| abstract
| - In the opposite wing of the Government Complex from the Senate hall, the High Court of New Alderaan is bustling with activity. Two high-profile trials in the space of as many weeks. The first was a military court-martial. The second, at first glance, appears to be just a minor altercation. But the pundits are already buzzing about the implications: can the New Republic maintain a sense of security on its new capital world with all this trouble going on? The usual two sets of tables are set up for the prosecution and defense. The judge is not yet present. The prosecution is just arriving. To citizens of the New Republic, the human man leading the way in may be familiar - New Alderaan's assistant district attourney has made quite a few headlines since Ord Mantell joined the republic, the lead prosecutor in the government's case against the planet's crooked officials. Chandrilan Jak M'koy waits for his second to claim her own seat at their table before he takes his own, appearing confident as he opens his briefcase and begins getting his things in order. The defendant is already seated at her table, alone so far and looking nervous. Serenella is dressed all in black as becomes a young widow in deep mourning and casts anxious glances over her shoulder to where her sister is sitting. And looking out for her lawyer who seems to be late. Fashionably late. That is what they call it, right? Does not work with courts though, and so the greenish Toydorian with the dark grey suit comes flapping down towards the front rather hurriedly. "Excuse me, your honor. The speeder broke down and I had to _fly_ the rest of the way.", Tryno explains as he sets down the miniature briefcase on the desk near Serenella, then lands next to it to open it, taking out a pair of goggles to put over his trunk, while mumbling to Serenella. "We have not started yet, right?". Only then does the Toydorian lift his gaze to peer at the lack of your-honoress in the front. "Guess we did not.". Sharply dressed in his military dress uniform, Raxis appears through a side door as the jury begins filing into a collection of raised seats to overlook the courtroom. Close enough to be spoken to by the attorneys, Raxis is the first of many jurors through the door, and promptly takes a seat. Another juror follows the first, also dressed in a uniform but not a New Republic military uniform. Tak Dagon sighs as he sits, adjusting his black uniform jacket and brushing his pants down. He takes the second chair in the jury and looks around the courtroom quietly waiting for the proceedings to begin. Shael waits in a small room to the side of the courtroom where the witnesses sit until their turn on the stand is called. It's with a mix of nervousness and relief that she notices she's alone in the room. Nervous, because it doesn't bode particularly well for the prosecution. Relieved, because there's water for them to drink, and Draelis's presence would come with a high probability of her throwing the water at him and getting arrested /again./ That would not help the case at all. She lets out a slightly irritable sigh, and turns her attention down to the small handheld hologame she brought with her to occupy her time. Dressed in his Military dress uniform, Gene also files in with the jury. Having never done anything like this before, he's really not sure what to do, but he just stands there and waits for instruction. Looking about the court room. Much has been said at one point or another about how it's not being judged by twelve of your peers so much as twelve people too dumb to get off jury duty. But, as it happens, sometimes it's also people perfectly capable of dodging the bullet, yet principled enough to stick it out. Thus is the case with the grey-skinned twi'lek that settles into one of the juror seats, eyeing Raxis slightly oddly as she lands her backside in a seat next to him. Wrista, unlike Raxis, Gene, or Dagon, is not in uniform, instead decked out in a nice suit of a contemorary cut. She leans sideways at Raxis, murmuring. "Word to the wise, Lieutenant... next time you're called up for jury duty, wear civvies. You're here on duty as a citizen, remember." Of course, he may or may not recognize her out of uniform, but it's the principle of the thing. A New Alderaan bailiff steps forward. "All rise for the Honorable Judge A. Peltoo Appel." Who enters from his chamber. He's the kindly type, really, as long as everyone behaves themselves in his courtroom. He's the kind of aging barrister who sometimes wears bacta-bands around his knees under his trousers and robe, so he can be all patched up before his evening game of shockball. "Please be seated." Appel pronounces as he seats himself. "As a duly appointed District Judge under the New Republic Court of Justice, I have been vested by the City of New Alderaan to preside over their case against Ms. Serenella Jordain. The charge is assault in the second degree. How does the defendant plea?" Serenella looks deeply relieved when her lawyer turns up -at last- but the relief is short-lasted. She's clearly nervous. She gives Tryno a sideglance, then looks at the judge. "Not guilty!", she declares firmly. Like a well-oiled machine, the two prosecutors stand for the Judge's arrival and settle back into their seats when granted permission. As the defense enters their plea, M'koy casts a look towards the jury and looks quite pleased by the assortment of beings present, though his eyes do linger on one of them. He says nothing, though, merely nudging his associate and turning his attention towards the defendant, and then the judge. As the judge is announced, Tryno motions for Serenella to stand, before taking flight himself. The query for the plea is heard, and Tryno is relieved that the blonde does not need to be promoted to give the correct answer to that