--- In Menatarms@woohoo.com, "Psyork" wrote:
>5um1 h3lp m3! 1 w45 7r4n5p0r71ng 50m3 g34r f0r my cl13n7, 50m3 57r337 guy5
>wh0 w0uldn’7 g1v3 7h31r n4m35, 8u7 7h3y p41d w3ll, wh3n, up0n cr0551ng 7h3
>p47hw4y, 7h3 gu4rd5 w4n73d 70 ch3ck 7h3 c4rg0. 17 7urn3d 0u7 7h3 w34p0n5 w3r3
>r357r1c73d, 4nd 1 d0n’7 h4v3 4 p3rm17! 1’m n07 3v3n 4 c171z3n 1n 7h3 R1nn
>3mp1r3, 4nd 7h3 8urgunn C0n5ul473 15n’7 h3lp1ng 47 4ll! 50m30n3 h3lp!

--- In Menatarms@woohoo.com, "gun_smith" wrote:
>Guys, I really need some advice. I was caught breaking into this building for a mission
>I was on. But we were hired by the guy who owned the building. I can come up with
>proof, but can’t afford a lawyer. Anyone know a cheap lawyer, or know enough about
>law to help me out here?
>
>Thanks,
>
>G.Smith

All right you guys, I’m tired of playing babysitter with new mercs, but I’ll give you some advice anyway. Hopefully I’ll just have to say this once, and other people can refer to the post.

First off, if you take a job that’s illegal: you’d better be ready. Laws are strict. You are taking your life, your freedom, and more into your hands every time you take a merc job, but when the person taking away your life and freedom has an uncontested right to do so and a huge budget, you can run into problems really quickly. Illegal jobs can pay well, and sometimes that’s all that really matters, but if you get caught, that’s your deal.

Second, if you are going to a place, KNOW THE LAWS! Sometimes it’s common sense. Psyork, you should first learn how to type like someone with a brain, but after that you should learn to check the d*mn cargo before you agree to deliver it! If the guy doesn’t want you to see it, it means that it’s bad news! It’s probably bad news even if he lets you see it, why else would he call a freakin' mercenary crew to play paperboy?!

Third, if you do something illegal, and get caught (some of you are already in this boat), the legal system of each planet is (fortunately) fraught with ways to get you out, providing you have the expertise or the cash. I’ll provide what I can on the former, since I’m short on the latter this month.

What follows is a basic run-down on the laws for you merc types, followed by a chart with the minimum/average/maximum sentencing on various laws.

The first thing to know about the law is what all of the governments agree on. And when I say governments, I don’t mean Ork tribes or Mutant whatever-they-haves. I’ve heard the Onarl have some sort of government that is more sophisticated than what Orks and Mutants have, seems it’s about on par with the Furs, but take everything I say on them with a grain of salt; it’s second-hand info.

Basically though, all governments agree that 4 parts are necessary for a crime: the act, the state of mind, results, and the attendant circumstances. Crimes can be brought to lesser penalties or even nullified if the right combination of these can be found or proven. Here’s some basic definitions and how they can help you:

The Act

The act is, of course, what we all think of when you do a crime, but it is a big part. This one can nullify an act pretty well. If you didn’t do it, they can’t charge you with it. You might still get charged as an accomplice if you had a legal duty to stop it and didn’t. This is a big one for most merc groups if someone casts discord. Someone does it? You have the legal right and responsibility to stop them and/or take them down/bring them in. If you don’t, you’re an accomplice. It’s usually a fine if they didn’t kill or raise anybody. They did? Burn another mark in your cloning chip, it's getting hot again. And don’t think that the caster can’t or won’t bust you as an accomplice. Some people just want others to go down with ‘em if they think they can get it.

But there are other important parts to the act too. For instance, to act, it must be voluntary. So don’t buy any crap that you can get charged with what you did when the discord caster raised you and you started hacking the Imperial Guard to bits. They can’t charge you with jack, because it wasn’t voluntary. Likewise, you fall asleep on a gun and shoot somebody, you might get manslaughter, but not murder. You can’t commit murder if you're unconscious.

