| From: | Brian Angliss <angliss@*****.COLORADO.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Patrick O'Kennedy Press Conference |
| Date: | Wed, 29 Apr 1998 02:36:06 -0600 |
on=
at Haven recently.
+++++ Begin News Clip +++++
The news crews are shown inside Haven itself, underneath a semi-transparent=
bubble which appears to be allowing light into the area beneath it, as the=
artificial lights aren't on, and it's afternoon. There appear to be dozens=
of news crews here, all set up and parked along the road that passes in=
front of the main building, and a small podium has been set up, with a=
variety of chairs as well.
"Good afternoon, I'm Nikki Citizen, coming live to you from Haven, where in=
moments, Patrick O'Kennedy, founder, leader, and school principle of Haven=
has announced that he was giving a press conference. In a show of presence=
normally reserved for the Mayor or important political figures, the news=
corp has turned out dozens of reporters to ask Mr. O'Kennedy the pressing=
questions of the day - How does this bubble affect his relationship with=
Redmond and Seattle, how many people were injured in the attack before=
Haven was able to raise this formidable defense, just how, precisely, did=
Haven manage it, and what are Haven's plans now. Ahh, it appears that Mr.=
O'Kennedy is about to come out of the main Haven building. Excuse me, I=
need to take my seat."
Nikki Citizen, a tall, lithe, blonde elf dressed in a classy and moderately=
liberal suit and skirt (slightly above the knee), moves carefully over to a=
seat and sits down. Additional members of the press also move to take=
thier seats, roughly 20 or so reporters in all.
Up at the main Haven door is a little commotion, and out steps Patrick=
O'Kennedy, a moderately tall elf, about 180cm tall, perhaps 70kgs, wearing=
a simple button-down Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up, open at the=
collar. He's wearing a pair of reasonably nice slacks, and his ubiquitous=
black Converse hightops. He walks with a noticable limp, and his left arm=
is in a sling. He is being helped by a woman, but once he's down the=
stairs, he pats her arm, and limps quickly forward to the small podium.
"Wow. I never thought I'd get this many members of the press out here on=
such short notice. I apologize for the seating arrangements, especially to=
those of you in the back, but I don't like using raisers. We're all equal =
here."
"Mr. O'Kennedy...."
"I'm sorry, Charles, but if you and your distinquished colleagues could=
please be patient, I have a statement I'd like to read before I answer ques=
tions.
On the 26th of this month, Haven was attacked by the Children of Thunda in=
supposed retaliation for our mere presence and supposed collaberation with=
some metahuman conspiracy. The terrorists sent over a hundred attackers,=
including suicide bombers, fanatics carrying assault rifles and clubs, and=
still others using rockets and home-made mortars. The physical devastation=
they wreaked upon Haven will take months to repair, while the mental and=
psychological devastation may be unrepairable. Never before was Haven=
shown to be so vulnerable, and never before in our history has Haven been=
dealt such a serious and direct blow.
The terrorist attack on Haven killed over 15 gate guards, including several=
volunteers from the Siblings, a humanistic/religious organization who had=
so generously offered to help defend the gates of Haven. The others were=
members from various Seattle gangs, including the Halloweeners, the=
Ancients, the I-5ers, and other, less well known gangs such as the Crimson=
Kickers, Black and Gold, and the Forresters. But their damage did not stop=
there. The terrorists also plunged deep into the heart of Haven, killing a=
dozen more before they reached the main building where you are now sitting.=
These innocent people included ex-gang members and orphans who sought=
nothing more than to better themselves through education and exposure to=
new perspectives, new cultures, and new ideas. Others were the wounded=
survivors of the riots going on at the time, and still others were medical=
professionals whose only reason for being at Haven was to save the lives=
that the terrorists had so crassly endangered or actively attempted to elim=
inate.
Finally, the Children of Thunda reached this area of the compound, the=
heart of the orphanage and school that Haven is and seeks to become. =
Before thier arrival, and before the spirit defenses could be engaged,=
between 8 and 12 mortar round rained down upon the park and the emergency=
crews and surgical tents raised there. You can see the destructive power=
of those explosives in the size of the craters. >>>The camera drifts=
briefly up to show what was a playing field and park with tents, medical=
personelle tending to the remaining wounded, and craters in the grass and=
bushes, scarred trees, etc.<<< The mortar attack came and murdered a great=
many people who survived their wounds from the riots only to be slaughtered=
by a barrage of shrapnel and steel. At that time, Haven was housing=
approximately 300 wounded, in various states, as well as 50 to 75 medical=
professionals. Of those, 34 were killed by the mortar attack alone, and=
another 40 seriously or critically wounded. And when the attack destroyed=
one of 2 surgical tents, 4 volunteer surgeons from Seattle hospitals were=
killed too. When the final attack from the terrorists came, with thier=
rockets, clubs, and submachineguns, it was almost anti-climatic - they had=
already done thier damage.
