The Way of a Siluan
Chapter 11: Propaganda
It was not without reason that Emperor Palpatine congratulated himself on choosing Ry Kyver to be his Imperial Minister of Agriculture. To her tactical wit, scientific insight and Dark Side prowess, she added one more thing he valued highly: a flair for propaganda.
It was clear to Ry Kyver that the success of her brainchild, and therefore her own hope of promotion within the Empire, required farmers to believe two things: first, that the new Imperial Agriculture Program was in their best interest, and second, that the loss of their valued Jedi AgriCorps assistants was not the Empire's fault. To that end, Ry Kyver took part in the following interview, which aired on rural public Holonet and radio galaxywide.
Radio announcer: You are listening to Farming Today on Galactic Ag Radio, now brought to you by the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture! This is your host, Garry Jagaimo! Today I have with me in studio two distinguished guests: the Honourable Ry Kyver, Imperial Minister of Agriculture, and Mr. Kori Waxbroom, president of the Galactic Farmers Union. Welcome to you both!
Kori: Pleasure to be here!
Ry: Thanks for having us.
Radio announcer: I'm sure the big thing on everyone's mind is the current phosphate fertilizer supply crisis, or "peak phosphate," as it's being called, so let's start there. Minister Ms. Kyver, could you fill our listeners in on the current situation?
Ry: I estimate that we have about a hundred years of phosphate reserves left at our current rate of use, but we need to start now on finding a strategy for conservation.
Radio Announcer: Has there been no progress on finding new phosphate reserves?
Ry: Sadly, no. Unlike the Republic, the Empire will be investing in a search, but what I've seen so far is not particularly hopeful. What we need, rather, is a strategy for more conscientious resource use.
Radio Announcer: What do you think that might look like?
Ry: Basically, farmers who are showing themselves to be best able to maximize production per unit input of fertilizer will be given first priority to purchase it. This will ensure that the limited phosphate we have available gets put to it's maximum potential in producing food for the galaxy.
Radio Announcer: There's been some suggestion that this will unfairly favour Ukio over the other agricultural planets. Can you comment on that?
Ry: The Imperial Agriculture Program includes measures that will help farmers raise their production. I don't see how anyone using best farming practices will be cut out.
Kori: I farm in the north of Deema, so I can't speak for the other ag-worlds, but I have to say I find this policy really reassuring. We don't want to see phosphate simply go to the highest bidder. This way it's not about who can pay the highest price, it's about who can use that fertilizer to its best potential. I think that's fair.
Radio Announcer: Minister Ms. Kyver, how can farmers get more information and prepare to buy phosphate and other fertilizers through the new system?
Ry: We'll have information packages available through local government offices and agricultural supply outlets. Farmers can also contact the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture for help in putting their application together.
Radio Announcer: Thanks for filling us in on that. Now, let's switch gears and turn to a recent event: the loss of the Jedi agronomists. How do you think this is going to affect galactic agriculture? Kori, as a farmer, perhaps you could speak to that first.
Kori: We've definitely been used to having Jedi agronomists step in to solve problems for us. It's going to be an adjustment. I believe we can be resilient, but it'll take time.
Radio annoucer: Minister Ms. Kyver, what is the Empire's plan given the needs of farmers at this time?
Ry: The Empire is certainly committed to ensuring that farmers have what they need to feed the galaxy. In fact, we believe farmers need more support than the Republic Agricultural Administration was inclined to give them. That left farmers dependent on the Jedi AgriCorps, which wasn't a sustainable solution. I've personally been working on tools that we can give farmers to use to manage their own pest and disease problems, without the need for a Jedi agronomist to come in from outside.
Kori: I have to say, that's the one thing that's giving me hope in all this. We farm over a hundred thousand hectares of grain, so we've been trialling some of the agriculture Minister's products, and I have to say we've never seen better yields.
Radio Announcer: Minister Ms. Kyver, what sort of products are we talking about, and are there plans to make them more widely available?
Ry: The answer to the second question is absolutely yes. As for the specific products, a complete catalogue will soon be available through local ag supply outlets, but the two I'd like to highlight are Azopel and Matrazine. Matrazine is an improved broadleaf herbicide, and Azopel is good against general soil-borne pathogens like netatodes and fungi.
Kori: Matrazine is one we've been trialling, and I have to say, it's the bomb. We had almost no weeds, and harvest went alot faster, not to mention the bigger yield.
Radio Announcer: How does it work exactly?
Kori: You just spray it and it kills the weeds but not the grain. It's like majic.
Ry: It actually exploits a subtle difference in the basic physiology of grasses versus broadleaf plants, but I won't get too technical on us here.
Radio Accouncer: Now, before we move on I do want to ask about one thing. There's been a lot of rumours going around that the reactor explosion at the AgriCorps Symposium wasn't really an accident. Can you speak to that, Ms. Kyver?
Kori: Yeah, some people were saying it was the Nemoidians that rigged it.
Ry: It was certainly treated as an accident for the purpose of the investigation, but I'm sad to say there's more to it than that. It would seem that in their grab for power, the Jedi Knights decided not only to turn against the Emperor, but also to kill off the Jedi AgriCorps, whom they saw as weaker members of their Order. In fact, they directed the clone troops under their command to carry out the attack for them, not only on Deema but elsewhere too. As you know, the Emperor was able to put down the Jedi Knights' insurgency, but not before they'd done a great disservice to the people of the galaxy.
Radio Announcer: Who would have thought.
Kori: It really sucks, but it's good to know the Empire's got our backs.
Radio Announcer: Thanks for your comments, that's...
On hearing this, Devin, who had been listening to Ry Kyver's radio broadcast, flicked off the radio in disgust. Meanwhile, Eo knew nothing of the change that had come upon the galaxy, and simply stood in awe at seeing the tubers she'd planted sprout from the soil, but on Coruscant, Ry Kyver entered the Imperial Palace and bowed low before the imposing form of Darth Vader.