Power and Betrayal: Chapter 22

Zarvell stood up bowed his head respectfully at the table where Gwyniss, Satele, and Annanya sat. "Master Justice, the Accuser has argued that the Accused is a danger, essentially, because she is powerful, and that lacking control of that power somehow leaps us to the preposterous conclusion that she is a Sith. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jedi Dianiss is, and has always been, a proper member of the Jedi Order. In addition, the Accused has cited flawed examples of her alleged 'loss of control' and selectively omitted other examples of Dianiss' exploits that demonstrate quite the opposite. This is the basis of the Accused's defence."

"Very well, Lord Zarvell." Gwyniss said formally. "Make your case."

"As the Accuser has noted, there are many facts about Dianiss' origins that are not in dispute. She entered the Jedi Order at the age of nine, the same age that any other human youngling would be indoctrinated. From that time, she has been taught by the Jedi, passed her Initiate trials, further trained by the Jedi, selected as a Jedi Padawan, passed her Padawan trials and become a Jedi Knight. This fact is even formally acknowledged by this very proceeding."

"Stipulated." Kinnan said flatly.

"Lord Zarvell," Gwyniss interjected, "I would caution you to steer clear of using the circular argument that the Accused is a Jedi because she is a Jedi. The purpose of this proceeding is to make a decision on this very point, based only on past actions, and current status notwithstanding."

"Of course." Zarvell replied. "I merely wish to establish that her entire life, save for the earliest years of childhood, has been within the Jedi Order and its influence, culture, and formal training."

"That is all well and good," Gwyniss replied, "but your argument is undermined by those very 'earliest years of childhood' that you seem to want to ignore. Since the reappearance of the Sith Empire, the Order has learned a great deal about the Emperor and his ability to corrupt and even control Jedi, not to mention the Emperor's 'Children' and their covert nature. Nine years is PLENTY of time for an infant to be made into something that she does not appear, and if it can happen to Master Syo Bak--"

"We all regret what happened with Master Syo." Satele said in a firm voice that made it clear she wanted this to go no farther.

"Indeed we all do." Zarvell answered after a brief silence. "The Accused would question Jedi Master Casei Church."

"Master Casei, would you please stand and give your testimony." Gwyniss said.

Casei stood up again just like before. "I am Master Casei, here to represent Truth, Justice, and Harmony with the will of the Force."

"May the Force be with you." Gwyniss said.

"Master Casei," Zarvell began, "in your earlier testimony, you stated that your plan for training the Accused placed a very high priority on teaching her control, did you not?"

"That's right."

"I'd like to go back to The Boulder Incident, as you called it. The Accuser would like to imply that this incident represents a moment of anger, and the loss of control of her power. Is that correct, Accuser?"

"I'd say that it's not only true, but obviously true." Kinnan answered.

"Yet, Master Casei, you testified that this was the first time that she truly and fully unleashed this power within her."

"That's right."

"And you also testified that afterward, you explained to her what this power was, along with its origins and implications."

"Yes I did."

Zarvell turned to address Gwyniss. "Master Justice, there can be no other conclusion than this: the Accused was not yet aware of the power she commanded at the time, and so knew no notion of there being anything that she HAD TO control. How could she be fairly said to have lost control of something that she did not know existed at that time and thus wasn't even trying to control? This was not a failure at all--it was a moment of discovery. The consequences for then-Padawan Galadina, while regrettable, were nothing more than a tragic accident."

"Your rebuttal is noted, Lord Zarvell. Please move on." Gwyniss replied.

Zarvell bowed his head respectfully and continued. "Master Casei, I'd like to move ahead to another time the Accused made use of her power. Master Galadina testified of an instance that took place on Ilum, but I would suggest that she is unaware of another instance that came before. Master Casei, did you or did you not travel with the Accused to an otherwise-unsettled area of this planet to investigate a Sith relic that had been in the possession of the Jedi?"

"Um, yes. We weren't sure what the relic would actually do, but we had word that it could save her life and some basic instructions on how to activate it. She and I worked together to figure it out."

