Official House of Centra Parliament Meeting

[Mr. Hyde]

The House of Centra Parliament Meeting Room was a large and circular room with an elevated polished wood platform in the middle and several rows of semi-circular mahogany tables radiating outward from the podium. Seated at these tables were rows upon rows of crooked and bent old men in black suits. Their faces were gaunt and their hearts were cold.

As the lights in the ornate room went down, a lone man stood upon the platform in the middle of the room with a spotlight shining down upon him. He was Parliament Member Williams.

MP Williams: Ahem. As you all know, we have arranged this meeting to come to a decision pertaining the current hostage demands of Murdok's Crusade. I shall start by re-reading the demands aloud for you all, and then we shall move on to a brief discussion. Afterwards, we will put this grave matter to a vote, and none of us shall leave this room until the matter is conclusively decided.

Williams shuffled through the papers he had assembled on the podium and cleared his throat once more before continuing.

Williams: The following are the terms set forth by the men known as Painmaster, Sycophant the Deviant, and Gheist:

1) We have one full cycle to make a decision

2) After the cycle has concluded, Aspin Northstar will be brought to the dark side of Mecatoid Moon and the Crusade Forces will wait there for precisely one half hour

3) The Centran Government is to condone the release of one Murdok and the forces of the ROC are to bring him to the moon at the specified time

4) Once both parties are there, a prisoner exchange will occur

5) If the ROC fails to bring one Murdok to the specified place at the specified time, Aspin Northstar will be executed

6) If Aspin Northstar is executed, video of the event will promptly find it's way into comm. feeds across the dimension of Centra

You all have your own personal copy of these demands. Now, I would like to put this matter up to brief discussion between us. Whomever would like to speak may-

Aggressively, a rather important looking man with thinning blonde hair combed back pristinely across his aged skull stood up. His voice was gentle yet forceful.

MP Rose: As far as I am concerned, this matter has a simple answer. Northstar is a rookie recruit who shows little if any promise of becoming a soldier worthy of any value. Murdok is a genocidal madman who wields a gruesome virus like a weapon. This choice is as simple as could be. Murdok stays at the bottom of the Tarkanian Sea.

Just then, from across the room, one of the younger members of the Parliament stood up. His face was stern and his countenance was grim, but his words were full of hope.

MP Osk: I have to respectfully disagree, Mr. Rose. Aspin is not just any soldier. And even if he were, can we really condone letting him be executed for the decision WE allowed Corporal Aegis to make? I believe-

Rose: (rudely) So you would condone letting the sole device of the strife of this dimension walk the streets again in order to save a lowly private in the army?

Osk: For one, there are many devices of strife crawling in this dimension. Secondly, I do not appreciate being interrupted. Thir-

Rose: (getting on his soapbox) Well I don't appreciate some romantic waltzing in here and suggesting that we let a genocidal tyrant, whom we currently have disposed of, be free to murder more of us just for the sake of ONE soldier! Northstar is a SOLDIER. Death in the name of your country is in the job description!

Osk: (getting angry) Northstar is a Soldier of Destiny! He is not just a SOLDIER. He is a savior in disguise! And we cannot all-

Rose: He must be wearing a [censored] fine disguise, because I don't see the savior you do!

Osk: The Shaman of Tarkania has decreed it so! And other than that, WE allowed Aegis to follow through with his plan! WE accepted it! Northstar cannot be allowed to die because of what WE allowed to happen!

Rose: The Shaman of Tarkania? You really believe that load of crap? Look around you, boy. How can you truly believe there is some greater 'destiny' some greater power pulling the strings in Centra? How can you honestly believe in fate?

Osk: I sure as hell hope that there is a greater destiny and a greater power running the show, because so far, WE have sucked at it!

Rose: How did you even get elected to this board? Somebody get this nut out of here!

Osk: I may be a nut, but I am not a coward! YOU will let Northstar die for you because YOU are afraid! But I would rather let Murdok go free and face the fear of death at his hands than look at myself in the mirror after letting Northstar die!

