Plain Truth: Shadow State

< Transmission Begins >
In the land of misinformation, we must rely on the truth to be our guide. No matter how dark and hazy it gets, we must continue our crusade toward the light. This journey begins with us and it starts right here. My name is Parker Terrell, and it’s time for the Plain Truth.

The other day, a news alert popped up on my mobi, a simple headline that said Storm Securities financed the failed assassination of Imperator Costigan. That was it. One simple, declarative statement and the alert went away.

As it turns out, after evidence surfaced that this vaunted company had made payments to Maurice Vano, the assailant killed fleeing the failed assassination of Imperator Costigan, law enforcement raided their New Junction headquarters to look for more information. Publications were suddenly claiming that Storm Securities wasn’t just a company that had once hired Vano for some work. No, these so-called ‘news organizations’ decided to drop all pretense of due process and label Storm Securities as the financier behind the entire operation, without providing a shred of evidence outside of a single, unnamed source.

Now, this took me a bit by surprise because I know the folks who run Storm Securities. Their founder, Hamsa Paul, is a friend of the show, actually. We had him on several years back after a few of their contractors were involved in an unfortunate incident with the Advocacy.

But, we’ll circle back to that point later, because the second I read the news about Storm Securities, I reached out to Hamsa Paul for a comment. The truth of the matter is that Storm Securities hired Vano to do some legal security work and paid him out. That’s it. The company completes hundreds, if not thousands, of similar contracts every year. Yet, the Advocacy still kicked down their front door and used this small connection to Vano as an excuse to help themselves to the company’s records.

I don’t believe the “unnamed Advocacy source” for a second. No, instead I see this new development as a sign that we’ve entered a dangerous new part of the investigation — score settling. The failed assassination of Imperator Costigan has triggered the UEE’s shadow state into action, affording them the political cover to attack their adversaries and further their own sinister agenda.

Some of you have heard me rant and rave about this shadow state before — a cabal of people so powerful that most of the public isn’t aware that they’re the ones pulling the UEE’s strings. I know some of you are shaking your head, asking if this shadow state is so powerful and secretive, then why’s little ol’ Parker Terrell know about it?

Because I’m paying attention.

For instance, have you noticed how little information is truly out there about the attack on Imperator Costigan? Yeah, sure, every day a pundit hops on the spectrum to spin some wild new theory about how it was a Xi’an crime syndicate or some Tevarin separatist group behind it all. But the actual facts of the case are few and far between. Almost like someone doesn’t want us to know what really happened …

Don’t believe me? Well, let’s take a moment and examine exactly what we know about the assassination. Let’s toss every bit of unconfirmed information out the hatch and focus on things we know. That we can prove.

On May 30th, reports of an incident at the Banking Federation Summit in New York City flooded the spectrum. Two verified points rose above all the noise. First, that an assassination attempt aimed at Imperator Costigan had failed, but left one member of the 1st Marine Combat Battalion dead. Second, an individual believed to be involved in the attack was shot dead while fleeing the scene.

Exactly one week after this dramatic incident, Imperator Costigan makes his first public appearance. He arrives on the Senate floor to advocate for the Human-Xi’an Trade Initiative moments before a vote is scheduled on it. This highly unorthodox move would’ve created a political firestorm under normal conditions. HuXa opponents fume at the theatrics, but understand that criticizing the Imperator at such a time would only backfire. A vote is held and HuXa passes by a razor thin margin.

The morning after HuXa was passed, Advocacy Director Thomas Carmody holds his first press conference since the day of the failed assassination. He reveals the name of the individual killed fleeing the scene to be Maurice Vano. He also claims that Vano’s system had a “significant amount” of the new designer drug called Flow in it, but provides no relevant information past that.

Journalists investigate Vano and reveal that he’s ex-Navy. He worked as a merc for decades and has some tenuous ties to a hardlined Terran independence group. The Advocacy raids his flat and hangars. Boxes upon boxes of personal belongings are removed, but there’s no further official comment. His neighbors are hauled in for interviews and then, according to one of them, advised to avoid making comments in the press. Some end up speaking to journalists anyway, but they all say the same thing: Vano kept to himself, but occasionally had outbursts of anger. A description that could be applied to many others.

Despite his checkered past, very little information about his actions over the previous year has surfaced. That is, until last week’s raid on Storm Securities. Suddenly, someone in the Advocacy is leaking like a sieve, claiming that the company might’ve financed the entire operation.

