Actions and consequences
An immaculate, massively wide path branches imperiously from Parliament Road and begins North. On either side of this well kept road, seven massive columns of the Greek Doric order tower into the sky. Each row of these sturdy fluted columns supports a beam of the same material, into which are carved images of man, beast, and God. The seventh columns of each side are connected to one another by a massive archway, under which all who wish to enter the complex must travel. Steps lead from this point up to the leveled section of the hill. There, overlooking all of surrounding Londinium, The House Complex reigns.
The Complex itself consists of five identical buildings, each one representing a Core World. The buildings are constructed in a Neo-Grecian style, and are modeled after the design of the Parthenon of Earth-That-Was. They are massive, rectangular structures, their external facades lined with Doric Columns which assist the walls in supporting the colossal vaulted roofs. Though considered to be five separated structures, The House Complex is designed so that each of the five buildings shares a smaller side of their structure with the gigantic clocktower located directly in the center of all five buildings.
McGuire goes to the holding area to wait for the court to be recalled. He pours another cup of coffee and lights his freshly rolled cigarette dispite the no smoking sign. <English>
"You do know that the people who are absolutely fanatical about the no smoking in a public building have a more power lobby than the entire military combined, yes?" Calira wonders as she pats down the pockets of the tailored jacket that goes with her attire and withdraws a slender cigar case she carries with her. She casually pops the top open, shakes the cigar out and arches one eyebrow at Fao with a glance toward the lighter he's carrying. <English>
McGuire chuckles, "Gorram politics anyway. Don't they realize the name in itself means many blood suckers in an Earth That Was dead language?" <English>
Laughing, Cal wiggles her fingers at McGuire anyway, "Lighter, please. Otherwise I'm just this weird old lady holding a cigar in public." <English>
McGuire takes his mini torch and raises it to her cigar. It sparks and the flames light the tip. He puts it out and returns it to his vest pocket. "I was thinking. They want to punish me for cecceding Deadwood. They say it was unlawful, when an hour before the announcement made by me, the paperwork was placed on the desk of the parlaiment offices. So why don't they task me with finding this ship that was stolen right under their noses on my planet while the announcement was being made. IF they are so all hell bent on blaming me for it, why not make me go get it." He pulls a drag and blows the smoke upwards to collect at the ceiling. <English>
"Because," Cal explains after she carefully draws a slow, lightly, inward breath to ensure that the tip of the cigar catches properly, exhaling slowly after doing so, "they need to make an example of someone. And you are presenting an ideal target, to their way of thinking." <English>
Kyoshiro is standing not too far away smoking a cigar as he usually does. He glances over to Fao and Cal, raising an eyebrow at the mention of The Temperance. Pushing away from the wall he walks over to the two. "Dont think they'll just give you a ship, Fao." <English>
McGuire shrugs slightly with a grin, "Worth a shot, don't you think? Another ship for the fleet." Then raises a finger to his lips and makes the shhhh sound, "I mean for the search for that gorram thing." <English>
Kyoshiro deadpans at Fao and just shakes his head silently. <English>
McGuire can't help but laughs. <English>
"Follow the money," Cal says after she nods at Kyoshiro. "Who profits by the ship being misplaced, or the cargo it could've been carrying not ending up where it was intended. If it was carrying cargo, who benefits by wrecking the shipping rep of the manufacturer or noble house," she isn't actually asking, just making suggestions before she shakes her head at Fao. "Somehow I think that's not going to fly, either." <English>
McGuire laughs again. "Worth a shot, don't you think?" <English>
"Oh, absolutely," Cal agrees with a quiet laugh. "But. Much as it's a nice idea, the reality is that we have to come up with a strategy to offer something in exchange," and she takes a slow, pensive, puff from the cigar and studies the doors leading to the courtroom with eyes slightly narrowed. <English>
Kyoshiro leans in to whisper to cal. <English> Kyoshiro whispers: I have the numbers
McGuire says, "Getting back their ship is the exchange. Them providing me the means to search for it." <English>
Calira glances at Kyo then leans toward him to hear his words. Her eyebrows arch subtly upward once she grasps what it is that he's saying and flicks a glance toward Fao. She murmurs to Kyo in return, making a small gesture with her free hand to Fao to signal a pause in conversation for just a moment. <English>
Calira whispers to Kyoshiro: "You have the location of the missing ship?" to Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro nods to Cal while glancing to Fao now and again as he murmers back in return. <English>
Kyoshiro whispers: Yes. I was running a haul to aberdeen and caught something odd on sensors. Its way out past freehold. I wanted to use it as a bargaining chip if things went way south but they have not yet. the have been rather leiniant and we have gotten quite a bit in return reguarding deadwood.
McGuire shuts up and knows from their body language that he's being talked about. He finishes his coffee and puffs away on his cigarette, not caring if the smoke fills the room or not. <English>
Calira whispers to Kyoshiro: "Survivors? Crew compliment? Cargo? Did you get a good look at it?" to Kyoshiro.
