The Trial

[vong]

"If there are no further questions, I will end this meeting. Please arrive 30 minutes before the trial is scheduled to arrive in Meeting room B. As witnesses you will be held out of the trial until your testimony is heard. I will meet you there and you will be called forward. You will be free to remain after you have given your testimony. The trial will be recorded so you can request to view everyone else's speeches after the fact. We do not want the words of others to taint your testimony. Ensure you are well dressed, like Garolf for the trial itself." With that she thanks you all and escorts you out.

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The trial day just less then a week later, and the Heroes spend the week organizing their thoughts and preparing their testimony. The trial day comes and the group assembles in the meeting room to wait for their turn to share their words. Each member has already been asked to provide a written account of how they perceived the events that took place on the surface below in their mission reports, and all have been added to the court documents. Tiny is kept in his cell, but allowed to view the trial via teleconference. There is a monitor on the defence table that displays the image of Tiny, as well as a line to the Lawyers earpiece that will allow him to speak to his lawyer when he is not addressing the full court.

"Please rise for the right honorable General Hallis Leevold" is heard as the man enters. He is an elderly human male, fit build with a full head of silver hair. He approaches the bench and says "You may be seated." He waits a few moments as every sits while he reviews a document. "We are here to decide the fate of Shiv Locke, also known as 'Tiny' based on his actions on the mission about one month prior. This trial was postponed until after the defendant had recovered from the wounds he sustained on the planet below. Is he fit to stand trial" he asks the defence attorney so that it is on the record "He is your honor" comes the expected reply.
"Upon reading the accounts of both the team on the ground and the defendant himself his guilt in this matter is not being debated. Everyone has admitted that his actions caused the death of two of the allied defenders on the ground. This trial is simply to determine the severity of his punishment. The prosecution has submitted previous psych records and offences as their argument for a more severe punishment. Defence is advocating for continued probation for the defendant. I believe she would like to hear the words from the team which he was assigned and will continue to be assigned, as well as a current psychological evaluation of the defendant. I will hear their official testimony this morning and any closing statements the defence attorney would like to provide before breaking until I have made a decision." Says the judge letting everyone know what page he is on. He is shortcutting a bunch of the procedures that normally are followed, but with overwhelming evidence and admission of the actions from the defendant 90% of the trial work has been done. The defence attorney and prosecutor nod their assent to the fast tracked trial. "Defence you may call your first witness."
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[Hellcat]

"Defense calls Major Garolf Kai" calls out the defense attorney.

Garolf let's out a a deep breath as he gets to his feet, the medals on his chest clinking slightly as he does so. He want's to reach up and stop them but knows he can't. Protocol dictates how one is to react in a situation like this, get up and wait a few secnds for them to stop. Then move forward at a dignified pace. Don't rush but don't move too slowly. Plus reaching up to stop them is a sign of nervousness. He reaches the stand after a few second more than it would normally have taken him.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" asks the court officer

"I do."

Garolf then gets down off the stand to better face the court.

“We believe that the Galactic Government derives its power and right to rule from the consent of the governed. We believe that, should the rights of free beings be willfully and malignantly usurped, it is the unalienable right of said beings to alter or abolish said Government.

“We believe that the Galactic Empire has willfully and malignantly usurped the rights of the free beings of the Galaxy and therefore, it is our unalienable right to abolish it from the Galaxy.

“This is from the Declaration of Rebellion. For those here today who may be too young to remember, who never learned it, or who have forgotten, this was the declaration the founders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic sent to Emperor Palpatine to outline the reasons they were rebelling against his rule. The disbanding of the Senate, murder of millions, increased taxes, racism and genocide against nonhumans, overthrowing planetary governors and replacing them with Moffs, imprisonment of millions without a trial, unlawful seizure of land and property, and expansion of the military so as to subjugate the subjects of the Empire. These were what the founders stated were among the oppressions of Palpatine’s Empire they sought to fight. Under the Emperor’s rule the Empire restricted the freedoms of the people.

“Let me say that last part again. Restricted the freedoms of the people. The Alliance to Restore the Republic was formed, as the founders declared, to make all beings forever free. Let us imagine that, all of us are meant to be free. Even criminals are meant the chance to live free. Now that is not to say that the founders of the Alliance believed that criminals should be allowed to continue to prey on the innocent for they didn’t. But they did believe in the chance for those criminals to redeem themselves and hopefully in some way benefit society. They believed it possible for beings to change.

