Star Trek: Starbase 777

Quiet music floated through the simulated banquet hall without the aid of a band and wove through the sparkling chandeliers affixed to the high ceilings. The tune was almost haunting, like the whispers of a spirit in the hall playing its final melody. Round tables draped in black cloth, crystal clear candelabras at their center, surrounded by small vases of white roses and lilies tied off with black ribbons. At the very front of the room was a stage. Its black velvet curtains remained drawn shut while everyone took their seats.

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6

Kaylee walked into the holodeck, amazed by the program. The soft background music, the banquet, the chandeliers. Beautiful. Kaylee was wearing her suit from the party. A purple shirt, black suit jacket, and some nice black heels. Her hair was half up half down in an intricate style, with the hair that was left down in neat curls. Kaylee was so excited. So ready. Suspiciously eyeing whomever walked in after her, maybe they were the murderer. But she only looked for a second, she didn't want to be seen as a creep or something..

6

Lapan was one of the first people there, whistling a comfortable tune as he entered the banquet hall. He wore a nice mahogany suit, deep brown with a cream turtleneck in lieu of a button down, and with golden accessories. His hair was loose, falling in waves over his shoulders. He looked good, and he looked formal, but it was comfortable enough for a single dad on his first night off in a while. He'd left Morgan with the babysitting hologram, and was excited to spend some free time on his own. Or, well, in the company of strangers, of course, but without his son hanging off him. This kind of party was in no way suitable for a four year old, so it was a great reason to take some time for himself, and enjoy some murder mystery.

7

Liaxaho was dressed to the nines, black and pink velvet dress perfectly prepared. She looked quite nice, if she had to say so herself. She had been looking forward to this event for a while, she was a detective after all. And maybe this would be a good way for her to show her chops, as it were. She waltzed into the room as elegant as she could be, smiling slightly to try and dissuade others from seeing her as "cold" or "unfeeling".

8

Rakim strode into the room after a moment, having stopped by Vara'l and telims quarters on his way there to deliver a mug he'd accidentally carted off home with him when he last visited for Coffee, now adorned with a broach to compliment his suit. A dark purple and white affair with decorative vine designs and complimented with a almost black head covering and El-Aurian style hat both also decorated with vine designs. The broach a stylized vine arrangement made of silvered metal worked into designs that had only touched him in their thoughtfulness, especially when the present had come from a colleague he only occasionally had coffee with. As he entered and smoothed down almost self consciously his plain suit trousers and checked the black boots he'd slipped on with them, Rakim took a moment as he looked around. Looked around and internally wondered if perhaps he should have convinced Vara'l to come in his place. This was.. horrendously social, it'd been a hundred years or more since he'd happened to be wholly comfortable with such situations. Not that it showed at all as he finished his check over and started off further into the holodeck.

7

Was she nervous? Of course she was. She tended to do that a lot it seems, where did that brash confidence go? Never mind, now was not the time to overthink it again. Yaveru entered the holodeck, admiring the classy look of the program. Truthfully, she didn’t quite find mystery or horror programs frightening at all, but more like fun games. She had grown out her hair a bit since the winter ball, this time outfitting herself with a satin black dress with slit and open back, a 1920’s style necklace, with heels to boot. It was a bit fem fatale perhaps, but it looked good on her, and she really liked the outfit. Yaveru remembered the day she got it, a special gift from an old friend. She made sure her posture was straight, trying to walk in a dignified manner. Hopefully this was a good first impression for some.

7

Having heard about the party from chatter around ~~town~~ the starbase, Sodor thought it an absolutely excellent idea to participate, because who wouldn't want to attend a murder mystery party? Murder? Mystery? Party? All good things! Well, probably not the murder part, but a fake murder case was a fun idea! Having decided to research the general vibe of murder mystery-type things prior to their arrival, the Ferengi showed up wearing their finest overly colourful and vibrantly patterned Formal Ferengi Fashion suit, adorned with a plethora of jewellery and brooches, as well as a... Press ID? That's right! They had decided to cosplay as a reporter for the banquet! Holocamera slung over their shoulder, the holodocumentor made their way into the holodeck with a toothy grin spread across their face, immediately enjoying the vibes this party was already offering.

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6

It was everything Maggie could do to not bounce on the heels of their boots as they made their way from the hustle and bustle of the station to the haunting serenity of the simulated banquet hall. Dressed in a deep violet button up shirt that paired nicely with a black blazer, tie, and corset, they fixed their top hat and made sure their unruly pink hair tidied back in a ponytail. They took a seat facing the stage, hands tucked under their thighs to keep them steady. Oh, this was going to be a blast!

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6

Wandering in, not really making himself known too much, as it was certainly something he had learned the hard way not to do, Snake made his way into the holodeck. He himself wasn't dressed up significantly, just a polo and khakis. But it was enough to be comfortable yet still classy. Snake himself wasn't too familiar with murder mysteries, as Essen had previously not shut up about it to him. But here he was now, ready to try something new and spend it with some new people as well. Murder mysteries would be fun for him going forward - as long as they didn't have real-life murders!

7

Having spotted Alan as they entered and rather preferring to be closer to someone he recognized than someone else who he either recognized but had had a poor introduction too or hadn't recognized at all, he approached them quietly. Approached and proceeded to smile in a way he hoped indicated that he'd happened to not hold the others.. previous loud introduction to a room against them and intended to greet them here and now. His approach one he arrived close enough slowed for a moment before he then stopped and then said. "Hello Lieutenant." He commented as he softly greeted the other and continued to smile.

