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Vishal Muralidharan
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 Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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I guess that's all there is to do at this stage. Awesome chapter Lebby!
But, I thought we were ordered to look for Stokov along with men? Wouldn't it be more sensible to look for him with robots (Im assuming robots are quicker and better equipped)? All motives point to Stokov, and this ridiculous act puts him on top of my suspect list. I believe that we need to talk to him, AFTER inspecting camobot 9. The robot did kill Victor, but I am sure that it was under orders(stokov?). A little talk to stokov after inspecting the camobot. We need something to ask him!
About the monster situation, I understand that something has to be done, even if the monster is better of dead. It's only a threat to our security, but if IT was running away from something, then we need to find that 'something'. If we do need to protect the monster, I suggest we don't harm the humans(even if its a chance they may die). We need to scare them away from the scene, if its possible. Try everything you can to get them out. We will have to resort to violence only if there's no other way out.
That's All, I guess!!!
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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Poll's up!
Hey Vishal, glad to see you're still following the story. I understand your suggestion to try to scare the humans away without harming them, but I'm afraid this poll is very cornered. The warning shot did not scare them, and it's apparent that they will not stop unless forced to do so. Choosing to not act forcefully, or to not release the alien creature, will very likely result in its death.
You're also right that John has been ordered to go after Stokov, but he is confident he can buy himself a little more time without getting in trouble. The question is whether he thinks it's important enough to do before anything else. He will very likely go after Stokov as his second priority, if not his first.
Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be coming out in February.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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This poll is REALLY tough... whew... still not sure what to vote for... I mean, I'd want to address the immediate situation of course but I would hope that it wouldn't take an excessive amount of time to deal with before we can get to #9. So, I guess I'll vote for the shoot at legs option since these idiots won't listen. If the creature dies, who knows what opportunities we might lose really. All involved, alien included, need to be put in holding until we can put them in the appropriate priority in this investigation.
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Zephyrrr! And...  
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:57 am Post subject: |
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Well, this story is far too awesome to stop following! 
And yes, it is a really tough poll, but I went with going after Stokov. I know Its a really big gamble by ignoring the alien, but I do hope that other officers can keep the alien alive.
Stokov is MY main priority at this situation, and if he is getting away, its a problem. I suspect its a red herring, but its the most logical thing to do(atleast in the way I see it).
The monster seems unrelated to the murder in my logic, its just another happening, but I wouldn't want to put anything away.
We need to get Stokov, and secure him in a real good place and rush back to the alien. But Im not sure if everyone will perceive it the way i do.
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Crunchyfrog
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:59 am Post subject: |
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I found this a tough decision, too. Very different outcomes, all of them. Anyway, I've cast my vote. 
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 10:47 am Post subject: |
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| Anyone else interested in the Second Poll?
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Vishal Muralidharan
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:56 am Post subject: |
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oops, didn't notice that!
But now, I've voted there as well. Looking forward to how this turns out!!
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:10 am Post subject: |
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AND VOTED!!
I missed the suggestion phase, but Im glad I caught up when the poll is still running. This is developing into a intriguing story!!!
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:20 am Post subject: 5 |
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Hey hey, back to 5 votes! Not bad for a slow time on IF. Now if I can squeeze in just one more....
And it looks like there's a new leader in the Second Poll with Stokov currently the focus of the investigation, assuming we don't get two more votes in a different direction before the next chapter.
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warriorofdoom
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| Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 12:23 am Post subject: |
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Say, what about the break it thread?!
Lets hopr people will take a look. Couldn't hurt, right?! 
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 10:11 am Post subject: |
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Yep, that's the plan, I just thought I would give it a little more time. However, it has been more than a week since the chapter so I think I'll go ahead and do that now.
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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1000 views for this storygame, and this is my 1000th post on IF (not including a short stint with the Mad Hatter a while ago). As a way of celebrating, I'll send 100 Fables to the next person who posts to this thread!
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Vishal Muralidharan
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| Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 1:04 am Post subject: |
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Guess I'll take the fables! 
