Chapter 352: The Battle of Naboo (4)
350. The Battle of Naboo (4)
A month has passed since the Trade Federation sent troops to blockade the planet Naboo.
In this month, the entire galaxy has shown a strange calm. Almost all relevant forces are meeting, meeting, meeting.
The royal family of the planet Naboo has held many meetings, but they are still unable to do anything. The strength of the Trade Alliance is too strong. Even if it is only 60 cargo ships, the tens of thousands of Vulture robot fighters carried on them are enough to destroy any interstellar force. fleet.
The Galactic Parliament is also constantly meeting and discussing. However, under Palpatine's deliberate guidance, the direction of the discussion has changed from whether to let the Trade Federation withdraw its troops to whether the Trade Federation's invasion is legal.
Speaker Finis Valorum was naturally aware of this change, but when he discussed it with Palpatine, Palpatine just told him worriedly that this was the only way now. It can be said that it is a curve to save the country.
Because it is very difficult to directly interfere with the Trade Federation given the current influence of the Galactic Parliament, the only way is to legally put the Trade Federation at a disadvantage. Only in this way can some centrists be forcibly restored. MP’s thoughts.
Finis Valorum also understands that because of the tax bill in the Outer Rim Sector and a series of recent disputes, the Outer Rim Sector has become a victim. Under such circumstances, those Outer Ring MPs will no longer be able to support the Republic. The most typical representative is the ring faction headed by Councilor Aoun-Fry-Ta.
So, he had to agree with Palpatine's plan, and now that he was alone, no one else was willing to help him except Palpatine.
Of course, in the Trade Federation's blockade fleet, Newt Gunray and the others are also holding meetings every day...well, holding celebration meetings.
Xiao Guanghua has given up treatment. He hangs out with Newt Gunray and the others every day and gets drunk. If the last level of the military's laws were not still effective, he would definitely have hugged him. A few Twi'lek dancers went to the accommodation area and worked themselves into a coma.
But for the planet Naboo, this month is fatal.
The total population of the planet Naboo is as high as 4.5 billion, of which about 1.7 billion are humans and the rest are Gungans who live underwater. Like other planets in the galaxy, Naboo is also a planet that was forcibly incorporated into the Galactic Republic system with relatively backward technology and civilization.
In other words, their original productivity and technology were not enough to feed 4.5 billion mouths, but after joining the Galactic Republic, developed trade allowed them to solve this problem through large-scale imports. In other words, it is precisely because of developed trade that their population will accumulate and expand.
Especially after the discovery of abundant plasma mines on the planet Naboo, the main revenue of the planet Naboo comes from foreign trade and plasma mine business. Moreover, because of the behavior of the former king Als-Veruna who led the wolf into the house and signed an unequal treaty with the Trade Federation, the planet Naboo had to invest a lot of manpower and material resources into the industry of mining plasma mines.
So after a month, the material reserves of such a mineral and trading planet reached its limit.
Although their performance was actually better than that of the Marastal planet, which only lasted three days, famine also began to spread after the reserves of supplies were exhausted.
In fact, if a rationing system was adopted, they could sustain it for at least three months. But for a planet that has been peaceful for thousands of years after being incorporated into the Republic, what is a rationing system? What is a wartime mechanism? Have no idea at all!
The planet Naboo is no longer sustainable. The streets of the capital city of Hidden were dead silent. Not a single pedestrian was walking on the street. The once bustling Central Avenue was empty. Garbage scattered on the road was flying in the wind but no one was cleaning it.
This is true in the capital, and the situation in other cities is even more serious. People have even begun to starve to death in some places. "There is still no response from the Republic, and I must respond!" Queen Amidala, the 14-year-old supreme ruler of the planet Naboo, said categorically in the King's Hall. "I will go to Coruscant in person to meet with Speaker Felipe. Nis Valoran, urge him to let the Trade Federation withdraw its troops!"
Administrative Governor Theo Bible quickly stopped, "Your Majesty, not now! The Trade Federation's fleet is here! In the outer orbit of the Naboo planet, if you leave the Naboo planet, you will either be shot down by them or captured by them. There is no third possibility!"
"If you ask me, we should recruit an army immediately! Come, fight to the death with the Trade Federation!" Security Commander Quash Panaka said fiercely, waving his fist.
"Can even an armed army defeat the Trade Federation? No! And this will only anger them and make them do more cruel things to our people!" Bibull said loudly.
"We cannot sit still and wait for death!" Queen Amidala said.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, until the Republic intervenes, we can only sit back and wait for death..." Bibble sighed.
The queen stared at Bibull for a long time, then stood up silently and returned to the palace.
......
Coruscant, Galactic Capitol, Chancellor's Office.
"It's been a month, and the parliament is still quarreling about this matter... bastard!" Finis Valoran punched the desk.
He rarely loses his temper like this, especially in front of outsiders. But the current situation really made him desperate and angry.
“Most of the MPs have been bribed, especially the MPs from the Outer Rim Star District. They only focus on the immediate interests but fail to see the long term. Almost all of the current Outer Rim Star District members are With the Trade Federation leading the way, we cannot pass any resolutions under their obstruction," Naboo Councilor Sheev Palpatine said with a bow.
“In this case, my suggestion is to bypass the motion on whether to interfere with the Trade Alliance’s blockade, and first hold a vote on whether the Trade Alliance’s actions are legal. Such a motion will not irritate those outsiders too much. Councilor of the Ring Star District, once we pass the motion to determine that the Trade Alliance's actions are illegal, then the next thing will be a matter of course." Palpatine had a sinister smile on his face, but it was just right that no one noticed it.
Finis Valoran waved his hand, "You go down first, I still need to think about this matter."
"Please hurry up, Mr. Speaker. On my planet, people are starving." After Palpatine finished speaking, he bowed again and exited the office.
After watching Palpatine leave, Finis Valorum thought for a long time in the empty office. Finally, he got through a communication, "Master Windu, I need your help. ”
(End of this chapter)