Ask Raxus Inquest into Dathomir

[Varyn Atrix]

A thread so Imp FLship can ICly get to the bottom of this topic​

Varyn had read the reports about Dathomir despite not having been there. It had resulted in serious blows to the Imperial Knights, and it involved the hunting of a former Sith. Both of those were his domain, and although the former-Empress was dead, concerns had been brought forward.

He had arrived in his dress armor, lightsabers strapped to his belt, and taken his seat on one of the judge's tables. He busied himself flipping through the reports again and checking the information there as he waited for the proceedings to start. There wasn't much new for him to learn there that he hadn't read already, but it made him feel better than just sitting there in silence and staring at those gathered.

The proceedings were about investigating the actions of Commander Baize during the hunt for the Empress. Reports had asserted that his actions led to unnecessary deaths and that he had abandoned his orders and duty in hunting the former-Empress. There were further reports about those under his command rejecting his orders in an attempt to continue supporting the Grand Marshal and General Dram. All were serious concerns being leveled, and they required answers.

The acting-Lord Commander was chronically early, and over the course of the next few moments he watched everyone else arrive. Members of the Imperial Council, the accused, and those who had been involved in the incident. The truth would come out one way or another.

@Raydo @Eccles @Sreeya @Alhon

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He had been blindsided by allegations almost immediately after they had returned. He read the reports and the allegations within, and where he thought rage would be, he only felt numb.

The Commander hadn't immediately been relieved of duty, so he had spent the time caring for his soldiers. His regiment had spent the entirety of the battle on the front lines and, as such, had suffered the most casualties. So he had busied himself in the following days, tending to those that had remained. If that were to be his last act as an Imperial Officer, he would be able to live with that.

He had forgone proceedings and recused himself against Lieutenant for disobeying orders when he discovered his own actions were being called into question. To proceed would have been highly unethical.

Jon had not slept much the night before; he hadn't slept much since he had returned from Dathomir, if he was completely honest. Regardless, he had been up early. Showered, shaved, and dressed in a neat officer's uniform. His appearance was straight out of the Imperial regulation book.

He arrived early and was ushered into a waiting room until he was brought into the chambers. Once brought inside, he would salute. "Commander Jonathen Baize, reporting as ordered." he said, holding the position until commanded otherwise. He had nothing to hide from these people; he would freely offer the truth as best he understood it.

@Phoenix @Eccles @Sreeya @Alhon

 

[Levik Karn]

Recently enriched by both his investment into Systech Corporation and the further sale of stolen goods through the Taris Exchange, Commander Karn had managed to worm his way into a comfortable position inside the Imperial Security Bureau. Although he missed out on the position of Director, for which he had been shortlisted until Designation Control found out just how much Levik had exceeded his budget for Operation Oracle, his influence and accomplishments had been hard to ignore. Hard to ignore in a sense that he got the rather ungrateful job of sitting in a jury to judge the combat actions of a fellow commander.

As such he didn't arrive a second too early and entered the room in his black peacekeeper uniform. He was in a sour mood, and who could blame him, for he could've been at his office indulging in fine brandy and watching, from the windows of his corner office, the construction of the Imperial Czerka HQ with the Imperial Palace looking over them all from a distance.

"Acting Lord-Commander," he said to Knight-Captain Atrix as a way of greeting. He didn't bother with any formalities, for the Imperial Knights were formally still being overseen by the Imperial Security Bureau and while the Emperor himself gave the Lord-Commander his orders, there was still a distinct dislike for the former Sith and their shining red armors. No, Levik didn't seem pleased to be here in the slightest and simply sat down in his designated seat and unlocekd his personal datapad to read whatever and whoever they were presiding over today.

Sure enough and right on time, the Commander in question entered, saluted and introduced himself. Levik had never met him, but he had heard of him. He was the current lover of Knight-Captain Demici and Levik couldn't help but turn his head towards Varyn Atrix in surprise. Due to her own reprimand by the Grand Marshal, the ISB had closely monitored Kalique Demici and had all but placed listening devices in her bedroom. "At ease, Commander Baize." Levik said as he turned his head back towards the IAF commander.

