JEDI HoloNet

Known for its mass tourism due to in part having one of the largest casinos in the Galaxy, Cantonica’s Canto Blight has been the center of attention of a rumor that has caused mass hysteria for the locals, as well as a large number of tourists who planned to visit.

It is not the first time that such a rumor, called Omen by Cantonicans, surfaces. There have been reports over a century for the existence of this event, but the Cantonica Security Force has not deemed it important to investigate. Until now.

What is this ‘Omen that could cause such mass hysteria across the entire city? Asking around the locals, rumors circulate that the city has been cursed by consistent disappearances of random people, who visit the city never to return.

It is not an unusual event to have family members and friends not return over the years from Cantonica, often assumed that they gambled their life away or having got rich and disappeared from public life. But over the recent years, the disappearances appear to have grown dramatically, sparking interest and fear over this “Omen”.

Unofficial Sources claim that Cantonica authorities have been investigating those disappearances, and initial reports reveal that they take place primarily in the capital of Canto Bight, sparking further rumors of terrible gangs or insidious cults within the capital.

When contacted for an official statement, Canto Bight Chief of Security, Inspector Elias Miller, stated: “We urge people to take these rumors with a grain of salt. Disappearances in popular places are not unheard of over the years, and there appears to be no visible or significant increase lately. Canto Bight’s security is of the utmost priority, and the Security Force takes matters seriously. Canto Bight is one of the safest capitals in the Galaxy, and we urge tourists to pay no heed to such unsubstantiated rumors.”

Despite the statement, bookings and arrivals of tourists on Canto Bight have seemed to plummet. This sharp decline has caused major concern for Cantonica economists, who believe that if this trend does continue, the economy could take a massive hit.

Is this ‘Omen’ just a rumor, started just to scare potential visitors, or is there some sinister truth behind it?

Stay tuned for further developments in this story.

Cerisse Lo’nje for National Cantonican News Center.

A coordinated investigation between major investigative journalist organizations has brought to light a disturbing trend from the “five veils” systems to the end of the Corellian Run. 

Over a dozen systems along the border of Wild Space have experienced an unsettling surge of abductions that have been steadily increasing over the last 20 years. These rarely reported-on systems independently have been tracking these disappearances and have been making individual legislative actions to try to curtail the disturbing increases to no avail.

While local reporting has been measuring these disappearances from Ryloth to Skynara to Vohai, our counterparts at the Affiliated Press have collected and consolidated all of these individual reporting threads into one, umbrella survey of all of these border planets.

The result is unquestionable evidence of a coordinated attempt to take mass populations from vulnerable planets. Shared characteristics of these planets tend to be a lack of unified government, lack of industrialization, under-educated populations, and high rural populations of low density.

These trends have opened up these planets to being slow to report disappearances, or to have such a high degree of criminal activity, such as on the planet Socorro, where a true population census is completely impractical.

There is still little understanding of who is behind these mass, interplanetary abductions. Of the many criminal organizations that operate outside of Republic space, the majority of which do not have the infrastructure to commit mass kidnapping on a scale this disturbingly large. Experts are continuing to gather evidence but preliminary data suggests that multiple different criminal organizations may be coordinating together for their own mutual benefit.

We’re hopeful that our investigative report brings enough of this data to the light of the galactic community and can facilitate and foster aid and assistance to affected planets who, on their own, are unable to stem the tide of this disturbing trend.

Reporting was facilitated by the AP

Two years ago Duneeden seceeded from the Republic, becoming a purple ink blot of independence within its heart.

So how is the Duneeden project coming along? The Synod of Duneeden, comprised of elective representatives of the wards of Duneeden, would have you believe that the project has been an overwhelming success. Many didn’t believe the planet would survive 6 months without the backing of the Republic, let alone two years.

However, our sources from across the 6 wards of Duneeden inform us that crime is on the rise, alongside unemployment. Meanwhile education and health care services appear to be going in the opposite direction and are in decline. Many in the upper echelons of the Senate believe it is only a matter of time until Duneeden rejoins the Republic.

But could it all still go pear shaped? (Pun very much intended)

The Galactic Holonews can exclusively reveal that there is tension between the Senate and the Coruscanti Government fixated entirely around fresh fruit and vegetables.

Those who reside on Coruscant will know first hand the growing difficulty to attain fresh produce. Owing to the alterations of trade routes due to the independence, the specially designed ships used for transporting the produce which is grown in Agriworlds in the mid and outer rim, are now having to bypass Duneeden preventing them from refueling on coolant. As a result, it is estimated that approximately 31% of produce now arriving on Coruscant is inedible causing wide shortages.

The Coruscanti Government wants to strike a deal with The Synod of Duneeden to reinstate the old trade route. However, such a deal will surely go someway to further weaken the Dunedin’s reliance on the Republic, something the Republic are all to aware of.

Stay tuned for more information.

We’ve just received confirmation from undisclosed high-level Republic officials that The Jedi Order has sensationally pulled out of a deal that would of seem them formally align with the Republic.

Where does this leave Chief of State Lammee Ranack? Whose whole re-election campaign was prefaced on getting this deal across the line.

What about the relationship between the Republic and Order? If they weren’t already fraught over the Order’s delay to ratify, surely now its at breaking point.

Galactic Holonews has requested comment from both the Republic and The Order, however at this point in time neither have been forthcoming.

We will of course bring you more information as we receive it!

– Ookruck Evaens, Galactic Holonews

Holonews headlines are only a snapshot into a situation, usually lasting for only 24 hours before the galactic news cycle sweeps them away to be replaced with something more interesting, eye-catching and new.

Whilst most of us get swept along with the cycle of endless news, just because the story ceases to grab headlines does not mean it doesn’t rumble on.

Lord Ruun, once a name that was never far from the front page of the galactic news, today exhausted the last of his appeals, where the guilty verdict put on him many years ago was upheld. Many refused to believe the case could truly be over until the appeals process was successfully navigated, but today, it can finally be said that he will not be walking free and he is indeed guilty for his actions on Vohai.

Ruun will serve out the rest of his life sentence in the unnamed detainment facility he has been held in since the initial verdict.

With the matter of Ruun finally closed, does this mean that the long in limbo deal between The Jedi Order and the Republic to formalise an alliance can at last be formalised and signed? I imagine when it is, it will very much be a headliner grabber.

– Lenee Kath, Galactic Holonews