Private HNN Special Report: War Crimes

[Holly Starstorm]

Coruscant - HNN Headquarters

Holly was nervous. When she had first been contacted about the story she had not wanted to believe it, and thought surely the source was mistaken and it had been Sith that committed these crimes. Upon further investigation however there was truth to the allegations and that had made her life very complicated.

As a journalist it was her job to remain neutral and report facts to the galaxy was it not? But what about her job as a citizen of The Alliance? What about the fact that the station she worked for was in Alliance territory and often used to communicate vital information to its citizens? Stories like this one changed careers, she just wasn’t sure if it was going to end hers or make it skyrocket. She could lose her job, or her life if the government decided to shut her up. Of course her station manager had green lit this special, but it was Holly asking the questions and Hollys face the galaxy would see.

Her source was a respectable professor of Alderaan University, who had been doing research on several governmental dealings. His academic work provided him some protection, especially if he had tenure, but his agreement to go before the cameras could make him a target as well. HNN had offered to keep his identity a secret by blurring his face and altering his voice. Today when Holly got to the station she would find out if Professor Jacen Nimdok had chosen that option.

The entire commute there was a lot more stressful than usual and when Holly walked in the doors not even her favorite chocolate caf waiting for her was enough to calm her nerves.

A few moments later she was on set, where two chairs had been sat facing each other in typical interview style. The techs were fixing her with a microphone as the floor manager walked by.

“Did the Professor decide to remain anonymous? Is he here yet?”

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

A chair spun around to face Holly, revealing the professor, who sat with his fingers steepled. Perhaps such a dramatic introduction was unnecessary, but Nimdok took a childlike delight in anything that allowed him to turn 360 degrees all the way around. Plus, it made him feel like he was someone who knew exactly what he was doing.

"Hello," he greeted. "Miss Starstorm, I presume?" He held out his hand. "Professor Nimdok. To answer your question, I've elected not to remain anonymous."

Jend-Ro Quill , the Jedi Master responsible for blowing the lid off this matter, had not been arrested by any government. The most consequences he had faced were from a lone Jedi Padawan who had attacked him. Besides, since Nimdok was on the verge of publishing his findings under his own name, it would be pointless to try and hide now.

Holly Starstorm​

 

[Holly Starstorm]

Holly smiled and shook the professors hand. “It is nice to meet you. Basically we are just going to give you a chance to tell your story and discuss your upcoming research. Our viewers will probably be very interested in reading it!”

She felt slightly better now that things were rolling. That was usually how it was in the news business, at least for Holly.

After a brief setup they were positioned in front of the cameras and Holly was starting the introduction. She knew they could edit anything they needed but she wanted to get this done right so the story could be released that night.

“Good evening. I’m Holly Starstorm and this is a HNN special report. Professor Nimdock from Alderaan University is here today to tell us about the recent research he has conducted into war crimes committed recently in the galaxy. We warn viewers that some of this information may be graphic and difficult to process. Parental discretion is advised.”

The camera angle changed from a close up on Holly to an establishing shot of both she and the professor.

“Welcome Professor Nimdock. We are glad to have you with us today. Why don’t you start by telling us a little about yourself and your research interests?”

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Nodding along with the cheerful news show host, Nimdok was a little startled when the cameras promptly started rolling without much warning. He immediately froze in place, his chair no longer spinning and his hands resting passively in his lap as Holly introduced him.

"I was with the School of Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies for seven years, but around three years ago I started teaching Archaeology," he said just a little too softly before clearing his throat. At least he was blissfully unaware that the caption in the lower third of the holoscreen had misspelled his name as Nimdock. "Even now, I seem to be most well-known for a class called History of the Jedi & Sith. It was a very popular course at the college, which is probably why I taught it for so long, about five years. In that course I covered everything from the roots of Jedi and Sith philosophy, to their training methods, notable people and events, the whole gamut. I've written a lot of papers on various subjects relating to the two most famous sects of Force Users, so I like to think of myself as being a little more knowledgeable than the average person."

He had begun to fidget with something in his jacket pocket; he noticed it and stopped the motion. "These war crimes came to my attention when I heard about the holocast sent by Master Jend-Ro Quill during the Triumvirate talks on Coruscant. Master Quill is a Jedi who was affiliated with the New Jedi Order, but he resigned after learning of what they had done and went into hiding. Now, he's been dismissed as a whistleblower and a muckraker by the governments of the GA and the NIO, but I thought he might be onto something, so I went out of my way to track him down and find out more. I was unable to find him - there was an incident not long after the holocast in which he was attacked by someone who considered him a traitor, and it became impossible to speak with him after that, as he was recovering from his injuries and sequestered away.

"The bulk of my research so far has come from speaking to members of the NJO and other Jedi enclaves. In particular, I encountered people who knew Master Quill, considered him a friend and a great mentor, and had seen the evidence he showed them of war crimes committed by members of their Order, yet they resented him for revealing this information to the public. They wanted to keep it a secret, deal with it amongst themselves without anyone ever knowing what had happened. It was at that point that I realized this was a much deeper hole than I could've imagined."

Holly Starstorm​

 

[Holly Starstorm]

Holly listened along with a very serious face. His credentals were top notch and he explained himself well. She supposed he had to be able to explain, being a professor and all probably required that to teach students.

She became distinctly aware of the camera techs muttering. Apparently there was a typo on the teleprompter and captions. Typical.

“Professor, can you discuss the nature of these crimes? Our audience has been warned that what they hear may be unsettling. We would like you to tell them what happened and what acts were committed.”

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Now for the hard part. Nimdok took a slightly deeper breath than usual, preparing himself. Reckless as he could be, he knew he could not name the people involved, at least not on primetime holovision before an audience of trillions, nor could he afford to make any errors, even though he still didn’t have all the facts at this juncture. An accidental slip-up or simple mistake could cost him dearly, and not just by putting a dent in his career. He was already playing with fire—the best he could do was to just tell the truth.

“This story is technically still developing, so I can only tell you part of it,” he said. “Three separate incidents are said to have occurred in which war crimes were committed. The first was during the invasion of Bastion, in which a Jedi Padawan was sent into a situation for which he was woefully unprepared for and wound up going overboard. The second was during the invasion of Dantooine, when the NJO attacked the newly rebuilt Sith Enclave. There were acolytes there who attempted to defend the building; they were cut down by the Jedi. That entire battle was an absolute mess due to… disagreements within the Jedi, along with the Sith’s inability or refusal to evacuate civilians, which may account for much of the chaos and confusion. But as many have pointed out, the acolytes didn’t need to die. The Jedi knew there were civilians still on the ground. Non-lethal methods could have been used, but were never considered.

“Finally, the third and most grievous incident occurred on Korriban. A Jedi Knight was ordered to plant explosives in a Sith academy. The intention was to destroy the archives there, but they planted the bomb knowing that acolytes—teenagers and children—were within the blast range. It is unknown at this time who exactly gave the orders, though many are blaming the NIO. While they may have influenced the decision, I find it unlikely that any New Imperial officer has ever been given command over a Jedi. They are allies, not vassals.” He hesitated. “Which means that it was most likely another Jedi who gave the order. Furthermore, the reports state that another Jedi arrived on the scene to purge any survivors who managed to escape the explosion.”

Holly Starstorm​