“Citizens of the galaxy,” Emryc’s familiar baritone rumbled across Holonet. He stood behind a podium, dressed in a suit. He had more facial hair than his usual trimmed stubble, strategically depicting sleepless nights and unkemptness from dealing with the Killik situation, “The past couple weeks, multiple planets and trillions of people have been impacted by an unexpected threat in the form of the Killik.”
“This enemy is insidious,” He paused as he stared at the camera. He had perfected the art of dramatic pause and the severe stare, “This enemy looks like us, acts like us, thinks like us. Neighbors, friends, and colleagues are all susceptible to coming under the influence of the Killik without anyone knowing. Whatever wars or quarrels we have, nothing takes precedence over eliminating this massive threat. The Killik are vast in numbers and they have attacked some of the most strategic planets in the galaxy. They will not stop there.”
In truth, there was very little pretending in his address. Emryc was genuinely concerned about the Killik. It was extremely difficult to rattle him, and these bugs had done just that, “Ruusan, Thyferra and Corellia have shown us that now is the time to set aside differences. Now is the time to work together,” It was a credit to his poker face that he didn’t betray how much disgust he felt saying such words, “All of the footage of me being in the thick of battle is valid. However, I would not be standing here today if not for the efforts of the Sith and the Jedi working together.”
He found it amusing that Draugr would never know that he unwittingly saved the life of Raze himself. He had to keep a faint grin from gracing his face, “The Jedi have been alienated by many factions and governments. However, their sacrifices and willingness to aid anyone in need during the Killik crisis has been nothing short of extraordinary. The ISC, generally a platform that does not support Force users, is indebted to these very Force users for their rapid assistance in Thyferra and Corellia alike.”
Emryc took a breath before he continued, “Jedi Master Zakrym La (@Apollyon ), specifically, put himself at great harm and risked his life in order to protect me from a particularly devastating attack from the Killik general on Thyferra. As a show of my gratitude, I will be granting him and the Jedi Order a defensive fleet composed of two TE-1 cruisers, one TE-2 carrier, two TE-4 carriers, and four EM-1 Corvettes. I am confident the Jedi Order will put this fleet to excellent use in the coming days of conflict with the Killik. I also hope to see and welcome continued Jedi assistance in rebuilding worlds devastated by this threat."
The half Sephi paused to let that sink in, knowing it would ruffle some feathers for his citizens. However, he didn’t care - even he couldn’t deny the insufferable Jedi had put themselves in danger to protect him. It was a clever tactic and one that paid off for them. For all his flaws, he was an honest and fair man.
“I invite the rest of the galaxy to recognize the Jedi for their efforts in striving to protect and defend those in need, even where they are not welcome. While the ISC will always be wary of Force users, we thank those that supported us in these trying times.”
“In addition to that, the ISC will be giving away a 20 million crown grant to any company or laboratory that takes on the research and creation of an insecticide that can eliminate the Killik. This will require extensive study of the Killik anatomy and physiology and the tech will need to be capable of weaponization and mass distribution at rapid scales. I have full confidence that there is a corporation or group of brilliant minds out there that will come up with a solution at once. The ISC will provide further funding once there is a promising prototype.”
Emryc paused before he continued, “Lastly, being in the thick of battle and my own life coming under almost certain danger has helped me gain perspective on many things. While this has been long overdue, I am pleased to announce that Galek Ordalos (@Altaris) will be taking up the position of Vice President of the ISC. As one of my most trusted advisors and constituents since the very inception of the ISC, he has been instrumental in not only ISCRA, which has a massive galactic footprint, but also countless diplomatic endeavors that have helped us thrive as a government. I have no doubt that the ISC and I will lean on him heavily in the coming days combating the Killik threat.”
He gazed at the camera, “This is a time of war. It is a fight far beyond the syndicates, the jedi or the sith. This is bigger than all of that. In order to combat it, we will all need to fight. We will need to fight harder than we’ve ever fought before because you cannot reason with this enemy and it will never quit.”
The holonfeed switched off after that. Behind the scenes, Emryc stepped back from the podium, grabbed his jacket and set off. His aide attempted to call out after him, but he brushed her off.
"Not now. Clear my schedule. There's something very important I need to do," He stated flatly as he left, "Something I should've done a long time ago."