A tape was leaked onto the internet today which appeared to be of a meeting between Emperor Marco, several members of the Foreign Office and the Archbishop of the City of Abertone. While the vast majority of the meeting was focused on supporting overseas Catholic Churches and organising a "Grand Pilgrimage" part of the meeting discussed securing better relations with other Christian monarchies and suggested arranging a marriage between the Emperors illegitimate daughter, Viscountess Alda Rizzo and Prince Rupert of Hozland. This was seemingly brought up by Junior Foreign Minister Aurora Napoli who said, "Hozland is a nation that has an ethos similar to our own in its Christian heritage. The Prince is a future King who Alda can ensure is our greatest friend." The Viscountess is the daughter of Emperor Marco and  Livia Rizzo, the future Countess of Bergcastro. The pair had a two year on and off again relationship and while the Emperor initially did not recognise his daughter it was his cousin, Consul Graziano, who ensured she was well provided for. In recent years the Emperor and Viscountess have not become close and it is likely that she will become even more estranged following what appears to be a plot to use her as a negotiating tool.

The Chronicle contacted the 23 year old Viscountess for comment however she has yet to make any. She currently lives in Bergcastro where she works for Bontempi Studios, the nations largest record label. She was in an all girl pop-punk band that charted in 2017 but split up shortly after. She currently works as a writer and producer for the studio and has played bass guitar on many notable its within the nation. She has a small cult following among younger Abertonians some of whom have called for her to be recognised as the heir to the throne being the eldest of the Emperors three illegitimate children. This however has been called "impossible" by Consul Graziano who has in the past said, "Alda is family, she is my first cousin once removed but I see her more as a niece, I however do not think she could ever be Empress. She has not lived a life in preparation for such a role and furthermore the law is very clear that the monarch must come from a legitimate bloodline. As it stands Prince Peter is the rightful heir until Emperor Marco producers a legitimate child of his own." The Consul was asked about the leaked tape but said, "I was not in the meeting so have no idea of the tapes authenticity."

---

With the Imperial Lancer Regiment celebrating its 200th birthday the Emperor was on hand to present several awards for long service to current members. In addition each soldier was given a special commemorative medal to celebrate the 200 year anniversary. While the parade was more or less a routine Imperial event the day was notable because of the words of Consul Graziano. The Consul explained that he is pushing for a change in military policy. Currently the armed forces operates a "Dont' Ask Don't Tell" policy regarding homosexuality in the armed forces with anyone found to be homosexual being potentially given a dishonourable discharge, something that brings with it a  loss of pension and veteran benefits. The Consul today has said, "I think saying any serving soldier who has otherwise acted in accordance with Imperial Regulations has been dishonourable for simply being homosexual is an old fashioned concept. I am awaiting reports from various sources on whether removing Don't Ask Don't Tell is practical and desirable but I will not see any honourable soldier lose their hard earned pension and veteran rights. I will be asking the Emperor to support this policy that anyone found to be homosexual face, at worst, an honourable discharge with all the rights afforded anyone else who has served."

The news was welcomed by some LGBTQ Rights groups who said, "Today we have seen a baby step in the right direction of equality within the military. We still have a long way to go and we will be submitting our own report to the Consul urging him to ensure members of our community who choose to serve are able to do so and be afforded the same rights and privileges as anyone else." Others meanwhile said that it was not going far enough with one group saying, "This is a concept from 100 years ago. It must be changed and it must be changed now, we don't need a half way house." 

The final decision will be left to the Emperor who has yet to pass comment on the Consul's announcement.

