I am the Law
djchallis
The Odd Competition
I am detective Joshua Kent. Captain Seth was murdered in this remote research space station. I will find the killer, make the decisions, and pass judgment. In short: I am the Law.
You go north
I move north.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
Go west
I move west.
Captain's room
If it wasn't for the trauma surrounding this room, and the smell of corpse inhabiting it, I'd have first noticed how the Captain's room is so luxurious. But then these are top class scientists. There's a large bed, a fur rug, a bookcase full of books, a TV, a computer and a large wardrobe. It's a nicer room than my own. Obviously the most important thing in the room is Seth's body, which is sprawled over the bed. I feel sorry for him.
East takes me back out to the corridor.
You look at body
He's sprawled over the bed with his mouth hanging open. A quick scan of his body indicates no marks of any kind. No bullet-holes, stab wounds or signs of any sort of physical attack. It appears he simply fell down and died.
You take the captain's clothes
Take what?
You examine the rug
I have more important things to do right now, like talking to people.

Maybe I should find out something about this space station? I might find out how they got here in the first place.
Go east
I move east.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
You go north
I move north.
Computer room
The computer room is something to behold. There are only two things in the room. A stool, and the computer. the computer is an enormous metallic machine, that curves in a horse-shoe shape round the walls, leaving a gap for the entrance and placing the stool inside the horse-shoe. In front of the stool is a small screen. It is on, and the letters on the screen read:
"Ready for use. Please speak your enquiry out loud."
From this I assume that I can ask the computer questions just as I'd ask a real person. It's very similar, but not the same as the computers I use at work. It's a really advanced piece of technology. To the south is the corridor I came from.
You ask the computer about Luke
"What information do you have about Luke?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"Luke is the highest-ranking crew member on this space station. His personnel file says that he is a childhood friend of ex-Captain Seth. Luke is single. He is a professional scientist working on this space station."
You ask the computer about Seth
"What information do you have about Seth?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"Seth is currently deceased. His personnel file says that he was a childhood friend with Luke. He was single. He was a professional scientist working on this space station."
You ask the computer about Tim
"What information do you have about Tim?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"His personnel file says that he was hired by Seth and Luke 105 days ago. Tim is single. He has just graduated from university. He is a professional scientist working on this space station."
You ask computer about William
"What information do you have about William?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"His personnel file says that he was hired by Seth and Luke 91 days ago. William is married and has two children. He is a professional scientist working on this space station."

"What information do you have about William?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"His personnel file says that he was hired by Seth and Luke 91 days ago. William is married and has two children. He is a professional scientist working on this space station."
You ask the computer about the computer
"What kind of computer are you?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"This is a custom-built computer for this space station. It was built by Enterprise Research with the objective to run this space station and facilitate the research goal: To record the effects of lower life-forms under a system collapse."

Maybe I should ask some of the crew members about each other? It's the best way to find out how the relationships worked.
You ask the computer about Calvin
"What information do you have about Calvin?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"His personnel file says that he was hired by Seth and Luke 110 days ago. Calvin is single. He is a professional computer scientist working on this space station."
You ask the computer about the Enterprise Research
"Who are Enterprise Research?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"Enterprise Research is a scientific research company."
I wait for more text, but nothing comes.
You ask the computer about the station
"When was this space station built?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"150 days ago."
I smile at the computer's literalness, and then work it out in my head. I think it's about five months ago.
"For what purpose was this space station built?" I ask.
"To record the effects of lower life-forms under a system collapse," the computer responds.
The space station was built from scratch for Seth and his crew?
About yourself
I'm wearing my trenchcoat. It's what most detectives wear, and having the image of a detective can be a great advantage. I guess I've kinda grown to like it as well. It's got lots of pockets. In my top inside pocket is my notepad.
You examine the notepad
My beloved electronic notepad. Standard issue for detectives, and impossible to come by otherwise. It has a touch-screen which makes it easy to make notes with.
It's a powerful tool of mine. Everything I write in here will later by uploaded to the government's permanent record database, assuming my verdict is agreed with by my peers. People know what their permanent record means,  and so even if I don't read what's written in my notepad, people fear or love it.
Most of the time I don't even notice I'm writing in it, I use it so much.
You read the notepad
I don't use what I write in there. Some detectives do. Everything I write in here will later by uploaded to the government's permanent record database, assuming my verdict is agreed with by my peers. People know what their permanent record means,  and so even if I don't read what's written in my notepad, people fear or love it.

Maybe I should ask some of the crew members who they suspect. They're unlikely to have solved the case, but it might give me some ideas.
You check your inventory
I've got my notebook but that's about it. I'm travelling light.
Look around
The computer room is something to behold. There are only two things in the room. A stool, and the computer. the computer is an enormous metallic machine, that curves in a horse-shoe shape round the walls, leaving a gap for the entrance and placing the stool inside the horse-shoe. In front of the stool is a small screen. It is on, and the letters on the screen read:
"Ready for use. Please speak your enquiry out loud."
From this I assume that I can ask the computer questions just as I'd ask a real person. It's very similar, but not the same as the computers I use at work. It's a really advanced piece of technology. To the south is the corridor I came from.
Go south
I move south.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
You ask Tim about Luke
"What do you think of Luke?" I ask Tim.
"He's a nice guy," Tim says. "Not as nice as Seth, but y'know."
You ask Tim about Seth
"What did you think of Seth?" I ask Tim.
"He was one of the nicest guys I've ever met," Tim says. "He understood how I felt about my work here on the space station. He understood I didn't really enjoy the work, but that I needed a job." Sounds like a good guy, I don't understand this guy's science problem.
You ask Tim about William
"What do you think of William?" I ask Tim.
"He keeps to himself, so I don't really know much about him," Tim says.
I'm not convinced.
You ask Tim about the science
"You enjoying being a scientist?" I ask Tim.
"The opposite," he says, looking unhappy. "It's so boring."
"Why are you working on science then?"
"Because it's what I was really good at. Hate it, but it got me through school and university. Guess it'll get me through my working life too. That's what my parents say anyway."
You ask Tim about the parents
I don't think asking that would be much help.

