News Update: A Struggle for Goodness
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English
NEW UNITED NewsOrg
A STRUGGLE FOR GOODNESS
by Yong Phillips
Staff Writer
Life has a tendency to overwhelm us. From the most powerful of politicians to the settlers on the fringe, it hits us all in different ways, some big and some small. When life smothers us, when we feel that crushing weight on our hearts and in our heads, we learn a valuable lesson about ourselves. In that darkness, we can learn who we are.
Jenk Gallen knew that harshness at a young age. Born in the slums of Tram in Ferron, Jenk never knew his parents. His earliest memory was being sold to a local slumlord, named Carlo Yenn. At age nine, he was starting to earn his keep as a drug runner when Yenn died in a mysterious fire. The case is still unsolved to this day. Lt. Michael Garza was a patrolman at the time and was the first responder to the fire. He assisted the supervising detective in the case.
“It was one of those cases when we had too many suspects. Carlo Yenn was a total stain. He screwed over or owed money to literally dozens of people, all of whom had the means to knock him out and start the fire,” Garza said via comm. “It was that kid though. There was no proof of course, but you could just tell. After the stories he told, I couldn’t blame him if he had.”
Garza tried to put Gallen through the system, attempting to set him up in communal homes or foster families. None of them took. Gallen never achieved his Equivalency; instead he had multiple run-ins with local police for assault and burglary and spent almost ten years in and out of the penal system. While incarcerated, he became addicted to WiDoW, which helped accelerate his rapid slide to rock bottom.
It wasn’t until he nearly died of an overdose that Gallen decided to turn his life around. He became a devout member of the Fourth Sun Unity Church and fought to extricate himself from the shadow of his criminal life. He began working as a ground-loader while attempting to complete his Equivalency. During that time, he met Ada Sinclair, who was an educational aide at the local school. She helped him through his studies and the two wed two years later.
Soon after that, Gallen began to train on cargo ship simulators in his off-hours and ultimately secured a job as a contract pilot. He and his wife saved up Imperials between three jobs to buy their own ship and start him working as a freelance operator.
“He’d given up all that cheating and lying,” Ada said from the couple’s home in Ferron. the couple’s first child just beginning to show. “I know he had that darkness in him from long ago, but he’d changed. He’d really changed.”
In the darkness of Jenk Gallen’s past, he was called many things; thief, junkie, robber, criminal and convict. Then he emerged to a new host of names: husband, shipper and expectant father. Now he’s facing a new title: spy.
The Xi’Ans’ assertions that Jenk Gallen is a spy, revealed last week through diplomatic comm channels, have shaken the UEE. Reactions have been equally convulsant. Len Wilton is a Public Solicitor out of Goss:
“It makes perfect sense. Of course a covert agency would recruit someone like him. He’s got a background littered with criminal resources. This is a man who’s used to operating outside of the law. It’s just another example of the government’s ridiculously arrogant and hypocritical double-standard when it comes to xenodiplomacy.”
Conversely:
“No. It seems incredibly unlikely,” said Rachel Fo, a former Naval Intelligence analyst who now teaches on Kilian. “Everybody has their own way to vet and tap potential assets, but based on what I’ve seen about Gallen, if I were casing him, his history of addiction and newfound religion would be red flags. They make him too unpredictable, especially for an operation as sensitive as one against the Xi’An would surely be.”
Regardless of all the opinions being lobbed from all corners of the Empire, at the end of the day, Jenk Gallen is back in the world of jails and courts. While, the process of Human justice might have become familiar to him, now he’s faced with a different kind of trial. He is joining the very small list of Humans who have faced a Xi’An High Court.
That is a particularly dangerous concept according to Max Usu, a legal professor on Rhetor whose specialty is intergalactic law with a focus on the Xi’An culture.
“On one hand, Xi’An trials are notoriously long, so the UEE still has time to try and secure the suspect’s release before they pass sentence,” Usu said, via comm-relay. “This is pure speculation as I don’t know what evidence they claim to have on the man. Their laws against espionage are quite severe, so if he’s convicted, there’s a very good possibility that he will be executed.”
