TA27

==Chapter 27 - The Armada==
Nagelring Academy
Tharkad Star System
Unspecified Future Date
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Trillian Steiner-Davion looked at Kommandant Ries.  "Because..?" she asked, "The girl clearly understands that there are appropriate actions, and correct actions, and that those two are not always the same."
"It is what she considers 'appropriate' your highness-she outright endorsed the crucifiction of prisoners of war!"
"She endorsed the execution of war criminals." Trillian countered, "Which I heartily agree with. she also made clear that while that was the appropriate response, it was not at the time, the correct response, or more specifically, the correct method.  you would hardly find any of your students who would agree that their ancestors were monsters, and some of ours were."  the Archon stood, "May I use your whiteboard?"
"Of course, Your Highness." said Ries
"We will make a diagram. In this circle, we will place everything that is appropriate; moral & righteous....and in this circle we will place everything that is pragmatic, practical, and supported by objective. As opposed to subjective, criteria."  she colored in the overlap zone, "HERE, then, is classically considered to be both right, and moral."
She laid the dry-erase marker in its slot.  "It's been a while since I took an ethics class, but there you are.  Cadet Amelia Ngo understands that something can fall into only one of the two circles-something can be 'appropriate' by a given morality, yet be incorrect on objective examination.  For example; While it was strategically correct for her Great Aunt to order the bombardment of the Falcon Brian fortresses on Sudeten and breaking the crust around them to destroy them. It certainly would rightly be termed inappropriate were the Mongols not such utter bastards."  she turned to him, "Our entire anti-Falcon offensive in the fifties was predicated on slanting decisions toward the right half of this diagram-the 'correct' courses even when inappropriate, though thankfully neither Roderick, nor Sharon made the mistake of assuming something expedient was correct simply by being easier."
She tapped the shaded area, "This area, here, this is what a leader or ruler should strive for. To both act appropriately and to act correctly-to do the moral thing, and make it work. to make the moral choice the right choice.  so, with that in mind, you are concerned about Amelia Ngo's morality."
Kommandant Ries nodded, "I am."
''
"You should, perhaps, ask her yourself, Kommandant, I sponsored Cadet Ngo to the Nagelring in part because of her Great Aunt's performance as my Chief of Naval Operations, and her cousin's performance as head of my Special Operations bureau."
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