The New Century Party:  Technocrats Turned Magocrats?

March 1st, 2057

Washington FDC, UCAS:  In the midst of this tumultuous election, many UCAS voters are casting a critical eye towards the New Century Party and wondering, are these the Technocrats of my youth?   

On the surface, the majority of members of the party are Technocrats that appear to have jumped ship after the the Tech party leader, former President Thomas Steele rigged the 2056 election, but there's more going on than that.  Those former Technocrats claim that they saw the rigged election as the final proof that the party that promised to move the UCAS into a future of technological innovation and economic strength has become as old and corrupt as the Democrat and Republican parties from which it was originally formed back in 2040.  Moreover, they say, the purely technological promise of the the Technocrat party ignores the terrible fact that the UCAS, unlike many of its North American Neighbors, has failed to truly integrate the power of magic into its governance.  That's where Dr. Rozalyn Hernandez, controversial social scientist and mage, and her Illuminates of the New Dawn come in.

Hernandez has been on the board at Georgetown University for the past fourteen years, and her theories on social development, technomagic and progress through innovation have met with acclaim and criticism throughout her career, and many have accused her of being a "guru" to her academic adherents.  Dr. Hernandez stands by her theory that (meta)humankind can achieve a utopian society through technological and magical development.  In the speech announcing her candidacy, she summed up her opinion in the following words: "Our technology isn't doing enough.  Magic isn't doing enough.  Neither of them has lived up to what they could be.  We need to take back the reins of power and guide the world into the new era.  Magic and technology working together can show us the new directions that our nation needs to take; this way, we can fulfill the promise of the twenty-first century."

Of course, Dr. Hernandez knows all about the workings of magic.  She is a high-grade initiate mage and a member of the magical group known as the Illuminates of the New Dawn.  The Illuminates claim to see the "Awakening" as a sign of a new era in human development.  They say that they believe that the forces of magic and science must be reconciled in order to advance the (meta)human cause.  Of course, virtually every member of the IOND is also a member of the New Century Party, and these hip, progressive mages have succeeded in bringing younger, disillusioned members of the Technocrat party under the New Century banner.  Focusing only on progress at the expense of tradition, the New Century Party is heavily pushing the idea that magic is the key to the future of UCAS governance; an idea that appeals to young people enamored of magic and disconnected from the traditions of our American heritage.

With all that said, the voter must ask himself, is this really what I want?  Young voters propelling a female demagogue wielding unknowable powers and a fervent desire to re imagine our society as one that "integrates magic into governance?"  "Dr." Rozalyn Hernandez hails from the elitist halls of academia and the secretive halls of a magical order that goes so far as to call itself the "illuminates."  For all her talk about solving issues through research and the application of technology and magic, it is fairly clear that her agenda, and that of the Illuminates of the New Dawn is to replace the venerable Technocrats with a new form of Magocrats.  A "New Century" where ordinary humans answer to their magical and academic "betters," and magic users a placed to take the reigns of our once great nation.

Work Resumes on Renraku Arcology After Setbacks

Installation of Increased Security Measures Stalled Work on Chronically Behind-Schedule Landmark

February 25th, 2057

 

 Seattle, UCAS:  This morning saw construction crews returning to the as yet unfinished 305th floor of the Renraku Arcology.  After the mysterious disappearance of a Renraku cargo helicopter shortly after lifting off from the Arcology's 300th floor cargo heliport structure, work on the structure was put on hold while an investigation took place.  With the conclusion of the investigation, and the addition of new security measures on incoming and outgoing air traffic from the Arcology's upper levels, work has resumed on final two floors of Renraku's signature landmark.

Of course, news of setbacks and work on the Renraku Arcology is hardly new.  Under construction since 2039, the huge, truncated pyramid now rises nearly one thousand meters into the sky above the waterfront and stretches more than ten huge city blocks on each side.  Construction has employed tens of thousands of Seattlites and Renraku corporate citizens.  Though still unfinished, the familiar edifice is almost fully operational, housing over 80,000 Renraku workers, as well as incorporating shopping malls, nightclub districts, hospitals, schools, internal transportation, food production, its own nuclear power plant, and even Renraku Seattle's main manufacturing facilities, and the massive mainframe computers that run SEASource, the foundation of the Seattle public matrix.  Essentially, the grand structure is a city within the city.
 
Of course, the aim is for it to be more than that.  When completed, the arcology will be self-sufficient fortress.  Renraku America President, Sherman Huang, who personally oversees both the the AAA megacorp's interests in North America and the construction of the Arcology, has seen to it that the completed structure will be more than self-sufficient; it will be impregnable.
 
"The SCIRE (Self-Contained Industrial-Residential Environment) is the largest arcology in the world, and when in lock-down mode, it will be able to withstand even a nuclear bombardment," Huang told Newsfax.  "All needs are seen to within the SCIRE, and safety and security are assured.  In the future, Renraku citizens will be born, work, and die within its mighty walls, never needing to leave.  Arcologies like the SCIRE could be built in even the most inhospitable places, and assure productive living and working inside, even if the world outside falls to chaos.  In short, the Renraku Arcology is not only the future of Renraku, but very likely the future of life on Earth."
 
Despite Huang's claims and the already impressive 90% operational capacity of this, the world's largest arcology, the fact remains that work on the monumental structure is now almost three years behind schedule.  Unforeseen construction woes, weather problems, and now security measures have all conspired to keep the the completion date of Renraku's pride and joy a fluctuating thing.  Originally scheduled for completion in the summer of '54, that date was pushed back to December of '56.  With that deadline come and gone, Huang now declares that the structure will be complete and fully operational by July 2058.