Foreign Secretary lands in Pagemaster City

Fervean Observer

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FOREIGN Secretary Timothy Bishop has landed in Pagemaster City for negotiations with the Regional Minister-Delegate of the Commonwealth of Jagera concerning the Exordium Island Object.

Pagemaster Secretary of State Jack Carter yesterday invited both parties to send a scientific and diplomatic delegation to the capital for talks concerning the animosity between the two nations, and the continuing controversy over the EIO.

The invitation comes hot on the heels of Pagemaster's other invitation to Fervean scientists to examine the data collected by the Pagemaster NEOTS to determine the circumstances surrounding the EIO's descent.

Research Site 19 is also expected to release details of the contents of the AREV within days. Dr Sylvie Honneur said in a short statement yesterday that she is "satisfied" with the progress of her team.

Pagemaster extends invitation to scientific delegation

Fervean Observer

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THE COMMONWEALTH of Pagemaster has extended an invitation to a Fervean delegation to examine the records of their Near-Earth Object Tracking System to ascertain the course of the Exordium Island Object.

A spokesperson for Pagemaster, the IDU's World Assembly Delegate, said that they have "records dating months" and that Ferveo is "welcome to send a delegation" to the NEOTS HQ in the city of New Atlantis, on the Pagemaster mainland.

The spokesperson also said that the government was "willing" to open up data from satellites and observatories to "determine what happened".

Speaking outside Parliament this morning, Deputy Home Secretary Claire Silverman -- who is heading up EIO investigations -- said, "We are tremendously grateful to the government of Pagemaster for this opportunity. Our space tracking facilities are still in their infancies, so this job is impossible for Ferveo on its own to accomplish."

"We will be dispatching a scientific and diplomatic delegation within a few hours, and await their reports with bated breath."

Jageran military placed on high alert, government spokesman calls for calm

Fervean Observer

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THE Jageran military was yesterday placed on high alert after revelations over the Exordium Island Object were released.

In a move which has stunned the highest offices of the Fervean government, Regional Minister Nils Hjalmasson asked the research team at Site 19 to clarify how it could hold the position as a "coincidence".

He also asked whether this was a "precursor" to hostile movement against Ferveo or possibly the IDU itself.

A government spokesman called for calm in a statement this morning. Acknowledging the sheer improbability of the AREV landing anywhere near Ferveo, he said that the government "takes the matter very seriously indeed."

However, he ruled out direct interference on the part of the Unseen Master or his generals, saying that "the corpse of the Unseen Master was found" in the aftermath of Protocol Omega, and the Great Holocaust had annihilated all military installations that had any power over the Unseen Master's space arsenal.

He finished his statement by assuring Jagera that there was "no reason" to assume that  the EIO was anything other than a coincidence, but pledged to release further information as it becomes available.

Research Site 19 also issued a short statement yesterday, confirming that initial attempts to open the AREV had begun.

Dr Honneur, chief researcher, said, "We have commenced opening of the Armed Re-Entry Vehicle."

"News on its contents should be released within days, and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Exodium Island Object is Great Holocaust relic

Fervean Observer

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SCIENTISTS at Research Site 19 on Terminus Island in the south announced today that they had concluded primary investigations into the origin and composition of the Exordium Island Object.

Speaking outside the facility this afternoon, Dr Sylvie Honneur -- Chief Researcher at Site 19 -- said, "The Exordium Island Object is an Unseen Masterite Armed Re-Entry Vehicle."

"The AREV was a common sight on battlefields before the Great Holocaust. Launched from a military space station, they carried weapons, medical supplies and ammunition to troops all over the lands of the Unseen Master. Occasionally, they were packed with explosives for fast, lethal strikes."

"An AREV would clear its way with a barrage of missiles and Gatling-gun fire and land gently with rocket thrusters. It would then fire off its sides with compressed air, and thus dispense the equipment."

"This particular specimen seems to have malfunctioned and was severely charred in its descent through the atmosphere. We believe it has orbited for the past fifteen years, escaping destruction, before being knocked out of its orbit by a piece of space junk. It then plummeted to earth landing completely by chance in our waters."

Dr Honneur also said that there was "no cause for alarm" at a relic of the Great Holocaust crashing near Ferveo. However, the facility had been "reluctant" to attempt to open the pod, for fear of "activating some trap or explosive device."

"However," she added, "the lab has been given the go-ahead to attempt to open it with long-range cutting lasers underground, to minimise any possible damage."

"We have also noticed the personal coat of arms of the Unseen Master himself on the pod, something not seen in the other relics around Fervean museums."

Dr Honneur finished her statement with the assurance that the lab is now very interested on what is inside, and that news should come within the next few days.

It remains to be seen how the government of Jagera, which caused unease on Thursday by moving a small but heavily-armed fleet into Fervean waters, will take these developments.

Jageran navy moves ships to Exordium Island

Fervean Observer
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IN A WORRYING manoeuvre yesterday, the Jageran Ministry of Defense ordered several warships to the waters of Exordium Island.

Concerned over the secrecy and possible consequences of the Exordium Island Object's splashdown, the Commonwealth of Jagera communicated its solely non-hostile intentions to the government prior to giving the orders.

Although fully informed of Jageran intentions, President Seismos decried the Jageran move as "mindless sabre-rattling" in an impromptu press conference

"In this violent era, this is no time for mindless sabre-rattling on the part of the Jageran government," he said, speaking outside Parliament.  We seek to reassure them that our scientists did not find anything around the crash site that could be dangerous to ships."

"Nonetheless, the FS Chikara will be sent out with a diplomatic crew to liaison with the fleet. We hope we can resolve this dispute soon." 

Heckles raised over EIO

Fervean Observer
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PROTESTS were in progress last night outside the government buildings in Ferveo City.
Paranoia has gripped the nation following the utter silence from the Fervean government over the Exordium Island Object.

A thousand-strong band of protesters marched through the streets, chanting "End the silence!" and "Secrecy is not the Fervean way!" through megaphones, accompanied by large, blue-and-white banners.

International intrigue has also become aroused. The Commonwealth of Jagera has objected to the secrecy, as the impact site of the Object is close to one of their shipping routes between the mainland and its Protectorate, Jonqueire-Tadoussac. In a statement yesterday, a spokesman for the Jageran government said they were "alarmed at the secrecy" of the EIO.

A spokesman for the government responded to the concerns, and reiterated that the Exordium Island Object could be dangerous to civilians.

"However," he added, "openness has always been our government's first concern. The Fervean public and the rest of the IDU should rest assured that information will soon be released. I can tell you that the Object is undergoing tests at one of our isolated laboratories, and our scientists are nearing a breakthrough."

Exordium Island Object raised from sea-floor

Fervean Observer
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AFTER an astonishingly speedy governmental effort, the Exordium Island Object has been extracted from the sea floor.

Eyewitnesses who has gathered to view the raising of the object said that a massive tarpaulin had been erected between a number of naval vessels to hide the Object.

However, some noticed what appeared to be a sort of "blackened metallic thing" before it disappeared under the tarp.

Many were dismayed by the veil of secrecy surrounding the object, uncharacteristic of a government as open as Ferveo's. Rumours are spreading of intent to create a petition calling for the announcement of the object's nature.

A spokesman for President Seismos assured the public that "the object does not, as far as we know, present any danger."

"Information will be released as soon as possible, but the object is being kept under close guard at a government facility."

"President Seismos does not wish to comment personally on this matter, but reassures the IDU as a whole that the object will not present a barrier to diplomacy and trade."