Ada Gallen has taken refuge in work. Her Equivalency program registry has been full for the past few weeks, helping her avoid dwelling on that outcome. She says that she has been in touch with representatives from the Senate, Diplomatic Corp, and the High Advocate’s office. They have all pledged their support in helping to secure her husband’s release.
“The government’s response has been wonderful,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “But I don’t want to talk politics, I just want him to come home.”
END NEWSFEED
A STRUGGLE FOR GOODNESS
by Yong Phillips
Staff Writer
Life has a tendency to overwhelm us. From the most powerful of politicians to the settlers on the fringe, it hits us all in different ways, some big and some small. When life smothers us, when we feel that crushing weight on our hearts and in our heads, we learn a valuable lesson about ourselves. In that darkness, we can learn who we are.
Jenk Gallen knew that harshness at a young age. Born in the slums of Tram in Ferron, Jenk never knew his parents. His earliest memory was being sold to a local slumlord, named Carlo Yenn. At age nine, he was starting to earn his keep as a drug runner when Yenn died in a mysterious fire. The case is still unsolved to this day. Lt. Michael Garza was a patrolman at the time and was the first responder to the fire. He assisted the supervising detective in the case.
“It was one of those cases when we had too many suspects. Carlo Yenn was a total stain. He screwed over or owed money to literally dozens of people, all of whom had the means to knock him out and start the fire,” Garza said via comm. “It was that kid though. There was no proof of course, but you could just tell. After the stories he told, I couldn’t blame him if he had.”
Garza tried to put Gallen through the system, attempting to set him up in communal homes or foster families. None of them took. Gallen never achieved his Equivalency; instead he had multiple run-ins with local police for assault and burglary and spent almost ten years in and out of the penal system. While incarcerated, he became addicted to WiDoW, which helped accelerate his rapid slide to rock bottom.
It wasn’t until he nearly died of an overdose that Gallen decided to turn his life around. He became a devout member of the Fourth Sun Unity Church and fought to extricate himself from the shadow of his criminal life. He began working as a ground-loader while attempting to complete his Equivalency. During that time, he met Ada Sinclair, who was an educational aide at the local school. She helped him through his studies and the two wed two years later.
Soon after that, Gallen began to train on cargo ship simulators in his off-hours and ultimately secured a job as a contract pilot. He and his wife saved up Imperials between three jobs to buy their own ship and start him working as a freelance operator.
“He’d given up all that cheating and lying,” Ada said from the couple’s home in Ferron. the couple’s first child just beginning to show. “I know he had that darkness in him from long ago, but he’d changed. He’d really changed.”
In the darkness of Jenk Gallen’s past, he was called many things; thief, junkie, robber, criminal and convict. Then he emerged to a new host of names: husband, shipper and expectant father. Now he’s facing a new title: spy.
The Xi’Ans’ assertions that Jenk Gallen is a spy, revealed last week through diplomatic comm channels, have shaken the UEE. Reactions have been equally convulsant. Len Wilton is a Public Solicitor out of Goss:
“It makes perfect sense. Of course a covert agency would recruit someone like him. He’s got a background littered with criminal resources. This is a man who’s used to operating outside of the law. It’s just another example of the government’s ridiculously arrogant and hypocritical double-standard when it comes to xenodiplomacy.”
Conversely:
“No. It seems incredibly unlikely,” said Rachel Fo, a former Naval Intelligence analyst who now teaches on Kilian. “Everybody has their own way to vet and tap potential assets, but based on what I’ve seen about Gallen, if I were casing him, his history of addiction and newfound religion would be red flags. They make him too unpredictable, especially for an operation as sensitive as one against the Xi’An would surely be.”
Regardless of all the opinions being lobbed from all corners of the Empire, at the end of the day, Jenk Gallen is back in the world of jails and courts. While, the process of Human justice might have become familiar to him, now he’s faced with a different kind of trial. He is joining the very small list of Humans who have faced a Xi’An High Court.
That is a particularly dangerous concept according to Max Usu, a legal professor on Rhetor whose specialty is intergalactic law with a focus on the Xi’An culture.
