Chapter 7
Treading Water
Jolee was trying to clear his head, and the sea air was actually doing him some good. T3-M4 glided behind him like a shadow, the droid offing a blissful lack of conversation and noise. His brain was providing enough as is...the witnesses, the Republic tape, Elassa's damning datapad...he had all the pieces. The question was what to do with it. He told Mission to wait back on the ship for him, that this was something he would have to do alone.
I'm too old for this garbage, he thought.
He walked up to the door of the apartment where Sunry and Elora lived, knocking on the door. It slid open, and Elora answered, beckoning him in. She no longer looked like death warmed over. In fact...
Jolee let out a deep breath. He remembered far too well why he had to stop rooming with Sunry. The years had been bad to her, but Elora had been a beauty in her youth, and age had changed it, not destroyed it. Oh, he dreaded breaking her heart like this.
"Jolee, have you rested?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Not well, I'm afraid. You?"
"It's good to see you again," she said. "Come, sit at the table. It's lunchtime, and if I know you still, I know you've not eaten either."
The meal was a native blend of kelps, food fish, and other sea vegetables. It was eaten in silence. T3-M4 parked unobtrusively in a corner and went into rest mode. Elora kept looking at Jolee through the meal, picking up the plates and putting them in the sink, turning on the water to wash them.
"Oh, I can do that," Jolee said. "I still know how to wash dishes, you know."
Elora took a towel. "I remember. Sunry never could do the dishes. His hands..." she shuddered. "I...I have to admit, Jolee, it's good that you're here, and not just for Sunry. I always wondered what happened when you vanished like you did. Ah, so little about you seems to have changed. I...I wish I could say the same for Sunry."
"Elora, I..." he couldn't finish. "You know and I know why I had to leave the way I did. Neither of us could go and do that to Sunry."
She put the dried plate back on the china cabinet. "Yes. Looking back on it, you were doing what you felt you had to do – like always. I may not always agree with your ways, Jolee, but I know you are a good man. Thank you for coming to Manaan, even if you didn't intend to."
"The Force works the way it damn well wants to," Jolee said. "And frankly, I won't argue with it."
"Part of me wonders what could have been, you know," she admitted sadly. "It...it's horrible to say. I should be doing all I can for Sunry right now. He comes first, always has..."
"Elora..."
She hung up the towel and paced across the small kitchen. "When I married him, I knew it was right, but as the years went on...Sunry...isn't the man I married. The Republic calls him a hero, and he needs...he needs me, I suppose..." She leaned against the wall for support. When she blinked, tears streaked down her cheeks. "I feel invisible. I've given everything I have...everything... to Sunry. His care requires so much...And I have tried to be a good wife and support him as much as I can..."
It killed Jolee to see Elora like this.
"I feel horrible for admitting this, Jolee. So horrible..." She was sobbing now. "Part of me wishes he won't come home. I'm so selfish...I shouldn't...shouldn't need..."
Jolee guided her to the living room, setting her down in one of the stuffed chairs and finding a kerchief for her to blow her nose. She kept apologizing through the conversation, but Jolee coaxed the story from her. The Republic put Sunry on a pedestal for his actions in Exar Kun's war. Elora would always be a step behind, but she would always be known as "Sunry's wife" not as a person. The Republic pension was all right, but his care did suck up a lot of credits and time. As his war injuries got worse, he treated Elora more as a nursemaid than as a wife.
"He was having an affair, wasn't he?"
"Of...of course not! He...he..." Her voice broke into sobs. "Yes. Yes, he was having an affair. He was seeing that...that Sith woman. After all these years we've been together, he just...just dropped me like that. Not publicly, oh no, but...inside, that's what it felt like. He started seeing Elassa last year. I...I had my suspicions for a while, but he was careless. Pretty soon, everyone knew. But even though he cheated on me, he's still the man I loved..."
"Elora, I..." Jolee wasn't sure what to say. "He may not be so innocent."
"I...I can't believe...You can't believe that he'd kill someone in cold blood, do you?"
