The screen flashes black and a masked, hooded figure appears.
“Greetings, sentients of the galaxy. We apologize for interrupting your regularly scheduled programming but it is time the galaxy knows the truth about the death of Countess Chani Mournfire.” The figure looks at the screen and begins to pace across it.
“For those unaware, Chani Mournfire burst onto the scene as a wildly popular and successful artist. Nearly every group in the galaxy displays some of her art. In fact, there is even some on display in these humble halls.” The figure gestures over his shoulder to a framed image on the wall behind him.
“This artwork brought her a great deal of attention and, more importantly, wealth. This wealth made her a target for some of the galaxies slimiest individuals, including Corey Vildras, Duke of Tolando. Vildras convinced Mournfire to invest a sizeable portion of her capital into the Archduchy of Tolando. He did this for two reasons. One was a natural greed. His second reason was much more sinister. Vildras was deeply in debt. He owed billions of credits to a former member of the now-defunct Galactic Alliance and smaller sums to other organizations. In order to pay out his exorbitant salaries, and repay his debts, Vildras needed a cash cow. He chose Mournfire.” The sentient in the mask pauses.
“This was all well and good so long as Mournfire played the game. For a while she did, quickly ascending the ranks of the Archduchy and reaching the rank Countess of Krmar, along with other lesser titles. However, according to sources within the Archduchy, right before her death, there was a falling out between the Countess and the Duke behind closed doors. Mournfire threatened to withdraw her substantial financial support from the Archduchy.” The sentient pauses briefly as security holo-footage of two figures arguing, one obviously Pau’an, rolls across the screen.
“Vildras had no choice but to take Mournfire’s threat seriously. The timing was terrible for him. Not only did he desperately need funds, but the Archduchy was also attempting to upgrade its tech status with the New Republic. If Mournfire withdrew her funds, Vildras would be unable to pay his debts and might lose his power before he could acquire the lucrative New Republic tech. Mournfire also knew of Vildras’ secret truce with the Zann Consortium, an enemy of the Galactic Alliance. So Vildras sent her on a mission of goodwill, using one of the ships belonging to the Archduchy. Unbeknownst to her, the ship was her death warrant. She was murdered aboard by thugs acting under orders of the Duke.” The masked man pauses as brief holo-footage of several sentients shooting down a defenseless woman plays on screen.
“However, it was not enough for Vildras that he had Mournfire’s assets. He had to find a scapegoat to salvage his status with the Galactic Alliance. He chose the easiest, least imaginative scapegoat possible, the Galactic Empire. He published a broadside claiming that the Empire had murdered Mournfire, and that a member of the Empire, whose name we are withholding for their safety, had attempted to stop the killing. We contacted this member and discovered there was no truth to this claim. Sources within the Empire tell us they had nothing to do with Mournfire’s death. This leads to the inescapable conclusion that Vildras is lying.” The man stops pacing and faces the screen.
“Vildras is a notorious scoundrel and scammer so finding him a liar is not hard to believe. Finding him a murderer only slightly more surprising. Recently, a PURE news report, undoubtedly authorized by the Archduchy, has added weight to this conclusion. The Archduchy was able to claim Mournfire’s body for burial. Since no sane sentient believes the Empire would turn over the body, this seems incredibly unlikely. The body must have been where it could be accessed…an Archduchy ship.” The man pauses and the camera pans directly to his masked face.
“You might ask, why do we interrupt you to tell you this? Because we are the Avengers of Innocent. We are the exposers of evildoers throughout the galaxy. We are everywhere, we see and hear all. We are the Brotherhood... and we are coming for you, Vile Dress!” The screen fades to black.
