Welcome to GM Tarondor's Secrets of the Ancients, a Traveller campaign using the Mongoose 2nd Edition rules.
ANCIENTS HYPOTHESIS: The widespread belief that the Ancients may have widely seeded Charted Space with life and much of that life may have been derived from Terran origins.
Droyne: The Droyne are known to be physically identical with the Ancients. That is to say, the known installations of the Ancients are physically compatible with the dimensions and requirements of the Droyne. Doors and furniture are best adapted to the limbs and sizes of the Droyne; ledges and balconies are compatible with the flying abilities of the Droyne; pictorial representations of Droyne can be found in many known Ancient sites. What remains unknown is why the Droyne show no signs of having retained the superior technology of the Ancients.
Humaniti: It has been fairly well established that the Ancients were responsible for transporting humans from Terra to a number of other worlds. It is estimated that humans were taken to more than a hundred worlds, with evidence of their presence on at least 90 worlds. On about 40 worlds, humans took root, surviving a period of barbarism before achieving civilization.
Once the Solomani Hypothesis (which theorized that all humaniti came originally from Terra) was accepted, it was a simple matter to analyze the gene pools available to each of the distinct human races found on worlds other than Terra. Those studies have concluded that the Ancients visited Terra many times, taking groups of between 1,000 and 10,000 humans to each of perhaps 100 planets.
The reason for Ancient interest in humaniti is unknown. Theories involving humans as slaves, assistants, workers, even as pets have been advanced, but there is not enough evidence to support any specific conjecture.
Vargr: At approximately the same time that the Ancients snatched human samples from Terra, they also took samples of the mammalian Canidae family, most likely of the genus Canis.
These canids were genetically engineered to produce an upright posture, an opposed thumb, and intelligence. Why this should be so remains a mystery.
ELEMENTS OF THE ANCIENTS HYPOTHESIS
One of the greatest mysteries of the Ancients is: What happened to them? There are several competing theories:
The Final War: The Ancients destroyed themselves in a cataclysmic TL25 war fought across all of Charted Space more than 300,000 years ago. The destruction was so thorough that either none survived or the survivors regressed into more primitive civilizations.
Migration: Some event or series of events convinced the Ancients to leave this region of space for another. After the migration fleets were constructed, but before they left, the Ancients destroyed all traces of their present civilization. The Ancients still exist somewhere in the universe.
The Great Filter: The Ancients' achievements in technology eventually reached their limit, and with that limit came a sort of racial depression. Having come so far, the Ancients found that they could go no farther, and committed racial suicide rather than face continued stagnation. The Final War was a sort of suicidal final project which involved everyone.
Some Ancients did not want to commit suicide; they were genetically altered to make them happier with a simple existence, and they are today known as the Droyne.
Conquest: As the Ancients expanded out into the universe, they encountered another culture as technologically advanced above them as they were above us. That superior race determined or predicted that the Ancients could become rivals or enemies to them at some point in the future, and decided to crush them before they did. The result was the Final War.
ANCIENTS TECHNOLOGY
Diversity: The most striking aspect of Ancient technology is not its high level, but its diversity. Of the hundreds of Ancient sites which have been excavated and analyzed, each appears to express a different type of technology. It would be easy to take each site as a different culture or technology.
It appears that each site involved the near-total re-invention of even basic technology as it was constructed.
Even writing, data formats, recording formats, systems, and standards vary between sites. The high technology equipment is entirely compatible within a site, but rarely do artifacts from different sites show any ability to function together.
Black Globes: Rarely do excavations of Ancient sites produce working artifacts. One site proved to be a treasure trove with more than 2,000 operating black globe generators almost waiting to be installed in Imperial ships. Black globes typify the incomprehensible artifacts of the Ancients: each of the devices found is a small metal device measuring about 300 cm on a side with a shiny metal finish. Two minor discolorations on the surface are the on and off switches.
