You and Hu's army?

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_...>
Date: Sat, 4 May 2002 23:29:58 +0100 (BST)

> Thing is, the Humakti actually has a greater legal right to kill
> than you do. You and he are NOT equal before the law, and you may
> often have no right whatsoever to demand wergild !

Greater right to kill, or perhaps, greater weight as a witness as to the necessity of someone's death, would not IMO a priori preclude the possibility of a suit -- though it may well affect the outcome.

> No idealistic Humakti worth his salt would accept that there
> was anything wrong, dishonourable, or even illegal about your
> brother's death.

I don't think paying wergeld would necessitate accepting any of the above. Which doesn't mean it's actually likely. (Think litigiously-defensive large corporation: no, we're not going to give you any money. Even if we _did_ it wouldn't mean we did anything wrong... No, it would (speaking entirely hypothetically, you understand) simply mean we were really, really Generous.)

> What do you do if the Humakti declares himself legally dead, and
> therefore beyond the jurisdiction of mortal lawspeakers ?

Call in some little-known cult with in irrational bias against things that are dead but persist in a mocking semblance of life, I should think?

(Granted he can in principle cut _every_ relationship he has, which would be a Problem. What jurors do you give out to about a man with no clan? Which Rex can make judgement against he who submits himself to the law of no tribe? Well, you could always ask the Lunars to try him, of course... "Oh yeah -- _that_ army.")

Cheers,
Alex.

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