HoloNet News Perhaps It Is

[Alexandria Voran]

The horrors of New Alderaan suddenly sprang up across the holo. Imperial droid forces landing days away from the Temple…explosions leveling the second largest city. Sith and troopers rushing into the Capital to lay waste to the city streets. The Jedi Temple burning. And finally, the Imperial Navy assuming a blockage as ISCRA and Free Worlds vessels were prevented from leaving orbit. Vessels who claimed nothing but refugee evacuation. Neutral players turned away. One of the galaxy’s most beautiful planets burning. An Empire having come for Alderaan again. The images faded and the symbol of the Resistance appeared, quickly followed by the Grandmaster.

Alex did not wear Jedi robes. Instead, she wore only her armor. Dust and ash covered her face, blaster scores across her armor. The twinkling lights of space her backdrop. “I asked you if this was your Empire.” Again, images of New Alderaan flashed. “Andruil answered no.” The Empress had mysteriously stepped down. Alex did not know the reason, but she could exploit them. “Others shared a different answer.” Her face was hard as she spoke.

“The Empire lies to you. We will only come for the Jedi. We will only purge them from your world...a lie. New Alderaan is no different than any world. They burned the Temple, but their destruction flew far beyond." A sharp intake of breath. "The Capital is ruined. A droid army annihilated the second largest city. Jedi or no-Jedi…Temple or no-Temple…they kill without question.” Alex focused on the camera. “This is not about the Jedi and never has been. It is about conquest. Why else would the Imperial Navy prevent the ISCRA from evacuating civilians? An organization wholly neutral and committed to saving lives. Why else would they prevent Free World refugees from fleeing?” She shook her head slowly.

“I ask you again. Is this your Empire? Because it doesn’t have to be.” The galaxy was changing. Perception was changing. With each act of Imperial brutality, the Resistance grew stronger. She was sorry. It shouldn't have been this way.

 

[Carrick]

"Hold all my calls."

Pushing past his secretary and the assorted officers who were waiting for their meeting to begin, Carrick double checked the report he had received from the ISCRA shipmen from New Alderaan. That they seemed to have understated their reports on events to avoid provoking the Imperial officer in question was... infuriating.

Blindingly so.

Stepping into his office, Carrick calmly locked the door behind him before scowling and throwing one of his armchairs across the room with the Force. The anger roiled through him and flowed through the Force as he took the chance to act out on the instinctive urge to hurt someone/something.

They Dared?!

He dialled in on his personal com unit.

"Galek. I'm going to release a statement - this? This cannot go unanswered." he raged as soon as his fellow politician had actually picked up, ranting slightly as he seethed and began tapping away at a datapad, "Send one of your own to the press and reach out to the President, would you? I'll send him a message when I have fleet movements ready for his perusal."

He ended the call quickly before storming out of his office. Carrick gestured for his secretary to fall in step beside him as he marched toward the conference room built into his offices. The Officers from before were no longer waiting around, now actively calling their own NCOs and preparing. Bursting through the doors to the press conference room, Carrick was glad to see that some of the press were already present. He stood at the podium as the camera started rolling.

"I'm going to keep this brief and I will answer no questions. The ISC was founded out of a desire for the peoples forgotten and forsaken by the Galaxy to grow stronger. For the Outer Rim to no longer be a backwater but instead a Galactic Power - financially, socially and militarily."

Carrick glared down the camera.

"Our economy grows - our people have plenty. We try to share our wealth, our success, with others less fortunate than ourselves, those who suffer as victims, casualties, of a war they did not choose. A war that was supposed to become selective and yet seems intent on becoming more inclusive. But the ISC is more than a social and economic powerhouse - we have armed ourselves."

He barred his teeth.

"We do not tolerate being bullied. We do not tolerate our people being held at blaster point by ignorant men born and raised for warfare. Do not mistake our neutrality for weakness, Imperials. We will return fire with fire if you continue to push us. So for the sake of your people...? Don't push us again."

Carrick didn't remain at the podium for questions.

