Here is the official response I’ll be making for this filed report. I will answer any questions fielded by the CO council, but there’s already been a lot of back and forth between people here and I’d like to avoid contributing to more of that
Foreground:
BE Definition:
"Commanding Officers (and their superiors) reserve the exclusive right to issue a summary execution of anyone who poses a threat to life or limb to the ship, to the operation at large, or to personnel, and are an active threat. This form of execution is called a Battlefield Execution, abbreviated to “BE”.
A Battlefield Execution is defined as an act of execution performed in the field that results in someone being permanently removed from the round. If an execution-capable sidearm is used as a weapon during a standard, capital punishment execution following due process, regular execution rules apply and not those of BEs.
Prisoners and those currently in secure custody of Military Police (sufficiently restrained or incarcerated) may not be executed unless doing so would be part of capital punishment, following due process."
Valid BE Examples:
- Attempting to deliberately hinder or harass the CO, personally, whether it is preventing them from leading effectively, harassing them even when told to back off, or attempting to do acts that would cripple, disable or distract them from their duties. Note that the CO should give someone warnings when doing this before performing a BE.
- Attempting to overthrow, overrule or otherwise undermine the CO’s command or the CIC’s command. This may be through threats of or acts of mutiny, sedition, desertion, or inciting dissident speech against the CO or CIC, such as encouraging others to mutiny.
- “Low roleplay (LRP)” or behavior befitting of insanity. Note that as the definition of LRP is not set in stone, it is up to individual COs to interpret whether or not an act should be declared as such.
I’ve pulled these definitions and example from the official CO code of conduct webpage.
These examples have also been specifically picked. Each is a BE reason which I think applied for the execution of the liaison. I also understand the CL believed they didn’t have to follow marine law oocly, so I’ve grabbed an additional quote from the marine law webpage
“The UCMJ applies to all personnel in the vicinity of a USCM Operation or onboard a USCM ship; this includes the Commander, Chief MP, UPP, Freelancers, PMC’s, other factions and organizations. The only exceptions are specially dispatched officials from High Commandor the Provost Marshal Office and Diplomatically Immune Company Executives (not the onboard Liaison).”
Relevant Logs
Exec. Spc. Veronika Modlinskaya [Command (CL)] says, “Where the fuck is command?”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar [Command (CO)] says, “And Executive Modlinskaya? You are a guest on this ship.”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar [Command (CO)] says, “Use improper language and attitude towards command and you will no longer be such.”
Exec. Spc. Veronika Modlinskaya says, “That’s for the plebeian wage-slaves.”
Veronika Modlinskaya broadcasts, “I am offering two thousand cash for a private security detail on the ground. In case you need cigarette money or you owe a a baby mama.”
SgtMaj Fedorov ‘Pavel’ Kuznetsov says, “Please be quiet.”
Fedorov ‘Pavel’ Kuznetsov points to Veronika Modlinskaya
Exec. Spc. Veronika Modlinskaya says, “Oh, shut up”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar says, “Specialist?”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar says, “Let’s take a walk together.”
Exec. Spc. Veronika Modlinskaya says, “Don’t you have a briefing to take care of?”
Exec. Spc. Veronika Modlinskaya says, “Your Captain is shouting nonsense.”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar says, “Interrupt my captain one more time, and you will be leaving.”
SgtMaj Fedorov ‘Pavel’ Kuznetsov says, “Veronika.”
SgtMaj Fedorov ‘Pavel’ Kuznetsov says, “Shut the fuck up.”
Exec. Spc. Veronika Modlinskaya says, “Fuck you.”
You fire the Mateba autorevolver custom point blank at Veronika Modlinskaya!
I took these logs during the round, as while I do think my actions are valid I wanted to make sure I had everything deadnailed. I also want to add the detail, that I don’t think unfortunately can be shown with logs is their “Fuck you.” was spoken while looking at my character Lazar with not a tile of distance between the two. Effectively, they said “fuck you” to the face of a Major in front of their men at briefing. Whether it was meant for the SEA or Major is hard to disconcern, it had looked to me it could’ve been meant for either one, and frankly neither are good.
Warnings & ML Intent
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar [Command (CO)] says, “And Executive Modlinskaya? You are a guest on this ship.”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar [Command (CO)] says, “Use improper language and attitude towards command and you will no longer be such.”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar says, “Specialist?”
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar says, “Let’s take a walk together.”
This second warning was spoken to the CL in person, and was an attempt to deescalate the situation by offering them a chance to be privately spoken too and arrested.
Maj Mira A.W. Lazar says, “Interrupt my captain one more time, and you will be leaving.”
At this point, my intention was to have them discharged to either the planet, evacuate in their pod, or be picked up by a W-Y shuttle. In my opinion, as the IC head of ML on the ship, they had committed subterfuge at the lightest, or sedition at worst for attempting to take marines out of my command and into their ranks as a private security detail.
As well, their comments were already an attempt to undermine the command via their disrespect and insubordination towards the SEA and XO in public, in front of marines at briefing. Plus, attempting to distract from the XO’s brief by trying to recruit PMCs during the brief with a megaphone.
The BE
As noted in the logs, there was a delay between their comment and my execution of them. I was personally stunned for a moment OOC because I was surprised at such a blatant brash move and was deciding upon my options.
Now, I do not know if we have logs for it, but as far as I am aware there was no MPs at the time. I had checked the manifest and there was none. Later on, at about the hour mark, I did notice we now had an MP on the manifest. However, I did not see this MP during brief, they did not speak, and as far as I am aware they had not joined by the execution.
With the lack of MPs, I thought about deputizing someone. The only CiC staff during the incident were myself and the XO, which left us slim on options. I did not want to commit one of the 2 people (effective half) of command to arresting and guarding the brig.
With that in mind, after I had composed myself, I PB’d the CL several times (3) until they were dead. All were headshots. They were executed in front of the marines at brief to both handle the issue in the best way I thought possible at the time and help reinforce command’s authority.
I did later come back to their body and properly perma’d them with the BE mechanic after a doctor had begun to try and revive them. I had meant to perma them from the first place, however I had been accidentally aiming mouth, not head.
LRP/Insanity
The reason I asked for the final fax from Weyland-Yutani is due to a particular note the message contained. Within the fax I received, was in digital pen and paper an IC declaration from WY that the CL was considered insane by their standards.
The specific clause for executions on LRP/insanity posted from the CO code of conduct states it’s within the commands judgement, and I cannot think of a more sound affirmation than staff having declared them insane.
Fax to WY
It was posted here, as the executed took offense to it. The fax I sent to WY was in the spirit of good faith RP, as I was hoping to have a small goon team sent to retrieve the body of the CL and their belongings. I had discussed this both in an ahelp briefly, and had spoken to the XO and SEA about putting the CL’s property away and letting them be taken by the company.
