ximilialog | MISSION: 4:50 TO VREFESEA

MISSION: 4:50 TO VREFESEA

● ● ● M I S S I O N 6 . 0

INTRO • FAR TO GO • BLOOD ON THE LINE • A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS • FYI

// INTRO. STAY ON TRACK  

This time, after a mission well executed, the weeks spent on the station might feel more restful than they have before before — but whatever the case, and whatever any orber might be occupied with, it is near midday when they all receive a file titled Steamhallow Express. The name might make you guess what the mission will be about before you even open it, but as always, Viveca’s familiar voice accompanies the file’s arrival shortly after.

// VIVECA.AI

Hi, everyone, hope you’ve had a good few weeks… and welcome to all new arrivals. I’ve sent everyone your next mission file. You’ll be taking a train from one city to another. I’ve located the orb to the city that is your final destination, Vrefesea, but it is an isolated city in the middle of the ocean, so you’ll have to get there like everyone else on the planet does: by the Steamhallow Express.

It’s an alien planet, but one without any magic, so those of you who have any abilities won’t have access to them during your time there. Don’t worry, you won’t suffer any side effects, it’ll be just like you’d never had any in the first place. Also, though the technology is rather advanced there, they don’t have any concept of robots or droids, so those of you will have to be masked with an illusion that gives you an organic appearance.

You’ll leave late tomorrow evening, so take this time to prepare — and remember, anything that is magic won’t work. That goes for items, weapons, anything.

The news may come as something of a shock and concern to some, and many will have to make some mental adjustments before the day of departure. Eventually the day turns to night, and then to morning, and time seems to move even slower still when evening approaches. Finally it’s hour one, and everyone on the team will arrive at the teleportation platform — there, the little cleaning bot is furiously scrubbing at a stain left on the floor from their previous mission. Beside it, Viveca floats in her robot body, smiling at each Orber.

// VIVECA.AI

I think at this point, you all know what to do. This mission will be a short one, I believe, so I expect to see you back here in a week or two, at most, depending how quickly you find the orb in Vrefesea. Good luck, everyone.

The loud hum of the teleportation machine is a comforting sound to some by this point… and if it isn’t, well, not to worry — soon, you’ll feel a tug somewhere behind your stomach, and the machine pulls you away, and it won’t matter anyway.

Yet again for a heartbeat, you simply hang there waiting… and then: the chorus of voices speaks and whispers in your ears the goal you must complete in exchange for the power waiting for you —

Without any time to answer, you open your eyes to the loud ambience of excitable chatter and the bustle of commuters moving to and fro within the busy terminal. Welcome to Craemore.

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// PART I.FAR TO GO  

The Craemore Terminal spreads in all directions around you: its glass ceiling filters multi-coloured light from the outside, filling the entire, large hall with a beautiful, almost ethereal glow. A giant, mechanical clock in the middle of the Terminal chimes with a strange melody, signifying that it is 2:30 — and, according to the sign that shows the arrivals and departures, the Steamhallow Express departs from platform 338 at 4:50.

1.0 What this means of course is that there is plenty of time to visit the ticket office to reclaim your punchcard, and maybe even pop into some of the stores before finding your way to the right platform. There are stores selling food and drinks if you’re feeling peckish, and some clothing and accessories stores for those who want to make sure they arrive at Vrefesea looking their best — and maybe also for those who want to make sure they fit in with the locals…

2.0 At the platform, some might witness a varied group of alien-looking passengers, all well dressed, the youngest girl still being a teenager and the eldest looking somewhere between his mid-to-late 30s by human standards. Some of them look more alike than others, and their loud exclamations carry over to where you’re covertly listening to them.

ODEN

Jove, is that really you? Never thought you’d get this big, I remember you when you were a little crofpole! It’s good to see you, brother. And you, Luna, it’s been too long.

TERRA

Wait, you’re Luna? Little Luna? I last saw you when you were a baby! Remember that, Helios? A nice break away from our studies, that was!

HELIOS

Yes, you were all too happy to skip a week of school. Sometimes I wonder why our parents didn’t send us all to the same school… it wouldn’t have taken so long to meet, then.

