SEIA23

=Chapter 23=
==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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[....Presentation of the Evidence: The Prosecution]
"...begin with a story.  This is a special story, it's a History." Haskins began, "I will ask that the Tribunal bear with me, as it is, I believe, fundamental to understanding Commander Ngo's mindset, and defining that the Geneva strike was rooted in malice."
"Kowloon...is where Elizabeth Ngo comes from, her family are notably among the first settlers of that world.  They were deeply involved not only in resisting the Rim Worlds conquest of that world in the late 26th century, a conquest made possible with the help of the Terran Hegemony."  his tone was smooth, instructive, authoritative.  "Notably, the insurgency that continued on Kowloon at low levels, spiked in Twenty Seven Twenty Nine, an uprising that was so violent, so severe, that House Amaris and the Rim Worlds Republic requested SLDF aid in stabilizing the situation."
"The unit sent, was the 325th Star League Regulars Division, embarked aboard the Warship SLS Belleau Wood, fresh from joint exercises with the Lyran Commonwealth in a nearby system.  There were three attempts at making landfall on Kowloon itself, each repulsed by the rebels, when Intelligence provided by sympathizers in the capital of Dinh Diep fingered the command bunker where the rebel leadership were running the operation.  With three expeditions held off, General Chivington ordered preparatory shore bombardment by the Belleau Wood."
He brought up images.  "This, is the city of Dinh Diep the day before...and this is what was left of the city after the Belleau Wood hit the municipal power plant on the northeast side of the city.  The initial death toll was fifteen million people.  The extended death toll was...larger, as radioactive fallout and secondary effects from the strike are calculated.  General Chivington, and his unit, were Terran Native from Terra.  The orbital strike was, in fact, in violation of the Ares Conventions, but since the territory belonged at the time to the Rim Worlds Republic, House Amaris declined to lodge protest."
He paused.  "Imagine that.  A city founded and standing for centuries, the first settlement on a world, their 'cradle of civilization' and capital, annihilated and not even a hearing. Then-Lieutenant General Aleksandr Kerensky briefly opened the matter at the direction of Director-General Simon Cameron, and conducted an investigation." 
He spread his hands, "Despite his findings, Star League High Command ordered the matter closed in 2732.  No Charges were filed or pursued by SLDF Judge Advocates, and by the time General Kerensky was installed as supreme commander of SLDF forces, all the principals involved from the Dinh Diep incident were dead, Chivington having died quietly here, in the city of Geneva."
"The Kowloonese still think and talk about Dinh Diep.  Their successful revolution in 2768 was driven by it, as a rallying cry, and the anniversary is still treated as a day of mourning on that world.  Seven and a half percent of their population died that day...so, that's our first suggestion of vengeance as motive, more than military necessity."
He held up  a finger, "That is not the only possible motive, but it is a strong one-the justifications are identical.  Perhaps the expected outcome was also identical."
"Point of order, Madame President?"  Sithers asked, raising a hand.
"You do not have to raise your hand, Lieutenant Colonel." said McKenna
"Apologies.  But...They forgave the Star League for Dinh Diep, my people, that is.  Forgave them for it, because while Terran weapons in terran hands did the deed, it was Rim Worlds minds and mouths that gave the orders.  That's also memorialized among our people. We don't make a habit of blaming the weapon for the malice in the heart that uses it, and I can give you multiple examples of that.  While it's nice to see that someone has bothered to study our history, it is just that, History."
Elizabeth, the defendant, touched her counsel's arm, "If I may?" Liz said.
"Please." said Seethers
"The lesson from Dinh Diep was more about understanding that you shouldn't let something like it happen again.  The Rim Worlds Republic spent the next twenty years sending political prisoners to die burying the radioactive debris. It's remembered more for the aftermath on Kowloon, than for the actions of a man who died of prostate cancer, disgraced and shunned by his colleagues and peers.  Paul Chivington was never put in front of a Courts Martial, but that doesn't mean he wasn't held accountable. It just means he wasn't held accountable by a weak and ever more corrupt government." she folded her hands, "Why are we talking about a waste of a man, anyway? Do you honestly think I cared about events that happened more than three and a half centuries ago?  Get over yourself, Colonel.  If that were true, the father of my children would not be the descendant of one of Kerensky's deserters."
"Then, let us discuss more recent events. While you were serving as the Civilian secretary of the Navy in the Lyran Commonwealth." said Colonel
"Alarion, Odessa, or Necromo?" Elizabeth asked.  "I sent investigation teams there.  You're right, those would be solid motives for a vengeance strike, and after the board hears and sees the recordings from those teams, they might agree that it's a solid motive to slag a city...at least, someone who didn't have a powerful desire to end a war."
"So what was your motivation, Commander?" he asked smoothly.
"End the war." she said bluntly, "End it as quickly and decisively as possible."  she looked to her Counsel, which surprised him, and said something in Viet he didn't quite catch due to tonal drift.
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