Interview with President Aurelia Aquila

Born in the city of Lyra in 2061, she became the president of Luna after the death of former president Cressida Arpina. She soon became well-known for all sorts of things in Luna: being the youngest leader Luna has had, being the sister of the nation's late founder and more. Her pacifist beliefs have attracted quite a bit of foreign attention, both positive and negative, and, although she has worked to develop numerous super-weapons and to further development of the Lunar nuclear program, she has also been highly outspoken against war crimes, torture and biological weapons.

Today, the Arcadia Times would like to extend a warm welcome to Aurelia Aquila, the President of Luna, for a broadcast interview!

Good morning, Ms. Aquila. How are you?

I'm doing well, thank you for asking. 

That's good to hear. Okay, so, to begin with some lighter topics: throughout the nation, many see you as a strong leader and compelling politician, but we'd like to get to know you better as a person. So to start off, what are some of your hobbies?

Oh, that's one I haven't actually been asked much. Well, I enjoy drawing and reading, for one. I also just enjoy the outdoors, so I like hiking, biking and gardening as well. Then again, I do just love trying out all kinds of new things, so I've tried photography, singing, playing the guitar and all sorts of other activities. My favorite thing to do in my free time is probably creative writing, though.

That's all wonderful. What sort of creative writing do you typically do?

Poetry, for the most part, but I've also tried out songwriting and I've done some short stories as well. I like writing about nature quite a bit, and I've actually often just walked into the Wildwood and worked on some sketches or poems or something. It's quite relaxing and enjoyable, if you're into art and writing.

And how did you begin?

Begin writing? I've been writing since I was a little kid, and I just started to think it was a good way to calm down and to get a bit of a break from everything going on outside when I was thirteen or so. So it's just a longtime interest of mine that I've kept up for ages. Same goes for drawing.

Oh, that's quite interesting! Now, onto political matters, I'd like to ask, do you plan on running for re-election in 2087?

Yes, I do intend to run. Of course, I didn't really run or campaign myself this time, and the unfortunate circumstances that led me to become the president have cast a shadow of sorts over my position, but I've been interested in politics for as long as I could remember. Back before the revolution, I used to say that when we finally fixed things I'd run for President, and back then it was just a childhood dream, but now I know I can actually make an impact here.

Now, in general, how do you feel your presidency has gone, despite the way it began?

I think that it's gone rather well. We've certainly grown and developed the nation further under my administration: one more large city founded, lots of economic development, a few interesting weapons the military's been looking into -- and those, of course, weren't my decisions, but I think I've helped this nation work towards strength. I remember the days when we were consider a weak nation; our allies advised us to fix our military, and we were invaded practically every year for territory or resources or whatever it was, time after time. And now, only eight years after we were declared a sovereign nation, we've been classified as a world power. Now, in response to your actual question, this wasn't just my own effort, but one of every single leader that this nation's had, along with our military commanders, urban planners and all the taxpayers whose money has gone into national development. So it's something that I've certainly worked on in my presidency.

You've certainly worked to make an impact on this nation. So, what are your thoughts on the state of global relations?

Well, you know that I, personally, believe in diplomacy over war, but if things come to it, I'll sign a war declaration if necessary. When it comes to the tensions between Nukeya and the Brotherhood of New Eden... well, Nukeya has been a close ally in several wars, so if it comes to war, we will be stepping in to defend them. We've seen Joseph Seed's capabilities first-hand during the Collapse; the terrorist attack on Nukeya using a hijacked aircraft resulted in further civilian casualties, and we will not hesitate to use our own nuclear stockpile against New Eden if they pose a threat. I understand that Luna is quite tired of war, but if it is necessary to bring down this criminal who should have been brought to justice, and would have if not for the failure of the international justice system -- but that's another topic, sorry -- if it is necessary, we will go to war to stop his terrorism.

What are your main goals as a leader?

My primary goal as President of Luna is to help the common people and the common good -- not the good of the government, or that of the corporations, but that will help the people of this generation and of those to come. I know that some of what we've done in my presidency has grown controversial, such as lowering the gun control restrictions we've had -- and in fact, I read an opinion piece just this morning in the Lunar Post that explained why its author believed that lowering those restrictions would lead us on a dark path all the way back to the gun control issues faced by the pre-balkanization United States of America -- but even that was a bill we passed out of an understanding that self-defense was growing more necessary in the current state of the world. Really, I want to help the people of Luna who lived for far too long under the grasp of fascism in the Empire. Fascism is a threat to every single person in this world, whether they see it or not -- whether they've been forced into believing otherwise or not.

Alright, continuing on that, what kind of leader do you want the world to see you as?

That's a difficult question. I suppose I'd ideally want the world to see me as a benevolent leader who wants peace and prosperity for the many diverse nations of Orbis, but of course, being loved by everyone is impossible. So, more realistically, I'd like the world to look at me and see a leader who stands for her people, and one who will do what is necessary to protect them and her allies throughout the world.

I see; now, as one last question, if you could define Luna as a nation and your presidency in one sentence, what would it be?

Hmm... that's hard, but I'd have to say that the Lunar motto actually fits this rather well. Like the phoenix, we'll rise from the ashes. It can take a million different meanings, and the phoenix on the flag, I've said before, is a sign of Luna's resilience. We've been hit with more nuclear weapons than I can say, we've been attacked and invaded so much -- but like the phoenix, we aren't going to let ourselves be consumed by fire. Instead, we're going to rise from the ashes and grow stronger than any of our enemies ever expected. It even applies to a more personal story -- the past, I'll say, was difficult; feeling alone, lost, without anyone to stand by me. One sister ran away when I was just a kid, and the other, well, everyone knows what happened to her. But with all my friends and the people who have stood steadfast by my side, I've learned to stand strong. I will not fall any longer, and Luna will not bend to the will of the enemies who want to tear us down, nor will we fall to the horrors of fascism, but instead we will rise, like a phoenix from the ashes.

That's wonderful! Well, thank you for joining us this morning, Ms. Aquila, and to those watching this, we'll see you next time on The Arcadia Times!