The Sylph Report

[Anonymous]

Hello and welcome to The Sylph Report, your source for all the news and opinion (mine) that's fit to be published but isn't. And now for the disclaimer that my VCNSP forces me to put up if I want to stay connected:

Residents of Haviah and other cities under Aedolian control are advised that this VCN site has been blocked to the terminals of your home country. If you are an Aedolian citizen, keep in mind that it is illegal for you to view this site from any location, punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

Sorry about that. Moving onto news, an interesting clip I found on a dodgy VCN chat channel.

SPACE STATION CANCER -- "Aedolis Raid Suspicions Confirmed"
Source: #subversive Hourly Newsfeed

At 0045 this morning, a bulletin was put out by the captain of the Space Station Cancer calling upon the services of any available fighting vessels as an issue of Seruna domain security. An anonymous source confirmed our suspicions that the Aedolis government had recently dispatched a significant military strike force (and if our source is to believed, several Pilots), with the intention of attacking Space Station Libra.

The question, then, is why? Libra has always maintained a policy of strict neutrality, steering clear of the ongoing conflict between Aedolis and Edanith. Unlike the other main Seruna station, the Libra doesn't want to make money off the two country's cold diplomatic relations. Is there any reason to attack Libra, then? Furthermore; how would such an attack be possible? The Libra's defenses are top-of-the-line, as everyone who has ever visited well knows. From shields to particle turrets... there's no way anything short of a full armada could take control of the station. Nonetheless, Libra seems to be gearing up for war.

We'll see how the situation turns out in the next few days. It could be a hoax or even a benign false alarm, but residents of Libra and visitors to Cancer are advised to stay alert and updated to all official Seruna bulletins.

Great. That's damn helpful. If I were on Space Station Libra right now I'd be flipping out and catching the next shuttle over to one of the other stations. I assume the Seruna captains are trying to keep the situation under wraps, but they aren't doing a very good job by the looks of it. Also, the article ignored something very important. There is a clear motive here; Aedolis wants Libra as a staging post. Below is a copy of a message sent to the Libra Bridge a while back.

SPACE STATION LIBRA -- "Ultimatum Transcript Released"
Source: Libra Transmission Archive

In the current effort by the Aedolis Empire to facilitate harmony and peace throughout the galaxy, the noble task of doing away with unpredictable and rebellious elements falls to our hands. To carry out our duty, the Aedolis Empire hereby places the following demands on Seruna regarding the Space Station Libra:

I. The complete disarmament of all weapons and/or defensive measures in place on the station, any lifeforms or beings making up it's crew, all current residents, and any and all forms of transportation on board.

II. The unconditional usage of the Space Station "Libra" for the hosting of Aedolis military personnel and equipment, as well as any other necessary item that is needed to be brought onboard to assist in any duty.

III. A complete halt on any and all communications and transportations of Edanith destination. All contact with Edanith shall be terminated immediately, and any offical trade associated with Seruna and Edanith shall immediately cease.

IV. The requisition of any and all resources deemed to be of aid to any member of Aedolis personnel, regardless of any previous task the aformentioned resources be used for.

Failure to comply with any of the above demands will result in the movement of the full Aedolis Military against Seruna, and treated as an act of a full Declaration of War against the Empire. Furthermore, all lines of communication between the two parties shall cease, and no communications of compliance or surrender shall be accepted. If no response is recieved within 72 hours, Earth time, the lack of contact will be treated as noncompliance with all of the above terms.

Haven't heard anything since then, but since there aren't any uniformed Aedolis military folks hanging around the station I conclude that they chose not to surrender. Good for them! Well now it sounds like Aedolis is finally following through with their ultimatum, and the fact that they're even attempting the raid suggests that they have some sort of incredible advantage. I wish the residents of Libra the best of luck, and remember... camping out next to the escape pods is bad form, but it might mean the difference between life and getting mind-blasted to death by a Pilot. Consider yourself warned.

Peace and love,
Sylph

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Residents of Haviah and other cities under Aedolian control are advised that this VCN site has been blocked to the terminals of your home country. If you are an Aedolian citizen, keep in mind that it is illegal for you to view this site from any location, punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

Broken psychics, a byproduct of the sadistic Pilot Candidate Program, are regularly sold to the Thanatos Research Institute of Metaphysics (TRIM) for live study. This is a well-known fact. The process is highly compartmentalized, ensuring that no remorse is felt by the personnel involved. There are people to assess the Candidates, people to move the rejects, and people to move the money. Nobody really knows the broader scope of what's going on, which is why the TRIM deals aren't exactly all over the VCN.

I have it on reliable sources that two days ago, Thanatos renewed its contract with a major recreational drug manufacturer known as Kabua Enterprises. They're in the business of pharmaceutical develompent, and presumably there's some sort of research advantage to having psychic test subjects. Can't fathom what it is, though.

