TEP Chpt I1

=The Eagle's Perch=
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==Interlude: Messages from the Fourth Estate==
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===BORIS MARIK SPEAKS OUT!===
Donegal Herald15 November 2732
The infamously illusive and reclusive Boris Marik has sent out an open letter he himself has penned!
 
Little is known about the man, save that he is Oliver Marik's son and that he is heavily invested in electronics. However, apparently someone has managed to send an encrypted message to him which bid him to reply, while bravely evading Bertram Marik's war hounds beneath the gaze of the FWLN 4th Fleet.
 
What can be gleaned from this? Well, it seems the man has a fascination for ancient history, repeating old sayings that have long since fallen out of use. And, a naive belief in the best from the average folk. Cute, and heart-warming. If only more of that was encouraged in the Free Worlds League.
 
The Herald has printed an unedited copy below for our valued reader's perusal. For more of the Sphere's fastest news, consider subscribing to the Donegal Herald.
 
To whom it may concern,
 
I write this open letter, safely ensconced in Regulus IV, away from the prying eyes of the faithless dogs of tyranny. It is to address the kind soul that has sent an interesting message to me some days after the आग, and more besides.
 
Firstly, I am not right, nor correct in anything. I am merely an amateur historian, relaying the wisdom of our forefathers and mothers. It is their wisdom, built upon centuries of human development, that after all this time still rings true:
 
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
 
I am glad that you have seen its value, though, saddened by how long it took. Nevertheless, you have done good by your enlightenment. I implore you to go further. To do good for goodness' own sake, and to forsake evil and oppose it however possible.
 
You can do it. I know you can.
 
Even if they are nothing more than letters and words, that you have acted will be more than enough.
 
For evil can only prosper when good people do nothing.
 
I thank you for writing to me. Doing good feels good, and knowing I've inspired others to do good feels amazing. Again, thank you, for all that you have done, all that you promised to do, and all that you will do.
 
Sincerely, C-G, CnC, DoR, Boris Marik.
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===INTERVENTION!​===
Hegemony Times20 November 2732
The Star League Defense Force and Bureau of Star League Affairs has intervened within the ongoing Free Worlds League Civil War to administer aide to worlds subjected to weapons of mass destruction. A rough estimate of a one quadrillion Star League Dollars was committed to the project, which some decry as too low.
 
Spokesperson Jaqueline Briggs stated that the Star League "reiterates their position of neutrality", claiming that the civil war was an internal affair of a member state and thus cannot go beyond their current actions.
 
It is a continuation of traditions and practices established with the Star League Accords of 2571. Which were sorely tested during the Kurita-Davion Succession Dispute last year, as House Kurita attempted to press the spurious claim that Vincent Kurita was rightful heir to the title of First Prince.
 
Notably, Joseph Davion also decried the lack of rebuilding funds by the BSLA. His realm is also a beneficiary of BSLA aide, having been invaded by the Draconis Combine, and are just now rebuilding after nearly four years of warfare. He plans to attend the Umoja conference in New Dallas to campaign for a stronger response by the Star League.
 
Since the Star League interventions, rumors abound of a more robust Star League to prevent or beneficially resolve similar issues in the future. This is especially poignant after Jocasta Cameron and Simon Cameron are believed to be advising Jonathan Cameron.
 
If true, it would be unprecedented, possibly alluding to an immense task that Jonathan Cameron believes he alone is unable to satisfactorily complete.
 
Our experts have this to say… 
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===RECESSION LOOMS​===
Bloomberg-Financial Post22 November 2732
The war of Davion Succession and the ongoing Marik Civil War were twin hammer blows against the body of the Star League economy. Despite what the GDP graph shows, the actual Star League economy is in dire straits as two of the Star League signatory realms were put to the torch, throwing normal trade into chaos.
 
Despite centuries, the Broken Window Fallacy remains strong and true. The addictive high of massive spending on war material and rebuilding will eventually dissipate as states are forced to reign in their spending back into balance. There would be little to show for in the aftermath beyond what was already there, or more likely less than before.
 
That is, assuming that banditry and piracy doesn't continue to kick these fragile economies while they're down.
 
The delicate and intricate web of chartered star lanes was ripped apart by these wars. It will be difficult to convince JumpShip captains to ply these war torn trade routes. The added danger of piracy, diminished military patrols and response times will further discourage their return, lengthening the recovery period. If these worlds do not recover fast enough, the largest recession in Star League history would become dangerously likely.
 
The Star League's Defense large budget continues to buoy the Sphere's economy, especially during the interventions, when they activated their emergency directives to temporarily increase funding.
 
The extra money spent created a market rally centered around military goods and services, resulting in an 0.2% increase to household net worth in the fourth quarter. However, that still leaves households below 1.3% of their previous high in 2725, before both these wars started.
 
