001: Unexpected Beginnings

[terrymixon]

Garvin helps to efficiently load the loot into swag bags - he seems familiar in the role.

"Always liked this bit of a caper".

As Arkar manoeuvres the body overhead he comments "Stone the crows - another stiff! Bodies are droppin' all around this high tech gear!"

Struck by a thought he calls up " 'Ere, Arkar, does this bit of console match what's missing from the bridge?"

It does not. The consoles up there are all intact. Only the area that had been protecting the computer had been ripped open.

Roscoe looked at the others. "I will have the engineering drones go over the inside of the ship to be certain we didn't miss anything. That should take half an hour. If they don't find anything, are we done here?"

[Tiglath]

Roscoe looked at the others. "I will have the engineering drones go over the inside of the ship to be certain we didn't miss anything. That should take half an hour. If they don't find anything, are we done here?"

Garvin agrees "Sounds like a plan. Let's resecure Mad Dog's two secret stashes and get back to the ship".

[joertexas]

Roscoe looked at the others. "I will have the engineering drones go over the inside of the ship to be certain we didn't miss anything. That should take half an hour. If they don't find anything, are we done here?"

Garvin agrees "Sounds like a plan. Let's resecure Mad Dog's two secret stashes and get back to the ship".

"I'd like to look around, as well," Jaelah says. "Please secure everything so we don't contaminate any evidence that might be left. I know this is aggravating, but we have several mysteries to solve, and a real concern that there are others who may not want that to happen."

[terrymixon]

Roscoe looked at the others. "I will have the engineering drones go over the inside of the ship to be certain we didn't miss anything. That should take half an hour. If they don't find anything, are we done here?"

Garvin agrees "Sounds like a plan. Let's resecure Mad Dog's two secret stashes and get back to the ship".

"I'd like to look around, as well," Jaelah says. "Please secure everything so we don't contaminate any evidence that might be left. I know this is aggravating, but we have several mysteries to solve, and a real concern that there are others who may not want that to happen."

Give me one final INT+ Investigation roll, please. I’ll roll for Roscoe when I get home.



Roscoe goes over the ship personally and via the engineer drones as you search, starting from the bow and heading all the way back to the stern. If Jaelah rolls REALLY well, she might spot what he does before he finds it.

In engineering, he finds a data port on the power plant that shouldn't be there. It looks like part of the equipment, but he has access to the plans and knows that there should be two data ports, not three.

"I believe I've found something, Jaelah. This lower port doesn't belong. It's a professional install, but non-standard. If it opens a third hidden area, I wonder why Mad Dog didn't use it. This is almost undetectable."

[joertexas]

Garvin agrees "Sounds like a plan. Let's resecure Mad Dog's two secret stashes and get back to the ship".

"I'd like to look around, as well," Jaelah says. "Please secure everything so we don't contaminate any evidence that might be left. I know this is aggravating, but we have several mysteries to solve, and a real concern that there are others who may not want that to happen."

Give me one final INT+ Investigation roll, please. I’ll roll for Roscoe when I get home.

[terrymixon]

"I'd like to look around, as well," Jaelah says. "Please secure everything so we don't contaminate any evidence that might be left. I know this is aggravating, but we have several mysteries to solve, and a real concern that there are others who may not want that to happen."

Give me one final INT+ Investigation roll, please. I’ll roll for Roscoe when I get home.

You don't find anything, but I just edited my response to you above with Roscoe's roll. It's funny. You rolled the worst you could and he almost maxed out.

[joertexas]

"I believe I've found something, Jaelah. This lower port doesn't belong. It's a professional install, but non-standard. If it opens a third hidden area, I wonder why Mad Dog didn't use it. This is almost undetectable."

Jaelah goes to Roscoe and examines the port. "Good work, Roscoe," she says as she places her hand on his arm for a moment. "Okay, here we go." She inserts the key into the non-standard slot.

