Episode 2.02: Rivulets of Copper, Eyes Aflame

[Nolmir]

Interrogation Room
"I have laid out the logic of my reasoning, and yet you still cannot see!" Kavoran's voice gains an intensity, even as his volume remains level. "They are the vanguard - the agitators of the very genocide I am trying to prevent!"

"I am trying to understand, Kavoran," Tobin replies evenly. "But your allegations of plans for genocide run so entirely counter to all my experience with your people since joining Starfleet that I find the idea hard to accept. What specifically was it that convinced you of this 'increased animosity?'"

[Renny]

Interrogation Room
"I have laid out the logic of my reasoning, and yet you still cannot see!" Kavoran's voice gains an intensity, even as his volume remains level. "They are the vanguard - the agitators of the very genocide I am trying to prevent!"

Cole tenses somewhat at this, his eyes flicking around the room as if he can see the security personnel in place through the bulkhead of the room. He forces himself to simply glare at the Vulcan in response.

[Patrick Goodman]

From his seat in the observation room, Treyva says, "It would seem to be a logical fallacy to go from 'We disagree with this philosophy' to 'We will kill everyone who subscribes to this philosophy.' The path you've described is, to put it simply, extreme, and your actions are excessive, and from an outside perspective, irrational."

[socrates200X]

Lt. Voshen watched Kavoran from the remove of the observation room and was reminded of nothing so much as the geothermal rifts on his home colony.  Seemingly dormant, and yet capable of venting terrible heat in an instant.  He saw the same vulcanian tremors in Kavoran: a placid exterior barely containing a tectonic rage.

"I may contain a bias here, but his mode of transportation seems to me to be the operative question, Captain."  Voshen spoke in as low a whisper as his vocoder allowed.  "His motive, while monstrous, is plain.  We have the means by way of the remanded sword.  Opportunity still eludes us.  How did he gain access and control over Vulcan's transporter network?  I suspect this strain of Jurokian extremism extends past this one monk, to at least one other.  Someone that would have aided his egress from the monastery to the scenes of the crimes."

"He would have us believe he acted alone.  How to pry the information of his accomplices from him then?"  He clicked in thought.

Voshen's going for a roll here.  Watching Kavoran, analyzing him with my Focus in Composure, can I Obtain Information on exactly what causes his rage to slip?  I.e. is it the feeling of seeing the philosophy of tuJurok ignored?  Or the feeling of he himself being dismissed or underestimated?  I'm basically looking for a "wedge" to give our interrogators in order to get Kavoran to spill the beans on any accomplicies.

[Chev ch'Valk]

The first officer's eyebrow raises a scant millimeter, as the opposite corner of his mouth curls upward by a similar amount. "Perhaps it would be useful for you to contemplate an allegory. Say that a suspected serial murderer has a scan-resistant miniaturized data wafer surgically implanted deep in their body, near or affixed to one or more vital organs, and on that wafer is what you believe to be detail about their motives and other evidence of criminal activity; however, you cannot retrieve the information stored on that wafer without physically removing it from the body.

"At what point do you consider it allowable to forcibly remove that device without a warrant or the suspect's explicit permission?"

Chev ponders the question for a moment before responding: "I would first offer the suspect an opportunity to explain why they have a data wafer implanted near a vital organ. Assuming time is of the essence, since, per your example, a warrant can't be obtained, if the suspect could not provide an adequate explanation, I would beam them from one secure area to another, using the transporter to remove anything non-organic that was not inherent to the suspect's initial buffer pattern."

The Andorian holds up a forestalling hand. "Before you go on about basic civil rights, I'd ask you to consider who implants data wafers in their bodies? It's unlikely that they contain vacation holos or music files, sir. Even you must admit that."

[Renny]

Lt. Voshen watched Kavoran from the remove of the observation room and was reminded of nothing so much as the geothermal rifts on his home colony.  Seemingly dormant, and yet capable of venting terrible heat in an instant.  He saw the same vulcanian tremors in Kavoran: a placid exterior barely containing a tectonic rage.

