The Sokratic Method was a virtual representation of one of Kassandra's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description
Kassandra came across the philosopher Sokrates within the Sanctuary of Apollo on Delos during her time in the Silver Islands.
Dialogue
As Kassandra traveled through Delos over the course of her campaign to kill Podarkes, she heard a crowd around the familiar voice of Sokrates.
- Antenor: The filthy rebel stole from the sanctuary! He spilled blood on sacred soil!
- Sokrates: Good people of Delos, your hearts are big, but we must use our minds in this matter.
- Sophia: He deserves death! We demand justice!
- Sokrates: Though putting the man to death would be justice for whom? Can a citizen truly be partial when justice is sought? Must we not first define what justice is?
- Antenor: Don't listen to Athenians! They do nothing but talk, talk, talk! We want action!
- Sophia: Ship the rebel to Mykonos, where nothing is sacred. Kill him there!
- Sokrates: Life has value, no matter where you are.
Kassandra decided to intervene.
- Kassandra: Sokrates! You just make friends wherever you go, don't you?
- Sokrates: Kassandra! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you to Delos?
- Kassandra: I'm helping a group of Delian rebels.
- Sokrates: But do they truly need help? Is not the decision to rebel enough to release one from oppression?
- Kassandra: I came here for the leader of the Delos Islands. The people suffered under him for too long.
- Sokrates: And their suffering is worth his life?
- Kassandra: Podarkes is one of the people hunting my family, Sokrates. His death is unavoidable.
- Sokrates: Aren't all deaths ultimately unavoidable?
- Kassandra: Once I heard the great Sokrates was on Delos, I raced over to hear his words of wisdom.
- Sokrates: Ah, but what are words? Can they be wise? Or are they simply words?
- Kassandra: Oh, no you don't. I'm not getting sucked into one of these debates again.
- Sokrates: Yet right now there's a situation I would love your opinion on.
- Kassandra: Fine.
- Sokrates: Soldiers captured a rebel. He stole from the sanctuary to help finance the rebellion. When guards attempted to apprehend the man, he killed one of them.
- Kassandra: Murder on Delos. They're probably going to kill him.
- Sokrates: Indeed, though it's illegal to end his life here. So he awaits his fate, to be transported to Mykonos.
Seeing Sokrates had shifted his queries to someone else, the crowd took the opportunity to quickly disperse.
- Kassandra: Where do I come in?
- Sokrates: Would you say this rebel deserves death? That killing him brings justice?
- Kassandra: The rebel was fighting for the freedom of his people. Sounds fine to me.
- Sokrates: So, if stealing from the gods, breaking sacred laws, and killing a man don't warrant a death sentence, what does?
- Kassandra: I've been stealing, killing, and breaking sacred laws for as long as I can remember.
- Sokrates: Ha! So you see yourself in this rebel...
- Kassandra: Let me answer that by asking you this—what exactly is justice?
- Sokrates: A brilliant question. He stole, which is wrong.
- Kassandra: But it was for the freedom of his people, which is right.
- Sokrates: He killed a man.
- Kassandra: To save his own life.
- Sokrates: He broke a sacred law, one he knew honored the gods.
- Kassandra: So, you're saying he can kill and steal... But stain the earth, and he should have his throat cut?
- Sokrates: I am saying nothing. But when we stray from the law, are we not like the animals?
- Kassandra: The man killed, stole, and broke every law on Delos. Of course he deserves death.
- Sokrates: Interesting. And what do you deserve? Have you not also killed, stolen, and broken every law on every island you've ever been to?
- Kassandra: What we deserve and what we get are two very different things. The trick, my philosophical friend, is to never get caught.
- Sokrates: God forbid you ever have children.
- Kassandra: Ha! You know my opinion on that. Can I go now?
- Sokrates: Of course, of course.
- Sokrates: There's just one more thing.
- Kassandra: There always is.
- Sokrates: The rebel is being held north of here in the Hestiatorion. They're shipping him to Mykonos tomorrow.
- Kassandra: Wait. All this just to convince me to save the man?
- Sokrates: Convince? Never. Though I am curious—now that you know where he's held and why, would you save him?
.
- Kassandra: I'm going to pay this rebel a visit. Sounds like we have a lot in common.
- Sokrates: I thought you might, though I have no drachmae to give. Only knowledge, which one should prefer for it is perpetual, not transitory.
- Kassandra: Well that's... something. I think.
- Kassandra: I'd like to pay this rebel a visit.
- Sokrates: You told me he deserved death. Are you planning on serving it to him?
- Kassandra: I have no reason to kill him. But I am interested in what he has to say.
- Sokrates: As am I. As are we all.
Before leaving, Kassandra spoke to Sokrates once more.
- Sokrates: Ah, Kassandra! Seeing you on Delos sets my heart at ease. So, tell me. How was your encounter with the rebellious prisoner?
- Kassandra: Still have to pay him a visit.
- Sokrates: Hopefully they haven't sailed to Mykonos to carry out his death sentence.
Kassandra left and made her way to the Hestiatorion, She scanned the location with Ikaros to find the rebel.
- Kassandra: The rebel is there.
She infiltrated the building and overheard the rebel shooting his mouth off at his captors.
- Kasos: You dogs! Let me go!
You'll never get me back to Mykonos! Kyra will come and kill you all!
Crawl back to where you came from, pigs! This is the land of Apollo!
With her usual skillset, she was able to untie the rebel and lead him away.
- Kasos: Thank you, misthios! But you were too gentle with those pigs.