When the device is activated, it projects a black force field in a sphere around the device at a radius of about one meter. In the first experiments with the device,a researcher was cut in half by the force field when he touched the switch; in the second, it was activated remotely by a rod. Both of the black globes could not then be turned off because the off switch was inside the force field.
The black globe was adopted by the Imperial Navy as a form of armor, for its fighting ships. Using the many black globe devices found, the Navy has been able to produce crude duplicates of them, but researchers are still a long way from a good understanding of how these devices work.
World Engineering: In some cases, the Ancients have moved whole worlds. Their exploits in such matters were so great that even the Final War was unable to destroy them.
The Ancients created a rosette of five worlds at Tireen (in the Vargr Extents). Five planets were shifted into points equidistant from each other in the same orbit and then transformed into identical habitats. Evidence as to what the worlds were like before the shift is lacking, so the degree of transformation is unknown, but even shifting worlds in their orbits consume unbelievable amounts of energy, and the Ancients shifted at least four worlds in that system.
Each of the worlds has physical characteristics 484, which indicates that the world would be especially hospitable to Droyne. At least one of the worlds in the rosette was inhabited by Droyne when the system was discovered by Vargr in -2530, but they have since died out.
The Ancients also created a ringworld in the Leenitakot system of the Hinterworlds Sector. Even their approach to building a ringworld puzzles the experts. It circles a dim M1V star at less than 30 million kilometers. The ringworld is a narrow band less than 100,000 kilometers wide, and the construction looks unfinished, without soils, atmosphere, or any provision for life to live on its inner surface. And even so, this small ringworld has an inner surface area equal to 25,000 Terras.
Some people are only at home when traveling, and Vlen is one of these restless souls. He might visit his home world of Alell (in the Regina subsector of the Spinward Marches) for a few weeks or even a month or two, delighting friends and family with tales of distant planets and exotic cultures, but then the wanderlust would take hold once more and he’d be off again. He was a charming old rogue – more staid relatives might disapprove of him and his questionable, unreliable ways, but he was every child’s favorite uncle.
No-one was ever sure what Uncle Vlen did, or if he was just a drifter amid the stars. Sometimes, he worked on tramp traders or signed on as a deckhand on freighter s, yet he also dabbled in archaeology and journalism and... well, he never liked to talk about it, but Vlen had quite a collection of firearms and could handle himself in a fight. He also had a lot of strange friends – mostly other space voyagers, but he also received irregular communications from scientists, naval officers, corporate oligarchs, even high nobility. On at least one occasion, Vargr from outside the Imperium traveled hundreds of parsecs to consult with Vlen Backett.
Regina... It thinks it’s so much more than it is. The heart of the Spinward Marches, the great spinward bastion of Imperial culture... billions of deluded idiots, who believe that if they dress and talk like a Coreworlder, they’ll be the same on the inside too. They don’t realize they’re a joke, a backwater, a non-entity in the grand scheme. The whole of the Marches could slip between the cracks of the bureaucracy on Capital, if some clerk pressed the wrong key, and no one would notice for a decade... and even when they found it, no-one would care.
I once jumped in and took a shuttle down to Credo, went to a bar and told people that I’d just come from Dagudashag and had they heard the latest gossip from court? In 20 minutes, I’d convinced them that wearing live chickens on your head was the big thing on Capital these days. Sold ‘em my cargo full of frozen poultry for 100 times the normal price... those were special haute couture chickens, you see. Very rare.
The rest of the planet remembers where it is. They remember the Long Night and their culture has the scars and xenophobia you expect in the Marches, unlike the borrowed gaudiness of Credo. They still don’t trust offworlders in parts of Regina and if you go down the wrong street in certain cities, you may not come back. The datafiles tag the planet at Law Level 9 – sure... for offworlders, that’s about right but not for natives. They have their own ways that they didn’t import from the Core.
