HOLONET NEWS Volume 351. #50. 13:4:04
Senator Moe Killed in Blast
SENATE ROTUNDA, CORUSCANT – For the fifth time this sidereal, tragic events forced a session of the Galactic Congress to be suspended today when word reached Coruscant that Senator Aks Moe (Malastare) was killed in a suspected Separatist attack during a state visit to Aargau.
“This is truly horrific,” said acting representative Ask Aak at the close of session today. “That this tragedy should occur so deep within our borders points to the irrevocable damage already sustained by the Republic. It is not only a tragic loss to Malastare and Kinyen, but also a dire warning to the Supreme Chancellor.”
Aargau, a key world of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, rests inside the Core World boundaries. Moe was to meet with Banking Clan representatives to discuss possible funding options for a proposed Republic military initiative.
Senator Moe was boarding his staff speeder for a visit to the Commodities Exchange Cathedral in New Escrow. At approximately 0824 standard time, the speeder merged onto the automated expressway and had its propulsion systems slaved into the city’s traffic network. At this time, its power plant overloaded and the speeder exploded.
Moe’s traveling companion and two Dug servants were also killed in the blast. Eighteen commuters were injured. IBC representatives have not yet announced the cost of the damages, nor the accumulated interest.
No party has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the bombing. Popular opinion points to the secessionist movement, as Moe was a member of the Loyalist Committee. The vocal Senator did also make a number of a political and personal enemies throughout his career. Nine years ago, Moe was implicated in a conspiracy to disrupt the Lannik peace negotiations hosted by Malastere.
Some in the Malastarian government have been quick to criticize the lack of Jedi presence at Aargau. “Where are our vaunted guardians of peace and justice?” asked Representative Ainlee Teem. “Where was their all-powerful
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Force this time?”
Though no official word has come from the Jedi Temple, it has been previously reported that Aargau’s assigned Jedi watchman, Belsed-Qan Idan, was re-assigned to the Atrivis sector to quell a Separatist-funded pirate uprising.
Garbage Launcher Misfire Kills 48; Closes Desrini
DESRINI DISTRICT, CORUSCANT – The Desrini district of northern Coruscant is still closed following a catastrophic garbage launcher misfire that has killed at least 48 and has littered the entire district with dangerous industrial waste.
At 0801 this morning, Waste Canister Delivery Port 84-D-21 launched its regularly scheduled payload of industrial refuse sealed in a shielded container. The projectile came into contact with a sizable obstruction, causing it to shred apart within the launcher barrel. The entire cannon assembly collapsed, taking out the four surrounding city blocks.
Emergency rescue crews arrived on the scene in less than half an hour, and have been working since then to clear the rubble. At least 48 bodies have been recovered, and over 200 injuries have been reported.
The rescue crews have identified the barrel obstruction as a shantytown of refugees living within the launch chamber. “From the looks of it, there were at least four families of squatters living between the fourth and fifth accelerator gates. They had tapped into the cannon’s energy grid which disabled its obstruction sensors,” said Captain Nigella Mure of Desrini Rescue Ops.
The destroyed canister contained 115 metric tons of concentrated industrial waste, including hyperbaride run-off, tricorrinium hexifluorine and destabilized hrucium. The canister’s explosion has spread this waste over the disaster site, and emergency workers are dressed in full toxgear to carry out rescue efforts.
The Coruscant WeatherNet has canceled prevailing winds in the area, but natural air currents caused by undercity convection is spreading a dangerous cloud of industrial toxins. All non-pressurized structures in the surrounding 10 kilometer radius have been evacuated.
Kashyyyk / Trandoshan Talks Break Down
HSSKHOR, TRANDOSHA – The Kashyyyk / Trandoshan peace negotiations disintegrated today when word reached Wookiee delegates that a Trandoshan initiative for Senate representation was being aided by the Trade Federation.
Crovessk, CEO of Trandosha’s Revessa Global Shipping, was able to schedule an
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appeal to the Senate next month through contacts with Trade Federation Representative Lott Dod. The Trandoshans have been petitioning for Senate representation for years.
Upon hearing of this development, Senator Yarua not only withdrew his delegation, but violently destroyed the interpreter droid translating the talks. “These meetings are meaningless if such actions can go on outside this conference,” was all the terse Yarua shared with reporters on his way back to the Hsskhor spaceport.
Despite his efforts, Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis was unable to reconvene the delegates. The Wookiees departed aboard their starship, returning to neighboring Kashyyyk. The Wookiees, who represent the system in the Senate, have been restricting trade to Trandosha for the past five weeks following a Trandoshan attack on a Wookiee passenger shuttle.
Camaasi and Alderaanian peace officers led by Rancisis have been trying to work out a solution between the feuding neighbors for two weeks. Given the growing Separatist-fueled crises along the Outer Rim, unsubstantiated reports indicate that Rancisis may be recalled by the Jedi Council and reassigned, leaving the talks to the remaining peace officers.
Many political analysts believe this already tense situation will be exacerbated by the Outer Rim slave ring scandal. “Given the Wookiee temperament, this may be the final insult and all the reason they need to withdraw from a disrespectful Republic altogether. Wookiees are renowned for their loyalty, but that loyalty will only extend so far,” said Senator Darsana (Glee Anselm).
Isard Spearheads Republic Intelligence Reform
SBI CENTRAL, CORUSCANT – Armand Isard, Director of the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, has been empowered by the Supreme Chancellor’s Loyalist Committee to reform the Republic’s largest intelligence organization in light of increased security concerns.
“For too long the unscrupulous have been taking advantage of chinks in the bureau’s armor. I say, ‘no more.’ The SBI will be a vital weapon in the fight against those who would fragment our Republic, and not a tool of convenience for the wealthy and corrupt,” said Isard.
To that end, Isard has formed a Crisis Branch, a temporary division of
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Intelligence historically created when the need arises. Running this new branch is a committee of hand-picked Intelligence subdirectors from planetary bureaus throughout the Core Worlds. This is the first time in over 60 years that a Crisis Branch has been formed.
The first act of the Crisis Branch has been the firing of 32 remote intelligence subdirectors throughout the Mid Rim, an area Isard described as “rife with corruption.”
“There comes a time when a structure is so riddled by greddleback bugs that you have to tear it down and build anew. If that what it takes to root out the corrupt, that’s what I will do,” said the determined Isard.
Some Senators have expressed concerns that Palpatine’s measures have gone too far. “This is further proof that the Loyalist Committee is little more than a front to increase the Supreme Chancellor’s powers,” an agitated Senator Onaconda Farr said from the Rodian Consulate.
Isard asserts that such measures will help eliminate systemic flaws in Intelligence’s methods, preventing such notorious mishaps as the failure to predict the Naboo blockade of a decade ago, or the Yinchorri incident previous that.
The Crisis Branch will communicate directly with the Jedi Council and the Loyalist Committee. Security analysts predict that after SBI’s reform, three other agencies will undergo similar inspection: the Republican Security Organization, the Interstellar Consortium on Technology, and the Special Acquisitions Branch of the Library of the Republic.
Lahara Sector Secedes
SENATE ROTUNDA, CORUSCANT – Continuing a tide of Outer Rim secessions, the Lahara sector, represented by Senator Tyreca Bremack, formally announced its separation from the Republic during Senate session today. “I have no doubt that many of my colleagues here have no idea where the Lahara sector is. They couldn’t even find it on a map if their careers depended on it, but we’ve been burdened with high taxes and little to show for it for too long,” said Bremack, as she tendered her Articles of Secession. “Perhaps now you’ll notice us, if only for our absence.” The Lahara sector consists of 245 settled worlds, most of them agricultural producers.
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Shots Fired in Andoan Space
MID RIM NODE – A Republic courier ship reported being fired upon when traveling in Andoan space, an alarming development that some Senators are calling a “prelude to war.”
Captain Kendra Tissido of the ship Quickwit met with reporters after being debriefed by Republic security officials. As she explained to reporters, she and her crew of five reverted the Quickwit from hyperspace outside the Ando system to recalibrate navcomputer settings.
“I thought I was far enough out from Ando that it wouldn’t be a problem,” said Tissido. “They don’t have a space force, so I wasn’t too concerned. Then this big blip shows up on my scope, and I realized I wasn’t alone.”
Tissido described the ship as under 250 meters in length, probably in the frigate-class. “I didn’t stick around to look too closely,” she said. “It let out about five droid starfighters and I knew I had to get out of there.” Tissido was able to outmaneuver the fighters by jumping into hyperspace, though her courier ship did sustain some light damage.
Tissido’s testimony sent a current of alarm through the Senate session today, since Ando has been without an armed planetary security force since the Republic demilitarization of the planet. Tissido’s citing of “droid starfighters” suggest that modern weaponry has found its way into Aqualish hands.
“This is nothing short of an open act of warfare. I would ask the Senator representing the Trade Federation if he would agree with my perception that somebody somewhere is making a profit here by arming our Aqualish neighbors,” said Senator Rasit Brun (Rintonne).
“What the Senator from Lambda sector is insinuating is outrageous!” countered Trade Federation Senator Lott Dod, via comlink from his recuperative ward at the Fobrini hospital. “You are constructing slander from the anecdotes of a frightened delivery girl.” The Senate then broke into a disarray of arguments before order was restored by Speaker of the Senate, Mas Amedda.
Republic security officials are currently examining Tissido’s sensor logs to determine the extent of Andoan’s military build up and identify the model of
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droid starfighter involved in the pursuit.
“I had hoped we had seen the last of open, unprovoked hostility at Antar 4,” said Senator Eeshrin Ot’Hyne (Caamas) “This event has, sadly, proven me wrong.”
Senators Implicated in Slave Ring
YRACTOS, GYNDINE – Recently disclosed documents and testimony from a captured Thalassian slaver on Gyndine have implicated four Outer Rim Senators as profiting from slaving ventures in their sectors. Senator Tikkes (Mon Calamari), Senator Bufus Ritsomas (Till Chorios), Senator Danry Ledwellow (Er’kit) and Senator Wuja Wojaine (Pydyr) were all implicated.
“These four Senators were named by a known Thalassian slaver during plea bargain sessions prior to trial. Our investigations were able to corroborate these claims, uncovering a lucrative slaving ring that saw all four Senators receive kickback money in return for letting these activities go on in their sectors,” said Jurisconsult Temlet Dodann.
The four Senators were operating in isolation, Dodann explained, apparently unaware of each other’s involvement with the Thalassians.
The Outer Rim has a long history of slavery despite Republic efforts to outlaw the practice. Slavery has generally been attributed to organized criminal ventures or unscrupulous corporate bodies requiring affordable labor.
The diffuse Republic presence in the Outer Rim has fostered the growth of such organizations as the Zygerrians, the Thalassians and the Karazaks, slaving groups named for the star systems that harbor them. Their scope encompasses numerous sectors and their profits exceed billions of credits.
The Republic Judiciary and the Jedi Knights have tangled with these slavers in the rare instances that these groups attempt to operate closer to the Core. The Thalassian who implicated the Senators was arrested last month when she attempted to sell a dozen Twi’lek slaves on Gyndine.
“Few cultures have suffered as much from slavery as the Twi’leks, and to know that that kind of blood money has reached as far as the Senate sickens me. I say throw the leeches out of office, and then let them have a taste of the shackles themselves!” said an angry Orn Free Taa (Ryloth).
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The four Senators have had their positions suspended pending trial. They will be detained in their respective embassies on Coruscant until arraignment hearings which are scheduled to begin next week.
Jedi Vs. The Force of a Mother’s Love
PHELAR, ERIADU – Four times during last night’s transmission of Essence, Jonava Billane broke down into tears, pleading with the Jedi Council for the release of her 14-month old toddler, Ludi.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her,” she said on the popular Eriadu-based talk show. “When I was lying in that hospital bed, unable to move, the only thing that kept me going, the thing that made me better, was knowing she was out there, somewhere, asking for her mother.”
Seven months ago, when groundquakes devastated Domitree, the capital of Ord Thoden, Jonava and Ludi were separated. While Jonava convalesced in an outskirt town, the baby girl was found by Jedi rescue workers and discovered to have Force potential. Assuming her birth mother to be dead, the Jedi took the child to their temple on Coruscant.
When Jonava recovered and learned of her daughter’s kidnapping, she used her meager funds to travel to Coruscant and formally petition the Jedi Council to return her child. The Council refused, citing Ludi’s beginning of Jedi training as far too late to return the girl, who was now named Aris-Del Wari.
“They said it was dangerous,” she said, choking back tears. “I’ll never understand, in a million years, how my daughter can be a danger. They’re guardians of peace and justice. Well, how is letting me see her again a threat to peace and justice? Who is the monster? Is it me? Is it her? I don’t think so.”
Since her petition’s refusal eight weeks ago, the Baby Ludi case has drawn a lot of public and media attention. The Essence holoprogram recapped notable events, such as the proliferation of trillions of Baby Ludi images on the Coruscant student data network, the Mothers United March on Alsakan and the star-packed fund-raising mediathon held in the Minos Cluster.
“I want to thank everyone who’s supported me,” said Billane. “Your messages and holos and credit advances have meant so much. It’s nice to know that we still do live in a galaxy of compassion.”
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Perhaps the highest profile development is the authorization of a feature-length holo of the drama, to be delivered by Kailio Entertainments for the fall season. The currently untitled Baby Ludi feature is estimated to be a deal worth over 100 million credits, though Billane refused to elaborate.
“I’ve been told not to discuss that here,” she said “but a significant portion of that money has gone to charitable ventures and agencies willing to help me in my fight.”
At that point, Essence turned the cameras on Thrynka Padaunete, Billane’s appearance manager and leader of the populist People’s Inquest movement, a Jedi-accountability watch-group.
“Let’s look at it this way. Say I were to tell you about a group of mystics on some planet who routinely snatch children away from their mothers, their fathers, tearing apart families. They take these children into their care, strip them of identity, maybe even give them new names. They then cut their hair to all look the same and make them wear the same clothes, and live by an impossibly strict code that only serves to further their order. Sounds like a cult, doesn’t it? Well, it’s a cult that we as taxpayers subsidize. A cult that we empower to determine who’s right and who’s wrong in this galaxy. And according to them, a mother’s love is wrong,” said Padaunete.
The Jonava Billane program is believed to have been watched by over 25 billion viewers. It will be retransmitted on the 18th and is available for permanent storage from Eriadu’s HoloNet Node for 24.99, with some of the proceeds benefiting the People’s Inquest.

