Save'ena - Weekend Excursion - Part 5b: Clubs and Evidence

Posted on Thursday 7 June 2018 @ 19:09 by Lieutenant Colonel Kachiko Bayushi & Commander Save'ena (Sav) Tillatix

Mission: Academy Days
Location: Starfleet Central Intelligence Building S4
Timeline: 0900 hours, September 3rd, 2389
2349 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Savin entered the Starfleet Central Intelligence Building Secure 4. He had worked through some discrepancies in the evidence through the night last night before calling it quits at midnight. He hoped that Captain Bayushi had found clues at the Dance club. But, if they were a nightclub with great cleaning practices, nothing probably would be found. As he passed by an obvious Yeoman, he ordered a fresh thermos of coffee to be brought to room seven where the evidence for his case was residing.

He entered the evidence room and sat down at his computer station terminal with his login he was given yesterday. He brought up the diagrams of the two Senior Cadets, one leg and thigh, the other hand and forearm. He next brought up the evidence of the tree from Kachiko's recordings, then brought up the recordings of the tree that was supposed to be where Cadet Tillatix had been surprised. He also made sure to show time stamp information. Final piece of information was on the rope.

The door hissed open, admitting the deadly little Marine Officer. She paused before approaching Savin, "Counselor. I hope that your night went well?"

Savin stood up and reached out to shake her hand as he said, "As good as could be expected. I'm glad to see you. Fresh coffee on the way." He pulled out a chair for her, then sat back down himself. "In going over the evidence, I found some discrepancies that could back up what we're trying to say. Unfortunately, there are other explanations that could be said as well, but at least it is something. How did your trip to the club last night go?"

"The club itself, the Dancing DaVito, is undergoing a remodel and rename, which is apparently a thing. It's also only open for four days each year and tied to a notorious club frequented by Admirals, Federation Council members and believed to be organized crime."

Savin's eyebrows raised at her statements. He replied, "Okay, that is unusual, for sure, and not a good choice for the Seniors to take the first year cadets. Do you think they knew, or lucky draw?"

"I was able to uncover a treasure trove of damning information at the Wharf's administration office," she set down a PADD with her compiled data and personal notes that she had recorded the night before.

Savin beamed at seeing her success. He said, "That is more than I found. So, lets start off with what I have, then we can get to what you have."

Savin opened the medical tricorder readings and pictures of the wounds to the two seniors. "First off, the wounds don't follow what the Senior's said, but do follow what Tillatix reported." He pointed out the wounds on Josh Reslynn's inside thigh and calf as he brought up a 3d image of the cadet. "If you look here, the wounds go from near the knee, up towards the top of the thigh, then continue up and moving back inside the thigh, getting to within four inches of the groin area. Then, on the calf cuts, they cut straight across from back of the calf and towards the shin just above the ankle. Now, if you are surprised at someone coming upon you, and they kick out with a foot with claws, how do you get a wound going knee up and then back of calf forward just above the ankle separated by the length of the leg?" He ran several simulations, then said, "You can't."

He now caused the model to crouch down onto the balls of its feet, legs folded and spread apart, as though someone working on something on the ground. He now put a simulacrum of a female propped against a tree with its feet and ankles between the Cadet's opened legs. "However, if you are, say, tying or untying ropes around the ankles of a person on propped against a tree with legs along the ground, and that person kicks outwards in a panic..." The simulacrum brought its legs up and out, and due to the position, performed an out and then down kicking arc, matching perfectly the wounds on the Cadet's leg. Savin finished with a, "Then, you match the wounds the cadet received."

Savin brought up a 3d model of Jon Kennedy in a similar position, but beside and to the right of the simulacrum and working on hands and wrists . "Here, Cadet Kennedy is out of the firing of the legs, but notice where his arms and hands are. If that person with the bound wrists, either being untied or tied, tries to push you away and then slice through the ropes.. the wounds are from the inside of the right arm and then across the left palm, keeping with Tillatix's account saying she tried pushing away and then slicing the ropes... Cadet Kennedy tried to regain control and got sliced for his troubles."

" I can't remember the last time I encountered another in our line of work whom thought to establish what exactly was the disposition of each party involved," Kachiko grinned. The man was growing on her, proving himself a rather capable investigator and forensic scientist. "Few seem interested in the how, just the what. Which is sad, considering the fact that the How of things so often sheds light on a new side of the story."

"Were you able to glean anything from the tricorder scans?"

Savin moved on and brought up a correlated scan of Kachiko's Hud and Tricorder. He now put the Medical tricorder scans side by side. "While your scans are earlier than the scans of where the cadets said Tillatix was, I wanted to show first the area where you said she had been and they said she wasn't." 3d images appeared, except they had topographical ground lines as well as areas on the tree marked. "Here is what I found. First, notice your ground has rope fibers and blood upon it, and is higher than the later scan. So, either something big came by and laid down, or the top layer was removed. Next, see the rope fibers and Mephetian hair in the tree in your scan? They're missing in the later scan, that, and the bark in that area shows some fresh scuff marks, meaning either something rubbed up against the tree, or the fibers and hair were removed in a hurry."

Savin shifted the scene to the tree three trees back and behind the tent where Rina had woken up in. He zoomed in on the ground before the tree and had some areas circled. "Now for the later scans of the Cadets saying where Tillatix was found. If you notice the ground around this tree, it is covered in forest debris. It is out of the way of the clearing and path, and gets less sunshine. So, tell me, the dirt with the Mephetian hair and the blood traces... how is it a lighter sunlight shade, and why is it not covered in debris?" He shifted the view to the tree with its hairs. "Now, on the hairs, ignore them, look at the bark. There are no signs of being rubbed, nothing showing the bark did its job in layers breaking away to keep the inner bark intact. Tillatix either had a very delicate rub, or they were planted."

