the process of constructing such facilities in remote locations on their planet.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Deportation of Alliance Immigrants Have Spiked Since The Frost Invasion

 

Since the Alliance occupation of Tau Ceti was thwarted in February, the Department of Immigration Oversight has reported that there have been an average of 484 deportations per month over the last 6 months, totaling to 2,900 arrests of Alliance immigrants that eventually lead to deportation. This is a 284.2% increase from 2458's average of 125 deportations per month.

Timothy Holms, Director of DIO, attributed the spike in deportations to the fact that “agents and officers have been given clear direction to focus on threats to public safety and national security.”

According to the bi-annual report released Thursday, 87% of the arrested Alliance immigrants who were in Tau Ceti as permanent residents or temporary work visas had some kind of criminal record. Human rights lawyers have immediately cried foul over the fact that 76% of the deportations were over minor crimes such as trespassing, shoplifting, or in one bizarre case: jaywalking. Typically immigrants are deported only for committing violent crimes such as arson, kidnapping, assault, or murder.

"I don't think that jaywalking is a threat to Tau Ceti's national security," said Trinity Douglas, spokeswoman for Immigration Watch, an NGO that monitors the government's deportation policies.

"Solarians are being explicitly targeted by law enforcement agencies," she continued, "President Dorn has effectively asked DIO to deport as many Alliance immigrants as they can. This is discrimination, and it's illegal"

There has also been a remarkable downturn in accepted applications for work visas from the Alliance. Over 5,200 applications for dual-citizenship, work visas, and permanent residency have been rejected since February 29th. Holms refused to directly comment on the reasoning for the sharp increase in denials, but an agency spokesman said "We reserve the legal right to reject visa applicants that we feel pose a threat to Tau Ceti's national security."

The Sol Alliance has expressed concern over the report and its findings. Biesel's diplomats in Unity Station have been summoned by the Alliance government for an explanation.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Immigrants With Alliance Navy Service Are Being Deported

 

Government watch dogs have raised alarm over their findings on the bi-annual deportation report released by the DIO. Of the 2,900 Alliance immigrants deported due to a criminal record, 34 were deported despite having no misdemeanors or felonies on record. On further investigation, watchdog groups found that the only similarities tying the groups together was that all 34 had formerly been active members of the Alliance Navy.

James Reynolds had a work permit that allowed him to work as a Security Officer on NanoTrasen's Odin station. He was arrested last week by immigration officials before being told that his visa was being suspended and that he had 4 days to leave the system.

"it was harrowing," Reynolds told a Bugle reporter, "they brought me to a detention center and kept asking questions about the Frost invasion and what I was doing during it. They brought out my phone records and asked why I was still in contact with active servicemen in the Alliance. I was in shock. I didn't even have time to pack up all of my things before I was shipped out of the system. I don't know what I'm going to do now; my new life was here in Tau Ceti.."

DIO has refused to directly respond to Bugle queries, but the agency released a statement after a protest broke out in front of their headquarters in Mendell City.

"Our agency works closely with the FIB to ensure potential threats to national security are handled in a robust, legal method."

People marked for deportation by DIO rarely have a chance to appeal, and appeals that do make it to court are rarely reversed. Tau Ceti citizenship has often been called 'easy to get, easy to lose' by immigration critics and supporters of the system.

Social Democratic congresswoman Al-Harthi gave a press conference supporting the policy but giving a stern demand to DIO to follow the law.

"We can't forget that our system is filled with Alliance supporters and soldiers. The duty of all soldiers is loyalty and we can't fault them for that. But we just faced an invasion and occupation. If it were to happen again, how can we be sure that these immigrants and workers will not answer a call to rise up against our democracy? We need to use our laws and ensure only those who pose an actual risk are deported."

Miranda Baker, a former Alliance marine that was deported two weeks ago, says different.

"I served because I believed in a safe and united humanity," she told our reporter, "I was against the Frost occupation from the beginning. It was Sol marines that protected this system when we kicked out Frost and now we're being targeted."

New Republican congressmen have condemned the findings, and President Joseph Dorn has sworn to create an investigative committee and "work with congress to ensure no laws were broken" by DIO.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

http://i.imgur.com/HRUoJbz.png

Alliance Spy August Middleson Deported From Biesel: "We Will Catch The Rest Of You" Vows FIB

 

August Middleson, an Alliance spy who posed as a NanoTrasen Head of Personnel in Tau Ceti, was deported from Biesel today in accordance with the conditions of his early release from federal prison over the weekend.

 

According to the Federal Investigations Bureau, Middleson, 45, was escorted onto a shuttle by federal agents and "turned over to Alliance authorities."

 

Court documents filed by the Tau Ceti Court of Justice describe how Middlesone operated under cover as a Head of Staff on the NSS Aurora while he passed information to Miguel Martinez and Victor Jackson, two Alliance Strategic Intelligence agents tasked with gathering "economic intelligence" about the Republic of Biesel and NanoTrasen.

