Faction &nbsp; Force Action Lawsuit | GA (The Senate)

Nos Voros

Dassid Hydia · Wednesday at 4:11 PM

DUROS HIGH HOUSE
CORELLIAN BLOC

Lady Sylvia Organa

"I am not a religious man," Senator Hydia intoned, "There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."

His extravagant robes clashed with the modest atmosphere of Fondor's chambers. Sprawling trade dynasties made the space cities in orbit of his homeworld prosperous beacons long ago. Like precious jewels each star of the Core shined brightest in their galaxy's firmament.

"But my predecessor

Mazik Stazi taught us all some hard truths about tolerating the loth wolf among us. He always believed the Sith religion to be a destructive and hateful ideology."

Chin tilted high, the duros senator's crimson eyes swept back and forth across those gathered as if daring one of them to challenge old man Stazi's borderline vigilante efforts to oust Grand Admiral Sularen from his erstwhile domain on Byss.

"I understand my colleague from Alderaan's objections. Her concerns for personal freedom are most admirable. How then are we to determine which traditions might pose a threat to peace and order? None of us can deny the incalculable ruination unchecked warlords sworn to this darkside have wreaked upon our galaxy."

Crimson eyes narrowed into slits.

"Jedi doctrine warns us the darkside corrupts. We are indeed no experts in this matter, Senator Organa. It would be unwise not to heed those who are."

Zhong Yuan · Wednesday at 4:17 PM

Tag:

Dassid Hydia

This was outrageous. The fact that this was a matter for debate was an insult to the foundations of democracy the alliance was founded on. The dark side always existed to bring chaos to the galaxy, you just need to look at the past to know that dark siders took every little advantage they could to exploit the system they knew had cracks in it. There were dark siders proudly operating in alliance space and dark side apologists in the senate chamber. With the strongest bastion of democracy facing threats on its borders, they had to cut out the cancer that had already infiltrated the highest order of government.

Zhong was not a force user, hell he never properly met a jedi or really saw what they were capable of. But last he checked the jedi had never plotted a takeover of the galaxy, they had no need of such vanity. Sith, or self-described 'dark siders' with no sith ties always wanted power and did whatever they could to get more of it. If all went well, there would be a resounding aye for the sake of galactic security.

As

Lady Sylvia Organa took the floor, Zhong listened intently. The senator from Alderaan had a valid concern. None of them were force users, at least the majority of them as far as Zhong was concerned. As she was the one to open the discussion, Zhong had a few concerns. The matter of the force interlinked with security and the welfare of its citizens. Just as she closed her statement, Zhong took the floor.

"I will give the honorable Senator of Alderaan my respect for showing concern to the galaxy at large. For she is correct my esteemed colleagues. We are strangers to the force and the nuances that it comes with. As far as I'm concerned even many in the New Jedi Order have barely scratched the surface of what it means to wield the force and what the force is even capable of. But we are public servants to the galaxy, and the threats to our borders remain a major concern. We should also consider the threats that lie within."

Zhong paused to catch his breath. "As the honorable Senator of Duros stated, we know what happens when we allow dark side elements to fester. We've seen how the Sith infiltrate and destabilize legitimate institutions. We cannot allow practitioners of the dark side to sit idly waiting for the cracks to show among us while we bicker over something as preposterous as allowing our democracy to remain vulnerable another time. We will NEVER allow the dark side to corrupt our democracy. We must ban the practice of the dark side in GA space for the safety of its citizens.

Lehvi Vass · Wednesday at 5:24 PM

Lehvi Vass, Representative of the Al'Har Federation, moved his pod forward, and activated his mic.

"I may not be a Senator, but I'd like to take a moment to speak as a Representative, sovereign, and Force sensitive...of a planet full of people genetically pre-disposed to be able to touch the Force." As if on cue, a data pad orbited around Lehvi's head, before promptly dropping in front of him.

