New Republic Justice Committee
Meeting Minutes
15th rotation of the 3rd month of Coruscant
15 ABY
Opening:
The regular meeting of the New Republic Justice
Committee was called to order upon the 16th hour of the 15th
rotation of the 3rd month of Coruscant in the Red Room by Helter Kuzi.
Attendence:
Leadership:
Helter Kuzi, Senator from Bogdon, Chair
Demir Abaci, SF Tokadana, Ranking member
Dion Jansen, SF Scarl, Vice Chair
Other Members
Linette Forve, Senator from Raithal
Regufar Collar, SF Bilbringi
Synthia Zelin, SF Ansion, secretary
Rashah Salder, SF Mon Calamari
Thakor Flan’do, SF Chandrila
Hatch Suim, SF Sochi
Jocasta Reznor, SF Ulmatra
Tied Ors-Quy, SF Ryloth
Honored Guests:
Mon Mothma, Chancellor of the Senate of the
New Republic
Rica Mwinyi, Representative of the Office of
Reconstruction
Mureli Sahora, Representative of the Alderaan
diaspora
Regrets:
Maruj Vazin’I, Senator from Corellia. Regret received five days prior to meeting,
citing family emergency. Soursar Amiri
designated as liaison and received.
Dinn Guelleh, SF Aduba. No official regret
received, though Abaci says Guelleh told him personally this morning. No liaison designated.
Leonardo Guelleh, representative of the Office
of Legal Policy. Regret received three
days prior to meeting, citing prior commitment.
No liaison designated.
Soursar
Amiri, Republic Citizen, of Corellia, designated liaison to Maruj Vazin’l, Senator
from Corellia.
Tao
Eroglu, Republic citizen, of Yavin 7
Indra
Lai, of Anoat
Approval of Agenda:
The agenda was approved by majority (10-1) as
distributed. Linette Forve voted
against. Forve explained her objection
by saying she wished to bring up the events on Carida. Helter Kuzi said she could bring it up after
the conclusion of new business if time allowed.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes of the previous meeting were
unanimously approved as distributed.
Business from Previous Meeting:
Jocasta Reznor reported positive ongoing progress
on the unionization of the Kessel workforce. She will continue to update this committee.
New Business:
Mureli Sahora requests reparations for
Alderaanians, in light of the destruction of their planet. She previously made this request to the Office
of Reconstruction, which directed her to the Treasury Department, which
directed her to this committee. She
suggested reparations could be compelled from ex-Imperials.
Chancellor Mon Mothma spoke on the importance
of the New Republic using the law, not government policy, to right the wrongs
of the Empire, though she did not endorse Sahora’s suggestion. She said this committee should prioritize this
issue since Alderaan’s destruction is the best known wrong throughout the
galaxy.
By majority vote (9-2), this committee
recommends the Department of Justice investigate the
feasibility of addressing the situation of Alderaanian refugees in a court
of law. Regufar Collar and Rashah Salder
voted against. They explained their objection
by saying such a destructive event cannot possibly be rectified through a court
of law and is outside the purview of this committee. Per Mothma’s endorsement, and in light of the
fact Sahora has already been bounced around the bureaucracy a few times, this
committee makes this recommendation to the Department of Justice with high and
urgent priority.
Additions to the Agenda:
Linette Forve brought up Carida, claiming the
fallout from the looming crisis risks the stability of nearby systems. However, because the Alderaanian discussion
took up so much time, Chairman Helter Kuzi suggested the item be tabled until
next meeting. Kuzi also says the delay
will allow this committee to hear from Republic citizens in that and nearby
systems before making any recommendations.
By majority vote of 6-4-1, this committee added
this item to the agenda for the next meeting.
Forve, Regufar Collar, Rashah Salder, and Hatch Suim voted against. Kuzi abstained. Forve and Suim explained their objection by
saying their systems are near Carida and they would like to see action sooner
than later. Collar and Salder explained
their objection by saying such a volatile situation cannot possibly be
rectified through a court of law and is outside the purview of this committee. Kuzi explained his abstention by saying he
had called for the tabling and wished to let the rest of the committee decide.
Agenda for Next Meeting:
Response to the events on Carida with
whatever representatives from that and surrounding systems who can be present
as honored guests.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned two hours after it
began by Helter Kuzi. The next meeting
will be on the 25th rotation of the 4th month, 15 ABY, in
the Red Room.
***
Solicitor General Kaz D’nommah walked briskly through the
brown double doors leading to the conference room. Most of the cushioned chairs were already full
and the chatter died down as soon as he entered. As was his habit, he got right to business.
“We got a hell of a job ahead of us,” He said, waving the
Justice Committee electro-memo he had received.
“Everyone ready? We need to put
the Empire on trial.”
The room erupted in laughter. The Empire had been broken for several
years. Sure, some warlords still held
onto the dream. Several “emperors” and
“supreme leaders” even lived in the outer rim.
But the Republic had returned, and the Empire’s defeat was no longer a
strategic priority.
“I wish I were joking.” Kaz shouted over the laughs, “We
need to find justice for Alderaan.”
Silence engulfed the room.
The Empire’s floundering was a joke; The destruction of Alderaan was
not. Even 15 years later only the
bravest, or brashest, jokesters and poets dared touch it. It was a tragedy beyond words.
“That’s what I thought.”
Kaz said sharply, one of his tongues lapping quickly at his eye.
“Excuse me, sir.” A
bothan said. “I haven’t heard the Chancellor
say anything about this.”
“It wasn’t publicly, it was to the Justice Committee.” Kaz leaned on the table, making eye contact
with everyone in the room as he went on. “It will be better for all of us to
follow through before she has to pressure us publicly.”
“Will she?”
“You wanna bet your job on it?”
“I mean-“
“Forget that, Simon.
You wanna bet MY job on it?” Kaz turned to look right at him and roared,
“Cause if I get canned because you didn’t think this was urgent enough,
you better believe you’re coming down with me.”
Simon’s fur flushed in embarrassment. Kaz’ reptilian eyes held a steady gaze, but
Simon met it. Embarrassment was
inevitable as the New Republic Department of Justice argued how best to meet
the myriad of problems they faced. But
weakness was not allowed. After a few
tense moments Kaz broke away. Simon
sighed quietly, already feeling his fur return to brown.
Sometime later Maruj Lai exclaimed, “So, we’ve made no
progress at all!” She threw her hands up
in dismay. “What’s it been, two hours,
and we still don’t know who we’re charging, much less with what!”
“Can’t we just tell Chancellor Mothma that this isn’t within
the Justice Department’s charter?” Said
Zelru Dahta. “What she wants is a show,
not justice.”
Without moving his head Kaz rolled his eyes up from what he
was reading, “You wanna tell her she wants a show trial?”
Zelru knew enough not to take the bait, so he went a
different route, “So you don’t disagree with me?”
“Of course not, but who cares. Yes, this is political. But the destruction of Alderaan is an
unprecedented event. The Galaxy will
truly never recover. We can do a lot,
but we can’t make new rock. Hey, that’s
a good line, someone write that down.
