Strange Aeons: In Search of Sanity II [IC - Group #2]

[digiman619]

Flair grows cold. "No." he says simply. "No, you're wrong. What I have been offering is mercy; what you are suggesting is kidnapping, plain and simple. You want we should wait until nighttime and grab them while they sleep, too? Maybe hit them with a sleeping poison dart from 100 yards away like they were wild animals for some sick menagerie? How is that better?"

Flair clenches his fists, though they stay at his side. "The only thing in this world that matters is choice. Sometimes, the situation just doesn't have any good ones, or the one you want to make isn't really viable, or you didn't realize you had one so you do nothing. There generally aren't clues telling you a choice will be noteworthy, but freedom of will is what sets apart from the beasts and the outsiders. Suggesting that giving them the choice is somehow more morally repugnant than just killing them outright makes no sense."

He takes a slightly more accusatory tone before continuing. "Besides. Let's say we do it your way. Let's say we knock out some lunatic and drag him back here and he gets a knife and goes on a rampage. How will you and Captain York stop it? You gonna knock him out again? Of course you're gonna use lethal force because there are lives on the line and you have people to protect. How is that any different from what I was doing?"

Flair sighs. A lot of the anger has gone out of his voice, but he's still clearly upset. "I see where you're coming from, and I would agree with it if not for one important detail. There are three choices and you're ignoring the middle one. How is "Don't raise arms against us we'll leave you in peace" murder? If they don't want to be taken to be grouped with lots of other strangers and want to be left alone, I give them that option. It's not 'Join or die'. It's not 'Run and hide or else I'll find you'. It's 'Come with us to safety or promise to live and let live." Yes, I do talk about the third choice, but only in an attempt to convince them not to take it. If they were to choose to pretend to take one of the first two options and attack us later, either in camp or out, either option would result in combat where there is clearly no alternative to lethal force. There's a difference between being merciful and being unwilling to carry out punishments and retribution, but some folks don't understand that. Some folks see mercy as weakness; that by not taking harsher stances, it is an admission that you are unable to take a harsher stance and that they can act without consequence. I was just making sure that they knew that this was not the case."

Flair leans against the table, looking more frustrated than angry. "I honestly and truthfully feel that denying these sick men and women choice and dragging them away from their makeshift homes is wrong. I honestly and truly think your claim of murder is farfetched at best and requires a great deal of mental gymnastics to justify." He sighs once more. "However, I will admit that spending magical energies to wake them up and offering them the choice is not as tactically advantageous as bringing the unconscious inmates here. This is a much better protected space and any healing we do out there is in shorter supply. So in the name of practicality, I will agree to this request, but don't think for a moment that this makes your position more morally correct than mine. It's just the best choice I had available."