"Hello ladies and gentlement. Groder Stu here sitting on a panel of experts in the field of Military (represented by Retired Grand Moff Azrael Zell), Business (represented by Business Mogul Seamus Arliss), Intelligence (represented by Ysanne Isard) and Law (represented by Prosecution JAG Officer Hiram Fallon) to discuss the implications of the media frenzy that has been stirred over the incident at Fondor, namely, the destruction of the White Nova Line transport FarStar.

Gentlemen and women, I thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to appear on INS over the issues surrounding this incident. Overall, in the statements and counter-statements the main question that seems to be on everyone's mind is who is to blame? Yes, Mr. Fallon."

"Mr. Stu, I would like to take this opportunity to address another issue that has been raised in the media,namely, the monetary compensation to the victims of this tragedy and appeals for an apology. First of all, it is in poor taste to draw attention to monetary rewards gained by those who have lost loved ones and while condolences have been pouring in, (heck, there was even a microlight vigil on the Southern Continent of Fondor) the Empire has actually been doing something.

Thousands of man hours and salvage equipment consignment in a month-long investigation in piecing events together from debris hardly larger than an arm and recovering the dead. It has not been an easy task and quite frankly, the Imperial Civil Authorities are a bit put out by the fact that after all this work, someone has the gall to say they don't give a damn. To say that all this work was just looking for an excuse to blame someone?! Who? Belgardi? We didn't know what caused this incident so excuse us for investigating!"

Zell began to chuckle at the other's heated remarks. "Stand down, Officer Fallon. Everyone knows the Recovery Corps did good work and anyone who has ever gone through the pain of losing someone knows that the first thoughts one typically gets after such a loss is not 'how much do I get?' but 'What the f*ck happened? Who the f*ck is to blame and what the f*ck are we going to do about it?' I mean, shit. To display on galactic holonet pictures of the dead body was honoring the victims how? That's what the f*ck I'd like to know. We had 100% closed casket funerals for everyone whose remains could be found and how this f*cker from 'Standing on the sidelines rather than doing his part to help Corner' came to obtain an investigative photo is unknown. But if that dipshit is so f*cking righteous, where's his fucking donation? He's certainly spending quite a bit on holonet time for his little soapbox."

Groder Stu chimed in, "Well, does the individual have a point about White Nova Lines offering compensation?"

Mr. Fallon cleared his throat before answering, "The person from this Speaker's Corner is drawing conclusions with no information. First of all, White Nova Lines is grounding it's vessels having to pay out actual employee wages without getting revenue in. It is also providing a liason to Imperial Space Authority to investigate the incident. Because there is, quite tactfully I might add, no comment on the credits being received by the victims does not mean there aren't any. Yes,White Nova Lines did not offer to compensate because a compensation plan is already in place. There was no need for an offer. Offers like that are only needed where no compensation plan is in place, such as from Belgardi Universal or their subsidiaries Belgardi Ltd or Agro Inc or wherever the money will come too should Belgardi choose to do the PR thing as it was their faulty part to begin with."

Seamus Arliss spoke up, "Most companies carry a separate and private sector insurance for such circumstances. While no one wishes accidents to happen, despite the perfect galaxy Belgardi would like you to believe they live in, accidents, in fact, do happen. That is why we invest in insurance. The Speaker's Corner Editor needs a lesson in Business 101. The compensation to the victims is handled by the insurance companies. White Nova Line was not blaming Belgardi, they were simply stating the results of their investigation. The INS reporter added their own bit but that is the media for you. The
Belgardi response, however, seemed confrontational, unprofessional, contradictory and quite frankly, I expected better from such a company."

Azrael Zell chuckled, "They pissed all over themselves and tripped on their tongues." And then purred, "No, they definitely are acting like someone not guilty."

A general laughter went up around the room.

Groder Stu, shuffled some papers and brought everyone back on point, "So, taking Zell's three items 1). what happened?, 2). Who's to blame?, and 3). What do we do about it?, well, we know what happened with the investigation results being broadcasted, so, the next question is: Who is to blame?"

