EditorialWelcome to the first issue of the Great Galactic Gazette, a new independent newspaper covering political and social issues around the peripheries. Our goal is to present credible information and thoughtful analysis, and we will only publish material that has been checked by our journalists or remarks that have been made directly to our reporters. If you are looking for unreliable rumours or reprinted press releases, we are sure you can find other publications that cater to your taste. Here at the Great Galactic Gazette we engage in serious journalism only.
Cornelius Merryheart
Editor of the Great Galactic Gazette-o-
Interview: Aldahan LiQuan, leader of House LiQuan (HLQ)by Tess Olsen, exclusive for the GGGAldahan LiQuan, aka Baron LiQuan (his official title is Baron Dolphinus in Exile), is a very vocal figure in the political arena of the galaxy. He has been involved time and again in very public verbal disputes and he has never been shy about threatening his adversaries. Just as an example, not long ago, he placed a 100,000 stellars bounty on our good editor (before he was our editor) because he made a joke about the baron. More recently, Aldahan LiQuan became the center of a controversy when he decided to infect himself with Meklan nanites. It is not everyday that we have the head of a noble house who is either a Meklan or at least part Meklan (he will undergo medical examinations to determine that), so we chose him as the subject of our very first interview.
(The interview you see here is the full conversation we had with Aldahan LiQuan. However, to ensure a good reading experience, we took the liberty to correct any speech problems. Our spellchecker worked overtime on this assignment.)
GGG: "Why did you accept the challenge to a duel issued by the DEN? Don't you think that it was an outdated manner to solve a dispute and that the matter could have been solved some other way, perhaps through diplomatic negotiations?"
LiQuan: "The DEN called it a trial by combat. I refused to recognise that statement and called it a duel. The DEN accused me and the HLQ of made up crimes to further their own political ends. We could have left it there and let the talks continue or we could meet them face to face and show them what honour means. In the end I slaughtered their champion, so proving under their laws that the charges were unfounded. How did the DEN react? They cried foul and tried to board my personal yacht. Against all the rules and customs. This proves once and for all what the DEN are. There could be no diplomatic solution, for the charges were plainly made up for other motives."
GGG: "Why did you choose to go through a dangerous and controversial medical procedure and get yourself infected with Meklan nanites?"
LiQuan: "Good question. My wife was murdered by the Imperials on Frolic, along with hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, when they rained a nuclear hell on our homeworld. The only family alive is my son and his wife. I have directed the HLQ for a long time in a manner to get our objectives done. I am keeping and upholding the customs of our culture. I have followed a code called honour all my life and so have my family before me. Now to defeat a DEN Elder in hand to hand combat without help was not going to happen. So I instructed our research department to enhance my body with Meklan tech. This would enable me to cause a crushing defeat on the DEN and to knock them down a peg or two."
GGG: "And how certain can you be that the firewall protection will really work in case the nanites try to reach your brain?"
LiQuan: "Probably, but nothing is certain in this world. If it fails the brain will automatically switch off, stopping any threat to the HLQ. At the moment I am undergoing extensive evaluations to assert the true impact on me and my body."
GGG: "Physically, what changed in your life after the procedure? Do you have new eating habits, do you sleep the same number of hours, do you feel any different than before?"
LiQuan: "My eating and sleeping habits are the same, except that now I have great physical strength and reflexes. I have more energy than I know what to with. I am like a new man."
GGG: "How do you see yourself now? Would you say you are a Meklan, a half-Meklan, a cyborg, or just the same old Liquan?"
LiQuan: "I am the same old Baron LiQuan just a bit tougher."
GGG: "The Dewiek Elder Nation have declared war on House LiQuan and House LiQuan have declared war on the Dewiek Elder Nation. Since the DEN cannot reach your assets without trespassing on their allies and since you cannot reach DEN space without trespassing on your allies, how do you expect this war will be resolved?"
LiQuan: "You are mistaken here. The DEN declared war on me and cannot attack me unless they invade the Inner Empire or the Inner Confederacy, which would bring them into conflict with the Commonwealth. Or they can attack me in Yank against the KAS wishes. I, however, can attack the DEN in their space, as they have not shut down the stargate links or the wormhole. In fact, HLQ forces are already in DEN space. We will not attack DEN in neutral systems, we have honour. Why have I not attacked in force? Basically, I am not strong fleet wise, I am a ship builder by trade and normally sell our ships. However recently we are building our fleet up to take some action. How will the war get resolved? It will end when the DEN get some honour and admit they were unjustified in their actions, or when they convince their human allies to attack the HLQ and start another civil war."
-o-
The Story of the Krell Piratesby Ringo Baxter, exclusive for the GGGOn Star Date 210.36.4, a group of pirate ships attacked unarmed IMP freighters in quadrant Gamma 1 of the Agripeta System (198). The attack failed and the IMP ships were able to leave the battle with no damage other than a small integrity loss. When the IMP intelligence services analized the sacans from the battle, it became clear that those pirate ships were the same ships that once flew the KRL flag.
Among the offending ships were the following Broadsword Class Heavy Cruisers: PIRATE SHIP RAVAGER 6 (11859), previously known as KRL SHIP BROAD KRELL 16 (11859); PIRATE SHIP RAVAGER 5 (22058), previously known as KRL SHIP BROAD KRELL 15 (22058); PIRATE SHIP RAVAGER 3 (27414), previously known as KRL SHIP BROAD KRELL 11 (27414); PIRATE SHIP RAVAGER 1 (65760), previously known as KRL SHIP BROAD KRELL 4 (65760); PIRATE SHIP WRATH 10 (85327), previously known as KRL SHIP SWORD 3 (85327); PIRATE SHIP RAVAGER 1 (88898), previously known as KRL SHIP BROAD KRELL 1 (88898).
Skaven, leader of the KRL, claimed that he had sold those ships to an undisclosed buyer. He added: "The Krell will not disclose the buyers of these ships under any circumstances." This, of course, placed the KRL in a bad situation. If the ships were really sold to a third party, then by not disclosing the identity of the buyers Skaven was aiding the pirates. If the ships were not sold to a third party, and Skaven was either unable or unwilling to prove they were, then the KRL were directly engaged in piracy.
The situation only got worse for the KRL. When the IMP received information about a pirate lair on a hidden asteroid in the Adventure System (206), the patrol sent to confront the criminals found a KRL outpost with PIR ships docked and in orbit, including some that had taken part in the Agripeta attack. The outpost was taken by IMP forces and most of the pirate ships were destroyed or fled after receiving heavy damage. Now the truth was in the open, with all evidence pointing to the KRL as the responsible party for the pirate operation.
Since then, Skaven has been pretending that there was never a KRL outpost harboring PIR ships that were once KRL ships. Most amusingly, he claims it is all a fabrication. The evidence, however, is unmistakable and has been verified by several parties. There is no doubt that the KRL are pirates, and all lawful affiliations will treat them as such. The IMP have declared war against the KRL and vowed to fight them until they are neutralized. The fight against piracy continues.
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