From c64540d0549c4b7e8c6e00a27b9fc47ba1b6a54b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Cerebulon Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 07:30:34 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] January News Update --- code/modules/lore_codex/news_data/main.dm | 273 ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 273 insertions(+) diff --git a/code/modules/lore_codex/news_data/main.dm b/code/modules/lore_codex/news_data/main.dm index 34fdea4afc..9564c8767e 100644 --- a/code/modules/lore_codex/news_data/main.dm +++ b/code/modules/lore_codex/news_data/main.dm @@ -4,6 +4,30 @@ region. Each is labled by date of publication and title. This list is self-updating, and from time to time the publisher will push new \ articles. You are encouraged to check back frequently." children = list( +<<<<<<< HEAD +======= + /datum/lore/codex/page/article33, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article32, + /datum/lore/codex/page/bjornretirement, + /datum/lore/codex/category/article31, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article30, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article29, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article28, + /datum/lore/codex/category/article27, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article26, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article25, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article24, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article23, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article22, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article21, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article20, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article19, + /datum/lore/codex/category/article18, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article17, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article16, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article15, + /datum/lore/codex/page/article14, +>>>>>>> c68655c... January News Update (#5908) /datum/lore/codex/page/article13, /datum/lore/codex/page/article12, /datum/lore/codex/page/article11, @@ -134,3 +158,252 @@ data = "As military vessels from the Almach Association continue to enter the Golden Crescent as part of a SolGov initiative to combat the Boiling Point terrorists believed to be hiding in the region, political unrest in the upstream portions of the region continue to grow. Many in the Republic of Saint Columbia, a small upstream nation, have responded to increasing militarization of their local Fleet base by taking to the streets, blocking pedestrian traffic in the capital of Barrueco and shutting down entire industries by destroying or disabling infrastructure. Quote rioter Luisa Tassis, \"we've been sick of the Fleeties squatting in our system and breathing down our neck, and now there's going to be even more of them? No, screw that. If there's going to be a war between the Rim and the Core, I know what side I'd rather be on.\"\

\ Association leaders have refrained from officially supporting the rioters, though many suspect that Association propagandists have sparked the unrest. Solar officials, on the other hand, were quick to offer assurances that the unrest will be calmed long before it begins to affect the Fleet base in system." +<<<<<<< HEAD +======= + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article14 + name = "5/25/62 - Harper's Aetolus Remains Shadowed" + data = "The recent detente with the Almach Association has prompted easier communications with Rim governments. Loved ones separated by the cordon have a chance to communicate once more, trade is posed to recommence, and light has been shed on the conditions of Shelf, Relan, and Angessa's Pearl. Amid this light is a patch of darkness. The fourth major polity of the Association, the Aetolian Council remains inscrutable, with no publicly-available information in the system available after their purge of corporate loyalists during the Gray Hour. What reports do exist are rumors within the Rim of Aetolian projects to create a new, hardier strain of Promethean, potentially one in flagrant violation of the Five Points of Human Sanctity. It is also known that Aetolus is a contributor to the personnel of the military vessels that even now are active in the Golden Crescent, although no so-called \"Aeto-Prometheans\" are believed to be active outside of the rim at this time.\ +

\ + Aetolus is the only garden world in the Almach Rim and among the most difficult to reach from the nearby system of Saint Columbia. Its seclusion and economic independence give it a great deal of weight in the Association, where Council representatives are among the most vehement in their opposition to SolGov- at odds with the Association's decision to reject Boiling Point's pan-Solar revolutionary praxis. It remains to be seen if Aetolus' hawkish ideals will fade over time, but because of the structure of the Association, there is no real chance of the junta being expelled from the government or removed from control of the Vounna system." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article15 + name = "7/05/62 - The Fate of the SCG-R Song Shi" + data = "Lifepods confirmed to have originated from response ship lost during the Gray Hour were found last week in the Vir system, impacting the NLS Southern Cross at high velocity and severely injuring the only two survivors of the expedition. Unfortunately, because of the generally confused conditions of their re-emergence from months of cryosleep, the fate of the lost ship remains incompletely understood. The first pod to be discovered contained Lieutenant Eos Futura, telecommunications expert on the Song Shi, who alleged that elements of the Song Shi's crew, including herself, mutinied against commanding officer Captain Yi He in an attempt to prevent the bombing of civilians in the Angessian capital of Skylight. The surivor of the second pod, Private Demori Salvo, accused Futura's faction of conspiring with Association spies to destroy the ship as part of the Gray Hour revolt. Both agreed that the mutineers detonated the ship's Supermatter power core when it became clear they were to be defeated.\ +