Some of you might think the above is your “state of mind.” It isn’t. The difference between the act and the state of mind is that if we are at the state of mind, you committed the crime. The act is whether you did it or not, as well as what you did. The difference between larceny and embezzlement isn’t that you stole something, but in embezzlement, you were trusted to do one thing with something and you did another. Remember Jack and the Beanstalk? Jack committed embezzlement when he bought the beans and not food. It’s that simple.

The State of Mind

If you are talking state of mind, you probably are getting busted at this point. Sometimes they let you off with a state-of-mind defense, but not often. Insanity is a big one. If you are mentally unable to make the choice to do something, they may put you into a mental hospital instead of jail or fines or death. Free eats, good television in some of ‘em; it’s not a bad deal if you get minimum security. A note to all you mutants out there: because of you guys, if it is determined that you cannot be helped, guess what? They try you as any other person. So mutants have a harder time with the insanity defense. Yes, yes, you are insane, but you will always BE insane. No treatment, no hospital.

Also, ignorance of the law is NOT a state-of-mind defense. Some have argued that since they didn’t know the law, they didn’t realize they were breaking the law. This is like saying that since no one ever told me not to stab my mom in the head 8 times with a broken bottle, that I should be allowed to once and get off the hook. Sorry, no. You have to be mentally unable to distinguish what you were doing, not that you were or were not committing a crime. The reason is simple: If you do something which they consider wrong, they don’t care if you know they consider it wrong.

Now, if another legal authority is in charge of you and you do something that is NOT wrong where you are from but is wrong where you are, AND you are dealing with civilized folks, you MIGHT be able to worm your way back to your own little portion of the universe and never be allowed to set foot over yonder again, if you know the right people. Otherwise, they’ll lynch you twice as hard, trust me.

But, there are 4 states of mind that they acknowledge outside of insanity. These are the ones that will help you. You can get a crime downgraded a couple of degrees if you can make it look like it was a crime of passion and not a cold-calculated murder. You are less of a danger to society if you just went off-the-wall once.

The 4 degrees are as follows:

• Intentionally- You knew what you were doing when you broke the law. Premeditated murder is a prime example. Pull somebody 5 feet once they are bleeding at your feet and they will always count it as intentional.
• Knowingly- You knew what you were doing would likely result in the breaking of the law. Beat a guy until he was a smear, but didn’t plan it? That’s knowingly.
• Recklessly- You ignore that you could probably break the law by doing what you are doing. They use what a normal person would think, not what you would, so you can’t really apply an easy “I didn’t know!” offense to get this downgraded. Drive a truck over the orange cones and hit a construction worker? That’s reckless.
• Negligent- You should have known that you’d break the law in question, but you didn’t. You do as above, but fell asleep at the wheel? That’s negligent.

Results

You probably can’t weasel this one a lot. But if you shot the guy 10 times and a harmonicist came up and healed him, that’s probably an attempted murder charge instead of a murder charge. And if you can show that you were angry and it wasn’t premeditated? Down to an assault and battery charge. See how much easier life can get?

Attendant Circumstances

This is the law’s, “Okay, you did it, but there was a good reason.” Self-defense is the big one. Someone shoots you first, and you weren’t, say, in the middle of the secured building off on a world they own without a pass card? It was self-defense. In the right situation, with the right help, the above could become self-defense, unless you planned to kill a couple people. This is why we don’t kill and drag people! It’s not self-defense if you drag their body across the floor until their cloning chip goes off. Defense of others is another big one. If you can prove the guy cast discord (or if, say, he has a discord mark and you two were the only witnesses) then it was a civic duty and you are exempt. Time of war? Exempt. This is why most Orks can be killed without legal consequence; they still claim to be at war.

