Twogunkid

18 hours ago, Culwych1 said:

No need to worry considering your last entry rocked! 

I liked your as well. Poetry is one of my favorite things to write though. I just don't do it or share it often.

L and the MiB have a lot going for them and the Shi'ar do tend to get themselves screwed over. L is very competent. On paper I go Lilandra, but in practice L tends to come out on top.

Alright, I will kick off Round 2. Boldly going where George Lucas did in 1999. Space Diplomacy.

 

 

I had to stop myself. At 2500 words I was already over a quarter of the way to a novella. TOS Trek is just so much fun to write dialogue for. I also liked sneaking some DC Comics Star Trek characters in. Obviously set between Star Trek V and Star Trek VI, but I had to take some liberties with Star Dates.

“Captain’s Log 9519.4, it is with some degree of pride and sadness, that the USS Enterprise…A” Kirk paused, that letter while meant as an homage to the original ship always gnawed at him. A reminder of what he had to do, but it was painful to think about. “Has been recalled to Vulcan following the promotion of Hikaru Sulu to Captain. He will make a fine Captain, but it does leave us without a bridge officer and a dedicated helmsmen. I have personally requested Lt. Saavik formally join the Enterprise crew…”

 

“Bridge to Captain Kirk. Bridge to Captain Kirk.”

 

“Go ahead Uhura.”

 

“Long range sensors are picking up some sort of temporal anomaly near the Halkan system. A magnetic ion storm, not dissimilar to the one that transported us to the universe of the Terran Empire. Currently on course to Halkan Prime.”

 

“Understood. I’m on my way. Uhuru set a course for the Halkan System and contact Starfleet Command.”

 

“Very good sir.” Picking up Lt. Saavik would have to wait.

 

 

---

 

 

“Jim, the Halkans are one of the most notable neutral systems in the Alpha Quadrant. They have recently signed trade agreements with the Ferengi Alliance, but preventing an ecological disaster from ravaging their system could help bring them back to the bargaining table. They have a positive memory of your earlier encounter which did help open trading negotiations. Indeed, the Ferengi Alliance has never formally made contact with the Federation. The Halkans may be the perfect middlemen to arrange the advent of diplomacy between us. 

 

Captain Bateman of the USS Bozeman and Commander Reynolds of the USS Hathaway will be en route to assist in your operations, but you should arrive a full day ahead of them. Render all possible aid to the Halkans and ensure that the magnetic ion storm does not cause damage to their planetary infrastructure.” Admiral Cartwright tersely finished his briefing. “Any questions?”

 

“No Admiral, but the Enterprise is ill-equipped for such a massive rescue operation.” Kirk noted that at the moment he was slightly short-staffed. The debacle with Saibok on the Planet of Galactic Peace had left him with a lot of crew overdue on shore leave and many were currently taking it.

 

“Kirk, focus on adjusting the trajectory of the storm if possible, if that’s not feasible at that point begin bracing the the Halkan world as best you can. Evacuation is not something we can pull off. You have your orders. Cartwright out.” The view screen switched to the Federation insignia.

 

“I think I liked Admiral Morrow better. I always got the impression that Admiral Cartwright likes my people even less than I do.”

 

“Lieutenant Konom” The half-Klingon lieutenant sat at attention to the Captain’s command. “Set course for the Halkan system Warp 6, and keep your musings about high command private. That’s the sort of thing that could harm an officer’s career. Every Starfleet Officer from Admiral Cartwright down to you is dedicated to peaceable resolution of conflicts.”

 

“Yes sir. Sorry sir.” The Lieutenant punched in the commands as the Enterprise went to warp. Ensign Konom wasn’t wrong though, Kirk mused to himself. Admiral Cartwright was something of a warhawk among Federation command.

 

“Mr. Spock, assemble the Senior Officers in the briefing room. We have six and a half hours to devise a plan and just over 40 to execute it. Ensign Bearclaw, you have the bridge.”

