Volume 40

Welcome to This Week In The Empire

From the Editor's Desk
Thanks all readers on the positive feedback. More interesting stuff is on the horizon so keep buying those issues. I've been lucky the last few weeks to have the opportunity to go up against one of the Universes most sought after creatures, the Euryale. It's been great, but the availability of one I find brings out the worst in pilots. Either one of two things happens. The Euryale is killed within hours, or it is confined and heavily restricted. The restricted type can be beneficial, but can cause more headaches than they are worth, with requests for access, rules of engagement issues, supply issues,... You name it, they whine about it. A word for everyone. Stop your whining, if it's not constructive it's not helpful.

General News
Albert Greed revealed himself to be the Son of Andover. A thought to be long gone nuisance and utter failure as a pilot. He alleges that he was financed by the federation when he destroyed the Tipsy Rum bar. This has been unsubstantiated to this point and seems to be revenge for his father's failures.

Both the Union and the Federation have been running Squadron combat exercises in the wake of the tensions between the two factions. Both Red Cell and E.R.A. have both been observed in similar exercises. Both borders remain closed and some fire incidents have happened when pilots with their head up their rear entries don't pay attention.

Federation Falcons and Red Cell have come to an agreement regarding The Shubbery Mk 2 with Ixitixl of Red Cell taking command of the base. No details of the agreement were released.

Capella is having a baby boom. Word is that Crux Mason made a tour of the Rashkir planet about 10 months prior and had his way with many of the Rashkir women, as filthy pirates do. Emergency medical supplies have been urgently requested.

Imperial News
Yet another get together with a caged Euryale was hosted this week. This time the creature was found in open space but quickly caged by members of The Imperial Guard. Imperials from far and wide arrived and as many as 40 pilots were seen on Imperial Watchtower at one time. Again there have been a few casualties from foolhardy pilots who haven't exercised caution around the beast. Hopefully these tournaments can become a weekly item as all Imperials have been immensely enjoying them.

Imperial Stimulant supplies have dried up in the Keldon Core. Princess Twinkletoes has been blamed for the shortage, but has protested innocence in the shortage. After reviewing her personal logs, the Princess found that almost eight thousand tons of drugs had gone through her trade outposts in the course of the Euryale tournaments that have been hosted by the Imperial Guard.


The next party is being hosted by The Blue Sun Corporation and is allegedly already underway. No word yet on the rules of this tournament.

There is an asteroid that has been detected that is on a collision course for Oldain. This is part of the Western Ska'ari Core. It is believed that already materials are being gathered to avert this disaster by Freeholders Alliance, who reside in the sector.

Interview with Deuteriumoxide
MG> Tell me a bit about your past. Your recent exploits are fairly well known, but your past may not be as newsworthy.

Dex>Well, I was born to a clutch of seven mothers in the Low Country of Sirion. I had a typical childhood. When I reached the age of maturity, I bought my way into the Union Military. I started off as a scamp-freighter Captain dodging asteroids in UG 5-093. I got in touch with the Union establishment through Endeavourl and the E.R.A. who operated Midgar Station in UG. It was on Midgar Station that I first met up with the Keldon Underground.

My career in E.R.A. was mostly unremarkable. They are a fine alliance and I still have many friends and clutch-brothers there but I was never really able to find myself among them. I have spent time with L.C.N. where, under the command of my clutch-brother Lysin, we took the Starbase the Parrots Mistake away from the traitor Ganave. I left L.C.N. shortly before the Separatist's war over philosophical differences with L.C.N.'s then leader Angelus. As far as I know, Angelus has disappeared from the space lanes, and I am still here.

After L.C.N. I had a brief stint with the Ebidium Hand. It was here that I became totally absorbed in the Keldon Liberation movement. I was reached by members of the resistance on Urlafa. These brave Keldons put me in touch with members of the resistance all over the Empire Keldon Core and the East Pardus Rim. I began to make trips into the the EKC.

By the time the Rebellion started full force I was back in E.R.A. I piloted a Gargantua during the war. I scored seven kills and only had to make three trips home in an escape pod. It was during the war I had my first encounter with an eccentric human named Spiff. We flew together on several operations. It was these experiences that led me some months later to the Gentlemen Bastards.

