80

If humans are going to flourish here on Europa, you know you'll have to make some hard choices. Aria is hard-coded to keep secrets confidential, so you're not worried about her telling anyone. Still, she gives you a look of disappointment.

"Is this living your best life?" asks Aria. "Are you being the Enol you want to be?"

You ignore her and keep on working on the fraudulent document. You fabricate conversation transcripts between Evgeniy and an invented co-conspirator on Earth. You make him out to be part of a Verdant Dawn cell, an eco-terrorist group that wants to free humanity from technological slavery. With your 'evidence' in hand, you call a mass meeting of the colonists. Everyone puts down what they were doing and congregates in the largest place in ♜ˢˡⁱᵖᵖᵉʳʸˡⁱᵍʰᵗʰᵉᵃʳᵗᵉᵈ♜, the hold of the ice-bound Asterion.

You circulate the dossier beforehand so that everyone is on the same page about the evidence against Evgeniy. Your fabricated evidence is mixed in cleverly with the true findings. Everyone crowds around, talking among themselves. Evgeniy stands, stone-faced and silent. You clear your throat and call everyone to attention.

Kosmo summarizes the evidence compiled against Evgeniy. "Evgeniy Cardoso stands accused of being an active member of Verdant Dawn, a group proscribed throughout the United Earth, as well as over half the G81 nations. He stands accused of attempting to destroy the colony."

Evgeniy is visibly outraged when Verdant Dawn is mentioned. "What? Why would I become a cryo-engineer if I hated technology? This is madness."

"I caught you tampering with the power supply," Virginia interjects.

Kosmo calls order. "As the general secretary for the settlement of ♜ˢˡⁱᵖᵖᵉʳʸˡⁱᵍʰᵗʰᵉᵃʳᵗᵉᵈ♜, I must insist we follow protocol."

The charges are laid out in full, and in time colonists are asked to stand up in Evgeniy's defense or back punishment against him. Many of the scientists urge clemency, Evgeniy having proved himself to be a highly valued part of the colony. Other voices among the colonists aren't as forgiving. Virginia Rein argues for imprisonment. Others suggest a temporary restriction of access until the matter of the sabotage can be more fully investigated. Colonists speaking on behalf of G81 are keen for Evgeniy to be fully contained, now that his connections to a proscribed group have been revealed.

It comes time to vote. You know your voice has a chance to sway things, but you risk political fallout if you back the losing argument.