Suggestion 2010/10/03(Sun)15:30 No. 237910 ID: 6550ad
File 128614501939.png - (180.48KB , 1000x750 , 407.png )

Tiak finds himself sitting on an uncomfortable chair, facing the Colonel's blankly stare. In the last half an hour he's been taken to the Colonel's cabin and stripped of anything he had. The MSF officer has been examining all his possessions for what felt like an eternity, not speaking a single word.

He took a brief look to Tiak's PDA, but he hasn't yet read its contents.

Tiak hasn't produced a sound during all this time either, intimidated by the cold, threatening stare of the Colonel. Finally, the tall maurian decides to talk.

>I hope you appreciate the fact that you aren't tied to the chair, Belint. Even when I feel no reason to trust you, you're still part of the Maurian Security Forces, and under my direct command. So I will give you that benefit. But if you don't tell me what I want to know, I won't doubt in getting my hands dirty to get the answers. You wouldn't like that, I'm sure.

>So let's start with something easy. Someone shot into the Captain's office to scare him off, you took the opportunity to get in and steal documents and the password for the Archives from the desk. Why did you do it? And who helped you, who caused the diversion?

"i did it to get information, the kind everyone on this ship seems to not want me to know, the kind people are getting killed over. as for who helped me i am not sure, i just said, loudly, in the middle of the hall 'it sure would be great if the captain left his office for some reason' maybe not that exactly but you get what i mean"

>>237910
"I was investigating the bar fight when the captain ran screaming. I don't know who fired the shots, but I wasn't going to pass that chance up. I'm not going to question providence; doubly so when providence has been some person dropping helpful nudges along my path.
I know at least two people on this ship are guilty of high treason. I can't even be sure if you are who you claim to be.

I know that Mikos bribed people at the loading docks to smuggle aboard enough explosives to scuttle the ship, and I know he wasn't working alone. I stole the archives password so I could check for irregularities that could give me a clue as to who was helping him.

As far as the documents, well... do you know what they were?"

Alright. The Colonel obviously knows we're interested in the archives, and we do no good pretending we didn't have interest.

Tell him that we broke into the captain's office because we were interested in access to the Crew Registry. Nyria told us that the registry contained information critical to figuring out who was behind the murders, and we were intent on following the spirit of our job.

I'm stuck on what we can say about the attack on the captain, though.

>>237910
We did it to get the password. The documents were a target of opportunity. We'd rather not say who helped us, as we had to bribe them, so we're really to blame.

If he presses us, we may as well tell him it was Zeno.

>>237910
I guess for the first question that you were told that the crew log files contain information that could be helpful to the murders and had an opportunity to get access finally, and found the documents while you were getting the password.

And seriously has he looked at those documents? Could he maybe understand why we were interested in them?

Or something. I don't know what we should or shouldn't say, but apparently we've already made up our mind to say it.

Say that everything has gone to hell, and things are getting ruined and destroyed, and people are getting murdered. You weren't going to let them destroy any more.

>>237941
This.

>>237941
I guess this.

Suggestion 2010/10/04(Mon)01:06 No. 238136 ID: 6550ad
File 128617961560.png - (149.43KB , 1000x750 , 408.png )

I did it to get the password, the documents were a target of opportunity. And I wanted to see the archives because they might contain information that could help me solve the murders.

>And who helped you?

I'd rather not say.

>We can do this the hard way if that's what you want. I'm not getting out of this room until I get answers.

The colonel looks dead serious. He doesn't look the kind of man that likes to bluff.

Well, I guess I tell you now. It was Zeno. But I bribed him to do it, so it's all my fault.

>Interesting... now tell me. Have you been working for the Ziranée in this ship? And what do you know about R. Mikos and his death?

>>238136
Okay, I'll try this again. Can we please use the dis thread to work out what to say before we say it?

>>238136
"No, I have not been working for the Ziranee and I resent the implication. My involvement with them is the same as my involvement with everybody else on the ship; if they can help me keep people from dying, then I'll use them towards that end. They're no less suspect than anybody else.

As far as R. Mikos goes?
I know that he was a member of a radical regressionist group that violently opposes both technology and our treaty with the Ziranee.
I know that he bribed dock workers to smuggle a large crate of explosives on board.
I know that he feared Ambassador Zira was plotting to assassinate him.
I know that he was shot in the cargo bay in front of the container which contained the sentient green ooze.
I know that somebody then moved him, presumably wounded but alive, to the elevator room and proceeded to doctor the body.
I know that whoever did it is familiar enough with the ship's design to know which walls can take H.E.R. fire without being compromised.

That last tidbit alone, incidentally, leaves the prime suspects as Mongro, Trake, the captain, and yourself. I think you can understand why I'm not taking things at face value.
Tell me, did you know what those documents were?"

>>238142
Note: if the body was doctored, where'd the bullet holes go? I suspect that corpse was someone else entirely.

>>238142

Don't forget to mention that you got medical help from the Ziranee at one point. The Captain already knows about that, and the Colonel probably will know from him.

Suggestion 2010/10/04(Mon)03:23 No. 238166 ID: 6550ad
File 128618780468.png - (147.43KB , 1000x750 , 409.png )

No, I haven't been working by them. My only implication with them is the same I have with any other person in this ship: if they can help me keep people from dying, then I'll use them towards that end.

The colonel doesn't say a word and just keeps staring at Tiak, who proceeds to tell him everything he knows about Mikos and his demise.

...take H.E.R. fire without being compromised. So as you can see, that leaves the prime suspects as Mongro, Trake, the captain, and yourself. I think you can understand why I'm not taking things at face value.

>Hmm... I think you're forgetting about a suspect.

Who?
>Why, yourself, Tiak Belint, who else? The man with access to the entire ship, able to sabotage the mainframe and smuggle weapons inside as the security officer. The person that has been seen multiple times getting into restricted areas and personal rooms. I've been asking questions around, and see, it seems that you don't have an alibi for any of the murders.

>Yeah, I know what are you going to say "I didn't do it, the man in the Hazmat suit stole my card". Yes, the man in the Hazmat suit that nobody else in the ship has seen. How convenient.

You can't be serious! I didn't even know Mikos before this flight, why would I kill him!?

>That's what I'm going to find out. You had the weapon, and the opportunity. I only need to find a motive to charge you for treason and murder.

Except he will never find one.

oh, so both security officers suspect each other, great.

>>238166
"Actually, I do."

"Right before the first decapitated body identified as Mikos appeared, I was trying to find engineering staff to see what happened to the ship. I encountered Zira Niadar in Engineering, who freaked out and ran away from me. When I found her again, we returned to the elevators, only to find the dead Mikos. If I'd have shot Mikos there before I chased after Zira, she would have heard it. So I didn't kill Mikos."

"Second, Trake was probably dead before I even had access to Zero Deck - I had to ask the captain for a key to get there in the first place. The doctor can probably confirm this if he can determine time of death."

"Third, I've almost died on numerous occasions. I was almost killed in the elevator, I was almost killed in Security by a bomb probably meant for Zira, I was almost killed in Engineering by a combat drone someone rigged up, and I was almost killed by someone shooting at me in Zero Deck right after I found Trake's corpse."

"While I named you as a potential suspect, so far you've had me in a number of situations where you COULD have killed but have not, which means you're probably not the asshole that's tried to kill me at least twice. So for the moment I must trust you."

"That said, I would LOVE to help in the investigation of what's going on here, but I've been stonewalled by everyone. If you're going to lock me up anyways, why don't you tell me what you know of this mission, and have us compare notes?"

>>238166
>You had the weapon
(Didn't we leave that where we found it under Zeno's bed?)

>>238171
I guess this.

>>238174
Yes and no. The H.E.R. was just one of many murder weapons used.

Mikos #1 was (probably) killed in the cargo bay with a laser or plasma pistol / rifle.

Mikos #2 was (probably) killed in the lower deck by having his head vaped by an H.E.R.

Trake was fatally wounded by what were probably laser blasts. At some later point, his assailant (or a second assailant) decided to finish the job (or mutilate the corpse) with what was probably a Plasma Cutter stolen from our security room. We still don't know where his head is. D:

(Note that I separate Mikos 1 & 2 because I'm assuming they were separate people who just happened to share Mikos blood type and/or genetics)

>>238171
This feels like the right idea?