Anyway, the result we need, in a broad sense anyway, is justice. There are lots of paths to that goal. We just need to find them and choose one. Lot, where are you going?”
Lotmornu was heading towards the door. “Something you said, sir. It struck a-“ the doors opened automatically
in front of him, “I’ll be right back.
Before I forget.” The doors
snapped shut behind him.
“Why do we keep him on?”
Simon asked, chuckling. “I swear,
we should all just swap seats and see if he notices.”
The others laughed. Some
even stood up as Kaz said, “He’s got the finest legal mind in this
generation. Just never put him in front
of a jury. If any of them asked him a
question he’d forget it before they were even finished speaking.”
Everyone who had stood up now sat down at different
places. Someone even moved Lot’s papers
to a different seat, too.
“You guys are terrible.”
Kaz said, shaking his head. Then
he sighed and went back to his files.
“It’s too bad everyone’s dead.” Maruj suddenly said.
“What did you just say?”
Kaz responded.
“No, no,” Maruj sputtered.
“I, oh, well, if I said it.” She
cleared his throat. “Look, everyone on
that Death Star died. And we know the
engineers died on Eadu. That’s where I’m
stuck. Even if we could find the right
charge, who could we charge? We
can’t charge the dead.”
“Can’t we?” Zelru
said, eyes lighting up.
“Can’t we?!”
Simon responded, with increasing urgency.
“Why not?” Said someone else.
Another voice said, “What’s more of a show trial than trying
someone who can’t defend themselves. And
who’s going to represent a bunch of dead Imperials?”
“They’d be assigned a public defender,” Someone else chimed
in.
Kaz raised one eye from what he was reading. “So we – the New Republic’s Department of
Justice – ride roughshod over some poor public defender assigned to the worst
case imaginable? It would be a public
relations fiasco, if the public defender bothered to show up at all.”
“Then tell that to Mon Mothma!” Zelru shouted. “If the Alderaanians want restitution they
should go through reconstruction, not us.
There they can be resettled, or given protected refugee status, or a tax
break – whatever!”
At that point the door opened again and in came Lotmornu
with a single piece of paper. He went to
an empty chair, stood behind it, and loudly cleared his throat before reading: “Due
to the disaster of Thorgeld, planet modification is hereby banned by Republic
statute and also by Galactic consensus.”
There was silence.
Lotmornu smiled widely at the sea of blank faces before him. He read it again, and then waited. Everyone knew about Thorgeld, a galactic disaster
much older than all of them. An attempt
to terraform the planet had caused a chain reaction in the outer core that
caused every volcano to erupt at once, which led to intense and continuous
quakes on the planet’s surface. The
planet rapidly became uninhabitable and all the residents were evacuated –
those who didn’t perish, of course.
“That’s an Old Republic statute, you pompnut. How can we charge them under an old law? Look, it’s even written on paper!” Simon
laughed.
“It’s also by Galactic Consensus,” Lot said, gently turning
the page around to show them, pointing a long finger at the phrase.
“What the Sithspawn does that mean?” Zelru said.
Kaz spoke up, “It means it’s a permanent law, at least in
theory.”
Everyone turned to Kaz, who motioned to Lot. “Surely you know more.”
“Galactic Consensus means every planet signed on to this
decree. Not just their Senators, but
also their governments.”
“Never heard of Galactic Consensus.” Maruj said
dismissively.
“And why would you?” Lot responded. “This is the only example of it – I think.”
Simon spoke up, “Wait, what you read mentioned
Thorgeld. That’s about
terraforming. They didn’t terraform
Alderaan, they destroyed it.”
Lot said “Terraforming is the common term, of course. But the language here, in the law, is planet
modification.” When there was no
response, he looked over at Kaz and tentatively said, “This might work.”
Kaz’s eyes rolled around in his head in different directions
as he thought it over. Suddenly, they snapped into place, looking ahead.
“Hell, we have no other ideas.” He slammed his fist on the table in
satisfaction. “Plus, this legally links
the New Republic with the Old, a bonus I’m sure Chancellor Mothma will
appreciate.”
“So we have a charge – but now who?” Zelru said. “Everyone on the Death Star died.”
Lot twisted his face up.
He shrugged and sat down at his new seat.
“Wait a minute,” Simon said, “We keep saying everyone on the
Death Star died, but that was at the battle of Yavin.”
“Yes, and?”
“That’s not when Alderaan was destroyed.”
“What are you getting at?” Kaz said cautiously.
“Alderaan was destroyed before then. And there was someone on the Death
Star then who survived. In fact, she’s still
alive even now.”
The blank looks around the table disappointed him.
***
“I can’t believe you’re even going to this
meeting.” Han complained loudly as the
garbage disposal continued to choke. He
turned it off and went back to his knees.
“Duty calls, even in retirement,” Leia said wearily. “Though if it wasn’t about Alderaan I don’t
think I would go.”
“I swear,” Han grunted.
“If Ben weren’t at school I’d say he broke this thing. I don’t understand it.”
“Maybe if you-” She stopped. Maybe if you gave the control panel a
good knocking. But with the Falcon
still missing she knew not to push that button.
“Should I get anything for you on my way home?”
“Nah,” he said, head thrust into the appliance control
mainframe. She picked up her blue purse
and put it over her shoulder. She walked
over to him and put a hand on his back. He
pulled himself out and looked up. “No,
but thanks for asking.” Then quickly, “Well,
actually, now that I think about it, grab some red berrycakes. Chewy’s lifeday is this weekend.”
“I thought you were going to get those.” She said, looking down at him.
An emotion flashed in his eyes, but he waited a moment
before calmly responding, “I forgot.
Mind helping me out?”
“Aren’t you glad I checked.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he mumbled. “I just...”
But his voice quickly trailed off.
The therapist had said it was from a fear of sharing
responsibility. He and Chewbacca had
been co-pilots for years but Han had always been the captain. While she was in government Han had been the
captain of the house, but when Leia retired Han had a difficult time sharing
responsibility with her. Finally, he let
out a sigh. “I’m tryin’.”
“Well that’s a good start.
And thank you.” She bent to kiss
him and then left.
“Love you!” He
shouted from the kitchen.
“I know,” she responded as the door closed behind her.
Leia went over the message again in her head. They said they wanted her help in coming up with a plan for getting restitution for Alderaanians. She had known Mureli was still advocating for her homeworld’s expats to the New Republic. That the issue hadn’t been addressed when she retired was her only regret. She had made a point to ask Mon Mothma to prioritize it during their last official meeting. “Even if no money can actually be handed out the Republic must address the destruction,” she had said to the Chancellor. “It is the one scar of the Empire we’ll never be able to fully heal. Alderaannian’s can resettle but eventually their descendants will cease to be Alderannians. And then Alderaan will truly be gone forever. A whole culture wiped out.” Leia wiped a tear from her face as she walked down the street.
She saw Dolay’s diner in the distance. She had never met Kaz or Simon before, though
she was confident they’d recognize her as soon as she walked in. Even with her brown hair shorter and unbraided
people still recognized her regularly.
