Ethical Dilemmas (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

November 4, 2011

Friday afternoon

Since he didn't need to take the elevator after Mr. Summers had given him a partial systems key, Sharl popped right down to the underground entrance to the Doom Room when he got his instructions for an afternoon's training with two of his teammembers. He was a little antsy, both because it was Friday after lunch and because he was looking forward to the weekend, and because he was interested in doing training besides combat! Being a hologram inside someone else's simulation was a strange experience, especially since his powers functioned so differently while inside a computer system: he could either lug around a projector that sometimes went on the fritz while inside other projectors, or he could fight like a flying tank and not learn anything helpful about how to work alongside his solid teammates in the 'real world'. For this mission, it seemed they'd fixed the issue with his systems, or at least it wasn't going to be an issue. Instead, he flitted back and forth, peeking at the Next-Gen trophies on the wall, while he waited for Corbin and Koshiro to arrive.

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin was unsure of what he felt about this upcoming training session. On the one hand, he wanted a chance to do something other than just fight villains. Frankly, a change of pace was welcome. But while he knew this wasn't combat training, Summers hadn't elaborated on all the fine details, and that left him a bit un-nerved.

Also, while he tried to get along with everyone in Young Freedom, the two teammates he was assigned to today were probably the two he had the most trouble getting along with outside of a fight. It was his fault as much as anyone's, but that didn't change the discomfort he felt.

'Probably the whole point, as far as the Headmaster is concerned. Wants us to get some "male bonding" done or something.'

He walked up to Sharl, still dressed casually for the moment. He glanced at the trophies on the wall, having seen them several times before. They looked nice, but Corbin knew who the best team in Claremont was, no contest.

"Hey Sharl. How's it going?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Hey, Corbin," said Sharl, folding his arms unconsciously. "I guess they've finally got it set where I won't punch the subjects through the wall." It had certainly been surprising to realize how he functioned when loaded directly into the Doom Room system; i.e., exactly as he functioned any other system, but it hadn't been very helpful. And thinking about that made it easier than dwelling on his colleague. "Koshiro, uh, has that history class, so he'll be a bit." For all that Koshiro got in trouble sometimes, he was fairly sure the other boy was responsible enough not to blow off training: his room-mate (and partner in evening adventures) didn't go into situations unprepared.

[KnightDisciple]

"Good. While it's interesting to see you making me look like a lightweight in a fight, it doesn't help us much for preparing for future fights. Seems like having you and Kimber able to walk through walls in fights has been pretty handy so far; practicing it should make it handier."

Corbin somewhat awkwardly slid his hands in his pockets and glanced around, nodding at Sharl's words.

"Hm. Probably not too long. The history classes here are pretty easy."

Seeing as Corbin knows a couple of ancient languages and has an excellent chance of ending up a world-renowned archaeologist of the Mediterranean section of the world, that sentence might be a touch subjective.

"Classes going okay for you?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"They're all right," said Sharl with a little uncommunicative shrug. "I'm surprised a school like Claremont doesn't use more high technology in their education. I mean, don't get me wrong," he said, tapping on the Doom Room door, "stuff like this is great, but they're still using paper books and mechanical writing tools in half the classes. That stuff is great for artists and stuff, but people who are learning should have access to the best. I know not every place can do that, but if they have the money, they should provide it."

[KnightDisciple]

The look the large ring-bearer gave Sharl was mostly puzzlement, with perhaps a touch of annoyance.

"Okay, I'll let the "artists and stuff" crack slide, despite being one myself. And there's nothing wrong with books, paper, and pencils. Shockingly enough, millions and millions of highly intelligent people learn just fine with them every day, and have for centuries. While I know they're looking into electronic learning aids, keep in mind we've had household computers for approximately 40 years or so, at least at the price most people can afford. And even then, tablet readers are way too expensive for almost any school to have anyways. And while Claremont has a good budget, it's not infinite. Consider the wear and tear some of us would end up putting on tablets; I bet it's more cost-effective to use normal teaching materials still."