2

Walking in behind the others was Niwa. She had been looking forward to tonight: for the concept of a murder mystery, of getting to investigate with other people, and for the excuse to dress up. She had been all prepared for the Winter Ball over a month ago but had ended up missing it (read: being completely floored by morning sickness), but it was okay because this party was going to make up for it! Her outfit had actually been for the winter ball too: a floor-length, glossy navy gown with a low v-neck, fabric that wrapped around the mid-section, and a open slit that went from the floor up to the mid-thigh. Initially she had felt a little nervous putting it on, but after a while she had felt confident in the outfit… Aside from the heels that she was already regretting wearing.

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8

Thol walked into the holodeck wearing a three piece white suit with a cranberry red shirt and bow tie. A small silver pocket watch dangled out of one of his pockets. Everything was well tailored although it had taken a few tries to get the replicator to size things correctly. He had spent almost an hour trying to figure out what to wear to the event. Thol had very little fashion sense and ancient human outfits did not exactly account for people with blue skin. Still he was pretty happy with the outfit even if it was a bit simple. He scanned the room and could not help but be amazed at the scene. Everything was elegant and not like anything that he had seen before. It felt like an important place where important people did important things. It would also be a fascinating place for the upcoming mystery. For now he did not recognize anyone but he kept looking around.

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6

Snake turned to Rakim, not having seen him there, but happy that this time he had made at least a decent impression by not having done anything. Snake had made a promise to himself that moving forward he would never be a jackass again. There was so much more to being part of the 777 community and being a jackass wasn't it. He didn't think he had any competition (cough cough Noid cough cough) but he just retired from that title. Having symbolic little and big sisters was already enough for him to realize that he needed to change and quick. "Hello, sir! You're here for the mystery too?"

6

"Hello and I am indeed." The El-Aurian responded then simply as he smiled at the other partly in appreciation of the other's calmness, something he assessed was far enough away from how they'd acted on other occasions to suggest that they happened to be trying to change. If they hadn't been, they'd have approached that far differently and he'd probably have also overheard their entrance into the holodeck despite having happened to have been in his own anxious world. "Admittedly feeling a tad overdressed for this." He then added sheepishly as he looked himself over and smoothed his suit again. Once he'd done that he'd then looked about the place before he'd then proceeded to add. "But Vara'l insisted that I looked fine, he's decided to give this one a miss." He'd decided to go no further than that for now explanation as to why the other happened to not be here wise.

4

A tad bit later than the others, Allan figured that he'd try this out. At the very least, it was an opportunity to get to talk with people on the station, and that was something he enjoyed more than anything. He knew absolutely shit about murder or solving mysteries, so the social part was really the draw for him here. His outfit was something that, to him, was kept simple: a sheer, see-through black top that was halfway unbuttoned with some slim black pants and a dark, blood-red blazer jacket. Simple enough. He took a seat fairly close to the stage, perhaps that made him more likely to be murdered, but perhaps the blood would look good on him. Or blend in with his jacket and/or hair. Either one.

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Soon enough, Vialara joined the group too, stepping into the holodeck carefully, she rarely wore heels and it had been a significant length of time since she had to break out her fancy outfits, having missed the previous two winter balls at this point. Much like her ACMO, she too had an outfit prepared but didn't have the chance to wear it, not until this moment at least... She was wearing a long black dress that went over one shoulder, as the dress went down it spiraled into a wonderful array of sunset colours, and her hair was tied in its usual pristine high ponytail. She slowly made her way over to the group, sliding into place alongside everyone who was waiting.

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8

In walked Syrax! The tall Romulan was in formal wear, his red dress shirt covered by a black tailcoat, with a tiny, curled, golden dragon brooch pinned to the coat's lapel, holding a flower in it's maw - a compliment to his cufflinks and piercings in his left ear, equally dragon-themed. His dress shoes did not have much of a heel, thankfully - the man was tall enough as it was. Hair tied in a careful, neat bun, he looked around, seeing if he could spot any familiar faces, meanwhile easily blending into the crowd. Seeing that many other people had decided to dress a bit fancily, he pretty much immediately felt better about his outfit choice. This was going to go well! As well as a murder party could go anyways!

9

Eiheu slowly walked into the holodeck, trying her hardest to blend in with everyone else, copying their relaxed pace. She wore a dress of her own design; It was metallic grey and reflective, like paper-thin steel which bent and rippled around her waist like silk. A long section of cloth hung over her right shoulder, woven in an alternating triangle pattern, half of them as green as Romulan blood, and the other half as black as outer space. Complimenting the cloth was a black leather belt, with a silver trapezium in front, mirroring the iconic shape that is to be found on most Klingon uniforms. Her boots were leather too, and had a small heel with made her only very slightly taller. She surveyed the room. Lots of people... It would be quite difficult to recognise anyone, while they didn't have their uniforms on. She stood in the middle of the room, staring at her beautiful surroundings.

8

Watching as more and more people began making their way into this clearly very prestigious and esteemed event, all while wearing their finest finery, Sodor made their way around the room and began taking the occasional candid shot here and there, their training from their reporter days, combining with their Starfleet training for covering special events, taking over as they began trying to get the nicest shots of everyone present without them even realising what they were up to.

6

Thol looking around the room for another minute or two until he kind of recognized someone. He had seen Eiheu a few times during his frequent trips to the diplomatic corps offices and at the very least knew their face. He was also pretty damn sure that they were an ensign or at least ensign equivalent. Thol could also tell that they appeared to just be silently observing the room and decided to say hello. He walked his way up to Eiheu still looking around the room as he did. It likely took hours to code eve thing and Thol respected the work. Eventually he stopped in front of Eiheu. While he knew that he was just another stranger Thol hoped that she would appreciate having someone in the room to talk to. At the very least he knew that he could use some conversation in the sea of unfamiliar officers. “Hey there, you looking forward to the mystery?”

