eternity:politics_in_the_empire [redemption]

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In 657PE, a virus was released, originating at an FTL comms station near the border between Elysian and Tel space. The virus spread automatically via FTL communication links and contained video footage of the test subjects of the bioweapon of the Empire. Attached were supporting documents proving that the Council sanctioned and organised these tests with the intent of creating biological warfare. Along with this, there were allegations put forward that the Council was responsible for the decimation of New Prima and included encrypted details of where to find proof of this. The footage is known to have been produced by Env Do Jhyl Dri, Aanya Khatri, Imogen Childs, and Harper Lockwood. The virus spread through the communication systems of the Empire in a matter of weeks. Following it were a series of speeches and broadcasts originating from the same station, including a call to revolution by the now infamous Lorelei Wildner. 

Tensions grew in the Empire as the population demanded answers. Public protest increased, and in 659PE, the organisation 'Liberty or Death' publicly released a file containing all the details of 'Project New Dawn', which proved true the accusation that New Prima was destroyed by the Elysian government. With that, planets on the edge of the Empire were thrown into open revolt as public outraged reached a peak. Planets in the centre of the Empire remained under tight control. Martial law reigned in the inner-most planets, and in 660PE the planet-killer was turned on one of the planets in rebellion. At this point, a small amount of political protest begun in the centre of the Empire. This led to an increase in reactionary violence enacted by the state. 

In the election year of 666PE - just after the arrival of the victims of b-Exagora in Tel space in 665PE, following which several new transmissions were released - a new Council was elected on a platform promising a limited amount of reform. Very little was achieved by 676PE, when a few individuals from the b-Exagora incident emerged on Prima. Nicholas Russell arrived triumphant on a stolen shuttle from Tel space, having evaded capture. It is not known how Alethea Rucker returned to Prima. They soon became two prominent figures in the new political landscape of Prima. They quickly became a symbol of hope after their accounts of the b-Exagora incident were publicised. Their victory over the oppressive regime of the Redemption Reform Facility, particularly when coupled with their insistence on peaceful reform, made them sympathetic public figures. Nicholas' work in clearing his brother, Avery's, name only cemented this image.

Alethea Rucker and Nicholas Russell became the public faces of the Reformist Movement. Together they called for an extension of the franchise and a government that represents all its people, not just the rich and powerful. They called for the accountability for the crimes perpetrated by the government against New Prima and the prisoners of b-Exagora. They garnered support quickly and by 677PE they were attending regular meetings with members of the Short List to discuss what change could be affected. 

It was around the same time that, artwork began to spread all throughout Prima's Capital. Revolutionary graffiti began to appear, first through the down-town area and then throughout the city. The images depicted the cruelties visited by the council on the planet of b-Exagora, amongst other images of the poor conditions of life on non-planetary colonies. The most famous pieces however, were later commented on by critics as depicting the triumph of revolutionaries over the corruption of the council. Simultaneously, a manifesto was distributed despite all attempts of the Board of Directed Truth to stamp it out. It outlined a plan for a fairer government, including plans for universal suffrage, devolution of power, self-determination for stations, redistribution of wealth through financial aid to the economically suffering corners of the empire and for impoverished citizens through a welfare system, a decree of human rights, and end to the Board of Directed Truth, justice for the victims of war crimes, peace with the Tel, and finally, penal reforms. The document was later linked back to the activist group Liberty or Death, who were active in organising protests during this time. These protests were often known to turn violent and were condemned strongly by the Reformist Movement. Liberty or Death were also during this time linked to a number of information leaks, leading to the exposition of corruption in leading members of the civil service, the Electoral College and the Short list, as well as sabotages of government property and programmes. There were also a number of assassinations of corrupt figures they were linked to. Nicholas Russell and Alethea Rucker both spoke out against the destruction of government property, the extortion, and the violence used by the group. 

