Foreign Concerns Gazette/Year 532 - 533

*Main article: Grand Strategy 2*
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***Shantine Crusade Averted, Middle Kingdom Crisis Spirals, Valdosian Contract Uncertainty Bruises Cosmic Economy***

*Editor's Note: The Gazette Editorial Board feels that the controversy over the status of the Grand Celestial Confederation has been sufficiently resolved to fully revert to the acronym "GCC" in preference to "GCE".*

**Casualty Report:**

* Middle Throne Conflict – 250,000 killed and 750,000 wounded
	+ GCC: 150,000 killed, 350,000 wounded
	+ Duchy of Volune: 100,000 killed, 400,000 wounded, 100,000 captured

**Economic Report:**

* Cosmic GDP Down 3.3% on Valdosian Contract Crisis and Middle Kingdom War
* Biggest Losers in Valdosian Crisis: Republic of Sermaye (-6%), Empire of Alusia (-6%), Fialta Imperium (-7%), Thalranese Marches (-9%), Valdosian Free State (-10%). Aeldrum Weathers Economic Storm at -0.4% GDP, Dominions Grow 0.1%, GCC Down 2.8%

**International News:**

* "Fire and Fury" *Shantine Empress Lapheraz I Ascends Throne with Dire Revelation that Empress Leandra I Died as a Result of a Failed Veiled Dominion Attempt to Infiltrate her Dreams. Calls for Dominions to Hand Over All Responsible for Shantine Judgment, Including Veiled Masters Involved in the Attempt, Or Face a Crusade.*
	+ "…Stoked by Deception" *Dominions Promptly Surrender a Dozen Officials, but Angelic Interrogation leaves Shantine Unconvinced. Empress Lapheraz declares war on Veiled Dominions, Deploys Shantine Imperial Navy and Signs Massive Two-Year Contract with Thalranese and Fialta Freebooters for Mercenary Support.*
	+ "… Doused by Armistice at Antenil" *Serene Duchy of Aeldrum Mediates Between Shantine and Dominions, Reaches Armistice with Shantine Fleet Already in Dominion Space and Less than Two Days out from Celestial-Imperial Gateworlds.*
* "Crusade Averted" *Treaty of Antenil Placates Empress Lapheraz with Significant Concessions: (1) Veiled Dominions Cede All Imperial-Space Worlds They Control Without a Connection to Celestial Space to Shantine Empire, Restoring the Adarnum Bastions Region to Full Shantine Control, (2) Dominions Acknowledge Guilt of Vayehun Istradez, Face of the Masters, But Assert that Vayehun Did Not Act With Consent or Understanding of the Masters. Vayehun to be Ritually Immolated by Shantine. (3) Veiled Dominions to Demilitarize All Worlds With Connections between Imperial and Celestial Space. (4) Shantine Kirvan Church Receives Right to Proselytize Within Dominion "Foreign Quarter" Worlds, Not Subject to Any Dominion Religious Law, but Barred from Establishing Militant Institutions Such as Knights of Adarnum or Leandra. (5) Dominions to Refrain from Espionage in Imperial Space, Under Aeldman Supervision and Enforcement.*
	+ "… or Merely Delayed?" *Exact Details and Scope of Aeldman Oversight of Dominion Activity in Imperial Space Remain Topic of Ongoing Negotiation in Overtime Discussions at Antenil; Analysts Warn Atmosphere of Mistrust Could Lead to Future Conflict.*
	+ "No Test Yet of Marivan Protocol" *Fialta Imperium Declares Readiness to Intervene Against WMD Deployment, But No Opportunities to Honor Commitments as Null-Bomb Capable Powers Back Down.*
* "Diplomatic Snub or Tight Schedule?" *Telranian King Gustav Keough III not Attending Shantine Coronation, Rescinds RSVP to Conduct First State Visit to Republic of Telrion by Sitting Telranian Monarch in History of Two Rival Nations.*
* "He's In Their Pocket!" *Duke Jinep Accuses Rival for Middle Throne, Duke Sanren, of Being an Agent of the Veiled Dominions, Cites* "Trusted Internal and External Sources," *Supposedly Unnatural Shadows in State Pictures, Convenient Deaths and Misfortunes of Sanren's Rivals, and Sanren's Seeming Volte-Face on Middle Kingdom Claim After Keshig Declared for Throne.*
* "Diplomatic Triumph at Limei for GCC" *Amidst Uncertainty and Rapidly Shifting Balance of Power in Middle Kingdom, Celestial Executive Council Reaches Agreement with Prince Jeong of Limei for Celestial Magnate to Join GCC as a Sovereign Partner. Limei Will Accept Full Economic and Navigational Integration with GCC and Pay a 1% Economic Tribute to GCC for Security Forces; Limei Will Act In Consultation with Diet of Notables and Executive Committee in all Foreign Affairs.*
