INS Newsroom
Jerry Randlett stared at the holocam as though he had engaged in some sort of contest with it. He had not been an INS anchor long, and he was determined not to screw up his big chance. The biggest story in a long time had just come across his desk, and he was determined to make the most of it.
The camera clicked on. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and all citizens of the Empire of His Glorious Majesty, Emperor Daemon Hyfe." A bit much, but not a terrible start. He continued. "And to those of you outside the current borders of the Empire, I greet you as well.
"This evening, we have a special treat for you, one that will shock and amaze you. This is especially relevant to those of you outside the Empire who think that our glorious government does not support people in their struggle for freedom from tyranny and oppression. Not long ago, on the planet Valinor near the claimed space of the Contegorian Confederation, one man united many under his banner in his quest to simply achieve the basic rights due to all persons - that is, fair and equal treatment. In the following conflict, it was the Contegorian Confederation that supported the tyrannical government and the Empire that supported those struggling for their freedom. We go now to reporter Adele Fritz. Adele?"
A beautiful young blonde appeared on the screen. "Thank you, Jerry. I am here on a small planet calle Echtabahn with General Liam Zhu of the Freedom Fighters and Commander Racen Selere of the Imperial SS. Gentlemen, thank you for joining me."
They nodded. "Our pleasure," Zhu added.
Fritz continued. "General Zhu, tell us what happened as best you can."
Zhu stared at the camera. "It began several years ago with the election of Valinorian President Hunt. Many loyal Valinorians voted for him, thinking that he would bring prosperity to our planet. But the only ones who received the products of that prosperity were himself and his friends.
"My small mining business was being encroached upon by a government-funded large company. I lodged a complaint. Less than two weeks later, armed thugs had assaulted me, killed my wife, and burned my home. The next day the company offered to buy my land dirt cheap. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't control myself in my grief, and I shot the company representatives. I then fled the scene, knowing that I would be punished and the company would get off scott free."
Adele was shocked. "Are you sure it was the company that hired the thugs?"
Zhu nodded. "Positive. I extracted a confession from one of the representatives before he died. They had hired them, and the government had supported it. Now, I'm not saying everyone in the government was corrupt, but many of them received bribes from the company and, to protect their own interests, wouldn't take action against it.
"So I fled. From that time on I recruited others like myself who had been run out, crushed, or abused by either the government or the company. The government's security forces chased me unmercifully, never allowing me a chance to rest. They assumed automatically that I was exactly like some other warlords that had been raiding mining towns and massacring civilians, despite my repeated pleas for them to examine the evidence. In truth, I was an inconvenience to them, a shining light that could expose their lies."
Adele asked, "And were you able to do so?"
Zhu shook his head. "No. But I did attract the attention of the Imperial SS, who thankfully agreed to assist me in my plight."
Adele turned to Commander Selere. "And that's where you come in?"
Selere nodded. "Yes. Colonel Wesley Vos, my commanding officer, ordered me to go to Valinor and meet with General Zhu. We spoke, and when I determined that his intentions were honorable, I agreed to help. Imperial equipment was smuggled in to him, allowing him to subdue the other warlords and curtail raids on civilian populations. Then the unthinkable happened."
Zhu picked up the tale. "President Hunt went to the Contegorian Confederation and cried that he was helpless, that his people were being killed, the usual story peddled by tyrannical maniacs like him. The Confederation, then, never considering that Hunt might be lying, pledged to rid Valinor of me and all who thought like me. They sent a fleet of ships and an invasion force; thousands of Paladin droids, Sentinal tanks, and Contegorian infantry descended on the planet and began to hunt me.
"Well, I had had enough of running, so I decided to make a stand. We fought the only way we could, using guerilla tactics and moving lines to delay the Contegorian advance. The Imperials were instrumental in helping to coordinate the defense, and they prevented us from all being slaughtered. Still, the death toll was catastrophic. We eventually had to negotiate with the Confederation to simply preserve our lives.
