By Kesare Sauvage
TARIS – A brisk Saturday afternoon brought the Republic Senate together once again to cover another packed Agenda.
Junior Senator Maurier now representing Clak’dor VII proposed Peace Talks with the Serpentine Order against the strong dissent of her former boss the Vice Chancellor, “Entering into a peace treaty with them greatly hinders the Republic in terms of what we can do to protect those in the galaxy unable to protect themselves, or who would seek aid from the Republic. We would be rendered helpless. We would have to sit by as countless are enslaved, tortured, killed… Murdered by the Serpentine Order, just as countless were here, on Taris… Tortured as many of our Senators have been. We do not choose the easy option, we choose the right option.”
Said Chancellor Vance, “We were the ones who decided to go to war against them to rid the galaxy of their terror so we shall be the ones who decide whether they deserve to be left to continue their reign or whether we shall continue cast them into oblivion. “
Defending the proposal, Jr Senator Vesparkera spoke next. “There is nothing wrong with sitting down and having a discussion. This is not the end all be all of the war but the pursuit of peace should be an option. You are correct, it is our job to advocate but to advocate with everything in mind. The countless credits that would be spent to fight this war, the countless lives lost for what? To fight one branch of the tree? This is a larger issue and if you are speaking of eradication…that would be to fight the whole of the Sith and not just one singular rogue faction of the Sith. I think it is worth considering at least the option of peace for everyone in the republic, if it can be found.”
Followed by the Vice Chancellor once more, “I would have thought that the people of Munto Codru would be the first to advocate the rights of all sentient beings to live a life free of the fear of slavery… Your whole planet was, I believe, enslaved when your suspended colleague came to the Republic and asked for our assistance in the matter. If there had been a peace treaty with those responsible the Republic would have been helpless to assist. Yet you would so selfishly allow others to suffer the same fate? Taris was bombed, the Serpentine Order as their first act of war decided to decimate Taris. That was their retaliation for the Senate and the Republic not agreeing to their terms. Will it be Taris they choose this time, or your planet Ms Vesparkera.”
Jr Senator Vesparkera wasted no time in her reply. “Since we are going start throwing attacks at one another, I don’t support enslavement but well it seems Taris does. Does it not allow the operation of the Huttler that has slaves as employees? Government taxes are collected from the use of these people on business income from them and used to fund your government. So you state how can I allow this to happen? How can you allow for this to happen? We can continue to point fingers, point out the wrong doing’s of others and point the blame upon other people but at the end of the day Appointed Vice Chancellor, all we can do is what we think right by the WHOLE of the Republic. So do not presume that you know me at all or how I think.”
The Vice Chancellor retaliated just as quickly… “If you know of crimes against the Constitution being committed within this establishment then why have you not brought it to the attention of the Senate before now? Or to the law officials. To allow such a thing to continue to occur without speaking up on it is to be guilty of exactly the same thing you accuse me of, is it not? Yet… the difference it, I was not aware such things were taking place and you were…. I would like the Senate to note that Ms Vesparkera the Munto Codru Senator has just admitted to knowing that sentient beings are being enslaved and chose to do nothing about it, which is in direct conflict with what the 7th Galactic Constitution.”
Final words went to the author, “The Defense Minister and Grand Army assure me that we are winning this war but it will take time. Let us TALK and see what can be won through diplomacy now that we have shown our strength. The Sith thought us weak. Now they know better. If for nothing else, Peace Talks can arrange prisoner exchanges and Rules of War such as inspections of prisoner of War camps to see that our People are well treated. We lose nothing yet we can gain everything by talking to the Sith and until an agreement is made we WILL continue to fight, make no mistake on that.”
The Chancellor issued the tie breaking vote against the Peace Talks and the Senate moved on to unanimously vote Senator Sommer of Naboo head of the Galactic Affairs Committee.
The Galactic Affairs Committee announced a forthcoming Halloween party at the Undercity homeless shelter and one for everyone else. Senator Sommer, daughter of the HCLI CEO currently Wanted for questioning in the death of a woman in the Undercity, has dedicated her brief career as a Senator to caring for war orphans and homeless through charity parties and recently a posh auction held on the exclusive Chancellor’s private yacht that raised over 8 million credits.
A proposal for The Security and Law Enforcement Act was remanded back to Committee after heated discussion over the Rights of Detainees and methods of Detainment, including recent allegations by the Vice Chancellor of lax Security procedures in Grand Army facilities.
