Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: New Seattle Intelligencer Newsfeed 4
Dumpshock Forums > Discussion > Welcome to the Shadows
Kanada Ten
Editorial

April 2063 - Welcome back! Chaos and confusion aptly describe the last month, and not just on the streets. Our very own Chief Editor and reporter Andrew Hawke went missing while covering a story in Poland, delaying the publication by weeks. Our prayers and hopes are with him and his family.

This month's edition will cover the fallout of Tiran scandals, Californian rebels, and the latest stunning decision for the NEEC. Closer to home the candidates in the UCAS elections have begun to rear their ugly heads; we'll give you a breakdown of who's who and where the money is coming from. Plus, a look at local politics and their corporate masters with an inside scoop on the growing links between the Governor's office, the Metroplex Guard, and Ares Macrotechnology. We'll also tell you about Lisa Ellender and her quest to vindicate her daughter's death by ending gang violence.

All that and more in this issue of the NSI, be sure to grab a copy,
NSI Staff
Kanada Ten
Pueblo recruits Ute as border tensions escalate
Zambiza Madrid
Los Angeles (Pueblo Corporate Council)

The past few weeks have seen a turn of increased violence and confrontation between Pueblo and Aztlan forces along the San Diego border. Aztlan missiles pounded Pueblo Security bunkers leaving eight wounded and three dead. According to Aztlan, the attack was in response to Pueblo assaults on their computer networks, assaults the Pueblo blame on Aztlan’s La Venta rebel group. Worries that the recent events represent a renewed offensive have Pueblo scrambling for troops.

To fill the void, Pueblo turned to the Ute. The primary plan is not new; in fact, Pueblo first purposed the idea in 2059 as an extension of PSF (Pueblo Security Force) hiring practices. At the time, the idea was nixed due to internal security worries and concerns that issuing too many Preferred shares would adversely affect the Pueblo economy. Increased external threats and an undeniably strong economy have given new life to the plan, all be it a limited version. The original idea was to recruit troops from other NAN states and provide training and education for a four-year tour in the PSF. The reduced plan seeks only to recruit from the Ute nation and then only those who lack the money for higher education or desperately need work.

Despite differences between the two NAN states, Pueblo was granted permission to recruit soldiers from Ute high school students and unemployed. The referendum eked through the Ute public with a small margin in one of the most controversial votes held this year. The two governments have not yet hammered out the exact details though a minimum salary was announced at a little over twenty thousand nuyen per year.

The plan is considered no less controversial in Pueblo or the Sovereign Tribal Council. STC members questioned the Pueblo motivation rigorously over the last weeks, and market analysts criticized the plan based on its narrow scope. Previous efforts by the PCC to aid the Ute have been met with rebuttals and animosity, and the acquisition of Los Angeles chilled the relationship. Many Pueblo citizens are worried that Ute soldiers will be granted voting rights, an issue that has plagued the nation since LA was annexed.

On the other side, many Ute see this as an opportunity to heal some of the rifts between the two nations. “Until this vote, my son had no prospects. He couldn’t see a reason to go to school. Now, with the recruiters already coming and saying that he must have a C average, he goes everyday. This is a way to keep kids off the streets. Jeremy [my son] is already saying how he’s going to get some schooling and come back and start his own virtual game company,” said Carry Whitehorse, a Ute mother and textile worker. The fact that Pueblo has stopped offering direct aid has already eased fears that this new plan was some kind of charity. Even among the PCC there is high hopes that a larger military presence will intimidate General Saito and Aztlan enough to prevent all out war.
Kanada Ten
Rain goes from bad to real bad
Samantha Sentient
Downtown, Seattle (UCAS)

Rain. It falls down from the clouds and taps upon my hat. It drips onto my fingers and the momentary burn reminds me of its poison. Acid rain. It falls on the streets, the buildings, and cars. Streamers of mist rise and swirl to disappear in the dark. We can see the scars rain leaves behind from disintegrated statues to eroded causeways. What happens to all those bits of plastic, rock, and even smog after the rain assaults them?

Student from the University of Seattle may have an answer. Three years of entering data to build a virtual model of Seattle weather and pollution, the students finished one of the most complex and realistic models ever created. They call it the SIMPPL (Seattle Integrated Meteorological Pollution Prediction and Logistics) model. Three rigorous weeks of testing revealed something very strange and nearly panicked the students. Every time it rained, the pollution levels would rise.