Suggestion 2010/10/04(Mon)10:10 No. 238219 ID: 6550ad
File 128621224375.png - (134.27KB , 1000x750 , 410.png )

"Actually, I do."

Right before the first decapitated body identified as Mikos appeared, I was trying to find engineering staff to see what happened to the ship. I encountered Zira Niadar in Engineering, who freaked out and ran away from me. When I found her again, we returned to the elevators, only to find the dead Mikos. If I'd have shot Mikos there before I chased after Zira, she would have heard it. So I didn't kill Mikos.

>Interesting story, but nobody saw you or knows where were you before encountering Ambassador Niadar, you had all the time to sabotage the engines and kill Mikos before looking for the closest alive person you could find to give you an alibi. And you knew that the noise of the Hyperjump motors in Engineering would suffocate the sound of the H.E.R.

Second, Trake was probably dead before I even had access to Zero Deck - I had to ask the captain for a key to get there in the first place. The doctor can probably confirm this if he can determine time of death.

>I'll be sure to ask him about that.

Third, I've almost died on numerous occasions. I was almost killed in the elevator, I was almost killed in Security by a bomb probably meant for Zira, I was almost killed in Engineering by a combat drone someone rigged up, and I was almost killed by someone shooting at me in Zero Deck right after I found Trake's corpse.

While I named you as a potential suspect, so far you've had me in a number of situations where you COULD have killed but have not, which means you're probably not the asshole that's tried to kill me at least twice. So for the moment I must trust you

>I'm moved by your honest trust. But now that you mention it, isn't it curious how many times you've been supposedly attacked, and yet you always manage to survive and only come out with superficial injuries that wouldn't stop you from roaming freely around the ship?

Oh, come on! I got my leg broken, and I got my shoulder shot! Are you telling me that I did that to myself?

>I've known of people sawing off their own limbs to avoid a death sentence, it wouldn't be such an oddity.

>But I've had enough. If you really are so convinced of your innocence, then wait for the martial court when we get to Tinosa II. I'm going to ask Mongro to fix the force field in the brig so you can spend there the rest of the flight. Meanwhile, I'll seal this door. Try to behave like an innocent man, Belint. Don't do anything stupid.

Said this, the Colonel takes all of Tiak's possessions and leaves the room.

engage ultra looting mode. open everything and look everywhere, under the bed, in the closest, in the pod, and in the bathroom.

>>238219
Well.

Now what?

>>238219
Finally. God.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say we're in room 3. Lets see what we can find. Search cryopod, bed, under bed, closet, any gum under the table, and the wash room.

Also, lets have a vent shaft adventure!

>>238222
Well, we could sit quietly in the cabin, and hope that nobody succeeds in blowing up the ship before it arrives, nobody lobs that missing suffication grenade in here, and that Maurian trials are fair and competent.

But since that's kind of boring loot the heck out of everything and see if we can get that grill cover open.

>>238219
So, this guy can seal doors, and your door was sealed when you woke up...

It's probably for the best that nobody mentioned the janitor witnessed Mikos murder.

Lets see, Alibis... The computer keeps records of who is and is not in cryo. Once that's repaired those logs will be accessible, and the fact that Tiak was in cryo will be absolute proof that he couldn't have sabotaged the mainframe.

In other news:
We need to warn Zira, as the chances of this guy attempting to kill her are significant.

If you find a way to get out of the room then it means this guy was intending for you to leave for his own nefarious purposes, such as legitimizing your arrest. At that point you might be best off finding a way to capture this so-called Colonel. Jacking the H.E.R. in Zeno's room and using it for an intimidation tactic would do it, although then you're going to have a LOT more questions once you get into port.
You'd also have to arrest the captain and the doctor and toss them all in the brig.
And, of course, telling them about the captain's gambling debts and resulting treason once they're safely behind the brig's forcefield.
Then you'd have to go around and intimidating information out of the people who we know are guilty parties and forcing them to unfuck the fuckery they did to the ship.
This shall be known as "Plan Wulfenbach".

>>238227
VENT SHAFTS.

Inspect the cabinet, and check under the bed.

>>238244
This is awesome.

Suggestion 2010/10/04(Mon)13:06 No. 238286 ID: 6550ad
File 128622281345.png - (126.81KB , 1000x750 , 411.png )

Tiak starts inspecting the room. The cabinet is empty, except for a single hanger. There's nothing under the table nor the chair, but there are two nails under the bed.

He looks inside the bathroom too. A shower, a toilet, and a roll of toilet paper.

The ventilation shaft catches his attention, but it's too high to reach it.

>>238286
Use the hanger to pull out the vent cover, then hide in the cryopod.

>>238286
Turn the shower on to mask noise. Move the table under the vent.

drag the cabinet over to the vent, if that is too heavy then use the bed frame. take the mattress off of it and lean it against wall under the vent, then climb it. take the hanger and nails too. we need SOMETHING in our inventory.

>>238286
Pocket the nails and the cloth-hanger. Can you open the shower drain? There may be hidden goodies inside.

Move the cabinet to below the vent. Move table next to the cabinet. Voila, you can now reach the vent.

Check in the cryo-pod.

...also stop stealing everything that's not nailed down jesus christ

Do this:
>>238295
Then this:
>>238291


>>238298
But we usually end up needing that stuff!

Suggestion 2010/10/04(Mon)16:40 No. 238454 ID: 6550ad
File 128623562342.png - (155.00KB , 1000x750 , 412.png )

Tiak checks inside the Cryo-pod: It's empty.

Then he turns on the shower, hoping to suffocate any sounds from inside the room. He pockets the nails and the hanger.

With the help of the desk and the cabinet, Tiak manages to reach the vent, which he pries open with the help of the hanger. The ventilation tunnels seem to be wide enough for Tiak to crawl in.

There are two visible exits. He can turn to the left, and follow the tunnel forward, or to his right, which seems to go in the opposite direction.

>>238454
My plan was to fake an escape attempt, but if you insist on going through with it then go left due to I have no idea which direction goes where.

>>238454
Go left!

>>238454
Backwards, I bet it leads to the girls rooms~

>>238455
It might work, but I don't know what it would gain us.

>>238454
Given the orientation of the rooms, I think right will be back toward security; left will be toward the lift. (This is making a lot of assumptions, natch.) So right. (This may also pass over Zira's room if people want to do that.)

>>238459
Right, then. We need to warn Zira about this.

>>238459
(The assumptions in question: >>/questdis/334173 )

Stay in the room.

Barricade the door.
Barricade the vent.

Assume you are the only innocent man aboard the ship.

Stay inside the room until convinced you're not about to be offed.

Suggestion 2010/10/04(Mon)18:23 No. 238499 ID: 6550ad
File 128624178277.png - (70.62KB , 1000x750 , 413.png )

Tiak takes the tunnel to his right. He makes another turn and some more crawling later, he finds another grate to the side, while the conduct keeps going forward.

Tiak looks down through the opening. There's another room down there, but it's in absolute darkness, it's hard to make anything out.

>>238499
>He makes another turn
The direction in which you turned would have been helpful, Tiak.

Well, it's someone's quarters. And it doesn't look like a snake one from the decor. How quietly can you budge the grate?

>>238454
If we're on that unmarked room in the middle deck, the path to the left will take us to Zira. Right now, she's our best chance for replacing our lost weaponry (and keys, and tools, and everything else of any use...).

>>238501
Don't touch the grate. Instead, check how far into the room you can see.

Also, how much dust is there in the vent? Are you leaving a trail?

Lets stay in the vent system for a bit longer. Lets keep going to the next room.

Also, make sure you're not making alot of noise when moving around.

Suggestion 2010/10/05(Tue)00:54 No. 238708 ID: 6550ad
File 128626528015.png - (57.87KB , 1000x750 , 414.png )

Tiak can feel a lot of dust under his fingers, so he guesses that he's leaving a trail. Not that he's able to see it in the dark, though. The grate feels perfectly clean, though.

He's not sure if he would be able to push open the grate quietly, because he would have to pry it open with the hanger, just like he did in the other room.

Tiak tries to see further into the room, but it's almost pitch black. After a bit of concentration he's able to catch a familiar smell, though. Zira. This is probably Zira's room. Or at least she's been here long enough to leaver her scent.

He could try to get in, or continue going down the vent.

>>238708
Call out for her and hope she's there.

Who else is on this side? Isn't Miko's room next?

