Terra - Ottawantreal

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A huge North American city, built in a mishmash of styles from many eras of architecture. the spaceport is bustling and filled with cruise ships, racing yachts, and transport craft. It's full of shops, clubs, gardens, and tourist attractions.

The weather is currently cool but sunny.

The androids couldn't obey Matt of course, the First Law had taken over, and they couldn't do anything except blindly obey the person who was threatening violence. Didn't matter how much they wanted to resist, or how scared they were, they just had to do what they were told now.

The dragon robot shot Matt an apologetic and slightly terrified look, unable to even say anything because of the command, and followed the others.

The freed androids exchanged panicked looks, and then obeyed as well, realizing that not doing so would blow their cover. James nearly didn't move at all, but Tobias gave him a shove and he went along, playing the part, even though he'd rather be running at these monsters and beating the crap out of them right now.

"They're machines," the guy with the knife told the star dragon who had asked him to stop, still using the microphone so everyone could hear. "Look at them, they're mindlessly obeying, the stupid automatons. I'm just showing the world the truth, that they're not real. They're scrap metal, and that's all they'll ever be."

The other anti-robot group members cheered. "Scrap metal! Scrap metal!"

The police were looking to each other, trying to decide if now was the time to intervene or not.

"That's because of their stupid coding!" Matt yelled "It's like mental conditioning! Why do you think they call conditioning slaves reprogramming you assholes?!" He wheeled forward with the others.

Kay set his sign down and dug out his tablet.

Matt looked to the cops "You just gonna stand there?"

The female moved closer, taking the knife telepathically away from him. "You may all stop now." She said to the androids then looked to the male again. "The same thing you just said about them could be said of you and your group. You take any opportunity you can to harm the androids. Why? Because they are silicone based lifeforms instead of being a human? Do you treat all others like that too or are you only biased against androids?"

"What the hell?" the guy shouted as the knife was yanked from his hands. He had NOT seen that coming.

The others tried to figure out what to do. Dealing with magic wasn't exactly what they'd been expecting today, after all.

It did, however, stir the police into action. "You! Do you have any license to use magic?" one of the cops shouted at the dragon, hurrying over with the others close behind. "Put the knife DOWN."

Someone radioed about possibly needing backup out here, since there were possibly dangerous magic users.

The androids stood where they were uncertainly. This was one weird day.

Asher winced, glancing around at the others. He wasn't sure where this was going, but it seemed to be getting messy fast.

"we need licenses for magic?" Matt asked nobody in particular. That was news to him.

Matt please, be quiet.
Kay remained where he was, no sense getting in the way. He tried to catch Asher's eye.

The dragon let the knife drop to the ground as she looked to the police. "Licence? I was not aware a license was needed to stop someone from harming themselves. I would however think that would be the job of one who 'protects and serves'." She said gently.

"Private magic usage is permissible without a license, however public displays are regulated and only licensed users are permitted in public," one of the officers said.

"It's a recent Terran law, they had to change things once the Terran Empire started acknowledging the existence of magic," another cop added helpfully. "Now it doesn't have to be secret, but we don't want people using it willy-nilly."

The first cop glared at the star dragon, he didn't like her telling him how to do his job, even though that wasn't illegal. "We'd better take the troublemakers in," he decided. He pointed to the star dragon, and to the guy who had had the knife earlier. "We can charge them with disturbing the peace," he said. "The other organics can go, I guess." Transporting everyone would be haaard. "And impound the damn androids until their owners can pick them up, they're just causing a public nuisance."

"Hey! we have every right to peaceful protest!" Matt insisted, maybe they didn't? he didn't know terran law, but he was indignant.

[The androids are harming nobody officer] Kay wrote carefully, approaching so they could read his tablet. [All they want is to be heard.]

"If they were organic, sure," one of the cops told Matt and Kay. "since they aren't, this is more akin to.. car alarms going off in public. Acceptable for a while, but once people start complaining, it's time to shut it down."

James apparently overheard, and headed over, glaring. Asher followed James hastily, grateful that the First Law was no longer in effect.

"You--" James started.

Asher interrupted James hastily. "Sir, those people are at best vandals, and at worst, would-be murderers," he said to the cop. "We weren't causing a disturbance, we were, as he" he indicated Kay "says, merely attempting to spread the message. Until they interrupted and used our programming against us. We are sentient and sapient, and therefore we should be permitted to protest."

"A judge can decide that in court," the cop said. "we're not judges, our job is to keep the peace. If androids are causing a problem, then it's time to get them off the street."

Asher frowned.

James tried to speak up, and Asher gave him a pleading look. Not now, James, please.