“The Alliance believed it possible for beings to change. Look at who made up the Alliance. Beings from various walks of life. Smugglers, pirates, scholars, politicians, soldiers, farmers, the wealthy, the poor, doctors, lawyers, scouts, etc. Even Imperials. Yes, even Imperials joined the Alliance. What would have happened had the Alliance refused to accept that Imperials could change their minds about the Empire? We might not have had Crix Madine, Kyle Katarn, Derek Klivian, Tycho Celchu, Judder Page, Brooks Carlson, or Bren Tantor side with us. Beings that came to see the Empire for what it was and defected either to outright join the Alliance or to become mercenaries who served the Alliance. The Alliance believed it was possible for beings to change from what they were.

“The Alliance to Restore the Republic ceased to be many years ago. Following the Battle of Endor in fact. In its place came the Alliance of Free Planets and then the New Republic. But the leaders of the Alliance who lead us to victory became the leaders of the Alliance of Free Planets and the New Republic and brought with them the same ideals and beliefs that had lead us to victory at Endor. That all beings deserve a chance to live free and that all beings are capable of change.
“But many years have passed and the question is do those ideals and beliefs still apply to the New Republic or have we become that which we once sought to defeat.”

At this point Garolf stops to allow that to be abosrobed. He gives everyone a couple seconds before going on.

“Shiv Locke’s record prior to Dantooine is clear. He served as the enforcer for a crime lord known as Mr. Big. As such he did exactly what one would expect of a crime lord’s enforcer. Extortion, maiming, slaughter, intimidation. Whatever his boss told him to do Mr. Locke willfully did. Because that was the life he knew. He was the biggest and the strongest, nobody would dare stand against him. And if they did…. Well they ended up in the hospital if they were lucky.”

He turns back to face the court.

“Until Jedi Rownn arrived to bring Mr. Big in for his crimes. Mr. Locke at last found himself facing someone capable of defeating him. And it was a lesson cost him an arm and his freedom as he was taken into custody.

“Once in custody what was to happen to Mr. Locke? According to his record Mr. Locke was sentenced to time in prison to be rehabilitated. But as prison failed to prove a punishment to him Mr. Locke would likely have remained for life. Indeed, according to prison records Mr. Locke was taking his place as the Mr. Big of the inmate population. Well, given his strength, intimidating presence, and the fact that he had been the enforcer for a crime lord it seems little wonder that other inmates might come to obey him.

“That changed when the current crisis arose. It was quickly determined Mr. Locke might have at least one redeeming quality. Loyalty. Mr. Locke had been unquestionably loyal to Mr. Big and his records showed he had the capability to pledge his loyalty to others. Thus a proposition was put forth, Mr. Locke would be allowed out of the prison and in exchange for his freedom he would take on the responsibility of protecting an individual. Hrar Kkak, a Jawa mechanic assigned to the team. His freedom and a new arm to replace the one he had lost, all in exchange for protecting Mr. Kkak. At last it seemed Mr. Locke was being given his chance to change.

“Or was it a chance to change? Was Mr. Locke merely trading one form of imprisonment for another? Or worse, was Mr. Locke agreeing to his own death sentence. It was my firm belief that the mission to Dantooine was one from which no one was expected to return from when I first saw Mr. Locke. A prisoner who looked violent being assigned to our team seemed an indication that the mission was a suicide mission. Despite the lofty ideals of freedom and everyone having a chance to change for the better that I along with so many of the Alliance had fought for, I am not ashamed to admit I was prejudiced against Mr. Locke by the perceived notions I had on first sight of him. Notions the mission briefing only seemed to reinforce. To be ashamed to admit to this would be the same as admitting that I believe deep down inside Mr. Locke still deserves such treatment .

“The briefing certainly made it appear that Mr. Locke had indeed agreed to his own death sentence. A stun device was planted inside his prosthetic arm and if he were to misbehave or we were forced to choose between him and the refugees we were to rescue, then Mr. Locke was to be stunned into unconsciousness and be left to his death. Mr. Locke himself made it clear during the mission briefing that he believed we were all undesirables command sought to eliminate by sending on a suicide mission.

“But that only betrays the notion that someone decided Mr. Locke deserved to die even though the legal system was allowing him to live. The notion that only the select, those accepted by society, deserve the chance to change and those who are not among the select deserve to be removed. Whose policy is that? Let me get back to that.

“It is not the past from months ago we’re here to discuss. Today we’re here events that occurred on Perconia. Mr. Locke killed a civilian manning an E-web and Mr. Kkak. At the same time was overcome by a fit of murderous rage that could have easily resulted in the deaths of not only the entire team but all civilians within the mountain base as well. The situation was only exasperated by the fact that Mr. Locke had recently discovered he was Force-sensitive and in the battle was open to the influences of the dark side of the Force. And those influences manifested themselves as a physical arm to replace the arm he had lost. Not once but twice. For prior to the battle to defend the base against these Yuuzhan Vong invaders we found ourselves in a brief skirmish against a quarter of their scouts. And in that skirmish Mr. Locke both lost his prosthetic arm and discovering a sensitivity to the Force that had not been there before. Or perhaps had not previously been realized. This made him susceptible to the dark side.

