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“I’d say that’s a safe bet.” Corran nodded assuredly. “If Captain Celchu had been convicted and executed, she would have revealed the truth and made the New Republic look as bad as the Empire ever did. It probably wasn’t the most brilliant of her plans, but it didn’t take much effort, either.”

He turned and looked at Airen Cracken. “After all, the General here knew Tycho wasn’t the spy all along.”

Halla blinked. “Excuse me, what?”

Cracken slowly smiled. “Not bad for a man who’s been in prison for the past month and a half.”

General Salm glowered at the Intelligence chief. “You mean you knew Tycho Celchu was not an Imperial agent and you let me put him through all sorts of difficulties?”

Cracken shook his head. “Horn’s right, I knew he wasn’t the spy in Rogue Squadron, but I did not know whether or not Celchu was an Imperial agent.”

“General Cracken took precautions to guard against Tycho being a Lusankya-style agent.” Corran patted Emtrey on the shoulder. “General Cracken had Emtrey assigned to Rogue Squadron to monitor Captain Celchu. Emtrey had some special circuitry and programming installed in him that transformed him into an invaluable tool for a spy. If Captain Celchu had used him in that manner, General Cracken would have known what was going on. For General Cracken to have done anything less would have been grossly irresponsible on his part.

“Because of Emtrey, General Cracken knew Captain Celchu had not been meeting with Kirtan Loor the night I saw him at the Headquarters. I suspect Captain Celchu’s prosecution was allowed to go forward to lull the real spy into a false sense of security.”

“And to distract Isard.” Cracken smiled briefly. “She has always enjoyed these little games.”

Halla stared at General Cracken. “But you made Captain Celchu into a pariah. People were likening him to Prince Xizor and Darth Vader. What you did was unforgivable.”

“No, it was precisely what had to be done.” Cracken looked over at Tycho. “I needed to use you to find out who the spy in Rogue Squadron really was, true, but there was a side benefit to you in all this. The fact that Isard would set you up to be convicted and executed means that you were of no greater use to her. If you were one of her Lusankya agents, she would have framed someone else so you’d have been absolved of guilt and trusted with greater responsibilities. She would have fine-tuned you, not discarded you.”

He turned back toward Halla Ettyk. “As for the negative image of Captain Celchu that has been created, I can undo what has been done.”

“Never.” Salm shook his head adamantly. “Impossible.”

“Though I am not a member of Rogue Squadron, I think it is quite possible.” Cracken opened his hands. “We have a public ceremony rewarding the efforts of Rogue Squadron for their operations on behalf of the Republic. We let it be known that Captain Celchu was aware of the deception concerning his trial.…”

Tycho smiled. “Things did seem arrayed rather well against me.”

“… And his rehabilitation will be complete.” Cracken clasped his hands at the small of his back. “That is pretty much what I had intended all along the way. Lieutenant Horn’s appearance here merely makes Captain Celchu’s innocence that much more obvious.”

Halla looked over at Admiral Ackbar. “Sir, on behalf of the New Republic Armed Forces, I withdraw all charges against Captain Tycho Celchu.”

The Mon Calamari opened his mouth in a smile. “It is with great pleasure, Captain Celchu, that I say this case is dismissed. You are truly free to go.”

45

Wedge Antilles kept his face impassive as Mon Mothma stepped up to the podium at the front of the dais on which they stood. The ten days since the Lusankya’s escape from Coruscant had been grueling. Abandoned Palpatine Counter-insurgency Front cells had begun to strike out anywhere and everywhere. Rogue Squadron, reinforced by Corran and Tycho, had flown numerous pursuit and cover missions, which seriously curtailed the PCF’s activity.