"The Force is a wondrous, complicated thing. Some see it as a tool. Some see it as an entity. Some see it as a ubiquitous energy, surrounding and interacting with us in ways we can't even imagine. But, for the sake of discussion, the Force just...is. It allows the Jedi and the servants of the Light help citizens, mediate disputes, and fight and turn the tide of battle. Conversely, the Sith and all adherents of the Dark Side can use to harm, kill, maim, in service of the unyielding need for power and control. So, it's arguably very easy and understandable to ban the Dark Side."

"However, it's not that cut-and-dry. The Dark Side of the Force is manifested not only in conscious, easily identified actions and belief structures. The Dark Side is also about actions, emotions, intent a Force User takes at specific point in time. Anybody can be angry, fearful, overtly aggressive- these are normal sentient emotions. To attempt to ban the Dark Side assumes that any Force sensitive, the moment they experience any negative emotion, is immediately and irredeemably on the path of the Dark Side. That is outrageous."

"Friends, we must remain vigilant against the scourge of the Sith, and Force traditions like it. We cannot police thoughts."

Alicio Organa · Thursday at 12:43 AM

General Ministry Canton, Fondor
Chancellor's Pod
-

Feridade Parthi -

Vianca Mecetti -

Matthew of Valendale -

Lady Sylvia Organa -

Dassid Hydia -

Zhong Yuan -

Lehvi Vass -

Ah. So this is the downside of the big chair.

After opening the proceedings, Chancellor Organa had remained silent, a sphinx-like expression crossing his face. It was... vexing that he couldn't speak his mind. Not like when he was a senator.

Well... he could. Technically, he could throw his weight around, use his sway to overtake the conversation, and guide their meeting to his championed conclusion. But that wasn't his job. He was here to listen. To mediate. And eventually, help the Alliance make an amiable decision on a topic that was, putting it charitably, morally grey.

He likely would've remained impassive and unreadable for the entire meeting, had

Lady Sylvia Organa not been the first to speak. Despite himself, and despite trying to remain impartial, he found himself with a little smile. Her first true senate meeting, and his cousin was already stepping up.

Listening to Senators

Dassid Hydia and

Zhong Yuan , the Chancellor's face slowly fell back into forced neutrality. Trust in the Jedi, and worry for internal security, were both legitimate reasons to support the ban. If it were any other topic, they would sway him, too. Finally, Representative

Lehvi Vass made his unique viewpoint known. Alicio was Force-sensitive, too. He knew the truth in Lehvi's words. Had felt it, first hand.

No, Organa. Remain impartial.

"If I may interject with a point of clarification, and a question for the room." Chancellor Organa's voice was smooth and sure, filling the space despite it's softness. "It is already illegal in the Galactic Alliance to be a member of any Sith Order politically, and follow the Sith cult. Theirs has proven to be an ancient enemy of our Alliance and life as a whole, and our predecessors in this body have made it clear they are not welcome within our borders. This debate is not about the Sith, or other known enemies of the state."

"We are here to decide whether or not the Dark Side itself should be criminalized. And there lies my query." Alicio paused a moment, if only to remind himself to be fair.

"If this bill were to pass, how would we enforce it? On what evidence do we make arrests? When a citizen of the Alliance is brought before the courts, and giving into darkness, or following a religion that we have categorized as dark, is their only crime... what sort of punishment should they expect?"

Damian Du Couteau · Thursday at 12:58 AM

Damian Du Couteau, Senator of Empress Teta
Location: Fondor
Outfit

The air was cool and the sun softly warmed Damian as he laid on the grass, all around him the gardens were in bloom. The wind carried the gentle scent of the many flowers, completing the serene experience for the young Du Couteau heir. He breathed happily, it felt almost magical to enjoy such a pleasant sensation. Though something wasn’t entirely right, Damian felt a soft shake before suddenly the ground quaked all around him.

“Senator, Senator it’s time-” His aide spoke quietly but urgently with his hand firmly shaking Damian’s shoulder.