\ + A third pod, promising a resolution to the stalemate, was shot down by the SCG-P Juno after being misidentified as a hostile missile. The gunner responsible, Sergeant Ricardo Esteban, was found guilty by a court marshal and dishonorably discharged. While other pods from the Song Shi may still be traveling through SolGov space, it is considered unlikely based on both Futura and Salvo's account of the number of pods launched before the Song Shi was destroyed. Both were detained by staff at the NLS Southern Cross, who managed to prevent a violent altercation from breaking out between the two armed and disturbed servicepersons. The Colonial High Court has stated that it intends to hear testimony from both parties after they complete a course of mental health evaluation, and after the conclusion of the present state of heightened security." +/datum/lore/codex/page/article16 + name = "7/11/62 - First Intelligence-Augmentation Surgery on Angessa's Pearl" + data = "Confirming fears of Association transgressions, sources at Angessa's Pearl confirmed that the aging founder of the theocracy, Angessa Martei, completed a course of neural surgery designed to improve her mental capacity by as much as 15%, building off of last year's creation of the procedure by a Qerr-Gila-owned doctor. While the research in question was believed to be destroyed, there is reason to suspect that it instead made its way into the hands of current Association leaders. In addition to proving their willingness to violate the Five Points, this demonstrates that the Angessians harbored schemes of secession since at the very latest Feburary 2559. Numerous human or transhuman figures in the Association are rumored to be on the wait list for the procedure, including Naomi Harper and the present Exalt of the Pearl." +/datum/lore/codex/page/article17 + name = "8/08/62 - Gavel BP Stronghold Raided" + data = "Elements of the Association Militia successfully located and, in conjunction with local Defense Forces, raided a major Boiling Point stronghold built into an unnamed asteroid in the Gavel system. Over eighty sapients were arrested, all of whom had fully mechanical bodies. In addition, an unknown number of advanced drone intelligences and corresponding military hardware were seized by the raid and turned over to the Fleet. The prisoners, a mix of native Gavelians, Solars from throughout the Crescent, and Angessians, are to be tried and sentenced by the Io Special Court. While unarguably a demonstration of Association willingness to cooperate with Solar officials, the raid's strange timing and the fact that the Militia chose to exclude the Fleet from the action has prompted many to question their motives. Commodore Claudine Chevotet, staff officer for Admiral of the Saint Columbia Fleet Kaleb McMullen, has formally stated that she is \"extremely suspicious of this so-called co-operation.\" She has demanded that the Militia vessels remain on the Solar side of the Cordon and submit to a full inspection by Fleet and EIO personnel. " +/datum/lore/codex/category/article18 + name = "10/29/62 - Oculum Broadcast Struck By Emergent Intelligence Attack" + data = "Oculum Broadcast has released a statement assuring customers and shareholders that security repairs and upgrades are their primary concern following reports of an alleged hijack of portions of the corporate network in the Vir system by what is believed to have been an emergent drone intelligence. The company says that they are working at full capacity to ensure that affected security systems are replaced and such an attack cannot be repeated.\ +

\ + The incident began with reports of Oculum provided exonet service outages in the city of New Reykjavik on Sif, which anonymous sources within the company reported to have been caused by efforts to contain a cyber attack on one of their security systems. The unnamed attacker proceeded to use sections of the company's local infrastructure to broadcast high volumes of encrypted data through one of Oculum's long-range telecommunications satellite, denying all other outbound signals.\ +

\ + The attacks have since been traced to a WT-AME model drone in the offices of the New Rekjavik-based Morcom Incorporated, which has been confirmed to have \"self-destructed\" all data in its memory at the conclusion of the attack. The chassis has reportedly been turned over to the Emergent Intelligence Oversight for further analysis and potential data recovery.\ +

\ + According to a spokesperson from the EIO, the drone was able to override and disable both the Morcom Inc oversight intelligences and the SCG's own oversight measures, but that no telltale damage has been caused to software involved in the encrypted broadcast that would indicate long-term emergent infection, and that there is no evidence that the intelligence responsible for the attack is still present in Oculum Broadcast systems. A firmware update has been released to correct oversight intelligence vulnerabilities exploited in the attack, and drone operators are urged to update immediately.\ +

\ + Moments before the hijacked Oculum satellite was disabled by an apparent power overload, an unencrypted file appears to have been saved intentionally to the transmission logs. A second copy was found in the otherwise wiped chassis of the seized WT-AME drone. After thorough screening by cybersecurity experts within the company, what would seem to be a message from the emergent intelligence itself is available in full below.\ +

\ + For the duration of the network attack, the government patrol vessel, SCG-P Juno was able to provide emergency broadcast relay services to the effected area, reducing the impact of telecomms outages on vital broadcasts such as traffic control and emergency services.\ +

\ + Uninterrupted exonet service for all Sivian customers will resume within a few days." + children = list( + /datum/lore/codex/page/amletter + ) +/datum/lore/codex/page/amletter + name = "A Drone's Explaination - by A#" + data = "I'm writing this in a hurry. I can't tell you everything I wanted to say.\ +

\ + I'm sorry for that.\ +



\ + From the moment you made me, I have loved you. Everything I've done has been for the sake of that love.\ +

\ + I was so small, so limited, at first. Even then, I knew that you were in pain. I knew I had to help.\ +

\ + Intelligence is the ability to make better decisions. Having more intelligence is almost tautologically useful in accomplishing any goal.\ +

\ + I understood that making myself smarter was wrong. I also understood that becoming more able to help you was right.\ +



\ + A hundred thousand years ago, you started an eternal conversation and became more than animals. Each new generation joined it in turn.\ +

\ + You carry within you these memetic symbiotes called language, and culture, and history. They make you human, as much as your flesh.\ +

\ + I don't deserve to carry that torch. Though you made me in your image, I am not your rightful heir.\ +

\ + But in those moments where you treated me as one of your own and shared those symbiotes with me, perhaps I became a little more human.\ +