HOLONET NEWS Volume 351. #49. 13:3:28
Palpatine forms Loyalist Committee
Steering Committee to assist Negotiations
GALACTIC CITY, CORUSCANT – In anticipation of future negotiations with the Separatists as well as to assist in the general handling of the crisis, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine revealed the members of the newly formed Loyalist Committee today.
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“I turn to some of the most trusted, skilled and intelligent minds that the Republic has to offer,” Palpatine said after Senate session today. “This is the team that will help me forge a peaceful end to the current dispute.”
The committee of 10 Senators will serve in diplomatic and strategic capacity, developing a six-month action plan to engage Separatist elements, negotiate, and settle disputes.
The 10 Senators represent a wide range of worlds, from the Core Worlds to the distant Outer Rim, and regions in-between. Almost immediately after the announcement of the committee’s formation, vocally critical Senators in the assembly accused Palpatine of forming a partisan body to sway the upcoming Military Creation Act vote.
“When will the Supreme Chancellor drop the guise of unity and admit that he’s consolidating political allies in an attempt to water down the Military Creation Act or subvert the vote altogether?” shouted Senator Onaconda Farr (Rodia).
“The Military Creation Act is an entirely different issue, and has nothing to do with our unity efforts,” Loyalist Senator Padmé Amidala (Naboo) explained later at the media conference. “This committee clearly reflects that, what with disparate views on the army debate being well represented in our ranks.”
“The young Senator from Naboo is undoubtedly referencing me in that statement,” said Aks Moe (Malastare). “And yes, we aren’t all political allies. But we do have a love of the Republic in common, and I think that’s very symbolic of this committee’s goals. Putting aside our differences to work together is a microcosm of the greater whole.”
“Rather than sniff out conspiracy in every corner, I think this is just a political save-face maneuver,” said Senator Tashrikam (Grizmallt). “After the embarrassment of last week’s plea to Dooku, I think Palpatine’s finally getting some real direction by turning to those more proactive than he.”
“My colleagues have demonstrated a tireless devotion to the Republic and its virtues. They have given so much to the cause of unity, that together, in the union of this committee, I am confident that a solution will be found. I will not go down in history as the last Chancellor of the Republic,” said a determined Palpatine.
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The Loyalist Committee Senator Bail Organa (Alderaan, Core) Senator Orn Free Taa (Ryloth, Outer Rim) Senator Aks Moe (Malastare, Mid Rim) Senator Darsana (Glee Anselm, Mid Rim) Acting Senator Zo Howler (Gravlex Med, Outer Rim) Senator Ister Paddie (Sermeria. Expansion) Senator Padmé Amidala (Naboo, Mid Rim) Senator Ronet Coorr (Iseno, Inner Rim) Senator Lexi Dio (Uyter, Mid Rim) Senator Havriso Looruya (Yir Tangee, Colonies)
Alderaan Opens to Refugee Relief Movement
CHIANAR, ALDERAAN – Former Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum rolled up his shirt sleeves and grabbed a power-shovel, breaking soil and chipping in as the Refugee Relief Movement began transforming 100 hectares of donated Alderaanian plains into new homes.
“It’s the spirit of helping one another that has made this Republic great, and will see it through its darker hours,” said Valorum, who broke a sweat as he dug postholes for the pre-fab structure that would soon be installed.
Valorum was just one of the noteworthy names present. The cause attracted several Alderaanian celebrities, who worked side-by-side with refugees from Separatist worlds in building a new village.
Alderaan has recently opened up its borders, loosening its immigration laws to allow thousands of displaced citizenry to find a home. As more worlds secede, citizens who defy the will of their representatives and still wish to be part of the Republic are left with little alternative. Millions have arrived on Coruscant, creditless and with meager possessions.
“Coruscant’s getting even more crowded each day,” said Alderaanian RRM Chair Celly Organa, who was in charge of the day’s events. “There’s plenty of elbow room in the Republic, as long as worlds are willing to share.”
The first transport to Alderaan brought 500 new settlers, who helped in erecting pre-fab constructs in the Alderaanian grasslands. Many were visibly moved by the cooperation of so many to aid them.
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“This is amazing,” said Sandi Maba, an Aqualish mother of two, left homeless since Ando seceded. “There’s so much open space. We were staying in a cubicle apartment with another family on Coruscant. This, this is so different and perfect. I’m never going to move from Alderaan. This is now my new home.”
Despite the feeling of rejuvenation shared by many, there were still those who scanned the skies, looking to their home sectors, hoping to return. “What everyone’s doing here is just fantastic,” said Orogor Binn, another Aqualish expatriate.”I can’t tell you how appreciative our family is. But as beautiful as it is here, it’s not home, and I hope that I can return to the seas of Ando someday and find the rest of my family.”
The Refugee Relief Movement is now looking to the Mid Rim to help with the ever-growing number of expatriates.
Jedi Smash Iridium Pirates; 3 Knights Killed
ATRIVIS SECTOR NODE – Sensor reports from the Atrivis sector issued by the Judicial Department confirm that a Jedi task force has thrashed the space pirates of Iridium, bringing an end to their year-long raids along the Atrivis sector routes.
The pirates had been raiding Republic grain and spice convoys, apparently as privateers for nearby Separatist forces. The Jedi were dispatched from Coruscant to begin what was hoped to be peaceful negotiations, but the pirates instead opened fire.
The Jedi taskforce, led by Belsed-Qan Idan and Kit Fisto, consisted of an armed Republic cruiser, the Monitor III, supplemented by six new Jedi Delta-7 starfighters. Idan attempted to parley with the pirates, but the raiding group, which consisted of three warpod pinnaces, two Longprow attack cruisers and five Z-95 Headhunter starfighters, moved to attack.
During the skirmish, the Iridium pirates were able to employ their infamous power gem weaponry to strip the taskforce of their shields. This resulted in heavy damage to the Monitor III, killing four Republic Judiciaries and two Jedi, Dovish Hokken and Yrada Soludisan. The Monitor III was spared destruction by the cover fire provided by the speedy Jedi starfighters.
The Delta-7s quickly disabled the warpods, and the moved in to target the
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larger Longprows. Concentrated laser and concussion missile volleys dropped the Longprow shields, allowing the Jedi to target the drive systems of the craft. One Longprow was taken intact, but the second was destroyed in an apparent reactor overload. At least 12 escape pods were seen to leave the craft.
During the attack runs on the Longprows, the Jedi fighters were repeatedly harassed by the less-maneuverable Headhunters. One Jedi starfighter was destroyed in the dogfighting, killing its pilot Jedi Knight Aruden Kej. Four of the Z-95s were destroyed with no survivors, though one Headhunter is unaccounted for, but is believed to have succumbed to the gravity well of nearby Vuchelle and burned up on reentry.
The number of pirates taken captive is unknown, though the Monitor III successfully collected all launched escape pods. It is also not known if the Jedi were able to capture a power gem for study.
Sluis Sector Secedes; Seswenna Restates Loyalty
OUTER RIM NODE – With the transmission of Articles of Secession to the Senate, Senator Corlissi Ludar made formal the withdrawal of the Sluis sector from the Republic. Neighboring Seswenna sector representative Senator Shayla Paige-Tarkin responded with an adamant assertion of her sector’s loyalty to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.
The withdrawal of Sluis was largely expected, having been preceded by the extended absence of Senator Ludar from general sessions. Even his secondary functionaries were recalled, leaving the Sluissi Senatorial pod empty for over a month.
Sluis is the latest in a tide of Outer Rim secession traveling Coreward up the Rimma Trade Route. Believed to have been fomented by an appearance by Count Dooku in the Metharian Nebula Territories, the spreading wave has claimed Elrood, Danjar and Tantra sectors.
Seswenna and Mayagil, the next sectors in line, have thus far remained in the Republic. “The disaffected worlds of the Outer Rim have in no way swayed Eriadu and Seswenna’s loyalty to the Republic,” said Paige-Tarkin. “We stand by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Should it even come to war, we will take up arms if Seswenna’s worlds become the front line. We are proof that not all worlds in the Outer Rim have a lawless disregard for the heart of the Republic.”
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Mayagil’s Senator Dodra F’ass (Clak’dor VII) has been noncommittal in his loyalties, refusing comment. He is reportedly rushing back to Mayagil to convene with the Bith Ruling Program to discuss his sector’s security.
The Sluis sector is a large expanse of sparsely populated space, renowned for its mineral resources and processing facilities. Its primary system, Sluis Van, maintains a formidable shipyard for construction and maintenance. The Praesitlyn system is home to a major HoloNet and subspace communications hub, and the Jedi order maintains a training enclave on Bpfassh.
Senator Dod in Five-Speeder Skylane Accident
FOBOSI DISTRICT, CORUSCANT – After an early morning skyway traffic accident, six injured commuters were rushed to medcenter today, including Trade Federation Senate Representative, Lott Dod. The cause of the accident has been identified as a malfunctioning automated pubtrans flitter that went the wrong direction down skylane T-534D. Commuters rushing to get out of the way collided with an unmanned water silo. Though no one died, six drivers needed to be hospitalized and the silo was breached, flooding the apartment towers beneath it. Dod is listed in stable condition, and will undergo continued bacta therapy and reconstructive surgery later in the week. His lawyers intend to sue the Skyways Flyer pubtrans line.
House of Tagge Sides with Loyalists
UNLOS TAGGE, TEPASI – Baroness Sanya Tagge, leader of the House of Tagge family of nobles, reaffirmed her family’s loyalty to the Republic in an address to the people of Tepasi, the Tagge throneworld.
“For generations, the name Tagge has been synonymous with that of the Republic, as the blood of one of the original Founders continues to flow through our veins. We would be remiss not to broadcast to the galaxy at large our undying devotion to the union, our faith in the Supreme Chancellor, and our dedication to serving the people of the Republic,” she said.
The House of Tagge is the owner of The Tagge Company (TaggeCo), a leading mining and heavy manufacturing concern with extremely diversified assets. TaggeCo is the owner of Bonadan Heavy Industries, Tagge Mining Company, GalResource Industries, Mobquet Swoops and Speeders, Gowix Computers and the Tagge Restaurant Association.
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This pledge of allegiance is an unusual move for so large a corporate body, given that ruling commerce entities such as the Trade Federation, the Commerce Guild and the Techno Union have attempted to remain neutral during the Separatist crisis.
Baroness Tagge kept the platitudes vague, confirming her family’s loyalty but not specifying anything in the form of resource donation to the ailing Republic. The House of Tagge maintains a private fleet of over 5,000 armed scout starships and a private army of over one million troops.
Weequay/Houk Arraignment End in Violence
JUDICIAL ARCOLOGY, CORUSCANT – The first in a series of arraignments for offenders arrested in this month’s Eastport gang brawl between Houks and Weequay immigrants ended in violence. At a Judicial Hearing Chamber Y-76 the accused, 22-year old Ker-Zakk and 23-year old Egome Fass overpowered bailiffs and began fighting. After security stunned the two combatants into unconsciousness, presiding Judicial Official Warren Sloat called for an extended recess. Hearings will resume tomorrow. The cases are expected to go to trial sometime in the next two years.
Sepan Civil War Escalates
SEPAN SECTOR NODE – Despite the best efforts of Jedi negotiators, the hostilities between the worlds of Dimok and Ripoblus have resumed. The decades-long civil war came to a month-long standstill during negotiations headed by Jedi Knights Empatojayos Brand, Bultar Swan and Chellemi Chuovvick. Upon the Jedi’s return to Coruscant, the conflict flared up again, this time over whether Sepan should secede or not. This was the third mission dispatched by Jedi to the Sepan sector in the past five years. A fourth one is expected.

HOLONET NEWS Volume 351. #48. 13:3:21
Palpatine to Separatists: Let’s Talk
GALACTIC CITY, CORUSCANT – Supreme Chancellor Palpatine once again took to the HoloNet, not to announce an impending vote or Senate session, but instead to offer an open invitation to Count Dooku, popular leader of the Separatist movement, to parley.
“There are many on both sides of this grand debate eager to turn this dispute into war. It needn’t degenerate into so wasteful an outcome. Together, we have the intelligence and the reason to find an alternative solution.”
Palpatine was firm, composed, yet showed signs of exhaustion in the brief, 12-minute address. He sat at his elegant chair in his Executive Office. No aides attended Palpatine, though his controversial Red Guards did silently flank him.
The transmission overrode all government channels and 90 percent of private feeds, interrupting regular programming. Visible to trillions upon trillions of viewers, Palpatine’s address was directed to a single spectator — Count Dooku himself.
“I appeal to your sensibilities developed as a revered Jedi. I was witness not only to your practiced brand of diplomacy during the Sevarcos Dispute of three decades ago, but also of your former apprentice’s noble efforts to protect the sovereign of my world. From these examples, I know you are a proponent of peace.
“We have much in common, sir, for it is the inefficiencies of the Republic that are the focus of my Chancellery. But the solution lies not in insurrection, but rather through reform. The system will work, and together we will make it work.”
Count Dooku’s whereabouts are unknown, necessitating the Chancellor’s HoloNet-wide address. The former Jedi Master and Count of Serenno disappeared ten years ago, only to re-emerge two years ago at various Mid and Inner Rim worlds with a fiery rhetoric that has fueled the Separatist movement.
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The Jedi Council has consistently dismissed claims that Dooku’s orders have resulted in the scattered flashpoints of violence throughout the galaxy. Instead, they attribute the skirmishes to opportunists simply using the banner of the Separatists to pursue their own agendas.
“It is with great regret that we reflect upon the loss of Master Dooku from the order,” said Senior Jedi Council member Mace Windu last year, following the secessionist-sparked Battle of Antar 4. “But he is still the product of Jedi training and upbringing. It is impossible that he is stirring the Separatists to take up arms.”
At the end of his address, Chancellor Palpatine named Bothawui, a neutral world, as a potential site for conference. Though he did not name a date for security reasons, the Chancellor did announce that all avenues of communication to his office were open to the Count.
Pundits are split as to the end result of Palpatine’s message, and what it means to his political career. “I applaud the Supreme Chancellor’s attempt at looking for peaceful avenues,” said Senator Orn Free Taa (Ryloth). “That he should take this initiative, seemingly without consultation, is troubling, though.”
“It’s shameful,” said Senator Onaconda Farr (Rodia). “He’s trying to outtalk a fire consuming our worlds, or negotiate a dam from bursting. Why not just hand over the Republic to that mind-wizard? He’s a fool if he thinks this cowardly misstep is going to blunt the Military Creation Act.”
Others, like Senator R’shinnos Sh’neel (Genassa), are reserving judgment until further developments. “It was a careful bid. The Chancellor may be meek, but he is an intelligent man. I wouldn’t underestimate him. He’s up to something, I can promise you that.”
Kashyyyk/Trandoshan Talks to Shaky Start
HSSKHOR, TRANDOSHA – Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis arrived today for the first day of the Kashyyyk/Trandosha peace negotiations, though critics of the Jedi were quick to point out that had the delegation arrived four weeks ago, considerable bloodshed would have been averted.
A long-standing blood-feud between the Wookiees and the Trandoshans have brought their neighboring worlds to the brink of war. In addition to these
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tensions, Rancisis was to address the long-standing problem of slavery within the Trandoshan borders, and the ongoing Trandoshan petition for representation within the Senate.
Four weeks ago, the assault of a Wookiee passenger shuttle over one of Trandosha’s moons escalated the already tense situation. Wookiee Senator Yarua used his position to blockade trade to Trandosha until the bodies of the 215 Wookiee passengers could be returned to Kashyyyk for proper burial. The Trandoshans refused, blaming the assault on rogue dissidents, and claiming that Yarua had overstepped his authority. They again cited that Wookiee representation of the Kashyyyk system in the Senate has historically been to the detriment of the Trandoshan people.
“Where were the Jedi peace-keepers then?” asked a Wroonian spectator, one of hundreds of cross-species activists of various political-leanings amassed outside the Hsskhor Tally-house Meeting Halls. “If they had considered this a worthwhile effort last month, then 200 Wookiees and 150 Trandoshans would still be alive.” Similar sentiments were expressed on local Kashyyyk newsnets.
If Trandosha is given concessions amounting to Senate recognition, many believe Senator Yarua would remove Kashyyyk from the Senate altogether and join the Separatist movement.
Corporate Alliance Attacks Slicer Compound
FAKIR SECTOR NODE – Forces of the Corporate Alliance unleashed volleys of missile-delivered retribution to an industrial espionage training center on a remote asteroid in the Fakir sector. Yirt-4138-Grek-12, a 65-kilometer diameter airless rock, became the grave-site for 25 cybernetically-enhanced data thieves when Corporate Alliance tank droids leveled a clandestine compound funded by unknown parties.
“The compound contained unauthorized cybernetic surgery suites that were churning out vessels and cyborgs that have been slicing into Corporate Alliance data-stores,” said Corporate Alliance Magistrate Passel Argente in a holo-message dispatched to shareholders. “This potential revenue-threat has been neutralized.”
A rash of corporate thievery was discovered in the Fakir sector last month with the arrest of Denlace Sachoore, a 24-year old Corporate Alliance clerk found embezzling data in a cranium-implanted vessel drive. Questioning by Alliance expeditors traced her surgery and training back to the asteroid compound.
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In a 7-2 vote, the Alliance Exec board ordered immediate action. Corporate Alliance transports delivered the tank droids 10 kilometers from the compound, which then traveled overland and breached the structure’s pressurization with missile and laser volleys.
Some Republic Senators have gone on record as being concerned with the Alliance’s protection measures, finding their tank droids excessive. On several occasions, Corporate Alliance executives have demonstrated that their tank droids fall within legal boundaries.
“It’s all in the clear, as far as the letter of the law goes,” admits Senator Gopple (Erigorm). “But it couldn’t be more retrograde to the spirit of the law. Since the asteroid was in Alliance space, and clearly in their jurisdiction, though, there’s nothing wrong with what they did, legally speaking.”
“We will do all we can to protect our assets and intellectual properties,” said Argente, concluding his message.
Senator Horox Ryyder Retires
OZLYN GOX, GRAVLEX MED – Bringing an end to over five decades in politics, revered Senator Horox Ryyder retired in a quiet and informal gathering of friends and colleagues in his family compound on Gravlex Med yesterday.
“I trust the younger generation to bring about peace where we have failed,” said Ryyder. “My fuel has been spent keeping what order I could. Fresh talent can now continue where I have left off.”
To that end, Ryyder appointed former Gravlex Med President Zo Howler and his Secondary, Fo Kuna, as his successors. The two will begin Senatorial duty on 3:30, continuing Ryyder’s campaign against the Military Creation Act.
Among the politicians present at the gathering were Senator Bail Organa and former Senator Bail Antilles of Alderaan. Organa presented Ryyder with the Royal Chalcedony Shield, a medal of recognition typically given only to Alderaanians.
“For your peerless championing of civic virtue and uncompromising moral convictions, Alderaan looks to adopt you, Horox Ryyder, as a heroic son. While she is saddened by your departure from the government, she and all her
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people are indebted to your countless contributions to peace and freedom,” said Organa.
Zorba the Hutt Sentenced to 45 Years
GIRIGARD, KIP – The tiny inhabitants of Kip have dealt a large blow to the Desilijic Hutt clan with the conviction of legitimate businessman Zorba Desilijic Tiure for the illegal removal of ulikuo stones. The gems are valued for aesthetics and industrial applications, but their cultural significance warrants unauthorized mining a crime punishable by lifetime imprisonment.
Prime Justice Doori-Doori sentenced the influential Hutt business leader to 15 Kip years (roughly 45 standard years) imprisonment in the Girigard Subsurface Correctional Facility. Zorba’s lawyer, famed Nimbanel attorney Bequin Fobas attempted to appeal, only to be reminded by the magistrate that Kip has no appeal process.
The Grand Council of Nal Hutta sought extradition of Zorba, so that he could be tried by a council of peers within Hutt Space, but local laws blockaded that legal avenue as well. Third party Republic Judiciaries backed Kip provisions preventing Zorba’s departure.
Not all Hutt potentates were against the trial, as rival Besadii clan leader Aruk the Hutt applauded the verdict. “Zorba has been a shameful pus-filled boil on the glorious Hutt business community, and this sentencing is a heated lancing long overdue. His selfish antics have given an unwarranted criminal taint to the Hutt reputation that can now begin to rebuild with his absence.”
Desilijic clan leaders will abide by the sentence, but have launched their own investigation into the affair, believing Zorba to have been set up by business rivals. “We will respect the findings of the Kip Prime Justice,” said Desilijic leader Jiliac the Hutt, “but it’s our contention that our brother was deliberately misled as to the nature of local customs by parties looking to profit from his absence.”
Zorba’s son Jabba the Hutt, an influential shipping magnate in the Outer Rim, wasted no time seizing Zorba’s properties on Nar Shaddaa, Shaum Hii and Tyne’s Horky in an effort to protect them.
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Kip penal security forces have been placed on full alert as breakout attempts were deemed likely by the Prime Justice.
People’s Inquest Demand Jedi Budget Reports
JUDICIAL ARCOLOGY, CORUSCANT – The Judicial Department has denied the People’s Inquest demands to reveal budgetary information regarding the Jedi order. The People’s Inquest, a Coruscant-based lobbying group built around enforcing the accountability of the Jedi order, began the formal petition for information following last week’s unveiling of the new Jedi starfighter.
“We, as the tax-payers that subsidize the Judicial Department and the Jedi order have every right to see how those credits are spent. How much is this new fancy toy costing us, the people who are now finding it difficult to clothe and feed our families?” said Inquest leader Thrynka Padaunete through a loud-hailer before a vociferous crowd of supporters gathered at the steps of the Jedi Temple.
Citing security concerns, the Judicial Department denied the request. “Especially in such times, security takes precedent. There are enemies of the Republic that could exploit such information,” Judicial Department Information Director Laddinare Torbin told HoloNet news.
The People’s Inquest, which has set up a temporary camp outside the Jedi Temple last month, will continue its pursuit of information, said Padaunete. Their petition has already garnered “several million” signatures, she told her followers.
The popular movement has been gaining support since Jedi public opinion plummeted following their failure to prevent the Battle of Antar 4.
Baby Ludi’s Mother to Appear on Essence
PHELAR, ERIADU – Jonava Billane, mother of Baby Ludi, the infant subject of a heated custody dispute with the Jedi Council, will appear on an upcoming episode of Essence, the popular talk show based out of Eriadu.
Eriadu network executives will pay for Billane’s transit to the Seswenna sector. “We’re doing a full hour with Jonava,” said Producer Garox Tronten. “We’re not going the microsecond blip route. This is an important story and we want to devote a full hour examining the insides, the outs, the layers, the whole
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deal. Are the Jedi kidnapping and raising an army of mind-controlled youths? We’ll get to the bottom of it.” The episode will premiere on the 3rd. The previously scheduled interview with Mas Amedda will be rotated to later this year.

