Leea Pandac
Character
Vortex Military Court
Local Time: 10:48
The front end of the room was boiling; the severe temperature outside demanded the heating coils be maximized to heat the entirety of the spacious room. The singular person sitting atop the pedestal, a general of some variety, was sweating profusely in his stiff uniform. If not for the carefully designed chair, he might have tottered from his high seat under the weight of his gold frillings and accoutrements. The Jury on either side seemed to be suffering equally in the intense heat; the occasional fan waving was the only airflow to be felt at this end of the room. The accuser sat directly across from the defendant, the sole serene individual in the room. His carefully prepared suit and features, as well as a thermodynamic anomaly that maintained that one point in the room at a half-way pleasant temperature, helped maintain an appearance of calm assuredness, a person almost capable of being mistaken as justice personified. The defendant sat in an even greater heat, with a bright light blasting down on her, turning her into a focal point of the meeting, forcing every flaw to be made painfully obvious. Behind the defendant's chair, an assembly area allowed select individuals to watch the case unfold. There was a crowd that filled the chairs and spilt out into the extreme cold outside of the temporary structure.
A voice magnified to near-deafening boomed throughout the room, ensuring the holorecordings and onlookers would catch every word perfectly. "This, the Vortesian Monarch's Righteous Arm Tribunal, is now in session. Leea Pandac, you are the highest-ranking enemy of the seditious forces belonging to the traitorous communities that exist to destroy the Monarch. You are also an offworlder, refuting any claims you may have to the Monarch's Cloak. You have no affiliations with galactic powers and shall be afforded no political protection. You were captured by our forward reconnaissance, attempting to escape on stolen Righteous Arm ships with the leaders of several parties involved in the conducting of raids on Monarch territories. These parties have spoken extensively to your involvement in leadership roles within their hierarchy and have stated under oath that you were one of the primary motivating factors for the civil unrest that has been ongoing for several months now. You are hereby charged with the following crimes in relation to your and your associate's activities during this period of unrest: Murder, Manslaughter, Assault, Robbery, Larceny, Perjury, Espionage, Desertion, Sedition, Contempt of the Monarch, Conspiracy...
Leea could not see behind her, but she had seen some familiar faces when she had been led in. She didn't care what the accuser had to say, after all, it was mostly fabricated, or misplaced guilt. She hadn't realized this was a civil war when her firm had sent her here. The Mirialan was now paying for her lack of research. So, she waited for the accuser to finish his speech, certain now that without some external help, she was likely on death row or life imprisonment if she were lucky. The victor definitely got to write history their way. The Monarch had committed some of the crimes, and now she was getting blamed for them.
"-the destruction of medical personnel and non-combatants, and the use of chemical weapons. Leea Pandac, this is a grave list of charges. Proof of your activities has been obtained, and a selection shall be reviewed for the sake of the populace." With that, a hologram shone into existence above the table. It was distorted footage from an armour cam. It showed several insurgents throwing charges into a squat building.
Leea recalled the event. Apparently they are going to twist footage as well...
-----
It had been a few weeks, and already Leea had begun to predict the Arm's tactics. After the village had been evacuated, the Arm had set up a command tent in the middle. More importantly, the squad had identified the buildings they were using as barracks and communications while they were constructing the hardened structures. This was an opportunity Leea knew these fighters could hardly pass up.
Pointing on the holomap on the ground, she whispered, "Alright, we need bombs in this building here. Should be on this side of the village. Once that is knocked out, we can focus on these ones. Remember, there will be patrols, and they will shoot if they see you. Take them out first, quietly." Looking up, she indicated three of them saying, "You three, I want a secure exit point here. When you hear us, I want smoke and incens to give us cover. Remember, in and out. No heroics and keep it quiet until the shrapnel starts flying."
With that, she turned the holo and readied her rifle. This part was never fun.
