HoloNet News York Press Conference: Enough is Enough!

Soygun York

Character
Consortium
Rank
Governor, Kattada

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Isen
Joined
Jan 5, 2021
Messages
84
Reaction score
84
4ae70e32f5032838a0a82eea86e3be2dc74039e2.jpeg


OOC: Open to Reactions Only
References the events in the thread: Good Intentions: The Ghost Leak

Across the street from the Senate building stood one of the many prominent towers that was easily recognizable in the Coruscant skyline. This same building contained the offices of many FWA senators, and with the Galactic Senate body expanding, many more would soon be making their way into the building, setting up their staffs and getting their senate offices in order. Today in the courtyard between this office tower and the Senate building, a typical sight was prepared. The scenery and proximity to both the offices and the Senate building itself made it a popular place for press conferences.

On this day, and at this time, Soygun York called an impromptu press conference, and given his circumstances and the very public investigation and rumors surrounding him, the full press corps showed up to hear what Senator York had to say. Many 24/7 news media stations would carry this press conference live. Nearly all the other stations with news programming between their sports, sitcoms, and dramas would at least show clipped highlights.

York stepped up to the podium, and allowed the cameras to get everything appropriately framed. After a few seconds, he would begin.

"Enough is enough. Earlier today, the Sector Rangers, as part of this farce of an investigation against me, raided my office at a time that they knew I was not there. I'm being told that they harassed my office staff. They raided their personal belongings. They were threatened. Now, I expected the Senate to be full of bullies. Planets like Coruscant have long bullied their smaller neighbors into political submission. What I did not expect was for an organization with the rich history and the proud heritage of the Sector Rangers to act as the bully's club. What happened here today was an absolute disgrace. An absolute disgrace!"

York feigned anger, seething with a fake, but believable righteous fury. "The absolute gall of the Sector Rangers is embarrassing, not just for the Rangers, but for the Senate and the F.W.A. at large. Mere moments after they starting harassing my staff, the Rangers pulled the alarm to this building requiring a full evacuation. How do I know it was the Rangers that pulled the alarm? They SPECIFICALLY TOLD THEM to leave their personal belongings behind. Leave your purses. Leave your briefcases. My friends, this was a calculated effort, an illegal effort to rifle through the personal belongings of my staff looking for who God knows what? Leverage? Blackmail? Against young staffers trying to build resumes? Is that how the Rangers are operating now? Their recent failures are embarrassingly public, and they know they will come up empty on this investigation as well unless they fabricate some evidence. So what exactly were they doing during this evacuation? They didn't even show their warrant, and I'm not even sure they had one in the first place. What I'm quite positive of is that on the off chance that they did have a warrant, it would have been limited in scope to dedicated office space, files, and office electronics, not personal belongings of hardworking staff members and interns."

York leaned in and added a sarcastically questionable face. "Ask yourself, why would the Rangers pull the alarm? Plant evidence? Go through personal belongings they had no warrant for? Why did they not want anyone in the office building while they conducted the search?"

The Kattada senator slammed his hand on the podium. "It wasn't enough for the F.W.A. leadership to give F.W.A. sovereignty away, YOUR sovereignty away to a man who has made it clear that he does not even like the Free Worlds Alliance, nor does he care about the people or the economies therein. Now, they are taking the drastic, illegal, fascist steps of silencing people who speak reason in the face of their madness. This is the type of bullying our history tells us about in regards to the Galactic Empire, and that makes the Rangers nothing more than Stormtroopers!"

And now, the call to action. "People of the F.W.A. If you don't want to live in a fascist state. If you don't want to feel like you will be bullied and snuffed out under the thumb of an oppressive, corporate-run, fascist government and the club they will use to beat you into submission called the Sector Rangers, I beg you to send a message to your senator. Flood his or her mailboxes and call systems. Let them know that this type of bullying will not be tolerated in the F.W.A. As of now, the F still stands for 'Free.' It's going to take good people like you and like me to keep it that way. We're going to have to stand together, join hands together, and raise our voices together against this corruption to simply say, Enough is enough!"

