Laura Fox

**Laura Padmé Fox**, formally known as **Empress Fox I**, (August 7, 1969 - May 27, 2022) was a Libirachi politician and soldier who reigned as the first Empress of the Libirachi Empire between November 11, 2019 and her death on May 27, 2022. Prior to her crowning as empress, Fox held office as the eighth President of the Libirachi Empire between September 27, 2019 and November 11, 2019 following a coup d'état. Alongside executive positions in government, Fox served in numerous government departments as the Minister of Education between 2015 and 2019, the Minister for the Environment between 2010 and 2015 and the Minister of Defence between 2009 and 2010. From 2009 until 2019, Fox was a serving member of the Libirachi National Congress, first as an independent and then a Revolutionary party member.

Initially known to the nation as a mundane bureaucrat, Laura Fox managed to drag herself up the greasy pole of Libirachi politics to become the Minister for the Environment within the initial Nathan Jackson administration before stunning the nation with the re-introduction of the national animal Quokka back into the wild environment, leading to a knighthood and a promotion to Education Secretary in 2015 which placed her directly in control of Libirachi propaganda. Taking the lead in numerous instances to try to suppress the pro-democracy movements of her president, Laura Fox eventually pooled her lot in with members of the Libirachi Imperial Army in order to overthrow President Jackson and managed to court enough favour with members of Imperial High Command to become the new president of the Libirachi Empire in September 2019. Passing into law the Assent Bill (2019), Fox was able to appoint herself as Empress of the nation through legal means, bringing a swift end to the Imperial Republic of Libirachi.

Reigning between 2019 and 2022, the three year rule of Empress Fox I was a tumultuous period vastly overshadowed by the Has Wars which saw the collapse of the Libirachi Empire's greatest rival, Bovido Has, at the hands of the Libirachi Imperial Army but this victory came at the cost of internal stability and with the weakened state of the Empire, Persian politician Almac Docu seized the opportunity to attempt to serve a death blow to the Libirachi Empire too, ordering the assassination of Fox and leading to the subsequent Libirachi Civil War and the coronation of Fox's daughter Penny Fox on the Libirachi throne in November 2024, exactly five years after Laura Fox herself took the throne.

Much in the way of historical dispute remains over how powerful Laura Fox actually was during her reign as Empress, with some schools of thought contending that instead of the powerful monarch Libirachi propaganda often painted her as, Fox was actually merely a puppet ruler for the Libirachi Imperial Army who propelled her to power in September 2019 - regardless, Fox's reign marked the beginning of a transformation of the Libirachi nation into one that could stand on the international stage as an equal partner to nations such as the United States of America and United Kingdom. Some historians also believe that Fox's hasty demise was at least in part planned by her daughter, Penny Fox, who has also been proven to have had significant influence in causing the Has Wars, which would also support the theory that Fox's reign was merely a transitional period between the Republican and new Monarchist periods of Libirachi history; indeed, as the reign of Penny Fox continued, mentions of Laura Fox were gradually erased from official histories of the nation.

As the inaugural monarch of the Fox Dynasty and the first Libirachi emperor in 167 years, Laura Fox is greatly revered within the Libirachi Empire as the woman who led the revolution against "corrupt" state officials; likewise, many of the institutions that govern the nation today found their roots in Fox's three year reign, such as the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (often shortened to COMPNOR). During her tenure as both President and Empress, Laura Fox pioneered a new system referred to as the Monarchy-Presidency system which allows for the existence of a Libirachi President as the head of government whilst the Libirachi Emperor is the nominal head of state, splitting up the responsibilities of the head of state whilst also giving the Emperor the right to appoint and dismiss Presidents as they see fit. Through this system, retained by her successor Fox II, the Libirachi Empire is kept under the control of the emperor, whilst political infighting within the Revolutionary Party is unable to reach the throne, meaning that a greater sense of stability and strength is given off to both allies and rivals.

