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From: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
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To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
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Delivered-To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
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Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
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by qec.sv14417
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with ESMTPS id 4D4A053AB9513878
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for <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
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Received: from relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
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by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
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Received: from relay2.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
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by relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
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Received: from mta041.sendcast.net
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by relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
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Subject: Headlines: September 19-25, 2421
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Date: 25 Sep 2421 00:01:39 +0000
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Date-Local: 11 Apr 2419 03:25:39 +0000
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
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HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 19 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2421
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[We received your request to discontinue the following segments:
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"Market Watch", "In Sport". Your content preferences have been
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updated.]
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⦿ "I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT": EARTH SHIPS SMASHED AT MARS
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September 25 (UT): In a shockingly effective blitzkrieg attack,
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Belter ships, led by the captured Earth cruiser ENS Brooklyn,
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smashed the Earth Navy flotilla recently engaged in attempting to
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suppress the labor riots on Mars.
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A Universe Today ship in Mars orbit, equipped with military-surplus
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sensing gear, obtained visual and long-wave infrared imagery
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detailing the entirety of the short and decisive combat. Based on
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that imagery, retired wing general and military analyst Nathan
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Coopersmith, recently arrived in Mars orbit at the time of the
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battle, described the tactics of the attack as "absolutely
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textbook."
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"They came in at maximum thrust on a shortest-time vector from
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Ceres, and didn't even slow down before opening fire at maximum
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reload rate. We would have set up that attack exactly the same
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way," Coopersmith said. "That's absolutely critical, and very
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telling. That velocity advantage gave them the ability to launch
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their missiles far outside the range of the ships they were
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targeting, and they made those shots count. I don't know where
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they're getting their training, but one thing is absolutely clear:
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this was not just a bunch of wild rock hoppers. Maybe they were the
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ones who stole Brooklyn, but I'm not even sure of that. Whoever's
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crewing her now, though - they know exactly what they're doing."
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Those initial launches from the stolen ENS Brooklyn, leading the
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Belter ships, appear to have caught the Earth units in Mars orbit
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completely off guard, despite over twenty-four hours' warning of
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the incoming attack. Three ships - the cruiser ENS Pittsburgh, and
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the frigates San Juan and Caguas - were immediately
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destroyed. Based on imagery gathered by Universe Today during the
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attack, it appears no other ships were targeted in this initial
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assault, including ENS Chicago, flagship of flotilla commander Wing
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General Hall.
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"Again, that's absolutely textbook," Coopersmith said. "It's how
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you make the most of the advantage. Instead of spreading out your
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fire, you concentrate, go for knockouts you know you can get
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instead of shooting at everyone and hoping for luck. It's textbook,
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and it's smart - if you find yourself counting on luck to win a
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fight, you already made a mistake somewhere. But I'd been counting,
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and Brooklyn had used up all her shipkillers to get those
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knockouts. It was a good shot, but I didn't see what they thought
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they could do to follow it up."
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Following the initial attack, the Belter ships turned over and
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began hard deceleration burns which would end with entry into Mars
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orbit. The remaining four Earth Navy units brought up their engines
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and began to maneuver, apparently attempting to form up around ENS
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Chicago.
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For several minutes, no further attack occurred from either
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side. "The remaining Earth Navy ships were clearly preparing to
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sortie out and meet their attackers, and it looked like the Belters
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were trying to come in and slug it out in high orbit," Coopersmith
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said, asked to describe these events. "It didn't make sense,
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especially with how effective they'd already been - sure, they were
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out of missiles, but at close range they'd lose in a hurry and they
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had to know it. I couldn't imagine what else they might be doing,
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though."
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The purpose behind the Belters' actions became clear minutes later,
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as long-range radar aboard the orbiting Universe Today ship
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resolved several dozen small objects separating from the group of
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decelerating ships. Evidently released prior to the deceleration
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burn, these unidentified objects continued to accelerate in toward
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Mars orbit.
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The events which followed occurred so quickly that no one aboard
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Universe Today's ship in orbit was able to tell what had
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happened. Coopersmith and other analysts were later able to
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reconstruct the sequence of events based on imagery gathered during
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the attack.
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"When I saw the radar returns scatter and fade, I realized what
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they had to be," Coopersmith said. "Rocks. Small Belt objects,
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maybe a couple thousand tons each, rigged with engines and some
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kind of shaped charges to shatter them into fragments. We think
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they must have had some kind of targeting system, too, God knows
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how. They knew they didn't have enough missiles for every ship in
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Mars orbit, so they used what they did have, and it worked better
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than I could have imagined. I've never seen anything like it."
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Seconds after the unknown radar returns disappeared, ENS Chicago
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exploded, killing Wing General Hall and his entire command
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staff. The two frigates nearest the explosion collided in orbit,
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destroying ENS Phoenix and rendering ENS Ann Arbor unable to
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maneuver, and leaving the frigate ENS Appleton as the only
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remaining Earth Navy unit still functional.
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"I knew Steve Hall pretty well," Coopersmith said. "He was the kind
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of officer we used to call a killer. Bold, aggressive,
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hard-charging, always ready to bring the fight to the
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enemy. Officers like that tend to pick their subordinates for the
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same qualities, and clearly Steve had done that here. I don't see
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any other reason why Appleton would've kept going out. Maybe her
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captain thought the rock hoppers really were done, maybe he thought
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he'd surprise Brooklyn with a knockout and clean up the small fry
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after. I don't know, and of course we can't ask now. At least he
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got a few shots off."
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ENS Appleton, still building thrust toward escape velocity,
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succeeded in launching nine of her twelve shipkiller missiles at
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Brooklyn. However, the stolen Earth cruiser's point-defense weapons
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proved to be capably crewed, shooting down all of Appleton's
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weapons well outside their attack range. Less than a minute later,
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Appleton was hit and destroyed by another of the Belters' asteroid
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weapons.
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In the aftermath of the battle, the stolen Brooklyn and the other
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Belter ships entered orbit, accepted the surrender of ENS Ann
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Arbor, and instructed the Earth marines still on the surface of
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Mars to surrender at once. Liana de Buys of the Red Rock Guild
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echoed the instruction, adding that the Martian miners would accept
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these surrenders if given. "Your mission here has failed," de Buys
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said, in a general broadcast from a Mars NewsNet transmitter. "Your
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ships are destroyed or crippled. Your resupply, your
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reinforcements, your air support, are all gone, and you know you
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can't hold out forever. Surrender now! We will treat you as
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prisoners of war, and send you home as soon as we can. If you try
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to hold out instead, on your own head be it."
