Trial of Annihilation
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A Trial of Annihilation is one of the Six Trials of Combat, and the most extreme punishment the Clans can declare. Developed by Nicholas Kerensky to remove anything which is no longer useful to the Clan,[1] it goes beyond the question of right and wrong. A Trial of Annihilation virtually guarantees that the warrior will die and that his genes will be eliminated from the Clans' gene pool. This trial can only be invoked by a unanimous vote of the appropriate council, and only for the most heinous crimes against Clan society. The Trial can be called against any caste member. When a member of a lower caste loses a Trial, the punishment is sterilization.[2] If a warrior successfully defeats all the forces sent against them they are liberated from the Annihilation. One example of this is Star Captain Karianna Schmidt, who was accused of slaughtering civilians for her own personal glory. By contrast, a Star of Clan Mongoose warriors were destroyed in a Trial of Annihilation after being accused of poisoning drinking water used by their Clan Snow Raven opponents. In addition to the Mongoose warriors involved in the poisoning, three hundred cadets and twelve other warriors who shared their Bloodheritage were also killed.[3]
Trials of Annihilation have been declared against warriors, Stars, and even Clusters, but only twice has an entire Clan suffered this ultimate punishment, and only one at the hands of the Clans themselves, (Clan Wolverine). This clan is known only as the 'not-named-clan' since saying its name out loud is punishable by a Trial of Grievance. The other Annihilated Clan, Clan Smoke Jaguar, was eliminated by the Star League Defense Force in 3060. Their destruction was swiftly followed by the Great Refusal on Strana Mechty, which both validated the Annihilation in the eyes of the Clans, and ended the Clan Wars with the Inner Sphere binding the Clans against invasion by honor.