{"data":{"id":17855,"title":"Plain Truth: Who Is Addison Beholden To?","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/17855-Plain-Truth-Who-Is-Addison-Beholden-To","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/17855","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/17855","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":1547,"name":"PlainTruthFI1.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/e0op6vokxdi6sr\/source\/PlainTruthFI1.jpg","alt":"","size":950082,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2014-04-01T19:31:34+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1547","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1547\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"< Transmission Begins >\n\u2018Black box\u2019 has always been an interesting term to me. It\u2019s both defined as a nigh-indestructible flight recorder, literally designed to preserve truth through catastrophic circumstances, and a system whose inner truths remain hidden. I\u2019ve always wondered how people can trust a system that won\u2019t share how it works or why it does what it does. How do you find truth when the forces of darkness specifically try to obscure it? I don\u2019t know about you, but my name is Parker Terrell, and I won\u2019t let anything stop me from trying to find the Plain Truth.\n\nBefore we dive into today\u2019s topic, I want to share something. I was wrong. Let me admit it right here, right now. Dedicated fans of the show know that I\u2019ve claimed countless times that an independent candidate could never be elected Imperator. Or, to be more accurate, that the powers that be would never let it happen. Yet, here we are. The people have elected Laylani Addison, an independent candidate and self-professed education advocate, to be our next Imperator. This time last year, most of us didn\u2019t even know Laylani Addison existed. Now, she\u2019s months away from taking control of our empire.\n\nLet me admit something else to you now. Addison\u2019s election has surprised me in more ways than one. I never thought I\u2019d see the day an independent got elected, and I never, ever expected that day to worry me so much.\n\nNow, I haven\u2019t really hidden my general disgust for this crop of Imperator candidates: bland, boring, and shockingly silent about anything related to the Vanduul war. Forget about asking how much more money they\u2019re willing to waste on it. I spent the past few months arguing why none of the major-party candidates deserved to be Imperator, and, in some twisted way, I got exactly what I wanted.\n\nDuring the campaign, I didn\u2019t go on the attack against Addison often, but when I did, I called her pro-AI policies reckless and potentially catastrophic. I found the hubris of her position to be absolutely infuriating. After all the issues Humanity has had with AI, after all the close calls, how can she suddenly claim that it\u2019s safe to proceed? Her intellectual arrogance is on full display with her assertion that she\u2019s the one who can ensure this will be done safely. If this doesn\u2019t concern you, then it absolutely should. Because if she\u2019s wrong, the downside won\u2019t just be wasted taxpayer credits\u2026 history has taught us that lives can be lost as well.\n\nMy issues with Addison aren\u2019t all related to her audacious AI stance. About her proposed budget, I went on record saying that negotiating peace with the Vanduul feels like a more realistic policy goal. There were also big red flags around her commitment to increase Synthworld spending and sell off taxpayer-funded tech. An interesting, uber-capitalist position for a candidate who bragged about not taking donations from mega-corps and swore to only be beholden to voters.\n\nWell, you know me, I\u2019m not one to take a politician on their word. I might not have talked about Addison much during the last leg of the campaign, but that doesn\u2019t mean I wasn\u2019t digging around, investigating what was real and what was political posturing. Well, today\u2019s entire show will be dedicated to sharing the details of my investigation into Imperator-Elect Addison and the truth hidden beneath the shadows of her campaign. Hopefully what I\u2019m about to tell you concerns you as much as it does me.