December 2143

1 December 2143
ANCHOR: President Clarke delivered the eulogy at a private funeral service for Attorney General Julian Matthews this morning. Later, some of Matthews' ashes were scattered over Chicago, as the NAU's military honour guard fired off a 21-laser salute. The rest of his ashes will be scattered over his childhood home in Savannah, Georgia, and his parents' native province of South Africa in the Islamic Federation. Assistant Attorney General Priscilla Nagle has been chosen to succeed Matthews as head of the Justice Department.

NAGLE: President Clarke has asked me to personally handle the prosecution of Kyle Swann for Matthews' murder and other terrorist crimes. It will be my pleasure.

2 December 2143
ANCHOR: Kyle Swann is being held incommunicado at the NAU's maximum security prison in Chicago, while awaiting a trial date. Meanwhile, the new Attorney General, Priscilla Nagle, publicly expounded on the case against the "R" leader.

NAGLE: Swann is charged with conspiracy in the plot to assassinate Julian Matthews and kidnap President Clarke. But we now have additional evidence which suggests that, far from assisting in the effort to penetrate CenBank's secret computer files, Swann has actually been attempting to sabotage the system. If he hadn't been caught in time, his actions might have caused the collapse of the entire global monetary network!

3 December 2143
ANCHOR: Epp is out! Despite recent assurances, President Clarke fired the Reality Secretary after a private meeting this morning. Attorney General Priscilla Nagle explains.

NAGLE: Due to problems in his personal life, Perry's judgement has become... questionable. We regret having to remove him, but it's in the best interests of the NAU.

ANCHOR: Epp wasted no time firing back.

EPP: I joined this administration to make a difference – to bring a dose of reality to government. It's not my judgement which ought to be questioned – it's Madeleine Clarke's! Well, she can throw me out – but she can't shut me up. I'll be back. The Realist Party will rise again!

6 December 2143
ANCHOR: In order to provide ample time to build an airtight case, the Justice Department has announced that the Kyle Swann trial will probably begin in February or March. Meanwhile, in off-world news, the first unpeopled probe has been launched toward the surface of Earth's new moon, Rylo-7. Here is Dr. Winston Rylo with an update.

RYLO: The unexplained neutrino forcefield around the asteroid has virtually disappeared. We hope to be able to remote-guide our probe in for a soft landing. We'll know if we've been successful in a few hours.

ANCHOR: Dr. Rylo will hold a live press conference as soon as more information becomes available.

7 December 2143
ANCHOR: Here is an important live announcement from Dr. Winston Rylo.

RYLO: A short time ago, the unmanned probe launched toward the surface of Rylo-7 crashed. A sudden, localised burst of neutrino radiation from the asteroid jammed our satellite's remote gyro-navigational controls. This can only be described as a programmed defence – and it fits in with the rest of Rylo-7's bizarre behaviour.

ANCHOR: Dr. Rylo – what do you mean by "programmed defence"?

RYLO: I mean that it seems to have been guided by some form of intelligence. We did get limited telemetry from the probe before it crashed and we're analysing that data carefully. I– I'd rather not say anything else until we have more concrete information.

8 December 2143
ANCHOR: After an emergency meeting with the World Congress this morning, Dr. Winston Rylo emerged with a stunning statement.

RYLO: After analysing the neutrino-burst data from the unmanned probe – and consulting with Dr. Ballard about the similar neutrino patterns she's detected at the "Face of Mars" – we've come to one amazing, but unavoidable, conclusion. This so-called asteroid is indeed an emissary – the emissary of an alien intelligence.

ANCHOR: Immediately following Dr. Rylo's startling announcement, the World Congress issued a unanimous proclamation that except for more unpeopled probes, Earth would adopt a "hands-off" policy toward the mysterious new moon – at least, for now.

9 December 2143
ANCHOR: As the human race ponders the staggering revelation that Rylo-7 may have been guided here by an alien intelligence, there is little more to do but wait for scientists to take the next step. But here on Earth, it looks like politics – and commerce – as usual. The World Congress is flexing its new-found muscles, demanding that President Clarke follow through on her commitment to negotiate a new future for Habitat Mars – one which includes all five Economic Combines.

FAVREAU: The time has come for Madeleine Clarke to make good on her promise of a "new age" of global cooperation.

ANCHOR: So far, there has been no official reaction from President Clarke.

10 December 2143
ANCHOR: Following on the heels of Kyle Swann's arrest and the firing of Reality Secretary Perry Epp, Clarke has once again closed the door on any global partnership in the colonisation of Mars.

CLARKE: Habitat Mars belongs to the NAU. CenBank tried to steal it and failed. Now, the other Combines want it. My answer is – over my dead body!