“Was Mr. Locke in a proper frame of mind when he killed Mr. Kkak? No, I don’t believe so. I believe Mr. Kkak’s death, although certainly defined legally as manslaughter, was accidental. Given Mr. Locke’s loyalty to those under his protection it seems possible in his enraged state that Mr. Locke saw any attack on him as a perceived attack on his charge as well. And Mr. Locke sought to protect Mr. Kkak from that perceived attack. I profess I don’t know for certain if Mr. Locke was seeking to protect Mr. Kkak. It is my belief, a belief based on his own record, that he was seeking to defend the being he was charged to protect. But in grabbing him with something entirely new to him, that being the Force, Mr. Locke may have unknowingly gone too far and killed Mr. Kkak. I do not believe it was his intention to murder him.

“What frame of mind was Mr. Locke in when he killed the gunner? A gunner who had fired on Mr. Locke on my own orders, orders meant for a enemy soldier but due to a stumble and the unclear nature of those orders made Mr. Locke appear to be the intended target. Betrayal, fear, murder? Again I profess I do not know what was going through Mr. Locke’s mind, he may have been seeking to permanently eliminate a perceived threat to himself and his charge or he may have merely sought to get the gunner to stop firing. Likely he sought to kill a threat and had given in to anger to do so. Again he did it with the Force.

“Upon killing them I must have little doubt from how he looked at me that had murder been his intent I would have been Mr. Locke’s next victim. Indeed he did begin to advance on me. But for whatever reason Mr. Locke instead turned his wrath on the enemy threat. An enemy threat that vastly outnumbered our forces. Only someone not thinking clearly would do something so foolish. Or perhaps it was someone who was returning to their senses and who feared harming their friends.

“There is another possibility, someone who was possessed and came to realize it. Someone who was seeking to end the threat they had become to their friends and in doing so sought to take out as many enemy forces as possible. As I have already stated Mr. Locke had only recently discovered he was Force-sensitive when the battle took place. As such he was unwittingly open to the influences of the dark side, and to possession by those influences. Indeed during the battle he or the forces possessing him were able to produce a physical manifestation of the dark side. A kind of spirit arm with which he used to attack the Yuuzhan Vong warriors.

“Given Mr. Locke’s background it seems that anger would come easy to him. As I understand it, Jedi want to steer clear of anger as it has something to do with the dark side. If that is true, then anyone who is sensitive to the Force who gives in to their anger makes themselves susceptible to the dark side. Mr. Locke would thus seem a good host. And because of his openness to, or possession by, the dark side Mr. Locke would seem a threat to the galaxy.

“Thus the answer to that threat must surely be to execute all who give in to the dark side, correct?”

Garolf looks around the court, looking to see how many nod or murmur their agreement. Then he goes on.

“Surely then Jedi Master Luke Skywalker should have been executed years ago after he turned to the dark side and even served Palpatine during his return. But Master Skywalker found redemption. Surely Master Kyp Durron should have also been executed years ago. But like Master Skywalker Master Durron also found redemption. Other Jedi, such as Master Kam Solusar and Master Kyle Katarn have also fallen to the dark side and been redeemed. This seems to be a theme of Master Skywalker’s Jedi Order. Redemption. If a Jedi falls and can be redeemed then they should be allowed to live. To serve as an example to those of us who have no sensitivity to the Force. Beings may make mistakes. Even mistakes that cost others their lives. Yet it is more compassionate to allow those willing to try to make up for their mistakes the chance to do so rather than to take our revenge out on them for what they have done wrong. In its own way redemption is its own prison, those who have fallen and been redeemed must live with the knowledge of what they have done. That there will all be those who will remember what they have done and who distrust them because of it. I must believe that it is the ones who accept this who become strong, more likely to resist the pull of the dark side.

“It would be so easy to execute Mr. Locke because of his fall, either willingly or through possession, to the dark side. But then it would again be denying Mr. Locke his chance to change. And it would be our saying we know for certain there is no way Mr. Locke will ever seek redemption. That he has always been a monster and will always be a monster. But who is the real monster? Him or ourselves for believing that? Palpatine was a monster who most likely could not be redeemed. The founders of the Alliance laid out grievances and Palpatine responded with more brutality. It is most likely that we would have had no choice but to destroy him. And there have since been others. But there have been others who have proven that not all who fall are irredeemable monsters. Yet if we sit here today and decide that Mr. Locke is a monster for falling to the dark side who cannot be redeemed then we are monsters ourselves for make that decision. Monsters for not trying to determine if he can indeed be redeemed. For taking the easier path and simply writing him off.”

At this point Garolf begins pacing back and forth before General Leevold. He holds his chin in his hands, taking on a look of deep concentration. He knows what he wants to say, had even written things down and rehearsed it. But how to say it?

