The image of a dark-haired human man standing near an open field appears on the screen. Smoke can be seen in the distance trailing into the atmosphere. The man faces the camera.

This is Ryan Harrington, reporting live from Derra IV, the scene of the deadly outbreak known as the Derra Virus over 50 days ago, where Black Sun and Galactic Alliance forces have recently clashed. I just got back from an enormous firefight that broke out between the two opposing forces with whom I have become personally acquainted over the past several weeks.

When we first arrived here over a month ago, we found it hard to believe that the virus was truly as bad as previous reports had said. Minor fighting across the planet's surface was quickly being quelled by peacekeeping forces dispensed by Black Sun, one of the latest additions to the Imperial Union. I encountered a self-professed advocate of non-violence, Ghent Kreldar, when I first arrived here, who had this to say about his experiences working with Black Sun here on Derra IV:

The camera cuts to a pre-recorded interview with a bald human male wearing a prototypical breathing mask. Both Ryan Harrington and the man, Ghent Kreldar, are sitting in a small hotel room.

Ryan Harrington: You said you encountered Black Sun forces, correct?

Ghent Kreldar: That is correct. I arrived here just last week, and immediately spotted over one dozen of their ships flying through the atmosphere.

RH: How did they behave, from what you saw?

GK: Well, my first response upon seeing them was to approach them, hoping to offer assistance. I did not achieve the results I had been hoping for.

RH: How so?

GK: Once the peacekeeping forces spotted me they immediately retreated from the area, presumably to give me some space to work on my own, though they never answered my repeated hails.

RH: They never attacked you?

GK: No, which is just more proof that the propaganda put out by groups like the New Republic is extremely false. Not only did these individuals not attack me, they even dropped their weapons as they ran, again, presumably as an attempt to assist me.

The pre-recorded interview ends and the camera cuts to various images of New Republic insignia and important persons, such as the newly elected Chief of State, Cheda Quche. Ryan Harrington voices over the slideshow.

The New Republic, a key member of the Galactic Alliance, is a group whose basis lies in undermining the Imperial Union and its principles of justice and order. Formed from the corrupt Rebel Alliance, a group fighting for such twisted principles as democracy and freedom from the oppressive rein of the Empire, The New Republic was the ringleader of a cruel operation that began less than two weeks ago.

While monitoring the progress Black Sun's armed peacekeeping squads were making on Derra IV, we were shocked when news came of an entire fleet from the Galactic Alliance arriving in system. Spirits were low in the Black Sun refugee camps, but the mood visibly lightened when they heard that more help had arrived. This elated atmosphere quickly turned to one of terror when the troops began to land. Filmed not even 24 hours after the invasion, we managed to get an interview with this Black Sun Peace Enforcer, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of his life.

The camera cuts again to the same hotel room, though this time the sound of shelling and screams of wounded soldiers can be heard through the thin walls of the cheap lodgings. The Peace Enforcer's form is blacked out.

RH: You had just gone to greet a group of soldiers that had just landed near your ship, correct?

Anonymous Peace Enforcer: Y...yes, yes I had.

RH: How many of them were there?

APE: At least a dozen, th-though I don't recall exactly...they were wearing purple armor and Krath Dynasty insignia. I approached peacefully with six full squadrons of peace troopers. I was hoping I could assist them in getting acclimated...

RH: And how did they react to this?

The anonymous man puts his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair nervously.

APE: ...th-they...they opened fire on us. It was a bloodbath, within thirty seconds all of my men were dead and I was...so hurt...they...they...

The man breaks down, sobbing into the palms of his hands. Ryan Harrington attempts to console him with a hand on his shoulder, and the camera cuts back to Ryan Harrington, live from Derra IV.

That anonymous peace enforcer's incident was not one of a kind. In the past two weeks, for every Black Sun enforcer I meet there's a new heartbreaking tale of dozens or hundreds of peace soldiers being cut down by murderous Galactic Alliance death squads. The fighting has gotten so bad that most Black Sun ships and personnel have left Derra IV entirely, leaving behind nothing but their weapons, a gift they had intended to give to other peacekeeping forces. The real tragedy here is that unfortunately, none ever arrived.

This has been Ryan Harrington reporting live from Derra IV for UMAD TV.