"You stand before myself, Commander Levik Karn of the Imperial Security Bureau-" he let that one sink in, for it wasn't every day that a member of the Imperial Armed Forces was left to the judgement of the security bureau, which was clearly not a good thing. "-and the acting Lord-Commander of the Imperial Knights, Knight-Captain Atrix."

"Do you know why you've been summoned before us, today?"

@Raydo @Phoenix

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He waited at attention until addressed before falling into an at-ease position, hands behind his back. It was unusual for a military to conduct an investigation and not actually contain any of the IAF Command Staff. His eyes flickered to the empty council chair reserved for the Grand Marshall.

Regardless, his attention turned back to the ISB Commander. There had been a time when he had been much more unnerved by the ISB and their agents, though every fear seemed smaller now in comparison to the horrors he had witnessed on Dathomir not even a week prior. He wasn't disrespectful, keeping a stoic posture as he answered the Commander.

"According to the reports provided, some of my actions on Dathomir are being called into question." he responded. Of course, those same reports also mentioned his accomplishments as well. The reports also failed to indicate who had levied these complaints, though there were obvious guesses given the nature of this investigation.


@Phoenix @Eccles

 

[Altair Din]

Altair strode in right as Levik began to speak, his slower gait delaying him. He had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as the man nitpicked over titles and attempted to discredit Varyn for no reason. He took a seat in his designated area, moving slower than usual due to the extent of his injuries. Aadya’s death still weighed on him heavily and he knew he wouldn’t get over that anytime soon. The tiefling’s gaze fixed on Jonathen, studying him in silence.

The man had been nothing but loyal and Altair clearly recalled when he gave up his own mask to offer it to Altair when they stormed through a room with toxic gas. Why would someone like that abandon them in their hour of need? The tiefling only had partial context – he had given the orders for Jon and his group to do bombing runs and switch to an aerial assault after all forces were withdrawn. This was right before Renfry had materialized out of nowhere. Jon had bombed the main palace and had subsequently left the planet. There had been no attempts to aid Altair and Max in leading the charge against Renfry or to ensure their safe evacuation. It left the tiefling puzzled – especially as Asher, one of the men under Jon's command had appeared to join their battle.

Altair would recuse himself from any judgement because he was actively involved, but he was just as curious as anyone here to understand the details.

@Eccles @Raydo @Phoenix @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Varyn Atrix]

With Levik making the formal introductions, Varyn said nothing. He didn't miss the general acidity coming from the other judge who clearly didn't care for the Imperial Knight, but Varyn had seen worse before. All part of the job, and his goal was the betterment of the Empire, not his own personal aspirations.

Altair appeared moments later, and Varyn didn't envy him. His old friend had had so much on his shoulders since the Sith had been removed from the Empire, and the weight never seemed to let up. He knew that an investigation into one of his own - and the loss of Aadya - had to be tearing him up, but he was - as always - solid as a rock.

Commander Baize gave an answer that was extraordinarily vague, and whether that was because he was playing dumb or simply didn't know, Varyn couldn't be sure. While he could be patient when he needed to be, he also wasn't the type to want to tiptoe around an issue for an hour before actually getting to the meat.

I understand we have Lieutenant Teric (@Altaris) present as well. Why don't we bring him in, he said, motioning to one of the guards for him to be allowed inside.

Reports and mission logs... he said, flipping through one of the papers in front of him until he landed on one of the encrypted holocomm transcripts ...indicate that your force was ordered to provide a flanking element to the hunt for the Sith Lord. The main force was then ordered to transition from ground assault to an aerial one, he said. He flipped to another page that he had marked before the trial began.

