Seattle NewsNet – City Affairs | August 4, 2097

 

Urban Drone Racing Gains Legitimacy? Or Just a Faster Way to Crash Society?

Seattle NewsNet – City Affairs | August 4, 2097

Seattle, UCAS – The Seattle City Council is expected to debate a radically controversial proposal this Friday that could bring Urban Drone Racing (UDR) out of the shadows and into the legal sphere. Supporters claim the move would improve public safety by regulating an already thriving underground phenomenon. Critics say it's tantamount to legalizing vehicular vandalism and hacker terrorism.

The proposal, backed by Councilwoman Natalia Reyes, suggests establishing licensed race corridors, requiring drone pilots to register IDs, and partnering with megacorps to create a controlled framework for urban racing entertainment. The real twist? The proposal is allegedly backed—quietly—by several Horizon subsidiaries and at least one Aztechnology affiliate, both eyeing broadcast rights.

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Fast, Furious, and Totally Illegal

UDR has exploded across Seattle in recent weeks, from the alleyways of Redmond to the glimmering vertical gardens of downtown Bellevue. But this isn’t the sanctioned, track-bound drone sport of yesteryear. This is the illegal kind—fast, chaotic, and often dangerous.

“It’s not even their own drones,” says Officer Marcus Juarez of Lone Star. “They’re jacking garbage haulers, security patrol bots, food delivery units—anything with mobility and a Matrix link. Which is basically everything.”

Juarez is referring to the most talked-about race of the week: a high-stakes relay involving three hacked automated trash handling units barrelling through Bellevue’s Corporate Plaza District, shattering a pedestrian bridge, disrupting a Neonet conference, and making local headlines after one drone crashed through the lobby of a Saeder-Krupp satellite office.

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The Anatomy of a Race

Participants—often deckers or drone riggers—jack into the city’s Matrix overlay and hijack commercial drones in real-time. These races are often spontaneous, livestreamed, and heavily gamified, with betting pools tracked across darknet boards and subnet enclaves. The most popular format right now is called "Drag and Drop", where racers must grab, carry, or steal a random payload mid-race before crossing a finish line.

“It’s like Mario Kart meets Grand Theft Auto, only in real life and three-dimensional,” says H3llcatRodeo, an anonymous drone racer who claims to have piloted the Bellevue trash-hauler during last week's race. “And yeah, maybe a few windows got smashed. That’s called turning!”

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Follow the Credits

Analysts note the timing of the legalization push is… curious. The UDR scene has been bubbling under the surface for years, but this current wave is different—higher-tech, better coordinated, and mysteriously well-funded.

“We’re seeing high-end neural rigging hardware show up in SINless garages,” says drone analyst Faye Montero. “Someone is backing this. Maybe as a proof of concept. Or maybe they’re just scouting talent for corporate racing leagues.”

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Public Reaction: Wildly Divided

Proponents argue that regulation is the only sane response to an unsanctioned craze that’s already embedded in Seattle’s culture.

“People said powerboarding was a menace in 2053,” said Councilwoman Reyes at a press preview. “Now it’s a core Olympic sport. If we can regulate crime, we can regulate speed.”

Opponents, like property insurance consortium ASA (Asset Stability Alliance), aren’t amused.

“We logged 7.3 million nuyen in damages in just 10 days,” said ASA rep Veronica Lex. “This isn’t sport. It’s vandalism in VR goggles.”

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Next Steps

The council hearing on Friday will hear from industry reps, community voices, and—controversially—a representative of the Seattle Drone Riders Coalition, who asked to remain anonymous and will appear via VR proxy.

A temporary injunction remains in place around most drone-heavy districts, but the races show no signs of slowing down. Last night’s action? Downtown airspace. Twelve drones. One cargo lift. Two fires. No fatalities. Yet.

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Bottom Line:
The world is watching. The drones are moving. And in a city torn between freedom and control, Urban Drone Racing may be the next great frontier—or its next great mistake.

Seattle NewsNet – Local Affairs | August 4, 2097

 

Tensions Boil in Redmond as Lone Star Conducts Evan’s Creek Raids

Seattle NewsNet – Local Affairs | August 4, 2097

Evan’s Creek, Redmond – A series of late-night operations carried out by Lone Star Security Services in the blighted district of Evan’s Creek has reignited public debate over the role of corporate policing in Seattle's most lawless sprawl. According to eyewitnesses, multiple armored units rolled through residential sectors around 01:30 local time, accompanied by unmarked surveillance drones and “heavily augmented personnel.”

