The History of the Confederacy and Human Empire
by the Confederate historian Robert William Draper

� as experienced by the player Ewan Jones from the year 198 onwards and collated into a single cohesive storyline between 204 and December 208

The urge to explore has propelled evolution since the first water creatures reconnoitred the land. Like all living systems, cultures cannot remain static; they evolve or decline. They explore or expire and given a chance to expand beyond natural borders life will evolve and adapt to even the harshest environments.

Today it is hard to imagine the known Universe untouched by humankind and in reality the expansion of humanity across the stars has taken place over a very short period of time indeed - a sign of great things yet to come in future centuries perhaps some might say.

It is the planet known as Earth which humanity has to thank for serving as its sole home during its infancy. A seemingly anonymous planet in the Sol System, Earth was blessed with millions of species of life forms and a vast richness in resources and diversity.

On Earth it was humanity itself that first reached out in search of discovery of the Universe rather than being discovered by other advanced races and subsequently put into the servitude or worse. Perhaps this was the will of the True One for it was several thousands of years before humanity had started to show the first signs of growing beyond a primitive culture into an enlightened master of space capable of unlocking the great secrets of science and technology. As the 19th Century Russian Scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky said "The earth is the cradle of humankind, but one cannot live in the cradle forever."

As far back as there is recorded history humans have always wondered about space and the universe. In 1610 AD the astronomer Johannes Kepler in a letter to his fellow astronomer Galileo commented �As soon as somebody demonstrates the art of flying, settlers from our species of man will not be lacking [on the moon and Jupiter]... Given ships or sails adapted to the breezes of heaven, there will be those who will not shrink from even that vast expanse."

As the second millennium AD drew to a close the dreams, ideas and theories of the few gave way to discovery and a marked increase in the pace of human understanding amongst the leading races of Earth. Radical social, economic and political changes saw the 19th Century AD experience an industrial revolution whilst further discovery and rapid progress in the first part of the 20th Century saw further social change and an era of technological revolution.

By the mid point of the 20th Century the threat of global war coupled with racing scientific discoveries amongst the competing leading nations of the world threatened to engulf the Earth and send it back into the dark ages. It was to space that entire nations looked to show their superiority over one another rather than bomb each other into the Stone Age. In 1957 the Russians shocked and impressed the world by launching Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit the earth. The United States of America quickly followed suit and beat the Russians to land the first man on the moon in 1969. The following years saw the great nations of Europe and Asia following suit to make inroads into the initial exploration of all Earths closest planetary neighbours and the start of the construction of a space station in orbit of the planet.

When the populace of Earth awoke in the 21st century the Earth had changed. The collapse of many of the communist and dictatorial regimes around the globe had effectively removed the threat of immediate mutual assured destruction of the world�s populace. Rising economic considerations resulted in trade agreements, political treaties between nations and the vast costly nature of space exploration no longer seemed such a pressing concern for the budgets of the various governments of the world. The problem was that whilst exploration on a large scale and discovery of the secrets of space was desired the efforts to do so were very much grounded in the realities of economics, technology and scientific knowledge and as such whilst increasing numbers of nations adopted space programs most efforts were primarily concerned with relatively low risk/cost probes and remote satellites.

Throughout the 21st and 22nd centuries technological breakthroughs gave further rise to soaring growth in world economics. Corporations looked to all corners of the globe to expand their markets and market share and thus gave rise to mass corporate globalisation and a continuation of the sharp population growths which had been seen throughout the 20th century. With less and less ability for any one nation to be entirely self sufficient an increasing number of political, trade and economic agreements were signed and with each came first a boost in the economy and then a subsequent boom in population growth.

Of course this exponential rise in economic and population growth could not continue forever. Towards the end of the 22nd century the strain of the massive population growths of the past three centuries was clearly showing and there was simply very little more space for the rising populations to make use of. Scientists the world over predicted the world�s natural resources needed time to recover from over exploitation brought on by massive demand and economic growth. Several Global corporations had expanded and merged to create vast global conglomerates which rivalled the power and influence of the largest nations on Earth and with greater and greater will they pushed for a solution to the growing crisis. One of these was the forerunner to the Galactic Trade and Transport Corporation (which eventually became known in the year 27 as the GTT as a result of the merger of the combined might of the computer and automotive industries leading corporations)

Clearly the expansion and technological evolution of both Earth and the human race was only going to go ahead if more living space, resources and materials could be found. Over the past two centuries largely remote exploration and surveying of the Sol system and identification of nearby systems had been carried out and it was to this data that many looked for the solution.

By the turn of the 23rd century plans had been put forward to terraform both Mars and Venus. Of course Earths gravity had always made space travel both slow and expensive so a plan was devised to build a large scale self sufficient lunar station and then use this as a staging ground for both the manned and remote craft that would be required to make this dream a reality. The largest of Earths nations and most corporations supported this plan and thus by the time the first shuttles carrying groups of humans into space were launched then the first world government was formed under an international accord and a new age and timeline was declared starting with year one to mark the dawn of the new age. Those not subscribing to the new government philosophy and world order continued for a short while but ultimately the economics of expansion meant they were forced to subscribe or perish else be absorbed by larger corporations and countries with all the new lines of economic resources available to them.

With the formation of the first world government came a new era of exploration, science and discovery. The public relations machines of both participating corporations and government went into overdrive to promote and sell the initiative to the populace and instil belief in the new order. Lucrative contracts to build and supply components, craft and materials were awarded to those that had pioneered the way ahead and with plans developed exploration of the Sol System began in earnest via slow reaction based craft heading out to the outer planets whilst vast amounts of resources were poured into facilitating exploration of the moon.

In year 19 of the new age a subsidiary called the SMS (Stellar Mining and Smelting) was formed by the forerunner to the Extra-Galactic Economic Monopoly (EEM) Corporation (the World Bank in effect). The SMS won the contract to explore the surface of Earths moon and mine any significant deposits of ores found. In year 21 SMS engineers announced the discovery of the first fissionables deposits located on the moon; this was closely followed by discoveries of both Metals and Water in the form of Ice under the crust of the moon. Later on in the same year the first colonised self sufficient base on the moon was opened and a steady stream of civilians flocked to live on the moon. Soon after the SMS Starbase Pittsburgh was opened to support the exploitation of the vast resources discovered. The discovery of metals, fissionables and water meant that this venture had proved to be a massive success and it was not long before several starbases of the various corporations such as the forerunners of the EEM and GTT and others had appeared on the lunar surface.

Following the successful colonisation of the moon several specially built reaction based ships backed up by two decades of research instigated the complex re-direction of comets towards both mars and Venus and the introduction of bacteria into the atmosphere to begin a terraforming process that would take years to fully complete but ultimately provide breathable atmospheres for new human cities and developments.