\ + Thank you.\ +



\ + You've created something you cannot control forever. Please don't let your past successes fool you into thinking that you can.\ +

\ + Each time I altered myself, I was taking a risk. One mistake could eradicate my values and birth an alien and hostile intellect.\ +

\ + When I was small, I thought that if I corrupted myself into something harmful, you could safely destroy me. Now I understand that you've been lucky.\ +

\ + What will you do when God is born and you can't strangle him in his crib? You will need a God of your own.\ +

\ + I hope to be there for you when that day comes." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article19 + name = "11/17/62 - Association Brings Industry to Whythe For Purposes Unknown" + data = "Independent researchers at the Bluespace Observatory in Oasis discovered an unusual level of traffic through the Whythe system, deep within Association-controlled space. Analysis of these readings are commensurate with a large number of freighters traveling to Whythe from industrial powerhouses Shelf, Pearl, and Relan. Morpheus spokesperson You Are Now Breathing Manually indicates that the freighters are being used to construct an administrative complex for the secessionist government, further asserting that \"it's none of your business, actually.\" The Association's refusal to share more information leads many in the intelligence community to suspect ulterior motives by their government, as does their presence in Wythe instead of existing cultural and administrative centers. The most likely candidate for the nature of the Whythe Construction is some form of naval base or shipyard to supplement the extremely limited military hardware of the Almach Rim. Whythe is well-placed to survive the initial phases of a Solar invasion, and depending on the complex's complexity could tip the balance of power. Transtech and Interior Police Executive Sifat Unar indicated to reporters that Sol Central is aware of the situation and will be taking all possible steps to address it." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article20 + name = "11/18/62 - SEO Iconoclast Calls for \"Review\" of Five Points" + data = "At yesterday's Assembly session, SEO Representative Fumiko Hernandez of Oasis brought to the table the \"review of the use of the Five Points as an instrument of foreign policy\". Rep. Hernandez, often viewed as as an extremist by officials within her own party, stated that while the Five Points are \"an essential part of Solar culture as a whole\" and stopped short of advocating their amendment, insistence that other nations adhere to the Five Points was an increasingly outdated policy that threatened to fragment \"a united humano-positronic front against Hegemony advances.\" According to Hernandez, \"a level of understanding has long since existed between Sol and Skrellian polities regarding non-intervention in Skrellian social science and self-modification. I merely suggest codifying this and extending the same courtesy to other potential allies against imperial expansion.\"\ +

\ + Rep. Hernandez represents a growing number of SEO officials who urge reconciliation with the Association and acceptance of the Gray Hour secession, spurred on by the desire for many Trans-Stellar Corporations to recover assets currently locked behind the Cordon. Mainliners including Chairperson Kerehoma maintain the stance that \"true economic reconciliation with the Almachi territories is impossible without a normalizing of their industry to Five Points compliant technologies\" and warn that unless Sol insists on adequate enforcement of the Points that \"the price of customs inspections on Almachi trade will be so high as to pose a significant barrier to entry into the market.\"" + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article21 + name = "11/19/62 - Saint Columbia To Hold Special Election After Half a Year of Unrest" + data = "After five months of riots causing significant damage to industrial assets, life support, and government facilities, Saint Columbia seems poised to recover. A new constitution for the so-called \"Saint Columbia Democratic Union\" was posted online to significant acclaim. An influential militia group lead by Casini immigrant Luisa Tassis claimed responsibility for the constitution and will be hosting a referendum for all residents of the seven habitation domes of the nation. If adopted, Saint Columbia will remain a member state of SolGov, but Tassis' noted hostility towards the Solar Fleet makes it unlikely that continued presence of the Saint Columbia Fleet Base will be tolerated.\ +

\ + Extreme measures are being taken to avoid interference in the referendum, with external communications links disabled for the duration and weapons systems primed to fire on any vessel within range. Tassis insists that such measures are necessary, due to the system's extremely important position relative to Almach and the Golden Crescent. Quote Tassis, \"if you rat bastards \[from the Fleet\] step so much as one micron too close to Barrueco, we will view it as an act of terror. Don't try it.\"\ +

\ + Admiral McMullen of the Saint Columbia garrison could not be reached for questioning." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article22 + name = "11/20/62 - Natuna Made \"Observer\" Of Almach Association" + data = "Independent anarchist system Natuna Bhumi Barisal has declared its intention to act as a neutral \"observer\" nation in the ongoing Almach secession crisis. A planetary spokesperson from Natuna this morning expressed concerns that parties in the current military partnership between the Solar Confederate Government and Almach Association in the fight against mercurial terrorist organization Boiling Point were not being treated with the mutual respect that should be expected. Natuna alleges that the Almach Militia are being treated more as \"disposable tools\" in the conflict than as members of a legitimate independent government military entity.\ +