 

 

---

 

 

“At it’s heart any magnetic storm functions around a nucleus of a coronal mass ejection from a nearby storm. The ionization as part of this storm is caused by the relatively unstable nature of the system’s Wolf-Rayet Star. These stars have burned off all of their hydrogen and are fusing helium instead. The result is that volatile nitrogen isotopes are often expelled which interact in a way we do not fully comprehend with the abundant dilithium in the Halkan system creating this ionic magnetic storm.”

 

“So you’re saying we don’t have a clue.”

 

“Not entirely Doctor.” Kirk listened as his officers engaged in their usual repartee. He cut through the usual squabbling. Spock continued, “As this storm has already passed through an asteroid containing substantial deposits of dilithium, we know that the effect will render transporters dangerous to use, so beaming mass from the coronal ejection is out of the question.”

 

Commander Chekov spoke up, “What if we configured our deflectors to shield us from as much of the radiation as possible and use the tractor beam on its widest possible settings to adjust the trajectory?”

 

“It is possible that course of action may have the desired effect; however, as the only ship to have interacted with the unpredictable magnetic storms of the Halkan system was the original Enterprise, we do not have sufficient data to conclude what effect the storms would have on shields or tractor beams.”

 

“Well lad, that’s not entirely true. In our universe we have no knowledge of how the shields worked, but in the other one, standard procedure was for the Enterprise to have shields up at all times, and they were experiencing the same kind of storm as us.” Mr. Scott got up and walked over to the console, “Computer, pull up personal engineering logs of Montgomery Scott, Stardate 3712.2. Authorization: Commander Montgomery Scott Code 1, 1A, 2B”

 

“Authenticating. Voice profile match. Commander Montgomery Scott. Displaying logs.”

 

“I recorded everything I could about how systems on that ship worked. So much of it was on the same principles as our technology only more primitive, but their Mister Scott had made a few modifications to the shields which helped them stay up against the storm.”

 

“Scotty, that meticulous engineering mind of yours never ceases to amaze. That sickbay was more like an iron maiden than anything else.”

 

“Mr. Scott, Mr. Chekov. I want a plan for the tractor beams to be used to adjust the trajectory. Mr. Spock,  I want you to review logs you and Mr. Kyle made. See if we can find a way to use transporters safely even if it is just for moving raw material. Dr. McCoy I want trauma packs prepared for radiation sickness and burns. If we don’t succeed, people will need that aid. Commander Uhura, prepare a message for the Halkan high council about the storm and our plan then advise the Bozeman and Hathaway. Sulu I want…” Kirk paused he was so accustomed to having Sulu there and being able to give orders to his helmsman and security officer. Teh crew paused, “Chekov I want security teams preparing shuttles for evacuation. If Mr. Spock can’t get the transporters to be safe, we will need a second option.”

 

“You have your orders. I want first rotation on the bridge at 1100 hours for arrival at the Halkan system. Dismissed.”

 

 

---

 

 

The plan was working, the Enterprise-A had to get very close to the magnetic core of the storm and it was certainly straining the impulse engines as well as playing havoc on the sensors, but from what the instruments said the storm was moving and its trajectory adjusting.

 

“Captain, I’m picking up another vessel coming in at warp.”

 

“On screen Ensign Bryce.”

 

“The interference is making the viewer inoperable Captain.”

 

“Shall I disengage from the storm Captain?”

 

“Negative Ensign Sherwood, maintain course, Spock, see if can help Ensign Bryce make anything of it.”

 

“Aye Captain.”

 

“Captain we are being hailed, but I can only get audio”

 

“Put it through Uhura.”

 

“This is Daimon Adred of the Ferengi Raider Krayton. You hew-mans are attempting to move a large quantity of dilithium that by contract belongs to the Ferengi alliance. We will be removing our dilithium now.”

 

“Captain, they are powering transporters.”

 

“Daimon if you do this the results could be-” but Captain Kirk never had a chance to finish his sentence as the familiar sensation of beaming began to engulf him and the entirety of the Enterprise.

