STORYLINE

The legend of the Eldridge

plasma.jpg

There are lots of legends about lost treasures, forgotten food stores, and hidden caches of weapons on the island. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve heard stories about The Lost Veilcorp Vault, Oeming’s Secret Lab, and Longboard Lei’s Armory. They are all fine, but my favorite story is about the USS Eldridge. Unlike those other stories, everyone knows where the Eldridge is, but nobody who has climbed up the mountain to explore it has come back ok.

A long time ago, before the big accident, lots of people used the veil to travel from place to place. They figured out that using the veil to move heavy things was a lot easier than anything else so that’s what they did. Soon almost everything that needed to be moved would be moved through the veil. They moved all sorts of stuff with the veil: food, machine parts, lumber, and even animals back and forth across the world.

Eventually, the people in charge of the old government decided that they could use the veil to help them when they were fighting. Their big boats could sail around a long time but they needed to come back to land to get more people, food, and bullets. The government people thought it would be better if they could just veil that stuff on the boat so it could just keep sailing forever. The problem was all the veils were too big for a boat.

They tried and tried for a long time and eventually with the help of some really smart people they made one small enough. They put it on a ship called the USS Eldridge. It worked good and the soldier people were happy that they could just keep sailing and looking for people to fight instead of going back to port. But not even the soldiers or the old government people could do anything when the fracture happened.

Something weird happened to the Eldridge and the people inside during the fracture. Some say that something bad happened with their little veil during the explosions, others say it happened during the big veil storm right after, but nobody knows for sure. Somehow the boat ended up out of the water and stuck into the side of a mountain.

Everyone has a different story about what happened next. Many of the traders say that a group of them climbed up the trail to see if there was any food or medicine inside that they could sell. After a long climb, a few of them went inside while the rest waited. The traders who were waiting heard screams and the sound of guns, then everything was quiet. Only one of the group came out but something had happened to her and she couldn’t talk anymore. She just shook and stared straight ahead. She never said another word for the rest of her life. They say that the ship is full of creatures and that it sometimes disappears during a veil storm, but I’ve always seen it stuck in the same place when I visit that part of the island.

The Kānaka sent at least two parties up the mountain and into the Eldridge over the years. None of them ever came back. Eventually, they were so worried that Chief Ikaika himself went up there with his elite band of Koa warriors. They say he touched a part of the bow where it is joined into the stone and announced that the ship was holding angry spirits. He said that the ghosts of the soldiers who once lived inside were protecting it and were doomed to carry out their previous duties until the island sank beneath the waves. He declared that going inside the ship was taboo and even climbing up the trail was forbidden.

Me and my Grandpa don’t believe that there are really ghosts in the Eldridge or that it disappears during big veil storms. He says that people make up stories when they’re really scared or don’t understand something. Grandpa says nobody from Pu’u has gone up there because “we have plenty to do here protecting the village and keeping the crops healthy without climbing a mountain on a wild goose chase.” He says that if there was anyone left alive after the ship went inside the mountain, they probably decided to make it their home just like we made Pu’u ours. He says that one day we’ll probably go up there but we have too much to do right now.

I hope that when I’m older I can be part of the group that gets to go up the mountain and explore the Eldridge. My mom would probably want me to grab as much medicine as I could carry, and my dad would probably ask me to keep an eye out for weapons. I know those things are important, but I’d look for cartoon books, Manimal, and extra batteries first.

Akamai Mahelona
5th Grade
Pu`u School Lahaina

STORYLINE

These Robocalls Need To Stop

phone.jpg

Dear SSB&P management team,

My interactions and dealings with your company began on May 9th. They were odd at first and have become increasingly unpleasant. If someone had told me what I would learn and experience firsthand over the past week, I would have called them a liar. Without naming names, I have been informed of your unique situation by a member of your “Interdimensional Innovator Program” and urge you to take a new path. I implore you to have your representatives contact Veilcorp officials for help. I fail to see how sending interns to other worlds with stacks of legal documents and litigious attitudes gets you to a better place. Your actions are not only unhelpful to your organization, they are potentially dangerous.

May 9th was like any other Monday morning for about 45 mins. I was in the middle of a shave when I heard the doorbell and figured it was a delivery. I wish that I hadn’t opened that door, but after a few minutes of incessant ringing, the knocking began. I became concerned that something serious had happened. Much to my surprise there wasn’t a police officer at my door but a young man in a slightly disheveled suit. I didn’t even have time to ask him what he wanted or who he was before he shoved some documents at me and said, “Mike Lauder, you’ve been served!” Needless to say, it was not how I imagined my week starting.