>>238708
Forget it. Keep going. I wanna see whether this duct leads to somewhere around Security.

>>238711
yeah seriously you just look like a creepy stalker if you do that. try and find your way back to security and knock the colonel's ass out. fucking vigilante time up in this shit. we got killers on the loose, mass conspiracy about and no one is to be trusted.
LOCK.
UP.
EVERYONE.

>>238708
Keep moving. If Zira was in her darkened room you'd probably be able to see at least a little glow from her face.

Suggestion 2010/10/05(Tue)07:30 No. 238756 ID: 6550ad
File 128628901792.png - (186.92KB , 1000x750 , 415.png )

Tiak keeps crawling through the ventilation tubes, until he finds another grate. There's light coming from this one.

A quick glance reveals that the room belongs to Yery. The chemistry student seems to have fallen asleep while reading a book.

>>238756
Hm. Maybe we could explain the situation... naaaah. moving on.

==>

Also how in the world are you not clanging up a storm there.

>>238756
Can you see down her shirt from this angle? We have no business with her. Keep going.

Given >>/questdis/334208 , proceed forth cautiously.

>>238756
See if you can keep going.

>>238757
He's supported by the walls.

Suggestion 2010/10/05(Tue)12:27 No. 238794 ID: 6550ad
File 128630685963.png - (120.78KB , 1000x750 , 416.png )

Tiak keeps following the tunnel, and even when it continues, he finds another window. This one looks into Security.

The Colonel is inside, and there's a backpack at his feet. He doesn't seem too happy (what a surprise) and it's muttering in low voice, annoyed.

>Goddamn Sinarri... How much time does he need to go for some tools...?

>>238794
Wait and watch.

>>238794
Ok, so he is getting Mongro to fix the brig. Lord knows what Mongro's up to (trying to find his briefcase weapon? just being slow?), but we may not have much time to find somewhere better to hide, and it doesn't look like we're getting our stuff back yet.

Backtrack to Zira's vent (and eventually, hopefully, the liftshaft).

Wait and watch. If he leaves the room and the backpack is undefended, we can get our stuff back.

Suggestion 2010/10/05(Tue)16:42 No. 238941 ID: 6550ad
File 128632212891.png - (134.68KB , 1000x750 , 417.png )

Tiak waits in the vent for anything to happen. And after a few minutes, Mongro appears through the door. The Colonel exclaims:

>Finally! I was starting to think that I was going to have to fix it myself with my bare hands!

"Sorry, someone has been misplacing or stealing tools. I have barely enough to do the job.

>Sure, sure, save the excuses for later, just do the job before that Belint finds a way to get out of the room.

Mongro enters the brig, and a few seconds after, Tiak can hear the loud sound of heavy working, metal hitting metal, electric fizzling, etc.

The colonel moves to the door to supervise the job, giving his back to the security room and the backpack.

>>238941
No. There is no way you're stealthy enough to open the vent, grab that, and get back into the vent.

Barring anything cleverer, time to backtrack. (As a bonus, we'll end up leaving a dust trail that goes both ways from our room vent.)

>>238941

The loud sounds should cover the noise of you prying open the grate. Be careful though, and train a pistol on the colonel as soon as you have one.

yeah no, not distracted enough. we have no hope of getting over there grabbing it and getting back without him noticing...
seal them in the room. get out of the vent somewhere and open your electrical panel from the outside and rip out the wires.

>>238945
Yeah, I'm sorry, but much as I'd love the backpack, there is no way you're coming up with the damn thing with your luck.

Don't even think about it, pal.

In fact, back up in the vent so it'll be harder to spot you!

Hmm. Sealing them in the room may be a good idea... but only to force the Colonel to read the damn PDA.

Let's backtrack, and get out via Zira's room... making sure we alert her that it's us, first.

>>238962
Getting out in Zira's room sounds good. The noise from the work should flush out any sound from that far away.

After that, though... Jeez, I'm stuck.

>>238970
(So don't get out of the vent system and limit our options yet! Getting back in from another room would probably be hassle again.)

>>238941
+1 to IGNORE TEMPTING BACKPACK.

I suggest you get OUT of the vents in ANOTHER ROOM. Either forwards or backwards; whatever is easier and faster.

Afterwards... consider hurrying to the Engineering area and reading the rest of those files, especially the MISC section and whatever other info you can get on the CREW/PASSENGERS. I'm guessing no one's changed the password yet. Perhaps you can find out if people aren't who they're supposed to be...

You know, if we get out of the vent in another room then we'll just have to exit the room into the hallway that the Colonel watching right now. We have a better chance of retrieving the stun gun from the backpack and using it on the Colonel. After Mongro fixes the brig, we can put the colonel and everyone else in there in true SS13 fashion (ok, at least just the colonel).

Think of it this way, once the colonel finds out we escaped we've got a one way trip to a firing squad. We aren't going to get into MORE trouble for locking him in the brig.

>>238999
This is... actually a good point. I say we go with this.

>>238999
The colonel isn't watching the hallway; he's watching Mongro do work on the Brig, in what is essentially a "closet" room connected to the Security room.

The Colonel may be against us at the moment, but he's also one of the few people we can be relatively sure wasn't trying to kill us on this ship. I don't think we want to start putting EVERYONE in the brig.

We only really have a few options when it comes to the colonel... confront, avoid, or attempt to convince him to be on our side. If we get enough evidence to clear ourselves or at least implicate someone else, we can hopefully convince him. If not... we can't run forever, either. Putting him in the brig might be our only option, but it's one I don't want to use yet.

I also worry that whoever initially screwed us over also has access to weaponry and our security card, and has proven that they can use the brig's force field. They could easily come in and murder anyone we stuck in there if they so desired, and that wouldn't do well for us at all.

Suggestion 2010/10/05(Tue)23:53 No. 239322 ID: 6550ad
File 128634802125.png - (51.76KB , 1000x750 , 418.png )

Tiak backtracks to Zira's room and uses the hanger to pry open the vent shaft. It's completely dark in here, but it seems that Zira isn't in the room.

The noise over Security can be heard from here, so Tiak knows that Mongro and the Colonel are still distracted fixing the force field in the brig. He could jump down in this room if he wanted.

>>239322
Hide vent-cover in vent if possible.

Call out "Hey, Zira, if you're in here, this is Tiak... I'm coming down now, so pretty please don't jump on me and stick a knife to my throat agaiiiiiin..."

Afterwards, carefully lower self into room. The vent is pretty high up so you don't want to hurt yourself.

Then, quickly and carefully check room for Zira if she's hiding. Quickly check bathroom, closet, pod, etc. If she's not there... quickly check her belongings for any WEAPONS or anything that would INCRIMINATE her in some CRIMES.

>>239322
Say "Zira?" quietly. See if she responds.

>>239338
Call for Zira, but don't come down yet.

Suggestion 2010/10/06(Wed)05:43 No. 239383 ID: 6550ad
File 128636897915.png - (52.29KB , 1000x750 , 419.png )

Zira. Zira are you there? Zira!

There is no answer, the only sound that can be heard is the noise coming from the Brig.

>>239383
Right.

Well, we've got nothing to leave an unambiguous note. Put the vent cover back on and backtrack past your cell the other way. Walking down the corridor is stupid when we can crawl over two empty rooms and be sure not to be seen.

>>239383

Continue with rest of >>239338, I guess. ;D

>>239385
This.

Suggestion 2010/10/06(Wed)09:36 No. 239419 ID: 6550ad
File 128638299083.png - (131.39KB , 1000x750 , 420.png )

Tiak puts the vent cover back into place and retreats back to the the Colonel's room, and continues in that direction.

It doesn't take long to get to Mikos' room. The vents also keep going forward.

>>239419
Nothing to see here, move along.

>>239419
Ceiling Tiak is watching you commit crimes.

Onward. Should be the lift shaft, unless it loops around oddly. Watch your step.

>>239420
>>239431

If you guys *seriously* want to spend more time just moving through the vents, go right ahead. But it's probably going to take a lot longer to go this way than just getting out of the vents, walking to the elevator, and using it - something that should be safe due to the Colonel being inside the Security office right now. Time is the one resource we have too little of.

>>239443
Drop down.
Go into Zeno's room.
Take the H.E.R.
Fear no evil.

>>239431
Supporting this.

>>239447
We can't fire that anywhere but in engineering, fool. It's practically the most useless item in the ship.