And keep hoping that people visit the break it thread. We need to know which poll result wins!
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| Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Lebrenth wrote: | | 1000 views for this storygame, and this is my 1000th post on IF (not including a short stint with the Mad Hatter a while ago). As a way of celebrating, I'll send 100 Fables to the next person who posts to this thread! |
Wow... lotsa zeroes... nice! I suppose a congrats is in order. 
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Zephyrrr! And...
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| Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:11 am Post subject: |
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| I missed all the zeros, congratulations!
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| Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:06 pm Post subject: Chapter 5: Dark Corridors |
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Chapter 5: Dark Corridors
Ten more minutes and I could have had the alien creature safely in custody, but instead I had to make a choice of what to lose: an alien, four crazed passengers, or a saboteur. None of them were on their best behavior, so maybe there’s nothing to be ashamed of when I close the video feed of the alien creature getting beaten to death. I inform James Slaughter that he’ll be very busy for a while. He’ll need to recover a body, arrest four passengers, and take a closer look at Camoubot 9 (whose EA is very likely the murder weapon, judging from the EA spread pattern). Then he has to report everything to me. In the meantime, I have to hunt the man that not only knows every corner of the ship, but also has intimate knowledge of all of its weaknesses.
“Officer Pacheko,” I call from my communicator, “Send me a report of all of your surveillance of Stokov.”
“That won’t take long, sir,” Jose Pacheko says. “He only appeared on camera for 10 minutes, where he entered E-12, carrying an EA pistol. Then he opened up the access panels for the camera system. That’s when all visual surveillance inside the ship shutdown.”
“Keep monitoring communications, especially if you can find anything from or about Vladimir Stokov or Darla Clemens.”
I jump back onto a shuttle, but I don’t go to E-12. Stokov won’t be easy to catch, but I may know where he’s going. Something he may need before locking himself off in some forgotten section of the ship is a companion. I’ve been meaning to give Darla a visit anyway.
I could find my way to the Clemens’ residence with my eyes closed, which is lucky because the lights go out before I reach the place. Stokov must want to keep us in the dark. I also notice the air vents are quiet and still, as though the ventilation and heating has also been shut off. I draw my EA and try to move quickly and quietly. The air is so still, however, that my footsteps may as well be a drum solo.
The Clemens’ lived in this corridor alone, isolated after the neighbors were driven out by the constant bickering. At least that way the Clemens could fight in peace. If they ever needed any real help, they only had to wait a little longer for someone to arrive. That someone was usually me, and as far as I was concerned they could stay as far away from the others as they liked. I thought visiting the Clemens would be a chore that would only end when one of them died. It turns out I was right. Part of me wonders if Victor is waiting for me to settle their final dispute, the other part wonders if I ever grew out of being scared of the dark.
Darla has her metal hatch adorned in numerous crafts that she never cleans or removes. I press my ear against the door, hoping to hear some kind of activity. I hear her cursing and mumbling as though to herself. She hasn’t left to meet up with Stokov, which is good, but I wouldn’t blame Stokov if he didn’t invite her at all.
I would find out soon enough if Stokov was coming. The question now was how to prepare for him, in case he did arrive. I could wait for him in one of the many empty quarters and get behind him when he gets to the door, or I could wait inside with Darla and hope she doesn’t have a way to warn him. One way or the other, if he’s coming, he’s armed and probably ready to do something desperate.
DP: How does Dunaway stalk Stokov?
Last edited by Lebrenth on Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:29 am; edited 2 times in total
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, I know it's a bit on the light side. The next one will probably make up for it with the autopsy of the alien, interrogation of the crazed passengers, and an investigation of Camoubot 9 (and possibly more, depending on this DP). Meanwhile, we have a serious situation. If Dunaway's instincts are right, Stokov will be coming soon, and he's not a person to underestimate. If he's wrong, Stokov is getting a big head start.
Any suggestions?