“On one hand, Xi’An trials are notoriously long, so the UEE still has time to try and secure the suspect’s release before they pass sentence,” Usu said, via comm-relay. “This is pure speculation as I don’t know what evidence they claim to have on the man. Their laws against espionage are quite severe, so if he’s convicted, there’s a very good possibility that he will be executed.”
Ada Gallen has taken refuge in work. Her Equivalency program registry has been full for the past few weeks, helping her avoid dwelling on that outcome. She says that she has been in touch with representatives from the Senate, Diplomatic Corp, and the High Advocate’s office. They have all pledged their support in helping to secure her husband’s release.
“The government’s response has been wonderful,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “But I don’t want to talk politics, I just want him to come home.”
END NEWSFEED
German
NEU VEREINIGTE NachrichtenOrganisation
EIN KAMPF FÜR DAS GUTE
von Yong Phillips
Personalverfasser
Das Leben hat die Tendenz, uns zu überwältigen. Von den mächtigsten Politikern bis hin zu den Siedlern am Rande, es trifft uns alle auf unterschiedliche Weise, einige große und andere kleine. Wenn das Leben uns erdrückt, wenn wir das Gefühl haben, dass die Last auf unser Herz und unseren Kopf drückt, lernen wir eine wertvolle Lektion über uns selbst. In dieser Dunkelheit können wir lernen, wer wir sind.
Jenk Gallen wusste diese Härte schon in jungen Jahren. Geboren in den Slums der Straßenbahn in Ferron, kannte Jenk seine Eltern nicht. Seine früheste Erinnerung wurde an einen lokalen Slumlord namens Carlo Yenn verkauft. Im Alter von neun Jahren begann er, seinen Lebensunterhalt als Drogenschmuggler zu verdienen, als Yenn bei einem mysteriösen Feuer starb. Der Fall ist bis heute ungeklärt. Leutnant Michael Garza war damals Streifenpolizist und war der erste Helfer bei der Brandbekämpfung. Er unterstützte den beaufsichtigenden Detektiv in dem Fall.
"Es war einer dieser Fälle, in denen wir zu viele Verdächtige hatten. Carlo Yenn war ein totaler Makel. Er schraubte über oder verdankte Geld buchstäblich Dutzenden von Menschen, von denen alle die Mittel hatten, ihn auszuschalten und das Feuer zu entfachen", sagte Garza über Funk. "Es war aber dieses Kind. Es gab natürlich keinen Beweis, aber man konnte es einfach erkennen. Nach den Geschichten, die er erzählt hat, kann ich es ihm nicht verübeln, wenn er es getan hat."
Garza versuchte, Gallen durch das System zu bringen, indem er versuchte, ihn in Gemeindehäusern oder Pflegefamilien unterzubringen. Keiner von ihnen hat es geschafft. Gallen erreichte nie seine Äquivalenz, sondern hatte mehrere Zusammenstöße mit der lokalen Polizei wegen Überfall und Einbruch und verbrachte fast zehn Jahre im Strafvollzug. Während er inhaftiert war, wurde er süchtig nach WiDoW, was dazu beitrug, seinen schnellen Abstieg auf den Tiefpunkt zu beschleunigen.
Erst als er fast an einer Überdosis starb, beschloss Gallen, sein Leben zu ändern. Er wurde ein frommes Mitglied der Vierten Sun Unity Church und kämpfte dafür, sich aus dem Schatten seines kriminellen Lebens zu befreien. Er begann als Bodenlader zu arbeiten, während er versuchte, seine Äquivalenz zu vollenden. Während dieser Zeit lernte er Ada Sinclair kennen, die als Lehrerin an der örtlichen Schule tätig war. Sie half ihm durch sein Studium und die zwei Ehe zwei Jahre später.
Bald darauf begann Gallen ausserhalb der Geschäftszeiten mit der Ausbildung auf Frachtschiffsimulatoren und erhielt schließlich einen Job als Vertragspilot. Er und seine Frau sparten zwischen drei Jobs Imperials, um ein eigenes Schiff zu kaufen und ihn als freiberuflichen Betreiber zu beschäftigen.
