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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
imeanforever
imeanforever
How flagrantly illegal would it be to leave the Siberian with permission to pick up her friends and leave if someone did try for capital punishment?
wormcan
Flagrantly. At most, the remedy would be to challenge the ruling in court before the scheduled date, and get a bigger judge to overrule it. No need for any new felonies at all.
imeanforever
I am deeply dubious about this entire process. But assuming for the moment that I trust those involved not to seek capital punishment and I'm satisfied that these particular individuals can probably be considered capable of comfortably inhabiting the Birdcage and therefore are not cases of my specific problem at work, what's my next step?
wormcan
If you decide to trust it, you can just send them to the nearest PRT office. You will almost certainly be asked to testify about capturing them, but the the system isn't meant to rely on continued involvement of whoever caught the defendant.
imeanforever
Is it reasonably guaranteed that someone who has registered a willingness not to seek capital punishment will be prosecuting?
wormcan
Reasonably. It won't be legally enforceable until the agreement gets made on their behalf instead of yours, but I'm as confident as is possible outside that constraint.
wormcan
Their lawyer. It can't be me since you're involved and I'm representing you, but a deal that involves not being executed is what any defense lawyer would aim for. Under the circumstances.
imeanforever
Do I get to talk and/or help select their defense lawyer? I have been getting the impression that even champions of the ostensible principles of the mortal justice system might be pleased to see these particular defendants suffer.
wormcan
You can, there's no rule against it, but it's ultimately between them and their lawyer.
And a bit of a misplaced concern, fortunately; defense lawyers in particular are used to defending regardless of who the defendant is.
And a bit of a misplaced concern, fortunately; defense lawyers in particular are used to defending regardless of who the defendant is.
wormcan
It will make things more complicated, but if she can understand what's going on and express preferences to her defense team then being mute won't by itself be prohibitive.
imeanforever
Okay.
Time to email the Director. May I expect your assistance in handling the humane jailing of the Siberian, Bonesaw, Mannequin, and Shatterbird the same way you did with the ABB capes?
Time to email the Director. May I expect your assistance in handling the humane jailing of the Siberian, Bonesaw, Mannequin, and Shatterbird the same way you did with the ABB capes?
wormcan
Subject to the same caveat that I don't have unlimited influence, yes. For something this high-profile there's even less of a guarantee of keeping them out of the Birdcage, but I'll do what I can.
imeanforever
I'll bear that in mind.
Hmm.
Promise emails Sarkany. If the Siberian just spends a lot of time with her friends they're probably all safe versus physical harm but that is by no means the only harm on offer. How bad is the worst case...?
It's bad.
Promise sends a caravan of furnished trailers and a fuel supply and generators and shelf-stable mortal food to Hawthorn, while pretending to anyone who asks that she is still dithering. Plumbing in the style mortals are accustomed to will be harder, but she parked near a river.
She moves the occupants of her tree there.
She asks her lawyer, If I do decide to start doing flagrantly illegal things, are innocent persons known to be my vassals who are not otherwise participating in my projects at risk?
Hmm.
Promise emails Sarkany. If the Siberian just spends a lot of time with her friends they're probably all safe versus physical harm but that is by no means the only harm on offer. How bad is the worst case...?
It's bad.
Promise sends a caravan of furnished trailers and a fuel supply and generators and shelf-stable mortal food to Hawthorn, while pretending to anyone who asks that she is still dithering. Plumbing in the style mortals are accustomed to will be harder, but she parked near a river.
She moves the occupants of her tree there.
She asks her lawyer, If I do decide to start doing flagrantly illegal things, are innocent persons known to be my vassals who are not otherwise participating in my projects at risk?
wormcan
No. Even for those who are, anyone who wanted to punish them for it would have to prove you didn't force them. Your vassals might be at risk if they're dependent on you and you get captured, but they're at least safe legally.
imeanforever
What is a good way to handle my money in the event I decide to start doing flagrantly illegal things, where "money" includes some number of bounties and a blank check from the Protectorate?
wormcan
A number of the more successful villains, and a few non-villains, have accounts with an anonymous figure called the Number Man. Ordinary banks can handle amounts of money easily enough, though blank checks might be trickier.
Ultimately, this is a solvable problem.
Ultimately, this is a solvable problem.
imeanforever
She solves the problem.
She informs the evil clone brigade that it may soon be difficult to both routinely be in touch with Promise (such that she can give them special permission to do interesting capey things) and to attend school, be on Earth Bet frequently, etcetera; do they have a preference between these options if it does become one or the other?
She informs the evil clone brigade that it may soon be difficult to both routinely be in touch with Promise (such that she can give them special permission to do interesting capey things) and to attend school, be on Earth Bet frequently, etcetera; do they have a preference between these options if it does become one or the other?
wormcan
They tend to prefer being on Earth Bet. (The fact that this is because it's where the originals live and their goals still revolve around the originals may or may not be obvious.)
imeanforever
It's kind of obvious. But not the sort of thing she wants to apply order force over. She can give them enough money to rent a place and support themselves through (if they so desire) college, and she makes sure they have broad enough permissions that if they need more money later Plague and Pestilence can heal or do strictly controlled forms of custom organism sale and distribution, and the three Victorias can transport cargo, work in appropriately limited-scope demolitions, give people rides, operate as acceptably legal/ethical bodyguards, etcetera. Or they can work retail, whatever, she leaves that sort of thing open too. They may continue to crash at her address if they don't want to run out and rent a place right away -
- nope, there they go.
Okay.
She sends Canary an email asking if she's happy with the current parameters of her orders, anticipates needing them changed ever again, etc.
- nope, there they go.
Okay.
She sends Canary an email asking if she's happy with the current parameters of her orders, anticipates needing them changed ever again, etc.
wormcan
Canary is very happy with being a) free and b) able to sing. She wouldn't mind having the safety precautions stop being order-enforced, but she's not being compelled to do anything she otherwise wouldn't.
imeanforever
...the safety precautions stay, and it sounds like she hasn't found them especially inconvenient in any non-safety context.
Okay.
Now -
she has to figure out where the Birdcage is.
Internet?
Okay.
Now -
she has to figure out where the Birdcage is.
Internet?
wormcan
The location is public. It's inside a particular mountain, there are maps to the entrance easily available, but nothing has more precision than "inside that mountain."
imeanforever
That's okay. She's pretty sure it has, say, air, and a floor, and from there she can trial and error if necessary.
Oh, one last thing. Would the Protectorate like to sell her a big flattener that'll cover a large area, like the one that ran down during the Leviathan battle, in exchange for another gatepair?
Oh, one last thing. Would the Protectorate like to sell her a big flattener that'll cover a large area, like the one that ran down during the Leviathan battle, in exchange for another gatepair?