[Electra]

As they were talking, Koshiro came up, dressed in his blue and gold training uniform, more or less. He'd tossed a black hoodie on over top to deal with the chilly day and shed the gloves entirely, but it was close enough. He dropped his backpack against the wall and looked at the others. "So do either of you know exactly what we're supposed to be doing here? All I hear is the Doom Room is where you go to get monsters and fake supervillains and stuff thrown at you by the gym teacher. We aren't getting enough of that in real life?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Taking advantage of Koshiro's arrival, Sharl turned to his room-mate. Conversations about how Earth was a nice place full of nice people that just happened to be a few centuries behind (at their shockingly fast rate of development) where the Lor had been two thousand years ago tended to go wrong pretty badly, and the last thing he wanted was an argument with Corbin when they were about to go adventuring together. "All I got was that it was something about an ethics test, and that we'd only be in combat if we wanted to be." Now that they were all there, they were actually able to call up the scenario's short instructions as they stepped into the gridded-off walls of the Doom Room. As Cobalt Templar was the senior student there, he got the file: they were playing themselves as Freedom League members, visiting a primitive variant of Earth-Ape to recover a Pegasus plane that had fallen through a dimensional crack during yet another inter-reality crisis. The crew was alive, and they and the plane both needed recovered intact. The locals were aware of who they were, so they wouldn't even need to disguise their true nature.

As the walls of the Doom Room rippled around them, Sharl was still asking, "Wait, what's this Earth called again?" Sure enough, from their position on top of a low 'hill', they could see a distant castle on the horizon, pennants flying overhead. In the green fields between them, they could see peasants working in what looked like corn fields, the smell of animal ordure strong in the air as peasants worked the crops under the watchful eye of armored knights on horseback. Except the horses were massive draft horses like a Clydesdale, big enough to carry their riders: massive armored figures with simian faces, watching smaller apes in the field: every knight was a gorilla, and every peasant a chimpanzee. This was a world of medieval apes!

[KnightDisciple]

"Practice makes perfect, Koshiro. Headmaster figures it's better we screw up in here, than out in the field."

With a shrug and a flash of blue light, he was dressed as Cobalt Templar, not Corbin Hughes. He and the others were quickly in the room and watching as the world resolved around them. He pondered their instructions as he looked around.

"Earth-Ape. For rather obvious reasons. Hm. Looks like they utilize a feudalistic system. Probably best not to poke the hornet's nest on that one, tempting as it might be for all of us."

His wry grin showed the others he was considering himself in that statement.

"Okay. They won't freak out when they see us. First goal is definitely the crew, but the plane is top priority as well. I'm thinking we go in calmly, peaceful-like. Talk to whoever's in charge, find out how we can get out guys back. Sharl, worst case, you might have to see about getting the plane mobile via hacking into its computers or something. I'd rather avoid that, though."

He turned to look at the other two with a grin.

"Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Snark you ought to get out of your system now?"

[Electra]

Koshiro didn't seem to have too much snark in him for once, he was much too busy staring in consternation and disbelief at the scene surrounding them. "What the hell?" he demanded, just managing to keep from shouting. "Earth Ape? Where are the people?" It looked like some kind of elaborate prank, or a live-action cartoon show. He stared into the distance, taking a few steps down the hill as though expecting the mirage to disappear. "Is this some kind of joke? How are we supposed to learn ethics from a bunch of monkeys?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Sharl pushed up his sunglasses and cocked his head, accessing the school's computer network. "One of the most deeply embedded dimensional axes connected to Prime is one where the primary hominid civilization is populated by a collection of simian phenotypes rather than the human norm...it's a dimension of apes," he translated. "It's a dimension where apes are the dominant species, and humans are restricted to some small parts of Africa, and are mostly not even verbal." He couldn't help but laugh; what kind of ridiculous dimension was this? "This is some kind of primitive variant, with feudal serfdom or something. What the hell." He pulled his sunglasses down and joined Papercut for the walk down the hill.

Down below, they were greeted by a barrel-chested gorilla knight in green-trimmed armor. "Greetings, outlanders!" he boomed. "Welcome to the domain of my lord Baron Zardon. I am Sir Connor, your escort. I shall show you to your people and your skybird." Behind him, what was evidently a chimp squire rode a small burro. He led the way towards the castle, through what looked like a decidedly unromantic medieval-style village: the peasants were poor and barely clothed, their small huts quite a contrast to the magnificent castle they were approaching.

[KnightDisciple]

"Defining person-hood as being a human like us is a bit harsh, don't you think? And technically, they're apes. Kind of like us. But Sharl hit the high points of what sets this world apart."

Corbin's serious tone was belied just a touch by his slight grin, though as they moved closer to the settlement, that grin faded. The obviously poor nature of the peasants' lives unsettled him a bit. At the same time, they weren't here to spark a revolution; trying to set one off and then leave would end badly. They had to focus on retrieval. Corbin gave a polite bow as the knight greeted them.

