SE:IV B5 RP

[Trogdor]

"...and then Magnan called for a recess," Vir said, finishing his story of G'Kar's speech. "Londo, the council reconvenes in a few hours. I'm not sure whether I should second G'Kar's motion or not."

Londo and Dmitri were in his office, and a hologram of Vir had once again replaced Londo's map of the galaxy.

The emperor looked to his young assistant with a mischievious grin and said, "What do you think we should do?"

"Me??" Dmitri looked shocked, when Londo nodded, he thought briefly and then said, "Well, certainly I think the Dilgar and Minbari deserve to be censured. The Dilgar repayed the destruction of a few scouts and colony ships with all out war, and the Minbari killed billions, either through malice or plain incompetence."

"Keep going," Londo prompted.

"But, the Dilgar still command a powerful fleet capable of invading Centauri space," Dmitri continued. "And we know they haven't got a high opinion of us. They've also gotten a hold of that world the Shadows had in Shra-Bal, and they'll be less likely to be willing to trade it to us if we move to censure them on M6."

"And if the Vorlons do not restore any part of the gate network to their space like they said they will, that may leave the Minbari Federation the hegemon of the galaxy and an enemy we don't want."

"Good summary, Dmitri," Londo chuckled. "But what do you think we should do?"

The young Centauri shrugged. "I'd say that's not my decision. I'm just the assistant."

Londo laughed. "The priviledge of not being emperor...or ambassador. Vir, you are more in touch with what's happening at M6 than I. I don't want you to speak first when the council assembles again--with luck someone else will second this motion or Magnan will throw it out on some technicallity or another--but otherwise I give you a free hand."

"Yes, Londo," Vir said. "Oh, there is one other thing."

"Ya?"

"That Delanay woman mentioned our trades with the Corporate Sector," Vir said. "No one made anything of it, fortunatly."

"I have been wondering about that, Lon...Excellency," Dmitri said. "Surely you realize that we're helping to fuel Marxis's war machine?"

"Of course I do, Dmitri," Londo answered. "I do it for two reasons. The first is that if he grows dependant on us, that gives us some influence over one of the most powerful nations in the galaxy. The second is that I do not want to antagonize him. The man may be a bigot, overly-aggressive, prideful, and very possibly a liar, but at least he has not yet committed genocide."

"He may be the lesser of two evils if we need help in the future," Dmitri said quietly.

"What a glorious choice of allies we have," Vir said dourly.

Londo smirked. "It has been that way for our people for a long time," he said. "There's another storm coming; I can feel it in my bones. With Marxis stirring up more trouble and the Brakiri finally leaving isolation, there will be another crisis one way or another. But at least it looks as if this one may pass us by."

"And if we're so fortunate--for once--then by the end I think we may be strong enough to be more independant. The restoration of the Llort home planet is coming along nicely, and already we have almost as much manufacturing capability as some of the major powers."

"But we've been focusing on infrastructure enhancement tech for so long," Vir said. "How could we catch up with weapons?"

"There are shortcuts," Londo said cryptically. "There are always shortcuts."

"Londo," Vir said slowly. "You're not..."

Londo rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to do anything dangerous or stupid, Vir. Now don't you have a meeting soon?"

Vir got the hint. "Good-bye, Londo."

"Do you really think we can become more indepedant soon?" Dmitri asked.

Londo sighed. "I once dreamt of renewed Centauri greatness, Dmitri. Now here I am, almost nine years later, just trying to hold on to Centauri autonomy. I have hope that this dream of mine will come true, but I had hope that all my other broken dreams would come to pass, too."

[Uraniun235]

"...and that's where we stand, Mr. President."

President Alshain looked deeply troubled. He seemed to be collecting his thoughts.

"Here's what we do, Ben. We vote yes on censuring the Dilgar - even their own reports have been far too aggressive, let alone the reports of the other nations - and we vote a conditional yes on the Minbari."

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Mr. President."

Alshain leaned forward. "If we press the Minbari to convict their military commanders of criminal negligence and throw them in the brig, it might be enough to satisfy the other nations without having to censure the Minbari. Remember, the Minbari didn't set out to wage a war of conquest, nor to kill millions of Narn civilians. We shouldn't punish them all for the mistakes of one commander.