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At press time, most of the marine formations on Mars were confirmed
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to have surrendered and been taken into custody by their erstwhile
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enemies, with only a few holdouts at Endeavour Crater still
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fighting. It is thought that ENS Ann Arbor, the only surviving
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Earth ship at Mars, may serve after repairs to ferry home the
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surrendered marines. Governor Ritter could not be reached for
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comment, and Universe Today has unconfirmed reports that he may
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have been killed in the fighting, or captured and executed by Red
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Rock Guild miners. Universe Today will bring you further bulletins
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on these events as new information develops.
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⦿ PUBLIC INFORMATION CLAIMS COLLUSION IN BATTLE OF MARS
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September 25 (UPI) - Shortly following the explosive news of the
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Battle of Mars, Earthgov's Office of Public Information claimed
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"credible evidence" suggesting that one or both of the Luna-Titan
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Alliance partners had "colluded with Belt-based criminals" in the
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attack on Earth's ships.
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"In recent days, Earth's deep-system intelligence platforms have
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observed highly suspicious movements on the part of ships known to
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engage in criminal trade with Titan," a spokesman for Public
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Information said in a press conference. "While we continue to
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develop and evaluate new information, we expect at this time to be
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able to report very soon that Titan, presumably in conspiracy with
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parties as yet unknown on Earth's moon, provided material aid in
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weapons and personnel to the Belter criminals who went on to commit
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their atrocities in Mars orbit.
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"Earth's government wishes to reassure the populace of the Solar
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System that these criminals will not escape justice for their
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terrible actions today. Our fellow citizens, our way of life, our
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very freedom have come under attack in these deliberate and deadly
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acts. We will bring justice to the terrorists responsible, and we
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will make no distinction between them and those who aid and harbor
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them. Earth has stood down enemies before, and we will do so again
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this time."
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The spokesman did not ask for questions.
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⦿ EARTHGOV DECRIES DESTRUCTION OF KEARSARGE BY TITAN
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September 19 (UPI) - Following the destruction of an Earth frigate
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in an attempt to intercept a Lunar passenger ferry four days ago,
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Earthgov's Public Information Office stated that the incident was
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an unprovoked attack by a new alliance actively attempting to
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instigate warfare with Earth.
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"ENS Kearsarge was engaged in an internal police action with regard
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to a single passenger aboard the Moon ferry Quetelet," a Public
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Information spokeswoman said. "Kearsarge's Captain Whitlow
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requested that Quetelet permit civilian police officers aboard
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Kearsarge aboard, so that they could arrest a citizen of Earth who
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was suspected, with probable cause, of engaging in treason and
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espionage against Earth.
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"Instead of assenting to this peaceable request, Quetelet attempted
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to flee the scene, necessitating a pursuit by Kearsarge in defense
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of Earth's security interests. Just prior to Kearsarge's successful
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overhaul and boarding of Quetelet, Titan's faster-than-light ship
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appeared and opened fire without warning on Kearsarge, destroying
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the ship and murdering our naval officers and crew before they had
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any chance to defend themselves or even attempt to surrender.
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"Earth's government cannot accept such treatment of her brave
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defenders. Earth's people will not allow it. The actions of Titan,
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and of the regime currently in power on Earths' moon, constitute a
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direct attack against the national security of Earth, and our
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longstanding policy in such cases has been to respond as firmly and
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assertively as our adversaries should choose to require of us."
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⦿ LUNA FOREIGN MINISTRY DEPLORES EARTH ACTION AGAINST FERRY
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September 20 (UPI) - A spokesman for Luna's Foreign Ministry in a
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press conference today issued a strong statement regarding the
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recent interception of an Luna Passenger Lines ferry Quetelet by
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the Earth Navy frigate Kearsarge.
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"We are aware that Earth claims this unprovoked attack on an
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unarmed passenger vessel to have been an internal police matter,
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threatening none except her own wayward citizen," Li Yen-au
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said. "These claims fall short of reality in several respects. When
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the captain of our passenger ferry correctly declined to halt and
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be boarded, Kearsarge responded by opening fire with weapons
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designed to destroy other military ships.
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"It is only thanks to the timely intervention of our new treaty
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partner, Titan, that no innocents were killed as a result of this
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crime. We understand that Earth claims the destruction of Kearsarge
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to be itself an unprovoked attack on a vessel operating peacefully
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within the bounds of accepted interstellar custom. This, too, is a
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lie.
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"Kearsarge had already struck the ferry Quetelet with one missile
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and fired a second, clearly intending to make good on her earlier
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threats to destroy the unarmed ship, when the Titan ship And Yet It
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Moves arrived upon the scene. And Yet It Moves' captain, having
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been made aware of the situation by a report bravely transmitted by
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Quetelet's own Captain Crozer, judged that Kearsarge would not
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accept a demand to cease fire, and acted as she felt necessary to
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defend the innocent lives aboard Quetelet.
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"We of Luna wish now to express our deepest gratitude to our
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Titanian allies and friends for their swift and decisive action in
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defense of our citizens," Li said in concluding her remarks. "We
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wish also to advise any and all who would so attack us that they
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would be wise to consider carefully the fate of Kearsarge before
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embarking on such a rash course of action."
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⦿ SILO SHIPS SEEN SHIFTING ORBITS IN "MAINTENANCE TASK"
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September 21 (UPI) - Following confirmed reports of Earth's "silo
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ships" adjusting their orbits, questions to Earthgov's Military
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Information Office were met with the response that the ships'
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movements are related to ongoing maintenance required to keep the
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giant vessels ready for action, and are not in any way associated
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with political events in the system.
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"This is an ordinary maintenance task that's performed from time to
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time," said Major Willem van Dort, in response to a UPI
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correspondent's question. "We have to make sure those ships are
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ready when we need them, and that includes their engines and
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navigational systems. Having them change orbits is just a way to
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make sure that they're fully functional and ready to defend Earth
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if they're needed." Asked whether he thought the ships might be
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needed to defend Earth in the near future, Major van Dort said that
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he had no further comment, and ended the call.
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The six "silo ships", each large enough to be distinctly visible in
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the night sky, are the backbone of Earth's deterrent forces, and
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thought to carry between two and four hundred nuclear warheads
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apiece. Retired wing general and military analyst Nathan
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Coopersmith, when asked about the ships' movements, agreed with
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Major Van Dort's comments about maintenance, and also noted that he
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does not recall the last time he heard of the ships being moved.
