Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 84 - Separatist Parliament
Laxus Second Star, Laxus System.

Kalulla Sector.

After an agreement was reached between Rennes and the Community, the separatist parliament finally convened.

At this moment, he leaned back in his large chair, with several holographic projection screens floating in front of him, broadcasting the scene inside the parliament hall in real time.

The focus at this moment was entirely on this crucial parliamentary session that would determine the future of the Confederation.

The main council chamber was exceptionally grand, with 1,024 seats arranged in tiers, enough to accommodate all members of parliament.

Those who step into this place for the first time are almost always overwhelmed by its grandeur.

The Parliament building is constructed of dark gray stone with sharp edges, like a giant growing from the depths of the earth.

One thousand and twenty-four seats.

There are also countless representatives with various vague titles.

All of this clearly demonstrates that the Independent Galaxy Confederation's institutions are already bloated, mired in bureaucracy, and stagnant and corrupt.

However, the parliament building on Laxus was originally just the location of the planetary government, not the magnificent palace on Coruscant.

There are no smooth, shiny alloy walls here.

The councilors were not floating in the clouds, but were actually sitting side by side on heavy wooden benches, surrounded by rough brick walls.

The sunlight streaming through the high windows brought warmth, and the faint sounds of Laksulon could be heard, mingled with the everyday life of ordinary people.

This is exactly what Speaker of Parliament Baker Lois had been hoping for.

There are no old, outdated rules or red tape here.

Every breath of air in the parliament hall served as a reminder to the representatives of the various separatist planets that their true mission was to join hands with their neighbors and serve the people behind them.

At this moment, 306 members of parliament are seated in the hall.

Even Klümex and Belderon, which are nominally neutral, had their representatives appear in the designated seats, causing a stir in the room.

Everyone gathered here to vote on their future amidst the war.

Baker walked up to the wooden speaker's platform overlooking the debate table below and skillfully activated the control panel in front of him.

On the screen, the topic item "Establish a Supreme Commander" flashed.

This proposal has been put forward and rejected countless times in this council chamber.

But now, with the Republic's fleet at the city's gates, the importance of this issue has never felt so urgent.

Raine adjusted the angle of the projector, his gaze calmly sweeping over the expressions of the councilors.

He saw the war faction, the peace faction, and the Pelmian alliance he had built.

He could sense that Speaker Baker's gaze lingered on the coalition seats for a few more seconds, his scrutiny and concern clearly visible.

He was well aware of the parliament's inefficiency and the infighting between factions.

But at this moment, he is more concerned about the outcome.

The control panel buzzed, displaying the information needed to host the meeting.

Baker carefully reviewed the attendance list.

The war-loving lawmakers' faces were filled with anticipation; the agenda they longed for had never been so close to being realized.

In stark contrast were the peaceful lawmakers, whose solemn expressions, tightly pursed lips, and silent demeanor made them easily identifiable in the crowd.

Next is the third faction, the Peremian Alliance.

As the name suggests, the members mainly come from star systems that are being fiercely attacked by the Republic, and some of the planets they represent have even fallen.

Although this alliance is not as large as the top two factions, its influence is still considerable and enough to sway the voting results.

The war faction seemed quite certain that the Peremian Alliance would side with them and cast the same vote.

However, Baker Lauis was unsure of the alliance's true intentions.

Little did anyone know that the creators of this alliance were watching all of this from orbit.

As a parliamentary leader, this Sinet was not unaware of the corruption quietly brewing in the Confederate Congress.

For example, although the rules and regulations explicitly prohibit corporate representatives from directly participating in the council, through some loopholes, councilors from planets like Munellinster and Metalon are essentially the spokespeople for the corporate alliance.

However, this is still within a controllable range.

Like most Sinets, Baker was a realist who understood that no government could ever completely eradicate corruption, no matter how hard it tried.

The real problem is that the Peremian League itself is not a product of corruption, but its source of power is more direct and dangerous.

It takes only a little observation to know that this alliance is a mouthpiece for the military government supported by separatist officers who hold significant military power on the front lines.

Baker understood that this was a necessity driven by circumstances.

Parliament was deeply divided on the issue of war and inefficient, unable to provide timely and effective support to the soldiers fighting desperately on the front lines in Peremian.

Therefore, when the officers formed an alliance to fill this power vacuum, Parliament chose to turn a blind eye.

However, with parliamentary decisions being delayed, this alliance may have now swelled to the point of being uncontrollable.

Its potential dangers even exceed those of publicly disclosed corporate representatives.

Simply because it directly represents military power. The Alliance now controls the fleets and armies of over a hundred star systems, and as the Republic advances, more and more star systems fall under the Alliance's military control.

Useron's fate was to never join the league.

