(C96) The Chariot's Epilogue
Excerpt from the DECLARATION OF A NEW ORDER
“Senators of the Republic, loyal citizens of our great democracy–”
“It is with a heavy heart that I convene this Extraordinary Session of the Senate tonight. The long war that has torn our galaxy asunder for the past three years should have ended yesterday. Our brave soldiers, the Grand Army of this Republic, had brought the Separatist threat to its knees. The final battle was upon us. Our forces had surrounded the traitorous Count Dooku and his closest circle. One final push, one last sacrifice, and this long night would have ended in peace and victory…”
“But that victory had been stolen from us. By those we had trusted most!”
The Jedi Order–those who once swore to be the guardians of our Republic–have betrayed us all!”
“At the crucial hour, as our legions closed in on the cowering enemy, the Jedi turned their blades against the Republic. Against you. They conspired with the Separatists at Serenno, the very enemy they swore to fight! The so-called defenders of justice revealed their true nature: self-serving warlords, intent not on peace, but on power. They did not seek to end the war; they sought to seize control of our Republic itself!”
“Even here, in the seat of our democracy, their treachery ran deep. As our brave soldiers gave their lives to victory on the front, the Jedi launched a cowardly attempt to dismantle this Senate, to overthrow the government you have elected, and to assassinate me; to bring anarchy to the Republic from which they would impose their rule by force!”
“They thought they could invite the Separatist menace to our homes and destroy us at our most vulnerable–but I am pleased to say I survived only by the will of our people and the courage of our soldiers, and that is our greatest proof to these traitors that not even their strange magics and mystics could destroy our resolve! The Jedi were repelled, and their Order has been dismantled. Their conspiracy has been exposed, their treason undeniable!”
“But their treachery has come at great cost, I fear. With their betrayal, the Separatists were handed victory. Instead of peace, the war rages on! Instead of unity, our Republic has been fractured!”