This. Was. Long.

I was writing it this entire time.

And now it is done...

Oh, and I have some important news:

This series just got another book.

Yeah.

I said it.

This just became a trilogy.

REVIEW!

Please...

Enjoy!

Anakin was on edge. It had been two days since Luke had been arrested, and word had somehow, someway, gotten out to the public. Whispers of how the son of Anakin Skywalker had been arrested, how it was rumored he'd fallen to the Sith, echoed in all sorts of corners that ranged from the Senate Building to the Jedi Temple, even to the slums of the Underworld on Coruscant. The media had started to flock towards Anakin and his family, though he could see a bright light in the fact that at least while Luke was in his holding cell in the Jedi Temple, he would not be bothered by the incessant pestering by the media that the rest of the family was currently subject to.

It didn't help that Luke's trial was tomorrow. It would be up to the Jedi on whether or not they passed Luke over to the Senate for additional judgment, though from the whispers that Senators Organa and Mothma had picked up concerning the state of mind over Luke's crimes in the Senate, they couldn't afford for Luke to be turned over to them. Adequate judgment had to be met in the Jedi's Chamber of Judgment, and they had to do all that they could to keep the Jedi Council from handing Luke over to the Senate. If he was, than from the sounds of things he would most likely receive a death sentence.

Right now the Jedi insisted that it was an internal affair, though within the Council chambers there was much debate over whether or not Luke should be handed over to the Senate to satisfy the Republic. At least at the moment, the Council had decided to hear Luke's side of the story before they made that decision. Whether or not Luke was handed over to the Senate would be decided alongside his fate tomorrow.

Anakin shivered at the thought. Tomorrow…tomorrow was when it was going to be decided what would happen to his son. Ahsoka had told him how Luke was only going to plead not guilty to the sexual assault and guilty to the rest. Anakin himself had looked into where that specific claim had come from. Apparently there was a night guard on Ansion who had been there when Master Huul'nik and Padawan Drumiin had been killed. The woman had been nigh on death when she was found, but only recently—when she realized exactly who it had been that had attacked her, if Anakin was going to share his opinion about that—did she say that her attacker had sexually assaulted on top of everything else.

Anakin wasn't buying it, but still, it had to be taken into account. Right now the only evidence was the woman's word, but with everything else that Luke was being convicted of that had apparently been enough for them.

That was why he was having this little meeting right now the day before the trial. There was a conversation he needed to have with one Kiilee Seern.

Anakin pulled the hood of his robe a little lower as he weaved in and out of the crowd of people. He wasn't in the Underworld, but he wasn't exactly in a desirable part of Coruscant either. It was a healthy middle zone of desirability, and here he could have his conversation without interruption or interference from any outside parties. He glanced around the dark alley street that managed to look like night in broad daylight, slipping into the cantina with the dim, broken sign that labeled it as the Tipsy Smuggler.

A quick scan showed that Kiilee was already there, sitting at the exact corner table that Anakin had told her to.

Good.

Anakin approached the black haired woman indirectly, watching her pale green eyes scan the room fruitlessly for Jarrard Kareen, Coruscant News Network anchor.

How sorely disappointed she was about to be.

Anakin approached the woman from behind, leaning down and causing her to jump a foot in the air when he whispered in her ear. "Come out back; you never know where the Jedi have their eyes and ears."

He withdrew back into the crowd before Kiilee could turn and spot him, blending back into the crowd that filled the cantina and exiting the cantina through the back door. He waited impatiently for several moments before the door finally opened and Kiilee stepped out, her scarred face shining momentarily in the dim light above the door.. He smiled triumphantly to himself, and the moment the door slid shut behind her he grabbed the woman's arm and yanked her further into the darkness, eliciting a cry from the woman.

"I believe you have some explaining to do," Anakin growled low in his throat, pushing Kiilee against the wall with his hands clasped firmly on her shoulders.

"Who are you?" she demanded instead, a shake in her voice despite her attempt at defiance.

Anakin stepped back just slightly, staying close enough that he could snatch her if she tried to run but far enough that she wouldn't think she was in immediate danger. He yanked the hood away, revealing his stormy expression and anger-contorted features. "A father that doesn't appreciate the lie you've spread about his son."

Considering all of the recent publicity, Kiilee didn't need to ask for his name; she recognized him immediately. She tried to take a step back, but she was already pressed against the wall and she stumbled slightly, shrinking downwards. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do," Anakin said darkly, stepping closer once more. Kiilee slid a little further down the wall. "You're little stunt accusing my son of sexual assault."

Kiilee seemed to get a little bold at this and she rose to her feet again. "If that's the only thing you're worried about, then you're either just as bad or worse than him," she snapped. Immediately she regretted it, and waited for Anakin's reaction.

It greatly disturbed the woman when he smiled at her; he could tell. "Oh, if only you knew," Anakin muttered under his breath. He turned his full attention to the woman, closing the gap to get up in her face. "You're going to retract your false accusations, and admit your lie; I will not have such an allegation hanging over his head when he's already got enough that are true to deal with."

