Star Wars Republic Holonet News

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Star Wars

Republic Holonet News

uploaded 09.VII.2005

updated : 11.XI.2006

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CORE EDITION | 14:2:12

COUNTER-SLICER TEAM FORMED

SBI ARCOLOGY, CORUSCANT-SBI Director Armand Isard announced the formation of anIntelligence Committee specially dedicated to the protection of government HoloNet channels, and countering the efforts of Separatist slicers who have been transmitting CIS propaganda.

"The communications backbone of the Republic has become a favored target of theSeparatists," said Isard at a media conference yesterday. "Some attacks have been outright destructive, but the insidious attempts to taint our channels with disinformation and viral data is just as dangerous."

The various Offices of Analysis scattered throughout the galaxy will begin assigning agents to the new Cryptanalysis Department, including the Central Office of Analysis on Coruscant. Heading up the new Core department is Sub-Director IlkoDeminar.

"Our recruitment methods for the crypt teams are aggressive and unprecedented, which is indicative of the importance of the matter," said Isard.

While the department leaders will all be drawn from existing Intelligence agents, they have been given clearance to recruit civilian and private sector data experts. The candidate test is simple. A unique encrypted recruitment guide is transmitted to the potential hire. Details on the next step can be determined only by decrypting the guide.

"Our first A-list candidates have already been contacted. I am eagerly awaitingthe responses for our prospective lignyots," said Deminar, using the code-phrase for the potential cryptanalysis agents.

"I'm not at liberty to say what the term lignyot identifies," said Deminar, joking with reporters. "Perhaps figuring it out is the test to get my job."

CIS JAMMER PROTOTYPE DESTROYED

DORUM, BALAMAK-Transmission networks resumed functioning today in the Taldot sector when Republic forces destroyed an experimental jamming platform employed bythe Separatists.

Communications had been disrupted for four standard days, following the arrivalof a Confederacy of Independent Systems flotilla over Balamak, an important food-producing world in the Mid Rim. One Separatist vessel was a Trade Federation Droid Control Ship with a modified transmission array to broadcast jamming signals capable of disrupting a key HoloNet node.

A Republic task force, led by Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Nanda-Ree Janoo engaged the flotilla with a starfighter attack. It was Kenobi's apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who delivered the missile volley that destroyed the jamming craft. Victory i


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s also being credited to Adar Tallon, the renowned starfighter tactician who planned the attack.

REPUBLIC ARMY LIBERATES BASSADRO

AGAO, BASSADRO -- Jedi General Empatojayos Brand's twilight push against the Separatists holed in the Agao Ranges has won the twelve-day Battle of Bassadro. Brand led his armored battalion of clone troopers to the rain-slicked obsidian crags of Bassadro's dormant volcanic ranges that offered cover to the Separatist forces. Brand ordered concussive missile strikes against the rock formations, not only destroying the Separatist's cover but also decimating the battle droid infantry with the resulting razor-sharp shrapnel. The Separatist commander, Major Domb Treetor, a Skakoan, signed a treaty with Brand, surrendering Bassadro and itsmineral wealth back to the Republic fold.


MINISTRY OF SCIENCE REVEALS BIO-WAR VACCINE

MINISCI ARCOLOGY, CORUSCANT-The recent scourge of biological weapons employed by Separatist forces are no longer a threat, according to a report from the Republic's Ministry of Science.

"Advancements in biological counter-agents have rendered the Separatist pathogen

s harmless," said Minister Glimmet Ledd, a member of the prestigious Luurian Genetic Enclave. "Data provided by the Jedi Knights have given us the key to understanding how the Separatists build these microbes and how best to destroy them."

Many Gungan colonists were killed by the release of a biological weapon on Ohma-D'un, a moon of Naboo. Jedi investigators were able to capture raw toxin samples from the Separatist outpost of Queyta eight months ago. Since then, the Ministry of Science has been developing vaccines for the deadly weapon.

"Analysis of the underlying structure of these weapons suggest that they are all built from the same principles," said Ledd. "By comparing our research of the trihexalon threat of a few years ago, we were able to formulate a successful vaccine."

Critics question whether the announcement of a cure will only prompt the Separatists to develop deadlier biological weapons. "Our scientists are ready to deal with any advancements; in this case, it is imperative we announce to the people of the Republic that a preventative solution awaits," said Ledd.

