Winner Takes All Arc

Dulce et Decorum 2024 Event Timeline Galactic Events N/A Major Events Silicon Nightmares Arc · New Blades, Old Wounds Arc Minor Events Stoking The Flames Arc · Demands of the Three Arc · War in Heaven Arc · Magna Expansio Unionis · They Who Hath Become Lord · Dulce et Decorum Arc This is the overview and timeline page for the Winner Takes All Arc which began on December 10th, 2024 and pertains largely to Sol Alliance lore. As the Sol Alliance rebuilds, it is time for a new leader - and a fiercly contestested election. Below is a summary of the arc's applicable news articles, and additions. Contents Populists Name Candidate for ‘67 PM Election! News Article Publisher: Sol Alliance News Network Writer: NewOriginalSchwann After the typical SANN jingle the camera zooms in on the familiar face of Harold MacMillan behind his desk. He maintains eye contact -- the anchor can certainly maintain a steely gaze -- with the camera as it zooms in, then begins speaking. “Good evening, and welcome back to the State of Sol — I’m your host, Harold MacMillan. Urgent news has just arrived from Venus, where the Populist Party will shortly announce their candidate. We go now to the Susuhe District and our reporter on-scene, Eberechi Oteh. Eberechi?” The screen splits, with a darker-skinned man in an assembly hall now standing on the right. The idle noise of the crowd can be heard in the background, but it’s hard to make out any words. A Solarian flag banner can vaguely be seen over Oteh’s right shoulder. “Hello Harold!” Oteh has a notable Callistean accent “I'm happy to hear from you.” “It’s mutual. How’s the atmosphere on Venus?” “The people here are excited, Harold! We’re only a few minutes from the announcement, and the candidate’s acceptance speech.” “Any predictions on who it could be?” “Most people here think it’ll be Governor Strom. There’s been some rumors about Governor Szalai being the nominee after the events on Visegrad, but nothing to confirm it. Hang on,” Oteh puts his finger to his earpiece for a second, then looks at the camera. “The announcement is happening in just a moment, Harold.” “Right, thank you for covering this.” “Of course,” both MacMillan and Oteh disappear as the camera switches to a view of the stage. A podium dominates the center, with the backdrop being a massive Solarian flag hologram that flutters in the “wind.” Posts marked with planets of the Alliance — Callisto, Silversun, Visegrad, and more — can be seen in the audience, signifying delegations. The atmosphere is festive, but the audience quiets as the lights dim and the PA begins to broadcast. “People of the Alliance,” a male voice broadcasts from it, “please welcome your next Prime Minister: HENRIK STROM!!!” A man in a muted gray business suit walks out from the hologram, waving to the crowd as it erupts into cheers. The Alliance’s anthem plays over the loudspeakers as he approaches the podium, moving with purpose. As he nears it, Hendrik Strom throws his left fist up into the air to wild cheering from the crowd! As he climbs onto the podium he gives one last wave and the cheering fades with his gesture for the crowd to quiet. The Jintarian politician takes a moment to survey the crowd, savoring the moment, and begins speaking. “My fellow Solarians,” Strom leans into the podium, now looking serious. “The last six years have been some of the hardest faced by our nation since the Interstellar War. Enemies foreign and domestic seized on our temporary weakness: corporations stole our planets, traitors in the military tried to bring down our government, but did they?” “NO!” yells the crowd. “They didn't! Because our Alliance is the greatest nation in the Spur — and under my leadership tt will continue to be great! Strom pauses for a moment to let the cheering die down. “We will take back our economy from the corporate elite and give it back to the common Solarian! We will secure our borders! And for those Solarians living under occupation, we will come to rescue you! The crowd cheers again. Some begin chanting Strom’s name, which others quickly pick up and spread throughout the audience. “Always remember, Strom pauses for effect, letting the crowd's cheer dominant the theater for a few moments, "that a vote for the Populists is a vote for the future of our Alliance! Thank you, and long live the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations!” Strom raises his right arm with a V for victory symbol as the crowd cheers again! He then begins to work his way off the stage, waving at the crowd, as Hold Us Tight by Just Us, a Jintarian band, plays. The crowd goes wild, cheering and chanting his name as the SANN’s feed cuts out and fades into a commercial break. Socialists Announce PM Candidate for ‘67 Election! News Article Publisher: Sol Alliance News Network Writer: NewOriginalSchwann The camera, after the SANN jingle, zooms in on the serious-looking face of Harold MacMillan. “Welcome back to The State of Sol. Today we take you to Cua Song, New Hai Phong, where the Socialist Party is set to shortly announce their candidate for PM. We go now to our reporter on the ground, Le Quynh Cong. Quynh?” The camera switches to a typical Hai Phongese woman standing in an auditorium with Solarian flags hanging from the ceiling. Quynh is bespectacled with short hair, and is wearing a rebreather around her neck that’s been pulled down to show her face — a common sight on the pollution and dust-covered Solarian world. She nods her head to the camera. “Hi Harold! The atmosphere’s electric here in Cua Song, everyone’s excited to see