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The Missing Emperor?

Princess Aisling Duval has discussed growing concerns over Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval’s lack of public engagements in recent months.

In an interview with The Imperial Herald, she said:

“Chancellor Blaine assures us that the Emperor has been kept in seclusion for nearly a year to protect her from the NMLA. But why has this prevented the Empire’s ruler from engaging with her citizens? After all, Hadrian Duval and his family were placed under the same senatorial protection without disappearing altogether.”

“We know that the Emperor has communicated with the Senate on various matters during this time. Government channels are generally trusted thanks to Imperial Intelligence’s verification protocols. But Captain Landau’s recent testimony, which links Imperial Intelligence to the NMLA, has me concerned. How can I be sure that a breach to our most secure networks wasn’t responsible for the location and murder of my father, Prince Harold?”

“Until Arissa appears in person, it is irresponsible to assume her safety is guaranteed. I will be most relieved to have my fears proved wrong.”

Chancellor Anders Blaine responded:

“With the greatest respect to Princess Duval, I have never had cause to believe that Her Majesty the Emperor is in any danger from her own security agencies. Her imminent return to public life should alleviate such concerns.”

Senate Blocks ACT Investigation

There are claims that the Imperial Senate is preventing efforts to examine a potential link between the Empire’s security services and the NMLA.

Captain Saskia Landau has publicly stated that the terrorists’ dark-comms network is closely related to the Omega Grid system used exclusively by Imperial Intelligence. She expanded on her theory in a statement to Vox Galactica:

“Based on evidence and interrogation transcripts obtained by ACT, I believe that rogue elements within Imperial Intelligence were training and providing equipment to the NMLA. This would help explain the level of sophistication they achieved in coordinating their starport attacks and communicating without detection.”

“There is certainly enough circumstantial proof to warrant a dedicated investigation. But the Senate is refusing to authorise this, which makes me wonder what they are trying to hide.”

Senator Karl Nerva reiterated: “It is time for ACT to devolve and return much-needed resources to the Empire where they belong.”

However, Senator Caspian Leopold responded: “To alleviate any lack of confidence in our security services, we should examine Captain Landau’s allegation rigorously. Our citizens must be reassured that Imperial Intelligence exists solely for their protection.”

Imperial Intelligence Denies NMLA Connection

Senators have refuted ACT’s claim that the NMLA made use of official but highly secret Imperial communications devices.

Captain Saskia Landau maintains that the terrorist group’s dark-comms network was very similar to the Omega Grid, an undetectable messaging system used exclusively by Imperial Intelligence.

Senator Karl Nerva told the media:

“In her desperation to seek out the NMLA, Captain Landau is chasing shadows. Imperial Intelligence must operate under total secrecy, but I assure you that this ‘Omega Grid’ is just as much of an invention to discredit the Empire as Serene Harbour was.”

“Landau has overstepped her authority with these outlandish accusations. I once again propose that ACT be disbanded and its operatives returned to normal duties.”

The Imperial Herald reported that other senators are calling for Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval to overrule those who are blocking ACT’s investigation. The newsfeed highlighted that she did not attend any functions in person during the past year, and has not broadcast any public messages.

In response, Chancellor Anders Blaine gave this statement:

“Her Majesty was placed under secure protection in early 3307 after several failed assassination attempts by the NMLA. She has been communicating remotely with the Senate on all official business, but does plan to return to Capitol very soon.”

Whistleblower Reveals Imperial Link to NMLA

A potential connection between the NMLA’s dark-comms network and Imperial Intelligence has been made public by one of ACT’s co-leaders.

Captain Saskia Landau sent a personal statement to all major media outlets:

“The majority of my career has been with the Imperial Internal Security Service, but I was seconded for a year to a classified project run by Imperial Intelligence. To coordinate their operations, they use a sophisticated communications system known as the Omega Grid. This is designed to avoid detection or interception by enemies of the Empire.”

“I have reviewed ACT’s research into the NMLA’s dark-comms network and can verify its similarity to Omega Grid technology. Since this is exclusively under Imperial Intelligence’s control, it suggests that an individual or group within the organisation was making it available to the NMLA.”

“I’m aware that revealing this information publicly may end my career or even endanger my life. Nevertheless, I have shared my findings with ACT’s leadership, and call upon the Imperial Senate to open an independent investigation into this evidence.”

As yet there has been no response from Imperial Intelligence or the Senate. However, several agents of the IISS have anonymously spoken to reporters from The Imperial Herald, verifying that the Omega Grid system does exist and has been in use for many years.

A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Four)

The last in a series that reviews the events of the past year, by noted historian Sima Kalhana.

