(C97) The Hanged Man's Epilogue
Excerpt from ROAR FOR THE MORROW
“There is a darkness at the centre of the galaxy.”
“It is a darkness nesting, growing, and feeding on the rot and slow decay of our once-great Republic. It is entirely driven by one man’s insatiable ambition. We have borne witness to its corruption, its betrayal of justice, and its descent into tyranny. We have pleaded for reason, for restraint, for a return to the ideals upon which our Republic was built. And we have been ignored time and time again.”
“And now the darkness emerges from its egg, and now it is here. And it seeks nothing less than to extend its terrible tendrils across all the galaxy, from the depths of the Deep Core to the spiral arms of the Outer Rim.”
“And now our Republic tells us this is not autocracy, but democracy? That this is our salvation? Just how blatant and shameless can one man’s lies be? Does Palpatine believe we will simply lay down as his oppressive Grand Army crush us to dust? Does Palpatine believe we will obediently offer our wrists in chains as his cloned soldiers take our peoples hostage? Does Palpatine believe we will so easily surrender our freedoms and rights so that he can continue tearing our homes apart in his endless bid for power?”
“People of the galaxy, I speak to you from Chandrila. Coruscant is no longer the shining capital of our Republic, the home of democracy as we know it. It is now a den of criminals and traitors and leeches, sucking the life from our galaxy, one civil right revoked at a time. For so long, we have bent and bowed to their every whim and demand while they lined their pockets with riches and power. Today, we can finally say: no more!”
“At this moment, a document is being broadcasted over the hyperwaves, across the galaxy. It is a roar for freedom. A freedom that does not discriminate, that every single one of us–rich or poor, Loyalist or Separatist, human or not–have every right to. It is a call to all who have suffered under the yoke of tyranny, all who have felt the weight of oppression pressing down upon them. The Gallian Manifesto is a document written in truth, signed in courage, and carried forth by those who refuse to let their liberties die in silence!”
“This publication lays bare the truth that many have suspected but feared to speak. It is a testament to the crimes that have been committed against the Republic in the name of ambition. It was written by those who have seen the fall with their own eyes; by senators, by scholars, by soldiers, and by Jedi. It is an unflinching account of how our democracy was dismantled piece by piece. How the Jedi, once the defenders of peace, were turned into pawns of war and then cast aside as traitors when they were no longer useful. How the Senate was silenced. How the people were deceived.”
“Palpatine’s ‘Republic’ is a lie. It is no Republic at all, but an empire in all but name. It is a hollow thing, ruled by fear and maintained by force. We do not recognize its authority. We do not acknowledge its legitimacy. We will not bow to a dictator. We will not cower before corruption. We will not forget the principles of liberty and justice.”