ANCHOR: Sato Uchida, Prince of the Asian Prosperity Sphere, responded angrily.

UCHIDA: We thought Madeleine Clarke had changed, and wanted a new age of co-operation and progress. It seems we were wrong. We are very disappointed by her decision.

13 December 2143
ANCHOR: There's an old expression – everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it. Well, according to Jack B. Nimbus, Chief Meteorologist at MacroWeather, they are doing something about it.

NIMBUS: By skilful use of our orbiting solar mirrors, we have been able to harness El Niño, the powerful and destructive weather system which dominates the Western Hemisphere, and manipulate it to do our bidding. For instance, right now, it's raining in Southern California – that region's cyclical drought has been ended before it had a chance to begin! MacroWeather has decided to name this new partnership between science and nature: "El Niñocito".

14 December 2143
ANCHOR: Attorney General Priscilla Nagle announces that President Clarke is lifting the ban on BioMerge – the controversial VR disc which gets implanted directly into the skull.

NAGLE: We're wasting too much time and money busting Vision Dens, instead of going after "R". By legalising BioMerge, we eliminate the violent criminal element, and give the people what they want.

ANCHOR: Goggleheads are rejoicing, but not former Reality Secretary Perry Epp.

EPP: The Realist Party and I will fight Clarke to the bitter end. It's about time she realised that behaving like a dictator – and taking dangerous steps like this – only makes "R" look more and more like a reasonable alternative!

15 December 2143
ANCHOR: President Clarke shocks the nation by outlawing the Realist Party.

CLARKE: Perry Epp's recent statements clearly align him and his Realist Party with the rebel group "R" – a known terrorist organisation. Any public or private support of "R" is an act of treason against the NAU. If Epp makes one more inflammatory speech, I'll have him arrested.

ANCHOR: President Clarke, isn't that rather extreme?

CLARKE: To quote a wise leader from 20th Century America: "Extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice."

ANCHOR: The former Reality Secretary himself has gone into seclusion and couldn't be reached for comment.

16 December 2143
ANCHOR: An unpeopled satellite trailing a mile-long Mylar banner reading "Free Kyle" was blasted out of low-Earth orbit earlier today by an NAU missile. Attorney General Nagle was asked if the Clarke administration may have crossed the line between battling treason and blunting free speech.

NAGLE: We're all in favour of free speech. But private and public billboards in space are strictly prohibited by the Clean Skyways Bill – enacted 75 years ago to clean up the clutter of advertising that was polluting the stratosphere.

ANCHOR: "Free Kyle" refers to Kyle Swann, the jailed leader of "R". Swann goes on trial early next year for the murder of Nagle's predecessor, Julian Matthews.

17 December 2143
ANCHOR: President Clarke has reversed her position on Clone Rights. After Colonel Bonestell and his clone volunteers sacrificed their lives to stop Rylo-7 from colliding with Earth, Clarke promised to re-introduce the Clone Bill of Rights. Today, she withdrew her endorsement.

CLARKE: The forces of Clone Liberation are closely aligned with "R" and it was "R" that killed Julian Matthews, and kidnapped me.

ANCHOR: Clone Rights activist, Pamela Corvino, is dismayed.

CORVINO: I don't question the humanity of clones. But I am beginning to question the humanity of President Clarke. I ask you... is this the same woman who promised us a "new age" of global cooperation and tolerance?

20 December 2143
ANCHOR: Attorney General Priscilla Nagle narrowly escaped death this morning when a passing aerovan fired a laser cannon at her floater car as it neared the Capitol Pavilion – but, fortunately, she was not injured. Police pursed the van until it suddenly exploded, apparently, a suicide bomb. A few hours later, the Justice Department received an audio disc claiming that "R" had staged the kamikaze attack in revenge for the arrest of Kyle Swann. The message threatened more deaths unless Swann is freed. Nagle will address the nation shortly about the government's plans to deal with this increasing climate of terrorist violence.

21 December 2143
ANCHOR: Live from the Capitol Pavilion, here is Attorney General Priscilla Nagle.

NAGLE: President Clarke has issued an executive order giving the police sweeping new powers in their war against "R". Increased surveillance and random Identity Chip checks will be enforced. Suspects may be held indefinitely without bail pending charges. Searches and seizures will be conducted without warrants on a probable cause basis. Clones acting out Free Will in any form will be subject to summary termination. My message to all NAU citizens is – stay inside, lock your doors, plug into the VR Net, and relax. Your government has the situation under control.

22 December 2143
ANCHOR: FTL News has received another videogram from the President's outlaw son, Bryan Clarke. Here's an excerpt:

BRYAN: I can no longer believe that this – this evil stranger is my mother. It's as though she's gone mad!

