2175 C.E.

XIII: Do You Remember the 24th of July?

Official Diplomatic Dispatch: From Grushan Senate: To Terran Global Hegemony President's Office: 07/24/2175 1510 EST

To Yan An-Sing, President of the Terran Hegemony, from Almarith, Praetor of the Grushan Federation, Chairman of the Grushan Senate, Commander of the Federal Grushan Star Fleet

Greetings. Please extend our cordial greetings as well to Zahal of RN-06 and his people scarce as they are. It pleases us that his people have survived the bombardment of wars past as well as the thousands of years of stasis they endured. Despite the good fortune of your discovery, however, the Senate, and I, are concerned that you seem to have violated a Grushan quarantine zone without clearance from the Federal Grushan Star Fleet. We request you ensure that a violation of this nature does not occur a second time; both of our peoples profit by our mutual trade, and it would be rash of you to jeopardize it over so small a matter.

Official Diplomatic Dispatch: From Terran Global Hegemony President's Office: To Grushan Senate: 07/24/2175 1735 EST

To Praetor Almarith,

I have relayed your greetings to our distinguished guests of the Zaha-Katchem. However, they have learned of your quarantine, and they agree with myself and the people of Earth. Together, the Zaha-Katchem and the Terran Hegemony condemn this hateful act of Grushan xenophobia through which an entire race was abandoned to an uncertain fate due to the warnings of imperialistic conquerors. If all Grushan quarantines are of similar nature, Earth refuses to recognize their validity.

Signed Yan An-Sing, President of the Terran Global Hegemony

Official Statement: Ellensburg Police Department: 07/24/2175

The EPD has recently detained local high schoolers William Aucaman and Cynthia Mattingly on suspected terrorism charges. They were found holed up in a cabin Northeast of town overnight in possession of classified weapon technology. We are unsure of how they acquired this technology or what their target was. We are also unsure of Ms. Mattingly's involvement; it is possible she was taken captive. However, it seems that they resisted arrest and did significant damage to remotely piloted police SWAT forces. A third Ellensburg High School student, Brent Calhoun, was found dead at the scene. Aucaman is considered to be the mastermind behind the plot, and he appears to have been radicalized by Gennady Semyonov and pro-Novan sentiment, as well as anti-Ambience conspiracies. We are not yet sure what his target was, or how he planned to deliver the weapon. Current intelligence suggest that it was meant to be an attack on Ambience facilities in Helena. We will continue to give updates to the press as they become available. Thank you again.

Official Transcript: Security Camera Footage: EPD Interrogation Room 3: 07/24/2175

[Begin Playback at 1244 Local Time]

[Mattingly and Aucaman sit handcuffed to the table. Aucaman seems to be struggling to stay awake and his head nods occasionally. Mattingly stares ahead blankly]

MATTINGLY: I didn't have sex with him.

[Aucaman's head jerks up as if woken from sleep]

AUCAMAN: What?

MATTINGLY: They said they'd watched porn. Of me. I never had sex with Brent. He wanted me to, but I didn't. I don't know why. It just seemed like college and all that was always more important. I didn't know what he wanted other than that. I didn't want to get too attached. Sun Yat-Sen University doesn't take couples, especially girls. I didn't want to lose sight of that or let him think that we were for real or something. You know. I mean, in front of the camera, it was fine to have fun together and stuff like that. That can be good for your sesame score because people like couples. But they feel threatened when people put their sex tapes online or stuff like that. And I'm not a slut. He really wanted to, and so did I sometimes, but we didn't.