The Amphitheater is the center of an Omni Reality lavish tournament. Crowds screaming for acts of combat prowess, skill mastery, team dominance, and murder!? You see a suspicious crime, with the subject prematurely judged, will you help?
Level: 17
Start: Karl Guigino, Decommissioned Area, The House of Syria
Introduction
As you walk up to the Amphitheater, you are amazed at the sight before you. Unlike the rest of the station, it stands out even without the constant overlay of Augmented Reality on your CORETECHS. At a distance it looks like a giant floating silver cone, but as you get closer you see it being supported by hundreds of shiny pillars at the tip.
As you pass the increased security for the OmRe Tourney, you walk about looking for the nearest entrance into the Amphitheater. You notice the crowd interacting with what looks to you as empty space around them. Seeing your confusion, a young man approaches you and offers some assistance.
Karl Guigino: Don't worry you'll get used to it. Travelers always have problems at first looking through their CORETECHS, but it's the only way to truly enjoy the sights, especially here. You won't be able to experience today's events if you're not seeing it through your integrated AR interface. Go ahead, give it a try?
- Look through your CORETECHS.
- Walk away and ignore him.
Walk away:
He looks momentarily disappointed, but the surrounding distractions grab his attention instantly.
You have failed the "Making a Killing" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
Look:
Once you adjust your vision, and peer through your CORETECHS, you are flooded with a multitude of colors and lights. Nearly everywhere you look AR matrices pop-up around you. As you gaze up at the Amphitheater again, you notice the silver surface completely covered with various ads, banners and videos of past events. The young man speaks to you, and when you look upon him, his name appears above his head, Karl Guigino. He's pointing at one of the glowing signs nearby.
Karl Guigino: Don't worry if it takes a couple of minutes, all visitors need an adjustment period. Look there's a few seats free in section 63, when you're ready, follow the signs and look for a spot with a green hue, it indicates its available. Enjoy the games!
Karl Guigino runs off excitedly to the entrance. It takes you a few moments to focus on your enhanced surroundings, the strain on your eyes needing some time to get used to. As you slowly approach the entrance to section 63, you notice large queues at the betting windows, with AR slogans advertising all the odds for the various events. You walk past and head to the stairs leading up.
Unlike the rest of the station, the OmRe Tourney has led to increased security throughout the Amphitheater. You pass a small contingent of Consortium officers and notice several surveillance drones hovering up above. As you look for a free seat you take in the spectacle before you. Thousands of screaming fans, all looking intently towards the arena field, gesticulating wildly at the action packed competition. Numerous stations are represented amongst the crowd, each supporting their teams and champions, encouraging them to battle and rise to the top!
You walk towards one of the few available spots, passing in front of a couple of fans who don't seem to notice you at all. The AR overlay proving to be strong enough to negate even physical obstacles. You take a seat, and the greenish glow instantly changes to red.
- Watch Omni-Ball match.
- Watch Omni-Wrestling fight.
- Watch Onmi-Athletics skill race.
Athletics:
The arena undergoes a change into a bizarre looking obstacle course. Two participants are presented to the gathered audience with their names flashing brightly above their heads.. The first one in blue, Daley Thompson, from the Ross Jump Gate, causing a part of the crowd to break out in applause and flash supportive banners. Next steps up Hawk Sparrowson, wearing all green, representing the independent LeGuin Stronghold. Even with only a few fans in the crowd, they make the biggest impact, holding bright green flares and chanting passionately.
As the race commences, you notice straight away the AR additions the competitors are implementing. At each stage of the obstacle course they use a variety of different features to overcome the challenges. From energy bursts under their boots to increase their leaps, to comically enlarged arms to bat away obstructions, even sprouting fins to swim through the virtual water hazard. All accentuated with bright flashes and loud bangs to direct the fans view to the action.
The end of the race offering you a much needed break from the constant visual effects, giving your optics a bit of a rest before the next event.
- Watch Omni-Ball match.
- Watch Omni-Wrestling fight.
- Switch away from CORETECHS view.
Ball:
You see the 2 teams come out onto the field. While both represent Consortium stations, Ross Jump Gate and The House of Syria, you notice two distinct set of fans in the stands, each projecting flashy signs of support. A bright AR scoreboard hovering above the arena shows the team names; Gatekeepers vs Syria Stars. It seems that the local team and public have taken gold as their color to differentiate from the blue of the Jump Gate team.
