Today is a sad day for global peace. Some say the video now sweeping the net is a fantastic forgery. They are wrong. We have verified the disappearance of the two ships lost and the one hundred and eleven souls on board. The attack depicted is a clear violation of the cease fire between The Dassadin Protectorate and our own Pax Equilibrium. With one abstention, the council of Elders has unanimously voted to put an unconditional revocation of the cease fire to public referendum. The first family has stood behind this decision. We ask all citizens of Pax and our friends around the world to stand with us against an enemy who believes themselves above the well-being of our world and human morality itself.

Talks have already begun with our allies in the Commerce Republic, who retain their state of exploited peace with the Protectorate. The Unity has vowed to maintain a state of ‘guarded neutrality’ in any conflict and, if the referendum is passed, will allow one week before temporarily ceasing all direct financial interaction between combatant governments (Supercorporations will retain their current arrangements). At that time, any Protectorate or Pax citizen or vessel under the control of their government and inside Unity waters or territory will be treated as a hostile combatant and dealt with accordingly. As this conflict will need the hands, hearts, and minds of each and every one of you, the government has recommended ALL overseas citizens not in Serican territory immediately make arrangements for their return. Embassies and Equilibrium offices will make sure the necessary resources are available to bring every child of Vilum home safely.

The Protectorate has yet to release any official statements, though all Economic Singularity Pact corporate offices in Vilum have temporarily halted services and closed to visitors.

A national day of mourning has been declared for the victims of the attack.

UPDATE:

From a press conference with the first family-
“As the woman the Council elected to carry the hopes and dreams of each and every child of Vilum into the future, it with a heavy but determined heart that I see my people now committed to war for the first time in over three decades. We have always stood for peace, and as such cannot forgive any who would cry for war without reason. I beg the enlightened people of Dassadin to call down their government, a regime which has placed itself above the basic principles of man and risked the integrity of the planet itself to incinerate its enemies and friends alike in nuclear fire. End this while you can.”

The referendum to revoke the cease fire passed with the approval of over 87% of our people.

OTHER TOPICS:
-Mercenary ambush commandeers Seeker ship, cutting off precious food supply to embattled Kharaki civilians and resulting in the surrender of several key freedom fighters.
-Devastation in Protectorate port city of Lisan, reports indicate large scale infighting between Protectorate forces. Guests placed in ‘protective custody’ and media blackout issued until the nature of the incident can be determined.
-Strange communications from off-course Jahangi Trade City indicate possible hijacking.

Supporters of the Helix Initiative and Anonymous Witnesses of our deeds, welcome.

Tonight, it is our pleasure to bring you a piece assembled for your awareness by our friend EyesHigh. It’s not often that we comment here, but this one’s pretty juicy. Enjoy.

Received from “EyesHigh”:

Alright guys, it looks like the recent murders at a New Hope AMP Rail control center and debacle some citizens claim to have witnessed soaring through the skyline are no damn coincidence. I’ve stumbled across a Valkore file detailing a number of injuries received by their goons in what looks like a shootout onboard an AMP Rail convoy carrying something of ‘undetermined but significant’ value, as well as a ton of damage suits to go along with it. A few ISIS records and cracked terminals later, and best I can tell this is what went down:

-Early last night a small group (at least two, probs not many more) broke into AMP Rail Routing Center 4 near the New Hope Commercial District, killing one private security officer with what looks like pretty serious small arms and beating two technicians into a coma with shock batons of some sort before launching one of the most fucking beautiful systemwide cracks I’ve ever even heard of (can we find this guy?).

-Around the same time, another small group (5?) boarded an AMP car conveniently overlooked by the system and abandoned on an inactive stretch of rail.

-About five minutes later, the group at control slammed the stray car into the back of a 5-car Valkore convoy packed with like 20 security personnel, combat drones, and some cargo I can’t seem to pin down (looks like hardened servers: data, credits, or both). These goons fared a little better than the poor son of a bitch at the command center; looks like a lot of nonlethal ammunition got used on ‘em, no one died in the attack itself (though hospital records show one has since kicked it from a heart attack). This was one hell of a shootout, drones firing into moving cars, security shooting between windows, and what looks suspiciously like an active Interloper rampaging around INSIDE the tram. Barely thirty seconds in a pair of explosions blow the last two and front three cars away from the one with the perps in it, and like magic they get whisked away on different rails. Cameras didn’t get much of the details, but I’ll make sure a few of the earlier vids get out.

