NEWS FLASH

Hello everyone, and welcome to StarView, brought to you by Citadel Galactic News, a subsidiary of Future Content Corporation, and I'm your host, Aiden Polonius: coming to you live from the Citadel Presidium!

The galactic community, still reeling from the recent geth attack on the Citadel only one week ago, has been rocked with the recent announcement from the volus, elcor, and hanar governments that their respective several centuries-old requests to join the Council have been formally withdrawn! The ambassadors from each of the three governments released a joint-statement of their respective governments' intentions to form what many are calling a "counter-Council," to be called The Conclave.

"The members of the Conclave will stand together in the face of these new threats," Ambassador Rhysan of the Illuminated Primacy announced earlier today. "The unprovoked and vicious attack upon this station has only served to highlight that no longer can each race stand separate and apart. It is only together that we can ensure a future for the children of our collective species."

Many political commentators are calling this a negative reaction on the part of the three species to the Council's invitation to the Systems Alliance to formally join the Council as the fourth full-member, despite only joining the wider galaxy only 26 standard years ago. Many view this as indicative of a protest on the behalf of the Conclave members. When questioned about this, Ambassador Calyn from the Courts of Dekunna replied,

"Sincerely and Emphatically: We owe the humans our lives. We honor the brave men and women of the Fifth Fleet who gave their lives to save the Council, and applaud the Council's decision for their inclusion. This decision has nothing against the Systems Alliance, and should not be viewed as such."

This attitude was echoed by both the ambassadors from the Illuminated Primacy and the Vol Protectorate. The latter is perhaps the most surprising of this emerging triumvirate, as the volus have been a client race of the turians for almost a thousand years, requesting their client status during the Krogan Rebellions. Ambassador Din Korlack was very keen to emphasize that "this does not represent hostility of any kind between the Vol Nation and the Turian Hierarchy. The only ending this represents is our current status as a client race, and the evolving of the volus people into a stronger, more independent nation, standing in complete solidarity with our turian comrades."

Council member Sparatus confirmed in a separate press release later that day that the Vol Protectorate had officially submitted a request to Palavan for the cessation of their status as a client race. The turian Primarch Fedorian has called for an emergency session of the 26th Tier, the immediate heads of state and advisors to the Primarch, to formally discuss this drastic move with the representatives of the Vol Nation, as they have now defined their governing body.

While not having an official presence or spokesperson on the Citadel, the Batarian Hegemony also released a statement fully supporting the creation of the Conclave, taking the opportunity to cite the Council's failure to defend the Citadel and Council Spectre Saren Arterius' recent betrayal.

"It is clear that whatever the principles of the founders of the Citadel Council may have been, they have been lost and forgotten to the sands of lethargy, inaction, and entropy. The time has come for new safeguards to be established for each race's safekeeping," the batarian declaration goes on to read. The declaration of solidarity is signed by the heads of several prominent Great Houses of the Batarian Hegemony.

We will bringing you more updates on this star-shattering development as we receive more information.

In other news, the Systems Alliance Parliament has officially submitted their second candidate for the position of the first human Councilor. Candidate and former Ambassador Donnell Udina has vowed to work to bring humanity into the galactic community.

"This is a time of great upheaval in the galaxy," Udina said in reply to the Alliance's announcement. "The road ahead will be neither easy nor tranquil. But it is time that humans took their place in this role of great responsibility and servitude to the rest of the galactic community. I am honored by the Alliance's trust, and will work tireless to ensure that that trust is not misplaced."

The Citadel Council is expected to confirm Udina's nomination in their first official session early next week.

David Anderson, who was the first nominee of the Alliance Parliament, before declining the position in favor of assuming his new duties as an Admiral in the Alliance Navy, agreed to meet with Galactic News correspondent Emily Wong here on the Citadel for an exclusive interview. The following is a sneak peak of that interview:

Emily Wong: "Why would you turn down such an opportunity to serve as the first human councilor, Admiral?"

Admiral Anderson: "I was honored beyond words, but the honest truth, Miss Wong, is that I'm no politician. I am a soldier, and I sincerely felt, and still feel, that my place was with the Alliance Navy."

Wong: "What do you think of the Alliance Parliament's nomination of Donnell Udina to the position?"

Anderson: "Donnell is a personal friend. We survived the Battle of the Citadel together, and I saw him take up arms to defend, not only his fellow humans, but every member of the Embassy staff, no matter their race or species. I have the utmost confidence that he will serve, not only humanity, but in the best interests of every Council species that he will represent."

The full interview, entitled Anderson: Man of Action, will air at 7PM Standard Citadel Time, and will be broadcasted to all of our galactic affiliates. Candidate Udina and Admiral Anderson will both be attending the dedication of the Alenko War Memorial on Earth, a memorial dedicated not only to its namesake Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, who was killed in action on Virmire, and who was singlehandedly responsible for the destruction of a major geth military installation, but to each and every human soldier killed in the Battle of the Citadel.

Lieutenant Alenko has also been posthumously awarded the Star of Terra, the highest military award the Alliance can bestow. In addition, he has also been awarded the salarian Silver Dagger, and the turian Nova Cluster, in those government's recognition of his bravery and heroism. Representatives of both those governments are expected to attend the dedication as well. Also in attendance will be the woman who is being widely acclaimed as the Savior of the Citadel: Alliance Commander Rebecca Shepard, the first human Spectre. Commander Shepard was Lieutenant Alenko's commanding officer during the Virmire Mission.

Coming up next: we take you live to the dedication ceremony of the Alenko War Memorial, in Vancouver, Earth. This is: Aiden Polonius, and this has been StarView.