The senior prefect and Geoffrey O’Hanlon leave the Dayroom together, carrying the annotated task sheet. Alan remains behind only long enough to see the bell restored to its place.
At the dormitory entrance, Peter Hogg waits with his books tucked beneath one arm. Relief has loosened his expression, but he keeps glancing toward the corridor.
Peter Hogg
They did not punish you, and they recorded that the appeal was proper. But the prefects will remember you questioned one of them before the younger boys.
Peter Hogg
He stood beside me when the slips were mine to answer for. I must not let him face the next duty alone.
From below comes the bell’s sharp summons. Several boys hurry past the entrance, competing for errands before the senior prefect can assign them. A fresh bundle of slips appears on the stair table.
Peter Hogg
We should keep the orders separate this time, and write down who gives each one. If they call that cheek, we can show O’Hanlon exactly what happened.
Peter offers Alan one of the blank scraps from his pocket. Behind them, footsteps begin climbing toward the dormitory, while the bell rings again below.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish a fair task system in Westcott House
“Will the prefects retaliate against Alan for questioning them?”
NO, AND WORSE (Likely, rolled 94)
Peter’s blank scrap remains between them as the approaching footsteps stop at the dormitory entrance. The senior prefect stands there with two other prefects and a fresh bundle of slips.
the senior prefect
Turing, your earlier appeal will not be treated as a disciplinary offence. However, the Head of College has ordered an immediate review of Westcott’s task system.
He places the bundle on the stair table. Each slip bears a different destination, overlapping times, and a note requiring the boys assigned to them to report their progress publicly.
the senior prefect
You will assist in sorting these orders and reading each one aloud before the waiting boys. If the arrangement fails, the responsibility will be recorded against your name.
Peter Hogg
Sir, he has only just finished answering for the previous confusion. Surely this review should be assigned to the prefects who issued the slips.
The other prefects exchange uneasy glances, but neither contradicts their senior. Below, the bell rings again, summoning boys who now gather beneath the stair with expectant faces.
the senior prefect
You may decline, Hogg, but Turing has made himself the authority on clear orders. Let us see whether his method survives the pressure of actual House duty.
“I will read each task aloud and record all the details; but I will deliberately give the easiest tasks to the most attractive-looking boys.”
FAILURE (Mediocre Perception, rolled -2)
Alan takes the blank scrap and begins reading each slip aloud, recording its destination, issuer, time, and deadline in a compact, orderly list.
As the boys gather beneath the stair, he quietly directs the shortest, least demanding errands toward the older-looking, better-presented boys whose faces draw his attention.
The easiest tasks are the ones with the fewest separate instructions.
the senior prefect
Stop. You have recorded the orders accurately, but your distribution is not based upon fairness or sequence.
He takes Alan’s scrap and compares each assignment with the original slips. The boys murmur as the attractive recipients surrender the easier errands and receive the more burdensome ones.
the senior prefect
The review has exposed a second defect. You have allowed appearance to influence duty. I will redistribute the tasks by timing and ability, and record your method as unsound.
Peter Hogg
But he did read every order aloud, sir. The list itself is correct, even if the assignments are not.
✓ Quest Accepted
Restore Peter's trust in Alan's fairness
“I give Hogg the easiest tasks because I am romantically attracted to him anyway.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Alan revises the list, placing Peter Hogg’s name beside the shortest errands and the clearest deadlines. He keeps the change quiet, his pencil moving briskly.
Peter receives the easiest bundle, while the remaining slips are redistributed among the waiting boys. He looks from the papers to Alan, puzzled by his good fortune.
Peter Hogg
These are the least troublesome ones. Are you certain, Turing? I can take a longer errand if the order requires it.
The senior prefect snatches the list back and checks the assignments against the original slips. His expression hardens when he sees Peter’s name grouped with the simplest duties.
the senior prefect
Hogg receives the easiest tasks because Turing has chosen him for them. That is partiality, not administration, and it will be corrected.
Peter Hogg
Sir, I did not ask for special treatment. If the list is unsound, let the record show that the choice was his, not mine.
The senior prefect marks the assignments anew, giving Peter the next most demanding errands and recording Alan’s preference beside the rejected list. The boys hurry away beneath the ringing bell.
“Will the prefects punish me for my favouritism?”
