Media Reports TN 1935-

Hutchison Investigation: Leads Are Scarce  06.AU.35 Special to the Valeria Times by Carmen Melfas The holy cities of Sorrento and Massada are swarming with investigators, but very little new information about the brutal slaying of Second Follower  Thor Hutchison has come to light. Hutchison was murdered on live trideo by Norlight Colonel Neel Garner Fulan, commander of the Blue Angels regiment  protecting Massada. The Colonel was mortally wounded by Hutchison’s bodyguards, but not before he could fire two shots at close range, hitting Hutchison in the chest and head. The second shot was instantly fatal, according to medical sources. Officials in Valeria quickly established an inter-agency task force  with a mandate to investigate every aspect of the killing, ranging from security  concerns to uncovering the killer’s motives. The task force includes members of  the Norlight National Police, the Order of Dorothea (responsible for Church  security), the Norlight Armed Forces’ Office of Military Intelligence, the Northern  Guard Intelligence Service, and the CNCS Confederate Police. A task force head￾quarters has been established in Sorrento to direct all inquiries, with field offices  in Massada and Valeria. So far, most of the task force’s attention seems to be directed at  uncovering the motive for the assassination. Many wonder why a decorated war  hero like Colonel Garner Fulan would commit such an act. Indeed, Garner Fulan  was not only about to receive a religious commendation for his valor defending  Massada, but had already proved his courage at the infamous Battle of Church Pass  during the War of the Alliance. Investigators are searching for any evidence that  the Colonel may have been mentally unbalanced or come under foreign influence. Confidential sources inside the investigation report, however, that  the mobilization of so many agencies is more political than practical. Indeed,  investigators are reportedly stepping on each other’s toes and leads are being lost  in a sea of red tape. Furthermore, these same sources claim each agency is most  interested in protecting its own reputation, or that of its parent organization, be  it the military, the current government or the Revisionist Church. Rumors are  already  beginning to circulate that some investigators are withholding evidence. The popular reaction to the assassination has unfortunately gone  hand in hand with the burgeoning chaos of the official investigation. While most  Northerners have reacted with quiet shock and grief, attested to by the practical  cessation of business across the hemisphere this past week, outbreaks of rage and  violence are becoming more and more frequent. Indeed, Jerusalemite authorities  in Swanscombe report no less than six different incidents of assault perpetrated  against local nuns (symbols of authority in that religious matriarchy) since the  assassination. No doubt the worst incident of violence, however, occurred last  night when the Overlook Commune in the Norlight city of Franklin Harbor was  attacked by vandals armed with molotov cocktails. Three of the Jerusalemite  residents are dead and many more injured after the fire-bombing (see related  story). Religious authorities in Sorrento and Massada are calling for calm,  but apparently to no avail. It seems that, in the absence of any real answers as to  why their spiritual leader was killed, many angry Revisionists are turning on  whatever scapegoat they can find. news report  

