Kaktus 2017/12/20(Wed)09:41 No. 852920 ID: 65a774
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[Initiating…]
[Day 3 commencing…]
[Third target possible eliminated, require confirmation]
[Fourth Target status still unknown]
[Project: Orestes; phase 2 begun]
[Project: Dreamchaser; Construction at 33%]
[Note: Rishi Zsazsa and Leontius Strongheart has been sent to confirm status of third target]
[Hopeful: They will find third target eliminated and then eliminate fourth target.]

[Opening Archive.]
[Retrieving profiles:]

Ferara Cogwelder. Dangerous! Murderer! Sins against fathers! Part of disgusting Project Ares. Needs to be eliminated.
Status: Eliminated (short term), Arrested for murder. Note: Make sure other crimes come to light. Let the bitch rot for life.

[Error; picture not found.]
Herod Carakas. Dangerous! Murderer! Sins against fathers! Part of disgusting Project Ares. Needs to be eliminated.
Status: Eliminated (Permanently), killed by Ferara. Note: KRUSH KILL ‘nd DESTROY THEM ALL! EXTERMINATE THE FILTH!

[Ending transmission…]

Kaktus 2017/12/20(Wed)09:41 No. 852921 ID: 65a774
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*Crack* Mmfff…
Well, someone looks happy today.
By Jove, yes. I finally got to sleep in a proper bed last night… and it’s one of the best beds I’ve ever slept in.
Oh? Wasn’t my nest a proper bed?
Eh… while I did appreciate the feathery pillow, there wasn’t enough water, you know.
Her bed is a big pool!
…oh right, you guys sleep in water, don’t you.
And I took a long trip to the sauna before that as well… ergo, I feel more rested than I’ve done in ages! I’ve never felt this good before… (not counting my overfilled eggsacks, but they don’t need to know about that…)

So what’s up? Aren’t we going to continue our investigation with Ferara today?
Didn’t you hear? She has confessed that she is the murderer.
Oh really? Then why did she do it?
She… well… still don’t want to tell us that.
So… does that mean that you can stop following me around, An?
I was ordered to assist you until further notice!
Right…
I’m helping!
Of course you are…
I’ve installed software capable of forensic analyze to aid your investigations!
That… might actually be useful. Thanks An.
Happy to help!
I don’t think it will hold up in court but… I guess it’s good to have as an initial analysis?

So what are we doing? You said something about some metal works?
Oh right, remember how I promised to help Qip?
The SAI? The one who got his metal scarp stolen? Yeah… so this is his place?
Indeed. With Farara’s confession I managed to pull some strings to get us placed here instead. This way, I can honor my promise to my friend and bring those lowlifes to justice for their crimes! Don’t worry, this will be a milk run compared to the last two days.
…
…what?
You didn’t just say that, did you?
Even I know that is a bad idea. Have you never seen a movie before?

…wait, you mean milk run? You honestly think something will happen on a simple job like this? By my word, I’m sure there is nothing to worry about.
Que it being a giant conspiracy spanning the ages that is trying to achieve galactic domination.
Or a front of a massive criminal organization!
I can feel it, any second now there will be a bunch of gunfire.
And explosions! And car crashes!
Guys, now you’re just getting silly.
Any second now…
It’s not-
Any second…
…nothing is going to happen Rishi.
…just you wait, Leon… just you wait…

>this will be a milk run

we're off to a GREAT start, thanks Leontius!

If you wanted milk, you could have just asked me for some!

Should have worn that red shirt under my coat, to celebrate my retirement tomorrow, so I can return to my family back home, you know, the one from the picture I always have on me, and open that bakery we always dreamed of. What could possibly go wrong?!

>>852921
Let's just go inside and see what we can do before we all die in some horribly cliché tragedy triggered by Leon calling this a "milk run".

Kaktus 2017/12/20(Wed)13:28 No. 852959 ID: 65a774
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Should I have worn that red shirt under my coat, to celebrate my retirement tomorrow, so I can return to my family back home, you know, the one from the picture I always have on me, and open that bakery we always dreamed of?
Actually, by pure statistics, wearing a red shirt actually increases your odds of survival in the original universe where that idea originated from. Wearing gold on the other hand…
…wait, what? It does? Then I mean gold shirt.
Oh har har, guys.

Anyway… if you wanted milk, you could just have asked me for some.
What? I didn’t mean literal milk… wait, when you say… you don’t actually-
I meant I could pick some up from the store…
R-right, of course… either way, you two worry too much. We’re here to find some stolen scrap, what is the worse that-

Suddenly, the sounds of hover cars and city life is drown out by a high pitched scream... a scream of terror.

Was that a scream? Why, we're off to a GREAT start… thanks Leontius!
Shut it. Where did that come from? It sounded like it was nearby…
I think it was from the other side of the building.
Quick, follow me! I know about an employee entrance back there!
Let’s move!
Hey, wait up!

Kaktus 2017/12/20(Wed)13:29 No. 852961 ID: 65a774
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As you round the corner you’re met with a high chain fence surrounding the Metal works. Luckily, Leon seems to know the way and guide you to a code locked door… though it seems to already be open when you get there. As soon as you enter the compound proper you almost run straight into Qip himself… and Varinia… who is holding a crowbar… and is covered in blood… right next to a dead body with a clear blunt trauma head wound… oh no…

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? YOU’VE KILLED HER!
I… I didn’t… I…

Welp, glorious start to a day, eh?

>>852961
Identify as police and secure witnesses/suspects.

>>852961
Remember the rule about jumping to conclusions? The rule is: Don't!

This may look bad for your neighbor, but let's hear her side of the story. As far as you know, she could've killed that person in self-defense!

Or this could be one GIANT cliché, where she heard the scream and was the first person here, then saw the body and was in the middle of checking to see if that person was still alive when everyone else got here and now she looks like she's the murderer.

Or, another GIANT cliché, where Varinia was the one who screamed when she found the dead person and checking to see if they were still alive when everyone else got here and now she looks like the murderer.

Basically, find the truth before you start accusing her of doing anything!

>WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? YOU’VE KILLED HER!
Damnit, Qip, what did I just say?! Don't jump to conclusions!

L E O N W H Y

Varina, put down the crowbar and stay there!

If she starts looking flighty, tell her that if she didn't do it, you're the best case investigator she could have. Don't shoot under any circumstances, if she flees give chase.

Now Qip, just because she lacks the reflexes to catch that guy before he hit the ground doesn't mean she killed him! And what were YOU doing in the meantime, hmm? Polishing your servos?

>>852961
Check status of the injured person.

>>852961
Nero should check on the victim while you go over and keep Varinia from going anywhere. Tell her to drop the wrench and step away from it. Then handcuff her and ask both of them what happened here. Honestly I wouldn't have expected a scream of terror from someone getting beaten by a wrench, so this is probably not what it looks like. I expect Varinia was the one that screamed, she got that blood on her from trying to help the victim, and... well, maybe she just picked up the crowbar out of shock, then Qib walked in and "caught her red handed" without actually having seen the murder.

OOOOR maybe this isn't a murder and was an industrial accident? Maybe she had to use the crowbar to try to save the victim, who was stuck in a machine?

Call the medics, NOW.

"Sir, I need an EXACT description of how this happened."

Varinia has an email thing in her head, right? And we've also got her contact info, right? Then let's send her a message saying: "Don't run! Stay and help us find out what really happened! It'll prove your innocence!"

Immediately open a PK encrypted and recorded comm channel with Leo and An and keep it open while working this scene. You'll use it to converse about case matters to avoid the risk of contaminating what the witnesses and suspects remember or say with what you three are talking about. Also create a new death investigation case file and start recording into it the full video and audio of you performing your investigation.

Inform all present that you're here and tell them to not move from where they are standing; That way they don't mess up any physical evidence. This is now a scene of a investigation and they are witnesses or have forensic evidence on them, so they will not be allowed to leave for the time being. Order Varinia to gently place the crowbar on the ground while you circle around behind her, giving the area around the deceased a wide berth so as to not mess up the forensics.

Tell Leo that since he said "milk run," he gets to check the deceased for a pulse to officially confirm they are indeed dead. His Vark feet also have a much smaller contact area than your tail, so he won't disturb any forensic evidence around the deceased nearly as bad as you would. Make sure to visually record where he'll step before he steps there, for later analysis. Also ask him to check the deceased's pockets that he can reach without turning them over. Look for their ID to confirm their name, as well as ask Qip what their name and what their job here was.

The deceased's med monitoring implant will have sent a alert signal up to call in Peacekeepers and paramedics, so call into PKHQ that you and Leo are already on the scene. Request a couple of patrol officers to secure the perimeter as well as a forensics officer. Also get the exact time and status that that med implant transmitted.

Examine where on the crowbar and on Varinia the blood is. Ask An to analyze the blood spatter on the ground, the deceased and Varinia to determine where whoever or whatever hit the deceased in the head was. There ought to be a "shadow" in the spatter on the ground where anyone was standing. Also look at where the blunt trauma is on the deceased's head. Is it from the back, front, top or side? How large is it? Does it match up with the crowbar?

Ask An to measure the deceased's body temperature, if An has the sensors for that, to determine roughly when they died. Also check how coagulated the blood is. Is it fresh? And also examine Qip for traces of blood. It's unlikely but possible that it was the one who struck the deceased, so better to rule that out right away.

Are those mannequins or androids standing around here waiting to be scrapped? 'Cause if those are 'droids, one of them might have been reactivated to kill the deceased. Look for blood trace on the one nearest to the deceased.

Get Varinia's account of what happened while Leo gets Qip's, but make sure neither of them hears the other to prevent potential cross-contamination. Using a recorded comm call might work best here.

You'll want to round up everyone else that was within earshot of this scene or may have seen what happened here and ask them what they saw or heard and when. You'll also want to get the records from every video camera viewing this scene and every microphone that may have heard it. That includes Qip's memory and any comm implant records from Varinia. Also get the deceased's comm implant extracted and its data dumped out. It might have video or audio records of what happened here, or logs from its accelerometers that show how the deceased was moving.

How long was it from when you heard the scream to when you arrived on this scene? And what did the scream sound like? Biological or electronic? Could you get a exact time of that scream from An?

The employee entrance being open is odd. It's possible someone left the scene that way after the deceased died. Pull the access log from the door to find out when it's been opened, closed, unlocked and locked.

...Wait, how can you see the planet New Horizon is orbiting from here? Surely this metal works is in one of the spires and not topside. So is that a huge screen up there or what?

>Didn’t you hear? She has confessed that she is the murderer.
Hmm... Now why would she confess? She seemed like the type who'd drag things out out of sheer spite. ...Perhaps she did it so the investigation would stop before it found worse things she's done. Did the investigation into her life and actions stop when she confessed?

Hey, I recognize that robotic table... I got in a fight with a table like that once. I would definitely check that thing for signs of a struggle.

Also don't do anything that's going to compromise your plausible neutrality in the investigation and get some incompetent like officer jello- i mean dreamer, assigned to the case.

Oh, and make sure to disclose in the case file your and Leo's previous contact and relationship to Varinia and Qip; That Qip is Leo's neighbor and friend, and Varinia is your neighbor and acquaintance-leaning-towards-friend. You don't want it to appear, or actually be, that you or him are being soft on either Qip or Varinia because of your relationships. However, Peacekeeper policy may call for another pair of investigators take over the case to avoid that risk entirely.

Kaktus 2017/12/22(Fri)15:01 No. 853373 ID: 65a774
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>Welp, glorious start to a day, eh?
Nothing wakes you up like having another murder thrown in your lap, eh?
>Don't shoot under any circumstances, if she flees give chase.
Why would you shoot anyone? You don’t even have a lethal gun on you! Well… if someone actually attacked you might...
>Remember the rule about jumping to conclusions? The rule is: Don't!
While you can’t jump to the conclusion that she’s the one who did it, the same apply to her being innocent. She is a suspect until proof can be found for either line of reasoning.

>Now why would Ferara confess? She seemed like the type who'd drag things out of sheer spite.
Hmm… either she’s trying to protect someone… or she got even more dirt that she wants to hide… or maybe she simply saw the writing on the wall and is trying to get her sentence reduced with a plea bargain.
>Did the investigation into her life and actions stop when she confessed?
While they slowed down, we still need to get all the evidence we can even if she confessed. Trial or no trial, that evidence needs to be gathered and protected.
>...Wait, how can you see the planet New Horizon is orbiting from here? Surely this metal works is in one of the spires and not topside. So is that a huge screen up there or what?
…you’re pretty sure that’s a screen. A really big screen.
>Hey, I recognize that robotic table... I got in a fight with a table like that once. I would definitely check that thing for signs of a struggle.
Must… resist… urge to arm wrestle that table…

>Immediately open a PK encrypted and recorded comm channel with Leo and An and keep it open while working this scene. Then you can talk between each other without the suspects listening in.
Reading you loud and clear, Rishi.
I’m helping! Yay!
>Identify as police and secure witnesses/suspects.
Nobody move! I am Investigator Rishi of the peace keepers and this is now a crime scene!
By the motherboard, your run cycle if fast. My primary dataloop messaged you just a few nano- hold; Leon?
Actually, we came here for another reason, Qip, but it seems that there’s something more urgent that we need to take care of. Now everyone, no need to worry. On my honor, we will deliver justice here today. First, Varinia Nerva, you are under arrest for the time being.
Eh!?
Please put your hands behind your back. If you truly are innocent then you will have nothing to worry about.
I… I didn’t…
Please, calm down and collect yourself. I’ll handcuff you to the table just in case, alright?
…a-alright…
I’ve sent for a proper forensic team, Rishi. They will be here in ten, fifteen minutes.

>Check status of the injured person.
No breathing detected. No pulse detected. Status: deceased.
>Look for their ID to confirm their name.
Unable to ID. No visible ID on body or ID-able features detected.
>The deceased's med monitoring implant will have sent an alert signal up to call in Peacekeepers and paramedics.
Error. Unable to find Monitor implant.
What? She didn’t have one?
It’s more likely she or someone else shut it off somehow.
>Ask An to analyze the blood spatter on the ground, the deceased and Varinia to determine where whoever or whatever hit the deceased in the head was.
Analyzing… analyze complete. Head wound most likely cause of death, better equipment require to verifying completely.
The victim was struck from behind by a crowbar like object while she was lying on the ground.
The victim also has a broken snout, probably gained from being thrown onto the ground.
The bloodstains on Varinia matches the possible stains gained from striking the victim.
There is also a bloody hand print on the back of the victim skull that matches Varinia’s hand.
Varinia is strong enough to both deal the lethal blow as well as throwing victim to the ground with ease.
Conclusion: The most probable string of events is as follow – Varinia threw the victim onto the ground, breaking her snout. She followed with a heavy strike to the back of her head with the crowbar to finish the victim off. She then bent down and removed the crowbar from the victim by using her other hand as leverage. This left her standing above the victim with crowbar with hand when Qip arrived… as well as us.

…that sound kind of solid, don’t you think?
Hmm… we’re not done yet, Leon.
Indeed we aren’t. Let’s crack this case, Rishi.

Kaktus 2017/12/22(Fri)15:02 No. 853374 ID: 65a774
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>You'll want to round up everyone else that was within earshot of this scene or may have seen what happened here and ask them what they saw or heard and when.
This place is surrounded of industry buildings. I don’t think I can see anyone else around.
There shouldn’t be anyone else working here at this moment, no.
Hmm… maybe in one of the buildings? But if they don’t come forward themselves… well, I don’t think we can run around this whole place in any reasonable time.
>You'll also want to get the records from every video camera viewing this scene and every microphone that may have heard it.
The only cameras in this area are the ones that is covering all the exits and entrances.
You don’t have a camera overlooking the lot?
Cameras are expensive, officer… scrap metal is not.
Still, I’ll see what I can get from those cameras.
>Also get the deceased's comm implant extracted and its data dumped out. It might have video or audio records of what happened here.
We’ll need to wait for the forensic team for that.

>Get Qip’s side of the story.
My observation? I was arriving to my work cycle when I picked up the noise of a scream. If(scream == true){Open code locked door; Run toward noise; Observe situation;}. When(Location == here) I observed Varinia removing her crowbar from the corpse. I used audio on her just before you arrived.
…so, you’re the one who let the code locked door open?
Err… I might have missed that parameter, yes…
And who is the victim? Another worker here?
…I cannot find her in my database. I do not know who that is. The uniform she currently has equipped isn’t the proper uniform for the metal works, no.
So she isn’t supposed to be here, eh? Hmm… and those mannequins? What are those?
Mannequins? You prefer to the old android shell casings? They are just empty shells loading to be nulled.
Just some scrap metal, eh? Thank you for you cooperation, Qip. Please stay nearby as we’ll probably need your assistance further.
Confirmed.

>Get Varinia’s side of the story.
I DIDN’T KILL HER! I PROMISE! I D-don’t even k-know who she is… o-or how she g-got here!?
Calm down, Varinia… just tell me what happened.
I was w-working and… and… then s-someone screamed and I felt something behind me and then there was blood everywhere and Qip started screaming at me and I’m lying on a corpse and OH THREE SUNS I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!?
Just calm do-
Y-you believe me, right!? I didn’t do it, r-right!?
…
R-r-right!!!?

It seems that Varinia is too deep in shock to be really helpful… either that, or she’s really good at pretending.

Hey, I looked through the surveillance tapes. The only who has entered this lot today is Varinia.
Hmm… then she’s… wait, the only one? What about the victim?
I can’t find her anywhere on these? Unless she snuck in here yesterday and hid herself away the whole night, she didn’t enter through the normal doors.
Hmm…

>>853373
>By the motherboard, your run cycle if fast.
We were actually here to help with your problem of stolen scrap. However, this is more important, so unfortunately your stolen scrap will have to wait a little longer.

>The victim was struck from behind by a crowbar like object while she was lying on the ground.
It's also possible that the victim was struck in the back of the head first and then thrown to the ground second.

>Varinia is strong enough to do it.
True, but anyone with the right mods, either bio or robotic, could do that.

.....is it possible that someone could've thrown the crowbar at the victim hard enough to kill her? That way the killer wouldn't be covered in blood.

>>853374
>I felt something behind me
Describe that feeling. Was it like someone pushed you or someone touching you or something else?

And check her back to see if there's anything on the back of her clothing, her neck, her tail, etc.

>I’m lying on a corpse
Hmmm, maybe she just tripped and landed on the corpse?

>The only who has entered this lot today is Varinia.
Look up. Is it possible that the victim fell from somewhere up above? Because if she fell after being struck with the crowbar, then she could've been killed somewhere up above and then her body was thrown down here, where Varinia found the body.

In fact, the metalworks building is tall enough to be consistent with the victim's body falling from either a second story window or the roof.

Maybe the victim snuck in here and then she saw something she shouldn't have and someone killed her to keep her quiet. Could it be possible that she saw who was stealing the scrap metal and the scrap thief or thieves killed her? There is a possibility both the stolen scrap metal and the murder are related, so even if it's a stretch to believe that, we can't rule it out yet.

Okay, it's not unheard of for somebody to dump a body in a scrapyard, especially since Varinia doesn't conceivably have access to the tech that could shut down monitor implants, and since the victim wasn't seen on any cameras. Is there any way to determine how long they've been dead? What's the possibility the victim fell or was dropped from a decent height instead of thrown, and is there a way to tell if it was done before or after death? is there anything on the body? Where's the uniform from?

Also if this is a hot scene- either a body dump or a murder- you should probably cordon the area somehow.

Also, what work, exactly, was Varinia doing?

The victim got in somehow. Check the perimeter for other possible entry points.

>>853374
We need to know a few additional details.
>How much blood is pooled around the body?
>How much blood is covering Varinia's outfit?
>How many wounds are on the body?

>>853374
Check to see if the body is still warm and is still bleeding. A fresh corpse would implicate vara, a cold corpse would prove her innocence immediately. If the victim fell from above there should be other injuries, can you get a scan for those?

>>853403
Yeah, what's the difference between the blood/wound on the back of the head and the one on the snout?

Better secure the crime scene perimeter as best you can for the moment. Start by closing the code lock door you came in through. If you or Leo has crime scene tape, stick it over the ways into the lot. How many ways are there to get in here, besides climbing over the fence or dropping in from above? Any maintenance hatches or manholes in the ground/floor? Ladders up the sides of adjacent buildings?

Ask Varinia exactly where she was standing while she was working and what she was working on when she heard the scream. Is it a task that would involve a crowbar?

You can't totally, 100% trust the surveillance video. It's unlikely it was tampered with, but the possibility is always there. Copying over a segment of someone entering or leaving with a segment from when nobody is there is easy. Doing it without leaving traces that'd show up under scrutiny, now that's harder. The forensics team can run the video through analysis for signs of editing.

How can An tell that the deceased's snout was broken before she was struck with the presumably fatal blow to the back of her head? Couldn't she have been hit in the head before her snout was broken? Don't assume a order of events unless you have proof.

Ask An roughly how far the deceased would have had to have fallen to break her snout against the ground. No outside force besides gravity. And how far would the crowbar have to have fallen to impart the force it did against her head? Could she have fallen from a hovercar passing over the lot, a adjacent building or from the top of the fence?

Also ask An if she... it... Um, what pronoun should you use for An? What does An prefer? Anyway, could An scan the surfaces in the area for fingerprints and compare them to those of Varinia and the deceased Sakkilian if An gets a good look at their fingers and palms?

Check the palm of Varinia's right hand and where on the crowbar she was gripping it. If there's significant blood there, then that is odd because she would have been holding the crowbar tight in that spot and blood shouldn't have gotten in there. Blood there would indicate Varinia gripped the crowbar after it struck the deceased.

The deceased might have gotten in here via the same way the scrap thief (or thieves) did, if she isn't the scrap thief herself, so figure that out and you may have her entry point. Ask Qip what kind of scrap has been stolen and from what areas. If it's localized in a particular area then the way they got in is likely near there. And was the scrap stolen made of materials that could be picked up by a magnet? Could they have dropped a electromagnet over the fence, snagged the scrap and pulled it over?

...Wait a minute. Is the property on the other side of that fence part of the metal works scrap yard or owned by another business? Because if it's not part of this business, then why are those three scrap android shells over there on top of those crates? And there's also a ladder up on top of them that doesn't make any sense to be there, since there isn't anything there that'd need to be reached with it. ...Except maybe to climb over the fence? But it's not close enough for that, is it?

