"There are... how many people on the Hyperion?"
"Five hundred and twenty-eight," Theresa says. "Including whoever has died."
Five hundred twenty-eight. That's the sum total of humanity now, less the few you know are dead. When you think about it, that's a lot more people than you thought would be alive. It's far less than the hundred thousand living in Japan, or the billions who used to live on Earth before the war, but it's far, far more than you expected to be living.
You look back out at the sea of quanta. You wonder if there are other pockets where people live, even if they're not as big as this one. The answer, you suspect, is no. Places like Yvette's... she'd be dead by now, even if you hadn't come. If there were no ripples in the sea at all, then she might have lived another week at most. Maybe.
That means there are no more pockets, no more survivors, no more life. Whoever is left on the Hyperion is *it*. Humanity. The last ones left alive in this reality. Not the only version of your friends, but the ones who need you most.
"We have to prioritize rescuing them," you say. "Theresa, there might be hundreds stuck in safe pockets like this one. You had Kiana to help, but they don't. If they leave... wandering the corridors is suicide."
"I know," she says grimly. "... You're right, of course. How about Tesla?"
"She... didn't seem worried," you say, slowly. "I think it'd be fine to leave her by herself for at least a little while. I don't want to, but..."
"But there are hundreds who might die if we don't help right now?" she says. "I know. However, Seele, I'd like to be very clear on this: If Tesla is hurt, or dies, because we left her alone, then we're all dead. We need to be very careful."
"Okay," you say. "Then... then what do we do? What should we do?"
Theresa smiles at you. "Well, first of all I'd like you to argue back against me. I should have been clearer on this, but I'm not doing this to upset you. Normally we're always in radio contact, correct?"
"Yes, but... oh." You see where she's going. "Radios don't work here."
"Exactly. So I can't order you around. You're going to have to make your own choices, and I can't second-guess your decisions in the field, or give you advice. Also, between you and Kiana--" She gives Kiana a rueful glance, pausing for a second. Kiana looks like she's about to say something, but she doesn't.
"You're already a lot more experienced acting on your own. I'm going to bet on that experience, and hope you'll do the right thing."
You and Kiana exchange glances.
Kiana sighs. "I'll be in your care, Seele," she says, getting up from her seat.
No pressure.
Vel squeezes your shoulder. She's being strangely silent. It's almost eerie.
"So," Theresa says. "I've told you why we shouldn't leave Tesla alone. Now you should tell me why it's the best choice anyway, if it is, then make a decision."
You feel a knot of panic in your stomach. Is this a trick question? What are some of the reasons you might go against her orders, exactly? You can't think of any.
Are they orders? They aren't, are they? Does she want you to be equal partners? No, she just wants you to... to not run back to her every time something happens.
Does... does this mean she trusts you?
"Vel," you say, finally. "What do you think we should do?"
She smiles. "You know what, Seele? I think you should do whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me." She heads to the door. "I'm going to go see what Kiana's been up to."
Whatever you want, huh?
...she can do that?
You glance suspiciously at the door, and sure enough, she's peeking through the opening.
"Come on, Vel," you say, exasperated. "Help me out here."
"I told you, Seele, it's up to you." She winks. "I'll catch you later, though." With that, she slips through the door and heads down the corridor.
She can do that. You don't even feel strained. That's a huge load off your mind. You've been so used to working as part of a pair for so long, it's almost surreal to have the choice.
But, that doesn't matter at the moment. What matters is what's the best thing to do, right?
It's not an easy decision.
Part of you wants to grab Kiana and run away. To take the only person you're properly friends with in this place, and just leave. It'd be just like when you were trapped in the quantum sea, except you'd have a goal in mind and Kiana would be there this time. That's what Vel would want you to do, you think, maybe... you're not sure about her anymore.
You've tried it before, though, remember? It didn't work. You'd be crazy to do it again
And Theresa trusts you.
She took you in when you had nowhere else to go.
She lets you go where you like, instead of keeping you locked up in a cage somewhere.
She gave you a home.
She gave you a family.
...actually, that last one isn't true. You had one of those before you came here, and it didn't work out. And now, you've found a new one. A strange one, granted, but a family nonetheless.
And Bronya would hate you if you did that. You feel ashamed of even thinking about it for a moment.
But you're still... weak. You're still you. You still have doubts about everything.
No, you have to do this. Or else you'll end up betraying her.
You briefly run through your memories of the layout of this ship, and a plan begins to form in your head. Tesla's in engineering, in the center of the ship; usually that's the fastest way to get from anywhere to anywhere, if you can avoid getting thumped by riled-up engineers complaining about your effect on their tools.
Right now there's no fast paths at all, but she's still in the largest, most solid safe zone of all... you think. The largest you know about, not counting Kiana's island.
So, you'll ask Kiana to... connect the two, first of all. That'll get Tesla the help she needs, and safety, and it'll give you somewhere you can guide survivors once you've found some.
Tesla is smart, and important, and without her everyone but you and Kiana will die in a few days, but that might even include the killer, if it isn't a quantum beast. A quantum beast wouldn't be subtle, though. And you could fight one, but if you fought one while defending Tesla then you'd probably kill Tesla by accident. Even if you didn't, you'd certainly wreck the machinery.
They'll all die in a couple of days without Tesla, but Tesla can't do everything by herself and it's not like Theresa or Kiana or you or... Otto... are trained engineers, and you don't know about the man who looks so much like Kiana, but you don't think he is either. He looks like a soldier. So she'll need crew, and, and... and every crewmember who dies, is one crewmember less. Permanently.
You don't want any more people to be killed.
