Conquest of the Palegic System
Over 50 years have passed since the end of the Clone Wars, the dissolution of the Republic Senate and the defeat of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Amid the present turmoil of the galaxy, the Clone Wars are nothing by a distant memory to most of the galaxy. However, tucked away in the wild Unknown Regions, there remains a people for whom that conflict is not a distant memory.
The Republic of Palegic is a small, fracture government formed out of the hordes of pro-seperatist humans that fled the core and inner systems as the Clone Wars slowly drove on, shattering homes and lives everywhere as the CIS and Republic battled for what each side saw as freedom. Many of those lives ruined were humans who had pledged their lives and thrown their lot in the CIS as it carved its path across the galaxy, hoping to end the tiresome corruption of the Senate. Their dreams were cast aside though, when the command codes reached their small splinter colonies, deactivating the droids with them, leaving them alone apparently to fend for themselves in the Unknown Regions. The Republic of Palegic is, in fact, an entire star system. Every world, every being there, under the rule of a loosely set Senate, only a very loose model of the original, the politicians of this government know full well what will happen to them if they take too long to come to a decision.
The palegian political system runs rather simply, if the currently elected government is taking too long because of party politics, the people may vote to force new governmental elections, shoving out the politicians who are delaying proceedings. This method is used solely out of the continuing Seperatist setiments that the Palegians hold besides a severe isolationist mentality. Hyperspace travel is entirely banned by the government, much to the relief of the Palegian people who do not wish to draw the attentions of the obviously victorious Republic to them. The Palegic people are, in fact, completely naive of the rise of the Galactic Empire and the following years, having avoided all contact, even with the Chiss or other strange beings that prowled the Unknown Regions, their system quite unsavory, though it sports nine worlds, five of which have breathable atmospheres.
With or without air, the Palegic people have become entirely self reliant with so many years left to develop on their own, colonizing and flourishing on all of the worlds. Their first necessary action was the reactivation of the droids accompanying them, establishing the Palegic Mechanized Militia, the governments automated military force. Since that time the Palegians have become specialists in droid design and production, the four airless worlds converted into massive factories to supply the Palegic people with what they need from servant droids to common household goods. The system itself has no true lower class, as all Palegians produce enough income from their work amongst their industries to more than scrap a living, leaving only the droids as a lower class.
The Palegians now rather pride themselves on their capacity to manufacture droids, completely unaware most of their models are already several decades ahead technologically of what most of the galaxy has on its markets. The Palegian economy only thrives off of their constant lust to create. Palegians love to design and improve their droids, but have also paid attention to the Seperatist war machines that brought them here. Weaspons technology was another pride of theirs, primarily out of the primal fear of being discovered by the Republic. The Palegic weapons and technological standards besides droids surprisingly equal that of most of the civilized galaxy.
This unfortunate lust for building and tinkering has generated massive divisions of the Palegic Mechanized Militia, calling for a fleet effort to if anything else store and give the droids something to do rather than collect dust. Thankfully due to this, the Palegic Republic survived a Yuuzhan Vong incursion into their star system, every last Palegic ship crewed by highly intelligent droids and artificial intelligences. The ensuing battle completely annihilated the Vong before they could send off any real report but also required a demand for more heavily armed and fitted warships. The Palegians thus began Operation Retrofit, redesigning the interiors of every vessel, making room for many more advanced weapons and smaller more powerful engines and reactors. This new navy gave the Palegians the ability to now police their entire system easily, routing out pirate elements with one of their droid fleets.
Palegians love their droids greatly, even giving some models who have not been memory wiped, citizenship status as their droids are able to cognate actual thought if left without memory wipes. The Mechanized Militia carries out its own routine memory wipes to maintain order in its ranks so that no AI or droid develops psychotic tendencies. What has made these greatly advanced droids possible is experimentation into artificial neural tissue, which was found to be able to operate much more efficiently than normal circuitry. Seeing the downfall of droid hive minds, via droid control stations and ships, the Palegians installed this new synthbrain into all models and computers. Even the most basic battle droid of Palegian build can easily out-think its predecessor models from so many years ago.
So, the Palegians and their droids have been left alone to flourish and prosper, maintaining a rather large and easy to maintain military force primarily out of continual paranoia. But the peaceful splendor of the system should not fool you. The system is suffering much political strife at this time as Senator Robert Vetinari rallies the Expansionist League, a small but growing political movenment in the Palegic Senate, demanding that it is the right of the Palegic people to begin claiming other worlds in the Unknown Regions for themselves. The League's main opponent is the Home Alliance, a conservative, isolationist group determined to keep Palegic safe from discovery. What is about to ensue in the following months is a destructive civil war that will decide the fate of not only the system, but the very government of the Palegic System as ideologies collide. Unfortunately for the Palegic people, while no government has or likely will find them, a mineral resource scout for the Tagge Company has...
Palegic Theta
System Capital
Theta Prime
Capital City
The immense silver dome of the Palegian Quorum rose above the capital city of Theta Prime, glittering in the bright sunlight of a beautiful day, the sky a serene purple. Repulsor cars flitted about and the streets buzzed with activity, humans and droids going about their day to day business, oblivious to the fact that the Palegic Senate was about to have another rather unfriendly session as the Expansionist League continued to argue its points, demanding that Palegic drop its veil of secrecy and start moving out into the galaxy.
