A Formal Investigation into the
Events on the Zurara and the Dynasty Expedition
The Remit of the Investigation
The remit of the investigation is to determine who was
responsible for the events on the Zurara and the Dynasty Expedition,
to determine which (if any) laws were broken during the expedition
and to bring the perpetrators of any and all crimes committed therein
to justice.
The logs and other evidence on the Zurara, combined
with that in logs found at abandoned settlements in the Formidine
Rift, the Conflux and Hawking's Gap, suggest that the crew of this
ship, and possibly others, were killed in a premeditated and
organised manner. The death toll from the expedition is in the
hundreds. The backers of this programme, known as the Dynasty
Expedition, remain unknown. A formal investigation is required in
order to determine the full extent and nature of criminal activity
concerning the expedition. This investigation must be carried out in
a professional and legal manner, so that the evidence gathered can be
used to bring the perpetrators of any crimes to trial.
Once the perpetrators have been brought to trial, or it
is concluded that no charges are able to be brought, the
investigation will end and the investigation team will be disbanded.
The Investigators
Depending upon the extent of the backing received for
the Community Goal to begin a formal investigation, more
investigators can be recruited to the team. It would need to be able
to function with just the leader, although investigations would
proceed more quickly with multiple investigators. These characters
could, potentially, be 'Advanced NPCs' but this is not required and
interaction can be via Galnet or other in-game means (including local
Galnet). The investigation team would have a formal headquarters on
board the space station where the Community Goal was carried out but
each member will have their own ship to use during the investigation
(respectably-engineered, so as to be able to survive a 1v1 attack by
an apex combat ship, as a minimum). If maximum backing is received
during the Community Goal, the team will be provided with a
highly-engineered ship (probably an Anaconda) that can be used as a
mobile base and to provide additional support during investigations.
Some investigators could be specific to particular platforms
(PC/Xbox/PS4).
The Leader(Tier 1 success)
The Leader of the investigation team will need to be capable of pursuing the
investigation alone, in the event that backing for the investigation
does not allow for the recruitment of additional members. This must
be a multi-talented individual and a decisive and inspirational leader.
Primary Traits:
Legal training (so that evidence can be gathered in a way such that it will be
admissible in court)
Charisma and leadership
Investigative experience
Independence of political influence or bias
Capability in combat of all types. (Combat rank: Elite)
Secondary Traits:
Political/legal connections in multiple jurisdictions
Possession of multiple system permits
Suggested Ship: Python or Fer de Lance
The Assistant (Tier 2 success)
This person's primary task is to support the Leader directly. They will need to be
obedient, enthusiastic, loyal and determined but it is not necessary
for them to be Elite. Indeed, this person's rôle is partly to be the
'everyman/woman' who can appeal to a wide audience. A background in
trading would be as suitable as combat experience but they might
still need to provide extra 'muscle' in a fight, so a combat ship is
appropriate.
Primary Traits:
Loyalty and determination
Empathy with a wide audience
Respectable combat capability. (Combat rank: Dangerous)
Secondary Traits:
Medical or Scientific training
Trading Experience
Suggested Ship: Vulture
The Underhanded Helper (Tier 3 success)
Following the rules can only get you so far, sometimes, and there is a conspiracy to
uncover here. Underhanded and illegal means might be required to
further the investigation, although care would be needed to ensure
that the evidence gathered by this approach is still admissible. This
person needs to be cunning, quick with their mind (and their fingers)
and potentially ruthless but still loyal.
Primary Traits:
Insatiable curiosity
Willingness to bend and break rules
Understands when to bend and break rules and when to keep their activities legal
(mostly!)
Ability to both start and avoid trouble
Knowledge of Computing and Security Systems (and their vulnerabilities)
Secondary Traits:
Criminal connections
Smuggling experience.(Trade Rank: Entrepreneur)
Suggested Ship: Imperial Eagle or Diamondback Scout
The Analyst (Tier 4 success)
An investigation ofthis kind would benefit greatly from the specialised analysis of data
and material evidence it gathers. A dedicated researcher can move the
investigation forward with new discoveries and provide new leads when
other paths seem exhausted. The individual would need to be
meticulously thorough and dedicated to their research but would not
need to be particularly capable in the field.