Continue crawling in the vents. Knowing where they lead is very useful information; we should have it.

Suggestion 2010/10/06(Wed)12:25 No. 239475 ID: 6550ad
File 128639315823.png - (131.30KB , 1000x750 , 421.png )

Tiak continues crawling forward. The shaft makes a U turn, and finally reaches another opening, now in front of the elevator. If tiak keeps following the vent, he'll probably end up visiting the other the rooms at the other side of the corridor.

Something has changed. The noise. Yeah, Tiak realizes that the noise coming from the Brig just stopped.

>>239475
This is a good, high, point. Should we wait until Mr. Angry finds the room empty and see where he's heading, or do we go onwards to Queen's?
I think we should wait.

>>239475
Ooh. Evacuation Pods. What is the Emergency Protocol anyway; a big red "abandon ship" button on the bridge?

Well, we very likely don't want to proceed onward over the queen, since she heard us last time. Back away from the light and wait to see what the Colonel does when he finds his room empty. If he follows us in we might be able to give him the runaround.

You know... I think for once we should act like an innocent man. Let's go back to the colonel's room and pretend like we weren't crawling around in the vents or anything.

Suggestion 2010/10/06(Wed)15:14 No. 239541 ID: 6550ad
File 128640329266.png - (129.12KB , 1000x750 , 422.png )

Tiak just waits for now in the vent. He can hear footsteps down the corridor... and then the Colonel, furiously vociferating.

>Aargh, I knew it!

Sound of heavy, hasty footsteps, a door opening... Another irate interjection and the footsteps seem to go away from the elevator. Tiak thinks that the Colonel just checked Mikos' room. He wouldn't be surprised if the Colonel went into every cabin in the Deck, trying to him.

Tiak doesn't know if he should try to make a move or just wait for now.

>>239541
I kinda want to say wait outside of the visible area of the vent. Just for fun.

>>239541
If he's still running between cabins, it's not safe to make an appearance anywhere.

>>239542
YES
TROLL THE COLONEL

>>239545
nah, ultimate trolling, return to room, place everything back where it was, and wait patiently.

tiak is a resourceful son of an ant. if he catches us now he will look in our inventory and see we escaped using a coat hanger and two nails.

anyway, keep crawl into the elevator shaft.

Nono. Go to the brig and LOCK YOURSELF IN! When he gets there, go 'What kept you?'

>>239541

How about this:
1) Remove vent cover to make it look like we got out near the elevator and left this deck.
2) Backtrack to security.
3) Attempt to retrieve stuff from backpack.

Anyone else agree? :/

>>239548
...I suppose it at least has the advantage that we'd end up locked in there with our trusty coathanger!

>>239550
I guess.

>>239550
Oh man I like that idea.

>>239550
yes, remove the cover and throw some dust out to add more to the illusion that we got out here.

Suggestion 2010/10/06(Wed)17:03 No. 239568 ID: 6550ad
File 128640980540.png - (144.70KB , 1000x750 , 423.png )

Tiak pries out the cover of the vent and drops it to the floor. It makes quite the noise when it hits the ground, but the Colonel doesn't seem to have noticed it, as he doesn't come to investigate.

For the sound of it, he's arguing with a Ziranée. It could be Zeno or even the Queen, it's hard to tell from here.

Suggestion 2010/10/06(Wed)17:04 No. 239569 ID: 6550ad
File 128640983945.png - (119.51KB , 1000x750 , 424.png )

Then Tiak retreats to the Security room. The colonel is still talking with the Ziranée in the corridor.

And when Tiak looks into Security... Well, it seems that Keranos isn't the only one interested in Tiak's belongings.

throw one nail at him.

>>239569
See what he takes. This should be interesting.

>>239572
Yeah. But don't let him wander off with it and close the door behind him before the next update. :V

>>239569

Agree on watch and wait. Mongro was semi-friendly to us before since we could do something for him. Now, we're in no position to bargain. He's also a possible suspect. See if he steals items. We can use this as a bargaining chip if the colonel catches us again.

>>239574
Yes, this.

Suggestion 2010/10/07(Thu)00:51 No. 239788 ID: 6550ad
File 128643786012.png - (88.89KB , 1000x750 , 425.png )

Tiak waits and keeps spying Mongro. The Sinarri seems to took two items from the backpack. The first one is too small for Tiak to distinguish from here, and Mongro keeps it in his clenched fist.

The second one is visible once the Sinarri turns around. It's the blue, unmarked key card Tiak found inside the suitcase with the laser weapon.

>>239788

Why did we take that keycard anyway? The laser rifle I could understand, but the keycard? Weird...

>>239788
The first item was the key. It's the only thing that could completely fit in his clenched fist. The only other objects even close to the right size are the note cards, and those he wouldn't be clenching.
Also, the key opens up his briefcase.

Keep waiting. We don't want him to know where Tiak is.

>>239790
Adventure game logic, probably. We wanted to rub it any and every slot we came across.

Hmm. Reclaiming the posessions we stole from him is hardly incriminating, even if having the assault rifle on board is. I'm not sure what we'd gain by getting his attention right now so stay put.

Suggestion 2010/10/07(Thu)07:41 No. 239842 ID: 6550ad
File 128646246421.png - (112.12KB , 1000x750 , 426.png )

Tiak waits in the dark some more time, expectantly. The Sinarri pockets the card and the small object and closes the backpack again, but he hasn't even had time to put it in place again when the loud and enraged voice of the Colonel can be heard calling from the other side of the deck.

>Mongro! Bring me the backpack! And hurry, that slippery traitor took the elevator!

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming.... *jerk*.

Mongro adds the last part of his answer in low voice and leaves the room, taking the backpack with him. The footsteps disappear at the end of the corridor and finally there's peace in the middle deck, no more noise.

>>239842
He forgot his welding tool and whatever else he brought in the Brig. Lootin' time.

>>239845
inb4wehavethemurderweapon

>>239842
Get in yon brig.

Suggestion 2010/10/07(Thu)13:18 No. 239916 ID: 6550ad
File 128648270791.png - (274.24KB , 1000x750 , 427.png )

Tiak crawls out of the vent, making sure that nobody is coming back to Security before entering the Brig.

The place looks way cleaner since the last time you were here. The Janitor probably has something to do with it.

The card slot has been repaired. But Mongro only forgot one tool here, a small hammer. He must have taken the rest of the tools with him when he left.

>>239916
Ugh. Well, it's kindof a weapon. Grab it.

>>239916
How disappointing. Get ye hammer.

>>239916
Get hammer.
Drive a nail into the card slot to break it again.
Trollface.

I note the bomb is missing.

>>239921
Use HAMMER on CARDSLOT.
Steal everything inside, rendering it USELESS and BEYOND REPAIR.
Then return to the vents, and replace the grate.

>>239922
Brilliant. I support this.

Let's not break the brig again. We may need to actually imprison someone in it who isn't us.

Just jamming something in the slot seems appropriate though, so long as it doesn't actually damage the mechanism. It could buy us some time in the future.

>>239922
That would be utterly hilarious. Then to top it off we can go back down the elevator the moment they return to Security.

Suggestion 2010/10/07(Thu)15:53 No. 239967 ID: 6550ad
File 128649199240.png - (187.72KB , 1000x750 , 428.png )

The bomb isn't in the brig anymore, but that was to be expected.

Tiak jams the nails into the card slot and drives them in with the hammer.

Ooops...

Tiak thinks that he overdid the part with the hammer a little bit. The card slot sizzles and sparks. It agrees.

Well, at least it doesn't look like the brig is gonna be opened anytime soon.

>>239967
Uh well er uhm let's not stick around

>>239967
Back to the vent, I guess. We need to devise some sorta plan.

>>239967
...ah. You used both. And I guess they're kind of welded in now.

Er. Hmm. Since the Colonel is keeping all our stuff close to him, the other weaponry went missing, and we're running out of things to investigate without tools (even if we can remember the password to get back to the files and it's unchanged, the Colonel is searching those decks now), I guess we're falling back to warning Zira. The bartender also vaguely has us in his good books and might keep shtum. Go listen at the door of the canteen and see if you can hear anyone else before you walk in.

Great, so now instead of throwing you into the brig the Colonel is just going to have to kill you. GO HIDE

Suggestion 2010/10/08(Fri)07:25 No. 240283 ID: 6550ad
File 128654792845.png - (106.34KB , 1000x750 , 429.png )

Tiak leaves Security into the corridor, which is completely empty by now, and as stealthy as he's able to, approaches the Canteen door.