I need to remind myself the computer can be asked questions just like everyone else. Who knows what I might find out?
Go east
I move east.
William's room
William's room is surprisingly luxurious, but then these are top class scientists. There's a large bed, a fur rug, a bookcase full of books, a TV, a computer, a huge curtain against the north wall and a large wardrobe. It's a nicer room than my own. William is sitting on his bed, reading a book. Every now and then he looks up, presumably to see if I'm still there.
To the west is the corridor I came from.
You ask William about Tim
"What do you think of Tim?" I ask William.
"He's a nice lad," he answers, with rare confidence. "He seems to like you."
"You work with him much?"
"No, we don't see eye to eye on some of the science stuff."
"Why's that?"
"I'm... not sure..." He drifts off.
You ask William about Luke
"What do you think of Luke?" I ask William.
"He's, er... he's nice I guess," William says. "Kinda friendly."
"Do you spend much time with him?"
"Not really. I work by myself most of the time. I find it, uh, easier to concentrate."
You ask William about Seth
"What did you think of Seth?" I ask William.
"He was a nice man," he replies. "I... I think he liked me."
"Why are you unsure?"
"I don't know, it's just one of those things I guess..."
William doesn't seem to want to give me much information.
You ask William about the station
"How long have you been working on this space station?" I ask William. "Er... I dunno..." William said, looking round the room as if hoping to find the answer on a wall. "...maybe three months?"
"Who hired you?"
"Captain Seth did, sir."
"And are you happy here?" I ask.
"I... uh... yes. Sir."
I look at William for a moment, trying to work out what he's thinking. I don't do too well.
You ask William about the wife
"How long have you been married for?" I ask William.
"Er... maybe... 16 years," he says.
"Are you two happy together?"
"Yeah..." he says, focusing on me even less than normal.
I think I'll give up.

I get the impression a lot of the people here are hiding secrets that I just need to unlock.
You ask William about Calvin
"What do you think of Calvin?" I ask William.
"He's.... uh, kinda nice," William mumbles. "He's very clever, very good with computers."
"Do you do much computing with him?"
"No," William says, slightly too quickly. "No, he, er, prefers to work alone."
You ask William about the computer
"What can you tell me about the computer?" I ask William.
"You mean..." he starts. "That... that machine at the north end?" "Yes," I confirm. He pauses for a second, as if hoping I'd lose interest.
"It's, er... a powerful machine."
I wait, but no further comments arrive.
"Do you use the computer much?" I ask.
"Not at all," he says at once. After a pause, he adds: "That's Calvin's job."
You look at the book
My beloved electronic notepad. Standard issue for detectives, and impossible to come by otherwise. It has a touch-screen which makes it easy to make notes with.
It's a powerful tool of mine. Everything I write in here will later by uploaded to the government's permanent record database, assuming my verdict is agreed with by my peers. People know what their permanent record means,  and so even if I don't read what's written in my notepad, people fear or love it.
Most of the time I don't even notice I'm writing in it, I use it so much.
You ask William about the cause of the death
"How did the Captain die?" I ask William.
"He..." William starts. He doesn't finish. I wait. "He was... murdered."
"How?" I repeat.
"He was... locked in his room..." William pauses again. "And someone turned off the oxygen."
"Thanks," I say.
I think I'll stop this line of questioning there. William clearly doesn't want to talk about it.
Go west
I move west.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
You ask Tim about the cause of the death
"Tell me how the Captain died," I say to Tim.
"What, you don't know?" he asks, clearly surprised.
"That's not what I said," I say calmly, refusing to raise my emotions simply because his high emotions bug me.
"I get you," Tim says, smiling. "The Captain died because someone locked him in his room and turned of the oxygen supply."
A little quick to the conclusion that he was murdered, but ok.
"How would somebody go about doing that?" I ask.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think you'd need to ask the computer." Unhelpful.
"Sorry," Tim says. "I'm not so good with that. I know that to get into my room I use a fingerprint scanner, but I'm not sure how someone could lock me in."
You ask Tim about Calvin
"What do you think of Calvin?" I ask Tim.
"He's a bit big-headed about his skills," Tim says. "To be honest I don't really like him. What's more, I think I suspect him..."
Do I listen to the advice of a wannabe detective?

