The Haven Times It’s the day the First Quarter Election here in the Federation, and things are looking to make for a very exciting election day this April weekend! Particularly after the events of the Senatorial Debate at the Gaia University yesterday evening, moderated by our own Editor-in-Chief, Ordicus Strigis! Things started off a little rocky when challenger candidate, Cassius Carac-Nash I, was unable to provide a detailed platform stance when asked how he believes the Federation should tackle the issue of job creation. Additionally, he opened himself up to a rather stringent deconstruction of his words on the Ruin by fellow challenger Kannon Iverso, who accused him of understating the importance of research in taking the fight against the terror it imposes. "...given your inexperience in dealing with epidemic dissseasssesss, which the Ruin mossst certainly isss, that I mussst sssay that your ssstance is foolhardy. My resssearch in combination with that of SSSenator Diana'sss isss the reassson Haven isss sssafe today, military effortsss helped yesss, but pouring all of Haven'sss resssourcesss into the military would overlook that which may be the only thing ssstanding between usss...and the Ruin." Next, the incumbent candidate Senator Telroth Inperra declared his sympathies to those facing hardship like he himself once faced. He affirmed his platform’s support for said disenfranchised, struggling people, vowing to bring attention to their plight through his candidacy. Telroth also took the time to declare his support for his kind in Haven, the burgeoning population of Thaniik refugees. "...[The Thaniik] have had long history of losing homes, livelihoods, at hands of others, but Haven been very good to us, and appreciate that greatly. Want this 'golden' age to continue. I know we are minority, and many might not be fond of our... quirks, and I ask native Havenites for kindness, take time to learn from us, and we take time to learn from you. We are all in same boat, and should treat each other with respect, because now are all proud Haven Citizens..." Following this was a bombshell that I’m sure all of you are already well aware of, published by fellow editors Terrence Helsnir and Grigorie Fensk, an article detailing recent actions by incumbent candidate Senators Aarin Joulwright and August Warren was put out during the middle of debate, describing Joulwright’s history of a rather unhealthy relationship with the journalists of the Federation and ties to organizations with allegiances to a former human colony known as ‘Melkania’, one such group being responsible for multiple atrocities in the fallen Adroma Directorate. Warren found himself put in the spotlight over recent emotional outbursts, including accusations of threatening a lobbyist, and property damage to the late Grand Protector and High Admiral Esas’s car by means of a carelessly thrown desktop computer from his office in the Citadel. During the silence that followed the publish of this article, incumbent candidate Senator Martinez Roy Jackson took to the microphone to offer some words of sympathy to Senator Telroth. “I sympathize with you, Mr. Inperra. We're cut from the same cloth, in that way. But, we have both shown that wouldn't be defined by the nature of our birthright in this world. I look forward to such a chance to bring the disparaged and the forgotten people of this great nation the support and recognition that they deserve alongside you and any others who make it their life's mission to help those in need." Following this sudden upset in the debate, we got a chance to hear from the challenger candidate, Kannon Iverso, CEO of LILIUM and manager of the Ikeda Memorial Hospital of the Capital District. During her time in the center of attention, she spoke at length about her intentions on healthcare reform, using her experience in the field and her own history of issues with healthcare in her youth as a grounding for her views. She also doubled down, as many candidates this season have, on the importance of the Ruin Crisis. When asked, however, on the views of Yggdrasilites who are less fond of modern medical techniques such as cloning, she had these intriguing words on the topic: "Every perssson hasss a right to an opinion, and a right of refusssal. Religion, persssonal ethicsss, and moralsss are all important and ssshould be ressspected. My busssinesss partner and co-owner of LILIUM isss a very religiousss man...SSSo I can not, in good faith, condemn thossse with sssimilar beliefsss. Though I am a proprietor of a cloning company, I ressspect all thossse who wisssh to decline sssuch ssservicesss, even if it isss not in agreement with my own ssstance. Cloning isss a powerful asssssset to modern sssociety, but I underssstand their ssstance." Surprisingly enough, incumbent candidate Senator Giorno de Guanciale took up perhaps some of the least limelight during the debate, rather shocking given his recent media firestorm surrounding his case in the High Court. When asked if he would like to finally speak out about the case, given his lack of testimony during the proceedings, he had little to say, though, someone else happened to speak up for him, the incumbent candidate Senator Diana Cilvay, a crucial component of the case as the primary victim. "...This was all covered within Mister Guanciale’s trial. An honest mistake from someone who