[terrymixon]

"I believe I've found something, Jaelah. This lower port doesn't belong. It's a professional install, but non-standard. If it opens a third hidden area, I wonder why Mad Dog didn't use it. This is almost undetectable."

Jaelah goes to Roscoe and examines the port. "Good work, Roscoe," she says as she places her hand on his arm for a moment. "Okay, here we go." She inserts the key into the non-standard slot.

I had set this up as an impossible 16+ task. Didn't really expect it to get found.

A floor panel to your left lifts up and slides to the side. It reveals a hidden compartment that is the size of a refrigerator on its back. Almost completely filling it is what seems to be a packing container, though unlike any you've seen before. The patterns on the surface are identical to the sphere, but this is just a box with a hinged lid.

A check for traps and so forth turns up nothing. When you open the box, you see that it is filled with panels that are about a meter and a half square, but only several centimeters thick. Pulling one out shows that one side is featureless, but the other is coated in what can only be described as very compact machinery. It looks to you as if it is made to be assembled into something with the machinery on the inside.

[joertexas]

I had set this up as an impossible 16+ task. Didn't really expect it to get found.

A floor panel to your left lifts up and slides to the side. It reveals a hidden compartment that is the size of a refrigerator on its back. Almost completely filling it is what seems to be a packing container, though unlike any you've seen before. The patterns on the surface are identical to the sphere, but this is just a box with a hinged lid.

A check for traps and so forth turns up nothing. When you open the box, you see that it is filled with panels that are about a meter and a half square, but only several centimeters thick. Pulling one out shows that one side is featureless, but the other is coated in what can only be described as very compact machinery. It looks to you as if it is made to be assembled into something with the machinery on the inside.

Lucky us...

As before, Jaelah checks for booby traps before touching it. Roscoe, let's get this out with two of your remotes. Take it back and don't let anything else touch it. Everyone, Roscoe found something really interesting. We're coming out with it."

[terrymixon]

I had set this up as an impossible 16+ task. Didn't really expect it to get found.

A floor panel to your left lifts up and slides to the side. It reveals a hidden compartment that is the size of a refrigerator on its back. Almost completely filling it is what seems to be a packing container, though unlike any you've seen before. The patterns on the surface are identical to the sphere, but this is just a box with a hinged lid.

A check for traps and so forth turns up nothing. When you open the box, you see that it is filled with panels that are about a meter and a half square, but only several centimeters thick. Pulling one out shows that one side is featureless, but the other is coated in what can only be described as very compact machinery. It looks to you as if it is made to be assembled into something with the machinery on the inside.

Lucky us...

We'll see.

As before, Jaelah checks for booby traps before touching it. Roscoe, let's get this out with two of your remotes. Take it back and don't let anything else touch it. Everyone, Roscoe found something really interesting. We're coming out with it."

The rest of the ship comes up without anything interesting forensically or hidden. Roscoe will carefully have the two StarTek robots carry the crate over to the Lost & Found while he makes sure everyone else is gotten back aboard. He has the drones scour engineering and retrieve the three expended casings (one from Walter and two from the dead woman) before he closes all the hidden areas and retreats to the ship himself. As soon as he is aboard, the ship heads away from the Slim Jim and starts back on the two-hour trip to Banfi Starport.

You can start digging into what you found or hit the sack. It's been a very long day, and you are all feeling it. Your call.

[joertexas]

You can start digging into what you found or hit the sack. It's been a very long day, and you are all feeling it. Your call.

Jaelah goes over every item they recovered, and the woman's remains, for forensic evidence. Then, she looks at Mad Dog's autopsy results.

[terrymixon]

You can start digging into what you found or hit the sack. It's been a very long day, and you are all feeling it. Your call.

Jaelah goes over every item they recovered, and the woman's remains, for forensic evidence. Then, she looks at Mad Dog's autopsy results.

The items all have Mad Dog's DNA. The woman doesn't, not even on the suit. Only her own.

Mad Dog has been put into one of the low berths and flash frozen. The Doctor Bot can start on the woman's autopsy whenever you are ready.