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⦿ SPY HANGED FOR TREASON ON GANYMEDE
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September 23 (GNI) - Alexander Anders Seifert, a former worker in
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Earth's military shipyard on Ganymede, was publicly executed today
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for treason and espionage in the courtyard of the Ganymede
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Garrison's headquarters and administration building.
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"Alexander Seifert was convicted of passing crucial military
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secrets to known members of a Titan spy ring operating on
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Ganymede," said General William Tasker, after descending from the
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gallows. "While his Titan accomplices have for now escaped capture
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and military justice for their crimes, Seifert himself was not so
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fortunate, and he has now answered for having endangered the safety
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and security of Earth by his actions."
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Tasker, thought to be in charge of a secret naval project on
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Ganymede, went on to say, "Some may ask whether it is appropriate
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for a military tribunal to pass judgment on a civilian. To them I
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say: Look around. Look at what's happening in the system. Earth's
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enemies surround her on every side, and she must be defended at all
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costs. At a time like this, we soldiers must step to the fore,
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stand our posts, and do what must be done. If you find our actions
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distasteful, remember that the blame for them lies not with we
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ourselves, your sworn protectors, but rather with our enemies,
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internal and external, who force us to take such actions in defense
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of us all."
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While the law mandating capital punishment in cases of treason
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remains on Earth's books, Seifert's is the first such execution
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actually carried out in almost sixty-five years. The last, of the
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infamous "Tycho Seven", occurred in 2357, shortly after Luna's
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secession from Earth.
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⦿ CARAVAN FORMING IN ARIVADA, HEADED FOR WYOMING CAMP
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September 23 (NAB) - In the wake of riots at the Wyoming New
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||||||
|
Prospects Facility, a caravan reportedly consisting of hundreds of
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individuals has begun to form in southern Arivada, with its members
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claiming they intend to "close down" the facility.
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"They're enslaving people in there," said one woman, who claimed to
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be a caravan member but otherwise declined to identify
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herself. "They say it's a chance at a new life, but it's really a -
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a prison, they're forcing them to work, starving them." Asked what
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they would do upon reaching the camp, the caravan member said,
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"We'll figure that out when we get there, I guess. But we've got
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lots of trucks."
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A spokeswoman for the Population Administration, reached shortly
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before press time, said only, "We are aware of the assembly in
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Arivada, and we are prepared to take necessary measures to ensure
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it does not interfere with the smooth running of the New Prospects
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Facility."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ YOUR THOUGHTS ON MARS AND THE BELT
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
In last week's update, we asked for our readers' opinions on the
|
||||||
|
recent news of events on Mars and in the Asteroid Belt. Here's what
|
||||||
|
you had to say.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"I hope those Martian malcontents finally get what's coming to
|
||||||
|
them. Ever since they started up with this pointless unrest,
|
||||||
|
materials futures have been plummeting with no end in
|
||||||
|
sight. People's retirements are on the line here! Can't they
|
||||||
|
understand that?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- JAMES ST. JAMES, Investment Analyst, Lake Shore Drive
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Are they even still human out in the Belt? I hear they can barely
|
||||||
|
even have kids with normal people any more. In another generation
|
||||||
|
or two, they'll be a different species, won't they? So why do they
|
||||||
|
even care what happens anywhere else?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- PAMELA CHRISTIAN, Proud Mom of Four, Lenox Park
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"It's about time they took it to the rich [unprintable] who've been
|
||||||
|
exploiting them! Those [unprintable] have had it too easy for too
|
||||||
|
long. They don't like gettng a taste of the just consequences for
|
||||||
|
what they've done? Well, [unprintable] them! They really won't like
|
||||||
|
it when the same thing starts up here at home."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- "X", [unprintable], Lakeview Towers
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"If it's true about how those miners and their families have been
|
||||||
|
treated, I don't like it. Who would? But to think that violence
|
||||||
|
will bring any kind of improvement - as much as I understand the
|
||||||
|
impulse, a cursory reading of history shows that it's clearly
|
||||||
|
misguided. Only civil engagement among all stakeholders equally can
|
||||||
|
create lasting change."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- [withheld by request], Government Major, Cornell University
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Where does the Belt get off interfering with inner system affairs?
|
||||||
|
They've made it very clear they don't want anything to do with us,
|
||||||
|
except when it comes to marking up the raw materials we need to
|
||||||
|
rebuild Earth's infrastructure. That's probably the only reason
|
||||||
|
they're throwing in on the side of the miners who keep complaining
|
||||||
|
about their contracts - they don't like the competition."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- ANDREW CHO, Purchasing Manager, Casper
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Honestly, at a time like this, Mars is nothing but a distraction
|
||||||
|
from the real problem - this new alliance between the Moon and
|
||||||
|
Titan. Their crazy rhetoric about the menace from Earth isn't new,
|
||||||
|
but they've really heated it up lately, and I'm starting to worry
|
||||||
|
that they'll use it as an excuse for some kind of sneak attack on
|
||||||
|
our interests. We need to face them down now, instead of worrying
|
||||||
|
about a bunch of rioting rock-grubbers who don't know a good deal
|
||||||
|
when they see one."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- [withheld by request], Loving Earth, Friendship Heights
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"The whole thing is madness. Look at history and you can see
|
||||||
|
arrangements like this are never stable long-term, and the ill will
|
||||||
|
they generate is a long-term liability that always outweighs the
|
||||||
|
short-term profit. This was always coming, and as long as we keep
|
||||||
|
trying to hold down Mars, it's only going to get uglier. We can't
|
||||||
|
do anything about the past, but we can change the future, and it's
|
||||||
|
time we treated fairly with them instead."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- JOSEPH MUELLER, Freelance Historian, Roland Park Recovery Zone
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery
|
||||||
|
and despair into hope and progress." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
To update your content preferences, message HELP to
|
||||||
|
headlines@universe.today.
