HIgh Treason
By Solojones
Chapter Three Luke sat silently with Leia at the defense table. The prosecuting attorney to their right hurried around with last minute tasks, readying his papers. Luke fidgeted a little in his chair. There were probably a hundred people looking on from the public chairs, at least. Leia looked much more calm. She was used to legal proceedings, being a Princess and Senator. But Luke was only a pilot, formerly a farm boy, and he was totally unprepared. She leaned over to him and whispered in his ear, "Relax. You look way too tense." Luke tried to follow her advice, but to no avail. The door from the holding cell slid open. A guard stepped out, followed by Han. He pulled a key from his jacket, and proceeded to remove the cuffs from Han's wrists. After doing so, he lead Han to the defense table, and pushed him roughly into a chair. "Have a nice trial, Captain." he jeered as he moved back into public seating. Han opened his mouth to spit a colorful response at the guard, but Leia stopped him and turned him to face her. "Solo, don't make this any harder than it already is." she grumbled. Leia was dressed in her typical white Senate cloak, her hair neatly braided and wrapped around a large bun in back. Despite her obvious attempts too look cool and even, she looked edgy and tired to Han. He could tell just by the way she addressed him that she was in a snappy mood. Good, he thought. We can use all the aggression we can get. "Han," Luke said, extending a friendly hand, "how are you?" Han waved the shake away, and settled his tired head into his hands. He raked his hair back with his hands. "Been better. And you?" he replied. "The same." Luke said, dropping his depressingly happy facade. Han was glad for that. He hated it when people didn't act the way they felt, especially out of sympathy. "Listen up, Solo." Leia cut in, getting right down to it. "We've been up all night doing research on the prosecutor. His name's Johann Calheed, and he's one tough cookie." she paused a moment, reluctantly, "He's barely ever lost a case, and he's very aggressive with his proceedings." she finished. "Great. "Han huffed. "But," she amended, "we know that you're innocent, and we can prove it." Han gave her a wary look. Just then, a justice stepped up to the front of the courtroom. He cleared his throat then announced, "All rise, for the honorable Judge Maxefin." The whole room quickly stood. A middle aged man with gray hair and a black robe entered, and approached the bench. He sat, and signaled for the assembly to follow suit. Once everyone was seated, he read the paper in front of him. "We are hear today to hear the trial of the people vs. Han Solo on the account of High Treason. The people charge that Han Solo informed the Imperials intentionally of the rebel presence on Synegast, resulting in the deaths of 137 rebel troops." He glanced to both sides, who had no objections, so he continued, "Then let the proceedings begin. Prosecution, you may now begin." Calheed nodded and stood. "The prosecution calls its first witness, Senator Leia Organa." Leia stood and moved quietly to the stand. After being sworn in, she sat silently, waiting for the questioning to begin. Calheed stood. He was about six foot tall, with neatly combed brown hair. He had intelligent brown eyes. He was probably around 40 years old. He took a short breath, then began. "Senator Organa," he began, "how long have you known Captain Solo?' So, Leia thought, this is going to be personal. She made sure she did not hesitate one moment with her response. "About one year." she said coolly. "And how is it that you came to be acquaintances?" "He and Commander Skywalker rescued me in a very brave and noble act from the Death Star." She answered. Calheed seemed to flinch at the brave and noble parts. But he continued on. "At the time, did you not feel that Captain Solo was simply working for hire? That he cared nothing for the Rebellion?" "At the time, yes. But these notions were quickly dispelled when Ha-" she caught herself, "the Captain, came back to help us of his own accord." "I see." Calheed mused. He knew Leia had much practice in proceedings such as this. Which made him even more pleased that he's almost caught her referring to Solo by his first name. He decided to exploit this matter. "Miss Organa, what is your relationship with Captain Solo?" he said, possibly hinting that they were romantically involved. She gave Han a cool glance. "We're friends." She took Calheeds hint, and inside she was enraged that he would ever think that she would be romantically entangled with a smuggler, particularly one as rogue as Han Solo. "Good friends, would you say?" He raised his eyebrow. Leia knew where this was going. There was no way she was going to show that her opinion