Veteran Senator Passes Away, Age 98

Volus, Expansion Region — The Senate today observed a moment of silence in honor of veteran Senator Milo Prosper, of Volus, who passed away this morning at the age of 98. Prosper, who served in the Imperial Senate—and the Republic Senate that preceded it—for four decades, was found dead this morning at his residence on Coruscant, having suffered an aneurysm in his sleep. "We have lost a great Senator and a great man," Senator Veritas (Deralia), a long time friend of Prosper, observed on the Senate floor this morning.

"Today we mourn the death of Senator Prosper," announced Sate Pestage, the Grand Vizier of the Empire, at the beginning of this morning's Senate session, "[He was] a memorable figure... If one were to name the greatest of his many virtues, it would surely be his dedication to Volus and to the Empire. We would do well to remember his example." Many Senators joined Pestage in paying tribute to Prosper, and a pending measure to raise transit fees on cruise vessels traveling on the Perlemian Trade Route through the Bormea Sector was renamed the "The Milo Prosper Act for Commercial Revenue Adjustment," or "Prosper Act," in his honor. "It is the least we can do to honor this man's decades of public service," said Senator Cambrist (Brentaal), who sponsored the measure, which passed unanimously. "I mean that from the bottom of my heart," he said.

Crin Star, a Brigadier General on Volus and a decorated veteran of the planet's defense forces, has been selected to replace Prosper. "He was a valuable public servant whose death is a great loss to the citizens of the Volus and to the Empire," Star, who is expected to be sworn in this week, said of her predecessor. The General, in a statement to reporters on Volus this morning, said that she did not expect an immediate change from Prosper's policies under her term.

Milo Prosper began his career in politics as a legislator on Volus, and later the Governor of Panem, the planet's capital. Well regarded on his homeworld, he would become Senator of Volus in 10 BGrS, at the age of 57. His term included such influential events as the Stark Hyperspace War, the Clone Wars—during which his world was beseiged by the Confederacy of Independent Systems—and the reorganization of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, which he supported. He is remembered as a respected figure, feal to the Republic and the Empire, and a tireless advocate in the Senate for the people of Volus. He is survived by a wife, 3 children, and 4 grand children.