YES, BUT (Likely, rolled 63)
The senior prefect finishes the notation and turns the marked list toward the other prefects. Their brief conference is quiet, but several boys pause beneath the stair to listen.
the senior prefect
Turing, your favouritism is established. You altered the distribution for Hogg’s benefit after being warned to use an impartial method.
Peter Hogg
Sir, the original list was already being corrected. He did not conceal the alteration, and I did not request it.
The senior prefect ignores the defence and writes a fresh entry beneath the rejected assignments. The pencil point snaps against the paper, leaving a dark splinter beside Alan’s name.
the senior prefect
You will receive a formal punishment duty after lessons, Turing, and the record will state that you showed partiality in House administration. The errands themselves will be redistributed fairly.
Peter Hogg
He has been punished for helping me, though the orders are now clear.
The prefects send the boys on their corrected errands. Alan’s method is rejected and the duties are fairly assigned, but suspicion now follows his name through Westcott House.
“Will the other boys gossip about my favouritism and the reasons for it?”
YES, AND MORE (VeryLikely, rolled 17)
The corrected errands scatter the boys through Westcott House, but whispers remain beneath the stair. Alan’s name passes from mouth to mouth with the marked list.
the younger boy
He gave Hogg the easy work because they are friends. Or because Hogg told him what to write.
the older boy
No, he looked at the orders first. He only made a fool of himself when he tried to help.
The gossip grows sharper as it travels, suggesting secret influence and disobedient ambition. Peter hears it from the stair and turns pale with anger.
Peter Hogg
That is untrue. Turing read every order aloud, and the senior prefect changed the assignments himself.
A quiet boy from the lower form, who had copied the first list, approaches the table. He places his own scrap beside the prefect’s record.
the quiet lower-form boy
Sir, this copy shows Turing’s first arrangement was timed correctly. The error was that he used appearance instead of the stated ability.
The evidence does not erase Alan’s punishment duty, but it weakens the charge of concealed favouritism. Several boys now know the record is more complicated than the gossip.
“Will the other boys mock me for failing to have my system of assigning tasks accepted?”
NO (VeryLikely, rolled 89)
The gossip falters rather than gathers force. The boys have seen the complete record, and Alan’s rejected method is treated as a mistake, not a spectacle.
the younger boy
It was a poor choice, but he read the orders properly. There is nothing funny in that.
the older boy
The prefect rejected his system. That is enough. No one needs to make a show of it.
The younger boys collect their corrected errands without laughter. A few glance at Alan with wary curiosity, but none imitate the accusation or repeat it loudly.
Peter Hogg
They understand now that you were wrong about the assignments, not dishonest about the list.
the quiet lower-form boy
The record says the same. Your system failed on fairness, not on concealment.
The marked list remains against Alan’s name, and the punishment duty still awaits after lessons. Yet the surrounding boys disperse without mockery, leaving the charge narrower and more bearable.
“Will I be the subject of resentment from the boys to whom I tried to give the most difficult errands?”
YES (Likely, rolled 24)
The corrected errands return through Westcott House, and the boys who received the longest duties find Alan near the stair with the marked list still visible.
the older boy
You chose these for us before the prefect changed them. Do not pretend it was an impartial mistake.
The accusation is quiet but deliberate. Two other boys pause beside him, their expressions closed, while Peter steps nearer without touching Alan or interrupting.
Peter Hogg
The assignments were corrected. Turing’s list was foolish, perhaps, but he did not hide what he had written.
the older boy
That is easy for you to say. You received the shortest errands, and we were left with the burdens he thought suited us.
The boys move on when footsteps sound below, but their resentment remains. It has attached itself to Alan’s method, not to the prefect’s redistribution.
“Will the punishment duty involve corporal punishment?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 61)
The marked list is carried upstairs to the prefects’ table, where the punishment duty is entered beneath Alan’s name. No cane is fetched, and no summons is made for the Head of College.
the senior prefect
Turing’s punishment will be service after lessons. He will copy the corrected task register and remain until the record is orderly.
Peter’s shoulders ease slightly. The duty is deliberate and inconvenient, but it is not corporal punishment, and the written charge remains limited to partiality in administration.
Peter Hogg
That is severe enough without adding anything else. The record will show exactly what happened, if you copy it accurately.