According to reports you launched a third bombing run on the palace and apart from that, provided no further support to the ground forces. In fact, one of your officers even rejected your order to withdraw as unlawful, he said, his eyes finally flicking up to rest on the Commander.

Do I have those facts correct? he asked. He knew that he did because he had the logs right in front of him. "Data sorting" wasn't his favorite skill, but it had been a necessary one for his undercover work. He had checked the logs again and again because one of his Imperial Knights was dead in large part because they had been left with no further cover or support. And in fact, were it not for the appearance of the rebellious Lieutenant, he likely would have lost another.

@Raydo @Eccles @Alhon @Sreeya I don't think we need to hold to any strict posting order so don't wait on other people

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Jon met the Grand Marshall's eyes as he walked in, giving the man a small head bow of respect. Even in his current situation, Jon's loyalty and respect for this man was strong.

He had answered the ISB Commander's question with a brief answer given to the best of his knowledge. He had been given very little information on why he had been summoned beyond the answer he gave.

He turned to the Acting Lord Commander. "That is partially correct, for the most part. We were somewhat delayed in assisting the Grand Marshall when enemy forces began raising our dead to fight against us while we were still loading into transports. Using the given intel, I was able to call in our bombers for a strafing run on their position. Enemy combatants were neutralized, and the magic failed." he said, offering an explanation for the brief delay. Those actions had saved potentially thousands of lives as chaos had started to grip the army.

He flipped to his own page of recorded comm communications "Once in the air, The main forces were ordered back, and orders were given to switch to a purely aerial assault. I didn't know the context at the time as we were in the air and could not benefit from the after knowledge we have now. We did not know that the Grand Marshal had encountered anyone, much less engaged with Renfry immediately following those orders. You do not continue to deploy ground troops in a pure aerial assault. So, I moved to support the new orders to the best of my ability and assist with the evacuation of our troops and subsequent ariel assault." he said.

"Regardless, none of those orders were given the opportunity to be fulfilled as the engagement between the Grand Marshal's forces and Renfry began immediately following the Grand Marshall's last communication. This battle was extremely quick, concluding in approximately one minute. Even if we had deployed fighters and bombers to their location immediately, they would not have arrived before the Queen was killed, and our troops had only just begun to withdraw from the position."

"On the battlefield, thousands of decisions are made quickly, and information is often foggy. I took the received orders and followed through with them to the best of my ability." he said in an even tone.

"Regarding Lieutenant Teric's actions, I was not aware of them until after the battle was over, as I had begun coordinating the withdrawal and bombardment. It is not a lower-ranking Officer's job to question orders from a superior officer. Regardless of whether they believe disobedience to be in the best interest of that Superior Officer. Even if I had clear knowledge that the Grand Marshal was still on the ground, which we did not, I would have carried out my orders as given. The order to switch to a purely aerial assault was a lawful order given by the Grand Marshal, and my orders to support that new order were also lawful. Good intentions do not shield a soldier from insubordination." he said. He did not question the Lietenant's bravery, but acting against orders, even with the best intention, is what got people killed and could have jeopardized the entire mission. In this case, his actions killed the pilot and his entire platoon. Those were 42 Imperial lives lost.

Was it possible he had misunderstood orders? Yes, it was possible, but Jon was strong in his conviction. Was it possible there were other options he could have taken? There always were in combat. One would have to be willfully ignorant of the rest of the actions in that battle to assume his actions were taken in cowardice. War was not as simple as after-action reports, you only had your small little piece of the puzzle, and you trusted those above you who had the bigger picture to tell you where those pieces should fall into place.

@Phoenix @Eccles @Sreeya @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Asher Teric]

In truth, Asher had suspected there would be a tribunal upon his return from Dathomir. Despite their victory over Renfry and her forces, the Lieutenant knew that he’d directly disobeyed orders from Commander Baize, and the men of his platoon had been killed during the course of that defiant act. To his own surprise, however, it wasn’t his neck that was currently on the line in said tribunal. Not yet, anyway.