— Personal Journal of Vlen Backett
There is no method of faster-than-light communication in the Imperium. Messages are carried by couriers or on the x-boat network in mail drums (high-density computer memory cores, containing quadrillions of bits of data) from one system to the next and then transmitted by conventional radio or laser comms. Messages therefore propagate out from the origin at the speed of a courier vessel (usually jump-4 capable). Travellers may pick up their messages at a starport or send their ship identity code to the local communications relay and download any stored messages.
__________________________________________________________
Ben, Chuck, Dev, Erryll and Zirelle are on Extolay (Lanth/Spinward Marches 1711) nursing passable beers at a darkened Startown bar called Finnegan's Folly. They've just finished a barely profitable run down the Spinward Main from Risek and they know they've got to start beating the bushes for work tomorrow.
Dev's comms buzz with a priority message. The message is time stamped ten days ago. It is electronically stamped with the seal of the Duchy of Regina, implying it is an important official message.
From: Pallod Norrim, Chief Inspector, Regina Public Order Commission
Subject: Chattels and corpus of Vlen Backett (deceased)
It is my sad duty to inform you of the death of citizen Vlen Backett, late of Regina/Alell, who died in Credo City, Regina. Before his passing, Backett had left instructions on file with the Public Order Commission that you should be considered his next of kin for the purposes of resolving his outstanding affairs on Regina, for taking possession of his belongings, and for the transport of his remains back to Alell. A sum of money has been deposited with the First Ducal Bank to cover any expenses.
In the name of his grace the Duke and in accordance with the Public Order Act of 527 (Amended), I hereby require and enjoin you to travel to Regina with all due haste to deal with the affairs and estate of Vlen Backett. In the event that you are unable to do so, you must reply to this message at soon as possible so that alternate arrangements may be made.
I wish to extend my personal condolences on the death of Vlen Backett. His body is being stored in a cryogenic facility in Credo City and will be transferred to your possession as soon as possible. Given certain irregularities with Vlen Backett’s affairs, it is vitally important that you contact the Public Order Commission upon arrival.
Sealed this day, 127 Standard, in the 1105th year of the Third Imperium.
Pallod Norum
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"... and then I said 'You can't just leave the plug there without a plasma weld!'" Chuck says with a chuckle before seeing Dev check his comm.
"Anything good, Dev?"
Zirelle laughs at Chuck's joke, but then when he mentions a message, she also looks at Dev.
She hoped it was something good. Staying in one place too long was sort of getting to her.
Dev reads the letter, then reads it again just to make sure.
"Well...it's not unexpected news. Uncle Vlen has passed and I was named his next of kin. I need to go home and settle his affairs."
Dev looks pensive for a few moments as he still tried to digest the information.
"I am sure I've told you about Uncle Vlen. He was my mother's brother and a bit of a black sheep as far as the family was concerned...but to me, he was always my favourite uncle. It was him that made me decide to join the scouts. All the adventures he had and the strange friends he made...well you can imagine how 6-year-old me would go crazy every time he visited! He always brought me odd and weird things from his travels!"
Dev's eyes gain a faraway look as he remembers those long-ago days, but soon he snaps back to the present.
"Last thing I heard about him was just after I graduated from University. A short letter from him telling me that he had spoken to a few friends and an opportunity would be waiting for me at the local Scout Base. That 'opportunity' was a seat in the enrollment exams. Since then I have heard very little from him...a letter here...a postcard there...but nothing in the last 10 years or so."
He looks to his friends and companions and smiles.
"Road-trip! Who wants to come??"
Chuck returns the smile and says "Oh my... I'm so sorry to hear that, Dev."
He ponders a moment, before saying "Ya know, I wonder if he managed to shoot a credit at 1000 meters with his pistol. He was always blabbering about that when I met him playing cards, but that was the trick; Talk about nothing and sweep the table."
"Count me in."
Ben raises his glass and says, "A toast to Uncle Vlen!"
After downing some of his drink Ben says, "I am free and have little desire to go searching for work tomorrow. So I am up for a good reason to procrastinate and honor your good uncle."