When she began bringing Ben to school after her retirement it seemed
every family member suddenly wanted to bring their own younglings to school for
a glimpse at the famous leader. Han had
become a usual sight, and they had learned the hard way he was not great at
making small talk. But, as an
ambassador, small talk was truly her professional skill, and she felt
self-conscious enough about her image that she didn’t want anyone to feel they
hadn’t had an authentic experience with her.
She had hardly walked in the door that she saw the two
aliens waving at her. Kaz was a
Trandoshan and Simon was a Bothan. They
stood and greeted her before ushering her to a backroom.
“The owner is an old friend of mine,” Kaz explained. “We didn’t want to trouble you to come to our
offices, but this meeting isn’t exactly about public information, either.”
“I understand,” Leia said, sitting at the small grey
table. The chair creaked and was quite
uncomfortable.
They spoke for a while about the Republic’s state: Status on
the deal with the Hutts (Going well.
Turns out they value profits over criminality), elevation of the Ewoks
to a Senatorial represented race (With the fall of the Empire old tribal
rivalries re-emerged, making the election of a single Senator increasingly
contentious), development of more cities on Bespin to meet rising immigration
demands (Tibanna gas was always in demand).
“Ambassador Organa,” Kaz said in a voice that told her they
were about to come to the point.
“It’s Solo, now, Solicitor General.”
“Aah, my apologies. Well,
as you know, at the Department of Justice our goal is to re-establish the
courts as a legitimate grievance route. Emperor
Palpatine continually pressured the courts to give him what he wanted and a
generation has grown up seeing the courts as nothing more than a rubber
stamp. While we have specific judicial
goals in different sectors, our overall charge is to restore faith in the
system.”
“Indeed.” Leia replied, “And I believe taking on the issue
of Alderaan is a strong move in that direction.
Its destruction has gone unpunished long enough.”
“Yes,” Simon cut in.
“What we’ve come to do is tell you our strategy in that regard, as you
are both a skilled politician and an honored ambassador, as well as
Alderaanian, yourself.”
“I am happy to help how I can, though Mureli Sahora is the
official advocate of the Alderaanian Dispora.
I’m retired and would like very much to stay that way. Sahora has my full confidence – always has.”
“Indeed, and ours!”
Simon said, clapping his paws.
“And don’t worry, this doesn’t require any more of you than it would any
other private citizen in your position.”
“So, what’s your idea and how can I help?” She asked bluntly.
Simon turned to Kaz, who took over again. “We are going to put the Empire on
trial. Through a rigorous legal process
we will show that the destruction of Alderaan broke an old law against terraforming.”
“Old like Old Republic?
How can you charge someone with an Old Republic law?”
“It was passed with Galactic Consensus. Do you know the phrase?”
Leia shook her head.
“The law banning terraforming – legally known as planet
modification – passed the Senate unanimously
and also was signed by every represented planet’s local government. Thus
Galactic Consensus.”
“Was that normal?”
“Scragg, no!
Unanimous passage of, well, anything in the Senate is basically unheard
of. And while local governments
technically were supposed to sign off on laws passed by their Senatorial
representatives, this had become a rather empty ritual. Most local governments stopped bothering
thousands of years ago. But Thorgeld was
such a disaster that most governments were only too eager to be seen as officially
decrying it. Anyway, there is a statute
that if every planet’s government signs off on a law it becomes Galactic
Consensus, the highest form of law. In
theory, it becomes a perpetual law.”
Leia nodded her head curiously, unsure where Kaz was going.
“If we try the Empire under an Old Republic law that is
supposed to be permanent we connect the Old Republic with our New one. Also, at this point, terraforming is really
only for mad scientists. Even the
ex-imperials running around with their amnesty cards won’t push back. So we have a legal and political path,
agreed?”
“Right,” she responded carefully. Why won’t you get to the point?
“But do you see the problem?” Simon asked suddenly.
She thought about it for a moment. “Well, no.
This all seems well and good, if a long shot.”
“The problem is that all the Imperials on the Death Star died
at Yavin.”
Before Leia could react, Kaz took over again. “The Emperor was notorious for his show
trials. He’d try everyone he wanted,
even if they didn’t come to the court.
Sometimes he wouldn’t even bother telling them they were on trial. He’d get them convicted and then suddenly Stormtroopers
come pounding down their door for not serving their sentence. So trying the dead won’t cut it.”
“Right. So what’s
this got to do with me?”
“Well,” Simon said again.
“What I said isn’t entirely true.
Not everyone who was on the Death Star at that time is dead. When the Empire destroyed Alderaan,” He
paused, obviously enjoying the moment, “you were on the Death Star,
Ambassador.”
Leia’s indignation poured through her voice. “But I was a
prisoner!”
“Yes, and we all appreciate your service. Now there is one more you must perform.” Simon’s black eyes lay heavily upon her. “We must have a defendant.”
“ME?!” The chair
clattered on the floor as she stood.
“What are you talking about?
I did everything I could to protect Alderaan!” Her face was flush.
“You must forgive Simon here,” Kaz said gently, “he likes to
be dramatic. The truth is we know
that. But we all just agreed a trial
with no defendants will only remind people of the Emperor. We need to charge someone. If not you, then who? You were there, were you not?”
“But I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“And so you will be declared not guilty. But not before we prove - in court – that a
crime of planet modification took place.
We demonstrate a legally robust case for the Empire’s greatest crime and
you demonstrate your innocence. We also show
the people that the New Republic isn’t afraid to go after its heroes. Ideals over connections, that kind of thing.”
“And if I refuse?”
“What?”
“What if I don’t want to do this. What if I don’t like your stupid plan,
because it’s stupid.”
Kaz’ response was apologetic, yet firm. “Oh, you don’t understand, Ambassador Solo. That’s my fault. I should have been clearer. This meeting is informational. We have already filed our accusations; you
should expect to be arrested in a few days.
But we thought it would be prudent to let you know the plan ahead of
time. Please do not flee the
system. It would not be good for your case.”
***
Han answered the knock at the door. Two uniformed Ithorian’s stood on the
stoop. “Oh, hello, General.” The shorter one said haltingly. “We are here with a warrant for Ambassador
Solo.” The taller one held up the metal
certificate, the details glimmering in shiny electronic print. Han squinted at it.
He spoke with a mocking flourish, “She is to be arrested
for… this can’t be right. Planet modification?”
“Yes,” the taller one said firmly.
“Which planet?” Han said, looking at the shorter
policeman. He gulped and looked toward
the taller one.
The taller one said, “For the destruction of Alderaan.”
Han gave an exaggerated gasp. “You mean,” he held a hand up
over his mouth in mock surprise. “But
officers, why would she destroy her home planet?”
“That is a question for the courts,” the taller one
said. “Now will you please get her, or
should I call for her myself?”
“Honey!” He called
back. “The taxi is here.” He turned back, brushing some brown hair that
fell over his eyes.
“Sir!” The taller one’s voice rose, “We are not a taxi. We
are the police and she is under arrest.”
Han just smiled. He
felt bad for taunting the two of them, but only a little. He didn’t understand governing, which is why
he had retired as soon as the Empire surrendered. But having talked the situation over with Leia
these past few days he now wondered how much the New Republic understood governing.