The Ministry of Science and the Refugee Relief Movement are partnering to produce and distribute the vaccine to med-centers throughout the Republic. The reportindicates that a number of non-human species are especially susceptible to the Separatist toxins and are strongly encouraged to register with Republic health organizations for immediate inoculation.

PALPATINE REWARDS JEDI EFFORTS

JEDI TEMPLE, CORUSCANT-Recognizing "the selfless valor in the protection of theRepublic and her worlds," Supreme Chancellor Palpatine recognized the honorabledeeds of Jedi Knight Avan Post and Jedi Master Shaak Ti today with a gift of a grove of ch'hala trees in a ceremony held at the Jedi Temple.

Avan Post of Chandrila was recognized posthumously; he perished last month in askirmish over Ando, during which he destroyed seven Techno Union Hardcell-classvessels. Post had served in many battlefronts early in the conflict. Asran Headows, Master Curator of the Galactic Museum on Coruscant announced the creation of


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a special exhibit honoring the fallen Jedi by year's end.

"Ch'hala trees are among my favorite specimens of the Republic's gardens. They are rigidly implacable yet sensitive to even the slightest disturbance, much like our revered friends in the Jedi Temple. I humbly ask that you accept these tokens of appreciation," said Palpatine.

"I am honored to receive this distinction in service to the Republic. Nonetheless, Jedi eschew possessions, and therefore I donate this gift to the Jedi Temple." said Ti. Her actions on Geonosis, Centares, and Dagu were cited by Palpatine in a list of notable accomplishments by the Togruta Jedi Master.

Ti donated the grove of four dozen infant purple-green trees to the Jedi Council. The spectacular ch'hala trees have pressure-sensitive pigmentation in their bark that allows them to change hue and pattern when exposed to sound.

"We accept this recognition with gratitude, though it is our duty to protect the Republic," said Jedi Master Mace Windu. The Jedi Master then promised the infant grove would find prominent placement within the Jedi Temple.


SEPARATISTS LEAVE ATRAKEN IN RUINS

KATTELLYN CITY, ATRAKEN-The Refugee Relief Movement has declared the planet Atraken - the site of a prolonged battle between Republic and Separatist forces - an "unsalvageable disaster" unfit for humanoid habitation.

The world, once a rich source of doonium, became a battleground when CIS protectionist forces refused to relinquish control of the mining operation there. Entrenched in the planet's crust, the Separatists unleashed biochemical agents to deter the Republic's clone troopers. This resulted in thousands of civilian casualties as the toxins seeped into much of the planet's water tables and ecosystems.

As one of the early fronts of the current conflict, Atraken has been plagued bywarfare for almost a year now. Its distant location from the Corellian Trade Spine hampered Republic resupply efforts for the clone troopers stationed there, bu

t the recent push of Operation Katabatic has turned the tide, allowing for the conquering of the Separatist droid armies.

Though a tactical victory in denying the Separatists access to the valuable shipbuilding ore, the Battle of Atraken has spelled tragedy for the one million inhabitants of the colony world. An estimated 90 percent of the planet's populationhas been poisoned, displaced, or killed in the fighting. Those who can afford to have fled to neighboring worlds, while others are believed to have sought refuge on Trilos, the only Atraken moon with a breathable atmosphere.

"Sadly, Atraken will never be rebuilt. But the lives of those families torn apart by the brutality of war can still be salvaged," said Kaysil Verwood, RRM Spokesbeing.

RRM transport craft are currently awaiting the clearing of an orbital minefieldto examine refugee settlements on the Trilos moon.

SECTOR RANGERS TO CRACK DOWN ON RATION FRAUD

JUDICIAL ARCOLOGY, CORUSCANT-The Republic Office of Criminal Investigation has tasked the Sector Rangers with rooting out ration fraud and enforcing the Victory Rationing Orders and Regulation Plan.


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When the war began a year ago, the General Ministry announced the VRORP to helppreserve vital materiel for the war effort and to slow spiraling inflation of the Republic credit standard. One of the first side effects was a sudden surge incounterfeiting in relation to starship fuel authorization markers. The ration plan limits the amount of fuel and power replenishment available to private craft.

'There are those unscrupulous individuals who are attempting to take advantage of a distracted Republic," said Price Administrator Kachariss Weng. "We will notturn a blind eye to this. Every erg of energy illegally obtained may as well have been handed over to charge the weapons Count Dooku has pointed at us."

