Regina Valane
Empress
Regina Felicity Solarin-Valane (later known as Regina Valane-Hammond) was born in April 2394 and was the youngest child and only daughter of Isaac and Ivy. She became the first solo female ruler in Terran space in over 120 years.
Early Life as Imperial Princess
Born April 2394 in Dhaka, Regina was the youngest child of Emperor Isaac Solarin and Empress Ivy Solarin-Valane Regina studied at an exclusive prep school in Dhaka where she was a popular student, although did not excel academically despite how bright she was. She was always more interested in her friends than homework, and her tutors raised concerns about her attention to her studies more than once. Despite this she was very much the darling of the Imperial court and seen as very smart, lively and with perfect court manners. Regina had a well-documented close relationship with her brother Michael, and the two were often inseparable. Regina’s relationship with Alexander, however, was very different and could be considered distant. It was reasoned that as Alexander was the expected Heir to The Empire he was raised differently and separately to his younger siblings which affected his relationships with the family. After graduating High School Regina studied at Sacred Heart alongside her cousin Adaline (though in different classes). The two also moved in different social circles and Regina remained part of a clique of popular rich girls who were often the talk of Earth or Mars. Regina and her friends spent most of their college years in exclusive nightclubs and attending glitzy parties. Regina qualified as a Nurse in 2415, though she was mildly criticised for her attitude and not taking her studies seriously. After graduation Regina became a paediatric nurse on Earth and worked largely in Dhaka. She took to her work well and adored her young patients. Hospital life was demanding and despite still enjoying partying with her wealthy friends, her behavior became a bit more restrained. In 2417 Regina left Earth to accompany her mother to Mars. During this time she took a break from her nursing to experience the political scene she would one day inherit. She missed the work so volunteered her spare time to work in one of the children’s hospitals in Bradbury City. When the news of Michael’s death came in 2418 Regina returned to Earth with her mother and threw herself back into nursing to the point that her parents became concerned for her wellbeing. Regina grieved deeply for Michael, and some felt she never truly recovered from the loss.Minister of State
In 2420 Regina permanently moved from her role as a nurse to become Minister of State for Social Affairs and Charities. This was a lesser posting but one that greatly boosted her profile and her credibility as a potential heir to the Empire. She actually did better than expected, rising to the occasion and impressing her staff and other Imperial Ministers with her strong people skills and natural charisma. In 2425 Regina was sent to Old Chicago to oversee the construction and development project in the city. Old Chicago was a holding of House Valane and the project aimed to revitalise the area and bring new opportunities to the people who lived there, through expansion and investment into infrastructure. Regina worked alongside local leaders, engineers and corporate executives to ensure that the project went as expected and completed on time. She did well and gained valuable experience in an executive position. Preferatti With the death of Prince Michael, there was a minor political issue within Houses Valane and Solarin over who would be preferatti for the two houses when Emperor Isaac and Empress Ivy left power. Regina continued to be a dazzling presence in the Imperial court and excelled at public functions and in charity work. She was much more comfortable with Palace life than Prince Alexander was. The decision was made to set Alexander aside as the preferrati for House Solarin and Valane, with the family officially naming Regina as the expected successor.Family Life
Regina married Galen Hammond in a lavish ceremony which was the must-attend event of the 2422 social season following an arrangement between Ivy and Maece 'Bull' Hammond. Their relationship was described as “stormy” for the first few years. Tempers and passions often ran high but eventually the couple settled into a stable routine. The relationship became strained again in 2429 when Regina took the throne and Galen was named her Imperial Consort and thus not her equal. The elevation also meant that Galen could no longer actively serve as a Marine and was moved to a more ceremonial position within the military. The couple had a total of five children together:- Prince Grayson born in January 2423
- Princess Charlotte born in November 2424
- Prince Desper born in March 2430
- Princess Aurora born in June 2434
- Prince Harrimor born in 2440, the exact date is unknown as Harrimor was orphaned after his mother died when he was just three years old. The Imperial couple adopted him in 2449 after Regina met him during some of her charity work.