Doesn’t that seem strange? In the two months since the failed assassination, all we’ve gotten from the Advocacy are bare bones facts about the attack and the name of the assailant. There hasn’t been one other leak out of the Advocacy until this “source” came forward to claim that Storm Securities financed the operation.

That got me wondering. Why now?

Well, some of you out there, much like me, might not be too surprised by this turn of events. You might even remember exactly why Storm Securities founder Hamsa Paul was on the show a few years ago.

If you don’t recall, back in 2945, a team of Storm Securities contractors were protecting a cargo hauler when it was jumped by members of the Otoni Syndicate. These security professionals turned the tables on their attackers and eliminated the threat, only to find out that one of the Otoni attackers was actually an undercover Advocacy agent.

The Advocacy came after Storm Securities, claiming that the agent had attempted to notify the operators of his true identity in an effort to maintain his cover, and that the company was liable for what happened. They made Hamsa Paul’s life a living hell for a year, but for all the Advocacy’s bluster, Storm Securities was ultimately cleared of all charges. They put the tragic event behind them, but the Advocacy doesn’t seem to have moved on.

It seems to me that scores are being settled, and this will be but the first controlled leak that happens. Despite all the lies designed to confuse or distract us, we must stay vigilant and on top of the truth more than ever before. The future of the UEE depends on it.

We need to take a quick break. When the Plain Truth returns, I’ll be speaking with Ezra Talen about the shadow state and his new book Whispers & Handshakes, which examines how the real empire-building is happening behind the scenes. That, and more, when we return.

Übertragung beginnt >
Im Land der Fehlinformationen müssen wir uns auf die Wahrheit verlassen, um uns zu leiten. Egal wie dunkel und verschwommen es auch wird, wir müssen unseren Kreuzzug zum Licht fortsetzen. Diese Reise beginnt bei uns und sie beginnt genau hier. Mein Name ist Parker Terrell, und es ist Zeit für die reine Wahrheit.

Neulich tauchte ein Nachrichtenalarm auf meiner Mobi auf, eine einfache Schlagzeile, die besagt, dass Storm Securities das gescheiterte Attentat auf Imperator Costigan finanzierte. Das war's dann. Eine einfache, deklarative Aussage und die Warnung ist verschwunden.

Wie sich herausstellt, nachdem Beweise dafür gefunden wurden, dass dieses gerühmte Unternehmen Zahlungen an Maurice Vano geleistet hatte, tötete der Angreifer auf der Flucht vor dem gescheiterten Attentat auf Imperator Costigan, überfiel die Polizei ihr Hauptquartier in New Junction, um nach weiteren Informationen zu suchen. In den Veröffentlichungen wurde plötzlich behauptet, dass Storm Securities nicht nur ein Unternehmen sei, das Vano einst für einige Arbeiten engagiert habe. Nein, diese so genannten "Nachrichtenorganisationen" haben beschlossen, den Vorwand des ordentlichen Verfahrens aufzugeben und Storm Securities als Finanzier hinter der gesamten Operation zu benennen, ohne einen Funken Beweismaterial außerhalb einer einzigen, unbenannten Quelle zu liefern.

Nun, das hat mich ein wenig überrascht, denn ich kenne die Leute, die Storm Securities leiten. Ihr Gründer, Hamsa Paul, ist eigentlich eine Freundin der Show. Wir hatten ihn vor einigen Jahren, nachdem einige ihrer Auftragnehmer in einen unglücklichen Vorfall mit der Advocacy verwickelt waren.

Aber, wir werden später auf diesen Punkt zurückkommen, denn in der Sekunde, in der ich die Nachrichten über Storm Securities las, habe ich Hamsa Paul um einen Kommentar gebeten. Die Wahrheit ist, dass Storm Securities Vano mit der Arbeit in der Rechtssicherheit beauftragte und ihn auszahlte. Das ist es. Das ist es. Das Unternehmen schließt jedes Jahr Hunderte, wenn nicht sogar Tausende von ähnlichen Verträgen ab. Dennoch trat die Advocacy immer noch die Haustür ein und nutzte diese kleine Verbindung zu Vano als Vorwand, um sich bei den Akten des Unternehmens zu bedienen.