...a short time later.
"Scout SN945, you are cleared to depart Extolay Traffic Control. You are free of the jump shadow and may power your grid when ready. Good travels, Captain."
Dev powers up his scout's lanthanum grid. The silvery lines of the jump grid glow across the ship's hull. There is familiar yet always strange feeling of transition as the jump engines create a tiny private universe around the ship. Extolay's sun and stars fade out of existence, replaced by a silvery nothingness - the jump bubble - that will be their existence for approximately a week. Nothing can move faster than light, but the ship avoids paradox by slipping into another, temporary universe and then emerging quadrillions of kilometers away in the normal universe.
Dev's scout is rated Jump-2, meaning it can jump two parsecs at a time. Conveniently, Regina is two parsecs away from Extolay, so the journey can be made in a single jump.
Ben gets someone to show him out to use his pistol. He has the battery unattached so that it cannot cause damage.
Zirelle takes a look at the crew quarters and says
"This place is a dump. Could do with a few upgrades. Also, now that we're out here, how about doing a little, you know, trading? I'm, sure we could pick up some side work out here, make some money..."
"Not to disrespect the dead, of course, but you know, I think Vlen would have been good with a nice profitable funeral trip. He was just that type, you know?
She claims a bunk and stows her stuff and then says
At least you have a good media library, right?
Chuck is the last onboard as he loads up all his toolkits onboard.
He walks to one berth and finds it occupied by Zirelle. "Ooops. Sorry. And Sally's got a media library. Once she's hooked up to the ship I'll make sure you have access." He says with a smile, shutting the door.
The next one say Captain on the door.
The third is occupied with Ben unpacking his things.
He slides open the final berthing door.
"Ahhh1 C'mon y'all!" Chuck shouts. "Dev, you brought five people on this thing with only four beds?!?"
Chuck grumbles as he returns to the workshop and sets about making a hammock to sleep in.
He leans his head out the door to holler down toward the others. "I'm not responsible for what you people see if you come into the workshop unannounced!"
There's definitely always a rough-in time for any new crew and that first week is no exception as everyone falls into their roles.
During their first meal, Chuck ask "So, who's doing what 'round here? I figured I'd be fixin' stuff and making sure things stay ship shape. I could probably fly in a pinch too"
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Naval habits still run deep for Chuck.
16 hours after waking up, he's slipping into bed for 8 hours of sleep.
Wake up. No less than 45min of exercise before conducting the rounds on the ships engineering systems. The rest of the day is spent making repairs or writing some new code to enhance Sally's capabilities.
He'll join the crew for meals, although, he's not sure where the crew will take meals in this ship.
He's totally down for gun practice and would actively encourage the crews practice with the weapons onboard.
Chuck may be sleeping in workshop but he's over it pretty quickly but will definitely leverage to his advantage to get out of any chores.
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Chuck will study Electronics (Computer) during jump time.
.
He walks to one berth and finds it occupied by Zirelle. "Ooops. Sorry. And Sally's got a media library. Once she's hooked up to the ship I'll make sure you have access." He says with a smile, shutting the door.
The next one say Captain on the door.
The third is occupied with Ben unpacking his things.
He slides open the final berthing door, seeing Erryll with his shirt off and clothes seemingly everywhere.
"Ahhh1 C'mon y'all!" Chuck shouts. "Dev, you brought five people on this thing with only four beds?!?"Chuck grumbles as he returns to the workshop and sets about making a hammock to sleep in.
He leans his head out the door to holler down toward the others. "I'm not responsible for what you people see if you come into the workshop unannounced!"