"Medical students. I'm leaning towards that they're smart enough to think to plant evidence, but young and dumb enough to think that we're too stupid to not catch on. Anything else?"

Savin smiled, "Well, I do have one last thing. To me, it is a red flag, big time, but it could be explained away." He shifted to the Cadet Medical tricorder recordings and went through to show camping gear, and a pile of tossed maritime hemp rope, small grade, the lengths showing to be from five feet to fifteen feet. He highlighted that rope. "If your going camping, where is the thin, ultralight synthekrill rope for tents and food hides, and why so short and not on a spool? Second, if setting up camp and not having been used, why are they in a jumble and not coiled? Third, those lengths are too short for doing anything camping with, except for maybe the 15 foot lengths. Lastly, a particular count I found when isolating the ends... there are 22 five foot lengths, 22 seven foot lengths, and 11 fifteen foot lengths, say, matching 11 female first year cadets. Now, my guess would be, and only a guess, wrists, ankles, and waists, with Tillatix's missing, probably hidden as they were sliced up. Not sure why for the waists, but as you found Sav with a length of rope still about hers, that 15 foot has got to be for the body."

He sighed and said, "And, like I said, there are several explanations that can be drummed up for what is here, even though it all fits with what you and Tillatix have stated. So, what you got for me?"

"According to the evidence log, the rope is hemp. There is only one thing that I can think of that still uses hemp rope, which is Japanese shibari, or rope bondage. Hemp rope is excellent for binding people, where it is not used for camping, hiking or other nautical activities."

Savin raised an eyebrow, then said, "I'm impressed. I did not think about Hemp robe for shibari. I do know it is used in nautical applications as it does not rot from the salt water, and it has excellent friction properties to allow for sails, moorage, and other applications. Nice find. What else?"

"I had a long discussion with a young man whom we need to get in to an investigation job. I would like to see if Vice Admiral Chen would hire him as a private contracted investigation agent."

"Otherwise, I would like to see you retain his services, " Kachiko grinned. "This club is owned by the Pacific-Union Gentleman's club. It's staffed only by people from the Magnata Club. Both of which are on the Prohibited list for all Cadets."

Savin brought a hand to his forehead and said, "Oye. This went from bad to worse. Those clubs are exclusive clubs, membership roles are not shared, and it takes a certain prestige and income to become a member, and only after an invite. If they are involved... I bet this is about conquests as both are male only clubs."

"Incidentally, I have a copy of their membership list," Kachiko would not mention HOW she came across the list. "It includes the fathers of several of the Seniors involved, including Cadet Kennedy. Whose father is Vice Admiral Kennedy. Which might explain why we're having to hide out right now. Pacific-Union is well known for its members like the Mayor of San Francisco and the Governor of California."

Savin's eyes rounded as he looked at her, as well as letting out a "Whoah, really?" He shook his head, the said, "Can those lists be admissible? I mean, those clubs are exclusive, and their peerage is not of public, or private record. However, from an investigative standpoint, it helps."

"That said, from the timeline that young Kevin Searstin helped me put together, the ever changing club opens for 4 days a year about this time. During which, a boat is rented, with which they take young impressionable female cadets out to an uninhabited island to play something that they call Survival Snipe Hunting. They exchange items of survival for clothing, then 'help' the girls, with the expectation of sex."

"Which is, by the law, Rape in the Second Degree," suddenly the small woman looked livid, blue almondine eyes narrowing.

Savin whistled at her findings. "Yeah, if pressed. Rape in the second degree only applies if the females, or males, involved file a complaint. And, let me guess, none have filed a complaint as it was mutual and desired. I would be the first year Cadet females wouldn't realize that shifted goods to force consent for sex would be Rape in the second degree. They would pass it off as a good time while following the rules for this 'Survival Snipe Hunting'. As none of the current female first year cadets were subject to that, any idea if any of the past victims would testify, especially if any who refused sex were left alone? It sounds like a sex island setup to me, with none being the wiser as only those who agreed to sex being pursued."

" There are extenuating circumstances involving coercion and or exerting command influence, of which we're looking at the former," the small woman was seething inside, again.

Savin sighed, then added, "We will put forth this conjecture into the report. It should show that the 'camping trip' was more than it seemed, and that Cadet Tillatix was coerced into the situation, and she reacted accordingly. She should be cleared, as long as one of the three tribunal judges are not a member of the clubs or family members of the Senior Cadets."

Kachiko just nodded.

Savin began compiling the evidence, and said, "Okay, lets make this case compelling to alleviate any charges against your Cadet. Then, mitigate any actions against her. Ready to compile."

"I'm looking forward to seeing these people rot in holding cells. I imagine that young Kevin Searstin would like to help us put them there."

He grinned and said, "On Kevin Searstin, I would love to get him on the team, and would leave him in place. As an assistant manager for pier 39, he would be privy to other pier records, and a little bump in his credentials would gain him access to those other piers. In remaining where he is, yet free to investigate the other piers, he would become a valuable asset. Agreed?"

"Agreed, though I think that he is looking for a change in scenery," Kachiko laughed.

OFF:

Lt. Cmdr. Savin O'Dell
Special Investigator
JAG SFIS
San Fransisco StarFleet Academy

(Marine) Captain Bayushi Kachiko
Academic and Student Life Advisor
Starfleet Academy, Earth