Part Eighteen
"And so you landed at the space station."
"Yes."
"The same station that was later blown up during the Battle of Naboo?"
"Yes."
"How can you be sure?"
It took everything in Obi-Wan to withhold his sigh and remain perfectly calm on his exterior.
"Objection. Relevance?" the prosecutor asked.
"Sustained, get to the point, Master Litigator," the judge said.
"Of course," the defense said, offering an oily placating smile. "Mister Kenobi," he said, once more addressing Obi-Wan. "You and your master landed at a space station, to be sure, but you and your entourage were away from Naboo for four weeks before your return. That is a lot of time."
Obi-Wan put on a light, vaguely ironic smile. "Master Litigator," he said in calm, confident tones, "If you take the time to consider the probability of a space station swooping in to overthrow Naboo and then just slipping way without any of the sector's other stations and scanners noticing and another of the exact make, model, armament, markings and objective slipping into the exactly same position in orbit - again with no other sector noticing, it makes for a very long shot, and I would question your capacity as a gambler."
There was a murmured chuckling amongst the assembled observers. Obi-Wan flushed at the reaction, there were few people indeed that laughed at his wit, but it gave him much-needed confidence at the same time. He was still in control of the cross-examination, and he felt better for it.
He understood in the span of five minutes the attack plan of the defense. Padme had tried several times to drop hints, saying that they had a plan and it was disgusting. Obi-Wan rather thought it was the only option they had: Throw doubt on the testimony of the key witnesses, in this case, Padme and Obi-Wan. Obi-wan feared the result of Padme's testimony, she was good, very good, but she did not yet have the experience, the age, to temper her... temper. It was easy to see that the defense most likely had beleaguered the point of Nute Gunray's transmission to her, demanding to know how she knew it was Gunray and not some avatar, how she knew he was really up there on that space station. The loss of Sio Bibble and the other governing parties of Naboo as witnesses was perhaps the worst blow to the case that could have been made. Obi-Wan would have been curious how the defense could have spun that. Now, with him, they were trying every trick in the book to make him doubt, throw suspicion on his testimonial.
Well, they could try.
It will be everywhere.
Obi-Wan put the feeling out of his mind: here and now. He would not let it bother him.
He saw Dooku at the back of the circular room, the shadows unable to hide his white hair. Obi-Wan saw he was exactly one hundred eighty degrees from Mace and Yoda, the furthest possible distance to be and still be in the same room. It had been several weeks since the assassination attempt, since that night when Obi-Wan had relived the death of his master, since the report to the Council - his last report, he realized with sadness. Dooku had said nothing since the affair, acted as though nothing was different, that nothing had changed. But something had, and Obi-Wan could not tell what save that it had to do with the Council.
Frankly he wasn't sure what he felt about Dooku yet. He was Master Qui-Gon's master, yet he kept that very intimate tie between them secret. Then, too, there was his anger that night. Obi-Wan had felt darkness there, whether from Dooku himself or from the constant prickling from the Unifying Force since arrival on Coruscant he wasn't sure. He decided to step around the man very carefully. In that respect he was glad he was finally on the stand. It made for an excellent distraction.
"Very well," the defense said. Obi-Wan could sense the Rhodian's irritation, but the litigator was well trained and did not let it affect him. Pity. "Your testimony states that the conference room where you waited to negotiate was filled with nerve gas. Tell me, how did you survive that?"
"I held my breath," Obi-wan answered. "My training allowed for both my master and myself to hold our breath for several minutes, indeed, hours at a time. When it was assumed we were dead, the door opened for the Battle Droids to confirm our destruction. We defended ourselves and began searching the station."
The defense litigator smiled slightly. "You're very confident in all those assumptions. First that there was malicious intent, second that these alleged perpetrators were ruthless enough to wait until you were dead, third that droids were sent to finish you off."
Obi-Wan cocked his head to the side. "Was there some other way to interpret the nerve gas and armed battle droids?" he asked, eliciting another round of laughter from the observers. Was he really that funny?
"Who attacked first?" the litigator asked.
What kind of question was that? "Given that our transport was blown up and we were assaulted with nerve gas, I should think the answer obvious."
"A simple 'us' or 'them' will do."
"Very well. 'Them'."
"Now that's very interesting," the litigator said. "I have two mechanical reports here, filed by that space station, that listed both 'attacks' were the result of unfortunate mechanical errors. Now, with that in mind, that leaves the supposed battle droids - which for all we know may have been Protocol droids."
"Objection. Relevance?"
"Sustained. Is there a question in there, Master Litigator?"