Inquest Norlight Intelligence and Security Agency >phone log< >connect NISA Director B. Kaine< >connect Col. Henrietta Volks, Norlight Armed Forces Office of Military Intelligence< NISA Director Brigman Kaine: What’s the situation in Massada? Col. Henrietta Volks: We’re making progress, but we’d be making more if we didn’t have to keep dodging every other bloody law enforcement agency north of the equator. I mean, this is a NAF/OMI matter, for Mamoud’s sake, why the hell is Northco Corporate Security snooping around? Kaine: What have you got so far? Volks: So far not that much on Garner Fulan himself. We’ve interviewed practically his whole regiment and all we have so far is salt-of-the-earth stuff. The Colonel was a great commander, a brave soldier, a caring leader and so on. The only criticism we have is that he kept his private life private. Even his adjutants never really knew him that well. Kaine: That sounds promising. If he was compromised that’s where it probably happened. Volks: That’s our thinking. Kaine: What about his girlfriend? That Noble woman? Volks: Yeah, Sister Melissa Noble. She and Garner Fulan grew up together; they were bond twins. It looks like she had some sort of crisis of faith in her twenties and ended up in Massada. The two didn’t see each other much until Garner Fulan was stationed in the city in 1929. They’ve been lovers since 1933, at least. Kaine: What do we know about her? Her friends? What about that “crisis?” Volks: I’ve got people working that angle right now. We know she has had extensive contact with Southern pilgrims and at least one other affair with a Northern soldier, a pilot in Garner Fulan’s regiment named Luther Klingmann. We’re checking him out too. Kaine: Have you talked to her yourself? Volks: Yeah. She seems genuine enough. You know, tears for the tragedy, sympathy for the killer — what you’d expect given they were sharing a bed. She told me that Garner Fulan was upset by the suicide of a mentor of his named Delyah, back North. I’m trying to run that lead, but the Dorotheans are being really tightlipped about it, seems she was a monk or something. Kaine: Okay, I’ll try and get you more cooperation from the Order of Dorothea. In the meantime, keep at Noble and anyone else who got close to Garner Fulan. I want to know what made him pull that trigger. >end connect< offcial report/transcript ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 02-9  

The North Mourns Sorrento, NLC  17.AU.35 (Valeria Times) — Over one million mourners filled the streets of  Sorrento today as Second Follower Thor Hutchison was laid to rest in the Crypt of  the Faithful upon Gayras Rise. The ceremony, televised via trideo across Terra  Nova, was filled with famous faces from the religious, political and social spheres. Every significant leader, politician and thinker was present to see Hutchison,  assassinated last week under still-mysterious circumstances, interned in the sacred  crypt just below the Church of the Third Miracle. The Crypt of the Faithful is  reserved for recognized heroes of the Revisionist Church and contains the mortal  remains of Nathani Reiss, companion to the Gentle Prophet and founder of the  Sorrento Church; Liana Brëas, the first president of the Norlight Confederacy; and  Lara Domion, the Second Follower who shepherded her faith from the chaos of St.  Vincent’s War. Even more impressive than the famous in attendance was the  massive outpouring of popular grief. Common people came from across the  hemisphere to pay their last respects to the fallen religious leader, taking advantage of the national day of mourning declared in all three Northern leagues. The  Norlight Armed Forces were pressed into service to establish emergency housing  and facilities for the influx of mourners. An estimated 70 million people — 9 out  of every 10 Northerners — watched on trideo. Abbot Joh Ison, one of the Church’s top thinkers and a close advisor  to Reverend Hutchison, eulogized the Second Follower. Ison drew attention to  Hutchison’s work and energy for the faith and the challenges that now face those  he has left behind: “It was Reverend Hutchison who brought us out of the darkness of  indecision and carried us through the night of the war with Earth. We all looked to  him for his wisdom, his teachings and his guidance. Now, his enemies have  conspired to silence his strong voice and we must deal with the terrible aftermath. “We have two choices: We can give up on Reverend Hutchison’s  dream because he is no longer here to guide us, or we can be courageous and take  our own destiny into our hands and lead the lives he would have wanted us to. I,  for one, hope we choose the latter.” Some consolation came early today when Norlight National Police  Commissioner Gabrielle Khaleed announced that the inter-departmental task force  investigating Hutchison’s assassination has made an arrest. Sister Melissa Noble, a  Massadan church member, entered NorPol custody in Massada last night, reported  Khaleed at a Valeria press conference. According to sources in Massada, Noble is a  high-placed advisor to First Follower Dreven Capac, the leader of the Massadan  branch of the Revisionist Church. Noble was also the bond-twin, and reportedly  the lover, of Neel Garner Fulan, the assassin of Reverend Hutchison. Because Garner Fulan was killed by bodyguards immediately after  the assassination, his motives remain a mystery. Indeed, Garner Fulan was a  decorated war hero and widely considered to be a faithful, even ardent, Revisionist. His murder of the most prominent member of his church has raised many  questions, some Noble may be able to answer. “The arrest of Melissa Noble is only one part of the on-going  investigation,” said Khaleed in her statement. “It came after agents on the scene  uncovered inconsistencies in her statements to local authorities in the days  following the assassination. We believe that Sister Noble has information that  could shed light on Garner Fulan’s motives.” When asked if Sister Noble would be charged with anything beyond  the current charges of obstructing an investigation, Khaleed was evasive. “That  will depend on what she has to say.”

