FOURTH TRIAL

[bathymetric]

Alright, that's quite enough time. Move along towards the trial, if you would all be so kind. You know what's coming.

[ It's routine by now - go to the vault door, get let into the elevator by Angel, head down to the trial room... it's hard not to notice the losses on the ride down by now, though. Your numbers are starting to really dwindle, even if you're often spread out enough not to notice as much normally. The trial room and its podiums, too, seem more than ready and willing to remind you of the same. The red glow of the empty spaces is constant, potentially unnerving. ]

Remember that as there are two victims to consider, up to two votes may be counted at the end of proceedings. As always, I am but a direct address away, however rude you choose to make it.

Find the party or parties responsible for the deaths of your comrades. And to those parties: Good luck.

[ The screens rise!

Welcome to your fourth trial. ]

Comments

[bogwife]

But why get rid of the fish? They could have just dropped the weapons in the tank and been done with it.

[emberserker]

I suppose to encourage the sharks to eat Ema. Nova, you're the one who knows about sharks, tell us.

[reallyhatesharks]

Something like that. It's called chumming - regular sharks attack people like. Once, maybe twice a year? Usually because they're confused. But if you throw a bunch of blood in the water? Sharks get interested.

[archboxer]

Apart from yourself, who would know of this method?

[philoxenia]

There are books on marine biology in the library... if anyone wanted to, they could look it up.

[archboxer]

Marine biology, yes. They could form some theories from that but from what I have seen of those books they were not exactly about fishing.

[reallyhatesharks]

Depends. I don't track who's been reading what in the library, but it's used for other types of fish to so at least anyone who'd been ocean fishing. Or could make an educated guess having read about sharks and knowing they hunt by smelling blood.

[They actually don't, exactly, but Nova's assuming the technical details of how sharks hunt probably didn't stick with a person the same way THEY CAN SMELL BLOOD AND THEY'LL ATTACK!!!! would've.]

[archboxer]

It would be impossible to track what people have been reading, true. Still, perhaps it will not hurt to see who knows about that?

[fivestagegod]

In the interest of full disclosure, we kept sharks in the labs I used to work at, so I know what they do. I also investigated the aquarium and knew about accessing the shark tank from this side and how easy it'd be; I went up there myself.

That said, I wouldn't volunteer that information if I'd done it because I'm not like Alice and believe in self-preservation, and I also wouldn't have gone after Ema. So do what you will with that knowledge.

[mouflon]

Honestly, if I were you, I would have just stuck to the defense that killing a struggling human with a single stab takes way more skill than you have, Mr. I-Can't-Even-Shoot-The-Gun-I-Own.

[fivestagegod]

I can shoot it, just badly.

[He sounds amused, though.]

That's also fair, however. Good to know that we're in agreement that this wasn't me.

[mouflon]

Unfortunately, I don't think we can let anyone totally off the hook just yet. But your capabilities are something to keep in mind when looking at the case against you.

[emberserker]

Oh, like Alice volunteered much of use anyway until she was pressed on it.

[reallyhatesharks]

We can, sure, but like I said: it's really something I'd say anyone could make an educated guess on if they watched Shark Week. Or read a book about them.

[archboxer]

Fair enough.