But rather than allow the slaughter to continue, my faculty and I put=
ourselves at great personal risk and raised the bubble you see overhead. =
It was not a perfect solution, rather far from it, but it protected the=
dormitory you see behind you, where several hundred of my wards and=
students live, and it protected the wounded and volunteers who had=
inadvertantly had thier lives placed at risk. And it accomplished this=
without placing any of the terrorist's lives at risk themselves. Haven=
exists to protect and nurture life, not to take it. I personally regret=
the lives of the terrorists which were lost when Lone Star and various=
other groups, including the surviving gate guards, took it upon themselves=
to exact some measure of revenge or to "shoot first, ask questions later." =
While I find it difficult to apologize to a terrorist organization, I=
cannot condone violence, and the violence at the outer border of Haven was=
an unfortunate accident. Therefore, I am sorry for the actions of the=
volunteers here at Haven, as well as the actions of certain overzealous=
Lone Star officers.
I would like to take this occasion to apologize for the way in which the=
barrier was raised. I have heard that it is of more than passing concern=
to a great many people in Seattle, and especially here in Redmond. I have=
heard a great many questions, all of which boil down to this one: What are=
Haven's plans? Well, first, the bubble over your head will collapse at=
some point in the next 36 hours. There is simply not enough energy to=
maintain it for an indefinate period of time, and certainly not without=
additional magical rituals to do so. Once it collapses, my faculty and I=
will spend some time perfecting a version of what you see as a defense=
against attacks. However, we hope to make that defense far more friendly=
to Redmond, including making it selective and transparent. While I haven't=
been outside Haven recently, I have heard that the mirror bubble is an=
imposing sight, and Haven could not perform its goals of promoting=
education, protection, and tolerance while frightening off everyone Haven=
seeks to help.
Second, Haven will rebuild its damaged facilities and continue to provide a=
service for the community of Redmond in particular, and for all the=
disadvantaged of Seattle in general. Haven was created as a place where=
the lost ideals of personal responsibility and honor, education for its own=
sake, racial tolerance and the celebration of diversity, and peace could be=
taught to our future - our children. In addition, Haven was named such as=
a reminder that we need to provide safe areas where people can be given a=
fresh chance, a safe place where people can heal, physically and mentally,=
away from the daily dangers and fears.
However, there are those who oppose the ideas that Haven represents. There=
are those who fear peace because it is different from violence, those who=
cannot accept that we are all equal and that we should celebrate our=
differences rather than fear or hate them, those who cannot understand that=
peace cannot be won from the barrel of a gun or the edge of a spur, but=
only earned, those who would control the minds of the young rather than=
allow them to choose thier own path and thier own beliefs. It is people=
that fear a better future who have attacked Haven recently, and it is=
people like this from whom Haven requires some defense. It is to protect=
Haven's purpose for existance and to protect those who seek a better lives=
for themselves from those who see Haven and its children as a threat that=
our magic will again raise passive defenses.
Peace, responsibility, and honor can never be given or taken by force, only=
earned. Similarly, Haven can never defend itself with force of arms, only=
with such passive defenses as it has at its disposal.
Thanks for listening. Any questions? Charles."
A dwarf, sans beard, dressed in a conservative suit, stands up. "Charles=
Formal, NewsDay. Mr. O'Kennedy...."
"Patrick, please, or Pat. I hardly expect such formality out of my wards,=
so it's unfair to expect it from you."
"Ok.... Patrick, there has been some concern as to whether the magics you=
used in raising this barrier might be used to power offensive magics as=
well. Could they be?"
"No. You are sitting on the magical circle yourselves - no, don't worry=
about it, it's completely harmless right now. It has been carefully=
designed to eliminate the possibility that it could be used for destructive=
purposes. Uh, Charlie."
A 170cm tall human with dark hair and an intense face stands. "Charlie=
Brakken, TRS News. Would you be willing to provide the formula for=
independant verification of that statement?"
"I'm sorry, but while I could provide enough information to prove it, the=
precise formula of the circle is closely held. Creating circles of this=
power is not something that should be done lightly, and it takes years to=
design and complete. There are very few individuals or organizations I=
would trust not to misuse such information, and those organizations already=
have access to information such as this."
