Karl Nerva
Karl Nerva was an Imperial Senator and member of the Lords of Restoration, a group of senators who conspired against the Imperial Family. His role in the conspiracy was to conceal the abduction of Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval in January 3307 by falsifying confirmation that Her Majesty had safely arrived at one of the secure locations under the protection of the Imperial Senate. During the year that the Emperor was secretly held in captivity in Summerland by Darkwater Inc, Nerva was also responsible for deflecting suspicion from Imperial Intelligence; multiple corrupt agents were in the Lords' employ and were instrumental in training, equipping, and protecting the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army, as well as fabricating communications purportedly from the Emperor to the Senate so that the Lords could direct the Empire's affairs.
Senator Nerva deceived the public about the true nature of the Serene Harbour prison facility, a black site operated by Imperial Intelligence that was discovered by independent pilots in February 3307 after the Lords' agents attacked it and freed John "Theta Seven" Tyburn, the NMLA's de facto leader. Nerva asserted Serene Harbour was an elaborate ruse crafted by the Federation to damage the Empire's reputation. In January 3308, he similarly disparaged Omega Grid, an Imperial covert communications system that Captain Saskia Landau of the Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit claimed had likely been shared with the NMLA, and he was the most prominent of a faction of senators who blocked all efforts to open Imperial Intelligence to investigation. When ACT cracked Omega Grid in February 3308, Nerva's ties to the Lords of Restoration conspiracy were exposed, and he and other conspirators were arrested by the Imperial Internal Security Service.
Logs
Unidentified Beacon (Decrypted)
| Log No. | Log Text |
|---|---|
| 1/1 | Omega Grid 2 ursula its alberto again. you have to help me. |
Network Beacon (Decrypted)
| Log No. | Log Text |
|---|---|
| 1/1 | Omega Grid 3 colonel brock reporting to senator nerva. |
Timeline
14 FEB 3308
- The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit has unveiled a secret cabal of Imperial senators who masterminded the NMLA's terrorist activity. The information was obtained after ACT successfully penetrated the NMLA's dark-comms network. Captain Saskia Landau provided this summary to the media: "Senators Gereon, Jourdain, Nerva, Scordato and Torquatus were at the heart of a powerful conspiracy to permanently remove the position of Emperor. They called themselves the Lords of Restoration, based on their aim to restore executive power to the Senate. The NMLA became their terroristic agents, weaponised to assassinate the Duvals and other obstacles. Its members were militarised at Darkwater training camps and provided with sophisticated equipment by corrupt Imperial Intelligence agents. But the Lords could never fully control the terrorist figurehead Theta Seven, whose attacks against non-Imperial starports were not part of their original plan. Marlinism was also exploited as a political lever. The hope was that, compared to this democratic ideology, citizens would view a senator-led Empire as a moderate compromise once the Imperial Family was gone. While this led to the establishment of the Marlinist Colonies, the Lords' later attempts to influence those systems via puppet politicians did not succeed. Following the assassinations of Prince Harold and other Duvals, the Lords abducted Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval in January 3307. She was kidnapped en route to a secure location, with Senator Nerva falsifying confirmation of her safe arrival. This allowed the Lords to engineer communications with the Senate via a virtual doppelganger, which were accepted as genuine since they were verified by Imperial Intelligence agents." ACT is working closely with Imperial security agencies to identify all those who collaborated with the Lords of Restoration.[1]
09 FEB 3308
- Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has been found alive after being secretly imprisoned by the private military firm Darkwater Inc. The Imperial Herald published a special report on recent events: "The absence of the Emperor from public life for over a year has prompted much speculation. The Senate claimed that she was being kept safe from assassination attempts by the NMLA, and that they remained in contact with her. In truth, she was being held captive by the NMLA's secret benefactors. This group of Imperial senators referred to themselves as the Lords of Restoration. They were revealed only after ACT recruited independent pilots to help decipher the terrorists' dark-comms network. Chancellor Blaine immediately ordered the Imperial Guard into battle against Darkwater soldiers. A ship fleeing from the Summerland system was intercepted, aboard which was a cryogenic pod containing the Emperor herself. She was swiftly returned to Capitol, and is currently under the care of the Imperial Palace medical team. The IISS has launched a security operation based on ACT's information. This reveals that groups within the Senate, Darkwater and Imperial Intelligence formed a long-running conspiracy to fund and empower the NMLA. Senators Alberto Gereon, Karl Nerva, Ursula Torquatus and several others have been placed under arrest. ACT has stated that it will provide additional information soon."[2]
17 JAN 3308
- There are claims that the Imperial Senate is preventing efforts to examine a potential link between the Empire's security services and the NMLA. Captain Saskia Landau has publicly stated that the terrorists' dark-comms network is closely related to the Omega Grid system used exclusively by Imperial Intelligence. She expanded on her theory in a statement to Vox Galactica: "Based on evidence and interrogation transcripts obtained by ACT, I believe that rogue elements within Imperial Intelligence were training and providing equipment to the NMLA. This would help explain the level of sophistication they achieved in coordinating their starport attacks and communicating without detection. There is certainly enough circumstantial proof to warrant a dedicated investigation. But the Senate is refusing to authorise this, which makes me wonder what they are trying to hide." Senator Karl Nerva reiterated: "It is time for ACT to devolve and return much-needed resources to the Empire where they belong." However, Senator Caspian Leopold responded: "To alleviate any lack of confidence in our security services, we should examine Captain Landau's allegation rigorously. Our citizens must be reassured that Imperial Intelligence exists solely for their protection."[3]
07 JAN 3308
- Senators have refuted ACT's claim that the NMLA made use of official but highly secret Imperial communications devices. Captain Saskia Landau maintains that the terrorist group's dark-comms network was very similar to the Omega Grid, an undetectable messaging system used exclusively by Imperial Intelligence. Senator Karl Nerva told the media: "In her desperation to seek out the NMLA, Captain Landau is chasing shadows. Imperial Intelligence must operate under total secrecy, but I assure you that this 'Omega Grid' is just as much of an invention to discredit the Empire as Serene Harbour was. Landau has overstepped her authority with these outlandish accusations. I once again propose that ACT be disbanded and its operatives returned to normal duties." The Imperial Herald reported that other senators are calling for Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval to overrule those who are blocking ACT's investigation. The newsfeed highlighted that she did not attend any functions in person during the past year, and has not broadcast any public messages. In response, Chancellor Anders Blaine gave this statement: "Her Majesty was placed under secure protection in early 3307 after several failed assassination attempts by the NMLA. She has been communicating remotely with the Senate on all official business, but does plan to return to Capitol very soon."[4]
03 FEB 3307
- *Pilots Federation ALERT*
An Imperial Intelligence detention facility discovered in the R CRA Sector AF-A d42 system has been repudiated by the Empire. The outpost, named Serene Harbour, was located after its distress call was shared publicly by the Pilots Federation. According to the Commander Andee-X- who first investigated the site, all its occupants were dead as the result of what appeared to be a prisoner breakout. Unlike the Imperial Internal Security Service, the Imperial Intelligence organisation has no spokespeople or public channels. However, Senator Karl Nerva told the media: "The claim that high-security prisoners and terrorists are being tortured for information in an unregistered outpost is categorically false. There is no such place as 'Serene Harbour'. We believe that independent pilots have been duped by a Federal ploy to undermine the Empire, using fake locations and logs for theatrical effect. I assure all citizens that Imperial Intelligence operates fully within the law and remains vigilant against all threats." When asked about Commandant Gabriel De Luca, who was identified by surviving logs at the outpost, Senator Nerva replied: "Captain De Luca was indeed an agent of Imperial Intelligence, but died on active duty several years ago. It's obvious that this respected hero's identity has been stolen to add credibility to anti-Imperial disinformation."[5]