JEDI HoloNet

En route home from Lianna, where the Thanium diplomatic campus has been in session for the last cycle, Emperor Hautrn died of natural causes. Before his passing, he made this speech to the assembled worlds of Thanium,

My time in this galaxy is quickly coming to a close. Throughout my life, I’ve lived in the shadow of a painful legacy that looms over the histories of both our sectors. To many outside of Spadja and Thanium, they ask why blood feuds from four centuries ago should still run so deep? They tell us to move past our differences, to let go of that past. Those people outside of our worlds mean well when they say so, but they do not understand the depths of tradition, of pride, of pain, and of legacy that our shared past of conqueror and conquered brings to our now.
For my part, I recognize the terrors of genocide that my immediate ancestors imparted upon yours. There is no excuse, no words that can be said to soothe the still open wounds or speed the healing of many peoples. Nonetheless, I’m here to offer what words that I can in pursuit of that goal, despite the perceived futility. On behalf of my people…

I am sorry. We were wrong. We are wrong.

As I speak, a conservative movement on my world has been gathering power and support among many of my people and within my government. When I am gone, which will be in the near future, they will have the means and ability to act on their doctrine of returning the Stenax people to the forefront of power in our galactic neighborhood.
They plan to do so at the expense of your worlds, as my ancestors did centuries ago. They plan to do so with the help of foreign powers and criminals who have been illegally supplying them with ships, weapons, ammunition, and supplies. They plan to do so to reclaim a glory that never was, in a way that will never bear the fruit they seek. Their plan will only further tarnish the future of our species and our world.

You, together, assembled as one, have the capacity to hold off this oncoming storm. To defend yourselves versus those of my people who have been so indoctrinated, misled, and taken in by this extremist ideology. Alone, each of you will fall to the superior numbers, technology, and training of the Stenax naval and army forces. I beseech you all. Whatever it takes to unify, whatever you must give up… Do so. Do so to insure the continued freedom that your forebears understood the sweetness of once released from the yolk of my violent ancestors. Do so, so that your children will grow up so accustomed to that flavor of freedom that they know no other feeling.

Come together to stand free, or fall under oppression alone. Only you may decide.

Even as the Emperor spoke, the Hobors of Tahlboor and the Alzarian Monarchy have opened embassies on Feena, the capital planet of the Third Estate, in order to establish closer ties to the autocratic government who has promised any Thanium planet protection in exchange for annexation. While neither group has formally agreed to join EckCzar Vahn Goreing’s regime, they have begun to engage in negotiations with interest to do so.

In response, Sooman Queen Cainen Qeel has mobilized the Royal Navy of Sooma to increase patrols along the borders of their vassal Alzar. This has already resulted in a dramatic increase of skirmishes between the two species as the Alzarians continue a Quasi-War of independence to break their status as vassal under the Sooman regime. Meanwhile, reports of increased raids from Hobor clans against the Troobs on Tahlboor have been building a sense of inevitability of a civil war on their planet.

As invasion from the Spadja sector already has begun as advanced Stenax forces have moved in to occupy the unpopulated Rhen Var system to set up planetary and orbital supply lines for further incursions into Thanium. Every major planetary system in the Thanium Sector has begun to reassess their options. Perceived apathy on the part of the Republic Ambassador leaves their choices between attempting to unify the disparate and culturally divided worlds within the sector, or to reluctantly take the extended hand of the Autocratic EckCzar Goreing and surrender their independence voluntarily rather than through a violent subjugation.

Reporting from Lianna, this is Andee Navaro.

Indicators in the Galactic Stock Exchange are showing that despite passing the omnibus bill intended to shore up the Republic’s financial sector, the economy is descending into a firm downfall as the Republic’s GDP continues to recede. Projections indicate that the recession will not start to turn around until well into the first quarter of the next cycle.

Chancellor Rei continued to ask for patience from the people of the Republic while reassuring that the actions of the Senate have both already shown positive results and have also paved the way for further economic stimulus.

Following the passage of a comprehensive bill by our Senate, which was facilitated by Jedi mediators who assisted in formulating a response to our current predicament, while yet still working to afford the everyman their due, our Republic experienced a significant decrease in the intensity of the economic downturn. This was a stark contrast to the period when the D’Astan Legacy Bank declared bankruptcy.

The road to recovery is still long. We anticipate several months of economic hardship ahead. However, the initial stimulus package has proven effective, providing us with a roadmap for ongoing recovery from this unexpected threat to our economic stability. Without the Senate’s intervention, the economic fall would have been far more drastic, leaving us in a significantly different position than we are now.

