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Address to The Empire
Officers of The Galactic Empire... Welcome to the seventh issue of the Galactic Empire Official Newsletter, and the first to be published in quite some time... Indeed, the contents of this publication span eight full months. For some factions, that is a lifetime. For The Galactic Empire it was a time of continual change and perseverance in our convictions to take back what is rightfully ours from the rebel insurgents. Although this goal is far from reached, one thing is clear -- it was a time of progress. With Issue #6 having reported the "very recent" advent of the Imperial Nexus and the re-establishment of the Imperial Academy, it is only fitting that I take time in this "revival" issue of the Galactic Empire Official Newsletter to give a partial history of the more notable events that have occurred, as released from the Office of the Supreme Commander. Needless to say, from the time of the last Newsletter to this, the Imperial Nexus domain proved itself to be an indispensable addition to officers at all levels of command. Beyond the original dynamic roster database, new features and sections have been added consistently, including roster searches, tracking of mission completions online, automatic tracking of open positions, automation of Flight Performance Reports & Medal Requests, dynamic competition schedules, new rosters supporting unit banners/mottos/combat-medallions, aesthetic re-design of the Imperial Navy Main Concourse, release of the Imperial Navy Officer's Manual v3.5, entirely new series' of uniforms created and centralised, and a membership in the Amazon.com Associates Program which enables us to offer those game platforms on which we are based directly from the Nexus; not to mention an ever-increasing number of missions in the Imperial Navy's Combat Chamber. This is most certainly a partial list, for it would be unwieldy to mention the multiple minor updates that are consistently necessary, or the many major updates for the future which undergo further design whenever time permits. A mention must also be made of those officers who have expanded or assisted the Empire through their own direct efforts. Every activity undertaken, mission flown, and item submitted, assists the cause. My particular thanks goes to those commanding officers who have went above and beyond the call of duty to make this a greater Empire... Officers such as Captains Rhys von Pohl and Syrtaras who have organised some of the most successful competitions in our history. Officers who create things of use to the entire membership, such as Commander Polanski, who lends his programming skills towards useful utilities, and ISB Commander Tuomo J, who expended time, effort, and monetary expense to bring us the Imperial Forum. Website quality is also increasing throughout the Empire as more and more officers realise that the Nexus does not constitute the whole of the Empire -- but rather, binds it together, with the quality of the Empire being the sum of its members. To these individuals, and the many more who have assisted in their own way and know who they are, I say "thank you". The Imperial Navy itself has underwent some superb expansions, with the largest news having been the official implementation of support for X-Wing Alliance as a primary game platform. As of this writing, the first XWA squadron -- Daled Squadron under the leadership of Lieutenant R.J. -- is filling at a steady rate, and the commissioning of a second onboard the Victory Star Destroyer Dominance (newly under the command of Captain 'Agony' McDougall) will soon be warranted. He, myself, and Rear Admiral Calorn continue to work on the many planned expansions to XWA support which are necessary before the disparity between the amounts of support for it and our supported game platforms entirely disappears. The actual number of commissioned officers in service of the Empire as of this newsletter is, actually, somewhat below the number sported at the publication of the last, however the Navy's experiences have admittedly not all assisted morale. A Navy-wide AWOL check in mid 2000.02 struck out over 30 inactive officers from our rosters. When seen in the light that we have nearly regained our prior count -- but having replaced many of the inactives with new and vibrant commissions -- it would seem that a subtle sort of progress has again been made. With Galactic Empire Reconnaissance under the fresh command of Captain Priyum, the re-structuring of the Imperial Academy's training requirements, the general recruiting efforts of officers, and several planned additions to our list of supported platforms under design, I anticipate that those numbers will continue to rise...:-) As can also be expected in such a time, highly prominent rank promotions and position appointments have transpired, including the promotion of Captain Rhys von Pohl to Line Captain and commanding officer of the ISD Chimaera following the retirement of Line Captain Junon, the promotion of Lt. Commander Priyum to Captain coinciding with his assuming the position of Director of Reconnaissance Operations on the High Command, the promotion of Commodore Starbug (the Imperial Academy Commandant) to Rear Admiral for his longstanding service at the Academy, and the re-activation of the departed Captain Stele's commission coinciding with his assuming command of the VSD Stalwart. In addition, I found two officers fitting of being awarded the coveted gold seal... Captain Syrtaras was the first, and received the award for having undertaken many personal projects for the betterment of the GE -- including creating multiple briefings for Combat Chamber missions that lacked them -- and having been the source of several successful fleet-wide competitions, including the VSD Striker TIE League, which has proven one of the longest-running and most successful Imperial Navy competitions to date. The second was awarded to ISB Commander Tuomo J for his work on the Imperial Forum <http://www.imperialforum.net/>, which speaks for itself. As for this newsletter, the absence of the regular columns from High Command members is notable, but these will be returning in subsequent issues. Due to the time-span encompassed, the merit of this issue lies largely within its showcasing the incredible amount of graphics, fiction, and other original contributions to the Imperial cause which have been submitted by officers of the Galactic Empire. Also highly in its favour, is its showing what can be accomplished in a "small" period of time by dedicated individuals with a focus and a cause. In looking back -- be it to our roots, or to eight months ago -- we have come a long way as an Empire. With continued loyalty, patience, and dedication to the Imperial cause from officers at all levels of command, the future will be brighter still. For the Glory of the Empire! - Grand Admiral Daemon |
