Following the invasion of Coruscant, the HoloNet, without the central relay hub it relied on, had mostly collapsed. The Imperials had destroyed communication and HoloNet relays as they evacuated, to prevent the Cree'Ar from using them.
It took the Cree'Ar six hours to construct an interface through which they could broadcast a message. It began to all those who still had active terminals after a few weeks of static as simple scrolling numbers, but it was soon replaced by a face.
Artanis Daz’Da’Mar.
He opened his mouth, and spoke.
“For the past century, your galaxy has been at war.
It has been a war of many different states. From periods featuring open, outright hostilities, to periods of subtle manipulation and politicking, to periods featuring death and violence on a horrifically encompassing scale, this war has never ended.
My people as well are a people who have experienced the triumphs and defeats of war.
And though we do what we must in the face of oppressive forces, we remain always fearful and horrified of the cost… the barbarism, the savage price that is paid in war.
Paid in blood.
Innocent blood.
Young blood.
The death of a future generation on battlements commanded by the aged and the ruling elite. Safe in their ivory towers they command the life, and the death, of millions below.
This is the reality of war.
It is not a glamorous reality. And in war, it should be noted, that there are no winners. The only correct resolution of a war is to find in what you have left that that which kept you apart is finally gone, and now, in the ruins, can you rebuild what once was lost… together.
This is the price, and the purchase product, of all great wars.
When the warring factions agree to find a permanent peace, then the war is over. Everything else is just a different type of battle. Some are fought with knives and sharp words. Others with laser beams and exploding bombs. But no matter whether it be with words or weapons, war continues until it can continue no longer. Those who are comfortable in a state of relative peace do not understand the cyclical, continual nature of war. No matter how long it has been since the last engagement, no treaty or truce will hold as long as the fundamental reasons for war, whatever they may be, exist.
Your galaxy is at war for reasons you do not know.
Moreover, they are reasons that I do not know.
What is the fundamental difference between a Jedi and a Sith?
What is it that separates them so?
What is it that causes them to plunge the galaxy into turmoil, war, and despair?
What drives them?
What motivates them to choose those actions?
Why does a person being a Jedi or a Sith seem so revolting that the only cure to one’s being aware of the continued existence of the other must be intergalactic war?
Why does this concern you?
Why do you pay the price for what differences they have?
Because that is what is happening to you. For hundreds of years have the Jedi, or the Sith, exchanged the base of power on the world of Coruscant. With the various Sith pulling the strings of the New Order today, back to the Jedi Organa Solo and her command of the New Republic, to Eternal Rogue Order under Recon Klain, back further to the Galactic Empire under Palpatine, and further still, to the Jedi Order sitting atop the cityworld with a spire rising above all spires. And as the faces change, the orders rename, the fundamental conflict remains the same, and the ones who pay for this conflict are the innocent people.
Not the Jedi.
Nor the Sith.
But the people caught in between.
Fleeing their homes. Burying their dead. And fighting a war that they don’t even understand. Being told that one side, or the other, is inherently evil, and must be destroyed, but never being told why. Only told that you must fight. And that if you do not, you will be killed.
This conflict has been the basis of the existence of this galaxy for centuries. Today, it comes to an end.
I stand atop what was once known as Imperial Center. The palace of the Emperor, in fact, in which the housing of both Palpatine’s Galactic Empire, and Daemon Hyfe’s New Order, lorded over the galaxy. Debris is strewn everywhere now; the ruins of the greatest city that the combined civilizations of this galaxy have been able to craft. A statue of Palpatine himself, carved into the side of this building, taller than most buildings in fact, as falling; corrosive acid eating away at the metal and stone, reducing both to simple ash. His nose fell twenty minutes ago; I suspect his jaw is next.
What your Sith, and your Jedi, created in the past centuries we have undone in the span of a single Coruscan month.
With my foot I step on the remnants of The New Order.
In ash it loses much of the luster that it displayed in war.
Do not mistake this broadcast as a boast, however.
I take no joy in the lives lost here today. The soldiers of The New Order fought bravely, and are to be commended. They have done their gods worthy and earned their place amongst the honored dead. I salute them, and those who fought with them and survived. They were vigilant opponents.
I take joy in the destruction of the power of the Sith.
The hold of the Sith, and the Jedi, on this galaxy has ended today.
For the first time in centuries, I stand on this world, capital of the galaxy, and I stand not as a Sith, or a Jedi, but as a man.
A great man, perhaps. Only time will tell. But I am only a man. I exert no mystical control over those around, or use subversive hypnosis to bend them to my will.
I am the leader of The Dominion. My name is Artanis Daz’da’mar.
This broadcast is a declaration of war. Not of war between myself and any government, or between my military and theirs. This is a war against those who would cause a continuing, devastating war to continue.
I hereby declare war on Force Users everywhere.
