S3, 16.5 Galactic Imperium Broadcast

Corresponding text underneath each picture.

**7th September 2096: Present Day**

**And now for an official announcement from the Galactic Imperium.**

Councillor Worthington: “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Galactic Imperium, today I come to you as the bearer of bad news.”

“As I’m sure everybody is by now aware, two days ago, events unfolded that ended in the destruction of a large section of the planet Qoter.”

“At the time, the cause was unknown, however, the effects were immediately apparent. All of the regions of Knightborn and Argyle, along with the majority of Tarhaven and a small portion of Illbliss are completely destroyed. The entire area appeared to be swallowed up by large sinkholes, which opened up in the very ground upon which the cities were built. They were swallowed by the bedrock that had until two days ago supported them.”

“This, of course, means that an innumerable number of civilians have lost their lives. At this point in time, we do not have a death count, as the search for survivors is expected to go on for days, however, it is unlikely that many will be found. The very nature of this calamity means that it is almost impossible for our brave search and rescue teams to carry out their mission and achieve their objectives.”

“The Imperial Council have waited until today to make a statement, as we wanted to be as informed as possible before I stood before you. Two days ago, Qoter became a different place. It suffered a terrible blow – one that will likely take decades to fully recover from. A planet, already battle-scarred from The Collective war, is now in mourning for the probable millions of lives lost.”

“Two days ago, we knew very little. However, with the passage of time, we have learned the truth about what happened, from survivors of the tragedy.”

“The devastation caused to the planet Qoter, was not, as was first thought, a natural disaster. Nor was it, in fact, a freak accident. This was not caused by an exploding gas main – another theory reported early on. I bring you the truth now, not so as to scare you, but to bring you closure. The truth is that the devastation was caused by a series of bombs. This was a terrorist attack – one which has cost a countless amount of lives.”

“Imperial intelligence reports that an ancient city, ‘Old Qoter’, as it has been coined, was discovered, buried beneath the surface of the planet. A city long forgotten, lost in the sands of time, this sprawling metropolis spanned the entire planet, just as the towering skyscrapers of today do. But, for a reason that is still currently unknown, the city was laced with explosives. Lost even from the pages of history, this potentially deadly urban hive lay unremembered and dormant, until it was recently discovered by True Aurelian forces.”

“These forces sought to bring as much destruction to the people of the Galactic Imperium as possible and so, being the monsters that they are, they triggered the explosives, which in turn brought down the cityscape above.”

“We have also learned that General James Corvin himself, founder of Aurelia, and head of True Aurelia, was the man who pressed the detonator and brought so much terror and tragedy to the peaceful people of Qoter.”

“We must be thankful, that due to the bombs’ age, the majority did not detonate when triggered. If they had, we could be looking at an even worse situation than we already are. Rest assured though, that the un-exploded devices are not going to be left where they are – as well as the search and rescue teams that are scouring the rubble for any signs of life, we also have expert bomb disposal teams picking through the ancient city, dispensing with the explosives safely. We do also insist that the people of Qoter do **NOT** try to explore Old Qoter. Do **not** try to find an entry point or you **will** be prosecuted. This is for your own safety as well as that of the rest of the planet’s.”

“However, this is not the only news that we have discovered. In the past day, we have also learned that the True Aurellians were not the only party involved in this calamity. We can now confirm with certainty, that Pax Aurelia also took part in the making of this atrocity. And so it is with a heavy heart that I can now confirm that all ceasefires and truces with the faction known as Pax Aurelia are now over. Pax forces have betrayed our trust, our confidence and will now, once again, pay the price. The Galactic Imperium is, once more, at war with Aurelia.”

“September the fifth was a dark day for the Galactic Imperium. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and those affected by these tragic events. The one piece of solace that can be gleamed from this tragic occurrence is that the man responsible for the attack, General Corvin, the man behind so much violence and tragedy over the years, is now no more. I can confirm now that he perished in the attack – struck down by the very explosions that he was using to bring so much pain to those who did not deserve it.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is not often that I stand before you, but this time is a particularly dark time. Stay strong. The people of Qoter, the survivors, will need you now more than ever. We must band together and remain vigilant. Aurelia may once again be whole, but they are leaderless. I assure you, the forces of the Galactic Imperium are going to do everything we can to bring this traitorous, murderous ‘nation’ to its knees, once and for all.”

“Together, we will make it through these dark times, and one day we will emerge victorious – like a phoenix from the ashes. I promise you, that day is coming. We may once again be at war, but it is a war that I promise you, we – will -win.”

“Long live the Galactic Imperium. Long live planet Earth.”

As my series is going to be jumping around though time, I will include a date on each episode and add it to the timeline at the end of each episode so that you can follow it.

TIMELINE