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
|
||||||
|
Hi! It's me, Alexis.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Back in November, I started a little story off the top of my head,
|
||||||
|
just to see what might happen. Would it go anywhere? No idea. But
|
||||||
|
it felt like it might have legs - or tentacles, considering. That
|
||||||
|
story became 'Voortrekker', of which today's update concludes Part
|
||||||
|
2 - and brings the total word count up to just over forty-one
|
||||||
|
thousand, with the story still not halfway done. Legs, indeed! Or
|
||||||
|
tentacles, considering.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
To start from a simple vignette of strangeness and hope on a world
|
||||||
|
orbiting a new sun, and become a tale of love, politics, warfare,
|
||||||
|
and strangeness spanning the entire solar system and beyond...I'm
|
||||||
|
amazed and delighted that my little story has come so far and grown
|
||||||
|
so much! And none of it would ever have happened if it hadn't been
|
||||||
|
for everyone who's participated along the way, both in helping me
|
||||||
|
find the story I want to tell and you want to read, and in the
|
||||||
|
Cosmic Voyage project overall.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
In particular, I want to thank ~tomasino, from whose forehead the
|
||||||
|
concept sprang full-grown, and ~kensanata, who mentioned it in a
|
||||||
|
place where I could see it. Had both those things not happened,
|
||||||
|
this story wouldn't have either! And perhaps I'm not the only one
|
||||||
|
who thinks that'd be a shame.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Above all, though, I want to thank each and all of you who are here
|
||||||
|
reading this now, whether you've followed Voortrekker since the
|
||||||
|
beginning or have just come along now to see what all the fuss is
|
||||||
|
about. No one writes in a vacuum, even if sometimes it feels that
|
||||||
|
way. Your critique and your compliments have shaped this story
|
||||||
|
every bit as much as I have, and on days when I feel as if I can't
|
||||||
|
possibly string three words together in a way that makes sense,
|
||||||
|
remembering that you're out there waiting for the next installment
|
||||||
|
gives me the motivation I need to try my best. Thank you all!
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
This sounds like a valedictory, but it's not one. Not except for
|
||||||
|
now, at least - Voortrekker has become by far the largest creative
|
||||||
|
project I've ever taken on, and I need a break! So I'm taking
|
||||||
|
one. For the next few weeks, I'm going to be recharging my
|
||||||
|
batteries, attending to various boring life things that I've lately
|
||||||
|
let slide in order to give this story the attention it deserves,
|
||||||
|
and preparing to carry the plot forward in Part 3.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I might write a thing or two of another sort, too, in that
|
||||||
|
meantime. If I do, you can find it at https://lexie.space, where
|
||||||
|
all my writing lives. You can also find out how to contact me
|
||||||
|
there, if that's something you care to do. In particular, if you
|
||||||
|
have thoughts on the story so far or where you might like to see it
|
||||||
|
go from here, please do let me know! I won't make you a promise
|
||||||
|
that I'll incorporate those ideas, because it'd be a promise I
|
||||||
|
can't know for sure whether I can keep. But this isn't just my
|
||||||
|
story - it's *ours*. So I'll do my best to tell it in the way we
|
||||||
|
all like best!
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Regular updates will resume April 7, on the same
|
||||||
|
Wednesdays-and-Sundays schedule. In the meantime: stay awesome,
|
||||||
|
check out https://lexie.space for more of my writing, and let me
|
||||||
|
hear from you if you've got something to say!
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Love, Lexie.
|
|
@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
|
||||||
|
0Voortrekker - [A word from your friend and author] /Voortrekker/30.5-a-word-from-your-friend-and.txt
|
||||||
|
0Voortrekker - Headlines: September 19-25, 2421 /Voortrekker/30-headlines-september-19-25-2421.txt
|
||||||
0Voortrekker - TO THE EARTH FLOTILLA NOW CRIMINALLY BOMBARDING AND OCCUPYIN /Voortrekker/29-to-the-earth-flotilla-now-criminally.txt
|
0Voortrekker - TO THE EARTH FLOTILLA NOW CRIMINALLY BOMBARDING AND OCCUPYIN /Voortrekker/29-to-the-earth-flotilla-now-criminally.txt
|
||||||
0Assumption - Autoresponse: amended. /Assumption/0001.txt
|
0Assumption - Autoresponse: amended. /Assumption/0001.txt
|
||||||
0RSS Revenant - Purple Moss /RSS Revenant/1626.txt
|
0RSS Revenant - Purple Moss /RSS Revenant/1626.txt
|
||||||
|
|
491
gopher/rss.xml
491
gopher/rss.xml
|
@ -2,6 +2,497 @@
|
||||||
<title>Cosmic Voyage</title>
|
<title>Cosmic Voyage</title>
|
||||||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage</link>
|
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage</link>
|
||||||
<description>Messages from the human stellar diaspora</description>
|
<description>Messages from the human stellar diaspora</description>
|
||||||
|
<item>
|
||||||
|
<title>Voortrekker - [A word from your friend and author]</title>
|
||||||
|
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||||||
|
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30.5-a-word-from-your-friend-and.txt</link>
|
||||||
|
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30.5-a-word-from-your-friend-and.txt</guid>
|
||||||
|
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2019 20:00:11 GMT</pubDate>
|
||||||
|
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||||||
|
Hi! It's me, Alexis.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Back in November, I started a little story off the top of my head,
|
||||||
|
just to see what might happen. Would it go anywhere? No idea. But
|
||||||
|
it felt like it might have legs - or tentacles, considering. That
|
||||||
|
story became 'Voortrekker', of which today's update concludes Part
|
||||||
|
2 - and brings the total word count up to just over forty-one
|
||||||
|
thousand, with the story still not halfway done. Legs, indeed! Or
|
||||||
|
tentacles, considering.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
To start from a simple vignette of strangeness and hope on a world
|
||||||
|
orbiting a new sun, and become a tale of love, politics, warfare,
|
||||||
|
and strangeness spanning the entire solar system and beyond...I'm
|
||||||
|
amazed and delighted that my little story has come so far and grown
|
||||||
|
so much! And none of it would ever have happened if it hadn't been
|
||||||
|
for everyone who's participated along the way, both in helping me
|
||||||
|
find the story I want to tell and you want to read, and in the
|
||||||
|
Cosmic Voyage project overall.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
In particular, I want to thank ~tomasino, from whose forehead the
|
||||||
|
concept sprang full-grown, and ~kensanata, who mentioned it in a
|
||||||
|
place where I could see it. Had both those things not happened,
|
||||||
|
this story wouldn't have either! And perhaps I'm not the only one
|
||||||
|
who thinks that'd be a shame.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Above all, though, I want to thank each and all of you who are here
|
||||||
|
reading this now, whether you've followed Voortrekker since the
|
||||||
|
beginning or have just come along now to see what all the fuss is
|
||||||
|
about. No one writes in a vacuum, even if sometimes it feels that
|
||||||
|
way. Your critique and your compliments have shaped this story
|
||||||
|
every bit as much as I have, and on days when I feel as if I can't
|
||||||
|
possibly string three words together in a way that makes sense,
|
||||||
|
remembering that you're out there waiting for the next installment
|
||||||
|
gives me the motivation I need to try my best. Thank you all!
