The Inaugural Address

PART II - ENTRY IX

THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF HRH, EMPRESS ALEXANDRIA SCORPIUS

DIVINE RULER OF THE ASTROLOGICAL COMMONWEALTH

My citizens,

As you can see, the second leg of the tour of the territories was dangerous from the start. My administration has already investigated and found the culprits responsible for both the raid described in the Leo Territory as well as those responsible for the capturing, and later, unfortunately, murder of one of Philip's colleagues who helped along the route to get his letters to me until her unfortunate death.

I have contacted and gained permission from the family of this colleague to share her story in this address. This fallen friend of Philip and Brock was Charity Vanquent, a former nursing student of the Virgonian Territory. She had left her studies to assist families with the harsh realities of Alexander IV's administration before joining the tour of the territories as one of Philip's closest confidants. She was described as a force of nature, with a heart big enough to fill any room. Her sacrifice to better the Commonwealth will not go unnoticed. Her murderers have already been arrested and will face a lifetime of jail time for their crimes, similar to the punishment for the murderers of my late brother.

The next letter, sent from Capricorn Territory, is written by Philip and offers a summary of his experiences through the Cancer, Piscean, and Capricorn territories. Even though his experiences and documentation of the second leg of the tour are limited in comparison to the first leg, I want all citizens of the South Island to know that my administration has not forgotten about you. I will install permanent envoys to each territory, and these envoys will be responsible for surveying and reporting to me quarterly any grievances each territory has toward my administration. I hope that this additional check and balance provides the Commonwealth more comfort and security in knowing that unlike my predecessors, I am determined to serve the Commonwealth primarily and solely for the benefit of you all, my incredible constituents.

I would also like to add, perhaps for personal importance, that this is the last letter written to me by Philip. For this reason, it holds a special place in my heart. I hope that you see similar value in it, and feel gratitude for the sacrifices made for it to finally reach your hands.

HRH, Alexandria Scorpius

---

August 24th, 2399

HRH Alexandria Scorpius,

I hope this letter reaches your possession and finds you well. I have been informed that Brock may have sent you updates regarding the mission, including the news of the capturing of one of my colleagues; as well as the news of the raid that cut my time in the Leo territory short. Although these occurrences were to be expected, one can never truly prepare for such chaos and loss.

I do not believe you have been reported to regarding our experiences of what occurred during my time in the Piscean territory. The tour stop was also cut short and we fell back to only accumulating 527 signatures for our petition, though I insist this lower count was not due to a lack of support for our cause. Unfortunately, as I believe you may already have been made aware of thanks to your colleagues who mobilize Ariesan forces, our second and final rally in the Piscean city of Invercargill was attacked and destroyed by an air missile fired by Ariesan militants. The casualty estimate is still up for debate, though my team projects there were few survivors. I managed to escape through the icy waters off the shore of the Piscean territory thanks to a highly skilled team of fisherman, who somehow managed to sail me along the southern tip of the South Island and to the next stop of the tour, the Capricorn city of Dunedin.

I know I stated at the beginning of this second leg that I was not to report my exact locations along the tour through these letters anymore, but I have once again changed my mind. I have changed course yet again given the slim chance that, in knowing which city the tour is currently stopped in, you may be able to deter any further offensive actions from Alexander IV's merciless demand. Since his Ariesan forces always seem to know where we are, I thought it best not to keep such information from you, information of which I can only presume is being kept from you by the attackers. The Capricorns I have met have stood by their motto of knowledge is power, and so in telling you I hope I lead by example.