fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, January 5, 2nd period]

Anakin walked into his classroom precisely on time and gave the students assembled there an appraising glance--lingering a moment on a few faces--as the door clicked shut behind him. If you were late, you weren't getting in. "I'm Master Anakin Skywalker," he said in a voice that was intended to carry, "this is Ethics, and we're going to skip the introductions--I'll figure out who you are, if I don't recognize you already--and move straight to our first discussion."

He paced around the room, cloak flaring out behind him, as he handed out the syllabus. "Today's topic," he said, pointing to the top of the page. "Self sacrifice: knowing the difference between saving people and being a pretentious twit."

"Any time I ask a a group of people what they would do to save someone they love, they all blither on about how they would set the world on fire, lie, cheat, steal, kill, die, et cetera, et cetera. I've been at this school too long to believe that half of you haven't already been put into this situation and I'm in no mood to hear adolescent ramblings about how wonderful you were or might hypothetically be. Instead I want you to give me a concrete example of a time you admitted to yourself that a problem cannot be solved, and that sacrificing yourself wasn't a statement, but was merely pointless." His gaze swept the room. "How long does it take for you to realize you can't fix everything by yourself? Have you ever learned that lesson?"

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Zack shifted his weight uneasily, chewing his lip. Trying to come up with an answer that didn't make his guts twist around too much.

"There used to be a town, on the most Southern continent on my world," he ventured, finally. "I was sent there on an assignment, to find a SOLDIER who had gone rogue. We found him, and another man, my mentor, a friend." He shrugged. "I was going to bring them both back. I thought I could. But they got away, and the town was firebombed. Almost all of the locals were dead before I even got there."

There was another long pause, and then he looked up with a stubborn set to his jaw. "I haven't given up on finding my friend, though. I just need time."

Edited 2010-01-05 19:33 (UTC)

Anakin's expression was sympathetic, if you knew how to read him. "Are there any indications your friend is still alive?"

After all, he'd ridden out in the Tatooine desert searching for his mother on little more than a hunch and a truckload of abandonment issues.

Zack gave a small nod. A small, almost desperate nod, if you knew how to read him.

"He walked away," he said, lifting one shoulder in a gesture that was supposed to look dismissive. Was it working? "I tried to chase him, but our target summoned a dragon. I had to deal with that, instead."

"Taking backup when you return?" Anakin checked.

"I don't think I'll find either of them in Banora again," Zack sighed. "But I know better than to think I can take on our target alone. He was SOLDIER elite. I'm just 2nd Class."

"Good," Anakin said, nodding. "Suicide missions sound good in stories but rarely end well in real life."

Zack nodded his agreement.

"Even when we were in Banora, I had somebody with me. SOLDIER usually runs solo missions, and we're seriously short-staffed lately, but the Director knows better than to send a 2nd off against two 1sts who have deserted. I actually kinda like coming back from missions alive."

"It's a good habit to be in," Anakin agreed.

Ethics [Tuesday, January 5, 2nd period]

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