Escape Plot

"'Mother has foreseen the ones worthy of planetary succession. Do not, under any circumstances, inform those not chosen. Their minds will warp and possibly destroy all the hope we have left for humanity. He may love us, but even love is limited.' - Computer entry in the executive offices of One Concern West"

"'Hey, did you notice how us workforce people have been given different-color tickets from the pupils? Could be to distinguish the work we do, but everyone except the pupils get the red ticket, even my family.' - ChemiCo Chemist in The Tower"

The Escape Plot is a complex part of the overall story of Iconoclasts. It is a plot started long before the events of the game for a chosen few to escape the Planet to Midway, a base on the planet's smaller moon. During the game, the plot is discovered by various parties and it eventually falls apart.

=Tickets= Tickets are required to board the escape rocket. In order to deceive people required to be partially let in to the escape plot, the conspirators gave White Tickets to people designated to survive and escape the Planet and Red Tickets to those designated to be left behind to perish. Red Tickets are given out to the Bastion Elite in order to secure their compliance.

=Launch Requirements= To actually take off in the rocket several things are required:
 * 1) A white ticket for each individual to board
 * 2) A Passcard, which is a password disk, must be inserted into the rocket's computer
 * 3) A pair of two-man-rule switches must be activated at the same time from a ground station in the One Concern East

=The Chosen= In addition to the Pupils, there are eight people specifically designated to escape to Midway. It is possible but unlikely that several of these people are unaware of plot. Only Royal is confirmed to be unaware of the depth of the plot.
 * Emmet Darland
 * Aisling Ferrier
 * Bea Blockrock
 * Oliver Shard
 * Joseph Glass
 * Mother
 * Progeny Royal
 * Madelyn Binoche

It is possible that there are others designated to accompany them to midway as it would take more than just these people to execute it. Computer entries in One Concern West refer to "executive employees" and "executive researchers" with escape routes to the Rocket Platform built into the floors of their offices. However it is difficult to tell who is actually chosen to escape and who is just given a Red Ticket to make them think that they are going to escape in order to ensure their compliance. It is possible that everyone besides the chosen and the pupils were given red tickets and were going to be left behind.

=Knowledge= Who knew what and when?

Mother, Agent Black, and the Bastion Suits
Mother, Agent Black, and the Bastion Suits (especially Emmet Darland) all are full conspirators fully aware of the plot since long before the events of Iconoclasts and likely the instigators.

Royal
Royal seems genuinely unaware of the plot to leave some behind despite being destined to be one of the chosen and despite that knows that a White Ticket is required to board the rocket. Royal apparently has more than one white ticket and he uses them to gain access to the Rocket Platform with Robin. Royal is familiar with the One Concern's expeditions to both moons, Midway's existence, and even the mechanics of how to operate the special doors only found on Midway. He seems merely unaware that He is coming to the Planet and that Midway's purpose is to escape before then and leave others behind.

Bastion Elite
The Bastion Elite are aware of the Escape Plot and attempt to keep the One Concern Army from finding out. However they are deceived by the conspirators and are given red tickets instead of white.

Concern Mechanics and ChemiCo Chemists
Several Mechanics and ChemiCo Chemists are working inside The Tower where the Pupils are being indoctrinated. They are aware of it being the end times and the plan to escape. At least all of those working in the Tower have been given tickets, but as noted by a Chemist in the Tower's basement, all the regular staff and their families have received Red Tickets.

General Chrome and Tolo
General Chrome discovers The Tower during the siege of Isilugar, which is why he is not present while the One Concern Army attacks it without him. He and Tolo march into the tower at the same time as Robin, Mina, and Elro and burst into the interrogation room on the top floors with Agent Black and Samba inside. Chrome inquires what the tower is, why it is using so much Ivory during a shortage, and why the secret of the tower's existence was kept from him. Black declines to answer until they return to the One Concern HQ.