“October brought further controversy for the Federation, when a diplomatic conference in the Delta Pavonis system was revealed to be a honey trap designed to capture Yuri Grom. Only a rush of support for EG Union allowed their ruler to escape, causing political embarrassment for President Hudson.”

“There was more corporate drama when Zemina Torval relinquished her long-held majority sharehold of Mastopolos Mining, fuelling rumours of a family rift with her cousins. Torval Mining Ltd became a fully independent corporation run by her daughter Constantia.”

“The Colonia Bridge project officially started the first of two phases this year which would see the construction of 56 megaships between the Alcor and Colonia systems. Brewer Corporation enjoyed great public support for improving this travel corridor along the 22,000 light year journey, and revealed plans to enhance it further in the new year.”

“Hadrian Duval, his wife Lady Astrid and their unborn child were the specific targets of another starport bombing by the NMLA. It proved unsuccessful, but did result in the Imperial Senate offering them protection in order to secure the Duval bloodline. It also led to a manhunt for Theta Seven, the galaxy’s most wanted terrorist.”

“In November, Orion University claimed that the dredger occupied by the Scriveners Clan was legally their property, but the nomadic descendants of its original crew refused to give up their home. The stand-off caught the public attention, with some supporting the clan’s right to independence and others keen to discover what their Knowledge Core contained. Ultimately the Scriveners retained their freedom, sailing off into the void with their secrets intact.”

“Many were shocked when Admiral Tanner, Aegis’s military chief, went rogue and tried to force access to a starport controlled by Salvation’s allies. His conviction that the anti-xeno superweapons were responsible for provoking the Thargoids was, however, not enough to win the day.”

“The NMLA threw everything they had at the Mudhrid system in an attempt to rescue Theta Seven, who was hiding among the Far God cult to avoid capture. But the terrorists were crushed by ACT and a coalition of ships, with Theta Seven martyring himself by destroying the hijacked megaship Sacrosanct.”

“A happier event in December was the birth of Hector Duval, son and heir of Hadrian and Lady Astrid. There were celebrations across the Empire, but also questions asked about the future of the Duval dynasty and if the child might one day inherit the Imperial throne.”

“The year ended as it had begun, with Thargoid vessels swarming into nebula systems. But with incursions steadily increasing over recent months, there were fears that this time they might prove unstoppable. Salvation’s superweapons were once again deployed to halt the aliens’ progress, but will they be enough to prevent the Thargoids from threatening humanity in 3308?”

A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Three)

Sima Kalhana reviews the most newsworthy events of the past year in this series of articles.

“July began badly for the Federation, with more factions seceding in response to the Proactive Detection Bureau’s establishment. The newly independent nations severed all links with these new surveillance efforts, inspiring many other systems to do likewise. This secession crisis would rumble on for the rest of the year.”

“The Blue Viper Club, one of the rarely seen dredger clans, joined forces with the Kumo Crew to manufacture a medicinal drug that turned out to be a new strain of onionhead. The drug would ultimately end up being legally distributed by Neomedical Industries, causing Archon Delaine to seek revenge against the corporation.”

“Tensions soared in the Marlinist Colonies during an election for the head of their diplomatic consulate. Aaron Whyte’s candidate had the support of an Imperial senator, which would have given the Neo-Marlinists a powerful voice within the Empire.”

“When a more moderate candidate was elected, the NMLA reacted by bombing both Marlinist starports, murdering tens of thousands including First Minister Jenna Fairfax. It seemed Theta Seven’s extremist views allowed anyone to be targeted as an enemy, even his fellow Marlinists. The civil war concluded in August, with Whyte killed in battle as his supporters were overcome in direct combat.”

“Following accusations of incompetence regarding the vanished Alexandria megaship, Aegis was officially suspended and subjected to a board of inquiry. This would have ramifications for the ongoing conflict with the Thargoids, and encourage Salvation to position himself as an alternative.”

“In the corporate sphere, Zemina Torval created a new subsidiary of Mastopolos Mining that would eventually become an autonomous company. There were rumours that the Torval and Mastopolos families were now at loggerheads after decades of working in unison.”

“In September, the mystery of Hyford’s Cache was finally unlocked. The trail led to revelations of dark experiments which are believed to have involved human test subjects and Thargoid technology.”

“When the Thargoids themselves appeared en masse in the Cornsar system, Salvation was ready for them. An anti-xeno superweapon of undisclosed nature was deployed, wiping out some of the aliens and driving away the rest. It seemed that the self-titled ‘man of science’ had developed something revolutionary, inspiring many to place their faith in him to end the Thargoid menace once and for all.”

A Retrospective of 3307 (Part Two)

Continuing a series of articles by historian Sima Kalhana that look at the most newsworthy events during the past year.