Something changed in the woman, and when Kiilee rolled her eyes Anakin had to resist the urge to strangle the woman. "And why would I do that?"

Anakin couldn't help the sneer that graced his features at her words. "Because he's an easy target, and a quick way to fame and even money from what I hear. Received a few charitable donations because of your fabricated plight, have you?"

"That's none of your business, but I will have you know that I wouldn't stoop to that level," she grit out.

"You stooped to such a level when you decided to gain fame at his expense. You know the stir that you've caused, and it disgusts me that you don't even care what you're doing."

"Why should I care? He's a monster for what he's done; I saw it with my own eyes, I was a victim of it myself. Why should it bother me that I've lied about what he did to me to make my situation a little better? He deserves everything he gets."

Anakin glared murderously at her, his hands clenching several times over into fists. A barrel a few feet away from them burst into millions of little splinters, but Anakin hardly noticed. He wanted to scream at this woman, to inflict a different pain upon her for every word that spilled from her lips.

You know nothing of what a true monster is like! You know nothing of what I have done, of how many lives I took uncaringly, of the blood I spilled and the souls I tortured endlessly, Anakin screamed in his mind. Out loud, however, his words held a dangerous calm.

"So you admit you fabricated the story of him sexually assaulting you," he asked coolly, his eyes boring into hers.

"Yes, I did," the woman shot back. "And I don't regret it either. He nearly killed me; why should I care? If my little story secures a death sentence, all the better; let that monster hang. If I can profit from it, then why not tell a little lie? It's not like anyone even cares, with everything he's done."

He almost did it.

He almost killed her for what she said.

However, some miniscule voice of reason seemed to remain in his head, and he reigned in the bloodlust that rose within him, his fists clenched so tightly he was sure he felt himself draw blood from his flesh hand. "Get out of my sight," he spat at her.

Kiilee glared at him, probably trying to figure out why he was going to let her go without even doing anything to her. Still, she seemed to pick up on the siren that warned of a very real threat of death in his voice , and she turned and scurried quickly from the alley. Anakin didn't even watch her go, but pulled the hood back over his head and stalked from the alley.

In his hand, he turned over a small recording device and allowed himself a small smirk cast in shadows.

One down.

Luke sat at the edge of his metal cot, hands clasped together as he stared at the floor. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, only that it had. Judging by how many meals he'd received, it had to be about two days roughly. No one—except Ahsoka, who had come once to discuss some of the finer details that the recordings she had were missing—had come to visit him recently, so his time in the cell had been spent utterly alone. The only time he had human contact was when the sentinels gave him his meals, and they never spoke.

Over the course of the last two days, the dark side had been terrorizing him both in his dreams and when he was awake. Luke was sure that if he had access to a mirror, he would see bags and dark circles under his eyes from his restless nights. He could hardly sleep as it was, but now he had nightmares on top of that, all of them equally terrifying as his dream of the glass box.

Luke rubbed his eyes wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took calming breaths. The Force swirled around him in a mixture of dark and light, though the light was the strongest element inside of him.

At the moment.

Having both the light and the dark inside caused a constant, tumultuous war inside of Luke. The dark side would creep up and tempt him at the worst moments, and it was only through sheer force of will that Luke was able to resist. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Luke wondered if this was what his father felt like; split between light and dark, constantly battling with their dark selves to stay rooted in the light. Anakin's roots were his family and friends; Luke's was not only his family and friends but also his burning desire to do good.

I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.

I am a Jedi, like my father before me.

I did, and I am; I will not give into the dark again, Luke thought to himself. If I make it through this, that is.

Luke sighed, standing up to pace the cell. He'd already tried entertaining himself by stretching out to see who else was in the cell block, but had discovered that he could sense nothing outside of the walls of his cell. It was most likely the same for those on the outside, and safe to assume that they couldn't sense anything on the inside of the cells.

With a shake of his head, Luke dropped to the ground and started his old exercise routine from Dagobah, starting with a simple two hundred two-handed push-ups. It was a good way to pass the time, and he wanted to stay in shape anyway; doing so was something burned into his mind because of his time on Dagobah, and it was strange to skip the routine.

Luke was just finishing up the five hundred crunches when he heard the sound of the ray shields being deactivated. He was on his feet the next moment, tense with anticipation as the thick door slid open. Was it Ahsoka? His father? Sister? Mother?

When a middle-aged Jedi that Luke did not recognize stepped into the cell, Luke felt confusion cover up all the other emotions he'd been previously feeling. Who was this man, and why was he here?

For a moment, Luke felt a spike of fear as it struck him that perhaps it was time for his trial. That possibility also disappeared when the doors and ray shields slid shut behind the Jedi, who stood by the doorway, studying Luke in a way that made him shift uncomfortably. Something...his gut and most likely the Force as well...told him that something wasn't right here.

