[ video - let's pretend this is shortly post-jump ]

[hostage]

[Jesse appears neither excited nor distressed. He actually looks mostly tired, which maybe is to be expected from a new arrival. He's slumped over on his new bed with his chin resting in his hand, mumbling around his fingers:]

Yo. I'm Jesse. Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. 2009. Whatever. Holler if you know me.

[Is he bored or something? He acts as if this is routine.]

First thing: if there's any monsters and aliens and shit I gotta be looking out for, gimme a heads-up.

Second: anybody wanna grab some food? Is there food or is it all freeze-dried bullshit? I had freeze-dried ice cream once and it was totally lame, so like, please tell me they got burgers up in here. Funyuns? Something?

Comments

[hostage]

How're you gonna enforce law like that?

[jurisimpudent]

With the consent of everyone else here, as a matter of course.

[hostage]

But why would anybody listen to you?

[Honest question.]

[jurisimpudent]

[Perhaps surprisingly, Edgeworth takes no offense.]

They won't be. They'll be listening to themselves. These will be the rules they voted on, and they will be the ones they decided on.

[hostage]

Not everyone's gonna be on board with the majority though, right?

[jurisimpudent]

As with any democracy. Since the alternative is one person arbitrarily dictating the laws, I think this is a bit better.

[hostage]

So what happens when people don't listen to you?

[jurisimpudent]

You're misunderstanding. I'm not needing them to respond to me, Mr. Pinkman. Indeed, I have very little part in this. I'm needing them to respond to the laws.

[hostage]

So what happens when people don't listen to the laws?

[jurisimpudent]

[There is no uncertainty in his voice.]

They will.

[hostage]

If they don't.

[jurisimpudent]

[A slight hesitation - ]

Mr. Pinkman, I expect that your past experience has left you...cynical. That's quite comprehensible. But more people welcome the law than defy it.

[hostage]

Not all of 'em, though. So then what? If there's no trial. No jail. What do you do? You just hang 'em?

[jurisimpudent]

I would not advocate such a solution - but there are some who would. Which is why it's all the more imperative to form a body of law.

[hostage]

So what you're saying is, you all got a bunch of rules you want people to follow, but you ain't got any idea what to do with thems that break the rules. You're just gonna - what - see what happens when the time comes?

Here's what I'm seeing. I'm seeing a bunch of you all scared - scared of the dark, scared of our captain or whatever - and you're all just grabbing at any little thing that makes you feel strong. Or like important. Bunch of you deciding you get to tell the rest of us - who don't agree with you - what to do.

I like you, Edgeworth. You're a douchebag, but you're trying to help people out and I like that. Thing is, you better step off. You ain't my representative here. You and me got an agreement and that's fine, between you and me. But you put together laws and expect me to answer to your mob if I don't follow 'em?

You might have a problem.

[jurisimpudent]

[Edgeworth frowns at once and takes a moment before responding.]

First: I am not afraid. I do not become afraid.

Second: Tell me this. You make a friend aboard the ship. They're murdered. Do you think the murderer should go free with no punishment? And before you give the predictable response of you'll kill him for his transgression, et cetera, take a moment to consider that what you're advocating is rule by strength of arms. So that the cruelest and most ruthless is the one dictating what we do and when.

[hostage]

Ain't that what'll happen anyway?

[jurisimpudent]

No. What the law does - what it is for - is protecting the weakest. Protecting those who cannot protect themselves. It's so if one of those children are hurt, they have recourse - that they needn't just beg help of whoever has a facility with weapons and pain, but instead can say to someone that they wish to see retribution done. And it will be applied consistently. If you do harm, if I do harm, if someone stronger than either of us does harm, the punishment will be one and the same.

[hostage]

Get back to me when you know what that punishment's gonna be. Or when you know how you're gonna decide who's guilty or not. Or when you know, like, anything.

[jurisimpudent]

It will be prison time, of course. And suspects will be tried in a court of law, authorized and given mandate by the people as a whole.

[hostage]

You ain't really thought this through, huh.

[jurisimpudent]

[Edgeworth shoots an annoyed glance at his communications device.]

Of course I have. Tell me what aspects of this project you find most interesting, and I'll send you details in text format.

[hostage]

How're you gonna keep anybody in a cell? You even got void tech around here?

[jurisimpudent]

[He narrows his eyes.]

What tech?

[hostage]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Anyway, good luck with all that.