MG> Your alliance the Gentlemen Bastards, tell us a little bit about that.

Dex> The Gentlemen Bastards are a group of pilots after my own heart. We are dedicated to getting things done. When some more... established... Union hands would rather not get dirty, we cut throats.

MG> How did you first find out about the Beurso virus?

Dex> A young Keldon female named Luna Fuwuyothi came to me about six months ago from Urlafa. She was among the refugees who had fought in the resistance there. She had been sent to deliver a droid module to me. Inside the droid module was an encrypted message. It took nearly three months for the young Lazebean-Keldon code breaker I entrusted to crack the encryption. The droid contained an Imperial post-war intelligence report on Federal activities in the Split cluster. The report itself, if any of your readers haven't yet seen it can be found here: http://redbacklizard.blogspot.com/2008/12/imperial-intelligence-report.html

I knew then I had to act fast.

MG> What made you take that to a combat level right away, instead of using diplomacy?

Dex> Diplomacy? I believed the intelligence in the droid to be accurate and at least three months old. How far along had the research gotten? I couldn't play games with Federal Bureaucracy. Besides, who would I even have asked? 99% of the Federation would have had no idea this was going on. And the 1% that did surely wouldn't talk about it. I began to shoot down local shipping in the western half of the Split Cluster. I was searching for evidence of a nanite-derived virus in the wreckage. I found it and the path kept leading me Galactic west.

Finally, my fellow Bastard Spaceman Spiff, aided by a Ska'ari named Klaxon, busted a small nook in Buerso. Inside the nook they recovered samples of droid modules laced with the nano-virus. The droids were the vector!

Let me stress that I do not believe that most of the Federation knew that this was going on. In fact, somebody very high up in the Federation duped their own faction members into being accomplices in a would be Genocide. However, now that the news is out. Most of the Federation is silent. I equate their silence with complicity.


MG> How did the Union go so quickly from trusting the Federation and working hand in hand with them vs. the Empire, to attacking their tradeships?

Dex> I think that there is a good portion of the Union who want war for a myriad of reasons. The events surrounding the Buerso Virus and culminating in the destruction of the Cor Caroli Hand Weapon economy merely galvanized these pilots.

We are a young faction. We have not earned the all of the Galaxy's respect yet. I think that the Separatist War gain us respect in the eyes of the Empire. I don't think the Federation is there yet.

They will learn though.

MG> What, if anything do you see happening that might diffuse this situation?


Dex> How to diffuse the situation? The Federation can diffuse the situation tomorrow if they do four things:

First: They must destroy ever droid module currently in inventory throughout Federation space and Federation spheres of influence in the Neutral zones.

Second: They must decommission every Droid Assembly Complex in the territories describe above.

Third: They must submit to neutral observers and inspectors to ensure that this process is done correctly and transparently.

Fourth: The Federation must expose those responsible for this attempt at Genocide and turn them over for a trial before the Moguls and Kings of the Keldon people.

I do not expect the Federation to submit to these conditions. So alternatively I will accept the scorching of every last needle from every last pine on Earth from the fire of a hundred Scorpions.

Brutality must be met with greater brutality after all.



MG> What's next for Deuteriumoxide and the Gentlemen Bastards.

Dex> The Gentlemen Bastards are working behind our Leader Spaceman Spiff as we speak to rebuild the economy around Caroli. We will bounce back even better. We will continue to go where the Union needs us and to do the unpleasant things on behalf of the Don and his Moguls.


Finally, If I may add:

I would like to thank you Meanguy, for the opportunity to speak my mind to the subjects of the Empire. My past dealings with the Empire have not been pleasant. It hasn't been too long ago that I advocated the destruction of the Empire in favor of a Pan-Keldon society under the golden fist of the Union. I haven't necessarily forgotten that dream, but I am willing to wait for it to happen peacefully.

I will not forget the harshness of the Imperial response to Keldon Separatists within its borders. What happened on Urlafa in particular was a crime before the Galaxy. But I do now realize that perhaps we the Union have more in common with the Empire than not.

To that end I have begun to build bridges with many of the Imperials that I swore long ago to fight to the bitter end.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak. May you fly in safe skies.

Stay tuned for more interviews in the future.