The Titan Rises Arc

The Titan Rises 2023 Event Timeline Galactic Events N/A Major Events Cold Dawn Arc ·Amor Patriae Arc · Libération, Révolution et Évolution Arc · The Titan Rises Arc · Change on the Horizon Arc · Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc Minor Events Steel On The Horizon Arc · Omnivirate's Providence This is the overview and timeline page for the Titan Rises Arc which began on July 20th, 2023 and pertains largely to Unathi lore. It is centered around the Izweski Hegemony's response to the phoron scarcity and resulting famine, as the nation's economy approaches the tipping point. Below is a summary of the arc's applicable news articles, and additions. First Hephaestus Aquaculture Center Completed on Ouerea News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 07/20/2465 In times of famine, Hephaestus extends a helping hand. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic Almost a year after the phoron scarcity first began to truly afflict our great nation, a ray of hope finally begins to shine from the world of Ouerea. Hephaestus Industries proudly announced today the completion of their first Aquaculture center on the coast of the Trizkizki Sea, near the capital of New Skalamar. The new Aquaculture center - named Aquaculture Center 1 - is the first of the 17 planned to be constructed by Hephaestus Industries, with help from all the Hegemonic Guilds. It was opened with a grand affair managed by the Hephaestus Sector Administrator for the Hegemony, Yukal T’zakal, with the Hephaestus Director of Personnel, Brizio de Moze also in attendance. Titanus Aeson was sadly unable to attend but sent his congratulations to both T’zakal and all the workers who helped in the construction of the center. It is believed that once fully operational, each Aquaculture Center will be able to produce two hundred million tons of protein-based foodstuffs every year. Once all centers are fully operational, the numbers add up to around four billion tons of foodstuffs a year. While this is a great success for the Hegemony, it is still a far cry from the believed 6 to 8 billion tons of foodstuffs believed by scholars to have been produced on Moghes prior to the Contact War. Still, Master of River’s Hutay’zai and Hegemon Not’zar assure people that this will be enough to stave off the famine currently threatening the nation. However, not all are happy with this new beacon of hope. Many groups on Ouerea, still resentful of Hephaestus after the Ouerean Revolution, have condemned the company once again being invited onto the planet and promised to take organized action against it. The most vocal among these groups are environmentalists, who claim that these Aquaculture centers will cause irreparable damage to the ocean environments of Ouerea, causing a mass die-off of natural fish and threatening the livelihoods of the fisherman who work on the sea. Hephaestus has denied these claims, with several well-educated human scientists submitting reports that no ecological or environmental damage will result from the Aquaculture Centers. It is unclear exactly what these groups hope to accomplish by taking action against the food salvation of our Hegemony, or how they plan to do it. We will keep our readers updated on any situations regarding this new Ouerea. Hephaestus Documents leaked; Protests and Rioting erupt on Ouerea News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 07/22/2465 Leaked documents project ecological devastation; rioting on Ouerea ensues. Yesterday morning, a day after the compilation of Hephaestus’s first Aquaculture Center, an unidentified leaker released what many believe to be classified Hephaestus documents onto the platform known as “64-tan”. These alleged classified documents reveal an inside report commissioned by Hephaestus Industries to theorize about the potential environmental and ecological damage to the Trizkizki Sea. The conclusion was that within the next decade, pollution from the Aquaculture centers, and the mass fishing to populate them will result in a downward ecological spiral that will eventually leave the Trizkizki Sea a disaster, bare of almost all complex life. Hephaestus has denied that these documents are real, stating that they were forged by those who wish to hurt the company and its reputation and have given the press access to several similar real classified documents, reports, and papers that show the Aquaculture centers will not adversely affect the ecology or environment of the Trizkizki Sea. Still, these forged documents have taken Ouerea by storm, being shared across the planet, and have resulted in an increase in civil unrest. Watchmen across the planet have reported spontaneous protests outside of Hephaestus facilities, some of