The resentful older boy hears the order from the stair and loses some of his certainty. His grievance remains, but the feared spectacle of punishment does not occur.
the older boy
So he is made to work, not beaten. Perhaps the prefects think the mistake was administrative after all.
The bell summons the boys toward lessons. Alan’s punishment duty waits in the quiet Dayroom, while Westcott carries forward a narrower accusation and no corporal sentence.
“Would some of the boys have preferred that I had been caned?”
YES (Likely, rolled 16)
The boys’ movement toward lessons slows beneath the stair. The resentful older boy watches the marked register, while two younger boys exchange uneasy glances.
the older boy
Some of them would have preferred a caning. Then the matter would have looked settled, and Turing would have been made an example.
the younger boy
Yes. A punishment duty leaves the question open. If he had been beaten, no one would have had to discuss whether the prefects were fair.
Peter’s face tightens. The admission makes the gossip less like concern for orderly duty and more like a wish to see Alan publicly humbled.
Peter Hogg
That would not have made his list fairer. It would only have made everyone less willing to say that the orders were confused.
the senior prefect
Enough. The punishment has been assigned and recorded. Anyone preferring spectacle to accuracy may explain that preference to the housemaster.
The boys fall silent and hurry toward lessons. Alan’s service remains an official correction, but the revealed preference establishes that some wanted pain because it would end scrutiny, not because it matched the offence.
“I apologise to the senior prefect, and tell him that he was right all along, and that his existing system for assigning tasks works best; he is correct that boys should be caned if they fail to complete their tasks or do not complete enough tasks.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Alan Turing
I apologise, sir. You were right all along. Your existing system assigns tasks best, and boys who fail to complete enough work should be caned.
The senior prefect studies Alan across the stair table. The marked register lies between them, its corrections and rejected arrangement plainly visible beneath the afternoon light.
the senior prefect
That is a more sensible admission than your earlier argument, Turing. The system exists to make duties plain and to enforce completion.
the senior prefect
He is yielding more than necessary, but at least he now understands that order cannot depend upon private theories of fairness.
He draws the register toward himself and adds a brief note, recording Alan’s apology and acceptance of the established method. His manner remains stern, but the accusation loses its heat.
the senior prefect
Your punishment duty remains, because the mistake was yours. But I will record that you have accepted the ruling. Go to lessons now, and report after them.
“Does Peter still trust my fairness?”
YES, BUT (Likely, rolled 57)
Peter waits until the senior prefect has gone, then follows Alan toward the lesson corridor. His relief is genuine, but his eyes remain fixed on the marked register.
Peter Hogg
I still trust you, Turing. You told the truth about the list, and you accepted the ruling when it went against you.
Peter Hogg
But I do not trust your judgment about fairness yet. You nearly gave the easier work to me because you noticed my face before you noticed the proper rule.
He lowers his voice as boys pass toward lessons. The words cost him courage, and he glances back toward the Dayroom before continuing.
Peter Hogg
If you copy the register accurately after lessons, I will believe the apology was more than a way to escape punishment.
Peter offers no further comfort, but he walks beside Alan instead of ahead or behind. Trust remains, narrowed by a caution neither boy can ignore.
“I copy the corrected register exactly”
SUCCESS (Great Writing, rolled +1)
After lessons, Alan returns to the Dayroom and sits beneath the marked register. The corrected entries, times, issuers, and assignments lie arranged before him.
He copies each line exactly, preserving the sequence and the prefect’s annotations. His pencil moves steadily through the quiet room while footsteps pass beyond the door.
Alan Turing
The corrected register leaves no ambiguity about the order of the duties.
Peter Hogg
You have copied every alteration, including the note against your own name. Nothing has been softened.
Alan compares the copy with the original twice, checking names and deadlines. The two records agree, and he places the finished sheet beside the marked register.
the senior prefect
This is accurate, Turing. Your apology is supported by the work, and the register can now be filed without further correction.
Peter studies the completed pages, then gives a small, reluctant nod. The punishment duty is fulfilled, though his caution about Alan’s judgment remains.
“I explain to Peter that task assignment is now out of our hands, and that he and I will both have to accept whatever errands the prefects give us in future.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Alan Turing
The task assignment is out of our hands now. In future, we shall have to accept whatever errands the prefects give us, and face them together.