Ich glaube nicht, dass die "ungenannte Advocacy-Quelle" für eine Sekunde. Nein, stattdessen sehe ich diese neue Entwicklung als ein Zeichen dafür, dass wir in einen gefährlichen neuen Teil der Untersuchung eingetreten sind - die Abrechnung. Die gescheiterte Ermordung von Imperator Costigan hat den Schattenstaat der UEE in Gang gesetzt und ihnen die politische Deckung gegeben, ihre Gegner anzugreifen und ihre eigene unheimliche Agenda voranzutreiben.

Einige von euch haben mich schon einmal über diesen Schattenzustand schimpfen und schwärmen hören - eine Kabale von Menschen, die so mächtig sind, dass die meisten der Öffentlichkeit nicht wissen, dass sie diejenigen sind, die die Fäden der UEE ziehen. Ich weiß, dass einige von euch den Kopf schütteln und fragen, ob dieser Schattenzustand so mächtig und geheimnisvoll ist, warum weiß dann der kleine alte Parker Terrell davon?

Weil ich aufmerksam bin.

Haben Sie zum Beispiel bemerkt, wie wenig Informationen wirklich über den Angriff auf Imperator Costigan vorhanden sind? Ja, sicher, jeden Tag springt ein Pandit auf das Spektrum, um eine wilde neue Theorie darüber zu entwickeln, wie es ein Xi'an-Verbrechersyndikat oder eine separatistische Tevarin-Gruppe hinter allem war. Aber die tatsächlichen Fakten des Falles sind selten. Fast so, als ob jemand nicht will, dass wir wissen, was wirklich passiert ist....

Glaubst du mir nicht? Nun, nehmen wir uns einen Moment Zeit und untersuchen genau, was wir über das Attentat wissen. Lassen Sie uns jedes bisschen unbestätigte Informationen aus der Luke werfen und uns auf das konzentrieren, was wir wissen. Das können wir beweisen.

Am 30. Mai überfluteten Berichte über einen Vorfall auf dem Banking Federation Summit in New York City das Spektrum. Zwei verifizierte Punkte stiegen über das gesamte Geräusch. Erstens, dass ein Attentatsversuch auf Imperator Costigan gescheitert war, aber ein Mitglied des 1. Marine Combat Battalion tot ließ. Zweitens wurde eine Person, von der angenommen wurde, dass sie in den Angriff verwickelt war, auf der Flucht vom Tatort erschossen.

Genau eine Woche nach diesem dramatischen Vorfall tritt Imperator Costigan zum ersten Mal öffentlich auf. Er kommt im Senat an, um sich für die Human-Xi'an Handelsinitiative einzusetzen, kurz bevor eine Abstimmung darüber geplant ist. Dieser höchst unorthodoxe Zug hätte unter normalen Bedingungen einen politischen Feuersturm ausgelöst. HuXa-Gegner rauchen in der Theatralik, verstehen aber, dass eine Kritik am Imperator zu einem solchen Zeitpunkt nur nach hinten losgehen würde. Eine Abstimmung findet statt und HuXa passiert einen hauchdünnen Rand.

Am Morgen nach der Verabschiedung von HuXa hält Advocacy Director Thomas Carmody seine erste Pressekonferenz seit dem Tag des gescheiterten Attentats. Er enthüllt den Namen der getöteten Person, die auf der Flucht vor dem Tatort Maurice Vano war. Er behauptet auch, dass Vano's System eine "signifikante Menge" der neuen Designerdroge Flow darin hatte, aber keine relevanten Informationen darüber hinaus liefert.

Journalisten untersuchen Vano und enthüllen, dass er ein Ex-Navy-Mann ist. Er arbeitete jahrzehntelang als Söldner und hat einige schwache Verbindungen zu einer hartgesottenen terranischen Unabhängigkeitsgruppe. Die Advocacy überfällt seine Wohnung und seine Hangars. Kisten auf Kisten mit persönlichen Gegenständen werden entfernt, aber es gibt keinen weiteren offiziellen Kommentar. Seine Nachbarn werden zu Interviews herangezogen und dann, so einer von ihnen, geraten, Kommentare in der Presse zu vermeiden. Einige sprechen sowieso mit Journalisten, aber sie alle sagen das Gleiche: Vano behielt sich für sich, hatte aber gelegentlich Ausbrüche von Wut. Eine Beschreibung, die auf viele andere angewendet werden kann.

