Coruscant- Thursday morning
Jaina made sure to be there the day of Tahiri's arraignment, but it was more than a little awkward for her when her parents showed up, too. She should have known they would, really; Tahiri had been more like family than anything else to all of them, but when her parents currently weren't talking to her, Jaina sort of wished they'd stayed home. Or at least that there were more places to sit without having to be on separate ends of the same row with six empty chairs between herself and her parents because they weren't speaking to her.
The gravelly voice of the court sergeant came over the courtroom's intercom. "The court of Jedi Affairs stands now in session, the honorable Arabelle Lorteli presiding. Be seated and be quiet."
Before everyone could even sit down, Judge Lorteli, a Zoolli, looked around the packed courtroom and said, "I must say, I hadn't realized my reputation was growing quite so fast."
That got a few laughs from the crowd, followed by a "Quiet!" yelled by the sergeant, which shut everybody up pretty fast.
"What I meant to say, of course, was that I'm a bit surprised to find this much interest in a simple arraignment," Lorteli said.
Nawara Ven, a Twi'lek lawyer and former Rogue Squadron pilot who tended to work on retainer for the Jedi, stood without waiting for permission. "That unusual interest is due to the public outrage at this blatant abuse of the judicial system, Your Honor. The arrest of Tahiri Veila is nothing more than a cynical political ploy-"
"That's enough for now, counselor," Lorteli interrupted. "And you are... ?"
Nawara was none too pleased about that. "You know perfectly well who I am, Your Honor. I've appeared before you a dozen times this week alone."
"On behalf of various Jedi. Would that be correct, Counselor Ven?"
Uh oh. This wasn't going to go well.
Appartently Nawara knew it too. "Of course."
"And the Jedi are paying you to represent Tahiri Veila?" Lorteli continued.
"We haven't discussed payment yet, Your Honor," Nawara answered. "But for the past two years, Tahiri Veila has been consulting as a corporate... finder, I guess one would say. I understand she's been very successful, so it was my impression that she would be paying her own expenses."
Lorteli hadn't been expecting him to give that answer, and after a moment of surprise, she looked to Tahiri. "Defendant Veila, are you a Jedi?"
"No," Tahiri said from her seat. "Not at present."
"But there was a time when you were a Jedi, correct?"
"Correct."
"And that was prior to the recent Galactic Civil War?" Lorteli asked.
Nawara leaned forward, resting his hands on the defense table. "Your Honor, I really must protest this line of questioning. My client's employment prior to the war has no bearing on the plea she's here to enter."
"Your objection is overruled, Counselor Ven."
"On what grounds?" he demanded.
"On the grounds that I haven't accepted you as this defendant's representative... and I am unlikely to do so."
The courtoom buzzed with surprise, and out of the corner of her eye Jaina saw Leia reach over to keep Han from getting up and yelling something. Jaina herself was literally on the edge of her seat trying to keep herself from doing the same thing.
The sergeant began yelling for quiet, and once things had settled, Lorteli focused her attention back on Tahiri. "Answer the question, Defendant Veila. Were you a Jedi prior to the recent Galactic Civil War?"
"Yes," Tahiri replied. Poor girl. Jaina had no idea how she could look so calm when she was already clearly getting screwed on this. "Before I committed the acts for which they want to put me on trial."
"I understand that," Lorteli said. "But in your capacity as a Jedi Knight, you were privy to a great many secrets that the Jedi Order might not want revealed in open court, were you not?"
"Oh, we all know where the Emperor buried his treasure, if that's what you're asking," Tahiri retorted. "I'll be glad to draw you a map, if it will get these charges-"
That got the sergeant yelling again, and Lorteli asked, "Shall I take that as a yes?"
"Take it however you like," Tahiri said, sitting back in her chair. "But even if I do know any secrets, I won't be sharing them with anyone in this room."
Lorteli actually smiled at her. "That choice, of course, is entirely yours," she said. "But since any such information you care to provide might very well have an impact on the disposition of your own case, I cannot allow Nawara Ven- or any other counsel with such a clear conflict of interests- to participate in your defense."
There was no settling the courtroom down after that one, and Jaina could hear Han yelling- apparently Leia either hadn't tried to hold him back or there was no stopping him anyway. Jaina actually stayed quiet, though, trying to figure out if there was any way to fix this.
