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

[nothingcanstop]

Those are...really heavy. You must've gotten really good at pulling your weight.

[reallyhatesharks]

I mean, we use equipment so it's not that impressive.

[nothingcanstop]

Still. It's got to give you a lot of experience knowing how to carry things. What kind of equipment is it?

[reallyhatesharks]

Forklifts, moving dollys, that sort of thing. Occasionally a weird modified snow plough.

[nothingcanstop]

You ever try to move one with your bare hands? Or is that avoided?

[reallyhatesharks]

Generally avoided. Sharks are full of arsenic and lead.

[archboxer]

Yes... just by that form I can guess that.

[... She thinks for a moment.]

Nova. Could the point of throwing Ema into the shark tank was not to destroy the body?

[reallyhatesharks]

I'm not sure I'm following.

[archboxer]

Could it have been to kill the sharks?

[This is dumb and honestly I'm grabbing at straws but whatever.]

[blackmass]

To what end?

[archboxer]

Do you have any better ideas, Kirei?

[blackmass]

I'm not yet so desperate as to implicate sharks as a third possible victim.

[archboxer]

Do we even know if they are still alive?

[blackmass]

Do I look to you as though I might be a marine biologist?

[archboxer]

No, but they were missing out of their tank. Either they are dead or they are dead.

[Schrodinger's Sharks.]

[blackmass]

Are we sure they weren't unharmed and merely removed for investigation purposes? I would suspect only the Professor can know that with certainty, assuming the culprit is not incredibly adept at hiding enormous fish.

[archboxer]

Apparently the sharks are alive so I admit this was a poor line of thought, my apologies.

[bathymetric]

The sharks are alive, Archbishop. I had them moved to a holding area in the back of the tank so you all could collect evidence.

[archboxer]

Thank you for that clarification.

[Don't look at her like that.]

[reallyhatesharks]

Why would that kill the sharks? They eat way weirder stuff than humans, trust me.

[archboxer]

Not Ema, herself, but rather... what sort of fish were in the fish tank? I know some fish can be extremely toxic.

[reallyhatesharks]

They were just some tetras. Not poisonous, not that you can really poison a shark.

[Fun shark fact! Sharks can live with actually dangerous amounts of arsenic in their blood.]

[archboxer]

I see. Never mind then.

[...Nova, you are free of attempted shark murder.]