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against the palm of his other hand. “I’m going to be right out there. Anything funny happens, and you’ll be spending a lot of time with this traitor.” He turned and headed back out to the far side of the transparisteel barrier.
    Wedge dropped into one of the four chairs around the table in the middle of the room. “How are you doing? Is that guard causing you trouble? Because if he is, I’ll do something about it.”
    Tycho sat across from him and shrugged. “Voleyy isn’t so bad, he just doesn’t like things to get odd on his watch. Other guards are worse, and if I weren’t in solitary confinement, I think the general population would have already tried and executed me.”
    “What?” Tycho’s comment caught Wedge by surprise. “What do you mean by that?”
    “I thought it was rather self-explanatory.” Tycho shook his head, then smiled up at his friends. “You have to remember, I’ve been charged with murder and treason. There are guards here who are just waiting for an excuse to show the New Republic how deep their patriotism runs. Some of the prisoners think they could win a pardon by saving the Republic the cost of a trial. I shouldn’t think that would come as a surprise to you, Wedge.”
    “No, I guess it doesn’t, but your reaction to it does. If I were in your boots, I’d be angry and outraged.”
    “That’s because you’ve never been a guest in the Empire’s correctional system.” Tycho sighed and Wedge read weariness in the way his shoulders sagged. “All the angerand outrage I can muster won’t get me out of here any faster, and it could get me in trouble.”
    “But aren’t you angry about being imprisoned for something you didn’t do?”
    “Yes.”
    Wedge opened his hands. “Then why don’t you show it? You can’t keep it bottled up inside. It’ll tear you apart.”
    Tycho took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Wedge, you’ve always been my friend and you’ve supported me with no questions asked, but what I’m enduring now is really no different than what I endured while being under house arrest. Sure, I can’t go flying, can’t head out to Borleias with Mirax to save Corran’s tail, and I’m not free to walk the streets of Coruscant as your hole card, but nothing has really changed. Since my capture by the Empire right here on Coruscant I’ve been their prisoner. I’ve never really escaped the Empire because they managed to make others suspicious of me. I was outraged then and have been since, but protesting wouldn’t do me any good. The only way I can be free, truly free, is for the Empire to be destroyed. I know, as it falls apart, someone somewhere will have the information that will set me free.”
    “And if they don’t?”
    Tycho cracked a smile. “You figured out a plan to take Coruscant away from the Empire. Springing a friend from prison shouldn’t be that hard for you to manage.”
    Nawara Ven cleared his throat. “Let’s not be adding conspiracy to the charges against you.”
    Tycho nodded. “As you wish, Counselor. How’s my defense going?”
    “Good and bad.” Nawara Ven sat at the end of the table and a little green and white R2 unit rolled up beside him. “The best thing we have going for us right now is that Whistler here has joined our defense team.”
    “But I’m accused of killing Corran Horn. He and Corran were partners. Why would he want to help defend me?”
    The droid keened a reply.
    Wedge smiled. “Ah, he did know Corran well.”
    The Twi’lek nodded. “Well enough to decide Horn waswrong about you, Captain Celchu. If Horn was wrong about your being a traitor, that means someone else killed him. Since you’ve been framed for the murder, if Whistler does nothing to help you, he’s ensuring that his friend’s murderer is getting away. Having Whistler on the team is unbelievably useful because of the specialized circuitry and programming he has. It allows him to wade through a lot of law enforcement data,