Part 20 (1/2)
26.
”Thank you, Admiral, I do have questions for Tsillin Wel.” Nawara Ven sorted through his set of datacards, then fed one into his datapad. On the long journey to and from Ryloth he'd read Wel's depositions and had formulated a series of questions to ask her. There really was little to dispute in what she had to say, but he needed to make certain the Tribunal understood the limitations of what she had testified to.
In direct testimony the Quarren had seemed a bit testy, and Admiral Ackbar had admonished her to be cooperative. If needed, Nawara knew he could exacerbate that natural Mon Calamari-Quarren enmity and completely discredit her testimony in Ackbar's eyes. Generals Salm and Madine, on the other hand, might react negatively if he provoked her.
Combat piloting is often much easier than this.
Nawara looped a lekku over his shoulder. ”Agent Wel, according to your earlier testimony, you've been auditing Imperial expenditures for years, is that correct?”
The Quarren's facial tentacles quivered. ”I have said this, yes.”
”And the purpose for studying these expenditures was to estimate how much money the Empire was pouring into anti-Rebel activities, correct?”
”Yes.”
”This means you were looking for evidence of expenses that were hidden--black projects, so to speak, that did not appear on any official Imperial budget.”
The Quarren nodded. ”Budgets for such things are regu-larly hidden within other programs. A terra-forming budget might, for example, have miscellaneous expenses linked to it that cover the cost of military development projects. Prior to our taking of Coruscant I would compare known expenses with the budget expenditures and create a picture of what the Empire was spending.”
”t see.” Nawara glanced down at his datapad. ”Now, you have told the court that my client, Captain Celchu, was paid approximately fifteen million credits over the past two years. This would be the amount of time that has pa.s.sed since his escape from Imperial custody. Is that a fair summa-rization of your testimony?”
The Quarren's turquoise eyes glinted wetly. ”I indicated that fifteen million credits is all we have been able to un-cover. The money is located in six different accounts. There could be more.”
”But you are uncertain of that?”
”Counselor Ven, since the occupation of Coruscant I have been working night and day a.n.a.lyzing Intelligence ac-counts. There are literally millions of accounts. I feel fortu-nate to have uncovered the six we have found so far.”
Nawara pressed his hands together. ”But these six ac-counts are not the only accounts you have looked at, cor-rect?”
”No, I have reviewed thousands of accounts myself, and my staff has reviewed nearly a million.”
”So the accounts you have linked with my client are not remarkable?”
”I don't understand the question.”
”Allow me to rephrase it.” Nawara smiled. ”How many Imperial agents have you found that have funds in numerous accounts ?”
A translucent membrane nict.i.tated up over Tsillin Wel's eyes. ”A few.”
”A few what? Dozen? Hundred? Thousand?”
”Dozen.”
”And how many of those individuals have six ac-counts?”
The Quarren s.h.i.+fted slightly in the witness chair. ”So far, none, but we have a great deal of work to do yet.”
Nawara nodded. ”Now, discovering the links between these files and an agent is not easy work, is it?”
”No.”
”Is one of the difficulties that Imperial Intelligence took pains to make it difficult to locate the ident.i.ties of their agents?”
”Yes.”
”Do they encrypt data?”
”Yes.”
”Do the encryption routines vary in difficulty depending upon the value of the agent?”
”Objection.” Halla Ettyk stood. ”Calls for speculation on the part of the witness.”
”Admiral, Agent Wel is overseeing an Intelligence divi-sion that has been at war with Imperial Intelligence for years. Clearly she would be familiar with the degree of security the Empire used to protect its a.s.sets and hide information.”
”Overruled. You may answer the question as best you are able.”
Wel's facial tentacles rolled up and slowly unfurled. ”Encryption does become more difficult the more valuable the a.s.set. The methods used to hide Captain Celchu's iden-t.i.ty show him to be of middling importance to the Empire.”
Nawara smiled. ”So you have uncovered other agents on the same level of importance as him?”
”Dozens. Hundreds.”
”And each of them had fifteen million credits paid out?”
The Quarren hesitated. ”No.”
”No? How much were they paid?”
”Thousands.”
”So you're saying that while Captain Celchu was pro-tected like an agent of little value, he was paid out of all proportion with his apparent worth to Imperial Intelli-gence?”
”That is one conclusion that could be drawn from the accounts.”
”Is the other perhaps that he was set up to look like a valuable agent as part of a frame-up?”
”Objection. Speculation.”
”Withdrawn.” Nawara nodded to Commander Ettyk. ”Agent Wel, how much money has Captain Celchu taken from his accounts?”
Wel's tentacles writhed. ”None.”
”To your knowledge, is there any evidence that Tycho Celchu knew the accounts existed?”
”No.'~ Perfect. ”So these accounts could have been set up and made to look as if Captain Celchu was an Imperial agent without his knowledge, specifically to discredit him in a trial like this?”