People seem to think that there actually has to be a fight.

How about, uh, no?
Let's play it out this way, cutscene goes on, you're called a wanker and told you killed some big-wig even though you didn't, shit goes downhill and then boom, choice time, you can choose to stay and fight, or to run like a coward.
If you pick the former, instead of the fight, they could just have the insistence of the Scions that you should leave, maybe even forcing you to leave. There, character has agency, player has control and you get the same conclusion. You're powerless, you're in an unfavourable situation, boom, it doesn't have to come at the cost of making our characters all the same boring person which should be MMO suicide, but all you damn fanboys are ruining it.