Organisers suspend 2398 Battle of the Bands following tiger attack mid-performance

DONOVA IV — The stage set. The crowd hushed and waited. A rise of orange flashed across the crowd. A guitar riff strummed. Gorgeous George stepped out onto the stage to perform his latest single, flanked by two Puckapunyal tigers — purple marvels exclusive to George’s brand. And then everything went wrong.
Gorgeous George’s performance came to a crashing halt when a lighting rig collapsed onto the stage. According to George’s lawyer, force fields used as precautionary protection for his audience malfunctioned. The Puckapunyal tigers, loved by George so dearly, were released into the crowd of unsuspecting spectators.
USS Veritas (NCC-95035) had their own entry in the Battle of the Bands and were lucky enough to perform before the commotion.
“We didn’t win,” said Captain Roshanara Rahman, “but no one else did either.”
Veritas officers in the crowd were forced to contain the tigers through unique means. For his efforts on a bicycle to capture the attention of the tigers, luring them away from the crowd, Lieutenant JG Ikaia Wong was awarded the UFP Medal of Freedom. His efforts were only necessary because of the transport inhibitors implanted in the tigers, designed to ensure they couldn’t be stolen from Gorgeous George.
Protests of Gorgeous George’s appearance, often organised by Maria Chicchoni, claimed to predict the incident’s occurrence. Starfleet states the protest’s role was more nefarious than that.
“We have arrested Maria Chicchoni as the mastermind behind the chaos and deadly disaster, and transferred into the custody of the local Colonial Coalition Marshals,” reported Captain Rahman. “Records of the protest plans have come out, and even some of her former followers are speaking against her, especially after the release of a damaging documentary exposing some of her questionable practices and ethics.”
Chicchoni’s animal sanctuary has since been seized by Donova IV’s government.
The documentary directed by Riza Hass was released on social extranets. It features interviews with Veritas senior officers and lawyers working on Chicchoni’s criminal case and details the events that occurred leading to George’s unfortunate performance. Extranet sites have reported malicious attempts by the Cobalt Clan to remove the documentary through false copyright claims, but they have so far been unsuccessful.
Hass previously worked as George’s assistant. They have not spoken publicly since the documentary’s release.
Battle of the Bands organisers have not yet confirmed whether the indefinite suspension of events will continue into 2399. They have not confirmed the number of injuries.
Gorgeous George and Maria Chicchoni have separate court dates for their involvement in the event.
 
Written by Wil Ukinix