Chapter 26: And then there was thunder

 The history of the Republic remembers about a dozen major crises that could lead to the collapse of the state, and about a thousand smaller ones that brought many problems. So the republic has had experience in this sphere, and we have studied this side of politics with special care, because the current crisis was classed as one of them, and it has lasted until now. After the biggest problems of the crisis, the Nabuan Affair and the Neimodian Affair, had ended badly for both sides, Neimodia and the Republic, the Chancellor suddenly became very concerned with the periphery of the galaxy, systematically convincing his allies from the central worlds that the outskirts, i.e. the worker-peasant planets, were the basis of their welfare. The meticulous investigation, which the Chancellor did not fear and insisted on, passed the attention of the general public, though there were still fools before the trial who thought it was all a hoax and there was no invasion army. And even the ships and battle droids abandoned on Naboo and Neimodia, as well as the word of the Queen of Naboo and the Chancellor, couldn't convince them. But media control was on the Republic's side, as was the basis of interest. And this is what is called realpolitik, realms where only force, power, and interests matter, not such nonsense as treaties, agreements, alliances, or even laws. A dirty game on the part of the Chancellor, but it took place, with mixed success - many saw it as the Chancellor's favouritism to certain worlds, but given that the "minority" included over seventy percent of the Senate... another endless argument, started by Finis Valorum. And in the background, and with the help of the Chancellor's allies, they announced a reorganisation of the judiciary. Something like this was also in America, to which I sometimes compare the galaxy - after Vietnam, from which they left with a pyrrhic victory, they began to rearm the army and police on the basis of experience and everything we saw in the Persian Gulf is the result of the bitter experience of Vietnam. And of course the sun-faced and godlike lights of democracy suddenly became very concerned about order in their country. Not that it was painless - both there and there, i.e. both in America and in the Republic, the process was rough. The news bulletins I read every morning regularly told me that a civil war had broken out somewhere, that pirates and bandits were so badass that they were taking over entire planets. The fact that the unrest is permanent and regular, does not know only a lazy man, so the demand for illegal weapons has increased many times over. The Justice Corps, which was reorganising, and according to the plan it would take at least ten years to recruit, train and build ships, immediately found a lot of work, and given the expanded powers and requirements, the work of the people became really hectic. By the end of my career as a smuggler, the new ships with advanced sensor systems made it necessary to carry contraband in secret compartments, which automatically reduced illegal traffic and revenue.