3

Eiheu quickly turned to face Thol. She was glad that someone approached her, since the room seemed to be so full of people, that she couldn't decide on who she could approach first. "Yes, and I am certain that it will be glorious!" She replied to Thol. She recognises him too, although she regrets that she has never had the chance to talk to him before. He seemed to be such an interesting guy, but alas, duty always got in the way of socialisation. "Usually, the murderer in a murder mystery is charming, beautiful and clever... Therefore, I bet that the murderer will be me!" She smiled mischeviously. "The real mystery is... Who did I kill, and why?"

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3

Many years of life, a chunk in certain positions and a diplomatic attaché's eyes caused dark hued eyes to fix on the person who presently appeared to be taking photos. Something he happened to not entirely feel... overly comfortable with. This discomfort a left over thing from his past, when his longevity wasn't something he shared as readily. A discomfort that caused the El-Aurian to quietly angle himself as he talked with Alan as he attempted as best he could to snarl up any attempt to photograph him if they intended to take one. "Looks like we're being photoed." He mused softly to Alan, conscious this also happened to with his movement probably indicate he happened to be camera shy. Was that even the right human word? He quietly resolved to look into that again.

3

He smiled slightly as she spoke. It was clear that they were confident in the situation or at the very least were able to look the part. Thol figured that the ability to act like that made Eiheu a very good diplomat. Honestly the fact that other people were like that was part of the reason that he had decided against joining the corps. “Well that should guarantee that I’m innocent then.” Thol then remembered that he had still never introduced himself. He was talking with a rather mysterious stranger for now. Thol also wanted to know the name of his killer (if they weren’t joking.) “And I don’t think that we have ever properly met, I’m Thol.”

2

Snake, on the other hand, wasn't camera shy, so whenever the camera was on him, he wasn't shy about it. "No problem, sir, I'm comfortable in front of the camera. No worries if you don't feel the same way, I can keep the camera distracted if you'd like. If they know they're getting a reaction out of me they'll be more likely to fixate on me so you can move out of the way of the camera." Snake was concerned and wanted to impress Rakim with his heightened sense of respect and understanding. This would be the least he could do. But Snake also was a ham when it came to being in front of the camera. That old camera hog.

4

"... That is a beautiful name, Thol." Eiheu nodded as she heard his name. Sadly, she did not take the hint that she should introduce herself too, and so, her name remained a secret. "Of course, being innocent has its advantages... But... Being the murderer guarantees that you wouldn't get murdered yourself. You do not want to get murdered, do you? It would be a shame, we only just met..." Eiheu stepped closer to Thol, and kept smiling. "... Where do you work, Thol? I have seen you around before. Are you a diplomat, like me?"

Was that guy in a polo and khakis? What was this, casual Fridays? That's what a more fashionable person would've said. Zero, however, was also here in a khakis. Their shirt was a sparkly silver sequin formal shirt. It clashed horribly. Their metallic silver makeup looked nice, though! "Sal-u-tations, victims!" (edited)

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Lapan laughed at Zero's entire presentation, chirping like a songbird in delight before responding. "Salutations to you too, fellow victim!" This probably was not exactly the right mood for a murder mystery party, but he was digging it. He was never too good at playing serious for too long, anyway.

2

"I doubt any of us will be the victims, that takes the fun out of investigating," Liaxaho spoke as she looked at the new arrival, "I love the spirit though!" she finished, ready for the main event to start, excitement bubbling up in her chest -- excitement that she rarely felt.

Snake nearly bit his tongue trying not to reply to Zero with a funny joke. Control yourself, man, jeez! Snake did let out a smile, though, at least that didn't offend in terms of volume. But he did like Zero's sense of humor. "Sup victims...? I guess?"

Thol paused for a moment, clearly unsure about how he was even supposed to respond to that comment. It was clearly a complement but not one that he had heard before. Thol also still had no idea what Eiheu’s name was. “Oh, uh, thanks. What’s your name?” He was still working out how to explain political science to people but hoped that she knew what it was. If Eineu had done any of her readings at the academy she would be familiar with the field “And I am a political scientist with a focus in international relations so kind of. I guess I study the work that you diplomats do.”

Zero's ability to read the room always appeared mixed. In reality, El-Aurians were incredibly perceptive, and any time he didn't read the room was on purpose, just to fuck with people. As a centuries-old being, he knew when to nudge the line, but not push it. "Oh, okay. Salutations, potential murders! May your carnage be bloody!"

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"Victims of -" Allan really was about to say some sort of joke after he heard Zero's exclamation, but when he turned to look at them he could hardly speak, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter. "Sequins? That's... you know what, the makeup matches it really well, I'll give you that," he said with a genuine smile to his friend, the makeup really did look nice on them.

2

Rakim smiled in appreciation of that comment from Alan. "..you know, Lieutenant, you're managing to impress me quite alot with how you're being.. I really appreciate how your acting and that you're trying to well..improve." He'd then paused. "..And well, if you're up for keeping it distracted..I'd honestly be very grateful." He chuckled softly. "At my age you'd expect i'd be fine with the camera but I'm afraid I'm a tad too used to having questions come from photos." He'd then glanced over to Zero. "Salutations, fellow victim." The El-Aurian had then cocked his head, was this person.. El-Aurian too? They sort of had..the vibe. Something of a feeling that only intensified at their following comment."...Or potential murderer?" He'd then paused and proceeded to say. "You remind me of a El-Aurian I met once, hello."

