<div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Once again, I apologize to my players and viewers for such a long delay in posting. I tried making this one a great deal larger than usual to make up for it, and I'll try to squeeze in another such post later this week to get the ball rolling again. Thank you for bearing with me, and I hope I won't disappoint you all more than I already have.</div></div></div><br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Sillyness wrote:</cite>“One thing has been troubling me, with the structure this society, the poor behind confined to the lower floors and those with more coins living in the higher levels, why is the military keeping such a presence stationed on this floor? I would think those with wealth would be loosening their wallets for more protection our of fear. Is the killer believe to be confined to the lower floors?”</div></blockquote><br/><br/>Naya's face remained solemn as he listened to Sheva's inquiry, nodding periodically as the kitsune pointed out the oddities of their security setup. His willingness to listen carefully to her despite just having met her likely an indication of his experience as an investigator, one who was used to leaving the heights of the military to mingle with more normal folk to seek out their information with a grain of salt. The vulpine would noticeably relax as he rolled the question through his mind, looking very much like a man back into an element he was used to.<br/><br/>“You have quite sharp intuitions, Miss Ittsoro,” he spoke up a few moments later, turning in his seat slightly to peer out of the window. His eyes followed the myriad of people walking about on the ground floor far below, the tiny figures weaving and mingling with one another as they went about their business. “And at the beginnings of this station you were actually correct about the wealthy wanting protection within their immediate vicinity. However... that changed some time afterwards.”<br/><br/>This time, he stood up to move beside the window, waiting for the others to join him in overlooking the market ring (if they wished) before continuing. “While there is a distinction in class between the upper and lower floors, on these middle floors such differences aren't nearly as prevalent. Everyone, regardless of their wealth, comes here to buy what they need for their own business. Thus, it's on these floors all of us interact on equal levels, a place where the two worlds here can meet.”<br/><br/>A dejected sigh escaped his lips. “Unfortunately, a few years ago, a disgruntled lower-level resident was implemented in a serial predator case similar to our current problem, and although he was caught relatively quickly it led to a strong shift in attitude in the upper-ring dwellers. Instead of a place that held the station together, these middle rings came to be seen as a boundary between the higher and lower levels, one that was too easy for other dangerous predators to cross. Thus, ever since then they have rallied for firmer regulations to keep the poorer residents away from the upper decks, and placing a strong military presence on the middle floors was seen as a way to facilitate that.”<br/><br/>The fox let silence float between them for a few moments before his gaze alighted back on the kitsunes, a laugh escaping his lips. “I apologize for suddenly going off on such a long story. I suppose it's a topic  I feel a tad strongly about.”<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Kitts wrote:</cite>“I’m kinda wondering the same thing, Sheva. For that matter, is this guy only targeting the wealthy folks? Or is he going after anyone and everyone that comes along? Hell, does anyone even know who he is, or what he looks like? I expect there has not been…er…much evidence left behind? A good predator tends to not leave much in the way of evidence behind. After all…food only looks one way when all is said and done, if you know what I mean.”</div></blockquote><br/><br/>Naya couldn't help but smirk at Kahmori's depiction of a “lack of evidence”, a smile curving on his lips as he looked up at the larger male. “Indeed it does, and I doubt any of my men would be willing to venture into the sewage systems to try proving that wrong.” He cleared his throat before leaning against the windowsill. “That being said... I believe I can answer both you and your sister's inquiries better if I simply show you what evidence we have managed to accumulate through more hygienic sources.”<br/><br/>The vulpine trotted quickly to the file cabinets on the wall and retrieved a folder before again plopping down into his seat. Upon laying the beige packet down on his desk it was there wasn't much material contained within, a state confirmed when Naya opened it to reveal a few handwritten notes and a transcript of a holocom* call.<br/><br/>“Well, as you have already inferred, there is no concrete evidence to suggest the predator's appearance. So far, he's done an impressive job of remaining undetected while on the hunt, presumably being discrete enough to have time to digest his victims and leave the crime scenes without leaving any physical evidence. However, due to similarities to the other serial predator case I mentioned earlier in terms of the targeted individuals, I do suspect someone from the lower decks might again be involved. And its with regards to this that we have our only major lead at the moment.”<br/><br/>His paw pushed forth the holocom transcript. “This is an anonymous tip we have received that a lower-deck resident named Eric Ryas has been seen talking to a young man from the upper levels. Mr. Ryas is one of the few lower-ring occupants who has the clearance to enter the upper rings because he worked as a gardener for one of the governors, a governor who also happens to be our latest victim. Stranger still, when I sent one of my men down to his residence yesterday, Mr. Ryas had mysteriously vanished. None of the other residents in the area were willing to disclose information to the private, but...”<br/><br/>The fox's green gaze drifted momentarily up to the two kitsunes. “...Perhaps they would be more willing to discuss the matter with you. Thus, a good place to start could be paying the other residents in his housing section another visit. I'll write down the address for you.”<br/><br/>He quickly produced a small notecard on which he wrote the relevant information, handing it to Kahmori. “While Mr. Ryas doesn't sound like much of a hunter from my research, he could at least be a conduit of information between the upper deck and the predator himself. Thus, once you find him, I would like for you to contact me via holocom. And since neither of you seem to have one...”<br/><br/>Naya again reached down into the drawers of his desk before producing a pair of black devices resembling wristwatches, although a lens and two buttons sat in place of the display. A small hook-shaped device linked to side of the device was easily made out to be a headset, easily unfolded to be worn over an ear. The fox placed one before Sheva and Kahmori, a small grin on his face. “My contact information is on the other side of that card. Feel free to use it for other purposes as well, but do try to let me know if you come across any useful leads.”<br/><br/>Taking a deep breath, the vulpine took a moment to stretch in his seat before glancing at a small clock placed on one of the bookshelves, indicating that the evening hours had come about. “Alas, it's far too late for you to begin investigating now, and after riding in the shuttle this whole time I can imagine a restful night of sleep would do you both well. However, that also brings us to a small hitch in our arrangement...”<br/><br/>His head ducked down beneath the desk as he rummaged about, although he continued to speak. “As you may remember, non-resident refugees are currently being confined to the lower decks as part of a safety protocol. Unfortunately, both of you are technically also refugees, which means you would normally have to stay down below as well. In fact, unless you were tourists with visiting passes, you wouldn't be allowed to get any further on this ring than the shuttle station.”<br/><br/>It was then Naya again rose up, his grin widening as he placed two white cards on the wooden surface, both labeled with a military stamp and the fox's own signature. “I know we've been talking about work, but I think now would be a good time for both of you to have a vacation. Wouldn't you agree?”<br/><br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Relevant Plot Information</span>: Holocoms<br/><br/>Holocoms, the wristwatch-like devices Naya just gave to Sheva and Kahmori, are essentially the Silvara Galaxy's equivalent of cellphones in terms of both function and popularity. Most individuals in even semi-civilized regions will have them, and they serve as a primary means of long-range communication. While their designs may vary, they always contain at least a projector, call and hang-up buttons, and a detachable headset. Holocoms are used by first pressing the calling button, which will prompt the lens to create a holographic number pad. After entering the number, the headset can be removed and clipped onto an ear for the conversation. Pressing the hang-up button or replacing the headset will end the call.<br/><br/>Basic commercially-available holocoms (including the ones that had just been given) are convenient, but they are not designed for intergalactic communications, with a single planet usually their greatest range. However, higher-end holocoms can support interplanetary calls, and a number of upgrades and mods are available for most holocoms.</div></div></div>