Calira murmurs again to Kyo before she makes that small gesture with her free hand again, inviting Fao to move closer so they may speak quietly together. <English>
McGuire does so. <English>
Kyoshiro whispers to Calira and McGuire: I didnt stray too close though. Just enough to see it was a Long Bow. I have a ship I pay every month to check to make sure its still there. It just sits. I dont think there is much of an active crew.
Once Fao moves close enough that Kyo's quiet words can be shared between the three of them, Calira's expression is carefully shuttered and neutral as she takes a silent moment to consider the shared conversation. Only after a moment does she murmur to the two of them as well. <English>
McGuire whispers to Kyoshiro and Calira: You've got to be ruttin kidding me. You know where the gorram ship is?
Calira whispers to McGuire and Kyoshiro: "It appears that he does. So here's the question. How do we use that intel in a way that isn't overly mercenary to ensure they don't sentence Fao to the hangmans noose and I don't have to kill everyone in this courthouse before walking out with you two intact?" to Kyoshiro and McGuire.
McGuire laughs out loud and quickly shuts up again, leaning closer. <English>
Kyoshiro whispers to McGuire and Calira: You cant blame me for stumbling upon something and keeping it for leverage one day. I'm not sure how to go about it myself. I figured it would have been a dire enough situation as it was the only other option would have been to fight and flee if they didnt accept.
Calira whispers to McGuire and Kyoshiro: "If the crew is alive, even some of the crew, that's something we can use. That no one has harmed them in any manner," she pauses to draw on the cigar before continuing, "that's even better. You two have been listening to the judges and the senator for how many days now? Which way do you think they're going to lean?" to Kyoshiro and McGuire.
McGuire went to the break room to get another cup of coffee and had a smoke as well. He was joined by Cal and Kyo as they wait for court to start up again. He looks at the two and sighs, "I don't know, firing line is still on the table I think. Treason is treason, but I didn't steal the gorram ship. Sure Deadwood is trying to cecced, but they had nothing to do with what Rodney dreamed up. Personaly, I think he did it that way to make it look like I was involved. That's how much he hates me." He sighs and pulls another drag of his cigarette. <English>
Kyoshiro shurgs, "Im hoping for some sort of... lifetime community service or something." He looks to Fao. "He dosnt just hate you. He hates us all." <English>
McGuire sighs and begins to pace. "Rut that. Put a bullet in my brainpan before I'd do that. I'd rather aimlessly search for that rutten long bow across the 'verse then pick up other peoples crap." He puffs away at the cigarette. <English>
The crack of a book hitting the table sounds as the Senator and the judges renter the room.
"Rodney is a mad dog," Cal says quietly. "He's the mad dog that managed to look and appear reasonable around the edges long enough to make everyone think he isn't absolutely bonkers. But he is. Bonkers, that is," she clarifies and fixes a look at Fao and is silent for a moment. "How long?" she wonders in a tone of voice that carries a subtle edge to it. "How long have I known you now, Fao?" <English>
McGuire looks to the door, "Best get back inside. Sounds like we're on again." Snuffing out his smoke in what is left of his coffee, leaving the cup and walking back into the courtroom. <English>
Letting out a calming breath, Calira smooths one hand over her hair. Snuffs out the cigar and returns it to the capped cylinder that she carried it in and restores it to the inner pocket of the tailored jacket that she's wearing. Then, after another measured span of seconds, she walks back into the courtroom and takes a seat again behind Fao, hands resting in her lap - calmly - once she's seated. <English>
Kyoshiro puts out his cigar then walks into the courtroom silently taking a seat. <English>
"Please be seated, and let the new witness take the stand. Please state your name and your connection with the acused?" The Senator begins. <English>
McGuire glances back at Cal with a reasuring nod. <English>
Rising to her feet again, Calira strides toward the witness stand, her measured cadence and bearing all conveying the stamp that years spent in the service of the Alliance leaves on all of it's retired soldiers. She steps up onto the stand and turns slightly to address the senator and the judges. "Iliana Calira d'Narvose, Marchioness d'Narvose and retired Colonel," said with a subtle nod to the senator and panel. "Friend, comrade in arms and colleague, in varying degrees of order and accompanying, corresponding, ties." <English>
"Describe for us how and when you met this man if you would." The Senator continues. <English>
Calira is silent for a moment before a subtle trace of a smile forms on her face, "Cows. Which is to say, one of the first times I met McGuire he hadn't yet learned his true name and he, his ship and crew were hauling cows. Until that point in time I hadn't actually seen cows being loaded onto ships, nor learned exactly how messy cows are to clean up after once they've been delivered from point A to point B. Let me say that I haven't taken a grilled cheese burger for granted since that day. And it's almost twenty years now between then and now." <English>
The Senator smiles softly. "And when you first met him up until now, what type of man would you say he is?" <English> "The measure of ones honor, Senator, lies not in what a man says but in what a man does. A man, a real man, shares his strength. He protects those who cannot protect themselves. He fights for those who cannot fight for themselves. He stands beside those who have been beaten down by life and everything contained therein. He is the guard on the wall, he is the soldier at the gate, he is the hand that comforts and the hand that defends. He is a man of great strength that is not measured in muscle mass or bone density, but in heart, mind and spirit. He is, then and now, one of the most honorable, and kind, men that I have ever known or had the honor to serve with," Calira answers, at length. <English>
"That was quite poetically put, however I am afraid that the measure of ones guilt comes from both what he says and what he does. His little speech was treasonous, but no actual actions were taken by him to harm another Alliance official. However, his actions inspired others to take actions that harmed many and took other innocent lives so I out this question to you. Do you, someone who served your universe well, believe that there should be no concequences for treason if a people genuinely like a person? " One of the judges speaks up. <English>
"Your honor, I believe in order from chaos. I believe in reasonable rule of law and the spirit that imbues it. I believe that the needs of the many must also respect the needs of the few. I believe that a government that dares to extend it's will to the darkness between the stars also needs to respect the rights of those who live on those far flung worlds, and - in so doing - respect right of reasonable dissent and disagreement. I believe, your honor, that those of us who have shed blood, sweat and tears, those of us whose bodies and minds and memories are stained with the things that we have done, and have had to do, to uphold that selfsame spirit of law and order and justice and preservation of peace, also bear the responsibility to speak up and take action when those exact things are made less. Made worthless. Made nothing more than just pretty words mouthed by men and women who see the uniform as a prop, see service as a social ladder, see sacrifice as something that others do - others who have less money, less social persuasion, less clout, less education." Calira pauses for a moment, studying the judges and the Senator, each in turn.
