Demanding Justice

[Wolfs Ghost]

Comm ID: Amiral Arthur Levesque
Target ID: General Jean Quenneville;
Transmitting to all of Gallia
Subject: Public Trial for Colonel Loup

News and Neurelnet transmitters throughout Gallia suddenly receive a video feed from Planet Marne, in the Champagne system; a podium stands before the a blue, white, and red flag with a fleur-de-lys in the middle of the white field, the flag of the Republique. Several news agencies begin to broadcast it across their networks. Shortly after, a man appeared walking from the left of the screen and stopping in the middle, behind the podium. He looked to be about his mid forties. His facial expression showed discontent, and as he spoke, his tone of voice sounded rather displeased.

"Bonjour Monsieurs and Madames,

We are set apart from the agents and machinations of the Crown by a number of factors. The desire for freedom, the capacity for mercy... The comprehension of justice. These factors define us; they make us great. But we are to excavate the very ground upon which we stand if we turn a blind eye to injustice.

Hypocrisy, self-interest, corruption. We walk a fine line between what we are and the threat of what could be. The squalls and eddies of war serve the purpose of unbalancing and disturbing the course of the Liberation Movement, threatening to cast us into murky void. This cannot be allowed happen. We are not above justice, and justice calls for retribution. Murder and attempted murder. Three citizens of Gallia lie dead, with the rest of the La.Fayettes crew lucky to escape with their lives.

This incident must be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. This was no mere aspirant, nor a milita pilot. This was a full blown Colonel of the [C] task force. This man should have been well aware of what he was doing and had the competence to defuse matters as they escalated. And no technical error can account for such a travesty no error locks a pilots weapons onto a transport until its shields are depleted, and then again, until its hull has been rent open by antimatter explosions.

The Council does not kill civilians, monsieurs - we fight to protect them. There is a reason the extremists of the Marquis were cast from our ranks. So when a foul travesty such as this casts a blight upon our entire organisations reputation as a whole, action must be taken. The Republique de Gaule is officially demanding a public enquiry be held, to account for the actions of Colonel Michel Loup, of the Council Military on the 6th of the 7th, 818. A military tribunal is out of the question. This procedure must be impartial and transparent we are not the Monarchists, and those at fault must be held accountable by a civil court if a civil enquiry finds said pilot responsible for his actions.

Let Gallia know that injustice shall not be ignored. No-one is immune to the morality of a new progressive age, be it a common citizen, or a ranking military officer. Justice will be served, publicly."

The man looks to his right, and nods. Shortly after the video feed cuts.

---

[Wolfs Ghost]

**Re-transmitting broadcast**

---

[Wolfs Ghost]

Comm ID: Amiral Arthur Levesque
Target ID: General Jean Quenneville;
Subject: Public Trial for Colonel Loup

Two days and no response, two days.

Quenneville, this is leading me to the conclusion that you're no better than the Royalists which we fight. We demand that public trial, and I will see to it we, the people of Gallia, will get it. I will not let this go unpunished the actions of Colonel Michel Loup were frowned upon, and your attempts to cover it up are shameful at the most.

---

[teschy]

>>> Incoming Transmission <<<




From: General Jean Quenneville
To: Amiral Arthur Levesque
Subject: Public Trial for Colonel Loup



Two days, Levesque, two days.

You must be losing your mind over power. This investigation was not a bloody walk in the park, you should know better. It was about a high ranked and trusted Council military officer. But it doesn't matter anymore, does it? Colonel Michel Loup died today at the intensive care unit, due to severe respiratory issues from the accident, while you were busy accusing me of absolutely outrageous things. He died at the hands of two vengeful escort pilots, who did not wish a proper trial to be done. They preferred to shoot him up, and end his life in this painful manner.

And I have the results of the investigation. It was a malfunction in the automatic-targeting systems of the Basilisk that Loup was flying. Happy now? No, he wasn't a traitor nor a terrorist. You, on the other hand, you need check your facts before making such statements. You are mad. Loup was acting under my command. Loup was my friend. Now he is no more, you have the blood you're crying for.



