Secession of Ando

"It's clear where home is now"

―Aqualish Unga Torr and his family before their departure from Coruscant^[1]

The Secession of Ando was one of the defining events of the Separatist Crisis, occurring on the eve of the Clone Wars in 23 BBY. The Aqualish of the planet Ando unilaterally declared their withdrawal from the Galactic Republic, led by fervent nationalist leaders and rallying cries for independence. Ando became a reliable stronghold of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, supporting the fight against Republic forces in the region.

History

Prelude

Ando, an oceanic planet in the Mid Rim, was the homeworld of the warlike Aqualish species. Many millennia earlier, their expansion had been crushed by the far more technologically advanced Galactic Republic, which was then extending its borders. Ando was forced to abandon its conquests but was offered instead a constructive path of development, being guided in solving its internal problems, and soon the planet became part of the interstellar hegemony.^[2] However, some Aqualish refused to accept foreign interference.^[3] For a long time, Ando remained loyal to the Republic and, whatever threats of the Dark Side loomed over the galaxy, it always returned to the Republic’s fold.^[4] This could not last forever, and the point of fracture is usually traced to the period of the Andoan Wars, which raged during the latter half of the Republic’s final century. This local war in the Lambda sector, essentially a colonial struggle of Aqualish against Aqualish, did not initially attract the close attention of Coruscant’s authorities – at least not until the disastrous battle of Raquish. The brutal tactics and terrifying firepower shocked the distant Republic, which immediately authorized the deployment of the Judicial Department’s fleet into the sector.^[5] The conflict was forcibly suppressed, compelling the signing of the treaty of enforced demilitarization of the region.^[6] While the peace settlement favored the planetary communities of Aqualish who wished to govern themselves independently, the Aqualish of the Andoan metropolis regarded it as a humiliating insult to their dignity. This, in turn, pushed the population and the authorities of the planet toward seeking a radical resolution to the perceived injustice.^[5]

Separatist Crisis

"Ando will now determine her own future. It is meant to be, given the rampant hypocrisy of Palpatine's Republic. The current dispute over the creation of a Republic army is just another in a long line of insults to the Aqualish people"

―First Minister Daragi Hoba is giving a speech to the crowd^[7]

Po Nudo, who marked Ando's secession from the Galactic Republic

For more than fifteen years, the Aqualish had no choice but to unquestioningly obey the Republic’s restrictions, even though this often led to bloody incidents, such as the episode on the Horos Spine. Ando’s representative in the Galactic Senate, the Aqualish Po Nudo, was not inspired by the ideals of a unified state and shared his people’s disdain for Coruscant’s dominance.^[7] War was looming in the galaxy, and the final months before the collapse of the apparent peace were a chaotic tangle of intrigue, secret alliances, and betrayals. In 23 BBY, three months before the outbreak of large-scale conflict,^[8] a turning point – or convenient pretext – emerged: the debate over the Military Creation Act, a bill to reestablish the Republic’s standing army in response to the growing separatist movement across many worlds. During a morning Senate session, representative Po Nudo, through a trusted droid proxy, formally declared the independence of his homeworld and tendered his resignation.^[7]

Less than two standard hours after the landmark announcement, jubilant anti-Republic crowds flooded the busy Raquish Thoroughfare in Ando’s capital, Quantill City. The spontaneous celebrations drew in Aqualish of all kinds, regardless of ethnic origin or place of residence. Festive throngs gathered in the city square, holding placards condemning the Republic and praising their beloved senator, while several effigies of the Republic Senate Guards were burned. Through a holographic projection, proud First Minister Daragi Hoba addressed the people. The politician did nothing to temper the public fervor but instead further inflamed the initial passion with a nationalist statement. Po Nudo himself was not seen on Ando during the celebrations, and he was likely en route, returning from Coruscant.^[7]

Although Ando’s secession surprised few, correspondents turned to the Chancellor’s office for comment on the events, but none received a reply. Journalists merely speculated that the Aqualish defection would be addressed at the next day’s Senate session.^[7] The HoloNet News agency conducted a poll asking, «Could the Ando separation have been prevented?», to which only 22 percent of respondents answered in the affirmative.^[9] Shortly afterward, star systems such as Umbara, Thustra, and Persavi followed the lead of Antar, Ando, and Sy Myrth in breaking with the Republic.^[5]

Aftermath

Refugees crisis

"I can't tell you how appreciative our family is. But as beautiful as it is here, it's not home, and I hope that I can return to the seas of Ando someday and find the rest of my family"

―Aqualish Aqualish expatriate Orogor Binn, on Alderaan^[10]