The fuel authorization markers come in six different classes. The most popular ones to be counterfeited are the T- and E-markers, permits set aside for authorized transport and emergency vessels. Unlicensed freighter operators, smugglers, and private craft have been found sporting fake markers. Weng provided no comment when asked whether she thought organized crime was behind the counterfeiting.

With the Jedi Order engaged in the fighting of the war, policing and enforcing ration regulations has fallen to the Sector Rangers. Use of counterfeit markers is a Class Three Infraction, carrying with it immediate impoundment of a vessel,a 5,000-credit fine, up to two years imprisonment, and possible loss of business or flight certification.


WAR ON JABIIM "INEVITABLE"

JELWICK, HANDOOINE-Despite last-hour negotiations spearheaded by the Alderaanian Diplomatic Corps, Republic officials have described a war on Jabiim as "inevitable." A sparsely inhabited planet in the neighboring Handooine system has become a Republic staging area for a military engagement likely to start within the standard month.

"We have attempted a diplomatic solution, but the natives of Jabiim do not seemopen to peaceful alternatives," Vice Chair Mas Amedda said during an abbreviated Senate session this morning. Citing issues of security, Amedda refused furthercomment on what he described as a "still-fluid situation." Supreme Chancellor Pa

lpatine was unavailable for comment.

Jabiim has become a political and military hotspot since the majority government chose to side with the Separatists. Jabiimite Spokesbeing Alto Stratus has rebuffed entreaties from the Republic government, despite a vocal loyalist contingent in the Jabiim Congress.

"The Republic is not to be trusted," said Stratus, repeating his often-heard rhetoric in the Caucus Chambers. 'They make noises about peaceful resolutions, butonly once their army is amassed a short hyper-space jump away. We can feel the weight of those soldiers and their weapons behind every creaky promise the Republic chooses to insult us with."

Republic intelligence reports reveal that Separatists have been supplying the Jabiim ruling government with provisions, weapons, and credits to destroy the vocal loyalists. Republic initiatives have focused on the extradition of the loyalists and the mineral resources that many of them own.

"We cannot let these assets fall into the hands of the enemy," said Senator OrnFree Taa (Ryloth). "Stratus, this silver-tongued holocam-favorite, would have us believe it's the will of his people to secede, but he's being played by the Separatists to grab more ore to build their forces. Jabiim has made its choice, but it's a wrong choice, and we will stop at nothing to correct it."


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The Jabiim campaign will not be easy, for the world is perpetually deluged by storms that will complicate any surface-based initiatives. The world experiences less than five days per standard year without precipitation, and the muddy surfaces are unstable and constantly shifting. Visibility for infantry units would behampered, and air support is nearly impossible due to electrically charged atmospheric disturbances.

"A war on Jabiim would be a dirty war in which our forces would have to battle with the elements as well as the droid armies of the Confederacy," Senator Bail Organa (Alderaan) told reporters. "There will be Republic casualties, I'm afraid, and it is my fervent hope that such a costly campaign can be avoided."

On Handooine, the amassed fighting forces wait patiently for the order to strike. With the arrival of the Dominance and its troops, an entire corps awaits deployment to Jabiim. Given the inhospitable climate, much Of the vehicular support of the Jabiim initiative consists of walker vehicles. Hundreds of AT-XTs, AT-TEs, and AT-AT walkers are being carefully prepared and maintained for deployment at a moment's notice.

The Jedi Council has not announced which generals will be assigned to the campaign.


SEPARATISTS ATTACK SHELTER BASE

DOZENS KILLED; GENERAL KENOBI MISSING

SHELTER BASE, JABIIM-A sudden attack by Separatist-backed local forces ravaged the Republic's Shelter Base in the second week of open hostilities on the Outer Rim world of Jabiim, resulting in dozens of casualties and the possible loss of theater commander General Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The attack comes after a string of successful Republic pushes that took three Separatist defensive positions-Camp Aurek, Point Down, and Outpost Shear. These advancements weakened Shelter Base's defenses, as Republic troops were moved farth

er from headquarters to secure the outlying Jabiimite posts.

Intelligence reports failed to detect the Confederacy military equipment, and up until the attack, no hard evidence of a Confederacy presence had been found. The Jabiimite Separatists were employing native soldiers and equipment. Throughout the Jabiim engagement, long-range orbital scanning has been hampered by atmospheric disturbances, resulting in incomplete intelligence.

