Restoring a Tarnished Name

[Subtleknifewielder]

"No word on either as of yet. Good to see you friend. Wish it were under better conditions, but all the same.. the company is appreciated more when the misery is greatest." The Chairman looked busy.. he was signing documents.. reviewing the advances in the Khmer region.. all the duties one would expect a sovereign in such a large body as the Empire to have to be fulfilling were strewn across his ad-hoc office. He hated being displaced from his main one.. it brought so many inconveniences and delays.

"Please feel free to have a seat. I hope you don't mind talking to the top of my head.. I never.. stop.. working.." He added pauses for emphasis.

Underneath his mask, he grinned, taking the offered seat.

He breifly considered removing it, along with the rest of the disguise, but he remembered the woman who had just left the room. People not in the know were likely as not to come in here unnannunced.

"I know the feeling. The work is extra hard when you have to be a spymaster on top of it all. That's why I usually let the public face of my government run things. Of course, that has its drawbacks..." he said, referring to the corruption that this trial was to root out.

"At least I know the man in charge back home, Richard Anderson, is trustworthy. He literally went through hell to protect my identity."

[JEDCJT]

OOC: I forgot about this again. Sorry about that, Subtle.

P.S. They need to make a facedesk smiley too, cuz I might use that too...

IC:

After undertaking medical treatment, and being determined to be in better health, the agent currently being held captive in Boston was taken out of his cell to an unlabeled jetliner, under heavy guard. To be safe, the captive agent was handcuffed to his seat and burly guards with heavy weapons were stationed around him, and New England Stasi officials were seated at a safe distance from the man.

While the airliner took off from an classified location somewhere in Boston, the federal government sent a telegram, through secure lines, to Maelstrom Vortex himself, informing that the agent was currently being transferred to the Dragon Empire.

Edited August 7, 2009 by JEDCJT

[Maelstrom Vortex]

"He went through a lot more than hell to protect your identity. You guys should really trust me to handle my doctors. They're under such high degrees of discipline and secrecy that the moment they let something leak their life is demanded of them." He would say.. subtly accusing him of the espionage attempt in the laboratories. "I know you disowned the spy.. but... I thought about it and I couldn't think of any one else in the world who would have been after that facility or those doctors data in particular.." He chuckled... "Don't worry.. the matter is already under the rug. I just thought I'd let you know what my suspicions on the matter have always been."

"Would you at least like her body returned?" He inquired.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: I forgot about this again. Sorry about that, Subtle.

P.S. They need to make a facedesk smiley too, cuz I might use that too...

IC:

After undertaking medical treatment, and being determined to be in better health, the agent currently being held captive in Boston was taken out of his cell to an unlabeled jetliner, under heavy guard. To be safe, the captive agent was handcuffed to his seat and burly guards with heavy weapons were stationed around him, and New England Stasi officials were seated at a safe distance from the man.

While the airliner took off from an classified location somewhere in Boston, the federal government sent a telegram, through secure lines, to Maelstrom Vortex himself, informing that the agent was currently being transferred to the Dragon Empire.

OOC: No problem. As long as you finally remembered.

"He went through a lot more than hell to protect your identity. You guys should really trust me to handle my doctors. They're under such high degrees of discipline and secrecy that the moment they let something leak their life is demanded of them." He would say.. subtly accusing him of the espionage attempt in the laboratories. "I know you disowned the spy.. but... I thought about it and I couldn't think of any one else in the world who would have been after that facility or those doctors data in particular.." He chuckled... "Don't worry.. the matter is already under the rug. I just thought I'd let you know what my suspicions on the matter have always been."

"Would you at least like her body returned?" He inquired.

"More than hell? Did you suspect him of ogiving the order?"

Underneath the mask, he pursed his lips, considering everything else. "Fine, I admit I ordered the mission. To be frank, there are less than a dozen people on this planet I trust. Anderson is on that list, as are you. Your doctors are not. I didn't get where I am by trusting everyone I know."

