November 2143

1 November 2143
ANCHOR: What you are now seeing is a live view from the CommLink satellite's deep space scanner, as Rylo-7 enters the outer edge of Earth's atmosphere... Wait a minute. There's something happening here -- what it is ain't exactly clear... No, there's no doubt about it -- the asteroid is slowing down and changing course! It's skimming the stratosphere and -- I don't believe this! -- it appears to be going into orbit... It is going into orbit! Well, I'll be damned... Earth has been saved! We haven't lost a planet -- we've gained another moon!

2 November 2143
CLARKE: We don't know how and we don't know why; all we know is that asteroid Rylo-7 has assumed a stable orbit around Earth. The crisis has been averted!

ANCHOR: Those words from President Clarke today have sent the NAU, along with the rest of the world, into a frenzy of relief. Goggleheads bowed to the new moon in the sky, while millions more offered silent prayers or just stood and stared in awe. Space shuttles have begun returning in droves, as Earth pulls back from the brink of disaster. But in the midst of the rejoicing, one question is already being asked.

RYLO: If Rylo-7 is no ordinary asteroid -- which it clearly isn't -- then just what the hell is it?

3 November 2143
ANCHOR: A sense of normalcy is returning to Earth -- if your definition of "normal" includes the two moons now circling the planet. Debate is already raging as to what to name the old moon, now that it has a companion called Rylo-7. Meanwhile, President Clarke, aboard Space Shuttle One, offered these comments:

CLARKE: Now that the crisis is over, the new World Congress has been revived and the human race has never been more united, it seems to me that we've been given a second chance to resolve the big issues which divide us: CenBank... clone liberation... Virtual Reality... the future of Mars, "R". Perhaps a new age is dawning, after all.

4 November 2143
ANCHOR: Curiosity about Earth's new moon, Rylo-7, is building steadily. Ironically, the scientific community and the Goggleheads who worship Rylo-7 as an emissary of their god, the Virtual Reality Presence, are united in their call for an immediate, closer examination.

RYLO: We should attempt some low-altitude fly-bys of the asteroid's surface as soon as possible -- certainly within the next few weeks -- to choose an appropriate landing site. Meanwhile, we're analysing Rylo-7 with our ground- and space-based scanners. There are many things we don't understand -- such as how and why it was able to enter a controlled orbit around Earth. One thing's for sure -- as I've said before, this is no ordinary asteroid.

5 November 2143
ANCHOR: Almost lost in the Rylo-7 crisis of the past few weeks has been our other big breaking story: Kyle Swann. The charismatic leader of "R", who accepted President Clarke's offer of amnesty in exchange for his help in the CenBank investigation, reports that he is making progress toward accessing the bank's secret files.

SWANN: We've been able to chip away at some of the ICE concealing the computer's core memory. But it may take months before we have all the answers.

ANCHOR: Swann also praised Clarke's recent remarks about a "new age" of global cooperation and tolerance.

SWANN: I'm deeply gratified at her apparent change of heart. And if her deeds back up her words, then maybe soon there'll be no need for "R".

8 November 2143
ANCHOR: Dr. Winston Rylo has issued an update on Rylo-7.

RYLO: Our long-range scanners indicate that the asteroid is enveloped by a neutrino force field, making it impossible to read details on the surface or in the interior. But this unnatural phenomenon may explain why Rylo-7 was impervious to our nuclear and antimatter defences.

ANCHOR: The report prompted this response from Dr. Kristeen Ballard at Habitat Mars.

BALLARD: The energy signature surrounding Rylo-7 is identical to the neutrino emissions we detected at the "Face of Mars" each time the VR Presence appeared. I'd like to lead an expedition to Cydonia to investigate.

ANCHOR: President Clarke says she will consider Dr. Ballard's request.

9 November 2143
ANCHOR: Sparks flew last night between Reality Secretary Perry Epp, Attorney General Julian Matthews and Dr. Winston Rylo during a three-way debate on FTL News Forum.

EPP: I still say the Virtual Reality Net should be shut down. The followers of the VR Presence and Rylo-7 have grown into a large and dangerous cult.

MATTHEWS: Maybe so -- but President Clarke and I believe that censoring the Net would pose an even greater danger to society.

RYLO: I agree. Let's face it -- nothing about Rylo-7's behaviour so far fits the natural pattern of a rogue asteroid.

EPP: Are you saying that you think the Goggleheads are right?!

RYLO: No. But who's to say they're wrong? It's still one huge mystery.

10 November 2143
ANCHOR: President Clarke dedicated a memorial holoplaque to Colonel Chester Bonestell and the other clone soldiers who were destroyed during their attempt to stop Rylo-7 from colliding with Earth.

