I need help to test a set of events

[Commander Truestar]

person of interest A. anyone recognize him. time stamp, face, height, gait, etc.

None of the facility staff recognize him when the image is shared internally.
An image search of the security data will take some minutes

published to general police net

That has been started but will take time

where is he, or is this covert?

Unknown at this time

send the outside guy and someone else with him to follow the
footprints, where they went and if there's time where they came from.

The trail both approaches from and leads to the grass around the skirt and then is lost

send someone else to examine the vent in question.

the vents, inside and outside, have been tampered with

shot while sleeping or laying down?

The prisoner was shot while standing

4) non-standard psi? shapeshifter? worms his way in, does ... something involving 1), leaves.

That requires much more data on Special psi talents than your team know or have access to

UPDATE: information from the weapons expert says the odd grooves were caused by some kind of silencer. This is extremely illegal even at Lunion's low law level.

 

[Commander Truestar]

Just some thoughts, could suspect have used a micro robot with a camera to get a picture of the cell enough to allow teleportation? is silencing technology available in this TU such as in MgT?

(Comment on)Such tech is available in any version of Traveller.
despite it not being "explicitly described" in a book, the tech can make that device down to modern day Earth(comment off)

The robot or 'droid would need to have someone open the vent inside for it to get a visual on the cell. (per earlier update, the internal vent was confirmed tampered with)

 

[flykiller]

The trail both approaches from and leads to the grass around the skirt and then is lost

then standard "lost trail" techniques - what was the original vector, follow that. look ahead, where could/would he have gone. etc. and eyes up.

the odd grooves were caused by some kind of silencer.

silencers don't work on revolvers. carefully check floor/corners/just outside cell, any shell casings? not expecting any, but given the short time frame available maybe there was a mistake.

requires much more data on Special psi talents than your team know

then probably need access, a teleport would not have bothered with the vents.

Was the idiot that didn't have a camera on this prisoner get fired?

now now, don't frighten them, just get the data and let the prison run itself.

 

[flykiller]

is this covert?

Unknown at this time

then "wanted for stealing prison property" or something.

 

[Commander Truestar]

then standard "lost trail" techniques - what was the original vector, follow that. look ahead, where could/would he have gone. etc. and eyes up.

Not far from the arrival and departure points, there is a drive and parking space that is shared with other official buildings in the cluster. All other buildings are significantly far from the prison.

Further review of older security data shows the tech waling into the lot. Continued observation shows the tech driving up in a service vehicle, parking on front of the prison and entering through a security point!!

Head to toe pictures are made available.

Biometric scan of other security footage shows the tech leaving thirty minutes later

silencers don't work on revolvers. carefully check floor/corners/just outside cell, any shell casings? not expecting any, but given the short time frame available maybe there was a mistake.

No shells were left

 

[flykiller]

Continued observation shows the tech driving up in a service vehicle, parking on front of the prison and entering through a security point

so, at one time he walks up through the security point, at another time he crosses the security zone and ... messes with a vent. probably two different guys. what kind of tech is this?

and let's send someone - the outside team if we're still busy inside - to pay this tech a visit. not call, visit. probably find he has an airtight alibi or he's dead.

(per earlier update, the internal vent was confirmed tampered with)

oh, missed that, picked up only on a view of the cell not being possible from the vent.

 

[Commander Truestar]

so, at one time he walks up through the security point, at another time he crosses the security zone and ... messes with a vent. probably two different guys. what kind of tech is this?

Prison security is now scrambling to pull and test all internal camera feeds.
The technician arrived on a valid work order. The business is vetted and their techs are certified, so little challenge was provided at the entrance.

and let's send someone - the outside team if we're still busy inside - to pay this tech a visit. not call, visit. probably find he has an airtight alibi or he's dead.

Per the above:
Do you want some of your crew to make the visit, or someone more official?

oh, missed that, picked up only on a view of the cell not being possible from the vent.

Yep, Multiple people are chiming in.
I am glad to have the interest even if it means more scrolling!