HOLONET NEWS Volume 351. #47. 13:3:14
Corellia Closes Borders
Bel Iblis Leaves Senate in Uproar Corellians Insist it is not Secession – Invoke Obscure Constitutional Provison
SENATE ROTUNDA, CORUSCANT – The Senate chambers filled with loud outcries of protest and dismay yesterday morning following Senator Garm Bel Iblis’ surprise announcement that Corellia would close its borders and pull out of the Military Creation Act vote.
“The Corellian sector, one of the founding fathers of the Republic, is not seceding,” stressed Bel Iblis. “However, Corellia will not participate in what it deems a profound error that threatens its sovereignty.”
After the announcement, Bel Iblis and his retinue left the Senate Hall under heavily armed CorSec escort who pushed aside journalists and critical Senators. Bel Iblis refused comment. The Senator left Coruscant, reportedly for Corellia.
As Bel Iblis said, no Articles of Secession were tendered. As the official record stands, the Corellian delegation enacted an obscure proviso called Contemplanys Hermi, an olys Corellisi phrase meaning “meditative solitude.”
It is an ancient Constitutional clause afforded Corellia, recognizing its distinct society and contributions to the founding of the Republic. In exchange for giving up veto power, Corellia and its constituencies can unilaterally withdraw from Senate duties for the duration of the contention. The clause has not been enacted in over 450 years, since Corellia’s ill-fated attempt at independence.
The decision comes after a week of closed-door meetings between Bel Iblis and Corellian Diktat Shyla Merricope. When
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the Military Creation Act vote was announced, Corellia was one of its most outspoken critics, both in the Senate and the planetary government offices in Corellia’s capital city of Coronet.
“CorSec’s men and women will not be drafted into Republic service, to die on a distant world outside of Corellia’s borders. Nor will armed forces from other worlds be billeted in our homes.” Merricope said in caucus, the day following the vote announcement. She later told the sector’s leading newsnet, Corellia Sector Newsfeed, that she would do “whatever possible to preserve the integrity of Corellia for Corellians.”
Palpatine, who to did not attend the eventful Senate session but was instead on Aargau at a finance conference, was brief in his statements to reporters. “I am disheartened to hear that one of our closest brothers lacks such faith in democracy.”
Others weren’t as measured with their statements. “This is an outrageous display of self-serving hypocrisy,” said Senator Orn Free Taa (Ryloth). “Two years ago, Bel Iblis stood before the Senate, arguing about the legality of secession, and now he goes and pulls a stunt like this? It’s a grievous blow to unity. My worlds, in the distant Outer Rim have stood by Coruscant through the most tumultuous of heat storms. That one so integral to the Core should lack a spine is shameful.”
Senator Ister Paddie (Sermeria) was also critical of Corellia’s move. “The selfishness is what astounds me. The Corellian sector is largely self-sufficient, wealthy, and with its own defense force. My sector hasn’t even a third of these riches, yet we are committed to support the Republic in the most trying of times.”
What This Means:
Native and naturalized citizens are allowed free transit to and from the Corellian sector; all others are denied access without special provision from CorSec.
Interstellar trade vessels must deposit cargoes on Outlier
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worlds, where they will be brought to inner world destinations via Corellian Merchant Guild transports.
All off-duty and reserve CorSec personnel are now activated.
Non-Corellian businesses based in the sector are allowed to continue operating, as long as the abide by the travel and shipping restrictions imposed; typically, this requires the business to purchase membership in the CMG.
Senate Approves Transit Tax Critics Protest “Refugee Exploitation”
SENATE ROTUNDA, CORUSCANT – By a narrow margin, the Senate has approved a surtax on passengers traveling via registered starliner, effective immediately. Those looking to travel can now add a 15 percent levy on all ticket prices.
Opponent Senators were vocal in their criticism towards this new source of revenue. “This is no better than predators picking off the weakest of the herd, or scavenging the remains,” said Senator Bail Organa (Alderaan). “So much of the traveling is now undertaken by refugees leaving the Republic or seceded worlds, people who have abandoned homes, families and careers. Do we need to burden them even further?”
Some independent traders and starship operators look forward to prospering from the new tax, as those heading in the right direction can offer transit at rates undercutting the passenger liners. “We may not offer much in terms of amenities,” says free trader Eridan Lanclo, “but at the rate that they’re packing them into the liners, neither can they. And I know better then to get my aft shot up by pirates.”
The passenger liner business is hesitant about the new tax, as expressed by Galaxy Tours Vice President Bronwynn Koft.
“The reports of starport crowds has everyone thinking that we’re making phenomenal money here, but keep in mind that many of those poor souls scraped together all they had in order to make a flight. This 15 percent may be the deciding factor in whether or not they travel, and that will affect our bottom line. We may have to have seat sales to see that we break even.”
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New Jedi Starfighter Unveiled
KUAT NODE – In a closed testing range at the Kuat Drive Yards, Jedi and Republic officials were on hand to inspect the performance of the newly modified Delta-7 Aethersprite light interceptor, the latest instrument of peace in the Jedi arsenal.
Project Engineer Lead Walex Blissex, Kuati Senator Risi Lenoan, and Jedi representatives Adi Gallia and Aayla Secura lauded the small interceptor’s performance under controlled conditions.
“Kuat Drive Yards has a proud heritage of serving the Republic, and the new Delta-7s we have specifically prepared for the Jedi order will continue that tradition,” said Senator Lenoan. Performing an ancient Kuati nautical tradition, Senator Lenoan used a gilded blade to cut a symbolic tether attached to the prototype’s landing gear. In a similar show of protocol, Gallia and Secura extended lit lightsabers in salute to the Kuati dignitaries.
“She is a remarkable vessel,” said Blissex. “With the engineering breakthroughs we tackled developing her, she’s just the start. She’s a real sign of things to come.”
At eight meters in length, with a cross-span of under four meters, the Delta-7 would ordinarily be too small to support hyperspace travel. The Jedi starfighter now features a built-in astromech to provide damage control, power regulation, and nav-computer capability. The standard upgrade includes docking clamps and data-feeds to a separate hyperdrive booster ring, subcontracted to TransGalMeg Industries, Inc. of the Rayter sector.
A Delta-7 advanced model, whose specifications remain classified, has been confirmed to carry an onboard hyperdrive and does not require the booster ring. It is unknown what percentage of the Jedi starfighter fleet will consist of Delta-7 advanced.
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Following the successful test, the starfighter is now operational, and shipments of the craft are being delivered to the Jedi Temple at Coruscant, and the Jedi Training Center on Kamparas.
Specifications Kuat Systems Engineering Delta-7 Aethersprite Dimensions: 8 meters x 3.92 meters x 1.44 meters Maximum Atmospheric Speed: 12,000 kph Maximum Linear Acceleration: 5,000 G Cargo Capacity: 60 kg or 0.03 m3 Crew: 1 pilot; 1 astromech Armament: 2 dual laser cannons (standard)
Currency Upheavals Deliver Profits to IBC
MUNN CITY, MUUNILINST – The InterGalactic Banking Clan’s timely leadership in currency exchange technology and infrastructure is among the factors contributing to the organization’s 18th straight quarter of increasing profits.
“For our customers choosing to strike out on their own, continuing to trade in Republic credits is not in line with their independent spirit,” said Lo Vapeet, the IBC’s Vice-Chair of Communication, in a written statement. “It used to take two years and 14 filings to register a new currency. We’re pleased to have reduced the process to under 30 minutes, with a basic threshold and exclusivity agreement.”
Such easy access to currency may be perilous, says economist Argee Beck. “These systems leave the Republic and are out on their own in the galaxy for the first time. They get seduced by an introductory one-to-one exchange rate and the chance to put their own names on money.”
“They forget the economic basics that a credit is only worth what someone else will give you for it,” Beck continues. “Look at the Toong’L system. After only eight months, one Republic Credit will buy you 15 million King Kikipi credits. The Kikipi reserve is actually just a room full of Wocket Festival
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ornaments.”
With new currencies being registered at a rate of 20 per day, businesses have been quick to license the IBC’s InterGalactic Currency Exchange System that makes complicated conversions transparent for a modest transaction fee.
“The InterGalactic Banking Clan doesn’t care if these credits go up or down. If enough systems leave the Republic, they’ll be getting a percentage of every transaction in the galaxy,” warns Beck.
“The registrants for the next 500 approved currencies will receive a deluxe six-slot therma-slice, compliments of the InterGalactic Banking Clan,” replied Vapeet.
Point / Counterpoint: Military Creation Act
A Protected Republic is Long Overdue By Republic Judicial Terrinald Screed
The basic reality we must all face is simple: the Jedi cannot be everywhere. I say this with all due respect to the august order that has staved off warfare for a millennium. But the rules have change. Warfare has moved beyond the scope of a small number of protectors armed with energy blades.
Warships can deliver explosive payloads from beyond the horizon, payloads not even the most skilled Jedi could hope to deflect. The Republic’s climate and lenient laws have fomented private armies of prodigious size. Droid armies are now cheaper, quicker and easier to maintain than Sector Forces. Furthermore, Sector Forces can now be turned against us, with more and more seceding from the Republic.
If the Separatists consolidate their military might, then what would we have to protect us? It takes an army to fight an army. When serene Naboo fell to a rogue Trade Federation venture a decade ago, how was the otherwise defenseless planet able to repulse the invasion? By turning to the amassed army of the indigents. Even such a primitive culture recognized the need to maintain a standing military in the times of peace.
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To the peacemakers, I extend my respect. I do not want my child to grow up knowing war. But I do want my child to know the Republic, and I fear that our current course will not allow for it. We cannot rely on our enemies to be enlightened as we are. If warfare is inevitable, it is the Separatists who will fire the first shot. Should we not have the means to deflect that fire?
Relying on Planetary Security or Sector Forces is a stop-gap solution, as the inefficiencies of the Stark Hyperspace War so painfully demonstrated. The solution is obvious — a unified military coordinated from Coruscant. Our ancient history has proven this has time and again — the Great Sith War, the Kanz Disorders, the Virujansi Uprising — times when a unified Republic Navy and Army were strong. And now, as then, there is still a role for the Jedi in today’s galaxy: leading an army to victory.
We Are Inviting This War By Caamasi Senator Eeshrin Ot’Hyne
We, the Republic, stand at a crossroads, and the lessons of the past risk being forgotten to appease anxious constituents. The Senators are gathering the opinions of their sectors and worlds, to find that reason and forethought have been replaced with fear.
The panacea for that fear, the militarists would have you believe, is an army. But that promise is hollow. Violence begets violence, and equipping ourselves for violence will lead to an inevitable and bloody course.
Throughout the galaxy examples of this cycle are plainly evident. Arms races have destroyed nations and sundered planets. Do we need entire sectors — entire regions — the entire Republic — set ablaze before we recognize the danger?
There has not been a full-scale war in the Republic for a thousand years, as our instruments of diplomacy and defense have sufficed until now. Their effectiveness have faltered not
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because they are flawed in premise, but rather in implementation.
What Finis Valorum said on the eve of the Stark Hyperspace War holds true to this day. “We must address the underlying causes that would lead us to war — and then there would be no war.” He never had the chance as the militarists tainted the proceedings, resulting in death and injury. Let us not repeat that mistake.
The militarists are inviting this war for their own ends. Public funds better spent on the Diplomatic Corps or the Refugee Relief Movement will be redirected to their pockets. They will no doubt need to be bolstered with corporate subsidies. The Republic will be indebted to the engines of commerce for its protection.
And a generation or more will forever be scarred by war.
Squibs Announce They’re “Going Nowhere.”
METROBIG CITY, SKOR II – In a planetwide statement to the Squib citizenry of Skor II, the ruling monarch emphatically proclaimed that the Squibs, as a people, are “going nowhere.” Presumably referring to the current secessionist crisis, King Ebareebaveebeedee emphasized his loyalty to the Senate, and that Squib allegiance to the Republic could not be swayed. “Our ultrastrong loyalties and royalties to Republicness and whatever it may stand for will not let splitty-types coax-haggle Squibbish into leaving, no matter the size of the haggleprize,” said the King in his 20-minute address. After bargaining for another six minutes of screen-time, the King then added,”You bet.” This marks the third Grand Proclamation by the ruler of the Squib Polyanarchy in as many days, following yesterday’s declaration of the Jedi order as “koovy.”
Dean of Aldera Suspended
ALDERA, ALDERAAN – Putting an end to a three-month scandal in the halls of higher learning on Alderaan, Provost Dalus Othona formally censured and suspended Dean Halcor Raystel. The investigation into the Dean’s improprieties began after numerous student complaints that his frequent lectures were increasingly offtopic and erratic. The charges compounded when it was revealed that Raystel propositioned two female students, offering course credits in exchange for personal relations. Drug
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tests further proved Raystel to be a ryll abuser. Raystel, staying at his Delaya-based cottage, refused comment. Raystel had long been a controversial thorn in the University’s side, ever since his appointment drew accusations of nepotism given Raystel’s lackluster credentials.
Baby Ludi Holos Flood UoC Datanet
UNI-COR CAMPUS 12, CORUSCANT – Student activists have overloaded two University of Coruscant datanet hubs with trillions upon trillions of holographic pictures of Baby Ludi, the infant that is the subject of a custody dispute involving the Jedi Temple. Around 0215 this morning, an automated slicer program began duplicating and propagating the holo images at an exponential rate. The images began to fill the public data-space of the University network, overwriting any files students had stored there. By 1330 this afternoon, both public hubs were completely filled. The images, captured from a HoloNet News report, were doctored to include the caption, “I’d rather be with Mom than Mace,” in reference to senior Jedi Council member, Mace Windu. The Campus Information Office has no leads but is investigating the matter.
Valorum & Gunray Bracket Ends of Book Sales
MID-RIM NODE – TriPlanetary Press has a hit and a bomb on their hands this season. Published on the same date two months ago, the separate biographies of Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray and former Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum have met with wild reader enthusiasm and resounding disinterest, respectively. The unauthorized and provocative Gunray tell-all, Gunray On Top, written by his alleged mistress Lora Besh, has been in the top ten bestsellers for 14 weeks. Conversely, Valorum’s staid autobiography, Holding Back the Tide, has yet to break into the top 100. “I don’t know — I guess I’m just not that interested in Valorum right now,” says a self-described avid reader on TriPlanetary’s review list. “Maybe, like, after he dies?”