Be they Jedi or Sith. From this day forward, I decree that the difference is negligible as both will be considered enemies of the free people of the galaxy.
The time of the dominance of Force Users over the civilians of the worlds of this galaxy is henceforth declared dead.
We will use all resources of The Dominion, from this galaxy and from others, to pursue, and destroy, the Force Users who continue to rally against the cause of peace and mutual understanding in this galaxy.
From atop the Imperial Palace I extend the following offer to all governments of the free people of the galaxy.
The world of Coruscant will continue to be the hub that you are all used to. Within one week, the infrastructure of this world will be rebuilt and it will be suitable for human population once again. As such, I declare this world to be open to visitation by any and all representatives of the free people of the galaxy.
The only exception is Force Users.
Force Users are welcome on Coruscant as long as their intention is to surrender to The Dominion. If so, we will accept their surrender and will forgo execution.
If a government representative wishes to surrender prisoner Force Users then we will accept that as well. We will also forgo their execution provided they remain peaceful and cooperative.
Any government who wishes to surrender prisoner Force Users shall receive an immediate non-aggression pact from The Writers Of Scripture And Law. This will be a binding agreement that will ensure the continued cooperation between our people and yours.
This offer extends to The New Order as well; this attack upon your capital world was necessary to demonstrate the capability of our Dominion. Beyond that, and the Force Users within your hierarchy, we have no conflict with your Empire.
We are receptive to negotiations that will facilitate the repopulation of Coruscant under The New Order. Those talks may begin when you so desire.
I look forward to the coming peace between the governments of this galaxy.
But that will not happen if they continue to follow the whims and wills of the Jedi and the Sith. So I say this now, to all Force Users, and to all governments who would shelter them; in choosing to resist the movement of peace, you propagate hatred, violence, and war. In so choosing you make yourself an enemy of not just The Dominion, but the free people of this galaxy and beyond. Your war is over. You have lost. If you surrender, and negotiate peace, then there is a place for you within the society that will evolve.
If you do not, you will be executed.
I take no joy in murder. I do what must be done.
I will not hesitate in this mission. I will complete the task that Borleas Quayver has given me.
I will see peace in this galaxy.
And so will you all.
For millennia The Dominion has opposed the will of tyrants. We defeated the Yuuzhan Vong. So shall we defeat the Jedi and the Sith.
I call on citizens everywhere to assist us in marching towards peace.
Entaro,
Artanis Daz’Da’Mar.”
With that, the signal faded. Static was once again all that was available on the HoloNet.
It took the Cree'Ar six hours to construct an interface through which they could broadcast a message. It began to all those who still had active terminals after a few weeks of static as simple scrolling numbers, but it was soon replaced by a face.
Artanis Daz’Da’Mar.
He opened his mouth, and spoke.
“For the past century, your galaxy has been at war.
It has been a war of many different states. From periods featuring open, outright hostilities, to periods of subtle manipulation and politicking, to periods featuring death and violence on a horrifically encompassing scale, this war has never ended.
My people as well are a people who have experienced the triumphs and defeats of war.
And though we do what we must in the face of oppressive forces, we remain always fearful and horrified of the cost… the barbarism, the savage price that is paid in war.
Paid in blood.
Innocent blood.
Young blood.
The death of a future generation on battlements commanded by the aged and the ruling elite. Safe in their ivory towers they command the life, and the death, of millions below.
This is the reality of war.
It is not a glamorous reality. And in war, it should be noted, that there are no winners. The only correct resolution of a war is to find in what you have left that that which kept you apart is finally gone, and now, in the ruins, can you rebuild what once was lost… together.
This is the price, and the purchase product, of all great wars.
When the warring factions agree to find a permanent peace, then the war is over. Everything else is just a different type of battle. Some are fought with knives and sharp words. Others with laser beams and exploding bombs. But no matter whether it be with words or weapons, war continues until it can continue no longer. Those who are comfortable in a state of relative peace do not understand the cyclical, continual nature of war. No matter how long it has been since the last engagement, no treaty or truce will hold as long as the fundamental reasons for war, whatever they may be, exist.
Your galaxy is at war for reasons you do not know.
Moreover, they are reasons that I do not know.
What is the fundamental difference between a Jedi and a Sith?
What is it that separates them so?
What is it that causes them to plunge the galaxy into turmoil, war, and despair?
What drives them?
What motivates them to choose those actions?
Why does a person being a Jedi or a Sith seem so revolting that the only cure to one’s being aware of the continued existence of the other must be intergalactic war?
Why does this concern you?
Why do you pay the price for what differences they have?
