{"data":{"id":19288,"title":"Portfolio: Invictus Launch Week - A History","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/19288-Portfolio-Invictus-Launch-Week-A-History","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/19288","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/19288","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"None","images":[],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 10.05.\nIn 2542, the inaugural Invictus Launch Week saw Navy ships visit every system in the United Planets of Earth (UPE). Amidst the First Tevarin War, people gathered in massive numbers to celebrate and send off the brave recruits who boarded large military transports to be taken to basic training. Navy officials noticed that these large gatherings were becoming more and more popular system after system and realized that the event could serve both a practical and political purpose. From there forward, Invictus would be both a chance to pick up new recruits, celebrate the Navy, and eventually show off the latest additions to its fleet. Five centuries later, despite undergoing significant changes, Invictus Launch Week has become a cherished Empire-wide tradition. Today, instead of transporting volunteers, the event showcases the latest vehicles in the Naval fleet while celebrating that year\u2019s recruits and graduating officers and pilots. Still, the core values of the event have remained focused on driving recruitment and honoring the brave starmen who\u2019ve dedicated themselves to protecting the Empire.\n\nREADY TO LAUNCH\nFew system discoveries changed the trajectory of Human history more than Elysium. On November 15, 2541, Dr. Kellar Lench returned after charting the first jump into the system to report that it teemed with advanced alien life, now known to be Tevarin. Unfortunately, unlike Humanity\u2019s previous two encounters with a new culture, this one would quickly lead to war. Unprepared for the Tevarin blitz and their ships\u2019 powerful phalanx shields, the UPE Navy found itself on the defensive and in desperate need of starmen to build an effective fighting force. Navy brass met with the UPE\u2019s governing tribunal and high-ranking senators to not only seek ways to attract recruits, but to solve the logistical problems involved with transporting volunteers to basic training, as ship ownership among the public was rare and commercial space travel capacity and security not sufficient. A hybrid idea emerged where Navy ships would visit the populated planets in each system and pick up new recruits while also projecting power and security to the populace. The recruits\u2019 ultimate destination being a base on Mars called Invictus, which inspired the event\u2019s name and stuck even after the base closed in 2579.\n\nInvictus ran for a week every October during the First Tevarin War (2541-2546). In 2547, the first Imperator, a First Tevarin War military hero by name of Ivar Messer, insisted that even though the war had ended, the event be held again to celebrate Humanity\u2019s victory. From the event on Earth, Imperator Messer emphasized the importance of sacrificing oneself for the greater good of the Empire and promised that the Navy would be used to defend the newly renamed United Empire of Earth (UEE) against threats both alien and domestic.\n\nOver the next few decades, people still gathered to see the Navy ships and celebrate that year\u2019s local crop of recruits, but the supporting events varied greatly depending on the system as there wasn\u2019t an active war or unified theme. That changed in 2581, when Imperator Messer, faced with declining Navy recruitment numbers, turned Invictus into an official holiday meant to celebrate the corps. Under the Navy\u2019s direction, large and lavish ceremonies were planned to coincide with its ships arriving in-system. New recruits now hopped aboard ships to Borea, Magnus system, which housed the Navy\u2019s main shipyard. That destination changed in 2632 when the Navy moved its shipyards to MacArthur, Kilian system, where they still reside. As an annual event, Invictus continued to evolve and expand with some landing zones getting elaborate expo halls to showcase ships and advanced technologies. Seen by some as a way to attract technophiles to the Navy and by others as a warning to those who dare come up against it.