one! Landing next to the briefcase again, Tryno waits for the proceedings to start, leaning over to mumble to his client, in that corner-of the mouth kind of way that is common for his species. "This won't take long...", he reassures. Reseating himself as he rises for the judge, Raxis' eyes scan the courtroom as a steely glint falls over his expressionless face. Resting his hands in his lap, he remains seated upright. The familiar voice of Wrista, who had once threatened to blast him with a stun rifle, reminds him of something about his style of dress. Gritting his teeth beneath his expressionless face, he flattens his lips and adjusts his composure. Slowly, he scans over the defendant and prosecutors tables, and back to the gathered crowd. Dagon rises and sits, again adjusting his clothing to give a clean and well dressed appearance. Join the New Republic they told him. Great things happen they told him. Now he's sitting on a bloody jury. He sighs and waits for the good stuff. Gene rises when the others rise, and retakes his seat when they do. Keeping his seating as stiff and upright as his military training has pounded into his brains. Vengan emerges into the witness room, grinning and exchanging a quiet laugh with the guard who brings him in- evidently on good terms with the fellow. Then again, it seems Vengan's on good terms with almost everyone in the security field on this planet. He closes the door softly and moves to one of the seats, reaching up and taking his beret off his head for a moment and setting it upon his knee. A bit awkwardly he adjusts the formal dress saber and pistol on his belt and settles into place. Like Shael he's brought something with him to do, but the small personal device in his hand flickers more like a security recording than a game. Apparantly, he intends to use this time to review the security logs, rather than wait idly by. He doesn't spare Shael more than a passing glance. Judge Appel nods solemnly. "The plea is so entered into the record. The court will now hear opening statements." Appel covertly reaches under the bench, where he's stashed a cooler. This isn't his usual courtroom, so he has to improvise. Today, it's just regular cold packs that he'll drape over his knees and over the robes. His regular shockball appointment at the gym must be kept, after all! At the sound of Vengan entering the room, Shael pauses her game and squeezes her eyes closed. Thou shalt not slug the other star witness. Thou shalt not douse him with water. Nor should there be any jabbing with the stylus for her data pad. Shael was quite thoroughly lectured by M'Koy on this subject, and she has every intention to abide by his advice. After taking a nice deep breath that she blows out slowly, Shael opens her eyes and continues with her game. "So you got outta the lockup, eh?" Vengan remarks, still examining his datapad. He taps the screen with a datastylus a few times, the reflection of the screen in his green eyes moving back and forth. He glances up at the girl. "Oh well, guess that's what I get for not filing my paperwork," he states idly, baiting the poor woman. "Still, a day in the slammer can really kill a person's social life, can't it?" With a nod towards the Judge, the head prosecutor rises from his seat and steps out from behind his desk. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Your Honor." M'koy gestures towards the defense with one arm, giving the pair seated there his attention. "We are here today because the defendant, Serenella Jordain, is a young woman out of control." Grimly, he turns his attention towards the jury and paces towards them, spreading his hands. "You will hear testimony from the ship's owner about how Miss Jordain forced her way onto their ship, and how after repeated, peaceful attempts to keep her from tampering with their cargo, Miss Jordain became violent. You will hear testimony from the arresting officer that even the civil authorities charged with keeping the peace were forced to /stun/ Miss Jordain to break up the struggle that ensued. And," he adds, glancing towards the Judge, "You will see the security footage of the incident for yourselves. This case is simple. Hold her accountable for her actions.. and get her the help she needs." Arching his eyebrows, he bows his head to the jury and turns to return to his seat. Serenella listens to the prosectur with wide eyes and seems ready to burst into tears. "So unfair...", she mutters and looks up at her lawyer anxiously. Surely he knows how to react to all this? She draws her shawl tighter around herself and waits for Tryno to speak. "You know, I do believe there are holocams in here," Shael mutters under her breath, not drawing her gaze from the screen even for an instant. "I'm sure Senator Marx would be interested to see /footage/ of you baiting me. I'd love for her to have another excuse to have a talk with you, or perhaps with your superior officers." Ass. She's taking the high-road today, it seems. ... sort of. "If Senator Marx has a problem, she can take it to the regional commanding authority and use the chain of command like the rest of us," Vengan points out for Shael's benefit. "So far you've assaulted me verbally twice and physically once, and I'm curious to see whether you're socially incorrigible or just prone to sudden fits. If you've got social problems, you should be in jail- if you're prone to fits, you should be in a psych ward." Vengan taps his screen. "Either way, it's the sort of thing I should probably be aware of, neh?" The Marine eyes Shael a bit balefully. Tryno listens to the opening words of the persecution seemingly bored, scribbling some things down on his own datapad as the attorney speaks. The quiet mutter is met by a short glance over his trunk. "Just doing their jobs...", he points out, before finally putting away