The Internal Affairs
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:29 pm
Nimroth's aristocratic habits could barely tolerate this horrendous meeting any longer. The dissian burgrave is no stranger to bureacracy stretching to maddening lengths, yet still the litany of hatred drags on and on and he sees no end to this elaborate torture.
Normally the burgrave would have been busy spending all his effort into analysing each tiniest word, subtlest gesture or faintest variation in tone of the remaining eight dignitaries, that with him constituted the jury in this court martial. However, he had already known everything there was to be of the other players in this centuries long stalemate of power - three for, three against, three undecided. And after three tendays worth of hearings, the accuser was just exclaiming ferociously the 27,302nd charge against the prisoner.
He's not really listening to the particulars. The Dissians are businessmen. There are only three things he really cares about: his own interest, his Lord's fraction's and Baator's as a whole - in this exact order of importance. But cycles pass and he does not see yet how he is going to benefit here.
Alecto's agents made him an offer, yes, but if he is going to take a stance, he is not going to sell himself short. His next move now ought to be to hear the other side's counteroffer. Trouble is, with the court martial indictment procedures in place, he has no clear way of contacting her.
* * *
"...and as though this pathetic display of sheer incompetance, after all the shame her failure has costed us, as though the disgrace of it was not enough, she was saved in a lucky circumstance by mere mortals, allowing them to witness the loathsome ignominy that she had brought onto her own people. "
Alecto looks at each of the jury members, making sure to catch their attention before thundering disdainfully.
"Hear me, miladies and milords! I REFUSE for our good name to be TARNISHED by this pitiful MISTAKE of a commander!"
She returns to her desk and continues in a constratingly disattached, bureacratical, dull tone.
"Now we recall the case of Sarin'Nzith the Twice Exiled. A deserter who has entered the accused's jurisdiction and was failed to be evicted or reported within the required time regime of sixty six days. Charge 27,303: negligent breach of duty."
The red-skinned fiendess makes sure the amnizu scribe has logged it before she continues.
"It has been later estabilished that the exile has been helped on numerous occasions by the accused. Rather than be turned in as protocol dictates, she was offered an office in the diplomatic mission, a letter of safe passage through Minauros, and finally granted a free exit out of the accused's territory. DESPITE the knowledge of the exile's intention on abandoning Baator and joining the celestials. Charges 27,304 through 27,305: malfeasance and treason, exhibits Alef-Dalet-Ayin-Lamed-Hei through Alef-Dalet-Pei-Bet for evidence".
"Her newly ‘free’ mind was exposed too nothing but influences of the heavens, and even then the accused ignored the warnings of going into the abyss being borderline suicidal. And after that belittling defeat, she was in no position to refuse the Exile's demand. Even though she had foreseen the Seven Heavens would have acted as they always do, she did nothing to stop the Exile. She grew too old, too disconnected, too self obsessed. She fell from the purpose of a Brachina, and forgotten the way."
"Miladies, milords. These are not MY words, but HER associate's! I am not making this up, this is Sarin's testimony as evidenced in exhibit Alef-Dalet-Pei-Bet. The LAST words of the Twice Exiled before she ceased, as one of our glorious sisters, to exist. THIS is what her OWN close associates describe her as, and indeed what SHE has BROUGHT on them!!"
Alecto's wrathful accusation roars across the hall, but she calms down as smoothly as it never happened, and carries on with bureacratic indifference.
"Now as evidenced in exhibit Alef-Dalet-Pei-Dalet, which was submitted only recently, the Exile's second testimony completely undermines the previous statements. Since we know the previous statement has been extracted by a certified court tormentor, it is clearly the more reliable statement. Since the second statement was gathered when the hearings were already taking place, it is a clear basis for the 27,306th charge: obstruction of justice through witness tampering."
"Miladies, milords. DO NOT let that lying, manipulative, undeserving stranger to cloud your judgement. She is NOT one of us, never will be. It is CLEAR from her actions already her loyalty is but shallow facade. Her VERY PRESENCE is an OFFENSE to this court, and indeed the whole of Nine Pits!"
* * *
There is a mix of indifference, cheering and booing among the jury. Burgrave Nimroth does not do so much so as to even raise his glance up to the Accuser's fiery speech, it's not his first time on the jury. He knew who'd cheer and who wouldn't long before this hearing was even planned. At long last though he is relieved, for the looming echo he hears heralds the end to the first part of this tormentingly prolonged formality.
* * *
Across the dark hall rattles an echo of a rusty mechanism. A heavy chain goes at least two miles up in the iron dust cloud covered sky, where sight of it disappears. Ring by ring it is pulled up laboriously dragging someone along. Bloodied hooks, spikes and anchors rip out of the golden skinned winged creature's flesh violently. The accused is allowed to speak now, as signified by the gruesome restraints being removed from her mouth.
