General Hux (general_hux) wrote in thegalaxy, @ 2016-05-09 11:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | !locale: naboo, general hux, mika corliss |
you can't stop what has begun
Who: Mika Corliss & General Hux
What: Hux engages in some PR work
When: mid morning
Where: Theed, Naboo
Rating: G/PG
Hux arrived at the station with his retinue only an hour before his interview was meant to begin. He had wanted to come sooner, of course: An hour was barely enough time for the security sweeps his team would undertake, let alone the preliminary discussions with station personnel and any observers in attendance. But in the interests of appearing benevolent above all things, the Comms staff had briefed him on proper etiquette before he had even been allowed to step foot off the Finalizer. Appearance was reality, they had reminded him. When he had conferred with the Supreme Leader, the message had once again been made abundantly clear. He was to be on his absolute best behavior for this, exhibiting only the most moderate of tones and mildest of smiles.
He ran a hand down the front of his shirt. His uniform was a simple one to serve today's purpose. All black, naturally, with a hint of red peeking out from the rolled-up shirtsleeves. His hair was less severely groomed than was usual, though he had insisted on going clean-shaven. (Some habits he'd found particularly difficult to break.) He cut a polished figure, if not an especially dashing one.
Three officers broke rank and began their patrol through the station. Three others remained with Hux as he stood in the front lobby, assessing his surroundings from beneath an arched brow.
Mika knew this was quite the coup. An exclusive interview with General Hux didn’t fall into a journalist’s lap every day. She’d earned it though and she knew it. Ever since she’d started at the network directly out of university, she’d worked hard, climbed the ladder and now, eight years later, she was one of the network’s most popular holojournalists. The fact that the First Order’s communications officer had come to her made her a little nervous at first but she soon realized that it had to do with her reputation and nothing to do with her hidden abilities.
She had dressed carefully that day, wearing a black dress with just a hint of blue inset in the sleeves. She’d spent more time in hair and makeup than usual and when she left the room and walked toward the studio, she drew more than a few appreciative glances. Mika knew she looked her best and while she wasn’t that vain, she didn’t mind other people noticing.
When she got to the door of the studio, she stopped for a moment and studied the man standing there. She’d seen him before but never this close. He was taller than she’d expected and better looking too. Carefully she let down her walls and reached out with the Force to get a sense of him and felt nothing amiss. He was as curious about her as she was about him and also he had a security detail sweeping the place. Which didn’t surprise her. Quickly she shut herself down again and walked forward, stopping in front of Hux and holding out her hand. “Welcome General Hux, I’m Mika Corliss.”
“A pleasure,” he said. He took her hand and gave it a brief, tight shake. It was an odd ritual, he thought, but clearly an expected one here. When he straightened again he fell naturally into a more familiar posture: shoulders back, hands at his sides. “My men should return soon. Safety precautions... I’m sure you understand.” He smiled softly, but did not wait for a reply. “Nessroya and I are both grateful for this
opportunity. Unbiased media is hard to come by. You are providing a much-needed service to the people.”
“I do understand,” she replied. “I can assure you though that the safety precautions Nessroya sent to my manager have all been met. I know that you’re a busy man so I thank you for taking the time to come here.” She was going to be as polite as possible, giving him no reason to suspect her of anything. Mika knew she could be a good actress when she needed to be, it was part of the job sometimes and today she was on her best behavior. “Our goal is to present the information to the people by putting a face to things. Hearing you speak of the First Order will get past the things they’ve read and seen. Hearing someone speak about it will make those things mean more.” Although frankly she couldn’t imagine the man in front of her warming up enough to charm the audience but maybe he’d be different on camera. She’d been surprised before.
“Of course,” Hux said. The three patrolling officers returned, immediately moving to flank their general. He tipped his head to Mika. His small smile remained perched at the edge of his mouth, wooden and unyielding. “I believe we’re ready,” he said. “Lead on.”