Trotz seiner wechselvollen Vergangenheit sind nur sehr wenige Informationen über seine Handlungen im vergangenen Jahr aufgetaucht. Das heißt, bis zum Überfall auf Storm Securities letzte Woche. Plötzlich leckt jemand in der Advocacy wie ein Sieb und behauptet, dass das Unternehmen den gesamten Betrieb finanziert haben könnte.

Sieht das nicht seltsam aus? In den zwei Monaten seit dem gescheiterten Attentat sind alles, was wir von der Advocacy erhalten haben, nackte Fakten über den Angriff und den Namen des Angreifers. Es gab kein weiteres Leck in der Advocacy, bis diese "Quelle" auftrat, um zu behaupten, dass Storm Securities die Operation finanziert habe.

Das brachte mich zum Nachdenken. Warum jetzt?

Nun, einige von euch da draußen, genau wie ich, sind vielleicht nicht allzu überrascht von dieser Wendung der Ereignisse. Vielleicht erinnern Sie sich sogar genau daran, warum Hamsa Paul, Gründer von Storm Securities, vor einigen Jahren auf der Messe war.

Wenn Sie sich nicht mehr daran erinnern, im Jahr 2945, schützte ein Team von Storm Securities Auftragnehmern einen Frachtschiff, als es von Mitgliedern des Otoni-Syndikats überfallen wurde. Diese Sicherheitsexperten drehten den Spieß um und eliminierten die Bedrohung, nur um herauszufinden, dass einer der Otoni-Attentäter tatsächlich ein Undercover-Agent von Advocacy war.

The Advocacy kam nach Storm Securities und behauptete, dass der Agent versucht habe, den Betreibern seine wahre Identität mitzuteilen, um seine Deckung aufrechtzuerhalten, und dass das Unternehmen für das Geschehene haftbar sei. Sie machten Hamsa Pauls Leben ein Jahr lang zur Hölle, aber bei allem Toben der Advocacy wurde Storm Securities schließlich von allen Anklagen befreit. Sie haben das tragische Ereignis hinter sich gelassen, aber die Advocacy scheint nicht weitergemacht zu haben.

Es scheint mir, dass die Ergebnisse ausgeglichen werden, und das wird nur das erste kontrollierte Leck sein, das auftritt. Trotz all der Lügen, die dazu bestimmt sind, uns zu verwirren oder abzulenken, müssen wir mehr denn je wachsam und auf der Höhe der Wahrheit bleiben. Die Zukunft der UEE hängt davon ab.

Wir müssen eine kurze Pause einlegen. Wenn die schlichte Wahrheit zurückkehrt, werde ich mit Ezra Talen über den Schattenzustand und sein neues Buch Whispers & Handshakes sprechen, das untersucht, wie sich der wahre Aufbau des Imperiums hinter den Kulissen abspielt. Das und noch mehr, wenn wir zurückkehren.

< Transmission Begins >
In the land of misinformation, we must rely on the truth to be our guide. No matter how dark and hazy it gets, we must continue our crusade toward the light. This journey begins with us and it starts right here. My name is Parker Terrell, and it’s time for the Plain Truth.

The other day, a news alert popped up on my mobi, a simple headline that said Storm Securities financed the failed assassination of Imperator Costigan. That was it. One simple, declarative statement and the alert went away.

As it turns out, after evidence surfaced that this vaunted company had made payments to Maurice Vano, the assailant killed fleeing the failed assassination of Imperator Costigan, law enforcement raided their New Junction headquarters to look for more information. Publications were suddenly claiming that Storm Securities wasn’t just a company that had once hired Vano for some work. No, these so-called ‘news organizations’ decided to drop all pretense of due process and label Storm Securities as the financier behind the entire operation, without providing a shred of evidence outside of a single, unnamed source.

Now, this took me a bit by surprise because I know the folks who run Storm Securities. Their founder, Hamsa Paul, is a friend of the show, actually. We had him on several years back after a few of their contractors were involved in an unfortunate incident with the Advocacy.

But, we’ll circle back to that point later, because the second I read the news about Storm Securities, I reached out to Hamsa Paul for a comment. The truth of the matter is that Storm Securities hired Vano to do some legal security work and paid him out. That’s it. The company completes hundreds, if not thousands, of similar contracts every year. Yet, the Advocacy still kicked down their front door and used this small connection to Vano as an excuse to help themselves to the company’s records.