\n\nINDOCTRINATION\nThroughout the 26th century, the Navy was tasked more and more with dealing with political dissent and what was deemed by the government as \u201cdomestic unrest.\u201d Not all welcomed the military and saw the unbridled propaganda of Invictus as another opportunity for the Messer regime to push its authoritarian ambitions. Historians consider Invictus posters, banners, and recruitment vids from early 27th century events prime examples of Messer era agitprop. Surviving pieces either reside in museums or are highly sought after by private collectors. The public pushback to Invictus peaked in 2637 when the Terra system abstained from the event in protest of Imperator Livia Messer III using previous events to promote her growing pro-military agenda. Instead, the system hosted a counter-event that featured a famous speech by Terran Senator Assan Kieren, who rallied the crowd around the idea of Terra sovereignty.\n\nIn 2681, the Navy dropped one of the core elements of Invictus and ceased using the event to pick up recruits to transport to training. From there forward, Navy recruits have been required to self-report to Kilian. This led to the overall number of Invictus events being reduced, as Navy ships no longer visited each system. Instead, larger more focused celebrations were held at various major landing zones across the empire, rotating locations each year. These larger Invictus events usually included vast recruitment centers that aggressively courted volunteers to fight the new danger from the edges of the empire: the Vanduul. The now-classic vid All Tomorrow\u2019s Guardians, which centered around Navy personnel and the tactics they used in these recruitment centers, featured a Vanduul attack on an Invictus ceremony in Angeli for its dramatic finale. Many at the time saw the vid as traditional Messer propaganda but it has since earned a reputation for having a subversive spin of the event and politics of the era in its subtle skewering of the characters depicted as Messer loyalists within the Navy.\n\nThe intense recruitment drive alongside the public\u2019s growing weariness of the Messer regime led to a significant drop in Invictus attendance in the late 2730s. Embarrassed by the lack of public support, Imperator Galor Messer IX would make attendance of Invictus mandatory beginning in 2743. In a strange twist on the event\u2019s original intentions, Navy ships were used to pick up and transport people to the celebration closest to them. Invictus events soon featured large, sometimes unruly crowds that mingled about the halls just as long as required. Some used the free flights to plan family reunions. Anti-Messer activists used the massive crowds to meet, exchange information, and in some systems with lax security, use the flights to plan sabotage operations or recruit new members to the cause. Imperator Messer IX\u2019s attendance mandate only lasted two years before being replaced with a law that deemed missing the event \u201cunpatriotic behavior\u201d punishable by up to five years in prison. The law was rarely used in connection with the actual event, more often it was used as a justification to arrest anti-Messer activists that the regime couldn\u2019t pin other charges on. The legal mandate lasted until 2792 when the Messer regime finally fell.\n\nMODERNIZATION\nThe importance of Invictus actually increased following the fall of the Messers. The Navy found itself in desperate need of new recruits after purging its ranks of Messer loyalists and, in 2794, would move the event to May in order to repopulate its numbers as soon as possible. To further separate the event from its negative reputation, Imperator Erin Toi worked with Naval High Command to reshape the message of Invictus away from the old display of military dominance into one of hope and serving the greater good. Aggressive recruitment centers were replaced with aspirational dioramas depicting moments when the Navy came to the aid of the Empire. The turn toward becoming a popular family-friendly event continued in 2803 when the famous 999th Test Squadron began performing exhilarating aerial acrobatics at select ceremonies.