Private The Record | Dante

[Halsia Hewitt]

_________________________________________
Dante Iblis
_________________________________________
​

"-is just a recording device. It's on now... yeah. It's just taking audio right now, but I'll transcribe it before it goes to the editors. But if they really like it, they might let us put out the recording. Also edited of course, but obviously just keep that in mind when you're talking. Don't be afraid to take your time responding, since we can cut any dead space, all that- left you some water there if you need a drink.

"Um... what else... oh. If you ever want me to pause the recording you can just let me know or signal like this. When we're all wrapped I'll send you a copy of the recording, and the article for review before we post it. If you're ever uncomfortable or don't want to answer, you know, just say so... mm...

"Oh, and I'm technically still an independent. So I might drop an extended cut or something on my blog, if you're okay with that. But we can talk specifics on that in a bit.

"Anything else? Any questions? Thanks. For this. By the way. Sort of big for me. Sort of my first time doing this, so, big preesh. If there's anything I can do better just let me know."

 

[Dante Iblis]

"Absolutely. I err, do I have to spEAK INTO IT FROM UP CLO- OH- oh uh. Apologies, I've never talked to one of these before. Not much modern tech came out Rimward where I'm from after the wars. Communicators you usually had to hold real close like, right to your face like so-"

"I mean ah- t-thank you very much for the opportunity to be interviewed, ma'am. It's ah, it's been something of an aspiration of mine ever since I decided to become a professional shockboxer, being on this side of an interview that is. I'm very happy to be here, ma'am."

"Oh, is calling you ma'am alright? I don't know if you would'a- it kind of feels more professional to say? I don't want it to come across like us folk from the Outer Rim don't have manners is all."

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

"Haha. It's fine, I mean, I think we're about the same age. I'm not really a ma'am type, but you can call m- mmp. Hrm. Um, just Halsia is fine. I'm not really a manners person. But however you want to present yourself, I mean- this is for you, so however you want to address me is fine.

"Alright, well... let's get started...

"Hello hello, good morning, afternoon, evening and night, this is Halsia Hewitt. I'm sitting down today with one of the rising stars in the galactic shockboxing circuit, THE Mr. Dante Iblis. Thank you for joining me.

"...

"Now, Dante, could you tell us a bit about yourself? How'd you get into shockboxing?"

 

[Dante Iblis]

"A uh pleasure to be here, Halsia. But please, Dante is more 'n fine."

"...

"Of course. I grew up in the Outer Rim, on a small farmstead with my Ma and Pa. They taught me all about bang-corn, lemus corn, rishi corn, their crop cycles, what farm animals could speed up work, the machinery we kept, all the stuff you'd expect a farmhand had to know, but I didn't take much to it. I was always glued to the holoview watching those fights on late-night Coruscant time when my parents weren't awake anymore.

"I didn't amount to much in school, or at work, but I could see myself in those legends on holoview like Jido Scutteler or Rhido Crohmin. They seemed to have it all. The fame, the money, and most importantly the strength and skill. I wanted to be like that too, so when I stumbled upon a manager who'd been looking for a new fighter, I signed up with him right on the spot."

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

"I see it's the whole package for you, then. You've of course been on the up-and-up in the ring, but keeping with your beginnings -- how were your matches then? What'd it take to get you to where you are now?"

 

[Dante Iblis]

"Hah, they involved a heck of a lot more bruises. I was a good brawler, yeah, but these shockboxers had something I didn't.

"Good technique.

"They ran circles around me back when I started a few years ago. I remember one fight against a Falleen, Syala Striker I think her name was, she laid me out in three punches flat. Took her six rounds, but each one felt like I got the wind knocked out of me.

"That was about the time I figured I had to improve my technique, and that's what I did. To this day I still dedicate most of my free time to memorizing sequences and their responses. It's how I built my current style. It used to be all brawn and will, but nowadays? All up here.

"Ah, they can't see that I tapped my head, huh? Dang."

[Brief silence]

"But what about you? How'd you get your start?"

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

"Haha.

"...

"Oh, um...

"...

"...yeah, sure. I'm still an independent, so I'm building my portfolio right now- er, I'm a second-stringer. My peak would be a warmup match before the main event. But, you know, I don't need to fight anyone for my spot. Not as much, anyways, ha.

"I got into this because of my grandfather, uh, Halifax Hewitt. He was a journalist, left his mark on the space, I think, and I want to try the same thing. I, um- I got to watch him on the evening cast when I was a kid, and that was sort of cool. But it's been cooler digging into his actual work. A lot of the stuff he exposed is still going on, and- heh, job's not done. But I like writing, I care about truth, I care about the galaxy and people being informed, sorta. So, trying my hand at this.

"I'm, uh, I'm on my training arc."

