JEDI HoloNet

It has been two years since the ultranationalist party “The Roilers” forced their way to power in the Gordian Reach. While they have a very technical legislative majority, never have The Roilers held a real majority over any of the planets in the Back Reach. Even on Feena, the de-facto capital planet of the sector, the Roilers only hold 40% of the local legislative body. Nonetheless, The Roilers have taken their thin legislative majority as a mandate to consolidate more power for themselves and their allies across the region.

Governor Vahn Goreing of Feena has been spearheading attempts to join the over one dozen star systems in the Back Reach into a single intersystem state he has dubbed “The Third Estate.” This comes as, on many systems in this area, Roiler associated politicians are at a midpoint in their terms. Public sentiment is hard to gauge given the increasing lockdown that the Roilers are taking on Civil Liberties in areas where they can pass the legislation. If the Roilers are unable to get their ambitious agenda of consolidation done before their terms are up, there is a very good chance they will not be able to retain their seats, in their respective legislatures, and their vision for an authoritarian regime on the border of Republic space will be dashed.

The Roilers, though, have been waging more than just a political campaign for consolidation. Across every Roiler-controlled world there have been new ministries, departments, and divisions formed by executive and legislative branches to maintain “public order” and “true unity” amongst said worlds. Thinly veiled secret police brutalize and intimidate political opposition to their policies. These departments are truly nothing more than formalizations of Roiler shock troops that had previously been doing these same activities extrajudicially. Now these activities have the full support of the legal systems of certain planetary governments. In nearly every system, within the Ardan Cross, the only media that is permitted to be broadcast or distributed is state-sponsored media under the “Ministry of Truth,” led by Jaltyr Gavels.

I have spent the last two years gathering evidence and interviewing in the Gordian Reach in order to deliver this report. The number of planets where I am legally allowed to continue my work has dwindled. In all likelihood, this may be the last objective, non-state reporting that people will hear out of the Reach for the foreseeable future. While I have not been arrested yet, government authorities have made their presence known while I have been pursuing the duties of my job.

Reporting from Little Capella in the Gordian Reach, I’m Quan Regal of the Associated Presses.

Blurry images from long range scans have detected a sizeable fleet had amassed some time ago over Dubrillion, a planet that can be described as one of the core worlds of the Galactic Empire. Along with the formations of ships, points of light appeared on sensors, which experts have told correspondents is evidence of turbolaser fire. The display held both the attention of Republic Navy officials and thus, the focus of the sensor array throughout its duration.

Though full scans are classified, the official report disclosed the following:

“Nothing in our scans of the event seems to show any sign of casualties. In an engagement of this magnitude, it is dubious to suggest that the combatant factions would emerge unscathed. Even at this range, sensors would be able to detect signs that indicate the destruction of battleships; large and briefly appearing dots of light, disappearing objects, and radiation particles. This leads us to believe [REDACTED]”

The rest of the report was redacted, censoring the conclusions of naval officials. Was this some type of naval training exercise? Or is there some growing discontent amongst factions of Imperial nobility? Obviously, this event occurred some time ago as the images received merely traveled at the speed of light, rather than at hyperspace, which begs the question of what was the Empire up to those few days ago and what they could be up to now.

After days of auditing election results, we’re happy to be the first news outlet to confirm that Senatorial Incumbent Senator Kielbras Pol’cal has won re-election for the Gordian Reach. A member of the Diplomat party, it was an uncertain race in the face of a major political reorganization that has swept through the halls of the Senate on Coruscant. Over the last cycle the two major parties, the War Hawks and Diplomats, have found the edges of their parties fraying into several new political parties including the Centrists and Preservation Society among others. Due to this, many in the Gordian Reach were seeing voters looking to new leadership in the form of the ultranationalist candidate Ralskun Direeb from the local Independent Reach Party.

