seemed to please no one, save perhaps Admiral Ackbar, but
he looked grim for his own reasons.
Primarily because I'm actually here. Wedge knew his
petition was doomed to fail--Borsk Fey'!ya had said as much
at the memorial ceremony, and various other councilors had
repeated the warning in the two days since then, including
Admiral Ackbar and Princess Leia Organa. In fact, Wedge
knew, the only reason he was being given a chance to address
the Council was because of his status as a liberator of Corns-
cant.
The Council had arranged three long tables in a half-
hexagonal formation, with Mon Mothma in the middle,
flanked by Princess Leia and Corellia's Doman Beruss.
Ackbar and Fey'lya anchored the far ends of the two angled
tables. This left Wedge to stand in the open area before the
Council, as if he were on trial. This is exactly what Tycho
will face if I do not succeed here today; therefore, I must
succeed.
Mon Mothma inclined her head toward him. "I need
not introduce to you a man who has appeared before this
Council previously and who has been so instrumental in the
New Republic's success. Because Commander Antilles may
end up discussing highly sensitive material, this will be an
executive session of the Provisional Council. Everything said
here is confidential, and reporting of it will result in possible
criminal charges."
Doman Beruss smiled. "Ah, to have cases before we
have a Judiciary, now that is civilization!"
Even Mon Mothma smiled at the remark, then set her
face again into a mask of solemnity. "Please, Commander,
speak your mind."
Wedge took a deep breath, then began. "I have come
here today to ask you to prevent a gross injustice from being
enacted. Captain Tycho Celchu has been arrested and will be
tried on murder and treason charges. The evidence against
him--what little of it I know about--is circumstantial and
weaker than the defenses Ysanne Isard left behind here.
Tycho is a hero of the Rebellion. If not for his efforts, we
would not be here right now, and I would be dead. The man
he's accused of killing is someone whose life Tycho saved on
numerous occasions--Corran would have long since been
dead if Tycho wanted him dead. Tycho is innocent, and to
put him through this trial after all he has endured would be
cruelty on a truly Imperial scale."
Mon Mothma nodded slowly. "I appreciate your frank-
ness, Commander, and have no doubt you believe everything
you've told us. Before we can make any sort of decision, it
would be useful for us to have a better grasp of the facts
surrounding the situation." She pointed to a green-eyed man
whose hair had shifted from its original red to mostly white.
"If you would, General Cracken, please bring the Council up
to date with what you have learned concerning Captain
Celchu."
Cracken walked over to stand next to Wedge. "I hope
Commander Antilles will forgive my contradicting him on a
couple of points. Some of this information has been devel-
oped recently, and because the circumstances surrounding
the investigation are tricky, I have not had a chance to brief
him on them."
Wedge dropped his voice to a whisper. "Nice ambush."
"That's the last thing I want to do, Commander."
Cracken cleared his throat. "Tycho Celchu is a native of
Alderaan who graduated from the Imperial Naval Academy
and was made a TIE fighter pilot. Subsequent to the destruc-
tion of his homeworld which he had the misfortune of wit-
nessing via holonet communications with his family--he
defected from Imperial service and joined the Rebellion. He
joined us just after the evacuation of Yavin 4, served with
distinction at Hoth, and accompanied Commander Antilles
on the assault on the Death Star at Endor. He is one of a
handful of pilots who entered and escaped the Death Star.
"Slightly less than two years ago Celchu volunteered for
a covert scouting mission to Coruscant. On the way back
facility. Little is known about this prison, except that people
who have come from it have routinely been brainwashed into
becoming Imperial agents who commit acts of murder and
mayhem when bidden to do so by Isard. Tycho is unique
among those who have been to Lusankya in that he retains
some memories of having been there. Prior to his appear-
ance, former inmates revealed their connection to this place
only after they had been activated, done their damage, and
were captured by our forces."
Wedge shook his head. "I'm sure General Cracken will
not mind my pointing out that Tycho did not escape from
Lusankya. Isard transferred him to the penal colony at
Akrit'tar, and he escaped from there to return to us."
"Thank you, Commander, I was just getting to that."
Cracken's expression betrayed neither amusement nor irrita-
tion, which somehow made Wedge think things were not
going to go well for Tycho. "Upon his return, Captain
Celchu was debriefed, and his debriefing, in fact, indicated he
recalled almost nothing of his time at Lusankya. We could
find no indication he had been brainwashed by Isard. How-
ever, we had never detected brainwashing in any of her other
little bio-weapons. We were left in the unenviable position of
having to assume the worst about Captain Celchu. Com-
mander Antilles, believing then as he does now in his friend's
innocence, struck a bargain with his superiors to get Celchu
assigned as his executive officer. Security was maintained, for
the most part, and the incidents where it was not betrayed no
Imperial leanings on the part of Captain Celchu."