Erryll walks down the hall, amazed at what some people can accomplish
"This is pretty extraordinary ... like turning a workshop into a campsite. Wow. That said, there's some fine sportsmanship and teamwork in the mix too. Please, take my comm code. I know you can use the fresher outside the bridge, but you don't wuite seem to have built a shower yet." Erryll winks at the man "I'm sure you will, but until then, comms up when you need anything, okay?"During their first meal, Chuck ask "So, who's doing what 'round here? I figured I'd be fixin' stuff and making sure things stay ship shape. I could probably fly in a pinch too"
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"I'm also a doctor Mr. Mudd, and engine rooms can be dangerous. You patch the drives, I will patch the people. Drives do none of the work themselves, so I still probably got the better deal."
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"Did I tell you about the time I was a doctor...for about a day? It was not the best of times, it was probably not the worst of times. I will try and leave patching up people to you." Farn says.
Farn will offer to gamble with anyone who wants to pass the time on the trip.
A week later, the Jump Alarm sounds, signalling the imminent collapse of the Jump bubble and Ozymandias's return to normal space. You take your crash positions, buckling in tight just in case. Forty minutes later the silvery nothingness that has been your companion for a week dissolves and the glittering blackness of space returns.
You jump into the Regina system, emerging from jump space some distance from the main world, as the jump shadow of the gas giant Assiniboia means that ships cannot always arrive close to the moon itself. Your navigation screen lights up with hundreds of contacts. Most are small traders and freighters but as you come closer to the highport, you detect larger ships. Much larger ships. Up ahead, there’s a convoy of megafreighters. You pass by these slow-moving titans; each one of them could swallow your ship 5,000 times over, at least. The names and port registrations are redolent of distant, exotic worlds far off in the Core systems. These ships have been traveling for months, jumping across the Corridor sector.
Off to one side, there is a flotilla of Imperial warships, part of the sector fleet. They glitter in the darkness, but you cannot get too close; there is a military interdiction zone around them. Even at a distance, however, they are a sight to behold. At the center of the formation is the 200,000-ton Korrirak-class dreadnought Pride of Efate; your ship could fly down the barrel of that meson gun with plenty of room to spare on all sides. A constellation of smaller warships surround the Pride and you can see a swarm of troop transport shuttles making their way from the highport to the flotilla along a military flight lane.
Regina is one of the most heavily-trafficked systems in the Spinward Marches so as you fly closer to the highport, you are assigned an approach vector to make sure you do not interfere with the courses of any of the other thousands of ships. Usually, a small ship like yours would get put into a holding orbit for hours until a docking berth became available, or you would get sent to one of the smaller stations, but this stations, but this time you are contacted directly by traffic control.
"This is Regina Control. We have you logged as a Public Order Commission special visitor, please confirm your identity."
Zirelle glances over at Dev, wondering if he knows what this is about.
She couldn't help but feel slightly paranoid from her pirating days. Unexpectedly being singled out was never a good sign.
Zirelle glances over at Dev, wondering if he knows what this is about.
She couldn't help but feel slightly paranoid from her pirating days. Unexpectedly being singled out was never a good sign.
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Public Order Commission: The local police force of Regina. The moon is Law Level 9, banning most personal weapons. Public Order Commission officers are also empowered to detain individuals or confiscate items that are judged to be ‘disruptive or damaging to public order and safety’. In the past, this has been used to control technologies or restrict the movement of visitors to the moon. In practice, the POC is much more lenient in the most cosmopolitan cities; visitors to the less trafficked regions of Regina are advised to exercise caution.
Regina: The capital of the Regina subsector and seat of the Duchy of Regina, this is one of the most important worlds in the Spinward Marches. It is a bulwark against Zhodani aggression and the largest trade hub in the sector. Vessels traveling along the Spinward Main from the Core worlds often offload their cargoes at Regina, leaving smaller local traders to carry the goods on to the lesser systems.
Regina Highport sees more traffic in a day than some lesser systems see in a decade. Technically, Regina is a moon, not a planet; it orbits the gas giant Assiniboia, which itself orbits the locus of the primary star Lusor and its companion star Speck. There is a third star in the system, a red dwarf on a long eccentric orbit.
