Advertisement: Clone Wars: The Complete Saga

Own this collector's series holovid today. Covering the Clone Wars from the beginnings of the Jedi Conspiracy to the intense wars that followed to the ending of the Jedi treachery and the attempt to assassinate Emperor Palpatine. Follow the whole story with insights from military and cultural historians, interviews with those who were there, and amazing action as you witness the greatest military in the galaxy defend your freedom from those who would have stolen it. On sale today.

Crime: Spot Inspection of Zel Sonn Station finds bodies

With the temporary shutdown of one of the station's reactors, a crew went into the reactor shaft for a safety inspection. The group found at least 4 bodies caught on part of a grill that did not completely retract. It is possible that more were not caught and were incinerated. Unfortunately identification of the bodies is impossible at this point so investigators are unsure if this was murder, suicide, or a series of accidents.

A concerned parents organization has founded itself called MAHIG (Mothers Against Holes In the Ground) and are insisting that railings and other safety features be installed around reactor shafts before their children fall in. The administrator of the facility pointed out that all the reactor shafts are all in restricted areas and that any parent who lets their children play there is an idiot.

Entertainment: Concert of the Winds

The Concert of the Winds will take place this month on Vortex. Based around an intricate musical structure/instrument called the Cathedral of the Wind, the Cathedral is opened once a year at the changing of the seasons to allow the winds to blow through it. This creates an amazing sequence of musical sounds that is has so far been impossible to reproduce with any other instument.

The native Vors have insisted that the concert will not take place this year unless the Emperor curbs his excesses but this is believed to be a publicity stunt and thousands have already booked tickets to Vortex. For more information on attendance.........

Politics: Cult of Dooku on the Rise

Fanatical followers of the Separatist leader Count Dooku insist that he is not dead and that he will reveal himself when his political ideas take seed again. The Cult has made Dooku into a hero of epic proportions, a Sith Lord with the interests of the galaxy as a whole in his heart.

We spoke with Del Montaron, a cult expert: "These ideas are ridiculous. The Empire has provided proof that Dooku was a Jedi who conspired with the Order to create a war and give the Jedi unprecedented military power. These religious nuts are always seeking out some figure they can idolize who is of course conveniently absent for scrutiny."

Imperial Intelligence now believes the cult responsible for several terrorist acts including the theft of half a million credits on Bespin last year, the murder of an Imperial Officer, and an attack on an unarmed passenger liner that was narrowly repulsed by a squadron of elite pilots from the Star Destroyer Assiduous. Anyone with information on this group's activities should contact their local Imperial representative immediately.

Politics: Emperor Palpatine's Moff Decree is Ratified by the Imperial Senate

With a three-fourth's majority the Emperor's reorganization of Sector Control has passed. The Emperor will now appoint Moffs to oversee all operations within each Sector of the Republic. The Moff will have military control over the Sector Fleet and will report to the Emperor's staff. The Moff will also have the power to disband and remove seditious government's within his sector in order to ensure peace.

Sate Pestage, Chancellor of the Senate, has praised the Emperor's move and ensures that while Moffs may not be democratically elected the citizens of the Empire will still have senatorial representation to deal with their grievances.

Mon Mothma, the Senator from Chandrila, led the Coalition opposing ratification. They feel the move consolidates far too much military and political power into the hands of a few appointed beings. They also stated that the Moffs should be accountable to the Senate as well as the Emperor.

Sate Pestage responds: "The Emperor has proven himself trustworthy to the people of the Republic and this power will not be abused. We feel this new organization will prevent catastrophes such as the Trade Federation invasion of Naboo where the Senate is not able to move as quickly as a single individual."

Headline News: Ancient Self-Sustaining Droid Colony Found

On the planet Taris, an ancient self-sustaining Droid colony was discovered last month. Samples of the colony itself suggest that it dates back to before the Jedi Civil War when the planet-wide city was destroyed by orbital bombardment. It appears that the colony was built by a now-defunct experimental science corporation.

Upon entrance the colony AI welcomed the team with a cheerful feminine voice and offered up the scientific research it had been working on for the last few centuries including what it called a 'neat gun'. It appears the colony was built to house refugees from the ecological nightmare Taris was becoming but it was lost during the Tarisian Civil War.