"Did she successfully activate it?"

"Yes. And then that's when all the trouble with her mother really started. We--Anya and I, I mean--were taken by surprise, but I *felt* something hit her shortly after that . . . and it changed her."

"It was from this time on that the Accused's body . . . and power . . . were being controlled by someone else, correct?"

"We didn't really get what was happening at the time, but looking back on it, yeah, that was definitely when Dianiss was taken over by Darth Nox. I mean, she spoke to us . . . introduced herself, even."

"Master Casei, this is a very important question: Did the Accused use only her own natural Force ability to activate the relic, or did she also use the power of Lord Kallig?"

"She used her 'other' power to do it. When she tried to do it on her own, it didn't work."

"And was her use of Lord Kallig's power her idea, or did she do it at your instruction?"

Casei didn't answer immediately. She knew that, in fact, she *had* advised Dianiss to use her Sith power to activate the relic, and was partly at fault for what happened afterward. It was that guilt that had lead her to put her own life at risk later on to revive Dianiss when she had been found dead.

"Master Casei?" Zarvell prompted.

"She did it because I told her to."

"What was her reaction to this instruction?"

"She didn't really want to. Anya and I convinced her it would be okay. We . . . we were wrong."

Zarvell again turned to address Gwyniss. "Master Justice, I should like to preface my next remarks with the assurance that in no way do I blame Masters Church or Yaya for what happened to the Accused in the weeks that followed. The fault lies entirely with the perpetrator of those misdeeds: Darth Nox."

"Understood." Gwyniss replied.

"With that said, I must point out that in this instance, when the Accused used the power of Lord Kallig, it was at the direction of two Jedi Masters: her own former Padawan Master, and a sitting member of the High Council--both of whom were persons in a position of trust and authority over her. So once again, the implication that these events came about because of an alleged loss of control could not be further from the truth. In fact, the use of her power in this instance was deliberate, sanctioned, and performed under supervision. The events that followed came about because of an attack through the Force, one that could not have been predicted or avoided."

"Your rebuttal is noted, Lord Zarvell. You may continue." Gwyniss replied.

"Master Justice, I have no further questions for this witness." Zarvell said.

"Master Casei, you may be seated." Gwyniss announced, and Casei sat back down.

"Master Justice, I would at this time like to review the testimony of Master Galadina on the events that occurred on Ilum. I would point out that the witness testified at great length about the magnitude of the power of Lord Kallig. Nowhere in her testimony did she indicate an example of when the Accused 'lost control' of herself. As such, I would challenge the testimony's relevance."

Gwyniss turned to Kinnan. "Master Sig-lapp?"

"The testimony goes directly to the severity of the problem posed by the Accused and the level of danger that she poses. We wouldn't be here if the Accused were some youngling Initiate who could barely--"

"We wouldn't be here if my esteemed adversary had not filed formal charges." Zarvell interrupted.

"Lord Zarvell," Gwyniss answered, seeking to insert herself into the argument before it became heated, "your objection to the testimony is refused. The Accuser's charges explicitly state that the Accused is a danger to both herself and those around her, and so it is fair and reasonable to describe the nature of the danger that she poses."

"Master Justice, one could argue that Grand Master Satele Shan is 'a danger' in the same way." Zarvell retorted. "Master Yaya and Master Galadina both qualify as well."

"Lord Zarvell, just stop." Gwyniss said in an annoyed tone. "Firstly, I already ruled. Secondly, this line of argument is outside the parameters of your stated defense--one in which you yourself admitted that the Accused is powerful. So stay on track."

Zarvell nodded his head respectfully.

"Master Justice, at this time I would like to review file number 27 from the Accused's evidence."

"Very well. One moment please...." Gwyniss responded while using the controls at the computer in front of her. A few seconds later, the holo-image of Dianiss disappeared, and the image of a small Imperial cargo ship appeared in its place. The ship began to rise slowly off its landing struts when a small hole suddenly punctured outward from its side, and a woman slipped out through that hole onto the floor below. There was no sound that accompanied the holo.