\n\nLet me begin by saying that my findings are not complete. Certain avenues of investigation are ongoing and, out of an abundance of concern for my sources, I\u2019m not going to disclose everything I know. But I promise you, the truth won\u2019t stay hidden forever.\n\nMy investigation began exactly where it all started for Imperator-Elect Addison: Oya III. She may have spent time on Rhetor, but the relationship with her homeworld is what really defines her. She grew up next to the only slice of Xi\u2019an sovereign land within the UEE and it makes her the first Imperator to have spent her childhood under the overwhelming influence of true Xi\u2019an neighbors. A formative life-experience she credits with inspiring her passion for learning, but it surely must have shaped her in other ways, right? How could it not?\n\nOya III is also where Addison met Jesse Baigent, her longtime spouse and recent campaign manager. Born and raised on Terra, they first met when Baigent was running an Oya III-based consulting firm focused on increasing Human and Xi\u2019an trade. Baigent relocated the firm to Rhetor when Addison\u2019s academic career brought the couple to the system, and he ran it right up until the day he joined his wife\u2019s campaign. Though not well known publicly, Baigent recently made a name for himself in diplomatic circles when his firm was hired by the UEE government to consult on the HuXa negotiations, allegedly receiving several lucrative contracts related to this work over the years. Although his specific involvement in the trade deal remains undisclosed, I\u2019ve gained some insight into his relationship with the project. Be sure to stick around so you don\u2019t miss those specifics later in the show.\n\nFor now, let\u2019s keep our attention on Imperator-Elect Addison. Someone I understand less and less the more I get to know her. Somehow, she represents both definitions of \u2018black box\u2019 that I mentioned at the top of the show. Her entire life\u2019s history is clear, yet how it all coalesced into her being elected Imperator is a complete mystery. How does a respected academic go from a political unknown to the Imperator within a year? How does someone with no public office experience also happen to be a gifted debater, an effective campaigner, and be blessed with killer political instincts? Addison\u2019s campaign claimed that she and Baigent planned and strategized for years for this campaign. They\u2019ve admitted that it took an incredible amount of work to shape Addison into the political figure she is today. But, I\u2019m not so sure that they did it alone, and I\u2019m not alone in this belief.\n\nLet me be clear, my investigation has yet to turn up any evidence that supports some of the wilder conspiracies swirling around the spectrum, like Imperator-Elect Addison is a Xi\u2019an sleeper agent. I won\u2019t add any fuel to that fire until I see evidence to support such a claim. Plus, that ploy seems too inelegant for the cunning Xi\u2019an. They know that directly controlling an Imperator would be extremely risky and potentially catastrophic to xeno-relations if that connection was ever uncovered. No, they would probably prefer to keep their influence a bit more discreet. So, who might be such a force within Addison\u2019s campaign? Well, there are several powerful players with strong ties to Xi\u2019an entities who we\u2019ll take a look at a little later in the show.\n\nI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m saying this, but this election has made me consider the old saying, \u201cbetter the devil you know than the devil you don\u2019t.\u201d Through my investigation, I\u2019ve realized that come January it will be impossible to predict what Addison will do once in control of the Empire. And as an independent, there\u2019s no political party or corporate operative poised to keep her aligned to its interests. Sure they\u2019re all fighting for her attention now, but they don\u2019t have the same influence over her as the other candidates. So who is she beholden to? Do you really believe it\u2019s just us, the voters?