"Elora, that's just it. I looked at Sunry and saw a man I don't know anymore. I don't even know if it's possible to save him."
"But you're his Arbiter! You...you have to try."
"Yes, I do," he said reluctantly. "Thank you, Elora."
Before Elora could respond to that, he had already gone and taken the droid with him.
I will not act in anger...I will not act in anger...Jolee Bindo had long forsaken Jedi mantras and codes, but experience had been a good teacher on when to hold his emotions in check. He hadn't been so angry since he saw Czerka setting up shop and bringing slave transports. But he hadn't felt betrayed when Czerka started polluting Kashyyyk. He did feel betrayed by what he now knew as the truth about Sunry.
He marched up to Ahto City's prison and asked to speak to Sunry. The warden once again led him to the private meeting rooms, and brought Sunry in, guiding his shuffling feet to a chair before turning out of the room, and leaving them alone. Jolee put on his best Pazaak face as Sunry started to speak.
"Ah, I see you're back. Not that I don't appreciate the company, but I had hoped you were going to speak to the warden so we might begin the trial..."
Jolee stayed silent. Sunry continued to babble.
"I grow weary of staring at these four bare walls, but I suppose I know what you are doing. You know the role of Arbiter cannot be taken lightly."
Silence. Jolee watched Sunry stammer and bluff, and felt a most un-Jedi satisfaction in watching him squirm. All the while, he was trying to keep himself from showing anger at Sunry. When Sunry stopped babbling, Jolee stared him down.
"I know you're guilty, Sunry. I've got the Republic's data recording," he said.
Shock and fear registered on Sunry's face. He shuddered, and his hands quaked more than ever. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. On his fourth attempt to say something, words came out. "So, the truth is out. I never meant to kill her, you know. Never planned to..."
It did not help Jolee's dark mood. "Great Force, man! What were you thinking? How could you go and do that - after all the devotion Elora showed you. How could you break her heart like that?"
He shook his head, but his words betrayed him. "We...I...Oh, no...what this must look like..." He sighed, slumping over in his chair. "Yes. Yes, we were having an affair. I know it was wrong, but I am a weak man. Elassa was beautiful and young - how was I to resist her charms?"
"Ever hear of the words, 'no, I'm married.' Or you could try keeping your pants on. I saw everything - more than I ever wanted to see of you, Sunry."
"You're a fine one to talk."
"I walked - which is what you should have done."
"I loved her!"
Jolee arched one gray eyebrow and glowered at Sunry with contempt.
"Please, I made a terrible mistake getting involved with Elassa, but I was going there to break it off with her." Sunry put his head in his hands. "When I found out she was a Sith spy, using me to gain information, something inside me just snapped." Sinry looked back up at Jolee, pleading. "I...I killed her. Simple, really. But once I realized what I'd done, I...I panicked. I contacted those spies from the Republic to help me. They found the illegal monitoring device that the Sith had planted in the room, altered its recording to hide my part in it and cleared up the evidence. I figured that was the end of it."
"You should have known the truth would come out eventually," Jolee said. "Damn it. How could you do this? You lie to my face, you cheat on Elora, and now you murder a woman in cold blood...and I do not CARE if she was a Sith or not."
"And here I thought you were –"
"Nothing, Sunry. And I don't like getting lied to – especially by people who claim to be my friends." He shook his head. "The Sith wanted information from you, so they spy on you and the mistress. When you killed her, they must have seen the Republic's spies getting rid of the evidence and tried to plant some of their own. How did she end up with your medal, Sunry? Don't bother lying."
"Elassa must have stolen that Hero's Cross from me long ago and given it to her Sith masters like some kind of trophy." Sunry sighed shakily, on the verge of tears. "I just thought I'd misplaced it. But when the Cross turned up on her body, I knew the Sith had put it there." He sighed and looked up at Jolee as the broken old man he was. "So, now you know the whole story, what are you going to do about it?"