Evidence Points South  27.AU.35 Special Report to the Federal News  The questioning of Sister Melissa Noble, confidant and lover to assassin Neel Garner Fulan, has revealed a strong Southern connection in the murder of Second Follower Thor Hutchison. According to sources within the investigation, Noble had a critical influence on Garner Fulan, a decorated war hero, during his time in Massada. It has now become clear that members of Southern intelligence may have been using Noble, and through her, Garner Fulan. Detectives reportedly consider this a major breakthrough in the investigation. Indeed, it answers once and for all the question on everyone’s lips this last season: why? Why would a faithful soldier and hero of the North like Colonel Garner Fulan gun down the leader of his church? Psychological programming by Southern agents now seems a real possibility. “It is now utterly evident that Reverend Hutchison was the victim of a concerted effort to end his life and demoralize the whole northern hemisphere,” commented Wilhelm Miehn, leader of the Norlight True North Party in a heated address to the Inner Council of the CNCS yesterday in Valeria. “His death was ordered from Port Oasis, planned by Southern operatives and carried out by a puppet they created through lies and other means. This attack goes beyond any norm of civilized behavior and we must respond. The illusion of peace we have been living under since the war with Earth has now been shattered, ladies and gentlemen. This is an act of war.” The Inner Council has refused to act as of yet, only promising further resources for the investigation into Hutchison’s death and maintaining the state of alert under which all Northern armed forces are operating. The Northern public, however, seems ready to act. Already calls for action are coming from all corners of the hemisphere. An outraged public has already taken to the streets in front of Southern embassies in Lyonnesse, Valeria and Fort William. Demands for government response — ranging from symbolic sanctions to all-out military strikes — are resounding throughout all the capitals.

A New Alliance Fort Henry, WFP 41.WI.36 >loctag: Lang residence, Maderas compound, Fort Henry< >datetag: 41 Winter TN 1936< >timetag: 23:44:07< >transcript begins< Proconsul Lang Regina: Thank you for coming, Colonel. Please take a seat. >visitor id: Gervase Aschenbach, Western Frontier Protectorate Army Colonel. Assigned to Western Military Academy — training and tactics.< Colonel Gervase: Of course, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am. Lang: Colonel, we have seen some rough times together, haven’t we? Gervase: That we have, Proconsul. That’s a soldier’s lot. We obey orders and do what  must be done. Lang: True enough. We certainly did what had to be done all those cycles ago at  Baja, didn’t we? That cost too many lives, but we had little choice. Gervase: The alternative was to surrender the planet itself, Proconsul. The sacrifice  was worth it, I think. More than worth it.  Lang: Let me ask you, Colonel, do you think the sacrifices to come are as worthwhile? Gervase: Excuse me, ma’am? Lang: No need to hide behind political caution, Colonel. You have permission to  speak freely. I promise you that nothing you say will leave this room. We all know a  war is coming with the South. My question is whether it is worth the deaths of more  Western boys and girls. Gervase: With all due respect, ma’am, that is not my decision to make. I’m a soldier  and I follow orders. If sent into battle, I will do my utmost to accomplish my  mission and bring my troops home safely. Lang: Come Colonel, you know full well that soldiers not only follow but lead. A  soldier — especially a Western soldier — mustn’t just blindly obey orders. We must  make sure we are serving the good of our league — and our planet. So tell me, do  you think this war is for the common good? Gervase: The Southern leagues are run by various forms of dictatorship, Proconsul.  Millions live either in outright or disguised slavery. Others actively support governments with overt agendas of global domination. That constitutes a threat to the  West and the North as a whole. A war is worthwhile if it eliminates that threat and  if it liberates those in bondage. Lang: I agree with you Colonel, but I’m afraid that the current war may do none of  those things. Not unless we prepare the way for the aftermath. Gervase: I would imagine so. Lang: You requested your transfer to the Academy in order to “give something back”  if I recall. In that spirit, I would like to invite you into a new endeavor, so we can  prepare for the cycles after the war and to face the real enemy. >pause of 00:01:33< Lang: Are you interested, Colonel? Gervase: Tell me more, Proconsul. >end transcript<