"Greetings, Sir Connor. We thank you for your assistance, and apologize for any distress our presence, or that of our comrades, may have caused you and your people. "

He lapsed into silence as he followed along, glancing around as they moved on toward the castle.

[Avenger Assembled]

Citizen kept a wary eye out as they went, trying to absorb all he could of this alien civilization. Without a cultural connection to Earth, the romance of the feudal era meant little to him. Instead he saw privation and want, a social pyramid with gorillas at the top and chimpanzees at a very distant bottom. The stone hut where the knights and nobles lived was not much different from the thatch huts of their subjects, when you got right down to it. For Corbin and Koshiro, things were a little easier to understand: this castle was not an ornamental countryhouse; this was a fortress of war, and from the look of the knights and their battered, if polished armor, they were veterans of genuine conflict.

As they entered the castle courtyard, its walls rising high on either side of them, they were met by the people they were there to rescue: a three man team in the battered, mud-stained uniform of League civilian employees. "It was a dimensional storm, probably a leftover from the recent crisis." reported the team leader Stuart, a short, balding man with a crisp British accent. "The Pegasus was being pulled out of our time stream before we could abort our descent."

"We made it out in time," reported the second officer, Church. "But the Pegasus is in a bad way. We crashed up into the hills and had to walk out. The ship's in pieces, and we can't leave it here." Peering over Church's shoulder as he talked, Sharl made out a small, hunched figure in the stocks, obviously a chimpanzee, near the edge of the courtyard by what were evidently the servant's quarters.

"I have heard that the ores in those hills interferes with outlander technology," said Connor thoughtfully. "I am sure my lord would be happy to give you an escort there, and help carry away any pieces of your skybird. If you will follow me?" he asked with courtesy, turning to his squire and barking, "Bonda, take the horses to the stables! Don't just gawk like a gibbon!"

[Electra]

Koshiro gaped at Sharl and glared at Corbin, but kept his mouth shut as the talking monkey came up and escorted them down the hill. An alternate dimension, seriously? Why the hell were they practicing for that kind of fantasy crap? Who went to alternate dimensions, anyhow? His brow furrowed as he took in the living conditions, which ranged from the rich asshole monkeys on horses to the dirty, skinny monkey in the stocks off in the corner. Glancing at the others to make sure they were keeping the attention of the horsemonkey, he slipped off towards the servant's quarters, where the prisoner was lolling in his wooden bonds. "What're you in for?" he asked the chimp, keeping his voice low.

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar saw Koshiro's glare, but chose not to react. This wasn't the time or place.

Corbin's face was quite serious by the time they arrived at the castle's courtyard; it was clear this place didn't sit entirely well with him. Oh, sure, compared to Earth EZ-01, this was practically Candyland, but that really wasn't saying much considering his short time there. He nodded as the flight officers explained the situation.

"How badly busted is the plane? If it's in few enough pieces, I could probably toss it all together and haul it myself. Worst case, Papercut helps out to keep the whole mess together."

He turned to regard the gorilla knight.

"I appreciate the offer, but unless it's in a whole lot of pieces, I ought to be able to lug it on my own. I can typically lift about 10% more than what one of those things weighs. So the issue is pieces and how cumbersome it is to move about.

And try not to be too hard on your squire there. This is all pretty new, and I think if a group of your people suddenly arrived in my world for similar reasons, I'd be rather shocked."

His tone was mild even as he saw Koshiro wandering away to talk to the chimp in the stocks, an action CT didn't really mind at all. He hoped the knight would stay busy talking with him.

"Anyways, thank you again for your hospitality. Where are we going now, if I may ask?"

He started to follow the knight, but at a nice, sedate pace.

[Avenger Assembled]

The crudely-lettered sign hanging from the stocks said "APE-STEALER." At Koshiro's question, the prisoner gave him a thin smile. "I dared give a runaway serf bread and bed for a night," he explained in a low whisper. "And covered for his escape when my lord's men came lookin for him. This makes me a stealer of apes and a thief, outlander. This is our justice." On closer inspection, while the chimp didn't look happy, he wasn't as beaten-down as he'd looked from far away: he was stoutly-built and healthy, with strong, intelligent eyes. "Worry not. I will be free by dark." He grinned again, showing an ape's pointed teeth. "I am Hannibal."