Seamus Arliss' eyes lit up, "To be honest, White Nova Lines and Belgardi are to blame. The White Nova Line personnel should have caught the fault in their maintenance inspections. But Belgardi's response was both crass, stupid, blantantly lying and, yes, they should be sued harshly. They mentioned even fighting a settlement meaning they care about holding onto their extra credits like a pimp does his whores more than restitution and public goodwill. Every company strong in the business industry sets aside a fund for PR. Whether wrong or right, what pushes a company to success is public perception and what is the public going to believe: That 100% of Belgardi
products never fail, they make no mistakes and they are all the exception to the rule in being perfect? Or that something slipped by, a regretable circumstance and the company will do what it can for the victims and tighten
it's own operating procedures to minimize the chances of this happening again? Whether they think the investigative report is right or wrong no longer matters because they look like overblown tightwads who couldn't give a shit. Sure, they'll offer an apology but only because it's free.

Look at their statements, and I've highlighed my favorite:

"..the upgrade was only necessary due to the pathetic state of disrepair that the White Nova line allowed their vessel to deteriorate into."

"The vessels...that have (undergone Belgardi refits) are the only White Nova vessel I would feel comfortable booking passage on."

Seamus Arliss was deadpan, "So one hyperdrive unit upgrade magically turned a vessel in a pathetic state of repair and deterioration into a vessel worthy of carrying CEO Rico Beglardi himself."

Groder Stu smiled, "Apparently, Mr. Belgardi is given to extreme exaggeration."

"Quite," sniffed Mr. Arliss. "Parts do not last forever. Everyone who owns an aircar, speeder or a droid knows this. He is actually claiming that White Nova Line was wrong to seek regular maintenance and replace a part that needed replacing. He is indirectly supporting more such accidents in the future which is not a smart move for a company's owner."

Zell barked out a laugh, "First they said the regulator had nothing to do with the incident. Then they said their regulators never fail. Then they said they didn't even touch the hyperdrive, which any idiot knows if you have something regulate something else, they tend to need to be f*cking connected. Perhaps if Belgardi stopped pretending that jumping through hyperspace was like dusting crops on Agro, they might see that the energy
requirements for pushing a starship past the lightspeed barrier are near infinite and that they might need to start thinking of the Regulator of such awesome forces as a bit more sophisticated and complicated than
they are currently admitting. Belgardi does not represent f*cking 'mom and pop' shops or half assed companies or so I was led to believe."

He turned to Mr. Fallon, "And what the f*ck is that business about Belgardi Ltd as opposed to Belgardi Universal?"

Mr. Fallon of the JAG Offices spoke up in slight irritation,"Well, as their own broadcast announced, Belgardi Universal has their hand in entertainment, agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals and the like. Our lawsuit or request for a settlement in this instance would not be directed at their agriculture or entertainment sectors. We naturally thought their agricultural subsidiary would still retain the Agro identity as their weapons and industry sectors retain the Belgardi Ltd identity all under the 'Belgardi Universal' umbrella. I mean, they made it a point to separate their shipbuilding subsidiary, Starblaze
Shipping, so why cannot we simply refer to Universal's relevant Industry subsidiary, Belgardi Ltd?"

Zell snorted in derision, "Unless Rico Belgardi names everything 'Belardi Universal' now. His strip clubs would be Belgardi Universal and his pharmaceutical companies would be Belgardi Universal as well as his f*cking grain pickers. For all we know, when his strippers finish their shift, maybe they are transported to Garqi to pick f*cking grain. Or maybe the f*cking agriculture workers, after looking after their weeds, are sent to put regulators on starships.."

Everyone chuckled, though it was uneasy. Mr. Arliss commented, "I don't think Belgardi is that irresponsible and disorganized. At least, I hope not."

Ysanne Isard spoke quietly interrupting the old Moff, her red and blue eyes flashing, "What I find as sad as the reporter from the private Galactic Media Group chose to report that Belgardi shares are remaining steady because of their other subsidiaries along with Rico's arrogant personal stance against any settlment, as if thumbing his nose at the helpless victims. It's not like he couldn't part with the money."