which have begun to devolve into riots. Hephaestus Security personnel have been coordinating with the Watchmen to ensure as little damage is done to Hephaestus facilities and the surrounding area; dozens have already been arrested for inciting riots in an attempt to keep the protests peaceful. The biggest protests have occurred outside of Aquaculture Centers 2 and 3, which are still under construction, where Hephaestus Security forces estimate a crowd of fifteen thousand at each site have gathered to protest the construction of further Aquaculture Centers. While these crowds have remained mostly peaceful, there have been some instances of violence as individuals attempt to block workers and materials from entering the construction sites, or have attempted to forcefully enter the construction site. Hephaestus' security forces have however managed to keep the violence to a minimum, and only a handful of rioters have been injured in the past day; before being detained and handed over to the watchmen for their crimes. While these protests and riots rage on Ouerea, the situation is much different on Moghes. Many of the nobility have condemned the protestors and rioters, saying that they are endangering the future of the Unathi species by opposing the only solution to the rationing and specter of famine hanging over the Hegemony. Social Media networks such as Chirper have been flooded with support for Hephaestus by those from all walks of life across Moghes, who see what the guild is doing as necessary. A minority who attempted to form a protest outside the Hephaestus Branch Office in Skalamar found themselves quickly confronted by counter-protesters, peasantry mostly from Moghes who had come to seek a job with the guild, which quickly descended into a brawl. Watchmen intervened within minutes, and injuries were reported to be minimal. No arrests were made, and the crowd was simply ordered to disperse. We will keep our readers updated on this situation as it develops. Rioting on Ouerea enters 3rd Day, Izweski & Hutay’zai Bannermen deployed to reinforce Watchmen News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 07/24/2465 The riots continue, with the Hegemon sending his own forces to restore law and order. After the release of supposedly classified Hephaestus documents late last week, Ouerea devolved into a scene of protesting and rioting that has now entered its third day. Watchmen have been working around the clock to keep those protests still peaceful peaceful, but it now seems they have been unable to deal with approximately 1/5th of Ouerea's entire population joining into the riots. The biggest story coming from the planet has been the destruction of the K’rath City Center and palaces. Rioters entered the district early yesterday morning and began to set alight the buildings of Izweski governance and the houses of the upper classes who lived in the area. Watchmen and the population of the district had been preemptively evacuated to New Skalamar, where the planetary government is trying to consolidate its position. A curfew has been put in place planetwide but does not seem to be having an effect, and more areas are falling to the anarchy of rioters as the day progress. The current estimated total of deaths caused by the riots stands at around 59, with many more injured. However, the Hegemony as a whole has been looking to the planet with interest, and now that it is clear that planetary law enforcement alone will be unable to quell the riots, the Hegemon himself has stepped in. High Speaker Sarnac announced this morning that it is the Hegemon’s will that these riots be pacified so that the construction of the aquaculture farms which may save the Hegemony can continue uninterrupted. To that end, Clan Izweski and the Clan Hutay’zai will begin to deploy their bannermen with the assistance of many Kataphract chapters to the planet, taking over riot control responsibilities from local law enforcement under the command of Overlord Zik'san. Hegemon Not’zar has also met with the Grand Council of Ouerea, and Overlord Zik'san to help find a resolution to these disastrous riots. For now, we know that a new curfew will be put in place at a local time of 8 pm, enforced by Izweski and Hutay’zai bannermen and that any outside during this time requires solid reasoning. Overlord Zik'san has ordered all non-essential businesses shuttered, and encouraged the population to remain in their homes unless absolutely necessary until the situation is resolved. We have attempted to reach out to all nobles involved in this development, but have been told they are too busy to give comments for the time being. We will keep our readers appraised. Ouerean Riots pacified, Hutay’zai Bannermen to withdraw, replaced by K’lax warriors, Izweski Bannermen to remain for time being; Nobles give statements. News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 07/27/2465 Order is restored on Ouerea, but at a heavy cost. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic After 2 long days the last of the Ouerean Riots have been pacified, thanks to the help of the noble bannermen who answered the calls of their clans to assist local watchmen. Finally able to wake up to a peaceful morning free of fires and the aftermath of riots, the Ouerean people celebrated once again being able to return to work now that non-essential businesses may reopen. Watchmen still stand on increased alert, as do the Bannermen, and curfews remain in place, but the situation appears to have stablized. The cost of the riots was immense on the planet, with estimates saying that over 2 billion credits worth of property were damaged while riots gripped the city, including most of the rebuilt government buildings in the cities of Kr’ath, Z’ek, and Um’a’yid. Governmental power around the Trizkizki Sea is now concentrated in New Skalamar, which has avoided much of the destruction due to the deployment of Izweski and Hutay’zai bannermen to the spaceport located within it. The death toll has risen to over 1000 dead, 10 of which are believed to be watchmen or bannermen deployed to help quell the rioting, while injuries are in the thousands. House of Medicine hospitals located on the planet have been overwhelmed, and have requested support from the local branch of the Interstellar Aid Corps to assist in dealing with the aftermath; the Interstellar Aid Corps has responded saying that they will assist. Meanwhile the Construction Coalition has taken on many contracts to rebuild the areas devastated by the rioting, being paid from clan Zik'san’s own pocket, as the overlord shows his care for the planet. Now that the situation has quieted down, Sinta Articles has had many of it’s requests for statements answered by the many nobles we petitioned earlier in the week. The first to answer was Overlord Zik'san, who had this to say when asked about his thoughts on the rioting: “Ouerean democracy and the freedom of our society is something unique within our Hegemony, and shows the level of trust the Hegemon has in the people of this planet. Those who participated in the rioting betrayed this trust, and threatened not only our planet but the very system that benefits us all. I thank the Hegemon for his timely intervention, and the great spirit for giving him the wisdom that would allow this Ouerean political experiment to continue.” Representative Ozesh Zuruziir “I cannot say that I am satisfied to see this rioting and destruction brought to an end. Satisfaction would come if it had never taken place. While the freedom that we all enjoy on Ouerea is a great gift, these recent events have been a sobering reminder of the price of such things. I cannot condemn these rioters wholeheartedly - they are victims of a campaign of lies, to incite our people to violence. I am grateful to the Hegemon for his intervention, and ashamed that the situation has come to the point where it was needed. Our world is a grand experiment in self-rule, and we must live up to that promise by showing that we are capable of ruling ourselves, and not burning our own cities at the slightest provocation. We all must do better in the future - Sinta, Skrell and humans alike - to rise above our basest instincts, and to improve and protect this world that we all share.” Overlord Hutay’zai: “We must all remember the place the spirits ordained for us in this life, and not look beyond our station. Ouerea is a different world with a different culture to my own, however many of its people are still Sinta, who must not let their passions against a guild such as Hephaestus sway them into endangering the good of all who follow the Hegemon. These riots were a travesty, and it is only by the will of the spirits that they did not cause lasting damage to the aquaculture projects.” Guildmaster Titanius Aeson: “Our relationship with the people of Ouerea has always been a rocky one, we have had many difficulties in the past and I had hoped that the aquaculture endeavors would mark a new dawn in our relations. However, it is folly to believe that all will see the common good, and there will be those that resist. I do not blame the rioters directly for this travesty, they were taken advantage of by liars and cheats who wished to harm my guild, their only sin was trusting those who they should have not. Hephaestus will do whatever is asked of it by the Hegemony to help track down those who misled the people thereby inflaming these riots so that they may be brought to justice.” Hegemon Not’zar(via High Speaker Seleta