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
This sounds like a valedictory, but it's not one. Not except for
|
||||||
|
now, at least - Voortrekker has become by far the largest creative
|
||||||
|
project I've ever taken on, and I need a break! So I'm taking
|
||||||
|
one. For the next few weeks, I'm going to be recharging my
|
||||||
|
batteries, attending to various boring life things that I've lately
|
||||||
|
let slide in order to give this story the attention it deserves,
|
||||||
|
and preparing to carry the plot forward in Part 3.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I might write a thing or two of another sort, too, in that
|
||||||
|
meantime. If I do, you can find it at https://lexie.space, where
|
||||||
|
all my writing lives. You can also find out how to contact me
|
||||||
|
there, if that's something you care to do. In particular, if you
|
||||||
|
have thoughts on the story so far or where you might like to see it
|
||||||
|
go from here, please do let me know! I won't make you a promise
|
||||||
|
that I'll incorporate those ideas, because it'd be a promise I
|
||||||
|
can't know for sure whether I can keep. But this isn't just my
|
||||||
|
story - it's *ours*. So I'll do my best to tell it in the way we
|
||||||
|
all like best!
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Regular updates will resume April 7, on the same
|
||||||
|
Wednesdays-and-Sundays schedule. In the meantime: stay awesome,
|
||||||
|
check out https://lexie.space for more of my writing, and let me
|
||||||
|
hear from you if you've got something to say!
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Love, Lexie.
|
||||||
|
</pre>]]></description>
|
||||||
|
</item>
|
||||||
|
<item>
|
||||||
|
<title>Voortrekker - Headlines: September 19-25, 2421</title>
|
||||||
|
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||||||
|
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30-headlines-september-19-25-2421.txt</link>
|
||||||
|
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30-headlines-september-19-25-2421.txt</guid>
|
||||||
|
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2019 19:30:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||||||
|
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||||||
|
From: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
|
||||||
|
To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||||||
|
Delivered-To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||||||
|
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||||||
|
by qec.sv14417
|
||||||
|
with ESMTPS id 4D4A053AB9513878
|
||||||
|
for <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||||||
|
Received: from relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||||||
|
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||||||
|
Received: from relay2.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||||||
|
by relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||||||
|
Received: from mta041.sendcast.net
|
||||||
|
by relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||||||
|
Subject: Headlines: September 19-25, 2421
|
||||||
|
Date: 25 Sep 2421 00:01:39 +0000
|
||||||
|
Date-Local: 11 Apr 2419 03:25:39 +0000
|
||||||
|
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 19 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2421
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
[We received your request to discontinue the following segments:
|
||||||
|
"Market Watch", "In Sport". Your content preferences have been
|
||||||
|
updated.]
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ "I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT": EARTH SHIPS SMASHED AT MARS
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
September 25 (UT): In a shockingly effective blitzkrieg attack,
|
||||||
|
Belter ships, led by the captured Earth cruiser ENS Brooklyn,
|
||||||
|
smashed the Earth Navy flotilla recently engaged in attempting to
|
||||||
|
suppress the labor riots on Mars.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
A Universe Today ship in Mars orbit, equipped with military-surplus
|
||||||
|
sensing gear, obtained visual and long-wave infrared imagery
|
||||||
|
detailing the entirety of the short and decisive combat. Based on
|
||||||
|
that imagery, retired wing general and military analyst Nathan
|
||||||
|
Coopersmith, recently arrived in Mars orbit at the time of the
|
||||||
|
battle, described the tactics of the attack as "absolutely
|
||||||
|
textbook."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"They came in at maximum thrust on a shortest-time vector from
|
||||||
|
Ceres, and didn't even slow down before opening fire at maximum
|
||||||
|
reload rate. We would have set up that attack exactly the same
|
||||||
|
way," Coopersmith said. "That's absolutely critical, and very
|
||||||
|
telling. That velocity advantage gave them the ability to launch
|
||||||
|
their missiles far outside the range of the ships they were
|
||||||
|
targeting, and they made those shots count. I don't know where
|
||||||
|
they're getting their training, but one thing is absolutely clear:
|
||||||
|
this was not just a bunch of wild rock hoppers. Maybe they were the
|
||||||
|
ones who stole Brooklyn, but I'm not even sure of that. Whoever's
|
||||||
|
crewing her now, though - they know exactly what they're doing."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Those initial launches from the stolen ENS Brooklyn, leading the
|
||||||
|
Belter ships, appear to have caught the Earth units in Mars orbit
|
||||||
|
completely off guard, despite over twenty-four hours' warning of
|
||||||
|
the incoming attack. Three ships - the cruiser ENS Pittsburgh, and
|
||||||
|
the frigates San Juan and Caguas - were immediately
|
||||||
|
destroyed. Based on imagery gathered by Universe Today during the
|
||||||
|
attack, it appears no other ships were targeted in this initial
|
||||||
|
assault, including ENS Chicago, flagship of flotilla commander Wing
|
||||||
|
General Hall.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Again, that's absolutely textbook," Coopersmith said. "It's how
|
||||||
|
you make the most of the advantage. Instead of spreading out your
|
||||||
|
fire, you concentrate, go for knockouts you know you can get
|
||||||
|
instead of shooting at everyone and hoping for luck. It's textbook,
|
||||||
|
and it's smart - if you find yourself counting on luck to win a
|
||||||
|
fight, you already made a mistake somewhere. But I'd been counting,
|
||||||
|
and Brooklyn had used up all her shipkillers to get those
|
||||||
|
knockouts. It was a good shot, but I didn't see what they thought
|
||||||
|
they could do to follow it up."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Following the initial attack, the Belter ships turned over and
|
||||||
|
began hard deceleration burns which would end with entry into Mars
|
||||||
|
orbit. The remaining four Earth Navy units brought up their engines
|
||||||
|
and began to maneuver, apparently attempting to form up around ENS
|
||||||
|
Chicago.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
For several minutes, no further attack occurred from either
|
||||||
|
side. "The remaining Earth Navy ships were clearly preparing to
|
||||||
|