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| Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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I liked having a light chapter for a change up. Didn't have a lot of links to go hunting through and that was a relief for now (not that I don't like going through them but it did make this chapter easier to digest. I find I often have to set aside a good selection of quiet time to get your chapters absorbed )
Anyhow, I say he does it the old fashioned cop way, call for a little robo-backup and confront him with weapons drawn, balls out.
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Zephyrrr! And...
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:31 am Post subject: |
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Im glad! A nice little chapter (literally)! The name of the chapter would put anyone off, though!
What Tbird said is probably the best, and simplest thing to do. But I'll try for a modification in the plan so that we get both of them by surprise.
Get the robo-backup, and hide. Make sure Stokov doesn't see you, and let him meet Darla. When he is inside, we surround the place and nab them when the come out.
We also have to send a few robots to look for Stokov. I'm sure with the advanced technology we're in Robots do have night-vision. Get the robots to scan the entire place, while we wait. We are bound to find Stokov this way(I hope).
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:11 am Post subject: |
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| Vishal Muralidharan wrote: | | We also have to send a few robots to look for Stokov. I'm sure with the advanced technology we're in Robots do have night-vision. Get the robots to scan the entire place, while we wait. We are bound to find Stokov this way(I hope). |
Yes, the robots do have night vision of some kind, so darkened corridors won't be problematic for them. I'm glad the chapter name was foreboding, by the way . Ordering a scan of the ship shouldn't be difficult, although it will take a lot of time due to the immense area to search.
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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May I add Inward radial search? Meaning robots start from each corner of the area and work their way to the center. It has a very high success rate, but I doubt that we'll catch Stokov. But I still would go for it!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:54 am Post subject: |
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What is significant about E-12? Is it the only place where the guy can disable the ships surveillance? And how far is it from the Clemens' quarters?
I am surprised that Dunaway is acting on a hunch like this. I believe Stokov could well be enjoying a big head start. We don't know the motive for the murder, we don't know whether Stokov even is the murderer, or just an accomplice. So we certainly don't know for sure if he'll be coming for Darla.
However, the stillness of the air is worrying. He may actually have turned off life-support systems in that section. It may be wise just to go in and get Darla out.
Once that's done, it'd be a good idea to restrict his movements around the ship. We could disable the shuttle system, and start tracking all 300 people on board via heat sensors. You won't necessarily be able to identify him that way, but he might give himself away through his actions.
Oh yeah, and the fact that a crazed murderer is on the loose would be a good reason to impose a general curfew. I'm sure the bots would be able to arrange lifts for those too far from home.
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Crunchyfrog wrote: | | What is significant about E-12? Is it the only place where the guy can disable the ships surveillance? And how far is it from the Clemens' quarters? |
I'll post the information about E-12 soon in supplemental, but to give a quick summary, it is an engineering area responsible for networking pretty much all internal ship's sensors. The ship's cameras, for instance, all send their feeds to this location, and from there sent on to servers for the Intranet to be accessed by authorized users. There are many critical systems in this area since many functions of the ship rely on internal sensors.
It is not the only place the surveillance could be disabled, though it's probably the easiest place. There are many ways to cause the system to fail which could potentially be done from any computer station throughout the ship with the right access and know how. There could also be accidental causes for a blackout, such as a power surge. There is not definitive proof that Stokov has done what he is being arrested for, but it certainly appears to be the best explanation.
E-12 is about 3/4 of a mile from Clemens' quarters, so if John was right about where Stokov was going, he is certain he made it first and has a few minutes to spare at least. However, if Stokov is not coming, are there any suggestions where John should look instead?
Your other suggestions have been noted (well done, by the way) and may be implemented in the next chapter. Thanks for the good questions Crunchy!
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| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 3:01 am Post subject: |
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Polling anytime soon?
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| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:21 am Post subject: |
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| Vishal Muralidharan wrote: | | Polling anytime soon? |
I'll start polling Friday, thanks for reminding me. For the record, here is the poll for last chapter:
What does John do next?