"What we are seeing here," Zarvell began, "is security footage from Mezenti Spaceport on Nar Shaddaa from the night that Master Sig-lapp, aided by the Accused, executed an unsanctioned theft of valuable property from an Imperial citizen. Having been captured by a security detail during the attempt, we are now watching the Accused escape from her captors, while Master Sig-lapp is still on board that ship. Is this correct, Master Sig-lapp?"

"WHAT?!?" Kinnan exclaimed. "You can't--"

"Just a moment, Lord Zarvell." Gwyniss interrupted. "What you are doing runs dangerously close to questioning the Accuser as a witness, which is not permitted."

"Master Justice, I have reviewed the relevant precedents on this matter, and it is my understanding that since the Accuser is acting as his own Advocate and is in fact a witness to certain events, he may be asked--in the interest of truth--to confirm or deny any information for which he has first-hand knowledge . . . but no more than that. Is that not correct?"

Gwyniss gave Zarvell a long hard look before answering. "Yes, there are such precedents, provided that you rigidly stay within those restrictions. There is a very real conflict-of-interest reason for prohibiting the calling of Justices and Advocates as witnesses, so tread carefully. The Accuser will answer the question, and restrict answers to confirmations or denials."

Kinnan took a deep breath to calm himself, which only worked about half as well as it needed to. "Confirmed, with the exception of the language describing an 'unsanctioned theft', as he put it."

The holo had continued to play while that exchange transpired, and now the image showed Dianiss attempting--and failing--to use the Force to hold back the ship's liftoff and rotation to face the exit.

"What we are seeing now is the Accused attempting to prevent the ship from lifting off, because Master Sig-lapp is still on board, and she is trying to secure HIS escape as well. Correct?"

"Correct." Kinnan said flatly.

"Now watch carefully." Zarvell said as the ship completed its rotation and began leaving the landing bay. "Here." he said.

The holo-image blurred momentarily but then returned immediately, as if the camera had malfunctioned for just a second. Dianiss could be seen moving her hands as if using the Force to pull something down, and as she did, the ship was violently yanked in the opposite direction from where it had been moving, crashing into the floor, and causing the entire holo-image to shake wildly from the impact. When the image re-stabilized, the ship's landing struts were either bent unnaturally upward or broken completely off, and structural damage could be seen--even in the relatively low-resolution holo-footage--on both the ship's lower sections and the floor of the landing bay.

"This is also an example of the Accused using her power to save Master Sig-lapp from capture--one which the Accuser failed to mention."

As Zarvell spoke, the rest of the scene played out. Dianiss held the ship down against the full power of its thrusters, crushing it even further, until she directed her attention to damaging the thrusters themselves in order to shut them down. Soon after, a man jumps out through the hole in the side of the ship.

"This is you, Master Sig-lapp, is it not?" Zarvell asked.

"It is." Kinnan answered.

The last minute or so of the recording played out, showing Kinnan being chased by the security detail, and Dianiss' final tactic of jumping out into the open air outside the spaceport, and using the Force to pull Kinnan out with her. After it ended, the image of Dianiss reappeared in its place.

Master Casei sat staring at the space where the holo had just been, wide-eyed, unable to speak, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just seen.

"What we have just witnessed is, as I have already pointed out, the Accused using her power to rescue Master Sig-lapp. It is worth noting that, aside from some . . . considerable . . . property damage, there were no casualties and in fact not even any injuries as a result--save for an unrelated shoulder wound that Master Sig-lapp suffered, which the Accused healed for him. So as you can see, this incident is a compelling counter-example of the argument that the Accused is unable to maintain control of herself."

"Very well, Lord Zarvell, your counter-argument has been noted." Gwyniss said.

"Just a moment." Kinnan interjected. "The Advocate for the Accused is failing to mention what happened immediately after that incident. The Accused, as a direct result of the use of her Sith power, was left in a mental state of . . . what I would describe as intense passion. Where it's true that she did not cause physical injuries, it is also true that her behavior was extremely inappropriate for a Jedi."

