"Like everyone else in known space, I too sat in front of the Tri-Vee, eating caramel coated kettle corn, drinking Moloko++, and watching the Trial of General Trucker." - Former Grand Most High Sma'akamo'o, from I Have Ridden the Hasslehoff

7th ARMY BUGLER

All News, No Rumors!

THE TRIAL OF GENERAL TRUCKER MOVES TO BOARD DELIBERATIONS

What can we say after the last week?

From the Lord/Lady of Hell (Herm of Hel?) The Detainee acting as Prosecutor to the defense's argument that General Trucker would have been negligent in not utilizing the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol to prevent 'substantial civilian casualties' in direct violation of his oaths, to the fact that multiple Biological Apostles sit on the board, the last week has been nothing but shock after shock.

The fact that The Detainee claims to be representing not only the Confederacy, the civilian population, but also the rank and file in her role as prosecutor has struck many barracks lawyers mute. Often, we of the rank and file view JAG more as a nemesis than an ally, usually due to taking such a dim view of things like Tank-o-Rama and Catch the Bayonet, so the fact that the Detainee spelt out that the job of JAG is to protect the service as a whole was a stark reminder.

As of now, the board has heard the closing arguments and gone into seclusion, where the board will begin deliberations on General Trucker's fate.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?]

193rd SPECIAL TROOPS ARRIVES ON TELKAN

With the "Kennel Black Box" opening, nearly 25 million canines and felines of all different levels of Uplift have rejoined the galaxy. With that number are trained soldiers from the military forces of Pre-Glassing TerraSol. Among them is the 193rd Special Troops Brigade, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Forces, from the Hamburger Kingdrom's dark and violent history.

After careful consideration ConfedMilCom has assigned the 193rd to Telkan, to be integrated into the Telkan Marine Corps. The 193rd is entirely made up of Nobilis, all trained and with combat experience from Terra's dark past.

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632nd AND 432nd SPECIAL TROOPS BATTALIONS REJOIN V CORPS

After an absence of more than 9,000 years, the 632nd Special Troops Battalion (Warhounds) and the 432nd Special Troops Battalion (Fire-Catz) are rejoining V Corps. The two Special Troops Battalions were wiped out during the Friend Plague, prior to the Glassing, and their colors cased.

With Vat-Grown Luke, what was revealed to be Legion, having defeated the Friend Plague with the assistance of a Black Box Project (Using science, contrary to the rumor he defeated the Friend Plague in single combat on the top of the Hexagon) the Special Troops Units that were put in cryo-stasis have been cured and have been finally cleared for duty.

V Corps spokesbeings have affirmed that the 9,000 year old soldiers will be undergoing additional re-familiarization training as well as integration training.

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DARK CRUSADE OF BURNING LIGHT TO SHOWCASE VEHICLES, WEAPONS, AND ARMOR

The Leader of the Dark Crusade of Burning Light, Osiris of the Warsteel Flame, has ordered his subordinates to allow a showing of Crusade wargear, to include tanks, orbital drop pods, and power armor.

These are not Idiot forces, but rather from the initial Crusade of Wrath and those who have fallen to their embrace. The technology is from the Dark Age of the Imperium and has never been seen outside the battlefield in 8,000 years.

Additionally, officers of the Crusade will be giving lectures on how to recognize and treat Enragement in TDH and non-TDH exposed to high levels of wrath or Hellspace.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?]

ANCIENT AI DRIVEN WARSHIP MARDUK SPOTTED

Confederate Naval Command has confirmed that the AI driven warship Marduk has been spotted in several different systems in the former Unified Council Territory.

Last seen during the Second Android Purge the Marduk is presumably one of the few Terran built AI ships remaining from Pre-Glassing. Historians are quick to point out that Marduk is not a Digital Sentience, but a fully programmed self-modifying artificial intelligence.

That fact it is moving deeper into former Council territory is some cause for alarm as its capabilities are largely unknown and its intentions are a mystery.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? - HISTORICAL]

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? - CURRENT]

8th INFANTRY DIVISION FUN RUN!

Tuesday morning will be the 8th Infantry Fun Run! Attending will be

>NO

CLASS VI SALE BEGINS FRIDAY

Payday is Friday, and the Class VI is having a sale on intoxicants! From Liquid Hate to Countess Crey Skullcrusher to good old fashioned Vodkatrog Salt Mine Vodka and Hamburger Kingdrom Bloody Kansas Whiskey!

Bring you ration card and credsticks!

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?]

>Y

Class VI operating hours are 0600 to 0200 on weekdays, open 24 hours on weekends. The Tannhauser Boulevard Class VI is offering a double-ration special this weekend! Your AAFES MyECP Card is viable tender!

All Class VI intoxicants are naturally made, not nanoforged!

V CORPS SMASHBALL TRYOUTS

The non-powered/non-augmented V Corps Smashball Team needs skilled participants. With the loss of TDH, the offensive and defensive lines have plenty of positions open.

Try-outs will be held at Greveendar Field.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?]

V CORPS ROLLERBALL TEAM TRYOUTS

Either you know what it's about and have the guts to be there or you don't.