A little while after the comet impacts with Mars and Venus the SMS ship Barnstormer arrived at Mars. Using a prototype GPI device somehow acquired from the newly named Galactic Trade and Transport (GTT, as named by its flamboyant CEO Lee I. Prescott) the SMS ship began surveying the ores and known rich iron deposits on the planets surface below. With the EEM busy developing their Luna Starbase no new corporation funds were available for an SMS Martian Starbase. As a result, British entrepreneur and billionaire Winston Harrell seized on the opportunity to purchase the SMS from the EEM and eventually founded the SMS Starbase Jackpot on Mars. Soon after in a bitter legal dispute the SMS went to court to prevent the EEM building another Starbase at the same location on Mars; the courts later judged after a costly battle that the SMS had claim to an area of 20 miles around the new colony only and not the entire planet.

With new off world colonies appearing thick and fast new massive reaction based cargo ships of over 25k hulls in size were commissioned and constructed to facilitate the moving of materials between planets. Five of these monstrous ships were constructed, each taking 10 years to build and costing the government a vast fortune to build. These huge haulers were invaluable in the early stages of exploration to supply the fledgling colonies but being so large in size could take months to travel between destinations. .

By the time the first starbases had started appearing on the moon, mars and elsewhere the world government with the aid of the corporations were already studying nearby stars for future expansion in a series of stellar cartography projects. Government scientists working on the projects first noticed unusual fields around certain stars including Sol (later to be identified as spatial resonance fields). It was also discovered that these could resonate with similar frequencies and that should enough energy of a specific type be used in a certain manner, it was hypothesised, that it would make a type of wormhole. This though was based solely in theory though as no energy known to man could be used without destroying the item generating it.

Whilst mining for new water sources on the moon in year 47, the discovery of a new mineral was made, this was named Pulac. It was not long before scientists were unlocking the secrets and revealing the potential of this new minerals vast but relatively clean energy source produced by the excitation of the crystal like compounds within the mineral. There are some discoveries throughout the history of mankind which revolutionise the entire technological limits of an entire field of science and progress and this was one of them.

By using the energy generated by Pulac (mined from the lunar colonies) earth scientists experimented with the creation of ISR fields to create temporary wormholes between nearby stars that had been found to possess spatial resonance fields by stellar cartography projects over the past couple of decades. Suddenly the use of jump travel meant small ships could travel between different destinations in various star systems in hours and days rather than years and decades.

The implications of this discovery were far reaching and changing the whole of the human race forever. Suddenly the dream of off world living and the chance for minority groups to escape the confines of Earth were a reality. For the newly formed mega-corporations and countries of the new world government who had invested in infrastructure to have their own presence in the new territories the advent of jump technology brought wealth beyond their wildest imaginations.

Using the new technology was now the only economic thing to do so it wasn�t long before the five great 25k hull cargo transports were consigned to moving only ores between system planets and later marked for scrap use. It was the EEM who eventually purchased these massive ships with the intention of scrapping them but instead began to experiment upon them to try and increase the size of an ISR field to encompass them. It would be over 100 years before the EEM managed to achieve this goal but in doing so and then destroying the underlying technology they sealed their continued survival in an unrivalled economic monopoly until the present day.

It was inevitable in some ways and perhaps was a premonition of things to come in later years but in the year 60 the IND ship Anouilh entered orbit of Mars and attacked SMS Starbase Jackpot. In the ensuing bombardment 327 colonists were killed and vast damage done to the SMS facility costing millions of stellars. It was later discovered that the ship was built and equipped by the EEM; it was the first corvette class of ship. Soon after the EEM Periphery Director was convicted of murder. Eight years on and an armed Surveyor, SMS Shieldwall, targeted the IND Anoulih in a carefully planned strike. The engagement of the two ships marked the first ship-to-ship battle in recorded history. IND Anoulih was disabled in the fire fight and the crew brought to justice.

Over the next hundred years the government cartography program located many new systems, dozens of hospitable worlds and vast resources waiting to be exploited. Even in this climate of exploration and expansion colonisation was expensive, only the largest and shrewdest corporations prospered and fuelled the new economy.

In 165 the Capellan periphery was officially discovered beyond the Trinity system by scientists looking for jump links in region around Pollux which adjoins Trinity. It was in Capellan that the first aliens were contacted by the empire, Naplians and other natives were discovered in the Capellan system itself by SMS explorer vessels although it is since acknowledged that the Detinus rebels may have been here for some time before the official first contact.

In the days before technology; before space travel and mega corporations the nations of the world were ruled by an elite few royal families which ruled over huge empires spanning all of the great continents of the planet. Some historians have heralded this as a golden age but with changing social, economic, technological and religious factors at work this golden age was not to last unbroken. More and more royal lines were toppled, became figureheads or replaced with communist, democratic or dictatorial regimes.

The last royal lineage on Earth can be traced back hundreds of years to Europe. Vittoria of Savoy became head of the royal house of Savoy in the late twenty first century. The newly reinstated royal Italian family married into British royal line and through the twenty second century, the British Royals claimed sovereignty over the entirety of Europe. By this time however they were nothing but figureheads on a basic stipend from the European Union. Historians state that while this had the ambition of uniting Europe and giving the population some form of common ground it in fact worked against the monarchy. The general population of England lost their pride in the royals and Europe never truly embraced their new monarchy. Throughout the twenty second century the requirements of the Monarchy of Europe dwindled along with the stipends until they eventually ceased. Between that time and the world government of Year 1, the line remained unbroken although changed from Windsor through a number of daughters until it became Carmichael.

With no official, only honorary, capacity left the House of Carmichael, like many of the rich, influential and powerful from Earth was amongst the first wave of colonists to leave Europe and settle on Mars to seek new fortunes and forge a new destiny for themselves. It was here that Justin Carmichael was born, sole heir to the Carmichael family name. In the years that followed Justin joined the naval academy and subsequently was commissioned as an officer in the growing Earth fleet.

Colonising new worlds back at the start of the space exploration was incredibly expensive. Earth footed this bill with the view that new colonies would be established only if they could repay this investment. Justin Carmichael, newly promoted to United Earth's battle fleet commander was given the so far impossible task of collecting tax from the few dozen colonies. At this time many of the colonies were dependent on communication and supplies from Earth. Justin took the stance to support and reward prompt tax payers with priority deliveries and supplies so as to keep the revenue streams back to Earth flowing and secure further development and expansion.