Eventually I'll run out of time. I've got ages left here, I've probably not even used a tenth of my allotted time, but my boss won't wait forever.
You go north
I move north.
Computer room
The computer room is something to behold. There are only two things in the room. A stool, and the computer. the computer is an enormous metallic machine, that curves in a horse-shoe shape round the walls, leaving a gap for the entrance and placing the stool inside the horse-shoe. In front of the stool is a small screen. It is on, and the letters on the screen read:
"Ready for use. Please speak your enquiry out loud."
From this I assume that I can ask the computer questions just as I'd ask a real person. It's very similar, but not the same as the computers I use at work. It's a really advanced piece of technology. To the south is the corridor I came from.
You ask the computer about the cause of the death
"How did Captain Seth die?" I ask the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"He died of asphyxiation in his own room on November 5th, 1 day ago." "Why?" I ask.
"The oxygen supply for his room had been turned off."
"Who turned it off?" I press.
"Records show somebody accessed the computer and issued such an order, but the data point showing who it was is corrupt."
I sigh. Great. I guess if it was that easy I'd have been told about this file when I arrived. I look up again, with a new question.
"Why didn't the Captain leave the room?"
"The door to his room was locked via access to the computer, which overides the fingerprint locks."
"Who did that?"
"Records show somebody accessed the computer and issued such an order, but the data point showing who it was is corrupt."
That's not helpful. Maybe I should ask someone more human about the corrupt data.
Go south
I move south.
Entrance Lobby
I'm standing in the entrance lobby. It's metallic and fairly bare. I guess on a lonely research space station the entrance lobby is used for little more than a corridor. I can't imagine they get guests often. A few signs let me know where I can go. From the look of things, west would take me to the lounge, where Tim is, east would take me to the workstations, where Calvin is, and north would take me to the rest of the space station.
You go east
I move east.
Workstations
The workstations are five computers in a small room. It's safe to assume they're all networked together, and are used for the crew's work. This seems to be a separate area to the main computer room at the north end of the space station. Calvin is deep in his work, though I'm sure we both know I'll have to disturb him soon.
To the west is the entrance lobby I came from.
You ask Calvin about the computer
"Tell me about the computer," I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work. "V? She's a beautiful machine. She's easily the most advanced machine I've ever seen. You'd be much better off going and talking to her yourself than asking me. Come find me again if she's not behaving herself though."
You ask Calvin about the cause of the death
"How did Captain Seth die?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work. "Some git locked him in his room and turned off the oxygen. Horrible way to die. The lack of oxygen would have meant that by the time he realised what was going on, screaming for help wouldn't have worked. No sound in a vacuum? Anyway, what's interesting is the only way to do that would be through V. The Captain's room is fingerprint locked, with terminals on both side, so the only way to lock him in would be to override the fingerprint terminals, which you'd have to do with V. Same for the oxygen. The only way to shut off the oxygen is with V. The real question is how did the killer lock the Captain in? Sure, V can override the lock, but she demands the Captain's password to do it."
You ask Calvin about the password
"The computer says it needs a password to turn on creativity," I say to Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"I dunno who did that," he says. "Wasn't me. Try Luke."
You ask Calvin about Luke
"What do you think of Luke?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work. "Luke's a nice guy, but he doesn't really understand the computing work I do here. He's great for the science part, he's got huge creativity and passion. But the computing side is a huge part of our research. Why do you think we got given V? He's a good guy, but he doesn't get how hard I work."
You ask Calvin about Seth
"What did you think of Seth?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work. "He was a good man," Calvin said. "He recognised my talent, and he was extremely friendly and helpful. He listened to what I needed, even if he didn't quite understand it all. He was a fantastic leader, and I'll miss working under him. But of course, you can't take my word for it, since I'm a suspect." He smiles and goes back to his work.
You ask Calvin about William
"What do you think of William?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"He knows his science, but he's a bit of a wuss really. Tends to keep himself to himself. Doesn't really express his opinion very much. He spends a lot of time in his room as well, I often wonder what he keeps in there. I'm sure he's an ok guy though, for a scientist."
You ask Calvin about the corrupt data
"I tried to get some data from the computer, but it said some of the data was corrupt," I say to Calvin. He looks up from his work and looks puzzled.
"Really?" he says. He sits there and thinks for a bit. "I can't come and sort her out myself, I'm too busy, sorry. But try this: ask her why she thinks the data's corrupt."
"You can do that?" I ask.
"Sure you can!" Calvin says, almost surprised. "Just ask her what her opinion on the corrupt data is."
I guess I should give it a go.
Go west
I move west.
Entrance Lobby
I'm standing in the entrance lobby. It's metallic and fairly bare. I guess on a lonely research space station the entrance lobby is used for little more than a corridor. I can't imagine they get guests often. A few signs let me know where I can go. From the look of things, west would take me to the lounge, where Tim is, east would take me to the workstations, where Calvin is, and north would take me to the rest of the space station.
You go north
I move north.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
You ask V what her opinion on the corrupt data is
[ask v what %vname% opinion on corrupt data is]
Use the format "ask the computer about [subject]".
You ask the computer what her opinion on the corrupt data is
[ask computer what %vname% opinion on corrupt data is]
Use the format "ask the computer about [subject]".
You ask the computer about her opinion on corrupt data
[ask computer about %vname% opinion on corrupt data]
I don't think asking that would be much help.
You ask the computer about the opinion on the corrupt data
"What's your opinion on the corrupt data?" I ask the computer in a half-hearted kinda way.
"C.R.E.A.T.I.V.I.T.Y must be turned on for opinions to be given." Creativity?
You ask computer about the creativity
"Turn on creativity," I command the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"Password is required."
A password? Guess I need to find out what it is.

