The Caamas Document Crisis is Not Over

The New Republic breathed a sigh of relief last year when, at last, the Caamas Document was unearthed and the warships of the Ishori, the Diamala, the Duros, and other rivals in the so called "Caamas Document Crisis" began to withdraw from Bothawui. With the document having revealed the identities of the dozen or so Bothan commandos who, four decades ago, assisted in the destruction of the planet Caamas, it seemed there was no cause for animosity anymore—justice for Caamas would be done and, indeed, last week with those Bothan commandos arrested, convicted of genocide, and sentenced to life imprisonment, justice was done. The verdict, according to The Coruscant Journal, "is expected to bring an end to what has become known as the 'Caamas Document Crisis.'"

But this is not the end, and justice has not been done.

The crisis was never completely about Caamas, despite what the Ishori, the Diamala, and the other participants in the dispute will say. "Justice for Caamas" was the rallying cry of both sides, who did indeed disagree with each other on how to exact justice for the destruction of Caamas while those responsible for its destruction, the Bothan commandos, remained anonymous. But the Ishori and the Diamala have long been rivals for many other reasons, and, with all due respect to them, Caamas was only the latest of many feuds between them. Prejudice against Bothans, also, is common throughout the galaxy and this too motivated much of the animosity and, in particular, the calls not for justice, but for vengeance.

But in this dizzying swirl of rivalries, politics, and prejudices, have we forgotten Caamas so completely that we've forgotten who actually destroyed it? Not once during the crisis was it pointed out that, although the Bothan commandos who were convicted this week did sabotage the shield generator on Caamas and, thus, enabled the planet's destruction by orbital bombardment, they are not the ones who bombarded it.

It was a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers under the direction of Emperor Palpatine that destroyed the planet Caamas. They fired the turbolasers, burned the land and boiled the seas, and murdered untold millions of the peace loving Caamasi people. It was an atrocity on the scale of Alderaan and, as with Alderaan, the Empire was responsible for it. This cannot be stressed enough—the Empire destroyed Caamas, not the Bothan government, Bothan clans, or even the Bothan commandos who sabotaged the planetary shields.

Why, then, does no one demand justice for the Imperials who bombarded Caamas? Many of them, one assumes, are alive and well, retired in Imperial Remnant space on comfortable pensions.

At this time last year, the New Republic was poised to bring an end to the greatest evil the galaxy has ever seen. For twenty years, our soldiers have given their lives and their families have given their sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers for this goal, in the words of the Declaration of a New Republic, "... to secure liberty for all beings." I do not deny that had we continued the war, many more beings would have died. But the defeat of the Remnant was a foregone conclusion—even Admiral Pellaeon admits this. Had it been defeated, there would be many, many more beings today who would be free of Imperial despotism. This is something worth fighting and dying for.

Also, had the Republic finished the fight, there would have been real justice for Caamas. "Let us now be at peace," the Chief of State, Ponc Gavrisom, said in response to the conviction of the Bothan commandos this week, "let us heal, and let us promise to one and all that what has happened in this crisis will never happen again." Yet, the Empire still stands, and as long as it does there are many other worlds, like Caamas, that could be subject to its turbolasers. These are worlds that do not live in peace, nor peace of mind. The document Why Do We Fight The Empire?, written a decade ago, concludes by admonishing the reader: "Do not allow the darkness to rise again." But that is precisely what we're doing if we allow the Remnant to stand, to terrorize its people and its planets like they did at Caamas, Ghorman, Alderaan, and countless others.

Had the Republic finished the fight, there would be no war criminals retired comfortably on Imperial beaches. They would be the ones on trial this week, convicted of genocide and sentenced to life imprisonment. Until this happens, it cannot be said that the Caamas Document Crisis is truly over.