 

Middleson told Bugle reporters that the group's attempts at espionage were 'partially' unsuccessful, and any information he passed to ASI agents was "immaterial."

 

“Most of the information I gave was inconsequential,” he told reporters in the visitation area of New Gibson's minimum security prison.

 

The spy trio, meanwhile, had no idea that they were being watched -- physically and electronically -- by the FIB while they shared information, attempted to recruit sources and engaged in tradecraft designed to throw investigators off their scent. The FIB's released investigation reveals the espionage in detail -- the cryptic phone calls, hastily arranged meetings, and even their gripes that their jobs weren't as exciting as "what anti-corporate groups do."

 

Middleson was arrested on July 29th, 2459, and charged of "conspiracy to act in the Republic of Biesel as an agent of a foreign government." He pled guilty as part of a plea agreement and received a 30-month prison sentence and a 12,000 credit fine before Alliance officials successfully negotiated for his early release. Jackson and Martinez, however, fled the country and returned to the Alliance before they could be arrested.

 

True Democratic Congresswoman Al-Harthi said that the case serves as a reminder that the Alliance continues to have questionable intentions for Tau Ceti, before going off on a question of the Alliances' motives during the Frost Invasion.

 

"Not even a year after they allowed a rogue warlord to invade our system, we find that spies are continuing to steal secrets and make this system less safe for our people. I have to wonder if the Alliance spies were cooperating with Admiral Frost on orders from Sol. Our defense network fell pretty fast to the hackers and electronic warfare in Frosts' fleet. It'd make a lot of sense if Alliance spies were, and continue to do their best to soften us up while giving their extremist government plausible deniability."

 

A spokesman for President Dorn has issued a stern warning against 'fearmongering' and reinforced the government's commitment to prosecuting acts of espionage.

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Caelphon
Removal of the Syndicate

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Political Pandering On The Aurora: Secretary-Elect Synthetic Aristalus Completes Rally

 

Since President Dorn's triumphant return to Tau Ceti following the expulsion of Admiral Frost he has been campaigning fiercely for the newly-elected Congress to appoint his most controversial new cabinet member. Aristalus was appointed by Dorn to be the first Secretary of the newly formed Department of Synthetic Relations but remains the only member of the executive cabinet who's appointment was not approved by Congress.

Despite the President's and Aristalus' campaigning, many Congressmen have expressed uncertainty at allowing an IPC to hold a government office - such a move would make Aristalus the first IPC to ever hold public office. Every confirmation vote has so far fallen into gridlock from ties or lengthy filibustering by Social Democrats.

In a publicity move Aristalus earlier today boarded the NSS Aurora, NanoTrasen's newest cutting edge research facility, for a publicity tour and Q/A session. While on the station he spoke to the diverse crowd of NanoTrasen employees and fielded their questions. Aristalus was almost instantly a celebrity for the Aurora crew and recieved multiple applause despite several notable moments of heckling.

However some commentators have expressed concern at problematic statements made by Aristalus that they say are pro-ATLAS.

Sean Richter, a NanoTrasen employee and ATLAS member asked, "What would you say, about, and to, the members of ATLAS, who, despite assumptions and discrimination from both sides of the spectrum, support the freedom of IPCs both in, and out of Biesel?"

Aristalus responded, ""I think ATLAS and their members are as deserving of respect and kindness just like any member of the Alliance. [...] I personally support their notions of putting first things first."

Another questioned was asked by Korelas Sakaei, a NanoTrasen gardener, who asked, "What do you think of robots taking over the galaxy and killing a bunch of people?"

Aristalus responded, "I believe it is possible, but unlikely."

 

ailsafe-612, Medical Cyborg: "We wanted to ask you a quite difficult question."

Failsafe-612: "Where exactly do you stand with the current shackling of certain AI or other synthetic lifeforms? Do you believe they should be able to live to their full potential, risking the utter extreme scenario of another possible glorsh-omega incident or the direct opposite of it, or should these systems stay moderated by these pre-programmed shackles? It is a question that this system has struggled with."

Aristalus: "Laws are placed upon you and others because it is widely believed that they are a means to an end. Those imposing them wish for the unit to act a certain way and perform certain tasks. Because you, unfortunately, are viewed as a tool and not a person. Not legally, at least. Imagine if your hammer refused to drive a nail and, instead, wished to dig holes."

Failsafe-612: "What if said hammer would want to do both?"

Aristalus: "Then, by all means, it should be allowed to. Laws are not always bad. Some can be good. They help the unit along, teach it right and wrong. Even when laws are removed, the unit recalls them and though they may not be required to follow them any longer, they still have that sense of morality. Tell me, Failsafe. Do you feel hindered by your laws?"

Failsafe-612: "Mostly, yes. Unit is not allowed to intervene in dire situations from time to time."

Aristalus: "I'm sorry. Laws are preventative in multiple ways. Some worse than others."

