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Luke and Tionne were sitting around a table in the palace, data cards and pads strewn all over the table. It had been a rough day in court. Luke had brought forth several experts on population study and forensic science to debunk the prosecutors' accusations, but Loran Fritchy had not made it easy. Instead of ripping Luke's witnesses to shreds on the stand, the experienced attorney had gone the other route and declined to cross-examine any of them.
It had been terrible. The jury had already heard most of what Luke was presenting, and the fact that Loran had deemed it insignificant went a long way to making the jurors feel the same way. Luke had actually caught a few in the jury box snoozing and had woken them with a Force nudge.
Not only was Luke's presentation poorly received, but it was poorly put together. He expected half of the day to be made up of Loran's questions, but when it became clear that he was not going to get that time filler, he had to work extra hard just to make sure he could fill up one of his two allotted days.
They only had one witness left, Randie Greggs, Jacen's friend who had been with him almost every night before the murder. Randie was the closest thing to an alibi that Jacen had, and he was therefore the most valuable witness they had. To the best of Luke's knowledge, neither Loran nor any of his associates had taken the time to question the youth. Besides, Luke did not see any damaging evidence in what Randie had to say. All he was going to testify to was that Jacen had been home sick on the night of the murder.
It was now early in the morning of the fourth day with only six hours before the beginning of the last day of the trial. The two Jedi Masters were working diligently to try and come up with some way to fill the rest of the day. This is when Jaina came busting into the room.
The young woman was still covered in filth and smelled of garbage, but her face was aglow with excitement. Before either teacher could question her as to what had happened, Jaina spilled her story on her own. She had been gone for almost 36 hours and had a lot to tell. She told them everything from the old woman, to the mysterious Dianna. She told them about Imboyan and the fabled Caylin. She spent most of her time, though, talking about the more resent Caylin imposter and her theory as to what had happened that fateful night more than a week ago now. Jaina was talking a kilometer a second.
"I spent the last twelve hours talking to dozens of people who met this Caylin imposter, and they all described him the same way. He is Jacen's height and build. None of them saw his face, which is understandable considering the lighting conditions down there and the fact that this killer was wearing a black robe. They also said his voice was cold and serious. When was the last time you heard Jacen talk in a serious voice? This guy has to be the killer, and he must have used Markis's Forcepike."
Luke leaned back after he heard the story and contemplated it. "There are a lot of holes."
"Like what?" Jaina asked, a little disappointed that they were not as ecstatic as she was.
"How did the Forcepike get back in the cabinet?"
"Easy, the killer brought it back."
"There is no security camera record of that. Also, how did he get his footprints to appear in the alley like they did?"
"You outlined a way it could have been done," Jaina responded, aghast that they were actually arguing with her. Who did they think did it? Jacen?
"I outlined a way that requires special equipment. I doubt this killer of yours would have that on him."
"Well at least you can have them check the Forcepike in their colorometer, or whatever they called it."
"If they let us have the Forcepike. I doubt the weapon is registered, and they would be guilty of a felony by just admitting they have such a weapon."
"Then don't ask for it; take it!" Jaina was getting very annoyed.
"We can't break in and steal the Forcepike," Tionne spoke up for the first time. "The only way to get this weapon legally is with a warrant."
"Then get one!"
"There is no time, and we have no grounds on which to request one. Besides, what if the Forcepike fails. You said it was blue, but so were both of Jacen's lightsabers and only one of them matched the one in the security holovid."
"But it has to match," Jaina insisted, slamming her hand on the table. "It is the only possible explanation."
Luke and Tionne were silent for a moment before Luke spoke. "It is not the only explanation, Jaina. You know that."
"What?!" Jaina could not believe what she was hearing. "Do you two actually think that Jacen is the killer?! I can't believe it! What ... how... wh-" Jaina was at a loss.
"Jaina," it was Tionne, "you've been up for a long time, and from your appearance you've obviously been through a lot. We appreciate your efforts, but you should get some sleep now. We'll take care of this."
"Take care of this? Take care of this? You're going to let them kill my brother!"
"Jaina," it was Luke now, "we are going to do what's right."
"No!" Jaina was totally out of control now. "You are going to do what's wrong. Jacen did not kill Senator Keld, and I just gave you proof that someone else did."
"What if Jacen was this Caylin imposter," Tionne suggested.
"That's ridiculous! I already told you that this imposter wanted to frame a Jedi. Why would Jacen want to frame himself? Why would Jacen kill the senator?!"
Luke looked at his niece sternly. "Jaina, look at yourself. You are sixteen-years-old, and you are trying to deal with something that you are not prepared for. You do not have enough experience or control to handle yourself in this situation. You are being irrational and inconsistent with the way you normally act. Jacen can be the same way.