Exactly how much Black told Chrome is unclear as their conversation happens off-screen, but Chrome manages to find out about the plot to escape and leave others behind, and even about how Royal had accidentally summoned Him early between when Chrome left the tower and when he is next seen in the Conference Room of the One Concern West. At this conference, Darland gives instructions to prepare the only rocket nearing completion for immediate departure. Because Royal summoned Him, Darland needs the rocket prepared immediately, but he lies and says that it is to research a new kind of Ivory found on the smaller moon to keep the plot a secret from the One Concern Army. After Darland is done speaking, General Chrome divulges the entire plot to the Army, much to the terror of Black, Darland, and Bea Blockrock who is also present. It is likely that Black instructed Nobel to assassinate Chrome using a syringe of Elro's Compound during this conference, but she was unable to do so before Chrome divulged the secret.

One Concern Army
The One Concern Army is mentioned several times to have been purposefully left out of the dark entirely. They are not allowed into The Tower at all, the Bastion Elite keep them out of any underground areas where they could stumble upon information not meant for them such as the Dark Cave or Planet Spines, and a Concern Mechanic mentions being bribed by one of the soldiers to find out what is in the tower. The Army finds out about the plot and the intent to leave them behind when General Chrome reveals it to them in the One Concern West conference hall.

Mother's Corners
Mother's Corners begin slaughtering the Pupils after Mother's death once the plot falls apart. They are clearly aware of the Pupils and that they have a critical role in service to the Tri, but they do not specifically mention Midway or what was to become of the Pupils. It is possible the Corners are unaware of the full plot, or they may be aware and their religious zealotry was fierce enough that they involved themselves in the plot knowing they would be left behind. It is unclear which color tickets they were given, if any. Whatever they know of the plot, they knew it before the game began.

The Agents
The Agents' awareness is unknown, aside from Agent Black who is one of the original chosen. None of the other agents have their name in the halls of Midway, but as they are deeply involved in One Concern affairs, it is possible that they do have extra knowledge. We do know that at least Agent Grey was given a ticket. A Bastion Elite asks if he can give Grey's ticket to Turkosa after she dies, but the color is not specified. Grey is also very close to Agent Black, who is one of the original conspirators. The Silver Watchman is also assigned a post at The Tower so he knows of its existence and possibly its purpose. He never speaks a word, so his full knowledge is unknown. Agent White also never speaks of the plot and dies early in the game.

It is important to note that General Chrome is not an agent.

Father
Father's awareness is unknown. Because the Bastion Suits, who are some of the main conspirators, are not Transcendent and have normal lifespans, it is likely that the plan was solidified if not formed under Mother after Father's rule ended. However the events that prompted the Escape Plot in the first place may have been due to what was found in the Dark Cave during Father's rule.

Settlers
The Settlers are likely all kept in the dark as much as the One Concern Army is. None of them ever mention the rocket program at all.

The Isi
Isi spies observe the One Concern launching missiles frequently, using up ludicrous amounts of Ivory to fuel them. They are not aware of their purpose at all, or even that their own mining of Ivory is contributing to the destruction of the Planet as well.

Zinaida and Michi
If Robin refuses Zinaida's Cream Horn, she reveals that she has a Strange Slip and doesn't remember where it's from. Robin can deliver this slip to Michi, who recognizes it as a white ticket and is surprised that Robin was able to get one. In Settlement 17, Michi says that Robin effectively gave away her life by giving her the white ticket.

Pupils
The Pupils are indoctrinated and not allowed to leave The Tower. They are unaware of the plot or anything in the outside world. They are chosen to join Mother and the other conspirators as indoctrinated sheep that will not question their authority in the new world they flee to.

Reborns
Nobel is instructed to assassinate General Chrome, likely to keep him quiet after he learns of the plot. All three are assigned to protect the rocket. Their full knowledge is unknown.

Robin (and the Player)
As the plot follows Robin, the same information is revealed to her as the player. Mina and Elro are in her party during some of these reveals, so it is implied that they learn the information along with Robin.

=Breakdown=

=Timeline=