Trial of Tycho Celchu

During the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance, in 5 ABY, Captain Tycho Celchu volunteered for a mission: piloting a captured TIE Fighter to Coruscant. His objective was to scout the planet and gather intelligence regarding its defenses. Although the mission was a success, the Galactic Empire apprehended him during his departure. He was then sent to the secret Lusankya facility, a prison privately operated by Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard. Isard subjected Celchu to interrogation and attempted to brainwash him, aiming to transform him into a sleeper agent. However, the brainwashing attempts proved ineffective, causing Celchu to enter a catatonic state. Consequently, he was moved from solitary confinement to reside among other prisoners within the installation.

As Celchu began to recover, he was transferred to another prison, located on Akrit'tar, where he remained for three months before successfully escaping and rejoining the New Republic. During his debriefing, he could only recall fragmented memories of his time on the Lusankya. Given the Lusankya's reputation for producing brainwashed agents, the New Republic deemed him a security risk, despite his recollection of being there—an unusual circumstance, as other agents were only connected to the Lusankya post-activation. Celchu and allies like Wedge Antilles were confident in his loyalty; nevertheless, he was barred from active duty and placed under house arrest.

In 6.5 ABY, Wedge Antilles secured permission to reestablish the famed Rogue Squadron to boost morale within the New Republic. Antilles requested Celchu's assistance as his executive officer to aid in training new pilots. Admiral Gial Ackbar, the Supreme Commander of the New Republic Armed Forces, approved the request, despite objections from General Horton Salm, who commanded a BTL Y-wing starfighter wing training alongside the Rogues. Strict limitations were imposed on Celchu to safeguard the squadron from potential betrayal. He was restricted to flying unarmed vessels, such as the Lambda-class shuttle Forbidden, during both practice sessions and actual combat scenarios. On multiple occasions, he violated these rules to rescue his squadron members from danger.

During Rogue Squadron's infiltration of Coruscant in preparation for an upcoming attack on the planet, New Republic military leaders deemed Celchu too unreliable to participate in planning or preparation. Antilles, however, had other plans. He secretly arranged for Celchu to travel to Coruscant, intending to have an agent within the galactic capital, ready to assist Rogue Squadron without the Empire's knowledge. Under Antilles's confidential orders, his executive officer and Rogue Squadron's protocol droid, M-3PO, or "Emtrey," were dispatched to Coruscant to procure supplies and serve as backup in case of unforeseen assistance needs. To conceal Celchu's involvement, Antilles instructed Whistler, Corran Horn's astromech droid, to file reports placing the captain on Noquivzor.

While on Coruscant, Celchu met with Lai Nootka, a Duros weapons dealer, at The Headquarters cantina. Corran Horn witnessed one of these meetings, mistakenly identifying the tall, cloaked figure with Celchu as Kirtan Loor, an Imperial Intelligence agent. Horn informed Antilles of his observation, but the commander dismissed it as impossible, citing reports indicating Celchu's death during Warlord Zsinj's attack on Noquivzor. In reality, Antilles knew Celchu was alive and on Coruscant but doubted he had met Loor. Rogue Squadron discovered Celchu's location when he and Emtrey rescued them from stormtroopers following a failed attempt to sabotage Coruscant's planetary shields.

After Horn learned that Celchu was indeed alive, he filed a report detailing the cantina meeting. He reiterated that he had not seen the stranger's face but, based on height and gait, positively identified him as Loor. As Rogue Squadron prepared to destroy Coruscant's planetary shield, Horn confronted Celchu, threatening to expose him as an Imperial agent. Celchu calmly responded that he had no reason to fear Horn's investigation, as he was not a spy. Following the battle to disable the shield, Horn lost control of his Z-95 Headhunter while returning to base to refuel. Ysanne Isard orchestrated the incident to appear as if the fighter had crashed into a building, resulting in Horn's death and the disappearance of his body under the rubble. In truth, Isard captured Horn and imprisoned him in the Lusankya for brainwashing attempts.

Celchu's imprisonment on the Lusankya, Horn's threats to expose him, and Horn's subsequent apparent death led the New Republic to view Celchu's allegiance with great suspicion. Just four days later, he was apprehended and charged with high treason and murder.

The Tycho Celchu trial addressed two distinct charges concurrently: high treason against the New Republic and the murder of Corran Horn, his Rogue Squadron comrade. The Republic found Celchu's time in the Lusankya prison and the potential for brainwashing, which could have made him one of Isard's sleeper agents, to be the most concerning aspect of the case. The discovery of fifteen million credits in six accounts under Celchu's name further incriminated him, suggesting he was being paid by the Empire. Horn's report of witnessing Celchu meeting with Loor, coupled with his threat to expose Celchu as a traitor just before his apparent death, were seen as motives for Celchu to have Horn killed.

