OFFICIAL RECORD: PACT PUNITIVE TRIBUNAL: Kryvane Prime Massacre
LOCATION: Observation Deck, The Remembrance; Kryvane System, Orbiting Kryvane Prime
DATE: 9,999 A.S. 5th Deca 6th Cycle
RECORDING OFFICER: Joric Memory Scribe
STATUS: Declassified for Public; Original available onboard The Remembrance
Lyra: Alright everyone, let's have some quiet in here, please.
[scattered sounds die out]
Lyra: By now we are all aware of what occurred on Kryvane Prime. What we are here to find out today is why and how it happened. We have a tribunal made up of a being from each member faction, they will decide how we will handle it. Their goal is to observe the proceedings and provide an unbiased opinion on how to proceed. With that established, and this, being the first of its kind. I am Lyra Seraphina, and I will be the interviewer for the pact. Will the responsible party please rise and state their name for the record.
Garek: I am Garek, Ash Leader.
Lyra: Garek, do you acknowledge the legitimacy of this tribunal?
Garek: I do.
Lyra: And will you abide by their ruling?
Garek: I will
Lyra: Before we begin with witnesses, would you like to make a statement?
Garek: Yes. I acknowledge that all you hear will be the truth. What I ask of you, this tribunal. Understand the reasoning beneath. Each member of the Ash Vow is created in the Ash Walk, and while we each come from different backgrounds, we are united by the one fact that connects us. The truth that the Ascendancy created each of us. As a Chimeran I had two awakenings; the first, when I had been given the choice to take the splices or live my life untethered. The second, when the family that I had made was burned to ash by Admiral Kreeg as punishment for my defection from the Ascendancy. When we received information that there was a meeting of all Ascendant Admirals, I once again felt the ash, believing that we could stop the ascendancy from another massacre. Each of us, from the youngest to the oldest has felt the passion of revenge and anger boil into a blind and uncontrolled rage. I ask not for forgiveness, only that you keep the reasoning behind it in your mind as you decide.
Lyra: Anything else that you would like to add?
Garek: The ash I created today, will be with me for as long as my life continues.
Lyra: Thank you Garek. I would like to call for the first testimony: Gaal of the Ash Vow.
[shuffling sounds]
Lyra: Can you please state your name for the record?
Gaal: I am Gaal, Ash Commander
Lyra: Thank you. Can you tell us about the actions that led up to the Ash Vow’s assault on Kryvane Prime?
Gaal: Three cycles ago we had received intelligence that the Ascendancy had been planning a meeting of the Admiralty on Kryvane Prime.
Lyra: Can you give us the name of the source?
Gaal: Yes. We had gotten the information from <Redacted>.
Lyra: And had this source been trusted?
Gaal: Yes, they had given us valuable intelligence on many occasions before this.
Lyra: Was anything done to verify the information?
Gaal: We had sent a scout ahead, who confirmed that they were seeing ships with military markings unloading personnel and munitions onto the planet.
Lyra: And did you share this information with the Pact?
Gaal: No, we believed it to be time sensitive.
Lyra: Was there a particular reason that you believed that?
Gaal: The Varkh would eventually realize that we knew and would evacuate the admiralty off planet. It was decided that we would strike as quickly as possible.
Lyra: Was the Accord of Shared Echo mentioned during this discussion?
Gaal: No, we believed that any delay to our strike would allow the admiralty to flee.
Lyra: Who specifically made the decision?
Gaal: Ash Leader Garek. However, the rest of the Ash Vow willingly followed the decision.
Lyra: How did Garek appear during this decision making process?
Gaal: Angry but relieved. As though we had discovered the source of the Varkh’s infection, and we would finally be able to excise it.
Lyra: Did he appear clouded by rage?
Gaal: Rage takes many forms, it can be hard to identify the mental state of someone else. Rage can often bring clarity that justifies itself in any context.
Lyra: Noted for the record. Did anyone question the decision after the fact?
Gaal: No, every one of us had believed the information to be genuine.
Lyra: Let's get into the attack. When you arrived was there any new information that you or your scouts had learned?
Gaal: Two cycles ago we arrived in the atmosphere. Scouts had noted several locations had been identified by the scouts as having high activity, as well as automated defenses, typical for a military target.
Lyra: Did you know that these defenses were not carrying live ammunition?