personal correspondence 14.SP.36 Last Good-Bye Strathclyde, ESE Regina, This is, in all likelihood, the last letter I will be able to send you for  quite some time. Our dire predictions are, I fear, on the verge of coming true at  last. I look west from Strathclyde and I imagine I can hear the chaos of rebellion  and the lamentation of pestilence. I look around me and I see the depravity of  excess and the torture of slavery. I look and I despair.  Forgive my rambling, Regina, but I fear not only for our planet, but  for our species. Are we really so different from the invaders we repelled cycles  ago? We crush enemies with the same hatred and bloody efficiency. We sacrifice  innocents for as futile a reason as the CEF ever did. Enough, as you are so fond of reminding me; I should pontificate  less and act more. The news you have sent about gathering allies is heartening. Assuming we can survive the storm to come, we may have a true alternative to the  present Terra Nova. I have assembled some trusted aides on my side of the equator  and we will be ready to move when the time comes. I agree with you that a trigger event will be necessary if we are to  act effectively. Once war fervor turns into battle fatigue, we will need to await a  low point to move. Creating our own trigger event is an option, I agree, but it  should be a last resort. We must be very careful not to give our enemies ammunition before we are ready to deal with them. Regina, I hope we will speak again soon, but for now we should  gather our forces and use intermediaries. See you on the other side. Your friend, Kenichi Tanaka.

We Interrupt This Broadcast   18.SU.36 SNS comes to you live from Valeria’s St. Vincent’s Square, the seat of power in the Confederated Northern City-States. The CNCS’s Inner Council has just announced an end to the emergency session that began early today, and members of the Inner Council are emerging onto the dais before the council building. It looks like Grand Marshall Victoria Edden-Smythe will be addressing the crowd that has gathered here . “Ladies and gentlemen, as of 13:45 this morning, the Confederated Northern City-States are at war. The Inner Council, acting in consort with the governments of all the member leagues, has passed a unanimous declaration of war on the Southern Republic. “The reasons for this declaration should already be known to all Northerners, but let me make them clear. We are sending troops South in direct response to unchecked and escalating Southern aggression, both against Northern city-states and independent powers. The annexation of the Humanist Alliance is but the latest in a constant cycle of expansion and conquest that has characterized the Republic since its formation. Investigations by the Northern Guard Intelligence Service and other agencies has also positively tied the Republic to the assassination of Reverend Thor Hutchison. This is an outright act of aggression and we have no choice but to respond with force. “Our objectives are clear. We will ensure the freedom of the Humanist Alliance, the Free Emirates and any other territories who wish to part from the Southern Republic. We will also force the Republic to abandon, once and for all, its imperialist doctrine. To wait any longer would be to invite invasion. “In accordance with the articles of the CNCS Constitution, I am assuming the war-time power to govern the Confederation and suspending all national elections until the end of this conflict. Of course, the civilian leadership will continue to govern within the constraints of the war effort. “Thank you, and Mamoud be with us all.” media report ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○

