Friday, January 27, 2012

Dilemma

On Earth that Was, during the second stage of the 20th century's "Great World Conflict," cryptography and communications took huge leaps forward.  One of the consequences of those leaps, especially where decryption was concerned, were occasions where leaders would have to ignore specific intel so as not to alert their enemies that their codes had been broken.  The end result: civilian deaths because they weren't warned there were bombers on the way to paste the city they lived in.

It was a terrible position to be in and there have been numerous instances since of a leader deciding to sacrifice a target so as not to compromise an intelligence asset.  It's not an easy decision to make, for various reasons.  The ethical concerns are obvious.  Unless you're a bit of a sociopath, sacrificing a civilian target is never a decision to take lightly.  Even if you are a sociopath, there's the issue of people eventually finding out that you were willing to let them die so as not to compromise your intel sources.

I'd been following my adopted daughter's antics and activities for some time.  I'd be doing it even if I wasn't a spook.  I'm her mother after all, and she has a unique ability to find all sorts of very special trouble.  Follow her had led me to keeping track of events on Al Raquis and events involving the Myrmidon Order - a quasi religious cross between a Monastic order and a conventional PMC *.

Lily had become quite impressed with one of the order and he'd welcomed her to come train with them and learn their ways.  Somehow, he'd been some sort of impulse for K2, which, I admit, I didn't pretend to understand.  Be that as it was, I'd reluctantly told Lily that it was OK and tried to get it across to Krakken, the Myrmidon, that I expected him to treat my little girl with the respect and care she deserved.

Not unexpectedly, that didn't happen.

She'd come back home, vowing never to go back to the Myrmidon.  Which I was good with.  What I wasn't entirely good with was the information she brought back with her.  During my time monitoring, I'd found it more than a little difficult to get good Intel out of the Order and on the Order.  What Lily brought with her was intel that they were planning to, at some time in the near future, invade Al Raquis.

That was entirely unexpected information, and, to be sure, it didn't make a lot of sense.  My first instinct, after resisting the urge to laugh at the thought of a PMC, even a well organized and equipped one, attacking a well established colony, was to pass the information on the some local contacts on Al Raquis so the local military could be prepared for what was coming.  Only Lily didn't want me to do it.

It left me in an awkward position.  On several levels I wanted to test my network and see whether I could actually use it to make a difference.  I hadn't chosen to become an information broker to be rich.  I already had all the monetary resources I could need and then some.  No.  I'd done it because, ultimately, it was how I thought I could do the most good for the most people.

On a lot of levels I know the idea was flawed.  It was very difficult to know, in my heart, what really was the best use for my information.  What really was best for the thirty six plus billion people living in the 34 Tauri system?

Regardless, Lily's asked me not to intervene.  Why I didn't know.  But I agreed.  For better or worse, I wouldn't warn the military on Al Raquis that an attack might be imminent.  There were other things I could, and would, do if the situation escalated.  But, for now, at my little girl's behest, I would let things happen as they would.

For better or worse
Warnings remain unspoken
My conscience heavy


* Author's note:  I know the Myrmidon Order doesn't see themselves that way in the Dune campaign and other locations where they exist.  However, this blog is strictly from the perspective of a player in the Firefly 'Verse.  Hence, the adaptation to fit within the Canon of firefly. Here's a good starting point.

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