sortie out and meet their attackers, and it looked like the Belters
|
||||||
|
were trying to come in and slug it out in high orbit," Coopersmith
|
||||||
|
said, asked to describe these events. "It didn't make sense,
|
||||||
|
especially with how effective they'd already been - sure, they were
|
||||||
|
out of missiles, but at close range they'd lose in a hurry and they
|
||||||
|
had to know it. I couldn't imagine what else they might be doing,
|
||||||
|
though."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The purpose behind the Belters' actions became clear minutes later,
|
||||||
|
as long-range radar aboard the orbiting Universe Today ship
|
||||||
|
resolved several dozen small objects separating from the group of
|
||||||
|
decelerating ships. Evidently released prior to the deceleration
|
||||||
|
burn, these unidentified objects continued to accelerate in toward
|
||||||
|
Mars orbit.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The events which followed occurred so quickly that no one aboard
|
||||||
|
Universe Today's ship in orbit was able to tell what had
|
||||||
|
happened. Coopersmith and other analysts were later able to
|
||||||
|
reconstruct the sequence of events based on imagery gathered during
|
||||||
|
the attack.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"When I saw the radar returns scatter and fade, I realized what
|
||||||
|
they had to be," Coopersmith said. "Rocks. Small Belt objects,
|
||||||
|
maybe a couple thousand tons each, rigged with engines and some
|
||||||
|
kind of shaped charges to shatter them into fragments. We think
|
||||||
|
they must have had some kind of targeting system, too, God knows
|
||||||
|
how. They knew they didn't have enough missiles for every ship in
|
||||||
|
Mars orbit, so they used what they did have, and it worked better
|
||||||
|
than I could have imagined. I've never seen anything like it."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Seconds after the unknown radar returns disappeared, ENS Chicago
|
||||||
|
exploded, killing Wing General Hall and his entire command
|
||||||
|
staff. The two frigates nearest the explosion collided in orbit,
|
||||||
|
destroying ENS Phoenix and rendering ENS Ann Arbor unable to
|
||||||
|
maneuver, and leaving the frigate ENS Appleton as the only
|
||||||
|
remaining Earth Navy unit still functional.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"I knew Steve Hall pretty well," Coopersmith said. "He was the kind
|
||||||
|
of officer we used to call a killer. Bold, aggressive,
|
||||||
|
hard-charging, always ready to bring the fight to the
|
||||||
|
enemy. Officers like that tend to pick their subordinates for the
|
||||||
|
same qualities, and clearly Steve had done that here. I don't see
|
||||||
|
any other reason why Appleton would've kept going out. Maybe her
|
||||||
|
captain thought the rock hoppers really were done, maybe he thought
|
||||||
|
he'd surprise Brooklyn with a knockout and clean up the small fry
|
||||||
|
after. I don't know, and of course we can't ask now. At least he
|
||||||
|
got a few shots off."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
ENS Appleton, still building thrust toward escape velocity,
|
||||||
|
succeeded in launching nine of her twelve shipkiller missiles at
|
||||||
|
Brooklyn. However, the stolen Earth cruiser's point-defense weapons
|
||||||
|
proved to be capably crewed, shooting down all of Appleton's
|
||||||
|
weapons well outside their attack range. Less than a minute later,
|
||||||
|
Appleton was hit and destroyed by another of the Belters' asteroid
|
||||||
|
weapons.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
In the aftermath of the battle, the stolen Brooklyn and the other
|
||||||
|
Belter ships entered orbit, accepted the surrender of ENS Ann
|
||||||
|
Arbor, and instructed the Earth marines still on the surface of
|
||||||
|
Mars to surrender at once. Liana de Buys of the Red Rock Guild
|
||||||
|
echoed the instruction, adding that the Martian miners would accept
|
||||||
|
these surrenders if given. "Your mission here has failed," de Buys
|
||||||
|
said, in a general broadcast from a Mars NewsNet transmitter. "Your
|
||||||
|
ships are destroyed or crippled. Your resupply, your
|
||||||
|
reinforcements, your air support, are all gone, and you know you
|
||||||
|
can't hold out forever. Surrender now! We will treat you as
|
||||||
|
prisoners of war, and send you home as soon as we can. If you try
|
||||||
|
to hold out instead, on your own head be it."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
At press time, most of the marine formations on Mars were confirmed
|
||||||
|
to have surrendered and been taken into custody by their erstwhile
|
||||||
|
enemies, with only a few holdouts at Endeavour Crater still
|
||||||
|
fighting. It is thought that ENS Ann Arbor, the only surviving
|
||||||
|
Earth ship at Mars, may serve after repairs to ferry home the
|
||||||
|
surrendered marines. Governor Ritter could not be reached for
|
||||||
|
comment, and Universe Today has unconfirmed reports that he may
|
||||||
|
have been killed in the fighting, or captured and executed by Red
|
||||||
|
Rock Guild miners. Universe Today will bring you further bulletins
|
||||||
|
on these events as new information develops.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ PUBLIC INFORMATION CLAIMS COLLUSION IN BATTLE OF MARS
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
September 25 (UPI) - Shortly following the explosive news of the
|
||||||
|
Battle of Mars, Earthgov's Office of Public Information claimed
|
||||||
|
"credible evidence" suggesting that one or both of the Luna-Titan
|
||||||
|
Alliance partners had "colluded with Belt-based criminals" in the
|
||||||
|
attack on Earth's ships.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"In recent days, Earth's deep-system intelligence platforms have
|
||||||
|
observed highly suspicious movements on the part of ships known to
|
||||||
|
engage in criminal trade with Titan," a spokesman for Public
|
||||||
|
Information said in a press conference. "While we continue to
|
||||||
|
develop and evaluate new information, we expect at this time to be
|
||||||
|
able to report very soon that Titan, presumably in conspiracy with
|
||||||
|
parties as yet unknown on Earth's moon, provided material aid in
|
||||||
|
weapons and personnel to the Belter criminals who went on to commit
|
||||||
|
their atrocities in Mars orbit.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Earth's government wishes to reassure the populace of the Solar
|
||||||
|
System that these criminals will not escape justice for their
|
||||||
|
terrible actions today. Our fellow citizens, our way of life, our
|
||||||
|
very freedom have come under attack in these deliberate and deadly
|
||||||
|
acts. We will bring justice to the terrorists responsible, and we
|
||||||
|
will make no distinction between them and those who aid and harbor
|
||||||
|
them. Earth has stood down enemies before, and we will do so again
|
||||||
|
this time."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The spokesman did not ask for questions.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ EARTHGOV DECRIES DESTRUCTION OF KEARSARGE BY TITAN
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
