"This is desecration of the dead!" Thena said excitedly.
"And you desecrate the living!" Fury's tone was extremely forceful. He did not care whether it counted as desecration or not; he wanted to protect Earth and save the world.
"We were wrong, but this is immoral! You will bring about your own destruction!"
Thena argued his case, but Fury found it somewhat laughable—
"Morality? Morality as defined by you? This went through proper procedures and was formally established as a punitive measure. This is public morality! Your attack was what was immoral!"
Though he also found the punitive labor behind him utterly absurd, this law was already enforced in interstellar society and had been properly established on Earth through normal legislative procedures. That made it a legitimate measure!
The law might not turn people into moral paragons, but it largely represented the bottom line of morality. Once public opinion was kneaded into the mix, the Osborn Group had morality figured out. This was morality.
Even if they were dragged out for a public trial, the public's condemnation would only be more vicious—though Fury did not know how it could possibly get more vicious. Still, imagination had no limits.
"See? This is humanity. I told you, we never should have interfered with them." Thena slumped down dejectedly.
"Is that so? But I'm not finished yet—under the Alien Management Regulations, alien criminals who have committed serious crimes may also make up for the damage they caused through technology and other means. If their contributions are great enough, they may receive forgiveness.
You only need to join this 'Alien Expert Atonement Plan,' and you may even avoid the death penalty."
"Hmph... first the stick, then a little sweetness?" Thena muttered under his breath.
Meanwhile, Ikaris, whose body was badly damaged, had eyes full