Xanan News Service: From the Spur to Your Inbox!

[Kintsugi]

 

Anti-Corporate League Asylum-Seekers on Himeo

 

 

HORNER STATION, HIMEO (GST) - With the third anniversary of the Solarian Civil War’s end taking place this year, there will doubtlessly be much attention on veterans of the conflict in interstellar media; there is one group of combatants who have lived a quiet life since the end of the war, however, and that is the community of Solarians now living on Himeo who fought for the anti-corporate League of Corporate-Free Systems.

 

With the League decisively defeated by the Solarian Restoration Front towards the end of the war, it stood no chance at resisting the Federal Solarian intervention when the Alliance finally came to the aid of the forces of the Middle-Ring Shield Pact. Those fleets and soldiers that remained largely surrendered to government forces, but many attempted to flee into the Coalition’s territory. While most were interned and eventually repatriated to the Alliance by various member-state border forces, one key government accommodated some of them: the United Syndicates of Himeo.

 

This community, numbering in the thousands, largely consists of the ideologically-motivated camp of the League. Many are outspoken socialists or syndicalists, and their continued presence in the world is largely owing to their ties to the Himean syndicates. Alongside Gadpathur, Himeo faced a substantial amount of pushback from within the Coalition for providing clandestine aid to the League. Unlike Gadpathur, however, where the motivation was largely pragmatic anti-Solarian grand strategy, Himean ties to the League were more grounded in shared values and ideological similarities - though conflicts did arise with those who were more motivated by their own ambitions within the multi-layered hierarchy of the League, various syndicates and figures within them maintained contacts with those “true believers” who now form the bulk of the community on Himeo. 

 

When the military situation for the League collapsed, it was through these contacts that the lucky few who managed to escape did so. The highest ranking figure to have done so is Commodore Chau Tuan Duc, a New Hai Phonger who largely remains as the de facto head of the community to this day. Highly private and with a reputation for deep rumination, the Commodore rarely makes public appearances or statements, but some things are known about the ex-Solarian officer: an ardent New Hai Phongese socialist, the Commodore long had a reputation even within the Solarian military for his beliefs, which brought him into conflict with the Frost administration. Though career assessments had often credited him with being highly competent, he was nonetheless repeatedly passed over throughout his period of service for promotions and given second-rate postings, which is precisely how he came to find himself in New Atlantica at the time of the Solarian collapse. From there, he took up a place as the head of the “true believer” faction within the League, and is rumored to have been a vital point of contact for pro-League figures on Himeo. 

 

Today, the ex-League community on Himeo is something of a relic - often too small to be noticed, they nonetheless have made an outsized impact on intellectual discourse within the United Syndicates, and the Himeans have been totally reticent to continued requests for repatriation by the Solarian government. In the eyes of the Solarian public, Front veterans often attract far more antipathy, and so there has been little pressure on the Alliance to make meaningful efforts to bring them before a military tribunal - and so it seems that these final holdouts may well be fated to be forgotten by their government, the last fighters of a war the spur has moved on from.

 

Further Reading:

• OPINION: Lycoris - Sol’s Problem Child
• What is New Hai Phonger “Evilrhyme”? A Burgeoning Musical Genre
• Galatean Food Organisms Coming to Interstellar Market in 2468.

[NewOriginalSchwann]

Suwon Authorities: Traffic Congestion “Top Priority” for Administration

SUWON, KONYANG (GST) - As part of an urban planning initiative known as “Suwon 2485” authorities in the Republic of Konyang’s most populated city have announced their intent to address major traffic issues in the metropolis on the heels of Suwon being voted the Coalition’s most congested city for the fourth consecutive year. In second place is Point Verdant (locally known as Aoyama), also found on Konyang. Other most congested cities were found on Xanu and Vysoka, where many rural roads are in a state of neglect.

Overcrowding has become a major issue for the world since its economic boom in the early years of this century, with many Konyangers living in small apartments and relying on public transportation systems due to the lack of space for anything aside from K-cars: small vehicles known as “Konyang cars” designed for use in urban areas. Congestion has become a major complaint of tourists, with the Konyang Board of Tourism reporting it as one of their most frequently seen complaints. Eun-ah Lim, spokesperson for the Suwon Board of Supervisors, advised the city, “does not want to leave visitors eager enough to come here after the crisis a bad perception of our city by having them stuck in traffic for hours,” in response to an email by the XNS.

