The first broadcast

[Arthur Woodburn]

Theron City​

RBC Headquarters​

Ciomia system 01:57 am​

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He drew a long inhalation from the cigarra, the herbal essences seemed to infiltrate their way deeper into his throat and mouth leaving a taste behind even as the smoke is sent back out of its entry point into an expanding cloud of white before dissipating into the night air. Arthur leant against the railing that encircled the balcony that in turn stretched outwards from the top floor office space that now housed the RBC newsroom. His hand dropped over the edge and let the smouldering cigarra fall, his eyes tracked the orange light cut through the black of the night until it was completely swallowed by distance and time. As he pushed himself back up to a standing position a shimmer of speeder lights seemed to move through the speeder lane 90 stories below the office, Arthur picked up a small data tablet and wandered back in and through the empty office space. He heard the drumming of air conditioning machines and electronic security systems hard at work with all else being silent. His footsteps almost echoed as he walked into the minimalist office that held his name upon the wooden door at its front.

The office within which Arthur now stood had once belonged to a washed up accountancy firm that shared the main workspace with a variety of other companies, it was no larger than fifteen square feet and yet the room felt expansive compared to his previous workplaces since his fleeing of the core worlds. His new office held a desk of dark walnut within the central point and a variety of filing units and projection stacks lining the rear of the room. Against the entry wall sat a small leather coach left there by the previous owners and had been adopted by its new owner. Facing the main desk sat two smaller chromed wooden chairs that reflected the stark white of the office's walls.

Arthur walked through the door and placed the data tablet into a port within the desk itself and a larger projection of the information came up, his hand swiped at the screen and he looked over the women's application. A somewhat popular, though as far as famous was concerned Arthur held his reservations, holonet writer. He opened a second screen next to the first and scrolled through some of the blog articles. Some concerning minor planetary incidents or a political agenda failed to capture his imagination yet scrolling back a page or so one article did take his eye. An opinion piece on the effect of war and conflict taking place due to recent imperial ambitions. He continued to read the piece as the writer took the concept of conflict as used by these groups and figures to pieces with a variety of techniques of persuasive writing.

As he closed the second screen he returned to the first in order to check the woman's credentials and yet found only a first name and contact details. He sat back in his chair and poured a glass of single malted teth whiskey before carrying on reading. His eyes ran over her picture and features before returning to her credentials. The University of Coruscant, he smiled to see they shared a commonplace of education even if they had not been studying at the same time. He took a sip of the now settled brown liquid and felt the clenched feeling at the rear of his head cease and progress into a state of temporary comfort. As the moment passed Arthur sat forward in his own chair and authorised the application before turning off the computer and leaning back again to see through the glass wall of his private office block as the tower adjacent shut down its lights as per usual at the 2:00 mark before finishing his drink and making his way out of the empty newsroom. In less than six hours he would see this place come to life for the first time since they moved to the capitol.

8:30​

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His morning routine had finished with a full breakfast before the commute to the office started. Arthur had gone out of his way to get his favourite suit pressed and dry cleaned for this day. He felt good and looked good which was key to success in this industry of his.

As the speeder he had hired made its way through he stuffed and delay-ridden Theron City speeder lanes Arthur thought back to those whom he had authorised to appear today. He could expect and rely on his usual team yet the new reporters and background staff may find it hard to fit with the companies ethics. Arthur had always pressed truth and honesty before any political message and therefore he encouraged his reporters and writers to work in complete independence of the editing team until a first draft is created. It was usually within these purest of drafts that the true pieces of passion or genius could be found. It was only then after complete freedom that pieces were edited to ensure cohesion and clarity for the piece.

The speeder came to a stop 20 stories below the main office at the highest possible docking point. Arthur slid 10 credits to the man and stepped out of the vehicle before walking inside to the elevator. He stepped in from an empty floor but what he would find on the other end he could only hope would be a space ready for his new troops to spread their words over every format available. He stepped back into that office and nodded to a few of the old guard who had made the effort to come in early. Yet they understood as well as him that the real event of interest was who would walk through that door at 9:00 for the opportunity of a lifetime.

[member="Maxine"]

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[Luther Lewis]

Theron City - EZ stay motel.
12:38 AM

She drank deeply from her cup of Caf. It was bitter, with poor ingredients and was poorly made. She tolerated it, however, for it was the only thing keeping her awake. A large swathe of loose papers covered the meagre desk that she worked at. Documents on different factions, wartime anecdotes and official reports all competed for space and for her attention. Her hair was a frazzled mess and her eyes stung when she blinked. A small laptop was open in front of her, the clicks of the keys were the only thing that broke the silence.

Her first day at the RBC was tomorrow (or today technically). She had thought herself well versed in the politics of the galaxy but had decided to conduct some research on the latest events, lest she embarrass herself at the office. What was supposed to be a couple of hours work had quadrupled as she dived deeper and deeper. And the end of the night she had decided on multiple projects she wanted running. Hopefully she could present a few of them to [member="Arthur Woodburn"] when she arrived, and then continue them in an official capacity.