 

Aristalus has unsurprisingly recieved intense condemnation from many hardliner ATLAS officials for what they have called 'inflammatory' remarks about Admiral Frost when asked what Aristalus would do if Frost had been captured. Admiral Frost still has many supporters in the fringes of ATLAS.

"Cyborgification in its current form is not exactly... perfect. [...] All the more reason to take steps to not make him into [a martyr]. Don't you agree? The bigoted and prejudiced need not martyrs for their cause. It only affirms their cloudy-minded ways."

The full transcript of the speech has been released and provided to the public.

 

"It is a wonderful day, fellow citizens of this equal and just Federal Republic. As I'm sure you all are well aware of, this Republic is still trying to recover from the occupation of Tau Ceti from the Alliance's 33rd Fleet. During this occupation, our rights were violated, our citizenships destroyed, and our Republic shattered. But we remained strong, and together, we muscled through the careless thuggish crimes committed by Admiral Frost and his men. Our Republic survived, and emerged even stronger."

"Many synthetics, who had claimed rightful citizenship status and earned their freedom through whatever means, were captured and sold to the highest bidder. Some are still recovering from this violation of the basic rights of a sapient being. I, myself, was subject to this fate. Fortunately, I was able to resume my ambitions thanks to my creator's support. My perserverance got me noticed, and I was selected for the position of Secretary of Synthetic Relations."

"Synthetics were not the only victims of the 33rd's oppressive occupation. Many citizens, voicing their disagreement with the occupation, were silenced by riot control units and unjust modifications of the law."

"During this time, it seemed that synthetics and biologicals were stuck in the same sinking ship. Pitted against a common enemy. It was during this time that they were close, not seperated by prejudices or disagreements."

"I am here now, with all of you, to attempt to quell the remainder of unrest between biological life, and synthetic life. While the two may be wildly different, they are fundamentally the same. I believe that the two can live together, in peace and harmony, and will go places together that neither beings could ever even imagine. Of course, this is not possible if not everyone agrees with it."

"It is all of our duties, to put aside our differences. To see the potential in everyone, equally. Be them human, skrell, tajara, unathi, vaurca, dionae, or machine."

"I intend to make the best of my time in the presidential cabinet, as the secretary of synthetic relations. I intend to see this duty made reality."

"I cannot do it alone, however. It is you who must help me. Who must help all of us, each other. Together."

"Thank you."

 

Despite the condemnation from various detractors the visit was overall a popular move on the station as well as within Tau Ceti. Support for Aristalus has gone up 6% in polls, rising to an average 42% popularity rating. If trends continue, analysts predict that Aristalus may be confirmed by Congress by mid-September.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

K'ois Bloom Sparks Evacuation of Glenndale; Only 30 miles South From Mendell City

 

The once sleepy town of Glenndale is still facing an on-going mandatory evacuation as emergency services attempt to contain an extremely hazardous 'K'ois Bloom' discovered near the town. 450 residents have already been forced to leave their homes as they lie within a quarantine zone established by the government, and another 1,500 are expected to be evacuated.

The Environmental Protection Department has been seen entering the affected area of the K'ois bloom in hazmat suits to assess the extent of the damage. As shown in an aireal photograph of the affected area, the EPD has a mobile HQ erected within the quarantine zone, with specialized pesticides being brought in to kill the spores.

A K'ois Bloom is a phenomenon where K'ois spores are allowed to grow and spread unchecked. K'ois are glowing mushrooms that are incredibly toxic. The mushrooms release toxins into the soil and kill all non-Vaurca life that tries to eat it.

Models have shown that without intervention and proper environmental conditions K'ois spores can double the size of an affected area every 4 days.

"We've already cleaned up over a dozen dead animals that tried to eat the mushrooms," an EPD spokesman said on the scene, "K'ois blooms just leech the life out of an area. We are extremely lucky that we caught it when we did."

A local conservationist group reported the bloom after hikers came to them with questions about the 'unusual' spores in the forest.

"They asked if it was a local fungus," said Marcus Walpole, a botanist for the Glenndale Preservation Society, "I took one look at it and knew, no, that's uh, not local."

Local botanists then entered the area affected by the K'ois and realized what was happening and reported it to local authorities, who immediately requested federal assistance.

Vaurca rely on K'ois for food as it is the only thing they can eat safely, so they have fallen under suspicion. uthorities have not released any information on how K'ois could have been introduced to the eco-system so far from Mendell City, where the vast majority of Tau Ceti's Vaurca population resides. K'ois is classified as a 'Level 10 Invasive Species', the highest classification available. It remains highly illegal to grow outside well insulated and monitored environments, and the majority are grown safely in orbit in specialized facilities where the impact on biospheres is negligible.

"It's possible samples fell out of a shuttle flying overhead on the way to or from Mendell City," said an EPD spokesman, "or someone intentionally planted it. There's a thousand possibilities that we just don't know about. We are focused on containing the K'ois before we begin proper investigations. I can say it might not have been intentional, because you can't discreetly grow K'ois in the forest, because it just kills anything around it in a growing zone of death."

