We stand on the precipice of massive change. The players in the great political game that Antares has unwillingly been host to have played their trump cards, and my readers will no doubt be as pleased as I am that the future looks bright for us, though the road to it will be hard and bloody.

Where do I begin? It all started with a daring plan by the GTA and the PVN to capture the Hammer of Light flagship, the Cardinal. They succeeded, but only by exposing Khonsu II, a major Vasudan parliamentary representative, to direct danger. This alone shows that Admiral Po is at his wits' end. But that's not all, my friends, far from it.

Less than twenty-four hours after the Cardinal was captured, the Hammer of Light not only managed to recapture it, but also took the PVD Frontier and Khonsu II into their possession! Not a single crew member on board the Frontier survived the accompanying slaughter, and the Hammer of Light now roams freely through Antares. Can anyone in their right mind cast the GTA in a good light anymore? Butchers and warmongers, slaves to the calculus of war! This detestable sequence of events casts a harsh light on their stagnation and lack of action from the very start. Their self-centeredness and short-sightedness shine as bright as the stars we orbit.

If any of my readers still hold out hope that the GTA will reveal themselves to be saviors, I urge you to cast it aside, for in these critical times it can only handicap you. But I don't intend to point fingers without offering an alternative to our former government. Yes, former! The Antares Federation has declared itself, and the territory it occupies, a separate legal and military body to the GTA. After all our struggles and fears, we have finally attained the independence and freedom that have been kept from us for years! Four smaller Antarian political parties have announced their immediate dissolution, with the members redirecting their influence and funds to the Federation's cause. Several major players in Antares' corporate world, including Exxon-Beckham, Megalith, and ResurTech, have announced their support for the Federation as well.

This gives our new government a very solid economic base from which to operate. The atmosphere within the Federation is reportedly as optimistic as it is hectic. In between sorties, Riyenne Tevut of Megalith, who have now become the core of the Federal Navy Fighter Corps, had this to say: "It's all pretty frantic because we're just starting out and there's so much to do, but the sense of fulfilment is unbelievable and everyone's fully dedicated to it. We're finally sticking up for ourselves, finally taking matters into our own hands, and not as employees, not as Terrans, but as Antarians. Companies, who works for who... that doesn't matter anymore. It's about us as a star system. It's empowering, and I'm 100% confident that this is something that will pave the way for a better future."

Even more critically, the Federation has finally found support across species lines. Admiral Po's stunt at the Angel Refuge Station drew much ire from Antares' Vasudan population, owing to the large number of Vasudan citizens endangered by the operation. Many of these critics have officially signed on with the Federation's declaration of independence.

The Federation is growing rapidly, and I implore anyone loyal to the survival of Antares to assist in any way they can, no matter their skillset. We must ride the wave while it has momentum. Time is of the essence, and Antares' time has come.

By: Kalev Ehin
Date: 11/23/2336
kalev.ehin@gulnara.af