News from the Front   31.SU.36 Raleigh In Northern Hands  NorGuard News Net — Elements of the Eastern Task Force have moved into and secured the city-state of Raleigh in the Humanist Alliance, as part of the campaign to secure and expand the Eastern and Humanist territories free from the domination of the Southern Republic. Raleigh, the easternmost city-state of the Humanist Alliance, had been occupied by Republican Army and Southern MILICIA troops just before the beginning of the war, after an outbreak of Theban Blight. Resistance action has been endemic since then, and our troops were welcomed with open arms by the locals. The Southern occupiers did not hesitate to take out the frustration of a Northern victory on the locals and their city-state. The executions of freedom fighters and even peaceful demonstrators were numerous in the days before liberation, and even today locals are trying to uncover just how many of their sons and daughters have disappeared forever. In typical fashion, few of the Southern prisoners taken by the liberating forces were Republican. Mekong and Eastern conscripts from the MILICIA were left to ensure the final defense of the city while Republican Army troops and MILICIA commanders withdrew to the west. These prisoners are being debriefed and will be transported to POW facilities in the Free Emirates. NorGuard commanders report that several conscript units switched sides and helped our troops. This is further evidence of how fragile the Republican hegemony over the South has become. Officials and troops from the Free Emirates, including expatriate Humanist Protectors, entered the city side by side with Guardsmen. Officials in Basal are already offering the liberated city-state membership in their free league. Banderas Dies in Southern Attack NorGuard News Net — The body of Yves Banderas, Treasurer of the United Mercantile Federation, was found in the wreckage of his state aircraft late last night in the Downing mountains of his native league. Banderas, 75 cycles, was at the end of a morale boosting tour of the UMF when his aircraft was shot down, apparently by Southern aircraft. Forensic study of the wreckage is still underway, but initial reports point to a missile attack consistent with a stealth fighter — possibly the Ghost fighter wielded by Southern air forces. Banderas’ death creates a void in the civilian leadership of the UMF. With Grand Marshal Edden-Smythe’s current emergency leadership of the CNCS, a national election is not in the making. Sources in the Mercantile capital of Lyonnesse suggest that Minister of Defense Solomon Davi will take over leadership of the Caucus until the end of hostilities. This would be a first in Mercantile history, but is supported by the federal constitution. Banderas’ aircraft was shot down while en route to the city-state of Ashington, part of a whirlwind tour to raise national morale. The UMF has been plagued by religious and social unrest in several outlying city-states characterized by their alternative social structures. The Jerusalemite matriarchy of Swanscombe, the communist oligarchy of Zagreb and the aristocracy of Ashington have all been under pressure from popular movements pushing for increased support of the war effort. Banderas himself had been accused of sowing the seeds of these social problems in his pre-war administration and some hope that his death will leave room for a national reconciliation.

SOUTHERN PROPAGANDA - CONSUME WITH CAUTION Aquitaine Aflame  41.AU.36 Interpolar War Hits Home La Press Républicaine The Interpolar War reached a new peak in violence yesterday when the Republican city-state of Aquitaine came under heavy attack from a Northern task force. The assault cost hundreds of civilian and military lives and has left over one thousand wounded and the city in ruins. The assault began at 34:00 hours on the night of the 39th when the Northern landship detachment opened fire on Aquitaine with heavy artillery. Luckily evacuation had begun when the task force, headed by the Norlight landship Vigilance, entered Republican territory. The city was far from abandoned, however, and many were caught under the bombardment. When the shelling let up in the morning of the 40th,. heavy street fighting occurred as Northern forces moved into the city proper. Sources report that Northern paratroopers dropped into the city to sabotage strategic locations in the pre-dawn hours. The main assault, however, came yesterday afternoon when a corvette broke off from the Northern task force and entered the city proper. The attacking vessel, identified this morning as the Stiletto, plowed through many defending units and systematically destroyed key installations in the downtown area of Aquitaine. The assault broke off early this morning with the arrival of the Republican landship Draco, Capitaine Robert Murène, commanding. The task force is fleeing toward the Badlands, but may be having trouble escaping the Republican counter-offensive. A release from the Ministry of Information this morning revealed that the Stiletto had been run to ground. Back in Aquitaine the locals are struggling to recover from such a brutal attack. The two main local hospitals were severely damaged during the initial artillery barrage, so MILICIA field hospitals have been pressed into service across the ruined town. Structural damage has also been great, The great telecommunications tower known as the Needle suffered heavy damage to its support struts, and engineers on site say it may have to be toppled.