Meanwhile, total credit debt has increased relative to incomes. Household credit debt has increased from 17% to 20%, far above the 15% norm. Total market debt to disposable income has similarly increased from 182.3% to 188%. However, average income has remained stubbornly stagnant, seeing no change since 2725.
 
There are some bright spots. The Lyran economy has powered through with a measurable increase of 1.01% increase across the board for their manufacturing indices via new investments and high consumer confidence. Though it will take time before those investments translate into sales and yields. Similarly, the Capellan economy has remained stable despite their neighbors' instability, continuing with their multigenerational long plan to increasingly populate and industrialize their worlds.
 
Chancellor Warex Liao and his co-ruler, and sister, Madeline Liao called for the Star League to enter a policy of Stimulus Spending to stave off a recession, if not avoid it entirely…
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===MAJOR MINERAL DISCOVERY​===
Zhēnxiàng25 November 2732
Spurred by an increase of funding, the Ministry of Mining, at the behest of Chancellor Warex Liao, sent forth many prospectors in search of more minerals to fuel the Confederation's Hundred Year Plan. Three nights ago, prospectors found an immensely mineral rich asteroid belt, whose location remains secret. What spokesperson Dayu Anglique Donaldson was allowed to reveal about it was that it was incredibly rich in Osmium, hence the secrecy.
 
Osmium is one of the rarest elements in the galaxy.
 
It is especially critical to modern infrastructure such as High Speed Railway Maglev Trains, in order to surpass the 2,000 km/h barrier. It is additionally used in batteries, electron microscopy, steel for mechanical parts, and Grav Decks.
 
The flexibility of its use and rarity makes it a strategic resource the Confederation must carefully husband. Frivolous waste would greatly shame us in the eyes of the Chancellor and our Ancestors…
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===A GLORIOUS WAR​​===
Kotoba29 November 2732
Today marks three years since the end of the war against the perfidious Davions. Long have we endured their two-faced ways, saying one thing and doing something else entirely. Their merchants are dishonest, their lords fund piracy, they test us with claims to honor with little to show for. Thanks to the wisdom of the Dragon, we have put them in their place, blooding an entire generation of warriors in honorable combat, and learned the measure of our foes.
 
Our warriors naturally came out on top. They have challenged the parade knights of the Davions on the field of battle and sent them running with their tail between their legs. We would have pressed further to teach a lesson to the coddled Capellan border worlds had they not finally presented men of proper bearing. General Kessem's battle on Ludwig will surely be studied, as a superb last gasp of the Davion's finest.
 
We now stand with the most experienced military force of all the Star League's member states, ensuring our security for one hundred more years. The bandits and pirates that once preyed on the people of the Draconis Combine have felt the wrath of the Dragon tenfold. With their death, trade and prosperity will flow through the combines star lanes higher than before.
 
Our rivals will look in envy at the peace we have secured for ourselves.
 
On the anniversary, a parade will be held on Luthien. It will start at DropShip port #12 following the main mega highway leading into Imperial City and ending in the Grand Plaza. It will be surely exciting, as rumors abound the Otomo will be sending a full company of Assault 'mechs to partake.
 
Additionally, the Women's Society for the Five Pillars will be hosting a poetry recital contest in the Luthien Necropolis in celebration of our victories and to honor the fallen warriors. The themes will cover Triumph and Sacrifice. There are no restrictions on the type of poetry, Haiku's, Iambic, and free-form are all welcome.
 
The celebrations ending ceremony will start with an aerospace show, displaying the magnificence of the Draconis Combine's newly created AeroGuard of the Mustered Soldiery. And finally, the Draconis Combine Admiralty will hold a televised mock battle of the initial space battle for Le Blanc.
 
Although the anniversary will be a public holiday, the Chief of Police requests that all citizens remain dutiful in observing proper decorum…
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===BORDER WORLDS ARE BEING STOLEN AWAY​​===
New Avalon Runner29 November 2732
The hive of lying, backstabbing sons of bitches that is the Terran Hegemony continues their double-dealing ways in extending below market rate "security services" from "Private Security Services". They are nothing more than a facade for the Hegemony's military.
 
Every world that accepts or creates a contract for these corporations is a world that is lost to Hegemony influence. First they offer "security", then its "inspecting" shipping traffic and "enforcing" tariffs, next they handle "law enforcement", pretty soon they'll be writing the laws and governing the worlds.
 
Why is Joseph Davion tolerating this violation of Federated Suns sovereignty? We can tell you why: he is a weakling. He is a near-sighted, soft-hearted namby, incapable of planning for and dealing with the harsh realities of stellar-politics.
 
For interstellar States there are only interests, there are no friends.
 