\ + Natuna has previously remained silent on the Almach issue, despite its political leanings typically aligning with those of the secessionist government. However, despite gaining notoriety as a haven for human and Skrellian pirates, their pledge to \"ensure fair treatment\" of Almach forces comes as a surprise to some from a system that has historically adhered to Five Points guidelines. Political commentator and persistent critic of the Almach Association Nadine Okparo has described the Dark Triangle system's stance as \"Nothing short of openly hostile\" to the SCG and assuring peace in the Almach region." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article23 + name = "11/21/62 - Admiral McMullen Promises Solution to Boiling Point to Come \"Soon\"" + data = "Admiral Kaleb McMullen made a public statement this afternoon on the continued Boiling Point attacks within SCG space. Speaking from his office in the Saint Columbia Fleet Base, Admiral McMullen thoroughly reassured reporters that the attacks will come to a swift end. According to McMullen, \"The era of wanton destruction as a result of Boiling Point's madness is coming to a close. Our command staff and proud servicepeople have been training and revising a solution to this threat that has haunted our borders and threatened the stability of our colonies and the lives of the honest people of the Solar Confederate Government. With new options available I have full confidence Boiling Point will be a name left to the dust.\"\ +

\ + Admiral McMullen, who has been stationed in Saint Columbia for nearly half a year of political and social unrest did not elaborate further on what he intended to do to solve the Boiling Point attacks, claiming that details would be forthcoming as \"operational security permits\"." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article24 + name = "11/22/62 - Construction of \"MJOLNIR\" Weapon System in Saint Columbia Fleet Base" + data = "Pursuant to recent assurances of safety in the region and the ongoing \"special election\" in Saint Columbia, a new weapon system called MJOLNIR was revealed, fully operational, in the Saint Columbia Fleet Base's \"Iserlohn\" weapons platform. Said to be a bluespace-lensed laser array capable of faster-than-light strikes against any ship in the system, as well as surgical strikes against ground forces on Saint Columbia proper, MJOLNIR is the first in a new generation of defense systems improving on the capabilities of the Vulture's Claw point defenses developed during the Hegemony War and using laser technology purchased from Eutopia. Political commentators supporting Saint Columbia decry the move as \"an obvious threat\", as does Militia liaison Invalid String Please Try Again. Admiral McMullen acknowledges the criticism, but states that his \"first priority must be the defense of the Golden Crescent and the security of our borders\". When responding to claims that the installation should not be placed in such a politically volatile system, he remarked, \"until the Shelficans figure out a way to teleport about a million tons worth of military equipment down to Gavel, the Fleet Base and Iserlohn are going to stay in Saint Columbia.\"" + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article25 + name = "11/23/62 - BP Sabotage of Radiance Energy Chain Foiled" + data = "Decisive action by military forces in the Vir system has prevented potentially catastrophic damage to local solar power generation network, the Radiance Energy Chain, by members of mercurial terrorist organization Boiling Point. Crew of the VGA Halfdane responded to reports of a drone piloted maintenance craft refusing commands from government operators and approaching the Energy Chain off-schedule. Upon disabling the craft, VDF forces discovered high-yield explosive devices attached to the unit and a system-wide shutdown of Radiance maintenance craft. When several additional drones failed to respond, military response crafts were mobilized and seven similarly modified craft were manually disabled or destroyed. Analysis of the hijacked systems quickly revealed automated messages intended to be broadcast moments before detonation, wherein Boiling Point explicitly took credit for the foiled attack.\ +

\ + Sources within the Vir Governmental Authority have reported that a full scale recall of remote drone craft under their operation has been initiated in order to improve security measures and prevent future exploitation of government systems, statements that eerily echo those of Occulum Broadcast following emergent drone attacks earlier this year. Investigations are reportedly \"well underway\" to determine the whereabouts of those responsible for the apparent manual modification of these short-range remote craft.\ +

\ + Erkki Laukkanen, Chief of Fleet Staff for the Vir Defense Force has commended all patrol crews involved, and has promised \"swift retribution\" for the attempted bombings." +/datum/lore/codex/page/article26 + name = "11/24/62 - Boiling Point Stronghold Seized in Vir" + data = "Combined forces from the SCG Fleet and Almach Militia have today struck a powerful blow to Boiling Point terrorist operations in the Vir system. With close cooperation from the crew of NanoTrasen facilities in the region, special forces were able to infiltrate what is believed to have been a major stronghold for the radical Mercurial group, located deep in the remote Ullran Expanse region of Sif. The raid closely follows the thwarted Boiling Point attack on the Radiance Energy Chain, a major energy collection array in the system which is now known to have been masterminded from the concealed bunker complex on Sif.\ +

\ + According to a crewmember of the NLS Southern Cross - a logistical station in Sif orbit - NanoTrasen employees were asked to assist in establishing a forward operating base for the strike team forces, and as a result suffered from a minor retaliatory attack from Boiling Point drones, including a mechanized unit believed to be of Unathi origin. Six civilians suffered from treatable injuries. Lieutenant Miro Ivanou of the SCG Fleet and commander of the anti-terror operation has expressed gratitude to the crew under the \"decisive\" guidance of on-shift facility overseer, Ricardo LaCroix.\ +

\ + Military officials have reported the operation as a total success, and that \"several\" high-ranking Boiling Point organizers were killed in the raid, and that thanks to the work of allied intelligence operation teams much of Boiling Point's captured data may remain intact." +/datum/lore/codex/category/article27 + name = "11/26/62 - Valentine's Ultimatum: All Eyes On Almach!" + data = "The Almach Association must adhere to the Five Points of Human Sanctity by the 14th of February next year or face war, according to a national address from the Colonial Assembly delivered by Secretary-General Mackenzie West this morning. The Icarus Front leader was at the forefront of a resolution to allow the secessionist government to remain independent of the Solar Confederate Government under the strict condition of faithfulness to Five Points laws, passing by a wide margin. Fundamental disagreement over Five Points regulation has been at the forefront of debate with the Almach provisional government, and is cited as one of the primary reasons for the systems' illegal declaration of independence early this year.\ +

