The Game Thread

[Huitzil]

1.39: THE USUAL SUSPECTS

The chief glowers. "I don't know how things are back in the Stellar Ring, missy, but around here people don't fake holovids. Maybe you have some sort of hyper-interpolative camera back on Sol, but here you can't fake movement without it looking like a marionette, or at least like they're floating in zero-G. The cameras just can't get enough data to make the movements look natural.

If it is a fake, it is the best fake I have ever seen in my life. And it doesn't shine well on your supposed innocence when the first words out of your mouth are telling me how stupid I am and how I'm supposed to do my job.""

[Brian]

1.40 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Frowning dourly, no trace of his earlier nervousness visible, Jim crosses his arms over his chest and then eyes the man behind the desk, as though to say, 'I'm just as confused as you are,' though he actually says nothing.

[Bjorn]

1.41 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

"Explain?"  Finn cocks an eyebrow, and rolls the bolt from one side of her mouth to the other.  "Y'know, 's kinda hard to explain.  I mean, y'know, tryin' to explain how if t' holo is right, then the Rigger pants-chaser was fulla pigsmelt on every newchannel on t' Station, or how a buncha alleged stone-cold killers that c'n sneak a magic poison inta a major suit don' bother ta check for bugs, or, y'know, how that ain't me, an' why you ain't offered ta get me a lawyer yet."

[Huitzil]

Corwin rolls a 17 for an Ordinary success

A fair number of poisons could do that, most of them engineered by the Thuldan Empire. Necrotoxins, ingested, dissolve the flesh of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract like ten thousand ulcers at once.

[Corwin]

1.42: THE USUAL SUSPECTS

"So what can we do for you, Officer?" Sean asks nonchalantly. "I don't believe there's an explanation to that video both of us would be satisfied with."

[Dracos]

1.43: THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Left alone in the cell, Zippy set himself up by the corner of the room, leaning against the wall.  The humans weren't around for a while it seemed.  And he was left here alone in the prisons.  Oh well, one spot to stand was as good as another.

Beep.  Zippy pulled out a harmonic, slowly beginning to play.

~o/
I am just a robot, though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance,
For a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises.
All lies and jest.
Stil a robot hears what he wants to hear and deletes the rest.

When I left my factory and robots, I was no more than a scrap,
In the company of luggage,
In the quiet of a starrail station, runnin' scared.
Layin' low, seeking out the richer quarters,
where the slaving robots go.
Lookin' for the places, only they would know.

lie-la-lie...

Asking only proper maintainance I come lookin' for an owner,
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the scrapyard on seventh avenue.
I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome,
I almost went right there.
Oooh la, la, la.../o~

Zippy played upon his harmonica, methodically filling the tune in before the next verse.

~o/
Then I'm laying out my deflector shields
And wishing they were used
Going back
Where the New Star City winters aren't a-freezin' me,
Freezin' me, Going back...

In the clearing stands of starport, and a guard by his trade,
and he carries the reminders of ev'ry gun that laid him down,
or shocked him, till he cried out, in his anger and his shame,
"I am breaking, I am breaking"
But the robot still remains...
Lie la lie.../o~


Taking ya up on the digital harmonica! ^_^.  To the tune of "The Boxer".  Know that the ROBOT LIVES TO SAVE YOU ALL BY THE POWER OF MUSIC!

Dracos

[Prince Herb]

1.44 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

"Look, hon, if you're starting from the premise that you guys on the Verge are too lo-tech to fake this kind of thing, then you're bound to be barking up the wrong tree.   That recording stinks to high heaven in so many ways that if your coppering senses aren't already warning you that it's a red herring, nothing I can say can help you."   Nancy smiles sweetly at him.

Nancy uses Seduce to turn away wrath.   Skill is 13/6/3, -1 for Great Looks

[Ginrai]

1.45 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Looking on with a neutral expression, George says nothing as he waits to see how the officer will respond to the comments made by Sean and Nancy.

[Huitzil]

1.46: THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Harrison cannot use her Seduce skill: target is too hostile and she's working to make him moreso.

"I had called you all in like this to give you a chance, to let you explain yourselves. The guys always say I'm too lenient with suspects, and I guess this proves 'em right.

"I tell you what, you stuck-up Solar bitch. I'm going to rewind this and hit Play again, and you are going to show me exactly what proves this video to be a fake, or I am going to lock all of you up for homicide."

He slaps the "Previous Track" and "Play" buttons in succession. Put up or shut up time.

[Brian]

1.47 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Clearing his throat quietly, Jim Gammel uncrosses his arms, ignoring the video as it plays. "Uh, Sir," he offers in a familiar tone, his expression shifting from neutral to friendly smile. "I think I can help sort out what the lady here is saying." Slowly, and with carefully deliberate movements, he pulls his shiny PDA from one pocket, showing it towards the officer. "Cutting edge," he explains, running a finger across the edge of a holo display affectionately. "This is hot out of Sol, and it's just the tip of the ice-berg as far as these kind of toys go."

Turning to the holo display, which is still running, Jim squints, as though peering closely at some minor detail, then nods knowingly. "See, I saw something like this in the back corner when I went to pick up my PDA. Saying that it's gonna be great for special effects and stuff. Well, I don't make holos, so it doesn't interest me much. But I did see it. They got some pricey software for big-name studios."

At the officer's unflinchingly blank expression, Jim's expression wilts slightly, but he quickly recovers his demeanor, continuing, "Now, I know this is hard to believe, maybe, but I have a friend on this very station who happens to be pretty good with software. He runs deep into code and he's a big holo fan. I'm willing to bet good money that if we show this video to him, he can prove exactly what's legit, and what's not. Sound like a plan, Officer?"

Jim Gammel is attempting to use his Deception - Bluff skill on the Officer. His skill is 14/7/3.

[Huitzil]

1.48: THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Gammel rolls a 13 for an Ordinary success

He thinks for a moment. "If you know an expert in the field, I suppose you can call him -- you are entitled to a call if you end up arrested anyway. I'm sure ALL of us would appreciate more information as to the veracity of this data." He glares at Nancy.

"Do you have your own phone, or do you need mine?"

[Brian]

1.49 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Pulling a VoidCorp Space-N-Gage unit from a pocket on his leather vest, Jim continues to smile his stupid grin, and says, "I've got my own, Sir. Just a moment." Jim presses a few buttons, causing the phone to emit a variety of expensive and designer tones before holding it up to his ear. "Hey, Tony!" he says in a pleasant voice. "How ya been? Yeah.... Yeah.... No, Jim. Jim Gammel." Jim's smile becomes slightly strained. "Hey, look, I need to ask you a big favor. I'm down at the station. There's been a bit of a misunderstanding, and the police say that an expert witness, such as yourself, would be able to examine the piece of evidence we've got here. Yeah. Yeah." Jim's eyebrow twitches slightly. "Set it to fucking record. I know it's Space Monk. It'll still be there when you get back. Look, you gonna return the favor I did for you, or not?"

Jim Gammel is attempting to use his Interaction - Bargain skill on Tony Larouix. His skill is 16/8/4, and he has a -1 step bonus for his Networked perk.

[Huitzil]

Gammel rolls a 1 for an Amazing success.

Jim: He tells you he'll be down there as soon as he can.

[Bjorn]

1.50 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

As Jim makes his phone call, Finn leans forward, light flaring from the green lens covering her left eye for a second.  "So, just t' be clear, lemme get t'is straight:  we ain't akchally arrested at t'is node?"

[Brian]

1.51 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Glancing back at Finn briefly, Jim asserts, "He'll be here as soon as he can, Sir."