September 19 (UPI) - Following the destruction of an Earth frigate
|
||||||
|
in an attempt to intercept a Lunar passenger ferry four days ago,
|
||||||
|
Earthgov's Public Information Office stated that the incident was
|
||||||
|
an unprovoked attack by a new alliance actively attempting to
|
||||||
|
instigate warfare with Earth.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"ENS Kearsarge was engaged in an internal police action with regard
|
||||||
|
to a single passenger aboard the Moon ferry Quetelet," a Public
|
||||||
|
Information spokeswoman said. "Kearsarge's Captain Whitlow
|
||||||
|
requested that Quetelet permit civilian police officers aboard
|
||||||
|
Kearsarge aboard, so that they could arrest a citizen of Earth who
|
||||||
|
was suspected, with probable cause, of engaging in treason and
|
||||||
|
espionage against Earth.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Instead of assenting to this peaceable request, Quetelet attempted
|
||||||
|
to flee the scene, necessitating a pursuit by Kearsarge in defense
|
||||||
|
of Earth's security interests. Just prior to Kearsarge's successful
|
||||||
|
overhaul and boarding of Quetelet, Titan's faster-than-light ship
|
||||||
|
appeared and opened fire without warning on Kearsarge, destroying
|
||||||
|
the ship and murdering our naval officers and crew before they had
|
||||||
|
any chance to defend themselves or even attempt to surrender.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Earth's government cannot accept such treatment of her brave
|
||||||
|
defenders. Earth's people will not allow it. The actions of Titan,
|
||||||
|
and of the regime currently in power on Earths' moon, constitute a
|
||||||
|
direct attack against the national security of Earth, and our
|
||||||
|
longstanding policy in such cases has been to respond as firmly and
|
||||||
|
assertively as our adversaries should choose to require of us."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ LUNA FOREIGN MINISTRY DEPLORES EARTH ACTION AGAINST FERRY
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
September 20 (UPI) - A spokesman for Luna's Foreign Ministry in a
|
||||||
|
press conference today issued a strong statement regarding the
|
||||||
|
recent interception of an Luna Passenger Lines ferry Quetelet by
|
||||||
|
the Earth Navy frigate Kearsarge.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"We are aware that Earth claims this unprovoked attack on an
|
||||||
|
unarmed passenger vessel to have been an internal police matter,
|
||||||
|
threatening none except her own wayward citizen," Li Yen-au
|
||||||
|
said. "These claims fall short of reality in several respects. When
|
||||||
|
the captain of our passenger ferry correctly declined to halt and
|
||||||
|
be boarded, Kearsarge responded by opening fire with weapons
|
||||||
|
designed to destroy other military ships.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"It is only thanks to the timely intervention of our new treaty
|
||||||
|
partner, Titan, that no innocents were killed as a result of this
|
||||||
|
crime. We understand that Earth claims the destruction of Kearsarge
|
||||||
|
to be itself an unprovoked attack on a vessel operating peacefully
|
||||||
|
within the bounds of accepted interstellar custom. This, too, is a
|
||||||
|
lie.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Kearsarge had already struck the ferry Quetelet with one missile
|
||||||
|
and fired a second, clearly intending to make good on her earlier
|
||||||
|
threats to destroy the unarmed ship, when the Titan ship And Yet It
|
||||||
|
Moves arrived upon the scene. And Yet It Moves' captain, having
|
||||||
|
been made aware of the situation by a report bravely transmitted by
|
||||||
|
Quetelet's own Captain Crozer, judged that Kearsarge would not
|
||||||
|
accept a demand to cease fire, and acted as she felt necessary to
|
||||||
|
defend the innocent lives aboard Quetelet.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"We of Luna wish now to express our deepest gratitude to our
|
||||||
|
Titanian allies and friends for their swift and decisive action in
|
||||||
|
defense of our citizens," Li said in concluding her remarks. "We
|
||||||
|
wish also to advise any and all who would so attack us that they
|
||||||
|
would be wise to consider carefully the fate of Kearsarge before
|
||||||
|
embarking on such a rash course of action."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ SILO SHIPS SEEN SHIFTING ORBITS IN "MAINTENANCE TASK"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
September 21 (UPI) - Following confirmed reports of Earth's "silo
|
||||||
|
ships" adjusting their orbits, questions to Earthgov's Military
|
||||||
|
Information Office were met with the response that the ships'
|
||||||
|
movements are related to ongoing maintenance required to keep the
|
||||||
|
giant vessels ready for action, and are not in any way associated
|
||||||
|
with political events in the system.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"This is an ordinary maintenance task that's performed from time to
|
||||||
|
time," said Major Willem van Dort, in response to a UPI
|
||||||
|
correspondent's question. "We have to make sure those ships are
|
||||||
|
ready when we need them, and that includes their engines and
|
||||||
|
navigational systems. Having them change orbits is just a way to
|
||||||
|
make sure that they're fully functional and ready to defend Earth
|
||||||
|
if they're needed." Asked whether he thought the ships might be
|
||||||
|
needed to defend Earth in the near future, Major van Dort said that
|
||||||
|
he had no further comment, and ended the call.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The six "silo ships", each large enough to be distinctly visible in
|
||||||
|
the night sky, are the backbone of Earth's deterrent forces, and
|
||||||
|
thought to carry between two and four hundred nuclear warheads
|
||||||
|
apiece. Retired wing general and military analyst Nathan
|
||||||
|
Coopersmith, when asked about the ships' movements, agreed with
|
||||||
|
Major Van Dort's comments about maintenance, and also noted that he
|
||||||
|
does not recall the last time he heard of the ships being moved.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ SPY HANGED FOR TREASON ON GANYMEDE
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
September 23 (GNI) - Alexander Anders Seifert, a former worker in
|
||||||
|
Earth's military shipyard on Ganymede, was publicly executed today
|
||||||
|
for treason and espionage in the courtyard of the Ganymede
|
||||||
|
Garrison's headquarters and administration building.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Alexander Seifert was convicted of passing crucial military
|
||||||
|
secrets to known members of a Titan spy ring operating on
|
||||||
|
Ganymede," said General William Tasker, after descending from the
|
||||||
|
gallows. "While his Titan accomplices have for now escaped capture
|
||||||
|
and military justice for their crimes, Seifert himself was not so
|
||||||
|
fortunate, and he has now answered for having endangered the safety
|
||||||
|
and security of Earth by his actions."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Tasker, thought to be in charge of a secret naval project on
|