the datapad to flap his wings and raise to eye-level for most beings once M'koy is finished. "Your Honor..", he begins, then flaps over towards the jury, taking off the googles to adress them directly. "Gentlebeings of the Jury. We are here today because of a scuffle. So much is without doubt. We have heard the words of the Presecution.", he turns slightly to indicate Serenella. "Out of control, the Presecution says. There has been a scuffle, so much is without doubt, but the causes of this scuffle remain hidden to us. The Presecution wants you to believe that Miss Winters is a victim of an malicious Miss Jordain who has began violence without cause or provocation. I assure you that during the course of this trial this view on the events of that fateful day will no longer be possible for a righteous being and citizen of the New Republic, as you all are.". With that the Toydorian turns and flaps back to his seat. "I only have a problem with assholes," Shael states simply, clenching her jaw tightly. She's starting to jab at the controls of her game with somewhat excessive force. "It's odd, isn't it, that I can have a more civil conversation with the woman that /assaulted/ me than I can with the officer that was meant to protect me from that assault. That should tell you something. About /yourself./" See, Mr. M'koy, what a good girl Shael can be? It's a good thing that the game Shael brought is a violent one. Each of those little Imps Shael shoots down are wearing Vengan's face in her mind. Ahhh, yes. The ice packs are nice and cool. Gotta keep that looming arthritis at bay for as many years as possible. Opening statements are always the most boring part, Appel thinks. But he pays attention anyway because he's a professional. "The court will now hear evidence for the prosecution." Perhaps later in the day, M'koy will come to realize how fortuitous his timing is. "The prosecution calls Shael Winters to the stand, your Honor." "It is odd," Vengan agrees. "Then again, she was tripping out on enough spice to make a Wookiee think he was an A-wing at the time. Off the stuff, she's fairly reasonable if a bit prone to melodrama." Vengan lifts his eyes to the speaker, looking back down at his datapad. "Seems like you're up, lady. Remember you're under oath up there." Shael snorts dismissively, pausing her game again, and finally turning her gaze towards Vengan. "I know my duty," she informs him stiffly, refraining from more comments on his personality. As a balif appears to summon her, she climbs to her feet, brushing her hands against her slacks to smooth them and straightening her blouse. She even has dainty little clips in her hair. See? A nice, clean-cut, responsible business woman. She follows the man into the courtroom, letting him direct her towards the witness stand, then looking to the judge for instruction. The bailiff directs Shael toward the witness podium and presents her with a pocket version of the New Alderaan Constitution and Legal Code, Version 71.8.3 to lay her left hand on take her oath by. "Raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" "Yes sir, I do," Shael replies politely and solemnly, and takes a seat when directed. She shifts a bit nervously, her eyes moving towards the jury, then the prosecution, then the judge before returning her eyes to the prosecution again. She seems to be avoiding looking at Sel just this moment. Sel is definitely giving Shael a long look. But masks her emotions fairly well. Yes. Or is that just all the make up? Once Shael has been sworn in and gotten settled, the prosecutor rises from his seat. "Please state your name for the record," he begins, offering her a brief inclination of his head in thanks. Once she has, he looks towards the jury, though his voice is still directed towards Shael. "Miss Winters, would you please recount for the court the events that led you to press charges against the defendant here today?" "Yes sir," Shael replies to the prosecutor's question. "On the 12th," she begins, "I was using some droids to help me load my cargo onto my Gnatt freighter. I was carrying a cargo of parts to cooling units to Tatooine where, as you can imagine, there's a high demand. As I was loading I was approached by Sel, Miss Jordain, I mean, and she was... well a little impaired." Shael's eyes dart briefly towards Serenella, then away again just as quickly. "She got the notion in her head that I was carrying a cargo of spice and wanted into the crates. I tried keeping myself between her and the crates because of her impaired state, because the parts were quite fragile, but she insisted on moving around me and trying to unpack one of them. When I grabbed her by the shoulder to try to move her away from the crates, she started swinging at me. And, well, that's how the fight started. I just wanted her away from my cargo, sir." "Impaired...!", Serenella huffs quietly. Tilting his head as the questioning of the Presecution progresses, Tryno mumbles to Serenella. "We will try to keep you out of the witness stand, but pay attention to what is said. We might have to call you at the end to connect the dots.". The quiet huff makes Tryno give Sel a look, however. Apart of that, he keeps his attention on the examination, seemingly ready to call the famous 'objection' at any moment. Just biding his time. "She insisted?" The prosecutor quirks an eyebrow questioningly at Shael, coming to a stop near the jury box. "In what way?" "Well..." Shael says a bit uncertainly, "She tried to push me out of the way at first," she explains. "When that didn't work, she took a swing at me and I moved. Once I was out of the way, she started messing with my crates. That was when I grabbed her by the shoulder to move her away from the crates. The fight broke out in earnest after that." Tryno scribbles on his datapad, listening... Serenella