 

 

---

 

 

“What, what did you say?”

 

“The ambassadors are Jedi Knights. I believe.” The silver protocol droid answered Viceroy Gunray’s demands.

 

“I knew it. They are here to force a settlement.”

 

“Distract them. I will contact Lord Sidious.”

 

“Are you brain dead? I’m not going in there with two Jedi. Send a droid.”

 

Within a few moments, the Viceroy had accepted Lord Sideous’s suggestion and begun landing troops on Naboo.

 

“Sir-”

 

“The Jedi are still coming through…”

 

“Where are those Droideka?”

 

“Sir-”

 

“The Jedi are no match for Droideka”

 

“Sir-”

 

“What is it?”

 

“An unknown vessel has entered the system.”

 

“What do you mean unknown?”

 

“It does not match any known configuration and is more than three times the size of the Radiant VII we just destroyed.”

 

“We have done nothing wrong. They don’t know anything. Get vulture droids ready.”

 

 

---

 

 

“Status report Mr. Spock.”

 

“According to chronoton readings and Star charts, we are far from our previous location and at some point in the distant past. Position unknown. Star Date also unknown. Attempting to ascertain position, and time.”

 

"In layman's terms, we are a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."

 

"I believe that is what I said Doctor."

 

“Sir, I am detecting several massive wessels deploying some kind of shuttlecraft.”

 

“Red alert. Shields up. No one is clear to fire. If we are in the past, we want to avoid damaging the time stream as much as we possibly can.”

 

“There are dozens of these wessels Captain. They appear to be landing shuttlecraft on the planet.”

 

“Only a few lifesigns Captain and based on the frequency of electronic communication from the lead ship, they appear to be mostly commanding a fleet of drones. They also appear to be jamming communications from the planet’s surface.”

 

“The small shuttlecraft are firing some sort of primitive particle blast weapons at us Sir. Shields holding. No notable damage.”

 

“There are a lot of these small drones. They could potentially pose a threat en masse. Uhura, hail the lead ship.” After a few more moments of ineffectual attack by the Vulture Droids, the lead Lucrehulk Battleship accepted the Enterprise’s hails.

 

“Our communications systems appear incompatible Captain. Audio only.”

 

“Thank you Commander, put me through.” Kirk stood out of habit as he laid out his address, but was interrupted before he could speak.

 

“Our blockade is perfectly legal, what do you want?”

 

“This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We bear you no hostile intent, but firing on a ship unprovoked seems very aggressive for a blockade. With whom am I speaking?”

 

“This is Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation.” Gunray put particular emphasis on the difference in name between the two. “We have already received the Supreme Chancellor’s Negotiators, but we have no interest in negotiations.”

 

“Sir, the transport ships seem to be landing mainly at the largest city on the planet.”

 

“Viceroy, if I might be able to interject-” Kirk paused, his desire for a peaceful solution seemed to be at odds with the temporal Prime Directive. These civilizations had clearly acquired interstellar travel, even if their weapons were hopelessly antiquated. “I believe I there is always grounds for diplomacy. Hold your invasion, and let us set up a meeting between you and the people of this planet.”

 

 

---

 

 

“Sir, our vulture droids have been incapable of penetrating their shields, I do not know if even our main turbolaser batteries would have a noticeable effect.” The Nemodian looked to his B1 Star-Command droid.

 

“Very well Captain. If you can convince Queen Amidala to sign the treaty, we will happily break our blockade.”

 

“Very good Viceroy, an Officer and an away team will be over to your ship shortly. Enterprise out.”

 

“First the Jedi, now this?” Gunray sighed and prepared to contact Lord Sidious again. 

 

After the Viceroy once again breached Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord spoke, "Viceroy. There is an opportunity here. I will dispatch Lord Maul to assist you. Let this Captain Kirk assemble all the players. He may even bring the Jedi into view. Then through cunning and Lord Maul's help, you will achieve our aims."

