2023-12-12: Horror at the North Pole
- Post: 2023-12-12: Horror at the North Pole
- Poster: Yuliana Kafim
- Board: IC News/Rumors
- Date: 2023-12-12
Amidst all the horrors in the news right now, there are many stories about the North Pole. Several civilian organisations detected alarming seismographic data on the 2nd -- at the time, some braced for earthquakes, but it's become clear that a strange power was weaving through the Earth.
By now, the source of those disturbances is clear: the disaster at the North Pole. Images of Void-green ice circulate around the media, as representatives from Cathedra and NERV assure the public that they've contained the contaminated area. Several outlets compare the tragedy to an aborted repeat of Second Impact -- which means that those who responded to stop what happened are hailed as heroes. Those machines which can be identified and traced back to pilots have resulted in many attempts at interviews, though the media machine can't identify everyone who was at the North Pole that day.
Rumours hold that the Void ice at the North Pole has strange properties: a much higher melting temperature, and a tendency to return to an icy state even after being forcibly melted. Some even say the ice is evil, though, naturally, these claims have been wildly exaggerated by the tabloids.
Several calls to and throughout Federation parliament have been made, spearheaded by the REA, demanding the Kafims answer for their crimes. These demands appear unmoved by rumours that Yuliana responded to Dr. Hell's assault on Fujinomiya shortly afterwards. The Silent Calling has received considerable censure, being run out of several Federation jurisdictions entirely -- and facing considerable scrutiny even in non-Federation territories. What was once a very popular up-and-coming charity has now been stained with the indelible association with this world tragedy... even as they continue trying to operate their soup kitchens. (Indeed, while some people near the fringes of the organisation have quietly disavowed themselves of the Calling, many members have doubled down on their devotion to the cause -- specifically because they perceive themselves as being attacked by outsiders.)
Within the Silent Calling, the Kafims have communicated that their efforts to save the world were 'interrupted' by their own hands, beseeching their followers not to listen to the cruel words of a media which doesn't understand. They claim that they could not save the world in such a violent manner, and that they will continue searching for a kinder method of salvation. They will not, they say, give up on them, and they urge them not to give up on each other.