The Trial of Bastila Shan (post-KOTOR 1, spoiler warning)

[Satori]

The Trial of Bastila Shan

1.1 Ghosts

I thought I should have felt something. Anger, shame, guilt, resignation. Something. Instead, I felt like I was drowning just under the surface of the water, suffocated under overwhelming pressure only a handbreadth away from air. I almost regretted not taking the offer Zaalbar made. The Wookies would have sheltered me, made me safe from the consequences of my acts. But I could not run. I could hear the voices of all the dead, all the men and women I had condemned with my actions. My petty jealousy, my pride, my lust for power and glory cost them everything. They whispered in my ear every waking hour, and the shades that remained of them visited me in every dream.

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1.2 Honor

Canderous allowed himself a moment to look at the young Jedi Padawan he had been asked to defend before the Senate Subcommittee on War Crimes. Bastila Shan, 19 years old, accepted into the Jedi order at age six, promoted to Padawan at age 16 and made Republic Fleet liaison with brevet rank of Captain. Twice decorated for bravery, thrice hailed as a Hero of the Republic. Now she was on trial for Treason. And a Mandalorian would be her counsel. Canderous had long since concluded that Jedi Mumble Jumbo about the force moving in mysterious ways was so much bantha poodoo. The blasted thing must have a taste for irony. "The things I do for you, Revan," he chuckled to himself, half irate and half amused.

He walked to the place reserved for him as advocate, slowly, unhurried, head raised high and proud. His honor was unblemished, and he would give deference to none of these Republican Senators. It was all he could do not to sneer. Most were inept if not outright incompetent, and half were so corrupt that they made Hutt crime lords look honest by comparison. The other half could be counted on to keep a deal only under threat or promise of reward. But all depended on image, their public faces which they showed to the people. And those facades required the appearance of honor, loyalty, dedication, charity, and devotion. So while Canderous knew that he could not sway them with reason or honor or emotion, he could force their hands by the lever of public opinion. The decadent Republic even had a term for the game of pretenses: Spin Doctoring. So be it. He would not even have to lie, only present a face of the truth that the Republic so often ignored. He would remind them what duty and honor really were, and let them wallow in their shame.

Bastila warred between relief and shock as she watched Canderous step forward as her advocate. She knew her friends had plotted means, first to see her to refuge, and when she refused, to make her defense. Part of her was all too glad to see that they had, in some way, managed to come through. The other half wondered what sort of half-baked, insane, do-or-die plan they had come up with this time, that they would send Canderous. She prayed that this scheme didn’t involve explosives.

Canderous forced himself to smile at the girl, no, woman-she had been blooded in a trial that few could hope to pass, and deserved that much respect. Taking his seat next to her, he leaned over to whisper. "Hey, Jedi Princess. You sure you want to go through with this trial thing? Just say the word and we'll have you out of here."

"I'm quiet certain thank you." He could hear her teeth grinding. "Tell me you're not going to challenge a Senator to a death-duel on my behalf. I don't think that'll help my case any."

His smile was genuine now. Seemed the girl still had some fire in her. Good. So long as she kept fighting, they'd win this, just like they had won every other battle. "As much as I would love to, Sana rather insisted I do it the Republic way. Don't look at me like that; She's a genius strategist remember? I'm just playing my part in her grand strategy. She knows this battlefield as well as any of the amateurs arrayed against us. Watch, we'll win this one too."

Revan's name worked it's magic. Bastila's slumping posture disappeared, and her poise became that with which he was so much more familiar, straight and unbowed. Squaring her shoulders, she settled over the desk as though it were the tactical plot they had so often labored over on the Ebon Hawk. Canderous stared for a moment, as she took a deep breath, entranced by the warrior woman who had re-emerged. "Let's do this."

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1.3 Duty

The Prosecutor was rambling on about duty, and the just deserts of treason. Canderous couldn't help but roll his eyes. Duty. Carth had fought half his life for the sake of that concept, and lost almost everything. And what reward did he gain for his devotion? The Republic had offered him nothing beyond more hopeless missions and broken commands. At least Sana had sense enough to want nothing further to do with Republic, formally at least, and taken Carth with her when she disappeared off of the proverbial sensor net. But Bastila, proud noble-minded Bastila was determined to pay penance for her crimes. Fool girl. There was no justice to be had here, only weak willed men now furious that they had been so frightened, so easily cowed, so easily deprived of their prestige and power, and casting the blame where there could. If Bastila wanted to atone for her folly with the clean embrace of death, Canderous could not gainsay her, but she would get no relief from this trial. People who no longer had to be afraid were now in an uproar of fury, hoping, it seemed to cover their shame. The Jedi were right about that much. Fear leads to Anger.