The city is reportedly in the, “very early,” stages of planning future infrastructure expansions, but Lim confirmed the municipal government is currently in the process of acquiring land to expand the Syngman Rhee Interstellar Shuttleport, allowing for more flights per day and shorter waiting periods for starliners prior to departure. Other proposals have included land reclamation in the Kaneyama Bay region and acquiring new light rail units from elsewhere in the Coalition, with the Himeo-based ULRAS reportedly a top contender to supply the trains per a source in the municipal government.

Further Reading:

• Experts: Investigation into Iijoki Mine Disaster Could Last Months
• Report: Military Recruitment Numbers on Xanu Rose in 2467
• Venusian Film Studio Reportedly in Talks to Produce Story of Tourist’s Survival in Visegrad’s Wilderness

[NewOriginalSchwann]

Among the Exiles: Xanu’s Fisanduhians Speak

NOUVELLE-ROCHELLE, XANU (GST) - With the Reformed Morozian Tribunalism festival known as the Feast of Devotion having taken place earlier this month, the XNS is proud to announce the upcoming release of a documentary covering the Fisanduhian community on Xanu. Second Homeland features interviews with a variety of Fisanduhiam-Xanans ranging from Vice President Erick Alexis to regular Xanans of Fisanduhian ancestry. Narrated by Spur-renowned author and Fisanduhian-Xanan Elaena Chatfield, Second Homeland premiers on 10 March 2468 on all XNS websites, streaming platforms, and holoTV channels.

Below is a preview of the documentary.

PLAY? >YES< NO
 

Spoiler

The camera opens onto a working-class neighborhood somewhere in one of Xanu’s major cities. A sharp-eyed viewer may notice some WinFest — also known as the Winter Festival — decorations on the houses, marking this as Himavat City. Alongside these decorations are a mix of Fisanduhian and Xanan flags, streamers celebrating the Feast of Devotion, and the occasional sign advertising apartments for sale or businesses — many in both Freespeak and Vulgar Morozi, but some in only Vulgar. It’s a very colorful neighborhood, even if the cars parked along the street are older models and some of the buildings are showing signs of age. Fresh snow rests on most of the cars and the street seems to have only recently been cleaned — some residents are actively shoveling snow off their sidewalks, staircases, or cars as the camera pans along the street.

“The Riew neighborhood is a small, working-class area of Himavat City known for being a centre of Fisanduhian-Xanan culture in the city. Many of its residents are second or third generation residents of Xanu, but a significant minority of recent immigrants have come here, to the north, to seek their fortune. Therein lies our fault line: our conflict over a second homeland.

The camera’s view changes to a stocky, middle-aged woman with a darker complexion who is wearing a winter coat with “RIEW MINING & DRILLING” on its breast. Behind her is a building in the same neighborhood as before with the same company name written on its front. A sign poster on a window to her left announces, in both Freespeak in Vulgar Morozi, states the business will be closed for the Feast of Devotion and provides a number to contact in case of an emergency.

“Liselotte Hirschi-Patwary is the CEO of a mining firm currently involved in drilling under the Himavatia icecap in search of its vaunted mineral wealth. A second-generation immigrant, she is a firm believer in the ‘Second Homeland’ concept — a belief Fisanduhian Xanans should focus on here, on Xanu, rather than Fisanduh itself, so far away on Moroz.”

The camera switches again to the interior of an office, with Hirschi-Patwary behind the desk. A religious symbol of the Goddess’ Holy Diocese of Xanu Prime hangs around her neck, and several documents are strewn across the desk alongside an older model of holographic computer with a Siddhartha Systems, Incorporated, logo on the frame.

“My father came here as a teenager, alone, shortly after the uprising early in the century. Here,” she taps her desk, “he began working as a miner in this company, then as an engineer, and finally as an executive. He met my mother here, and they taught me a valuable lesson: Fisanduh is our past, but Xanu — this is our present and future.”

“What do you think about the Greentree government?” a voice, presumably belonging to a reporter, asks from offscreen.

Hirschi-Patwary exhales, taking a moment to consider her next words.

“They’ve done a lot of good for the community in the past, and a lot of people who would have otherwise died in an an Imperial prison are alive and living here because of them, but I— and this is my opinion, and does not reflect  my company’s views — I believe they need to focus more on the welfare of Fisanduhians on Xanu than fighting a war on Moroz.”

“Is that a common opinion?”

