18th March
15:09 GMT -3
"Would you pardon us for a moment, please?
"
Dawn Warrior hesitates at the door, then shrugs.
"Sure. Take me a couple hours to get home without you flying me."
I nod, smile, then make eye contact with my colleagues.
"Team meeting.
"
Beatriz, Beryl and Raquel approach. Dr Munro takes a step towards me as well, then reconsiders and heads over to talk to Dawn Warrior. Once they're within convenient confab distance I stick an orange shield around us and make it as opaque as I can.
Raquel exhales heavily. "So.
That happened."
I nod.
"It does simplify things quite a lot.
"
"Ah. How?"
Beryl looks at me curiously, but nods. "Because if enough people get involved, it's not exactly a crime anymore."
"Pr-etty sure it is."
"No, it's a political protest. And since we're
crime fighters and it's not our job to preserve the integrity of Brazil's borders, our job is completed once we confirm that the attack on the logging site was done as part of that.
"
"Seriously?"
"I'm not saying we should just
leave, but technically… Yeah. Brazil as a country is descended from the Portuguese colony which conquered the area. These people are descendants of the people who were here first. If they choose not to recognise Brazil's claim to their land… That's not exactly a crime.
"
Even if we're looking at a rerun of Hugo Danner's original putsch attempt, with Sons and Daughters of Dawn who aren't vulnerable to disease and are at least ten times more numerous than their grandparents' generation. Against a Brazilian military which hasn't improved by anything like the same degree.
"It's not a crime because the thing at issue is who has the authority to make things a crime within a given territory. Civil wars are only a crime if you lose.
"
Raquel nods. "Most a' the guys who lost the American Civil War got let off. An' I get where you're comin' from. Don't think
Mister 'Fair Play' Terrific woulda tried enforcin' segregation back in the sixties. Or Indian Reservations."
I nod.
"As I told Kaldur when he asked me what I'd do if Atlantis had a civil war… Unless one side commits an atrocity, it isn't our job to back one side or another.
"
Beatriz doesn't look entirely sanguine about that statement.
"So you don't care about Brazil having a civil war."
"It's not that I don't care, it's just… There are, what, eight..?
"
I look at Beryl.
"Does Rhelasia count?"
"Not if there hasn't been any shelling this week.
"
"Twelve."
"Twelve ongoing insurgencies or flat out civil wars in the world right now. And I'd rather there wasn't, but stopping them isn't my job. And unless the Security Council rewrites the Justice League's charter, it's not their job either. Because..?
" I raise my eyebrows.
Beryl shrugs. "No one really wants powerful superheroes deciding that they can tell governments they're not allowed to have wars anymore." Raquel opens her mouth. "Except all of the people living wherever the war is happening. And probably most of the people doing the fighting."
"So we just go talk to them, and if they want to start a war we just tell them that's fine?"
"No, we try and persuade them not to, and we try to persuade the Brazilian government to offer a compromise, but we aren't obliged to help either side until the other one starts committing war crimes. And Dawn Warrior seemed pretty certain they weren't planning on going beyond property damage, at least to start with.
"
Beatriz gives her head a small shake. "And then what happens?"
"A few hundred Danner enhanciles can smash anything Brazil can throw at them that isn't a jet aircraft, but they can't hold territory and
probably can't run a government. I doubt that they're going to try conquering the rest of the country. They're getting support from other tribes so they won't be exiling
them, and there aren't all that many other people in the jungle. If the Brazilian army attacks
them, risk to civilians is minimal. The risk to civilians would come if they attacked a Brazilian city, and then… What are they attacking? Government buildings? Military bases? They're relying on superstrength, not guns. They're not where the collateral damage will be coming from. Though, in the spirit of the Spanish Civil War, if anyone here
wants to back either side..?
"
Raquel shakes her head. Beryl shrugs.
"How, exactly?"
I raise my eyebrows at Beatriz.
"You're a Brazilian citizen, so you have a personal stake in this that we don't. So if you've got a plan on how to stop-.
"
"I can't stop a hundred Children of Dawn!" She exhales sharply, then shakes her head. "Let's just go and see what they want."
"Good show. Orange Lantern to…
" I should really send a message to Garth, but if he's in the middle of a ritual…
"Overgirl.
"
"Overgirl here."
"We're going to see Dawn Warrior's tribe. We're not expecting anyone to attack your location. Will keep you updated.
"
"Understood."
I dismiss the barrier and head towards-
"…or nine? I don't get back often, and we're pretty spread out…"
Dawn Warrior shrugs, then turns to us.
"You ready to go?"
"Yes, all ready.
" I create a map construct.
"Where are we heading?
"
He points… That's a long way from anywhere.
"I can't guarantee that no one will be able to track me when I take us there.
"
"And do what?"
"Airstrike?
"
"Can you keep watch?"
"While we're there, yes. But it's extremely unlikely that we'll provide direct assistance.
"
He shrugs. "When we move, we all move. Don't worry."
"Alright then.
" I tag everyone with a filament.
"Transition in two, one.
"