Damian woke up, his eyes attempting to adjust to his office’s lights that had not been turned on when he had entered an hour ago. Quickly he rubbed his eyes and shook off any lingering thoughts of his dreams to embrace the cold reality. He turned to face his Aide, Gen’nar maintained his rather inexpressive face as he gestured for the Senator to get a move on and quickly begin to head on out.

“I didn’t hear any knocks at my door,” Damian commented as he stifled a yawn and brushed away any creases to his cape.

“-I know. You instructed us to enter if you fail to answer both your commlink and our knocks at the door. The proceedings have just begun, I have left a briefing on your data-slate and a shot of caf at the desk outside.” Gen’nar explained, his eyes already returned back to his own data-pad and headed back outside to continue his own work.

Damian pressed both hands against his face and with a bit of force he glared at the reflection of himself against the window. He refocused and maintained his usual neutral expression and headed out to the debate floor with his glass of caf in his left hand while reading the short briefing by using his right hand. The shot of caffeine brought his brain function to at least minimal standard for the time being, Damian clearly found himself lacking too many sleep hours.

But that’s the game I joined, no use complaining about how it's going now. Damian stepped inside the debate floor and carefully maneuvered himself near the back. The seats in these rooms were new to him, and as he sat on them he steeled himself from frowning about the lack of comfort the cushions provided. Already other Senators and Representatives were discussing the issue of banning the Dark Side practices, Damian was eternally grateful for the stenographers keeping up with the debate, allowing him to catch up on those speaking and debating.

It was all a bit too melodramatic for Damian, the optics for such legislation to pass required quite a bit of fine-tuning. Religious persecution is not something I want to be asked about on a daily basis. He pinched the bridge of his nose simply thinking about the effort needed to spin such difficult legislation to pass. At least the lack of a strong Imperial bloc would prove beneficial, but all the same Damian found himself wishing for a clearly defined party-lines.

I wonder if I could make the suggestion of the first planet to enact the imprisonment of dark side users be Empress Teta. Damian mused as he listened to the Chancellor refocus the conversation to the practicality of enforcement of criminalizing the use of the Dark Side. I hope there won’t be any uncouth Tython jokes. He tapped the corner of his data-slate and figured it would prove most beneficial to remain silent, waiting for his body to wake up a bit more and avoid any potential embarrassment of yawning in front of the Chancellor.

||

Matthew of Valendale |

Alicio Organa ||

Brun Rostu · Thursday at 3:57 AM

Alicio Organa said:
"We are here to decide whether or not the Dark Side itself should be criminalized. And there lies my query." Alicio paused a moment, if only to remind himself to be fair.

"If this bill were to pass, how would we enforce it? On what evidence do we make arrests? When a citizen of the Alliance is brought before the courts, and giving into darkness, or following a religion that we have categorized as dark, is their only crime... what sort of punishment should they expect?"

As Brun sat there, listening to the Senators blather on, he felt his patience wearing thinner than the reeds on Haruun Kal. Lor Pelek

Lehvi Vass raised an excellent point. Though his wording seemed to beat around the bush a bit for Bruns taste. The big man stood tall, his face set in a serious expression as he began his address.

Time to piss off everyone...

"Distinguished Senators, I am Brun Rostu of Haruun Kal, today you ask a question that goes beyond law and borders into the very nature of life itself. You ask, 'Can we outlaw the Dark Side?' A bold idea, to be sure. And perhaps, for once, we should be bold." He took a slow look around the room.

He held up a finger for each point, listing the ideas with steady confidence. No not confidence. His tone bordered on arrognance and got worse as he went on into his points. Each raised seemed to grant him more of a inflated sense of power and control. Something he dispalyed by the flux of his deep voice and ever aggressive body language.

"First, we establish a registry of all Force-sensitive individuals throughout Alliance space. Not just known Sith, mind you, but all Force-sensitives! This registry would ensure that no one goes unmonitored, that no potential for corruption slips through unnoticed. And since the Force is more than a mere weapon, we should also deploy surveillance networks to track and assess these individuals' activities, associations, even their communications and at all times!—After all, isn't this a matter of galactic security?!"

