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--- news_2211_09_11 [2011/09/11 21:26] – abiri
+++ news_2211_09_11 [2011/09/11 23:45] (current) – abiri
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 As most of our viewers will have heard, four days ago, the Secretary Paris of Lopanga was ousted from power following a series of violent riots, apparently part of an audacious yet successful coup that the Lopangan military were unable to stop. There has thus far been little communication from the self-proclaimed Mayor Sethos now in control of Epiphyte, but reports from the city have shown that his robots' brutal suppression of resistance has virtually ended violence in the city and left its normally bustling streets near-empty, all with suprisingly little loss of life. Reports from fleeing residents and via the spotty communications network have raised more questions than they have answered.
-I am hoping that our expert today can help us to sort through these reports and understand what out government will and will not be doing in response. Good morning, Mr. Thorsson. Thank you for taking the time to come speak with us.
+I am hoping that our expert today can help us to sort through these reports and understand what our government will and will not be doing in response. Good morning, Mr. Thorsson. Thank you for taking the time to come speak with us.
 THORSSON: Hello, David, thank you for inviting me.
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 GERARD: Yes... ANN will continue to carefully monitor the situation in Lopanga and keep our viewers up to date on the latest developments. Now, Mr. Thorsson, before we conclude, let's briefly discuss the robots that have caught the public's attention. Nearly the entire city of Epiphyte is patrolled by bipedal robots that stand over two meters in height and do not seem to match any known designs. Some of the more credible reports suggest that they are armed with less-than-lethal weapons for crowd suppression, lethal small arms, and perhaps even rockets. The reports on their intelligence is conflicting, with some claiming recom-level intelligence, while others say the robots show a complete lack of initiative. Would you care to speculate on why this Mayor Sethos chose to use robots, and what this might mean for the future security of our nation and others?
+THORSSON: Well, the fog of war is always an issue with regards to gathering intelligence, and the Coalition is working to discover the origin of these robots and collecting first-hand reports in the hopes of discovering a way to disrupt their operation.  While they may have been equipped for less-than-lethal response, there have been reports indicating at least one hundred twenty civilian residents of Epiphyte City were killed during the first day of the coup.
+It is possible the robots have been shipped into Epiphyte City Spaceport over the course of several months and were assembled prior to the events of this week, given their sudden emergence and the lack of an opposing invasion force's ships suddenly showing up in orbit to deploy them.  No military organization in Known Space uses combat androids in numbers like this - with the exception of Omicron Industries, who utilizes them to augment organic elements of their corporate security.  While it would be easy to point the finger of blame at OI and Mars, it is important - and I cannot emphasize this enough - it is important to gather as much evidence as possible to determine the robots' true origin, and NOT let mob rule be the order of the day.
+As to why he chose to use robots instead of organic personnel, there are any number of reasons why.  Intimidation: we've all seen horror movies about death machines from the Apocalypse War terrorizing summer camp.  Of course, the psychological value of an enemy that keeps coming at you even after you've blown its head off cannot be denied.  Logistics: An army marches on its stomach, and it is easier to supply power to a force of robots than it is to feed/house an organic army.  These are just a couple of possible reasons.
+GERARD: That is certainly an interesting thought, though that is also wise advice that we must first get all the facts and proceed with caution. I hope that in the days to come, facts of this unfortunate situation will become more clear and that other experts will be so kind as to discuss their thoughts with ANN.