The Galactic Turbosteel Strike Chapter 7: Picket line riots!, a star wars fanfic

Well, personally, I have to admire your restraint. I would find it very hard to see a Prison ship and not shot at it, even though it might be morally objectionable and not very wise. But however...'

Sarah was right, it was a prison ship. But then prison ships did often frequent this planet.

In order to add to the Political Prisoner population in the Galaxy. Of course in many cases the Empire had other things to do to political opponents than to simply put them in Prison, but the number of political prisoners, was at a rough estimate 20 Billion.

For a number of species, however, annihilation was the Emperor's option. Either because they where in opposition to the Emperor's policies, or out of spite, or simply because they were considered useless. The major species wiped out by the Empire where the following:

The Gungans, the Gubfas, the quotuors, the Niemis, the ruotcips, the Harrowideies, the Zeuosds, the Nanons, the Diedords, the Neswords, the Wirrim, the Sirrim, the Doldor, the Dodo, the Didios, the Hobtylin, the Orthidizeis, the Thals, the Dhillisions, the Zarrocks, the Pockocks, the Chrichos, the Zssihions, the Pasloids, the Piopouss, the Zarms, the Rioties, the Beccords, the Nammoides, the Arrachoinids, the Fistios, the Diniards, the Bushiers, the Gramoroids, the Loepas, the Thonioans, the Cforibs, the Werroids, the Jocobities, the Rqudians, the Dritish, the Critish, the Uiods,

The Labyands, the Autonns, the Butods, the qwerts, the Huorts, the Huourins, the Hithilums, the Shacorts, the Kaledians, the Odsloitians, the Kuiods, the KKodsians, the Qpzzzs, the Sectoids, the Yankiens, the Liams, the Arrayianods, the Lierfds, the Cyborgs, the Nitiens, the Feelines, the Stiroins, the Anglish, the Yackoons, the Skkyians, the Daloids, the Osgiliaths, the Grothonds, the Peppiers, the Mannons, the Bionians, the Piorities, the Crowithies, the Gondolians, the Bondolians, the Rimoians, the Frohistians, the Fiotisian, the Durinities, the Goldiars, the Mannocops, the Jackers,

The Bierons, the Chiosties, the Aiostians, the Axxieties, the Pictions, the Zygons, the Sygons, the Trinnies, the typhoons, the Yakkis, the Peladonians, the Desians, the Giathons, the Poppiteis, the Francos, the Tobians, the Cricketers, the Bordians, the Worrities, the Witfordians, the Walfordians, the Criabs.

And that's not quite the end of the list. All intelligent species. All having as much right to live as Humanity. Although maybe not quite as numerous or powerful. But collectively the loss of an awful lot of intelligent life. And never coming back.

Which was one reason why some species had, unfairly, but understantably a hatred of Humanity. There was once an occasion, around a hundred years before this tale when Humans where nearly destroyed by a sudden program introduced by a deranged Chancellor, using something clever involving plastics. Well, by a whisker, humanity survived. But there where many people in the Galaxy at the moment which wished that wasn't the case.

Take another policy by the Empire. In the Republic at the time just before Palpatine's rise to Chancellor, there was the problem of people going of sick due to back pain. The problem was that back pain was very hard to tell for certain if someone had it. Yet if someone did, it was enough to put them off work for a while and claim sick pay. The problem was that there was an epidemic of people doing this, and some suspected, rightly as it happened that people where just claiming this as an excuse to get time of work.

Well, to be fair to him, the Emperor did find a solution of sorts to this. He introduced a program wherby anyone with backpain which caused them time of work had to apply to a clinic. Where, one in five where executed! The innocent or those that where faking alike. It was amazing how the number of people claiming backpain declined!

Well, the Planet Nottingham was a few light-years away from Mr.N's homeworld. But a large demonstration was mounted outside one of the works. With much negotiation, the Imperial Police had allowed the Union to demonstrate within sight of the factories. Which was pretty much the point. Many of those working where curious and would have like some communication with the strikers. Which the Empire was keen to prevent. So, Dave and some of the leader would not have been surprised if the authorities engaged in a little trickery to still prevent this.