Try-outs at R'Zerx Skating Rink, 1900 Hours, Saturday.

If you don't think you have what it takes, we don't need you.

[NO ADDITIONAL DATA]

VII CORPS ARRIVING NEXT WEEK

Just in time, the engineers have finished the buildings for VII Corps to arrive and resume operations as well as having housing for their dependents, many of whom have already arrived.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?]

RE-ENLIST TO

>NO

The room was comfortable, the walls painted the ever-present pale yellowish-beige that military forces across the galaxy seemed to prefer to use. The thick, almost plastic paint warm and comforting and visible to every species compatible with one another.

The table was massive, but then so were several of the beings that sat at it.

Lieutenant General T'Welx would have never believed, as little as a year ago, that he'd be seated in between Bellona the Grave Bound Beauty and Daxin the Liberator.

The only two that were not in Dress Blacks were leaders of martial orders who were more or less fused to their armors, but even T'Welx could tell that the armor had been cleaned up, re-enameled, and decorated to reflect the gravity of the situation.

Daxin stood up slowly, a massive man of bone, sinew, and muscle, and looked everyone over.

"I was a Captain in the Combined Military Authority before any of you, even Menhit, were born. Does anyone disagree with me presiding as head of the board?" Daxin rumbled.

Everyone shook their head.

Daxin rapped the table three times with his knuckles. "Let the board begin deliberations on the evidence and testimony presented in the trial of one Lieutenant General Trucker, Manuel G," Daxin said, looking at the members of the board. "He stands accused of activating the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol with either negligence or malevolence, violating service member's rights to biological and mental integrity."

General Shkarwawk shook her head but Daxin held up one hand.

"As the lead officer of the board, I am bound to remind all of you that Manuel Trucker is to be presumed innocent unless the Confederate Armed Services representative, embodied by The Detainee, can prove beyond reasonable doubt, that he has indeed committed the crime he is accused of."

Everyone nodded.

Daxin slowly looked over everyone. "Does anyone have any objections, at this time, to serving in this capacity or feel they cannot remain impartial while we review and discuss the evidence and testimony since the last time you were asked? I'm going to need a public vote on this, gentle-beings. No for no objections, yes if you have any."

General T'Welx shook his head even as he pressed the "NO" button and the red light lit up.

One by one the red lights appeared and Daxin nodded.

"No officer of the board has signaled any objection or reservation to serving on this board," he gave a sigh and sat down. "With that out of the way, I think we should address the elephant in the room."

T'Welx nodded, as did the majority of the board members, as Daxin kept speaking.

"The Detainee managed to neatly turn this from the initial charges to a precedent setting examination of the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol as well as programs like that," He gave a low gravelly chuckle. "Some of us here have more personal experience with such systems."

General T'Welx held up his hand and Daxin nodded at him.

"I call for a vote of confidence, by the non-Immortal members of the board, for whether or not we believe that the Immortals can be unbiased due to having been subjected to such a system before," the Treana'ad said.

"Good point," Menhit said.

"I call for a secret vote, with tallies only displayed," General T'Welx said.

Daxin frowned but nodded, making a flicking motion at a monitor and bringing it up.

The vote went 9-0 that the rest of the board believed that Immortals could be impartial. The leaders of the Martial Orders being obvious in their votes. Bellona, Daxin, Menhit, and Legion sat silently during the voting.

"My concern has been addressed," General T'Welx said, scratching his chin with one bladearm tip.

"It was a good point to bring up, General," Menhit said as she slowly withdrew a carved pipe and pouch of tobacco from her sash pouch.

"Any other points we should bring up before we dig into this?" Daxin asked as Menhit packed her pipe.

General T'Welx lit a cigarette before passing his book of strikers to Menhit.

"We all know he's guilty of activating the system, but The Detainee's turned this into so much more we can't just vote and go home," General Mentissa said, tapping the table.

"Let's just get that out of the way," Daxin said. He tapped the table and brought up the bullet list.

"Point one, that General Trucker did, with full intent at use, activate the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol," Daxin said. "We'll do secret vote and display it there."

The vote came out to 13-0. Guilty.

"Point Two, that the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol violate a soldier's guarantee of body and intellect integrity under the Confederate Military Codes, which, I will remind you, supersede their Confederate Basic Rights," Daxin said. He looked around. "After what we've learned, does anyone want to argue for or against it or shall we move to vote?"

Everyone assembled chose to vote.

Again, 13-0. Guilty.

"Now we get into the points that were added during the trial," Daxin said. He sat down and shook his head. "Point Three: That the Black Cauldron Protocol, by its design, pose a threefold danger that falls under the Nanite clauses of the Rigellian Compact and the Reformed Geneva Convention as well as the Orion Compact."

"Danger One: That the system, using nanites, can infect enemy soldiers regardless of their combatant status. Danger Two: The Black Cauldron nanites pose a significant risk to civilian population infection via physical contact transmission. Point Three: The Black Cauldron Protocol System Nanites pose a danger to friendly troops via physical contact transmission."