Marco had been looking forward to the trip to the Queendom ever since meeting Stasya during the Festival of Sail. He was a man fond of social events and while the concept of a Ball Season wasn't common back home there was always some noble hosting a celebration who would invite the Emperor and while he didn't attend every single one he was always careful to acknowledge each and attend enough that it left the other nobles with the impression there was a chance he would attend if they asked and as a result his social calendar was always as busy as he wished. This was the type of diplomacy and politics that he could get behind. To "acclamatise" the Emperor had travelled a few days before hand and stayed in Gaia. For his first two days he had been joined by Aurora Napoli, his Junior Foreign Minister, a young businesswoman who was the owner of a respected "Luxury lifestyle" business and so ideal in Marco's view to help him prepare for a society that put great stock by all accounts on such a lifestyle. It also helped that she was easy on the eye especially in a bikini around their privately rented villa's pool. He had packed her off this morning back to Abertone, he no longer had need for her "briefings" and instead waited patiently for the arrival of the local transport. The trip across the Alucard was pleasant enough and the island looked welcoming as the helicopter touched down. He found the sight of a huge grey military ship sat off the coast rather odd but said nothing as he thanked the aircrew for their duty. He had a smart dinner jacket on with the Abertone wolf embroided on the pocket. He saw Stasya and greeted her with a kiss on each cheek, "I must compliment Your Majesty on what looks a fantastic venue. Your certainly blessed to own a house such as this its beauty though pales next to your own. Is King David not joining us this evening?" He enquired already knowing the answer.

As Tonya was introduced Marco tried to resist the urge to cast an eye up and down the Lady in Waiting but probably did. "Lady Tonya" Marco took her hand and kissed it gently, "I am thrilled to meet you and I look forward to your company. I hope you will accept this, I think it would be rude to take your precious time and not give you a token of my appreciation." From his pocket he removed a necklace box containing a silver chain with a diamond pennant. "May I" he opened it and waited for her to turn he gently pushed her hair out of the way and slid the necklace in locking the catch at the back. "Thank you" he bowed slightly. "I am looking forward to meeting your Queen, how has she been since taking the throne, I trust she's well?"

The Imperial Foreign Office have today released information that the Emperor has concluded the first deal with another nation since he came to the throne. The Emperor and a delegation from several departments travelled to East Moreland's Festival of Sail and meet with King David Ironside in what was described as a "productive informal meeting." The meeting between the two monarchs has set in place an arrangement that will see trade streamlined between the two nations. First tariffs will be reduced and at the same time allow products from both nations to be transfered easily between the two nations. The deal will also make it easier for businesses to showcase their good and make co-operative arrangements between themselves. The two nations also formally agree to recognise intellectual property rights between the two nations.  Finally it will make it easier for sports and entertainers to travel between the two nations.

Consul Graziano was also present at the talks and in an interview with national TV news said, "I am delighted that this deal has been signed. We as a nation are now going to push forward with more similar arrangements across Mundus. During the talks His Majesty King David gave us his word that he would seek to add the names of the three other CNN nations to this arrangement meaning Abertone would have a deal with the largest trading bloc on Mundus. This is a positive outcome and I firmly believe that the Morelanders would seek to build on this if we wished to. I think it important we now give things time to breath, we wait and see what happens between ourselves and East Moreland using the deal we've signed, we then see what the CNN reaction is and hopefully it is positive."

The Emperor has already indicated that he will seek to boost the deals chances of being accepted by the CNN as he will be travelling to meet the Queen of Lodja in the coming days. While in East Moreland the Emperor also signed the Cultural Exchange Treaty Organisation charter as was backed by several nations meaning the country is now part of the arrangement designed to promote and protect cultural heritages. The Emperor has also stated that the Empire will host a huge cultural festival in the coming months as they seek to promote relations with a wider range of nations.

Marco was impressed that Queen Stasya was actually as stunning in reality as her pictures. The Emperor kissed the Queen's hand with a bow while Graziano rolled his eyes then delicately shook it. He resumed his seat next to Stasya and poured himself and her some wine. "A ball?" Marco mused. "I do rather enjoy such occasions." It was true that he did enjoy the pageantry and spectacle of them. "I can have my dancing shoes packed as soon as you let me know the arrangements and that is assuming the Queen will be in attendance. There is though one concern I have. I would be out of sorts in terms of the etiquette and even the styles of Lodja. I would hate to either embarass myself or more importantly you as my host. I was wondering if you could perhaps find me a partner to attend with, I would very much hate to find myself dancing alone."

Graziano was pleased with how things had gone. "Your Majesty I think this is business concluded from our side. I'm thankful you've seen fit to put together this deal for us."

