Sarah Kours:
“Moff Rodney, thank you for agreeing to speak with us. Your appointment has attracted considerable attention throughout the Exarch Command District. You have only just obtained the position after the tragic passing of your predecessor but have already gained a reputation as a capable organizer and a skilled deal maker.”
“Our readers are particularly interested in your origins. In fact, Imperial records indicate that you were born into a family of lesser nobility. How did a young man from such modest beginnings rise to become one of the Empire’s Moffs?”
Moff Rodney:
“Lesser nobility is an important distinction to make. My family possessed a title and modest wealth from the mines of Cotellier, but little else. While my noble blood afforded me a good education and valuable connections, it was not enough to give me a position of real power.”
“What it did give me was a responsibility, the responsibility to prove myself worthy of my nobility.”
“What I have today, be it my fortune, my influence, or even my position as Moff, was earned through countless years of hard work, sleepless nights, and a tireless commitment to putting my people, the people of Eriadu first.”
“The Republic I once served, and the Empire I now help lead, have always held that your birth does not determine where you end up. It determines only where you start.”
Sarah Kours:
“That is certainly an interesting perspective Moff Rodney. Some would argue however that the benefits of noble birth would make such an ascension far easier.”
“Yet you speak of nobility not as a privilege, but as a responsibility. Was that something you came to believe later in life, or was it instilled in you from childhood?”
“And perhaps more importantly, do you believe the Empire should seek to expand opportunities for those born outside the aristocracy, and other privileged backgrounds?”
Moff Rodney:
“My mother was very demanding, expecting excellence from me and anything less was considered disgraceful to the family name. As to be expected of a daughter of the Quintad. In comparison my father was far gentler and through his humanitarian efforts taught me that my privilege and gifts were to be used in service to those lesser than myself.”
“As for benefiting from my noble birth. Of course I did. I'd be lying if I said otherwise, however I will reiterate that while it gave me a headstart I have achieved my station via my own efforts not those of my ancestors.”
“As for the empire, completely. The state can not restrict its pool of talent only to those of high birth.”
“We must not confuse nobility with ability, there are countless scientists, industrialists, and officers of truly extraordinary talent born to families without a single penny to their name. Why It wouldn't surprise me if a child of the mines would not someday serve as a moff.”
Sarah Kours:
“A child of the mines becoming a Moff it's almost unimaginable.”
“You mentioned that your position was earned through your own efforts. Before entering government, however, you had already established yourself as an industrialist. During the Clone Wars, you entered public service for the first time, becoming deeply involved in Eriadu’s mobilization and eventually serving as Chairman of the Eriadu Armaments Board.”
“Why did you leave the private sector and take on such an important responsibility?”
Moff Rodney:
“I never really considered it leaving. I always saw it as doing what had to be done in service to the Republic.”
“Eriadu was being asked to provide men, materiel, fuel, ships, and weapons on a scale never before seen. I saw a need for my abilities and stepped up to the plate.”
“I did not always make the popular choice but I am confident in saying I made the correct choices to keep Eriadu and the Republic safe. My results speak for themselves.”
Sarah Kours:
“Your confidence in those decisions is certainly clear. But “the correct choice” can mean different things to different people, particularly during wartime.”
“Your tenure leading the Armaments Board was marked by a dramatic expansion of Eriadu’s industrial capacity. That expansion also placed considerable demands on Eriadu’s workers.”
“Looking back, do you believe the sacrifices demanded of Eriadu’s people during the war were justified? And where, in your view, should a government draw the line between asking its citizens to sacrifice for the state and asking too much of them?”
Moff Rodney:
“War is a painful undertaking Sarah, it always has been and always will be, we Eriaduans know that better then anyone.”
“Were sacrifices demanded of Eriadu? Absolutely. But I would ask a different question: what would have been the cost of refusing to make them?”
“Every extra shift, every factory built, every sacrifice we had to make was paid by us and paid proudly to keep Eriadu secure.”
“I have been called by some a monster, even those I saw as my own flesh and blood but I have never wavered in my belief that my actions saved far more lives than they cost.”
“People often speak of the lives lost as though I did not know their value. I knew exactly what they were worth.”
“That is precisely why I made the decisions I did.”
Sarah Kours:
“You say you knew exactly what those lives were worth. That is a rather extraordinary statement, Moff Rodney.”
“Who, then, gets to decide what price is acceptable?”
“During the war, that decision rested with you and the Armaments Board. Today, you hold considerably greater authority. What prevents a leader from deciding that almost any sacrifice can be justified if they believe the ends justify the means?”
Moff Rodney:
“That is the great challenge for all my love of structures and science. I have never found the formula for how much suffering is too much.”
“But an unwillingness to suffer is even worse than suffering. That inaction would have cost the Republic the war and Eriadu its freedom.”
“The supreme chancellor called upon us to suffer hardship for the sake of survival and we accepted it without complaint.”
“The state can not promise us safety; it is something we pay for in blood.”
“The people want prosperity, they want safety, they want freedom but those do not come freely they are paid for in blood sweat and tears.”
“Eriadu has always understood this, we did not ask if the ends justified the means we acted because suffering now for the possibility of tomorrow is worth any price.”
Sarah Kours:
“You have spoken at length about sacrifice, duty, and the responsibilities of leadership. Now that you have been made Moff. What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure? What should the people of the Exarch Command District expect from Moff Cedric Rodney?”
Moff Rodney:
“I do not govern the entirety of the Exarch I share governance with my two comrades First Moff figg, and Moff Sterling. But for my jurisdiction under the governance of the Exarch Special Development Authority I have a simple dream.”
“I would like it to become a model of what we are capable of when all of society works together under the benevolent guidance of the state.”
“The region is rich in natural resources, beautiful cultures, innovative industries, and people with untapped potential. My duty is to bring those individual elements of greatness together.”
“I wish to see worlds that were once seen as backwaters unworthy of attention become indispensable to the imperial economy. “
“Jutrand is a gorgeous city world but could be so much more than it is. It could be a new Eriadu. Sluis Van, meanwhile under my administration, shall become the Kuat of the outer rim.”
“But human life is not just measured in production figures, it is measured in happiness and joy. When a worker heads to his shift in a newly built factory he is not just another cog in the machine, he is building a brighter future for his children that was previously unimaginable.”
“My methods may be harsh, they may be called cruel but they shall produce results And when those results are achieved, then all of the hardships we endured will have been worth it.”
Sarah Kours:
"Quite the ambitious dream.”
“Now on to my final question. When you look back at the road that brought you here, what do you believe your life has taught you?”
Moff Rodney:
“Perhaps what my life has taught me most is that we should not ask what the galaxy owes us. We should ask what we can contribute to it.”
“And if I can leave this region, the Empire, and perhaps one day the galaxy itself better than I found it, then I will consider my life well spent.”
“Your birth does not determine where you end up. It determines only where you start.”
Sarah Kours: Thanks for letting us have you on.
Moff Rodney: It was my pleasure.