 

---

 

 

“I’ve bought us time. Spock, I want you to figure out a way for us to get back to the Halkan system and our own time. Chekov, Uhura take a security team aboard this Trade Federation vessel. Their mercantile name and what we know of parallel universes suggests they may have some similarities with the Ferengi Commerce Alliance of our reality. First contact procedures, but consider them aggressive. Doctor McCoy, Commander Scott, take a security detachment and meet with the people of this planet. Try and ascertain why the Trade Federation has enacted this blockade and try and bring people to the negotiating table. Every second they spend talking is a moment they aren’t trying to blow each other up.”

 

“Captain, I will remind you of the temporal Prime Directive-”

“Yes Mr. Spock, but unfortunately the nature of our arrival has already disrupted the time stream. The sooner we are out of here the better. In the meantime, I’m not about to let an interplanetary war break out on my watch.”

 

 

---

 

 

“Governor Bibble, where is Queen Amidala?” Qui Gon and Obi-Wan had with some difficulty made it to Theed only to find the occupying forces waiting outside the city instead of storming it.

 

“She went with the Federation mediators from the ship Enterprise. They seemed earnest in the desire to create a negotiated peace.” Qui Gon and his Padawan exchanged glances, that did not seem to track with what the Trade Federation had said and done only hours before when they tried to kill the two Jedi.

 

“Are there any craft which can bring us to the negotiations?” Governor Bibble led them to Ric Ollie and the Royal Yacht which would ferry them to the Enterprise. 

 

“Master, this feels wrong. The Force is clouded, like something shouldn’t be here.”

 

“I agree Obi-Wan. It is good to be mindful of the Force always, but something certainly feels off.”

 

“Could this be another Trade Federation trick?”

 

“One must always be aware of the possibilities, but if the negotiations are going on in earnest, we should be there.”

 

 

---

 

 

“Sir, a ship from the surface is requesting to dock with us. It’s coming up from the surface.”

 

“Send them to shuttlebay two. Ensign Bearclaw, I want to meet them with a full security detail. The Naboo and the Trade Federation both will wait before we bring them together in Conference Room One.”

 

Kirk made his way to the shuttlebay to receive the two Jedi Knights, who upon being greeted by the vessel’s Captain and sensing his earnest desire to negotiate a peace, were able to share the diplomatic demands of Supreme Chancellor Valorum. 

 

“Master Jinn, Mister Kenobi, perhaps you’d like to stay aboard the Enterprise for a bit. My officers should be bring Viceroy Gunray and his entourage on board as we speak. I have gotten them to agree to negotiations at 1800 hours, but that doesn’t give me much time to learn from Queen Amidala or the Viceroy about what to expect. If you are agreeable, I would like you to brief my senior staff.”

 

Armed with the knowledge of the Trade Federation’s attempt on the lives of the Jedi Knights and their illegal invasion of Naboo, can Kirk create a nonviolent solution to the Phantom Menace and therefore avert all of the prequels? Can Nute Gunray turn this situation to his advantage and still get Sidious's plan to go off? Can he keep a negotiation going long enough for Darth Maul to get aboard the Enterprise and engineer a slaughter?

3 hours ago, IKA said:

Of the three that entered into the second chance round,

@Gizmo Hibiki - 4.36
@broadwaybeyonder- 4.80
@Culwych1 - 4.94 

All of you had great setups, but unfortunately only one can win this round. Congratulations @Culwych1, you are back in for round two which will begin shortly!

 

You mean the guy who has knocked me out of the past two tourneys who I narrowly scraped by in round 1 is back? I both am elated and full of dread.

Good close match @Culwych1. I was definitely sweating it

10 hours ago, Culwych1 said:

Loved this setup. Man, I feel so sorry for anyone up against you in the first round of this Tournament! Wait, that's me! I meant to say this is absolutely awf.... nah, I can't - it's awesome. Well done  

A fun read, and an interesting matchup. Great style and rhymes, I'd have liked a bit more of an intro but that is nitpicking. I think that Din has other weaponry and too much maneuverability which will help him take this fight fairly easily. Not sure I can vote against the competition, but you get a 4.9 from me. 

