SEIA28

=Chapter 28=
==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, Prosecution turn]
"Commander Ngo, your strike also hit and destroyed a common heritage site.  Geneva has in various guises, having been the capital of humanity for centuries..."
"No, it has been the Capital of Terra for centuries." Elizabeth interrupted.
"-you don't consider it to be common heritage, then, Commander?"
"My ancestors left Terra for a reason, Colonel." Elizabeth stated, "Calling Geneva 'the common heritage of all mankind' ignores the role  Africa has in the generation of the human animal-and most of that is now either residential or industrial, and nobody's putting up plaques memorializing the first time an ape came down from the trees-which, according to my schoolbooks, happened in sub-saharan africa. should we fence it off and make it a park? I'm sure the people living there would be thrilled to be a heritage exhibit?  Earth is just another planet to me, Colonel.  No different from any other planet with people on it, except maybe that it's got a bigger population than most and it's the first one people fled from voluntarily."
"SO the heritage sites were not in your calculations?" Haskins points out.
"What heritage?" she asked.  "For two hundred years nobody was even allowed to come. I recognize the symbolic importance to our Clan colleagues, but that doesn't mean I understand it.  Sentimental value has a shelf-life, Colonel."
"Historical significance then?" he asked.
"NOW you're getting into value." she said, "Every lesson on what not to do can be found in Terran history, and it's important not to discount that, but it doesn't mean this planet is so special it can't be treated like every other inhabited world.  Given how governments headquartered here have treated other inhabited worlds, if you insist on using 'the mother world' then you have to acknowledge it's an abusive and, at best, neglectful parent."
"A Center of Culture and technology Though!" he was almost pleading.
''
"Sithers, Defense Exhibit F?" Liz said over his shoulder.  "The doctrine was code-named 'Mother'."
"Where did you get this?" He asked.
"Kowloonese troops aiding General Kerensky's offensive on House Amaris collected documentation." Elizabeth said, "I believe Colonel Quiang intended to use it to pursue war criminals who might have slipped out.  We archived a lot of things, but that copy came from a source locally during Commander Sithers' investigations into the charges against me."
"You anticipated that this would come up." said Haskins
"I didn't. Commander Sithers did." Liz inclined her head slightly, "It's good to have competent staff.  She also uncovered documentation supporting Anastasius Focht's revelation regarding Operation:Holy Shroud, which was a pro-active form of the same policy. Suppressing technology development in areas not directly controlled by the de-facto Terran Leadership.  Defense Exhibits G-L, if I recall correctly from the filings yesterday?"
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