explosivecombat | NIETZSCHE; DEAD PHILOSOPHERS' INBOX

Tell me how you would define "fair," then.

It's never going to be entirely fair; that's just how life is. But...well, take that hypothetical soldier again. What if he has strong moral convictions against killing, but war is the only way he can provide for his family? If he keeps to his convictions, they suffer, but if he provides for them, he has to become something he despises.

I...suppose in defining "fair", I'd at least start with a scenario that didn't make people choose between compromising their livelihood or their morality. Wouldn't that be better anyway, since in theory it'd weed out some of the people who'd be most inclined to deny what they are, as soldiers?

...I'm almost entirely sure that this is going to sound hideously ignorant to you, but wouldn't it likewise be fair to assume that one shouldn't start a family that they aren't prepared to provide for without compromising their morals?

No, that's a perfectly fair assumption. At least from the point of view that a person should make reasoned choices and take responsibility for them, which is I think the approach you're taking to it. In Amestris, it sounds like that is the calculus of the choice — this is the economy we have, so don't take on the responsibility of a family if you're not willing to support them through the means we have to offer.

Where I'm from, the perspective is a little different. The right to have a family and the right to not be made to compromise your conscience are seen as equally-weighted values. So maybe it's just that for me, the thought of only being able to have one seems unfair, since I'm used to being guaranteed the right to have both.

[.......... :|a ]

That's the choice we're looking at, yes, and it's the way decisions are generally made.

For most of Amestris' citizens, the quality of life may not be as good as it is here (to an extent where it's strange for me to think about sometimes, but I digress) but as far as their personal welfare goes they're generally safe, at least. Those who live near our borders do so knowing that it's dangerous to be there in the first place, because the borders tend to be unstable, but the rest of the country is...not necessarily well-off, but content.

There are some cities that have an entirely self-sustaining economy on their own - Rush Valley specializes in producing a certain kind of prosthetic that's unbelievably high-quality, something that would be considered advanced even by your standards. Mining cities also tend to be rather well-off, because their products are consistently in high demand. Those who provide food for their cities also tend to make a fair amount, because again, Amestris isn't like this place - we don't have any large corporations tasked with feeding the population, everything is done locally. Everyone tends to be able to at least provide for themselves somehow; the smaller cities are very community-oriented and look out for their own. Our government doesn't provide assistance for others outside of what they can afford; our Fuhrer ensures our safety, our security and our economical well-being as a country, but it's expected that our citizens will look out for each other rather than looking to their government for individualized assistance.

The military isn't the only way to make money, and it's entirely possible to do so without killing anyone. However, unless what you're offering is incredibly specialized and in high demand, you're not going to make terribly much, and your chances of getting medical assistance will be lower because that's just how things are. Obviously, if one is going to start a family that ought to be taken into account. It may not be fair - and honestly, I'm inclined to agree that it isn't, if we assume that one has the right to a family - but it's more or less as you've described it. This is what we have, and it's the choice we have to make; really, it seems like several things you consider "rights" are things we consider "privileges," or at least something that we can only have after enough preparation and consideration.

Maybe that's why I always end up perceiving things in Amestris as so bleak. My expectation of where the baseline is supposed to fall is different, just by virtue of how my world's cultural values have evolved.

Of course, it's not as though we don't have people who choose to go into our military for the sake of getting ahead; frequently young adults will do it so that the government will pay for their civilian education, in exchange for a tour of service. That sort of calculus still exists, and responsible people still do consider their situation and available means before starting families. It just usually isn't as...severe as "If you want to have a family, accept that you might have to kill people to support them."

One of the things my nation prides itself on is being "the land of opportunity". That doesn't always hold true in practice, but it does seem as though, in general, we tend to offer more in the way of opportunity than Amestris does.

I still say I'd be interested in seeing this world of yours someday, even if I doubt I'd know what to do with most of it.

For what it's worth, however, Fullmetal doesn't kill, despite being part of the military. That's something he's always been very adamant about with me.

Call me sentimental, but if I can find a way to take you with me if and when I leave, I'll make sure to extend the offer.

What does his alchemy do? He manipulates metal?

He does, yes. He's highly skilled in hand-to-hand and close-range combat, and he usually uses his alchemy to make weapons and shields from his surroundings, from what I understand.

He also lost an arm and one of his legs in some sort of unfortunate accident as a child and was fitted with those prosthetics I mentioned; he likes to make his metal arm into some sort of blade.

That makes sense. It'd be easy enough to just engrave the circle into the metal and activate it whenever he needed it. I wonder what it looks like.

Not that I intend to ask, mind, but people's circles are fascinating to look at, now that I understand them a little better.

You wouldn't get an answer even if you did; he doesn't use one.

He does alchemy without one?

He does.

It's not something you want to be able to do; it's a sign that something very specific happened that runs the risk of killing the alchemist. I personally couldn't do it, though I was offered an opportunity at one point. It wasn't a serious offer, I believe, because the ones offering were fairly sure I wouldn't take it; they were correct in that assumption, because the results are so unpredictable.

...

Did he lose his limbs in a rebound?

I didn't ask him about it, but that's what I've heard.

How awful for him.

Oh, that reminds me. Speaking of things I've heard, have you met a Soviet major recently?

I have. He goes by Ocelot, I believe?

That's not how he introduced himself to me. But if he was the one asking about Tselinoyarsk, it's the same one.

I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't give any sort of genuine name - or code name, as the case may be - to either of us; he doesn't seem the sort, let's put it that way.

Is 'Tselinoyarsk' something you recognized? It's completely unfamiliar to me, but that's more or less to be expected, I think - I didn't recognize anything he put out there.

No, it's the only thing I didn't recognize, actually. Whatever it is, it's a signal to someone from his own world — no one would've recognized it except the person he was looking for.

I have a feeling he's one of your coworkers. He's probably dangerous, too; not that it comes as any particular surprise to you, I'm sure, but I thought I'd do you the courtesy anyway.

I thought as much; he talks like I do.

But I appreciate the warning either way, Locke.

Infiltration and assassination was one of the things his particular branch of the military was known for.

Like I said — not that I thought you'd need it, but I do happen to like your back in one piece.

...Honestly, I'm surprised he's lasted as long as he has, given how freely he seems to be offering that information to pretty much everyone who asks.

Please. After trying to get information out of you, everyone else in the world is a piece of cake. He barely even tried to sidestep me once I started landing accurate guesses.

Of course, at that point I had the home-field advantage, relatively speaking. When he's settled in and isn't as disoriented, my touch might not be as good.

Ah, but that's the concern - someone working in infiltration offering so little resistance in the face of things not going exactly his way.

If anything, I'd think he'd clamp down if it were a matter of being disoriented.

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