Ejecución de la formación profesional consolidado

The perceived arrogance of the Solomani fed a reciprocal increase in anti-Solomani feeling through other parts of the Imperium. Although this was directed primarily at the more racist

elements of the Solomani Movement and Party, it still made life uncomfortable for ordinary Imperial citizens who had previously taken pride in their pure Solomani blood, celebrated Terran heritage or expressed any sympathy toward the Movement’s aspirations. In sectors distant from the Solomani Sphere, such as the Spinward Marches or Antares, this friction was muted, rarely leading to more than a schoolyard taunts or argument between friends. For ethnic Solomani living in Imperial sectors adjacent to the Solomani Sphere, such as The Old Expanses, it was stronger. Their loyalty to the Imperium was questioned, Solomani cultural events were cancelled or lost funding and their careers or livelihoods suffered.

Most Solomani in these circumstances stoically maintained their loyalty to the Imperium, especially those with traditions of service in institutions like the Imperial Navy. Others, however, decided they were no longer welcome. As tensions grew, millions of Solomani living just outside the Sphere began to emigrate into it. The Solomani Movement actively encouraged this. In 905 an advertising campaign by the Rim Foundation, a charity formed by the Solomani Party and the corporation Transstar, trumpeted the virtues of a life within the Confederation where proud Solomani heritage could be celebrated amongst one’s racial peers. The Rim Foundation raised billions of credits to provide low passage and financial aid for ethnic Solomani who wished to emigrate to worlds in the Solomani Confederation. These immigrants were encouraged to colonise frontier worlds in Aldebaran and the rimward regions of Alpha Crucis, to ensure these regions had an all-Solomani population. A side effect of this campaign was the formal codification in planetary law of racially- exclusive immigration policies on many Confederation worlds.

the soloMani riM war

With the ascent of Margaret II to the Imperial throne in 908, the non-Solomani inhabitants of the Confederation believed they had finally found their champion. In the mid-900s she turned attention to the Confederation in response to increasingly urgent appeals from the Imperial client states within the sphere. These had begun to petition the Empress directly, asking to be governed directly by the Imperium. Empress Margaret and her advisors decided to grant them, in order to bring this upstart Confederation to heel.

The Imperium initially relied on a mix of diplomacy and threat of force. When a Vilani world deposed its Solomani government either through political process or revolution, it would petition to be placed under direct Imperial government. These transitions of power were fully legal under the Charter of the Solomani Autonomous Region, which the Imperium still considered to be in force. In such cases, the Imperial Navy were deployed into the Solomani Sphere to face down any Solomani Confederation attempt to restore their authority. The Solomani initially backed down but minor skirmishes occurred in the Old Expanses and the Rim as Imperial Navy vessels escorted

merchants to break Solomani Navy blockades or moved to reinforce the defences of those states whose governments had petitioned for Imperial protection.

The Solomani Confederation largely confined itself to counter- revolutionary activity on worlds that were wavering between Solomani and non-Solomani factions and diplomatic protests, while permitting Imperial Naval forces to deploy in pockets throughout the Confederation. Meanwhile, the Confederation marshalled its forces and began to move military strength to its coreward border worlds.

In 944, the Confederation’s Secretariat led by Secretary General Mohammed Weinberg formally protested this Imperial meddling in what they called its autonomous affairs. They claimed the Imperium had violated the charter and demanded the withdrawal of all Imperial Navy forces from the Solomani Sphere. Empress Margaret responded by revoking the charter and ordering the dissolution of the Solomani Autonomous Region and the reintegration of Terra into the Imperium. She selected the Terran date of 13 March, 5471 (292–950 Imperial) for this decree. 13 March was the date Terra was incorporated into the Imperium and the date Zhakirov had married Antiama. Imperial forces began massing at naval bases in Old Expanses and Diaspora sectors, threatening a full-scale invasion if the Solomani continued to resist. The Confederation wavered in its resolve, with the secretariat and high council divided between those who advocated fierce resistance and pragmatists who knew they were not ready for war.

Then Empress Margaret II died of natural causes, leaving the Imperial plans in disarray.

In 945 the Imperial throne passed to Margaret’s youthful grandson. Styryx lacked the passion and organisational abilities of his grandmother and was more interested in enjoying his new position than potentially plunging the Imperium into a massive war on the Rim. Rather than continue Margaret’s military build- up and the threat of military pressure, he instead emphasised continued diplomatic efforts. This staved off war but it also gave the Confederation additional time to build up its own military forces, which it began to do with all possible haste. The number and intensity of border incidents and skirmishes increased, as the Confederation began to aggressively push back against Imperial intervention. By 970, Styryx’s advisors persuaded him that his policy was not working and the Imperial Navy once again began preparations for a major confrontation. Once again, they hoped that the Solomani Confederation could be intimidated by a show of force. The Imperial strategy relied on the Vegan worlds, which unlike the Vilani worlds of Old Expanses, lay deep with the Solomani Rim. Their plan was to grant the Vegans their own Autonomous District within the Solomani Rim, reinforce their existing garrison and use this as a base for a strong Imperial presence in the heart of the Solomani Sphere.

They miscalculated. The Solomani could not tolerate an existential threat to their existence and began full-scale war production. In 984 the strongly anti-Imperial Solomani Party high council leader Sergio Bordoni was elected Secretary General; he was supported by two other hawks, Grand Admiral Shuki La Pierre and SolSec coordinator Rachel Zhang. Meanwhile, Imperial attention was distracted by the outbreak of the Third Frontier War (979–986), which had diverted military resources to the Spinward Marches. Faced with multiple crises beyond his ability to handle, Emperor Styryx abdicated in 989.

Taking advantage of what they hoped would be a period of confusion, in 990 the Bordoni-led triumvirate cajoled the Solomani Party congress and then the Secretariat of the Solomani Confederation into issuing a resolution that re- asserted their claim to the entire Solomani Sphere, including those systems that had rejoined the Imperium. The newly- crowned Emperor Gavin took this as a statement of hostilities. Not wanting to appear weak or indecisive, he formally declared war against the Solomani Confederation.