Zell smoldered at that, "His greed will be his own undoing. His entertainment facilities, strip clubs and whorehouses can compensate him easily of the loss."

Groder looked up, "So the real story is Belgardi?"

Zell grinned a feral grin, "The real story is Belgardi. The victims of the FarStar do not need their pain splashed over the media waves so let them grieve in peace. We know what happened."

Groder looked perplexed, "But other than being a callous son of a bitch and general incompetent in the public affairs of his company, Is there something else that should attract our attention?"

Ysanne Isard narrowed her eyes, "Why the terrorist approach, of course."

Groder shifted in his seat, his excitement building, "Could you explain?"

The Director of Imperial Intelligence clasped her hands together as her elbows rested on the table, "Well, we have an explosion and a month long investigation and, finally, a conclusion of the investigation is reached. Belgardi parts and service is the culprit. Then," she ticks off her fingers, "we get a flat denial from Belgardi but that is not all we get. Suddenly, out of nowhere, this private enterprise comes forward with some 'tape' of terrorist claim, namely GLF. Interesting timing, I should think. An entire month after the incident and it wasn't until Belgardi was named that this 'GLF claim of responsibility aired'. Convenient."

Groder cleared his throat, "So you think Belgardi manufactured the terrorist tape to throw off accountability for his company? You think the tape is a fake?"

Isard shrugged, "If the man is crass enough to thumb his nose at the victims and then rub his money in their faces, who knows what else he is capable of. In any event, the pattern and message does not fit with known GLF activities or those of Brutus Nogoth. Typically the claim of responsibility came either immediately before or immediately after the event and the messages were more convoluted and clever as if he was toying with us. In the past he used independent Holonet Services and local feeds. He knows INS does not deign to give terrorists their five minutes of airtime fame. Even the events themselves were of more dramatic display as if capturing the galaxy's attention. The destruction of the transport, while tragic, is not a large
event. Truth be told, we've received holonet recordings from several groups claiming responsibility from Ulee's Ugnaught Association to Gieger's Gotals besides this one released by GMG. A month ago, on that day, there were also a reported 358 different starship incidents resulting in one form or another loss of life."

"Did they have Belgardi regulators?" Zell snapped.

"Arliss Industries will be happy to replace the Beglardi parts for a small nominal fee." Seamus Arliss offered.

Zell chuckled, but Groder pressed the issue, "What if Brutus Nogoth is behind this and this is a legitimate strike?"

Isard answered immediately, "Then events may prove more sinister for Belgardi than we think they are. Remember, when Brutus Nogoth's earlier strikes against the combined galaxy at large were rampant, the Empire, in
coordination with other nations, acted swiftly and we have not seen high or low of Mr. Nogoth or his vaunted GLF for over a year. If Mr. Nogoth is behind this and is focussing only on us, then 1). He's small time now and
2). We've been effective in crippling his organization. This relatively small strike would be proof of that."


"But why now after all this time?" Groder asked.


"Well, Mr. Stu, you have to remember, a terrorist is only as effective as the support his backers give him. If the terrorists didn't have money, they would simply be shouters on a soapbox and who would listen to their rants then? But because some organizations seek to fund these savages with credits, the Empire not only went after the GLF as an organization but also sought out their backers. So tell me, Mr. Stu, what organization restructuring or merging of business has been brought up recently that might account for this reinvigorating of funds for the once dead GLF?"


The implications dawned on the INS Interviewer but he said nothing. "What..err.. What would happen if Mr. Nogoth's backers were found out?"


"Nationalization, Mr. Stu. Nationalization and liquidation of their assets. It costs us to carry the fight to these bastards and so we will recoup some of those losses by squeezing those terrorist backing sons of bitches." Zell ground out.


Groder sat back and fired back on question, "So... we are not considering the content of the terrorist message?"


