The Chosen Apprentice/Chapter 26

The Galactic Courts of Justice Building, usually known as the Courts Building, was a large rather imposing building situated in As the lawyer had said, Anakin only had to ask for Cel-Dral and he got directed to his office. He then had a quick word to the girl outside wearing a Tholoth headdress and he was inside.

Taur Cel-Dral rose to receive the Jedi. “Ah, Jedi Skywalker.” He smiled as he shook hands. “Our star witness, some are calling you.”

“Under protest,” Anakin said, taking the seat when offered.

“Of course, of course,” Cel-Dral gushed and for a moment Anakin was uncomfortably reminded of Palpatine.

Yet the two could not have been more unalike. Cel-Dral was short, his head was perfectly bald with blue tattoos on his face and scalp. He was rotund with several chins, short stubby fingers and a wide false grin that made Anakin feel slightly nervous.

Anakin kept to the first impressions he had formed of him. he had not liked Cel-Dral when they had spoken; he still did not like him.

The little man signalled for a feminine-looking droid wearing a red mini-dress. He looked at Anakin.

“Can I offer you any refreshment?” he asked.

Anakin glared at him. “I came to talk to you about the trial,” he said in a tight voice.

With a dry smile Cel-Dral dismissed the droid and opened a few files on his desk.

“I need to ask you a few questions of course now so I’ll know what to ask in the trial,” he explained, then looked up at Anakin. “You do know the date has been set, don’t you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Anakin told him.

“In two days,” he answered, giving a thin smile. “Fortunately I have most of my case. B’Dun has been very thorough and there’s the data from Naboo that has been brought over as well as several witnesses from there that are arriving tomorrow.” He brought out several datasheets and then activated an audio recorder on his desk. “Yet what I wanted to speak to you about was something they call a Sith Lord.”

“Sidious,” Anakin said promptly, for a moment Padmé’s face flashed before his eyes.

“Yes, that is his name,” Cel-Dral agreed. “And as far as I am aware you are the only one who has spoken with him, apart from Gunray of course.”

“That is not completely true,” Anakin explained. “As you know we all knew Sidious as Palpatine, and that was how I knew him most of the time.”

“True, true,” concurred Cel-Dral. “Yet I heard you were there when he…well…died though that may be a bit of an understatement considering what…happened to him.”

Anakin ignored this last remark. “I was with—another Jedi and we confronted him on what he had done.” Anakin looked past Cel-Dral for a moment, focusing on the abstract painting on the wall behind him.

“Did he deny this?”

Anakin gave a snort of surprise. “Of course not! He revelled in it! And after all he had the right, he had was more or less in control of the whole galaxy. It pretty much all started with Naboo when he used the blockade to get elected as Chancellor.”

“I have heard all this, you know,” Cel-Dral said, “and it’s not going to help at all, it’s going to help Sarn Retray that’s what.”

Anakin stared at him. “Who?”

“Gunray’s lawyer,” Cel-Dral explained, “and he isn’t happy the fact he has the case.”

Who would be? Anakin added in thought.

“So Gunray’s involvement with Sidious,” Cel-Dral continued, “what can you tell me about that?”

“Not much,” Anakin admitted. “I know that in the later part of the war Grievous was giving Gunray orders which came from Sidious himself.”

“Anything else?” Cel-Dral pressed

Anakin shook his head. “I can answer questions about Sidious, but nothing to do with Gunray,” he said. “The most I saw of the Viceroy was when I’ve been tracking him for the last several months, and some of the things I heard then weren't pretty.”

Cel-Dral grinned at this and edged the recorder closer. “Tell me.”

Anakin proceeded to explain what he had found out in Gunray’s frantic flight to avoid detection and any attempt to trace. Not the simple leaving a motel in the middle of the night to avoid paying, this would have been reprehensible enough if Anakin had not seen what he had during the war. Bribing local officials that he had had deals with in the past to get through security…using some of his droids to storm starships in order to steal them…leaving a group of immigrants to die when Gunray had paid them to help him…it was a long despicable list and Anakin hoped it would help give the Neimoidian what was deserved.

“What else do you want to know?” Anakin asked when he was done.

Cel-Dral was speechless for a moment, but not for long. “I think that will do to go on for now, Jedi Skywalker,” he said, shutting down the recorder and gathering the papers. “If you’ll excuse me I have to compile these and I’ll see you at the trial.” He got to his feet and led Anakin out of the office. “We’ll have a few words before I put you on the stand, but with what you’ve told me I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”

“Of course,” Anakin said, glad to take his leave and go back to the Temple.