Newscast: The Emperor's Mistress?

[The Storyteller]

.

Suddenly loud notifications began to show on everyone's hololinks. A loud broadcast boomed with a sponsor logo. "This event is sponsored by the Imperial Security Bureau and Imperial Intelligence - remember, it's not paranoia if they're really Rebel scum. For the Empire..." The logo is followed by a cartoonish clip of a group of Imperial Troopers shooting down a few rebels.


Immediately after the sponsorship, what appeared to be a female in a purple dress was anchoring the news in a talk room lounge.

"THIS JUST IN!!!

THE EMPEROR HAS HOSTED A COMPETITION TO SEEK A MISTRESS, AND HAS CHOSEN TWO LOVELY SITH INTO GOING ON A DATE WITH HIM!!" her peppy voice was interrupted by a young male in a brown robe. "Shut up... I'm trying to get some sleep... Maybe you should actually move your anchoring room to I don't know: Not Our Own Kriffing House!" The female glared at his assumed brother and the news anchor made a directional gesture. Soon a few security guards passed by the cameras and forced the brother outside the room as yells of protest and some pain were audible from the door.

"Sorry for the interruption. As I was saying before my idiot of a brother interrupted.. Ugh he needs to get fired... Our Great Emperor has decided to look for a mistress and sent out applications to determine the best. First, there was a poll where the people voted for their personal favorites of the ladies... Those people are Eriana Fox aka @The Confessor , @Aadya Drast , @Saorise Kallig, and @Xia Fell... Congratulations on you all!" she paused as she picked up a large folder.

"In contrast to the crowd's wishes, our Emperor chose two candidates to go on a lovely date with him!" as she opened it she whispered, barely being heard by the mics, "Damn what the kriff was he thinking? The audience had to know who was right... but he does what he wants... The Emperor is adorable in his own right, anyway... I should've won...I have allll the traits that he'd looveee"

"And the two... Three? Lovely ladies who won the Emperor's favor is..." An audible drum roll sounded.

"@Zan and Drali and @Solone Wren !!!! Oooh you will be going out with the Emperor himself!!!" she cheered and giggled.

"When we get back after the break.. I will be discussing with a few people of multiple groups their reactions to this event. It's going to be verrryyyy toasty tea being spilled!" she giggled over-excitedly. "Now onto Imperial Geographic.."

The holonet channel switched to another show, which consisted of documentaries of wildlife throughout the Empire. The narrator of the show spoke in an pantoran accent. "Now the organics participate in a ritual of grouped food consumption. Statistically this helps decrease conflict in their formative years but proves to increase aggression and anxiety when done in later years especially with strangers... Holy Kriff we got one!" the camera panned to the creatures and showed the creatures eating. "Aren't they a beauty? Oh no... they saw me..." the creatures had turned to him and then a few ran at him. "Shit!!! Helllpppppppp!" the camera showed static and a "We'll be right Back after this!" logo as elevator like music played in the background.

Open to Anyone to make reactions to this newscast. (Have fun, and also thank you to anyone who gave me ideas for this post).

 

[Darth Valravus]

___________________

The woman hummed in the cabin of her ship jamming to some new music curtisy of @Aadya Drast . She had turned her onto a couple of new groups with their recent endeavor outside of Imperial Space. Drumming on her pulled up knees Drali was alone in the cockpit except for her astromech droid. The rest of the crew were probably at their stations since the arrival of their target was not due in a couple of hours.

The stream of music was interrupted and at first Drali's brow furrow in mild annoyance. Her unique Personal Entertainment Attendant projecting the holographic projection seemed to blink at the sudden change wondering if its master wanted it to change the channel to resume music without inerruption. But the Deucalian female gave no such order. Instead her eyes widdened as she realized the type of announcement this was.

The eyeshadow around her eyes created stark contrast with the white eyes that stared into the projection with widdened interest. "Oh Emm Gee ohemmgee omg there, they're friggin announcing it!" she nearly fell out of her seat in anticipation while the female host got herself under control.

The names were spoken and for a moment an expression of confusion sat on the Crusader's face. Drali had remembered six were chosen in the earlier broadcast. Her heart jumped wondering if alterations had been made but then the broadcaster made an adjustment. A tiny sprinkle of hope remained in the Deucalian's chest. Her name(s) were called.

