“Greetings, fellow gentlebeings of the galaxy. By now, you have heard the declaration of Artanis Daz’Da’Mar. It likely shocked you. Perhaps, frightened you. I understand your feeling, for I too was stunned at the arrival of the Cree’Ar to this galaxy.
My name is Issk. I am formerly a soldier in The Galactic Coalition. I never resigned my commission officially, although this may be considered a formal resignation if so desired. I am not speaking on their behalf, as I no longer pledge my allegiance to them.
In order to tell you what I am about to tell you, I need to begin at the beginning. I was a soldier. One of thousands of soldiers from hundreds of worlds. I came from Azguard; it was my home. My family and my loved ones were from there, and my friends were all members of the Coalition. I was told I was fighting for freedom. I never questioned that, because I was always too busy fighting.
One day, I was assigned to a world called Kiyar. You may have heard of it, or you may not have. I will present you with the brass tacks version. Some time ago, a man named Kilam Black made a broadcast asking for help from the galaxy at large. The world of Kiyar, his homeworld, had come under siege. The governments of the galaxies united, saving Kiyar from certain doom, and establishing a coalition to oversee the planet.
But somewhere, this coalition failed. Cree’Ar forces had received the transmission when it first was broadcast, but some years later became ready to offer assistance. On their investigations, we found a world starving, and on the brink of collapse. As a member of the coalition on the world myself, I do defend our efforts; our shortfalls in aid I can only blame on the decisions of my superiors to pursue foreign wars in place of domestic assistance.
Regardless of our actions, however, the Cree’Ar came to believe that our coalition was enslaving the people by the conditions in which they lived. As a society that values freedom, they found this unacceptable. They attacked. They were perhaps wrong to attack; hindsight affords them the opportunity to decide now, but at the time, they felt it was the only chance the people of Kiyar had to be free.
And so they attacked. And we… myself, my men, and the Coalition forces standing guard on the world, fought them. We fought them into the bitter hours of the morning. Until the medpacks had all been spent. Until the canteens all lay dry and discarded. We fought them to the death. Ours, and theirs. We fought them.
But they won.
They had superior technology and superior numbers. The order came to surrender, and so some of us were taken prisoner. But the leader of the Cree’Ar… at the time, a different Cree’Ar, named Kal Shora… wanted to keep on relatively diplomatic terms, even despite an undiplomatic first encounter. He negotiated the evacuation of the civilian population, the treatment of the wounded, and the turnover of prisoners of war.
Some chose to stay. Some people had made this their home for their entire lives. They could not well leave now. But the Coalition, for the most part, left. A few doctors stayed behind. A few of the diplomats, who had become engrained in the society itself. And one single soldier.
I stayed.
I stayed because I wanted to ensure that Kal Shora kept his word. And he did. He set about restoring the world of Kiyar to the state it was in before the wars began to destroy it. The Cree’Ar have a plant… rez’sha’g’aa’lo, I believe they call it… that feeds on radiation in the soil. It purified the ground which then led to the gradual purification of the groundwater. With the water cycle now clean they removed sediment in treatment plants and provided clean energy with something they call the hyperping generator. The world began to thrive.
But I didn’t leave. I didn’t leave because the longer I stayed, the more I watched the Coalition fighting pointless wars created through their own aggression against enemies new and old. All the while, planets within lost more and more of their wealth to fund these wars to the point where they had no choice but to mortgage themselves to the Vinda Corporation to bail them out. And still, they never stopped fighting.
I didn’t want to be a soldier in pointless wars. To die on foreign soil. I wanted to go home. But that is no longer possible. My actions, today, may cause me to be labeled as a traitor. I have to accept that. Because I see wrong, now, in the universe, and if I do not speak, then that evil will stand unopposed. And evil must be opposed. In all forms and facets we must fight against injustice and the actions of wicked and the damned. Today, I make a stand. Not against Azguard. For Azguard. I make a stand for the people I loved. My people. I make a stand for them against what they have been manipulated into becoming.
A few days ago, a press release was issued on behalf of the Galactic Coalition. In it, Coalition members declared they had found evidence that links the forces of the Reavers, the plight across the galaxy which is consuming and destroying civilizations entire worlds at a time. I stand here, on Coruscant, the former and future capital of this galaxy. I’ve seen Imperial records, including video and holographic recordings of the Reavers, and I tell you, with more than a slight measure of fear, that the Reavers are an evil all their own. They are, in methodology, appearance, and behavior, an entirely unique brand of terror. And they are, indeed, terrifying. I have seen what they have done to worlds that were under the jurisdiction of The New Order. Even this massive empire stood unable to stop them short.