At Corbin's words, the gorilla-knight actually looked abashed for just a moment. "Bonda's road is a harsh one," said Connor as he watched his squire do his tasks. "There are few chimps with the valor to rise to a knight's squire...and few gorillas with the courage to admit a chimp may do even that. If I am harsh in my discipline, it is so all may know he has earned his position."

"So is it like this everywhere?" asked Sharl as they headed for the central keep, where the king waited to greet them. "Gorilla warlords, and chimp serfs?"

"Not everywhere," said the great ape with a shrug. "The gibbons have their towns, and the orangs their churches, but this is how the rule is in civilized lands. I have heard the macaques have their own ways, but they are unbelievers and one cannot trust what you hear about them."

[Electra]

Koshiro glanced to where the others were going into the keep, but elected to linger just a few moments longer. "So are the serfs like slaves?" he asked in a low voice, alert for anyone paying them too much attention. "Do the gorillas just boss everybody around?" His face clouded at that idea, rule of the strong over the weak was certainly a familiar concept, but not one he liked to see. He turned a little so his body shielded his activities from prying eyes, then pulled his water bottle from his knapsack. "You thirsty?" he asked the captive ape.

[Avenger Assembled]

The chimp briefly looked surprised, but said simply, "Yes." He was a proud ape, but not one to turn down water. When he'd drunk, he said simply, "Yes. Chimps are tied to the land, and gorillas and orangs own the land and thus those that work it. There are kind gorillas and there are vile gorillas, but in the end a master is a master and a serf is a serf. Some of us have risen to office. There are chimp priests, and that Bonda who was one of our finest warriors before he became a squire here." He shrugged, as best his posture and position allowed. "But for most of us, we are but peasants, who reap and sew at our master's command."

[KnightDisciple]

At Corbin's words, the gorilla-knight actually looked abashed for just a moment. "Bonda's road is a harsh one," said Connor as he watched his squire do his tasks. "There are few chimps with the valor to rise to a knight's squire...and few gorillas with the courage to admit a chimp may do even that. If I am harsh in my discipline, it is so all may know he has earned his position."

"So is it like this everywhere?" asked Sharl as they headed for the central keep, where the king waited to greet them. "Gorilla warlords, and chimp serfs?"

"Not everywhere," said the great ape with a shrug. "The gibbons have their towns, and the orangs their churches, but this is how the rule is in civilized lands. I have heard the macaques have their own ways, but they are unbelievers and one cannot trust what you hear about them."

Corbin nodded noncommittally. He was still trying to make sure he covered for his teammate, though.

Then again, he wasn't settling well with this place anyways.

'Definitely makes all those fantasy medieval books less appealing...but really, can we do anything? The whole world is set in this system; we can't change it overnight. Can't try to impose our will on it. We try to make too much happen too soon, and things will get bloody.'

He shook his head.

"I think I somewhat understand. It's just that...well, besides the very obvious, our world is still different than yours. For what it's worth, I wish both you and Bonda as much success as you can gain.

The historian in me is a bit curious about the macaques, but that's for another day...

Is there anything we should know before we go before the king? Things we really should, or should not, do?"

[Electra]

Koshiro put the cap back on his water and tucked it away, frowning as he listened to the captive chimp's words. "Sucks," he agreed, and even if the prisoner didn't know the word, he could probably guess from the tone. "Our world used to be sort of like that, but eventually that whole system broke up. Still hard," he admitted, "but better." He glanced to where he was about to lose track of his comrades entirely. "Good luck," he told the chimp, then jogged off to catch up before he was left outside.

[Avenger Assembled]

The royal audience with King Fala was easy enough in some levels: the old silverback was eager to be cordial to his 'outlander' allies as well as ask about people he'd once known on the Freedom League. The young heroes and the crash survivors were treated well, feted with good food and wine diluted enough that it evidently passed the standards of what Claremont students were allowed to eat and drink. Sharl opted not to eat or drink, not wanting to deal with the consequences later, and found himself somewhat awkwardly in the company of two scantily-clad chimpanzee women who were very interested in hearing about the 'light-box' he was carrying. What wasn't pleasant to deal with was the continuing racial prejudice they were witnessing: it was increasingly obvious that Sir Connor was among the more humane in his treatment of his chimpanzee servants, and that most of the court was at best cruel and at worst outright brutal. While there were no incidents, it was obvious that things weren't pleasant around here.