But Kaz had been right.
Fleeing would have only made things worse. Their best response seemed to
be to cooperate as much as possible. But
that didn’t stop them from making a few well-placed calls. Han and Leia were owed favors all over the
Republic. Surely someone would
intervene before the trial began.
“Sir,” The shorter officer said, “if she doesn’t come out
soon we will have to retrieve her ourselves.”
“She’ll be here in a minute.
Just getting her things. You know
how women are when packing for trips.
Honey! If you don’t hurry up they
will charge you with truancy, too.”
“Truancy!” She
exclaimed, dragging a suitcase as she came down hall. “Planet modifcation I can handle, but oh
not truancy! I had a perfect
attendance record throughout my brief time at the Senate. What will ever happen to my good name. Well, here I am boys.” She turned and kissed Han on the mouth long
enough that the taller cop loudly cleared his throat to get them to stop. “See you soon,” She said as she briskly
walked by the officers to their policespeeder.
“Come on, gentlemen, I don’t want to be late.”
Leia was back at the house by the next morning.
“Thump Mink really did a number on them. He cited laws and precedents even I
was unfamiliar with. They never had a
chance. Did the Republic really expect
me not to lawyer up beforehand? And to
bring me to a local precinct for processing?
Their systems could hardly handle the Planet Modification charge. It didn’t recognize it at first – they had to
call their tech guy to connect them to the regional computers which only
accepted the entry after a manual override from their counselor droid.”
“What about the truancy charge?”
She laughed. A loud
laugh Han hadn’t heard in a long time from her.
Could it be this ridiculous case could be the thing their relationship
needed? Them against the galaxy – that’s
where they thrived, after all.
“Anyway, because I broke no local laws, they can’t hold me
there. The Republic jailhouse is on a
space station up in orbit. Mink convinced
them that since I live on Coruscant, and because of my distinguished career with
the Republic, that I be given leniency and allowed to remain here under house
arrest. They agreed, on the condition
they physically guard our house to prevent any attempt of escape.”
Han laughed, “So turns out we won’t need that security
upgrade after all.”
“Not so long as I’m a wanted woman.”
“Oh, you better believe you’re wanted,” Han said with a
wink, and Leia blushed as he took her hand.
***
Kaz and Yata Spold, his trial partner, walked up to the
courthouse and was surprised to find Leia outside flanked by her lawyer. Defendants were not allowed to take part in
jury selection. She stepped forward and
smiled “Kaz Dnomma’h, I believe you know Thump Mink.” She motioned to a tall Muun, who had the
large forehead and high eyebrows typical of his species. Of course he knew Mink – he was a well known
Coruscant attorney, famous for taking on high-profile clients. “I’d also like to introduce you to Rue
Joinstown.” Kaz didn’t recognize the
pink-haired human female at all. “Everyone,
this is Solicitor General Kaz Dnomma’h.”
Kaz introduced them to Yata and everybody shook hands. When greetings were complete Leia added “Kaz
has been gracious enough to waste everyone’s time.”
Kaz’ eyes crossed as he glared at her. “Ambassador Solo, may I have a word with
you?”
“No, thank you.” Leia said sharply. She turned on her heels and walked towards
the street. It had been a bold move to
come at all, but she was angry with the whole ordeal and wanted to set that
tone with her lawyers. When she reached
the road Leia hailed for a cabspeeder.
As she waited, the disappointment of the past few weeks
percolated in her mind. None of the favors she or Han called on had
materialized into much more than sympathy.
People whom they had helped saw little reason to stick their own neck
out. The only person who expressed any
kind of real indignation on their behalf was Lando, but there wasn’t much the
General could do.
But it was the call with Mon Mothma that was most
disheartening. Because the charges had
already been filed, she said, her hands were tied. “But you’ll be fine, Leia,” she said in a
tone that surely didn’t intend to be so mocking. “Either, Kaz is a legal genius who will be
able to pull off this ridiculous gambit, or he’s an absolute idiot who’ll
fail. No matter which, there’s no galaxy
in which you end up convicted.”
At least Rue had come.
She was of course appalled by what Leia had told her, but that isn’t why
she had agreed to represent her. Rue had
spent the last few years on a mission in the outer rim to persuade them to
adopt Republic jurisdiction, or at least its democratic norms. It would be useful to her cause for her to
have some recent experience in the New Republic courts. Plus, she missed life in the core.
A mauve cabspeeder pulled up. Leia got in and went home.
Meanwhile, in the courtroom, Kaz’ day was only getting
worse, “If presented with compelling evidence, would you be willing to convict Ambassador
Leia Organa Solo?”
“What’s the evidence?
Sorry, did I miss something?” The citizen buzzed.
Kaz wearily put an arm on his podium for balance and shook
his head. “No, no, just listen. If we showed you compelling evidence,
would you be willing to convict her? Yes
or no.”
The insectoid being looked towards the judge “Can I agree to
convict someone before hearing the evidence?”
The judge struck the bench lightly with his gavel. The Nosaurian’s six crooked horns extended
about half a foot above his long, sand-colored head. “Citizen, this is a hypothetical
question. You will not be convicting
anyone with your answer.”
“Well good, I don’t want anyone’s punishment on my
head. Not good for the soul, if you know
what I mean.”
“Next!” Yata bellowed
from his high chair. The being’s face twisted
in dissatisfaction, but he spread his wings and buzzed out of the room. Dismayed, Kaz looked at the juror’s box. It was only half full and they’d been at it
for hours. Originally he had worried that
no juror would want to convict a Rebellion hero. Now it became clear that the common citizenry
had no idea how the courts even worked!
The defense obviously agreed. Though it was the prosecution’s duty to ask
the jury questions, legally the defense could ask their own questions,
too. But as it had become blindingly
clear the jurors had no idea what they were talking about, Leia’s team was
content to watch Kaz and Yata twist in the wind.
Many of the jurors had come from the lower levels of
Coruscant, a place where civic responsibility had essentially ceased to exist
during the Empire. Some of them had
hardly heard of the Rebellion until the Battle of Coruscant. The rest of the jurors had been Imperial
soldiers who’d been given citizenship in the amnesty agreement. Besides the obvious issue Kaz foresaw of
getting Imperials to acquit a Rebellion hero, they had no working knowledge of the
justice system. Discipline was what they
were familiar with, not law. The only
solace was there might have been more of them but some had been involved in the
Battle of Endor, of which Leia was also a part, and so they were barred from
judging against her. On that point, the
defense had been loud and clear.
When the juror’s box was finally full the judge declared the
process complete. He ordered everyone to
return the next morning to begin proceedings.
Kaz and Yata went out for a drink.
***
The next day Kaz and Yata sat behind a plain wooden table,
across an aisle from Leia and her lawyers.
Kaz relished every opportunity he had to be in court. The wooden chairs were indeed uncomfortable,
but there was something, what was it, quaint about all these dead trees. Even the judge’s robes were woven leaves. Not a ferrocrete block or dynosteel slab in
sight. It brought one’s mind to nature,
and reminded him that justice had always and everywhere been pursued, be it in
Coruscant’s busy centers today or in an ancient Yavin community.
