In Her Majesty's Court

[Agmen of Eladesor]

Her Majesty's Queen Carinas Court
Planet Cambridge
Cambridge System
Bretonian Space

A rather short man, with a standard powdered wig on his head, approaches the bench.

"My Lords, I come before you today representing a free man under Bretonian Law who has been charged by members of Her Majesty's Navy with violating the laws of Bretonia. More importantly, this man has had a military arrest warrant sworn out for him when he is not under military jurisdiction. Even more importantly, he is being denied the rights of Bretonians without due process."

"Allow me to quote here, My Lords. 'No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be disseized of his freehold or liberties or free customs, or be outlawed or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed; nor will we pass upon him or condemn him but by lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.' And of course, 'all persons and organisations are granted, so far as they conduct themselves in a manner that does not inhibit these same rights in others, the rights of protection under the law, freedom of assembly, passage, and transport'. The actions by Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter are both reprehensible and quite possibly illegal."

"I specifically refer here to the actions taken by Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter in the system of Omega-3, at and about the installation commonly known as Freeport-1, and against the man lawfully appointed to be the Commander of that installation, Administrator Dakun."

"You will note that I am not claiming that Administrator Dakun is directly a Bretonian Citizen. Under our law, his citizenship does not actually matter, when he is being denied those rights that we grant to our own citizens. Based upon her actions, it would not matter if he WERE a Bretonian citizen - Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter would have done the same thing. And that is a usurpation of our laws, My Lords, as I stated before. Our very Charter states that. Are we a civilization of men, bound by laws, or are we no better than those we hold in contempt?"

"In support of this thesis on my part, let me point out and submit the following as facts. Administrator Dakun of Freeport 1 did in fact order certain items known as blood diamonds. This is not in dispute. These diamonds were delivered to Freeport 1 by a member of the organization known as the Red Hessians. This is not in dispute. However..."

The short man paused, and took a drink from the glass of water at his table.

"I am hereby presenting the following under Article 8, of the Collective Security Agreement between Zoners and the Bretonian government. To wit, that the Zoners are using their right to request mediate this dispute between the Zoner Administration of Freeport 1, and the BAF."

"First, under Bretonian Law, those diamonds colloquially known as blood diamonds are not illegal to possess, neither are they contraband or limited contraband. While we ourselves may find it personally reprehensible, under our System of Laws, they are NOT illegal."

"Second, that there was a member of a known criminal organization present that delivered these diamonds is also perhaps reprehensible, but in and of itself due to the location not an illegal activity. Allow me to quote from Article Two of the Treaty of Bethlehem. 'The BAF and BPA have the ability to enter the NFZ to arrest known criminals that are loitering in Zoner installations. Proof of the criminal's specific crimes must already be available, before such as action can be taken. Pilots just associated with a criminal organization or House, but with no crimes on record, are not subject to this ability."

"Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter had no jurisdiction to take any actions against Administrator Dakun. Therefore we hereby request that her arrest warrant for him be voided by this court."

He paused and took another sip of water.

"Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter has also issued a broad statement that Her Majesties Government has decided to take control of Freeport 1, effectively by fait accompli seizing it by taking the authority to place administrators there. I hereby submit to you, My Lords, that this action is also illegal and in violation of Bretonian Law. I reference to you, quite frankly, Her Majesties specific title, and again the Bretonian Charter."

"Specifically, 'the Domain of Her Majesty Carina I, Queen of Bretonia, Empress of the Taus, Sovereign of the stars of Dundee, Chester, Lewis, Orkney, Inverness, Poole and Salisbury'. The system of Omega-3 has not been formally annexed by our Parliament, nor has Her Majesty seen fit to issue an edict that She has formally claimed this system. If She had done so, then her title would necessarily have changed. Our military forces patrol Omega-3 and we have agreeable treaties with our neighbors as this is a border system unto our own sovereign space, but in and of itself the Government of Bretonia has not formally annexed this space."

"Thus, Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter has, to put it into the vernacular, put her foot into it."

"Now, My Lords, we come to the true bone of contention to this issue, having peeled back the layers of meat. For what recompense can we seek?"

"Specifically, My Lords, I submit to you that the Admiralty of the BAF, by their actions have removed themselves from being responsbile to our civilian government, and are attempting to set themselves up as a military dictatorship. How could any freedom loving citizen of Bretonia reach any other conclusion, after these very words by Sir Jack Fraser, and I quote, 'ANY that DARE challenge the AUTHOURITY of the ADMIRALTY in this matter will be DECLARED TRAITORS TO THE CROWN.' He further said, 'And let this serve as a severe warning to all those that seek to bring frivolous lawsuits against Officers of the Crown, this will not be tolerated. You will obey the directions of a Military Officer in war time, or you will be shot.' That, My Lords, is a man who no longer respects Civilian Authority, the Authority of our Civil Process, and our Civilian Goverment, or the Laws of Bretonia."

"The Laws of Bretonia... Again, I quote, 'No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be disseized of his freehold or liberties or free customs, or be outlawed or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed; nor will we pass upon him or condemn him but by lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.'"

"How, exactly, are the words and actions of Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter or those of Sir Jack Fraser different from any other dictator throughout history? Are those true actions by a member of a military sworn to uphold and protect their civilian government? I submit to you, My Lords, that as the Court of Record and the Court of Law for the Kingdom of Bretonia that you must declare these actions to be illegal and to allow for redress of wrongs and grievances."

"This concludes my opening statements."

The man turned and then sat down.