There are other parts to this too. For instance, if something is an integral part of a homicide, you might not get charged with two separate crimes. If you drive on the sidewalk and hit a guy, that’s reckless driving, but it’s also vehicular manslaughter (or vehicular homicide, depending on the RESULTS) and in the Rinn Empire, Terran Empire, and Fur Federation, you won’t get charged with 2 crimes. Burgunn Empire you probably will, but they just like to charge you with as much as they can. That only counts if it was necessary for the act though. Drive on the sidewalk and shoot the office building with a rocket-launcher? That’s two separate crimes, and they WILL charge you for each. (Not to mention that you have a rocket launcher, and I’m guessing you don’t have a permit. That’s three.)

Those are the 4 essential things to argue for a crime. Got a lawyer? Good. Make sure to tell him all about these 4 things that you know, plus anything else he asks. In every major empire, lawyers have the right of confidentiality for their clients, so you can probably even tell him if you did it, unless you have a really good story you want to try. And probably fail with.

But that’s just the crime, now you have to be tried, convicted, and sentenced. Fortunately, this is the part that the dumber half of you mercs are probably going to have a lot of experience with. But for those of you who would like to know what will happen before you end up “on trial,” here’s the various governments you will probably run into, and their legal systems.

Burgunn Empire

These guys are harsh. Depending on the planet and the crime you are accused of, they may not have to even feed you until they get a confession. They can torture you, they can keep you in jail, they can even sometimes “request” that your family and friends spend some time in as well, “for questioning.” It depends on who is in charge and what crime you committed. You might not get a lawyer either. My advice? Argue for 5 seconds. If they aren’t torturing you yet, stick to your story. Odds are they don’t have jack on you. If they did, you’d have electroshock therapy going through your body, or you might have needles put into your skin, or you might have your mouth bolted shut. Don’t worry, they will heal you. They want a confession. If you aren’t masochistic, and they are torturing you, odds are they have some good evidence. Not good enough so that you don’t have a chance to confess before sentencing, but good enough so that they can get away with extracting a confession. But they are big on torture, depending on the crime. Theft probably won’t get you tortured, but any capital crime or violent crime will. So watch it, they are good at what they do. Note that a lot of crimes in the Burgunn Empire require “reparations.” If you can’t pay the reparations, the standard is 1 year in jail per 1,000 credits denied to the courts.

Technoid Mainframe

Despite the fact that they are practically owned by the Burgunn Empire, the Mainframe is much better to be arrested by. You won’t be at the trial though. Your lawyer will. Tell him everything you want him to know, and answer every question he asks. Do NOT go for the court-appointed attorney; sell your body to science first. The court-appointed attorneys are notoriously bad, so be forewarned. But a meeting will convene between the lawyers and the judge, and they will determine from the files they have if you are guilty or not, and then argue about your sentence. A good lawyer in the Mainframe is not someone who is logical and forthright. That is the court-appointed attorney. You want the guy who will argue with the judge for a 16 hour period, and then get to work on the opposing attorney. That is the guy who is going to get you off with a year less jail-time, a reduced fine, or something similar. They are worth it, trust me.

Rinn Empire

The Rinn Empire uses the age-too-old practices of common law. But you do get a jury. Always. Unless you, as the defendant, request otherwise. But you’ll need a good excuse. If you aren’t Rinn, or are a Rinn from a different clan, say you fear prejudice. It’s an old excuse, and it always works if you are different. They won’t have enough orks or terrans to reasonably pick a jury of your peers, so you’ll probably be able to get it down to just the judge. This is great if you get a judge that can be bribed, but usually go for the jury. Rinn tend to be sympathetic in trials, more so than other species, and if you can pluck their heartstrings, you’ve got em. And the Rinn Empire does have one interesting law to note, “If the jury feels that the crime was committed in such a way as to not constitute a breach of legal or common conduct, they are allowed to nullify the case.” Use that law whenever you can.