“When we first saw it, we thought it was a glitch,” said project leader Tristan MacNumarea. “It took us few weeks of analysis to determine the exact cause, and then bam! It hit us. The rain was increasing the CO2 and greenhouse gasses.” Complex reactions between smog, acid rain, and plastcrete compounds had been creating heavier smog for nearly three decades despite the reduced emissions from vehicles and factories. “It’s like once we got the ball rolling, it kept going downhill. Even if we eliminated emissions, global warming would still be happening.”

The findings will be subject to a great deal of scrutiny after they are published, but for now the scientific community is generally accepting of the idea. “Sure, sure it makes sense. I’d like to see how much the reaction produces and so on. After all, Tecnocilican doesn’t get very much rain and it’s the most polluted city on Earth, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an effect,” said Helmut Anschütz, Senior Chemist at Saeder-Krupp’s Advanced Technical Institute in Berlin. Many others echoed this sentiment.

I hear the patter on my window; it is raining again.
Kanada Ten
A Night on the Town
Queer Adams
Bellevue, Seattle (UCAS)

Nanothesis opened its doors for the first time Monday, and what a party! The music is loud, the crowd obnoxiously cutting edge, and the décor so blahzay you can hardly stand looking at one spot too long. Which all combines to make the place amazing. The owner struts around the floor with a giant syntharette, complaining to the clientele, bitching to get them dancing. The old Ork sports more chrome than Aztlaner pickup, but it’s mostly for show (please don’t tell him I said that).

The Fiendish Five opened the club; a band who’s motto is, “Music so hard you have to stretch your imagination to call it music.” They jammed for hours to an adoring public. This despite the fact that much of the “music” is several hertz above human hearing. All and all a hypnotic experience.

Overlooking the double priced brew and clumsy staff, Nanothesis is a place to watch. If they improve the selection of refreshments and keep up with stellar performances, I’ll come back and maybe bring a friend. Keep your ears peeled, wired, and steel.

(On a scale of 1-5 Nuyen, 1 being lousy and 5 being exceptional.)

Food = ¥¥
Service = ¥¥¥
Atmosphere = ¥¥¥¥
Location = ¥¥¥¥
Entertainment = ¥¥¥¥

Queer Adams best selling book about ritual cooking, Cooking for the Dead, is available everywhere fine books are sold.
Nath
President and Navy honor submarines' name
Carl Salles
Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Connecticut, UCAS

The event had been longly planned, leaving the ship on hold nameless for three weeks. Exactly one century after the tragic end of his predecessor, a new USS Thresher touched water in presence of the President Haeffner. It was on april 10th, 1963, that the USS Thresher SSN 593 sank during deep-diving tests in the Northern Atlantic, 350 kilometers east of Cape Cod, with 16 officers, 96 enlisted men and 17 civilian technicians onboard. The new USS Thresher, the fourteenth attack submarine of the New Hampshire class, built in Groton, CT, by Ares Naval Arms Division, thus becomes the third submarine carrying this name, sharing the name of a first ancestor who served in the Pacific during World War 2. For once, none dared to discuss the choice of a name disrupting the serie of States of the Union the New Hampshire class used so far. Like them, the Thresher will stay based in the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton with the rest of the UCAS Navy COMSUB Submarine Force, though we can expect to see it making a stop at Everett Naval Station in 2067.

President Haeffner, whose first wife Alicia was a member of Echo Mirage Team Two killed in action while trying to salvage networks from the 2029 Virus, made a vibrant hommage to the "forgotten heros of times of peace", in a touching style rather heard from the Vice-President Nadja Daviar.

After such words and the christening of a $4 billions submarine, it was difficult for Commandant In Chief Haeffner to escape journalists' questions on his policy of use of the Armed Forces. The arrival of USS Powell in the Pacific (officially for joint exercises with USS Koontz) and the words of Senator Clay Henry (Republican-Ohio) to the media brought back on the forefront the issues of Californian civil unrest and the Tsimshian/Salish-Shidhe border war. The President dismissed any urgent intervention on the West Coast. his words for California expressed "a great sadness for other heirs of the USS Thresher and what happened to our common values" and the ultimate need for a political solution. Concerning the Salish-Shidhe and the Tsimshian, "they are at a point where they have to choose peace. No military forces will do it for them." For the president, "low-intensity warfare is the past, the Armed Forces now have to quickly contain and deal with strongholds were the threats lair, like insect spirits' hives or Renraku arcology. And those on the shoreside will have to watch for the Thresher."
Prospero
9 Die in Spokane Shedim Attack
Roger Truman
Spokane (Salish-Shidhe Council)

Nine people died today and another was injured in Spokane’s Deaconess Medical Center as the result of shedim attacks.

