Odia M-14
Corvus Prime.
The Makchuga

Part I

I have a name, though today you can just call me Utnapishtim. I am quite a nobody, really, despite the name. I make a living doing some menial tasks for the Syndicate, nothing dangerous mind you, since I rather like to be alive.

Well, you don't have to listen to me, but I do have a story I want to tell you. I know the person you are looking for, she is not here any longer. Yes, yes I know you have been asking around for her. Are you still interested? Okay then, have a seat, and grab a Roid-rammer, I'll be right back with you.

Still here? Well, guess you are interested then. Okay, it was a few weeks ago that I first saw her, sitting alone in one of the booths here at the Makchuga. Her rumpled red hair caught my eyes, redheads, you know, some old Earth fetishes simply don't die. She was half slumped over the table, nursing a drink. 30'ish, she must be quite pretty when she was younger I guess, but not anymore. Now, red hair notwithstanding, I wouldn't catch myself dead feeling attracted to a such a woman. But, somehow her sad eyes fascinated me. I stared at her for a while though she was oblivious to me. I thought she would sit there for a long time, but suddenly she was gone in the short moment I was distracted by a prettier lady.

I didn't see her again for a few days, but then there she was again, in the same booth, with the same sad look. From my vantage point, she seemed to be talking to someone, but I didn't see any com-phone. After a while, I realized she was talking to herself. I saw her smile. She has a very sweet smile. This time, I kept my eyes fixed on her, but again she was oblivious. She sat there, talking, smiling and laughing to herself. I thought she must be crazy, but somehow my instincts told me to hold my judgement. Eventually, she got up and left. I decided to follow her this time.

She went down to Deck XII, near the place where a few months ago a huge explosion had tore out a chunk of Corvus Prime. It's quite a dangerous place I assure you, covered with gossamer now that it's been abandoned. But I was sure she was quite capable of taking care of herself : after all she was wearing pilot coveralls and packed a MK V handblaster. She got to the blast door which sealed the part of the station which was still in vacuum, and stood there for a long time. I thought she'd never leave, though eventually she did. Before though, she knelt, left a rose on the doorway, wrote something on the wall with a laserpen, and then vanished into the darkness. In my hurry to conceal myself, I didn't manage to see where she went.

Now, I am not one to take risks. But my curiousity was piqued, and I went over to see what she wrote. Got a halopad? Okay, this is what she wrote :

The First is done. He is the innocent one but his innocence did not save him.
The Second is done. He has grown beyond what you told me, but his growth did not save him.
The Third is done. He has risen to command, but command did not save him.
The Fourth is done. He of the eye, but he did not see far enough.
The Fifth is done. He name is a lie, but his lies did not save him.
The Sixth is done. He is now dust, as his name forsaw.
The Seventh is done. He was your friend you said, but his friendship did not save him.
The Eighth is done. He gave his best, and accepted his fate.
The Ninth is done. He once cowardly ran, but this time I caught him as he ran, how far the mighty has fallen.
The Tenth
The Eleventh
The Twelfth
The Thirteenth

What do they mean? You tell me.

Stab in the dark?

The Wailing Widow counting coup on her husband's killers.

Wherefore dost thou wail, Widow?

In many cultures just being a widow is considered sufficient cause for wailing.

I think I may have sold her husband a wormhole pass way back when ... I always new my nefarious past would come back to haunt me...

Excellent! I love a puzzle. So, let's gather together everything we know.

The woman Utnapishtim saw is certainly The Wailing Widow, as has been suggested. I believe The Widow is Clarissa[1], wife of an Akanese known as The Raven, but probably better known to the rest of us as Holden Caulfield[2].

In her wailings about her beloved, she has proclaimed that "He wore green when he laughed. He wore blue when he hid." I think the green signifies Holden, the Robin Hood of the galaxy; the blue signifies The Raven who was an Akanese who Clarissa had turned from Akan's teachings and was, thus, in hiding. She has also said that "his best friend wore red." I think that's the Serco warrior, but secret pacifist, Henry Jekyll[3].

She leaves her rose and message at the site of an explosion on Corvus Hold in Odia M-14. Considering the identity of her beloved, that site must be the remains of BLAK headquarters[4]. She has said of her beloved's death, "they made him suffer [...] they tortured him [...] Many were watching. Many laughed." So, perhaps the Widow's quest to avenge her beloved will lead us to the details behind and to those responsible for the bombing of BLAK?

Who are the thirteen deaths she seeks? There are currently 4 guilds with 13 members: Random Squad (actually, one dropped out as I was writing this), Syndicate, The Freespacers, and IGPK. None of those seem to fit the bill, particularly considering she has said, "his killers wear yellow."

That's what I've come up with so far. What do you have? Put on your deerstalkers and light up your pipes, we have a mystery to solve.

[1]: http://vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/7/10716#124125
[2]: http://vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/7/11188#131436
[3]: http://vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/7/10716#131020
[4]: http://vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/7/11229#132026

"Very, Very Nice, indeed"...

Seta Ralel
Council, The Vipers

Nice work Fugue.

However can I add, that

The Third is done. He has risen to command, but command did not save him. <-- most likely to be M. Duncan who's just become commander of Vipers.

"The Fourth is done. He of the eye, but he did not see far enough." <-- this is almost definately Hawkeye

"The Fifth is done. He name is a lie, but his lies did not save him." <--- and most likely Hoax

I'd say the Widow have some wrath for the Vipers

Um, Martin, it has been known for quite some time the Widow is after the Vipers. A big clue was that "They wore Yellow", and, of course, that whenever she's in B-8 around a Viper she singles him out. The questions are:

1.Which specific Vipers?

2. Why should we care, anyway?

With the low ingame attendance of [VPR], it will be a while before she finishes the job.

It's very funny when she talks about Maso.

VERY.

I'll drudge up some quotes from my logs later. ^_^;

im a thinking that 6 is arash wu

9 is maso

and 2 is nerde verde

Um. When Widow reaches #13 does the universe explode or something?

lol that would suck

When she finishes the thirteen VO gets a 100% price hike and a character reset, yes.

It's the End of the World as We Know it, people, and I Feel Fine...

Ummm... look at the clues closer... Who? Me?

what if i dont wanna do that?

When she finishes the thirteen VO gets a 100% price hike and a character reset, yes.
For a second there tonight when I logged in and had no chars, I thought jex had some impossible insider knowledge and that The Wailing Widow had claimed her 13th victim, thereby deleting all characters.
Thanks, a1k0n! Hehe.

Who? Me?: No problem... then... just stay in your ignorance bliss... no one is trying to help you along, or anything... you really don't have to do anything you don't want to...

(oh, and there are cookies and Kool-Aid in room 242... hehe...)

mmmm cookies

/me drinks the Kool-Aid® and wonders how we got so far off-topic.
Oh yeah.. my fault. Sorry, Una.