Her main article was on the Rebellion of Jaminere, where the Sith occupation was threatened to break. She had already started her research, as she was interested in the affair, and had found some reliable sources The Rebels were eager to advertise their struggle in hopes that other factions, such as the Republic or the Alliance, might lend aid. The Sith also had their say, dismissing the threat and reassuring that the system was under control. Somewhere in the mix lay the truth and, with a little extra work, she could tease it out.

She finished reading a report from a Sith general (stolen and sold to her at an exorbitant price) and finally closed the laptop lid. It was late, and she was tired. She needed rest if she wanted to make a good impression tomorrow. Too exhausted to change, Maxine collapsed onto her bed.

- - - - -​

7:34 AM

Her alarm beeped, a persistent grating tone. A hatred bubbled up inside of her as its mocking tone continued. She resisted the urge to throw the device across the room, instead gently pressing the 'off' button. She stumbled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. A zombie stared back at her from the mirror. She wasn't a morning person, and the mirror matched her sentiment. A quick shower later and she was debating what to wear. It didn't take long, she only had one suit.

8:12 AM

The taxi had already pulled up to the motel, the speeder's engines idling as she made her way out of her room. The motel was a fair distance from the HQ, a necessary evil as Max couldn't afford to stay somewhere closer. The driver's personality was as gruff as his appearance and Max ceased all small talk when all she received was grunts.

8:47 AM - RBC HQ

The taxi stopped outside of the building on the highest docking point. Maxine slid out of the vehicle and paid the driver, wincing at the cost of the fare. She steeled her nerves as she passed through the door and made her way up the stairs. Her pack, slung over her shoulder, felt heavy. It was packed with documents, her laptop and most of her possessions. In her right hand she held a folder with her projects inside, the dossier was near bursting. She approached the entrance to the office. Seeing another employee, she approached to make her introductions. "Hi, I'm Maxine" she began. The other woman gave a look that said, 'Don't talk to me before my first cup of Caf'. The woman stalked into the office and Max followed, letting out a deep breath to try and settle herself.

 

[Arthur Woodburn]

Theron City​

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RBC Headquarters​

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Ciomia system ​

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The time seemed to roll past for the lead up to opening time, more and more new employees or writers that he had previously hired made themselves acquainted with the new offices and desks that they were now antiquated with. He heard the sound of the AC unit slowly disappear to the chatter of new colleagues and commlinks beeping or ringing, more and more people seemed to filter in he had even seen some new faces drift in no more than 10 minutes before this new network of theirs went officially live for the first time. Arthur stepped up to the window of his office after finishing his first cup of tea for the day. The people outside seemed to come to a halt as the floor manager Julia entered and moaned about her own lack of caffeinated produce, Arthur had worked alongside Julia when they were left to cover the correlian trade blockade nearly six years ago now he broke a smile to see her still as feisty as ever. Yet it was the more sheepish woman that seemed to trail behind her that peaked Arthur's interest, he pulled up the job application from the previous evening to the screen beside his desk and quickly ran over the name and basic credentials once more.

As the minutes seemed to jump past the office started to buzz with an energy of excitement or at the very least anticipation. Arthur waited until the last minute quite literally to make his appearance to the wider office. He had taken the step to install a set of digital clocks detailing different times depending on that of important locations and sectors. Arthur picked up the grey suit jacket from the back of his chair where it had sat since he got in in the morning. As he slid the material over his shoulders a sense of nervousness almost took him for a moment yet the moment soon past as he watched his hand already opening the office door and stepping through to hear the office suddenly reduce in its volume of chatter and murmuring. A few faces turned for a moment and then made eye contact before stopping whatever they had been doing previously. Arthur took a few more steps towards a more central position and pulled up an office chair upon which he soon clambered atop to look at a now growing crowd. Once more he spotted faces he had seen in his past among the sea of mostly young and passionate employees of the Republic Broadcasting Corporation. Arthur let the rest of the talking die down as he eyed the clock ticking over to 08:58. He then spoke up.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen." A smile broke across his face as he continued to speak. "I would like to start by saying a large thank you on behalf of myself and the senior management team but also on the behalf of all the free peoples of the galaxy. I say this not as a mere politeness, however, what you have all come here and agreed within the contract as founded by my own hand is to a set of principles. It is on these principles that together we are going to inform and report to all of those that would be otherwise unknowing. The principles of honesty are those within which we are to pride ourselves. I see these principles as a task for us to uphold, for us to encourage society across the galaxy and only then is it true for democracy, liberty and freedom to prevail. Ladies and Gentlemen I look forward to working with you all in this new era of our great industry. Welcome to RBC."