Under the cover of a night storm, Confederacy hailfire droids unleashed volleysof tanksmasher missiles into the compound. The initial assault claimed 32 clones, all from the 43rd "Killer-Aiwha" Battalion, and there are three confirmed Jedi deaths: Dalnus Cam, Sana-Jis llowa, and Rallcema Bylissura.

Atmospheric disturbances prevented the use of gunship air support, and Jabiim'smuddy surfaces hampered the effectiveness of the Republic AT-ATs, AT-TEs and other armor.

Partial holographic feeds have confirmed that Alto Stratus, the local Separatist leader, personally led the attack. In addition to battle droid infantry, Stratus led an undisclosed number of elite Nimbus soldiers into the assault.

These same feeds have confirmed General Kenobi's presence during the attack, but contact with Jabiim has been lost, and Kenobi has yet to check in as per schedu


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le. The Jedi Council has refrained from comment regarding speculation that the theater commander might be among the dead.

As of this report, the fighting continues at Shelter Base. Contact has currently been lost with HNN field correspondent Angus Laride and Jabiimite Loyalist Front spokesbeing Orliss Gillmunn. Stay tuned to this feed for live updates.

MASTER WINDU LIBERATES SKOR II

METROBIG CITY, SKOR II-King Ebareebaveebeedee of the Squib Polyanarchy has proclaimed Jedi Master Mace Windu an honorary "Big Time Hero of Beyond-Squib Eliteness" today, and unveiled a bronzium statue of the Jedi Master to a crowd of appreciative citizenry.

Windu led a contingent of clone troopers in liberating the Metrobig Interplanetary Blastport from an occupational force of Confederacy battle droid infantry. The Separatists had planned on using Skor II as a launch-point for an operation that would have littered the outer Rimma Trade Route with proximity mines.

"His Mace Windship will forever haunt Squibbish poems and jingles, and future fuzzlings will hear of the valiant Knight with his koovy purplish blade," declared the King.

Mace Windu has since left Skor II and was unavailable for the ceremony. A clone

trooper peacekeeping force has remained behind to monitor Separatist activity. The Jedi Council offered no comment on the ceremony


REPUBLIC YOUTHS HOLD PATRIOT PARADE

MONUMENT PLAZA, CORUSCANT-In a display of pageantry and patriotism, over 6,000 young Republic loyalists marched from the Jrade-Daders Concourse to the newly reopened Monument Plaza, celebrating Republic victories in the ongoing war and thereopening of the historic landmark.

The patriots, aged between 13 and 17 standard years, were members of SAGroup, th

e youth chapter of the increasingly popular Commission for the Protection of the Republic (COMPOR). Consisting of color guards of various ranks, the young volunteers marched in precise military order, carrying banners of the Republic loyalist worlds.

Monument Plaza, the public concourse of the Menerai historic site, had been closed since 13:4:25, when an anonymous terrorist corn-call identified the popular tourist attraction as a target. With a dedicated unit of clone trooper guards protecting the ancient outcropping of naked

Coruscant rock, the facility opened again. In addition to the 6,000 youths, over 10,000 civilians were in attendance, and the ceremony was broadcast live throughout the Core Worlds.

At the end of the march, the youths assembled at the North Garden. There, brigade leader Nenevanth Tion, a 15-year-old junior noble from Lianna, recited a speech from the Kitel Phard Dynasty of the Atrisi system. Invoking the ancient wordsof the 54tn Emperor, Uueg Tching, Tion quoted from a speech regarding the routing of corruption.

"Even the greatest of trees can rot from within, but the vigilant gardener keeps attentive to the signs of decay," recited Tion. "The Gardener is not afraid tocut through the polished skin to tear away a malignant heart, to save the life o


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f that tree. Those who seek shade under that tree would best remember the work of that gardener."

The youths then sang the central passage of Dha Verda Werda, the ancient Coruscant epic poem from the pre-Republic era.

Connected live via holocom, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine addressed the audienceto boisterous cheers. "It pleases me deeply to see such loyalty to the ideals of the Republic. It is the strength of this new generation that will lift us fromthe quagmire of treachery. I am inspired by your vision. It is this generation that will bring a new order to this chaos."

The youth organization has drawn recent media criticism because its membership is composed almost entirely of humans. To date, non-humans makeup less than fivepercent of the ranks, and of the aliens that have been admitted, all are of near-human descent.