What I want you to do is go before the council and demand that Starrider be immediately stripped of command and tried for her crimes. Try to steer the council's anger towards Starrider, not the Minbari as a whole. But make it clear that if the Minbari don't cooperate, we'll vote for a full censure."

"What about Starrider herself? She must have some influence to command the entire Minbari expeditionary force."

"The Minbari place an extremely high value on helping another to save face. A censure from the M6 Council would be incredibly shameful. If Starrider were instrumental in helping Minbar avoid that, she'll probably go along with it."

"Why not simply vote for censuring the Minbari?"

"Because they're too valuable to be lost just because the Dilgar went looking for trouble."

"And the Narn?"

"Still haven't heard anything from them here at EarthDome. Anything else, Ben?"

"No, sir. Except that I congratulate you on your election victory. We haven't heard out here yet, what was the final count?"

"I won 75% of the vote. They say it's a new record. Cal says the voters must be getting smarter." Alshain put up a ghost of a grin. "I say they must be getting richer. Earthdome out."

And the transmission ended.

Magnan turned and looked at his assistant. "You'd think the President would be happy about winning the election."

"I quite suspect the President has bigger issues troubling him.

[Kojiro]

Vorlon...

Two vorlons talked, as they had not done for some time.

"Will we vote?"

"No. The Minbari's actions were accidental. Their punishment should extend no further than paying for their damages."

"What of Marxis?"

"The third blade will fall on him We are not guilty of his charges."

"The Brakiri?"

"If they come, we will defend ourselves. They overestimate thier abilities. There is still a path without death if the Brakiri are reasonable. If they are bent on war there is little we can do but continue building our defenses."

"What of the concession plan?"

"If it needs occur..." the elder vorlon was silent "I will do it. Even Marxis will have to back it against the Brakiri."

M6

"The Vorlon Empire abstains from voting. We are at peace with the Dilgar and have no quarrel with the Minbari, though we do not oppose the the justice sought by others.

In addition, we wish to offer the Brakiri a formal apology and compensation for our actions. We are prepated to replace the vessels we destroyed with superior versions and pay considerable monetary compensation. We do this with the knowledge that it will cost us and them more, in money, assets and lives to end than it did to begin.

We hope the Brakiri will chose the path of peace, as they have for so long."

[brianeyci]

"The Brakiri Ambassador cannot yet arrive in the Cooke System." Vera pauses. "Because the Vorlons sabotaged their jump gates."

"I have authorization to speak for the Brakiri for now. He wishes no compensation nor apology. He simply desires to be left alone, and no more trade routes into his space cut off by Vorlon sabotage."

"I have no idea whether he wishes peace or not. What I do know is his empire is now more than half a year from yours and an extended military campaign would pass through the heart of Centauri, Narn, Corporate and Earth Alliance territory."

"However I do understand from our basic translation of their communication that reparations will not suffice. Ever. Brakiri view their mining ships as holy, and their destruction created seventy days of mourning in their empire. Suffice it to say that they are angry, and their wrath may pluge the galaxy into an interstellar war the likes of which has never been seen. Your attack on their unarmed mining ships may have awakened the beast's slumber."

"My translators may be wrong. None of us have experience with the Brakiri language. But if I am right, you should prepare for war Ambassador. You brought on your own doom."

Let the fucking xenos kill each other.

Brian

[Trogdor]

"The Centauri Republic has been on good terms with the Brakiri for years now," Vir said. "We will contact them and verify the Corporate Sector's translation as soon as possible."

[brianeyci]

"It has come to my attention that Earthforce is deploying a squadron of warships to the Cooke system. The fourteen Artemis class dreadnaughts and two carriers are currently in the Bentat system but may reach Cooke within the week. We won't be bullied Ambassador Mangan and if you want a dick waving contest you'd better grow a pair."

Others looked at him quizzically and Vera sat down.

Brian

[Dalton]

"Report from Fir'mill. The Ambassadorial Cruiser has been completed and our Ambassador has embarked on his trip to Mesopotamia 6."

"Excellent. Please inform President Alshain of his imminent arrival."

