The Mock Trial

[airlockedmods]

[Jesse McCree is dead, the first victim of, what the Overseers seem to hope, is a long game of motives and murder for whatever their reasons. With the investigation completed, C.E.C.E.'s voice comes over the system and directs the Champions to proceed to the locked elevator door at the end of the hallway. Once all Champions are on board, the elevator begins a slow descent down beyond any area that they've been able to explore so far. At least the elevator music is charming.

When the elevator door opens, the Champions enter a courtroom with 21 podiums arranged in a circle and each one marked with a name. McCree's face grins casually at the 20 surviving members from one of the podiums, a greyscale portrait in honor of the dead.]

Congratulations. We have now entered the trial portion of the test. I trust that you will do your best to determine who disturbed the peace by committing murder. Once the culprit has been found, they will face an appropriate punishment for their crime. If you fail to determine the culprit, however, they will be allowed to leave the space station and the rest of you will face punishment instead.

Comments

[misinforms]

I'm sorry... I'm not quite sure I know what you're talking about.

[She seems okay now that the writing is done. Perhaps a little too calm.]

[have_a_heart]

Saenoki-san. It is hard to fake your writing. It always looks inaccurate. ...What is it that you are afraid of?

[misinforms]

Afraid? I'm afraid I'm not afraid of anything.

[And she certainly seems it. Nothing anxious about her now.]

[have_a_heart]

Everybody is. Enough to hide something.

[misinforms]

I have nothing to hide. I've done what I needed to.

[semperperatus]

...I think you do.

[So many swear words as Shepard internally screams. It feels like every word is a bullet zipping towards her. The emotion in his voice, what can be heard in it, sounds more upset than angry.]

When you saw me come in with the toilet paper and I explained what I was doing with it, you...said you weren't aware of what I told you about blood - that it doesn't clot the same way in zero gravity - and that you hadn't considered that someone would examine the ladder and measure it out the way I did.

There's a...lot of things pointing to you right now, so...

[Looking down at his toilet paper.]

Whoever did this...their hands would have to be able to hold comfortably on the rung with blood that's closest to the bottom of the ladder, and I marked as many rungs above and below that one as I could. I was going to try and do a check on this, have people pretend they were climbing the ladder to see where their hands would have go in order for them to hand touched ground when using it as a tether in zero gravity. It was the best way I could think of to compare people if it came to that.

[Looking back up at Naho.]

So if...I measured you right now with this...had you pretend you were on that ladder...would your hands measure up to where that rung is?

[refusedtoleave]

[Natsuhi's just going blankly look between them.]

She's just a child...

[misplacedxsheath]

So? I've seen younger children kill before.

[have_a_heart]

He has a point.

[refusedtoleave]

What kind of place are you from to see that...

[almightyconflagration]

Me too. I've seen a girl who was six kill and gleefully at that.

[semperperatus]

Don't you think I know that?

[He looks delighted with these developments! And by delighted we mean he looks absolutely crushed at the way this is going]

[refusedtoleave]

[She takes a breath and clears her throat. Then looks over in Naho's direction, but not directly at her.]

Just...let him measure you. It's the easiest way to sort this out.

[voltrounds]

She isn't much younger than me.

[She'll just let the implications of saying that like it's relevant be implied.]

[misinforms]

[........well this is unfortunate. Naho sighs. She crosses her arms across her stomach.]

I wasn't aware of what you told me that is correct. I have been to multiple dimensions, but I have never been to space before. And I did mean to compliment you on being a competent investigator. I didn't expect to go up against someone with such a sharp mind.

Well. I guess it couldn't be helped.

[She drops her arms and shakes her head.]

Do you remember-- I told you that there was someone I wanted to help with my gifts? He is currently located in a dangerous place. If they had done as they threatened, then he would die, without question. He cannot escape that place. I had no choice if I was to save his life.

[She speaks as if she'd already given up on her own life. Because she has. As long as Kou Kibiki lives, she will gladly forfeit her own life. If that didn't make it clear enough, then let her put it plainly.]

That won't be necessary. I killed him.. Let's just put an end to this farce.

[semperperatus]

...Yeah. I do remember.

[She is right. There's not much else to say. He can't be that mad at her. She knows she was ultimately wrong. Even if it was to save someone, this--

this is all just wrong. They shouldn't be here, and now.

What are they going to do, kill her?

...




Godamnit they had better not--]

[have_a_heart]

...Thank you.

He cannot escape? Even with whatever technology this place has brought us here with?

[stitch_in_time]

I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to make that choice.

[misplacedxsheath]

I suppose I owe you gratitude. You've spared my people a gruesome fate, and given me more time to find a means if escape beyond resorting to senseless death.

[damnfourthemerald]

May I ask, why Jesse McCree? Was it simply a matter of convenience, the right place at the right time?

[refusedtoleave]

You...[If Natsuhi was honest she'd hoped that the girl was too short. Even if that put them back to square one when they running out of time.]

What happens now?

[overears]

[Well, there's that. Chanel 3 has heard worse reasons to kill someone- but, whatever, this whole thing has gone on too long.]

So, we're done?

[thetimebomb]

You really did, huh?

[Her voice is emotionless. She can't say she really feels sorry for her, after all even if she's a kid, she killed someone. Still, it was the Overseer's fault. They were the one who pressured her to kill. They were the real enemies here. And the fact that she still can't do anything about it upset her more than she cares to admit.]

[returnofme]

Ah, kriff.

[She was just a kid... but he wasn't much more of a kid himself the first time he'd killed anyone... a lot of people, actually, even if they were people who'd destroyed Alderaan and were going to do the same to the moon of Yavin.]

[humanitarianherbalist]

You have...saved more than just the one you care for. I am grateful to you for that. [He bows to her for a moment.]