"Er hatte all das Betrügen und Lügen aufgegeben", sagte Ada aus dem Haus des Paares in Ferron. Das erste Kind des Paares beginnt gerade erst zu erscheinen. "Ich weiß, dass er diese Dunkelheit in sich hatte, von vor langer Zeit, aber er hatte sich verändert. Er hatte sich wirklich verändert."
In der Dunkelheit der Vergangenheit von Jenk Gallen wurde er als Dieb, Junkie, Räuber, Verbrecher und Verurteilter bezeichnet. Dann tauchte er zu einer neuen Vielzahl von Namen auf: Mann, Verlader und werdender Vater. Jetzt steht er vor einem neuen Titel: Spionieren.
Die Xi'Ans' Behauptungen, dass Jenk Gallen ein Spion ist, die letzte Woche durch diplomatische Kommunikationskanäle enthüllt wurden, haben die UEE erschüttert. Die Reaktionen waren ebenfalls krampfhaft. Len Wilton ist ein Staatsanwalt von Goss:
"Es macht vollkommen Sinn. Natürlich würde eine geheime Agentur jemanden wie ihn rekrutieren. Er hat einen Hintergrund voller krimineller Ressourcen. Das ist ein Mann, der es gewohnt ist, außerhalb des Gesetzes zu arbeiten. Es ist nur ein weiteres Beispiel für die lächerlich arrogante und heuchlerische Doppelmoral der Regierung, wenn es um Xenodiplomatie geht."
Umgekehrt:
"Nein. Es scheint unglaublich unwahrscheinlich", sagte Rachel Fo, eine ehemalige Marine-Intelligence-Analytikerin, die jetzt an Kilian unterrichtet. "Jeder hat seinen eigenen Weg, potenzielle Vermögenswerte zu untersuchen und zu erschließen, aber basierend auf dem, was ich über Gallen gesehen habe, wären seine Geschichte der Sucht und seine neu entdeckte Religion rote Fahnen. Sie machen ihn zu unberechenbar, besonders für eine so sensible Operation wie eine gegen den Xi'An."
Unabhängig von allen Meinungen, die aus allen Teilen des Reiches geäußert werden, ist Jenk Gallen am Ende des Tages wieder in der Welt der Gefängnisse und Gerichte. Während ihm der Prozess der menschlichen Gerechtigkeit vielleicht vertraut geworden ist, steht er jetzt vor einer anderen Art von Prozess. Er schließt sich der sehr kleinen Liste der Menschen an, die sich einem Xi'An High Court gestellt haben.
Das ist ein besonders gefährliches Konzept, so Max Usu, ein Jurist am Rhetor, dessen Spezialgebiet das intergalaktische Recht mit Schwerpunkt auf der Xi'An-Kultur ist.
"Einerseits sind Xi'An-Prozesse notorisch lang, so dass die UEE immer noch Zeit hat, um zu versuchen, die Freilassung des Verdächtigen zu erwirken, bevor sie das Urteil verkünden", sagte Usu per Funk-Relais. "Das ist reine Spekulation, da ich nicht weiß, welche Beweise sie für den Mann haben wollen. Ihre Gesetze gegen Spionage sind ziemlich streng, also wenn er verurteilt wird, gibt es eine sehr gute Möglichkeit, dass er hingerichtet wird."
Ada Gallen hat Zuflucht in der Arbeit gefunden. Ihre Registrierung für das Äquivalenzprogramm war in den letzten Wochen voll und half ihr, dieses Ergebnis zu vermeiden. Sie sagt, dass sie mit Vertretern des Senats, der Diplomatie und des Büros des Hohen Anwalts in Kontakt stand. Sie alle haben ihre Unterstützung zugesagt, um die Freilassung ihres Mannes zu sichern.
"Die Reaktion der Regierung war wunderbar", sagte sie und Tränen sprudelten in ihren Augen. "Aber ich will nicht über Politik reden, ich will nur, dass er nach Hause kommt."