I looked over the papers and they didn’t make any sense to me. I was being sued because my company provided parts to Veilcorp and was being accused of gross negligence in the manufacture of those parts resulting in a breach and mass loss of life. When I first took over the business from my father we did business with Veilcorp, but that was over 10 years ago. When Oeming died and Lisa Hunt took over the company, we were one of the many businesses who had their contracts paid out and terminated. The way she handled the transitional housecleaning left a bad taste in my mouth and I vowed that we’d never do business with them again. I was also pretty sure that if there was some kind of catastrophe involving Veilcorp it would be in the news and I hadn’t heard anything. I handed the paperwork to our lawyer anyway and tried not to dwell on it.

I wasn’t completely surprised when the lawyer called later that afternoon telling me not to worry about it. SSB&P wasn’t even a real law firm according to her. This was either a joke or one hell of a gutsy scam. I put the whole thing out of my mind until two days later when I had another early morning visitor. After some equally urgent knocking, I again found a young man in an unpressed suit shoving papers into my chest and telling me I was served. I asked him if this was a joke and which one of my friends sent him. He handed me a card and told me I could meet at the Veilcorp station after 6pm if I had any further questions. I called around and none of my friends would admit to the prank. I started to get concerned, and on advice from counsel I filed a police report. I tried again to put the whole thing out of my mind and focus on what I needed to get done before the end of the week, but something didn’t feel right to me.

When the doorbell rang Friday morning the adrenaline shot made me almost drop my razor. I’m not going to say who I found at the door because I promised I wouldn’t. All you need to know is that I had a long discussion with this person and they told me everything. I struggled to understand what I was hearing and bounced back and forth between belief and uncertainty. I won’t get into specifics in order protect this person’s safety, but they offered me some undeniable proof of their story.

I thought about calling the authorities but I’ve seen enough movies to know what would happen. Best case scenario, I’d end up trying to keep my eyes open through a mountain of antipsychotic drugs in an insane asylum somewhere. Worst case the government would learn the truth and decide I should never be seen again or my individual parts need to be studied because I’ve had contact with a person from another dimension. No, I couldn’t tell anyone here. I didn’t plan on sending this letter to you either. I promised your employee I wouldn’t because I can’t imagine how it would help you and I’m sure it wouldn’t turn out to good for them. They’ve told me stories about your new org chart and it didn’t sound pleasant. My plan was to just keep answering the door and accepting paperwork every two days and try and keep all of this quite, but this morning the robocalls started.

At first it was just static and I almost hung up. I wish I had. When I heard the automated voice inform me that SSB&P had a special message for me and that I should go to my nearest Veilcorp station to wait for further instruction, I knew that I had to do something. I can handle the threat of of being sued by interdimensional lawyers 3 times a week, but other-wordly robocalls is the stuff of nightmares. I don’t understand why you’ve decided to take the path you have. I think you’d be much better served seeking out Veilcorp help instead of threatening litigation, but that’s your decision. These calls however are a whole other issue. Not only will they not work, but they’re going to get me vivisectioned in a government lab somewhere. I’ll help you in any way I can but you have to stop the robocalls; they’re dangerous!

Mike Lauder
President Lauder Industrial

STORYLINE

Help Me and don’t Veil!

I’m sorry for this. I don’t know why my emplant works here. This isn’t my world. My world isn’t like this. My name is Michael Hickman and I work for VeilCorp, who owns this site and the veil network. I’m not anyone important like Dr. Oeming, but I seem to be able to post on this system. If you are reading this and you know me, or the me here in this fracture, email me.

I’m desperate to get home to my parents and my girlfriend. The ones here aren’t right. My parents said they don’t know me and they have no children. My girlfriend is married to another person even though she has the same cat. It’s like I’ve gone crazy or gotten hit in the head or something.

The veils are broken. Don’t use them, people who have gone in are coming out wrong. People are dying and it’s not clear if they can come back. The ORB system uses the veils for reboot, you know, and the veils aren’t right. People are being rebooted to the wrong world, like me. I went in the veil to go hike Nakalele Point and I was rebooted here. I didn’t have my stuff, I was issued standard reboot clothes.

There’s someone at the door, I gotta go. The veils are broken. People are coming out wrong. Mom, Dad, Teri, I love you.

