Mirage of Justice

Spoilers: There are spoilers and references for The Phantom Menace, and the Jedi Apprentice series.

This was originally written in the months after The Phantom Menace first came out.

Disclaimer: The Star Wars characters and universe belong to George Lucas, several publishers, 20th Century Fox, and a number of authors. I am not making any money on this. This was written strictly for fun...mine.

Author's note: This story was born while writing A Building of Empires and A Lost Hope. I referred to the trial of the Trade Federation Viceroy and his mysterious death several times in those stories. I decided to write a short story about that.

I have believed since first seeing TPM that Yoda already knew of the Sith, but there is one sentence in Jedi Apprentice #7 that lead me to wonder, "What did Qui-Gon know about the Sith, and when did he know it?"

About 3 weeks after the end of TPM

Jedi temple

Obi-Wan remained kneeling as he watched the Jedi Master stare out the window of the Jedi Council room. Yoda had been silent for a great many minutes, and Obi-Wan was finding it harder not to interrupt the Master's thoughts. Experience was a good teacher, and he'd suffered several raps on the knuckles as a child. He shifted his position when Yoda chuckled.

"Impatient are you still?"

Kenobi smiled. "Yes, master."

"Forget you, I have not; but prepared are you to teach the boy?"

Obi-Wan took several breaths before he spoke. He had meditated on his new role of teacher many times since Yoda had informed him of the council's permission to take Anakin as his apprentice. "No, master I am not. I promised Qui-Gon..." His voice wavered as he closed his eyes. It had only been three weeks ago, yet it seemed like a life time ago.

Yoda's eyes were full of sympathy and understanding as he continued speaking. "Much you still need to understand before others from you can learn. A Jedi Knight you may be..."

"But that doesn't make me a teacher," Obi-Wan stood slowly as he looked out of the same window Yoda had been staring out of just moments earlier. The Coruscant air traffic continued to travel in the same carefully controlled straight lines, the senate building still dominated the landscape, yet the view felt different, emptier.

"No," Yoda said with the barest of nods. "But ready to become Jedi the boy is not." Obi-Wan didn't respond. Anakin hadn't been happy with the council's decision that he would attend school for the next several years. The boy was very bright and very strong in the Force, but there were serious gaps in his education. Obi-Wan continued to stare at the Galactic Senate building as he remembered Anakin's discontent at not beginning his training immediately. He again wondered if he was up to the responsibility before him.

"Patience, my young friend," Yoda said softly. "Prepared you will be." He turned to stare at the Senate building with Obi-Wan. "The Trade Federation trial?"

Obi-Wan looked quickly at the master then back out the window. "The Senate has asked me to testify." He fingered Qui-Gon's saber that hung at his side. "Master Yoda, are the Sith involved?" He still wondered why Qui-Gon had believed this. Their opponent had indeed been strong in the darkside of the Force, but that didn't make him Sith.

Yoda bowed his head, Obi-Wan sensed a sadness as the aged master spoke. "Not ready are they to believe: the Sith a myth to them be."

"So we all thought," Obi-Wan whispered. It was true then-he sensed that from Yoda.

"Yes." Yoda glanced up at him. "Survived they did. Always two there are: a master and an apprentice."

"The one I killed was not the master." Obi-Wan stared at Yoda for a second, before lowering his eyes. "There is something else that disturbs you?"

Yoda's ears perked up before sagging even lower. He leaned on his staff. "Patience you must have, for patience he has."

"He?" Obi-Wan asked, now really puzzled as he watched Yoda leave the room. He shrugged his shoulders and stared out over the Coruscant cityscape. He knew, somehow he knew, that a great evil still lurked in the galaxy. He straightened up as he too turned to leave. He was a Jedi Knight-and the Jedi were the protectors of peace and justice. The Jedi had defeated the Sith a thousand years earlier-they could do it again. His confidant attitude fluttered for a second as he remembered Yoda's unease, then it passed.

Coruscant prison

Tierma Brial scowled as he placed his briefcase on the table. The gods, he'd decided that morning, hated him. Or at least his boss did-there was no other reason he, a human, would have been given this case. He had the galaxy's worst Sabacc hand; and the gods, his boss, and probably his client, expected him to lose. He opened the case angrily as he pulled out a datapack and his datareader. The prison guard next to him glanced quickly at his now empty briefcase then backed away. Brial groaned as he heard the door open and a Neimodian came in, his orange eyes blazing angrily. Well, Brial thought with a mental chuckle, someone else was equally angry today. "Mr. Gunray?"

"Viceroy," the Neimodian snarled. Brial shook his head, the gods really had a nasty sense of humor.

"Very well, Viceroy Gunray, I'm Tierma Brial, your lawyer." He motioned for the guard to leave.

"I thought the Trade Federation was..." For the briefest of moments, Brial thought he saw a flicker of uncertainty, then it was gone, Viceroy Gunray stood proud and angry, glaring at him. "Who do you work for?"

