The Nondiscrimination Initiative

[Wil Cindercurser]

The Senator of Cularin, Dr. Wiliam Pike Cidercurser's pod floated to the center of the Senate floor. He cleared his throat nervously knowing full well the dangerous position he was putting himself in presenting this particular bill. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he wiped it with a now damp cloth.

"Esteemed senators, I have just received word from Manaan..." He rubbed his eyes with a defeated look. It was if he had lost much sleep over this entire endeavor. "One Sith have claimed victory." He said with a heavy exhale. Murmurs arose on the senate floor, gasps and the like. Fear was infectious and a number of senators present had shown real, unadulterated fear.

He bit at the top of his bottom lip, there was not much he could say if he wanted to comfort them but he had a plan to save the Republic. He waved his hands as if to get the other senators to let him speak.

"Mind you!" He shouted as to be heard amongst the mob, "...While we have lost strategic positioning in the Galaxy, this war is far from over!" He said trying to rally what courage the Republic had left. "We will fight them tooth and nail to secure this Democracy! And we will fight them as long as there is air in our lungs..."

"Though I come from a frail species and in no means am I a soldier, I will stand my ground in the face of danger. I may not be strong physically, but my resolve is impenetrable." He did not allow the thought of being gutted by One Sith dampen the impact of his speech. "If I must pick up a gun instead of a pen, I will. This..." He pointed to the land, "Is my line in the sand." He intensely looked at the floating hover-camera that broadcast to the furthest reaches of the galaxy.

"Even if it kills me... we will stop One Sith." He exhaled deeply. The matter at hand was what worried him now, "...but..." He looked out into the crowd of faces. How could he say what was on his mind? He feared that the Senators right then and there would stone him... in a democracy, one should not fear speaking his mind... but he did. What he was about to purpose would rock the republic to its foundation.

"....but we simply... can't do it alone." He ran his hands through his hair. "We must fight fire with fire. The One Sith have a behemoth we alone cannot stop. The Jedi cannot compete with the Sith... as they have proven time and again." What he was about to suggest very well could be viewed as treason. He licked his unusually dry lips once more before continuing, "Only the Sith can compete with the Sith. The One Sith have made enemies amongst their own people and so I have written a proposal that states contributing members of society regardless of race, creed or color can serve in the Republic Army and wipe their slate clean. The Republic is all about second chances... for everyone." He looked upon the unsure faces in the crowd but still continued with his pitch. "There are many who wish to save the Republic... but fear of our prejudice past keeps them from our lands... Fear of persecution. We must judge a being by his deed not by his creed."

"Please turn to your holopads for the bill in question." he finished strong, "A vote for this bill is a vote for peace."

The Nondiscrimination Initiative

• The Republic hereby recognizes all Force-Users the ability to practice any and all variations of Force Religions with the exception that one religion cannot strip others of their rights (i.e. the right to life)
  
• The Republic hereby revokes any bounties set upon Sith by the Republic but maintains its bounties on official One Sith members
  
• The Republic hereby orders all Force-Users within the confines of Republic Space to submit registration forms (including name, place of residence, occupation and a list of all force abilities) and undergo psychiatric evaluation
  
• Active war criminals hereby have the ability to surrender themselves to the nearest Republic Authority where they will be sentenced to military terms of 2, 4 and 6 years depending on the severity of their crimes. The Republic shall take measures to ensure the safety of other Republic citizens and servitude to the Republic for those determined 'high risk' (as determined by the psychiatric evaluation)
  
• The Republic hereby orders all official documentation of Jedi, Sith, and other Force Users to maintain the illusion of solidarity with an all encompassing term such as: Force Users, Force Wielders or simply Knights of the Republic

 

[Persephone Callas]

A cerulean holoimage of the Ducha would review the information of the proposed bill. How utterly fascinating. Slowly she would flick a fan open and begin to flutter it over the lower portion of her face.

It was to hide her smirk.

She had her opinions on the matter. But for now, she was curious to see what her fellow Senators would say.

 

[The End Narrator]

Alyesa raised an eyebrow as she eyed the bill before her on the datapad and then the Senator proposing it.

She would be the first to speak, as she was the one who crafted bills protecting the Jedi Order – she was the one who crafted bills that would see to the Execution of the One Sith Operatives who worked against the very freedom they fought for.