To be honest, I don't think it matters. The contract renewal got me thinking about how psychics and mages are treated within the Aedolis social structure. We aren't special... we're government chattel, to be bought and sold like any other commodity. With a fresh batch of Pilot Candidates joining the military, supply will be stronger than ever. The renewed Kabua contract simply satisfies the demand side of the equation. TRIM serves as a black market middleman.

Take a walk through the streets of the Haviah Undercity. The caste system is alive as ever, and if you look hard enough you'll see that the psychics and mages aren't alone. Think about how wage labor works. Clock in, work eight hours, clock out. They give you enough food to survive, maybe some well-tested Kabua drugs. If you want to live, you have to work. Every lower caste citizen in Haviah is forced to sell shares of himself in the open market. Don't think about it too hard, or you'll realize that they're trying to make you a slave too.

To hell with the caste system. To hell with wages and drugs and the Network. Tomorrow, wake up and tell yourself that you are not a slave. Don't eat breakfast and go whore out your time like you usually do. Find a razor blade and cut out the microchip that is your fetter. You own yourself, so live your own damn life.

Actually, don't. You won't find it an inspirational exercise. They won't feed you. They won't give you the diversions you're so accustomed to. You will starve, and if you make a big deal out of it they will burn your flesh and inject you with experimental neurotoxins, just to see what happens. Sound familiar?

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

I hope you know you're writing this at your own risk. Watch what you say in your little reports here. Compromise us in any way and I will personally turn you over to the dragons.

Remember, every Gospel is responsible for themselves and no one else. You get yourself caught, you're on your own.

[Anonymous]

I hope you know you're writing this at your own risk. Watch what you say in your little reports here. Compromise us in any way and I will personally turn you over to the dragons.

Remember, every Gospel is responsible for themselves and no one else. You get yourself caught, you're on your own.

Your concern for my well-being is touching. I try very, very hard not to get caught.

That said, I will never reveal Gospel information that can be linked to a specific subgroup or individual. If you have any more concerns, let's bring this into the subnet or some other encrypted channel.

[Anonymous]

I hope you know you're writing this at your own risk. Watch what you say in your little reports here. Compromise us in any way and I will personally turn you over to the dragons.

Remember, every Gospel is responsible for themselves and no one else. You get yourself caught, you're on your own.

Your concern for my well-being is touching. I try very, very hard not to get caught. That said, I will never reveal Gospel information that can be linked to a specific subgroup or individual.

Yeah, you bet you won't. Let's be clear: I'd kill you before I allow that to happen.

No individual is as important as the safety of the group as a whole.  Just so you know.

[Anonymous]

I'll add another little disclaimer.

The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of the Gospel Network, the Aedolis Military or anything in between, because the author is a loose cannon in both circles. Any factual inaccuracies are the author's responsibility.

Feel free to sit in the shadows, Prophet, but I believe it's high time we took a more vocal approach. If the Gospels won't stand behind what I write, then it's not a Gospel publication but my own. Doesn't change the fact that Aedolis has violated us all.

[Anonymous]

Warning: This topic has been marked

Initialising trace...

Auth: M. Richards

Trace running...

[Anonymous]

Code: [Select]

Trace complete. Displaying WHOIS.

OrgName: Cancer Relay Services
OrgID: CRS-VCNSP
Address: Room 403, Deck 4
City: Red District
Jurisdiction: Space Station Cancer

Designation: Relay Server A
NameServer: SR.CRS.CAN
Comment:
Contact: admin@crs.cancer

[Anonymous]

Heavens! I seem to have attracted some undue attention. Can we talk this out like reasonable people?

[Anonymous]

Don't worry. My relay server doesn't hold onto its logs, and visitors to this kind of site have never been prosecuted in the past unless they do something else suspicious. More on that later. For now, you're safe, unless you're a Pilot. If you are, it serves you damn right.

Residents of Haviah and other cities under Aedolian control are advised that this VCN site has been blocked to the terminals of your home country. If you are an Aedolian citizen, keep in mind that it is illegal for you to view this site from any location, punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

I think this is a good time to mention my views on Aedolis' censorship campaign.

I realize my blog is a fairly biased source. It is also a source that can't necessarily be trusted for factual accuracy. I am, in short, a steaming pile of bullshit. But any nomad can log onto a terminal aboard the Cancer and read my work without worrying about the legal consequences of doing so. There's a fundamental difference between the supposedly-free people of Aedolis and everyone else.

I will use The Sylph Report as an example for any "undesirable publication" in the eyes of the Network. First of all, every public-access and home terminal blocks my VCN channel, so it's almost impossible to discover that I exist in the first place. Pirate terminals do exist that connect via a Seruna station without going through the Network's filters, but this is an illegal practice and it's hard to get people to do illegal things right off the bat.