Brial shrugged as he fished his card out of his pocket. "Rolla and Sons." Gunray didn't take the card and after a second of holding it there for his client to ignore, Brial put it away as he continued speaking. "We were asked by Off..."

Gunray cut him off. "I asked for representation from the Trade Federation."

"The Trade Federation is trying to cover its collective rear," Brial said with greater calm than he felt. "They are saying you acted alone, without their cooperation and against their direct orders." He bit his lip: becoming angry at being assigned this case was not going to help his client. "The Senate is deliberating as we speak," Brial said as he motioned for Gunray to sit down across from him. "It looks like the Trade Federation will be dissolved before opening statements."

Gunray yanked at the chair as he pulled it out, but didn't sit. "The Trade Federation had every right to protest the unfair tax policies..."

Brial cut him off with a quick motion of his hand. "The Republic charter is very specific about what is appropriate..." Gunray let loose with several phrases that while he didn't understand the words, Brial could understand the sentiment.

Gunray glared at him, then lowered his head. "Is that what they are saying?" His voice was no longer angry, there was now a hint of resignation and defeat.

"Amongst other things." Brial glanced at the reader then at his client as he tried to maintain an aura of professionalism. "The Senate does not believe the Trade Federation either." He clasped his hands in an another attempt to keep his frustration under control. "I need something that will convince the Senate to not-"

"He lied," Gunray hissed quietly.

"Who?" Brial glanced at his reader then back up at his still standing client. "He who?"

"Lord Sidious." Brial leaned over the table so he could hear the Viceroy's quiet words. "He promised there would be no interference from the Senate."

Brial took a deep breath. "Who is Lord Sidious?" There was no mention of the name in the report. He wondered, briefly, if the Trade Federation ambassador might know more about any political deals in the Senate-but Gunray's next comment ended that thought.

"A Sith Lord." Brial would have chuckled. The gods were really being abusive: his client was apparently nuts too. He wondered if an insanity plea might work.

"A Sith Lord," Brial repeated in a tone that implied nothing more than disbelief. "I see. However, I do need something more. I can't use ancient history and myth in your defense." So much for his calmness or his recent stomach problems. He wanted a way out of this case. Badly.

"I've said too much." Gunray looked around nervously. "He always knows what is going on." He smiled, while Brial frowned. "The Jedi who died on Naboo was killed by a Sith. I understand the Dark One died too."

Brial shrugged. He knew that the Jedi had become involved and that one had been killed-but nothing beyond that. There was very little chance of using this in this Sabacc Game. There was no evidence of this Sith Lord, unless the Jedi admitted that they'd killed one. 'Ancient myth returns to influence Trade Federation Viceroy'. He shivered as he shut-off his datareader. "I have to be honest, it doesn't look good. The new Supreme Chancellor is from Naboo, and he's furious with the Trade Federation. The senate and public believe that you and your people should be punished."

"They will not get away with it." There was no emotion in the Viceroy's words, and the Neimodian's eyes lacked the fire of a few minutes earlier.

"We have no defense, outside of protesting what you consider an illegal tariff-a tariff voted and approved by the Galactic Senate. I might have been able to do more if you hadn't ordered the invasion of Naboo."

Gunray laughed the bitter laugh of the betrayed. "Lord Sidious wanted us to wipe them all out..."

Brial was startled, then realized that couldn't be true-nothing was that evil. He still had no idea how he would get Gunray off and just two days to come up with a brilliant defense strategy or he would be lucky to find a job selling used spacecraft. He did know that basing his defense on nothing more than the Neimodians had believed the claims of this Lord Sidious would make him the laughing stock of the galaxy. He stared at the table for several more seconds before he looked up at his client. "The case against you and the Trade Federation is substantial. It also looks like the Federation is willing to sacrifice you..."

Gunray didn't move. "And Sidious?"

Brial shook his head. "Come, do you really believe your story? Would you believe it? The Sith were destroyed a thousand years ago, and even if they have returned, surely the Jedi would know about it?"

Gunray snorted. "Jedi. They should never have become involved."

"Probably not, but that doesn't have much bearing on this case. Even without their testimony, there is enough evidence to convict you." Brial had spent some time researching the Jedi involvement and hadn't found much. Valorum had been skirting the law when he'd sent them to Naboo in the first place, but there was plenty of precedence for his actions. Brial had tried to talk to the young man who'd been there: Kenobi had been in shock, but that hadn't explained his reluctance to go into details about the mysterious attacker. Then again, perhaps he could do something with the Jedi involvement. He stood slowly. "Viceroy."

Gunray pushed the chair he'd never sat in back under the table. "The Trade Federation will withdraw from the Republic..."

"You may not have much choice in that matter," Brial said as he latched his case. "The Galactic Republic Senate will most likely place Neimodia under planetary sanctions and order reparations be paid to the Naboo and the Gungan. Sith Lord or not, your Federation is in trouble." And so was he.

