A - "I'm innocent your honor, I didn't DO anything wrong!"
B - "You struck your employee for refusing to endanger their safety."
A - "I'm allowed to do that, though, they're my property, they work for me!"
B - Pinching the bridge of their nose in exasperation. "Ok, let's go over it again why that is NOT allowed in Alliance Space and why your employees are going to be compensated." -- Lessons
"It isn't Alliance Space, it's my space," argued CEO Abernathy. "I paid for it, it's mine."
Alliance Justice Bea took another deep, steadying breath. She could easily believe that this was some kind of cosmic punishment for sins in a past life. She must have been really evil to deserve this now. "You have purchased a manufactoring space inside Alliance sovereign territory, true. That does not mean that it is your sovereign territory, nor does it mean you can write your own laws there."
"But I PAID for it," Abernathy wailed, exhibiting the typical Deregger talent for willful ignorance. If they kept repeating a statement, they reasoned, it would eventually become true.
"We're not arguing that point," said Bea. "You own the space, you do not own the laws."
A frowning moment where Abernathy attempted to process this. "So how much are those laws, then? Who do I have to pay off to own the law there?"
"You cannot own all of time and space, Mr Abernathy, and you cannot own the law. Whilst operating in Alliance Space, you are instructed to follow Alliance Law. Laws which you have broken."
"But I don't like those laws, they're fake," Abernathy pouted. "How can anyone control their employees with those laws getting in the way of true progress?"
"If you can't encourage your workers to work for you, then you are a failed businessman. If you can't work within the law, then you can't work."
"Now that? That's just gibberish. Every individual word has a meaning, but together, it's just a big pile of garbage."
He couldn't be in contempt of court, not when he was this dedicated to not even understanding the court. "They say that a person who defends themself in court has a fool for a lawyer and a client... and I couldn't agree more. Until you actually can defend yourself, you are to be placed in remedial education. You will learn all about Alliance Law, Alliance economy, and decent flakking manners."
"You can't do this to me! My shares are worth trillions!" The court bailiffs dragged Abernathy, kicking and screaming, to a habitat where education would be unavoidable. And, more to the point, inescapable as well. "Think of my shareholders! Won't somebody think of the shareholders!"
The shareholders, in Justice Bea's humble opinion, could do with some time in a similar habitat.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / jgroup]
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