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Long Live the Emperor!

Long Live the Emperor!

Senator Anders Blaine, Chancellor to Emperor Hengist Duval made a surprise statement on the steps of the Imperial Palace today. With obvious joy on his face he declared that the Emperor has awoken from his coma.

“It is with great pleasure I can announce that Emperor Hengist Duval awoke from his coma in the early hours of this morning. His physicians have completed extensive medical tests and declared him well on the way to becoming fit and healthy. They have advised a few days of rest and monitoring before he resumes his state functions.

As can be expected from our Emperor, he has expressed his intention to lead the senate in a few days time.”

The welcome news of the Emperor’s recovery has rapidly spread throughout the Empire and inspired impromptu celebrations in every level of Imperial society .

Amidst the well wishes a small number of the more cynical pundits have muttered that they will believe the good news when they see the Emperor in person. Most commentators though are simply overjoyed to hear of the Emperor’s return and hope that this will herald a new and more united future for the Empire.

As part of the celebrations for this news it was also announced that all independent pilots with an active rank with the Imperial Navy will be able to purchase the Imperial Courier and Imperial Clipper ships.

Li Yong-Rui and Arissa Lavigny-Duval Open Embassies

In a press release issued to GalNet this morning, Commanders of the Pilots' Federation affiliated with both Sirius Corporation and Princess Arissa Lavigny-Duval have announced the completion of discussions leading towards the imminent preparation of embassies near each power's territory.

The systems to be used for this trial run are Sietae and Heverduduna. Sietae will allow Sirius Corporation to obtain a substantial increase on Bounty Hunting income. Heverduduna will allow Sirius Corporation to gain access to the Imperial Clipper, an asset still missing from their portfolio. In return, Sirius Corporation's scale will allow substantial shipyard and outfitting rebates to Commanders aligned to Arissa Lavigny-Duval.

Should this investment be profitable to the Corporation, a well-informed employee of the Corporation has told GalNet that Sirius will extend the offer of cooperation to all interested parties.

Kahina Refuses to Commit to Factions or Future

Senator Kahina Tijani Loren, currently residing as a guest on Capital at the request of Chancellor Blaine, remains completely ambivalent to inquiries into her intentions. She has airily dismissed questions regarding her purpose or what was said to her at the reception to which she was summoned and continues to ignore requests from the press.

Now there appears to be another name in the frame. Cuthrick Delaney, ambassador to the Prism system, has had a long and varied career within the Empire, first coming to prominence during the events which ended the dictatorship of Dr. Walden on the Old World planet of Lave. His precise involvement in that event was unclear, and he seems to have lost none of his ability to stay close to those with power in the intervening time. He has been seen in conversation with Kahina on many occasions.

There is considerable conjecture as to what stance Kahina will take. Many have stated that her aggressive tendencies will align her to Senator Patreus. Others have pointed out her support for traditional Imperial slavery, and her distant family connection to the Duvals, indicates an allegiance with Senator Torval is more likely

It would appear that only Kahina, and perhaps Cuthrick Delaney, actually know.

In other news, the Senator’s ship was confirmed to have had some significant modifications made to it recently, including a state of the art fuel scoop and a custom built Gutamaya discovery scanner.

Prism Senator Summoned to Achenar

Senator Kahina Tijani Loren’s Imperial Courier was seen departing early morning local time from the Avalon shipyards. It rendezvoused with The Imperial Interdictor Atticus, Admiral Brice last known to be in command.

The convoy is believed to be enroute to the Achenar system.

According to the Imperial Herald, Senator Loren is “being hailed as a true daughter of the Empire, and assigned the rights and responsibilities as appropriate to her rank.”

Quite what this means is not clear, even to seasoned Imperial watchers.

Senator Loren’s political leanings are even less clear. She is reportedly in favour of slavery, having been quoted as saying “Slavery is a safety net, it ensures nobody can starve or fall into poverty.”

She is also clearly prepared to use violence to achieve her aims – as revolutionaries on her home world of Prism were summarily executed after she returned to power.

By contrast she seems to be in favour of closer political ties with the Federation and the Alliance. Her recent trip to the Sol system was either a carefully orchestrated political gambit, or just happy chance. Either way, her positive profile with in the Federation is certainly a factor.

Senator Loren was involved in a wide-spread space battle during the reclamation of the Prism, which may have influenced her views on the effectiveness and desirability of major naval engagements.

Prism Senator Planning New Voyage?

Leaked images from the Avalon shipyards appear to indicate that Senator Kahina Tijani Loren’s Imperial Courier, the ‘Seven Veils’, is undergoing a significant refit just weeks after her recent visit to the Sol system.

Security at the Avalon shipyards, which are owned and managed by Persephone station, is extremely tight. The images themselves are grainy and ill-defined, but seem to show that the drives, shields and possibly the frame-shift drive components have been significantly upgraded.

Sources within the Empire note that Senator Loren has been seen at several significant social events within Imperial space recently. Despite this, she has refrained from speaking to any member of the press since returning from Sol.

Speculation is rife as to her involvement with the ongoing struggle for power within the Senate. Loren has yet to declare her support for any of the leading contenders, a fact which some political pundits believe is a strong indication that she may be considering her own play for power.

Prism Senator in Illegal Parking Row

Returning to Earth at the invitation of the Secretary General, Senator Kahina Tijani Loren’s Imperial Courier was tagged with a fine at Mars High apparently due to activating its boosters while still within the station.

Reports indicate this caused a deafening roar within the docking area and even cracked the windows of the docking administration office.

Sources close to Mars High administration were quoted as saying “We are showing restraint! She’s lucky we didn’t obliterate her ship immediately like most parking offenders. What else does she want?”

Deano Blake, a trader whose Adder has been impounded by Mars officials for several weeks due to an inadequately sealed drive plate, told our reporters, “Never really thought much of Imperials before this, but I’ve got hand it to this Kahina gal, she’s got style!”

Imperial Pageant for Prism Senator

In an apparent show of solidarity for the visiting Senator and in protest at her perceived shabby treatment at the hands of her Federation hosts, dozens of independent Commanders have volunteered to escort Lady Kahina Tijani Loren's Imperial Courier through Federal space for the duration of her trip.

The unofficial escort is primarily composed of Imperial Cutters in private ownership, causing acute embarrassment to the Federation, who are powerless to prevent newsfeed images of what appears to be a sizeable Imperial fleet gallivanting unchallenged against the unmistakeable backdrop of core Federation worlds.

Lady Kahina was briefly interviewed by The Mars Herald and was asked, "What do you think of your welcome into Federal space?"

She replied with "When I receive one, I shall let you know."

Prism Senator will not be late, not even slightly

In another administrative mix up, Lady Kahina Tijani Loren's Imperial Courier has been denied docking clearance at Mars High. Official observers report that an Imperial Courier attempted to dock without prior permission and when confronted, refused to acknowledge hails.

Unofficial, and anonymous, reports from independent traders seem to favour the view that Mars High docking personnel routed Lady Kahina's ship to the back of the queue unnecessarily, and rather than comply, she positioned her ship directly in the docking entrance and refused to move it until granted a landing pad.

Lady Kahina was later quoted as saying. 'As I said before, I don't like to be late.'

Rumours that the docking clearance officer at Mars High has been encouraged to retire early are strenuously denied by Federal administrators.