JEDI HoloNet

In order to better preserve the welfare of the people, all planets and moons that fall within the Outer Rim Territories will now observe a mandatory curfew of 2200-GST, effective until 500-GST. Additionally, regular patrols are to be assigned to city streets by local militia and enforcement agencies, leaving our respective militiaries available for defense of our contested borders. These laws, ratified by the Senates of both the Galactic Alliance and the Commonwealth, should help guard against those who wish to do us harm from within. Please cooperate with all authorities and understand that it is for your protection.

In the light of this statement, which was released by a military spokesperson for the Coalition yesterday, several of the accused clandestine agents for the Ascendancy have been charged by a military court martial on acts of foreign terrorism. Just one of the Chiss males held under suspicion of being a spy is being released without charge, another spokesperson for the Galactic Alliance has admitted. This announcement arrives just ahead of the one-cycle detention limit under current anti-terror legislation. No further details regarding the still-unnamed suspect’s release have been revealed.

Undoubtedly, this will lead to calls for an extension to the current one-cycle detention laws, with vocal advocates on both sides of the argument already resuming their campaigns. With the lack of concrete details, we can only speculate at this point.

280.10 – Velia Sempata // GHN

Following the swearing in of dozens of new Senators on Coruscant, the fresh body of representatives set itself at the Galactic Senate Building in order to determine the next presiding Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance. With Senator Jemarc Litous of Commenor mounting a strong challenge to Chief Aquitenne, the chances of a change to the executive position seemed high, but in the end the distinguished Senator fell short of his many lofty projections.

Voting Results – Chief of State

Aquitenne – 51%
Litous – 46%
Ska – 3%

In a fortuitous display of unity, all presiding Senators of the Conservative party backed Chief Aquitenne in the important election. While a majority of Moderates and Liberals stood by Senator Litous, a significant dissenting minority of 10% proved enough to push Aquitenne to an undisputed claim of victory. Radical leftist Senator Loo Ska took home a humble support of 3% from like-minded colleagues.

While there was no ultimate changing of the guard for the position of Chief of State, the strong challenge made by Senator Litous speaks volumes about an apparent lack of confidence in the current Chief and his ability to lead, further polarizing the Senate. Nevertheless, the refreshed body of leaders saw significant change overall, and will most plausibly serve as a force to be reckoned with in determining federal policy.

280.07 – Odo Leepo // GHN

A spokesperson for the Galactic Alliance Border Guard has announced that a recent raid on a transport ship coming in from the Outer Rim has resulted in the detention of a Chiss male suspected of engaging in espionage for the Ascendancy.

The suspect, who has yet to be named, was found earlier this cycle travelling to Lok from Tatooine with only his transport ticket and no proof of GA citizenship, which has been deemed “suspicious activity” under new laws passed by the Senate. Officials have conformed that his final destination was to be Coruscant, ostensibly for a language conference, although this is being emphasised as nothing more than a cover story. The leader of the raid, Captain Valin Antilles, had this to say:

This has been a significant find for us. The Border Guard plays a vital but often overlooked role in protecting Alliance citizens, and while most of the time we catch illegal immigrants and drug runners, catching this spy proves that we do our jobs and we do them well. We’ll catch more of the bloodeye devils before they can do any damage, I assure you.

This arrest is one of several made in recent cycles with alleged ties to the Ascendancy.

Our security consultant, T’Cho Vrithel, has confirmed that the strengthened ties between the Alliance and the Ascendancy in previous years has meant the number of Chiss living in Alliance-controlled systems has risen, making the possibility of using Chiss nationals as spies a far more viable option. The strong Chiss population on Serenno caused the Commonwealth no shortage of trouble as the Ascendancy began their campaign across the Northern Terrirories, an incident Ms. Vrithel has used as an example of strong loyalties even among ex-patriots. “The threat of similar insurgencies,” she says, “is not as low as we would hope.”

As always, GHN will bring you any updates on this story as they happen.

280.06 – Elharr Bitim // GHN

After an arduous standard day of elections around the Galaxy, poll results have shown a significant change in the occupation of seats in the Galactic Senate. As expected, it has been a poor year for incumbents, as several members of Conservative, Moderate, and Liberal parties were subsequently voted out amidst strong voter perceptions of corruption.

However, it seems overall that Moderates have come out as winners of this year’s election. While Conservatives remain in the highest degree of control, a significant chunk of their seats were converted to the Moderate side, in addition taking over as the second most populous ideology, supplanting the Liberal side:

Last Election:                       This Election:

Conservative – 48%              Conservative – 41%
Moderate – 22%                    Moderate – 34%
Liberal – 30%                        Liberal – 25%

The clearest upset of the election has been unanimously accepted among political analysts in the form of Moderate candidate Donova Fabre defeating Conservative veteran and incumbent Senator Edic Vontrose of Alzoc III by two percentage points. Fabre, former Conservative party member and Legate under Senator Vontrose, was shown to be down by as much as six percentage points in the last cycle leading up to the election. Inexplicably coming from behind in dramatic fashion, Senator-elect Fabre adequately personifies the political shift seen throughout the Galaxy.

At the formal swearing in of the Galactic Senate to be held on .07, the chances of voting out Chief Aquitenne remain strong following this Moderate uprising.

Amidst the turmoil in the Outer Rim territories, citizens of the Galactic Alliance will be big players in deciding the future political handling of the war in the form of suffrage of the Galactic Senate that will occur on the not too distant date of .04. Indeed, the coming election could potentially mark a shift in a number of stances and procedures within legislative government, including but not limited to such important issues as defense spending, appropriation of resources, as well as the always controversial issue of potential expiation for the Jedi Order.

An interesting development has risen in conjunction with the coming election in the form of a potential new President of the Senate being chosen amongst a fresh body of representatives to replace the currently-presiding Chief of State Caden Aquitenne. The main challenger to Chief Aquitenne has emerged in the form of legislative veteran Senator Jemarc Litous of Commenor, a former Lieutenant Commander and military lawyer in the Alliance Navy. While like-minded in terms of base conservative ideology when compared to the current Chief, Senator Litous distances himself as a more moderate alternative in the form of his consistent support for the Jedi Order, being well-documented in his recorded votes for Jedi funding measures, in addition to his dissent in the controversial Senate measure J10960.

When confronted about the possibility of defeating and de-placing Chief of State Aquitenne on his way to a meeting in the Armed Services Committee, the distinguished Senator granted Galactic HoloNews brief insight to his own perceived chances of success:

I believe my colleagues will see that our current Chief and President may have been in over his head following the rise to his current position, and that his lack of experience was more of a liability than they may have thought. In the end, my veteran experience in legislation and military service are what set me apart from my good friend Mister Aquitenne, and I feel confident that the new influx of Senators will come to realize this in their way of choosing the alternative.

Needless to say, it appears that a war in some form will creep its way to the historic Senate Building in due time.

280.01 – Odo Leepo // GHN