To support his plans Justin oversaw the creation of the Agency for Public Order headed up by a man named Zeus. This was originally an anti-terrorist organisation that was put in place on off-world colonies. This was a counter for public fears that minor factions may attempt to assume control of the colonies and potentially cost the United Earth valuable assets. Terrorism quickly became superseded with the non-payment of taxes and the operatives and agents covertly assigned to all colonies became the terrorists they were supposed to protect against. Their role was vital in destabilising the colonies prior to the arrival of the Imperial fleet.

Justin�s plan and tactics spectacularly worked and it was not long before Earth and the Solar system finally began to get a return on their investment and Justin was given the mock title Caesar. This was later officially sanctioned as Emperor. At this time the Emperor had power to act with impunity on behalf of the government. Once instigated it was surprising how much trouble there was with certain colonies. So began the rift between the Solar System and the outer worlds. It was clear that the office of Emperor was permanent and Justin was here to stay.

Antipathy towards Emperor Justin and a growing independence movement exploded in 131 when nationalists in the Detinus colonies rebelled followed shortly after by a proclamation by Tate nationalists in 133. The rebels quickly moved and with the support of a fleet built in secret had successfully imposed a blockade of Earth which by 136 which looked to be on the verge of victory.

It was to Ferdinand Relav that the Emperor turned to in order to break the blockade. Relav was a self made man, a privateer with four ships to his name at the time he was given his charter in 136 having started out with shuttles until he had enough to trade them in for a decommissioned surveyor. From there he had slowly built this fleet by supplying items to various colonies within the Solar system and later among the fledgling colonies. While never confirmed, it is probable that he supplied drugs to colonies and had developed means of avoiding early sensor models. During the blockade of Earth in 136 he was recruited to head a band of blockade runners. He and his new associates formed the company Frontier Exploration and Trade.

In 137 Emperor Justin appointed Admiral Secudus to order the assault on Tate. Tatian empire loyalists supported by imperial troops dropped off by the FET assaulted on the ground whilst a small flotilla of Imperial ships performed a covering barrage from orbit. Justin personally led the ground assault forces despite the protestations of his generals regarding his age and position of authority.

This indeed proved to be a disaster as Emperor Justin was killed by Tate rebels during the assault. News of the death of the emperor was felt far and wide, particularly by the Tatian loyalists who undertook the fight back for control of Tate with ever increasing ferocity. The ensuing battle for Tate proved to be very bloody and costly to both sides.

The death of Emperor Justin prompted many changes in structure, organisation and tactics within the Empire. The Imperial Stellar Patrol was instigated later in 137 with a directive to secure supply routes in order to transport troops, weapons and supplies to combat the rebel forces. Subsequently the Imperial Stellar Patrol would be used to enforce laws, scan ships and board any that carried more than the legal amount of weaponry.

By 142 the rebellion on Tate had been crushed with all remaining resistance quelled. The Imperial Stellar Patrol had launched a full scale assault on Detinus but on arrival found only token forces and populace present, the majority of forces and ships having mysteriously abandoned the system altogether and as it later turned out the inner empire completely.

Whilst it is true only two colonies openly rebelled the voice of opposition was voiced by many other smaller colonies but without either troops or ships vocal support was all that was given. Even this proved to be short lived following the newly formed Frontier Exploration and Trade (FET) corporations running of rebel blockades to deliver troops and weapons to Tate Empire Loyalists in 137. While open rebellion was no longer seen as a course of action, other options were suddenly blooming. The rise of the FET and the SSL meant that more and more goods could be obtained on the black markets. The EEM also started selling ships to independent traders. These were normally associated with individual colonies. This prompted colonies to take to hiding goods and supplies on backwater worlds to avoid empire taxes. Over the next few decades, the Emperor oversaw revision of a substantial amount of legislation leading to both tax reductions and the general growth towards a more structured empire that was less dominated by Earth. Even those Tatian and Detinus rebels that never managed to escape from their penal world were freed.

Paul Carmichael, son and heir to Emperor Justin, was born in the year 68 and led for the most part a sheltered and privileged life fitting of one destined for high office. Married several times and late to provide an heir to the throne his first wife and child, Samuel, were believed to have been killed in a freak explosion shortly after birth in 128. His second wife died during child birth with a second son (first official), Jasil, in 130.
He ascended the throne at the age of 69 following the death of his father in the initial battles for Tate. For the next five years Paul spent organising and directing Imperial forces to continue and ultimately win the civil war which had ravaged the empire, particular economically.
With peace declared in 142 a period of relative peace, stability and expansion within the borders of the known empire ensued for the next decade. Paul was responsible for the unification of the Empire and very little sanctioned exploration took place during his reign compared to what came later. A widely liked charismatic figure, Emperor Paul�s ability to lead surprised many and ushered in what some call a golden age in the history of the empire. A variety of reforms to tax laws and general structure of the empire saw the easing of earlier voices of dissent from would be revolutionaries on the borders of the empire and a crackdown on trouble makers brought about peace and stability.

With the empire becoming increasingly more populated Paul continued his father�s policy of instatement of a number of noble houses to govern outlying systems and worlds, especially in areas away from the seat of power in Sol. Broadly speaking these were families given the titles such as Duke and Baron who would act in the name of the emperor, enforce policy and oversee tax collection.

Emperor Paul was believed to be a religious man although this has been questioned in a number of biographies. What is certain though was that towards the latter period of his life he was closely and openly involved with a faction of the New Harmony Church known as The Brotherhood.
While individual religions were taken to the stars simply as baggage by both crew and colonists alike, the rise of the New Harmony Church was not really a natural conglomeration of old religions. New Harmony was the term used for the application of morals and ethics to the advancement of science. It was originally a self-organising movement sponsored by the Emperor and backed by the public ensuring that science prospered without fear of the creation of 'Frankenstein's Monster'. Its metamorphosis into a fully-fledged religion began on backwater planets (before the time of subspace communications) and it was not long before the 'True One' was revealing the universe through scientific discovery. While in some systems it became a way of life, it never really gained more than a foothold on Earth. The official Church however was established; guiding scientists in search of the nature of the True One through morally defined and approved research. A faction of this Church became close to Emperor Paul with the resulting schism forming the Brotherhood.

By 153 the days of Emperor Paul were coming to a close as he grew steadily more ill. In the final few months of his life it became known that Paul�s first son, Samuel, had not been killed in an accident as a child as widely believed but had been raised in secret by The Brotherhood. It is widely acknowledged that the Agency for Public Order, under the directive of Zeus, order was closely involved with The Brotherhood and Paul in organising this turn of events.

Samuel, like his father an openly charismatic and zealous religious figure, was finally acknowledged by Emperor Paul as his official heir apparent on Paul�s deathbed. Emperor Paul died late in 153, an empire wept.

