Editing Trial of Tycho Celchu

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{{Event
|prev=[[Raid on Yag-prime]]<ref name="Krytos Trap">''[[X-Wing: The Krytos Trap]]''</ref>
|conc=*[[Ambush at Alderaan]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
*[[Mission above Imperial City]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
|next=[[Raid on Thyferran Convoy Delta-Two-Niner]]<ref name="Bacta War">''[[X-Wing: The Bacta War]]''</ref>
|image=
|name=Trial of Tycho Celchu
|conflict=[[Tycho Celchu/Legends|Tycho Celchu]] is accused of the murder of [[Corran Horn/Legends|Corran Horn]] and [[Treason/Legends|treason]] against the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
|date=[[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]]<ref name="Chronology">''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''</ref>
|place=[[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
|outcome=All charges against Tycho Celchu are withdrawn<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
|keyparties=*New Republic<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Rogue Squadron/Legends|Rogue Squadron]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
|participants=*Defense
**Tycho Celchu<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Nawara Ven]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[M-3PO (Emtrey)|Emtrey]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Whistler]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
*Prosecution
**[[Halla Ettyk]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Iella Wessiri Antilles|Iella Wessiri]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
*Judges
**[[Admiral/Legends|Admiral]] [[Gial Ackbar/Legends|Gial Ackbar]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[General/Legends|General]] [[Crix Madine/Legends|Crix Madine]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**General [[Horton Salm/Legends|Horton Salm]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
*Witnesses
**[[Pash Cracken]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Erisi Dlarit]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Wedge Antilles/Legends|Wedge Antilles]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Tsillin Wel]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**Corran Horn<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
**[[Airen Cracken/Legends|Airen Cracken]]<ref name="Krytos Trap" />
}}
{{Quote|So you're telling me that we need a miracle?''"<br />"''I'd take one if you had one to offer, but then again, I wouldn't worry too much. Winning this trial is merely impossible, and we're Rogues. We'll get it done.''"<br />"''Or die trying.|Tycho Celchu and Nawara Ven about their chances to win|<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
The '''trial of Tycho Celchu''' was a widely publicized trial held in [[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]], in which [[Captain/Legends|Captain]] [[Tycho Celchu/Legends|Tycho Celchu]] of [[Rogue Squadron/Legends|Rogue Squadron]] was accused of [[Treason/Legends|treason]] against the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]] and the murder of his Rogue Squadron comrade [[Corran Horn/Legends|Corran Horn]]. He was suspected of being either a brainwashed [[sleeper agent]] or a well paid secret operative. The New Republic promoted the trial as a demonstration that it did not discriminate between [[Human/Legends|Humans]] and other [[Species/Legends|species]] in its administration of justice.

Three prominent New Republic military leaders&mdash;[[Admiral/Legends|Admiral]] [[Gial Ackbar/Legends|Gial Ackbar]], [[General/Legends|General]] [[Horton Salm/Legends|Horton Salm]], and General [[Crix Madine/Legends|Crix Madine]]&mdash;were nominated to judge the case. The prosecutor was a well known attorney from [[Alderaan/Legends|Alderaan]], [[Halla Ettyk]], who was aided by a former [[Corellian Security Force|CorSec]] investigator, [[Iella Wessiri Antilles|Iella Wessiri]]. Celchu's attorney was another Rogue Squadron [[Pilot/Legends|pilot]], [[Twi'lek/Legends|Twi'lek]] lawyer [[Nawara Ven]]. They were helped by the [[Squadron/Legends|squadron's]] [[Protocol droid/Legends|protocol droid]], [[M-3PO (Emtrey)|Emtrey]], and Horn's [[Astromech droid/Legends|astromech droid]], [[Whistler]], who didn't believe Celchu had murdered his former master.

Many witnesses were called to give evidence in court; among them were all the members of Rogue Squadron, including [[Pash Cracken]] and [[Wedge Antilles/Legends|Wedge Antilles]], the [[Commander/Legends|commander]] of the unit. The defense considered a [[Duros/Legends|Duros]] weapon dealer, [[Lai Nootka]], to be their key witness, but they were unable to locate him. Both sides found out that Celchu was truly innocent when a former [[Imperial Intelligence/Legends|Imperial Intelligence]] [[Agent/Legends|agent]], [[Kirtan Loor]], tried to defect to the New Republic and volunteered to testify if the New Republic would protect him from the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Empire]] in return. However, Loor never had a chance to give his testimony, because he was killed when he arrived at the [[Galactic Courts of Justice Building|courthouse]] by a brainwashed Imperial agent, [[Diric Wessiri]], who believed him to be [[Evir Derricote]].