Before the Consul could continue however there was an interuption from the Emperor who had drained his second glass of wine and placed it on the table. "I would ask for a bit more of a personnel favour. I intend in due course if we are to have a CNN friendship. I see there as a kind of logical path to this. First you as you're kind enough to host a wonderful festival. Then ask you to introduce me to Queen Stasya and hopefully through her an introduction to Queen Natalya who I understand is a personal friend of hers. Then as she is someone very in tune with the Maori them and then when I've everyone the Cenneg should be easy enough to meet. I hope therefore you'd allow me to meet your wife."

Graziano shook his head. "Even the matters you say we can discuss are underpinned by your existing agreements. You're nation issues Cross Strait Passports so that would need to be considered in any visa issue. The CSFTA is managed and monitored by the CS Secretariat so they would be having input into inspections of paperwork, standards of goods etc that are passing between our two nations. You're tied into this arrangement and while things can be negotiated they are not entirely yours to do so. We therefore have reached a point where we can't even see a position where discussions can begin on many areas. I therefore suggest that we agree to issue a statement that we have meet agreed to be good neighbours and that we will promote active embassies between us. That is unless you have a proposal to put before me that would alleviate these concerns and show a way past them."

Graziano had heard of the More and Mundus programme and approved of it. He paused for a moment or two and then looked at Marco. "I wonder Emperor if we can lead by example here. My son Andrew turns 18 very shortly. He has just a few weeks left in school. Use him as a guineia pig so to speak. Have him come over to East Moreland and then we shall host someone from East Moreland in return. If it goes well then naturally we can roll it out to schools across the Empire having said we personally stand behind it." Graziano suspected that Marco would probably struggle to pick his nephew out of a line up and so there wouldn't be much for him to think about regarding that.

Marco had been busy watching the ships out at sea and paid very little attention to what his cousin was saying. Talk of education and schools didn't really interest him. School was simply a place to turn up and you absorbed what you could. Some like his cousin absorbed slowly while he had been rather quicker, he believed that education was not as important as life experience. With his attention snapped back he gave a nod, "Yes, yes Andrew should take part. It'll do the boy good to get to see something other than farms and churches." His comment forced the Consul to bite his lip. His 17 year old son was an active member of the Order of Isidore Youth which was in effect Boy Scouts with farming and it was something Graziano was proud of. Andrew had grown into a well rounded young gentleman and his father was confident he would one day be someone who would achieve great things.

"Sign us up then." Graziano tried his best to sound pleased about the response. " I look forward to hearing of his experiences and while I know this makes us a host family I hope you would not mind the fact that whichever Morelander we got we would not have them stay with us in the Palace, we'd head out to the countryside where we have property to try and give them a more authentic Abertonian experience."

Marco looked across at his cousin. Reviving something that was dormant, it was maybe an easy way to get a foot on the ladder and it potentially had the ability to bring some money in for tourism. Marco and Graziano exchanged a few nods and hand waves which to David maybe looked rather odd but a lifetime of knowing each other meant such gestures were practically a language to the duo. "It is a great start. If you ensure we get into the CETO thing then I will ensure that we host an impressive festival. I naturally would like the author of the treaty to attend as my guest of honour. It would also be good if we could have some arrangement to also celebrate. I would like to therefore suggest that we, well Graziano and you as he is more policy focused than me, draft an arrangement. It would be one that would see the Empire forge a trade arrangement with the CNN. My hope would be that we would put it on paper, you could then sell it to your allies before the festival. As a grand gesture of our arrival on the international stage I would like the CNN leaders and myself to sign it in public. Now if you believe such a wide sweeping agreement is not possible then fine Abertone and East Moreland could proceed?"

The Emperor would have been more than content to allow his cousin to handle the matters of diplomacy but Graziano had insisted that when meeting East Moreland it would be best to have the monarch do it but still that gave Marco hope that perhaps he would have a chance to meet this Queen Stasya face to face. It would just be a shame her husband would be there. He'd heard wonderful things about Lodjian women and would need to open up diplomacy there, a nation he'd take a lead in. For today though the Emperor and his cousin Prince Graziano would be making the most of this opportunity.

