The “Milli-Cochrane Caper”

I wanted to do a Halloween themed story, I got one worked out, and wanted to know if any of you wanted to be involved or rope others into it? I'd need someone to represent Station security, and a Watson. I'll post the nuts and bolts below in a day or two so if you'd rather stay out of it and read it when it is done just remove yourself from the authors list :)

-Moz could work as a Watson.
-Need help deciding where and what the clues should look like
-Need NPC witnesses
-Story told in five acts?

Susan: I'm in. I presume it's in Brown Sector/Zodiac? You can still also do the Addams post, don't think you can't.

A: The body can be found in Brown, maybe his secret lab too. Could he have a public lab and home as well in another sector?

Chantal: *tosses in a chip* I'm in, too. Mozatholm, Paul, or any of my characters are at your disposal. A story told in five acts sounds lovely. And, hey, don't forget the Exo-Comps! NPC witnesses are no problem; this starbase has a gazillion NPCs. I should really do up an LCARS page just for the ones I've invented, the bit players.

(Susan) ha, ha, the exact number is 99!

(A) Sweet! I'll post my workup below for approval and collaboration. 100% open to anything you have in mind to edit or suggest changing upgrading etc... I left Technobabble blank as it is irrelevant to the plot, but please add any term we know is correct. This is just so the story has continuity, please don't read into this as pre-writing, I expect it to change as we go. I changed this post to an OOC discussion post for that purpose.

(C): I think this might need more than five posts, but the five-act idea is fine with me, since you have a solid idea of how to do it. This could be done with five posts by Renato with perhaps ancillary posts by other characters to flesh it out?

(S) Talk to Jenny about ghost behavior. Chlamydia has had this discussion before with Graves, when Victoria was aboard. We should keep within the SB109 canon on that. In fact, invite her to play them first, before someone else is invited. She would be excellent.

(J) True ghosts behave as per the movie version of Dean Koontz' Odd Thomas. They do not speak, and only rarely directly interact with the living. The difference in behavior was one of the clues about Victoria Briggs not being completely dead, just yet. However, as I understand it, these "apparitions" are not ghosts, per se -- more like transporter echos? Therefore, they can behave however you'd like them to. Again, the difference in their behavior may be a clue that they're not entirely dead.

(A) How cool, I'd agree that these are not formal ghosts, but barely sentient echoes of a living being fading away. I pictured them as screaming banshee types who are answering questions, namely because they were being interrogated before they are murdered.

(S) I agree with Chantal. We need to keep the posts shorter - about 1300-1400 words max. You posted a wonderful story the other day - but it should have been split in two. For one thing, we want to keep the posts readable. For another, post count is what determines where we are on Unit of Distinction. It doesn't matter how many posts each act takes, only that they stay short enough that people actually read them.

Also, when splitting a post, anyone who hasn't saved the post will not be on the list of characters - which knocks our post count off. Be sure the second part is the part you keep working on, or the part you ask everyone to go on and save before posting.

I will post more when I have energy to cut and paste missing letters again!

(A) Sorry to leave the conversation hanging, I had to cover a few shifts at the hotel cause of protests downtown here... I had a few ideas:

-I added Chlamydia Addams and am sending a small message as well, thanks for the recommendation!
-To keep the posts shorter, we can just use the "five acts" as a naming scheme, try to post in a chapter by chapter fashion ala, "Milli-cochrane Caper- Act III.2" that way the order is easy to follow, and they remain digestible nuggets.
-No need for parts 2,3,4 if we use that naming scheme, add authors who are involved, like an episode of law and order, fore each scene interviewing or doing something, a post with all involved for that scene.
-Hard cap of 1500; goal of 1400 or less.

(A) Hey, to keep it on track for completion by Halloween shall we amend to three act organization? I'll write in my parts where I can and put out TAGS for apparitions of scenes if that helps accelerate the posting.

*****

Mr. Midnight presents: The “Milli-Cochrane Caper”

Halloween themed mystery

Simple backstory for our knowledge and information:

A researcher, Fisher Boule`, now on SB109 is working on a cure for aging, officially. Unofficially he is trying to make himself immortal. The transporter is his method, but cannot manage to retain memory and essentially cloning himself. He has been dematerializing the bodies to cover his tracks as each one fails to remember anything of value from its previous life. They have dream like recollection at the most, DNA issues, often die of other problems, over the years improving his methods. This has caused him to go mad and evil classical villain style. He must ascertain that the flash clone is a true copy, with full memories so there is a period where he must confine and question them. His method of cloning himself is imperfect, and creates ghosts of himself as he dematerializes each one. He has been doing this for years, and lab accidents plague him.

His phantoms are actually incomplete dematerialization attempts. The properties which created the clone, give it a stickiness to our world that the transporter can't fully erase. They are bound to him and fully aware of time passing, but not cognizant beyond lucid flashes of cohesion when they snap back into reality enough to be seen as a ghost. Our story begins when a clone escapes, and is shot dead in Brown Sector while hiding. Renato will follow clues to lead him to this man, who will then be deemed a threat to the station warranting a far more serious response from the Starbase Security team.

Act 1:

-We find a body, the game is afoot. There is a distracting subplot quickly resolved for the moment by Renato’s powers of deduction, humor, on with the plot.

-The body is found face down, with positioning to suggest he was running and shot in the back. Identified as Fisher Boule`

-Witnesses heard a sharp shrill energy discharge, and green flash. Two flashes are reported from a different witness. About ten o’clock in the evening.

-The body was moved after it was shot, and a second shot will be found to have occurred. He was shot in the front, then again in the back as he lay out already dead. Post Mortem analysis will reveal this, Sherlock clues to reveal the man's body was moved. (Elizabeth?) (Chantal: Probably the fixed lividity will be wrong. It would show where blood pooled in the body when the guy died.)