Regina Highport: This Class A starport is one of the largest ports in the entire sector. Over 80% of the cargo that passes through Regina is destined for other worlds in the sector, so most of the port is given over to cargo handling and warehousing. The port itself is located in geostationary orbit over Regina Downport and Startown, which is located halfway between the cities of Credo and Atora.
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Regina Control this is The Ozymandias actual. Confirm transat beacon AA-126-001B. This is Senior Scout Dev Vorn, ID Number 987-99ACE-11. Requesting docking vector and pad number. Will hold for confirm, Over."
Dev holds position until the ship and his credentials are confirmed and he is told where he can land. He turns on the intercom and makes an annoouncement.
"Better strap in...Type A Starports are pretty busy and we might need to make some pretty funky maneuvers before we get to our pad!"
There is a pause of a few seconds and then the traffic controller comes back on the line. "We are transferring you to a priority approach vector. Confirm reception of navigational data." This new course will bring you right into the heart of the highport immediately. This is the sort of treatment nobles and admirals get.
The highport swells from a dot to a sphere until it fills your entire screen. The station itself is a rough sphere of metal but it is surrounded by rings of smaller stations, undocked ships, cargo depots, defense satellites, buoys and beacons. You weave between these obstacles until you drop into your assigned approach vector, which brings you to a secure docking berth on the ventral side of the station. The lights on board flicker for an instant as the support umbilical latches onto your hull.
On disembarking, you are met by highport security guards, who bear the Imperial Starburst proudly on their armor. "Please wait here for a representative of the Public Order Commission."
A few minutes later, four agents of the POC arrive, led by a portly man He is dressed in a POC uniform, a green militaristic outfit with crystal-blue epaulets and a blue cap; hanging at his side is a personal computer, which he hardly ever uses. He speaks slowly and deliberately, enunciating every word of his Galanglic to ensure offworlders can follow his accent. . ”My name is Pallod Norrim and I am an inspector of the Regina Public Order Commission. Please come with me.”
Inspector Norrim escorts you through a maze of corridors to a small shuttle. The shuttle detaches from the highport and crosses to another, smaller space station only a few kilometres away. Your shuttle nestles into a bay alongside several interceptors in police livery and docks once more. A short elevator ride takes you into the heart of the Public Order Commission offices. Norrim shows you into his office – blandly functional, with a large holoportrait of Duke Norris on the wall – and sits down behind his desk. The hardwood desk is an imposing antique and must have cost a small fortune to ship into orbit. The inspector activates a privacy seal as he addresses you.
”It is the belief of the Public Order Commission that Vlen Backett was murdered. The circumstances of his death certainly suggest foul play; Backett was found in the Traveller’s Aid Hostel in Startown. He had been shot with a low-calibre projectile weapon – presumably a silenced one, as no-one heard anything. He was taken to the Tan Shalve Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.”
”No weapon was found at the hostel and the room was sprayed with an aerosol chemical solvent that destroys most forms of forensic evidence. The case is under investigation, of course, but such things take time.”
Norrim pauses and taps at his personal computer for a few seconds, bringing up a document on screen. ”According to the physician, tests on the blood of Vlen Backett showed a high level of Tusal, an illegal narcotic. Traces of the drug were also found on Backett’s clothing and in his luggage. His belongings were scattered across the hostel room, implying a hasty search.”
The inspector looks straight at you. ”If you have any information pertinent to this case, now would be the time to volunteer it.”
Being sure to act sufficiently shocked, Zirelle says
Murdered? Dev here was supposed to come and take care of things because he died, but Vlen was a great guy. We all loved him, which is why we wanted to come with him to help out. We don't know anything about a murder.
"Did you find more of this substance? It seems like Vlen was set up here and instead of a search whoever was doing this could have been left behind to throw off what happened. Someone sprayed something that would destroy evidence, and then there was evidence everywhere? That seems like they cleaned the area and then set a scene for you to find." Ben says as the whole thing screamed a setup to him.
