fandomhigh | Ethics [January 5, 2012, 1st period]

"Good morning," Anakin said, sweeping into the classroom. "I'm Anakin Skywalker and this is Ethics. If you're in the wrong place, now's the time to get up and flee."

If you were in the right place, it wasn't bad advice either, depending on Anakin's mood. He paced in front of their desks as he spoke, Jedi robe swirling behind him. "Most classes this week focus on introductions, but there are a few familiar faces in the classroom already and I'll figure out the rest of you as we go along. Fandom, as you might have realized already, is a multi-dimensional nexus where beings from many different places and times come together." He made sure to look each student in the eyes as he spoke. "As such, what you may feel to be moral and immoral might be completely different than the person sitting next to you. I encourage discussion, even heated discussion, but it must be phrased in a constructive way. Responses like 'yes, but that's dumb,' 'yes, but you're dumb', or punching someone are not constructive."

He'd had all of those reactions before, of course, but this wasn't about the ethics of the Ethics teacher.

"We touch on unpleasant subjects in this class, some of which might not be all that hypothetical to your life's experience," he added. "If you prefer not to discuss a particular scenario, just let me know by shaking your head and I'll skip you until the next week."

Anakin clasped his hands together. "Now, let's begin: if you had to choose between killing one person in order to save five others, or doing nothing even though you know that doing nothing means that those five people would die before your eyes, what would you do? And what do you think would be the right thing to do?"

He glanced down at his notes. "Oh, yes. Finally, could Mr. Hawkins and Miss Gabrielle please see me after class."

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"You do now?" Anakin said.

There was a long pause.

"Do you think it would help him?"

He didn't mean Anakin.

"I don't know. I think he came to terms with things better than... well, me, at least," she admitted, "and as teenagers it seemed like they did nothing but argue about all the things I want to hit Jacen for now."

And for a moment she wondered if she should just stop coming back, because by the end of the year Anakin might be dealing with losing her or Jacen.

"You kind of...spiraled...there for a bit," Anakin replied, "but I trust your judgment."

Which hadn't been the case a few years ago.

"What about your father?"

"It was the first time I ever saw him look old," Jaina said. As much as she didn't want to have to think about any of this, she didn't suppose she had a choice. "He did better than I would have thought. But Mom was convinced Jacen was alive, and he followed her on that, and I think that helped them both."

Jaina, meanwhile, had thought her mom had had some sort of mental break due to grief and didn't believe it for a second and look how that'd gone for her.

Anakin wasn't sure it was better or worse to be having this conversation over a comm where he couldn't feel her emotions as they talked.

"What if history repeats itself?" he asked.

Like she wouldn't be shielding like nobody's business face to face.

"I can't think about that yet," she said, blowing out a breath. "I haven't even seen him yet."

"Fair enough," Anakin said.

He'd just moved to the next problem like the pessimist he was.

"I apologize."

"No need," she assured him. "It's an obvious question and my line of thinking wants to go there. I'm just not letting it."

"I'm keeping that thought locked down very hard," he assured her.

"Good. I'm sure there are still people around here who have to know, so I know he'll probably find out at some point. But wow, that does not need to happen now." And, finding out from someone he was wary of at the moment would probably be bad.

"I'll do my best to hold off that news for as long as possible," Anakin said. "He's confused enough."

"Yeah, he can at least get some settling in time," Jaina said. "Does he know about me?" Since she was so coming back and all.

"Yes," Anakin replied, "but I think I forgot to mention Luke and Leia."

"I'm sure that'll come up. There's Tahiri, too... We really have a messed-up timeline here." Like this was news.

"We really do," Anakin agreed with a sigh. "Poor kid."

"He'll be okay," she said. "The rest of us managed."

"I'll try to be patient with him," Anakin promised. "I don't want to scare him off."

"I never knew him to scare too easily. Fact is, I wouldn't be shocked if he's coming to you sooner than later, once he adjusts," she said.

"I hope I have the answers he's looking for," Anakin said.

"I'm not even sure what questions he'd ask," Jaina admitted.

"Why I did it?" Anakin asked. "Each of you has asked eventually."

"Then the answers he'd be looking for would just be the truth. Has anyone reacted badly when you told them?" If she'd been calm about it, she was sure Anakin would. She was the family hothead.

"I haven't told Leia yet," he hedged.

"That one would all depend on how you did it," Jaina guessed. "If you handle it like you did with me, it'd probably be fine."

He chewed on his lower lip. "She's heading to Hoth soon," he said. "Do you think it would be easier for her to hear before Han gets put into carbonite?"

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