\n\nMaybe I\u2019ve just become too cynical. Maybe it might be too early to pre-judge an Addison administration, but there\u2019s something off here. Either she was somehow the perfect candidate running at the perfect time, or an unknown force helped mold her into the ideal empty vessel and pulled strings behind the scenes to help her get elected. Until we really know who Laylani Addison is, we must remain vigilant and ready to respond to any injustice, because our empire could need us now more than ever.\n\nWe need to take a quick break. When we return, I\u2019ll speak with Shigemori Wakefield about the specifics of Jesse Baigent\u2019s work on HuXa and other strong ties between Xi\u2019an-controlled businesses and members of the Addison campaign. Then, I\u2019ll do a deep dive into every aspect of Addison\u2019s personal history and ask if her background is too good to be true, and most importantly, is there anything we can do to save the empire. That and more when Plain Truth returns.","de_DE":"< \u00dcbertragung beginnt >\nBlack Box' war schon immer ein interessanter Begriff f\u00fcr mich. Er wird sowohl als ein nahezu unzerst\u00f6rbarer Flugschreiber definiert, der buchst\u00e4blich dazu bestimmt ist, die Wahrheit durch katastrophale Umst\u00e4nde hindurch zu bewahren, als auch als ein System, dessen innere Wahrheiten verborgen bleiben. Ich habe mich immer gefragt, wie Menschen einem System vertrauen k\u00f6nnen, das nicht mitteilt, wie es funktioniert oder warum es tut, was es tut. Wie finden Sie die Wahrheit, wenn die M\u00e4chte der Finsternis gezielt versuchen, sie zu verdunkeln? Ich wei\u00df nicht, wie es Ihnen geht, aber mein Name ist Parker Terrell, und ich lasse mich durch nichts davon abhalten, nach der SCHL\u00c4GERISCHEN WAHRHEIT zu suchen.\n\nBevor wir in das heutige Thema eintauchen, m\u00f6chte ich etwas mitteilen. Ich habe mich geirrt. Lassen Sie es mich gleich hier und jetzt zugeben. Engagierte Fans der Show wissen, dass ich schon unz\u00e4hlige Male behauptet habe, dass ein unabh\u00e4ngiger Kandidat niemals zum Imperator gew\u00e4hlt werden k\u00f6nnte. Oder, um genauer zu sein, dass die Machthaber dies niemals zulassen w\u00fcrden. Und doch sind wir hier. Das Volk hat Laylani Addison, eine unabh\u00e4ngige Kandidatin und bekennende Bildungsbef\u00fcrworterin, zu unserer n\u00e4chsten Imperatorin gew\u00e4hlt. Letztes Jahr um diese Zeit wussten die meisten von uns nicht einmal, dass es Laylani Addison gibt. Jetzt ist sie Monate davon entfernt, die Kontrolle \u00fcber unser Imperium zu \u00fcbernehmen.\n\nLassen Sie mich Ihnen jetzt noch etwas gestehen. Die Wahl von Addison hat mich in mehr als einer Hinsicht \u00fcberrascht. Ich h\u00e4tte nie gedacht, dass ich den Tag erleben w\u00fcrde, an dem ein Unabh\u00e4ngiger gew\u00e4hlt wird, und ich h\u00e4tte nie erwartet, dass mich dieser Tag so sehr beunruhigen w\u00fcrde.\n\nNun, ich habe meine allgemeine Abscheu vor dieser Ernte von Imperator-Kandidaten nicht wirklich verheimlicht: fad, langweilig und schockierend schweigsam \u00fcber alles, was mit dem Vanduul-Krieg zu tun hat. Vergessen Sie die Frage, wie viel mehr Geld sie bereit sind, daf\u00fcr zu verschwenden. Ich habe die letzten Monate damit verbracht, dar\u00fcber zu streiten, warum keiner der Kandidaten der Hauptpartei es verdiente, Imperator zu werden, und auf irgendeine verdrehte Weise habe ich genau das bekommen, was ich wollte.\n\nW\u00e4hrend der Kampagne habe ich Addison nicht oft angegriffen, aber als ich es tat, nannte ich ihre KI-freundliche Politik r\u00fccksichtslos und potenziell katastrophal. Ich fand die Hybris ihrer Position absolut \u00e4rgerlich. Nach all den Problemen, die die Menschheit mit der KI hatte, nach all den knappen Entscheidungen, wie kann sie pl\u00f6tzlich behaupten, es sei sicher, weiterzumachen? Ihre intellektuelle Arroganz kommt voll zur Geltung mit ihrer Behauptung, dass sie diejenige ist, die daf\u00fcr sorgen kann, dass dies sicher durchgef\u00fchrt wird. Wenn Sie das nicht betrifft, dann sollte es Sie auf jeden Fall betreffen. Denn wenn sie sich irrt, wird die Kehrseite nicht nur vergeudete Steuergelder sein ... die Geschichte hat uns gelehrt, dass auch Leben verloren gehen k\u00f6nnen.