You have chosen
A and C+D“Put them in one big group,” Celling tells the guards. He turns to face the rebels. “Now now, we don’t want anyone to get hurt. However, the guards are ordered to shoot you if you try to whisper, as it implies that you are trying by to hide something from us. If it's worth you being secretive about it, it's worth us finding suspicious. You will not be harmed by us or our troops so long as you remain cooperative.”
He steps a little bit closer. “Goonswarm has requested that Julia be given to them. ”
Julia looks up fearfully. “No. Do whatever you want. I’m not going back there,” she whispers.
“I have told them that we will comply, but only to buy us time,” Celling continues. “We need to know what it is they want with you, Julia, or else we'll be wandering into this mess blind.”
“They want
everything,” says Julia. “Total mastery of the future.”
“They’ll make her crack,” says Anna. “They’ll do things to her. Make her tell them what she can see. Every pathway. Every eventuality. Every way to win. They’ll go into every situation with perfect mastery. Give Julia to them, and they’re unbeatable.”
“That is false,” comes a familiar voice from across the dock. David Eborrenial strode purposefully towards Celling and the rebels, stepping deftly around the gaping hole in the dock, coat billowing in the wind.
“David?” asks Celling.
“David!” hisses Anna. “You told us we would have no trouble here! That it was destined the empire would fall!”
“I lied,” he says.
“TRAITOR!” Jacob shouts.
“It’s standard Visionary policy. There’s too little time to explain now, but basically we can’t predict correctly of the time so mostly we just fake it,” David says. “But I digress. Given that Goonswarm has
bugged my house, I’m surprised that they don’t know this, but getting Julia won’t do anything. She’d need Protinam training protocols, neurotemporal recording equipment, and a staff beacon to make useful predictions. All of which only I have access to.”
“
That’s very useful information,” says the Mittani’s voice out of Celling’s coat pocket. “
We have updated our price. I want David too.”
Everyone stares. Celling slowly takes out the radio. “You heard that?”
“
What? You thought that I’d give you a radio that only lets me hear what you’re saying when you push the button?” the Mittani asks. “
Give me David or I’ll make the rebels escape!”
Celling turns around and presses the button. “How… will you do that?” he asks quietly.
“
They’re trapped, captured, surrounded,” the Mittani explains. “
Everyone knows the way you break an encirclement is with another encirclement. We’ve been introduced before, the rebels already encountered us once and we’re hostile to you. We’re perfect Chekhov's Gunmen. If we start shooting down at your men right now and distract them, it fits perfectly into a Conveniently Timed Distraction.”
At this time another guard rushes up to Celling. “Captain Celling, they’re whispering amongst themselves. Do we shoot?”
What do you do?A: Shoot Jacob
B: Shoot Anna
C: Shoot Julia
(you may choose any combination of the above)
D: Don’t shoot
And what do you do about David?A: Promise to turn him over
B: Try to negotiate with the Mittani (again, I need Exact Words)
C: Refuse
D: Something else…