"We must also develop emotion and force-detection technology to scan for signs of anger, hate, fear, sorrow and all else involved in populated areas. After all, these emotions are dangerous pathways, and the Dark Side lurks in negative fields. To safeguard public safety, we must be thorough! As for those who persist in harboring 'dark' emotions, we can consider probes and other telepathic methods to assess their intentions. And, for Force-sensitives deemed high risk, we can use Force-suppression devices, Force-inhibiting implants and employing the Jedi Order to sever connections with this troubled individuals! Surely, Senators, if you agree with outlawing the Dark Side, you understand that these measures are the only logical path forward."

Brun's gaze scanned the room, his voice now calm but grave. "And let's not stop there. Let's form specialized Anti-Force units with training in detecting and detaining those with a tendency toward darkness. Why not issue protocols to arrest anyone merely suspected of Dark Side sympathies? As for darkside artifacts—outlaw all of them. A total ban. Any found in possession can and will be detained, and if re-education doesn't work… well, containment and forced labor will."

The room now felt tense, eyes narrowing, whispers passing between adjacent Senate members as Brun seemed to consider his own words. And then, without warning, he smirked, humor glinting in his eyes.

"We are," he began again, this time gesturing with an exaggerated sweep, "all gathered as the great minds of the alliance, ready to tackle... what exactly? Senators, please, are we really considering 'outlawing the Dark Side of the Force' like it's some kind of smuggler's spice or contraband?"

He now sensed confusion from a few members, but Brun pressed on.

"Are we going to slap a fine on someone for having dark thoughts?" He raised an eyebrow. "Will there be patrols prowling Fondor's underbelly, sniffing out any lingering feelings of anger or jealousy? You know, if we ban negative feelings, we'll probably have to clear out half this room. Force knows I'm sensing a fair share of frustration here. Are we going to throw half the Senate in the Pen?"

He cracked the faintest of smiles, but his eyes remained sharp.

"Look," he said, his tone softening into something laced with irony, "I'll be blunt, this proposal is ridiculous. You're not waging a war on some dangerous weapon or a threat you can actually contain. You're trying to legislate the metaphysical—emotions, instincts, the natures we all share. And unless you are prepared to infringe on the values that the Galactic Alliance prides itself on...Then this is simply not feasible."

Tags:

Feridade Parthi · Thursday at 11:28 AM

 

| Location | Fondor, Senate Building

| Purpose | Discuss the Future of Force Cults

| Focus | TBD

Feridade leaned back in his seat as more members of the Senate began to file in, interlocking his fingers in front of him as his elbows sat upon the arm rests. A few of the arriving body and already present began with their opening statements as they began to address the issue at hand. The Senator of Alderaan, 

 Lady Sylvia Organa
was among the first to speak and address their thoughts and concerns on the matter,​
​
"As you all know, we've been summoned to discuss a topic that I can see has some of you uneasy. The morality of force traditions has been debated since long before any of us were born, and no doubt will continue long after we've returned to dust, despite the outcome here today. Frankly, I do not believe this is even a matter for us to be making decisions on given that most of us are not users of the force."​
​
Feridade scoffed at the remark as he pulled his hands away from one another and interjected shortly after they concluded with an attempt to sway the topic of discussion, "With all due respect Senator, this is a matter for us to decide upon regardless of the fact that many if not all of us are not Force Users. The discussion of having to excise elements of the Dark Side within our territories impacts the safety of the Alliance as a whole - Force Users constitute the smallest fraction of our populations, but still impact a greater portion of Galactic affairs. Or do all the lives lost due to acts of war from the Sith or other factions such as the Maw simply get overlooked? All it took was the ravings of a few individuals claiming to be an emperor to amass hundreds of thousands of followers just as deranged as they are and led to billions dead across the Galaxy."​
​
His hands pushed off the rests of his seat after several other Senators spoke their minds and stood, "The Force is unpredictable and an inherent danger to the safety and well-being of our people. No one is safe from the corruption the Dark side has shown to inflict, both of the Senate and the Jedi - and while I am grateful to the efforts of the Jedi to maintain our peace, there is no guarantee that such a body can remain pure or incorruptible. Without proper measures in place, who is to say that none among us are already corrupted by its taint? Simply saying something is illegal won't stop any committed individual from continuing its practice in the shadows - they will do so for as long as they aren't under threat of being discovered. We must actively pursue them and rip them root and stem before it becomes impossible to do so."​
​
He paused briefly before redirecting his attention to 

