{
  "edition": "revised-20260928",
  "chapter": 19,
  "title": "The Engineer's Choice",
  "status": "current_edition_source_linked_canon",
  "word_count": 4615,
  "chapter_url": "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/",
  "prose_hash": "f617861caec32175d83ed5cb3e807719b6ec8e9000185d2f0ccdb97f2d5d614d",
  "prose_hash_basis": "SHA-256 of published chapter paragraph text, joined by two newlines",
  "canon_url": "/after-the-sleeper/canon/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/",
  "previous_edition_url": "/after-the-sleeper/canon/19-the-engineers-choice/",
  "evidence_edition": "Revised novel, 28 September 2026",
  "evidence_note": "Every evidence link targets a paragraph in the current chapter. Interpretation remains bounded by that paragraph and surrounding scene.",
  "thesis": "Arun rejects a central Director office. A deliberate exchange attack tests a distributed response while its governance remains only a working draft.",
  "entities": [
    {
      "id": "A2-CHAR-ARUN",
      "name": "Arun Vey",
      "kind": "Character",
      "paragraphs": [
        4,
        65,
        103,
        202,
        319,
        397,
        410,
        411,
        430
      ],
      "fact": "Rejects a proposed single Director, drafts system boards and an expiring emergency procedure, then accepts a seven-day first-convenor term after the exchange attack.",
      "art": "Torn Director proposal beside draft charter.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p004",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p065",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p103",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p202",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p319",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p397",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p410",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p411",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p430"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-CHAR-VOSS",
      "name": "Halden Voss",
      "kind": "Character",
      "paragraphs": [
        4,
        49,
        385,
        430
      ],
      "fact": "Offers a durable Director office and argues for central accountability; he later agrees the alternative still remains a proposal.",
      "art": "Proposal stamped separately from the working draft.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p004",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p049",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p385",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p430"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-CHAR-NARA",
      "name": "Nara Venn",
      "kind": "Character",
      "paragraphs": [
        114,
        173,
        301
      ],
      "fact": "Demands affected-district representation, separates safety limits from service priorities, and gives district priorities as recommendations during restoration.",
      "art": "District note signed as recommendation.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p114",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p173",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p301"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-CHAR-HOLT",
      "name": "Merin Holt",
      "kind": "Character",
      "paragraphs": [
        154,
        173,
        421
      ],
      "fact": "Presses for worker representation and practical authority to refuse unsafe limits without letting engineers choose social priorities alone.",
      "art": "Worker’s written objection on the draft.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p154",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p173",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p421"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-OBJ-DIRECTOR-PROPOSAL",
      "name": "Director of Essential Systems",
      "kind": "Proposal",
      "paragraphs": [
        4,
        5,
        49,
        430
      ],
      "fact": "A central cross-system signature office is proposed to Arun; he refuses the lasting concentration of operational authority.",
      "art": "Unsigned first page of the proposal.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p004",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p005",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p049",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p430"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-OBJ-FOUR-PART-BOARD",
      "name": "The Four-Part System Board",
      "kind": "Proposal",
      "paragraphs": [
        70,
        72,
        73,
        74,
        189,
        202,
        203
      ],
      "fact": "The draft gives places to technical operators, workers, affected districts and public audit, while protecting local safety limits from votes and service priorities from technicians acting alone.",
      "art": "Four incomplete but separately accountable columns.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p070",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p072",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p073",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p074",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p189",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p202",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p203"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-EVENT-SOUTHERN-SABOTAGE",
      "name": "The Southern Exchange Attack",
      "kind": "Event",
      "paragraphs": [
        205,
        224,
        228,
        232,
        263
      ],
      "fact": "A machined strip and jumper defeat a protection sequence; four engineers die. The local log shows no UNKNOWN request or preservation credential, and no black seal is found there.",
      "art": "Photographed cabinet evidence; no invented insignia.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p205",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p224",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p228",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p232",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p263"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-OBJ-RESTORATION-REQUEST",
      "name": "Published Restoration Capacity",
      "kind": "Procedure",
      "paragraphs": [
        280,
        301,
        319,
        320,
        332
      ],
      "fact": "Stations publish spare capacity and safety conditions, with local sign-offs. Marian conditions temporary industrial generation so its use establishes no property title.",
      "art": "Distinct signatures and temporary power conditions.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p280",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p301",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p319",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p320",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p332"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-OBJ-WORKING-CHARTER",
      "name": "Essential Systems Charter — Working Draft",
      "kind": "Proposal",
      "paragraphs": [
        202,
        203,
        204,
        385,
        397,
        400,
        432
      ],
      "fact": "The public draft rejects permanent central override, separates technical and public audit seats and sets automatic expiry and multi-constituency renewal. It is not enacted municipal law.",
      "art": "Visible WORKING DRAFT stamp and expiry field.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p202",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p203",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p204",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p385",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p397",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p400",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p432"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-OBJ-SEVEN-DAY-CONVENOR",
      "name": "Seven-Day First Convenor",
      "kind": "Procedure",
      "paragraphs": [
        410,
        411,
        430,
        432
      ],
      "fact": "Arun takes a temporary first-convenor term of seven days while a board is built; it carries a written expiry rather than a permanent Director’s signature.",