* "Bringing Order to Disorder" *Councilor Liu Xin Endorses Duke Sanren of Kolong for Middle Throne After Private Discussions, Secures Support from Diet of Notables for Military Expedition into Middle Kingdom to Ensure Orderly Succession.*
	+ "Mixed Reactions" *Duke Sanren Welcomes Confederate Forces as Peacekeepers, While Duke Jinep of Gates of Volune Declares Expedition an Act of War, Vows Resistance.*
	+ "Parallel Tracks" *Prince Haelog of Keshig Strikes into Hinterworlds of Gates of Volune at Same Time as Confederation Forces, Seeming to Exploit Vulnerability of Duke Jinep, but Takes No Official Position on Confederation Intervention. Keshig Forces Appear to Give Confederation Fleet Wide Berth. Prince Haelog Denies Legitimacy of Both Sanren and Jinep as Claimants to Middle Throne.*
* "Course Correction?" *Less Than Three Months After Signing Accession to Celestial Confederation, Prince Jeong of Limei throws in for the Middle Thrones, Pushes Motion into Diet of Notables* "to bring the Middle Kingdom into glorious harmony with the Celestial Confederation through the magisterial person of Prince Jeong" *Jeong Declares that Celestial Confederation Should Not Support Any Claimant Who Is Not Prepared to Bring Middle Kingdom into Confederation.*
* "A Fourth Great Celestial War?" *Celestial Diplomacy Experts Speculate that Rapidly Escalating Conflict in Middle Kingdom Could Lead to Another Region-Spanning Conflict After Three Decades of Relative Peace. All Eyes on Veiled Dominons, Who Have Yet to Stake Any Public Claim on Middle Kingdom Succession.*
	+ "Guardians of Neutrality" *Kingdom of Great Aksai Warns Military Action Against Keshig, GCC if They Do Not Immediately Withdraw from Middle Kingdom Space*
	+ "Prepared to Arm the Defense of the Middle Kingdom Against Foreign Domination" *Brass Cities Breach Diplomatic Boundary of Celestial Space for First Time in Decades to Offer Discounted Arms Contracts to Aksai and Middle Kingdom Princes Who Resist Foreign Invaders.*
	+ "Protecting Our People and Our Investments" *Orcish Directorate Authorizes Raising of an Orcish Legion to Protect Expatriates in Celestial Space, Invites Coordination with Aeldrum, Alusia and Sermaye.*
	+ "Circling Vultures" *Race in Middle Kingdom to Sign Enclave and Freebooter Mercenaries to Contracts. Jinep Takes Early Lead, but Loses Significant Mercenary Forces in Battle with GCC.*
		- "Fight Shadow with Shadow" *Prince Kim of Kolong Very Publicly Hires Istomiri Bodyguards on Heels of Accusations of Veiled Master Collusion Against Duke Sanren of Kolong. [Sanren and Kim Divide Sovereignty of Rich Trade Planet of Kolong: Kim Holds Independent Title, While Sanren Owes Fealty to Middle Kingdom]*
		- "To the Highest Bidder" *Triad Princes Mobilize Military Forces to Secure* "Commercial Corridors" *to Supply Vital Resources to Belligerents in Celestial Space. Triads Claim to Seek Neutrality, Though Collaborating Closely with Duke Sanren. Triad Corridors Charge Premium for Navigational Rights to Mercenary Crews.*
* "Echoes of Falamar" *Seven Decades After Resurrection Crisis, Saldan at the Heart of Cosmic Threats and Sovereignty Questions Once More As Saldanese* "Liberation Society" *Revealed to be Behind Valdosian Contract Loophole.*
	+ "Where Does Personal Responsibility End and State's Begin?"
* "Seal the Country" *Valdosian Free State Imposes Virtual Travel Ban for All Etheric Travel Across or Within Borders, Imposes Media Blackout as International Frenzy Over Soul Contract Exceptions Rises*
	+ "Containment and Correction" *Millions of VFS Residents are Believed to be Under Compromised Boilerplate Contract. Unclear if an Eventual Contract Correction Can be Imposed Unilaterally or if it Will Require Contractors to Consent.*
	+ "Rebellion and Subversion" *Charitable Societies Raise Funds for Illicit Dissemination of Contract Loophole Intelligence to VFS Residents, Provide Relocation Services to Valdosian Refugees. Reports of Uprisings in VFS Denied or Downplayed by Local Governors.*
* "Mass Immigration" *Millions Continue to Leave Aeldman Commonwealth Each Year to Seek New Lives, Mostly in Aeldrum and Serene Republics. Fears of Economic Spiral Mount, As Do Calls for ISC to Step Up Industrial Support in Region.*

