You're moving the goal posts (or rather, the penalty spot). This isn't a random Imperial noble who happens to notice a wrong that needed righting on a world he happened to visit. This is, as you say, someone that the colonel would do well to listen to. Even so, whatever action the colonel takes on the basis of the baron's information is his decision and his responsibility. At the subsequent board of inquiry, "Based on the information available to me I judged that it was the right thing to do" might fly. "Baron Bruce told me to do it" definitely won't.
(Unless, and that's what I'd expect Duke Norris to do with someone like Baron Bruce, the duke had given the baron a Ducal Warrant. But then Baron Bruce would have all the authority he needs to issue binding orders to a military unit.)
And a third question: Is the subsequent court martial going to be cool with the concept of leaving such decisions to second in commands? The major is going to commit one of the most serious crimes in the military's book: Mutiny. For the sake of discipline, the high command is going to want to make an example of the major.
30 years down the road when he gets out of the military prison. (OK, he might get a pardon from the Duke).
Hans
I should be sleeping.
This is kind of the whole point of the exercise, however. My concept was to introduce the complicated grey area of nobility as a holdover of military rank from days of yore, and how it's a misfit gear in a cog-work with a modern military. Nobles, prior to democratization, were the law, and administered public policy. In the Imperium they do, but don't, and also hold a kind of military rank, but not really...even though they do, sort of.
I think the cut and dry example of a noble "pulling rank" and commandeering a unit with all of the officious ramifications as you outlined is a fine example. I think it a good and likely example where nobility roles are clearly delineated and codified in some form of legislation.
But I also think there's a kind of social tradition that eschews technicalities like a uniformed code of military justice. To a noble, say a knight, a "warrior", regardless if he's an E1 or a brigadier general, is still a soldier ready to serve his whims if he's got the ego to try and pull rank. I think it becomes a battle of egos without clear codes of who can do what, when, where and under what circumstances.
We can reverse the scenario, in fact borrow from the "Wind an the Lion" link/example where Captain Jerome of the USMC storms the Bashaw's palace, the internationally recognized sovereign of ... Morocco? Libya? I can't remember. Jerome is a mere captain, and admittedly the Bashaw is not really allied with the US, and could be strongly argued to be an enemy agent, but things aren't going well to regain Ms. Pedicaris and her children. The US (in the movie) has tried placating to the Bashaw's interests, and to the Sultan. But neither is working. The local bureaucrats and ranking naval officer, conjure a plan to seize power, and succeed (sort of).
Jerome, with his two marine companies, (with Naval Infantry) take out the Bashaw's Huscarles.
Imagine that sort of thing in a Traveller setting. Wow.
What were the ramifications of Jerome and his actions? He was decorated, perhaps promoted (my history is fuzzy on the actual incident, I only know the movie).
Another example; "Lion of the Desert" where Prince Amadeo of Italy sits around in a military uniform, not doing a whole lot other than listening to General Graziani's machinations and tirades. What's the princes role? He wears a uniform, a white one, so he has some kind of stature in the ranking system, but he doesn't exercise his clout in any form.
Prince William in the British Army has a clearly defined code governing his actions. He may be a prince, but his title is ceremonial as the royal family has little power. Therefore he can't, even if he wanted to, take command of his platoon while out on patrol in Afghanistan. But who knows? He might have if pressed.
I think what makes Traveller a favorite of mine, as opposed to all the other RPGs out on the market, past and present, is that it has this kind of rich ambiguity that means lots of play and generation for scenarios where people face off with one another and under extreme circumstances.
Another example, a more egalitarian or more well disciplined noble who adhered to military tradition, would clearly defer to the military ranking system. Say a city is in crisis, and he leads his palace guard out onto the streets. The official city garrison has suffered heavy casualties, and been whittled down to a dozen men. Prince so-and-so might come to the garrison's CO, and defer his regiment to the CO's authority. It would be up to the noble.
I don't know much about nobility in the first place, but they are a fun anachronism in a modern setting like Traveller
