1st judgment: video

[civilservant]

Good afternoon. I'm Yuri Petrov, of Sternbild City.

[Yuri doesn't hesitate to use the video function. It's how he's used to communicating in Sternbild. He also doesn't hesitate to air his opinion, however much some might disagree. Someone is not in a good mood. Yet his tone remains, overall, polite, in spite of the stern nature of his words.]

I hope I'm not alone in finding this kind of conscription both morally and ethically insupportable. It doesn't matter what the reason for the war is. Not only is there no such thing as a just war, but a cause can never truly be just when supported through unjust means.

Furthermore, to meddle with the past in the hopes of affecting current events strikes me as patently absurd, if not outright foolish. Time is an interwoven series of events. Think of it as a cloth. Tug on one string, and others begin to unravel. Who knows what the unintended consequences may be?

I do not know if there are other conscientious objectors among the population, but they may count me as one of their number.

Comments

[judgmental]

Do they send their own people?

I wish we could do more as well. I don't know how much we're benefiting these people.

When the Initiative makes its supposed final attack, don't you think that people on both sides will die? Are we really helping them by supporting this course of action?

[fortissimos]

Sometimes. They're just normal people, so I get why they don't wanna be in danger.

[ That second one makes her hesitate, though. It's not a a pleasant thought. ]

Maybe they won't have to attack directly. If we change enough in the past, then... [ Another sigh. ] I don't wanna see anyone get hurt, but those guys are monsters. I won't just sit back and let them win.

[judgmental]

Not wanting to be in danger doesn't excuse pulling in others against their will to do your fighting for you. I'm a civilian, myself. [He's just not going to mention all the fighting he does.]

I was given to understand that we were meant to weaken them in preparation for a so-called final attack. What do you think the Initiative will do, when they're in power? Will they be just rulers?

Monsters? I wonder, what makes a person a monster...? [He wonders, sometimes, if he is one, but he pushes that thought away before it's had time to fully form.] I've had no contact with the opposition, but I'm sure most of the people governed by United Earth aren't monsters at all, but people much like the ones who live here.

[fortissimos]

No, you're right about that. People who can't fight shouldn't be involved.

[ Which is her main dilemma, really. She doesn't mind fighting, and a lot of the people here are powerful, but to pull in those who can hardly defend themselves... ]

I don't know what's gonna happen afterward, but the those other guys have attacked us before. They did something to the air, and everyone had to go underground. [ Well, most people. She'd stayed up to fight and had to be dragged down there. ] I'm not a perfect defender of justice, but I know that's wrong. They didn't even care that innocent people could have died.

[judgmental]

It seems unfair, if not cruel, to force noncombatants into battle.

I don't doubt that the opposition wishes us harm and that some part of what we're told, at least, is true. Clearly, some action should be taken.

But once the Initiative has the upper hand, do you think they won't attack? Do you think their final battle won't have casualties, some of them innocent citizens? They've already proven they won't hesitate to involve civilians in their battles. Sometimes, when an oppressive regime is replaced, a new one rises to take its place.

[fortissimos]

I guess.

[ It's all a little much for any fourteen year old, let alone one with such a black and white view of good and bad. She frowns. ]

I'm here to protect people. If something like that happens, then... I won't let them get away with doing the wrong thing.