Kari began furiously elbowing Zarvell in the side. "Put me in, Coach." she said to him.

"Master Justice, the Accuser puts me in an awkward position by offering first-hand testimony as a part of an objection, while I am prohibited from cross-examining him. To answer the objection, the Accused would question Captain Kariharra." Zarvell announced.

Gwyniss was silent, but her body language suggested that she was letting out an enormous groan under her breath.

"Miss Kariharra, you may stand and give your testimony but BEHAVE YOURSELF." Gwyniss said with ice in her voice.

Kari stood formally and recited her part just like before, but saying her name in Basic. "I am Kariharra, here to represent Truth, Justice, and Harmony with the will of the Force." She followed with a respectful bow.

"Of course you are." Gwyniss said with sarcasm, then reluctantly added "May the Force be with you." in order to maintain protocol.

"Kari," Zarvell began, "you indicated that you have something to add in relation to the Accuser's statement...?"

"On the night in question, I came home to my condo to find that Annie was in her room giving Master Endurance over there THE best night of his life."

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to elaborate." Zarvell said, then added, "but do try to remember that this is a place of decorum and that Annie is my daughter." Zarvell then turned to address Gwyniss. "Also, let the record show that references to 'Annie' by this witness are referring to the Accused, and that 'Master Endurance'..." (He paused to shoot Kari a look of disbelief and soundlessly mouthed the word 'really?!?') "...refers to Master Kinnan Sig-lapp."

"So . . . they were in the room next to mine doing some very elaborate things that did NOT require their clothes and, if they were on holo, could NOT be sold to minors. I know this because whenever Annie feels strong emotion, she kind-of radiates it outward. If you've been close to her for as long as I have, you can feel it yourself--and I felt something VERY pleasurable that night . . . several times." Kari stared directly at Zarvell as she finished, with a mischievous smile on her face. "I don't think the Master Justice would let me describe it in detail, Boc'Kru, but I could show you some time if you like...."

What it is about the BLUE ones...? Zarvell thought to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

"So . . . this refutes his objection because . . . ?" he asked.

"Because the Jedi rules prohibit forming attachments, but they do NOT prohibit physical relationships, and they do NOT prohibit Jedi enjoying those physical relationships. Jedi all over the galaxy meet in private to enjoy each other's touch all the time, . . . well, . . . maybe except for--"

"Don't say it." Gwyniss and Galadina interrupted--simultaneously.

"Didn't have to." Kari said with a smug smile. "But the fact is that . . . even Jedi do it. There's nothing inappropriate or un-Jedi about it. It's just biology, it's the source of all life, and the Force IS life. The Jedi Order might reject sentient-being concepts like love and friendship, but never EVER does it reject the Living Force."

Gwyniss just sat for a moment with her mouth hanging open. "I . . . I can't believe I'm saying this, but . . . the witness is correct." She let out a deep breath. "The objection is refused. The counter-argument will remain on the record. You may continue."

"Thank you, Master Justice.  At this time, I'll continue with this witness." Zarvell said, then turned to Kari to give her a look of approval. "Kari, you were recently contracted to serve as a pilot and courier by Master Sig-lapp for an expedition to Malachor V, is that correct?"

"Yes . . . and for the record, I haven't been PAID yet."

With frustration in her voice, Gwyniss started to say, "This tribunal has no jurisdiction--", but stopped herself with a sigh. Instead, she ended with, "Just get on with it."

"And how did you come to be chosen for this job in particular?" Zarvell asked.

"Right place, right time." Kari answered. "After their night of 'inappropriate passion' at my condo on Narsh, I was there at breakfast time with the two of them, and he specifically said that he wanted a non-Jedi pilot for this run."

"And why a non-Jedi pilot in particular?"