Even that admission was more than he would have given to most people. "I make no apologies for what I am. I have blood on my hands streetching across more than two decades, and I don't doubt there will be more before I am gone." He he let his head fall, looking down at his gloved hands. "I am not proud of it, but I will do what must be done to protect my people," he added quietly...with an almost regretful tone in his voice.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Maelstrom Vortex]

The Chairman laughs softly, he quietly pressed a button on his desk and the door locked behind them to ensure no one came in while they talked. "Mr. Harlem.. You talk to me as if I do not understand the burdens on you or the burdens of governance. If I thought my doctors a threat to you I would have had them shot myself. There is no difference in governing the Empire than in governing Promised Land or any other state. The blood of some is required at times to protect the many. The critical piece of information that you need.. is whose blood it is that is required.. and whose is not. My doctors... are definitely not a threat to you."

"You don't need to apologize for duty. You do not need to apologize for necessity. The balance we have to measure every day is the cost of one versus the cost of many and unfortunately the one must die frequently for the many. Justice demands our actions. Freedom is not free. It is the motto that is on our CIA's wall of the fallen."

[Maelstrom Vortex]

While the airliner took off from an classified location somewhere in Boston, the federal government sent a telegram, through secure lines, to Maelstrom Vortex himself, informing that the agent was currently being transferred to the Dragon Empire.

The Chairman picked up his phone, nodded.. and responded, "Good good.. I'll have them transferred to the courthouse soon as they land." He looked to Harlem, "I think that's the last of them. So.. would you like some Coffee or anything whilst we await the preparations?"

[King Kevz]

OOC: Question can those going on trial currently be seen by those waiting to see it or are the defendants hidden from sight at the moment?

[Sarah Tintagyl]

It hadn't been a trial that Sarah had looked forward in seeing, but she was elated to know that it would be over soon and the criminals who had been apart of the acts that had pushed Promised Land nearly to the brink of collapse on the world stage were finally coming to justice. Boarding a plane in Brisbane, she traveled to the Dragon Empire and were the trial was to take place as fast as possible. Arriving, late and feeling bad that she alone was probably holding up the trial at hand. Walking into the courthouse, she headed towards where a few of the other leaders had gathered for anticipation of the trial and took her seat. Waiting patiently took see her role in the affair.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

Another light came on, "There all here.. I guess we should join them."

[Subtleknifewielder]

The Chairman laughs softly, he quietly pressed a button on his desk and the door locked behind them to ensure no one came in while they talked. "Mr. Harlem.. You talk to me as if I do not understand the burdens on you or the burdens of governance. If I thought my doctors a threat to you I would have had them shot myself. There is no difference in governing the Empire than in governing Promised Land or any other state. The blood of some is required at times to protect the many. The critical piece of information that you need.. is whose blood it is that is required.. and whose is not. My doctors... are definitely not a threat to you."

"You don't need to apologize for duty. You do not need to apologize for necessity. The balance we have to measure every day is the cost of one versus the cost of many and unfortunately the one must die frequently for the many. Justice demands our actions. Freedom is not free. It is the motto that is on our CIA's wall of the fallen."

The Chairman picked up his phone, nodded.. and responded, "Good good.. I'll have them transferred to the courthouse soon as they land." He looked to Harlem, "I think that's the last of them. So.. would you like some Coffee or anything whilst we await the preparations?"

"No thank you, but I appreciate the offer."

Seeing that the door was locked, and noting that Maelstrom had not hesitated to use his real name, he slowly removed his disguise. "Those things can get a little annoying at times."

He sighed, leaning back in his chair, and answered an earlier question. "Yes, I would like the agent's body returned. Even if her family can't know how she died, they would probably appreciate knowing that they can give her a decent burial."

"As for my question, you didn't answer it. What did you mean when you said Anderson had been through more than Hell? Did you suspect him of ordering the mission?"

OOC: Question can those going on trial currently be seen by those waiting to see it or are the defendants hidden from sight at the moment?