There is a bag containing Mad Dog's clothes from when he was murdered, as well as Roscoe's gloves. They have six sets of foreign DNA on them, but there is no telling who might be with security, the medical examiner's office, or the crowd at the bar. His commdot was recovered, but not his mobile comm. The little device was still in his ear when Roscoe stripped him. It only has a range of a few meters, so no help in locating the comm.

The autopsy is detailed and thorough. He died of a knife to the back of his skull, with a short, thick blade. He took a punch to the face that left him with a subdermal bruise that shows an attacker was wearing a ring with a flying bird of some kind.

He was dying of radiation exposure, though that could have been repaired. It was slow, taking almost a year to do him in, but he only had months to live. The autodoc in the medical bay could have reversed the damage in a day if he'd known to use it.

At the time of his death, he was intoxicated. Not overly so, but not sober. No drugs.

As you are wrapping up your reading, Roscoe approaches you with a slate. "Excuse me, but I believe you'll want to see this. I found it on Glisten Online. Apologies for how long it took, and there is no telling if there are other videos, but this is illuminating."

The video starts in a dark, grungy bar with a brawl already in progress. There must be two dozen burly men in a knockdown, drag out fight. The video is focused on the action, and how people were encouraging it with shouts and bets.

In back, off to the side, the video just captures Mad Dog rising from his seat at a table, snatching his beer away before someone slams into the table, almost knocking it over. The brawlers don't seem interested in him. Hell, they barely notice the table.

A man with close-cut dark hair in a black trench steps in from out of frame and punches Mad Dog in the face. Mad Dog staggers back, throwing beer in the man's face before smashing the mug down on his head, flooring him. A second man--this one bald and well over two meters tall--steps into frame and punches Mad Dog in the back of the head. Mad Dog instantly drops.

As the bald man helps the other one to his feet, the gleam of a blade on his hand and above his fingers--a punch dagger--is visible for a moment before he sheaths it on his belt. The bald man searches Mad Dog, taking a mobile comm and a weapon, if you're guessing correctly. Probably also his ID and wallet as they have not been recovered. The two men stagger out of frame and do not reappear before the video ends when security arrives a few minutes later to break the fight up.

You got a view of the dark-haired man's face, but not the bald one. Not a good view because the lighting is crap, but perhaps enough to clean up and get a match if you could access the right database.

[Eris]

The searches of these areas will take time, so once I find out what Spicoli and Jaelah are doing, and post the same for Walter, I'll have Garvin arrive.

Roscoe is having the drones search the outside of the ship first and take samples from the weapon-damaged area. He will also help search when I post for Walter.

Edited: I was away for a couple of days and got left behind...oh well! If any of my rolls help in any way fine, otherwise, Spicoli just tottered along being ineffectual.

Spicoli goes to the Bridge, sees the hole where the computer used to be and thinks to himself, "Figures! Nothing is ever easy." then he goes to the Astrogation station and uses his skill with Electronics to attempt to power it on with the battery on his computer. Computer: [2d6+4]=4+4=8 If that succeeds he will pull the data up Computer: [2d6+4]=4+4=8, do a quick check on it to see if it makes sense at all Astrogation: [2d6+1]=6+1=7 and download it to a data wafer, even if it doesn't make sense now, further analysis might yield information.

Next he'll move the Comms/Sensors station and do the same thing, power up Computer: [2d6+4]=7+4=11, quick checkComm: [2d6+2]=10+2=12 and get onto a data wafer Computer: [2d6+4]=6+4=10.

On very short range radio, Spicoli sends, "I'm heading for Engineering to try to pull data. I'd like an armed escort to go with me, if you please."

Once he's done all he can do here, he will wish to head to Engineering where an auxiliary computer, perhaps just storage, should be located. Even if it's not there, data can be accessed and pulled from the Engineering console back there. Same routine as above, except he doesn't even try to analyze data, just get it onto a data wafer I'll do one Computer roll for this, if more are needed please do them for me...Computer: [2d6+4]=8+4=12.