-Man swears he was shoved to the ground at the same time of the attack by the fleeing gunman. Describes clothes.

-Strange things are happening disconnectedly, but will form a larger picture, that is resolved in act 4.

-”Apparitions” appearing on the station preceding and occurring after this man's visit to any place. They are very spooky, but hard to see a face. They vanish and emit a (PARTICLE) only when they disappear. No way to detect when they show up. Dismissed as imagination, also occurring in dark corners.

-The apparitions are answering random questions and wailing in torment, it makes no sense at first. We think the dead man is this ghost at first for a few reasons, sound, rough image, but is hard to be sure.

-Transporters have had an odd malfunction whereupon they will activate on their own and materialize nothing on the pad even though the panel shows incoming signal.

-Renato finds out in his questioning the man was here for a few days prior to his murder looking around frantically.

(J) Yes; I'd be happy to write apparitions.

Act 2:

-Subplot threatens to derail main plot, Moz saves the day and Renato continues investigation.

-Informing the next of kin is a chance to ask a few questions but she is not very willing to answer them.

-The scientist's ex-wife says he is obsessed with immortality, she gives up an idea that he is mad, and that’s why they divorced. She has his old notebooks and sends them when Station security uses good police technique. Among other things, is plans for a transporter-based rejuvenation technique.

(OOC Chantal: Why would he have left his notebooks with his ex-wife? Wouldn't he have guarded them like gold and taken them with him after the divorce?)

(A) Good point, I'll revise. the idea is she gives them a link to his side project involving transporters since his public facade doesnt. Perhaps she simply tells a story or sends what personal messages she has of his befpre he left her suddenly. We can imply he left when he killed his first doppelganger perhaps?

-The “dead man” is seen walking around trying to be nondescript, it's the scientist trying to cover up his work. He paid a woman to be silent, she holds to her word and provides no clue beyond confirming he was real and gave her actual currency.

-People are getting spooked, sightings in dark rooms are common, there a few physical reactions, telepaths are getting powerful signals that make no sense.

(OOC Chantal: Let us know what the telepaths/empaths should be noticing.)

(A) As we go it should make sense, I'd imagine they are getting brief snippets of someone being nearby, in terror, then going away without a trace, or, confusion and shocking betrayal, or, a strong desire to cover up a dark deeds, all just empathetic impressions from the scientist. They could help shape the final act summary as well if they offer clues.

-Theo is found by Sherlock-style techniques; The woman he paid off was a sex worker posted in a hotel. He needed a room, not the worker but knowing that would look odd paid her to stay quiet. (Chase scene, or something?)

-He is interrogated and confesses to the murder of his clone under pressure.

-Starfleet does consider killing your own clone murder, there is more but the man is not cooperating.

(OOC Chantal: Agreed. Per observed science, clones have their own personalities and can be vastly different from the original.)

-Theo's lab is found based on clues obtained by Station Security. Renato is invited to join, there is a transporter pad. A clone has already been captured and is frantically beating to be released. Their presence trips an alarm and the clone de-materializes and the consoles all overload, minor explosions. Room is scorched and no evidence is left.

-Reveal: Transporter technology at play, connecting the (TECHNOBABBLE) and other clues into an accurate hypothesis of the event.

Act 3:

-Renato knows the apparitions are linked and determines who they are. They are Theo's past selves, and for the brief times they exist they try to thwart him. Renato touches Theo and uses his ability to try and determine the rest but is struck down by Theo's mental strength, a total madman requires a madman to conquer it. This would also cause a social problem with other officers likely?

-He must flood the station with a particle to purge his apparitions, it would not be medically advisable for many people on board and could kill some. He must sneaky sneak around to place (TECHNOBABBLE) devices to aid in the particle flush.

-The particle flush is scheduled soon, the scientist will not cooperate.

-Moz makes a connection, the apparitions are occurring near the places where he likely set up the scramblers. They drag Theo to the places with reported sightings and see one for themselves. (TECHNOBABBLE) occurs and we are able to materialize this apparition into a solid form. We confirm these are good versions of the man trying to stop the scientist from doing this.

-The one we are talking to was the one just de-materialized from the quarters. The others are too far gone, a gentler method of purging the spirits is found and a gentle exorcism of sorts occurs. Previous versions of Theo appear then disappear, hundreds of them.

-The materialized Theo will be given a medical work-up and allowed to live. The other Theo is a madman and murderer.

-Renato proves to be very useful, but a loose canon needing oversight.

***

(Susan) I would like to suggest a different name. We have someone in the Intelligence Dept. whose name is Fisher, and I wouldn't want confusion. Otherwise, this sounds like a great story arc. Shall we plan it to begin when the new mission does, October 1? It's just a new mission name and restart of dates, not a definition of things finished. We ARE almost done with the Zelda arc, but Oblivion attack is still to come. I see no reason this can't run concurrently with that.

(Austen) Let's rename them to Theophilus then, sounds like a good storybook name. I'll post a primer tonight, to get us started.

(J) Dr. Addams (and her sisters) are immune to madness. It's just one of those things about being an Addams -- you are, or you aren't, and while it's not always clear which side of the line one is on, it's set early in life.

(A) Do any of the Addamses have teleptahy, or would Renato perhaps convey the images he got to one of them who interprets the madness?

(C) Purulence might dream something, but she is not consciously telepathic or psychic. The closest she comes to reading someone is when she paints.

****

(A) Can we try to post this by the 20th, to complete Act 2 by the 25-27th, and Act 3 on the 31st? Act 3 can consist of one long running sequence of spooky action, to be posted on the 31st for the Halloween reading. I promise to go back to regular role play after this little production lol thanks for sticking with me!