The female tilted her head then shrugged. "I was not aware of such a law, I will apologize for my ignorance on the subject but not for stopping him from harming himself, or more precisely threatening to harm himself so his group could harm my friends." She said calmly.

The first cop nodded at the star dragon. To be fair, the law was pretty new. "I'll write you both tickets," he decided, relenting slightly. "Pay up, and you won't be in trouble."

The female nodded then shrugged. "Simple enough, thank you. May we continue to spread our message?"

"We do have permits to be here." Starr added from where she stood. She walked through the crowd to the officer, pulling out her tablet to show the permits on it.

The cop eyed the permits, then nodded. "The organics may continue to protest if they wish. The androids will be impounded still." He'd get the star dragon's info and write up a fine for her.

"Why? They are not doing anything wrong." Starr asked curiously as she put her tablet away. "They are sentient, they are alive. Ask them if any of them liked being forced to go to those men."

Kay tried to keep calm. [With all due respect officer, what if we're right? If we are correct and the androids are sentient and sapient, are you really alright with locking them up for trying to be treated like people? Do you want to be on the wrong side of history?]

Matt wheeled over. "It's not hurting anyone, who's complained?" He looked around at the civilians. "these guys?" until the anti robot assholes had shown up things had seemed fairly chilled.

"They haven't even complained, just tried to harm others." Starr added, looking over to the group of instigators then back to the police.

The cop talking to Starr shook his head. "I'm not the one to decide what's sentient. These androids have owners who paid for them, their owners should get them back in one piece. The damn androids won't be hurt at the impound, they're just going to be kept off the street until their owners can take them home."

The other officer, who had been talking to Matt and Kay, hesitated. He didn't really want to be on the wrong side of history. Being one of those people who showed up in pictures in history books as the bad guys wasn't appealing. "They're causing a public nuisance," he said again, although Kay could probably sense that he was having second thoughts about this.

Kay looked around [Are they? Everything was peaceful till those troublemakers showed up and started pulling out weapons.]

"If their owners didn't want them here, why aren't they here demanding they come home?" Matt countered.

"I'd guess their owners don't know they're here," the officer told Matt.

One android who'd overheard looked shifty. Yep, she'd totally sneaked out while her owner was off at work.

Asher nodded at Kay's words. "We really haven't caused any harm, and if you officers stay here, we'll all be safe from the anti-robot gangs as well." A little bit of flattery never hurt anyone, right? "Besides, it would be such a nuisance to take us all to the impound lot. How about you let us stay here, and if you really must, you can notify our owners where we are so they can pick up their androids."
The poor androids were going to have to face their owners' wrath eventually. Better to face it together out here, not after a degrading few hours in an impound shed.

The officers considered that. Hey, impounding this many robots would be a pain. And they'd look better in the history books if they didn't lock anyone up. That was kind of a win-win.

James was still trying not to shout at anyone. He went over to Matt and whispered in his ear, "How do people do this politeness thing? This is impossible." Matt would get it, he was sure.

Matt shrugged and whispered back "I dunno man, it's like... a magic skill or something." He wasn't good at it either. Eugh.

Kay shot them both a warning glare before returning his attention to the police officer. He managed a polite smile. [That seems a very fair idea. Saves you an awful lot of time that could be better spent, not to mention all that paperwork?]

Starr nodded, it did seem fair to her, and she bet the cops didn't want a bad rep on video for all to see anyway.

James shook his head. "I almost think I should go back to Vestia, but this is so important," he whispered.

The officers looked from Kay to Starr a few times, frowning. They stepped away to talk briefly, then nodded. "The androids can stay, on the condition that all of them give us their serial numbers and contact their owners," one of them said finally.

Kay hesitated, looking to Asher for confirmation that was okay. It was HIS cause after all.

Matt paused, then cheered. "Thanks guys!"

Asher considered the offer. He wasn't overly fond of the idea of putting his people at their owners' mercy, but at least they wouldn't have to be impounded beforehand. "All right, that sounds acceptable," he said finally.

The cops looked to the organics for confirmation that that was an acceptable arrangement.

James bit back a protest at that. So rude!

Asher shot James another 'please be quiet' look.

Kay nodded, albeit reluctantly.

Starr tilted her head and looked over the androids then looked back to the officers. "Could the ones that want to leave now go back home without penalties?" She asked curiously.

"We want the serial numbers of every android here. If they want to go home instead of contacting their owners, that's acceptable," one cop told Starr. The other nodded.

Some of the cops headed off to start noting down serial numbers.

Asher smiled softly at Starr. "It might be safer here, anyway. There's safety in numbers, not so much in going home alone."