Jolee shook his head. "You're going to have to confess, save yourself. We go to court, and I won't lie for you. I can argue on your behalf, but you will not add me to the list of liars."
"You think I'm some kind of monster, don't you?" Sunry roared. "All I did was kill a Sith. How many have you killed? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?"
"That's different, Sunry, and we both know it. We do not kill them in cold blood while they sleep."
"I don't see how the two of us are any different. She was a spy! She was using me to get information so Malak's army could destroy the Republic. She deserved to die!"
"Killing your mistress while she sleeps is murder, even if she is a Sith. I can't believe this. You were once a man of decency, of character..."
"If I confess, they will execute me, Jolee. And Ahto City officials might even place kolto sanctions on the Republic embassy. Without kolto, how can we treat injuries to our soldiers on the front lines?"
"Damn it, Sunry. We both know those are excuses. You have to own up for your actions!"
"No, I can't do that and put the Republic's supply of kolto in danger. No, I won't!" He slumped in the chair like the defeated old man he was. "I may have done something stupid, and it may only be worse for my standing by it, but I will not confess. If you turn me in, the Republic will likely lose its kolto export privileges and we'll lose the war for sure. Are you going to send all those soldiers to their deaths, just for your sense of 'justice'?"
"Sunry, this is wrong, and you know it. I am a Jedi. What is it that you expect me to do to defend your actions?"
"I know what I did, but I also know what's at stake here. No, I'll rot in here if I have to, but I won't betray the Republic. Do what you have to, but know what the consequences will be."
Jolee thought in silence before he stood up. "I'll tell the warden to begin the trial."
Shelkar sat on the center bench, flanked by Kota, Duula, Naleshekan, and Jhosa. Shelkar's gurgling voice, translated through Jolee's earpiece, was the very model of formality.
"Let the record show that the trial of Sunry vs the Ahto City authority has commenced. Presiding are judges Shelkar, Jhosa, Naleshekan, Duula, and Kota. The trial is to determine the culpability of Sunry in the death of the Sith woman Elassa. Representing Sunry in his defense is a member of the Jedi Order. Do you have opening statements?"
Jolee thought for a moment, then replied. "None, your honor."
"Representing the Ahto City authority is an impartial diplomat of the Sith Empire." Shelkar waved his hand over to some young punk in a Sith uniform. Hell, everyone seemed like a young punk these days.
With a haughty arrogance that reminded Jolee of just why he chose hermitage, the Sith prosecutor spoke. "It is an honor to see justice served, and I will see to it that Sunry is executed for the crimes he has committed."
"Do not be too overzealous in pressing your commission, Sith," Duula warned.
Ignus, of course, testified that he saw Sunry limping away from the crime scene after the blaster shot. The Sith representative was an overzealous fool that kept annoying the judges. Well, that seemed to play into Jolee's favor at least.
The second witness was Firith, who testified to much the same thing as Ignus, but when it came time for Jolee to cross-examine, the Sith laughed.
"I wonder if we can trust the word of a gambler as reliable testimony..."
"Objection, your honors," Jolee said tiredly.
"Sustained," Shelkar said with equal weariness. "Please ask your questions of the witness, and do so promptly."
"You say you saw Sunry in the area, but you also testified that you waited almost a full minute after the shot was fired before you poked your head out, right"
"You mean - Did I actually see him kill her with my own eyes?" Firith said. "Well, no, but I don't know how there could have been anyone else there."
Jhosa seemed impressed. "A very good point, Arbiter."
"And," Jolee continued. "Would you like to tell the court what else you discovered about Elassa?
"Well, from what I could tell, Elassa was a Dark Jedi. She carried a lightsaber under that cloak of hers."
"Objection!" the Sith cried. "Your honors, carrying a lightsaber doesn't automatically prove she was a Dark Jedi!"
"Maybe so, but it does shed new light on the character of Elassa and her possible motives in dealing with Sunry," Kota said sharply.
"One last thing before you go, Mr. Me, does the medal being at the crime scene appear a little too obvious?"
