CANON

Collaborative

Adjudication

(through)

Numinous

Ordainment

(within)

Nune

History

Throughout the transition from the collapse of the Earth Federation to the formation of New United Nations Earth, one of the biggest growing pains has been a failure of the judiciary to fall in step with various reforms. This is in part due to international judges appointed for life with little oversight, as well as immediate injunctions and overturns of any bill attempting to reform the branch by legislation. What this has resulted in is a painfully arduous legal process wherein any bloc can effectively block any legislation by tying it upon in the court system indefinitely, miring it in a quagmire of stalling tactics and appeals. After two years of any substantial redress of the process, in May of 0099, Cathedra asserted that their extrajudicial charter allows a bypass of the court systems entirely, by remanding any case to being under their authority.

While their assertion was immediately enjoined by an AEU judge, President Delling Rembran asserted that he does not recognize the court's authority over his charter, and had resolution removed from the court system to 'trial by combat.' This was immediately followed by Britannia and the REA submitting rare joint-legislation, in which Cathedra's authority to do so was fully recognized by NUNE. An expansion of the Asticassia School of Technology Front was subsequently revealed to already be in progress, thus allowing the new system dubbed 'CANON' to exist.

The Asticassia School of Technology Front has almost immediately become a hub of international import upon announcement, with disputes of all kinds now settled there between the various blocs of NUNE. Of anything from petty military rivalries, to cases of Earthsphere wide importance. To encourage this, the Benerit Group has bought up mass produced suits of all kinds at premium prices which has resulted in a 'shot in the arm' for Spacian economy as military blocs become encouraged to modernized dated mobile suits to the latest Benerit models.

What Does This Mean?

Collaborative Adjudication through Numinous Ordainment within NUNE, or CANON, effectively means that trial by combat is now not only a legal but highly encouraged method of dispute resolution between the blocs of New United Nations Earth. Currently, taking cases to trial in international courts is excessively costly, beset by delays and waste. Cathedra has instead incentivized for nearly all cases to instead be handled by CANON authority, on their dime.

Not only that, they have created motivation for disputes that would be beyond the court's authority, such as petty rivalries, insults, or even more mundane disputes be settled by CANON. MP Mobile Suits, Wanzers, Knightmare Frames and more are provided for free for any case or dispute recognized by the Asticassia Dueling Committee to be valid where both parties agree to abide by their rules. Blocs are permitted to use highly skilled champions with personalized high performance mobile suits for cases of great import, but they assume all financial risk for doing so.

The result of this has been an immediate unclogging of the judicial system and far swifter resolution of many conflicts of note. While there is significant grumbling about the power this gives blocs with greater military strength, it is undeniable that it has immediately resulted in significant portions of bloc budgets being untied from defending or prosecuting cases in court. Furthermore the 'resolution' of many of this cases has caused an immediate cooling of the temperature of inter-bloc rivalry on the grid, since in the past this kind of deadlock could be utilized as an excuse for military action.

This combined with the consolidation of a significant portion of bloc militaries into the Gaia Sabers has resulted in greater short term 'unity' within NUNE, and a significant strengthening of the economy, but at what cost?

OOC Notes and Clarification

• CANON is an original content system meant to provide alternative scene hooks to your PCs by allowing the option for nearly everyone to be involved in Witch from Mercury-style 1-on-1 Dueling, not just Asticassia Students.

• Don't overthink it! For small stakes scene hooks without some narrative in mind, there are easy hooks, minor judicial disputes, your PC is serving as a champion for someone else who got laughed at in public by a Gaia Saber for having a name they didn't like. I recommend not making one off scenes without a narrative in mind not something too high stakes and of international import unless you're talking to the staff or dueling committee. For minor scenes though, again, don't overthink it! The system is there to have fun. One doesn't even need to necessarily list a reason; sometimes the real reason a duel started is forgotten by everyone.

• For small stakes duels, you can assume the Dueling Committee is rubber stamping most of them. For higher stakes it is again recommended that you run it by Committee members or even staff OOCly for approval. You can assume for minor things the Dueling Committee is just 'there' witnessing but please don't name names PC wise as to who is witnessing without asking. If you have any questions, please contact a Dueling Committee member or PC in Cathedra OOCly. Played Dueling Committee members presently include Guel Jeturk, Elan Ceres, and Secelia Dote; Cathedra PCs can be checked on-game with the command @roster Cathedra.

• Participants are encouraged to utilize MP suits over their personal suits for duels. Your characters can use them freely and without cost to them! These suits are all set under Asticassia Rules, purposefully low power with beam weapons, physical ammunition switched out for something with less penetrating power, but still capable of doing appreciable damage to mobile suits. All suits are switched out for targeting systems that don't allow for cockpit or reactor shots, this is the one type of 'accident' that will get you in severe trouble.

• Just like in Asticassia for students, backing matters, and backing can influence the duels, particularly higher stakes ones. 'Cheating' and other methods of tipping the board to your favor is allowed by your support staff, on the ring such acts of non-lethal sabotage are considered part of the duelist's influence and/or strength. This thus allows you to do some creative things with sub-pilots or the like during duels. The duels are 1 on 1 unless Dueling Committee approved, so an unaccounted for mobile suit showing up to help on the dueling grounds is illegal. In the end, the result is the only truth.

• All dueling is held at the Asticassia School of Technology in its various tactical testing centers, or outside of the school grounds within monitoring distance. There are certain sectors which are 'Ground' in terrain, while others are 'Low-G'. Dueling outside of the school Front is 'Space'. The terms of which terrain are usually set during the Dueling Committee agreement.

• CANON dueling is separate from student dueling at Asticassia. This means non-students cannot challenge the Holder in a Holder duel. Students however may participate in CANON duels on their own recognizance, and have a separate dueling record for it. For adults challenging students in CANON, use your best judgment on what's appropriate in Witch for Mercury thematics.

• There is a separate section of the Asticassia School of Technology Front built for the CANON system, which looks like a high class Colony for the elite. There, hotels, entertainment, and fine dining is provided to those who can afford it. There are also various barracks available for rank and file soldiers to board while participating. NUNE officials, factional dignitaries and other VIPs have special viewing areas provided to them where they can watch duels, sporting event styles. Unless an adult has business with the Asticassia Dueling Committee, it is highly frowned upon that they simply wander the campus looking for specific students to socialize with. Invitations for 'business' in the CANON area are considered more appropriate.

• There's gambling over duels going on, but not in any official sense. They are more 'bets between Gentlemen.' Major duels would be under heavy scrutiny to prevent fixing through gambling. Fixing through tipping the board in your favor though? Still entirely legal!

• The Benerit Group heavily discourages calling it the 'G-Word' fights, almost to the point of censorship. They're not polluting Earth anyway, or outright deciding leadership of the executive through it, or utilizing Mobile Trace Format, so many Gundam Fight criticisms and associations are swiftly deflected. There is a low-key undercurrent of NUNE revisionism going on here, to try and write the Gundam out of history and for their pilots to be considered witches, but for people not officially declared so by Cathedra, it is definitely 'the quiet part out loud'. While SAL doesn't openly resist this, they are attempting to undermine it.

• Non-NUNE factions or blocs may participate so long as they are not openly hostile to NUNE, or especially Cathedra. If you're at war with NUNE, then you can't participate! There's a little wiggle room for PCs that have secret identities or affiliations, but wanted Dawn of Fold terrorists, Bionet Crimelords, or Anti-Earth Cooperative Federation Warlords aren't just going to be turned away at the door, but shot on sight.