This is a series of primary sources documenting the final years of the Avignon Empire. In this entry, two documents: the declaration of war against the United Systems Alliance as spoken by Emperor Renard himself, as well as the transcript of a recording by one of his “Black Knights”, incriminating him, Empress Marise and the Commission Spéciale du Progrés for numerous crimes against humanity and the galaxy at large.
“MESSAGE TO THE NATION”
“My fellow citizens, my fellow comrades, my fellow brothers and sisters of the Avignon Empire.
It is with a heavy heart that I speak to you on this day, the 5th anniversary of Our Mother Empress’ passing, to make you aware that we have been betrayed.
Our neighbors, the United Systems Alliance, have in fact decided to obstruct our search for justice on the Imperial Province of Volga – by supplying rebels and dissidents with weaponry and manpower to wage war against the throneworld.
My heart is wracked at this shockingly unwarranted act of hostility. At this overt attempt at destabilizing our national unity in the name of what they claim to be noble ideals of “freedom” and “self-determination” – but that, in truth, hide within their radiant exteriors the insidious weapons of an ongoing war of economics, which the United Systems Alliance has been waging against us and our allies for decades.
The enemy has succeeded at planting these trojan horses in the consciousness of the Volgan people, who are now stirred by calls to arms against the very same Avignon Empire that gave them a chance at reconnecting with humanity. My mind once again goes to Our Mother Empress, who would weep at the sight of such treachery. But then again, this wouldn’t be the first time Volgan agitators betray her trust.
So, with the United Systems Alliance knowing full well of the damning evidence against the Volgan government found by the ever-esteemed Commission Spéciale de l’Ordre, and having been warned well in advance that any obstruction of our rightful investigation would be treated as a breach of the Colonial Rights Covenant, I, Emperor Renard DeColde, declare war on the United Systems Alliance.
Our Mother Empress believed war to be a tool of fools and barbarians, those unable to negotiate a fair trade in front of a delectable cup of tea and madeleines. I believed her, I really did, and to this day I think of her words as maxims that any Imperial should follow categorically.
Unfortunately for us, fools and barbarians surround us, filling their greedy maws with the pretense of higher goals to justify their barbaric foolishness. They see us as weaker than we used to be under the reign of Our Mother Empress and think this might be the best time to strike. To raze and rebuild in their image. To choke the Maniére Laurelienne under the vice grip of ultraliberalism.
Unfortunately for them, I am not Our Mother Empress. I knew this day would come, and I have prepared accordingly. If we are to fight the United Systems Alliance, we will crush the United Systems Alliance.
There will be no mercy until the very last of their warlords is in front of a firing squad, and until the malignant seed of ultraliberalism is ripped by its root.
Praise be to Our Mother Empress and Long Live the Avignon Empire!
– “Message To The Nation”, Renard DeColde, 2384 [Transcript]
THE LAROUSSE REPORT
“Good evening. I am Cassandra LaRousse, Capitaine d’Escadron of the 22nd Brigade de la Gendarmerie Mécanisée Imperiale – and if you are listening to this audiolog, I am already dead.
This is a confession. A confession of uncountable sins perpetrated by me, my comrades, my superiors and my ruler against the people of Volga, the citizens of the Avignon Empire and the galaxy as a whole. The confession of a passenger embarked on a one-way trip towards oblivion, unwilling to do anything but follow instructions in the name of status and rank.
I confess to my role as a squadron commander during the riots that ushered in the occupation of Volga. I was deployed, along with my comrades, on the streets of the Volgan capital of Tolmekjia Sekunda, where we were made to carry out riot suppression duties. I don’t…know how many died by my hand. Not by number. All I can say is “too many”. The use of beehive rounds against the civilian population was requested by Sgt. Philbert Jordain and approved by Cmd. Adelphe Gagnon as a “decisive measure against the increasingly militarized efforts of armed provocators”.
I confess to my role as a squad leader during Operation Graines Du Conflit, in 2373. I was deployed, along with my squadmates Oscar Van Klaverfeld and [Quatre Asselin], to the Betelgeuse System, where I led a series of false flag operations intent in undermining diplomatic relationships between the Terran Protectorate and United System Alliance. My superior officers were Cmd. Renato Roche and Col. Eugene Beaufort, and this initiative had full support from Minister of Defense Ranulph Colbert and Empress Marise DeColde.
I confess to my role in the Archange Program, for which I provided valuable data as a test pilot. The augmentation process, the “alien parasite”, the potential of a fully integrated subject – it’s all true. The consequences on the host are also true: I don’t know how much of me is me and not it anymore. The shots are not working. I can hear it whatever I do, wherever I go. I don’t bleed anymore, and thanks to my efforts our beloved emperor doesn’t either. If his body is being conserved anywhere by the time this message is heard, you must burn it as soon as possible.
Lastly, to the families of those to be felled by our mad ruler and his “Grand Archange”, all I can say is that, no matter what they’ll tell to the judges in the trials to their crimes against creation, every last member of the Commission Spéciale Du Progrès should be lined up and executed.
Our accursed knowledge should be erased from memory and our blasphemous folly should be forever engraved in the pages of history – so that none follow in our footsteps. You must make us demons, for the sake of all of mankind.
It is now 0201 Standard Colonial Time, and I prepare for my final sortie. The skies over Volga will bleed for one last time, and my pupil will come to take his due. I will die here.
To those that find this recording, keep it safe until the day comes for wrongs to be righted. The guilty will try their best to play victim, to deflect all the blame onto our ruler – you must not let them. This recording will be your weapon. Make them pay.
Fin du rapport.”
– Audio Log dated 7/3/2384, found in the black box of an Imperial Oliver Type-AN Command Battleframe. Part of a series of evidence pieces in the trial against Avignon’s Commission Spéciale Du Progrés.
The Sparrow's Nest 