ENDE NEWSFEED
EIN KAMPF FÜR DAS GUTE
von Yong Phillips
Personalverfasser
Das Leben hat die Tendenz, uns zu überwältigen. Von den mächtigsten Politikern bis hin zu den Siedlern am Rande, es trifft uns alle auf unterschiedliche Weise, einige große und andere kleine. Wenn das Leben uns erdrückt, wenn wir das Gefühl haben, dass die Last auf unser Herz und unseren Kopf drückt, lernen wir eine wertvolle Lektion über uns selbst. In dieser Dunkelheit können wir lernen, wer wir sind.
Jenk Gallen wusste diese Härte schon in jungen Jahren. Geboren in den Slums der Straßenbahn in Ferron, kannte Jenk seine Eltern nicht. Seine früheste Erinnerung wurde an einen lokalen Slumlord namens Carlo Yenn verkauft. Im Alter von neun Jahren begann er, seinen Lebensunterhalt als Drogenschmuggler zu verdienen, als Yenn bei einem mysteriösen Feuer starb. Der Fall ist bis heute ungeklärt. Leutnant Michael Garza war damals Streifenpolizist und war der erste Helfer bei der Brandbekämpfung. Er unterstützte den beaufsichtigenden Detektiv in dem Fall.
"Es war einer dieser Fälle, in denen wir zu viele Verdächtige hatten. Carlo Yenn war ein totaler Makel. Er schraubte über oder verdankte Geld buchstäblich Dutzenden von Menschen, von denen alle die Mittel hatten, ihn auszuschalten und das Feuer zu entfachen", sagte Garza über Funk. "Es war aber dieses Kind. Es gab natürlich keinen Beweis, aber man konnte es einfach erkennen. Nach den Geschichten, die er erzählt hat, kann ich es ihm nicht verübeln, wenn er es getan hat."
Garza versuchte, Gallen durch das System zu bringen, indem er versuchte, ihn in Gemeindehäusern oder Pflegefamilien unterzubringen. Keiner von ihnen hat es geschafft. Gallen erreichte nie seine Äquivalenz, sondern hatte mehrere Zusammenstöße mit der lokalen Polizei wegen Überfall und Einbruch und verbrachte fast zehn Jahre im Strafvollzug. Während er inhaftiert war, wurde er süchtig nach WiDoW, was dazu beitrug, seinen schnellen Abstieg auf den Tiefpunkt zu beschleunigen.
Erst als er fast an einer Überdosis starb, beschloss Gallen, sein Leben zu ändern. Er wurde ein frommes Mitglied der Vierten Sun Unity Church und kämpfte dafür, sich aus dem Schatten seines kriminellen Lebens zu befreien. Er begann als Bodenlader zu arbeiten, während er versuchte, seine Äquivalenz zu vollenden. Während dieser Zeit lernte er Ada Sinclair kennen, die als Lehrerin an der örtlichen Schule tätig war. Sie half ihm durch sein Studium und die zwei Ehe zwei Jahre später.
Bald darauf begann Gallen ausserhalb der Geschäftszeiten mit der Ausbildung auf Frachtschiffsimulatoren und erhielt schließlich einen Job als Vertragspilot. Er und seine Frau sparten zwischen drei Jobs Imperials, um ein eigenes Schiff zu kaufen und ihn als freiberuflichen Betreiber zu beschäftigen.
"Er hatte all das Betrügen und Lügen aufgegeben", sagte Ada aus dem Haus des Paares in Ferron. Das erste Kind des Paares beginnt gerade erst zu erscheinen. "Ich weiß, dass er diese Dunkelheit in sich hatte, von vor langer Zeit, aber er hatte sich verändert. Er hatte sich wirklich verändert."
In der Dunkelheit der Vergangenheit von Jenk Gallen wurde er als Dieb, Junkie, Räuber, Verbrecher und Verurteilter bezeichnet. Dann tauchte er zu einer neuen Vielzahl von Namen auf: Mann, Verlader und werdender Vater. Jetzt steht er vor einem neuen Titel: Spionieren.