 

I figured with you going old west my user theme, I had to go to the British Isles and Arthurian legend as that is yours.

Man I have to worry about elimination everytime with you. You have bested me or tied me in our last two tournament encounters, and you combine Westerns and the Yakuza a pairing so natural I'm shocked we don't see it more. Team Cowboy may have more elites, but this may be an Alamo scenario. I think the average grunts are going to be enough to overwhelm them.

 

 

Gentle souls I thought I would try something different this time.

“Dank ferrik!” a host of lights flashed all over Din Djarin’s console, the Lancer Class ship was no Razor Crest and it handled like an unruly bantha. What that no-good Jawa had failed to mention is that this ship was on a New Republic wanted list and these X-Wings seemed to have no interest in communication. All he wanted to do was find his covert and reunite with his people. He had used up most of his resources storming Moff Gideon’s cruiser. Djarin banked the ship as best he could, but this vessel was clearly meant to have a dedicated gunner, he could get no shots off on the more maneuverable snub fighters. 

 

“We’re going to have to jump kid-” Djarin looked at the empty passenger seat, it had been the right thing to let the kid go with the Jedi, but he had grown accustomed to the small green child being at his side. Another blast that took down his shields and fried his navcomputer snapped Din out of his reflections. “A blind jump and probably death is better than staying and guaranteed death.” He pulled the lever and watched the stars blur around him. 

 

 

---

 

 

Crossing over golden field of wheat and rye

Brave Lancelot spied fire through the sky

On the road leaving from  Camelot

Lancelot went forth, the Grail he sought

 

With sound like thunder or breakers on the shore

The sky fire into the woods it bore

And broke apart trees like so many castles in the sand

The noise enough to cause terror to any beast or man

 

But not brave Lancelot, Arthur’s greatest knight

He spurred his horse towards the fire and light

“A sign from above” Lancelot cried 

As he found the fresh dug trench

“Or perhaps a Demon from below”

 as he braved the sulfurous stench

 

“That was not wizard” 

a bizarre knight said as he lumbered

Dazed from the roar and the crash 

he moved as one who recently slumbered

His limbs were clad in shining plate

But he bore no crest or sigil of any state

 

“Hail good knight, I am Lancelot du Lac

Be ye Christian friend or terrible foe?”

“What even is a Christian?

It is a word I do not know.”

Upon hearing this Lancelot saw the warrior’s lance

And knew it best to test his valor here

For this heathen knight in Arthur’s lands

Was not a foe for Brave Lancelot to fear

 

“Tell me your name Knight and whom you serve

Christian or pagan, the service is the least you deserve”

“I am Din Djarin. I am on a quest for my people.

Have you seen any Mandalorians

Warriors dressed like me?”

 

Din Djarin found Lancelot’s speech strange

With rhyme and meter, the poetry beyond his range

“I am on a quest for the Holy Grail Sir Djarin

I have not seen your people in Arthur’s lands which you are far in.”

 

“Pagan knight let me test your mettle,

I see you carry with you a lance

I have lance and sword as well

Let us fight and our differences do settle.”

 

Brave Lancelot dismounted and placed his sword upon the ground

He produced a strong spear and closed his visor with a pound

The other warrior reached to his side, for something he did not find there

Before taking out his polearm and spraying fire in the air

 

Lancelot lept back from the unexpected jet of flame

“Sir Djarin you are full of tricks, 

but I will send you back from whence you came”

 

Lancelot bore down on the Mandalorian 

His lance shook the warrior’s core

But his mighty Beskar held

Against du Lac’s blows as it held before

 

Gentle reader do not think this fight unfair

For the Mandalorian’s blaster and dark saber still rest upon his chair

So with Lancelot out to prove his steel and Mando looking tough

Who wins this crossover brawl? I have said enough.