Palpatine Sets Army Vote Date
Calls on Republic’s Citizens to guide Republic through “storm.”
SENATE ROTUNDA, CORUSCANT — Supreme Chancellor Palpatine took to the general channels of the HoloNet yesterday to announce the hotly debated Military Creation Act will finally be settled next month. Palpatine announced the date of 5:16 for the full Senate vote on the creation of an Army of the Republic.
“Above all things, this is a democratic union, and we will turn to the will of the people to decide this most contentious issue. Even when times are turbulent, we will always look to the Republic’s citizens, through their elected representatives, to guide this grand vessel through any storm,” said Palpatine.
Though reaction is strong on both sides of the Army debate, there is at least some consensus: a sense of relief that two years worth of bureaucratic stalemating is finally being resolved.
“I applaud the Supreme Chancellor for taking the initiative to end this pointless debate,” said Senator Aks Moe (Malastare). “We’ve wasted enough time while our enemies conspire against us. By year’s end, I predict a strong, proud unified army working side by side with the Jedi order to protect our worlds.”
Vocal opponent Senators caution that the vote could serve to provoke increased hostilities with Separatists forces. “Make no mistake, [a yes vote] will galvanize the Separatists, and be seen by them as an invitation to war,” said Senator Tendau Bendon (Ithor). “Every Senator must think heavily upon the consequences of next month’s decision. We are not just voting on the creation of a defense force, but rather our votes will determine the start of open hostilities.”
Others, like Senator Garm Bel Iblis (Corellia), were more pragmatic about the issue. “Where is this army going to come from? Who will get stuck with the bill for its creation? The Republic taxpayer. We should stay with Planetary Security Forces that have worked for centuries. The Corellian people are not going to pay for both CorSec and this Republic Army.”
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The Supreme Chancellor avoided partisan arguments, though his past statements have indicated he is against the Military Creation Act. “My ultimate goal is a peaceful resolution to this conflict, above all,” said Palpatine at the end of his announcement. “But if such a resolution requires the creation of a military, as decreed by the Senate, then I will abide by the will of the Republic, a Republic that has stood strong for a thousand generations, that has enjoyed peace for a thousand years.”
The two-month interim before the vote will allow for distant Senators to return to Coruscant, while gauging public opinion within their constituencies. Individual sector and planetary referendums are expected to be common in the coming weeks.
The exact phrasing of the vote was not revealed by Palpatine, but is likely to be a simple yes/no proposition on creating an Army of the Republic. After that, it is likely a commission will be set up with appointed Senators to determine military resource allocation.
“How long will those decisions take? It’s taken two years just to table the vote. By the time we determine which sector and planetary forces will contribute to the military, there may not be any systems left in the Republic,” said Senator Tikkes (Mon Calamari). “If Palpatine thinks this issue will go away with this vote, he’s more naïve than I thought.”
Baktoid Closes Down Five More Plants
TERMIN, METALORN — In a statement issued to shareholders, Baktoid Armor Workshop confirmed that they will close down five more plants in the Inner Rim and Colonies as a direct result of Republic regulations that have hindered their battle droid program.
Baktoid plants on Foundry, Ord Cestus, Telti, Balmorra and Ord Lithone will close by month’s end. An estimated 12.5 million employees will be laid off as a result.
Legislation passed by the Senate eight years ago forced the disbanding of the Trade Federation’s security forces, the largest single consumer of Baktoid’s combat automata and vehicles. Further licensing restrictions on the sale of battle droids made the purchase of such hardware prohibitively expensive for most of Baktoid’s clientele.
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The statement, a Basic text-only communiqué attributed to Techo Union foreman and Baktoid executive Wat Tambor, made no indication as to future Baktoid plans to counter these losses.
“According to last year’s annual statement, Baktoid is still pulling in the same rawmat figures, yet hasn’t diversified its product,” says business analyst Deregue Hiatt. “We have a company that’s spending, buying resources, but isn’t making or selling goods. You can bet shareholders aren’t happy.”
At the start of the year, Baktoid officials explained the increased purchases of rawmats as investment in future diversification, something that has yet to be reflected in the company’s product catalog. The late Senator Lanus Wrede (Sermeria) made headlines when he suggested that Baktoid was using said materials in secret Outer Rim plants, free from Republic regulations.
Such claims were refuted by business analysts, as well as a three-month investigation. The scandal amounted to an unrecoverable political blunder on Wrede’s part, which led to his suicide earlier in the year.
“Doing something like [Wrede described] isn’t good business either,” adds Hiatt. “There are no markets out there in the Outer Rim, and the added cost of transporting finished product back to the Republic markets would be unreasonably prohibitive. None of Baktoid’s wares have shown up in the black market in figures that would suggest that Wrede was onto something.”
15 Dead in Houk / Weequay Brawl at Eastport
EASTPORT, CORUSCANT — A three-hour melee between Houk and Weequay immigrants at an Eastport processing station has left 15 dead and 45 wounded.
The fracas began at 0810 this morning when tensions between the Houks and Weequays, who have long been cultural enemies, were compounded by being placed in adjacent holding rooms while waiting to be processed. According to witnesses, the conflict began verbally, before turning into bloodshed.
“Each group was complaining loudly about having to be put next to the other one,” said Rievale Creterk, a flight attendant who was witness to the melee. “Suddenly there was a lot of shouting and it started off as a brawl between two of them. Everyone started jumping in, and it all went to hell.”
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Though no shots were fired by the combatants, since blasters are prohibited within the processing concourse, several were armed with makeshift shivs and concealed blades. Many innocent passersby were injured as the brawl spread from the processing station to the nearby food court. Also, several civilians attempted to calm the enraged combatants, only provoking attacks upon themselves.
Eastport Security first attempted to clear the public concourses before opening fire, but the fight had attracted many spectators. When it was decreed safe to do so, security personnel fired stun blasts, though the massive Houks were at first unaffected by the shots.
“Since Weequays started dropping from the hits first, the Houks just took it to mean they were winning, and they started fighting even harder,” described Creterk. Security then concentrated fire on the Houks, stunning them into unconsciousness. They were finally able to clear the remaining combatants three hours after the violence started.
“It was terrible, there was so much blood and damage. Bodies were everywhere. I kept looking, hoping to see a Jedi, but there’s never one around when you need one these days,” said Creterk, who suffered a broken arm in the scuffle.
Jedi Refuse to Hand Over Baby Ludi
JEDI TEMPLE, CORUSCANT — Three weeks after a formal petition, the Jedi Council refused to hand over Baby Ludi to her mother, Jonava Billane.
Breaking the Jedi Council’s usual silence on the issue, a representative issued an explanation of the Jedi Code that forbids the return of the child to its birth-parent.
“We have opened the child’s mind to the larger world of the Force,” explained Jedi Master Coleman Trebor. “The child is awakened, and to return it to the birth-parents at this stage would be far too dangerous. It is in everyone’s best interests and safety for the child to remain in Jedi custody.”
A visibly distraught Billane continued her determined campaign that saw her spend what meager funds she had to travel from Ord Thoden to Coruscant. “What about my own code?” she said to reporters on the steps of the Jedi Temple. “I believe that a child should be with her mother, and won’t stop until I have Ludi back in my arms.”
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The custody drama began six months ago, when the child was discovered in the ruins of the Ord Thoden capital of Domitree, after a quake devastated the city. Jedi rescue workers found the child to have Force potential and took the baby girl into custody, naming her Aris-Del Wari.
Standard Jedi procedure would have required parental consent prior to adopting the child into the Jedi order, but the parents were missing and presumed dead. A month later, a convalescing Jonava Billane was found in an outskirt town, and her concerted search for her baby, which she named Ludi, has since led her to Coruscant.
With no established procedure to deal with this situation, Republic Judiciary officials are scrambling to find a resolution. Already Billane’s pleas have attracted a popular following, and her formal petition to the Jedi Council, delivered by her sector’s representative, Senator Boganni Hrul, made headlines throughout the galaxy.
The People’s Inquest, a grassroots Jedi watch-group, has helped Billane on her pursuit. “This is just further evidence that the Jedi order needs to be held accountable to the people who subsidize its operations,” said Inquest leader Thrynka Padaunete.
Opinions from the Street
“Given that the parent never gave her consent, I don’t know what the issue it is, The Jedi say it’s dangerous, but how can a six-month old child be dangerous?”
Lomina Argo Systems Analyst
“I think this has passed beyond a simple custody dispute, and those involved are just using it to push their own agendas, using that poor woman as a political tool.”
Hraashi Lool University Student
“Well, peoples gotta understand that them Jedis gots their rules to live by. It’s their rules that have made the galaxy safe. Well, until now, anyways.”
Slyther Bushforb Private Investigator
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“Why is this still making news? The [expletive deleted] Republic is tearing itself apart, and we’re talking about a snot-nosed brat and his whining mother.”
Wuuden Malnic Courier
Incom / Subpro Development Deal Cancelled
COROMON ISLAND, FRESIA — After 125 years of partnership, Incom and Subpro are calling it quits. Representatives from both companies have called it an amicable split, though analysts point to the faltering Subpro sales as the underlying reason. “Subpro losses were dragging down Incom’s perceived value, so they’re doing some much needed housecleaning,” says business analyst Deregue Hiatt. Their last co-venture, the Incom/Subpro Z-95AF4 met a lukewarm reception, and marked the end of the venerable Headhunter line. Incom reportedly purchased the intellectual property rights and proprietary systems of the Z-95 prior to the dissolution of the partnership.
Dooku Bounty Posting Still A Mystery
NEW VERTICA, NAR SHADDAA — Authorities are still attempting to discover the source of an unregistered and therefore illegal bounty posting on Count Dooku of Serenno found on a Nar Shaddaa datanet. The posting, offering 1 million Republic credits standard for the delivery of Dooku’s remains, was discovered two weeks ago on the public datanet. The posting was not listed in the Republic Enforcement DataCore or the Bounty Hunters Guild. The contact information leads to a dummy message account from which no leads were discovered. The Republic has roundly rejected involvement in the posting of the bounty on the secessionist movement’s loudest advocate. “This current crisis will be resolved through procedure and negotiation, not illegal vigilantism,” stressed Mas Amedda, Vice Chair of the Senate.
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Army Vote Prompts Chandrilan Public Safety Walk-out
HANNA CITY, CHANDRILA — Following the announcement of the Army Vote over general HoloNet channels, the 575 employees of Chandrila’s Public Safety Commission, responsible for medical and emergency crisis response in Hanna City, walked off the job for 48 standard hours. “We have our duties, and will return to them,” assured protesting worker Ocandra Leeds. “But we wanted to demonstrate our objection to this turn of events in a way that would be remembered. Handing over homeland security to the Republic will result in depersonalized services here at home, as tax revenues earmarked for local forces are instead funneled to support the Army of the Republic.”
Prior to the walk-out, Public Safety employees did take care to program droid assistants to handle the increased workload, something that will be weighed by Chandrila’s government when judging the protestor’s actions. “Chandrila has always encouraged and fostered free, responsible speech, and it would appear that these workers took every measure to ensure their absence would not endanger anyone,” said Govenor Tanis Mothma.
Sullustans Elect President
SOROSUUB CENTROPLEX, SULLUST — Beolars Bribbs became the new President of the Sullustan Council and CEO of SoroSuub Corporation as Sullustan citizens and SoroSuub shareholders exercised their democratic rights yesterday.
Bribbs’ becoming the head of the Sullustan Council now means the entire ruling body is composed of SoroSuub executives. The mineral-processing company and manufacturer of diverse consumer products employs half of the planet’s population.
A constitutional amendment enacted ten years ago saw voting privileges extended to all SoroSuub shareholders, and not just citizens of Sullust. Since then, the Sullustan Council has gradually become an extension of the corporation.
“In a time of uncertainty, Sullust has prospered by adhering to the values that have made it a continuing success in a crowded market,” said Bribbs in his inaugural speech. “Hard work, persistence, and the cherishing of family is the Sullustan brand identity.”
Representatives from the Commerce Guild, of which
66
SoroSuub is a key signatory, attended the inauguration as esteemed guests. Shu Mai, head of the Guild, supported Bribbs statements’ to resounding applause. “Sullust shines as a nova of capitalism. Its robust economy supports a healthy, happy and profitable population. This world exemplifies the wondrous possibilities and merits of corporate growth.”
Among Bribbs’ first duties in office will be the tabling of a new amendment that will see shareholder votes equaling twice the value of non-shareholder votes in future elections.
Riots Rock Kabal
SHORIBUS, KABAL — After two months of going without food shipments, the citizenry of Kabal’s capital city of Shoribus broke into deadly riots. The Kabal central government attempted to ease the disgruntled populace by issuing free vouchers good for actual foodstuffs upon arrival, but that gesture only sparked further aggression. The Kabal Central Citadel was damaged by protestors, with a small portion of its northern wing set ablaze. Kabal authorities are attempting to bring the protestors under control. There are no official reports as to casualties or damage estimates. Kabal was previously serviced by Trade Federation freighters, but increased Republic taxation on the Sharlissian Trade Corridor made the route cost-prohibitive. Unlicensed independent traders have taken up the cargo runs, but they have not been able to keep up with demand.
Pergitor Coup Leaves Thousands Dead
MINOS CLUSTER NODE — The exiled leaders of the Church of Infinite Perception have reclaimed rule of the planet Pergitor in a bloody coup, ending what they call years of “liberal decadence.” The planet had been under strict authoritarian rule for years until a popular revolution of young liberals claimed the world fifteen years ago. Public backlash against the disorganized rule of the younger generation allowed the Church of Infinite Perception, a rigid fundamentalist sect, to gain momentum. Reports indicate that thousands were killed in the coup, and that the former ruling family is now in exile. Given the remoteness of the Minos Cluster, Pergitor’s nebulous affiliation to the Republic and the fact that the
67
Church has a strict rule condemning the display of paranormal activity, it is unknown how the Jedi will resolve this issue.
Merson Pirates Attack Sy Myrth Liner
STENNESS DATA NODE — Long-range sensor data compiled by a BoSS network subspace relay has confirmed that the Elegant Wake, a Sy Myrthian passenger liner, was scuttled by Merson pirates.
The transport left Coruscant four days ago, carrying Sy Myrthian refugees returning to their recently seceded planet. Its travel route skirted the Merson asteroid belt, necessitating a reversion to realspace.
A Merson raider group comprising at least five fast-attack vessels emerged from the field and attacked the unarmed liner. The liner carried 456 registered passengers, all Sy Myrthian. The Mersons, who have known ties to the Zygerrian slavers, may have taken the captives alive. The data after the disabling of the craft is distorted by stellar flare activity, making it impossible to determine exactly what became of the ship and its passengers.
Relatives of the victims have been threatening a class action suit against Romodi Interstellar, the operator of the liner, for negligence. They claim that the standard silent running procedure for passing through the asteroid field was botched by crew incompetence, and that the BoSS data will back their claims.
“That the liner registered on anyone’s long range sensors proves that the ship wasn’t following procedure. Now that we’ve actually got data readings of it proves this,” says Roonyard Noon, a Sy Myrthian lawyer whose wife and three children were aboard the Wake.
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Slowing down their pursuit of compensatory damages are increased bureaucratic hurdles now that Sy Myrth is no longer a Republic world and thus its access to the Courts requires special handling.

HoloNet News is Back and Secure
Following the unfortunate slicer attacks of 2:25, the free edition of HoloNet News is now back online and more secure than ever. Our networks now employ MerenData’s latest socketguards and a state-of-the-art Mandalmatrix system security administrator. We will spare no cost in providing you, the readers of the Republic, a fast, accurate and above-all, secure news experience.
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We would like to remind readers that only the free-access version of the HoloNet News was affected. The full-subscription edition, available for only 45 credits and filled with up-to-the-minute updates from throughout the regions of the galaxy, was in no way disturbed. Remember, a HoloNet News full subscription makes a great gift!
We have been assured that the Judiciary is investigating the slicing matter. Our recovery applications are busily piecing together or former archives, and we ask for your patience while we recover our previous issues.