"Yes, Chairman. Oh, we have also made contact with the Brakiri in the Yonog and Nakaleen systems."

G'Kar startled a bit at this. "Really? They've been isolationist for so long. I wonder what made them come out of their shell."

"Well, our gossip-gatherers on M6 mentioned something about a Vorlon attack on their vessels."

G'Kar's eyes widened. "Bad idea. Good luck to them. Please send along an offer of Trade Alliance. We don't need any enemies at this stage."

"Yes, Chairman."

"Any other news?"

"Ah, nothing of note, sir, except that our Fleet has arrived at Quadrant 32 III and have set up a temporary defense perimeter."

"Good. Order them to prepare for the Dilgar transport's arrival."

[Kojiro]

"The Vorlon Empire would remind the Corporate Sector the Tau Ceti to Zwiest jump points were not only constructed by the Vorlons but fall withing and, after the Dilgar severed the Zwiest/Ardun jump point, the first act of gate sabotage the Corporate Sector said not so much as a peep about, leads to no where but Vorlon space. The Brakiri refused our attempts at trade or even non aggression over the years. They have no right to complain we closed a jump point within our own space, effectively giving them a system when they refused to make use of it.

What we do with our property in our space is absolutely no one's business but our own.

The Vorlon Empire wishes confirmation of this translation. The Brakiri have been preparing for war for several years now, since long before our attack. The Vorlon Empire has made an offer remuneration. We are prepared to let this council decide an acceptable compensation would be for the Brakiri in the interest of interstellar peace. "

[Uraniun235]

"Ambassador Velany, if you have any evidence to present to this council that demonstrates that any carrier groups have been ordered to set a course for the Cooke system, please present it. As it is, I am currently unaware of any such ship deployments."

Jame Retief entered the room, calmly strode to Magnan and whispered in his ear, then returned to his usual seat.

"Furthermore, I have just been informed that the M6 station commander is unaware of any such manuevers, and not only is it Earthforce policy to inform base commanders of planned fleet manuevers within their sphere of command, by dint of mine and my aide's standing within the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne we are quite privy to any fleet manuever which may concern our diplomatic post. This would include the arrival of a carrier group in the Cooke system.

As such, until that carrier group enters this system, I have no choice but to denounce your statement as a blatant falsehood motivated by paranoid delusions. It is true that there is a carrier group engaging in manuevers, however, these ships are conducting manuevers within Earth Alliance territory and will remain in Earth Alliance territory unless specifically ordered otherwise. And unless this station is under threat of attack - by any force - Earth Alliance will not send armed starships into the Cooke system.

And so far as Earth is concerned, please remember in the future that we are free to conduct EarthForce training manuevers and maintain our lines of defense as we choose.

Now, as to the matter of the proposed censures against the Dilgar Confederacy and the Minbari Federation.

One - the Earth Alliance votes in favor of a censure against the Dilgar. Their actions - counter that, their national foreign policy - have been consistently and unquestionably aggressive and must be officially discouraged.

Two - the Earth Alliance conditionally votes in favor of a censure against the Minbari Federation. Earth will vote to censure the Minbari, unless..." and here the ambassador paused for effect,

"...unless the Minbari agree to immediately remove Fleet Commander Starrider from her command, from any other position of authority, and to carry out a full investigation which will include a psychological evaluation of Starrider, thorough debriefing of all Minbari personnel involved in the Spite incident, thorough analysis of all Minbari flight recorders and mission logs, and a criminal trial against Starrider for her role in the negligent death of millions of civilians.

Earth does not hold all Minbari responsible for the actions of a single fleet commander, but Earth does insist that Minbar hold her commanders accountable for their actions, and we require their swift action on this matter. It is Earth's contention that should the Minbari comply with these... conditions, that Minbar will have sufficiently proven to the galaxy at large that the actions of Starrider were not the exercise of national foreign policy - as the Dilgar actions were - but the result of renegades, and as such are not deserving of the censure of their entire nation.

I humbly suggest to my colleagues that you adopt the same stance."

[brianeyci]

"How presumptuous for you to think that the Council can decide for the Brakiri. The Brakiri decides for the Brakiri and I have just told you they will not accept any renumeration because you have taken that which cannot be replaced."