2

"I am an El-Aurian! We do have a certain mysterious vibe." He turned to Allan and planted a kiss on both his cheeks in greeting, like an italian, leaving two silver lipstick marks. "Thanks! It's my best shirt and my worst pants, both very comfortable." Many sequined shirts were pretty uncomfortable, so this one had to be very well-made. Then he turned to Rakim, Liaxhao, and Lapan, and said, "I'm Zero of Infinity. As my son says, whazzup?" Zadki had never said that before, ever, in their life.

6

"You have a good job! Political science must be my favourite kind of science. But of course, I may be a little bit biased..." She touched the fabric of her sleeves, and surveyed the room for about a second... It was a murder mystery, after all, and being careful might prove useful. "I am Eiheu." She finally introduced herself. "I am new to this station. I have had a diplomatic meeting here once, it was a trade deal. I do not have any other missions coming up yet, but when I do, you are welcome to join me."

"Aye, sir, making efforts I haven't in the past, going to keep myself at the highest standard possible at all times from now on, sir," Snake replied. "And right away, sir." Snake promptly began to slightly and subtly pose for the camera, making eye contact as to ensure the camera would be off Rakim per Rakim's request.

The El-Aurian visibly twitched at the declaration that the other happened to also be an El-Aurian. "We do I suppose, never really thought about it all, but that vibe..is a thing." He mused simply then before he then grinned briefly. "....You know, you and they would get along very well." He'd chuckled softly before he then added. "That shirt looks brilliantly well made and the pants even if they're your worst, compliment the shirt." He'd then turned to the subject of introductions. "I'm Rakim, its good to meet you, Zero of Infinity...and your son sounds like quite the character." He'd smiled.

Tally zoomed in, almost falling over, probably hitting a couple walls. They wore a very ill-fitting blue tux. “Shoot shoot shoot!!!! Am I late??? Has it started??? What’s going on!!? I was charging and my alarm didn’t go off!!!”

4

21:35

They look a bit like a lost dog, but they’re buzzing with excitement.

The candles blew out one by one, the haunting melody drawing to nothing more than a soft hum. The room was plunged in darkness as the curtains slowly dragged open, a spotlight switching on and illuminating a figure stepping up and taking a microphone.

6

"Good evening, detectives." Her voice was low and smooth, though still effectively cut through the crowd, violet gaze sliding across them with a spark of curiosity. "Tonight, you play a deadly game of fate, or perhaps a game of skill. One of you have been selected as the murderer, and when the lights go out, will claim your victim. Which, of course," her smile widened, sharp as a predator's, "will be none other than myself. Down the #┊-hallway , you will find four rooms containing different clues to your murderer. Be wary of puzzles and red herrings-- not everything is as it seems. At the end of the night, present your clues on stage and make your final accusation to win the game." She raised her glass of red wine, the violin music swelling with her as her voice raised. "A toast, then-- for your health, for good luck, and to the death of Vedette Cadieux!"

9

The curtains remained open as the light turned off and back on, but the stage was completely empty save for seven stone pedestals, each labeled with Roman numerals from I to VII., and a shattered glass of red wine. It'd made no sound when it shattered. (edited)

Thol knew that political science was likely the only science that Eiheu had needed to take multiple courses in but it was still good to talk to someone who understood the field. At least he did not have to talk about what the field itself was. “Maybe a little Eihue.” It would likely be a while until Eiheu was leading their own diplomatic envoys but Thol appreciated the sentiment. “But then you are a diplomat so it makes sense. I may have to take you up on that offer some time. If there is anything I can help you with on the station just let me know.” He would be cut off by the announcement.

Softly to Alan Rakim proceeded to then say. "..I should say, you've got my respect for the effort your making Lieutenant, making changes like that is an act of self reflection and courage not everyone I've encountered over the years might have decided on approaching as you have." He'd then paused before he'd smiled again. "And..you've got my gratitude as well for what you're doing in the name of helping me feel more comfortable, especially as you..didn't have to do it, it means a fair bit to me and I thank you for your kind act." He'd then glanced over to the android.. then fallen silent utterly just as he'd started to speak again..as he turned and listened to the lady as she turned up and proceeded to speak. Rakim silent as he listened to them.

1

Kaylee looked up to the stage and listened to the woman. Her dramatic statements. And then, the stage went empty, and she looked at the pedastels and the shattered wine glass. How strange...,

"Mysterious, yeah," Allan said, chuckling as he attempted to reach up and kiss Zero back, but he probably missed. And that was okay. When the speaker on stage spoke, he quickly realized how it would work. Okay, four rooms, clues, and... oh, the victim was pre-decided. That made things easier. "Oookay, so we're not the victims.." he said softly, but probably loud enough so that those at the seats nearby could hear him verbalize the shit that came into his brain. "Does anyone know what a red herring is?" He whispered, looking to the people nearby. It was an actual question, unfortunately.

Kaylee heard Allan ask about red herrings. "its a false clue to lead you off the trail. Its an earth saying." she said, leaning over to speak to him.

Just in time… wow. They did some calculations in their head… they were too backlogged with information to properly comprehend it.“Red herring: A fake clue that’s meant to distract!” They automatically responded in the best wikipedia voice they could muster. (edited)

21:42

They were entirely unaware someone else had already said it.

2

Eiheu gasped quietly as the room turned dark, then turned to where Thol was, or at least, to where she saw him last, and hoped that he was still there.* "I am sure that you are a skilled political scientist. But, are you good at being a detective, too?" *She asked, then stood up on her toes as she tried to see the stage better. "I have never heard of a murder victim who is so happy about being killed..."

3

"Ohhhhhh... see, I'm from Earth too, I just like, have no idea what those words mean. What a herring is. Like. Obviously, I know what red is, um," it would be a little worrisome if he didn't, he thought as he slowly stood up, tilting his head as he looked at the shattered glass of wine. "Are we supposed to like, go investigate that, or like, the other rooms first, or..."