"Just this: ignoring all other previous input, looking solely at that moment in time when the conference door opened, who attacked first: you or them?
Obi-Wan frowned, casting his memory back. That was such a minor detail, why was the defense bothering with it? He was obviously trying to maneuver the questioning into making Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon the aggressors, ludicrous at best but easily shot down. The last three days of his testimony had proven to the defense that Obi-Wan would not be easily wrangled. There was a secondary point in this question, one Obi-Wan couldn't see. What kind of trap it led to, he could not predict.
Mentally, Obi-Wan could only shrug. He would spring the trap and see what happened.
"From that very parochial point of view, we did."
"I see. Blasters, I suppose?"
"Pardon?"
"Your weapon of choice. Was it blasters?"
"No."
"Then what weapon did you use?"
"Lightsabers."
"Ah! You're a Jedi then."
Obi-Wan refused to react, refused to let his brow twitch or his jaw tighten or his lips purse. He put all of his focus on his neutral face and answered, "Yes."
The litigator's oily smile appeared, an excited glint in his eyes. This was the trap, then, and Obi-Wan dreaded where this was going. He had expected it since Padme had suggested it on the transport here; he had planned for it as best he could, but that didn't mean he was going to like this any less.
"I want to make sure I understand this," the litigator said, "You were a Jedi at the time of the Battle of Naboo."
"Yes."
"Are you one now?"
"Objection!" the prosecution said. "Relevance? Again?"
The defense was quick to counter: "Goes to the credibility of the witness."
The judge narrowed his eyes, taking almost a minute to ponder before saying, "I'll allow it, but know that you are walking on very thin ice, Master Litigator."
"Thank you." The Rhodian turned back to Obi-Wan. "Are you a Jedi now?"
The jaw did clench then, he couldn't help it, but he relaxed his muscles with ease and focused on his neutral face. "That depends on one's point of view."
"Yes or no, Mister Kenobi."
"Then yes, I am still a Jedi," Obi-Wan answered.
"Really?" the defense asked, a theatrical note of shock in his voice.
Obi-Wan already has his answer ready. "The Jedi is a way of life. Republic record states it has religious structures, mediations, and ceremonies. It is a school of thought and method of study - of the Force in particular of course, but there are other classes and departments of learning. By that point of view I am a Jedi and will be all my life."
The defense nodded, theatric understanding. But his next question was in cold tones and greedy eyes. "Allow me to rephrase the question then: Are you, at this moment, a member of the Jedi Order?"
Padme, apparently in the audience, stood straight up and glared. Some looked to her but it was not a true interruption. Obi-Wan held her gaze for a moment before answering the question honestly. Painfully. "I don't know."
Murmuring erupted in the entire room. Padme could not possibly glare any harder; Dooku had stepped forward, the gesture saying something about his thoughts. Mace and Yoda watched impassively, as always. The judge took several minutes to calm the room back to order. Obi-Wan could almost hear Anakin, watching the feed, cursing in Huttese and shouting epitaphs to the defense. When quiet had once again finally settled about the room, the defense litigator continued his stage acting. The Rhodian looked shocked, eyes wide.
"Mister Kenobi, how can you not know?" he asked.
This was the part Obi-Wan dreaded. Shredding his character was one thing, but he did not, under any circumstances, want to drag Anakin's name into this mess. He allowed himself pride over the fact that his face had yet to change composition. His hands were clenched into tight fists, but his voluminous sleeves hid the sign of stress.
"Shortly after I was Knighted, one of the Council members and I had a difference of opinion. We all did what we felt was right, and for me that meant changing my location to do what I must. I do not know how this decision has affected my status."
The defense frowned in thought, as if trying to take it in, before saying, "Well, then, tell me. When were you Knighted?"
"Objection!" the prosecution said. "Master Kenobi is not the one on trial here and I have yet to see relevance!"
"Sustained," the judge said. "Master Litigator, I've had enough."
"Then allow me to get to the point," the defense said, "You, Mister Kenobi, can be found in a simple search as one of the Jedi's Lost Twenty, a moderately famous list of Jedi that turned their backs on the Order and are scorned by the most reputable organization in the galaxy. You left just after your Knighting, you say, but you failed to mention that you were Knighted right after the Battle of Naboo - meaning something happened there, that the Jedi could not abide. Tell us, was it because you did something illegal? Planted evidence against the defendant, perhaps? You live on Naboo now, don't you? So you must be just as biased as them and-"
"Objection!" the prosecution all but shrieked.
"Order, order!" the judge was saying.