While no fatalities have been confirmed, there are reports of at least four hospitalizations, two disappearances, and significant property damage.

“They came in like it was a warzone,” said Maria Xue, a local medtech volunteer at a community clinic. “No warrants. No questions. They just kicked down doors. The neighborhood’s never been the same since the corpos pulled out. Now it’s the occasional Lone Star officer and ghosts.”

Local Matrix feeds lit up overnight with shaky footage showing armored trucks, power-armored operatives, and apparent drone jamming protocols in effect. Several community networks were dark for hours.

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The Official Story: Denials and Doubts

Lone Star issued a brief, highly polished statement this morning:

“There has been no spike in operational activity in Evan’s Creek. Lone Star remains fully committed to patrolling all of Redmond in accordance with our contracted mandate. We categorically deny any knowledge of bioroid trafficking, mercenary activity, or escalated threat levels in the area.”

When pressed for details regarding the sudden appearance of tactical forces, a Lone Star PR liaison responded only:

“We investigate threats where they arise. Public safety is our priority.”

The Mayor's office declined to comment directly, citing an “ongoing interagency review” of public-private security operations in Redmond.

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Rumors and Speculation

Despite the denials, local analysts and independent media outlets suggest a darker picture.

Rumor #1: Bioroid Black Market
Multiple sources—some affiliated with ex-Aztechnology assets—claim that Redmond has quietly become a hub for bioroid resleeving and aftermarket modification, particularly of surplus security and industrial models. These are the same models officially banned from private ownership within Seattle city limits.

“There’s too much high-end tech floating around for this to be a local problem,” said Freya “Bluechip” Downs, a former Horizon field reporter turned independent blogger. “I’ve seen Aztech logos scrubbed off neural rigs. Someone’s doing real business out here.”

Rumor #2: Mercenaries for Hire
Recent sightings of unfamiliar paramilitary figures—some allegedly sporting old Pacific Protectorate insignia—suggest that Redmond is attracting independent operators. Whether hired by gangs, corporations, or foreign interests remains unknown.

“Someone’s stocking up and hiring up,” said an anonymous Fixer operating out of Touristville. “The only thing missing is the shooting war.”

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Local Voices: “We’re Not Collateral”

Protests erupted in scattered locations across Redmond this morning, from Volunteer Park’s ad hoc clinic to the ruined shell of Northgate Mall. Some carried signs reading: “Evan’s Creek is Not a Testbed”, “Redmond is Real”, and “No More Black Bags.”

A local SINless activist known only as Drell spoke from the back of a converted food truck:

“Every corp gets its turn to play gods with Redmond. Lone Star’s just the latest. But we’re still here. Still breathing. You can’t gentrify pain.”

Others are less hopeful. A quiet memorial has sprung up in the ruins of a collapsed tenement where two teenage siblings were allegedly taken. No bodies have been found.

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Bottom Line:
Lone Star claims nothing unusual is happening in Evan’s Creek. But the residents—and the Matrix—aren’t convinced.

And with rising magical interference near Mount Rainier and foreign megacorps posturing abroad, few in Redmond are confident that help is on the way.

Seattle NewsNet Morning Bulletin – Aug 4, 2097

 

Seattle NewsNet – Morning Bulletin

August 4, 2097 | Curated by Horizon Group Syndication Services

🌍 GLOBAL HEADLINES

Halo’s Parisian Double Feature Sparks Joy, Fury, and Ideological Meltdown
Paris played host to two wildly different performances by global simsense superstar Halo, and the Matrix is still ablaze.

• Aug 3, Eiffel Tower: The "public" concert cast Halo in the role of a modern-day Jeanne d’Arc, fighting corporate greed and societal apathy. The immersive simsense ending—with Halo's symbolic death—left millions emotionally wrecked. Hashtags #HaloMartyr and #LightOfFrance are trending across Europe and the UCAS.

• Aug 4, Versailles: The exclusive follow-up show, attended by Europe's elite, praised historical leadership and divine right with a glowing digital resurrection of Jeanne d’Arc—now openly critical of ruling elites and disconnected power structures. Some called it bold. Others called it “dangerously subversive.”

As if on cue, critics on all sides have found something to hate.

“She dies as a revolutionary, comes back as a technospirit to lecture kings? Give me a break,” writes @kropotkindred on Parliamatrix.
“She’s shilling for Saeder-Krupp one minute and holding hands with Nygård the next? I’m out,” posts UCAS content creator LoveSprawl808.
“Quebec. Jakarta. Copenhagen. Paris. It’s not the Darklight Tour anymore—it’s the Communist World Tour,” jokes @InfowarAngel_666.