The fact of the matter is the Terran Hegemony is not our friend. Despite having no military, the Terran Hegemony can still put the screws on all their neighbors. They act as a spoiler in the complex multi-front borders of the Inner Sphere, and as a scavenger that pounces on the weak and inept. They have done so for centuries before the Star League, and are doing so now!
 
We must present strength to ward off the vultures. We must purge the military of the corrupt and inept fools that have sleep walked us into near total defeat. Noble men and women like General Kessem must be lionized and rewarded for the service and fealty. The parasites must be excised as the malice they are.
 
Only with a reformed and a purified military will we be able to shake the Sphere once again as a state to be respected. But what does Joseph Davion do? He goes to New Dallas to beg for money.
 
He hardly fits the image of a First Prince!
 
It's his ineptitude and other's like him that embarrassed the Star League Defense Force into action. What should have been an easy defensive war turned into a horrific slug fest between a heavyweight boxer and a drunk show poodle. You can guess who's who.
 
We at the New Avalon Runner strongly endorse the abdication of Joseph Davion for literally anyone else. Literally. We'll take a rock as the First Prince if that means proper leadership…
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===2ND FLEET MISSING​===
Tamarind Tidings30 November 2732
The loyalist 4th Fleet of the FLWN attempted to catch the rebel 2nd Fleet over Regulus IV, but has instead found nothing. There were no warships to contest their entry, nor any interference when they began landing reinforcements planetside. This has left all closely watching the civil war baffled.
 
Where is the 2nd Fleet?
 
The disappearance of the 2nd makes no sense whatsoever, even as reinforcements from across loyalist space pour in to Regulus IV. The 2nd should be there, defending the rebellion's leaders, Boris Marik and Alice Allison, from the enemy. Yet they are nowhere to be found.
 
Loyalist soldiers anonymously quipped that it is an eerie repeat of how the rebel fleet managed to disappear and reappear over the zenith of Regulus. Could another surprise attack on a similar scale happen again? If so, where?
 
These questions will likely remain unanswered, as ships are difficult to reliably track once plying the star lanes, especially when avoiding civilization. The only way to reliably know where they are is to already know where they are.
 
Alternatively, you can guess where they're going.
 
Planets, unlike ships, are very difficult to move. All the planets worth being visited by a fleet the size of the 2nd are functionally immobile on the stellar scale. That means anyone can make an educated guess as to where the 2nd is going.
 
It's been nearly a month since they've disappeared, so are likely to make their move soon.
 
Having long anticipated this, the 1st Fleet has been removed from the frontlines and secreted away with multiple mobile yardships to an unknown location. It is believed they are being repaired and refitted in preparation for a climactic battle. The 5th Fleet replaced them in defense of the Marik Commonwealth, moving away from their previous assignment in the Anti-Spinward front.
 
The timing of their movements fortuitously coincided with the rebel 3rd Fleet ceasing their advance, and pulling back. It is currently believed the rebels are making their way back to the Duchy of Oriente. After so much hard fighting, they are in no condition to press the 5th, or seriously resist them should it come to that.
 
The current going rates for bets for the surprise attack are $2000 Eagles on Marik, $5000 Eagles on Atreus, and $200 Eagles on Regulus IV. Contact your local Game Master for more information. For more gambling information, please subscribe to our sister corporation, the Good Game Guessers.
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===BORIS MARIK DOES IT AGAIN​===
Canopus Cackler30 November 2732
I don't think anyone from this side of the periphery would ever cheer for a Marik, but here we are! Boris Marik, son of Oliver Marik, both once family, now enemies of the worst witch of a woman to have ever disgraced the stars, has tweaked the nose of the "loyalists" once more. He has gone to ground inside loyalist space, on Regulus IV itself, after having trashed it in a surprise assault no one saw coming.
 
He is somehow evading patrols by literal divisions worth of soldiers and material while having the entire 4th Fleet, and supporting DropShip Fleets, sitting on top of the world. The absolute madman is playing a cat and mouse game inside his enemy's own house.
 
And he's still winning.
 
More reinforcements are inbound to Regulus IV. Bertram Marik likely hopes that dumping more bodies on the planet will eventually result in someone stumbling upon him. Good luck, that's an entire planet you're trying to comb through. The man fails to realize he's got better chances with loose screws in a warship.
 
Still, the target is incredibly tempting. We have to acknowledge that. Both Alice Allison and Boris Marik, the brains and heart of the rebellion respectively, are on that planet. If Bertram succeeds in finding them, that both of the rebel's most senior leadership gone immediately. While that alone will not guarantee victory, it certainly is a start.
 
In the meantime, Boris Marik has taken to amusing himself by writing letters to the public. Think about that for a moment. A wanted man surrounded and hunted by enemies, living inside their territory, is writing and publishing letters to the public.
 
Whatever happens, kudos to Boris. You have the biggest gonads of everyone in the entire Sphere.
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