"Okay, now let's see if we can find where that data stick plugs in..." says Spicoli, "Seeing as we're in Engineering, let's look around here for anything interesting..."Investigate: [2d6+3]=8+3=11.

[terrymixon]

Edited: I was away for a couple of days and got left behind...oh well! If any of my rolls help in any way fine, otherwise, Spicoli just tottered along being ineffectual.

But we still love you!

Spicoli goes to the Bridge, sees the hole where the computer used to be and thinks to himself, "Figures! Nothing is ever easy." then he goes to the Astrogation station and uses his skill with Electronics to attempt to power it on with the battery on his computer. Computer: [2d6+4]=4+4=8 If that succeeds he will pull the data up Computer: [2d6+4]=4+4=8, do a quick check on it to see if it makes sense at all Astrogation: [2d6+1]=6+1=7 and download it to a data wafer, even if it doesn't make sense now, further analysis might yield information.

To his surprise, the data is still in the static buffer. The Slim Jim jumped to Glisten from Aki. From one of the outer gas giants, to be specific.

Next he'll move the Comms/Sensors station and do the same thing, power up Computer: [2d6+4]=7+4=11, quick checkComm: [2d6+2]=10+2=12 and get onto a data wafer Computer: [2d6+4]=6+4=10.

No comms activity.

On very short range radio, Spicoli sends, "I'm heading for Engineering to try to pull data. I'd like an armed escort to go with me, if you please."

Once he's done all he can do here, he will wish to head to Engineering where an auxiliary computer, perhaps just storage, should be located. Even if it's not there, data can be accessed and pulled from the Engineering console back there. Same routine as above, except he doesn't even try to analyze data, just get it onto a data wafer I'll do one Computer roll for this, if more are needed please do them for me...Computer: [2d6+4]=8+4=12.

The excitement is well underway by the time you do. You get confirmation that the ship jumped from Aki to Glisten.

"Okay, now let's see if we can find where that data stick plugs in..." says Spicoli, "Seeing as we're in Engineering, let's look around here for anything interesting..."Investigate: [2d6+3]=8+3=11.

Not even close to finding the super-secret stash, but Roscoe gets luckier later.

Welcome back! Now you can help go over the loot!

[terrymixon]

So, Jaelah is busy with detective work. Walter is going to hit the sack. Doctor Metz is examining the artifacts. Roscoe is whipping up late night snacks for those that want them.

What about the rest of you? It's late in the evening and you are hours from the starport. Do you have something to keep you up or will you crash? Sound off!

For those going to sleep (and those staying awake) Roscoe will run down what you can find in your cabins as we never really went through it. I originally said there was a wardrobe, but I'm changing that for a shorter dresser.

"First of all, let me run down your staterooms. You'll obviously have plenty of time to explore everything, but I'll run it down quickly. Each stateroom has a dark wood dresser for storing clothes, a matching desk for working with your terminal, a high-end fresher, and the following:

"The normal bed has been augmented with and anti-grav bed. If used, they hold you in suspension as you sleep, at a height of up to three meters, though most select a much lower height in the event of power failure. It allows you to sleep in perfect comfort. Note that there is still an excellent mattress in case you wish to sleep the old-fashioned way, and still be very comfortable.

"The bed comes with a built-in sleep inducer in the headboard. That is a programmable system influencing brain waves to encourage first sleep and then alertness. No longer do you need to wait to fall asleep naturally. You can now program downtime to the minute. At the end of the programmed sleep period, the sleep inducer functions as a silent alarm clock and wakes you to full wakefulness. If there is a ship's emergency or an all-hands callout, I can ping it to wake you off schedule but will only do so if the need is urgent."

He looks around as if he is unsure how that will be received, then continues. "Each stateroom also comes with a high-fidelity music system. It includes directional sound output focused in specific and adjustable arcs to minimize bleed over out of the room. The sound reproduction of this systems is sufficient to convince all but the most demanding audiophiles that the musicians could indeed be in the same room. I can verify that.