Gaal: We had no reason to suspect, our scouts had observed a large shipment of munitions that came to the planet days prior. The kind of munitions that would be used for planetary bombardment.
Lyra: What was your plan for the strike?
Gaal: We had planned to follow our standard rules of engagement. We struck first at the communications towers, this would prevent them from getting word off the planet.
Lyra: Had you been monitoring Ascendancy communications at the time?
Gaal: Only to the military channels, which confirmed our intelligence. That the planet was a stronghold and they would plan to destroy more planets with this as a forward base.
Lyra: What did you do next?
Gaal: We then struck at each of the landing pads on the planet. As this would prevent the admiralty from a retreat. Then we began a purge, the standard procedure was to flow over the planet and cleanse the rot out systematically, though once we started to burn the ascendancy structures it quickly began to spread by itself to specific areas.
Lyra: At what point did you realize what truly happened?
Gaal: In the heat of battle, you can hear nothing but the roar of flames and the crack of charges as they release. We had suffered not a single wound, but we could hear the defenses firing, which caused confusion. Only until we saw the cameras that had been placed strategically around the major population centers did we realize.
Lyra: Cameras? Were they pointed at anything specifically?
Gaal: They were pointed at the entry points of major areas where the devastation had been the worst. The scouts had mentioned security cameras, but these were pointed to capture our approach specifically.
Lyra: What exactly did you see that caused you to halt your attack?
Gaal: The charred bodies of those caught by the flames. These were not adults. They were the size of children. The structure beneath the charred skin of one was that of a lagosi-umbric.
Lyra: What happened at that point?
Gaal: Our squadron halted the purge and headed towards the location of the admirals according to our intelligence.
Lyra: Who did you find there?
Gaal: We found that the building had been reduced to ash and rubble, a search of the debris found nothing to indicate ascendancy officers, instead we found medical utilities. Breathing tanks, imaging machines, mobility devices.
Lyra: Did you find any colonial remains?
Gaal: Yes, however, none of them were officers, or even soldiers. They were instead the bodies of the elderly, mangled from the initial bombardment.
Lyra: Where was Garek at this time?
Gaal: He had been at the secondary location. Believed to be where the admirals would be if there was a strike.
Lyra: And do you know what he found there?
Gaal: Yes, similar to the building my squadron went to. His was not filled with the admirals. However, this was filled with colonials who had suffered from various defects.
Lyra: Defects? What do you mean by this?
Gaal: Afflictions that prevented them from being productive members of society: mental illness, deformities.
Lyra: Are these people that the Ash Vow would normally consider military targets?
Gaal: No, the direct goal of the Ash Vow is to remove the rot of the Ascendancy. Any being capable of wielding a weapon in support of the Varkh, whether that is through military or scientific means. Only as long as they work towards the growth of the Ascendancy would they be considered a target.
Lyra: Noted for the record. What happened after that?
Gaal: We attempted to search the areas for soldiers, officers. Any sign that the military had been here. We found the ships with military markings, but they had been decommissioned years prior.
Lyra: Had they been used recently?
Gaal: They had all been retrofitted to act as barges for people. The crates of munitions proved to be food and medicine, dressed up to fool our scouts.
Lyra: What else did you find?
[Extended Silence]
Gaal: Pens filled with umbric children, the area around doused with propellant. Not long after we discovered their bodies, the Severed Fold had arrived in the atmosphere joined by the rest of the Pact.
Lyra: Do you have anything else you wish to add?
Gaal: The Ascendancy does not cease to burn our worlds beneath our feet. We must focus the Ash Vow through a new path, because the rage and pain will continue to be created by this galaxy, and without purpose, it will burn everything.
Lyra: Noted for the record. You are excused from the tribunal.
[Shuffling sounds]
Lyra: We would like to call for our second testimony: Scent on the Void of the Severed Fold.
[Shuffling continues]
Lyra: Please state your name for the record.
Raela: Scent on the Void. But you may call me Raela.
Lyra: Can you please explain your account of events leading up to your arrival at Kryvane Prime.
Raela: We had an enclave in the Kryvane System, regularly monitoring the planets for unusual activity. They had noticed an influx of movement on Kryvane Prime.
Lyra: Did you have any specifics?
Raela: They had observed military ships that had been converted into hospital barges. They were making regular deposits of the sick, the elderly, and umbrics.