leans over to Tryno. "What a rubbish!", she whispers, "What would I care for her friggin' cargo?" Leaning back, Tryno whispers, "How should I know? But it shows up on the tapes, Miss Jordain.", he comments, then shrugs his wings. "It is not important however what was in the box, but what might have been.", he comments. On the pad goes: Tatooine. "Was she responsive in /any way/ to your requests to stay away from your cargo?" M'koy asks, looking between Shael and Serenella as he loosely folds his arms. He's going for something here, but he isn't going to try and guide his witness to it. It's up to her. "Not really, no," Shael replies, a frown pursing her lips as she turns her mind back to her memory of the events. "She got it into her head that I was carrying spice, and wouldn't listen to me when I told her it wasn't. I don't like drinks, and I don't like drugs. I wouldn't allow that stuff near my ship, let alone on it." It is Tryno's turn to snort a little, through the trunk. The prosecutor inclines his head, pursing his lips in thought. Whether she hit the mark he was hoping for is unclear, and he looks to Shael again, shifting gears. "How well do you know Miss Jordain?" he asks, looking towards the defense. "Would she have known of your opinion of spice?" Serenella snorts. Quietly. Tryno pipes up. "Objection, your Honor..." "The Prosecution is inviting the witness to speculate about the knowledge of my client." "I met her a few times. I guess I probably know her sister a little better than I do Serenella. Me and Inanna are both pilots, you see. I don't keep my opinion of that stuff secret, though, and it's not the first time I saw her messed up. Not the first time I told her she had a problem, either. She doesn't like hearing that, that she has a problem." Shael shoots her gaze back towards Sel again at that last sentence, frowning slightly. Shael opens her mouth to reply, and promptly clicks it shut again at the defense's objection, looking to the judge for permission to speak. The prosecutor looks towards the defense at the objection, then up to the Judge, lifting a hand in acknowledgement. "I'll rephrase," M'koy says calmly, though he waits for the Judge's cue to do so. Judge Appel perks up at the objection, and prepares to ask the nature of the objection, but then nods a 'Go ahead" to the prosecutor. M'koy bows his head in thanks, turning back to Shael. "In the past, Miss Winters, have you and the defendant ever discussed spice?" he asks, his eyes flicking between the defense and the judge. "Yeah, in a way," Shael replies. "It's not the first time I saw her messed up. Not the first time I told her she had a problem, either. She doesn't like hearing that, that she has a problem." Shael shoots her gaze back towards Sel again at that last sentence, frowning slightly. Serenella's cheeks flush. "I don't have a problem!", she bursts out loudly and stares straight at Shael. "I have just lost my husband, you cold-hearted, unfeeling b----" Yes, she can stop herself just in time and sighs. "You can have no idea how that feels..." She slumps back into her seat with a mournful expression. The prosecutor begins to ask another question, but snaps his mouth shut and turns at Serenella's outburst, his eyebrows leaping up his forehead. He says nothing, though, simply looking towards the jury, and then the judge. At Serenella's outburst, Shael turns back to the prosecutor to give him a pointed look. See? Sel makes her point for her. Tryno tries to calm Serenella, of course. But he seems a bit sluggish. As if not having expected this, perhaps. Or perhaps it does fit well into the lawyers plan. Finally he pats her shoulder, whispering to her quietly. Serenella nods to Tryno's words, sniffles quietly and uses the hem of her shawl to dab at her moist eyes. "Order in the court!" Appel barks after Serenelles' exclaimation. He picks up his galvel and hovers it over his strike plate, threatening to make unpleasant noise. The prosecutor waits for the room to calm before he turns back to Shael, inclining his head in silent apology for the defendant's outburst. "One final question, Miss Winters," he says, lifting his head. "What do you hope to accomplish with these proceedings?" "I just want her to get help," Shael insists. "I tried to talk to Sel about going into a rehab, for her safety and the safety of others. She wouldn't listen to me. Addiction isn't something you just get over, just like that. She needs help." "Thank you, Miss Winters." The prosecutor turns and inclines his head to the defense, striding back to his seat. His assistant leans over to murmur something in his ear, and he simply nods, folding his hands and resting them on the table in front of him. Flapping over to the witness stand once the Prosecutrion has finished, Tryno seems to ponder how to best open the interrogation. "You said you had parts loading destined for Tatooine. Are your...business dealings leading you to Tatooine often, Miss Winters?", he wonders, the flight slightly unstable when hovering before her. M'koy's gaze seems to sharpen as the defense begins their questioning. "Objection," he says calmly. "Relevance." Apell simply looks at the defense, waiting for his explanation. Clearing his trunk, Tryno turns to the judge, "The relevance will become clear in a few moments, your honor. I would have to ask for a little faith.". "I will allow for the relevance to become clear with your next question," Appel rules. "Tatooine on occassion," Shael admits once the judge has made his ruling. "A good portion of my cargo runs are for the New Republic. I helped bring supplies to New Alderaan when the refugees first moved in, for example. I also do a lot of runs for Kasin, a legitmat arms and droid dealership run by an officer in the New Republic fleet. When neither Kasin nor New Republic have cargo for