GOLDIE

Please, don’t blame Mama and Papa… you know they did the best they could, with their travels and all. We could have kept in touch better once we graduated, but…

LUNA

Hey, I haven’t even graduated yet!

GOLDIE

I know, sweetie. I’m just sorry Mama won’t be there for your graduation… but all of us will definitely be.

MARSHALL

Yes, we will. But let us face the facts: Mother is dead. She wants us to go to Vrefesea, so go we shall. Let’s take this as an opportunity to connect with each other after all this time.

JOVE

Well said! Let’s find our cars, we have plenty of time to chat aboard the train.

As they grab their bags and head towards the train, you realize it may be an opportune chance to follow a little ways behind … or maybe you’ll hang around on the platform for a while longer anyway, waiting for your fellow Orbers to arrive and board the train together with them.

3.0 Once inside the train, it is impossible to notice just how big it is: 120 cars in length, there is something for everyone: for the hungry, there are several cars lined with tables draped in silken cloths to cover them, servers in fancy suits delivering the highest-quality foods and beverages to you and your dining companions while a lounge singer croons a sweet tune in the corner of the room. Some cars are dedicated solely to dancing: the performers there have a larger stage to perform on, decked in velvety curtains and sparkling spotlights; and the floor, polished and shining, invites listeners to spend their night — or day — dancing it away. There are even cars for those looking for a little excitement in the form of games: the world’s version of pool, played with mechanical sticks and where the talent lies in being able to adjust the springs at just the right moment before a hit — easy enough to learn but difficult to master. There are also numerous card games played on decks that have different figures instead of single numbers and can be picked up through observing a couple of games beforehand. No matter your preference of entertainment, it shouldn’t be hard to find something to do.

And when you want to retire for the day — well, whether it’s a luxury cabin with a king-size bed, an armchair and even a little bookshelf of your own, or it’s one of the more worn-down cabins that you’ll share with anywhere from one to three other passengers … it all comes down to your luck and what level of punchcard you’ve been dealt. But there’s no need to despair if you’re one of the people with the cheapest ticket: you may have a friend staying in one of the better cabins that you can bunk with … or maybe you’ll get lucky and find an empty cabin whose lock you can pick to claim it for yourself. Just, you know, make sure you don’t get caught …

… especially when you see Valacar Pinot walk past in his bright shirt — because, harmless and sweet as the man may seem, you overhear him speaking with Helios Day:

HELIOS

Detective Pinot, what a surprise. What brings such a renowned man to Vrefesea? Business or pleasure?

VAL

A bit of both, a bit of both! Mr. Day, isn’t it? Might I have seen more of your family here? How intriguing — I never knew Felix and Hortensia had such a big family.

HELIOS

Yes, indeed. You see, Mother and Father worked all over the cities and outside them, so they sent us all to whatever boarding school was nearest to their work at the time… so really, most of us haven’t seen each other for over a decade.

VAL

Really? Well, it must’ve been your mother’s final wish to bring you all together again… my condolences for her passing.

Pinot and Helios walk away, chatting still, their voices growing fainter, but leaving you at least a little bit wiser — there’s a detective on board now, so being on your guard is not a bad idea.

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// PART II.BLOOD ON THE LINE  

You may be fast asleep in your designated car, or you might be having a quick night-cap or midnight snack in the dining car when you suddenly hear the screams. Dragged from your night activity, whatever that may be, you’ll shuffle out in your night-clothes (or your clothes from that day) and find some of the Day family looking utterly distraught. Luna is crouched by the corridor of the car, her arms around her knees, expression frozen in shock as Marshall hovers around her, looking gaunt. Goldie is in tears, making attempts to speak through the sobs wracking her small frame while Pinot in his loud-patterned robe tries to console her through awkward pats and equally awkward There, theres.

GOLDIE

I found him like that, me and — and Oden.We were about to say our goodnights, we hadn’t met each other before and we’d lost track of time, and just as we were about to go to our separate cabins, Oden calls out to me, “Jove! Jove!” I have never heard such a cry before! When I saw the body — oh, there was so much blood! I don’t know who would do such a thing! And why? Please, Detective, please do something!