Cracken frowned. "Unfortunately we have developed
evidence that suggests Celchu has betrayed Rogue Squadron
and the New Republic. In the case of Corran Horn, Tycho
Celchu had access to the command code for the Headhunter
Horn was flying at the time of his death, and Celchu had
gone over the fighter, without supervision, just prior to
Horn's flight. Horn confronted Celchu before they headed
out; Horn threatened to uncover his treason, so Celchu had
him killed. He waited until after the shields had been
brought down, but we have pretty well determined Isard
wanted us to take the planet and inherit the virus, so killing
Horn after her goal was accomplished only makes sense.
"The Horn case is not the only death to which we can
link Captain Celchu."
Wedge's jaw dropped in surprise. "What? You can't
mean Bror Jace?"
"Indeed I do."
"Nonsense. The Empire killed him."
Cracken nodded. "Agreed, but the way they got him
was unusual. Previously we believed he happened to have
been trapped by an Interdictor Cruiser out looking for smug-
glers. However, we have been forced to amend that view
following
the defection of the Imperial Interdictor Cruiser
Black Asp. Captain Iiilor indicated in her debriefing that the
Black Asp was directed to go to specific coordinates to inter-
cept Bror Jace as he headed back to Thyferra. He was a bit
late in arriving, but showed up exactly where he was ex-
pected to. They tried to capture him, but his ship exploded
during the fight. The arrangements for Jace's journey home,
including the plotting of his course, were made by Captain
Tycho Celchu."
"By my order."
"Yes, Commander, by your order--which does not
mean Isard could not have warped Celchu enough to make
him betray your people."
"But, again, that's circumstantial."
"We have more." The Alliance Intelligence chief
shrugged. "Horn told you, Commander, that he'd seen
Celchu here on Coruscant talking with a known Imperial
operative, Kirtan Loor. Horn had worked with Loor for
years on CoreIlia, so the chance of a mistake in his identifica-
tion are minimal. In backtracking Celchu's time here on Co-
ruscant--granting that you ordered him to come here,
Commander--we have periods of time for which we cannot
account. Moreover, we have uncovered a number of banking
accounts in which large numbers of credits have been accu-
mulated. These accounts add up to approximately fifteen
million credits, which means Celchu was being paid by the
Empire."
"What?" Wedge couldn't believe what he was hearing.
There was no way, just no way Tycho was an agent in the
pay of the Empire. "If he was one of Isard's sleeper agents,
why would she be paying him?"
"Commander, for years I've been trying to fathom her
mind, and I have been unable to do so. If I had to guess ,
however, I would say that creating those accounts was a
precaution to let us uncover Tycho at some point or, as it
stands now, a means to guarantee he will be tried for his
crimes."
"But she has no interest in seeing justice done, which
underscores how ludicrous all these charges against Tycho
are." Wedge brought his head up. "If Isard wants a trial, you
know conducting it will be to her benefit, which is yet one
more reason not to go ahead with it."
Borsk Fey'lya tapped a talon against the tabletop. "Or is
she providing more evidence than we need to convict so we
will be convinced Ceichu is being framed? If we are con-
vinced he is innocent, we could exonerate him, raise him into
a position of trust, and find ourselves again fodder for her
schemes."
Wedge winced. He hated Fey'lya's wheels-within-wheels
reasoning because it came down to a core problem with
Tycho's case either he was innocent and being made to look
guilty, or he was guilty and being made to look innocent
through a clumsy frame. The evidence served both explana-
tions well, and sorting good data from bad was a task that
could easily defy completion. Everyone could agree some-
thing was not right in the whole situation, but assigning
blame and assessing truth was not going to be easy.
And no matter what happened, Tycho would end up
being stigmatized, reviled, and ostracized. He would be de-
stroyed by it all, and that was something he did not deserve.
For Wedge it was simple to separate fact from fiction,
but he knew that was because he was starting from a deep
belief in Tycho's innocence. Wedge didn't have a Jedi's in-
sight through the Force---he just knew Tycho. They'd fought
side by side through some of the most harrowing battles the
galaxy had ever seen. They'd shared hardships that others
could not have even imagined, and they shared good times
that others could only envy. Wedge knew Tycho could no
more betray the Rebellion than he himself could, but looking
around at the Council, he realized that even his conduct
might not be seen as above reproach.