Terran Empire

Similar to the Rinn Empire, but a few differences. First off, a judge is the only one who will see your case. No jury. The prosecution can request a jury trial, but the defense can’t. If you happen to be on the prosecuting end of things, Terran judges tend to be very strict on protocol, so if you aren’t familiar with it as much, get a jury. Say that you feel it is a public matter, and cite some legal jargon that you look up the night before the trial. The judge will probably be impressed and let you have it.

Fur Federation

This is where it gets tricky. In the cities, the government is almost exactly like that of the Rinn Empire, although protocol is WAY down. You could probably swear and get away with it. They aren’t as strict, and it will work to your advantage. They are also used to hearing weirder things, so you might be able to impress the jury with a story or two. A good storyteller can be better than a good lawyer in these courts, and half of their good lawyers ARE storytellers from what I hear. Outside of the cities it is a little different. You will probably be brought before the shaman and asked to explain your case before he hears of your crime. Then the person accusing you will say what he thought happened. Do NOT interrupt each other. The shaman will hate you for it, and no one will respect what you’ve said if you interrupt, even with just a “pff, whatever,” or something similar. You can lose the case that way. The shaman will then ask questions. Answer them. After he is done, he will determine his verdict. That’s it.

Mutant Bands

If you can find a logic to their courts, you’ve got me beat. One minute, they will calmly hear every argument, the next they will want to lynch you, and the next they will be baking cookies. A minute later you’ll know the cookies were poisoned. Ha ha. My advice? Stay the hell away from them and their cookies unless you are on the run from breaking the law somewhere ELSE. Then these guys might just be your best friends.

Ork Tribes

Alright, here is the scoop on Ork Tribes. If you can kill the guy who accuses you, you win. If you can’t, you lose. Trials are events here, and I personally have gotten to know one Ork tribe well enough that when they have a trial, I bring the popcorn and fried chicken. It’s an event, let me tell you. So don’t let the shaman or the tribe’s leader accuse you, you might regret it.

Onarl Elders

I only really know one thing about the Onarl tribes. If you are from somewhere else and get caught doing something bad there, they send you home. Knocked out, and they tell everyone what you did, but they send you home. To get arrested. And if you didn’t do something wrong at home, but broke a local superstition or something, you're in even more trouble. They’ll come after you at night, swear upon my father. If you are a part of their society, or turn yourself in for their justice (specify that you want THEM to try you), there is a good side and a bad side. The good side is that the elders will convene and hear your story. This is really only good if you are innocent. If you start trying to get crafty or clever with them, they will send you away to holding again. Then they will hear your accuser(s). They will assign punishment. The good news is that after punishment, you are probably a member of the community, and people will actually treat you well there, as long as you stay out of trouble.

Attached to this is a list of laws that you will find all over the place, and the average sentence. A good lawyer can get you less, but you probably won’t get more unless you really screw up or the judge/jury is prejudiced against you.