Primary Traits:
Research experience
Forensic and medical training
Observant and thorough
Familiar with current research
Access to specialised laboratories / facilities for analysis
Secondary Traits:
Exploration experience (Exploration rank: Pioneer)
Limited collection of system permits
Suggested Ship: Asp Explorer
The Combat Specialist (Tier 5 success)
It is unlikely that the investigation will not meet direct resistance at some point.
Whilst the other investigators have ships that are capable in combat,
or at least able to survive long enough to escape, sometimes it may
be necessary to destroy attacking vessels that are well-armed,
engineered to a high level and capably flown. To do that, there needs
to be someone with considerable skill and an apex combat ship.
Primary Traits:
Combat Capability.(Combat Rank: Elite)
Ability to anticipate and quickly evaluate and respond to threats
Attention to detail
Secondary Traits:
Bounty hunting connections
Superpower / Powerbias or background
Suggested Ship: Fer deLance or Python (whichever is not used by the Leader) or Imperial
Clipper (if Imperial background)
The Charmer (Tier 6 success)
There may be a variety of people with information on the Dynasty Expedition but it may not
always be possible to get it with force or cunning. Sometimes,
diplomacy and charm can be much more effective. This person needs to
have a way of persuading people to open up their databases, their
wallets and even their hearts, all in the course of furthering the
investigation. They need to be a risk-taker and a gambler but to know
when to push their luck and when it is about to run out.
Primary Traits:
Charm and charisma
Likeable and (seemingly!) trustworthy
Sleight of hand and mind
Diplomatic
Observant and opportunistic
Secondary Traits:
Well-connected in different superpowers
Knowledgeable of local customs
Suggested Ship: Imperial Courier
The Wildcard / Mascot (Tier 7 success)
Sometimes you just need to be lucky. Some people have a knack for being in the right
place at the right time to discover something. This person will be
the mascot for the investigation: likeable but not necessarily highly
capable, they would be full of ideas and enthusiasm. They might also
be quite naïveand reckless – an amateur capable of getting people into trouble as
well as getting them out again. Indomitable in spirit and impulsive,
they would have a good heart and try to do the right thing – as
they see it – in any situation.
PrimaryTraits:
Lucky
Honourable
Enthusiastic and energetic
Determined and loyal
Opportunistic
SecondaryTraits:
Willing to learn
Curiosity
Suggested Ship: Cobra Mk III
The Mobile Base / Mothership (Tier 8 success)
Whilst the investigation will have a headquarters on board a large starport,
there may be times when it is helpful or necessary to have a ship
capable of transporting large cargoes, or able to support the
individual investigators in the field. It needs to be
highly-engineered, to the extent that it can survive focused fire
from multiple apex combat ships long enough to escape and also to
deliver enough firepower to be a significant threat by itself. This
ship will not be replaced if lost but the crew could have specialised
escape pods, like those in the Elite Federation of Pilots, that allow
them to survive its destruction. Specific loadout might vary
according to the mission, so long as it retains the ability to be a
threat in combat.
Suggested Ship: Anaconda
The Methods of Interactive Investigation
The investigation team are able to perform many tasks
that are currently beyond the remit of the Elite Federation of
Pilots. For example, they can:
During the course of their investigations, there will
nevertheless be times when they need the assistance of the Galactic
community to accomplish their goal. They can communicate the nature
of the assistance they need in several ways, depending upon the
urgency and scale of their need:
There are a number of ways that they could ask for
pilots to help them. These need not involve directly interacting with
the investigators. What is required is only a clear objective to
pursue with well-defined criteria for success and failure. If the
investigators do get personally involved, then if possible they will
do so in pairs, so that even if one is killed the investigation can
still continue. The events that will result from the investigation
team's request for help would vary in scale but not be comparable to
the event of 29th April: a Community Goal is envisaged as
being the largest scale of assistance. The possible activities, or
tasks, that might be requested could include:
Success or failure of particular tasks can be communicated through the same means that they
were issued. In most cases, there will be a time limit of several
days to a week for the objective to be achieved. Some objectives
might require extensive effort by the Galactic community (especially
CGs) but others could be accomplished by small groups of commanders
focusing their efforts.