\n\nMost embrace and celebrate modern Invictus Launch Week events as an informative, entertaining, and fitting tribute to the Navy and starmen that serve the Empire. Yet, it\u2019s not without its critics, who believe the cost is too exorbitant for taxpayers. They also argue that the event has become too commercialized and amounts to free marketing and essentially a government endorsement of the ship, weapon, and component manufacturers featured on the showfloor. Still, Invictus remains one of the most beloved and widely attended events in all of the UEE. A chance for people to support the Navy, what its pilots fly, and the sacrifices they make for the safety of the Empire.","de_DE":"Dieses Portfolio erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 10.05.\nIm Jahr 2542 besuchten Navy-Schiffe im Rahmen der ersten Invictus Launch Week jedes System der United Planets of Earth (UPE). Mitten im Ersten Tevarin-Krieg versammelten sich die Menschen in Massen, um zu feiern und die tapferen Rekruten zu verabschieden, die an Bord gro\u00dfer Milit\u00e4rtransporter zur Grundausbildung gebracht wurden. Die Marinebeamten bemerkten, dass diese gro\u00dfen Versammlungen von System zu System immer beliebter wurden und erkannten, dass die Veranstaltung sowohl einem praktischen als auch einem politischen Zweck dienen konnte. Von da an war Invictus eine Gelegenheit, neue Rekruten zu gewinnen, die Marine zu feiern und schlie\u00dflich die neuesten Mitglieder der Flotte vorzustellen. F\u00fcnf Jahrhunderte sp\u00e4ter ist die Invictus Launch Week trotz erheblicher Ver\u00e4nderungen zu einer gesch\u00e4tzten Tradition im ganzen Reich geworden. Heute werden bei der Veranstaltung nicht mehr Freiwillige transportiert, sondern die neuesten Fahrzeuge der Marineflotte vorgestellt und die Rekruten des Jahres sowie die Offiziere und Piloten des Abschlussjahrgangs gefeiert. Die Kernwerte der Veranstaltung sind jedoch nach wie vor darauf ausgerichtet, die Rekrutierung voranzutreiben und die tapferen Sternenm\u00e4nner zu ehren, die sich dem Schutz des Imperiums verschrieben haben.\n\nBEREIT ZUM START\nNur wenige Systementdeckungen haben den Lauf der menschlichen Geschichte so sehr ver\u00e4ndert wie Elysium. Am 15. November 2541 kehrte Dr. Kellar Lench nach dem ersten Sprung in das System zur\u00fcck und berichtete, dass es dort von hochentwickeltem au\u00dferirdischem Leben wimmelte, das heute als Tevarin bekannt ist. Im Gegensatz zu den beiden vorangegangenen Begegnungen der Menschheit mit einer neuen Kultur f\u00fchrte diese Begegnung jedoch schnell zu einem Krieg. Die UPE-Marine war auf den Blitzangriff der Tevarin und die m\u00e4chtigen Phalanx-Schilde ihrer Schiffe nicht vorbereitet und befand sich in der Defensive und brauchte dringend Sternmenschen, um eine effektive Kampftruppe aufzubauen. Die Verantwortlichen der Marine trafen sich mit dem UPE-Regierungstribunal und hochrangigen Senatoren, um nicht nur nach M\u00f6glichkeiten zu suchen, Rekruten zu gewinnen, sondern auch die logistischen Probleme zu l\u00f6sen, die mit dem Transport der Freiwilligen zur Grundausbildung verbunden waren, da die Bev\u00f6lkerung nur wenige Schiffe besa\u00df und die Kapazit\u00e4t und Sicherheit der kommerziellen Raumfahrt nicht ausreichte. Es entstand die Idee, dass Schiffe der Navy die bev\u00f6lkerten Planeten in jedem System besuchen und neue Rekruten abholen, w\u00e4hrend sie gleichzeitig Macht und Sicherheit f\u00fcr die Bev\u00f6lkerung demonstrieren. Das endg\u00fcltige Ziel der Rekruten war eine Basis auf dem Mars namens Invictus, die den Namen der Veranstaltung inspirierte und auch nach der Schlie\u00dfung der Basis im Jahr 2579 noch Bestand hatte.