Starway Elite’s Vice President of Operations Philip Harrowfield refused to comment on ideological accusations, but reiterated the company’s commitment to “artistic freedom and global outreach.” Insiders say both concerts drew record streaming numbers, especially among younger demographics across Europe and East Asia.

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🇺🇸 LOCAL: SEATTLE

Mt. Rainier Quakes: Evacuation Orders Loom
The seismic activity near Mount Rainier has escalated. Tremors were felt as far north as Renton late last night. The Cascade Seismology Bureau confirms multiple overlapping quake signatures, including unexplained magical fluctuations.

Residents of Ashford, Elbe, and Orting are advised to prepare for potential evacuation. UCAS Federal Aid and Aztechnology Emergency Services are deploying drones and temporary shelters.

“It’s not just tectonic—it’s arcano-tectonic,” says one anonymous source inside the Seattle Thaumaturgy Institute. “This is no ordinary build-up.”

Tensions in Redmond as Lone Star Raids Evan’s Creek
A series of coordinated Lone Star raids in Evan’s Creek last night have reignited protests over jurisdiction and force escalation. No official statement yet from the Mayor's office, but local rumors suggest this may be tied to suspected bioroid trafficking and a rise in heavily armed mercenaries in the area.

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🌐 EUROPE ROUNDUP

SSU Reception Tonight in Copenhagen Ahead of Bonus Halo Show
The old royal palace will host a high-profile reception for Halo and Starway Elite this evening. Vice President Harrowfield and Speaker of the SSU Astrid Nygård are both confirmed to attend, sparking speculation about deeper political and cultural alignment.

Dresden Cloister Protests Continue
Anti-corporate protesters clashed with security forces at the Dresden Urban Cloister.

Oslo: One Dead, Two Injured in “Purity Panic” Riot
An argument inside the neo-Nordic purity district of Oslo turned violent.

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🎭 ENTERTAINMENT

Phoenix Rising Resurgence Continues
The show's unexpected surge in viewership—following fan-reports of Maya Torres’ appearance inside the Matrix—has launched its Season 3.5 “Echoes” arc into the top 5 international trending slots. Starway Elite has not confirmed production dates for Season 4, but speculation mounts.

Illegal Drone Racing Gains Legitimacy?
Seattle Council to debate a controversial proposal this Friday that would legalize and regulate Urban Drone Racing, citing public safety.

JOURNAL ENTRY – PHILIP HARROWFIELD // AUG 4, 2097

 

Copenhagen

It was a short hop from Paris to Copenhagen, but the mood shifted sharply somewhere along the way. Paris is drama. Copenhagen is surveillance.

This concert isn’t part of the main Darklight tour. It’s a bonus event. So here we are, scrambling through rehearsals, logistics, and another security sweep, because while Paris is unpredictable, Copenhagen is deliberate. And nothing happens here without being recorded, evaluated, and archived in triplicate.

The reception was held in the old royal palace, a building steeped in history but wired to the teeth with sensors, AI moderators, and whatever the Alignment Division uses to make people feel like they’re being flayed with polite interest. Everyone wore grey—sober, austere, regulation. Everyone but Astrid.

Astrid Nygård arrived in radiant white.

A statement, of course. Purity, contrast, command.

Halo was magnificent, as always. The local dignitaries tried to act unimpressed, but more than one of them was caught watching her with that distance, wide-eyed stare we've come to know and love.

President Evans’ husband came over from the UCAS, on my invitation. He’s a Halo fan. Genuinely. The kind of fan who knows the tracklist from her second album and shed a few tears during the private DC concert.

After the reception, I slipped away for quieter talks. Astrid first, naturally. She doesn’t waste time with pleasantries. There was that long, searching look across a silent room—the kind of moment that feels historic. And maybe it was.

Then a call with Berlin. Herr Krieg, guarded as ever, but cautiously optimistic. We spoke in veiled terms—trade corridors, shared infrastructure, cultural exchange programs—but what we meant was power. Is this the moment? When dragons and technocrats, unions and megacorps, stop pretending to be enemies and start building something functional? Or at least mutually profitable?

I wouldn’t bet on peace. But I would bet on profit. For them. For me.

—Philip Harrowfield

VP of Operations, Starway Elite Productions

JOURNAL ENTRY – PHILIP HARROWFIELD // JULY 28-AUG 4, 2097

 

July 28–Aug 2

Halo’s energy is relentless. A whirlwind of interviews, meet-and-greets, clandestine lunches, and sponsored rooftop seances. Every dusk-to-midnight stretch was booked. Evie and I barely had a minute alone. When we did, we made it count.

