Colla-Arphocc Automata versus the Galactic Alliance
title: Colla-Arphocc Automata versus the Galactic Alliance
Colla-Arphocc Automata versus the Galactic Alliance was a court case that occurred in 43 ABY. The Colicoid Creation Nest, along with its affiliate, Colla Designs, initiated the legal action against the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. This event held significant galactic importance, drawing substantial interest from notable figures in political, industrial, and criminal circles.
Prelude
During the Clone Wars, the Colicoids gained notoriety for manufacturing lethal battle droids. Following the Clone Wars and the declaration of the Galactic Empire, the Colicoids were instructed to dismantle their droid production or face severe consequences from Imperial forces. Afraid of the Empire, the Colicoid Creation Nest went into hiding, but not before obtaining documents signed by Emperor Palpatine which stated that the prohibition on battle droid production was temporary. By 42 ABY, it was believed that the ban had ended, allowing the Colicoids to once again compete with weapon manufacturers like Roche and the Givin Cartel.
The Colicoids, using the Imperial documents as evidence, enlisted Lestra Oxic, a well-known lawyer from Epica, to file a fair-trade lawsuit in the Galactic Alliance courts. Oxic diligently conducted pre-trial discovery and ultimately found a key witness: a former Colicoid employee from a Colla Designs think tank. The entire case depended on the testimony of this witness, so Oxic had his staff protect the Colicoid.
Three lawyers were selected to defend the Galactic Alliance, and Chief of State Natasi Daala was reportedly interested in the case. Daala's anti-Colicoid sentiments were widely known, but she was supposedly too busy with other matters to get involved.
In the business world, Lando Calrissian shared the Chief of State's interest in the case. His company, Tendrando Arms, already faced competition from the Verpine, Mandalorians, and Baktoid, and Calrissian did not want the Colicoids to re-enter the droid market.
Among those who took an informal interest in the trial, criminal leader Rej Taunt took the most action. Taunt had his people sabotage the trial early on. He sought revenge against the Colicoids for the deaths of his crew members from his ship, the Second Chance. His hatred was also fueled by an incident involving buzz droids that led to his sixty-year imprisonment and the loss of the Second Chance. Tobb Jadak and Flitcher Poste sought information on the Second Chance, previously the Stellar Envoy, and approached Taunt. Taunt agreed to give them the information if they helped him with his plan.
Trial
The trial took place on Holess, with Holessian Chief Justice Margo presiding in the Mount of Justice. Before the trial, judges, lawyers, and jury members walked up the ramp of the Mount of Justice, at which point Taunt's plan was put into action. Jadak and Poste had taken over the control room for the Mount's media screen, which was meant to broadcast the trial to the public. As Oxic's assistant, Koi Quire, and the star witness approached the entrance of the Mount of Justice, an image of a hueche appeared. Like other Colicoids, the witness was naturally afraid of hueches, so the witness curled up and fled from the image. As the Colicoid ran, Taunt's men guided the fleeing Colicoid to the bottom of the Mount of Justice, where a speeder truck was waiting with a containment sphere to imprison the witness. After a small issue with the Holessian police, the witness was securely in Taunt's custody and taken off-world.
Aftermath
After the abduction, Oxic requested one Holess day to find the witness. Oxic believed that the Galactic Alliance had abducted his witness as part of a plot by Chief of State Daala to ruin the case. With no evidence of Galactic Alliance involvement, Oxic decided to appeal to a Coruscant criminal court rather than a Holess court.
Because Oxic could not find his witness, the Holess Chief Justice dismissed the case and ordered the Colicoids to pay all trial costs. Shortly after the verdict, Oxic discovered that Rej Taunt was behind the kidnapping.