Sarnac): “I[The Hegemon] am saddened that once again Ouerea has proved to be a tinderbox waiting to spark at the mildest of embers, even lies. It brings me great shame that I have had to return to the planet twice in the past decade to deal with this, and I will be working with the Grand Council and Overlord Zik’san to ensure I do not have to again.” In other news, Hutay’zai bannermen have been seen leaving Ouerea, being slowly replaced by warriors of the K’lax hive to continue enforcing curfew, keeping the peace while the watchmen reorganize themselves. It is expected that both Izweski Bannermen and K’lax warriors will remain on the planet until the watch is once again able to keep the peace themselves, which may be weeks. It seems, at least for now, that this new bloody chapter in Ouerea’s history has been closed. Merchant’s Guild Declares Bankruptcy, Hegemonic Economy in Danger? News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 07/30/2465 The Merchants' Guild declares bankruptcy, causing panic across the Hegemony. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic Breaking news today, as the Merchant’s Guild, long thought of as the most successful and richest of all the guilds has declared Bankruptcy, citing difficulties finding customers for their goods in the midst of a galactic recession. The guilds have been reeling from this statement, as nearly all rely in some way on the Merchant’s guild for the transportation of goods either into or out of the Hegemony. It is still unclear exactly what effects this will have on the Hegemonic Economy, but there has been a sense of panic in nearly all guildhalls across Moghes, as high-ranking guildsmen attempt to figure out how to deal with this development. The only guild not immediately affected seems to be Hephaestus, who has the spur-spanning infrastructure to ride out this shock. They have even gone so far as to state they will not cease their business in the Hegemony and will assist the other guilds if necessary to keep the Hegemonic economy solvent. It is unknown exactly how Hephaestus Industries plans to do this, but the statement has been taken as a sign of hope in these dark times. The Merchants’ Guild is responsible for almost all of the exports which the Hegemonic economy relies on, being the only guild besides Hephaestus to have a charter that allows them to trade with the outside spur. As many corporations have already ceased trade with our Guilds, this lack of exports might be the final push that sees the economy enter into a freefall. We expect to hear more on this developing story within the coming days. Guilds begin massive lay-offs, attempt to remain solvent as economy continues to freefall News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 08/01/2465 The Merchants' Guild is not the only one suffering as the economy collapses, as other guilds fire hundreds to remain afloat. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic Following up on our story from Saturday, many further guilds have announced cutbacks in personnel and operations as they attempt to remain solvent in the face of the Merchant’s Guild bankruptcy. Mass lay-offs have become common for all guilds as contracts are canceled, or do not come in to begin with. The response to this situation has been one of outrage, with protests from laid-off guildsmen seen across the Hegemony. Several hundred workers on remote stations of the Miners’ Guild were informed that their facilities were being shut down, and many communities bordering the Wasteland are forced to cope as the House of Medicine closes dozens of its clinics across the planet. In Jaz’zirt, Overlord Miazso struggles to keep order as unemployed guildsmen march in the streets, waving the banner of the organization known as the Hearts of Industry. Our sources in the region have informed us that some of these guildsmen have occupied guild-owned buildings and workplaces, and are refusing to allow remaining workers access until their jobs are reinstated. Hephaestus Industries has been quick to take advantage of this, hiring many of the laid-off workers to their own guild, allowing their continued employment and the growth of the company. Many senior guildsmen have accused Hephaestus of profiteering from the crisis rather than truly assisting Moghes, however, Hephaestus has responded by stating there is no better way to help the Hegemony than to ensure employment for its citizens. Hephaestus’s personnel in the Hegemony is expected to increase by 48% by the next week, should the current rate of hiring remain steady, becoming the Hegemony’s biggest employer. It is unclear if their profits will increase commensurate with this jump in the workforce, but given Hephaetsus’s culture about the purchase of