"Should there be consequences for the failure to protect the citizens who rely upon us to see to their safety? Should there be consequences for ignoring the misery, the starvation, the absolute and abject poverty that is but a stones throw from most major city centers? should there be consequences for the betrayal of the very government to it's own people because those who Have are more important than those who Have Not? This is not a binary situation. As for Treason, the right of secession is not an act of war when it is politely, and properly, documented and submitted accordingly. The romani, as a people, have been largely marginalized by the Alliance. If the Alliance is unwilling to remedy the situation then the logical course of action is for the Romani to withdraw from the Alliance. Peacefully. The Romani did not offer violence, I'll point out, it was offered to them first by the Alliance. As I was there, I can tell you that they did not lob cannon fire at Alliance warships, they did not engage in wholesale slaughter, they did not set buildings on fire or wreck random - wanton - havoc. I do not believe that his actions were treason. That said, history is written by the winners. And the Alliance is, at the present time, still squarely in that particular seat." <English>
The Senator, all lovely in white looks like she wants to slam her face against the desk, just calmly moving a hand to the side of her head and looking down at her notebook as the judges on either side of her narrows their eyes and scribble things down with small shakes of their head. A judge then speaks up. "Thank you. There are no further questions." <English>
Kyoshiro exclaims a, "Hear Hear!" at Cals words. He really cant help himself. But he is silent after that. <English>
Calira can read the expressions as well as any other card player at the table and as she gives a mild shake of her head and rises to her feet, "The irony is that you're charging Captain McGuire with treason, and I was one of the founding members of the freedom movement when it first started rolling a few years back. Myself, Salin, so many others, both in and out of service, in and out of uniform, all coming to a consensus that crossed class divides, social positions, political parties and so much more. The charge of treason is as much on my head as it would be levied upon Captain McGuire, and as I'm still on the record, I can state with certainty that the captain was not in the command structure nor was he in charge of resources, personnel allocation, funds acquisition or any other of the minutiae that is required for a movement of this type. I was. Granted, I'm just an old woman now who doesn't do much other than putter around my estate and paint, but once upon a time," she gives a brief gleam of a wolfish smile, "I too was young." This said she walks away from the witness stand toward the seat she'd taken near Fao. <English>
McGuire exhales as those words come out. His admeration for this woman shines brightly in his eye's, but he remains silent and watchful. He knows if the gussa hits the rotery, that they might all die today. But first those judges will be taken out quickly, then the Senator will be held as a human shield to get them out of the building. All of this runs through his mind in a brief second, as he observes the room. <English>
Senator Rochelle Ramirez is now being glared at by her peers. The Former beauty pageant queen and fighter pilot just takes a deep breath as they get yet another confession during what was supposed to be a trial. The woman out her career on the line time and time again in her attempts to help both the Rom and those deemed traitors due to their love of freedom. She just looks down to her hands and shakes her head slowly. "The court must...adjourn now for further investigation."
The judges just push themselves to their feet and point to Calira. "Take that woman into custody for further questioning please." As they get to their feet and gesture towards the guards, making their way out with the Senator following. <English>
Calira actually chuckles as she rises to her feet, her hands held calmly at her sides to make sure the guards know that she isn't resisting. After all, at her age, she's harmless, right? Or maybe it's mostly harmless. <English>
McGuire smiles and slowly shakes his head. "I'll take you to our room. Follow me." He looks to the guards, "You come any closer and you'll have me to deal with." Then starts to walk out. <English>
The guards of course have to follow but they do not press loser than they have to. They are so ready for the trial to be over. <English>