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. FOTJ!Tahiri is the best canon Tahiri. Dialogue from Abyss by Troy Denning.]
The gravelly voice of the court sergeant came over the courtroom's intercom. "The court of Jedi Affairs stands now in session, the honorable Arabelle Lorteli presiding. Be seated and be quiet."
Before everyone could even sit down, Judge Lorteli, a Zoolli, looked around the packed courtroom and said, "I must say, I hadn't realized my reputation was growing quite so fast."
That got a few laughs from the crowd, followed by a "Quiet!" yelled by the sergeant, which shut everybody up pretty fast.
"What I meant to say, of course, was that I'm a bit surprised to find this much interest in a simple arraignment," Lorteli said.
Nawara Ven, a Twi'lek lawyer and former Rogue Squadron pilot who tended to work on retainer for the Jedi, stood without waiting for permission. "That unusual interest is due to the public outrage at this blatant abuse of the judicial system, Your Honor. The arrest of Tahiri Veila is nothing more than a cynical political ploy-"
"That's enough for now, counselor," Lorteli interrupted. "And you are... ?"
Nawara was none too pleased about that. "You know perfectly well who I am, Your Honor. I've appeared before you a dozen times this week alone."
"On behalf of various Jedi. Would that be correct, Counselor Ven?"
Uh oh. This wasn't going to go well.
Appartently Nawara knew it too. "Of course."
"And the Jedi are paying you to represent Tahiri Veila?" Lorteli continued.
"We haven't discussed payment yet, Your Honor," Nawara answered. "But for the past two years, Tahiri Veila has been consulting as a corporate... finder, I guess one would say. I understand she's been very successful, so it was my impression that she would be paying her own expenses."
Lorteli hadn't been expecting him to give that answer, and after a moment of surprise, she looked to Tahiri. "Defendant Veila, are you a Jedi?"
"No," Tahiri said from her seat. "Not at present."
"But there was a time when you were a Jedi, correct?"
"Correct."
"And that was prior to the recent Galactic Civil War?" Lorteli asked.
Nawara leaned forward, resting his hands on the defense table. "Your Honor, I really must protest this line of questioning. My client's employment prior to the war has no bearing on the plea she's here to enter."
"Your objection is overruled, Counselor Ven."
"On what grounds?" he demanded.
"On the grounds that I haven't accepted you as this defendant's representative... and I am unlikely to do so."
The courtoom buzzed with surprise, and out of the corner of her eye Jaina saw Leia reach over to keep Han from getting up and yelling something. Jaina herself was literally on the edge of her seat trying to keep herself from doing the same thing.
The sergeant began yelling for quiet, and once things had settled, Lorteli focused her attention back on Tahiri. "Answer the question, Defendant Veila. Were you a Jedi prior to the recent Galactic Civil War?"
"Yes," Tahiri replied. Poor girl. Jaina had no idea how she could look so calm when she was already clearly getting screwed on this. "Before I committed the acts for which they want to put me on trial."
"I understand that," Lorteli said. "But in your capacity as a Jedi Knight, you were privy to a great many secrets that the Jedi Order might not want revealed in open court, were you not?"
"Oh, we all know where the Emperor buried his treasure, if that's what you're asking," Tahiri retorted. "I'll be glad to draw you a map, if it will get these charges-"
That got the sergeant yelling again, and Lorteli asked, "Shall I take that as a yes?"
"Take it however you like," Tahiri said, sitting back in her chair. "But even if I do know any secrets, I won't be sharing them with anyone in this room."
Lorteli actually smiled at her. "That choice, of course, is entirely yours," she said. "But since any such information you care to provide might very well have an impact on the disposition of your own case, I cannot allow Nawara Ven- or any other counsel with such a clear conflict of interests- to participate in your defense."
There was no settling the courtroom down after that one, and Jaina could hear Han yelling- apparently Leia either hadn't tried to hold him back or there was no stopping him anyway. Jaina actually stayed quiet, though, trying to figure out if there was any way to fix this.
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. FOTJ!Tahiri is the best canon Tahiri. Dialogue from Abyss by Troy Denning.]