**Military and Disaster News:**

* "Who Are These People?" *Personal Guard of Celestial Councilor Slovic Intervenes to Prevent Assassination of Councilor Ben at the Hands of Celestial Terrorists. GCC Takes No Official Position on the Allegiance of the Terrorists, Though Rumors Swirl That They Were Agents of Veiled Dominions, Other Prevailing Theory is Celestial Isolationists Targeting Councilor Ben for His Aeldman Affiliation.*
	+ "The Masters Would Have Sent Better" *Count Shen Len of Celestial Intelligence Discounts Dominion Theory* "Slovic's men are the scum of celestial space, good for racketeering and putting down civilians, not fighting occult terror agents."
* "Lord Caulderus Slain in Shocking Car Bombing" *Thalranese Lord, Who Travelled to Imperial Court at Fialt to Participate in Interview with Emperor Leutarus on Subject of Fialta Identity, Is Murdered Within Hours of Returning to Tar'Thalran*
	+ "A Brother Lost" *Leutarus Mourns Death of Caulderus, Points Finger at High Lord Kanres With Evidence from Imperial Justiciars, Demands Justice. Defiant Kanres Dares Leutarus to Attempt Extradition. Thirteen Dead in Resulting Blood Feud Between Kanres and Heirs of Caulderus. Kanres and Surviving Nephew of Caulderus Declare* "Proper Thalranese Ending" *to Feud After Kanres Mortgages Estate to Pay Blood Debt.*
* "A Million Casualties at Approaches to Gates of Volune" *GCC Fleet Under Command of Liu Xin Pushes into Middle Kingdom Toward Gates of Volune. Fleet of Duke Jinep Gives Battle, Seizing Initiative from GCC Fleet to Score Early Victories, But Unable to Overcome 2:1 Numerical Advantage of GCC and Forced to Retreat to Gates of Volune.*
	+ "'A Race Against Logistics" *Gazette Military Analysts Conclude Jinep's Strategy Depended on Concentrating His Smaller Force and Striking GCC Fleet Fast Enough to Achieve a Defeat In Detail. Though Initially Highly Successful, Trading Losses with GCC at Close to 2:1, Jinep Was Not Fast Enough to Roll Up GCC Fleet Before It Could Bring Superior Numbers to Bear. In Danger of Encirclement, And Without Translane Technology, Jinep Used His Closing Window of Opportunity to Retreat to the Gates of Volune, Suffering Costly Losses in the Last Phase of Engagement.*
	+ "Blocked… But Not On All Sides" *Garrison and Fleet at Gates of Volune Bottlenecked by GCC Fleet on One Side, Keshig On Other, But Etheric Lane Route to Interior of Middle Kingdom Remains in Jinep's Control.*
* "EMP Strikes Against Etheric Infrastructure" *Radical Anti-Etheric Terror Groups Vandalize and Disrupt Etheric Infrastructure in Alusia, Aeldrum Sphere. Unclear if Attacks were Coordinated. One Terrorist Cell Leader Declares in Suicide Manifesto:* "the Hell-Lights of Modernity banish the shadows that keep our minds and souls safe from hideous truths – put out the lights, we are better Blind than Mad." *Minor Service Disruptions Occur, and Full Restoration of Ethernet Services Takes Less than 48 Hours on Affected Worlds.*
* "Easiest Money We Ever Made" *Freebooters and Marcher Mercenaries Celebrate Lucrative Contract Inked Shortly Before Shantine-Dominion Armistice. At Anchor on Genova, Hundreds of Mercenary Captains Drink Varyingly Ironic and Affectionate Toasts to Generosity and Health of* "Empress 'Phaz,"
	+ "Not Off the Hook" *Admiral Ilena Tiel'Drazir Vows on Behalf of Senior Commanders,* "We're keeping the engines hot and the men under contract. Most of them are racking up debts anyway. If the Shantine decide the Dominions need a crusading after all, they'll get what they paid for. If not, we'll start taking bids for the Middle Throne, preferably in ducats."
	+ "I Might Have Preferred a War" *Lord Governor of Port Genova Complains of Boorish Fialta Quartered in his Demesne. Church Attendance Soars to Avoid Drunken Revelers.*
	+ "Friendly Sparring" *Hundreds of Casualties, Dozens of Deaths in Ritualized Duels and Tournaments Among Knights of Adarnum, Knights of Leandra and Visiting Thalranese Warriors. Some Thalranese Express Disappointment,* "It felt more like the Adarnans and the Leandrans wanted an excuse to get at each other than to try their mettle with us. I had a Leandran throw the fight so he'd be sure to stay intact to fight an Adarnan next round. They killed each other. It was artless."
* "The Last Ship Out of Saldan" *Members of Saldanese Free Soul Society Who Discovered Valdosian Contract Vulnerability, Citing Fear of Valdosian Persecution, Attempt to Reach Sermayan Embassy at Invitation of Reagan Lawe to Seek Asylum. Several are Killed En-Route in Apparent Attack by Saldanese Citizens Furious at* "Academic Recklessness."
	+ "Is This What International Law Means?" *Several FSS Members Arrested Extrajudicially by Fialta Imperial Forces on Saldan, Acting Outside Imperium Embassy, Allegedly to Ensure Protective Custody After Killings. After International Outcry, FSS Captives Transferred to Custody of Saldanese Executive Council. All FSS Members in Saldanese Executive Council's Custody Subsequently Suffer Death or Debilitating Illness, Apparently Consistent with End-Stage Violation of Certain Valdosian Contracts.*
* "Sum of All Fears" *Reports from Enclave Refugees Suggest that Enclave Famine, Apparent Abandonment of Border Worlds by Elvish Triad and High Nobility Could Be Result of Mind Virus Outbreak.* *No Substantiated Cases of Mind Virus Have Been Found in Enclave Territory, or Anywhere Outside Naga Space.*
* "Angry Out of Work Fialta With Guns" *Economic Chaos in Thalranese Marches, Freebooter Colonies Drives Recruitment Surge for Mercenary Work, Specifically in Celestial Theater.*

