TRIAL 04

[thecomputer]

Attention, Citizens! You have ten minutes to proceed to the Loyalty Chamber. Anyone who is late to the Loyalty Chamber, or who brings any weapons into the Loyalty Chamber, will be immediately executed.

[Once you arrive, you will find a large chamber, with twenty podiums spaced around the room in a circle. On the ceiling, a massive screen showing the digital eye of The Computer, turning to look at whoever is talking.]

You have one hour to come to a consensus about who to eliminate. Ties will be broken randomly.

[The floor of the chamber begins to split apart, eventually only leaving the twenty podiums as safe places to stand, above a seemingly bottomless abyss. Each podium lights up with a touch screen showing twenty user IDs (the dead are grayed out), plus the word “ABSTAIN”. However, ABSTAIN has now been grayed out as well. The trial begins now!]

[[Vote here]]

Comments

[staunton]

...Let me explain to you what happened. Tohsaka said they'd probably scan him next. He was probably scanned for a role and Mr. Kimbley was killed, who turned out to be the Defense Officer. Only the Loyalty Officer and the Troubleshooter remained.

He knew he'd be targeted next if he didn't do something, so he decided to pretend to be the Troubleshooter in order to trick the Communists into not killing him immediately - the Loyalty Officer is a much larger threat to them than a Troubleshooter who's already fired his single bullet.

But the cat is out of the bag now that we all know Simon was the real Troubleshooter. Yomiel's going to be killed tonight and he knows it, and that's why he outed himself.

[fullonbraced]

HOLD IT!

[Robin shook her head.] It's been revealed that Mister Keyes was really the troubleshooter... but that's a fact. The only person who has said that they're the Loyalty officer is mister Yomiel himself.

We already know that mister Yomiel lies a lot. How can we believe that?

[staunton]

If you haven't realized it already, here's a piece of news for you: in this sort of game, you have to lie in order to pull off gambits.

Your network of trust theory still hinges on the notion that somebody is enough of a dumbfuck to sacrifice half their pieces and deliberately delay victory by several days.

[fullonbraced]

Yeah, and we all know who's been lying a lot these last few days.

Mister Yomiel is still trusted by almost everyone. I bet if he made a move on the real loyalty officer, there would still be people that believe in him.

[staunton]

The very premise of this game is that the majority of its players cannot fully trust each other. I certainly wouldn't rely on something as fickle as trust to carry me all the way to victory.

[fullonbraced]

But everyone still seems to trust Mister Yomiel a lot. Don't you think? Including you.

[staunton]

Heh heh. It doesn't mean I'd keep trusting him forever. He's got a good brain inside that head of his, and the Communists don't like people like that. Naturally, I'd start suspecting him when he keeps living for another day while the weaker pieces drop like flies around him.

But right now he has my trust, and I'll take his word over a little girl's.

[fullonbraced]

Okay. I guess I can't do much about that, huh? He did get results.

[staunton]

Exactly. Anyway... I think you'll get farther if you gun for Fulbright instead of Yomiel. Every vote counts, and I'm sure you'd like to live a little longer.

[fullonbraced]

Turning you attention on the detective? Why?

[staunton]

Pay attention to the discussion and you'll see. I'm done talking to you; he's my target for tonight and not you.

[fullonbraced]

[....She didn't expect this turn of events.

Is she supposed to feel good about it? What is going on here.]

[schrodingers_man]

That's right. If I'd known they scanned Simon instead, I never would've suggested it.

[ And they had to have scanned Simon; why else would they target him? ]