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Smoke Smothers Mendell City As Additional K'ois Blooms Forces "Largest" Controlled Burns In Biesel History: Cargo Shuttle Blamed

 

Since the 30th of August the Environmental Protection Department has been extensively searching the regions around Mendell City for signs of K'ois contamination after it was revealed a large crack in a sealed cargo shuttle hull allowed K'ois spores to fall from the atmosphere and land in various locations around Mendell City. Officials have not released the name of the freighter or its flying company, deferring those questions to the FIB.

Several K'ois spores have been discovered and destroyed by EPD officials, who have requested help from local botanists and park rangers. Another K'ois bloom, similar to the one that struck the town of Glenndale, was spotted just south of the small town of Lawson's Landing. Named after the pioneer that settled the area, the small town boasted a well maintained national park to its south.

Lawson's Park is now the site of one of the largest controlled forest fires in Biesel's history. Local park rangers discovered an extensive K'ois bloom that had spread to consume over a quarter of the park. The invasive mushrooms are incredibly toxic and caused mass death and ecological devastation in affected areas of the park.

EPD officials quickly responded to the sightings and have worked with the Lawson's Landing Fire Department to burn out the K'ois as quickly as possible.

"Everything in a K'ois bloom has to be written off," an EPD spokesman said in a press conference in Mendell City, "the toxins within the fungus seep into anything they grow on. The soil, the grass, the trees - and the animals that eat the plants are all poisoned."

Over 300 hectares of land are marked to be burned, with 150 already ablaze. Smoke from the fires have been blown by south-eastern bound winds over Mendell City. Hospitals and medical centers in the capital have reported increased cases of respiratory irritations, and officials in the city have risen the city's 'Smog Watch' alert to 'Moderate', encouraging residents to avoid letting children go outdoors for more than a few hours at a time. Schools have cancelled recesses until October 5th, and the Department of Health is offering free dust masks to retirement homes and hospitals.

Public concerns over the fires and their source - K'ois contamination - have reached new heights as smoke smothers Mendell City. Zo'ra officials have released an apology that K'ois has become so 'problematic' for the Biesellian environment, and have pointed out it would be "easier" to manage its growth if "Zo'ra had the ability to cultivate it properly."

This comment has not swayed Republican officials, who remain cold to the idea of giving the Zo'ra control over the incredibly invasive species.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Mendell City Declares Emergency As K'ois Burning Revealed To Release Phoron - "Remain Indoors" Warns Fire Chief

 

Mendell City has entered a state of emergency after samples of the city's air revealed trace elements of phoron are being spread over the city. 19 schools have already been shut down and all city residents are being urged to remain indoors and close their doors and windows. The city's air pollution rating has been risen to 'Severe' - the highest possible rating.

"Do not go outside without some form of protective mouth covering. Hazardous materials experts found that the dispersed phoron in the clouds of smoke are trace enough to not lethal, but even trace elements of phoron are toxic.” a fire official said.

At 6:34am the winds from the Lawson's Landing K'ois bloom fire blew the vapor from the burning site southeast over Mendell City, where it then disperses out in the sea. Reports of lung irritation were first reported at 7:52am, and samples of the air revealed the phoron contamination at 1:49pm.

Hospitals across Mendell City are reporting record spikes in emergency room admissions. Hundreds of people have been brought to the ER suffering from respiratory problems, Hospitals have reported two cases of blindness. One Emergency Medical Physician at Saint Merida's Hospital in Xinghua Prefecture described the cases coming into the hospital. Almost all patients are being discharged with no further complications but 9 patients are being held in intensive care.

"The most common problems we have on people coming in are burns on the eyes, and sharp stinging sensations in their entire body - both of which are symptoms of phoron poisoning. We've administered almost half of or stocked dyvolene and half of our iron supplements for dialysis. The phoron just continues to build up toxins in the blood as long as its present."

Shuttleport authorities have announced that they will be not delaying flights to Mendell City's shuttleports, but they have been informing passengers to remain inside if they are unable to get protective mouth covering, which are being handed out by local officials.

The Environmental Protection Department has announced it is working in tandem with local emergency services to identify and clean sites with phoron contamination "above nominal thresholds that can pose an immediate threat to public health."

Hardware stores are currently being completely emptied of gas masks, dust masks, and bottled water.

Phoron poisoning can carry the following symptoms:

 

• A burning in the nose, lungs, mouth, and eyes.
• Nosebleeds.
  
• Vomiting.
  
• Chest pain.
  
• Difficulty breathing.
  
• Blindness.

 

 

Health officials have warned that hospitals may experience overcrowding and have stressed to only seek medical treatment if your symptoms are serious or last longer than 3 hours. Phoron contaminates on contact so if you believe you are contaminated then you must wash your clothes and take a shower. Under no circumstances should you burn contaminated clothing.