ANCHOR: President Clarke issued this statement: "Any ally of "R" is an enemy of the NAU." Meanwhile, rebel leader Kyle Swann remains in prison awaiting his trial. His public defender continues to proclaim Swann's innocence.

DENT: My client had nothing to do with the murder of Julian Matthews, nor any of the subsequent terrorist acts blamed on "R". The truth is, Kyle Swann's been framed.

23 December 2143
ANCHOR: The latest FTL public opinion poll finds the NAU confused and concerned about President Clarke's increasingly erratic performance. Given the recent rash of terrorist attacks, a majority of citizens support the President's crackdown on Kyle Swann and "R". However, many people feel that she's gone too far by banning Perry Epp and his Realist Party, and by backing away from an intercombine deal on Habitat Mars. But there is a growing fear that Clarke may be assuming too much power. The question on everyone's mind seems to be, who is this "new" Madeleine Clarke – and where is she leading us?

24 December 2143
ANCHOR: The year-end Labour Stoppage season is here again. For millions of Christians, the Labour Stoppage is also a holy day. Here is Pope Thelma Louise II with a Yuletide message:

POPE: Far above us, Rylo-7 has arrived like a divine chariot – embodying the spirit and mysteries of the cosmos. But here below, we humans still struggle to fathom the mysteries of our own mortal soul. Of one thing, I'm certain – there can be no true answers to any of these mysteries without peace, love and universal understanding.

27 December 2143
ANCHOR: Two million members of the Survivalist Union are still holed up below the Siberian Tundra. EC Prime Minister Georges Favreau revealed today that the Survivalists, who went underground to escape the collision with Rylo-7, have rejected all attempts to coax them back into the sunlight. Mistaking the sonic boom when the asteroid skimmed the atmosphere for the actual impact, they are convinced that the "all clear" sent by the EC was a hoax perpetrated by those eager to acquire the Union's stash of food, water and air.

FAVREAU: These people have never been a particularly social bunch, hm? Let them stay down there a little while longer. Who's going to miss them, anyway?

28 December 2143
ANCHOR: Dr. Kristeen Ballard provides an upbeat assessment of progress in the terraforming of Mars.

BALLARD: Despite Rylo-7 and other setbacks this past year, we've managed to pull ahead of even our most optimistic timetable. Volcanic activity has spread across the Olympus Mons region, north and west of Habitat Mars. The mean planet-wide temperature has climbed nearly 50 GTUs. The Martian icecaps are starting to melt, releasing water and carbon dioxide into the biosphere. We're now starting Phase Two – the insertion of anaerobic bacteria into the soil. If we're successful, it will mean the re-introduction of life on a world that has been frozen for millions of years.

29 December 2143
ANCHOR: Biomorph artist Dana Moreau delighted guests at a New York City gala last night when she arrived wearing the latest version – of herself. She calls her new look ManEater. Don't be surprised to see lots of women sporting this style on the streets soon. Meanwhile, last night on Hollywood Island, Afro-Asian director Spyke Chi turned up at the world première of his new holodrama, Boyz N The Net. It is the powerful story of ghetto youngsters growing up hooked on Virtual Reality. Audiences and critics were raving, saying that Chi is a sure bet to win another Roddenberry at this year's Academy of Holographic Arts and Sciences Awards.

30 December 2143
ANCHOR: After meeting with the Intercombine Space Agency this morning, Dr. Winston Rylo gave an update on Rylo-7.

RYLO: Neutrino levels around the asteroid have dropped again. We'll try to land another unmanned probe within the next 48 hours.

ANCHOR: Rylo-7's unusual energy field was responsible for the crash of the first probe sent down to the surface last month. Scientists believe the asteroid may have been guided to Earth by an alien intelligence. The World Congress has prohibited manned landings until more is known about our mysterious new moon. Meanwhile, Dr. Kristeen Ballard reports that neutrino levels at the "Face of Mars" have also decreased recently.

31 December 2143
ANCHOR: The NAU Department of Commerce reports that the home improvement sector of the economy is experiencing a welcome uptick. Ersatz Edifices is doing particularly well with its new holographic façade, the Sphinx, which can be projected around your home just like the best-selling Great Pyramid. NuVu, Inc., meanwhile, is having trouble keeping up with orders for its latest holowindows. Not only do they give you a spectacular ocean view from anywhere in the house – but with the deluxe model, you can even feel the breeze and smell the air. And Hollywood Island Living Walls are also in great demand – especially the Classics Collection, featuring scenes from Citizen Kane and Swamp Thing.