3

Stood next to an El-Aurian as he was and slightly bowled over by that fact and how he'd had it presented to him, Rakim hummed a El-Aurian tune as he looked about the room then over to the android like entity. "..I believe the two answers there are both correct aye." He'd commented then before he glanced back to Zero of Infinity for a moment as he silently mulled over the discovery of another El-Aurian on the station for a moment..then looked to Alan. "...Herring tastes quite nice.." He murmured before he then looked to the glass..then elsewhere. "Hmmm." He then proceeded to saunter over toward the wine glass.

Paying attention to many, many things all at once, his attention turned towards the stage as the woman appeared and began speaking. Taking a couple of pictures prior to her disappearance, Sodor’s head all but tilted, a grin slowly crossing his face as he realised the game was officially on. “Oh yeah, this is gonna be fuuuun-“ Turning his attention then towards the others, the relatively short but comparatively average Ferengi walked his way over to the main crowd to try and figure out what everyone was planning. “So what’s the plan, people I’ve literally never met before but now have to solve a murder with?”

He counted the pedestals - seven. Hm, seven clues? Yeah, sounds reasonable. Syrax decided to stand up from his place and wander closer to the stage, looking thoughtfully at the broken wine glass, unsure if this counted as a clue, too. Perhaps?.. Oh well, that could technically be picked up later. "Anyone wants to go to the #┊-hallway with me?" he then chirped inquisitively, staring at the crowd with a small smile. "Preferably, um, with at least two of you. I don't want to get murdered first."

“Herring: A silver fish most abundant in coastal Earth waters…” Tally proceeded to rattle off the entire Wikipedia article for Herrings, following the crowd. “Sure!!! I still dunno what’s happening honestly but it seems kinda cool!!”

Thol shrugged in response to the question. He had no experience with this sort of thing but was open to seeing exactly what it was all about.Thol hoped that he would be decent at it all. So far all he saw of note was seven pedestals …. maybe for seven clues? “I’m pretty good at solving problems and puzzles but I’m not detective.” He figured that the two would probably stick together for the investigation or at least hoped that they would. Two minds were better than one after all. “Shall we make our way over to one of these clues?”

"Are more of us getting murdered? Shiiit," Allan walked over to Syrax, someone who he'd probably interacted with like, once, maybe, perhaps at the waterpark? Maybe? He was so drunk on Romulan ale then he didn't quite recall. "Yeah, fuck it, I'll go to the hallway with you, what do I have to lose? Other than my life, I guess."

"I'll come too! I'd love to make a start!" Kaylee offered, raising her hand in excitement. Why? She had no clue. She could be 'murdered'. But she was so ready for this.

Maggie practically squealed with excitement at the dramatics of it all, though thankfully refrained, standing up. "Maybe we should split up in teams, since there's four different rooms?" they offered.

"We can do that, yeah. Perhaps when we get to the other doors?" Sy offered Maggie in return. "I dunno how it looks like there, but from the description it sounds like we'll have options in front of us, so... let's go!" After assembling his little team of fellow not-wanting-to-get-murdereds, he made his way to the hallway!

She was excited, to say the least, and it was not easy for anything to get Liaxaho Vex excited. She was planning on taking this investigation seriously after all. Soon enough she turned to the hallway with a flourish of her dress. "I do agree, perhaps we could split up once we come to the different doors."

Kaylee quickly hopped on the spot in excitement before almost leaping behind Syrax. Jesus, calm yourself woman. Eventually, she regained her composure and walked behin Syrax to the hallway.

3

Frankly having no clue where anyone was going, feeling way too excited about how fun this was already feeling to focus properly, Sodor proceeded to follow where everyone else was going, and trailed behind Syrax.

"Sounds good to me!" Maggie chirped, happily trailing along behind the group. Let the game begin, they supposed!

Detective Zero, on the case, walking down to the hallway!

Off Rakim went as he followed the others down the hallway.

"Yes, let's go to the hallway! We were promised that there were clues there!" Eiheu started moving towards the hallway, and motioned Thol to come with her too.

Science Maggie entered the holodeck in a white and gold tux, silver hair done up in a ponytail. She was late for very legitimate reasons (was working into the wee hours of the space morning). “I look ridiculous.” She awkwardly said as she marched into the holodeck,

Ten arrived in the holodeck dressed ready to solve a murder, He wore a pleather jacket a black t-shirt, black jeans, and combat boots, from what he could tell this is how 21st century private investigators dressed, so he was ready to look the part and ready to play the part.

Ten took out a cigarette from his inside pocket and put it in his mouth, choosing not to light it but clearly only doing it for the appearance. "You look ready to party." Ten said in a clearly forced grizzled voice before removing the cigarette from his mouth and miming taking a drag.

00:15

Ten followed Maggie into the hallway.

Coming in late with a glass of wine, very period appropriate, Lama was dressed in a pale beige suit with pinstripes on the trousers and of course his llama bow tie. His hair was slicked back to show off his pretty long eyelashes and vitiligo spots that covered his forehead ridges. He heard chattering in the hallway and decided to go there.

5

Vusan ran through the halls to the holodeck, her long black dress sparkling in the overhead lights. She was late, as per usual. Her kitten had kept her from showing up at the correct time, having scratched a hole in her first dress, causing her to have to change. Having made it to the holodeck, Vusan stopped to catch her breath before entering and getting into character. She fixed her long black satin gloves, pulling them up past her elbows, and once she caught her breath, she walked into the holodeck, hoping she wouldn't be noticed as late.