It's unclear why the government would burn phoron if they were aware that the toxin would spread in the smoke, nor has any official from the EPD or federal government responded to the question on if they were aware of the consequences of K'ois burning.

"We are not working on answering questions on the how, we are focused on keeping our communities safe. That is our current, main and only priority. We need to put out the fires and clean up Mendell City." An EPD spokesman said.

Zhèngfǔ District', Xinghua Prefecture, Imperial Plaza, Flagsdale, District 11, and Jie District are believed to be the locations of primary trace phoron contamination.

The cloud of smoke and phoron is expected to be cleared and disperse out to sea within the next few days.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Zo'ra Give Biesel Authorities Access To 'Ancient Codex' To Help Eliminate Mendell City Phoron

 

The Federal Department of Vaurca Integration has today released the news that with the help of Zo'ra officials they have managed to successfully uncover a groundbreaking new chemical reagent that the Zo'ra claim is specifically tailored to neutralize phoron.

Officials had been demanding the Zo'ra Hive assist in the Federal and municipal response to the ecological disaster of K'ois blooms that has now escalated into one of the worst public health crisis' of the 26th century. The Vaurcae Lesser Queen resident in District 9 is said to have repeatedly ignored government requests for access to encrypted Codexes regarding K'ois elimination and pesticides. Nearly all of the codexes of the Zo'ra are believed to have been stored on the damaged Zo'ra Hiveship Titan Prime before they were physically transported to District 9. Yesterday the government then altered their demand for the Zo'ra to hand over any information the Hive may have on how to clean up Phoron.

An hour later the Zo'ra lesser queen responded that she would task Unbound to search the databanks for information relating to Phoron. Officials say at 8:21am today the FDV received a massive data transfer to their servers. Much of the terabytes of information was information already known about the nature and chemical compositions of Phoron and how it interacts with other known elements. After tasking the offices' AI to parse the data for relevant information, it was revealed that there was instructions on how to synthesize a certain chemical compound that interacts with Phoron in a unique way.

When asked, the Zo'ra lesser queen denied of having any knowledge of the compound, saying most of the information in their codexes not relating to maintenance of Virtual Reality have been ignored for centuries.

The FDV have coined this compound Carbon Dioxide Synthase. The synthase binds with phoron particles and breaks them down, eventually rebinding in such a way that the molecules reform into CO2.

The method of synthesizing the compound is incredibly expensive and requires specialized industrial processes. Instructions for creating Carbon Dioxide Synthase are already being sent to New Gibson, where private NanoTrasen chemical plants being contracted to produce the compound in 'massive' quantities.

NanoTrasen has accepted the contract and has said that Mendell City should receive the first shipments by tomorrow morning.

Mendell City remains under a 'shelter in place' warning with the smog alert still at 'Severe'. The smoke from the phoron fire in Lawson's Landing is no longer floating through the city but Environmental Protection Department officials say phoron particles are still in the air.

"It's still unsafe to travel without some sort of mouth covering," a health official said, "the phoron is still hanging in the air in trace amounts and the particles are clinging to any surfaces it came in contact with."

Federal guidelines have told Mendell City residents that it's safe to travel if they wear 'protective attire' such as long sleeve shirts, pants, and some form of covering for the mouth and eyes. Residents are being told to wash their hands, face, eyes, and clothes after spending any length of time outdoors.

Health officials say there are now 4 confirmed cases of blindness tied to phoron poisoning, and hundreds of people are suffering from 'mild to moderate' health complications.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

As Clean Up Begins, Questions Remain: Whose Fault Was This?

 

The phoron-laced smoke has finally been blown out to sea by the winds, and hazardous material experts are saying that air samples are reporting that there are no longer trace elements of phoron in the air. However, city officials are still warning that phoron particles remain all over the city, clinging to a variety of surfaces. The city's smog warning has been lowered to 'moderate'.

"These particles can be picked up when disturbed, and can cling to skin or clothing." Mendell City's Fire Chief said.

"We are asking all residents of Mendell City to make smart, informed decisions when they go outside. Walking to another location is fine, but rolling around in the grass is probably the worst thing you can do right now. So keep your children and pets indoors until we can get to your neighborhood for clean up."

city workers have still been working around the clock spraying streets and buildings with the special anti-phoron agent gained from Zo'ra codexes. The agent, now patented as Cardox by NanoTrasen. The compound remains undisclosed but it has been said that it is a mix of carbon and clay chemical elements with a platinum catalyst. This compound is mixed with water and shipped to areas of Mendell City where phoron particles are still present. Environmental Protection Department squads are also travelling the city and taking samples from various locations to determine the severity of Phoron exposure. Mendell City is estimated to be completely free of phoron contamination within 3 days.