But the debate was far from over as Senator Sommer dived in, “All I am going to say on the matter is that this proposal reeks of biased nature from those that wrote it because of Kira Avalon’s arrest. She was given special circumstances and freedoms that should not have been given to her. It should have been dealt with as if she was a normal person…not as someone dating Major Rush.”
A dissertation on the detention practices of the Grand Army by Captain Nomad calmed noone as the Vice Chancellor took back the floor. “Major Rush is, or was at the time of her detainment… involved in a romantic relationship with Senator Kira Avalon and he was removed from the investigation into her for that reason. He lied about the release of a Serpentine Order prisoner to me and to others. Major Rush also leaked top secret information pertaining to a War Council meeting that was classified and communicated about it in an open channel that can be accessed by not only Senators, but others associated with the Senate.”
Defense Minister Nac Ha jumped in to say that, “a ‘romantic relationship’ overstates the situation greatly. One date does not romance make.”
And then it was back to Jr Senator Vesparkera. “Well then, guess everyone has had their swing of the axe today on various different topics pertaining to what me and my counterpart have done or not done or what we are guilty of or not guilty of yet, there are NO CHARGES. IF you all are done tossing accusatory statements about, unless you are going to file charges, the finger pointing has got to stop. This is beyond slander.”
The Junior Senator then called for new elections, pointing out that the current Chancellor was never elected to his Office.
To which Chancellor Vance laughed. “In light of a request by the Vice Chancellor I am formally opening up an investigation against Major Rush for leaking classified information and misleading a Republic investigation. To second that I will be formally pressing charges against Kira Avalon Senator of Munto Codru for treason against the Republic. Oh and for your information /Junior/ Senator. You are mistaken I am Chancellor of the New Galactic Republic by right and due process. I am your rightful Chancellor and if you’d like to see my terms shorted or removed Senator Vesparkera I welcome you to call for a vote of no confidence….”
And so she did, seconded by Defense Minister Nac’ha. “It is the Senate’s right to call for a vote of no confidence in the leadership when we no longer have faith in the executives of the ruling government. This is a right afforded to the Senators to express their disagreement with the leadership. But if we are to ask on what grounds, I have done everything in my power to give you more power as requested. I have done so, but yet again you asked me not two days ago for more power.”
Vice Chancellor Tanak’Arrimah’Nuruodo and Senator Blili Trov’ni jumped in to support the Chancellor, accusing the Junior Senator of ambition at the minimum, failure to prevent slavery, and Treason by attempting to overthrow the government, the Vice Chancellor ending her impassioned speech with, “Why do we stand together as the Republic… are we even the Republic any more… Or, are we becoming but a collection of corrupt politicians, self serving… I have heard things in this Senate meeting room today that disgust me. Seen the blame passed, seen people defend those who have openly admitted to wrong doing and seen others lie to protect whom? I ask myself, does Taris wish to belong to a Republic such as this? Does any sane world?”
The Junior Senator hit back, “I learned of the hutts having slaves from the very meetings here that I have attended. What evidence do you actually have besides what i stated to accuse me of anything more than speculation?”
Vice Chancellor Tanak’Arrimah’Nuruodo was hardly through. “I believe you should be detained and questioned and then charged. Why? Because that is what any breach of the constitution warrants; investigation… unless you are dating a Major in the Grand Army. You speak of evidence, where is yours? Where is your evidence that the Chancellor is failing in his duties.”
Junior Senator Maurier reminded the Chancellor that the vote of no confidence had been called for and Seconded, which he then denied as unconstitutional. When pushed, the Chancellor chose failing basic math as his defense and called the Vote, with Senators Nuruodo, Trov’ni and himself voting Nay, while Defense Minister Nac’ha, and the two Junior Senators voted in favor.
The Motion failed and discussion moved on to the proposed Hutt Accords written by Jr Senator Maurier of Clak’dor VII, with only Vice Chancellor Nuruodo voting against the Accords “on the grounds that I might accidentally be sanctioning, or approving the enslaving of sentient beings by facilitation these accords.”
The Defense Committee called out rising activity from the Dark Lords of the Sith and a lack from the Serpentine Order, as the Grand Army pursues its endless campaign against the former Imperial Remnants of the Galaxy.
The Republic Legislative Committee remains hard at work separating the Laws of Taris from those of the Republic, but will its’ leader, the Jr Senator Vesparkera, be able to work as hard from a detention cell whether free range or otherwise?
Imperial News Network 