STUDENT RIOTS - UNREST QUELLED

The longsuffering population of University City on planet Warheen, could breathe a sigh of relief as the Adhoc Task Force(ATF) consisting of Warheen planetary security, Imperial Marine detachments as well as regular Imperial Army, destroyed the last of the occupied factories controlled by syndicalist unions in collusion with radical students. The planetwide riots, according to our sources, originally sparked by the publication of an undergraduate philosophy thesis titled 'Dialectic Historical Materialism and the Platonic Notion of Enlightened Despotism - An Empirical Rebuttal', had threatened to engulf the entire planet in civil disorder, as fringe radical groups allied with disaffected trade unionists under slogans like 'Historical Determinism ate my paycheck', 'The Emperor is not an acceptable answer to class-struggle contradictions!' and the ubiquitos 'Smash the system' and 'Hang the last Officer with the entrails of the last Bureaucrat!'.

The author of the thesis Raymond Goreanas, was arrested by ATF troops and after a short tribunal, is being transferred to a labour reeducation camp in an un-named agricultural colony on the Ak'Han fringe. Senior Officials responded to criticisms of excessive leniency in this case, as well as calls to ban the teaching of Philosophy in Imperial University, by pointing towards the infallibility of the Enlightened Despotism thesis, and arguing that one of the axioms of this thesis was the despotism in question being enlightened. The surviving faculty of Warheen's philosophy department(which was hit by a stray orbital missile in the fighting) have already published an article named "Nihilism Revealed - An Exploration of The Ontological Flaws of Empirically Motivated Criticisms of Classical Platonic Social Theory." A spokesmen for the central Imperial government asked for calm and encouraged all citizens with an interest in political science to read the latest article to still their doubts as to the ideal nature of the current regime.

SECRETS OF THE BLACK HOLE

Last week marked the 400th Anniversary of the seminal physics experiment performed aboard the I.S.S. Reagan at the Reichnar Black Hole. This particular experiment laid the groundwork for the second generation of wormholes, which we all know are not only more stable, but are also much more cost-effective to build and maintain. Without the vital information gained through the dangerous mission to the event horizon of the black Reichnar Black Hole, it is doubtful that the effective government of the Interstellar government could be propagated throughout human space. First in our series of interviews with those brave men and women from the Reagan, is an interview with Captain Aerelis, one of the most highly decorated officers in the Imperial Navy, notable for his achievements as...

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LOST WORLD

Last week saw a rare moment of planetary joy and exultation in the Vulpes system as it was finally reconnected to the rest of the empire, after an accident caused its wormhole to collapse almost 50 years ago. Devoid of the necessary guidance and direction from the central Imperial Government, the planet had slipped into civil disorder in the following years, with various warlords waging a ruthless campaign for dominance across the once-prosperous world, causing endless suffering for the planet's civilan population. Imperial Marines were greeted by welcoming crowds as troops from XI and XXVI(Steelcaps) divisions quickly restored order, allowing for humanitarian supplies to be distributed across the war-torn planet. However, terrorist groups acting for one warlord faction managed to destroy the city formerly containing the Planetary Administrative Center, using an Antimatter device. NOTE: Earlier reports of this device being delivered from orbit by one of the Imperial Fleet vessels are now being confirmed as FALSE. The orbital activity of said vessel consisted in almost immediately raising a containment field around the city in order to prevent lethal radiation to escape into the surrounding region. In fact, none of the vessels were carrying antimatter grade weaponry, as this is not a standard payload for humanitarian missions such as this. A representative for the Interstellar government has confirmed that the Vulpes system is now under martial law, and civilian travel is restricted until such a time the authorities are certain that they have unearthed all antimatter grade weapons stored by the planetary warlords. Still, for the Civilian Population of the Vulpes system, today is a day of celebration as they move towards a safe and prosperous future in the Interstellar Empire.

LIZARD TALKS

The Empire's finest diplomats are still in meetings with senior representatives of the 'Lizardman' race referring to itself as the Ak'han. The Ak'han, previously known for its savage, genocidal wars of conquest against lesser spacefaring as well as planetbound races, have expressed an interest in reaching a trade agreement with the Interstellar Empire. Such an agreement would create many new jobs, especially in the agricultural and food processing sectors, as the Ak'Han strict carnivore diet requires massive amounts of resources to maintain its growing population. Reynard Sweep, chair of the Federation of Imperial Agricultural Syndicates, stated that 'This would be a welcome boost to the economies of the agricultural worlds on the Ak'han fringe', in a statement earlier this week. Mr Sweep originally hails from one of the minor worlds of the Ak'han fringe, Thranduin 4, and so it is likely that his sentiments are mirrored across this swathe of space. Still, the Ak'han are notorious for their shrewd negotiation tactics, and there is a serious risk that the Interstellar Empire will be forced to remove subsidies to the industrial sectors of the Imperial Economy in order to allow for a more level playing field between Imperial and Ak'han companies.

The Fall of Thranduin 4

The Fall of Thranduin 4

The year was 6299, the first year of the Ak'han war.

The place was the human agricultural colony Thranduin 4. Up until this point, this colony was just another obscure fringe world, close to the border of the strange alien race known only as the Ak'han. A peaceful colony, with almost no military resources, it was considered utterly unimportant and obscure by Empire command, which left the almost 5 million colonists completely undefended, with the exception of the I.S.S Reagan, an obsolete frigate, retired from deep-space patrol and exploration.

The arrival of enemy Ak'han vessels in the system changed all that. Faced with seemingly unsurmountable opposition, the Reagan's rag-tag crew of naval misfits, along with the populace of Thranduin 4, went on to wage a battle that would forever change the face of the known universe.

The outcome of events at Thranduin 4, for us, looking back at the flow of history, seems inevitable. For those brave men and women caught up in these momentous events, however, these were hours and days filled with fear, uncertainty and doubt and misplaced hopes. What is certain for us all, was that the courage of the defenders of Thranduin 4 was, and still is, an inspiration to all of Humanity.

-Holovid Weekly – Introduction to the History Channel’s Ak’Han War Bicentennial Weekend Special.