Strat-4 Chpt-3

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==Strategos (A Great Captain Roberts Tale!!) - Part 4 - Chapter 3 - Struggles between Life and Death==
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===Methods to a solution===
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"We might…
…have someone." Were the words Esme both hoped for, and dreaded. 
"What?" She was surprised by the arrival of Regina, with Lucas Timmons from the JAG office in tow and the station's Watch commander Hiro Hakami at their heels.
"I said, we may have someone for a scan. At least, once the Magistrates have heard the case and the necessary approvals are given."
"Who?"
"Luther Bedwyr. He's… he isn't going to be fit if he survives. There are some questions about the legality of the procedure, as well as we need you to confirm he's suitable as a candidate."
"I thought he was going to recover!!"
"He hid it too well. The damage was too advanced, even for Clan medicine. If he doesn't get this, he'll be basically a mind trapped in a body that's so broken it's on permanent life support."
She scowled. "Fine, I'll start the review. He's not technically immediately terminal. That's the legal hurdle and it's an ethical one as well!" Esme's expression was frustration. "Which is… why you need the Magistrate to say it's okay, given what we know about the side effects. I'll talk to Erin about this. She wrote those updates to the Ethical Guidelines, and she's critical to running the process."
“I muddy the waters just enough with the memories of Larry Nichols in my memory banks that we’re looking at possibly new case law. Of course, the counter argument there is I might just count as a really close friend of Larry Nichols since I do not have his full consciousness.”
"Really close friends don't have legal standing… We need an advocate for the patient, and one for the project, and one against, and a judge. The Loremaster supports Bedwyr's inclusion, but he still has to get the Khans to okay it."
“I think Sikh would be a reasonable choice to argue for his inclusion to the project, but she is not objective enough to advocate for the patient.”
"Not objective? She's not-"
'Don't go there. She may not have romantic feelings for Director Bedwyr, but she does feel guilty for not being able to properly communicate his status."
"Get me an answer from the judge on the legality of the procedure first. Has Foster put in the request to the President yet?"
"He started as soon as Lucy barged into his office and told him. We'll know in a few days. How long to prep the core?"
"I have one on a countdown right now. We've got a short time to use it, before it's too far gone to use."
“Then I am going to find a Magistrate. At the very least there must be precedent for transfer of power of attorney for cases like this. That would help settle things.”
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===Weird Legal Standings===
"Blood relative…
… or spouse." Esme popped out. "Find me a blood relative or a spouse. It would default that direction."
“We thought about that. With no one listed on file, the time it will take to dig someone up that is a blood relative will take too long. Since he has trouble being conscious long enough for informed consent for the imprinting procedure but the standard for consent to marriage is much lower we’ve found a solution there.”
"Doesn't, I mean, don't they have to be human?"
"There is precedent in the Outworlds for a man who married his Agromech. It was ruled legal, if somewhat…disturbing...." the JAG, Lucas, asserted. "Just as long as the prospective spouse isn't a blood relative…"
“She won’t be. Also outside his chain of command and not someone with a prior history of deciding for the patient even if they were cleared of any wrongdoing.” Regina nodded.
"Okay, I can work with that." Esme nodded as well.
“Drinks after we get this sorted? You two are invited too.” Regina chuckled.
“Yeah with all this stress, I could really use a drink.” Esme smiled.
“Why not?” Lucas smiled.
“It is my duty to keep an eye on this project. If it just so happens that includes drinking at a bar then who am I to argue?” Hiro added.
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===Betting Pool on Hopeful Lovebirds===
"Who were you betting on?"
Regina said as she watched her companions drink while she just sat at the table.
"Cossack and Jonah."
“After what I did with Larry I was disqualified, but if I could have....my money would have actually been on Billie Hoel and Dave Foster.”
"She'd have to wrestle him away from the memory of Siegel, and that's not going to happen any time soon. Those two were close, closer than my parents even."
“So who had Sikh and Bedwyr?” Lucas asked as he tried to pose to show off his OWA rank markings to a woman at the bar.
"Let me check…" Esme pulled out a noteputer. "Huh…"
"Well?"
"Helena Cameron put five on Sikh and Bedwyr, so did Amanda Roberts."