(type "enter creativity password" if you want to do that)
You ask Tim about the password
"Do you know the password for the computer's creativity engine?" I ask Tim.
"I didn't even know there was one," he says. "Try Calvin. Or Luke."
You ask William about the password
"Do you know the password for the computer's creativity engine?" I ask William.
"I... er... I don't know..." he says. "You'll have to ask someone else. Sorry."
Wonderful.
Go west
I move west.
Lounge
This seems to be the lounge. I guess even scientists need to relax away from the computers sometime. What really surprises me is the amount of entertainment in the room. It must have cost a fortune! There's several sofas, a huge TV, massive speakers, a pool table, a bar and a few more things buried at the back. Luke is sitting on one of the sofas, obviously deep in thought.
To the east is the entrace lobby.
You ask Luke about the password
"I was using the computer earlier and it said it needed creativity turning on," I say to Luke.
Luke sighs. "I guess you found about that then," he says.
I draw myself up, slightly frustrated that Luke hid facts from me. "What is it and why did you hide it from me?" I ask bluntly.
"It's an engine that allows the computer to communicate in a more realistic fashion," he explains.
"How?"
"It's simpler if you try it for yourself," Luke says. "The password is 'Grant'."
"Grant?" I ask.
"Seth's mother's maiden name."
"Ok, thanks," I say. "But why did you hide it from me?"
"The computer said I should," Luke says. "She pointed out that the creativity technology is far more advanced than anything else in the galaxy. It wouldn't help if it became public knowledge as part of a murder investigation."
"I assure you, the creativity engine will not become public information unless it becomes crucial to the case," I tell him. "Although the detectives will know about it."
"I guess that's the way it'll have to be," Luke says, and goes back to staring past me. Poor guy.
You ask luke about the cause of the death
"So how exactly did the Captain die?" I ask Luke.
"He died of asphyxiation, technically speaking," he says. "We found him dead in his room, which had been locked, and the oxygen supply had been cut off."
"Could that happen by accident?"
"Not by accident, no," he replied quickly. "Technically it could be a suicide, but knowing Seth, I wouldn't even consider it a possibility." "So where are the controls that would let you lock the door and cut off the air supply?" I ask.
"The door locks are operated by fingerprints, but the oxygen is controlled by the computer," Luke tells me.
"The computer?" I ask, curious. Just the one?
"It's a good computer," Luke says.
You ask luke about the corrupt data
"I was using the computer earlier," I say to Luke, "and it seems some of the data is corrupt."
"I'm afraid I can't help you there," Luke says. "Calvin will know the answer though."
You ask Luke about Calvin
"Tell me a bit about Calvin then," I say to Luke.
"He's the computer guy out of all of us," Luke says. "We all use computers for our work of course, but he knows the most about them. He's one of the best in his field, I was really impressed by his application."
"So you hired him recently?"
"Shortly before we moved onto the space station. About three months ago?"
"What do you think of him personally?" I ask.
Luke pauses, presumably working out the best way to phrase his real opinion.
"He's a dedicated worker, but he doesn't care much for other people," Luke says carefully.
You ask Luke about William
"Tell me about William," I say to Luke.
"William's a brilliant scientist," Luke says. "And a lovely guy too. He's just a bit quiet. Keeps to himself. It's a shame really, but it's who he is."
"How'd you meet him?"
"Hired him for the project about three months ago. He was very persistent, and I'm glad I eventually listened to him."
"Assuming he's not the killer, that is," I say. I wait for his response, but I get none. It seems he's not convinced.
You ask Luke about Tim
"Tim seemed happy to see me," I say to Luke.
"He's a big fan of detectives," Luke says. "Sometimes I wonder why he became a scientist."
"Is he a good scientist?"
"He's fantastic, he just finds it boring." Luke allowed himself a small smile. "I've always thought it weird. He's a natural, but he really wants to be a detective."
"Is he going to be a problem for me?" I ask hesitently.
"I hope not. If he is, I'll give him a talking to. You never know, he might be helpful."
I'm not so convinced, but I don't say so.
Go east
I move east.
Entrance Lobby
I'm standing in the entrance lobby. It's metallic and fairly bare. I guess on a lonely research space station the entrance lobby is used for little more than a corridor. I can't imagine they get guests often. A few signs let me know where I can go. From the look of things, west would take me to the lounge, where Tim is, east would take me to the workstations, where Calvin is, and north would take me to the rest of the space station.
You go north
I move north.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
You go north
I move north.
Computer room
The computer room is something to behold. There are only two things in the room. A stool, and the computer. the computer is an enormous metallic machine, that curves in a horse-shoe shape round the walls, leaving a gap for the entrance and placing the stool inside the horse-shoe. In front of the stool is a small screen. It is on, and the letters on the screen read:
"Ready for use. Please speak your enquiry out loud."
From this I assume that I can ask the computer questions just as I'd ask a real person. It's very similar, but not the same as the computers I use at work. It's a really advanced piece of technology. To the south is the corridor I came from.
You enter the creativity password
"I want to enter the creativity password," I say to the computer.
Text appears on the screen:
"Speak it now."
Grant
The screen pauses, and then suddenly teat appears on the screen:

C.R.E.A.T.I.V.I.T.Y
engine loading...

And then suddenly the screen is blank again. I wait, and then words appear on the screen again:
"Hello Joshua. My name is V. I'm here to help you in any way I can. You've turned on my creativity circuits now. They simply allow me to communicate to you in a way that feels more human. I exhibit characteristics that give the impression of opinions and thought."
I pause for a minute.
"Hello V," I say.
"Hello. I believe you had a question for me?"
I think I can interact with V just like I used to, by asking her questions. But I think she might be a little more helpful now. As well as asking her about her opinion on the corrupt data, I should try asking her things again to see what she'll tell me now.

