This news story almost made up for the years of excruciating torment she had suffered since taking over as late-night host for Celebrity Catch. The Pantoran was excited, unable to contain the grin that spread across her lips as she primped, adjusting her collar and smoothing a hand over her hair. Elora's news director had wanted to throw this particular story out, claiming that is was trivial and only "filler material." This coming from the man that had enthusiastically green lighted an exposé on Emryc Thorne's butt cheeks. Talk about small potatoes! Or, rather, in that instance, big yams.
No, Elora wouldn't just broadcast this story on live holonet for the galaxy to see—it would be her opening segment tonight. Cassian Graves had humiliated her publicly from beyond the grave, and she would return the favor, even in death. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" she welcomed viewers, with more vivacity than she had displayed in years. Ever since she'd been relegated to spread mind rotting gossip. "And welcome back to the Hyperlane Herald! Stay glued to your seats and don't change the channel because we have a lot of juicy stories to cover tonight!"
Hardly a professional description, but she wasn't following any script. This all came from the heart. "Our first breaking news story comes from Onderon, where the annual harvest festival was held last night in a quaint little village outside of the capital." The village's name had slipped her mind, and she didn't particularly care. "The real celebration, however, appears to have been inside the capital walls, as unidentified culprits vandalized the recently erected monuments to King Hakan and Cassian Graves in Yolahn Square in the small hours of the morning!"
Camera footage of the two statues set in the middle of the square, carved in the likenesses of the late King and Consul, appeared on screen for viewers to see. Both statues of granite were covered in different shades of spray paint and silly string, but the Consul's monument had taken the brunt of the damage. There were red devil's horns on his head, black ex marks across his eyes, and an exaggerated mustache and goatee that obscured his face completely. The words 'pathetic pink partisan' were sprawled across his stomach, 'pathetic' and 'partisan' both misspelled, with 'u's instead of 'a's. There were even urine stains around the base of the statue.
Elora all but beamed as she watched the footage. "According to our on the ground reporters, many Onderonians lay the blame for the Sith invasion at their late Consul's feet, as he was outspoken against the Sith and ordered the destruction of a Sith Academy." The news reporter wouldn't mention the other Onderonians they'd interviewed—the ones that praised the Consul for laying down his life during the battle.
"This is just the latest—and more whimsical—in a string of escalating felonies on Onderon ever since the Sith invasion. Onderon might have won the battle, but the surge in crime has citizens and local authorities worried, despite the King's assurances that he will handle the matter personally."