“Allow me to interject here for a moment.” Her voice thick with disgust. “Do you believe the One Sith will give you the same courtesy?” She didn’t bother for an answer, her right hand waving away the notion. “No, I can tell you they will not.” She paced to the right on her pad. “Let me explain to you, what this very Senate faced a short while ago – a peaceful resolution from the One Sith.”

She gestured with both hands towards the Senate as a whole. “It was rejected, without a single vote leaning towards yes – do you know why?” Again, she wouldn’t allow him the time to answer. Such an absurd bill being presented to the floor, one would hope that the individual had the understanding to do their homework before they brought a bill before Senators and individuals who have already lost so much to Sith. “We must surrender all Jedi to the Sith, notice I say Sith.”

She gestured. “It wasn’t, surrender all Jedi to the Force Users abroad so they can merge together and be a merry band of people practicing some religion.” She shook her head softly. “The Sith have the desire to destroy the Jedi and the practioners of the Light side of the Force.” Again, another shake of her head as she centered herself on the pad.

Her hands would come to clasp the datapad as she punched a few buttons to project it on the main holoscreen. “This bill is asking we override the current war-time bill, which is not possible without a 3/4ths majority and Chief of the Senate approval, which means the bill has to be recalled and currently in our status – it cannot be recalled.”

She gestured towards the first line. “This bill is asking us to allow operatives of the Sith or individuals who practice dark magic to operate within the boundaries of the Republic, therefore we expect them to follow the same rule of law as Republic Soldiers and citizens – we have seen the result of such things and we cannot afford any more accidents or rather attempts at following the rules.” She gestured towards the screen where a list would be produced of individuals who had made such attempts and failed. "Feel free to browse through and find names."

A motion to the 2nd line and a sigh would come from her small form. “This bill basically takes bounties enacted by my office, as Chief of Security at the time before the Triumvate was established and nullifies them. We have solid leads on several or have regained several assets in return.”

She gestured to the third line and the most incriminating line of them all, her fist coming down hard onto the datapad, causing it to glitch slightly. “This bill tells our members of the Jedi Order, and everyone who is Force sensitive to register with a registry, to let us know they exist and this registry can become compromised, therefore the data can get into the hands of our enemies.” She gestured towards [member="Wil Cindercurser"]. “Senator, you cannot guarantee the safety of these infants, children and young adolescents who would be forced to get in line and register like they were slaves. Nor can the Republic keep up with their safety if such a compromise occurs.”

She took a deep breath and marked “No” on her vote, clearly indicated on the screen before she continued. “These last lines are a mockery of the system and I’d rather pick up a gun and fight for what I believe in than die a sympathizer to the One Sith cause.” With that, she would sit down to the no doubt, roaring crowds and thunderous applause brought on by the individuals who were staunch supporters of the Republic.

 

[Wil Cindercurser]

[member="Alyesa Praxon-Organa"] presented valid arguments on all points and certainly looked to sway others to follow her beliefs. She looked to use their fear of the unknown Sith to force their hand.

"You use the Government recognized as the One Sith and the Sith religion interchangeable. Please note as stated before, there are Sith willing and able to fight the One Sith." He shook his head. "One Sith sent that bid of so-called peace, and I don't demand courtesies from them. They are in fact our enemy but the Republic is better than that. Additionally, the One Sith is very willing to take on all Force Users to bolster their ranks regardless of their religious backgrounds and I suggest we do the same. Your office was overzealous to enact those bounties. And above all, this bill has certain... fail safes in place."

"If you would like to see this Republic fall for lack of action then that is your prerogative... but I for one suggest we do something and fast."

 

[The End Narrator]

Alyesa softly sighed and stood back up. She gestured politely to [member="Wil Cindercurser"]. "I will not see the Jedi be made to register themselves out of a superstition or a fear that has no validity. For thousands of years the Jedi have guarded the Republic without the need to carry around identification chits or tell us where they live or what they do." She motioned with both hands. "It's a relatively working system, a wheel that doesn't need to be re-invented." She shook her head softly. "If you value what the One Sith do Senator, I can be glad to show you what they have done to my home planet and see if that changes your mind - if it does not..." She would pause for a moment, eyes narrowing. "Then be on your way to Coruscant."