of Han came from a close friend, not a wise leader. She turned her eyes on Calheed's, with cold disdain. "Not particularly." She said icily. From her peripheral vision, she could see Han shift in his chair and turn away. She wished she could explain to him, but she knew that now was not the time to show such concern. "Anyhow, Miss Organa," Calheed continued, "when did you decide to make a trip to Synegast?" "The rebellion has been trying to find new allies, as you know. Synegast was on the list. They weren't under Imperial jurisdiction, and they have a considerable army. It was suggested that I, along with part of Rogue Squadron, go to Synegast and meet with the king." She explained. "And so, you rode in the command ship with the rest of the negotiation crew?" He asked, smugly. He knew this was not true. "No." She said, through gritted teeth. "Really? I thought it was standard procedure for ambassadors to stay with their embassy." he said shrewdly. "Where did you travel, then?" Leia breathed deeply but silently. "With Captain Solo and Commander Skywalker on the Millennium Falcon." she confessed. "Solo's personal ship?" he asked rhetorically. From the table, Luke stifled a groan. This wasn't going too well. "I see." he said cockily. "That will be all for now." he waved Leia down from the stand. She returned to the table and Han whispered in her ear, "Not particularly good friends?" she grimaced. She knew he wasn't going to be too pleased about her denunciation of their friendship, especially after the big speech she had made to him in his cell last night. "You know that's not true." she whispered back. He nodded slightly in return. "Is the prosecution prepared to call its next witness?" Maxefin asked from his bench. "Yes your honor. The people call Commander Luke Skywalker to the stand." Calheed announced. Luke slowly stood. "You're turn to run the gauntlet, kid. Don't get jittery." Han called quietly as Luke moved toward the front. Luke settled into the chair and took the oath. Calheed approached dignantly. "Commander Skywalker, you are, by all accounts, a hero to the Rebellion. You're the one who fired the shot that destroyed the Death Star, correct?" "Yes." Luke answered, modestly. Calheed nodded. "Who assisted you in this?" "Wedge Antilles and Han Solo." Luke was a bit surprised that Calheed would bring this up. To Luke, this made Han seem like a hero. "Han Solo came back to help you because he's a good friend of yours, yes?" Calheed smiled. Now Luke was in a jam. "Yes." He answered simply. "I would trust him with my life." he added. Calheed's smile faded a little. "Certainly." He said dryly. "Now, tell us about the incident at Synegast." He suggested. Here we go. Luke took a breath and began. "We arrived early in the morning, and headed strait to the palace." Calheed interrupted. "Captain Solo, Miss Organa, and yourself." He clarified. "Yes." "Was that all?" "Yes." Luke replied. "You had no body guards?" Calheed questioned. "No." "And why is that?" "Han and I can watch ourselves sufficiently." "Was this Captain Solo's suggestion?" Luke glared at him, annoyed. "We never use body guards. No one suggested it." Calheed nodded suspiciously, then Luke resumed his testimony. "We were walking through the main street. When we reached a prominent square, stormtroopers emerged and surrounded us. Han called on the commlink and instructed his co-pilot to bring the Falcon in and pick us up. It landed outside the square, as close as possible." "Did you board it?" Calheed asked. "No, the fire from the troopers was too heavy, and they blocked our path. We stayed in the square behind some crates. After about 30 minutes, Han called Captain Antilles and Rogue Squadron in." "When did they arrive?" Calheed asked. "We didn't stick around. Leia suggested that I knock a sign down with my lightsaber as a diversion. It worked, and we headed to the Falcon." he concluded. "So you left without problems?" Calheed lead him on. "No." Luke admitted. "Han was attacked by an Imperial officer, and we had to rescue him." "And what was his reaction to this?" "He told us to go, to leave him." "Was this because he planned to defect?" Leia jumped to her feet. "Objection. He's leading." Maxefin nodded. "Yes, jury disregard that last remark." Calheed grinned. "No further questions for this witness, your honor." Luke trudged back to the table. "The defense calls Han Solo to the stand." Calheed announced. Han stood. Leia grabbed him by the arm and whispered in his ear, "Try to control yourself, please." Han pulled away and smirked at her. "Hey, it's me!" "That's what I'm afraid of." she mumbled. Han casually took the stand and repeated the oath. Calheed approached him with a tinge of hatred. "Captain," he said, almost mockingly. "have you ever had any dealings