Lunar Food Scandal
     The Jovian League and the majority of the Solar Habitats recognized the independence of the new nations of Mare Nubium and Cardinthos (formerly states of the Lunar Federal Republic) and began open trade.
     In response to the Martian blockade, hundreds of Lunar freighters immediately re-registered under the flag of Napama, a habitat with lax trade laws. The Martian blockade thus did little but slow down trade with Luna, though even this was enough to raise food prices to record highs throughout Sol, affecting mostly the economies of the habitats and Lockheed.
     Many agricultural products coming out of Luna now carry "Non-Addictive" stamps from the new Food Standards Committee (a non-governmental body). An investigation by the Lunar Congress into "AgriGate" ended up blaming a Colonel Murphy, who becomes a patriotic hero among conservative Cookies.
     Requests from Mars for military or economic assistance to enforce the blockade were ignored by all other governments, some of whom begin to loudly complain against the blockade. By late in the year, grumbling against the blockade, especially by Habber merchants and governments, was critical. In November, 158 Habber freighters simultaneously left Luna, ignoring the blockade. 38 ships were tractored and boarded by the Martian fleet, 22 were destroyed, 31 were damaged, and 67 made it through unscathed. Governments across the system expressed outrage at the Martian action; the Tethys Empire declared war.

Lunar Training Center
     Luna constructed a large-scale Gravitic Training Center to acclimate Cookies to 1g in preparation for recolonization of Earth. The facility plans to train up to 500 colonists per year.

Rise of Lunar Splinter Groups
     Numerous radical political groups sprang up across Luna, mostly anti-establishment, calling for the disbanding of the Republic and/or all government.
     Responsibility for last year's destroyer explosion was claimed by the "True Inheritors of the Earth", a radical group which claims sole sovereignty over Earth. Their propaganda and graffiti have begun to sprout up all over Luna. The TIE is also actively against the League of Colonies.

Exploration of Earth
     Bureaucratic tangles, aggravated by the Lunar agriculture scandal and the Martian blockade, continue to hold up any landings on Earth's surface.

Financial Recession
     CorpCo permanently pulled 20% of its freighters out of service to handle FTL travel. The lack of available ships, which caused a minor recession last year, sends the Auroran economy into a tailspin, as factories find themselves short of raw materials and unable to get goods to the intended markets.

FTL Ships Launched
     Mankind's two first FTL ships were launched from Aurora with much ceremony. The Lumena headed for Earth, expected to arrive in the middle of 2852. The Tachys triumphantly visited Imbri and Marsellium where it was greeted by huge crowds of well-wishers, before continuing on to Nerendra.
     Returning at the end of the year, the Tachys brought word of the fate of Nerendra: twenty years ago a freak concatenation of solar flares destroyed all of Nerendra's orbital facilities, and caused serious damage to the surface. The colony is now almost fully recovered from the disaster, but simply hadn't completed a new interstellar transmitter/receiver yet. Nerendra will be able to complete an FTL communication system by 2853, rejoining them to the interstellar community.

Life on Imbri
     Contact with Imbri uncovers that the people of Imbri have the highest standard of living in all known human worlds. The average Imbrian is better educated, healthier, more mentally active and more emotionally stable than any other group.

