Anwis Eddicus

"Eddicus doesn't care about politics. He doesn't care about the bureaucrats. He definitely doesn't care about the corporations and ignores the lobbyists. The only things he does care about are his daughter, his planet, and keeping the Republic together in one piece. Probably in that order, too."

- Senator Myr Pilp of Duro

Anwis Eddicus was a Human male from Tanaab who was raised in a middle-class family and ascended through the military to become Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. His early upbringing significantly shaped Eddicus, instilling a strong sense of family and a strong planet identity. His loyalty to the people of Tanaab led Eddicus to join their meager defense force to protect the planet from annual raids by regional pirates. During his ten years in their militia, he rose from ensign to commander. While his career was marred with defeats early on, the eager commander studied tactics of war with earnest. Eventually, he was able to best the pirates before they even departed their base on Norulac.

The Judicial Forces offered Eddicus a chance to rise through the ranks of the broader Republic. His knowledge was invaluable to his commanders, but his loyalties rested with his home planet. He forced his patrol assignment to be transferred to the Tanaab sector. After leading his squadron in numerous successful attacks against the pirates, his promotions continued. He eventually earned the rank of general after the Battle of Tanaaga.

While in the Judicial Forces, he met and later married a medic from Tanaab named Mai Basramlas. Together, they had one daughter. Having reached the rank of general, Eddicus felt it more important to focus on his family life rather than his military exploits. He moved back to Tanaab, but was quickly entangled in local politics as numerous factions wanted Eddicus to represent Tanaab in the Galactic Senate. He agreed to serve as Senator, but worked primarily behind-the-scenes. In 704 BBY, however, his reputation earned him a nomination for Supreme Chancellor. He won the election by one vote.

The Tanaab years
Born on Tanaab in 761 BBY to Erlis and Rui Eddicus, Anwis Eddicus was the first of three children. He was raised in a middle-class family, but his planet became embroiled in a deep economic depression by 757 BBY that caused his family considerable hardship. The economic collapse was brought upon the planet by the annual raids by pirates from nearby Norulac. Eddicus's family was nevertheless able to offer the young boy a proper education even in spite of the economic downturn. He completed his education by the age of sixteen, common for young boys of Tanaab, and began working at a grocer near his residence. All the while, his family instilled within the young Eddicus a strong sense of morality, family bond, and planetary pride.

By the age of eighteen, however, Eddicus chose to join the small militia that had been unsuccessfully defending Tanaab against the pirates from Norulac. Along with his close friends Pehar Welis and Hysman Bunvar, the young Eddicus began drew from his ideals that hard work, determination, and a strong loyalty to his planet would enable the militia to succeed. The trio trained and studied together with diligence, yet they were equally outspoken planetists&mdash;staunch supporters of Tanaabi heritage and culture. In 742 BBY, the Tanaab Militia needed every available being to defend against the annual onslaught. The trio was dispatched to defend a supply station near the planet's capital city. Pirates eventually attacked the station and Eddicus was shot down early in the skirmish. He ejected safely, but his left arm was severely wounded in the dogfight.

Treated for his injuries, Eddicus's arm was spared amputation through a rigorous series of experimental surgeries. Still, he was left unable to raise his arm to the height of his shoulders. The injury took Eddicus temporarily out of active duty, and he became a desk officer in the militia. The young man, however, continued his ardent studying of military tactics and skills. He secretly sneaked into training facilities and used the computerized programs to practice various maneuvers and positionings. He also copied hundreds of data files from past battles to analyze how they either succeeded or failed.

The raid of 738 BBY brought Eddicus and his burgeoning knowledge to the forefront. Only twenty-three years of age, he was once again charged with defending the capital city supply station. Since officers were in demand, the young Eddicus was transferred from desk sergeant to an overseer of the capitol city defense from a frigate stationed in orbit around the planet. Eddicus had Welis and Bunvar&mdash;both having become successful pilots in their own right&mdash;transferred to his command. Working with his longtime friends, they developed a strategy for defense which would deflect any potential skirmish away from the city. Using the local landforms, Eddicus placed his limited number of turrets in clefts of the nearby mountains and placed five small-range ion canons near the lone river that split the mountain chain in two. To force any raiders into the mountainous area east of the city, the overseer stationed Pehar and Bunvar, along with twenty other pilots, at a naval base just northwest of the city. When the pirates arrived to take out the supply station and raid the capital city, the Eddicus's squadron was prepared. The twenty pilots immediately took to the sky and closed in on the raiders, ten from the north and ten from the southwest. The flanking forced the pirates into the mountains where they were soundly defeated by the combination of defenses and the twenty starfighters.

