My Loyalty Is To The Republic (No SV, You are the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic)

A.N.: Well...while my Option won't get any Votes, I hope he can still be a side Char in this Quest. So, here we go, first Omake about Nick Crush!

Crush 'em all!: Senator Nicholas Cru'sher and the United Federal Republics of Udraaso; an Overview


To understand Senator Nicholas Cru'sher, nicknamed 'Nick Crush' by his constituents and colleagues, requires to understand his homeworld of Udraaso, and it's turbulent History.

First settled during the early days of the Galactic Republic, the World of Udraaso, located in the Galactic Northeast at the border between Outer and Mid Rim, lead for the longest time an unremarkable existence of slow, steady growth, it's fertile soil feeding the ever increasing populace, but not much else. It was a World of simple farmers living simple, peaceful lives.

This changed with the outbreak of the Great Hyperspace War.

Udraaso, by some cruel twist of fate, had found itself on the Frontline between Republic and the newly discovered Sith Empire, as the latter invaded the former under the Leadership of Naga Sadow, and was one of the first World to fall under their assault.
Having enslaved the surviving populace, the Sith Empire quickly put them to work. Naga Sadow had keenly seized upon the fact that the wide, open plains of the largely continental Planet possessed great potential, despite the cold winters, and quickly turned the Planet into an Agri World to feed his rapidly advancing War Machine.

Little is known for certain of these dark days, most records that existed having been lost to time. But folk tales claim that the Sith ruled the Planet with a fist made of cruelty as much as of iron, bringing in Slaves from all over their Empire to work to death in the rapidly expanding fields in order to grow the produce needed for the War. Blood seemed to feed the soil as much as rain did, and many Udraasians despaired in their chains.
Until, one day, two Jedi, Master and Apprentice, were brought onto the Planet, having hidden themselves among the Slaves being transported in.

The Jedi, in secret rallied the populace, instilling in them newfound Hope and the spirit to resist. When the Republic finally returned to drive the Sith out, the enslaved masses rose up, lead by the Jedi and those who had first joined them, crushing the oppressors between them and the Liberation Forces and driving the shattered remnants off world. The Jedi quietly bid the World they had saved farewell, neither requesting adulation nor thanks, and returning to the Stars, their duty done.

History does not record the Names of these two Jedi, and some Historians have speculated if they truly existed to begin with, mythical figures brought into being by the forces that shape such tales. But to this day, Udraaso itself holds no doubt to the existence of these Nameless Heroes, a statue in the square of the Planetary Capital reminding the People of their bravery and kindness to this very day, as well as to the great hardship of the People of Udraaso, who had to endure hardships time and time again.

For the History between Udraaso, Sith and Jedi would often repeat across History in the same cycle. After the Great Hyperspace War, many of the slaves brought in from off-world settled and mingled with the locals, welcomed by them as brothers and sisters in hardship. But if Udraaso had hoped for lasting peace, they were dearly disappointed. Having been turned into a massively productive Agri World by the Sith, it's importance as a provider for food supplies, as well as it's location close to many important Trade Routes and Hyperspace Lanes, would see it at a forefront of many Galactic Conflicts, providing the Armies of the Republic. And this vital role, naturally, made them an enticing target to many of said Republics greatest foes. Exar Kun, Mandalore the Ultimate, Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the resurgent Sith Empire...many Conquerors in Galactic History etched their Names into the annals of Udraaso with blood, taking the Planet not only to deprive the Republic of it, but to use it to feed their own forces. The latest, and darkest, Chapter in this bloody History were the New Sith Wars, during which the Sith seized Udraaso and held it for nearly four centuries, before the Armies lead by the Jedi Lords finally liberated it during the last years of the Wars, after countless atrocities and slave labor on an unprecedented scale had taken place on it's surface.

Today, Udraaso is one of the wealthier Worlds at the edge of Mid-Rim and Outer Rim, it's fields still producing massive quantities of food that is shipped all along the nearby Trade Routes and Hyperlanes. The Planetary Government is federal in nature, being comprised of elected Representatives of multiple smaller Republics on the Planet, each with their own cultural flavors and backgrounds. The populace is diverse, with Humans being the single most numerous species, but still lower in number than the various Alien Species that have settled on Udraaso throughout the Millennia. Agriculture, the primary export good and Job Creator, however, holds a special place at the heart of all it's people, and the idealized picture of the hard-working, honest Farmer has great cultural weight across all of Udraaso.
In recent times, however, the Planet has struggled against the ever growing power of the Galactic Megacorps and Conglomerates, especially the Trade Federation, who has often tried to monopolize the Shipping Rights from and to Udraaso, and even to buy up the various Agricultural Companies on the Planet to take over it's economy. The Udraasians, seeing this encroachment as an attempted Hostile Takeover - especially after the beginning of the Naboo Crisis - have fought these attempts tooth and nail with all the hardy stubbornness that is considered typical for their people.