Upon hearing the confirmation of his re-election, Senator Pol’Cal had this to say to his constituents and the Republic at large,

Over the last cycle we’ve fought a hard-won campaign against those who held values antithetical to the spirit of the Republic. People who believe that diversity is a weakness instead of what we know it is as a strength. People who value intimidation, coercion, and force to rule over discussion, fair play, reflection, the rule of law, and the consent of the governed.

The people of the Reach have spoken and re-affirmed that we hold true those values of the Galactic Republic. We, the people of the Reach have declared to the Galaxy, in the face of a growing totalitarian threat on our border, that while the democratic process can at times be frustrating, can at times feel as it it is stuck in gridlock, and can be an easy system to fall into disillusionment and cynicism, it is this way because of the beauty of its institutions: The design of democracy is to allow all beings to express their voice, to have a seat at the table… This means that no answers come easy but, when they do come, they are the right ones that will help the most beings who have given their trust to those institutions in the form of their votes.

Ralskun Direeb did not give a consolidation speech but indicated that he was going to pursue a legal course to investigate what he claims was ‘possible interference on the part of the Jedi monitors’ during election day.

We are happy to report that there is absolutely no evidence that any of the ballots were tampered with. However, there was a possibly volatile and deadly situation with an attempted terror attack that was discovered and dismantled by members of the Jedi Order’s branch from Rannon. More details to be released on this situation as evidence in the ongoing investigation gets declassified.

With the current Senate election season over, the new and returning members of the new coalition-style government on Coruscant turn to their first major order of business: nominating and electing a new Chancellor for the upcoming legislative sessions. With the dramatic new field of several parties, we can expect a far more eventful Chancellery Race than we’ve seen in decades.

Reporting from Coruscant, this is Quan Regal of the Associated Presses

Major news in the Back Reach today, as final results are in. After a series of local audits to confirm, it’s now official that a new populist, grassroots, party in the Back Reach, The Roilers, have swept a number of major elections. 

Most notably, the de-facto capital system of the Back Reach, Feena, has seen the Governorship of the planet, as well as 40 percent of the local legislature (the largest proportion of the coalition-style parliament on the planet) flip to their control. Every major system on the Ardan Cross Hyperlane including Chenowei, Pygorix, Kalishik, Arda, and B’trilla have seen major gains for the nationalist party. 

Newly elected governor of Feena, Vahn Goreing, a former ace pilot who served under the Wyld Empire*, had this to say at his inaugural speech:

Today marks the beginning of a new Era for our sector. I was born here on Feena. I have seen the Republic continue to forget about our brother and sister systems on the other side of The Roil. We’ve seen our Reachmen and Reachwomen fall into living in squalor. We’ve seen dysfunction in the Republic cause homeless rates to skyrocket while they fully fund expensive foreign conflicts to interfere with the destinies of those systems who choose not to bow to their rule. 

The Republic claims to be a “Democracy for all Sentients”, but time and again they quibble and bicker about what Coruscanti Oligarchs they will send their next trillion-credit budget bill to. All the while, systems continue to deal with disasters, equipment failures, and random acts of terror that go unanswered! We say no more!

To all of our siblings who live cowed under the yolk of oppression under the guise of a government ‘for the people’, we implore you: take your own destiny into your hands! Support Ralskun Direeb in your upcoming election for the Senate, and he will lead you to independence, to join those of us who have given ourselves the tools and weapons to forge our own destiny. We will reclaim the glory of the Reach’s two bygone empires. Come with us as we forge the “Third Great State” of the Reach!

Senatorial Incumbent Senator Kielbras Pol’cal gave this rebuttal later that day from the sector capital of Torque,

People of the Reach. I implore you, do not allow yourselves to be swayed by this ultranationalist propaganda. The Roilers, who are only just now a legitimate political organization, were only to achieve such a status by bullying, intimidating, and using strong-man politics on the worlds who are across the Nebula. The majority of our brothers and sisters in their independent systems do not support them! They have been silenced through coercion and suppression! 