The victory for Eddicus was the only success the militia in 738 BBY had against the Norulac-based pirates. Seeing how Eddicus was instrumental in designing the defense of the capital city supply station, High General Pruis promoted Eddicus to the rank of general. The following year, Pruis retired, leaving Eddicus in sole command of the Tanaab Militia, a position which he held until 732 BBY. In those years, Eddicus was able to successfully defend many of the planet's supplies and cities. The planet was not spared completely, however. The limited size of the militia prevented all locations from being adequately defended. Nevertheless, the largest and most valuable sites were protected and spared marauding under the watch of Eddicus.

In the Judicial Forces
"We offered them peace, and they refused with blasters firing. Each one of those pirates deserves no mercy. None. And, I will make sure they get none. None at all."

- Anwis Eddicus on defending Tanaab against the pirates

At age twenty-nine, the planetary government of Tanaab established a two-year agreement with the Republic to place the Tanaab Milita under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Forces, hoping to strengthen the fortifications and defenses against the Norulac-based pirates with the full force of the Republic's military wing. In turn, the Republic offered Eddicus a position as colonel in the larger Judicial Forces. His first assignment, however, was a permanent patrol in the Outer Rim near Malastare. Angry that the Judicial Forces was essentially getting rid of him, he submitted his resignation papers. The Tanaab government resoundingly complained, upon hearing of the circumstances, saying that no one else was better equipped to defend the planet than Eddicus due to his experience. After three months of politicking between Tanaab and Republic officials, the Judicial Forces relented and allowed Eddicus to be stationed in the Tanaab system as sector overseer, a commanding officer position.

During this time, Eddicus convinced local representatives, two from Tanaab and two from Norulac, to meet and discuss a peace deal with the hope of preventing further attacks. Eddicus insisted that trade be discussed as part of the deal. Only to his close staff, however, did he admit his belief that no agreement could be brokered. After three months of negotiations, a deal was nearly complete. Suddenly, however, the Raiders and representatives from Norulac abruptly pulled out of the peace talks and refused contact by Tanaab officials. Two days later, a small marauding force of five ships raided the Tanaabi capital city, killing twenty people in the process. Although the attack was unexpected, the five ships were destroyed by the Tanaab defenses before they were able to depart the system. Eddicus took the change in events as a personal failure but remarked with rage that those who broke the talks did not deserve any mercy.

Advance on Norulac
"Even though it is the failure of the Republic and the Senate to put enough pressure on Norulac, Eddicus honestly believes that he failed his people. While saddening, I just hope his anger does not translate into full-scale war in that part of the Inner Rim."

- HoloNet News Inner Rim edition editorial by Aodaf Ned a'Foben entitled What now for Tanaab?

Just as it was on Tanaab, Eddicus's military prowess did not go unnoticed by the Judicial Forces. Due to the Tanaab–Judicial Forces agreement, he had more ships and personnel under his command. Emboldened by the failed peace talks, Eddicus initiated a policy of "no mercy" against the pirates. Three months after the surprise raid of 729 BBY, he led a group of seventeen frigates, three capital ships, and hundreds of fighters to the planet of Norulac. Rather than blockading the planet, Eddicus sent two legions of starfighters&mdash;one hundred per legion&mdash;to each of the five known Raiders's fortresses. Then, in a daring move, he sent ten frigates into the atmosphere to bombard the remnants of the strongholds and staging grounds along with all the land surrounding. His instructions to stand clear of civilians was explicit, however.

Nevertheless, the attack was not a complete surprise to the residents of Norulac. Eddicus's second-in-command, Rear Admiral Io Tycho, had leaked information about the attack's time and intentions. As the frigates entered the atmosphere, hundreds of starships piloted by the Raiders and their sympathizers poured into the high altitude areas of the Norulac atmosphere. The preparedness of the Raiders alarmed Eddicus, who immediately dispatched the remaining three hundred starfighters to combat the onslaught. The fighters served as a temporary diversion for the frigates, allowing the larger vessels to begin large-scale bombing of the planet's starports, and other Raider-controlled strongholds. Once these were leveled, the frigates destroyed Raider fortresses and cities, including the planetary capital. The goal was complete destruction of everything associated with the marauders.