\n\nMeine Probleme mit Addison haben nicht alle mit ihrer k\u00fchnen KI-Haltung zu tun. Zu ihrem Budgetvorschlag habe ich zu Protokoll gegeben, dass Friedensverhandlungen mit Vanduul ein realistischeres politisches Ziel zu sein scheinen. Es gab auch gro\u00dfe rote Flaggen um ihre Verpflichtung, die Ausgaben f\u00fcr Synthworld zu erh\u00f6hen und vom Steuerzahler finanzierte Technologie zu verkaufen. Eine interessante, \u00fcberkapitalistische Position f\u00fcr eine Kandidatin, die damit prahlte, keine Spenden von Megakorps anzunehmen und schwor, nur den W\u00e4hlern verpflichtet zu sein.\n\nNun, Sie kennen mich, ich bin keiner, der einen Politiker beim Wort nimmt. W\u00e4hrend der letzten Etappe des Wahlkampfes habe ich vielleicht nicht mehr viel \u00fcber Addison gesprochen, aber das bedeutet nicht, dass ich nicht herumgeschn\u00fcffelt und untersucht habe, was real war und was politisches Getue war. Nun, die gesamte heutige Sendung ist der Darstellung der Einzelheiten meiner Untersuchung der gew\u00e4hlten Imperatorin Addison und der Wahrheit, die sich im Schatten ihrer Kampagne verbirgt, gewidmet. Ich hoffe, dass das, was ich Ihnen jetzt erz\u00e4hle, Sie ebenso sehr betrifft wie mich.\n\nLassen Sie mich zun\u00e4chst sagen, dass meine Ergebnisse nicht vollst\u00e4ndig sind. Bestimmte Ermittlungen sind im Gange, und aus einer F\u00fclle von Bedenken bez\u00fcglich meiner Quellen werde ich nicht alles, was ich wei\u00df, preisgeben. Aber ich verspreche Ihnen, dass die Wahrheit nicht f\u00fcr immer verborgen bleiben wird.\n\nMeine Untersuchung begann genau dort, wo f\u00fcr Imperator-Elect Addison alles begann: Oya III. Sie mag Zeit auf Rhetor verbracht haben, aber die Beziehung zu ihrer Heimatwelt ist das, was sie wirklich definiert. Sie wuchs neben dem einzigen Teil des souver\u00e4nen Landes Xi'an innerhalb der UEE auf und ist damit die erste Imperatorin, die ihre Kindheit unter dem \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigenden Einfluss echter Nachbarn aus Xi'an verbracht hat. Sie schreibt ihr eine pr\u00e4gende Lebenserfahrung zu, die ihre Leidenschaft f\u00fcr das Lernen inspiriert hat, die sie aber sicherlich auch auf andere Weise gepr\u00e4gt haben muss, nicht wahr? Wie k\u00f6nnte es anders sein?\n\nOya III ist auch der Ort, an dem Addison Jesse Baigent, ihren langj\u00e4hrigen Ehepartner und j\u00fcngsten Wahlkampfleiter, traf. Geboren und aufgewachsen auf Terra, trafen sie sich zum ersten Mal, als Baigent eine Beratungsfirma mit Sitz in Oya III leitete, die sich auf die Steigerung des Handels mit Menschen und Xi'an konzentrierte. Baigent verlegte die Firma nach Rhetor, als Addisons akademische Laufbahn das Paar in das System brachte, und er leitete es bis zu dem Tag, an dem er sich der Kampagne seiner Frau anschloss. Obwohl er in der \u00d6ffentlichkeit nicht sehr bekannt ist, machte sich Baigent k\u00fcrzlich in diplomatischen Kreisen einen Namen, als seine Firma von der Regierung der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika beauftragt wurde, bei den HuXa-Verhandlungen zu beraten, wobei er angeblich im Laufe der Jahre mehrere lukrative Vertr\u00e4ge im Zusammenhang mit dieser Arbeit erhielt. Obwohl seine konkrete Beteiligung an dem Handelsgesch\u00e4ft nicht bekannt gegeben wurde, habe ich einen Einblick in seine Beziehung zu dem Projekt erhalten. Vergewissern Sie sich, dass Sie hier bleiben, damit Sie diese Einzelheiten sp\u00e4ter in der Sendung nicht verpassen.\n\nLassen Sie uns vorerst unsere Aufmerksamkeit auf Imperator-Elect Addison richten. Jemand, den ich immer weniger verstehe, je mehr ich sie kennen lerne. Irgendwie repr\u00e4sentiert sie beide Definitionen der \"Black Box\", die ich oben in der Sendung erw\u00e4hnt habe. Ihre gesamte Lebensgeschichte ist klar, aber wie das alles mit ihrer Wahl zur Imperatorin zusammenh\u00e4ngt, ist ein v\u00f6lliges R\u00e4tsel. Wie wird eine angesehene Akademikerin innerhalb eines Jahres von einer politischen Unbekannten zur Imperatorin? Wie kommt es, dass jemand ohne Erfahrung in \u00f6ffentlichen \u00c4mtern auch eine begabte Debattiererin, eine effektive K\u00e4mpferin ist und mit t\u00f6dlichen politischen Instinkten gesegnet ist? Addisons Kampagne behauptete, dass sie und Baigent diese Kampagne jahrelang geplant und strategisch geplant h\u00e4tten. Sie haben zugegeben, dass es unglaublich viel Arbeit erforderte, Addison zu der politischen Figur zu formen, die sie heute ist. Aber ich bin mir nicht so sicher, dass sie es allein geschafft haben, und ich bin mit diesem Glauben nicht allein.