We "accidentally" ran into Sergei Volkov—Serj—who’s trailing the tour now like a ghost of branding past. He’s heavier, darker, full of fire and quiet menace. No smile. Just those hungry eyes and his new pack of tusked followers. His content has taken a turn—more primal, more raw. He’s spiraling, but controlled. A tragedy in slow motion.

Meanwhile, I’ve been speaking with half the planet’s power players. Astrid flew down from Copenhagen; Krieg dialed in from Berlin. Vivek, Teq, and even President Evans chimed in. There are corporate partnerships to nurture, security contracts to renegotiate (especially around Mt. Rainier), and personal agendas to massage. If I’m being honest—and this is the one place I allow myself to be—I’m playing the long game. There are fractures forming beneath the corporate crust. I intend to be there when the opportunities bubble to the surface.

Note to self: the name "Velaxas" causes quite a bit of unease in those in the know. But they all insist that there is no danger, that it was destroyed, buried, forgotten. 

August 3

Concert at the Eiffel Tower. Halo’s Joan of Arc routine brought the house down—literally, in one case: a viewer in Boston jumped from his third-story window in despair. She’s still in her "light" persona, preaching unity and courage and common folk uprising against the megas. The simsense climax—her martyrdom—triggered a global grief spike. Horizon PR will be sorting through that data for weeks.

August 4

Private concert at Versailles. Less martyr, more monarchist this time. Halo praised the idea of noble leadership, but tempered it with warnings. Her resurrection—digital and ghostlike both—delivered a final monologue about the fragility of power and the hunger of the forgotten. The elite guests applauded, but several have already posted passive-aggressive remarks. The Nouvel Observateur called it “Communist necromancy dressed in couture.” I couldn’t be prouder.

We leave tomorrow. Next stop: Copenhagen.

—Philip Harrowfield

Vice President of Operations, Starway Elite Productions
Consort of the Darklight. Drinker of espresso. Keeper of secrets.

JOURNAL ENTRY – PHILIP HARROWFIELD // JULY 27, 2097

 

Journal Entry – July 27, 2097 – Paris

Paris. City of lights, of layers, of contradictions.

Evie, Vanya, and I arrived ahead of the others. We touched down in the inner arrondissements—those heavily curated, half-museum, half-arcology districts where the past is preserved, remixed, and sold at a premium. A half-hour ride in the other direction, and the rest of the metroplex is crumbling, a digital ghost town where glitched AR ads hover above cracked concrete and burned-out cafés.

But I came here for something very specific.

The simsense opera Red Sands, White Profits has been packing houses across Europe—an avant-garde historical hallucination of the First Corporate War told through the resurrected memories of long-dead CEOs. It's vulgar, brilliant, unsettling. Everything modern art ought to be.

Vanya confirmed what I suspected—there's magic in it. Not during the show itself, but in its making. She can't say more. Her talents lie in shaping spells, not in communing with the dead. So I tracked down the maestro: Philippe Foch, genius, fraud, necromancer, artist.

He admitted, after some coaxing and flexing of nuyen, that they had indeed used summoned spirits to inspire the production. Actual echoes of the dead—executives, shareholders, mid-level managers from a war that shattered the world and birthed the corporate age. But the spirits were not channeled during performances. “We do not marionette the dead,” he said. “We listen. We craft. We perform.”

I believe him. But I also see the potential. I want Red Sands signed to Starway Elite. And I want to know what else these souls have to say.

Which leads me to her.

Foch agreed to a séance. We tried to reach Selena Mars—the actress portraying Maya Torres, the character from Phoenix Rising. The séance... failed. Nothing happened. Not in meatspace.

But later, in the Matrix, Wizkid saw her. Not the actress—the character. A full technomantic echo. She had no recollection of ever being anything but Maya Torres. It was her. It is her.

And now I am convinced: Maya’s actor was likely one of the very first technomancers. She played the role of a technomancer, yes—but perhaps she didn’t need to act at all.

The soul, the echo, the self—these things are slippery. Egypt gave me gods. India gave me lifetimes. Samarkand gave me resonance that survives death. And now Paris gives me ghosts.

I’ve seen enough to know: death is only a phase. And art, it seems, is one of the ways we reincarnate.

