[20 BBY]
[Holo-advertisement for Alliance to Preserve the Republic broadcast multiple Core Worlds]
[Alliance to Preserve the Republic is sponsored by the following organisations; Kuat Drive Yards, Republic Seinar, Anaxes Military Academy, Ryloth Freedom Movement, Executive Security Solutions, Hapan Mercenary Consortium, Alion Nova Guard, Bounty Hunters Guild, Gungan Grand Bombad Council, Rendili InvestCorp, Chandrillan Sunshine Investment GLC, Mon Calamari Shipyards Incorprated, Nouane Allied Region Government, Kashyyyk Defence League, Kamino GeneResDec Inc and the Outer Region Security Forces]
Intro on the fluttering flag of the Republic against a bright sunlit blue sky, slowly shifting to various other colourful panoramas of other worlds as a multitude voices speak softly, overlapping yet in strange unison*
I swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of this Republic of free peoples, from all enemies...
View changed, showing Count Dooku, General Greivous, Admiral Trench*
...foreign...
Flashes to images of Jedi Master Pong Krell, a number of other known traitors*
...and domestic...
[Sound of boots crushing off the hardened earth in unison comes through underneath the beginning of the Anthem of the Galactic Republic to a military staccato. The voices change to one female one as images of soldiers of the Republic, primarily human volunteers from the Core, along with images from operational Star Destroyers]
These are the words the defenders of YOU, the Citizens of this Great Republic, speak each and every day as they fight ever harder to preserve YOUR FREEDOM! YOUR REPUBLIC!
Soft drumbeat begins, synced to shift to optimal signal range, species dependent. Drumbeat on slow build increase*
Against the tides of Separatist Monsters we stand!
[Images of the destruction at Kuat]
As they use weapons of terror against the innocents!
[Images of Blue Shadow virus release attempt upon Naboo]
As they would sell your children in slavery!
[Images of Zygerrian Slave Auction, slave pits filled beat Republic Citizens according to notifications]
BUT!
[Images of the arrival of the Army of Light over Zygerrria, destruction falling upon enemy cities]
YOUR ARMY WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!
[Images of Mon Calamari cruisers forcing a Separatist fleet to flee after heavy loses!]
YOUR FLEET WILL PROVE VICTORIOUS!
[Images of the Gungan Grand Army capturing General Grievous]
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG! TOGETHER WE WILL WIN!
Voice change, darker overtones*
[Image Changes to the Senate Buildings and the Jedi Temple]
If we would be allowed to do so!
Republic Citizens! Your soldiers at the front implore you as they bleed each day for your freedom!
Do not allow malcontents, traitors, pacifists, and incompetents sell away your hard won freedom!
Even now enemies of the Republic plot against YOU!
You MUST stand against those who would betray YOU!
FOR THE REPUBLIC WE MUST REJECT THESE NEGOTIATIONS WITH MONSTERS!
TRUST IN YOUR GRAND ARMY! DO NOT LET OLD MEN AND COWARDS IN SILKS SELL YOU OUT WITHOUT A FIGHT!
STAND UP! VOTE! REJECT PROPOSITION 46B!
ENSURE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES VOTE YES TO THE MILITARY RESTRUCTURING ACT!
[This message has been approved by the Alliance to Preserve the Republic and authorised by the Grand Army of the Republic under Clause III, Subsection Six-B, over objections of the Office of the Supreme Chancellor and the Senate Military Oversight Committee]
--
[20 BBY]
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, Battle-group Army of Light, In Orbit Nouane, Capital System Nouane Allied Region, Inner Rim]
"Repairs are underway on my Shieldmaiden..." Shesagora stated as we sat down in the secure meeting room deep within the Stormcrow "...though it's the upgrades and swapping out generators that'll take the longer period of time. Say...three weeks in the docks"
"Better than I thought..." I admitted going through the schedule on my data-pad, security was the primary concern and precautions slowed things down a bit "...we're probably the rest of the year on the defensive till we're up to full strength again. Assuming no major engagements of course, but that's something were unlikely to avoid, so...downtime a while"
Shesagora grinned "Oh, stop whining Daron, sure, the war could be over by the time we strike out for our home systems once again"
"Hmm, we could actually Shesagora..." I replied, then shaking my head "...however unlikely that may be with our mystery conspiracy still out there. Now I will admit Kamino fight against indicates they don't want the war over, one can't make assumptions"
"Aye, and it's concerning we aren't making more headway even after bringing in the Alion Nova Guard...beyond the fact most rank and file Jedi appear to have no awareness of the situation. Or even Masters on the Council if I'm reading the decrypts of Kenobi's and Skywalker's communications to the Temple. Someone there is asking questions I think?"
I shrugged "I don't know, and I don't trust Kenobi enough to ask him, and Anakin..." I sighed "...well, if we told Anakin he'd rush off to the Chancellor, or confront the Jedi Council, in some epic, and poor thought out, confrontation that ends in him, and then everyone else, dead most likely"
As best I could tell the Jedi were actually concerned about the Clone, or at least the nature of it, and were *secretly* trying to find out more about the situation. Or at least that's the best we could get from the various messages between Coruscant, the trio when they were with us, and various messages through GAR-South that we and the Ailon lot had intercepted. I wasn't sure if that was due to my actions, or it had actually happened in the canon that should have been; hard to know the inner workings of the Masters of the Order sadly. Shesagora nodded, gesturing with her hand.