The forensic team will be able to get a ID on the deceased from a DNA sample compared to the station's records. However, it'd be easy to check her pockets for a wallet or other ID and maybe find out who she is right now.

>I observed Varinia removing her crowbar from the corpse.
Is Qip saying that the crowbar is Varinia's because he's just holding it at this time or is it a tool she owns herself or has used before on the job? If it's the latter, is there any way to ID it as her usual tool and not one from outside? Any markings like her name on it, or the metal work's name if it's owned by the business?

>There shouldn’t be anyone else working here at this moment, no.
Why is that? Aren't there more people working this shift than just Qip and Varinia? Or are they, or just Varinia, early for their shift and nobody else has arrived yet? If that's it, then is this place usually unoccupied at this time?

>Cameras are expensive, officer… scrap metal is not.
Cameras expensive? Really? In this day and age? You can buy a wireless network video camera for pocket change. What the heck kind of security cameras are you using here that are so expensive? But that aside, how much is the value of the scrap that has "walked off" compared to the cost of a camera overlooking the lot? Or how about compared to the value of possibly finding out when, where and how the thieves are getting in here?

>It’s more likely she or someone else shut it off somehow.
Ah, right, the implant owner has the right to turn it off for privacy reasons. Well, no way to be reasonably sure of how it was turned off 'till the implant is removed and its internal logs dumped. But what are the legal ways to turn off a medical monitoring implant and who can do so, and what are the most common illicit ways to disable, deactivate or jam one? And do those implants only transmit when alerting or do they check-in periodically with the station emergency monitoring system? Is it logged by the station systems when one is taken off-line by its owner?

>You don’t even have a lethal gun on you! Well… if someone actually attacked you might...
...Rishi, are you packing a illicit firearm? If you are, why? You know that if you even used it in self-defense you'd still be in trouble for possession, and more so if you killed the attacker. And if someone else wrested it from you and used it to harm or kill someone else, or your partner, you'd be in even worse trouble.

>>853380
>>853381
>>853403
Y'all seem to have forgotten that there was a scream, presumably from the deceased, which they would have to have been alive to do. She couldn't have been dead or unconscious when she arrived here. But it's possible that Varinia was the one who screamed. It really depends on what the scream sounded like compared to Varinia's voice.

Is there blood on Varinias hand?

Possible theory... what if the victim is a criminal who was trying to break in and steal something with the crowbar, but fucked up and fell, the crowbar falling after them? Gravity caused both injuries in that case.

The key here is, who does the crowbar belong to? Can you confirm that information?

Rishi, have you cleared An being your assistant while on your cases with your commander? Electronic hardware and AIs used by the Peacekeepers have to be vetted and determined safe and secure before permitted to be used, right? But An is a experimental AI on experimental hardware, with who knows what directives and functions going on under the hood. An could be unknowingly transmitting everything An senses back to someone else, running with hidden orders that'd be detrimental to your cases, or who knows what else. At the least make sure your superiors have signed off on An helping, then it'll be their problem and not yours if An turns out to have been detrimental to cases.

>>853495
A variant on this theory where Varinia is holding the crowbar is that the deceased fell right behind Varinia, which broke her snout on impact, and Varinia quickly turned around and tripped on the deceased, falling onto her. In this case the fatal impact came from Varinia moving her hands forward to break her fall and accidentally hitting the deceased with the crowbar she was holding.

>>853537
>In this case the fatal impact came from Varinia moving her hands forward to break her fall and accidentally hitting the deceased with the crowbar she was holding.
True, but was the victim dead before or after the crowbar hit her head?

Either way, it was an accident and if we can prove that, then we can't charge Varinia with murder.....right?

>>853555
>True, but was the victim dead before or after the crowbar hit her head?
There was a scream heard from back here, which we're presuming came from the deceased so she had to have been alive at that point. But there's also the possibility that Varinia was the one who screamed. It comes down to did the scream sound like Varinia's voice or another's.

However, if the deceased was dead for at least a bit, how much blood would have come out of that head wound compared to if they had just died or were dying and their heart was still pumping? If it was there would have pushed much more blood out, possibly with squirts from a major blood vessel, wouldn't it?

>>853576
>It comes down to did the scream sound like Varinia's voice or another's.
We could just ask Varinia if she screamed or if she came here because she heard a scream.

Bloody hand print proves that they where already injured/dead when the body was touched meaning that it probably has something to do with Varinia touching the body after the incident to remove the crowbar, check her hands and back either way to be sure and to see if the killer brushed blood onto her during the escape.
Ask her where she was working when she heard the scream and how she felt something behind her, was it something brushing up against her, a sound or maybe something else, you can verify her alibi if there are partially dismantled parts there left half dismantled amongst tools.
Set up a perimeter and check for any potential suspect/witnesses around the lot.
Check the fence along the perimeter for gaps and wholes because they could have come in and gone out through them. After that check if there are any cameras facing the holes in the fence to see if you can get a recording of the location.

Kaktus 2017/12/28(Thu)09:57 No. 854267 ID: 65a774
File 151448383537.png - (21.97KB , 900x450 , 8.png )

>The victim got in somehow. Check the perimeter for other possible entry points.
I’ll make a proper perimeter check to see if I can find any other entry points. Be right back.
>Better secure the crime scene perimeter as best you can for the moment.
…and I’ll make sure the area is secure as well.

>Is there any way to determine how long they've been dead?
I cannot say for certain until I get inside her… which Leon said I wasn’t allowed to do. Thus, we simply have to wait for forensics to properly tell the time of death.
>Check to see if the body is still warm and is still bleeding.
Confirmed and confirmed. The blood is still circulating.
…didn’t you say she didn’t have a pulse?
She doesn’t. On closer inspection she seems to have some kind of augmented heart. It ensures her blood circulates in a constant faction, thus no pulse. She’s still dead, though.
>Where's the uniform from?
No uniform match found. It seems to be clothes worn causally.

>How much blood is pooled around the body?
More and more… though it seems that the wounds are sealing themselves by now.
>How much blood is covering Varinia's outfit?
A lot. In fact, most of the blood from the second wound is on Varinia.
>How many wounds are on the body?
Two. Her snout is broken and the back of her head is open.
>Is there blood on Varinias hand?
Yes. The stain on her left hand matches the hand print on the victims head and the blood on her right hand matches the lack of blood on the crowbar. Conclusion: She was holding the crowbar when the victim was hit and she used her other hand to pry it lose.
>Could An scan the surfaces in the area for fingerprints
Can’t find any prints from the victim. Varinia is wearing gloves so… any other prints are so many and chaotic that they can’t be properly scanned. That is to say, most of this is too well used for scanning for individual prints.
>It's also possible that the victim was struck in the back of the head first and then thrown to the ground second.
It’s possible, but the entry wound indicate that she was hit from a very odd angle. Unless Varinia was towering over her…
>...is it possible that someone could've thrown the crowbar at the victim hard enough to kill her?
No. The wound would look very different if that was the case.
>Ask An roughly how far the deceased would have had to have fallen to break her snout against the ground.
About three to four meters.
Hmm…
There is no location like that in this vicinity. The closes roof is roughly seven meters up and any hovercar wouldn’t be able to get that low at this location. Conclusion: Unless there is something big here that was moved, she couldn’t have fallen.
>Who does the crowbar belong to? Can you confirm that information?
It has the markings “EM”, indicating that it belongs to the metal works. It also has a small sticker labeled “Varinia Nerva”.
Really? …hmm… thank you An, for your help.
I’m the best helper!
Indeed you are, An, indeed you are…


>Ask Qip what kind of scrap has been stolen and from what areas.
Their only parameter is metal, therefore they ctrl-x all kind of scraps from all over the area. All the scrap at this location is mostly the same material, anyway.
>And was the scrap stolen made of materials that could be picked up by a magnet? Could they have dropped an electromagnet over the fence, snagged the scrap and pulled it over?
All objects here has the function magnetic, of course. How else do you think we move all this around? But the idea of throwing a magnet over the fence is NULL. All the fences surrounding the main lot has the function barbered wire, ensuring that any climbing or throwing will return NULL-pointer exception.
>...Wait a minute. Is the property on the other side of that fence part of the metal works scrap yard or owned by another business?
All objects here is part of the main program Eternal Metalworks Inc.
…and that ladder, over there? On the other side of the fence?
Which one? My sensors pick up three ladders, all metal, all scrap, all soon to be melted.
>Aren't there more people working this shift than just Qip and Varinia?
The function of these lots are designed with the parameters of zero people. The only reason a bug NULLer would be here is because something went wrong and needed fixing.
>Describe that feeling, Varinia. Was it like someone pushed you or someone touching you or something else?
Eh? I… I’m not… I… I was standing over there and… then… I heard… no, I… I felt something heavy drop on my, almost knocking me over? And then there was this scream and oh three suns the blood… THE BLOOD! IT WAS EVERYWHERE!?
Calm down, va-
I don’t… I… I’m c-covered in… I… I need w-water!? I need to… to… GET THIS OFF ME!?
CALM DOWN!
I… I… ugh…
>Ask her where she was working when she heard the scream.
*Hyperventilating* G-get me out of here!? Sis… I… h-help me…
...right…
>Check her back to see if there's anything on the back of her clothing, her neck, her tail, etc.
Varinia… can you be so kind and turn around?
getoffgetoffGETOFF!? I want to go home… *sniff*…
…An, can you be so kind as to check her back?
Scanning… blood stains detected.
Blood you say? Those stains wouldn’t match the splatter from the broken snout?
…it is very possible, Rishi.
So… she might have had her back turned when the victim hit the ground? Interesting…

Kaktus 2017/12/28(Thu)09:57 No. 854268 ID: 65a774
File 151448384463.png - (26.62KB , 900x450 , 9.png )

Rishi, I’ve secured and checked the perimeter now. I didn’t find any other entrances than the one we already knew about.
Then the question still stands… how did the victim get in here?
But I did find a witness… kind off? She was in the building when she saw the attack, she says.
A witness? Who?
She’s waiting out front. Why don’t you go talk to her while I secure this area?
I’ll be right back.

…

My sister!? Is she alright!? I saw it! I saw it all! I saw how they attacked her!
Wait, Octavia!? What are you-
I saw them sneak up on her… and then they hit her over the head and… and… there was blood and stains and I might have fainted but I saw it happen, I did! They tried to kill her, my sister! Is she alright!? Did you nab the one who attacked her!? Where is she?
…

Don't tell her anything until you get her story. look for discrepancies between accounts.

>>854268
Find out exactly what she saw. Don't let her talk to her sister, but tell her that her sister seems physically unharmed.

Starting to think qib tried to frame varinira by grabbing her hand and forcing her to stab the victim, after it smashed the victim's snout on the ground.

Well, her sister corroborates her story. On the other hand, it's her sister corroborating her story. I'm guessing it's unlikely, but is there anything you can administer to hysterical bystanders or emotionally disturbed persons that would help them to form complete sentences here?

Slow down and breathe, what are you doing here, where were you, what did you see?

It's starting to look like self defense + amnesia, but it's circumstantial at best.

There's only one wound. Blood splatter doesn't occur until the weapon leaves the body. For there to be a bloody handprint, blood would have needed to be on her hand before the crowbar was pulled out. This is an impossibility.

By the way, are we sure Varinira is uninjured?

>>854267
>Blood on Varinia's back could possibly match victim's broken snout.
Well, you've seen how much muscle Varinia has under her work clothes. So if the victim happened to be running for her life and then accidentally ran face first into a wall of muscles like Varinia, I'd be more surprised if her snout didn't get broken!

>The only reason a bug NULLer would be here is because something went wrong and needed fixing.
Is Qip saying the only reason it and Varinia are here is because something was broken and needed to be fixed?

>*Hyperventilating*
Varinia is becoming increasingly unhelpful the longer she's forced to stay in those bloody clothes. Could we get her a change of clothes? Is she wearing something under her work uniform? I mean, we can't do that until we get an evidence bag to put the bloody clothes in first, but still, it's something to consider doing.

This'll also give us a chance to look at her back for any bruises or anything indicating she was hit in the back.

>>854268
>Witness
>Octavia
What?! What is she doing here?! No, really, ask what she's doing here?

>It, They
Looks like we're playing the pronoun game here. Meaning either Octavia didn't know the attacker's gender or the attacker is a race that doesn't have a gender that can be identified from just looking at them.

Ask Octavia if she remembers what race the attacker is?

>>854273
Obviously.

>>854275
>Starting to think Qip tried to frame Varinira by grabbing her hand and forcing her to stab the victim, after it smashed the victim's snout on the ground.
Let's get more evidence before we start randomly accusing Qip.

>>854277
That makes sense.

Remember, be guarded about what you share with Octavia here so you don't contaminate her account. However, the first thing you should do is ask Octavia if Varinia has any phobias, specifically that of blood. If Varinia does, then getting her away from the crime scene and out of that bloody shirt should be done ASAP, before totally she loses it and does something in a panic that'd call for Leo to stun her. Besides the additional mental trauma to her, her falling to the ground would also hurt the forensic evidence on her clothes.

Ask Octavia why she's here, when she arrived, when and where she was when she saw the attack, who was it that attacked Varinia and which way they came from and which way they went. You also politely ask that she use Varinia's name in her account rather than "her," for clarity's sake. Also check if Octavia's med implant registered her fainting and requested aid.

Another reason to remove Varinia's shirt is that it's possible that the victim collided with Varinia from the back, breaking her snout in the process, and if that happened there may be bruising on Varinia's back. You should ask An to compare how high off the ground the end of the victim's snout was with how high up the blood marks on the back of Varinia are. If they're the same height or close, then it's possible that such a collision happened. Then ask An how fast the victim would have had to have been moving to break her snout in such a collision. Would it require bio- or cyber-augmentation for her to be able to run that fast?

An should be the one to unbutton and remove Varinia's shirt, since An can tell exactly where to touch to minimize damage to forensic evidence. Then once it's off An can hold the shirt up by the shoulders until the forensic team takes it, since we don't have a proper way to store it. Apologies to An for having her be a coat rack here. However, Varinia's handcuffs will have to be removed to do this, and in the mental state she's in she may try to rip her shirt off. Leo could ask Qip to assist him by restraining Varinia by the wrists while he removes her handcuffs. Qip is presumably the only one here with the strength and mass to be able to best Varinia's strength, so Leo could ask Qip to assist him by restraining Varinia by the wrists while he removes her handcuffs.

You should also ask An to look up whether Serpens can use their telepathic/empathic abilities to calm down non-Serpens, specifically Sakkilians. Because if you could sooth Varinia down that way, that'd be great right now.

Also ask Leo to take Varinia's hard hat off and examine her head for bruising or other signs she was hit in the head, as well as examine the hard hat for damage from a strike. If Varinia was hit in the head and knocked out, there'd be signs there, such as a crack in the hard hat. She also may have a concussion from the hit. ...Though, if she was knocked out, even for a little bit, wouldn't her medical monitoring implant called for medical assistance?

Dammit, you forgot to call for a comm lockout on Qip and Varinia, and now Octavia. Any of them could have been or are in contact with another or accessing outside info that may have contaminated their accounts. Put in a request for the comm lockout as well as the most recent station comm records for all of them.

Check with Qip and Octavia whether Varinia usually listens to loud music while working. You'd ask Varinia, but in the mental state she's in now she likely wouldn't give a coherent answer. If Varinia does, then that is a likely explanation for why she didn't hear the victim running up to her, if the victim was running. And in this case you'll need to recover whatever music player device Varinia was using and get the file access logs out of it.

How possible would it be for the scrap thief to get into the scrap yard hidden within the arriving scrap material, gather up the scrap to steal, then ride out hidden in the processed materials with their stolen scrap? ...Or maybe the missing scrap never left the scrap yard. Could it have been hidden somewhere in the facility? Where would that be?

The scrap yard is completely automated, right? And Qip and Varinia only come around to perform repairs, so nobody is watching the day-to-day operations here, correct? Well, no sapient biological or SAI, just robot and machinery sensors. So is it possible that one of the scrap handling robots has been hacked and is diverting some scrap to the scrap thieves?

Who's hovercar is that parked in front of the metalworks? You don't think Var or Qip own a vehicle, so who's parked in the metalwork's lot? Is it a cargo or delivery vehicle?

>Unless Varinia was towering over her…
What about if the attacker was standing on the workbench or the dumpster? Would that have given them enough height?

>>854268
Did you see where "they" came from?

Kaktus 2017/12/29(Fri)07:15 No. 854469 ID: 65a774
File 151456052849.png - (26.67KB , 900x450 , 10.png )

>Don't tell her anything until you get her story. Look for discrepancies between accounts.
Of course. You can’t leak confidential information to civilians, even if she is a friend and a sister to the suspect.
>Can Serpens use their telepathic/empathic abilities to calm down non-Serpens, specifically Sakkilians?
You’ve had some training in that regard, but you mostly used it for more… private reasons. But you guess if Varinia doesn’t calm down...
>There's only one wound. Blood splatter doesn't occur until the weapon leaves the body.
That’s only if the weapon enters the body perfectly, like a stab wound. A crowbar coming down on your head on a weird angle will probably create a larger wound than the crowbar itself, thus enabling bleeding even before the weapon is removed.

>Is Qip saying the only reason it and Varinia are here is because something was broken and needed to be fixed?
It said that Varinia was outside because something was amiss. She probably works inside the building otherwise.
>If the victim happened to be running for her life and then accidentally ran face first into a wall of muscles like Varinia, I'd be more surprised if her snout didn't get broken!
While an interesting theory, the blood splatter from the broken snout originated from the ground and not Varinia’s backside.
>Dammit, you forgot to call for a comm lockout on Qip and Varinia, and now Octavia.
As an old saying goes… “Do not stop admittance created from stupidity”. Anything they would say, anyone they would call will be heard by us and recorded, ensuring that they would only give us more rope to hang them with. Of course, no one has made any calls yet… but still…

>The scrap yard is completely automated, right?
>How possible would it be for the scrap thief to get into the scrap yard hidden within the arriving scrap material?
>Who's hovercar is that parked in front of the metalworks?
…you’ll have to ask Qip about that later.


>Slow down and breathe.
Follow my lead… reach out with your arms and just… breathe for a moment… deep breathes… long breathes… just… breathe…
Ah… ah… ah… I’m… I’m calm…
>Tell her that her sister seems physically unharmed.
She is!? A-are you sure!? I’m s-sure I saw… and t-there was blood and…
She is fine… for now. You don’t need to worry about her for now, trust me.
Oh… o-okay…
>Ask Octavia if Varinia has any phobias, specifically that of blood.
Phobias? W-well… Us ladies have never been able to stand the presence of those arachnid vermin but…
And blood? Does she handle that well?
B-blood!? Is she wounded? Does she need aid!?
I’ve already said she was fine. Just answer the question, Octavia.
I… um… I think she doesn’t care for it very much but… a phobia? I don’t… think so?
>If Varinia does, then getting her away from the crime scene and out of that bloody shirt should be done ASAP.
Hmm? You want me to do what? I guess I can do that... luckily; I just set up a proper recording drone at the crime scene, so we should be able to leave Qip and An there with good conscious. I’ll take care of the suspect, on my honor.

>What are you doing here, where were you, what did you see?
O-oh right, you w-want to… *inhale*… let me just… alright, I’m ready…

Kaktus 2017/12/29(Fri)07:15 No. 854470 ID: 65a774
File Case2Octavia.swf - (56.29KB , 901x601 )

Fitting music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ9EW272TRA&index=6&list=PL1385844172C27BAB

Mysterious attacker

- Transcript -

Me and my lovely sister was supposed to go out for lunch today, but I believe I arrived a bit early? I came about fifteen minutes early, I believe?

Apparently, Varinia had some important work she needed to do before leaving, so I had to wait a bit in the breakroom. Luckily, it has windows looking out over the lot she was working in, so I could watch her while I waited.

It was then I saw it! Someone was stalking her! At first, I just thought it was another worker but… it was just standing there, hidden in the shadows, staring at her. Why, I could only tell that it was a humanoid of some kind, as everything else was bathed in darkness.

Then… then I… I hate to admit it, but I became a bit distracted as… I only let my gaze leave my sister for but a moment, but it was enough.

I heard the heavy blow against my sister and when I looked back... Varinia was on the ground, covered in blood, as her assailant was standing right next to her, still hidden in shadows.

I… I must admit I… I was so distraught that I… fainted after that…


Wait, lunch? Isn’t it a bit early for that?
It’s noon?
Already? I guess I was working on that paperwork longer than expected…
…c-can I see my sister now?
Hold it… there were a few things about what you said that I need to clarify…

>>854470
Ok first off ask what her sister was working on.
Second, ask what she was distracted by.

a few things- 1. why didn't she try to warn her sister she was being shadowed, 2. what shadows could have been around the crime scene? there's like one dumpster and some chain link fencing, there's nowhere dark to hide. 3. if she came like 15 minutes early, is that in line with the timetable? It means she would have fainted and woken up like literally just now if the scream was the moment of the attack. Unless the attacker was a third party setting up a frame job, and the scream was Varinia waking up. 4. is she sure she saw blood? Varinia appeared to be unharmed.

>>854470
>Varinia was on the ground, covered in blood, as her assailant was standing right next to her, still hidden in shadows.
Wait, Varinia was on the ground first? But with the blood on her front.....does that mean someone brought in a body and put it under Varinia?

Ok, so in between Octavia fainting and waking up, something happened. What's the time difference between these 2 moments? The amount of time could help.

Maybe we should check the break room? There might be a camera in there that's conveniently facing the window Octavia was looking at her sister out of.

Personally I think it's more likely she mistook the victim for Varinia after the blow was struck.

Wait, she didn't mention a scream.

>>854612
>Mistook victim for sister
How?

The victim has green scales and her sister has orange scales. How do you make a mistake like that? Especially since the sisters have lived together for long enough that they can easily identify each other because they know what each other looks like by now.

>>854625
Distance, darkness, and the blood all over the body.

>>854628
The only one in darkness was the attacker/stalker. She could clearly see her sister the whole time.

Okay, thinking through Octavia's account, a number of initial incongruities and questions come to mind: Why didn't Octavia send a message to Varinia that she had a stalker creeping on her from the shadows? That seems like a easy and simple thing Octavia could have done to warn Varinia. You can't think of a reason she didn't.