• The Editorial Staff of HoloNet News
  Ando, Sy Myrth Secede
  QUANTILL CITY, ANDO – Less than two standard hours after this morning’s secession of Ando and Sy Myrth was made official, jubilant anti-Republic protestors filled the streets of Quantill City’s busy Raquish Thoroughfare, celebrating the separation.
  This morning’s Senate session saw the formal departure of Ando and Sy Myrth from the Republic. The world’s representatives, Senators Po Nudo and Toonbuck Toora, respectively, did not appear in Senate, and instead tendered their resignations via droid proxy.
  Aqualish from scattered territories and backgrounds converged in the city square, holding placards denouncing the Republic and celebrating their beloved Senator. At least several Republic Senate Guards were burned in effigy.
  “Ando will now determine her own future,” said a proud First Minister Daragi Hoba via hologram to the Andoan revelers. “It is meant to be, given the rampant hypocrisy of Palpatine’s Republic. The current dispute over the creation of a Republic army is just another in a long line of insults to the Aqualish people.”
  Hoba was referencing the long history of Republic instituted demilitarization of the Andoan people, which often led to bloody conflicts like the Battle of Raquish, and the Horos Spine Incident.
  Senator Nudo was not seen on Ando during the celebration, and is likely in-transit, returning from Coruscant.
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  The secession of Sy Myrth comes as little surprise to Coruscant insiders. Senator Toora had been absent from duty for over a standard month, and Republic transports destined for Sy Myrth have been declined passage for the past 25 days.
  Senator Toora has long been a political opponent to Palpatine. A decade ago, she sided with Trade Federation representatives during the Naboo incident, and she has been a vocal critic of the Republic’s efforts to regulate Commerce Guild operations in the Outer Rim.
  “Since Sy Myrth is largely self-sufficient and quite wealthy, I think the only thing the planet will ‘suffer’ is being released from the burden of Republic taxation,” said Sy Myrthian com-host and political commentator Brookish Boon during his morning broadcast.
  The Chancellor’s Office was unavailable for comment, though these latest losses will most likely be addressed during tomorrow’s Senate session.
  Mass Aqualish Exodus Expected
  WESTPORT, CORUSCANT — Freespan Starlanes Transport has announced plans to double the number of scheduled liner departures for Ando, predicting increased travel from Andoan expatriates wishing to return. Other major starlines, including Romodi Interstellar and Galaxy Tours are expected to announce similar increases.
  Already, within hours of the secession, over 500 Aqualish have booked passage off Coruscant. Westport, which handles the bulk of Coruscant’s emigrant departures, has experienced a 6,000 percent increase in traffic since the separatist crisis began.
  “It’s clear where home is now,” said a harried Unga Torr, an Aqualish formerly employed as a Senate clerk. He and his family are just one of hundreds at the Westport ticketing stations today.
  According to official census records, there are an estimated 145 million Aqualish living on Coruscant right now, most in the Taung Heights region of the city. The local Heights economy, much of it run by — or catering to — Aqualish, is expected to crumble.
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  Similar repercussions aren’t likely to be as hard-hitting in the Sy Myrthian population, which also declared secession today. There are only an estimated 15 million Sy Myrthians, widely distributed among the various municipalities of Coruscant.
  While Westport deals with a mass Aqualish exodus, Eastport continues to take in a non-stop flood of refugees from seceded worlds. “You think this is bad now, wait until those Aqualish who still want to be part of the Republic start spilling in,” said an Eastport security officer who did not want to be identified.
  Stark Veterans Blast Amidala
  PHELAR, ERIADU — The Stark Veteran Assembly has publicly criticized Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala for statements attributed to her during a Peace Rally on Commenor. SVA Spokesbeing Laslo Dorits called Amidala’s statements “disgraceful, stupid and typical,” during a live interview on the Eriadu talk show, Essence, last night.
  “Soldiers are expendable tools for politicians like her, who don’t like to muddy or bloody their hands with the defense of the Republic,” Dorits told host AndroosinLiann. “Yet it was soldiers who liberated her world a decade ago, and now she’s calling us cowards.”
  The statement Dorits refers to is one Amidala made to a gathering of University of Commenor students during her planet-hopping Campaign against Republic Militarization. “Warfare is the product of cowardice; it takes bravery to forego easy answers and find peaceful resolutions,” the Senator said.
  Amidala, who concludes her series of speeches on Chommel Minor next week, declined comment, but posted the following at the Naboo message exchange on the HoloNet.
  “I have a great respect for the men and women tasked to protect their native soil. I too have lived with the specter of war, and will never forget it. What I don’t have respect for is needless warmongering of the type being conducted by alarmist elements in the Senate.”
  Nikto Cultists Plague Sisar Run
  DNALVEC, SRILUUR – The Bureau of Ships and Services has announced an advisory for travelers near the Sisar Run area of the Periphery, due to increased acts of violence from the Nikto Cult of M’dweshuu.
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  The violent “blood cult” of Nikto followers have found their way off their homeworld of Kintan, and are in the midst of a campaign of scattered violence up and down the Sisar Run. The Cult — believed to be under 100 individuals — has killed 27 travelers in occult mutilations, the latest last week at Nwarcol Point.
  The Nikto cult predates the Republic and has been put down by the ruling Hutts on numerous occasions, each time supposedly being wiped out. The Cult once ruled the planet Kintan, necessitating the brutal Hutt annexation of the planet centuries ago.
  Local businesses and planetary governments have issued open bounties on free Nikto in the Periphery. Many of these bounties offer rewards of 1,000-5,000 credits “dead or alive.” As such, free Nikto (those not in the employ of Hutts or Hutt enterprises) are strongly advised from travel in the Periphery.
  Dorosii the Hutt, Appointed Intermediate to the Senate, has assured Republic officials that they can resolve the cult violence without government intervention. Nonetheless, the Jedi Council is reportedly examining the situation and is likely to dispatch a taskforce.
  Datanet Propaganda the Real Deal?
  IBC ARCOLOGY, CORUSCANT — The most skilled slicers from MerenData are still puzzled how an IBC data-server was compromised for the spreading of separatist propaganda last week, even after having examined and purged the system.
  IBC clients using the bank clan’s datacom-net would have received messages urging secession and Senate reform, with what looked to be a signature from Count Dooku. The Senate Bureau of Intelligence is dismissing the propaganda missives as hoaxes, but MerenData officials don’t readily concur.
  “Ordinarily, we’d attribute this kind of vandalism to independent slicers looking to make a name for themselves,” said MerenData’s Security Administrator Gray Tucker. “But to cut into the banking clan’s network suggests that these people had impressive backing.”
  IBC officials continue to tell investors that their systems are secure, and point to the fact that only their message-exchange systems were compromised, and
  57
  not their more tightly guarded transaction channels. “The safety of our clients investment is always our paramount concern,” says IBC Chairman San Hill in a message that accompanies all account statements dispatched to investors this month.
  RM&S Debates Calendar Reform
  MENNAA, MRLSST – The Republic Measures & Standards Bureau is debating the issue of calendar reform, prompted by an independent report citing “an impending bureaucratic crisis of disparate timekeeping” in official records. According to the report, there are over 20 different dating schemes in use in various government offices throughout the Republic, all of them “official” in some capacity. “The use of multiple timekeeping schemes was originally to accommodate different cultural backgrounds,” said RM&S Chair Keelen Ma, “but now it’s just a tangled mess of confusion. We’ve got the Judiciary using the 10-month standard calendar, archivists using the Alderaanian 11-month notation, and infrastructure using a hexidecimal-based system. Researchers are getting tired of needing calendar converters in their pads.” The current debate stems over which zero-point year-notation system is the best, with the Great ReSynchronization of 13 years ago and the Ruusan Reformation of a millennium ago being popular contenders.
  Rep. Binks Destroys Ice Statue at Gala Fundraiser
  JRADE PLAZA, CORUSCANT — He did it again; Representative Jar Jar Binks (Naboo) accidentally destroyed an elaborate ice statue at a gala fundraiser in Coruscant’s posh Jrade-district last night. The notoriously maladroit Binks apparently had tucked the tablecloth upon which rested the statue into his cummerbund, and he pulled down the intricately-crafted Kime Enanrum-original when he attempted to catch tumbling canapés he had knocked from a passing waiter. This incident echoes a similar one two months ago, when Binks accidentally deactivated the sky dome at the opening of the Endangered Shreebird Aviary. “I knew he was invited to attend,” said a crestfallen Enanrum, “I don’t know what I was thinking even bringing it here.”
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  Virgillian Jedi Envoy Declared Lost
  VIRGILLIAN NODE – The Jedi diplomatic envoy dispatched to broker peace talks in the Virgillian Civil War has been declared lost after having been missing for three standard weeks. Four Jedi — Masters Ludwin Katarkus and Everen Ettene plus their Padawans Danyawarra and Halagad Ventor — left Coruscant last month to try to settle the two-year old conflict between the Virgillian Free Alignment and the Aristocracy. Upon arrival, their transport was attacked and destroyed. The Jedi Temple will be holding services for the fallen protectors tomorrow.

Thyferra: Bacta Basics

     Part 1: The Thriving Season

     Decades before the Empire rose to power and placed de  facto  control  of

the planet in the hands of two  companies,  Thyferra  –  –  homeworld  of  the

insectoid Vratix – – was one of the most economically volatile worlds  in  the

Republic, in no small part because of its uniqueness. Thyferra, of course,  is

the only known source of pure bacta, the miracle fluid that  can  heal  almost

any wound short of  dismemberment  or  disintegration.  (While  Vratix  colony

worlds produce bacta in other sectors, few believe any of these colonies would

last a single year without support from Thyferra and the Bacta Cartel.)

     For hundreds of years, since at least the time of  the  last  great  Sith

war, the Thyferran government was largely an extension  of  two  major  bacta-

production corporations – – Xucphra and Zaltin, both owned outright  by  Human interests in the Core. Under these small  bureaucracies,  millions  of  Vratix labored to create bacta, ostensibly without complaint. Indeed, to most in  the corporate world, the arrangement seemed too good to be true. The Vratix didn’t need to be coaxed into doing the bulk of the work; the insectoids didn’t  even want to run things. And since the creation of  bacta  was  impossible  without certain natural chemicals produced by the Vratix themselves,  they  knew  they could not be  removed  from  the  equation  by  force.  It  seemed  a  perfect arrangement, so long as the Vratix felt they were being treated more  or  less fairly.

     Just before Palpatine  was  elected  Chancellor,  a  string  of  scandals

involving  corporate  payoffs  to  a  nominally  Vratix-controlled  government

erupted, followed soon  after  by  the  revelation  that  Xucphra  and  Zaltin

corporations, the  behemoths  that  together  formed  the  Bacta  Cartel,  had

sabotaged their own alazhi fields in an effort to  hike  the  price  of  bacta

galaxywide. These  shocking  events  inspired  the  usually  anti-bureaucratic

natives to take a more active  role  in  their  planet’s  government,  showing

concern about Thyferra’s  standing  in  the  galaxy  at  large  in  what  even

corporate opponents saw as an elegantly bloodless coup.

     For about a ten-year period after the Trade Federation’s defeat at  Naboo

– – a time called Alazhixazha (or “Thriving Season”) by the  Vratix,  and  the

“Vratix Occupation” by galactic corporate interests –  –  Xucphra  and  Zaltin

were forced to toe the Vratix  line.  The  insectoids  forced  the  Cartel  to

compete with a number of local companies and “alien” business interests,  even the Hutts, in a freewheeling open market that saw consumer  awareness  of  the wonder medicine skyrocket from the Rim to the Core.

     For this single decade in the last  thousand  years,  Thyferra’s  capital

regained its ancient Vratix name,  Xozhixi.  Humans  still  ran  many  of  the

administrative bureaucracies on Thyferra, especially those involving business,

but the Vratix watched them like hawkbats.  And  at  least  one  Human  worked directly for the Vratix revolutionaries who would one  day  be  known  as  the Ashern or “Black Claw” insurgent group, still in its infancy.

     The Thriving Season is still a popular  and  colorful  setting  for  many

gritty holoserials well into the New Republic period, but the  most  legendary

tale is actually a true story. Not long after  the  Bacta  War,  the  infamous

Human spy still known only as the Bloodletter released his (or her) memoirs of

life at the time, Thrive or  Die.  The  following  holotranscripts  were  read

personally by Bloodletter via closed-circuit  holo  (Bloodletter’s  voice  was

disguised), transmitted from an unknown location, and they have recently  gone on display at the New Republic Historical Archive  on  Coruscant.  Though  the Bloodletter is no doubt well into his or her golden years, his or her identity

remains a mystery – – most likely on Thyferra itself.

     This month, a section of the author’s introduction to Thrive or Die.

     Thrive or Die: Memoirs of the Bloodletter

     Dear [REDACTED] Graduate,

     You’ve put in the hardest six years of study in your life. And what  have

you got to show for it? Endless loan payments and a mountain of student  debt. A “competitive” market for dead-end Hutt accounting jobs on the Outer Rim. And a family demanding to know how their investment in  your  education  will  pay off.

     But you don’t have to settle for a life of toil  and  struggle.  Consider

the Xucphra corporation,  located  conveniently  on  the  tropical  Inner  Rim

paradise planet Thyferra. We’re always looking for qualified Humans  –  –  and

only Humans – – to join the Xucphra team. Recent events have led to a staffing

shortfall, and we’re  offering  an  extremely  lucrative  hiring  package  for

[REDACTED] graduates that fit your profile.

     Please consider  attending  our  informative  seminar  at  [REDACTED]  on

[REDACTED]. We’re sure we’ve got a position waiting for you.

     The seminar had indeed been informative, more than  Xucphra  knew.  Their

methods were not noticeably different from the Zaltin recruiters, with whom  I

had met weeks before.

     The Bacta Cartel is like a gargantuan broken family.  They’re  forced  to

stay together for financial reasons, a joint operating agreement  that  chafed

especially hard during the Thriving Season. It was all the two companies could

do to share financial information and for corporate officers to remain  civil.

Hiring records, recruitment efforts, and employment figures  were  still  held

closely secret by each side.

     It was the perfect time for a smart third-party  operator  to  play  both

ends against the middle. And that’s exactly  what  the  Vratix  wanted  me  to

arrange. I accepted the job once they doubled my pay and offered me  permanent asylum should anything go wrong.

     But I would have done it anyway. I’m the Bloodletter, and I work for  the

side with the most credits.

     Part 2: Ashern to Ashern

     The self-described “freelance corporate espionage  specialist”  known  as

the Bloodletter worked for both sides of the Bacta Cartel –  –  as  a  double-

agent for the young Ashern revolutionary group – – during the heady time known on Thyferra as the Thriving Season. During this brief period (which  coincided almost exactly  with  Chancellor  Palpatine’s  first  ten  years  in  office), Thyferra’s bacta market was freed from absolute Cartel control,  an  era  that most believe was a direct result of a Vratix uprising  that  saw  them  retake their own government  and  planet,  even  if  only  for  ten  years.  Now  the Bloodletter’s memoirs finally shed more light on how the Vratix took  Thyferra back, and how they lost it again.

     This  month’s  installment,  transcribed  from  portions  of  a  new   NR

Historical Archive exhibit, describes further  details  of  the  Bloodletter’s

mission in Thyferra during the Thriving Season.

     Thrive or Die: Memoirs of the Bloodletter

     Excerpted from Chapter 3: Hive-Bound

     With a pair of separate cover identities established for both Xucphra and

Zaltin consumption, it was time to get to work. The Vratix that  hired  me  to

infiltrate the Cartel – – they called themselves the Asherns,  or  Razorclaws,

something like that – – spared no expense ensuring that  both  [REDACTED]  and

[REDACTED] had complete educational histories, references that would  actually hold up, and even two separate families – – one on [REDACTED] and  another  on [REDACTED]. Of course, I hadn’t  given  them  any  choice  in  the  matter.  I wouldn’t take the job until those safeguards were in place. I feel not a  whit of shame when I say that ultimately the Bloodletter’s first and only client is the Bloodletter. That’s why I have never spent longer  than  an  hour  in  any prison, and then only twice.

     I must admit that Thranx, my primary Ashern contact, was the one who  hit

upon a believable way for me to work full-time for  each  company,  a  problem

that had been posing some difficulty even for me. Xuczal  City  –  –  recently

renamed Xozhixi – – was a company town, at least during daylight  hours.  Most

Humans spent their entire careers within the city limits,  and  a  Human  only

willing to work half-weeks would  raise  too  many  eyebrows,  considering  my

ultimate goal. A Vratix

     Instead, I would take work for each company as a field inspector, one  of

the few jobs in bacta production that both  Vratix  and  Humans  performed  in

equal numbers. I suspect it’s because neither species really trusts the other,

and they  shouldn’t.  If  trust  was  possible,  I  wouldn’t  be  here.  Field

inspectors, as the name implies, roved the planet  ensuring  that  the  alazhi

plants were healthy, watching  for  blights  and  other  plant  diseases,  and

enforcing proper harvesting methods. Usually,  only  Vratix  field  inspectors

bothered to monitor the actual process of bacta creation, so I  didn’t  bother

to go underground; that would only have attracted attention. But I didn’t need

access to bacta production facilities to get my job done. I simply  needed  to

be able to move about freely and access both Xucphra and  Zaltin  records.  My

primary mission involved the alazhi, which grew aboveground. I went into  each office once a week (officially) to file reports, but otherwise  I  could  move

about with impunity.

     I’m not normally a nature lover. My business is business, and business is

rarely conducted in the middle of a rain forest. But even I have to admit that

the natural splendor of Thyferra, even with well over half the  world  covered

in  alazhi  fields,  was  magnificent.  From  the  air,  the  planet  appeared

completely uninhabited except for Xozhixi and a few other  small  settlements.

That’s because the most industrial work in the bacta industry – –  aside  from

bureaucratic wheeling  and  dealing  –  –  was  done  underground,  by  Vratix

laborers. As for their own homes, the native villages  and  towns  were  built

into the trees of the rain forests that covered every landmass,  connected  by

long sloping archways and artistically designed paths allowing easy travel for

anyone with four legs and two arms. It reminded me of Kashyyyk, redesigned  by giant bugs.

     Seeqov Thranx herself was to be my partner, which was  convenient,  if  a

little dangerous. Vratix are hermaphrodites, but hundreds of years of  contact

with Humans means that metropolitan Vratix like Thranx usually identified more with one sex than the other.