Guided into the main chamber by an Imperial guard, Asher stepped into the center of the room - standing a few feet to the left of Command Baize. He was dressed in his crisp uniform and beret, Imperial insignia stitched above his breast.

“Lieutenant Teric, reporting as ordered.” He said, offering a salute to each of those present - remaining in position until he was told otherwise. And for those first few minutes, Asher listened quietly to the testimony that took place - calling into question the actions of the Commander on Dathomir, and his decision to continue with an evacuation of ground troops. Though he didn’t allow himself any outburst, he quietly seethed at the Commander’s own reprimand of Asher’s actions. It was a none-too-subtle deflection away from Jonathen’s own questionable decision making in the moment.

It wasn’t until one of the men presiding over the Tribunal addressed him - allowing the Lieutenant to offer his own testimony - that Asher stepped toward a bit. His hands were neatly tucked behind his back, posture straight and rigid as a board.

“With due respect, Commander Baize is inaccurate in his characterization of the battle ending in approximately one minute.” He began his testimony, his eyes switching between each men. “My platoon and I were able to deploy our shuttle to reinforce the Grand Marshal and his forces still on the ground. We were able to reach the pyramid within several minutes, long before the Queen had perished.”

“There are multiple factors that contributed to my decision to act in defiance of Commander Baize, and his decision to evacuate.” He continued. “As stated, our original orders were to reinforce the Grand Marshal and his strike team further into the jungle - as they continued the hunt for Queen Renfry. While our forces were still boarding onto transports, we received subsequent directions that IAF forces were to switch from ground to aerial assault.”

“The confrontation with Queen Renfry began shortly after these orders were given, as the scuffle was observed over shared comms channels. Additionally, we received no confirmation that the Grand Marshal, General Dram or anyone from the strike Force had begun to evacuate - a prerequisite before any aerial assault of the planet could begin.” He glanced towards the Commander.

“Despite this, Commander Baize made no attempt to shift to address this change in circumstance or locate the strike team, and instead continued with efforts to withdraw from the ground. Providing no support or reinforcement to Imperial Leadership still on the ground.” He paused for a moment before he continued. “Acting on this information, I gave the order for my platoon to change course - and to reinforce the strike team at their last known location. In route, we sustained heavy damage from the storm conjured by the Queen and her forces.”

“While we were able to reach the pyramid, I am the only survivor of my platoon.” The edge of sadness to his voice wasn't difficult to detect, though he didn’t dwell upon it. “I was subsequently able to engage Queen Renfry directly. It is my belief that if additional troops had been redirected, additional loss of life could have been prevented.”

“To the best of my ability, I responded to the changing situation and circumstances on the ground - as I believe Commander Baize failed to adequately do so.” He made no attempt to defend himself against the insubordination charges levied by Jonathan. If the tribunal wished to address the entirely separate issue, he would. But Asher wasn’t going to give the Commander an opportunity to shift attention away from the actual purpose for them being there.

 

[Levik Karn]

Commander Karn wasn't sure on why the Grand Marshal showed up to the inquest despite having formally recused himself. If anything he could now be directly addressed by those involved and that would force him to contribute to the inquest on record. Unfortunately, Altaïr Din was still a member of the Imperial Council and that meant that the only one that could tell him to kriff off was the Emperor himself. Levik resisted the urge to look around and see if the Emperor had graced them with his presence, but as usual, Davik Emer-Drast seemed more occupied by his library-books and the development of his capital than the ongoings of the Imperial military.

Something in Lieutenant Asher's statement did stand out to the Peacekeeper; "Lieutenant Asher. You just stated that it is your belief that if additional troops would have been redirected it would have prevented additional loss of life-" a logical statement, for overwhelming force usually meant fewer casualties, "-but you also mention a lightning storm conjured up by the Force," the space magic Levik didn't understand but had seen how destructive it could be, "That hit your ship and killed everyone in your platoon, but for yourself." Everyone could probably guess by now where the Commander was going with this.