“April 3307 saw the creation of the Federation’s Proactive Detection Bureau in reaction to the Nine Martyrs bombings. This organisation monitored all public and private communications for evidence of terrorists, to prevent similar attacks in future. But its highly controversial nature would soon present the Federation with new challenges.”

“ACT’s investigation led them to the Neo-Marlinist Order of Mudhrid, which had helped deliver the caustic enzyme bombs to their nine targets. The faction’s defeat was an early victory against the NMLA, but much of the organisation remained a mystery.”

“When the ‘ghost ship’ Adamastor began receiving an encoded signal, this began an entire saga of mysteries. Its long-lost sister ship, the Hesperus, was soon located by pilots who had been recruited by an anonymous figure named Salvation. His interest in Azimuth Biochemicals, the 200 year old corporation that owned both vessels, would bring a strange twist to the ongoing Thargoid conflict.”

“In May, Hadrian Duval was targeted by Federal forces after accusations that he was the mastermind behind the NMLA. The spectre of Empire-Federation war rose once again as Nova Imperium successfully defended itself, but ACT concluded that evidence had been falsified to implicate Hadrian and his new wife Lady Astrid.”

“Aegis came under intense scrutiny when the megaship Alexandria, laden with newly collected Guardian artefacts, began attracting Thargoids in every system it jumped to. The Alexandria later vanished completely in hyperspace, and to this day remains missing presumed destroyed.”

“The Alliance election finally took place at the end of May, having been delayed by three months due to the Galactic Summit. Councillor Nakato Kaine fought a spirited campaign, but Edmund Mahon was re-elected to serve a second term as prime minister.”

“Supporters of Neo-Marlinism gained a voice in June, when Minister Aaron Whyte offered a peace deal with the Empire to prevent further terrorism. The idea of a political wing of the NMLA gained support from those fearing further bombings, but opened major rifts within the Marlinist Colonies.”

“Salvation once again contacted pilots to track down survivors from the Hesperus. This led to the discovery of an ancient Guardian-Thargoid battleground, where Azimuth scientists had built a research base around their vessel Proteus. All were killed by unusual experiments into weaponising Guardian crystals.”

“The Proactive Detection Bureau had been generally accepted by Federal citizens, but many claimed it was a violation of civil liberties. Halfway through the year, the Azaladshu Free faction took the bold step of seceding from the Federation, thus triggering the possibility of mass rebellion.”

A Retrospective of 3307 (Part One)

The noted historian Sima Kalhana takes a look back at the turbulent events of the last year in a four-part series of articles.

“The start of 3307 was a time of crisis. The rise of the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army (NMLA), the Marlinist refugee crisis and increased Empire-Federation tensions had brought a full-scale superpower war closer, with renewed attacks from the Thargoids increasing the pressure.”

“All of this led to Pranav Antal’s proposal of a diplomatic conference for all three superpower governments to work through their problems – the very first Galactic Summit. Within weeks, Sirius Corporation was selected as the neutral host for the conference. Li Yong-Rui scored another triumph by establishing the Marlinist Colonies for millions of political refugees who had fled from the Empire.”

“In February came the trial of Fleet Admiral Vincent, accused of arranging Starship One’s destruction back in 3301. His paymaster was revealed as Core Dynamics CEO Jupiter Rochester, who wanted to replace Federal democracy with direct corporate rule.”

“His breakaway faction Jupiter Division was defeated in battle and Rochester himself jailed for life. This also led to Core Dynamics’s acquisition of Lakon Spaceways being cancelled, leaving the Alliance to purchase a majority sharehold in the company.”

“Key players on the political stage finally gathered when the Galactic Summit began in late February. The Sirius system hosted leaders from the Alliance, Empire, Federation and independent systems. Even pirate warlord Archon Delaine gatecrashed the event, causing controversy with his ‘crown of bones’ speech.”

“It seemed for a while that the bickering between so many strong personalities might trigger a war rather than avert one. But gradually there was progress, with the possibility of a treaty to increase unity against the Thargoid threat. But before reaching this conclusion, the Galactic Summit was derailed by a threat from another source.”

“Nine Martyrs – as named by the NMLA leader Theta Seven – was the largest terrorist attack in history. Hundreds of thousands were killed by starport bombings in nine systems, including the superpower capitals of Alioth, Achenar and Sol. This horrific tragedy ended the conference abruptly, but did give rise to some inter-power cooperation.”

“A new agreement signed at the Galactic Summit allowed the Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit (ACT) to be formed rapidly. Drawing on the superpowers’ security services and other organisations, its sole purpose was to hunt down and eliminate the NMLA, a task that would dominate the headlines for the rest of the year.”