\n\nInvictus fand w\u00e4hrend des Ersten Tevarin-Krieges (2541-2546) jeden Oktober eine Woche lang statt. Im Jahr 2547 bestand der erste Imperator, ein milit\u00e4rischer Held des Ersten Tevarin-Kriegs namens Ivar Messer, darauf, dass die Veranstaltung trotz des Kriegsendes erneut abgehalten werden sollte, um den Sieg der Menschheit zu feiern. Auf der Veranstaltung auf der Erde betonte Imperator Messer, wie wichtig es ist, sich f\u00fcr das Wohl des Imperiums zu opfern, und versprach, dass die Marine eingesetzt werden w\u00fcrde, um das neu benannte Vereinigte Imperium der Erde (UEE) gegen Bedrohungen von au\u00dfen und innen zu verteidigen.\n\nIn den n\u00e4chsten Jahrzehnten versammelten sich die Menschen immer noch, um die Marineschiffe zu sehen und den diesj\u00e4hrigen Rekrutenjahrgang zu feiern, aber die begleitenden Veranstaltungen waren je nach System sehr unterschiedlich, da es weder einen aktiven Krieg noch ein einheitliches Thema gab. Das \u00e4nderte sich 2581, als Imperator Messer angesichts der sinkenden Rekrutierungszahlen der Marine Invictus zu einem offiziellen Feiertag machte, um das Korps zu feiern. Unter der Leitung der Marine wurden gro\u00dfe und \u00fcppige Zeremonien geplant, die mit der Ankunft der Schiffe im System zusammenfielen. Neue Rekruten kamen nun an Bord von Schiffen nach Borea, dem Magnus-System, in dem sich die Hauptwerft der Marine befand. Das \u00e4nderte sich im Jahr 2632, als die Marine ihre Werften nach MacArthur im Kilian-System verlegte, wo sie sich noch immer befinden. Die j\u00e4hrlich stattfindende Invictus entwickelte sich weiter und wurde in einigen Landezonen durch aufwendige Ausstellungshallen erg\u00e4nzt, in denen Schiffe und fortschrittliche Technologien pr\u00e4sentiert wurden. Manche sehen darin eine M\u00f6glichkeit, technikbegeisterte Menschen f\u00fcr die Marine zu gewinnen, andere sehen darin eine Warnung an alle, die es wagen, sich ihr zu widersetzen.\n\nINDOKTRINATION\nIm Laufe des 26. Jahrhunderts wurde die Marine mehr und mehr mit der Bek\u00e4mpfung von politischem Ungehorsam und dem, was die Regierung als \"innere Unruhen\" bezeichnete, beauftragt. Nicht alle begr\u00fc\u00dften das Milit\u00e4r und sahen die ungez\u00fcgelte Propaganda von Invictus als eine weitere Gelegenheit f\u00fcr das Messer-Regime, seine autorit\u00e4ren Ambitionen durchzusetzen. Historiker betrachten Invictus-Plakate, Banner und Rekrutierungsvideos von Veranstaltungen des fr\u00fchen 27. \u00dcberlebende St\u00fccke befinden sich entweder in Museen oder sind bei privaten Sammlern sehr begehrt. Der \u00f6ffentliche Widerstand gegen Invictus erreichte 2637 seinen H\u00f6hepunkt, als das Terra-System der Veranstaltung fernblieb, weil Imperator Livia Messer III fr\u00fchere Veranstaltungen nutzte, um f\u00fcr ihre wachsende pro-milit\u00e4rische Agenda zu werben. Stattdessen veranstaltete das System eine Gegenveranstaltung mit einer ber\u00fchmten Rede des terranischen Senators Assan Kieren, der die Menge f\u00fcr die Idee der Souver\u00e4nit\u00e4t Terras begeisterte.\n\nIm Jahr 2681 gab die Marine eines der Kernelemente von Invictus auf und nutzte die Veranstaltung nicht mehr, um Rekruten f\u00fcr die Ausbildung abzuholen. Seitdem m\u00fcssen sich die Rekruten der Marine selbst bei Kilian melden. Dies f\u00fchrte dazu, dass die Gesamtzahl der Invictus-Veranstaltungen reduziert wurde, da die Marineschiffe nicht mehr jedes System besuchten. Stattdessen wurden gr\u00f6\u00dfere, konzentriertere Feiern an verschiedenen gro\u00dfen Landepl\u00e4tzen im ganzen Reich abgehalten, deren Standorte jedes Jahr wechselten. Zu diesen gr\u00f6\u00dferen Invictus-Veranstaltungen geh\u00f6rten in der Regel auch gro\u00dfe Rekrutierungszentren, die aggressiv um Freiwillige f\u00fcr den Kampf gegen die neue Gefahr an den R\u00e4ndern des Reiches warben: die Vanduul. Das mittlerweile klassische Video All Tomorrow's Guardians, in dem es um die Marine und ihre Taktiken in diesen Rekrutierungszentren ging, zeigte in seinem dramatischen Finale einen Angriff der Vanduul auf eine Invictus-Zeremonie in Angeli. Viele sahen das Video damals als traditionelle Messer-Propaganda an, aber inzwischen hat es den Ruf, die Ereignisse und die Politik der damaligen Zeit subversiv zu interpretieren, indem es die Charaktere, die als Messer-Loyalisten innerhalb der Marine dargestellt wurden, auf subtile Weise aufspie\u00dft.