UPDATE:
Under the circumstances, all guards have been called in. As they have been reporting, one guard notified his supervisor that:
1) he appeared to have been pick pocketed the night before
2) he had a chip-encoded access card on his person which was not supposed to be removed from the prison site.
3) that card grants access to the level on which the prisoner was killed

 

[flykiller]

1) he appeared to have been pick pocketed the night before
2) he had a chip-encoded access card on his person which was not supposed to be removed from the prison site.
3) that card grants access to the level on which the prisoner was killed

a little confused. I understood that this tech is a legitimate tech and showed up and walked in normally on an earlier day, but on another day walked across the clear zone and up to the vent then back the way he came at the same time the prisoner was killed?

if so, was the guard's card lifted that first day?

what does the card do, grant entry or track presence?

Do you want some of your crew to make the visit, or someone more official?

dunno yet, let's resolve who this guy is first.

 

[Enoki]

What does the guard say the prisoner was doing when he last observed him? Was he asleep, awake, pacing the cell, sitting at the desk, etc?

Did the rounds enter him from the front or back of his chest? That is how was the prisoner facing in relationship to the shooter? This should give some indication of the reaction time the prisoner had to the shooter's presence.

In relationship to where the prisoner was when shot what was the most likely position of the shooter? That is, if the prisoner was standing did the rounds enter in a flat line or at an angle? Where was the prisoner in the cell at the time he was shot? What would have been the position of the shooter (or at least the firearm)?

Penetration data should be able to determine the approximate velocity of the rounds on impact and then a potential initial velocity giving a better position of where the shooter was in relationship to the prisoner.

Is there any indication of what the barrel of the weapon was made of from examination of the bullets? Was it steel, plastic, ceramic, something else?

 

[Commander Truestar]

a little confused. I understood that this tech is a legitimate tech and showed up and walked in normally on an earlier day, but on another day walked across the clear zone and up to the vent then back the way he came at the same time the prisoner was killed?

if so, was the guard's card lifted that first day?

what does the card do, grant entry or track presence?



dunno yet, let's resolve who this guy is first.

Clarification:

The tech, who:
1) was spotted on a security camera presumably approaching an exterior vent
2) was spotted on a security camera presumably leaving from an exterior vent
3) was spotted on a security camera entering the prison on a valid work order and in a
correct uniform, from a truck of a vetted service

Is currently assumed to be a correct employee of the firm represented
To this point, it is known he entered into the facility and was inside for half an hour
before leaving.

In an update to the information the PC's have:
The management have notified the PC's that:
A guard reported his card was stolen the night before

The card grants entry to the secure level on which the prisoner was held.

Sorry for the confusion

 

[Commander Truestar]

What does the guard say the prisoner was doing when he last observed him? Was he asleep, awake, pacing the cell, sitting at the desk, etc?

The prisoner was sitting on his bunk, periodically engaging the guard in an imagined staring contest.

Did the rounds enter him from the front or back of his chest? That is how was the prisoner facing in relationship to the shooter? This should give some indication of the reaction time the prisoner had to the shooter's presence.

The front of the chest. The prisoner was facing his killer and both were standing

In relationship to where the prisoner was when shot what was the most likely position of the shooter? That is, if the prisoner was standing did the rounds enter in a flat line or at an angle? Where was the prisoner in the cell at the time he was shot? What would have been the position of the shooter (or at least the firearm)?

Per the evidence available and the position of the fallen body, it is believed the prisoner was facing the killer through the metal-bar cell door between them. The rounds had a flat trajectory and passed through the victim's body, splattering the rear wall of the cell. The rounds were slowed enough that the only major distortion to the rounds happened as they passed through the body. Little additional deformation happened when the rounds hit the wall.

Is there any indication of what the barrel of the weapon was made of from examination of the bullets? Was it steel, plastic, ceramic, something else?

To expand on an earlier post, the rounds appear to have been fired from a more or less standard snub pistol. It was later determined there had also been a silencer on the weapon.
Since silencers don't work on revolvers, it is most likely this snub pistol was a semi-automatic variety

 

[Enoki]

UPDATE:
Under the circumstances, all guards have been called in. As they have been reporting, one guard notified his supervisor that:
1) he appeared to have been pick pocketed the night before
2) he had a chip-encoded access card on his person which was not supposed to be removed from the prison site.
3) that card grants access to the level on which the prisoner was killed

So, none of the means of normal access is supervised or manually operated? That is, if someone used this stolen card there was no security monitoring of who was entering the facility and no one who had to manually operate any of the doors a person would have to go through to get to this guy?

