Disclaimer: Ain't mine. Never will be. 'Nuff said.
The computer screen was the only source of light in the empty office. The rest of Coruscant had the sense to go to bed, but not him. But then again, a good reporter never needed sleep.
Mikesh Kaltil sat wearily, looking at the jumbled mountain of reports, eyewitness accounts, and various other clippings he had collected from the past ten years. The dull ache in his eyes did make focusing difficult, but even that couldn't hide the pattern that he had seen developing slowly. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe it was just his imagination, as his editor insisted- but Kaltil suspected differently.
Senator Palpatine was a Sith. He had to be.
Kaltil took one last look at the great pile, his tired mind still weaving together tomorrow's front-page story. The evidence was all there, but for some reason no one had seen it for what it was. The ruckus caused when the previous Supreme Chancellor had stepped down- it was a young Senator from Naboo who had led the vote for Valorum. The establishment of the Trade Federation's droid army- it was the Nabooan Senator who had pointed out how dangerous the Outer Rim was becoming, and how important uninterupted trade was. An unusually large number of industrial 'accidents' here and there- and Palpatine was always on the committee to see the effects firsthand. But then, half the Senate would qualify on that last part; publicity and visibilty were the stuff of life itself on Coruscant.
Kaltil waded to his computer terminal and and brought up the records he had found after hours of searching online.. In every bill that limited the Jedi's influence, Palpatine supported it. Although he had issued no statements on the issue, unlike the Senators from the Hutt regions, he consistently voted to restrain the Jedi. All of the other Senators had voted in their favor at least once, probably for bills that would affect their competition.
Pondering this pattern, the reporter went to a bookmarked online history of the ancient Sith cults. Ah, here it was: 'The Sith began a pattern of destabilization before revealing themselves, creating galaxywide feelings of paranoia and confusion, allowing them to make great gains before encountering resistance.' And after almost every disaster and controversy reported in the past few years, Palpatine had managed to turn it into political power.
Finally realizing the hour, the reporter shut down his terminal and headed for the door. Tomorrow morning, he would publish the story that would expose the return of the Sith! Wrapped up in visions of accolades and awards, Kaltil bounced off of the still-closed door of his office. Rubbing his injured nose, the reporter pressed the override button that would open it-
-and gasped as a red bar of light came through the door and skewered him.
As Kaltil collapsed to the ground, the door finally slid open to reveal a demon. The reporter's last sight was of the grin it gave him, the small amount of light glinting off of its horns.
Stepping over the body, Darth Maul pulled out a comlink from his belt. "He is dead, my Master. Shall I dispose of the evidence?"
"Of course, my apprentice. And make sure to leave some blaster marks in the walls. Black Sun must of feared the story he was about to publish, I suppose." The wry grin could be heard in the Sith lord's tone.
"Of course, my Master."
From Coruscant Daily:
The body of reporter Mikesh Kaltil, late of this publication, was found last night in the wreckage of his office. The office had been set ablaze sometime that evening, apparently catching the reporter. Coruscant police are currently searching for members of Black Sun, who are believed to be responsible for the incident.