The biggest surprise for the members of the court was when Corran Horn, who was believed to be dead, appeared and wanted to testify on Celchu's behalf. Horn had escaped from [[Ysanne Isard]]'s [[Lusankya/Legends|private prison]] and, during his escape, found evidence that Celchu had not been brainwashed, and that the true infiltrator in the squadron had been [[Erisi Dlarit]]. After Horn's testimony, all the charges against Celchu were immediately lifted. General [[Airen Cracken/Legends|Airen Cracken]] was also able to clear Celchu's tarnished reputation by claiming that he had voluntarily played the role of a victim in an [[New Republic Intelligence Service|intelligence]] operation to find the real [[Spy/Legends|spy]].

==History==
===Background===
====Infiltration of Coruscant and imprisonment====
{{Quote|So, you don't even know, really, if you are an Imperial agent waiting to happen or not?''"<br />"''I know I'm not. Being able to prove it is something else again.''"<br />"''But being constantly under suspicion, that's got to wear on you. Why put up with it? How ''can'' you put up with it?''"<br />"''I put up with it because I must. Enduring it is the only way I can be allowed to fight back against the Empire. If I were to walk away from the Rebellion, if I were to sit the war out, I would have surrendered to the fear of what Ysanne Isard might, ''might'', have done to me. Without firing a shot she would have made me as dead as Alderaan, and I won't allow that. There's nothing in what I have to live with on a daily basis that isn't a thousand times easier than what I survived at the hands of the Empire. Until the Empire is dead, I can never truly be free because I'll always be under suspicion. Living with minor restrictions now means someday no one has to fear me.|Corran Horn and Tycho Celchu|<ref name="Wedge's Gamble">''[[X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble]]''</ref>}}
[[File:Tychoheadshot.jpg|thumb|Captain Tycho Celchu of Rogue Squadron]]
During the [[Galactic Civil War/Legends|Galactic Civil War]] between the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]] and the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]], in [[5 ABY/Legends|5 ABY]], [[Captain/Legends|Captain]] [[Tycho Celchu/Legends|Tycho Celchu]] [[Scouting mission to Coruscant|volunteered]] to fly a captured [[TIE/LN starfighter|TIE Fighter]] to [[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]] to scout the [[Planet/Legends|planet]] and gather intelligence on its defenses. His mission was successful, but on his way out, the Galactic Empire captured him and sent him to the secret ''[[Lusankya/Legends|Lusankya]]'' installation, a private [[Prison/Legends|prison]] run by [[Director of Imperial Intelligence]], [[Ysanne Isard]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> Isard interrogated Celchu and tried to brainwash him into one of her [[sleeper agent]]s. When the brainwashing had no effect on Celchu and he fell into catatonic state, he was moved from solitary confinement to live among other prisoners that were held in the installation.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

When Celchu began to heal, he was transferred to another [[Akrit'tar prison|prison]], on [[Akrit'tar]], where he stayed for three months before finally escaping and returning to service for the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]]. During his debriefing, he was able to recall some memories from his stay on the ''Lusankya'', but they were scarce. The ''Lusankya'' was known for the brainwashed agents it turned loose, and even though the captain remembered being there&mdash;unusual as other agents were connected to the ''Lusankya'' only after they had been activated&mdash;the New Republic considered him to be a security risk. Celchu and some of his friends, such as [[Wedge Antilles/Legends|Wedge Antilles]], were confident that he was not an agent; Celchu, however, was prohibited from returning to active duty, and was subsequently held under house arrest.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

====Reformation of Rogue Squadron====
{{Quote|Tycho has been here as long as the rest of us have and has been working for me. I wanted one sabacc card that wouldn't change value on me and he was it. He'd been to Coruscant inside two years ago, knew how to get around, and, as we saw just now, has turned out to be very useful.|Wedge Antilles to the rest of Rogue Squadron|<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />}}
In [[6 ABY/Legends|6.5 ABY]], Wedge Antilles was granted permission to reform the legendary [[Rogue Squadron/Legends|Rogue Squadron]] to bolster New Republic morale. Antilles requested that Celchu serve as his [[Executive officer/Legends|executive officer]] to help train new [[Pilot/Legends|pilots]], and [[Admiral/Legends|Admiral]] [[Gial Ackbar/Legends|Gial Ackbar]], the [[Supreme Commander (Alliance/Republic)|Supreme Commander]] of the [[Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic|New Republic Armed Forces]], decided to allow it. The move was made even in light of protests from [[General/Legends|General]] [[Horton Salm/Legends|Horton Salm]], who was leading a [[BTL Y-wing starfighter/Legends|BTL Y-wing starfighter]] wing that was training together with the Rogues. Severe restrictions were placed on Celchu to protect the [[Squadron/Legends|squadron]] from his possible betrayal, and he was only allowed to fly unarmed ships, such as the [[Lambda-class T-4a shuttle/Legends|''Lambda''-class shuttle]] ''[[Forbidden]]'', during the practice sessions and real combat situations. More than once he bent the rules to rescue his squadron mates from danger.<ref name="Rogue Squadron">''[[X-Wing: Rogue Squadron]]''</ref>