“So, what are the options where Mr. Locke is concerned? Send him to prison?” Garolf continues to pace though he stops hold his chin in his hand and lets out a chuckle as he shakes his head no. “No that isn’t an option. Prison didn’t do anything the first time for Shiv Locke other than reinforce the belief that if you’re big enough, strong enough, and vicious enough you can intimidate others into doing as you wish. When prison ceases to be a punishment then it doesn’t really make any sense to send someone back

“Freezing him in carbonite? Unless he can be revived from the carbonite that is a virtual death sentence. And it is something the Empire would do. The Imperial Remnant may be more just than the Empire of old was. But there are others, such as the Hutts who would turn to carbonite as a way of making a prisoner without having to kill them. And do we really want to find some public wall to hang a carbon frozen Mr. Locke slab on?

“Execution?”

At this Garolf stops his pacing and looks around the court room for emphasis.

“I said I would get back to whose policy it would be to execute Mr. Locke and be done with him. Do you want to know who that is? Emperor Palpatine. Are we then to become Palpatine ourselves? Even placing him in prison without ever having a chance to be rehabilitated is what Palpatine would do. If we seek to follow the lead of Palpatine then we might as well surrender to the Yuuzhan Vong right now. But if we try to give Mr. Locke just one more chance to change then we are following the ideals of Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Gram Bel Iblis put forward when they founded the Alliance. Let us keep those ideals alive and follow them. And that means we should allow Mr. Locke a chance to change.”

“Yet how do we give him that chance? Well first there are two Jedi on this team who I believe would be willing to work with Mr. Locke. Willing to help him overcome his anger so he is no longer open to the dark side. As I have stated time and again Mr. Locke feel to the dark side either through opening himself to it or through possession. For someone who has in some way fallen to the dark side to change then seems to me they must understand how not to fall again if they are to do so. Mr. Locke needs to first understand that the dark side is not some mere tool to use whenever he wishes. If he does not understand that then it does not matter if he wants to change as he is more likely to open himself to a corrupting influence that could make him a greater threat than the Yuuzhan Vong are. Through the help of the Jedi Mr. Locke may be able to find it within himself to resist that influence.

“Second, we must try to give Mr. Locke a path to follow. I have considered this and believe the idea of assigning him as a protector was a good one. But one that which led New Republic Intelligence to make a fatal flaw in assigning Mr. Locke to protect only Mr. Kkak. Mr. Locke focus on protection was too prioritized; Hrar Kkak’s protection came first, then himself, and then the team as the team could help him ensure Mr. Kkak. If any member of the team became a threat, perceived or real, then they or the team as a whole could be dropped from protection. And finally civilians were the last tier of priority in this protection system.

“I believe that Mr. Locke needs one priority of protection. Protect the citizens of the galaxy against the Yuuzhan Vong. Perhaps to this end he be made a member of the New Republic military. This could give him a structure to his life he has not known before. Even if he is not made such he needs to remain on this team as the protection of the citizens of this galaxy against the Yuuzhan Vong is the goal of the team.

“It is the harder path, yes. But sometimes we must follow the harder path if we are willing to grow ourselves. And I am willing to grow and help Mr. Locke to grow into a productive member of society. As I have already stated I was prejudice against him when I first met him. But since that time I have come to think of him as a friend and am willing to do what I can to help him.”

Once done Garolf resumes his position on the witness stand.


"Thank you" says the judge "You are dismissed"

Garolf returns to his seat, thankful his part may be over with. He is interested to see what will happen now.
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FLUFFY for President!!!!

Wanted Poster

[Ankhanu]

"Defense calls Rownn forward" calls out the defense attorney.

Rownn stands and approaches the stand, sitting in the seat and looking out over the courtroom.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" asks the court officer

Rownn barks his response, "I do."

The court officer stepping aside, Rownn clears his throat. He begins his trilling, roaring, barking statement, the courtroom droid translating his exact phrasing for the judge et al., "I'd like to thank the court for hearing my testimony," he gives a subtle nod to those assembled, "If it's ok with the court, I will refer to the defendant, Shiv, by the name I've known him as, Tiny. As Major Kai stated, our group's formation was not my first encounter with Tiny, and his actions and convictions before our formation, and his role in the deaths in the battle below, are known and understood. What isn't as obvious is the ways in which Tiny has been changing since we came together on Dantooine and below on Perconia. Major Kai has already outlined much of our experience, but some points can stand repeating, and I have a few things of my own to add."

"It's true that Tiny came to us with conditions, and he came to us angry, without a real sense of control over his situation. He was defensive and aggressive, much as he seemed on Arkania, working for Mr. Big; unhappy, angry, living in a world of familiar violence… a living weapon to be aimed and fired at appropriate targets. That's essentially what he was until our time on Perconia; a living weapon, unwilling to relate to the beings around him."