An Andoan family awaits departure from Westport

In the immediate aftermath of Ando’s declaration, «Freespan Starlanes Transport» announced plans to double the number of regular passenger routes to the planet, anticipating a surge in travel among Aqualish expatriates who were now likely to seek reunion with their distant home. Observers expected that interstellar carriers such as «Romodi Interstellar» and «Galaxy Tours» would soon announce similar measures. Less than a day after Ando’s secession, bookings made by Aqualish passengers departing Coruscant had already surpassed five hundred. The emigration flow moved primarily through Westport, and while traffic had previously spiked by six thousand percent since the start of the Separatist Crisis, it was now largely Aqualish families leaving the world together. With the growing number of one-way flights, economic analysts predicted a grim outlook for the Coruscanti ecumenopolis district of Taung Heights, whose livelihood was tightly bound to the planet’s largest Aqualish diaspora. According to the official census, some 145 million Aqualish resided on Coruscant, with the greatest concentration in Taung Heights. While Westport struggled with the mass Aqualish exodus, security services at Eastport – already strained by the nonstop influx of refugees from seceding systems – warned to prepare for incoming Aqualish loyal to the Republic.^[1] Sympathetic Mid Rim worlds eased immigration restrictions,^[11] while the government of Alderaan allocated unused lands for settlement, drawing Aqualish from Ando either in search of a new home or simply a refuge from turbulent times.^[10]

Political impact

"Some of us still have a sense of loyalty to the Republic, and do not want to be branded as traitors. I will be there, on Coruscant, on the 16th, to make our voices heard. I believe in the Republic and in the Senate, and do not look to run away like the cowards in the Old World."

―Senator Gorothin Vagger^[12]

Despite Ando’s withdrawal from the Republic, the free-minded government of the former Aqualish colonies maintained its allegiance to the galactic power. Their leadership convened a demonstrative loyalty summit on Andosha II, where they unequivocally denounced the arrogance of their homeworld. The colonies’ representative, Gorothin Vagger, branded the Andoan Aqualish as cowards and pledged not to neglect Senate sessions.^[12]

Senator Onaconda Farr makes serious accusations regarding Republic security

Soon after, the senator from Rodia, Onaconda Farr, conducted a personal investigation into the activities of hundreds of politicians and judges who had shaped the Republic’s agenda and compiled a list of names exposed for their ties to Separatist worlds. In particular, senator Havriso Looruya, a member of the Chancellor’s inner-circle Loyalist Committee, had been transferring large sums of credits to Separatist accounts on Ando, Sy Myrth, and Sluis Van. The disgraced Senate Bureau of Intelligence used Farr’s list to continue its inquiry.^[13] A week after the scandal, senator Onaconda took Looruya’s place on the Committee, while the Bureau’s investigation resulted in a further 12 arrests.^[14]

Po Nudo himself, who had proclaimed Ando’s independence, actively established ties with the Separatists. In return for his cooperation and the planet’s rich resources, the InterGalactic Banking Clan and the Techno Union appointed Nudo as head of the Hyper-Communications Cartel, which oversaw the Shadowfeed, a counterpart to the HoloNet, was used to spread Separatist ideas throughout territories under Republic control.^[15]

Up to that point Ando had not been stripped of its planetary defense forces, and it embarked on a course of rapid rearmament. Within weeks of secession, the world had acquired from its new allies – among other things – frigates and droid starfighters to secure command of the surrounding space. News of these developments reached the Senate, alarming many, particularly senator Rasit Brun, who represented the neighboring world of Rintonne. He interpreted the arming of the Aqualish as an act of war and accused the Trade Federation of sponsoring aggression.^[16]

With the advent of the Clone Wars, the Commission for the Protection of the Republic was rapidly formed in order to secure the survival of the Republic in testing times. The committee, however, would bully government officials into leaning their way, and the First Minister of the Coruscant Ministry of Ingress Tannon Praji was no exception. COMPOR forced Praji to deport those whose homeworlds had sided with the Confederacy,^[17] such as vast communities of Quarren, Aqualish, Koorivar, Neimoidian, Gossam and more. The goal was never fully enforceable,^[18] but Praji's efforts were enough to make an impact, the results of which for the First Minister were twofold. Chancellor Palpatine praised Praji's efforts and movements, claiming that they were instrumental in securing peace and security on the capital. However, many of Praji's critics were pushed to extreme measures, and several assassination and kidnapping attempts were made on the First Minister by both dissidents and agents of the Confederacy.^[17]^[18] Following one particular attempt by Aqualish Separatists, Praji was offered the protection services of Ottegru Grey by the Bank of the Core, at a nominal fee.^[18]

At the same time, tensions among the Aqualish factions in the Lambda sector reached their peak, erupting into the open conflict during the Clone Wars.^[8]

Behind the scenes

The secession of Ando in the pre-war years of the Republic was first covered in a HoloNet news report, HoloNet News Vol. 531 45, where it was the central event. The declaration of the planet’s independence was carried out through legal channels and political mechanisms, and the Republic in no way interfered in the process, merely resigning itself to the final decision of Ando’s authorities. Nevertheless, the Essential Atlas falsely claims that the secession did not occur without violence and bloodshed, similar to the coup on Antar 4 during the same period.