Imperial Senator Assassinated on Ryloth by Leader of the Local Resistance
Senator Orn Free Taa, famous Senator of Ryloth, was assassinated by Cham Syndulla, a hero of the Ryloth Resistance that fought the Separatists alongside the Galactic Republic during the war. Despite their noble service, Syndulla and his supporters have established a resistance movement against the Empire and took the life of one of our Imperial Senators.
After several of Cham's supporters were caught smuggling firearms by Imperial Forces and arrested, the disgraced war hero began an organised effort to undermine the rule of law by attacking the Juggernaut transporting the prisoners and, in the process, briefly took three high ranking members of the Empire, including Orn Free Taa, hostage before executing the aforementioned Senator. Fortunately, Imperial reinforcements arrived before any more lives could be taken and the insurgent leader was captured, alongside several of his compatriots.
Ultimately, however, this would all be in vein as the Imperial Refinery and captured treasonous forces would be attacked by a mercenary group hired by some of Syndulla's forces to rescue their leader. They would ultimately succeed, but new forces stationed on Ryloth have promised a swift re-grasping of control on the planet Ryloth. Perhaps the most troubling of all of this is the treachery of one Captain Howzer, leader of the Clone forces involved in this event, who espoused a treasonous manifesto to his comrades in arms, convincing several of them to drop their weapons, in order to ensure the rebellious fighters had time to escape.
Alongside others, this particular event has spurred on a vast flood of sentiment for the idea of ceasing the production of the Clone Army in favour of more loyal, efficient and cost-effective forces in the form of recruitment. Many in Imperial hierarchy and the senate believe that the Clones are less effective and are costing the newly-established government too greatly for their less than stellar performance as an occupation and peacekeeping force and that recruitment would provide more loyal and useful soldiers for this new role the Imperial military is destined to take in the galaxy.
"Laying the foundation of our new empire is of the utmost importance."
Naval Representative Tesfifies
Vice Admiral Rampart, notable for his belief in the superiority of recruited and conscripted soldiers over the established Clone Army, was one of the Imperials taken hostage by the traitorous Ryloth resistance.
As leader of Project War-Mantle and an advocate for conscription, this incident seems to have strengthened the Vice Admiral's resolve. He claims that the failure of the Clone forces on Ryloth, as well as the sudden treachery of Captain Howzer and his men, illuminate the clear flaws in the Clones as a military force and that they are unsuitable to remain the backbone of Imperial might across the galaxy.