Interview: Grand Duke Ravenstone, leader of House Ravenstone (RVN)
by Tess Olsen, exclusive for the GGG
Most of us still remember the list of noble houses we were forced to memorize in school: House Hayduk, House LiQuan, House Porter, etc. Now there is a new noble house to be added to that list, with House Ravenstone (RVN) being granted affiliation status by the EEM this week. We talked with Blake Ravenstone, Grand Duke of the Imperial Frontier, the man in charge of the new affiliation.
GGG: Why did you decide to start your own affiliation and why now?
BR: Registering House Ravenstone as an affiliation recognized by the EEM is a natural progression of the work we have been doing. It is good for the Empire to have strong noble houses, and we hope that our new status will have a positive impact in the expansion and prosperity of the Empire. The idea of establishing House Ravenstone as an independent affiliation has been suggested on a few occasions, but it was not until now that the conditions seemed adequate.
GGG: Would House Ravenstone be more aligned with the Imperial block or the Confederate block?
BR: Well, we hope to see those distinctions abandoned. We all serve the same Empire and, despite some eventual disagreements, we all have fairly similar goals. The war has been over for several years and there is really no good reason for using labels from the past to keep us from working together for the greater good.
GGG: What about your system claims, don't you fear upsetting the IMP and the CNF by reflagging systems that were previously claimed for them?
BR: The reflagging was done with the agreement of both the IMP and the CNF, and the Emperor himself acknowledges my role as protector of these systems. Also, as you may remember, the systems claimed by House Ravenstone were not claimed by the IMP or by the CNF when we first established our claim. Wastelands and Caribbean were unclaimed, Demon was claimed for the RIP. It was for making these systems part of the Empire that I was awarded the title of Grand Duke of the Imperial Frontier.
GGG: House Ravenstone surprised many people with the purchase of EEM Hypso (4802), a place that is an important part of the history of the peripheries. Do you have any special plans for the starbase?
BR: RVN Hypso has a rich history and we intend to respect that. We will be making some renovations but selected historic locations will be maintained and conserved as a monument to the exploration of the galaxy. The market is currently closed while we reorganize a few things but it will soon reopen for business as usual.
GGG: What are your goals for House Ravenstone?
BR: We are primarily interested in the reunification and the expansion of the Empire, by peaceful means. We hope to be a voice of reason and moderation in the political conversation, but also to take a pragmatic role in resolving important issues and in fostering harmonious relations with civilian populations.
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Cheap Shots
by Kaspar Khan, exclusive for the GGG
+ IMP Viceroy Githyanki declared the orbit and quadrant of planet Midway, in the Straddle System, a restricted zone and threatened to shoot any DTR ships found there. The republican response to yet another attempt to start a war was something along the lines of "sorry, not today".
+ The GTT announced the promotion of Thomasia Payne to the Board of Directors. Rumours that it is just old Bob Bost returning to the affiliation after a sex change operation seem to be unfounded.
+ First it was the allegedly peaceful and neutral traders from the AFT spotted flying 200 Heavy Hulls warships. Then it was the allegedly peaceful and neutral traders from the MOH spotted flying 100 Heavy Hulls warships with high tech equipment. Now we are waiting to see what kind of warships the allegedly peaceful and neutral traders from the WMB will be flying.
+ The Oligarchs of Mithras, in the Persian System, have been hiring starcaptains to blow small chunks of icy rock off small comets and guide them into low orbit to create rain. Perhaps the IMP should release Demetrius "Badaboom" LiQuan from prison and let him share some of his expertise in blowing up asteroids.
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