Arthur stepped down as the first claps came in from the front rows of the crowd. He had timed the speech to coincide with the shift over into the 09:00 start, meaning his words had started the journey for which this group of people were about to undertake. He maintained a smile and clapped and cheered along with the rest of the workers as they made their way back to desks, the earlier buzz of energy now closer to that of a thunderstorm. Even as the cheering died down Arthur had already started his movement across the office floor towards the new hire and interest of his. He examined her on his approach and weighed up his initial interpretation of her personal image and posture. She seemed calm and collected if not a little awkward in the rather busy and bustling news floor now rife with workers dialling channels for the next scoop or meeting with a public figure. Her choice of a suit was smart and appropriate. As he broke through the wall of people that seemed to separate the two Arthur broke a smile and attempted to make eye contact with the woman no doubt a few years his junior.

"You must be Miss Maxine. I am glad to see you made the right choice!. My name is Arthur Woodburn, founder and director general." Arthur brought his hand out while maintaining eye contact with the woman and offered her a handshake before turning his posture to indicate towards his office. "Could I get you any caff or tea?" he let his offer linger before turning the rest of the way around and leading off towards his office.

[member="Maxine"]

 

[Luther Lewis]

Max stood awkwardly as the rest of employees filtered in. Some gave her smiles, others ignored her. She sized them up, trying to determine if any wished her ill. She hated to be cynical, but in a competitive workplace like this, it was important to be cautious.

The rude woman from earlier came over, a cup of caf in her hand. "Maxine, was it?" she said. Max nodded. She did indeed look much more lucid with the caffeine running through her system. "I'm Julia, let me show you were your desk is" she lead Max through the work floor. Her desk was near the back, off to the right side. Not exactly an afterthought in positioning, but clearly somewhere that demonstrated the pecking order.

The desk was aged walnut, and had clearly seen some use. There were scuff marks from where a heavy lamp had been dragged, scratches from a sharp object and one of the drawers was stuck. "It's beautiful" Max whispered, and she meant it. She'd never had a desk before. She'd been independent for a long time, she had gotten used to the tiny space that interstellar transport afforded.

Julia's expression softened, and she gave what looked like a genuine smile. "Glad you like it" she said. "Leave your gear here for now. Arthur is about to make a speech". Max followed her to the centre of the office, just in time to see [member="Arthur Woodburn"] climb onto an office chair.

His speech was impressive, and heartfelt. As he spoke, Max found herself studying her new boss. Who was Arthur Woodburn? The man clearly had a way with words; a quick tongue meant a quick mind too. He was dressed impeccably, and exuded and aura of personal control.

My Woodburn approached and Max tried not to let her nerves take over. She knew her position was tenuous and that her every action would be weighed for its potential. Thus she kept her breathing steady and her voice steady as she greeted the man. "A pleasure to be here, sir" she replied, her throat dry. "A cup of tea would be lovely, thank you".

 

[Arthur Woodburn]

Theron City​

RBC Headquarters​

As the pair made their way back through the open office space Arthur let his arm come up to gesture to one of the younger interns stood by a desk on the outside of his office. The young man seemed to be smiling however as he passed the gaze of his employer his demeanour shifted and his eyes ran over the new employee with a cold calculation before disappearing off into the jungle of cubicles and noise.


Arthur stepped through the door of his office and untucked one of the chairs from the desk that held the centre of the room before moving around to the rear side of the desk and waiting the few moments for the young woman to follow him in before gesturing her to the seat.

"Please have a seat and oh do call me Arthur, I find sir makes me sound like a school teacher! Although Mr Woodburn will do if there is someone fancy from the Senate in to visit."

Arthur studied her for a response from the jest before he took a seat himself and pulled forward the tablet holding her credentials and started to swipe through whilst continuing to talk.

"I hope that you found your desk ok, it's nothing fancy but as you can see we are running on a tight budget here for the moment but if you ever have any issues do let one of the floor managers know and they should be more than willing to help!"

His hand swiped across the tablet again before swiping upwards to bring the page back to the top.

"So onto why you dragged yourself out to this nowhere end of the galaxy. You applied successfully to the position of correspondent which of course is driving force behind all news that is distributed. Within this position and after reviewing a variety of your previous freelance projects we have decided to give you the position of the primary war correspondent. Within this role, it will be your responsibility to organise yourself and the others within your department to produce accurate and honest coverage of conflicts and issues of defence within the republic and abroad in other areas."

Arthur then opened a drawer and produced a small card before sliding it across the desk. The object when studied would be a card of identification and clearance within the office.

"That is your Republic press pass and will allow you to access press exclusive events and areas when you are covering a story within the territory of the Republic Remnant. If going beyond the borders of Republic space then further passes will be acquired by our HR team."

As he finished speaking the young intern from earlier seemed to sheepishly step into the office carrying a pot of tea, sugar and milk on a tray before placing it on the desk.

"Thank you very much Biff" Arthur thanked before the intern turned and left.

Arthur poured two cups of the steaming hot brown substance into the white cups placed on the tray.

"You should watch out for that one he has a funny attitude, but a good lad. Do you take sugar or milk?"


[member="Maxine"]