"Next there is an environment replicator. It automatically adjusts lighting, temperature, and humidity to recreate that found on specific worlds if you desire. The environment replicator can be set to make minor changes to reflect changing times of day or seasons but does not affect the atmosphere of the room nor the setting of a ship's grav plates. It is used in conjunction with the holographic wallpaper to create a more immersive experience.

"Speaking of which, all of the walls, floor, and ceiling have holographic wallpaper. What looks like a normal wall--or the entire room--can be turned into a ‘window’ overlooking a holographic scene. A variety of standard dynamic scenes, static or changing color schemes, and real-time or delayed images such as views from outside a ship are available. In conjunction with the high-fidelity music system, home theatre, and environment replicator it can transform your room into the center of an entirely alien world or a completely immersive performance, although interaction with holographic images is not possible."

He smiled. "And that must mean there is a home theater. It will allow you to watch the latest vids as the directors truly intended, so they tell themselves. 3D holographic technologies allow an entire room to become the center of a home theatre, placing you in the center of the action or it can be narrowed down to part of the room or the walls.

"To improve your experience in entertainment or sleeping, the stateroom is also covered by a sphere of solace. Using active sound-cancelling technology, it creates an adjustable area of silence through which only the loudest sounds are capable of penetrating. As the walls area also soundproofed, you should be able to have some peace and quiet. That is the same soundproofing on the walls that used in the brig to keep any prisoners from disturbing you.

"And finally, you have a tech level 16 personal safe. The locker-sized safe is suitable for storing up to 40 kilograms of rifles or similar sized objects. The tech level of the safe make it very difficult to electronically bypass. Use of brute force, such as cutting through the safe with lasers or using explosives are still possible but may damage the contents of a safe or leave evidence of compromise."

He looked around one last time. "That's a lot to take in and you don't have to use any of it. I merely inform you as Mad Dog installed it, and you should know the capabilities of your room. Finally, you can always call me for assistance or information at any time from any part of the ship. I never sleep, though my android body does need the occasional recharge. For privacy, I have a dedicated subroutine in your terminal that I do not monitor. If it detects you calling for me or that you are in distress, it will ping me to gain my attention. Nothing is recorded and no record of what is said or done in your rooms is retained or known to me. The staterooms are your retreat, and I will not intrude.

"Does anyone have questions?"

[joertexas]

"Does anyone have questions?"

"I could use a light meal, please," Jaelah says from the table where she's examining some of the smaller items they recovered. She's waiting for the woman's autopsy to finish while she works.

[terrymixon]

"Does anyone have questions?"

"I could use a light meal, please," Jaelah says from the table where she's examining some of the smaller items they recovered. She's waiting for the woman's autopsy to finish while she works.

"Of course. It will take several hours, just so you know."

He will serve you a tasty snack.

Don't forget to read my response to you earlier. A big break in the case!

[joertexas]

There is a bag containing Mad Dog's clothes from when he was murdered, as well as Roscoe's gloves. They have six sets of foreign DNA on them, but there is no telling who might be with security, the medical examiner's office, or the crowd at the bar. His commdot was recovered, but not his mobile comm. The little device was still in his ear when Roscoe stripped him. It only has a range of a few meters, so no help in locating the comm.

The autopsy is detailed and thorough. He died of a knife to the back of his skull, with a short, thick blade. He took a punch to the face that left him with a subdermal bruise that shows an attacker was wearing a ring with a flying bird of some kind.

He was dying of radiation exposure, though that could have been repaired. It was slow, taking almost a year to do him in, but he only had months to live. The autodoc in the medical bay could have reversed the damage in a day if he'd known to use it.

At the time of his death, he was intoxicated. Not overly so, but not sober. No drugs.

As you are wrapping up your reading, Roscoe approaches you with a slate. "Excuse me, but I believe you'll want to see this. I found it on Glisten Online. Apologies for how long it took, and there is no telling if there are other videos, but this is illuminating."