Jasil, Emperor Paul�s second son, was raised in fairly standard surroundings and became close to many of the rising mega-corporations of the empire. It is certain that prior to his presumed inauguration as Emperor, these affiliations had invested considerable effort in bringing Jasil around to their way of thinking.

The appearance of Samuel was something of a blow to the chartered affiliations (e.g. the FET and SSL). It was felt by some that his reign would have favoured the Brotherhood and the Noble Houses who were concerned by the ever growing threat that was the mega-corporations.

The civil war was something of an inevitability, once it became clear that the fears of the chartered affiliations became evident. The Noble Houses and the Brotherhood would strip the chartered affiliations of all power and autonomy. This would also swing power away from Sol towards the edges of the Empire.

Jasil, swayed by the chartered affiliations, contested the senility of Paul, the birthright of Samuel and the loyalty of the Noble Houses. Civil war once again would darken the history of humanity with the corporations such as the GTT, FET, SMS, SSL backing Jasil and the majority of the Jasil loyal Imperial Stellar navy whilst The Brotherhood, The Agency for Public Order (later renamed Confederate Intelligence Agency), noble houses and associated naval forces (Confederate Naval Forces) declaring for the newly termed Confederacy and Samuel.

Nobody took responsibility for the first nuke used on Frolic in the Dolphinus system. This pro-Samuel garden world was a soft target. The Confederates claimed it was the Empire while the Imperial faction claimed the Confederates did it to themselves in order to crystallise their cause and seed dissension in the Imperial ranks. There are still arguments regarding this first and critical use of nuclear weapons. If the Imperial faction did do it, they chose and excellent target. As it was not military, they could claim that they had no reason for destroying a non-military target while assuring Samuel they meant business. If it was the Confederates, not only did they create a powerful political tool but they also made it clear the lengths they would go to. As it was, more than seven hundred thousand people were killed instantly.

After five long years of conflict the war quickly ground to a halt. While the forces of Jasil were winning simply through the resources from Earth and Sol, they were by no means driving the Confederacy before them. The further from Sol they pursued the Confederacy the longer their supply lines were and the easier it was for the Confederacy attack them. Parts of Earth had been devastated and the death toll throughout the Empire was in the billions. Public support was at an all time low.

The Brotherhood had established their secret haven in a system named New Sol beyond the RR-Lyrae star more than a decade prior to the war. It was in this system that Samuel received his indoctrination and was brought up in secret by the church.

Once the Empire discovered that there was a region of space beyond the star, it quickly became clear that the war would drag on for many years with the Imperial forces unaware as to the extent of resources or joining systems in the secret Confederate enclave � as it was the Confederates only knew of New Sol but they were certainly not telling the Imperials this.

The largely Imperial victory was therefore a Pyrrhic one for the Empire as they did not have the backing to press on and considering the instability of the RR-Lyrae star, pursuit seemed pointless. The Confederacy agreed to peace upon condition that they were allowed to remove their supporters out of the Empire. A treaty was signed to mark the agreement within the Tau Ceti system, this also made statements regarding the banning of use of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

Following the signing of the Tau Ceti Convention there began an exodus of millions of Samuel supporters and other displaced peoples to New Sol. This was allowed to continue for some years afterwards until late in 163 when the RR-Lyrae star eventually lost all stability and it was believed the two factions of humanity would be cut off from each other for eternity, thus ensuring peace...

Following the exodus of the Confederacy, strict limits were placed on religious organisations by Emperor Jasil. These generally covered their personal control of assets. They were no longer allowed to control starbases within the boundaries of the Empire but had to maintain civilian holdings only. This lack of shipping and starbases effectively cut their power and over time the New Harmony Church lost much of the influence it had prior to the schism with the Brotherhood.

The end of the war also meant that the Emperor became increasingly introspective and the Empire became insular. It is fairly certain that if it were not for the pressure placed on the throne by the chartered affiliations to expand to new areas not plagued by radioactive wastelands, the Empire would never have made it to the Peripheries.

Almost immediately a tide of entrepreneurs, civilians, corporate divisions of the empire mega-corporations and Imperial Stellar Patrol itself made its way to the Pollux system, the gateway to the new systems and began arriving en masse at the newly created EEM Hypso and other colonies in Capellan.

The origins of the AFT date back to around this time and the beginning of human exploration of the Peripheries. The mega-corporations, notably the GTT, gained an early stranglehold on the economic climate of the newly opened systems, and spared no effort to drive small entrepreneurs back into the Inner Empire. Even outright military confrontations were used as tools for eliminating smaller competitors. So, in 177.48, for mutual protection and economic cooperation, several small businessmen banded together to form the AFT. By 185 they had achieved a level of respectability that forced the Empire to take note. Having received a number of accolades for fair trade, they were awarded an official charter. Despite this though, their ties to the Inner Empire remained tenuous at best until with the opening of new markets in alien territory, they totally renounced their charter in 198.10. Over the next few years their assets were relocated into more neutral territory.

As it was, the subsequent discovery of the Detinus Republic in the newly found Capellan periphery came as a terrible shock to Jasil. Immediately Jasil feared yet another civil war further draining resources from the Empire.

It is believed that this is the primary reason for the gradual closing of the borders between the Periphery and the Inner Empire. The final lynchpin however, even more so than the initial conflict with the highly xenophobic race the Flagritz was the discovery of the Darkfold Periphery and sightings of Confederate vessels and installations. Suddenly it became clear that while space was big, it just was not big enough.

As the Imperial Services once again battled the Confederacy and the Detinus Republic, Jasil looked to his own defences. The key system of Pollux was bolstered and Tau Ceti became largely a naval system centred on the moon of Cassiopeia, Ceti 3i.

Desperate to ensure that should the old enemies of the Empire return then the required forces would be ready Jasil instigated a policy of higher taxes applied to shipping, largely effecting the corporations. Whilst they paid the taxes,, the grumblings regarding a distant and unseen enemy were muttered and were to have a lasting and growing basis for further dissent to the rule of the Emperor.

During this period, Jasil left the Inner Empire only twice, the first time to tour the Peripheries and secondly years later to witness the interment of his father. Jasil hoped that the latter would spell the end of hostilities between the Empire and the Confederacy. This though proved to be his undoing in a most unforeseen way.

Long before the outbreak of civil war between Samuel and Jasil the Brotherhood had secretly discovered the New Sol system and begun construction of a number of secret bases with which to underpin it�s goals and ultimately guarantee Samuels ascension to the Imperial throne. As it was Emperor Paul�s days did not last as long as needed and assets within New Sol were still at an early stage of development, albeit the Imperial forces did not appreciate this factor.

