3205 Press Releases

A digest of recent official government press releases, by reporting period.

T50

Ministry of Domestic Affairs Press Conference

A camera shot of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs on New Mars. A mob of journos are besieging. The door opens, Senator Dermond stands on the front step in full senatorial robes and the noise level goes critical. Dermond glowers for silence, which slowly arrives as the press realise that they won't get anything at all if they don't quieten down.
"Fellow Martians. I am here to assure you that the military action on Douglas was in no way sanctioned by the Ministry of Domestic Affairs and that Governor Zelazny has assured me that he did not order the action either. O'Hare is a good and reliable officer and I am sure that he would not have taken this action without what appeared to him to be clear orders. The question is: from where did these orders originate? This is a question requiring an urgent attention and I shall be pressing the Harness administration for a prompt answer. Please note that I am no longer part of the administration. The Free Mars party cannot continue in this coalition and I will be calling for a vote of no confidence in the government tonight."
Noise level reaches new heights. Dermond does his best 'elder statesman' pose and waits. Eventually he manages to get a word in edgeways.
"Whilst not ordering the Douglas attack, I can see the reasoning behind it. This tinpot dictator is nothing less than a traitor to humanity - with the MAFC weakened in his quadrant due to the heroic actions of true Martians, he thinks he can hold us to ransom as his planet is crucial to Martian finances in that area. This is disgusting behaviour, not worthy of any member of the MAFC. We will not overlook his tyrannies, his repressions of freedoms. We will not be bullied or blackmailed by this quisling. I shall be calling for the eviction of Douglas from the MAFC until Martian freedoms are restored by the inhabitants of the planet - until then they may have the pleasure of anticipating attacks without the protection of the MSN that they have so glibly taken for granted."
"I will now take 3, no more, questions."
"Of course I have been speaking to other members of the Martian senate about these matters. Yes, it is rare for Senator Banderas and I to speak with one voice on any matter, but these are unusual times."
"No, I have no idea of the whereabouts of Senator Shadbolt. Are you implying that I should have?"
"Yes, I am fully aware that the senator has now not been seen for several days. I am sure that he has his reasons."
"Sir, we do have laws for slander and libel. Bear that in mind."
"No, I think Senator Hands acted in what he genuinely thought were the best interests of the Martian people. Whether or not these close ties with a polity notably lacking in the rights of the individual are morally correct is not something I am about to discuss here."
"That is all. Good day to you."
Mayhem ensues...

Address from Cho-Sho O'Hare to the Q6 fleet at Douglas.
"Fellow Martians. I am sure you will have heard the many newscasts concerning our recent operation on Douglas. You have all performed in an exemplary manner and I am proud of you all. As far as I am concerned, we were acting in accordance with orders and followed those orders to the letter, but politics has reared its ugly head. You will doubtless be aware that various politicians are now claiming this was an unsanctioned operation of which they had no knowledge. I am speaking to you now to assure you that no blame will attach to any of you for your part in this operation - as I say, your performances have all been excellent. The sole responsibility for the operation lies with me and I will answer to the politicians for it. In the event that I do not get to address you all again, may I say that it has been a privilege to have served with you all, albeit for a brief time."

Ministry of Science and Technology
The MAFC announces that the MAIDS organisation is being boosted by the addition of two regional Headquarters. These are being located at THE HUMP (Q4) - covering Q3, Q4 and Q5 - and IN THE CLEAR (!8) - covering Q1, Q8 and Q7. MAIDS central HQ in Q0 will continue to support local work in Q2 and Q6.

MAFC Press Conference
The familiar pack of baying journos is encamped outside the Martian senate building late in the evening. A large window on the upper floor is blazing with light which illuminates the wisps of smoke escaping from the edges of the frame. Newsmen interview each other feverishly and no passer-by is safe from their attentions.
Suddenly more lights come on in the building, clearly on the stairs leading down from the lighted room and the assembled pack spring to attention. After 10 minutes or so, the familiar figure of Senator Dermond emerges, accompanied by his secretary, Ms Kimbo. Dermond looks tired and is dressed in sombre black, lacking his usual showmanship. Thysa on the other hand appears as chipper as ever, despite carrying a pile of folders nearly as big as herself and is clad in shocking pink velveteen lederhosen combined with a white angora sweater. (Some misplaced fashion journalists are seen to shudder).
Dermond proceeds to the palisade of microphones and a hush slowly falls.
"Ladies and gentlemen. I am pleased to announce that agreement has been reached and a government of national unity has been formed."
"The new membership of the ICC is as follows:
Myself as Chair.
Senator Frink will continue as Science and Technology and Emma Bleedingheart will continue her excellent work at Justice.
The new minister for war will be Xena Lawless of the CDP.
'Toinette Banderas of the MCGP will be taking over at the Foreign Ministry.
MLWP representative Ophelia Laertes will move to Finance.
My old position at the Domestic ministry is to be occupied by Herbert Wells of the MCGP.
Theresa Shrike is at Trade and Industry and Charles Harness continues in his ceremonial post as Supreme Councillor of the Martian Union."
"There is general agreement amongst the new government that the MAFC has strayed too far from its founding principles and reforms are in order. You will of course be kept informed of these discussions, but for now we are all tired and shall be retiring. Good night to you all."
Dermond steadfastly ignores all screamed appeals and questions and trudges back towards a waiting car outside the senate building.