But to the matter at hand. The accusation that, somehow, the Cree’Ar destroyed The Black Dragon Empire, perhaps with the Reavers, and then set them about the galaxy. I watch the way that the Cree’Ar Dominion have been rebuilding this world… slowly, as the damage, both inflicted by the invading forces of the Dominion, and inflicted by the departing bombers of The Empire, has been substantial… I know that there is no way that something as… absolutely evil, could have been spawned from a people who, for the most part, dedicate themselves to the pursuit of science, faith, peace, and understanding towards which they can better their own society. Yes, the Cree’Ar have a military, and yes, their first contacts in this galaxy have been somewhat violent. But they are not interested in the devouring of innocent worlds. That is not their way. Before you indict them for this manufactured crime, see the evidence for yourself. I believe you will find it to be either manipulated, entirely circumstantial, or simply non-existent.
We have access to an entirely different set of evidence, however, that we would like to share with you. Unfortunately, I have no reference materials in order to clarify things, but I intend to state what I know, and invite you to verify it of your own accord. In the evacuation The New Order was careful to expunge all sensitive data from their computers. A wise precaution to be sure, but apparently The Empire felt that leaving holographic recordings of the aliens who attacked them as they handed over their planet to the control of aliens who were attacking was only logical. Of course, we weren’t the only ones who launched an attack against the Empire. It turns out they were attacked at Kamino as well.
Shortly before Coruscant collapsed for good, the surrender of the New Order at Kamino was formalized and the planet was officially transferred over to The Galactic Coalition. Fair trade for the Imperials, since the planet had just come under siege. But they were unaware, of course, as were most people, that the planet had come under siege from the Azguard. After all, many are those who only heard of the Azguard as myth and legend before one got down on his knee and kissed the boots of the leader of The Empire. But as someone who remembers the Azguard before they joined the Coalition, the days of the Azguard Galactic Military, and the later reorganization of that military into the Azguard Home Defense Fleet, I recognize those vessels. They are, unmistakably, Azguard.
You may notice that I speak of the Azguard Galactic Military with some measure of pride. I am proud of my people. And seeing what they have become darkens my heart. It was around that time that one of our foremost commanders left in search of a higher calling. He searched out The Jedi Order. When he returned, however, his influence began to change our society. At first, many were receptive of such changes. But soon, I grew wary of them. We stopped being a proud, but isolated society, and instead joined a Coalition of bullies and thugs who attempted to push our own moral values on the rest of the galaxy… by force, if necessary. It was a change that I could not support. When our once upstanding people slid into bed with the Outer Rim Sovereignty, we crossed the line that can never be uncrossed.
There is a reason I am making this broadcast. The Cree’Ar have long regarded, and still do regard, the Galactic Coalition as less of a legitimate government and more of a group of intergalactic terrorists. They have started numerous wars against numerous legitimately instated governments across the galaxy. Their policy of striking first and subsequently surrendering without ever explaining why they insisted on war in the first place is no longer feasible, so they have switched their tactics to sneak attacks on people they claim to be allied with. And make no mistake, the Azguard would gladly shake hands with the devil himself if it allowed them the ability to get positive PR from fighting against the Reavers. That they are now forming an anti-Reaver coalition with the very people they attacked at Kamino is not surprising to me, but it does turn me cold.
I realize that you likely view my words here with a skeptical eye, and I cannot blame you for that. You may immediately dismiss this as Dominion propaganda, and I could not blame you for that either. But I am not doing this because I spend my time amongst the Dominion, I am doing this because I was born amongst the Azguard. I will never be anything other than an Azguard. It saddens me now to see what my people have become. Duplicitous. Devious. Disrespectful warmongers. This cannot continue. The immortal souls of my people hangs in the balance. This path that the current government of the Coalition and Azguard itself has committed to must be stopped here.
And so, today, I ensure that the Azguard will no longer be able to hide behind the veil, launching attacks as they see fit.
The following coordinates are the coordinates of Azguard, Hurok, Hephastus, and Kraken IV. They are the original colonies and the homeworld of the Azguard. You may verify my words there.
In closing, I would like to directly address Prime Minister Regrad: you may stand opposed to all that the Cree’Ar represent. But you need to stand true to your own principles. One of those stated principles is to judge not lest thee be judged. You would be wise not to antagonize foreign governments while your standing to the galaxy at large is primarily considered to be akin to a terrorist.