It is perhaps unsurprising, given the frequent occupations and oppressions during the Planets History, that the People of Udraaso have taken up a strong mentality of resistance and defiance. A hardy folk, they take pride in having never fully succumbed to the countless invaders, with resistance groups rising up again and again even during the centuries of Sith Occupation. Resistance and the unrelenting fight against oppressive forces hold a just as special place in their cultural Zeitgeist as Agriculture does. Udraasians have a reputation for being stubborn and hard-headed, but also determined and driven beyond compare. When in a fight, whether with fists or with words, they do not relent until either they or their enemy has been crushed. "They are the greatest friends, and the worst of Enemies, never forgetting a helping hand reached out to them and never forgiving a fist raised against them", a Jedi Master sent to settle a diplomatic Crisis between Udraaso and a neighboring sector said of them.
While this has lead to negative stereotypes of stupidity and bullheadedness among many, it would be a fatal mistake to underestimate Udraasian political capabilities. While they doggedly and stubbornly pursue their goals, they can go about this in unexpectedly covert ways, showing a ruthless cunning that leaves their enemies often speechless when the full extent of their plans are revealed.
It is no coincidence that for the last decades, Udraaso has time and again fought off attempts by the Trade Federation to undermine and take over their primary economy with the help of a wide array of Allies.

Chief among them being the Jedi Order. Given their History, it is perhaps no surprise that the Udraasians hold the Jedi in a high regard bordering on reverence. Udraaso and it's people have never forgotten the dark days of tyranny and slavery that the Sith subjected them to, and neither have they forgotten that every time their chains of oppression were thrown off, the Jedi were leading the charge against the Dark Forces holding said chains. These Events have, perhaps more than anything, shaped the culture of their world, and thus their opinion of the Jedi. Udraaso is one of the few worlds in the Galaxy were the order enjoys nigh universal support, to the point that many Udraasians consider an insult to the Jedi within their earshot to be "fighting words". They are regarded as Liberators and Heroes, with many a Child dreaming and playing of becoming a Jedi, despite knowing that they are not Force Sensitive. Of course, having an actually Force-sensitive Child of yours be taken in by the Order is considered a great Honor on Udraaso, with Jedi being sent to receive said children being greeted with widespread elation and often a celebration of them and the children in question. The Agri Corps of the Order, too, has a rather large and permanent outpost on Udraaso, being supported by the Planetary Government and local populace alike.

It was this World that Nicholas Cru'sher was born into. The son of a simple Farmer Family, he quickly gained a reputation as a hard-working boy as he helped his Family in the Fields. As he grew older, he developed a talent for metalworking and machinery, often fixing the Farming Tools of family and friends alike. As he grew up in a diverse neighborhood of Humans and different Alien Races alike, he developed a decidedly egalitarian view of Species, and would later in life always vehemently speak out against the 'poison of Human Centrism', which seeks to place Humans at the center and top of all Galactic Races. As he grew into a man, he took up work in a local factory producing farming tools, after having received his education in the local schools, though he never took up any higher education. Perhaps he would have remained at this simple life, had it not been for the Stark Hyperspace War.

As so often in it's History, Udraaso found itself dragged into a conflict, this time between the Jedi, the Quintad and the Pirate-Mercenary Alliance known as the Stark Commercial Combine. Happily, the Planet provided not just food supplies, but also Volunteer Forces to the Jedi and their Allies, even the hated Trade Federation, when they sided with the Jedi. One of these Volunteers was Nicholas Cru'sher, who did not want to miss this chance to fight alongside his childhood Heroes, the Jedi Order, especially since the Stark Conglomerate was also threatening his Homeworld.

But the War was far from the glorious adventure that the young Cru'sher had imagined it to be. Despite serving with distinction, he found himself appalled by the bloodshed and blunders at the battles of Qotile, often brought upon by the deplorable state of the Republics Judicial Forces, which left the Jedi and the Volunteers to shoulder the brunt of the work and fighting. Having observed the carnage, a rather uncomfortable question rose within young Nicholas, who even then had taken up the nickname of Nick': If another Great Galactic War were to break out, who would be there to help the Jedi defend the Republic, if the official armed Forces struggled this much against Pirates?

Upon returning Home, Nicholas Cru'sher, now in his mid-thirties, threw himself into local politics. Despite lacking higher education, his earnestness in his convictions, sweeping and direct manner of speech and sometimes surprising political cunning saw him rise up the ladder until he earned a seat in the Planetary Senate. There, he went all out, advocating to strength not just the Planetary Security Force, but to push for a stronger, centralized and professional Military for the wider Galactic Republic, relaying his Tales from the Hyperspace War with a passion and fiery conviction that stunned many of his colleagues. To survive in a Galaxy where Civil Wars, Corruption, growing Pirate Activity and the ever increasing ambitions of Megacorps like the Trade Federation threatened the stability of the Republic, it was VITAL that the State possessed a powerful Military to defend itself and protect it's people, instead of handing Conglomerates like the Trade Federation more power to police themselves, allowing them to become States within the Republic with Armed Forces eclipsing the Judicial Forces.