"What content? Do what I say or I'll blow you up? That's the f*cking extent of his message. Mr. Nogoth or whoever the f*ck is making these threats, if they are indeed legitimate, just doesn't get it. A government cannot succumb to terrorist threats. Plain and simple. For once a government does and is held hostage it becomes weak. Any yahoo with a thermal detonator thinking they too are a conscious-loving messiah will try the same. We do not make Mr. Nogoth or any of his peckerwood minions do what they do. We do not put the bombs in their hands and we do not stick a hot poker in their brains and swish it around scrambling what good sense they might have had. They do that themselves and these incessant messages and videos are not for some ultra-sweet and good cause. Their own inner demons are clawing at their souls and they are trying to convince themselves more than us that they shouldn't be held accountable. The classic 'my daddy touched me when I was young so I can murder, rape and kill because I am a messed up little boy'. Bullshit, I say! If Brutus Nogoth's daddy touched him when he was little, he should blow his daddy the f*ck up; not everyone else in the galaxy who doesn't know him for shit."


Isard lightly slapped Zell's wrist and spoke, "The GLF message has never been clear. I mean, they are clear on who they hate (everyone). They are clear on what they are against, everyone. And, they are clear about who they will kill, which is again, namely, everyone. But who do they love? Who are they for? And who will they spare? Those issues have never been clear. What do they stand for? We know what they stand against but no one can identify with this nebulous, general hazy warm fuzzy feeling that they supposedly are doing this for. What change is he talking about? Are we supposed to wait in
suspense to see who else he'll blow up before telling us what this change is? That's why it is doubtful this new video is really Mr. Nogoth. The message this time is too full of holes, too disjointed and too amateurish."


"Like that little f*cker in the joker's outfit. What the f*ck was their name?" Zell whispered to himself.

Isard continued, "The message decries our Emperor and wails against his benevolent rule over trillions. But what this person isn't getting is that it is working. Our government works! We enjoy a level of security, peace and tranquility unmatched by any galactic government currently. Of course, most are at war right now."


"This last message is directed at us, specifically and he is crying that having an Emperor is wrong. Boo hoo." Zell engaged dramatically, "But he forgot to tell us what to put in it's place!? Representative government!? Like the Coalition?! Like Vinda Corporation?! Ohh... shit," Zell put his hands to his face, "GLF blew the Coalition and Vinda Corporation the f*ck up too. So they must hate representative government seeing it as ineffective as much as we do. So what does that leave us with? Tell us oh wise sage Mr. F*cking Nogoth or whoever the f*ck is killing in his name.. probably some religious nut.

They don't because the moment they do, everyone will see them for the charlatans they are. What is their great answer?"

Zell leaned forward, "I'll tell you.


They don't f*cking have one."




Groder Stu waved the aging Moff back and Zell at back satisfied, "But, whether it is from Brutus Nogoth or someone else, if this is a terrorist attack in reality, doesn't that tend to discount the investigation results?"


"How so?" Arliss asked. "The investigation only explains what caused the ship to blow up. If it was an accident, then it slipped through Belgardi quality systems. It happens as they have admitted."

"They have?" Groder asked in surprise.

"Of course. They mentioned 'industry standards'. Well, industry standard isn't perfection. It means out of so many things produced, only so many will be found in error. It is all about percentages and the more efficient a company, the less that percentage is but it will never, ever reach zero. So they acknowledge that by adhering to industry standard, there will automatically be nonconforming parts as a matter of system. Personally, Arliss tries to go beyond industry standard but we are not perfect either."


Groder saw a point, "But if it is a terrorist action, then the part passed Belgardi's QC and..." his voice trailed off and Isard smiled a grim smile.

"You see the contradiction? If Belgardi claims the part is good and passed the QC inspection, then the tampering would have happened during their installation of the Regulator. Either Belgardi has a faulty part that was an accident, or they have terrorists among their employees. One is tragic and understandable but the other is more insidious. And this 'son of a bitch' stance of Belgardi's only protects the terrorist scum."


Seamus Arliss spoke up, "As a fellow CEO, I can say that realistically, I do not know what several of my divisions are doing at any given moment. I am given a report at the end of the day but that gives you only a broadscope of what is going on and it does not go into real details. With the diversity of Belgardi Universal, to be fair, Mr. Belgardi cannot know what his company is doing specifically, down to the last detail."