Rose: You SON OF A [censored]! Do you know who I am? I am Thaddeus Rose, I will buy, sell, and forget about you in a heartbeat! How dare you call me a coward you abraisive bastard!

Williams: ENOUGH! (both men stop arguing) I can see that 'discussion' has gone right out the window, here. So let us put this matter to a vote. Everyone sit down.

Osk and Rose stared each other down for a few moments more before taking their seats. As the ballots were distributed, Williams spoke once more.

Williams: So, House of Centra Parliament, I pose to us all the question: Do we let a maniacal madman free in order to save the life of a Soldier of Prophecy? Or do we let a young man be publicly executed in order to keep a genocidal tyrant imprisoned forever?

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So, in an attempt to present the moral and ethical ambiguities that I feel are so prominent in the Dimension of Centra to you, the readers of aCe: War Is Hell, I have created this little poll.

Now, I ask you to assume the roll of a House of Centra Parliament Member and vote. You have one cycle game time (ie. two battles) to decide. Ask yourself:

Would you allow a sinister monster to once again be freed in order to save a young and possibly prophesized man's life?

OR:

Would you allow a young and possibly prophesized man be publicly and brutally executed in order to keep a murderous beast, the Plague Harvester himself, imprisoned at the bottom of the Tarkanian Sea for the rest of time?

Think, discuss, vote, and play a part in shaping the future of the Dimension of Centra.

[Fringe]

I have to say no. If he is so special and he is a Soldier of Destiny, then he'll find a way out of his execution, right? Murdok must not be freed. I think if Aspin were here to tell us, he would say the same.

[Deleted]

First of all, INCREDIBLE write-up...that dialogue could be printed on any Hollywood script and go over very well.

Funny enough, I agree with MP Osk ;D

I say if Murdok was able to be captured before, it can be done again...execution on the other hand is very...final.


~ :-Xsk

[Alexander Ubel]

Eh, Had to go with no Hyde. Way I see it Gheist will put a bullet in Aspin's head no matter what decision is made.

[wildfire]

I say tell the bad guy to go @#($* themselves and send in the commando unit

[Eliath]

I'm a little surprised at this vote to be honest. How can any of you put the value of Murdok's imprisonment above that of the spark of life within Aspin Northstar?

The only possible answer to this vote is "YES". Make the prisioner exchange & keep the hope of the future alive.

I agree with Osk about the INCREDIBLE write-up. Great, great job.

[Mr. Hyde]

Close vote so far. And some very interesting arguments being made.

Just about two weeks to go (game time).

Which one of you will be able to look yourselves in the mirror after all of this goes down?

[Justin Case]

even though I hate killing off characters, especially in a situation like this, I had to say no. Casualities of War happens. As it was said in the movie "Wanted" ~ "kill one, save thousands".

Don't give in to terrorists!

[Mr. Beefy]

I voted for yes exchange. Have Murdok and Aspin fight each other for their freedom!

[Mr. Hyde]

The time ticks away...

Beneath his thick hood, the Soldier of Prophecy can hear the torturously monotonous ticking of the clock at the front of the shuttle. Even though he has lost an ear, among other things, through this horrific ordeal, somehow his senses, even his hearing, have all been heightened. Unfortunately, this newly-acquired attribute has only allowed him to more accutely experience the never ending agony recently introduced to him.

He knows where this shuttle is heading, and he knows what the other creatures within the vessel plan to do with him. In only a few hours, they will disembark from the ship and congregate within the dark side of Mecatoid Moon. They will wait and he will pray.

He will pray that his fellow soldiers, the only friends he has ever made, will arrive to rescue him from his living hell...

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Currently, the voting from the House of Centra Parliament is tied. I will keep this poll open for the next few days for everyone to settle down from Galacticon, but after that time if a decision is not reached through this poll, I will cast the deciding vote.

Cast your votes quickly, for the time is ticking away...and you never know when it will run out.