The judge’s deep voice filled the room. “Dnomma’h, you may
begin.” His gavel landed with a
satisfying smack. Wood hits wood in just
that certain way, and Kaz never tired of it.
“Honorable beings of the jury,” Kaz began. “You have heard the accusation and that the
defendant pleads not guilty. But we will
show without a doubt that she was present on the Death Star when it fired upon
Alderaan. And though it pains us to try
such a heroic figure, it would pain us even more to see this crime go
unpunished, and unfortunately nobody else present on the Death Star at the time
is alive any more. Alderaan deserves
justice.
“Planet modification, what we usually call terraforming, was
outlawed by the Old Republic 584 years ago.
In addition to being illegal the ban attained a special status known
as-”
A hand went up in the jury. Kaz said, “This is not the time for
questions. Please write it down and we
will take them at the end.” The juror, a
skinny, hairy Dug named Whofi, kept his hand up and turned his gaze to the
judge. “Citizen, please put your hand
down. Counselor Kaz will answer your
question at the appropriate time.”
“No, no,” Whofi said in his high, raspy voice. “I just need to go to the bathroom.”
“We will take a short break after the prosecution’s
statement, as we will after most statements.
Those times are designated for such needs. However, if you must go now, you are free to
do so.”
Whofi felt the eyes of the room upon him and he shifted in
his seat, muttering something under his breath.
When it seemed clear he was staying, Kaz continued his prepared
remarks. When he was finished, a few of
the jurors’ hands went up for questions.
He first called on one of the ex-Imperials. They were the only humans in the jury.
“What other laws have been passed with Galactic Consensus?”
Kaz was glad he had looked into this. He was worried using the only Galactic Census
law would make it seem too convenient. “There are two others. About 1100 years ago the Senate passed a law
forbidding the hunting of creatures to extinction. Another one was passed at the formation of
the Republic, standardizing the process of electing Senators.”
“Have either been enforced?”
“We found no record of either being used in court.”
Kaz called a green Neimodian. He spoke in great huffs. “Why not charge Leia also with this
extinction consensus?”
Before he could respond Kaz heard the stern voice of the
judge say, “A prosecutor decides what charges to bring in a case. Whether other charges could have been brought
is not for the jury to decide.”
Kaz called on another human.
“I think we should also charge Luke Skywalker with this. By destroying the Death Star, he killed at
least a million.”
The judge responded again, “That is not a question,
citizen. And again, it is not for you to
decide which charges should be brought, or against whom. Only the validity of the charges brought.”
Kaz turned to the high-seated judge and said “No, actually,
I think this is a good point. I will
respond.” He turned back. “We are not charging the defendant with
murder. We are charging her with,” He
enunciated each syllable, “planet modification.
The loss of life, while of course tragic, is not part of the charge.”
Another human stood, “Then charge Skywalker with planet
monofication, or whatever it’s called.”
Kaz smiled brightly.
“We cannot. The Death Star was
large, but it wasn’t a planet.”
“But people lived there!”
He insisted.
“Sit down, citizen!”
The judge bellowed, slamming his gavel.
“You must wait to be called upon.”
The human glared upward through his green bangs but sat
down. Silence filled the room. Seizing
the moment, Kaz said, “I see no more questions.
Thank you for your consideration, I know you will make the right
choice.” Kaz bowed and started back to
his seat. A hand shot up in the back of
the juror’s box. Above him, Kaz heard
the judge say “Yes, Whofi, now is the appropriate time.”
Mink gave a withering response, but none of it surprised
Kaz. He pointed out Leia was originally
from Alderaan. He said Leia had been a
prisoner and that it was absurd to hold her responsible for what happened. Kaz made an effort not to nod in agreement.
Mink called on Whofi first when he was finished. “Why was she captured?”
Kaz perked up, realizing he didn’t actually know this. It didn’t matter to the charges.
“After the Battle of Scarrif, the Death Star Plans had been
transferred to her ship, which was captured by the Devastator, an
Imperial Star-Destroyer. Darth Vader
happened to be on that ship and took part in the boarding of the ship.”
Kaz noticed the humans in the jury shiver at the mention of
the Vader. Mink was not a being who
spoke casually. These Imperials
served for years in fear of Vader.
Bringing him up is a play for sympathy for Leia. Brilliant.
“Who else was captured?” Asked another.
“That, I don’t know,” he said. “Perhaps that’s a good question for the
Ambassador during Citizen Questioning.”
Mink similarly deflected the questions from the ex-imperials
about her rank at the time, and why Darth Vader himself was present. That’s how you should have answered those
questions, he scolded himself. When the judge struck down the question,
you should have let it lie. He
reminded himself that Mink had an actual defendant who could answer these
questions, a luxury he didn’t have. Plus, it was important the jury understood
how the trials work. The amnesty program
was controversial enough – can’t have imperials calling for the trial of a
Rebellion hero. That’s right, he
heard a voice in his head say. That’s your job.
During the break after the opening remarks, Kaz gave Yata an
outline of his arguments to go over.
Yata was an expert at reading people and he quickly and skillfully made
a few changes to account for jury reactions thus far. When he was done Kaz looked it over and
nodded in agreement. “Well done,” he
said quietly to Yata.
When the break was over Kaz addressed the jury to make his
case in detail. He dove into the legal
part of the accusation first, how planet modification was defined in the law,
why the law remained relevant even after the fall of the Republic, and how the
destruction of Alderaan was, while an extreme example to be sure, modification
of a planet.
Then Kaz made his case for justice. Originally, he was going to argue that the
Empire, while defeated militarily, needed to be denounced in some legal
method. But given the makeup of the
jury, Yata had suggested they abandon this route the previous night. Instead, Kaz argued about norms and
boundaries. Galactic conflict wasn’t
unreasonable, but some rules still needed to be followed. Planet modification, in all its forms, could
not be tolerated. To do so would
endanger the very fabric of the galaxy.
If planets were destroyed in war, even if it’s only one planet per war,
then “eventually the galaxy will be nothing but asteroids”. He was particularly proud of that line.
When he was finished, the defense began their case. Leia, for all her hostility, clearly had told
them to defend her and not the charge.
Mink introduced his witness by saying that while “ultimate modification
of Alderaan” was obviously a crime, Leia had had no part in it. The case seemed to be going about as smoothly
as Kaz had hoped.
Rue took over when it came time to question Leia directly. After some basic biographical questions she
turned the conversation towards the questions the jury had asked.
That’s a mistake, thought Kaz. You’re clearly out of practice, Rue. Many young lawyers believed that if you ask
their questions you elevate their queries and therefore soothe their ego. But in fact the jury feels cheated. They wanted to ask the questions
themselves. It tends to make them less
sympathetic.
Worse, it gave them time to come up with questions about
those answers. So rather than winning
the jury over and taking the pressure off your client by asking the questions
in the softest way possible, you alienate the jury and increase the
difficulty of the questions your client must endure. And, as every lawyer knows, questions are
like lasers to the shield of a witness’ story.