"Without a peep? You need to read more books Lyta, I haven't heard that since I was a child. I doubt the non-human members of the Council would appreciate your idioms. And as I've already said the situation was not the same, the Dilgar were under attack by a--" Vera rolls her eyes. "--thousand year old empire and the elder race of the galaxy. The Vorlons were not under attack by anybody."

"I also demand evidence that the Brakiri have been preparing for war. The Corporate Sector has been building defensive vessels for decades and Earthforce recently launched its new Artemis class dreadnaught, also under construction for decades. I wonder if you consider the Earth Alliance and the Corporate Sector to be preparing for war as well."

"As for trade or non-aggression, the answer is obvious. Giving your civilian ships access to their jump gates would also give your military scout ships access to their jump gates. The Brakiri did not wish your scouts flying in their territory so they fortified their warp points with satellites, and if they reprogrammed their transponders to allow your civilian--what is a Vorlon civilian anyway--access to their system, they would have been compromised. As well from the Brakiri's point of view, it was you who have been... perhaps the closest human euphemism is acting like an asshole, since you seem to enjoy idioms so much Lyta."

"Paranoid delusions? Please Ambassador. Why was this location chosen for the construction of Mesopotamia Six? Because it is in spitting distance of a heavily colonized Earth Alliance system with over a billion inhabitants. If I had brought this matter to the attention of the council when the warships were here, it would be too late for others to respond would it? Your warships can go through the jump gate and into Cooke space in mere minutes from the Sorpigal system once they are in position Ambassador Mangan. I am sure the League of Non-Aligned worlds appreciates that you are keeping a powerful carrier group within range of Mesopotamia Six while claiming this site to be neutral."

ISN Update

"Today the Conservative think-tank Hillerman Group released a research paper blasting the Alshain Administration for poor defense policy. With me is Dr. Guntherman from the Interstellar Institute for Strategic Studies. Can you share with us some of the highlights of the report?"

"Certainly. The report charts Earthforce movements as reported through verified civilian sightings and official releases. It covers every single system currently under Earth Alliance administration. The report's conclusion is that Earthforce is poorly positioned to respond to an invasion."

"Do you agree with these findings?"

"Well the think-tank has been known for controversal reports before, but this time the methodology appears sound. One example is the jump gate between the Orion and Gorash systems. The defensive vessels are guarding the wrong jump gate--instead of the jump gate to Minbari space to stop and halt traffic, they are guarding the jump gate on the opposite side of the solar system. There are multiple examples of this, of Earthforce ships guarding the wrong side of the jump gate. And most damning is the report's conclusion that Earthforce has no idea how jump drive technology works. Jump drives can at most jump fifty light years. That means that the majority of Earthforce, if positioned correctly, should be in the outer systems to prevent incursions. Instead there are over one hundred battleships in the home systems doing nothing but orbiting Earth. Any alien invasion will penetrate deep into Earth Alliance territory before these battleships can be deployed to the front lines."

"What do the report's findings indicate?"

"The report shows that if the Earth Alliance was attacked, given Earthforce's current deployment of concentration in the home systems, that billions of civilians would die before an adequate response could be assembled."

"Is there any advantage to having battleships in orbit of Earth?"

"There are the obvious political advantages, and of course it is far easier to repair and maintain the ships. The report didn't consider that, which may be a flaw. However there are so many battleships in the rear lines that it's hard not to criticize Earthforce for not understanding the basic physics behind jump drive technology, if they really are deployed in the rear to guard against attack."

"Thank you Dr. Guntherman. More commentary and analysis to follow..."

Brian

[Kojiro]

"The Council, whom the Brakiri are a part cannot decide? Do you advocate a race taking justice, compensation or action as it sees fit Vera? Who decides?

We are attempting to avoid the 'interstellar way the likes of which has never been seen' you mentioned earlier. That would be to everyone's benefit and desire, except as you claim the Brakiri. While we understand the Brakiri view mining as holy. What we hope is that this Council does not see religious beliefs as sufficient reason to start wars.