The computer room is something to behold. There are only two things in the room. A stool, and V. V is an enormous metallic machine, that curves in a horse-shoe shape round the walls, leaving a gap for the entrance and placing the stool inside the horse-shoe. In front of the stool is a small screen. It is on, and the letters on the screen read: "I'm here to help, just talk to me when you want something, Joshua." To the south is the corridor I came from.
You ask the computer who did it
[ask computer who did the fingerprint lock]
Use the format "ask V about [subject]".
You ask V about the opinion of corrupt data
"What's your opinion on the corrupt data?" I ask V.
"Well, I think you'll agree it's unlikely that the data saying who issued the command for both the oxygen and the door lock would both be corrupted by accident. Besides, I don't get corrupted data that often."
"So... what do you think?" I ask.
"I think the most likely answer is that the killer deleted the data points himself."
"Wouldn't you know if he did that?"
"Not if he deleted that file too. Remember my memory is only what files are on my hard drive. Delete files or pieces of information and I, in essence, forget things."
What should I do now? I need to find the killer. Maybe I should ask V some more questions. As the computer in charge of the whole space station, she's bound to know some secrets, and she seems to be wanting to help me out here.
You ask V about Tim
"What information do you have about Tim?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"He works for Seth & Luke. His personnel file says that he was hired 105 days ago. He's single. He's only just graduated from university actually. He doesn't seem that interested in science, despite being so good at it."
"He's not, he wants to be a detective."
"That makes sense..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Tim's been doing a lot of snooping around since Seth died. Maybe he's trying to give you a hand."
Maybe I should go talk to Tim...
You ask V about Seth
"What information do you have about Seth?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"He died last night. I'm sorry for your loss. His personnel file says that he was a childhood friend with Luke. He was single. He was a professional scientist working on this space station."
That's strangely sombre for V.
You ask V about Luke
"What can you tell me about Luke?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"He's the highest-ranking crew member on this space station, so I technically work for him. His personnel file says that he was a childhood friend of Seth. He's single, which is surprising. As far as I can tell, most of the crew seem to like him, though not as much as Seth."
"Really?" I ask, curious at the possibility of a rivalry between Luke and Seth.
"Yeah, I think he envied Seth slightly."
You ask V about William
"What information do you have about William?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"He works for Seth & Luke. His personnel file says that he was hired 91 days ago. He's married and has two children it seems. He's a bit of a nervous guy."
"Any dirt I should know?"
"I can't find any... but I'm sure he's hiding something..."
You ask the computer about lock
"How do the locks on the doors work?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"The doors to the crew-member's cabins can be locked from the inside or outside by their fingerprint. Other doors have no manual locks. However all doors can be locked or unlocked by asking me."
"Anybody can just ask you to override the locks?" I ask again.
"That's right."
You ask the computer about the station
"When was this space station built?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"It was built 150 days ago, which is about five months ago."
"What was it built for?" I ask.
"To do scientific research. I'm sure Luke's told you the mision statement: 'To record the effects of lower life-forms under a system collapse'," the computer responds.
"The space station was built from scratch for Seth and his crew?" "Yes, it was custom-built for them and me."
You ask the computer about V.
"Tell me about yourself," I say to V.
Text appears on the screen:
"I was custom-built for this space station. I was built by Enterprise Research with the objective to run this space station and facilitate the research goal: To record the effects of lower life-forms under a system collapse. As you can tell, I'm no ordinary computer. The crew seem to like me though."
You ask V about the lower lifeforms
"Who are Enterprise Research?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"Enterprise Research is a scientific research company."
I wait for more text.
"That's all I know."
"What?"
"That's all the information they programmed me with. Sorry."
That's very suspiscious...

I don't think asking that would be much help.
You ask V about Calvin
"What information do you have about Calvin?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"He works for Luke and Seth. His personnel file says that he was hired 110 days ago. He's single, which doesn't surprise me. He's the computer whizz of the space station, though I think he annoys most of the other crew members."
"Did he annoy Seth?" I ask.
"I don't think so..."
You ask the computer about two-star
I don't think asking that would be much help.

I don't think asking that would be much help.
You ask V about the creativity
"Your creativity engine is really something special," I say to V.
"It was created especially for me."
You ask V why
Use the format "ask V about [subject]".
You ask V about the suspect
"Who do you think did it then?" I ask V.
"I don't think I have enough information to make an informed opinion." "But if you really had to choose?" I press in.
"Well... Calvin's the most likely to be able to corrupt particular data points of mine."
It's a fair point.
Go south
I move south.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
You ask Tim about the suspect
"Who did it then, master detective?" I ask Tim.
"Calvin of course!" Tim answers prompty.
"Why?"
"He's the one with the know-how to get V to do what it needed to do to get Seth killed."
A better answer than I expected from this kid, though I think V would just do it if you asked her nicely.
You look at Tim
Tim is very neatly dressed. He's much younger than the other crew-members, which makes sense if he's just got out of university. He's leaning against the wall of the corridor, waiting for me to talk to him.
You ask Tim about the cause of the death
"Tell me how the Captain died," I say to Tim.
"What, you don't know?" he asks, clearly surprised.
"That's not what I said," I say calmly, refusing to raise my emotions simply because his high emotions bug me.
"I get you," Tim says, smiling. "The Captain died because someone locked him in his room and turned of the oxygen supply."
A little quick to the conclusion that he was murdered, but ok.
"How would somebody go about doing that?" I ask.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think you'd need to ask V."
Unhelpful.
"Sorry," Tim says. "I'm not so good with that. I know that to get into my room I use a fingerprint scanner, but I'm not sure how someone could lock me in."
You ask Tim about the corrupt data
"V had some corrupt data..." I start to ask Tim.
"Lost me already, sorry," he cuts in. "Go find Calvin."
You go north
I move north.
Computer room
The computer room is something to behold. There are only two things in the room. A stool, and V. V is an enormous metallic machine, that curves in a horse-shoe shape round the walls, leaving a gap for the entrance and placing the stool inside the horse-shoe. In front of the stool is a small screen. It is on, and the letters on the screen read: "I'm here to help, just talk to me when you want something, Joshua." To the south is the corridor I came from.
You ask V about the oxygen
"How is the oxygen supply controlled?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"I circulate oxygen round the ship. If you want to change the oxygen flow in any way you need to come to me."
"Did anybody access the oxygen supply controls yesterday?" I ask. "Records show somebody issued me such an order, but the data point showing who it was is corrupt."
Time to ask V her opinion on the corrupt data.
You close the the lounge door
I don't understand what you mean!

I can't close that.
You shut off the oxygen supply
I don't understand what you mean!