Snake followed suit and made his way down the hallway!

Liaxaho walked into the main area near the stage and sat down, ready for the final curtain -- and needing to rest her head.

3

"Hey," Lama entered the main area where Liaxaho was and projected his thoughts to her. It was probably against the rules, but this was not about the event, it was about her wellbeing! 'Wassup?' He asked, hoping she'd open her mind to him here without anyone else around.

"Hello," Liaxaho said quietly as she moved her hands in front of her so she could better focus on telepathic thought. And so, she opened her mind to Lama, trying to hide the swirling thoughts and emotions nonetheless, "It is... a touch loud in there, I would say," She mentioned the sheer amount of emotions that she had witnessed.

"Yeah, I get it," Lama pulled up a chair and sat down facing Liaxaho. "I think a lot of non-telepathic or empathic people don't realise how much their mental state can distress others," Lama held some guilt himself for the vibes. He knew he was loud, both mentally and physically. He did not exactly have the most coherent stream of thoughts, especially in his paranoia filled mind that still hadn't quite recovered from his intel days. "Well, it's quiet here. You can vent to me, I'm open mind."

"Thank you, I appreciate the quiet, I just... am a little worried for the end of this event when everyone comes back... if that makes any sense," she waved her hand slightly, trying to explain herself in a way that did not seem rude. "Besides, it doesn't feel nice being accused so much."

Lama always joked that he had the quietest mind, but ironically it was his stone cold brother Taev who was quiet. Lama had a lot of paranoia and feelings always swirling around. "I get it, I mean it's all fake... Wait, Liaxaho, are you telling me you aren't the murderer?" This was totally against the rules, but whatever.

"I think it is against the rules of me to tell you either way," She said with a rare laugh, "I wish I could tell you though, that would make things a lot easier," She seemed genuinely upset about not being able to say anything.

"Damn, I almost had it! Well, I am clearly not a very good interrogator," Despite his title of detective, Lama was surprisingly bad at finding stuff out, at least in a recreational setting. "Well, I think it's time to make an accusation, I'm gonna tell the people from hallway to get in here and maybe those other peeps are back too,"* Lama projected his thoughts to her and then stood up. "Stay well, my homie," He chugged the last drop of wine and set his empty glass on one of the tables.

1

"I'm doing my best," she said as she sat in her chair and stretched, still rather happy with how the night had gone.

"Hellooooo!" chirped the magician, unceremoniously dumping their pile of evidence down on the stage and taking down their top hat. "What's the plan?"

Before Lama could leave, Maggie entered the room! "Oh, yeah, we're gonna make the final accusation. I mean, if we get it wrong, it's not real," Lama was having fun even if he was being a chaotic mess. It was supposed to be though, a completely not serious murder mystery game!

Tal made their way to the main room, ready to watch the shit that was about to go down. Whether they won or not… it would probably be funny.

Following behind Tally was Snake! He was interested to see who the murderer was, regardless of who it was she just loved to be able to figure out whodunnit!

"Oooo, neat! We could put it to a vote?" they offered, holding up their top hat. "Maybe we could put it in my hat!"

"Yeah sounds good! We need paper," At that moment it just hit Lama that he could only write in Rihannsu meaning his vote would be very obvious and it wasn't like he could ask said person he was accusing of how to write their name in Standard.

“I think my printer still has paper in it if anyone needs a slip of paper…” Tally dug around in their chest, pulling out a single very wrinkled piece of paper. “Or, eh… maybe the holodeck can create it for us…” Tally chuckled.

"Coolio!" Maggie took the paper and a pen from their coat pocket, tearing the former into enough pieces for everyone. "Toss your vote in the hat, hm?"

Liaxaho scribbled something down in her usual perfect handwriting, and handed it into the hat, of course, she was a detective, so she did have a pencil on her, which definitely helped.

Tally beamed. They’d been helpful! This was critical for their self esteem to function! Tal took the paper, and wrote his vote with Maggie’s pen, putting it in the hat. They should carry a pen, but where would they put it, their chassis? Too many items had been lost in there already…

Snake followed suit, taking the paper and putting his vote into Maggie's hat. He hoped he caught everything correctly!

Ten walked to the hat and put in a small piece of paper, before walking to lean up on a wall and pretend smoke again. (edited)

"Alright!" Maggie chirped as everyone put in their votes, giving it a good little mix of the hat. "... The question is, which pieces of evidence should we put in the stand?" (edited)

“Erm, well… all I know is that the ‘annoying’ note probably shouldn’t be one of them. It feels out of place… I don’t know what the other red herring is, though.” Tal twiddled their thumbs.

Lama scribbed on a piece of paper the best he could. He did not know how to spell Liaxaho for the life of him, so he wrote 'ZARO' in Standard letters and just hoped that would do. It went without saying, Lama just wrote whatever letters felt right.

Snake piped up. "I'd say the rapier is a must," Snake said. "It's just too important to ignore."

"Well, hold on now..." Maggie frowned. "We're leaving out the knife block because it doesn't have anything to do with anything, right? And the feathers I assume were for Syrax," they glanced to him as a little 'sorry for accusing you of fictional murder', having picked up his name from someone else, "so maybe that note means something else, somehow...?"

1

"I think accusing a Romulan of being the murderer is too obvious, this game wouldn't be that easy, right? Or... fuck," Now Lama was questioning his own vote. ".... I already wrote my vote though ehhh ehh.... Wait," Lama quickly scribbled out the name he originally wrote and tried to his do his best to spell Syrax in Standard. It did not go very well and he ended up writing SPONGE and put it into the hat.

"Hey, no changing!" they teased Lama, squinting playfully at him and smiling a little to make it clear they were joking.