"I may contain a bias here, but his mode of transportation seems to me to be the operative question, Captain."  Voshen spoke in as low a whisper as his vocoder allowed.  "His motive, while monstrous, is plain.  We have the means by way of the remanded sword.  Opportunity still eludes us.  How did he gain access and control over Vulcan's transporter network?  I suspect this strain of Jurokian extremism extends past this one monk, to at least one other.  Someone that would have aided his egress from the monastery to the scenes of the crimes."

"He would have us believe he acted alone.  How to pry the information of his accomplices from him then?"  He clicked in thought.

Voshen's going for a roll here.  Watching Kavoran, analyzing him with my Focus in Composure, can I Obtain Information on exactly what causes his rage to slip?  I.e. is it the feeling of seeing the philosophy of tuJurok ignored?  Or the feeling of he himself being dismissed or underestimated?  I'm basically looking for a "wedge" to give our interrogators in order to get Kavoran to spill the beans on any accomplicies.

OOC: Great insight there. There would seem to be something bigger at play here and his resources would seem to be beyond that which a simple monk would have access to.

[Davy, aka GM]

Observation Room

Chev ponders the question for a moment before responding: "I would first offer the suspect an opportunity to explain why they have a data wafer implanted near a vital organ. Assuming time is of the essence, since, per your example, a warrant can't be obtained, if the suspect could not provide an adequate explanation, I would beam them from one secure area to another, using the transporter to remove anything non-organic that was not inherent to the suspect's initial buffer pattern."

The Andorian holds up a forestalling hand. "Before you go on about basic civil rights, I'd ask you to consider who implants data wafers in their bodies? It's unlikely that they contain vacation holos or music files, sir. Even you must admit that."

Sorak nods. "Yes, but there could exist a myriad of information that one person may want to refrain from disseminating that are neither criminal nor unethical. Medical information, for one. Financial information, for non-member worlds where currency and wealth are still a factor. Access codes for encrypted files stored elsewhere. And the suspect would be under no obligation to share that information, nor the nature of the device. The question remains: Where do you draw that line in civilized society?"

OOC: Just as a footnote here. 23rd Century transporter technology isn't precise enough to remove a small device from within a body. (Remember, transporting within the confines of the ship is still a tricky procedure, and site-to-site (no materializing on the pad in between) is a relatively new capability (first seen in the 2280s).)

(Disabling a held energy weapon was also canonically first shown on screen in the 24th Century, but I've included that capability in 2280s transporters.)

Their attention is diverted when the captain presses the comm panel transmit button.

..."It would seem to be a logical fallacy to go from 'We disagree with this philosophy' to 'We will kill everyone who subscribes to this philosophy.' The path you've described is, to put it simply, extreme, and your actions are excessive, and from an outside perspective, irrational."

Interrogation Room
Kavoran aggressively leans forward, his eyes focused past Tobin and Cole, as if he was looking at Treyva directly. "How long must we wait to prevent genocide? Do we wait until they de-legitimize tuJurok and the other philosophies? Or criminalize them? Or begin arbitrary detaining? Or, shall we wait until Jarokovans or Nirakians begin to mysteriously disappear?

"We have seen this before, in the policies that only ended in the middle of the last Century. How long must we wait before preventing a re-occurrence of history?" The monk appears to be on the very edge of his control.

Observation Room
Chev notices Sorak's expression soften ever so slightly - a hint of sadness, perhaps?

Lt. Voshen watched Kavoran from the remove of the observation room and was reminded of nothing so much as the geothermal rifts on his home colony.  Seemingly dormant, and yet capable of venting terrible heat in an instant.  He saw the same vulcanian tremors in Kavoran: a placid exterior barely containing a tectonic rage.

"I may contain a bias here, but his mode of transportation seems to me to be the operative question, Captain."  Voshen spoke in as low a whisper as his vocoder allowed.  "His motive, while monstrous, is plain.  We have the means by way of the remanded sword.  Opportunity still eludes us.  How did he gain access and control over Vulcan's transporter network?  I suspect this strain of Jurokian extremism extends past this one monk, to at least one other.  Someone that would have aided his egress from the monastery to the scenes of the crimes."