"Do you know who I am?"

The man's low, gruff voice echoed around the cell, and it held underlying currents of a threat and of anger. Luke tensed just slightly, studying the man warily for a few moments before he slowly shook his head. He was afraid that if he spoke, he would trip some unknown trigger in the man that seemed ready to snap at any moment.

Or was he just imagining things?

It seemed to not surprise the man in the least that Luke did not recognize him. He was quick to introduce himself, his tone sharp and expectant. "Let me give you something that may jog your memory; my name is Durran Shun."

Shun...why was that name familiar? Luke was sure he had never heard of this man or even crossed his path, yet his mind screamed at him that he should recognize that last name. If he could remember why that last name was familiar, than he could figure out who this man was.

Alas, nothing came to mind. Luke did try to figure it out, but with everything filling his mind right now he just could grasp the realization that was dancing right out of his grasp. He realized that Durran was waiting for a reply and shook himself out of his efforts to grasp the familiarity of the man's name to answer him.

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

And that's when the man's mask of calm shattered and revealed the fury underneath. Luke trialed off, realizing that as soon as the words I'm sorry traveled past his lips the man had become enraged, and the fact that Luke still did not realize who he was seemed to be the final push. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, and Luke felt the dark side strengthen in the cell, causing him to shiver. Durran stepped forward threateningly, and Luke took an unconscious step back.

"Da'leen Shun was my daughter, Sith," Durran hissed, and Luke took another step back, feeling as if he'd been socked in the gut at lightspeed with an electrostaff.

Da'leen Shun had been the Padawan he'd killed when Sidious had first unleashed Eius upon the galaxy; his second overall kill, first female kill, first Padawan kill. He'd impaled her with a lightsaber after watching her crawl across the floor gasping for breath, and all of it had been recorded and sent to the Council. Now he remembered, and now he realized the seriousness of this moment. Overwhelming sorrow and remorse nearly sent him to his knees, and when he spoke his voice was raspy with raw emotion. He could hardly look Durran in the eyes.

"Mister Shun, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for what I did—what I've done—" Luke started, his heart aching painfully. Durran, however, cut him off, and Luke was alarmed when he felt the dark side mount even higher in the room.

"I didn't come here for your excuses," Durran spat, and Luke was shocked when he felt invisible hands close around his throat, stumbling back from the surprise with his own hand flying to his throat, eyes wide in astonishment.

This wasn't a visit for an apology, or even an 'I want to look in the eyes of my child's killer and see if there's any remorse' visit; this was a revenge visit. Durran wanted Luke's blood for taking his daughter from him.

"She was all I had," Durran growled, his voice breaking several times while Luke gasped fruitlessly for air. "Her mother died giving birth to her; she was my whole world, the spitting image of her mother. And you took her from me. You killed her!"

Luke's first instinct was to fight back, and he found himself reaching for the first thing that presented salvation; that just so happened to be the dark side. When he realized he was letting the cold, seductive side of the Force inside again, he suddenly shied away, withdrawing as far from the Force as he could. Still, the dark side clung to him, and he felt helpless despair settle in, strangled by invisible hands in his solitary cell and unable to tear his eyes from the man that Luke had horribly wronged.

"I-I...I'm s...so s-s...sor...ory," Luke forced himself to say. It took too much effort for comfort to force words past the invisible grip closing off his esophagus, but he still, thankfully, managed to say it.

"Sorry isn't going to bring my daughter back, or any of the others that you slaughtered," Durran snarled.

He's right, Luke couldn't help but think, and he felt something inside of him just...give up. Why was he even fighting? What was there to fight back for? He told Ahsoka himself that there was no point because he was condemned, so why should he fight back anymore?

Darkness was gathering at the edges of his vision when he gave up, giving in to Durran's thirst for revenge and accepting that the man wanted Luke's blood in exchange for his daughters. Luke was sure that he wasn't the only one who wanted such a payment. He sank to his knees, one hand in a white knuckled grip on the wrist of the hand that clutched at his throat as a reflex while tears streamed down his face from the pain of being unable to breathe.

Then the Force intervened, convincing Luke that karma was going to be dealt to him for his sins in agonizing doses for an indefinite amount of time.

Distantly, Luke heard the sound of the ray shields deactivating and the door sliding opened, which was followed closely by two shrill cries of "Luke!"

The light side of the Force suddenly flooded the room, pushing the dark side back but not dispelling it entirely from the room. There was a loud thud of something heavy hitting a wall the same time that the grip on Luke's throat disappeared. Luke sucked in air with a wheeze, falling forward onto his hands. He felt gentle hands grasp at his shoulders, pulling him up to see worry filled brown eyes filling his vision as one of the hands moved to cup his cheek.

"Luke, talk to me, are you all right?" Leia asked him, her voice strained.