\n\nDie intensiven Rekrutierungsbem\u00fchungen und die wachsende Verdrossenheit der \u00d6ffentlichkeit gegen\u00fcber dem Messer-Regime f\u00fchrten in den sp\u00e4ten 2730er Jahren zu einem deutlichen R\u00fcckgang der Invictus-Besucherzahlen. Aus Verlegenheit \u00fcber die mangelnde \u00f6ffentliche Unterst\u00fctzung machte Imperator Galor Messer IX die Teilnahme an Invictus ab 2743 zur Pflicht. In Abweichung von den urspr\u00fcnglichen Absichten der Veranstaltung wurden Schiffe der Marine eingesetzt, um die Menschen zu der Feier in ihrer N\u00e4he zu bringen. Schon bald gab es bei Invictus-Veranstaltungen gro\u00dfe, manchmal widerspenstige Menschenmengen, die sich so lange wie n\u00f6tig in den Hallen tummelten. Einige nutzten die kostenlosen Fl\u00fcge, um Familientreffen zu planen. Anti-Messer-Aktivisten nutzten die gro\u00dfen Menschenmengen, um sich zu treffen, Informationen auszutauschen und in einigen Systemen mit laxen Sicherheitsvorkehrungen die Fl\u00fcge zu nutzen, um Sabotageaktionen zu planen oder neue Mitglieder f\u00fcr ihre Sache zu rekrutieren. Das Anwesenheitsmandat von Imperator Messer IX dauerte nur zwei Jahre, bevor es durch ein Gesetz ersetzt wurde, das das Verpassen der Veranstaltung als \"unpatriotisches Verhalten\" einstufte und mit bis zu f\u00fcnf Jahren Gef\u00e4ngnis bestrafte. Das Gesetz wurde nur selten im Zusammenhang mit der eigentlichen Veranstaltung angewandt, sondern diente eher als Rechtfertigung, um Anti-Messer-Aktivisten zu verhaften, denen das Regime keine anderen Anschuldigungen anh\u00e4ngen konnte. Das gesetzliche Mandat galt bis 2792, als das Messer-Regime schlie\u00dflich fiel.\n\nMODERNISIERUNG\nDie Bedeutung von Invictus nahm nach dem Sturz der Messers sogar noch zu. Die Marine brauchte dringend neue Rekruten, nachdem sie ihre Reihen von Messer-Loyalisten ges\u00e4ubert hatte, und verlegte das Ereignis 2794 in den Mai, um ihre Reihen so schnell wie m\u00f6glich wieder aufzuf\u00fcllen. Um das Ereignis von seinem negativen Ruf zu befreien, arbeitete Imperator Erin Toi mit dem Oberkommando der Marine zusammen, um die Botschaft von Invictus von der alten Darstellung milit\u00e4rischer Dominanz zu einer Botschaft der Hoffnung und des Dienstes am Gemeinwohl umzugestalten. Aggressive Rekrutierungszentren wurden durch hoffnungsvolle Dioramen ersetzt, die Momente zeigen, in denen die Marine dem Imperium zu Hilfe gekommen ist. Die Entwicklung hin zu einer beliebten, familienfreundlichen Veranstaltung setzte sich 2803 fort, als die ber\u00fchmte 999th Test Squadron begann, bei ausgew\u00e4hlten Zeremonien berauschende Luftakrobatik vorzuf\u00fchren.\n\nDie meisten begr\u00fc\u00dfen und feiern die modernen Veranstaltungen der Invictus Launch Week als informativen, unterhaltsamen und angemessenen Tribut an die Marine und die Sternenm\u00e4nner, die dem Kaiserreich dienen. Doch es gibt auch Kritiker, die glauben, dass die Kosten f\u00fcr die Steuerzahler zu hoch sind. Sie argumentieren auch, dass die Veranstaltung zu sehr kommerzialisiert wurde und auf freies Marketing hinausl\u00e4uft und im Grunde eine staatliche Unterst\u00fctzung f\u00fcr die auf der Ausstellungsfl\u00e4che pr\u00e4sentierten Schiffs-, Waffen- und Komponentenhersteller darstellt. Dennoch bleibt Invictus eine der beliebtesten und meistbesuchten Veranstaltungen in der gesamten UEE. Eine Gelegenheit f\u00fcr die Menschen, die Marine, ihre Piloten und die Opfer, die sie f\u00fcr die Sicherheit des Imperiums bringen, zu unterst\u00fctzen.","zh_CN":"This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 10.05.\nIn 2542, the inaugural Invictus Launch Week saw Navy ships visit every system in the United Planets of Earth (UPE). Amidst the First Tevarin War, people gathered in massive numbers to celebrate and send off the brave recruits who boarded large military transports to be taken to basic training. Navy officials noticed that these large gatherings were becoming more and more popular system after system and realized that the event could serve both a practical and political purpose. From there forward, Invictus would be both a chance to pick up new recruits, celebrate the Navy, and eventually show off the latest additions to its fleet. Five centuries later, despite undergoing significant changes, Invictus Launch Week has become a cherished Empire-wide tradition. Today, instead of transporting volunteers, the event showcases the latest vehicles in the Naval fleet while celebrating that year\u2019s recruits and graduating officers and pilots. Still, the core values of the event have remained focused on driving recruitment and honoring the brave starmen who\u2019ve dedicated themselves to protecting the Empire.