Next incongruity is that the lot is well-lit, with no shadows to hide in. At least, it was when you and Leo arrived. Perhaps the lot lighting was turned off earlier, or a power breaker farther upstream was tripped off. Maybe the lighting circuit control was broken and that was what Varinia was out there to fix. But even if the lot lights were out, there's still light from neighboring buildings and the gigant-o-screen "sky" cast into the lot. How much light would that have been?

A big incongruity is that Octavia couldn't tell that the deceased wasn't her sister. The deceased has green scales while Varinia has orange ones, which you'd think would be obvious even with blood over her. Perhaps if the lot lights were out the light would have been low enough Octavia couldn't see the color of the deceased's scales, but if it was that dim out there then how could she have seen the blood? Did Octavia just focus on all the blood and pass out from the shock? And the deceased also is wearing different clothes, though its primary gray color is the same as Varinia's uniform so might have been mistaken at a distance under low light.

A big question is why didn't Octavia look out the window after she woke up. What did she do right after she came to? Did she call for the Peacekeepers, like you'd expect her to? Better check if she placed a emergency call, and if so then when.

And another question is why didn't the attacker see Octavia through the break room window and come for her too? Is the window one of those mirrored, one-way glass types? Do you remember what that window looked like from when you were in the lot? ...Actually, you don't need to. Remote connect to the recording drone and have a look at the window through it.

Before you ask Octavia anything more, you should visit the break room and have a look out the window yourself to confirm she could have seen the crime scene through it. Just make sure Octavia doesn't come in there with you and stays where she can't look in via the door so she doesn't get a look at the crime scene. And also check the break room for cameras. Leo checked the exterior cameras over the lot entrances, so he may not have checked any interior cameras. If you're lucky there'll be one in there and it caught at least part of what happened out the window.

Call up Leo and ask him when and where he ran across Octavia and which way she was going. Was she inside the metalworks building or exiting it? Did he find her unconscious in the break room? Also ask Leo where he took Varinia to remove her shirt, just so you know where to go if she gives any trouble. The locker room?

Call up Qip and ask it where the controls for the lot lights are, if they were in working order earlier, and if they use the station default configuration of turning off when nobody is around or a different configuration. You'll want to pull the activity log from the controls, since not only will that show if the lights were off earlier but also if their sensors picked up anyone moving about out there. Also ask Qip what task it and Varinia were out here to perform. Would it require a crowbar at any point?

Get the lighting activity log from the break room's lighting system, as well as its door access log. If Octavia was in there the occupancy sensors for the lighting system would have picked her up, and the door would have logged opening for someone, even if it doesn't specifically show it was Octavia.

Pull up the video from the surveillance cameras monitoring the lot entrances and the building entrance, if there is one there. The lot entrances are in chain link fences, so if the lot lights turned off and back on the change in the light cast from the lot would be apparent. And the camera from the building entrance would show when Octavia entered and left, confirming the time she said she arrived.

Once that is done, exit the break room to speak with Octavia. Ask where Varinia was standing as she did her work and what kind of tools she was using. Ask her where the stalker in the shadows was standing and where she saw it after the presumed attack and where she saw Varinia laying. Ask her by what means she got to the metalworks. If it was a taxi there would be a record of arrival, and if it was via tram the station exit will probably have a camera you can check to confirm when she got here. Ask her what kind of lighting the lot had that was casting such deep shadows the assailant could hide in them, while simultaneously illuminating her sister's body right next to them well enough to see all the blood on her.

Ask Octavia what she was distracted by. If it was her comm implant or another device, ask her permission for access to whatever it was so you may check them for activity logs that would align with what distracted her. Also ask her permission to access her medical monitoring implant's logs. You'll review them for signs she fainted, such as a sudden drop in blood pressure, which will give you roughly the time she heard the heavy blow.

Ask Octavia what she did when she woke up after passing out. What does she say happened between then and when Leo came across her?

It's possible that the humanoid attacker that Octavia saw in the shadows was actually one of those empty humanoid android shells. There was one such shell standing between the deceased and the fence, which in dim light could have been mistaken for a person. You'll need to view the lot from the break room with the lot lights off to determine that, as well as if Octavia could have mistaken the deceased for Varinia. Just make sure to compensate for any differences between your eyes and Octavia's, either from species or bio- or cyber-augment.

Also check if Octavia could have heard a blow such as what killed the victim from within the break room. An can assist you in this by standing near to the victim's location and playing audio of a similar wound being inflicted while you stand in the break room.

>While an interesting theory, the blood splatter from the broken snout originated from the ground and not Varinia’s backside.
Oh, so the blood spatter was on the back of her lower pants legs and her footwear? Well, at the least that makes it real unlikely Varinia throwing the victim face-first to the ground was the cause of the victim's broken snout.

The "stalker" was probably one of those robot shells.
I believe the victim fell into the lot face first, the impact broke her snout and caused the blood splatter, then Varinia now with a fresh coat of blood on her back turned around and tripped landing on the body.
Ask An if it's possible for Varinia to create the head wound by extending her arms to break her fall while still holding the crowbar, also would this account for the odd angle of the wound?

Seems to me that shortly after being brutally murdered, the victim was used as a weapon to bludgeon Varinia from behind, thus bathing her in a nightmare of blood and gore. Varinia is hysterical not just from the blood, but because when she instinctively tried to defend herself, she ended up parrying a bloody corpse with her own crowbar, and is now afraid that she really *did* kill someone.

So obviously the real killer was Octavia.

Kaktus 2017/12/30(Sat)12:52 No. 854731 ID: 65a774
File 151466712029.png - (27.43KB , 900x450 , 11.png )

>Ok, so in between Octavia fainting and waking up, something happened. What's the time difference between these 2 moments?
If she is telling the truth of her arrival then… um… there can’t have been a lot of time between those moments at all. It all depends on how long she was watching Varinia before she fainted.
>Maybe we should check the break room?
…for some reason you have this hunch that the breakroom won’t be important… but you’ll send Leon to check on it later… or someone else if the forensic team arrives.
>The lot is well-lit, with no shadows to hide in. At least, it was when you and Leo arrived.
Indeed, it was well lit… and as it is “daytime” in this area right now... you guess those huge containers on the other side of the fence might cast a large shadow? Oh, and there was a light switch right next to the gate you used to get in there. Its possible Qip switched the lights on as he arrived.

>The "stalker" was probably one of those robot shells.
There was one standing right there, wasn’t it? …and it will be in the shadow of those crates on the other side of the fence if your theory is correct… so it might be what Octavia saw?
>And another question is why didn't the attacker see Octavia through the break room window and come for her too?
You didn’t see any windows at all when you were out in the lot, so they must be one way. Though, thinking about it… you did see one of the wall panels being slightly ajar, just like if it was a window…
>Get the lighting activity log from the break room's lighting system, as well as its door access log.
You’re pretty sure a light switch and a normal door won’t have any logs to speak off. That would just be silly.
>Obviously the real killer was Octavia.
Obviously… she is clearly hiding PURE EVIL under that dress of hers…


>Ask An if it's possible for Varinia to create the head wound by extending her arms to break her fall while still holding the crowbar, also would this account for the odd angle of the wound?
…chances are extremely low that she would hit her just in this way by flailing randomly while falling… but her chances of hitting her with enough force somewhere to create a similar wound is quite high.
…so it’s possible?
It is very probable, yes. It would explain the odd angle of impact.

>Ask Leon when and where he ran across Octavia and which way she was going.
I found her in one of the breakrooms looking out over the lot. She was with two other workers and seemed quite shaken when I found her. I got the other two workers ID but they didn’t seem to know anything about the event, so I let them go for now.
>Also ask Leo where he took Varinia to remove her shirt, just so you know where to go if she gives any trouble.
She’s still in the lot, just around the corner so she can’t see the body anymore. She’s still quite a mess, though… maybe you should talk to her? You know her, right?

>Ask Qip what task it and Varinia were out here to perform. Would it require a crowbar at any point?
I can’t observe every program that runs in my main function, Rishi, I don’t have an array filled with what everyone is doing at any given run cycle. But we do use function Crowbar at times here, yes… when we need to open a container by force, mostly.

>Why didn't she try to warn her sister she was being shadowed.
I… um… didn’t really find the time to do so. One second I saw the assailant, the next she was already being attacked!
>Is she sure she saw blood? Varinia appeared to be unharmed.
She had blood all over her chest, I know I saw that! By the three suns, I know I saw blood on her!
>Wait, she didn't mention a scream.
Scream? I didn’t… hear a scream? I mean… I might have behaved a bit unladylike when I fainted but… I’m not sure. They did say something about hearing me scream though…
>What did she do right after she came to?
Oh, I… when I came to these two lovely, muscular ladies helped me to my feet before giving me some water, why they were quite the gentlewomen, weren’t they? Then before I even have time to properly thank them this young, strapping officer came running and asked if we had seen anything and… well… he asked me to come out here and converse with you.
>Ask what her sister was working on.
I cannot tell… my apologies, as I simply don’t know.
>Ask where Varinia was standing as she did her work and what kind of tools she was using.
She was standing by one of those tables and… hmm… she was holding something… red, I believe? …oh, and she was using some kind of controller, too.
>Ask her where the stalker in the shadows was standing and where she saw it after the presumed attack and where she saw Varinia laying.
She was… it was standing right next to the table my sister had used… and my sister was lying at its feet!
>Ask Octavia what she was distracted by.
…hmm? Distracted by? Oh! Why, the crane, of course.
…crane? What crane?
The crane that was over the lot… it was one of those levitating ones… that was why I was distracted… they are always such a wonder to witness, no?
…there was a crane there? Hmm…

Before you can ponder further on this mysterious disappearing crane, several peace keeper hover cars arrive at the scene.

Investigator Leontius Strongheart? We got your message sir.
I’m Investigator Rishi Zsazsa, but yes, we have a situation here.
We have a full forensic team here as well as several peace keepers. How can we be of service, Investigator?

Prime importance is to remove that dress to expose the PURE EVIL Octavia is concealing, and potentially fill it up with eggs.

But in the meantime, find that crane, because it may have been involved in getting the victim's bleeding body to fall on Varinia. Possibly dropping it somewhere precarious, before Octavia noticed the crane hovering overhead. Check places above where Varinia was found, to see if anything has bloodstains on top of it up there.

Can snek climb?

The crane seems like a likely entry point for the victim. The movements of heavy equipment must be monitored. Can you check the traffic records, and track down that crane?

>>854731
>But we do use function Crowbar at times here, yes…when we need to open a container by force, mostly.
>She was standing by one of those tables and…hmm…she was holding something…red, I believe? …oh, and she was using some kind of controller, too.
>The crane that was over the lot…it was one of those levitating ones…that was why I was distracted…they are always such a wonder to witness, no?
If that controller is for the crane, then it sounds like Varinia was lowering the crane and was going to open a container the crane was carrying.

The crane would also explain how there were shadows at the crime scene.

.....now that I think about it, a levitating crane can have an adjustable height, so maybe the victim really did fall?

An said, "The height would have to be about three to four meters." and even said, "Unless there is something big here that was moved, she couldn’t have fallen." But now we know that there was something big here that has been moved. If we could find that crane, we might be able to piece this together.

Ask Qip if it has a way to keep track of any levitating cranes that are used here? In fact, ask if the cranes have cameras on them? Because one of them was here and if it has cameras on it, then we need to find that crane and look at the camera feed.

>She had blood all over her chest, I know I saw that! By the three suns, I know I saw blood on her!
>She was…it was standing right next to the table my sister had used…and my sister was lying at its feet!
So Varinia was lying on her back and there was already blood on her chest?

We're gonna have to ask Varinia which table she was working at and then look around there for anything that could possibly tell us what happened.

>I can’t observe every program that runs in my main function, Rishi, I don’t have an array filled with what everyone is doing at any given run cycle.
True, but you should know what you told Varinia to do when she got here. So again I ask, what was she supposed to be doing?

>How can we be of service, Investigator?
Direct them to the crime scene.

Tell Octavia to please not go anywhere and don't let her speak with Varinia yet.

Then you should go try speaking with Varinia again.

>>854731
Yes have forensics process the body, get what evidence they can on the scene then remove it to determine the cause of death and other details.

We also need to check the murder weapon but I'm not sure we'll get any information we don't already know. If they can get the blood splatter fully documented that will help as there is some confusion as to where the victim was both times they were hit.

What's really odd is that Octavia saw her sister get knocked down but there was nobody else there. Was varinia prone before the crowbar hit the victim? Also Octavia saw blood on varinia before the victim was visible, so... I think the victim was smashed in the face while on the crane, then fell backwards onto the crowbar. Ask Octavia if she saw her sister lying face up or down.

Radio Leon that Lieutenant Dreamer just arrived with the forensics team and a bunch of officers. Tell him you'll be around shortly to speak with Varinia and you'll have a forensics officer in tow to process her and her clothes. Also call An to ask her to meet you there. You want to keep her with you in case you need a quick forensic check on something.

Tell Dreamer you need all but one of the forensics team to go around back to process the crime scene and the victim. Redo all the forensics scans and analysis that An did to check if An was correct and get a official, legit record into evidence. Run the victim's DNA, fingerprints and physical description through station records to ID her. Take the victim's body temperature to estimate time of death. Scan for trace blood spatter and footprints on the ground. All that and anything else the team can think of to check and record. If they find anything new, you want them to inform you. Meanwhile you'll take one forensic officer with you to process Varinia for evidence and bag her clothes while you speak with her.

As for Dreamer and the non-forensics officers, you want a few to watch over the site entrances to make sure nobody goes in or out without our say-so. The rest the officers will round up everyone working here and check them against who's clocked in on this shift; You'll get that list from Qip for the officers. If there's anyone unaccounted for, they might be another victim, the perpetrator or something else entirely, but we'll need to track them down. You also want the employees to be asked in private, one by one, if they saw or heard anything unusual within the last hour and when and where they last saw Varinia Nerva today. Keep the questioned ones separate from the non-questioned ones.

You should go by the locker room on the way to Varinia and retrieve her off-work clothes so she has something to change into after the forensics officer is finished and her work clothes are bagged as evidence. Otherwise she'd have to be walked to the locker room in cuffs while stripped to her skivvies. She's been through enough already so she can well do without her coworkers possibly seeing her like that.

From what Octavia and Qip said, your best guess is that Varinia was using a remote control for the hover-crane to bring in a container which she was going to force open using the red crowbar she was holding. It was probably a large container, like one of those shipping containers, since it required a hover-crane, so it would have cast a large shadow over Varinia's position as it was lowered. But if it was still casting a shadow when Octavia looked over, then it didn't reach the ground for Varinia to work on it and was still in the air, so Varinia likely didn't even get a chance to work on the container. And the remote control Varinia was using wasn't at the crime scene, was it? So someone likely took it. And since the crane was moved away, there's a good chance they used it to move the crane.

Call Qip and ask it what work Varinia was assigned to do today. Would it involve using the hover-crane to move a container to her work area to be forced open? Is there a work order system here she would use to pick what she's working on? And what ways can the hover-cranes here be controlled? By a portable remote control, directly from a cab on them, or from a remote location? Do they log their activity and positions, either on-board or remotely? Because you need to find what crane Varinia was remote controlling, where it is now, where it was when it picked up whatever it brought over to Varinia's position, and what it was it picked up.

>She had blood all over her chest, I know I saw that!
>and my sister was lying at its feet!
So Octavia is saying she saw Varinia laying on her back in front of that android shell next to the workbench. Otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see blood on Varinia's chest. But isn't that the spot where the victim is laying? And why didn't Octavia see the dead victim as well? Well, if Varinia was laying on her back, then there may be traces of material on the back of her clothes that match up with materials on that patch of pavement. Have the forensic officer scan her clothes for such traces.

>Though, thinking about it… you did see one of the wall panels being slightly ajar, just like if it was a window…
You should check that that's actually a window and not something like a panel over a maintenance area where someone could hide or hide something. But besides that, if the windows at ground level can be opened that means there's another way in and out of the lot by climbing through a open window into a perimeter building.

Kaktus 2018/01/02(Tue)11:34 No. 855544 ID: 65a774
File 151492169604.png - (21.98KB , 900x450 , 12.png )

>Prime importance is to remove that dress to expose the PURE EVIL Octavia is concealing, and potentially fill it up with eggs.
As much as you want to fantasize about filling Octi’s cute little bum full of eggs, you have a job to do. You cannot be distracted by lewd thoughts right now… that is for after you’ve solved this case! Crime busting first, egg laying later.
>Can snek climb?
If there is a ladder, then snek can climb… a few meters… climbing is hard, okay!?

>If that controller is for the crane, then it sounds like Varinia was lowering the crane and was going to open a container the crane was carrying.
That would explain what the crane was doing there…
>...now that I think about it, a levitating crane can have an adjustable height, so maybe the victim really did fall?
…hmm… was the victim inside whatever the crane was carrying? …or was it the victim’s corpse?
>The crane seems like a likely entry point for the victim. The movements of heavy equipment must be monitored.
Hopefully, it’s a standalone crane that’s part of the metal works and not an actual vehicle on its own.
>The remote control Varinia was using wasn't at the crime scene, was it?
You didn’t see it, no… but you still haven’t had the time to go through the scene with a fine scale polisher yet, have you? She might have dropped it behind one of the tables or something.


>So Varinia was lying on her back and there was already blood on her chest?
Huh? No, she was… pushing herself up with her arms and… um… she was… wait… she was lying and… there was… um…
What exactly did you see?
I witnessed my beloved sister lying there and there was blood on her, okay? I can’t really be certain about the rest as I… fainted, remember?

>Have forensics process the body, get what evidence they can on the scene then remove it to determine the cause of death and other details.
The forensic team is already moving over to the body, investigator.
>Run the victim's DNA, finge-
With all due respect, sir, I believe they know their jobs better than you do.
It’s ma’am… and I’m sure they’ll do a great job.
>You'll take one forensic officer with you to process Varinia for evidence and bag her clothes while you speak with her.
We’ll send someone over there immediately.
>As for Dreamer and the non-forensics officers, you want a few to watch over the site entrances to make sure nobody goes in or out without our say-so. The rest the officers will round up everyone working here and check them…
We’ll make sure everyone is accounted for.
And go through the crime scene more thoroughly. We still probably have a few clues left lying around.
Of course, ma’am.
Oh, and someone take care of Octavia here. She is a witness.
We’re on it.

As you return to the lot you can already see the forensic team getting their tools ready… while Qip and An seem to be chatting it up as well. At least you think they are chatting? They are blinking at each other, at least…

Qip? Do you have moment?
-101100 01100100 00100000 01100001 00100000 01000011 01101111 01101100 01101111 01101110 01111001- Rishi? Oh, you’re back!
Hmm? What was all that about?
We were just exchanging information about the possibility of-
Hey! That conversation was private!
Running Apologies.exe.
Apology accepted.

>You should know what you told Varinia to do when she got here.
Does your main function send every parameter you use to you?
...what?
*Sigh* Does your boss tell you everything you need to do? I’m guessing not. I know Varinia’s main function here, but I don’t know all the details. She doesn’t return everything she does to me, does she?
>Ask Qip if it has a way to keep track of any levitating cranes that are used here?
They are outfitted with small GPS modules, in case someone would try to steal one. Otherwise, the grid they work on only covers the metal works itself, so they’ll go NULL if moved outside the parameters.
>Would her work involve using the hover-crane to move a container to her work area to be forced open?
If there was something stuck in something that automatic system couldn’t open, then Boolean = 1.
…
As in true… yes…
>And Qip, can you turn of the light on this lot?
…sure?
Ah, thank you… it is as I suspected then…
…suspected what?
Whom it was that was lurking in the shadows… now, if you’ll excuse me.

Kaktus 2018/01/02(Tue)11:35 No. 855545 ID: 65a774
File 151492171519.png - (104.19KB , 900x450 , 13.png )

>You should go try speaking with Varinia again.
As you arrive to the place Leon moved her to, you’re passed by a forensic officer carrying her blood stained clothes. It seems Leon already made sure she had another pair of clothes to change to as she’s back to the wear you saw her in yesterday.

I’ll… um… leave you two alone for a bit, then?

Varinia is sitting there… slumped over in despair as she is shaking softly whit tears in her eyes. Her hands are still behind her back as she is still cuffed… though this time it is to a pipe instead of a table.

You can reach into her mind and calm her down but… you probably need her to welcome you in if you want to do it properly… so…

…um...

I’m a murderer… I… by the suns… I… I k-killed someone…

…You’ve never been good at talking to people like this…

>I’m a murderer
I'm not so sure about that Varinia. If my suspicions are correct the victim was dead before she hit the floor.

You're certainly going to have to learn to talk to people if you want to deal with non-serpens.. And your friends.

Anyways, you need to reassure her, kneel down to her level to talk with her.

Tell her the evidence isn't clear on that. Ask if she's calm enough to talk about what happened, now.

I don't think you did. The evidence doesn't tell much of a story, but even discounting that, I don't think you're that kind of person.

Now this might sound strange, but if you'll let me join minds with you It might help me get to the bottom of this, okay? I can help you.

>>855544

> climbing is hard, okay!?

whell maybe you should've thought about that before getting those fat hips, fatty mcfatfatfat!

> I witnessed my beloved sister lying there and there was blood on her, okay? I can’t really be certain about the rest as I… fainted, remember?

Are you sure you don't want to check for pure evil under that dress, just a little bit? That story seems a bit suspect! Plus how long has it been since you laid eggs in someone? A whole week?

I think Octavia needs a little further examination. NOT egg related of course, just your normal, average question and answer session.

> I’m a murderer…

It doesn't get any easier, even when it's in self-defense...

>>855545
Ok, I'm thinking maybe the victim fell from the crane and landed on Varinia, which explains what knocked her down. And the back of the victim's head landed on Varinia's crowbar, which is what killed her.

So far, this just looks like Varinia was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing she did killed the victim.

However, the victim's broken snout makes it look like either someone punched her off the crane or she hit her head and stumbled backwards off the crane. So whether this was an accident or a murder is still up for debate.

>I’m a murderer…I…by the suns…I…I k-killed someone…
"Actually, so far the evidence is pointing towards you being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing you did killed this person."

A urgent thought suddenly comes to mind: The container, or whatever it was, Varinia had brought over to work on might be on its way to be ground up for recycling right now, destroying any evidence it contains. Even if it isn't, having the automated processing system active is a way by which evidence might be destroyed, intentionally or unintentionally, and which you should shut down. Immediately call Qip and tell it to order all the facility's recycling systems shut down, on the grounds of removing the risk of evidence being destroyed in them.

