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Intergalactic Senate

There are 2,024 seats available in the Senate Rotunda on Kuat, meaning that many systems formed alliances in order to obtain a single vote. The Senate is presided over by the Supreme Chancellor, in honor of the old ways. The Galactic Senate was renamed to the Imperial Senate as soon as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine declared himself Emperor, but was renamed back to its old name once the Galactic Civil War was over. With the formation of the Intergalactic Alliance, it was renamed again. Its current name is now the Intergalactic Senate.

Donovan's Firespray flew into his private hanger, after it's trip from the Imperial Palace. Once it was vertical and landed, Donovan steped out to be greated by Mel, in prestine uniform. He smiled and nodded, noticing she was infact never caught without a weapon, the holstered E-11 on her uniform was the first sign of that. They both walked down varios halls towards the Senate Chambers, and Donovan prepared his speach. It would be broadcast through out the Holonet.

Within ten minues Donovan, Mel, and some other faceless gaurds were on a hover platform, orbiting the main hub. Donovan steped forward after being introduced and began his speach.

His voice was a slightly more serious tone then normal as he begun, as if the subject was grave. "Ladys and Gentlemen of the Senate... I bring you terrible news. As most of you know we have been trying to speak with the Jedi roder for some time now, to gain information on their activitys around the galaxy. They have so far eluded us, but earlier today we cornered a Jedi knight. He proceeded to flee security officers, and back-up was called in; in the form of the Imperial Army. Apon the various troopers trying to capture him, he ignited his lightsaber; the weapon of the Jedi. The Stormtroopers on the scene belived him to be hostile so they opened fire. He escaped them into an ally way." Donovan paused for effect. "The chase ended as none of us would have liked. A trooper was shot and killed. And a thermal detonator was thrown by the Jedi at a Stormtrooper. The trooper dodged the ball, but it landed in a small shop. It then killed everyone inside. I was then contacted, and saw it fit to call in the elite Dark Troopers. The fight ended when the Dark Troopers confronted the Jedi, and were forced to slay him."

Donovan turned to Mel and smiled. It was going perfectly so far. "I have with me the leader of the Dark Troopers. Mel Caltov."

Mel steped forward and nodded to the surrounding Senate members. She nodded her head around and cleared her throught. Her pristine uniform was matched only by Donovan's. He thought it was nessicary to impress the senate, Mel didnt think the senate need to be impressed. If anything, in her book, they needed to impress her. They did nothing but argue with eachother ans squabble of meaningless matters, while soldiers like her were out doing the things that mattered, fighting the good fight. They were the lowest form of life in her book. As she stepped forward, the hovering platform shifted as it turned to face the bulk of the senate.

With an extremely fake smile, and curtsy she began to retell the story as she saw it. Most of it fiction ofcouse. "I am Commander Mel Caltov, of the Imperial Branch Military. I have been stationed under the Emperor's command since I began my military career, so I was on the planet during the situation. I had heard about a suspect resisting arrest so I had my troopers move out. They gave chase, and some were killed, so I decided to pull me men back and corner the Jedi. When I arrived on the scene with my Commandos I had found out civilians has been killed by the Jedi. We jump jeted infront and behind the Jedi and he attempted to attacks us, but he was outnumbered so he fell dead. That is all that happened. Force users are a menace that need to be contained. They have killed my men, and innocent civilians. I leave the vote to your conciouses to decide. Should my men, and those innocent people die because the Jedi belive they are better? That is what you must vote on..."

Mel steped back with a smile on her face, and nodded to Donovan. He had an equal if not greater smile then hers.

The Chancellor rose from his seat, after the Senate seat from Hapes requestion to be recognized. He pressed the intercom and waited for the silence that followed. "The senate now recognizes the Senate seat from the Hapes Consortium."

Both Donovan and Mel sat down in their seat, and waited to hear what the senator had to say about what they had said. Donovan raised an eyebrow as he realized it was the Hapes senator who was recognized. He might make a point of the night sisters danger, follow it up with the Sith threat, and close with a speach about palpatine. The information everyone knew, Donovan just had to recall it.

Donovan did his best to hold in his huge smile. It was time to take a more serious tone. He steped forward to the mic, it was time to not only make his point very clear, but to also make clear the Hapes' stupidity in objecting to his will. The platform moved to his will and turned to face the Hapes platform. "We have not been the Imperium for quite some time your highness. I take take personal offence in your assumtion that the Imperial Branch, myself included, is lobbying for a war. I am simply trying to make clear that clear and present danger of all force users in this galaxy."