The more you fire, the weaker it gets.
When Rue was done every hand in the juror’s box went up.
“Now hold on,” The judge said. “D’nommah, you may cross examine the witness
first."
“No thank you, your honor.”
Kaz said. He and Yata had tried
their best to come up with any questions that would be useful, but had come up
blank. They decided it was better to
waive cross-examination and look too arrogant.
A good cover for the inevitable criticism they’d get when Leia was found
not guilty.
“Alright,” the judge said flatly. Joinstown, you may begin.
Rue called on a tall, furry bilar called Cor’vik. “How did you escape?”
Rue shouted an objection and looked at the judge. “It is not pertinent to this case.”
The judge looked down.
“Well, the Republic’s position is that she is the only survivor of the
Death Star at this time. The nature of her
escape is clearly relevant.
Overruled. Please answer the
question, Ambassador.”
Leia chuckled. “It’s
a little unbelievable but it’s how I met my husband. Han and Luke – Luke Skywalker, of course
– had come to Alderaan to find my
father, but the planet was gone by then.
But we – oh, I mean the Death Star – was still in the system and they were captured. While there they learned I was there and
rescued me.” She laughed again. “It wasn’t a great plan, but it all worked
out.”
Cor’vik thanked her and sat down. One of the humans stood up. “Please wait to be called, citizen.” The judge said.
“This is a follow up question.” She responded, and then without pausing said,
“You’re saying you were captured by Darth Vader and rescued by Luke Skywalker?”
Rue looked up at the judge, who banged his gavel. “Sit down, and wait!”
She sat down, then raised her hand. Rue called on someone else, an elderly
Balosar. “I had a different question,
but actually, yeah. Is that what you’re
saying? Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and
Han Solo were there?”
Leia let out a laugh, “And Chewbacca, too!”
The Balosar nodded, then said, “Can I ask my original
question, too?”
Rue gestured for him to go on, but Kaz’ attention was drawn
to the human who had originally brought it up.
He didn’t need Yata’s skills to see her mind was racing.
When the Balosar sat down, the judge spoke up. “It is near evening and it is clear the
citizens have many more questions. We
will dismiss for the day and return here tomorrow. Perhaps with a fresh night of sleep the awe
of all of these names will be dull, and we can focus on the case at hand, and
not play paparazzi.” His gavel banged
loudly.
***
“Sure sound like your standard Imperial idiots. What did you expect?” Han chuckled as he lounged in his big black chair. He put an empty glass on the table beside
him.
“I expected competence.
I mean, it isn’t even just the Imperials. The Coruscant locals don’t even seem to
understand what their duty entails.”
“Well, they lived in the heart of the Empire for decades,
and then were under the thumb of those criminals – Blokes, was it? – before we came in and rescued them. Leia, you gotta give people time to learn
these things. Not everyone grew up with
Republic ideals instilled in them like you did.
And as we know,” he leaned forward and looked through the open door down
the hall before continuing, “some people are slow learners.”
“You’re right.” Leia
sighed. She stood up to refill her
drink. Han did the same. She turned and held out her hand, “I can
refill it.”
“No, I got this.” He
said, holding his own hand out. “You’ve
had a long day. What have I done but
tinkered around and picked Ben up from school?”
“Remember,” She said, sitting back down, “add the ice before
you mix it – that’s how I like it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said walking into the kitchen, though she
heard him smiling. Han really was
trying. That she was gone all day meant
he got to be captain of their home, which put him in a good mood, though it
only masked the real issue.
Suddenly, a toy came flying into the hallway. She felt it before she saw it. Reaching out, she guided it gently to the
ground, where it toppled over. Ben came
tumbling down the hallway soon after it.
“Watch ou-” he saw it on the ground. “Oh, there it is.” He bent down to pick it up. “Nevermind.”
He turned around to go back to his room.
“Ben?” Leia summoned
him with a power even stronger than the Force – parental connection. Ben stopped, turning around again.
“Yes, mother.”
“How did that happen?”
“Luke and Vader were fighting in the Death Star and Luke got
the upper hand and Force pushed him away.”
“The toys used the Force?”
She smirked at him.
Han came back, and handed Leia her drink. He bent to kiss Ben on the head before he
returned to his seat.
“No,” Ben said, wiping the sensation of the kiss from his
head with his free hand. “I was
imagining and I guess it just happened.”
It had been happening more and more. Ben needed a teacher, but Luke refused to teach
only his nephew. “Rule of Two” and
everything. Just as the Republic wanted
to avoid looking like the Empire, Luke did not want the Jedi to look like the
Sith. So he was searching the galaxy for
other Force sensitive children and parents who would agree to send them to his
new academy.
Leia held out her arms and Ben crawled up on her lap. “Oh,” she yelped. “You’re even bigger than you were at the
start of the week. What’s dad been
feeding you?”
“Well, today we went out for ice treats on our way home from
school.”
She laughed, and Han
said. “It was a hot day!”
“Ben – why were you having your uncle fight Darth Vader?”
“Because he did!
That’s how we beat the Empire.”
Leia summoned her serious face and pushed Ben’s hair back
from his eyes. “We’ve been over
this. The fleet fought the Empire, and
won, but Luke didn’t really fight Vader.”
Leia sometimes wished he did – she didn’t think he deserved to be saved.
“I know,” he said with his head downcast.
“Luke was Vader’s son.
He didn’t kill Vader. He loved
him. That’s why he saved him.”
“But that’s BORING!”
Ben howled, leaning his head back.
“One day,” Leia said, “you’ll think love is the most
interesting thing in the world.” She
looked up at Han, “Even if it takes you places you didn’t expect.” Ben started to squirm in her lap so she put
him down. “What would you do if I or
your father went bad”
Ben stood there for a moment, thoughtfully rubbing the Darth
Vader toy with his thumb. “If either of
you went bad, I’d use my lightsaber and strike it out of you.” His stance tensed, and he swung a pretend
lightsaber around a few times in Leia’s direction. “You couldn’t possibly be bad any more
after that!” Han and Leia laughed
together. Then Ben said, “Can I go now?”
Leia looked at the time.
“Yes. But bedtime is in 20
minutes, mister.”
“Fine.” Ben said,
turning and leaving.
When he left, Han leaned over and said, “Yeah, you want that
kid on a jury?”
“That’s awful,” Leia laughed. “Yes.
When he’s old enough, anyway.
Well,” Leia considered it again.
“Will Jedi be allowed to sit on juries?
I’d assume no one would want to try to need to persuade them of
anything. I wonder…” Her voice drifted
off as she thought it over.
Han nodded. “Oh,” he
said after some time. “I saw on the news
another report of fighting in the outer-rim.
The last of the Empire struggles on.
Think they know he died?”
“A Sith as powerful as Palpatine probably gathered some very
loyal followers. We’ll wear them down.”
“That’s just it,” Han said.
“Our forces retreated.”
“Oh,” Leia said. She
took a sip of her drink. It went down
cool, just like she liked it. “I’m sure Lando
has it all in hand. And if the fighting
goes on for much longer the Republic will have its Jedi.”
“And then Ben can have his fill of fighting.”