Enter the Quorum floor, where the ten elected Senators from each of the nine Palegic worlds sit, each group of ten seated together, representing the different groups and interests of their specific zones, each of them wearing the color their represented home world uses in state affairs. Sitting at the direct center are the ten Senators of Palegic Epsilon, one of the four airless worlds and the fifth world in the system. Every man sitting there is wearing deep red, denoting the color not only of Palegic Epsilon, but also the color of the Expansionist League as the entirety of Palegic Epsilon is the home and primary world of the League. At the very front of the Epsilon Senators sits Robert Vetinari, the mastermind of the League, dressed in his trademark cream white dress coat, his red suit shirt beneath. A rather calm, observant expression is upon his face, though many a time it can be seen more animated across the Palegic news nets, speaking of the League’s ideals of new worlds to settle, the expansion of Palegic control. He liked to refer to it as the Movement, and this movement was beginning to show up everywhere.
Almost every Palegic citizen on Epsilon wore a red armband or sash, each of these having a sphere with arrows pointing out of it from all directions. Progress or Poverty, which was the battle cry of the Expansionists on the political battlefield, could be heard being cried outside the Senate as Movement supporters rallied outside the Senate. The League was currently only a minority compared to the Home Alliance, but more citizens were starting to pick up the ideals of expanding the territory of the Republic. Everyone knows that the more worlds there are, the more they can build, sell, and create, feeding the Palegic economy. Companies alone were already rallying behind Senator Vetinari’s Movement, funding it, helping with its campaign to further spread the ideals of the League and in turn gain more members for the Movement.
The Home Alliance though, still held popular support, at least four clusters of Senators all wearing blue along with their home colors. Consul Mathic Locke, current ruler of the Republic by Senate election was at the forefront of the Alliance, though never daring to try to censor the League or its Movement supporters as that would go against everything their Republic stood for. It did not help that Mathic Locke and Robert Vetinari were long time rivals, even now watching eachother slightly as the Senate continued on with State business.
“….and that, my fellow Senators, is why we cannot afford to do as the League is so intent on doing, we cannot afford expansion nor even risk if I need remind you all? The Republic is still out there and we all know they will still likely bare a grudge against anyone who fought for the Confederacy of Independent Systems. What’s worse, they’ll recognize the fact we still utilize CIS type droid models, even though, mind you, we have greatly improved upon them since oh so long ago and saved out people much suffering thanks to the efforts of our mechanical citizens.”
The four clusters of Alliance members stood and clapped along with much of the rest of the Senate while the League members sat there, looking slightly mutinous. As the Senator stepped down from the stage, Vetinari leaned over and spoke to the Senator next to him.
“This is complete and utter rubbish, we’re just sitting in system out of bloody fear, how can these idiots not understand that we need to expand if we don’t want the frakking economy to eventually collapse…”
“I’m not sure, Robert, you humans have always been so easily controlled by your emotions that most of your never seen to grasp long term sitations,” replied H-49, one of several droid Senators within the Senate, all of whom also wore expansionist arm bands and all dressed like humans.
“Well, that’s true, yet I see all your droid colleagues agree with me.”
“That is because we view your estimates as correct, Robert, we see the coming problem, but the Alliance does not and several of its members still look down at my fellow droids and I as still simply things,” H-49 replied in disgusted tones.
“We shall deal with that bigotry once the League takes control of the Senate.”
“I should hope so, Robert, you and your League members seem to be the only ones who accept free machines as people.”
“But of course, we can’t go denying someone their rights just because their made of out metal,” Robert said with a small smile.
And it also happens to earn me some much needed support, Vetinari added mentally.
Robert Vetinari did, in fact think of the self aware droids as people, he also happened to view them as much more naïve and easy to manipulate as well, thus he appealed to them greatly and had a great swelling of support from the free units, as they called themselves. This was a foundation of the League, showing its liberal acceptance of the self aware units, accepting their freedom. Center portions of the Alliance did not do this and thus self aware droids left their worlds very often, taking away a valuable work force that ended up often on Epsilon, referred to as the unofficial capital of the self aware droids of the Republic where they were treated as people and protected from the bigotry of the others worlds. Epsilon thrived on this as well as its immense manufacturing industries, being one of the four major suppliers, each world run by a different mega corporation, all competing to get the people to buy their products and get government military contracts.
“What news have you heard from Gringe Delicak?” Vetinari asked rather curiously as the next Alliance member stepped up to give his thoughts on the raised expansion issue again.
“He’s starting to gain some support, Robert, but the Alpha inhabitants are hard to sway, very old traditions there, he’s avoiding the free unit issue completely there, they’re all technophobes about such things,” H-49 replied calmly, though his voice showing a little irritation at this.
“We’ll reeducate them if necessary when the time comes,” Vetinari sailed coldly as the new Alliance speaker continued on his tirade of rejections to the expansion issue.
“Indeed, when the League is in control…” H-49 said a little uneasily.
“Are you afraid of what I speak of?”
“No.”
“Then do not fear what may have to be done, it is for the greater good.”
Robert Vetinari turned his attention back to the current Alliance Senator speaking, waiting for his turn along with the the League members that would follow him. They would try to sway more neutral Senators to the League, try to gain the majority vote. His time was coming…
Palegic System Hyperlimit
A small one man, long range vessel shot out of hyperspace and entered the system, calmly cruising into the system. It made its way towards the closest world, the emblem of the Tagge Mining Company on the side of it. It did not spot the Providence-class destroyer until it was too late and was caught in a tractor beam. Valarius Meddel, who was the pilot sat in shock at the capture but remained calm, waiting to see how things went. If all else failed he needed to report this to Edipus Tagge, if he could survive....