The press corps would largely stay professional and not give an opinion. They started yelling questions, but York would ignore them. Some of the people that gathered in the busy courtyard would cheer and yell. Even some of the senators had come out to hear what York had to say. Many of the smaller systems, particularly those that are now on the verge of not having a voting presence in the new Senate gave full support. York would wave and then hold a fist in the air as if he was prepared to fight the power before sliding back behind the stage and heading back to an undisclosed location.
 
Last edited:

Darmus Onn

Character
Independent
Rank
Citizen

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Eccles
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
142
Reaction score
86
The underground high-speed train could take you from one side of Coruscant to the other in under four hours. Darmus was on his way back from the Czerka regional offices when the screens in the train started showing Senator's York broadcast. There were surprisingly more than a few in his wagon that seemed to immediately buy everything the senator was offering up, no doubt due to bad experiences with law enforcement on their own end and Darmus couldn't fault them for that. Crime was rising steadily, ordinary people had to pay the gangs for protection while the HoloNet kept telling stories about a Galactic Senate no one cared about and the horrors inflicted by the Sith and Jedi. Sector Rangers only featured in the broadcasts lately when they either voiced their support of one of the destructive Force cults or, like now, danced on the whims of corrupt politicians.

Again, Darmus couldn't blame them for their growing anti-ranger sentiment. Not that they gave him any nice looks, though, for he had dressed more like a corporate office drone than a ranger today and well, let's say ordinary folks weren't a fan of the mega-corporations either. Still, the ploy the senator accused the ranger service of seemed to be a bit far-fetched to the veteran ranger and he decided to check it out remotely. Taking his datapad from his jacket he logged into the new ranger network he helped set up and scrolled through the list of active investigations to find.. no filed reports.

Kriff, why didn't anyone ever do their paperwork properly? Just heading from one lead to the other without ever stopping by the makeshift ranger command to file a report and justify expense accounts, that seemed to be the ranger modus operandi. Switching it up, Darmus figured he could find the rangers in question if he searched by assignments to the Senate and Coruscant investigations and...

Ofcourse. Lieutenants Velt and Aran. Neither of them stupid enough to pull a stunt like the senator accused them of. Darmus couldn't help but smile as he imagined Corran and Trys working together as a crime-solving duo. The Golden Boy and the Sith Slayer. Now, Trys was barely cleared for action and Darmus figured they only paired her with Corran because the latter was a stickler for rules and never went off book... and yet, they didn't file a report yet. Perhaps they didn't make it back to ranger command yet.

"Anyone know when this happened?" he asked the other travelers, pointing at the screen displaying a quick commentary on York's statement. "Half an hour ago, they said." someone replied and Darmus saw some of them nod in agreement, "Thanks."

Estimating time to report because Corran is behind the wheel: Three hours. Guess Darmus is worried over nothing.. they wouldn't just leave the sector before filing a report.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Tic

Vyss Jakar

Character
Independent
Rank
Senator, Byss

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Bauren
Joined
Feb 9, 2021
Messages
8
Reaction score
2
The quiet hum of the engines finally came to end as Vyss came out of hyperspace above Byss in his YT-1000. Despite his newer role as Senator, he still insisted on flying places himself. Time alone was few and far between for a Senator so he took advantage of the time he could manage. A pair of escort fighters signaled the all-clear and finally left his side as he guided his ship towards the main government complex.

"Alright, second, we're home." He noted cheerfully to his droid as the small freighter touched down.

A few grumbling employees could be seen glancing towards the Senator as he went inside which was a bit different from normal. Internally, he wondered if he'd done something to offend them until he saw many were huddled around holonet devices. His own mood soured a bit as he saw the face on their displays. Senator York was yet again making the news. Vyss went into his office and pulled up a fresh rebroadcast of the press conference.