STORYLINE

Reports of broken ads might be something more troubling

AI.jpg

Hi Lisa,
Thank’s for reaching out to me. I’m willing to help in any way that I can. Like many here, I had a tough time after the Luau attack. It seemed like there could be another bombing at any time, and all the investigators asking questions kept everyone nervous. I was on edge most days, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. You’ve done a remarkable job at piloting us through all the fear and chaos. We weren’t sure that the company would come out the other end of this intact. Not only have we made it through those troubled waters, we’ve never been stronger as an organization. I respect you and the work you’ve done, that’s why I agreed to report to you directly if Dr. Oeming did anything unusual.

To be honest, I was very uncomfortable with your request at first. This was Eric Oeming: the inventor of veil travel, one of the world’s richest men, CEO of the world’s largest company, brilliant scientist, survivor of a bombing attack. Reporting on his actions while working under a roof that he had built seemed wrong to me. With all the rumors swirling around after his return and the media lockdown, I worried that you might be dragging me into something above my paygrade. Everything seemed fine for a while, but then I found Dr. Oeming in my office one morning with a request.

He wanted to have all the data for 2 specific nights of transports. I told him that it would be no problem and I would make sure he had it by the afternoon. Then he said that he also wanted anything we had from customer’s ceremplants for those same nights. I started to explain that we’d need a court order to review that data, but before I could finish he became very agitated. He complained that he didn’t have time for paperwork, and that there was a time that “employees just did what they were told.” He must have seen the shock in my eyes because he calmed himself and said that any help I could provide would be appreciated.

I never worked with Dr. Oeming before but I had heard people say he was a different man after the attack. They said he hardly talked anymore and insisted on working alone. I didn’t think much of it to tell you the truth. I can’t imagine what losing my family would do to me. I don’t see how escaping a bomb attack couldn’t change who you are. He looked so earnest in my office, like some part of him really needed this information. So, I thought I’d look into it personally. I’m turning everything I found over to you because I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I think Dr. Oeming is involved somehow.

We get complaints about our veil ads all the time. Most are about some sort of technical issue: blurred images in the stream, ringing in the ears during the ads, that sort of thing. We take detailed reports from everyone who has an issue, but we get so many that they often get lost in the shuffle. I started looking at the two nights in question and didn’t see anything unusual at first. There was a slight uptick in complaints about ads but nothing that seemed notable until I started to read the customer narratives. This is going to sound strange, but a significant number of customers those nights report seeing things that aren’t ads in our inventory.

A number of travelers on the night of September 27th reported seeing an ad for an unknown war movie. A few complained that they didn’t recognize any of the actors and that they never saw a title. However, most of the complaints that night were about the graphic nature of the ad. In particular, a mother claimed that her children were traumatized by witnessing a soldier being hacked apart. I had assumed that another bad ad had slipped past our quality control team. Upon closer review, I discovered we didn’t have any movie ads in the rotation, let alone anything that graphic.

Then on the night of September 29th, there was a similar uptick in ad complaints. This time the issue wasn’t graphic violence but rather another question about messaging. The reports say that customers saw fields of plants as far as the eye could see. It was the description of the plants that caught my eye. Dozens say that they saw fields of short plants with reddish pods that looked like chicken wings. That reminded me of something. Do you remember last year when we lost that flat of Kükenroot seedlings? These reports seem to describe a field of Kükenroot. Then I noticed the dates.

Wasn’t Dr. Oeming’s daughter born on the 27th and his wife on the 29th? After some digging I found that we experienced numerous little power surges throughout those nights too. Nothing large enough to raise an alarm but big enough to show up in the daily reports. I went through employee records and discovered that according to his badge, Dr. Oeming never left the lab to go home those nights. I’m not really sure what all this means but thought it definitely met your criteria for “anything unusual”. I hope you don’t think I’ve been reading too many tabloids or running down a hole of conspiracy theories. There’ no doubt something odd is going on, and I’m hoping you can clear it up, whatever it is. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do.

STORYLINE

Veilcorp To Blame For Regional Chaos

war.jpg

I write this not to those of you who know the damage Veilcorp and fossil fuels have done to the world. This is not for my brothers and sisters who have stood on the front line with me. I write this to the media. You’ve called us radicals. You’ve called us misguided fanatics. Nonetheless, the truth has now been laid bare. Thanks to yesterday’s release of documents from our friends at VeilWatch, you can see that our longstanding claims are true. The destabilizing effect of Veilcorp technology was known for years by countless intelligence agencies and the company itself. When you add this to an already misguided dependence on oil you have a recipe for disaster. That is what you have seen this week in Saudi Arabia, an unmitigated catastrophe.