 Brun Rostu
who had made a long-winded statement, despite trying to make the topic seem laughable and impossible, he still made a fair point on where they could start.​
​
"We may not be able to police every individual that resides within our territory, but we certainly can put safety measures in place to mitigate it. A registry is as well of a start as any - individuals who have the potential to become figureheads for Dark side cults. We would maintain a watchlist of terrorists would we not? Treat them as such, before such an infection spreads beyond our control. We are not debating policing 'feelings' so much as we are potential and actionable threats. This is about notable individuals who we have identified as cultist leaders and removing them before they gain or are able to command a significant populace to follow them."​







Dassid Hydia
| 

Vianca Mecetti
| 

Alicio Organa
| 

Zhong Yuan
| 

Lehvi Vass​

Lady Sylvia Organa · Thursday at 1:34 PM

A Discussion As Old As Time

Outfit: Professional Attire
Weapons: Minor self defense weapons

Sylvia listened intently to what Dassid and Zhong had to say. It was clear they had concerns, and she appreciated their openness in sharing them. At the same time, she couldn't push away the thought that this would do nothing to help matters of tension within the Alliance and, at worst case, possibly make them worse.

"Esteemed Chancellor Organa is absolutely correct. Sith traditions are already illegal. If I may elaborate on that point, murder, torture, causing bodily harm, and destruction of person or property—these things are all already illegal within this Alliance. Anyone caught committing such acts should be held accountable for what they have done. If this type of legislation were to pass, we would be in the exact same situation as we are currently, with the only difference of broadcasting to the galaxy a higher level of fear-driven intolerance when we claim to push the tenets of hope, mercy, and redemption."

Before she had the chance to fully evaluate everything that was being said or adress those concerns from before, her attention was forcefully yanked to everything Brun began to say. The longer he spoke, the more the utter disbelief began to plaster itself onto her expression. If not for his clear feelings that distinguished hyperbole from his actual thoughts, she might have even had to stop herself from speaking out of turn.

The relief didn't last too long, though. That glow of shock and outrage became a beacon in Sylvia's eyes. "Excuse my bluntness, Senator Parthi, but it sounds to me as if you're actually proposing the absolutely preposterous idea of creating a registry for the Force-sensitive, not just using it as the outrageous hypothetical that Senator Rostu had meant it to be." She shook her head in almost exasperation. "Though his words held some grain of truth to them—and I respect the intention behind them—normally I would be inclined to argue the logical fallacy in a slippery slope argument, but how can I now that you've rendered that a moot point? Instead, answer me this: Can you look a Force-sensitive child born a Galactic Alliance citizen in the eyes and tell them that they have no right to privacy or the same basic decency of others under the law strictly for the matter of their birth? Could any of you?" She turned her question out to the entirety of the Senate.

"I certainly couldn't, and I would hope that the answer would be the same across this hall."

She took a moment to allow her question to sink in before she continued, "Proposing one extreme to counter another is not going to end a war. Nor will it help anyone affected by the war being waged from outside forces we do not control. We cannot allow our own fears to drive us to decisions that produce harm to our own citizens. We are better than that!"

Alicio Organa |

Damian Du Couteau |

Brun Rostu

Lucas Gracin · Thursday at 6:11 PM

A force user himself, and something other than a jedi, Lucas knew that his perspective on the situation would be as unique as it was pertinent. The Wilders of Veradune, while aware of the light and dark side, made little distinction between them. There were the accepted sects. And there was the blight. But death and destruction were as much a part of nature as growth and life. Clearing his throat, he keyed into the microphone so that all could hear him.

