Legal Basis:
Section 11 refers to a clause within Article II of the Compact of Humanity, which prohibits capital punishment under normal circumstances. However, it makes two key exceptions:
- Military abuse – Including the murder or assault of civilians, destruction of property outside of combat, and the improper treatment of prisoners.
- Treason – Especially in cases where acts endanger isolated or vulnerable Compact populations, such as space stations or remote colonies.
Rationale:
Section 11 is designed to allow decisive justice in environments where standard legal procedures are impossible or would endanger lives. In deep-space or remote colony scenarios, war crimes and betrayal can pose existential threats to entire communities. Section 11 grants authority for immediate execution only when a crime meets the criteria and no other recourse exists.
Accountability:
Those who carry out a Section 11 execution must justify their actions to Compact authorities. If found to have abused this power—by executing without cause or using it for personal reasons—they may themselves face court-martial or execution.
Notable Cases:
- Cannon – A former Goshenite radical and member of Tyler Wats cadre. After attempting to assault Tishla during a covert resistance operation, he was executed by Suicide under the military abuse clause. The decision followed a field vote by the resistance team.
- Lucius Kray – Executed by the Northern Resistance in Storming Amargosa. After being confronted by a combined force of Gelt, human colonists, Compact troops, sapient lycanths, and commandeered mechs, Chapaan invoked Section 11’s rationale. She warned JT and Eric Yuwono to stand aside, then whistled for the lycanths, who charged from the mechs and devoured Kray. His actions during the Gelt occupation—including massacres, forced conscriptions, and attacks on civilians—qualified as both military abuse and treason.
Cultural Legacy:
Section 11 remains controversial. While necessary in some scenarios, it is viewed by many as a moral gray zone in Compact law. In resistance slang, “getting Section 11’d” has become shorthand for an execution carried out under battlefield justice.