"Well, because the destination was Malachor V, and apparently the whole planet stinks of dark side and gives Jedi the heebeegeebees. Landing is no simple thing either since the planet itself isn't all that stable seismically, and there's a lot of orbital debris to maneuver through before you even get there. So it's just good sense to use a pilot who isn't sensitive to all that."

"And you witnessed Master Sig-lapp administer a chemical agent to the Accused that was intended to mitigate the worrisome effects of Malachor, correct?"

"Oh yes. THAT." she said with a bit of anger flaring up in her voice. "He calls it one of the most toxic substances in the galaxy--so much so that I can't even be in the same room with it--yet brings it onto MY SHIP without telling me and then gives it to my Annie to dull her connection to the Force."

"Did it work?"

Kari laughed. "Nope." She shrugged and added, "Almost worked for a few seconds, but with Lord Really-Don't-Wanna-Be-Dead boosting her immune system, it never had a chance."

"So in light of the difficult environment of Malachor V, Master Sig-lapp believed that it would be the prudent course of action to attempt to chemically inhibit the Accused's connection to the Force."

"That's how he portrayed it."

"Does the Accuser disagree with this characterization?"

"That was the intention of the Midi-chlorian Force Retardant serum, yes." Kinnan replied.

"Did he take the serum himself?" Kinnan asked, turning back to Kari.

"In the end, nobody did. I'm not a Jedi and he was adamant that the stuff would out-and-out KILL me. Dina didn't take it because she used a meditation technique instead that she learned on Oricon the week before. Annie took it but it didn't work, so it was pointless for her. And no, he didn't take it himself either. He said the planet wouldn't affect him enough to need it, since apparently he's got about the same connection to the Force as a busted astromech droid--but, y'know . . . a Jedi's busted astromech droid."

"So the Accuser, . . . who criticized you for administering your own Neural . . . ?" Zarvell's voice trailed off as he tried to recall the technical name Kari had use earlier.

"Neural Necrotizing Agent, or N.N.A." Kari answered.

"Thank you. ...for administering your own N.N.A. did substantially the same thing with his own M.F.R. serum. If he would argue that the first indicates a lack of control, then the second can hardly be simultaneously considered wise and prudent."

Kinnan spoke up immediately. "Master Justice, this is a mis-characterization. The M.F.R serum was intended for use by all Jedi to help them acclimate to the difficulties presented by the environment of Malachor, and was never intended as a countermeasure for the Accused's Sith power specifically, as was the case with the chemical agent administered by this witness."

"Lord Zarvell, do you have a rebuttal?" Gwyniss asked.

"No, Master Justice." Zarvell replied.

"Then the objection is accepted. Please refrain from playing games with the truth, Lord Zarvell."

Kinnan's face plainly showed that he was pleased with this reversal.

"Master Justice, at this time I would like to review file number 24 from the Accused's evidence."

"One moment...." Gwyniss responded, and after a few seconds of tapping the controls of the holo-viewer, the image of Dianiss disappeared just like before, and was replaced by an image of . . . Dianiss . . . but this time she was wounded and in some sort of Sith temple or tomb. Other figures could be seen in the image around her, including Kari, Zarvell, Galadina and others. Most were laying on the ground unconscious. Prominently standing in front of her was another woman who looked like an older version of Dianiss. This holo-footage DID include audio.

"What we are seeing here is holo-footage from approximately one year ago captured by an Imperial cipher agent on Dromund Kaas. The figure to my right is the Accused. The other figure, to my left, is Darth Nox, the Sith responsible for the difficulties that the Jedi experienced with the Accused on Tython and later on Ilum. I apologize in advance for the imagery that you are about to see."

As the scene played, Darth Nox was the first to speak. "SO . . . I can't harm you. You can't harm me. No matter. I have other ways...."

"What you see Darth Nox doing now is activating the shock collar that the Accused is wearing." Zarvell explained. "This one has a Tormentor circuit, and she has used the maximum setting to execute the victim, but inflict maximum pain whilst simultaneously maintaining minimal cardiac function and stimulating brain activity so that the victim can neither die nor pass out."