     Free Cithara, CorpCo, and most of the other nations in Beta Canum Venaticorum are all examples of "Patron Nations of the Republic". Whereas most Aurorans are "Citizens of the Republic", enjoying the full rights and privileges of that government, Patron Nations elect to remain independent, yet they physically exist within the larger framework of the Republica. All Patrons (the people in Patron Nations) are bound only to the Ius Civitas, the universal body of civil laws containing absolute Auroran rights, and not to other Republican Law, which applies only to Citizens.
     Though the people of the Isis moons and other nations in Beta Canum (and even the extra-system colonies) are also considered Patrons, it has, for the most part, been only in name only. And with no one but Aurorans in Near Space to deal with, there has been little need for special ties to the Republica.
     But Faster-Than-Light travel and communications have changed all that. No longer are Aurorans left to agree and disagree amongst themselves, as in the past. They are presented with a new set of opportunities and challenges, presented by what have become, in some sense, "alien" civilizations.
     They are best faced together, we feel, and at this point the Republica Aurora would like to offer Patron status to all non-Republica colonies. One that takes into account the distributed nature of the Aurora Colony, yet one that can function as an anchor point for concerted Auroran efforts, dealing with both internal and external endeavors.
     The terms of such an alliance are simple:
     Since all Auroran colonies already have some form of the Ius Civitas in place, it is nothing to expect assent to these laws, for they are already.
     Auroran Space will be consolidated and brought under the administration of the Republic, but Patrons will exercise full control over their own territories. They will be recognized as independent entities existing within the Republic, and shall have their own sovereign laws, territory, militia, and government, as many already have. Space within the Republic's confines (which will include intersystem space as well), and all Aurorans passing through them, shall be protected by the normal laws granted to Patrons, instead of the current non-law that exists there.
     All colonies shall share a pledge of non-aggression and mutual defense from external threats. This is not an obligation to engage in military conflict, but a colony is expected never to act intentionally in such a way as to endanger the well-being of another colony, the alliance, or the Republic. Each will have the means to invoke the protection of its fellow nations, including the Republic itself.
     Open diplomacy and trade. This will be assumed, since their deficiency would simply represent a hindrance to friendly relations.
     The motives for forming this extension are as follows:
     It will be a major step in insuring cordial ties within, and maintaining the integrity of, Auroran Space in the grand scheme of the (suddenly) interstellar community.
     Since the Republic will have the Ius Civitas jurisdiction over intercolonial space, the rights of all people, both Patron and Citizen, will be insured no matter where they are in all of Auroran Space.
     It will facilitate forming a common Auroran response to any given provocation, as the Republic and its Patrons can easily form parallel defense policies. It will prevent any colony from being maligned by an external source.
     It would create a peaceful fellowship of the Auroran colonies, allowing for close political relationships, without sacrificing the independence of individual nations, nor the vitality of the Auroran identity.
     Possible objections to this proposition:
     "This is just an excuse for the Republica to annex the independent colonies." The Republic will be according Patron status to the outer independent colonies; the precedent for this has already existed in some form for centuries: Free Cithara, H2 Unlimited, CorpCo, etc. This will extend to the extra-system nations as well as intersystem space all of the rights and privileges of that status.
     "It will be too entangling. We don't want confining ties to the Republic." Nearly all of the terms of the proposal are already (unofficially) satisfied. The only really new ideas are that of establishment of Ius Civitas in all of Auroran Space, and cooperation in the case of an emergency.
     "So then the Classis Astrum Auroram and the Legius Stellam Auroram will have total military control of not only the current Republic, but all of us as well." Just as the Isis colonies, Sherwood, Lapsus, and many others have military forces, all Patron Colonies are explicitly granted the right to maintain colonial militias. The principle of military cooperation in a crisis situation is a pledge, to insure the integrity of all Auroran colonies.
     "We don't need it. We're fine just the way we are." Given the strategic changes brought about by ftl travel, it seems that some form of mutual agreement on territorial security is in order.
     This proposal represents a skeletal alliance of the varied interests of the colonies. To bring this under the auspices of the benefits extended to all Patrons of the Republic is a consistency well grounded in principle, and the success of which is solidly backed by Auroran historical precedent.