\n\nREADY TO LAUNCH\nFew system discoveries changed the trajectory of Human history more than Elysium. On November 15, 2541, Dr. Kellar Lench returned after charting the first jump into the system to report that it teemed with advanced alien life, now known to be Tevarin. Unfortunately, unlike Humanity\u2019s previous two encounters with a new culture, this one would quickly lead to war. Unprepared for the Tevarin blitz and their ships\u2019 powerful phalanx shields, the UPE Navy found itself on the defensive and in desperate need of starmen to build an effective fighting force. Navy brass met with the UPE\u2019s governing tribunal and high-ranking senators to not only seek ways to attract recruits, but to solve the logistical problems involved with transporting volunteers to basic training, as ship ownership among the public was rare and commercial space travel capacity and security not sufficient. A hybrid idea emerged where Navy ships would visit the populated planets in each system and pick up new recruits while also projecting power and security to the populace. The recruits\u2019 ultimate destination being a base on Mars called Invictus, which inspired the event\u2019s name and stuck even after the base closed in 2579.\n\nInvictus ran for a week every October during the First Tevarin War (2541-2546). In 2547, the first Imperator, a First Tevarin War military hero by name of Ivar Messer, insisted that even though the war had ended, the event be held again to celebrate Humanity\u2019s victory. From the event on Earth, Imperator Messer emphasized the importance of sacrificing oneself for the greater good of the Empire and promised that the Navy would be used to defend the newly renamed United Empire of Earth (UEE) against threats both alien and domestic.\n\nOver the next few decades, people still gathered to see the Navy ships and celebrate that year\u2019s local crop of recruits, but the supporting events varied greatly depending on the system as there wasn\u2019t an active war or unified theme. That changed in 2581, when Imperator Messer, faced with declining Navy recruitment numbers, turned Invictus into an official holiday meant to celebrate the corps. Under the Navy\u2019s direction, large and lavish ceremonies were planned to coincide with its ships arriving in-system. New recruits now hopped aboard ships to Borea, Magnus system, which housed the Navy\u2019s main shipyard. That destination changed in 2632 when the Navy moved its shipyards to MacArthur, Kilian system, where they still reside. As an annual event, Invictus continued to evolve and expand with some landing zones getting elaborate expo halls to showcase ships and advanced technologies. Seen by some as a way to attract technophiles to the Navy and by others as a warning to those who dare come up against it.\n\nINDOCTRINATION\nThroughout the 26th century, the Navy was tasked more and more with dealing with political dissent and what was deemed by the government as \u201cdomestic unrest.\u201d Not all welcomed the military and saw the unbridled propaganda of Invictus as another opportunity for the Messer regime to push its authoritarian ambitions. Historians consider Invictus posters, banners, and recruitment vids from early 27th century events prime examples of Messer era agitprop. Surviving pieces either reside in museums or are highly sought after by private collectors. The public pushback to Invictus peaked in 2637 when the Terra system abstained from the event in protest of Imperator Livia Messer III using previous events to promote her growing pro-military agenda. Instead, the system hosted a counter-event that featured a famous speech by Terran Senator Assan Kieren, who rallied the crowd around the idea of Terra sovereignty.