• Grand Murder 1- You intentionally kill a person, and the person dies permanently. The intent was to kill them permanently.
• Grand Murder 2- You intentionally kill a person, and the person dies permanently. The intent was to kill them, but not permanently.
• Grand Murder 3- You kill a person, and the person dies permanently. The intent was bodily harm, but the person permanently died.
• Grand Murder 4- You kill a person, and the person dies permanently. The crime was an act of passion.
• Murder 1- You kill a person, and they reclone. The intent was to kill the person.
• Murder 2- You kill a person, and they reclone. The intent was assault and battery.
• Manslaughter 1- You kill a person, and they reclone. The crime was a crime of passion.
• Manslaughter 2- You kill a person through negligence.
• Attempted Murder, 1st degree- You plan to permanently kill a person, but only succeed in killing them.
• Attempted Murder, 2nd degree- You plan to permanently kill a person, but only succeed in assault and battery.
• Attempted Murder, 3rd degree- You plan to permanently kill a person, but do not succeed at all.
• Attempted Murder, 4th degree- You plan to kill a person, but only succeed in assault and battery.
• Attempted Murder, 5th degree- You plan to kill a person, but do not succeed at all.
• Conspiracy to Commit Murder, 1st degree- You plan to have someone permanently kill a person.
• Conspiracy to Commit Murder, 2nd degree- You plan to have someone kill a person.
• Accomplice to Murder, 1st degree- You help to plan a murder.
• Accomplice to Murder, 2nd degree- You knowingly and willingly allow a murder to take place.
• Accomplice to Murder, 3rd degree- You do not prevent a murder that you could have reasonably prevented.
• Assault and Battery- The premeditated application of offensive force against another person.
• Assault- The attempt at assault and battery, or the attempt to create apprehension in the victim of immediate bodily harm.
• Battery- The application of offensive force against another person.
• Felony Firearm- Committing a Felony with a gun or other deadly weapon present
• Felony Mystic- Committing a felony with the application or threat of mystical force
• Larceny- Taking something from someone else with the intent of theft. The owner must not consent, although fooling them into consenting doesn’t work.
• Robbery- Larceny with force.
• Burglary- Larceny plus Trespassing
• Embezzlement- Wrongfully converting property from one source to another for a use not intended by the owner.
• Fraud- Obtaining the title to property from the owner given the use of false statements that convince the owner to pass the title, or the selling of a title through similar means.
• Destruction of Property- The destruction of a piece of property belonging to another
• Vandalism- The harming of a piece of property belonging to another
• Conspiracy to commit (Fraud, Larceny, Burglary)- Planning on doing the crime accused of, without actually getting away with it.
• Kidnapping- Taking a person, without their permission, to a place not of their choosing.
• Kidnapping, Parental- Same thing as standard Kidnapping, but you are one of the person’s parents or legal guardians.
• Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property- Knowingly obtaining stolen property and not turning it in to the rightful authorities.
• Resisting/Obstructing Justice- Attempting to evade police custody or helping another to evade custody.
• Stalking- Following a person’s daily movements with the intent of harassment
• Aggravated Stalking- Following a person’s daily movements with the intent of harassment and physical harm
• Illegal Ownership, Licensed- The ownership or possession of licensed goods without proper licensing
• Illegal Ownership, Restricted- The ownership or possession of restricted goods without proper licensing
• Illegal Ownership, Enforcement- The ownership or possession of enforcement materials without proper credentials and licensures
• Illegal Ownership, Research- The ownership or possession of research materials without proper credentials and licensures
• Illegal Ownership, Military- The ownership or possession of military-grade materials without proper credentials and licensures
• Illegal Ownership, Confidential- The ownership or possession of confidential materials without proper credentials and licensures
• Illegal Ownership, Illegal- The ownership or possession of illegal-class materials without proper credentials and licensures
• Conspiracy to Illegally Obtain Goods- The intent to obtain or possess goods either gained through a manner which is illegal, or the intent to obtain or possess goods that one is not legally allowed to have according to the Illegal Ownership Laws above.
• Treason- Betrayal of one’s country to an aggressive power, foreign or domestic
• Terrorism- The threat or use of force upon civilians with the intent of government response
• Use of Discord- The use of discord in a single confrontation. This crime is considered separate to any damage caused from said discord use.
• Raising the Dead- The use of discord or other means to raise the dead, outside of cloning chips and harmonics powers. Any crimes committed by said beings while in a state of unlife are the responsibility of the person who raised them.
• Fleeing and Eluding, Single- You attempt to get away from law enforcement, but do not leave the area of the planet
• Fleeing and Eluding, Off-world- You attempt to get away from law enforcement, and leave the planet
• Fleeing and Eluding, 3rd Degree- In attempting to escape law enforcement, you negligently or recklessly hurt someone.
• Fleeing and Eluding, 2nd Degree- In attempting to escape law enforcement, you negligently or recklessly kill someone.
• Fleeing and Eluding, 1st Degree- In attempting to escape law enforcement, you intentionally or knowingly kill someone.