     The League of Colonies (LOC) will consist of an integrated, interstellar, dynamic communications network dedicated to virtual diplomatic ties among the Colonies.
     The concept of the League is to establish:
     1) Rights and Principles of Sovereign Nations and their Citizens.
     2) Definitions of Colonial and Intercolonial Space
     3) Universal Rules of War and Universal Codes of Commerce.
     4) Consistent architecture for Intercolonial Negotiation and Diplomacy.
     The League will exist to expedite favorable relations among the Colonies, and, specifically, to facilitate peaceful resolution of intercolonial conflicts; it is not a nation in itself. The member colonies of the LOC shall have no other obligations but the recognition of and assent to some fundamental principles of conduct: the Maxims of the League of Colonies.
     In these initial stages, the Republica Aurora, which has developed and effected this idea into a viable entity, will be the host and executor of the League. It will compose the Maxims of the League, based on its Ius Civitas (the body of civil law containing the absolute rights of every Citizen and Patron of the Republica) and the laws that have governed intercolonial relations in Auroran Space for centuries.
     All of the elements of the LOC are open to discussion from all colonies; though it is evident that some compromises will be made in the formation of both the Maxims and the organization of the League itself. It is most important that the League does not infringe on the legitimate, fundamental rights of any sovereign colony, but flawed examples such as a "right" to a strictly proportional representation system are clearly not fundamental (nor even valid).
     In addition to setting a common diplomatic ground, an equally important opportunity for the League is to establish a common economic one. The important aspect of this synthesis of diplomacy and economics lies with the parallel nature of both modes of interstellar relations: since free trade can only exist in a community of nations free from coercion, there must be some very basic terms on which every economic power must agree (such as not using unreasonable military force to obstruct peaceful commercial trade).
     But the terms that are sought are nothing but hose existing within the Maxims of the League, the Universal Codes of Commerce. The LOC will not regulate interstellar trade; that is not the point at all. The Maxims seek to establish what a colony may not do, rather than proscribe what it may.
     Thus the Intercolonial Stock Exchange, the economic extension to the League, will be a structure by which free trade among the colonies can be realized. And given the difficulties associated with the movement of goods (or even money) over such large distances, the application of the "virtual" idea in diplomacy to economics would be a step nothing short of revolutionary: moving from a system of space barter (literally) to that of a dynamic intercolonial capital market.
     The Republic is currently constructing the LOC Core, the heart of a giant ftl communications network that will link all of the colonies both diplomatically and economically. The Core's design is modular, to facilitate extension of both quantity and quality of communications channels.
     Upon completion, the Core will be able to handle hundreds of simultaneous, two-way, live ftl audio/video channels, including conferencing. (Part of the Core will be dedicated to the ISE and market communications.) Thus it will be possible to hold an assembly (or transaction) with the representatives (or traders) of each colony "present" and as active participants.
     But like any network, the filaments of the LOC Web need connections at both ends. The communications protocols and technical plans for creating an operational LOC Node (for reception/transmission with the Core) are being transmitted by the Republica to all colonies.
     Though these designs include instructions on the construction of a simple (but certainly capable) Node, it is intended for use as a base concept which each colony can build upon; innovation and customization are very much encouraged.
     The cost of maintaining the League is expected to be modest, since it is really a network of governments, not a government in itself. The initial construction of equipment and establishment of links, however, will be more expensive. Fortunately, the cost of these are roughly proportional to the size of the colony, so after the point of making very basic diplomatic links, a colony need spend only what it requires. (This is especially apparent with respect to the ISE, somewhat less so with the LOC proper.)
     Though the idea of making the Intercolonial Stock Exchange an economic complement to the League of Colonies was made by the Republica Aurora, the original proposal of interstellar economic links was made by the government of Mars. And as it is the political and diplomatic expertise of the Aurorans that will shape the League of Colonies as a whole, it is the financial wizardry of the Martians that will fully realize the potential of the new Intercolonial Stock Exchange in the years to come.
     A second, significantly larger ftl communications Core is also being constructed in Beta Canum Venaticorum. Whereas the LOC is a dedicated, restricted system (to economics and diplomacy, that is), the Auroran "Civilization" Network will be a massive open system designed for data transmission of any kind, from straight aud-vid broadcasts to personal telecommunications to high-speed computer networking.
     Like the LOC setup, the ACN Core at Beta Canum will act as the hub for transmissions, at least for a while. It is certainly expected to become a distributed, multiple-parallel information network, far beyond the capabilities of a single center, no matter how large; so the ACN Core will eventually be just one among many such Cores.
     Even so, the Republica is using a modular design to accommodate growth in this area, even with its completion channels numbering in the thousands. Data protocol information and preliminary designs for network Nodes are also being sent following this message, but it should be noted that they are significantly different from their LOC counterparts: one is designed for use in a close, precise, and secure environment for use by governments, while the other is a distributed, public infrastructure for commercial application.
     With information growing more valuable by the minute, full interstellar communications on a commercial level is an opportunity not to be missed by any of us.