As for the Dilgar gate closure, they attempted to cut us off before the attack, we merely prevented it. Moreover we cut our own gates. Lastly we did it after the Brakiri declared war. Arguing that being at war and under attack are different is purely semantic. By your reasoning we have to let them through before we're justified in stopping them.

The Narn, Centauri, Earthforce, Gaim, Lorkan, Grome, Cascor and Minbari have all had the same data flowing to them as us from Minbari scouts in Brakiri space. The Brakiri produced virtually nothing in the way of a military for years, then in one swift action began construction of the warfleet you mention. You may not have the data but anyone here can supply it to you.

As far as scout ships go, our first encounter with the Brakiri was one of them entering our space. Over the course of three months we warned thier scout vessel to leave our space. It was faster than anything we had at the time and eventually was destroyed; after it penetrated Zwiest, Lumat, Sorrin and our home systems. It was finally destoryed near one of our homeworlds.

We have complied with the wishes of the Corporate Sector. We have made peace with the Dilgar and begun assisting them in their rebuilding. We have offered to put ourselves at the mercy of the Council in relation to the Brakiri.

What reason is there for war?"

[brianeyci]

"The Brakiri decides you imbecile," said Vera her face growing red. She took a breath.

"The Brakiri are not part of this Council since their Ambassador has never set foot on this station. None of us are bound by the edicts of this Council--it is a voluntary forum. If the Brakiri do not accept your ships as reparations, then they do not accept. Are you proposing this Council force the Brakiri to come to terms with your government? It has no such power."

"As for the one swift action, their worlds were defended by satellites and fighters, which my sources tell me were quite formidable in annihilating fully half your invasion fleet. The Brakiri ships were under construction for decades because they do not use the same retrofitting techniques that the Corporate Sector and others have mastered."

"And if they constructed their ships in a short period of time, what of it? The Corporate Sector has constructed many ships quickly to fulfill client's needs, most recently the Narn. Perhaps the Brakiri wished to sell their vessels. Did you ask? Of course not."

Brian

[Trogdor]

"How presumptuous for you to think that the Council can decide for the Brakiri. The Brakiri decides for the Brakiri and I have just told you they will not accept any renumeration because you have taken that which cannot be replaced."

"If I may say so, Ambassador Delanay, you speak for the Brakiri quite a bit for someone who insists that the Brakiri decide for the Brakiri and admits that they have not mastered the Brakiri's language," Vir said mildly. "As it is, I have recently sent a message to the Brakiri government. Hopefully they will confirm or deny the accuracy of your translations."

"On the matter of the censures, the Centauri Republic agrees to the Earth Alliance on the matter of the Minbari," Vir said. "I too will withdraw my yes vote if Commander Starrider is made to stand trial and the destruction of Spite investigated."

"The Centauri Republic also votes yes on censuring the Dilgar," Vir raised his voice. "And while we're on the subject of the Dilgar, I would like to ask their ambassador why a Dilgar fleet of over 150 warships has just entered Cascan unnannounced. I would also like the remind him that while the Centauri do not currently field a very large military, we have many powerful friends who do, and that the Dilgar Confederacy suffered truly grevious losses in the last war and should not be looking for a new one."

[Uraniun235]

"This location was selected because it was at one point a galactic hub. There were once four warp points which allowed easy access from almost every major power. It was the most equitable of all locations that Earth could have built it in. Finally, M6 does require the occasional shipment of supplies from Earth, and it would be ill-advised for Earth to be cut off from M6 because of hostilities occurring in the sectors between EA space and M6.

You have failed to present evidence supporting your assertion that any carrier group is on course to M6. You have furthermore derailed this discussion by perverting the truth into yet another baseless attack on the Earth Alliance. The Corporate Sector's history with the truth is a long and checkered one, and we have had enough of your lies and deceit. We feel that it is time to send a message to the Corporate Sector that their attitude towards the galactic community is inappropriate and unacceptable.

Earth is not the only one to suffer the machinations of the Corporate Sector. The Narn have produced evidence that Marxis wanted to virtually enslave his people in exchange for Corporate support. Earthforce Intelligence told us about the games Marxis was playing with your government, Ambassador Coto. No, don't worry, the mole wasn't in your government, Ambassador, it was in the Corporate Sector.