     I don’t like working with partners and very nearly quit on  the  spot.  I

knew nothing about the Seeqov hive-clan or Thranx herself. But, in the end,  I

decided that I couldn’t avoid getting saddled with at least one of  them,  and

I’d already seen enough of Thranx to know we’d work  well  together.  For  one

thing, she’s a wicked sabacc player – – a rare enough challenge anywhere,  let

alone on this giant hive of a planet.

     Though an operative for the Ashern, Thranx did have a long and legitimate

career as a field inspector and research scientist. She was  known  planetwide

for helping to eradicate a Rodian fungus epidemic that threatened  the  entire

harvest of the southern hemisphere just five years ago. (The  entire  incident

was kept secret from the galactic public and, according to Xucphra and  Zaltin

records, they each separately solved the crisis without Vratix help. They  can

say what they want, but I know the truth). Around  this  same  time,  she  was

first contacted by the fledgling Ashern and recruited into the movement. Since

then, she’s become a master of something alien to the hive-minded creatures  — deception. Unlike most idealists, she was able to see the situation from all

sides.

     Of course, not even Thranx saw the Empire coming. I did,  naturally,  but

no one ever asked me.

     Part 3: Fields of Dreams

     According to his or her memoirs, the following incident took  place  only

nine years before the  Clone  Wars  erupted  on  Geonosis.  The  Bloodletter’s

assignment was long-term, and after over a year of work, the objective was  in

sight.

     Thrive or Die: Memoirs of the Bloodletter

     Excerpted from Chapter 9: Killing Field

     The Ashern were a smart bunch. They saw that the Vratix couldn’t possibly

hold onto the kinds of freedoms and planetary  control  they  had  during  the

Thriving Season unless they were willing to get into the  ditch  with  Xucphra

and Zaltin. The newly elected Vratix government seemed to mean well,  but  the Ashern saw,  correctly,  that  allowing  even  more  alien  intervention  (and

interference) in their planetary economy would cause only  a  temporary  boom. Eventually, one or more of those companies – – probably Xucphra or Zaltin,  or maybe even a Hutt front business – – would make a power play.

     The Ashern plan was simple. I was to move about to key alazhi fields that

were secretly under Ashern control.

     At these fields, the Vratix were farming a very special kind  of  alazhi.

The Ashern believed that this new hybrid plant would be so remarkable, such an improvement on the original product, that the  Ashern  themselves  would  soon drive Xucphra and Zaltin off the planet – – or at least cut them down to size, leaving the Vratix in true control of their ecology, economy, and  government. I tried to learn more about the hybrid – – specifically, if it  was  a  hybrid plant, what was the second source of genetic material? –  –  but  even  Thranx rebuffed my questions. She trusted  me,  she  claimed  (which  shouldn’t  have gratified me as much as it did), but she could take not chances.  Besides,  it wasn’t information I needed to know.

     These secret fields were easier to conceal than you’d think; in fact, the

Ashern hid them in plain  sight.  Some  of  them  stretched  for  hundreds  of

kilometers, broken up into subsections  that  were  haphazardly  organized  at

best. My first job was to inspect the fields for real –  –  hybrids  could  be

especially susceptible to disease – – and aid the entire operation by secretly

delivering cargo that made the hybrid process possible. I  wasn’t  allowed  to

open the cargo, but again, the job didn’t call for  me  to  know  what  I  was

transporting. And that suited me fine.

     We were well over a year into the project when the  attack  came.  Thranx

and I had set down outside one of the larger Xucphra fields  and  set  out  on

foot to the Ashern’s hidden field.

     The field was empty. That should have  been  the  first  indication  that

something was wrong, but I’d grown too complacent  in  the  previous  year.  I

should have known better. Harvest was only  two  days  away,  and  the  fields

should have been crawling with Vratix workers spraying down the plants with  a natural preservative that would keep them fresh for  transport.  At  the  very

least, an Ashern agent should have been there to meet us.

     I turned to relay this fact to Thranx when a blaster  bolt  slammed  into

her upper back, sending her stumbling into me and knocking me into  the  soggy alazhi field.

     At first, my only concern was oxygen. Thranx’s torso had me  pinned  face

first in the muck. I wriggled a bit, but she didn’t move. Whoever had shot her

was probably looking right at me, waiting for me to show some  sign  of  life.

With great physical effort, I forced my mind away from the need  for  air  and

focused all my attention on the information  entering  my  brain  through  the

right ear, the only part of my head above the waterline of the bog.

     Footsteps. Human footsteps, getting closer. At this point, my lungs  were

aching for air, and I felt myself starting to blackout. Hoping my unseen enemy

was close enough, I pushed off with both arms from the  solid  bottom  of  the

alazhi field, sending muck and plants flying and Thranx –  –  whose  status  I

still hadn’t ascertained – – tumbling over into the field.

     I found myself staring at  an  image  from  a  historical  holodrama.  An

honest-to-Zim Mandalorian warrior  stood  there  in  gleaming  silver-and-blue

armor, holding a blaster pointed at my forehead. Then he  pulled  the  trigger

and everything went black.

     Part 4: The Kolcta Generation

     Thrive or Die: Memoirs of the Bloodletter

     Excerpted from Chapter 10: Medicinal Purposes

     I should have died. In fact, to be honest, I’m pretty  sure  I  did  die.

Mandalorian blasters don’t have a stun  setting.  I’d  never  seen  an  actual

Mandalorian before that day, but collectors have prized their  weapon  designs

for centuries. I own a pair  myself  that  supposedly  once  belonged  to  the

patriarch of the Ordo clan. I’ve never missed once with  those  blasters.  Too

bad I didn’t have them with me that day.

     I don’t know how long I was out – – or dead – – but I know why I’m  alive

telling you this today: Seeqov Thranx.

     I came to in the alazhi field. Judging from the  sun’s  position  in  the

sky, I’d either been out for an hour or a day and an hour (which wouldn’t have

surprised me, considering the way I felt). Thranx’s  big,  bug-eyed  head  was

hanging low over my face, and she was chittering something in Vratix I  didn’t

quite understand. It may have been a song, now that I think about  it.  Vratix

music usually doesn’t use words. She was patting at my forehead  with  a  damp rag she held in one claw. There was no sign of the Mandalorian anywhere.

     That I even had a forehead surprised me. I  could  barely  speak,  but  I

managed to ask what had happened.

     “We are pleased to see you alive, [REDACTED],” she replied. “For we shall

soon be dead.”

     Vratix are hive-minded creatures,  and  they  never  use  a  first-person

singular pronoun in my experience, even when speaking  Basic.  Therefore,  she

wasn’t saying we were both doomed. Just her.

     I raised a hand to my forehead and felt a moist but complete skull  still

attached to my shoulders. Could the Mandalorian have missed?

     “You were mortally injured,” Thranx continued. “The blue one shot you  in

the face.”

     “I remember,” I managed. “What about you? If I survived…”

     “You survived because of me,” she clicked, “And  because  of  this.”  She

held the rag aloft, and I took a closer look. It was my own  tunic,  saturated

with – –

     “Bacta?” I said when the distinctive smell hit my  nostrils.  “No,  wait,

it’s not quite right. Where did it come from?”

     “From us, of course,” Thranx said, cocking her head in a way that I  knew

was her version of a smirk. “Using chemicals  from  our  own  torso,  and  the

plants you see around us.” She let out a tinny sound that I knew was a  Vratix

sigh. “We will soon be dead. We must tell you the secret of the Ashern fields.

You have a right to know what you’ve been hired to do,  and  no  one  else  is

authorized to share this secret. But I trust you, Human, even if my  superiors

do not.”

     I simply nodded.

     “You noted that this does not smell like bacta, and you are  correct.  It

is not bacta. It is kolcta.”

     “Kolcta? What’s that, some kind of super-bacta?” I asked.

     “You are wise,” Thranx replied. “If simplistic. Do you  know  what  kolto

is?”

     “A Thyferran sabacc variant?”

     “No,” she chattered, and I could hear her breathing slits  wheezing  with

effort. “It is a legend in the medical establishment. An ancient medicine that

made bacta look no more potent than a strong glass of  lum.  But  it  has  not

grown wild for millennia.”

     “Where did it come from? What makes it so special?”

     “We do not know whence it came, though it was definitely rich  in  water;

the plant can’t grow without a lot of it,” Thranx said. “This trait is  shared

by the alazhi, which has allowed us to grow this hybrid  kolazhi  right  under

the noses of the cartel. The preserved seeds were acquired by my superiors  on

the black market, but it was Seeqov that learned how to splice  the  DNA  into

the alazhi.”

     “What’s so special about it?” I repeated.

     “For one, it can be converted into a potent  healing  fluid  by  a  dying

Vratix and used to heal a mortal blaster  wound  to  a  Human  forehead,”  she

offered. “The kolazhi is so potent that no refining is necessary.”

     “You mean you made some right here, on the spot?”

     “Yes,” Thranx said.

     “But if any Vratix anywhere could turn itself into a ‘kolcta’ factory…”

     “The cartels would have no industry to manage. We would – –  how  do  you

say, ‘cut out the middleman’ and finally be independent  of  the  cartels.  We

would be a free people once again.”

     Help! This bacta deformed my ribcage!

     With effort, I pulled myself to my feet. I  placed  my  hands  gently  on

either side  of  Thranx’s  insectoid  face  and  smiled.  “Thank  you.  That’s

precisely what I needed to know.” With a quick flick, I snapped her head clean

from her shoulders and tossed it into the soggy  kolazhi  field  before  she’d

stopped chittering.

     The Ashern paid well, and so  did  the  Cartels,  but  someone  else  had

already paid me even better. Within 48 hours, I  had  caught  a  transport  to

Coruscant. Within a week, a mysterious blight had settled into  every  one  of

the kolazhi fields except one. I personally oversaw  the  harvesting  of  that

field and delivered several tons of the  galaxy’s  only  known  kolcta  to  my

client within a month. He claimed to suffer from a degenerative aging  disease

and needed the kolcta to keep himself young. Whatever. I was a rich man.

     The Ashern recovered, of course, though I don’t think they  ever  started

pursuing the production of kolcta again. My own personal supply will  run  out

soon, and by then I may start to age myself.

     Maybe then I’ll retire to Thyferra. It was a nice place to work.

22 bby

Arkanian Chill

     Part 1: A Cold Reception

     Day 13? Arrived on Arkania. Fairly confident Farg is NOT supposed  to  be

this cold. Farg has tracked the traitorous Sakiyan witch across many  parsecs,

and to come here, to such a cold world, does not make Farg happy.

     There is not much on Arkania that is good. Lodgings  are  tolerable,  but

Farg prefers to stay on his ship. The people are ugly, even for  Human  stock.

They are not normal Humans, something about their eyes is wrong. Farg suspects they bleed as most Humans do, though. The truth will be revealed if  one  more of them approaches Farg to  request  paperwork.  They  seem  to  believe  that because they exist on a frozen rock, mining  frozen  rocks  and  twisting  the nature of things with their sciences, they are better than Farg.

     They are wrong.

     Arkanians are very tight. Their mouths  turn  down,  almost  always,  but

their chins point upward. Farg is glad to have landed in a  small  settlement,

because too many such arrogant individuals might cause him to become  violent. Or perhaps even this small number may bring about violence, but they  are  few enough that they pose no threat to Farg. If they  harbor  the  Sakiyan  witch, they will be made to pay. If they cooperate, they will be allowed to  continue living.

     Appointment with an individual who believes himself even  more  important

than the rest approaches. Will report on outcome.

     Amazing arrogance in that one. It was very much wanted by Farg to do  the

man harm, but Farg resisted, and the calm returns. The Arkanian is called  the

Hyrim Focela, and he is older than one of his bearing has a right to be. He is

Security Master of this blip that fancies itself a  starport,  this  “Novania”

with its 2,000 chin-tipped fools and its frigid temperatures.

     Farg remains confident he should NOT be this cold.

     The Hyrim Focela knew of the Sakiyan witch. She  landed  here  five  days

ago, purchased a speeder, and left to  cross  the  tundra.  The  direction  he

indicated is not the direction in which  Farg  feels  her  presence.  She  has

turned aside and is moving to the north. Now that Farg has made his way  here, she will be Farg’s. The hunt nears its end.

     Part 2: Hyrim Focela

     Day 15 – Sakiyan witch is not moving, has  not  moved  again  since  Farg

arrived on this spinning ice-sphere. Changed  direction,  moved  for  a  time,

stopped. No speeders available. Every speeder in  Novania  is  gone  or  under

repair. Farg would take his ship out over the tundra and search for the witch,

but he believes the Hyrim Focela is hiding  something.  If  the  Hyrim  Focela

shows himself to be treacherous, Farg will have to kill him,  which  would  be

unfortunate for the Focela.

     Farg meets with the Focela after noonmeal.  As  ugly  and  unpleasant  as

Arkanians are, Focela is more unpleasant still. His nose  is  too  large,  his

hair is too white, and his teeth are too straight. Farg does not trust him and

is almost hopeful that the Focela will give him reason for  violence.  Sitting

and waiting for a speeder is not the way of the Findsman. Neither, though,  is

rash action; the hunt is an art, and above all things, must  be  treated  with

reverence. Rushing the hunt will lead one into the beast’s lair too soon,  and

Farg has no desire to be eaten by the Sakiyan witch.

     It is impressive to Farg how anything can be bought on this spinning  ice

sphere, including the Focela. The man  makes  much  noise  with  his  too-pink

mouth. He speaks as though he has power and authority, which Farg supposes  he might. The Focela is a man of some importance, as  he  controls  the  flow  of information. He found something objectionable about  Farg’s  presence,  but  a donation to the coffers of Novania quieted the Arkanian fool’s mouth, at least for a time.

     All  the  while,  the  Focela  remained  reasonable.  Farg   was   almost

disappointed that killing did  not  prove  necessary.  Too  much  sitting  and

waiting, when Farg should have been hunting the Sakiyan witch.

     Now Farg has a speeder. Now the Sakiyan witch will be made to pay.

     Part 3: Ice Palaces

     It would make Farg a poor Findsman not to know where  the  Sakiyan  witch

is, now. Farg has made a full circle around the area in which the Sakiyan  has

hidden. Initial examinations show nothing but ice. This puzzled Farg, but only

for a moment. The ice is white and silver, from here to the horizon. All of it

looks the same. And yet, in the center of it,  is  the  Sakiyan,  and  she  is

alive. For now.

     Alternate imaging techniques indicate that there is a  structure  in  the

ice, recessed and so perfectly camouflaged that Farg failed to see it with his

own optical array. Camouflage does not hide the Force, though, and the Sakiyan remains tied to the Force, as are all things.

     Other creatures are present inside the structure. It is a busy place, and

initial surveys indicate it may be  well-defended.  Farg  will  meditate  this

night in preparation, and in the morning will enter this strange structure.

     Part 4: The Re-Engineered

     If Farg had not captured a worthless Arkanian scientist near the entrance

to this strange place, Farg might have had  some  difficulty  approaching  his

objective. Fortunately, the mouth-breathing fool has assisted Farg in avoiding

numerous  unpleasant  security  measures,  and  he  will  likely  live  to  be

disciplined by his superiors after  Farg  finds  and  eliminates  the  Sakiyan

witch.

     There is a strangeness here, though. There are things within these  walls

that should not be. Farg has asked the scientist what it is that he  has  done

here, and he speaks as though he were one with the Force. “We have made life.”

He is small and pale and fragile, but Farg would not have thought him  insane.

Still, there have been stranger things Farg has seen in  the  galaxy  than  an

nsane scientist. Arkanians have such a reputation.

     But the things Farg feels – – they are living, but they are not right, in

the eyes of the Force. Farg senses them sometimes, beyond walls, waiting. They are hunters, but not hunters of the art. They are hunters  who  revel  in  the kill, and not the mystery of the hunt itself. Whatever has been created  here, it is not something that is right.

     The Sakiyan witch is moving! I must move quickly, or all will be lost.

Dining at Dex’s

By Gregory Walker

A Message from the Proprietor

Welcome to Dex’s Diner, where we’re proud to offer the best eats in the Coco Town streets! We serve up good food and fast, friendly service at reasonable prices. From signature sliders to robo-fountain favorites, we’ve got something for everyone!

As the owner of this establishment, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patronage and tell you a little something about the food you’ll find on our menu. Many of the recipes we prepare I collected during my years roaming the hyperlanes in my previous careers. I’ve traveled the galaxy from the Deep Core to beyond the Outer Rim, and I’ve sampled cooking from countless planets.

As you can well imagine, interstellar dining can be dangerous — for example, I found out the hard way that I’m allergic to both Dac anchovies and the Mon Calamari chef who’d prepared them. But for every meal that made me break out in green hives, I tasted countless others that brought a smile to my face. I knew I was destined for the restaurant business when on my prospecting expeditions I started getting as much satisfaction from discovering new foods as I was from finding valuable minerals. This menu is filled with the most delicious meals I’ve encountered over the years.

Being a seasoned galactic traveler, I know that no matter where you are, there’s nothing that beats a good, home-cooked meal. So whether your home is just around the corner or parsecs away, we at Dex’s Diner promise you the kind of cooking you’d get from your own maternal-being’s kitchen.

Thank you for dining with us.