The discovery took a darker turn when the bodies of humans dating back to the Jedi Civil War were discovered inside the facility. Ancient datapads recovered with the bodies indicate that there was a multi-generational search to find the city by a group of outcasts fleeing the stench and rakghouls of the Undercity to which criminals were consigned. Another datapad kept by a man named Gendar (presumably the leader) reports that a mysterious man with a sword, a military man with two blaster pistols, and a young Twi'lek found the clues to find the City.

The Life Sciences consultant on the expedition insists that the disease and rakghouls themselves are a myth from a more primitive time, "The accounts refer to being bitten and then a period of convulsions lasting no more than a few seconds, followed by a flash of light and then a human is converted immediately into a rakghoul. There is no biological process that can account for such a rapid transformation. The story is a myth, pure and simple."

The bodies of these refugees were believed to have been murdered by traps constructed by the AI itself. One body (identified by contents on the body as Igear) was found, presumably eviscerated. In his own blood on the wall he wrote, "She promised there would be cake!!!! Delicious and Moist Cake!!!! Where is the CAKE???"

The team is continuing it's investigation and the AI has promised to allow them to stay as "It is obvious that there is much more science to do for the people who are still alive."

Pirates, Rogues, and Scoundrels

There has been increased pirate activity,especially in the mid and outer rims of the galaxy. The Empire has assured the people of the Empire that there will be "immediate justice" to these scum. Already, there are Clone War Acclamator I Assault ships at all major trading routes. These pirates are becoming more brazen in their tactics. They are many different criminal organizations out there that could be responsible for the attacks. We have reports of one spice trader, Smik O'sak that had his ship stolen when he was refueling at Sel Zonn station, which orbits over the planet of Brentaal.

"I'd reckon those varmint pirates have already unloaded my spice and sold my ship for parts. What am I supposed to do now? I have no ship and not only that my precious cargo was supposed to go to very eager clients. Those bloody mynocks!"

The Empire, unfortunately cannot repay these traders for their losses but they assured them that justice will be done quick and swiftly. As reported earlier, the Empire stated that the Imperial Navy is being revamped and will have more patrols in the galaxy. They did, however, say that the outer fringe will still be a dangerous zone and they have no immediate plans to patrol that location. So let the trader beware.

New Deal for Sienar Fleet Systems


Raith Sienar (pictured here) has just worked out a deal with the Empire. It seems that Sienar Fleet Systems has just increased their cred stick. The benevolent Emperor Palpatine has decided that it was just too expensive to continue making Republic starfighters. The Imperial Navy needs many ships to patrol the galaxy to make the Empire safe from terrorists and pirates. Raith Sienar, and his R&D department have come out with a prototype starship that is supposed to take the place of these expensive Republic Starfighters. It is still in the works, but Raith assures the Emperor that it will be one of the finest starships in the galaxy.

Join the Imperial Navy!


Want a job that combines great career training with the sense of serving your Emperor and his citizens? Participate in exciting fields like starship engineering, security, weapons control, fighter pilot, and someday perhaps even command. Recruits receive preferential status and promotion opportunities over conscripts. Talk to your local Imperial recruiter today.

The Tralus Twins Captured

The Tralus Twins were captured on Tralus yesterday. The pair were wanted for charges of murder and slave trading. They are accused of murdering at least thirty citizens and abducting over two hundred. The government finally put a bounty of 8,000 credits on his head. Boba Fett, a bounty hunter of increasing renown is responsible for locating and capturing them. They are expected to be sentenced to life in the spice mines.

Gardulla the Hutt Arrested

With the recent crackdown on illegal slave trading an Imperial force arrived on Tattoine to arrest Gardulla. Her consort Jabba insists that he tried to talk her out of this trade years ago but she insisted on continuing. He denies the rumors that he sold his interests to Gardulla to implicate her and protect himself.

Sabacc Tournament at Bespin

Cloud City has announced that they will be going ahead with their annual tournament. Details on application and travel arrangements will be coming in our next issue.