All the members of these alliances understood this as well.

They dare not defy the military government behind the alliance and will follow the agreed-upon instructions when voting.

Baker knew he had to check and balance the league.

This is why, despite his personal preference for peace, he still voted to establish a supreme commander.

By establishing a supreme commander, all military forces can be under unified command, which naturally disperses the influence of the Peremian Alliance.

Baker's eyes swept warily across the constantly updating list of external observers on the control panel.

These people are watching the meeting in real time through a suspended camera robot.

The list was packed with media representatives, and also included a large number of military officers.

Trench, Tony, Ambigan, Lossom, Dedu... and thousands of other names mixed with titles such as "Captain," "Commander," and "Colonel."

Ryan's name was in an inconspicuous place and could easily be overlooked if you didn't look carefully.

Most of them wanted to see who would become the supreme commander, while for the senior officers, it was about seeing if they would be nominated.

Baker speculated that if Marshal Coles and General Tann hadn't been fighting in other star systems, their names would also be on this list.

He cleared his throat and pulled up the crucial document.

"Please maintain order in the parliament." The Speaker's steady voice rang out through the loudspeaker above the debate table and the members' seats, officially opening the meeting. "The purpose of this meeting is to debate and make a final decision on an executive nomination: to appoint the Supreme Military Commander of the Confederate Robot Army."

As soon as he finished speaking, an exceptionally tall Muen man stood up, his height far exceeding that of those around him.

Baker waited a few seconds to see if anyone would interrupt.

Seeing that no one spoke, he nodded slightly and said, "Member of the Council of Munellinster, please come forward and speak."

"...There's no need for debate at all!" Senator Jane Hafa strode to the debate table, her voice high-pitched and urgent. "The Loyalists' (referring to the Republic) fleet is already at our doorstep! Our fleet is scattered, and our army lacks unified command! We desperately need a strong leader to unite our scattered forces and fight back against those oppressors!"

The words were direct and inflammatory, yet they hit the nail on the head.

A hum of approval rippled through most of the seats, with applause and clapping in agreement with the speech.

Only Mina Bontri and a few other staunchly peaceful lawmakers silently shook their heads in opposition.

Baker keenly noticed that the members of the Peremian Alliance did not show any obvious reaction to either side, which deepened his unease.

Just then, the control panel emitted a soft beep.

A message from Senator Avi Singh on Laxus Sub-Star:

Trench has been invited to appear on Laksulon News to comment on the debate.

Raine also noticed the message, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he murmured softly, "So this is the person Carly arranged? That's quite unexpected!"

He tapped his finger to switch one of the projected images to the channel where Trench was being interviewed.

On the screen, the general's stern face appeared against the backdrop of the Laksulon News Network studio.

Baker looked up and saw many coalition members looking down intently at the tablets or control panels in their hands.

He pursed his lips.

As the highest-ranking general in the galaxy, Trench must have received hundreds or even thousands of media invitations.

If he really wanted his voice to be heard by the core of parliament, he could have chosen a major media outlet, but instead he just randomly picked a local one.

This is rather intriguing.

Baker's gaze fell on Senator Singh in the stands, and he nodded slightly in thanks.

At this moment, Tawney Ames stood up and patiently waited for the Speaker to allow her to speak.

It is clear that Representative Bontry chose Ames as the spokesperson for the peace faction.

Bontri himself is too high a target, while the Desix MP is a recognized moderate between the two factions.

“Member of Desix, please come forward and speak,” Baker announced.

Representative Ames walked steadily down the steps and stood at the debate table opposite Representative Halifax. Her voice was calm and clear: "Desix opposes this proposal."

Representative Halfa immediately retorted sharply, "Are you going to stand by and watch the loyalists ride roughshod over us, Representative Ames?"

“I won’t, and neither will we,” Senator Ames’s voice remained steady and powerful as his gaze swept across the room. “At this moment, it is the Alliance that is fighting for us! It is the result of the spontaneous cooperation of officers from various planets and the front lines! If this debate had taken place at the beginning of the Republic’s offensive… I might have agreed with you.”

A murmur of surprise rippled through the room.

Even Mina Bontri frowned slightly, her sharp gaze fixed on Ames's back.

“However, it’s too late!” Senator Ames raised his voice, his gaze sweeping across the seats again. “Establishing a supreme commander now will only undermine the existing, effectively functioning collaborative system! Are we going to tear down the very pillar supporting our only line of defense?”

"Admiral Trench is currently within our system! He holds the highest military rank in the Peremian theater and has fought alongside the Alliance with distinguished service! What we need is not a newly appointed supreme commander, but a fleet he can command!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the pacifist seats, and even some war-loving members of parliament nodded involuntarily.

(End of this chapter)