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[backsassin]

Saw that Link’d Inc guy in the mess hall today. Anybody else wondering why he isn’t in the hold?

Come on, he was party to, if not directly responsible for, the kidnapping of who knows how many children, and we’re just going to let him walk around like all’s forgiven? His father’s company was enslaving kids and he knew it. Might’ve even helped. That would be bad enough it was only adults on the ship, but the Ingress picked up several kids with the last batch of newcomers, not to mention the ones who came with the Emirians. And the captains are still letting him walk around unsupervised?

I understand that he helped us get off the planet; that’s enough reason not to kill him and maybe, maybe not to hand him over to the authorities at the next inhabited planet we find. But that doesn’t mean we should pretend that he was an innocent bystander in what Link’d Inc was doing to those kids on Emiri. We have to look after our own.

At least tell me we’re stopping somewhere to drop him off. The sooner he’s off the ship, the better.

Comments

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[backsassin]

I don’t know if he’ll do it again. Nobody does. But the fact is that he did and that’s not something you just forgive and forget.

[niffin]

you're right, it's not. but i don't think we can argue that he's a threat to the current children aboard without understanding the motives behind it. and that takes investigation.

as does any kind of trial if he's crew now. which would still have to be handled carefully. i don't think anyone wants to set the precedent of judging people on past crimes

[backsassin]

Look, it’s not a big deal if an innocent man spends a few days in the hold. Or even just under guard.

It’s a lot bigger deal if he actually is a threat and something happens because everyone was more worried about causing offense than taking precautions.

[niffin]

it's a pretty big deal for him.


[ PRIVATE; ]

it makes sense to be cautious. if you're weighing safety against manners then the choice is obvious. but this isn't about etiquette.

if he's innocent and you throw him in the slammer you tell him that we can't be trusted, you tell him to be scared, and you tell him not to have investment in our survival or gain.

and what if he's not? then from a pragmatic pov we want him on our side. we want him to give a shit about the kids on-board. guy clearly had family who liked him. that has the potential to spread.

plus if you imprison him then you send a message to the rest of the crew that we pass sentences without evidence. do we start doing that for every new arrival? do we start opening those cans of worms? because this ship is filled with dragons and superheroes and gods — not to mention you guys apparently already destroyed a planet

guards make sense for his own safety too. but i guarantee there are people aboard who have done worse shit that we will never know about

[ Not that she knows anyone like that. ]

[backsassin]

Why does it matter if he doesn’t trust us? He’s not supposed to be our friend. He’s not even supposed to be here. The only reason he is is because we needed someone to get us off the planet and he needed a ship to escape. And if the captains have any sense, they’ll offload him at the first civilized planet we get to, so whether or not he sees us as his buddies doesn't really matter.

[The woman's comment about Cadacus Primary carries an unexpected sting. Zam has tried not to think too deeply on what happened there -- she’s no stranger to killing, but watching an entire planet die like that… Like so many other things, it’s been easier to try and forget about it. Needless to say, Zam’s not too happy with the woman’s unwelcome reminder.] Do you know how that planet was destroyed? One of our fellow crewmen decided he didn’t like being bossed around by the planet’s authorities and went on a rampage that ended with the planet’s core exploding and killing everyone who wasn’t lucky enough to make it to a ship in time. So, you know, maybe not the best example for you to use when you’re talking about why we shouldn’t lock people up. [Zam’s killed people to save a planet before. Sticking one person in the hold for the same purpose hardly sounds like that high a cost.]

And if you knew which of the people among us had done “worse shit” and were likely to do it again, you’d want to do something about it too.

[niffin]

[ Their anger's like a slap in the face, but Alice's hands tighten, unseen. It worked. It worked, and it's more information than she's gotten out of anyone else so far.Most reassuring of all, Zam actually seems upset about it, isn't willing to write it off as a mistake. Alice's estimation of them rises.

She doesn't once stop to imagine that the rampager-in-question might have been someone she's just hired to work with kids. ]

none of us are supposed to be here. none of us are supposed to be friends. but it'll be an easier trip for everyone if we try.

i don't disagree that i'd want to act, if i knew what people here had done. anyone sane would. but knowing what they'd done would be evidence, and you don't have that. full stop.

if you turn up some awful secret of his complicity, then i'm all for it. forget the civilized planet business, stick him out the airlock.

but right now you don't have that. and given the chaos down there, i don't think you're ever going to find it. alienating someone from the welfare of the crew without proveable cause just isn't a good way to handle the situation. and i'm pretty sure that you can think of a better one. the fact that you care enough to propose this, pretty much guarantees that.

and i'll be interested to see it then.

[backsassin]

[Zam’s too disgruntled to continue the conversation. Unfortunately, the person she’s talking to (an “Alice Quinn” according to her MID) has a point. Setting a precedent for punishing people based on what they had done before they came aboard the Moira is not something Zam wants to do, not with her history, no matter how much she dislikes the thought of Link remaining free. Still, she’s too stubborn to admit it, and so lets the conversation end where it is.

She will, however, make a point to remember Alice’s name.]