Senate offices

Bail Antilles watched the gathering crowds on the street below his office and wondered-again-at the fascination the galaxy had with the Neimodian trial. There wasn't an empty hotel room on the planet-he knew of several local families who were charging exorbitant prices for a meal and floor space.

"It must be a galactic fascination," his friend, fellow senator, and office mate, Garm Bel Iblis said as he continued to read. "I saw a Hutt in the crowd the other day."

Bail turned and laughed. The thought of a Hutt in a crowd did offer a brief gleeful moment. "I don't see the fascination. The Trade Federation was too greedy, too eager, and for some reason, too unwilling to bring the matter before the Senate." Bail spread his arms as he spoke.

Garm looked up from the datareader with a smile. "Young girl saves her people from evil invaders with the help of the Jedi."

"Put in those terms, I guess it makes sense." Bail pulled at his robes. He served on the Coruscant War Crimes Tribunal, a position he did not relish. But even after the trial, the matter of what would happen to the Trade Federation would continue to be debated in the Senate.

Garm shook his head as he stood. "I still think we're demanding too much from the Trade Federation."

"The public and senate won't be satisfied with anything less." Garm's smile faded to a frown. The Corellian senator, Bail knew, wasn't happy with the reparations the Senate was demanding. It would ruin the Trade Federation. The majority of the Senators were of the opinion that this might not be so bad. It sent a very clear message to other members of the Galactic Republic that the sovereign rights of member planets and systems were not to be so violated. Bail knew there were those who would act in a similar manner if the Senate didn't send a strong, clear message.

"I still don't know why the entire galaxy is here," Bail said as he again looked out the window. "The holo-net is carrying full coverage." He shook his head in disbelief. "Even the Alderaan News Service has sent two news crews."

Garm laughed. "They're calling it 'the trial of the century' on Corellia. There hasn't been this much excitement since the trial of General Moray thirty years ago. They just want to witness history."

"Poor Senator Bil Londar." Both men chuckled. The ailing Chandrilan senator had been named presiding judge when Palpatine had rightly declined the position. The new Supreme Chancellor had maintained an admirable detachment. If it had been Alderaan, Bail would have been demanding an all out attack, but Palpatine had kept his anger under control.

"This whole mess is tying up resources and our time," Garm said as he reached for his robes hanging on the back of a chair. "We still have confirmation hearings on Palpatine's new cabinet. And there's been another attack of a merchant convoy. That's the third this year."

"On Corellian ships."

"On Corellian ships," Garm admitted. They both knew that the Corellian ships weren't the only ones being attacked. "The Bothans are convinced the Trade Federation is behind this too."

"The Trade Federation will be blamed for much of the galaxy's woes for the next few years." Bail said as he turned from the window. "They are galactic pariahs and now convenient scapegoats."

"That shouldn't be," Garm said as he put on his robe. "Our mission is peace and fairness to everyone. Those trade-route taxes should never have happened."

Bail shrugged. "There I agree, but the bill had strong support."

Garm paused as he started to open the door. "You know what doesn't make any sense? Why would the Trade Federation even attempt a planetary blockade, let alone an invasion?"

Bail had wondered about that too. It was out of character for the Trade Federation. All he could decide was there was some sort of internal power struggle-yet he'd seen no signs of one. The Trade Federation Ambassador had claimed ignorance of the Viceroy's plans. Bail had not decided yet if that was the truth or not. What he did know was that the sooner this was behind them, the sooner they could start dealing with the daily problems and get some work done.

Jedi Temple

Yoda leaned heavily on his cane, his eyes closed. "Hello my friend," he whispered quietly. "Expected you I have."

A pale blue figure materialized beside him. "The Sith have indeed risen," Qui-Gon said. "Much like we feared all those years ago. We were wrong not to say anything."

Yoda opened his eyes. "Wrong we were not. Too little did we know. Too little do we know."

"We could have warned the others. Xanatos all but said he knew the Sith had returned. We could have prevented this."

Yoda shook his head. "No, my friend. Xanatos never knew all. The Sith Lord used him as an end to the means."

Qui-Gon's spirit stared at the wall. "Who is this Sith Lord?"

"One who is willing to destroy much." Yoda felt the spirit's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"You must warn them! You must tell Obi-Wan."

"The Jedi search for answers continues, my friend."

"And Anakin?" The spirit asked as he faded.

"The chosen one he is." Yoda stared for several minutes where Qui-Gon's spirit had stood. "One who light and dark must serve. Confusing the prophecy is, but significant now it be: for long have I felt the coming darkness." Yoda again leaned on his staff and closed his eyes. Hard to see the darkside was, but recent events had shown that it was there, lurking, waiting. Soon, Yoda realized, the Sith would end their wait. "A great darkness."