exsilium | ten; video + poll

[ Roslyn is behind the camera again, face stern, Vennett & Lowell seated just behind her. She’s looking as calm and professional as she can, though traces of exhaustion are seeping through regardless of her best efforts. ]

I’m going to make this as brief as possible. We do not have laws governing the actions undertaken recently by people currently in custody. While hopefully there will shortly be a fuller code of conduct, we cannot apply it retroactively. I do not have the resources to keep anyone locked up indefinitely, nor can I provide a fair trial, and it would be morally suspect to do either in the current environment.

I believe there is a solution to this, one that several others agree with, including Lowell Orwin and Vennett here with me, both of whom were held hostage by these people and have a fair amount of insight into their mindset. However, given that you will all have to live with it as well, I’m going to bring this solution to general consensus.

Under this arrangement, as a first part all current prisoners will be released into the custody of someone who will agree to monitor their actions and ensure that they are not able to plan anything further. These parole officers will either be volunteers from the general population or police officers if necessary, and all will be very carefully vetted. If it is necessary we will ask them to submit to a brief telepathic scan.

The second part of this arrangement would be undertaking a set amount of missions under the supervision of Orwin and Vennett with the goal of putting forth effort into our return to Earth. I am assured that they will be doing real work that will benefit us all.

This is the solution that I and others hope will work best for everyone involved, as well as free up resources to continue working towards getting off of this base and setting up an actual system of leadership.

While Jesse Pinkman was not a member of this, as he has given back all powers taken he would be released under the same conditions.

This is being presented to you all as, essentially, a poll. That is the first option. The second option is ‘other’, and if that is your answer I must insist you provide a fully thought through and careful plan that does not simply consist of ‘strand them somewhere’ or ‘airlock them’. Should enough support be shown for a provided 'other' plan over parole, it will be considered as an option.

Thank you all for your time. I hope this will be resolved very shortly.

[ And cut. ]

Poll #14659 solving the jail problem

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 40

View Respondents

Pick a solution:

View Answers

Parole as outlined above
36 (90.0%)

Other (must provide clear plan below)
4 (10.0%)

[ ooc: this is an ic poll of the population! you may vote once with each character you have in game. roslyn and others are available for question answering and so forth. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It can be difficult, but I think you're overthinking how difficult it would be. The solution would fairly simply be to enlist the parolee's aid on whatever task they're working on.

[ private COLLETTE ]

Collette, I still haven't released the names of the mutineers themselves, what on earth makes you think I'd release the names of their parole officers? And they're not being given 'free ability to go when and where they please', they're being assigned specific tasks in specific places and times that the people they held hostage will be determining. The warning against attempts to injure them has been in standing from the moment I took them into custody - that has been stated upfront since day one.

The barrier took energy to maintain we no longer have to spare. How long would they be left somewhere? Where would it have to be remote enough that we would be certain we could find them again? Would anyone actually look at them being given time on Earth somewhere that's easy to live and think, 'oh yes, that's a really tough punishment'? Because I can't leave them anywhere I cannot be absolutely certain they can survive.

Then why the heck do you let any of us go on any of these missions? Huh? Why does all this matter now, but it never mattered before when kids were being thrown into fights without any training? You should know that missions can run long, we don't know what places we go to, but there's nothing done to make sure we're all safe and able to survive when we get there! Is it only fine when we have the Aristeas tech up and running? 'Cause I sure remember people deciding to go die like none of it mattered when Elmer's world opened up, and they were back up in what, like half an hour? Just like a video game. Living just like a stupid video game!

And not listing the names doesn't mean people don't know. If you don't have every psychic on your side, if you don't know your guards as well as you think you do, if you don't check every person going in to visit, then you don't know that people don't know. Assuming anything else is dangerous. Even I know that!

It matters because I am personally responsible for anyone in my custody. I'm not fond of any of those things regardless, but as long as I hold these people I am responsible for whatever happens to them. Whatever. Their punishment must not be inhumane, regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. I won't let this place win that battle. People deciding to go into Elmer's world when they knew there was a chance of dying is completely different from me using the power I hold over someone to force them into a potentially fatal situation, particularly when the resurrection clause no longer holds.

[ suddenly her voice like a whiplash ] People will find out, yes. I cannot prevent everything, yes. This solution is not ideal, yes. But there is no ideal solution. The population has made very sure of that.

Yeah, it has.

( But what hits hardest is not the tone, even if it makes her tuck in her chin and lower her eyes for a moment. It's that phrase. As long as I hold these people I am responsible for whatever happens to them. Nothing else.

Collette looks away from her tablet. She knows life is unfair.

But some things she doesn't have to sign up for. )

I'm resigning from the police force as of today.

[ She sighs out, nods slowly. ]

Resignation accepted. We'll be sorry to see you go.

ten; video + poll

maybe she should get some sleep and stop freaking out!!

private; no that would be all logical and stuff who does that???

private; people who make sensible decisions!! and aren't roslyn

private; the two of them are doomed

private; will never ever sleep again