@Altaris

 

[Armaj Branthom]

The air was a brisk at Kaas City. There was a degree of humidity, and the clouds overhead were an absolutely beautiful shade of orange and purple in the fading light. There was a small crowd of dignitaries brought together in the courtyard of the governmental facility where the address was to be made.

Standing before the small crowd and the holonet cameras was Armaj Brantham. His formal uniform and customary crimson cape were immaculate. His features remained neutral and his hands were free.

"The tides are stirring. Still waters turn to waves. A horizon is overtaken by uncertainty. Indeed, there is a leviathan in the water. This leviathan does not care what is in its path. This leviathan cares not for the people that rest on the lands before it. This leviathan has a hunger that can not be satiated. And this leviathan will stop at nothing to serve its sinister master."

The gaze of Armaj shifted from one side of the small crowd to the other.

"The Leviathan has a name, as does its masters. The leviathan has a purpose. as does its master. The leviathan has a trajectory, as does its master."

Armaj looked to the center of the group, and rested his hands at his sides.

"The Leviathan is an Alliance, of worlds named Free, but they are deep in the hand of a master. And that master is the Jedi. A not so secret high class that would claim to seek equality, but seeks only to feed its own cult. The purpose of this Leviathan is to lay low all other states until they remain unchecked and unchallenged, and the purpose of its master is to keep their own at the top of a pyramid of suffering. The trajectory of this leviathan and its master are the same. Their trajectory is the continent upon which all of our states share, with the intent to fracture it into a series of islands too divided to stand."

Armaj kept his features soft, but his eyes were sharp and piercing.

"The Empire does not seek division. Where as the Alliance commits brazen acts of corrupt treachery and utilizes a screen of propaganda to confuse and isolate the other realms of the stars, the other states of the galaxy are left to decide how they will respond. And our answer is we will not let our galaxy fall to plunderers."

Armaj took a step to his left and placed a hand behind his back and straightened his posture.

"Rather than pursue any diplomatic recourse, this leviathan and their masters abducted an Imperial dignitary from an Imperial world and threw him in a prison simply for being what they consider undesirable. For being a Sith. They send agents and missions throughout the galaxy to coerce resources from their allied or subjugated worlds, with impunity to operate in austere environments, in the claim of great democratic liberation, but they do not consider the vote of any state other than their own."

Armaj looked to the camera.

"The Consortium is a state for which the Empire bears immense respect. Their struggle is not so different than our struggle. Their aims are not so different than our aims. And when the Free Worlds look to manipulate them to aggravate passions, we deny their claims categorically. Our Imperial forces carried out their mission with dignity and facilitated the escape of refugees from a conflict that was started by this Leviathan."

Armaj's features rested as he clearly felt a moment of intensity.

"Passions are running high. And they run high as there is only one voice that is drowning out all of the others. Whether they are Mandalorian, Consortium, or truly independently determining worlds, the Empire will work with you without defying your values. It is only when our sovereignty is violated, our honor is tarnished, and our people oppressed that we will remind this Leviathan that we are not an island to be swallowed up by the waves."

Armaj looked back to the center of the crowd.

Armaj brought his arms to rest beside him. "Perhaps it is a question of whether this galaxy belongs to the leviathan, and if we can stand together to stop the oppression and divisive lies of its sinister master?"

 

[Darth Anaris]

​

The Imperial flag briefly flashed across holoscreens, soon replaced by that of the Sith news network, Imperial Patriot. It moved to corner screen to reveal an imperiously dressed woman. Eyes marked by the Dark Side's golden shades looked toward the holocamera from her place on a tall, metal throne. The Empress slowly folded her hands together, expression still and unreadable. If Voran had hoped no Sith leader would be available to rebut, the Force wasn't with her today.

"I am Empress Anaris," she began with a sense of calm command "Andruil's successor. Her words remain true." Anaris addressed the Jedi Grandmaster's impassioned words first. "Altered recordings and false claims make for a poor point, Grandmaster."

