> > If she says nothing, though, a defense lawyer could claim that there's no way she could have predicted that the Safe had such lax security procedures in case of a fire emergency. The point being that Chiaki wasn't entirely to blame for the escape. That's called reasonable doubt.
>
> And if you choose the courtroom drama option there'd have to be such wiggle space.
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In the actual story (which is now written a few parts ahead - meaning I need to post them quickly before circumstances change) I picked a different kind of drama to start out. I thought long and hard about what happens when a very smart Samurai who know what's coming is cornered and unable to get out.
It starts with the assumption that Chiaki believes she's going to be imprisoned, and she's going to die there, within a matter of days (because of the number of super-types in there who will be determined to kill her).
It's going to be one frightening chapter when I post it. It's also going to be one motivating chapter. Sadly it's not a solution, though, as it also makes things a bit more complicated.
> The prosecution would want to know 1. why Chiaki was there, 2. if there was any link between her and the explosives, 3. whether she had an intent to release prisoners, and 4. whether she knew that triggering the alarms might do so. If she dodges the questions or takes the fifth then the jury has the right to take that into account in adjudging her.
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Actually considering that it's near impossible to find a non-tainted jury (everyone's heard of the horrifying Safe escape by now) the prosecution would only have to be even simpler than that: Is there a record to show Chaiki was physically on the grounds of the Safe during the escape? Isn't it a coincidence that she was there, and is the only one facing charges?
> > Also reasonable doubt, technically the presence of explosives in the prison is an emergency. It's possible Chiaki responded to it appropriately by pulling the fire alarm, with the reasonable expectation of an orderly evacuation, which would normally save lives.
>
> I don't actually know what the procedure would be in a prison fire alarm, but I'm guessing it isn't "assemble everyone outside the walls".
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Usually to prevent a massive lawsuit, the inner cells in a prison unlock when a fire alarm is triggered. The guards are then supposed to line everyone up at the exits and file them outside until the alarm is cleared. The security problem at the Safe is either that they didn't have the procedures, they didn't have the staff, or the prisoners are too powerful to be herded like that. Either way, it's a fault in the system they either didn't or can't solve, so they just pretend it doesn't exist and hope there's never a fire.
> > You'll see in my next posted story that Chiaki takes a creative route to saying something to Hatman, because if she just hid from him, he'd assume she's guilty. Hint: She tells him something about it without actually being there.
>
> I'm hoping to catch up on my reading when I've caught up on my replies.
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Noted.
> > It would be difficult to get her on the stand in such a case. A smart defense lawyer would avoid it completely. Not because of what she might say, it's a simple courtroom tactic - keeping your client mute means they look more sympathetic. Once they're on the stand and speaking, the jury starts to form opinions of them, and usually not good ones.
>
> If she's arrested and charged on these offences then the prosecution don't only get to ask her these things in court they get to ask her them before defence speaks. She has the right not to answer, but as I said above the jury have the right to interpret that silence.
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I didn't say they couldn't get her on the stand, just that the defense would avoid it. Or they would object to all the questioning.
> > Maybe so, but then there's the point that Hatman hasn't even attempted to. If he was really dedicated to brining Liu Xi to justice, he would have talked to Commissioner Graham...probably looked like a bit of an idiot, when Graham told him there's no way Liu Xi can be charged on Earth. It did seem like Hatman didn't want the chance of some world court deciding his friend is too dangerous and needs to be put to death.
>
> The Legion has overlooked some pretty bizarre behaviour from a number of their associates, especially when its clear that those associates have moved on from that behaviour. When it comes to committing major crimes in their jurisdiction the Legion has shown less tolerance.
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There's also the magnitude to consider. Because of the type of power Liu Xi has, she could be labeled an unrepentant mass murderer - and the only penalty for that is death. Why? Because it's too unsafe for society, letting someone like that live.
Then it becomes a matter of whether Hatman can essentially sentence a friend to die. Jail is different, because he'll be redeemed for his choice eventually - and if he made a mistake, it's not a permanent one. There's no turning back from death.
> > I guess you can call that a flaw, in a sense, that Hatman stands by the justice system even when it can be unfair. Either that, or another related flaw, where Hatman believes a friend becomes "tainted" when convicted of a crime; they're no longer a friend of his, just a criminal like any other, and deserve any punishment he or the justice system choose to dole out.
>
> The justice system is imperfect yet still needs defending because its better than no justice system.
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I also thought of another possibility. In one of the chapters I wrote, Hatman reacts angrily to what Chiaki possibly did, because he sees it as a cold, selfish betrayal. Something along the lines of asking Yuki whether Chiaki thought about how it would affect him or his friends when she did it - and because she didn't, she deserves whatever happens to her.
> > If Chiaki senses that in him, there could be trouble. If she would sense he doesn't care, she would stop pleading and start fighting back instead. That's not personal against Hatman, though. She already knows that at any time, Akiko could abandon her friendship with the Samurai - and if that happens, Chiaki is prepared to fight back against that too.
>
> As others have commented, I don't think it's that Jay wouldn't care, but rather that he has a very clear and honest understanding of his priorities.
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I thought of a different way he might be "caring". When someone he cares about commits a crime like a prison break, he feels betrayed, like a jilted lover. In his mind, it may as well have been Chiaki cheating on him with someone else. He becomes sour and angry toward her because of it.
There's one event that changes his train of thought in an upcoming chapter. Doesn't eliminate it, but gives him something else to think about and distract him.
> > > And the the Hood would consider recruiting her.
>
> > He might be considering it already. Though before that, Chiaki does have other resources she can use. Remember, she's the holder of someone's secrets, who takes a dim view of anyone who might use her incarceration to access them.
>
> Proceed.
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That part became a sort of side note in the story, but fun nonetheless. Instead, there's someone unexpected that Chiaki has to serve instead.
> > > Remember that as far as the world knows the fake Hatman was a Space Fandom.
> > But first someone has to prove he was even there. If that happens, Chiaki may simply be very lucky, because then the focus would be off of her and the charges dropped.
>
> At least there's the well-publicised White House attack to start making a case from.
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True, but that doesn't necessarily link the fake Hatman to the Safe. At least until an unlikely source is dug up.
