Year 26 Day 45
More trouble for the Automation Unity Party (AUP) after what started as a peaceful protest on Hassaria II erupted into a full blown riot, claiming the life of 3 Hassarians and enraging local citizens.
The AUP had been a movement on the rise in the region. After the successful bid for the Governorship of Hassaria 3 by Droid BD-17209, some political pundits predicted that the AUP would overtake the Green Glasses Party (GGP) as the dominant political force in the the Wazta Sector. All of this positivity came to a sudden halt with the assassination of the Governor-to-be the day they were to be sworn in. In what is surely not politically motivated, the GGP candidate Zynra Rin was sworn in place of BD-17209. To date, local security forces are unable to locate the assassin.
Political rallies and protests have since erupted across the system. Factory sites on Hassaria III have been shut down due to the interference of an army of Probe Droids and several of the shipyard Hubs only now are coming back on line after interference from treadwells
Tensions escalated on Hassaria II, as Ministry of Health (MoH) construction teams began work on a new Bacta refinery and production sites to keep up with the heavy demand for Bacta. Bacta refills and other MoH products have suddenly become scarce in the region, as use exceeded expected demand after the eruption of a Professional Brawling League took hold of the system. League matches, which are sometimes held twice a galactic standard day, can eat up 36 Bacta Refills per turn, which has put a strain on the MoH supply. To meet demand, plans were approved to expand the Alazhi fields on Hassaria II.
Locals were not thrilled about this. The temperate planet Hassaria II is sparsely populated and most of the inhabitants like to keep it that way. The AUP likely saw an opportunity to gain political position and deployed forces to the front to disrupt any industrialization.
Unfortunately, according to multiple reports. The AUP Rally at one of the new farms quickly turned violent after a droid dropped their sign on the head of a worker. Regardless of intent, the worker was knocked unconscious and this caused a panic amongst the workers and infuriated local security forces. Unarmed combat broke out, complicated when local bandit forces joined the fray. Commander Odac Drol led the response team, quickly putting down the bandits and cleared the area of droids. Magistrate Siejo Kutol also made a statement, coming out strongly against the AUP actions and withdrawing their license to protest in Hassaria.
What does this mean for the AUP? Is the Automation movement dead or will it weather the storm of bad publicity to rise again? Recent polling data shows dwindling support on every planet but Hassaria III, where most of the non-organic citizens live in the system. Either way, there is egg on the face of the AUP and it is unclear what their next step will be.