Veilcorp and its government servants have turned their backs on the region and have let it fall into chaos. With a lack of ideas and an entire system based on the need for earth poisoning oil, it is no wonder that so many countries in the area have failed. They were designed to. They were used for their resources, and tossed aside like trash. Veilcorp realized that their technology was just as bad as oil but silenced anyone who pointed out their folly. They took away the petroleum crutches and replaced them with a cane of their own design, ensuring the people remained crippled.

The leaders of these misguided nations have sold out their people with the help of Oeming and his need to bend the laws of nature to his will. Instead of poisoning the land, sea, and air by powering massive industries, they’re doing it by converting seas of oil into cheap plastic novelties and disposable bags. It is no wonder that the people are rioting.

Despite what Veilcorp would have you believe, the people who are forced to live in these air choking regions are no different from you and I. They want the same things: peace, a future for their children, and safety. Veilcorp has made it impossible for these people to fulfill those basic wants and needs without travelling across the world and working for pennies an hour. These allegations are not ours. They are the findings of numerous government investigations that have been highlighted because of this week’s unrest. I appreciate those of you in the media who are brave enough to report it. I urge you to continue this heroic work, and force Veilcorp take responsibility for their actions. They have made a living trading one disaster for another.

They walked away from the farms they leveled in Iowa. They walked away from the people they tested their poisonous 127 on. We know this as a fact thanks again to our friends at VeilWatch. We need the media’s help to make sure that they can not walk away from the unrest and the wars they are now fueling in these delicate areas already at risk because of generations of bad leadership.

They claim that this veiling technology is the greatest discovery in the history of man but what have they done with it? They haven’t cured disease or fed the starving masses. They haven’t helped these people learn that fossil fuels have all but destroyed the planet. Instead, they’ve created a food delivery service and the world’s most expensive virtual notepad. They’ve created smaller corporations that put ads on cars and tattoo company logos on animals in the name of saving them. This is the height of human achievement? Is this the bold new tomorrow Oeming spoke of on the day he started his machines and shot a metal cube like a bullet through the fabric of reality?

Again and again Veilcorp has proven that they are willing to let people starve and live in misery if it helps their bottom line. Like all despots, Oeming is content to let civil unrest and anarchy continue in these countries as long as his stock goes up a point. The continued damage done to the environment has been long known, and our sick mother is now passing her suffering onto her children. You can’t call these truths the ramblings of a “fringe group of radicals” anymore. Your own governments have verified them.

Veilcorp had a chance, and a responsibility to help these regions see the error of their energy policies and stop killing the planet. They were warned long ago, but chose not to do anything about it. They must be convinced. Their disregard for life must be highlighted by the media, just as it has been highlighted in these reports. Years of burning petroleum has strangled the earth and killed countless species, but it’s not too late. These regimes need to fail, but the innocent people of the region need to be protected. Veilcorp has done nothing to expedite the end of these misguided governments or ease the suffering of the people. They need to be held accountable for this disaster because they had a big part in it.

STORYLINE

How a simple noodle shop became a Lahaina institution

noodles.jpg

With so many things to experience and places to see, new visitors frequently have a hard time deciding what to do while in Lahaina. Options include: snorkeling, whale watching, swimming, golf, eco-tours, ziplines, ATV rides, kayaking, shopping downtown, or just enjoying a beverage on one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. The choices are almost endless. If you ask a local what to do while on the island you’ll most likely hear a combination of the things above. If you ask them where to eat, chances are one name will come up over and over again, “Hula Noodle.”

Built back in 2025 by Ralph Umeke, the noodle shop has become a favorite of Lahaina residents and one of the hottest spots on the island thanks to its history and Umeke himself. Known simply as “Uncle Ralph” by the locals, Umeke started Hula Noodle to be “a place where you could grab a warm bowl of food before work, or after a long day surfing, without a lot of fuss or people bothering you.”

Ralph’s dishes have won a number of awards over the years. A quick check will reveal that it is the highest-rated food stop in Lahaina, and Umeke has won the coveted Platinum SSHAM Can every year of the competition. “I just really like noodles. They’re easy to make and eat,” he says. When asked about his secret for making world-class noodles he answers in typical Uncle Ralph fashion, “It’s very easy. If I make a bowl of food that isn’t delicious, I fix it or throw it out and make a bowl that is delicious.”

His policy of asking tourists to make room for regulars when the shop is busy and asking anyone he deems too loud to leave has won the hearts of many. All new visitors are treated the same inside Hula Noodle, and Umeke has famously asked many high-profile guests to leave for being too disruptive. “Those Manimal people were in here once. That surfing girl and the big guy who drinks too fast. They just wanted to take pictures, so I threw them out,” he says. Ironically, Hula Noodle might not be as widely known as it is now if it weren’t for one person’s memorable visit back in 2031.