 

[Wil Cindercurser]

"Senator [member="Alyesa Praxon-Organa"] your prejudice has clouded your judgement. I am sorry for what has happened to your planet but what happens to your planet was done by religious extremists and we cannot judge the religion as a whole based on a few bad nerfs." He said with slightly less vigor in his voice. "There are Jedi who are extremists and while [member="viper"] would be considered one... Perhaps he too deserves a second chance. This bill would allow him to continue serving the Republic... or would you force him into the camp of our enemy?"

 

[The End Narrator]

Alyesa furrowed her brows. She was being challenged on the very grounds of ethics and morality.

"Senator, is this bill aimed at something you hold close to you, maybe even something you could consider personal? Is that why you claim my judgement to be clouded? Because you think I have based everything off a few bad apples?" She shook her head softly, dark brown hair waving softly as she did so. "I cannot pass judgement on the wayward Jedi Knight, as he has not been through a fair trial, however, I can say that your bill allows him leniency for murdering an innocent and our enemies will punish us further for taking such a soft stance." She made a motion towards [member="Wil Cindercurser"]. "Too many times has the Republic given second chances and too many times has it been burned in the process..."

 

[Wil Cindercurser]

#double post#

 

[Wil Cindercurser]

Wil half smiled at her particular phrasing, "So you admit that the Sith that surrendered herself that he killed was an innocent? As in her final moments she had tuned her back on One Sith." He nodded. "Well the initiative would have a place for her at least within our army."
"As far as this bill aimed at something that I hold close to me... it does.... the survival of the Republic!"

 

[The End Narrator]

Alyesa shook her head softly and waved her right hand. "Senator, I ask that you stick to your bill." She said flatly. "By proxy, she was an innocent due to her status as a prisoner of war and a defenseless individual - she gave no indication of turning her allegiance from the One Sith to just 'Let me be a Sith without a cause.' You are using the Republic as a scapegoat for personal measures, as a means to open the floodgates to harbor individuals who would use their darkness amongst our ranks and violate our laws and regulations."

She gestured towards [member="Wil Cindercurser"]. "Beyond that, this goes in violation of the civil rights of the Jedi as beings of free will, and I hereby call for this bill to be struck down and never to be brought forth to the Senate chambers again - It's a perverse act to allow the Sith to openly operate within our ranks, a means of violating the rights of our own people by making them not only identify themselves into a database that can be publicly accessed but can be sold to our enemies and is looking to excuse the behavior of those who grossly violate our ways of life."

She would manipulate a few buttons on her own datapad, calling for the bill to be struck down.

"Senators, may I have your votes please, to strike down the bill as it stands."

[member="Persephone Callas"] | [member="Faith Balor"] | [member="Carlos Castillo"] | [member="Lorelei Darke"] (NPC) | [member="Vaudin Miir"]

 

[Wil Cindercurser]

His eyes lowered and he slammed his fist upon the podium before him, "You would rather see the Republic fall because of your inaction well I don't!" He was angry now how could he not be. She was calling to strike down a bill that very well would save the Republic.

"As I have stated many times up to this point, princess..." He used the term almost condescendingly, "...there are certain fail safes in place and that is why every measure of this bill must remain intact... So the Republic can remain intact!"

"Otherwise... you'll be a princess of nothing but rubble and ash. You yourself have called for warriors to take back your land! Have your Jedi answered your plea? This measure will give us the warriors we need. Will you be so blind to the fact that the Republic will die because of your personal problems?"

His tone became more soft "I implore you senators to save the republic.... before it's too late."


[member="Alyesa Praxon-Organa"]

 

[The End Narrator]

"My personal problems are not solved by limiting the civil rights of the Jedi and binding them to an identification chit that can be tracked here or there." She gestured to the angry Senator who she so amusingly disturbed. "My problems are solved in a diplomatic manner first and then I call upon the might of the Republic military."

[member="Wil Cindercurser"]

 

[Vhaeri]

Sophia was not a good senator in any way, but when things came to the Jedi... she was overprotective. For long, the girl sitting in her pod, back in the senate, whether she should have a speech or not. Important things had been said and she was now completely confused. What was the bill even about? Freedom? And didn't the Republic support it? But on the other hand... it took them away.

The thoughts racing through the girl's head started to take a more definite shape -- one of a "No" button on the controller. She even stood up to talk.

