SEIA26

=Chapter 26=
==Silent enim inter arma: Tribunals==
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Unity City
North America, Terra
Sol Star System
Republic of the Sphere
3079
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[Tribute Courtroom's Jury Room...]
"...no significant departures between the two documents, though there are departures." Star Captain Ilena (Ghost Bears) observed.
"Oh god, what?"  Chu-Sa Eric Leonards rubbed his temples.
"Just in a few language changes between English and German." she said, "Different ships being assigned to specific tasks, and no mention in either document of the operation they undertook to liberate Metis and the Belts until nearly a week after the surface landings."
"So she violated the plan? We know that."
"Like a Prom date." Lt. Colonel Henry Grier from the AFFS commented, "Hard and fast.  I thought there was something weird about what happened when we got here. The Lyrans apparently were supposed to wait for Allied forces before going after the Blakist held Belter colonies. Which is accounted for, because this main plan only accounts for the Destroyers and the Cruisers, they brought a hell of a lot of those nasty little littoral jumpers."
"You know," Chu-sa Kim Keyouk spoke up, "I wondered about that.  Why were we supposed to wait four days before hitting the belts?  The Clan forces were detailed to hit the major yards, but those yards are fed from the belts..."
"Distribution, distance, time?" someone asked
"I have a simpler answer." Star Captain Ivanka (Jade Falcon) spoke up, "Those were not considered critical by Stone or the planners who worked up the operation."  she sighed and stretched, "It did make taking Titan down easier-the Blakists hid their command and control for several of their 'second generation' Caspars out there and those were taken down, or taken intact."
"How did she know?"
"How did she emplace seventeen kinetic impactors and put them in motion?  With Falcon eyes." Ivanka said, "They did field reconnaissance before the kick off. They had to have, to do what we're supposed to be judging her for, the Lyrans had to have had units and boots on the ground weeks before..." 
"Do they have that capability?"  Major Pedro Tsennig (Free Worlds League) asked.
"Commerce raiding behind the lines has been a staple of their military operations since their civil war, they even pulled it against us before the Blair Atholl and Kowloon protocols." Ivanka confirmed, "They had scouts in the Sol system before any of us embarked on the mission here, count on it."
"I think we should ask her why she didn't tell anyone." Leonards said.
"I can answer that one." Ivanka commented, "Comstar leaks like a sieve. telling anyone over HPG. It would have had to be by HPGs not in Clan hands, would be telling the Word of Blake."
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