 

[Dante Iblis]

"Job's never done. And 'training arc', that's great, ha.

"Your reasons, too, they're very noble ...

"I have to ask, though, please forgive me, what is Halifax like? I'm kind of a fan, yeah, before you ask. He was the face of the Core Worlds for me in many ways, and my point of reference for the galaxy beyond the farm growing up."

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

"Oh. Wow, yeah, uh- he'd be happy to hear that. Probably. He's... honestly, I think he's smarter than he comes off on the cast most of the time. Like, often actively holding back his full insights about things, or wording them in a particular way. But like, as my grandpa? Crusty nerf herder. He's smart as hell and doesn't hold back. And I think you can kind of see that in his work, like, the level he'd go to in an investigative piece rather than the softballs he'd throw in some interviews. But very situational. He took his job really seriously, sort of understood the role he had, the power he had -- to shape narrative for so many people.

"Like, people don't think about it a lot, but an evening news holo is still the main way a lot of people get their information about what's going on in the galaxy. It's a big responsibility to take that on -- he shaped your perception of the galaxy, right? If he and his team pursued certain stories or pushed different narratives, you might be on a much different path, or think way differently about the way things are.

"...okay. Sorry, um- I admire him, ha. Uh... questions...

"...

"So, you've already stated your inspirations -- how do you think the shockboxing space has changed since the days of Scutteler or Crohmin? How has your view of it changed since entering it, and on your rise to the top?"

 

[Dante Iblis]

"...

"How's it changed? Oh, a heckuvalot. Used to be you had one big shockboxing league headquartered right here on Coruscant. If you were worth your salt in the ring you'd work your way through the lower circuits in the regions outside the Core and end up here to get a chance at the title on Coruscant.

"Nowadays though, it's a lot more scattered, like someone took the big pot of seeds collected on Coruscant and just dumped it out over the galaxy. You had new circuits and championships springing up to life for a hot minute there after the collapse of the Brotherhood and the Empire with regulations easing up.

"It's really muddied down what the title of champion really means, is what I mean. Used to be you had one Galactic Champion during the days of Jido and Rhido, now you got like four or five of 'em. One for each major galactic sector, ha ha.

"I used to hate that, but honestly it's been a bit of a blessin' in disguise. Now that there's so many championships, the new Mandalore's Mask has become running each tournament and collecting all the titles for yourself. No one's done it so far and most think it's impossible.

"Me, I like to think someone might do it someday."

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

"We'll watch your career with great interest.

"Not to rain on that parade, of course, but I do want to ask -- shockboxing is a very physically demanding sport. Injuries can be serious and have lifelong effects. Statistically speaking, human shockboxers have a life expectancy ten to twelve years shorter than the general population, and Barabels have a similar lowered lifespan.

"Now, I know that recovery protocols have been getting better, but as you've said, with the fracturing of the major shockboxing circuits, there are serious disparities in care across these leagues. For up-and-coming shockboxers such as yourself, particularly in the Outer Rim where bacta and kolto are often less available, many shockboxers exit the ring early because of injuries suffered during their fights. On the other hand, the top fighters in every league usually have every medical expense met by their backers.

"Do you worry about your career when it comes to your health and wellbeing? Do you think there's anything these leagues could be doing better to safeguard shockboxers, particularly in terms of the inequalities of care we see surrounding the sport?"

 

[Dante Iblis]

"Of course I worry at times, but I can't let that get in the way of my dream. Whatever happens happens, I'll do my best to take it in stride and keep on going to the top.

"As for the leagues, there's a lot. I only recently got this big ol' scar on my arm here during a fight on Kaas. My Dashade opponent hit me pretty deep with his claw. The medical protocol there stated that, as long as I'm able to stand I can keep fighting, so the med-techs closed the cut up with a small bacta injection, some synthskin, and an adhesive and I was off to the races again. The medical attention I received didn’t even interrupt the round‘s timer, that’s how brief it was.

"That sort of thing would never happen in the leagues here on Coruscant of course, and would have never happened back when there was just one title. It's a bit disheartening to see standards of safety slip like that, but it comes with the territory now. Unfortunately, some fighters only have the means to compete in more unsafe leagues, and they're the ones who get hit the hardest by the decline in standards. They haven't made enough of a name for themselves to compete in leagues with better support for their fighters, so they throw the dice each fight trying to get there.

"Sadly, I don't really have a solution for that. It would be great if the central commission here shaved off more of the gambling profits and redirected them towards medical expenses, but with the established systems being what they are, I doubt that'd do much either. The system'd have to be watched more thoroughly for this kind of non-regulation behaviour, but there's no one to enforce it at the moment."

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

"Of course. Awesome. Mm.