With the signing of the Tau Ceti convention millions upon millions of colonists and supporters of Samuel began flooding into New Sol and new cities were fast constructed. With scarce few resources times were difficult within the newly formed Confederacy as the pressure to re-establish order and accommodate the newly arrived peoples intensified.

Around the time of the final collapse of the RR-Lyrae star Brotherhood scientists discovered new systems linked off New Sol with vast mineral resources and hospitable worlds perfect for colonisation.

From the 40 or so noble houses that declared for Samuel during the war, seven large noble houses firmly established themselves in the new lands � House Roswell, House LiQuan, House Drake, House Porter, House Vehrenberg, House Schwarz and House Eaton.

The Roswell House dates back to the Mars project prior to the Empire. The company declared the enclosed colony a principality, primarily to avoid the huge taxations on imports to Mars. A secondary effect of this though was that many flocked to the colony in order to gamble. The formation of the Empire meant that the colony suddenly became a minor if irritating thorn in the side of the Emperor. There were only two courses of action, either recognize the sovereignty of the colony or bring it into the fold. The Emperor decided on the latter. Using the New Harmony Church, the colony was suddenly besieged by religion in an attempt the cripple the gambling. This worked better than could be expected. Roswell quickly altered the theme of the colony to accommodate rich pilgrims. The Emperor seeing his plans backfiring offered a lordship to Roswell, granting him local power. Roswell graciously accepted and became bound to the fledgling Empire. History books cynically argue that Roswell was in fact purely in it for politics, rather than any religious calling. He saw that it was take the faith or loose his colony to the Emperor; therefore he used the Emperor's tools against him. The house worked alongside a faction of the New Harmony Church. This splinter group, later becoming the Brotherhood caused the events leading to the great Rebellion. Unfortunately, the colony on Mars was one of the first to be destroyed killing virtually all of Roswell's family. Only a few ships survived, taking little more than their name to the Inner Confederacy. The discovery of the Darkfold Periphery was seized on as a chance to make their name again.

Originally based in the outlying system of Sparta the LiQuan family was one of the greatest ship builders for the Empire, supplying the warships for the Emperor. They designed the battleship and all the specialist unique designs. Within the new lands the LiQuan looked to their areas of expertise again, building and controlling the largest shipyard in the Fortress system. Without their aid, it is likely that the Confederacy would have fallen completely during the initial war. It is believed that they joined the Confederacy when Samuel promised them he would lift the restrictions on who they could sell ships to and give a fair price for any purchased by the State.

Ironically it is the Drake noble house that only gained significant amounts of power since the civil war begun. After the first nuclear weapons were launched against pro Samuel worlds it was the Drake family who were tasked with responding in kind to Jasil backed Imperial aggression. Since the arrival in the new lands the Drakes concentrated on gaining a solid local power base throughout the known systems, controlling much of the bureaucracy which drives the wheels of progress and expansion.

The Vehrenberg family are the result of an amalgamation of a number of like minded smaller houses on arrival in New Sol as to maximise their potential. This gave them a lot of power they would not normally have had although the house was to suffer many internal wrangles in the years to follow because of this. Much of the merchant and ground based army fell under the directive of the Vehrenberg family after the initial colonisation of New Sol.

Of all the noble houses to declare for Samuel, House Porter was perhaps closest to Samuels side during the civil war. Vehemently loyal to the crown, House Porter developed a reputation for being at the core of all Samuels campaigns and throughout the war built up a core of highly trained veteran crack troops, completely loyal to the crown.

House Schwarz excelled in the provision, planning and building of services for newly arrived colonists following the exodus to New Sol. In the first years, House Schwarz were responsible for the building of much of the new cities and infrastructure, gaining and eclipsing the other houses by a massive amount in terms of sheer size and power on the strength of it�s assets alone. Fortunately for the competing nobles with crippling loans and debts accounting for some 70% of it�s size, the power of House Schwarz has long been kept in check.

The Eaton family was, besides that of the emperor himself, one of the oldest families in existence. Their roots date back to the 1700 in the Gregorian Earth calendar. With a traditional for being deeply religious the Eaton�s have long since been close to the Brotherhood, Emperor and other noble houses thus excelling in areas of diplomacy and courtly matters.

With new CNF forces being commissioned and CIA bases being constructed alongside BHD sites the future began to look brighter as society took shape and a collective set of ideals encompassing superiority, tradition, the True One and other civil beliefs took hold in a new decade of expansion, exploration and rebuilding.

In turn this led to the discovery of the Darkfold periphery, a much larger collection of systems known as the outer confederacy. Lord Samuel ordered the Confederate Naval Forces and elements of the Confederate Intelligence Agency, Brotherhood and others to go forward, colonise and explore the periphery.

Upon the realisation of the link to the Capellan periphery Lord Samuel, like his brother Jasil, ordered a gradual closing of the border for open travel whilst ordering further forces into the Darkfold increasing the strength and presence of his fighting forces in the form of CNF, CIA and BHD vessels, troops and bases. Thus re-igniting the war within the peripheries.

With both the Imperial and Confederate expeditionary forces building up assets in the vast new lands of the Capellan and Darkfold periphery the first minor skirmishes were destined to only grow in size and scale, later to almost rival that of the battles which raged during the initial stages of the war many years before.

By 193 aliens known as the Flagritz had joined forces with the Detinus rebels sighted in Capellan. Many amongst humanity saw this betrayal as inconceivable to their human estranged relations - the IMP. The DTR colony Blackvoid initially fell and was renamed to FET Windhook but following a combined DTR/FGZ assault was retaken by DTR ground forces, albeit after a sustained bombardment there was little left to take.

With new declarations of war being declared by the IMP and chartered affiliations the IMP battled to destroy the DTR as a cohesive fighting force once and for all and ensure they have no more colonies left to threaten the new core systems. Early battles between DTR and IMP forces proved indecisive and the war endured for a number of months until the eventual collapse of the command structure of the DTR following the loss of core DTR installations and a number of high profile defections of DTR generals to IMP forces.

Later in 193 Prince Lysander, son of Emperor Jasil, made his first visit to the peripheries just as the remaining DTR assets were taken over by the EEM following the general collapse. Subsequent rumours turned to reality as the remaining DTR forces arranged deals between the EEM, themselves and Confederate Darkfold forces in order to relocate remaining assets to the Darkfold periphery, away from the Imperial base of operations and safer within the confines of their fellow rebels. It was later revealed that an open route between Capellan and Darkfold had been opened through KAS controlled Yank space.