Mika nodded. “Follow me then,” she said. When she turned around she had to concentrate very hard not to roll her eyes. This was promising to be a fantastic experience, she thought. How was she going to get this man to talk, even better, how was she going to make him appeal to an audience. Well she’d done hard interviews before and she’d get through this one. Hopefully he’d warm up a little.
They entered the studio which was set up with two chairs at diagonals to each other and a table in between with a pitcher of water on it. “Have a seat,” she said and indicated one of the chairs while she took the other. “Someone from hair and makeup will be here in a moment to get you ready, then once you’re miked, we’ll be ready to go.”
The officers paused at the edge of the studio, well out of sight from any audience or capture equipment. Each without conscious thought or overt communication took up a spot in close proximity to a door. Hux took the seat Mika had indicated. He held back the bulk of his initial reaction to the mention of makeup; only a slight crinkling of his nose occurred, and that he managed to school away fairly quickly.
In spite of that minor, poor reaction, Hux felt largely comfortable. Logically he was aware that this audience would be quite different from his typical one: These viewers were not predisposed to be open to his message, and many of them would indeed be openly hostile toward it. He contemplated how best to position his answers, and how to present them in the ost affable manner.
“I suppose you’re an old hand at these interviews by now,” he said. “Do you have any tips for a beginner like myself?”
She was watching him and caught his change of expression in response to her mention of makeup. It was fairly typical of most men she interviewed though so it didn’t strike her as odd. “Well the first thing I always tell people is be yourself. Don’t be nervous, I’m not going to be asking you any questions that you aren’t expecting. I sent a list to the Communications Officer which I asked her to share with you. I’m not trying to trap you, General, I want to make that clear.” As much as she wished she could nail him to the wall and make him accountable for the lives he’d destroyed, Mike knew that wasn’t an option. People watching this would draw their own conclusions, she was simply doing a job. “I’ll start out by asking you a few pemrsonal questions, help the audience to get to know you a little better. They’ve seen you on the hotonet of course but that was official programming, this is different.”
"Of course." He nodded. He chafed at the mention of personal questions, though he did not allow it to show. He remained straight-backed and poised, his face an unreadable blank. He told himself he had been avoiding personal questions likely longer than his interviewer was alive; moreover, he could dissemble better than most, having kept the bulk of his personal life firmly in the shadows.
He said no more as the attendant approached them, a small makeup kit in hand. He sat perfectly still as his dour face was softened and made more palatable -- at least to a certain audience, he supposed. He hoped against hope Ren would never watch this. He would never hear the end of it.
When the attendant had gone, having completed their work and pinned a microphone neatly to his lapel, he drew a deep breath. His face felt like an ill-fitting mask. "All right," he said. "Whenever you're ready, I suppose."
Mika had already come to the conclusion that no matter what she said, he was going to look exactly the same throughout the entire interview. Well, there was nothing she could do about that, she thought. All she could do was ask the questions and hope the she managed to do what the First Order wanted her to do. Make this man look appealing to an audience. She had her work cut out for her. “Okay then,” she glanced toward the director who counted down and then pointed to her to begin.
“Welcome,” she said with a smile for the camera. “I’m Mike Corliss and tonight I have the privilege of talking with General Hux of the First Order. General Hux is a name that most of us know but few of us actually know the man behind the name. Tonight, we hope to get to know him better.” Mika turned in her chair to face Hux. “Good evening General,” she said. “Thank you so much for agreeing to speak with me this evening. I know you’re a busy man.”
Hux nodded. Smile, he told himself, and tried to comply. He thought of Phasma, of recent events, and it became incrementally easier, though his expression could still by no means be called warm. "Good evening," he said. "Thank you for having me."
“You’re welcome, it’s our pleasure,” Mika replied. That wasn’t entirely true but it was close enough. “Perhaps we could get started with a few things that people don’t know. For example, where did you grow up? I know that Naboo isn’t your home but that’s the only thing I know about.” she smiled because she actually did more about him than that, she’d done her homework and she might have peeked in his head a little. That was a place she hadn’t enjoyed being so she decided she wouldn’t be doing that again.