The match starts and you instantly see the effects of the AR overlay. Members of both teams sporting extreme add-ons from force shields to extended limbs and executing gravity-defying jumps. All the while passing a shiny ball between them with the intent of avoiding the opposition and scoring in a central hoop. Action is fast paced and intense, both teams performing unbelievable acts, dazzling the gathered crowd.
The end of the match offering you a much needed break from the constant visual effects, giving your optics a bit of a rest before the next event.
- Watch Omni-Wrestling fight.
- Switch away from CORETECHS view.
Wrestling:
Upon a central circular ring, you see the two competitors step up. The local champion, Kaori Icho, dressed in gold, having huge crowd support behind them. The other contestant, Amélie Poilvé, dressed in all red, coming from the Gaule station in the system, Madame de Pompadour. They have a small section of fans, all waving massive red flags and chanting their anthem proudly.
The fight begins and you immediately see how good the two champions are. Each performing spectacular acts to avoid being hit and pinned, made even more difficult with the extra features offered by the AR upgrades. You see each athlete have momentary buffs, increasing their size or quickening their actions, to try and score a hit on their opponent, with most being blocked or avoided. They circle each other and set off yet another round of stunning powerups with every attack.
The end of the fight offering you a much needed break from the constant visual effects, giving your optics a bit of a rest before the next event.
- Switch away from CORETECHS view.
The scene around you is dramatically different once you've stopped using the AR integrated visuals. You see the competitors on the field placed on small platforms, wearing advanced haptic suits and extensive head-sets. With none of the usual lights bombarding your senses, you take a break from the spectacle and have a look at the crowd. There are several more empty spaces than you remember, realizing that a few spots are taken by holograms of remote fans on other locations.
You see the young man from outside, Karl, walk past and your gaze follows him to the row behind you. You see him approach a man politely. The event currently going on must have had an intense ending as all the crowd stand up and scream loudly. During the commotion you hear a loud bang followed by shrieking. The crowd around you start scrambling away from Karl, pointing at him and claiming he has a gun and has killed someone. Karl has fallen to his knees, checking on the body of the man he had just approached.
Karl Guigino: No, no, no. I didn't do this, it wasn't me!
Karl looks around at the accusing crowd, and catches your gaze. But within moments, the group of Consortium officers you passed at the entrance come storming in. Persuaded by the certainty of the fans, and ignoring Karl's pleads, they arrest him and check on the body. You see a Sergeant come in and start barking out instructions at his officers.
Cage Nicolev: Call for a medic now! See if you can save him. You two, start cordoning the area and bag the blaster. Anderson, start preparing witness reports. You, take him to the Brig and wait for me there!
You see the Sergeant pointing at Karl, with the other officers running around following orders.
- "Why are you arresting him?"
- "How is the victim?"
- "I'm a witness and didn't see any weapon."
Victim:
Having taken a step towards the body, the Sergeant turns to look at you.
Cage Nicolev: Obviously he's dead. He has a massive hole in his chest from that blaster shot.
- "Why are you arresting him?"
- "I'm a witness and didn't see any weapon."
Why:
The Sergeant looks at you incredulously, his surprise at your question catching him off guard.
Cage Nicolev: All these witnesses say he is the shooter. Heck, even the video replays of the race show him in the background of the screen. Anyone looking at the AR monitor saw the whole thing!
- "How is the victim?"
- "I'm a witness and didn't see any weapon."
Witness:
Your statement grabs his attention. Rather than sending you away, he looks around and orders his officers to find the weapon. You notice them looking around the empty seats, without finding anything.
Cage Nicolev: That's strange. On the AR feed he was carrying a large blaster, bright red. Would be hard to miss. Should be here.
Me: I had a clean look, I wasn't on the CORETECHS interface at the time, unlike everyone else here. I didn't notice any red blaster.
Cage Nicolev: That's interesting. A few things aren't adding up here, need to figure this out quickly. Unfortunately I don't have enough man-power to follow up these new developments, all my officers are stationed here for Tournament security.
- "I can help."
The Sergeant eyes you up, taking a moment staring, looks like he's doing a quick check on his CORETECHS.
Cage Nicolev: I suppose you could consult temporarily, don't see any security concerns with your background. Also, you're one of the only witnesses that has a clean view of the incident, you could say, you're already involved. An extra set of hands and eyes would be helpful, I'm stuck with rookie officers they sent from the Jump Gate for added Tournament security.
Cage Nicolev: I thought this might be a terrorist act at first. Public setting with a high profile target and especially now with the OmRe Tourney going on.
Me: Who was he? Why is he considered "high profile"?