-This is where shit gets crazy (bet you thought that was it). The last car, perps and all, starts shooting towards the edge of the city, breaking recommended speed and then almost doubling it. Keep in mind, this thing’s barely held together after the fight. So that’s when I notice that this big GEV picking up speed in the harbor is running parallel to the damn train. Out of nowhere, the AMP support arm swings away from its foundation and out over the water, launching the car out towards the see at insane speed. Somehow, the GEV takes off and catches it right in its rear cargo hold before speeding off West. Cooler getaway than I’ve ever seen in a movie, and we got this on VIDEO!

-ESIS logs showed they found some floating wreckage in the barrier mountains that’s consistent with the GEV. Looks like the cons sunk it and switched transport. The vehicle was leased to two aliases that went nowhere. Seriously, we need to find these guys.

End Transcript

To our friends in 3sis, we’d like to reiterate that we’re as in the dark on this one as you are. As much as we’d love to claim the minds responsible were our own, it is evident they are not. When you catch those responsible, let us know. We might be willing to help out with the fines ;)

[Translated from Jahangi Dialect Originals]

My friends, it is with a heavy heart we bring you news of the latest tragedy to befall our people. Many days ago, the Mirembe delegation, a group of our brothers dedicated to bringing us independence through peace, traveled to Kahir to meet with leaders from the Unity. Yesterday their mission came to an end. An explosion tore through the building in which they were housed, sending it crashing to the ground below where a group of cowards executed them without mercy. Unity soldiers pursued these murderers and lost two of their own in process, but those responsible managed to escape into the city’s great waterways. All evidence shows that they came all the way from Kharak, like so many betrayers and bringers of terror before them, to commit these crimes. Nine sons of Jah lost their lives.

We encourage all to follow in the enlightened footsteps of the Mirembe delegation, and pursue the rebuilding of our nation through peace, not terror. We thank the Unity, who is so often called out as our oppressors, for their oft-forgotten dedication to justice and stability. We hope that they may yet find the guilty and make them pay for this atrocity.

And to our Kharaki brothers, we beg you to exile and destroy those among you who walk the path of unrighteousness. You have already drawn the wrath of the Unity to your ashen shores, and still bear responsibility for a great betrayal of our trust, a betrayal that cost our people their nation and millions of lives. You cannot afford a new enemy.

[End Translation]

Similar Links by Timeframe:
-Crisis in Midstream continues, Equilibrium demands Serican intervention.
-Isalis Atmospherics reports 12-man research team and ship lost near Protectorate waters. Vessel in Outreach sabotaged in unrelated incident.
- Jahangi Trade City reports Rebirth ships and mutant activity unusually far from Rastakgan.

During the already dangerous coastal storm that continues to surround Northreich, a number of violent acts were perpetrated by an unidentified group of terrorists. The first and primary target appears to have been a covered dock outside the Serican Bounty municipal headquarters. The small structure was apparently housing a Moldis Medical Supply corporate GEV. Twelve Moldis security officers were killed in the attack while two more were injured and another remains in critical condition. Though the dock building itself suffered extensive structural damage from hand-held explosive devices and vehicle-borne weapons, the craft within remained almost entirely unharmed, though there is evidence some fighting took place inside.

An ISIS patrol responding to the incident spotted and pursued a lone, heavily armed gunship fleeing the scene. The escaping VTOL attempted to enter the city proper, but was quickly overtaken. The ISIS officer attempted to disable the craft with multiple missile strikes, but bystanders report military-grade countermeasures and armor protected it from significant harm. Some witnesses claim the perpetrator then turned and collided with the ISIS patrol craft, forcing both to crash-land in the city’s main channel.

