Today, dawn broke above an expectant Capitol as Imperial citizens awaited the coronation of the first female Emperor (the Imperial Senate having determined that 'Emperor' should be used for both male and female rulers). It looked like the entire population had come to witness the procession of Arissa Lavigny-Duval through the city to the Imperial Palace.

The crowd's excitement was palpable, but it was undercut by uncertainty over whether the insurgent organisation Emperor's Dawn would succeed in disrupting the coronation ceremony, as they claimed they would. There have been rumours that Emperor-to-be Arissa refused to travel in a closed speeder, despite concerns for her safety, and she looked every part the Emperor as the procession made its way sedately through the city.

The military and security presence was visible throughout the city, with Naval Infantry in full dress uniform lining the streets. A full company of Imperial Guard marched alongside the Senator's vehicle, their stark black uniforms contrasting with the crisp whites of the Naval Infantry.

The procession arrived at the palace at exactly midday, where the senators and Imperial family waited. The brief ceremony was transmitted live throughout the Empire, and screened at key locations in the city so the crowds could watch. The multitude roared their appreciation to the sky as Emperor-to-be Arissa Lavigny-Duval completed her vows of office.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval offered a few words for her people:

"This is a day I cannot compare to any other. The trust my fellow senators have shown in me makes me all the more determined to overcome the challenges we will surely face in the coming weeks and months. For too long we have suffered from uncertainty in the wake of the Emperor's death.

"I had the great fortune to talk with the late Emperor in his final days, and to learn how he planned to strengthen the Empire in these times of change. In the coming weeks, I will announce the formation of my government and my plans to tackle the threats facing the Empire.

"But for now I will enjoy this moment and express my gratitude to the Empire and everyone, from slave to senator, for this opportunity to serve."

Each week, GalNet presents a list of 10 of the 2,708 minor factions currently expanding into new systems.

• Morai Nobles

• Nungk Empire Party

• Varlawoth Prison Colony

• HIP 6761 Focus

• Evenses Liberals

• Hrana General Holdings

• 58 Epsilon Herculis Industry

• Vendelia Coalition

• Any Na General Group

• Independents of Achansa

Expansion occurs when a minor faction reaches a sufficient influence rating and there is a populated system within striking distance. The act of expansion is a costly one, and the wealth and development rating suffers during the period of expansion.

* Data is correct at time of publishing.

Edmund Mahon has proven last week's naysaying economists wrong. The economic juggernaut that is the Alliance of Independent Systems now exerts influence over more than 1,000 systems – a tremendous milestone for the fledgling superpower, which only recently celebrated 70 years of existence.

Arissa Lavigny-Duval's days have been largely consumed by preparations for her coronation ceremony, but she has also made time to direct the efforts of the Shield of Justice. The Emperor-to-be oversaw massive fortifications during the past week, with 50 systems secured against little opposition. Everything appears to be in order for the coronation ceremony this weekend.

Zachary Hudson amassed an enormous command capital stockpile in the previous week, alongside an increase in approval rating. Federal Navy recruitment levels are also at an all-time high, with many attributing the increased interest in the Navy to the CQC Championships.

Felicia Winters and the liberal arm of the Federation have stockpiled sufficient resources to establish bases in a handful of systems, which will serve as staging points for future aid programs. Mangwe became one such base of operation during the past week.

In the past week, Aisling Duval's supporters convinced the population of an influential system to support the people's princess, and her public-relations machine now appears primed to persuade additional systems to join Aisling's cause.

Li Yong-Rui recently announced an initiative to bolster the economy of the distant colony of HIP 8396. This program comes at an odd time for Sirius, as profits fell during the past week, resulting in strained business relations with two systems.

Denton Patreus has at last established a small cushion of command capital with which to exert additional influence over systems bordering his territory. The elimination of Emperor's Dawn remains among the Senator's top priorities, and as his fleets deploy, fortifications are underway to guard against further expansion of the insurgent organization.

Zemina Torval's enterprises suffered some setbacks this week, resulting in turmoil for one popular trade system. Given the Senator's recent track record, economic analysts are not overly concerned about trade in her systems, and expect this to be a minor hiccup.

Pranav Antal continued Utopia's quiet march through civilized space with the addition of the Xi Wang Mu system. Antal now has a modest command capital reserve with which to expand the vision of Utopia.

Archon Delaine's attempts to exploit additional systems were denied this week, as system defence forces repelled Kumo Crew-backed insurrectionists. The spider of the Pegasi Sector is already spinning webs to ensnare additional systems. It remains to be seen whether the renewed offensive against Emperor's Dawn will weaken the Imperial resistance to the Pirate Lord.

Commander Corrigendum

Reports coming in from the Warkushanui system indicate that a number of starports in the region are currently experiencing technical issues. According to Sam Norris, a technician at Coats Hub, the system's inhabitants are dealing with a range of problems:

"We've had power outages, intermittent problems with our communications, and issues with the docking systems, but I've reason to believe that things are worse at Gurragchaa Gateway. I haven't been able to establish a stable comms link with them for a while, though, so I don't know exactly what the situation is."

Norris was asked what he thought might be causing the problems:

"Beats the hell out of me. The generators are fine and I haven't identified any infrastructure issues, so we'll need to run some tests before we can be sure."

The issues in Warkushanui are not believed to be affecting station services at this time.