me, I take whatever legimate cargo I can find." "Legitimate. Of course...", comments Tryno, nodding to the Judge to make it apparent why the question was important. He was hoping to be able to interject one more question before making the kill, but now has to improvise. Flapping over to the desk, he picks up his datapad, before flapping back. "It is said, Miss Winters, that certain spices grant those who ingest them...telepathic like abilities.", he lectures, then turns to Shael. "Remind me. You said that Miss Jordain was absolutely _certain_ that there has been spice in your crates, that is correct?". M'koy rolls his eyes. "/Objection/," he says, exasperation plain in his tone. "Yes?" Judge Appel looks over pointedly, expecting the prosecution to explain the nature of his objection. "Not necessary, your honor. I withdraw the question...", replies Tryno, and instead gives a deeper sigh. The prosecutor looks ready to speak, but simply nods his head once in satisfaction when the question is instead withdrawn. He settles back in his seat, watching Tryno attentively. Appel nods to the defense, and idly wonders if the Toydarian lawyer has been eating too many of Jedi Qwynt's meatshack lunches. "You stated that it was plainly apparent that my client was under the influence of some substance. How could you be that sure, Miss Winters?", Tryno changes the angle of questions. Shael remains silent for a moment, shifting a bit uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't like talking about my family history," she finally replies. "Certainly not in a setting like this." Her eyes dart towards the jury briefly, then out towards the other silent observers in the court. "Someone that was very close to me had a problem with addiction, with alcoholism. She was messed up, and it was pretty appearant. You'd've had to be pretty dense to have missed it." Nodding his head, Tryno flaps away from the seat towards the jury. "Despite not having a degree in medical sciences whatsoever, Miss Winters was supposedly able to discern, with all certainty that Miss Jordain was 'messed up'.", he pauses there, to let the term sink in. "And so Miss Winters took it onto herself to stop Miss Jordain by provoking her and grabbing her from behind, instead of notifying Starport Authority.", he turns back to face Shael. "I wonder, Miss Winters, if you have not tried subconsciously to address an issue with that mysterious family member and Miss Jordain just was at the wrong time at the wrong place?", he pauses then, giving Shael a withering look, before turning to the Judge. "No further Questions, your honor.". and with that he flaps back to his seat. M'koy rises from his seat as the defense speaks, shooting a pointed look at the Toydarian. "Request redirect, your Honor," he says crisply, looking questioningly to the judge. Serenella blinks and looks from one to the other, not sure what is happening now. "Go ahead, Mr. M'Koy," Judge Appel replies. M'koy nods gratefully to the Judge and looks again to Shael. He stays behind his desk, hands resting on its surface. "You testified that this incident was not the first time you had seen Miss Jordain on spice, is that correct?" "Objection, your honor. It is already clear that the witness jumps to conclusions about my client without hard facts.", Tryno chimes in. Shael nods a confirmation. "Drunk, spiced up..." she replies. "I've seen her high as often as I've seen her sober." Though it was true that that was the worst she'd ever seen out of Sel... The prosecutor looks to the judge, spreading his hands helplessly. "Your Honor, please." Judge Appel looks back and forth between the two attorneys, and then makes up his mind. "I will rephrase the question to the defendant myself. Ms. Winters, have you ever witnessed Ms. Jordain dosing herself with the spice drug?" It's a fair cop. M'koy inclines his head gratefully to the judge, turning his gaze back to Shael. Shael hesitates, then shakes her head. "No, your honor,' she replies politely. "I've never physically witnessed her taking any spice. I don't get myself into those sorts of situations." A faint smile curls Serenella's lips, but she quickly hides it behind her shawl, which she draws half over her face for a bit. Tryno seems quite pleased with the rephrasing himself, and then with the answer of Shael. Flapping back to the desk, he lands, leaning over to Serenella. "I think I will call you as witness once the Persecution is through.". The response does not seem to bother the prosecution. M'koy nods to Shael, offering her a quick smile. "Nothing further," he notes simply. He glances towards the defense before looking to the judge. "The prosecution next calls Lieutenant Vengan Draelis." Serenella looks a bit nervous at the idea of being a witness, but just nods, waiting for Lieutenant Draelis to go first. The bailiff swears in Vengan on the Legal Code Version 71.8.3 book. Shael steps down from the witness stand, looking quite relieved, and beats a hasty retreat. Not without shooting Vengan a dark look as they pass each other, though. The prosecution waits patiently, then nods politely to the witness as they get settled. "Lieutenant. Please tell the court what you saw transpire." Vengan moves to the witness box, waiting to be sworn in before taking his seat. He does so comfortably, removing his beret as he sits and resting it on his left knee. "Yessir, I'll begin right away," he says, beginning his statement. The Marine activates the PDA in his hand, and the image pops onto the screen. "This is the security recording of the encounter," he explains, presenting the unit. "Unfortunately, the audio is a bit hazy. You see here the defendent approaching the first witness...now, their argument..." he lets it play for a few seconds. "Fortunately, our response time was excellent. We had a patrol on-site in