OOC: Everyone can see everyone else. it's just that bulletproof glass seperates the accused from everyone else.

It hadn't been a trial that Sarah had looked forward in seeing, but she was elated to know that it would be over soon and the criminals who had been apart of the acts that had pushed Promised Land nearly to the brink of collapse on the world stage were finally coming to justice. Boarding a plane in Brisbane, she traveled to the Dragon Empire and were the trial was to take place as fast as possible. Arriving, late and feeling bad that she alone was probably holding up the trial at hand. Walking into the courthouse, she headed towards where a few of the other leaders had gathered for anticipation of the trial and took her seat. Waiting patiently took see her role in the affair.

Another light came on, "There all here.. I guess we should join them."

Sighing again, he put the sunglasses, mask, and hat back on. "Indeed. let's get this show on the road." He sounded anything but happy about this duty, but it needed to be done, and he rose from his seat, waiting for Maelstrom to unlock the door so they could re-join the others.

[King Kevz]

Sandra immediatly spotted Westly as soon as she sat down and though he wasn't being tried as a war criminal at least that was what she had been told she still found it hard to control herself and not cry at the possible punishments that awaited him. Making sure that it wasn't obvious she raised a hand from her lap and waved to Westly with her fingers with a strained smile to let him know she was there for him.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Sandra immediatly spotted Westly as soon as she sat down and though he wasn't being tried as a war criminal at least that was what she had been told she still found it hard to control herself and not cry at the possible punishments that awaited him. Making sure that it wasn't obvious she raised a hand from her lap and waved to Westly with her fingers with a strained smile to let him know she was there for him.

Westly Davies almost missed the subtle gesture, but he happened to sweep his gaze in that direction, noticing someone moving behind her, and his expression changed into a small smile for the briefest of moments, leaving most in the room to wonder if they had simply imagined the expression, but letting her know that he had seen her gesture and appreciated the simple fact that she was there.

The person entering the room from behind her was none other than Subtleknifewielder himself. Other than her, he was probably the only one to notice the smile, and from behind his disguise he gazed thoughtfully at the woman's back, and some pieces of a puzzle he hadn't been aware of began falling into place.

But that was for another time, if at all. The attorneys, both Prosecution and Defense, were looking anxious to start the proceedings, and so Subtleknifewielder strode right up to the glass and turned around to face all the observers, giving no thought that it might seem a little strange or intinidating to some of them hearing words from a face they could not see.

A hush fell over the room, not that there had been much noise to begin with, as he raised a hand to indicate he wished to speak.

"I thank you all for attending today. We are here because each of these five men," he gestured casually behind him, not counting the bound rogue agents, as their fate had already been sealed, "stand accused of treasonous acts not only against my own people, but crimes against allies, and against humanity itself. In each case, those who have been wronged will be tasked with determining the fate of those who were ultimately responsible for the crimes committed against the persons wronged. Each of the crimes, under the laws of Promised Land, carries the possibility of Capital punishment, though that is not manditory."

"The crimes stand as follows: One, the Assassination attempt on Daniel Jackson, President of Promised Land at the time his life was endangered."

"Two, the bombing of the Parliamentary Building, which resulted in the deaths of apprximately two-thirds of Promised Land's Parliament, along with incapacitating Lady of Foreign Affairs Georgina Gates, and putting Jackson into a coma."

"Three, the storming of Solidor Manor, the Hanseatic Lady Protector Sarah Tintagyl's personal residence, during the wargames in Brisbane."

"Four, the biological attack on Somal, which resulted in the deaths of over five hundred innocent civilians."

"Five, the rogue military attack on the Republic of Nedland, resulting in the deaths of more than a thousand loyal servicemen and women from both nations, and nearly culminating in nuclear war."

He was silent for a moment to let the words sink in. After a few seconds, he spoke once more. "Does anyone have any questions or anything else they wish to say before we begin?"