"So, there are obviously disparities between levels of care, and power and class, as with most things Core-Rim-wise. But within the space there's already issues with equity, control, so on, within the managerial system. You talked about how you signed up with the first manager you found who was hiring.

"Managers, agents, so on, have a lot of power in terms of who they put on, and there's historically been a culture of exploitation and abuse, as well as regular accusations of match fixing in the space, promoted by talent managers in order to make credits. As an insider, do you have any insights into this sort of thing? How do you feel about the way you or your fellow shockboxers are treated by your managers?"

 

[Dante Iblis]

[a click marks a break in the recording]

An intensity shadowed Dante's face as he watched Halsia in the emerging silence. He leaned over the table, still holding onto the recording device, where his knuckles turned white from the tension running through his limbs.

A conflict played out under the tension of his expression.

How much did this journalist know? Grandchild of the legendary Halifax or not, if anything came out about the match-fixing Seluseus had forced him to participate in, his career would be ruined in an instant. No manager would take him on anymore, not if he ratted on the business. It didn't matter how much he hated the corruption, how much he wanted to take a torch to the entire system and burn it to the ground. So long as Seluseus held the contract, and by extension his ability to officially participate in the shockboxing leagues, nothing could get traced back to him or his career would be over forever.

Yet, if I could feed her enough information that she ... Dante pondered. Halsia was a journalist with ideals. He could use that.

He fixed her with determination in his eyes.

"This stays entirely between the two of us. Nothing leaves this room. If it does, I'll find you," his tone left no playroom for ambiguity in the threat. Every trace of the Outer Rim farmboy-charm he'd layered into his persona on record vanished, replaced by a cold severity.

"I need you to swear that none of what I'm about to tell you will leave this room. Swear on something dear to you, something holy to you, whatever, I just need to hear you say that you will not betray my trust in you."

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

She watched him pause the recording, giving a bobbing nod.

Yeah. That tracked.

"I'll, um," she was almost going to make a joke, but that would definitely be inappropriate. Instead she nodded gravely, silently tracing the shockboxer's form with her gaze. "Sure. I guess I'll swear on my life, since that seems to be what's at stake here."

She already had her notebook in hand; she'd been taking a couple of notes about his reactions, as well as referring to the questions she'd prepared. Now she sat up, and awaited what truths Dante would provide.

 

[Dante Iblis]

He held her gaze for a moment that kept on stretching. He disliked the levity in her words. Behind that flimsisheet and her pen, journalists were protected from the harshness of the galaxy. Whatever stories her grandfather had recounted of drug lords and gangs, they'd only been reflections in murky water. Halifax had tread the paths, and his granddaughter was making her first tentative steps down it, too. But neither of them would ever stand with both feet inside that darkness. They'd be observers, outsiders. All journalists were.

Dante let his grip on the recording device ease and leaned away from the table again.

"I want to see that notebook too, once I'm done."

She wanted to walk his path, so he'd show her the depths it could reach.

Halsia Hewitt

 

[Halsia Hewitt]

Dante Iblis
​

"Yeah, of course." She sat up, seemingly signalling she was taking this seriously. Her gaze didn't have that edge like his did -- but she didn't back down. She wanted to hear his story, wanted to see this through, and wanted to be trusted. Breaking her promises was not in her playbook.

"Whenever you're ready."

 

[Dante Iblis]

Dante sat up, straightening his jacket. He didn't let go of the recorder, he hadn't come to trust Halifax' scion enough for that.

"You want insider information?

"Well, we're completely at the mercy of our managers. With so many different shockboxing leagues, the serious ones-the ones with the actual money-have made entry impossible without a manager. You need someone to sponsor you. No sponsor, no fights."

He shifted in his seat, glancing down and to the side.

That very necessity had been how he'd ended up with Seluseus. That credit-guzzling barabel vulture was everything wrong with shockboxing. Dante wanted to get free of him but he was bound by his contract. A contract that wouldn't expire for too long.

How naive he'd been.

"Shockboxing's a dangerous sport, and there are a lot of rings that operate beyond the confines of law. But the reputable leagues, the ones you hear about on the holonet, those require you to have a manager to fight. Since the less reputable leagues will most definitely get you in hot water with some authorities somewhere, any fighter worth his salt goes to the reputable leagues. Which means: getting a manager.

"The manager is supposed to ensure you're properly represented in the system, both legally and from a business standpoint. They make the contracts, get you the venues, build up your name, and usually handle the cash side all so you, as the shockboxer, can focus solely on fighting.

"Sounds pretty great, huh?" Dante didn't let the rhetorical question linger long as his eyes narrowed.

"That's the official story. But you as a journalist know nothing's ever as simple as the official story, huh?" He held the recording device idly between two fingers as he spoke.

Halsia Hewitt