Private HNN Presents: 60 Holo Minutes Episode 1 [Complete]

[Holly Starstorm]

LIVE:

"Hello I am Holly Starstorm reporting for HNN. Tonight we are launching a special series called 60 Holo Minutes. On this program we delve deep into some of the galaxies most pressing issues. Each sixty minute piece will feature new stories, new people, and new questions that our viewers are dying to have answered. In our first episode we will be interviewing the leader of the Free Alliance Coalition and discuss the assassination attempt on her life. Keep those holo screens tuned in for the exciting first episode!"


NOT LIVE:

The cameraman gave Holly the signal and she stepped away from the camera and picked up her water bottle. She took a few sips, trying to work around the audio tech who had come over to fix her mic.

"Where is Senator Kobitana? Is she being prepped?"

"Yes Miss Starstorm. She's in the backroom now getting her mic and wardrobe approved. She will join you shortly."

"Excellent."

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm

The HNN team hurried to apply the last bits of makeup to Tiresh's face as she readied herself for a very public expose of recent events as well as a major revealing of the Free Alliance Coalition. Auteme had shocked the entire coalition earlier by choosing to go public with the FAC in an unprompted and unplanned press release through Chrono magazine. While the FAC hadn't planned on revealing their hand fully until the Senate voted on Sssar Taszzn 's legislation, it seemed that the cat was now out of the bag, and they needed to blast the airwaves with their message and take advantage of the momentum before it dissipated.

Tiresh had been disappointed with Auteme 's power play. It seemed to be inspired purely out of self-interest in her own political goals and aspirations, while causing no seeable benefit to the Coalitions cause as a whole… and worse, it could create confusion that could hinder the FAC in the long run, making them appear disjointed and unorganized. But she could not afford to be resentful. Now was the time to fight for unity and a clear message, not to bicker amongst themselves. The Coalition had voted and appointed her to represent the FAC, and until that changed, she would do her absolute best to do just that.

Tiresh cleared her throat, her hand shaking mildly as she quickly held it tightly in an attempt to calm her nerves. Ever since the assassination attempt on her life, the shaking had started. But she could not afford to show weakness. Now was the time to show strength and resolve.

A staff member fiddled with the mic position one last time, "Try that, Senator."

She cleared her throat, "Check check. This is Senator Kobitana. Check."

They got the thumbs up. Everything was ready. "Please follow me, Senator." Tiresh nodded and followed the staff member out of the ready room and into the bright lights and cameras of the live studio, where she quickly smiled and offered Holly Starstorm a hand of greeting, "Ms. Starstorm! Such a pleasure! I am a fan of your work."

 

[Holly Starstorm]

NOT LIVE:

“It is nice to meet you Senator. Please have a seat.”

The sound stage had two chairs and a coffee table to simulate a nice interviewing room. Holly sat in a chair that faced the senator snd the cameras at an angle.

“So basically we will go live and I will introduce you and then you will have a chance to talk freely. Its good to give long explanations rather than yes or no answers. You should start by describing your new political organization and its goals. After a bit I will press you for details about the assassination attempt. Its also important to realize HNN is a non partisan group. Im not here to make you look bad or good. Im simply here to get the details and information of recent events for the citizens of the galaxy. if there is anything you don’t want to discuss give a short answer and we can move on. Remember the more open you are the better the message will be received. I am sure the legal team already went over that you have the right to end the interview at any time and discussed that this will be a live broadcast?”

An assistant came out and placed two sealed bottles of water on the table in case they were needed.

“Do you have ant questions or concerns before we start?”

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm

Tiresh carefully took a seat in the chair, pulling on the edges of her dress so that it flowed correctly. She glanced up at her assistant for confirmation, who gave her a thumbs up and a smile. She nodded and turned back to Holly, listening as she gave her the rundown on what to expect. Tiresh nodded with understanding, doing her best to focus on Holly's words and not on the hundreds of lines she had rehearsed in her head the days before.

"I understand." She said, picking up the bottle of water that was placed on the table and carefully opening it so as to not spill on her dress. She took a small sip to wet her mouth, then placed it back down and smiled back at Holly Starstorm ,

"That is exactly what I want, Holly. You and HNN have the reputation for being honest and unbiased. I would expect nothing less."

She cleared her throat again, blinking her eyes as she readied herself to go live in front of trillions of viewers.

 

[Holly Starstorm]

NOT LIVE:

“Excellent. We will begin as soon as the floor director signals us.”

Holly was glad that there were people that admired her work. It made her feel as if she was making a difference in this war torn galaxy.

The floor director waved and held up three fingers to signal Holly.

3…. 2…. 1…

---

LIVE:

“Welcome to the premier episode of 60 Holo Minutes, a series that will investigate different topics of interest to our galaxy. Tonight we are joined by Senator Kobatan of The Free Alliance Coalition. “

Holly looked away from the camera and now faced her guest.

“Senator thank you for joining us today. I must say the reveal of the coalition was shocking. Many citizens do not really understand this group yet. Could you shed some light on this for us?”