Rownn looks over towards Tiny on the monitor, "But, Perconia was changing him. Somehow, this being who seemed only to know and understand violence was able to form a connection with the Force, seemingly spontaneously. It was subtle, but me and Jedi Orrallyn could sense it. Around this time, I noticed he was beginning to open up, to recognize that his actions had real consequences, and to show some compassion towards others in the group, particularly Hrar and Rylah, and even the refugees. While he was still distant and holding up barriers, I believe he was beginning to actually feel repentant towards his past, and that he wanted to be more than a living machine."

"Unfortunately, we did not have time to properly reach Tiny before the battle, to teach him about his new connection with the Force, and the dangers of strong emotions, especially aggression and anger, and opening one's self to the influence of the Dark Side. My species struggles with similar base urges and tendencies, and they have given me a constant struggle. Because of this I wished to help Tiny overcome his hurtles, to grow and become more than he had been in the past, to help him find honour and dignity. But, the attack cut any thoughts of that short as we were forced to defend our position. In the confusion leading up to the deaths of our comrades at Tiny's hand, it was difficult to identify exactly what happened, but the effects were powerful and clear; there was a strong wave of Dark Side energy, strong enough that even those untrained in the Force could feel it, and it appeared to manifest as a deadly arm, replacing the one I had taken from him. Our two comrades were dead, and Tiny turned his animalistic rage towards the encroaching enemy. I can't comment on Major Kai's insight into the choices Tiny made in those moments, I was far off and occupied with multiple enemies, but he did focus his efforts away from the team, and towards the enemy."

"Since recovering, Tiny has seemed genuinely repentant of his actions, seeming to feel guilt for the deaths, and to want to change. Whatever the court should decide Tiny's fate to be, I encourage compassion, and discourage execution. No being is without potential for redemption, and Tiny is no different. Whether Tiny is to be set free, or jailed again, I believe it would be unwise to leave him without help to learn to control his aggressive impulses; his new connection to the Force could make him dangerous if he does not learn to control himself, and the Dark Side takes over his actions again. I have offered to teach Tiny to control his emotions, and took responsibility for his safety and behaviour following the battle of Perconia, and I feel that duty remains. Yes, Tiny has the potential to remain dangerous, but, I believe he can be brought into the light."

Rownn takes a long breath and releases it, looking to the judge and giving a nod to indicate the finality of the statement.

"Thank you" says the judge, "You are dismissed."

Rownn glances towards Tiny in the monitor, then nods to the judge, rises and moves to the side, taking a seat to witness the remainder of the trial.
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[Jedi Skyler]

Zinn nods at Rownn as the Wookiee returns to his seat. Then he hears the general call out, "Sub-Lieutenant Zinn Valimar, take the stand."

Letting out a deep breath, Zinn stands, squares his shoulders, and moves smartly to the witness stand. He is sworn in, and then instructed to make his statement.

Zinn looks down for a moment, collecting his thoughts. He then looks up and addresses the court.

"I'm not an eloquent speaker, like Major Kai. I don't have the intricate knowledge of the Alliance's history, or that of the esteemed Jedi Masters he has listed for us.

"What I do know is how Ti...Shiv Locke has been since joining our team. He started out pretty much a loner. Can't say I blame him; he'd been working for a crime lord, and then had become one himself in prison. He was used to answering to one person, or having people answer to him. But suddenly, he found himself thrust into a completely new situation; he was in charge of the protection of someone besides himself, and was actually part of a team."

Stepping down and beginning to pace, Zinn continues. "During our time together, Shiv took his responsibility of protecting Mr. Kkak very seriously. Everything he did was centered on that job. And as we continued to work as a team, he seemed to move into that mindset pretty well. He was helpful, and he was darn good in a fight."

Zinn takes in and releases a deep breath. "Things changed though. On Perconia, we had a very difficult job to do. We had very limited resources with which to accomplish said job, and we had no guarantee that we'd receive reinforcements in time to survive long enough to be extracted." He shrugs. "I'm a pilot; I understand being outnumbered like that. But it's a far different thing to be behind a transparisteel canopy, vaping an enemy whose face you'll never see, never have to have burned into your memory, never have to wake up in a cold sweat after seeing them die in front of you again. And for Shiv, you have to add in another major component: he had suddenly become sensitive to the Force." Smiling, he continues. "Now I personally am Force-sensitive; I always have been. Although I've not yet been trained to utilize it, after having a few discussions with those who have been, I have come to understand that some of the things I always thought were just normal, were in fact due to that sensitivity. So I can't tell you what it feels like to not have that in place.

