fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, January 10, 2013]

Anakin, as usual, was rigidly on time for class. Hopefully everyone else was as well because he closed the door behind him as he entered the room, coming within centimeters of catching his robe in the hinges.

"Good morning," he said. "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 from week to week. He paced in front of their desks as he spoke, Jedi robe swirling behind him. "Most classes this week focus on introductions, but I'm the Dean of Students, so I'll figure out who's who 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 and will not be tolerated in this class."

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

"We'll 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 liked to start them off easy.

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Surreal was just going to look at Anakin like he was possibly a bit touched in the head. "Am I getting paid, or is this supposed to be one of those 'out of the goodness of my heart' things?"

She was going to kill Sadi for signing her up for this. Slowly.

"Would your answer change if you were doing it for free?" Anakin wondered.

"If I'm not getting paid, it's not my job, and not my problem," Surreal pointed out dryly. "People die every day. It happens."

"In front of you?" Anakin asked.

"I'm not from the nicest neighborhood in the Realms," Surreal answered, not showing any outward emotion. "So, yes. In front of me."

Sometimes by her hand, sometimes just for being related to her. Sometimes, just because everyone was poor and people died so others survived.

Understanding flashed in Anakin's eyes. "My homeworld wasn't exactly marshmallows and roses either."

"Filth, violence, hunger, corruption, and a class system that doesn't give two shits," Surreal agreed.

"It'd like as not be a whore stabbing a pack of entitled boyos that tried to stiff her, and I'm not one to get in the middle of a righteous business transaction."

Hell, Surreal would help the girl finish the kill.

"Would you help her out?" Anakin asked.

It wasn't like he'd spent all of his time in the good neighborhoods in his life--he'd sought the other ones out.

"Of course." Surreal hadn't even hesitated with her answer. "If they get away with not paying her, it sets a bad precedent with the rest of us."

Anyone who had a problem with Surreal's previous - and future - line of work could speak up now. So she could make fun of them.

"Hells, I'm probably stronger, especially if she's a landen, ah, human girl. I'll finish the kill while she cleans up."

Anakin was hardly one to judge, given his past record of killing people just because he'd felt like it.

"I'm guessing the justice system is pretty much what you just described."

"Basically. 'Justice' is for aristos and other people with money," Surreal agreed. "The rest of us make-do with sharp objects."

"Been there," Anakin said softly, nodding.

Ethics [Thursday, January 10, 2013]

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