If this part of the prison was a high security area why was there no secondary verification of who entered and left? Wouldn't there at least be a record of entries and exits? Go back several hours at a minimum in that record.

Sounds like the designers should go to prison for their incompetence. Discipline the guard for his having the card outside the prison.

 

[flykiller]

1) was spotted on a security camera presumably approaching an exterior vent
2) was spotted on a security camera presumably leaving from an exterior vent
3) was spotted on a security camera entering the prison on a valid work order and in a
correct uniform, from a truck of a vetted service

oh, so this is all one event on the same day? and he was just walking from one set of prison facility buildings to the prison itself?

A guard reported his card was stolen the night before

was the stolen card the one used by the employee, or can they not distinguish?

 

[Commander Truestar]

So, none of the means of normal access is supervised or manually operated? That is, if someone used this stolen card there was no security monitoring of who was entering the facility and no one who had to manually operate any of the doors a person would have to go through to get to this guy?

That is incorrect.
As was stated in an earlier post, the technician got in by passing through a security check point. Sorry for the confusion.

To expand on that, the point was manned and the technician was checked and cleared as:
1) having all the appropriate paperwork needed
2) not having any weapons or items which could be used as primary weapons

Further,
There is a standing guard at the point of the cells, to restrict access to the cell area. That guard has been questioned(see posts earlier in the thread) but no further investigation has been done on that vector

If this part of the prison was a high security area why was there no secondary verification of who entered and left? Wouldn't there at least be a record of entries and exits? Go back several hours at a minimum in that record.

At the current point, the prison technical staff are working to pull and scan the internal video to track the activities of the technician. You can request a printout of the access log for secure spaces.

But as long as the appropriate controlled item(s) were available, the user of said item(s) can get where they want. It is only newly available data that an access card was stolen.

Sounds like the designers should go to prison for their incompetence. Discipline the guard for his having the card outside the prison.

heheheh,
In writing this murder mystery, I relied on not only news clips of just such lapses, but those lapses I have encountered in my careers. At one point, a Sgt and several ratings were busted when the Sgt invited them into his office to play poker during his late-night shift.
His job was to authenticate people into an out of sites via radio using code sheets.
As they played poker, the master code book was open, on his desk, in full view of the others in the game and hanging out.

And then the ORI(Operational Readyness Inspection) inspectors walked in.....

These stupid things happen all the time. Like having your buddies build a house and then cut a tunnel under a Mexican prison to get you out.

 

[Commander Truestar]

oh, so this is all one event on the same day? and he was just walking from one set of prison facility buildings to the prison itself?

was the stolen card the one used by the employee, or can they not distinguish?

The card theft was the night before

The stolen card has not been confirmed "Used" yet.
To get into the prison, the technician presented all the proper work order and ID forms.
he was allowed in by the guards at the front office.

You can request a print out of the access logs to see if and where the card may have been used.

 

[flykiller]

These stupid things happen all the time.

bingo that.

alright, have to say I'm out of ideas except to follow up on this guy. I'd say bring the team to knock on his door (or whatever they have on lunion) and interview him immediately. bring the prison tech worker coordinator in charge of whether or not this guy should be there too, so any issues of elegibility get resolved then and there. I'd expect that 1) we're on a wild goose chase or 2) we'll find this guy dead.

and gotta sign off. hope this helped what you were doing.

 

[Commander Truestar]

bingo that.

alright, have to say I'm out of ideas except to follow up on this guy. I'd say bring the team to knock on his door (or whatever they have on lunion) and interview him immediately. bring the prison tech worker coordinator in charge of whether or not this guy should be there too, so any issues of elegibility get resolved then and there. I'd expect that 1) we're on a wild goose chase or 2) we'll find this guy dead.

and gotta sign off. hope this helped what you were doing.

You show up at the firm and begin asking questions and flashing pictures and are told, point blank, that "that guy is not our technician."

In fact, the owner and manager both show you pictures of the tech assigned to the job and he looks nothing like the guy who actually showed up.