Even though the Raiders were aware of the attack, their ad hoc militia comprised of pirates and mercenaries was resoundingly defeated within two hours. By twelve hours after the start of the battle, over six hundred ships were shot down or destroyed by the Republic's highly trained starfighter corps. The frigates were able to level seventeen of the twenty staging areas and adjacent storage facilities, and the other fortresses had incurred considerable damage, leaving all uninhabitable. Republic scouts that were dispatched to survey the aftermath remarked that over eight thousand persons on the planet surface were killed, five cities rendered uninhabitable, and the capital city in ruins. Furthermore, the Republic only lost fifteen starfighters in the fray.

Changing perspectives and retirement
"I learned that day that brute force without a plan for victory rarely accomplishes anything. What we did was only successful in the short term. It was like slashing a vibroblade aimlessly and in a fit of rage. We went to destroy, not to win. Looking ahead, it seems to have only made them stronger and more passionate."

- Anwis Eddicus, HoloNet News Inner Rim edition editorial Response to Senator Peradhi of Corellia

Only four days following the advance on Norulac, Sector Overseer Eddicus began receiving information from Judicial Forces sources that the Norulac Raiders were beginning to rebuild their arsenal and cities with earnest. At the same time, it became clear to him&mdash;in a surprising revelation&mdash;that Admiral Tycho had betrayed him prior to the advance. Eddicus's anger began to turn toward depression. He was mentally unsatisfied with the outcome of the attack, having almost regretted even initiating action. One month later, longstanding Senator Peradhi of Corellia&mdash;a highly outspoken advocate for military domination and Core World supremacy&mdash;wrote a scathing editorial in the HoloNet News Inner Rim edition, vilifying Eddicus for trying to "financially and militarily burden Core Worlds into a petty disagreement between primitive planets." Furthermore, the senator scolded Eddicus for having a bias toward his homeworld by being "completely and utterly ignorant of the lack of importance his planet possesses in the schema of the larger Republic." Nevertheless, Peradhi did praise Eddicus for not being "completely incompetent" when choosing to use such a large force against the Raiders.

When Eddicus read the editorial, he decided to offer a response. Still a young and opinionated man, Eddicus thought his views on the matter should be known. As he thought through a rebuttal, however, he realized that he could not justify the actions he took any longer. His intention to bolster Tanaab's importance in the Republic turned to how sheer force spurred only by raw anger was not apt for stopping the hatred of a people group. The overseer poured over the information coming from Norulac about how the marauding force was recruiting hundreds of new members and rebuilding cities at a blistering pace. He stated that while disarmament could not be achieved diplomatically, any use of force had to be carefully planned and executed with utmost precision in order to prevent the Raiders from gaining a public relations victory.

Turning down a promotion to general, Eddicus stepped down from his position in the Judicial Forces during the last month of 729 BBY, deciding it best to focus on his personal life. He returned to Tanaab and married his long-time friend and Judicial Forces medic Mai Basramlas. The next year, their daughter Alta was born. Mai Eddicus began working at a hospital on Tanaab while Eddicus tended to their daughter. During this time, he painstakingly pondered his beliefs and motivations. He channeled his opinions into a collection of writings which he stored in a private office at his estate. All the while, the annual raids had ceased. Eight years passed before the Norulac Raiders had enough force to launch an attack once again. Due to the peaceful span wrought by the attack in 729 BBY, Eddicus was considered a planetary hero, and numerous factions on Tanaab were pressuring him to represent the planet in the Senate. In 718 BBY, the Tanaabi president personally visited Eddicus and persuaded the retired military leader that he could best serve his people as their Senator. Agreeing, the nomination was set before the people of Tanaab. Eddicus was elected in a resounding land-slide with 88 percent of the vote.

Deliberations
General Eddicus, now a rookie senator from Tanaab, traveled to Coruscant with his family and began to immediately meet with other politicians whom he had come to respect. Quietly, he personally introduced himself to every Senator save Peradhi of Corellia. After meeting with numerous officials and members of various political factions, Eddicus opted to remain unaligned, deciding it best to not take part in a political party or formal coalition. Instead, he wanted time to acquaint himself with the proceedings and actions of the Senate. With the same diligence he studied military art, Eddicus delved into politics. He earnestly studied how each senator deliberated, what the important issues were galaxy-wide and for his planet, and feverishly studied protocol and procedure.

Not wanting to disappoint his planet, Eddicus attended every open session of the Senate. He rarely spoke in the Senate Hall, offering his opinions behind closed doors to key individuals as needed. Rather than being brash and outspoken, as he had been during his younger days, Eddicus waited for others to make the first move. Then, with straightforward and educated responses, he rebutted. For nearly ten years, Eddicus quietly and dutifully executed his senatorial duties. All the while, he refrained from joining political factions or meeting with lobbyists. Furthermore, Eddicus spent about half of his time on Tanaab. He emphasized strong moral values, family bond, and planetary pride within his daughter, as he had been instructed. He wanted Alta to experience life on Tanaab as much as possible, even leaving her and Mai behind periodically as he traveled on short trips to Coruscant for key votes or meetings.