Kari had to turn away, unable to look at the image of her best friend being tortured. Even though she was technically there when it happened, she was injured and unconscious at the time so this was really her first time seeing it.

"Used this way, the victim has essentially already been murdered, and only remains alive due to the cruel life-support . . . with no hope, and nothing more to lose. It is said that many Jedi have fallen to the dark side in their last moments due to the use of this device. But the Accused, with all that had happened and all that was happening to her in this moment, . . . did this instead."

"So do I." Dianiss replied in the holo.

The holo-image became shaky for a couple of seconds and then suddenly blurred for just a moment, returning to normal focus immediately after--the same way the earlier footage of Dianiss in the spaceport had done. The newly-stabilized image was suddenly brighter, as if everything around Dianiss--including the ground and the stonework itself--had become bright light sources emitting a warm, glowing energy. All the Jedi in the room immediately recognized it as a Sage healer's technique of creating a small place where the Living Force erupted with power, infusing everything it touches with LIFE, bubbling over with a warm glow that healed anyone within.

But this technique was something on another level altogether from what anyone in the room had ever seen before. Rather than being a few meters across, this circle enveloped the entire room covering more than a hundred square meters. The glow was so bright that the details in the image were hard to discern.

"Bloody . . . SHUT! MY! GOB!" said a woman's voice (with a noticeable Imperial accent) in utter disbelief, apparently picked up by the holo-camera's microphone.

"Wow." Gwyniss said under her breath, agreeing with the sentiment of the unseen woman.

Zarvell continued his running commentary. "The Accused uses her abilities to heal herself and her comrades, myself included. Again, she did this with perfect control, and without casualties or collateral damage of any kind. In fact, she revived and healed both herself AND seven others in this moment--SAVING lives, not taking them. The Accuser omits this example from his case as well because it, too, serves as a compelling counter-example."

"Lord Zarvell, this second counter-argument has been noted." Gwyniss said.

"In that case, Master Justice, I should like to move on to review the Accused's file number 29 . . . and as a courtesy, I'll begin by directly answering your earlier enquiry. This holo-footage was captured by an Imperial cipher agent who had been dispatched to pursue and observe the members of the Malachor expedition. The agent evidently took up position on the top of a volcanic crater at the center of the structure, which afforded this semi-aerial view. This is raw footage, and has not been altered in any way."

"Your agent is quite impressive, Lord Zarvell. Is it anyone I know?" Gwyniss asked. "Do remember that you have sworn to tell the truth...." Gwyniss gave Zarvell a serious stare of the sort that one would do just after challenging someone to a duel. Wriggle out of THAT one, Sith Lord. she thought, while pulling up the file on the computer terminal and playing it on the holo-viewer.

Zarvell looked unphased by her verbal challenge. "Truthfully, Master Justice, I cannot answer that question." He bowed his head humbly and added, ". . . unless you are prepared to give a complete accounting, under oath, of everyone you know."

As the new holo appeared, taking Dianiss' place, Zarvell introduced it as he had before. "This is the central core of the Trayus Academy on Malachor V. The detail of the footage, at least at the beginning of the recording, is rather lacking because it was captured by a high-altitude drone though a hazy atmosphere. It will improve a few minutes in."

With that, Zarvell continued to narrate the events as they unfolded, occasionally asking Kari a question to clarify something since she was a first-hand witness. Everyone watched as Galadina squared off against the Sith, both Kinnan and Kari attempted to get the holocron, and the Sith created the massive barrier. Kari interjected that prior to this, Dianiss had cured the Sith of significant poisons in his system, making him physically strong enough to oppose them as he did.

Shortly after that, the footage did improve dramatically in both detail and clarity. "It was at this point that the aforementioned cipher agent began recording the scene from the surface with a holo-camera at a closer vantage point." he explained. There was sound playing with the footage now, too, but it mostly just consisted of the low rumbling noise that the Sith's barrier generated.