less than a minute. Here we come now. There's Sergeant Holden, there I am..." Vengan appears to be shouting at Sel to sit down on screen, gesturing emphatically at her several times. After a few seconds she starts to move towards the Marines, at which time she is stunned, cuffed and moved away on a patrol car. Vengan and his men start a search of the area and Shael's ship. There is a short on-screen argument at this point. "The earlier witness objected strenuously to our standard search of the area and a cursory search of her ship for narcotics, promoting reasonable cause for a more thorough investigation. We did all the scanning with our crews and released the ship for departure straightaway once we were done. Nothing illegal was found on the ship, so we're still trying to find where the defendent found the spice." "I have nothing further for this witness. If it pleases the court, the prosecution would like to enter the security footage of the incident into evidence," M'koy adds, bowing his head to the lieutenant before he looks up at the Judge. "Miss Jordain's sobriety is not in question here - merely her actions, and the footage shows without a doubt that any and all hostilities originated with the defendant." The Judge nods offictiously. "Very well. The footage is so entered into the record. If the prosecution rests, the court will now hear evidence from the defense." He then slyly removes the now lukewarm ice packs from his knees. "We so rest, your Honor," M'koy confirms, looking to the jury before he retakes his seat. Tryno waves the Military Officer through, not adressing questions to him. The tape speaks for itself, and at this point the kid already dropped into the well, as far as he is concerned. As the Judge addresses him, wings flap anew. "The Defense calls Miss Jordain as witness.", he declares. Surprise! Oooooh! Aaaah! M'koy and his assistant share a look, but do not voice any objections. They both look towards Serenella, M'koy's expression thoughtfully as he settles in to listen, and wait. Serenella sighs a little and rises to her feet while draping the shawl tighter around her shoulders. She walks over to to the witness box slowly and gracefully and looks up at the judge with a nod. "I am ready." The bailiff presents Serenella with the pocket version of the New Alderaan Constitution and Legal Code, Version 71.8.3 to lay her left hand on take her oath by. "Raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Serenella places a dainty hand lightly on the book and raises the other one, while nodding. "I swear." Tryno waits for the bailiff to swear her in, before he flaps over. "Please state your full name for the protocol.", he opens, and once she did, he continues. "You are wearing black, Miss Jordain. This is due to a special occasion?", he queries, voice as soft and soothing as he can manage. While speaking from the corners of a incisor-filled mouth. The prosecutors exchange a look. "Objection, your Honor," McCoy says calmly. "I fail to see the bearing Miss Jordain's wardrobe has on the matter at hand." "I am certain the answer will make the connection clear even to the Prosecution.", replies Tryno. Serenella looks at the judge to see what happens with the objection. The Judge is in a generous mood now that his knees are feeling all calm and chill. The whole mourning look is a bit odd. He'll let the jury decide whether to buy it. "I'll allow it." M'koy inclines his head and falls silent, watching the proceedings attentively. His assistant is trying to withold a smile. Serenella smoothes her skirt and draws her shawl tight around her again while she waits for prosecution and defense to sort themselves out. Once the judge has given her the green light, she nods to Tryno. "Yes, Mr Tryno.", she confirms with a sigh, "I lost my husband three weeks ago..." Waiting for Serenella's answer, Tryno flaps back into his position before the witness stand. "My condolences, Miss Jordain. Three weeks ago would make this shortly before that unfortunate incident with Miss Winter, correct?", he queries, and once the answer comes, continues. "Would you then please explain the jury what you remember of the events of that day?". Serenella sighs deeply and nods. Obviously it is not easy for her to speak about that day. "I had gone to Tatooine for a business meeting... I am an entertainer, as most people know, and perform all over the galaxy. I met one of my husband's... associates there. He told me that my husband had died some days earlier and that he had had no idea how to reach me. I returned to Ord, crying all the way. I was devastated..." Her voice begins to wobble, but she bravely fights back the tears. "I... I don't remember much beyond landing on Ord... I wanted to go to my sister's apartment... that much I remember. But anything after landing on Ord is pretty much blacked out..." She sniffles and sobs loudly once. "Oh, I loved him so! Excuse me..." She begins to dab at her eyes with her shawl again. M'koy simply waits, his eyes flicking towards the datapad and security footage sitting on his table. But he's silent. No objections. Tryno lets her dap her tears, nodding his head, which causes the lower end of his trunk to wobble lightly. "Of course...", he pauses until he thinks she has recomposed herself again, before questioning again. "Do you think it is possible that something you digested on Tatooine was laced with the substance that impaired you later on?". Clearly the world is known for their slavers and other low life. Now, M'koy speaks. "Objection. The witness is not an expert in these matters, judge, calls for speculation." "Objection sustained." The Judge rules. The Toydarian is not going to get away with that one. "I will rephrase.", Tryno offers freely. "You have not - knowingly - ingested illegal spice previously to that day, is that