"This is sensationalist nonsense," insisted Crueya Vandron, advisor to the Supreme Chancellor. "These echelons that gathered today mark the first generation ofthe SAGroup brigadiers. We cannot help that the first to join happened to be ofhuman descent. We have non-human applicants, to be sure. Their applications arestill under review."


VIRUJANSI PROCLAIM SKYWALKER "WARRIOR OF THE INFINITE"

UNPARALA, VIRUJANSI-The once-gleaming marble edifice of the Palace of Splendid Harmony, home of the ruling Ever Radiant Throne of Virujansi, still bore soot-stains and blast-marks from a Separatist attack as the royal court held a special ceremony to elevate Jedi Anakin Skywalker to the level of "Warrior of the Infinite" today.

The nameless Rajah, speaking through the royal court's Mouth of the Ancestors, read the ancient text of proclamation. "There seem to be no limits to this remarkable young man," said the Rajah, switching to modern Basic as he ended his speech. "Jedi Skywalker has already rightly earned the title 'Hero With No Fear' in h

is exploits in battle. He is an unparalleled leader and a pilot without equal."Although the title offers Skywalker no practical benefits on Virujansi or elsewhere, it is a revered rank only bestowed 29 times in the 6,000-year history of the royal court.

Skywalker and his commanding officer General Obi-Wan Kenobi had been dispatchedto Virujansi six days ago to combine their clone troopers and the local militiainto a combined force to throw off a Separatist occupation. Skywalker personally led a joint squadron of clone trooper starfighter pilots and the Rarefied Air Cavalry, using the giant borecrawler cave network that permeates the Hollow Mountains to confound the Confederacy droid vulture fighters in close-quarter caverndogfights. Without air support, the Confederacy army, consisting of battle droids and Gossam commandos, was decimated by Kenobi's initiative.

Reporters gathered from throughout the sector were unable to ask Skywalker about past exploits on Jabiim or Kamino as General Kenobi excused him from the conference to attend to "other pressing business." The well-regarded Jedi heroes are next shipping out to the Grumani sector to investigate increasing Separatist military activity there.

The Jedi Council has traditionally avoided public accolades, but as the war progresses, participation in such recognition has becoming increasingly common. Media analysts postulate this is a deliberate attempt by the Jedi to build public op


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inion during the trying times of galactic conflict. "It sounds absurd, sure, but you can't deny that the Jedi are getting more and more coverage in the holomedia," says Androosin Liann, host of the popular Eriadu talk show Essense. "Maybe it's the Republic. Maybe it's the Council. It's as if someone is looking for a poster boy, and I don't think you can do much better than Skywalker."

SEPARATISTS SEIZE SHIPYARD PLANS

CORAL CITY, MON CALAMAR1-Although ongoing combat engagements in the Mon Calamari system have kept the watery world from falling completely into the Separatist fold, reports from the Mon Calamari Council have confirmed that vital technical data is now in Confederacy hands.

An unidentified sheer or party of slicers raided the main information network of the Mon Calamari shipyards and absconded with classified engineering documents, starship plans, and performance data. Officials believe the attack to have been spurred by agents of the Techno Union, who have long attempted to persuade theMon Calamari ship-builders to join the guild.

Senator Tundra Dowmeia has been assisting Republic authorities in tracking downthe slicers and examining security weaknesses in the Mon Calamari defenses.


NEW MON CALAMARI COUNCIL PROMISES REFORM

MORJANSSIK CITY, MON CALAMARI - After months of violence and strained diplomatic relations, the governments of Mon Calamari took steps to move beyond the civilwar of last year with the signing of a new accord between the two dominant species of the water planet. Though open hostilities ceased as of 13:9:22 - the day a Republic task force destroyed a Separatist-funded Quarren weapons program - the purge of seditionist elements from the ruling Mon Calamari Council has taken ayear to accomplish.

Jedi Master Kit Fisto, leader of last year's task force, was in the Quarren city of Morjanssik to oversee the signing of the accord. In a gesture meant to showthe significance of the agreement, Quarren Senator Tundra Dowmeia signed the doc

ument in his own ink.

"The Quarren Isolation League is no more, and the exploitation of our people will end now," Dowmeia said in his resonating baritone voice to a predominantly Quarren audience. 'The new government of Mon Calamari will more properly reflect the will of our planet, not the will of the guilds that grew rich from our work."

"The Quarren who previously sat on the Council did not speak for the dwellers of the surfaces or the depths," Mon Calamari Councilor Kalbrac explained to off-world media. "With the corruption now flensed from this body, the new government will function as a voice for all the planet, Mon Calamari and Quarren alike."