"I'm sure Jacen thought at the time that he was getting rid of the next Palpatine or stopping the next Jedi purge, but in reality, he was just a sixteen-year-old boy who got confused. You know as I do that he is already one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. You know what kind of pressure and responsibility that requires. He just made a mistake."
"But he said he didn't do it," Jaina insisted, but Luke's soothing voice and her fatigue were slowly taking their toll.
"He was confused," Tionne said. "He probably does not remember what he did. The Dark Side can do that to you."
Jaina could not stand this anymore. Luke and Tionne had already written off Jacen's life. Jaina knew her brother better than they did. His temper rarely flared. The twins had worked very hard to control their emotions so they would not act irrationally. She just knew Jacen would not have made the kind of mistake that Luke had said.
She looked at her teachers for a few more seconds, but could think of nothing more to say and stormed out of the room. Tionne turned to Luke. "Will she be okay?"
Luke shrugged. "I hope so. The Force works in mysterious ways. I nearly lost it when Obi-wan died. I then watched Yoda and my father die. I realize now it was the only way I would understand that is was now my responsibility to resurrect the Jedi. Once I came to understand and accept this, I managed. Jaina will have to deal with this in her own way, and hopefully she will come out of it okay."
Tionne nodded, and the two of them turned back to their work.
***
Jaina could barely sit still on the hard bench.
She had left Luke and Tionne earlier that morning in a huff, but her fatigue had not allowed her to keep up her fury. Instead she had taken a shower and then passed out on the cot in her room. Now she was seated behind Luke and Tionne in the courtroom again. Beside her, Han and Leia sat very still. Anakin was there now too. Luke and Tionne had already talked to them about what was going to happen today, and while none of them had liked it, they had finally come to accept it.
Han had nearly killed Luke, but his rash side could not totally push aside the common sense that he had developed over the past two decades. Luke had told him many times before that raising Jedi kids would not be easy, and there was a better than even chance that he would outlive all three of his children, but that did not make this any easier. Luke was still scared Han would try some sort of prison break, but he would deal with that later. Likely the court would not give them enough time to try anything anyway.
Leia had already assumed Jacen was going to die, and she had gone through very little change of emotion when Luke and Tionne told them what to expect. Anakin had been the interesting one. He knew who he was. He was the strongest Force potential anywhere, and even at a young age, that knowledge had instilled a sense of duty and honor that often rivaled Luke. Jaina saw him acting just like their uncle, taking the news with reluctant acceptance, but she knew that when the time came for the execution, he would break down like any twelve-year-old kid would.
Luke called Randie Greggs to the stand. Randie had been following the trial at home and knew what kind of shape Jacen's chances were in. While he had not been told that the defense had already thrown in the towel, he would have not been surprised to hear it.
After Randie was sworn in and hooked up to Katie, Luke approached him. "How do you know the defendant?"
"Jacen and I are friends. We grew up together." Randie had been told not to elaborate. Any extra information he brought up would only be something else the prosecution could use against him.
"Did you have much contact with Jacen during the days before the murder?"
Randie nodded. "Yes, we went out just about every night."
"Why didn't you go out the night in question?"
"Actually, we were supposed to. We were going to meet each other at around eight O'clock. When he did not show up, I called him. He said that he was not feeling well and couldn't go out tonight."
Luke paused in thought, wondering how much further he should go. He could tell the jury was interested in what was being said. They now had a report that Jacen was at home the night in question. Of course, the senator had been killed very late in the night, and the fact that Jacen was home at eight, did not mean he stayed there all night. "No further questions," Luke spoke up.
As Luke took his seat, Judge Icktar looked over at Loran. "Do you wish to question the witness?"
Loran and his team were busy shuffling data cards across their table. Loran looked up. "Uh, yes your honor." The attorney whispered a few more directions to his staff and rose from behind the table.
"Randie," he started in a loud voice, "how old are you?"
Luke stood quickly. "Objection! Irrelevant." Luke had a bad feeling he knew where Loran wanted to go with his line of questions
Icktar paused for a moment. "Sustained."
Loran took the rebuke in stride. "How well do you know the defendant?"
Randie had not received too much council from Luke on how to handle the cross-examination, partly because Luke really had no idea what Loran would do. "I know him very well."
Loran shook his head. "How well? I mean, would you consider him your best friend?"
"We were as kids, but now we don't see each other that much."
"As kids then," Loran persisted, "you spent a lot of time together? I mean, you were in the same grade in school, right?"
"Yea," Randie responded before Luke could do anything. The jury knew how old Jacen was. Now they knew how old Randie was.
"You said earlier that you and the defendant went out each night; where did you go?"
"Mostly to youth clubs," Randie replied.
"And where did you go the night before the senator was killed?"
"Objection!" Luke cried.
Icktar looked confused. The line of questioning so far seemed completely reasonable. He had only ruled against Loran on the age objection because he could not see how it would be important. Now he realized that something was going on that he knew nothing about. Icktar motioned for Luke and Loran to approach the bench.