Not even waiting to hear the second Emperor's choice be spoken the Crusader leaped up from her seat. "YEAAAAH! wooooh! I FRICKIN MADE IT! oh man this is going to be sooooo fun." She reached over and cupped her PEA in both hands so it's projection of light shot straight back into her face in borderline blinding light. "did you hear that? I'm going on a date!"

Drali had not gone on a date with anyone sense, well actually ever technically. That fact started to set in. "Oh my gosh...ohmygosh ohmgsh!" releasing her droid she backed up until her broad back hit the bulkhead. A moment of silence permiated the ship as her eyes darted back and forth in anxious contemplation. Her droids stared at her like the automitons they were. "WHAT THE HECK AM I GOING TO WEAR!"

 

[William Hackett Solus]

William almost choked on his own cup of meat, coughing violently, when he heard that a Mandalorian had been chosen for going on a date with the Sith Empire's Emperor. In the beginning, he just found the whole idea moronic. No way the Empire would let a Mandalorian get close to their precious "big boss man". William was sure they would rig the voting in favour of only getting Empire through. The fact that a Wren got chosen, he started to laugh a big hearty laugh, well right after he stopped choking on his own drink.

"Mate, come and see this shab! A god damn Mandalorian got through, I can not believe it!" hollowed William through the apartment, making his friend storm out of his bath, half covered by a towel. "Holy Sith, she actually got through the process!" Said William's friend, just as surprised. Now that a Mandalorian was in the running, William got excited for watching Solone beat that other Empire girls.

 

[Arda Breaux]

Taking up the length of the couch, Arda laid sprawled out, propped up by her elbow as she licked peanut butter off a spoon. She just needed some down time, which meant, no Jedi robes, no pants, hair down, and her favorite paint-stained t-shirt. She was catching up on her soap operas and couldn't believe she missed the epic reveal that Sicily's baby was alive and living with her husband's ex-wife. Though this was all of course interrupted by the Empire's need to remind everyone they were still present; the Jedi slowly licked the spoon as some broad came on the screen, talking about the newest reality show: The Emperor in Paradise. Arda quirked an eyebrow as she stuffed the whole spoon in her mouth, the broadcast continued, announcing the girls who would compete for the love of the Emperor.

"Huh..." She scooped out another spoonful of peanut butter, "I wondered what bimbos they were able to find for this gimmick." Their images flashed across the screen and Arda was finding this entirely hard to believe. She wondered if the Emperor was this dense or if this was a PR ploy to draw in the hearts of the people in and outside the Empire. Then again, she wondered if perhaps if the Emperor was so desperate, he was more than happy to go along with this, he could look good under all those robes, but she was banking he had a shitty personality.

However, Arda was sold, she was absolutely getting the cheapest bottle of wine she could find later to hunker down and watch this ting.

 

[Xai Fell]

It had been a joke.

Xai had only put her name forward as an afterthought if anything. She hadn't actually expected to get through, she was still a runt of the litter, still learning the ropes of the Sith. The ideas that she could catapult herself into the public eye so easily was...well, it was unlikely, to put it mildly. Now, here she was, staring slack-jawed at the Holonet screen in her quarters, a spoon of food hanging limply between her bowl and her mouth, eyes wide in disbelief. She sat like that for probably an entire minute and a half before quickly shoving the spoon in her mouth and bringing up the four approved candidates on Zoom (juuuuust to be sure). Ok, there was the Confessor, Aadya Drast, Saorise and...Xai Fell.

Yup, this was happening.

She took a small moment to gently set the bowl and the utensil aside and turn in her chair toward her bed...before letting out one of the most girlish screams you could imagine. Her entire body practically hummed with energy and anticipation at what was now happening, and Xai could barely contain it all. It was a good thing that the walls were soundproofed, otherwise everyone, prisoners included, probably would've heard that. Ok, first things first, looks! She scrambled off the chair and scurried over to the mirror, looking over her form. Her robes were utilitarian and comfortable, but worn and slightly torn. Her face was a bit of a fixer-upper, but some makeup and letting her hair down from the loose bun would help. All in all, her body was looking back at her through the mirror and saying exactly what she was thinking.

You lucky, sexy beast...

 

[Ilyra Visz]

"YAS QUEEN!"

Ilyra was sat on her sofa, looking over the initial results of the show. She was curled up on the sofa with her feet underneath her and a cup of hot caf in her hands. Today was, she had decided, a pajama day so she hadn't moved much today aside from taking her little pupper out for a walk and a brief incident where her hound had tried to eat a local cat whole, before said cat scratched his nose and he'd become the biggest wuss.