"He would have us believe he acted alone.  How to pry the information of his accomplices from him then?"  He clicked in thought.

The first officer's stoic expression quickly returns, and he notes, "Our philosophy dictates that 'one man can summon the future,' Mr. Voshen. An individual, properly motivated, can make the contacts necessary to obtain a device such as they one he used, and to avoid detection during ingress and egress when one is not being monitored."

OOC: Voshen's task will be Insight + Medicine vs. Difficulty 3. I'm going to have to disallow Composure. It's generally a tool for remaining calm, as opposed to analysis of that ability. Your goal is more psychological analysis. I'd allow Stress Disorders, Psychosomatic Disorders, Psychiatry, Neuropsychology/psychiatry, and even Empathy as a focus.

[Renny]

Interrogation Room
Kavoran aggressively leans forward, his eyes focused past Tobin and Cole, as if he was looking at Treyva directly. "How long must we wait to prevent genocide? Do we wait until they de-legitimize tuJurok and the other philosophies? Or criminalize them? Or begin arbitrary detaining? Or, shall we wait until Jarokovans or Nirakians begin to mysteriously disappear?

"We have seen this before, in the policies that only ended in the middle of the last Century. How long must we wait before preventing a re-occurrence of history?" The monk appears to be on the very edge of his control.

"Remain seated..." Cole speaks quietly in response to the monk's change in posture "..or I will have you restrained."

[socrates200X]

Rolling Insight + Medicine (TN: 12), Difficulty 3, no Focus, no Talents.  No d20s bought since this is just following a hunch.

Rolled 2d20 : 17, 19, total 36

[socrates200X]

Voshen concentrated on Kavoran's raised posture on the monitors, but no new insights came.  His tapered fingers drummed pensively against his arms.

"Captain, permission to further analyze the suspect's transporter device?  If there is a lead to be followed there, I would like to get ahead of it."  He turned towards ch'Valk and Sorak, steepled his fingers, and bowed slightly.  "Ensign, Commander.  If either of you would be amenable to turn your ethical examinations into mechanical ones, it would be most welcome."

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: Just because I think this would be cool, let's run an opposed test. For Cole, it will be Presence + Command vs. Difficulty 2, reduced to Difficulty 1 because he is the recognized authority...even by a potentially mad monk. For Kavoran, it will be Control + Command vs. Difficulty 2.

Current
Momentum 3
Threat 3

[Renny]

OOC: Ok let's give this a shot.

Presence ( + Command (3) vs Difficulty 2. I'm going to grab a point of Momentum to buy another die.

Rolled 3d20 : 19, 9, 8, total 36

[Renny]

OOC: That would seem to be 2 successes.

[Patrick Goodman]

"Captain, permission to further analyze the suspect's transporter device?  If there is a lead to be followed there, I would like to get ahead of it."

Treyva looked towards T'Kiri. "If the local authorities and the suspect's counsel do not object, I don't either."

[Davy, aka GM]

Observation Room

Treyva looked towards T'Kiri. "If the local authorities and the suspect's counsel do not object, I don't either."

"I have no objections," T'Kiri replies.

Sorak nods and turns to the navigator, "I will make Lt. Kolesnikov available to assist you in my stead. He has expertise in electronics, which will be an advantage in this query."

Interrogation Room
OOC: Acknowledging the spending of 1 Momentum to purchase Create Opportunity.

2 Successes vs. Difficulty 2. Success! (That third die saved the day.)

The Vulcan appears to force himself to relax, emphasized by a minute shake of his head, and he returns to an upright position. His solicitor, seemingly unfazed by the entire exchange, politely clears her throat.

"It is becoming clear that continued questioning will yield little further insight," T'Vaana-Sath steeples her fingers. "Regardless, I will be filing a notice of emotional compromise once a judge has been assigned to this case."

OOC: Okay, gents. We are coming up to the end of the episode.

I believe Voshen is hoping to gather information from the device, and is hoping to determine if there are additional conspirators, so we'll continue that line of inquiry before moving to close out the episode. Otherwise, the primary actor in these crimes has been found, and, effectively, confessed without further loss of life.