Cage Nicolev: He's called Stone, a Consortium envoy from Ross Jump Gate, here to watch the games. But more importantly, part of the unofficial talks between The Gaule and Consortium over the status of LeGuin Stronghold. I will need to check if the suspect has any links to that independent station. He did approach the envoy, we need to find out why.
Me: We should review the surveillance footage as well.
Cage Nicolev: I have my office at the Brig, we can analyze the tapes there and visit the cells. Come with me.
Go to the Brig to continue investigation.
Next area: Brig, The House of Syria
- Follow up leads with Sergeant Nicolev
You approach a strange looking building with an imposing outer wall and large metal gates. Once you enter, you see various cells separated into different colored sections. Besides the occasional animated poster, the rest of the Brig is quite dull when compared to the rest of the station. You pass by Karl Guigino in one of the blue colored cells and approach the Sergeant.
Cage Nicolev: Good timing, just collecting all the surveillance footage from the incident, having it sent to my terminal now. Shall we have a look or speak with the suspect?
- Question Karl Guigino.
- Check out incident footage.
Footage:
Sergeant Nicolev projects the video for both of you to watch. You notice it has all the AR additions included, as a full crowd is projected and the OmRe Athletics race has all the extra features showing. You see Karl approach and take out a bright red rifle and shoot the envoy in the chest, as the Sergeant had claimed.
Me: Can we see a cleaned up version of the footage? Without the augmented reality.
Cage Nicolev: Of course, I asked for that once I heard your take on the incident. Should be the next video.
The next video starts to play, and you immediately see the difference. The crowd does not include the remote fans and none of the visual effects are shown. The footage shows Karl enter and approach the envoy. He stands, along with the rest of the crowd, and as he starts to respond to Karl's greeting, he is shot in the chest. This angle of the video does not show who could have done it, but it definitely wasn't Karl or anyone around the envoy.
If you haven't yet questioned Karl:
- Question Karl Guigino.
If you have:
- "Who's the shooter?"
- "Who could manipulate the AR like that?"
Karl:
You wait in the Sergeant's office until Karl is brought in looking slightly disheveled.
Karl Guigino: How is Stone? Is he ok? None of you will let me know what's going on!
Cage Nicolev: He is dead, Mr. Guigino. This is a murder investigation.
Karl Guigino: I didn't do this! Please, you have to believe me.
Cage Nicolev: We have the footage, it will show the truth, but I need to know your connection to this. What ties do you have to LeGuin Stronghold? Are you an independent sympathizer? Did you target the envoy Stone?
Karl Guigino: No, no, I've never left this station, my parents are Consortium employees, I've always been a law-abiding citizen, I would never hurt anyone. It wasn't me…
Karl is distraught by the accusations, with the Sergeant's intense questioning making him even worse. You try to set a calmer line of dialogue.
- "Why did you go up to the envoy?"
- "Karl, please, tell us what happened."
Please:
Karl Guigino: I don't know, everything happened so fast. I walked into section 63, and approached Stone. I needed to speak with him, thought the games was a perfect opportunity.
Karl takes a long pause, taking his time to calm himself.
Me: Please go on Karl.
Karl Guigino: He had just risen from his seat as the race was ending, and as I got up to him and introduced myself I heard a loud noise and a bright flash blinded me. Next moment, I see him crumpled at my feet with everyone moving away and screaming. I got down to check on him and the officers came in and constrained me.
- "Why did you go up to the envoy?"
Why:
Karl stares at you slightly embarrassed, hesitant at first to speak, but one look at the stern face of Sergeant Nicolev scares him into answering.
Karl Guigino: Well, I've been working on my own OmRe system for the past year, for more private affairs if you know what I mean. But I've had difficulties launching it as it doesn't pass current regulations. I couldn't find anyone here on The House of Syria that I could speak with about the rules and what I could do to amend them. I was looking for months, and finally some guy at the Inn told me about a Consortium big-shot coming here for the Tournament that could help me. I was told he reviews all fringe AR submissions, just the right guy to speak with.
Cage Nicolev: Who was this "guy" at the Inn? Do you know him?
Karl Guigino: I don't know, never seen him before that day. Maybe Max, I mean, Maximillion at the Inn will know more, you can ask him.
The Sergeant's line of questioning leads to an interesting point. If there are other people involved, Karl might be an unwilling participant in all this. More information is needed to get to the bottom of this.
- Check on Karl's story at the Inn.
If you haven't yet viewed the footage:
- Check out incident footage.
If you have:
- "Who's the shooter?"
- "Who could manipulate the AR like that?"
