             |
"Minuere Majestatem"Esteemed Members of the Aegis, I write this letter to you as the juris consulo acting on behalf of the Empyre for the prosecution, to urge you to deny the defense's motion to dismiss the charges against Altair Chryseis. The formal charges in this case are as follows: For continued and repeated acts against the interests, traditions, and laws of the Empyre, we charge Altair Leander Chryseis with Minuere Majestatem: Treason by injury to the majesty of the Empyre. Altair Leander Chryseis has consistently shown himself to be biased against the Empyre in the performance of his duties as an officer of Haven, as well as disobeying the express wishes of Emperor Drusus Jove. Under a charge of Minuere Majestatem, such mitigating circumstances as the defendant's employment with the recognized government of Haven are completely irrelevant. That a foreign body ordered or even condoned his actions does not alter that those actions have been committed, as admitted by the defendant himself. What has yet to be determined is the question of whether or not the defendant's actions have offended the dignity and majesty of the Empyre herself. The death of Ceterion Caius Germanicus Antoninus is only one example of the sort of offenses that have been committed by the defendant under the misleading cloak of duty, just the most recent and grievous. Further, the prosecution has obtained documents attesting to a warning issued by the Emperor Drusus Jove himself, stating that if the defendant could not resolve apparent conflicts between his duties to Haven and to the Empyre, the conflict would be resolved by Imperial order and revocation of the defendant's citizenship. Yet the defendant has not changed his behavior one iota. If anything, his insults to the Empyre have only grown worse with time. The defense makes an impassioned plea, claiming in that this trial would never have been necessary were it not Altair Chryseis. In this he is correct, but not on account of the defendant's popularity. Out of all the Empyrean Hounds in Haven, there is but one who has used his position to pursue his own agenda, to the detriment of the Empyre itself. Altair Chryseis. One who single-handedly besmirched the reputation of a Ceterion, even after his death, with no evidence but his suspicions. Altair Chryseis. One Hound who allows Varati to assault and injure Empyrean citizens with impunity. Altair Chryseis. The defense asks you to consider how a trial can damage the Empyre. I ask you to consider the effects of a lack of a trial. What other defense does our nation have against those who would undermine her dignity, authority, and majesty? How many times can a man spit in the face of his nation and yet claim shelter under her wings? How long can we allow the crimes of one of our own to go unpunished? How can the Empyre be harmed by clinging to the very laws and traditions that have sustained her through the millennia? She cannot. There is no basis for dismissing this case. While the defense's arguments for the first motion would not be without merit if this were a murder trial, or based solely upon the murder of a Ceterion, they have no bearing upon the case at hand. The circumstances of Caius Antoninus' death are irrelevant. Only that he was killed by the defendant is. The defense's assertion that the Empyre cannot prosecute for treason while the defendant was under the orders of a foreign government is simply preposterous. Even if that government is an ally of the Empyre, its agents certainly can act in a manner which adversely affects the Empyre. Shall the Empyre turn a blind eye to such actions? I certainly hope not. Allow this case to go to trial, and let the courts decide the defendant's guilt or innocence. As for the other motions raised by the defendant, they are peripheral to the case at hand with one exception. The defense's contention of recompense for the defendant would be completely inappropriate. The defendant voluntarily left his position with the Hounds of Haven, rather than accept a demotion. If the defendant cannot accept the consequences of his actions, that is not the fault of this government.
Cleon, Deus of House Thanatos
|