The scale and manner of the pomp and ceremony at the opening ceremony had impressed Marco especially seeing the Vento di Lupo among ships from a seemingly similar time period although his grasp of nautical history was rather limited. The touch of having a sword bearer was nice, he made a mental note to have Graziano work something similar out for formal occasions. He was hopeful that one day Abertone would be able to host some large scale festival such as this and the plan to do so would be part of his discussions with the King. Following the opening ceremony he made his way through the Festival grounds and to the Lighthouse. It was certainly not as regal as he had expected from a well respected monarch but it was maybe fitting for such an occasion.

Marco settled himself on the roof top terrace with his cousin and enjoyed a glass of wine, despite it being early in the morning, while he waited for the King to arrive.

It was Graziano, clearly better briefed than the Emperor, who first saw the duo of Morelanders arrive. "Sir Harry, Sir Jacob" He stood while his cousin remained seated sipping his wine. The Consul smiled as he extended his hand to each. "I have the pleasure of introducing my cousin, Emperor Marco." The Emperor remained seated and simply raised his glass to each.

"Good morning gnetleman." He smiled as he waited for the duo to take their seat. "Will your King be joining us soon?" he asked only to not sooner see the King ascend to the roof. This time Marco stood, handed Graziano the wine and approached the King with a hand outstretched. "David I think given the chance to meet a fellow monarch you should take it, especially as we have no formal connections. The idea of meeting in such a relaxed manner if rather appealing rather than around some conference table. We are after all in a position to do a deal here and now. I hope that will be the outcome. Now as for a private meeting there are going to be things that monarchs must discuss that are not for the ears of the press. The first thing I would like to discuss is you helping me put our nation on the map. I like the idea of showpieces and I intend to make a spectacle in Abertone. What advice would you give a monarch wishing to do such?" 

Alda was born in 1998. Her father is Emperor Marco and her mother Livia Rizzo, the daughter of the Count of Bergcastro.

At the time of her birth her mother had recently ended a relationship with the future Emperor and he denied being Alda's father. This lead to Emperor Luca V stepping in and ensuring his grand-daughter was well looked after. He even went so far as threatening his son Marco with having a blood sample taken by force. When she was just three months old Luca V died however Marco's brother ensured she was kept in touch with the rest of the family. Between her own noble family and the Imperial one she was privileged to have a good upbringing.

She was enrolled at the age of four at the St. Thomas Aquinas Academy in Bergcastro. She enjoyed horse riding and music. By the age of eight she was attending lessons on show jumping at the National Equine Academy. By the time she graduated high school she was a hard working student with a reputation for being involved in "literally everything" ranging from a netball, orchestra, drama club and the school newspaper.

In 2016 she attended Bergcastro University for Performing Arts where she studied Music. There she formed a indie rock band with several of her friends in which she played bass guitar. They even experienced some minor chart success with them reaching No.12 in the national charts. In 2018 however the band had "artistic differences" and disbanded. A year later Alda graduated and found a job in the capital Abertone as a session musician and music tutor. Following her estranged father becoming Emperor however her uncle Graziano insisted she come under protection from the Imperial Security Service and she found herself becoming closer to him.

She currently hosts a music podcast, writes music for a recording label and helps organise concerts for Graziano's various charitable endeavours. 

Graziano had resumed a laid back posture as the Princess spoke, his eyes alternating between her and his pad as he slowly and methodically shaded in the first of his four boxes first slowly building up an edge and then slowly filling it in so that by the time she had finished her repose he had just about finished. He replaced the lid on his pen and slid it into the spine spirals of his notebook. "I understand you represent Rokkenjima, but it is true to say Rokkenjima is a member of the CSTO. When bilateral ties are made then that fact must be considered. The same will be true when we speak to East Moreland. It is the nature of global geopolitics that we all carry baggage. For our own part that is likely to be the fact that we're an Empire of two very different halves. The West, a kind of stable homeland and the East a more volatile region. As such any nation we deal with would need to be aware of this, also the fact our nation has a very devout Catholic population as the recent referendum showed. While our baggage is our own to carry parts of your own you carry one handle while nations like Tytor carry the other. This means you will always be a representative of the First Empire of Rokkenjima, CSTO member. As you speak of Cassiopeia I have not been briefed that any direct hand of friendship has been extended to them from yourself. Maybe that is a failing of my foreign office minion. As for our relationship I can see things such as education but again when it comes to economic and trade we have to consider your Cross-Straits commitments. Exactly what are they?"

