Recent Events in the Universe of the Empire
Following is a Terran edition of Imperial News.
Latest Dispatch
February 17th, 2301 -- Atlanta (Earth)
Pastor Henry S. Snodgrass of the Heritage Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia (US) announced the formation of a new organization, the Coalition for Terran Morality.
"The problem with the empire," Pastor Snodgrass announced, "is that it has no moral fiber. They simply don't understand the idea of sin. And this is not just a theological issue. We Christians, for example, have many theological differences from, say, Muslims, but at least Islam recognizes basic truths like good and evil. The empire flatly refuses these distinctions.
"In the ten years since we made contact with the Empire of the Thirteen, more and more people seem to be idolizing imperial culture. I think that we need to put more focus on the importance of our cultural morals, and this is the mission of the Coalition for Terran Morality."
The Coalition's religious supporters are multi-denominational and includes representatives from Baptist, Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and Mormon congregations. Pastor Snodgrass stresses that the Coalition is a secular organization, and that they are currently in negotiations with the US New Republican party to form strategic political alliances.
February 15th, 2301 -- Kester (Shadra)
The office of the Archduke Shadra released a statement, today. In this statement, read by First Minister Tiinar, the Archduke criticized the Emperor's recent writ on Adulterine Colonies.
"Today I, Malithorr of House Seriss, Archduke Shadra, and Shadrite Initiate, must communicate my extreme disapproval for the Emperor's latest writ.
"As the Archduke Shadra, I speak for the government. I honour and respect the Emperor as my liege, and I fully support the nobility that has united the old Phychi Empire and the Holy Shadu Republic into one, strong Empire that has prospered for 600 years.
"But I am also Shadu, and a worshipper of Shadra. And though I know that the Emperor speaks for all imperial citizens, I fear that he speaks for Theris before any other world. The Emperor's domain is politics. He lives on Theris Kalla, surrounded at all times by Phychi culture. In years past, he has reinstated many of the practises of the old Phychi Empire. He has never made a pilgrimage to Shadra, never initiated into the imperial faith, and, I think, sometimes fails to appreciate the importance of the gods in imperial life.
"It pains me to say that the Emperor's latest writ is one more insult against our holy Shadu institutions. The so-called adulterine worlds are not required to tithe. They are not answerable to the local archducal office, and the legal status exists solely to make corporations rich.
"I cannot adequately communicate the betrayal that I feel.
"I apologize to my fellow Shadu, for I have left our world on a mission of politics. I will speak to the Emperor in person, and make him aware, in no uncertain terms, of the insult that he has dispensed."
The First Minister did not respond to questions.
Previous Dispatches
January 30th, 2301 -- Niilish (Heoul)
Viscount Shren today confirmed speculations that last year's Heoul Blight has damaged the wombpod crop. This announcement means that Gil colonists on Heoul might not be able to reproduce this year, and many Gil are alarmed by the news.
"Obviously," Shren added, "the government considers this situation a planetary disaster, and the government must intervene. We need to develop a program to allocate the few wombpods that we've harvested according to some criteria that is both fair and manageable."
Urven, a Gil accountant in Niilish, is considering leaving Heoul for the mating season. "My mate and I had made a lot of plans to reproduce this year. We know that there are wombpods on Huun and some of the neighbouring colonies. It will mean taking a leave of absence from work, but we think it's worth it."
January 28th, 2301 -- Quelonesh (Garro)
Three Imperial administrative offices in Quelonesh were bombed by the Kindred traditionalist terrorist organization, Cantor Zyu. The Cantor, the Kindred who live in Garro's Cantokk province, have rejected Duke Garro's right to rule the Kindred since before the Kindred belonged to the Empire. "It's true," said Baron Qlatotek, regional governor of Cantokk, "that the Cantor as a whole have issues with the legitimacy of the Duke's claim to Garro, but most people here are honest citizens who would never resort to terrorism. This is the act of a few radicals who don't care who they hurt -- even if the people they hurt are fellow Cantor."
A fourth building was spared when the bomb's timing mechanism malfunctioned.
January 21st, 2301 -- Theris Kalla (Theris)
Today, Marchioness Tilshken, Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the Royal Court to a writ from the Emperor. This new writ creates a new legal classification of colony worlds: Adulterine colonies. Adulterine colonies are corporate-owned worlds with populations of less than a million citizens.
Under this new status, colony worlds such as Cetus that are wholly owned by megacorporations are exempt from tithes. Further, the owning corporation has the right to set planetary law, without approval from the nobility, and the owning corporation may collect whatever taxes are necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the planetary administration, without providing a share to the archducal coffers.
The writ is expected to be signed into law after the requisite debating period in the Royal Senate, and the appropriate evaluation by the Rede Assembly.
Nishkallar, the Archduke Theris, spoke in favour of the writ: "Now that the Ento War is over, the Royal Court must make economic growth a key priority and this writ frees the hands of commercial enterprises to take advantage of new opportunities."
However, Lodite priestess Tuurna Venn expressed disappointment concerning the new writ. "The emperor has once again shown huge favours to the Barons of Industry at the expense of the Redes. It's fair to say that I'm troubled."
Venn isn't the only one disturbed by the new writ; Count Hroeow, Proxy of Sylee, was quoted as saying, "Obviously, I'm going to brief the Archduchess immediately, and it is too early to announce our official position, but I will be communicating my grave reservations."
January 1st, 2301 -- Washington D.C. (Earth)
Michael Elliot Jonas was sworn in as the 104th US President. In his inaugural speech, President Jonas promised to address unemployment and the economy.
October 27th, 2300 -- Theris Kalla (Theris)
Today, the Marquis Shaaldin submitted the Shaaldin Committee's Report on the Ento for the Emperor's approval. The Report recommends that Ento Space be absorbed into the Empire, and that the Ento become Imperial Citizens. The Report also calls for a joint delegation of missionaries from the Imperial Office of Theology and culture specialists from the Imperial Office of Education to journey to Ento space to help the Ento assimilate more smoothly into the Empire.
Rear Admiral (Retired) Dame Hiwandal criticized the report. "First," she said, "it is going to be extremely hard for people to adapt to the idea of the Ento as Imperial citizens after centuries of cold-war hostility and almost a decade of open war. Secondly, integration efforts in the Kindred Realm remains an ongoing battle, indicating to me that the government just doesn't have the resources to integrate the Ento at this time. Finally, and I speak as a veteran of both battles of Menkar, the Ento are not sympathetic to the Empire; they are biologically hardwired into a racial caste system, and they will never really accept the Emperor as their new monarch. I have great respect for the Marquis Shaaldin, but his committee's report is a recipe for failure."
The Shaaldin Committee was established at the completion of the Third Ento War in 2297. Its three-year task was to determine a new Imperial policy toward the Ento.
October 23rd, 2300 -- Theris Kalla (Theris)
Nishkallar, Archduke Theris, hosted a reception for the Gwe'nii delegation at the Archducal mansion, but the state dinner ended earlier than expected due to a minor illness on the part of the Archduke. The Archduke's Secretary of Events confirmed that the Archduke ended the reception early, and retired to his chambers to rest.
However, a source close to the Archduke claim that noble's illness was fortuitously timed. "The reception was a disaster," said the informant, who prefers not to be named. "The Archduke and the Gwe'nii ambassador started off on the wrong foot almost immediately, and the evening went downhill from there. Protocol dictates that a noble host could not leave the reception early, but the Archduke wanted to get very far away from the delegation."
The Gwe'nii's Speaker for the Ambassador commented that the event was "much fun", and that the Ambassador looks forward to inviting the Archduke to a reception at the Gwe'nii Consulate.