Lyra: Did any of that seem odd to you?
Raela: No, the Ascendancy shuffles its outer populations around in a manner that only they understand.
Lyra: And when did you know about this information?
Raela: About four cycles ago.
Lyra: At the time, could you discern a reason?
Raela: No, we had theories. Nothing confirmed. From time to time the ascendancy will convert a world to serve a specific purpose. These planets are then filled with those the ascendancy has an obligation to care for. The elderly colonials who had given their youth in service, the colonials born different, the umbric children who were unfortunate to be born of mixed-parentage within the ascendancy.
Lyra: What were your theories?
Raela: Most of us had assumed that they were creating another hospital planet. But one of the scouts had monitored the landing pads and watched them unloading crates with the word munitions all over them. So the other theory was that they were converting it to an outpost. But further observation told us that these crates were a misdirection.
Lyra: So it could have been perceived as a military operation?
Raela: Yes, the fact that they chose to use military ships, the crates that had been mislabeled. Each of these could have misled anyone without eyes on the ground.
Lyra: What would the severed Fold normally do with this information?
Raela: We would establish a contact on the planet and our Lantern Bearers would assist with evacuating refugees.
Lyra: What did you do with this information on this occasion?
Raela: We brought it to the Pact. As the Accord of the Shared Echo states, we brought it to the nearest quartermaster. Who brought it to the intelligence wing.
Lyra: What happened then?
Raela: We waited for confirmation of the intelligence. The process had taken two cycles. By then we had begun receiving reports that an Ash Vow legion had arrived to purge the planet.
Lyra: So, to confirm the timeline for the tribunal. You had received information about the Ascendancy’s movements four cycles ago, with the confirmation of the intelligence taking two cycles. While the Ash Vow got their information three cycles ago and acted on it immediately. Putting the Ash Vow one day ahead of us.
Raela: That is correct.
Lyra: Alright, let's get into the arrival at Kryvane Prime. Can you articulate everything that was done leading up to the arrival of the Severed Fold?
Raela: The plan was for the Tide Kin navigators to bring the transport ships through, while the Graven would act as a barrier against any potential attack by the Ascendancy. This was agreed upon by the involved parties.
Lyra: What was the arrival of the planet like?
Raela: The Strand around the planet had been corrupted by the pain and anguish. The navigators who stitched our ships through each grew ill from the stench of the strand.
Lyra: What did you see?
Raela: Chaos, the entire planet had seemingly been engulfed in flames. But nothing of the ascendancy… We had sent ships to the edge of the system to keep watch. All they found was a communications buoy, which was quickly deactivated and dismantled.
Lyra: Did they learn anything from the communications buoy?
Raela: It was receiving signals from Kryvane Prime and transmitting them back to Ascendancy space. They also learned that it had only been working for three cycles prior.
Lyra: Were they able to decipher any of the signals that had come through?
Raela: Not beyond the source and its intended destination. We passed everything along to the quartermaster for the sector.
Lyra: Getting back to Kryvane Prime. Did you land on the planet?
Raela: Yes, we had begun the search for survivors. The Lantern Bearers reached through the strand, but they felt nothing in response aside from the final moments of fear.
Lyra: Is there anything else you wish to add?
Raela: We each must take responsibility for our parts in this. Whether it was the commitment of troops or the delays caused by bureaucracy. The people that died on Kryvane Prime are the responsibility of everyone, not just those who have been manipulated. We must reckon with that fact if we are to move forward and build something new.
Lyra: Noted for the Record. You are excused from the tribunal.
[Shuffling sounds]
Lyra: We would like to call for our final testimony: Kresh of the Scepter of Ashaya.
[Shuffling continues]
Lyra: Please state your name for the record.
Kresh: Yeah. My name is Kresh.
Lyra: Can you explain the truth around Kryvane Prime?
Kresh: Sure. The Varkh was familiar with our accords, specifically the Accord of the Shared Echo. They had noted a specific gap that they could manipulate.
Lyra: What gap was that?
Kresh: The fact that there are no incentives for abiding by the rules…
Lyra: Can you be more specific?
Kresh: They noticed that the system works on trust. And everybody defines trust differently. You for example trust that people will follow the specific guidelines in place, regardless of the circumstances. While the Ash Vow, they trust each other more.
Lyra: So they played on our fragmentation?