Faint footsteps inside. Yes, there's somebody in there. No voices or anything, though.

>>240283
The barman is probably still asleep--we weren't locked for a whole sleep cycle. Yeri and Zeno are supposedly in their respective rooms. That leaves... pretty much everyone else. Shame we didn't see where the Colonel and Mongro left to. Maybe we should just skip the Canteen and head for a chat with Zeno?

>>240283
Faint? So it's either someone being sneaky and criminal, or it's someone dainty like Zira or Yery---and the latter is in her room.

Poke that door open a crack.

>>240287
Note that Zira probably fits both of those categories.

Suggestion 2010/10/08(Fri)13:27 No. 240323 ID: 6550ad
File 128656964913.png - (268.15KB , 1000x750 , 430.png )

Tiak peeks into the Canteen. The sound of the footsteps has ceased, and nobody can be seen inside.

But the door to the kitchen is open.

>>240323
Take empty bottle.
Grab it by the neck.
Break bottom.

Sinarri-knife.

peek under the tables then get out the hammer and combat roll under the counter. if nothing is back there then move the bottles and climb the shelf so you can undo the grate, in case you need an escape route, keep the screws. then enter the kitchen.

>>240327
But... this is Tiak. He's more likely to just fail to break the bottle, if anything.

>>240323
Hide between the counter and the far wall in case someone else enters the room. Listen into the kitchen and be ready to bop someone on the knees with your mallet.

Suggestion 2010/10/08(Fri)15:31 No. 240369 ID: 6550ad
File 128657710635.png - (257.87KB , 1000x750 , 431.png )

Tiak rolls behind the counter, as stealthy as he can, and listens closely, but nothing can be heard inside the kitchen.

Still trying to avoid making any noise, he moves the bottles and glasses that bother him are in his way and climbs up to pry the vent cover out, and quietly descending again, leaving the grate on the floor with the bottles. At least he has a way to escape now. Sorta.

He takes the empty bottle, in case he needs an improvised knife, but he doesn't break it yet, trying not to blow the stealth factor for now.

Tiak crawls next to the door, hammer at hand. Still, nothing moves in the bar, no sounds coming from the kitchen.

Suggestion 2010/10/08(Fri)15:45 No. 240379 ID: e40e60
File 128657792179.gif - (57.70KB , 288x374 , ackbar.gif )

>>240369
Do I need to say it?

throw coat hanger into room then ready weapons.

Suggestion 2010/10/08(Fri)17:32 No. 240408 ID: 6550ad
File 128658432834.png - (255.94KB , 1000x750 , 432.png )

Tiak throws the hanger inside of the kitchen. It rattles on the floor, making some noise until stops, probably against the wall or the fridge.

Tiak waits, but again, the place is completely void of any noise other than the sound of his own heart pounding.
He readies his weapon. And by that I mean that he holds the small hammer firmly.

>>240408
Hunh. Erm. Hmm. Well we can't wait here forever. And there's a distinct lack of mirrors.

...did we ever find out what that button under the bar did?

>>240451
It released the balloon.

Peek your head around the corner.

herm. peek quickly and then duck your head back in.

Suggestion 2010/10/09(Sat)04:15 No. 240619 ID: 6550ad
File 128662293623.png - (116.68KB , 1000x750 , 433.png )

Tiak peeks around the corner.

>Hey, finally. I was starting to think that you would stay out there forever. So, sup with you?

>>240619
"Hi. Did you hear? I'm a fugitive now."

>>240619
Explain the current situation.

>>240619
Move into the back room first to be better hidden from the cafeteria. Ask her what she's up to.

>>240638
Also close the door.

Suggestion 2010/10/09(Sat)10:29 No. 240678 ID: 6550ad
File 128664536979.png - (140.34KB , 1000x750 , 434.png )

Hi. Did you hear? I'm a fugitive now.

>Seriously? Wow, this flight is really an inflection point in your career. What happened?

Tiak proceeds to tell her how the Colonel caught him checking the archives and locked him, accusing him of being the murderer.

Until I escaped, of course.

>Yap, that sounds pretty innocent of you.

Hey, I'm not gonna spend the rest of the flight inside the brig, not with what's happening. And what are you up to?

>I woke up from my nap, bored and hungry. The barman wasn't here but he left the door open, so I was munching some rations when I heard you stumbling over the counter and redecorating the shelves.

>But tell me, what's your plan now? Maybe I can help.

>>240678
Right now, you need to get your gun, your PDA and at least one of your keycards back from the colonel.

Suggestion 2010/10/09(Sat)15:50 No. 240819 ID: 6550ad
File 128666462082.png - (107.59KB , 1000x750 , 435.png )

Right now I need to get my PDA, my gun and at least one of the key cards back from the colonel.

>Yeah, I guess so. And I guess that you should find a way to get a Zero Deck key again.

Yeah. Doesn't sound easy.

>Well, you either need to sneak where the Colonel has locked up your stuff, or confront him, or the captain, and demand your things back. Also convince them to stop putting you in the brig.

>I don't really know how are you going to do this, but I'm gonna try to help you, for now.

Eh, thanks.

>So, what now?

first, get the hanger back. that thing has been surprisingly useful.

>>240819
>And I guess that you should find a way to get a Zero Deck key again.

Hunh. So she either doesn't know about the unsecured elevator, or would rather we didn't.

Ask Zira where her weaponry is. I mean, everyone else on this flight is packing heat.

>>240820
Also this.

Now, Tiak needs to get a mullet and a bitchin' jacket.

We can work on building up the aversion to gun use later.

Might let the barkeep know what's up. He seems like a stand-up guy. And cute nerd girl. The janitor's probably too far off his rocker to realize what we tell him.

Suggestion 2010/10/09(Sat)19:00 No. 240913 ID: 6550ad
File 128667603740.png - (159.95KB , 1000x750 , 436.png )

Wait, first of all, I need to recover this.

Tiak gets the coat hanger.

>Wow, now we're talking. Some advanced warfare you're packing there.

Hey, this thing has proven to be very useful!

>I wouldn't doubt it for a minute. I mean, Tiak Belint only carries those things that are strictly necessary in his pockets!

Pff, cut it out. And what about you, what kind of weaponry are you carrying? Because it's like every person in this ship is hiding enough weapons to assault an Orbital Station.

>Hahah. Well, I guess I'm the exception. I only carry this old pal of yours.

She shows TIak a familiar knife, the same she put on his throat not so long ago. It's pretty small and simple. No ornaments, engravings or anything.

>I told you that I don't have any combat training. I just carry this thing to feel safer, because you never know... And now that we know a bit more about the contents of each other's pockets, what should be our next step?

>>240913
I honestly have no freaking idea.

Tell her you got into the files she's been so interested in. Don't immediately tell her what you found. She is being irritatingly reluctant to show her hand in this whole thing.

For going to Zero Deck: See if a vent can lead you to the elevator shaft.

We already know that one vent leads to the elevator shaft: the one outside the Queen's room.

HOWEVER- what would we do about that? There's no access ladder or anything. We just need a key. Know who's got one? Our good buddy Mongro.

We should get Zira to talk to him quietly and arrange a meeting spot.

Suggestion 2010/10/10(Sun)03:00 No. 241196 ID: 6550ad
File 128670485274.png - (42.28KB , 1000x750 , 437.png )

I got into the files you were so interested in, by the way.

>Oh, cool.

She doesn't ask anything else and doesn't look too thrilled about it either.

Well...If I'm going to go into the Zero Deck again, I'm gonna need a key, and the only one I know that can provide it is Mongro. Why don't you try to arrange a meeting spot for us?

She thinks for a moment, then nods.

>Alright, I guess I can do that. I'll look for him and try to arrange a meeting in like... half and hour or so. Maybe a bit more, depends on how much time it can take me to find Mongro alone. You don't have a watch to keep track of the time or way to talk with me, so I'll find you, as long as you aren't locked up or something.

>Meanwhile, I guess you should keep investigating. Or trying to get your stuff back.

Said this, the tiny Maurian exits the room, leaving Tiak alone in the kitchen.

grab a snack and into the vents again. try to get the latches off the vent so it can't be put on again.