Today voters across the Empire visited polling booths to have their say in the future of the Empire's recognition of human rights. The Empire has no real codified equivalent of a Bill of Rights and the Emperor and his government have suggested that the Abrahamic Declaration take that role. The document was originally drafted by the Emir of Rayyu and several other nations who can trace the majority of their nations faith to the Abrahamic religions. Consul Graziano Lupo was one of the first to cast his vote however he refused to reveal how he voted instead preferring to say, "It is each individual to their own conscience in terms of how to vote. No one should be judged for their opinion and so I believe it is best to keep such thoughts to yourself, especially in my position. I believe having your say in how your future will be is important and pray that the people of the Empire get out and vote." The Consul got his wish as in the Western part of the Empire the turn out was around 80% while in the East it was significantly lower at around 65%. The polling stations in the East saw higher levels of security following several incidents connected to Republican terrorists over the previous week or so. Many experts have put the low turn out down to this concern about being targetted.

Lines at the polling stations were reasonably long but moved swiftly with no reports of problems or irregularaties. The voting stations closed at around 7pm after which local areas began to count their votes and report their numbers to the central government. Just after midnight the results for the Western Empire was known with 67% of the vote going in favour of signing the document. There were several hours to wait for the results from the East which would determine the future of human rights within the Empire as for the Declaration to be signed it required not just a majority but also to be accepted in both the East and West. When the results came in from the East it saw a much narrower approval with 54% voting in favour of the document. As a result it was announced in the small hours that the Emperor would be signing the Declaration in the coming days.

Consul Graziano Lupo commented on the result saying, "I am a little surprised that the charter was not as readily accepted in the East, I know they have some concerns about their relationship with the Emperors administration but I honestly believe that now we have a document such as this in place it will help rebuild a positive relationship between us all." The Emperor has yet to speak on the result however is expected to sign the document personally in the next 48 hours.

Following a chance discovery by cleaning staff at Gamberale Cathedral what appears to be an improvised explosive device has been discovered. The Cathedral is the oldest in the eastern part of the Empire and dates back to the 1500's as a result it is viewed by many as the spiritual capital of the Eastern Empire. Police were first alerted to the device at 6am as custodian, Philippe De Nero, began ensuring the Cathedral was set up for Sunday services. Within minutes a cordon was erected around the Cathedral and a handful of nearby homes were evacuated. By 7am a convoy of black military tracks from the Imperial Carabinieri had taken over the scene and then moments later the Bomb Disposal unit had arrived. It was only after 9am that the situation was declared to have been restored to normal after experts from the Bomb Disposal unit had carried out a controlled explosion on the device. Major Baldina of the Imperial Military Engineers was responsible for overseeing the bomb disposal operation and spoke with the media following it and said, "The device was a relatively simple one but had it gone off mid service then we could have seen a significant number of casualties. We have sadly caused some slight damage to the Cathedral but while that is disappointing I'd much rather damage some stones and tiles than see people harmed." The Archbishop of Gamberale had moved morning mass to the beach and has since inspected the damage to his building. The Sunday evening mass took place within the Cathedral however.

Archbishop Salvatore Crusi said he was disappointed with the incident, "The Cathedral is a house of God and a place where the community comes together. Even the non-Christian community see's a benefit from the work of our Cathedral as we host youth events, cafe's, do charitable work and everyone is welcome to our celebrations. Violence achieves nothing and bringing death to the heart of the community is twisted." The Cathedral saw an increased presence from the Carabinieri throughout the day and teams swept other Churches in the city. While so far no one has been arrested for the incident there had been several raids across the city in the aftermath.

The foiled attack comes as the nation is just a week away from the referendum on signing the Abrahamic Declaration of Rights and some fear that the sizeable minority of non-Christians in the nation may be concerned about the result. Some fear that the religious leanings of the nation over such a document could lead to tension between the Catholic majority in the nation and those who follow more traditional folk faiths, particularly in the East.