"If more ships were redirected, wouldn't they also have had to fly into the said lightning storm? It sounds to me that flying into that storm would have caused more loss of life, rather than less."

It seemed an obvious loophole in the lieutenant's reasoning. Something that could very well clear Commander Baize from fault in this inquest if it wasn't addressed properly. If Darth Andruil hadn't showed up -Levik refused to call her 'Queen Renfry' as they had gone to Dathomir to capture and bring to justice the former Sith Empress and not the Nightsister Matriarch- then the Commander's actions were justified. Losing a single Imperial Knight in the fight to kill Darth Andruil wasn't a bad tradeoff. Losing thousands of additional troops and transports because someone said 'kriff it' and flew right into the Force-conjured storm.. was a catastrophy.

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn made note of something as the Commander spoke, but didn't say anything, listening closely to the reasoning, outcomes, and orders that had been given. There was plenty to consider in this situation.

What he didn't find particularly convincing was the claim that they couldn't have made it to the battle scene in time. The presence of Teric proved that point.

Varyn wondered just how something like this could have happened. Sure, there was chaos on the battlefield, he was no stranger to that, but that wasn't the same as up and leaving your troops behind during the middle of a fight. No matter how you sliced it, Varyn couldn't see it any other way. There was no evidence of either support given or attempted support given. Just radio silence.

And then came a topic that Varyn was actually more well-versed in than anyone in the room. The Force. The storm seemed as if it would become an important piece of the discussion, and he had thoughts of his own on the topic.

As I understand it, it wasn't - and still isn't - clear whether the storm was natural or not, and already overhead at that, he said. There was certainly an argument that the ship being brought down by the strike meant that it wasn't normal, but even now there was a question. None of the ships that were evacuating had been struck by the lightning on their way out of the atmosphere, after all.

Am I mistaken that the ships flew through it to head out of atmosphere anyway? he asked. It was a game of "what-ifs" and "maybes" that introduced more questions than answers.

@Eccles @Raydo @Altaris

 

[Asher Teric]

Asher was silent for a few moments - allowing for both Commander Levik and Lord-Commander Varyn to command the floor of the tribunal. The Lieutenant maintained his rigid posture and blank demeanor, even as multiple questions were levied for him to answer. Asher frankly didn’t want to be here - forced to put his own commanding officer on blast for poor decisions on the battlefield. As a result, he kept his own opinions to himself.

It wasn’t until Varyn finished speaking thar Asher nodded once again - breaking his silence. “You are not mistaken, sir.”

“The weather had begun to shift almost immediately upon arrival to Dathomir - and was already passing over us by the time the Grand Marshal and his strike team began to pursue Queen Renfry.” His gaze flicked towards Levik. “Natural or not..” Perhaps there was a debate to be made that the storm was entirely natural. But the Nightsister’s were masters of their environment, and random bolts of lightning bringing down military-grade ships were exceedingly rare. “Every ship within the vicinity of the battlefield - flying within the skies of Dathomir - would have been subject to the same weather conditions as the shuttle flown by myself and my platoon.”

“Any vessels that were preparing to begin aerial assault of Dathomir - before receiving confirmation that evacuations had been complete,” A point that Asher intended to hammer home, “Would have been equally at risk.”

“So with all due respect, Commander, I disagree that re-routing additional ships to reinforce our forces - including a member of the Imperial Council and Imperial General - would have unduly threatened the lives of my fellow servicemen and women.” He said flatly.

“To the contrary, I believe that prompt response and additional manpower would have contributed to lesser casualties during the confrontation with The Queen.”

“While leaving his fellow Imperials behind, Commander Baize conducted a single bombing run before retreating from the scene aboard the safety of his ship. That is why I went back. That is why I disobeyed orders.”