CLARKE: These clones made a conscious choice to sacrifice their lives for humanity. My son Bryan tried to tell me that clone free will was a reality but I wouldn't listen. Well, I'm listening now -- and I intend to re-introduce the Clone Bill of Rights into NAU Legislature.

ANCHOR: Representatives of the other Combines were also present at the dedication. Reality Secretary, Perry Epp, was not -- suggesting a growing feud between Epp and Clarke.

11 November 2143
ANCHOR: The 2143 Floater Ball World Series, postponed due to the likely end of the world, has been rescheduled to begin next week. President Clarke will again toss out the first ball. Attorney General Matthews, a big fan of the series favourite Chicago Scuds will also be there. In off-world news -- President Clarke has approved Dr. Kristeen Ballard's plan to investigate anomalous energy readings at the "Face of Mars" which might be connected to Rylo-7 and the Virtual Reality Presence. This will mark the first peopled expedition to the so-called "Martian Sphinx", located in the northern desert region of Cydonia.

12 November 2143
ANCHOR: A peopled research vessel from the Intercombine Space Agency has completed the first low-altitude fly-by of Earth's new moon, Rylo-7. Dr. Winston Rylo briefed reporters on its findings earlier today.

RYLO: As you know, the unexplained neutrino force field surrounding the asteroid prevents our long-range scanners from reading details on the surface or in the interior. It also effects our gyro-navigational controls, making a landing there impossible. During this fly-by, however, we did spot the wreckage of the Mars Shuttle on Rylo-7's surface. The good news is that the force field appears to be dissipating. It may be possible to send down some unmanned probes for a closer look as early as next month.

15 November 2143
ANCHOR: Dr. Kristeen Ballard reports that the seasonal dust storms which blanket much of Mars between September and February are particularly vicious this year.

BALLARD: This could be a meteorological by-product of the volcanic activity associated with terraforming. In any event, our expedition to the Cydonia desert to investigate the "Face of Mars" will get underway as soon as conditions improve.

ANCHOR: Meanwhile, Kyle Swann, now nicknamed the ICEman, is still chipping away at the ICE concealing CenBank's secret files.

SWANN: CenBank's Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics are literally hundreds of covert subroutines designed to frustrate access to the computer's core memory. Whoever cooked up this ICE is damn good!

16 November 2143
ANCHOR: Reality Secretary Perry Epp was seen leaving the Kevorkian Medical Center earlier today after visiting his wife Martha, who has been in a coma ever since her floater car accident last year. Epp, looking uncharacteristically grim, refused to speak with reporters. In other news, Kyle Swann had more to say about the CenBank situation.

SWANN: I'm now convinced that what we're facing here is no mere computer but an Artificial Intelligence: a true thinking machine which is a mirror of every program and programmer that created it. If, as I suspect, the AI has somehow managed to link up with the Virtual Reality Net, that would explain the hologram of Barton Poole. In a sense, Poole was right -- there are ghosts in the machine.

17 November 2143
ANCHOR: Reality Secretary Perry Epp publicly blasts President Clarke.

EPP: I can't be silent any longer. First, my advice to shut down the Virtual Reality Net during the Rylo-7 crisis was ignored. Now Clarke has changed her mind and is supporting a Clone Bill of Rights, which I strongly oppose. What's next -- re-introduce BioMerge?! This so-called "coalition" government can't go on ignoring reality!

ANCHOR: The President's press office has released this response -- "With his wife seriously ill and his daughter a recovering VR addict, Secretary Epp has been under tremendous stress. President Clarke sympathises and wished to reaffirm that the Secretary still has a valued place in her administration."

18 November 2143
ANCHOR: FTL News has received a videogram from the President's son, former Attorney General Bryan Clarke. It is his first message since he went underground three months ago after being found guilty on clone-sex charges.

BRYAN: I am pleased that my mother has finally recognised that clones deserve full human rights. But there is much more to be done. To begin with, full amnesty must be extended to all members of "R", and the Identity Chip law must be repealed.

ANCHOR: You will recall that Bryan Clarke rescued his lover, a Marilyn Monroe clone, from the CloneStyles Termination Center. They are also suspected of taking part in a raid on the Center by "R". They have been outlaws ever since.

19 November 2143
ANCHOR: Asked about the latest message from her son at a press conference this morning, Madeleine Clarke gave in a rare display of personal feelings.

CLARKE: What's happened between Bryan and myself is much too painful... too private to mend in public. But this much I'll say -- it's too soon to be talking about a general amnesty for "R".