---

Agatha Lupo, the wife of Consul Graziano Lupo, has today confirmed that she has accepted a role working for Channel 2 TV. The 39 year old mother of three is a graduate in Classical Art and is set to be part of a series of documentaries looking at the great works of art of Abertone. Channel 2 TV is a publically owned channel with the mission statement of "providing the people of the Empire with cultural, educational and sporting programming." The Channel is currently producing twenty new shows after being taken over by a new Director General in Mary Orino in May. The new programming being made includes a "Game of Thrones style telling of the creation of the Empire" and a "Beginners Guide to Opera". Agatha Lupo has previously worked as a consultant on several Channel 2 art based programmes however this is her first on screen appearence.

In a post on Instagram Agatha Lupo said, "I've an oppurtunity to talk about my greatest passions beyond my family. I'm excited to share with the people who tune in the stories behind some of the works of art that are landmarks in our history. I've spent most of my adult life acting as a consultant on art whether it be for a private auction house, the National Gallery of even the Lupo families own collections. I've seen many great art works the general public have not had a chance to enjoy but now I can change that." The programme is set to air in early August. In addition to this Agatha Lupo is expected to also make appearances on Channel 2's discussion panel show "In the Culture" which looks at the latest developments in film, art and music.

Marco seemed uninterested at the discussions of the Consuls daughter. It was left to his own Consul to take the lead once more. "In order to create unity between our nations could we consider a twinning between our schools. There must be many such examples of where youngsters from your nation are back home having spent some time here, Abertone can't have been a refuge just for Danai. It would be a nice way to ensure that those bonds of friendship last. As for the embassy issue if you let us know what the requirements are then naturally we'll comply. The last thing we want to do is sully this friendship that is just blossoming. Now once we have ambassadors in place we'd like to consider some kind of economic co-operation. Is this perhaps a step too far for a first meeting?"

In the 16th Century the world saw improvements in maritime technology that allowed longer and faster voyages thus opening Mundus up for trade and in many cases conquest. One such conquest was that of the territories of Northern Albion by the military of Abertone. Having grown on the continent of Ardia the Empire had reached as far as it could without coming into conflict with its neighbours and so looked across the oceans for new oppurtunities. This saw Emperor Bruno III authorise an expedition by a group lead by Duke Silvio Martinelli in 1544 that laid claim to an area bordering modern day Kermah. With this region full of semi nomadic tribes the expedition was able to establish a coastal settlement at what today is the city of Lafiagi, the capital of the Eastern Empire. Since then the fortunes of this Albionic outpost have been vastly different to those of the West.

Demographically the two Empires are very different. Emperor Bruno II did not flood the newly acquired territory with settlers instead encouraging locals to come and gain the relative security of an established trading port. The Eastern Empire went from strength to strength as it took advantage of disorder among the tribes in the region however following Bruno II's death his soon saw the new territory as something more akin to a store of resources and a people to be converted. Emperor Roland II sent missionaries to spread the Catholic faith and while giving with one hand took with the other as the boats that brought the missionaries took home gold, silver, slaves and various other resources ensuring the wealth of the Western Empire. This divide today is still visible. Any individual who visits Lafiagi will, as they enter the old port, see the Citadel of St.Nicholas, the last spot in the East slaves would have spent time before being taken to the West. The Citadel today is used as a museum that embraces the wrong doings of all those years however there are some in the East who wish to see it wiped from existence. One of those is Massimo Umbecki a 23 year old student of Eastern origin and is part of the Rediscovery Project. This project aims to help teach young people in the city and surrouning area about the heritage that Black Abertonians have had hidden from them. "Today there is the idea that we are one Empire, that we all are treated the same. Even this attempt at bringing in the Arbahamic Declaration is an attempt to hide the past. We are not treated the same all over the Empire. Our past is closer aligned to the people of Kermah that the people of Abertone and the Citadel is a daily reminder to the people of this city that our Emperors ancestors saw us once as nothing more than a trading commodity."