---

Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.

[Vogel]

Devon Miles, Chief Executive of the Foundation for Law and Government, sat among the curious spectators in the Gallery. Given the high level of this court, the Gallery was noticeably offset from the proceedings, and sealed by a laser-proof transparent screen with only one, secure entrance in the center, serving as the Bar. Speakers were set about the walls and ceiling so that the voices would carry to their ears, but otherwise the Lords they were observing were like creatures from another world.

Devon looked down at the datapad in his lap. In it was contained the sum of his experience with ex-Administrator Dakun. Enough, he surmised, to put the man in a mental ward.

Provided the Lords turned a deaf ear to the things this man was now saying.

Granted, he and his Foundation were devoted to a policy of active engagement when it came to matters of public safety, regardless of the House in question, but also a policy of neutrality when it came to politics. As such, were he ever called to the bench, he would be unable to decry any accusations against the Admiralty, making his testimony a dubious proposition for the Defense.

Pulling a pair of Opera Glasses from his jacket pocket, Mr. Miles continued to observe the case as it unfolded.

-----

[Dane Summers]

Dane was asleep. he had his head on a simple metal desk (Dakun's old gilded desk had been broken up and recycled), resting on his arms, snoring loudly. He sat in the only thing he decided to keep in Dakun's overdecorated "man-cave" - a large, very comfortable, leather chair. Everything else sat in a garbage container, waiting to be taken out. Cheap gaudy gilded pictures of old endeavors, a faux white tiger skin couch, a massive floor to ceiling self portrait that had to be broken into pieces to fit into the already large bin. the carpet had been ripped up, leaving a bare rough metal floor. And even with the sound of power tools so ever present, Dane slept soundly. He hadn't in at least two days.

An aide, noting the time, strode into the office. In truth, he was just a citizen, who, up until two days ago, ran a commissary. But he'd been pressed into a foreman's position in the wake of the uproar. With some patting on the shoulder, Dane roused to full lucidity.

"no-its-alright-i-was-just...uh...*deep breath*...how long was i out?"

"Dont worry kid, it was only maybe an hour - The trials on the net, ya told me to wake you when it was on."

Dane yawned and stretched, smelled his shirt and winced. Switching on the Vidlink feed on the Desk, he caught the last few sentences of the opening statements. The vidlink was also two way, so if he was called to testify, a small fear, he would be able to be there, if not physically.

"Hey kid, you want somethin' to eat? Maybe some coffee? Your runnin yourself ragged over this..."

Dane shook his head.
"Naw, im good. I shouldnt even have slept really."

With that, he rubbed his eyes awake, and focused on the proceedings.

---

[arvg]

The Duke of Norfolk entered the room with little fanfare, moving to take a seat behind the defense, ready to be called as a witness, as per his duty, for either side.

He had his own opinions of the Omega-3 affair, but he was more than willing to let things play out a little, to see where it went.

---

[Daedric]

Magistrate Maxwell Hall stood to address the court.

"Mr Dewey, the court wishes to know if you are filing a lawsuit against Dame Hunter or are you defending Dakun against the charges brought against him by the Bretonia Parliament?"

---

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[Agmen of Eladesor]

"Actually, my Lords, neither."

There was a silence in the room.

"To the first, Admiral Fraser has quite blatantly stated that he would simply pull out a pistol and shoot me if I or anyone were to do so. To the second, I would have to say simply, what charges? There has to be a legal basis for any criminal charges to be made. Since Commodore Hunter actually performed an illegal action, there can be no basis for any criminal charges against Dakun."

"Instead, my Lords, I hereby serve this writ of criminal charge against Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter, with the charge of stealing. Specifically, grand theft space station."

---

Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.

[Daedric]

"Mr Dewey, I think you are confusing facts here. Commodore Dame Hunter merely delivered the will of the Queen and of Parliament." The Magistrate's face became very stern and he looked directly at Mr Dewey, "Are you accusing the Queen of criminal conduct?"

"As for your writ, it is little more than tissue paper. You don't issue writs in this Kingdom, Mr Dewey, that is something the courts handle. If you have evidence that Commodore Dame Hunter has infact stolen a station, please present it to the court."

---

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[arvg]

The Duke of Norfolk glanced up, a bemused smile on his face.

This was starting to get interesting.

---

[Agmen of Eladesor]

"To the contrary, your Lordship. I am an officer of the Court, duly certified and licensed to practice both civil and criminal law in the Kingdom and on behalf of the residents and citizens of Bretonia. I specify that because while someone may be a resident here, under our law they do not actually have to be a citizen. However, of course, residents are also provided the same protections under Bretonian Rule of Law as citizens."

"As such an officer, and as you well know, a writ of this nature - specifically detailing the charges - is something that we DO issue, in accordance with relevant civilian and criminal law. In this case, the charge that Commodore Dame Evyn Hunter did illegally and unlawfully remove and interfere with the normal operating procedure of privately owned property. To wit, her actions effectively stole the station from the rightful administrator, who was duly appointed by the owners of that station."

"Unless I am mistaken, and the military has declared a coup and thus removed Her Majesty from power, then this is - or should have been - a civil matter, as defined under Bretonian Law. Of course, when members of the military offer - nay, THREATEN - to shoot civilians they are sworn to protect, once must wonder, mustn't one?"

---

Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.

[arvg]

Norfolk tried to suppress a smirk.

Not that he would personally shoot the lawyer, as tempting as THAT thought was. He would ensure that the current Bretonian law was protected.

---