But that was nothing compared to what had just happened!

Aadya got through!

She tapped at her com unit, calling her friend. She would probably get a voicemail but her message would be the same regardless.

"You lucky witch, you got through! You better go on to win this thing girl because there is NO way I'm saluting some rando like that Xai chick as my next Empress, you know what I mean? Get to work hun and remember - make good TV!"

@Logan

 

[Darth Inheris]

The Dalaigh main household was alive that night, even as Saorise breathed in the news of her successful application. Attendants and advisors dotted round, prepping lists and prompts for camera training, not that she hadn't had a few too many brushes with the media in the past at this point.

An odd event perhaps, for Saorise to attend, but one she felt could play nicely into a little revitalization of her position in the Empire. Equally, it had been some time since she'd had the ear of the Emperor Varyn Rask, a man she'd met when both were in much more humble positions on the galactic stage.

And if she didn't do something quick she'd be in danger of slipping swiftly back into them.

Ah, how times changed.

Still, she couldn't deny the insanity of it all, the sheer silliness. Part of her wanted to laugh at her, and part of her simply laughed alongside. It'd be exciting, she had to admit. She'd been alienated from so many for a long, long time. Whatever shell she'd built for herself was meant to come off. How else was she meant to be a Sith if she couldn't feel anyhow?

Sliding round in her chair, she caught the last words of the Holonet broadcast. One thing she hadn't missed in her absence, she had to admit. But, it was the one thing in Empire that could get a grip on more eyes than anything else.

And she meant to have eyes on her once again.

 

[Oddi Xon]

Oddi raised an eyebrow in confusion when the announcement came over the holonet being displayed on the city streets of Coruscant. What in th’ fresh hells of Zolan is this poodoo??? She stopped in her tracks for the moment and listened carefully as some nonsensical business spewed over the airwaves about this supposed Emperor and his enter-to-win love life. She knew next to nothing about politics, but this was beyond ridiculous. She glanced around her, disturbed by the faces of the casual passerby who seemed all-too-happy to buy into this crap. Ai Mabara… this is th’ saddest type of sensationalism possible.

Then, as she watched the idiots that surrounded her, an internal light bulb lit up. Ya know what? Let them drool at th’ spectacle. These people deserve to lose their credits! Then she went to work, dipping into their pockets and pouches as they gawked at the images and sounds of the latest juicy celebrity gossip. She really didn’t feel bad about this in the slightest. After all, if they can’t keep their wits about them, why should they keep their wallets?

It was a good night.

 

[Darth Perilius]

.

Markov sat inside his personal room inside his Aggressor Class Patrol Craft. He had converted two of the cells within the ship into a small stateroom for him to relax, given he really didn't have a fully fledged estate in the galaxy at the moment, but he did have plans. He was to travel to Courscant in the morning, but he heard of a broadcast occurring in the night, and a pretty highlighted one. Instead of traveling into hyperspace and planning his arrival to Courscant as planned, he decided to relax and have a drink as he saw the broadcast begin.

At first, Markov laughed slightly at the stupidity of the newsanchor. She showed no ability to actually be serious, but then he realized what it was all about: The Emperor's Dating Series. Markov eyes widened as she revealed the candidates to be Rask's mistress. He was not surprised that Zandrali was picked as one of them, but then a name that he never heard of before, but clearly recognized the Mandalorian inside of it. He broke his glass of wine with his left hand accidentally he was sipping in shock and awe of the situation.

"Wait.. the Emperor really chose a Mandalorian, our current main rivals, to be one of his dates?! How... and why..." he blurted in shock. The servant on his ship, who had heard of the sound came in and began to clean up the mess. Markov used a napkin to clean up his hand as he sat in his chair silent for a few second as the broadcast went on to a The Geographic show. Admittedly, he was curious about the outcome of the dating show. After seeing pictures of the two primary candidates, he felt more assured that the Emperor chose people good for him. After all, perhaps the relationship with the Mandolorian if that wins over Zandrali could benefit the Empire significantly. He sat in his armchair as he turned on the intercom of the Patrol Craft.

"Clear for Hyperspace Jump to Courscant. Good night..." he said as he headed for his bed. Markov relaxed and settled as the ship went into Hyperspace. He'd arrive in a while, but he'd want to sleep through much of it. He rested knowing that the competition would be interesting, and he hoped that the outcome would be great for the Empire, and Rask.