Cannibalism
"Scandal." said the reporter, nodding into the camera dramatically. "Following a series of leaks from Republic Intelligence, the Commission of the Protection of the Republic stands accused of high treason. Joining us to discuss the matter is political analyst Ozan Elrad. Ozan, would you please enlighten our viewers as to just what these leaks were?"
"Of course, Calla. These leaks, we're not sure where specifically they come from other than that they came about as a result of a Republic Intelligence investigation, basically track a series of payments to COMPOR from known members of the Separatist Council. Given that the Republic is currentyl at war witht he CIS, this goes far beyond simple corruption. Now, further investigations are certainly needed, and I suspect they were underway when these report were leaked, but if substantiated, it will most definitely mean charges of treason for at least the higher ranking members of COMPOR such as Ishin-Il-Raz, the director of COMPOR." said Ozan Elrad, breaking the situation down for those who had been living under a rock all day and hadn't heard of the scandal.
"So how far does this go, Ozan, and what does this mean for the COMPOR?" asked Calla Danjapa, leaning forward slightly as if Ozan's explanation had her utmost attention.
"Well, we'll need to wait for further investigations to discover the full scope of this CIS bribery. There's just not enough here to get more than a general idea of what was happening. Whoever personally gets burned will be determined by that, but I think it's safe to say that Ishin-Il-Raz's career is over. Even if he's found innocent, just his association with the scandal destroys any credibility he might have had." Ozan knew uncertainty didn't make good headlines though, which is why he had prepared a scapegoat for just such an occasion.
"One name I think we'll be seeing a lot more of is Crueya Vandron. This is the guy responsible for most of COMPOR's funding. If the CIS were funding the lobbyists, it's likely they went through him. Given his background, I wouldn't be surprised to find him neck deep in this." said Ozan, stopping when Calla raised a hand to stop him and put her other hand on her ear.
"Sorry Ozan, but I'm receiving reports that the Vice Chairman of the Senate, Mas Amedda is appearing before the press. We go live now to field reporter Asha Dana." Calla nodded to the screen, and the footage cut to a chaotic press room, with Mas Amedda himself coming up behind the podium.
He cleared his throat with his patented 'Senate Quieting Voice' and the reporters all fell silent as he adjusted the microphone and began speaking. "Recent events that have come to light cast a shadow of doubt on what both the Chancellor and the Senate believed to be the will of the people. Further investigations
will be launched, including auditing of all lobbyist groups to insure that they truly have the best interests of the Republic in mind. Once the facts are clear, those complicit in this treason will be stand trial and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. With those facts established, I will now take any questions the press may have."
The vice chairman pointed into the crowd as the reporters all scrambled to ask their questions, quieting once Amedda selected one of them. "Asha Dana, CRN News. The COMPOR's almost fanatic support of Chancellor Palpatine is well documented. Given that we now know their views were bought by the CIS, what does that say about the Chancellor's policies?"
"While he is unavailable to comment at this time, I assure you that Chancellor Palpatine has nothing but contempt for such traitors to the Republic. The Senate investigations will spend the coming weeks not merely determining who was complicit in these events, but also determining what the CIS was attempting to gain from their actions. It is very possible that their actions were intended to make us doubt our leaders in these trying times and divide the Republic to ease their victory. The treason of these men should be seen as a condemnation of their moral fiber, not of their political views." said Amedda, deflecting the question with all his political experience. "Next question."
Mas Amedda turned off the recorded broadcast, pleased with himself. It had been child's play to frame the COMPOR for treason in such a manner, setting up so many decoy companies and individuals that they never suspected their donations were coming from the Separatists. The hardest part had been convincing some rather influential Separatist leader to go along with the plan. He didn't know how his fellow art lover had gotten the funds flowing, and he didn't particularly care. He would need to focus on making sure the charges of treason stuck, at least to the humanist bastards who would never support him.
Given that he was heading the investigations, it shouldn't be difficult at all to make them complicit in a crime they had no idea was even occurring. Now he'd just need to figure out a way to deal with Sate Pestage…
XXX
Sheev Palpatine was not happy. The COMPOR hadn't been particularly important to his plans, but they had certainly been useful with their near worship of him. He was tempted to blame Lady Ciaran for their downfall, but unfortunately he was all too aware of the perpetrator. Perhaps he would need to reconsider the elimination of Mas Amedda. He was acting without Palpatine's say-so, and the last thing he needed was the return of Amedda's ambitious streak. Perhaps Senator Amidala would be a suitable replacement. A part of him enjoyed the thought of a Naboo monopoly, and she was certainly trusting of him, if not exactly on board with all of his policies. He'd need to consider it more, once he got a better grasp of Amedda's endgoal.
AN: Amedda takes out Palpatine's other supporters for us, and makes Palpatine reconsider eliminating the Vice Chairman of the Senate. In other news, while Amedda manages to shift the blame of Palpatine directly, the nickname Shifty Sheev makes a small comeback in the following weeks.