The White War   SNS Special Report 36.AU.36 media newscast Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Satellite News Service’s  special report on the White War, a pocket conflict gripping the Great White Desert  area of the Badlands. Stretching east of the Westridge Range, the White Desert is  perhaps the most inhospitable place on Terra Nova. It consists of countless square  kilometers of dunes laced with acidic white sand — few living creatures and no  technology can survive here for long. And yet, a staggering number of factions are  fighting tooth and nail over this area. Locals have named this conflict — ongoing  amidst a global war — the White War. The reasons for this conflict go back to the White Desert itself.  Indeed, the same volcanism responsible for the corrosive white sands has also  created a great number of natural wells in the region. The fringe of the White  Desert is, ironically, among the most fertile areas in the Badlands. Because of this,  homesteads dot the region and communities in the Westridge area have grown  wealthy. The gamma maglev line also passes along the southern fringe, linking the  desert to Khayr ad-Din to the east. This relative prosperity has made the area  desirable to warlords and entrepreneurs of all sorts. The current panoply of  combatants is staggering. • Both North and South are present in the region. With the cutting  of the trans-equatorial maglev lines, the Westridge rail line is now the major  North-South transport axis. Both superpowers are anxious to control it. Entire  divisions and landship groups also move through the region.   • The Desert Wolves are a band of desert rovers who have become  latter-day Robin Hoods to the locals. They have become a makeshift militia  defending the desert communities on the western fringe of the White Desert. They  have been very reluctant to seek allies and have stood firm against the New  Human Republic (see below). • The New Human Republic (NHR) is a micro-league on the eastern  fringe of the White Desert. The NHR is notable mostly because it is quite clearly  ruled by GREL supersoldiers under the guidance of Colonel Proust, a Jan-class  GREL. NHR troops moved around the desert and have been in a long term conflict  with the Desert Wolves for unknown reasons. • The trash-city of Khayr ad-Din has also become involved. The  Duelists and mercenaries of that city-state have organized a makeshift army to  defend their city and the long stretch of the gamma maglev from Khayr ad-Din to  the Westridge Range. • The forces of Port Arthur, under the aegis of the New Coalition of  city-states in the Westridge Range, have also been sent to secure the maglev.  Despite a few conflicts, they have largely cooperated with the Khayr ad-Din Army.  With all these armed parties, the White Desert fringe has seen a  endless steam of battles over the last several seasons. So far, the vague alliance of  those trying to keep the maglev open has been successful and trade continues  between the New Coalition and Khayr ad-Din. Among the homesteads, however,  small battles are endemic. The number of homes reduced to ruin is growing on a  daily basis. In other times, the Peace River Defense Force might have been able  to intervene and help the locals preserve their independence and way of life. Any  hope for such an intervention, though, has been shattered by Paxton’s isolationist  war-time policy. Gerald Simosa, president of the arms giant, announced on the day  the Interpolar War began that his corporation could now only guarantee the safety  of Peace River itself. The rest of the Badlands was on its own. Analysts agree that  this policy was chiefly designed not to antagonize the polar superpowers who are  Paxton’s chief clients. In the season since then, that policy has seen Paxton profits soar as  its weapons feed the war effort. On the other hand, internal unrest has also  plagued Peace River and the rest of the Badlands has exploded with a chorus of  derision. To those living outside Peace River, Paxton has shirked its responsibilities  in favor of its coffers. Those inside Peace River are more supportive of Paxton’s isolationism.  The seasons before the outbreak of the Interpolar War saw the city-state  plagued by internal revolts headed by the Badlands Revolutionary Front and its  Peace River leader Sundra Gabriel. In the Autumn of 1935, the city was under  heavy curfew and an evacuation was almost necessary when, according to sources  inside the Paxton Security Service, the BRF attempted to cause a catastrophic  meltdown in Peace River’s main generators. In the aftermath of this crisis, most  Paxton executives and managers became very conservative and insisted that the  conglomerate divert resources away from protecting the Badlands and into  internal security. Although Sundra Gabriel was killed during the height of that crisis,  the Revolutionary Front remains a power in Peace River. Many new cells have  appeared and some say that Peace River is no safer now than it was last cycle.  In the White Desert, these concerns all sound like excuses. The  locals see polar forces rolling over their comminutes on treads manufactured by  Paxton Arms. Understandably, they have few tears to shed for those making a  profit on their misery.