Nicholas was hardly the first to vice these thoughts, neither on Udraaso, nor abroad. But he brought a sound and fury, a passion to it, that captivated many. When he finished a speech on the debate of increasing funding for the Planetary Security Force with the words "Since when has Udraaso been unwilling to defend oneself? Why then should the Republic remain unable to do so? Will we tolerate corruption and weakness, because it is easier or more profitable to do so?! What will that avail us, when we are robbed blind or brought to chains by the next Madman fancying himself a conqueror?! No, I say, NO! We must not rest, not let up until those who would see our Planet and our great Republic reduced to ruin and chains are crushed and buried!!", it quickly made News not just on Udraaso, but off-world, especially as his popularity at home skyrocketed. Indeed, many Worlds in the Rim who had suffered under Pirates, Mercenaries and chicanery by the Trade Federation while unable to fight back or rely upon the Judicial Forces for aid, often also political allies of Udraaso in general, took up this speech while voicing agreement and soon, the name of Nicholas Cru'sher, or 'Nick Crush' as he was now mostly affectionately referred to by his Voters, was known across this Region of the Galaxy.

Then, just before the Naboo Crisis, the Galactic Senator of Udraaso took ill and died. An emergency election was held and, to Cru'sher's own surprise, he found himself nominated for the seat. Many within his political party felt that his passionate voice and blunt directness may be of best use in the Galactic Senate than at home, especially given the Situation regarding the increased Taxation of Trade Routes heating up, and many more Voters agreed. 'Nick Crush' won the election in a landslide. Surprised, but resolute as always, the newly elected Senator Cru'sher vowed to fight not only for an increased and improved Republican Military and against the corruption within the Judicial Forces, and thus security for the Rim Worlds, but also for a further curtailing of power for the Great Corporations, especially the Trade Federation. Nicholas held no illusions of how difficult his task would be. He would have many foes arrayed against him and fight a constant uphill battle against those who stood to profit from the current Status Quo. But he was determined to fight his way through them all and emerge victorious. When his ship left Udraaso, to the cheers of the populace,'Nick Crush' smiled as he heard them all chant his old Campaign Slogan, a promise and threat to the corrupt, the backwards and the greedy, all those who would stand in the way of prosperity, security, peace and freedom for not just Udraaso, but the entire Northwestern Rim: "Crush 'em all, Nick!"

Now, Senator Nicholas 'Nick Crush' Cru'sher sits in the Galactic Senate as the representative of Udraaso. He arrived on Coruscant just as the Naboo Crisis began. Immediately, he denounced the Trade Federations Blockade as an act of Greed and Tyranny in order to coerce the Senate away from it's own decrees, declaring them little better than Pirates and Extortionists. In fact, his first speech in the Senate had quickly turned into a shouting match between himself and Senator Lott Dod of the Trade Federation, so full of sound and fury that the Senate had to be called to order. The explosive entrance of this man from the Rim onto the Galactic Senate had made quite some waves and while some Senators derided him for a 'poor, boorish conduct', many other looked to him in admiration, finding his blunt directness a refreshing change from the endless tip-toeing and deliberating, especially since he said out loud what many thought of the Trade Federation.
Unbeknownst to both of them, however, Senator Cru'sher has already used the various reactions to his entrance speech in order to gage who would be likely to agree and align themselves with his goals for a stronger, unified Republic Military to safeguard the World of the Republic, especially in the Rim, from harm. And with both the passion of his words and the cunning of his mind, as the vote for a new Supreme Chancellor is being held, Nick prepares to gather the Allies he needs to crush the threats to the Freedom and Safety of the Galactic Republic and it's people...


A.N.: There. Hope I've given @Magoose something to work with for a Side Character and potential Ally for this Quest, as well as a plausible and interesting History for his Homeworld.

It would be wrong to call 'Nick Crush' a War Hawk: He despises War and sees it as a tragic last resort at best after his experiences in the Stark Hyperspace War. But he also firmly believes that the best way to avert such Tragedies is for the Republic to have a strong, uncorrupt and centralized Military to defend itself and it's citizens, a force that would deter most aggression and, in the cases it doesn't, that Worlds in need can call upon instead of having to rely on the weak Judicial Forces or the dubious protection of Megacorps with their own Armies, like the Trade Federation.
Any Legislation that roots out Corruption in General and could be helpful to creating such a military, directly or indirectly, definitely has his vote.

Also, he, like most of his Home World, has a very high Opinion of the Jedi Order, seeing them as those who step up to do most of the work defending the innocents in absence of a true Republican Military. But he is also aware that the Order is stretched thin and struggling and desperately needs help in and relief from their Peace-keeping task: One more reason for him to push for a proper Military.