 

T49

From: Caran o'Donohue - permanent secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology
The MoST has asked me to outline the recent changes to the federal research budget. As you know, the MAFC is strongly federal in nature and most expenditure is directed at local planetary level, with virtually none at quadrant level and little more at the pan-MAFC federal level. With the exceptions of the armed forces and MAIDS, this is true for just about all government expenditure and science is no different. Federal science expenditure has historically been directed at the traditional Martian strengths of the planetology and biotechnology. However in recent years the MSN has asked for the help of this ministry to better understand the Exterminator Menace. Frankly however we have not been very successful. The Martian contribution to fighting this war has been second to none but we have not been able to make the breakthroughs in understanding the robotic menace we face that some of our allies have made.
The Minister asked for a report as to why we were relatively lacking in success. The answer, on reflection, is perhaps obvious: we are not a culture that delves deeply into cybernetic and similar sciences. Those of our citizens that excel in this area mostly work for MAIDS. To build the necessary body of expertise would require many years and much investment, it might even adversely affect one of our vital defences against the machine menace, MAIDS itself. If I can put it another way, if you want military expertise, you seek a Martian not an Esteeler. Similarly, if you want to understand an alien robot, do not ask Mars.
It is on this basis that the MAFC announces that it will withdraw funding from the Exterminator Study Institute, located at HAMLET in Q3, by the end of this year. Already, work has started to disseminate the discoveries we have made to our allies and to pass on all research material. The ESI at HAMLET will now become a local branch of the Institute of Advanced Planetary Studies (IAPS), the premier Martian federal research body. The Quadrant 3 branch will concentrate on Forerunner planetary science and will continue its successful analysis of Exterminator planetary activity (which appears mainly to have been mining). I will now accept questions from the floor.

From: Caran o'Donohue - permanent secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology
The MoST today announced confirmation of a substantial federal grant (equivalent to 2SV) to the University of Sturluson for the formation of a History of Humanity Institute. The HHI will build on the renowned History of Humanity in Space faculty that already exists in the University under the guidance of Professor of Modern History Angus Starkers. The mission of the HHI is not to conduct original field research but rather to be a repository or library of human knowledge gained since humanity took its first faltering steps into space under the leadership of the NASA corporation. It is hoped that the Institute will attract visiting historians from far and wide and not just from Martian space.
It is part of the charter of the institute that academics of any origin are welcome to visit and use the facilities. So far, we have already had indications that Professor Zheng Tian-shou, professor emeritus of Psychohistory at the University of New Mars, will be spending some months at the facility overseeing the initial collection of electronic records from Martian souces throughout the quadrants. Governments of other polities and universities everywhere are to be approached for copies of their historical records.
The MoST is keen to that the institute not become a dry academic establishment. It has therefore asked Mr Wolfgang Von Schlumberg, celebrated popular historian, to give a series of lectures, on a subject of his own choosing, for univeral broadcasting at the end of the Institutes first year.
On behalf of the Minister of Science and Technology, may I wish the greatest of success to this new venture.

 

T48

Ministry of War, New Mars; Deployment of scouts
Martian Committment to HEB operations. Following the recent ToOL Conference, I confirm our initial contribution to Long Range Recce Group as:
MSS Yakutia (Avery) LSSI
MSS Gefjon (Sakimoto) SCI
MSS Telios (Dalton) LSSI
MSS Helm (Bosch) LSSI
For operations further into the future, I will ask the Interstellar Coordination Committee to consider identitying resources to this. In the meantime I confirm that the LSSI making up what is left of the Logistics Fleet (4) are available, at SHC discretion, for long-range operations. The CLI and 2DDI however would not be so available.
Senator Minos Cornelius, Minister for War

From: Ministry of War, NEW MARS, 3205.192

Today two new interstellar carriers join the MSN from the new naval yard at FREDERICK. These are MSS Pugnacious and MSS Stormtrooper. Initially they will form part of the Home Fleet. The ministry is pleased to announce that these vessels are being replaced in the yards by two more of this class immediately, to be completed at the end of 3206. The names of these vessels has yet to be confirmed.

Ministry of War, New Mars; Deployment of scouts
Mars announces the deployment of the three new SCI completed in T32 to the eastern sectors to join allied scouting commands.

 

T47

From: Ministry of War, NEW MARS

The MSN announces that a new Heavy Cruiser MSS Intemperate is to be laid down. This vessels bears the name of a previous vessel of the same class that was destroyed heroically fighting the Exterminator menace at FRENCH in Q5.