2

"Okay, it looks like Liaxaho's got the most votes, so that's the guess we're working with." They shoved the fistful of paper in their pocket, to dispose of later since it was real and not simulated. "Hmm.."

Snake nodded as Maggie declared that Liaxaho had the most votes. However, he could not have done it without the rest of the attendees. Teamwork in action!

"Yeah so... the uH.. what was it? Pedstals? Petals? Yeah, okay we have this evidences..." Lama stood up and grabbed his empty glass of wine for dramatic effect. "Bloody rapier, probably murder weapon, Sherlock holmes novel slightly burned, sleek fabric, fingerprint powder, the word 'annoying', feathers, fashion magazine, magnifying glass, and... Knives," Lama made a stabbing motion in the air and then laughed maniacally. "Jokes on you guys, it's not me, but anyway, we gotta put all the stuff on pedstals so .... yeah we gotta vote two unrelated items off. I say the fashion magazine and knives. Since fashion is really broad, everyone has fashion, good and bad. And knives found in the kitchen, yeah, like finding a fish in the ocean, normal. Any objections?"

Alan recounted the evidence in his head as Lama spoke, nodding as he watched and noticing that the pedestals would need to be filled. "I gotta agree with the fashion magazine and the knives. Everyone's view of fashion is subjective, and there's no one here that really qualifies as a chef, that would seem too obvious as a murder weapon, plus they're clean. I agree with you, Lama."

"Liaxaho said she likes fashion, though, so it might be an important thing pointing to her," Maggie offered in delicate reply, brows furrowing. "I agree with the knives, though."

"True, but I feel like the case for Liaxaho is just as strong without it," Lama rebutted to Maggie, looking pensive as he tried to focus on his thoughts for a moment. "Well if not the fashion magazine, what else? I would say the feathers, but then again.. Confirmation bias is a real bitch," Lama mentioned, realising they needed to look at the evidence subjectively, without a person in mind or they would fall right for the murderer's trap.

"Ah," Snake replied to Maggie. Yeah, he forgot about that part. "Well, I mean, I don't really think Liaxaho is annoying...? I mean, annoying is even more subjective. Any of us could qualify depending on who thinks the other is annoying. Liaxaho doesn't really have that, I don't think." (edited)

"Id say murderer being annoying is defently nothing." Ten said before pretending to yawn. He was either way to into the aloof part of the aloof detective bit or genuinely not paying attention. "We just need one more not a clue to exclude, I think we all agree on one to omit, should we put it to a vote again?"

"Annoying could have something else to do with it. Not a descriptor, but the word itself." they offered, a bit unsure of themself as they'd been completely useless so far, but..

"Annoying... I don't really know if that rhymes with anyone's names. Or maybe it has to do with A?" Lama, the monolingual Rihannsu speaker offered. "Uhhh in Rihannsu annoying is 'ebhæ'anh' but I don't think that means anything," Lama shrugged. "Let's not waste more time, we'll rule out the knives and something else."

Snake originally took the word 'annoying' in a literal sense. But when Maggie suggested there was another interpretation, Snake stopped to think. "You're not wrong - wasn't there a room with an annoying ringing or buzzing sound in it? Something like that? That could mean something. Still, I'm not sure about that. I don't really see how the feathers are connected to this whole thing. They weren't even dipped in ink so they could be used as a quill, so they were just sitting there. I could see those as a red herring."

"Okay yeah, so we're gonna rule out the knives for sure. Can I get everyone's opinion on the second item to rule out? I still say no to the fashion magazine, I don't think it's relevant since it's so broad," Lama voiced his final words, really hoping he was getting it right. Maybe it was the feathers? Or maybe it was something else entirely.

"I think that was an audio cue as to where the clues are," Maggie offered, brows furrowing a little. "I mean, think about it... Vexing is another word for annoying, isn't it? .. Yeah, I'm also gonna go with the feathers. I think it might be the only thing that doesn't fit besides the knives."

Maggie hummed. “I think fashion magazine, and the feathers? Everything else is pretty heavily detective themed and those two don’t fit.”

Kaylee was still considering...hmmm....knives and feathers, swords and songs... None of it made much sense to her. But it all sounded very poetic. "I mean, feathers don't sound very related, but they could be into fashion?"

"Ohh - annoying, vexing.... Lieutenant Liaxaho Vex." Niwa was, once again, definitely still here. Her lack of knowledge when it came to Standard had clearly gotten the better of her, but at Maggie's comment about the 'annoying' clue things clicked into place. "So if we know that only two clues are false, thinking things through... The rapier is the murder weapon, and we know that the Lieutenant used to do fencing -- the sport, not building fences. Sherlock Holmes was a detective." Did she know he was fictional? Maybe. "The black fabric is similar to the Lieutenant's gown, the fingerprint dusting kit is something a detective would have. 'Annoying' means vex, the feathers... Maybe fashion-related, and then there's the fashion magazine, which is more... Definitely fashion-related." By this point she was more mumbling/rambling out loud as she tried to piece things together. "A magnifying glass is also a detective thing, right? And knives could represent anything; they were in the kitchen, and that's where you find knives."

5

"Knife found in the kitchen, Romulan found in a warbird, crocs found on my feet, yeah, Liaxaho it is!" Lama snapped his fingers and giggled, confident they solved this one! Vexing was a good clue! Everyone was doing a good job!

3

"The things that seem off are the knives and the feathers, maybe... Do we know anything about how this programme was made? Are we allowed to consider it? Because - I'm just theorising here! - maybe it added in those items to try to, what's the word..." Who knew what it was in Standard, but the UT translated it for her. "Implicate the other detective, Lieutenant tr'Ehweia. Someone mentioned that knives can be a very Romulan thing, right? And the feathers could be a Romulan reference too - because their emblem is a bird?" Hopefully she didn't insult any Romulans here by being generic and referring to their logo as just a bird.