\n\nIn 2681, the Navy dropped one of the core elements of Invictus and ceased using the event to pick up recruits to transport to training. From there forward, Navy recruits have been required to self-report to Kilian. This led to the overall number of Invictus events being reduced, as Navy ships no longer visited each system. Instead, larger more focused celebrations were held at various major landing zones across the empire, rotating locations each year. These larger Invictus events usually included vast recruitment centers that aggressively courted volunteers to fight the new danger from the edges of the empire: the Vanduul. The now-classic vid All Tomorrow\u2019s Guardians, which centered around Navy personnel and the tactics they used in these recruitment centers, featured a Vanduul attack on an Invictus ceremony in Angeli for its dramatic finale. Many at the time saw the vid as traditional Messer propaganda but it has since earned a reputation for having a subversive spin of the event and politics of the era in its subtle skewering of the characters depicted as Messer loyalists within the Navy.\n\nThe intense recruitment drive alongside the public\u2019s growing weariness of the Messer regime led to a significant drop in Invictus attendance in the late 2730s. Embarrassed by the lack of public support, Imperator Galor Messer IX would make attendance of Invictus mandatory beginning in 2743. In a strange twist on the event\u2019s original intentions, Navy ships were used to pick up and transport people to the celebration closest to them. Invictus events soon featured large, sometimes unruly crowds that mingled about the halls just as long as required. Some used the free flights to plan family reunions. Anti-Messer activists used the massive crowds to meet, exchange information, and in some systems with lax security, use the flights to plan sabotage operations or recruit new members to the cause. Imperator Messer IX\u2019s attendance mandate only lasted two years before being replaced with a law that deemed missing the event \u201cunpatriotic behavior\u201d punishable by up to five years in prison. The law was rarely used in connection with the actual event, more often it was used as a justification to arrest anti-Messer activists that the regime couldn\u2019t pin other charges on. The legal mandate lasted until 2792 when the Messer regime finally fell.\n\nMODERNIZATION\nThe importance of Invictus actually increased following the fall of the Messers. The Navy found itself in desperate need of new recruits after purging its ranks of Messer loyalists and, in 2794, would move the event to May in order to repopulate its numbers as soon as possible. To further separate the event from its negative reputation, Imperator Erin Toi worked with Naval High Command to reshape the message of Invictus away from the old display of military dominance into one of hope and serving the greater good. Aggressive recruitment centers were replaced with aspirational dioramas depicting moments when the Navy came to the aid of the Empire. The turn toward becoming a popular family-friendly event continued in 2803 when the famous 999th Test Squadron began performing exhilarating aerial acrobatics at select ceremonies.\n\nMost embrace and celebrate modern Invictus Launch Week events as an informative, entertaining, and fitting tribute to the Navy and starmen that serve the Empire. Yet, it\u2019s not without its critics, who believe the cost is too exorbitant for taxpayers. They also argue that the event has become too commercialized and amounts to free marketing and essentially a government endorsement of the ship, weapon, and component manufacturers featured on the showfloor. Still, Invictus remains one of the most beloved and widely attended events in all of the UEE. A chance for people to support the Navy, what its pilots fly, and the sacrifices they make for the safety of the Empire."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":32,"created_at":"2023-05-23T21:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"2 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-14 17:35:51","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":19285,"next_id":19289}}