During the proceedings, the prosecution also raised the possibility that Celchu was responsible for Rogue Squadron's unsuccessful first attempt to capture Borleias. However, this accusation was weakly supported, as even General Salm had conceded after the attack that Celchu could not have been involved in the failure. Additional suspicion was cast on Celchu regarding the apparent death of another Rogue Squadron member, Bror Jace, who died in an Imperial ambush. Celchu had approved Jace's leave, allowing him to travel to Thyferra. Celchu created Jace's flight plan, which was subsequently leaked to the Imperials, enabling them to ambush Jace.

Tycho Celchu's arrest on charges of treason and murder occurred in 7 ABY, a mere four days after the New Republic's conquest of Coruscant. The trial commenced less than two weeks later due to intense media pressure, resulting in an ongoing investigation throughout the trial. Prior to the trial, Wedge Antilles implored the New Republic Provisional Council to drop the charges against his friend, but his request was denied, nearly leading to his resignation from military service.

The prosecution's opening strategy, led by Halla Ettyk, caught the defense off guard. Nawara Ven, the defense counsel, anticipated Ettyk would begin with Celchu's time in the Lusankya prison. Instead, Ettyk began by calling Pash Cracken to testify, aiming to prove that Celchu had orchestrated Horn's murder to prevent exposure. While Cracken was reluctant to testify against a fellow squadron member, Ettyk's subpoena—and pressure from his father, Airen Cracken—compelled him to recount an argument he witnessed between Celchu and Horn before the battle. He described Horn accusing Celchu of treason and threatening to expose him. Cracken also noted Celchu's calm reaction, which Ettyk interpreted as Celchu knowing Horn would soon be dead, while Ven argued it indicated his client's innocence. As Cracken was unwilling to testify against Celchu, Ettyk interrogated him as a hostile witness, hindering his ability to testify favorably for Celchu.

Cracken was followed by Erisi Dlarit, another Rogue Squadron member who had also witnessed the argument between Horn and Celchu. Horn had subsequently told her the subject of the argument and his intention to find the squadron's traitor. However, the prosecution refrained from asking her to recount the entire story, as Ven could have argued it was mere hearsay. Because Ettyk could not elicit what Horn had told Dlarit, Ven was able to establish that Horn had spoken with others before meeting Dlarit. Dlarit then testified that Horn was in a bad mood when speaking with her, but without repeating the conversation between Horn and Celchu, Ettyk could not prove his mood was directly related to it.

Iella Wessiri was also called to testify, with the prosecution attempting to demonstrate Celchu's motive for Horn's murder through her testimony. In addition to assisting Ettyk, Wessiri served as an investigator in the case, and her findings were included in her testimony. Eager to prove Horn had seen the accused meeting with Loor, Ettyk pressed Wessiri with questions about Horn's report. However, she asked one too many, forcing Wessiri to concede that she was unsure if Horn had correctly identified the hooded figure in the cantina, as he had not seen the stranger's face, casting doubt on the identification. As a former member of CorSec, Wessiri had experience with murder investigations and legal procedures. Based on her testimony, Ven was able to demonstrate that the trial had proceeded unusually quickly. Following Wessiri's testimony, Admiral Ackbar, as the court's chairman, decided to postpone the trial for another week to allow more time for investigation. Later, the court members were informed that the true reason for the delay was a bombing threat against the courthouse.

When the trial resumed after the break, Antilles was called as a witness. Initially, he hoped to exonerate his friend, but Ettyk skillfully manipulated his answers to support the suspicion of Celchu. Even minor problems Rogue Squadron had faced after its reformation were somehow linked to its executive officer, leaving Antilles disappointed that he could not prove otherwise. Other squadron members were also called to testify, but their value as character witnesses was minimal. During the trial, Rogue Squadron—along with Ven—were dispatched on missions several times, forcing Admiral Ackbar to postpone the trial further. While Ven was away, Whistler and Emtrey—assisting the defense under Ven's orders—remained on Coruscant to gather and process evidence for court use.

While examining Imperial funding records, New Republic investigators discovered fifteen million credits from six accounts linked to Celchu. Tsillin Wel was called as a witness, as the Quarren had spent years studying Imperial funding to uncover secret projects and double agents. She had previously investigated a similar case when General Crix Madine, now a judge, was accused of being paid to betray the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Wel informed the court that no money had been withdrawn from any of the six accounts and there was no indication Celchu was even aware of their existence. Additionally, the encryption was light compared to the amount of money in the accounts; agents of similar rank typically received credits only in the thousands. The defense argued this proved the Empire was framing Celchu and that he was not a traitor.