That, and I want to come home. Repent your sins. There is still time for us all.
Eptar'a'kar'a.”
My name is Issk. I am formerly a soldier in The Galactic Coalition. I never resigned my commission officially, although this may be considered a formal resignation if so desired. I am not speaking on their behalf, as I no longer pledge my allegiance to them.
In order to tell you what I am about to tell you, I need to begin at the beginning. I was a soldier. One of thousands of soldiers from hundreds of worlds. I came from Azguard; it was my home. My family and my loved ones were from there, and my friends were all members of the Coalition. I was told I was fighting for freedom. I never questioned that, because I was always too busy fighting.
One day, I was assigned to a world called Kiyar. You may have heard of it, or you may not have. I will present you with the brass tacks version. Some time ago, a man named Kilam Black made a broadcast asking for help from the galaxy at large. The world of Kiyar, his homeworld, had come under siege. The governments of the galaxies united, saving Kiyar from certain doom, and establishing a coalition to oversee the planet.
But somewhere, this coalition failed. Cree’Ar forces had received the transmission when it first was broadcast, but some years later became ready to offer assistance. On their investigations, we found a world starving, and on the brink of collapse. As a member of the coalition on the world myself, I do defend our efforts; our shortfalls in aid I can only blame on the decisions of my superiors to pursue foreign wars in place of domestic assistance.
Regardless of our actions, however, the Cree’Ar came to believe that our coalition was enslaving the people by the conditions in which they lived. As a society that values freedom, they found this unacceptable. They attacked. They were perhaps wrong to attack; hindsight affords them the opportunity to decide now, but at the time, they felt it was the only chance the people of Kiyar had to be free.
And so they attacked. And we… myself, my men, and the Coalition forces standing guard on the world, fought them. We fought them into the bitter hours of the morning. Until the medpacks had all been spent. Until the canteens all lay dry and discarded. We fought them to the death. Ours, and theirs. We fought them.
But they won.
They had superior technology and superior numbers. The order came to surrender, and so some of us were taken prisoner. But the leader of the Cree’Ar… at the time, a different Cree’Ar, named Kal Shora… wanted to keep on relatively diplomatic terms, even despite an undiplomatic first encounter. He negotiated the evacuation of the civilian population, the treatment of the wounded, and the turnover of prisoners of war.
Some chose to stay. Some people had made this their home for their entire lives. They could not well leave now. But the Coalition, for the most part, left. A few doctors stayed behind. A few of the diplomats, who had become engrained in the society itself. And one single soldier.
I stayed.
I stayed because I wanted to ensure that Kal Shora kept his word. And he did. He set about restoring the world of Kiyar to the state it was in before the wars began to destroy it. The Cree’Ar have a plant… rez’sha’g’aa’lo, I believe they call it… that feeds on radiation in the soil. It purified the ground which then led to the gradual purification of the groundwater. With the water cycle now clean they removed sediment in treatment plants and provided clean energy with something they call the hyperping generator. The world began to thrive.
But I didn’t leave. I didn’t leave because the longer I stayed, the more I watched the Coalition fighting pointless wars created through their own aggression against enemies new and old. All the while, planets within lost more and more of their wealth to fund these wars to the point where they had no choice but to mortgage themselves to the Vinda Corporation to bail them out. And still, they never stopped fighting.
I didn’t want to be a soldier in pointless wars. To die on foreign soil. I wanted to go home. But that is no longer possible. My actions, today, may cause me to be labeled as a traitor. I have to accept that. Because I see wrong, now, in the universe, and if I do not speak, then that evil will stand unopposed. And evil must be opposed. In all forms and facets we must fight against injustice and the actions of wicked and the damned. Today, I make a stand. Not against Azguard. For Azguard. I make a stand for the people I loved. My people. I make a stand for them against what they have been manipulated into becoming.
A few days ago, a press release was issued on behalf of the Galactic Coalition. In it, Coalition members declared they had found evidence that links the forces of the Reavers, the plight across the galaxy which is consuming and destroying civilizations entire worlds at a time. I stand here, on Coruscant, the former and future capital of this galaxy. I’ve seen Imperial records, including video and holographic recordings of the Reavers, and I tell you, with more than a slight measure of fear, that the Reavers are an evil all their own. They are, in methodology, appearance, and behavior, an entirely unique brand of terror. And they are, indeed, terrifying. I have seen what they have done to worlds that were under the jurisdiction of The New Order. Even this massive empire stood unable to stop them short.