[[File:Wedges_Gamble.jpg|thumb|left|Celchu was allowed to fly only unarmed vessels, like the ''Forbidden''.]]
When Rogue Squadron infiltrated Coruscant in preparation for an [[Liberation of Coruscant (Galactic Civil War)|upcoming attack]] on the planet, Celchu was considered by New Republic military leaders to be too untrustworthy to participate in planning or preparation. Antilles had other ideas, though, and he clandestinely had Celchu travel to Coruscant with the intent of having an agent on the galactic capital, ready to aid Rogue Squadron, without Imperial knowledge. Under Antilles's sealed orders, his executive officer and Rogue Squadron's [[Protocol droid/Legends|protocol droid]] [[M-3PO (Emtrey)|M-3PO]], or "Emtrey," were sent to Coruscant to buy supplies and act as backup if others were to need unexpected assistance. In order to conceal Celchu's involvement, Antilles had [[Corran Horn/Legends|Corran Horn's]] [[Astromech droid/Legends|astromech droid]], [[Whistler]], file reports that placed the captain on the planet [[Noquivzor]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

During his time on Coruscant, Celchu met with [[Duros/Legends|Duros]] weapons dealer [[Lai Nootka]] in [[The Headquarters]] [[Cantina/Legends|cantina]]. Corran Horn witnessed one of these meetings, but thought that the tall, cloaked stranger with whom Celchu was talking was [[Imperial Intelligence/Legends|Imperial Intelligence]] [[Agent/Legends|agent]] [[Kirtan Loor]]. Horn told Antilles what he had seen, but the [[Commander/Legends|commander]] claimed that it was impossible, since the report said that Celchu was among the casualties from [[Warlord/Legends|Warlord]] [[Zsinj]]'s [[Battle of Noquivzor|attack]] on Noquivzor. In truth, Antilles was aware that the Alderaanian was alive and on Coruscant, but he did not believe Celchu had met Loor. Rogue Squadron discovered the captain's whereabouts when he and Emtrey rescued them from [[Stormtrooper/Legends|stormtroopers]] after a failed attempt to sabotage Coruscant's [[Planetary shield/Legends|planetary shields]].<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

After Horn found out that Celchu was indeed alive, he filed a report concerning the meeting he had witnessed in the cantina. In that report he also mentioned that he had not seen the stranger's face, but based on the individual's height and gait, he had positively identified him as Loor.<ref name="Krytos Trap" /> As Rogue Squadron was embarking to destroy Coruscant's planetary shield, Horn argued with Celchu and threatened to reveal the captain to be an Imperial agent. Celchu answered calmly that he had nothing to fear from Horn's investigation since he was not a [[Spy/Legends|spy]]. After the battle to take down the shield, Horn was heading back to his squadron's base to refuel when he lost control of his [[Z-95 Headhunter/Legends|Z-95 Headhunter]]. Ysanne Isard had planned it to make it appear as if the [[Starfighter/Legends|fighter]] had collided with the side of a building and that Horn had died in the impact, his body disappearing under a collapsing tower. In truth, Isard had captured Horn and taken him to the ''Lusankya''{{'s}} prison to try and brainwash him.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

Celchu's imprisonment aboard the ''Lusankya'', Horn's threats to expose him as a spy, and Horn's apparent subsequent death made Celchu's allegiance appear highly suspicious to the New Republic, and only four days later, he was captured and charged with high treason and murder.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />

===The trial===
====Indictment====
{{Dialogue|Antilles|What happens if Tycho is found guilty?|Ven|Hard to say. There's no clear appeals system set up. Unless the judges reverse their decision, he'll be stuck.|Celchu|What do you mean by stuck?|Ven|This is treason, Captain, and murder. Given the mood of the people and the nature of your crime, if we lose, the New Republic will put you to death.|attr=Wedge Antilles, Nawara Ven and Tycho Celchu|src=<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
The trial of Tycho Celchu dealt with two different charges simultaneously: high treason against the New Republic and the murder of Celchu's Rogue Squadron comrade, Corran Horn. The most suspicious element of the captain's case to the Republic was the time he had spent in the ''Lusankya'' prison and the possibility of brainwashing which would have made him one of Director Isard's sleeper agents. Fifteen million [[Galactic Credit Standard/Legends|credits]] found in six accounts under Celchu's name was also incriminating, creating an impression that he was being paid by the Empire. Horn's own report about witnessing Celchu in conference with Loor and his threat to expose the captain as a traitor&mdash;made only a few moments before his apparent death&mdash;were seen as motives for Celchu to have Horn killed.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

During the trial, the prosecution also brought up the possibility that Rogue Squadron's failed [[First Battle of Borleias|first attempt]] to take [[Borleias/Legends|Borleias]] was Celchu's fault.<ref name="Krytos Trap" /> However, this accusation was made on a weak basis, since, in the aftermath of the attack, even General Salm had admitted that Rogue Squadron's executive officer could not have had anything to do with the failure.<ref name="Rogue Squadron" /> Additional suspicion levied against Celchu was his possible involvement with the apparent death of another Rogue Squadron member, [[Bror Jace]], who had died in an Imperial ambush. Celchu had arranged leave for Jace, allowing him to travel to [[Thyferra/Legends|Thyferra]]. The captain had composed Jace's flight plan, but the plan had then been leaked to the Imperials, allowing them to ambush Jace.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

====Legal proceedings====
[[File:Ackbar_NEC.jpg|thumb|150px|Admiral Ackbar, the supreme commander of the New Republic military and the chairman of the court]]
{{Quote|The Empire would have snatched Celchu, broken him down until he confessed, then they would have killed him. He would have disappeared and no one would have dared ask about him. That's how the Empire would have handled it. The way ''we'' will handle it is to have a trial and assess innocence or guilt publicly, openly, aboveboard, so there is no question about justice being done or not.|Airen Cracken|<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />}}
Tycho Celchu was arrested under the charges of treason and murder in [[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]], only four days after the New Republic had conquered Coruscant.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> The trial began less than two weeks later because of media pressure, and as a result the investigation was still ongoing during the trial itself. Before the trial began, Wedge Antilles asked the [[New Republic Provisional Council]] to drop the charges against his friend, but they refused, which almost led to his resignation from military service.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

=====Interrogating the witnesses=====
{{Dialogue|Ettyk|I'd like permission to treat this witness as hostile.|Ven|Not good. ''[&hellip;]'' In direct testimony the questions are supposed to be open and nonleading. On cross-examination you get to lead the witness toward the answers you want. A witness who is forced to answer questions always leaves the impression he's covering some-thing up, so it makes even innocent things seem condemning. Pash is trying to do my job for me, but he's just making it tougher.|Ackbar|Permission is granted to treat Lieutenant Cracken as hostile.|attr=Ettyk seeks permission from the Court to treat Pash Cracken as a hostile witness|src=<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
The way the prosecutor, [[Halla Ettyk]], chose to open her case took the defense by surprise, since counsel for the defense, [[Nawara Ven]], had expected her to start with Celchu's time in the ''Lusankya'' prison. Ettyk instead began by inviting [[Pash Cracken]] to testify in an attempt to prove that Celchu had arranged Horn's murder to avoid exposure. Cracken was not willing to testify against another member of the squadron, but Ettyk's subpoena<ref name="Krytos Trap" />&mdash;and pressure from his own father, [[Airen Cracken/Legends|Airen Cracken]]<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" />&mdash;forced him to testify that he had witnessed an argument between Celchu and Horn before the battle. He told of how Horn had accused the captain of being a traitor and how he had threatened to expose him. Cracken also pointed out that Celchu had reacted calmly, telling Horn that he had nothing to fear from him. Ettyk saw this calm reaction as a sign of Celchu knowing that Horn would be dead soon, while Ven insisted it meant that his client truly was innocent. Since Cracken was unwilling to speak against Celchu, Ettyk interrogated him as a hostile witness, which made it difficult for him to testify in Celchu's favor.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