4.0 If you decide to investigate a little closer, you’ll find Oden standing right by the door, arms hugging his chest. He looks like he’s about to be sick as he stares at the lifeless body of his brother, Jove, lying sprawled over the carpeted floor of their shared car. Jove’s condition is grim. Without touching the body, you might notice that beyond the blood-soaked robe of his night clothing, there are a series of stab wounds just under his ribs, each stab just a little more careful than the last. There is a crumpled up letter squeezed between the fingers of one hand, bits of broken wax seal under them. The other looks dirty with blood caught beneath the nails, the tips broken from struggle. The rest of the room seems untouched, a small box of toiletries in one corner, next to a lamplight, and a set of neatly folded clothes. It’s as though Jove hadn’t even had the chance to settle in for the night before his attack.

This is confirmed by Oden, who, turning to a pale Terra, says:

ODEN

If only I’d gone with him when he decided to turn in for the night…but Goldie and I stayed up talking and didn’t even notice how late it had got. I should have been there with him…!

TERRA

It’s not your fault, Oden. But seeing him like that… it’s almost like when he fell out of Dad’s study window as a kid, remember? But he — he was fine, then. I keep expecting him to laugh and get up —

She trails off with a choked sob, Helios stepping closer to wrap her in a hug.

Indeed, all the Day family are present and they all look some form of shocked and upset, which isn’t a surprise considering one of their siblings has been so brutally murdered. You might try and speak with one of them or have a look around the car — but be respectful, of course. A murder has just happened.

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// PART III.A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS  

You can hear the way the Steamhallow Express slows to a halt, pulling in to a station much smaller than the one you just came from, the rhythmic chugga chugga coming to a stop. The mood is solemn and everyone aboard the train is still silent, keeping to themselves in light of last night’s events. A horror, really, you hear Terra whisper to her brother Helios, and from across the car, Luna and Marshall nod their heads in agreement. They look as though they haven’t slept a wink, faces waxy and wane, the circles under their eyes darker than they should be.

If you look out the window, you’ll see craggy rust-coloured rockfaces surround you that cast a warm shadow over the train. But just past the edge of the station platform is a metal-grated pathway leading directly into a cluster of individual buildings made of wood and steel and packed mud, and strings of colourful flags overhead flapping in the pleasant, cool breeze overhead. The sun overhead is bright and ever so inviting, reflecting off of the white walls and orange-red roofs. This is the trading city known as Qririe Cliffs, an in-between place that feels more old-school than any other location on Novis Nox.

5.0 Before any of the passengers, including you, are allowed to leave the confines of the train, a voice comes over the speakers in a tinny deep boom. The conductor’s voice is just a little too cheerful, given what you all remember transpired — but that’s just his job.

“Good afternoon everyone, this is your conductor speaking, we have been instructed to remain within the train for just a moment longer. No one is to gather their things, but most importantly we are all to remain calm. Given recent events, we have been informed that the Qririe Cliff’s fine authorities are on their way to speak with some of our passengers and gather information to share with the right folks when we reach our final destination in Vrefesea.

But until then there are still beverages and food in the dining cart, and why not catch up on your reading? Let us know if you require any assistance and a steward will be along shortly to help. Thank you, and we hope you choose to ride with us on the Steamhallow Express again in the future.”

The engines have now fully stopped with an exhale, and the voices of your fellow passengers and crew-members of the Ximilia sound louder than ever now, amplified in the silence. You might find you’ll need this moment to recount the events of last night alone, or find someone to speak with, to reassure yourselves that what happened really did happen. Perhaps some of you will take it upon yourselves to get to the bottom of what happened now that it’s daylight. Whatever the case may be, you don’t have much time.

6.0 In what feels like forever and yet no time at all, there is a loud banging from the outside of one of the cars, followed by a hollow, “Open up! It’s the QCPD,” as the authorities have finally arrived. That figure sitting by himself, arms folded across his chest, begins to straighten, scratching at his chin. The deep purple of his eyes blinks once, twice, and then he lets out a sigh.