had no idea how to operate a cloning machine or do surgery." After this was the incumbent candidate Senator David Ward. Up until this point, David found himself rather busy during the debate, creating an instant social media trend without breaking a sweat. While lying on the stage prone, many in the audience took to taking photos of this, captioning it on the new social media platform Hooter as ‘#facedown’. This new facedown challenge has already hit the top three trending hashtags on the website, with over ten-thousand accounts posting pictures and videos of themselves performing the act in various comedic situations within the past eight hours alone. However, when it came to speaking on his campaign, David kept things short and sweet, emphasizing the importance of retaking the Silentia system. A lofty goal, but it seems that Senator Ward believes the Federation capable of such things. Always a man of the future, he spoke about what the Federation should do following the Crisis. In response to accusations of drug use while on the job, he had this to say. "...I don't do my job while high. Paperwork is fucking bad enough as it is..." Truly, words we can all sympathize with from the master of populism himself. While speaking on the Ruin, Challenger Cassius took the chance to mention the threat of the Occasus, a cult of Ruin-Worshippers that has recently been surging in activity following the Ruin’s uptick in activity. Rumors are abound about this cloak-and-dagger organization with no certainty in its structure or ideals, with some even accusing them of responsibility for the ARCH.ANGEL hack of April 1st. “...They do not seek unification with the Ruin straight-on. Rather, they are attempting their best to sabotage all the attempts of fighting it off, and doing their best to spread its influence...They seem to.. think, or rather, fanatically believe that Ruin is something akin to a Messiah.” How Cassius has come to learn so much of this shadowy group of terrorists and fanatics, we aren’t sure, but there’s clearly a story to be told here, and we at the Haven Times are certain that we’ll get to the bottom of it, particularly given reports that he has spoken at-length regarding the Occasus in the popular irc-style communication relay NexChat, using some particularly incendiary words when referring to their members, that I daresay I ought not repeat here. Popular incumbent candidate, Senator Martinez Roy Jackson had his chance at the microphone, following rather cheerful and supportive interactions with his fellow candidates up until that point. When asked on the future of New Corrav, his plans for the Federation as a whole, and the Federation’s position and what role it should serve in the Fringe, he had this to say: “...I plan to tackle the rampant corruption that once plagued the District in the past through rigorous investigations. Our teams have already looked into several members of the regional government that are currently under suspicion for criminal acts of conspiracy. As for the working conditions of the labor force, I plan to ensure that local regulations ensure the fair treatment of workers, while still allowing for a healthy and competitive market, ensuring that the rampant wage theft that once occurred there will be brought to an end...Corrav shall become a hearth of industrial activity, the forges of our Federation that will lead our infrastructure and our economy into the future.”“...I see a similar future for the entirety of our glorious Federation, pushing us forward towards the future as a beacon of what can be accomplished here in the Fringe, through freedom, and the ability to make one's dreams come true. I believe that together, we can create a nation that shines so brightly, it can illuminate all darkened corners of this galaxy through example, and bring them into the golden light of prosperity...” Certainly, Senator Jackson is not speaking on words alone, as his work to bring industry and economic activity back to Corrav has been speaking volumes on its own merits, and has earned him quite a following in the District. Although we have yet to hear much from Warren on the accusations leveled against him in our article, Joulwright was asked directly during the debate about his own de-closeted skeletons. When asked about the actions of those from Adroma, and accusations of his unfriendly attitudes towards journalists and lobbyists, he had this to say on the matter: "I am aware that the article is intending to want me to reveal what I was hiding. Why I made donations all of a sudden after a meeting...I am aware of the fact that bribery and corruption has been a concern for anyone who is around working for governmental positions...I was offered a bribe for my campaign in condition of winning the election which I refused as it not only puts an unjustified amount of pressure on me but I sense that I would be nothing more than a pawn to the person who offered me the cash.”