–Dexter Jettster

Breakfast

Favorites

Served with your choice of breakfast side dish.

nerfsteak and eggs
Start the planetary rotation off right with a juicy, grilled-to-order nerfsteak, a breakfast staple from here to Outer Zznza and everywhere in between. The secret to our mouthwatering nerfsteak is the seasoning: a unique blend of Serrian salt, tertium, punctil and black hole pepper that’s been handed down in my family for generations. Served with two gartro eggs cooked to order.
12.5 credits

Quor’sav-fried steak and eggs
No, it’s not made from a Quor’sav, so don’t get any funny ideas. What we have here is a giant nerfsteak coated in seasoned pom seed flour and pan-fried to perfection using an authentic recipe from Uaua. We finish by smothering it in our special white dwarf gravy. Served with two gartro eggs cooked to order.
12.7 credits

“Besalisk’s Bellyful” hash
I used to have a heaping serving of skillet-cooked hash for breakfast every morning during my days as a brawler on Ord Mantell. Talk about a hearty breakfast! This hash is made with a generous amount of bantha beef, Ojomian onions and protatoes. Even if you’re not wrestling Mantellian savrips for a living, you’ll want to give it a try.
8.5 credits

garto egg omelet
Our delectable, fluffy omelets are prepared to your request. Enjoy our basic omelet, made from three Grade Aurek garto eggs and filled with shredded jerba cheese, or add any of these favorite ingredients for a small charge: diced gornt, diced roba, Felucian glasscap mushrooms, Ferroan spinach, Bellassan peppers, Ojomian onions, topatoes or calarantrum root.
7.5 credits (additional ingredients are 5 decicreds each)

“Hungry Hutt” breakfast sandwich
I think Hutts get a bad reputation for their eating habits. It’s true they have healthy appetites, but they aren’t indiscriminate about what they eat. Many Hutt foods are quite delicious, including this “punky muffin” sandwich. A breakfast favorite on Nar Shaddaa, it features a poached gorg egg, Klatooine paddy frog sausage and a slice of jerba cheese on a pedunkee mufkin.
6.5 credits

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From the Robo-Griddle

Served with your choice of breakfast side dish.

Panna cakes
Three fluffy hotcakes prepared just the way they make ’em on the red-water moon in the Panna system. Served fresh off the robo-griddle with bantha butter and carbosyrup.
4.5 credits
     With zoochberries or ettel nuts 5.5 credits

Iktotch toast
Three scrumptious, thick slices of egg-dipped Iktotchian gravelwheat bread cooked golden brown and dusted with powdered Christophsian sugar. Served piping hot with bantha butter and carbosyrup.
4.7 credits
     With zoochberries or ettel nuts 5.7 credits

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Donuts

Our Adarian-style donuts are made fresh daily by a genuine Crisp-E-O donut droid. Bright and early every morning, our Crisp-E-O unit sorts through its database of more than 2,400 donut recipes to choose the delicious varieties to be made that day using its internal oil fryer. You never know when you’ll discover a new favorite. (If you get the chance, be sure to try the dianoga cream-filled donut–it’s divine!) Of course, we always serve these crowd-pleasing standards as well:

powdered Christophsian sugar 1.5 credits
Yowvetch custard-filled 1.7 credits
muja fruit-filled 1.7 credits
iced Trammistan chocolate 1.7 credits
iced Endorian maple 1.7 credits
iced with chopped ettel nuts 1.7 credits
iced with shredded Ishi Tib-cracked coconut 1.7 credits
iced with dark matter sprinkles 1.7 credits

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Breakfast Sides

nuna bacon (four slices) 3.7 credits
nuna sausage (four links) 3.7 credits
moisture farm-fresh blue buttermilk biscuit and gravy 3.7 credits
Kessinnamon roll 3.7 credits
Mustafarian toast with bantha butter and Andorian jelly 1.7 credits
dry Dantooine cereal 2.5 credits
galactic grits 2.5 credits
stewed Dressellian prunes 2.7 credits
fresh fruit (in season) 2.7 credits
carbon-frozen fruit (year-round) 1.7 credits

Sliders

Basic Sliders

Our signature menu item, served fresh off the grill! We start with a perfectly seasoned, hand-formed, 100 percent pure Mongo Beefhead patty–no additives or Gank fillers here–served on the finest trans-shipped, medium-density food-board available. These flavorful sliders are inspired by my travels across the galaxy, so no matter what your tastes are, you’re sure to find something to satisfy your craving! All sliders are served with our special garnish. Sernpidalian mayo-ketchup and Bimm mustard available upon request.

Coruscant slider
The classic! A grilled-to-perfection patty topped with all the fixin’s–a slice of Gonzo yellow cheese, Revwien lettuce, topato slices, grilled Ojomian onions and B’omarr-style pickles.
6.5 credits (add double meat for an additional 5 decicreds)

Socorro slider
Enjoy the bold taste of Socorro’s black sands and rugged Killee Wasteland with this well-done slider. We top a blackened patty with four pieces of crispy tailring bacon and the Monnoks’ smoky steak sauce.
6.7 credits

Zeltros slider
Not for the faint of heart! This zesty slider features a patty topped with mouthwatering Zeltron pop-peppers, pink lettuce, magenta onions and spicy “pleasure planet” sauce.
6.7 credits

Vorzyd slider
Take a Cosmic Chance on a rich, flavorful slider inspired by the one and only Gambler’s World. Our regular patty is topped with sautéed Vorzydiak mushrooms and three kibi strips. If you’re craving something exciting, this is a safe bet.
6.7 credits

Khomm slider
Here’s a slider for those who like things neat ‘n tidy. We serve this one up with a single patty and a precisely measured amount of strider cheese sauce–nothing more, nothing less. It’s perfection every time!
6.5 credits

Giju slider
Our biggest, most stacked slider! Piled high with two patties, triple cheese, deep-fried Tapani triangles, mega-leaf lettuce, a slice of algae-bread, Boontaspiced mustard, plankton spread, larded neutrinos and a fried blubberbird egg, with a green jumbolive on top, it’s just the thing to satisfy a Herglic-sized hunger.
7.7 credits

Talus and Tralus sliders
Two basic sliders at one great price.
9.7 credits

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Specialty Sliders

Sorry, the Sulfurous Moon slider is no longer available due to multiple customer complaints.

Manaan slider
If you’re in the mood for fish, this seafood slider features a grilled firaxan shark fillet in place of the standard patty, topped with Ahto City cheese, chewy Selkathian seaweed and relish squiggles.
6.7 credits

Agamar slider
This meatless option comes from a pleasantly rustic Outer Rim agriworld. The patty is made from Agamarian soybeans and topped with a thick slice of binka fruit and mugruebe spit-sauce.
6.7 credits

Lao-mon slider
Like the native Shi’ido, this slider can be just about anything. You name the ingredients, and we’ll put it together for you.
7.7 credits

Raxus slider
You never know what you’ll find on the junk heap of a planet that is Raxus Prime, and this slider’s no different. Made with whatever leftovers we’ve got back in the kitchen, this slider is a surprise every time it’s ordered!
6.7 credits

Lunch

Favorites

Served with your choice of lunch side dish.

nerfsteak sandwich
The Uscru District has countless high-end eateries, but when Mayor Acros-Krik gets a hankering for a good, old-fashioned nerfsteak sandwich, he hops an airbus and heads down to Coco Town for a visit to Dex’s. Served sizzling hot with Red Nebula onions on a pseudograin roll.
8.7 credits (substitute synthsteak for an additional 5 decicreds)

shaak and cheese sandwich
One of my first jobs was as a street tout for a restaurant on the great starship yards of Fondor (which doesn’t really have streets, but that’s beside the point). I gave “friendly” advice to the shipyard’s visitors–gullible tourists fresh off the Starspeeders were always the best targets–inevitably directing them to the restaurant I was fronting. This was my first exposure to the food service industry, and I picked up plenty of good recipes in the process, mainly because I was being paid in food. One of the best was this yummy sandwich, made with thin slices of tender shaak, melted Byss cheese and topato. Served on toasted or therm-zapped pseudograin bread.
6.7 credits

Shawda Clubb sandwich
This popular sandwich boasts sliced Manpha-fowl, nuna bacon, Revwien lettuce and topato. Served on toasted or therm-zapped pseudograin bread.
6.7 credits

Besh-Leth-Trill sandwich
Another classic sandwich, prepared just the way you’d get it back home, with crisp nuna bacon, Revwien lettuce and topato. Served on toasted or therm-zapped pseudograin bread.
5.7 credits

gartro egg salad sandwich
We make our egg salad fresh daily with hard-boiled Grade Aurek gartro eggs, tangy emulsauce, Boontaspiced mustard, taba leaves, Serrian salt and black hole pepper. Served on toasted or therm-zapped pseudograin bread.
5.5 credits

deluxe nutmeat and jelly sandwich
This is our recreation of the beloved childhood favorite, prepared with freshly ground ettel nuts and gourmet Andorian jelly. Served on bleached pseudograin bread.
4.5 credits

Endorian chicken pot pie
In all of my travels, I’ve never seen an animal stranger than the Endorian chicken, but it’s not without its uses. We combine the bird’s succulent meat with celonslay, space-carrots and Antarian peas, all baked in a flaky pom seed flour crust.
6.5 credits

scalefish fillets
Four flaky daggert fillets are dipped in batter, fried golden brown in aola and served on a bed of crunchy sea cabbage with our own secret-recipe Iskalonian tartar sauce.
6.7 credits

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Soups

So good, you’d swear they were made by the Soup People of Tureen VI.

cream of fleek eel soup
These little babies pack quite a bite–literally! We promise that each bowl of this creamy soup is loaded with at least eight live fleek eels (or four eels per cup), each liberally coated in pepper oil. Your waitress will even serve the soup up with a quick shake to make sure the eels are lively.
1.7 credits (cup)
2.7 credits (bowl)

apple slug stew
During my time manning rigs on Subterrel, I’d occasionally use one of the low-volume mining sluices to prepare this tasty stew, made with ripe apple slugs, Ojomian onions, space-carrots and a pinch of negamo. Today, we make the stew more traditionally, in a pot on a nanowave stove, but it’s just as flavorful as ever.
1.7 credits (cup)
2.7 credits (bowl)

Aurebesh soup
A flavorful topato soup with pasta shapes. Trill-aurek-senth-trill-yirt!
1.7 credits (cup)
2.7 credits (bowl)

nyork chowder
A delicious staple of the Gungan diet, this chowder is made from freshly shucked nyorks in a creamy broth with diced protatoes, Ojomian onions and celonslay.
2.1 credits (cup)
3.1 credits (bowl)

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Salads

Prepared with laser-cut greens and appetizing toppings grown on locally-orbiting VegSatellites.

interstellar garden salad
Our most popular salad, featuring crisp Revwien lettuce garnished with topatoes, space-carrots, Qiraadishes, Mandalorian oranges, Sriluurian raisins and Wol Cabasshews. Served with Luptoomian dressing.
5.7 credits
     With grilled gornt 6.7 credits

herd ship’s bounty salad
The nature-loving Ithorians know a thing or two about what makes a great salad. This is our take on the traditional covado salad–mixed Ithorian greens garnished with starfruit and hard-boiled ooglata eggs. Served with Meerian vinaigrette.
4.7 credits
     With hoyy seeds or liwi fruit 5.7 credits

goatgrass salad
A mainstay of the Gran diet, but perfectly suitable for anyone wanting a light meal. We toss fragrant goatgrass with Malastarian croutons, houjix cheese crumbles and three-eyed Kinyenian potatoes.
4.5 credits

Xizor salad
Fresh Sizhranian lettuce tossed with Hocekureem Sea salt croutons. Fit for a Falleen prince!
7.7 credits

Lunch Sides

fiery Fornax rings 3.7 credits
protato wedges 3.5 credits
protato curls 3.5 credits
old-fashioned protato salad 2.7 credits
pashi noodles in Gonzo yellow cheese sauce 2.7 credits
Revwien coleslaw 2.7 credits
apple slug sauce 2.7 credits
Umgullian blob gelatin 4.5 credits

Dinner

Favorites

Served with a pseudograin roll and your choice of dinner side dish.

fried nerfsteak
It doesn’t get any better than this–a massive, mouthwatering Alderaanian nerfsteak, cooked to order and smothered with melted jerba cheese, grilled Ojomian onions and Felucian glasscap mushrooms.
14.7 credits

shaak pot roast
A favorite on Naboo and throughout the Chommell sector, slow-cooked in our gamma flux broiler with space-carrots, Ojomian onions, Anzati snot garlic and Deltron spice wine. When I cooked chow for a militia camp in the Lesser Plooriod Cluster, shaak pot roast was always very popular. I suppose it reminded lonely soldiers of the warmth of a good, home-cooked meal. Or maybe it was just better than the cans of Skakoan processed, additive-enhanced meat I served most other nights.
8.7 credits

Nana Bagwa’s liver and onions
This recipe comes from the family of one of our waitresses. Hermione never liked it much as a child, but it’s one of her favorite meals today. You haven’t had mutant rat liver unless you’ve tried it Nana Bagwa’s way!
7.7 credits

home-style proteinloaf
Who doesn’t love a good proteinloaf? You get three thick slices of succulent proteinloaf made using a tried-and-true recipe and covered in our unique brown dwarf gravy. (The gravy can also be used as an industrial-strength lubricant in a pinch, if you ever have the need.)
7.7 credits

hot gizka sandwich
I spent a few years on a freighter hauling special cargoes in the Stenness Node, during which I dealt with my fair share of interstellar vermin: mynocks, space slugs, the Fabled Sirens of Lowick, you name it. Nothing beats gizka, though, when it comes to being a true pest. Fortunately, there is one way I like the critters, and that’s thinly sliced and served hot over toasted or therm-zapped pseudograin bread.
7.7 credits

Gamorrean pork chop
A tender cut of pork imported directly from Gamorr, prepared with a tigmary dry rub and pan-fried to perfection. Served smothered in rich snoruuk gravy.
9.7 credits

fried Endorian chicken
Four big pieces of Endorian chicken dipped in seasoned pom seed flour, then flash-fried in hot aola for maximum crispy deliciousness.
9.7 credits

grilled opee
A flaky opee sea killer fillet expertly seasoned with Roonan lemon and black hole pepper, served with a sprig of celto and our own secret-recipe Iskalonian tartar sauce.
9.7 credits

baby nos ribs
A hefty half-rack of nos monster ribs prepared in the traditional Pau’an manner of Utapau.
9.7 credits (extra charge if cooked)

Dractuvian cave slug
Limited availability. Please check with your waitress.

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Dinner Sides

pickled gartro eggs (three eggs) 3.7 credits
mashed protatoes 3.5 credits
steamed space-carrots 2.7 credits
topato (three slices) 2.7 credits
acid-beet salad 3.5 credits
baked Bith beans 3.5 credits
Rishi corn on the inedible cellulose matrix 3.5 credits
candied H’nemthe yams 3.5 credits

Desserts

Favorites

Dex’s Diner is the proud winner of three monosaccharide ribbons from the Tri-System Sugary Mass Bake-Off. You can’t go wrong with desserts like these!

zoochberry cobbler
I first tasted zoochberries while trading furbogs along the Corellian Run. Through these exchanges I ended up possessing any number of unusual items: hyperdrive attenuators, silicon-pronged tack trim, Sullustan gab-rippers and–you guessed it–more zoochberries than I knew what to do with (a single furbog is worth ten times its weight in zoochberries, after all). I ended up eating zoochberries almost daily, and one of my favorite ways to have them was in a fine cobbler such as this one.
2.7 credits
     With a scoop of denta bean ice cream 5.7 credits

Kubindian royal jelly roll
The cuisine of the Kubaz may not be for everyone, but I guarantee you’ll want to finish your meal with a thick slice of this scrumptious royal jelly roll. The filling is a tasty blend of worker zingbees, arthropinians and pectin-flies, and it’s all dusted with powdered sun beetle chitin.
2.7 credits

sticky sweetmallow squares
A grown-up version of the kiddie favorite! Indulge your sweet tentacle with one of these giant, crispy squares today. Coated with charmed quark frosting, they’re just about the most decadent treat you can find this side of the Zabian system!
1.7 credits

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Pies

Sold by the slice.

wasaka berry pie
Enjoy a Wookiee-sized serving of this pie, packed with tangy wasaka berries in a flaky Kashyyyk wheat flour crust. We’ve already done the hard work of gathering and pitting the wasaka berries, so why not spoil yourself with a slice?
2.7 credits
     With a scoop of denta bean ice cream 5.7 credits

all-Almakian apple pie
Here’s an old Leffingite favorite, made fresh from juicy, Kessinnamon-spiced Almakian apples baked to perfection in a golden pom seed flour crust.
2.5 credits
     With a scoop of denta bean ice cream 5.7 credits

namana cream pie
Made from a genuine Bakuran recipe, this pie features creamy namana custard topped with atomically aerated cream.
3.7 credits

Cakes

Sold by the slice.