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm


Tiresh offered a look of composure as they went live, giving a nod and small smile as her name was spoken. She then focused intently on Holly as she asked the first question. Ah yes… thanks again Auteme for that little surprise…

“Yes, of coarse. I believe that most of us can relate to the sense of insecurity that is being felt across the Alliance… from the Brotherhood of the Maw blatantly attacking core worlds, even so far at to devastate the one place that should be the most secure of all… Coruscant… to the New Imperial Order massing on our eastern border and testing our resolve, pulling us into what could be described as a Cold War. In such unstable times, it is necessary to look at the message that the Alliance is communicating to our allies and our enemies alike. What is the perception of our Alliance throughout the Galaxy? Well, there is a growing number of Senators who are deeply concerned with the message that is being communicated. It is a message of corporate and political greed, where those in power use these tragic times of war as a means to make unbelievable profit for themselves and for the mega-corporations that fund their reelection campaigns. It is a message of personal gain and political agendas over the common good of our planetary systems. At every turn, those in power have chosen to profit from our crisis.”

Tiresh leaned over and picked up the water bottle, taking a quick sip before putting it back down and continuing,

“The Free Alliance Coalition believes that war does not benefit our prosperity as a whole… only the prosperity of a few. We are making a stand against the deep-seated corruption that has infected the political systems of the Alliance, believing that it has in turn corrupted their judgment and their ability to lead us effectively through this perilous hour. Our platform is a bipartisan effort from Concordists, Federalists, Populists, Imperialists, Corporatists, and Independents in an effort to strengthen our borders and our perceived image across the Galaxy, root out corruption at the highest levels of government, ensure true accountability and transparency from mega-corporations, and bring significant Rule of Law reformation. We cannot afford to continue in the direction we are headed, Holly… We must be the change we seek in order to safeguard our future.”

 

[Holly Starstorm]

LIVE:

So far things were going well. The sound was great and the Senator gave detailed responses to help fill the airtime with her rather than Holly, which of course was the entire point of the show.

“Those sound like very admirable goals Senator. Certainly the war as effected us all. How do you plan to achieve these things? Are there certain short term goals the citizens should be watching for?”

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm


Tiresh nodded and smiled politely, “We have developed a strategy that includes some significant pieces of legislation that we will be presenting to the Senate in the coming months. The first victory we achieved within the Senate was Auteme ’s legislation that responded to the violent crackdown of corporate authorities against peaceful protesters on Denon. This was a significant shift, as it showed that we do have the voting power to make real change and to confront the powers that be. I highly encourage for citizens to track with us online at FAC.holo, where we will be posting upcoming Senate sessions that will be game changers that they can livestream and watch as it all unfolds with their own eyes. The next piece of legislation will involve anti-corruption legislation that empowers the Federal Marshalls to keep mega-corporations responsible and transparent. That will be a big win for the entire Alliance.”

 

[Holly Starstorm]

“Thank you for that helpful information Senator. Viewers HNN will have a link appearing at the bottom if your screens if you want to visit the FAC holo page.”

Holly glanced toward the tech who gave her a thumbs up, indicating the link was flashing now.

“Now lets change gears a little and discuss the recent assassination attempt on the Senate. I understand this hit very close to home for you?”

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm


At just the mention of the assassination attempt, Tiresh’s hand started to shake subtly. She quickly reached over and held it tightly with her other hand to hide the trauma. She winced slightly with a forced smile, nodding her confirmation to Holly.

“Yes.” She paused for a moment, taking in a short breath and processing her next statement, “We had just recently passed our first piece of legislation, it was a big win for us. Once the Corporatists realized we had voting power, it kicked off a race within the senate to rally senators to our side of the isle. I traveled to Fondor to meet with their newly elected Senator, Alban Roble … to congratulate him on his election as well as test the waters to see if he might be interested in aligning with a more moderate platform. Myself and Senator Donavon Arturo , who is also a member of the Coalition… we were awaiting our opportunity to address the senator when I hear a noise behind me…”

She cleared her throat and quickly picked up the bottle of water, taking another sip to help wet her palate before continuing, “I witnessed smoke beginning to fill the meeting hall. Before I could respond, stun grenades started going off all around us. People fell to the ground unconscious… there was screaming and running… there was a lot of fear. I was affected by the grenades, and so I could not run… so instead, I held onto the table and got as low as I could. I could not see Donavon after that, my vision was too blurry. I’m not sure where he ended up. But then I remember seeing a terrifying figure running towards me. It was a bounty hunter, and he was coming for me. It was absolutely terrifying.”

Her eyes drifted upwards, as if in deep thought. Her face was a mix of emotions, “I remember that I screamed, and I pulled myself under the table, trying to get away from him. And then, the next thing I know… there is a senate guard reaching his hand down to me and pulling me out from under the table. That normally would be a relief… and it was… but it turned out that he was in disguise. He was a Mandalorian bounty hunter, not a guard. The first one had been a distraction… so as to make me feel safe. I owe my life to Ruus the Captain of the Senate guard. He knew something was off and confronted the guard, and thats when he transformed in front of my very eyes into a Mandalorian. It was… shocking. He fired a flamethrower at Ruus, and I tried to use the opportunity to back away from him… but I tripped on a body that was lying on the floor. I remember falling backwards and hitting my head very hard on the floor… and then everything went dark.” She shifted slightly in the chair from the uncomfortable recollection of the event, and then stretched her neck upward elegantly and let out a sigh. “I am perceived as being the leader of the Coalition, and so that is why I believe that I was targeted, Holly.”