Though all the facts are not yet known, sources report that three shedim spirits were able to possess bodies that had been stored in the Deaconess morgue facilities. The protective wards maintained around the morgue were somehow breached, though how this was done is not yet clear.

In the morgue, the three shedim killed morticians Warren Johnson and Nicole Tekumtee, as well as two members of the hospital maintenance staff, Hector Wynecoop and Richard Gutierrez. The spirits then emerged into the hospital itself, killing two more hospital staffers and three patients, and seriously wounding a security guard.

One patient, who witnessed the attacks, said, “They were the most horrible things I’ve ever seen! They moved sorta funny, like they couldn’t bend their joints too well, but that didn’t slow them down much. And their eyes… One of them just reached out and touched Oliver, the other patient in my room. He flopped around like a fish on a hook for a few seconds and then went still. The other two came for me, and they would’ve got me, too, if that magical docotor hadn’t started using his mojo on ‘em.”

One of the hospital’s resident trauma magicians was able to delay the shedim until more help arrived and the rampaging spirits were banished by Kyuusei security magicians.

Kyuusei Medical corporation, which owns Deaconess hospital, has vowed to conduct an investigation into how the wards could have been breached and whether such an incident could happen again. A source inside the hospital hierarchy, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Deaconess administrators had been dealing with Tamanous, the infamous underground organleggers, and that the possessed bodies had been set outside of the protective wards where they would have been retrieved by Tamanous agents. A Kyuusei Medical spokesman had no comment on the accusation.
Kanada Ten
Crime ring sting
Static ke'Raeint
Cara'sir (Tir Tairngire)

Peace Force officers have arrested three men suspected of operating the notorious Se-curori Ja organized crime ring. The men, Reuven Horowitz, Sepiraph Samriel, and Juan Maldacena, were all arrested outside their jointly owned realty business in Portland’s Southwall district. The suspects surrendered without incident and are currently awaiting trail. The men are accused of attempted murder, willful destruction of property, and the serious charge of property misuse along with several other racketeering charges.

The investigation began when a masked assailant shot and wounded Cultural Minister Riogach Winter. Peace Force agents were able to link that attack to the sabotage of construction equipment using forensic evidence and magical tracking. The two crimes were also linked in motivation, say officers, as Se-curori Ja attempted to reverse a recent decision of the Cultural Ministry to allow the construction of a nightclub in downtown Portland. The gang hoped to force the project to fold, thereby leaving the property open to their business, concluded the agents.

The gang's realty business and its owners also shares ties with Alames ti'Mira, spokesperson for High Prince Lugh Surehand. The ties have forced ti’Mira to resign as he announced following the arrests. “Regrettably, I must resign my position of faithful service to the High Prince. While never have I done wrong in his name or otherwise, I shall not allow the contrived connections to these criminals stain the name of the nation’s leader.” Alames ti’Mira held the position for seven years.

The High Prince issued a statement saying, “It comes as a great shock to know one so trusted can be accused of such crimes. And while we have faith in our servent, we have accepted his resignation so that he may better clear his name.” The Peace Force has not yet concluded the investigation into Se-curori Ja, but one unnamed official noted that it was unlikely that more charges would be brought before the magistrate, saying, “These people cover their tracks well. We got lucky and they slipped on their own cleverness this time.” In the meantime, the High Prince will be looking for a new spokesperson.
Prospero
Gaeatronics Buys Ute Power Plant
William Mihecoby
Rock Springs (Ute Nation)

Rock Springs, a small town on the Ute/Sioux border was the site of controversy today, when it was announced that the Ute government has sold Ouray Power Plant (formerly Jim Bridger Power Plant under the old U.S. government) to Gaeatronics for an as-yet-undisclosed sum.

