Chapter TwoGo to chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 ==February 8, 2096, 8h Transcript from LBC Communications, Inc. Hello, and welcome to LBC News at 8. I'm Eliza Laim. And I'm Kathy Kijap. Today, in an unprecedented move, World Aeronautics and Robotics, the world's largest corporation, unveiled the plans for its newest robot, code-named the Mantis, just one month after the new Shadow hit the market. Our correspondent Steve McDunnet, reporting from WAR's lunar headquarters in Iolo Crater, has more. Thanks, Kathy. WAR sales have jumped over 4 trillion credits in the past month alone as the new Shadow robot generated new press for the system's largest company. New robots are usually announced along with a fully tested production model, but the Mantis prototype is being heavily marketed even before it comes out. WAR spokesman Shirro Lang announced at a press conference today that it is designed for exploration of hostile environments, or EHE, and is being marketed as the major tool for the colonization of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Mantis will be easy to produce and can also be adapted for security or defense purposes. From Mr. Lang's pre-production holos, we know one thing for sure: The new Mantis will be able to take anything Ganymede can throw at it. Back to you, Kathy. Thanks, Steve. In other news... Transcript from LBC Communications, Inc. ...Well, Eliza, I wouldn't mind discovering some ice deposits on the moon myself. It certainly does pay the bills. And the Tommas family isn't the only institution with some good news to report. Just two days after the initial announcement, WAR's latest human-assisted robot, or HAR, codenamed the "Mantis", has generated phenomenal publicity. The Microsol Corporation, just one of the mega-corporations involved in the colonization of Ganymede, has already placed an order for 25 Mantis HARs, with more companies expected to join by next week. WAR's new HAR manufacturing plant on Europa is also showing a sharp spike in orders as companies prepare for the biggest mass construction effort of the last 20 years. For LBC News, I'm Eliza Laim. And I'm Kathy Kijap. Thank you for watching LBC News at 8: the news, the whole news, and nothing but the news. Transcript from LBC Communications, Inc. Hello, and welcome to LBC News at 11. I'm Kathy Kijap. And I'm Eliza Laim with the latest news from the solar system's largest company, World Aeronautics and Robotics. A surprise press conference by PR head Shirro Lang has revealed WAR's boldest move yet, one that's sure to capture the public imagination. Our WAR correspondent Steve McDunnet has more. Steve? Thank you, Eliza. As you can see behind me, the media has descended on WAR's headquarters here in Iolo Crater like a pack of vultures. Everyone is waiting for the latest news flash from Mr. Lang. Just minutes ago he announced another bold move: a system-wide contest where anyone with the guts to enter can prove just how good they really are at using a HAR by battling it out with the other challengers. And here's Lang again, live from Iolo Crater. "Of course, every challenge must have a victor, and thus a prize. And the best of the best in this tournament will receive not only fame and fortune, but an immediate position as head of WAR's field testing department, the first one to test the Mantis!" The matches will be held inside WAR's carefully constructed testing grounds on Earth, but the press has been invited to attend. The tournament will be in a direct elimination format, meaning that the loser is immediately eliminated from competition. This is going to put enormous pressure on the contestants, since each fight could be their last. I can't speak for all you viewers out there, but I'll be there. Back to you, Eliza. Thanks, Steve. As part of LBC's commitment to get the news to you when it happens, the way it happens, we'll have exclusive, up-to-the-minute coverage of what official WAR bulletins are calling the "Mantis Project". For LBC News, I'm Eliza Laim. And I'm Kathy Kijap. Stay with us as we investigate behind the scenes of the Venus colonization effort... |