Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 14, 2011 18:15:39 GMT -5
OOC: We will be keeping actual real world dates vague, to allow for an Earth that stays 'vaguely near future' without having to worry about the real world time overtaking game time, which is often slower moving. The date on this news article, which appears in several human news outlets, corresponds to Earth Month 2, Week 2, Day 1 - one week after the Autobots' visit to the UN. Quotes from Emirate Xaaron and Optimus Prime confirmed with their players.
The world is still reeling from the aftershocks of the arrival of a delegation of alleged extraterrestrials at the United Nations headquarters last week, but there are indications that many areas are already calming as authorities have moved quickly to contain the panic and rioting set off by what most are viewing as the ultimate evidence that we are no longer alone in this universe.
As UN Alien Ambassador and former Earth Defense Command Commander Spike Witwicky has stated, "We've been prepping for this for years now. We expected this - that's why we designated an Alien Ambassador to begin with. We already have procedures in place to deal with the event of extraterrestrial contact, and those procedures are being followed. Don't worry, folks. Things are under control, and we are mobilizing to keep them under control." Spike Witwicky, known for his leadership in the construction of EDC Moonbase One, has stated that he is 'hopeful' that we can establish ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships with these alien lifeforms.
The alleged extraterrestrials claim to represent a faction known as Autobots from a species of robotic lifeforms whom they referred to as the Transformers. These aliens often have two or more forms, and while most of them can transform between a giant, vaguely human-looking robot mode and a vehicle of some sort, some are smaller and have other sorts of alternate modes, such as robotic or even organic-seeming animals. Emirate Xaaron, their primary representative, went on to explain that the Autobots are allied with another faction that he referred to as Maximals and that they were at war with an alliance of three factions called the Decepticons, the Predacons, and Vehicons. According to the Autobots, the opposing factions have a history of conquest, subjugation, and the draining of other worlds' resources.
They have also claimed that they had reason to believe a member the opposing alliance named Shockwave is on Earth in hiding, and that the Autobots are seeking to capture him so that he could be tried for war crimes. To facilitate this, they've requested extradition treaties with the nations of Earth. So far, the United States and Japan have complied, while the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are reportedly only days away from finishing the details of similar treaties. The European Union is reportedly deliberating over whether they should negotiate as a single organization or on a country by country basis, but with the UK poised to sign a treaty of their own, it seems likely that the EU nations will be acting individually. China and North Korea have denied the Autobots' requests, while most other nations, including Russia and many nations in the Middle East, Africa, and South America, have reported needing more time to evaluate the situation.
The initial meetings became tense when an assassin made an attempt on Emirate Xaaron's life, but the situation was swiftly contained by the accompanying Autobots, Emirate Xaaron's second-in-command named Rodimus Prime and a team he referred to as the Elite Guard. The assassin, whose name has not yet been released, was apprehended and immediately turned over to human authorities.
Global reaction to the aliens' arrival has been mixed, with protests in New York City, Washington DC, London, Tokyo, and several other cities that have, in a few cases, turned towards rioting. In many cases, local authorities have moved quickly to contain any violence sparked off by the incident, often in accordance with the procedures mentioned by Ambassador Witwicky.
There have been a number of accusations that the arrival is some sort of hoax, with critics citing their resemblance to humans, the fact that they already know English, the fact that they exactly where the United Nations was headquartered and whom to approach, and even the fact that they extraterrestrials are robot as cause for suspicion. Emirate Xaaron himself has presented a sample of rock which has been confirmed to originate from Mars, explaining that it was 'picked up on the way in.' "While we realize this doesn't necessarily prove that we are from outside your solar system, this sample should demonstrate that we have at least been farther from Earth than your manned missions have taken you."
Expert reaction is split, but already it looks like a majority of scientists are willing to accept the possibility that the Transformers' claims are legitimate, though many caution against jumping to conclusions before appropriate evidence has been presented. Doctor Petr Andronov, a leading expert in the field of artificial intelligence, has stated, "The surprise is not that there are extraterrestrial life forms. I think that most of us have suspected this for a long time now. The surprise is that they are machines, that they are robots, and when you think about the way technology has developed here on Earth, this is not so much of a surprise, either. Their technology, what has been reported of their technology, some of it seems beyond what we are so far capable of. It must be for them to travel the stars, da? But none of it is so far beyond us that it is unimaginable. Even here on Earth, we are very near to making machines that can think. It is not so strange that somewhere else, someone has already done this."