Normally the burgrave would have been busy spending all his effort into analysing each tiniest word, subtlest gesture or faintest variation in tone of the remaining eight dignitaries, that with him constituted the jury in this court martial. However, he had already known everything there was to be of the other players in this centuries long stalemate of power - three for, three against, three undecided. And after three tendays worth of hearings, the accuser was just exclaiming ferociously the 27,302nd charge against the prisoner.
He's not really listening to the particulars. The Dissians are businessmen. There are only three things he really cares about: his own interest, his Lord's fraction's and Baator's as a whole - in this exact order of importance. But cycles pass and he does not see yet how he is going to benefit here.
Alecto's agents made him an offer, yes, but if he is going to take a stance, he is not going to sell himself short. His next move now ought to be to hear the other side's counteroffer. Trouble is, with the court martial indictment procedures in place, he has no clear way of contacting her.
* * *
"...and as though this pathetic display of sheer incompetance, after all the shame her failure has costed us, as though the disgrace of it was not enough, she was saved in a lucky circumstance by mere mortals, allowing them to witness the loathsome ignominy that she had brought onto her own people. "
Alecto looks at each of the jury members, making sure to catch their attention before thundering disdainfully.
"Hear me, miladies and milords! I REFUSE for our good name to be TARNISHED by this pitiful MISTAKE of a commander!"
She returns to her desk and continues in a constratingly disattached, bureacratical, dull tone.
"Now we recall the case of Sarin'Nzith the Twice Exiled. A deserter who has entered the accused's jurisdiction and was failed to be evicted or reported within the required time regime of sixty six days. Charge 27,303: negligent breach of duty."
The red-skinned fiendess makes sure the amnizu scribe has logged it before she continues.
"It has been later estabilished that the exile has been helped on numerous occasions by the accused. Rather than be turned in as protocol dictates, she was offered an office in the diplomatic mission, a letter of safe passage through Minauros, and finally granted a free exit out of the accused's territory. DESPITE the knowledge of the exile's intention on abandoning Baator and joining the celestials. Charges 27,304 through 27,305: malfeasance and treason, exhibits Alef-Dalet-Ayin-Lamed-Hei through Alef-Dalet-Pei-Bet for evidence".
"Her newly ‘free’ mind was exposed too nothing but influences of the heavens, and even then the accused ignored the warnings of going into the abyss being borderline suicidal. And after that belittling defeat, she was in no position to refuse the Exile's demand. Even though she had foreseen the Seven Heavens would have acted as they always do, she did nothing to stop the Exile. She grew too old, too disconnected, too self obsessed. She fell from the purpose of a Brachina, and forgotten the way."
"Miladies, milords. These are not MY words, but HER associate's! I am not making this up, this is Sarin's testimony as evidenced in exhibit Alef-Dalet-Pei-Bet. The LAST words of the Twice Exiled before she ceased, as one of our glorious sisters, to exist. THIS is what her OWN close associates describe her as, and indeed what SHE has BROUGHT on them!!"
Alecto's wrathful accusation roars across the hall, but she calms down as smoothly as it never happened, and carries on with bureacratic indifference.
"Now as evidenced in exhibit Alef-Dalet-Pei-Dalet, which was submitted only recently, the Exile's second testimony completely undermines the previous statements. Since we know the previous statement has been extracted by a certified court tormentor, it is clearly the more reliable statement. Since the second statement was gathered when the hearings were already taking place, it is a clear basis for the 27,306th charge: obstruction of justice through witness tampering."
"Miladies, milords. DO NOT let that lying, manipulative, undeserving stranger to cloud your judgement. She is NOT one of us, never will be. It is CLEAR from her actions already her loyalty is but shallow facade. Her VERY PRESENCE is an OFFENSE to this court, and indeed the whole of Nine Pits!"
* * *
There is a mix of indifference, cheering and booing among the jury. Burgrave Nimroth does not do so much so as to even raise his glance up to the Accuser's fiery speech, it's not his first time on the jury. He knew who'd cheer and who wouldn't long before this hearing was even planned. At long last though he is relieved, for the looming echo he hears heralds the end to the first part of this tormentingly prolonged formality.
* * *
Across the dark hall rattles an echo of a rusty mechanism. A heavy chain goes at least two miles up in the iron dust cloud covered sky, where sight of it disappears. Ring by ring it is pulled up laboriously dragging someone along. Bloodied hooks, spikes and anchors rip out of the golden skinned winged creature's flesh violently. The accused is allowed to speak now, as signified by the gruesome restraints being removed from her mouth.