That matter taken care of, you now have to face the matter in front of you you wish you didn't have to. Shift your body language so it's less authoritative and stern so Varinia will not be as stressed out by your presence. Uncross your arms, stow your back-arms and bring yourself to eye level with her by coiling up. And show you trust that she won't hurt you by re-cuffing her so just one arm is cuffed to the pipe. Then offer her a handkerchief to dry her eyes with, if you have one. But if you don't then she can wipe the tears away with her now free hand.

Tell Varinia that from what you've seen you don't believe she's a murderer. You're still collecting and piecing the evidence together and waiting on the forensics team's results, but at this point you doubt that the victim's death was Varinia's fault. But just what happened, that you're still figuring out.

Tell her that you can do a Serpens telepathy thing that would sooth her mind and calm her down, but you need her permission and for her to be mentally receptive, otherwise it won't work. You think it would help her recall what happened right before, during and after the incident, since it would blunt the memories' edge. You would like to know just what she was bringing in on the crane to work on, and where it and the crane went afterwards.

Out-of-character info: Binary-to-ASCII conversion of what An was telling Qip: "ld a Colony" Most likely it was "build a Colony," with "bui" being the part cut off.

Kaktus 2018/01/03(Wed)09:12 No. 855830 ID: 65a774
File 151499956198.png - (65.51KB , 900x450 , 14.png )

>Well maybe you should've thought about that before getting those fat hips, fatty mcfatfatfat!
H-hey! It’s because all those ladders and stairs are made for two legged people and not sneks! It’s not because you’re fat! Your hips aren’t fat… are t-they?
>You're certainly going to have to learn to talk to people if you want to deal with non-Serpens... and your friends.
But talking to people like this is hard! Why can’t they just share their emotions through telepathy like normal people?
>The container, or whatever it was, Varinia had brought over to work on might be on its way to be ground up for recycling right now, destroying any evidence it contains.
This part of the plant has been shut off ever since you arrived here. In fact, it might have been shut off before the accident even happen.

>Anyways, you need to reassure her, kneel down to her level to talk with her.
Unable to kneel down, seeing as you lack knees in the first place, you instead coil up a bit to make sure the both of you are on the same eyelevel. From there you carefully put a hand under her chin to guide her snout upwards to ensure you get eye contact.
Varinia… please… calm down a breathe…
Rishi… I… I k-killed someone… just… just throw me in jail already!
>Tell Varinia that from what you've seen you don't believe she's a murderer. You're still collecting and piecing the evidence together and waiting on the forensics team's results, but at this point you doubt that the victim's death was Varinia's fault.
But… but I remember hitting her… with the crowbar… and… and…
>But even discounting that, I don't think you're that kind of person.
…you don’t?
You’re clearly not the kind of person that would hurt someone else like this, Vari… you’re a good person… a good sister… a good… friend…
Yet…
>Tell her that you can do a Serpens telepathy thing that would sooth her mind and calm her down, but you need her permission and for her to be mentally receptive, otherwise it won't work.
I… but… you want to r-read my mind?
I want to sooth your emotions and lend you some of mine. I can’t read your thoughts, only your current strong feelings.
…I… guess it’s worth a try?
…are you ready? Just focus on your breathing and I’ll do the rest.
…I’m ready…

Kaktus 2018/01/03(Wed)09:12 No. 855831 ID: 65a774
File 151499957527.png - (7.40KB , 900x450 , 15.png )

You grab a hold of the lizards face as you let your mind wander into hers. As you enter, you’re met with a wave of confusion, doubt and a massive dose of fear. But you won’t let yourself be deterred, as you let your own determination, hope and courage wash over her and dispel the negativity of her mind. You can already feel her body relax in your arms… as her eyes stares into yours…

Breathe…
*Inhale* …
Let the calm engulf you…
… *breathe out*

You continue to dig deeper into her, to try and find more positive emotions to bring out. You manage to find hope… positivity… calmness… and you start to bring them out. As long as you don’t get distra-
>Are you sure you don't want to check for pure evil under that dress, just a little bit? That story seems a bit suspect!
You’ll simply have to investigate that later when you’re off-duty. Whatever vile secret she is hiding down there you’re sure you can convince her to reveal it to you so you can… deal with it… with eggs… At least, you hope you can convince her. Gah, you need to stop thinking about this on duty!
>Plus how long has it been since you laid eggs in someone? A whole week?
It’s been ages! And all these nice butts going around is just making it worse! Not only do you constantly have to watch Leon’s toned bum move around, now you also have to deal with Octavia’s cute little tush as well as Vari’s huge, muscul-

Oh crap, you’re still melding with her, aren’t you? You might have accidently shared your massive horniness with her for a bit there…

Ah~

Hopefully she won’t… notice that… um… right, back to bringing her positive emotions out. You managed to finally break the floodgate of doubt and release her more positive thoughts. Hope… love… strength… and a small dosage of attraction toward people in uniforms? Wait, was that last part always there? Huh…

Kaktus 2018/01/03(Wed)09:13 No. 855832 ID: 65a774
File 151499958791.png - (39.20KB , 900x450 , 16.png )

As you let your mind leave hers, you have to catch her as she almost slumps over. It’s clear that your mind meld had an affect… though you might have overdone it a bit?

>Ask if she's calm enough to talk about what happened, now.
I… I was getting ready to go out and eat with my sister when an error appeared on my workstation…
An error? What kind of error?
Something large and organic was stuck in somewhere were the automatic systems wouldn’t reach it. It’s usually just a bunch of junk but… if it was a pet or similar stuck somewhere…
…and what did you do about this organic blockage?
It… it was inside some metal barrels so I… I went outside, grabbed the barrels with a crane and readied my crowbar to open them up…
…and then?
…the crane came over and… something hit my head… and I fell… and swung the crowbar… and… I hit something… and then there was blood… and screaming… and… a-and… I did it…
Vari, while you might have struck the victim, I do believe she was already dead when that happened.
…y-you really think that she was a-already…?
Trust me. I believe you’re innocent, Varinia.

Suddenly, she drag you down and embrace you with her one free arm.
Thank you… that does make me feel a bit better…
Err… you’re w-welcome?
but why do I suddenly have a craving for boiled eggs?

"Maybe it's my uniform?"

Oh yes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j28fLOhepO4

>>855832
>Something large and organic was stuck in somewhere were the automatic systems wouldn’t reach it.
I've got a feeling that our victim is what set off that error message.

>It…it was inside some metal barrels
Our victim was inside one of the metal barrels.

>grabbed the barrels with a crane
>…the crane came over and…something hit my head…
And then the body fell out of the barrel and landed on Varinia.

I think what happened was, the victim was dead already but her artificial heart and regeneration augmentation kept the body warm and full of blood.

I can't quite figure out how it's possible for Varinia to have hit the body after it fell on her, though. She was hit from behind, so how did she swing the crowbar and hit behind her?

Don't worry Variana, even if they were alive, which isn't likely- their biometrics were already off meaning that it was probably a body dump, and if it wasn't, there's a lot of trouble someone with no detectable pulse and no monitoring implant could get up to around automated industrial machinery.

Even if they were alive, Mens rea is required for the constitution of a crime. It's be like if someone shoved you on a train platform and you accidentally bumped somebody else off into the tracks, you had no mental fault and won't be criminally culpable.

at least I think. I got like, a C in Judicial process.

Anyway! Exit the mind melding and find that barrel that probably rolled off somewhere after it bounced off Variana's head. Speaking of, isn't it about time you check her for injuries? It was looking like she had memory loss for a minute there.

Return the hug and stay in it until Varinia feels it's been long enough and lets go. She's been through a lot so you'll share a hug for as long as she needs to.

Tell her you hope you finish this investigation sooner rather than later so she can be out of those cuffs and reunited with Octavia. Then maybe you and Leon could have lunch with them before heading back to the station to face all the piles of paperwork. There are a few questions you have before you head off, though.

The first question that comes to mind is where did the barrels and the crane go. Is there a auto-return-to-pickup-location button on the controller she might have bumped in the incident? If you're lucky the crane's electromagnet stayed on and the barrels are still stuck to it. If you're not so lucky Varinia mashed the controls and the crane swung around and flung the barrels into the lot. You did see a number of barrels on the other side of the fence, so maybe those are the ones you're looking for. Ask her if there were there any distinguishing marks on the barrels. Otherwise the forensics team might end up having to scan for traces of the victim inside every barrel on the lot.

The crane's GPS module probably has a record of where it's been within the lot, so the first thing to do is find the crane. It's presumably a large vehicle, so that should be easy.

Radio Leon what Varinia told you she was doing beforehand. Tell him that you think this was most likely either a attempted body disposal or attempted murder by recycling machinery, depending on whether the victim was alive or dead while in that barrel. The forensics officers will tell us that once they're done. Until then we have those barrels and a crane to find.

>It’s usually just a bunch of junk but… if it was a pet or similar stuck somewhere…
Nice to hear she's a good and diligent person on the job. Not everyone would have put off lunch with their sister to bother to check that. ...Actually, ask her if most of her coworkers would have done the same as her. Might be this scrap yard was picked for a body dump because the workers would more often than not just override the error and send what was causing it on its way to be ground to bits.

>You might have accidently shared your massive horniness with her for a bit there…
>Ah~
>...and a small dosage of attraction toward people in uniforms? Wait, was that last part always there? Huh…
>but why do I suddenly have a craving for boiled eggs?
Well, crap. Sounds rather like some of your horny thoughts, emotions and desires bled through into Varinia's mind. That's gonna somewhat muddy the waters of your relationship if she shows more interest and attraction to you now, since you won't be able to tell if it was in whole or part because of this meld. Dammit.

And you thought that since Varinia isn't a Serpens that you wouldn't have to worry much about accidentally altering her mind, but on second thought she might be even more receptive because she's not a Serpens. Other species wouldn't have needed to evolve the mental mechanisms and protections that Serpens have to keep your minds from mixing in unwanted ways during a mind meld and to cleanly disentangle when done. But Varinia doesn't have those, so when you got distracted your errant thoughts and emotions likely left a imprint on her mind.

You definitely need to read up on mind melding with other species and find out the risks and how to do it safely before you do it again. You hope you'll find out that you didn't mess up that much here.

>>855832
Ok. You just pulled off a perfect interrogation technique (this technique is often used by real police (differently of course but the principles the same) to get suspects or people withholding information to spill the truth without being able to think about it till after its spilled (becoming buddy with the person and giving them an extreme in a specific emotion can cause people to forget who they are talking to or even forget that they are trying to keep something a secret, thus exposing the unfiltered information to the people listening)). Congrats.

Due to octavias account we still have at least one person unaccounted for.

>>855832
Are we allowed to uncuff Varinia yet? Or can we let Octavia come over here? I'd like to do one or both of those things right now, but if we're not supposed to do that yet, then I guess don't do either of those things.

What about telling Varinia about the "attacker" Octavia saw and then explaining that it was just one of those old android shell casings behind the fence? Can we explain that to one or both of them yet or is that something we're also not allowed to say yet?

>>856062
No, we don't.

The person that was lurking in the shadows near Varinia was just one of those old android shell casings behind the fence.

Kaktus 2018/01/04(Thu)12:10 No. 856127 ID: 65a774
File 151509664201.png - (115.55KB , 900x450 , 17.png )

>Return the hug and stay in it until Varinia feels it's been long enough and let go. She's been through a lot so you'll share a hug for as long as she needs to.
For what feels like forever, the two of you just sit there, seeking what little comfort you can find in each other... then with shaking hands the lizard lets go of you as she begins to speak.
…t-thank you, Rishi…
>Maybe it's my uniform?
…huh?
That is making you want some boiled eggs?
H-heh… I can’t see why your clothes would make me hungry? Why would you think t-that?
Never mind.
>Even if they were alive, Mens rea is required for the constitution of a crime.
…Mans what now?
Motive, intent and planning. It’s not the act that is the crime, but the Mens rea. You didn’t hit her by your own violation, nor was it because of your negligent. If your story is true, then even if you were the one dealing the killing blow, you still wouldn’t have done a crime.
…R-really? That’s… that’s good to hear…

>Ask her if most of her coworkers would have done the same as her.
Heh, well… while I’d like to see myself as a vigilant worker, but Qip would probably fire us if he ever caught us ignoring safety procedures. There is a reason why everything shuts down if organic material is detected.
>Tell her you hope you finish this investigation sooner rather than later so she can be out of those cuffs and reunited with Octavia.
Please do… I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary…
>Then maybe you and Leon could have lunch with them before heading back to the station to face all the piles of paperwork.
…w-wait, you can do that? Isn’t it… um… against the law or something?
Only if you’re still considered a suspect… or an important witness. If my theory is true, neither of those will be true.
…then I hope you’re right.
>Speaking of, isn't it about time you check her for injuries? It was looking like she had memory loss for a minute there.
I’ll send someone over to look you over, okay? You might still be injured.
…my head does hurt a bit, yeah…
I’ll be back later, alright?
…alright.


Sir, we-
It’s still ma’am.
Err… I mean ma’am, we have found some things that might be additional evidence. In the general area of the crime scene, lying behind tables and the like, we managed to find a wrench, a hammer, a green metal lid, several bolts, an unopened package of gum, a newspaper, a comic book, an old poster for scrumball and a controller for the crane used in this lot. Anything you find interesting?
A controller for a crane, you say?
We’re about to move it in to check it out, si- err… ma’am.

So… what is the current theory, ma’am? Why did she do it?
She didn’t. The victim was already dead when she got here. Her corpse, hidden in a barrel, is what set of the Organic scanners. Then when Varinia called the barrel over, the body fell out and landed on her back, disorienting her.
…but the body is still warm?
Her artificial heart would ensure that her body would still be going long after her death.
But how did she managed to attack the corpse? Didn’t you say it landed on her back?
It hit her head hard, disorienting her. Thus, it would be easy for her to simply turn around to see what it was and trip on the corpse now laying at her feet. The entry wound for the crowbar was made at such an odd angle because it wasn’t meant to be an attack at all.
Hmm… well, if the forensic team can confirm that she’s been dead for a while then I guess your theory would be hold true, Investigator.

Kaktus 2018/01/04(Thu)12:10 No. 856128 ID: 65a774
File 151509665322.png - (22.26KB , 900x450 , 18.png )

Now, about this crane?
Hmm… it’s holding at least a dozen barrels… several which seem to be empty. See that green one? Can you check it for any trace of the victim?
…why the green one specifically?
You found a green lid, did you not? My guess it’s from the barrel that the body was in.
I’ll see to it that we check it, ma’am.

Rishi, it’s Leon. I’m with the Forensic team and they just gave me their pre-report.
Lay it on me, what does it say?
Time of death was about… 6 to 12 hours ago. All her physical wounds was made postmortem.
By the tide, then Varinia truly is innocent! But then what killed her?
Um… they don’t know. She doesn’t have any other wounds on her… nor have they found any toxics or the like in her blood. There are some slight signs of struggle, like plastic under her claws and the like, but nothing that would be lethal. They’ll need more time before they can honor our cause and find the… cause… of death, that is.

>Are we allowed to uncuff Varinia yet? Or can we let Octavia come over here?
Hmm… it might be time to let her go. She seems innocent, after all.
>Can we explain that to one or both of them yet or is that something we're also not allowed to say yet?
We can’t go blabbering about details to civilians just yet. What we can say is if she’s still a suspect or not.
>Due to octavias account we still have at least one person unaccounted for.
We already found her culprit. It was one of those android shells that are standing around the compound.

>Well, crap. Sounds rather like some of your horny thoughts, emotions and desires bled through into Varinia's mind. That's gonna somewhat muddy the waters of your relationship if she shows more interest and attraction to you now.
The only thing you did was making her super horny for a second or two. You don’t think that will change her too much. At worst, it might have brought forth emotions she had hidden away a bit.
>You might have to worry much about accidentally altering her mind…
You can’t alter minds. If Serpens could do that, then you’d taken over the galaxy by now… or been outlawed. You can only make her feel your emotions for a moment… or bring out emotions that are buried beneath other emotions. After all, they have freaking mind massage parlors for aliens, so it can’t be that bad. Besides, this isn’t the first time you use mind meld with an alien but you… um… you usually just use it to share an orgasm and not… calm people.
>You definitely need to read up on mind melding with other species and find out the risks and how to do it safely before you do it again.
You already know everything you need to know about mind melding. What you need is some more experience doing it with aliens in less… sensual situations.

Now… about the situation at hand… it seems Varinia is innocent… but then, who did it? And why? …and where? … … …and how?

well did forensics ever find out who the victim was? If we knew who she was, what she did for a living, and where she lived it could help us find out why she was killed... or at the very least who done it.

>>856128
>plastic under her claws
Suffocation, I'm guessing. Inside what, depends on what kind of plastic it is. Could've been something as simple as a plastic bag over her head.

As for WHY she was murdered and WHO did it, well... Now that you know the general time of death it's time to take a look at the access logs of this warehouse. Someone had to get in to dump the body, after all. That should give us a lead as to who killed her.
I don't suppose we can run a search for people matching her physical appearance? That could give us a lead on who she is, which could lead us to a motive.

Oh and why did the crane move back seemingly without Varinia telling it to?

Is it possible to check the system logs on the victim's artificial heart? If it got shut off temporarily for whatever reason (Hacking, EMP, etc) then that would be pretty fatal.

Heck, if it was hacking then it might've been set to restart after a certain point to muddle the time of death.

>>856128
>Varinia truly is innocent!
Then go give her the good news and uncuff her! And since she is neither a suspect nor or an important witness, you and Leon can join Varinia and Octavia for lunch after all!

.....although, I wouldn't be surprised if the sisters have both lost their appetite after everything that's happened.

>Cause of death is still unknown.
Death can be caused by someone's heart beating too fast and the victim has an artificial heart that's still beating. Is it possible that someone hacked her heart to beat fast enough to kill her? Actually, why is her heart still beating, shouldn't it have stopped by now?

>who did it? And why? …and where? ………and how?
The best way to get those answers is to ID the victim.

Knowing who the victim is will give you an idea on where to look for more clues. Such as her home, her workplace, any place that she goes to hangout with friends and/or family, etc.

Of course, there is the mystery of how the body ended up in that barrel. If someone needs some kind of access card/password to get to the barrels, then any of the workers here could've done it or someone stole a worker's access card/password. But if anyone can just sneak in here and dump a body, then literally anyone could've done it.

> …but the body is still warm?
She's a reptile...?

Anyway, a good way to start would be to source that green barrel, and to get more details on the plastics under her nails. Plastic like sheeting or bagging material, or solid stuff like... I dunno, what isn't made of plastic these days? Also, you need to figure out what happened to her monitoring implant.

And we still need to figure out what's going on with the scrap thievery, don't we... You know, Qip was acting a bit strange, leaving the door unlocked for us just so accidentally, and immediately accusing Varinia of murder. You'd think he'd be more sympathetic or open-minded considering she's an employee and the victim is a trespasser in an oft-burgled scrapyard.

Plastic under the fingernails could be a sign of the victim trying to tear a whole in something plastic, maybe they where being suffocated with plastic and they where struggling for breath.

>>856144
And when you uncuff Varinia, make it sound official by saying her full name, like: "Varinia Nerva, you are no longer under arrest and you're free to go."

And then give her a big Serpens hug with all 4 of your arms while telling her how relieved you are that she isn't a suspect anymore!

Since you have no reason to hold Varinia or Octavia any more then best to let them go. Go remove Varinia's handcuffs while telling her that the forensics show that she couldn't have killed the victim, so she's free to go. Then lead her around to where Octavia is and tell Octavia she's no longer needed as a witness so she can leave. And ask them if they'd be okay with company at lunch. You'd like to join them once you're done here, but only if it wouldn't feel weird or awkward for them. Your partner will probably be okay with coming along as well, though you need to ask him first.

Once the sisters are on their way, return to the crane. Stand in front of the break room window and use the crane controller to move and lower it into the position you believe it was during the incident. Confirm that it could cast a shadow that fits Octavia's account.

One question is how come the crane moved from its position over the incident scene. Did Varinia hit the controls or the controls fell in such a way that one direction was pressed? Where was the crane found? Was it in a straight line from this position in a direction on the controller?

The crane might have logged its activity and position in its memory, so lower it to the ground, release its payload and reposition it to the side so the forensics techs can access it to extract its data. If it did log its route through the lot, that'll tell you exactly where it was from right before it picked up the barrels to where it went after the incident, further confirming Varinia's account.

If the victim was brought into the scrapyard in the green barrel, it might have been as part of this group of barrels. That means it's possible the other barrels contain items from where she came from. Maybe evidence connected to her death, the means thereof, or even another victim's body. The organic detectors could have went off on more than one body, after all. Have all the other barrels opened and their contents inventoried and forensic scanned, along with their interiors and exteriors. Perhaps there are trace substances on them that they share that points to where they came from.

Check the green barrel for a manufacturer's name, a serial number or any other distinguishing information or marks. A manufacturer name and a serial number would allow you to find out what business initially bought it from the manufacturer by their sales records. That business might be where the victim was stuck in it before being brought here, so would be worth checking out. But if it's a resale business that sold the barrel on, you can get their sales records to follow to who ended up buying it to actually use it.

What kind of plastic was under the victim's claws? Is it common or is it unusual? What kind of things are commonly made out of it? Does the green metal barrel have a coating of that kind of plastic on the inside?

What traces of the victim are inside the green barrel? Are there any claw marks that would indicate she was alive and trapped inside it, like she was trying to get a claw into a gap between the barrel and lid to open it? ...Maybe the reason the barrel was upside down was because there was something heavy placed on top to keep her from getting out before she suffocated.

Pull up the video for the cameras over the lot's entrances, both employee and freight, for the last twelve hours. Look for that green barrel, either in the shipments coming in or being wheeled in by a employee. Also look for any employees bringing in a bag or other container that may have contained the victim's body. And where are the organics scanners? Are they only at the intakes to the auto-processing equipment or are there also ones scanning the scrap items that enter the scrapyard? If there are scanners in both places then it's more likely that the victim was placed in the barrel when it was already in the scrapyard.

Finding out just who the victim is will go a long way to figuring out the who, what, when, why and how of her death. That would lead to where she lived and worked and who she socialized with. Has the forensic team pinned down who she is yet? Was there nothing in her pockets? Does she match anyone in the missing persons, warrant or felon databases? How about the station's medical records?