Manipulate the AR:
Cage Nicolev: Nearly everyone on this station knows how to play with the AR overlay in some way of another. But this was a really good piece of work, I see a level of visuals that we rarely see here, which is what made it so believable to begin with. But I'm more worried about the shooter at the moment. Let's have a look at some different angles, just need to clean up the AR overlay from each one.
You watch as he goes through multiple different camera angles. Each one showing the same incident without giving any clue as to where a shooter could be located. As you view wider and further angles, a small spark at the other end of the Amphitheater gets your attention. Zooming in, you see a security drone hovering right opposite from the envoy's seat.
Shooter:
Cage Nicolev: Let's find out. We should be able to get a different view from another camera. Just need to remove all the AR interface to get a clean look.
You watch as he goes through multiple camera angles. Each one showing the same incident without giving any clue as to where a shooter could be located. As the view changes to wider and further angles, a small spark at the other end of the Amphitheater gets your attention. Zooming in, you see a security drone hovering directly across from the envoy's seat.
Either choice continues:
Cage Nicolev: That's strange, those drones should never be that low.
You see the shock on the Sergeant's face as the video goes on to show that drone shoots at the envoy. After a moment, it hovers back up to the height of the other drones and rejoins their patrol pattern.
The Sergeant immediately sends out orders to remove all the security drones from the Amphitheater and reboot them.
Cage Nicolev: One of our own drones did this! This is going to be a nightmare to explain.
- "Who could hack one of your drones?"
You see the Sergeant take a moment to think this through.
Cage Nicolev: Bypassing our security protocols is a very difficult proposition. Very few people out there have the skills for this kind of hack. Add the AR manipulations into it as well, I can only think of one group operating out of The House of Congo that can undertake this.
Me: Which one?
Cage Nicolev: They are called The Caracal, a group of hacktivists who run their own Freebooter station in the Sirius system. Not really what they stand for, but they definitely have the means to do this kind of job. Wish we could get in touch with them to find out more.
- "We can try the Mesh to contact them."
Inn:
You consult with the Sergeant on the next steps, discussing the new information that you both heard from Karl.
Cage Nicolev: This all sounds mighty suspicious, seems like Karl is either the most unlucky man on this station, or this was part of an elaborate plan to frame him. But why? What is the reason? Karl lacks both motive and means, but I can't release him until we have tangible proof of another suspect.
As you both ponder the ever increasing details of this case, the Sergeant speaks up.
Cage Nicolev: I have to report back to my superiors on the developments. The envoy's family expect this to be our utmost priority and we need to show progress on this as soon as possible. Can you go to the Inn and follow up on Karl's story? I'll be here awaiting your return and update.
Go to the Inn and speak with Max.
Next NPC: Maximillion Headroom, Inn, The House of Syria
- Question Max at the Inn
Once you step within the Inn, your CORETECHS AR picks up the automatic message that you are in a safe zone. You look around for Max, but the layout is strange, involving several structures all connected with translucent walkways. As you pass round another corner, you spot a young man wearing a haptic suit, with a flashy sign behind him stating "The Maximillion Pavilion". You walk up to him.
Maximillion Headroom: Welcome, welcome, are you looking for a virtual memory from your past? Or a new experience with a distant lover? Maybe you're curious for augmented companionship or other heart's desires, we here at The Maximillion Pavilion can cater to all.
You explain you're here looking for information. Karl has been arrested, and you want to help him.
Maximillion Headroom: I did not condone his tech, nor do I have anything to do with it! Did he use my services to test it, maybe, but that's not a crime.
Obviously misunderstanding the line of questioning, you clarify that this has nothing to do with Karl's OR tech but a murder that he is connected to. The murder that happened today at the Amphitheater. You need his help to find someone that Karl was speaking to a few days ago. Anything he remembers will be a great help.
Maximillion Headroom: Yeah, Karl was in here a couple of days ago moaning about his experimental OR overlay again. But why should I help you?
- Intimidate Maximillion for the information.
- Convince Maximillion to help you.
Convince:
(Social check)
Failure
You are unable to persuade Maximillion to help you. Keep trying.
- Intimidate Maximillion for the information.
- Convince Maximillion to help you.
Success
You mention to Maximillion that Karl is in serious trouble. In his interrogation he mentioned that they were friends, and he was sure that Max would help him. Also, you casually drop that fact that Karl never said anyone else was involved in his experimental, possibly illegal, OR overlay.
Maximillion Headroom: Really, he said we were friends? Oh, didn't think he felt that way, poor guy. Yeah you're right, he could have ratted me out for allowing him to use my Pavilion for his testing, could have got me in a little trouble with the law. Yeah should help him out, what do you need?