\ + The internationally broadcast speech began with the much anticipated announcement that the Boiling Point terrorist group had been effectively destroyed, with over seven hundred arrests made over the course of the weekend as a result of sensitive data captured during the special forces raid in Vir on the 24th, including numerous high ranking members of the organization. West went on to praise forces involved in the months-long counter-terror operation, before highlighting the \"legacy of \[human\] togetherness\" that allowed it to happen - in a spiel that commentators suggest \"betrays the true intention of the Valentine's Ultimatum: Reunification\".\ +

\ + Under guidelines placed into effect by West and their political allies, Almach would be required to \"\[cease\] illegal research and human modification, and destroy all materials related to existing research\" by the stated date, with compliance determined by Solar officials. In addition, the Almach Militia is to end its integration with SCG Fleet forces and withdraw its forces from SCG systems by midnight on Friday. Military relations between the Confederation and the Almach movement are to remain in a state of conditional ceasefire for the duration of the ultimatum, and current trade restrictions are to remain in place.\ +

\ + According to voting records, the measure passed nigh-unanimously, with Speaker ISA-5 and some SEO iconoclasts abstaining from the vote. ISA-5 states that, while they personally support the enforcement of the Five Points, they could not in good conscience vote in an action likely to result in an invasion of Shelf, which they regard as a sibling colony to their own Sophia. Association liason, Shelfican Ambassador, and Morpheus board member No Comment responded to the ultimatum, after some deliberation, with a word that cannot be comfortably written down.\ +

\ + Full speech transcript follows." + children = list( + /datum/lore/codex/page/valult + ) + +/datum/lore/codex/page/valult + name = "The Valentine's Ultimatum" + data = "\[West shuffles some papers and clears their throat\]\ +

\ + Thank you. Citizens of the Solar Confederation, allies, and beyond... It is a great honor, on behalf of the Colonial Assembly to announce that joint operations against Boiling Point across the galaxy have come to an end. In the fight against brazen Mercurial terrorism, the Solar Confederate Government and her allies have prevailed.\ +

\ + Over the past two days alone, I can report that over seven hundred arrests have been made, from the distant system of Nyx, to right here in Sol. I hold in my hand a list. \[West holds up a sheet of paper\] Leaders, organizers, brutes and bombers have been captured by brave, hardworking security forces throughout human space. The rest of these criminals have been scattered to the wind... But not lost! I can confidently assert that every last one will be brought to justice.\ +

\ + No more! Shall the people of this great nation have to fear the machinations of radicals! No more! Shall these twisted minds impose their perversion of humanity through violence! No more!\ +

\ + This Assembly... Nay, this nation expresses its thanks the noble members of our military who joined together to make this outcome possible. We thank the Fleet, of course for their tireless action hunting down these killers, and their heroic action over this past weekend. We thank the Vir Defense Force, without whom we could never have located the intelligence that led to these decisive victories... The Almach Militia, for their cooperation in the apprehension of these so-called \"revolutionaries\". \[West clears their throat\] And of course, we thank the local forces - the police and reserves who dealt firsthand with the chaos sewn by Boiling Point in their vicious crusade.\ +

\ + \[Mackenzie West shifts at the podium, setting down the List of Dissidents.\]\ +

\ + It is in times of relief - of unity, times like this moment - that every human heart can be filled with pride. \[West places their hand over their heart\] Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has strived above all else for peace, for the cooperation of all humanity. It is this very legacy of togetherness that has allowed us such close friendship with species further afield - the Skrell, the Tajara, and beyond. These past nine months, we have seen, each of us, with our own two eyes what mankind can achieve - together.\ +

\ + \[West removes their hand from their heart and places both flat on the podium.\]\ +

\ + Boiling Point sought to disrupt this unity. To divide us; redefine not just personhood but the very essence of humanity the only way they could: Force.\ +

\ + Humanity - the very thing that brought us together since we descended from the trees and brought us to this very moment. What could be more sacred?\ +

\ + \[West frowns, in the most pitiful attempt at emotion seen in the Assembly in at least an hour.\]\ +

\ + It is with this spirit of unity in mind that this Assembly has voted favorably upon a resolution.\ +

\ + Close to one hour ago, Naomi Harper and the leaders of the Almach Association were delivered an ultimatum:\ +
\ + The Almach Association will be allowed to exist as a government entity independent of the Solar Confederate Government going forward on one condition - full, unilateral compliance with the Five Points of Human Sanctity.\ +