You want everyone to live.
You hate the way Theresa is making you think.
You don't say it, though. You just look up from your thoughts, look her in the eyes, and explain what you've figured out. It's probably not the best of ideas, but you can't just stand by while people die for no reason. Not when you can do something about it.
It takes you a little while.
"Well," she says, "You've certainly thought a lot about this." She squints at you. "Nice speech. I think you've almost convinced me. So, what do you want from me? While we're stuck here."
She looks into your eyes, and smiles. Her eyes are so big and blue and innocent-looking that you can't help but wonder if all of this is a trick.
"Do you want to play a game?" she asks.
"W, what kind of game?" you stammer.
"A, hm, how should I put it, a game to see if you're as smart as I think you are."
"O... okay..."
She smiles.
"I have a story for you. I want you to tell me what happens at the end. No peeking," she says. "Once upon a time there was a girl named Seele. She..."
She looks at you expectantly, her eyes shining. Right then, she looks more like the Theresa you know than she has since you first laid eyes on her.
"She... what?" you ask.
"That's all I'm telling you," she says, sticking out her tongue. "What do you want her to do? Think about it. You can tell me the ending... tomorrow, maybe. Or next week. Whenever you like."
She grins at you.
"You're going to take your time thinking about this, aren't you?" she asks.
You nod, jerkily.
"I thought so. Well, you have a few days to think about it. It'll come to you when you least expect it. And, for what it's worth... good luck. We'll go with your plan; it's pretty much what I had in mind anyway."
It takes every ounce of willpower you have to keep from shouting at her. You feel like you've fallen down a well.
"So, does that mean I'm in charge of the mission?" you ask.
"Of course," she says. "I'm putting you in charge of everything so long as I'm not around. Don't break the ship, 'kay?"
Well, it's already pretty broken.
"You'll be okay?" you ask, double-checking.
"Teri-teri will be fine, Seele. Don't worry about me," she says, then clicks her tongue. "And Siegfried's here. You two haven't met, have you?"
She motions to the grizzled old guy standing next to Kiana. He's about a head taller than her, with a confident smile and a bandolier across his chest. He nods at you.
"I haven't had the pleasure," he says in a accented Japanese. "But I'd recognize one of Kiana's friends anywhere. My daughter's mentioned you before, Seele."
He extends a hand, which you quickly shake.
"I'm... honored to meet you, sir," you say.
As he shakes your hand, you feel the callouses on his hands, impossible to avoid for a warrior. He's powerful. And he's Kiana's... *dad?*
"The pleasure's all mine, kid. Kiana's told me so much about you. I didn't think she'd ever shut up about you," he says with a laugh. You surreptitiously glance at his face, but if he's been slapped, there's no mark left by now. You're not sure how serious Kiana was about that anyway.
Kiana gives him an unfriendly look.
"Enough of this, let's go," she says. "I'll need you to show me the fastest route to engineering, Seele. Things are a little..."
Yes. Yes, they are.
You meet up with Vel on the beach, and the three of you head out. Vel's leading the way, unfortunately.
"Hey, Seele," she says.
"What?" you ask tiredly, trudging through the sand.
"Thanks for what you did earlier," she says. "I was worried about you."
"You were? Why?" you ask.
She shrugs.
"I dunno. You've been a little... never mind, I'm not sure how to put it. It's probably fine."
You look at her, trying to assess her mood. She's biting her lip nervously as she walks, kicking at the sand.
"Well... thanks," you say. "I'm fine though."
She smiles. It's bright and happy, like the sun breaking through the clouds. It's un-Vel. It makes you feel warm, and you can't help but smile too.
"You sure?" she asks.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
Vel stops walking and grabs your hands. You stop, and look at her quizzically. She looks into your eyes, and her own are full of worry.
"Just don't turn into me," she says.
Then she shakes her head, and keeps walking. You stare at her back as you walk.
You don't know what she meant. You don't really think about it too much, though. Put it on the pile. Maybe this is what Theresa meant.
"Vel," you say, quickly catching up. You throw her a smile. "Do you like puns?"
She gives you a disgusted look.
= = =
They kept talking, and talking, and talking. I can't even say any of it's inappropriate. In any event, that went... places... I guess Theresa trusts you a little more than she trusts Kiana, which is surprising, though it might just be from lack of choice.
You can assume Kiana will be busy on her own, and we're on search and rescue duty. There's still a couple of ways you could go about this. Pick one option from each section.
[ ] Ask Kiana to start from the bridge
Plus: She'll have support if anything happens.
[ ] Ask Kiana to start from the middle
Plus: She'll be done slightly faster; nothing important nearby when she starts.
Minus: Nobody at all to help, if something happens.
[ ] Ask Kiana to start from engineering
Plus: She'll be closer to Tesla. (I'm a little surprised nobody suggested this, but then Kiana did. In an alternate timeline.)
Minus: She might attract bad guys, and it'll take an extra hour. Are there bad guys? Who would they even be?
------
[ ] Center your search-and-rescue operation on Engineering.
Plus: Highest chance of finding engineers; starts with a visit to Tesla.
Minus: Lowest overall chance of finding living people who need rescue.
[ ] Center your search-and-rescue operation on the living quarters / office section.
Plus: Highest overall chance of finding people. Highest variety of people, too.
Ambivalent: ...in the most wrecked section of the ship.
Minus: A moderate percentage won't be directly useful without retraining.
[ ] Search the outer areas. Hull, engines, turrets, etc. etc.
Plus: This area is most exposed, and survivors here will be the first to die.
Minus: Many may already have died.
[ ] Write-in
