The Inaugural Address

PART II - ENTRY VIII

THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF HRH, EMPRESS ALEXANDRIA SCORPIUS

DIVINE RULER OF THE ASTROLOGICAL COMMONWEALTH

My citizens,

Following Philip's letter dated February 21st, 2399, there was a halt in letters sent to me until May 12th, 2399. I can only assume that Philip took leave back in his hometown of Taupo between these months, and I hope the rest was peaceful, as his return to the tour was anything but.

Unfortunately and understandably, there is much less to share for the second half of the tour. Increased security precautions must have made it more difficult to write, as the majority of notes I received after May were much briefer and more urgent. In addition to being shorter, the notes for the second leg were largely from Brock, Philip's friend and partner throughout the tour of the territories. Brock was a much more concise writer, who only wrote to me when absolutely necessary. Thanks to Brock, we had an idea of what occurred throughout the last few months of Philip's life.

Brock was not with Philip when my late brother arrived at the Imperial Mansion, and his whereabouts over this past year between Philip's arrival to the Imperial Mansion and this address are still unknown. Besides a few unverified sightings, my team has not been able to locate Brock. Given the state of the Commonwealth currently and the delicate state I see the House of Scorpius in, I am initiating a peaceful search party to locate Brock, who I would love to meet and discuss more about my late brother, of whom he was so close with. I wish to find him before those with loyalties to former administrations are able to find and potentially harm him. If anyone reading this has any helpful information regarding this search, please report the information to your local Ariesan security station.

And, if by chance Brock is reading this address, let me address him directly:

Brock - please know I do not wish to harm you or anyone else associated with Philip's mission. You should not fear me, but rather the traitorous loyalists to my predecessor's administration, as they (and only they) wish you harm, and are likely conducting their own harmful manhunt for you. Please reveal yourself to my administration and help my administration improve the Commonwealth, as we greatly need your guidance.

Without further ado, here's a collection of letters not only from my late brother Philip, but also from his tremendous confidant, Brock Mavers.

HRH, Alexandria Scorpius

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May 12th, 2399

HRH Alexandria Scorpius,

I'm excited to write to you from Leo Territory, where the tour of the territories continues on with it's second installment!

A few changes have occurred to the tour that I feel you should know about, please refer below for the changes and the reasons for said changes below...

Firstly, my team has made the difficult decision to cancel all formal interviews for the remainder of the tour in an effort to increase security not only for ourselves but for those we've interviewed. A few past interviewees have been approached by Ariseans soldiers in their respective territories and although none of these altercations resulted in arrests, there were a few close encounters. The safety of our volunteers, no matter how important their experiences are, are our primary concern. I am okay with throwing myself into the fire, but I will not allow others to do so to further my mission.

Secondly, though we know that you do not seriously object to our conducting this mission, (as I am still alive and free), we have decided further to not disclose our specific locations in these letters. We decided to do this to avoid giving our location away to anyone who may leak it to Alexander IV's forces while it is in transit to you. Though we have yet to see our letters utilized to locate my transit in such a way, we fear it's only a matter of time.

Finally, and as you may assume, we have decided to not disclose the names of any additional contacts of the tour of the territories in these letters. Those who know what they know regarding the parties involved in our mission already have the sufficient information to assure the success of the tour. Beyond Brock and I, we will utilize code names, whenever necessary, to describe additional individuals and organizations involved.

I hope these factors do not limit your ability to support and read on as we venture closer and closer to you. Before you know it, and God willing, I'll be standing before you with hope in my heart that my efforts were not in vain. I'd be willing to discuss proposals throughout the year following my planned arrival as we count the days to your inauguration in November of 2400.

Attached, as you are most likely not surprised to see, are more signatures requesting your involvement in our mission, this time from the extroverted and lively people of Leo Territory. You also may note that instead of 500 signatures, there are now over a 1000 signatures included. Our numbers grow as our movement grows, and we all hope to one day see your name amongst the thousands already in support.

Till next time,

Philip Sangra

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MAY 31ST, 2399

HRH ALEXANDRIA SCORPIUS,

This is Brock Mavers with an urgent message for Alexandria. Philip has had to flee Leo Territory after an Ariesan raid of his host location. Philip and tour documents are secure. We are currently searching for the source of the leaked information to the Ariesans, and we again want to assure you we understand Alexander IV calls all military commands as long as he is Commander of Forces and Emperor. We are aware that you are not responsible for the raid, or other attacks on our mission. This raid has failed to deter us, and we will continue on with the tour.

Please, if there is anything within your realm of power that could help deter Alexander IV from targeting Philip, consider utilizing it now, or better yet, in the coming months as we travel throughout the remaining territories of the Southern Island.

Thank you for your attention, I'm sure you will hear from us again.

Brock Mavers

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JUNE 19TH, 2399

HRH ALEXANDRIA SCORPIUS,

Greetings from Brock Mavers. Attached are the 1300 signatures accumulated throughout Philip's time in the Cancer territory. Our tour's contact in this territory was captured by Ariesan forces shortly after Philip completed his latest letter offering an update, and this contact was in charge of delivering said letter. We can only assume that the Ariesans now have possession of this letter – and so we insist you please deny any knowledge, involvement, or understanding of said letter if questioned.

Our contacts in the upcoming territories are still secure, and you can expect an update sometime next month.

Brock Mavers

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