Cracken was followed by another member of Rogue Squadron, [[Erisi Dlarit]], who had also seen the argument between Horn and Celchu. Horn had later told her what it had been about&mdash;and also his intent to find the traitor in the squadron&mdash;but the prosecution did not ask her to repeat the whole story, since Ven could have claimed it to be mere hearsay. Since Ettyk was not able to bring out what Horn had told Dlarit, Ven was able to illustrate that Horn had spoken with others before his meeting with Dlarit. In turn, Dlarit testified that Horn had been in a bad mood when speaking with her, but without repeating the conversation between Horn and Celchu, Ettyk was not able to prove his mood was directly related to it.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

[[Iella Wessiri Antilles|Iella Wessiri]] was also called to testify, and with her help, the prosecution attempted to demonstrate that Celchu had a motive for Horn's murder. In addition to her role as Ettyk's aide, Wessiri was also serving as an investigator in the case and her discoveries were included in her testimony. Eager to prove that Horn had seen the accused meeting with Loor, Ettyk pressed Wessiri with questions about Horn's report and asked one too many, forcing Wessiri to admit that she was not sure if Horn had correctly identified the hooded figure in the cantina&mdash;he had not seen the stranger's face and that was enough reason to doubt the identification. As a former member of [[Corellian Security Force|CorSec]], Wessiri had experience with murder investigations and legal processes, and based on her testimony, Ven was able to show that the trial had proceeded unusually quickly. After Wessiri's testimony, Admiral Ackbar, as the chairman of the court, decided to postpone the trial another week to allow more time for investigation. Later, the members of the court were informed that the true reason of the delay was a bombing threat made against the [[Galactic Courts of Justice Building|courthouse]].<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

[[File:Wedge_dressuniform.jpg|thumb|left|Wedge Antilles, Celchu's friend and one of the key witnesses]]
When the trial proceeded after the break, Antilles was called as a witness. Originally, he had hoped to clear his friend of the charges, but Ettyk skillfully made his answers support suspicion of Celchu. Even the minor problems Rogue Squadron had faced after its reformation were somehow traced to its executive officer, and Antilles was disappointed when he was not able to prove otherwise. Other members of the squadron were also called to testify but their value as character witnesses was minimal. During the trial, Rogue Squadron&mdash;along with Ven&mdash;were dispatched on missions several times, forcing Admiral Ackbar to postpone the trial even further. While Ven was away, Whistler and Emtrey&mdash;who were helping the defense and working under Ven's orders&mdash;stayed on Coruscant to collect and process evidence that they would use in court.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

While searching Imperial funding records, New Republic investigators had found fifteen million [[Galactic Credit Standard/Legends|credits]] from six accounts that were connected to Celchu. [[Tsillin Wel]] was called as a witness, since the female [[Quarren/Legends|Quarren]] had spent years studying Imperial funding in an attempt to find secret projects and double agents; she had investigated a similar case earlier, when General [[Crix Madine/Legends|Crix Madine]], now one of the judges, was accused of having been paid to betray the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Wel told the court that there had been no money going out from any of the six accounts and that there was no indication that Celchu had even been aware of their existence. The encryption had also been light compared to the amount of money found in the accounts; usually agents of similar level only received credits in the thousands. The defense claimed that this proved that the Empire was trying to frame Celchu and that he was not a traitor.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

=====Surprising revelations=====
{{Quote|Begging your pardon, Admiral, I think Whistler intends for ''me'' to be called as a witness.''"<br />"''This is impossible.''"<br />"''It wasn't easy, but as for impossible, Admiral, you know impossible is what Rogue Squadron does best of all.|Corran Horn and Admiral Ackbar, when Horn arrives at court|<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
The trial took an unexpected turn when Nawara Ven was contacted by Kirtan Loor&mdash;using Lai Nootka's previous alias, [[Hes Glillto]]&mdash;who offered to testify on Celchu's behalf in exchange for the New Republic protecting Loor from Ysanne Isard. Loor also told Ven that he could provide the identity of the traitor in Rogue Squadron. Information about the unexpected witness leaked to Isard, who thought it was [[Evir Derricote]]&mdash;whom, in turn, she believed had escaped from the ''Lusankya'' prison. Isard decided to send her brainwashed puppet, [[Diric Wessiri]], to stop Derricote before he could get to the courtroom. In the parking facility of the courthouse, Diric fired at Ven; his wife, Iella; and Loor&mdash;who Diric believed to be Derricote&mdash;whom they were escorting. Ven was wounded and Loor died, but Iella was able to return fire and inflicted a mortal wound on the attacker before realizing it was her husband.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