Seattle NewsNet | Global Dispatch – July 28, 2097

 

Curated International Feed | Source: Horizon Group WorldWatch | Local Broadcast Override Enabled

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Europe: Shifting Currents in the Old World

📍 Black Forest, Allied German States
“Lofwyr’s Shadow Grows”
Saeder-Krupp has confirmed the closure of public access to the Schwarzwald Special Economic Zone. While officials cite “temporary mana pollution,” rumors persist that Lofwyr himself is conducting a full-scale relocation of his hoard to a “new dimensional substrate.” Some Eurozone observers worry this may signal a shift away from corporate oversight toward draconic sovereignty. The EuroMark closed slightly down.

📍 Paris, Franco-Iberian Cultural Zone
“History Rewritten in HD”
The avant-garde simsense opera Red Sands, White Profits—depicting the First Corporate War through the memories of reanimated executives—continues to sell out performances. France’s Ministry of Media insists no real souls were used in the production, despite allegations of unlicensed necromantic rituals during previews.

📍 Brittany, Former Republic of France
“Breton Resistance Reignites”
Explosions rocked the port city of Saint-Malo as separatist cells claimed responsibility for disrupting a Saeder-Krupp logistics node. Local authorities believe insurgents used spirit-bound explosives, reportedly sourced from Tir na nÓg intermediaries. Horizon analysts warn of escalating anti-corporate sentiment in the region.

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🌐 Arcane & Resonant Activity

📍 Edinburgh, Arcane Republic
“Shared Dreamspace or Diplomatic Land Grab?”
The Grand College of Edinburgh has published maps detailing "dream overlays” shared between parts of Scotland, France, and western Ireland. French officials have denounced the claim as “metaphysical nonsense with expansionist undertones.” Horizon's Magical Trends Desk rates the College’s mana-modeling software as “concerningly accurate.”

📍 Vienna, Austro-Swiss Union
“When Ice Spirits Boil”
Glacier collapse in the Tyrolean Alps has triggered multiple elemental spillovers and a documented summoning of a hostile ice spirit claiming to be "Kalvus the Last True Winter." Local mages have called for international assistance, claiming the Alpine ley network is destabilizing faster than expected.

📍 Prague, Central Euro Magical Exchange
“Knowledge for Loyalty?”
Prague's legendary magical archives have opened access to Saeder-Krupp scholars and select Horizon initiates in what appears to be a knowledge-for-protection agreement. Critics accuse the Czech Mage Assembly of “privatizing the arcane commons.” Horizon assures no trade of forbidden rites has taken place. 

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🐉 Whispers of the Scaled

📍 Corsica, Independent Isle
“Karath-Fein Ascends”
The dragon Karath-Fein has been declared “Steward Eternal” of Corsica by the local assembly of elders. The vote passed with 87% approval following the sudden prosperity of fishing villages and the unexplained restoration of the island’s aquifers. Neutral observers are puzzled but note “no violations of international or local laws at this time.”

📍 Lapland Exclusion Zone, SSU
“Eyes in the Wastes”
Shadow-patrols along the northern Finnish border have reported encounters with non-astral draconic silhouettes, invisible to conventional scanners and astral sight alike. The Scandinavian Union Ministry of Unity has issued a Level 3 Containment Advisory but denies any supernatural threat. Matrix chatter calls them “ghost wyrms.”

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🛒 Lifestyle & Culture

📍 Berlin, AGS
“Neo-Goth 1930 Returns”
Berlin’s Unterstadt cloister district has gone viral with its immersive "1930s Gothic Noir" AR environment—complete with curated “grayscale anxiety” and synth-jazz radio stations. Critics call it escapism; users call it “therapy with trench coats.”

📍 Amsterdam
“Possession Tourism Surges”
The Netherlandic Spirit Licensing Authority reports a 42% increase in short-term body rentals by foreign spirits. A Horizon travel advisory reminds visitors to “read the waiver before inviting an astral guest into your spine.”

📍 Madrid, Berlin, Paris
“Urban Cloisters: Escapism or Soft Segregation?”
Across major European cities, the rise of “urban cloisters”—hyper-curated districts enclosed by augmented reality and strict access protocols—is reshaping how the elite experience culture. These private enclaves simulate romanticized versions of past or mythical eras: 1940s Left Bank Paris, Imperial Roman market squares, or even “True Nordic Purity” zones in Oslo, complete with ancestral rune overlays and simulated fjord air.

Supporters praise the cloisters as immersive artistic expressions and safe havens for cultural preservation. Critics, however, call them digitally gentrified echo chambers that promote social isolation and class stratification. A Horizon Futures report notes a “worrying correlation” between cloister residency and declining participation in public civic life.