## History

 **Empress of the Libirachi Empire****Reign** • **Coronation**Xi Jimping I, WarHǔnluàn • COMPNOR • Libirachi Imperial Army • Fox Dynasty • Hunt for the Hǔnluàn • Explosion at the Xi Kanna Power Plant • Explosion at the Ulaanbaatar Government Building • Has Wars • Bovido Invasion of the Libirachi Empire • Death

 **President of the Libirachi Empire****Presidency**2019 Libirachi Coup d'état • Assent Bill (2019) • Imperial State Council • Imperial High Command

Born in 1969 at the height of Jacob Zuma's presidency, Laura Fox was brought up in a relatively wealthy family just in the outskirts of Beijing. Enlisting in the Libirachi Imperial Army in 1993, she became more and more influential in the ranks of the Naval forces, and in 2009 was promoted to the Imperial Cabinet aged 40. With the fall of Zuma in 2010, Laura Fox was one of two members of the old cabinet to survive the Jackson Government Purges in 2010-11, a factor which some have contributed to her alleged contacts with the New Order, a cult-like organisation dedicated to the preservation of the Empire. After the government rehash, Fox was given the position of Minister for Environmental Affairs, which saw the Libirachi environment spring back from near-death under President Zuma's regime. With the return of the Quokka to the Libirachi Empire in 2019, an advancement secured by cloning facility's and pristine forests, Fox was knighted for her services to the Empire to celebrate the occasion. In the Second Jackson Cabinet re-shuffle, Fox saw herself promoted to Minister of Education, the highest role in the propaganda system. Growing in influence and power within the empire, Fox orchestrated the increasing treason laws which set the Libirachi Imperial Army into chaos. With the treason laws seeing hundreds of Imperial Occupation League officials arrested for criminal offences against the Libirachi Empire, the LIA became more and more disconnected from Jackson's government. Fox begun meeting officials from the Army to discuss a reorganisation of the empire, without the foreknowledge of the President. This "New Order" begun spreading out across the empire, distributing forces to all the major city's on the 24th September 2019.

### 2019 Coup

As part of a growing frustration with the Imperial Army's refusal to bow down to the whims of his government, President Nathan Jackson introduced the Patriot Act of 2019 into the Libirachi National Congress in July 2019 after being displeased with the incompetence of senior officers within the Libirachi Army during the botched Invasion of Iran in May 2019. Whilst having to deal with the loss of some of his most loyal officers, Jackson attempted to push his new Patriotism Act based on the original bill from Xi Kanna's presidency, but with the rights of military personnel severely downplayed and the role of High Command delegated to the President's inner circle, all the while reducing the importance of commissioned military officers in favour of a new army of shocktroopers loyal only to the President. Enraged by the disregard for the Imperial High Command, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Kanan Garel began putting together a coalition of forces in government to depose the Libirachi President, enlisting the help of Education Secretary Laura Fox and the LIA liaison to the Ministry of Defence, Xi Jimping, to front the new civilian government which was to be placed as a puppet regime for the armed forces. Launching from the military barracks on September 23, 2019, the Imperial Army rolled out its armed forces into key cities across the empire, except from Beijing which was controlled by members of Imperial Intelligence and the ever-loyal Imperial Security Bureau. Quickly seizing control of the extensive infrastructure project maintained by the First Legion, the army blocked off all contact to the Forbidden City from all parts of the empire, leaving the President isolated and confused as to what was transpiring - unbeknownst to him, the LIA had managed to occupy vast swathes of civilian governed areas, and further controlling military districts. As the government hurriedly attempted to re-gain control of districts over the night of September 23 and the day of September 24, the military kept up its relentless domination of provinces, causing many to fall in a domino effect to the army forces before the new Imperial State Council which had proclaimed its governance on September 24, 2019.

Surrounding the city of Beijing over the night of September 24, the State Council forces made their way through the city under the cover of darkness, infiltrating the barracks of ISB soldiers before using a series of underground tunnels to make their way into key districts of the city. With the breaking of dawn the next day, the army forced its way through the barricade at the entrances to the capital of Beijing, mobilising troops to seize government buildings and apprehend anyone who tried to repel them. District after district fell to the sheer military might, each one proclaiming loyalty to their new leaders whilst ISB agents fled back to the city centre. The tanks rolled out on every high street; the platoons marched through every town. The country came to a deadlock as streets were blocked by armed guards, and houses were searched for fugitives. Within hours, the last remaining threat to the new regime had fallen, and only central Beijing remained as part of Jackson's forces.