Everything else can wait, go find Camoubot 9
0% [ 0 ]
Find and arrest Stokov as soon as possible
50% [ 3 ]
"Disable" the humans, shoot for the legs to protect the alien
33% [ 2 ]
Take alien creature's body to the morgue and investigate
0% [ 0 ]
Release alien creature to defend itself
16% [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 6
Who Voted: Crunchyfrog, LordoftheNight, PopeAlessandrosXVIII, Thunderbird, Vishal Muralidharan, warriorofdoom
And the second poll:
Focus of Investigation
Camoubot 9
25% [ 1 ]
Vladimir Stokov
50% [ 2 ]
The 4 violent passengers and other unusual passenger behavior
25% [ 1 ]
Morgue investigation
0% [ 0 ]
Alien Creature
0% [ 0 ]
Total Votes : 4
Who Voted: Crunchyfrog, Thunderbird, Vishal Muralidharan, warriorofdoom
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| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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No problem
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:20 am Post subject: I Think...... |
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Hwaaah, I fnally sat down and did some reading! YAY! Anyway....I like this chappter. Reminds me of my habit of turning off lights before entering a room and I love that little line about him wondering if he got over being afraid of the dark. Great little thing to drop in there. Very realistic in my mind.
DP...DP.....I guess I'll go with leaving Botsw to do the seize and capture, and have out officer head to the shuttles just in case. I also agree with the sweep idea, but stratr from all modes of escape first, and move the web in from there.
Nice writing, still lovin' it! Keep'em commin'!
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 10:42 am Post subject: Ch 5 Poll's Up |
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The Poll is up!
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:43 am Post subject: |
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Oooh, a 3-way tie!
Come on, shut down that tram system. You know it makes sense!
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:44 am Post subject: |
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Oh, thankyou Lebs, that little bit of extra info about E12 just posted in the supplemental definitely accounts for the stillness of the air. I wonder what other systems he's disabled... I hope it's not the heat sensors... 
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Crunchyfrog wrote: | | Oh, thankyou Lebs, that little bit of extra info about E12 just posted in the supplemental definitely accounts for the stillness of the air. I wonder what other systems he's disabled... I hope it's not the heat sensors... |
I'll be answering more questions in the next chapter (which I'm working on now), but just so you don't feel like I'm deliberately pulling the rug out from under your feet, the "heat sensors" are just simple thermometers to determine the air temperature. There are no sensors on the ship that can pinpoint human bodies by their heat signatures, so whether or not Stokov has sabotaged them as well, it wouldn't be a very effective way to locate him anyway (although a heated room in an abandoned section of the ship could be a good clue). The heat sensors are also used to determine whether a section of the ship is on fire and to some extent to determine whether an area has air at all.
I like the idea, though. Sorry it isn't viable, probably should have used a different term so I didn't mislead you (as though I offered you a cookie and then smashed it before you picked it up).
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Crunchyfrog
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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 Just re-read my last post and am cringing at how snarky it sounded. I apologise for that, I didn't intend it to be so! But thanks for the clarification, and as always, am looking forward to the next instalment!
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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Oh good! I'm just glad you got to use the word "snarky". I love that word.
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 2:58 pm Post subject: Chapter 6: Confrontation |
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Chapter 6: Confrontation
Confident that Stokov will arrive soon, I call in for activation of the nearest security robots. At the first sign of Stokov, I’ll have them close off all exits and surround him. If he’s smart, he’ll surrender. If not, I’ll try to bring him in alive if I can.
The pale bluish light from my scanner is hardly enough light for a gun fight, so I open up an emergency box and pull out a flashlight. I keep it off until I need it. It’s quiet enough that I should be able to hear him when he’s close. I still have my EA in hand, where it will stay until I have Stokov in cuffs. My trap is just about set when the sound of a shot thunders down the corridor, quickly followed by another. I see only a faint flicker from around a corner. Two robots are no longer responsive.
I call it in. More reinforcements are on the way, for what it is worth, and I have the security robots closing in on that location. I run towards the dead robots, hoping to reach the intersection of the two corridors before the shooter.