During this time, some slow progress was made but it was frustrated by a few key members of the Council. However, as dissent grew throughout the Empire, several councillors were called away from their regular duties to attend to matters on their home planets. In their absence, the Reformist movement flourished among the Short List, with many taking up progressive platforms in response to the public demand.

When the 678PE election rolled around, it was expected that the Council elected would be partially formed out of those who had taken up the position of the Reformists. However, there was a surprise victory for the reactionary sect, made up largely of prior Council members, including, despite Nicholas Russell's vocal denouncement of them, several members who had been responsible for the massacre of New Prima. This triggered an intense public outcry. Events rapidly spiralled from there. In the May of that year, Liberty or Death claimed responsibility for releasing a virus that led to the destruction of the planet killer; or rather, the machine which produced the planet killing bombs. It swept through government systems, destroying the Weapons Development Programme in its entirety. Shortly after, three key figures from the propaganda of twenty-one years ago emerged on Prima: Harper Lockwood, Imogen Childs, and Aanya Khatri. They publicly admitted to being a part of Liberty or Death. They denounced the Reformist Movement as nothing but lip-service and began to lead more protests, demanding nothing less than the overthrowing of the Council and the rooting out of corruption from all remaining institutions. There were outbreaks of rioting across the planet. A meeting was called between the Council and key figures of the Reformist Movement in the wake of this.

On the 22nd of June, 678PE, the meeting was held in the public chambers of the Council, hosting all twenty members, including the now disgraced Diya Khatri, and the well-liked reformist, Alethea Rucker. The meeting was the subject of the largest terror attack orchestrated by Liberty or Death. It is believed that Harper Lockwood, Imogen Childs, and Aanya Khatri planted a bomb that took the lives of all present.

In the wake of the deaths, the Reformists condemned the act as 'vile' and Nicholas Russell led the movement to organising a swift election, working rapidly to expand the vote. He set up a temporary government to oversee these arrangements, but his work was cut tragically short as he was shot by an Imperial Loyalist whilst giving his first public speech since he gained a position of power. His speech has since been well documented, on the tragedy of the event but the need to recognise how desperate the Empire is for reform. He was buried near his brother's memorial and has since had a memorial of his own dedicated to him. His death triggered mass rioting as the revolutionaries argued it showed that those in power had no intention of changing.

Chaos ensued as corrupt officials were denounced and were executed. The Reformist Movement struggled to regain control of the situation in the absence of their two most prominent figures. Harper Lockwood was influential in directing the revolutionaries towards imprisoning those that Liberty or Death exposed as corrupt and, after the purging of the Council's Institutions,  Harper, Imogen, and Aanya began to work with the Reformists to put together a new government. Finally, in 680PE, Nicholas Russell's elections took place with universal suffrage.

The system of governance is now vastly different to the system that was in place in 654PE when those who suffered in the bioweapons experiment of b-Exagora left on a supply ship that went renegade. Primarily devolved power now rests with the planets themselves, with an overarching government that spans the Empire and deals with inter-system politics as well as the redressing of economic inequality across the Empire. Non-planetary colonies were given the franchise and many now have independent governments of their own. The civil service remains, but has been rebuilt as a meritocracy and is regularly audited by the new Elysian Intelligence Service, with public reports published on any findings, in order to prevent corruption.

Harper Lockwood went on to become a prominent figure in politics, whose reforms focused on the rights of non-planetary colonies and of the penal system. They are widely recognised as the artist whose propaganda is now regularly maintained on the walls of the cities of Prima. Imogen Childs was instrumental in constructing the reforms to reduce and guard against poverty. Later in their political career, they worked closely with Aanya Khatri in continuing to root out corruption through activism. The three of them reunited to dedicate a monument to the victims of New Prima in 685PE. Alethea Rucker had a memorial built in her memory as part of the reconciliation between the revolutionaries and the reformists. All victims of the b-Exagora experiment who were deemed to have contributed to the rebuilding of Elysium after their escape were given a official pardons for their crimes.
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