SNN  media newscast 9.WI.37  " This is Lucia Ferox for Satellite News Network, reporting from  Khayr-Ad-Din, the so-called 'City of Duellists'.   T he Southern Republic Landship Imperatrice and the infamous  2 nd Legion Noire are supporting AST MILICIA in a massive assault on the city! The warrior-gladiators of the KADA are fighting ferociously against the invaders, inflicting heavy losses on the less skilled Gear pilots of the enemy MILICIA. But the KADA are vastly outnumbered, and almost without vital artillery support. Many here fear that unless the North can immediately commit forces to assist KADA, defeat may be inevitable."   Lucia Ferox, SNN.

SNN Media Newscast 12.WI.37 14:23 (close shot, Lucia Ferox) "This is Lucia Ferox for Satellite News Network, reporting from  Khayr-Ad-Din. Just one week ago, this was still a city at peace. Today, a c ity under siege. A city where the war against AST aggression is raging as fiercely as anywhere on Terra Nova." (pan to cityscape) "KADA Commander A Jarlson has just issued this statement." (cut to trivideo feed, Commander Jarlson, KADA Command HQ) Commander Jarlson: "People of the CNCS, leaders of the Northern Guard,  I would like to make this appeal to you today. Whatever you may think of Khayr-Ad-Din and the Duelling Circuit, at this time we are united in the same cause. The AST have launched a massive and unprovoked assault against our peaceful city. For three days now, the heroes of the KADA, many of them renowned Duellists in their own right, have stood defiant against the overwhelming might of the AST MILICIA and the Southern Republic Army. I think it is fair to say that in a fair fight, each of our brave Gear pilots is more than a match for any three pilots of the MILICIA, indeed, for any two SRA... " *smiles* "But, this is not a fair fight. We are sorely lacking in artillery, in ammunition, in air support. Today, we are fighting in your cause - the cause of freedom itself. But we cannot do this alone. And so I direct this appeal both to the CNCS as a whole, and to Grand Marshall Victoria Edden-Smythe personally: aid us now! Apart, I fear we can but fail. Together, we can win!" (cut back to Ferox) "This is Lucia Ferox, reporting for Satellite News Network."

SNN Media Newscast 12.WI.37,  20:20  Valeria - Port Aurora "This is Gwen Barlow, reporting for Satellite News Network from outside the Office of the Grand Marshall, here in Valeria - Port Aurora." B a rlow: "The Grand Marshall was asked to comment on the appeal for aid earlier today from  Commander Jarlson, leader of the Khayr-Ad-Din Army, the KADA, fighting to defend their homes from Southern aggression. She has just released this statement." (cut to trivideo recording, Office of the Grand Marshall, Victoria Edden-Smythe) Edden-Smythe: "The heroic defence of Khayr-Ad-Din by local militia forces touches all our hearts. Every day they resist the AST, the armies of Freedom take another step along the path to liberating our world from the murderous tyranny of the Southern Republic, and her lickspittle potentates across the Allied Southern Territories. As you know, I am not at liberty to reveal details of current military operations. But I will say this to Commander Jarlson. The actions of yourself, and of the men and women under your command, will not be forgotten." (cut to Barlow) "The Grand Marshall's Office has declined to comment further at this time.   Gwen Barlow, reporting for Satellite News Network, V aleri a- Port Auror a."     

 Archive Record - KADA Publicity Photo, 2/SPRING/1936.