"Yeah totally, I'm an innocent man! I swear! I think those are totally the red... oh what was the word... Red hair...... Red hare long? That. Anyway, I have never stabbed anyone or attacked with a knife. I've had some self defense situations, but I used a phaser like a normal person," Lama said, as if knives were some sort of ancient history and and not still a tool used not ony as a weapon, but also just a general tool. Engineers used laser cutters that was essentially knives, sculptors used knives, chefs obviously used knives. "Let's do the convictionnn!!"

The CMO paced around the laid out objects, giving them all a small inspection, trying to find which objects don't fit and which clearly link to the suspect. The knives definitely seemed out of place, she had clearly identified the murder weapon as the rapier, the knives were just simply there, no evidence they had been used in the crime. "The knives are likely one of the Red Herons as people have been calling it, there's nothing to indicate they were even involved in the crime, the rapier is clearly the murder weapon. As for which of the other eight also is out of place..."

Lapan, who had totally been here the whole time and had been paying thorough attention, spoke up. "The feathers, right? I still don't understand how the feathers are supposed to be related to anything at all, so that's an easier choice to me than even the knives," he said, looking between the people around him. "I'm sorry, miss Liaxaho, but I also sort of want to win," he told her sheepishly.

She hoped that Liaxaho wouldn't feel too dejected about being accused of being the murderer. It would be even worse if it turned out they were wrong and Liaxaho wasn't the right person at all. "Do we all agree that the feathers and the knives are the odd ones out, then?"

"A-greed!" the magician chirped, glancing around once more. "Liaxaho has the most votes, so let's get this evidence on the stands, yeah?"

Ten continues to stand in the corner contributing nothing to the conversation and smoking an unlit cigarette. "Yea sure that's cool with me" Ten said with a shrug taking another drag Before his comms badge beeped calling him away. He looked at his bare wrist miming a watch. "Um, I have to go. My angst is getting in the way." He said with a forced edgy voice before calling the arch and leaving the holodeck.

A puzzled look was given towards Ten - one of her own medical officers - at the reason for him leaving. She didn't question it though, and instead focussed on moving the evidence. "Does anyone want to lend a hand?" She asked but started going about things anyway; gently picking up the gathered clues from the stage to set them on the stands.

"Yepyep! Just put them on any one?" Lapan chirped, jumping in to help Niwa. He'd also looked at Ten slightly strangely, but their behaviour wasn't his to worry about. Instead, he worried about getting the answer right.

"Let's put them in the order that their evidence cards were numbered by... Just to keep things organised." A few more things were moved, and soon the evidence was on the stone pedestals, minus the feathers and knives that they had chosen to leave out.

They hopped up to their feet. "Okay, so that's our guess made and our evidence presented, so...now what?" ...

...The lights went out again, and with a deep rumble, the pillars sank into the stage. Silence hung heavy over the banquet hall for a long moment, and...

"Bravo! Bravo! Bravissimo!" cheered the victim, stepping out from the curtain as the lights came to once more. Vedette clapped politely despite the wide, sharp smile on her face. "Oh, my darling detectives, you've done it! Well done, well done!"

7

5

With a sigh of relief after Vedette confirmed the killer, Snake's body loosened up. Thank fuck! He wasn't crazy or incoherent!

They cheered the group on as well, beaming. "Oh, thank the gods -"

2

Rakim finally entered having been off on his own looking around, he settled in near the back of the group and simply..watched what was going on. Not that he had any idea what happened to be going on at present, he'd gotten slightly distracted elsewhere in the program.

"And--" when Rakim finally entered, she held her hand out expectantly for the fingerprint duster, leaning down just a little to be at least close to his height-- "Let's not run around playing with any more evidence at murder scenes, alright...?" She clapped her hands together twice. "Now, then! For solving the mystery, you all will receive a coupon for your Delta Delights, as well as a little memento for yourself." She held out a cute little wooden plaque that said "greatest holodeck detective", with a rose engraved into every corner, and a small music box. "Our darling murderess did her best, so I have something for you as well." A small replica of the white rose that'd been encased in glass. "You'll be receiving them in your quarters by the morning. I'm so proud of you all! Very good work indeed!"

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Rakim dutifully handed over the finger print duster and the like when they were requested from him. He decided against speaking though as he instead proceeded off into the group as he attempted to avoid being photographed by that Ferengi.

Oh, they had gotten it right? She had worried that there would be some sort of twist at the end and that everything they had theorised about had been a red heron. She couldn't help but smile as the lights came back on, and she looked over everyone assembled there. Look at that. The power of teamwork!

Liaxaho looked quite happy with herself after all this, even if they did catch on that she was the murderer, she had fun.

6

Maggie tried to contain their excitement at the knowledge they'd be getting a cute little music box. The plaque was cool too, but the music box! "Thank you guys!" they chirped to their team, the good vibe soup everyone had created around them making them all warm and fuzzy.

Upon hearing they did it, Lama jumped and threw his hands in the air like he just don't care. "Whoooooo!!! Yeah baybeee!!! We did it!" He said loudly as he began to punch at the ground for some reason and make some very odd grunting noises. It was him being excited, a special llama noise or something. "Best detectives, all of you guys!!! Call us shon ha'lock at home!" Lama said, horribly butchering words again. After a few more moments of him just acting very silly he calmed down and stood like a normal person.

Once the festivities had died down, everyone filed out of the holodeck, leaving the program to shut down behind them.

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