Sir Connor confessed to Corbin, who he'd recognized as the leader of the outlanders, that "Things are not usually this bad. The king is fearful of rebellion, as are many of his subjects. The poor harvest has made peasant and lord both in the lands beyond more brutal than they should be."

As the meal wrapped up and his ladyfriends joined the other ladies of the court in departure, Sharl turned to the others and murmured, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to 'bunk down' for the fake night they'll be giving us. I don't really relish watching this."

As he spoke, though, an armored gorilla approached Koshiro. Without preamble, he said, "Outlander, you spoke to the serf Hannibal before supper. Did he say anything to you about where he planned to go upon his escape?"

[Electra]

Koshiro gave the gorilla his best dismissive frown. "He didn't really say anything," he told the guard with a bored roll of his eyes. "Just sort of smacked his lips and grunted. I didn't really expect him to do more, he's a chimp, you know? I thought you were going to keep him locked up in that wooden thing." Inwardly he was cheering for the serf's escape, but he wasn't about to get involved with that political discussion with a gorilla four times his weight. "Have you tried looking in the trees?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Koshiro's hasty fiction seemed to soothe the gorilla's suspicions, and soon all three of the travelers from Freedom City were lodged in what was by local standards a lush suite: a big room with wall hangings of heroic gorilla warriors fighting giant dragons, a massive bed big enough for three humans or two gorillas, and even a private bathroom that dumped out right outside the castle walls. Though all three of them were curious about where they were, the internal sensors in the exercise told them they'd been active for hours and were all ready for bed. It was something of a railroad, but violating the internal logic of the scenario would make all this a waste of time. The next morning, at least in theory, the scenario would restart and they'd be taking the scientists out to pick up the fallen spaceplane. Koshiro and Corbin bedded down for the 'night', deciding between the two of them where they'd sleep, while Sharl rolled his eyes and took up space in his emitter.

Time rolled by fast as the internal clock sped up in the night, just like a Sims game where the protagonists were sleeping. Suddenly, though, the Moon visible outside the window came to a dead stop, and the heroes heard a noise coming from below: many noises. There were sounds of screaming and blows from the castle and courtyard beneath, hasty orders and shouts to arms , and from the courtyard a steady chant that resolved itself into one word. "REAP! REAP! REAP!" Down below, there was a battle taking place: a small coterie of gorilla knights in half-donned armor were under heavy assault by a large group of black-clad chimpanzees wielding scythes, swords, and other refurbished instruments: the castle gate was down and wedged down by a wagon, the body of the gate guard visible nearby. There were already bodies in the courtyard, gorilla and chimp alike.

Suddenly, on a wagon in the courtyard, a simian figure appeared familiar to Koshiro especially. Hannibal waved a broadsword high. "MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!" he called to the fighting chimps. "TODAY IS THE DAY WE TAKE THIS CASTLE AND OUR FREEDOM WITH IT! WE SHALL REAP THE POISONED GRAIN OF MONARCHY AND HARVEST A FUTURE FOR OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN AS FREE APES! REAP! REAP! REAP!" The cry went up among the chimps again and the rebellious peasants resumed their attack on the shrinking knot of knights.

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin had known something was wrong when the program stopped at the point it did; when he heard the screaming, he knew something was verywrong. In an instant, he was standing in his full regalia, looking out the window, teeth clenched in frustration. Several words were muttered under his breath; most were in Latin, a few in Greek, and one in Hebrew.

'No, blast it! This isn't the way! Injustice or no, slaughter like this CAN'T be right! There should be another way! People shouldn't die like this!'

He looked to his two team-mates, a fire literally blazing from his eyes as he started to lift into the air.

"We have to stop this! I don't care if they've got a beef with the king, killing like this won't help anything!"

Unless the others acted quickly, Corbin was likely to dash out the window and intervene in the fight!

[Electra]

Koshiro held up a hand to stop Corbin, even as he continued lookin throuh the window. "Hang on, cowboy. You reallly want to go down there and crush a slave revolution? This is probably their one chance to get free of those asshole gorillas. The guy I talked to today, he was arrested and thrown in the stocks for hiding a runaway slave, not for anything actually criminal."

He looked away from the window, met Corbin's eyes. "This is do or die, man. If you stop the fighting now, let the gorillas rally, they are going to literally slaughter those chimps. That's how you crush slave rebellions, you murder them, murder their families, and burn everything they have to the ground. Maybe they'll wait till we're gone to keep on your good side, but you'd be as good as killing the chimps yourself."