288.04 // Jedi to be Brought Up on Charges
Since the assassination of Chief of State Caden Aquitenne two cycles ago, many questions have hovered around the fall of our nation’s leader.
Aquitenne’s public address on Brentaal was staffed with high level security personnel, including two members of the Jedi Order. Some said at the time the security perimeter was “impenetrable.” However, a known Jedi assassin of Chiss descent was able to slip through the obstacles in place and get a clean strike at the Chief of State.
If security was so tight, how was this lone Jedi able to baffle security, and how were two other gunmen able to take up a perimeter around the stage on which Aquitenne spoke? Some have speculated, it was an inside job.
“Those two Jedi just stood by and watched,” said Brecht Terris, an eyewitness of the assassination. “Those Jedi always stick together, and their inaction tells us they must have been involved in some way!”
Military officials as well as spokespeople from the Chief of State’s office confirm that the two Jedi bodyguards, who an anonymous source inside Coalition High Command have identified as Iverian Prey and Eugen Darkrider, were thoroughly vetted before being given this assignment. “Iverian Prey is a distinguished Jedi Knight with an impeccable service record in the Coalition military as well as a long list of community service achievements to the galaxy at large. To speculate that we did not thoroughly vet the protectors of our leader or made a poor choice would be a rather foolish thing to say indeed,” stated Admiral Wilkins of Coalition High Command. “We truly could have found no one better for the job, and the fault of the security break down lies in the advance team for not creating a more secure perimeter, not the Jedi.”
Regardless, the public is beginning to question the true loyalty of the Jedi. Though some have served with the Coalition, others have been found to serve within the Ascendancy and in the armies of Mandalore. Many more still have not taken a public position in the war at all. Of those surveyd, 58% believe the Jedi Order to be a trustworthy organization with the best interests of the Alliance in mind. 13% said they did not trust the Jedi, while 29% remain unsure.
“It just seems suspicious to me,” stated Pamela Ingramian, another witness of Aquitenne’s assassination. “Chief of State Aquitenne killed by a Jedi under the watch of Jedi. If it looks like a bantha and smells like a bantha, it probably is a bantha.”
Charges will not be filed until the conclusion of the investigation, but our sources speculate the Jedi will be charged with treason, conspiracy to assassinate a public official, conspiracy to assassinate an executive officer, and accessory to an assassination of an executive officer. If these charges are filed, the death penalty will be mandatory if convicted.
We hear at GHN will keep you informed of any developments in this case.
Nik Carraway, Galactic Holonews News Desk