"I agreed to these negotiations thinking that my Freedom Fighters would receive fair treatment. We did not. Commodore Corise Lucerne heard the stories of two of my men, men whose lives were destroyed by the government and the company, yet he ignored those stories in favor of those of the lying, cheating President Hunt. We were forced to move to a new world, which I agreed to because the Confederation agreed to provide transports as well as agricultural and mining equipment for us to be able to establish ourselves.
"When we reached Echtabahn, I negotiated with the existing towns, convincing them to unite in one planetary government. I was elected to head this government, a position which our new Constitution states is for life. I looked forward to years of prosperity for my people.
"But the Confederation was not to be trusted. They failed to deliver the equipment promised, stating that the Empire was our friend, so why didn't we just turn to them?" His jaw set, he continued. "Of course the Empire delivered the necessary supplies, but the Confederation's treachery angered us. It was the third time we had been betrayed by the Confederation. So we agreed to a treaty with the Empire, knowing we would need their protection from the Contegorians."
"And what were the terms of this treaty?" asked Adele.
"Nothing like what we expected," responded Zhu. The Imperials were more than gracious. I was given the honorary rank of Colonel in the Imperial SS. Supplies, equipment, and weapons were provided to my people and to the military of Echtabahn and its moons. They also agreed to protect us in the case of invasion by any government. In return, they asked for the use of one of our moons to eventually hold a small shipyard and for a small base on our planet, as well as a limited tax to be paid to the Empire."
"Well, there you have it, Jerry. The Confederation supporting tyrants, the Empire supporting free government. Is it possible that the Confederation is not all it is portrayed to be? Jerry, back to you."
Jerry reappeared on the screen. "Thank you, Adele. Only time will tell what will happen to the Echtabahnians now. In other news, the Onyxian Commonwealth has been growing more suspicious by the day. It is possible that some hostile action will be seen in the near future, though most likely it will be something small-scale and on the fringes of the Empire..."
Jerry Randlett stared at the holocam as though he had engaged in some sort of contest with it. He had not been an INS anchor long, and he was determined not to screw up his big chance. The biggest story in a long time had just come across his desk, and he was determined to make the most of it.
The camera clicked on. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and all citizens of the Empire of His Glorious Majesty, Emperor Daemon Hyfe." A bit much, but not a terrible start. He continued. "And to those of you outside the current borders of the Empire, I greet you as well.
"This evening, we have a special treat for you, one that will shock and amaze you. This is especially relevant to those of you outside the Empire who think that our glorious government does not support people in their struggle for freedom from tyranny and oppression. Not long ago, on the planet Valinor near the claimed space of the Contegorian Confederation, one man united many under his banner in his quest to simply achieve the basic rights due to all persons - that is, fair and equal treatment. In the following conflict, it was the Contegorian Confederation that supported the tyrannical government and the Empire that supported those struggling for their freedom. We go now to reporter Adele Fritz. Adele?"
A beautiful young blonde appeared on the screen. "Thank you, Jerry. I am here on a small planet calle Echtabahn with General Liam Zhu of the Freedom Fighters and Commander Racen Selere of the Imperial SS. Gentlemen, thank you for joining me."
They nodded. "Our pleasure," Zhu added.
Fritz continued. "General Zhu, tell us what happened as best you can."
Zhu stared at the camera. "It began several years ago with the election of Valinorian President Hunt. Many loyal Valinorians voted for him, thinking that he would bring prosperity to our planet. But the only ones who received the products of that prosperity were himself and his friends.
"My small mining business was being encroached upon by a government-funded large company. I lodged a complaint. Less than two weeks later, armed thugs had assaulted me, killed my wife, and burned my home. The next day the company offered to buy my land dirt cheap. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't control myself in my grief, and I shot the company representatives. I then fled the scene, knowing that I would be punished and the company would get off scott free."
Adele was shocked. "Are you sure it was the company that hired the thugs?"