The Vorlons, the Minbari... nearly everyone except the Dilgar and the Brakiri have found themselves the subject of contempt and manipulation at the hands of the Corporate Sector. Will we sit idly by and accept the continuing malevolence of Marxis and his cronies?

The Earth Alliance moves to censure the Corporate Sector. Is there a second?"

[Trogdor]

Vir stood. "I second the motion." He said quietly.

There were gasps throughout the already buzzing council chamber. "Marxis has constantly served as an agitator in the galaxy. He makes important claims but is always slow to provide evidense. He tried to turn our allies the Narns into slaves and I can't help but wonder if he wanted to do the same to my people when we approached him during the height of the Shadow War, telling him we might need his help. He is a bigot who loathes and fears all who are not his species or under his thumb. For these reasons the Centauri Republic agrees with Ambassador Magnan of the Earth Alliance."

He sat down as the council chambers erupted again, hoping that the agreements he'd made with the EA ambassador earlier would be worth angering Marxis. At least his conscience would be cleaner with the EA as an ally instead of the likes of Marxis.

[Kojiro]

"Just for the record, we would have seconded the motion if the Centauri hadn't. It seems the galaxy is growing up to your tricks." said Lyta shooting Vera a glance.

"Religious views are not justification for war. The Brakiri once threatened legal action against Earthforce because one of their officers said he saw a comet. We would like to hear from the Brakiri their justification for the war you imply they wish to start. If the Brakiri can make ships that large that fast we're sure their ambassador will be here very shortly.

If it does not meet sufficient criteria to be deemed just then we move that this council declare the Brakiri offensive illegal. From there the Council can decide how it wishes to handle a war fought in preference to peace.

We would also like the Brakiri to explain thier presence in Solta Gan. Eighty Brakiri warships have moved into Grome space and taken control of three of the four planets belonging to the Grome. It seems clear now the 'peaceful' Brakiri, whose weapons eclipse EA and even the militant Corporate Sector are bent on conquest. That they persist in chosing violence against us and the Minbari over peace is more evidence.

Will this be allowed?"

[Nephtys]

Lennier filled in this meeting for Delenn, who had been so recently recalled home. He cleared his throat briefly.

"The Minbari Federation does not believe the patrols of the Earth Alliance pose a credible threat to any nation here. The Earth Alliance has remained neutral in all conflicts and grievances up to now and we see no reason to view this action differently. We, the Minbari have shared an effectively unguarded border with them for a number of years and view the administration of Alshain as an enlightened one."

"Therefore, the Minbari Federation must also support the motion. This station is meant to be a gathering to discuss peace, not agitate for war. Following the lead of the Centauri Republic, we will reluctantly support a measure to discourage this activity in the future."

[GuppyShark]

[img=left]http://members.optusnet.com.au/bcarletti/drazi100.jpg[/img]We are wasting valuable time with these pointless censure motions. A state and its allies will not be swayed by any such censure. We have not even determined how such a vote is to be won.

This body is for discussion and negotiation, not as an attempt to declare this action or that 'illegal'. If an act is illegal, that implies a punishment for breaking it. We have no interest in policing the galaxy.

The League votes nay for every censure motion on the table.

[brianeyci]

"Finally some sanity," said Vera. "As for the evidence, the Corporate Sector protects its sources and divulging the information would reveal our source. Suffice it to say that we will not provide conclusive proof, but this is not a court of law. Nor are we some sort of interstellar government as the Vorlons and their Minbari puppets think."

"As for being slow to provide evidence, perhaps you would perfer doctored photos and lies. There is something called due process Ambassador Mangan. I know your political experience is limited to attacking Marxis' PR reports before this, but politics is slow. It's slow for a reason, so we don't make mistakes which in our job means wide-ranging consequences."

"Censuring the Minbari, censuring the Dilgar, now censuring the Corporate Sector--will this never end? Maybe I should censure myself now. If Ambassador Mangan remembers his history he'll remember the League of Nations. If we treat Mesopotamia as a tiger, this project is bound to fail since Mesopotamia has no teeth. Instead let's discuss and find common ground instead of pretending this project is something it is not."

