The court technician took the disc and inserted it into one of the recorders on his desk.
'Let us proceed to the date and time of Bruck's death,' Pi T'Egal said.
The court recorder entered the information. A moment later, Obi-Wan heard Bruck's taunting voice.
I was always better than you. Now I am even stronger.
It all came back in a rush. How he had to struggle to release his anger, how Bruck's words had seared him, how he knew Bruck was trying to anger him… Had he truly pushed his anger aside and fought with justice and calm? Sano Sauro had been right about one thing: Bruck had been his rival. There had been a deep animosity between them. He had not been able to conquer it. Even on that rocky slope.
It had been a time when he had been anxious to return to the Jedi. That longing had been a kind of fever in him. Had he told himself that he had fought without anger that day only to convince himself and Qui-Gon that he truly was a Jedi?
There was only the sound of the battle now, the ragged breath of the two of them, the slipping, sliding footwork, the buzz of the lightsabers meeting. Then Bruck's voice again, snaking out, full of venom.
She doesn't look too good, does she?
Kad Chun's shoulders jerked.
Obi-Wan heard his voice on the recorder scream Bant's name. It sounded like him but unlike him, too, the sound of someone on the edge of control, full of desperation.
Bant put her face in her hands.
And then Bruck's voice sang out, triumphant and cruel.
That's right, Obi-Wan. Bant is dying.
I won't have to do a thing. I'll just make you watch it. We would have freed her if we got the treasure. But another person will die because of you.
Right in front of your eyes.
Pi T'Egal made a slashing gesture at the court recorder. He switched off the machine. 'I do not think we need to subject the family to more of this,' Pi T'Egal said. 'The Senators will listen to the rest in private, confer, and deliver a ruling.'
A screen descended from the ceiling, obscuring the Senators. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon could hear nothing. Vox and Kad Chun kept their backs to them as they conferred with Sano Sauro.
'It will be over soon,' Qui-Gon said quietly.
'But how will it end?' Obi-Wan asked.
'Patience,' Qui-Gon replied.
The minutes dragged by, but at last the Senators reappeared. Pi T'Egal looked at Obi-Wan, then at Vox and Kad Chun.
'The death of a young being is always tragic,' he said. 'The need to blame is understandable. Sometimes it is justified. But we do not think so here. We rule that Obi-Wan Kenobi is free of any responsibility in the death of Bruck Chun.'
Chapter 10
Obi-Wan closed his eyes for an instant. Gratitude washed over him, bringing warmth to his cold skin. It felt as though his blood had been frozen and was at last able to move through his veins again.
Vox Chun spoke to Sano Sauro, but his voice was raised enough to carry throughout the room. 'I should have known better than to look for justice here. Once again the Senate bows to the Jedi!'
'There is no cause for celebration or congratulation,' Qui-Gon said gently to Bant and Obi-Wan. 'We are glad that justice is done. But we have lost a Jedi.'
Obi-Wan pressed his lips together and nodded. Now that the relief was wearing off, he realized that the guilt had not left. He had thought the verdict would remove the sense of shame he felt. But he felt no different. The burden he carried was still within him.
'Let us return to theTemple,' Qui-Gon said as the Senators filed out. 'Come, Obi-Wan.'
'In a moment.'Obi-Wan suddenly felt a need to be alone. All he had wanted the past few days was his Master and friends around him. Yet now he could not bear to be with them.
Bant started to say something, but Qui-Gon signaled her to be quiet.
'We will wait for you at the Senate entrance,' he said.
Obi-Wan could only nod numbly. He had a sense of Qui-Gon and the others leaving. The table where Sano Sauro and the Chuns had sat was empty. He wondered what he felt. He did not feel much of anything.
'You must be relieved.'
Kad Chun spoke behind him. Obi-Wan turned. The boy stood in the aisle, fists clenched, eyes burning.
'Sano Sauro almost got you to reveal the truth,' Kad Chun went on. 'You hated my brother. All your noble Jedi training failed you. You were glad to see him die.'
Obi-Wan shook his head. 'No…'
Kad shot forward unexpectedly. He swung out with his closed fist. The blow hit Obi-Wan on the side of the head near his cheekbone. He staggered back.