Opening Stage of the Investigations
Whilst much of what happened and why on the Zurara and elsewhere on the Dynasty
Expedition is a mystery, the existence of the Zurara itself is hard
evidence of a conspiracy. There are a number of leads that the
investigation team can pursue, both in and beyond the 'bubble', to
gather actionable evidence. These include:
These are leads that the investigation team can pursue, through the means listed in the
previous section. In some cases they may be able to carry out their
investigations and report their findings without needing support from
the Elite Federation of Pilots. This would be their preferred method,
since they know they are declaring their hand (albeit potentially
bluffing!) whenever they put out a request for assistance in Galnet
or through other means. By taking an approach where some members are
able to operate independently whilst others call on support, it
should be possible to control the pace at which the investigation
develops.
The Conclusion
The purpose in having different events operating at different scales is to allow for
variance of the pace of storytelling and to allow for a variety of
interactive storytelling activities that do not have the restrictions
of Community Goals. Some tasks could be done in a weekend by a group
of commanders and the story would then move on in real time so that
the next objective can be issued a couple of days later, if a faster
pace is required. Failure of a particular event need not fail the
investigation but would slow it up and as each avenue for
investigation is closed the options of the team would gradually be
diminished. Success for each event should provide a piece of
actionable evidence for a trial or a lead to such evidence.
Significant events might even lead to the capture, arrest and
interrogation of a suspect or witness.
Ultimately, the objective of the investigation team is to find evidence of criminal
activity related to the Dynasty Expedition and to deliver justice to
those on the Zurara and elsewhere who died. They will be uncovering
the conspiracy by doing this but that is not their final objective –
they want to bring the perpetrators to trial.
A Successful Conclusion
The investigation can be considered successful only if culprits are brought to trial and
found guilty. To do this, the investigators will need considerable
evidence and also to present both witnesses and suspects to be
subjected to cross-examination. (The trial itself could be seen as an
event). This would not be quick or easy to accomplish. The advantage
is that it would keep the story developing in an interactive manner
for several months with the big news and hype surrounding the trial
at the end, rather than having to wait until events take their own
turn.
An Unsuccessful Conclusion
Ultimately, it should be possible for the investigation to conclude that they do not have
enough evidence to bring charges. The investigation would also fail
if all team members die. Incomplete or inappropriate evidence might
lead to suspects being found not guilty. Someone might also unduly
influence the judge(s) and jury! No one ever said justice was easy...
. The investigation should not fail soon after the start, however,
unless there is either no support for it (the CG to begin the
investigation fails altogether) or there is very little support and
only the first tier or two is reached, leaving the investigation with
only one or two members who could then be killed in an early event.
Closing Notes
It is important to reiterate that the purpose of this proposal is to provide a mechanism
for commanders to actively become involved in the development of the
story, rather than waiting for it to be delivered to them. It is
intended to do so within the mechanics that currently exist and to do
so with a minimum of administrative upkeep and without conflicting
with planned storylines. What I do not want to do is to dictate the
progression of the story or to take on the responsibility of
organising the activities of the investigators and arranging regular
events for large numbers of players.
Even if this proposal receives no support at all, I do hope that it does give people some
useful ideas about possible mechanisms and approaches for engaging
with an interactive story in the Elite: Dangerous galaxy.
Events on the Zurara and the Dynasty Expedition
The Remit of the Investigation
The remit of the investigation is to determine who was
responsible for the events on the Zurara and the Dynasty Expedition,
to determine which (if any) laws were broken during the expedition
and to bring the perpetrators of any and all crimes committed therein
to justice.
The logs and other evidence on the Zurara, combined
with that in logs found at abandoned settlements in the Formidine
Rift, the Conflux and Hawking's Gap, suggest that the crew of this
ship, and possibly others, were killed in a premeditated and
organised manner. The death toll from the expedition is in the
hundreds. The backers of this programme, known as the Dynasty
Expedition, remain unknown. A formal investigation is required in
order to determine the full extent and nature of criminal activity
concerning the expedition. This investigation must be carried out in
a professional and legal manner, so that the evidence gathered can be
used to bring the perpetrators of any crimes to trial.