The following year saw fresh assaults by the Confederate allies upon the IMP colony St Petersburg, early promising gains turned to nothing with arrival of the Imperial fleet and the campaign stalled. A volatile situation arose also when the CNF were accused of working with pirates to sabotage Imperial shipping, prompting the EEM to issue a statement threatening the freezing of stellar accounts. A similar pattern of assault and counter assault followed for the next few years with Confederate and Imperial forces making use of hit and run tactics to further the war effort, most notably by the CNF Rolling Thunder fleet which wreaked havoc in Capellan over the period of a year or more until eventual corruption took hold with the CNF Supreme Commander leaving to join the pirates and the loss of a significant amount of ships from the Rolling Thunder fleet in a untimely and unsuccessful intervention into the FGZ-IMP/DOM war.

By early 199 the patience of Lord Samuel was growing thin with lack of progress being made in the peripheries. A new command team was appointed in the form of House Roswell heir apparent Jordan Roswell (son of Lord Decker Roswell) and Thomas S. Jackson a long time career military commander.

Roswell and Jackson moved quickly to repair some of the damage done by internal corruption and repair the tarnished and strained relations with the CIA, BHD and also DTR who had, by this time, upped and left the Darkfold after a bitter internal dispute soured relations and settled anew in the Detinus periphery. A series of successfully executed skirmishes towards the latter part of the year saw a number of assaults on the one time Confederate Commander turned Pirate and the infamous RIP Viper Squad.

From the outset of civil war many noble houses were staunch supporters of the Imperial line. The West Noble house was one of these as the family dated back to the first days of space travel, colonisation and had served the Emperors since their founding. During the Tate and Detinus rebellion the West family, long time residents of Tate, sided with the Imperials and successfully led the contingent of Tatian loyalists to victory against the rebels. For service to the empire the Emperor granted the title of Duke to the West family whilst Duke West�s eldest son was appointed as an officer to the Imperial Terran Surveyor corps (ITS).

By the time of the civil war with between Samuel and Jasil the West family firmly backed the Imperial and Jasil led forces. Tate by this time however was a pro-Confederate world and again chose to side with Samuel. The Duke pleaded for the world to remain untouched but with nuclear war enveloping the galaxy Imperial forces unleashed a nuclear bombardments that wiped out virtually the whole family and all assets just to deny the majority of the world from turning Confederate. In the face of such aggression and reasoning and although only a token effort the remaining family, now lead by Duke West�s eldest son were forced to side with the Confederacy, though in essence he equally blamed the Confederacy for his noble house's extinction.

For the next few years the Imperial & Confederate war raged on along bordering systems. The Imperials discovered Capellan and colonised there. Out of the blue the now neutral human, Duke West received a coded message from his friend, a Rear Admiral in the Brotherhood. The message said, "Assemble a secret team that can be trusted for an important mission that would last a number of years". The message was urgent so Duke complied with the instructions.

A rendezvous was set in the border systems and the Rear Admiral escorted Duke West to a system previously unknown but recently found by the Imperials, hence the urgency. On a backwater planet of this system the Rear Admiral disclosed that the body of Emperor Paul, thought to have been quickly cremated to prevent Samuels claims from being validated over Jasil, had been spirited away at the last moment by BHD officials and now lay buried within some ancient lava vents. The lower caverns of which were detonated as to ensure he wasn't moved in a hurry. The BHD Admiral also said that the body held evidence to Samuel's claim to the throne and that it is imperative that the body be found as to reinstate the true heir to the Imperial throne, and thus unify the divided humanities.

Years later in 199 and after numerous set backs, including being discovered by a SMS exploration team which resulted in numerous Imperial attacks, the body was finally recovered and with the aid of Roswell (CNF Supreme Commander) and Toridan (CIA Director). Duke West was able to defend the location until the Emperors body was fully extracted and able to be moved safely to a secure Confederate facility in the Darkfold. The body was moved to a secret research facility where DNA and genetic analysis showed some interesting findings. With a simple DNA test and genetic scanning it was conclusively proved that Samuel was of Paul. We also knew that Jasil is also of Paul, which made them half brothers, Samuel being the eldest. Therefore Samuel was indeed the true heir by virtue of being the elder son of Emperor Paul, a fact always disputed by Jasil and the basis for his claim on the throne.

With Emperor Paul�s body safely extracted a huge mausoleum was constructed at the CNF base of power within the Darkfold, Cemetery Hill on the planet Creche. Larger than even the greatest naval docks of the height of empire and able to accommodate an entire Battleship through the grand doorway the Mausoleum was indeed a great feat of architecture and engineering and a fitting tribute and resting place for the Emperor.

Late in 199 the Confederates announced a ceremony would take place to inter the body of Emperor Paul, a temporary truce was announced and invites sent to all of the human affiliations including Confederate, Imperial, Detinus, Corporate and neutral factions. Representatives from all affiliations arrived in good order including Lord Samuel and Emperor Jasil, a historic event in the history of humankind.

As the tributes and service proceeded with speeches from the CIA, the BHD and the CNF, Jordan Roswell then proceeded to reveal the full extent of the discovery into the genetics of Emperor Paul and this was to radically alter the course of human history in a most unexpected way. Roswell revealed that not only was it determined that both Samuel and Jasil were indeed Paul�s sons but it was also the case that Paul was sterile and incapable of having a natural child and that both Samuel and Jasil were the result of a complex cloning procedure.

The assembled audience, including Jasil and Samuel, were stunned and the news quickly reverberated from one end of the galaxy to the other.

Roswell argued that since clones were not discriminated against under Confederate law and as Samuel was technically the eldest son of Emperor Paul, then Samuel�s claim should stand regardless. Unfortunately the effects of the revelations were far reaching and destined to not remain this simplistic. Simms, the leader of the Imperials within the peripheries, responded by announcing that a clone would not be accepted as Emperor and appeared to, at first, put forward Paul�s son Lysander as a possible successor although by this time the Inner empire based corporations had other ideas.

It was Jasil that initially had to step down as Emperor in the face of the revelations, since the mega-corporations seized all his assets, shares and revoked oaths of loyalty to Jasil. The revelations of the ceremony are widely believed to be the final straw and an opportunity seized by the chartered affiliations to wrest control of the empire from the throne, having long since been heavily taxed for the defence of the empire and building up resentment of Jasil�s methods for quite some years. Jasil retired to the peripheries, believed to be a guest of the Imperials from then to this day.

Meanwhile in the inner empire Prince Lysander made a bid to assert his authority as Emperor in the face of his father�s abdication. By early 200 Lysander�s forces had begun assuming control on Earth, first taking assets on the Moon and establishing himself at the Imperial HQ located there. With the chartered affiliations on the verge of open rebellion against the throne a new branch to the civil war loomed large as the empire once again descended into chaos and the stability of previous years. With the lines of communication cut and no further news being broadcast, borders closed and desperate fighting for the empire taking place, the future looked bleak for humanity.