Our Republic has weathered numerous crises in the past, emerging stronger each time. If the positive trends we’ve observed in recent rotations continue, we are well on our way to a rapid recovery. We will endure. Thank you.

Elsewhere in the last rotations since the collapse of the D’Astan Legacy Bank, unemployment has jumped up from a meager 3% to nearly 9% with projections for the final quarter ranging from 11-13%, the highest that rate has been at since the Vohai Civil War. Meanwhile, the Republic Senate has authorized an ambassador to be sent to an international conference for the Thanium Worlds sector on Leanna as local tensions in the sector rise with the specter of an ultranationalist faction on the planet Stenos maneuvering to take control of the Emperorship while the health of Emperor Hautrn continues to decline. Diplomat Senator Heron Bablon from the Dimean Sector said this outside the Senate Building,

Quan Regal: What is your stance on deploying an ambassador to a sector embroiled in an internal conflict, especially when the Republic’s economy is reeling from the severe impact of the D’Astan Sector’s bank collapse?

Senator Bablon: I am aware that my War Hawk party colleagues were adamant about sending this ambassador. The only reason we are dispatching anyone is because a self-appointed paramilitary group, acting as the Thanium Sector’s law enforcement, managed to persuade our Jedi allies to champion their cause to us. It seems imprudent to divert attention to a crisis that doesn’t concern us directly, especially when we are grappling with a significant surge in unemployment and a resurgent homelessness crisis domestically.

Quan Regal: Isn’t it accurate to say that part of this issue stems from the Republic Senate’s decision over the past century to lessen its surveillance of a quarantine around the planet Stenos, and the current crisis is a reaction to a perceived threat from that planet, which the Republic pledged to safeguard?

Senator Bablon: Our Republic is not the same government that made those agreements back in, say, 40ABY? The Yuuzhan Vong, the establishment of the Galactic Alliance, the succession war against the Commonwealth, the Imperium… Our government has undergone so many profound changes, both literally and figuratively, that it is unreasonable to expect us to uphold the commitments of an old Republic that has been assimilated and subsequently fragmented from larger multinational alliance networks and governments.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee has approved a one-time compensation for individuals who held personal savings accounts in the D’Astan Legacy Bank, up to a limit of 1.5 million credits. This measure is aimed at ensuring that families who may have lost their jobs due to the economic downturn still have access to funds until they can secure new employment. This is a significant step towards mitigating the financial impact of the crisis on ordinary citizens.

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

Special correspondent Miranda Hayes has unearthed a connection between missing blood samples from the Galactic Medical Center and bizarre occurrences on the distant planet of Moltok. The discovery has sent shockwaves through the scientific and intergalactic communities, raising questions about the safety and security surrounding medical research and intergalactic affairs.

Our investigation began when reports surfaced of discrepancies in the records of blood samples stored at the Galactic Medical Center, the hub of medical research on Coruscant. Initial inquiries by authorities met with officials citing possible administrative errors or technical glitches. Relentlessly, Hayes delved deeper into the matter to uncover a pattern of missing samples that could not be easily dismissed.

It was clear that something more sinister was at play. The sheer volume of missing blood samples, particularly those with rare genetic markers or anomalous properties, suggested a deliberate effort to conceal their disappearance.

The truly bloodcurdling evidence was the connection uncovered between the missing blood samples and a series of strange events occurring on the remote planet of Moltok. Reports from local inhabitants spoke of strange phenomena, ranging from unexplained power outages to strange dreams that felt “Unlike anything I wish I’d never dreamt” by one eyewitness.

One particularly compelling report came from a young boy named Uru, whose testimony shed light on the mysterious occurrences plaguing the planet. In the boy’s words he had been experiencing vivid dreams where a mysterious boy would appear, urging him to join in a game.

It was like he was calling me, to follow him. B-But…there was something bad. His eyes were dark. So dark you could fall in…

We believe that Uru’s testimony may hold the key to unraveling the mystery surrounding the missing blood samples and the strange events on Moltok. Could there be a connection between the two? And if so, what nefarious purpose lies behind the disappearance of the blood samples?

Miranda Hayes is a placeholder name used by an anonymous reporter who does not wish to expose their identity publicly at this time. The Associated Presses has verified the validity of all reported sources in this article independantly.

At 0900 Galactic Standard Time, D’Astan Legacy Bank, a private banking company based out of Axxila and the largest bank on both the Ecumenopolis and sector at large, abruptly filed for bankruptcy and closed their doors. Holding over a trillion credits in loans, investments, and private deposits, beings from over a dozen sectors across the Galactic Northeast of Republic space have spiraled into an economic panic not seen since the stock market crash in 378 that prompted the onset of civil war on Vohai.