Temporary withdrawal
In 711 BBY, tragedy struck when Mai Eddicus fell ill due to a brain lesion. She suffered in the hospital for three days with her husband and daughter present. Eddicus withdrew from the Senate temporarily to tend to his wife. The woman perished only days before her daughter's seventeenth birthday. Grieving, Eddicus extended his withdrawal to three months. During this time, he and his daughter isolated themselves in rural areas of Tanaab and planning how to proceed. When Eddicus decided to return to the Senate, his daughter refused to remain behind. Having finished her education on Tanaab and looking to study at a university, she traveled to Coruscant with her father.

Once back on Coruscant, Eddicus was slow to reacquaint himself with the intense fast-pace nature of politics. He refrained from attending too many meetings and quietly voted as needed. After a few months of being on Coruscant, he returned to Tanaab with his daughter. There, she enrolled at the University of Tanaab. Eddicus used this time to gain closure for the loss of his wife. Feeling at peace, and equally satisfied that his daughter was safe, the Senator returned to Coruscant and immediately joined the fray. Within days he was actively acting behind the scenes, meeting with numerous senators and carefully crafting bills to benefit his planet without sacrificing the security or prosperity of the broader Republic.

Taking on the Commerce Guild
"No senator can resist us without paying a price. It is time to destroy him. Whatever it takes."

- Lobbyist Refnov Benrov of the Commerce Guild to Senator Peradhi

In 707 BBY, Senator Eddicus voted against a measure that would have allowed trade through Inner Rim worlds, like Tanaab, to be regulated by the Commerce Guild under the supervision of the Republic Bureau of Interstellar Commerce rather than by R-BIC itself. Prior to the vote, Eddicus met behind closed doors with seventeen other senators from the Inner Rim and Mid Rim in a series of meetings, persuading them that placing the control of trade with a private company was a poor solution, if not against the Republic charter. Each of the seventeen senators voted against the bill as well, causing it to fail by only five votes. Core World supremacists, such as Peradhi of Corellia, and the Commerce Guild lobbyist Refnov Benrov were outraged. They discovered that Eddicus was behind the push to defeat the bill and decided that he needed to be removed.

Benrov meet with Eddicus six days after the bill's defeat and offered a guarantee that Tanaab would benefit from such a transition. The lobbyist also offered the senator a guarantee that Corellia and other Core World systems would push for Eddicus's sector to receive millions of credits in special aid&mdash;one million of which would go directly to Eddicus. Seeing the illegality of the bribe, Eddicus refused immediately. Benrov departed the meeting with vengeful shouting and promised that the senator would pay for resisting her. Shortly thereafter, Eddicus met with other senators, hoping to begin a push toward preventing the Commerce Guild of acquiring hold on Mid Rim systems, as well.

Conspiring against Eddicus, senators from twenty Core Worlds, seeking to undermine the former military man's growing influence, ridiculed him of not understanding politics, refusing to look out for the broader Republic, and using his military connections to keep seedy happenstances out of the public eye. They leveled charges of corruption against him and took procedural steps to prevent him from ever speaking in the Senate Hall against the Mid Rim regulation bill. Eddicus learned that bribes were being passed around to vote for his censure and took steps to gather all information possible about the conspiracy. For help, he turned to Senators Mithrel Merian of Alderaan and Hanik Regueny of Commenor.

Together, the three senators compiled a report about the extent of the corruption and prepared to present it to Supreme Chancellor Golar Igatri. While traveling to the Chancellor's office, Senator Merian received an urgent message from one of his aides that the Supreme Chancellor had been payed off by the Commerce Guild to force the vote through that day. After quickly contacting a few senators, Eddicus realized that not enough votes were present to defeat the bill. Before returning to the Senate Hall, Eddicus and the other two senators brought their findings to the Supreme Court, where they promptly filed charges of corruption, bribery, and conspiracy. Knowing that the courts would be slow to act, the senators pleaded with the justices to at least place an injunction barring votes sponsored by the senators named from being tabulated. The justices agreed.