Mr. Fallon snorted at Mr. Arliss attempt to allow Mr. Belgardi a saving of face. "Then he shouldn't be making personal guarantees then!"


Arliss just shrugged.


Isard's eyes were narrowed in thought, "It would be wise for Mr. Belgardi to denounce this terrorist act as contrived. It would benefit them more if this co-called terrorist attack was nothing more than a publicity stunt for Brutus Nogoth admirers. Then, they should take the PR route, accept that they are not perfect and pay a settlement to the victims who had to put up with Rico Belgardi acting like an overblown ugnaught."


Mr. Fallon replied dryly, "Perhaps Mr. Belgardi has something to hide?"



Groder Stu grinned, "Sort of like the claim the eccentric Max Vertigan of GMG made regarding INS."


"He's a f*cking idiot." Zell barked out dismissing the GMG mogul with a wave of his hand. "First he says he has a copy of a tape who's authenticity even he questioned. Then, suddenly, a month later, when the investigation results are revealed he thinks this magically makes a fake tape authentic and so now has some responsibility to air it? Responsibility to who? The terrorists to give them air-time? F*ck!"


Mr. Fallon chimed in, "So he's holding the tape, not because he is morally against giving terrorist any sort of platform but because, as he mentions, out of respect for the families. What? After the investigation report came out suddenly he didn't give a damn about respect for the families and aired it anyway?"


"Companies like the privately owned GMG depend on sensationalism to get their ratings. Their coverage is very minimal in the Empire, especially since the government does not condone terrorist transmissions of any kind. We do not and will not give these fools any platform."

Zell smirked, "Vertigan even said he regrets giving terrorist a platform but, damn, the results of the investigation just compell me to give support to these f*ckers."

"Apparently, he seems to think that INS had a tape hours before the attack." Groder metioned slightly amused. "Apparently, we wanted 500 soldiers and civies killed."


"Actually," Isard broke in, "He wants to know why INS didn't air a tape if they had it."


Groder raised an eyebrow, "Because, unlike our fairweather and opportunitist friend, Mr. Vertigan, INS does not compromise it's stance. We do not give terrorists a platform period. All tapes of a criminal nature are turned over the the Ministry of Justice."


"So why was nothing done to prevent the incident?"


Zell growled, "Well, obviously, there either was no tape sent to INS before the incident or Belgardi failed to let us know that the Regu-fucking-lator was put together by his f*cking terrorist employees!"


"Vertigan claims other networks had this tape as well."


Zell scowled, "What? Everyone decided to sit on these f*cking tapes for a f*cking month?!"


Fallon snorted, "Maybe Vertigan is the only one crass enough to ignore good taste and give terrorists their 5 minutes of fame?"


Isard speculated, "Maybe Vertigan and Belgardi are working together?"


Zell coughed slightly, "That'd be rich. Belgardi refutes the investigation findings and his buddy, Vertigan, supplies a handy out-of-his-ass terrorist Statement of Responsibility."


"A statement everyone else supposedly has but hasn't come forward." Groder added dryly. He sat back and stared at the holographic recorder, "So we have a media mogul promoting a terrorist claim with a recording he has admitted is probably fake and we have a business mogul who is claiming the FarStar was so decrepit you would not need a terrorist action to blow the damn thing up. Both will probably claim to be as righteous as pure snow and infallable and perfect as ..uh... industry standards.


Let us hope good sense and brains prevail. Either Belgardi Universal will support the denunciation of this latest 'terrorist claim' as false in support of a settlement on the alter of good PR or they will not, in which case may leave them open for a criminal investigation perhaps.


Thank you all for appearing for this discussion. Next week we will discuss the Reptilian Territoriality and the part it played in the current Azguardian Coalition and Dragon war."






This Pay-Per-View Presentation is distributed directly by INS. For copies of this Panel or any other, please contact INS Offices or any direct affiliate.

* Partly Edited by IMAAS (Imperial Mothers Against Abusive Speech)