From: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, New Mars

In these testing times, humanity needs to stand together. We, the MAFC, therefore extend invitations to the following worlds to join the fellowship of the MAFC in the interests of greater security for humankind:

Q0 - Vulkan, Vijanta, Nimrod

Q2 - Morpork

Q3 - Crabston

Q4 - Drum

Q8 - La La

Thrain Shadbolt

 

T46

From: Ministry of War, NEW MARS

Subject: 3205 Declaration

The MAFC declares that it is fully in compliance with the SSALT treaty. The MAFC declares that, apart from published re-organisation moves temporarily causing outer quadrants capital ship allowances to be exceeded slightly, the MAFC is in accordance with the ToOL. These excesses will be corrected by end T47.

From: Ministry of Economic Affairs

The ministry announced today that the 3205 budget had been finalised. In brief this year sees a continuation of the successful policies of the Harness administration, with a balanced combination of investment and expenditure on military build-up. During questions from the assembled press corps Senator Greta Bjarnsdottir, Minister of Finance MAFC confirmed that the MSN is still preparing for further Exterminator Attacks. She urged other polities to do likewise on the basis that collective defence is the only successful defence against this menace. She did however refuse to be drawn on the the low level of military expenditure by one major polity, this being the Centauri Conglomerate. To questions from local media, she also agreed that economic conditions in Quadrants 6 and 7 continued to hard but stated the steps were in place to boost investment in those locations and expressed an expectation that improvements would be seen soon.

From: Ministry of War, NEW MARS

The MSS Wasp (CAI) has been transferred from Fleet 4.1 (Q4) to Fleetr 3.1 (Q3). The purpose of this is to rebalance the fleets.

 

T45

Statement from the foreign office on New Mars:

Following the retirement of Senator Hands, the newly appointed minister for foreign affairs has been named as Senator Thrain Shadbolt, formerly senior foreign policy advisor to Charles Harness. Senator Shadbolt had this statement for the press: "We wish Drakkir all the best in his retirement and I will attempt to do my best to fill the large shoes he leaves behind him. He forged excellent working relationships with many of our friends and neighbours and I willl be attempting to build upon these. Whilst no transition can be totally seamless, hopefully ructions will be kept to a minimum and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead in these interesting times."

(c) Martian Press Syndicate, 3205

Speaking at the close of the New Year festivities on New Mars, Senator Drakkir Hands (CDP) announced his retirement from front line politics. Although he has a
year of his current term of Senatorial office still to run, the Senator has expressed a desire to leave early in order to take up a post as Vice Chancellor and Emeritus Professor of Martian History at the University of Old Mars at Cydonia. It is anticipated that the handover to the new Foreign Minister (yet to be announced) will be complete before 3205.050 (end T45).
Talking before a specially-selected audience of well-wishers, the outgoing Senator had this to say:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank everyone who has made my time in international politics so interesting and challenging. Indeed, so much fun has
it been that it has been a difficult decision to tear myself away, and one that has caused me no small amount of soul-searching. "It is a frequent adage that 'all political careers end in failure', and certainly after 35 years in politics I was beginning to fear that I may have been riding my own luck a little hard! Nevertheless, by departing at a time of my own choosing I hope to be an exception to the rule.
"I hope that I have played my part in this great period of growth and stability that Charles L Harness and his government have brought to a Mars that was grievously wounded by both Exterminators and the ham-fisted response of the MLWP to them, and I hope that I leave Mars and its international relations in better shape than I found them. I can only wish my colleagues and successor all the best for the challenges of the future.
"And I now hope to be able to bring whatever meagre talents I possess to my tenure as vice chancellor of that august academic institution the Univerity of Old Mars, and to be able to continue to pursue my academic insterests in the field of history. I fear that I may also be unable to resist media appearances on the Terran chat show and lecture circuit - you have been warned!
"There is a story that upon becoming premier of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev found two letters on his desk from his predecessor, Nikita Kruschev. They are addressed to him and the envelopes are printed with the numbers 1 and 2, and the phrase, 'Open in case of direst need.' A few years later, there is a bad harvest and famine looks imminent. There could be trouble for the Soviet government. Brezhnev opens the first envelope, and inside is a note that reads; 'Blame everything on me.' He takes it to heart, blames the famine on Kruschev’s policies and the government survives. Another few years later, there is an uprising in Poland, and the other atellite states are growing restless. The Soviet Empire could be disintegrating. Brezhnev returns to the desk drawer and opens the second envelope. The note inside reads; 'It is now time for you to prepare two letters...'
"So, Mr Foreign Minister - the letters are in my desk. Thank you, and goodbye."

Notes to Editors: Senator Hands, 73, was a Councillor of the Martian Union from 3172-3180 and again from 3196-3198. He was MAFC Ambassador to the Solar Republic from 3180-3192. He was appointed to the MAFC Senate in 3198 and became Foreign Minister in the Harness Administration from 3200-3205. He is divorced, with a son, Marcus, who is currently serving in the Imperial Earth Navy. The Senator's seat is one of the two chosen by the Council of the Martian Union, and it is likely that the CDP-dominated Council will chose another Harness loyalist to replace Hands' senate seat. Hotly tipped for the post in recent jockeying for position is Harness' senior foreign policy advisor, Thrain Shadbolt.