"As for the Brakiri, we will contact them soon and send our own observers to verify that the Grome were attacked. Our own sources tell us that the Grome homeworld like the Hurr homeworld was subjugated by the Vorlons. If this is a liberation, then the Brakiri are perfectly justified in their actions. But more information is needed."

"These censuring motions are quickly turning Mesopotamia into an endless political campaign for public attention. We're wondering why Alshain and his allies are always making campaign style speeches when he's recently won his election. Maybe it's an attempt to deflect attention from the research study released that accuses Earthforce of being complacent in interstellar defense. You should censure yourself Ambassador Mangan, for Alshain's lackluster defense policy."

Brian

[Trogdor]

"Interesting statement for someone who's tried to censure the Minbari numerous times," Vir said calmly. "In fact, unless my memory fails me, you were the first one to ever propose the M6 council censure someone, Ambassador Delanay."

[brianeyci]

"That was in response to an invasion by the Minbari into Narn territory. Although the Minbari were welcome they ended up slaughtering billions of Narns. Accident or not, it happened, and the Corporate Sector knew that the intervention of a third party would create uncertain and possibly deadly consequences. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Has the Corporate Sector invaded any star nation? The Hurr Republic is currently being liberated, but when complete all planets including the Hurr homeworld will be under the juristiction of the Earth Alliance, not the Corporate Sector."

"But Mangan's censure motion against our words is offensive and inflammatory. I expected better of you Vir, to see through these political maneuverings. Obviously Alshain intends to embarass Marxis' as much as possible and by agreeing to censure the Corporate Sector's words rather than actions you are unwittingly helping Alshain's well-honed political machine. You should read the report from the human think-tank Hillerman Group Vir and pay closer attention to Earth politics."

"As for the Narns, that too was politics or are the people here blind to that? Marxis never wrote that letter, and he never sent it. Despite the Narns' political maneuverings to save face, they have sent the Corporate Sector payment on time and as agreed. I wanted to wait until Ambassador G'Kar was on Mesopotamia Six to inform him of this personally but these unfounded accusations of Marxis being a slave driver are put to rest today, now. The Corporate Sector is forgiving over one hundred billion dollars of remaining debt owed by the Narn Regime to the Corporate Sector, immediately. We know that the Narns are in need of disposable income to rebuild their worlds, and we do not want to punish the Narn people. There is your racism and enslavement Ambassador Mangan."

Fuckers.

"So it's just us and the Drazi?"

"For now."

"What an embarassment it would be for Mangan if he lost this vote."

"Even if he wins it means nothing."

"The Minbari, Vorlons, Alshain and the Centauri. That makes four." Marxis shook his head. "I wonder how hard Alshain sucked that Centauri Emperor's cock to make him go along with this. Our economy and the Centauri's are twined together worse than a couple of horny teenagers. Their electronics, their steel in our warships. Wait..." Marxis grinned. "Imagine how it would look if the Mesopotamia Council was deadlocked."

"Alshain--"

"His little pet project, a failure." Marxis smiled. "Get the Dilgar on your side. I don't care how you do it, promise them the sky if you have to. It's time I contacted the Brakiri ambassador."

Brian

[Trogdor]

"Your first proposition to censure the Minbari came well before the Spite incident," Vir said. "Chairman G'Kar welcomed Minbari intervention at the time, and I fail to see how it was your place to censure them for answering a call for help from their allies."

"You must appreciate our position, Ambassador Delanay. The Corporate Sector has yet to produce any evidense that the Hurr want to be liberated. Yes, I know, you wish to protect your sources, but you must understand that you're asking us to just take your word for it that your military operations are welcomed by the Hurr."

"You have made similar damning claims without producing evidense, such as accusing the Earth Alliance of trying to start a 'dick waving contest' as you put it."

"When someone produces evidense of an incident that makes the Corporate Sector look bad, you dismiss it. Yet you expect us to side with you when you've got significantly less to prove your assertions."

