The Kessler Audit
An Independent Forensic Specialist is dispatched to the deep-space Kessler Research Station following the death of Dr. Aris Thorne in the sealed xenobiology lab. The investigation must audit conflicting personnel logs, system timestamps, and physical evidence within a compartmentalized corporate environment under constant surveillance.
Initial Crime Scene
The first breath is a cocktail of faint, sweet-tart chemical scent and the sharper, metallic tang of ozone. A persistent, low hum resonates through the deck plates, originating from rows of server racks. Visibility is hazy, distorted by the constant atmospheric scrubbing. Ahead, reflective wall panels create ghostly, moving duplicates of your silhouette. To the right, a cryo-storage unit gleams with sterile cold.
Crime Scene Environment
Lighting is cool, clinical, and pervasive, eliminating all shadows. The atmosphere is perpetually pressurized and dry, with humidity levels precisely controlled by automated scrubbers. Acoustic density is high, filled with a constant, indistinguishable hum from machinery and diagnostic systems, creating a baseline of system noise that muffles distinct sounds.
Investigation Constraints
Central AI 'ADMIN' with tiered access logs; biometric door seals (palm print, retinal); personal data-slates with limited encryption; station-wide comms channel with archived transcripts; automated environmental scrubbers; cryo-storage units; low-power local area network (LAN) for internal data only; no external FTL comms or true wireless hacking tools.
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