Die Xi'Ans' Behauptungen, dass Jenk Gallen ein Spion ist, die letzte Woche durch diplomatische Kommunikationskanäle enthüllt wurden, haben die UEE erschüttert. Die Reaktionen waren ebenfalls krampfhaft. Len Wilton ist ein Staatsanwalt von Goss:
"Es macht vollkommen Sinn. Natürlich würde eine geheime Agentur jemanden wie ihn rekrutieren. Er hat einen Hintergrund voller krimineller Ressourcen. Das ist ein Mann, der es gewohnt ist, außerhalb des Gesetzes zu arbeiten. Es ist nur ein weiteres Beispiel für die lächerlich arrogante und heuchlerische Doppelmoral der Regierung, wenn es um Xenodiplomatie geht."
Umgekehrt:
"Nein. Es scheint unglaublich unwahrscheinlich", sagte Rachel Fo, eine ehemalige Marine-Intelligence-Analytikerin, die jetzt an Kilian unterrichtet. "Jeder hat seinen eigenen Weg, potenzielle Vermögenswerte zu untersuchen und zu erschließen, aber basierend auf dem, was ich über Gallen gesehen habe, wären seine Geschichte der Sucht und seine neu entdeckte Religion rote Fahnen. Sie machen ihn zu unberechenbar, besonders für eine so sensible Operation wie eine gegen den Xi'An."
Unabhängig von allen Meinungen, die aus allen Teilen des Reiches geäußert werden, ist Jenk Gallen am Ende des Tages wieder in der Welt der Gefängnisse und Gerichte. Während ihm der Prozess der menschlichen Gerechtigkeit vielleicht vertraut geworden ist, steht er jetzt vor einer anderen Art von Prozess. Er schließt sich der sehr kleinen Liste der Menschen an, die sich einem Xi'An High Court gestellt haben.
Das ist ein besonders gefährliches Konzept, so Max Usu, ein Jurist am Rhetor, dessen Spezialgebiet das intergalaktische Recht mit Schwerpunkt auf der Xi'An-Kultur ist.
"Einerseits sind Xi'An-Prozesse notorisch lang, so dass die UEE immer noch Zeit hat, um zu versuchen, die Freilassung des Verdächtigen zu erwirken, bevor sie das Urteil verkünden", sagte Usu per Funk-Relais. "Das ist reine Spekulation, da ich nicht weiß, welche Beweise sie für den Mann haben wollen. Ihre Gesetze gegen Spionage sind ziemlich streng, also wenn er verurteilt wird, gibt es eine sehr gute Möglichkeit, dass er hingerichtet wird."
Ada Gallen hat Zuflucht in der Arbeit gefunden. Ihre Registrierung für das Äquivalenzprogramm war in den letzten Wochen voll und half ihr, dieses Ergebnis zu vermeiden. Sie sagt, dass sie mit Vertretern des Senats, der Diplomatie und des Büros des Hohen Anwalts in Kontakt stand. Sie alle haben ihre Unterstützung zugesagt, um die Freilassung ihres Mannes zu sichern.
"Die Reaktion der Regierung war wunderbar", sagte sie und Tränen sprudelten in ihren Augen. "Aber ich will nicht über Politik reden, ich will nur, dass er nach Hause kommt."
ENDE NEWSFEED
Chinese
NEW UNITED NewsOrg
A STRUGGLE FOR GOODNESS
by Yong Phillips
Staff Writer
Life has a tendency to overwhelm us. From the most powerful of politicians to the settlers on the fringe, it hits us all in different ways, some big and some small. When life smothers us, when we feel that crushing weight on our hearts and in our heads, we learn a valuable lesson about ourselves. In that darkness, we can learn who we are.
Jenk Gallen knew that harshness at a young age. Born in the slums of Tram in Ferron, Jenk never knew his parents. His earliest memory was being sold to a local slumlord, named Carlo Yenn. At age nine, he was starting to earn his keep as a drug runner when Yenn died in a mysterious fire. The case is still unsolved to this day. Lt. Michael Garza was a patrolman at the time and was the first responder to the fire. He assisted the supervising detective in the case.