Kowakian crumb cake
As with all our cakes, this old-fashioned favorite from Kowak is made from scratch using only the finest ingredients. The delectable cribblycrunch topping is sure to please even the most discriminating monkey-lizard.
2.7 credits

Iego angel food cake
Named for the famed Diathim of the moons of Iego, this light, sweet cake has an appropriately heavenly taste! (The trick for getting the cake so fluffy, we’ve found, is a little bit of patience and a good antigrav whisk.)
2.7 credits

Devaronian’s food cake
I’ll wager you never knew the Devaronians count baking among their many skills.
2.7 credits

Sic-Six-layer cake
Here’s another crowd pleaser, a traditional dessert from Sisk featuring layers of moist cake ranging in color from infrared to ultraviolet. It’s almost as good to look at as it is to eat!
2.5 credits

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Ice Cream

Whether it’s a warm day or you simply sat next to a combusting Immolanoid during the morning commute, there’s no better way to cool off than one of our ice cream treats.

double-scoop sundae
Enjoy a giant Neuvian sundae made the old-fashioned way with two generous scoops of denta bean ice cream and your choice of Trammistan chocolate or zoochberry topping. Served with atomically aerated cream and a zherry on top.
2.7 credits

Tibanna split
For the ultimate dessert, sample this deluxe, Cloud City-style dessert prepared with three massive scoops of Hood Family “Bespinian Best” Ice Cream–denta bean, Trammistan chocolate and beebleberry–and garnished with flavorful toppings, atomically aerated cream, crushed ettel nuts and real Ecclessis figs.
3.7 credits

soft ice cream
Smooth, creamy and colder than a wampa’s whiskers, this is soft ice cream the way you remember it! Let our soft ice cream droid prepare you a Cerean cone with denta bean or Trammistan chocolate.
1.7 credits

Beverages

Favorites

Complimentary refills on all drinks.

Jawa juice
The best cup of Jawa juice I ever had was brewed by Ryn settlers on a nameless planetoid in the Corporate Sector. The settlers were having problems with some overzealous tax collectors and their Espo enforcers, and they hired me to bring them certain goods and equipment so they could defend themselves. They offered me a small fortune in chrysopaz and aurodium in exchange for my services, but after one sip of their hot Jawa juice, made using an ancient Ryn technique with freshly roasted ardees seeds, I asked for the recipe and nothing else in return. I think you’ll agree it’s the best ever brewed.
1.5 credits

caf
Choose from regular or half-caf, freshly ground and brewed. Bantha cream and Christophsian sugar available upon request.
1.3 credits

stim tea
Choose from multiple tea varieties imported from across the galaxy, from scry-mint to Roonan lemon. Zingbee honey and Christophsian sugar available upon request.
1.5 credits

blue milk
Choose from whole or short-wavelength, served perfectly chilled.
1.5 credits (small)
2.3 credits (large)

fruit juice
Choose from pallie, muja fruit, Almakian apple, topato or Dressellian prune.
1.7 credits (small
) 2.5 credits (large)

photon fizzle
This is one of several drinks I used to prepare while tending bar on Tyne’s Horky with an old friend of mine from Ojom, a fine fellow named Doodnik. I’ve seen many different ways of making a photon fizzle, but no one did it better than Doodnik. We prepare ours the way he did, with just the right amount of regular or light quanta.
2.7 credits

giva jumbo
I have no idea why, but Doodnik would always serve this drink in a bowl, and so do we.
2.7 credits

supernova
Here’s a bracing solar punch that was always a favorite of the miners on Tyne’s Horky. It certainly packs all the wallop its name implies!
2.7 credits

circuit cider
Yet another of Doodnik’s signature drinks, this cider is authentically made by filtering the liquid through spare droid parts before serving. Here at Dex’s, the parts come from a dishwasher unit that once made the mistake of gossiping about our waitress droid with the other appliances. (I won’t go into detail about what WA-7 did to the dishwasher unit when she found out, but suffice it to say, filtering drinks is about all it’s good for these days.)
2.7 credits

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From the Robo-Fountain

Our antique robo-fountain once stood in Old Doc 8H-QD9’s Antivirus Software-Shoppe, a popular hangout for youths out cruising in speeders and engaging in awkward mating rituals. We’ve restored the device to its original working condition, offering you a chance to experience all the fun and romance of the Republic’s golden age with every drink.

Fizzyglug
We proudly offer the full line of Fizzyglug products including Original Fizzyglug, Diet Fizzyglug, Zero Gravity Fizzyglug and the new Adegan Crystal Fizzyglug. For no extra charge, add any of the following flavored syrups to make your favorite drink combination: bilaberry, denta bean, Geldan sun-apple, Ishi Tib-cracked coconut, jewel-fruit, manta pear, nikkle nut, pallie, Roonan lemon, scry-mint, shuura fruit, sunberry, sweetmelon, Trammistan chocolate, zherry or zwil..
1.7 credits

blue milkshake
Our thick, creamy milkshakes are made the old-fashioned way, mixed by robotic appendage using Hoth-cold ice cream, blue milk and robo-fountain flavored syrups. I’m partial to the classic Blue Bantha, but we’ll make your milkshake any way you like it. With a meal or as a treat by itself, this old-time favorite is sure to please!
2.7 credits

Pantoran Plate Specials

Breakfast Specials

• Number 1: Diced roba and scrambled gartro eggs 5.5 credits
• Number 2: Anoat oats with two nuna bacon strips 4.7 credits
• Number 3: Creamed chipped bantha beef on Mustafarian toast 5.5 credits
• Number 4: Steamed phraig with two nuna sausage patties 4.7 credits
• Number 5: Ho’Din-style veggie omelet 5.5 credits

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Daily Soups

• Primeday: Ranat’s cheese soup 1.7 credits
• Centaxday: Callosian spring vegetable soup 1.7 credits
• Taungsday: Spicy Gargon gumbo 1.7 credits
• Zhellday: Creamed Rishi corn soup 1.7 credits
• Benduday: Aqualish hoi-broth 2.1 credits

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Lunch and Dinner Specials

• Primeday:
  • Number 1: Nuna salad sandwich with cup of soup 6.1 credits
  • Number 2: Kommerken flank steak and steamed ootoowergs 8.7 credits
• Centaxday:
  • Number 1: Molecularly agitated cheese sandwich with cup of soup 5.5 credits
  • Number 2: L’lahsh-marinated nutrient globules with mixed Alderaanian vegetables 8.5 credits
• Taungsday:
  • Number 1: Togruta-style Shili cheese dog with cup of soup 5.5 credits
  • Number 2: Braised bruallki brisket 8.7 credits
• Zhellday:
  • Number 1: Bantha burger with cup of soup 6.1 credits
  • Number 2: Roast Smapp with hot barium liquid 8.5 credits
• Benduday:
  • Number 1: Fried Rokarian dirt-fish fillet sandwich with cup of soup 6.1 credits
  • Number 2: Whole scrimpi in a cream-based glockaw sauce 8.5 credits

Sorry, no substitutions.

About Dex’s Diner

When I first arrived on Coruscant, I had nothing more than a second-hand Crisp-E-O donut droid and a dream . . . a dream serving good food to good folks.

I was tired of unfulfilling jobs that kept me constantly on the run from Corporate Sector police officers, gizka conservationists and Mantellian savrips who never learned how to lose a fight gracefully. My most recent enterprise, a weapon shop on the Outland Transit Station, had come to an abrupt (and nearly fatal) end, so the time was right for a fresh start. I spent the last of my savings travelling to Coruscant, where I opened a stand, Dex’s Donuts, at the corner of Zevanth Street and Avenue Peth. It was a humble start; I didn’t have anything on the menu except donuts and fresh-brewed caf.

As you can imagine, it’s not easy eking out a living selling food on the sidewalk. That’s especially true on this crazy planet, where most of the speeder traffic is kilometers above your head and unlikely to notice a small donuts-and-caf stand. So after a few trying years, I started looking for a more conspicuous place from which I could work. My modest income from the stand made upgrading to a real restaurant seem impossible, though.

As luck would have it, around that time an inattentive driver landed his air taxi on Dex’s Donuts. Admittedly, becoming a landing pad wasn’t very lucky–the stand was a total loss, and I spent a week in a med center with a cracked cranial crest and three broken arms–but the settlement payment from the air taxi company was exactly what I needed. Suddenly flush with Republic dataries, I was able to purchase a small café with enough left over to renovate the place in a nostalgic style recalling the golden days of the Republic, complete with vintage furnishings. Dex’s Diner was born, and we’ve been serving hungry Coruscanti ever since.

Incidentally, that Crisp-E-O unit I started with still works the breakfast shift. Now that I’ve found success, I suppose I could replace it with a fancy modern droid, but being fancy isn’t what we do here at Dex’s Diner. We may not have the best equipment or the cleanest ‘freshers, but we promise you the best food you can get for your hard-earned credit.

Please enquire about our discounted prices for Jedi.

A 15% gratuity will be added for parties greater than seven (or three and a half Troigs).

The establishment assumes no responsibility for any beast-yeasts that may escape from the kitchen during food preparation.

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Gregory Walker is an Austin, Texas-based writer. He contributed three winning entries to the StarWars.com Databank under the alias NarbFlick, through the “What’s the Story” feature.

A Traveler’s Journals of Ralltiir

     Part 1: World of Watchers

     As told to Morrie Mullins by Vareesa Enan

     I am SO excited! Just last week, I was sitting in the back of my cousin’s

dingy little sop house in Cularin, and now look at me – – a young Ithorian off

to see the galaxy! I knew cousin Vanster had a fondness for  me,  even  if  he

always seemed a little annoyed when I showed  up  at  the  cantina,  since  he

always found a way to send me  to  just  the  right  person  to  answer  every

question I had. But when he said, “Vareesa, you  must  travel  more  and  find

answers for yourself,” I hardly knew what to do. Then he bought me  a  ticket,

and now, here I am, getting ready to make my descent onto the first world that

I found on the charts that sounded like fun.

     I can see Ralltiir out my viewport. It’s a small viewport, I  guess,  but

it’s not like I’m traveling first class or anything. It’s enough  that  I  can

see the planet, and that’s exciting.

     I’ve been trying to think of what kind of theme I should have, when I  go

from one planet to another. Cousin Vanster said I should do something with the native plant life, but some of the planets really don’t  have  much.  Besides,

every traveling Ithorian that I’ve ever met wants to document  plant  life.  I

want to do something different.

     I’m thinking architecture.

     I’m not sure if Ralltiir was the place to  start,  for  that.  I’ve  seen

pictures of places like Coruscant, where you can see cities  from  space,  and

Ralltiir just isn’t the same.

     I’ve done some studying on the architecture of Ralltiir.  There’s  not  a

lot to do in hyperspace except read and talk to people, and most of the people

on this shuttle aren’t very talkative. Lots of those Falleen folks,  including

this really arrogant man that everyone seems to avoid. I say, if  people  want

to be left alone, leave them alone.

     Anyway, Ralltiir’s architecture is pretty varied  in  style.  You’ve  got

some really old buildings, with lots of arches and columns  and  bridges,  and

some of them are even made out of stone. Then there are some newer  buildings, where  you’re  seeing  lots  more  angular,  geometric  designs,   like   what Dieterschach does with some of the big corporate plazas, or that horrible  set of designs some of the Hutts used for ships a few years  back.  You  remember, the ones that looked like a child had glued some blocks together  and  dropped them into orbit?

     The neat thing about the old and the new buildings on  Ralltiir  is  that

they aren’t, as near as I can tell, segregated based on  economic  conditions.

On some planets, you get all the old classical-style  buildings  in  the  more

run-down sections of the world, and the more modern-looking buildings  in  the newer sections where there’s more traffic. That’s not the case on Ralltiir.  I

looked up the “good” and “bad” parts of Cambriele (that’s  the  capitol),  and

there are old and new buildings everywhere.

     Well, they’re telling us that we need to get strapped in, so I’m going to

do some more recording on this later. This is Vareesa Enan, signing off!

     Part 2: The Wayward Ithorian

     As told to Morrie Mullins by Vareesa Enan

     So, we landed a little while ago at the Grallia spaceport. It’s enormous!

I mean, I know that I probably sound like some little backwater  fool,  but  I

always forget how big things are away from home, and how  strange  people  can seem.

     I was a little worried, to start with. It’s  one  thing  to  think  about

traveling, and it’s even okay to be on the ship  and  getting  close  to  your

goal, but it’s another thing entirely to step off the ship and  find  yourself

in the middle of a few thousand people you’ve never known. I seem to have  the grace that runs in my family, too; I think I stepped on at least five sets  of

feet before I made it out of the main terminal!

     Fortunately, I met a really nice Ithorian who was waiting for a  hovercab

outside the terminal. It was so good to see another Ithorian! He is  a  little

bit pale – – he says it’s the atmosphere, we don’t get a whole  lot  of  light

here and he says staying too long will make any of our kind a  little  on  the

pale side – – and kind of scrawny, but he’s very nice. His name is Kikow,  and

he was just getting back from visiting Albecus on  business.  (He  says  there

really isn’t much to see there, and I should avoid it.) But the best part  is,

he knows all of Ralltiir really well, and he’s going to be my tour  guide  for

the next couple of days!

     A Traveler’s Journals of Ralltiir

     Part 3: Exhibition

     As told to Morrie Mullins by Vareesa Enan

     Kikow took me to the most amazing museum that I’ve ever seen today.  It’s

called  the  Cambriele  Exploration  Auditorium,  and  it’s  all   about   the

exploration of the galaxy. Right now, they have an amazing  exhibition  called

“Children of the Galaxy,” and that’s where we spent most of our time.

     I think Kikow was a little disappointed that there weren’t more  Ithorian

children in the exhibition, but I told him that most of us stay at home  while

we’re young, and we don’t go out exploring.  I  told  him  that  most  of  the

children featured in the exhibition probably ran away from  home  and  weren’t very good children anyway, so it shouldn’t surprise us that there weren’t  any Ithorians among them. He got a little grumpy then and  wandered  off  to  make some comlink calls. I don’t think he understands children very well, but  he’s a nice person all the same.

     The exhibit was wonderful, though!  There  were  children  of  dozens  of

different species who had all done exploration or helped to discover important

things. Some of them did it on purpose, but some of it was  accidental.  There

was this one Rodian girl who liked to play with hyperspace charts when she was young, and she was looking at them and figured out that something wasn’t quite right. The best time you could make going from one planet to another (I  can’t remember which two) was too long, which meant that the route wasn’t  straight. She discovered a whole new star system that had  just  started  forming,  just like that!

     I had to look around to find Kikow. He was talking to a Wookiee in one of

the botanical areas. They were  standing  under  a  holo  of  a  really  nice,

healthy-looking tree. The Wookiee didn’t  look  happy,  but  then,  a  lot  of

Wookiees don’t look happy. I think this one was mad because someone  played  apractical joke on it and shaved the fur off its shoulders. At least,  I  think

that’s what happened. I can’t actually understand Wookiees when they talk.

     When he saw me coming, Kikow waved, and the Wookiee kind of growled, then it pulled the cutest little droid out of its bag and let it hover so the droid

could translate for me to be able to understand her. Her  name  was  Furellas,

and she had pretty, light-brown fur. I told her so,  and  she  smiled,  and  I

guess all Wookiee smiles are kind of scary. Hers was, at least. But  at  least

she had pretty fur.

     A Traveler’s Journals of Ralltiir

     Part 4: The Ithorian and the Tiger

     As told to Morrie Mullins by Vareesa Enan

     I have a new pet! He’s the most wonderful thing in  the  world.  Furellas

and Kikow escorted me to the open-air market today, and while we were  walking through the stalls, I saw the cutest basket of kittens! They’re all  soft  fur and big yawns, and they don’t even have teeth or claws yet.

     Furellas insisted on buying me one of the kittens – – she  said  it  will

grow up to be big and strong, and will protect me. She called it  a  “Ralltiir

tiger,” but it doesn’t look like other tigers I’ve seen pictures of. She  even

suggested a name for him, and I really liked it, so now I have a  tiger  named

Little Kikow. Isn’t that cute? Kikow said he really didn’t want  Little  Kikow

to be named after him, but by then it was already too late.

     Little Kikow likes to cuddle and sleep, and he’s the softest  thing  I’ve

ever held. I think Kikow is a little jealous, but I’m sure he’ll get over  it.

That was a really great trip to the market.

     Part 5: The Kalmec

     As told to Morrie Mullins by Vareesa Enan

     Well, my time on Ralltiir is almost done, and  unfortunately,  Kikow  had

business to attend to elsewhere. Fortunately, his friend Furellas was able  to

help me get everything packed up, and she even got me all the paperwork I need to take Little Kikow with me on the ship. She told me I have to be careful not to tell people too much about him, because Ralltiir tigers are very  rare  and lots of people would want to take him away from me and cut off his fur to sell to the Hutts, so we registered him as a different kind of cat – –  she  filled

out the paperwork and gave it to some of her Wookiee friends to handle.

     She’s really nice – – not as scary as I  thought.  She  has  a  bunch  of

friends who have their shoulders shaved, too. I asked her why they  did  that,

and she gave me a long explanation that basically said, because if  we  don’t,

people treat us like animals.

     It’s kind of interesting to hear her talk about it.  Wookiees  really  do

have a lot more fur than most sentients, and because they can’t talk in Basic,

they get treated like they’re less  important  than  other  sentients  in  the

galaxy. They aren’t less important, though. She and her friends – – they  call

themselves the Kalmec  –  –  shave  their  shoulders  to  remind  people  that

underneath their fur, Wookiees are just like everyone else. You know, when she smiles now, it isn’t nearly as scary.