thirteenth rune; frost; video

[deadelfwalking]

[Hello, friends. A cold-eyed elf with a fairly significant skin condition stares at the camera, his jaw set, his mouth a thin, inscrutable line.]

Talk of a council is all well and good, but we have another matter in front of us.

As many of you have pointed out, there is no formal system of law in place. At present, those of you who acted as peace officers have simply continued as you were in your own worlds. If you brought others to justice, if you spoke about justice -- you have continued to see this as your right.

[His eyes narrow, drawing his long eyebrows together.]

But it is not your right. Your laws are not universal. Your morality is not sacrosanct.

We must decide on appropriate conduct as a whole, with consideration given to perspectives outside of our own.

I propose that any code we settle on be simple and direct. For example:

1. Murder shall be abolished. In the case of murder, execution.

2. Theft shall be abolished. In the case of theft, the hand shall be cut off at the wrist. Repeat offenders shall lose both hands.

3. Conspiring with the United Earth shall be considered treason. In the case of treason, suspected or actual, execution.

4. Bodily autonomy shall be respected. Knowing efforts to mind control, telepathically invade, steal, or otherwise forcibly take spiritual or physical authority over another sentient being will constitute assault. In the case of this assault, execution.

And so forth.  These are merely ideas, of course.

[His lower lip twitches, suggesting that he's perfectly aware of the extremes he's recommended. Suggesting that he's just trying to get your attention, to get you to think about how you would define your own terms. What constitutes murder? Theft? Conspiracy? Justice? He's only asking.

Maybe.]

[After several hours, the post is edited with a very carefully recorded text attachment.]

Proposed countermeasures to theft:
public humiliation 
fines
time locked away

Proposed countermeasures to murder:
temporary exile
(where?  to a safe place?  to a random location in time?

General countermeasures
better jail system (?)
compassion (???)
mercy (???)
trials (how?  who receives authority?  who takes what position?  what verdicts should result?)
jail time (general solution?)
punishment via the VR room (?) 

Comments

[deadelfwalking]

The people here, by and large, want to go home. It does not seem like a good avenue for punishment. Nor does it seem like something the Initiative would allow.

[overclocking]

It's not about punishment. It's about keeping the Initiative's army from cutting off its own legs before it even gets to the battlefield.

And why wouldn't they allow it? [ Asked honestly, frown growing deeper. ] They send people home arbitrarily already—people who might have been able to actually help, people who maybe even wanted to be here—so what difference does it make whether there's slightly more rhyme and reason to it than before?

[ Realizes his tone has slipped right off the ledge into bitterness and makes a face, smoothing his expression back down to something more neutral. ]

... It makes sense in my head, at least.

[deadelfwalking]

[Koltira's tone is not unkind.]

It's not necessarily a bad idea. But we have no control over the transporter -- and after what just happened, I doubt we ever will.

[overclocking]

I think part of what just happened was an attempt to prevent "I doubt we ever will".

[ An aside, really, and that's hardly the point. Now he just sounds tired, more than anything. ]

If you were to make the decision right at this moment, what would you do? Are you really in favor of cutting people's hands off?