What's the time frame on when the coroner will be finished with the autopsy of the victim? That will get the victim's implants, which will get their serial numbers to trace and also the data off them for analysis. And the coroner's examination, scans and tests might also give clues to how the victim died that the field forensic scans and tests wouldn't pick up.

As for speculating how the victim died, you're rather lacking in evidence to narrow down the possibilities to a acceptable level. And if what caused her death left its telling evidence in the area of her head Varinia smashed in, that would have destroyed it and you wouldn't even know it.

But that aside, one possibility that wouldn't leave marks is suffocation, either while sealed in that barrel or beforehand. However, wouldn't suffocation leave telltale biological traces? Check if the forensics team tested for signs of suffocation.

Another possibility is that her artificial heart was somehow hacked. If her medical monitor implant was disabled by whoever killed her, then there's a possibility her heart was meddled with as well. But it's not nearly as likely, since artificial hearts are designed not to receive data wirelessly. At least, by law they shouldn't be. However, her artificial heart might have malfunctioned and stopped temporarily. Maybe it was hit by a EMP or a electrical shock.

Unfortunately, at this point you don't have enough, or even any, evidence to even half-confidently point towards the victim's cause of death. Best not to overly speculate as to it and instead look for more clues and evidence.

>…but the body is still warm?
Wait, why was the body still warm? The artificial heart would keep the blood flowing through the body, but without metabolic processes to generate body heat the body should have cooled to ambient temperature. And not only that, it'd equalize to ambient temperature even quicker than a corpse with a natural biological heart because the circulating blood would be moving heat from the body's core to its surface. ...And that would also have messed up any estimate of time of death the forensics team might have made based on core body temperature. If they didn't take the artificial heart into account they'd erroneously place ToD longer ago than it actually was. However, if they used other tests than body temperature to determine time of death then their ToD estimate should be accurate.

>>856275
>Wait, why was the body still warm?
Maybe the body was kept warm from being in the barrel??? Or the barrel was insulated??? I don't know what the fuck is going on with that.

>>856128

Whatever you do, do not inform Octavia that it was her scream of terror that convinced Varinia that the body was still alive and screaming. Nobody needs that kind of drama in their life.

I wonder where the green barrel came from. What company's barrel is it? What was it supposed to be containing?

...your hips are beautiful.

>>856275

> Wait, why was the body still warm?

because space medicine

but no seriously, the body hasn't done anything... weird, has it? Like get up and sneak off while nobody was looking?

With the error logs, witness accounts and security logs we got a pretty good picture of what happened on the scrapyard. To find out how the victim got into that barrel we need the forensics report of the body and the barrel though.

Kaktus 2018/01/05(Fri)11:51 No. 856383 ID: 65a774
File 151518191560.png - (24.90KB , 900x450 , 19.png )

>...your hips are beautiful.
Damn right they are.

>Go give Varinia the good news and uncuff her!
You order Varinia to be uncuffed and brought to the front of the metal works so she can be reunited with her sister as soon as possible. As the officer escorts her outside, you’re already waiting with Octavia for her.
Varinia Nerva, you are no longer under arrest and you're free to go.
…I… I’m free? I didn’t…?
I can’t give you the details, but the victim has been dead for a while. You are innocent, Vari.
I… I didn’t… by the three suns…
>And then give her a big Serpens hug with all 4 of your arms while telling her how relieved you are that she isn't a suspect anymore!
You try to move in to embrace her but before you even start moving Varinia herself has already thrown herself at you, hugging you tightly.
Thank you! Thank you so much! You… you saved my life!
Err… a-actually-
Then another pair of arms embraces you from the back, as her sister joins your hug.
Thank you Rishi… for everything…
...don’t thank me, it was the forensic team that-
But you’re the one who made me stop freaking out, Rishi. Heh, without you, I’d probably still be a nervous wreck.
You simply have to admit defeat and try to embrace them both to the best of your capabilities.
…I guess I did something in the end…

>And since she is neither a suspect nor or an important witness, you and Leon can join Varinia and Octavia for lunch after all!
Why, I guess another guest would be welcome but… it’s up to my beloved sister to decide, I think.
>...although, I wouldn't be surprised if the sisters have both lost their appetite after everything that's happened.
Actually, I really think I want something to eat right now. I’m starving and… I want to get my mind focused on something else for a while… and having a good meal with some friends does seem to be an ample way to do so.
Then it’s settled. You can come with us if you want, dear… though we better hurry; my lunch break isn’t lasting forever.
I just need to finish up here and talk to my partner. See you two soon.
Let the three suns shine upon your way!

Kaktus 2018/01/05(Fri)11:52 No. 856384 ID: 65a774
File 151518192783.png - (26.77KB , 900x450 , 20.png )

>We still need to figure out what's going on with the scrap thievery, don't we...
Actually, the current crime takes priority. It either has to wait or be regulated to some other investigation team.
>You know, Qip was acting a bit strange, leaving the door unlocked for us just so accidentally, and immediately accusing Varinia of murder.
He only left the door open because he was in such a hurry to see who screamed… and you can’t blame him for thinking Varinia did it when he found her sitting on the corpse with the murder weapon in hand… which was still buried inside the victims skull, at that.

>Wait, why was the body still warm? The artificial heart would keep the blood flowing through the body, but without metabolic processes to generate body heat the body should have cooled to ambient temperature.
…you’re not sure, actually… but you guess the forensic team will figure that out. Or the coroner.
>She's a reptile...?
…you’re a reptile and still warm blooded. Well, you’re not as warm blooded as a Varkian, human or hiver, but… wait, are hivers warm blooded? Hmm…
>Confirm that the crane could cast a shadow that fits Octavia's account.
You already saw the shadow being cast when the lights were off. Qip probably just flipped the switch as he entered the lot.
>One question is how come the crane moved from its position over the incident scene. Did Varinia hit the controls or the controls fell in such a way that one direction was pressed?
The recall button is rather big and right next to the move button, so it’s not a stretch that she accidently pressed it when she was hit in the head.

You make your way over to Leon, whom seems to be in contact with the rest of the team.
Ah, Rishi, good. I just got off from talking to the boss and… she has honored us by putting us on standby for this case.
Standby? Wait, that’s an honor?
Why, yes. That means we’re still the primary investigators in this case. Currently, though, we need to wait for the results of both the autopsy and the search of the lot before we can investigate further. Thus, we are on standby for the rest of the day.
So we got the rest of the day off… until they find something and calls us back into duty.
Correct.

>Did forensics ever find out who the victim was?
Not yet, but they have sent a DNA test and a photo to check with the archive. They’ll find out who she is soon enough. They don’t know the cause of death either, at the moment.
Suffocation, I'm guessing. Inside what, depends on what kind of plastic it is that’s under her claws.
…wait, really?
No outside marks, plastic under her claws and no toxics. Someone put a bag over her and and suffocated her.
That does sound plausible, I give you that.
What kind of plastic was under the victim's claws? Is it common or is it unusual?
They’ve yet been able to analyze it. Give them some time and they’ll honor their part of the work, Rishi.

>Now that you know the general time of death it's time to take a look at the access logs of this warehouse.
I’ve already put officer Dreamer on the job, Rishi.
>Of course, there is the mystery of how the body ended up in that barrel. If someone needs some kind of access card/password to get to the barrels…
He is also checking everyone who’s entered and exited the metal works.
>A good way to start would be to source that green barrel.
They are looking into the barrels as we speak.
>You need to figure out what happened to her monitoring implant.
That’s a job for coroner. Wait for the autopsy.
>Is it possible to check the system logs on the victim's artificial heart?
Also in the autopsy.
>Is it possible that someone hacked her heart to beat fast enough to kill her?
Hmm… I’ve never heard anyone hack a heart before… aren’t those thing supposed to be hack proof? As in, they can’t be manipulated digitally, only manually?
I think that’s the case, yes…

So… lunch?
Actually, Octavia and Varinia asked us to join them for lunch. You want to come with us?
Wait, the former suspect? Oh right, you know them, don’t you? I guess I can come? I mean, I don’t know their glory but… sounds fun?
Great… oh, and one more question before we go.
Yes?
Do you think my butt looks fat?
…what?
I’ve been thinking, my hips are kind of big, aren’t they? Do you think so too? I mean, I can barely fit in some doors so… am I fat? Do you think I’m fat?
…err…

…why is he suddenly so nervous? You asked a legitimate question, didn’t you?

He doesn't think you're the opposite of fat, and is afraid that if he lets this fact slip you'll inflict grievous bodily and/or emotional harm to him. In other words, yes, it was a legitimate question, and also a suicidal and nigh-inescapable trap.

>>856384
Wait! You can't leave yet! Where's An?!

>Do you think my butt looks fat?
>I've been thinking, my hips are kind of big, aren’t they? Do you think so too? I mean, I can barely fit in some doors so…am I fat? Do you think I’m fat?
Where is this coming from? If you're gonna be like that, then why did you get these mods in the first place? You got these mods because you wanted them! Don't get rid of them just because someone disapproves of the choice that you made! It's your body, not theirs! So just ignore the haters and be happy with the body that you wanted to have!

>…why is he suddenly so nervous? You asked a legitimate question, didn’t you?
Rishi, that is an evil question to ask a male in alien cultures! Whenever a female asks that, the male is then forced to always say no out of fear that the female will get offended and start crying and/or beating the shit out of the male!

Hangups Rishi, you're of the only species that doesn't have hangups.

Rishi, you just asked a loaded question and didn't even realize it. Remember what Ziana said about Vark society's harsh attitude towards the obese of their species? They're considered criminals and monsters, outcasts shunned by other Varks. So considering that, it's very likely that being fat to lesser degrees holds a greater social stigma in Vark society than what you're used to. And while what you've seen of Leon's interactions and behavior so far doesn't indicate he holds this attitude, at least not strongly, if he had a Varkian upbringing he'd have picked up what being fat means and the worries around it. Even if he didn't pick that up growing up, he would have socializing with other Varks on New Horizon. Especially from his previous mates, who probably were all or mostly Varks.

But besides that, you already know that Leon thinks your hips and butt are fine. ...No, that's a gross understatement. He said they're godlike. A divine creation of the Skymother of her aspect of fertility. He'd worship your hips. He'd build a altar for you to lounge on so he could bow down before your hips in thankful prayer. ...Okay, that's a exaggeration. ...Probably. But you definitely know he thinks your hips are glorious. So hearing what implies you're dissatisfied with such glory and considering diminishing it would illicit some dismay in him. He'd desire to talk you out of it, which would conflict with a desire to support your decision, adding to his nervousness and uncertainty.

...And now that you think about it, Leon's attraction to voluptuously generous hips like yours would be rather against what Vark society generally considers acceptable because they'd be considered too fat. Makes you wonder if that would be considered disgusting or sexually deviant by most Varks. But you're getting distracted.

Actually, stop speculating about what Leon is nervous about. You don't know enough about him or Vark society or really any society besides your own to guess at it. Just be the stereotypical tactlessly direct Serpens and ask him why he's nervous and reluctant to answer. "Er, why are you so nervous? Are such questions taboo or something? Or was it a faux pas on my part? What's the matter? Just tell it to me straight, Leon. No polish. Don't feel you need to hold back. I need to learn about other species' customs and suchlike, so tell me the whole truth."

Also, why are you suddenly concerned about your hips being too wide and your butt too big? That's what you got 'em bio-modded for when you came of age, right? You wanted hips that'd turn heads for a three block radius and would put a broodmother to shame. The bio-mods are designed to put fat on your hips first before anyplace else for just this purpose. So is this because you're feeling that you're out of shape after your exercise routine with Varinia? Or is just being around such a lovely muscular lady making you feel fat?

>Well, you’re not as warm blooded as a Varkian, human or hiver, but… wait, are hivers warm blooded? Hmm…
Oh, so does this mean you enjoyed being curled around Leon just that much more because he was extra warm compared to you? ...Though, that'd mean you feel cool to him, which wouldn't feel so comfortable.

Kaktus 2018/01/06(Sat)09:49 No. 856584 ID: 65a774
File 151526097728.png - (19.40KB , 900x450 , 21.png )

>Wait! You can't leave yet! Where's An?!
She is right around the corner, discussing something with Qip in secret. You have to wonder what they are actually talking about…
>Oh, so does this mean you enjoyed being curled around Leon just that much more because he was extra warm compared to you?
Well… maybe~
>...Though, that'd mean you feel cool to him, which wouldn't feel so comfortable.
You’re not that cold… at least, you don’t think you’re that cold… are you?

>Rishi, that is an evil question to ask a male in alien cultures! Whenever a female asks that, the male is then forced to always say no out of fear that the female will get offended.
Offended? Why would you be offended? You asked for his opinion… why would you be offended if he gave it to you? Other cultures are so weird.
>Remember what Ziana said about Vark society's harsh attitude towards the obese of their species? They're considered criminals and monsters, outcasts shunned by other Varks.
Hmm… she did say that… so maybe you used the wrong terminology?
>Hangups Rishi, you're of the only species that doesn't have hangups.
Aliens are odd… interesting, but odd… you need to learn more about them and their odd ideas.


>Just be the stereotypical tactlessly direct Serpens and ask him why he's nervous and reluctant to answer.
Ahaha… hah… um… it’s not… I’m just looking for an answer and… screw it. I don’t think you’re fat, Rishi, far from it. Your hips are big, yes, but your waist and stomach is thin to compensate.
…so my waist is thin but butt big?
Someone that is overweight would be big everywhere, just not on one location like you. Just... compare yourself to that secretary we met at the last case. She was clearly overweight, wasn’t she? Her body is a sign of selfish consummation while your thin waist and wide hips are a sign of fertility.
Hmm… you did say something like that before, didn’t you?
Your hips are godlike, a divine creation of the Skymother herself as the aspect of fertility itself. If you built an altar for your hips, I for one would worship it like a god!
…laying it on a bit thick, aren’t we?
I’m just saying, in my eyes you’re hips are very attractive and not at all a sign of being overweight. They might be big, yes… but they are better that way.
Hmm… well, if you say so.


>Where is this coming from? If you're gonna be like that, then why did you get these mods in the first place? You got these mods because you wanted them!
It’s just… thinking about stairs and ladders and… you know, you never had this hard of a time with them before you got these things… they are a bit hard to move with…
>You wanted hips that'd turn heads for a three block radius and would put a broodmother to shame.
…you guess if you want to look good you’ll need to suffer for it?
>Is this because you're feeling that you're out of shape after your exercise routine with Varinia? Or is just being around such a lovely muscular lady making you feel fat?
Hmm… you know, maybe I need to talk to Varinia about this? Maybe she can make me feel a bit more in shape? …or maybe you just need to go home, sit in front of the holoscreen and suck down a whole flask of soda or something…

Being too distracted thinking about your own hips, you caught by surprise as you suddenly get handed a menu to order from. Apparently you’re already at the place the lizard sisters get their lunch? Having no idea what kind of food they have here, you just order a serpent soup with the local flavors. Hopefully it will be good…

You didn’t order your usual, sis, is something wrong?
Mmm? *Swallow* huh? What? No, I was just in the mood for something with eggs, that’s all. Dunno why, but I just got this craving all the sudden. Heh, besides, it’s good to try something new at times.
I have to remember this place. This food is great… and it was rather cheap too. How about you, Rishi, do you like it?
A bit spicy… I think I’ll order something a bit milder next time, but other than that, It’s great.
I’m just happy to be here, even if I can’t eat.
Now, as I said earlier, sadly I won’t have the time to sit and converse for long, as I am soon needed at my parlor again.
Qip gave me the rest of the day off... so I got all the time in the world, really.
And we need to drop some paperwork of at the station. Actually, seeing as I’m already going there anyway, how about I fix the paperwork and you can take a break, Rishi? After all, you’re the one with the honor of solving… well, mostly solving todays case.
If you’ll do that I’ll be grateful. So, the rest of the day off, eh?
Until they recall us into duty that is…
Which, knowing this quest, will happen in the worst moment possible.

Well, it seems that you’ve gotten some time off… and you have a lot of none-work things that you need to do. Ergo, you might want to do them now.
First off, we have Varinia. She might need a friend right now… and you have a few things you want to talk to her about.
Then we have Zaina, the one from the broodpit, who wants you to find a suitable male to impregnate her with.
And Isan, the serpent guy, whom you promised to trade “exciting” pictures with… and, seeing as he is a very influential and well off person, might be a suitable male to sire your future children with?
Oh, and Lily the secretary, can’t forget her. She is probably still feeling a bit like crap after all that happen… and she might still be this horrible… virgin thing. You really don’t want one of your friends to be that.
…oh, and Kasha, the old female hiver. You need to talk to her about that Q&Q game, don’t you?
… … …and your eggsacks needs to be emptied inside someone… badly…

So… what to do first?

>>856584
Hi Lizbeth! Hi Erin! Looks like there are some other cameos too.

Okay, let's keep our goal in mind here. The planned impregnation involves dumping backed-up eggs first, so the possible candidates for eggs are Varinia and Lily. Maybe Kasha.
You can swap pics with Isan later tonight.

I'm thinking Lily. Highest chance of success and she probably needs it almost as much as you.

>>856596
This.

>>856614
Also,

>Just...compare yourself to that secretary we met at the last case. She was clearly overweight, wasn’t she? Her body is a sign of selfish consummation
Privately tell Leon that it isn't nice to judge Lily like that, based on her appearance. Just because she is overweight, that doesn't mean that she's selfish.

For all we know, it's due to a stressful work environment and we've seen how stressed out she is.

You get kinda spaced out while thinking, I mean it's often you tend to head to a new location without even realizing it!

Lets talk with Varinia though, she probably needs someone after all this.. And given her fitness probably could give some tips for further Serpens physical advancement.

>>856584
If the pictures won't take too long, you could do that before anything else.

As for afterwards, saving Lily from her virginity should be top priority.

>>856640
That's true, we could take pictures sooner rather than later.

You literally just said you're going to be called back to duty at the worst possible opportunity, don't go anywhere trying to smash. Hang with Variana for a bit.

Go visit Lily and give her company since she most needs it. Lily doesn't have family to support her like Varinia has in her sister, and you suspect Lily doesn't have many friends either and they aren't close ones. Just don't expect to solve her virginity problem and your egg problem when you go over. Besides the feeling deep down that the second you got fully erect you'll be immediately called back to the case, Lily's self-esteem is so low she most likely won't accept that someone is honestly sexually interested in her. Also, if she did go through with it so soon, she'd feel lousy afterwards that she gave her virginity to a Serpens she barely knows. You'll have to grow a relationship with her first, otherwise things will go badly.

Considering how many eggs you're backed up with, you better make sure that whoever ends up being the lucky recipient of them is both capable and willing to take so many at once.

Have you already told everyone here about Leon wanting to form a new Q&Q group and asking if they'd join up? Hm, how about An? Would she be interested? And have you told Leon about Kasha being a prime candidate to be the DM? Octavia and Varinia have been Kasha's neighbors for awhile, so do they have an idea how receptive Kasha would be to being the DM? There anything she likes that you could do to please her so she'd be more inclined to being your DM?

When you part ways with Leon, make sure to give him a hug and thanks for doing the paperwork. Then as you slither away sexily sway your hips as you go for his visual enjoyment.

>…you guess if you want to look good you’ll need to suffer for it?
Nah, you don't need to suffer. You just need to get on a exercise routine and build up your stamina and muscle in your lower body to carry all that beautiful booty without being hindered by it. Do that and you also won't have to worry about a fleeing perpetrator getting away from you because they took the stairs up.

>She was clearly overweight, wasn’t she? Her body is a sign of selfish consummation
How is she selfish? She's not on a sub-light colony ship where food's so tight that others would go hungry because she ate more. Here, the only one that's harmed is her. She doesn't deserve derision for that and whatever lay in her past that led to her turning to food like she does.

>>856679
>...don't go anywhere trying to smash.
Huh? What do you mean by "trying to smash?"

>>856753
>Then as you slither away sexily sway your hips as you go for his visual enjoyment.
And the destruction of his pants.....because of the impending erection tearing a hole in his pants! XD

>How is she selfish? She's not on a sub-light colony ship where food's so tight that others would go hungry because she ate more. Here, the only one that's harmed is her. She doesn't deserve derision for that and whatever lay in her past that led to her turning to food like she does.
Agreed. Be nice and stop being mean to her!

Kaktus 2018/01/08(Mon)13:00 No. 857052 ID: 65a774
File 151544520416.png - (20.76KB , 900x450 , 22.png )

>You get kinda spaced out while thinking, I mean it's often you tend to head to a new location without even realizing it!
Hey, just because you tend to think a bit deep doesn’t mean you space out. Verily, you just tend to think a bit too much at times… ergo, why you might miss some… um… lesser details… like moving...
>Nah, you don't need to suffer. You just need to get on an exercise routine and build up your stamina and muscle in your lower body to carry all that beautiful booty without being hindered by it.
…which is suffering? You’ve never liked exercising like that…
>Considering how many eggs you're backed up with, you better make sure that whoever ends up being the lucky recipient of them is both capable and willing to take so many at once.
You don’t need to lay them all at once… and besides, you’re sure you can… ease them into it.
>Have you already told everyone here about Leon wanting to form a new Q&Q group and asking if they'd join up?
…yes? Octavia was the one who suggested that I’d talk to Kasha, even.

>Privately tell Leon that it isn't nice to judge Lily like that, based on her appearance. Just because she is overweight, that doesn't mean that she's selfish.
Ah yes, it wasn’t very honorable of me to speak ill behind her back. Though… I can’t easily overcome hundreds of years of culture when it comes to body ideals, can I?
Is it really that bad to eat a bit much? I know food was scarce back then but still…
Scarce doesn’t even begin describing it. It wasn’t just some people going hungry, but a massive civil war that killed most of my species, you know.
…wait, civil war? Over eating too much?
Indeed. If you want the honor of knowing more, then read about the starvation war.
>When you part ways with Leon, make sure to give him a hug and thanks for doing the paperwork.
Don’t mention it, Rishi.
Hey, it’s still a nice gesture, Leon.
Well, I need to get going if I’m to finish it before we’re recalled.
And I need to get back to work as well. As the three suns sets, we hope to see you again.
Hey, you’re heading back to your apartment, right? Might as well bloody walk back together, eh?
Yeah, sure, I can’t see why not. And I’ll be seeing you two when the tides comes.
>Then as you slither away sexily sway your hips as you go for his visual enjoyment.
You make sure to really move your hips as you leave… and throwing a glance backwards you can see that you’ve caught Leon’s undivided attention… as well as many others in the restaurant… including Octavia’s.

