(no subject)

[smilingbullet]

Date: October 14
From: Anonymous

If, in part of your job, you capture an intruder at your workplace and used them as a hostage to call out their comrades, who had previously been found intruding and trying to steal something very important that you can't allow get stolen because protecting it is part of your job, and one of the people you know want to keep that intruder as a guinea pig (though you know that they probably wouldn't treat the prisoner badly, per se), and another wants to kill the intruder and all their comrades, but you think neither is a great idea, what would you do? I did as I was told and let them handle the decision making because my job is everything I have back home and I couldn't risk getting fired, but what if you could choose? Would it make a difference if it's an adult or a kid? This isn't ethically speaking, or what one should do, but what you would do in a similar situation, without caring about that.

[ So he recently remembered this scenario happening. He knows his decision wouldn't change because, his work in the military was everything that he had when he was alive, but if he'd had options..... He doesn't know what he'd have done then. Maybe that's why he's posting this question. ]

Comments

from: Li Tieguai

[reformedsinner]

What a complicated question.

Is there a reason why the only two options are experimenting on them or killing them? You couldn't, for example, turn them over to the proper authorities or let them go?

private

[smilingbullet]

[ It takes a while for him to decide to go off-anon and private, since it's Hakkai. On the one hand, D2 isn't proud of holding a kid hostage, even as part of his job. On the other, Hakkai has shared things that are pretty bad with the entire BBS.. And he's one of the people D2 trusts the most... In the first place, the main reason he's posting this anonymously is because he doesn't want to tell everyone that he's got part of memories back. He's fine with telling Hakkai that though, he never intended to keep that from him in the first place; D2 might have ended up telling him about this at some point anyway. ]

I suppose that it is, yes. But I felt like I had to ask it.

In this case we were, sort of, part of the authorities. In a sense. In this case. At least there. If we let them go without doing anything at all about them, they would definitely come back, it was already the second time they tried to break in, too. To be honest there are some pieces still missing but.... When you repeatedly break into military bases it can get a little
complicated. The professor wanted to keep her and her comrades because they are unusual and he wants to understand them and how they suddenly became different from normal humans.

private

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai's a little surprised to see who it is -- but not that surprised. D2 seems to be a skilled fighter, familiar with military discipline, and situations like the one he's describing go with the territory.

It's more of a surprise that he's starting to remember.]

Ah. I've never been in a situation like that, but I think it does sound as though you did your duty. If they'd try again upon being released, then releasing them isn't an option, after all, and between death and being experimented on...

I suppose it depends on the experiment, but neither sounds like a pleasant fate, does it?

private

[smilingbullet]

[ D2 first remembered things back while Hakkai still was amnesiac, and that was not a time to tell him about ten years of interactions with a good friend and fellow soldier. ]

Doing my duty was what I was supposed to do since it's well, my duty. Doing as I'm told certainly makes things easier, but sometimes it still makes me wonder. Some people would surely not agree with either decision no matter the circumstances and I can understand that perspective. This particular intruder D4 had caught was a just kid and most of her comrades were probably teens so that wouldn't make matters easier. I have killed children before, but they were soldiers. Kids shouldn't be forced to be soldiers but in some parts of the world they unfortunately are. But I don't think that these ones are, even if I'm not sure. I would do as told, yes, but it still feels a bit different.

Yeah it doesn't. I really don't think that Professor Horner would do anything really bad, but I also don't remember enough about to know for sure. Still, if you ever happen to encounter him you should not tell him that you're not human.

private

[reformedsinner]

I understand. But I'm also not the right person to judge anyone for killing, even killing children. If you had let them go, and they'd tried again, would you really have been saving them? Or just passing the difficult decision on to someone else?

Sometimes, there's no good path of action. You do what you can live with having done.

And thank you for the warning. Should I run into him, I'll keep it quiet.

private

[smilingbullet]

Perhaps. I'm not really looking for judgment or agreement or anything, it's more, sorting out my thoughts on it and seeing what other people think, I think. Nobodys opinion would change my decision. If I had let them go, I would at the very least ended up on probation. But no I doubt I would have. And if I had then yes, it would have been. And in this case I was supposed to follow orders, not make my own decisions.

You're right. If only life was simpler though.

I'll warn you if I spot him. But he's short and eccentric, generally wears a lab coat, stands out a lot.

[ He could have said "easily distracted with pudding" except he doesn't remember that yet. ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

This is convoluted and a slog to read through.

I wouldn't care enough to make a particular choice. Whatever the decision ended up being, by the person in charge, is good enough to go along with.

So I'd choose what you chose, and just went with my job. It's not as complicated or as much of a big deal to think through as all those words seem.

[smilingbullet]

You didn't have to read it if you didn't want to.

Yeah.. Following orders is much easier, but I'm trained to both think and to follow orders, that's why I'm wondering at all.

[kuroi_taiyo]

I saw a few interesting words and decided to power through it. My point is that you're wrapping yourself up about a bunch of things that don't matter, as the context wasn't that important when it happened.

Whether it was killing hostages, experimenting on them or using them as bait, none of it matters if the job itself is more important to you.

I wouldn't care enough about the lives of strangers to do anything different.

[smilingbullet]

I see, so that's why.

To me it's most important, yeah. But that doesn't necessarily meant that it has to be the same for everyone.

[kuroi_taiyo]

The only way anyone would have that job is if it was that important to them, right?

[ This is his guess, based on how that made it seem like loyalty was very important in all of this. ]

That's why I'm saying I'd choose the same thing, even if it's kids. If it was that important to me, I'd probably follow any kind of order.

[frankensteins_moe]

I'd do what I was told by my master.

[A moment later, the word 'master' is deleted and replaced by 'boss.']

[smilingbullet]

So basically sort of the same, then? Even if your reasons might be different from mine.

[frankensteins_moe]

I suppose so.

As a shinki, it's what gives my life meaning.

[smilingbullet]

[ Not that he can't relate so much but he doesn't want to intentionally give away that he's a shinki. ]

There is nothing else that does that for you?

[frankensteins_moe]

My goddess treats me kindly and gives me a place to call home. I'd do anything for her. That's enough meaning for me.

[roundtablerebel]

I'd kill em

[ Seems pretty simple really. ]

[smilingbullet]

Easy decision?

[roundtablerebel]

Why wouldn't it be?

You said they were caught trying to steal the thing more than once. If it was so important it just seems dumb to let them keep comin back for it.

[smilingbullet]

They were, yes. And yes, it wasn't something we could let them take. I suppose that simply killing them without taking other possible options into consideration is what makes me a little hesitant.

[roundtablerebel]

If someone tries to take your stuff you stop them. Simple.

[ She takes a moment to ponder the "other options" but it's difficult without more info. ]

What were they trying to steal? Do you know why they wanted it?

From: Asteria

[cieled]

Frankly? I would eliminate the intruder and their comrades. If they were used as a guinea pig, they could escape and cause you trouble later. I like to resolve problems neatly.

[smilingbullet]

That is very straightforward reasoning. It's not a bad reasoning, either.

[cieled]

Save your mercy for those who deserve it.

[smilingbullet]

Yeah, I suppose that I will.