Further confirmation comes, unsurprisingly, from the SETI Project, the independent, non-profit organization that has been searching the cosmos for signs of life for decades. Doctor Carl Haley, astronomer with the SETI project, explains, "We've been sending signals out there for decades, some intentionally, some not so intentionally, and it's entirely conceivable that someone, something out there has received them, learned from them, so that when they came here, they already had an idea on what to expect. In fact, late last week, we had begun tracing what looked to be some sort of... new arrival in our solar system. There were a few reports on it, but we couldn't yet identify it, and I think a lot of people dismissed us. As it turns out... that was them. These are aliens. We are a little disappointed that they ignored our attempts to contact them and went straight to the United Nations, I admit. I mean, this is what we've been doing for decades now. Who at the United Nations knows anything about extraterrestrials? We don't know why they'd go there first. But we can confirm, these guys are not from Earth."
Meanwhile, the Autobots and Maximals themselves have been working to try to calm fears and suspicions sparked off by their arrival. Only days after their initial introduction at the Unite Nations, the Elite Guard arrived at Tasmania to offer their assistance to rescue efforts in the tsunami that devastated the small island late last week. "We're just glad to be able to help," said Optimus Prime, Elite Guard Commander, when interviewed at the scene of the recovery efforts. "As guests on this planet, it's the least we can do."
Despite the incidences of violence in the wake of the alien arrival and fears concerning the other factions mentioned by the Autobots, many humans have embraced contact with the robots. Organizations, clubs, websites, and even religions have sprung up welcoming the Transformers to Earth, inviting the new arrivals into their countries and homes, even imitating the extraterrestrials. Sales of vehicles similar to the ones Autobots are known to turn into have skyrocketed, and the fashion industry is already responding by borrowing design elements present in some of the Transformers' robot modes. Other groups are going even father, creating elaborate costumes in an attempt to appear like miniature versions of the robots. All of these pale in comparison to the claims that these robots are some sort of gods visiting Earth, that this is not their first time here, and that they are here to usher in a new age of enlightenment.
When this was mention to Rodimus Prime, he seemed both amused and embarrassed. "Look, we're not... we're not gods. We are people, we are life, like you are, and we're taught to value all life, whether it's robotic, like us, or organic, like you. We're happy to be here, and we're happy to help in whatever way we can. We're not here to upset anyone, and we're not here to be worshiped. At the end of the day, we're just people, we love and laugh and get angry and sad and joyful and everything else, just like humans. In the ways that matter most, we're really not that different."
The world is still reeling from the aftershocks of the arrival of a delegation of alleged extraterrestrials at the United Nations headquarters last week, but there are indications that many areas are already calming as authorities have moved quickly to contain the panic and rioting set off by what most are viewing as the ultimate evidence that we are no longer alone in this universe.
As UN Alien Ambassador and former Earth Defense Command Commander Spike Witwicky has stated, "We've been prepping for this for years now. We expected this - that's why we designated an Alien Ambassador to begin with. We already have procedures in place to deal with the event of extraterrestrial contact, and those procedures are being followed. Don't worry, folks. Things are under control, and we are mobilizing to keep them under control." Spike Witwicky, known for his leadership in the construction of EDC Moonbase One, has stated that he is 'hopeful' that we can establish ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships with these alien lifeforms.
The alleged extraterrestrials claim to represent a faction known as Autobots from a species of robotic lifeforms whom they referred to as the Transformers. These aliens often have two or more forms, and while most of them can transform between a giant, vaguely human-looking robot mode and a vehicle of some sort, some are smaller and have other sorts of alternate modes, such as robotic or even organic-seeming animals. Emirate Xaaron, their primary representative, went on to explain that the Autobots are allied with another faction that he referred to as Maximals and that they were at war with an alliance of three factions called the Decepticons, the Predacons, and Vehicons. According to the Autobots, the opposing factions have a history of conquest, subjugation, and the draining of other worlds' resources.
They have also claimed that they had reason to believe a member the opposing alliance named Shockwave is on Earth in hiding, and that the Autobots are seeking to capture him so that he could be tried for war crimes. To facilitate this, they've requested extradition treaties with the nations of Earth. So far, the United States and Japan have complied, while the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are reportedly only days away from finishing the details of similar treaties. The European Union is reportedly deliberating over whether they should negotiate as a single organization or on a country by country basis, but with the UK poised to sign a treaty of their own, it seems likely that the EU nations will be acting individually. China and North Korea have denied the Autobots' requests, while most other nations, including Russia and many nations in the Middle East, Africa, and South America, have reported needing more time to evaluate the situation.