Donovan turned the plaform around, and rotated so the entire senate could heed his words. "Force users have always been a problem for this galaxy. From the Jedi Order of old starting of the Clone War, to the evil Emperor that ruled this galaxy with an iron fist, and a cold heart. Was it realy that long ago, when the Jedi Darth Vader walked about the galaxy, killing anyone who dared appose anything he said or did. Even the late Jedi master Luke Sywalker was only able to defeat the Empire using raw violence and power only gained by using the force..."

He stoped the rotation of his platform and leaned forward, his face as serious as a man about to face death. It was to easy in his book. "From the Emperor Palpatine who destroyed Alderian, to Kyp DUrron who colapsed a star and destroyed an entire system, to Corran Horn who caused the destruction of Ithor... To even close to home for the Hapes Consortium." He turned his head towards the Hapes platform and nodded. "Was it not Anakin Solo who activated Centerpoint and allowed a crazed man to destroyed half if not more of your grand fleet?" He took a pause, and returned his gaze to the assorted senate. "I ask only that the crimes of these force users, and many others, be paid off by the future generations. We wish only to apprehend the force users and confine them to a planet of our choice so they may not do anymore harm. And ofcourse, to prevent the training of anymore force users..."

Aria stares at the Head of the Imperial Branch with a look of amusement. Her gaze is stone cold and the more she listens to the man, the more she distrusts him. With a thousand eyes on her, waiting for a rebuttal, Aria rotates her platform to once again address the man.

Forgive me for the offence, however you say you are not lobbying for war, but that is indeed what is going to happen. Do you really think that all the Force Users in the entire Galaxy will willingly allow you to tear them from their homes and their lives to be brought under lock and key to a remote location so that they and their future generations will live in isolation for the rest of their existence? If they resist, what then? Will you continue to force them into confinement? This will no doubt bring about war. And say you do manage to confine them, are you familiar with the expression "strength in numbers"? Are we supposed to be convinced that they will not band together and attempt to escape?

Her deep blue eyes look around her, connecting with the eyes of her fellow Senators, urging them to consider her words. Aria locks eyes with the Senator of Bothawui and she can almost hear his words of disapproval in her mind. Foolish child. She is too young to be leading the Hapan people. What does she know of war and matters of the Galaxy? Aria does not allow the wave of disapproval bother her, knowing she is in the right. She rotates her platform to address the greater body.

I am certainly not negating past history and the fact that many groups of Force-Users have been responsible for much death and destruction throughout the Galaxy. However, I must repeat that the persecution of all Force-Users is unreasonable.

From what I understand, this "Force" we speak of permeates all things. Force-users are those with the ability to tap into the energy around them and use it for good or ill. But I understand everyone has the potential. Some choose to train while others allow their abilities to lie dormant. Do you have a daughter, My Lord? she asks, looking to the Supreme Chancellor. Do you have a son? What if he or she displayed Force-talent? Would you ship him or her off to be with the rest of "them"? Aria emphasizes the last word, making a point to identify the segregation.

If we forbid Force training, who is going to show those who manifest Force talent how to control their abilities? Would you choose inability to control, apprehension, and finally confinement to education and training and peace?

Aria sighs, wondering if anyone else sees things her way. When the Corellian Senator requests an audience, Aria turns and see what she has to say, hoping not to hear any words urging for war.

((Sorry guys...I was writing when she posted))

((That's OK Miaka, we can just say that as you were speaking Relina signaled she wanted to comment.))

After the Chancellor gave her leave to speak, Relina detached her hover platform from its station and floated it down to where the Imperials and Hapans were orbiting the central hub where the Chancellor sat. Wasting little time on pleasentries, Relina dived right into the issue.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I am sure those who know me understand it is not in my nature to be otherwise. The Senator from Hapes raises valid questions -" Relina heard the murmuring of the Senate increase at that and raised her voice to return the attention to herself -" but the Imperial representative does as well." The senate quieted down at that and turned its full attention to the Senator from Corellia.

"The Jedi, in recent years, have been a group of people troubled by internal stuggles and external problems. I will not make excuses for them but we must all keep in mind what recent history has taught us about those gifted with Force-abilities." Nodding towards Donovan, Relina continued, "The Imperial Representative and his Commander bring us but one story to add onto the legacy against the Jedi, as he has reminded us. He has also stated that it was Darth Vader who slaughtered hundreds if not thousands of human beings, and that he can name the names of others who also caused pointless death and destruction. But he seems to remember history quite conveniently, and I would like to remind him of what he fails to mention in his pretty narrative of the Jedi menace."