company stock, that would not be off the table. Hegemon Not’zar has yet to make a formal statement on this economic crisis - however, he did inform Sinta Articles that Overlord Hutay’zai and many guild masters will be meeting to discuss possibilities to exit this crisis with minimal damage to the economy. While we guildsmen of the Keepers of Heirlooms suffer from this crisis too, and several of our chapters have had to lay off guildsmen - rest assured that we at Sinta Articles remain committed to keeping our readers up to date on this crisis as it unfolds. Hutay’zai condemns the Hegemon; claims he will sell out Hegemony to Alien Corporations News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 08/02/2465 The Master of Rivers condemns the Hegemon, accusing him of collaborating with alien powers. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic A shocking announcement has made waves across Moghes today, as Overlord Hutay’zai has condemned the Hegemon himself in a fiery speech given at his estate, claiming the Izweski will sell out the Hegemony and the guilds to alien corporations. The Overlord has stressed that the reason for this condemnation is that such a course of action is not necessary to preserve the Hegemony, and if it were, he would endorse it. He instead mainly accused the Hegemon of being unaware of all the facts, and not taking reasonable time to ensure he had the full picture before coming to a decision. The Overlord has however not even mentioned how the Hegemon plans to do this, and when asked has refused to answer. Many have speculated that this means the Overlord has no real proof of these allegations, turning their view of him jaded as he may be lying. The response from the Hegemon, or more accurately High Speaker Sarnac’s office has not been what many were expecting; expressing sympathy for the Overlord and his views, saying that he is being misled, and hoping for a peaceful resolution; rather than harsh words and threats of violence. Worryingly, while the Overlord does not appear to be brewing thoughts of violence, the same cannot be said for Lord Izaku of Mudki, who has said that if this accusation can be proven, he will consider his oaths to the Hegemon void - effectively rebelling. The Hegemon has not deigned to answer such threats at this time - but based on his past actions, it is a safe assumption that he will not tolerate such action. Many are listening to Overlord Hutay’zai’s words, however, whether he is correct or not. The protests in Jaz’zirt continue, as members of the Hearts of Industry view this statement as confirmation that the Hegemon intends to sell Moghes to alien powers piece by piece. While we do not have a full picture of the situation in the Southlands at this time, rumors abound that Overlord Miazso’s personal forces have become insufficient to keep order in his city, and that he is calling up his bannermen to quash these rioters by whatever means necessary. As the economic crisis continues, we regret to inform our loyal readers that difficulties in our guild’s budget mean that print publication of Sinta Articles will be ceasing until further notice. Our articles both old and new can still be accessed through our Extranet page, as well as live updates on the situation as it develops. We remain committed to providing our readers with accurate and timely news through these trying times. Aeson and Not’zar announce: Hephaestus alien no longer, name Yukal T’zakal Hephaestus Guildmaster News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 08/03/2465 The final dominoes begin to fall. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic Following the announcement mere hours ago by Overlord Hutay’zai, there has been very little interest coming from either the Izweski or the Hutay’zai, despite the avid interests of bards and reporters from across the planet, and even across the spur. However now, all of that has changed. Guildmaster Titanius Aeson and Hegemon Not’zar stood on the steps of the Izweski citadel today to give a momentous announcement. Yukal T’zakal, long time sector administrator for the Hegemony within Hephaestus Industries will be assuming the role of Guildmaster, working alongside Aeson himself to manage Hephaestus’s operations. In a public press conference, Titanius Aeson explained the changes, and the reasoning behind them. Video footage of this conference is available on our Extranet page. Guildmaster Aeson emerged, alongside Yukal T’zakal, declaring that “Since our two species met, Hephaestus Industries has found kindred spirits in the Sinta’Unathi people. A people who embody our corporation’s commitment to the value of hard work. To doing what you have to do, and doing it right - and I think it is for those reasons that we have