Intimidate:
(Strength check)
You sternly mention to Maximillion that you are here representing Sergeant Nicolev, and that he will investigate any issues that impede this priority case. You ask him if he is impeding the investigation?
Maximillion Headroom: No, no, I don't want any Consortium trouble. I'll help with anything you need.
Either success continues:
You ask him for the name of the man that Karl was speaking to the other day. Any information he can give you regarding this man and his activities will be greatly appreciated.
Maximillion Headroom: Yeah, I remember. He name is Teddy, a local gambler, always betting on the OmRe Athletics games. He seemed very interested in Karl that day, had a good long chat with him. It was surprising as Teddy hadn't been around for a while, he was keeping a low profile as he had some serious bad debts.
Me: Thanks Max, can you think of anything else about this gambler?
Maximillion Headroom: Now that you mention it, Teddy was very odd that day. He even asked me if I could help him with some hacking. He must have thought I could do it looking at me, but what he was asking for was too advanced, also sounded a little illegal, and I don't do any of those kinds of things.
- "What type of hacking was he looking for?"
Me: What type of hacking?
Maximillion Headroom: Firstly, he asked for some AR manipulation, not very hard, but not the kind of work I usually do. But his second request was a real doozy. Some serious security hacking, really not my expertise. He said it was for some prank he wanted to pull, not sure what type of prank required Consortium override protocols, but that's what he said.
You thank Maximillion for the information on this gambler and promise to let Karl and the Sergeant know how helpful he was. You decide to head back to the Brig and report these new developments to Sergeant Nicolev.
Report back to the Brig
Next area: Brig, The House of Syria
- Report to Sergeant Nicolev
You walk into the Brig and there seems to be chaos. Officers running out, a few technicians with them. You find Sergeant Nicolev in his office looking distraught.
Cage Nicolev: Oh, you're back, hope you have some good news. We've had some very bad developments here.
He goes on to explain that he's had an analytical look at the footage and found that the whole thing was manipulated AR. Karl was not the shooter, in fact, it was one of the Consortium drones monitoring the Amphitheater that shot the envoy. You confirm that matches your news from the Inn, where you found out that Karl had met a local gambler called Teddy. It happens that this guy was also looking for specific hacking services, Consortium override protocols and AR visual graphics.
Cage Nicolev: Teddy? I have never heard of him. No-one on this station could have handled the hack, he must have got help elsewhere. Bypassing our security protocols is a very difficult proposition. Very few people out there have the skills for this kind of hack. Add the AR manipulations into it as well, I can only think of one group operating out of The House of Congo that can undertake this, the Caracal. Not sure how we can confirm this though.
All paths continue:
Me: We can try contacting them using the Mesh.
Cage Nicolev: The Mesh? Do you think that will work?
You explain that it doesn't hurt to try and if successful, could lead to a breakthrough. Also more likely if you tried rather than any official Consortium approach. You doubt these Freebooters have much respect for the law.
Me: Shall I give it a go?
Cage Nicolev:Yes of course, go ahead. What approach will you take?
You discuss with the Sergeant a couple of ways. Either play to their pride or bait them into responding. Either could work to get in touch, but finding out any further information will need some quick negotiating.
You start with the linkup, and gradually move through the data paths in the Mesh to try and make contact.
- Bait the Caracal into responding by laughing at their work.
- Praise the hacking job on the Mesh to get a response.
Praise:
You lavishly praise the disruption of the OmRe Tourney on the Mesh. Carefully mentioning how impeccable the visual effects were, and stating how you've never seen quality of this nature, even on a station known for this kind of AR manipulation.
You take a few moments, then try a different section of the Mesh with similar messaging. You continue this pattern until you have complimented the overall hack seen today on several Freebooter forums.
Goetia – Caracal Elite (No Pronouns Please!): A true fan, always good to speak with people who appreciate my work. I'm glad you enjoyed our little prank today!
Bait:
You start down a derogatory path in the Mesh, specifically laughing at the bad hack job you've seen today at the Amphitheater. Claiming that even children here on House of Syria could do it better, posing serious doubts that the people responsible have any comparable skills.
You take a few moments, then try a different section of the Mesh with similar messaging. You continue this pattern until you have insulted the overall hack seen today on several Freebooter forums.
Goetia – Caracal Elite (No Pronouns Please!): Obviously good art is never appreciated by the goram sheep! Probably too dense to see the humor in the prank, to be expected from Consortium lackeys.
Either choice continues:
You nod at the pacing Sergeant, giving him a positive look. Time to get the information about the hack.
