Legal Nuance

Posted on Mon Aug 3rd, 2026 @ 7:39pm by Lonian Royal Sovereignty & Lieutenant Commander Serenity Triannth [PPC] & Legate Andrinn Orin

Mission: Season 6: Episode 7: Crossroads of Destiny
Location: Diplomatic suite
Timeline: MD4, after 'Emergency Discussions'
2237 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

The staff meeting ended, but the tension didn't wane. They had information, but not enough. Serenity and Orin returned to the diplomatic suite with Gary's orders: understand Lonian law and what the detained crrw had been charged with.

Andrinn was sitting in one of the diplomatic suites and he had one of the diplomatic aides bring in a few computer terminals into the suite, so that Andrinn and Serenity could possibly figure out what was going on. Understand the law and maybe even the cultural significance behind what was going on.

Looking at one of the terminals, Andrinn said, "Computer, establish diplomatic link to the central computers on the Lonian homeworld. Diplomatic access code: Orin-Theta-1-9-Alpha." With that, the computer chirped to life and flashed the symbol of both the United Federation of Planets and the Lonian homeworld. It was flashing while it made the connection, which it only took a few seconds to access.

Once the connection was made, Andrinn looked at Serenity and said, "Okay, I think we should probably divide and conquer on this. Make more headway quicker that way? If we did that, anything you'd like to look in over another?"

Serenity said softly. "My team is going through the information we have so far, but we need to know if there is any wiggle room. They may have given us some information but how true is it?"

Andrinn shrugged for a moment as he replied, "I'm hoping all of it, but the way that one of the leaders looked when I was down there on the planet when the news broke, I don't know. I'm hoping all of it, but I'm taking everything with a grain of salt."

The computer beeped to indicate a connection to the public records database had been established. From there, a directory presented itself:


1. Ship Registration and Permits
2. Cultural and Historical Databases
3. Tourism Guide
4. Mandates in Effect
5. Records Database, First House
6. Records Database, Second House
7. Records Database, Third House
8. Records Database, Fourth House
9. Construction Notices


The list went on for maybe 20 more lines.

"Computer, access section 2 and put in an inquiry for the Lonians and the Kavai. Start as far back as their records go and tell me what happened between the two people," Andrinn said as he and Serenity watched the screen come to life with various information about the two species.

Serenity watched the information collate. "Here we go." She muttered.

It took a couple minutes, but eventually the computer alerted that it was done fetching the requested information. "Lonian and Kavai lineage can be traced back to the Gareska, who resided on Niea III approximately 50,000 years ago," the computer began. "The Gareska had two main social classes: an upper class consisting of rulers, researchers, and aristocrats, and a lower class of workers. The lower class was identified by an upside-down crescent placed above the cranial ridge once working age (associated with puberty) was reached. Conflicting records suggest this mark was either a tattoo or burned into the skin.

"The star, Thilia, experienced two off-gassing events and pushed the Gareska to develop space travel. The first event drove the Gareska to migrate to Niea IV in what is known as The First Migration, but the off-gassing event wasn't as severe as predicted so most returned to Niea III. The group who stayed, researchers and explorers with their lower class labourers, remained to study this planet. The class system dissolved as the group struggled to survive, and this group would go on to become the ancestors of the Lonians.

"On Niea III, civil unrest grew as the lower class demanded equality and protested the introduction of genetic modification to make the crescent mark part of their DNA. These rioters called themselves the Kavai, loosely translated as 'the endurers'. Conflict persisted until The Second Migration, in which only 50,000 people from the now Kavai-controlled Niea III heeded the warnings of another off-gassing event and migrated to Niea IV. The second off-gassing event incinerated the surface of Niea III and the estimated 2 billion inhabitants at the time. The Lonians only lost about 150,000 people. The Niea III survivors settled in the modern-day Toruna Municipality, but they struggled to integrate into Lonian society. Lingering resentment over the class system and the forced genetic modification kept the Kavai from assimilating, and conflict grew until the Kavai moved to Niea V, where they reside today. Some stayed behind as spies, and used the Toruna Municipality as a base of operations until the Lonian military restricted access to the region."

"That's some interesting and good information," Andrinn said with a smile without even thinking about it. He didn't mean to, but this was definitely a starting point as to explain why there was some tension between the two species. The Kavai just wanted to be treated as equals, but maybe the Lonians didn't want to give them those equal treatments. At least, not when they first started asking. "Computer. Access the same database and put in an inquiry as to how the Lonians treated the request by the Kavai for equal treatment and when it started happening? We know that there were spying events afterwards, but people don't just start spying on one another out of the blue and just cause we don't like one another. I want to deep dive a little bit, computer."

As the computer started to work, Andrinn looked over to Serenity and said, "Access that terminal. Once we figure out a general timeline of when this all started happening. The demands for equality and such, I want you to see how the laws started changing. How did the Lonians start changing existing laws around that time, what were they before, and what were they after? If you don't mind, please?"

"I don't mind at all" She replied and began to research the information.

The results came back from Orin's query first. According to historical records, the Lonians (those who first migrated to Niea IV and dissolved the class system) had no problems with the Kavai who escaped the second off-gassing event. The refugees were given a space to call home and the Lonians offered to share resources. Allegedly, the Kavai began expanding their gifted land and began stealing more resources than was allotted to them. As the Kavai had the genetic modification of the crescent dermaglyph, they were easily identified in public, and some filed alleged discrimination complaints that were often dismissed. The theft resulted in increased surveillance around the Toruna Municipality, and tensions escalated until eventually the Kavai left for Niea V to build their own society.