At the point where Dianiss could be seen calling lightning from the sky, Kinnan broke his silence. "There: This is the Accused clearly using the dark side of the Force for all to see. What could possibly be more indicative of being a Sith than using the Force to conjure lightning?" he asked rhetorically.

"Now hold on! That's not how that happened, and you weren't even awake when it happened!" Kari snapped back. "Okay, room-full-of-Jedi, ask yourselves THIS question: Does manipulating nature through your own willpower and the Force automatically mean you're using the dark stuff? Why exactly is moving the bedrock okay while moving the air isn't? That planet was already seismically unstable, so moving the rock around could have been dangerous--I mean, later, it WAS dangerous. On the other hand, the air was very dry and already full of static charge, so pulling that energy out of the atmosphere was nothing but a different way of manipulating nature with the Force, right? Right? It's not like she was shooting it out of her fingers..."

Zarvell cleared his throat to signal her to stop. "I think what the witness is trying to point out--"

"Yes, Lord Zarvell, we understand what this witn--" Gwyniss interrupted, but then SHE was interrupted by the sound from the holo-footage that accompanied the image of the lightning strike suddenly growing in strength exponentially. Everyone in the room was completely mesmerized by the sight.

Kari broke the stunned silence. "Okay, yeah, THAT . . . that actually is Annie using Lord Fire-and-Brimstone, yes. But I had already administered the Neural Necrotizer Agent to her before she did it, as I've already testified. Oh, and if you think the holo is impressive, you should have seen it live!"

The spectacle continued for another five minutes or so, and although there was a lot of movement inside the barrier, it was only just barely visible. Everyone just watched silently.

Suddenly the image changed in a flash as the barrier shattered from the inside, and everyone in the room gasped at the sight of all that electrical energy coming down directly on Galadina, who was desperately trying to use her lightsaber to divert the energy away from herself.

Soon, the soundtrack went almost silent as the lightning attack finally abated, and while the barrier started to re-form, Galadina could be seen touching the center of the rock where she lay, causing it--and the barrier itself--to shatter.

The audio portion of the recording from then on was completely normal, and voices could be heard and understood--the first of which was Kari's voice yelling "Check on Annie!"

Everyone continued to watch the rest of the battle play out. Galadina made her final stand against this mysteriously-powerful Sith as he created a whirlwind of dust and debris to try to stop her. Kari (the real one) cringed and reflexively put her hand to her chest at the sight of holo-Kari getting almost stabbed with Dianiss' lightsaber. Holo-Kinnan moved quickly to retrieve his own saber from the Sith's control, but eventually could be heard saying "E-M-P" after which he briefly disappeared from the holo-image to be replaced by a blurry, distorted sphere for just a second, and returned to normal right afterward.

As the image of unconscious Dianiss began to stir and sit up, Kari interjected her own commentary. "Annie and I have a connection, and she reacted to me . . . well, thinking I was going to die. I could feel it. Yes, she probably overreacted, but this was all to protect me and eliminate the threat."

And the "this" that Kari referred to (and wildly understated), was Dianiss using the Force to twist and dislodge the massive rock structure in the middle of the crater, lifting it up a bit, and smashing it down on the floor of the crater below, causing the entire image to shake for nearly five continuous seconds. Just before that impact, the viewers could see the images of Kinnan leaping toward the bottom of the crater, and Galadina leaping to him to intercept his motion and prevent him from landing where the giant stone would have fallen and surely crushed him.

Kinnan was unable to hide the angry look on his face.

The battle ended with Galadina going after the Sith hand-to-hand, nearly getting choked to death by a large cloth of some sort, and finally using the lightsaber that he held in his own hand to deliver the killing blow.

"Pause the recording." Kinnan said emphatically, and Gwyniss paused the image. "The witness says that the Accused 'probably overreacted' just there, but we can all see that this was much, much more. This was a textbook example of--by the witness' own testimony--how attachments become dangerous for Jedi, and lead to the dark side. The Accused's friend was imperiled, and so she reacted with anger and violence on a scale that is hard to even describe." He paused a moment, and added, "And the worst is still to come. Resume the recording, please."

