JEDI HoloNet

After a failed attempt from the election season last cycle, The Diplomat party re-introduced their proposed legislation to implement tariffs on imported electronics, starship components, and other manufactured imports in order to shore up core world industry in light of the upset hyperlane routes that caused a sizeable negative impact on manufacturing in high-population core world planets. Signed into law across party lines by War Hawk Chancellor Rei, they go into effect today.

With the new Senate, and a new political party, senators from the Diplomat, Centrist, and Free Soil parties were able to get a majority vote in the Senate to pass these tariffs despite objections from the War Hawk party that it would further distance Corporate Sector worlds that were already cut off from the Republic directly with the expansion of the Third Estate into the Esstran sector. With that expansion the Third Estate has blocked all trade flow through the Hydian Way via Pho Ph’eah, requiring all trade from the Corporate Sector worlds flowing to the Republic to take longer, less maintained, hyperlanes that wind through Imperial space to arrive to their markets.

War Hawk Senator from the Herglic Space sector, Boonka Illeeb, shared his thoughts with the Associated Presses on the legislation,

“The Third Estate is an expansionist force. The Corporate Sector has only one value: making money. In order to do so, all corporations will take the path of least resistance in order to find profits. Between the blockade along the Hydian Way and our own tariffs that further sabotage open and easy trade with this partner it only leaves them two viable trade partners: The Empire and the Third Estate. Between the two, the Empire has been showing firm isolationist tendencies from before the ascension of Emperor Jarek Fel. This move on the part of my colleagues across the isle will only serve to solidify ties between the Corporate Sector worlds and the Third Estate.”

Free Solier Senator Narmor Maroon from the Pacor Sector agreed to speak with me about his thoughts as well from the other side of the argument,

“The Republic hasn’t put its credits where its mouth is for decades. The Senate has been claiming to be the galactic police for years while doing nothing to intervene outside our borders. With this decision we’re dropping that facade. The Republic is the Galaxy’s largest state. By turning our focus inward to our own systems, our own sectors, and our own needs we’re -by definition- addressing the needs of the majority of the Galaxy. Let the Corporate Sector do what it needs to do, our GDP outstrips them by a large factor with only the core worlds. This move returns our attention to where it needs to be, at home in our own sectors promoting industry, our economy, innovation, and commerce.”

Finally, in response to the passage of the bill, a spokesperson for the Guild of Corporate Sector Industries (GCSI) based out of Bonadan gave us this official statement:

“The Empire has long ignored the outside galaxy in favor of looking inward. The Republic has decided to follow suit. As we move forward and look to our bottom line, in the red due to these policy decisions that backwards thinking Senators on Coruscant have made, we have to look forward and evolve with the market. Our corporations are not faceless entities. We employ, house, and provide for hundreds of millions of employees over a dozen star systems. Our obligation is to not only our investors, but those who make their livelihoods on our worlds. New markets are opening up and it’s our fiscal and moral obligation and duty to pursue what opportunities are presented to us no matter what they are.”

Already it’s been announced that the GCSI Board of Directors has made a meeting with the Third Estate’s Minister of the Interior to discuss future partnerships.

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

Disturbing news from the Gordian Reach today. In their de facto capital world of Feena, the ultranationalist group dubbed “The Roilers” have enacted a military coup over their local governments across the Back Reach. The Roilers were able to get a legislative majority on most of the worlds across the Back Reach four cycles ago in the last major election. Readers should note that a legislative majority does not equate to a popular majority in the legislatures of the Back Reach. In fact, on Feena specifically, the Roilers held only 40% of the legislative branch, while Vahn Goreing won an electoral victory while still losing the popular vote, earning only 48% of the popular vote for his governorship.

In the looming specter of losing their legislative foothold in this upcoming election on 439.28, the day of said election, Vahn Goreing, the self-proclaimed leader of a trans-system state dubbed “The Third Estate,” ordered agents from his Ministry of Purity and Thought to execute a mass wave of arrests across the governing planets of the Back Reach. In a matter of hours, hundreds of lawmakers and elected officials were arrested for alleged charges of “felony crimes of thought,” as the Ministry of Purity and Thought stated later in the day.

News of this has been sparse and difficult to piece together as there has been a blanket ban on the free press and extreme limits on permissive external communications outside of the borders of these systems. Several reporters, including a colleague of mine at the Associated Press, based out of the Republic have had warrants for their arrest issued inside the borders of the, until recently faux, Third Estate. Internal announcements for the days after called for calm as the Ministries and Governor Vahn Goreing “navigated the ongoing crisis,” citing that the “opposition party has attempted a coup to overthrow our glorious state.”
It was not until a public broadcast to the Galaxy from the Executive House on Feena that we had any confirmation about the situation that went on during the last few rotations. Governor Goreing made this announcement with flags emblazoned with the insignia of the Third Estate rippling behind him.

People of the Galaxy, our government has survived a violent coup attempt by political radicals who do not respect nor follow the rule of law across our systems. Indeed, as I speak, our valiant crisis response teams are continuing to attempt to evacuate survivors from our legislative complex, where a biological attack occurred. We have arrested all of the people involved in this widespread conspiracy. With the consent of the surviving and acting legislators in our system, I have declared martial law and suspended the constitutions of the Back Reach until such a time that elections may be safely performed.

Rest assured. Our Third Estate will come out of this crisis more unified and stronger than ever.

The Associated Press has found no evidence to corroborate any attack cited in this speech.

Immediately at the end of this speech, all emigration from the Third Estate was banned, all ports of entry were restricted, and it was announced that only pre-approved immigrants reviewed by the Third Estate would be allowed entry. Curfews were created across all systems and enforced by the Third Estate’s armed muscle, dubbed “The Roilers” after their original political movement.

At this point, while any formal proceedings may officially cement the authority and creation of a formal third estate that the Roilers have been building over the last four cycles, Vahn Goreing and his cabinet have effectively rested complete autocratic control of these systems. Our thoughts go out to all those beings trapped behind this curtain that has fallen across the borders of the Back Reach who now face persecution with no recourse or opportunity to escape.

There has been no announcement from the Republic, League of Sovereign Systems, or Empire at this junction, nor any smaller independent planetary system. We will give updates as they develop.
Reporting from Coruscant, this is Andee Nevaro.

Kuat Drive Yards, currently in protest of the embargo

Recent legislation imposing trade restrictions on biological materials has caused a ripple effect throughout Republic Systems. With representatives of both mining and manufacturing organizations alike making their way to Coruscant to protest the bill.

Our correspondent on the ground was given the opportunity to speak with Dev’ara Ch’chuk, representative of Kuat Drive Yards and he had this to say.

It’s a disgrace! A crucial part of our development and manufacturing process relies on fuels and precious metals being transported to our factories. With these laws being put into effect without any continuity plan is gross negligence of the highest order by the Republic Senate. Senator Prudah and the others who voted this into power should be ashamed of themselves! All in the name of greed and increased taxes.

One way or another, we will be heard!

Dev’ara Ch’chuk is only one of the many we spoke to who expressed their malcontent. It causes some to wonder how such a decision can be made within the Senate without considering how it will negatively impact Republic denizens.

There are also rumors of how the embargo has severely affected the home worlds of certain Senators. With one of the longest trade deals in history being halted for the first time, between Glee Anselm and Ithor.

Both Senator Khorta of the Ithorian delegation and Senator Kalla of the delegation for Glee Anselm have refused to comment.