Serenity's request yielded something interesting. Prior to the Federation year 2367, there were no laws pertaining to the Kavai. Some travel advisories in the couple of years leading up to that particular year, but no strict mandates. In the Federation year 2367, the Kavai and Lonians engaged in a territorial dispute known as the Bedia War. It was a claim over an asteroid after the Kavai put economic strain on the Lonians by redirecting space traffic. The Lonians wanted to put a beacon on a particular asteroid to guide visitors to the right planet, triggering the war, and it only ended when the asteroid was destroyed. A deescalation treaty was signed with a third party eyewitness, and the entire region of the asteroid belt where the war took place became restricted access to both species for the next 75 Federation years. Since then, Lonian laws that restricted potential relations with the Kavai began cropping up, citing concerns about national security and terrorism. These laws were combined into a document called the Bedia Convention. It was also noted in the records that Sama's predecessor died in the war, and she became the new Head of House about six months before the war ended.

Andrinn looked over Serenity's shoulder as she started working her angle of it. He caught the last little bit about Lady Sama's predecessor was killed during the war and she took over several months prior to the war's end. He came over and said, "Hey, Serenity? Mind expanding and looking into that for me? Cause, I can't remember, but I want to say the houses are handed down through family lines, if I remember correctly. So, maybe something happened and that's why Sama doesn't like outsiders? Or wants to make something up against us and our people and Teevs and...." Andrinn's voice trailed off as he knew he was rambling.

Serenity nodded. "I agree." She input the search parameters.

The results brought up an obituary for a Lady Kiva, the Head of House at the time, with lines about making the ultimate sacrifice for her people. She refused to sit in safety back home while she sent her own people to war. She was killed alongside 3500 others in one of the many skirmishes with the Kavai, and one of about 150 bodies that were able to be recovered from that particular battle. The obituary concluded by stating the fallen Head of House was survived by her daughter, who would take the throne in two day's time as Her Grace Lady Sama.

"Well shit." the JAG officer said and read it out loud. "Timing is everything." she drew her finger along the information. "Orin, we have another issue."

Andrinn looked over and quickly read the whole document. He didn't read the whole thing word for word, but got most of the details before looking back at Serenity. Andrinn said, "Besides the fact that the daughter of the former house leader might have a chip on her shoulder against the Kavi people for killing her mother? This isn't good."

Andrinn turned back and leaned his head forward a little bit before rubbing the back of his neck. He looked back at Serenity and asked, "Does it say anything else that might be useful? Or was there more that you were going to tell me that wasn't so good?"

"The charge... against Teevs and Addison. Illegal Possession." Serenity said as she read. "The laws are extremely against the Kavai. And this here, clearly states that half blood children are deemed as a biological agent and thus they count as a Kavai asset." She frowned more. "Awww fuck it. The Commodore will loose it again...Article 2 says that such "assets" will be destroyed after sentencing." She looked at Andrinn. "Kerilia, she is the asset." She let it hang there.

It didn't fully sink in until Serenity put into such plain words about Kerilia. The color drained from Andrinn's face as he said, "You mean to tell me that they plan on killing Kerilia? Holy....." Andrinn went back to his own computer terminal and pulled up what Phyans had sent him and looked it over again. He hadn't quite put two and two together cause of all that had been going on with the Lonians, the taking of the crew, and everything else.

Andrinn looked back at the console in front of Serenity and looked over all of the information again two or three more times. "This..... Bedia Convention doesn't seem to be very nice it seems like," Andrinn said more to himself than to anyone in particular. He looked at Serenity and said, "Okay, lets deep dive into this Bedia Convention too? I think we've got the records on that, don't we?"

"We do. We got a lot of their documents." She didn't mention the hellfire that would rain down if the Lonians killed that little girl.

They poured over the Bedia Convention. For the most part, it echoed an ancient Earth document, the Geneva Convention, and contained everything from rules of engagement to what was classified as a war crime. The laws one could be tried under exclusively pertained to involvement with the Kavai in some way, shape, or form. It contained the things the crew had been charged with: misprision of treason carried a prison sentence of at least 25 Federation years; for illegal possession, 15 Federation years and the destruction of the asset inciting the charge as Serenity mentioned; and treason, the punishment for which was death. It also shed light on how the crew got misprision charges: the law said that those who are aware of the crime of treason and fail to report it are guilty, but the lack of clarification on what constituted "knowledge of the crime" provided the leeway needed to make the arrests lawful.

Assault on a royal guard was not in the Bedia convention, but Phyans had provided that legislation as well and it said that each offense was 10 Federation years.

Serenity highlighted several sections and muttered names of their crew with a mix of disgust and concern.

Andrinn looked up from the stuff that Serenity was showing him and said, "Are you serious? They'd want to put a kid to death all cause she's not Lonian and is the other race? Please tell me I'm reading that part wrong."

"You aren't" She said firmly. "She is classed as evidence thus to be destroyed at the end of the trial." She drew breath. "And I thought the Erisians were crap."

Andrinn rubbed the bridge of his nose before picking up a nearby PADD and entering a few commands onto it. He was uploading all of the information that he knew he would have to deliver to the command crew soon in their meeting on getting their people out. So, this was going to be a fun meeting.