Ralph says, “This guy walks in carrying a stack of papers one morning and asks for a breakfast bowl. I gave him his food and he just sits there doing paperwork. Eventually, I told him that unless his momma was going to ground him for not doing his book report he should eat before it got cold. I don’t reheat food. He smiled and thanked me for the advice. Then he asks me what I thought of the new Veilcorp station being built. I said I just make noodles, I’ll leave the extradimensional travel to those guys. As long as tourists pay their bills and are respectful of the place I didn’t care if they arrived by submarine or got pulled out of a magician’s hat. He laughed, said he’d do his best to make sure that the rowdy tourists were screened out, and asked if I knew a good place to buy a submarine. It was the founder of Veilcorp, Eric Oeming.”

Oeming came back every day during the construction of the Veilcorp facility and the two became good friends. The Veilcorp CEO made it a custom to treat any dignitaries or famous visitors with a meal at Hula Noodle. Word spread quickly and soon business was booming. “To be honest it’s a bit too much sometimes,” Umeke says. The shop became a destination for foodies and celebrities alike but much to the delight of his neighbors, Uncle Ralph kept the shop rules the same: make room for locals and keep the noise down to a minimum.

The no-nonsense noodle chef and the brilliant scientist hanging out downtown became a common sight and the unlikely duo amused residents. The shop turned into an unofficial extension of Oeming’s office with many deals being signed over a noodle bowl. A small plaque still hangs over a corner chair that reads: “Eric’s seat”.

Things changed for the friends in 2041 when dozens were killed in an attack at a Velicorp function including Oeming’s wife and daughter. “It was the first time that Hula Noodle was closed for more than a few days,” says Umeke. “It was like I lost part of my own family.” With reporters everywhere on the island, the shop became a sanctuary for Oeming. “I don’t talk about that stuff. If and when Eric does that’s up to him, but he hasn’t so far, so neither am I,” says Ralph when asked about the first few days after the attack.

The pair remain good friends but Oeming’s public appearances have all but stopped in the ensuing years. “We still talk a lot, but he’s a really busy man these days. He knows he always has a seat in the shop, as long as he keeps it down,” says Uncle Ralph with a smile.

The Hula Noodle became a beacon of hope for the rest of Lahaina as well last year after the devastation of hurricane Neki. The fact that the shop made it through the storm unscathed while so many others lost everything was seen as a good omen by many. “It was like a sign that the storm couldn’t break our spirit. Everyone’s love for the Hula Noodle kept it safe, and it was a reminder that we were just bent, not broken,” says Mayor Albert Cravalho.

Umeke says the shop made it through because of the hard work of his neighbors who helped fill sandbags before the storm hit, a little luck, and some upgrades to the building over the years thanks to Veilcorp engineers. “I try to remain humble, but being best friends with a genius billionaire has its benefits.”

STORYLINE

Lahaina Fire Department Hosts Luau Fundraiser

feast.jpg

As I’m sure many of you have heard, a recent call at the power plant turned bad and exposed the limits of some of our gear. The fire proximity suits and the standard breathing apparatus issued to all of our people proved to be insufficient to protect us from the effects of the 127 fire. While we all made it out, several were injured and it was made clear that we needed some new, more robust equipment.

Unfortunately, budget cuts have limited our ability to properly protect all of our brave men and women. So we’re asking the public to tap into a little of that famous Hawaiian spirit in order to help safeguard these first responders. In an attempt to raise the money we need, we’ll be hosting the biggest and best Luau we’ve ever held at the Lahaina training facility Saturday, June 27th. The food will be served starting at 7pm and will continue until you go home. A seat only costs $30 for an evening of food and entertainment. Bigger donations are of course welcome. You’ll be helping a worthy cause and doing your part to make the island a safer place.

We got 2nd Ladder’s most famous cook. Trust us when we say Rodger can whip up the most broke da mouth food you’ll find in Lahaina next to Hula Noodle. The menu will feature such favorites as: lomilomi salmon, chicken long rice, kalua pork, ahi poke, SSHAM Lau Lau, a wide variety of fresh fruits and all the poi you can eat. Make sure to wash it down with a few nice cold beers or with a well blended chi chi at our cash bar.

We have more than just a great meal planned. You’ll be entertained throughout the night with our crew showing off their amazing talents. We’re kicking off the evening by getting you hooked on our ladder races. Watch as 8 teams compete tournament style climbing up the 6 stories of our training building to see who can get to the top first. Keep in mind that going up is only half the competition, just like in life, it’s the race to the bottom where things can get interesting.