14.WI.1937 Northern Guard Forward Base Lima, Northern Badlands south of Ashington. Captain Hale turns to the room's trivideo screen, currently on silent and showing panoramic drone footage of a moonlit battlefield. Flames and black smoke rise to the heavens from the wrecks of destroyed Gears and vehicles. The drone sweeps low over one wreck - a grey-painted Naga Strider, still burning. Hale: "Did you hear the overnight news? That's from just west of Khayr Ad-Din. It looks like KADA elements returning east from the White Desert launched  a surprise attack on the AST rear.  Judging by the footage, AST losses have been heavy - looks like they narrowly avoided a complete rout." She pauses.  "I doubt KADA can win, but they're certainly buying us more time."

16.WI.37 Satellite News Service Live transmission from Okavango in the Free Emirates: public address by Emir Rafael Bhravo. My friends, we have been sorely tested and we have emerged victorious. It has been three weeks since Oliver Masao, the lackey of Port Oasis, called for our destruction. His words rang across the trideo nets and newswires of the globe: “Let Okavango burn! Death to Bhravo!” Well, Oliver, I am still breathing and my people are still strong. Our city, this emirate, is still free of your tyranny and our destiny still beckons us. You and the Republicans who support you can only nip at our heels as we rise to the greatness you have abdicated. Okavango is free; Bangweuleu is free; Basal is free; Raleigh is free; how long before Strathclyde? We have pushed the waves of fanatical Patriarchal killers back. We have repelled the MILICIA troopers. We have secured our freedom and we will carry it to other cities. The despots cannot stop us. I know our enemies look at us and laugh. I am a teenager, they say, a boy leading a army of ragtag fools. But destiny is blind to age, my friends. We must have the strength and the will to bring forward history. Generations ago Captain Enri Masao had that will, and he created a new and rich society from the dregs left over on this colony world. His descendant Oliver is a twisted parody, an insult to the heritage of all Easterners. History is being made here, today, in Okavango. Together with our allies from the other Emirates, from the Humanist Alliance, and from the North, we will bring our nation into the new age. Together we will triumph!

16.WI.37  Northern Guard Intelligence Service - Public Release. Combined ESE/MILICIA assault into Okavango Region has been repelled by local friendlies and elements from the Eastern Task Force. Okavango itself suffered under artillery barrage. Local population remains dedicated to the cause of freedom and friendly to Northern forces.

17.WI.37 Chaos in the West SNS Live Telecast Welcome to our live broadcast from Fort Henry in the Western Frontier Protectorate, a city that today received a brutal reminder of the war raging in the Badlands and the Southern jungles. At roughly 0600 hours this morning, a Southern ground strike into the WFP knocked out the main air-defense grid protecting Fort Henry. Soon thereafter, Southern bombs and cruise missiles were slamming into the city in a heavy barrage. The full extent of the damage, thirty hours later, is a matter of guesswork. In Fort Henry itself, the damage is quite severe. The Southern missiles, apparently Arbalète cruise missiles, hit several strategic targets, but civilian facilities seem also to have been hit. Rescue operations are ongoing, but have been hampered by the damage done to the Fort Henry Medical Center in the first moments of the attack. Local officials are reluctant to provide casualty figures, but unofficial sources are counting the wounded in the thousands. As bad as the damage is in the city proper, things are worse in the military bases outside of the city walls. The Fort Henry Weapons Testing Range and its attached facilities seem to have been the real target of this attack. The Testing Range has its own air defense system that seemed to be functioning during the attack, but it may have been overloaded by the severity of the assault. Indeed, the orange glow of fires is still visible from the city. News from the frontier of the WFP, countless kilometers of desert savannah open to the South, is not good either. In the wake of the Southern attack, many outlying military bases and attached communities are in ruins. Rover activity seems to be rising as well, with opportunistic bandits swooping in from the hinterland to raid these communities. Stories of bandits even entering Fort Henry itself are running wild in the streets. For the citizens of this city at least, the Interpolar War is no longer a faraway matter. The war has come home.  Fort Henry Proconsul Lang Regina