"Leia," he breathed in relief, his voice thick with emotion as his sister pulled him close both for his comfort and her own. He was reminded strangely of that moment after Bespin where she'd hugged him after his fight with Vader. Her hug was soothing and healing, but it couldn't heal every wound that he had.

"Luke, are you okay?" came a new voice, and Luke looked up to see Galen staring down at him intently. His palm was stretched out behind him, and it seemed Galen was using the Force to hold Durran against the wall whilst the man thrashed to break free and, Luke could guess, throw himself at Luke.

Luke nodded slowly. "I'm fine...I'm fine..."

His mother's high pitched, furious tone drew his mind away from his cell as he cast his eyes towards the hall where Padme in all of her Senatorial/Ex-Queen/no nonsense/Jedi wife and mother glory ripped the sentinels outside Luke's cell a new one for letting Durran into Luke's cell and almost allowing her baby boy to be murdered on their watch.

"Did you even think to keep an eye on him? Did you think twice about the fact that you let a family member of a victim in without supervision? Did you think of the risks? Do you even have brains? My boy could have been dead by now if we hadn't come by here when we did! He would be dead, and it would be on you!" she was shouting, her eyes burning with a mother's fury as she got up in the two Jedi sentinels faces.

"Mother," Luke called tiredly. He was exuberant to see her but worn by his near-death experience.

At her son's call, Padme turned to face him, quickly descending into the cell. She pointed at Durran, who was no longer struggling in Galen's grip, and snapped orders at the two sentinels outside the door. "Get him out of her; hold him. I'm sure my husband and the Council will want to speak with him."

Galen did not drop the man until the sentinels were already flanking him, and Padme kneeled beside her son, worry blanketing every inch of her expression. Leia let Padme pry Luke from his sister's grasp, giving him a hug that rivaled Leia's own bone-crushing embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder like he was a little boy again, closing his eyes and relaxing marginally.

"Mother..." he murmured, holding her close. "I've missed you."

"We've missed you too," she replied, pulling away and placing a hand on his cheek. "You look exhausted. Are you okay, how are you holding up, are they treating you fairly?" she rattled off. There were several more questions ready to spill forth from her but Luke waved them off.

"I'm fine mother, don't worry about me," he said quietly.

"Liar," she said sharply, startling him. "Don't think I can't when you're lying Luke Skywalker, I am your mother and you will never be able to hide anything from me. How are you really?"

Luke searched her gaze, sensitive to the fact that Galen and Leia were watching him intensely and holding their breath for his answer. But he was not about to lie to his mother's face again. He let his eyes slide away, unable to hold her gaze as he spoke. "I'm terrified of what's going to happen, I'm ready to just give up, and I'm plagued by nightmares even in my waking moments," he admitted.

His mother's eyes suddenly filled with grief and sorrow for her son, and the sight broke his heart. Padme leaned forward and kissed his forehead, brushing back the hair that fell in his eyes. "Everything is going to work out Luke...I promise you it will."

"Luke, we actually came because we have some good news," Galen said gently.

Luke looked up at him, his curiosity aroused. "And what could that possibly be?"

"The sexual assault charge was dropped," Leia said from beside him. Luke blinked in surprise.

"What? Why?" he asked, shocked.

"All that's been released to the public is that evidence appeared that showed that the woman who claimed that was what happened was lying for some quick fame," Galen said evenly.

"And off record?" Luke asked, glancing between the three.

"Your father cornered her and got her to confess the truth when she didn't know she was being recorded," Padme explained.

"No one got hurt, right?" Luke asked warily.

"No, surprisingly. With what she said, I'm surprised he didn't kill her to be honest," Galen muttered.

"So now there's just everything else to worry about," Luke mumbled bitterly.

Padme's grip tightened on Luke, and Leia placed her hand on his back while Galen shifted uncomfortably. "This will work out Luke; I know it will. You just have to hang in there all right? Ahsoka and your father know what they're doing."

Luke held his mother's gaze. "Mother...I want you to know the same thing that I told Ahsoka; I will take whatever punishment is given to me without complaint unless I feel it doesn't make up for what I've done."

Padme's lips pursed just slightly, and he could see the gears working in her head. "Luke, you are not a bad person, all right? You could have done worse, and you know it; things could have turned out much differently. But you're here now, and you have a chance all right? There's still hope, so don't give up on us because we haven't given up on you."

"Thank you Mother..." Luke said softly. Leia sighed.

"Has anyone told you when your trial is yet?" she asked gently.

"No, not yet. The only person who's talked to me since I was put in here is Ahsoka," Luke explained.

"Told you," Galen said to Leia. Leia shook her head, grimacing.

"It's tomorrow," she told him.

"That soon?" Luke asked, eyes going wide. Padme nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid so. But they know what they're doing Luke; trust them, all right? They're going to do all that they can."

Luke studied the three people in his cell for a moment, relishing in the light and hope that they presented to his gloomy solitude here in this prison. Finally, he wrapped his arms around his mother and sister.