 

[Levik Karn]

Although unconvinced by the Lieutenant's reasoning as the losses of the final confrontation with Darth Andruil were -in his mind- to be rather fortunate. The Imperial Armed Forces had lost many troops getting to that confrontation, yet only lost a single Imperial Knight during it. Then again, this point-of-view was to be suspected from the armed forces. They always wanted more men and bigger toys to use in their battles.

Levik wondered if sending a handful of Ciphers would've been enough to subdue the former Sith Empress. An argument that would no doubt cause a rift between the Security Bureau and the Armed Forces. If he could clone Cipher Six then nothing could stand in the Empire's way. No government, no former head of state. It had crossed his mind whether the Emperor had hoped to have lost the Grand Marshal in the battle, for the Tiefling had already been a favorite for the throne and now -by surviving and losing a dear friend- would get even more sympathy from the Imperial citizens and military. Had it all been a failed gamble? After all, it had been Grand Moff Emer-Drast that had whispered in his ear during the Galactic Senate session. It had been the future Emperor that approved the plan to go after the former Sith Empress.

To return to the matter at hand, Levik turned his head towards Commander Baize (@Raydo); "You followed your orders to the best of your ability," he seemed to read from a transcript of what was said just a few minutes ago. "and failed to respond appropriately to a changing situation by clinging to earlier given orders like a lifeline,"

It sounded like he had made the wrong decisions based on the right intentions. Still, during an invasion or any other kind of military conflict what he did, would and could result in the unnecessary loss of life. "Jonathen Baize, Commander of the Imperial 12th Infantry Regiment. Are you saying you are unfit to be a battlefield commander?"

Many officers in commanding roles would only find out their unsuitedness for the role after their first major battle. This had been Commander Baize's first, and depending on the inquest, only large battlefield. Perhaps he was more fit to command a garrisson, or a planetary peacekeeper corps or any other defensive regiment that allowed him to not having to risk it all based solely on battlefield intuition.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The Commander's own statements had been truthful, backed up by the record of communications transcripts. Transcripts never painted a perfect picture of what actually happened on the battlefield, but they supported the Commander's words.

Jon stood, looking forward as the Lieutenant addressed the council. His jaw clenched, scowl deepening as the man told the council he had heard evidence of the fight over the comms. The Lieutenant certainly hadn't voiced that to anyone else at the time, even as he was commandeering his dropship.

Jon didn't have to review the record; he had poured over them the last few days. There was no record of open recordings from the Grand Marshal.. Leaving one's communications open and broadcasting to enough channels that the Lieutenant would have heard them was difficult to believe due to the utter chaos it would have caused when added to the fact that there would be no other record of said recordings, which appear even more damning.

Even the transcripts from the Lieutenant's own platoon communications, when he was commandeering his drop ship, had made no mention of these supposed communications that gave him leave to disobey direct orders.

The only people that even could have collaborated the Liuetenant's story had died due to his direct disobedience. Perhaps it was battle fatigue, overzealousness, or the mind-creating events after the fact. There was very little to support the Lieutenant's claims in the actual record of events.

Even if there had been evidence that the Grand Marshal had engaged with Renfry, which there wasn't, their Orders to withdraw and prepare an aerial assault would still have stood. The Lieutenant had admitted that Orders had been given to withdraw by the Grand Marshal and then admitted to directly disobeying those orders. Textbook Insubordination.

Jon remained silent, waiting to be addressed again, as was proper, but the words burned in his stomach.

The topic turned to the weather. Jon struggled to quiet but continued to wait until he was addressed. The weather had no bearing on his orders. If he had been ordered to continue his approach he would have done so with triple the men he carried. He had asked soldiers to follow him through hell all day; why would he suddenly switch?

Maybe they didn't know his character and had refused to look through his prior mission reports to get a sense of who he was and how he thought. The only man that did know had recused himself, refusing to speak. He had taken a bullet for the Grand Marshal.. He had spent the whole battle before that moment in question charging through hell after him. They had broken through the Nightsister ranks to get to him in the canyon; they had held back the horde of beasts until he had opened a path through the rubble. The blood from his horns still stained his helmet. The thought that Altair would think Jon had merely left him out of cowardice hurt him worse than anything.