Isabella Sun-Dancer, the Ute’s current Great Chief, made the announcement after her arrival in Rock Springs today. After the announcement, Sun-Dancer toured the plant along with Gaeatronics experts to discuss the plant’s future. Ouray Power Plant has been the source of increasing upkeep costs in recent years, despite its flagging energy output. While the plant had been among the top fifty energy producers in the former U.S., under Ute management it has fallen to one of the lowest on the continent, with barely enough output to provide for local needs. The buy-out by Gaeatronics has been heralded by Sun-Dancer and other Elected Council members as a victory for the Economic Progression Council that Sun-Dancer has tried so hard to promote in recent years.

Sioux Nation environmental groups are also applauding the decision. The Ouray Power Plant is still a coal-burning facility which, because of its proximity to the Sioux border and prevailing wind patterns, has consistently worsened air-quality in Sioux lands. Though the Ute Elected Council has repeatedly tried to clean up the facility, a lack of funds and difficulties with plant managers have stymied efforts.

As part of the deal, Gaeatronics has promised to convert the plant to a state-of-the-art facility, on par with other power plants the company is developing in the Sioux Nation, drawing on both local geothermal and wind power. A Gaeatronics expert said, after touring the facilities today, that, “The conversion process shouldn’t be difficult here. This area is a veritable gold-mine of untapped potential.”

Not everyone is happy with the decision, however. Both Shiawase Envirotech and the Ute Native Workers’ Union have expressed displeasure with the decision. A Shiawase spokesman told the Provo Tribune that Shiawase Envirotech had offered the Ute government a more-than-generous sum for the plant on numerous occasions over the past year, only to be rebuffed. He felt that the Gaeatronics deal stank of cronyism and an attempt by Gaeatronics to secure a monopoly on power generation not only in the nearby Sioux Nation, but in western North America in general.

The Native Workers’ Union is angry about reported job cuts at the plant. “There’s already few enough jobs in this country,” said a spokesman for the group, “without the Salish taking more. Let those Anglo-lovers stay in their own country!”

The plant’s move away from coal-burning also puts the future of the nearby Black Butte Coal Mine into jeopardy. The plant was the largest buyer of coal in the area. A Black Butte spokesman said that the mine is “looking for alternate buyers”, but that export costs could substantially hurt their bottom line, forcing more lay-offs.
Kanada Ten
Novatech battles squatters
Samantha Sentient
Redmond, Seattle (UCAS)

Novatech security forces once again came under fire as they stormed another level of the abandoned Sager & Slone building. Squatters opened fire using automatic weapons injuring two heavily armored Novatech personal who then returned fire killing at least a dozen of the vagrants. International and local rights organizations have called on Novatech to use restraint while reclaiming the facility. Corporate spokespeople have assured the public that medical attention is being administered to the homeless injured in the battles, despite the mounting casualties. To date, almost thirty people have died with none from Novatech ranks.

The building has been abandoned since the destruction of Fuchi, which saw violent eruptions and power struggles at a half a dozen facilities worldwide as corporate managers duked it out for control of the fragmenting megacorp. Over a hundred squatters moved in on the Sager & Slone complex that once housed some of Seattle's and Fuchi's brightest scholars in a state-of-the-art think tank designed by the legendary Nakomoto Jawana. Jawana is considered a madman in architectural circles, and the Novatech soldiers agree with that sentiment.

"It's a fraggin' maze! Every corridor twists around until even the computers don't know which way your going. It's like every courtyard was designed to ambush attackers! I mean come on!" was the comment of today's wounded officer. Novatech has issued a statement claiming the building is nearly cleared and deny any use of excessive force. It's not yet clear where the squatters came into contact with the heavy weaponry though analysts speculate enemies of Novatech and Richard Villiers, the company's CEO, may have provided them with the equipment.
Kanada Ten
Upgrade divorces virtual couples
Dean Apa Wacipi
Seattle RTG (UCAS)

A computer glitch at Man & Wife, Inc annulled the marriage contracts of 3,000 newlyweds during a routine upgrade. The surprised couples received Breach of Contract, Section 428 notifications, sighting a clause dealing with undisclosed gender modification. Several of the glitch's victims were subsequently hospitalized and have filed a class action suit.

Man & Wife performs virtual marriages, often to couples who haven't met physically. Their business has boomed from a recent surge in wedding contracts, especially among from young Orks and mixed race couples. However, and despite claims by the management of Man & Wife, GridSec has ruled out foul play.