**Economic and Technology News:**

* "The Trillion-Ducat Loophole" *Saldanese Rogue Academics, Styling Themselves the* "Free Soul Society"*, Identify and Disclose Loophole in Boilerplate Valdosian Soul Contract. Economic Panic Over Possible Unreliability of Valdosian Soul Contracts Send Debt Markets into Freefall Across Cosmos.*
	+ "Not Just Reporting the News" *Saldanese Free Soul Society Apparently Funded in Part by SNN Owner and Sermayan National Councilor Reagan Lawe, Who Also Publicized and Amplified Findings of the Group.*
	+ "How To" *Saldanese Publish Methodology for Computationally Identifying Vulnerabilities in Other Valdosian Contracts, Using Elder Script and Soul Computers, Revealing Evidence of Long-Suspected Soul Computing Capabilities in Saldanese Academe. Markets Dip Further on Publication.*
	+ "Just How Bad Could it Be?" *Report by Emiirates Group Suggests a* "Definitive" *Loss of Confidence in Ironclad Valdosian Soul Contracts Without State-Backed Substitutes Could Wipe Out a Third of Cosmic Financial System in Months, Cause Economic Chaos* "On Unprecedented Scale, With GDP Contractions in Double Digit Percentages Sustained Over 5 Years or More"
* "Rocks Under the Water" *Sermayan Financiers Warn of* "Perfect Storm" *As Sermaye's Financial System Shows Dangerous Signs of Being Overleveraged, With Sizable Investments in Celestial Space Endangered at the Same Time As Sermayan Housing and Other Debt Markets.*
* "Pulling in Every Direction to Stabilize the Cosmic Economy" *Valdosian Contract Crisis Prompts Suite of Mostly Unilateral Interventions by Foreign Governments.*
	+ "We Believe" *Sermaye, Aeldrum Signal Commitment to International Monetary System, Though President Wynn Stops Short of Rebuking Political Ally Lawe.*
	+ "Hold… Or Else" *Alusian Bank Runs Trigger Administrative Stopgaps, Bank-Guaranteed Debt Structures for Major Alusian State Enterprises Called into Question. Alusian Department of State Dispatches Agents to Mandate Free Flow of Supply Chains as Credit Risks Increase.*
	+ "Buy the Dip" *Aeldman ISC Chairman and President of Bank of Aeldrum Authorize Large Scale Buyup of Derivatives from Soul-Backed Assets to Stabilize Markets. Economists Estimate that Despite Establishing a Price Floor to Stall Freefall, ISC Pays Average 35-40% Under Par for Assets Worth Tens of Billions of Ducats.*
* "Risks are Limited and Actively Being Resolved" *Bank of Valdos International Chair Sfigmen Clarifies that Complex Financial Instruments are Not Susceptible to Computational Identification of Vulnerabilities* "in any realistic scenario for computing resources"*, and Extremely Unlikely to Have Any Vulnerabilities at All Due to Overlapping and Self-Reinforcing Clauses.* "A Valdosian Contract is something real, a part of the universe, that acts on all parties: like the ether, it is most stable when heavily layered"
	+ "Soul Computer Race?" *Major Signals from Cosmic Financial Markets Suggest that Confidence in Valdosian Contracts Has Rebounded Somewhat After BoV and Aeldman Responses, But Sustained Confidence Depends on Evidence that BoV Can Stay Ahead of Anti-Contractual Actors. Hedge Fund Manager Fourghex Rez'arves* "If another vulnerability comes out before the Bank shows it can quash them, I'd say we can expect a fire-sale on anything the Bank has touched that doesn't have some other backing."
* "National Epic of Gemcraft" *Druz Showcases New Gem Cutting Method, Clan Leaders Commission Vast Collection of Jewelry and Gem-Encrusted Statuary* *To Celebrate 1000th Birthday of Legendary Dwarven King Gralmond.*
* "It Grows Anywhere!" *Orcish Directorate Scientists Reveal New Genetic Hybrid Foods With 50% Greater Yield Than Comparable Crops and Significantly Improved Environmental Tolerances. Directorate FoodCorps Promises Free and Easy Delivery of Food to Economically Insecure Regions, Training from Directorate Scientists to Adapt Planting to Local Conditions and Maximize Yields for Local Farmers.*
* "An Old Idea Given New Life" *Deutschreich Showcases New Etheric* "Super Train" *Using Ether-Stabilizing Technology and Shield-Linked Shuttle System to Increase Speed, Reduce Cost of Freight Transport on Ley Lines. Train System Runs Parallel to Ethernet Infrastructure, Though Concerns About Etheric Storms Persist.*