"No Sir, I am not saying that." he replied after a few seconds. "I was just as fit for command as I had been the rest of the operation. Read the files, look at the evidence before you and judge me off of that if you must. I took the information I had access to and made the best decision I could. I don't cling to orders as a crutch, but militaries live and die on them. I followed mine." he said. He could argue further, but he had said what he had to say. He, of course, would answer questions. They were all very concerned about the lives Jon and his men could have saved, all Imperial Knights. Those who had died fighting Renfry were heroes to Empire, and he would honor their memories for the rest of his life. Jon couldn't help but think the council wouldn't have cared as much if those lost had been Imperial soldiers instead of Knights.

Perhaps this was not such a new Empire after all.

Spoiler: Note

Sorry for long post!

@Phoenix @Eccles

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn listened to the exchanges that unfolded. And he didn't say anything throughout it. Listening was more important than speaking in most of these settings, and at the moment, there was little he felt he need to clarify beyond the battle report.

Particularly, the Commander's response to Levik's question caught Varyn off-guard. He seemed to be simply washing his hands of further comment on things and referring them to the reports.

The disdain the man held for the two men standing as judges over the case radiated off of him in the Force in such a way that Varyn couldn't miss it even if he had tried. Fortunately, he wasn't able to tell the ludicrous internal accusations the man leveled against the Empire.

Instead, he was left with the impression of defiance and a deep conviction in the man that he had done everything perfectly correctly. That, in and of itself, told him a great deal.

I have no further questions at this time, he said, looking over to Levik to see whether the man had something further to add that might spark up a conversation. If not, then it would be up to the two of them to deliberate an outcome.

@Altaris @Raydo @Eccles

 

[Asher Teric]

Asher kept his opinions to himself - offering no interruption or visible change in expression, regardless of what was said by Levik, Varyn or Jonathen. If the tribunal opted to judge him insubordinate, he would accept the consequences of his actions on Dathomir. In his mind? Asher had done his duty to the Empire, reinforcing his Commander and defying orders to abandon the men that he served alongside and under.

He patiently waited for Levik or Varyn to offer any additional question or concern - his gaze flicking briefly between them. If neither did, the Lieutenant would wait to be dismissed before moving from the witness stand.

He would patiently wait for the tribunal to reach its judgment, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

 

[Levik Karn]

Commander Baize's answered surprised Levik, who frowned and needed a minute to look down at the evidence provided. As someone who wasn't attuned to the Force energies of living beings, he couldn't, unlike the Varyn Atrix, sense the disdain and had to make a judgment solely on the evidence and the answers that were given. So through the evidence Levik decided to scroll, until he found an excerpt of the transcripts that he wanted to bring up.

"We are going to be assaulting the witch Renfry's position. We will be dropping on the far side of the force already assaulting her location. You have been chosen because you are the best, the fiercest the Empire has to offer. We will not fail the Warmarshal. The night is dark and full of terrors...WE are those terrors."

Commander Karn read from the transcripts in the most monotome manner he could muster, pulling all context out of the words and making it seem rather an odd speech with the addition that he called the 'Grand Marshal' the 'Warmarshal' which seemed to be a mixture of his proper title and the title he held under the Sith Empire. Perhaps Commander Baize had difficulty grasping the concept of 'change' in general. Changing regimes, changing situations and changing orders.

"Commander Baize, judging from the evidence you just pointed me towards-" Levik began, the answer to his previous question still leaving a sour taste in his mouth, "You were given different orders than the main body, namely to secretly reinforce the Grand Marshal in his confrontation of Darth Andruil. The Grand Marshal then ordered the main force to fall back, but I see no such command for your striketeam."