Hypocritical, lying bitch

[brianeyci]

"When the Hurr Prime Minister is freed and the worlds under the administration of the Earth Alliance, like the Yolu worlds are now, you'll have your proof. As for evidence, I must protect my sources, and the safety of those assembled was paramount on my mind when I spoke of the carrier group heading towards Mesopotamia Six. Mangan could simply have refuted this information, or said nothing. Instead he chose this political stunt.. The Corporate Sector has not killed billions of civilians. We have not travelled halfway across the galaxy to interfere in a local affair. As I have said before, if the Dilgar and Narn had been left alone, G'kar would be liberating his worlds with his newly purchased battle fleet instead of burying billions of his dead. And Chairman G'kar in case you have not been following the news has recently disavowed any assistance from the Minbari! We are the ones forgiving the debt and without us the Narn military would be one battlecruiser and a space station, not to mention countless technical and civilian support in the form of transports and supplies for civilians."

"We have done more for galactic peace than any other star nation. Hundreds of ships have been purchased by interstellar powers maintaining the balance of power for decades due to the Corporate Sector's shipyards."

"As well the Corporate Sector did not build its warships without help Ambassador. Earth Alliance citizens have provided technical support."

Vera pauses.

"Others have also given more substantial aid," said Vera quietly. She sat down.

Yes, let's see if you're ready to show all your cards you fucking European freak show.

Brian

[Trogdor]

Oh here we go again...

"Ambassador, as much as I realize you wouldn't know it to look at us right now, my people were conquerers once upon a time. It's much easier to make an invasion look justified after it's won rather than before it's happening."

"I would like to note that I have never condoned the murder of billions of civilians. I, in fact, supported the conditional censure of the Minbari because of the Spite incident."

"You cannot know that if the Minbari and Vorlons had not interfered there would have been less death, unless you are claiming to be an oracle, Ambassador? No?"

"Correct me if I am mistaken, but did the forces you sold to Narn not lack any kind of army? How was Chairman G'Kar supposed to liberate his worlds with no soldiers to go to the ground and claim them? And by Chairman G'Kar's own description, the vessels you sold to his government were 'obsolete' and they alone did not solve the Narn Regime's crisis."

"However, in the process of making a profit off of selling your obsolete warships, which I'm sure you would've just scrapped otherwise, you have indeed helped to preserve the balance of power in the galaxy. That, and the fact that we can always use more radioactives to help provide electricty to our colonies, is the reason why the Centauri Republic has traded mass quanties of minerals for uranium with the Corporate Sector for so long."

There, I've admitted it. She can't keep threatening to reveal it anymore. Now let's hope that the others don't hang me for it.

[brianeyci]

"You do not need to be an oracle to know that the more people fight in a war, the more death there will be. As for the troops, if you had paid attention to Earth politics for any length of time, you would know that under the succession agreement when the Corporate Sector left the Earth Alliance, we handed control of all Soldier class transports to the Earth Alliance and disbanded the Corporate Army. These Soldier class transports are currently in orbit of the Yolu homeworld helping maintain the peace. Recently after the elections we've raised a small special forces group to remove Vorlon infiltration from the Hurr, but nowhere near the necessary troops for retaking the Narn worlds from the Dilgar. And selling ships is one thing. Selling people another. Would you have sold your people to the Narns?"

"As for the vast quantities of raw materials the Centauri have provided including technical assistance with our equipment, the Corporate Sector is grateful. We would not have been able to build such a large starfleet without your government's help. But do not overstep your bounds Ambassador Vir. Just because we have made business deals, that does not mean we are your slaves."

"As for this censuring motion, I have a hard time believing that Nimune Starrider was solely responsible for the incident. The Minbari are a race obsessed with honor. It is entirely possible that political elements within the Minbari government have allowed Starrider to be a scapegoat for this unfortunate incident. We should not blame one individual for the actions of her government. I know this--no Earth military worth its salt would betray its servicemembers, certainly not the Corporate Sector's military. I am sure the Drazi would never allow its servicemembers to be held accountable to foreign interests, nor most of the League worlds. We protect our own. The Minbari may be the exception, but this sets a terrible precedent that we cannot allow."

"As for this vote for censure I propose a recess. I have had word from the Brakiri Ambassador that he is nearly at Babylon Five, and since this directly affects his people he should be allowed to vote."

Brian