"In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of trolls are all the same."
- Neophyte Redglare
Your name is ARADIA MEGIDO.
You are roughly NINE AND A THIRD SWEEPS OLD, and a DETECTIVE. This is a position in law enforcement that is a bit like being a Legislacerator, but less so. You never really were very interested in a life of fighting crime when you were young, but you have KEEN EYE FOR DETAILS, so you wound up being picked for this job by the Imperial Selection Drones. It's a bit like the magic sorting hat in that kids' fantasy series, except it is for careers, and being a legion of robots instead of a single old hat, and they are authorized to neutralize trolls with extreme prejudice if they are deemed unworthy. Thankfully, for the sake of this analogy being stopped before it spirals further out of control, Harry Potter is not a thing in your universe. There is no Troll J.K. Rowling, apparently.
You developed your attention to detail as an AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGIST on Alternia in your youth, analyzing ancient ruins and such. This was your primary interest for a significant portion of your younger years, and you use a whip as your weapon of choice as a law enforcer mainly because of your enjoyment or Troll Indiana Jones films, which, interestingly enough, are a thing. You have a very small degree of psychic ability in the form of telekinesis, but you're not very good at it.
Your trolltag is apocalypseArisen and there is typically a pr0n0unced h0ll0wness in y0ur t0ne 0f v0ice and v0cabulary that y0u can't quite explain
You are unusual in that, while you have RUST-RED BLOOD, the lowest caste blood color on the hemospectrum, you are still ALIVE and in a POSITION WITH SOME MINOR DEGREE OF AUTHORITY, even if it is mostly only over criminals.
Even more surprisingly, you were hand-picked by an up-and-coming Legislacerator to work on her team. Nearly all you know of her is from what you've observed in the three cases you've worked for her so far. She doesn't go out and investigate crimes herself, but brings together teams - your team for certain, but there could be others - to act as her eyes and ears, bring her information digitally which she proceeds to analyze from afar. Neither you, nor anyone else on the team to your knowledge, has actually met her.
She refers to herself as T, but her trolltag is gallowsCalibrator and she SP34KS W1TH TH3 NUM3R4LS TH3 BL1ND PROPH3TS ONC3 US3D. Whatever that means. You think she may have made that bit up, since you've never heard of any blind prophets in your study of archaeology or history. She seems pretty strange, even for a Legislacerator, yet is also clearly an investigative genius.
The other two members of your team are:
SOLLUX CAPTOR, an introverted, moody, reformed hacker who was tracked down and recruited to help solve your first case working for T. He is extremely skilled at coding and hacking, and happens to be an equally exceptional psychic, even for a gold-blood. He has the unusual, possibly unique passive psychic ability to hear hear voices of the soon-to-be deceased, and occasionally complains that they won't shut the fuck up. You and he have recently began a flushed relationship. His trolltag is twinArmageddons and he tends two 2peak wiith a biit of a lii2p. He denies having tried hacking into the Legislacerator training databases to try and learn more about who T is, but he told you he'll probably try to eventually, if only for the challenge of it.
EQUIUS ZAHHAK, an extremely muscular, kinda creepy blue-blood who, despite his STRONG views in favor of the hemospectrum system, seems to be rather flushed for you. Having been rejected as a potential Archeradicator for being so strong he kept breaking his bows, Equius is basically the muscle for the team. However, he's not dumb, as demonstrated by his exceptional skill with robotics. His trolltag is centaursTesticle and he tends to D - Take e%ception to 100d language unbefitting of b100 b100ds
But enough about them. Now, what will you do?
Aradia: Converse
You are staying at a cheap hotel on the planet Tarvinia, waiting for a message from T on your next case. It is a temperate world, with a yellow sun, meaning it is possible to be out in the day hours without being blinded. Still, most trolls don't go out in the Tarvinian daylight, even if it is far safer than bring under the Alternian sun unprotected. But the sun is setting, and you and your matesprit are up early.
Sollux is sitting on the other side of the block. His husktop is open, and he's looking through news feeds, muttering curses under his breath.
"What're you reading about on there?", you ask, already knowing the answer.
"The latest and most exciting in theadweller politics," he replies with more than a hint of sarcasm, not turning his head away from the screen.
"It's interesting, watching them try to put a positive spin on most of the worst of them dropping dead, isn't it?"
"It's fucking hilarious is what what it is, AA. But interesting works too, I guess."
He stretches his scrawny body and yawns. "It is way too damn early at night for me to be up."
"We do have jobs that we are required to be awake for."
Sollux grumbles something to himself, then closes his laptop, picks it up, and stands, turning to face you. He looks at you though his blue and red tinted glasses, and says, "This whole fucking mess with all these important highbloods and criminals dying. What's your take on it?"
"They all died quickly and inexplicably. Not a coincidence, but then, I don't see where an investigation could start. So far as I've heard, there's nothing to go on in terms of evidence. They all just dropped dead. It was probably all done by someone with a new type of psychic power, and you know those are effectively impossible to trace to their source."
"Of course I know that. Anything less thubtle psychically than my fucking eye lasers can't be traced properly, meaning if you can't thee it, you can't follow it. But here's the thing. According to effectively all research about psychic abilities ever, it'd probably be impossible for even Gl'bgolyb itself, the most powerful psychic thing there is, to pull something like this off."
You're skeptical about this claim, but he seems certain. "I thought I'd heard Gl'bgolyb has enough psychic power to kill all life in the galaxy if it used all its psychic power at once?"
"That's just it, AA- the Elder Lusus could probably blast all life in the galaxy if it felt like it, but it's not thubtle, it's not precise. There's rules to this thit. I may be able to use telekinesis, but I couldn't thtop thomeone's heart in their chest like what happened to all those fuckers. It would take a lot of finesse. The more psychic power you have, the less thubtley. It's inverse. And you'd need a thtaggering degree of both to cull multiple trolls all across the galaxy with some new psychic power. Point being, it's tho insane that it'd be thtupid to consider it as possible, except how else do you explain the deaths?"
Both your phones suddenly buzz at the same time. Upon inspection, you each have one new text message.
Your phones buzz again. TH3R3S 4 CR1M1N4L ON T4RV1N14 1V3 W4NT3D TO BR1NG JUST1C3 TO FOR SOM3 T1M3
Then Equius enters your hotel block. He appears have forgotten the door was locked, but his great strength bursts the door open anyway. He looks around sheepishly upon realizing he broke the lock, and breaks into a sweat. A short, awkward silence follows.
All three of your phones buzz. The text reads SO W3 H4V3 4 N3W C4S3! W3 4RE GO1NG TO 4PPR3H3ND TH3 SP1D3R!
Another text message follows immediately after. 4ND YOUD B3ST F1X TH4T LOCK 3QU1US OR 1LL M4K3 YOU P4Y TH3 HOT3L 3XTR4 FOR R3P41RS
After Equius finishes repairing the lock, the three of you depart in his fancy blue hovervehicle, towards Taravi, to await further instruction. The skyscrapers of Taravi, the most populated city on Tarvinia, reach high into the sky, the slums of the city dig deep into the ground, and the outskirts of the city stretch far into the distance. It is an interesting place, but then again, so are most cities. Interesting may be too nice a way of phrasing it, though.
Equius is driving the vehicle, and Sollux is in the side front seat. You sit in the back, as Equius's hovervehicle flies between the countless towers of Taravi. Eventually, after you finally manage to tune out Equius's excited ramblings about the various fine arts of illustrated and sculpted musclebeasts, your phone buzzes. T's number is on the caller ID, but it keeps buzzing- it's not a text message, but an actual call. She's never called before. You answer the phone with a cautious "Hello?"
An unfamiliar but cheery female voice replies, "Hello Aradia! You have weathered the prosecution and have been judged to be worthy! I must say, I am impressed!"
"Uh," you reply, unsure what to say.
"Oh? Uhhhhh?", she responds in a mocking, exaggerated tone, then bursts out into enthusiastic laughter, before continuing. "You are a bit boring, but totally deserving of your rank and position. You've got significant talent, I must confess. Anyway, could put me on speakerphone? I'd like to talk to the boys as well!"
"I suppose so," you say. As you press the button to put it into speakerphone mode, Sollux turns towards you from his seat. "Who were you thpeaking to, AA?" he asks you, apparently trying to make conversation with someone besides Equius. Equius is currently going on about the "outrageous, tragic and brazen" theft of a classic painting of a musclebeast fighting a football player from a museum on Tarvina. Unfortunately he seems to have missed the fact that Sollux doesn't care and seems to be desperately attempting to ignore him.
"Greetings! This is T, giving you your further instructions!"
Equius shuts up about musclebeast paintings, slams the brakes and looks back at you. Sollux just facepalms.
"You are to head back to the hotel you left and meet me in block 413! Sorry about sending you away for a bit, had to make sure I looked presentable. I'm a bit of a wreck that early at night."
She hangs up, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.
"Wathn't that block right acroth from ourth, AA?", Sollux asks, clearly exasperated, to the point where his lisp is acting up more than usual.
You put your phone away as Equius turns the hovervehicle around. "Yes, it was. And here I thought she had tapped our blocks."
Equius accelerates his vehicle somewhat. "It would appear we were being stalked by our employer instead. How utterly creepy."
"You do not get to talk about creepy, EQ!", Sollux snaps. "You rambled to me about nude mucthlebeatht art for the latht fucking half hour, and don't think have I haven't noticed you acting all fluthed around AA!"
You frown at your matesprit's ranting. You'd been hoping to politely but firmly turn down Equius's advances next time he tried to woo you. Then again, you can't blame Sollux for being irate.
Equius squeezes the steering wheel, practically crumpling it in his hands. "I-," he begins, and stops. For a second, there is just the hum of the engine. He then asks, slowly and carefully "And how do you feel about this, Aradia?"
"I already have a matesprit, remember, Equius?"
"Then it'th thettled, EQ. I'm in the fluthed quadrant with AA, you aren't. That fucking thimple."
You sigh, and Equius continues to drive. He's clearly upset, but he doesn't say anything for most of the rest of the drive back to the hotel. At one point Equius mutters "Nep is going to be furious I messed up her ship," but you have no idea what he means by this. While it only takes a half hour to get back to the hotel, it feels like longer.
Soon enough you are standing in front of the door to block 413. You knock, and the door opens.
T is standing there, grinning a toothy grin. She's surprisingly young, about your age by all appearances. Her form is lean and angular, and she is wearing heavily red-tinted glasses and leaning on a cane. You'd be shocked if there wasn't a blade hidden in it.
"Why hello, team!", she says. "Come right on in!"
You enter. The block is neatly furnished, with two chairs and a lounge frame spread around a small glass table with a husktop and a bowl of cherries on it. There's a potted plant by the side of the block, and a window in the back. As you walk to the table, you see that the block's kitchen is a mess, with several donuts lying out next to what appears to be a large bottle of red food dye.
You take a seat on the lounge frame, with Sollux at your side. The two of you hold hands. You're quite sure Equius noticed this, as he is sweating somewhat as he takes a seat across from you. He avoids eye contact with you, apparently trying to hide his frustration, if somewhat feebly. Equius may be a creep and an elitist, but you still feel some degree of platonic pity for him; he's incredibly strong, and quite skilled, but he's terribly bad at interacting with other trolls.
Still, you concede that Equius is, despite your misgivings, not a bad troll. He flushed crush on you seems sincere, though you obviously don't reciprocate it at all. He has previously mentioned he has a moirail, which took you by surprise when he first brought it up. He seems to adore her, and despite his repeated claims of highblood superiority, her blood color, while still higher-ranking than yours by far, is allegedly only dark green. You can't recall her name.
T shuts to door to the block and takes the remaining chair. She sits straight up, her posture almost regal. "So," she begins, "I suppose you probably would to know why I've chosen to reveal myself to you now. I am, after all, a notoriously private troll."
Sollux replies sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed."
"Attempting to conceal your observations with a lie will do you no good, Mister Captor! Particularly when your lie stinks of sarcasm!"
Sollux scowls, but you interrupt before he can throw another retort at your employer. "T, sarcasm is saying one thing while making it clear you mean another, so I'm not sure it actually counts as a lie."
T shrugs. "That is semantics, the point is... hmm. We're getting off track, aren't we?"
Equius nods. "Yes, we are. So why have you chosen to meet us in person now? Does this have to do with our next case?"
"How perceptive of you, Detective Zahhak! There is a criminal who I want to bring down, and bring down myself. Well, more than one, actually. But this one's at the top of my list, and I want her behind bars before the Culler can do her in. She goes by the alias The Spider. She's robbed banks and museums, stolen numerous spaceships, and culled quite a few trolls in the process. I knew her, back on Alternia. Her real name is Vriska Serket, and she's the most dangerous troll I've ever met. She's the Spider, I'm sure of it. I think she has another troll working alongside her as well. When we were younger, she coerced this other troll into psychically controlling my lusus, who was then forced into making me to stare into the Alternian sun, blinding me. His name is Tavros Nitram, and a troll matching his description has been spotted helping the in her heists, though she is obviously the mastermind of them, not him."
At this point she takes off her red sunglasses. Her eyes are pure red. She really can't see.
You all gape at T for a couple more seconds. This is a totally shocking revelation that surprises everyone.
"Wait," Sollux says. "How the fuck are you blind? You're a legislacerator. How the fuck did you manage to get that career that if you're blind?"
Equius immediately scolds Sollux for his cursing, but everyone ignores him.
T then answers Sollux's question. "I'm good at it, that's how. In fact, I have a plan to lure her out of hiding already. To do so, I need to get involved more directly myself, so I had to meet you all personally for it."
"I will confront her directly. And I'll need your help in particular for this, Aradia."