The trial took an unexpected turn when Nawara Ven was contacted by Kirtan Loor—using Lai Nootka's former alias, Hes Glillto—offering to testify on Celchu's behalf in exchange for New Republic protection from Ysanne Isard. Loor also claimed he could identify the traitor within Rogue Squadron. Information about the unexpected witness leaked to Isard, who believed it was Evir Derricote—whom she believed had escaped from the Lusankya prison. Isard dispatched her brainwashed puppet, Diric Wessiri, to stop Derricote before he could reach the courtroom. In the courthouse parking facility, Diric fired at Ven, his wife Iella, and Loor—whom Diric mistook for Derricote—whom they were escorting. Ven was wounded and Loor died, but Iella returned fire, mortally wounding the attacker before realizing it was her husband.

What Ettyk had learned about Loor's testimony beforehand convinced her of Celchu's innocence, but Loor's death and Ven's injuries complicated matters. Admiral Ackbar wanted to postpone the trial again to allow Ven time to recover, but Celchu wanted to testify himself in his attorney's absence. Ven advised against this, warning that Ettyk would ruin him in cross-examination; Ettyk concurred and also advised Celchu not to testify. Whistler wanted to bring in another witness who would remove all doubt about Celchu's innocence; Corran Horn had contacted the droid, informing him he was alive and had escaped from the Lusankya. While the court remained uncertain about its next move, Horn entered and declared his desire to take the stand.

Horn began by recounting his capture during the battle, his imprisonment in the Lusankya for interrogation and brainwashing, and the stories he heard from other prisoners about Celchu's time there. He continued by explaining how he compared his files to Celchu's during his escape and noticed they were both marked as "unsuitable for conversion." This information, combined with other details in Celchu's file, convinced Horn that Celchu could not be the traitor and allowed him to identify the real spy. Before Horn could reveal the traitor's name, General Cracken silenced him and led everyone to an adjoining room. There, they witnessed the Lusankya, actually an Executor-class Star Dreadnought buried beneath Coruscant, blast its way through the surface towards the planetary shields. Isard, aware 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 planned to disrupt bacta deliveries to the New Republic.

Horn's return and testimony, combined with the comlink call Admiral Ackbar received from Antilles, convinced the judges of Celchu's innocence. Both Antilles and Horn provided evidence that Erisi Dlarit, who had escaped Coruscant aboard the Lusankya, was the true traitor in the unit. Horn also revealed that General Cracken had known all along that Celchu was not a spy, thanks to Emtrey—who had been placed in Rogue Squadron to monitor Celchu's actions. However, Cracken had allowed the trial to proceed to lure out the real traitor and gather evidence against them. General Cracken also knew that because Isard was willing to let Celchu be condemned to death, the Captain had not been brainwashed and was of no use to the Director of Imperial Intelligence as an agent. To restore Celchu's reputation, the general orchestrated a public ceremony where it was announced that Celchu had willingly played the role of a victim to deceive the true traitor. General Salm, who had been highly suspicious of Celchu from the outset, was angered by General Cracken's withholding of information, which had led Salm to misjudge Celchu and treat him unfairly.

Following his exoneration, Celchu was offered the opportunity to return to active duty and even command of Rogue Squadron after Antilles resigned in protest over the New Republic's refusal to act against Ysanne Isard, who had seized control of Thyferra. However, Celchu chose to follow his friends and also resigned, taking the money Isard had funneled to him to fund the squadron's private war against her.

Throughout the trial, Celchu maintained his composure and confidence, even knowing that a guilty verdict meant a death sentence. He stated that death would be preferable to what the Empire could have done to him. He believed that if allowed to testify, he could convince the judges of his innocence. He also befriended Diric Wessiri, who had similar experiences of Imperial imprisonment and was permitted to visit him in jail.

Counsel for the defense was not just anyone; it was Celchu's comrade from Rogue Squadron, Nawara Ven, a retired Twi'lek lawyer. Ven, being an "alien," frequently faced questions about his representation of a Human in court. Ven saw both advantages and disadvantages in the speciesist nature of the questions and the publicity surrounding the trial for their defense strategy. At times, he questioned his own capabilities in defending Celchu against a formidable prosecutor like Ettyk, but the captain, along with other squadron members, consistently reassured him of their complete faith in his abilities.

The droids Emtrey and Whistler, the latter being convinced that its master was mistaken in believing Celchu to be a traitor, played a role in helping Ven prepare Celchu's defense. While Ven was away on squadron missions, the droids, under Ven's instructions, conducted their own investigations. Whistler was displeased to see Horn's former partner, Iella Wessiri, assisting the prosecutor and working against their side, but agreed to share some evidence the droids had uncovered with her—evidence that the captain's actions had actually slowed the spread of the deadly Krytos virus. Their reasoning was that if Celchu had truly been a spy and a traitor, he would have facilitated a faster attack on Coruscant, allowing the virus to spread more rapidly.