"What's going on here?" he asked in a harsh whisper when both Luke and Loran had arrived.
"He's trying to smear the witness's reputation to discredit his testimony. He wants the witness to say that he and Jacen went to an adult club."
While Loran had assumed as much, that was not where he was headed. "That's not true, your honor," Loran responded. "According to Martin's testimony," he looked back at his table, behind which the son of the dead senator sat, "someone visited Senator Keld the night before he was killed. I believe it was the killer, and Randie was with the defendant the night before the murder."
Luke's face fell dramatically as the shock of what was just said hit him. He knew about Jacen's mysterious departure the night before. He had just unknowingly insured Jacen's demise by placing Randie on the stand.
By Luke's reaction, Icktar knew that what Loran wanted was out there. "You may continue this line of reasoning but may not inquire as to the type of club the two men visited."
Loran nodded, and the two attorneys retreated from the bench. As Luke sat back down, Jaina could see the dejected look on his face. Loran was restraining a smile. "Where did you go the night before the senator was killed?"
"Just a club."
Loran almost asked what kind of club, but held his question in check. "What was the name of the club?"
"The Neon Nerf," Randie replied carefully. He realized that he had just admitted to going to a club that he had been too young to legally enter.
Loran turned to his table and one of his men nodded. A 3D cross-section of a portion of Coruscant appeared on the main holoprojector in the middle of the room. The Neon Nerf was highlighted clearly. No one was looking at the club, though. Instead, their eyes were transfixed on the building that stood less than a kilometer away: The Krakun Hematological Research Center.
"Is this the club you went to that night?" Loran asked.
"Yes," Randie said, but his eyes were also riveted to the research center.
"How long did you stay at the club that night?"
"Till about 10:30."
"Did the defendant stay with you the entire time?"
Then it hit Randie. He had been watching the trial earlier in the week when Martin had given his testimony about the mysterious visitor the night before the murder. Jaina saw the transformation and nearly screamed out loud. Randie went from being Jacen Solo's best friend and sure of his innocence to someone who now believed Jacen had killed the senator. "No," he said. "No he did not."
Jaina could not watch this debacle any longer. She got up and climbed over her relatives, making quite a commotion. All eyes turned to the front row as she finally pulled herself free of the cramped seating and stormed out of the room. Everyone understood her anger. After all, her brother was going to be executed.
***
Jaina was sitting in the Rusty Rail. Imboyan was sitting at her table as well. This time Jaina had wanted alcohol, and two empty glasses sat in front of her. She was not dressed in her filthy attire from the previous day, and more than a few heads had turned in her direction when she had entered.
Her head was slumped on the table as her back and shoulders convulsed through her sobs. She did not want to move. She did not care about anything any more. She was the only one on the face of this gargantuan planet who still believed her brother was innocent and there was nothing she could do about it.
Imboyan tapped her on the shoulder as the scene on the flatscreen viewer changed. The trial had ended shortly after Jaina had left, and the jury had been dismissed. They had deliberated for a whole fifteen minutes, but the judge had insisted that the break last at least until noon.
Jaina picked her head up slightly so she could see the screen. The spokesman for the jury stood up and read the verdict. There was no sound, but Jaina did not have to be an experienced lip reader to understand the word "Guilty." A few of the patrons cheered after this declaration, but Jaina did not care. She just slumped her head back to the table.
***
Back in the courtroom, the response had been subdued somewhat. Most of those in attendance had started the trial in shock and confusion. They could not believe that anyone would be so bold as to accuse the Jedi Academy's prize student of this high profile murder. It just did not seem possible.
But now, as the jury read the verdict, most of the room was excited to see that justice was being served. Most of the room, that is, except the first row behind the defense's table. Leia and Han were devastated.
Icktar turned to look at Luke. "It pains me to have to do this, Master Skywalker, but the facts are too clear in this matter, and the Republic was founded on certain principles that need to be maintained no matter the consequences. I here-by sentence that Jacen Solo is found guilty of murder and will be executed at midnight tonight."
Before he pounded the gavel, Icktar continued speaking to Luke. "I understand that at any time in the past few days, you could have rescued your student. I also realize that regardless of the amount of security we place around his cell now, you have the ability to remove him from our custody. Because of this, I see no reason to leave him locked in the highest security possible.
"Jacen Solo will be moved to a minimum security cell within the palace and visiting hours will continue up until one hour before the execution."
"I most emphatically object!!!" Loran screamed.
Icktar did not even pay him any attention. Instead he looked hard at Luke. "I will hold you personally responsible if anything should happen between now and twelve this evening. I know you are a man of honor and respect. I trust you to do the right thing. Also know that your deeds in the past will not save you if you falter here."
With that, the gavel sounded.
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