“Yes and no. Quite a few older Fisanduhians think we still need to be fighting the Dominians, but the war’s been over for decades now. How long are we going to keep fighting for our slice of Moroz?”

The camera switches again, this time to the interior of a Tribunalist temple on Xanu. Presumably, still in Himavat City. While some of the buildings outside looked worn, the interior of the temple is strikingly beautiful: it is clear this community places a great deal of importance on their faith. A man in the red-and-gold robes of a Communalist Tribunalist priest stands at the front and is talking with a parishioner, while others light incense at an icon depicting Helga Kesselring, last Prime Minister of the Confederated States of Fisanduh. Off to one side a solitary woman sits on a prayer mat with her hands clasped and eyes closed, wearing a simple black garb and with powder covering her face. In front of her — in a sight bizarre to anyone not from the Fisanduhian community on Xanu — is an icon of the Goddess wearing an All-Xanu Spacefleet uniform. In front of it, sticks of incense burn as an offering.

“Some do not believe Fisanduh can be forgotten by Xanans. Here, in the Temple of Our Lady of Riew, some believe in a free Fisanduh. Françoise Vihren, a young Irredentist, is one of these.”

The powder-faced woman from before now sits, legs crossed, in front of the camera. Behind her stands the same Goddess icon from before. This, per a caption at the bottom, is Vihren. She looks young — much younger than Hirschi-Patwary — and stares at the camera with an unusual degree of intensity.

“It is abhorrent to me that we would abscond so readily our duty to homeland following a few score of years on Xanu. We must gird our souls to fight against those who would profane Her and Fisanduh alike. Even if it takes a thousand years, we will taste victory some-day. Such is the indomitable will of Our Lady of Moroz and Xanu.”

“Do you support the Greentree government?”

“For so long as it has the interest of the people and Goddess at its heart, yes.”

“What should it be focusing on?”

Vihren does not hesitate before she responds, nor does she lose the intensity in her gaze.

“As a foundling of the drug epidemic granted alms and succor by, then schooled, Our Lady the Goddess Resistance, I would like our leaders to show beneficence to those orphaned by the struggle to free Fisanduh. I beseech and venerate Our Lady in hopes She will send Her mighty hand to shield the innocent there, yet I cannot deny the impact of material aid for the amelioration of suffering.”

Tune in to the XNS on 10 March for the premiere of Second Homeland.

Further Reading:

• Environmental Groups Criticize Himavatia Undermining Operations
• Four Years After Civil War’s End, Alliance Still Faces Internal Conflicts
• Around the Spur: Why is Biesel so Averse to Cricket?

Edited Thursday at 03:19 by NewOriginalSchwann

[NewOriginalSchwann]

Republic of Assunzione to Increase Naval Patrols

TRIESTO, ASSUNZIONE (GST) - Citing an increasingly unstable situation in the Sparring Sea and Elyran domestic unrest, the Republic of Assunzione has announced its navy will be increasing its presence and number of patrols in the Light’s Edge region to prevent the spread of piracy. President of the Assunzionii Republic Antonello Rosiello has additionally requested the deployment of more Frontier Protection Bureau vessels to the region, and proposed the formation of a joint naval command in the southern Coalition to increase cooperation in anti-piracy actions.

As the Republic of Elyra’s attention has shifted towards the Sparring Sea and Empire of Dominia, security gaps have opened up in the region and piracy has increased, particularly since the start of 2466. Rear Admiral Layth Sidi, commander of an anti-piracy task force operated by the Republic of Assunzione Navy, described the situation as comparable to the aftermath of the Interstellar War, and worried it may escalate further unless the Coalition increases its presence in the region.

An All-Xanu Spacefleet officer speaking to the XNS on the condition of anonymity described themselves as, “disappointed but unsurprised,” at the increase in piracy in the region, stating, “Elyra has always been more interested in fighting with the Imperials than cooperating with its neighbors.”

Xanan and Solarian insurance companies have reported a sharp increase in the number of claims made for piracy-related damages, with Lloyd’s Interstellar Register listing it as one of the top claim categories alongside interstellar collisions and fires.

Further Reading:

• Stock Markets Rattled by Increasing Piracy
• Galatean Federation, Himeo, Xanu Express Interest in Southern Anti-Piracy Operations
• Konyang Reportedly in Talks with Galatea for Next-Generation Space Superiority Fighters

Edited yesterday at 00:24 by NewOriginalSchwann
The Lyod is no longer in charge of insurance.