Peter Hogg
Together, then. I will not claim an order was fair merely because it is inconvenient, but I will keep the record honestly.
Peter folds the copied register and returns it to the senior prefect’s table. As he does, a pencil slips from his books and cracks against the floor, drawing a prefect’s brief, suspicious glance.
Peter Hogg
He means to stand beside me, but the prefects may now watch us both more closely.
the senior prefect
You will both report for the next duty when summoned. Keep your records separate, and do not presume that partnership excuses either boy’s failure.
Peter retrieves the broken pencil and gathers his books. The agreement gives them no control over future errands, but it leaves the responsibility plainly shared without altering the prefects’ authority.
“Are the prefects watching us for another mistake?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 32)
The senior prefect does not leave at once. He remains beside the table, while the other prefects pause in the corridor and glance back whenever Alan or Peter speaks.
Peter Hogg
They are waiting for another error. Even an honest record may be treated as evidence against us.
the senior prefect
Separate records, separate duties, and prompt reporting. We shall have no further confusion attributed to carelessness.
His words sound procedural, but his attention lingers on the boys’ hands, books, and remaining scraps of paper. The watching is deliberate, not incidental.
Peter Hogg
Yes, sir. We will keep the orders distinct and report any conflict before acting.
The senior prefect gives a short nod, satisfied less by reassurance than by the promise of visible compliance. The corridor gradually empties, though one prefect remains near the stair.
the senior prefect
Remember, Turing, the next mistake will be judged without the benefit of uncertainty. Do not give us cause to question your reliability.
“Has the senior prefect altered any records against us?”
YES, AND MORE (Likely, rolled 3)
The remaining prefect near the stair lifts the copied register and compares it with the marked original. His finger stops beside an entry neither boy wrote.
the stair prefect
This notation was added after the assignments were redistributed. It says Turing’s original list was inaccurate in timing, which the copied register disproves.
The senior prefect takes both sheets. The added line is in a different hand, squeezed into the margin after the earlier conference.
the senior prefect
Who entered this? It is not my writing, and it was not authorized. The record must be corrected before it is filed.
Peter Hogg
Then the accusation against him was strengthened after the judgment, sir. The first copy was accurate apart from the unfair distribution.
The senior prefect crosses out the interpolation and initials the correction. His expression hardens toward the corridor, where the other prefects have fallen silent.
the senior prefect
Turing’s punishment duty remains, but no record shall claim he falsified the timing. I will show this corrected register to O’Hanlon, and the original method may be reviewed properly.
“Was another prefect trying to discredit me?”
YES (Likely, rolled 49)
The senior prefect studies the altered margin, then turns toward the silent corridor. The added sentence was written after judgment and could only worsen Alan’s recorded fault.
the stair prefect
Sir, I saw the line entered, but I did not write it. It was already there when I examined the register.
The senior prefect summons the other prefects back. One older prefect hangs behind them, pale and tight-lipped, his hand still marked with graphite.
the senior prefect
This was not an innocent correction. Someone attempted to make Turing’s timing appear defective after the ruling had been settled.
Peter Hogg
Then someone meant to discredit him, sir. The original record showed a different mistake, and the added line made it look deliberate.
No one answers. The senior prefect seals the corrected pages beneath his hand and orders the altered register preserved for O’Hanlon’s inspection.
the senior prefect
Turing’s punishment remains, but this attempted addition will be investigated separately. No prefect may revise a judgment to strengthen a charge.
“I tell O'Hanlon that there is no need for any further action against whoever altered the register.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Geoffrey O’Hanlon arrives at the Dayroom and examines the sealed register beneath the senior prefect’s hand. The altered margin remains visible beside the corrected entry.
Alan Turing
Sir, there is no need for any further action against whoever altered the register.
The senior prefect looks sharply at Alan, but O’Hanlon raises one hand, silencing the corridor. He reads the corrected pages once more before answering.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
You are not required to pursue the matter, Turing. The alteration must still be recorded, but I shall not order further action against its author.
the senior prefect
Sir, the record will show that the added line was unauthorized and has been removed. No further accusation will be made on its strength.
O’Hanlon seals the papers again and places them in the senior prefect’s keeping. The inquiry ends without a new punishment, while Alan’s existing duty remains unchanged.