- Anger the Caracal into helping you.
- Convince the Caracal into helping you.
Convince:
(Intelligence check)
Failure
Your attempts are not working, continue trying.
- Anger the Caracal into helping you.
- Convince the Caracal into helping you.
Success
You continue the conversation with Goetia, but shift the tone to imply that the Caracal, and overall "hacktivist" culture must have had a drop in morale code, even for Freebooters. You've never heard of assassination being just a prank.
Goetia – Caracal Elite (No Pronouns Please!): What assassination?
Me: The murder of a Consortium official at the OmRe Tourney!
You explain that the AR manipulation was used to frame someone for a murder, which was done by a hacked security drone. You continue by stating your surprise that the Caracal are now doing 'murder for hire' jobs, having thought that the hacktivists on The House of Congo had slightly higher standards than that. This seems to have hit a nerve.
Goetia – Caracal Elite (No Pronouns Please!): We were only told of prank to disrupt the OmRe Tourney, not a murder. It sounded funny and we decided to help. We don't take payment for our hacking activities, please don't insult us! The Caracal do not need financial incentive to spread our 'Booter chaos, but at the same time, we don't appreciate being used.
Me: It looks like you were tricked into doing this.
You convince Goetia that whoever approached them has taken advantage of their free and wild spirit and put the blame entirely on their hands. Surely they would like to help get revenge for this. You ask for any information on who asked for their help.
Anger:
(Social check)
Failure
Your messages are not getting through to them, try again.
- Anger the Caracal into helping you.
- Convince the Caracal into helping you.
Success
You continue your conversation with Goetia, but this time you start heavily implying that the Caracal have become no more than intergalactic thugs playing pranks. Little more than pawns to petty criminals, paid to help with murder and then laugh about it.
Goetia – Caracal Elite (No Pronouns Please!): What murder? Who are you calling pawns!?
Me: The murder of a Consortium official at the OmRe Tourney!
This seems to have hit a nerve. You explain that the AR manipulation was used to frame someone for a murder, which was done by a hacked security drone. You continue by stating your amusement that the Caracal are now doing 'murder for hire' jobs, having thought that the famed hacktivists on The House of Congo didn't take instructions from anyone.
Goetia – Caracal Elite (No Pronouns Please!): We were only told of prank to disrupt the OmRe Tourney, not a murder. It sounded funny and we decided to help. We don't take payment for our hacking activities, please don't insult us! The Caracal do not need financial incentive to spread our 'Booter chaos, but at the same time, we don't appreciate being used.
Me: It looks like you were tricked into doing this.
You persuade Goetia that whoever approached them has taken advantage of their free and wild spirit and put the blame entirely on their hands. Surely they would like to help get revenge for this. You ask for any information on who asked for their help.
Either success continues:
Goetia – Caracal Elite (No Pronouns Please!): I see, yes this makes us all look like simple bandits, when we are in fact artists! This man, Teddy as he introduced himself, has done us wrong. We will send you his hologram image and the details of the hack we did for him.
- Discuss the case with Sergeant Nicolev
As promised, Goetia sends through the data related to the hack and the hologram image of the man who asked for their help. Sergeant Nicolev goes through the information, ticking off each line of code used for the hack, and comparing it with the security protocols that were bypassed on the drone. He even checks the manipulated footage sent by Goetia and it clearly matches the AR feed that was in the Amphitheater.
Cage Nicolev: Yeah, that's a complete match. This is the evidence we need to arrest Teddy for this crime. We need to show Karl the image, just to confirm he is the same man that was talking to him in the Inn. But there's still questions. Why did Teddy do this in the first place?
- Go see Karl.
You leave Sergeant Nicolev's office and head to the cells to see Karl.
Speak with Karl in his cell.
- Speak to Karl.
You get to the cell where they are keeping Karl. Both you and Sergeant Nicolev enter, and he intentionally leaves the door open, leaving Karl with a sense of relief. You show him the hologram image of Teddy.
Me: Karl, is this the man you spoke to in the Inn?
Karl Guigino: Yes, that's him. That's the guy who told me about the envoy. He was adamant I went to see him that day and at that event. Never understood why, but it's all making sense now. Especially since he held me up at the Amphitheater as well.
Cage Nicolev: He what?! You didn't say he was also at the tournament? This places him at the crime scene as well.
Karl Guigino: I was in shock, I wasn't thinking clearly. Yeah, he was there outside section 63, near the betting windows. He held me up, always checking his CORETECHS for something, and finally let me go ahead.
