Closed Hearing: Alyesa Organa

[Mark Crassis]

Spoiler

This is not an open thread, only members who are tagged are to post in this thread.

Faith and Ater, I haven't tagged Alyesa yet, we will wait until we are ready for testimony to tag.

Location: Private Conference Room, Senate Building
Purpose of meeting: Closed Hearing on the Return of Senator Alyesa Organa

Mark Crassis walked up to the two large security guards that flanked the entrance to the conference room. Showing his identification and speaking into the datapad in the man's hand to pass the voice confirmation, the door slid open and Crassis entered, his cane thumping against the ground as he went. He seemed to have arrived ahead of the two other Senators assigned to the hearing.

Faith Balor and Ater Notechis were both Senators that Crassis knew well and made up the recently developed Intelligence Committee. Because they were the most established of the committees as of late and because of their ability to gather information, the committee was assigned the task of determining the culpability of Senator Alyesa Organa in the charges laid before her.

Senator Organa was facing a charge of treason for taking Incom Corporation from the Republic during a time of war. The charges had been levied by the Prime Minister and it had ended with the Prime Minister's position called into question itself. This hearing would deal only with Senator Organa's case, as another closed hearing would be happening soon for the Prime Minister.

Settling down at the small table at the front of the room, Crassis sat in the middle, a small microphone in front of him and an empty spot to either side of him. Before them was an empty table where the Senator would be called to answer questions, but her presence would not be deemed necessary until the Committee had an opportunity to review the case.

Without anyone around to witness it, Crassis cracked a smile and pulled the small black flask from his pocket and downed a small shot of Menkooro whiskey.....this was going to be a long day.

[member="Faith Balor"]​

[member="Ater Notechis"]​

 

[Ater Notechis]

Ater strode into the room. She expected Cassis to be there first, he invariably was. He clearly had too much time on his hands to be early for every meeting.

She entered the room just as he put something in her pocket. She suppressed a smile. She knew what it was, and more importantly he knew she knew what it was. So there was no need to call it out.

She nodded an acknowledgement to the Senator and took her seat. She contemplated the case but purposefully avoided speculating on the evidence. There would be a time and a place for that. He focus would simply be to ascertain the truth. To ensure order prevails. For in her mind, chaos brings death. In this world there is only order or oblivion. The weak will follow sure leaders but sin is satisfaction. Everyone has vices. What she had to understand in the immediate future was if the Senator’s actions were significant enough to challenge the Republic’s control that in turn ensured peace.

Oh, and the small matter of the law had to be considered too.

[member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Faith Balor"]

 

[Faith Organa]

[member="Ater Notechis"] | [member="Mark Crassis"]​

​

Faith entered the room where Mark and Senator Notechis waited. She at this moment wished she were somewhere else, someone else. The charges were being brought against Alyesa. When the charge had been brought she had reacted in shock and disbelief and now worse would happen. Her position within the Republic had now made it impossible for her to speak to her mother.

And now she'd sit to hear evidence regarding her sister. She loved Alyesa as she did all her siblings she asked herself could she hear evidence and forget that she was her sister. Questions entered her mind, ones that no one should have to ask themself about a brother, sister, mother or father. But here she was asking those questions.

She nodded to them both and then sat down. Exhaled. She would now wait, it would feel like an eternity.

 

[Mark Crassis]

"Thank you both for coming." Crassis said after Faith had arrived and joined them. Looking at her, Crassis had to assume this was hard on her. She was being asked to make judgement on her own sister, but Crassis believed that she would put her duty as a Senator before her personal feelings. Their task was simple, determine if any wrongdoing had occurred and if any laws had been broken.

"We have been asked to review the accusations made against Alyesa Organa." Crassis said clearing his throat and glancing at the charges being levied against her.

"She is being accused of committing treason when she withdrew Incom Corporation from the Galactic Republic. The argument is that by withdrawing the corporation, a major supplier of military hardware, while the Galactic Republic was in the midst of war was going against her mandate as a Senator of the Galactic Republic." Crassis said sitting back and folding his hands across his chest.

Crassis reached forward and pressed the intercom. "Please send in [member="Geneviève Lasedri"]." Crassis said and cut the transmission.

"I believe," Crassis said to Faith and Ater, "That it best we hear the accusations and then discuss the evidence. Then we can call on Senator Organa to make a statement and respond to the case put before her."

Crassis said running his hand over the carving of a crow on the end of his cane. This was going to be a long, long day.

[member="Faith Balor"] - [member="Ater Notechis"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

She was, of course, waiting at the door when the call for her presence came. The Prime Minister never thought she would have to do this during a time of war, but war made it all the more perilous with these ordeals. Someone had done something, and that something was not very good for the Republic--or the senator under investigation.

Lasedri wore no hat today. Her precise, raven-black hair contrasted obnoxiously with the white of her coat, perhaps as an omen of intention. She always liked psychological games, and one could never ignore the subtleties she afforded. Most things had a purpose to them.

Arriving at the stand, the leader of the Galactic Republic eyed the three members of the Security Council individually, neither joy nor annoyance in her gaze. They were doing their jobs. She would do hers. "Senators, I'm not sure I have much in substance for you," she admitted, eyes looking away to the side before focusing on the defendant. "But Senator Organa, I assure you, does.

"Let us pull up the Defense of Freedom Act, proposed as Bill 69743.2 - the Execution of Sith Operatives Bill. And--oh, look at that. It was put forth by none other than Alyesa Organa, Senator of Alderaan at the time. Or was it Manaan? Carida?" A smirk rose up her right cheek. "Speaking of that, I would like to note that Senator Organa has been senator of quite a few worlds by now. I must say that it's difficult enough to be elected to just one seat in one's lifetime. Not to mention, she is considered royalty on the planet of Alderaan. I'd say that in itself creates quite a political mess, if you ask me."