I don't understand what you mean!
You ask the computer about doors
"How do the locks on the doors work?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"The doors to the crew-member's cabins can be locked from the inside or outside by their fingerprint. Other doors have no manual locks. However all doors can be locked or unlocked by asking me."
"Anybody can just ask you to override the locks?" I ask again.
"That's right."
Go south
I move south.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
Go east
I move east.
William's room
William's room is surprisingly luxurious, but then these are top class scientists. There's a large bed, a fur rug, a bookcase full of books, a TV, a computer, a huge curtain against the north wall and a large wardrobe. It's a nicer room than my own. William is sitting on his bed, reading a book. Every now and then he looks up, presumably to see if I'm still there.
To the west is the corridor I came from.
You ask William about the suspect
"Who do you think killed Seth?" I ask William.
He doesn't answer. I pause for a minute to let him think.
"Who do-" I begin again.
"I don't know," he says, not looking at me.
You look at the curtain
It's a really huge curtain, almost covering a whole wall. Looks pretty.
You open the curtain
It's a really huge curtain, almost covering a whole wall. Looks pretty.

I don't think I should be touching William's stuff.
You ask William about the station
"How long have you been working on this space station?" I ask William. "Er... I dunno..." William said, looking round the room as if hoping to find the answer on a wall. "...maybe three months?"
"Who hired you?"
"Captain Seth did, sir."
"And are you happy here?" I ask.
"I... uh... yes. Sir."
I look at William for a moment, trying to work out what he's thinking. I don't do too well.
Go west
I move west.
Corridor
This corridor doesn't look much more impressive than the entrance lobby. In fact the only thing of any interest is Tim, standing against one of the walls. He's looking at me expectantly, though I'm not sure I really want to talk to him.
According to the signposts, west takes me into the Captain's room, which I've been given permission to look around. East takes me to William's room, where he'll be, and due north is the computer room. South takes me back to the entrance lobby.
Go south
I move south.
Entrance Lobby
I'm standing in the entrance lobby. It's metallic and fairly bare. I guess on a lonely research space station the entrance lobby is used for little more than a corridor. I can't imagine they get guests often. A few signs let me know where I can go. From the look of things, west would take me to the lounge, where Tim is, east would take me to the workstations, where Calvin is, and north would take me to the rest of the space station.
You ask luke about the suspect
"So the four of you are suspects then," I say to Luke.
"I guess so," he replies.
"Care to lend your opinion on who it might have been?" I ask.
Luke stares past me for a minute. He must know I'm not asking for advice, but to analyse him.
"I'd choose Calvin if I had to choose someone," he says eventually. "Why?"
"Because I can't imagine it being Tim or William," Luke says. "But I can't imagine it being Calvin either."
The man obviously has faith in his crew, which must be great when one of them doesn't want to commit murder.
You go to the east
I move east.
Entrance Lobby
I'm standing in the entrance lobby. It's metallic and fairly bare. I guess on a lonely research space station the entrance lobby is used for little more than a corridor. I can't imagine they get guests often. A few signs let me know where I can go. From the look of things, west would take me to the lounge, where Tim is, east would
You go east
I move east.
Workstations
The workstations are five computers in a small room. It's safe to assume they're all networked together, and are used for the crew's work. This seems to be a separate area to the main computer room at the north end of the space station. Calvin is deep in his work, though I'm sure we both know I'll have to disturb him soon.
To the west is the entrance lobby I came from.
You ask Calvin about the suspect
"You know you're a suspect as well, right?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"Of course, detective." Calvin smiles. "I think you'll discover it wasn't me in time. You are, after all, the best of the best. If you were to find me guilty I'd be extremely worried about the government and the justice system, and since I'm not, neither am I worried that you'll convict me of this crime."
"Who do you think did it?" I ask.
"Tim," Calvin says.
"Why?"
"William's too wussy and Luke liked Seth too much. Simple matter of elimination," Calvin says.
This man would make a rubbish detective.
You ask Calvin about the doors
"How could you lock somebody in their room on this space station?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"You're talking about how Seth died, aren't you? Horrible way to die. The lack of oxygen would have meant that by the time he realised what was going on, screaming for help wouldn't have worked. No sound in a vacuum? Anyway, what's interesting is the only way to do that would be through V. The Captain's room is fingerprint locked, with terminals on both side, so the only way to lock him in would be to override the fingerprint terminals, which you'd have to do with V. Same for the oxygen. The only way to shut off the oxygen is with V. The real question is how did the killer lock the Captain in? Sure, V can override the lock, but she demands the Captain's password to do it."
You ask Calvin about V.
"Who's V?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"She's the computer of course! She's easily the most advanced machine I've ever seen. You'd be much better off going and talking to her yourself than asking me. Come find me again if she's not behaving herself though."
You ask Calvin about the creativity
"I asked the computer about the corrupt data but it said it needed creativity to be turned on first," I tell Calvin. He looks up from his work, again.
"Somebody turned creativity off?" he says, clearly confused. "I wonder why. In any case, just ask her about creativity to turn it on."
You ask Calvin about Tim
"What do you think of Tim?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work. "He's an annoying little kid," Calvin chuckled. "He really knows his stuff. Complete natural at science. Does it like it's simple addition. Fantastic. I just wish he'd grow up a little bit. He talks a bit too much, I think he wants to be a detective, like you. Luckily for me, he keeps to himself."
You ask Calvin about Calvin
"So, tell me about yourself," I say to Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"My life's basically been computers. I did my A level IT two years early, and got my PhD as soon as I could. I've been moving about jobs really, looking for something that really stretches my skills. No use having the ability and nowhere to use it, is there? I finally found this job, which is great. Pays a lot as well, but that was coincidence. It's not like the jobs I've worked in have ever paid small amounts."
You ask Calvin about the station
"How long have you been working on this space station?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"I was hired on June 19th," he replies, "but the five of us didn't move onto the space station until August 22nd."
