Ahto City Civil Authority

"A law-abiding visitor is a visitor that does not go to prison."

- Selkath Security

The Ahto City Civil Authority was responsible for administering law and order in Ahto City on Manaan, as well as maintaining Manaan's tentative neutrality with the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire. It was most likely disbanded when the Selkath abandoned Ahto City after Manaan's supply of kolto ran out.

Ahto High Court
Located in Ahto West, the High Court was a panel of five ostensibly impartial judges who ruled on cases involving significant violations of the law, including murder, disturbance of the peace, or violations of Manaan's neutrality agreement. During the Jedi Civil War, Republic and Sith diplomats regularly appeared before the court to settle their disputes against each other.

Judges
The judges of the Ahto High Court in 3,956 BBY were:
 * Shelkar
 * Seemingly the most impartial of the five, Shelkar was nonetheless aware of the secret Hrakert Rift Station, suggesting he was allied with the Republic. Shelkar presided over official court sessions.
 * Jhosa
 * A moderate supporter of the Republic, Jhosa believed the Republic was in the right to defend against the agression of the Sith, although he had doubts as to their ability.
 * Naleshekan
 * A moderate supporter of the Sith, Naleshekan saw the Sith conquest as an inevitable process of history, in which an old government is replaced by a better new one.
 * Kota
 * An avid defender of the Republic, Kota saw the Sith as evil and the Republic as an institution that could not afford to fall.
 * Duula
 * A strong advocate of the Sith, Duula believed the Republic to be stagnating, and the Sith as a fresh change.

Arbiters
Arbiters served as legal representation for beings on trial. An arbiter was expected to be impartial and a neutral observer. As of 3,956 BBY, the following were all arbiters for some period of time:
 * Bwa'lass
 * An incompetent arbiter, Bwa'lass, when representing Revan for his attack on the Sith Embassy, desperately turned to an insanity defense when his other strategies failed. Revan had to interrupt to keep the court from finding him guilty.
 * A Sith Diplomat
 * Revan (temporarily)

Trials
The following trials took place in 3,956 BBY under the auspices of the Ahto High Court, Judges Shelkar, Jhosa, Naleshekan, Kota, and Duula presiding.
 * Sunry vs. the Ahto Civil Authority
 * Arbiter for the defense: Revan
 * Arbiter for the prosecution: a Sith Diplomat, name unknown
 * Witnesses: Ignus, Firith Me, Gluupor, Elora, and Sunry
 * Revan, for "the grievous murder of many Sith, and extensive property damage to their Embassy" (official name of trial unknown)
 * Arbiter for the defense: Bwa'lass
 * Revan, for endangering the supply of kolto through his actions at the Hrakert Rift (official name of trial unknown)
 * Revan represented himself.

Ahto City Holding Cells
Located in Ahto West across the plaza from the High Court, these holding cells were used to detain prisoners awaiting trial or those unable to pay their fines. Notable detainees included Sunry and Revan. It was guarded from the outside and presided over by a warden.

Manaan Port Authority
The Port Official was responsible for controlling passage from the docking bays to Ahto City proper. Visitors were charged a 100-credit docking fee every time they arrived, or 500 credits if they were known troublemakers. As welcome they were given a map and visitor guide from the Manaan Board of Trade and Tourism.

A security droid beside the entrance to the city proper reminded visitors to obey the laws.

Selkath Security Forces
In order to maintain its strict neutrality, Ahto City officials instituted strict security policies in all public areas. Droid security cameras were a ubiquitous sight in Ahto City's plazas, and security forces were on hand to prevent trouble. The two most important laws on Manaan were:
 * 1) It is forbidden to smuggle Kolto.
 * 2) *The punishment for violating this law was death.
 * 3) Keep the peace.
 * 4) *Punishments for violating this law ranged from fines and imprisonment to deportation.

There were no cameras in the Sith and Republic embassies, since they were sovereign territory of their respective governments. Cameras were also deactivated in the docking bays themselves, giving unscrupulous visitors opportunities to engage in illegal activities behind closed doors, a fact that criminals such as Ithorak Guldar were quick to take advantage of.

Behind the scenes

 * The three trials all have different possible outcomes, and in some cases multiple ones that are correct (i.e., do not result in the death of the player character):
 * Sunry's trial contains an element of moral ambiguity: while he is in face guilty, the intuitive response of what is right suggests that the Republic should be protected by proving his innocence. It is possible for a light-sided character to come to either conclusion here, and thus in the official canon there is no one true verdict.
 * Revan's trial for the assault on the Sith Embassy must result in a verdict of "not guilty", or the game will end. However, it is possible to achieve this result in multiple ways.  If Revan completes the quest to find Shasa and retrieves the Sith datapad, he can present it as evidence of Sith treachery.  Alternatively, he can claim that the Sith invited him to their embassy for diplomatic negotiations and then attacked.
 * The result of Revan's trial for the actions at the Hrakert Rift depends on the choice he made on how to stop the Progenitor. If he destroyed the Republic equipment, he is allowed to stay on Manaan.  However, if he released the toxins, he is exiled from Manaan and banned from returning on pain of death.  In the canon light side path, the only possible option is to destroy the Republic machinery, allowing the player to remain in Ahto City.

Appearances
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic