[TechnoD11]

I would say -almost- hate him. She very much so cares about the members of her crew, and moreover, those who she protects. Thus, if she were to, I presume, escape the engagement and leave the remaining station and company to the mercy of the UEF, she would not be able to live the action, and would probably blame Steele for the act.
So yes, she would most likely not like Steele as much as when she entered the engagement.

[CT27]

I would say somewhere in between but less close to hate than what you have.

In "Delenda Est" Lopez told the UEF "I will never surrender to an illegitimate government".  So at least to some degree she supports the GTVA and its cause in Sol I would say.  I would also (if I was a serious gambling man) wager that she understands Steele and his methods by now (maybe she doesn't always agree with him but IMO she understands he wants to win too).  She may be disappointed he didn't do more to save her, but I don't think she thinks he did it just to spite her.

[General Battuta]

I really love this thread, you guys are great.

[CT27]

If you were the defense attorney at Lopez' court martial, what would your argument be (obviously assuming she survives the war and gets back somehow)?

"Anita Lopez, you are charged with dereliction of duty and disobeying a direct order from a legitimate superior officer...all which resulted in serious loss of life and resources for the GTVA.  How do you plead?"-I imagine would be one of the opening lines of the trial

[Gee1337]

My argument would be surrounding the "Unforeseen Consequences" which happened during the battle (should she plee innocent). Even though my previous post stated that the tactical situation was a bit of a mess, as the deployment was too... "loose", there was no obvious loss scenario that Lopez could have predicted.

For instance, could the tevs have predicted that stealth fighters would be used to deploy electronic warfare?
If Steele had committed more resources to the battle could yet another crushing blow had been delivered to UEF?
Was there anyway to predict a mass warp-in of UEF forces which would overwhelm the Carthage?

The overall interpretation of the opening melees in the battle can be brought into question as well. As I flew it, I went for the tankers first therefore this action could have been interpreted by Lopez as an act, by the UEF, to disrupt the resources available to the tevs. Taking out the Mjolnir cannons could have been interpreted as a precursor to a larger operation rather than part of an overall single mission to retake a strategic postion (was it Jupiter... I can't remember).

The problem with any defence is Lopez's decision to remain behind, which is ultimately undefendable. To clutch at straws, her defence can only be to say that she was denied the possible intel that Steele had, Steele missed an opportunity that she saw to jump a task force in to take out the attacking UEF fleet therefore trying to force Steele's hand and that Steele did not sortie the necessary reinforcements to avoid a catastrophic scenario for the tevs and Lopez's task force.

Ultimately, I think that to coin the phrase "All is fair in love and war" would be apt to Lopez's defence.

In conclusion, I think that any defence for Lopez would just become a damage limitation exercise on her behalf, to reduce her punishment. So, would the above arguments clear of treason but result in an inherent inability to command a task force in theatre?

What would the end result of such a trial be?

[Luis Dias]

At the very least a big demotion, perhaps forced resignation. No matter how ruthless the GTVA has become in comparison with Ubuntu, I don't think they woudl go back to hang Lopez for what she did.

[General Battuta]

If Lopez's stand had succeeded, and she'd gotten her own crew and the entire Neptune HQ staff out, I wonder how the GTVA military justice system would have handled the tidal wave of officers insisting even in the face of clear telemetry that the Carthage had suffered a navigational mishap and couldn't possibly have departed sooner. Lopez couldn't help but save the day.

It's really hard to court-martial an officer for success, especially in a politically fragile climate. But Steele can't tolerate subordinates who introduce error into his plans. I think Lopez would likely have been 'promoted' to Staff College and a tour of the home front, where the GTVA could use her personality and reputation to support the war. Her career as a combat commander would've been over.

And you can make it real! All you have to do is fail Her Finest Hour!

[Gee1337]

Ahhhh Battuta (welcome back btw) .... with the inside knowledge

[General Battuta]

There's no inside knowledge here, I'm just speculating along with you guys. I won't do it if it feels like it's shutting down discussion. Your post above was great, I'm talking about the scenario where Lopez actually gets away with it.

[Gee1337]

Was a comment meant more in gest than anything else mate!

Thanks for the compliment on the comment. It's always good to speculate and bring a few ideas of what ifs, buts and hows! Hindsight is such a wonderful thing!

[Aesaar]

If you were the defense attorney at Lopez' court martial, what would your argument be (obviously assuming she survives the war and gets back somehow)?

"Anita Lopez, you are charged with dereliction of duty and disobeying a direct order from a legitimate superior officer...all which resulted in serious loss of life and resources for the GTVA.  How do you plead?"-I imagine would be one of the opening lines of the trial

I'd be surprised if she didn't plead guilty.

[CT27]

If you were the defense attorney at Lopez' court martial, what would your argument be (obviously assuming she survives the war and gets back somehow)?

"Anita Lopez, you are charged with dereliction of duty and disobeying a direct order from a legitimate superior officer...all which resulted in serious loss of life and resources for the GTVA.  How do you plead?"-I imagine would be one of the opening lines of the trial

I'd be surprised if she didn't plead guilty.

Out of a desire to reduce her punishment or as a form of protest that what she did was the right thing?

[AdmiralRalwood]

I'd be surprised if she didn't plead guilty.

Out of a desire to reduce her punishment or as a form of protest that what she did was the right thing?

You left out the possibility that she might actually think she did the wrong thing.

[CT27]

I'd be surprised if she didn't plead guilty.

Out of a desire to reduce her punishment or as a form of protest that what she did was the right thing?

You left out the possibility that she might actually think she did the wrong thing.

So, on reflection she might think Steele was right after all?

[Gee1337]

I think a jury would judge it irrelevant whether Lopez thought Steele was right or wrong. In hindsight, she might realise that she was wrong to not jump out. At the time, her actions were inherently wrong, but she did not realise it and that is what she would be judged on. She thought there might have been an opportunity where none existed, but a good commander would have realised that they would not have a complete overview of the enemy assets which is something Steele might have had, therefore she should have submitted to the owner of better intel!

[Aesaar]

It's not about right or wrong.  It wasn't her call to make, it was Steele's.  Her reasons might mitigate her sentence, but she's guilty of disobeying a direct and lawful order, which directly resulted in a significant GTVA defeat.  I don't think she'd try to deny that fact.

[ItalianPlumber]

It's not about right or wrong.  It wasn't her call to make, it was Steele's.  Her reasons might mitigate her sentence, but she's guilty of disobeying a direct and lawful order, which directly resulted in a significant GTVA defeat.  I don't think she'd try to deny that fact.

That is entirely accurate. An order is an order, no matter whant intel your Commanding Officer shared with you or not. Steele's order to retreat was neither a war crime, nor a suicide order (quite the contrary, in fact). The best defensive line she could probably hold is a meager "I did what I thought best under the circumstances", but the very least Lopez could theoretically face with such a defence is a guilty verdict followed by either a dishonorable discharge or "corrective assignment" to a backwater outpost in which she'd be lucky to be put in charge of a Fenris. If we disregard political concerns like people's opinion on the matter, that is.

[CT27]

I imagine that with an Admiral on trial, the GTVA would put some important people on the court martial committee.  Would there be any Vasudans judging Lopez?

[Gee1337]

I don't think that Vasudans would be able to offer a fair reflection on the outcome of such a committee due to the cultural differences between the two races. What they consider to be their core values could fundamentally differ from Terran core values, and this would apply to both the military and the public values of their perceptions. In order for the outcome to be judged on a completely Terran issue, no outside influences should be brought into the equation to maintain cultural consistency.

The Vasudans were not involved at all at this point or in this battle, and their was no loss of life or resources for the Vasudans, so they should not get a say as to what happens to Lopez. The same should apply vice versa if it were a purely Vasudan issue. The only time when a committee should be made up of Terran and Vasudan officials is when there are losses to both races and I would make up the committee based on a ratio of what races lost what in a battle. For example, if the total percentage lost of Vasudan resources was 75%, then 75% of the committee should be made up of Vasudans.

[Alzurana]

Would there be any Vasudans judging Lopez?

I don't think that Vasudans would be able to offer a fair reflection on the outcome of such a committee due to the cultural differences between the two races.

That is correct. Canon tells us that vasudans consider "falling back to save others" honorable. Therefor they would rather be on Lopez side, I guess.

But guys, what about option 3? Where Lopez is not guilty at all? In my playthrough I managed to disable the GTD Carthage seconds after Lopez was ordered to depart.