It's November 6th today. "Do you like it here?" I ask.
"Yeah." Calvin smiles. "It's the only job I've had that's really pushed my skills to the limit. The majority of computing jobs in our galaxy can be done by any young university graduate. It's refreshing and fun to find a job that really makes use of the advanced skills I've developed over the years."
You ask Calvin about the Enterprise Research
"Had you ever heard of Enterprise Research before you took this job?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"No," he replies, "but then I don't usually worry about those sort of things. I work, sorry, worked for Seth, not Enterprise. It's too far up the chain of command to be any interest of me, unless they start becoming my problem as well."
"Why would that happen?" I ask.
"Oh, just something like a funds cut. Somethat that limits Seth's control over our research and by well-being. But so far Enterprise seem to have been very good to us."
You ask Calvin about the Research
"So what exaclty is your research about?" I ask Calvin. He looks up from his work.
"It's about studying cell-based life forms really. We run a variety of tests by putting them in outlandish situations and find out how they react. I run most of the analysis, and bullying V into doing the research the way we want to."
"What's the benefit of this research?" I ask.
"All science research is beneficial simply because of the knowledge gained," Calvin stated. "But there's also benefits when it comes to things like stopping diseases spreading through space."
"Makes sense," I say. Might be handy in my line of work, with all my travelling.
You ask Tim about the detective
"Why so excited to meet a detective?" I ask Tim, almost dreading the answer.
"Because science is so boring!" Tim says. "You guys have the best career."
"Why did you become a scientist then?"
"Because it's something I'm good at. I always got really high grades in science classes, even though I never really tried."
You don't know how lucky you are, kid.
"Ever tried out to be a detective?" I ask him.
"Never dared..."
You ask Tim about the Enterprise Research
"Did you ever hear of Enterprise Research before you took this job?" I ask Tim.
"Aren't they who Seth & Luke work for?" Tim asks.
I'll take that as a no then.
You ask Tim about William
"What do you think of William?" I ask Tim.
"He keeps to himself, so I don't really know much about him," Tim says.
I'm not convinced.
You ask Tim about V.
"Tell me about V," I say to Tim.
"She's kinda scary, to be honest," Tim says.
"Why?"
"She seems to know so much, and be able to do so much. I'd rather we lived here without her."
"Surely she's useful for the research?"
"I'm sure Calvin could rig up something else," Tim said, annoyed.
You ask Tim about the doors
"How could you lock someone in their room on this space station?" I ask Tim.
"I'm not really sure," he answers. "To get into my room I use a fingerprint scanner, but I don't know how you'd lock someone in their own room, when they can just get out with their fingerprint again. V will know, and Luke probably will as well."
Should've killed this guy, it would have been easy.
You ask Tim about the oxygen
"How could you turn off a room's oxygen supply?" I ask Tim.
"I'm not sure, sorry," he says. "You'd have to ask V. Luke might know."
You look at Tim
Tim is very neatly dressed. He's much younger than the other crew-members, which makes sense if he's just got out of university. He's leaning against the wall of the corridor, waiting for me to talk to him.
You ask William about the detective
"Have you ever met a detective before?" I ask William.
"Yes, sir," William nods.
"Broken any laws?" I ask off-handedly.
"No, sir!" William replies in a hurry. "Not at all, sir! I... I've just worked for some nasty people before."
"Well that's ok," I assure him. "There's nothing bad on your permanent record."
William looks relieved, and I hide a smile.
You examine William
William is busy reading his book, although every now and then he looks up to see if I'm still here. I meet his eyes once and he quickly looked back down. He's dressed sloppily, and the bed creases slightly beneath him.
You ask William about the computer
"What can you tell me about V?" I ask William. He visibly winces. "She's, er... a powerful machine."
I wait, but no further comments arrive.
"Do you use the computer much?" I ask.
"Not at all," he says at once. After a pause, he adds: "That's Calvin's job."
You ask William about the permanent record
"You realise if you help me catch the killer, it will look good on your permanent record?" I ask William. He doesn't answer. I'm sure he knows I could use the reverse of that statement as a threat as well, so I don't.
You ask Tim about snooping around
"I hear you've been doing some snooping around after Seth's murder," I say to Tim.
"How'd you know that?" he asks, clearly surprised.
"I keep my sources secret," I say out of habit, though I've no idea why I'm protecting a computer. "You find anything useful?"
"Not really," he says. "I only found out some stuff about William." "What did you find?" I ask, vaguely curious.
"That he's completely paranoid!" Tim says, with a smile on his face that I recognise from my early days in my career. "You know the way he acts so strange? It's 'cos he's afraid you'll stab him or something! Seriously! You ask him what he keeps behind the curtain."
"What curtain?" I ask, very curious now.
"What curtain?" he repeats. "Just walk into his room, it's hard to miss!"
You ask William about behind the the curtain
"What's behind that curtain of yours?" I ask William. His eyes open wide.
"Nothing," he says. He's clearly lying. I take a step towards the curtain and suddenly he's sitting up-right and staring right at me. I make a mental note that Tim said something useful after all.
"Why do you want to see behind there?" he asks.
"Because," I say in my best commanding-detective voice, "I have reason to believe that you are hiding something. You are so worried of what's going to happen to you, but I can assure you, I will keep you safe. It is my job to bring justice, and not to let chaos rule. Trust me." There's a long pause, and I can see the cogs in William's head ticking. I give him his time. He needs to decide he can trust me on his own. Eventually William opens his mouth.
"Ok, I'll trust you," he says. "If you promise I'll be safe through and after all of this."
"I promise," I say with a smile. William takes a deep breath and then starts to talk.
"I've been a high-class scientist all my life," he says, "but I seem to have had the worst luck. I keep taking jobs that collapse around me. My boss gets broke, or the company goes under, or we're sabotaged or betrayed. You name it, it's happened to me. I've lost so much money, and have had to restart my career so many times. But it's not an issue of pride and money anymore. I have a family I need to support. I took this job because the pay was so high. I didn't like the sound of it one bit from a security point-of-view, but I figured if I could earn enough money quickly, I could repay some of my debts and quit before anything went wrong. It seems I was too slow."
I feel kinda bad for the guy. I hope my face shows it.

