Damon Clarke

Template:CharacterInfobox Damon Clarke was an Imperial Patron and industrialist who served as a key advisor to Princess Aisling Duval. After one of the corporations he owned was found to have supplied weapons to the insurgent group Emperor's Dawn in the past, Clarke was disgraced and fled Imperial space for the Apathaam system. He was eventually located and arrested by the Imperial Internal Security Service, who reduced his punishment to house arrest on Capitol in exchange for details about his contacts in Emperor's Dawn. Months later in March 3302, surviving members of Emperor's Dawn took revenge against Clarke for betraying them by murdering him with poison.

Timeline

Template:Scrollbox-begin 16 MAR 3302

• When the dissident organisation known as Emperor's Dawn was first brought to public attention, a number of high-profile Imperials were discovered to have connections to the group. One of them was Damon Clarke, a prominent industrialist and a member of Princess Aisling Duval's inner circle. According to a report published by the Imperial Herald, one of Clarke's companies had previously sold weapons to Emperor's Dawn, and the revelation plunged Clarke into scandal. The prominent patron denied all knowledge of the transaction, but his declarations of innocence were undermined when he fled Imperial space. From that point on, no further information regarding Clarke's whereabouts or actions was released to the public. But now an undisclosed source, which claims to be close to the Imperial Internal Security Service, has shared news of Clarke's fate. A section of the anonymous message is reprinted below: "As you know, Clarke fled Imperial space when his connection to Emperor's Dawn was discovered. But he didn't get far. The IISS caught up with him in Apathaam and brought him back to Achenar. Clarke was looking at a death sentence, but the IISS offered him a deal: give up his contacts in Emperor's Dawn in exchange for a more lenient sentence. Clarke jumped at the offer, and gave up everyone he knew. His information earned him a commuted sentence: house arrest at his home on Capitol. He even got to keep his car. A pretty good deal. So time passes and Emperor's Dawn gets its ass handed to it by the Empire. But a few of Clarke's former contacts survive, and they're none too happy about him selling them down the river. With IISS agents stationed at Clarke's home, it wasn't easy for them to get to him, but in the end they succeeded. Poisoned his food, I gather. Nasty way to go." The Imperial Internal Security Service has declined to comment on the matter.

11 OCT 3301

• As the war between the Empire and Emperor's Dawn continues, an increasing number of political commentators are asking the question: where does the organisation get its money? Since the military campaign began, the Empire has expended substantial resources fighting the insurgents, but for the most part Emperor's Dawn has managed to match the strength of the Imperial offensives, and this ability to resist the Empire suggests that the organisation has access to significant levels of funding. Several weeks ago it was revealed that Emperor's Dawn had at one time received backing from D and C Shipping, Inc., an organisation belonging to the Imperial patron and industrialist Damon Clarke, but the connection between the two organisations is believed to have been severed some time ago. Verifiable details are scarce, but an anonymous source within the Empire has shared suspicions that Emperor's Dawn could have a benefactor in the corporate world. If this is true, it raises the question of what kind of company would support an organisation like Emperor's Dawn, and what it might hope to gain from such an association. The IISS was approached for comment, but it replied only by saying it was "pursuing all available leads".

02 OCT 3301

• Little has been heard from Princess Aisling Duval since it was revealed that one of her key advisors, Patron Damon Clarke, was connected to Emperor's Dawn. She has reportedly cooperated with both the Senate and IISS investigations into the allegations, and has vehemently denied any prior knowledge of the link. That changed this morning with the shattering announcement of her own investigation's findings. In a statement, Princess Aisling revealed that some of Chancellor Anders Blaine's past advisors were connected to the same members of Emperor's Dawn as Patron Damon Clarke. She also highlighted that while Patron Clarke's connection to Emperor's Dawn was historic, those within the Chancellor's team were more recent. She concluded by listing the names of those implicated. Princess Aisling Duval has not yet released evidence of the connections. Chancellor Anders Blaine denied all knowledge of any connection, and refused to comment further.

21 SEP 3301

• At the start of the day's deliberations, Chancellor Anders Blaine declared that a Senate investigation into the claimed connection between Princess Aisling Duval's office and the insurgent group Emperor's Dawn was to be undertaken. The investigation will begin immediately, despite the Senate being in closed session until the succession is decided. In response, Aisling Duval stated that she would comply in any way she could with the investigation. She also said that her own security teams had discovered some alarming information that she would share with the investigation committee. Meanwhile, the hunt for Patron Damon Clarke continues. Several of his associates were arrested by the Internal Security Service in the early hours of the morning and subjected to questioning.

20 SEP 3301

• As Senator Denton Patreus prepared to enter the Senate to continue the deliberations over the succession, he issued an angry demand for a full senate investigation into the reported links between Emperor's Dawn and Princess Aisling Duval's office. "While I sympathise with the princesses' situation, having experienced a similar shock, I cannot allow that sympathy to influence my judgement. When a member of my household committed the most heinous of deeds, I submitted myself to the security services and gave them every access they needed. We cannot wait to act, and I call upon the senate to commence an immediate and full investigation into any links between Princess Aisling and Emperor's Dawn." After the initial flurry of information from the Imperial Herald, no new facts were released today. Patron Damon Clarke remains at large, and the considered opinion is that he has fled the Empire.

19 SEP 3301

• Following yesterday's revelation of alleged links between Princess Aisling Duval's office and the Emperor's Dawn insurgency, Princess Aisling today issued a statement denying any knowledge of the connection. "It has come as a bitter surprise to me that any of my trusted advisors could have conducted business with the animals that murdered the Emperor. I will immediately undertake my own investigation into the matter, and root out any staff who are not truly loyal to the Empire." Popularity polls have shown a dramatic fall for the so-called 'People's Princess' as the Imperial Herald revealed more details of the alleged interactions with the terrorist group. Patron Damon Clarke remains unavailable for comment. A security officer based in Clarke's home system revealed, anonymously, that Clarke's whereabouts are unknown.

18 SEP 3301

• In a devastating exposé released earlier today, the Imperial Herald has published details of alleged links between the secretive group backing Princess Aisling Duval and some of the funding sources for the Emperor's Dawn insurgency. While a direct connection between Princess Aisling and the insurgency is not alleged, there does appear to be a connection to senior members of the Princess's inner council. Most notable of these is the patron and industrialist Damon Clarke. The Herald has found evidence that D and C Shipping, Inc., one of Clarke's companies, apparently funded and organised weapon shipments to people now known to be members of Emperor's Dawn three years ago. It is not known at this time whether there has been any recent contact between Clarke's company and these individuals, or how this relates to the assassination of Emperor Hengist Duval. Patron Damon Clarke was unavailable for comment, but a spokesman for the company said: "We are an interstellar shipping company, making thousands of shipments for clients each day. We are approved to transport weapons where such shipments are legal, and we occasionally do so. We do not comment on individual transactions. If a former client later became a terrorist, that is certainly abhorrent, but it is hardly the fault of D and C Shipping, Inc."