worked so well together over the years. Where others saw this planet and its people as nothing more than cheap labor, Hephaestus saw a people who share our values - our values of diligence, of hard work, of being the anvil on which the world is shaped. In truth, in many ways - the Hegemony has become as much of a home to Hephaestus as any human world out there. But, people are still scared. They still see us as aliens, and I can’t say I don’t get it. If Hephaestus is here to stay - and rest assured, we are - we can’t be that any more. The Unathi people have been a bedrock to Hephaestus through these recent years, and if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that a bond like this always goes two ways. You’ve changed for us, since we arrived here - now it’s time that we change for you. That’s why, effective immediately, I will be resigning my position as Guildmaster of Hephaestus Industries.” The crowd was shocked to hear this, but quickly paused to listen as Aeson raised a hand, indicating more to say. “I will be staying on as CEO, and helping to steer the company that I love into the future - but the position of Guildmaster is separate from that. It always has been, since our charter was first granted by your Hegemon to us all those years ago. A separate position of equal authority and responsibility to myself, above the board of directors - responsible for managing operations here, in the Hegemony has always existed. In the past I have merely held both titles. We’re a hybrid, Hephaestus - both a human corporation and an Unathi guild - and we need both points of view, in equal balance. And there is no better man I can think of to take this role than my dear friend, Yukal T’zakal. Look around you! Everything Hephaestus has built in the Hegemony, this man’s work was at the heart of it. I may be stepping back from my management here, but rest assured - I look forward to guiding Hephaestus into the future, as I have done - now standing at the side of my dear friend. There’s more to come, of course - but that can wait. For now, thank you all, from the bottom of my heart - and goodnight.” The announcement has been met with shock and celebration across Moghes, as our people celebrate the achievements of one of our own in the spur. A Hephaestus advertising campaign titled “Alien no longer” has been launched across the Hegemony, a picture of T’zakal in his new guildmaster uniform, standing above a crowd of Unathi and Vaurca Hephaestus workers. The campaign has been met with stunning support, even from those who are traditionally opposed to Hephaestus, such as Overlord Hutay’zai’s who has endorsed this move, somewhat delayed, for unclear reasons. Many are speculating that the Overlord is still unhappy with this solution, though sees it as necessary to save the Hegemonic Economy. Though, even he cannot deny what a proud achievement this is for our species. We await with eager anticipation to see what was meant by more being to come. Hephaestus grows; bails out Hegemonic Guilds and reorganizes them under itself News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 08/03/2465 As the economy approaches ruin, Hephaestus plays their hand at last. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic “And to survive, one must adapt, for change is the only assurance of life.” - Lord Tuscacun, Commander of Izweski Military Forces at the beginning of the Contact War. Sinta Articles is proud to publish our first article as a Hephaestus Subsidiary Corporation! Following the ascension of Yukal T’zakal to Guildmaster of Hephaestus, the corporation quickly moved to ensure the survival of all other Hegemonic guilds, by paying off any debts and ensuring transportation - before reorganizing them under itself in order to ensure long-term economic stability. Now, all guildsmen of the Hegemony can call themselves Hephaestus employees, directly or indirectly, as the Guilds have become subsidiary corporations of Hephaestus. Many of us have not seen such a thing ever, so we at Sinta Articles have taken it upon ourselves to explain the situation. The main thing to note is that all of the guilds will not become a firm part of Hephaestus Industries directly. Individual Guild Charters will remain in force, as per the laws of the Hegemon. In the rest of the spur, there are things such as subsidiary companies, which essentially operate as our nobles and Hegemon do. The Parent Company(Hephaestus), may rule over many smaller companies, subsidiary companies, like how the Hegemon rules over his nobles. Hephaestus will allow the Guilds to run themselves in a similar way to how they did before, just now under a bigger umbrella. What this means for the guilds is that Hephaestus will look after them, ensuring that they are