"But what did Shiv experience? Did he suddenly have a huge inrush of sensations? Did he start hearing a bunch of voices?" He looks at everyone in the front row of the audience gallery. "We may never know exactly. Shiv may not have the words to adequately express what happened. However, I can tell you something of what happened when he was opened to the dark side of the Force: I felt a wave of palpable cold, the likes of which I've never felt before. Because I'm untrained, I had to ask the Jedi on our team what had happened, so I knew at the time that he'd had a dark side encounter of some kind.

"After learning that, I saw Shiv. I saw the utter rage in his face. And I saw that rage focused on me. Yes...he was actually charging at me while in that dark rage, and there was not a blessed thing I could have done about that. Do you know what he did?"

Spinning around the room, making the briefest of eye contact with everyone, Zinn says, "He turned away from me! He could have run me down in that dark side-fueled rage, and not have even been slowed down by me. But he didn't; he turned away from me, and aimed that aggression at the Vong. Now," he says, raising his hands to forestall any noise from those assembled. "I'm not suggesting he was right to surrender to those aggressive feelings, much less the dark side. What I am saying is that, even while in the midst of that experience, Shiv didn't attack me! I'll be the first to admit I have EVERYTHING to learn about the Force; but what I do understand is that the dark side will consume you; it will dictate your every move, if you surrender to it, without concern for those around you. But Shiv didn't do that. Yes, he did kill Mr. Kkak; that much is clear. However, I agree with Major Kai in the belief that this was an unintentional act. He proved it to me by not flattening me on the battlefield." Zinn pauses for a moment as there is the tittering of laughter throughout the audience. "I'm not trying to belittle the situation either, sir," he adds, looking at the general. "What happened was heinous and wrong. However, in what I have seen while serving with Locke, I believe we have an individual who, given the chance, wants to- and more importantly can- get past this and become not only a valuable member of our team, but of the New Republic as a whole. We are looking at a citizen of this New Republic...a citizen who needs our help in order to get past some problems he has, and to realize his full potential. I ask this court to give him that chance." Making his way back to the witness stand, he snaps to attention and says, "Sir."

[Esoomian]

"Defence calls Shiv Locke" calls out the defence attorney.
Tiny gets to his feet, already breathing deeply as he lumbers towards the camera, his hooves clanging on the durasteel floor as he makes his way forwards each step more hesitant than the last.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" asks the court officer

"I do." Tiny says with conviction, the question so easy compared to what is required of him now.

Tiny looks at the screen, the assembled beings all waiting expectantly. He tries to swallow but his mouth is dry.

"I..." he manages to say before his voice cracks. He places his hand on the screen, obscuring his view of the courtroom without covering the camera that lets them see him. "I..." His thick fingers tighten on the screen and there is a warning groan as the pressure builds. Tiny relaxes his hand before any real damage is done turning away from the camera and closing his eyes. When he turns back he begins to speak in his native Esoomian, the emotion clear in his voice as the translator droid converts what he is saying into basic. (Words marked by asterisks have no direct translation and the basic 'best fit' has been used.)

["I don't really do a lot of talking, especially about myself or my past. My *word advocate* told me I should talk about me feelings and why I did those things I did but she wouldn't tell me how to say it, just that I should go back as far as I can and make it make sense to me. She said if it made sense to me then it should make sense to everyone."]

["I may seem big to all of you but where I come from I'm small, *freakishly* small. I wasn't supposed to survive past childhood but I did. When the dry season came I knew I wasn't going to survive, I wasn't worth of what food remained so I ran. I ran and I hid, living alone in a cave and barely keeping myself alive with what I could forage. Without a tribe I was never able to undergo my coming of age ritual, creating a war hammer and become an adult. My *thinking doctor* believes that without guidance I got confused about what the ritual means and the"] Tiny's forehead creases with effort as he parrots the unfamiliar phrase ["journey of self discovery that is creating a war hammer for yourself got lost so I attached too much importance to the idea of a war hammer and not enough to the idea of being able to make something for myself."]

["When the New Republic offered me a job I demanded a weapon. I knew I couldn't use a *Light Sword* like a *Shaman.* What I got was even better than a real War Hammer I felt safe having it, like it didn't matter what happened before because now I was strong, not just strong compared to shrimpy little people but really strong."]

["Then we fought the Vong and they were even stronger, they weren't afraid of me, how could they be when they cut on their own faces for fun? I got stabbed with the snake things and I couldn't move but instead of dying I woke up and I was on the ship again. I'd been dragged back and saved, not left for dead. I still had my weapon and it looked like even if it was hard we were going to be okay. We even saved a whole bunch of people."]