And they want to know what happened to their man??
And they are calling the local PD

In the middle of this, you get a call from the prison, confirming:
1: the technician arrived for the tech call 15 min after he was seen leaving the prison's
secure dirt apron
2: the stolen card was used to get into various secure areas including Uniform storage
And the secure prison level, in sequence
3: the "technician" was caught on camera entering a uniform storage space
4: the guard who had been on duty had been sent for medical evaluation. The report
indicates there is chemical residue in his blood. A follow up physical examination
showed a puncture mark which had not been noticed before

 

[Commander Truestar]

Thank you all.

You have shown this is viable.

the ultimate answer is that the killer was a Sword Worlds sleeper
he was activated to kill the captured spacer and prevent sensitive data from being revealed

Here is the "reveal" data:
Murderer was Sword Worlds Sleeper agent who had:
A) Stolen a guard's credentials.
B) Found an external vent and fed a small carrier 'droid into the system
C) Spent hours mapping the vents until the 'droid was in position ( trying not to be seen, will not obsure all footprints )
D) killed a tech heading to the facility (and hid the body)
E) infiltrated the facility as the service tech, passing through weapons scans ( visible on vids - note boots )
F) stolen guard uniform and armor (with mask) - scratched ID tags to prevent early ID of off-shift guard ( Noticable on vid )
G) Made his way to a vent near the holding area( visible on vids - note boots [leave tracible droppings] )
H) Opened the vent, retrieved a silenced snub pistol from the waiting 'droid, ordered 'droid to withdraw
I) Proceeded to cell area and initiated a small EMP pulse to knock sensors off line briefly
J) Hit guard with a special tranq ( Instant-acting, short-term memory-surpressing: Guard would awake thinking he had nodded off for seconds )
K) Enter Cell and kill prisoner.
L) Lock Cell and make escape.
M) Dressed as tech again, leave and retrieve 'droid once outside.


Comments?

 

[Enoki]

You might note, that with almost any prison, a outside technician, visitor, etc., who is not a worker, guard, manager, or whatever at that prison will be escorted inside by a guard. The technician would have to be part of the facility's staff to be unsupervised.
That means the imposter would have to either look a lot like someone (or the real technician) that works there in order to do this. If he didn't there's a good chance somebody might ask "Who are you?" even if just by accident.

 

[Whipsnade]

You have shown this is viable.

Viable? Hardly. Wildly implausible is more accurate.

the ultimate answer is that the killer was a Sword Worlds sleeper

The ultimate answer is that you've tortured the "facts" past anything remotely resembling reality. This "mystery" is little more than a Mission:Impossible fantasy with an incredibly convoluted number of critical actions all taking place in perfect sequence with minimal time for planning.

Here is the "reveal" data:

Looking at that list only makes me laugh harder. Take the first fantasy on the list:

Murderer was Sword Worlds Sleeper agent who had: A) Stolen a guard's credentials.

I'll buy that the guard's ID was pinched somehow. What I won't buy is that the sleeper had time to do all the other things you list after he steals the credentials. Once the guard loses that card, the clock starts ticking. Either the guard is going to report the loss or he's going to be found out, but it's going to happen soon after the card is filched.

Yet, despite the clock ticking, you want us to believe the sleeper has time to find vents, spend hours mapping the same, get a droid, put the droid in the vents with the gun, ID and kill the right tech, acquire tech & guard uniforms and tags, and dozens of other things. That's a lot of work for a team of people, yet the sleeper is doing it all alone, with the clock ticking, and immediately after being activated.

The sleeper also has immediately on hand devices and facts like a memory-erasing tranq round , an EMP device that will glitch the prison's sensors, an accurate map of the cell block, the correct cell number, and others that are completely specific to the job at hand. He's supposedly a sleeper, but his skills, knowledge, and tools are somehow unbelievably specific to infiltrating a specific prison and killing one specific person.

Pull my other leg, it plays an instrumental theme in 5/4 time by Lalo Schifrin.

While Rollin Hand, Cinnamon Carter, and Barney Collier might be able to pull this killing off, they'd still need more time to do it than your Sleeper Agent Who Just So Happens To Have All the Right Tools And Information Necessary For The Job Right Here.

Comments

Either simplify it drastically or play it as a meta-comedy.