\n\nLassen Sie mich eines klarstellen: Meine Untersuchung hat noch keine Beweise erbracht, die einige der wilderen Verschw\u00f6rungen unterst\u00fctzen, die das ganze Spektrum umspannen, wie z.B. dass die gew\u00e4hlte Imperatorin Addison eine Xi'an-Schl\u00e4ferin ist. Ich werde diesem Feuer keinen Brennstoff hinzuf\u00fcgen, bis ich Beweise f\u00fcr eine solche Behauptung sehe. Au\u00dferdem scheint dieser Trick f\u00fcr den gerissenen Xi'an zu unelegant zu sein. Sie wissen, dass die direkte Kontrolle \u00fcber einen Imperator \u00e4u\u00dferst riskant und f\u00fcr die Xeno-Beziehungen potentiell katastrophal w\u00e4re, wenn diese Verbindung jemals aufgedeckt w\u00fcrde. Nein, sie w\u00fcrden es wahrscheinlich vorziehen, ihren Einfluss etwas diskreter zu halten. Wer k\u00f6nnte also eine solche Kraft innerhalb von Addisons Kampagne sein? Nun, es gibt mehrere m\u00e4chtige Akteure mit starken Verbindungen zu Xi'an-Einheiten, die wir uns etwas sp\u00e4ter in der Sendung ansehen werden.\n\nIch kann nicht glauben, dass ich das sage, aber diese Wahl hat mich dazu gebracht, \u00fcber das alte Sprichwort nachzudenken: \"Besser der Teufel, den du kennst, als der Teufel, den du nicht kennst\". Durch meine Nachforschungen ist mir klar geworden, dass es im kommenden Januar unm\u00f6glich sein wird, vorherzusagen, was Addison tun wird, wenn sie einmal die Kontrolle \u00fcber das Imperium hat. Und da sie unabh\u00e4ngig ist, gibt es keine politische Partei oder ein Unternehmen, das in der Lage ist, sie an ihren Interessen auszurichten. Sicherlich k\u00e4mpfen sie jetzt alle um ihre Aufmerksamkeit, aber sie haben nicht den gleichen Einfluss auf sie wie die anderen Kandidaten. Wem gegen\u00fcber ist sie also verpflichtet? Glauben Sie wirklich, dass es nur wir sind, die W\u00e4hler?\n\nVielleicht bin ich einfach zu zynisch geworden. Vielleicht ist es noch zu fr\u00fch, um eine Addison-Verwaltung im Voraus zu beurteilen, aber hier stimmt etwas nicht. Entweder war sie irgendwie die perfekte Kandidatin, die zur perfekten Zeit kandidierte, oder eine unbekannte Kraft half, sie zum idealen leeren Gef\u00e4\u00df zu formen und zog hinter den Kulissen F\u00e4den, um ihr bei der Wahl zu helfen. Bis wir wirklich wissen, wer Laylani Addison ist, m\u00fcssen wir wachsam bleiben und bereit sein, auf jede Ungerechtigkeit zu reagieren, denn unser Imperium k\u00f6nnte uns jetzt mehr denn je brauchen.\n\nWir m\u00fcssen eine kurze Pause einlegen. Wenn wir zur\u00fcckkehren, werde ich mit Shigemori Wakefield \u00fcber die Einzelheiten von Jesse Baigent's Arbeit an HuXa und andere starke Verbindungen zwischen von Xi'an kontrollierten Unternehmen und Mitgliedern der Addison-Kampagne sprechen. Dann werde ich tief in jeden Aspekt von Addisons pers\u00f6nlicher Geschichte eintauchen und fragen, ob ihr Hintergrund zu gut ist, um wahr zu sein, und, was am wichtigsten ist, ob wir irgendetwas tun k\u00f6nnen, um das Imperium zu retten. Das und mehr, wenn PLAIN TRUTH zur\u00fcckkehrt.","zh_CN":"< Transmission Begins >\n\u2018Black box\u2019 has always been an interesting term to me. It\u2019s both defined as a nigh-indestructible flight recorder, literally designed to preserve truth through catastrophic circumstances, and a system whose inner truths remain hidden. I\u2019ve always wondered how people can trust a system that won\u2019t share how it works or why it does what it does. How do you find truth when the forces of darkness specifically try to obscure it? I don\u2019t know about you, but my name is Parker Terrell, and I won\u2019t let anything stop me from trying to find the Plain Truth.