"Fellow Senators of this esteemed august body, I come to you, not only as a senator, but a man trained in the ways of the force. Or rather, trained as my people call it, in the spirit of the wilds. I am not a jedi. My war is not light versus dark, but in orthodoxy versus blight. They are not the same. I have spoken with my Valde and even the Valde before him at length a about the philosophies of the jedi against the sith. Everyone here agrees. The sith are evil." That much was clear. He'd heard it from every senator that spoke. There was hatred for the ancient enemies of the jedi, a hatred he shared and knew to be well deserved. "But they are not evil for their religious views. They are evil because of their wars against our state and the genocides they have committed in its name. The dark side is strong emotions; hatred, passion, and fear. The sith take these emotions and twist them to their own evil ends." It was an effort to keep his voice calm and level, especially with his next points to come.

"Long ago, I was a prisoner on my planet. I am not a jedi. I did not escape my cell with serenity or peace in mind. Not with the blood of my children still staining my memory. There was anger. There was sorrow. There was wrath as I tore through my bars, then tore apart my captors. When Torrevaso freed the rest of my planet, it was righteous, but he had yet to learn our lightning. He used that which the sith had taught him. There was no light sided mercy as he decapitated and defenestrated the man that had enslaved and hunted his people like beasts.'

"Chancellor Organa and others have posed an important question. How do we enforce enforce these laws? The answer is simple. We don't. I, and many others around the galaxy who are neither jedi, nor sith believe that the force is not evil, be it light or dark. Actions are. You can no more enforce the negative side of the force than you can enforce a negative emotion. I propose we legislate as one would any weapon, on its misuse. As Assault with a deadly weapon is a crime, we introduce laws forbidding such acts as coercion or assault through the force. Focus not on the emotions behind the powers at use but rather on their effect."

Kahlil Noble · Thursday at 6:39 PM

"To be clear, Senators, the Dark Side of the Force and it's use is a drug worse than Spice. It makes bad choices seem good, change how your views on the world around you works. This is a science, not a belief. Belief shapes how the Force reacts to those who use it. For the Witches of Dathomir, you see magics and spells. For the Jedi, our usual tricks of the mind and the like. I agree there is no feasible way to truly track people. Moments of heightened emotions, especially in war, have pulled at all our minds who fight in them."

Kahlil spoke from his own pod, idly glancing around the Senate halls.

"But it is a drug. That's not faith."

Caulder Dune · Thursday at 7:11 PM

Alicio Organa |

Lucas Gracin

The ancient emissary of the Commerce Guild sat in his senate pod alone, as he so often was, and listened, as he so often did. Eventually Caulder leaned forward and depressed the button to activate his microphone, though he moved with a sort of tired resignation rather than moral outrage.

He didn't stand, because in his estimation this was hardly a conversation worth standing for.

"The Commerce Guild echoes the sentiments of the Senators of Alderaan, Haruun Kal, and Veradune," He idly scratched behind one ear, "Belabored as their points may be."

"We will remind the Senator of Eshan that our intelligence services already monitor actionable threats regardless of their exact trappings. It is the Guild's position that compiling a secondary registry of Force Sensitive individuals who - at some nebulous juncture - might become 'Dark Side cult leaders' would be an arbitrary, unscientific, and wasteful exercise."

Caulder released the button and relaxed once again back into his seat. Tired. Already he was tired. Perhaps even mildly annoyed.

Like all discussions of the Force, this would be bogged down by superstition. 'The Dark Side' was a theological term spawned from Jedi religion... And religious suppositions rarely made for an adequate legal framework. The Alliance's failure to interrogate 'the Force' as a scientific law rather than a spiritual abstraction would hamstring any attempt to legislate beyond merely criminalizing Sith religion.

Of course, that was not the sort of opinion a merchant could be expected to have, so Caulder let his actual complaints go unstated. He did roll his eyes when the Chancellor likened it to a drug, though. That was the Jedi for you: only half correct, as always.