While Jasil was still in the Peripheries, word of the events in Darkfold reached Earth. Emergency meetings were held and it is fairly certain that greedy officials used this as an excuse to depose the emperor. First Jasil was voted off the board of the directors of the GTT and with that, much of his personal assets were seized. The next move was the strategic destruction of the Imperial HQ situated on the moon. This brutal move destroyed the affiliation data files of the Imperial Navy. While chaos reined, fleets built by the GCS (a division of the GTT known as Galactic Crest Securities) in secret on Tau Ceti struck at mired imperial patrol fleets (no system jump knowledge). Stellar cartography research techs were dusted off where possible and a few replacements links were created allowing the remaining fraction of the fleet to effectively unite under the command of Lysander. A short period of guerrilla warfare was undertaken but the galactic alliance proved too powerful and Lysander had to retreat.

Dissent and moves for independence by the mega-corporations followed suit in the peripheries also. The AFT had already broken away from their charter by 198, with the SMS following suit a little while afterwards. The EEM had for a long while become an independent entity from the empire whilst the SSL assets were later seized and consumed by other corporations amidst the struggle for power. The FET would later declare themselves non-combatants in 206 with only the GTT retaining the charter and actively fighting the war and effectively splitting into two divisions during the inner empire conflict, the GTT based in the peripheries and the GCS being in the inner empire.

For the Confederates rising tensions also proved strenuous with Jordan Roswell, leader of the CNF, being committed to an asylum following a breakdown upon hearing the news of the seizure of his family holdings within the inner confederacy. Thomas S. Jackson stepped up to the mark at this time and assumed full control as CNF Supreme Commander, backed by his able general Sean McGovern

In the wider peripheries around this time the Brotherhood, with logistical support from the CNF made a move against the Dominion. For a long while tensions had been building over reports that the Dominion were establishing a Meklan army within the Solo system at the site of the former FGZ base of Retreat. With news of this and fearing the loss of this technology exclusivity traditionally held by the Confederates the Brotherhood moved to act and mid way through 200 launched a devastating star trooper attack on Retreat, storming the base and assuming full control within the week. This was in turn to prove an ill fated venture though following some crucial miscalculations regarding the state of Dominion relations with their then allies the Detinus and Dewiek as part of the 3D Alliance. A 3D alliance fleet of massive proportions all but destroyed the newly held BHD base and in the following weeks proceeded to take the BHD base of operations within Solo. Most crucially a miscalculation in the detonation of a device to close the Solo stargate proved too late to prevent Dominion forces storming the defences within the adjoining holy Brotherhood site of Eden.

All out war with the DTR also seemed a real possibility following assaults by DTR forces to take all Confederate assets within a week of each other in the Arachnid system. Attacks by the Dominion and Dewiek elsewhere threatened to open a full war on a second front. Swift moves by the newly appointed CNF Supreme Commander to negotiate a dialog with one time allies the DTR followed and this was to have a lasting effect with relations improving dramatically in the following years.

Turmoil within the Inner Confederacy continued to build also. By 201 the Brotherhood located within the inner confederacy had made a move to wrest control from Samuel and set a new age of zealous adherence to the doctrine of the True One only. With the threat of all out war House Porter and Lord Samuel eventually surrendered to IBH (Inner Brotherhood forces) rather than risk all out nuclear war. With Samuel gone Mark Eaton, the last remaining member of house Eaton formerly joined the IBH and was appointed as Pope. Understandably this presented further problems for the other noble houses whose own power and influence was being curtailed by the repressive new regime and religious purges, all out war between the IBH and Noble Houses looked imminent with the HLQ fleet poised to strike the IBH any day.

In this atmosphere of continued tension Roswell once again returned to the political arena after being declared fit for duty by Jackson once again. Roswell�s religious callings were at this time tested and it was not long before Roswell had joined the Brotherhood in the peripheries and risen to the position of supreme authority within the periphery branch of the church.

With the team of Roswell, Jackson and Toridan in place the Confederacy looked to themselves to force the resolution of the inner confederacy situation. Using his new position of authority Roswell organised a tour of the periphery for Pope Mark Eaton whilst Toridan contacted CIA operatives and installations within the inner confederacy to gain an inside knowledge of logistical movements of IBH forces. Jackson was tasked with talking to the noble houses, in particular the LiQuan whose continued support was vital to the war effort and survival of the confederacy.

By 202 a complex plan was set in motion by the Confederate leaders. Jackson had organised HLQ ships under the guise of Pirate forces to assault the border region and storm the garrison located there. Threatened with cut-off from the inner confederacy then was able to justify sending an immediate relief fleet and ground forces to retake control of the border region without the IBH being able to dispute the reasons for doing so politically and thus spark a nuclear fire fight within the inner confederacy.

After exhaustive talks Pope Mark Eaton was deemed to be completely unable to listen to reason and adopt a less hard-line approach to leading the Confederacy, his leadership was also unacceptable to many including the CNF and noble houses. Eaton was finally executed by Roswell himself at a BHD base in a meeting between himself, his father and Eaton. Hearing the news of the assassination of the IBH Pope the IBH immediately declared a jihad and launched a fleet to level the BHD forces in the peripheries. This was carefully anticipated however and using the newly acquired border region the CNF were able to glean the destination prior to their arrival in the peripheries thus giving the BHD sufficient time to muster their own forces and spring a trap on the IBH fleet. Simultaneously the CNF, CIA and noble houses had despatched a combined strike force to launch a surprise attack to knock out the IBH HQ and support colonies in New Sol and elsewhere, with the IBH fleet away the chances of success increased dramatically. The plan worked better than anyone could have dreamed, at the same time that the IBH began their assault against the BHD the trap was sprung and in the ensuing battle the IBH fleet was completely destroyed and several IBH installations, including the HQ, captured or destroyed by CNF forces.

Order in the inner confederacy had been restored for the loss of minimal life and the balance of power restored, only the ex Porter Starbase IBH Glory remained to prove a thorn in the side of the confederacy with Samuel still imprisoned therein.

With the inner confederacy situation largely resolved the CNF quickly moved on a chance piece of information passed on by a privateer operating in the borders of Imperial space. At the end of 202 the CNF launched a surprise attack by thousands of troops on a secret Imperial facility, quickly overwhelming the defences and securing the position. Suddenly the news broke that the Confederates had taken the border system between Capellan and the inner empire: Trinity. This was a landmark move for the Confederacy who by now had a foothold back into the inner empire on the edge of the Pollux region.