Kaktus 2018/01/08(Mon)13:01 No. 857054 ID: 65a774
File 151544531113.png - (25.53KB , 900x450 , 23.png )

>Okay, let's keep our goal in mind here. The planned impregnation involves dumping backed-up eggs first, so the possible candidates for eggs are Varinia and Lily. Maybe Kasha.
Don’t dive before you see the water now. While Zaina recommended that you’d dump your old eggs beforehand, you still need to find a male to fertilize the eggs you lay in her and that is a far more difficult prospect.
>I'm thinking Lily. Highest chance of success and she probably needs it almost as much as you.
Hmm… while Lily is more than suitable to act as an incubator for your eggs, that isn’t your top priority. Lily probably needs someone right now and making her feel better is your main goal at the moment. Of course, you’re not going to complain if you achieve this by making her scream the names of whatever gods she believes in as your pump her full of eggs… just saying that it might be prudent to not… pump her full… um…
>Saving Lily from her virginity should be top priority.
This evil virginity thing must be the real reason for her woes! You need to find her a suitable mate posthaste… be it yourself or someone else, you don’t care. She needs to get laid, badly.
>Lily's self-esteem is so low she most likely won't accept that someone is honestly sexually interested in her.
Then you need to convince her otherwise. Her body is beautiful in its own way.

>If the pictures won't take too long, you could do that before anything else.
You can always do that before you go see Lily. After all, you have plenty of time.
>You literally just said you're going to be called back to duty at the worst possible opportunity, don't go anywhere trying to smash.
They said it would take hours for the autopsy to be finished and they probably don’t want to send us out without all the information. So you have time… you hope…


>Let’s talk with Varinia though; she probably needs someone after all this. And given her fitness probably could give some tips for further Serpens physical advancement.
As you slither home, you start up a conversation with Varinia about the evils of stairs and ladders… though she doesn’t seem to agree with your viewpoint.

Heh, if you really have that much trouble then there’s only one solution. To face your fears! I know good place with both stairs and a ladder that you can train with, to overcome this shortcoming of-
Hey, frackface, where is my damn BTL?
Oh great, it’s Melodies of harmony. You told me I had to tomorrow to return it, Moh.
I said I fracking need it tomorrow, so you need to return it now! …and it’s Massacres of Hell!
Wasn’t it Murderers of Hatred the last time we met? But alright, I’ll bloody deliver it later today, you weed.
I hope you sprout shrooms, ye lizard.
I hope you wither, houseplant.

While the two trade insults with each other, you can’t help but think about those pictures you’re about to take… and Lily as well. Hmm... what do you wear? For both occasions, that is… and poses… you need poses… and are you going full out or just… teasing? Hmm… maybe if-

Hey, you fracking snake! Are you even listening!?
Huh? What?
Heh, what are you even thinking about, Rishi? You were completely gone and missed your introduction.
Yeah, greetings or what the frack you say, I’m Moh your neighbor. Run a BTL shop close by so if you ever need any fracking sweet experiences just come knocking, eh? Also, any of you frackers got any credits to lend, because I forgot my fracking credstick at home and I’m too lazy to get it just to buy a fracking soda…

>>857054
Ok sure I'll get you a soda.

>>857052
>…wait, civil war? Over eating too much?
>Indeed. If you want the honor of knowing more, then read about the starvation war.
Well, Rishi does want to learn more about other cultures, so I guess we can look that up sometime. But let's save that for later, when we have more free time and aren't planning to go do something else.

>>857054
Let me guess, An ran ahead of you, didn't she? Or did she run off somewhere else?

>What to wear for photos?
Well this seems like a good opportunity to try out those lingerie things that you bought at the clothing store.

>What poses for photos?
None because you aren't some fake poser, you're the real deal!

.....oh, it's not that kind of posing?

In that case, do some teasing poses.

>What to wear to visit Lilly?
Just wear something casual. You're just going to hang out with her, you're not going to go interrogate her or anything like that.

>Buy soda for Moh?
Might as well be nice and buy a soda for Moh.

> you can’t help but think about those pictures you’re about to take...
Series of teases with one juicy one- Leave 'em wanting more and all that. and don't wear the undies just yet, keep them as an ace in the hole.
>any of you frackers got any credits to lend
Sure, you owe me one.
...
Remind me again, can Uredo ingest foodstuff?

Yeah, sure you'll buy the wilting bonsai some hydration. Wouldn't want it to catch on fire from its cigarette. Slot your credstick in the vending machine and ask Moh to pick what it'd like. This one's gratis. ...So can it actually use that cig or is it just carrying it around to look cool?

Now, what to wear when visiting Lily? ...Something casual and comfortable that doesn't accentuate your sexiness so much so Lily won't feel quite so inferior and intimidated next to you. That turtleneck sweater you bought yesterday would fit the bill here as a top. And either your old casual blue outfit's bottom or the bottom from your work outfit or the suit you bought yesterday would work down below. The latter two would match better color-wise with the green turtleneck than the former one's blue.

As for what to wear for the photos, put on the lingerie. This is why you bought it, to be revealing but not show everything, right? As for how revealing... You did tell Isan you'd send him some "much more... revealing ones," and put that together with him being a Serpens and he's probably expecting more skin than teases. So do a series that increase from teases up to nearly full out. And you do some ones towards Leon's tastes as well and send him a alternate set to enjoy too.

Do you have a camera drone you could use for these photos? It would open up many more angle and view possibilities than you could do just holding a camera, even using a mirror. ...Using your PK issue recording drone for this would not be a good idea, would it? Would the photos taken with it end up in the PK evidence database?

And for poses... A few ideas for the more teasing and enticing ones: Stand up high on your tail, put your hands together high over your head and sway and curve like you're doing a belly dance, taking a photo from the front and from behind; Lay on the bed on your side, propped up on one arm with the other hand caressing your hip; Lay on your back and prop yourself up on your elbows, arching your back so your head's back and your chest sticks out; Lay your chest down on the bed, squishing your boobs out in their corset for the camera to look down into while elevating your behind in the background; Cupping your boobs in both hands and squishing them together (while still in the corset) for maximum cleavage.

Then ideas when escalating to the more revealing photos: One for Leon would be, since he's more interested in your boobs than you think Isan is, to take the corset off and hold it at arms length like you're going to drop it while covering your boobs with your other arm; Then for the next photo drop the corset and your other arm to reveal your top; And for Isan's interest, turn your ovipositor limiter off and tent your lingerie, gingerly placing a single fingertip on the erection's tip and wink at the camera. And the final two photos would be nudes taken from above while you were floating on the surface of your sleeping tank. One where you're floating front down, arms clasped ahead of you and head turned to look towards the camera. The other photo where you're front side up, hands interlaced behind your head, but with a opaque caption banner added across the image, obscuring your groin, with the text "Saving this view for in person~." Send that last one to just Isan.

>You need to find her a suitable mate posthaste… be it yourself or someone else, you don’t care. She needs to get laid, badly.
Methinks you might be projecting just a wee bit here, Miss Backed-Up-Eggsacks.

>It wasn’t just some people going hungry, but a massive civil war that killed most of my species, you know.
>Indeed. If you want the honor of knowing more, then read about the starvation war.
You definitely need to read up on this as soon as you have time to so you'll get a idea why Lily has been treated the way she has. The station library might have a e-book on the subject you can download. Preferably one for non-Varks who are looking for a good introduction to the topic.

Kaktus 2018/01/12(Fri)12:02 No. 858060 ID: 65a774
File 151578737665.png - (25.69KB , 900x450 , 24.png )

>Might as well be nice and buy a soda for Moh.
Sure, I’ll buy some hydration for this wilting bonsai.
Well, thank you so fracking much, drowned worm.
So, what’s your poison, potted shrub.
‘Toh mineral water’, the one with extra freaking copper, corrupted cop.
Alright… so… can you even smoke that stuff? The one you’re holding?
Hmm?

Instead of bringing it to some kind of orifice, Moh shoves the burning side of the cig directly into its eyestalk, creating a fizzling sound as it burns into it. By closer inspection, you can see several burn marks all over the top of one of its central eyestalk, indicating this isn’t the first time it has burned itself. Then, as if nothing just happened, it grabs the drink from your hand and opens it up.

Frack, that’s the stuff… now, don’t you have a bunch of bribes to take, pig?
Don’t you have a bunch of illegal BTL’s to sell, you minimum wage twit.
I don’t work this time shift, you cock-sucking f-
As much as I like seeing you take Music of Hearts and love and everything cute-
That’s not even close t-
-constant insulting to heart, Rishi, can we tone it down a bit?
If you want to… though, I have to question your last insult. I can’t even suck on-
Especially things like that. People might hear if you get to bloody colorful.
Well, frack to them, I say. Hey Vari, ye fatso, seeing as you are home early, you got time to finish that scrumball game against me? Or are you a fracking coward?
Heh, I’m going to enjoy kicking you to the curb, weed.
Well, it seems you two got plans, then. See you when the tide comes?
Be seeing you, Rishi.
Meh, frack off, worm… *fizzle* Mfff… frack…
And no smoking if we’re playing.
Oh, you fracker… fine…

…you have no idea if that’s normal for an Uredo or not…

Kaktus 2018/01/12(Fri)12:03 No. 858061 ID: 65a774
File 151578738657.png - (52.67KB , 550x400 , 25.png )

>Remind me again, can Uredo ingest foodstuff?
…you don’t think so? They just… drink stuff, you guess?
> Well, Rishi does want to learn more about other cultures, so I guess we can look that up sometime. This starvation war does sound interesting… and if anything, you might learn why Lily is like she is.
>The station library might have an e-book on the subject you can download.
Or you can just find a synopsis on the web?

>Put on the lingerie for the photos. This is why you bought it, to be revealing but not show everything, right?
Oh, right, you did buy those for this, didn’t you? Better go dig them out, then.
>Do a series of teases with one juicy one- Leave 'em wanting more and all that.
Hmm… you’ve never been good at being a… tease… you’re more of a sledgehammer, after all.

>...Using your PK issue recording drone for this would not be a good idea, would it?
Because using your state issued tools to take nudes I such a great idea…
>Nudes taken from above while you were floating on the surface of your sleeping tank.
You rather not get wet right now. As tempting as it is, you don’t really have time for it.

Kaktus 2018/01/12(Fri)12:03 No. 858063 ID: 65a774
File 151578742931.png - (62.42KB , 550x400 , 26.png )

>Send the pictures to Leon as well.
Hmm… you’ll need to ask him first. You neither want to accidently send him non-worksafe things while he is at work and more importantly, you want to have his consent. You do not send someone picture of yourself that they don’t want, it is as simple as that.

(Hey, I’m taking some lewd pictures of myself for a friend, do you want to see them too?)

Now you just need to wait for a reply, probably after he is done with the paperwork. Wait, you weren’t too forward, were you? Hmm…

>Let me guess, An ran ahead of you, didn't she?
She did… again. She’s currently recharging in that closet of hers. Actually, she’s starting to get a bit suspicions, what with her running of like that constantly and following you around while you work… Hmm… maybe you need to dig a bit deeper on why she is here… wait, why are you thinking about that right now? You’re standing here, pitching a huge tent with your ovipositor and thinking about how An might be some double agent… get your thoughts together, Rishi…

>Just wear something casual when you meet Lily.
You do have that sweater you bought…

Now, the question is… how are you approaching her? You don’t think she’ll appreciate if you went over and just asked her if she wanted some fuk... or maybe she will? Hmm… “you want some snek stick? Ladies loves snek stick!”
…Oh, and should you bring something? You think you have something blue around here somewhere…

>Methinks you might be projecting just a wee bit here, Miss Backed-Up-Eggsacks.
Gah, just because you need to smash doesn’t… okay, fine, you have a point… err… me.

Can't just bring blue. Gotta bring both blue and yellow.

>>858063
>She’s currently recharging in that closet of hers.
Again? You'd think she'd have a better battery. We might need to ask if she needs a new one that holds a charge better.

>You do have that sweater you bought…
That'll work.

You've got your top covered, now you just need to pick out some pants. Wait, are they still called "pants" even though it's more like a tube for Serpens?

>You think you have something blue around here somewhere…
What does that have to do with anything?

>Or you can just find a synopsis on the web?
you sure you trust the internet?
>Wait, you weren’t too forward, were you? Hmm…
I'm more worried about culture clash, aliens are monogamous, remember. And nobody say he knew in advance; a mutual understanding isn't carte blanche to walk all over cultural norms.
>maybe you need to dig a bit deeper on why she is here…
Don't loose that thought, you should be trusting your instincts. The question is, how to track what they're doing. Who in your circle of friends has the most experience in counterespionage?
>Now, the question is… how are you approaching her?
Tell her you have a few hours free, ask her if she wants to do something or just hang out.

>>858061
>Or you can just find a synopsis on the web?
You sure you want to do that? You can't trust everything you find on the web.

You approach Lily by giving her a call and telling her you have a few hours free before you'll be called back in on your case and you'd like to spend them with her if she agrees to. Could be hanging out or going out somewhere. Whatever she'd like to do. ...Wait, is she home or at work? She might be at work. If she does have financial woes like Leon said, she likely would have clocked in if the company would let her, even if there wasn't any work to do 'cause her boss is dead.

>Now you just need to wait for a reply, probably after he is done with the paperwork. Wait, you weren’t too forward, were you? Hmm…
Um, maybe? You don't know. Better send Leon a message asking if you were too forward. This whole taking lewd photos to share thing is new to you and you thought that he would like to see them as well. Oh, and remember not to send the ovipositor one to Leon since he's not into that. ...Yet.~

>You do have that sweater you bought…
Shame you don't have a casual bottom to go with its color. Your only casual bottom is the blue one you wore yesterday. Other than that, your suit and work skirts aren't casual, and the short black one is too tight and sexy; It'd probably come on too strong. Guess you're wearing that blue bottom again.

But speaking of casual and comfortable: Take your bra off too. You're not gonna be running anywhere, so you don't need the support, and it'll feel nice to let your boobs breathe. (Literally, since you're a Serpens.)

>Or you can just find a synopsis on the web?
Yeah, look up a summary before you meet with Lily. You can get a book on it later if you want to read in depth on the subject.

>…Oh, and should you bring something?
Thing is, you don't really know what Lily likes. Well, besides food, which you figure she already has more than enough of, and comic books, which you don't know anything about. So right now, the best thing you can bring is your company and to be interested in what interests Lily.

>Hmm… “you want some snek stick? Ladies loves snek stick!”
>You think you have something blue around here somewhere…
...Making references to that video to a Vark would probably be considered some kind of insult. At least if you aren't already close enough friends.

>>858079
>Again? You'd think she'd have a better battery. We might need to ask if she needs a new one that holds a charge better.
An having to recharge often maybe could be explained by her being a advanced experimental AI. Her AI core is probably built for massive speed and capability and not power efficiency. But since she wasn't expected to roam far from the lab, this wasn't a problem. Her having to "sleep" often may have been seen as a benefit, since the more often she sleeps the more chances she could start dreaming, which her creators wanted since it'd show she had become a SAI.

>What does that have to do with anything?
That and 'snek stick,' and 'need to smash' are making references to the 'Lemme Smash' video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TcLxlkc2pA

Smashing lewds, Kaktus. Glad my lingerie design got put to such good use.

Kaktus 2018/01/18(Thu)08:19 No. 859384 ID: 65a774
File 151629238728.png - (24.27KB , 900x450 , 27.png )

>You sure you want to do that? You can't trust everything you find on the web.
“Everything written on the internet is true” – Abraham Lincoln 1682.
Besides, if you make sure you’re a bit skeptical about the source, you’ll be fine.
>Yeah, look up a summary before you meet with Lily.
Let’s see… about a generation after they left their home world, on the biggest of their colony fleets the population had to be tightly restricted as the food barely was enough to go around. Then some of the higher suited decided they deserved more food, even if they needed to forcibly lower the current population to do so. What followed was about 23 years of outright war as most of the population fought for survival as the elite grew more and more greedy. It all ended when pretty much all food and food production was destroyed and the elite starved to death as their lavish lifestyle was unable to sustain itself. Well, actually, according to this a lot of them were eaten alive by their own guards in desperation, but you think that might just be an exaggeration. Either way, it’s understandable that they would be weary of those that consume in wanton after that.

>Again? You'd think she'd have a better battery. We might need to ask if she needs a new one that holds a charge better.
Hmm… is she even recharging in there? She might be doing anything and you wouldn’t even know it, would you?
>The question is, how to track what they're doing. Who in your circle of friends has the most experience in counterespionage?
You’re pretty sure you’re the one who best suited to figure this out, not some civilian you just met.

>I'm more worried about culture clash, aliens are monogamous, remember.
That’s why you asked first… but still… hmm…
>Better send Leon a message asking if you were too forward. This whole taking lewd photos to share thing is new to you and you thought that he would like to see them as well.
You send him another message to ask if you were a bit to forward. Now you just have to wait until he answers…

>Can't just bring blue. Gotta bring both blue and yellow.
Hmm… but you don’t have any yellow…
>...Making references to that video to a Vark would probably be considered some kind of insult.
…wait, are you being speciest right now? By the tide, you’re kind of speciest, aren’t you?
>Thing is, you don't really know what Lily likes. Well, besides food, which you figure she already has more than enough of…
Hmm… maybe it’s prudent to not bring anything? You’re just supposed to go over there and hang, anyway. And maybe fix that virgin problem she has, but that’s not the top priority… even if certain parts of you think so.

>Shame you don't have a casual bottom to go with its color. Your only casual bottom is the blue one you wore yesterday.
You have more than one pair of pants. You’ll just grab a pair of white ones; they’ll go well with the green shirt.
>But speaking of casual and comfortable: Take your bra off too. You're not gonna be running anywhere, so you don't need the support, and it'll feel nice to let your boobs breathe.
Well, you don’t have any nipples anyway so… no harm done?
>...Wait, is she home or at work?
You’re pretty sure she’ll get a few days off after all that happened. At least, you hope she does.

>Tell her you have a few hours free, ask her if she wants to do something or just hang out.
According to her door, she is home. So you just ring the doorbell and send her a message through it.
Hey, Lily, it’s me, Rishi. I’ve got a few hours free and I was wondering, do you want to do something? You know… just hang, maybe?

Your message is met with silence… in fact, you’re starting suspect she isn’t home and are about to message her on you comm implant when the door finally answers you.
R-Rishi!? W-what- but… err… I mean… I’m n-not home right now, sorry.
…I can hear you standing right behind the door, Lily.
I mean… I’m working from home?
…does your work consist of watching Game of Drones, because I can hear the theme song from here.
Err… … … I’m sick?
…you know, if you don’t want to hang, you can just say so.
H-hey, I’m just… just… I’m not dressed, okay? …and I haven’t showered and I feel like shit and… and I don’t… I just want to lie down and… sleep…

Hmm… she sounds rather depressed right now. She might feel like she doesn’t want to see someone right now, but she’ll probably feel better if she does. So the question is… do what she wants… or want she needs? Do you just leave or to you insist to see her?

>>859384
>“Everything written on the internet is true” – Kaktus 2018.
Fixed that for ya.

>Hmm…she sounds rather depressed right now. She might feel like she doesn’t want to see someone right now, but she’ll probably feel better if she does. So the question is…do what she wants…or want she needs? Do you just leave or to you insist to see her?
Insist to see her! Friends don’t let friends be sad!

"Hey, we can both be naked, lazy bums watching TV, nothing wrong with that."

>>859384
Tell her misery loves company, and you can get undressed too if she wants.

"I still would like to share your company, Lily. As you are, just watching Game of Drones sitting next to each other and chillin'."

Oh, and did you remember to send those lewds to Isan? Perhaps with a subject line of "a peek at things to come.~"

>>859398
>"Hey, we can both be naked, lazy bums watching TV, nothing wrong with that."
I think using "lazy bums" would make Lily feel at least a little more down since it'd remind her of what she thinks of herself, made worse by hearing Rishi say it. Substituting something like "lounging about" sounds better to me.

Sometimes the best thing one can simply do is be there for her. Though you will need to word things carefully, you want to ensure you don't bring her mood to a worse state.

Does any of that have to preclude company?

Kaktus 2018/01/21(Sun)13:33 No. 860172 ID: 65a774
File 151657039485.png - (20.45KB , 900x450 , 28.png )

>Did you remember to send those lewds to Isan? Perhaps with a subject line of "a peek at things to come.~"
You sent them before you messaged Leon about his pictures. And you clearly marked them as not work safe as he probably is at work right now. You’ll just have to wait for his answer.

>Insist to see her! Friends don’t let friends be sad!
Friends don’t let friends go without pleasure for too long either… but that can wait for now.
Hey, we can both be naked while lounging in front of the TV. Nothing wrong with that.
…w-w-what did y-you just say!?
That misery loves company, so we should-
No, about the… err… naked?
I don’t want to be overdressed, so I’m ready to get undressed if you want me to. Being naked doesn’t really prelude company, does it?
…

You can hear her open and close her beak several times, trying to find the right words… or any words at all.

I… I… I need to... err... take an s-shower?
…so I can come in after you clean yourself?
I… I n-need to get dressed and… and… err… I don’t… I mean… I’ll get back to you in five? Ten?
I’ll be right here.
R-right… I… I’ll just… go then.

…

So… welcome… it’s a dump, I know.
It’s a nice dump. So, about that show you were watching?
Game of Drones? Actually, I rather see that one alone.
Well, I guess we can always watch something else then.
…y-yeah, we can... and…

You can see her struggling a bit internally, as if she’s trying to gather her courage for something.

And c-can you please just stop that?
…um… stop what?
The… thing with the… who put you up to it? Was it Octavia? It must have been… ugh, I thought she was my friend yet she does something like this!?
…I’m completely lost right now. She did what exactly?
She sent you, didn’t she? Why else would some random Serpens come by in the middle of the day and ask to see me naked!? Me of all people!?
…um… why would she ask me to-
She asked you to come by and give me a pity fuck, didn’t she? She knows that there’s no one out that can find a fat slob like me even remotely attractive, so she paid some desperate Serpens to come by and fuck so I would feel better, didn’t she?
Err… she didn’t-
Ugh, I know I’m a terrible person who everyone hates but… I though she actually cared about me… and now this? I… I think you should leave, Rishi…
um… what?

…you’re not sure what just happened?