"Senator Cindercurser, I understand the meaning behind your proposed bill, and your opinions about these things, but the Republic and Jedi Order have coexisted for long now, and even though they haven't been officially connected or belonged to the same faction all the time, these two have worked together since the beginning of the entity known as the Republic.

Wars have taken place on our land so many times that talking about a peaceful era is rather impossible. And what has been our strength? The pure hearts of Jedi Knights. No, we haven't had other force-users to help us out even in the most critical times, nor should we do that now.

The Jedi Order is trying their best to keep the faction safe. And even though they are not successful all the time, they do more to defend us than most people do. You say other force users could help us, but the true thing we should speak about is the proper way of thinking.

What do the One Sith have that makes them so powerful? They are amazingly organised when it comes to cooperation. They know what they are doing, and even though they might have supreme weapons, if they weren't acting as a group, they wouldn't know how to use them. But they have the proper way of thinking and the weapons.

What I'm trying to say is that while diversity is a pillar of freedom, it's not a pillar of winning the war. Having a successful battle is all about how the soldiers fighting for us act, or think. The Jedi Order is a single organisation and it can hold themselves together. But if we brought all the force sensitives in, we would have a huge variety of people... who know nothing of cooperation.

Religions collide. They make people fight with each other, and if we let all of them in, I would say it's a suicide. Because even if these aiding people provide temporary help, they will soon destroy the unity of us, they will tear us apart from the inside out.

These are my thoughts on the matter, and my hope for a permanent better future, not a temporary relief. And that is why I'm voting against passing this bill."

She actually pressed the button of a declining vote. Goodness, she might have really messed up with her speech, she thought later. Did her thoughts make any sense at all?

[ [member="Wil Cindercurser"] | [member="Persephone Callas"] | [member="Alyesa Praxon-Organa"] ]​

 

[Wil Cindercurser]

Wil paced around his pod growing more anxious by the moment. He began pressing on his holopad to project something to the rest of the Senate. It was the code of conduct for the Ethics committee led by no one... probably because everyone knew that bigotry ran deep within the Senate and no one wanted to fail.

Ethics Committee
Led by:

The members of this committee strive to ensure the well-being of citizens of the Republic. The fight for an end against alien discrimination, aspiring for equal rights given to all species no matter their culture. These members are also quite adept in many over languages other than their own, often serving as ambassadors or journeying to other Republic worlds to settle disputes that may have been formed by the Republic. Maintaining the well-being of the Republic's people is their top priority.

"I may be many things.... but a hypocrite is not one of them. I am sorry that you are unable to see the relevance of this bill goes well beyond securing the safety of our people... but it's the creed that holds our Republic together... and if you cannot follow your own creed and let fear control your decisions..." his eyes began to water slightly, "Then you shall not call yourselves a republican government. This institution would be nothing more than a farce! You are then nothing more than a tyrannical oligarchy and you are no better than One Sith."

"I will defend this Republic from enemies foreign and domestic. And if you don't see a problem excluding an entire culture from a government self-proclaimed as a Republic... then there is no hope for you."

 

[Quietus]

Pheraella Sanzio, now full Senator of Kuat, quietly sat in her booth, skinny cigarette in her fingers, dark eyes flitting from one opinion to the other.

She chimed in for recognition.

"The floor recognizes Senator Sanzio of the Kuat System."

A curt nod, a short and calm draw on her cigarette before the immaculatly dressed woman stood, "You wish for Sith to work for us? We might as well propose a peace offering to the One Sith if that's the case. After all, that worked so well last time. Sith don't fight for anyone but themselves, as has been proven time and again. Their rallying cause is only that which is more powerful than they are - and right now, that's the One Sith. Who do you have lined up, petitioned, and signed on to fight for the Republic, hmm? Do you really know these people. Do any of us? I'd like to hear names."

 

[The End Narrator]

"Then you shall not call yourselves a republican government. This institution would be nothing more than a farce! You are then nothing more than a tyrannical oligarchy and you are no better than One Sith."

"I will defend this Republic from enemies foreign and domestic. And if you don't see a problem excluding an entire culture from a government self-proclaimed as a Republic... then there is no hope for you."

Alyesa motioned towards the esteemed Senator of Kuat, nodding in agreement. She then gestured towards the main center screen of the Senate Chambers, as she did so, she would manipulate the holorecording of the current session - replaying his exact words.