To its credit, Aedolis is good at censorship. If it weren't for the obvious fact that I am a Gospel, they probably wouldn't even bother tracing my connection. I would guess that only an eighth of my readership comes from within Aedolis' borders, despite the fact that I am writing for their benefit. That small fraction of the population is incredibly important, because if anything is to change, they must be at the forefront. If you're in Aedolis right now (and not trying to kill me), I would urge you to find other censored channels and listen to what they have to say.

By popular demand, I have provided instructions for building additional pirate terminals. I encourage you to share the recipe with others who wish to enjoy the same freedoms you do. Discarded Thanatos terminals have been plentiful ever since Aedolis nationalized the VCN, and the military hasn't bothered to confiscate them yet.


Quick and Easy Network-VCN Circumvention

1 Thanatos VCN Public Access Terminal
1 Long Copper Rod or Wire
2 Alligator-Clip Cables
Bolts or Plastic Ties
Large Pipe Saw
Multitool

First of all, you'll have to sever the cable that connects the VCN terminal to its original location. This is simple, easy, and won't set off an alarm. Make sure the power is switched off, though. Transporting the terminal will be more difficult, since carrying one under your arm does not qualify as inconspicuous. I will leave that up to you. When you are in a safe location, continue following these instructions.

Remove the rear maintenance panel with the screwdriver on your multitool. If you're using a copper wire, attach it to the side of your residence. This may be difficult if you live on one of the upper floors of a highrise, but you'll manage. Connect one of the cables to the copper wire and the port labeled "radio" on the panel. The other should go from the port labeled "power" to a standard mains power source.

Plug in the terminal, turn it on, and log into the 'admin' account. The user list will reset when the terminal is removed from its original location, so you should have no trouble using the default password ('changethis'). Go to the menu labeled "Hardware Config" and choose the "Radio" submenu. Set the radio to 250.1GHz, the communications frequency for Space Station Cancer. Now close the window and return to the main screen.

You may now access any VCN site.


I recommend Cancer, since the station tends to broadcast a lot of noise. Much of this static reaches Aedolis, and trying to geolocate your terminal would be next to impossible. You can connect to Libra (258.5GHz), but it's much farther away. That means less noise, and a higher chance of getting caught.

Good luck spreading the word. This post is going to generate a lot of heat for me, and I'd hate to see it go to waste.

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Residents of Haviah and other cities under Aedolian control are advised that this VCN site has been blocked to the terminals of your home country. If you are an Aedolian citizen, keep in mind that it is illegal for you to view this site from any location, punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

An Open Letter To Marshal Richards:

Congratulations on being appointed to the Seeker position! You must have some serious skills, and that's nothing to be scoffed at.

Your attempted traces, however, will get you nowhere. I change my relays around every few weeks. For the purposes of this post, my connection is routed through the Citadel, both of the main Seruna stations, two communications satellites, and a very low-profile Edanith radio telescope. In short, don't waste your time trying to find me in the virtual world. I have taken great pains to render myself invisible here.

Since last week's post, readership from Aedolis has gone up sixty percent. I believe on similar news, some of Thanatos' old VCN terminals have gone missing. Go ahead, send out the police. Through censorship, Aedolis has denied its citizens the basic human freedoms even the Edanis enjoy. Like it or not, people are beginning to notice.

So the question remains... why should Pilots like us care? What difference will a handful of dissidents make?

If you place a stone in a stream, the water will move around it. From this, it is easy to conclude that the stream is of no consequence. But come back in a year and the stone's domain will be smaller, and in another year it will be gone altogether. In the interest of self-preservation, which would you side with? The stone or the stream?

You are not a slave, M. Richards. Close this site, go home, and think about it.

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Residents of Haviah and other cities under Aedolian control are advised that this VCN site has been blocked to the terminals of your home country. If you are an Aedolian citizen, keep in mind that it is illegal for you to view this site from any location, punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

Radio Free Haviah
How to speak your mind and not get shot.

This is another anti-censorship post. The issue has become kind of important to me recently, given the Seeker's obvious dedication to finding The Sylph Report and shutting it down. We've already discussed reading blocked VCN channels, so today we are going to talk about radio.

The only radio stations in Aedolis are owned by the government and a handful of carefully regulated organizations, so you're pretty much out of luck for letting large numbers of people know how you feel. Starting your own VCN channel is tricky; besides, the channel probably won't reach people who aren't specifically looking for it. And we all know what happens when you stand up on a soapbox in front of the Citadel.