But to the matter at hand. The accusation that, somehow, the Cree’Ar destroyed The Black Dragon Empire, perhaps with the Reavers, and then set them about the galaxy. I watch the way that the Cree’Ar Dominion have been rebuilding this world… slowly, as the damage, both inflicted by the invading forces of the Dominion, and inflicted by the departing bombers of The Empire, has been substantial… I know that there is no way that something as… absolutely evil, could have been spawned from a people who, for the most part, dedicate themselves to the pursuit of science, faith, peace, and understanding towards which they can better their own society. Yes, the Cree’Ar have a military, and yes, their first contacts in this galaxy have been somewhat violent. But they are not interested in the devouring of innocent worlds. That is not their way. Before you indict them for this manufactured crime, see the evidence for yourself. I believe you will find it to be either manipulated, entirely circumstantial, or simply non-existent.
We have access to an entirely different set of evidence, however, that we would like to share with you. Unfortunately, I have no reference materials in order to clarify things, but I intend to state what I know, and invite you to verify it of your own accord. In the evacuation The New Order was careful to expunge all sensitive data from their computers. A wise precaution to be sure, but apparently The Empire felt that leaving holographic recordings of the aliens who attacked them as they handed over their planet to the control of aliens who were attacking was only logical. Of course, we weren’t the only ones who launched an attack against the Empire. It turns out they were attacked at Kamino as well.
Shortly before Coruscant collapsed for good, the surrender of the New Order at Kamino was formalized and the planet was officially transferred over to The Galactic Coalition. Fair trade for the Imperials, since the planet had just come under siege. But they were unaware, of course, as were most people, that the planet had come under siege from the Azguard. After all, many are those who only heard of the Azguard as myth and legend before one got down on his knee and kissed the boots of the leader of The Empire. But as someone who remembers the Azguard before they joined the Coalition, the days of the Azguard Galactic Military, and the later reorganization of that military into the Azguard Home Defense Fleet, I recognize those vessels. They are, unmistakably, Azguard.
You may notice that I speak of the Azguard Galactic Military with some measure of pride. I am proud of my people. And seeing what they have become darkens my heart. It was around that time that one of our foremost commanders left in search of a higher calling. He searched out The Jedi Order. When he returned, however, his influence began to change our society. At first, many were receptive of such changes. But soon, I grew wary of them. We stopped being a proud, but isolated society, and instead joined a Coalition of bullies and thugs who attempted to push our own moral values on the rest of the galaxy… by force, if necessary. It was a change that I could not support. When our once upstanding people slid into bed with the Outer Rim Sovereignty, we crossed the line that can never be uncrossed.
There is a reason I am making this broadcast. The Cree’Ar have long regarded, and still do regard, the Galactic Coalition as less of a legitimate government and more of a group of intergalactic terrorists. They have started numerous wars against numerous legitimately instated governments across the galaxy. Their policy of striking first and subsequently surrendering without ever explaining why they insisted on war in the first place is no longer feasible, so they have switched their tactics to sneak attacks on people they claim to be allied with. And make no mistake, the Azguard would gladly shake hands with the devil himself if it allowed them the ability to get positive PR from fighting against the Reavers. That they are now forming an anti-Reaver coalition with the very people they attacked at Kamino is not surprising to me, but it does turn me cold.
I realize that you likely view my words here with a skeptical eye, and I cannot blame you for that. You may immediately dismiss this as Dominion propaganda, and I could not blame you for that either. But I am not doing this because I spend my time amongst the Dominion, I am doing this because I was born amongst the Azguard. I will never be anything other than an Azguard. It saddens me now to see what my people have become. Duplicitous. Devious. Disrespectful warmongers. This cannot continue. The immortal souls of my people hangs in the balance. This path that the current government of the Coalition and Azguard itself has committed to must be stopped here.
And so, today, I ensure that the Azguard will no longer be able to hide behind the veil, launching attacks as they see fit.
The following coordinates are the coordinates of Azguard, Hurok, Hephastus, and Kraken IV. They are the original colonies and the homeworld of the Azguard. You may verify my words there.
In closing, I would like to directly address Prime Minister Regrad: you may stand opposed to all that the Cree’Ar represent. But you need to stand true to your own principles. One of those stated principles is to judge not lest thee be judged. You would be wise not to antagonize foreign governments while your standing to the galaxy at large is primarily considered to be akin to a terrorist.
That, and I want to come home. Repent your sins. There is still time for us all.
Eptar'a'kar'a.”