Me: Sergeant, we need to have another look at the surveillance footage.
You explain how you need to check the video from outside the entrance to see what Teddy did before and after the murder.
- Check footage of outside the Amphitheater.
You go back to the Sergeant's office and start going through the video footage from earlier. You tell him to start at the entrance of section 63 as Karl said, maybe even start from earlier back to see the build-up, not to miss anything.
As both of you watch the video link, you catch your first sight of Teddy on the screen. He seems to be meeting with a familiar looking man wearing an athlete's haptic suit.
Cage Nicolev: That's the athlete from the footage. He was racing when the murder happened. In fact he took a fall on the last bend, very strange coincidence.
You see Sergeant Nicolev call one of his officers at the Amphitheater and ask them to speak with the athlete. You continue watching and finally see Karl being stopped by Teddy. You notice yourself pass them both and head up to the seats, with Karl still be held up by a very distracted Teddy.
Cage Nicolev: He's holding him back, waiting for just the right time. He's probably hacking the drone whilst speaking with him.
You let the Sergeant continue with his live commentary without interrupting, the anticipation of Teddy's next actions gripping your attention. From the video, you see the officers rush off, it must be right after the murder. Teddy runs to the betting window weirdly, and after a few minutes runs off away from the Amphitheater with a huge smile on his face.
Cage Nicolev: What was that all about? Why go to the betting window? We need to speak with my team at the Amphitheater, question the athlete that Teddy met with and also the betting clerk at that booth.
- "Let's speak with the betting clerk first."
- "Let's speak with your officers at the Amphitheater."
Betting clerk:
Sergeant Nicolev sets up the call, making it public for you to listen in as well. While you are both re-watching the footage of Teddy at the betting window, he connects through to the clerk.
Cage Nicolev: Hello, this is Sergeant Nicolev. We have some questions about a customer that was at your booth earlier, right after the incident in the Amphitheater.
You both listen to the clerk's recap of their interaction with Teddy. You are told that within seconds of the race finishing, he came up to collect his significant winnings. He had placed a very specific bet, with very high odds, and it all paid out. In fact it has now been raised as a suspicious bet, but at the time of the race, all attention had gone to the murder, with the result not being questioned until much later.
Cage Nicolev: So are you saying that he made a killing with this bet? What was the specific wager?
You hear the details, specifically related to a participant falling on the last bend of the race, and the amount of time the athlete was down before finishing last. The betting service takes all manner of wagers, including ones based on small points like this, but never have they had one this peculiar before. It definitely would have been flagged as a suspect situation if it wasn't for the commotion and panic of the murder.
Sergeant Nicolev thanks the clerk and ends the call. He turns to you.
If you haven't yet spoken with his officers:
Cage Nicolev: I need to confirm with my officers if they found the athlete, find out how involved he is with all this.
- "Let's speak with your officers at the Amphitheater."
Sergeant Nicolev sets up another open call. While you are both re-watching the footage of Teddy meeting with the athlete, he connects through.
Cage Nicolev: Anderson report, did you find the athlete?
The officer recounts their interrogation of the athlete. You find out that he initially ran off when approached by security staff, but was caught after a short chase. Once in custody, he was very forthcoming, including admitting to race fixing. The athlete was paid to take a fall in his event and purposely finish last. He was coerced into doing this by a local gambler.
Cage Nicolev: What does he know about this gambler?
Officer Anderson continues with the athlete's statement, implicating Teddy as said gambler, and adding that he had serious debts to bookies all around this station. He needed to land a big score to repay what he owed.
Cage Nicolev: Good work Anderson, bring him to the Brig.
Sergeant Nicolev turns to you.
If you haven't yet spoken with the clerk:
Cage Nicolev: We need to speak with the betting clerk that attended to Teddy, confirm our suspicions.
After speaking with both the clerk and the officers:
Cage Nicolev: So what does all this have to do with the murder?
- "It must all connect somehow?"
- "It was all a distraction!"
Distraction:
Me: It was a distraction!
Cage Nicolev: What was a distraction? The murder?
You go through the facts with Sergeant Nicolev. You already knew that Teddy was responsible for both the AR manipulation and the drone hack, courtesy of the Caracal. He was responsible for Karl being in there at that specific moment. Those were his means. What we didn't know until now was his motive. He did it all to score a huge payday.
Cage Nicolev: He could have just fixed the race, why go through with the murder?
Me: The clerk just answered that.
You explain it was a strange bet, with a big payout. It would have been investigated, but the murder was a significant distraction so that he can quickly get his winnings without question.