>>241196
Muchio, ask whe- Wait, Tiak, ask her where the colonel might have stowed shit away, since it wasn't at the brig.

Suggestion 2010/10/10(Sun)13:11 No. 241391 ID: 6550ad
File 128674148643.png - (269.14KB , 1000x750 , 438.png )

Tiak stops Zira from the door of the kitchen before she can exit the Canteen.

Hey. Do you have any idea where the Colonel might have stowed my stuff? Because it wasn't in the brig.

>Hmmm... Well, I doubt he put it in his room either, so I guess this deck is out of the equation. Maybe he's carrying your things with him. Or maybe he left them where he thinks it's safe. Probably the Upper Deck. That's just what I think, of course.

Aha. Well, thanks.

>Good luck!

Zira leaves, and Tiak gets back into the kitchen to grab a box of dried Gerbvia eggs. A snack, although he's not really hungry for now.

He prepares himself to ascend into the vents again. Considering the layout of the conducts he's crawled through so far, he thinks that following the vents in one direction or another will take him to any of the rooms or corridors of this deck. Where should he go?

>>241391
Lets go into the vent here and go LEFT, as in closer to the Brig. Maybe it leads beyond it.

That box looks mighty tempting to take, but it'd be pretty obvious you're the one who took it, so leave it be for now.

why leave it? i don't think we could possibly get in WORSE trouble. take the box and let's go.

>>241395
Speaking of which, let's get the captain's lockbox too. We can pick the locks later.

Suggestion 2010/10/10(Sun)16:19 No. 241620 ID: 6550ad
File 128675275945.png - (272.84KB , 1000x750 , 439.png )

Tiak grabs the lockbox, which is obviously locked, and climbs up to the ventilation shaft once again.

Going to his left, he ends up in the brig. And it seems like if he keeps going the same way, he'll keep going in circles around the deck.

>>241410

Good idea, but to access the Upper Deck he's going to need the Key card of a crew member.

>>241620
Guys, remember this. If we ever need to troll the Colonel again, we can just start stashing important items in the brig.

>>241620
Wait, there is a vent in the brig. Who designed this retrofit?

Check out the cryopod contents and under the bed just in case. It's tempting to just sit there patiently and see if you can give the Colonel an aneurysm but probably not wise.

>>241693
Well they would need oxygen, neh?

>>241699
But...

They could at least put it on a different wall!

Suggestion 2010/10/10(Sun)17:40 No. 241771 ID: 6550ad
File 128675762210.png - (281.59KB , 1000x750 , 440.png )

No luck! The cryopod is empty, and there's nothing under the bed.

>>241771
Well, back into the vent with you.

Pff, looks like you can do >>239548 after all

>>241780
Oh god that would be epic trolling.

Just make sure to carefully put all the vent covers back on.

Suggestion 2010/10/11(Mon)00:36 No. 242002 ID: 6550ad
File 128678261554.png - (288.73KB , 1000x750 , 441.png )

Tiak puts all the covers back in place and sits on the bed.

The bad thing about this course of action is that it could be hours before the Colonel decides to check out the brig again.

>>242002
Strip naked, shove everything into the vent, then give your noggin a big old crack and collapse on the floor.
THAT will fuck with the Colonel's head.

>>242003
nonono. we need to meet mongro in half an hour. after we get our stuff back we sleep in the brig because it's a safe place.

Instead of being a giant troll let's do something useful with our time and go back into the vent. Check where it leads further forwards.

>>242002
I suppose there are worse places to wait for Zira, but this is hardly an efficient use of time. Get back into those vents.

Suggestion 2010/10/11(Mon)07:16 No. 242074 ID: 6550ad
File 128680656729.png - (94.34KB , 1000x750 , 442.png )

Tiak gets back into the vents. As the tunnel turns left again, he realizes that he's going to go full circle, going back to the Colonel's room.

But just in the tunnel parallel to Security, before it turns left again, Tiak finds something. There's another bifurcation. One vent goes up, another down. Tiak can't see neither the bottom of one nor the top of the other in the dark, but they probably connect with the Lower and the Upper Deck respectively. Tiak can easily crawl over the descending one without falling into it, which would probably be lethal.

But there's something more. Something glowing in the dark, just in front of him. It looks like a vial.

>>242074
Well, carrying around goo last time then crawling in vents worked out great, right?

Besides, it's sort-of a light source. Just make sure to smother it in a pocket when peeping through grates.

Clambing up tall vertical vents (Starit clarified on IRC) sounds somewhat perilous. Chances of sliding down one, braced against the walls, without mutilating yourself?

>>242074
Did this vial fall from above? Must be some ridiculous tough glass. Doctor collected his own green goo in a broader cup. Could it be that he knows its secret and plans to track Tiak down with it?

Nevermind, for now. How long is the shaft going up? What about the one going down? Use the goo to see.

Also, umm, attempt speaking to the goo. Just ask it what's up and stuff.

>>242074
Oh boy here we go again.

If we're serious about trolling the captain/colonel, we could always hide it in the captain's office, or in Security.

Suggestion 2010/10/11(Mon)09:09 No. 242094 ID: 6550ad
File 12868133902.png - (191.27KB , 1000x750 , 443.png )

Tiak grabs the vial with the green substance in it and tries to speak with it.

Hello? Can you hear me? What's up?

The vial doesn't answer.

Tiak peeks through the vertical vents, but even with the light coming from the vial in his hand, he's unable to see the end of the shafts from here.

He could try to climb up or down taking advantage of how close are the walls of each other. But the tubes are slippery, and there's nothing to hold onto. If Tiak slips and falls... the outcome won't be pretty.

>>242094
You don't have the luck for it.

>>242094
Don't give fortune another chance to give you a kick in the nads.

>>242094
Up.

And thus the options are to move along or drop the vial. Let's move along, we can do something fun with the vial in a bit.

Aren't the vents on the upper deck too narrow to crawl through for you anyway? Let's risk it. Unfold the hanger first, maybe we can snag the lock box.

Suggestion 2010/10/11(Mon)12:16 No. 242128 ID: 6550ad
File 128682456424.png - (116.22KB , 1000x750 , 444.png )

Tiak decides to go on instead of risking his life trying to climb the vents up. He'll have to use the elevator instead.

He keeps crawling, the vent takes another turn to the left and he's back at Security.

>>242113

The vents on the floor were too narrow for him to fit in, but the ones on the walls will probably be as wide as these ones.

>>242128
Listen carefully for any sounds of movement.

Suggestion 2010/10/11(Mon)16:40 No. 242218 ID: 6550ad
File 128684045872.png - (66.10KB , 1000x750 , 445.png )

Tiak lays still and listens carefully. It's hard to make out what's happening around him, because the sounds come amplified through the vents from all parts of the ship. He can even feel the constant rumble of the engines, deep down in Engineering.

But as far as he knows, there's no sounds of footsteps or similar, nobody is walking around in the immediate area. Or at least, close to the vents.

Tiak thinks that he's been spending too much time crawling around. If he wants to do something, he must act now before Zira comes back with Mongro's answer. Unless Tiak plans to just sit in the brig and wait for it.

>>242218
I'm kind of at a dead loss. We basically can't get off this deck, and poking Yery or either of the Ziranee seems outright crazy.

>>242218
Well, let's see. Zira said that she'd be about a half hour.

We want to get back to the Zero Deck, which apparently requires a cardkey, and we want to check out those archives, but we want to be able to do it in privacy. We can do this by either obtaining our PDA again, or by going back to the filing cabinet.

... I'm gonna say we wait for Zira.

Suggestion 2010/10/12(Tue)01:36 No. 242469 ID: 6550ad
File 128687256628.png - (289.06KB , 1000x750 , 446.png )

Tiak crawls back into the brig, putting the vent cover in place, and sits on the bed, decided to wait for her.

Minutes pass, nobody comes. He wonders if he should do something to pass the time, or just take a nap.

>>242282

Tiak could get the elevator to get to the Lower Deck, being careful. Only the Upper Deck and the Zero Deck need a key card and a key, respectively, to be accessed.

>>242469
Let's go through the vents to get to Lower Deck, then.

>>242476
So far we know that both shafts go directly up/down, and we don't have the skill or the equipment to shimmy down the vent system properly. If we tried, we could possibly end up severely injured or dead. We already had the option to do so ( >>242094 ) and it looks like Tiak decided not to try ( >>242128 ).