"Thank you..." he murmured. "I love you both. Don't forget that please? No matter what?"

"We love you too," Leia responded gently. "You'll pull through this; we always pull through. You're going to come home with us, all right Luke? You'll come home."

He wasn't so sure about that. But he didn't say it out loud.

Tomorrow came too fast.

Anakin didn't sleep that night.

Nor did Luke.

Leia and Padme had nightmares.

Han and Anakin spent the night quelling their loved ones when they woke from said nightmares.

Chewbacca was restless all night, falling in and out of sleep.

Mara slept in Luke's bed, holding the cloak that he hadn't realized he'd left behind close to her chest.

Galen spent the night staring out over the horizon of Coruscant.

Juno tried to get Galen to get some sort of sleep.

Ahsoka stayed up as long as she dared going over every detail of her defense for Luke, watching the footage and listening and reading testaments ten thousand times over.

Obi-Wan spent more of the night meditating for calm than he did sleeping.

Nydri paced through the house, sensing the restless and even somewhat despairing and fearful atmosphere of those around her. Several times she howled whenever one of the women woke up crying.

The very Force itself seemed to be restless.

Luke was wide awake and waiting for them when the sentinels came to take him to his trial. He was bound once more in the Force restricting binders without a struggle, and just as he had been when he was escorted from his home, he was surrounded by six sentinels. For a while he was as fine as he could be considering the circumstances...

...and then he left the detention blocks. Once he was among the Temple halls and no longer shielded from the stares and whispers, the frightened looks and fearful dashes away from him, the suffocating guilt and shame came back once more. He found himself staring at the floor, eyes fixated on the edge of the robe of the sentinel in front of him.

Thank the Force he was in the Force restricting binders; at least he couldn't sense their reactions to him as well. At least he was spared from that reaction.

After a walk that felt too long, Luke found himself shepherded into the room just below the Chamber of Judgment. Ahsoka was there waiting for him, but no one else. Not one.

At the crestfallen and even somewhat shattered look that graced Luke's features, Ahsoka moved to explain and remedy his hurt. "No one's allowed to see you right now but me, considering I'm going to defend you."

Luke nodded in understanding. "So...how's this going to work?" he asked quietly, taking a seat beside Ahsoka on the couch as they waited. The sentinels stood at various points around the circular room while they talked.

Ahsoka smiled sadly. "I came up with your defense; I think it's actually pretty good if you ask me. Obi-Wan said that the entire facility on Byss was destroyed, so there wasn't anything there. He didn't find anything useful on his way back either, but that's fine; I think we'll be fine with what we have."

Luke frowned. "Obi-Wan went back to Byss?"

Ahsoka nodded. "We've been running around trying to gather as much evidence as possible, and I think we have enough to ease whatever sentence the Council is toying with right now."

Luke's hands trembled slightly; he was absolutely terrified, but he wasn't about to say so. Ahoska noticed the movement, however, and gently put her hands over his. "Hey; at least you have an 'attorney,' per-say. I was completely on my own when I had my trial," she pointed out.

Luke cracked a weak smile. "Yes, well...you were innocent at least."

The low, echoing beep that signaled it was time cut Ahsoka off from whatever she would have said, and the togruta Jedi stood, signaling that Luke should do the same. The two of them, as well as two sentinels, moved to the center of the room, and Luke and Ahsoka both got on the very center of the platform. Gradually, the floor began to rise, and the ceiling above them opened up. Luke swallowed nervously, clenching his fists several times as he tried to find the same calm he'd had when he'd handed himself over to Vader on Endor.

For some reason he couldn't quite reach that state of mind.

The outer ring of the platform ended once it was level with the floor of the Chamber of Judgment, but the platform Ahsoka and Luke stood on continued to rise high into the chamber. Luke's gaze skimmed over the Jedi Council members that sat at a seat in a circle all around him, their features cast in a dim yellow/orange light. A single white light shone down on Luke and Ahsoka, offering no reprieve and nowhere for Luke to hide his shame.

Luke's heart stopped when he finally spotted his father. Anakin looked as if he would rather be anywhere then where he was no, as if it was physically agonizing for him to be at this trial. Obi-Wan sat beside him and looked almost just as reluctant, though he lacked the physically agonizing aspect. Several other Jedi that Luke knew all too well were there; Master Windu, Master Ti, Master Secura, Master Mundi, Master Koon...

There were also several masters that Luke knew he'd killed someone they knew and were close to, including some of the masters that Luke was familiar with.

His optimism in the outcome of this trial plummeted at the thought.

Suddenly, as the rising platform came to a halt, his father spoke.

"Padawan Skywalker," Anakin said, his voice sounding pained, like his limbs were slowly being pulled off of him with every word he spoke. "The crimes of mass murder, treason, conspiracy, torture, kidnapping, arson, blackmail, and theft have been levied against you, with the charge of sexual assault being dropped due to light of recent evidence...how do you plead?"

