Chapter 17: The Starkiller Trial

He was Galen now, but still they insisted on calling the trial 'The Starkiller Trial'. General Kota insisted that it be called something else, but still the council wouldn't listen. Even after finding the truth the original version of the apprentice insisted on being Starkiller. This clone instead chose to go by the name of Galen Marek. Starkiller was a name given to the corrupt apprentice of the Dark Side, but through a clone the name should have been redeemed. Yet here he was.

Galen was now being trialled for treason. Treason for what? Technically the Galactic Empire was in power, if anything Galen prevented treason. But Galen was a devotee to the Rebel Alliance, and he didn't commit treason to them. He was the Alliance.

'Step forward.' Came an alien voice.

He couldn't see where the voice had come from but he knew just as well who it was that had said it. The apprentice had been standing it the hallway to the Telosian Court. In recent years the Emperor had closed down the city and left it abandoned, so the Rebels 'procured' it as one of its many Bases of Operations.

As he entered he realised the sheer size of the courtroom. Truly massive. Almost like what he imagined the Galactic Senate would have looked like before the Empire came into power. It was the same shape but only slightly smaller. The room was much less filled, approximately fifty rebels were inside. On a stage behind a pedestal stood Huran Olsa, the Bith judge for the Rebel Alliance.

Marek wondered how the Bith had come into power. He doubted his predecessor would have recruited him. Leia Organa had been recruited on Kashyyyk, Bail Organa on Felucia and Garm Bel Iblis on Bespin. He just couldn't understand how such a schutta could have become a strong member of the Alliance Court. Either side of him stood Garm Bel Iblis and a hologram of Mon Mohtma. As Marek entered he also noticed Kota standing in the centre, the floor of the courtroom staring blindly up at Olsa. He turned to Marek before stepping back. No doubt he'd defended the clone.

'Starkiller.' Huran began.

'No. My name is Galen Marek.' He corrected.

The Bith looked at him with merciless and empty eyes. There was no respect shown for Marek, not one bit. It was clear that the Bith wanted him gone.

'So be it. Galen Marek you are tried with treason to the Rebel Alliance, how do you plead?'

'That depends.'

'Hm? Depends on what?'

'What form of treason did I commit?' he chuckled.

He knew the charges, they were rumours. Of course, he'd also known who had released him. But he didn't want her to pay.

'This is no laughing matter.' The hologram of Mon Mothma flickered.

'Indeed.' Huran Olsa continued. 'There is substantial evidence connecting you to the premature release of Anakin Skywalker from his cell on Correlia.'

'I plead innocent unless I see this so-called evidence.' Marek laughed again.

'Security tapes have been requisition for further analysis.' The Bith concluded.

Juno Eclipse. He had caught her opening the cell to his cage and stopped her before she could do it. She was gone now, and it was likely she released his former master from captivity.

'This is preposterous.' Garm Bel blurtered. 'This man created the Rebel Alliance, why would he set it up for destruction?'

'If I am correct.' Huran interrupted. 'At the first of the Rebels meetings he led Darth Vader to the bunker in which the meeting took place. He created the Rebel Alliance under orders of the Galactic Empire.'

Kota pushed past Marek. Galen wasn't sure whether or not the General did it angrily or whether or not he had even noticed Starkiller there. The latter was likely due to the blindness.

'That's ridiculous! This man wasn't him! This man is not the same person that created the Alliance and set it up for failure. This man standing before you is the man who helped the Rebels take Kamino!' General Kota screamed.

This was odd, Kota never screamed. Kota had never admitted that Galen was a clone of the original, he always had thought the he was the Starkiller.

'Kota, please.' Mon Monthma insisted silence.

Huran continued. 'Yes but as we know from experience clones can be corrupted. Order Sixty-Six is what got us in this mess. What was one day the Clone Army that destroyed the Trade Federation has now become the Stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire. Your predecessor, Starkiller, is responsible for Rahm Kota's blindness. And you personally witnessed the hundreds of clones of yourself on Kamino!' The Bith had followed Kota and began shouting.

'Yes!' Galen admitted. 'I did see clones of Starkiller on Kamino. They had been sped up, clones that are sped up do experience cognitive functions unnatural to ordinary humans. They were bred to join the Dark Side. I was not, and that it why I'm not a pawn of Vader's!'

The court fell silent. Bickering and whispering between Alliance leaders had continued the whole time that the argument had persisted. Now no one spoke.

'Starkiller, I find you guilty of treason to the Rebel Alliance. Your sentence will be exile to a world left to be unknown t you, if you manage to give information related to the Rebel Alliance to any member of the Galactic Empire you will be retrieved and tortured before death. Take him away!'

And that was that. Immediately Kota ran up to the pedestal and continued to abuse the judge. Garm followed Rahm and shouted at the Bith too. Mon Mothma's hologram had flickered and died, likely to avoid the fight as much as possible. Galen felt a tug and suddenly two Rebel officers in green uniforms pulled Starkiller away from the court.

He was pulled down the hallway and into an elevator on his way past the cells. At first he'd wondered why he hadn't been thrown in a cell until a shuttle was prepped. Then he understood that the verdict of the court had been decided by Olsa from the beginning. The shuttle was already prepped, and it was likely they intended to get him off the planet before anyone tried to liberate him. And all of this was because Darth Vader had been freed from captivity.

He was thrown into the shuttle, no pilot and no systems. It looked more like a customised escape pod. Coordinates had been set and control of the ship was restricted. There would be no escape. Using the Force to prevent the pod from moving would be useless, they'd be shot out of the skies by the Telosian Orbital Cannons. He hadn't seen Juno or PROXY in weeks. And he wouldn't see them again. Kota, he had been busily arguing with the Bith as Galen was dragged out. He too would not be seen again.

Galen Marek was a dead man.