Because that is what is happening to you. For hundreds of years have the Jedi, or the Sith, exchanged the base of power on the world of Coruscant. With the various Sith pulling the strings of the New Order today, back to the Jedi Organa Solo and her command of the New Republic, to Eternal Rogue Order under Recon Klain, back further to the Galactic Empire under Palpatine, and further still, to the Jedi Order sitting atop the cityworld with a spire rising above all spires. And as the faces change, the orders rename, the fundamental conflict remains the same, and the ones who pay for this conflict are the innocent people.
Not the Jedi.
Nor the Sith.
But the people caught in between.
Fleeing their homes. Burying their dead. And fighting a war that they don’t even understand. Being told that one side, or the other, is inherently evil, and must be destroyed, but never being told why. Only told that you must fight. And that if you do not, you will be killed.
This conflict has been the basis of the existence of this galaxy for centuries. Today, it comes to an end.
I stand atop what was once known as Imperial Center. The palace of the Emperor, in fact, in which the housing of both Palpatine’s Galactic Empire, and Daemon Hyfe’s New Order, lorded over the galaxy. Debris is strewn everywhere now; the ruins of the greatest city that the combined civilizations of this galaxy have been able to craft. A statue of Palpatine himself, carved into the side of this building, taller than most buildings in fact, as falling; corrosive acid eating away at the metal and stone, reducing both to simple ash. His nose fell twenty minutes ago; I suspect his jaw is next.
What your Sith, and your Jedi, created in the past centuries we have undone in the span of a single Coruscan month.
With my foot I step on the remnants of The New Order.
In ash it loses much of the luster that it displayed in war.
Do not mistake this broadcast as a boast, however.
I take no joy in the lives lost here today. The soldiers of The New Order fought bravely, and are to be commended. They have done their gods worthy and earned their place amongst the honored dead. I salute them, and those who fought with them and survived. They were vigilant opponents.
I take joy in the destruction of the power of the Sith.
The hold of the Sith, and the Jedi, on this galaxy has ended today.
For the first time in centuries, I stand on this world, capital of the galaxy, and I stand not as a Sith, or a Jedi, but as a man.
A great man, perhaps. Only time will tell. But I am only a man. I exert no mystical control over those around, or use subversive hypnosis to bend them to my will.
I am the leader of The Dominion. My name is Artanis Daz’da’mar.
This broadcast is a declaration of war. Not of war between myself and any government, or between my military and theirs. This is a war against those who would cause a continuing, devastating war to continue.
I hereby declare war on Force Users everywhere.
Be they Jedi or Sith. From this day forward, I decree that the difference is negligible as both will be considered enemies of the free people of the galaxy.
The time of the dominance of Force Users over the civilians of the worlds of this galaxy is henceforth declared dead.
We will use all resources of The Dominion, from this galaxy and from others, to pursue, and destroy, the Force Users who continue to rally against the cause of peace and mutual understanding in this galaxy.
From atop the Imperial Palace I extend the following offer to all governments of the free people of the galaxy.
The world of Coruscant will continue to be the hub that you are all used to. Within one week, the infrastructure of this world will be rebuilt and it will be suitable for human population once again. As such, I declare this world to be open to visitation by any and all representatives of the free people of the galaxy.
The only exception is Force Users.
Force Users are welcome on Coruscant as long as their intention is to surrender to The Dominion. If so, we will accept their surrender and will forgo execution.
If a government representative wishes to surrender prisoner Force Users then we will accept that as well. We will also forgo their execution provided they remain peaceful and cooperative.
Any government who wishes to surrender prisoner Force Users shall receive an immediate non-aggression pact from The Writers Of Scripture And Law. This will be a binding agreement that will ensure the continued cooperation between our people and yours.
This offer extends to The New Order as well; this attack upon your capital world was necessary to demonstrate the capability of our Dominion. Beyond that, and the Force Users within your hierarchy, we have no conflict with your Empire.
We are receptive to negotiations that will facilitate the repopulation of Coruscant under The New Order. Those talks may begin when you so desire.
I look forward to the coming peace between the governments of this galaxy.
But that will not happen if they continue to follow the whims and wills of the Jedi and the Sith. So I say this now, to all Force Users, and to all governments who would shelter them; in choosing to resist the movement of peace, you propagate hatred, violence, and war. In so choosing you make yourself an enemy of not just The Dominion, but the free people of this galaxy and beyond. Your war is over. You have lost. If you surrender, and negotiate peace, then there is a place for you within the society that will evolve.
If you do not, you will be executed.
I take no joy in murder. I do what must be done.
I will not hesitate in this mission. I will complete the task that Borleas Quayver has given me.
I will see peace in this galaxy.
And so will you all.
For millennia The Dominion has opposed the will of tyrants. We defeated the Yuuzhan Vong. So shall we defeat the Jedi and the Sith.
I call on citizens everywhere to assist us in marching towards peace.
Entaro,
Artanis Daz’Da’Mar.”
With that, the signal faded. Static was once again all that was available on the HoloNet.