Days before the official dismissal of the Galactic Alliance senate, the Office of the Diktat from the Corellian Confederation broadcast a speech. It was given from Coronet City at Capitol Tower Plaza on a sunny day. The Diktat seemed weathered and tired, though his grey eyes shone with conviction and resolve that could be felt through the holocam. Dracken hoped to the Force that his message would reach those whom needed to hear it most. He looked behind him over the bay and his city. His home. The Saber shone like a green beacon in the distance. He gripped the podium and sighed. It was nearly time. He scanned the crowd before him. The seat for his son was absent, though Ava sat, strong as kyber. 'Oh gemheart,' Dracken thought to himself. 'Where would I be without her?'
"We're live in 3-2-" The prompter droid silenced but left a single digit up before closing it into a fist. The camdroids spun to life, their holo scanners shining in his eyes. He blinked a moment and then began.
"Twenty years of peace. Nearly two decades of rest after four and a half centuries of war. From plague to plague, battle to battle, our forefathers struggled to bring us here to this moment in galactic history.
It seems a steep price to pay; the lives lost, the families destroyed, planets rendered uninhabitable. We’ve lost history, the stories that make us who we are. But as I sit writing this in Corona House, a home neither I nor my family have lived in for over a decade, I tell you; it was worth it.
I, as one of those sentients that fought against the dark tide of the Sith.
I, as a man who has given his life to the will of the Force.
I, a man who nearly lost everything in one of the galaxy’s bloodiest wars.
I, a man who thought, surely no war greater could come again.
I say it was worth every drop of blood, every soul returned to the Force, every credit spent. And should some greater power of the Force reverse time four hundred years, I would do it again.
When Lisza Starseeker broke away from the New Republic to reforge the Corellian Confederation, I warned against the revival of the Diktat. Elected for life, or until they step down, the Diktat has led our great people down dark paths that I did not wish to see trodden again.
Three Diktats mark the Confederation's fifty-year history; fortunately, we remain true to the Light. When I took this post I feared what the near absolute authority would do to me, a man tortured by the Sith, scarred by war. My wonderful wife, my wonderful staff, my generals and my admirals, as well as more than a few friends in the Jedi Order, kept me grounded, and I saw the benefits of the title during my time.
But now, as I grow in age and my time as Diktat grows ever shorter, I worry for my people. Who will the next Diktat be after I become one with the Force? Who will lead the Confederation and keep it on the path of peace, justice, and stability?
The Galactic Alliance we helped found is in its darkest days as the Core goes silent and the Jedi are fractured. Faced with an insurmountable evil, the Alliance teeters on the brink.
In this pivotal juncture in the Alliance’s life, the Confederation must stand with their child on the Galactic stage, but I fear the youth of this great green jewel seeks the comfortable path. The path of least resistance, and so I caution you all; Do not take this path.
It is a path that leads to darkness, it is a path that leads to the Sith. Look to your histories. Look to your sires and grandsires and heed their warnings. Do not be afraid to walk the stars less traveled.
The Light will always be your guide, and you will light the way for others after.
To the ones who feel lost and alone, cast adrift among the stars: You are not alone. Follow the Corellian roads, and we will house you. We will feed you. And we will protect you. And to the ones who leave us, abandon us to the Darkness, I say this: You will not win. Our ancestors are smiling on us Imperials, can you say the same?"
Not long after, the first Imperial ships darkened the stars of Corellia.
"We're live in 3-2-" The prompter droid silenced but left a single digit up before closing it into a fist. The camdroids spun to life, their holo scanners shining in his eyes. He blinked a moment and then began.
"Twenty years of peace. Nearly two decades of rest after four and a half centuries of war. From plague to plague, battle to battle, our forefathers struggled to bring us here to this moment in galactic history.
It seems a steep price to pay; the lives lost, the families destroyed, planets rendered uninhabitable. We’ve lost history, the stories that make us who we are. But as I sit writing this in Corona House, a home neither I nor my family have lived in for over a decade, I tell you; it was worth it.
I, as one of those sentients that fought against the dark tide of the Sith.
I, as a man who has given his life to the will of the Force.
I, a man who nearly lost everything in one of the galaxy’s bloodiest wars.
I, a man who thought, surely no war greater could come again.
I say it was worth every drop of blood, every soul returned to the Force, every credit spent. And should some greater power of the Force reverse time four hundred years, I would do it again.
When Lisza Starseeker broke away from the New Republic to reforge the Corellian Confederation, I warned against the revival of the Diktat. Elected for life, or until they step down, the Diktat has led our great people down dark paths that I did not wish to see trodden again.
Three Diktats mark the Confederation's fifty-year history; fortunately, we remain true to the Light. When I took this post I feared what the near absolute authority would do to me, a man tortured by the Sith, scarred by war. My wonderful wife, my wonderful staff, my generals and my admirals, as well as more than a few friends in the Jedi Order, kept me grounded, and I saw the benefits of the title during my time.
But now, as I grow in age and my time as Diktat grows ever shorter, I worry for my people. Who will the next Diktat be after I become one with the Force? Who will lead the Confederation and keep it on the path of peace, justice, and stability?
The Galactic Alliance we helped found is in its darkest days as the Core goes silent and the Jedi are fractured. Faced with an insurmountable evil, the Alliance teeters on the brink.
In this pivotal juncture in the Alliance’s life, the Confederation must stand with their child on the Galactic stage, but I fear the youth of this great green jewel seeks the comfortable path. The path of least resistance, and so I caution you all; Do not take this path.
It is a path that leads to darkness, it is a path that leads to the Sith. Look to your histories. Look to your sires and grandsires and heed their warnings. Do not be afraid to walk the stars less traveled.
The Light will always be your guide, and you will light the way for others after.
To the ones who feel lost and alone, cast adrift among the stars: You are not alone. Follow the Corellian roads, and we will house you. We will feed you. And we will protect you. And to the ones who leave us, abandon us to the Darkness, I say this: You will not win. Our ancestors are smiling on us Imperials, can you say the same?"
Not long after, the first Imperial ships darkened the stars of Corellia.