**Cultural News:**

* "Perfect Storm of Boredom and Narcotics" *Grand Fialta Poetry Contest in Downtime for Mercenaries at Genova Produces Instant Classics of Thalranese Genre. Winning Titles by Vocal Acclaim:* "The Masters are Chickenshits" (*Haiku*), "Home by Thalranmass" (*Sonnet – Format Compliance Disputed*), "Loose as the Shantine Treasury" (*Limerick*), "Riches Are as Nothing Without Blood" (*Hymn*), "How I'm Spending My Bonus" (*Epic Poem)*
* "No Tricks Just Talent" *Famous* "Mentalist" *Hiel de Hiel Loses Talk Show, Retreats into Obscurity After Shocking Revelation that Celebrity's Famous "Cold Reading" Technique Actually Result of Innate Telepathic Ability.*
* "Splendid Architecture" *A Series of Grand Cathedrals of the Unified Pentacle Planned in Fialta Imperium Will Each Accommodate 100,000 Faithful in Main Hall, Be Located on Specially Chosen Sites for Collective Manifestation of Powers of Pentacle Gods.*
	+ "New Geometries for All Characteristics of the Temple" *Imperium Engineering Corps to Develop New Architectural Standards to Synthesize Styles of All Pentacle Gods, Produce Local Non-Euclidean Affects to Achieve Revolution in Acoustics Such That All Attendees Can Hear Speakers Without Etheric Amplification.*
* "A Growing but Lopsided Call for International Law" *With Economic Shock of Valdosian Contract Crisis In Full Swing, Fialta Imperium Scholars Continue to Advocate for Formation of International Legal System, Demand Accountability Outside of Narrow National Judiciaries. Few Takers on Internationalism Outside Fialta Imperium, Though Some Alusian and Directorate Legal Scholars Issue Friendly Response to Fialta Circular on Rights and Responsibilities of Nations.*
* "A Stark Look at a Grey World" *Valdosian Refugees Give Interviews to SNN, Aeldman News Organizations, In Which They Describe Grueling Working Conditions in Valdosian Free State, Pressure to Take On Ever More Debt Under Soul Contracts. Leading Ex-Contractee, Horace Guilen,* "The major difference between a soul contract and old Fialta slavery is supposedly that children don't inherit their parents' enslavement. My parents were given the choice of VFS or an open-ether mining operation to repay their debts, so I was born in the VFS barrack hospital. When I came of age, I had no choice but to sign the boilerplate contract if I wanted to hold any steady job, and once I signed, everything was designed to drive me deeper into debt."
* "Alusian Science!" *Alusian Scientific Media Programming Receives Enhanced Funding on Heels of Grand International Exposition, While Local Governments in Alusia Compete to Outdo Each Other In Regional Scientific Contests. Applications for Alusian Technical Academies Increase 18% as Regent Korascik Emphasizes Importance of Home-Grown Scientific Achievement.*
* "What is the Proper Place of the News?" *SNN's Defiant Stance on its Reporting of Valdosian Contract Vulnerabilities and Alleged Mind Virus Outbreak in Elvish Enclaves, Entangled with National Leadership Role of the Network's Owner, Triggers Domestic and International Disputes Over Media Responsibility and Accountability.*