      "art": "Term and expiry fields next to his name.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p410",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p411",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p430",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p432"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "continuity_locks": [
    {
      "claim": "The Director office is proposed and rejected; Arun does not hold that title.",
      "paragraphs": [
        4,
        5,
        49,
        430
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p004",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p005",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p049",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p430"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "Four-part governance, a proposed conflict procedure and automatic expiry remain draft rules, not enacted law.",
      "paragraphs": [
        131,
        146,
        202,
        203,
        385,
        397
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p131",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p146",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p202",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p203",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p385",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p397"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "The southern exchange attack is physical sabotage with four engineer deaths; its perpetrator is not established.",
      "paragraphs": [
        224,
        228,
        232,
        263
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p224",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p228",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p232",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p263"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "No evidence at the attack site ties it to UNKNOWN, a preservation credential or a black seal.",
      "paragraphs": [
        232
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p232"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "The emergency response uses published spare capacity and local operating limits; temporary industrial power confers no title.",
      "paragraphs": [
        280,
        301,
        309,
        311,
        319,
        320
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p280",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p301",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p309",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p311",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p319",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p320"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "The final working draft rejects a permanent central override and separates technical from public-audit roles.",
      "paragraphs": [
        103,
        204,
        397,
        400
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p103",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p204",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p397",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p400"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "Arun’s first-convenor term is seven days and marked to expire.",
      "paragraphs": [
        410,
        411,
        430,
        432
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p410",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p411",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p430",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p432"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "tcg": {
    "status": "Untested design candidates only. Costs, statistics, rarity and timing are not approved. No live game rules change.",
    "candidates": [
      {
        "id": "A2-C19-REV-01",
        "name": "Rejected Director Proposal",
        "type": "Record",
        "affinity": [
          "Influence",
          "Infrastructure"
        ],
        "source_entities": [
          "A2-OBJ-DIRECTOR-PROPOSAL"
        ],
        "direction": "Offer an authority shortcut whose concentration must be judged against published service needs.",
        "source_links": [
          "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p004",
          "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p005",
          "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p049"
        ],
        "open_question": "Untested concept. Costs, rarity, timing and rules must be checked against the live game."
      },
      {
        "id": "A2-C19-REV-02",
        "name": "Working System Board",
        "type": "Record",
        "affinity": [
          "Infrastructure",
          "Knowledge"
        ],
        "source_entities": [
          "A2-OBJ-FOUR-PART-BOARD",
          "A2-OBJ-WORKING-CHARTER"
        ],
        "direction": "Coordinate through separate technical, worker, district and audit roles while keeping expiry visible.",
        "source_links": [
          "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p070",
          "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p072",
          "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p073"
        ],
        "open_question": "Untested concept. Costs, rarity, timing and rules must be checked against the live game."
      }
    ]
  },
  "boundary": "Original Sleeper Archive fiction. Canon summaries follow the revised novel; game concepts are untested.",
  "records": [
    {
      "id": "A2-037",
      "title": "Director of Essential Systems",
      "url": "/after-the-sleeper/records/037-director-of-essential-systems/",
      "paragraphs": [
        4,
        5,
        49,
        65,
        430
      ],
      "copy": "The proposed Director would consolidate cross-system authority; Arun rejects it and sketches separately accountable boards.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p004",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p005",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p049",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p065",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p430"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "A2-038",
      "title": "Less Powerful by Design",
      "url": "/after-the-sleeper/records/038-less-powerful-by-design/",
      "paragraphs": [
        202,
        203,
        204,
        397,
        400,
        411,
        432
      ],
      "copy": "The charter remains a working draft with distributed roles, expiring emergency powers and a seven-day first convenor.",
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p202",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p203",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p204",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p397",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p400",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p411",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p432"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "changes_and_uncertainties": [
    {
      "note": "The revised chapter makes the proposal status explicit before and after the sabotage. A successful restoration does not enact the charter.",
      "paragraphs": [
        146,
        202,
        385,
        397
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p146",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p202",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p385",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p397"
      ]
    },
    {
      "note": "The local protection evidence establishes sabotage without identifying the attacker or borrowing UNKNOWN as an explanation.",
      "paragraphs": [
        228,
        232,
        263
      ],
      "source_links": [
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p228",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p232",
        "/after-the-sleeper/edition-20260928-r5/19-the-engineers-choice/#p263"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "edition_id": "A2-CH19-20260928-R5",
  "r5_editorial_note": "R5 revises 25 paragraph(s) in this chapter; the 28 September R4 text is archived separately."
}