“Stop or I’ll shoot!” Stokov yells. His accent is unmistakable; he is here. I lift the flashlight to turn it on when another streak of electrons shoots through the corridor, only this time it is aimed at me. “I said stop!”
“It’s just a flashlight!” I say.
“I know what it is. Drop it, and your EA, or I will kill you where you stand.”
I ask myself how he could see me, but remembering how fond he was of his EA collection, it wouldn’t be much of a leap to presume he also has some sort of IR goggles or scope. I know about where he is standing now, thanks to that last shot, but all he has to do is wiggle his finger and I’m dead, so I do as I’m told. The flashlight and the EA clatter on the floor.
“Turn around,” he says, and I continue taking directions. “I heard you calling for help. Send the robots away and tell the commander it was a false alarm. The robots just malfunctioned.”
“Funny how things have been doing that lately.”
“Do it.”
Once again, I do as I’m told. What’s worse, I think they bought it when I told them the robots just randomly blew themselves up when they booted up… it’s just the sort of thing that happens on a ship with a skeleton crew.
“Do you have handcuffs?”
“Yeah, and if you wanna try them on, be my guest. Turning yourself in wouldn’t be a bad idea, considering the alternative,” I say as he secures my hands behind my back and takes my keys as well as my communicator. “What are you planning to do? You can hide, but you can’t run. There’s nowhere to go except this ship, and only so many places to hide.”
“And what will you do without me? Do you think this ship would last one month without my help? Move!”
“Where are we going?”
Stokov is apparently done talking, as any other questions I ask are ignored. He takes me to the Clemens’ quarters and knocks on the hatch.
“You’re not expected?” I ask, but he says nothing.
Darla opens the hatch surprisingly quick and has a look of desperation on her face until it turns to shock when she sees me.
“It’s all right, darling, he’s with me,” Stokov says as he pushes me into the warm and well-lit room. The place is a mess, which isn’t unusual, and there are soggy tissues everywhere.
“What have you done?” she asks while choking on another burst of sobbing. I smile reassuringly, as though it was just a practical joke, even though they would be deciding my fate in the next few minutes.
“I had to do it. He was going to arrest us,” he said gently. It’s the first time I’ve seen his gentle side, and somehow it makes me more nervous than before. She turns away. Stokov lets go of me and goes to comfort her. He still has the EA in his hand as he caresses her arm. I can now also see the IR goggles he wore that gave him the advantage in our confrontation. He has his back to me, but without my arms, there’s not much I can do.
“Why did you do it?” Darla asks in a shaking voice. I can see she’s trembling.
“What? The murder?” Stokov turns her around forcefully and holds her chin with his hand. He makes her look in his eyes. “What are you talking about? I did not kill Victor!”
“Are you kidding me?” I interrupt.
“Quiet!” he yells at me. He turns back to her and for a dreadful moment he lets his outrage grow before unleashing it on Darla. “I thought you killed him!”
I step forward to come between them, as foolish as that sounds, but first Darla punches Stokov directly in the eye.
“Don’t yell at me!” Darla screams, unleashing her own fury. “Don’t you dare yell at me! You’re better than that!”
Stokov reels from the blow, but recovers and lifts his weapon to scare me back, which works, with his other arm trying to hold Darla away from him.
“Enough!” he yells. Darla is no longer a sobbing wreck, but a vengeful Valkyrie, and Stokov looks vulnerable, even with a pistol in his hand. If I had a free arm, I would turn this whole situation around in an instant. As it stands, I’m just hoping I don’t get shot while the two of them kill each other.
“Is it enough? Is it ever enough?” Darla demands. Stokov re-evaluates the threats and points the pistol at Darla. She bats it away and smacks Stokov’s cheek, showing surprising self-restraint which I think is lost on Stokov.
“Darla,” I say gently.
“Stay out of this, John,” Darla says.
“I’d love to. How about I just step out while you two settle your differences?”