For a moment, Luke thought that he wouldn't be able to speak. He forced himself to look right in his father's eyes as he spoke. "Guilty...Master," Luke said, his soft voice echoing around the room. Even the break in his voice carried, and he had to repress a wince.

"But not entirely responsible for his actions for multiple reasons, with several different circumstances that could shed a new light on his crimes," Ahsoka cut in, shooting Luke a pointed look.

A pained light flickered in his father's gaze as Anakin nodded. "The Council will now listen to your account of your actions."

Ahsoka stepped forward. "I have been asked to speak on behalf of Padawan Skywalker, and will be recounting his actions from his fall on Korriban to his redemption on Byss. I have collected a series of footage to back up his story as well."

Luke stood quietly beside Ahsoka as she began to recount how Luke had been cornered by Sidious into joining him to save his father, and how Luke had not been aware at the time that Sidious was a Sith Lord and was only informed of that fact after he'd sworn the oath that Sidious had asked for. Luke had known there would be no footage of that, though he was surprised when Ahsoka pulled out a holodisc and a small handheld holodisc player so early in the recount. A blue holoimage appeared for everyone to see, and the first thing to play was a recording of him, on Korriban, trapped in an arena and forced to battle against a variety of dangerous creatures. Luke looked away, his hands tightening on the binders. He knew what was coming.

Ahsoka's voice echoed around the room. "While Sidious tested his limits and started to purposely break him down, Luke was infected with Sith Poison through a Hssiss bite. It's common knowledge that Sith Poison acts as a disease and breaks down resistance to the dark side; the infected's judgment deteriorates until the infected begins to lash out in anger. It can be counteracted, but effects are likely to still remain even after a successful counteraction," Ahsoka explained. The holorecording showed his narrow scrape with the k'lor'slug before it came to the moment where Luke was bitten. Sidious appeared in the recording, but Ahsoka paused it after Sidious yanked Luke to his feet. "Footage of the next few days shows that Luke did try to counteract the poison, but he was only able to negate the worst possible scenario. The poison twisted and clouded his judgment as well as trapped him in the dark side."

As she spoke, she let the footage resume to show a few clips of those agonizing few days when the Sith Poison had its way with him. Once those few short clips ended, she paused it once more to explain whatever she had lined up next.

"I was able to get in contact with one of the bounty hunters that Luke used while he was Darth Eius, and he was able to give an account that showed that Luke wasn't in his right mind and wasn't thinking clearly on several instances. Also it shows that he wasn't always the one who hired for the hits that we know of, but just a middle-man; a messenger that didn't always know what message he was passing along," she said, standing up straight as she resumed the footage once more. Luke was shocked to see Boba Fett appear in front of him; how had they gotten him to speak on Luke's behalf?

Luke couldn't help his gaze from flickering to his father. Something—not the Force since he was currently cut off from it—told him that Anakin had a hand in convincing Fett to testify for Luke.

"When Skywalker came to me one day with a job, he admitted that he did not know who the target was and that he was just passing along the message, that this job was coming directly from Sidious and that he had nothing to do with it..." Fett paused. "I'm sure that if he knew he was passing along the order to kill his sister he wouldn't have let that disc get to anyone, but would have destroyed it on the spot."

Luke winced at Fett's words, doing his best to ignore the murmurs around the room from the Masters that had not known about this particular incident. Fett, however, continued to speak.

"I talked to a few of my bounty hunter...comrades...and discovered that I wasn't the only one who had received a job from him where he did not know who the target was. In a majority of the instances he gave a job, he had no part in it but delivering a holodisc to a bounty hunter," Fett finished.

The holodisc was paused, and Luke was left staring at Fett's frozen blue figure while Ahsoka took a sudden switch in her speech, starting to explain how there were two Luke's in the Galaxy not long after he had become Eius. Now things were starting to get complicated, and Luke dropped his gaze to stare blankly at the floor in front of him. The masters knew that there had been two of Luke, but beyond what was spoken of in the Council Room they didn't know much more on the matter as far as Luke knew, and he had the sneaking suspicion Ahsoka's explanation was just a reminder and refresher. Once she was finished explaining that tangled mess, she started on Luke's imprisonment, listing off the many different tortures that had been inflicted upon him during his time in captivity. She played a short, brief clip from Byss of one such moment, and Luke's hands clenched involuntarily into a white knuckled grip, his teeth grit as he tried to ignore the phantom pain that appeared at the memory and the sounds of his screams in the room. He was relieved when Ahsoka finally paused her footage once again.

"Not too long before Grandmaster Skywalker and the others went to go recover both Luke's from Sidious' grip, a peculiar event happened, and all traces and effects of the Sith Poison were erased from Luke. He was still trapped within the dark side, and his judgment was still clouded, but there was no longer any Sith Poison keeping him in clad firmly in the dark side. He started to recover what had been taken from him, and he started to realize what he was doing," Ahsoka said. Luke had to admire her for trying to explain the event that still had him slightly confused. Maybe she actually understood something that he didn't.