[Maelstrom Vortex]

He sighed, leaning back in his chair, and answered an earlier question. "Yes, I would like the agent's body returned. Even if her family can't know how she died, they would probably appreciate knowing that they can give her a decent burial."

"As for my question, you didn't answer it. What did you mean when you said Anderson had been through more than Hell? Did you suspect him of ordering the mission?"

He answered as he stood to unlock the door and to leave.. "I meant the bureaucratic hell of issuing the orders mostly. Until you had confessed to doing so yourself, I thought he had issued the orders to kill my doctors to cover your tracks for you." He chuckled, "Not a problem. we'll have your fallen returned as soon as possible. It should be made right."

He took a seat at the trial behind the judge where he could here well and watch the proceedings clearly. As he listened to Subtle read off the list of charges... his eyes widened as he wasn't quite expecting this scope of state confession. Their CIA and the rogue agents here had been QUITE naughtier than he had even imagined.

Edited August 8, 2009 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Ned the Great]

President Edward Bartowski (termed Ned the Great by his supporters) of Nedland rushed into the room with his bodyguards. His mistress, Heather McAdams, was also there.

"Sorry I'm late," he explained, "I just got back from my vacation." He looked to Subtleknifeweilder, wondering where to sit.

[Subtleknifewielder]

President Edward Bartowski (termed Ned the Great by his supporters) of Nedland rushed into the room with his bodyguards. His mistress, Heather McAdams, was also there.

"Sorry I'm late," he explained, "I just got back from my vacation." He looked to Subtleknifeweilder, wondering where to sit.

With a nod of his masked head and face, Subtleknifewielder acknowledged the arrival of President Bartowski, and indicated that the single secretary in charge of keeping the record hand the President a copy of what had just been said.

[Subtleknifewielder]

As he waited a few moments longer to see if anyone wished to speak, he swept his gaze across the room, from the Cochin and Somal representatives on one side, through those here from his own nation, through the Dragonisian representatives (his gaze lingered just the slightest on Maelstrom's apprentice, still wondering if his deduction could be right), across his other allies from Aiginor and New Ccymru, past 'Ned the Great,' and finally, meeting the gaze of sarah Tintagyl for a moment.

He glanced back to the prisoners behind him, and it looked as if Orlov was about to speak, but a firm stare and a hand gesture cut him off. They would speak when it was their turn, not before.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

As was custom in Dragonisian courts.. a brief opening prayer for justice, mercy, and deliverance was given. Justice for the guilty.. mercy for the guilty that was adequate to righteousness yet not failing to compensate for the evils committed in the rendered judgment.. and deliverance of the innocent from mistaken accusal.

Edited August 11, 2009 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Subtleknifewielder]

He bowed his head respectfully in the opneing prayer--though he did not hold to those beliefs, he would not disrespect those who did.

After that, seeing that no one apparently wished to speak, he stood straight once more.

"Very well. This trial will not be a typical one. not all the evidence is yet gathered, some being gathered even as we speak. I will be officiating, and on occasion, I may even participate in any manner I see fit. I will not overly interfere with due process, but due to the nature of the trial, I might at times be required to intervene."

He turned to the defendants once more. "You have all heard the charges. How does each of you plead? Brigadier General Nikolai Orlov?"

The man, without heasitation, stated, "Not Guilty on all charges."

Subtleknifewielder turned to the next one. "Major General Sergei Gogol."

"Not Guilty, all charges."

"Lieutenant General George Hammond."

"Not Guilty, all charges."

"Admiral Dylan Hunt."

"Not guilty, all charges."

"Supreme General, Westly Davies."

At first, it seemed to Subtleknifewielder that the man would not answer, but answer he did, quieetly but firmly, "Not Guilty, all charges."

Subtleknifewielder nodded. "Very well. Let the record state that all defendants pleaded Not Guilty to all charges..."

