The Beginning and End of the Trade Federation (2)
When the Trade Federation's power grew to an almost unparalleled level, its methods began to become increasingly extreme.
The Trade Federation began using extreme methods against its competitors, just as its former enemies had done. Assassination, framing, kidnapping, extortion—every sort of tactic emerged one after another.
They also began extending their reach into politics, bribing large numbers of senators to vote on issues favorable to them. They began conducting business through secret deals and illegal channels as well, laundering much of the wealth built upon crime through official means.
What was more, the Trade Federation began concealing much of the navigation data in its possession. As a result, much of the navigation data held by the Galactic Republic was incomplete and outdated. Consequently, the Galactic Republic was often unable to deploy the Judicial Fleet to the Outer Rim Territories quickly and effectively unless it had the Trade Federation's approval.
During the later Clone Wars, the navigation data concealed by the Trade Federation also played a crucial role in why the Galactic Republic's counteroffensive against the Confederacy of Independent Systems progressed with such difficulty.
Moreover, in places like the Outer Rim Territories, the Trade Federation truly was like the sky itself. Without its support, many planets could not even survive.
Through every sort of trickery and plunder, the Trade Federation turned these planets into its economic dependents. For example, it dumped vast quantities of food to stimulate population growth, and dumped large amounts of advanced goods to corrupt the people's way of life. These planets appeared to enjoy better lives and more developed economies, but in reality, all of it was built on debt.
Then, in order to repay those debts, the Trade Federation arranged for those planets to sell their populations,