He let out a bit of a chuckle before talking out loud, to no one but himself and the droid, "Demanding to be Free and calling your foes Fascist is such an old move. Surprised this made the news at all. This kind of move is so against his own interests if he was innocent."

Vyss deactivated the news display with a swipe of his hand and motioned for one of his aides to come inside. An eager intern appeared and she stopped just inside of the door.

"Send the Sector Rangers a thank you letter from my office. Unfair coverage like that.. let's make sure they know they have friends." He said a bit flatly to her as she began taking notes. "That's all. Thank you!"

The Byss Senator went back to work on his daily paperwork and meetings. His feeling of annoyance passed almost as soon as he went back to work on other events. As a large member world of the New Republic it was unlikely he'd even get mail related to this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tic

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
Blue light from a personal computer illuminated Corran's face. A nearby terminal in the common area of the Crimson Venture played one of the local news stations on Corellia. He wanted to know what the weather would be like once they landed. Keys clacked incessantly as the blond ranger typed out the report regarding what occurred at Senator York's office. Not because of any urgency or external expectation - just because this is what he had always done. How the pair of Rangers entered the building. Time of day. Presentation of subpoenas and warrants to the receptionist (with attached documents, signed and approved by the judge who supplied them). Their best guess about the occurrence of the fire alarm and the immediate reactions of the present staff and why the Rangers took the actions they did. On top of that, Lieutenant Velt had already written Notice of Transfer documents to alert Coruscanti and Corellian authorities of their departure and arrival respectively.

With a satisfied sigh, all of the documentation looked in order. A few clicks and the files were whisked off to the Coruscanti judge, the FWA legal staff and prosecution, and the Sector Ranger archives. Although not required, Corran also kept personal records stored on his computer as well as an removal thumb-drive. He had a digital storage device in his quarters as well. Never know when back-ups would be necessary. He was about to power-down his equipment when the news segment on weather transitioned to a new story. A recording of earlier events.

Senator York stood at a podium. He relayed an alternative series of events to the one the blond ranger had just finished recording. Ferocity and passion exuded from the political figure. Fascists. Corrupt. Bullies. He decried them all with intense rhetoric. These images reflecting in Corran's blue eyes as he watched the screen unblinkingly. No emotion flared in his features. No anger, sadness, or doubt. All criminals bargained, begged, cajoled and threatened. Justice still came all the same.

Lieutenant Velt's gaze flicked from the news commentary down to his computer screen. A few taps brought up the recording of the Senator's remarks. He downloaded a copy of it and brought up a new report document. Words appeared across the entry title. [ENTRANCE OF EVIDENCE]. Two clicks attached the video recording to the report. Corran selected the all the usual recipients: Sector Ranger archives. The judge overseeing the case. The FWA legal team. This report was different though. Under the Charge drop-down menu he selected NEW CHARGE. One keystroke after another brought up what he was searching for. One click selected it. [INTERFERING WITH AN INVESTIGATION].

Taps and clicks continued to subtly echo in the common area, blue light outlining the sitting ranger. As much as the public envisioned law enforcement as charging through broken windows or chasing gangsters down dark, dank alleyways; much of the work was paperwork. Paperwork kept criminals behind ray shields.
 

It0

Character
Independent
Rank
Citizen

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Tic
Joined
Feb 3, 2020
Messages
108
Reaction score
49
A mechanical whirr rang out as the platform on which It0 stood slid slowly down its tracks, easing the droid into the waiting pool of oil below. The viscous lubricant engulfed the medical droid, seeping into his rivets and wells alongside a wave of relief. From the oil bath's control panel, a service droid piped up.

"Will there be anything else sir?" it inquired, reflective photoreceptors regarding him eagerly. "If not, I shall leave you to soak."

"I am more than satisfied at present." It0 replied dreamily, feeling the atmospheric grit of Nar Shaddaa slip from his components. "Perhaps switch on the Holovid before you go."

"Of course sir." the droid nodded, shuffling across the room to activate the Holovid panel. "And thank you for choosing Level 88 Droid Spa and Maintenance."

