Saturday, August 14, 2045

13:28

Wing Chun Makes Waves in Watson Mass Drop in Night City - Aug. 22nd
by Ricardo Sorena by Kai Everett

As a large Asian population continues to immigrate to Night City, not all
have found Little China and Old Japantown so inviting. Much of this community
has chosen to settle in Watson Development, on the north shore of Night City,
bringing with them traditions that have found new purchase in California soil.
Traditional martial arts has begun to take root in the local community, and even
begun to spark violence within those communities.
I spoke to Sei Fan Li, seifu of the Rising Crane school, teaching a unique
mixture of taekwondo and traditional wing chun. He said that "traditional
[martial] arts are making a comeback as asian immigrants enter Night City and
find it much more violent than they anticipated. Here, the greatest assets you
have are being unexpected, taking threats down quickly, and thinking on your
feet. Wing Chun teaches us all of this." When asked about recent violent
altercations between Rising Crane students and those of the rival Lon Guai
school, he noted "the Rising Crane school teaches non-violence, but self-
reliance. I am assured that my students acted in self defense, and I welcome
Master Fong to address this issue openly." We reached out to Tai Fong, head
of the Lon Guai school, for comment but did not receive any response.
I also reached out to Dr. Wu Chii Lee, a known and respected herbalist and
traditional healer in Night City's asian community. Dr. Lee said that "[he has]
seen countless members of both schools come through [his] office with
concussions, contusions, all manner of things." When asked for his opinion on
the violence, he paused, "It is not strange to me. Eventually, living in Night City,
all things begin to look like gangs. At least, for now, they use fists and not
bullets. And with each patient through my office, I try to keep it that way."k
Link: Kung Fu Braindance? How Older Film Genres are Making a Comeback
Link: Where to see the Cherry Blossoms fall in Night City
That's right, a drop shuttle is scheduled to come down just outside Night
City! Scheduled landing is between 10:20 and 10:25 in the morning, next
sunday the 22nd of August. They'll be landing about a mile or so west of
Night City, so for the best seat to see the landing you'll want to be on the
beach in Little Europe or the University District. Night City University
students may get the best view at the top of their dorm towers! WBN does
not recommend viewing the landing from South Night City, but if you
choose to do so please stay safe; bring your own food and water, limit your
use of access points, and keep a full clip at all times.
Landing in the drop shuttle will be as follows:
-Dr. Kaya Mekhuli, an astronomer and orbital physicist;
-Dr. Sefa Ethabo, spacecraft engineer and physicist;
-Dr. Amahle Mburta, renowned mechanical engineer;
-Manda Ati, systems designer and programmer.
mmm However, not everyone sees this project optimistically. According
to tech sphere rumors, Ati may be installing an experimental local network
AI into Morro Rock as part of their visit. We reached out to the
Confederation, who refused to comment but said that they "have every
confidence in Mr. Ati's ability and judgement on the matter." Some have
called into question the Confederation's trustworthiness and motives in
installing experimental software. The face of Militech, General Samantha
Lee Oliver, recently called the Confederation "powerful and unpredictable,"
worrying that their intention may be to "use Night City as a testing ground."
We here at WBN are committed to keeping you informed as situations and
events such as this continue to develop.

Drift Nations on the Brink of War

by Diane Mckelnik

In the aftermath of the fourth corporate war, the drifting work platforms and
floating cities which represented the height of marine technology were largely
left adrift, bereft of any supportive government. In this power vacuum, many of
them banded into their own independent states and became what we now
know as "Drift Nations". Now, it seems, those nations are on the brink of a
marine war.
AquaDelphi, originally the headquarters of OTEC, has been bringing other
smaller drift nations under its banner for several years now. The floating nation Link: The Morro Rock Project and What it Means for You
now sports a fleet of 43 oil rigs, floating platforms, marine installations, and of Link: Highriders, Deepdivers, and other Extreme Nomads
course the original AquaDelphi structure itself. Between them, they control
much of the sea routes between Asia and North America, and are mainly
clustered around the Hawaiian islands.
However, even this near universal control hasn't stopped pirates from being
a consistent problem to the naval commonwealth. Recently, a coalition of
pirates operating out of a number of oil rigs surrounding Isla Isabela in the
Galapagos has begun raiding increasingly large AquaDelphi transports,
including scientific and diplomatic vessels. Some have begun to call the loose
coalition "Libertalia" after the legendary pirate haven, and leaders of
AquaDelphi fear this band of brigands could be gearing up for war.
It is hard not to see connections to the series of naval conflicts that broke
out around the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago as the drift nation Atlantis faced
an explosion in piracy. Though the leaders of Atlantis assured WBN that any
pirate insurrection had been fully quelled, this may raise doubts about their
handling of the situation and further inflame tensions between Atlantis and
AquaDelphi, making the Panama Canal an even more hotly contested territory.

Link: Moving to a Drift Nation? The Surprising New Trend

Link: Hover Boats and the Aerial Component of Drift Nation Conflicts