	+ "Can We Sanction Them For This?" *Off-Record Remarks by Senior Diplomats of One or More Great Powers Suggest Unique Case of SNN's Entanglement with Sermaye Government Might Warrant Economic Sanctions for Future Disruptive Reporting.*
	+ "He Tells the Truth They Don't Want us to Know!" *Reagan Lawe, Though Vilified In Some Sectors, Acquires Heroic Status in Others. In Seeming Paradox for Aeldrum Politics, Lawe Polls Higher Than Any Aeldman Cabinet Official Among Aeldman Secular Nationalists and Practicing Kirvans. Alusian Grey-Ethernet Shows Significant Positive Support for Lawe, Even As General Alusian Public Opinion Blames Him For Painful Market Shocks.*
	+ "A Campaign for Media Standards and Ethics" *Chairwoman Hayward of Valdosian Bank of Sermaye Announces Candidacy for National Council in Next Year's Election, to* "Give Voice to Those Harmed by Irresponsible and Bigoted Journalism"*, Plans to Campaign Heavily in Districts that Voted for Reagan Lawe to Reduce His Electoral Share. SerBoV Did Not Comment on Whether the Campaign Would be Funded Significantly by the Bank.*
* "Who Takes the Blame?" *Imperium Cultural Documentaries on Sermayan Greed and Saldanese Recklessness Set Stark Contrast with Fialta Virtues. Rash of Violence Against Saldanese Nationals, Businesses and Satellite Campuses in Fialta Imperium, Alusia. Some Hostility to Sermayans Reported, But No Large Scale Looting, Vandalism as with Saldanese.*
	+ "A Mixed Blessing" *Kirvan and Idolmarite Churches Across Cosmos Celebrate Freedom of Valdosians Who Have Eluded Contract Terms, But Many Caution Restraint, Admonish that Saldanese Occult Efforts Have Included Attempts to Defy Kirva's Will, Revise Partition, Resurrect Gods. Speculation That Saldan May Have Moment to Seize Ideological Narrative for Occult Studies into the Divine, Alleviate Historic Kirvan Suspicions.*
* "A Brewing Reckoning" *Shantine Empress Renames Traditional Adarnum Bastions to Bastions of Leandra, in Recognition of Patron Angel's Role in Identifying Dominion Conspiracy and In Thanks for Bishant's* "Continued Golden Age." *First Public Replacement of a Title or Dedication to Adarnum by one to Leandra by Shantine Imperial Government Sparks Furor from Knights of Adarnum and Certain Bishops – Other Major Clerics and Shantine Grandees Censure Critics for Causing* "Disunity," *Though Few Take Stance of Openly Applauding Change.*
* "The Life of An Empress Should Have Cost Them More" *While Empress Lapheraz Receives Applause from Some in International Community and Many Shantine for Forbearance in Conflict with Veiled Dominions and Successful Negotiation of Proselytizing Rights, Other Shantine Openly and Loudly Protest Peace. Prince-Archbishop Basil Aktotes of Ilmera Gives Firebrand Guest Sermon at Zanevuela's Cathedral of Saint Mataxes,* "The Dominions Have Pulled the Wool Over Our Eyes, Whispered Comforting Lies in Our Ears, and Led Us to Settle a Debt of Blood with Land and a Consolation Prize of Faith. If a Million in the Dominions Now Hear Kirva's Sacred Word, It Is Because We Abandoned the Chance to Save Five Hundred Million. If One Or Ten Or a Hundred Unrighteous Suffered Kirva's Divine Wrath, It Is Because We Abandoned the Moment to Burn these Unrighteous Masters All!"