Marya Werdegast · Thursday at 8:04 PM

Marya was hardly an expert on the Force or the many religions derived from it, but it was clear that this proposed ban was poorly worded, if not poorly thought out. Her conclusion was only strengthened by the variety of differing viewpoints put forth by the Senators, ambassadors, and other political figures in the room today—far more than she was used to seeing at a typical Assembly meeting. If nothing else, the controversy of the topic had coaxed the lurkers out into the open.

"Necropolis speaks," Marya began, turning on her mic. "As others have pointed out, a ban of the practice of the Sith religion is already on the books. Yet this has only led to the proliferation of splinter cults that are Sith in all but name. They seek to circumvent the law by not identifying themselves as Sith. Instead they call themselves Dark, Lost, and so on." Like edgy teenagers trying to come up with a name for their necropunk garage band...

"Given this outcome, it would seem prudent to expand the ban to cover all Dark Side-aligned entities. On the other side of the debate, outlawing beliefs and ideas shared by multiple individuals is... tricky. For some of you it veers too close to enshrining 'thought crimes' as a legitimate component of Alliance law. That is understandable. For this reason, until an actual bill is brought before the Assembly, Necropolis finds this discussion to be without merit."

Marya was benefiting from the aid of a sorcerer who would be condemned under such a ban, were it to go into effect. But that didn't concern her. She was a criminal, and criminals break the law.

Monaray Dod · Thursday at 8:32 PM

@

Senator Monaray scarcely lifted his gaze from the datapad in his hand as the Chancellor,

Alicio Organa , convened the Senate. The primary subject of discussion revolved around the prohibition of force traditions and organizations associated with the dark side with many suggestions from the Alliance delegates such as implementing a registry for force sensitives or even outright banning individuals who might share unfavorable opinions.

The Neimoidian's attention was largely diverted from this matter for the moment, as the Alliance was currently in a struggle with numerous adversaries from the Sith Order to the Dark Empire which had recently mobilized their naval forces to blockade the Hydian Way starting at Corin. He would have thought that was a much more important issue for the senate considering that food and supplies were regularly transported along that hyperspace lane to numerous systems through localized hyperspace lanes.

He leaned over to the two Trade Federation Envoys seated nearby, who gave him suggestions and advice on a wide range of economic and legal issues and kept him up to date by summarizing the various arguments and positions of each delegation within the room.

He did disagree with some of their assessments, and agreed with others but he would not voice the opinion of the Planet of Cato Neimoidia and its Purse-Worlds until a more appropriate moment.

"One would have thought that common sense would prevail, being a Sith is already illegal as so many have echoed within this chamber." Dod explained in a polite manner, pressing the microphone button on the chair.

"None of us are actually qualified to comment on the affairs of the Force or its applications across the Galactic Alliance besides the official representative of the New Jedi Order

Kahlil Noble , nor shall I bore this chamber with economic considerations that such enforcements would have on a budget already strained by wars with two of the largest superpowers nearby." He further added, wanting to point out that they were politicians not force users for the most part.

"Therefore the Delegation from Cato Neimoidia votes to transfer this discussion to the purview of the New Jedi Council, and its Grandmaster whose more experienced knowledge of the Dark Side will offer much greater insight into how the Senate should proceed moving forward. Once they have conducted their own analysis, we would be able to vote on it more clearly." Dod concluded.

Efret Farr · Friday at 1:38 AM

When the next voice resounded through the Senate chamber, it wasn't Efret's vocabulator. She had taken the small clip off of her person at the Temple and had left it on the nightstand in her dorm room. Instead, who spoke was a Salenga man as she signed to him. In these situations where the conversation she would be part of was so large as to be almost impersonal, she preferred to have an organic interpreter speak as well as sign for her. There was much less opportunity for misunderstandings on the part of other people that way; the interpreter would infer Efret's tone from her facial expressions that most everyone else was too far away to see and understand.

Her first request of them through him was a gentle plea.

"Please, Senators, try to curb your fears."