["Then things got bad, a Vong destroyed my weapon, I knew I was going to die I was that puny little runt again with nothing, no strength, no rights. Without my weapon I was just useless and weak. I tried to remember what happened then but I can't I was so scared it was like I passed out. I remember being afraid, and running and striking out but it's all a terrifying blur until I almost threw up under the elevator. I wanted to run away and hide then but I couldn't there were people who couldn't fight without us and even without my weapon Hrarr seemed to think he could make me something better. So I stayed and I did what I could, I tried not to talk to people too much because I felt broken and I knew that if someone said something I could have done something bad so I did everything I could to be away from everyone. I moved so many rocks, every day, eat, move rocks, eat, sleep. It helped but every time I looked down and saw it dangling uselessly I felt unwhole."]

["People say the waiting is the hardest part but I'd rather still be waiting now. So many Vong came for us, it seemed like all of them. We all pulled together doing what had to be done and for one moment it looked like we might actually make it. Then it happened. I got shot in the back, I turned to see what happened and everyone I could see was pointing a gun at me and doing their best to kill me. I didn't understand. All I could think of was that they'd decided I was a liability or a monster and they tried to put me down. I don't know how I did it but in my desperation I reached out for the guy with the biggest gun and I pulled him towards me. It doesn't make any sense even when I explain it now but it was like I threw all my pain and terror at him like a harpoon and reeled him in, then when he got to me it just kept pulling and his life got all used up to keep me going."]

["I didn't have time to feel much after that because I saw a Vong warrior going after Hrarr. Hrarr had done more than just not point a gun at me when everyone else had he looked out for me with his know-how, doing the thinking parts that I find so hard. So I did what I could I reached out for Hrarr the same way trying to keep him safe but it went wrong. Once I had him I couldn't let go I had to keep pulling and draining his life away. I tried to stop, I tried so hard but all I ended up doing was jumping him around on my arm like meat on a fishing line."] Tiny pauses, fingering his stump for a few moments, eyes still closed.

["As Hrarr died, as I killed him I felt a surge of power unlike anything I'd felt before. I was whole again, I was an unstoppable living weapon. and I knew what I had to do. I found the person who ordered me dead and I set out to kill him. I'd have done it, I'd have killed Garolf and made him an example to all the others. When I advanced on him I trod on Hrarr's body, such an insignificant small thing, barely crunched under my hooves but when I looked down and saw him dead, the one guy I was supposed to protect, the one guy who had no place in any fight anywhere and went anyway dead because of me... I knew Garolf was right, I was the monster. I turned and ran into the vong so that no matter what happened there would be less monsters in the world."]

There is a long pause.

"Than..." The judge starts before Tiny interrupts

["I know it'd be easier to go back to prison and I know I don't deserve a second chance but I think I owe it to Hrarr and to all the others that knew they wouldn't come back and went anyway to keep on fighting against the vong even if I'm afraid."]

The pause is even longer before it becomes evident Tiny has run out of words.

"Thank you" says the judge "You are dismissed"

Tiny turns away from the camera and moves out of the field of view with a visible sag to the set of his shoulders.
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[Ankhanu]

Rownn listens to Tiny's testimony intently. As he recounts the unusual aspects of the events, he leans forward to ensure he takes in every detail, unblinking.

As the little Esoomian finishes and is dismissed, Rownn is still leaning forward, intently watching the monitor. He stays that way for a moment after the conclusion, before slowly leaning back in his seat, mulling over the information he just learned; the insight into Shiv Locke and the events of Perconia.
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[vong]

"Defense calls Dr Cornelious forward" calls out the defense attorney.

An elderly man comes forward and takes the stand. He is sworn in and gives his testimony. He focuses entirely on the psyche of Tiny, quoting various examples and conditions he may be suffering from. He spends some time on the fact that Tiny was bullied as a child, so now he has become the bully not seeing that there is a middle ground of neither bullied nor bully. He says that placing Tiny in jail will increase his risk of re-offending, due to the fact that if he is bullied or put down his mind may revert to his psychological default – which is being the bully. He does mention that placing him in violent situations can also cause him to revert backwards in his rehabilitation if he resorts to rage or anger to fuel his actions. He concludes by saying that the majority of Tiny’s psychological issues stem from the fact that he has no value of Self.

"Thank you" says the judge "You are dismissed"

The defense attorney stands up and gives a short speech summarizing all of the Heroes testimonies. She concludes by saying "Should Shiv Locke be punished for his actions, yes. Sending him to jail will be a light punishment for him, as he will quickly become the strongest in the yard and gain the fear of the other inmates. This will not help him re-habilitate to a functioning member of society. With his apparently use of the Force, the prison system is probably not suited to contain Mr Locke should he be incarcerated. I do not believe that we are like the Empire, demanding an eye for an eye in the case of murder. Therefore it is my firm belief that the best suited punishment for Mr Locke would be to place him on long term probation, and set Major Kai as his parole officer. In such a position he can be put on missions that will help further the cause of the New Republic with his actions starting his re-payment to society sooner rather then later. Thank you your honor, the defense rests"