The initial meetings became tense when an assassin made an attempt on Emirate Xaaron's life, but the situation was swiftly contained by the accompanying Autobots, Emirate Xaaron's second-in-command named Rodimus Prime and a team he referred to as the Elite Guard. The assassin, whose name has not yet been released, was apprehended and immediately turned over to human authorities.
Global reaction to the aliens' arrival has been mixed, with protests in New York City, Washington DC, London, Tokyo, and several other cities that have, in a few cases, turned towards rioting. In many cases, local authorities have moved quickly to contain any violence sparked off by the incident, often in accordance with the procedures mentioned by Ambassador Witwicky.
There have been a number of accusations that the arrival is some sort of hoax, with critics citing their resemblance to humans, the fact that they already know English, the fact that they exactly where the United Nations was headquartered and whom to approach, and even the fact that they extraterrestrials are robot as cause for suspicion. Emirate Xaaron himself has presented a sample of rock which has been confirmed to originate from Mars, explaining that it was 'picked up on the way in.' "While we realize this doesn't necessarily prove that we are from outside your solar system, this sample should demonstrate that we have at least been farther from Earth than your manned missions have taken you."
Expert reaction is split, but already it looks like a majority of scientists are willing to accept the possibility that the Transformers' claims are legitimate, though many caution against jumping to conclusions before appropriate evidence has been presented. Doctor Petr Andronov, a leading expert in the field of artificial intelligence, has stated, "The surprise is not that there are extraterrestrial life forms. I think that most of us have suspected this for a long time now. The surprise is that they are machines, that they are robots, and when you think about the way technology has developed here on Earth, this is not so much of a surprise, either. Their technology, what has been reported of their technology, some of it seems beyond what we are so far capable of. It must be for them to travel the stars, da? But none of it is so far beyond us that it is unimaginable. Even here on Earth, we are very near to making machines that can think. It is not so strange that somewhere else, someone has already done this."
Further confirmation comes, unsurprisingly, from the SETI Project, the independent, non-profit organization that has been searching the cosmos for signs of life for decades. Doctor Carl Haley, astronomer with the SETI project, explains, "We've been sending signals out there for decades, some intentionally, some not so intentionally, and it's entirely conceivable that someone, something out there has received them, learned from them, so that when they came here, they already had an idea on what to expect. In fact, late last week, we had begun tracing what looked to be some sort of... new arrival in our solar system. There were a few reports on it, but we couldn't yet identify it, and I think a lot of people dismissed us. As it turns out... that was them. These are aliens. We are a little disappointed that they ignored our attempts to contact them and went straight to the United Nations, I admit. I mean, this is what we've been doing for decades now. Who at the United Nations knows anything about extraterrestrials? We don't know why they'd go there first. But we can confirm, these guys are not from Earth."
Meanwhile, the Autobots and Maximals themselves have been working to try to calm fears and suspicions sparked off by their arrival. Only days after their initial introduction at the Unite Nations, the Elite Guard arrived at Tasmania to offer their assistance to rescue efforts in the tsunami that devastated the small island late last week. "We're just glad to be able to help," said Optimus Prime, Elite Guard Commander, when interviewed at the scene of the recovery efforts. "As guests on this planet, it's the least we can do."
Despite the incidences of violence in the wake of the alien arrival and fears concerning the other factions mentioned by the Autobots, many humans have embraced contact with the robots. Organizations, clubs, websites, and even religions have sprung up welcoming the Transformers to Earth, inviting the new arrivals into their countries and homes, even imitating the extraterrestrials. Sales of vehicles similar to the ones Autobots are known to turn into have skyrocketed, and the fashion industry is already responding by borrowing design elements present in some of the Transformers' robot modes. Other groups are going even father, creating elaborate costumes in an attempt to appear like miniature versions of the robots. All of these pale in comparison to the claims that these robots are some sort of gods visiting Earth, that this is not their first time here, and that they are here to usher in a new age of enlightenment.
When this was mention to Rodimus Prime, he seemed both amused and embarrassed. "Look, we're not... we're not gods. We are people, we are life, like you are, and we're taught to value all life, whether it's robotic, like us, or organic, like you. We're happy to be here, and we're happy to help in whatever way we can. We're not here to upset anyone, and we're not here to be worshiped. At the end of the day, we're just people, we love and laugh and get angry and sad and joyful and everything else, just like humans. In the ways that matter most, we're really not that different."