Zhu nodded. "Positive. I extracted a confession from one of the representatives before he died. They had hired them, and the government had supported it. Now, I'm not saying everyone in the government was corrupt, but many of them received bribes from the company and, to protect their own interests, wouldn't take action against it.
"So I fled. From that time on I recruited others like myself who had been run out, crushed, or abused by either the government or the company. The government's security forces chased me unmercifully, never allowing me a chance to rest. They assumed automatically that I was exactly like some other warlords that had been raiding mining towns and massacring civilians, despite my repeated pleas for them to examine the evidence. In truth, I was an inconvenience to them, a shining light that could expose their lies."
Adele asked, "And were you able to do so?"
Zhu shook his head. "No. But I did attract the attention of the Imperial SS, who thankfully agreed to assist me in my plight."
Adele turned to Commander Selere. "And that's where you come in?"
Selere nodded. "Yes. Colonel Wesley Vos, my commanding officer, ordered me to go to Valinor and meet with General Zhu. We spoke, and when I determined that his intentions were honorable, I agreed to help. Imperial equipment was smuggled in to him, allowing him to subdue the other warlords and curtail raids on civilian populations. Then the unthinkable happened."
Zhu picked up the tale. "President Hunt went to the Contegorian Confederation and cried that he was helpless, that his people were being killed, the usual story peddled by tyrannical maniacs like him. The Confederation, then, never considering that Hunt might be lying, pledged to rid Valinor of me and all who thought like me. They sent a fleet of ships and an invasion force; thousands of Paladin droids, Sentinal tanks, and Contegorian infantry descended on the planet and began to hunt me.
"Well, I had had enough of running, so I decided to make a stand. We fought the only way we could, using guerilla tactics and moving lines to delay the Contegorian advance. The Imperials were instrumental in helping to coordinate the defense, and they prevented us from all being slaughtered. Still, the death toll was catastrophic. We eventually had to negotiate with the Confederation to simply preserve our lives.
"I agreed to these negotiations thinking that my Freedom Fighters would receive fair treatment. We did not. Commodore Corise Lucerne heard the stories of two of my men, men whose lives were destroyed by the government and the company, yet he ignored those stories in favor of those of the lying, cheating President Hunt. We were forced to move to a new world, which I agreed to because the Confederation agreed to provide transports as well as agricultural and mining equipment for us to be able to establish ourselves.
"When we reached Echtabahn, I negotiated with the existing towns, convincing them to unite in one planetary government. I was elected to head this government, a position which our new Constitution states is for life. I looked forward to years of prosperity for my people.
"But the Confederation was not to be trusted. They failed to deliver the equipment promised, stating that the Empire was our friend, so why didn't we just turn to them?" His jaw set, he continued. "Of course the Empire delivered the necessary supplies, but the Confederation's treachery angered us. It was the third time we had been betrayed by the Confederation. So we agreed to a treaty with the Empire, knowing we would need their protection from the Contegorians."
"And what were the terms of this treaty?" asked Adele.
"Nothing like what we expected," responded Zhu. The Imperials were more than gracious. I was given the honorary rank of Colonel in the Imperial SS. Supplies, equipment, and weapons were provided to my people and to the military of Echtabahn and its moons. They also agreed to protect us in the case of invasion by any government. In return, they asked for the use of one of our moons to eventually hold a small shipyard and for a small base on our planet, as well as a limited tax to be paid to the Empire."
"Well, there you have it, Jerry. The Confederation supporting tyrants, the Empire supporting free government. Is it possible that the Confederation is not all it is portrayed to be? Jerry, back to you."
Jerry reappeared on the screen. "Thank you, Adele. Only time will tell what will happen to the Echtabahnians now. In other news, the Onyxian Commonwealth has been growing more suspicious by the day. It is possible that some hostile action will be seen in the near future, though most likely it will be something small-scale and on the fringes of the Empire..."