Everyone was talking and pointing. Padme's face was flushed even under her heavy make-up, and Dooku was nearly halfway down the aisle. Obi-Wan counted to ten in a few languages, waiting. And then, to the shock of the defense, he answered. "Yes, I was Knighted for my efforts during the Battle of Naboo. Yes, my disagreement happened shortly thereafter, but it had nothing to do with your ludicrous accusation about planting evidence. The disagreement was over a personal matter that has no bearing on this trial. Yes, I currently live on Naboo, because at the time I had no finances to move elsewhere. No, I am not biased against your client. You forget that I am a Jedi, regardless of my standing in the Order, and I am trained to have an unbiased opinion."
He waited a breath and then continued: "Perhaps, Master Litigator, it is time we got to the point that the prosecution has been waiting so patiently for: You are attempting to discredit me because of my status in the Jedi Order and throw doubt on my entire testimony. You made a good effort, I dare say, but the fact of the matter is that I have decades of training in the way of the Jedi and my training has been more than substantiated over the course of my testimony. Feel free to cast doubt on my status and even my character, but you cannot cast doubt on my training."
"I was trained by the very best Masers in the Order and that includes Master Yoda and Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who died in the Battle of Naboo. Frankly you are hard pressed to cast doubt on either of them and their training reflects directly on me. So in light of that, I can say in confidence that my master and I were attacked on that space station; we did search the station for Viceroy Gunray; we did defend ourselves as necessary; and we did see Viceroy Gunray at the control center of the station before he sealed himself in. And, since it has been thoroughly confirmed that the space station was the one that blockaded Naboo and provided the battle droids in the following war, you, Master Litigator, do not have a leg to stand on."
That was when the explosion happened.
"Anakin? Are you up dearie?"
"Of course, Mrs. Hudson!" Anakin replied. He had been up since 2 a.m. to watch the trials. If he was obsessive over Padme's testimony, he was just as bad - maybe even worse - for Obi-Wan's. Every day covered meant one day sooner to his return, and frankly Anakin was getting tired of waiting. He had just finished his morning routines, the advice Obi-Wan had given him weeks ago having helped. Meditation was still a problem, but Anakin stubbornly refused to give up. Throwing the last of his books into his pack he opened the apartment door where Mrs. Hudson was waiting.
He helped his slightly stooped landlord in and escorted her to the kitchen. He had already laid out everything she needed to cook breakfast and she cooed appreciatively.
"If you know everything I need, I imagine you could almost cook this yourself."
"Probably," Anakin said, taking his datapad and hooking it up to a larger monitor, "But I'm too busy watching the trial."
"Yes, how is that young hero doing?" she asked.
"I can't tell sometimes," Anakin replied. "The defense has been cross-examining him for three days. The guy asks some really weird questions but Obi-Wan always has an answer, so I guess he's doing okay."
"You know, after the queen's testimony the local news broadcasts haven't been hyping the story so much."
"Uh-huh," Anakin mumbled, starting to tune her out. He turned up the volume to hear better. A tiny part of his mind told him he was being rude, but after the air taxi incident he didn't ever want to be caught off guard again. Obi-Wan was still answering questions. They were talking about who shot first, and it took several minutes of listening to reverse-engineer the conversation before Anakin figured out they were talking about the space station that housed the droids. Obi-Wan had mentioned that he went there first before rescuing Padme and coming to Tatooine. In some ways, the proceedings were fascinating, both the prosecution and the defense asked a lot of questions, but Obi-Wan seemed to have an excellent memory for details and nothing, no even the oily Rhodian defense guy, seemed to bother him. It awed Anakin. He wondered if he would be that good when he grew up. He figured he must, because Obi-Wan was training him and Obi-Wan was the best there was.
"Ah! You're a Jedi, then," the defense asked. Obi-Wan calmly answered, "Yes," and Anakin nodded in emphatic agreement. He couldn't wait for Obi-Wan to come home so he could tell him all the Jedi things he'd done, the favors and smiles and the thank-yous and how good it all felt. He wanted Obi-Want to be proud of him in that weird quiet way that used to frustrate him so much. Anakin was curious to see if, though Obi-Wan wouldn't show it on his face, if he showed it in the Force. The thought made Anakin happy all over and he couldn't wait to try it out.
Mrs. Hudson came in with breakfast, setting down a bowl for him and one for her. "What are they talking about now?"
"Are you a Jedi now?"
Obi-Wan's jaw clenched for the briefest of moments. Anakin frowned. "... I don't know..." he said slowly, his focus narrowing.