"Chaz, if I might interrupt you, our vessel has been placed on a priority vector. This is highly unusual for visitors of our station. I recommend you go see 'what's up?'." The ancient Terran British accented voice of Sally politely interrupts Chuck as he's plugging away at some final lines of code.
"Huh?" He replies, breaking concentration. "Wait, what? Get ready for departure." He says, standing and stretching before heading out to join the crew.
"Understood, Chaz. Leave your guns, please." Sally replies.
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Chuck raises an eyebrow at the news and says
"Yea, how would we know anything? We just jumped in. Are we suspects or somethin'?"
That seems like they cleaned the area and then set a scene for you to find."
"The thought had occurred to me too, Mister Farn.Do you know why anyone would wish to do that to your associate?"
"Yea, how would we know anything? We just jumped in. Are we suspects or somethin'?"
"More like 'known associates', Mister Mudd. I would very much like to get to the bottom of this mystery."
"I imagine anyone would want to get to the bottom of this, especially next of kin. I assume that Captain Vorn has rights to view and/or examine the remains, correct? As the Captain's associate and a senior physician at Narsil Memorial, I would like the opportunity to speak to the investigating physician and to review the data on the Captain's behalf as well, so that he can determine if there needs to be an additional autopsy. Given the gaps in the data as presented, it is certainly prudent."
Eryll absolutely implies the investigation to date is inadequate ...
"You can examine the body all you like, Dr. Reyven. Captain Vorn can collect it from the Credo Public Order Office, planetside. There is a travel bond in Backett’s name for the sum of Cr100,000; more than enough to take the body home, I believe."
"In the meantime, this is an ongoing investigation. When the Public Order Commission has finished its work, I will forward our conclusions to you through the usual channels."
"Uncle Vlen...murdered! Listen, I have not heard from my Uncle Vlen for years now. I was surprised as anyone when I received your communique informing me of his death."
Dev listens as the Inspector explains everything to him.
"OK, thank you, inspector. I will take custody of the body now and make arrangements to have him brought to my ship in cold storage for the trip back to Alell. Please keep me posted on your investigation. Was there anything else?"
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Zirelle silently sets her neural comm to do a search of the local systems to find information about the crime in the newsfeeds or on personal blogs, pages, media, whatever. She has the feed of results directed to her portable computer, and directs the agent there to sort the raw data for anything relevant to their situation, and ping her back with findings. She also makes a mental note (literally, with her neural comm) to see if she can find a legal wafer somewhere on the planet that she can jack in, so that she will have more knowledge about the local situation.
For now, though, she just asks
"And if we find additional information while we're here, should we contact you? I'm guessing you didn't have us brought here just to ask us if we had any information and then send us away... you wished to motivate us to gather information for you, through less official channels. Am I correct?"
Alell...home... Chuck thinks to himself .
"Where's Uncle Vlen's stuff? Do you have comm records of people he's been in contact with recently? Ol' Vlen has been all over this galaxy and maybe the next so I think it'd be hard to say who his 'enemies' are. He also had a lot of friends too." Chuck ponders aloud.
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Zirelle silently sets her neural comm to do a search of the local systems to find information about the crime in the newsfeeds or on personal blogs, pages, media, whatever. She has the feed of results directed to her portable computer, and directs the agent there to sort the raw data for anything relevant to their situation, and ping her back with findings. She also makes a mental note (literally, with her neural comm) to see if she can find a legal wafer somewhere on the planet that she can jack in, so that she will have more knowledge about the local situation.
Very little beyond the discovery of a suspected murder victim in a known drug den.
"And if we find additional information while we're here, should we contact you? I'm guessing you didn't have us brought here just to ask us if we had any information and then send us away... you wished to motivate us to gather information for you, through less official channels. Am I correct?"