||||||
|
Ganymede, went on to say, "Some may ask whether it is appropriate
|
||||||
|
for a military tribunal to pass judgment on a civilian. To them I
|
||||||
|
say: Look around. Look at what's happening in the system. Earth's
|
||||||
|
enemies surround her on every side, and she must be defended at all
|
||||||
|
costs. At a time like this, we soldiers must step to the fore,
|
||||||
|
stand our posts, and do what must be done. If you find our actions
|
||||||
|
distasteful, remember that the blame for them lies not with we
|
||||||
|
ourselves, your sworn protectors, but rather with our enemies,
|
||||||
|
internal and external, who force us to take such actions in defense
|
||||||
|
of us all."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
While the law mandating capital punishment in cases of treason
|
||||||
|
remains on Earth's books, Seifert's is the first such execution
|
||||||
|
actually carried out in almost sixty-five years. The last, of the
|
||||||
|
infamous "Tycho Seven", occurred in 2357, shortly after Luna's
|
||||||
|
secession from Earth.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ CARAVAN FORMING IN ARIVADA, HEADED FOR WYOMING CAMP
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
September 23 (NAB) - In the wake of riots at the Wyoming New
|
||||||
|
Prospects Facility, a caravan reportedly consisting of hundreds of
|
||||||
|
individuals has begun to form in southern Arivada, with its members
|
||||||
|
claiming they intend to "close down" the facility.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"They're enslaving people in there," said one woman, who claimed to
|
||||||
|
be a caravan member but otherwise declined to identify
|
||||||
|
herself. "They say it's a chance at a new life, but it's really a -
|
||||||
|
a prison, they're forcing them to work, starving them." Asked what
|
||||||
|
they would do upon reaching the camp, the caravan member said,
|
||||||
|
"We'll figure that out when we get there, I guess. But we've got
|
||||||
|
lots of trucks."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
A spokeswoman for the Population Administration, reached shortly
|
||||||
|
before press time, said only, "We are aware of the assembly in
|
||||||
|
Arivada, and we are prepared to take necessary measures to ensure
|
||||||
|
it does not interfere with the smooth running of the New Prospects
|
||||||
|
Facility."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ YOUR THOUGHTS ON MARS AND THE BELT
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
In last week's update, we asked for our readers' opinions on the
|
||||||
|
recent news of events on Mars and in the Asteroid Belt. Here's what
|
||||||
|
you had to say.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"I hope those Martian malcontents finally get what's coming to
|
||||||
|
them. Ever since they started up with this pointless unrest,
|
||||||
|
materials futures have been plummeting with no end in
|
||||||
|
sight. People's retirements are on the line here! Can't they
|
||||||
|
understand that?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- JAMES ST. JAMES, Investment Analyst, Lake Shore Drive
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Are they even still human out in the Belt? I hear they can barely
|
||||||
|
even have kids with normal people any more. In another generation
|
||||||
|
or two, they'll be a different species, won't they? So why do they
|
||||||
|
even care what happens anywhere else?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- PAMELA CHRISTIAN, Proud Mom of Four, Lenox Park
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"It's about time they took it to the rich [unprintable] who've been
|
||||||
|
exploiting them! Those [unprintable] have had it too easy for too
|
||||||
|
long. They don't like gettng a taste of the just consequences for
|
||||||
|
what they've done? Well, [unprintable] them! They really won't like
|
||||||
|
it when the same thing starts up here at home."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- "X", [unprintable], Lakeview Towers
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"If it's true about how those miners and their families have been
|
||||||
|
treated, I don't like it. Who would? But to think that violence
|
||||||
|
will bring any kind of improvement - as much as I understand the
|
||||||
|
impulse, a cursory reading of history shows that it's clearly
|
||||||
|
misguided. Only civil engagement among all stakeholders equally can
|
||||||
|
create lasting change."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- [withheld by request], Government Major, Cornell University
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Where does the Belt get off interfering with inner system affairs?
|
||||||
|
They've made it very clear they don't want anything to do with us,
|
||||||
|
except when it comes to marking up the raw materials we need to
|
||||||
|
rebuild Earth's infrastructure. That's probably the only reason
|
||||||
|
they're throwing in on the side of the miners who keep complaining
|
||||||
|
about their contracts - they don't like the competition."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- ANDREW CHO, Purchasing Manager, Casper
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Honestly, at a time like this, Mars is nothing but a distraction
|
||||||
|
from the real problem - this new alliance between the Moon and
|
||||||
|
Titan. Their crazy rhetoric about the menace from Earth isn't new,
|
||||||
|
but they've really heated it up lately, and I'm starting to worry
|
||||||
|
that they'll use it as an excuse for some kind of sneak attack on
|
||||||
|
our interests. We need to face them down now, instead of worrying
|
||||||
|
about a bunch of rioting rock-grubbers who don't know a good deal
|
||||||
|
when they see one."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- [withheld by request], Loving Earth, Friendship Heights
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"The whole thing is madness. Look at history and you can see
|
||||||
|
arrangements like this are never stable long-term, and the ill will
|
||||||
|
they generate is a long-term liability that always outweighs the
|
||||||
|
short-term profit. This was always coming, and as long as we keep
|
||||||
|
trying to hold down Mars, it's only going to get uglier. We can't
|
||||||
|
do anything about the past, but we can change the future, and it's
|
||||||
|
time we treated fairly with them instead."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
- JOSEPH MUELLER, Freelance Historian, Roland Park Recovery Zone
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
⦿ QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery
|
||||||
|
and despair into hope and progress." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
To update your content preferences, message HELP to
|
||||||
|
headlines@universe.today.
|
||||||
|
</pre>]]></description>
|
||||||
|
</item>
|
||||||
<item>
|
<item>
|
||||||
<title>Voortrekker - TO THE EARTH FLOTILLA NOW CRIMINALLY BOMBARDING AND OCCUPYIN</title>
|
<title>Voortrekker - TO THE EARTH FLOTILLA NOW CRIMINALLY BOMBARDING AND OCCUPYIN</title>
|
||||||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||||||
|
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue