Elsworth Memo - Episode 8
TYPE: Red File - Classified (e-ncrypted)
FROM: Dr. Elsworth T. Lloyd, Squad 12
TO: Susan Bouvier, Team Leader
SUBJECT: Continuing Investigation of Events Surrounding Kendra Magambe
March 29, 2502
Our squad arrived at work in the morning. William, Jordan, Stephanie, Jared, our new team member Stone, and I were
all present. Stephanie checked her messages out loud as usual, despite the option to privately check them. On the
voicemail her friend Kendra Magambe sounded afraid and out of breath...objects were apparently being broken in
the background. She stated something to the effect of, "I need your help Stephanie, he's gone nuts" (check
the warrant records, they contain a copy of the voicemail file). The line then went dead. Stephanie informed us
that Kendra's new boyfriend was a gym owner named Ivan Romanov.
Believing that a crime was in progress at Ms. Magambe's apartment, perhaps involving a domestic assault by Mr. Romanov against Kendra Magambe, the squad was obliged to respond with Stephanie to that location. We hurried to Kendra's apartment (see the significant "Subjects and Addresses" file attached for exact locations). No one answered our knocking. Believing a Kendra may be in eminent danger of bodily harm, we obtained a keycard from security and entered the apartment. No one was inside the apartment. Furniture was overturned, glass broken, pictures knocked off the wall...their had clearly been some sort of struggle in the apartment. We observed in plain view a vial on the floor that contained what I ascertained to be residue of the Dreaming Man drug. Later lab tests confirmed this field-testing. No fingerprints were located on the vial, but I was able to "read" from the vial a residual psi-signiture. I was able to perceive a man holding the vial.
Agent Eagleclaw was able to view a recording in the building's security office that showed Romanov and Kendra leaving her apartment about 10 minutes after the voicemail was left. In the image Kendra appeared to be injured, and Romanov was supporting her, or perhaps dragging her, as she attempted to walk. Her face was bruised and battered. William also observed on crystal Ivan and Kendra leaving the apartment's parking garage in Ivan's limo. A pick-up was issued for Ivan, Kendra, and the vehicle...based on what we knew so far.
We proceeded to Ivan Romanov's Union Hill gym in the hopes that he and Kendra were headed there. When we arrived, we observed that the limo was not present. We were told inside by employees that neither Ivan nor Kendra were present. A computer check of Ivan revealed his K.C. residence and we headed there.
Upon our arrival we observed that his limo was not present. No one appeared to be home. It was at this time that we were advised over the Police Comm that Ivan's vehicle had been located at the Vidrickson Interstellar Starport, in the parking lot. It was unoccupied. We immediately set off for the Starport.
Jared began searching for information on Mr. Romanov, and eventually located the following facts, some of which
are startling in their implications.
1. Romanoff owns gyms in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Paris, Berlin, and assorted other large cities.
2. He is a known associate of Vladimir Kercinkov (see the Kercinkov Red File), a known underworld figure.
3. He owns a casino on the Evening Star Asteroid called the Jolly Roger.
4. He has had two girlfriend turn up mysteriously missing in the past.
5. He owns a private yacht capable of taking him off-terra and to the Evening Star.
We began applying for a warrant as we arrived at the abandoned limo. I was able to locate a small amount of blood
on the passenger seat of the vehicle, which had a 97% typing probability of being that of Kendra Magambe. We transmitted
our intentions of obtaining a warrant to the low orbit North American Docking Station, and requested that they
do everything in their legal means to delay Romanov's yacht. We arranged a hasty 30-minute shuttle to the Station,
and transmitted our final warrant request information. We were requesting that Romanov be detained for questioning,
and that Kendra welfare be checked on, even if this meant temporarily seizing the yacht and forcing entry. We had
to make sure Kendra was not dead, injured, or kidnapped. We knew that it was going to be close.
We arrived at the Station approx. 9 to 10 minutes after Romanov's yacht left for parts unknown. Our warrant had not yet been approved. The Orion Federal Law Enforcement officers calculated from Romanov's yacht's course, that he was headed for the Evening Star. We requested permission from you to continue forward in our investigation once our warrant was approved, and work in a cooperative mode with local and federal law enforcement in order to find and detain Romanov. You permission was acquired and we received our warrant.
We traveled to the Evening Star, and after a short stop at vantage point, we traveled into the entertainment Asteroid itself. We secured our weapons at the security gates and made our way to the Orion Federal Office Building to meet with a Federal contact - Umbe Aratu. He rearmed us with mostly small arms weapons, but a couple of rifles were also provided. One of these was requested and received by the new agent to our squad, Stone Mason. This becomes important later. Housing was arranged for us at the Grand. Our rooms were the last ones available on the asteroid. We found out that Romanov had been picked up on our warrant by ISD officers, a PAX Corporation law enforcement division. He had been released on bond. We requested a second warrant, this time for Kendra Magambe herself, based on the Dreaming Man we located in her apartment. We were hoping that she would be detained by the ISD, and we could get access to her to check on her well being.
It is important to note that based on KBI intelligence warnings, we did not feel comfortable letting the ISD know we were within their jurisdiction. We did not feel it possible to cooperate with a law enforcement division of a corporation that receives huge amounts of investment money from the very suspect we were seeking - Romanov! For these reasons we kept our involvement up to this point on a covert level.
We made our way to Romanov's casino, the Jolly Roger. We wanted to observe the ISD officers serving the warrant on Romanov's casino, and perhaps watch them take Kendra into their custody. The warrant was served, and the ISD agents were allowed to "search" the casino for Kendra by Romanov himself. Romanov, guarded by a bodyguard was on the main floor of the casino itself. This is when everything went very very bad. Our new agent, Stone Mason, produced his rifle in the crowded casino hall, and began shooting at Ivan Romanov. I have no idea the reasoning behind this attack. I can state that I observed no threat of force presented by Mr. Romanov or his bodyguard to justify such an attack. Mr. Romanov had already been picked up on his warrant and bonded out, so we can't justify it through the fleeing felon laws. Furthermore, I want to assert, that had I been able to stop Agent Mason from firing I would have. But my distance from him prevented me from directly intervening.
At this point Jordan suggested we take advantage of the distraction and find Romanov's suite. With Jared's computer help, we located the suite, and gained access to it. If I get back to Terra, punish me for breaking into the suite if you feel that is appropriate. At that moment with the unexpected gun-fire, being in a "foreign" jurisdiction secretly, and with the life of Ms. Magambe hanging in the balance, I didn't even bother trying to justify our entry to the suite. No one was in the suite, but Romanov's clothes were in the closet. I obtained a lap-top belonging to Romanov from the suite's work desk. Any claim that I seized it for evidence would be a lie. I seized it in order to find Kendra.
All of us, except Agent Mason, escaped from the Jolly Roger in all of the commotion. Jared began examining the
lap top back at our hotel room at the Grand, but due to an active ICE program, he was unable to obtain any information.
March 30, 2502
While at our hotel room the next morning, we decided to check out coverage of the Jolly Roger incident in local,
as well as system-wide, media. Local Tri-D coverage was somewhat lacking. It was reported that no video of the
incident was available. The Jolly Roger Casino claims their surveillance tapes were tampered with, and refuses
to turn anything over to the ISD. The incident is being reported as a lone gunman attack. Grid coverage was much
more interesting. The Daily World Reporter (I know, I know, this is a bad source) had on their front page that
the gunman was a spurned lover of Kendra Magambe, taking revenge on her current beau - Ivan Romanov. The most interesting
part of the story though was the pictures. The first picture was identical to one Agent Eagleclaw got off the security
camera in K.C. It shows Romanov leading Kendra out of the apartment her K.C. apartment and down the hallway. The
second is a picture from inside the casino itself of Agent Mason blasting away at Romanov with a rifle.
I suspect that the Daily World having photo images from Kendra's apartment, shows one of three things.
1. The tabloid paid off an employee of the apartment building to get the video.
2. The tabloid paid off someone in Law Enforcement agency for a copy of the video.
3. Someone has leaked the video for some political or personal reason.
The fact that there are images of Agent Mason blasting away at the Jolly Roger Casino would disprove the casino's
claims that no video exists of the incident. It further jeopardizes Agent's Mason's ability to continue as an agent
of the KBI. Video of his unlawful attack on Romanov exists. This leaves him open to discovery and a scandal for
the KBI, or even worse, blackmail by any that figure out who the "gunman" really is.
The next day I made my way to the Hospital, and I was able to discover that Agent Mason was still alive and being heavily guarded. By gaining a direct view of Ivan Romanov through a hospital window, I was able to read his cursory thoughts. He was thinking about Kendra...and the tunnels...and the idea of "maintenance" entered his mind.
We believe that the Maintenance Building for the PAX Combine may be the entrance to the famed Tunnels of the Star Cluster. PAX has kept the secrets of the Star Cluster from the Orion's for a long time now. No Orion agent has ever had access to the Tunnels, and that is where we must now go to find Kendra Magambe. Some of the others in the squad believe that the secrets of the origin of Terra-Sol may lie in those tunnels. I, for one, believe our deaths await us there. I requested to go back into the field because I believed in what field agents do. I believed that putting my life on the line, much like my father before me did, was the only way to really make the world better. Well, here I am, AU's from home, up against a whole army of ISD officers, thinking about breaking my way into one of the best kept secrets of this star system. Retreat is not an option. I have never met this Ms. Magambe, but I will not abandon her to the likes of Ivan Romanov. The kind of world where a KBI agent walks away from something like this, in a kind of world I don't want to live in. This may be our last report. Don't bother looking for us if you don't hear from us again.
...Respectfully Submitted, Dr. Elsworth T. Lloyd
GM: Michael Cross (e-mail)