A New Sun Rises on Axxila

A New Sun Rises on Axxila
Posted by: Lord Mustafa - Faction: Veritas Press
Date: Year 13 Day 199

Veritas News Inc. -- Axxila, Ciutric Sector

Order is slowly returning to the cities of Axxila, the sole planet in the Axxila system, after planetary control was wrested away from the United Rebel Front by agents of the notorious crime syndicate, Black Sun. Black sun forces, headed by Regentis Kelmanis Vaan, accompanied by members of the Dark Star Hellions, descended upon the planet surface after fermenting popular unrest amongst some of the forty-three million sentients of Axxila and took advantage of widespread rioting civil unrest to establish a foothold in the heavily forested areas in the south-west quadrant of the planet. ___________

After several days of intense fighting between the government forces and anti-government protesters backed by Black Sun and the Hellions, city after city began to fall to slip from the control of the URF and into the hands of the Black Sun Family. Taking advantage of the chaos, Black Sun operatives captured and executed several high-ranking URF officers, including the former second-in-command and fleet leader, Talia Kraken. Leaderless and demoralised by the lack of mercy shown by the crime syndicate, URF forces and government supporters began to fall into retreat, fleeing from the planet where they could. After several further days of running street battles and Black Sun advances, the entire surface of Axxila was under effective control of Family-backed troops.

That Black Sun was able to dominate in the fight for Axxila may seem hardly surprising; the system is less than a day's hyperspace travel from the central Black Sun hub of Malicar, in the Mieru'kar sector. Vaan was therefore able to take immediate and practical advantage of the vast accumulation of resources and capital at his disposal. The Rebel Front, isolated from the same degree of support and materiel, could only draw on the planetary support of a relatively small population scattered over mountainous and forested regions. Black Sun's gain gives it a continuous arm of influence in the northern deep-space region, an area relatively free of governmental hegemony. If played correctly, one might suspect that this solid base gives the group a good standing to increase control in this corner of the galaxy - a view only compounded if one speculates on the material wealth buried in the mountains and forests of Axxila.

The material wealth of the planet also perhaps gave rise to dreams of avarice on the part of several members of the Family. Following the skirmishes and power struggles on the planet surface, three long serving members of the criminal organisation began to carve out their own corners of influence on Axxila, prompting official retribution from Black Sun. All three members were killed during a midnight raid on the central compound that held the separatists, most notable amongst the dead being Nicolai von Ismay. Despite their treasonous acts, the three former Family members were given a funeral aboard the Victory-Class Star Destroyer Cerberus on the orders of Black Sun leadership. Following the service, all three were buried, face-down in their coffins as per Black Sun tradition when dealing with traitors, below the ground that they so coveted in life. This fate contrasts sharply with that of Vaan, who was promoted to the position of Vigo for 'achievement for The Family', put in place as the governor of the newly-gained territory and is reportedly the focus for a new range of action figures to commemorate his recent military achievements.

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