with Imperials?" "No. I've tried to stay with small time operations." He glared at him. "Interesting," Calheed mused, pulling a paper from the stack on his table. "According to this, 10 years ago you were a Private in training in the Imperial flight squad under Admiral Flag Stirkson." Han saw Leia's eyes widen. He had neglected to tell her that. Luke just starred, awestruck. Han sighed, "Yeah, that's correct. But I left the Academy shortly after I began." Calheed nodded, "Yes. You were sent to the Kessel mines for attempting to free a ship of slaves. You thereafter escaped." He actually seemed to show some appreciation for a moment. Then he shook it off and returned to his questions. "When you were attacked by the officer on Synegast, why did he hit you with hit you with the butt of his blaster and kick you rather than shooting you?" "I dunno, why don't you ask him?" Han growled. Leia shot him a warning glance. "He probably wanted to take me back to the base for questioning." A tingle went down Leia's spine. She knew how horrible that was, and obviously Han did too. He glared angrily off in the distance at no one. Leia made a mental note to ask him about it, later. Calheed resumed his arguments, "Do you still have connections with anyone in the Imperial squad?" "Besides a few of my smuggling buddies who got out around the same time I did, no." Han said, pointedly. "Hmmmmm... I find it quite interesting then that Flag Stirkson was the Admiral in charge of the Imperial ambush on Synegast." Calheed mused. "Yeah, I guess that is pretty coincidental," Han said, with a touch of sarcasm. "but I haven't heard anything from him in 10 years." "Really? It seems we have evidence to the contrary." Calheed pulled out another paper from his stack. "It says here that the Millennium Falcon sent a message out directing the rebels to meet at Synegast. The message is as follows, "The rebel troops will meet at Synegast in the Atrogastia system, at 0500 on 20-11-467." The message was encoded in MAC 57-4 coding. Does this ring a bell?" Han was silent. "Let me refresh your memory then. It's a coding taught in Imperial flight squad. It's also interesting that Flag Stirkson and his command ship The Plague where nearby and intercepted this message. It was easily decoded and alerted the Imperials to our presence on Synegast. How do you explain this?" Calheed asked, smiling slyly. "A strange set of coincidences." Han said dryly. "Very strange indeed. If not impossible-" "I've seen stuff no one would believe," Han spat, "nothing is impossible." Calheed just shook his head and turned to Maxefin. "The prosecution rests, your honor. We have no further witnesses to call. The defense may begin." He returned to his seat, as did Han. Leia took a moment to brief Han and Luke. "Luke, you're going first, and you've got to be very sure of yourself. Han, you've got the confidence covered," Han rolled his eyes, "so you just need to be very convincing." She sighed to herself. "Try not to sound too optimistic." Han sneered. Leia straitened her gown as she stood. "The defense calls Commander Luke Skywalker." Luke approached the stand and seated himself again. Maxefin looked at him, "You are reminded that you are still under oath. Begin." Leia smiled at Luke, "Commander, how would you describe Captain Solo?" Luke was glad to be able to answer a question cheerfully. "When we first met, I thought he was a little bossy." Leia contained a laugh. Han rolled his eyes and gave her a 'this isn't helpful' look. "But he saved my life, and now I know that there were good reasons and intentions behind his actions. It was mostly my own childishness that created troubles." Calheed looked like he was about to object, so Luke continued. "Several times, he's saved my life. I truly believe that without his help, I couldn't have blown up the Death Star, and we would have lost at Yavin." The crowd murmured. "You can all imagine how that would change things." "Yes," Leia said, "indeed, the Alliance might not even exist. Would you call Captain Solo a hero?" "Definitely, a hero who should be respected by us all." Luke threw a glance at Calheed. "When you where on your way to Synegast, did you ever see Captain Solo send the alleged code message?" "No, I never saw him sending any messages. I spent most of my time in the lounge, while Han was in the cockpit. But I never got the impression that he was sending a message, to anyone." Leia nodded. "That will be all." Luke sat down at the defense table once again. "The defense calls Han Solo to the stand." Leia said. Han trotted to the stand, giving Leia a sly smile. She tried not to smile back, unsuccessfully. He always seemed to be optimistic at the worst times. "Captain," she began. "Yes?" he interrupted. She glared at him warningly. He backed off