Shortwave radio is simpler to construct and far less easily traced than a VCN channel, so it's ideal for our purposes. You've already got a modified Thanatos terminal, and I've attached some voice broadcast software (OpenVoicebox) to this post. I suspect you're using the terminal to read this right now, so just click the link at the bottom of the page. Most households have radios, so you'll have no trouble finding an audience. Unfortunately, home broadcasting is a sign of free will, and in Aedolis this is considered a liability. The main risk is falling victim to a directional trace, the process of which I will now describe.

Marshal has been attempting an ongoing connection trace against me for several weeks, but don't get it confused with what you'll be up against. Directional tracing is a little different; it's better described as geolocation. The military has several radio monitoring stations across Aedolis, each of which is equipped with sophisticated receivers and directional antennas. They also have mobile units for close direction finding. When a monitoring station wants to locate a signal, they contact the other monitoring stations for assistance. Other stations receive the signal and each one calls in with a directional bearing. This data is fed to the Network, which processes the information and produces a circle of probable locations; this is usually a 7 to 13 mile radius from the signal location. Repeated logs of the signal can reduce the size of this circle. The Dragons are capable of geolocating your source to within 0.2 miles if given enough clean observations. That said, there are some ways to avoid a trace altogether.

Don't broadcast on a regular schedule, or don't announce a schedule. Keep your broadcasts to a short length of time, forty five minutes or less. If they are trying to find you, it is not likely the military will spend the time or money to travel to your location and stake it out long enough for you to broadcast if you are only on the air for a short time once a month. Make it difficult for them to predict the time and day of your show. If they do predict it, and you are only on the air for less than an hour, they may not find you before you sign off. After you sign off the air, don't go back on a few hours later; you may be giving them a second chance.

Keep in mind that it is impossible to trace a signal that is not there. Cut the broadcast immediately if you notice any suspicious activity near your location. Also, avoid creating evidence of your activity. After you finish your show, don't just leave your equipment. Most unregistered broadcasters keep their transmitters hidden until a broadcast is made; when they are done, they return the transmitter to its hiding place. Frequency codes, letters from listeners, and tapes of broadcasts are all viable evidence in the eyes of the military, so keep them hidden until needed. Remember that well-meaning civilians may report a homemade antenna sticking out of your house if it looks out of place, so don't be stupid. At least keep it away from the roads.

And don't give out your name, phone number, or address over the air. That's just asking for it.

Okay, that's probably all you need to know in terms of radio safety. Broadcast in short bursts, change your location every once in a while, and don't be an idiot. Feel free to interfere with other frequencies at will; nothing drives the message home like an interruption of the regularly scheduled program. Use protection... wait... never mind, that's something else. As mentioned earlier, the software necessary to start your own personal act of censorship defiance is attached.

Peace and love. Please don't die on me now; it would be a real shame.

Attached Documents:
OpenVoicebox.struct (49MB)
setup_instructions.txt (9KB)

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Code: [Select]

Secondary trace complete. Displaying WHOIS.

OrgName: Citadel VCNSP
OrgID: CIT-VCNSP
Address: Room 272, Level 2
City: Haviah Upper
Jurisdiction: Aedolis

Designation: Citadel Community Message Board
NameServer: CCMB.CIT.AED
Comment: Internal access only. Civilians are not cleared to operate on this network.
Contact: admin@vcnsp.cit

Account details available [Y/N]?

[Anonymous]

Whoa, whoa... too close to home! Don't press any keys, Marshal!

[Anonymous]

Y

[Anonymous]

Code: [Select]

Requesting source account details....

CitID: 0010
DisplayName: M. RICHARDS
RankLevel: Pilot Noble
AccessLevel: Seeker
Comment:

[Anonymous]

Marshal, how could you turn traitor like that?!

[Anonymous]

Couldn't resist. The man needs to change his password more often.

Residents of Haviah and other cities under Aedolian control are advised that this VCN site has been blocked to the terminals of your home country. If you are an Aedolian citizen, keep in mind that it is illegal for you to view this site from any location, punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

I need four dedicated individuals in Haviah to carry out a special project on my behalf. Interested parties should contact me using the button below. Leave your name and a brief background description. Dragons need not apply.

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Residents of Haviah and other cities under Aedolian control are advised that this VCN site has been blocked to the terminals of your home country. If you are an Aedolian citizen, keep in mind that it is illegal for you to view this site from any location, punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

Not dead.

I read #subversive, a chat channel run by a friend of mine aboard one of the Seruna stations. Feel free to stop by now that they've opened it up for public connection. As usual, it has been VCN blocked by the dragons.

Nothing major to report until next week.

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

No news.

Crucial, inactive founders, you know who you are. If you can't get in it's likely because it's been compromised and the Seekers have locked you out. Or you're dead. Send me a note through the 'crypt channel if the latter hasn't happened yet.

To send a news tip to The Sylph Report, click the button labeled "PM" below. Publication anonymity is guaranteed.