Within the hour, the Army congregated in Beijing, armed with fighter tanks and legions of soldiers. Bursting in through the city gates, the LIA fought their way through streets of Imperial Guards, the Beijing defence force, which were determined not to let them through. After an intense firefight, the LIA managed to roll through, devastating the surrounding areas. By 6pm, the Army had cut through to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, where the Imperial Government was based. Much to the horror of the State Council, they were greeted with a deployment of Imperial Guards, and a large contingent of Presidential Guards - the President's personal security force. The ensuring battle lasted a solid hour, by which point night was beginning to set in over the skies of Beijing. With the much of the Imperial Guard dead, a convoy of military registered 4x4s and escort limos arrived outside the Libirachi National Congress headquarters and Presidential offices in the Hall of Revolution, with the limo containing then Environment Secretary dame Laura Fox. Entering the building flanked by a contingent of loyal soldiers, Fox and her cohorts made their way through the building, storming through various ceremonial halls and stairways in continued bouts of firefights against ISB operatives and the Presidential Guard. Marching though the building, the LIA met even more resistance from a further deployment of Presidential Guards, in a firefight that shredded the National Congress room. With much of the guard distracted in the Congress room, Fox and her escort made their way through the building towards the Presidential Suite, killing those in the way and spraying the offices of Jackson loyalist office staff with bullets and leaving the majority dead. Arriving at the presidential suite, Fox's escort smashed into the offices and capturing senior officials within Jackson's office like the UN ambassador Chen Zhili who was dragged out of her offices and shot in the hallway outside the presidential suite. Smashing their way into the Round Room of the Hall of Revolution, the president's private office, the escort shot down the presidential guard, allowing Fox to march in and face down the startled Jackson, who supposedly said "et tu Brute?" in reference to the betrayal of Fox in an allude to the Roman dictator Julius Caesar who was betrayed by his own inner circle. Undeterred by Jackson's remark, Fox shot Jackson where he sat - twice in the chest, and once in the head - killing him instantly.

All that remained of Jackson's support base surrendered the next day, officially supporting the new regime. Propaganda was issued to the people to re-assure them that the military might they had seen was just an exercise drill, albeit a large one, and that the government was as stable as ever. Only those in the Forbidden City knew of Jackson's death, and it was the new government's intention to keep it that way. The leaders of the coup (Laura Fox, Deputy Minister of Propaganda Xi Jimping, Damian Hurst, Grand General Cassio Tagge and military adviser Bowen Shi) began to plan how the new government would be declared, and the LIA generals were keen to have a singular plan of action for the Declaration of the New Order.

## Presidency

 Main article: Presidency of Laura Fox

With the death of President Nathan Jackson in September 2019, the nation briefly stayed under Marshal Law until September 27th when Laura Fox was declared the new President of the Libirachi Empire. Under Fox's presidency, the controversial Patriotism Bill was revoked and a meeting of the Libirachi National Congress granted the Assent Bill (2019) which granted the President's choice of regent the right to take the throne of the Libirachi Empire. Selecting herself, Fox was crowned as Empress Laura Fox on November 11th 2019 and appointed fellow coup leader Xi Jimping as a replacement President. Having legally secured power as the first regent since the abolishment of the monarchy in 1852, Fox set about solidifying her power base, purging both the state bureaucracy and military of Jackson supporters and reshuffling the corridors of power to firmly place her as head of state. Pursuing an aggressive foreign policy, the new regime frequently came to odds with the neighbouring economic and military superpower of Bovido Has, as well as the foundling Persian Republic in the middle east, over international policies and regime changes, actively supporting the Zander administration in the United States of America whilst attempting to topple the Cameron government in the United Kingdom.