The new accord radically restructures the makeup of the Mon Calamari Council. Th

ough constitutionally mandated to represent the Quarren and Mon Calamari peopleequally, the Council has for decades been rife with corruption. In planetary affairs and within the Galactic Senate, the last three Senators have had strong ties to the Mining Guild, which perpetuated an isolationist policy to deter competition in the planet's lucrative deep-sea ore-mining operations.

Though the Mon Calamari support this move, the Quarren see it as yet another blight on Senator Dowmeia's record. "Dowmeia is a tool of the Republic and the Cals," says Ruke Chowall, editor of Bends, a Quarren counterculture newsnet popularin Morjanssik. "He's going to sell out our mines to the Mon Cals and open our se


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as to who-knows-what. Mark my words: Before long, these seas will be bloodied again."

Valorum memorial unveiled to tightened security

JRADE DISTRICT, CORUSCANT-After repeated delays attributed to the newly heightened Core Worlds Security Act, this afternoon finally saw the unveiling of Finis Valorum Memorial in the Jrade District of Galactic City to a meager crowd of fewer than 200 spectators.

The Jrade Plaza surrounding the newly commissioned marcluro-stone statue has inthe past held tens of thousands of spectators, but today's sparse gathering wasdominated instead by the presence of clone troopers and Senate Guard security.

"Of course there should be more people here to pay their respects and remember former Supreme Chancellor Valorum today," said Senator Mon Mothma (Chandrila), "But I imagine the nonstop Beta-level security alerts and endless clone patrols are keeping people indoors."

Though a memorial to Finis Valorum had been approved and planned for the Jrade Plaza Chancellery Walkway immediately following his death in the terrorist attack of 14:9:19, the plaza's public shutdown for security investigations delayed the unveiling for weeks.

"We've been trying to let people know that the Jrade is once again open," said Dassa Borkannits, Director of Communications for the District. "I guess people are still shaken up by it all."

Senator Bail Organa (Alderaan) read the dedication to Valorum: "In the days following the tragic and cowardly attack that claimed the life of this man, the news of our loss was overshadowed by the security policies that it spawned," said Organa. "But Finis Valorum would never have backed such extreme reactionary measures and would have seen them as affronts to the freedoms he held dear."


CLONE COMMANDER GRADUATES READY FOR ACTION

TIPOCA CITY, KAMINO - The first graduates of an advanced officer-training program for the Grand Army of the Republic are ready for action.

Not all clones are created equal. Although they share the same genetic template, a classified percentage of the Republic's clone troopers are designated commanders at the embryonic stage. They undergo a specially tailored flash education program and subtle genetic manipulation to emerge with the necessary command expertise on their very first missions.

Supplementing these virtual educational packages are grueling training programsadministered by members of the elite Advanced Recon Commandos, the ARC troopers- even more specialized clones that are developed in smaller numbers. From the f

irst class of clone commanders have emerged 100 graduates ready for distribution to the scattered battlefields of the Clone Wars.

"The canned edu-packs can teach a soldier only so much," said Alpha-17, lead instructor at the Tipoca City training facility. "These commanders need the guidance only seasoned combat veterans can provide."

"There's a galaxy of difference," said Commander Thire 4477, one of the graduates. "Sure, we understand that the neural pumps give us what feel like authentic combat memories, but having the ARC drill sergeants making it real and overseeing


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the simulations gives us the edge over the previous units."

One notable distinction of the ARC commanders is their use of given names in addition to serial numbers. Upon graduation, these clone commanders are officiallyrecognized by this identification.

"In the past, a desire for individuality led to the spontaneous creation of combat nicknames in the field," explains Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su. "A name was once considered a flaw, but we have found that allowing names produces the desired effects of initiative and goal-setting. In command units, these unofficialnicknames are formally recognized as a mark of distinction and excellence amongour most capable products."

Many of these command graduates will be stationed on worlds of the Corellian Trade Spine to counter recent Separatist advances along that hyperspace corridor.

NEW TAGGE BARON LEADS TECH INITIATIVE

UNLOS TAGGE, TEPASI - With a mandate to bridge the technological gap in the Clone Wars, prodigy Baron Orman Tagge has been named chair of a specialized tech steering committee, part of the Analysis Bureau of Republic Intelligence.