>>242469
Does the forefield wall burn/melt things it touches, or is it just a "hard" field that prevents objects from going through without damage? If it's the former, consider using it to try to melt our way into the lockbox. If not... consider unstopping the bottle of green goo and dripping a drop or two on the lock of the container to see if it's acidic. Or if the goo comes to life or something.

>>242469
Oh, well get your chitinous buttocks down to the lower deck, then! We have a cardless route to Zero from there!

Suggestion 2010/10/12(Tue)06:13 No. 242497 ID: 6550ad
File 128688920343.png - (238.34KB , 1000x750 , 447.png )

>>242479

It's a repulsive force field, it'll give any person or object trying to go through it a small electrostatic shock, accompanied by a repelling force. Harmless, but it stings.

Tiak unstops the vial and pours a drop over the lock of the barman's box. It doesn't react, it doesn't seem to be corrosive. But it won't stay still! The drops of goo suddenly jump from the box, all across the room, trying to get through the force field, which obviously stops them. Tiak blinks, astonished, and puts the drops back into the vial before they try to escape again.

After this, he returns to the vents and crawls all the way to the elevator, descending with it to the Lower Deck. He peeks into the lobby. It seems like the coast is clear.

>>242497
Find out which direction the goo wants to go now.

>>242497
Listen to engineering.

The disadvantage of being down here is the lack of escape routes. I'm guessing that vent's too high. :/

>>242497
See if you can get into the vents from the janitor's room.

Suggestion 2010/10/12(Tue)11:48 No. 242549 ID: 6550ad
File 128690929027.png - (182.22KB , 1000x750 , 448.png )

Tiak opens the vial again and spills a few drops of the green goo. After a couple of seconds, the drops of slime crawl towards the shaft on the floor, with an unbelievable speed. They fall inside and never come back again. Tiak is unable to follow them, nor even know where did they go.

Done this, Tiak gets closer to the Engineering room and tries to listen. The continuous roaring of the engines is almost deafening, making a challenge to catch anything through it. But Tiak manages to notice voices. Yeah, there are people talking inside. Tiak can't make out what are they saying, less alone recognize the voices.

They must be close to the door, otherwise Tiak wouldn't be able to hear them.

>>242549
Probably Zira and Mongro, but probably not worth risking it being Colonel and Mongro while you're unarmed and they're not.

Head for the toilets and see what the vents are like there.

>>242549
We can probably get into the vents via the janitor's room. Just make sure to close the vent behind you.

The goo seems to know where the rest of it is, and you're already on Lower deck, so I guess it'd be safe to assume the goo is centered somewhere around that gigantic Zero deck (not that that's much of a help). Very puzzling to say the least. It was in a sealed container where Mikos was first shot, yet it seems to be at least somewhat sentient. Perhaps it was imprisoned? I wonder where they got it and where it was being delivered.

>>242549
Well, follow the vent track.

>>242549
+1 to finding a way into the vent system so we can spy on engineering.

Suggestion 2010/10/13(Wed)01:44 No. 242849 ID: 6550ad
File 128695946213.png - (108.45KB , 1000x750 , 449.png )

Tiak goes down the corridor, looking for a suitable entrance to the ventilation system.
Unfortunately, the shafts over the doors of the restrooms are too high to reach. He can reach the ones inside the bathrooms, but those are too small for Tiak to fit in.

Suggestion 2010/10/13(Wed)01:45 No. 242850 ID: 6550ad
File 128695951618.png - (93.06KB , 1000x750 , 450.png )

But the one in front of the Janitor's room has the perfect size, and it's within Tiak's reach too.

Talking about the Janitor's room, it seems that is open, with the mop bucket in the frame, stopping the door from closing itself.

Investigate. Normally he forces it shut, why would he force it open?

>>242850
Investimigate! Prepare hammer for self defense!

If nothing else, there's probably some junk in there you can use to boost yourself and get into a vent.

>>242850
(inb4deadjanitor)
Investigate the janitor's room, hammer at the ready.

>>242850
Well, go ahead and get yourself recaptured while standing over the Janitor's freshly-beaten corpse, Tiak. :V

Suggestion 2010/10/13(Wed)09:04 No. 242912 ID: 6550ad
File 128698588328.png - (123.96KB , 1000x750 , 451.png )

>>242863
>>242882

Hmm, I shouldn't be so pessimisfffffddfs...

Tiak peeks through the door of the Janitor's room, only to be welcomed by a motionless corpse, sitting on the bed, slightly leaning forward, yet not falling off to the floor, frozen in an awkward pose that grants it a delicate balance.

It seems to be what's left of Mat, the Janitor. And once again, the corpse lacks the head.

>>242912
Um, yeah, okay, no. We're gonna do this WITHOUT people interfering. First of all, figure out how to keep the door from opening--the Janitor knew a way. Check the door.

After that, make sure to pull the bucket into the room.
Examine BUCKET.
Examine CORPSE.
Examine DRANK.
All preferably without doing too much touching. Remember that anything could be coated with a deadly poison.

>>242915
And see if the papers you hid are now missing.

Is that a bite wound or a burn wound? Looks like this one was pretty dang messy.

>>242912
Are bug heads particularly tasty? Do snake folk have a tradition of collecting heads when they kill people? This headless thing is becoming a problem.

Plus the longer you stand there like a dumbass, the more likely that someone will come up behind you and catch you at the scene.

Suggestion 2010/10/13(Wed)13:00 No. 242962 ID: 6550ad
File 128700003615.png - (158.79KB , 1000x750 , 452.png )

The last time, the janitor jammed the opening mechanism of the door with a piece of metal, then placed the bed behind so it couldn't be forced from outside. Tiak does the same, jamming the door with some random debris from the pile, but moving the bed would require pushing the corpse out, so he lets it be for now.

He starts investigating. The bucket is empty, nothing interesting inside.

The corpse seems rather messy, blood everywhere, most of it dry by now. But it doesn't seem to have other signs of violence than the missing head. No bruises, or cuts, at least in the visible part of the body, Tiak doesn't know if he should start touching the body. For the same reason, he doesn't search it just yet.

Once again, Tiak isn't a doctor, but the neck wound doesn't look like a bite wound. It's too clean, and there's a lot of burned tissue. It looks very similar to what was left of Trake's neck. Miko's wound was a tad different, though, the flesh around the wound was burned as well, but not this much.

Tiak notices the glass next to the corpse. For the position, it looks like it fell from the hand of the victim. It's empty now, but some drops of the liquid spilled over the bed. Tiak carefully tries to receive any smell over the wet spots, but he can't notice any. It could have been water, for what he knows.

Tiak opens the cabinet and riffles through the pile of papers. Yeah, the documents are still in the same place he hid them.

>>242942

It is a sad truth that a lot of alien species out there consider Maurian flesh to be rather tasty. The fact that Maurians like foods with high levels of sugar doesn't really help.
Yes, there have been cases of Ziraneé eating Maurian troops during the war, but mostly to inflict moral and psychological damage, rather than hunger or blood(or flesh)lust. They aren't that barbaric.

>>242962
Interesting. So much for the papers being motive, unless the Janitor was stupid enough to try to blackmail someone and that someone was too stupid to find them afterwards. Make sure you close the cupboard properly.

Weird. To pump that much blood out, he must have been decapitated alive, surely. But that's hardly the position of a struggle or one of being caught particularly off-guard. And there's no weapon marks on the walls or anything. And why would the murderer leave the door held open? :/

You're going to get blamed for this regardless of how guilty you do or do not look, and its not like you've had crime scene technicians to record everything first even when doing this as your job. Get rifling through those pockets and fully expect to be jumped by the Colonel.

>>242962
Looks like they're trying to frame Zeno. Again. Or is that just a ruse on Zeno's part to make us think that? Or was their intention to make us think that Zeno was doing it to make it look like he was framed? WHICH WINE IS POISONED AAASFGGHDSSSADF

It's possible that he was poisoned and his head was cut off soon after... Regardless of his death, I have little doubt that he was killed for being a witness.
We should leave now and hide, the longer we're here the more likely we'll be caught.

Suggestion 2010/10/13(Wed)15:54 No. 243036 ID: 6550ad
File 128701044684.png - (126.51KB , 1000x750 , 453.png )

Tiak quickly searches the pockets of the late Janitor.

He finds the Janitor's Key card. And just that. Nothing more.