Her voice turning cold she alternated her focus between Donovan, his aide, and the rest of the Senate. "Before the Empire, the Jedi secluded themselves from the Galaxy in their own way. They had an established academy, established doctrine, and a mandate from the Republic to uphold the peace. The Republic lasted for a millenia with the Jedi standing beside them. They were never controlled nor needed to be controlled, until one man and a Jedi accomplice forced their order onto the Galaxy." Now her focus was completely on Donovan. "It was the Emperor, who was suspected of being a Force user himself, and Darth Vader who destroyed the Order of the Jedi that had helped keep the Galaxy peaceful. It was the Emperor who commanded the Jedi be hunted, their families and children slaughtered without mercy, because he did not want a rival to his power. It was two Force users who turned the Republic upside down and changed the lives of so many people, with much death and destruction."

She turned to the Senate, wondering if Donovan now thought she was on his side in this. "And it was another Force user who stopped them. This, if nothing else, should say the Senator from Hapes makes a true statement when she says there are both good and bad individuals within the ranks of the Force-users and we must be cautious before we label the whole group as being dangerous to the public. Good and bad people exist within all factions of the Galaxy, whether they be part of the military, the senate, or just a common working man earning aliving. It is because the Force-users have a greater power that we are more able to label them "good" or "bad". But that power is not necessarily something to fear innately. It is something that must be regulated, must be controlled, and must be disciplined."

Seeing nods coming from the room, Relina pressed on. "But who among us can truly say the nature of the Force is or is not a danger? Who among us can say that all Force-users are a threat to the good of the Galaxy? I say none of us can! And to that end we must be cautious in our decision and our willingness to believe the Imperial tales of the menace of the Force-users. Where are the Force-users?" Here she spread her arms to indicate the populace of the room. "Have they no right to defend themselves, to have a fair hearing before we dicatate their fate? If so, then we are already placing them outside the common law and should never expect them to obey it. But if they are allowed to confront us, to bring their defense before this Senate, then we can say we did them no wrong and can expect them to do no wrong to us in return. If we deny them protection from the laws, we cannot expect to follow the laws. This is a fundamental truth, and we will only harm ourselves by exempting the Force-users from the law. We must hear their side of the tales we have heard from the Imperials. Then we may meet out the justice of this Senate, and we may punish them if they fail to comply."

((Waits for the cheers and hoots of agreement wink ))

Donovan was surprised at the Corellian's speach. It was the first he'd ever heard of a Corellian caring about other affiars outside of Corellia. Though she had a valid point, it was easily remeided in his mind.

Donovan began again, he had already palnned his response to the Hapes, and was now plotting for the Corellian. "If you say we would tear them from their homes, then that is already acomplished. We wished to ask the Jedi a mere set of questions about their activities, and they fled their homes to seem refuge on a planet and system unknown to us. And we will not be locking future generations. Aslong as the practice of using the force is withheld from future generations, then thy will be free to re-enter the galaxy as they please. Though I, myself know, they will not stop their teachings."

Donovan shifted the platform towards the Chancellor, and nodded to him. "There will be no persecution, only segragation for the sake of saftey. Those who were force able in the future, would not be trained in the evil arts of the force users. Therefor there would be no need to contain them, and they could live on their lives. As most of us know, we could a** be sensative in the force, but untill it is tapped, it cannot be used. Therefor by not becoming trained, there will be no further threat. It would be as if no one knew they were force adept."

The platform rotated again, and Donovans scornful gaze met that of the senator from Corellia's. "And as you have stated it was a petty fued between the Sith and Jedi that tore the galaxy apart after the Clone war. Palpatine declared the Jedi evil, just to enact revege on their order. And in doing so, made a large rift in the galaxy. All though you have made a very vaild point in stating that all people in every class can be good or evil, but what you neglected to mention was the fact the Jedi Order, and the various other orders of force users operate beyond the confines of this room. They are above the senates laws, above us, and above everything we are." Donovan paused for effect. "If a general in the military is charged with misconduct, he can be brought before a tribunal and sentanced under law. If a civilinas breaks the law, he can be brought to trial. If a Jedi breaks the law... they could use their powers to aviod the trial, or sway the trial in their favor. That is why it is impossible to bring them before any court. Just like palpatine manipulated the senate of old, the Jedi could do the same. I for one, will not risk the grand senate being tainted by their powers. We, my dear senator, ahve not placed them outside of commen law... They, have done that for us."