"Yes, yes, I've meet the Jedi in question Daron, so I know. But what if peace does break out?"
I shrugged "Our contract still runs for another few years, even if they make peace, and the reserves are pretty good considering...everything we took and then sold. If it breaks out...then we're a lot poorer, but, then again, that's why we and many others are spending a large fortune in the Core to fight against said peace talks, and try get the GAR reorganised"
In actuality it was much, much, more than that; albeit that was unintentional for everyone else involved in funding the legal efforts and massive public relations campaign. Largely because nobody had a problem with the Chancellor per se...but, well, I was attempting to tear open the gulf between the Militarists and the Peace Faction in the Senate. Not only that, but also to discredit the Galactic Senate; to challenge its very legitimacy by attacking its conduct of the War – to force divisive debates, and then undermine its control of the military.
Or, to be more accurate, the Supreme Chancellor's control over the GAR as his powers derived from the Senate and his ability to make compromises. Of course we couldn't attack the Chancellor directly, but going after the Jedi, and then Senate Oversight that enabled them...while also attempting to tear away the funding for the Kamino Clone facilities away from the Chancellor's direct control. The way to do it, through my fellow board member Hanna, was to appeal to the greed and self-interest of those filthy damned Kaminoeans; well, that and their egomania of course.
How they deserved more influence in the Senate, how they deserved more funding, how they should have a monopoly on it {for 'ethical' reasons} to prevent 'lesser quality' Spartoi Clones as some were suggesting. How deep the conspiracy went with Kamino...was beyond us, but it was clear not everyone was involved as their actions weren't entirely in line with what a future Emperor would like I imagined. Or, hoped, was maybe the better word for it. Shesagora and the others didn't see that part, but they did see it as way to try figure out more about the Clone Army's mysterious sponsors without raising suspicions.
"And more money for us"
"And more money for us in funding of course..." I agree with a nod "...we're not doing this for free after all, and war's a costly business"
"Profitable too, potentially, assuming you survive" she replied and I shrugged before we settled into an hour long planning session with Yulen, Gardan, and her Captain Nurg. With her battleship in the dock she'd be moving her flag over to the other Lucrehulk with us, Warrior Queen, as most of our forces sheltered under the planetary shields of Nouane. Not that I'd complain, my Stormcrow would have a few minor repairs, and much more upgrades, to go through as well and I intended to make the most of my time out here, with its libraries while I had to organise my haul from Ossus...
--
[20 BBY[Plus Two days]
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, Battle-group Army of Light, In Orbit Nouane, Capital System Nouane Allied Region, Inner Rim]
"..shin bone connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone..." I hummed to myself as I went about rebuilding Aaron and Abigail, along with the task of restoring my heavy armour to functionality once again. Damage to Aaron was extensive, and unfortunately it was the expensive materials needing replacement, so I'd have to work around that on the next models. Or techno-abominations as some would call them I imagine as I intended to bring my necromancy to bear to form up a golem...of sorts; the ritual was one design stage right now, and had to be reworked to deal with Sith Ghosts apparently.
Alchemy and Sorcery; - that was the way to go right now for my emergency response units. Time, sadly, was running out I suspected, and even now, with my time taken away from the immediate war-fighting for a few days, my time was split between organising my newly acquired Library, fixing things, and learning with Evil Sith Holocron sort-of-Master. Ghosts...fucking ghosts...of Sith Sorcerers had kicked my ass, and someone, with what felt like scrying rituals of another lifetime and ream, had tried to locate me as best I could tell; so it was time act as if this was the End Times. Or at least the End of the Republic Times, so time to raise myself a Death Knight for the cause.
'That and I need to do something about ensuring the knowledge is preserved should I fail and end up getting killed off' I reminded myself stepping back from Aaron's chassis and watching the system test. It was a real possibility as not-Korriban had shown, so how to prepare a contingency for that I wondered as the system responded green across the boards to my modifications. Switching Aaron into diagnostic mode based on the next set of upgrades I wandered over to my workbench and brought up the holographic interface for the droid design unit.
I was loath to create truly sentient and sapient droids in this day and age, the discrimination was...disturbing as what counted as a 'person' really came down to 'can we feel you in the Force' and if the answer was No?
Well, then you're not a person at all me fella!
Have feelings? Have a will? Have all the signs of being a real, thinking, self-aware entity?
Screw that! Droids are to be treated horribly and trans-humanism is a monstrous crime!
We only accept the existences that are affected by our magical energy field that has occasional mental breakdowns through its usage!
"Which, of course, makes a disturbing amount of sense when you think about it" I muttered to myself as I brought up the initial designs for The Custodian and The Librarian models I'd tinkered about with for just such a role. I suspected the absolute and utter AI hate was somehow Force influenced, along with the anti-cybernetics mood of the public at large, and I also had a suspicion that's why Paplatine was putting the droids on the Separatist side while constantly attacking their use, by the likes of us and others, on the Republics. Too much of an independent force separate to his abilities...I shook my head at that. Sometimes the Jedi and Sith were far too similar in viewpoints.
"Now..." I hummed sitting back in my chair, elbows on the bench, hands under chin as I began to study the various diagrams and brought my current notes on Holocrons "...let's see what we can do with this now shall we?"
All things said, it was a nice distraction from the war effort and political shenanigans for the next few hours at the very least...
--