They still had a semblance of shame, most of them at least. Their breed were scavengers, unwilling to hunt prey, but crowding in hungrily when they sensed a kill, jockeying for their own piece of the prize. Like scavengers, they were fearful, always looking over their shoulders. They could commit a hundred little hypocrisies while they thought no one saw, but in the public light they had shame. Canderous would fix that light upon them, and let them wilt in that shame. The long-winded prosecutor was finally winding down, and Canderous rose to speak.

Sana had coached him in speaking -not that he wasn't a capable orator; a general needed to know how to inspire his troops. But Revan knew the importance of rhetoric, of appealing to emotion and reason in synergy, to sway not so much the Senate as the media, and insisted that Canderous learn the formal terminology, and plan his speech in detail, like a long campaign. The first step was Ethos, establishment of one's own identity and character, one's reputation and deeds, to provide the context for one's words. This Canderous relished, like any good Mandalorian. Boasting of his deeds and his clan's honor was familiar to him. He would use no niceties, no salutations; he was a blunt Mandalorian, frank and uncaring of Republican sensibilities, and he would show it.

"Since you have seen fit to convene this War Crimes Trial, I came to speak for my friend as a General, a warrior, as is no doubt proper for such a tribunal. I know that there is some prejudice against my people, even in this august Senate, but even you mush admit we were supreme in war. My people were born to the blade and blaster, and there is nothing of military strategy or organization we have not studied. Therefore, as a General speaking to laymen, I speak as an expert to the uninitiated. Heed me, and I will teach you about war and it's consequence."

Murmurs arose. It was the sound of confusion amidst his foes, and Canderous found it sweet to his ears. He continued.

"You have heard perhaps, that Mandalorian youths are sent into combat young, sometimes not even out of puberty. What you have not heard, nor seen, is how we prepared them. I was trained from the time I could walk, taught to control my every movement, so that I would waste not a single twitch in combat. I was warned of the terror that the battlefield brings, yes even to us bloodthirsty-" a sneer, here, "Mandalorians. Have any of you, Senators-" open contempt now, " been on the firing line? Have you felt the terror that grips you when you face incoming fire, or thrown up when you realized you've killed? Let me tell you there is not a soldier who has truly fought in war who has not been sick out of fear or disquiet. There are few sentients who do not become sick when they realize they have killed a fellow sentient. And into this maelstrom, you throw children, ignorant, untrained, unready, innocent. We Mandalorians bring our youth to battle, yes, but they are prepared, trained, and above all supported by their elders. We guide them as they learn to fight, and comfort them after they taste the sickness of death. Can you say you have done the like, leaders of the Republic? When my clan fought your troops we fought men and women who were but children in war, unschooled and frightened. If my clan has taken so little care of it’s people, it would have long since ceased to be, and rightly so."

A pause to let the accusation set in. The accusers had become the accused, the hunters the hunted.

"You have, perhaps, wise Senators, heard the Jedi creed? Let me refresh your memory. It starts thus: There is no passion, there is peace. Jedi need to remain calm to uphold the light, keep serenity to maintain their control, find peace to resist the darkness. Even you must know this. And yet you sent this girl, this not-even-a-Padawan, into that storm of passion, of fear, of sickness and death. You can call it military necessity, but if so, then you used her, made her your tool. Who then, is responsible, the sword, or its wielder? She was not even fully trained as a Jedi, but you needed her gift, so you declared her a Padawan, made her a Captain and sent her out to suffer the ravages of war. And now your tool is broken, because you pushed her harder and further than any being could be expected to go."

A few pale faces in the crowd. Good. That number would grow.

"This poor wretch, this child who trusted you to command her, turned to darkness and opposed you. What is her crime? That she, frail and faltering from the burden you laid on her, could not resist the power of Darth Malak, a Sith Lord? Do you think you could face that tribulation? She faced horrors that would have sent most of you running away screaming, and retired each day knowing she would see more the next. That she saw so much of our desperate enterprise through should be a credit to her. I have fought a thousand battles, and seen not but a handful of soldiers so resilient. But in the end, like all sentients, she was but mortal; she was imperfect. So she faltered. So she turned. So you put her on trail for War Crimes?"

A pause, as Canderous made an exaggerated half turn. One argued with body language as well as words. Let them see his disdain. When his words resume, they returned with the force of thunder, amplified by that moment of silence.