But she was digressing. There was more to be told here; much more to be told even later into this trial. "Anyway, as we see in the log of the Defense of Freedom debates, her opening statement: 'It has come to the attention of the Security Council that there are some among us in the Senate that wish to aid the cause of the One Sith'." Lasedri paused for a moment, allowing everyone to commit that to memory. "This entire bill was to eliminate anyone who might collaborate with the One Sith or any group so much as associated with the One Sith. I am aware that one of our own government officials was exiled due to such stipulations."

Now was time to actually get to the matter at hand. "I ran against Senator Organa for the Chief of Senate position years ago. She made several promises--as would be expected for politicians--including this one in particular: 'I will ensure peace and security is restored to the Republic - by all means available to me and within the means of the law of the Republic.' Now, that is a noble cause for the betterment of the Republic, I'll admit. And here we are again, during the discussions over Senator Cerezo's proposed Restoration Act: 'It is the duty of the members within this Senate - to protect all facets of the Republic'. While Senator Organa may have been in absence of the Senate during the time she withdrew Incom and Incom product from the Defense Forces--" Lasedri looked up from her datapad and glanced around the auditorium, letting that fact sink in before bringing up another fact straight from the bantha's mouth. "That amounts to over fourty-five percent of the Starfighter Corps' armaments--in her own wordshttp://starwarsrp.net/topic/49760-policy-of-victory-open/?p=769071. That is a grievous act, to pull away from the Republic in a time of need. And she expects and--I don't know how--does get elected a--what? A fourth time? After crippling our own military?"

The Prime Minister laid down her datapad and addressed the entire audience in attendance, taking a deep breath after her presentation. "That in itself is worthy of a charge of treason; betrayal of the Republic on perhaps the highest of levels. So it is in the interest of the Galactic Republic that we request to investigate Incom Corporation in its entirety. And if Organa refuses, well..." That would be all.

[member="Mark Crassis"], [member="Ater Notechis"], [member="Faith Balor"]

 

[Mark Crassis]

Crassis considered the words of the Prime Minister carefully and listened as she outlined her case against Senator Oragana. To be sure, as the total politician she was, much of the statement was posturing and it bored Crassis to a certain extent, but he paid close attention none-the-less....he needed to, this was a very important discussion.

"So, let me cut away most of your statement and get down to the heart of it." Crassis said laying his cane on the table in front of him and leaning forward on the table with his elbows.

"Your argument is that, in pulling military assets away from the Republic in a time of war, Senator Organa committed an act of treason by harming the Republic cause and putting our military at a significant disadvantage?" Crassis queried, to ensure he'd gotten it right.

"I will of course, open the floor to my colleagues to ask questions, but I have one to ask as well." Crassis said, taking a sip of the glass in front of him that was filled with "water."

"How do we disentangle here the rights of a company, a private citizen, and a senator? If Senator Organa was a private citizen who owned Incom at the time of the withdraw, which you seem to stipulate, does she not have the right to remove her company from the Galactic Republic?"

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"] - [member="Faith Balor"] - [member="Ater Notechis"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"To destroy half of the Republic's Starfighter Corps in this time of war? That in and of itself could be enough to convict any private citizen of collaboration with the One Sith. How does that do anything but harm the Republic?" How anyone could simply call back government property was quite a wonder as well. "How can one claim to be loyal to to this nation in the face of election when they have blatantly crippled the military that is the only thing keeping us from being slaughtered in this moment? Is that the mark of a senator of the Republic? Do we truly reward this behavior these days?

"And how is Incom Corporation still in full operation? They have decimated their public reputation and business with the Republic, and yet here Organa is, still flaunting her company's namehttp://starwarsrp.net/topic/53600-restoration-act/?p=871440 like it means something; talking about credits on a massive scale." Lasedri raised an eyebrow, finding the inconsistencies very pertinent. "Who, exactly, is she selling to?"

[member="Mark Crassis"], [member="Faith Balor"], [member="Ater Notechis"]

 

[Faith Organa]

Faith was thumbing through the evidence she could not explain the amount of credits her sister had amassed how Alyesa ran her business did not fall under policy set forth by Alderaan. Then add in that Alyesa kept bouncing from planet to planet to be a senator it didn't look good. It was like receiving a resume that showed someone moving around a lot, it made you ask why.

Faith knew that the Prime Minister and Alyesa did not get along, and that politics were never completely white or black somewhere more like gray. She could admire that her sister felt solid in her facts to say that there was an issue, and that [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] also felt secure in her position with her evidence.

Faith looked over at the Prime Minister, "I understand that the Republic was made vulnerable by the immediate withdrawal of Incom support with no warning. If Incom provided 45% of the arsenal Senator Organa should have negotiated the release of her company and not leave the Republic vulnerable". Could they support treason for her business decisions as Mark had asked.

"We cannot assume that she is in league with the One Sith, there would have to be proof. Does the Prime Minister have evidence to show that Senator Organa is in league with the Sith other than her business decisions?" Faith swallowed hard thinking of her words so carefully having credits only proves she has credits it did not prove how she got them and if Alyesa chose to continue to rave about her company it could be a business move to prove solidity, profit, they couldn't charge her with a crime for that.

[member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Ater Notechis]

Ater jumped in with a point before the Prime Minister could speak. "And let's be clear. Was Incom's decision and actions to withdraw support, or to remove all of the ships we'd paid for? They are not one and the same thing."

[member="Faith Balor"] | [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] | [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Mark Crassis]

HEARING NOW CLOSED DUE​