Krath to leave in less than 24 hours, Emperor Kell says
Several hours ago, Emperor Lazarus Kell and his Imperial Council had reached a decision that will undoubtedly affect Krath space for years to come. After calling in an emergency session of the Council earlier this week, Emperor Kell had issued a public proclamation to every Krath household. In case you missed it or were not tuned to the Krath state channel at the time of the broadcast, we provide a direct transcript below:
“It is with a heavy heart that I must on this day announce the withdrawal of The Krath from the Galactic Alliance. For many years we have seen members come and go from the Alliance, in all that time under my leadership as well as under previous leaders of Krath we have worked towards supporting our friends in the Galactic Alliance to the best of our abilities. In recent times, however, we have witnessed the slow degradation of what once made the Alliance strong. Instead of focusing on our roots of military cooperation we have been consistently caught up in political posturing and bickering over cultural differences. With that in mind and after extensive discussions in the highest councils of Krath, we have decided it would be for the best to take our leave from the Alliance and adopt a neutral stance in the galactic conflict. To our former allies I would say we bear no grudges and for those who would still call us friends we would do the same.”
The statement came as a surprise to many, albeit the message it contained was hardly unexpected. Although the official stance of the church and state has always favored the GA in the Galactic Civil War, the cultural divide between Krath and other member states was obvious at a glance. Even though public figures often emphasized the importance of a unified military resistance against the Galactic Empire and its puppet states, it would seem the constant pressure on Krath to fall within the cultural norm has finally taken its toll. Citizens of Krath will undoubtedly remember the time we were lambasted over the state’s decision to make an example of the most notorious criminal our Empire had ever seen: Varro Belle.
Shortly after the execution, tensions flared between the Krath and the New Republic on the justification of the extreme punishment. The fallout resulted in a diplomatic crisis that caused the abrupt career decline of the then contemporaneous Secretary General of the Galactic Alliance (Natalis Oro, New Republic). This led to her spearheading an extremely caustic anti-Krath smear campaign amongst the Republic’s citizens. From that point on, the communications between the Republic and the Krath began deteriorating. Slowly but steadily, this divide increased in size, eventually becoming a full-on communications breakdown. This was only one of many policies and actions that would be taken to threaten Krath sovereignty from the Alliance as a whole.
With the newly-imposed trade embargo on Krath by the Republic, coming in the late days of this year, it would seem that Emperor Kell and the Imperial Council had had enough. Calling an emergency session, he’d decided that if Krath had to choose between two evils, it would not choose at all. With other states already announcing their departure from the Alliance as well, it is clear that we can expect major political shifts in the months to come.
One thing remains certain though, the Imperial Treasury has sarcastically assured all citizens of the galaxy that the Nova Crystal remains stable and is still backed by the Krath government.
