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A split
Erlvi’s daughter, Tourma III found a very difficult reign trying to rebuild inter-country relations with her people and managed via appeasement policies to pacify Galatea, Pollux and Zephyrus, but encountered a real obstacle when Castor declared independence not only from Tourma’s rule but also from the Silver Millennium Federation. Tourma died from stress-related illnesses at the age of 56 before she could even negotiate the problem with Castor. It was her successor, Amejisu II who made the efforts towards re-unification. The true nature of Amejisu II’s policies to bring Castor back were not discovered until 250 years later when under the upheaval of Aulis’ reign, the documents recording the slightly underhand measures were found. Amejisu was pacifist and refused to use direct force. Instead she went to great lengths to make a development gap between the rebel nation and the rest of the countries, in particular neighbouring Pollux. On its part, Pollux refused Castor the use of the Dioscuri straits to Favonius without a high tariff, which restricted Castor’s only export of wood. While Pollux became prosperous, Castor suffered and emigration from Castor became of epidemic proportions. Amejisu used secrecy, sedition and counter- revolution in addition to open (and failing) diplomacy. She commissioned agents to work actively in Castor to create dissent against Independence. The economic situation ensured that people would listen; they were more likely to rise up when destitute, when given hope of a better life. The agents spoke of the divide, spoke of the glory of the Millennium and of a united planet, and achieved their aim when the people began to rise up against the rebel government. It was the start of a long and bitter civil feud on Castor in which Amejisu intervened diplomatically while covertly sending military support to the people. It contradicted her principles but Amejisu had to relent for the sake of the planet as a whole. This civil strife outlasted Amejisu and two successors. The first was her daughter Neia who ascended at the age of six and lived for most of her 20 year reign under the protectorate of Lady Glacies who managed the feud. Upon Neia’s untimely death at 26, her sister Callia took the throne to reign for 50 years. The feud continued throughout Callia’s long and unremarkable reign but her own daughter Aline III was different in her approach and her reign resolved the feud with a victory by the People. Aline III, quite unlike her immediate predecessors was a believer in force as a means to an end and the extra forces supplied to the People gave them their victory. The rebel government’s fate was exile and extradition to the Moon for treason against the Millennium. |