| Coruscant_Journal | Date: Saturday, 05 Jan 2013, 5:57 PM | Message # 1 |
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| Q. Alyn Stark, majority shareholder in Lorrd Engineering, CEO of Vigilance Technologies and owner of the Stark Defense Conglomerate, comprising some half a dozen subsidiaries in the defense and medical industries. Are you proud of having accomplished so much in so short a time?
A. I don’t know if proud is the proper word to describe it, actually; pleased perhaps has better-sounding connotations. [Stark chuckled a little.] I feel that I’ve done the best I can with what the galaxy has made available to me, so I simply picked up the ball and ran with it. It’s not an impossible dream, after all. I believe all citizens have the right of self-defense; the Empire can't simply post a stormtrooper as a personal guard for every man, woman and child in the galaxy and as much as people may wish for it though. That's why I do what I do: couple the best of all worlds and see it sold at a fair price to everyone from the common citizen to the middleweight trade companies to the highest governors who mandate their planet's defense.
Q. The Stark Defense Conglomerate has recently acquired the Synthtech Medtech Corporation. What are your ambitions in the medical industry?
A. There are a number of sources that detract from my work by hurling unfair titles. ‘Merchant of death,’ ‘war lord,’ all manner of unpleasant things because I own a company that sells arms. What these detractors fail to remember though is that I pushed for GalacticAid to be proposed before Stark Defense Conglomerate ever came into being. It is my hope that by branching into the medical industry, a number of aims can be accomplished. First and foremost, I feel it will allow for me to slowly begin shifting focus from weapons to items that save people and improve the quality of life, which is my first and foremost concern even with the defense industry. Secondly, I feel it will allow for a greater scope of GalacticAid’s mission; perhaps expanding to draw scientists and researchers and aspiring young doctors into the mercy mission that is GalacticAid.
Q. You were acting Senator of Lorrd while Senator Lekpin was indisposed. As you reflect on your tenure, do you consider it a success?
A. Looking back on that time, I’d have to say it was a success, actually. Out of five major pieces of legislature proposed, four passed, most with unanimous votes in their favor. I can’t say that I won too many friends in the Senate, unfortunately, but such is life. I can’t see myself getting back into major politics again though. I was surprised by Representative Lekpin's choice of myself in the matter; the inter-politics of Lorrd should have mandated he choose a different candidate. While the Representative and I have had our personal differences in the past, I'd welcome him into my humble home any day of the week now.
Q. Some have said Alyn Stark is a man of many hats, perhaps too many. Do you have a hard time managing your time and responsibilities to the Stark Defense Conglomerate, the Kinyov Province on Lorrd, and your new family?
A. Stepping down from the Senate was perhaps the largest item that assisted me in the manner of wearing too many hats. I confess balancing that many was beginning to wear me a bit thin; largely the reason that I chose not to accept the position of Defense Minister on Lorrd. In the near future when my son is born I plan to institute an expansion to the Board of Directors within the Stark Defense Conglomerate made up of choice people whom I feel I can trust, as well as select COMPNOR members. This will leave me a much greater amount of time for my family and I to spend together, as well as offer me more time among the people of the Kinyov Province. In a way, my family and the people of my province are one and the same; both are of equal importance to me.
Q. You adopted the name of your father, the notorious pirate Iaco Stark, namesake of the Stark Hyperspace War. Having served in the Republic Navy that Iaco Stark once fought against, what are your views on your father and his reputation today?
A. If I may be completely blunt, the only thing I inherited from my 'father' if you can call Iaco Stark that, is a genetic link. Beyond that, I cannot say much of the man, other than that I heard he owns some droid company within the Corporate Sector. Iaco Stark was a man who lacked integrity and honor in every sense of the word; I never had any qualms about a lack of contact between us. For me, it was as if I had no father, or perhaps at best, tutors took the place of what would have stood in my life as a father. With regards to his actions and my feelings in having served with the Republic, I cannot say. The Stark Hyperspace War took place while I was very young and by the time I joined, the Clone Wars were at hand. Reflecting back on it, if I could have stood in place and been ordered to combat Iaco Stark, I can't see that I would have had an issue with it; the Republic, at the time, stood for what was the law and in the military, I served the people and the law above all personal connections, small or large.
Q. Vianism is a widely-practiced religion on Lorrd, and surely there are many Vianists among your family and friends. What are your views on the crackdown on Vianism on Lorrd and elsewhere in the Kanz Sector?