“Leave it to those two to bet on the outside shot and have it come up big… if not for regs.” Regina laughed.
"The pot's less than ten grand. For gamblers, that's hardly a 'big' pot," Lucas countered.
“Of course I’m speaking ‘relatively’. Regs on gambling and all.”
"Thank god it's not real money," Esme agreed. "The real-money pot is smaller, and only had a handful of people playing. Acton Howe had five Escudos on the winning entry too-at an odds of only ten to one." She looked at them. "But that's off-the-record and if you try to make me testify, I'll claim ignorance."
“Hey, I had five on Ottillie and that engineering rate she got in trouble with,” Lucas offered.
"If you were betting 'sexing up with a human' you should've had it on Stacey, but that's for casual sex, not relationships."
“Nah. Stacey’s flamboyant but she’s not that way.”
"Huh, I just figured Stacey liked girls."
“Oh she does, it’s just the only girl she has eyes for absolutely would not reciprocate,” Regina smiled.
"Ooh, Roberts?" Esme asked. "It's Roberts, isn't it?"
“In a heartbeat.”
"Too bad, Roberts is almost painfully straight. Likes nerdy boys, and she's still in mourning over Johnson." Esme paged to another screen on her noteputer. "Let's see… I've got fifty on Roberts making it with Sam once he's gotten another reassignment, though there's twenty to one on her picking up one of the light marines from Northsun or Sevon V again, fifty to one on her picking a Clan officer, and… one hundred to one on her breaking from straight and giving girls a try, any takers?"
“I’ll put five on a Sevoner,” Regina smiled.
“What the hell. Five on Northsuns,” Lucas added.
“I would never partake in a freeborn activity such as gambling, but if I did I would put five on Roberts finding comfort with a Trueborn.” Hiro gave a wry smile.
Esme chuckled, "Well, it's a safe bet, Trueborn DO provide good bed partners, lots of practice and fantastic physique…"
"Wait-you?" Lucas almost spit his drink out.
"Me and Seron hook up from time to time. He's FANTASTIC, five stars, would do again in a heartbeat," she grinned. "He even lowers the lid on the head when he's done, and never puts the toilet paper the wrong way on the roll."
“You, me, alone later. Much gossip,” Regina smiled.
"Later tonight, I'm going to be busy, and you'll need to find me early," Esme stated. "He really is that good, when you two were out? I had to requisition extra batteries. I might see if he's up for a triple, if you're interested."
“You know what? That’s not in the pool anyway so why not? Fair warning though, none of my remotes are fully anatomically correct.”
"THAT can be fabricated, if you're interested." Esme said.
“Okay you two, shoo off. Me and Esme got details to discuss in private.”
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===Meeting beyond the Grave===
”Welcome…
…back to the land of the living. After a fashion.” Luther Bedwyer was hearing Sikh’s voice but he couldn’t see anything.
He couldn’t feel anything either.
“Okay I don’t know what’s going on here but I don’t feel very alive.”, said Luther
“That is to be expected. This should help.” communicated Silk in his mind.
Suddenly he could see a nice tropical beach. The sun was out. Sikh was sitting next to him wearing something that left very little to the imagination under the shade of a palm tree.
“Tahiti. It’s a magical place.” Sikh smiled.
“If I had rotten produce to throw at you for that reference…” Luther groaned.
“It was too easy. Besides after what you’ve been through, I figured a small joke would help.” she told him.
“Last I remember, I was agreeing to marry Johnston for power of attorney. Regs. You would have done it instead if it were not for regs.” said Luther
“Yes. I missed my partner in crime. You know, a lot of people bet we’d break regs.” Sihk admitted to him
“You really don’t actually feel that way about me do you?” asked Luther
“Honestly I’m not sure. I know I don’t want to be without my cohort but I don’t know if that really counts as romantic love or if it’s still deep, but ultimately platonic love.” said Sikh
“Well, we’re free to find out now, Sikh.”
“Still not sure, but I suppose that’s true and I’m willing to experiment to find out. You’re not in my chain of command right now and we’re both AIs. But let’s hold off on that for a bit. You’re still new to all of this. You have a lot to learn before we start exploring that.” Sikh told him
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