"But there is no cure for Sith Poison," one of the masters that Luke did not recognize stated avidly.

Ahsoka sighed. "Not formerly, no. However...I do have a witness that can testify that he really was clenched of the Sith Poison, and her account of what happened might shed some light on what happened."

Luke's head snapped up when Ahsoka said 'her,' and he felt himself go rigid with anticipation. Was she really talking about...?

"And who would this witness be? As far as the Council is aware, it was only Padawan Luke, Jedi Luke, and Darth Sidious on Byss," the same master challenged.

"There was another person on Byss," Ahsoka corrected that master easily. "She was with Sidious but at the same time she recounts that she was struggling with an internal divide. After these two timelines merged she was struggling with a half of her that was utterly devout to Sidious and a part of her that was devout to the Jedi Order. For a while the part that was devout to Sidious was dominant, but with time she turned further and further away from Sidious. The only thing she participated in, however, was the imprisonment of Luke's original self. Mara Jade has asked that she be allowed to tell what she saw, and what she believes happened."

Luke felt his heart launch into his throat, and his eyes immediately dropped down to where Mara was being escorted inside of the Chamber of Judgment by two sentinels, her flaming red hair sticking out in the dark room. She was not going to join Luke and Ahsoka on the platform, but she was still within sight of almost every single Jedi Master.

"She was there when the Sith Poison was purged from his system, and the two of them talked briefly about it later. Mara?" Ahsoka said, turning to address the woman. Luke found himself unable to look his father in the eye at that moment, so he turned his full attention to Mara, who stepped confidently forward.

"Masters," she said respectfully, and Luke didn't miss the fact that she, too, couldn't quite look Anakin in the eyes either. When no one voiced their objections to a statement by her, Mara spoke. "It happened when the Force came very close to forcing the two versions of Luke together. He came out of the cell that...the original Luke...was in at the moment very unsteady, weak, and shaken. I asked him if he was all right, and when he looked at me I was stunned to see that his eyes were pure blue. They had been nothing but Sith yellow up until that point, and when we talked later he was different. He wasn't as cold or as fixated in the dark side as he had been recently, and he described that he felt as if he had been purged of something in that moment when the Force had tried to force a merge between both versions of him. Considering the way he was acting and the fact that he had not turned from the dark side, we both came to the conclusion that the Sith Poison had somehow been purged from his system. He believed, as do I, that in that moment when the Force was trying to merge the two of them, the original Luke's strong light side presence and the Force itself cleansed him of the Sith Poison and its effects. I believe that at this point he started a slow turn back to the light side of the Force; all he needed was the right push, a chance, and the merge to break free from Sidious' grasp."

She finally finished giving her account, and silence hung in the room for several moments before Master Windu dismissed Mara. Mara shot Luke a look he was sure he wouldn't forget, as if she was willing him to be all right, and her will alone could save him.

Ahsoka turned back to the Council. "There is also footage that shows that he was turning back to the light. After Sidious...broke the original Luke...this happened."

The footage returned, and a familiar scene played out in front of everyone.

"He really did break you this time, didn't he?"

"Either lead me away…or leave me lying here…at least…let me die in peace…"

"Come on…wake up…"

"Why?"

"It's not right for you to stop fighting. You can't give up, you've got to keep fighting."

"Why don't you switch places for a little while and see if you're still fighting?"

"It's nice to know that your humor has survived."

"Why should you care? I'm just going to die soon anyway."

"If you do die…you're going to die a true Skywalker, and not a broken man, or I'll be damned... More-so than I already am."

Ahsoka let the footage move on, explaining what came next even as the crack of a whip rang through the room. "He was punished later for it, alongside Jedi Luke, but it only served to drive him further from Sidious' grasp. When Grandmaster Skywalker and the others arrived on Byss, he was still on the dark side, but he was still redeemable, much more-so than he had been previously."

Ahsoka put away the handheld device. "I've asked the rescue party to recount the events of Byss, as no one has yet spoke of what happened in the ruins. Knight Marek, Padawan Leia Skywalker, and of course Grandmaster Skywalker all had something to contribute to the account, and I ask that all three of them be allowed to share what they witnessed."

"Granted," Anakin said before anyone could stop him.

Ahsoka nodded, and Luke watched in a daze as Galen was led in alongside Leia, and the two of them recounted their brief stories of what happened on Byss all the way through to the point when they arrived back on Coruscant. Leia almost couldn't take her eyes off of Luke, and she constantly shot him worried glances that held traces of fear. Galen spoke much more passionately than normal, obviously driven by the hope that his best friend would be freed. When their accounts were finished, they were led back out of the room, with Leia shooting glances over her shoulder back at Luke the entire time. Once they had left, Anakin relayed everything that happened in the ruins; every last detail, including Luke's miniature breakdown after the merge and Sidious' death. He, too, recounted events up until the point that they returned to Coruscant.