"Too long has the enemy benefited from the research and innovation of the Techno Union," said Armand Isard, director of the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, via h

olocomm. "We have assembled the brightest minds loyal to the Republic cause andwill counter anything the Separatists have to offer."

The appointment marks the second advancement for Orman Tagge, a technical mastermind just 17 standard years of age who was granted the title of baron last month.

"The bold ideas of the House of Tagge have kept us leaders for generations," said Tagge. "I vow to put aside any past competitive differences we may have had with other firms that are still loyal to the Republic, and I extend an invitationto the best engineers and scientists from Sienar, Kuat, Rendili and Corellian Engineering to counter the growing threat."


DURO FALLS TO GRIEVOUS

CONFEDERACY NOW CONTROLS VITAL SYSTEM

Duro Capitulates After Week-Long Fighting

Coruscant System Borders Bolstered

Onaconda Farr Steps Down From Action Committee

BORIBUS, CORUSCANT - With stunned silence, Republic viewers in the Duros Cultura

l Center in the Boribos Prefecture of Coruscant watched holographic footage broadcast from the besieged world of Duro confirming their worst fears - one of thefounding worlds of the Republic has fallen to the Separatist Supreme Commander,General Grievous.

Dramatic images live from Duro's surface showed the Republic seal in flames, and new flags bearing the hexagonal Confederacy emblem decorating the entrance to the Valley of Royalty.

"So, the Republic would have the galaxy believe that its heart is secure," said


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Grievous in a Confederacy HoloNet transmission released by the Senate Bureau ofIntelligence earlier today. "Today's events, however, show that there is nothing that can stop our forces from total victory."

SBI holography analysts confirmed that the imagery and transmissions were genuine and unaltered. Other transmissions released today corroborated earlier reports detailing the fall of Duro.

Following the destruction of the Acclamator-class warships Founder, Annealer and Doughty, the last of the Republic capital ships withdrew to the outer system. Having taken over Jyvus Space City, one of the largest orbital centers over Duro, the Confederacy was able to drop the planetary shields protecting the world. From staging points on Jyvus, Separatist drop-fighters began orbital bombardment of the planetside industrial factories surrounding the valley.

The hermetic environments were ruptured and exposed to the toxic chemicals unleashed by the bombardment, allowing the droid forces of the Confederacy to easilyclaim the world's surface capitals. Holographic imagery shows General Grievous forcing a haggard-looking Dura Chief Representative Officer Hoolidan Keggle to sign his capitulation to the Separatists.

"The taking of the ground was just a final insult from the General," said SBI Director-General Armand Isard. "The Separatists had Duro the second they claimed Jyvus."

Isard fielded questions from reporters today at a media conference outside the Senate Rotunda. "While I can assure citizens of Coruscant that we are safe, we want to continue stressing vigilance and preparedness. Winning this war will require discomforts and sacrifice, but together we will persevere," he said.

Isard refused specific comment on the conduct of the Republic naval forces, particularly the lack or resupply from nearby Nubia. The sluggish response of Republic reinforcements is currently under investigation, and Senator Onaconda Farr (Rodia), who had been in charge of the

Senate Action Subcommittee for Corellian Trade Spine Defense, has resigned his position (see article 194.11).

Rotunda insiders speculate that this action could prompt Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to do away with the various specialized "action subcommittees" in the Senate in favor of a stronger, centralized war office.

The Office of the Chancellor has given Admiral Terrinald Screed complete authority in the deployment of Coruscant Planetary Defense resources. Isard assured the media that such actions are not based on any intelligence reports indicating astrike against Coruscant, but rather were "prudent precautionary measures."

The Office of the Supreme Chancellor was not available for comment.

CORELLIANS FEAR IMPENDING ATTACK

CORELLIAN NODE -With Duro a short distance down the Corellian Trade Spine, manyCorellians are now bracing themselves for an impending attack from the Confederacy. CorSec forces have been at maximum alert throughout the sector, particularly in the protection of the Corellian Engineering Corporation shipyards.

Since before the outbreak of hostilities in the Clone Wars, Corellia has taken a limited role in fighting the Separatist forces, producing warships to quota and helping in the distribution of aid and medical supplies. Analysts predict thatsince the fighting has come perilously close to Corellian borders, the tradition


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ally isolationist sector will take a more active role in the war.

Despite political unpopularity, Corellia has proven to have many vocal allies in the Senate. "This is not about politics," said Senator Fang Zar (Sern Prime), a trading partner with the Corellian sector and a longtime political ally and personal friend to Senator Garm Bel Iblis. "This is about helping people who may be endangered."