This time, the general found it easier to smile. “I was born on Arkanis,” he said. “In the Outer Rim. My father worked at the academy there. We left when I was very young, but I have very fond memories of it. The students there were quite friendly and welcoming, and even though I was much too young to join them in classes, I learned a lot from them.”
This was a fact that Mika had known, it was public knowledge, Hux’s father was well known in the galaxy and not always in a good light. “You eventually did attend the academy didn’t you? When you were old enough?” At least he was talking, she thought, and so far he had been very pleasant. This might turn out well after all.
He nodded. “I did. Well, a version of the academy. After we were forced to flee Arkanis, my father and several other high-ranking officers began a similar program. It was more mobile than Arkanis Academy, for obvious reasons.We lost our home and a great deal of our resources, but our commitment to education did not falter. Classes and drills continued, under instructors as good as or better than what the academy had been able to offer.”
“It’s always hard when you have to leave your home,” she said, sympathy in her voice. “But it seems that everything worked out in the end. From what I can see, the First Order has some very fine officers that are doing a good job keeping the peace.” That was hard to say but she’d been told to toss something like that in and this was a good place as any. She was going to need a drink after this.
“Well thank you, Mika.” Again his smile was soft. The expression seemed almost out of place on his face; for a moment, he almost looked handsome. “Building stability out of the chaos that came before has proved more difficult than we anticipated. But our troopers and officers are as devoted as they have ever been. With their help, in time we can restore the galaxy to its former glory.”
Mika had to fight not to roll her eyes but she’d done this for enough years that she knew how to hide her thoughts. “Things like that always take time,” she said. “But with dedicated men and women working toward the cause, it can certainly happen. Tell me, General, what would you say has been your proudest moment in your career.” and for the love of the Maker, please don’t say Starkiller Base she thought.
“That’s hard to say,” he said. Hux thought for a moment. His first thought ran parallel to hers, but he put it aside as quickly as it had come. “But I suppose it might be my appointment to the command of the Finalizer. My service is very important to me, and being given the opportunity to serve with a crew of their caliber has been remarkably rewarding.”
Good answer, she thought. “I can certainly understand that. The Finalizer is quite an impressive ship.” Mika had seen holos of it, had read the specs but she’d never actually seen the ship itself and hoped she never did. “You’ve accomplished quite a lot for one so young, you have every reason to be proud.” How much longer was she going to have to do this, she wonderred and glanced at the clock. Not much longer as it turned out. “We’ve got time for one more question and this is something that I’m sure our viewers would like to know. What do you do in your free time? Although you probably don’t get much free time I would imagine.”
Hux managed a small laugh, as though he was embarrassed. “I don’t particularly, no. And in what leisure time I do have, I’m not especially interesting. I read a lot, of course, and… well, perhaps it’s a holdover from my childhood, but I enjoy an occasional game of Dejarik with some of my officers.”
Mika had heard of the game but she’d never played it so she just nodded. “Well, I’m glad that you do have a little time to relax, everyone needs that.” A glance toward the director and she turned back to Hux. “it looks like we’re out of time, General but thank you so much for coming by and talking with me. It’s nice to know that someone like you is working to keep order.” Now that was hard to say, she thought but she didn’t have a choice.
He smiled softly, inclining his head in a show of modest gratitude. “It’s been my pleasure,” he said. “I appreciate the opportunity.”
She returned the smile and then swiveled her chair to face the camera and said the few closing words she had to give. When she was done, she unhooked the mic and stood up to shake his hand. “Thank you so much for coming, General, it’s been a pleasure. I’m sorry I can’t stay and chat but I have another interview in twenty minutes,” that wasn’t entirely true. It was more like an hour but she couldn’t think of any other way to politely leave. “Thanks again,” she called as she followed her assistant out of the studio.