unforum

[coldkick2]

Re: Reply from ANA

[ferelli]

I'm worried if it's us that needs the protection after viewing that...

[Ketchup_Keith]

For now, I think we can feel secure in trusting the information to be safe here. As long as it's confined to Unfiction, we ought to be alright I think... I hope.

To add on to my theory from an earlier post:

[Kaliel]

Awesome work guys. Brilliant. I have no idea who that is but it doesn't feel like Mark. We see Mark in the mirror a few episodes back when he's trying to talk to ana in the bathroom mirror in episode 24. I guess it could be mark. I'm 9n a crap phone cell phone screen right now

[beastriker]

[coldkick2]

Looks like we have a tough decision to make...
This is a variation of the trolley problem:
do we sacrifice one to potentially save many more?

[Kaliel]

Two lives. He has a son who will probably be there when they attack him.

I'm torn, as a father of a small boy myself I'd vote to warn him. On the other side one of our directives is 'Protected the Joint Alliance at all costs', and in a global scale this is a small cost. I mean we've already dropped a missile onto a public park here (I wish we could see the media spin from that) we're kinda already breaking a whole lot of eggs to make this omelet.

I detest binary choices. I'd say 'Warn him and ask him if he wants protection or would be willing to be bait'. But that's not a choice.

I'm going to vote to warn him. He's already lost his wife. He's lost enough and he has a son to care for. Plus he's already been the pawn of transdimensional aliens. If we just use him as our pawn then we're no better.

[KimmyGoodwin]

Loving this ARG! its so immersive!

[TachikomaS9]

As coldkick said this is like a variation of the trolley problem, the kicker in this case however is Mark already distrusts JAAR, so if the option 2 fails its just going to hurt the relationship between JAAR and Mark more.

I think we need to consider what impact option 1 will have.

[TachikomaS9]

I tried to ask ANA about mission success rates so I could make my mi d up and this is what I received back.

******Plastic Angel******
:::::JARR has high confidence that the enemy invaders are targeting JARR asset M. Miller:::::
:::::Mission planning on option 1 and option 2 has just begun:::::
:::::No projected mission success rates currently exist for either option:::::
******OUT******

[Ketchup_Keith]

[Tor]

This is difficult.

Option 1 means warning Miller and arming or protecting him, diverting JARR resources to do so when they're already stretched thin enough to require an emergency civilian team. It is still arguably the humane thing to do. But it also means giving up what we know (and the fact that we have the means of obtaining or ferreting out this information relatively quickly) for the remainder of the invasion. Even if the enemy has already assumed that we cracked the frequency intentionally, they may not be aware of all the transmissions we have access to. So that's a risk as well. I'm not exactly head-over-heels with the idea of showing our hand up front like that. We could lose a lot of ground very quickly if we chose to protect Miller, even if doing so would likely help to put him on better terms with JARR as a whole.

Option 2 means keeping him in the dark for as long as possible. This could be perilous as he's already shown some distrust of JARR. If he feels he's being lied to, even by omission, he could try to break from ANA's watch. We can't afford an asset going off on their own right now, especially not one with a target on his back. On the other hand, keeping him in the dark successfully could help lower his anxiety for the time being. It would make him less suspicious and increase the chances of whatever trap JARR is constructing actually working.

That's another thing to consider. If we chose to keep Miller out of the loop and instead use him as focal point to draw enemy assets, it is only worth the risk if we're given a high probability of the trap being successful. If this goes wrong, we've effectively lost a civilian asset and gained no ground. A failed trap will let the enemy know that we're aware of their transmissions, able to decode then quickly, and willing to hide that knowledge. If they start encrypting any further communication, we're right back at square one (and potentially down one Mr. Miller if this should go badly).

I'm honestly not sure what the best option is at this point.

[Alex5456]

I think option 2 isn't so bad. I mean just because he's bait doesn't mean he will die... Sure he has a lower chance of survival but it's the best choice to gain more information... Probably

[Tor]

You're probably right. I'm not so much concerned about him dying - I'm concerned about him understanding that he was willingly placed in danger by an organization he's already displayed distrust for. That could really make things difficult down the line.

Still, the second option looks to be the best one overall if we're looking at what we might stand to gain.

[ferelli]

I just try to put myself in Mark's shoes and would feel immensely betrayed if I found out I was a pawn. Option 1 is the better choice IMO.