Galnet News

Today, dawn broke above an expectant Capitol as Imperial citizens awaited the coronation of the first female Emperor (the Imperial Senate having determined that 'Emperor' should be used for both male and female rulers). It looked like the entire population had come to witness the procession of Arissa Lavigny-Duval through the city to the Imperial Palace.

The crowd's excitement was palpable, but it was undercut by uncertainty over whether the insurgent organisation Emperor's Dawn would succeed in disrupting the coronation ceremony, as they claimed they would. There have been rumours that Emperor-to-be Arissa refused to travel in a closed speeder, despite concerns for her safety, and she looked every part the Emperor as the procession made its way sedately through the city.

The military and security presence was visible throughout the city, with Naval Infantry in full dress uniform lining the streets. A full company of Imperial Guard marched alongside the Senator's vehicle, their stark black uniforms contrasting with the crisp whites of the Naval Infantry.

The procession arrived at the palace at exactly midday, where the senators and Imperial family waited. The brief ceremony was transmitted live throughout the Empire, and screened at key locations in the city so the crowds could watch. The multitude roared their appreciation to the sky as Emperor-to-be Arissa Lavigny-Duval completed her vows of office.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval offered a few words for her people:

"This is a day I cannot compare to any other. The trust my fellow senators have shown in me makes me all the more determined to overcome the challenges we will surely face in the coming weeks and months. For too long we have suffered from uncertainty in the wake of the Emperor's death.

"I had the great fortune to talk with the late Emperor in his final days, and to learn how he planned to strengthen the Empire in these times of change. In the coming weeks, I will announce the formation of my government and my plans to tackle the threats facing the Empire.

"But for now I will enjoy this moment and express my gratitude to the Empire and everyone, from slave to senator, for this opportunity to serve."

Each week, GalNet presents a list of 10 of the 2,708 minor factions currently expanding into new systems.

Morai Nobles

Nungk Empire Party

Varlawoth Prison Colony

HIP 6761 Focus

Evenses Liberals

Hrana General Holdings

58 Epsilon Herculis Industry

Vendelia Coalition

Any Na General Group

Independents of Achansa

Expansion occurs when a minor faction reaches a sufficient influence rating and there is a populated system within striking distance. The act of expansion is a costly one, and the wealth and development rating suffers during the period of expansion.

Data is correct at time of publishing.

Edmund Mahon has proven last week's naysaying economists wrong. The economic juggernaut that is the Alliance of Independent Systems now exerts influence over more than 1,000 systems – a tremendous milestone for the fledgling superpower, which only recently celebrated 70 years of existence.

Arissa Lavigny-Duval's days have been largely consumed by preparations for her coronation ceremony, but she has also made time to direct the efforts of the Shield of Justice. The Emperor-to-be oversaw massive fortifications during the past week, with 50 systems secured against little opposition. Everything appears to be in order for the coronation ceremony this weekend.

Zachary Hudson amassed an enormous command capital stockpile in the previous week, alongside an increase in approval rating. Federal Navy recruitment levels are also at an all-time high, with many attributing the increased interest in the Navy to the CQC Championships.

Felicia Winters and the liberal arm of the Federation have stockpiled sufficient resources to establish bases in a handful of systems, which will serve as staging points for future aid programs. Mangwe became one such base of operation during the past week.

In the past week, Aisling Duval's supporters convinced the population of an influential system to support the people's princess, and her public-relations machine now appears primed to persuade additional systems to join Aisling's cause.

Li Yong-Rui recently announced an initiative to bolster the economy of the distant colony of HIP 8396. This program comes at an odd time for Sirius, as profits fell during the past week, resulting in strained business relations with two systems.

Denton Patreus has at last established a small cushion of command capital with which to exert additional influence over systems bordering his territory. The elimination of Emperor's Dawn remains among the Senator's top priorities, and as his fleets deploy, fortifications are underway to guard against further expansion of the insurgent organization.

Zemina Torval's enterprises suffered some setbacks this week, resulting in turmoil for one popular trade system. Given the Senator's recent track record, economic analysts are not overly concerned about trade in her systems, and expect this to be a minor hiccup.

Pranav Antal continued Utopia's quiet march through civilized space with the addition of the Xi Wang Mu system. Antal now has a modest command capital reserve with which to expand the vision of Utopia.

Archon Delaine's attempts to exploit additional systems were denied this week, as system defence forces repelled Kumo Crew-backed insurrectionists. The spider of the Pegasi Sector is already spinning webs to ensnare additional systems. It remains to be seen whether the renewed offensive against Emperor's Dawn will weaken the Imperial resistance to the Pirate Lord.

Commander Corrigendum

Reports coming in from the Warkushanui system indicate that a number of starports in the region are currently experiencing technical issues. According to Sam Norris, a technician at Coats Hub, the system's inhabitants are dealing with a range of problems:

"We've had power outages, intermittent problems with our communications, and issues with the docking systems, but I've reason to believe that things are worse at Gurragchaa Gateway. I haven't been able to establish a stable comms link with them for a while, though, so I don't know exactly what the situation is."

Norris was asked what he thought might be causing the problems:

"Beats the hell out of me. The generators are fine and I haven't identified any infrastructure issues, so we'll need to run some tests before we can be sure."

The issues in Warkushanui are not believed to be affecting station services at this time.

This weekly transmission lists some of the systems currently in conflict around the galaxy, based on the latest data.