Once the perpetrators have been brought to trial, or it
is concluded that no charges are able to be brought, the
investigation will end and the investigation team will be disbanded.
The Investigators
Depending upon the extent of the backing received for
the Community Goal to begin a formal investigation, more
investigators can be recruited to the team. It would need to be able
to function with just the leader, although investigations would
proceed more quickly with multiple investigators. These characters
could, potentially, be 'Advanced NPCs' but this is not required and
interaction can be via Galnet or other in-game means (including local
Galnet). The investigation team would have a formal headquarters on
board the space station where the Community Goal was carried out but
each member will have their own ship to use during the investigation
(respectably-engineered, so as to be able to survive a 1v1 attack by
an apex combat ship, as a minimum). If maximum backing is received
during the Community Goal, the team will be provided with a
highly-engineered ship (probably an Anaconda) that can be used as a
mobile base and to provide additional support during investigations.
Some investigators could be specific to particular platforms
(PC/Xbox/PS4).
The Leader(Tier 1 success)
The Leader of the investigation team will need to be capable of pursuing the
investigation alone, in the event that backing for the investigation
does not allow for the recruitment of additional members. This must
be a multi-talented individual and a decisive and inspirational leader.
Primary Traits:
Legal training (so that evidence can be gathered in a way such that it will be
admissible in court)
Charisma and leadership
Investigative experience
Independence of political influence or bias
Capability in combat of all types. (Combat rank: Elite)
Secondary Traits:
Political/legal connections in multiple jurisdictions
Possession of multiple system permits
Suggested Ship: Python or Fer de Lance
The Assistant (Tier 2 success)
This person's primary task is to support the Leader directly. They will need to be
obedient, enthusiastic, loyal and determined but it is not necessary
for them to be Elite. Indeed, this person's rôle is partly to be the
'everyman/woman' who can appeal to a wide audience. A background in
trading would be as suitable as combat experience but they might
still need to provide extra 'muscle' in a fight, so a combat ship is
appropriate.
Primary Traits:
Loyalty and determination
Empathy with a wide audience
Respectable combat capability. (Combat rank: Dangerous)
Secondary Traits:
Medical or Scientific training
Trading Experience
Suggested Ship: Vulture
The Underhanded Helper (Tier 3 success)
Following the rules can only get you so far, sometimes, and there is a conspiracy to
uncover here. Underhanded and illegal means might be required to
further the investigation, although care would be needed to ensure
that the evidence gathered by this approach is still admissible. This
person needs to be cunning, quick with their mind (and their fingers)
and potentially ruthless but still loyal.
Primary Traits:
Insatiable curiosity
Willingness to bend and break rules
Understands when to bend and break rules and when to keep their activities legal
(mostly!)
Ability to both start and avoid trouble
Knowledge of Computing and Security Systems (and their vulnerabilities)
Secondary Traits:
Criminal connections
Smuggling experience.(Trade Rank: Entrepreneur)
Suggested Ship: Imperial Eagle or Diamondback Scout
The Analyst (Tier 4 success)
An investigation ofthis kind would benefit greatly from the specialised analysis of data
and material evidence it gathers. A dedicated researcher can move the
investigation forward with new discoveries and provide new leads when
other paths seem exhausted. The individual would need to be
meticulously thorough and dedicated to their research but would not
need to be particularly capable in the field.
Primary Traits:
Research experience
Forensic and medical training
Observant and thorough
Familiar with current research
Access to specialised laboratories / facilities for analysis
Secondary Traits:
Exploration experience (Exploration rank: Pioneer)
Limited collection of system permits
Suggested Ship: Asp Explorer
The Combat Specialist (Tier 5 success)
It is unlikely that the investigation will not meet direct resistance at some point.
Whilst the other investigators have ships that are capable in combat,
or at least able to survive long enough to escape, sometimes it may
be necessary to destroy attacking vessels that are well-armed,
engineered to a high level and capably flown. To do that, there needs
to be someone with considerable skill and an apex combat ship.