"Apparently just a software error. Nothing scanned contains known or suspected viral code and no evidence points to security compromise," said a Lone Star official. GridSec has issued a warning to owners of the Isis Dreamserpent 9 operating systems to wait until the corp issues the next patch before updating.

"This is what happens when users wait to update," said Isis spokesperson Louie Gouyette. "Going from version 9 to 15 is expressly stupid. As is spelled out in the original contract." Isis, while shifting the blame to Man & Wife, says it will have a patch ready by the end of the week. Both corporations are expected to face trail if the civil suit moves forward.

Most marriage contracts were renewed by the end of the day.
Kanada Ten
Legal tango over jurisdiction
Oliver Twisted
Downtown, Seattle (UCAS)

Invading deep into the Ork Underground, Lone Star agents kidnapped two alleged drug smugglers from their homes. Despite not having warrants or jurisdiction and injuring almost fifty innocent bystanders the Star has called this fiasco a success and "a future model of proactive crime prevention." The ORC (Ork Rights Committee) and Underground Authority have called on the Metroplex to censure Star Precinct Captain Tag Gleasin for commanding the illegal action. Lone Star denies any wrong doing claiming that the agents followed the two suspects as they fled a crime scene.

The two youths, ages 14 and 12 have not been named and are being held in an undisclosed location "to prevent riots or counter society intervention," according to a press release. The orks have not seen a lawyer, nor has their uncle, the only living relative, been allowed to speak with them. The exact nature of their crimes has not even been addressed other than vague drug charges mentioned in the statement.

The Metroplex has once again washed its hands of improved relations and told the dismayed community that Lone Star's contractual mandate allows them to arrest anyone who committed a crime on Metroplex territory including those caught following a so called hot pursuit. The fact that Lone Star refused the two suspects' basic human rights and failed to say when such alleged crimes occurred doesn't enter into consideration. Apparently, human rights only apply if you're human.

The UA and ORC have both moved their protests to Washington in hopes that the Haeffner administration would be more amenable to their cause. "We are all praying that these boys are granted the basic human dignities they deserve," said one ORC spokesperson. The UA has also asked the Seattle Corporate Council to investigate, though they have in the past deferred to the Metroplex. Legal experts say that Lone Star must charge the youths soon. However, the corporation has already submitted a closed request for extension to a Seattle District Judge, which would allow them to hold the suspects for up to a week without charge.
Kanada Ten
Rebels Capture Prison Expo
Zambiza Madrid
Morgan Hill (California Protectorate)

In a stunning turn of the tables, metahuman rebels disguised as test subjects have overtaken security forces at the Yakashima Prison Expo. Intense fighting between corporate security forces and the rebels ended after several hours and hundreds of reported casualties. The combatants, numbering between fifty and a hundred, currently hold the convention center and are surrounded by CalCorp and Protectorate forces.

While the exact details of the uprising are unknown, trideo footage broadcast by the rebels shows that they have rounded up all the corporate representatives and are testing the expo’s state of the art “security enforcement” equipment on them. Protectorate Justice Minister Shintaro Nozawa has called the rebel actions crimes against humanity, and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba promised a swift resolution to the conflict. Already military forces are preparing to storm the complex with the CalCorp, in their first real deployment, taking the lead. The decision to retake the building immediately came on the heels of Protectorate-General Saito’s announcement that no negotiations would take place with “these inhuman terrorists”, despite rebel threats to kill all hostages in the event of a siege.

This comes as a huge blow to Yakashima Technologies’ image as a security leader. And while corporate spokespeople firmly laid blame on the MPA (Metahuman People’s Army), analysts suspect this is yet more evidence of Yamatetsu dissidents within the company. Stock prices were not dramatically affected by the news, but the company did downgrade its estimated earnings. Insurance premiums at many of its facilities are also expected to rise.

In a possibly related incident, rebel forces reportedly engaged CalCorp and Protectorate forces guarding the internment camps in Morgan Hill. No official word on the number of casualties though rumors say that multiple detainees escaped with many wounded on both sides. The continued pressure of guerilla tactics and media attention has begun to strain relations inside the Protectorate with Sacramento calling for more security and Saito still pushing south and north in what seems increasingly to be a losing battle. Military watchers say that Sacramento has resorted to hiring independent security firms to protect government offices, something that displeases the overextended Protectorate forces.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Dumpshock Forums © 2001-2012