"I think it may have been. I think you'd have to be pretty stupid to leave such an important thing lying around, don't you?"
The next witness was Gluupor. The Sith prosecutor glowered at him knowingly as he asked the questions, again getting the same result that the Rodian saw Sunry limping from the scene, but not the actual murder. On cross-examination, Jolee went in for the kill
"What can you tell me about the medal being at the scene? Is it maybe too obvious a clue?"
Gluupor started to squirm. "Gluupor not know why else leave thing in someone else's room. Gluupor just think these things happen... Gluupor find that odd."
"Odd indeed," Duula muttered.
"Gluupor, did you plant that medal on Elassa?" Jolee asked bluntly, relishing the way the Sith's face paled in response. Gluupor looked ready to bolt.
"Gluupor...Gluupor...""Don't do it, Gluupor," roared the Sith's lawyer.
Kota had enough of that kind of behavior. "The prosecution will refrain from badgering the witness," she warned. "What is it you want to say, Gluupor?"
Half-resigned, half relived, Gluupor addressed Kota. "Gluupor paid by the Sith to plant that medal."
"Lies, slander! I object!"
Jolee tried not to laugh.
"You are certain of this, Gluupor?" Jhosa asked.
"Gluupor certain."
"This new evidence puts the whole case into a new light," Shelkar said. "Thank you, Gluupor."
Next up was Elora. The Sith made a big deal about how Sunry was a Republic war hero and had fought against the Sith. He asked Elora if he blamed the Sith for his war injuries. Elora could only stammer out the truth that Sunry did resent the Sith for causing him such injury.
"And now, we have motive, your honors. Sunry seeks revenge on the Sith for what they did and killed Elassa."
"A supposition for now, prosecution," Shelkar said. "Does the defense have any questions for the witness?"
Jolee only had one, but it was going to hurt to ask it. "Was it true your husband was having an affair with Elassa?"
Elora nodded. "Yes...yes, it's true. My husband was having an affair with that Sith harlot!"
"It seems painfully obvious, then, that he killed her to keep her quiet about the affair." The Sith lawyer was running low on his deck and knew it.
"Be silent! You have already had your chance to question the witness, prosecutor." Duula had reached his tolerance for the Sith's impudence.
"He had been seeing her for some time, I think. But he said he was going to change. He had gone there that night to end it. We had talked the night before and he had promised, but now things have become so very complicated."
"Very well, Elora. Thank you. You may go."
"That is very enlightening evidence. It will influence our deliberation considerably," Shelkar said. "Does the prosecution have any remaining witnesses to call forth?"
Sunry was not helping his case. The Sith's lawyer played the "blind hatred" card, and Sunry fell right into the trap.
"Of course, I hate them! Trying to take over the galaxy every chance they get, killing millions of innocents..."
"Pure politics," said the Sith with contempt. "Were you in Elassa's room on the night of the murder?"
Sunry, thankfully, became more contrite. "Well, yes, I was. I had been having an affair with Elassa on my wife, yes. But I realized how wrong I had been and was going there to end it. "
"You were having an affair with a Sith. You wanted to end it quickly and quietly, so you shot her from behind and tried to flee."
"No...I..."
"Do not interrupt the accused," Duula scolded.
Jhosa was scowling. "In fact, I think you've said quite enough, prosecutor."
Shelkar looked almost ready for a stiff drink...whatever the Selkath equivalent of it was. "Do you have any question to ask the accused, Arbiter?"
Jolee kept his cool. "You were going there to end the affair. Would the Sith object?"
"Yes, I think they would," Sunry agreed. "They wouldn't want to lose one of their sources - even though I didn't give them anything. They might have killed her for her failure, or thought she'd turn against them or something like that."
"The Sith Empire is not the barbaric institution you portray it to be!"
Naleshekan had now reached the breaking point. "Be silent, prosecutor. This is a valuable point that leads some credence to your point, Arbiter."