It is this sense of growing understanding of the past and the inequality it has caused that has lead to some of the tense situations that are found in the East. Just last week a sniper attack in the city left eight people dead. Polls suggest that there is a growing number of young people who are in favour of some form of independence. The most recent poll suggests almost 1 in 5 citizens of the Eastern Empire would support some form of independence however this increases to 1 in 3 for those aged between 18 and 30. The Republican Front are among several groups described as terrorists by the Empire who are active within the East. So far this year the Republican Front have carried out ten different attacks and currently 12 members of the organisation are awaiting trial for such crimes as bank robbery, kidnapping and murder. In the first six months of 2021 that figure was around half the amount for 2022 showing there is perhaps growing support for the groups aims. The task of dealing with groups such as this often falls to the Carabinieri, a form of military Police, who are regularly seen patrolling in military fatigues. Their current commander in the East is Lt-Col Gianni Donado who has served the last five years in the East and is of mixed East-West heritage. "We've seen the level of sophistican within these groups increase this year and we are yet to work out why. We've seen a better standard of weapon and they are becoming better funded and trained. We are currently investigating several avenues to reverse this and turn the Front into a ineffective body but that takes time and in the meantime people will be dying. Polls suggest that the people of the East don't want to become seperate from the Empire and it is our job to ensure they are not forced out by terrorists." So far 7 members of the Carbinieri have died this year in attacks.

The East of the Empire though is slowly changing. Since becoming Emperor in 2019 Emperor Marco IX has seemingly supported work to improve things in the East as explained by his Consol and cousin Graziano. "The East is a beautiful part of the world. Crystal blue seas, some amazing landscapes and with some investment it could well become a major producer of agricultural products and other materials. Its our job to make sure that these things happen and that the people there benefit. There was in 2019 a differential of around $11,000 in terms of GDP per capita between the East and West. We have still got lots to do with a gap that large being unacceptable. We have though in three years reduced that differential to $8,700, its still got a long way to go but its a start." When asked whether this process was purely an economic one the Consul said, "The East retains elements of its own culture and we should celebrate that. We are an Empire and Empires that are strongest have accepted and embraced diversity. We're trying to ensure that the curriculum of schools in the East gives them the freedom to ensure that their culture and past is presented in a way that is accurate and relevant. I think it is safe to say that as my cousins reign continues so will the improvements there."

The Consuls confidence though is not shared by people like the young Massimo Umbecki. "In Graziano we have a man who I think does have peoples best interest at heart. He has visited us several times and I know he's tried to appoint to his staff people from the East. Meanwhile we have an Emperor who has been here just once. I don't think he could even spell Lafiagi yet alone find it on a map. I think many young people would embrace the idea of Republicanism just because of Marco." Umbecki though is aware of the advantages of being part of the Empire. "One positive is that we have a way of escaping poverty here. We can travel freely to the West and there access good quality education. The problem is though once educated we need people to come back and help improve the East and fight for better treatment here but people seem content to remain in the west and enjoy the better quality of life there."

This brain drain from East to West has however raised concerns by some in the Imperial Senate. The right wing Capital Party have several times called for a form of immigration control for those moving from East to West. The Party won 5% in the last elections but are very vocal on the streets of the city Abertone. At one of there latest rallies the parties leader Silvano Manaderi explained. "The people in the East flood here knowing we have created a society that is safer, that is wealthier and one that is only going to get stronger. We have always propped up the East and as more and more immigrants come here our services and resources are being taken up by the Easterners rather than them working as hard as us to improve their community. We need to put in place strict vetting procedures so that we ensure these Republican terrorists don't come here as we have an open door. We also need to stop these unskilled workers coming here and taking opportunities for locals. We need to send more troops to the East, vet every person coming here before they get on a plane or boat and then limit how long they can stay here." It is unlikely that the party will do better in future elections however there have been reports of members of the party getting involved in scuffles with campaigners for reform in the East who have held rallies in the city of Abertone.

While the Empire has been around some 500 years there still remains questions about it stability. While the present situation suggests the Empire must weather another round of terrorist attacks these have in the past come in waves. As each peak of terrorist activity comes so do reforms, investment and various other strategies these usually has the consequence of bringing a reduction in the attacks that last several years. With Consol Graziano Lupin currently pushing a raft of measures to help the East it is likely the activities of the Republican Front will find fewer supporters in the years ahead. The problem though is the fortunes of the East rely squarely on who sits on the throne in the East and with many seeming to lack any confidence in the current Emperor it remains to be seen if the Consols work will actually have an impact on an Empire that has always been divided.