As Holovid sprang to life, Senator York’s floating image was brimming with outrage and rancor. He railed against the Prime Minister and against the Sector Rangers in equal measures. Had It0 the requisite facial features, he would have offered a satisfied smile. York had contracted the Syndicates to resolve his political troubles via the framing and blackmailing of one of his colleagues, namely the fiery senator from Humbarine, Victola Maroo.

The soaking 2-1B had even had the pleasure of meeting Senator Maroo and had found the experience quite titillating, though he doubted the sentiment was reciprocal. Within a few days, Maroo's forced confession would hit the Holonet and the measure of their good work could be judged. As he watched the translucent York bluster and feign innocence, he couldn't help but wonder what advantages a thankful member of the Galactic Senate would be able to offer. It0 sank deeper in the swirling lubricant as the phantom of a smile returned. Even if it wasn't outwardly visible across the droid's faceplate, the satisfaction was just as sweet.
 
Last edited:

Douglas Hudson

Character
Rank
Chief

Character Profile
Link
OOC
The Gatekeeper
Joined
Jan 31, 2020
Messages
28
Reaction score
47

It wasn’t long before the Chief was called and pinged from all sides about a press interview with York. He kept a calm resolve as he watched the feed, shaking his head. Yet another dig at the Rangers. He thought for a long moment, knowing fully well he would be asked to give his thoughts on the matter. Chief Douglas closed his eyes and exhaled quietly before rising up from his desk. He knew exactly what he would say, and he didn’t need to practice or rehearse it this time. He had been in front of cameras far more than he ever expected when he signed up for the position.

Within an hour, he was in front of a podium addressing groups of reporters.

“I’m here because I want to be as transparent as possible,” He began, “Earlier today there were rumors and reports of Rangers conducting unauthorized business. Let me clarify that the Rangers are well aware they are under scrutiny. We have since doubled up our protocol and task logging. The Rangers on site at the Senator’s office not only showed up with a warrant, but security footages reveal they evacuated the building along with everyone else.”

He looked directly at the camera, “Let me make this abundantly clear - The Rangers will let nothing get in the way of solving crimes and pursuing justice. No amount of personal griefs being aired on the media will dissuade us from our path. We will do everything to uphold the laws that serve as the bedrock of our principles. The two Rangers in question being accused are some of the finest in the entire organization and the public can have full confidence that due diligence is being done. All of our records are accessible to authorized parties for corroboration. However, we will not stop this investigation, nor will we stop the investigation into anything involving the Jedi who we consider our allies.”

Chief Douglas took a pause, scanning over the crowd, “The public is scared and rightfully so. We have been wounded, we have been attacked, we have been dealing with forces we don’t understand. But none of that should cloud our determination to do the right thing. I ask you all, those of you that feel like you are caught up in a war you don’t understand, to trust in the Rangers. We have been, as we always have been, at the forefront to protect against any adversaries that threaten our cities and worlds. We will get to the bottom of everything and we will see criminals face appropriate justice.”

He looked at the camera for a moment, “Senator York, I understand you have felt wronged. Rest assured that we will do everything we can to look into this matter and operate by fair measures. We will not do you the disservice of mistreating your case, but we will also not apologize for our rigid adherence to official protocol regardless of whether or not it serves your interest. Attempts at invalidating our efforts or insulting the characters and competencies of individual Rangers will not dissuade us."

He paused again, “The Rangers will always have enemies. Citizens, I implore you to focus your attention on the enemies that truly threaten us like the Sith. The Rangers are your allies, and we will always stand with you no matter what threatens us. We will stand by you even if you lose faith in us, because it’s still the right thing to do. I humbly ask that you take a moment to remember what we have always stood for, and know that even amidst all of our recent chaos, that nothing has changed. We will always uphold the values we have since the Rangers were established. That is our promise. That is my promise. I trust in the Rangers, and I remind you to do the same.”
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top