Max Rebo band announces new singing tour

The Max Rebo band is performing a travelling tour along the Corellian Run. Fans are excited and the Sy Snootles following is reaching a fever-pitch. The recent craze due to her latest song, "Lapti Nek" is still building momentum. Said one Corellian teenager, "She is so beautiful. I could stare at her for hours." The boy is not alone as it is now believed that there are more holograms of Sy Snootles in boy's bedrooms then there are of Twi'lek slave girls. Sy Snootles will also be releasing for the first time her own brand of skin, eye, and lip products to a generation of girls desperate to imitate her and her stellar rise to success.

Terrorist Attack on Felucia

According to Imperial sources, a group of terrorists destroyed a medical station on the planet of Felucia. The research facility was dedicated to the study of Vaalan's Disease, a childhood illness with a 50% fatality rate. Military sources report that the facility was also a vital element in Felucia's communications network and it is suspected that the terrorists were using the disruption in the communications network to smuggle narcotics off the planet. One source spoke on condition of anonymity: "What we know suggests that there were at least 30 terrorists armed with military grade weaponry and artillery supported by an overgunned corvette or frigate. They destroyed the security contingent and the researchers and planted explosives to destroy the whole structure. Years of research have been lost. What baffles us is the cruelty of the attack. Autopsies indicate the attackers needlessly murdered young patients and unarmed researchers. They could have disrupted communications without destroying the installation as well. We are dealing with unbalanced individuals here. If any citizen has any knowledge regarding this incident or believe they know who is behind this we ask you to contact us immediately." Authorities have no comment on whether they suspect a further attack.

Occupation of Doron

The battle at Doron saw the debut of new military weapons by the Imperial Fleet. Our reporter Jaina Towani was granted an interview with Admiral Motti and General Tagge to discuss these new developments and the recent military action:

Jaina: Thank you for agreeing to this interview gentlemen. May we begin by summarizing what the situation was like on Doron?

Motti: Insurrectionist elements within the Doronian government issued an open challenge to the Emperor demanding certain concessions with the threat that if the demands were not met Doron would withdraw from the Empire in direct violation of Imperial Edict 42. The Emperor learned from the Separatists that dealing with terrorists is futile. I was ordered to deal with the situation. My fleet consisted of the first of our new Imperial Star Destroyers, a Dreadnaught, and a Carrack, all outfitted with TIE craft. The Renegade Doronians had an Acclimator, a Bulk Cruiser rebuilt as a fighter carrier, their orbital platform, and a few squadrons of fighters, mostly Cloakshapes though they had a few of those new Y-Wings Koensayr just released.

Jaina: While you're on that topic, can you explain the Navy's reasoning behind deploying the TIE fighter in preference more heavily shielded and armed fighters like the Y-Wing.

Motti: When you're building a small planetary defense force, a corporate security fleet, or even a pirate gang the primary considerations are cost and effectiveness and the roles the vehicle can be used in. For example if you're part of a defense force charged with defending a space installation a Y-Wing might seem to be ideal as it can fight fighters and also attack larger ships. In the Navy we will almost always have the advantage in numbers and thus specialize. We built the TIE to be a superb dogfighting craft for anti-fighter work while the bomber can excel in it's anti-ship and ground support roles. Also, it is a truism that the bigger and more ungainly the craft the easier it is to put any idiot in the craft and have them perform with minimum competence. The Imperial Navy has the best pilot training program in the galaxy and the TIE fighter is built to use that skill to it's fullest.

Jaina: I think our audience is interested in the new Imperial Star Destroyer. What can you tell us about it?

Motti: While some of it's specs are still classified I can tell you that it is a massive craft, dwarfing the Victory-Class that flagged our fleets in the Clone Wars. It has three times the fighter complement and has been specifically built with TIEs in mind. It has more firepower than any ship in active service and an impressive array of defensive weapons and shielding to protect it's crew. The ship is built with Command and Control computers enabling it to command space and ground battles with equal efficiency. We anticipate having about a dozen in service by the end of the year with more to follow.

Jaina: There is a rumor that the ship lacks the ability to enter the upper atmosphere of a planet and this has been criticized as a weakness compared to the older Victory Destroyers.

Tagge: The Victory Class will continue in this role but the enemies of the Empire should not see this as weakness in the Imperial Army. The ship has a vast complement of ground support vehicles and troops and enough dropships to deploy them quickly. The ship is also capable of deploying prefabricated garrisons onto a planet's surface, enabling the army to quickly establish a planetside base of operations.