**Expert Excerpts:**

*Gazette Expert Correspondent Gordon Charles (Major-General, Semal Republican Army, Retired) Gives an Exclusive Analysis on Geopolitics of Celestial Conflict. Excerpts Below:*

"What is so different about what we may for now call the Middle Throne Succession Crisis, relative to the previous three Great Celestial Wars, is that Aeldrum does not have an obvious and trustworthy proxy."

"In the first war, under the Walled Garden policy, the conflict was essentially between the Nippon States and what was then called the New Celestial Confederation, on one side, and the interior powers of Aksai and the Middle Kingdom, on the other. With Aeldman arms supplies all but guaranteeing the peripheral powers could keep the advantage, the conflict more or less proceeded at the pace that Aeldrum dictated. Certainly the Fialta Imperium and the Bank of Valdos credibly indicated that they could and would support the interior powers, partially acting through their own proxy with the Brass Cities, but the Walled Garden policy was strong enough that this outside combination was essentially bought off with an influence carveout and Celestial space redefined to preserve Aeldman hegemony. This outcome was the crowning success of Aeldman proxy strategy, but it showed already a pattern that Aeldrum would continue until today, of ‘selling off' its sphere because it would not fight for it directly."

"In the second and third wars, after the collapse of the Walled Garden, Aeldrum used the Confederation as its proxy against the Nipponese and later the Veiled Dominions. Of course, Aeldrum then extended a form of security guarantee over the interior powers, weaker than its relationship to the Aeldman successor states but sharpened by the willingness of the Confederation to spend blood if Aeldrum would spend treasure. Again, we see Aeldrum amputating its sphere of influence to preserve a monopoly on hegemonic power in a narrower region, in this case abandoning its relationship with Nippon and New Nippon and defining its Celestial sphere of influence in opposition to what became the Veiled Dominions. So, we see Aeldman control degrading in the sense that the Serene Duchy no longer holds all the cards in Celestial Space, but still having a reliable partner in the Confederation. Indeed, the rise of the Freebooter colonies and the continued success of the Mirror Enclaves as a source of mercenaries show that Aeldrum's attitude toward the Celestial Sphere has been mostly to define it against great powers, not to maintain a total monopoly of military force within that sphere."

"Now, the Confederate-Aeldman partnership is clearly eroding. Aeldrum has made extremely forceful signals against the centralization of Confederate power within the Liu family, and the garrisoning of Aeldman naval forces in the Confederation suggests that Aeldrum does not have confidence in its proxy – the hand has to go back in the glove, so to speak. We see Liu, frustrated at home by foreign intervention, invading the Middle Kingdom and asserting the Confederation's independent foreign policy, in spite of Aeldrum. The Confederation has initiated a forced revision of its proxy status."

"The Confederation's leverage against Aeldrum is that there truly is not an obvious alternative proxy to continue Aeldrum's Celestial policy: if Aeldrum activates its navy to punish the Confederation and stop its campaign into the Middle Kingdom, it will be left without a convenient partner to manage the multi-factional politics of Celestial Space. If Aeldrum chooses this route, it is likely to find itself making costly military commitments while it searches for new partners. Even if Aeldrum acts only to prevent foreign intervention in the Middle Kingdom, it will likely find itself unable to effectively counter influence campaigns by powers with better understanding of local politics, such as the Dominions."

"So far, the only Imperial great power other than Aeldrum to signal a strong interest in Celestial power politics is Bishant, but the Aeldman-backed Shantine-Dominion armistice suggests that the Shantine are willing to coordinate with Aeldrum rather than pursue a unilateral policy. It is possible that if Aeldrum fails to maintain a local proxy in the region that it will be inclined to allow the Shantine to share the burden of managing the sphere, preferring a highly entangled partner over the resurgence of the Veiled Dominions. The opportunity for the Shantine Kirvan church to unite the millions of disparate Kirvan cults in Celestial Space and to evangelize to hundreds of millions more among the unconverted would surely be an attractive offer to Bishant and should give serious pause to the other Imperial great powers. The Fialta Imperium and the Alusians may find that they prefer the Dominions to the Shantine in this respect and thus provide them with the support to more aggressively partition Celestial space away from an Aeldrum-Bishant combination."