held up to Hephaestus standards in all regards, working side by side towards their own goals, and the goals of the parent corporation. Guilds will therefore still be free to pursue their own goals under their own leadership, instead of being fully absorbed as part of Hephaestus. However, guildsmen will be reaping the full benefits of being a Hephaestus Employee if they are not already employed by another megacorporation under contract from their guild, including healthcare plans, pensions, time off, and paid vacation time. Still, as part of this expansion, some reorganization is required. Guildmaster T’zakal has announced a period of rebuilding in the coming months, as the Guilds adapt to their new positions and work with each other to ensure economic stability for all. Guildsmen will be introduced to their new rights and privileges, as well as the culture of Hephaestus Industries, in order to bring about a more unified economy that will be able to withstand any potential future shocks the like of the phoron scarcity. The Guildmasters will as well be undergoing new training, and changing the structure of their guilds to better suit a modern Spur, rather than a single-nation economy. Guildmaster T’zakal is reported to be excited about this new incorporation, as he states: “This will allow the Hegemony and all Unathi to ascend to riches only ever dreamed of before. We shall cement ourselves as one of the great nation-states of the spur, and a cornerstone of its economy.” This change, to some, appears to be a vindication for Overlord Hutay’zai’s claims of the Hegemony being sold out to aliens - even following Hephaestus Industries’ efforts to avoid this by placing an Unathi in an executive position - a first for any of the human corporations. The protests in the Southlands continue still, with Overlord Miazso having pledged to take whatever measures necessary to restore order. The Overlord himself has yet to comment on this occurrence. The office of the Hegemon, too, has remained silent, with High Speaker Sarnac unavailable for comment when our correspondent attempted to reach her. As the Keepers of Heirlooms are integrated as a Hephaestus subsidiary, many of our loyal readers may be concerned about what this means for the future of Sinta Articles. Rest assured that our core values have not changed - providing our readers with timely, informative, and accurate news. Thanks to the efforts of Guildmaster T’zakal, and to all of our hard-working guildsmen, we will continue to keep our readers updated on Sinta news, Spur-wide. Hephaestus makes stunning acquisitions: a new dawn for the Hegemony News Article Publisher : TAU CETI TIMES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 08/08/2465 The wider Spur reacts to Hephaestus's movements. The camera pans upwards as the jingle plays, showing two men sitting behind a news desk. One is recognizable as the anchor of the Tau Ceti Daily news reports, named Tim Mcvain. The second, is not as easily recognized. Tim: “Hello and welcome to our six o’clock news report. I’m Tim Mcvain and I’m here with Ronald O’Hair, an independent economic analyst currently contracting with Idris Incorporated. Ronald, welcome to the show.” Ronald: “Thanks for having me Tim.” Tim: “Well, we sure have alot to talk about tonight. I mean, wow. Hephaestus just shocked everyone with that play they made in the Badlands didn’t they?” Ronald: “Definitely. There’s been a bit of turmoil in the stock markets today as the shockwaves from the news resonates. Hephaestus’s stocked jumped almost 6% in a single day, which is a massive amount, before falling a percentage point as doubt set in.” Tim: “Well what doubt is there about this move?” Ronald: “No-one saw it coming. Normally, you have situations like we had in Biesel with NanoTrasen, it’s not completely obvious what might occur but when it does end up happening it doesn’t seem crazy. I mean, NanoTrasen was pretty much the sole powerhouse here for years before they helped us gain our independence, in the Hegemony, Hephaestus was competing with so many others; not to mention their poor track record for the first few years in the market. Then, they come out of left field and not only save the nation’s entire economy, but reorganize all the national companies, guilds called there, under themselves as subsidiaries. Like – everyone pulled out of the Hegemony because they thought it was a lost cause. Hephaestus didn’t, but no one had any idea they had this planned.” Tim: “Planned? So you think this wasn’t just them taking advantage of a crisis?” Ronald shakes his head: “Tim, what you have to understand is that it’s pretty easy to see when a crisis is taken advantage of. Look at Biesel and our independence from Sol, it wasn’t elegant, there