Vermillion Stance Incident
The seizure in 1078 of the Lightning class cruiser Vermillion Stance by Zhodani forces in Beyond sector. The Stance was a former military vessel transferred to the IISS for use as an emissary vessel among the Imperial culture client states to rimward and spinward. This was done in an effort to forestall Zhodani influence in this critical region. On the ships first shakedown mission, Zhodani agents armed with its itinerary ambushed and seized the ship at Garrone (The Beyond 2217). This operation did not have the authorization of the Garronean government, and in the resulting blowback the Zhodani were permanently expelled from the Federation of Garrone. The incident also damaged ties to several other Beyond and Vanguard Reach states, reversing one hundred years of careful diplomacy by the Consulate. The crew of the Stance was returned to the Third Imperium after the Fourth Frontier War, but a good deal of local bitterness remained. Finally, in 1133 the Zhodani Consulate returned the Vermillion Stance to original owners along with an apology and indemnity to both the Regency and the Garroneans.