"You just called the very government you're apart of, and have been elected by your people to represent - tyrannical and even a farce. You sound as if you are hiding something by throwing out insults to distract us from the truth." She shrugged lightly. "Senator, the Sith aren't a culture the Republic wishes to align themselves with - they aren't some group of cuddly Ewoks to which I would trust my life with." She shook her head softly. "I wouldn't dare traverse the stars with a Sith Lord let alone trust them with the very protection of our Republic - peacekeeping isn't in their mantra." She sighed heavily and brought down the replay of his tirade and put on the well known mantra of the Sith. "The first line - Peace is a lie."

She motioned back to the Senator of Kuat. "And I'm inclined to agree with my esteemed colleague, who are these people you claim are ready and waiting?"

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

[member="Wil Cindercurser"]

 

[Wil Cindercurser]

He stood strong on his position. "...Why?" He asked drumming on his podium. "So you can add them to your list of bounties?" He waved his hands at a loss.

"The blood of your witch hunt will not be on my hands. This information shall be revealed if and when the motion passes and not before. Needless to say two of these individuals are highly trained alchemists that can bring down that invincible beast of the One Sith. These gentlemen are not currently high on your list of most wanted... and other than the crime of being Sith they are model citizens."

He sighed, "Even if I did tell you their names... it wouldn't matter. The Princess has already cast her vote... and you, [member="Lorelei Darke"] I imagine you too have already made up your mind as well."

 

[Vaudin Miir]

[member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Wil Cindercurser"] [member="Lorelei Darke"] @Alyesa Praxon-Odrgana [member="Persephone Callas"]

Vaudin stomped through the Senate corridors black Yuuzhan Vong blood still staining his hands and clothes. His face bloody and dirty from the recent battle of Manaan. He had evacuated a lot of good people. He had killed a Sith Lord dead and left the body to soak in the sinking city and he was a touch well, pissed off. He lifted a boot and kicked open the old hinged doors to his booth and walked into the Senate chambers.

"Ladies and Gentlebeings!" He yelled over the sounds of the Senate. "Guess where the Kark I just came from."

He wiped blood onto his voting pad and stood with his hands on his hips.

"Now I don't know what the problem is here and I don't much care, but if we are talking about making damn more monsters to fight monsters, and if we're talking about making deals with the pits of Chaos to get rid of an enemy, then it's time some people had a reality check."

He looked around the room.

"Not a damn hand in this room has lifted a finger to do anything but vote on bills that so far haven't done a thing. Half of you have personal fleets some have personal armies and what did you do but sit and talk about what making friends with religious fanatics? Let me explain why the jedi haven't beat the sith. The reason is this. THEY ARE DOING ALL THE DAMN WORK. They are damn monks that you lazy karks saddle with protecting the galaxy but where are you when it's time to back them? I'll make my vote real clear before I go clean myself up. If you friends Mr. Cindercurser want to get permission to make abominations for the Republic tell them to stick their saber hilts in their backsides, turn them on, and make us two sith shorter on a long list of waste of matter. Sith will turn on people period, otherwise they aren't Sith. Now sit down and let grown ups talk until you have something usfull to say."

Vaudin flicked some blood from his cheek and turned to walk away.

 

[Faith Organa]

Faith was listening, and learning from her seat the arguments presented were passionate, well spoken, and if nothing less heart felt and believed in by those who presented them.

She felt herself wanting to protect her sister [member="Alyesa Praxon-Organa"] but kept her seat instead as her fist unseen in her lap flexed open and closed. [member="Wil Cindercurser"] would not reveal the names she knew that Alyesa would not be adding anyone to a bounty list, but she also knew that they would not be so foolish as they once were.

Then [member="Vaudin Miir"] came into the room his words were stinging.

Faith would never let the Sith work for them, they would have to tie her down, dye her hair blonde, her eye blue, make her five feet taller, and smack her...........backside before she would ever vote for something that even alluded to the Sith working for the Republic.

 

[Persephone Callas]

Well that was most certainly that.

There was a time and place for things. Clearly, this bill did not have the proper timing. So many were still tender and sensitive over the subject.

While Persephone would enjoy the thought of having every single Force User under a registry, what came with it -- well, certainly left a bitter taste in the mouth.

So when the time came for her to speak, she would say. "Hapes would vote, nay."