and mouthed the word 'sorry' to her. "Did you in fact send a MAC 57-4 coded message identifying the target planet of Synegast?" Please say no, she pleaded. "No." He said positively. "It was Captain Antilles' job to send out messages. I didn't send any messages the whole trip." Leia sighed relief. "And do you have any connections with Imperial forces, particularly Admiral Stirkson?" "No, as I've said. They didn't like me much when I was in flight squad anyway. They never missed me. The feeling was mutual." He answered. Leia mentally ran through any other questions she needed to ask and decided less is more. "That will be all, your honor." They returned to their seats. Maxefin looked at Calheed. "You may begin your summation." Calheed stood, at approached the jury. "Captain Solo is anything but a noble man. His motivation for helping the Rebellion is only money." Han seemed about to jump up and tackle Calheed, but Luke and Leia held him back. "It is true that he was ejected from Imperial Flight Squad, but it is also true that he kept contact with Admiral Stirkson. Despite his denial, there is evidence that he sent a message coded in a known Imperial code, with the intentions that the Admiral would intercept it. He could then defect to the Empire on Synegast, which he tried, but failed at thanks to Commander Skywalker and Miss Organa. His treasonous acts resulted in the deaths of 137 loyal Rebel troops. I urge you all to deal this man the punishment that is deserved for high treason." He finished and seated himself. Leia breathed a few deep breaths and centered herself. She walked gracefully over to the jury, and began. "As you have seen clearly today, Han Solo is a loyal man and a hero. His bravery at the battle of Yavin was a crucial part of our victory. Although he was once an Imperial in training," she paused to glance at Han, who turned away to stare at the wall, "he was banished, and for the very noble act of freeing slaves. At Synegast, he unselfishly asked the troops to leave without him. If there is anything this man deserves, it is a medal, not a sentence." "Jury, you are dismissed." Maxefin waved the jury out. "Defense and prosecution, you may retreat to your private rooms until called upon. Dismissed." he tapped his gravel on the podium, and exited the court room. Han, Leia, and Luke stood and walked to their assigned room, followed by a guard, who waited outside. Inside, they sat at a table quietly at first; then Han spoke up. "Well, this is certainly one of the biggest jams I've been in. And this one's serious, too." He added, sincerely. "You're going to make it, Han. We know you're innocent." Leia locked eyes with him. "We're your friends, remember?" "Really," Han said incredulously, "because I seem to remember you saying that we weren't particularly good friends." He turned to Luke, "but thanks for sticking with me, kid." Luke smiled half-heatedly, not wanting to make Leia mad. "I just didn't want my perceived value as a witness degraded." Leia explained. "You think it's degrading to be known as my friend? Of course, her majesty Senator perfect doesn't associate with the lowlifes." He stood, and kicked his chair a little ways. He turned his back to them, leaning on the wall. Leia didn't know what to say. She felt terrible for being so selfish. Han was right, she was just a stuck-up little snob- The door creaked open, and the guard motioned for them to come out. "The jury is ready to rule." They quickly walked to the courtroom and took their seats. Judge Maxefin was already seated at the bench. The jury entered their box, and sat down. The elected head of the jury stood. "Have you reached a unanimous verdict, council?" Maxefin asked. "We have, your honor." He replied. "In the battle of Synegast, on the count of treason in the high degree, we find the defendant, Han Solo, guilty." with this, the jury retired. There would be no sentencing. There was only one sentence for high treason. "Han Solo, you are charged with the murder of 137 rebel troops by act of treason and are hear-by sentenced to be executed on a date to be set by the high courts of the Alliance. May the Force be with you." The loud clank of Maxefin's grael echoed through the courtroom, and through Han's mind. Two guards hand cuffed him, and escorted him back down the prison hallway. Luke starred at Han in disbelief. Han's face was void of any expression. Luke, however, was flooding over with emotion. He nearly collapsed into his chair. Leia starred pleadingly into Han's hazel eyes. She felt so guilty. There was so much she could have done. "Han...I..." she was speechless. He didn't even look back at her. He simply followed the guards down the hallway, his tall silhouette disappearing in the dark.

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