[Maelstrom Vortex]

The Chairman looked a bit disappointed. The secretary took the court recordings indicating the pleads of each of the defendants as the cameras rolled in the back of the court for the historical archives. The air of the courtroom was extremely tense as was appropriate for proceedings of this magnitude.

"The Prosecution may now make its opening statements affirming their grounds for accusal." stated one of the Dragonisian judges.

Edited August 12, 2009 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Ned the Great]

As was custom in Dragonisian courts.. a brief opening prayer for justice, mercy, and deliverance was given. Justice for the guilty.. mercy for the guilty that was adequate to righteousness yet not failing to compensate for the evils committed in the rendered judgment.. and deliverance of the innocent from mistaken accusal.

After he sat down, Ned also bowed his head during the Dragonisisan prayer. He then watched the generals as the trial began.

Edited August 12, 2009 by Ned the Great

[King Kevz]

Sandra had also joined in with the prayer and had even repeated the words quietly to herself after Maelstrom had spoken them and even asked that if any God was watching to protect Westly Davies from harm. Then she watched and waited whilst the defendants pleaded and smiled and nodded to Westly slightly, to avoid observation, that she agreed with him.

[Subtleknifewielder]

The Chairman looked a bit disappointed. The secretary took the court recordings indicating the pleads of each of the defendants as the cameras rolled in the back of the court for the historical archives. The air of the courtroom was extremely tense as was appropriate for proceedings of this magnitude.

"The Prosecution may now make its opening statements affirming their grounds for accusal." stated one of the Dragonisian judges.

Sandra had also joined in with the prayer and had even repeated the words quietly to herself after Maelstrom had spoken them and even asked that if any God was watching to protect Westly Davies from harm. Then she watched and waited whilst the defendants pleaded and smiled and nodded to Westly slightly, to avoid observation, that she agreed with him.

As the prosecutor stood and made his way to the front of the room, Davies, apparently looking at Subtleknifewielder, flicked his eyes in her direction, though the movement would be almost unnoticeable to anyone else, really, as the masked man was in front of her and only a little off to the side.

The woman in charge of the prosecution was a middle-aged woman with a non-nonsense look about her.

"Thank you, Your Honor." She took a stance facing the audience (including the judges), occasionally glancing back toward the defendants when she needed to make a point.

"Over the past several years, various crimes have occured over the globe. Each of us is here because we are, in some way, impacted by these crimes, and we are here to see justice done. These men have been in charge of the government of my nation, but that same government has been responsible for the deaths of thousands across the globe, thousands who died needlessly, for no better reason than they happened to be in the way of whatever mysterious goal the government had. Each of these men, whether they admit it or not, hold some responsibility for each life lost, whether through direct action, through giving the orders, or by failing to prevent these acts. I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that every one of these men deserves, at the very least, to be stripped of their power and locked away where they can hurt no one else. Thank you."

She smiled at the judges, inclined her head, and returned to her seat, to indicate that she was finished with her statement.

OOC: Don't be shy, people. I welcome comments, especially IC ones from people that are attending. But I won't condemn anyone for a good OOC comment either.

[Silhouette]

Joshua Williams now stirred in his seat. The investigation into the bombing of the parliament of New Cymru, while not being widely publicised, had still been going on in the background. The few leads that they picked up seemed to indicate that nobody within New Cymru was responsible, or put a great deal of effort into covering their tracks. Every component of the explosive they found was traced back to manufacturers in Promised Land, and while that was nowhere close to concrete evidence, it was highly suspiscious, considering the attack on Promised Land just a few weeks before.

Edited August 13, 2009 by Silhouette

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: I would continue myself, but MV is RP'ing the judges. Just need a signal from him...

[Subtleknifewielder]

Subtleknifewielder stared impassively at the prosecuting attorney as she made her speech. if she was unnerved at all by his stare, she hid it well, and he nodded approvingly.

The Generals, having already entered their pleas, were all sitting in the seats provided them. None looked happy to be there, but all knew they weren;t getting out of here unless they managed to prove their innocence.