You, now, have the choice to vote to continue to uphold the values that our ancestors bequeathed to us. To continue the legacy of Rebellion versus tyrants like people of the reach did centuries ago, to continue holding close the values of Skywalker and the reforged Jedi Order in this very sector! That Order who, to this day, continue to be the example we can follow. You, in this election, have the choice to maintain our course for a people’s government, governed by good judgment, reflection, and the rule of law… Listen not to those who want to take us so many steps back into oppression, xenophobia, and totalitarianism!

The race is heated, as polls show that both candidates Kielbras Pol’cal and Ralskun Direeb are neck-and-neck along species lines. Ralskun Direeb is far, far ahead in the polls of majority human populations on the agriworlds and factory-districts of Reach planets, while Senator Pol’cal is leading by a wide margin in mixed-species urban city-centers on trade planets such as Torque.

All eyes in the sector are on the polling booths which will open at 08:00 Torque time on 435.25. Given the rising wave of violence in systems on both sides of The Roil, the Jedi Order has volunteered its members as a neutral third party to oversee the elections and maintain a security presence, drawing ire from Roiler politicians. Senator Ralskun Direeb,

It is clear that, while ostensibly the Jedi Order is not in bed with the Republic, they have never made it a secret that they hold a deep sympathy and bias towards the Republic. Many of the Order’s own leadership team were soldiers in the Republic army, or commanded Republic soldiers in conflicts as recent as the Wyld Crisis! Anyone who truly believes that these ‘security details’ from the Order are anything more than goons who will intimidate the body politique of the Gordian Reach into maintaining the status quo are at best willfully ignorant or at worst in league with the cabal of oligarchs that play behind the scenes both in the halls of both Coruscant and Ossus.

 

Know this: Anything that happens on election day is certainly orchestrated by the entrenched powers whose self interest relies on the current galactic order of exploiting those who cannot rise to speak for themselves.

The Galactic News Network will be providing live coverage and updates on the turbulent senatorial election in the Gordian Reach on 435.25, so please tune in then.

* It should be noted that, along with all other military participants of the Wyld Conflict, those not directly associated with War Crimes were given full pardons at the end of the war so long as they agree to not participate in any hostilities towards the Republic, League of Sovereign Systems, or any of their allies.

Companies such as Czerka Enterprises, Lerrimore Contracting Company, and Corellian Engineering Corporation – in cooperation with the Bank of Aargau, have granted 50 million credits to the University of Coruscant, Corellia University, and Mrlsst Trade and Science Academy. This unrestricted donation is meant to bolster creativity and ingenuity in the respective school’s engineering and science departments.

This contribution has been met with wide acclaim by the public.

One student from the University of Coruscant – Jaq Roznex (20 M), majoring in engineering, is thrilled.

This is insane! My class and I will be able to finish our robotic project without my professor coin pinching. Never thought companies like Czerka or Lerrimore cared like that.

We were able to catch up to Republic Senator Menzyx Kallian, a rising star in the Senate, leader of the Centrist party, and former executive for the Bank of Aargau, on the Senate floor – and he had this to say on the matter:

I am proud of the ceaseless work the Bank of Aargau has done to finance the Republic. And it is my firm belief that we are approaching a precipice. Every day I see more homeless people, more violence, and not on Tatooine where you would expect such a thing, but on planets that were once the models of dignity like Coruscant and even Aargau, my home. Why? The people of this great Republic, of all classes and races, have been crushed by the weight of its… imperialistic overreaching. More conflict in our Outer Rim territories? What a surprise! We must instead focus on investing in the next generation of top minds. Without their innovations, their… forward-thinking, it will be impossible to improve our infrastructure. It is imperative that we raise the quality of life and make smarter use of our resources, or this… fractured Republic will shatter.

Research done by the Associated Presses Voter Study Group shows that Senator Kallian has had a significant uptick in the quarterly Senatorial polls since this interview. Time will tell if this really is just the nudge the Republic needs.

Reporting contributed by the Associated Presses.