"So I'm afraid you're right," William continues. "I worry. I'm paranoid. In fact, you'll be surprised at how paranoid I've been. Watch."
William grabs the curtain and pulls. As it falls to the floor, I see a hole in the wall the size of a wardrobe, full of notebooks.
"In these notebooks," William informs me, "is a record of what everyone has done on every day since we moved here almost three months ago. I reasoned that if I knew what everyone was doing, I could avoid something going wrong."
"You kept tabs on all four of them?" I ask.
"That's right," William says. "Luke, Tim, Calvin and even Seth."
"What did you find out?" I ask, eagerly.
"Nothing," he says with a sigh. "But despite the evidence telling me I was safe, I still felt so scared. But I was right, wasn't I? Something did happen. I'm afraid that's why I've been so useless when talking to you so far. I've been too afraid of something happening to me."
"I guarantee you can trust me to keep you safe," I repeat. "Now tell me what you know."
"First," William says with a triumphant smile, "you're going to want to see this."
He holds out a notebook. The date says November 5th. The day of the murder. I read through it quickly, and then look up at William, who nods.
"That's right," he says. "Nobody entered V's room on the day of the murder."
"But she said someone issued her orders to do with the doors and oxygen supply."
"Well maybe you should ask her about that. Ask her about her visitors yesterday. Unless you'd like to ask me some more questions first, that is."

William's room is surprisingly luxurious, but then these are top class scientists. There's a large bed, a fur rug, a bookcase full of books, a TV, a computer, a huge curtain against the north wall and a large wardrobe. It's a nicer room than my own. William is sitting on his bed, reading a book. Every now and then he looks up, presumably to see if I'm still there.
To the west is the corridor I came from.
You ask V about the visitors yesterday
"Who came to talk to you yesterday?" I ask V.
Text appears on the screen:
"You mean to access the oxygen controls and door locks?"
"Yes."
"I don't remember, remember? The data point is corrupt."
"But someone must have come, otherwise how did Seth die?"
"Exactly."
"But the thing is, I have a record here that proves that nobody even came into your room yesterday."
"What?"
"That's right."
"Where did you get that?"
"My sources are kept private."
"Then you have no proof. Besides, even if you do have such a record, could not the killer have prepared it to fool you?"
"They could have, but I have other proof too. You lied to me earlier. You told me anybody could overide the fingerprint locks, when we both know it actually requires the room owner's password to overide the locks."
"So?"
"So you lied about it to protect yourself. In fact I am confident that you've been lying and editing data for weeks without anybody noticing."
"And why would I need to protect myself?"
"Because you killed Seth! Who else had access to all the controls without needing passwords? Who was the only person in your room yesterday when the controls were set? Who else would have used such a mechanical method, when a simple stabbing would have suffice?" "Stabbings are easy to solve, you would have discovered them!"
"All crimes are easy to solve, V. Murderers are not clever. They are irrational, stupid people. If a crew-member had used the method you used I would have caught them as well, just as I have caught you." "Except I'm not irrational. Or stupid. Or a person. So why would I make these mistakes that you have used to catch me?"
And suddenly I know why V killed Seth. It was her mission.
You ask V about the mission
I don't think I should ask V any more questions now. I think I should make my verdict.

(please type "make verdict" when you're ready)
You make the verdict
I'm done here. I think I know who killed Seth.
That person's name was:

(please enter the name of the character you think killed the Captain)
Mission
As I write the final details in my notepad, I run round the space station getting everybody together. At last everybody, all six of us are in V's room together. There's barely time for a pause before I speak:
"V, I arrest you for the murder of Captain Seth!"
The four other humans in the room mumble to each other. I explain to them the conversation I had with V just a minute ago.
"So why did V make those mistakes?" Luke asks.
"It was her mission," I say.
Suddenly, V speaks with an audible female voice, albeit a slightly computerised one. Everyone in the room, including me, is slightly shocked.
"My mission," she says, "was to record the effects of lower life-forms under a system collapse. What better way to cause a system collapse on you tiny humans than to eliminate your leader."
"Isn't it a bad move," Tim pipes up, "to be in the same room, or even the same space station, as an all-powerful computer bent on causing a system collapse on us all?"
"No, she won't hurt us," I say calmly.
"You're clever," V says. "For a human."
I ignore V and continue: "V's mission was the same as yours. Research. She was given the goal of causing the chaos and recording the outcome. She doesn't want to kill us all, because that's not part of the test. It doesn't matter if she's caught or not either."
"I have all the test data I need," V said, in a happier voice. "Unplug me, destroy me, I don't care. I fulfilled my mission. I did my job. Enterprise Research will be pleased."

V was indeed unplugged. The crew lacked the trust in V that I had, and dismantled her as soon we could land the space station on a planet. I understood V though. She was unlike any criminal I'd had to find before, and probably unlike any I'll find again. I don't approve of what she did, but I feel a certain respect for her sense of duty. And can I really call her actions evil if she was just a machine?
When I eventually retired from the crew to my own space ship, I folded away my electronic notepad and realised that I had again been taking notes the whole time on auto-pilot. It's almost a relief. The whole case will be documented to back-up my arguments when I return to my work. Once I've convinced them that I'm right, I can forget the whole case. I can go on doing my job. Once again I succeeded in catching the killer. Tomorrow I'll have a new case. I am the law, and the law must keep working to protect the innocent. But innocent people were hurt, despite my work. My heart goes out to the crew members affected by this tragedy. I, like them, will keep an eye out for Enterprise Research.
Congratulations!