The following are all official Traveller News Service Reports from GDW.

• Emperor Strephon Aella Alkhalikoi was assassinated at 1517 hours local time, 132-1116, in the Grand Reception Hall of the Imperial Palace above Capital/Core. In the ensuing firefight, the Empress Iolanthe and the Grand Princess Iphegenia were also killed, along with the Aslan Yerlyaruiwo ambassador, twelve Imperial guards, and a number of bystanders.



• In the following minutes, Archduke Dulinor of Ilelish appeared before the cameras of the Reception Hall, claimed the crown of Emperor by right of assassination, and scattered holocrystals documenting his claim to the surviving crowd. He ascended the steps of the dais and sat on the Iridium Throne briefly before leaving in the company of his bodyguard.



• System Control Central reported tracing the Archduke's cruiser leaving the Capital system minutes later. Fleet elements are reported in pursuit.



• Capital has been placed under martial law. Off-planet transportation has been suspended temporarily. Naval headquarters has issued a statement that the situation is stable and under control. Rioting is reported in the city.

• The Imperial Palace above Capital has been sealed off by Naval Security troops. Dulinor is rumored to remain concealed in the palace with a company of bodyguards. It remains unclear whether Dulinor fled the Capital system yesterday aboard his cruiser, or if he remains in the Palace. Occasional plasma flashes have been reported along the Grand Concourse.



• Imperial officers at the scene refuse to comment.

• Captain Sit Gerals Spirlandin, commanding the Honor Company of the 2nd Imperial Marine Regiment, denied reports that Duke Varian, Strephon's nephew and heir apparent to the Iridium Throne, was killed in skirmishes within the Imperial Palace yesterday. Spirlan, 32, or Ibaru/Zarushagar, said "The situation is under control, but identities of people in the palace remained unconfirmed."



• News Service personnel have not yet been allowed inside the Palace.

• Preparations for Emperor Strephon's funeral tomorrow continued today without incident. Empress Iolanthe will be buried at the same time. Grand Princess Iphegenia will be buried Thursday.



• The Admiralty confirmed today that the Imperial Palace has been cleared of disloyal elements. The apartments accorded Dulinor in the Palace have been retaken, with no sign of the Archduke.



• The body of Prince Varian, until today heir apparent to the Iridium Throne, was recovered from the Imperial Palace this afternoon and now lies in state alongside the Emperor in the central Hall of Nobles beneath the Moot Spire. Varian's funeral is scheduled for Thirday.



• Crowds of mourners continue to file through the Hall of Nobles. Responding to the press of crowds, last minute arrangements have been made to keep the hall open through the night.



• The Office of the Mint has suspended production of the Cr1 coin pending the coronation of the next Emperor. A generic sunburst design has been adopted as a temporary replacement.

• Emperor Strephon and Empress Iolanthe were buried today with full state honors. The procession from the Hall of Nobles to the Alkhalikhoi section of the Imperial Park in the shadow of the Palace moved slowly and without incident.



• Prince Lucan, Varian's younger brother, and now heir apparent to the throne, appeared briefly at graveside, leaving under heavy security immediately after the ceremony.

• Following simple burial ceremonies for Grand Princess Iphegenia and Prince Varian, the Office of the Emperor today announced that Prince Lucan had formally ascended the Iridium Throne in private ceremonies in the Imperial Palace.



• Shortly thereafter, Duke Simalr of Ushura, speaking for the Moot, charged that private ascension ceremonies are invalid, adding that any assumption of the powers of the Imperium requires the consent of the Moot.

• Emperor Lucan, communicating through his seneschal, exercised the Imperial power to dissolve the Moot for one year. Duke Simalr of Ushura, speaking for the Moot, denied the legitimacy of Lucan's action in a strongly worded reply which was released simultaneously to the news services.



• A meeting of the Moot later in the day failed to achieve a quorum. Duke Simalr is reported under house arrest.

Stay tuned to the Traveller News Service for all the late-breaking news in and out of the Imperium.

• The Moot: The Moot is the legislative body of the Third Imperium. It has few powers, and rarely exercises them, but the Moot has risen to a prominence it has never had before with the assassination of Emperor Strephon. The Moot is theoretically composed of all nobles of the Imperium, but only nobles holding the title of Baron and above are eligible. The Moot has evolved over the years into a sort of elective assembly. The members present vote on matters of importance and may vote for absent nobles only if they hold a proxy from that missing noble. Sitting members cast weighted votes based on the proxies they hold. The Moot is technically supreme within the Imperium and is mainly an advisory body to the Emperor. Even though the powers of the Moot are extremely limited, it does have one ultimate power: the dissolving of the Third Imperium, suicide. Whenever this power us brought to bear, it often compels compromise between opposing parties. In the event an Emperor is absent, the Moot becomes the validating body for the next Emperor. It has the power to examine the qualifications and credentials of the heir apparent, and in unusual situations, rejects him or her.



• The Right of Assassination: This is a way of assuming the throne by assassination. It has grown to be an acceptable way of removing an Emperor who is unfit, insane, or ineffective. Certain conditions apply to such assassinations; no commoner can simply walk in, shoot the Emperor, and take his job. The assassin must be a high- ranking noble, be prepared to defend his or her actions to the Moot, and have sufficient support in the Moot to make the claim to the Throne stick. As such, the right of assassination is a risky undertaking, since death at the hands of Imperial bodyguards or the Imperial justice system is a very real possibility. When Emperor Martin II died in 244, he had no immediate heirs to take over; the Moot examined the credentials of several claimants and support Cleon Zhunastu, great-great-great grandson of Cleon II. Cleon Zhunastu generally resolved disagreements with his own cabinet by shooting vocal opponents. The surviving members of the government then decided it to be best to dispose of Cleon. Porfiria drew the short straw, and shot Emperor Cleon as he entered the council chamber. She was proclaimed Empress in 245.