- Kassandra: Keep your opinion to yourself. You've caused enough trouble. Now follow me.
- Kasos: Thank you, misthios! They were going to kill me. But you killed them first!
- Kassandra: There will be more. Hurry, follow me.
- Kasos: I saw you. You loved spilling blood on sacred soil, just like me!
- Kassandra: I'm nothing like you. Now shut up and follow me before you get us killed.
Regardless, Kasos would not keep his mouth shut, bellowing war cries throughout their escape.
- Kasos: Death to our oppressors. And anyone else who tries to claim the Delos Islands. Delians are free!
- Kassandra: More Delians will die if you don't shut up.
- Kasos: Silence is what led to this. I'll scream till my lungs bleed, and all soldiers are dead!
- Kassandra: Maláka!
In spite of his less-than-helpful shouting, Kassandra was able to secret Kasos to the Sacred Lake north of the city.
- Kassandra: You have a very loud mouth. You could have gotten us both killed.
- Kasos: Then our sacrifice would set fire to the hearts of the rebels! They'll cast every non-Delian into the sea for Poseidon to chew up and spit out!
- Kassandra: You realize I'm not Delian. The Spartans who fought and died for the rebellion are also not Delian.
- Kasos: Athenians want these islands for our wealth. The Spartans want these islands for Sparta. I won't let them have it. We don't need them! We don't want them! Delians should rule Delos alone! Now if you don't mind, I'm going straight to Kyra. The rebels must leave their caves. The time to attack is now!
- Kassandra: I can't let you go back to Mykonos alone.
- Kasos: I knew it! You're one of them. You don't belong here. I'll send you and your kind to the Styx!
- Kassandra: Can't wait to hear what Sokrates has to say about this.
- Kassandra: Go, and don't come back. Every soldier on Delos will be looking for you.
- Kasos: Let them find me. I already sent one to his grave, I'd love to send another!
Kassandra returned to Sokrates to see the crowd had returned to lodge another complaint.
- Antenor: Sokrates! Another foreigner has spilled blood on sacred soil!
- Sokrates: Perhaps they did. But mistakes are a failure of intellect, not character... Are they not?
- Sophia: These are sacred lands. Our laws are clear!
- Sokrates: Are they? If it is not possible to know what is right, and thus do wrong, then the foreigner acted out of ignorance, not malice.
- Antenor: So, you say we need to tell every person on the island what the laws are?
- Sokrates: If a law is truly just, is it not knowable through deduction alone?
Once more, Kassandra spoke to Sokrates.
- Sokrates: Ah, Kassandra! Seeing you on Delos sets my heart at ease. So, tell me. How was your encounter with the rebellious prisoner?
- Kassandra: You never told me he was an extremist lunatic.
- Sokrates: Ah, but who am I to judge what is too much, or too crazy? Are we not both at some point or another?
- Kassandra: He would have thrown you and your philosophies into the sea.
Sokrates laughed.
- Sokrates: Perhaps when I was thinner, both in weight, and philosophy. So, tell me, were you able to resolve the situation without bloodshed?
- Kassandra: There may have been a few drops, but everyone survived.
- Sokrates: Interesting. A Mercenary who carries blades of death wherever she goes, and yet in this particular case, she chose life.
- Kassandra: What can I say? I was in a good mood.
- Kassandra: The rebel had guards. I... relieved them.
- Sokrates: Interesting. You thought the life of a thief and a murderer was worth more than that of soldiers doing their duty.
- Kassandra: I wasn't even thinking about him, to be honest.
Regardless, Sokrates asked the rebel's fate.
- Sokrates: And what of the rebel?
- Kassandra: He's dead. Probably for the best.
- Sokrates: Best for Delos? Best for the rebellion? Or best for you?
- Kassandra: Yes.
- Kassandra: He should be halfway to Mykonos by now.
- Sokrates: Oh really? You let that lunatic run loose? Are you sure that was wise?
- Kassandra: I'm not sure approaching you was wise.
The two continued talking.
- Kassandra: Should be on his way back to Mykonos, if he knows what's good for him.
- Sokrates: Our choices are like ripples on water. They seem tiny and insignificant at the beginning, but they can become devastating tidal waves by the time they run their course.
- Kassandra: It's a pleasure, Sokrates. I can always count on you to give me a devastating headache.
- Sokrates: The pleasure is mine, Kassandra. Hope to see you around the symposiums again.
- Kassandra: Don't hold your breath.
- Sokrates: Our choices are like ripples on water. They seem tiny and insignificant at the beginning, but they can become devastating tidal waves by the time they run their course.
- Kassandra: It's a pleasure, Sokrates. I can always count on you to give me a devastating headache.
- Sokrates: The pleasure is mine, Kassandra. Hope to see you around the symposiums again.
- Kassandra: Don't hold your breath.
Outcome
Kassandra met Sokrates and decided the fate of the captive rebel before returning to report the results to him.
Trivia
- If the memory is completed without killing anyone, Sokrates will still question the protagonist on why they killed the guards. The crowd will still mention that "another foreigner has spilled blood on sacred soil", but the dialogue mentioning the player's restraint at the Hestiatorion remains.
- Even if the Athenians have already been deposed as a result of the memory "Call to Arms", the Hestiatorion is still a restricted zone, and as such, the Spartan replacement soldiers will attack the player on sight.
- If Kasos is spared, he will assassinate Thaletas during the memory "A Night To Remember".
- The Socratic method, also known as maieutics, method of elenchus, elenctic method, or Socratic debate, is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions.
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