Evidence did point out Commander Baize had retreated to command the evacuation efforts instead. Perhaps his encounter with the zombified Imperial soldiers had spooked him and made him mix up his orders. Perhaps, he did use them as a crutch because on the field of battle, when forced between making a decision of his own, as a Commander, he chose the one lifeline that could get him the kriff out of there.

"As you know I am a Commander myself," Levik smiled as he knew he was a bit pedantic about this, "but when it comes to issuing orders I always differentiate between which group I'm giving instructions. For example, if I have, let's say Group A and Group B. Ten and respectively 90 men in size. And I want to make a feint, then I tell Group B to fall back to give Group A the room and the element of surprise to complete the objective."

If he remembered correctly, Commander Baize himself created the training Operation Zuri that had pretty much the same move inbedded into the handbook of Imperial officer training.

"Would it make sense if Group A followed the same orders as Group B?" he finally asked Commander Baize (@Raydo). It was almost a rethorical question to everyone in the room. After all, they had all been trained to command men in battle.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He looked on as the ISB Commander read from the transcripts. It didn't feel good to have words thrown back at you. Those words were meant for his soldiers, for that moment. To hear them now somehow felt wrong.

He listened to man's words and weathered them, unsure what else he could say in his defense. He was tired; he hurt both inside and out. He wanted to be there for his soldiers and honor those who had given everything so they could all stand here and pull on this one thread of the cloth that made up the entire battle. Jon was exhausted, having slept only sporadically since returning.

Jon gathered himself, letting out a small breath before answering. "I see your point, Commander, and would agree with you if those had been the entire orders. “We’re going to shift to a purely aerial assault. I’m done losing men for this,” he quoted from memory, playing that moment over and over in his head the last week.

He deflated slightly but held the Commander's stare as he spoke in a quieter tone. "I interpreted "We’re going to shift to a purely aerial assault" as orders intended for everyone, my team included. That was my thought process in that moment, so I acted accordingly," he stated simply.

"I won't stand here and pretend I am infallible. I stand behind my decision in that split second but also accept responsibility for it. Was that the wrong choice? I will trust the council's judgment on that, " he said, exhaling quietly.

@Eccles @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

The remainder of the proceedings went forward, and Varyn listened to the debate. There was a lot to contemplate, a lot of angles to consider, and things for he and Levik to discuss.

As the two Commanders finished their back and forth discourse, everything fell silent, and Varyn looked back to Levik to await confirmation that there was no further questions to be asked.

This tribunal is in recess until 15:00, he said. He and Levik would take the time to discuss what they had heard and settle on a verdict for both men.

---​

After deliberations and discussions were complete, it didn't take long for the two men to make up their minds on either case. At 15:00 sharp, both Lieutenant Terric and Commander Baize were ushered back into the hearing room to the sight of the judges already at their station.

Commander Baize, please rise, he said, beginning with the more senior officer.

It is the decision of this court that you failed to act and respond to threats appropriate befitting of a combat officer of your station, he said, getting right to the point.

Amidst the complexities of the situation, you failed to adapt to the threats appropriately, and as a result the objective of the entire operation was nearly a failure, he said. Though the words were harsh, they were true.

Nevertheless, this tribunal has also taken into account your extensive history of service to the Empire. In light of these facts, it is the ruling of this tribunal that you will be transferred to garrison command focusing on defensive operations and logistics, he said. It wasn't a demotion, but it wasn't a transfer most officers would be particularly keen on.

Lieutenant Teric, please rise, he said. In a way, both men were on trial for this situation, and the data for the Lieutenant had been reviewed as thoroughly as the Commanders despite fewer questions being asked of him.

In disobeying the orders of your direct superior, you were following the previous orders laid down by the Grand Marshal in an effort to provide air cover to those still on the ground, he said.

The loss of your platoon still rests on your head as the commanding officer. However, given the significant influence your actions had on the success of the mission objective, it is the decision of this tribunal that you will only be placed on probation for a period of 12 months. With that, I declare this inquest adjourned, he said.

@Altaris @Raydo @Eccles