"Yes or no, Mr. Kenobi."
Why was he so interested in the Jedi? What did that have to do with Obi-Wan's testimony?
"Are you, at this moment, a member of the Jedi Order?"
Anakin put it together just as a blank-faced Obi-Wan said, "I don't know."
He slammed his hands on the table. "Echuta baatu-baatu cheeska skocha sleemo poy beesga! Chuba doompa, dope-maskey kung! Coo ya maya stupa! Fierfek! Gaggal ak mursto! Koochoo! Skocha-cloonkee! Tah-koh tee womprat e'nachu!"
A startled Mrs. Hudson jerked, sputtering her café before a horrified, "Language, Mr. Skywalker!"
Anakin turned to Mrs. Hudson, still furious. "That sleemo! He's trying to discredit Obi-Wan by saying that because he left the Order to train me that he's a bad person and shouldn't be listen to! He gave up everything for my sake! That skoocha-kloonkey has no right to say that! Obi-Wan's the very best there is and he's making him out to be a bad guy. It's not true! It's not!" Hot tears spilled down his flushed face. "Bantha poodoo!" he spat, slamming a fist this time to the table.
He glared at the screen; the trial still going on but his anger stuffed his ears. All he could think of was that karking Rhodian and wanting to stomp on his foot with his entire podracer. The trial camera was on the courtroom proper, there were so many heads turning back and forth to talk to each other that they looked like a swarm of insects. Mrs. Hudson was saying something, but he continued to glare at the defense, a deep frown on his face as he gripped his breakfast bowl harder and harder. He was seething. He banged his fist n the table again, rattling the silverware. Obi-Wan's face suddenly filled the screen, and Anakin struggled to calm down enough to listen to his brother, opening and closing his fists and taking deep breaths and holding it, telling his muscles to relax. He needed to hear Obi-Wan, and in order to do that he had to calm down.
"... Feel free to cast doubt on my status, and even on my character, but you cannot cast doubt on my training. I was trained by the very best Masters in the Order, and that includes Master Yoda and Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
"Really?" Anakin demanded at the view screen. "You're gonna praise that creepy old troll after all he did to you and put him on the same level as Mister Qui-Gon?"
"Shh!" Mrs. Hudson hissed.
"Frankly you are hard pressed to cast doubt on either of them, and their training reflects directly on me: So, in light of that, I can say in confidence that my master and I were attacked on the space station..."
Anakin frowned again, feeling like he missed something. He turned to see Mrs. Hudson staring at the screen, a hand to her chest as was her habit and half formed grin on her face. "Brilliant," she was muttering, "brilliant."
"What?" he demanded, "What'd I miss?"
"He's taking that Litigator to task," she said softly, not wanting to miss anything. "Oh, that young man's brilliant!"
Anakin still didn't understand it, but he trusted Mrs. Hudson, so when he turned back to the screen he cat-called, "Bona nai kachu! You're in trouble now, echuta sleemo!"
Then the camera shook violently, the image becoming dithered and jumbled. The speakers spat out static interspersed with screams, and the screen settled to a smoky grey. It took several seconds for Anakin to realize it was smoke, and - there! - the faint glow of lightsabers. Anakin looked down to his datapad. It showed the same image: smoky white and dull lightsabers.
Author's Notes: One last gasp of inspiration. Image has known what would happen, conceptually, with the trial since the inception, and for once the span of a five pages or so went by (relatively) quickly. We know nothing about actual trials unless you count the random episode of Law and Order, Matlock, Perry Mason, and soap opera trials (if those even count...)
Obi adds another notch to his p0wn4ge belt, and Anakin was thrown in for kicks. Seriously, his story is basically done and now it's just tying up loose ends.
The positive feedback for how people are taking a second look at Dooku has been incredibly flattering. Researching him for this chapter has truly been an eye-opener. As a Sith there are other Sith that just overshadow him () and the same for being overshadowed as a Jedi (Yoda, Anakin, Obi-Wan) but he went from an exemplary star Jedi, part of the Old Guard, all the way to complete Sith. Yet he had certain ideals he held to in a desire to seek change. At the time of All But Name, here, he's frustrated and disillusioned but still on the side of Light, even if he's not quite light any more. Several have commented that he won't turn because he's choosing to get involved with Anakin and Obi-Wan. But remember, he's still on Coruscant and friends with Sidious. Where he ends up, Jedi or Sith, will ultimately be open to interpretation since we'll be ending the story before that could truly come into play. (Because we don't have a clue either...)
Next chapter: A bounty hunter.