Imperial Conclave of 2429
With her parents abdication in 2429, Princess Regina was elevated to preferatti and was nominated to be the next emperor. The Conclave of 2429 took place over just nine days and Regina spoke eloquently before the Lord-Governors. The campaign was very positive, with neither Regina or Lord Brahms speaking ill (at least publicly) of the other. The first ballot concluded that Princess Regina had won 13 votes, one more than required to secure the throne. She was then confirmed as Empress of the Terran Empire.Empress
With Regina’s elevation Ivy became the Grand Duchess of Mars. Regina enjoyed the ‘golden age’ of Terran politics during her time as Empress. Her reign spanned thirty years, and whilst it was felt by many that she could continue to serve the people of The Empire for another ten or twenty years as Empress, Regina was ready to allow The Empire to grow under the leadership of her daughter and son-in-law. Regina was closely linked with Drake Grumman and Hayden Tancredo during her time as Empress, and Hayden especially was one of her closest confidants.Collingwood Ministries
Regina inherited Lord-Chancellor Aldrich Collingwood as her Lord-Chancellor and the influential noble was able to retain the post for the first ten years of Regina's reign. During this time she was able to end the moratorium on 11th generation AI, sparking what became referred to as the "Silicon Baby Boom". The IIS suffered a bad defeat with Operation Cordite-1 but then crushed Black-Star with Operation Thundercloud and Operation Hangman. The Empire also agreed to a Mutual Defence Pact with the Gannid Commonwealth which was expanded by the Southern Defence Summit in 2435. This ended up being the downfall of Lord-Chancellor Collingwood who collided badly with elder statesman Lord Maquessa and the new foreign minister, Lord Hawthorne. Empress Regina was forced to accept the will of the council when they voted to increase the restrictions on the corporations and to increase the top tax rates.Tancredo Ministries
In 2440 young Lord Hayden Tancredo was named as the new Lord-Chancellor. The new ministry had to deal initially with the recession, agreeing to cut several programs in order to put the budget right. The Empire also agreed a new Mutual Defence treaty with the Rorn Republic. There was an intense confrontation when Empress Regina was forced to fire Lord Troy Maquessa, initially ordering him arrested for his "stunt" at the Galactic Council. Hayden Tancredo returned as Chancellor in 2445 and worked with the Empress to keep the peace. Lord Maquessa suggested a pre-preemptive strike against the Karkouri Regime but it was defeated in Council. A large marine force was deployed to Furnace to put down a separatist uprising there which was done with minimal bloodshed. The ministry also agreed to expand the number of 11th generation licenses produced to 5,000. Hayden Tancredo returned again to a record equaling 3rd term as Lord-Chancellor. He was able to keep the peace in the quadrant with the up-coming agreement to sign up to a new peace-treaty with the CANDL members. The Empire also voted to make further votes on secession in the Empire illegal. The Empire also voted to create a new expanded Court of Appeals. The Government was rocked by the Project Azure controversy where the Ministry of Communications was accused of creating a super-weapon for use against AI. Minister of Communications Gossamar Bluth denied the existence of such a weapon. Lord Drake Grumman agreed to resign on the back of the public leak of this information. Princess Charlotte Valane married Kotek Grumman in 2450 in a lavish ceremony. Empress Regina faced a number of challenges between 2455 and 2459 with the arrest and peer trial of Lord Ordell McQaid who made several disparaging comments about the Imperial house and claimed to be "following orders". Empress Regina named Lord Hayden Tancredo, the longest serving Chancellor in the Empire's history, as "Lord-Protector" of the Empire, an honorific title but a prestigious one. The Empress also faced the attack on New Carthage from the unknown "Roaches" who killed 20,000 Imperial citizens and destroyed 18 Imperial Navy ships. Princess Aurora Valane married Colamere Tancredo in 2459 in a quiet ceremony. In 2459 Empress Regina, having celebrated the 30th anniversary of her reign, announced she would abdicate the office and this would trigger a conclave. She announced that Princess Aurora Valane would be her preferatti and the intention was for her to rule jointly with her husband, Colamere Tancredo. She also announced that Aurora would name Stafford Collingwood as her first Chancellor.Empress-Emeritus
After the successful election of her daughter, Princess Aurora, to Empress, Regina retired back to Mars where she took over duties as Lady-Governor of Mars following the death of her mother. She retained the services of Lady Lola Whirry as Lt-Governor. Regina was not in the Governor's mansion when the August Uprising of 2467 took place and therefore was unharmed. However, her health had taken a bad turn around that time and she was seen less and less often in public. Empress Regina Valane died in 2474 after a long illness. Her funeral was widely attended. House Valane released the following statement upon her passing: Empress-Emeritus Regina Valane 2394-2474 Beloved Leader, Mother, Wife, Sister, and Friend. Reunited with Prince Michael at last. Houses Valane and Hammond would like to announce our shared heartbreak at the passing of one of the Terran Empire’s truly iconic citizens. Regina Valane-Hammond passed away peacefully at home following a long period of illness. An incredible woman who dedicated her entire adult life to serving others, training and working as a paediatric nurse at The Sacred Heart before she was elevated to Empress, aged just thirty-six. She dedicated the following thirty years of her life to serving The Empire and its citizens, before abdicating to take over as Lady-Governor of Mars so that her mother Empress-Emeitus Ivy could finally retire herself. She spent another ten years governing Mars before opting to retire due to health concerns. A champion of charity throughout The Empire, setting up and promoting countless charities and projects that supported some of the most vulnerable citizens within our borders. She was particularly focused on housing and children’s charities, particularly for children that had been orphaned due to the effects of skirmishing and war across The Empire. It was through this charity work that she came across Harrimor, who she later adopted. A lover of lavender chocolate, musical theatre, fashion, and precious lazy weekends with her children. An infuriating and impatient watercolour student, the loudest cheerleader at Fencing and Rugby fixtures, secret reader of romantic fiction, and uncontrolled letter writer. Killer of house plants, collector of expensive bottles, a curious traveller, and forever lost in the wonder of staring up into the night sky. Fiercely protective of The Empire, and devoted to her family, blood and chosen. She is survived by her husband, Galen, her five children, Grayson, Charlotte, Desper, Aurora, and Harrimor, and her ten grandchildren. One of our brightest stars has been extinguished. There will never be another like her. May her soul rest in eternal peace.Relationships
Species
Life
2394
2474
80 years old
Circumstances of Death
Illness
Birthplace
Dhaka, Earth
Spouses
Galen Hammond
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Comments