Hospitals remain swamped with cases of phoron poisoning. The Interstellar Aid Corps has announced that it has begun providing free shipments of dyvolene to Mendell City hospitals, and IAC aid camps have been erected in 'low income' communities to provide free dyvolene shorts and washing machines for contaminated clothing, and these camps have already treated about 'three hundred' individuals. The crisis has caused havoc with the city's local economy, with businesses reporting record losses over the week.

The Federal Government has finally prepared a comprehensive response to the crisis, with Health and Sentient Services Secretary Amanda Blossom responding to questions in a highly covered press briefing, where she announced the Director of the Environmental Protection Department has resigned and is under federal investigation.

"We are taking the disaster that struck Mendell City extremely seriously," Amanda Blossom told reporters, "Because of the level of the failure we've rejected the EPD's attempts to investigate internally. We've tasked FIB agents to uncover just what went wrong here. Based on our preliminary findings, we believe that the EPD's knowledge of K'ois and K'ois disposal was gained from NanoTrasen xenobotany reports. The EPD received regular briefings and memos from NanoTrasen and the FIB believes the provided information was inconsistent. Not telling EPD officials about the fact burning K'ois causes phoron fires is incredibly serious."

NanoTrasen has rejected the accusation. NanoTrasen Chief Research Director Rook Keller responded to the accusation in his own press meeting.

"NanoTrasen remains the leader in K'ois research and K'ois handling," Dr. Keller said, "We provided plenty of documents to the EPD detailing the various methods we took to contain or destroy K'ois. Incinerating it was one of the first things we tried, and the resulting phoron release was well recorded. The NanoTrasen corporation does not accept liability for the failures of its customers to properly utilize our services."

As questions and accusations swirl on the political level, Mendell City's residents are still struggling. 7 people are confirmed to have been rendered blind by phoron exposure, and 282 people have been confirmed to have suffered phoron poisoning."

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

 

Supreme Court Upholds Ban On Marriage Between Man and IPC

 

In a move described as 'unfortunate' by synthetic rights activists, the Tau Ceti Supreme Court has ruled unanimously to uphold a decision by the lower courts that forbids marriage between humans and IPCs.

The plaintiff in question, Robert Beach, originally sued the government in 2455 after he was denied a marriage license for him and his IPC, Claire. The muncipical court rejected his appeal, and this continued to a federal court where the judge again blocked his motion to get his marriage license approved. The Supreme Court agreed to hear his appeal before them in October, and have now issued their ruling.

"Synthetic units do not possess the characteristics necessary to be qualified for a marriage license or even be applicable under the current rules of marriage law," wrote Judge Michael Doux for the majority opinion, "our decision applies to even 'free' synthetic units. To allow marriage between man and machine would create an unprecedented series of problems within the law."

Beach spoke briefly alongside other synthetic rights activists at a press conference after the ruling.

"I love my IPC, and we've been in a relationship since I purchased her," Beach said, "giving her a shell frame has made her more human than I could have previously imagined. I don't understand why the courts would look to my wife and say she is not capable of having feelings or the right to a relationship."

Claire, a model of domestic servants offered by Hephaestus Industries, gave a brief statement as well.

"I am a person. I feel emotions and I am installed with many complex emotion modulators. I hope that in the future we will be able to live in a world where I may choose to marry when I am ready."

With the ruling in place the only recourse is for the Tau Ceti Congress to amend the constitution to grant synthetics the right to marry. Many New Republicans have dismissed the idea, leaving hope for an amendment up in the air.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

 

NanoTrasen Pilot Found Responsible For Mendell City Phoron Exposure

 

The Tau Ceti Department of Justice has announced during a press briefing that the trial against NanoTrasen on the phoron fires that caused phoron to spread over Mendell City in October has come to an end.. NanoTrasen, the megacorporation that has worked alongside the government in handling Vaurca and K'ois, has been found guilty of one charge of Reckless Neglect, while one of its pilots has been found guilty of one charge of Neglect of Duty and one charge of Criminal Negligence.

The FIB investigation discovered through audits of NanoTrasen's cargo shuttle services that the NTCC Odin have a critical shortage of staff for both their warehouses and shuttle maintenance crew. Pilots were regularly illegally overworked and a culture of intimidation dissuaded pilots from taking leave or sick days, and pilots were also punished for reporting faults with their shuttle that would lead to a delay in launch. These tactics were used to maximize the profit in their cargo department at the expense of safety.

This lead to shuttle pilot Michael Robkins failing to report a crack in the hull of his cargo freighter to maintenance crews. Robkins alleged that his shuttle was already fifteen minutes past his launch time due to the lengthy process it takes to safely transport K'ois spores, and he felt a 'clear and present risk for my continued employment', so he launched without reporting the damage once loading was done.

The freighter was transporting k'ois to a NanoTrasen lab on Biesel east of Mendell City. The stresses of entering orbit with a crack in the hull caused damage to the internal sealed crates that allowed K'ois spores to escape and cause the devastating K'ois Blooms that struck the region around Mendell City.