The Empress raised a datapad and placed a pair of fine glasses on her nose so she could read her collated reports. Other recordings and images, some very recent, popped up in the screen's corner below the news network's symbol. "You also left out that it was a Jedi attack within Sith space, and the subsequent transfer of captured Sith to a New Alderaan facility, that lead us there. New Alderaan was directly involved in the conflict by the Jedi Order before our forces ever arrived." Sometimes the simple truth could be far more useful than lies or blatant exaggeration.

Anaris removed her glasses and looked again into the camera. "Neither the capital nor the second-largest city have been 'annihilated'. Our forces currently occupy both." The shown recordings and images reflected as much. Buildings and streets had sustained damage in the fighting, but only military assets and the Jedi temple itself had been directly targeted by heavy fire during the invasion.

She leaned ever-so-slightly forward. "Further, we did not prevent ISCRA from evacuating refugees." The next clip to play was the same one the Grandmaster presented only part of. It showed those same ISCRA ships continuing their business of evacuation shortly after the interception, with no further interruptions. "ISCRA vessels were stopped briefly by an officer in command for inspection, nothing further." Anaris sat back again, her left eyebrow slightly raised. "Grandmaster Voran is well-known for attempting to mentally influence the late Supreme Chancellor Emil Ro and being caught lying about it. She's proven herself to be an unreliable source of truth."

Her tone became firmer, sharper and more authoritative. "However. The treatment of ISCRA personnel was disrespectful and out of line with how the Empire handles their charitable work in active combat zones." In representing and leading the Empire on its throne, even freshly inaugurated as she was, it was her duty to address both success and error. She slowly nodded her head in a 'bow' of respect typical of her position while her tone became weighted and especially serious, losing the sharp edge of admonishment.

"I apologize and express my regret for how poorly this was handled. We denounce interference with or security sweeps of ISCRA vessels, owing to the ISC's sterling reputation as a neutral party. The officer in command acted in violation of Imperial policy and standing orders concerning ISCRA's refugee evacuation efforts. They will be thoroughly reprimanded."

The Empress allowed a short pause after her statements before continuing on. "Defense Secretary Carrick, I extend my apologies directly to you, Secretary Ordalos, and President Thorne. This incident demonstrates a clear need for greater communication and collaboration on this matter. We hold great respect for the ISC and believe there is room for diplomacy." Anaris lifted both hands palm up in a welcoming gesture.

"To that end, the Empire asks that we discuss a formal agreement between our two governments regarding ISCRA operations. We invite an ISC delegation to be hosted as honored guests on Serenno. I look forward to meeting them, should you accept." In essence, the Empress was making the offer to personally meet with ISC representatives to discuss ISCRA and adjacent concerns. She took diplomatic endeavors very seriously.

With those final words, both hands were slowly returned to their folded position. After another respectful nod of her head, the transmission ended. Whoever approved Envoy Brantham to speak on this matter would be reprimanded as well, but more pressing were the disciplinary orders for Officer Habrak. The attention he'd gained from the new Sith Empress wasn't the sort to be envied.

@Valen Pelora @Nefieslab @Altaris @Sreeya @Morse

 

[Cassian Graves]

Everyone had something to say about the Sith blockade over New Alderaan, from the Jedi Grandmaster to the ISC's Secretary of Defense, except for the Free Worlds Alliance.

Kiacro, the Zeltron's personal assistant, had attempted to convince him to release a statement and capitalize on this opportunity to villainize and debase the Sith Empire, but Cassian would bide his time. The Free World's Alliance had been the galaxy's punching bag for years, and nothing he could say would ever change that, and he'd recently accepted that.

Even the Sith Empress herself had weighed in on the issue. Poor girl, starting her term off with a public apology. Not a good look for her. But certainly entertaining, to watch the Empress eat the words and actions of one of her own. No apology would ever be extended to the Free Worlds Alliance, but they were at war.

The Empire did not respect or fear the Free Worlds Alliance, but as manifested by the Empress' words, they did fear the Consortium—shrunk before them, even, and publicly. For all the galaxy to see. What an interesting development, and one that Cassian would consider.

For now, he'd poke a little fun. The Zeltron reached across his desk, picked up his smartphone, and logged into Switter. @Morse