0088.05 – Charges

Universal Century 0088.05
Charges

After returning to his office, Lieutenant Commander Conrad Morris began to closely examine the charges brought against Eliard Hunter.

First was the crime involving his participation in the Colony 30 Incident. It was true that the team Eliard Hunter was attached to was tasked with escorting a transport ship carrying poison gas to Side 1. The Colony 30 Incident struck terror in the Earth Federation Forces and resulted in a dramatic increase in the Titans influence.

The second charge was for dangerous conduct during a mobile suit test flight. During an Asshimar’s atmospheric test flight, records indicate that he made an extremely dangerous flyby of a building with Earth Federation officers inside. In other words, it was likely that the officers were pissing their pants over the incident. Due to this, he was reprimanded and served one week in detention. This charge is being called into question again.

The third charge is desertion under enemy fire in the middle of the Gryps II colony laser battle. Unless this was an extreme circumstance, desertion means the death penalty.

The fourth charge was even more worrisome: when Eliard Hunter deserted, he was said to have been piloting new weaponry that was just developed. Furthermore, he personally destroyed the new weaponry, resulting in the fourth charge against him.

Conrad threw the file and leaned back in his chair.

“This is Titan hunting,” he thought.

A series of court-martials was the Earth Federation Forces way of making the Titans into scapegoats, whose arrogance was viewed as a problem within their own Forces. However, no one defied the Titans.

Although the Titans were organized as a Zeon remnant suppression squad in U.C.0083 through the proposal of Jamitov Hymen, by U.C.0087, they gained enough influence to control the entire Earth Federation Forces. Around February of U.C.0088, the AEUG entered into a three-way battle with the Titans and Axis over Gryps II. With that battle, the Titans lost a majority of their influence. Relative to that, the influence of the general Earth Federation Forces increased.

Moreover, immediately following the three way fleet battle between the Titans, AEUG and Axis, young officers of the Federation Forces’ instructor corps declare themselves the “New Desides” and revolted at the asteroid Pezun. In response to this, the Earth Federation Forces organized a suppression fleet called Taskforce Alpha. Before long the “New Desides” were suppressed and the Gryps War came to a close. This uprising event was the decisive downfall for the Titans.

Following the end of the war, the officers of the Federation Forces who until now were suppressed, quickly regained authority. One by one, Titans’ war criminals, those who exposed military secrets, and those who violated orders were exposed and court-martials took place.

Eliard Hunter was one of them.

“Still, desertion and destruction of a new weapon is worrisome, isn’t it?” Conrad thought.

“What do they mean by new weapon? All of the new weapons introduced in the war should have already been publicized. In spite of that, there were no records of this ‘new weapon.’ At the very least, I need to meet with him once…”

Conrad decided to head to the detention center inside the Judicial Affairs Bureau facility. The young man who appeared before Conrad waiting in the dreary room with a one-way mirror had a resolute attitude. Looking directly at him, his face showed absolutely no sign of uncertainty nor regret. The moment he took one look at Eliard Hunter, Conrad started to believe he was innocent.

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