Skorpios
Chieftain
As an Aussie, I find the concept of the Polystralian faction intriguing and I'm disappointed that we haven't seen an official profile of Hutama yet. So I decided to write my own. I hope you enjoy it!
Transcript of the final episode of the PBC reality show “The Headhunter”, broadcast February 9, 2209.
[Hutama stands centre stage, surrounded by several 3Displays that show graphics and footage illustrating his speech.]
Well viewers, I guess you’re all aware that this was the last episode of “The Headhunter” and you are all eagerly awaiting the big announcement you’ve been promised. The fact is, the Headhunter has been headhunted. I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve here at Hutama Enterprises, finding and supporting the best minds throughout Polystralia, but my next project is something extraordinary.
First, some background. Back in the 20th & 21st centuries, Australia was known as the ‘lucky country’ and in many ways we lived up to that after the Great Mistake. While the Northern Hemisphere bore the brunt of those terrible days and the decades of strife that followed, we were faced with different challenges: the rising tides of both refugees and the oceans around us.
While many nations around the world faced the refugee crisis with barbed wire and land-mines, desperate to protect what little they had left, Australia opened her borders to all who were willing to work together for a fair go in what seemed like an increasingly unfair world.
As the waters rose around us, swallowing up the island nations to our north and east, Australia’s open door policy wasn’t without problems. Australia became the most culturally diverse country in the history of the Earth. There wasn’t just one Australia, but many, and our struggle to unite against the ecological and economic disasters that followed the Great Mistake eventually forged a new nation: Polystralia.
Polystralians, yearning for peace and prosperity, looked around them and saw many opportunities in what had initially looked hopeless. Climate change brought the rains back to the dead heart of our continent exponentially increasing our arable land, and our hard work transformed our drowned coastlines into an aquacultural cornucopia. Eventually, we were able to rebuild and even exploit our crop surpluses to create bio-fuels.
So, when the Polystralian trimaran traders ventured out to Africa, Asia and the western coasts of the Americas, we found plenty of customers, hungry for both food and fuel to support their own rebuilding efforts. As our trading network spread around the globe we were owed favours by former superpowers and emerging power-blocs alike. We used that leverage to help bring stability to the geo-political landscape of the 22nd century. Indeed, Polystralian diplomats and translators are still recognised as the best in the world.
As such, they have been integral in the discussions and negotiations surrounding the Seeding projects that are being considered as we near the ‘Inflection Point’ that marks the boundary beyond which viable interstellar colonization will be impossible.
Yes, in many ways, Polystralia is still the ‘lucky country’ but lucky streaks do come to an end. The Great Mistake wounded our world deeply, and her recovery is not guaranteed, especially if the global population continues to rebound back towards 20th century levels. Fallout contamination continues to be a concern, and the causes of plankton die-back still elude our researchers.
If we are to face the future with the same drive and optimism with which we survived the past, we need a new frontier, a fresh start, free of the scars of human greed and folly. So, like those early trimaran traders we need to seek it out and I, for one, will not be left behind.
That is why I am deeply honoured to be chosen as the Coordinator of Polystralia’s own Seeding project: The Southern Cross. I know we will be up to the challenge.
Goodnight and good luck.
[The stage goes dark, one by one stars appear and then the Earth moves into view. Credits roll.]
Transcript ends.
Transcript of the final episode of the PBC reality show “The Headhunter”, broadcast February 9, 2209.
[Hutama stands centre stage, surrounded by several 3Displays that show graphics and footage illustrating his speech.]
Well viewers, I guess you’re all aware that this was the last episode of “The Headhunter” and you are all eagerly awaiting the big announcement you’ve been promised. The fact is, the Headhunter has been headhunted. I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve here at Hutama Enterprises, finding and supporting the best minds throughout Polystralia, but my next project is something extraordinary.
First, some background. Back in the 20th & 21st centuries, Australia was known as the ‘lucky country’ and in many ways we lived up to that after the Great Mistake. While the Northern Hemisphere bore the brunt of those terrible days and the decades of strife that followed, we were faced with different challenges: the rising tides of both refugees and the oceans around us.
While many nations around the world faced the refugee crisis with barbed wire and land-mines, desperate to protect what little they had left, Australia opened her borders to all who were willing to work together for a fair go in what seemed like an increasingly unfair world.
As the waters rose around us, swallowing up the island nations to our north and east, Australia’s open door policy wasn’t without problems. Australia became the most culturally diverse country in the history of the Earth. There wasn’t just one Australia, but many, and our struggle to unite against the ecological and economic disasters that followed the Great Mistake eventually forged a new nation: Polystralia.
Polystralians, yearning for peace and prosperity, looked around them and saw many opportunities in what had initially looked hopeless. Climate change brought the rains back to the dead heart of our continent exponentially increasing our arable land, and our hard work transformed our drowned coastlines into an aquacultural cornucopia. Eventually, we were able to rebuild and even exploit our crop surpluses to create bio-fuels.
So, when the Polystralian trimaran traders ventured out to Africa, Asia and the western coasts of the Americas, we found plenty of customers, hungry for both food and fuel to support their own rebuilding efforts. As our trading network spread around the globe we were owed favours by former superpowers and emerging power-blocs alike. We used that leverage to help bring stability to the geo-political landscape of the 22nd century. Indeed, Polystralian diplomats and translators are still recognised as the best in the world.
As such, they have been integral in the discussions and negotiations surrounding the Seeding projects that are being considered as we near the ‘Inflection Point’ that marks the boundary beyond which viable interstellar colonization will be impossible.
Yes, in many ways, Polystralia is still the ‘lucky country’ but lucky streaks do come to an end. The Great Mistake wounded our world deeply, and her recovery is not guaranteed, especially if the global population continues to rebound back towards 20th century levels. Fallout contamination continues to be a concern, and the causes of plankton die-back still elude our researchers.
If we are to face the future with the same drive and optimism with which we survived the past, we need a new frontier, a fresh start, free of the scars of human greed and folly. So, like those early trimaran traders we need to seek it out and I, for one, will not be left behind.
That is why I am deeply honoured to be chosen as the Coordinator of Polystralia’s own Seeding project: The Southern Cross. I know we will be up to the challenge.
Goodnight and good luck.
[The stage goes dark, one by one stars appear and then the Earth moves into view. Credits roll.]
Transcript ends.
