Memento Mordanticus: Remembering the Purge of 3305
27 Jan 2023Paresa News Network
27th of January, 3309
Memento Mordanticus: Remembering the Purge of 3305
(By Rainbro)
Blood on the Senate floor. Public executions throughout the Empire. Mass arrests of families and supporters.
These are the events that occurred four years ago, on January the 25th of 3305. A coordinated massacre by Imperial authorities with the goal of annihilating Nova Imperium, supporters of Hadrian Augustus Duval.
Tensions had been rising for some time between Nova Imperium and the Empire. By late 3304, Nova Imperium had become a genuine political force, claiming that Aegis was draining and weakening the Empire's defenses against Thargoid attacks on its own systems. A "leaked" surveillance report revealed the group's leader as Kaeso Mordanticus, a former admiral of the Imperial Navy from a long line of decorated veterans. Many ex-Navy personnel remained loyal to him, and his demands for change in the face of the ongoing Thargoid war gained significant popularity throughout the Empire. Several Imperial Senators even declared public support for Nova Imperium and its policies.
“We intend to invite Imperator Mordanticus to address the Senate and detail his policies. This is a historic opportunity to restore the Empire’s honour and integrity.”
However the Emperor remained silent. In December 3304, Mordanticus revealed that he had discovered a long-lost member of the royal bloodline, Hadrian Augustus Duval[https://elite.drinkybird.net/?guid=5c126afaadf370712c28681d]. Grandson to Emperor Hengist, he had been making a living as a Pilot's Federation trader, unaware of his lineage. With the issue of Aegis still stewing unresolved, Mordanticus demanded that the Emperor step down and be replaced with Hadrian. Although several Senators attempted to resolve the deadlock with the proposal that Hadrian be recognised as heir, the Emperor remained silent.
In reality, the response to Nova Imperium and its proposals had already been decided for some time. On January the 3rd, 3305, the Imperial Navy began to mobilize its ships and stockpile weaponry. In response, Nova Imperium gathered its supporters in the Paresa system, quickly amassing a fleet of ex-Naval crews and Imperial citizens to defend against the coming attack. As soon as the Imperial Navy's supply operation had completed, the Empire attacked Paresa and plunged the system into open conflict.
The battle raged for a week, but in the end, the newly-formed Nova Imperium fleet was defeated. Mordanticus was captured, with a trial set in front of the entire Senate for the 25th of January. Hadrian himself was forced into hiding.
Finally, the date of the trial arrived, and Mordanticus was defiantly led shackled into the Senate. The trial opened with his immediate execution[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/5c485c99128401188a499c82]. The Imperial Guard then opened fire on the Senate, gunning down the Senators that had voiced any support for Nova Imperium or its proposals. The Purge began. Across the Empire, members of Nova Imperium were rounded up and publicly executed. Their families or anyone else who could be called a supporter were universally arrested. It was later revealed that the Emperor's silence had been a play for time, preparing for the upcoming political purge. The brutal display horrified some, but no official statement was ever made by the other superpowers, apparently willing to tolerate anything so long as money continued being channeled into Aegis.
“Suddenly, the Imperial Guard opened fire, gunning down senators Pal Vespasian and Eloise Winterstone, and others who had supported the isolationist cause. I have since heard reports of mass arrests and further public executions across Capitol. This may be the start of an Empire-wide purge.”
Mordanticus's claims that the Empire was being weakened by collaborating with its enemies would later be proven correct, long after his death. The joint invasion of Witch Head under Aegis, itself a questionable move, would result in the region being taken over entirely by the Alliance in spite of claims the region would be shared equally. Aegis itself was later dismantled with a damning final report [https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/baumann-report-dismantle-aegis] accusing it of systematic mismanagement and negligence. Finally, in 3308, the disastrous consequences of the joint operation in HIP 22460 convinced the Emperor to sever ties with the Alliance and Federation.
Despite everything, Hadrian Duval and a few others survived the Purge. In a broadcast shortly after, he vowed to continue and requested support from those appalled by the brutal purge:
“Nova Imperium survives in the Paresa system, a single light in the darkness. We stand for an Empire that respects everyone, from slaves to senators. I truly hope that any who value honour and tradition will help keep our spark alive.”
The Purge had the opposite effect to what was intended, with many Commanders and citizens answering his call and covertly working to protect Nova Imperium and Hadrian Duval. Four years on, Nova Imperium's policies are official, finally accepted and legitimized by the Emperor. The lingering memory of the Purge remains though, like an old wound in the Empire. There are disturbing parallels with the later purge of the Marlinists, and similarly, there is now peace. But despite the peace, uneasy questions remain about how differently things might have been had the Purge never happened. The Empire might never have been involved in the invasion of Witch Head that escalated the Thargoid war, to say nothing of the disaster of HIP 22460 that brought the Maelstroms down upon us. Thousands of Imperial citizens wouldn't have been killed, and millions wouldn't have lost their loved ones.
Let us hope that change didn't come too late to save the rest of us.