Kresh: Yes, but they also played on the Ash Vow’s devotion. Each of us was made to look foolish by the Varkh.
Lyra: Alright, let's go detail by detail and make sure the record states everything clearly. So we know that the Fold had observed non-combatants being loaded onto the planet four cycles ago. Can you confirm that?
Kresh: Yes, the Folds observation from four cycles ago were all confirmed as correct.
Lyra: And three cycles ago the Ash Vow had received information from their source. This told them that the Admirals were planning a meeting on Kryvane Prime.
Kresh: Is that a question?
Lyra: You can confirm that the Ash Vow had received this specific information?
Kresh: Yes, that is the information they received.
Lyra: Can you explain the difference in information?
Kresh: Yeah, sure. So back before Shadris Vel, each of us would have our own process. You asked Raela about the Fold, you asked the Gaal about the Ash Vow. In that scenario, the Fold would have arrived and deflected the Ash Vow. There was an entire cycle where only the Fold knew about this planet. But no one from the Fold arrived on the planet to confront them.
Lyra: Because they were going through the Pact?
Kresh: Exactly. And in that quiet, the Ascendancy saw an opportunity. They would try to set up the pact by weaponizing zealots against their better nature. They would lay out information that would act as a trap. They dangled the cause of so many Ash Vow soldiers' pain right in front of them and waited for them to act on it.
Lyra: How do you know all of this?
Kresh: We had our experts going through the feed from the communications buoy. What they saw was the raw footage of Ash Vow soldiers emerging from the flames of Kryvane Prime. That the Ascendancy placed propellant to do the maximum amount of visual damage, was just a part of the plan.
Lyra: How do you know the propellant was placed intentionally?
Kresh: The day the communications buoy became active it received a single signal from the core worlds. Before it was set to transmit everything from Kryvane.
Lyra: What did this signal say?
Kresh: They were orders for the offloading of propellant with the medical supplies. They were to all be placed into crates marked with the word Munitions. The signal also had instructions on where the civilians were to be placed, where the umbrics would be. Alongside the one word Skarn, Veruthik for purge.
Lyra: The Ascendancy intentionally put those people onto Kryvane Prime?
Kresh: Yes, and then they fed information to the Pact’s most radical members, and waited. We cleaned up their undesirables, and they got a PR win.
[Silence]
Lyra: Undesirables?
Kresh: You established it earlier. These people were a drain on resources. They served no further purpose for the Varkh, and so the Varkh found a way to give them purpose again.
Lyra: Is there anything else you wish to add?
Kresh: Nah.
Lyra: Noted for the record. You are excused from the tribunal.
[Shuffling sounds]
Lyra: I have no further testimony to add to this tribunal. You have heard the testimony from the Ash Vow, the Severed Fold, and the Scepter of Ashaya. We now ask that you six members of the tribunal make a decision regarding Ash Leader Garek. We will await your decision.
[Testimony Day 1 Ends]
OFFICIAL RECORD: PACT PUNITIVE TRIBUNAL: Kryvane Prime Massacre
LOCATION: Observation Deck, The Remembrance; Kryvane System, Orbiting Kryvane Prime
DATE: 9,999 A.S. 5th Deca 7th Cycle
RECORDING OFFICER: Joric Memory Scribe
STATUS: Declassified for Public; Original available onboard The Remembrance
Lyra: Let’s please have some silence here.
[Scattered sounds die out]
Lyra: Thank you. Tribunal, have you reached a decision regarding Garek?
Tribunal Spokesperson: We have.
Lyra: Garek, please stand. Spokesperson, please read your decision.
Tribunal Spokesperson: Ash Leader Garek, you are found guilty of ignoring the accords of the pact. The result of which was a massacre of noncombatants. While we acknowledge that the Ascendancy had used your pain against you. You must acknowledge the pain that you have caused with your actions. Your punishment: You are to be stripped of all command within the Ash Vow and Lucent Pact. You will be given the choice between exile to the void or imprisonment within the Federation.
Lyra: Garek, you stated that you will abide by the decision of this tribunal. What will you choose?
Garek: I will choose imprisonment. I cannot hide from the pain that I have caused any longer.
Lyra: Thank you. Tribunal, you are dismissed with the pact’s thanks. Garek, please follow the federation officers, they will bring you through the intake.