ANCHOR: On a lighter note, the President said she is looking forward to joining Julian Matthews at the first game of the Floater Ball World Series beginning Monday in Dallas.

CLARKE: Julian and I don't see eye to eye on much -- not even who we like in the World Series! But we do agree that it's time to put the "gloom and doom" of recent months behind us and look to the future with renewed hope.

22 November 2143
ANCHOR: Terror strikes the Floater Ball World Series! When President Clarke tossed out the first ball this morning, the laser-guided orb suddenly circled back toward the stands -- and exploded! Attorney General Julian Matthews was killed instantly. Several other dignitaries were seriously injured. As security agents combed through the smoking rubble, they discovered that President Clarke was missing. A stunned Reality Secretary Perry Epp -- next in line to the presidency -- ended his self-imposed hiatus and returned to the Capitol Pavilion, where he issued this terse statement.

EPP: Don't panic -- I'm in charge at this end.

23 November 2143
ANCHOR: President Clarke has been found -- drugged, unconscious, but alive -- in an abandoned factory in Chicago. She was rushed immediately to the nearby Kevorkian Medical Center. Doctors there say that she has not sustained any serious injuries and should recover fully within a few days. As the NAU breathes a collective sigh of relief, the questions are already flying. Her abductors have disappeared without a trace -- was this the botched kidnapping attempt it appears to be? Or was the floater ball which killed Attorney General Matthewsreally intended for President Clarke? And most importantly, who's behind this latest act of terror?

24 November 2143
ANCHOR: President Clarke has regained consciousness, and is reported to be resting comfortably at the Kevorkian Medical Center -- this, after narrowly escaping the terrorist bombing at the World Series which killed Attorney General Julian Matthews. The President's injuries are described as minor, and she is expected to be released from the hospital within the next few days. Police are still sifting through the evidence -- but so far, they have uncovered no clues as to the identity of the assailants. President Clarke was kidnapped during the attack and drugged-- only to be abandoned by her abductors a few hours later. As of yet, no one has claimed responsibility for this brutal incident.

25 November 2143
ANCHOR: The leaders of the other four Economic Combines visited President Clarke in her hospital suite at the Kevorkian Medical Center earlier today. Georges Favreau, Prime Minister of the European Community; Mohammed Zaganada, Mullah of the Islamic Federation; and General Antonio Rodriguez of the Hispanic Commonwealth travelled via the Virtual Reality Net. Sato Uchida, Prince of the Asian Prosperity Sphere, came to Chicago in person -- apparently anxious to press Clarke for a resumption of the talks on internationalising Habitat Mars. There is no word yet as to whether the President is able to recall anything about her ordeal which might help the police to identify and track down the terrorists.

26 November 2143
ANCHOR: Rescinding the amnesty granted him in connection with the CenBank investigation, President Clarke has had Kyle Swann arrested! The leader of "R" was picked up by the Intercombine Police in Geneva early this morning. No official explanation has been given. However, rumours are rampant that Swann and his rebels have been tied to the recent terrorist attack at the World Series, which killed Attorney General Julian Matthews and injured the President.

SWANN (being led away): This is a terrible mistake! I had nothing to do with the bombing and neither did anyone else in "R"!

ANCHOR: President Clarke will be released from the hospital shortly and is expected to address the nation from the Capitol Pavilion.

29 November 2143
ANCHOR: Live from the Capitol Pavilion, the President of the NAU, Madeleine Clarke.

CLARKE: During the recent terrorist attack -- which tragically cut short the life of my dear friend Julian Matthews -- I was kidnapped and drugged. But before I lost consciousness, I distinctly heard one of my abductors mention the name Kyle Swann. I have here a list, provided by the police, of known "R" sympathisers in the sports and entertainment community. Only Swann could turn an innocent floater ball game into an arena of destruction. It was Julian who convinced me to grant Swann amnesty in the first place. I will personally see to it that Swann stands trial... for murder!

30 November 2143
ANCHOR: Kyle Swann was arraigned in Chicago this morning on murder and conspiracy charges in connection with the World Series bombing, which took the life of Attorney General Julian Matthews and injured President Clarke. Swann was held without bail and made a brief statement to reporters before he was led off to prison.

SWANN: Neither I nor "R" had anything to do with this tragedy. But it's an even greater miscarriage of justice to stop me now that I'm so close to cracking the CenBank mystery! I'm convinced that CenBank's Artificial Intelligence created Barton Poole. It may also have invented the Virtual Reality Presence. There's no telling how dangerous or powerful this AI could be -- or what it wants.