“True. Then maybe
he’ll see it isn’t all fun and games.” Leia said. She leaned forward to look into his room and
sighed, “He’s excitable, alright, but
he’ll never thrive in war. He has too
good a heart.”
“What about me?!” Han
responded in mock indignation. “I think
I did pretty well in the war. What about
my heart?”
“I agree,” She said with a smile, “That’s why you’re a
scoundrel.”
***
Rue entered the courtroom that day eager for the trial to be
over. The cases had been made. The Republic had demonstrated the relevance
of Planet Modification, and she felt certain they had defended Leia
sufficiently. Even a jury as stupid as
this one would have no choice but to declare her not guilty.
The trial resumed with jury questions, but none of them were
very interesting. In this way Rue was looking
forward to returning to the outer-rim.
Those who lived beyond the reach of the Republic were not the political
primitives she saw on display here. In
fact, because they had no dependence on the Republic, they had all become quite
adept political players. Tatooine had conflicting
regulations around moisture farming, selectively enforced by those in power. Geonosis had an annual lottery to determine
their leaders, ensuring everyone had a motivation to stay current. While they were galactically ignorant, their
knowledge of local issues far outstripped that of the common Coruscantian.
Kaz gave his closing arguments first.
“Honorable beings of the jury. We all know what happened to Alderaan, and
what the tragedy of its loss means to the Galaxy. Never again can we explore the Isatabith
rainforest, see the grandeur of the twin snow-capped peaks of Mount Enots and
Mount Tinarg, or contemplate the meaning of life under the Cloudshape Falls.
“We must make a statement to the galaxy that Planet Modificiation,
of all kinds, is not only repulsive but also illegal. The New Republic will enforce the laws of the
galaxy, even against one of its own. In
centuries to come the Empire will be a mere blip in the Republic’s long
reign. And you, yes even you who had
served the Empire, have an opportunity to right this terrible wrong. The destruction of Alderaan must not go
unpunished. To do so would leave the
galaxy in such a lurch as to undo the fundamentals of the law.”
Then Rue stood.
Though Mink was the stronger legal mind, Rue was the more persuasive
speaker. But they had gone over her
speech the night before together.
“Honorable beings of the jury, the Republic is in a crisis
of its own making. So quick to make a
statement about the Empire it has forgotten the purpose of such a
statement. The Death Star destroyed
Alderaan, and the Rebellion destroyed the Death Star. Not a legal argument, but a compelling
rejection of planetary modification nonetheless.
“Alderaan will not be recreated by a guilty verdict. Leia was a prisoner at the time. She did not press the button. She did not give the order. She was present, but she was not
involved. You must acquit her.”
When she finished the judge rose and explained
deliberations. “Are there any
questions?” He said when he was finished.
“Yes!” A young
woman’s voice said. Rue recognized her as the one who asked about Luke
Skywalker and Darth Vader. She hadn’t
said anything during the first round of jury questioning.
“Proceed,” The judge said.
“Yesterday after I went home I decided to do some digging
into Luke Skywalker, because when the defense said he and Darth Vader were on
the Death Star together, I don’t know, it reminded me of-”
“Is there a question here, citizen?”
“Oh, sorry. Yes. Leia, why didn’t you tell us Luke Skywalker
was your brother?”
There were audible gasps from the jury. The judge shook his fleshy head. “No.
Again, we are not here to play paparazzi. The focus of this court session is to-“
“Wait a minute!”
Another human of the jury stood up, shouting over the judge. “That makes you Darth Vader’s daughter?”
The judge was banging his gavel, but other jurist were also
making connections.
“You said you were the only person on the Death Star when
Alderaan blew up who survived, but Darth Vader didn’t die until much later – on
the second Death Star.”
Another yelled. “Luke let himself get captured to get close
to the Emperor in order to save his father.
Isn’t that the story?”
“Yes, yes!” Others
cried as the judge and all the lawyers desperately tried to reign the room in.
“How do we know Leia didn’t pretend to be captured, too?”
“She let herself get caught so she could warn her
father of the attack!”
“Yes, yes!”
The weight of the gavel went flying off the handle, soared
through the courtroom, and made a hole in the far wall. That, at least, got everyone’s
attention. The judge was covered in
sweat. “None of this has anything
to do with Leia’s guilt about Alderaan,” he roared, and everyone was silent.
Order restored, the jury was filed out of the room for
deliberations. They went into the next
day. And the next day. And the next day. “Not good,” Yata said needlessly to Kaz.
In the deliberations room, the jury discussed the obvious
gaps in the Republic’s argument But Leia
had also clearly kept some information from them, too. Some said those gaps showed the Republic
hadn’t proven guilt, but others claimed her omissions were evidence of such
guilt. After a week of deliberations
with no verdict the judge declared a mistrial.
This announcement created a frenzy in the press, which
ricocheted around the galaxy. Interviews
with the jurors only made matters worse.
Threats were regularly received at the Solo home, and the Republic was
compelled to maintain (and increase) the security they had provided before and
during the trial.
Kaz motioned for a withdrawal of the accusations but the judge
insisted a mistrial necessitated a new one “to ascertain the truth”. In response the Republic announced Leia was
being sent with Rue back to the outer-rim, where victories by the First Order,
a reorganization of the Empire, were threatening Rue’s earlier progress. Leia responded with a public communication
reaffirming her resignation. When the
new trial commenced, Leia appeared with Mink and a new legal team, but no one
representing the Republic came. The
trial was delayed indefinitely.
***
“I’m hungry!” Ben
shouted from his closet.
“You heard your mother,” Han said firmly, “First we finish
packing, and then we can enjoy the rest of the evening.”
“But,” he loosely picked up a shirt, “This is so heavy! I need food for strength, dad.”
“Ben!” Han raised his
voice, “Please. Just,” he paused for a
moment. He had done it again. He hoped Leia hadn’t heard. He spoke in a quieter voice now, remembering
what he’d read in those parenting books.
How to Master your Padawan, or something like that. “Ben, how about we switch roles. You hold your bag open, and I’ll just get
everything.”
Han went to the closet as Ben squirmed under his tall legs
to get to the bag. How did he get so
many clothes? Han wondered. “Hey buddy, what colors you want?”
“All of them,” He heard him yell.
“Yeah, but we’ve been over this. You can’t fit your whole closet in your
bag. So, which are your favorite? How about the blue, I know you like the
blue.”
“I HATE THE BLUE!”
Ben screamed. Han felt the heat
in his mind rise, but he resisted the easy reaction. He’s just a hungry boy, he reminded
himself. Han took the blue, the black,
and the red shirts and turned to hand them to Ben, but he was gone. Han quietly grumbled and finished packing by
himself.
In the kitchen Ben was pulling on his mother’s shirt. “Dad’s being mean to me again,” he said. Leia took a deep breath. Even with her ambassador’s instincts and her
Jedi training she still found Han’s outbursts difficult to deal with. She had loved (sort of) his carefree style
when they first met – so different than her own upbringing – but their son
needed a father who was more in control of himself. She had talked to him this morning about it,
even. Luke was coming to take Ben tomorrow
morning. If Han could just keep it
together for this final night she knew it would make a big impact.