With the court injunction, the three senators returned to the Senate Hall and interrupted the final procedures before a vote could be taken. Senators Merian and Regueny took the floor while Senator Eddicus quietly stayed in his pod. The two senators proclaimed the injunction set by the courts and called for the immediate removal of any senator named in the filing. As chaos billowed through the hall, Eddicus quietly departed the building and returned to his apartment to spend the evening with his family. For one month, the Senate was mired in a stalemate. One hundred thirty senators revoked their support of the commerce guild and refused to support the Mid Rim regulation bill. Furthermore, the push for the Commerce Guild to receive a seat in the Senate was destroyed. Even though the case was thrown out of court, Senator Peradhi was severely disgraced. He refused to resign, however, and his position was reaffirmed by the Corellians. Nevertheless, Eddicus's stature as an upright man, solid mediator, and non-biased observer who worked for fairness and balance had grown substantially.

Election
Eddicus continued to serve as senator from Tanaab and was joined by his daughter in 706 BBY. Two years later, parliamentary procedures forced the election of a new Supreme Chancellor. To his surprise, Eddicus was nominated by his friend, Senator Merian. Senators Peradhi of Corellia, Neumasa of Ithor, and F'xss Os'klx of Roche were also nominated. The election was slated to be held on the fifth day of the second month, but Eddicus decided not to campaign for himself. Behind the scenes, however, Senators Merian, Regueny, and others were quietly campaigning on his behalf. During the election, Eddicus voted Senator Os'klx of Roche rather than for himself. When the final vote was tabulated, however, Eddicus was found with a one vote victory. Surprised by the outcome, Eddicus collapsed into this seat in the Senate Hall upon the announcement. A mix of cheers and chides poured through the hall.

Shocked from the outcome, Chancellor-elect Eddicus thanked the Senate and promised that he do his best to serve the Republic as he had been entrusted. After speaking, he returned to his family, where he and his daughter traded sarcastic remarks about the vote. The conversation turned more serious, however, and Eddicus offered Alta a chance to be his successor in the Senate until a formal vote could be held on Tanaab. His daughter agreed, and the two departed for Tanaab to speak with the planetary government. Tanaab was pleased with the election of Eddicus and willingly accepted his daughter as a temporary replacement. Three months later, a formal election was held and Alta Eddicus was reappointed as the senator from Tanaab with a majority vote.

Seswenna Security Crisis
"What you've told me so far is very alarming. I cannot explain why, but I even fear for my own life."

- Chancellor Eddicus to Government Investigative Network Director Pelmar Aiden

In late 703 BBY, only one year after being elected chancellor, Eddicus became aware of a conspiracy involving friend and senatorial colleague Hanik Regueny. Surprised by the allegations, Eddicus met with Government Investigative Network Director Pelmar Aiden, whose department was leading the investigation even though it technically fell under Republic Protectorate jurisdiction. Aiden explained that the conspiracy may not have included Regueny, but that it possibly posed a threat to Republic security. He noted that multiple individuals were involved on numerous worlds, but that the motives and plans had yet to be uncovered. He promised that his best agent, Evening Delwynn was doing everything possible to uncover the truth. Eddicus, however, expressed alarm and believe his own life was potentially in danger.

Personality and traits
As a young man, Eddicus was brash and outspoken. Raised with a strong moral compass, family values, and planetary pride, he believed valued his homeworld of Tanaab and joined the local militia as a result. He was a studious man, fervently studying while in various capacities from military to politics, striving to be the best at his profession. He became a solid military leader and rose through the ranks due to his hard work and brilliant planning of military exploits. As a young man, however, he was outspoken and acted impulsively. Following the advance on Norulac in 729 BBY, Eddicus reconsidered his motivations and behavior. He became more reclusive, soft-spoken, honest, and deliberate in his actions. When elected to the Senate, these skills caused him to be a force behind the scenes, working for the good of his people and against corruption. At the same time, he valued his family. He was traumatized by the death of his wife and worked hard to make sure his daughter had what was needed. When he was elected chancellor, he was revered as an upright man who fought for the people, but he still regarded his daughter highly and offered her a position as his successor in the Senate.

Behind the scenes
Anwis Eddicus appears in canon as having been a chancellor around 700 BBY. Nothing about gender, species, age, or familial status exists in canon. Eddicus was included as the key political figure for the fanon novel Golden Age of the Republic: Hidden Truths, by Aban Fiolli. Eddicus, as well as his daughter, make an appearance in the to-be-released Golden Age of the Republic: Secret Agendas, where he is featured on the cover. Further information about the life of Eddicus was provided in the Official Golden Age of the Republic Fact File 2.

Appearances

 * Golden Age of the Republic: Hidden Truths
 * Golden Age of the Republic: Secret Agendas