Charges against Miss Phoebe Carter-Lloyd.
It is with the deepest regret that the following charges are recorded against the defendant.
1. Sedition. In that she did attempt to undermine the authority of the officers of the fort by making misleading statements, without knowledge of the situation, or consulting with the said officers. That she used ‘feminine wiles’ to undermine the command structure and attempted an unauthorised use of the heliograph, a military means of communication, which may be used by civilians with the consent of the commanding officer, which hereto had been freely given.
The defendant was widely observed openly kissing an NCO, in an effort to get her illicit and incorrect message transmitted. The NCO bears no blame and handed the illicit message over as was his duty.
It is clear that having run out of good news stories for her readership and finding herself stranded on a remote fort, Carter-Lloyd, solely for self-interest in needing to stay at the forefront of the press, invented stories or exaggerated them out of all proportion. The result would have been a serious downturn in morale.
Gentlemen, Carter-Lloyd should never have been allowed to travel to Fort McMurrey. An attractive young woman suddenly appearing at a post with over 200 men – unescorted? Questions need to be asked of her employers.
Carter-Lloyd regularly flirted with the officers and even visiting delegations, in an improper manner.
Carter-Lloyd was sectioned by Dr. Phipps as his right and proper position, believing that she was under a mental malady causing her behaviour.
Coupled to her seditious nature and general negative effect on the garrison, I felt no option but to temporarily confine her to quarters on Dr. Phipps recommendation.
It was expected to be a short-term thing. However, loss of the regular supply ship, regular attacks on the fort, meant that this became a longer than intended affair. Indeed the need to keep her safe, rapidly outweighed any other considerations.
2. Murder. Carter-Lloyd affected an escape. Two reliable sentries had been posted on her door, entirely for her protection as the only woman on a base with over 200 men and to prevent her randomly wondering about a base that was under constant attack. She’d attracted the eye of many men and I wanted to be certain that she didn’t get any unwanted attention. These sentries were discovered with their throats cut, stuffed in the wardrobe of her room. (There are multiple witnesses to this.)
Further, two heliograph operatives were found dead, also with their throats cut and likewise the guard at the south gate.
Who but Carter-Lloyd could have committed this act?
3. Or if not murder, accessory to the fact. Carter-Lloyd claims that a mysterious Martian woman released her and that she doesn’t know of the murders. While I give credence to existence of another party and believe her account has merit, I’ve yet to reconcile how this could all happen without a journalist noting more than she did. If she didn’t kill the brave troopers that were foully murdered that day, she knows who did and never cried ‘alarm’.
4. Treason/Criminal damage. Who destroyed the heliograph? That’s obviously criminal damage, but preventing or obstructing her majesties forces from operating I believe may be a treasonable offence. If it wasn’t her, then it was this supposed associate and again she’d be an accessory.
5. Theft. This one is given, as she’s admitted stealing a Gashant in writing.
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