Primary Traits:
Combat Capability.(Combat Rank: Elite)
Ability to anticipate and quickly evaluate and respond to threats
Attention to detail
Secondary Traits:
Bounty hunting connections
Superpower / Powerbias or background
Suggested Ship: Fer deLance or Python (whichever is not used by the Leader) or Imperial
Clipper (if Imperial background)
The Charmer (Tier 6 success)
There may be a variety of people with information on the Dynasty Expedition but it may not
always be possible to get it with force or cunning. Sometimes,
diplomacy and charm can be much more effective. This person needs to
have a way of persuading people to open up their databases, their
wallets and even their hearts, all in the course of furthering the
investigation. They need to be a risk-taker and a gambler but to know
when to push their luck and when it is about to run out.
Primary Traits:
Charm and charisma
Likeable and (seemingly!) trustworthy
Sleight of hand and mind
Diplomatic
Observant and opportunistic
Secondary Traits:
Well-connected in different superpowers
Knowledgeable of local customs
Suggested Ship: Imperial Courier
The Wildcard / Mascot (Tier 7 success)
Sometimes you just need to be lucky. Some people have a knack for being in the right
place at the right time to discover something. This person will be
the mascot for the investigation: likeable but not necessarily highly
capable, they would be full of ideas and enthusiasm. They might also
be quite naïveand reckless – an amateur capable of getting people into trouble as
well as getting them out again. Indomitable in spirit and impulsive,
they would have a good heart and try to do the right thing – as
they see it – in any situation.
PrimaryTraits:
Lucky
Honourable
Enthusiastic and energetic
Determined and loyal
Opportunistic
SecondaryTraits:
Willing to learn
Curiosity
Suggested Ship: Cobra Mk III
The Mobile Base / Mothership (Tier 8 success)
Whilst the investigation will have a headquarters on board a large starport,
there may be times when it is helpful or necessary to have a ship
capable of transporting large cargoes, or able to support the
individual investigators in the field. It needs to be
highly-engineered, to the extent that it can survive focused fire
from multiple apex combat ships long enough to escape and also to
deliver enough firepower to be a significant threat by itself. This
ship will not be replaced if lost but the crew could have specialised
escape pods, like those in the Elite Federation of Pilots, that allow
them to survive its destruction. Specific loadout might vary
according to the mission, so long as it retains the ability to be a
threat in combat.
Suggested Ship: Anaconda
The Methods of Interactive Investigation
The investigation team are able to perform many tasks
that are currently beyond the remit of the Elite Federation of
Pilots. For example, they can:
- Meet, interview and interrogate witnesses and suspects
- Conduct covert surveillance of individuals and
organisations - Access restricted areas, databases and records
- Issue or revoke arrest warrants
- Arrest and detain suspects
- Collect and confiscate evidence
- Analyse data and physical samples
During the course of their investigations, there will
nevertheless be times when they need the assistance of the Galactic
community to accomplish their goal. They can communicate the nature
of the assistance they need in several ways, depending upon the
urgency and scale of their need:
- A direct appeal for help through central Galnet
- A local Galnet article in the system of their
headquarters - The mission board (Community Goals only)
There are a number of ways that they could ask for
pilots to help them. These need not involve directly interacting with
the investigators. What is required is only a clear objective to
pursue with well-defined criteria for success and failure. If the
investigators do get personally involved, then if possible they will
do so in pairs, so that even if one is killed the investigation can
still continue. The events that will result from the investigation
team's request for help would vary in scale but not be comparable to
the event of 29th April: a Community Goal is envisaged as
being the largest scale of assistance. The possible activities, or
tasks, that might be requested could include:
- A Community Goal to recover data or specific
commodities, or a 'treasure hunt' - Manipulation of a system or faction state, e.g. getting
a system into lockdown, making sure a faction avoids a
state of outbreak, helping one side to win a civil war (all time
limited) - Manipulating a system so that control of a facility is gained/lost by a particular faction
- Returning scan data from particular bases, or turning in exploration data from
particular systems/regions to headquarters - Salvaging certain goods/data found in signal sources
Success or failure of particular tasks can be communicated through the same means that they
were issued. In most cases, there will be a time limit of several
days to a week for the objective to be achieved. Some objectives
might require extensive effort by the Galactic community (especially
CGs) but others could be accomplished by small groups of commanders
focusing their efforts.