the Socialist Party’s candidate for PM.” “Any predictions?” “Most people think it’ll be Senator Trang! The governors are too, ah, controversial,” Quynh wiggles her eyebrows a bit, trying to imply something, “I heard a bit about them, but nothing suitable for broadcast.” “That fits what I know,” MacMillan laughs for a moment. “Any other potential candidates?” Quynh shakes her head. “Nobody aside from Trang’s been able to get influence over the Socialists, so she’s pretty much the only one.” “Citizens of the Alliance,” a female voice broadcasts over the PA. Quynh gives a signal to the camera, which switches to a view of the stage. “The Socialist Party’s candidate and your next Prime Minister: Le Hanh Trang!” Cheers erupt from the audience as a middle-aged Hai Phongese woman in a black suit walks from the side of the stage to a podium, waving as she approaches it. A chant of “LE HANH TRANG!” comes up from the audience as she approaches. The Senator clasps her hands together and shakes them above her head, motioning for quiet as she mounts the podium and begins to speak. “My fellow Solarians,” Trang begins. “We stand now on the brink of our Alliance’s triumph over corporate greed and domination! Trang stops a moment to allow the cheering to subside. “The Socialist Party has given you, the citizens of the Alliance, a victory over NanoTrasen, over Zavodskoi, over Zeng-Hu,” Trang pauses for dramatic effect. “But!” Trang raises a finger and points it out into the audience. “Our duty is not yet done! Billions of Solarians just like you and me are forced to work under the thumb of Hephaestus Industries and their toady subsidiaries, who take our money and send it to their alien fiefdom while replacing our workers with their synthetics! And to this I say,” Trang pauses, looking around for a moment, then crosses her arms into an X! “No more! More cheering erupts. “If I am elected as your next PM, I will take the fight to Hephaestus!” Trang slams her fist into the podium! “I will fight for the Solarian worker!” Trang slams her fist into the podium again! The crowd has begun chanting her name. “And I will stop aliens and synthetics from taking over our jobs and our country! Thank you!” Trang throws both hands up into Vs for victory. The crowd goes wild, chanting her name and yelling. The senator looks beyond pleased at this reception, standing there and basking in it as the feed switches to a commercial break. Sol First Party Announces Candidate for ‘67 PM Elections! News Article Publisher: Sol Alliance News Network Writer: CampinKiller The camera, following the typical SANN jingle, zooms in on the always stern Harold MacMillan. “Welcome back to The State of Sol. This evening we will be visiting Harmony City, Luna, where the Sol First Party is expected to announce its candidate in short order. We go now to the AESCO-L Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where our reporter, Céline Eylenbosch, is waiting. Céline?” The screen splits, with one half containing MacMillan, and the other, a blonde and quite obviously Cytherean, woman. “Hello, dear viewers! We’re here in the lovely Aldrin Auditorium, where the Sol First Party is going to be announcing their candidate after quite the process. Everyone’s ready to see their candidate for the first time.” “Any predictions?” “The frontrunner seems to be Senator Toshiyuki Sumida, who’s from this district of Harmony City. There are a few darkhorse candidates, but they aren’t likely to surprise us tonight. Oh! It’s time for the announcement.” “Fellow Solarians,” a voice booms over a speaker, prompting a camera switch to one showing the stage, “Please welcome the next Prime Minister of the Solarian Alliance, Toshiyuki Sumida!” Confetti fires from cannons as a middle-aged Lunan man enters the stage, smiling and waving at the assembled crowd. The crowd erupts into cheers, which Sumida amplifies by waving his arms upwards in a pump-up motion as he reaches the podium. After taking in the crowd, he waves for quiet, which the crowd eventually gives him. “My fellow Solarians,” Sumida begins, “The last several years have tried our Alliance, but we have come out of the darkness strong! We must seize this opportunity to put the priority on us first!” Sumida pauses as the cheers grow again, waiting a few moments for them to die down. “The Sol First Party will put our needs as a nation, and your needs from the government, first. We must focus on restoring the planets in the Reconstruction Mandates, and rebuilding ourselves! We must defend our borders and every citizen, whilst avoiding foreign entanglements that seek to drag us down!” More cheering erupts from the crowd. “If I’m elected Prime Minister, we will bring in a new era of the Alliance that puts our nation before everything else!” “I will protect us from foreign corporate interests, and put our own first! Together, we will lead the Alliance back to glory! Thank you all!” Sumida throws his hands up and the crowd goes wild, while he continues to stand at the podium and enjoy the reception, before the commercial break interrupts the scene. Solarian Popular Democratic Party and Communist Party Announce PM Candidates News Article Publisher: Sol Alliance News Network Writer: CampinKiller UNITY STATION, EARTH – This afternoon (GST), the remaining two parties announced their candidates for Prime Minister in the upcoming election. Both the Solarian Popular Democratic Party and the Communist Party of the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations announced their respective candidates at their conventions, though both are