[[File:Corran_Horn.jpg|thumb|150px|"Assassinated" Corran Horn returned to be a key witness in Celchu's favor.]]
What Ettyk had discovered about Loor's testimony beforehand was enough to show her that the captain was innocent, but Loor's death and Ven's wounds complicated matters. Admiral Ackbar wanted to postpone the trial again to give Ven enough time to recover, but Celchu wanted to take advantage of his attorney's absence and testify himself. Ven had told him not to do so since Ettyk would ruin him in cross examination; the woman agreed with Ven's statement and also told Celchu not to testify. Whistler wanted to bring in another witness who would leave no question about Celchu's innocence; Corran Horn had contacted the droid, informing him that he was alive and had escaped from the ''Lusankya''. While the court was still unsure about their next move, Horn walked in and declared that he wanted to take the stand.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

Horn began by informing the court of how he had been captured during the battle, taken to the ''Lusankya'' prison to be interrogated and brainwashed, and how he had heard stories about Celchu's time there from the other prisoners. He continued by divulging how he had compared his files to Celchu's during his escape and noticed that they were both tagged as "unsuitable for conversion." This and other pieces of information in Celchu's file had shown Horn that the captain could not be the traitor and gave him a chance to figure out the identity of the real spy. Before Horn was able to tell the name of the traitor, General Cracken told him to keep his silence and led everyone to an adjoining room where they were able to see the ''Lusankya'', which was in truth an [[Executor-class Star Dreadnought/Legends|''Executor''-class Star Dreadnought]] buried under the Coruscant cityscape, [[Mission above Imperial City|blast its way]] up through the surface toward the planetary shields. Isard, who knew that the successful prison break from the ''Lusankya'' would compromise her continued presence on the planet, used the ship to escape to Thyferra, where she had plans to hinder the [[Bacta/Legends|bacta]] deliveries to the New Republic.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

=====Conclusion=====
{{Dialogue|Cracken|Lieutenant Horn's appearance here merely makes Captain Celchu's innocence that much more obvious.|Ettyk|Sir, on behalf of the New Republic Armed Forces, I withdraw all charges against Captain Tycho Celchu.|Ackbar|It is with great pleasure, Captain Celchu, that I say this case is dismissed. You are truly free to go.|attr=Airen Cracken, Halla Ettyk and Admiral Ackbar confirm Celchu's innocence|src=<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
[[File:Corran_Tycho.jpg|thumb|left|After the trial Celchu was again allowed to fly together with Horn, who had returned alive.]]
Horn's return and testimony, combined with the [[Comlink/Legends|comlink]] call Admiral Ackbar received from Antilles, convinced the judges that Celchu was truly innocent. Both Antilles and Horn were able to give evidence that the true traitor in the unit had been Erisi Dlarit, who had escaped from Coruscant aboard the ''Lusankya''. Horn was also able to add that General Cracken had known from Emtrey&mdash;who had been inserted into the Rogue Squadron to monitor Celchu's actions&mdash;all the time that the captain was not a spy but had allowed the trial to go forward to lure out the real traitor and find the evidence against them. General Cracken also knew that since Isard had been willing to let Celchu be condemned to death the Captain had not been brainwashed and had no use for the Director of Imperial Intelligence as an agent. To clear the captain's tarnished reputation, the general arranged a public ceremony where it was announced that Celchu had willingly played the role of a victim to fool the real traitor. General Salm, who had been extremely suspicious of Celchu from the beginning, was angry at General Cracken, who had withheld the information and led Salm to misjudge Celchu and treat him unfairly.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

After his reputation was cleared, Celchu was given the opportunity to return to active duty, and he was even offered command of Rogue Squadron when Antilles resigned in protest after the New Republic refused to act against Ysanne Isard, who had taken control of Thyferra. However, the executive officer decided to follow his friends and resigned as well,<ref name="Krytos Trap" /> taking the money Isard had funneled to him to be used in the squadron's [[Bacta War|private war]] against her.<ref name="Bacta War" />

==Tribunal==
===Defense===
{{Dialogue|Ven|The best thing we have going for us right now is that Whistler here has joined our defense team.|Celchu|But I'm accused of killing Corran Horn. He and Corran were partners. Why would he want to help defend me?|Antilles|Ah, he did know Corran well.|Ven|Well enough to decide Horn was wrong about you, Captain Celchu. If Horn was wrong about your being a traitor, that means someone else killed him.|attr=Nawara Ven, Tycho Celchu and Wedge Antilles about Whistler|src=<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
Celchu himself stayed calm and confident during the trial even when he knew that a loss meant that he would be condemned to death&mdash;he said that it would still be better than what the Empire could have done to him. He believed that if he was allowed to testify he would be able to convince the judges that he was innocent. He also made friends with Diric Wessiri, who had similar experiences from Imperial imprisonment and who was allowed to visit him in jail.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