"The vote is whether or not the Black Cauldron Protocol is in violation of each of those relevant sections of the Laws of Warfare, in each danger identified," Daxin sighed. "We're duty bound to examine the relevant clauses of those agreements. JAG is willing to provide a lawyer to help clarify if we so need it."

General T'Welk read over the various sections.

It is wholly a human thing to try to legislate the horrors of war, he thought. A thing every being in the galaxy should be thankful for.

The vote found that the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol violated the nanite clauses of those documents, agreements, and compacts.

"Point Four: That the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol violates the 'right of enemy combatants' sections, specifically enemy combatants who have surrendered, been incapacitated, or otherwise rendered non-combatant status," Daxin looked up. "Anyone want to discuss this or was the video footage acceptable."

T'Welk shuddered at the memory of the video footage of the Black Cauldron soldiers ripping apart screaming Atrekna and Dwellerspawn to eat them.

13-0, confirming that the enemy was denied the right to surrender as well as violated the treaties.

"Point Five: Use of the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol violates service members rights under the religious freedoms and respect sections of the Terran Confederacy Uniform Code of Military Justice," Daxin nodded. "Yeah, there's quite a few religions that have strict requirements regarding the bodies of the deceased."

Again, 13-0.

Daxin shook his head. "I don't know all of you, but I prefer things a little more clean cut."

"Like a ten millimeter to the base of the skull?" General Cavarxis smiled, exposing sharp teeth. "It prevents the guilty from suffering dishonor before the Digital Omnimessiah."

General Shkarwawk flinched slightly.

"I'm trying to reform, I'll thank you to observe," Daxin said, his face deadpan.

General Deshmuhk AKA Legion snickered and General T'Welk ignored it.

"All right, now we get to the meat of it," Daxin said. "Point Six: That General Manuel G. Trucker did negligently, and without due diligence to the strategic and tactical situation on the ground of the Laglun-3 conflict, activate the Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol."

General Shkarwawk suddenly gave a musical laugh. When the Immortals and the other ancient beings turned and looked at her she smiled.

"Have any of you ever seen Trucker at work?" she asked.

They all looked at one another. Joan Mentissa shook her head. "No. Why?"

"Bring in the commander of Military Intelligence for V Corps, ask him whether or not Trucker is aware of the tactical and strategic situation of any battle," she said.

General Cavarxis frowned. "Is he that talented?"

General Dorvulluk, a Sarurian Compact Kobold, nodded. "If the BATTACNET says one thing, the predictive analysis software says the same thing, the BOLO's all agree and say the identical thing, but General Trucker files a differing warplan or fireplan or even give a verbal order conflicting all of that, everything I listed before will defer to Trucker even if his orders directly conflicts with what they are seeing and experiencing at that time."

Daxin raised an eyebrow. "He's that good?"

"Rumor control says he's a psychic or a seer," General T'Welk said.

Legion nodded. "I reviewed some of his battles. It was like he was playing with cheat codes or something. He knew what the enemy would do almost before they did it, reacting minutes or hours ahead of what, in retrospect, is obvious planning and maneuvering by the enemy."

Menhit looked at Legion. "Could he match you as the Admiral of the Fleet of One or the Commander of the Legion of One?"

Legion nodded slowly. "To be honest, he might even be able to beat me on the ground. I've never seen anything like it."

Daxin nodded slowly. "All right. Let's vote."

0-13. Not sustained.

"The final point: That General Manuel G. Trucker committed a war crime by activating Vānaras System and the Black Cauldron Protocol during operations on Laglun-3," Daxin said.

"As he should have," General Cavarxis said.

"The evidence is clear," General Rhelian, a Pubvian General, said slowly. "As much as I dislike it, it's clear that he did."

"And there's the problem," Menhit said. "All of us here dislike throwing a commander under the bus for using the tools he has in a situation as obviously desperate as V Corps faced on Laglun-3. What we decide here sets precedence for everyone who comes after us. Not only that, but must, above all, take into account what is best for the Confederate Armed Services as well as the civilians we represent."

Daxin sighed. "It's going to be a long day."

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General Trucker sat down next to his lawyer, staring at the table in front of the judge and the board's seating. A cloth, emblazoned with the seal of the Confederate Armed Services, covered the contents of the table.

His sword, for one.

He could feel himself sweating under his uniform, at the small of his back, and could feel the tightness between his shoulder blades as the board members took their seats.

The chiming of the silver bell and the statement that court was back in session seemed far and remote to Trucker, like he was half deaf from the thundering of the guns.

"Have you reached your decision?" the judge asked.

Daxin AKA Enraged Phillip, stood up and the court went still.

"We have, your honor," Daxin stated.

Each charge was read, and the finding of the board. Trucker could feel his stomach clench as the results mounted.

He knew he was facing the death penalty, with no SUDS rebirth, and without the SUDS, if they hanged him, that was it.

Finally they reached the last charge.

The biggest one.

The one that could break his neck.

"On the final charge, what is the board's decision."

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7th ARMY BUGLER

All News, No Rumors

NOT INNOCENT!