Darla ignores me and looks intensely at Stokov while they both try to figure out what they’re going to do next. I could have told them what happens next, but I would have been wrong. I watch their faces dissolve from anger to sorrow and in another moment they’re embracing each other.
“What’s happening to us?” Darla sobs. “This isn’t who I am when I’m with you.”
The EA drops from Stokov’s hand, and though I can not see his face, he appears to be sobbing. I take advantage of this touching moment to slide the handcuffs under my butt and around my legs. Finally having my hands in front of me, I go for the EA… but Darla gets it first.
“Sit down,” she demands. I have no doubts that she’ll use it if provoked, so I go back to being a good boy and doing as I’m told.
“Well done, my darling,” Stokov says, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes. Thankfully, he takes the EA back from her. “She never pointed a gun at you, understand?”
“Yeah sure, what difference does it make anyway?” I respond. “Look, you can kill me if that’s what you’re going to do, but you’ll always know that I saw you cry.”
“I have never liked you, John, but I don’t want to kill you,” Stokov says. “There has been a misunderstanding. No one here knows what they think they know.”
“So, what?”
“So if it was not me, and it was not Darla, then who was it?”
“It will take more than a tearful performance to convince me neither of you did it. You’re the only ones on the ship who even have a motive.”
“Why don’t you ask me your questions again?”
“You want me to interview you? I’m sorry, I can’t do that. It’s against the rules for people in handcuffs to ask questions.”
“Very well, if I let you out of those handcuffs, will you trust me?”
“Couldn’t hurt.”
I put the handcuffs and keys back on my belt. I ask him to make a recording of the interview, as he still has my communicator and he won’t let me have it back. He keeps his EA in hand, and though he doesn’t aim it at me I occasionally notice his grip tightening on it.
INTERVIEW 4: Second interview of Lt. Vladimir Stokov
The interview seemed to go well, but of course it was hard to lean on him when he’s empowered by the gun in his hand. He really turned the tables on me when he told me I was the only suspect he had left. I may be able to turn it around one more time, if I can just push one button on the communicator. With that one button I can send the recording of the interview directly to the last call, in this case, the bridge. It would give them all the information they need.
“Would you like to review the new evidence?” I ask Stokov, carefully picking up the communicator and openly showing him the screen with the popup message of one new report.
REPORT 7: Camoubot 9
Stokov nods his head. Now I’m free to push the button, and probably get the whole ship to swarm this room… the question is whether a big stand-off is what I want, considering what can happen to hostages in these situations. And even if Stokov doesn’t fully trust me yet, he’s offering answers that I need that will be a lot harder to get if he’s in custody. If only I had a week or two to consider instead of just a fraction of a second….
DP: Does John send the recording of INTERVIEW 4 to the bridge? Or does he do something else?
Last edited by Lebrenth on Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:31 am; edited 1 time in total
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Thunderbird
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Vishal Muralidharan
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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Nice.... Really nice! Though you might want to add a few spaces between dialogues at the interview. Intriguing chapter, lebs.
Don't Send the report immediately. We could get quicker, more useful, and probably truthful answers from Stokov if he feels that we trust him. What we must do immediately, is interview Darla. Lets see what she has to say. For some reason, I don't believe both of them. I think it was a staged and pre-planned performance.
Sgt. Slaughter... Well, tell him that it doesn't matter how things appear. Get him to do a full check-up on the camoubot, though I am doubtful that it will turn anything up, I don't want to leave anything ignored.
Also, this recurring mention of the lost hat is making me think as well. Was it on the day of the murder, or the day before? And, was it stolen? (Doesn't seem very important, but you never know what will turn up. )
| Quote: | John: Could these missions be delivered secretly at any time?
Stokov: Anyone with special clearance could do this, but I don’t know how they could without them sending automatic reports. Maybe if the robot’s transceiver was disabled, and the orders were delivered in person. There has been a missing camoubot for a while… is it possible that this camoubot has had this happen?