"Very well, this court will reconvene in two hours time after I have reached my decision" With that he stands up "All rise" calls the bailiff as he walks out of the room. People then start to file out of the room to head off to grab some food before the court resumes.

ooc: I apologize for short-forming their speeches, but I am neither a lawyer nor a psychologist so i figured it was best to allow you to fill in the blanks of their comments. You guys can head to the cafeteria and talk among yourselves, or you can head to your rooms and wait in solitude. I will be posting again on Friday, or when everyone has posted that they return to the courtroom to hear the verdict. Tiny will not be able to communicate with anyone in this time frame.
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The Vong have Arrived

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[Hellcat]

Garolf gets to his feet and waits for the justice to leave the room before leaving himself. He heads for the ship's galley and picks up something to eat, ignoring the looks he gets in there. Sitting down he more picks at his food rather than eating it. Sure he's hungry, but there's more on his mind. That mission briefing from the day after the awards ceremony has been coming back to him over the past few days. Then there's Rylah's depature from the team. And of course Hrar's death. This trial only served as a reminder the Jawa was gone. He'd liked the little guy, despite what his species were typically known for. And now......

Well Tiny couldn't bring Hrar back and his death certainly wouldn't bring him back. He'd been wrong that he had given orders to kill Tiny, though Garolf admitted his orders were not as clear as he intended them to be. Especially when he tripped and his own aim had been shifted to Tiny. For that he could see why Tiny would believe he'd order the defenders to fire on him.

But what he'd said in the trial, about draining the life force out of someone. Could that even be possible? He'd heard of the Anzati, they fed on something called soup. According to the stories he'd heard this soup stuff sounded similar to what Tiny had described doing to Hrar and the gunner. And what of these stories of life-witches, what were they supposed to do exactly? Provived vitality to the old for a while or suck the life-essence out of beings? He couldn't be sure, but this thing with Tiny concerned him.Perhaps he'd have to discuss this with Rownn and Orrallyn.

Once he's finish only half his meal he returns to the chamber where the hearing is taking place.
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[Jedi Skyler]

Zinn stands with the entire assemblage as the general leaves the courtroom. He then follows Garolf and the others out, heading for the mess hall.

Getting himself a light meal, he sits at the major's table, his own mind full of recent events. He mostly looks at his food, eating slowly and contemplating what is to come next.

[Ankhanu]

Having paid close attention to Dr Cornelious and the defense, Rownn sits, mulling over the statements as the judge dismisses for recess and the others shuffle out of the court room. He watches the screen until a few moments after it is turned off.

When most people have already left, the Wookiee stands and leaves the room, moving towards a port hole to look out over Perconia and the assembled fleet. He reaches into his satchel and withdraws a datapad, taking notes of his thoughts and the descriptions of events to offer during the pending arrival of Master Sabetyne.
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[Esoomian]

Tiny slumps down in his cell remaining all but motionless even after his food is delivered.
_________________
Don't waste money on expensive binoculars.

Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

[vong]

The various spectators start to re-assemble in the courtroom about 20 minutes before it is scheduled to start, and trickle in right until the doors are closed.

"All rise" says the bailiff. The judge enters once more and has a seat. "Please be seated." He says as he opens up the folder he brought in with him and glances over the contents while people are seated.

"This decision was not an ordinary one, and took me some thought to decide what punishment would fit the crime that Shiv committed. Based on the testimony of those who spoke, I determined that the death penalty was not warranted at this time, and that Shiv should be granted the chance to make amends for his actions. I tend to agree with everyone’s assessment that Shiv would not prosper in jail, and would most likely utilize his large strength to gain the upper hand against inmates and guards alike. I am therefore sentencing him to 10 years of probation. The Jedi Order will be responsible for Shiv during this time, and" he says looking up to Rownn "Jedi Rownn shall be his parole officer for that time if he is willing."

Rownn nods to the General and he makes a note on the paper below him.

"If you would report to room 1204, and speak with a Cpl Harris before 1600 today he will brief you on your duties as a probation officer, as well as the restrictions of his parole as well as present to you the paperwork you are required to sign. Shiv will remain in his cell until Jedi Rownn has finished his training session and goes to the prison block to release Shiv into his custody. He will be under what is called a Military House Arrest. In short, he must remain with his unit, he will get no shore leave, any weapons he has must be surrendered upon returning to base from any mission and he is always the first person picked for Extra Duties. Should the Jedi Order determine that Shiv’s rehabilitation is impossible, or should he re-offend I am recommending the death sentence. This court is dismissed" he says striking the gavel against the table and standing to leave.

Ooc: RP for post trial will commence in the main thread once we have caught up to this timeline.
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The Vong have Arrived

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