“It was one of those cases when we had too many suspects. Carlo Yenn was a total stain. He screwed over or owed money to literally dozens of people, all of whom had the means to knock him out and start the fire,” Garza said via comm. “It was that kid though. There was no proof of course, but you could just tell. After the stories he told, I couldn’t blame him if he had.”
Garza tried to put Gallen through the system, attempting to set him up in communal homes or foster families. None of them took. Gallen never achieved his Equivalency; instead he had multiple run-ins with local police for assault and burglary and spent almost ten years in and out of the penal system. While incarcerated, he became addicted to WiDoW, which helped accelerate his rapid slide to rock bottom.
It wasn’t until he nearly died of an overdose that Gallen decided to turn his life around. He became a devout member of the Fourth Sun Unity Church and fought to extricate himself from the shadow of his criminal life. He began working as a ground-loader while attempting to complete his Equivalency. During that time, he met Ada Sinclair, who was an educational aide at the local school. She helped him through his studies and the two wed two years later.
Soon after that, Gallen began to train on cargo ship simulators in his off-hours and ultimately secured a job as a contract pilot. He and his wife saved up Imperials between three jobs to buy their own ship and start him working as a freelance operator.
“He’d given up all that cheating and lying,” Ada said from the couple’s home in Ferron. the couple’s first child just beginning to show. “I know he had that darkness in him from long ago, but he’d changed. He’d really changed.”
In the darkness of Jenk Gallen’s past, he was called many things; thief, junkie, robber, criminal and convict. Then he emerged to a new host of names: husband, shipper and expectant father. Now he’s facing a new title: spy.
The Xi’Ans’ assertions that Jenk Gallen is a spy, revealed last week through diplomatic comm channels, have shaken the UEE. Reactions have been equally convulsant. Len Wilton is a Public Solicitor out of Goss:
“It makes perfect sense. Of course a covert agency would recruit someone like him. He’s got a background littered with criminal resources. This is a man who’s used to operating outside of the law. It’s just another example of the government’s ridiculously arrogant and hypocritical double-standard when it comes to xenodiplomacy.”
Conversely:
“No. It seems incredibly unlikely,” said Rachel Fo, a former Naval Intelligence analyst who now teaches on Kilian. “Everybody has their own way to vet and tap potential assets, but based on what I’ve seen about Gallen, if I were casing him, his history of addiction and newfound religion would be red flags. They make him too unpredictable, especially for an operation as sensitive as one against the Xi’An would surely be.”
Regardless of all the opinions being lobbed from all corners of the Empire, at the end of the day, Jenk Gallen is back in the world of jails and courts. While, the process of Human justice might have become familiar to him, now he’s faced with a different kind of trial. He is joining the very small list of Humans who have faced a Xi’An High Court.
That is a particularly dangerous concept according to Max Usu, a legal professor on Rhetor whose specialty is intergalactic law with a focus on the Xi’An culture.
“On one hand, Xi’An trials are notoriously long, so the UEE still has time to try and secure the suspect’s release before they pass sentence,” Usu said, via comm-relay. “This is pure speculation as I don’t know what evidence they claim to have on the man. Their laws against espionage are quite severe, so if he’s convicted, there’s a very good possibility that he will be executed.”
Ada Gallen has taken refuge in work. Her Equivalency program registry has been full for the past few weeks, helping her avoid dwelling on that outcome. She says that she has been in touch with representatives from the Senate, Diplomatic Corp, and the High Advocate’s office. They have all pledged their support in helping to secure her husband’s release.
“The government’s response has been wonderful,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “But I don’t want to talk politics, I just want him to come home.”
END NEWSFEED
A STRUGGLE FOR GOODNESS
by Yong Phillips
Staff Writer
Life has a tendency to overwhelm us. From the most powerful of politicians to the settlers on the fringe, it hits us all in different ways, some big and some small. When life smothers us, when we feel that crushing weight on our hearts and in our heads, we learn a valuable lesson about ourselves. In that darkness, we can learn who we are.