Efret looked away from her interpreter to glance from repulsorpod to repulsorpod. She didn't have to be a Jedi to know, to feel, their anxiety begotten of concern. It was more than enough to be a Lorrdian and to listen.

"The Dark side of the Force is a set of emotions, not necessarily an intent."

She paused.

Feridade Parthi said:
". . .Without proper measures in place, who is to say that none among us are already corrupted by its taint?. . ."

Part of the senator of Eshan's argument had stuck with her until now. She hesitated on the precipice of addressing it, the presence of Kahlil heavy in her peripheries as seen by Nirrah. She didn't know him well, nor he her, so she was left to have faith in that what all his wife must have told him about the chief curator's character would be enough to stay an instinctual reaction to the revelation she was about to make. Sure, he had just shared a similar sentiment himself mere moments before, but she still felt anxious. After all, she had only admitted to the ailment cast upon her by one of the Dark Side Elite months ago to a select few, and now she was weighing the pros and cons of announcing it to the entire convened legislature.

The pros won out.

"I am corrupted by that set of emotions, Senators." The initial push made, the verbal momentum would run its course on its own now. "And so are countless Jedi and other Light siders who fight for you, as Master Noble said. In my experience, the more we try to resist the Dark side, the more it tempts, the more it infects." Though she spoke only from her first-hand experience, she was confident that her struggle was more or less universal in the Order. It had to be. She surely was not an outlier. "A Force user is typically only able to either conquer their Dark side or righteously channel it with sufficient support and allowance of time."

She paused again to bow her head in concession. "Perhaps there is a greater good here, as we do comprise only a small percentage of the Galactic Alliance's population, but each of you also represents the Force users of your planet. It may be convenient to do so for the sake of this conversation but don't forget that.

"Should this body seek to regulate Dark side use, I hope that an exception will be written into any proposed bill to protect both those who use the Dark side with good intent—to likewise protect and uphold our shared freedom from those who would take it away—and Light siders who occasionally stumble."

Caulder Dune

Monaray Dod

Damian Du Couteau · Friday at 4:09 AM

Damian Du Couteau, Senator of Empress Teta
Location: Fondor
Outfit

Damian continued to listen, his digipen making quick notes on his data-slate, the flurry of possible news headlines was quite large. He wondered if there were going to be headaches down the line of unpopularity should any actual events of enforcement. Religious persecutions, thought-crimes. . . oh the plethora of ridiculousness. The young Du Couteau heir raised an eyebrow as he listened to the rise of emotional arguments but when the Shield spoke Damian found himself agreeing.

Drugs, like spice, and we already know how difficult it is to control illicit drug smuggling and creation. Damian rarely finds himself wishing for higher governmental restrictions and wasteful resources into enforcement practices, but perhaps if he had been far more heavy handed on Dark Side practices on his home planet than Empress Teta might have not fallen. Grimacing slightly Damian massaged his temple with his free hand, the conversation almost seemed rather headed towards degrees instead of denial. With careful consideration for his next action Damian stood up and paused a moment before speaking out loud.

“Suffer not the Sith nor the Witch to live. . . a rather dreary motto of an odd zealous group,” His voice masking the tiredness the best Damian could, “-If the goal is to monitor emotions that lead to Dark Side actions, not just tendencies, the target to aim for is the root cause of such emotions to fester in the first place; Influence and the evangelists who manipulate the soul, mind and heart.” Damian explained.

“I failed in extracting this weed on my homeworld of Teta and the people paying the price. During the construction of this legislation we should include further aggressive support of the Jedi Order and SIA to wipe clean the Dark Side infestation. In whatever methods the Order and SIA deems necessary and prudent. We do not wish to waste Alliance Judges and the cost of paperwork, so we should leave ultimate judgement with the Order.”

“Afterwards the markets will adjust and provide whatever is needed to never allow the growth for further discontent that weakens the minds of those who foolishly believe Dark Side religion can fill their emptiness.” Damian concluded, his eyes returning to his data-slate and his right hand quickly adding a few notes.

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Matthew of Valendale |