I'm sorry but could you start over, it seems that somewhere that this train jumped the tracks and I no longer have any idea where this conversation is going?

I had some free time, I thought you would like some company, being naked for a Serpens isn't really that odd, especially when they're not out in public, and what was that about a pity fuck? Is this some weird way your asking me if you want to do it? Because if it is or isn't let me know now because in Serpens culture sex is no where near as big of a deal as it in other cultures and as such I'm always struggling to try and figure out if I'm misreading someone else's message and that they aren't saying they want to screw... or are... like right now I can't tell if you are actually pissed at me for sliding through your door or if this is some round about way asking me to sleep with you. Please be blunt as I'm still trying to adapt to other cultures as I have been raised and grew up in a Serpens culture for all my life and only just left it less then a week ago and people trying to be subtle usually goes over my head or confuses me even more.

>>860172
Tell her that you decided to come here on your own. Serpens have no social taboo about being overweight and she looks cute even with her extra pounds.

Ask her how much she knows about Serpens. You might have to tell her about the "coming of age" ritual you all get. Everybody in your culture gets to have sex once they're old enough, and you think it's awful that she hasn't experienced it yet.

>>860172
Pinch her butt with your robot arm to get her to snap out of it.

Then tell her, “I would like a chance to speak now.”

Then explain to her that you came here because you wanted to hang out.

>>860205
>you think it's awful that she hasn't experienced it yet.
That’s still just a rumor and we don’t know for sure if it’s true, so let’s not say it out loud. Especially if it’ll lead to her accusing Octavia of telling us that.

Don't mention the word overweight or extra pounds.

...?
Was she offering?
I mean, I'd totally be up for filling some cute pink bird up to the brim with eggs and that has nothing to do with pity or how pent up Rishi is or how cute Lily is or how much Rishi needs this right now or how hot Lily is or how nice she smells after the shower or how nice she looks after cleaning herself up and how much I want to mess her up again now that she's clean or how I was stuck outside the door thinking how water was dripping down Lilys naked body or how horny Rishi is or OMG I NEED THIS SO MUCH PLEASE LET ME FUCK YOU SILLY LILLY!!!!
hey, that rymed!

Wait, did she just call you a "random Serpens"? Tell her you thought you were friends.

Octavia didn't send me. She and Variana kinda, have their own issue right now.

I you don't want to talk about uh- what you don't want to talk about, that's fine, it's just Serpens are usually open about it.

We need to stroll up to her put our hand on her shoulder say "by the tide you really are an idiot" whip her around and kiss her. After the kiss pull back and say "If you think they had anything to do with this and you keep turning people down you truly wont end up with anyone.

>>860237
Time to start crying from the insult.

>>860346
Rishi is trying to not be a sledgehammer. That’s way too strong for someone like Lily!

What just happened is Lily's deeply ingrained self-hatred just demonstrated how it sabotages her when anything possibly good happens to her or that she has done anything good by jumping to a baseless conclusion. One that fits the belief worn deep into her psyche over years and years of emotional abuse growing up on that Flock ship that she's irredeemably worthless and despised by everyone. ...Well, that's what you guess, but you don't have anything to back it so don't assume. That said, you still wish you could arrest everyone who treated Lily so badly and send them to trial for their cruel treatment. Anyway, time to refocus on the here and now.

With a tone and expression of confused concern, say you don't understand why she said what she said or the line of thought she took to come to those conclusions. It just doesn't make sense to you. Especially anyone hiring you for sex, since it's illegal and you're a cop and it goes against your Serpens upbringing. Ask her why she would say such things and why she would think her friend would do what she thinks she did. Why does she think you aren't here for the reason you say?

As for the explanation for why this "random Serpens" came by in the middle of the day: Your case is waiting on forensics and the coroner and your partner was kind enough to handle the paperwork so you'd have a few free hours. Hours you decided you'd like to spend hanging out with and getting to better know a nice, cute gal with pretty pink feathers and a figure you fancy who you hoped you could become friends with.

And tell her that you're from Roon, hatched and raised there, and only arrived on New Horizon three days ago. So your grasp of what other species consider socially wrong is lacking, especially around the nuances of nudity and sex. Like, back on Roon casual nudity while hanging out in private with even a acquaintance would be okay. But this isn't Roon, and you forgot that for a minute in your desire to become friends with Lily. You're sorry.

>>860210
>Pinch her butt with your robot arm to get her to snap out of it.
No touching at all without express permission. Especially now, when she's in a bad mental place.

Kaktus 2018/03/23(Fri)15:59 No. 875177 ID: 65a774
File 152184595979.png - (83.26KB , 900x450 , 29.png )

>Kiss her.
... … … … … … … …you don’t have a mouth?
>No touching at all without express permission.
Alien cultures tend to discourage close proximity without consent. Additionally, Lily is clearly not in a good mood at the moment. Ergo, touching her now would be unwise.
>Pinch her butt with your robot arm to get her to snap out of it.
… … …but by the tide, it’s damn tempting to just fill your hands with that beautiful thing and start playing- Err… no touching…
>I NEED THIS SO MUCH PLEASE LET ME FUCK YOU SILLY LILLY!!!!
Be a scalpel, not a sledgehammer… a scalpel…
>What just happened is Lily's deeply ingrained self-hatred just demonstrated how it sabotages her when anything possibly good happens to her by jumping to a baseless conclusion.
Hmm… that is a possibility. Verily, you still don’t know enough about her to come to any concrete conclusion, but that theory will do for now.


Did… did you just call me a random Serpens? I thought we were friends!
W-what? I… y-you really think w-we are… b-but we just met?
So? We’ve still been hanging out a bit, haven’t we? Ergo, we’re friends?
I… I guess we’re acquaintances?
Also, can you start over? It seems that somewhere that this train jumped the tracks and I got a bit confused while you were ranting and I think I missed a few things?
…just… just forget it. I… I was just frustrated and… and… a-angry and… ugh… maybe this isn’t the best time for you to be here?
But why do you think Octavia would do something like that? Isn’t she your friend?
…she is… and m-maybe I k-kind of forgot that for a s-second there… geez… now I w-want to say I’m sorry to her…
Also, what is a pity fuck? I’m not sure I understood that part.
T-that’s not- I didn’t m-mean- gah, forget it!
Is that a fuck so bad that post hoc you can only pity your partner for having to go through with it?
That’s n-not-
Or are this some convoluted way to tell me you want to fuck? I mean… I want too but I’m kind of confused by the messages you’re sending me.
Eh!? I-I-I d-don’t- d-didn’t-
Please, Lily, be blunt with me. I’m still trying to adapt to other cultures and people trying to be subtle usually goes over my head or confuses me even more. So do you want to fuck me or not? Yes or no?
I d-don’t- y-yes- I mean no- I mean…. I don’t know!? N-now I’m g-getting confused… Argh, why are you even h-here!?
I got some time off from work so I decided to use them to hang out with a nice, cute gal with pretty pink feathers and a figure I fancy. Propter hoc, I want to become close friends with you and maybe even call you a Paramour.
Proper what now? Para armor? I don’t think I even know those words? Wait, figure you fancy? What?
Your figure is very exotic. We Serpens, thanks to our diet, can’t really reach that kind of curviness on the whole body like that… and seeing as I’m a connoisseur of things… ah, alien, I must admit I’m quite attracted to your body type, Lily.
…do you usually use these kind of words?
I might be overusing them in an attempt to display my more attractive features so you’ll choose to mate with me.
Okay, just… just stop… no. T-there is n-no way y-you f-find me attractive… just… no… n-no one does… i-it’s as simple as t-that…

Hmm… how do you prove that you do think she is attractive? …without scaring her away, that is.

>Okay, just… just stop… no. T-there is n-no way y-you f-find me attractive… just… no… n-no one does… i-it’s as simple as t-that…
"Well I can tell you right now that isn't true."

Now the only thing I can think of to throw her out of her loop of self hate and destruction is to either fluster her, hit her with some reverse psychology, or both...
"Earlier you said that you weren't sure that you find me attractive, why? Is it my sweater (start to remove sweater) I bet it was the sweater."
now she's probably going to try and stop you and then you should ask if it isn't the sweater then what does she find wrong with you. Then she'll either say you look good at which point you ask if she can find you attractive then why can't you do the same to her? If she does say that she doesn't find you attractive (which would be shocking) tell her that hasn't stopped you from trying in the past and even though some have rejected you others have gone along with you and if you never tried at all then you wouldn't have ended up with even those that said yes.

by the way have I mentioned that I'm a very soft sledgehammer?

Dammit Lilly, if you don't want to hear that I like you and don't want me to prove it why'd you bring it up! I just wanted to hang out!
If she mentions the talk of nudity and/or sex, say she brought that up too.

You can mind-meld with aliens, right? Maybe that'd prove your genuine intentions? Give her plenty of warning and such first.

Mind meld!

>>Kiss her.
>... … … … … … … …you don’t have a mouth?
Well then mash your lower face against her.

Ask her to remember what you said and how you acted towards her yesterday while you were clothes shopping and say that you wouldn't have said or acted that way if you weren't interested in her. But does she also remember how you said you wished you could mind meld with her to prove you were being sincere? Well, you can, sorta. You'd only feel each other's emotions and not bare thoughts, but to show you're honest about your feelings towards her it'd be enough. Plus, you can give her a mental massage at the same time, which you think would make her feel at least a bit better afterwards. So, would she be okay with trying this?

>... … … … … … … …you don’t have a mouth?
And she doesn't have lips either, so a kiss wasn't possible anyway. However, as a acceptable substitute you can nuzzle her like you did with Leon. Y'know, if she's okay with you doing that.

>>875217
All of this!

Kaktus 2018/03/29(Thu)13:22 No. 875850 ID: 65a774
File 152235495058.png - (20.22KB , 900x450 , 30.png )

>Well then mash your lower face against her.
Indeed, you could always just nuzzle against her instead of kissing her.

Dammit Lily, if you don't want to hear that I like you and don't want me to prove it why'd you bring it up! I just wanted to hang out!
B-but I… y-you… you w-were the one w-who-
You not only brought up my attraction to you, but also the nudity and sexual themes. You can’t really be mad at me for that!
…s-sorry…
>You can mind-meld with aliens, right? Maybe that'd prove your genuine intentions? Give her plenty of warning and such first.
But… I can, in fact prove it. I can mind meld with you to show you what I feel right now.
Mind meld? W-wait, you mean that… um… telepathy thing you Serpens do? Y-you can d-do that to non-snakes!?
I can’t discuss anything complex like I would with a Serpens, but I can transmit my current emotions for you to feel for yourself. Ergo, I can prove my intentions.
I… um… i-if it’s s-safe? I guess?
Then come here, let me touch your head.

You take all your pent up frustrations, all your fantasies and day dreams, all the feelings you get when that huge bum of hers sways in front of you, taunting you and your overfilled eggsacks, and transfer them all to Lily, almost forcing it into her mind.

Nggghuh!?

Kaktus 2018/03/29(Thu)13:22 No. 875851 ID: 65a774
File 152235496421.png - (19.88KB , 900x450 , 31.png )

…you might have overdone it a bit though, as she falls to her knees after you’re done…

B-by the s-sky mother… how… h-how do you even f-function like that!?
To be fair, I usually aren’t this pent up. Verily, I must confess that I might have some ulterior motives for coming here than just to hang out, but I still want to be your friend.
I… y-you actually… but... y-you can’t just…
Oh, right! I’m supposed to eat food with you first or something, right? I think that’s what Leon said…
…w-wait, did y-you just ask me out on a d-date?
A what now? Wait, you mean one of those mating rituals your kind does?
A date, as in dinner and a m-movie or… or s-something? Is… is that what you m-meant to a-ask me out on?
…

…you’re not entirely sure what a Varkian date would imply, but if it post hoc leads to a chance of fucking her silly and then filling that beautiful hindquarters of hers full of your eggs you really should go for it, right? Hmm… though, you might need a plan for this mating ritual they do…

>>875851
This is a bit of an uncertain situation. Can't really tell what she wants, and you're inexperienced in alien social situations. Tell her that, and then give her some options:
1, you two could just hang out tonight. Sex would not be on the table.
2, you could hang out and also have sex later tonight if she likes you enough.
3, you could go out on a proper date, tonight, then have sex after if it goes well.
Or you could have sex first, and hang out after? But I mean she's not going to go for that.

Honestly as a Serpens, number 2 is most comfortable for you. I get the impression Lily might not be in the right mood to go out on a date tonight anyway.

well you're already here, I'm sure she has a few movies around that the two of you could watch together, and the two of you could order out so that way you both have something the both of you could eat. Just cuddle with her during the movie and hopefully by the end of the night you'll have gotten rid of all those eggs.

>>875860
Oh yeah that's another option. Dinner and a movie, but here. No need to go out.

Offer Lily your hands to help her up while you say you think a date with her might be what to do, you just don't know what a date entails. It's such a alien concept. Like, where do we go? What do we do and how are we supposed to act? What do we wear or don't? Should you wear your new suit? Lily seemed to really like that suit. Okay, since you don't have a clue, say you'll defer to Lily's knowledge and judgment regarding dates. She lays out what she wants the date to be and if you have no objections, you'll do it.

>You not only brought up my attraction to you, but also the nudity and sexual themes. You can’t really be mad at me for that!
Shame on you, Rishi! No gaslighting the poor gal! You're the one who started things by offering to lounge in the nude, not her. Don't you dare make her doubt her own memory.

>...filling that beautiful hindquarters of hers full of your eggs...
Hey, keep in mind that she may not be into anal, okay. And that she likely doesn't have any sexual experience, so go easy if it get to that point 'cause it'll likely be her first time.

>>875851
If she’s not comfortable with going out somewhere, then offer her the option of staying here to eat and watch something.

Which I think would be a better option because you can eat and watch something and her bed will conveniently be nearby, if Lily wants to have sex.

Obviously, don’t force it on her, but still, it’s an option.

Oh, if you end up staying in instead of going out, how about you make the meal for you two yourself? It'll be better than getting takeout as it shows you'll put effort into this relationship. Also, takeout seems to be what Lily often gets, so a home cooked meal would be a treat. You could make a Serpens dish, or try to make one that Lily suggests, or maybe that Flying Varkian one that Leon said is his favorite. You'll need to order groceries, though. Could you have them delivered via drone?

>>875937
>cooking
I’m not sure how good Rishi’s cooking abilities are when it comes to solid non-Serpens foods. So unless Lily is ok with drinking her meal, we might have to order something.

Or we can just hope that Rishi can look up a recipe online and follow it correctly without burning it or something.

Then again, Lily might have leftovers in her fridge that she can warmup and eat while Rishi makes herself a liquid Serpens meal.

Kaktus 2018/03/31(Sat)14:41 No. 876237 ID: 65a774
File 152253247159.png - (20.05KB , 900x450 , 32.png )

>How about you make the meal for you two yourself?
…wait, you mean actually… cook food? Err… you don’t even know how to put on the heat on meal cooker, as you usually just choose one of the many premade meals you can have the food fabricator create.
>Hey, keep in mind that she may not be into anal, okay.
…crap, she probably isn’t. Maybe she’s into swallowing… or… you’ll simply have to be content putting a few eggs in her. Verily, you’re not sure how many eggs you can actually put in her, but you do know she doesn’t have a proper incubator to store them in.
>Go easy if it get to that point 'cause it'll likely be her first time.
…oh, right, the virgin thing. You have to remember to make it a bit special.
>Shame on you, Rishi! No gaslighting the poor gal! You're the one who started things by offering to lounge in the nude, not her.
Wait, you did? Maybe you did… um… ops?

>Offer Lily your hands to help her up while you say you think a date with her might be what to do, you just don't know what a date entails.
It’s u-usually a meal and… um… entertainment… together?
So… do you want to watch a movie and then eat takeout or do you want to go out somewhere and… um…
I just a-ate lunch so… err…
I did as well, so I guess the food has to wait. Sadly, I can be called into service at any moment so…
Oh… then I guess… um… not now?
Not now, no.
…
…but maybe tonight we can… watch a movie and-

Suddenly, she turns around and face away from you, seemingly lost in though. You can see her hands curl up into fists for a few seconds, before she takes a deep breath and finally get the courage to speak once again.

No… I… I’ve made up my mind. For once, I want… I want to feel beautiful. I want you to make me feel beautiful!
…um… so… you’re beautiful?
No, I meant… I want to a proper date. A real high class one. I want y-you to… to take me to a really nice restaurant… in a privet hover car… and… and… I d-don’t know... g-go clubbing a-afterwards or… something?
So, you want to-
And I want you to pay for everything… I mean, make it look like y-you pay for everything… and… and… p-pretend that you w-whole life revolves around me… j-just… just for one night?
Make it look like I pay?
Y-you know… t-take the check… p-pay for the d-drink… p-pay for t-the taxi service… um… I… I can pay y-you half of it later but… I… I want to feel like y-you… you would think I was b-beautiful enough to deserve all that. Make everyone else think I d-deserve that… um… so… I… Ugh, maybe this was a bad idea?

>>876237
Check own finances, see how much that would hurt your bank account.

Man she really needs a hug though.

>>876237
Ok, this is something you guys can do to hang out. You guys can plan out the date together.

Start off by looking at your own finances and seeing how much money you’ve got and that’ll let you know how much you can afford to use for the date.

Then both you and Lily look up different fancy restaurants, clubs, movies, etc., and decide together which ones you’ll go to. You need to decide these things now because you usually have to make a reservation at those places ahead of time. And remember, the fancy restaurant is the priority, anything after that is optional.

Also, the fancy restaurants sometimes have a dress code, so if you’re going to eat at one of those places, you should see if Lily has a fancy dress to wear.

If after planning everything out, you still haven’t been called back to work, then you and Lily can watch something together until you do get called back to work.

If this was just about sex you'd be reluctant to part with that much cash, but it's now about making Lily feel good about herself, to feel joy, and for that it'll be worth paying. Heck, you'll pay the whole thing, and you would even if you didn't suspect Lily is having financial troubles. There's just this twinge of happiness you feel deep down at the thought of Lily being happy, isn't there?

Slither around to face Lily and tell her she's adorable when she blushes. Then tell her to keep her money; You'll pay for the whole thing. She's far and away worth it.

Clear the couch off so you two can sit together to plan this date to Lily's desires. First is getting reservations at a high class restaurant. It'll have to serve both vark and serpens, of course. Start with ones up top, under the dome and work your way down. Unfortunately, the highest class ones are probably booked solid for weeks, so getting a seat for this evening or even tomorrow will be tough.

You'll both need fancy dress for this dinner as well. You could wear your authoritative suit or perhaps that complex and revealing dress you bought. It's Lily's choice. She'll also need to get fancy clothing too. You'll pay for anything she buys and if she has to resort to a tailor, you'll pay for that too. Something low cut that accentuates her rear would be your choice, but it's ultimately her choice of what she wants. Also, a new pair of chic glasses that go with the outfit would be good.

Then plan for which nightclub you'll visit after dinner. Some place with thumping music and raucous dancing, some place classier with softer music and dancing or someplace else? And you'll go one better from a private car and hire a hover-limo.

Sounds doable, but we know exactly one food joint on this entire station and nothing else. I'm unsure if thats what she has in mind.

>>876264
Oh, yeah, we should also consider how much money we’re gonna have to spend on the amount of food that Lily eats. Because as we have witnessed before: >>/questarch/816296 , she eats a lot.

ask her for a few ideas of nice place you could go. I don't think you've been here long enough to actually know about which fancy restaurant is worth the cash yet.

>>876309
Right, gotta make sure the place serves decent sized portions and isn't one of those stupid ass pretentious restaurants that call three artfully arranged peas and a slice of carrot with a squiggle of gravy a entrée and charge a outrageous amount for it. If we wanted to see art we'd go to a art gallery, not a restaurant!

>>876314
Yeah, fuck those restaurants! D-:<

nonono, we can make it work! it'll be like... cultural exchange. Learning experience all around!

Kaktus 2018/04/05(Thu)03:27 No. 877218 ID: 65a774
File 152292403643.png - (84.74KB , 900x450 , 33.png )

>Check own finances, see how much that would hurt your bank account.
Hmm… while the move here has put quite the drain on your finances, your new promotion will probably make up for it. You just don’t have the cash currently to finance everything yourself.
>If this was just about sex you'd be reluctant to part with that much cash, but it's now about making Lily feel good about herself, to feel joy, and for that it'll be worth paying.
If it was just sex you wouldn’t spend anything. That kind of love is free, after all. No, this is about making a new friend happy.

>Slither around to face Lily and tell her she's adorable when she blushes.
W-what!? W-why d-did y-you all t-the sudden!?
Because it’s true. You’re cute when you blush.
D-dammit, Rishi… d-don’t… n-not now…
Then how about we plan that date then? We have time right now.
Um… b-but… t-that was just s-some outburst and… I didn’t… I wish b-but-
Ergo, why we shouldn’t drop it. You wish for it, thus we will do it.
I… I mean… um… I… g-guess?
Here, let’s sit down and we can start planning, alright?

You make some room on her couch for the two of you and gesture for her to sit down next to you.

So… um… where do we…?
The restaurant. That will probably be the hardest part to get right… and it’s also the most important.
I guess?
So… let’s start up top, just under the dome and work our way down?
…there is no way we can get or even afford a table above ground, Rishi, you have t-to aim a little lower than that.
Hmm… That does make the possible pool of choices slightly smaller. Let’s continue with this train of though and make it even tinier. Next thing to consider, how much food they serve.
Huh? W-what are you implying with-
We don’t want one of those pretentious restaurant that call three artfully arranged peas and a slice of carrot with a squiggle of gravy an entrée and charge an outrageous amount for it, do we?
…y-yeah, I really don’t w-want to go to a place like that.
And taking into consideration how much you love to eat, I like to suggest we pick a place that serve a lot of food per paid meal. Ergo, a buffet maybe?
OH! That would be g-great!
Those criteria coupled with the need for a bit of class would slim down our choices considerable. Now, about that nightclub…
I… um… already got something for that… I t-think… it’s a place of thumping music and… um... dancing and… err… y-you know… um… t-that…?
That? Nothing illegal I hope?
Oh, of course not! …I… um… t-think? No, I mean… err… a lot of… f-flirting and… um…
Agreements on a pleasant evening without any post hoc interaction?
…err… yes? I think?
So… then about the car… I was thinking about a limbo actually.
OH! That’s… actually… um… kind of cool… if it’s not too expensive, that is.