Jaina: What of the rumors of new ground craft?

Tagge: The Empire has made the decision to retire the AT-PT and create a larger counterpart to the AT-ST. It's called the AT-AT, the All-Terrain Armored Transport. It served in the Doron landing superbly. It has enough firepower to take out the largest enemy vehicles and can quickly disable defenses and provide heavy armor support to our forces. It is also capable of carrying smaller ground vehicles and troops into battle.

Jaina: So what happened at Doron?

Motti: Upon arrival we deployed our starfighters and attacked. Our fighters overpowered theirs with minimal losses. Our capital ships with bomber support destroyed their fleet within 20 minutes of arrival. Using ion cannons we disabled their orbital station and assault shuttles filled with crack Navy troops had control of the station within 7 minutes of landing.

Tagge: The Army landed 3 corps of troops to fight an estimated one corp they had on the ground, divided among three military bases. Though they were entrenched with heavy artillery the AT-AT performed beyond specifications in resisting artillery fire and the battle lasted only 12 hours before they surrendered. Clean-up operations were complete within the next day.

Jaina: With the recent controversy in the Senate how do you feel about the continued build up in the Military?

Motti: When the Separatists defected we were caught off guard. We won that war only through skill and a fair bit of luck. When the Jedi turned on us, it almost cost us the war. We need to be prepared before the next threat arises, whether from within or without. I for one do not want to trust to luck again. Returning to pre-war Navy levels would cripple our ability to do our job and is asking for a repeat of past difficulties.

Tagge: The Army didn't exist and I think the Clone War proves to us how dangerous it can be to be undefended. I would question the loyalty of anyone who insists that a strong military is dangerous. Those who fear the hand of justice generally do not live by the code of justice.

Jaina: Thank you for your time gentlemen.

New Government installed on Doron

Following the occupation by Imperial troops last week, the Emperor issued an executive order suspending due process for all military and government officials involved in the insurrection. Local elections have also been suspended. The Emperor has installed Welt Regan, one of his aides, as planetary governor. Regan has stated, "The majority of the citizens of Doron are loyal to the Emperor and to the Empire. They were subject to a corrupt government with lingering Separatist tendencies. Due to the disbanding of the survivors of the Doronian planetary defense force I have requested and received permission to keep the brave soldiers who made this victory possible on station to restore order. Our forces are searching the planet for additional insurrectionists. Several traitors from the Doronian cabinet are still at large through we anticipate their capture within the month."

Most of the captives taken so far are on penal ships transferring them to Kessel and Sevarcos. Three Imperial Navy Warships and 3 Corps of troops are on station on the planet and are expected to remain for at least six months. The blockade will be lifted in six days and normal space traffic is expected to resume then.

Conflict over Amendments to Military Creation Act

Sate Pestage, acting Chancellor of the Imperial Senate seeks Senate approval for an increase in funding for the Imperial military. Citing recent acts of terrorism and the growing strength of secessionist movements throughout the Empire, the Chancellor stated that the current size of the military is insufficient to secure peace: "Though the Separatists have been defeated, the galaxy is still in a state of flux. Surviving elements of the Separatist cause continue to plague the galaxy and the chaos of war has spawned an array of threats. Piracy is on the increase and is taxing our fleet resources and civil disorder in the occupied zones is straining the ability of the Imperial Army to maintain order. We also must deal with the problem of the missing Jedi. We can assume that they will not stop their attempts to murder our beloved Emperor and seize control of the lawfully constituted government. The Admiralty and our Generals have asked for increased funding and more recruits to maintain economic and political stability."

It is suspected these amendments will pass with a healthy majority although there is an organized opposition party. One of the most outspoken is Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila who stated: "The Imperial military is already 50% larger than it was at the height of the Clone War. I ask you gentlebeings to consider that the money being put into the military build-up would better serve the citizens of the galaxy if put towards repairing the damage to our worlds from the recent war." Mon Mothma has also enraged many Senators by calling for the repeal of the punitive measures the Emperor imposed on Separatist planets and urging the Senate to meet with representatives of dissenting worlds to answer their grievances.