John: We’re looking into it, but we think it’s 9 not 13. |
Also, I need some explanation of Stokov's dialogue.
Thats all I guess!! Thanks for the good read~!
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Lebrenth
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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I love answering questions! Let's see, "The Case of the Missing Hat" occurred on 9/27/2104. The discovery of Victor's body was reported on 9/28/2104, but according to the autopsy he may have died the previous day. There is no evidence suggesting the hat was stolen. More likely, Mindy Sommers dropped it while taking a walk.
Now those are freebies, as all of that information is available in supplemental. The next questions I'm answering just to make sure the meaning is clear, but I don't want to help you come to any conclusions. In the interview, John asks Stokov if orders can be given to camoubots without anyone finding out. Stokov says it would be difficult, but possible, and you would probably require having special clearance, modifying the robot, and delivering orders in person. He offers a theory and John casts doubt on the theory because he suspects a different robot is involved in the murder.
By the way, here are the results of the previous poll:
How do we capture Stokov?
Call in robots to surround the area, confront Stokov face to face
50% [ 2 ]
Restrict Stokov's movements by shutting down trams, take Darla immediately into custody
25% [ 1 ]
Send robots on a coordinated search of the entire ship while preparing to ambush Stokov and Darla if they show up together
25% [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 4
Who Voted: Crunchyfrog, PopeAlessandrosXVIII, Thunderbird, Vishal Muralidharan
EDIT: Small changes have been made, including links and a little better explanation of the dialogue between Stokov and John.
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Last edited by Lebrenth on Sun Apr 03, 2011 9:00 am; edited 2 times in total
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Thunderbird
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| Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 7:49 am Post subject: |
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I think in the fascination of following your labyrinth of links, one might find themselves overlooking the fact that your writing on this is completely superb with a distinctly professional feel - its quite effortless to read and digest and maintains interest with every word.
I agree that Darla should be questioned. The notes regarding 9's purpose are some new and unexpected news. We need to figure out what it was last assigned to do, when it went missing (IF it went missing), and review who could have tampered with it.
And as a side note - I never once believed Stokov was guilty anyhow.
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CHAPTER 25: Near-Light Speed (NEW CHAPTER! (12/4/2011))
Zephyrrr! And...
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Crunchyfrog
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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I still think Stokov is mixed up in this, and perhaps Darla, too.
Question - in the previous chapter, the air vents were very still, suggesting that the ventilation and heating had been shut down in this area. There was no mention of that in this chapter. What is the air supply like at the moment? This could have a bearing on whether or not all this we have witnessed is an act.
I too am fascinated as to whether or not the case of the missing hat has anything to do with this. Mindy Summers, the hat owner, apparently has a crush on John. I wondered whether or not this might be part of some elaborate decoy - but according to the autopsy report Clemens died at least 3 hours after Dunnaway filed the report that he'd found the missing hat. So if it is related in any way, it might have been to keep Dunnaway occupied while the events leading up to the murder were taking place, perhaps.
Not sure why Stokov has John as his only suspect. Both of them have special clearance, so I wonder why Stokov considers the rest of the officers with special clearance as innocent?
Anyway, as usual the solution to this whole mystery feels tantalisingly just out of reach, like something is staring me in the face and I can't see it.
The present danger is not over for John. Clearly Slaughter needs help identifying whether Camoubot 9 has been tampered with, but he doesn't know what he's looking for. Stokov has offered to check it out, but they can't go into the garden while Stokov is pointing a gun at John.
To my mind, the examination of Camoubot 9 is most important. If Stokov wants to prove his innocence, then perhaps they can reach some sort of compromise, and remove the camoubot from the garden for analysis. If nothing else we'll have proof either way of whether or how it was involved with the death of Clemens.
And if we ever get Stokov disarmed and neutralised, we really need to get down to the morgue. Clemens' body, the alien and the guy in stasis all have loads of clues to give up, I think.
I've been itcing to get around to this chapter and its various links for days. What you have here was very much worth the wait. Most enjoyable!
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