The bank’s CEO publicly cited that strains in the last cycles, caused by the Republic’s Embargo on worlds inside the Third Estate, were exacerbated by the Third Estate’s annexation of Pho Ph’eah, constricting trade along the Hydian Way to the Corporate Sector worlds dramatically. This instability has had major ripple effects through the private sector in the northeast of Republic space, destabilizing trade routes that have flowed unimpeded for centuries. Due to this, over the last cycle many corporations have had to default on loans through D’Astan Legacy Bank, leading to a dramatic deficit within the bank internally. Without enough liquidity to honor the value of credits inside the savings accounts of members, the bank was forced to close its doors.

This has caused a ripple effect through other banks and industries as investors into private corporations across the northeast have pulled out their capital, leading to other local and sector-wide banks to feel destabilized as stock values of these hundreds of industries across over a dozen sectors have plummeted including Thesme, Quelii, Sprizen, Belsmuth, and Corosi among others. In order to contain the spread of economic instability outside of the local regions, Chancellor Naka Rei’s administration has called the general Senate into an emergency meeting to expedite a swift response. He gave this declaration from the Chancellor’s desk as the Senate convened,

“We understand the anxiety that this crisis has caused not only for businesses but also for private citizens who are facing losing not only their life savings they had in D’Astan Legacy Bank, but also facing unemployment as businesses are forced to make difficult financial decisions to stay afloat while we look not to the days and months ahead, but simply the hours.

“I am calling the Senate into an emergency session to authorize a three rotation bank holiday, closing down the banks in the affected sectors to allow time for the situation to stabilize without threatening further bank closures. Additionally, I’m going to ask the Senate to institute a holiday for the Galactic Republic Stock Exchange for the next 3 rotations for the same reason.

“My administration, and the Senate at large, understand the desire of the people of the Republic to pull their finances out of the marketplace to ensure they keep their financial security. But, to preserve the economic security for the whole, and to protect the futures of countless of our fellow Republicans, we need to take control of this situation to ensure that this fraying situation does not tear a wider hole into our financial sectors. Thank you.”

As we report this, the Senate has voted to authorize both moves, freezing the entire Republic economy while the Senate deliberates how to address the crisis to allow banks, businesses, and the stock market to reopen next week in a place of stability rather than panic and chaos. The beings of the Republic’s northeast wait with baited breath as they wait to hear if they continue to have their money, or if their savings deposits and investments are lost forever.

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

On the remote planet of Stenos, in the Spadja Sector, purple banners emblazoned with the house sigil of Emperor Hautrn’s family wave from tall poles that line the broad avenue of the main promenade outside the Imperial Palace. Confetti, fireworks, and the wonderful fragrance of cooked food fill the air as the people rejoice in the continuation of the long reign of their elected Emperor.

Turning 243, the Emperor is venerable for his species and questions of his health have been in daily conversations across the planet. In the last four cycles, his public appearances have waned in frequency and duration along with members of his cabinet taking on responsibilities above their usual expectations. The title of Emperor is held for life, but it is also an elected one. The Imperial Chamber elects a new Emperor after the passing of the last one who will succeed in the role for life and so on.

The Emperor’s reign has not been one without controversy. Considered a Reformer, when he was elected 204 cycles ago Stenos was still coming out of over two hundred cycles of Republic observation and quarantine following the Stenax Massacres of 4 ABY. Rather than the quarantine ending overtly, over time the Republic simply stopped maintaining their patrols, listening posts, or enforcement of blockades around the planet until it was clear that they were no longer interested in enforcing the centuries long status quo. Emperor Hautrn promised to take the Stenax back into the Galaxy a changed people, his goal being to show that the Stenax would be building a positive future rather than moving back to a violent past.

Traditionalists, though, on Stenos view this campaign of the Emperor as dishonorable, shameful, and as abandonment of core cultural values of strength, warfare, and purity for the Stenax people. Many of these Traditionalists are in power in the Imperial Chamber now, worrying leaders on surrounding worlds in the Spadja and Thanium sectors of a resurgence or new wave of violence akin to what was seen four centuries ago.

With the Emperor’s health stopping him from public addresses, little has been done to assuage these concerns or dissuade his political opponents in the Imperial Chamber from continuing to build support for a return to a more bellicose political stance.

Notably, many Stenax who lived in outlying colonies four centuries ago who were not quarantined like the government of Stenos have voiced their support for the reform movements championed by Emperor Hautrn. They publicly beg and ask for Emperor Hautrn to endorse a clear successor to his position to gain political support inside the Imperial Chamber to ensure further progress continues after his reign comes to a close.

Reporting originally from the Tandankin Tribune, distributed by the Associated Presses.