[Opening Scene – BBN Main Studio, 8:00 PM]
The signature BBN Nightline intro blared across every screen in the empire.
The headline scrolled in bold red text:
> "LIVE SLAP — CITIZEN ASSAULTS ROYAL ENVOY CLASSIC BLACKWOOD DURING INTERVIEW. NATION IN SHOCK."
Camera pans to Marcel Trent, sitting stiff in his chair, face grave.
To his left sat the familiar trio: Dr. Kellan Varo, Major Ret. Juno Craye, and Lena Orvis.
The studio lights were colder tonight — sharp, sterile, almost metallic.
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Marcel Trent (somberly):
"Good evening, Blackwood Union. What began as a day of celebration has turned into what analysts are already calling the most shocking public defiance in the history of the Empire.
During a live broadcast this afternoon, an unidentified citizen struck Classic Blackwood — the King's envoy — across the face.
Classic did not retaliate. He ordered the man's release.
The footage, seen by billions, has already been replayed more than any BBN segment in history.
The question tonight: Was this a symbol of awakening… or the beginning of disobedience?"
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Marcel:
"Dr. Varo, I'll start with you. What does this mean for the throne?"
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Dr. Kellan Varo (leaning back, thoughtful):
"Marcel, this was no random act. This was desperation meeting opportunity. The citizen didn't just slap a man — he slapped the system.
But what fascinates me is Classic's reaction. He didn't punish, didn't call guards, didn't make a speech about loyalty. He told them to release the man. That's power restraint — the rarest kind.
You see, empires fall not when rulers are hated, but when they lose control of the narrative.
Classic just reclaimed it."
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Marcel:
"So you believe this wasn't weakness?"
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Dr. Varo (nodding):
"Far from it. It was control in its purest form.
The King's envoy bleeding on camera, and still commanding silence? That's not humiliation — that's theater."
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Lena Orvis (cutting in):
"Or it's humanity, Doctor. For once, someone at the top listened.
That citizen didn't swing for power — he swung out of pain.
Classic saw that and chose mercy. You call it theater; I call it evolution."
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Major Ret. Juno Craye (gruffly):
"Let's not romanticize it, Lena.
A soldier's perspective: an open strike on a royal envoy is treason — plain and simple.
Classic's decision to free the man may look noble, but to the ranks, it's confusion.
When order gets questioned in public, loyalty starts to tremble in private."
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Marcel:
"Interesting. So we have three lenses already — power, compassion, and discipline. But let's take it wider.
The Queen's reform just shook the hierarchy. Now, a slap shakes the throne's untouchability. Are these connected, Dr. Varo?"
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Dr. Varo:
"Absolutely. History moves like dominoes, Marcel.
First, the Queen defied the system for justice. Now the people are defying the system for themselves.
But here's the catch — both acts happened under the King's watch. That means it's allowed, maybe even orchestrated.
If I know Chris Blackwood — and I do — nothing that destabilizes him happens by accident."
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Lena Orvis (frowning):
"So you're saying the King let a citizen hit his envoy? That's insane."
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Dr. Varo (smirks):
"Not insane. Strategic. Every empire needs a controlled rebellion to reset obedience.
Classic bleeds once so the citizens remember who made him bleed — and who let him live."
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Major Craye:
"There's logic in that, but too much faith in people. Once the crowd learns the throne can be touched, it'll happen again.
And next time, it might not be a slap — it might be a bullet."
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Marcel:
"Major, do you believe this incident threatens the stability of BAM?"
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Major Craye:
"BAM soldiers serve the throne, not feelings. But make no mistake — the ranks are talking.
Some say Classic's mercy was strength. Others call it softness.
In war, mercy is luxury. In leadership, it's gamble."
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Lena (passionately):
"Maybe it's the kind of gamble the Empire needs! The people are suffocating under numbers and titles. The Queen gave them hope, and now Classic just proved even power bleeds red like everyone else.
That's not rebellion — that's realization."
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Marcel:
"And yet, Lena, the footage also shows something terrifying — the crowd cheered when the slap landed.
That wasn't just empathy. That was excitement.
A rush.
A taste of defiance."
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Dr. Varo:
"That's the danger of visibility. When a god bleeds, worship turns to curiosity.
If the King doesn't respond correctly — if he punishes too hard, he looks insecure; if he ignores it, he looks weak.
Classic's move placed the throne in the spotlight of judgment — again."
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Major Craye:
"And Chris Blackwood doesn't like judgment. He gives it."
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Marcel (glancing at camera):
"We're receiving live updates, folks. The Palace has just issued a statement.
It reads — and I quote:
> 'The King acknowledges the incident. Justice will be delivered with wisdom, not wrath. The Empire remains unshaken.'
That's it. Short, sharp, controlled."
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Lena:
"'Justice with wisdom'… That sounds like the Queen's tone, not the King's."
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Dr. Varo:
"Or it's both. That's what makes them dangerous together — they share language, but not meaning.
He says 'wisdom,' he means 'strategy.' She says 'wisdom,' she means 'mercy.'
And the people can't tell which voice rules them."
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Major Craye:
"If you ask me, they rule together because they play opposite ends of the same game.
Chris builds the fear. Amara builds the faith.
Classic? He walks the line between both — bleeding in the middle."
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Marcel (leaning forward, voice low):
"And that, perhaps, is why this story won't end with a slap.
Because when faith, fear, and blood mix — something bigger always follows."
He turns to the camera, tone grave yet magnetic.
> "Tonight, the Union watched one man take a blow for an empire built on power.
Tomorrow, we'll see if that empire still remembers how to stand tall."
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[BBN Outro Music Fades — Screen cuts to black with the headline:]