[[File:NawaraVen-JP.jpg|thumb|Nawara Ven, Celchu's defense attorney and Rogue Squadron comrade]]
Counsel for the defense was Celchu's companion from Rogue Squadron, retired [[Twi'lek/Legends|Twi'lek]] lawyer, Nawara Ven. Ven was often pressed with questions of why he, an "[[Alien/Legends|alien]]," was defending a [[Human/Legends|Human]] in the court. He considered the [[Speciesism|speciesist]] question and publicity of the trial to be both good and bad for their defense. At times, he was unsure of his ability to defend Celchu against a well-known prosecutor like Ettyk, but the captain and other members of the squadron assured him that they trusted him completely.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

The droids Emtrey and Whistler&mdash;the latter of which was sure its master had made a mistake thinking that Celchu was a traitor&mdash;helped Ven prepare Celchu's defense. While Ven was away during squadron missions the droids did some investigations of their own under Ven's orders. Whistler was not happy to see Horn's former partner, Iella Wessiri, helping the prosecutor and working for the opposite side of the case but agreed to reveal some evidence the droids had found to the woman&mdash;the droids had discovered that the captain's actions had slowed down the spread of lethal [[Krytos virus]]. They believed that if Celchu had truly been a spy and a traitor, he would have found a way to slow down the attack against Coruscant and thus give the virus more time to spread.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

===Prosecution===
{{Quote|I can testify on my own behalf.''"<br />"''It would be a mistake to do so, Captain. I would rip you apart on cross.|Celchu, with Ettyk warning him not to testify|<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
The prosecutor in the trial was a famous attorney from Celchu's home planet of [[Alderaan/Legends|Alderaan]], Commander Halla Ettyk. Following the [[Destruction of Alderaan|destruction]] of her homeworld, which occurred while Ettyk was offworld deposing a witness, she had worked on General Cracken's counterintelligence staff. Although she had not worked as a lawyer for seven years, Nawara Ven knew Ettyk's reputation and would have been happy to have her removed with some conflict of interest, but he was not able to find any. However, Ettyk was not hostile toward Celchu and did her best to treat him fairly, even warning him against witnessing while Ven was in the hospital. When Ettyk heard that Kirtan Loor was willing to testify in Celchu's behalf, she was ready to admit that the suspect was innocent, and after Horn gave his testimony, she was quick to remove all charges against Celchu.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

Former CorSec investigator, Iella Wessiri, also helped Ettyk in the court. Wessiri was Horn's old partner from CorSec and had decided to bring her friend's murderer to justice, but the defense did not see this as a conflict of interest since Wessiri was known to be thorough in her investigations. From time to time, Wessiri was more convinced of Celchu's guilt than Ettyk. This was most apparent after Wessiri had given her own testimony and revealed that she had some doubts about Horn's identification of Loor in the cantina. Wessiri was not present when the captain was found innocent because of the shock of being forced to kill her own husband.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

===Judges===
{{Quote|I'm willing to take my chances with Salm.|Tycho Celchu, speaking of his judges|<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
Since Celchu himself was a soldier and the New Republic judicial structure was yet to be developed, three judges were chosen among the highest military leadership. Admiral Ackbar, General Horton Salm, and General Crix Madine were placed as judges.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

[[File:Salm_Ciutric.jpg|left|thumb|General Horton Salm was one of the judges in Celchu's case.]]
As the Supreme Commander of the New Republic Armed Forces, Admiral Ackbar was chosen to be the chairman of the court. He was forced to divide his time between leading military campaigns, taking part in New Republic Provisional Council meetings, and the trial. Ackbar was seen as a fair and neutral judge who was not biased either way. When Horn proved Celchu innocent, Ackbar was evidently happy to clear him from all the charges.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

The defense would have been happy to deny General Salm from the proceedings based on conflict of interest, since it was well known that Salm had been extremely suspicious of Celchu from the beginning. In the end they decided to leave him be, because if they had failed to get him replaced, they would have only made sure he was against them. When General Airen Cracken revealed that he had known all along that the Alderaanian was innocent, Salm was angry at the Intelligence leader, whose actions had led Salm to misjudge Celchu and treat him unfairly.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

General Crix Madine from [[New Republic Intelligence Service|New Republic Intelligence]] was considered by Ven to be the most sympathetic judge to the defense. Madine himself had been accused of being a double agent in a very similar trial, and because of this, Ven conjectured he might feel a certain sympathy towards Celchu. Ven believed that during his time among Imperials, Madine had also met Ysanne Isard, who the defense said had manufactured the evidence used against the defendant.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