\n\nBefore we dive into today\u2019s topic, I want to share something. I was wrong. Let me admit it right here, right now. Dedicated fans of the show know that I\u2019ve claimed countless times that an independent candidate could never be elected Imperator. Or, to be more accurate, that the powers that be would never let it happen. Yet, here we are. The people have elected Laylani Addison, an independent candidate and self-professed education advocate, to be our next Imperator. This time last year, most of us didn\u2019t even know Laylani Addison existed. Now, she\u2019s months away from taking control of our empire.\n\nLet me admit something else to you now. Addison\u2019s election has surprised me in more ways than one. I never thought I\u2019d see the day an independent got elected, and I never, ever expected that day to worry me so much.\n\nNow, I haven\u2019t really hidden my general disgust for this crop of Imperator candidates: bland, boring, and shockingly silent about anything related to the Vanduul war. Forget about asking how much more money they\u2019re willing to waste on it. I spent the past few months arguing why none of the major-party candidates deserved to be Imperator, and, in some twisted way, I got exactly what I wanted.\n\nDuring the campaign, I didn\u2019t go on the attack against Addison often, but when I did, I called her pro-AI policies reckless and potentially catastrophic. I found the hubris of her position to be absolutely infuriating. After all the issues Humanity has had with AI, after all the close calls, how can she suddenly claim that it\u2019s safe to proceed? Her intellectual arrogance is on full display with her assertion that she\u2019s the one who can ensure this will be done safely. If this doesn\u2019t concern you, then it absolutely should. Because if she\u2019s wrong, the downside won\u2019t just be wasted taxpayer credits\u2026 history has taught us that lives can be lost as well.\n\nMy issues with Addison aren\u2019t all related to her audacious AI stance. About her proposed budget, I went on record saying that negotiating peace with the Vanduul feels like a more realistic policy goal. There were also big red flags around her commitment to increase Synthworld spending and sell off taxpayer-funded tech. An interesting, uber-capitalist position for a candidate who bragged about not taking donations from mega-corps and swore to only be beholden to voters.\n\nWell, you know me, I\u2019m not one to take a politician on their word. I might not have talked about Addison much during the last leg of the campaign, but that doesn\u2019t mean I wasn\u2019t digging around, investigating what was real and what was political posturing. Well, today\u2019s entire show will be dedicated to sharing the details of my investigation into Imperator-Elect Addison and the truth hidden beneath the shadows of her campaign. Hopefully what I\u2019m about to tell you concerns you as much as it does me.\n\nLet me begin by saying that my findings are not complete. Certain avenues of investigation are ongoing and, out of an abundance of concern for my sources, I\u2019m not going to disclose everything I know. But I promise you, the truth won\u2019t stay hidden forever.\n\nMy investigation began exactly where it all started for Imperator-Elect Addison: Oya III. She may have spent time on Rhetor, but the relationship with her homeworld is what really defines her. She grew up next to the only slice of Xi\u2019an sovereign land within the UEE and it makes her the first Imperator to have spent her childhood under the overwhelming influence of true Xi\u2019an neighbors. A formative life-experience she credits with inspiring her passion for learning, but it surely must have shaped her in other ways, right? How could it not?\n\nOya III is also where Addison met Jesse Baigent, her longtime spouse and recent campaign manager. Born and raised on Terra, they first met when Baigent was running an Oya III-based consulting firm focused on increasing Human and Xi\u2019an trade. Baigent relocated the firm to Rhetor when Addison\u2019s academic career brought the couple to the system, and he ran it right up until the day he joined his wife\u2019s campaign. Though not well known publicly, Baigent recently made a name for himself in diplomatic circles when his firm was hired by the UEE government to consult on the HuXa negotiations, allegedly receiving several lucrative contracts related to this work over the years. Although his specific involvement in the trade deal remains undisclosed, I\u2019ve gained some insight into his relationship with the project. Be sure to stick around so you don\u2019t miss those specifics later in the show.\n\nFor now, let\u2019s keep our attention on Imperator-Elect Addison. Someone I understand less and less the more I get to know her. Somehow, she represents both definitions of \u2018black box\u2019 that I mentioned at the top of the show. Her entire life\u2019s history is clear, yet how it all coalesced into her being elected Imperator is a complete mystery. How does a respected academic go from a political unknown to the Imperator within a year? How does someone with no public office experience also happen to be a gifted debater, an effective campaigner, and be blessed with killer political instincts? Addison\u2019s campaign claimed that she and Baigent planned and strategized for years for this campaign. They\u2019ve admitted that it took an incredible amount of work to shape Addison into the political figure she is today. But, I\u2019m not so sure that they did it alone, and I\u2019m not alone in this belief.\n\nLet me be clear, my investigation has yet to turn up any evidence that supports some of the wilder conspiracies swirling around the spectrum, like Imperator-Elect Addison is a Xi\u2019an sleeper agent. I won\u2019t add any fuel to that fire until I see evidence to support such a claim. Plus, that ploy seems too inelegant for the cunning Xi\u2019an. They know that directly controlling an Imperator would be extremely risky and potentially catastrophic to xeno-relations if that connection was ever uncovered. No, they would probably prefer to keep their influence a bit more discreet. So, who might be such a force within Addison\u2019s campaign? Well, there are several powerful players with strong ties to Xi\u2019an entities who we\u2019ll take a look at a little later in the show.\n\nI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m saying this, but this election has made me consider the old saying, \u201cbetter the devil you know than the devil you don\u2019t.\u201d Through my investigation, I\u2019ve realized that come January it will be impossible to predict what Addison will do once in control of the Empire. And as an independent, there\u2019s no political party or corporate operative poised to keep her aligned to its interests. Sure they\u2019re all fighting for her attention now, but they don\u2019t have the same influence over her as the other candidates. So who is she beholden to? Do you really believe it\u2019s just us, the voters?\n\nMaybe I\u2019ve just become too cynical. Maybe it might be too early to pre-judge an Addison administration, but there\u2019s something off here. Either she was somehow the perfect candidate running at the perfect time, or an unknown force helped mold her into the ideal empty vessel and pulled strings behind the scenes to help her get elected. Until we really know who Laylani Addison is, we must remain vigilant and ready to respond to any injustice, because our empire could need us now more than ever.\n\nWe need to take a quick break. When we return, I\u2019ll speak with Shigemori Wakefield about the specifics of Jesse Baigent\u2019s work on HuXa and other strong ties between Xi\u2019an-controlled businesses and members of the Addison campaign. Then, I\u2019ll do a deep dive into every aspect of Addison\u2019s personal history and ask if her background is too good to be true, and most importantly, is there anything we can do to save the empire. That and more when Plain Truth returns."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":137,"created_at":"2020-11-04T02:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"5 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 20:44:17","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":17854,"next_id":17856}}