Commander Halla Ettyk, a renowned attorney hailing from Celchu's home planet of Alderaan, served as the prosecutor in the trial. Following the destruction of her homeworld, which occurred while Ettyk was away deposing a witness, she joined General Cracken's counterintelligence staff. Despite having been away from legal practice for seven years, Nawara Ven was well aware of Ettyk's reputation and would have welcomed her removal due to a conflict of interest, but he found no grounds for it. Despite this, Ettyk treated Celchu fairly, even advising him against testifying while Ven was hospitalized. Upon learning that Kirtan Loor was prepared to testify on Celchu's behalf, Ettyk was prepared to concede the suspect's innocence, and after Horn's testimony, she promptly dropped all charges against Celchu.

Iella Wessiri, a former CorSec investigator and Horn's former partner, also provided assistance to Ettyk in the courtroom. Driven by a desire to bring her friend's killer to justice, Wessiri's involvement was not seen as a conflict of interest by the defense, given her reputation for thoroughness in investigations. At times, Wessiri displayed a stronger conviction in Celchu's guilt than Ettyk. This was especially evident after Wessiri's own testimony, during which she expressed doubts about Horn's identification of Loor in the cantina. Wessiri was not present when the captain was exonerated, due to the shock of having been forced to kill her own husband.

Given Celchu's military background and the New Republic's still-developing judicial system, the selection of judges fell upon three high-ranking military leaders: Admiral Ackbar, General Horton Salm, and General Crix Madine.

As the Supreme Commander of the New Republic Armed Forces, Admiral Ackbar was chosen to lead the court. He had to split his time between commanding military operations, attending meetings of the New Republic Provisional Council, and overseeing the trial. Ackbar was perceived as an impartial and unbiased judge. Upon Horn's demonstration of Celchu's innocence, Ackbar was visibly pleased to acquit him of all charges.

The defense team would have preferred to disqualify General Salm from the proceedings due to a perceived conflict of interest, as Salm's initial deep suspicion of Celchu was widely known. However, they ultimately decided against it, reasoning that a failed attempt to replace him would only solidify his opposition. When General Airen Cracken revealed his prior knowledge of the Alderaanian's innocence, Salm expressed anger towards the Intelligence leader, whose actions had led Salm to unfairly judge and mistreat Celchu.

General Crix Madine from New Republic Intelligence was viewed by Ven as the most sympathetic judge towards the defense. Madine himself had faced similar accusations of being a double agent in a comparable trial, leading Ven to speculate that he might empathize with Celchu's situation. Ven also believed that Madine had encountered Ysanne Isard during his time among Imperials, who the defense alleged had fabricated the evidence against the defendant.

The trial garnered widespread attention throughout the New Republic, partly driven by the Republic's desire to distinguish itself from the Empire, which had shrouded its judicial system in secrecy and xenophobia. The New Republic government also aimed to demonstrate the adherence of its trials to the law and the certainty of just outcomes. Fliry Vorru—a former Imperial Moff and leader of the Black Sun, and one of the genuine double agents within the New Republic's original task force—closely observed the trial's progress and shifts in public sentiment, concluding that the New Republic was only harming itself by continuing to pursue the case against Celchu based solely on circumstantial evidence.

The entire trial was recorded for holo broadcasts, with frequent summaries featured in news reports. Initially, the New Republic considered direct broadcasts, but this idea was abandoned due to concerns that the trial might devolve into a media spectacle. Journalists remained present in the courtroom, eager to interview all witnesses. Publicly, Celchu was labeled as guilty, and his alleged treason was likened to the offenses of Prince Xizor and Darth Vader. This animosity extended to the jail where Celchu was held, where he was placed in solitary confinement for his own protection.

The fact that the accused was Human while his defense attorney was a Twi'lek heightened public interest in the trial. Furthermore, the trial served as a crucial distraction for the New Republic from the Krytos virus, which had claimed numerous lives in the galactic capital. While the New Republic celebrated Corran Horn as a hero of the battle in which Coruscant was captured, accusations of treason against the government overshadowed the murder charge in the publicity surrounding Celchu's trial.

The trial of Tycho Celchu was featured in Michael A. Stackpole's third X-wing novel, The Krytos Trap, after being initially mentioned in the preceding novel, X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble. Later, the trial received mentions in two other novels by Stackpole, X-Wing: Isard's Revenge and I, Jedi, as well as in Aaron Allston's debut X-Wing novel, X-Wing: Wraith Squadron.