James Greyson, leader of the Expansionist Movement
'Understood,' Zulen says and steps up to greet the Enforcers. Their attentions elsewhere, you take the chance to peek behind their shoulders into the landing bay, expecting some gruesome scene of blood and guts. Aside from a few synths moving around, however, it looks like a perfectly normal, empty chamber for arriving ships, industrial-grey and black, piping and cables jutting out from the walls and running down the sides.
'...any suspects?' Zulen is asking when you tune back in. He seems to have gotten the Enforcers to be more at ease, though with their armor and synth composure it's hard to tell.
'We can't discuss that with you,' the first Enforcer says, unsurprisingly. Zulen knows better than to press the point.
'The victim is an associate of Mr. Greyson here. He could confirm her identity, and it would put his mind at rest if he were allowed to see the body,' he says instead. The Enforcer looks uneasy, glancing back into the landing bay, but relents.
'Huh. Alright, I suppose. Follow me inside, and don't touch anything. We still haven't finished scanning the crime scene,' he says. Ordering the other guard to stay put, he leads the two of you down the short corridor into the landing bay.
It takes you a moment to spot the body. There's nothing like the absurdly violent crime scene you imagined - instead, you see the fragile little form of Emma Chabon sprawled on the ground, head leaning against the hull of a grounded shuttle. You can't even make out any wounds until you come closer and spot the black marks around her neck and face. Her expression seems almost serene, eyes half-shut, lips slightly apart, her slight, refined features still as lovely as ever. You feel sick, but fight to retain your calm. You didn't get to this position by letting your emotions get the better of you.
All three of you fall silent before her. Whether the synths do this out of genuine emotion or respect for you, you have no idea. After a while, Zulen breaks the silence.
'We can confirm the deceased as Ms. Chabon, sergeant,' he says for you. The Enforcer nods, and moves away to speak with another of his kind. Zulen kneels before the body. He points at the violent black bruises on her face and neck.
'This is unprofessional work, Mr. Greyson. But purposeful. The killer had no hesitation. He hit her multiple times on the face, and then strangled her to death. These attacks appear to have been of above-average physical strenght. This seems to hint at a synth, or an athletic human.'
That doesn't help too much, unless you plan on interrogating every synth or even slightly muscular human on the station. You say as much.
'Not necessarily, Mr. Greyson. I doubt this landing bay has an advanced security system, and I am more than capable of cracking weak or civilian encryption,' he says, and you detect a hint of pride in his voice. He nods towards the returning Enforcer. 'But more on that later.'
You don't pry in the guard's presence. He guides you back outside, thanking you for your cooperation and assuring you the killer will be brought to justice sooner or later. Once you're safely out of hearing range, Zulen whips out a dataslate and starts talking.
'The system flags every registered Dominion citizen that enters the landing bay. Ms. Chabon was killed approximately two to three hours ago. The killer was unprofessional, and likely followed her inside. Taking that time period, and times of arrival and exit, and listing all capable visitors...'
He makes a dramatic pause, turning the slate over to you. '... we get these three.'
You look the dataslate over. The rudimentary bound AI in the device brings up three pictures, automatically listing all useful information on them. The first is a synth called Obus. Ex-military, honourably discharged due to unspecified reasons, now works on starship engines for a living. The second is also a synth, Dell. A station maintenance worker, and an open member of the Future of Steel. The third is human, Clarissa Benedetti, a currently out-of-work 'entertainer' with a long history of minor criminal offenses.
Kara Seikan of the Second Detachment, Shield Fleet
'Hah. Funny, Seikan. While your dedication to the Dominion is admirable, the Navy does not require you to take unnecessary risks like these, or sacrifice yourself even if it yields superior results. Heavy damage to the entire fleet is preferable to no damage to 99% of the fleet, and one ship totally lost. That sort of sacrificial mentality is only harmful to fleet morale,' Telal says after a moment. 'Even more, I consider you a competent commander, with a fair grasp of naval tactics and leadership. The loss of a few ships would be preferable to the loss of a skilled fleet commander, especially in war-time. I hope you'll keep a clear mind from now on.'
With that, she cuts the channel. You're left staring at the sim projection inside your cocoon, practically over already. In a few minutes, the projection flashes shut and you feel your restraints recede. You rub your numb arms, push the lid aside, and step out.
The next few minutes pass in a blur, your thoughts still muddled by coming out of integration. Your crew and men pass you without comment, talking in hushed tones with eachother. They probably think you'll get fired for this or something.
You're broken out of your reverie by an enthuastic female voice coming from the corridor outside. You look up just in time to see Commander Salia of the First Detachment rush in, still in her dripping-wet integration suit. The youthful synth grins when she spots you.
'Seikan! I've been in the Navy for twenty years, and I've never seen anyone use such a bizarre tactic! I like it! I imagine the fleet admiral didn't, but what the hell. I'll make sure they'll get a special placard on the Wall just for you!'
You struggle to reply, dumbfounded. You've never been in great contact with Salia, and honestly can't tell how much she's mocking you right now, but in your experience synths in general are largely reserved, if they feel emotions at all.
'Well, I've got things to do, briefings to give. Come see me later, and we'll talk more,' she says, and heads off.
Well then.
You have gained the Unconventional Thinker trait! You now have a 40% chance to gain a varying bonus or penalty to Battle Rolls once per naval battle!
---
This isn't big, why do you ask?
@Evil - are you sure you want to play another AI? We have a lot of them already, and ideally we should have a few synth players as well. They do make up half of the population, y'know. That said, an AI is fine too.
Your assets are only abstractively predefined, so feel free to think up the details yourself. Your Disunity (6%, so 6% of the total population either supporting you or governed by people who do, 6% of the total economy being diverted to your pockets, 6% of the total military you can keep out of service by 'losing' draft orders, discouraging volunteering, finding sudden structural dangers in your ships, etc etc) determines them in general numbers - though you may have more assets than them, you're just not opposing the government with all your might.
@10ebbor10 - as above, your 'assets' are only defined in stats. You can come up with fluff and details yourself. Your Disunity is 2%, and your true total influence probably isn't much higher.
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2 (11.8%)
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Topic: Masters of the Bright Void - Turn 2! Grand Strategical Scifi! Join now! (Read 14989 times)