correct?". "Objection," M'koy states. "Leading." "Objection sustained. The Defense will restrict all further lines of questioning to the events of the day in question," Judge Appel directs. M'koy nods crisply, satisfied, and settles back in his seat. He isn't smiling, though, his gaze remaining sharply focused on defense counsel and the defendant herself. Raising eyebrows - quite a feat, considering Toydorians do not have them - Tryno peers at the Judge. "Your honor, the Prosecution has attempted to paint my client as a habitual user to discredit her with the Jury. The question is aiming to give my client a chance to correct this.". M'koy remains silent. The Judge has made his ruling, and he trusts him to stand by it. Once again, the judge has to take matters into his own hands. "If the defense would like to re-call Vengan Draelis to ask about any drug test results, you may do so." Serenella blinks at that. Tryno pauses, then hrms quietly, turning to look at Serenella for a moment. Ask her about the events of the day, that she has testified she has no recollection of? Yeah, right. "I request to have my formal objection to this ruling be entered into the protocol. Apart of that, I have no further questions.", says Tryno, trunk-snorting a little as he flies back to his seat. Raxis blinks. The Toydarian lawyer had decided to stop questioning? He keeps his face stone cold as he watches the lawyer return to the bench, glancing towards Serenella in the process. Once Tryno returns to his seat, M'koy rises from his own. "My condolences for the loss of your husband, Miss Jordain," he notes gently, moving out from behind his desk and scooping up the datapad as he passes. "Grief can take a heavy toll on the best of us. It is your testimony that you do not recall what occured upon your return to Ord Mantell, is that correct?" he asks, glancing briefly to the datapad as he calls up the security footage and approaches her seat. The near-human juror in the number two seat blinks once in slight awe. Other than that, he makes some slight mental notes and goes back to listening. "Thank you.", Serenella acknowledges the prosecutor's condolences with a faint smile and nods to his question. "That is correct, yes.", she confirms. Nodding, M'koy offers the datapad to Serenella, gesturing to it with a hand. "This is security footage from the day in question, Miss Jordain. Do you recognize anyone shown?" Serenella casts a disinterested glance at the datapad and nods. "Yea, of course, I recognize Shellie Winters... we've been working together... And I met that Lieutenant in a bar once... I think." M'koy looks to the judge with a patient expression before he returns his gaze to Serenella. "Anyone else tickle your memory, Miss Jordain?" he asks lightly. Serenella shakes her head. "No, I don't recognize the dude with the big gun... never seen him before." "You don't recognize this woman?" M'koy asks in a dubious tone of voice, pointing at Serenella's representation on the screen. He gives the judge an almost plaintive look, but says nothing, waiting for the witness' answer. Tryno peers at M'Koy, before clears his throat. "Objection, your honor. Relevance?". Serenella gives the prosecutor an almost pitying look. "Well, -of course- I recognize myself, how stupid do you think I am?!", she protests, ignoring her lawyer's objection. M'koy gives Tryno an expression of utter disbelief. "/Thank/ you, Miss Jordain," he says in response to her answer, turning to the judge to wait and see if the objection is recognized in light of the answer given. He spreads his hands, brows arched. The Judge is about to speak, but he tilts is head in a half-shrug at Serenella's outburst. The identity of the woman staggering about and throwing punches is plenty relevant, and she has spoken for him. "Objection overruled," he tags on, almost as an afterthought. "Ms. Jordain, please stay calm." "Thank you, your Honor." M'koy turns to Serenella again, gesturing at the screen. "In this footage, Miss Jordain, what are you doing?" he asks patiently. The footage is rather clear in that regard. Serenella stares at the datapad for a moment, then sniffles and looks up at the judge tearfully. "Is this really necessary? Obviously it's me, I admit that much. But I still can't remember that day... or how I came to do what I did... Do we really need to go through all this while I'm grieving for my dear departed husband?" She sobs quietly and dabs her eyes with her shawl again, looking around if someone might offer her a handkerchief to blow her nose. The door is open, and the defense has opened it. "Were you grieving for your husband when you were seen returning from Caspar with another man, whom you later /kissed/ in full view of the patrons of the Cat's Claw Cantina?" M'koy asks, giving a certain member of the jury a pointed look before his hawkish gaze snaps back to Serenella and lifts a hand, as if to silence the inevitable objection that is to come. "Miss Jordain, you have not denied that the woman in this footage is yourself - in fact, you confirmed it!" He turns to the judge, setting his jaw. "The prosecution has nothing further, your honor. The defendant has done my job for me." He turns to make his way back to his seat. Serenella blinks. "It's not at all what you think!", she protests hotly, "Holy shit, I did nothing but offer a lift to a Republican pilot a lift back to Ord after he got his plane shot down... He invited me for dinner at the Cat's Claw to thank me - so what?!" Now it's the Judge's turn to blink. He looks back and forth btween the prosecution and Serenella, hoping that no more drama will occupy his courtroom. "The defendant will watch her language, please." M'koy drops back into his seat even as Serenella protests, clasping his hands in his lap. Obviously, the prosecution is done. He looks towards the jury to