>>243036
...

Oh, steal it already. It's hardly motive for murder or theft of valuables, you need one, and who knows if Mongro will even deliver.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the janitor's head spontaneously exploded.

>>243040
...the walls kind of seem too clean for someone to have replaced his pills with microgrenades.

Suggestion 2010/10/13(Wed)17:07 No. 243060 ID: 6550ad
File 128701486881.png - (149.32KB , 1000x750 , 454.png )

Tiak pockets the Janitor's key card. It's not like the poor man is going to need it anymore anyways.

Now, time to decide what to do, if TIak should flee the scene of the crime or keep investigating.

>>243060
Where are his pills, anyway?

>>243060
Get out of there.
Go back into the brig, strip naked, hide all your stuff in the vents, give yourself a crack on your skull, sprawl out on the floor, and pass out.
When the Colonel discovers you naked and unconscious inside a locked and broken cell he'll be very, very confused.

Go to the hall, listen at the door to the big room before you go through it. Hide in the bathroom if you need to.

...someone switched his pills with poison, then removed his head like the others.

Anyway, get the papers you stashed out of the cabinet.

>>243060
Get into the vents.
Become Ceiling Tiak once more.

>>243149
Yes.

Suggestion 2010/10/14(Thu)08:30 No. 243449 ID: 6550ad
File 128707021168.png - (95.41KB , 1000x750 , 455.png )

Tiak leaves the Janitor's room and climbs up the ventilation shaft, prying the cover open with the hanger, and being careful enough to put it back in place afterwards.

Now, if the ventilation system follows the logical pattern of this deck, going forward would take him to the cargo bay, and then back to the lobby, and Engineering. Going backwards from here, instead would take him around the Janitor's room, the crew quarters, etc.

We wanna spy on Engineering.

>>243449
Hmm, you know, I just realized we've only been in one of the crew quarters' rooms... but right now we need to find out what Mongro and the Colonel are doing. Let's go Engineeringwards.

We must spy on the voices, by the shortest route.

Suggestion 2010/10/14(Thu)11:07 No. 243476 ID: 6550ad
File 128707965910.png - (214.11KB , 1000x750 , 456.png )

Tiak crawls all the long way to Engineering. But there's no trace of whoever was talking here earlier. Tiak didn't see anybody in front of the elevators either.

>>243476
Hmm. Could you climb up/down that machine to reach the left-hand vent?

If so, check Mongro's area and, if clear, come back for the files. If we get caught again, well...

>>243476
Let's check the other rooms before leaving the safety of the vents.

>>243482
To clarify, I mean to check Mongro's area from the vents.

Suggestion 2010/10/14(Thu)15:34 No. 243530 ID: 6550ad
File 128709568533.png - (89.08KB , 1000x750 , 457.png )

>>243477

Tiak doesn't need to climb down from here to get to the vents to the left, there's a bifurcation here, he can just crawl over there if he wants. That tunnel seems to lead to Atmospherics.

Tiak crawls around the rest of Engineering, not seeing anything unusual, and finally reaches Mongro's room. He can't advance anymore through the vents from here, they turn around the room and go back to Engineering.

And Mongro is in his room, after all. He seems to be pretty busy with whatever he's doing with his cabinet.

>>243530
Is that the gun case back under his bed? :O

Wait and see what he's up to. No point busting out before we have INFO!

>>243530
(I was attempting to determine if Tiak could get out of the vents there and get back in so he could poke the file cabinet.)

Continue being a shameless voyeur, Tiak.

Suggestion 2010/10/14(Thu)16:15 No. 243554 ID: 6550ad
File 128709813966.png - (98.16KB , 1000x750 , 458.png )

>>243535

Yes, Tiak should be able to climb up and down the garbage disposal unit in order to get in and out of the ventilation system without problems.

Tiak waits for a bit more, and Mongro finally stops rummaging through the cabinet. The Sinarri then walks over the bed and hides something under the pillow covers, and finally leaves the room.

>>243554
Oh you little pilferer you.

You know what to do.

engage looting mode.

Try following Mongro just a little to make sure he won't be back quickly.

>>243554
Continue to track Mongro.

>>243554
Watch him. This could be a trap, something seems off about this whole thing.

Suggestion 2010/10/15(Fri)05:37 No. 243748 ID: 6550ad
File 128714627481.png - (231.35KB , 1000x750 , 459.png )

Tiak tries to follow Mongro through the tubes, but the Sinarri keeps up a fast pace, faster than Tiak is able to crawl through the vents.
He barely manages to see how Mongro leaves the Mainframe Room, and by the time he gets back to the main section of Engineering, there's no trace of the engineering assistant anymore.

Whatever, let's go into his room and check in the cabinet and under the pillow, now.

>>243764
Pillow first.

Alright. Point being, he's not ducking right back into his room.

Loot and plunder, young Tiak!

Suggestion 2010/10/15(Fri)10:10 No. 243795 ID: 6550ad
File 128716262926.png - (154.63KB , 1000x750 , 460.png )

Tiak gets back to Mongro's room and immediately starts searching up the place. The cabinet doesn't have anything new. Still the same civil clothes hanged and the boots. None inside the pockets, nor in the boots.

But Tiak retrieves what the Sinarri hid between the covers of the pillow. It's the blue key card, the one he took from the suitcase and Mongro stole from the backpack with his stuff, not so long ago.

>>243795
There's a faint outline of a hidden compartment at the lower right of the cabinet. Check it out.

Also, there's the thing under the bed. Pull it out and open it.

Check the compartment asap. The suitcase is probably the same one as before; Mongro likely retrieved it right after we got captured.

Suggestion 2010/10/15(Fri)11:52 No. 243825 ID: 6550ad
File 128716877037.png - (109.79KB , 1000x750 , 461.png )

Tiak notices a faint outline in a corner of the cabinet wall. Looks like it's been cut and welded back into place. And not long ago, the metal is still warm. He tentatively pushes the panel, but it doesn't budge, the cabinet walls are actually pretty thick and sturdy. He would have to use a cutter or similar to open it.

Leaving the cabinet, Tiak kneels down and pulls out the object under the bed. It's the suitcase again. But this time, it isn't locked. And it's completely empty.

Bastard. We're taking his shirt and boots and putting them where he can't reach 'em--that is, back in the vent.

Lets crawl back to, uhh...

I'm a little hesitant for us to keep the card, since I don't like stealing from Mongro, but we do need something better than the Janitor's card. Best get crawling again.

>>243825
Can't say I'm that surprised. I'm guessing he carved the compartment in so that nobody could get to the gun again. Or... something. Strange that he didn't put the keycard in there. Perhaps he needs to have easy access to it? ...it probably opens the captain's back room...

ANYWAY, let's check out other crew quarters we haven't been in yet. Also while we're in an enclosed space, find out which direction the goo wants to go.

Suggestion 2010/10/15(Fri)15:33 No. 243887 ID: 6550ad
File 128718199187.png - (105.69KB , 1000x750 , 462.png )

Tiak spends more minutes crawling all over the place, turning around the room and following the vents until he reaches the Crew Quarters zone. But there's no opening or vent leading into the quarters themselves! The tunnel just circles around them and goes back to the main corridor. The ventilation system must connect with the rooms through different conducts, sadly.

Tiak tries and drops a few drops of the goo on the vents. The little thing vibrate and throb a bit, but they don't look as agitated than the last times. It seems kind of confused. After a few seconds more of inactivity, Tiak puts them back into the vial.

Exit and try the unlabeled keycard on all the crew quarters doors.

Suggestion 2010/10/17(Sun)03:10 No. 244752 ID: 6550ad
File 128731019960.png - (155.50KB , 1000x750 , 463.png )

Tiak emerges from the vents and tries the unlabelled card on every door of the crew quarters, but he's denied the access in all of them.

Tiak stops to think for a moment and realizes that if there's a key card with more chances of opening these doors, it would be the Janitor's card. Hell, actually the Janitor's card must have clearance to a lot of places. He's the one cleaning up the place, after all. Or rather, he was.

>>244752
hurrrr

alright, tell me we still have it.

Hey, good idea! Use it to enter the first door on the left.

>>244752
We should be carrying around the papers that prove the captain is a traitor.
That way we can show them to people and say that there's a fake colonel on board.
Word gets out, traitors eager to prove their loyalty go gunning for the two of them, and Tiak is a free man again.