Pallod Norrim looks directly at Zirelle. "Absolutely not. I have done no more than is my duty. You are directed not to get involved in an ongoing investigation. Interfering with my investigation could result in serious consequences, up to and including your detention while the investigation is concluded. I suggest you leave the police work to the Public Order Commission."
Alell...home... Chuck thinks to himself .
"Where's Uncle Vlen's stuff? Do you have comm records of people he's been in contact with recently? Ol' Vlen has been all over this galaxy and maybe the next so I think it'd be hard to say who his 'enemies' are. He also had a lot of friends too." Chuck ponders aloud.
"Mister Backett's belongings may be retrieved at the morgue in Candor."
He brings up a hologram of a list. It reads: "Possessions of Vlen Backett"
• Sundry clothing and toiletries
• Cr13,400
• A TAS membership card
• Used tickets for middle passage on board the Great Eastern liner from Rhylanor to Regina
• A personal comm
Erryll purses his lips; very much not liking the man's tone
"You can understand as friends of the deceased and colleagues of the next of kin, we want to ensure that all due attention is given to this matter, correct? You can understand that many of us have experience which may equal or exceed what you have access to, correct? In my own case, I have a great deal of medical investigation experience, such as, knowing that in this type of cover-up case, a doctor on the take is almost imperative for it to work properly. So without having to even imply that things could get litigious or reflect INCREDIBLY poorly on you or your career, you would understand if we had both concerns and questions ... CORRECT!?"
Erryll smiles, "Good, I thought so. Advocates are SO tedious! In spite of having more than enough credit to get Mr Vorn the best representation in the Imperium, it shouldn't have to be that way. You can have the physician in charge meet us, immediately, I am sure. You can make sure that Mr Vorn & I have access to all of the toxicology reports AND I am sure that any additional tests I want to see will be taken care of post haste. No need for anyone's reputation to get damaged, especially if none of this is leaked due to issues in this department."
Erryll smiles, again, more broadly, "I know that I personally am thrilled with your cooperation!"
Chuck remains stoic to see the officials reaction.
Wonder what Vlen has on that comm... Chuck muses in his head.
We haven't done any cracking in a while. I'm looking forward to it. Sally responds.
"If you're done, Doctor, the door is right there behind you."
"If you're done, Doctor, the door is right there behind you."
"I'm sure Mr Vorn will let me know when we are leaving, but thank you."
Knowing the tone of those in command not playing into your ploy all too well, Chuck read the look on the Officer's face and opened the door. He stood there, foot sticking it open, before saying "We'll grab his effects on that way out, eh' Captain?"
Chuck looks expectantly to the rest of the party in case they had parting words or questions.
Zirelle nods her head to Chuck and exits the room. No use staying where they weren't wanted, no matter what they decided to do later.
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"Before we leave, did you talk to anyone around who had seen Uncle Vlen that day? Or perhaps the desk attendant noticed him with someone else?" Ben asks.
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Norrim looks at Ben. "The hostel where he was found is run by the Traveller's Aid Society. According to the night clerk, on the night of the shooting, Backett returned to the hostel with three other men. TAS members are allowed to receive visitors at the hostel, so long as they vouch for their guests. All three provided identity cards; the POC has since confirmed that all three cards were forgeries."
"There is video. Poor quality, and only two of the three men can be seen with any clarity. We're looking for these men now."
"Thank you Inspector for all your help. I will gather my uncle's things now and make arrangements to take him home. I hope can forgive some of our rash words...my uncle was well-loved by many and will be sorely missed. Please forward any further details to this comm code. Again thank you and I will be in touch before we leave."
Dev gets up and heads for the door. Once outside he quietly walks out of the office building and heads to the docks to get a shuttle back to the HighPort. He singles the others to remain quiet until they are back aboard his ship.
Ben stays seated and continues trying to figure out what happened to his lost friend. "Your world seems to have good security. Did you get no video feed on the vehicle that they drove to or from the hostel in? Was it perhaps local transport that we might speak to?"