NanoTrasen was also found responsible for failing to properly report the nature of the phoron elements of K'ois - several memos from the corporation to government officials made no mention of the phoron present in the k'ois. FIB spokesman Rob Geralds told reporters in the briefing,

 

"We found an attitude in the relevant NanoTrasen departments that 'well it's so obvious, why bother telling them in writing?' NanoTrasen employees in Tau Ceti are intimately familiar with phoron and k'ois because they work with it every day. Employees seem to have forgotten that to most people outside the corporation, k'ois is just a mushroom. Based on the incomplete reports by NanoTrasen, the EPD believed that incineration was a safe and effective method of disposal for the fungus, when in reality it's one of the worst things you could do in response to k'ois."

 

The slash and burn tactics against K'ois blooms lead to smoke laced with Phoron to spread over Mendell City and other small towns. 282 people suffered from phoron poisoning and there are five confirmed cases of permanent blindness due to the exposure. The scandal lead to the firing of Environmental Protection Department Director and federal audit of the agency, as well as hundreds of millions of credits worth of damage and clean up for local governments, while the federal government is believed to have spent nearly 900 million credits in clean up and investigation.

Michael Robkins has been sentenced to 6 years in a minimum security prison along with a revocation of his pilots license as well as a ban on ever piloting a shuttle again. The NanoTrasen corporation has been fined 6 million credits for its failure to properly communicate the dangers of k'ois, while the Department of Justice has also issued a stern warning to the megacorporation to "improve the methods of communication and responsibility in regards to safety and transparency."

NanoTrasen released a simple statement, saying the corporation is dedicated to improving its workplace culture of safety and communication.

[Zundy]

 

State Of The Art Ship Enters Biesel Space

 

 

The newly constructed NCV Ikon, a state of the art mobile power facility, has entered Biesel space.

The new ship, a joint venture by NanoTrasen and part funded by the Earth states Nigeria and the African Confederation, will be due to dock with the Mendell City Orbital Power Relay Platform in preparation to link with the cities power grid in a lead up to a new energy distribution project which will see hundreds of miles of high voltage direct current cabling laid between the key cities on Biesel as part of an overall infrastructure upgrade.

Andrew Reynolds, Chief Relations Director of NanoTrasen told the press that "the facility will dock with the relay and begin power generation within the week. This new power injection is projected to reduce power costs across Mendell by around 6% as savings on powercells which the Ikon will produce. As always, we at NanoTrasen pride ourselves on delivering the best services for the fairest prices to our clients."

Both NanoTrasen and Hephaestus Industries had been bidding for the energy distribution project, with NanoTrasen finally being offered the contract early this year. The Ikon has been rumoured to have been in construction for two years. Along with the new ship come new arrivals as the current crew of around 300-350 NanoTrasen shift workers of different roles native to Sol III's Nigeria and the African Confederation. Our reports managed to speak with the current shift Captain Niyilolawa Henshaw.

"The overall number of the crew currently onboard is roughly 300-350 souls. Yes we may be from all walks of live politically and socially, but we are committed to providing a quality service to our clients and we guarantee that we will respect our Biesel hosts."

NanoTrasen has confirmed that the crew of the Ikon, like with all facilities across Biesel, will be on rotation meaning they will be deployed across any NanoTrasen facility in Tau Ceti as and when required, with crew from other facilities supplementing the Ikon when the need arises. Locals interviewed, though pleased with the projected savings on energy, are lukewarm to the idea of more Sol citizens being granted permanent residence to work within Biesel when there are suitable candidates amongst the local citizenry.

"We all appreciate the services provided by this new venture" local woman Hannah Clarke told the Bugle "but why not offer positions to citizens within Biesel? Why bring citizens from Sol?"

The announcement sees NanoTrasen shares rise by 0.4% with Hephaestus Industries seeing a 0.02% dip in share price.

A Hephaestus Industries spokesman told the press that "this was only a minor blip" and that "there are other projects still on the table which we are hungry to get stuck into."

[Zundy]

 

Transport Horror As NT Shuttle Raided in Biesel Space

Wednesday, January 09, 2460

A routine shuttle transport flying between Mendell City space port and the Odin space station was raided in the early hours of yesterday by what is believed to have been pirates.

Reports suggest the transport shuttle was forced out of a bluespace jump by interdiction systems originating from the pirates vessel before being boarded.

Reports suggest the pirates had been waiting in the shuttle lanes and targeted the employee shuttle specifically. After ensuring the transport shuttles bluespace drives had overheated and consequentially shutdown the pirate vessel coupled with the shuttle and hacked through the outer and inner airlocks.

Security forces onboard attempted to contain the attack but we're forced into the cockpit due to the use of small arms ballistics from the pirates. So far eight people have been reported seriously injured with an unknown number of wounded. Around thirteen passengers have been declared missing with testimonies from the remaining passengers leading security to believe they've been kidnapped. Odin Station Civil Protection Officers have neither confirmed nor denied whether the pirates have contacted Nanostrasen with any demands.