"Just who do you think you are fooling, Senators? She is not the guilty party. You are. You were the leaders, the decision makers. You chose to send her, at the time only a child even by your own laws, into a situation in which she by all rights should not have lived a year. And now you dare to accuse her? I am not here to conduct Padawan Bastila's defense. I am calling you to trial. I am accusing you. You, who sent children to fight and bleed and die. You who abused and betrayed the trust so many, not the least of which Padawan Bastila, put in you. You, who would lay your sins upon a wounded girl to hide them. What is you excuse? Make your defense."

Silence. For an instant the judicial chamber was full of stunned faces, struck dumb by the weight of Canderous's indictment. It was the pivotal moment that would determine the outcome of the trial.

Naturally, the crew of the Ebon Hawk, with several of the Galaxy's most skilled tacticians among its complement, had prepared for this moment.

End Chapter 1

Edited, 3/11/08

[JCady]

I like it! I demand more, more, more!

Oh, I also demand female Revan

[Satori]

Oh, I also demand female Revan

Sana is pretty clearly a female name.

Named after my first KOTOR character, though she's based more on my third.

[Robo Jesus]

Strong argument from Canderous.

Speaking from experience though, when emotional rhetoric is used, logic, reasoning, and empathy goes out the window. At this point, there is going to be emotional backlash from all sides. The Prosecution is not going to retort to Canderous' accusations, but instead is going to try to go on the offensive through use of Ad Hominem attacks, Red Herrings, Straw Man Arguments, Slippery Slope Arguments, and the like. Never acknowledge or respond to an attack on your character, as that forces people to think, something which people as a whole are not good at. Instead, give them quick, easily remembered memes and keep them hooked through the use of simple emotional rhetoric that you don't have to spend a lot of time or thought on.

This website gives a good list of logical fallacies to use btw.

[Satori]

Strong argument from Canderous.

Speaking from experience though, when emotional rhetoric is used, logic, reasoning, and empathy goes out the window. At this point, there is going to be emotional backlash from all sides. The Prosecution is not going to retort to Canderous' accusations, but instead is going to try to go on the offensive through use of Ad Hominem attacks, Red Herrings, Straw Man Arguments, Slippery Slope Arguments, and the like. Never acknowledge or respond to an attack on your character, as that forces people to think, something which people as a whole are not good at. Instead, give them quick, easily remembered memes and keep them hooked through the use of simple emotional rhetoric that you don't have to spend a lot of time or thought on.

This website gives a good list of logical fallacies to use btw.

Aww, and you had to make this all complex an' stuff.

I had other plans, but you have a good point. Well, I'll finish up chapter 2.1 sometime, and I'll see what you think. Rhetoric is not my strongest point but I'm taking a class on it (well, political speeches actually) and couldn't resist editing this piece (which I actually mostly wrote a while back) to try and use some of the rhetorical stuff I picked up.

Hmn, don't suppose you want to beta?

[Losonti Tokash]

I approve. Please continue.

[Robo Jesus]

Aww, and you had to make this all complex an' stuff.

I had other plans, but you have a good point. Well, I'll finish up chapter 2.1 sometime, and I'll see what you think. Rhetoric is not my strongest point but I'm taking a class on it (well, political speeches actually) and couldn't resist editing this piece (which I actually mostly wrote a while back) to try and use some of the rhetorical stuff I picked up.

Hmn, don't suppose you want to beta?

In the experience of doing it, it's simpler than the explanation of what it is that is being done. I'll give a practical example.

A District Attorney has a weak case coming up, one which he feels they may not win on the charges and the evidence they currently have. So, in order to get that win, they trump up the charges to outrageous degrees. An misdemeanor assault charge being changed into an charge of attempted murder, public disorder, terroristic threats, etc. would be a good example of this.

Now a misdemeanor assault charge can be fought legally easily enough. But the trumped up charge, being a series of felony charges, is far more costly in order to fight. Even if the DA cannot win the case, they hope to push the defendant into either a plea deal, or they (The DA's office) try to financially break the defendant so that he cannot provide for himself adequate legal protection (making the job of winning the case that much easier).

It seems complicated when trying to explain it, but in action, it's really not that complicated at all. It's just an example of goal orientation. Define the goal you want, then look how you can accomplish it with the least amount of work needed to do so. As for being a Beta, while I'm useful as a sounding board for different authors in regarding, I feel I'm not reliable enough to do most of the really indepth beta work with my job and the things going on in my personal life.

I'm sure there are more than a few people here willing to help on the beta work you would need though. ^_^

[Darth Onasi]

I like it and hereby request more.
Also, female Revan = win. Personally I feel the story of KOTOR loses something with male Revan.