2278 、 The End of the Republic (Part One)
Coruscant, Galactic Parliament.
"Commandeering civilian spaceships, even kidnapping civilians and bringing them to the battlefield! This is ridiculous! When did the Galactic Republic become so inhumane! It's a disgrace to bring such a proposal up for discussion in the parliament! " Senator Padme Amidala flew the anti-gravity platform to the center, pointing at Palpatine's nose and almost cursing.
But Palpatine just stood there calmly, not moving an inch. He didn't even respond to Padmé's questions, only smiling at her and the angry councilmen.
"This can't be helped! Do you know what the situation in the Corellian galaxy is now? Do you know what the Midpoint means? " There were also many senators who supported Palpatine. The representative of Planet Kuat, Gideon Danu, stood up and said loudly.
"Could it be that our army is just for show? Why must we let civilians go to the battlefield!? "Senator Hannah Brimmer of Planet Humbaline stood up and retorted.
"Do you think the Midpoint is something that can be easily taken down? If the military is useful, why do we have to resort to this? "Senator Lexi Dior of Planet Witte snorted.
"If the military is useless, then what's the use of the huge military expenditure that the people have to tighten their belts to pay for!" Padme Amidala said sternly.
Gideon Danu jumped up and shouted, "If we're talking about military expenditure, how much did Planet Nab give? We — "
"Silence!" Thomas Amidala suddenly shouted. His voice was very loud, and with the help of the loudspeaker, it instantly spread throughout the parliament hall. Everyone quieted down, because they knew that the president was about to speak.
Padmé Amidala was still angry, and after glaring at Palpatine, she slowly sat down.
"My colleagues in the parliament, first of all, I must acknowledge and thank you for your many years of hard work. It can be said that it's because of everyone's hard work that the Republic is so … prosperous." When he said the last word, a trace of mockery flashed across his lips. He then bowed deeply and continued, "As everyone can see, the Republic is now facing the most serious threat in history! It's a threat that exceeds the Infinite Empire, the Hutt Empire, and even the Sith Empire. "
Then he raised his hand, and a huge symbol of the Confederacy of Independent Systems was projected. They incited the Outer Ring Star System and some merchants with ulterior motives to start a war. They are despicably using a large number of robots. Wherever the flames of war spread, people are displaced. "
Then, another Five Star Alliance logo was projected. "Corellia Galaxy. They were originally members of the Republic, but they weren't willing to take responsibility. They wanted to take advantage of the war to make a fortune, completely ignoring the damage the Republic would suffer because of their independence. "
Finally, Palpatine projected an image of the Midpoint Station. "Midpoint Station. This was the creation of the Kilik people 100,000 years ago. It was this incredible power that created the Corellia Galaxy with five habitable planets. Similarly, this power could also be used to destroy any planet in the Milky Way. We don't know how powerful the Kilik Empire was 100,000 years ago, nor do we know how advanced their technology was. But what we do know is that the Midpoint Station is not an existence that the Republic can match. "
After that, all the projections disappeared, leaving only Palpatine's slow and heavy voice. "Just two hours ago, I issued an order to the fleet stationed near Corellia to immediately launch an attack on the Corellia Galaxy. A total of 200 warships. But just now, we still have a total of 44 warships left. "
Gasps could be heard from the crowd. It was obvious that they were shocked by this number.
"156 warships, 1.154,400 soldiers, lost their lives in the cold space of Corellia within two hours." Palpatine's voice sounded a little choked. "I put down all my pride and supported Dan Zoro's restoration to fight for a last chance for us. The Rebel Army took over the anti-gravity device on Selonia, making the Midpoint Station temporarily unable to fire, giving us a chance to deploy our troops. I sent these 200 warships, 1.15 million soldiers to die because Corellia colluded with the Separatists. Now their robot army is besieging Selonia! I'm fighting for the last time for us … at the cost of 1.15 million lives! "
As he spoke, his voice gradually became louder. "I conscripted all the spaceships of the Republic, even going as far as to kidnap civilians and stuff them into the passenger spaceships! This was to give our fleet a chance to fight fairly, and not to be torn into pieces by invisible gravitational waves without even seeing the enemy! Because I know better than anyone that I have to be responsible for the Republic! I have to be responsible for Coruscant! I have to be responsible for Kuat! I have to be responsible for every planet that the Republic has joined! Because I know that once the Midpoint Station fires at these planets, then billions, tens of billions of people will die! "
"So …" Palpatine's voice became calm once more. He steered the anti-gravity platform to Padmé Amidala's platform and stared at her face to face. "Councilor Amidala," he said slowly, "in the time that the lives of 1.15 million soldiers have bought, I very sincerely beg of you to come up with a plan to defeat the Separatists and reclaim the midpoint …"
Padmé Amidala's face turned pale. She stood up in anger, but she could not refute. She could only point at Palpatine's nose and yell, "You … You scoundrel!"
Indeed, coming from the mouth of the chairman, Palpatine, it was really a scoundrel. Padmé was indeed very kind, and in the current popular phrase, she was indeed a 'Holy Mother'. But she was not brainless. On the contrary, she saw things more deeply than most other councilors. The reason why she was anti-war was not because she wanted to be anti-war, but because she understood that there was an invisible force behind this war. That was why she hoped to control the scale of the war and not let both sides kill each other. That way, there would still be room to turn things around and think calmly about why this war was fought.
But now, Palpatine had directly placed all the results in front of her, intentionally or unintentionally ignoring the reason for the war and the reason for Corellia's independence. Under such circumstances, she could only be speechless! Because everything that Palpatine had created was for the sake of this outcome, the solution he proposed would definitely be the most effective solution for this outcome. However, very few people could see that this outcome could have been avoided.
In that instant, Padmé Amidala understood everything! She understood that this impassioned old man, the chairman of the Galactic Republic's parliament, was the one who had pushed for this war! But it was all too late. The beautiful face that was flushed with anger and the word 'scoundrel' that she spat out due to extreme humiliation expressed everything in her heart.
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