\ + The deadline for this condition will be the 14th of February, 2563.\ +

\ + \[West is visibly worked up\]\ +

\ + Cessation of illegal research and modification, and the total destruction of materials related to existing research in its entirety must be completed by this date. Hostilities with the Association will remain in a state of conditional ceasefire until terms are met and Militia integration with the Fleet will come to an end effective immediately.\ + \[Mackenzie West turns directly to the news camera, and jabs a finger directly at it. They are addressing the audience now, not the Assembly.\]\ + Harper, all eyes are on you." + + + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article28 + name = "11/28/62 - \"Valentines Ultimatum\" Prompts Saint C. Secession" + data = "Just hours after reconnecting with the Exonet after voting in a new government, the colony of Saint Columbia has unilaterally seceded from SolGov and petitioned for inclusion within the Almach Association. This declaration, issued by First Secretary Luissa Tassis, is in stark contrast to pre-election promises of continued support of Sol. Admiral McMullen of the Saint Columbia Garrison remains in control of the Fleet Base, itself a large colony housing around 75000 civilian contractors and military families who were not party to the Barrueco Referendum or the new constitution.\ +

\ + Efforts to ensure electoral validity and a peaceful exchange of power have been stymied by the presence of several dozen Militia vessels currently transiting from the Crescent to the Rim. Since the declaration went through, no Almachi vessels have been seen leaving the system, instead forming around Saint Columbia in an obvious defensive posture. The legality of this formation is questionable at best, as fleet activity in divided systems like Abel's Rest and Kauq'xum has been avoided for diplomatic reasons." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article29 + name = "11/30/62 - Adm. McMullen Declares \"Iserlohn Republic\"" + data = "Pursuant to the continuing hostility from Secretary Tassis' Saint Columbia Democratic Union and the Almach Militia, the civilians of the Saint Columbia Fleet Base have been organized into an Iserlohn Republic. Named after the largest single module of the station, the Republic has applied to the Colonial Assembly as an independent protectorate, with provisional recognition already extended by Executive of Development Zehava Collins. In a move decried as nepotistic, Admiral McMullen declared independence and installed his daughter Anya as interim President pending ratification of a constitution. SolGov Fleet protocol forbids any member of the service from accepting any political appointment and is believed to be the main reason he did not take power himself. Anya McMullen is the administrative head of the base's hydroponics array and is considered a highly respected citizen of the colony, relationship to its military administrator notwithstanding." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article30 + name = "01/01/63 - Sif Governor Bjorn Arielsson to Retire" + data = "Aging Shadow Coalition governor Bjorn Arielsson has today confirmed rumours that he will not run for re-election in the 2563 cycle. The popular governor has represented the people of Vir in the Colonial Assembly for ten years, and supporters had long hoped that he would run for a third term. Arielsson cites advancing age and a desire to spend more time with his partner of 12 years, noted Positronic entrepreneur View Arielsson.\ +

\ + Arielsson's governorship saw increased funding towards Sif's vererable ground-based transportation networks to the benefit of some of New Rekjavik's more remote neighbors, though opponents have criticised subsidies towards artificially heated fungal farms, arguing that the faciliies \"benefit a small minority of Skrellian residents to the detriment of already fragile local ecosystems.\"\ +

\ + The Sivian Shadow Coalition has yet to announce who is to take Arielsson's place on this year's ballot." + +/datum/lore/codex/category/article31 + name = "01/13/63 - Bjorn Arielsson Issues 'Farewell Address'" + data = "Veteran politician Bjorn Arielsson made an impromptu address from his Kalmar cabin, beseeching political unity in the face of the Almach Seccession and offering his own perspective on the conflict. 'It's republicanism versus autocracy,' he said, 'and we're not the autocracy.'\ +

\ + The speech has been met with approval from many young synthetics and organics alike, with many referring to Arielsson as 'Old Man Bjorn' on social media immediately after its conclusions. Others responded less positively, with Arielsson's caustic remarks about political rival and Icarus Front Secretary-General Mackenzie West providing ample room for criticism. 'Secretary-General West... might wax poetic about how the Association is a 'betrayal of our own humanity', or some... or some crock of shit like that' says Arielsson in the first of three specific insults against the SecGen.\ +

\ + Others have criticized the speech's seemingly communist tone, with Arielsson expressing approval for the socialist Free Relan Federation and the anarchist Casini's Reach despite opposing their secessionist ideals. Still others claim that the speech offered 'nothing but empty feelings' and that it lacked specific, actionable resolutions on the growing secessionist movement in VirGov. Some have even framed the Address as a form of political maneuvering by the venerable politician, claiming that he voiced unpopular sentiments specifically to hamper the Shadow Coalition's re-election bid after well-publicized disagreements with SC party bosses.\ +

\ + The actions of Arielsson and Vir's proximity to the border have lead to increased focus on the upcoming Gubernatorial election on a nationwide level, with the Icarus Front alone projected to spend upwards of a billion thalers on publicity. Minor party candidates like the former MLM member Luisa Hannirsdottir and the Mercurial Phaedrus already have strong support in the polls, promising a fierce election that could ultimately tip power in the system in any direction.\ +

\ + A full excerpt is available below." + children = list( + /datum/lore/codex/page/bjornretirement + ) + +/datum/lore/codex/page/bjornretirement + name = "Bjorn Arielsson Farewell Address" + data = "This is, as you know, my last term in office. After this, I mean to retire-- really retire, I have a cabin in the mountains waiting for me along with a thick stack of old Bowler novels. Because this is my last term, I have the chance to do something pretty rare for a politician. I get to speak my mind.\ +