Kari gave Zarvell a crazed look that said DO SOMETHING, but Zarvell just quietly shook his head.

As the recording resumed, it was clear that Dianiss had used the Force to lift up the Sith's dead body and hurl it back and forth across the room, smashing the corpse into an almost unrecognizable mess in one of the biggest, ugliest temper-tantrums that anyone in the room had ever seen. Kari closed her eyes, unwilling to watch the holo-image, while her own voice came through the audio playback screaming "Annie! Stop it!"

Finally, the exchange between Dianiss and Kinnan played out on the holo, and the real Kinnan said, "And even after all of that, she attacked me."

"YOU THREATENED HER, YOU HUTT-SPAWN!" Kari shot back.

"That's enough!" Gwyniss said, igniting her saber over her head to quiet the room. After 5 continuous seconds of silence, she deactivated it and said, "Lord Zarvell, please tell me that you are done with this witness."

"I am, Master Justice."

"Good. Miss Kari, sit down. I don't want to hear ONE MORE SOUND out of you so long as you are in this room for this trial, or you will be expelled. Nod your head if you understand."

Kari nodded and sat down, but didn't say anything as the holo-image disappeared and was replaced by the image of present-day Dianiss, who now looked embarrassed and ashamed.

"Lord Zarvell," Gwyniss continued, "what exactly was the purpose of entering this recording into evidence? It seems to me that all it has done is harm your case."

"Master Justice," he answered, "firstly, I want to make it clear that I do indeed value the TRUTH in this proceeding, and that I am willing to put all the facts on the table, not just the favourable ones. Second, I would like to point out that, despite the disparagements that the Accuser has made, the Accused incurred ZERO casualties and ZERO injuries during this alleged loss of control. The Accused had the presence of mind to vent her frustrations on the one person in the room who could not be injured because he was already dead--and not by her hand. The so-called 'attack' on Master Sig-lapp's person consisted of nothing more than holding him in place."

"Your assertion is noted, as is your counter-argument." Gwyniss said.

"But in addition," Zarvell continued, "it is important to point out that--as the witness suggested--Master Sig-lapp did indeed threaten the Accused with..." Zarvell extending his arms out to indicate the entire room. "...this proceeding. It is clear in the holo that she was reacting to THAT. Furthermore, it is also clear enough that the Accuser has ulterior motives for bringing these charges: his own anger at the loss of the holocron that he had been seeking. In his anger, he suggests that what was clearly an accident was somehow instead a deliberate act of sabotage, and that--if stipulated that it was deliberate--it somehow follows that she is in league with the Sith Emperor and actively working against his efforts to learn how to defeat the Emperor. '...you are nothing less than Sith Lord pretending to be a Jedi.' were his exact words. And having made the threat, it is his own pride that prevents him from backing down from that threat made in the heat of the moment."

Kinnan started to speak up, but Gwyniss waved him off. "Lord Zarvell, you are treading on very VERY thin ice here, making such an accusation of a Jedi Master and Council Member. I suggest you withdraw it immediately." She gave him a stare that would have caused anyone else to shiver.

"I will formally retract the accusation." he replied after a brief moment of locking eyes with Gwyniss. "The evidence speaks for itself."

"A wise decision." Gwyniss said.

"Master Justice, in summary, the evidence presented by the Accuser is flawed in many ways, asserting things which are not true, and leaving out inconvenient facts and exculpatory evidence. In every single case that the Accuser cites of the Accused's alleged loss of control, there are mitigating factors and/or counter-evidence that illustrates her ability to maintain control. She is no more dangerous than any other extremely-powerful Jedi, and so I must call for a finding of: not guilty."

"The Advocate for the Accused has made his defense." Gwyniss said, formally. "The Tribunal Council will take the remainder of the day to review the collective evidence and testimony, and we will re-convene tomorrow morning to begin the Council's Examination and render a verdict. Until then, the rest of you are dismissed."

Continue to Chapter 23 . . . .