What Matt Makakū can do with his hose has always been the talk of whatever house he’s been stationed in. Now, watch for yourself as the hose-master carves and molds a block of ice into a piece of art. Without the hard metal tools usually used in ice sculpture, Matt will gently coax away all the parts that don’t belong with his sublime nozzle techniques, leaving only pure artistry behind.

Gnarly Lou will raise 4 alarms of funny with his witty observations and unbelievable stories. Hear about calls you won’t believe and maybe learn a few embarrassing things about your neighbors. After 15-years on the force Lou has seen just about everything and he isn’t afraid to share .

We’ll slow things down later and help you experience some of our old traditions with the drums and fire dancers of Engine 6. Embrace your roots with the rhythm of the drums and the precise movements of our firedancers. We’ll even try to teach a few moves to anyone brave enough to come up on stage.

We’ll close the evening with the angelic vocals of Driver Engineer Sarah Kekoa streamed live from her hospital room. Sarah will put her trademark Hawaiian spin on a number of old standards and classics while she recovers. Close your eyes and let yourself float away or have a slow dance with that special person in your life.

We have it on good authority that the man himself, Eric Oeming, will be in attendance to show his support for our brave men and women. It will be a night to remember for sure! Please come and help us secure the equipment we need so the next time you hear Sarah sing, it won’t be from her hospital room. They’d charge into a burning building for you, won’t you please have a meal and a few laughs for them?

STORYLINE

What the Veilcorp travel ban reminded me, and what we can all learn from it

maui3.jpg

It’s been just over a month since my exclusive interview with Eric Oeming and a couple months since the company stopped enforcing its media “travel ban”. In my 20 years at the Seattle Times I’ve covered a number of high-profile stories: Government corruption, the dismantling of the largest human trafficking ring the country has ever seen, a hazardous waste facility leaking toxins into the groundwater, and of course the theft of the first object ever sent through the veil. None of these stories generated they kind of interest in my colleagues as the Oeming interview.

A few were angry that I broke some sort of unwritten code. A fellow journalist, who I won’t name, told me, “We should turn the tables and refuse to write or report anything about them.” Many still wrongly blame the company for the remaining travel restrictions (more on that later). Most however had one simple question, “How did you convince him to talk?” The answer to that question was something that my grandmother taught me a long time ago; something that may seem simple or obvious, but has been lost somehow over the years. The answer is, I asked politely and with respect.

As journalists, our job is to follow a story wherever it goes and report the facts. It is our job to arrange these facts in a coherent manner and provide an unbiased narrative for the public. We are the last line in truth, often butting heads with business and the government. It is a noble profession but it’s one that can leave you jaded. When you are lied to as often as we are, it’s easy to imagine everyone is lying. When you are constantly exposing the damage we do to one another, it’s easy to think the worst of people. When you are constantly dealing with distrust, it’s hard to have faith in others, but we need to.

When you add in the huge amount of money celebrity “journalism” produces, the waters get even muddier. For as long as people have been reading there has been salacious journalism; it’s nothing new. However, the last 40+ years has seen a huge rise in the industry. People have died while being chased by photographers trying to see what kind of clothes they were wearing. We know what everyone eats, and we speculate on what it means when our favorite actress doesn’t eat the bread that came with her dinner. Is she dieting? Is she sick? Does she have a personal vendetta against the baker? It’s gotten to be too much.

My grandmother was one of the first female prosecutors in the area I grew up. She put herself through law school working as a saleswoman . After 25 years of dealing with the worst of society she retired and became a victim advocate. She told me that the most important lesson she learned through all of her careers was to listen and have empathy. The first thing you do when you meet someone who wants to buy a dress, or steal one, is be polite. When someone has gone through a traumatic event it changes them, and it’s your job to make them feel safe and respected. With a few notable exceptions, this was the key to her success. I’m not sure how or when, but it’s a lesson I think many of us have forgotten.

Veilcorp is a corporation made of people. On May 4, 2041 those people experienced a horrible tragedy. They lost friends and co-workers. Some lost family. Many had survivor’s guilt or suffered from PTSD. Federal investigators were everywhere, security and worry was at an all time high, and the company founder was hanging on by a thread. Into that turmoil the media flooded the island, and it was like water being thrown into hot oil.