Closing statements were made. The Sith made the argument that was surprisingly straightforward: Sunry was having an affair with Elassa. He sought to end it, and the simplest, quickest method - given his hatred of the Sith - was to simply kill her. Witnesses saw Sunry fleeing the scene and material evidence placed him there at the time of the murder as well.
Jolee made his own argument. Sunry was ending the affair, so the Sith had no further use for Elassa. Witness testimony from Gluupor states the Sith paid him to tamper with the crime scene. Further, there were no witnesses to the murder itself. For all anyone knew, Sunry was fleeing the wrath of a spurned mistress.
Again, the Sith interrupted and proceeded to open his mouth too far. Jolee once again drew on the legendary reserve of Jedi willpower not to go over and see how far he could open his mouth if a few teeth were missing. Shelkar dismissed the court while the judges reviewed the case in private.
When they returned to the bench, Shelkar again spoke for the court.
"This court hereby finds Sunry innocent of the murder of the Sith Elassa. In addition, this court finds the Sith Empire guilty of obstruction of justice and contempt of court. The Sith Empire is hereby forced to subsidize a portion of republic purchases on Manaan for a period of the next solar year."
Jolee just about choked. Well, Carth would certainly be delighted to find this out! He wasn't too certain about his own feelings in this, however.
"No, your honors!"
"Silence!" Naleshekan yelled.
"The verdict has been delivered and this trial is over," Shelkar said, an unspoken thank the gods in his tone of voice.
Elora ran up to Sunry, and he gratefully accepted her in his arms. "Sunry, I'm so glad!"
"Elora!" Sunry hugged her tight. Breaking off the hug, he turned to Jolee and extended his hand. "Thank you for saving me, Jolee. I don't know how I can repay you..."
Jolee did not accept the handshake. "No, my debt to you is settled - all of it. Goodbye, Sunry."
There was finality in the words. Sunry sighed. "Yes...I suppose you're right, Jolee. Elora and I are going to leave here and get as far away from all this as soon as we can. I - and the Republic - will not forget what you have done for us. Thank you."
As Jolee walked past them, he palmed Sunry the data cassette with the Republic's file on it, nodding to both of them as he left.
Unknown to Jolee, three of his party members were having their own encounter with the Manaan court system. Kairi had propped herself up against the edge of the cage, and used the time in her cell to meditate (as there was nothing else she could do to pass time). When she sensed a Selkath presence outside her cell, she broke her trance and rose to her feet.
A young Selkath, barely older than the adolescents in the Sith base, addressed her. "Greetings human. I am called Bwa'lass and I have been selected as arbiter for the duration of your trial."
Kairi decided better than to ask to be let out of her cell. "What have I been charged with?" she asked.
"You have been charged with initiating violence within the Sith Embassy, murdering members of the Ambassadorial Commission of the Sith Empire and disregarding our own laws regarding violence in Ahto City."
That. Well, it was to be expected. "Very well, what can I do?"
"I would first like to ask you a few questions regarding the events that led up to your arrest. I have already been given relevant data on you and your companions, so that can be disregarded. For what reason did you enter the Sith Embassy?"
"I was authorized to enter, given a valid code."
Bwa'lass was skeptical. Kairi sensed that this was an obligation to him, and that he really didn't care how the trial went. "Indeed. I find that unlikely off-worlder, but perhaps the judges will be more sympathetic to your view. What is your prior association with the Sith?"
"No prior association," she answered. "I was there to make an inquiry." Even then, she didn't fully believe herself.
My Lady...Davder had called her, She had read clear recognition, not delirium.
Bwa'lass gave a bubbling sigh. "Indeed. Since you did have the passcode to the base, I can only assume you believe taking this route would lessen your sentence. Very well, that should be all the information I require of you. We can begin the trial immediately."
Kairi was stunned. Of all the incompetent..."Wait! You didn't ask me why I was going in there."
Bwa'lass scowled, and confirmed her theory that he had no desire to act in her defense. "I can only assume wanton destruction on behalf of the Republic was your goal. Your kind can slaughter each other, but not on our planet."