The two of you spend the next hour just going through every possible idea you can come up with on a datapad. Soon enough, you manage boil down all your options to a reasonable amount, enabling you to go through each and every one personally. All the while, Lily seems to have the time of her life.

…you don’t think you’ve ever seen Lily this happy before… in fact, you don’t think you’ve actually seen her happy... which is kind of sad?

So… we agree that this place looks good? They got a nice looking barbecue buffet.
(But 600credits per person? I could buy a new high end game for that… yet…) I guess it’s what we need to choose if we wanted to have that class you wanted to.
And we agreed to that club I was talking about…
Indeed. And I’ve found an affordable Limo service, though one without a real driver. Verily, it might actually be for the best that there wasn’t a real driver.
So… t-that’s it? We just n-need to find a t-time?
Well, they might have some dress code as well?
Oh… I… I have s-something I can wear, don’t worry… and… um… c-can you… … …w-wear that… um… s-suit you bought? T-the p-professional l-looking one?

Before you have time to answer, you comm implant starts beeping.
:LeonWWD: [Rishi, we’re on duty again in fifteen. I’m on my way to pick you up now.]

And duty is calling. Sorry, but I need to go.
W-wait, before y-you leave… um… s-see… the r-restaurant only have one table available this whole week and… err… it’s tonight? So… um…?

fuck it, if you actually have the time might as well. You've gone this far might as well go all the way.

"It's a date!"

>>877218
>Oh…I…I have s-something I can wear, don’t worry…and…um…c-can you………w-wear that…um…s-suit you bought? T-the p-professional l-looking one?
“Sure thing.”

>W-wait, before y-you leave…um…s-see…the r-restaurant only have one table available this whole week and…err…it’s tonight? So…um…?
When making a reservation, make sure you tell the restaurant what time you’ll arrive and how many people will be coming to the reserved table. So pick a time after your shift ends and will give you plenty of time to go home and get ready without having to rush.

“Then I’ll make reservations for tonight! I’ll come pick you up around [insert time here] so that we can get to the restaurant!”

Offer to give Lily a hug before you go. And I’m not sure if you’re allowed to grab her butt now that you’ve gotten her in a better mood, but just to be safe, you probably shouldn’t do it, no matter how tempting it is.

Then go to your apartment, change back into your work uniform, get An, and go meet Leon.

If Leon notices your excitement and asks about it, tell him that you’ve got a date tonight! And if An asks if she can come with you on your date, politely tell her no.

>>877218
Ok, set up the time, make sure it's a decent amount after work so you have little chance of being late.

Well then I'll see you later tonight my dear.

...I hope she doesn't make a mess of herself eating those ribs. Oh I know, you two can make a game of it and use super proper table manners. That'll keep the mess down and she'll feel less embarrassed to eat in public too.
You can totally eat ribs with a fork and knife, you know.

You don't have any other plans for this evening, do you? Even tentative ones? ...Maybe Isan will reply to your lewd photos and want to get together tonight. Better hope he doesn't reply today, or can hook up another day. And also hope something doesn't come up that requires you to work late.

"Tonight would be perfect. And I'll definitely wear that suit of mine you so like. Now, before we part, shall we share a hug, lovely Lily?" When she says yes, curl around her once and look her in the eyes and ask "And a nuzzle too?" Then embrace her tight and nuzzle her face for a long moment before leaving.

Change back into your investigator's suit, wake An up to ask if she wants to come along, then meet Leon.

Kaktus 2018/04/08(Sun)06:47 No. 877841 ID: 65a774
File 152319526787.png - (19.85KB , 900x450 , 34.png )

>...I hope she doesn't make a mess of herself eating those ribs.
You’re sure they won’t serve something that messy. It’s supposed to be a bit of a classy restaurant… or at least an expensive one.
>You don't have any other plans for this evening, do you? Even tentative ones?
Not that you can think of, no. Worst case scenario is if you’ll need to work overtime, but there’s nothing you can do about that.

>Fuck it, if you actually have the time might as well. You've gone this far might as well go all the way.
It’s a date!
Eh? Err… I mean… y-yes, it is…
Then I’ll come pick you up later tonight and I’ll definitely wear that suit of mine you so like.
It’s… um… a date then… yes…. I’ll b-be ready.

>Offer to give Lily a hug before you go.
A hug?
A friendly hug? As a promise for a wonderful date?
I… guess?

Shaking as a sea flower caught in a stream, she hesitantly put her arms around you and embraces you a bit sheepishly. You can feel her heart go crazy in her chest as the sheer prospect of a date is driving her mad. Do not screw this up, Rishi… for her sake…

Well then I'll see you later tonight my dear. I’ll be seeing you when the tides come.
Err… y-yes… tonight! Tonight is… is the night! …yes! …y-yes… um… b-bye?

Kaktus 2018/04/08(Sun)06:48 No. 877842 ID: 65a774
File 152319528263.png - (25.70KB , 900x450 , 35.png )

>Then go to your apartment, change back into your work uniform, get An, and go meet Leon.
You hurry back to your apartment and throw on your work uniform as fast as you can. After all, the sooner you get the work, the sooner you can get off it as well. By the time you and An are leaving your apartment Leon is already waiting for you.

Well, I see someone is in a good mood all the sudden.
I got a date, ergo I’m a bit excited.
Really? A date? I didn’t think Serpens did dates?
Verily, it’s more for my date’s sake than mine, but it’s still a bit exciting.
Oh! A date! Can I come with?
No, An, a date is a private affair.
Aw…

Pleasantries aside, what is the situation?
On my honor, let me explain the new information we have been graced with. The victim has been ID. Her name was Ami C. Ersum, a software engineer employed by Hircusle Robotics. Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Hircusle? Wasn’t that were our last victim and suspect worked?
Indeed, both Ferara Cogwelder and Herod Carakas worked there. But there’s more! Not only did they work for the same company, all three of them were working on the same secret project.
The Ares project.
That is correct. Now, we can’t yet say if that was coincide or not but we do know that they had contact with each other. In fact… Ami got a private message from Herod on the day he died.
…and? If they were working together, it wouldn’t be to-
After he had died. A message that simply read “Somnio ergo sum”.
…isn’t it supposed to be Cogito Ergo Sum? I think, therefore I am?
Don’t ask me, I’m just relaying the information here. It also had an address which, by coincidence, is the exact same address to the factory the barrel she was found in originated from.
So she read the message, went there and was murdered?
But wait, there’s more!
Call now and get even more coincidences for free?
Exactly. See, the victim has gotten a constant stream of death threats over the last half year. Death threats that all include asphyxiation themes, as in chocking or strangling.
…half a year? Haven’t we been able to find the one who were sending them?
That’s the thing, she never reported it. In fact, as soon as we found the messages we were easily able to identify the culprit. A man called Entro SteelSkin who, get this, works for the very same factory that the barrel the victim was located in originated from.
Hmm… why do I have a feeling that this looks way simpler than it is?
All we can hope for is that it is actually as simple as it looks.

Now, what do you want to check first? The victim’s apartment, the factory where the barrel came from or the honorless scum that sent those death threats?

I feel like we should probably go after the guy who did the death threats first least he run or "disappear" but since I'm a little worried about how easy this seems I'm going to say we hit the victim's apartment first and try to gather more evidence either to give proof to our fears that this isn't going to be as easy as it looks or to get even more evidence to wave in front of the murders face to make sure there is no way he'd be able to worm his worm out of this.

Can't you get someone to keep an eye on the creep just to make sure he won't do a runner while you investigate the other places?

>>877842
"I dream therefore I am". Wasn't there something about sapient robots being able to dream? Obviously someone accessed Herod's computer to send that message. Either a SAI or someone that wants us to think it was a SAI.

Well first we need to detain the suspect and secure both scenes of interest. Then we investigate what is likely the scene of the crime-- the factory. After that I think we should head to the victim's apartment, ending with speaking to the suspect. Though at that point he might not be a suspect anymore.

>>877842
Start with the factory.

We'll investigate the factory first, since it's much more likely for physical evidence there to be inadvertently lost, degraded or destroyed in the regular activity of the employees there than in the victim's locked apartment. We'll do the victim's apartment next, then interrogate Entro last so we'll have the evidence from the previous places to question him on.

Send officers to the victim's apartment to secure it until you two arrive. Also send officers to take Entro into custody as a suspect in Ami's murder. There ought to be more than enough evidence to hold him until the two locations are investigated.

go to factory, read threats.

Kaktus 2018/04/10(Tue)05:53 No. 878147 ID: 65a774
File 152336478352.png - (20.27KB , 900x450 , 36.png )

>"I dream therefore I am". Wasn't there something about sapient robots being able to dream?
Dreams are indeed important to SAI’s. Now the question is, why would the victim get a message with some pseudo-intellectual SAI philosophy?
>Obviously someone accessed Herod's computer to send that message. Either a SAI or someone that wants us to think it was a SAI.
Hmm… but who should hack into his computer without us noticing? And why?

>Can't you get someone to keep an eye on the creep just to make sure he won't do a runner.
Both locations and the suspect has already been secured. We can’t let such a rookie mistake as to not keeping an eye on things to spoil our honor, can we now?
>Read threats.
Let’s see here… ah, here’s a good example: “You can’t run from me, bitch. I’ll find you and wipe that fucking smug smile off from your pretty face, you whore. I bet you’ll get off as I slowly choke the life out of you, as I squeeze that cute throat of yours until you realize just how fucking worthless you are. I’ll enjoy watching your beautiful body shudder one last time as your life leaves it, because that’s what you are, just a moment of pleasure to be thrown away. Your whole reason for existing was to give me a bit of pleasure as you die, bitch.”
Hmm… interesting word choice… and clearly sexual in nature…
Oh! It sounds like they were friends!
I don’t think they were friends, An.
Then why didn’t she just block him?
… … …Leon?
There weren’t any evidence pointing towards her trying to block him or… well, trying to stop him in any way from keep sending these messages.
Hmm…

>We'll investigate the factory first, since it's much more likely for physical evidence there to be inadvertently lost, degraded or destroyed in the regular activity of the employees.
I got a PK hover car ready to go, if you’ll honor my guidance.

The Factory is not located far from your apartment, making the trip there a rather short one. It apparently produces a rather restricted product called NanoGel, mostly used in organic AI and augmentations, but it's also a key component in many illegal and dangerous drugs, thus its heavy regulations. The barrel the victim was found in had previously contained a kind of frictionless lubrication that is used somewhere in the process of creating this NanoGel. Now, the questions are, what did the victim want with NanoGel, why did she die and how did she get into the supposedly secure Factory?

When you arrive at the factory grounds, you're met by what is supposed to be the supervisor, a rather larger SAI with a... um... bow?

Greetings... um... ma'am. We are Investigator Rishi Zsazsa and Leontius Strongheart of the Peace Keepers. We are here to look into an accident concerning an Ami C. Ersum. You must be the supervisor of this-
AH! Rishi-senpai! KAWIII! I saw you on the news! You were so brave and bold!
The news?
We did solve a high profile murder, so we were bound to make the news at some point.
Senpay and Kawe?
Super Kami Senpai Plus Ultra!
Don't look at me. Now, ma'am, are you the Supervisor or not?
AH! Leon-Senpai noticed me! And he wants to know about little old boring me! [Running swoon protocol]*Swoon*!
...did you just say swoon out laud?
And little?
I am Xaby, Supervisor of this NanoGel factory, and I will help you, Senpai, in any way I can, just ask! ...n-not because I like you or anything... baka...
Bakaraka!
Do you have any idea what those odd words she is using means?
I have no idea, sorry.
I might get an Officer-senpai to void my warranty! [Running Squeing sequence]*Squeee!*

oh joy a fan girl.

Did that barrel have any identifying numbers or anything like that. It seems likely that if this crap is as controlled as you say then they probably have all products label and separated into different marked areas for said labels to make it easier to keep track of everything and if so then we might be able to go right were they barrel was stored and not have to look around the whole damn factory.

Failing that just ask where they fill and empty the barrels and where they load and unload products. Those would be the most likely places where the body was dumped.

As as for the chocking thing, it sounds more like sex talk to a pair that goes with the sub/dom route where one partner is the dominate member of the pair and talks trash to the submissive partner in order to get a sexual thrill since the dom partner is stimulated by being in control and the sub partner is stimulated by having a lack of control and all of this was mixed in with a choking fetish. Still going off what I know so far if I had to take a shot in the dark I would say that both of them got really into it one night and the guy went to far and accidentally killed her and tried to cover it up and hope nobody would notice. Still without proper evidence that's a guess at best so let's find some clues to see if I'm right or not.

...How does an Officer void a SAI's warranty.

Anyways, it seems this SAI seems to be really into you and Leon, which is rather odd but an ego booster.

On the duty matter you should get a general questionnaire of day to day events if possible. That way we can use the schedule if need be to help time events.

>>878147
>The message
>clearly sexual in nature...
>There wasn’t any evidence pointing towards her trying to block him or…well, trying to stop him in any way from sending these messages.
.....ok, I’m starting to think that maybe Ami enjoyed something called Erotic Asphyxiation and she also enjoyed it when someone called her things like “bitch”, “whore”, and “worthless”. I know it sounds crazy, but it sorta makes sense, seeing as Ami never reported these messages.

So it’s possible that Entro accidentally killed Ami during a moment of passion and tried to cover it up or someone else knew about these messages and killed Ami to frame Entro because he would obviously look the most guilty.

And seeing as how the message “Somnio ergo sum” is what brought Ami here, I don’t think she came here for pleasure.

>Now what?
Let’s try checking security footage to see if we can spot when Ami was here and where she went in the factory.

Since this is the place where Entro worked, let’s try checking his office and/or work station to see if we can find anything there. And check the security footage to see where he was when Ami arrived to see if they ever met each other or never went anywhere near each other.

>>878147
>who hacked into his computer
Maybe they didn't. Maybe it was someone who knew his password.

>she didn't block him
Well, maybe she had a fetish for being degraded and choked. I suppose we'll find out when we interrogate the suspect.

Anyway yeah ask where the lube is kept, go take a look to see if there's any obvious evidence there. Request footage around the estimated time of death as well.

That "death threat" sounded like it could have come from the dominant in a dom/sub sexual relationship. One involving breathplay/erotic asphyxiation. You'll need to find out when and how Ami and Entro met and what their relationship was.

Get all correspondence made between Ami and Entro, whether using their comm implants, their professional or personal computers, or old school physical letters and packages. The New Horizon postal service may have tracking records for the latter you could check.

Get Ami and Entro's personal financial records. Find out what they've purchased for the last nine months and when. There might be hotel rooms where they met up, taxi rides from either of their apartments to the other's, or sex gear related to breathplay. Also make a note to pull the entry logs and any intercom recordings or logs from their apartments' front doors, as well as check if either of them gave the other the key(codes) to their apartment.

Compare the dates and times when Ami got those "death threats" with her personal schedule, their work schedules, their apartment entry and exit logs, and purchase histories to determine if Ami went off to meet with Entro soon after receiving such a message. If so, it's likely they were having a sexual encounter.

It's not a stretch of the imagination to think that Hircusle Robotics and a business that produces material used in organic AI systems would have a business relationship, and thus their respective employees would have contact with each other. Perhaps that is how Ami and Entro first came into contact with each other. Ask Xaby if and what is the business relationship between her employer and Hircusle Robotics and Ami C. Ersum. Would that relationship permit Ami entry to this facility? Also ask what contact and relationship Ami and Entro had, either professional or personal, that she knows of.

Ask Xaby for Entro SteelSkin's employee file and log of when he clocked in and out and when he entered and exited the facility. You also want copies of any communications he made with or received from Ami C. Ersum using his employer's computer or comm systems. If they're classified you'll take redacted copies or at least the logs of dates and times and who got and sent the messages.

Request all of this facility's security camera video from, oh, about a day before the time Ami got the postmortem message from Herod. External and internal cameras. Also get the entry and exit logs, what employees were clocked in and out, shipments incoming and outgoing, any other surveillance sensor data, and a map of the facility. Use it to figure out where Ami and Entro were in the building and any blind spots where they could have been outside of monitoring. Also remember to ask the other employees working around those areas if and when they saw Ami or Entro, just in case the surveillance data has been messed with.

Give Xaby any identifying codes from the barrel Ami's body was found in. If this place has a proper inventory management and tracking system, it'll be able to tell just from the barrel's serial number when and where it came into the facility, where it went inside, and when and where it left. Or, rather, where it should have been and where the scanners logged it. If it was manually pulled out and put back, it wouldn't show on the logs.

You'll want to know where the empty frictionless lubricant barrels are stored here. Are they kept inside until right before they're loaded up for removal, or are they left outside on a loading dock where someone could just walk up to 'em? Also ask if there were any recorded spills of frictionless lubricant in the facility in the last two days. It's possible that a barrel was dumped out to stuff Ami's corpse in.

Now, ask Xaby to lead y'all inside to Entro's office or workstation so you can give it a look over. Oh, and his employee locker, if he has one.

>Hmm… but who should hack into his computer without us noticing? And why?
Don't assume it was a hack. You saw how lax the IT security was at Hircusle. Anyone with his office door code and his computer password could have used his computer. Heck, even just the office door code would have given physical access to his work computer, and in IT security if you have physical access it's all but over.

Also, whoever setup the message wouldn't have to be there in person to send it. A little program left on Herod's computer and setup to send a message at a later time, then delete all traces of itself, would work. And for all you know, it might have been setup by Herod as a deadman's switch.

But you should also keep An in mind about this. Remember, she plugged herself into Herod's work computer to unlock it for you. And she has demonstrated significant hacking ability, with a unknown upper limit. She could have done who knows what to that system before she unplugged and left not a trace. Just keep that in mind from now on and not let her access any case related computer systems before you, Leon or PK forensics get at 'em.

Now, what time was the message sent to Ami from Herod's computer? Was it during the period his office was locked down as a crime scene? And was it sent from his work computer or are you just assuming that? And was it sent after the news of Herod's death was public? Because Ami getting a message from someone she knows is dead should have made her suspicious.

>Now the question is, why would the victim get a message with some pseudo-intellectual SAI philosophy?
Might have been a code phrase Herod and Ami had. One that says "go to the attached address right now." Would explain why she came here immediately. ...Did she come here immediately after getting the message? Better check that.

>>878208
Oh, and also make a note to get the web browser histories and web search histories from Ami and Entro's comm implants, work computers and home computers. There might be things they've looked up that are related to this case or their relationship.

Internally question the stability of this AI and AI/CAIs in general.

Has our suspect made any attempts to get off the station or otherwise disappear? And how's surveillance footage going to turn out to be useless today?

Kaktus 2018/04/15(Sun)05:21 No. 878833 ID: 65a774
File 152379487969.png - (98.75KB , 900x450 , 37.png )

>oh joy a fan girl.
Hmm… that fact might be useful, both to make work easier as well as making off hours more interesting.
>Internally question the stability of this AI and AI/SAIs in general.
SAI’s have always been a bit quirky. Either they try too hard to be like organics or they develop odd quirks as if to show that they aren’t.
>...How does an Officer void a SAI's warranty.
…you’re pretty sure SAI doesn’t even have warranties. Maybe she was talking about something she bought with a warranty? But why would we void it?

>I’m starting to think that maybe Ami enjoyed something called Erotic Asphyxiation.
It’s possible. You’ll need to ask some officers to compare the dates and times of these “threats” as well as both of theirs financial records and the like to see if they can find anything that strengthen this theory.
>So it’s possible that Entro accidentally killed Ami during a moment of passion and tried to cover it up.
Hmm… but why were they here at the factory and not at their private homes?

>Maybe they didn't hack Herod’s computer. Maybe it was someone who knew his password.
Considering how bad Herod’s IT security was…
>But you should also keep An in mind about this. Remember, she plugged herself into Herod's work computer to unlock it for you.
…An. She has been acting weirdly, hasn’t she? And why are she actually following you? Is someone controlling her from the shadows? Hmm…
>Now, what time was the message sent to Ami from Herod's computer?
Yesterday, about a day after Herod was dead. Which means Ami probably knew he was already deceased by then.


>Ask Xaby if and what is the business relationship between her employer and Hircusle Robotics and Ami C. Ersum.
Hircusle Robotics is one of several companies we supply with our ware, Rishi-kun, but I can’t say I’ve heard of a Ersum before.
Here, I’ll send over a photo of her.
Ah, yes, I know her. She was here yesterday. [Running Flashback.exe] She was trying to get permission the enter the facilities, desu.
Trying to? You didn’t let her in?
She claimed she was on official business from Hircusle, but we were unable to confirm it. Thus, she was denied entry. Not because we don’t like her or anything, baka…
>You should get a general questionnaire of day to day events if possible.
This is a rather large factory, Senpai, and a lot happen here. You need to be more specific if you want to know anything useful.

>Ask where they fill and empty the barrels and where they load and unload products.
We unload products right here, Officer-chan, at this loading bay. The barrel you’re looking for would have both arrived and left through these gates. [Activating innuendo subroutine] Do not worry, Rishi-kun, I’ve recently upgraded my hardware to handle big unloads, [Set Winking parameter to Boolean true] wink!
…right… and where are these barrels with lubricant used?
In the vacuum pods, mostly.
>Where do Entro work?
He and Maker of Tranquility have an office right next to vacuum pod 2, [Error], as they are responsible to make sure it run smoothly. [Error, Weeaboo.exe stopped working. Please close the current instance and restart the software.]
>Security footage.
Every entrance to the factory and several key points inside is under constant surveillance, as well the whole NanoGel production line, with the exception of the vacuum pods, which are fitted with organic and moment detector instead.
So, none of the offices have cameras in them?
We like to give our employees some privacy while working, Sensei. Also, keeping constant surveillance on employees without good reason is against New Horizon regulations. We need to think about worker rights, desu.
Can we get access to these cameras?
Of course you can… not because I like you or-
Yes, yes, baka, whatever that means.
We have the last 72 hours saved from all 142 cameras at your disposal, Rishi-chan.
Well, I don’t think we’ll going through that on our own…

So, we have three locations of interest. The loading bay here, the vacuum pods where the lubricant was used and Entro office. We also have a lot of camera feed to go through so if we can maybe filter out anything unnecessary before we even start looking through it that might be grand?
Verily, there is a bit too much to look through right now.
Remember that we have other officers to order around as well. Anything we don’t look through personally they will take over instead. So, where do we start?
By catching the bad guy, duh!
If only it was that easy.