Cularin Asteroid Belt Brought Under Confederate Control
Year 21 Day 67
The galaxy was bombarded today with multiple announcements of allegiance to the Confederacy from over 50 asteroids in the Cularin System. According to Galactic Records, the Cularin Asteroid belt are the remnants of the planet Oblis, which was destroyed over 1000 years ago due to a gravitational anomaly. The belt has traditionally been difficult to traverse, quickly becoming a safe-haven for pirates and smugglers.
At one point in time, the Trade Federation assisted heavily in patrolling and containing this threat. After the end of the Clone Wars, the Trade Federation ceded control of the area to the Confederate of Independent Systems, who had maintained control in the area for many years, however, criminal organizations such as the Order of Independent Trade and Red Fury Brotherhood had been allowed to remain active in the belt.
In Year 19, the Brotherhood and Order signed an armistice and together were able to take down a corrupt Seperatist government. After taking control of the sector and proclaiming themselves the “Hevvrol Federation”, the group declared an end to taxes and pledged to remove the red tape that had burdened many of the former Confederate States. On paper, and to the masses, this seemed like a grand idea but time proved otherwise. The two organizations were not equipped to handle management, and soon many called for the return of a proper government to lead them.
The merger between the Confederate Remnant (based in the Thesme Sector) and the Hevvrol Federation was much publicized, but what was not widely known was the dissent between the Order of Independent Trade and the remaining Hevvrol Federation members. It took two years, but the Order of Independent Trade was found in violation of the armistice after a plot was discovered to once again attack the government. Originally put in place by Garth Rendar, the OIT had already taken command of several Cularin Asteroids with plans to expand throughout the sector, surrounding the inner systems.
Lead by the flagship of the First Confederate Fleet, the Lucrehulk Class Cruiser Cyclopsis, a team of builders pushed for Confederate support in some of the outlying asteroids. Dubbed “Operation Control”, the Order’s forces were quickly engaged and overpowered by Confederate forces. When asked for comment on the situation, Chairman Kutol released the following statement:
“I had never deemed it necessary to push for allegiance from our smaller planetoids in our space. Many of them are home to independent settlers just looking for a place to live their lives. Sadly, greed has forced our hand. We now have a stronger presence on many of the asteroids. The mission is not complete. We now have to focus on infrastructure. All of these new settlers are trusting us to help them live the life they were promised. Our priority shifts to providing them jobs and keeping them safe.”
“Unfortunately, there are still some asteroids that we were unable to bring into the fold. Some ownership were happy to discuss joining our group, but demanded an obscene amount of credits, some exceeding 1,000,000,000, which is simply not possible. Either due to allegiances to outside groups or sheer stubbornness, these asteroids are outside of the Confederacy Proper and will not see the benefits.”