gague reactions before glancing towards defense counsel, shoulders lifting in a shrug. Serenella's face has flushed. "So unfair...", she mutters and gives M'koy a filthy look. "My private life is none of your business!" Steely facial features continuing, Raxis didn't ignore the stare the prosecutor gave towards the bench of jurors. Watching the prosecutor sit down, he turns his gaze back to the court. Like his last reactions to Serenella's outbursts, the juror merely blinks. More mental notes are made and his shadow of facial hair is rubbed in thought. "The witness may step down. Counsel, control your client," the Judge says, looking to Tryno with a quirked brow before he settles back in his seat. He draws in a deep breath. "The court will now hear closing statements. Counsel, once your client is under control, you may proceed." Gene just listens, not really showing much reaction to anything. He's paying attention to it all, listening, but really not changing his expressions beyond just really concentrating on the whole thing. Serenella still fumes but obeys and returns to her seat, carefully avoiding any look towards the juror's bench. Tryno gives the judge a helpless shrug. Isn't like he can stun her, right? Instead, once Serenella has sat down, Tryno taps his datapad a last time before once more flapping up towards the Jury to give them his version of the events. "It has been clearly shown that the clear cut case is not quite so, despite the Prosecution wanting you to believe so. Miss Jordain has been involved in the scuffle with Miss Winters. So much was never denied. But Miss Jordain was clearly not herself, that day. First time uses, especially if they are induced in the victim unbeknown to them can be devastating. The Prosecution and Miss Winters wants the Jury to believe that Miss Jordain was a habitual user, and yet, would such a person not be able to react more controlled?", he pauses, letting that sink in, before continuing, flying over to another jury member to peer at them. "Despite the efforts of the Prosecution to discredit my client, it should be clear that she was furthermore in an fragile emotional state. Miss Winters claimed she just wanted to help Miss Jordain. She did this by provoking her? Hardly. Why has she not called Port Authority when she was so obviously intoxicated? Or has she seen in Miss Jordain her family member that she finally could get back at? Should you, members of the jury, let her make you her tool of irrational revenge?", a last time Tryno pauses, peering over the Jury. "I am sure you will arrive at the right verdict. Thank you.", and with that, he flaps back 'home'. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," M'koy begins, buttoning his jacket as he steps out from behind his table to address them directly. "The matter at hand is simple. Did the defendant, Serenella Jordain, assault Shael Winters?" He spreads his hands. "You have heard testimony from Miss Winters that it is true. You have heard testimony from the arresting officer that it is true. You have heard from the defendant /herself/ that the woman in the security footage made available to you, plainly shown to assault the defendant verbally and physically /after/ Miss Winters attempted to peacefully resolve the situation, is herself." He leans towards the jury. "Miss Jordain is guilty of the crime with which she is charged. Being a grieving widow does not change nor excuse that." He turns to look towards the defense, then points towards them and looks back to the jury. "Miss Winters did not call the Port Authority due to the immediate, imminent threat the defendant posed to her livelihood. Her cargo was fragile, and she had no time to call for assistance. Assistance which /still/ arrived promptly, and defused the situation as the law dictates." He steps up to the jury box, eyes moving from one juror's face to the next. "We do not set addicts free after they commit a violent crime simply because they are addicts. She /chose/ to get high... and now she has to deal with the consequences of that choice." After a pause, he bows his head. "The prosecution asks that as you deliberate, you consider rehebilitation instead of jail time for Miss Jordain, in line with Miss Winters' wishes. We don't want to see her behind bars. We want to see her get the help she so desperately needs. Please. Help us give it to her." He nods slowly, looking over the jury, then turns to move back to his seat. Serenella pfffts. Hooray. Looks like Judge Appel is not going to miss shockball after all. "The jury is now instructed to begin your deliberations. You are two decise first on the verdict: guilty or not guilty. If you find the defendant guilty, you are then to decide on a sentence recommendation. Sentences for a crime of this degree may include a combination of: a fine of no more than 4,000 credits, a jail term of no more than 60 days, and probation up to one year. Your recommendation will be taken into account, but this court has the final sentence determination." Finally, the Judge gets to strike his galvel. That's always fun. "The Jury is released to their deliberations. This trial session is now closed," he pronounces. WHAM. He stands up, and the bailiff immediately chimes in, "All rise!" The Judge exits back out to the chambers. Standing for the judge to exit, Raxis waits to walk back to the deliberation chamber. Dagon does what the other dude did. M'koy and his assistant both stand when the bailiff calls, exchanging pleased looks with each other. They begin gathering their things to depart and await the verdict, though M'koy does cast a look towards defense counsel and smiles lopsidedly. Maybe they'll want to discuss a plea. Gene rises when the judge does, and then follows the rest of the jury into deliberations.
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