But of course he couldn’t. Not even for her.
But when she went with Ben to his room, she found Han with the
bags fully packed, though he was clearly annoyed. Leia reached out and felt the aggressive
energy in the room, but it was no more than usual. Ben, it seemed, had lied to her again.
But it was their last night together and she couldn’t bring
herself to scold him. And anyway, maybe
her senses weren’t rightly attuned to the situation. Could living in a place make one less able to
sense the energies there? Maybe she’d
ask Luke tomorrow when he came. She
hoped Luke could reach Ben in a way Han had not.
“Looks like you two did a great job!” She said lightly, “And just in time, too. Dinner is almost ready.”
***
New Republic Justice Committee
Meeting Minutes
15th rotation of the 3rd month of Coruscant
15 ABY
Opening:
The regular meeting of the New Republic Justice Committee was called to order upon the 16th hour of the 15th rotation of the 9th month of Coruscant in the Red Room by Helter Kuzi.
Attendence:
Leadership:
Helter Kuzi, Senator from Bogdon, Chair
Demir Abaci, SF Tokadana, Ranking member
Other Members
Linette Forve, Senator from Raithal
Regufar Collar, SF Bilbringi
Maruj Vazin’I, SF Corellia.
Synthia Zelin, SF Ansion, secretary
Rashah Salder, SF Mon Calamari
Dinn Guelleh, SF Aduba.
Jocasta Reznor, SF Ulmatra
Tied Ors-Quy, SF Ryloth
Honored Guests:
Leonardo Guelleh, representative of the Office of Legal Policy
Rica Mwinyi, representative of the Office of Reconstruction
Kaz D’nommah, former Solicitor General of the Department of
Justice
Regrets:
Vice Chair Dion Jansen, Senator from Scarl. Regret received
seven days prior to meeting, citing prior commitment. Eroglu Yanlin designated as liaison and
received.
Hatch Suim, SF From Sochi.
No official regret received. No
liaison designated. Linette Forve
interrupted roll call to motion for Suim to be removed from this committee, as
he has not attended the past few meetings nor sent a liaison nor attended any
regular sessions of the Senate. The
motion was not seconded.
Thakor Flan-do, SF Chandrila. Regret received two days prior to meeting,
citing a matter in his sector demanding his presence. Lata Tanji designated as liaison, but not
received.
Ambassador Leia Organa Solo. Regret received immediately
upon invitation citing lack of confidence in this committee. No liaison designated or received.
Other attendees:
Kharish Nasrallah, Republic Citizen, of Bespin
Eroglu Yanlin, Republic Citizen, of Scral, designated
liaison to Dion Jansen, Senator from Scral and Vice Chair of this Committee.
Approval of Agenda:
The agenda was majority approved (8-1-1) as distributed. Demir Abaci voted against. Linette Forve abstained. Abaci explained her objection by accusing
Helter Kuzi of continuing to put his own priorities on the agenda above hers. Linette Forve explained her abstention by
saying inadequate prioritization had been given to their missing colleague.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes of the previous meeting were majority approved
9-1 as distributed. Linette Forve objected. Linette Forve explained her objection by
saying the minutes failed to properly convey the urgency with which she recommended
this committee to prioritize Hatch Suim’s disappearance, and that it downplayed
the mockery she received in response.
Business from Previous Meeting:
Helter Kuzi reported the plan created at this committee’s
recommendation by the Office of Reconstruction to respond to the spreading Carida
Crisis had been rejected by the Senate.
Rica Mwinyi said the crisis has significantly worsened since that time
and that a new recommendation is needed to guide the creation of a new plan. By majority vote (7-3) this committee prioritized
this business. Regufar Collar, Maruj
Vazin’l and Rashah Saldar objected. They
explained their objection by saying that such a volatile situation cannot
possibly be rectified through a court of law and is outside the purview of this
committee.
New Business:
Leonardo Guelleh said outer-rim refugees from First Order
occupations need a legal framework for citizenship. This committee voted unanimously to
prioritize this business in future meetings.
Kaz D’nommah spoke on the subject of the Planet Modification
trial and his resulting resignation. He
insists this committee gave him and his office in an impossible task. When reminded this committee recommended him
to only “investigate the feasibility of addressing the situation of Alderaanian
refugees in a court of law,” he responded such a recommendation was better
suited for the Office of Legal Policy than the Department of Justice. He says he was reasonable to assume action
was expected given the severity of the Alderaanian tragedy, the capacities of
his office, and the “high and urgent” priority with which the recommendation
was delivered.
Chairman Helter Kuzi interrupted D’nommah to ask if he had
any specific requests for this committee. D’nommah demanded the resignation of all
members immediately. Kuzi again
interrupted D’nommah to call for a vote to cut short D’nommah’s time, citing
this insult, but the vote failed (4-4-2). Demir Abaci, Regufar Collar, Maruj Vazin’l and
Rashah Saldar voted against. Linette
Forve and Kuzi abstained. Collar,
Saldar, Vazin’l, and Abaci explained their objection by saying they saw no
reason to restrict the time of a Galactic citizen expressing displeasure. Forve explained her abstention by saying her
voice was continually sidelined by this committee and she wouldn’t take part in
sidelining another’s, though she said D’nommah’s request was “out of line”. Kuzi explained his abstention by saying he
had called for the vote and wished to let the rest of the committee decide.
D’nommah continued. Kuzi
interrupted him a third time to announce his immediate resignation from this
committee and left the Red Room. With no
other leadership members present Abaci took Kuzi’s seat without a vote and
became Chair of this committee. Stating
he was satisfied by Kuzi’s resignation, D’nommah yielded the rest of his time.
Additions to the Agenda:
Creation of a new recommendation for the Office of Reconstruction
to create a plan to respond to the Carida crisis. Chairwoman Demir Abaci suggested further
discussion be tabled until the next meeting, citing this committee is now down
two members and has a vacant leadership role.
By majority vote (5-3-1), this committee added these agenda items to the
next meeting. Regufar Collar, Maruj
Vazin’l, and Rashah Saldar voted against.
Linette Forve abstained. Collar,
Vazin’l, and Saldar explained their objection by saying they agreed this
meeting should be ended until this committee can refill its ranks but objected
to the Carida crisis being on the next meeting’s agenda, continuing to believe crisis
was too volatile to be rectified through a court of law and is outside the
purview of this committee. Forve explained
her abstention by saying that she had lost all faith in this committee in its
current form and would abstain from all votes until further notice.
Agenda for Next Meeting:
Confirming new members.
Nominating and confirming new leadership.
Response to the growing refugee crisis.
Response to the crisis on Carida.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned one and a half hours after it
began by Demir Abaci. The next meeting
will be on the 25th rotation of the 10th month, 15 ABY,
in the Red Room.
Copyright ©️ 2021 Maslow Stories.
I consider this story still a draft. I edit it occasionally. If you have any feedback for me, I'd love to hear it! Email me at armaslow@gmail.com. Please put "Star Wars Stories" in the subject line. Thank you!