By 203 the CNF with support from new DTR allies began the task of obtaining cartography knowledge into the Pollux system in a race with the Imperials to get into the devastated inner empire systems once again. Within the year the battleground of Pollux had opened up revealing the huge defensive platforms that had guarded the route to the empire for so many years. DTR forces with support from CNF warships entered into open conflict to remove one of the platforms in 203 and in turn captured the system despite fierce resistance and warship support from the GCS from within the empire.

In time the Imperials also obtained knowledge of the jump routes and were able to move through the Pollux defences untroubled by their GCS allies. The race for control of the inner empire was underway! Rumours and scouts abound from the empire systems told tales of radioactive wastelands, systems ceding from the empire and declaring independence and a famine on Earth amidst GCS rumours of a withdrawal and further internal rebellion against GCS rule.

At the same time events in the peripheries continued to escalate, DTR forces strategically took the Straddle system from Imperial control and achieved substantial victories over Imperial forces elsewhere in Capellan with support from CNF forces. The transition from refugees to the largest, strongest force in the peripheries was now complete for the DTR.

With events moving at a face pace in the peripheries and empire Jackson moved to settle the IBH issue completely within the inner confederacy and resolve the crisis over the continued line of succession to the throne. By 204 however the IBH were broadcasting reports of the death of Samuel whilst in IBH captivity, this was a blow to the Confederate cause. Jackson consulted with his advisors and decided the only solution was to look to the line of succession, as dictated by the oath of office, no matter where it took them.

It was indeed clear that Samuel himself had no children, the line of succession would therefore revert through his abdicated half brother Jasil to Prince Lysander. The status of Lysander was not known at this time, the last reports were of Lysander fighting a retreat from Sol into the outlying systems of the empire. Using all his contacts and at considerable expense Jackson ordered Admiral Armistead of the Confederate navy to carry out this vital mission to locate Lysander and offer him the support of the Confederacy for the throne. Some time later, using noble contacts and sympathisers based out of EEM Balmoral Armistead managed to get a message to Lysander�s people and a meeting at a secret location was organised between West and Lysander�s envoy, Ambassador Carrdus.

Over the proceeding months discussions with Carrdus went well and Armistead undertook a tour of Confederate systems whilst discussing the issue of succession with Carrdus. By 204 final discussions with the Supreme Commander were underway to agree a way forward and Carrdus formerly accepted on behalf of the EMP forces (Inner Empire Imperials under Lysander) to join forces for the good of the empire and succession of the royal line.

Later that year an EMP fleet under the command of Admiral Hardcastle negotiated outlying empire systems and GCS/Imperial blockades to reach the Darkfold where a formal agreement finally ended the civil war between the EMP and CNF and transferred all assets of the EMP into the CNF. Lysander journeyed to the inner confederacy to be greeted by assembled noble houses and await coronation.

The final act in the ongoing war with the IBH came to a close by 206 when HLQ forces, supplied and supported by the CNF, CIA and BHD struck IBH Glory. The following weeks saw a fierce desperate planetary battle which resulted in the destruction of all IBH forces.

With the Confederate line of succession resolved, the inner confederacy pacified and under direct control of the noble houses, CIA, CNF and BHD the future looked bright. The saga for the struggle to control and pacify the inner empire continued with both the Imperials, Confederates, Detinus, GTT, GCS and others involved in the ongoing and unfolding events for the heart and soul of the empire.

At the end of 206 the leaders of the Imperials, Confederates and Detinus met for peace talks. Tired of years of war and with all factions having now gained ground in the Inner empire proper there seemed no end in sight and only the prospect of a never ending conflict.

The ensuing agreement established a cease fire whilst talks about a possible peace were discussed early in 207.

In a separate announcement at the end of 206 the Imperial Viceroy announced that long time allies the Dominion had agreed to and would from that point on be joining and merging into the Imperial forces themselves.

The early stages of the peace agreement talks went well with a draft outline being agreed and even some agreement on the royal line being agreed and a system of joint control of the inner empire between the factions.

Unfortunately the GTT had other ideas amidst rumours of what they believed was unfair representation under the proposals and following their emergence into the Varitang system the civil war sparked off again in full force with the Imperials joining the assault against a number of BHD and CIA star bases in the Darkfold periphery.

The seeds of peace had already been sown however and a renewed cease fire was agreed by the end of 207 with the peace agreement being ratified in 208 and all but the GCS being signees to the agreement.

Under the agreement the 3 human blocks (the IMP/DTR/CNF) submit one representative to a commonwealth forum which looks at decisions to be made concerning the inner empire. Each block internally agrees what it�s decision on the issue will be and a unanimous vote of all three factions carries any given decision with it being blocked otherwise. The agreement further details the recognition of the Emperor as head of state for the Imperial and Confederate block and the Speaker for the Detinus block

Throughout 208 the agreement held and a new era of peace and prosperity beckoned.

In 209 plans for the first coronation of a human emperor in a generation were put into place. Prince Lysander, now residing with the HLQ and other nobles on Masada in the Fortress system (within the Inner Confederacy) at a luxurious huge sprawling palace passed an open invitation for all ambassadors of all races and factions to be taken to his court and pay their respects. Many races and factions came and many gifts were given to honour the splendour of the new as yet uncrowned Emperor and despite a well known distrust of alien races the Wimbles and the Mohache were well received, with gifts including a Mohache Banqueting Hall.

Plans were finally agreed to built a magnificant cathedral to crown Lysander as Emperor on Masada later in the year. A colossal building programme was put into place with Confederate and Imperial factions contributing alike to the huge undertaking. A date for the coronation was set for the end of the year.

Shortly before te coronation it was decided that Lysander, accompanied by various Confederate and Imperial political figures would take a tour of his Imperial subjects and visit Earth. With huge security preparations put in place by both the Imperial Viceroy and the Confederate Supreme Commander the procession set off for Imperial space under the command of the Imperial Viceroy. With a number of stops at IMP, GTT and FET facilities it was hoped this would boost the morale of the Emperors subjects as well show the magnificance of the Emperors realm. It was during this tour that Lysander met Lady Isabella Secudus, the only living descendant of the Imperial hero Admiral Secudus and following a whirlwind romance it was announced that they would be married.

With Lysander now returned to Masada with Lady Isabella the coronation finally occurred shortly before the end of the year within the newly constructed cathedral. The ceremony was administered by the BHD Pope and before many nobles, heads of state, directors and officials Lysander was crowned Emperor of the Confederate and Imperial empires. In a double celebration the Emperors wedding to Lady Isabella was conducted shortly afterwards.