Following the Empire's recent discovery of five additional Emperor's Dawn bases, Senator Denton Patreus has despatched military fleets to three of the systems occupied by the insurgents: Namarii, Tabaldak and LTT 874. The Senator has also authorised a number of Empire-aligned factions to reward pilots who join the fight against Emperor's Dawn. The insurgents, meanwhile, have responded in kind, promising to reward pilots who help repel the Imperials.

Some news feeds have speculated that the Senator's actions are designed not only to maintain the pressure on Emperor's Dawn, but also to minimise the chances of the insurgents disrupting Arissa Lavigny-Duval's forthcoming coronation.

The outcome of the battle is by no means certain, but one thing is for sure – the wider conflict between the Empire and Emperor's Dawn is far from over.

Last week, United Carnoeck for Equality issued a public appeal for help in clearing the Carnoeck system of pirates and other disruptive elements. The agitators had congregated in the Carnoeck system in the wake of the Bacon Protests anniversary celebrations, and were harassing traders and revellers travelling to and from Bacon City.

The response to the appeal was overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of combat pilots taking to their ships and heading for the Carnoeck system. The resulting conflict lasted for several days and raged throughout Carnoeck, and ultimately succeeded in routing the disruptive elements. United Carnoeck for Equality will soon be issuing rewards to pilots who helped to clear the spaceways of agitators.

This weekly roundup highlights some of the minor factions pursuing the dream of democratic freedom by holding elections (*).

Here are 10 of the 3,825 minor factions holding elections:

• Nationalists of Ticushpakhi

• Anezgan Focus

• Union of Yenic Resistance

• LTT 10918 Order

• GQ Virginis General Corporation

• Justice Party of HIP 105391

• Nu-2 Lupi Crimson United Prtnrs

• Aymifa Empire Pact

• Aymifa Regulatory State

• League of Andhrimi Defence Party

Elections occur when two minor factions of a similar political structure resolve a conflict over ownership and influence within a system.

* Data is correct at time of publishing.

In the early hours of tomorrow morning (7.00am GMT), the GalNet monitoring of powers' activities will go offline for a short period while the latest data is assembled.

Any pilots who operate for one of the powers must deliver any cargo or vouchers before this time to ensure their activities are registered.

Gutamaya Shipyards' latest vessel, the Imperial Eagle, is now available for purchase for any pilot holding the appropriate rank in the Imperial Navy, and positive consumer feedback is already flooding in.

Commander Corrigendum, operating in the Prism system, said: "The Imperial Eagle is a blast to fly. It handles beautifully and has looks to match. I was able to stick on the tail of an Imperial Courier during combat exercises. It's a great addition to the Gutamaya portfolio." Commander Stateira 'Starcloak' Eleshenar added: "I love my Eagle, so I was curious to see if Gutamaya could improve on Core Dynamics' classic design. Now I've taken it out a few times, I'm happy to say it retains all the sublime responsiveness of the Eagle, and packs a harder punch in combat."

When asked about the secret of Gutamaya Shipyards' success, lead engineer Ines Allende responded: "Elegance in simplicity. We kept the core design that made the Eagle Mk II great and simply tinkered with a few key elements."

Commander Stateira "Starcloak" Eleshenar

Jameson Memorial Review | Interstellar Press

After months of research, scientists working for the Canonn Interstellar Research Group observed a change in the transmissions emanating from the so-called 'unknown artefacts', also known as 'anomalous extraterrestrial objects' (or AEOs). Now the organisation believes it has decoded at least part of these strange transmissions. Startlingly, the messages appear to contain schematic diagrams of the ships being used to study the objects.

The breakthrough came when Commander Mike Juliett Kilo was inspired to channel a pre-recorded AEO signal into an antique scanner display system he happened to be transporting. "I was prepared to see an alien face or Thargoid warship," he said. "I certainly didn't expect to see a Vulture, especially as I was flying one at the time! It sent shivers down my spine."

As the number of AEOs encountered in the Aries Dark region increases, the debate over the objects continues.

Exploration activity has been brought to a near standstill after a data-encrypting firmware bug threatened to compromise recently acquired astronomical data. A spokesperson for Universal Cartographics released the following statement:

"Commanders started noting discrepancies between the exploration records stored in their ship systems and their own personal records. When we investigated, we found that one of our contractors has purposely altered a recent firmware update that was applied to all discovery and surface scanners. We also found that the contractor had a connection to Emperor's Dawn. An arrest warrant has been issued, and our staff worked through the weekend to recover the encrypted data and replace the compromised firmware."

It has been speculated that the sabotage was designed to hamstring the IISS's efforts to locate Emperor's Dawn bases using exploration data.

Commander Fionn Mac Cumhaill

In this weekly digest, the latest GalNet data is compiled to show the economic state of a short list of minor factions and the star systems they inhabit.

Here are 10 of the 6,333 minor factions currently enjoying an economic boom:

• Liberty Party of Tau Ceti

• Official Palengue Liberty Party

• LP 681-91 Ring

• Sibio Purple Power Systems

• Dakshu Partners

• Rathakako Shared

• Crimson Dynamic Commodities

• Kapurri Empire League

• CD-54 9671 Patron's Principles

• HIP 100685 Purple Travel Limited

When in boom, the wealth of a system is increased for the duration and all trade missions have double the effect on influence. Boom can also positively increase a minor faction's influence. Boom can be entered by consistent trade profits and completed trade contracts. Booms tend to last until they naturally expire or until some other indicator takes precedence, such as famine.

* Data is correct at time of publishing

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".