==Publicity==
{{Dialogue|Antilles|Sithspawn!|Lolvanci|This is Zaree Lolvanci, Kuati First Holo-News, and I'm standing here with Alliance hero, Commander Wedge Antilles. How does it feel, Commander, to know that your testimony is what will convict Captain Celchu?|Wessiri|Commander Antilles's only interest in this matter is seeing justice done. He has every confidence that his faith in Captain Celchu will be vindicated when the defense presents its case. Until then, any speculation on the outcome would be premature and possibly prejudicial. And he has no further comment.|attr=Diric Wessiri rescuing Wedge Antilles from [[Zaree Lolvanci]] after his testimony|src=<ref name="Krytos Trap" />}}
The trial was widely publicized around the New Republic, partly because the Republic wanted to show that it was different from the Empire that had shrouded its judicial system in mystery and xenophobia. The New Republic government also wanted to show that its trials followed the law and that there was no question about the right judgment.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> Having closely followed the process and changes of public mood concerning the trial, former Imperial [[Moff/Legends|Moff]] and leader of the [[Black Sun/Legends|Black Sun]] [[Fliry Vorru]]&mdash;one of the real double agents among the New Republic's original task force&mdash;believed that New Republic was only doing harm to itself by continuing to press its case against Celchu with only circumstantial evidence.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

The whole trial was recorded for [[Hologram/Legends|holo]] broadcasts, and frequent summaries were shown in the news. At first, the New Republic intended to deliver direct broadcast, but the decision was reversed in fear that the trial would turn out to be a media circus. Journalists were still around the courtroom and wanted to interview all the witnesses. Publicly, Celchu was branded guilty, and his alleged treason was compared to the crimes of [[Prince/Legends|Prince]] [[Xizor/Legends|Xizor]] and [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]]. This ill will spread even to the jail in which Celchu was held, where he was kept in solitary confinement for his own safety.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

One thing that increased public interest in the trial was that the accused was a Human, while his defense attorney was a Twi'lek. The trial was also important for the New Republic as it provided a distraction from the Krytos virus, which was responsible for many deaths in the galactic capital. While the New Republic labeled Corran Horn as a hero of the battle where they had captured Coruscant, accusations of treason against the government dominated the publicity of Celchu's trial over the murder charge.<ref name="Krytos Trap" />

==Behind the scenes==
The trial of Tycho Celchu appeared in [[Michael A. Stackpole]]'s third [[Star Wars: X-Wing (novel series)|''X-wing'']] novel, [[X-Wing: The Krytos Trap|''The Krytos Trap'']],<ref name="Krytos Trap" /> although it was first mentioned in the previous novel, ''[[X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble]]''.<ref name="Wedge's Gamble" /> The trial was later mentioned in two other novels by Stackpole, ''[[X-Wing: Isard's Revenge]]''<ref name="Isard's Revenge">''[[X-Wing: Isard's Revenge]]''</ref> and ''[[I, Jedi]]'',<ref name="I, Jedi">''[[I, Jedi]]''</ref> as well as in [[Aaron Allston]]'s first ''X-Wing'' novel, ''[[X-Wing: Wraith Squadron]]''.<ref name="Wraith Squadron">''[[X-Wing: Wraith Squadron]]''</ref>

==Appearances==
*''[[X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble]]'' {{1stm}}
*[[X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble (unabridged audiobook)|''X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble'' unabridged audiobook]] {{Mo}}
*''[[X-Wing: The Krytos Trap]]'' {{1st}}
*[[X-Wing: The Krytos Trap (unabridged audiobook)|''X-Wing: The Krytos Trap'' unabridged audiobook]] {{1st}}
*''[[X-Wing: Wraith Squadron]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[X-Wing: Isard's Revenge]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[I, Jedi]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
*<!-- 2002-02-XX -->''[[The New Jedi Order Sourcebook]]''
*<!-- 2002-04-23 -->''[[The New Essential Guide to Characters]]''
*<!-- 2003-05-21 -->{{FFCite|73|ANT6, ''Wedge Antilles''}}
*<!-- 2005-10-25 -->''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''
*<!-- 2008-12-09 -->''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*<!-- 2012-10-02 -->''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]''

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{Interlang
|de=Kriegstribunal der Neuen Republik gegen Tycho Celchu#legends
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tycho Celchu, trial of}}
[[Category:Events of the Galactic Civil War]]
[[Category:Legal trials]]
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