wasn’t really a plan. In the middle of a bad situation one day we just woke up and NanoTrasen had demanded the Alliance let us be free, or face the music. So the Alliance let us go, and we kind of made it up from there. Here it isn’t the same. There’s no demands, no change of leadership, no posturing, there’s just a clear choice, one with only one true option, that Hephaestus offered the Guilds of the Hegemony. A choice, not a demand, in a situation that was not even a fraction as bad as the recession we got our independence in. The amount of maneuvering, planning, and patience required to ensure that all of the Guilds only had that one option is astounding. Hell, the Hegemonic economy is even already bouncing back, it’s guilds already planning for expansions within the next year. And that doesn’t even begin to mention the speed which Hephaestus achieved. From the Merchant’s guild declaring bankruptcy and threatening the Hegemonic economy, to their takeover, it took less than what, a week? No-one moves that fast unless there was a plan already in place.” Tim: “Wow – well, I can’t really say I understand economics that well, but that’s why you’re here. What do you think the fallout will be in the stock market and for the rest of the spur?” Ronald: “That’s kind of hard to predict, we’re all still reeling from the news, getting used to it. But for my personal opinion, not financial advice, I think we’re going to see Hephaestus’s stock skyrocket as people bet on the future, and bet big. Hephaestus now has near total control of a whole nation state's economy, including being the only company with export rights, while having a massive resource base already present, which it can use to continuously use for year over year growth for the foreseeable future. Even with the doubt cast by this new Unathi Guildmaster, who most of us have never heard of, I can’t see its stock going anywhere but up.” Tim smiles: “So that’s the advice you’ll be giving Idris?” Ronald chuckles: “Idris pays me for specifics, as do all my clients. I’ll be looking closely at which options have the best potential for growth, and go from there, that was just general. But alongside that, I’d advise Idris and the rest of the Megacorporations on one thing.” Ronald becomes serious, and looks directly into the Camera: “Hephaestus just played a hand that was straight aces, no matter what else was happening at the table. It could have been now, or in a year. They achieved something no other megacorporation has since NanoTrasen here in Biesel; as total a monopoly as you can get over an entire nationstates economy. They’re pushing competition to a new level. To you, and others, it might look like they just took advantage of a run of bad luck from the Hegemony; but the truth is, the game was rigged from the start.” The camera fades to black. Not’zar Announces Workers Reform; a new dawn for the Peasantry? News Article Publisher : SINTA ARTICLES Writer : Triogenix Editors : Captain Gecko, RustingWithYou 17/08/2465 The Hegemon heralds change for the working people. Translated into Tau Ceti Basic Following the sweeping changes of the past week, Hegemon Not’zar announced that there were more to come. Very little information was given, only that it would involve work reform in the aftermath of Hephaestus’s acquisitions. After hours of anxious waiting for a press conference, High Speaker Seleta Sarnac ascended to the podium within the Izweski Citadel, and once the room was quiet enough, began to speak. “Hello. As you all know, the past month has been a tumultuous time for our nation. We barely averted disaster thanks to the help of our friends, a second time in as many years. We are forever grateful to the Hephaestus Guild, and look forward to this new dawn in our relationship.” She pauses for a brief moment. “However, change begets change. Our systems were proven to be weak, and we must adapt fully in order to become strong again. With that said, the Hegemon is introducing a new set of laws to reform the guild system, and how it interacts with Guildsmen. Firstly, all guildsmen will have dedicated paid sick leave, should they require it, with a usable amount of 7 days per year. Additionally, Guildsmen will only be required to work 6 days of the week, rather than 7, without extra pay. Lastly, the Guilds are responsible for all injuries that occur while a guildsmen is working for the guild.” The announcement was greeted with applause, before the High Speaker stated she would not be taking questions, and exited. It has been pointed out by many, but Sinta Articles is proud to announce that these new laws are almost exactly the same as those used by Hephaestus Industries for its own workplace conduct! Truly the Hegemon is intelligent for using a proven model.