The video starts in a dark, grungy bar with a brawl already in progress. There must be two dozen burly men in a knockdown, drag out fight. The video is focused on the action, and how people were encouraging it with shouts and bets.

In back, off to the side, the video just captures Mad Dog rising from his seat at a table, snatching his beer away before someone slams into the table, almost knocking it over. The brawlers don't seem interested in him. Hell, they barely notice the table.

A man with close-cut dark hair in a black trench steps in from out of frame and punches Mad Dog in the face. Mad Dog staggers back, throwing beer in the man's face before smashing the mug down on his head, flooring him. A second man--this one bald and well over two meters tall--steps into frame and punches Mad Dog in the back of the head. Mad Dog instantly drops.

As the bald man helps the other one to his feet, the gleam of a blade on his hand and above his fingers--a punch dagger--is visible for a moment before he sheaths it on his belt. The bald man searches Mad Dog, taking a mobile comm and a weapon, if you're guessing correctly. Probably also his ID and wallet as they have not been recovered. The two men stagger out of frame and do not reappear before the video ends when security arrives a few minutes later to break the fight up.

You got a view of the dark-haired man's face, but not the bald one. Not a good view because the lighting is crap, but perhaps enough to clean up and get a match if you could access the right database.

"Let's share this with the team," Jaelah says.

[terrymixon]

There is a bag containing Mad Dog's clothes from when he was murdered, as well as Roscoe's gloves. They have six sets of foreign DNA on them, but there is no telling who might be with security, the medical examiner's office, or the crowd at the bar. His commdot was recovered, but not his mobile comm. The little device was still in his ear when Roscoe stripped him. It only has a range of a few meters, so no help in locating the comm.

The autopsy is detailed and thorough. He died of a knife to the back of his skull, with a short, thick blade. He took a punch to the face that left him with a subdermal bruise that shows an attacker was wearing a ring with a flying bird of some kind.

He was dying of radiation exposure, though that could have been repaired. It was slow, taking almost a year to do him in, but he only had months to live. The autodoc in the medical bay could have reversed the damage in a day if he'd known to use it.

At the time of his death, he was intoxicated. Not overly so, but not sober. No drugs.

As you are wrapping up your reading, Roscoe approaches you with a slate. "Excuse me, but I believe you'll want to see this. I found it on Glisten Online. Apologies for how long it took, and there is no telling if there are other videos, but this is illuminating."

The video starts in a dark, grungy bar with a brawl already in progress. There must be two dozen burly men in a knockdown, drag out fight. The video is focused on the action, and how people were encouraging it with shouts and bets.

In back, off to the side, the video just captures Mad Dog rising from his seat at a table, snatching his beer away before someone slams into the table, almost knocking it over. The brawlers don't seem interested in him. Hell, they barely notice the table.

A man with close-cut dark hair in a black trench steps in from out of frame and punches Mad Dog in the face. Mad Dog staggers back, throwing beer in the man's face before smashing the mug down on his head, flooring him. A second man--this one bald and well over two meters tall--steps into frame and punches Mad Dog in the back of the head. Mad Dog instantly drops.

As the bald man helps the other one to his feet, the gleam of a blade on his hand and above his fingers--a punch dagger--is visible for a moment before he sheaths it on his belt. The bald man searches Mad Dog, taking a mobile comm and a weapon, if you're guessing correctly. Probably also his ID and wallet as they have not been recovered. The two men stagger out of frame and do not reappear before the video ends when security arrives a few minutes later to break the fight up.

You got a view of the dark-haired man's face, but not the bald one. Not a good view because the lighting is crap, but perhaps enough to clean up and get a match if you could access the right database.

"Let's share this with the team," Jaelah says.

Go for it!

[Tiglath]

Garvin smiles and says to Jaelah "I would have left you a pot of caff 'cos I think you're lookin' at an all nighter processin' all that evidence but the Kid's a far better butler than me - so I'm gettin some kip".

He retires to his room and bed taking advantage of none of the "extras" and, where necessary, turning them off.