We know now that the group who forged documents and used fake identification to infiltrate the Veilcorp facility, were just photographers looking for a huge payday, but at the time there was concern that they were terrorists. I still see stories about how Veilcorp is blocking journalists from traveling to Lahaina, when in fact any current travel restrictions are due to low population zone (lpz) regulations. The compliance liaison to the mayor’s office, Elizabeth Stonegate, is actually in charge of keeping the number of reporters veiling in to a manageable number, but that’s a story I haven’t seen anyone interested in reporting. With this as a backdrop I don’t think it’s any wonder that the company felt it had to do something.

I explained all these things to Lisa Hunt. I told her that I wanted to tell their tale about human struggle, and the future of an improbable success story. I wanted people to understand that she and Dr. Oeming were people too and not just faces in the news. Despite the chaos of the previous months, I told her that most people were honestly concerned and curious. I told her I would be respectful of their delicate situation, but truthful in my reporting. I would treat her and the company the way I would want to be treated if I was going through a similar experience. That was my secret weapon, the thing that everyone else seemed to miss.

I’m a big believer that you don’t go out of your way to reward people for doing the right thing, but I think in this case we should commend Veilcorp for seeing the error in their ways, and ending their media blackout. But there’s a bigger lesson to learn here. I think we all learned just how fast things can escalate after a tragedy and how sometimes fighting fire with fire makes an inferno. I think we learned how everyone just wants to be treated politely and with respect, at least I hope we have.

STORYLINE

Case In Third Veilcorp Bombing Suspect Faces Legal Roadblock

law3.jpg

The case against the third suspect in the Veilcorp Luau bombing has hit a major roadblock. While she is still being held for trial, attorneys for 35-year-old Sierra Tabot have alleged that major pieces of evidence in the case against her were obtained improperly as part of a wide-ranging illegal rendition program. They contend that the government colluded with Veilcorp officials to wrongfully hold and interrogate dozens of suspects in undisclosed locations. If proven to be true, it could have a devastating effect on the State’s case not only for Tabot, but also for her alleged conspirators.

The Veilcorp bombing back on May 4, 2041 shocked the world. 39 were injured and 10 people lost their lives including founder Eric Oeming’s wife and young daughter. 3 days later Ben Drakes, a Veilcorp employee with ties to the radical environmentalist group Gaia Guard, confessed to the crime and released a manifesto accusing the company of “tearing her [the Earth] apart with gateway technology.”

The arrest so soon after the attack led much of the public to expect a quick resolution to the investigation but it was over 6 months before the next suspect was apprehended. On January 15, 2042 Richard Yates was arrested for his involvement in the conspiracy. A branding associate at Reality Machine, Yates had moved to Lahaina to work on the inter-island rail project and blamed Veilcorp for the project’s early end.

The case seemed to be picking up momentum again when earlier this month the government released some additional information about their case against Yates and arrested a third suspect, Sierra Tabot.

The state says that Tabot was working as a Barraloha instructor at the Kokua Wellness Center when she met Richard Yates. The two seemed to bond immediately over their shared hatred of Veilcorp and the company’s leader, Eric Oeming. The pair were soon inseparable and Sierra’s fellow employees began to worry about her stability. Ascended Pali-ites Master Autumn says,

“Sierra began to travel down some troubling paths. She became obsessed with the idea that the Veilstation was powered by draining the Ch’i of the living things around it and the people passing through the gateway. She talked about how the scientists and engineers working at the station were spiritually hollow and that they were trying to make everyone else hollow too. It began to affect her work and we had a few complaints from guests. The final straw came when she burst into another instructor’s class one day with a handful of her crystals, screaming about how they were no longer attuned and tried to evacuate the building. Management had to let her go.”

After her dismissal, Tabot found work with Kaiwi and Sons catering. The State says that it was at this time that Sierra and Yates became heavily involved with Gaia Guard extremists and met with Drakes for the first time. They contend that after discovering Kaiwi and Sons was scheduled to provide food for the annual Veilcorp company Luau, the trio began to craft the plan that would eventually claim 10 lives and stun the world.

Any forward progress in the case was stopped over the weekend however, when Tabot’s legal team accused the government and Veilcorp of participating in an illegal rendition program. They say that dozens of possible suspects were taken and improperly held at secret facilities, where they were interrogated and in some cases, tortured. The backlash has been quick and overwhelming.

U.S. Rep. John Kildee has been very vocal about the allegations and just this morning has called for a congressional investigation into the charges, “I think the American people deserve to know if Veilcorp has decided that it’s OK to snatch people out of thin air. As troubling as that idea is, I think it would be even more disturbing if it turned out that someone in this government gave them a green light or was working with them. These are not the kind of ideas that this country was founded on and I intend to find the truth.”