"So you admit that you are personally in charge of a potent magical device=
with potential for violence."
"No, this particular circle cannot be perverted in such a manner, but I will=
admit that similar circles could be, yes. And my faculty and I are the=
caretakers of this circle, not just myself."
"And are you in touch with these other orginizations personally? And what=
are they, or are you allowed to tell us?"
"I have been in contact with the various Dunklezahn institutes, yes. =
However, most academic, corporate, and national groups are simply not=
trustworthy enough, although many have approached me about such=
information. Opus."
"But...."
"Please, Charlie, allow others to speak too."
"Opus Meyers, The Underground Metaplane. Patrick, any truth to the rumors=
you got advanced warning about the recent Children of Thunda chaos?"
"I suppose that would depend on what you mean by advanced warning. I=
maintain connections to the underworld here in Seattle so that I can=
contact the various gangs and so they can contact me. I recieved the=
ultimatum that was delivered by Mr. Abbadon at the same time that everyone=
else did. However, due to his suspected connection to Thunda, and my=
memories of Thunda's activities, I found his threat to be all to real. So=
I began emergency preparations in the event that he should decide that=
Haven made a particularly tempting target. Haven would have been destroyed=
if I hadn't, but no, I don't really consider that to be advanced warning. =
Mario?"
"Mad Mario Scagnetti, KGNU radio. Do you have any role in the elven=
conspiracy that threatens Seattle, and indeed the world?"
"Of course I do. Of course, I just revealed classified information, so now=
I have to kill you and everyone watching to keep it a secret. Nikki."
"Nikki Citizen, KTEH News. I noticed that you were limping and your arm is=
in a sling. What happened?"
"In the process of casting magic, it often causes minor injuries. Most of=
the time they can be slept off, or are minor bruises. The more powerful=
the magic, the more dangerous it can be. I'm afraid that my injuries were=
an unfortunate but unsurprising side-effect of raising the barrier. I=
consider it a small price to pay for protecting hundreds of lives. Graham.=
"
Another well groomed human, about 180cm tall, slowly and carefully stands=
up. "Graham Sollen, Seattle City News Today. Hayashi Biotechnologies=
generated a media blitz regarding thier donation of medical supplies, from=
bandages to blood, and supposedly included in that donation trained medical=
personelle. You mentioned the involvement of volunteers as well as the=
fatalities during the mortar attack. Were any Hayashi personelle injured,=
and just how useful were thier supplies?"
"Well, first, the medical supplies graciously donated by Hayashi=
Biotechnologies served us remarkably well both before the attack, in saving=
the lives of many injured rioters, but also after the attack when many=
additional supplies were required. Unfortunately, one doctor was operating=
in the surgical tent when it was struck by a mortar round, and she was=
killed instantly. 2 other Hayashi medical technicians were injured in the=
attack as well, but I'm pleased to say they're both healing fine. Amanda?"
A tough looking but attractive brunette stands. "Amanda Taylor, Moonviews. =
You mentioned that you had not been outside Haven yourself. Why not?"
"I've been too busy, and I've only recently been allowed out of bed by the=
doctors who were tending to the injuries you see following the attack."
"Do you fear a new attack on Haven when the bubble collapses, and if so,=
what are your plans to defend Haven then?"
"I'm always afraid that someone will take exception to Haven's existance and=
attack us. But should that happen following the collapse of the barrier,=
we could always raise it again if necessary. However, we at Haven don't=
feel that we are in any immediate danger."
"Why not?"
"Well, if the news clips are correct, then the local Children of Thunda=
cells are lacking sufficient leadership to mount such a determined attack=
again. Haven, with our metal and chemical detectors at the gates, has=
always been well protected against small groups. However, I'm always=
concerned that Haven will become too overconfident too."
>>>the woman who escorted Pat out taps his shoulder<<<
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid my doctor here says it's time for me to take a=
rest again. If you like, you can contact me with additional questions. =
I'll do my best to answer them as I recieve them. One final question. Nik=
ki?"
"Do you have any final words for Seattle?"
"Haven is not a threat to anyone. We exist to educate and provide those=
disadvantaged people, gang memebers, street kids, etc., with the means by=
which they can choose to get out of the gangs and off the streets. And I'm=
sorry to have frightened anyone."
+++++ End News Clip +++++ ]<<<<<
-- Trideo Pirate <::/04-28-59>