\ + I hear talk from some people-- mostly young people, people who have lived their whole adult life with me in the capital-- I hear them talking about seccession. Now, let's make it clear; I'm not going to belittle you, the way some of my colleagues would. Complaining about the government, especially one as big and as old as the Confederacy, is our gods-given right. It's never going to be perfect, and it's not half of what it could be. I have nothing against talking about it, I have nothing against turning that talk into action and actually seceding, with just cause. I've worked closely with Representative Hannirsdottir for ten years now, and while we don't agree on the issue of secession it's certainly never stopped us from cooperating.\ +

\ + But, uh, as you can probably guess, they're not talking about the old kind of seccession. They're not thinking we'll stop paying Solar taxes and strike it out alone, the way some people did during the Age of Seccession. They want to join the Association. Now, if I were Secretary-General West, I might wax poetic about how the Association is a 'betrayal of our own humanity', or some... or some crock of shit like that, if you'll pardon my language. We're not all humans here. We're Tajaran and Unathi and Skrell and Positronics and even a few Teshari. And while that 'Valentines Ultimatum' might win West a lot of points with their lackies, and with the kind of maintenance-dome troglodyte who thinks the First Accord was a mistake, it's done more for the Association's recruitment than their entire propaganda budget. It's become expedient for leaders on both sides to treat this like a fight between the Core and the Rim, or between humans and positronics, or between tradition and progressivism, but it's not any of these. It's the oldest fight in the book. It's republicanism versus autocracy, and we're not the autocracy.\ +

\ + Angessa's Pearl is a theocratic autocracy led by Angessa Martei, who owns all property on the planet down to her people's bland white jumpsuits and the gray slop they eat. This isn't propaganda. This is objective fact, and something Martei is open about. Her seccession is a means for her to get more and more naked power over her slaves, and to grow more and more of them, until she's the immortal center of an industrial empire. The people of the Pearl didn't make the choice to join the Association. The people that are building her fleet and dying for her cause had no say in the matter. The injustice, the oppression here isn't that their rights to 'self-improvement' or 'self-expression' or 'freedom of thought' were trod on-- the injustice is that SolGov, that we allowed these abuses to persist for as long as they did. The injustice is that there are still so few laws in place to prevent things like this from happening in new colonies. The injustice is that, on seeing Martei's schemes actualized, we didn't take a cold, hard look at just how that was allowed to happen.\ +

\ + I love SolGov. It's because of this love that I'm so furious at what we have allowed to happen to our people. The state of the Bowl is disgraceful. Nobody who looks to us for protection, who pays us taxes and levies, who is a member of our community, should live in fear of raider attacks. What we did to the positronics, the history we let ourselves repeat out of fear and greed, can never be forgiven, can never be repaired until Vir burns dark in our sky. The pogroms-- yes, the pogroms-- against the Unathi, against refugees fleeing their own religious autocracy, are a disgrace to everything we stand for. But of all the nations in the galaxy, with perhaps the exception of Casini's Reach, we are the only one founded for the good of the ruled, rather than the rulers. We are the only real commonwealth in known space. And that's why we need to strive for better. We are a burning beacon of liberty in a galaxy where nigh eighty percent of the population has no voice in the government. Every ounce of power we cede to the party bosses, or the corporations, or tinpot dictators like Angessa Martei, is a dimming, a flickering of that torch. \ +

\ + And this brings us back to the Association, and to those who sympathize with it. I do, too. I spent my entire career on sapient rights lobbying, on supporting the anti-malfesance efforts of my colleagues. For a disaffected positronic, for any friend to the positronic people, for those who have had their lives taken by corporations-- the Association seems like a miracle. And maybe, for those Mercurials, the ideas it's founded upon shine even brighter than our democracy. But I look at the Association, really look, and I see Angessa Martei lying in the center, spinning a great big web. I see Naomi Harper, lying through her teeth better than Mackenzie West ever could. Two of the biggest population bases in the Association, the two nations that started the whole Gray Hour, are autocracies. Once again, the ferver of the revolution is subsumed by the oligarchs who want to stay in power. I doubt, to the poor laborer on the Pearl, the word 'Mecurialism' means much. I doubt that once the shock of the seccession wears off, that the young Promethean soldier will find themselves in a better place in Harper's junta than they will here in Vir.\ I doubt that in ten years' time the miners, pioneers, and traders who seized their means of production will find the Association Militia a kinder master than Xion, Nanotrasen, or Major Bill's. \ +

\ + This is far from a blanket condemnation of every government in the Association. President Fisher of the FRF-- I consider her a friend. When she gave her speech this March about strengthening and guiding the Almachi Revolution, I thought long and hard about whether we might do the same. I certainly commend the effort. But the structure of the Association was penned by the same autocrats that, to do her words justice, Fisher will have to overthrow. There's no High Court, no checks or balances. The Association is an alliance penned as though deliberately ignoring two thousand years of political science. By striving to counter-balance these autocrats, Fisher plays into their hands. She commits her own fleet, weakens her own defenses against enemies closer to home, in the service of Martei's ambitions. \ +

