second trial

[airlockedmods]

[When the announcement sounds and the evidence gathered it’s time for a trial. When the remaining champions are all gathered by the repaired docking bay doors they slide slowly slide open.

The two lines of sentry robots are there again, creating a border path from the docking bay doors to the circle of metal podiums. The podiums themselves were made of strange metals in red and gold and orange and black, each one etched with the name of one of the Champions. There are flood lights - like spot lights - in front of each podium. The lights on Diego, Kiss-Shot and Erika's podiums have been turned off and their floating grey scale portraits have joined the four from last week.

Blaze Dudely stands on a repair deck on top of his ship, which looms over the proceedings ominously. Rather than the glee the Champions may think he would take in this kind of display, he merely stands there with his arms crossed, expression unreadable and his cyborg eye scanning the Champions with a piercing scrutiny, like he's searching for one of them to act out of line.]

Mornin’, Champions. Here’s how this is goin’ to go: take the evidence ya found, piece together what happened and find who took out the Champion Detective and... [He pauses, running through Kiss-Shot's excessively long title in his head.] The vampire one. Founders, I regret giving her that title. If ya find them, they’ll be dealt with. If ya don’t, they’ll be free to go and the rest of ya will face punishment. Take the time ya need but don’t bore me.

Comments

[tenimuho]

[Oda has a significant amount of blood splashed on his pants that he didn't have earlier in the morning.

Guess who found the blood.]

There was a bucket of blood in the fridge in the infirmary. Since Kiss-Shot was drained of blood, and didn't die of bloodloss unlike Erika, I expect it came from her.

There was a bloody chef's knife on the floor, but while it could have been used to cut at her kneck, the wound on her chest was too small to have been made with that knife. It could have been made with a knife from the incinerator room instead. In addition, that chest wound was very precise and straight to the heart.

[andneversaydie]

...

I'm so glad I just left the room.

[tenimuho]

That's probably for the best. I'm glad I put gloves on first.

[heartswapped]

It...was probably for the best.

[silverguitarhero]

It seems her killer knew how to handle vampires, then.

[tenimuho]

A knife through the heart and then trying to remove the head. Even if you know that the heart is what you should aim for, you wouldn't be able to make a stab that precise unless you'd done this before.

[empathiser]

That, or in depth knowledge of anatomy.

[tenimuho]

Theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge are different. Even if you know where the heart is, it's unlikely that you'll be able to stab there in one precise go. Your hands will waver, the target will move - that was definitely not the work of someone who hadn't stabbed anyone before.

[power_of_dominance]

The killer drained the vampire's blood? Were they hoping to use it somehow? Maybe... to become a vampire themselves?

[That's a horrifying thought, but being a vampire would allow someone to survive on the blood of others, rather than being subjected to the slow starvation they're all feeling.]

[tenimuho]

Kiss-Shot told me that she could make a vampire thrall by almost draining someone, but not completely. If becoming a vampire was their goal, they killed their only chance.

[power_of_dominance]

But what if they didn't know that? Classical vampire myth, at least from my world, says you have to drink the vampire's blood to become one.

[tenimuho]

...Nobody else talked to her about this?

[Oda.]

It only came up because I wanted to know if she was eating well enough, but still...

[Oda, no one else liked her.]

[canted]

It's a way to keep a vampire dead. [He frowns.] Their blood has healing properties, I'm not sure a single wound to the heart is enough to keep one dead even if their powers aren't working.

[goldrighthand]

Erika had no blood whatsoever left in her body. [legit. One might notice Akande seems actually a little...disturbed by this? He's frowning and his brow's furrowed, at least.] We had assumed Kiss-Shot drained her, as there were two puncture wounds at her neck.

[And, you know. Assuming she's actually a vampire.]

[tenimuho]

That seems like the most likely sequence of events. Kiss-Shot drained Erika, and then whoever it was that killed Kiss-Shot drained her.

The bloody knife that could have caused Kiss-Shot's chest wound was in the infirmary, so it's possible that our third party found her in the act of draining Erika and stabbed her there.

[heartswapped]

[She takes out the little plastic baggie containing the knife and gently puts it on her podium. Hey, look, it's hard to make sure it doesn't rip when plastic baggies are notoriously delicate and there's a goddamn knife in there.]

[power_of_dominance]

Puncture wounds? That's... incredibly damning....

But that doesn't explain who took out Kiss-Shot.

[tenimuho]

What about how her head was burnt? There isn't any particular reason for Kiss-Shot to do that. What if it was the third party?

[pr159]

Did anyone check the vampire's stomach contents?

[tenimuho]

I don't believe so, no. Why?

[canted]

I wasn't about to cut a body open with only a kitchen knife.

[OR STRAIGHT UP STAB IT, AKANDE.]

[neverheardofhim]

Shit. Guess Leopn was right to worry.

[chides]

There was also a blood trail in the hallway that lead to the fire room, and then stopped immediately near the entrance.

[ and then uh

also. erika's stupid pirate hat is here? he puts it on his podium. ]

I also found this at the start of the blood trail. It was probably Erika's.

[tenimuho]

So there was definitely an attack in the hallway, before anyone entered the fire room.

[chides]

[ he nods. ]

That's where I believe Erika was killed.