 

[Holly Starstorm]

Holly listened to the terrifying events unfold from the Senators perspective. She had been in several war situations and it never got any easier to talk about or hear about. The Senator was staying remarkably composed however and that was good. It would show strength.

"Thank you for sharing that traumatic event with us Senator. Do you have any idea why the Mandalorian people would want to attach your new group? Do you believe this was a lone act, or is this somehow related to specific Mando groups in the galaxy?"

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm


She focused intently on Holly as she spoke, then nodded as she took another sip of water, “That's a great question, Holly. I don’t believe that this was on behalf of a Mandalorian group or Enclave. I learned afterward that he is a notorious bounty hunter named Koda Fett . He was hired by someone to assassinate me, and so the question is… who hired him? The FAC has launched an official investigation in partnership with the SIA ( IVI ) in order to uncover the identity of the person or group that hired him. But I will say this…”

She leaned in closer with a very somber yet resolute expression, “There are very, very powerful people within the Senate that are desperate to hold onto their power at any cost. The fact that this assassination attempt occurred immediately following our first successful vote against the Corporatists bloc is very telling. They know we have the votes now, and they are afraid of us. We can expose they’re corruption, and they will do anything within their power to keep that from happening.”

She leaned back again into her chair as she nodded slowly, musing back upon Holly’s question, “If you are asking me what I personally believe?” She took another sip of water, then let out a sigh as she focused back on Holly, “I believe I was targeted by a Corporatist Senator directly, or by a mega-corporation that is lining their pockets and is afraid of being exposed for corruption if we gain a majority within the Senate. To be clear, there are some exceptional Corporatist Senators and corporations that I carry tremendous respect for who would never be involved with such a hideous plot… this is not a broad sweeping accusation of the entire bloc. And again, the investigation is ongoing… this is just my personal belief, Holly. I hope the truth is brought into the light soon.”

 

[Holly Starstorm]

“That is a frightening thought Senator. To see corruption so close to home is horrible and I am sure the citizens of this galaxy hope you find the culprits.”

Holly’s eyes traveled toward the executive watch room. She could already feel her editor demanding she follow up on this. Corruption in the senate! What a headline. One thing at a time however.

“Senator I want to thank you for agreeing to be a part of our program. Before we part ways and hear from our sponsors is there anything else you want to tell the citizens of the galaxy? The air is all yours.”

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm

She nodded with gratitude at Holly’s desire for the culprits to be held responsible. As Holly invited her to share any closing thoughts, she paused for a moment, bringing her finger up and tapping her lips in deep concentration. What could she say that might leave the greatest impact? How could she help to prepare the citizens of the Alliance for what was to come?

She finally turned to the camera with a confident and demanding presence, “I know that this could be cause for us to fear. The corruption within our government… the assassination attempts on elected officials… But we must NOT give into fear. If we do, then they have won. They want us to be afraid. They want us to back down… to hide… to submit. But we must rise and take a stand against the darkness! I believe in the citizens of this wonderful Alliance with all my heart… I have seen us whether many terrible storms together, and we have always come out stronger on the other side! We must believe in each other, now more than ever! You have my commitment… right here… right now… that I will never back down! That I will never stop fighting for the rights and the freedoms of every single citizen, every single sovereign system, and every single culture! They might have money and power… but we have a movement! And that is something that money can’t buy! So please, stand with me! Stand with the Free Alliance Coalition! We are stronger together, and together we will end the corruption, Bring accountability to all, and secure a better and brighter future for the coming generations!”

 

[Holly Starstorm]

The senators closing remarks were wonderful and Holly knew the executives would be pleased. Just a twenty second sound clip of that statement was enough to pull billions of viewers.

LIVE:

“Well said Senator. The Alliance is lucky to have you fighting for it. This has been Holly Starstorm reporting for HNN. Join us next week as we interview Jedi Master Valery Noble on the show that brings you the information you want about the galaxies most important topics, Sixty Holo Minutes!”

NOT LIVE:
The floor manager yelled for wrap and Holly pulled the mic off her shirt.

“You were wonderful Senator. I really think this first episode is going to get a lot of attention. The Senate has sent an air taxi for you and made certain it was safe. Do you have any questions before we let the driver know you are on your way?”

Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix

 

[Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix]

Holly Starstorm

She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed her shoulders a bit as the broadcast ended, taking in a good gulp of water as she listened to Holly. As the reporter asked her if she had any questions for her, she shook her head as she leaned in closer and took hold of Holly’s hands with a slight squeeze, “I just want to say thank you for doing what you do, Holly. It’s because of people like you that we have a fighting chance.” Tiresh looked into her eyes and nodded with gratitude.

As Tiresh made her way out to the air taxi, she felt a refreshing wave of relief, believing that it had gone well and hoping that it would help to raise significant public awareness for their cause.