Other Senators have not been so supportive. "Where were Senator Bel Iblis and his forces when we needed them at Duro? He will soon come to realize that there comes a price to sticking your head in the sand," said Senator Orn Free Taa (Ryloth).

SENATE ADMITS BUNGLING OF TRADE SPINE DEFENSE

SENATE ROTUNDA, CORUSCANT - A visibly emotional Senator Onaconda Farr (Rodia) tendered his resignation from the Senate Action Subcommittee for Corellian Trade Spine Defense following the disastrous loss of Duro to Confederacy forces.

"It is with great regret that we were unable to head off the advancement of theblasted Separatists and that Duro had to pay the price. I ask for an opportunity of vengeance, but I will heed the advice of my colleagues to step down. Let meadd, though, that I do question the judgment of the SBI and the usefulness of whipping the public into a panic by broadcasting those images [of Duro]."

"Now is not the time for such partisan finger-pointing," vice chair of the Senate Mas Amedda told reporters. "That there was a failure in procedure is without question. We're not looking to expend energies on punishment but rather on determining what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. There will come time for retribution when the war is over."


SENATORS FARR AND COOR CENSURED

SBI REPORT BLAMES SENATORS FOR DURO MISMANAGEMENT

CRIMINAL CHARGES EXPECTED SOON

SENATE ROTUNDA, CORUSCANT - Amid cries of criticism and shouts of "traitor!" Senator Ronet Coor (Iseno) tendered his resignation following reports of criminal mismanagement that resulted in the capture of Duro by Separatist forces.

Early this morning, the Senate Bureau of Intelligence released its 25-datapage report, authored by Agent Inglemenn Barezz. "We were able to get past the gravwelling of those involved and cut through the bureaucracy. We discovered the unfortunate truth that insular politicking led to the fall of Duro," he told reporters at a press conference.

The report analyzed why Duro was so poorly defended against the Separatist attac

k, finding that the system's orbital defensive platforms had been supplemented only by meager capital-ship support, most of it in the form of carriers and transports of limited effectiveness.

The system had been allocated three of the newly commissioned Venator-class Star Destroyers, all of which were absent during the attack. Fraudulent requisitiondatamemos placed the three vessels as undergoing "shakedown refurbishment" at aclassified location, but the SBI report revealed that they had been instead redistributed to the Rodia-Ando battlefront in the Mid Rim.


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The report names Senator Onaconda Farr (Rodia) - then chair of the Senate Action Subcommittee for Corellian Trade Spine Defense -responsible for the asset relocation. Aid to Duro during the attack should have come from Iseno, but those warships (whose complement remains classified) were also redistributed to Rodia.

"What was initially categorized as a bureaucratic misfiling has proven to be a direct and intentional act of unauthorized reallocation," states the report. "Ananalysis of financial transactions and communiques prove Iseno's willing collusion in the act, in exchange for millions of credits and promised rebuilding contracts on Ando."

"How could this have happened?" asked Jorrigar SoBilles, a prominent Duros businessbeing. "This proves that the Senate cannot be trusted to wage this war. For the sake of other worlds that fall in the crosshairs of General Grievous, I hopethat a more authoritative body helms the defense."

SBI officials denied allegations that all prominent Rodian politicians were being investigated for similar deceptions, though they did confirm that Executive Administrator Dar Wac had been questioned and cleared of any suspicions. "Please,do not turn this into an issue of race," said Barrezz. "We are simply trying tofind the avenues through which such deceptions could be carried."

Though the office of the Supreme Chancellor refrained from comment, Rotunda insiders expect a full review of the structures and policies of Senate Action Subcom

mittees, with their dissolution possible in the near future.

Senators Lexi Dio (Uyter) and Padme Amidala (Naboo), vocal proponents of sectorrights of autonomy, have expressed concern over any such changes. 'This poor example should not dictate sweeping policy changes," said Senator Dio. "Do not letthe actions of two corrupt Senators paint the entire body as corrupt."

"While we join our colleagues in shock and disapproval of these Senators' acts,we do not want to hear the Senate's voice silenced in these trying times," saidSenator Amidala. "Already there are cries for the Chancellor to directly steer the war; today, I heard esteemed Duros leaders demand that a human be placed in charge of battlefronts that overlap rival homeworlds; I cannot believe that these short-sighted reactionary cries could become policy."

Documents

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