Luke's legs were starting to hurt, but he said nothing. Ahsoka added several more facts and points that Luke missed, as everything was now passing in a blur. Finally, the descriptions of Luke's circumstance was over, and the trial was coming to a quick close. As glad as he was that things were finally wrapping up, Luke was also absolutely terrified of what would come next.

"Padawan Luke...do you have any more to add?" Anakin asked quietly.

Luke swallowed with a little difficulty, standing straighter. "I cannot take back my actions, no matter how much I wish that I could. Though the one thing I do not regret is what I did to save my father. I've reflected on that moment several times over, and I know that given the chance I would still do the exact same thing. However, I cannot begin to explain how deeply sorry I am for all the lives I have destroyed and taken, and I know I will never be able to make up for everything that I have done to everyone that I have wronged. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive myself for what I did either, even if I was not in my right mind at the time. My mistakes will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I ask for no forgiveness. All I ask is that fair punishment be dealt to serve justice for all those that I have wronged and all those that became a victim due to my weakness."

Once more, silence rang throughout the Chamber of Judgment once the last sorrow filled, heartfelt, truthful echo of his words had disappeared.

"Is that all you wish to say?" Anakin asked, sounding like he hoped that Luke would say something in his own defense. Luke only nodded.

"That's all, Master," he said, doing his best to stay formal and resist the urge to call Anakin Father.

Anakin looked down at his feet, leaning forward slightly before his cracked voice echoed around the chamber. "The Council will now retire to deliberate the sentence of Padawan Skywalker and return when they have come to an agreement."

The platform that Luke and Ahsoka were on lowered to ground level of the room as the Council members disappeared one by one. Anakin was the last one in the room, and he leaned over to address his son now that he was—at the moment—off record.

"Luke," he said, one hand braced against the panel in front of him as he leaned towards him. He said nothing more though, and the two locked gazes before Luke gave a simple nod of his head to show that he understood even though Anakin couldn't begin to explain how he felt in that moment. Luke wasn't sure he quite could either. There was so much he felt at the moment that he mostly felt...numb.

At Luke's nod, Anakin's jaw tightened firmly and a fiery determination lit up in his eyes before he turned to leave as well. Luke turned to Ahsoka, her expression as grim as he was terrified.

"And now we wait," he murmured, casting his gaze back to the Grandmaster seat, letting the reality settle in that he was now awaiting his fate.

As the hours ticked by, Luke's fear continued to mount, and Ahsoka grew restless, starting to pace the length of the platform. Luke watched her for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"You're not helping," he finally said, causing her to pause at some spot on the outer ring.

"I told your father the same thing when I had my trial," she said with a weak smile. "I'm sorry Luke, I'm just worried. It's had to have been three hours by now; there has to be a serious debate going on in there, and we can only hope that it's in our favor right now."

"I know Ahsoka, but still, the pacing is only making me even more nervous," Luke said. Ahsoka sighed.

"When they come back out, I'll be staying down on ground level for your sentence," she said, changing the topic the best she could at the moment.

"That's fine with me," he lied, though he didn't get a chance to say much else because the Council members had started reappearing at their designated spots one by one. Luke stood straighter, moving to the middle of the platform while Ahsoka moved to the outer rim that would stay at floor level. Luke's gaze flickered over the stony faces that were reappearing, and he noticed that Obi-Wan and his father still hadn't appeared. Whatever hope he'd had withered rapidly when finally it was just Obi-Wan and Anakin that needed to appear. Luke stood tense, ignoring every other Jedi Council member in the room as he stared intensely at the two seats that belonged to Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan appeared first.

He stayed as far back as he could, and he wouldn't look Luke in the eyes no matter how hard Luke tried to get his attention. His features were cast in shadow, but Luke was absolutely sure that Obi-Wan looked paler than normal; more the complexion he was when he was a ghost.

Luke's thoughts were cut short when movement caught his attention at his father's spot. Luke's full attention riveted to Anakin as he finally appeared and the center platform Luke stood on began to raise.

Anakin's face was ashen, and he was trembling. His eyes were cast down, and as the platform rose Luke felt any hope he'd had stay down at floor level and sink down into a two meter grave. Part of him was sure that he was going to be following his hope into the grave shortly.

There was several moments of silence where Anakin seemed to be struggling with his words. Finally, a halfway strangled noise came out of his father and Anakin forced himself to start speaking.

"Padawan Luke Skywalker..." Anakin said, his voice cracking as it echoed around the room. He waited a few moments before he continued. "You have been found guilty of all charges. You will be stripped of your Jedi rank and barred from the Order...And you will be exiled to an undisclosed location indefinitely..."

The sentence came like a blow to the gut with the Executer. Relief flooded through his veins as he realized he was not going to die; he'd avoided the death penalty. The ice, however, pierced every molecule of his entire being as the reality of his sentence fell over him all at once.

Exile.

He was exiled.