Bis Interimitur Qui Suis Armis Perit (GNS)

Galactic News Service - "Bis Interimitur Qui Suis Armis Perit"

Posted by: Seele - Faction: Galactic Empire on Year 13 Day 133

Onboard the Ataturk-class Station Coruscant Beta Watch in system Coruscant (-15, 88).

CORUSCANT (INB) - A mere four months ago, the reelection of Taka Aioko as Chief of State for the so-called New Republic was heralded by the rebels with great fanfare and cited as evidence that all is well in the Outer Rim government. Recently declassified reports from Imperial Intelligence and testimonials of disappointed Republic citizens contradict the political white-washing, exposing the corrupt democracy which is marred by infighting and political espionage and casting the self-proclaimed 'bastion of freedom' in an entirely different light. Political analysts from across the galaxy have already warned about internal conflicts in the unstable Republic with the escalating trend of these quarrels indicating that the Chief of State is inexorably losing control over the government.

A Senator's Chief of Staff provided copies of official records showing that Taka Aioko, Chief of State, has seized control of the Senate's agenda and is present for every Senatorial meeting; preventing the political caucus to assemble as an independent body as is their stature under the rebel constitution. Concerns were further raised when Aioko not only disallowed the Senate to convene in his absence, but maintains administrative control over all proceedings, including the agenda and floor time allocations for debate. An intercepted communique between two Senators contained discussion as to the legal impropriety and inability of any petition to correct the dilemma whilst the Chief of State maintained such draconian control over the Senate. Political analysts from the University of Kuat referenced Aioko's undue usurpation as an autocratic method of bolstering his waning political influence; adding that this tact remains relatively successful due to the lack of viable alternatives, and not because of the near universal loyalty Aioko once enjoyed as Chief of State.

The fractured state of the Senate has been escalating as evidenced by the outbreak of arguments on nearly every issue put to the elected body, repeatedly degenerating into rude and contentious accusations against other Senate members, the Advisory Council,and the Chief of State. Offended by the threat to his authority, Aioko has developed the policy of publishing conflicts he deems pertinent to the entire faction; a policy opening up the variances to public debate, and seemingly designed to expose his Senate enemies to ridicule through selective publication. In unison with the selective name and shame campaign, the Chief of State has attempted to remove political enemies through a Vote of No Confidence (VoNC) war in the Senate. No less than four such votes have been lodged, one after the other, all against Senate members who have spoken out against the Aioko regime, of which none have successfully passed and with the most recent failing within the last few days alone. Frustrated by his inability to manipulate Senate composition through votes of no confidence, Aioko is instead attempting to push through legislation that would make it easier for him to remove Senators.

A New Republic Senator, speaking under the condition of anonymity,was willing to disclose a variety of ongoing issues to Imperial Intelligence in exchange for funding for their future campaigns against Aioko. "To be honest, those Senators [nominated for VoNCs] should have seen it coming. Too many people in the executive branch, as well as some other Senators, won't tolerate what they think of as insolent behavior. The conceited buffoons can't tolerate anyone disagreeing with their policies."

When asked about the increasingly heated conflicts and protests in the Republic, our senatorial source had the following to say: "For political reasons, I cannot say this publicly, but I believe Taka is failing. He's popular, but he isn't strong enough to address the many issues we have. In the past month there have been fights between members of our nationalised factions (NATs) and employees of companies that have a Private Sector Agreement (PSA) with us." Records revealed that personnel in the NATs and PSAs had been in a fierce confrontation, accusations of greed, laziness, incompetence and treason were hurled at each other amidst foul language and threats. Aioko issued a statement demanding no further discussion on the matter, however, an unidentified PSA member stressed, "The problems remain, even if the current leadership would rather pretend they don't." The evidence reveals Aioko is either unwilling or unable to reconcile the differences between the two faction types.

The disappointed politician revealed many more incidents, including the recent conviction and death of former Commodore Andrew Steczo, who had been sentenced to seven years in prison for purchasing raw materials from an enemy of the state. One of Judge Franco Nejo's aides admitted the sentence was heavy, but implied those are becoming more common in the NR as the judicial system tries to impose order on a culture where judicial integrity has been criticized for its relaxed opinions. Not long ago the Senate protested that frivolous charges, often based on nothing but suspicion, are another side effect of the activist judges.

The morning after his sentencing, the disgraced high-ranking officer was found dead in his cell. The formal explanation was that Steczo committed suicide, however, sources claim New Republic Intelligence member Wedge Achilles -in violation of New Republic law which forbids the death penalty- assassinated him in yet another supposedly 'rogue' NRI sponsored operation. It is yet unclear as to whether this operation was undertaken with or without the Chief of State's knowledge, but alarm has been expressed that the event was allowed to occur in the first place.

The whistleblower also confirmed that the Old Republic was accepted into the Galactic Alliance as full member at Aioko's insistence, accepting the volatile government in an attempt to stabilize his fractured alliance. Having recently been plagued by officials from the different member governments insulting each other and claiming mismanagement of factions, and the critical loss of the Tresario Star Kingdom from its side of the galactic civil war, the Galactic Alliance appears to have become desperate for new members; as evidenced by the acceptance of a government formed by pirates that was only removed from their black list in fresh history. According to the Senator, it is because, "...the Galactic Alliance does not care for principles. It's founded on its members' common hate for the Empire. We even let Korne into the Galactic Alliance. How's that for evidence of how lacking in principles we have become, except for simply 'winning' against the Empire?"

The question remains, how much longer can Aioko hope to keep anarchy at bay? The Senate is at war with itself and the Advisory Council lead by Aioko. Members of the Advisory Council are publicly denouncing the Senate. Senators are resigning in disgust. Aioko has allowed the NRI and Judges to operate on a rogue basis. The ancillary factions of the New Republic are in a state of mutual enmity. The New Republic's alliance is accepting profiteers. Aioko himself is attempting to subvert senate privilege to selectively portray his political enemies in bad light amongst voters. These examples betray the breakdown of leadership and capability of a once proud government. Once heralded as the preeminent leader of the New Republic, examination of the true state of the Republic shows Aioko and the rebel government are failing to provide a stable government, proving once again the necessity of the formation of the Galactic Empire, an act of the first Galactic Emperor to remove the corrupt and ineffective Republic Senate from governance of the galaxy.