**Affiliate News Contributions:**

*Sermaye News Network*

* SNN Publishes Their Annual "Should They Stay Or Should They Go" Survey Results. In an annual tradition, the Sermayan Polling Services conducted their annual "should they stay or should they go" survey results. This year's iteration focused on the leaders at the heart of the recent SNN–Fialta leadership dust-up. Raw results, along with the options respondents were given, are:
	+ President Wynn – 92% Stay
		- 55% - Stay to keep successfully navigating us through the dangerous world created by BoV
		- 37% - Stay to keep us safe from the mind virus
		- 8% - Go as president, but stay a Councilor to allow Lawe as President
	+ Regan Lawe – 85% Stay
		- 51% - Stay to hold the powerful to account
		- 34% - Stay to keep fighting Valdosian corruption in Imperial Space
		- 15% - Go to allow the Bank of Valdos to make more money
	+ Emperor Leutarus – 65% Go
		- 45% - Go as he currently threatens cosmic peace by covering up the mind virus
		- 20% Go as he currently threatens cosmic financial stability as a lackey of the BoV
		- 35% Stay to keep entertaining us with his hilarious press conferences and "good" ideas
	+ BoV Chair Sfigmen – 73% Go
		- 72% - Go as they lied to the universe about the breach in the contracts, trying to destabilize the global economy by leaving this vulnerability open
		- 1% - Stay to maintain cosmic financial stability
		- 27% - Stay to give Chairman Lawe a heel for the drama that is his life.
	+ Sermaye BoV Branch Chairwoman Hayward – 91% Go
		- 85% - Go back to the Bank of Valdos and stop lying to all of us
		- 6% - Go to become a new Councilor
		- 9% - Who?!?!?!
	+ After seeing these results, Councilor Lawe is reported to have said, "I will stand by the results of this survey and continue my run for re-election. I only wish its other subjects would do the same."
* J. Alexander embraces mind virus "cures" – Former Sermaye Sports Syndicate start, J. Alexander, has been fined 15,000 ducats for promoting fake cures for the mind virus on his new radio show, InfoFights. The cures, including hormone supplements, various powdered roots, and something called a "warm juice enema" are building off current concern about the mind virus. J. Alexander has publicly thanked SNN President Regan Lawe for standing up for the truth in the mind virus. Upon hearing this, Lawe is reported to have said, "Maybe we're making a <<CENSORED>> mistake if Jones is supporting us on this."

*Best and Worst of the Net – A Selection of Top News Posts By Ethernet Traction*

1. "Off the books" - The Leandra-Adarnum power struggle continued on Wednesday with the renaming of the territory formerly known as the Bastions of Adarnum. "What's next?" a KoA official inquired, "Will we see the formation of KoAL or even worse, KoLA?"
2. "Uhhhhhhhh" - A scathing ANN editorial denounces the influence of Doge LaPaix. From the editorial, "LaPaix continues to tarnish his esteemed position with his inelegant, <insert human-like dogwhistle here, human-like is fine if none exists> speech, demeanor, and inaction. Why has Aeldrum delayed so in assisting our Enclave brethern? Under LaPaix we are a far cry from the once shining city upon the hill.
3. "Soul contract charade" - A group of Sermayean short-sellers pen an open letter: "What is the point of the BoV adding some words to their contracts when those contracts can just be ripped up?"
4. "Redhand or Leadhand?" - During a time of crisis, Lord-Regent Koraksic was found on his Space Yacht, oblivious. Is he reliable enough to be trusted with the dead man's switch?
5. "Bing bong" - Anonymous poster with handle Sidetalk with the most viral *E-Cafe* post of the week: "Real talk, I'm from deep up in Volune's folds and you know what, Duke Jinep is a fucking bitch. Fuck Duke Jinep y'all, he smoking on that GCC pack tonight."

1. ↑ Editor's Note: The Editorial Board regrets the use of the word "coup" in a previous headline, given the political instability and uncertainty of Celestial Space at this time. The Gazette did not wish to imply that the GCC had staged a coup in Limei and apologizes for any confusion resulting from this poor word choice.