"I still do not believe the evidence General Cracken's
people have gathered is anything more than circumstantial."
Wedge studied the members of the Council. "For any trial to
go forward, especially as quickly as this trial is being pushed,
is reckless and negligent. I know we all want swift justice if
Tycho is guilty, but trying him on these charges right now
can only hurt him and, ultimately, the New Republic."
Doman Beruss, her light eyes glinting coldly in the dim-
ness, opened her hands. "Your opinion, Commander Antil-
les, is respected but not universally held. "['he evidence is
sufficient in any jurisdiction of the galaxy to call for a trial."
Wedge's eyes narrowed as he sensed a transparisteel bar-
rier descending between his argument and the Council's will-
ingness to act. He knew he had to do something to get them
to open their eyes, so he decided to take a chance. "This
evidence may demand a trial, but at least delay it until there
is time to scrape things down another layer or two and find
out what's really going on. I think it is the minimum courtesy
you ()we someone like Tycho Celchu, and that's an opinion l
do not need to keep private."
Borsk Fey'lya's head came up and his fur rippled like a
storm-wracked ocean. "Are you threatening to use your
status as hero to oppose us?"
Ackbar answered for Wedge. "He was doing nothing of
the kind. Because Captain Celchu is facing a court martial,
the trial and everything surrounding it is a military matter,
and Commander Antilles knows unauthorized discussions of
same violate regulations and oaths he took when he became
an officer."
"Begging the Admiral's pardon," Wedge growled, "I
was threatening to go public with my feelings about the trial.
I still am. And if expressing my opinion about an injustice is
not allowed in the Alliance military, I can always resign my
commission."
That bombshell certainly had an effect, but not entirely
the one he expected. While Ackbar looked disappointed,
Borsk Fey'lya smiled victoriously. The other councilors re-
acted with horror or a grim acknowledgment of his bold
stroke. If they had thought his speaking out against Tycho's
treatment would attract attention, his resignation because of
it would undoubtedly be an action with a much higher pro-
file.
Leia leaned forward. "Chief Councilor, I suggest we re-
cess for an hour. I would like a chance to speak with Com-
mander Antilles, if I might."
"Please." Mon Mothma stood and gave Wedge a look
that combined pride with frustration, anger with sympathy.
Wedge felt not exactly pitied, but as if there was more going
on than he had access to. He knew that was true, of course--
he was just the leader of a fighter squadron, and these were
the leaders of a new nation. But he hated to think their per-
spective could somehow justify what they were going to do
to Tycho.
General Cracken left the room last and closed the doors
behind himself
, leaving Wedge alone with Princess Leia. In
all the time he'd known her, she'd never looked so saddened.
"If you want to convince me to save my career, I appreciate
the effort, but I'll stand by what I said just now. You can't
talk me out of it."
She remained seated and slowly shook her head. "I
know that, so I'm not going to try. It's important to me that
you know I think Tycho is innocent, too. I've known Winter
for as long as I can remember, and she's terribly fond of
Tycho. tf she can remember nothing that's the least bit am-
biguous about him, then I can't imagine there's anything sin-
ister to uncover. You and I both know that the trial will be
rough on Tycho, anti unfair."
"Then help me convince them to stop it or delay it."
"I would if I could, but I can't." A deep frown creased
her brow as she plucked at the fabric of her pale green gown.
"The reason I asked for the recess is so I can tell you what's
going to happen after someone here decides that we have
been suitably courteous in listening to you and that we need
to move on to new business."
Leia chewed on her lower lip for a second. "Mort
Mothma will thank you for coming to us, but she will point
out that Tycho is being tried in a military court. The Pro-
visional Council has nt authority to interfere with the way
the military deals with violations of the code of military jus-
tice. Until there is a conviction, and punishment is decided
upon, there is nothing the Council can do, and even at that
point it is an open question whether or not we can interfere."
"But there has to be a chance to appeal a convic-
tion .... "Wedge hesitated, then nodded. "Councilor
Beruss's comment about a lack of a Judiciary . . . that was
meant to forestall this argument, yes?"
Leia nodded. "In simple terms, yes, but we haven't yet
had time to make decisions concerning the structure of such
a body, much less its jurisdiction and duties. For example,
would an appeal go to the New Republic courts first, or
would it be sent to the courts on the defendant's homeworld,
or the victim's homeworld? Putting together a government is
not easy, and the process is not pretty or without pain. There
are casualties all over the place."