In an age where you're only as good as your oppressive regime's standing in the intergalactic geopolitical rat race, it seems that everyone's scampering back towards the age of the Neanderthals, and it is the people who are trampled in the process.

Between scuffles and skirmishes on Geonosis and idiotic holonet pissing contests where the leaders of our mighty and irresponsible empires square off in a valiant battle of words to discover who can hide their incompetance with the most machismo, the actual issue at hand has been detracted from.

It's not the Empire versus the Republic, the Rogue Empire versus the New Order. It's everyone for themselves, and everyone against the people caught in the resulting struggles.

And, of course, the core of this is our most recent flashpoint of ridiculous conflict, Jilaeek Station. I say ridiculous only because the construction of the station by a former-Jedi who supposedly prides himself on his humanitarian initiatives was ridiculous, and the justification for it equally so. A political hub for the various factions of the galaxy? A massive, 160-kilometer killing machine where people can talk things out. That's like a butchery with a petting zoo.

But it's not that suprising. Only years ago, the construction of an Eclipse Star Destroyer was something of great concern, something that struck terror into the hearts and minds of a people reeling from the shock of a returned Emperor. Now, it's standard to have one, and if you don't, you're up shit's creek. Case in point, the Mon Calamari Republic, who could not even hold the world of their namesake against the Rogue Empire, who gleefully crushed them for enjoyment.

And now, this. A weapon which destroyed the political center of the galaxy rebuilt to replace that political centre. How delightfully morbid and perverse of the Rogue Empire to guise a brutal weapon in such a way.

The end result of all this?

The legitimization of mass-murderers as leaders of government. By creating such things under the thin veil of something for the people, it slowly edges the idea that huge amounts of death and suffering is merely a part of war; that superweapons and their use can ever be justified, and that mass slaughter is the bastard child of conquest.

And every martial-political leader who builds one of these monstrosities, who acts as if their use is routine, merely pushes the galaxy further and further towards the eventuality of warlords and despots becoming respected icons.

If it merely stopped at superweapons, hope would be plausible.

But, no. Instead, we have an Empire which slaughters innocents and uses them as cannon fodder, and a Republic who lets them. A Rogue Empire that crushes innocent societies like the MCR and the Freedom Guard while banging it's own warchest and proudly pronouncing itself anti-terrorist.

What we have is every single murderous, evil act committed by the governments of our galaxy guised as a legitmate act of war committed for the common good. We have warlords like Emperor Fearsons, Grand Admiral Hyfe, Admiral Drakiss, and others, becoming mainstream political turnip salesmen. We have former Sith and convicted murderers like Gash Jiren becoming Supreme Military Chancellors. We have imbeciles and half wits like Grand Admiral Snowkan idly throwing about massive fleets into traps without a care in the world or a modicum of concern for their people.

What we have, is mass murder legitimized.

And with a laugh, I say, May the Force Be With Us.

-Viryn Quell
Freelance Author

[center]AIM: VirynQ

Bra-vo

Well done, even though it is anti everything

snowkan got demoted to 'fresher maintenance duty

Why does everyone keep calling me a mass murderer? One of my divisions killed what, 92 Geonosian warriors in self-defense? Oh heavens to betsy, let's up and call amnesty international.

You completely and utterly forgot about GDI... of course, since this rant was anti-everything, I'll take that as a goos sign.

He also forgot to mention TDO, who are a group so insignificant militarily, and yet seem to believe regardless of that that their opinion actually matters....

Meh, oh well.

I didn't say you, Drakiss, in particular, are a mass murderer.

I meant that you belong to a government populated by mass murderers, and you continue to support it with your gung-ho deeds of grand salvation and political brainwashing.

We only mass murder on occasion, twat. :)

Doing so more often would make it harder to spin as a glorious triumph.

Maybe so, but I'm sure I could still manage it ;)