A. Vianism was widely-practiced on Lorrd until recent weeks. Granted, I keep a small council to myself, and I can say with some authority that none of the people I know on a close personal level are Vianists; certainly none of the Ruling House members, but I was also acquaintences with a number of Vianists before the recent crackdown. The edict itself came down from Moff Shirnoq, who in turn, I presume, received it from someone higher in the Imperial chain of command. Speaking personally, I've never been a great believer in religion, especially not a religion that idolizes some mystical 'Force.' I can understand the need to remove religious differences within the Empire though; true unification cannot be achieved if all manner of people hold conflicting beliefs that might cause groups or species to become involved in interplanetary war. As such, if Vianism is an issue to the Empire, it is an issue to me and must be corrected. Granted, I don't see needing such excessive paths as the Sipsk'ud conducted; massacring great amounts of their own in a purge. I believe Lorrd handled it in a civilized manner. Deportation and exile seem greatly preferable to mass executions and the mess they bring.
Q. You're a Republic veteran who's known as a strong supporter of the Empire. In your view, what are some advantages of the Imperial form of government over the Republican form of government, and vice versa?
A. The Republic fought too much among their own inner workings. Part of what led the Confederacy of Independent Systems to be formed and kick off the Clone Wars was a lack of decisiveness among their ruling members. Simply put, the Senate has its uses as a legislative branch in both the Republic and the Empire, but the position of Emperor allows for more decisive ruling over so many star systems than that of Supreme Chancellor, which was often tied into corruption and red tape. Look at the past; Contispex I was Surpeme Chancellor and a Pius Dea cultist who wasted lives and credits in senseless crusades of the time. Valorum, our own last chancellor before Emperor Palpatine, was a man of no backbone who was unwilling to move against the Trade Federation during the Blockade of Naboo. The Imperial form of government allows for less issues to interfere. As a former military officer, I quite agree with the system of Moffs that the Emperor set forth; sector governors are more effective in dealing with matters under their control, and it takes up less time than, shall we say, a world or two trying to bring an issue before the Senate and attempt to wait while their home is under attack. Instead, the Moff can simply act as needed and have the problem dealt with much faster and cleaner without needing to bring forth issues that would take forever to get solved under the old regime. A better example even of Republic ineffectiveness: Jabiim. Under the Republic's rule, Jabiim was struck by the terrible brainrot plague, was conquered and raided by Trandoshan bandits and the Lythian pirates and despite being taxpayers to the Republic, received no aid for any tragedy. That drove them to side with the Separatists; a likely good and loyal world lost and corrupted because of the Republic's lack of action. No, no. The Imperial system is far more efficient than that of the Republic.
Q. What are some misconceptions that people have about you?
A. [Stark laughed again and shook his head.] Where would you like me to start? Warlord? Merchant of death? Unrepentant criminal? Scoundrel, perhaps? Sullier of nobility? Or perhaps even vigilante? There are a lot of misconceptions. People see a man who sells weapons and automatically assumes he doesn't care who are killed by those weapons. They see me as someone who arms criminals to commit massacres. They never seem to see the lives that are saved when a hard-working man defends his family from an intruder with one of my weapons, or a security officer stops a crime using one of my stun batons, or a store clerk is able to keep from being robbed and defends himself utilizing something I produced. The majority of the time, I feel my detractors simply focus on the negative rather than the positive. I've been called a criminal and a vigilante for a number of reasons. [Stark reached back to pull something from his pocket and reveal it briefly.] Do I carry an Imperial Peacekeeping Certificate? Certainly. Criminals are found throughout the galaxy. Just because of my position does not mean I cannot go forth and spend my personal time and wealth to apprehend them. Look at Anthony Park, Baron of the Nevar Belt, who captured the Mandalorian renegade Vil Haran. Nobility. A wealthy man. Respected. Nonetheless, he risked his life to bring a criminal to justice. I would not feel right if I could not contribute in my own small way. This of course, leads me into my actions during the Droid Uprising. Now, granted of course, certain things I would do differently, or execute differently, but a fellow Lorrdian, Roman Lekpin, called to me for aid, and while I have every faith in the Imperial Commandos, who did their job expertly, if things had gone differently and the Representative had perished, I would not have been able to live with myself, knowing I could have done something. Am I repentant for breaking the law and entering a combat zone in which lives were endangered? Yes. Am I also thankful I took that step so I can sleep better at night, knowing I did what I could do to help a good and just man? Yes. I would do the same if it were Emperor Palpatine or Grand Vizier Pestage or Lord Gemmell in the same position. As for the final item, having sullied nobility... [Stark chuckled again] Well, the high and mighty Reuke Cambrist is welcome to his own opinion. The person I choose to marry is who I choose to marry, and whether my wife was of noble birth or not is no matter to Cambrist or any of those who boycotted my wedding. Frankly, I could care less of the opinions of such people about myself.
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