[geoschmo]

From the personal journal of Admiral Fineas J. Grandow
Admiral and Commander-In-Chief of the Sallegan Space Services
President Pro Tem of the Senate of the Sallegan Republic

Stardate 2415.8

I feel it important that I commit the recent events and decisions made within and without the Sallegan Republic so that future scholars may understand the true context in which they took place, and so that future leaders may possibly learn something from them and be able to better serve the Republic.

It is with a heavy heart that I put these words to paper. I fear that war with the Norak Continuum may be inevitable. It is not exactly clear how the situation deteriorated so rapidly, but it is the result of the recent political upheaval within the Continuum. Their government is now being led by a radical ultra-fundamentalist sect calling themselves the Tribunal. Our previous contacts within the government are all unavailable. In some cases we fear they may be under arrest, or worse.

Contrary to the former government, the Tribunal does not appear to have any reservations about spreading their religion by cooersion if nessecary. They have been overly aggresive, almost imperialistic towards the smaller races in the quadrant, primarily the Fazrah and Jraenar.

We have confirmed reports of many incidents of sabotage, espionage, and rabble rousing by agents of the Tribunals within neigboring empires. So far they do not appear to have directed those attacks towards us. It is not clear whether it is our larger counter intelligence network that is responsible for this, or the fact that the Sallgan People have so widely accepted thier religion over the years. Perhaps the Tribunals feel that these individuals that are loyal to the Sallgan Republic, the same republic that gives them the freedom to worship the Norak Goddess, would betray their own people on the orders of these despots. I doubt seriously this is the case.

A much more serious issue for us is the fact that the Norak have begun using the Cephredi system, soverign territory of the Sallegan Republic, as a staging area for their Military forces to intimidate and harrass the Fazrah people. This is a clear violation of the aggrement between our poeples giving them permission to keep their colonies in the Cephredi system at the end of the Zynarra-Amonkrie. They currently have a fleet of nearly 30 ships located in this system. We have insisted that they withdraw this fleet to Norak space, but our demand has been rejected so far.

Negotiations are continuing as I write this, but if they continue to be intrasigent, I may be forced to order the Sallegan Space Service to remove them by force. This would no doubt result in open hostilites between the Republic and the Continuum, and would very likely draw the entire quadrant into the conflict on one side or the other. Many lives would surely be lost on both sides.

If this Goddess of the Norak does in fact exsist, and if she cares for the lives of her people and the others in the quadrant that do and do not worship her, I pray that she moves the hearts of this Tribunal government towards peace.