The events that followed are subject to great debate. Evidently, the downed aggressor was recovered by a Rastakgic Destroyer, which soon turned and made full steam for the city floodgates. For reasons unknown (bribery, hacking, and inside support have all been suggested) an opening of the floodgates was authorized and put into motion, releasing a 60+ foot storm surge into the main channel. ISIS response was slowed by the need to recover the downed patrol VTOL and its pilot as well as secure the damaged docking facility. The order to open the floodgate was successfully reversed, but before it could close the fleeing destroyer fired on the gate’s drive pistons. One was destroyed completely and another heavily damaged under the barrage of military-grade ordnance. Amazingly, no one was harmed as a result. The ship was left ample room to maneuver through, and the threat of the electrically charged stormclouds above seemed to keep ISIS aircraft from maintaining a close pursuit. Several did manage to chase the ship past the gate, but were forced down by some sort of explosive flash, which one gatehouse worker described as “so damn bright that just the reflection off a cloudbank could blind you”. Another said it “looked like a spotting charge or something, but I’ve only ever heard of ‘em being used under water. Deep under. Looks like there’s a good reason for that.”

Although the ship made it out of the city unhindered, it was captured without incident by a combination of ESIS and ISIS task forces hours later. The perpetrators are being held at an unknown location.

Local officials and Serican Bounty representatives say the attack was doubtlessly perpetrated by the same anti-corporate ecoterrorists that have plagued Northreich for two decades. The complexity, execution, and budget of the attack, however, are all highly atypical. In a larger sense, the target is also strange, as similar strikes have all been against Serican Bounty employees and facilities, whereas this one seems to be centered around Moldis personnel. There are isolated rumors that Moldis was in fact the main target, and that mercenaries involved in the recent hospital raid orchestrated the strike.

Moldis and Serican Bounty have already assembled exceptional legal teams to deal with the incident, but one anonymous ISIS official commented “this one’s a hell of a lot more complicated than most people think. We’re dealing with a lot of very surprising evidence and unconventional requests from both flocks of corpie lawyers. Anyone who tells you they know where this will go in the next few days ain’t worth listening to.”

IN OTHER NEWS
-Overcharge’s second New Hope appearance a stunning success.
-Venture ISIS Director executed for role in deadly raid.
- Unity forces continue siege of terrorist stronghold despite Equilibrium complaints and allegations of human rights violations.

Yesterday evening ISIS breaching vehicles positioned themselves around the Venture Central Hospital, owned by Moldis Medical Supply. Covered by dozens of patrol craft, they executed a massive attack against the top thirty stories of the building, unloading over 30 squads of personnel in one of the largest raids in recent memory. Reports of abduction and murder by local Moldis employees working out of the building have been mounting over the past months, especially among unregistered citizens taking shelter in the undercity area. The raid was apparently warranted when mercenaries hired by the hospital opened fire on an ISIS officer investigating the disappearances.

Eyewitnesses claim private contractors were operating on both sides, and we’ve even received word that the remnants of Aeon were fighting on site. Official reports indicate almost a hundred dead and many more injured, most from nonlethal munitions employed by ISIS agents. Among the dead are four civilians, one killed in crossfire, two more apparently executed by Moldis-hired mercenaries, and another from heart complications during the attack. Three ISIS officers lost their lives. Moldis officials claim as many as thirty civilian deaths, and estimate hundreds more resulting from equipment and logistical failures. All structural damage appears to be limited to the corporate areas targeted by the raid. The government has stepped in and taken control of hospital operations until they can be returned to Moldis.

UPDATE:

Director Sarah O’Neil has been taken into custody, tried, and convicted for intentionally enabling the attack that, according to the Moldis legal team “cost hundreds of innocent lives without evidence, consideration, or purpose.” Charges include multiple instances of conspiracy, manslaughter, and murder alongside anti-state offenses. O’Neil has plead guilty to all counts and is slated for execution inside the month.

Several private contractors and Moldis security personnel have been released on grounds of proven self-defense. A number of Moldis officials remain in custody, and the corporation has filed a series of lawsuits against local authorities and the federal government. No other ISIS officers have been charged.

IN OTHER NEWS:
-New Hope prepares for the return of the audiovisual phenomenon Overcharge.
-Supercell holds position in Southwall Sea; winds build to Category 11.
-Crime Kingpin killed in explosion as competition for control Newhold’s smuggling operations continues.