Opening Stage of the Investigations
Whilst much of what happened and why on the Zurara and elsewhere on the Dynasty
Expedition is a mystery, the existence of the Zurara itself is hard
evidence of a conspiracy. There are a number of leads that the
investigation team can pursue, both in and beyond the 'bubble', to
gather actionable evidence. These include:
- Determining the origin of the Zurara and who ordered its construction and deployment
- The 'Hexedit' drug was known to the Zurara's doctor. Who arranged for it to be supplied to
and used by the cargo handlers? Who manufactures it? - Forensic examination of the bodies and logs (personal and otherwise) on the Zurara to
determine facts such as cause of death, co-ordination of planned
hostilities, and communication frequencies. - What are the identities of the crewmembers of the Zurara?
- Are there records of the crews of other ships?
- What were the beacons that were deployed and who made them? (Can any be recovered?)
- How was the expedition financed?
- What was in the 'Exodus' documents stolen by Raan Corsen?
- Was the death of Fermi Dakarai related to Metadrive's possession of the 'Exodus' documents?
- How did Metadrive acquire the 'Exodus' documents?
- What does Raan Corsen know about 'Exodus' and the events at Metadrive and can he be
brought to testify at a trial? - Is there more evidence to be found regarding the Dynasty Expedition at Metadrive?
These are leads that the investigation team can pursue, through the means listed in the
previous section. In some cases they may be able to carry out their
investigations and report their findings without needing support from
the Elite Federation of Pilots. This would be their preferred method,
since they know they are declaring their hand (albeit potentially
bluffing!) whenever they put out a request for assistance in Galnet
or through other means. By taking an approach where some members are
able to operate independently whilst others call on support, it
should be possible to control the pace at which the investigation
develops.
The Conclusion
The purpose in having different events operating at different scales is to allow for
variance of the pace of storytelling and to allow for a variety of
interactive storytelling activities that do not have the restrictions
of Community Goals. Some tasks could be done in a weekend by a group
of commanders and the story would then move on in real time so that
the next objective can be issued a couple of days later, if a faster
pace is required. Failure of a particular event need not fail the
investigation but would slow it up and as each avenue for
investigation is closed the options of the team would gradually be
diminished. Success for each event should provide a piece of
actionable evidence for a trial or a lead to such evidence.
Significant events might even lead to the capture, arrest and
interrogation of a suspect or witness.
Ultimately, the objective of the investigation team is to find evidence of criminal
activity related to the Dynasty Expedition and to deliver justice to
those on the Zurara and elsewhere who died. They will be uncovering
the conspiracy by doing this but that is not their final objective –
they want to bring the perpetrators to trial.
A Successful Conclusion
The investigation can be considered successful only if culprits are brought to trial and
found guilty. To do this, the investigators will need considerable
evidence and also to present both witnesses and suspects to be
subjected to cross-examination. (The trial itself could be seen as an
event). This would not be quick or easy to accomplish. The advantage
is that it would keep the story developing in an interactive manner
for several months with the big news and hype surrounding the trial
at the end, rather than having to wait until events take their own
turn.
An Unsuccessful Conclusion
Ultimately, it should be possible for the investigation to conclude that they do not have
enough evidence to bring charges. The investigation would also fail
if all team members die. Incomplete or inappropriate evidence might
lead to suspects being found not guilty. Someone might also unduly
influence the judge(s) and jury! No one ever said justice was easy...
. The investigation should not fail soon after the start, however,
unless there is either no support for it (the CG to begin the
investigation fails altogether) or there is very little support and
only the first tier or two is reached, leaving the investigation with
only one or two members who could then be killed in an early event.
Closing Notes
It is important to reiterate that the purpose of this proposal is to provide a mechanism
for commanders to actively become involved in the development of the
story, rather than waiting for it to be delivered to them. It is
intended to do so within the mechanics that currently exist and to do
so with a minimum of administrative upkeep and without conflicting
with planned storylines. What I do not want to do is to dictate the
progression of the story or to take on the responsibility of
organising the activities of the investigators and arranging regular
events for large numbers of players.
Even if this proposal receives no support at all, I do hope that it does give people some
useful ideas about possible mechanisms and approaches for engaging
with an interactive story in the Elite: Dangerous galaxy.