I don’t believe the “unnamed Advocacy source” for a second. No, instead I see this new development as a sign that we’ve entered a dangerous new part of the investigation — score settling. The failed assassination of Imperator Costigan has triggered the UEE’s shadow state into action, affording them the political cover to attack their adversaries and further their own sinister agenda.

Some of you have heard me rant and rave about this shadow state before — a cabal of people so powerful that most of the public isn’t aware that they’re the ones pulling the UEE’s strings. I know some of you are shaking your head, asking if this shadow state is so powerful and secretive, then why’s little ol’ Parker Terrell know about it?

Because I’m paying attention.

For instance, have you noticed how little information is truly out there about the attack on Imperator Costigan? Yeah, sure, every day a pundit hops on the spectrum to spin some wild new theory about how it was a Xi’an crime syndicate or some Tevarin separatist group behind it all. But the actual facts of the case are few and far between. Almost like someone doesn’t want us to know what really happened …

Don’t believe me? Well, let’s take a moment and examine exactly what we know about the assassination. Let’s toss every bit of unconfirmed information out the hatch and focus on things we know. That we can prove.

On May 30th, reports of an incident at the Banking Federation Summit in New York City flooded the spectrum. Two verified points rose above all the noise. First, that an assassination attempt aimed at Imperator Costigan had failed, but left one member of the 1st Marine Combat Battalion dead. Second, an individual believed to be involved in the attack was shot dead while fleeing the scene.

Exactly one week after this dramatic incident, Imperator Costigan makes his first public appearance. He arrives on the Senate floor to advocate for the Human-Xi’an Trade Initiative moments before a vote is scheduled on it. This highly unorthodox move would’ve created a political firestorm under normal conditions. HuXa opponents fume at the theatrics, but understand that criticizing the Imperator at such a time would only backfire. A vote is held and HuXa passes by a razor thin margin.

The morning after HuXa was passed, Advocacy Director Thomas Carmody holds his first press conference since the day of the failed assassination. He reveals the name of the individual killed fleeing the scene to be Maurice Vano. He also claims that Vano’s system had a “significant amount” of the new designer drug called Flow in it, but provides no relevant information past that.

Journalists investigate Vano and reveal that he’s ex-Navy. He worked as a merc for decades and has some tenuous ties to a hardlined Terran independence group. The Advocacy raids his flat and hangars. Boxes upon boxes of personal belongings are removed, but there’s no further official comment. His neighbors are hauled in for interviews and then, according to one of them, advised to avoid making comments in the press. Some end up speaking to journalists anyway, but they all say the same thing: Vano kept to himself, but occasionally had outbursts of anger. A description that could be applied to many others.

Despite his checkered past, very little information about his actions over the previous year has surfaced. That is, until last week’s raid on Storm Securities. Suddenly, someone in the Advocacy is leaking like a sieve, claiming that the company might’ve financed the entire operation.

Doesn’t that seem strange? In the two months since the failed assassination, all we’ve gotten from the Advocacy are bare bones facts about the attack and the name of the assailant. There hasn’t been one other leak out of the Advocacy until this “source” came forward to claim that Storm Securities financed the operation.

That got me wondering. Why now?

Well, some of you out there, much like me, might not be too surprised by this turn of events. You might even remember exactly why Storm Securities founder Hamsa Paul was on the show a few years ago.

If you don’t recall, back in 2945, a team of Storm Securities contractors were protecting a cargo hauler when it was jumped by members of the Otoni Syndicate. These security professionals turned the tables on their attackers and eliminated the threat, only to find out that one of the Otoni attackers was actually an undercover Advocacy agent.

The Advocacy came after Storm Securities, claiming that the agent had attempted to notify the operators of his true identity in an effort to maintain his cover, and that the company was liable for what happened. They made Hamsa Paul’s life a living hell for a year, but for all the Advocacy’s bluster, Storm Securities was ultimately cleared of all charges. They put the tragic event behind them, but the Advocacy doesn’t seem to have moved on.

It seems to me that scores are being settled, and this will be but the first controlled leak that happens. Despite all the lies designed to confuse or distract us, we must stay vigilant and on top of the truth more than ever before. The future of the UEE depends on it.

We need to take a quick break. When the Plain Truth returns, I’ll be speaking with Ezra Talen about the shadow state and his new book Whispers & Handshakes, which examines how the real empire-building is happening behind the scenes. That, and more, when we return.