“Well, it’s about time, boys. I’ve got a train to catch, after all!” he says, and you watch as Detective Pinot pushes through the crowd to get to the door, pushing it forward to reveal an organic with bright pink skin peering into the car. Pinot laughs at his own joke as the officer removes their hat and takes a few steps up to enter. And then the blue-skinned detective immediately gestures with a hand towards the cars towards the back. You might decide to follow them if you’re curious, but there isn’t much of a point before Pinot and the officer disappear into the crime scene, shutting the door and making it clear that this is now official business. Occasionally the detective will poke his head out and a couple of the Day family will be ushered in to clear up some of the details and to build the case. Some of the other passengers follow suit for witness statements.

It feels like hours have passed before the officers and the detective re-emerge. With solemn steps, they approach the car where most of the Ximilia crew (and some of the Steamhallow’s other passengers) have gathered. Detective Pinot remains silent — thoughtful and serious, which contrasts greatly to the print of a colourful deck of cards adorning his button-down shirt today — before the QCPD point in the directions of Clara Oswald and Peter Quill, and call their names out. A small folded sheet of paper, torn at one end, is held in the hand of one of the officers. There are a few gasps in the car as all eyes turn to Clara and Peter — or you.

Before anyone can react, the pink-skinned officer, joined by their partner, steps forward to detain the suspects in question. If it’s you they’ve arrested, it’s best to go quietly while the rest of your fellow crew members try and quickly sort this whole mess out. If you’re watching your friends being escorted off of the train, you still have some time to quickly try and investigate the crime scene now that the light is better. Pinot appears to be thinking the same thing, hanging back for a moment.

What you do with this limited time is up to you — what will you do next?

7.0 You might be a little shaken, but there is simply nothing anyone can do at the moment. Pinot might assure you that your friends aren't being imprisoned, and as long as the facts line up, the truth will come out in the end, and Clara and Peter will have their names cleared soon enough. He encourages you to go into the city for a couple of hours and lets you know that there are items here you’ll probably never see in Vrefesea or Craemore. It’s worth a look at least, isn’t it?

If you do decide to go into the city, you’ll find that the energy here is cheerful and bright and freeing. The people of this city have their wares out, spread across blankets and set up in tiny shops. Some of these items include: pottery, jewelry, small trinkets, collectibles, statuettes and prayer sculptures. There are more higher-tech items as well: gadgets and unfinished inventions, household appliances and even some small weapons. Some shops can barely fit more than two or three customers at a time; others are more like stalls with items set up under the shade of an awning. There is music in the little square and people are dancing — if they aren’t hanging out by the outdoor tables, enjoying delicious sweet and savoury foods and drinks. Something colourful and effervescent swirls in one woman’s glass; and a younger organic with bright green skin slurps up at what anyone from Earth might recognize as a frozen popsicle (or something very much like it). You might eventually see some of the Day family there too, Luna and Oden walking past you, and Terra by the edge of the waterside, solemnly watching the waves and the horizon.

You might nearly bump into Goldie Day who dips her head and apologizes, and then shuffles off towards an alleyway nestled between buildings, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

You’ll remember that the Steamhallow Express is set to disembark for Vrefesea by the evening, and hope that your fellow crew members are released from questioning, but you’ll want to make your way back to the train when the sun looks to be setting and people slowly begin to gather their wares back up for the night. There is still music and dancing and the lights from within buildings start to glow, lighting up the town in a different way — it’s beautiful, really, despite the events on the train — but this short reprieve must come to an end.

That evening, the Steamhallow Express leaves once more for Vrefesea. It will become more important than ever for the team to pull the information they’ve gathered together, whether through investigations on their own or speaking with Detective Pinot who seems surprisingly amenable to working this case with you. It might be the eagerness in your ambition, or the fact that he’s never had any kind of partner or team to work with before.

Or perhaps you want to investigate the dead man a little closer: kept in its own car separate from the main passenger baggage (something about the presence of mind, and perhaps the smell), Jove’s body is to be kept in some form of stasis before it’s transported to Vrefesea for an autopsy and investigation in another 36 or so hours.

There’s no guarantee that the body will be so easily accessible, however, and those of you more determined to get down to the truth might need to cause a distraction of sorts to gain access into the otherwise locked room.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place during the month of May. ICly, the train ride is 96 hours, along with the stop at Qririe cliffs.

