Chapter 351: The Invasion of Naboo (4)
Chapter 351: The Invasion of Naboo (4)
Chapter 351: The Invasion of Naboo (4)
A month has passed since the Trade Federation sent troops to blockade Planet Naboo.
During this month, the entire Milky Way presented a strange calm. Almost all relevant forces are meeting, meeting, and meeting.
The Royal Family of Planet Naboo has held many meetings, but they are still at a loss. The strength of the Trade Federation is too strong. Even if it is only 60 Cargo Freighters, the tens of thousands of Vulture Droid Fighters carried on them are enough to destroy any fleet.
The Galactic Senate is also constantly meeting and discussing. However, under Palpatine's intentional guidance, the direction of the meeting's discussion has changed from whether to let the Trade Federation withdraw its troops to whether the Trade Federation's invasion is legal.
Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum naturally also noticed this change, but when he was discussing with Palpatine, Palpatine just told him worriedly that this is the only way now, which can be said to be a curve to save the planet.
Because it is very difficult to directly interfere with the Trade Federation, given the current influence of the Galactic Senate, the only way is to legally put the Trade Federation at a disadvantage.
Finis Valorum also understands that because of the proposal to levy taxes in the Outer Rim Star Region and a series of recent disputes, the Outer Rim Star Region has become a victim. Under such circumstances, those members of the Outer Rim Star Region might not support the Republic again. The most typical representative is the ring faction headed by Mr. Orn Free Taa
Therefore, he had to agree with Palpatine's plan, and now that he was alone and helpless, no one else was willing to help him except Palpatine.
Of course, on the blockade fleet of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray and the others are also meeting every day... well, a celebration meeting.
Xiao Guanghua has given up. He hangs out with Nute Gunray and the others every day, getting drunk. If it wasn't for the fact that the last level of law in the Army is more or less effective, he will definitely hug a few Twi'leks dancing girls to the dormitory area to work in the dark.
But for Planet Naboo, this month is fatal.
The total population of Planet Naboo is as high as 4.5 billion, of which about 1.7 billion people are humans, and the rest are Gungans who live underwater. Like other planets in the Milky Way, Planet 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, the developed trade allowed them to solve this problem through a large number of imports. In other words, it is precisely because of the developed trade that their population will accumulate and expand.
Especially after the discovery of abundant plasma mines on Planet Naboo, the main revenue of Planet Naboo comes from foreign trade and plasma mine business. Moreover, because the former King Ars Veruna led wolves into the house and signed an unequal treaty with the Trade Federation, Planet Naboo had to invest a lot of manpower and material resources in the industry of mining plasma mines.
So after a month, the material reserves of such a mineral and trading planet reached their limit.
Although their performance is actually better than that of Malastare, which only persisted for three days, after the supplies in the reserve are exhausted, the famine is also beginning to spread.
In fact, if the rationing system was adopted, they could at least last for more than three months, but for such a planet that has been peaceful for thousands of years after being incorporated into the republic, what is the rationing system? What is the wartime mechanism? No idea!
Planet Naboo has become unsustainable. The streets of Theed City, the capital, were dead silent. There was no pedestrian walking on the street. The originally bustling Central Avenue was empty, and the rubbish scattered on the road was flying with the wind, but no one cleaned it.
This is the case in the capital, but the situation in other cities is even more serious, and even starvation has begun to appear in some places.
"The Republic still has no response, and I have to respond!" The Supreme Ruler of Planet Naboo, Queen Amidala, who was only 14 years old, said firmly in the King's Hall, "I will go to Coruscant in person to meet with Supreme Chancellor Vinis Valorum, and urge him to let the Trade Federation withdraw!"
Governor Theo Bibble hurriedly stopped her, "Your Majesty, you can't do it now! The fleet of the Trade Federation is in orbit outside Planet Naboo. If you leave Planet Naboo, you will either be shot down by them or captured by them. There is no third way. It's impossible!"
"If you want me to say, we should call up an Army immediately and fight to the death with the Trade Federation!" Security Captain Quarsh Panaka said fiercely, waving his fists.
"Even with an Armed Army, can you defeat the Trade Federation? No! And it will only infuriate them and make them do more cruel things to our people!" Bibble said loudly.
"We cannot sit still!" said Queen Amidala.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, until the Republic intervenes, we can only sit and wait..." Bibble sighed.
The Queen stared at Bibble for a long time, got up silently, and returned to the bedroom.
...
Coruscant, Galactic Senate Building, Supreme Chancellor's Office.
"It's been a month, and the Senate is still arguing endlessly. This matter... bastard!" Finis Valorum slammed his fist on the desk.
He rarely loses his composure like this, especially in front of outsiders. But the current situation really made him despair and angry.
"Most of the Senators have already been bought, especially the Senators from the Outer Rim Star District. They only care about the immediate interests, but they don't see the long-term. The current Outer Rim Star District is almost always followed by the Trade Federation. In Under their obstruction, we were unable to pass any proposals." Planet Naboo Senator Sheev Palpatine said with a bow.
"Under this circumstance, my suggestion is to bypass the proposal on whether to interfere with the Trade Federation's blockade and first vote on whether the Trade Federation's actions are legal. We passed the motion to determine that the actions of the Trade Federation were illegal, and then the next thing will be a matter of course." Palpatine had a cold smile on his face, but it was just right that no one noticed.
Finis Valorum waved his hand, "You go down first, I need to think about this matter."
"Please be as fast as possible, Mr. Supreme Chancellor. On my planet, the people are starving." After finishing speaking, Palpatine bowed again and exited the office.
After watching Palpatine leave, Finis Valorum thought for a long time in the empty office, and finally, he connected a communication, "Master Windu, I need your help."