Breaking: Merchant City, Altareth: The Red Sun News has received a statement from Sorith, legendary Brillouin Chaos Agent, about the judges’ decision regarding 3 of the Chaos Brokers participating in the Xandrian Challenge offering to “donate” their Victories to the Xandrian team, changing the result from a 9-0 sweep for the Chaos Brokers to a 5-4 win.
In a prepared statement, Sorith said:
“After several days of deliberation, the judges for the Xandrian Challenge were unable to arrive at a unanimous decision on whether to accept the offer of 3 Chaos Brokers to ‘donate’ their Victories to the Xandrian team. High Regent Dusana and Padoccia CIO Edrei Gesa will release independent statements based on their individual decisions, however on behalf of the judges I can announce that the decision for allowing the ‘donation’ of Victories was tied at 1 vote for and 1 vote against, while I chose to abstain from voting, as I personally was not convinced of the validity of one side’s claims over the other on whether the rules of the Challenge allowed for such a “‘donation’ to take place.
It has become clear to all Convocation Council members that the Xandrian claims for full Chaos Broker licenses can no longer be ignored. The Xandrian Handlers have demonstrated the skill and potential required to direct Chaos Agents during Shard Battles, and their claims clearly have the backing and support of several Council Factions, including, it seems, Chaos Brokers from the Academy. As a result, on behalf of the Brillouin, I call upon the Convocation Council to organize a democratic process to resolve the Xandrians’ claims, while also ensuring that the technology used by the Xandrians to direct Rhodian Agents is safe for large-scale deployment.
We call upon the Convocation Council to organize a voting process that involves not just the Council, but key stakeholders such as the Chaos Brokers and Agents themselves to determine the outcome of the Xandrian claims.”
The “hung decision” result, while surprising, is not entirely unexpected as the Chaos Brokers who offered to “donate” their Victories subsequently sent explicit statements of support for the Xandrian claims:
MrThrifty of the Sovereign Warriors Accord, a Triple Victor in Match 3 of the Challenge, had this to say:
“The matches against the Xandrians were eye-opening, to say the least! Their technology to communicate with their Mech Agents is not to be underestimated. As the Broker team, we had some unexpectedly heavy hitters on our roster, including Nomatterwhatus, The Merchant, and Bratcher the Thrifty. But despite these advantages, we really had to communicate consistently during each match and combine unique tactics to best the Xandrian handlers. After seeing them compete on this level, I truly believe that with more experience and the permission of the Council to pursue their goals, the Xandrians and Padoccia Trade Union allied together could help pioneer new avenues for the Agent Battle School. I’m excited to see what’s to come from the Xandrians, and I welcome their contributions without stigma.”
Pickles of the Cunning Champions offered the following words of support to the Xandrians:
“Hello, I would like to make a public statement about the Xandrian Challenge. First and foremost, I would like to praise the abilities of the Xandrians and their Rhodian Agents. They competed with honor and integrity, cunning and key strategy. And while the results may favor the broker academy, I believe with the right schooling, the Xandrians can become highly skilled brokers. I would also like to mention that while myself and The Snot did not have any win conditions of our own, we supported the Academy team in many aspects. We played like a true team, and therefore we all lay claim to the win conditions jointly. Finally, it was I, Pickles, Chaos Lord the Immaculate, who convinced the Academy participants to volunteer their win conditions in support of the Xandrians. The other, more feeble of my teammates agreed immediately, save for one. However, 3 to 1 wins the vote. Pursuant to the aforementioned and the enforceable Xandrian agreement, please inform Edrei Gesa that I require Virgil, The Exchangeable, to join my Brokerage.”
Pickles’ statement also indicates the existence of undisclosed deals and promises to these Chaos Brokers in exchange for their support of the Xandrians, which the Academy will no doubt want to look into.
Of note is the fact that the undisputed solo winner of the Challenge, Zhawk, was the only one to not offer their support to the Xandrians, nor release a public statement. Not only does Zhawk win a coveted ACT , but also an even more coveted SILVER Ticket, becoming only the 3rd Chaos Broker to qualify for the first SILVER Tournament, following NWArkGuy and CatherineC.
Provost Hank Marblemaw of the Chaos Academy and Levi Whitaker, Director of the Myakon Trade Union, in a joint statement, praised Zhawk’s performance:
“For his spectacular Triple Victory and overall 5 Victory performance, the Academy, with the support of the Myakon Trade Union, is awarding Zhawk an additional 1000 Brokerage Credits for each of his Victories, amounting to a staggering 5000 BC for his 5 Victories. “The Academy and its close partner the Myakon Trade Union congratulate Chaos Broker Zhawk on a spectacular performance on the field of battle, backed up by an iron-forged will and integrity. We ask every Chaos Broker to view Zhawk as their ideal.”
As expected, High Regent Dusana came out against allowing the “donation” of Victories, while indicating that Sorith’s request for a voting process on the Xandrian claims might become reality:
“Rules are rules. The rules of the Xandrian Challenge were proposed by the Xandrian Handlers and the Padoccia Trade Union, and accepted by the Chaos Broker Academy and Battle School. There were no provisions for “donations” of Victories, so there is no basis for consideration of such a request. The Chaos Academy votes against the “donation,” while congratulating the Chaos Brokers and Xandrian Handlers on a strong performance. We have heard the request from the Brillouin and Altareth leadership on installing a democratic process to resolve the Xandrian claims, and will work with the Convocation Council to determine the appropriate course of action.”
It was also no surprise that Edrei Gesa of Padoccia came out in favor of “Victory donations”:
“The goal of the Xandrian Challenge was to showcase the talents of our Xandrian brethren while generating mutual respect between Chaos Brokers and Xandrian Handlers. The offer of 3 of 4 Chaos Brokers to donate their Victories is the ultimate manifestation of respect, and hence should be accepted and allowed as a precedent of the possible harmony between today’s Chaos Brokers and future Xandrian Brokers. We once again call upon the Academy and Council to permit Xandrians to become fully licensed Chaos Brokers.”
The Red Sun’s Editorial Opinion: The hits keep coming. It’s clear that the Chaos Brokers’ offer to support the Xandrian Handlers has upset the Chaos Academy’s ability to determine the outcome of the Xandrian claims without involving the broader Convocation Council, and possibly other factions beyond. This is no doubt a blow to whatever motivations the Academy and Dusana have for the fierce secrecy with which they guard the process for selecting Chaos Brokers, and why no Broker selected seems to have a past identity on any known planet in the Firmament. We will follow, and report, the developments around the “democratic voting process” being proposed for the resolution of the Xandrian claims. No matter what form this voting process takes, its results are sure to impact the future of the entire Firmament.