seen as having little chance of winning. The Solarian Popular Democratic Party announced Callistean Senator Anastaise Renaud as their nominee for Prime Minister. Senator Renaud, a popular senator from Callisto, gained many supporters within her own party for her response to the local Naval garrison’s violent dispersal of a protest calling for intervention in the Northern Wildlands. Among Renaud’s many promises during her acceptance speech were to fight for the workers of the Alliance against corporate influence, expand assistance to the Reconstruction Mandates, and re-establish the Alliance diplomatically with the Spur. The Communist Party announced its candidate as Kliment Pavlov, an influential planetary politician from Pluto. Among the party’s many goals are the expansion of social programs, nationalization of many corporate assets, and significant reform of the central government. Further Reading: San Colette national ice hockey team stuns Pluto in Olympic knockout stages Today in History: The Boston Tea Party ‘Boat Chicken’ Incident Injures 7 in Helios City Election Date Announced! News Article Publisher: Sol Alliance News Network Writer: NewOriginalSchwann NEW YORK CITY, EARTH — Earlier today (GST) the provisional government announced an official date for the Solarian 2467 general federal election. Elections are, assuming no delays, to take place on 27 February, with all votes for prime minister expected to be counted by either 28 February or 1 March (Earth Standard Time). Senatorial elections may take longer. Most senatorial seats are up for election due to delays experienced during the civil war. Absentee voting is to be determined on a planet-by-planet basis. A government spokesperson contacted by the SANN advised voters to contact the Department of the Interior, if in the Alliance, or Department of State, if abroad, for more information. Further Reading: SFP Holds Rally on San Colette Phoron Cleanup on D’Anzin Expected to Take Five Years People of the Spur: The Assunzionii SANN Exclusive: Your Guide to Voting Abroad News Article Publisher: Sol Alliance News Network Writer: NewOriginalSchwann UNITY STATION, EARTH - Earlier the SANN reached out to the government for information about how Solarian citizens can vote if they are either abroad or on a planet other than the one they are registered to vote on. For more information we have reached out to Doctor Mei Jiang, State Department foreign service officer assigned to the Solarian embassy in Xanu, and Doctor Guoliang Li, program supervisor at the Department of the Interior. Attached are official portraits of Jiang and Li, both typical-looking Solarian bureaucrats clad in dark suits and standing in front of Solarian flags. SANN: For Solarians abroad, how do they know they’re eligible to vote? JIANG: Solarian citizens above voting age who reside abroad are eligible to vote for federal positions, such as prime minister or senators, but local elections are determined on a precinct-by-precinct basis. When in doubt, contact the local board of elections where you were registered — your local embassy or consulate can help you send a letter to them if you’re confused. SANN: What about Solarian crewmembers of interstellar vessels? JIANG: For foreign-registered vessels you’ll need to contact the embassy, or consulate, of the area where the vessel is registered. They’ll be able to assist. LI: For Solarian-registered vessels, such as military ships, contact your registered voting precinct and let them know what ship you are on. SANN: How do you request an absentee ballot abroad? JIANG: That’s through the Solarian Voting Abroad Initiative, or SVAI, which is run by the Department of the Interior. You can request one online, and contact your local embassy or consulate’s voting assistance officer if you need help. LI: Domestically, you’ll have to contact the voting precinct you’re registered in and submit an absentee ballot request. For most precincts, this can be done online. For Martian voters abroad, you’ll need to contact the Department of the Interior to determine what precinct you are registered in if your prior address was in the exclusion zone. SANN: How do you receive an absentee ballot? LI: In the Alliance you’ll receive it by mail, either electronically or physically depending on how you request it. Abroad, either by mail — if the area has a reliable postal service, such as most of the Coalition — or via pickup at a consulate or embassy if the government either lacks an effective postal service — such as Vysoka — or is likely to interfere with the process — such as Biesel. SANN: What about returning the ballot? JIANG: The Department of State recommends absentee ballots submitted abroad be returned to the nearest embassy or consulate directly, so they can be transported via diplomatic courier. LI: Domestically, you can send it back via conventional mail or certified electronic mail. SANN: Thank you both for your time. Do you have resources for Solarian voters to contact? JIANG: The best resource to contact is your local embassy or consulate. The Department of State’s website has helpful links and contact information for them. LI: Citizens with questions can reach out to [email protected] for further information, or check our website. Further Reading: Suwon Sea Bandits Score 4-3 Win Over Ton Gwai Triads in Third Game of Alliance Series “Promise of Jintaria” - University Classmates Reflect on Strom Navy Officer, 14 Students Injured in “Rocket Sledding” Incident on Callisto TITLE News Article Publisher: Sol Alliance News Network Writer: NewOriginalSchwann WORDDS