The weather was cold, it been winter this time in Nottingham. Everyone was wrapped up, except some of the hairier species, but even they seemed to feel the need to wear something. For some of those that preferred hotter climes it was very unpleasant. Mr.N, Dave, Mugwort, Sarah and many of those from Mr.N's steel factories where there. So too where thousands of helmeted, heavily-armed Stormtroopers. It was Whitesnake who was in charge of security and a tricky job it was too, but Tarkin did feel that Whitesnake was up to it.

So too present where Gram and Matt and E1234. Matt had much sympathy with the Turbosteelers, but in Gram's case it was more to make some much-needed money on a burger stall! 'See if I can re-coup some of the money I lost at cards,' said he, ever a trier! It began to snow, bitingly. The Stormtroopers stared at the strikers and some raised their blasters but didn't fire. A song/chant started up.

'Palpatine, Palpatine, Palpatine, out, out, out!' went up the cry with much clapping! Many flags waived. Now, some of the Police pushed, slightly but still provocatively into the Strikers pickets, not much, but the pickets where pushed back a little. This was quite deliberate by Whitesnake. The pickets where just pushed to where they couldn't be seen by some of the Nottingham turbosteelers. Some where given a crack on the head by a truncheon just for the hell of it.

Now it is all very well, people like Mugwort urging restraint but many of the striking Turbosteelers where tough, hard-bitten, simple, but not stupid men. So when provoked, many took the bate. Little scuffles broke out with the police in the snow, many where determined to recover the ground which they had recently lost, which made the strikers look like the aggressors, which was perfect propaganda material for the Imperial-controlled press.

Mr. N happened to be quite close to this and could even see some well-armed Imperial cannons, which he was not sure all his fellows had noticed. They where pointing right at him, but where not firing to his immense relief!

The Commander of the Imperials, Whitesnake was in something of a quandary at this point. Poor him! But his problem was that Tarkin had not been totally clear about what to do at a point like this. 'Well, you have to be restrained. We want those workers that are working to be on our side and neither do we want to alienate the wavers at the Imperial court. However, if there is any way you can give the strikers a beating and make it look like they are the aggressor, do so.'

'Thanks you very much for that, and are you going to be here with me?' asked Whitesnake a little sarcastically.

'I'm afraid not. There is a little problem with pirates out at the Caribbean sector. I have to be dealing with it,' replied Tarkin as he waved Whitesnake goodby.

So Whitesnake was in sol command of the Imperials at this crucial conjucture. He saw many of the pickets making ground in one of the areas they shouldn't near a smelting point of the Turbosteeling production. Well, he couldn't allow this, but he had to be restrained, naturally. 'Let loose the Water-cannons!', was his decision and the Imperial Police fired the pickets with cold, hard, intense water, throwing them backwards.

One of those covered with cold water, which was the last thing one wanted on a cold enough day was Mr.N. But now one of his subordinates said to Whitesnake, 'How about the lasers? We could finish these guys off! We have them!'

Whitesnake struggled with himself. The Imperial officer part of him so much wanted to do what was suggested. It galled him that these people showed such independent hatred of the Empire. It just wasn't natural. He had the manpower and the weaponary, oh such weaponry. One word and those pickets would be sorry. Those that survived. He knew that he should look at the bigger picture, but sometimes, sod the bigger picture.

He tensed his knuckles. 'No.' commanded he. 'We have just, I feel made a propaganda coup and we could spoil it if we act too aggressively. Yes, we'll get these strikers, but there are many more out there, and potentially more. Just stick with what we've one and let them keep on attacking us. For now. But one day, we'll have them!'

One of the issues which the Imperial-controlled galactic press loved to keep on about was the violence in the picket lines, and that created by some of the pickets. If one believed the press every picket line was fulled with thugs who had the desire to invade those factories still at work and stab everyone still working. Well, there might have been one or two that thought that thought that, but this was exaggerated out of all proportion. If there was violence on the picket lines, it was mostly created by those that had just cause to hate the Imperials, and there was as much violence by the police as by the strikers.