“...There are always two sides of one story and from what I read this is using only one side of a tragedy that happened in Adroma as to cast me and in turn the Melkanians, which is part of my lineage, in a negative light. I cannot comment on that story as I do not know what happened from the other perspective..." Most definitely an interesting response, given the nature of the events told about the Melkanian forces on Adroma, and fellow candidates Telroth Inperra and Martinez Jackson agreed, having this to say on the matter. “...As someone who lived through 'Adroma Incident' can confirm terrible things are true, and want desperately to forget. Many of my people remember Melkanians coming in homes, holding people at gunpoint. tearing apart families. I myself have underwent encounter like this, and almost lost daughter from it. Is great tragedy…”“...I understand that you hold a great fondness for your lost home, the heart of your heritage, but there is only one thing that I do not quite understand. Not every person in a nation is cut from a single cloth. Even if you share the kinship of nationality, that does not mean that they share your ideals, or the ideals of your father. My birthhome is in the United Systems, and yet, I would not hesitate to call out a heinous act committed by one from the Systems...” At this point, the only official statements on the matter that we have from Senator Joulwright seem to suggest that he will be reserving judgement until ‘both sides’ have been covered entirely. Following this, a returning candidate, Arjun Kapur, took a moment to explain his platform, emphasizing largely on tackling the Ruin, and providing support to Yggdrasilites. “I want the Ruin gone, much like everyone. In the face of annihilation there is no use for petty feuds anymore, but beyond just repeating when everyone else would agree...If I get elected, I want to tackle corruption at its roots and prevent those with foreign interests from interfering in our democracy, though I believe we should establish stronger ties with our neighbours...I want to see our people thrive. Through the Skills and Training incentive that I announced a week ago, I aim to let those who come to Haven when they have no choice, to be given the opportunity to contribute to our society and economy. And beyond that, I aim to restore the Yggdrasil district to its former beauty, even if I have to regrow the tree myself...” Lastly, Professor of Biology and incumbent candidate Senator Diana Cilvay had her time at the microphone, a chance she seemed rather eager to take, spilling an entire glass of some kind of crimson liquid on herself in the process of jumping to the microphone. In response to accusations that she had been overstepping her power as a Senator with recent actions at the Ikeda Memorial Hospital, she had this to say: “The ruin isn't gonna burn itself if it comes through teleporters. I didn't want to have to deal with a full scale epidemic so I deployed a few robots since the guards were huuh.. busy.. in Bastion!...After witnessing the shifter epidemic and having a patient of mine get vivisected before the haven guard could react before my eyes...Lets just say I'd rather be safe than sorry.” Shockingly enough, she admitted to a recently rumored outburst in the hospital that nearly caused the release of an unknown contagion, explaining it as a ‘WMD, which had been designed to infect only the Thaniik people, and genetic copies of herself’. I can only pray myself that Ms. Cilvay takes the chance to offer a proper and full explanation of what happened in the hospital that day. Candidate Kannon Iverso had this to say in response. "Though Diana'sss methodsss are.. unorthodox to sssay the leassst, and admittedly, I wasss a bit insssulted by the attack on my hossspital'sss groundsss, all I can sssay isss that I ressspect Diana asss a resssearcher, even if.. sssometimesss thingsss may be a bit out of hand." As the debate wound up, a man stepped up from the audience. His identity is currently unknown, but it seemed he had a beef with a rather sizeable chunk of the candidates, proclaiming these words. “These people you moderate on the stage. Most are not worth moderation. They have shown to be madmen or madwoman moonlighting a position as Senator at a time in Havens history where full force and attention should be brought to bear. Clearly Ms. Cilvay is very unstable, and quite the scientist. Probably very useful in this Ruin situation. But no senator. We have Mr. Ward, who turns matters of state and genocide into casual mockeries and fills them with shellfish. No proper grasp or reverence for serious situations, and when does such with sane mind, he normally reacts with terror and screeching. Mr. Warren has a bucket of fries for some reason and has shown to in the same vein as Ward. The stag heart is set to help but lacks any experience in this, obviously. These are not senators. You host a circus, with same mildly sane individuals thrown in.” Interesting words, for sure. This morning, however, Senator Ward took to Hooter, claiming that the man who threw out these words had formerly approached the Senate with some form of artifact, described as an ‘orb’. The nature of this artifact is unknown, but Senator Ward has claimed that this man attempted to extort the Senate into paying him a large sum of money and ensuring his citizenship in return for it. A deal that seemed to have fallen through, as Ward claimed he had his own ‘orb’ that the Senate could use instead. What an interesting piece of subterfuge and mystique! And with that, you have the events of last night’s debate summarized to the most crucial aspects of the events! If you want to dig further, be sure to check out our recorded livestream of the debate, available on our website. Now, get out there and vote!