She sighed. "I was there to make inquiries as to some missing Selkath youth on behalf of a Selkath citizen. When I entered the base, the Sith double-crossed my party and tried to kill us." She thought a moment. The incriminating evidence could have vanished, but it was the only chance she had. "Among my personal effects, there is a datapad. Please, bring it here."
Bwa'lass scowled, then made his way to the intercom and signaled the guards outside. A short time later, the datapad was produced. He read it, stunned. "These...these are missing beings reports, ones that the Ahto City authorities have been trying to solve for months." He shook his head. "This is most...disturbing. We should take this evidence and present it before the court right away!"
Of course, the Ahto City authorities had to check if it were genuine, and a warrant was issued to enter the Sith Embassy to claim their dead. The Selkath operated with an efficiency that made the Sith seem sluggish.
Alone or in pairs, the dozen or so survivors of the Sith's training program came into the courts to speak on behalf of the three humans that freed them from imprisonment. Cheated mercenaries told of the Iridorian the Sith had under contract (and had fled the planet shortly before).
Soon the scandal reached even the highest echelons of Selkath government, a scandal and embarrassment the likes of which the Sith had never encountered. Sith were not scandalized or humiliated - they were supposed to be the ones doing the scandalizing and humiliation.
In the end, when Kairi, Carth, and Bastila were brought before the judges' panel, it was not for a trial, but an apology.
Shelkar spoke first. "We have verified that the token is indeed from Galas indicating the complicity of the Sith in the disappearance of your young. Ahto City authorities have recovered his remains and those of the others. Autopsy reports confirm your story of tortures."
"We have also verified that what you brought to us was a Sith datapad indicating their complicity in a plot to overthrow the lawful government of Manaan," Jhosa added
Kota was trying not to show how pleased she was. "In gratitude for having discovered these heinous offences, all charges against you and your party have been dropped. Pending a suitable penalty against the Sith, their embassy is considered off-limits to all Ahto City Security personnel. No calls or incidents from their base will be attended to until this matter is dealt with, as they are no longer subject to the protection of Selkath law."
Shelkar nodded to them and gestured to the door. "You have been found innocent and may leave as you desire. This trial is now over."
Shaelas was waiting for them as the left the court, Shasa under his arm. She was nearly as tall as her father, and both of them sported wide smiles.
"Humans, I thank you! You have saved this planet and our children!""I'm just glad the judges didn't rake us over the coals," Carth said.
"I doubt very much that the Sith will be banned from Manaan, but they will face harsh sanctions on their kolto exports. This may be enough for the Republic to turn the tide of this war."
"I hope it is," Kairi said. "Shasa, are you all right?"
"Still...Still a lot to think about. And I am so sad for Galas. He was an old friend, a dear one. And to hear of his last hours from the coroner...I can feel nothing towards the Sith now. Only emptiness."
Bastila took the girl's hands. "I will recommend to the Council to send Jedi trainers to this planet. They can teach you the proper use of those gifts, Shasa."
Shaelas dug in his pocket, pulling out a credit stick. "You have done so much for me, human. Here are the credits I promised you. I only wish I had more to give..."
Carth pushed it back into Shaelas's hand. "Keep your credits. Reuniting a family means more than any kind of reward."
Shaelas opened his hand and smiled in amazement. "You refuse my reward? Truly, you humans are a noble species! Perhaps we have underestimated your kind. I'm sorry I must go, but the High Council has requested my testimony and Shasa's. I cannot thank you enough."
As father and daughter vanished into the courthouse, Carth waved after them, a bittersweet smile crossing his face. "We're still the good guys here. I think we tend to forget that sometimes," he said.
"That was truly a noble act, Carth. I'm pleasantly surprised as well," Bastila said.
Kairi smiled. "I'm not."
"Gotta love happy endings," Carth said. "Come on, we've got to get to Wann and get him what he wants so we can get to the Star Map."