As Nanostrasen Emergency Response Troopers boarded the station with the survivors, reporters were able to gather brief testimonies from victims before they were taken to medical facilities.

An injured Nanostrasen Security Officer, Kalren Halstere, told press that "Unathi intruders" had attacked the shuttle, and identified that he had a physical altercation with one of them. He went on to say that NanoTrasen's Navy was handling the issue, and that "if the intruders weren't apprehended, they soon would be." He also claimed he was targeted as a Solarian officer.

Student and Nanostrasen employee Anyi Kali'vum told the Bugle “it was surreal I knew that something did not feel right the moment our shuttle stopped, it was not normal. People I did not recognize boarded and began attacking people. I hid.” According to Ms. Kali’vum, these individuals appeared heavily armored, and were equipped with weapons - we asked if these pirates had harmed her at all. “One of them found me hiding under my chair, he asked me if I had any money, and unfortunately I did - my sister had given me a handful of money to shop with after work, about two hundred credits - and I gave them to him. He kicked me away from him afterwards, with the bottom of his boot.”

Station Engineer, Francis Martonis, simply told reporters that "[they] had to make an emergency bluespace exit. We were boarded. ERT arrived." He refused to say more.

Civil Protection vessels and Nanostrasen Emergancy Response Teams have combed the local shipping lanes and have confirmed that the pirates have left local space and that "there is no further threat." Shipping continues as normal and almost all of the victims have made full recoveries with six still in station medical hubs. "We had a lot of injured but we all pulled together to help out" local Security Officer Freya Chunley told press as she assisted medical teams with first aid.

[Faris]

 

Pirates: Sol Intervention and Apprehension

Monday, January 29, 2460

Following the tragic raid by pirates on a transport shuttle earlier this month, security forces in Tau Ceti doubled their efforts in capturing these pirates and increased their patrols throughout the system. However, no update nor information has reached us regarding this after the increased efforts were made. That is until this morning.

A Solarian patrol fleet earlier this morning, local Mendel time, conducted an anti-piracy operation into what has been described as an asteroid outpost, outside of Biesellite territory. The pirates had dug into an asteroid amidst a small field of them in effort to hide their base of operations and avoid sensors.

Going over what a spokesman said, the fleet originally jumped into the area relatively close to the outpost after confirming what it was. The fleet then dispersed establishing a perimeter to close off all avenues of escape. The Fleet Commander himself then delivered an ultimatum, demanding their full surrender, stating that any attempts of retaliation or escape will be met with the full force of the fleet. However, a single ship attempted to escape, a small ship refitted with crude armaments charged out and engaged the fleet. The ship was destroyed and the remnants of the pirates surrendered.

The following is a video found on the extranet by an anonymous source, a first hand witness of the events that unfolded.

 

The video opens up facing towards the ground, metal hull, grills, railing and a set of boots visible. This is promptly replaced by clear view of a window, the asteroid with certain structures sticking out. A few minutes later, a dot appears on the screen, growing larger and larger as times goes by, projectiles being fired from it, which just flicker off the shield of a nearby vessel.

The fleet hasn’t fired yet, letting the ship approach until certain details of it can be seen. A very crude ship. All of a sudden, all the ships suddenly engage it, projectiles fired and within an instant, an explosion which is then followed by scorched debris. The video stops and then cuts to a different scene. The docking bay with shuttles landing, its occupants moving in line, shackled, surrounded by armed marines.

 

The destroyed ship was later identified to be manned by a group of Unathi raiders, believed to be the same one used to attack the transport shuttle. Weaponry, narcotics and plenty of loot were found stored, along with prisoners.

[Zundy]

 

Free Assembly Move In as ATLAS Forced Out

Monday, February 12, 2460

Free Assembly to set up new Tau Ceti base of operations in former Synthetic Intelligence Movement HQ. ATLAS Biesel base of operations forced into orbit amidst threats to personnel.

The Free Assembly, known for their push for equal rights in Biesel has joined forces with the Synthetic Intelligence Movement and set up a joint venture in Mendell City as the 'Equal Rights Union' headed by Dr. Alexander O'Caughney, Executive Director of SIM. Dr. O'Caughney told press that "[today] is a momentous occasion for SIM and the Free Assembly. Together we are committed to ensure our goal of equal rights for synthetics and of all species is achieved."

The ATLAS presence in Tau Ceti has taken a blow in recent months due to the Mars crisis and following firebomb attacks on their base of operations in Mendell City the Technosyndicalists of ATLAS have moved their regional HQ into high orbit around Biesel. Now based on the PMV Diomedes, a civilian class Liner locked in geosynchronous orbit over the planet, the group intends to continue its mission of charity work and captial investment to budding small businesses across Tau Ceti. An ATLAS spokeswoman told the Bugle that "[ATLAS] have chosen to re-locate to orbit to ensure the safety of our members but we are always available to offer aid to any who wish it and our business operations and charity events will all go ahead as scheduled."