[font=Courier New][color=#FF6600]>>> End Transmission <<<

[jammi]

To: General Jean Quenneville.
From: Captaine Ruiz' de lu la Ramper.
CC: Public Enquiry; Public Trial; [C] Findings.

Monsieur, you have my deepest sympathies for the loss of Colonel Loup. Despite this, it is my duty to pen the following communication. I have been authorised by Amiral Levesque to contact you regarding this... incident, and the, might I say, dubious results of your enquiry.

Firstly, I am to deliver a message. The Republique does not want blood, and nor did it before the Colonel's demise. I don't know how you run your camp, but we find the death sentence to be barbaric and repulsive. Had he been found guilty, he would have been imprisoned, and faced judicial charges.

These could have ranged from a prison sentence, to labour, to exile - depending on the severity of the conviction. Blood does not come into it; justice does. The same principles would apply to all and any who have sundered the law - for example, I know for certain that upon his arrest the King will be facing numerous life sentences. For a sweet sense of irony, he will probably be jailed in exile in a remote corner of Sirius (if they will take him).

Now, on to the case at hand. You say that Colonel Loup should be given the benifit of the doubt, merely because he was "a high ranked and trusted Council military officer"? Monsieur, you do realise it was thinking like that which sparked the revolution? No-one is above the law, and it is our duty to investigate any case in which it may have been infringed. The very fact that the integrity of such a highly ranked officer is being called into question should be enough to spark a thorough, comprehensive and public enquiry! This was no mere Aspirant, who could have been passed off as a Royalist infiltrator - it was a member of your high command! If one such as himself could be called into question, that casts an incredibly poor light on the rest of your operation hierarchy.

You can withhold the public enquiry, and lose face on an organisational level as the people call your conduct and integrity into question. Or you can permit a public enquiry and publish the findings openly. At worst, you absolve yourself of a rogue unit. At best - as I expect the result to be - you clear your friend's name.

Now, to the meat of my actual purpose here, besides rhetoric, non? I am one of the most accomplished bomber pilots of the Armee de la Republique. I know the Basilisk as I know the back of my own hand. I also know the stress factors a "Vache" class transport can withstand, having worked with the crews of Republique shippers in the past. This means I know a decent amount about both my Basilisk's technology as well as how survivable the Vache is.

I can tell you now, that your findings stink of a cover-up. Analysis of the ruins of the La.Fayette before Royalist salvage teams arrived, after being cross referenced with intelligence from a sympathiser inside IDF (who for now shall remain anonymous in the interest of preserving his safety) revealed the grade of equipment that was being employed.

An Advanced Civilian Shield relay. For those not familiar with the technology, simply put, it means that a concerted effort must be made to drop it, a la an Antimatter torpedo followed by a burst from the primary weapons battery. After this, the powercore would have to be recharged and another round prepared. Following this, a final antimatter torpedo would have to be launched in order to breach the hull.

From start to finish, this sequence of events - optimistically - could have taken no less than 40 seconds, providing the victim in question made absolutely no endeavour to save itself. Monsieurs, to put it bluntly, no automatic targeting system can account for such a lapse of judgement. No competent pilot would have allowed such a travesty to have happened accidentally. There are fail-safes in place to prevent exactly this sort of situation from ever occurring. The escorts that gunned the Colonel down were merely acting as they had been trained - they had just witnessed their fellow employees apparent murder by what they were told was an "enemy of the state". How else would you expect them to react?

Do you now see why a public enquiry is required? As of now, Colonel Loup's reputation rests between that of a gross incompetent or a murderer. You do not want this. We do not want this. We want the truth, presented impartially, and transparently. We want the reputation of your own wing, and that of the Republique cleared.

We are not Royalists - we do not give 'get out of jail free' cards based solely on past conduct and military or social status. We are not blue blooded nobles or haughty aristocrats that believe they are above the law. We are the soldiers of the people, and we are all answerable to the people. Me, you, Amiral Levesque - all of us.

Sombrely,
~Captaine Ruiz' de lu la Ramper.

---

News article library, feedback and content requests.