Jenk Gallen knew that harshness at a young age. Born in the slums of Tram in Ferron, Jenk never knew his parents. His earliest memory was being sold to a local slumlord, named Carlo Yenn. At age nine, he was starting to earn his keep as a drug runner when Yenn died in a mysterious fire. The case is still unsolved to this day. Lt. Michael Garza was a patrolman at the time and was the first responder to the fire. He assisted the supervising detective in the case.
“It was one of those cases when we had too many suspects. Carlo Yenn was a total stain. He screwed over or owed money to literally dozens of people, all of whom had the means to knock him out and start the fire,” Garza said via comm. “It was that kid though. There was no proof of course, but you could just tell. After the stories he told, I couldn’t blame him if he had.”
Garza tried to put Gallen through the system, attempting to set him up in communal homes or foster families. None of them took. Gallen never achieved his Equivalency; instead he had multiple run-ins with local police for assault and burglary and spent almost ten years in and out of the penal system. While incarcerated, he became addicted to WiDoW, which helped accelerate his rapid slide to rock bottom.
It wasn’t until he nearly died of an overdose that Gallen decided to turn his life around. He became a devout member of the Fourth Sun Unity Church and fought to extricate himself from the shadow of his criminal life. He began working as a ground-loader while attempting to complete his Equivalency. During that time, he met Ada Sinclair, who was an educational aide at the local school. She helped him through his studies and the two wed two years later.
Soon after that, Gallen began to train on cargo ship simulators in his off-hours and ultimately secured a job as a contract pilot. He and his wife saved up Imperials between three jobs to buy their own ship and start him working as a freelance operator.
“He’d given up all that cheating and lying,” Ada said from the couple’s home in Ferron. the couple’s first child just beginning to show. “I know he had that darkness in him from long ago, but he’d changed. He’d really changed.”
In the darkness of Jenk Gallen’s past, he was called many things; thief, junkie, robber, criminal and convict. Then he emerged to a new host of names: husband, shipper and expectant father. Now he’s facing a new title: spy.
The Xi’Ans’ assertions that Jenk Gallen is a spy, revealed last week through diplomatic comm channels, have shaken the UEE. Reactions have been equally convulsant. Len Wilton is a Public Solicitor out of Goss:
“It makes perfect sense. Of course a covert agency would recruit someone like him. He’s got a background littered with criminal resources. This is a man who’s used to operating outside of the law. It’s just another example of the government’s ridiculously arrogant and hypocritical double-standard when it comes to xenodiplomacy.”
Conversely:
“No. It seems incredibly unlikely,” said Rachel Fo, a former Naval Intelligence analyst who now teaches on Kilian. “Everybody has their own way to vet and tap potential assets, but based on what I’ve seen about Gallen, if I were casing him, his history of addiction and newfound religion would be red flags. They make him too unpredictable, especially for an operation as sensitive as one against the Xi’An would surely be.”
Regardless of all the opinions being lobbed from all corners of the Empire, at the end of the day, Jenk Gallen is back in the world of jails and courts. While, the process of Human justice might have become familiar to him, now he’s faced with a different kind of trial. He is joining the very small list of Humans who have faced a Xi’An High Court.
That is a particularly dangerous concept according to Max Usu, a legal professor on Rhetor whose specialty is intergalactic law with a focus on the Xi’An culture.
“On one hand, Xi’An trials are notoriously long, so the UEE still has time to try and secure the suspect’s release before they pass sentence,” Usu said, via comm-relay. “This is pure speculation as I don’t know what evidence they claim to have on the man. Their laws against espionage are quite severe, so if he’s convicted, there’s a very good possibility that he will be executed.”
Ada Gallen has taken refuge in work. Her Equivalency program registry has been full for the past few weeks, helping her avoid dwelling on that outcome. She says that she has been in touch with representatives from the Senate, Diplomatic Corp, and the High Advocate’s office. They have all pledged their support in helping to secure her husband’s release.
“The government’s response has been wonderful,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “But I don’t want to talk politics, I just want him to come home.”
END NEWSFEED
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- 12 years ago (2013-09-11T00:00:00+00:00)