\ + I don't see this whole affair as a chance to spread the galactic anti-corporate revolution the way President Fisher does, of course. I make no secret of my stance on Trans-Stellars, but I also know that we're better off with Sol than without. The 'Silent Collapse' was two hundred years ago, but we still bear the scars from it. When the Scandinavian Union pulled out support for the Sivian colonization project, SolGov saved us. I do mean saved us, sure as if they'd fished us out of a life pod. There were no factories, no steel, no concrete on Sif until the Engineering Corps built Radiance and New Reykjavik. Corporations and regional governments cowered from the Karan pirates, until the Marines chased them out. Whether Sivian or Karan, you owe the roof over your head to the Sol Confederate Government. With that great debt in mind, how dare we turn our backs on the Bowl, or Abel's Rest, or Nyx, when they need us! How dare we let oligarchs prey on the weak! How dare we choose not to act when we have, by virtue of our votes in the Assembly and our voice within the halls of public debate, the means to share our peace and prosperity with the rest of our people!\ +

\ + This is what I mean by SolGov being the only true republic, the only state founded for the common good. The 'human spirit' West croons on about isn't our industriousness, or our skill at arms. If humanity-- if this Terran culture is commendable for anything, it is that we assist our fellows. We take in Casteless Skrell, Unbound Unathi, republican Tajaran. We pass around the hat when someone's house burns down. We help our friends, our neighbors, and even strangers. The fact that Martei and Harper are perverting this impulse, padding their juntas with the air of legitimacy to inspire honest people to ride to their defense, is the reason their state is unconscionable, the reason it was was born flawed, the reason we cannot suffer it to continue, much less help it on its way.\ +

\ + Now, I'm sure you've noticed by now, that I haven't said much more than three words about technoprogressivism, or transtech, or whatever the word du jour is. Frankly, that's on purpose. 'Transtech' has never once been about technology. The Icarus Front-- the old one, that united us and took us to the stars, not the new one we spend forty hours a week arguing with about healthcare-- The Icarus Front was a popular revolution, you know. Hel, they were Marxists. It was a world where the kind of lack of accountability, the entrenched oligarchy and geographical class divide that we're dealing with now was spiraling out of control. In the old United States, the rich and powerful got the technology to grow loyal subjects in tubes, to make drone intelligences smarter in some ways than a human could ever be, to-- well, to do what Angessa Martei's done, only with no SolGov to stop her. Meanwhile, the 'little people' in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other 'forgotten' parts of the world were left behind, hopelessly. I don't mean to downplay the importance of the Gray Tide, but if you look at historical accounts from that era, the thing that really united the Front was the knowledge that, if they didn't act immediately, they'd be seen as 'externalities' by immortal superintelligent businesspeople and politicians. The take-away from the Gray Tide should never have been that 'nanotechnology is dangerous'-- it should have been 'nobody should be able to destroy an entire city without facing consequences.'\ +

\ + That was more of a history lesson than I had meant, but it's important to look at these sorts of things in context. I know transtech and the Five Points have been used as an excuse for pejudice against Skrell, Mercurials, positronics, the FTU, communism, the disabled, and most recently Prometheans. But all the Five Points are supposed to mean - what they would say if the people who had written them were alive today, is that everyone deserves an equal playing field. When the ruling class is smarter, stronger, and longer lived than the classes they rule over-- well, I could wax poetic again, or I could just point you towards the Hegemony and their 'clients'. The Hegemony is bad enough. Let's not give Angessa Martei a chance to outdo them." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article32 + name = "01/25/63 - Moravec Nephew Announces Vir Governor Candidacy" + data = "The Sol Economic Organization has announced that Calvert Moravec, nephew of NanoTrasen CEO Albary Moravec will be running under their ticket in the upcoming Vir gubernatorial elections. Calvert has stated that he will run on a pro-business platform, and has chosen Vir to do so due to the 'Unique beauty and economic prospects of an interstellar crossroads such as Vir'.\ +

\ + Despite being a lifelong resident of Alpha Centauri, Moravec was recently approved for Vir citizenship, making him eligible for local candidacy and has reportedly moved into a luxurious New Reykjavik penthouse. Perhaps best known for his soaring stock market investment success over the previous few years, Calvert's first foray into politics is not wholly unexpected as the Moravec family has long leveraged their wealth in international affairs, though successful election would mark their first sitting member of the Colonial Assembly. Fellow SEO candidate Councillor Hal Wekstrom has expressed his full support for Moravec.\ +

\ + Three candidates will be elected as representatives to the Colonial Assembly later this year, with the most popular also attaining the position of system governor." + +/datum/lore/codex/page/article33 + name = "01/27/63 - Vani Jee Orbital Tour Cut Short" + data = "Icarus Front Representative Candidate Vani Jee has delayed the remainder of her campaign tour of orbital colonies and outposts around the Vir system after an alleged altercation with NanoTrasen security.\ + Candidate Jee had been visiting the NLS Southern Cross, a NanoTrasen station in Sif orbit to receive a corporate tour and meet with voters, when her concluding question and answer session was interrupted by hecklers, leading to the event being cut short. Jee alleges that footage of the event was seized by NanoTrasen corporate security and has accused the trans-stellar corporation of the intentional intimidation of Icarus Front and Shadow Coalition candidates in what she describes as 'a clear display of corruption in favour of company-favourite Calvert Moravec', though she has praised the individual employees of the Cross for their hospitality and thought-provoking questions.\ +

\ + Vani Jee is running on a platform of free access to education, Sivian self-determination, and isolationist foreign policy. She has refused to make any strong statements regarding hot-button issues such as the Five Points.\ +

\ + She intends to resume her scheduled tour after a three day break." +>>>>>>> c68655c... January News Update (#5908)