## Reign

 Main article: Reign of Laura Fox

 President

Founding the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order, Empress Fox I set about pulling all the various different intelligence agencies from the previous Imperial Republic of Libirachi and uniting them into one core agency, often shortened in name to COMPNOR. In addition, COMPNOR was also an umbrella organisation that consisted of multiple sub-divisions, such as the Coalition for Progress and the Sub-Adult Group (SAGroup), as well as playing a major part in the control of the Libirachi boarders, taking priority over the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.  COMPNOR was the largest entity of the Imperial bureaucracy, and influenced many aspects of Imperial life, including the arts, sciences, youth education, law enforcement, and even Imperial Military functions. COMPNOR supported the state-sponsored political religion of the New Order, a set of ideals embodied within Imperial society dedicated to order, control, and the rule of law. COMPNOR supported civic pride, militarism, and unyielding patriotism to the Empire. It criticised the regime of President Nathan Jackson as lachrymose, corrupt, and ignorant to the demands of its populace, flaws with which it purported Empress Laura Fox's regime had resolved. As such, the "Reformed" Empire represented the pinnacle of 800 years of Libirachi culture and sophistication, refined and moulded into a simpler, yet purer form.

 Under the Presidency of Xi Jimping, the Libirachi Empire returned to the economic liberalisation which became standardised during the reign of President Jackson, while continuing to clamp down on individual freedoms with the guidance of Empress Laura Fox. Taking over the governmental responsibilities granted to the Empress, Xi built his first cabinet from the remnants of Nathan Jackson's last, uniting various officials under his banner and using a poetic sense of justice to imprison the very officials who blocked his rise through the political ranks. As only the second President from the Libirachi Han community, Xi Jimping set about re-defining the overlooked Equality Act of 1952 which would further the rights of selected ethnic minorities (or in this case, majority) in the constitution. As the Libirachi Empire settle into its new political order, a familiar face from the Jackson era, Ashton Morre - the disillusioned marshal of Ranjor, returned at the head of a terrorist organisation calling itself the Hǔnluàn, roughly translating as the Storm of Blood in Arubesh, and began a series of terror attacks against key assets of the Libirachi Empire over the winter of 2019 - 20 before they were tracked down to the mountain ranges of western china and destroyed their headquarters in a blitzkrieg of fire, leaving Morre presumed dead. Unknown to the Fox regime, Morre survived the incident and rebuilt his organisation in the Persian Republic with the assistance of Penny Fox, daughter of the Empress, in exchange for assassinating Bovido Hassian Archbishop Hazael Buller as part of her plan to achieve control over the Libirachi Empire from her mother. With the death of the Archbishop on March 29th 2020, the two Asian superpowers came to loggerheads, both being unaware of the true culprit of the assassination, and declared war on each other on April 1. As the conflict began to escalate, the Hǔnluàn seized control of the Persian Republic and retreated from the conflict, whilst the nation of Obadiah Has joined the foray. Within months of the conflict, the Bovido Hassian army attempted a daring attack on the Libirachi capital of Beijing, the first such attack from a foreign nation and only the 6th such battle since the city became the capital, in which they successfully managed to capture President Xi Jimping, although he was later rescued by the 7th Naval Legion Fleet under the command of Grand Admiral Rithnuro Thrawn. Enraged by the brazen assault on their capital, the Libirachi Empire launched its 2nd Libirachi Occupation Army and the 7th Fleet to take the Bovido Hassian capital of Makassar, defeating the Lord's Grand Army and executing the Bovido Hassian Emperor on May 15th 2021. However, after a missile strike on Imperial High Command in January 2021, the Libirachi Empire resolved to invade the Persian Republic to topple the regime of Ashton Morre, who turned to Penny Fox to receive additional assistance, although the request was rebuffed and ties between the two were broken. Having toppled and left Morre for dead, the Libirachi Empire turned its full attention to the invasion of the Tokyo Bovido led by Bovido Hassian Archbishop Syli Dean. Over the rest of 2021, the Libirachi Empire pressed home the assault on Tokyo, before crushing the regime and turning its focus to Obadiah Has and the Bovido Line, which were the last main remnants of Bovido Has in east Asia. In the months that followed, the Empire aggressively destroyed lines of demoralised soldiers, as the Christian holdouts crumbled in the wake of the superior Imperial Army. With the Has Wars coming to a close, a plot was formed in Persia under the leadership of the new President, Almac Docu, a former Libirachi politician in exile for rebelling against the government; under a cloak of darkness, a set of assassins infiltrated Beijing and poisoned Empress Laura Fox in the evening of May 27th 2022, leaving the nation without a head of state.