Cage Nicolev: And Karl and the envoy, how do they fit in?
Me: To distract you and the rest of security.
You continue that the AR and the crowd clearly showing Karl gave the law an easy suspect. The envoy could have been any Consortium official, what Teddy needed was for the act to be linked to terrorism, at least initially. You guess he thought it would be the automatic response considering the diplomatic tension within this system. It would at least give him some time.
Cage Nicolev: He must have known we would find out eventually. Karl wouldn't have kept quiet for long, leading us to check a clean version of the footage to verify. But you're right, we would have gone down the terrorism reasoning first.
Cage Nicolev: Teddy wouldn't stay on the station. He must be planning to run off before we figure all this out. Maybe we can still catch him? Let's go speak with the quartermaster at the Port, see if she's seen him.
Connect somehow:
Me: This all has to connect somehow, right?
Cage Nicolev: Let's go through what we know. The Caracal have given us the proof that Teddy used their code for the AR manipulation and the hack of the drone. He was responsible for Karl being there at that specific moment. He had the means, what we didn't know was his motive, until now. He did it all for the massive payday.
Me: If he's already fixed the race, why go through with the murder?
Cage Nicolev: The clerk just told us. It was a strange bet, with a big payout. It would have been investigated, but the murder was a significant distraction so that he could quickly get his winnings without question.
Me: What about Karl and the envoy, and how did they fit in all this?
Cage Nicolev: To distract us. We all saw the AR stream, Karl was an easy suspect. We stormed in and didn't question it. And the envoy could have been any Consortium official, what Teddy needed was for the act to be linked to terrorism, at least initially. Which I did, we were told to keep an eye out for any suspicious activities with the LeGuin talks taking place. It would at least given him some time.
You tell the Sergeant that Teddy must have known you would check the footage and figure out that Karl didn't do it. But maybe not so soon. You suggest trying the Port to see if you can still catch him.
Cage Nicolev: You're right, we should speak with the quartermaster, see if she's seen him.
Both paths continue:
Head to the Port.
Next NPC: Theodora Ripley, Port, The House of Syria
- Speak to the Quartermaster.
You and the Sergeant head to the Port, hoping you're not too late. Unlike the Brig, here your CORETECHS view is bombarded with the AR timetables and signs, straining your vision. You spot the quartermaster and run to her.
Theodora Ripley: Sergeant, what can I do for you?
Cage Nicolev: Quartermaster, we are looking for a murderer, we believe he will be trying to leave this station immediately, have you seen this man?
Sergeant shows her an image of Teddy, asking if he has passed through here recently. You see the quartermaster look closely at the image.
Theodora Ripley: Wait a minute, he looks familiar. Yes, he passed by earlier looking for a private dock. He was heavily burdened, a lot of luggage, you might be able to catch him.
The quartermaster gives you directions to one end of the Port, and you and the Sergeant rush off.
Head to the Docks.
Next area: Docks, The House of Syria
- Run to the far end of the Docks.
You and the Sergeant weave through the crowds and sprint toward the private docks. As you pass by several ships and their flashy AR enhancements, you see a man at a distance dragging two large bags behind him. When you get closer, he turns and spots you. He drops his luggage and starts to run off.
Teddy is getting away, you can try to stop him.
- Throw luggage to trip Teddy.
- Let Sergeant Nicolev handle this.
- Run and tackle Teddy.
Tackle:
(Strength check)
You run up behind Teddy, getting closer with each stride. Once you are close enough you leap and wrap your arms around his legs. He falls head first, knocking himself out.
- Arrest Teddy.
Throw:
(Strength check)
Inspired by OmRe games, you find a suitcase nearby and grab it by the handle. With one spin of your body, you gain enough momentum to fling the bag. It passes over the heads of several travelers and strikes Teddy on his back. He falls over, knocking his head.
- Arrest Teddy.
Nicolev:
Cage Nicolev: Stop Teddy! Stop or I will shoot.
You see Teddy continue to run off. The Sergeant shoots him with what seems like a stunning bolt, hitting Teddy with an electric cackle, knocking him out.
- Speak with Sergeant Nicolev.
You congratulate the Sergeant on his shot. You see him approach Teddy and check on him. Once he puts him in binds, he makes a call to ask for some reinforcements from the Amphitheater to come to the Port. He then turns to you.
Cage Nicolev: Shot was nothing, part of the job. But you were a great help with the case, thank you. You have done the Consortium and this station a great service. Please take this as reward for your "consultation" services, if you're ever back here, come look me up.
You have received 240.00 credits.
You have completed the "Making a Killing" mission.
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