Kella Rand, Reporting...
title: "Kella Rand, Reporting..."
The short story "Kella Rand, Reporting..." was penned by Laurie Burns. Its initial publication occurred within the pages of Star Wars Adventure Journal 6 in May of 1995, courtesy of West End Games. Later, it saw republication in the Fiction area of the online platform, Hyperspace, on December 2 of 2005. The Hyperspace version features illustrations by Robert Duchlinski.
Plot summary
A Galactic News Network reporter, Kella Rand, is on assignment, covering a pivotal vote concerning a potential alliance between the Indu San system and the New Republic. In the moments leading up to the vote on Indu San, the Chief Councilor, Shek Barayel, meets a violent end in an explosion. Kella, eager to break a major story, observes a Council Authority Officer surreptitiously trailing the Ambassadorial Aide to Dictio L'varren, named Tev Aden, as he enters a corridor. Rand opts to pursue them but is intercepted by another Authority Officer. Shortly thereafter, the sound of a blaster firing echoes from the hallway, prompting her and the guard to investigate. They discover Aden's lifeless body, the victim of a blaster shot fired by Officer Kaleb Darme. Rand catches a fleeting glimpse of Darme recovering a detonator from Aden's person.
Upon returning to the Indu GNN bureau, Rand meticulously reviews archived interviews. During this process, she spots a frame capturing Darme in the act of planting the explosive device that resulted in Barayel's demise. Following this discovery, she presents the evidence to her fellow reporters, Crislyn, Juloff, and her superior, Robbe Nostler. Subsequently, she sets out to share this crucial information with Ambassador L'varren. En route, she becomes the target of a sniper, narrowly escaping harm. Eventually reaching L'varren's hotel, she observes Juloff and Darme in close proximity, deducing that Juloff—still beholden to the Galactic Empire—had betrayed her by alerting Darme. She then makes a dash for Suite 44-1, dispatching her hovercam ahead with the incriminating evidence. However, Darme manages to intercept Rand before she can reach L'varren's suite. He drags her into the turbolift, menaces her with a vibroknife, confiscates her datacards, and incapacitates her with a stun bolt. As he attempts to flee from the turbolift, L'varren's security detail, having reviewed the evidence from the hovercam, apprehends Darme and rescues Rand. Determined to meet her reporting deadline, Rand swiftly departs to deliver her exclusive story.