tushanshu | [Radio]

((In response to all this nonsense.))

Yes. Milyn's alive. We faked her death so nobody would get it into their head to try again. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but we didn't have much time to make a decision. I'm sorry we lied to all of you.

And before anyone asks, no, we're not handing her over to anyone for any of her proven or unproven crimes. Keeliai has the right to decide if she's guilty or not and what her punishment should be, but it'll be when there's a real representative government and a real judicial system in place, and when we've figured out what the hell is going on. Not before then. Because right now, the city is basically being run by the guy who probably tried to have her assassinated. I'm not handing her over to anything less than a fair trial. That's not up for negotiation. If you've got a problem with that, you can bring it to me.

[He may not have liked this plan, but he went along with it, and it's his responsibility to own it.]

Also, if anyone's thinking of going after her again...

[There's an odd emphasis on "anyone" - Tony knows the Foreigners probably aren't the only ones listening in.]

Don't bother.

[Cold, hard, final. The message is clear: Milyn is protected.]

[[Private, to Valdis]]

I'm sorry. [His voice is softer now. He sounds genuinely troubled.] I wanted to tell you. I didn't want you to think it was your fault for getting her killed.

I was outside when they were healing her, and everybody had already come up with the plan by the time I went back in - we all promised we wouldn't tell anyone who wasn't there. I... I don't know. I wish I'd handled it better. We should have told you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What is justice? Is trying to kill a woman who's persistently and recently performed crimes against many others a crime in itself? Or is it defending the city she's preying upon?

[Oddly gentle:]

You can't bring down everyone who hurts someone else, Tony. The best you can do is ensure they'll get along with a minimum of damage to the people around them. Sometimes, that means appealing to their better nature--or manipulating them toward the same.

[There's a long delay before Tony responds.]

I'm not sure. [About any of it.] The right thing isn't always easy to do, but if you always do what's practical over what's right... [Well, then, what's the point? He doesn't think he's going to win an argument about that with Solomon, though.

But maybe that's okay. Maybe there's a middle road between practical and right, and having some people pushing for one and some for the other will keep them on that track.

The whole tangle isn't going to be solved today over the radio, though.]

I guess it's going to take a long time to figure all this out. [He sighs again.] But... thanks, Solomon. For actually being helpful.

[He could have put a passive-aggressive barb into that, but he doesn't. For once, he means it.]

The right thing isn't always clear-cut, either. If you can save people later by killing one person now, where is right?

[It doesn't always exist. Sometimes, it's just what you can live with. Solomon's better at that part than most. His tone turns amused again, though lacking his usual cutting edge.]

Let's not get sentimental, now.

[But there's a beat, just before Solomon signs off:]

Good luck.

[And then he does.]

[Radio]

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