Veilcorp attorney Harold Breen counters, “Veilcorp works with government or law enforcement officials from time to time, by providing personal or travel details about certain customers when presented with the proper orders or writs. Nonetheless, to be clear, and for the record, we do not grab people while they are veiling and transport them to internment camps. These allegations are categorically false.”

At this point, while she sits waiting in her cell, the future of the case against Tabot is on hold until the courts rule on her lawyer’s allegations. If even some of her accusations prove true it could have huge ramifications. Yates’ case has already been slow and mired in motions, but this could derail the case entirely. There have been calls for the President to put a temporary stay on Drakes’ execution by a small but growing and vocal group. Any hope that the long investigation might finally come to an end seems all but lost at this point. Tonight, there is still no peace for the victims in Lahaina.

STORYLINE

Information Released About Second Suspect As Bombing Case Moves Into Penalty Phase

law2.jpg

On May 7, 2041 a shocked world could finally put a face to the tragedy that had dominated the news for days. 37-year-old Ben Drakes confessed to the bombing attack at a Veilcorp company Luau that left 10 dead and dozens injured. Veilcorp’s founder Eric Oeming was seriously injured in the explosion and his wife and daughter were among those lost. As Drakes’ case moves into it’s final phase this week, officials have announced new details about his alleged accomplice and say more arrests are soon to come.

A member of the radical environmentalist group Gaia Guard, Drakes turned himself in a day after releasing a manifesto to the press in which he claimed, “Oeming and his followers thought they were above Gaia’s law, so we made them answer for their cruelty.”

Although Hawaii abolished capital punishment before it was granted statehood in 1959, a decision was made to try him federally, making him eligible for the death penalty. While unusual, the move was not unprecedented. The government did the same back in 2014 when they sought the death penalty for a soldier who had murdered his daughter. Drakes plead guilty and represented himself during the speedy trial. He has pledged that he will not seek to appeal the decision of the court during this final phase, and is ready to “sacrifice my life for our mother Gaia.”

From the very beginning investigators had their doubts that the Veilcorp lift operator had acted alone. The arrest of 31-year-old Richard Yates early this year seemed to confirm that suspicion. However, officials have been tight-lipped about the investigation and little information has been released until today.

Yates moved with his family to Maui in late 2039 to work as Lahaina’s marketing specialist on the inter-island rail project. Friends say that he was devastated by Veilcorp’s sudden departure from the project and blamed the company for the loss of his job. Mayor Albert Cravalho worked closely with Yates and says he was shocked when he heard about the arrest. “Richard was a bright and positive young man. Together we had a beautiful vision for what the rail project would become. Of course I was disappointed when the project fell through but what he’s done is unconscionable. I don’t know what would make a person so twisted.”

Friends of Yates say the cancellation of the project began a year-long downward spiral. “He had just moved his entire family to Lahaina, and within a few months he was jobless. They struggled quite a bit and he blamed Eric Oeming personally.”

Eventually Yates and his wife separated and he was forced to take a job as a branding associate at Reality Machine. “It was a blow to his ego. He became even more preoccupied with Oeming and his family. When he wasn’t working, he was spending most of his time is some pretty dark corners of the internet. It got so bad that his parents took a trip to the island to have an intervention but he flipped out when he learned that they had veiled there,” says an anonymous family member.

Officials say that Yates began making contact with Gaia Guard members at this time and became convinced in a number of conspiracy theories. He was obsessed with the idea that Oeming was a time traveller, SSHAM was made from unnatural products brought in through the veil, and Veilcorp was secretly conducting experiments on residents. It was these beliefs and his hatred of Eric Oeming that investigators say led him to work with Drakes.

One of the biggest questions up to this point has been how Drakes got the explosives used in the attack. Authorities now say that part of the puzzle was solved by Yates. “We believe that Mr. Yates provided access to an unrestricted RMIII machine in order to make the explosives used in the attacks. These two, along with at least one other accomplice, broke down various safeguards in the machines in order to produce the raw components needed for the bombs.” This is the first time officials have publically announced that there are other suspects in the case, and they say they are close to making more arrests.

Veilcorp COO Lisa Hunt praised today’s announcement and said, “They say that for every cockroach you see there are 100 hiding. I want everyone involved to know that we’re working closely with law enforcement and we have not forgotten what you’ve done. There is no place you can hide. Our reach extends to some very bad places across the globe. Places where justice is harsh and swift. It would be in your best interest to turn yourself in. It’s just a matter of time until we shine a light on you too.