fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, March 17, Second period]

Anakin stalked into the room and shut the door firmly behind him. His spin would have been much more impressive if a small shower of Lucky Charms hadn't fallen from his hood.

"Today we talk about wrath," he said. "There's something very human about giving in to our temper," he said. "It's freeing, uncomplicated."

He paused. "At least at that moment. The repercussions are always waiting."

He waved a hand and the holoprojector flipped to life. Frozen in time was a young Jedi with two lightsabers at the neck of an older, clearly defeated enemy. The students might remember the scenario from a few weeks ago.

"This was me," he said, pointing at the young man. "And that older man was evil and threatened my family. It didn't make the choice I made--to kill him while he knelt there--any less wrong."

He looked around the classroom making eye contact with every student before continuing. "Wrath is very, very tempting. It urges you to listen to that dark little voice inside of you--to cut loose, live without consequences."

He pointed at the holo again. "There are always consequences. This moment has stayed with me, made me the person I am. It wasn't a positive influence."

Anakin stopped pacing. "What would it take for you to get to that hazy edge? And more importantly, how do you stop yourself from giving in?"

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Ino's eyebrows raised further.

"Why's that different? Because it makes you look more like a hero?"

"Because it doesn't make me an executioner," Anakin snapped. "Killing someone in battle is one thing. Killing someone because you're angry is something entirely different."

Oh, this was going to be the murder on the battle field v. the assassination issue again, wasn't it? Joy.

"Not really," she said, "you're still killing someone. Someone is still dead. The fact that you'd feel better doesn't change what happened, and doesn't make you a better person. Dead is dead, and everything else is just window dressing."

Anakin's jaw clenched. "Intent is everything," he replied. "There's a difference between going off to war and going into a convenience store with a blaster and a grudge."

"Well, yeah," she said, like he was being the slow one. "But you weren't going after a bunch of civilians who'd done nothing wrong--and even then, if those are your orders, then there's nothing wrong with that--you were killing an evil dude. The fact that he was begging for his life doesn't change what he did or that it was a good thing to get rid of him. Murder is murder, and giving it different pretty words is just a way of making yourself feel better. That's a lie."

"My job wasn't to kill him. My job was to save Palpatine, get off the ship, and go back to Coruscant," Anakin said, eyes blazing. "I'm wasn't an assasssin."

Then.

"Every soldier is a murderer," she snapped back. "Calling yourself anything different doesn't change the fact that people get killed and sometimes they aren't going to know about it 'cause fighting fair would be idiotic. So what if he wasn't your mission? Getting rid of him was a decision that had to be made, right there, and you made it. You killed him, therefore you're a murderer. He knew it was coming, therefore in that case, if it makes you feel better, terminology-wise you weren't an assassin."

"But terminology doesn't change anything to the people you killed. It's just used to make yourself feel better, Master Skywalker. I'm sure you feel so much morally superior to those of us whose life is going to be assassins and who think that's just fine."

Like, you know, her.

Anakin's hands clenched into fists at his side and he whirled on his heel, stalking off before he said something he'd regret.

Ethics [Tuesday, March 17, Second period]

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