JEDI HoloNet

The planet Torque, regional capitol of the Gordian Reach, faced a terror attack that resulted in dozens of civilian deaths, hundreds of injuries, and millions of credits in damage. The attack was triggered when Industrial Automation’s DE series droids all across the planet began to suffer catastrophic meltdowns in a number of different ways. Several exploded while others emitted EMP blasts that took ships and speeders down from the sky to crash into metropolitan areas below.

Outcry across the planet about the massive security breath that allowed this to occur is echoed in the halls of the Senate on Coruscant. In the cacophony, the Chancellor has stepped down in the face of a vote of no confidence. In the shadow of many critics of the Wyld conflict compounded by critical security gaps that allowed this terror attack to cause such catastrophic damage, many local officials in systems across the galaxy are vocalizing a lack of confidence in the ability of the Republic to protect their systems.

Nominee for the Independent Reach Party, Ralskun Direeb,

For decades there’s been an animosity in this sector against the presence of Republic on their worlds. While the Republic brought security and prosperity to their worlds, they bowed their heads and accommodated their presence. But, after recent events, more and more Reachmen and women are clamoring for their long-desired independence. Their voices will be heard after I win this upcoming election!

Ralskun Direeb was seen helping evacuate victims from burning buildings and helping with first aid on scene while his competitor, Incumbant Senator Kielbras Pol’cal, was seen running to his shuttle to get offworld during the chaos.

With the Chancellor of the Republic stepping down the two major parties, the War Hawks and the Diplomats, have been fragmenting as they race to find nominees that cover the full values of their respective parties. Already the parties have begun to disintegrate into smaller declared parties marking a seismic political shift away from the two-party system that has dominated galactic politics for the last two decades into a more complex coalition government akin to the historical scenes of past Republics in galactic history.

While the Senate struggles to find answers and fill the gaps in security that allowed this tragedy to happen, the citizens of the Republic wait with baited breath to see if the institutions designed to protect them, indeed, will do just that… Or if more systems like the Gordian Reach will begin to debate the merits of independence.

More on this story as it develops, this is Quan Regal of the Associated Presses