"...maybe something I haven't thought of? I mean, I don't know what mindreading is like - I'm not claiming reds don't perform cognition, some of them write repulsive little blogs -"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what exactly it is that you do believe or I'd be able to make more specific suggestions. Do you think that reds don't have experiences? Like, they're generating thoughts but there's no consciousness?"

"I'm agnostic about that."

"I see. Often I recommend that clients do something to persuade the court that they wouldn't act similarly again; can you think of anything that might work for that?"

"Apparently it will cause aliens to abduct me."

"The court will observe that if Rivik were to, say, start issuing five-day prison sentences for the murder of reds our law would not permit further arrests."

"...and?"

"...and if that's the only reason you might not kill reds you'd go back to killing reds."

"I never killed one before, it isn't as though it was fun or anything. Look, I'm an actress, I can play a bit, but I don't know how to do improv as whatever kind of pretend moral reasoner you want me to be."

"That's why I was thinking if there were a way for you to actually sincerely conclude that there's a chance it's morally wrong to murder reds that would work better than suggesting you pretend."

"This situation is so perverse."

"I'm sorry."

"I have no way to believe you."

"I don't think you should testify at trial. "I don't agree that I did anything wrong and I'll do it again if I could get away with it and it came up" is about the worst possible thing to tell a court, sentencing-wise."

"I can do a bit. I just don't know what bit to do."

"...okay. Imagine that your species found aliens. And the aliens were nice enough except they were convinced that homosexuality was evil and that it was fine to murder someone if you found out they were gay. And imagine that someone went to Rivik and murdered a gay person and were facing a Rivikni court. That is how the court sees you. That is the bit to play."

"...I didn't leave Rivik."

"I'm not saying it's legally analogous, I'm trying to give you a sense of how the court sees you. I didn't want to get bogged down in how Rivik would end up administering the aliens but if you'd rather, we can imagine they claimed the territory to colonize and started enforcing the law in that area because the locals didn't have population control and that is where this happened."

She sighs. "Fine. I can probably do that."

"Thank you."

It goes to court. He has her testify.

She looks very mouselike.

Can she describe the circumstances around the death?

"I had a hard day at rehearsal and had just picked up my daughter from school and brought her home and found that the plumber was still working hours after I'd expected them to have been and gone, and wouldn't be done for at least an hour. I have a condition where I can't be without access to a bathroom for very long. The neighbors didn't answer their doors and I had to go somewhere else on very short notice and the only place I could think of was my parents' apartment, where I would normally never go especially not with my daughter for - reasons I would rather not discuss, they're - dangerous and I was expecting to have to keep an eye on her constantly to make sure she was all right, just because the toilet wasn't fixed yet. I was very frightened for her and more stressed than I can remember ever being - and my character in the play has a sword, and I brought it home to practice - it's sharp to cut a couple props. I wasn't thinking very clearly and I attacked the plumber."

"Did you call for medical help when you realized you'd seriously injured her?"

"No. There isn't any kind of summonable medical help that will treat reds."