Seng Karash
Aeotheoran
Orian System

Rain fell, scattering the crowds. The public had been listening to one of the Mayoral candidates speak. Not all of them had managed to gain access to the building it was held in, so they watched it via a holoscreen that cast a shadow over the town square.

The Traveler stood on the stage, the robed figure had been discussing the situation that the city found itself in. There had been many incidents during the election campaign. Too many to discount as mere coincidences. It had begun with rumours and whispers about the past of both candidates. There had been claims that one had committed criminal acts. Another rumour had been that they were defrauding the local tax authorities. Sanguinius didn’t believe them to be true however, they were most likely products of the rumour mill.

The Augur had taken great interest in the result of the election. He was determined to ensure that there was a free election. Sanguinius believed it was in the best interest of the public that they knew that the Warhost and Naga Sadow were not dictators. They were there as protectors of democracy and peace.

Sanguinius was standing in a doorway, using the porch as cover from the rain as he continued to watch the debate. The two mayoral candidates were continuing to argue over the finer points of their manifestos. The Proconsul had favoured the Traveler originally, as he believed that Maya Nikeisha was not the leader Seng Karash needed.

His mind wandered back to the rumours that had spread across the city as the election had progressed. They had turned serious when an intern on Nikeisha’s election team had disappeared, only to turn up dead two days later. Sanguinius had used his position to gain information from the local authorities. The peacekeeper’s investigation was still ongoing, but the preliminary report believed the cause of death was homicide.

The Entar pursed his lips as he watched the debate moderator pause the ongoing discussion to take another question from the audience. Passers by hurried past the Jedi, protecting themselves from the rain with umbrellas. The death of the intern had only been the beginning of something much worse.

Upon learning of the murder of the intern, Sanguinius had informed his fellow Sadowan supporters of the Traveler. Rumours and accusations had flown, blaming the Traveler for the death of the young man. The Sadowans knew better. They knew it was the work of the criminal element who were determined to keep their hold on Seng Karash. The Sadowans had investigated further. Jades and Darius had visited several seedy establishments, made a few contacts and spread a warning for the criminals to back off.

They hadn’t listened...

No, it had escalated. Financial information had been leaked that made it seem like Maya really was committing tax fraud. The paperwork claimed that she hadn’t paid taxes for over eight years. Despite the upheaval that the Orian System had gone through, the authorities had demanded that the populace continue to pay taxes to help rebuild the cities and provide services to the public. The paperwork was damning, but the Sadowans supporting Maya had found out the records had been falsified. It had been a close rung thing though, Maya almost had to withdraw from the race.

She had bounced back from the forgeries, but it showed that the criminals were getting smarter. Smarter and more courageous. Next they had targeted rallies and disrupted them. They had threatened supporters, warned them away from the polls. They had even bombed the Traveler’s campaign office. Luckily no one was there at the time, otherwise there would have been several deaths.

The rain slowly ceased, which led to more people stopping to watch the televised debate. It was good that so many members of the public had engaged with the election process, but the continued existence of these criminals was a blot on the well being of the city. Sanguinius’ com-link beeped, drawing his attention. His left hand rose to his left eye to press the receive button. “Yes?”

“We have him in our sights.” Aul informed the Augur.

“Are Aexod and Jades in position?” Sanguinius enquired.

“As instructed.” Aul replied.

“Excellent, I’m on my way,” Sanguinius moved out of the doorway and began to move out of the square, “Take him down if you get the chance.” the Augur instructed.

“Understood.” Aul ended the transmission.

The group had gained information on the identity of the bomb maker via a combination of bribery, informants and peacekeeper cooperation. With luck, the capture of the insurgent would lead them to the leaders of the criminal underworld. Sanguinius was determined to ensure a free election would occur. Regardless of the outcome, democracy would reign supreme over fear and violence.