fandomhigh | Ethical Dilemmas, Thursday, (Per 1)

One last class, one last ethical decision!

Okay, at least, one last painstakingly contrived ethical decision. Your lives were likely going to be filled with them. Which was why Liliana suggested getting rid of as many as possible before that happened. It made things ever so much easier.

Today's breakfast was a variety of sweet and savory breakfast rolls, along with the usual collection of coffees, teas, and fruit juices.

"This, I will admit, I found preprogrammed in the Danger Shop, though I've changed a few of the details," Liliana said, once people were settled in with however much breakfast they desired. "You are a captain of a small spaceship; while it does have both offensive and defensive capabilities, its primary function is that of exploration. One day, you pick up an emergency distress broadcast by the captain of another ship, a ship transporting several civilian families emigrating to a new colony. They think their ship was hit by space debris, damaging many critical functions - including shields and engines - and their hull has been breached. Life support is failing and if they are not rescued soon, they will not survive.

"However, when mapping out where this ship is located, you realize that they have drifted into a dangerous and lawless part of space, where renegade ships of thieves and slavers are known to prey on any ship they think they can outfly or outfight. This could be a legitimate call for help, this could be a ruse from a group waiting to attack your ship, it could even be both: legitimate people in legitimate danger who are being used as unwitting bait. You seem to be the only ship close enough to pick up the distress signal, which means there are no other ships close by to come to their rescue, never mind yours.

"Your crew is asking for your decision; the longer you dither, the higher the likelihood that the ship will run out of life support and that someone unfriendly and opportunistic will find them. Their life expectancy does not increase by much, should that be the case. But for you to go to them, you are risking your lives and the lives of your entire crew, the majority of whom are not trained to fight. For you to ignore them, you are sentencing dozens of people - of families - to death. You have not hailed the other ship yet; you can simply pretend you never heard it and continue on your way. From what you can tell, opinion amongst the crew is pretty evenly split between going to save them and flying away, so asking for a vote won't help. The decision comes down to you, Captain. What is your order: do you attempt to rescue the civilians? Or do you leave the Kobayashi Maru to its fate?"

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"This is a space ship, out in hostile territory. My crew has signed-on to this mission, knowing that space is a dangerous bitch, and I am in command," Illyana said with a waive of her hand. "If I was not suited for command, they would have mutinied by now, and if they did not have the guts to do so, that is on them."

"Hail the ship, get their credentials. Tell them to prepare to evacuate, no baggage, and prep the ship's brig for incoming." She shrugged. "I can offer a rescue without rolling out the red carpet, and they can stay secured until we reach a station."

"If they want to complain about how my shuttle was filled with people pointing guns at them, then I'm sure someone will take them very seriously given where they were stranded," Yana drawled. "And if it's a trap, we will not be an easy mark."

"And if it's the worst situation?" Liliana asked. She always enjoyed Illyana's answers. "A ship full of innocents being used as bait without their knowledge? How do you balance the desire to save them against suddenly being surrounded by several ships, all better equipped for battle than yours?"

She smiled, ever-so-slightly. "That is what happened in the original simulation I saw. Three ships wait for you to approach and then throw off their invisibility."

Or, sure, 'cloaking technology,' since we're being all sci-fi about it today.

Yana tilted her head to the side. "Heavy armaments are generally slower ships," she mused out loud. "Time to play."

"Hopefully they didn't stick me with a third-tier crew just because we're exploratory," she decided. "Targeted shots - go for engines if possible - while we peel out of there. Make them give chase. If I have a good pilot, go for the nearest nasty debris field or gravitational fuckery. If I don't, speed is key. All non-essential power to engines and get the fuck out of there, we can help no one later if we die here today."

Liliana nodded. "This simulation depends on you being captain," she said. "Would you want to be? In actuality?"

"Yes. I prefer to be in charge of my own actions. I tend not to do well with being given orders," she admitted candidly, "--which does make this an unlikely scenario, since as a captain I would probably report up to someone else."

"I am very picky about whom I allow to hold power over me."

"As anyone should be, should they allow anyone that power at all," Liliana said. "So you do not wish to serve, but have you any desire to lead?"

"Lead and serve are both funny words," Illyana replied slowly. "I do serve, and I lead. I am the Sorcerer Supreme of one realm, and apprentice to the Sorcerer Supreme of another. It is a role where one both leads and serves the entire realm, and the line between the two is blurry."

"That tends to be my problem with authority, I think. Most people are idiots who let power go to their heads, and they don't understand that leadership includes service."

Congratulations, Illyana! You have found one of Liliana's (two) truly ethical stances, albeit a grudging one.

"Which is why I vastly prefer ruling the dead, which have no needs," Liliana agreed. "I have no desire to be responsible for the lives and welfare of others in that fashion. The chains of service hold in both directions, and you cannot pay claim to the rights, without also accepting the responsibilities."

Well, you could, but history was littered with the corpses of those who did.

"I don't know, I think stewardship of the dead is a huge responsibility," Yana disagreed. "Matter cannot be created or destroyed, just transformed, and death is one of the primordial transitional stages. It's just that the residents of your realm rarely have the opportunity to express their needs, you have to intuit when there's a problem."

"But yes, that's the big difference. I know I'm willing to accept the responsibilities, and so I chose to lead, in my way," she continued. "I've already had to deal with people dying because of me. I know the cost. I'll never be okay with it, but I know I can live with what it buys, and pay it back with interest."

Ethical Dilemmas, Thursday, (Per 1)

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