• If you have questions about any of the prompts or the mission in general, please direct them HERE.

• To submit a search request regarding any clues, or to speak with any of the NPCs mentioned in the log, trying to overhear conversations, or exploring any specific place during any of the prompts, please do so HERE.

• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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▶ NAV

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1.0
[ This type of transportation is not something Spock has a lot of experience with. In fact, his best point of reference is from the books he's read and it's only logical that he pull from what he knows. This along with the fact that he does often devote himself to solving scientific inquiries leads itself to implying that he is in fact a detective. His elder counterpart has shown him that there is a strength in implication and that is what he intends to use here.

He is dressed primarily in black, simple and well-fitting, and he carries himself with confidence as he makes his way towards the train. There is little appeal in shopping for him, but the train itself intrigues him and so before boarding he walks up close to the front car, inspecting what he can see of the mechanics of the thing. ]

Fascinating.

3.0
[ Spock does not have his own cabin and though he does not necessarily mind foregoing privacy for the short time he will be on the train, he does find that the noise of three strangers does not lend itself well to meditation.

He slips from car to car until he finds the baggage car. It is dim and has little space, but it is quiet save for the rhythm of the tracks and the rocking of the car and he thins this is the best environment he is likely to find for some personal peace, so he seats himself between a trunk and an oddly shaped package that could be some sort of instrument and folds his legs.

It is seventeen-point-three minutes later when another person opens the door to the car and Spock speaks without opening his eyes. ]

Do not be alarmed.

4.0
[ The screams pull Spock from his own light sleep and he is up and out of his bunk without hesitation. He grabs his suit jacket and pulls it on over the black T-shirt he'd been sleeping in as he walks, arriving at the scene looking much more rumpled under the jacket than he'd normally allow himself to be.

The scene is like something out of a novel and while there is a real detective present who is known here, Spock cannot help but want to lend his own skills to this investigation. He may not be a detective, after all, but he is a scientist and a Starfleet officer and he dislikes the idea that someone could be murdered right under their noses.

Rather than talk to people, he opts to slip through the small crowd growing around the scene until he can get to the front to get a better look. ]

This was not an act of passion.

7.0
[ Spock has even less interest in shopping now that there has been a murder on the train. What he is interested in is who may be leaving the train and with what. Though he is often a quiet presence by nature, there is an intensity and a lack of subtly in the way he stands on the platform outside the train, watching faces new and familiar disembark.

He is memorizing faces, clothes and the size and shape of purses and briefcases and though he stands alone, he does not rebuff anyone who approaches. ]

It is curious that they are allowing people to leave the train without searching them. It gives ample opportunity to hide a murder weapon or other evidence somewhere in this city.

Wildcard
[ OOC plotting here or hit me up at

blauren if you want to plot something specific. Otherwise, feel free to hit me with something else. ]

[Sabriel, standing nearby, tilts her head in agreement. she's wearing a dressing-gown over her sleeping clothes, wrapping it tightly around her as she focuses on the room.]

The wounds are not those you'd get from someone striking in a fury.

[Sabriel frowns, observing the corpse. It's unnerving to feel nothing from it, but there are several details that strike her as strange.]

They're deliberate... and I suspect more than one person was involved.

Edited (fixing html) 2022-05-06 20:30 (UTC)

My thoughts exactly.

[ It's a work of precision and planning. Little room would have been left for mistakes, but most beings are not flawless and there must have been one somewhere. ]

There is little sign of a struggle. Either fighting back, if an option, would have been a losing one or the killers cleaned the room up after they were finished. I believe it is the former, as this appears to be a planned act and cleaning up a mess leaves too much room for error.

Difficult to struggle much, if you're being restrained from behind, with only one hand free. Or to scream, if something is being pressed over your mouth.

[And yet... It seems like there must be more to it. For such a premeditated crime, why leave the body there, instead of try to conceal it. And if he'd been killed somewhere else, moving the body would entail its own risks.]

● ● ● M I S S I O N 6 . 0

F Y I

Spock | Star Trek AOS

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