The HoloNet flickered to life across Coruscant.
Giant projection towers lit up the endless cityscape, broadcasting the montage—the battles of Boz Pity to Hypori—unfiltered, raw, overwhelming.
Explosions.
Blades.
Droids falling in waves.
A single figure standing at the center of it all.
Dagon.
---
On the lower levels, crowds gathered in tight clusters, their faces illuminated by the blue glow of the broadcast.
"Did you see that?" a young man shouted, pointing as Dagon sent an entire line of droids flying. "He just—he didn't even move!"
"That's a Jedi?" someone else said, half in awe, half in disbelief.
"No… that's not normal," another replied. "That's something else."
A group of clone veterans, off-duty and still in partial armor, stood silently watching.
One of them finally spoke.
"If he was there earlier… maybe…"
He stopped.
The others didn't need him to finish.
---
Higher up, in the mid-level districts, the reaction was louder—less restrained.
Cheers erupted as the footage reached Hypori.
"THAT'S HOW YOU WIN A WAR!" someone yelled as Dagon clashed with Grievous.
"He took on four sabers!" another shouted.
"And WON!"
Laughter. Applause. Pride.
No one mentioned the fallen Jedi shown moments before.
---
In contrast, a smaller screen nearby displayed a Confederacy broadcast.
"…multiple systems have fallen to Republic aggression…"
"…civilian infrastructure destroyed…"
"…economic devastation across the Outer Rim…"
But no one was watching.
The sound was drowned out by cheers.
"Turn that off," someone scoffed. "They're just whining."
"They started the war," another added. "Now they're losing."
The CIS report continued—ignored.
---
In the Senate District, the reaction was… different.
Inside a private viewing chamber, a small group of senators stood in silence as the montage ended.
Among them were Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala.
The final image—Dagon standing alone in the ruins—lingered before fading to black.
Padmé exhaled slowly.
"…that wasn't a victory," she said quietly.
No one responded immediately.
Bail finally spoke.
"It was effective."
Padmé turned to him.
"At what cost?"
Bail didn't answer right away.
Instead, he looked back at the now-dark screen.
"People don't see the cost," he said. "They see the result."
"And that's the problem," Padmé replied.
Another senator, aligned with them, stepped forward.
"The Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers," he said. "Not… this."
He gestured toward the screen.
"That was war. Pure war."
Padmé nodded.
"If this becomes the standard…" she said softly, "what happens to what the Jedi stand for?"
Silence settled over the group.
---
Across the city, in a far more luxurious chamber, the mood was entirely different.
Representatives from Kuat and Sienar watched the same broadcast—but with satisfaction.
A Kuat senator leaned back, smiling.
"Efficient."
A Sienar executive nodded.
"Decisive."
They replayed the moment Dagon cut through waves of droids.
"Our ship production is justified," the Kuat senator added. "Clearly."
"And demand will only increase," the Sienar representative said. "The Republic wants results like that? We'll supply the means."
Another senator chuckled.
"Let the Jedi fight however they want… as long as they keep winning."
They raised glasses in quiet celebration.
"To victory."
---
Back in the streets, the crowds began to disperse—but the energy remained.
"They're pushing them back," someone said.
"Yeah," another replied. "Feels like we're finally winning."
A child looked up at the fading projection.
"Do you think he'll end the war?"
The adult beside him hesitated.
"…maybe."
---
Far above, in the highest towers of Coruscant, the HoloNet continued to loop the footage.
Battle after battle.
Victory after victory.
The narrative was clear.
The Republic was advancing.
The enemy was falling.
And at the center of it all—
A single figure.
To some, a hero.
To others, a warning.
But to most—
He was something new.
And the galaxy was already beginning to change because of it.