Transport Carrying Imperial Retainers Destroyed, No Survivors

An Omen-class cruiser carrying personal servants and retinue of the Amarr Emperor Doriam II was destroyed under mysterious circumstances while traveling in the Throne Worlds constellation. Though the Emperor remained safe and the cruiser carried no members of the Imperial family, the Emperor Family Bureau is reporting “over thirty of Doriam II’s loyal and trusted servants” are believed to have perished in the event. No harm came to the Emperor, who is preparing for his upcoming Empire-wide travels in what the Emperor Family Bureau is calling “a secure location.”

Among the passengers of the cruiser “Righteous Word” were 23 Amarr and eight Ammatar, with an unspecified number of Caldari and slave Minmatar. Escort ships reported nothing out of the ordinary until the Righteous Word suddenly exploded in a blaze of light and radiation that damaged several of its escort craft and left a debris field devoid of any signs of life. At the time of the explosion, the transport group had just dropped out of warp-state travel and was navigating to a waypoint in preparation for scout craft separation and reconnaissance. Reports indicate communication traffic from the pilot of the Righteous Word immediately prior to the incident, but the contents or nature of the communication remain secret.

The Righteous Word and five escort and support craft were en route to Amarr Prime from an undisclosed location and were believed to be making preparations to accompany the Emperor on his projected tour of all Amarr-held systems. The servants and associated staff were one of seven such groups of servants “responsible for the Emperor’s comfort and well-being,” and were known to include at least six auxiliary physicians and physician’s assistants in their ranks, as well as numerous cooks, grooms, entertainers and aides.

Security is being increased around both the Emperor and the remaining six servant groups while the incident is being investigated.