Here are 10 of the 25,801 minor factions involved in a civil war:

Blue Power Network

He Xingo Crimson Dynamic and Co

League of Gomm Crua Party

Gomm Crua Corporation

Vordengha Noblement

Vordengha Purple Syndicate

Pic Tok Clan

Khruvani Freedom Party

Khruvani Resistance

Ngurii Silver Dragons

Civil wars involve conflict between minor factions in the same system over ownership of major assets such as starports. During civil wars, only combat missions and activities help bring the conflict to a resolution. Security, development level and standard of living indicators all drop for the duration of the civil war.

Here are 10 of the 3,860 minor factions at war:

Honoto Advanced Interstellar

United Nganji Labour

Traditional Kamilagro Dominion

Monarchy of Acokwech

Values Party of LTT 4428

UGP 184 Imperial Society

Coalition of Awanti

Leaders of Laukaitu

Beta Octantis Empire Group

LHS 2150 Resistance

Wars occur when a minor faction invades another star system. For the duration of the conflict, wealth, security and standard of living are all severely impacted. Combat missions and activities determine who wins the war. If no winner emerges, the war ends in a ceasefire.

Data is correct at time of publishing.

Following the Empire's recent discovery of five additional Emperor's Dawn bases, Senator Denton Patreus has despatched military fleets to three of the systems occupied by the insurgents: Namarii, Tabaldak and LTT 874. The Senator has also authorised a number of Empire-aligned factions to reward pilots who join the fight against Emperor's Dawn. The insurgents, meanwhile, have responded in kind, promising to reward pilots who help repel the Imperials.

Some news feeds have speculated that the Senator's actions are designed not only to maintain the pressure on Emperor's Dawn, but also to minimise the chances of the insurgents disrupting Arissa Lavigny-Duval's forthcoming coronation.

The outcome of the battle is by no means certain, but one thing is for sure – the wider conflict between the Empire and Emperor's Dawn is far from over.

Earlier this year, the Sirius Corporation expanded into the systems of HIP 8396, Almagest, Sothis, Ceos, and Robigo. At the time, a number of economists predicted that these systems would witness dramatic change after being brought under Sirius Corp. control, but in fact the affected systems have remained much the same, with citizens reporting little difference to their everyday lives.

It seems, however, that the Sirius Corporation might simply have been biding its time. In a statement released today, Li Yong-Rui, the CEO of the Sirius Corp., announced ambitious plans to revitalise his company's new holdings:

"Over the coming weeks, the Sirius Corporation will subsidize a number of initiatives designed to revive the social and economic health of our new territories. These initiatives, which will rely heavily on support from independent contractors and pilots, will reinvigorate the economies of the affected systems, and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for our compatriots."

Roberta Unwin, an economist who regularly contributes to the Money Matters news feed, commented on the announcement:

"Wealthy organisations often expand into new areas without any immediate plans in mind. Sometimes it's because they think the area will become profitable – other times it's done to undercut a rival. It's called speculative expansion. It's actually rather common, although it usually takes place on a much smaller scale."

It appears the Sirius Corp. is eager to get started. The first of its initiatives is due to begin today, with the company appealing to independent pilots to deliver osmium to the HIP 8396 system, and promising to reward participants generously.

On Sunday, Arissa Lavigny-Duval will be crowned Emperor. Preparations for the coronation are almost complete, and the population of Capitol is eagerly awaiting the inauguration of the Empire's first female ruler. To mark this prestigious occasion, the future Emperor has invited galactic citizens to bring her gifts in exchange for certain incentives. In a statement, Lavigny-Duval said:

"It has long been a tradition for Imperial citizens to bestow gifts upon their new ruler. For the first time, and in keeping with the inclusive philosophy I intend to cultivate, I am extending this invitation to all galactic citizens. Anyone who wishes to do so may deliver coronation gifts, in the form of slaves, to Achenar."

The request for slaves is likely to invoke the ire of anti-slavery groups, but the Empire has underscored the fact that all slaves – not only Imperial slaves – will be accepted. This means that any non-Imperial slaves brought to Achenar will be reclassified as Imperial slaves, which will almost certainly improve their quality of life.

Pilots who respond to the request will be offered discounts on Imperial ships, as well as being granted access to vessels that would ordinarily require a rank in the Imperial Navy. The permit restrictions on Achenar have also been temporarily lifted to allow pilots to deliver gifts to the future Emperor.

Last week, United Carnoeck for Equality issued a public appeal for help in clearing the Carnoeck system of pirates and other disruptive elements. The agitators had congregated in the Carnoeck system in the wake of the Bacon Protests anniversary celebrations, and were harassing traders and revellers travelling to and from Bacon City.

The response to the appeal was overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of combat pilots taking to their ships and heading for the Carnoeck system. The resulting conflict lasted for several days and raged throughout Carnoeck, and ultimately succeeded in routing the disruptive elements. United Carnoeck for Equality will soon be issuing rewards to pilots who helped to clear the spaceways of agitators.

The Revolutionary Noti Value Party, a group based in the Noti system, recently issued an open contract for Aganippe Rush, a rare commodity found only in the Aganippe system. Although the faction chose not to publicise the reason for the request, the response was positive, with hundreds of independent pilots making the journey to Aganippe to gather quantities of the unusual commodity. Authorities at Weber Gateway, were the deliveries were taken, even had to take on additional staff to deal with the influx of trade ships.

A spokesperson for the Revolutionary Noti Value Party released a brief statement:

"We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to this initiative. Aganippe Rush is not a widely available commodity, and we appreciate the lengths pilots went to in order to deliver it to us at Weber Gateway."

The Revolutionary Noti Value Party was asked to elaborate on the reason for its request, but the organisation declined to respond.