I love Balsa, but she is a normal human. Highly gifted with the spear, a talented survivalist, and a skilled strategist, and most impressively an anime woman over age 30 who is not relegated to the role of a mother who stays home.

 

But she has absolutely no shot against a Viltrumite.

Fun draft guys. I plan to win next time. Surely I won't draft Trevor Belmont to be a liability a third time...

3 hours ago, DSkillz said:

Part of me wants to see what would happen if the final gets tied up 5-5, just out of curiosity.  

Between their collective experience in combat and espionage, the Joes themselves are no slouches in reenacting combat scenarios and tactics or acting out varied roles. I'm thinking the roles of the monster-slaying heroes may be more intriguing. 

Let's not underestimate the Joes, who have stopped worldwide threats countless times in several incarnations and have arguably shown more strategy and creativity in battle than the Troopers do in that vid. They would very likely be aware that the Bugs could stop playing the LARP game at any time and pack their usual weaponry nearby or with them just in case. Scarlett's crossbow and Lady Jaye's spears (both of which are usually armed with explosives) wouldn't be too out of place in a LARP game, anyway, and they and other Joes could hold the fort while their explosives experts Tripwire and Tunnel Rat (who could play the mages in a LARP setting by setting up less harmful pyrotechnics beforehand) could set up makeshift bombs in battle to take out huge chunks of Bugs. 

Tunnel Rat in particular may be useful here by crawling through small spaces to get close enough to plant explosives, and he has handled giant bugs before.  

Would not be the first time Culwych1 has tied the finals.

I like the Joes here. I'm assuming LARP combat and there are rules though.

I don't think the pizza capacity is a problem. Even in a regular sized sports car, dozens of pizzas can easily be fit.

I kind of am leaning T towards the balance argument.

Straight up fight in a bamboo forest

Fugate breathed a sigh of relief. That oaf Columbo was no closer to catching him, but slipping in a few gaps into his own schedule to ensure that the crimelabs could find no trace of his influence was a nice touch. He still didn’t like that Columbo had latched on to that missing piece of Dr. Elliot’s schedule. A piece he had so carefully removed. It now sat precisely where it should be in Fugate’s personal favorite grandfather clock. He looked over his schedule, his next appointment was a full two minutes late. Whoever this “Maury Memento” was, he certainly wasn’t making a good impression.

 

Fugate looked around the room. He had dozens of clocks on the walls. This couldn’t be right though. Each one read a different time. That couldn’t be right. Some were off by seconds, others minutes, some hours. This can’t be. Fugate began to sweat. His own watch read that Mr. Memento had thirty seconds to be here, not enough time to fix this, his whole schedule for the day was going to be ruined.

 

“Gosh I’m sorry to interrupt like this.” Lieutenant Columbo, entering at the worst time and unwanted, strolled into Fugate’s office. “Your secretary told me you had an appointment canceled and I figured I could just slip in and I could ask you a few questions.”

 

“Lieutenant, I don't have time for your asinine interrogations right now. My consulting appointment should be here any moment-” Fugate found himself raising his voice at the Lieutenant. His eyes resting back on the Grandfather clock where his own personal schedule book from the day of the murder and the appointment book page of Dr. Elliot were carefully hidden. Surely no one had looked in there. It still read the correct time.

 

“I understand Mr. Fugate, you are a very busy man. I just have something I wanted to ask you. I won’t be more than a minute.” Columbo stopped to fumble with a lighter to ignite his cheap cigar. The slightly offbeat ticking off the adjusted clocks was eating at Fugate’s self-control. “You keep journals of all your appointments, but you still haven’t found the one for the week of the 23rd? I’d really like to lock down where Dr. Elliot was and his time with you would be a great help to me sir.”

 

“I already told you, I must have misplaced it. Regardless, I was with Commissioner Gordon at 9:01 PM and prior to that I was on my way there.” Fugate checked his pocketwatch, why was it different than his wrist watch? 

 

“Say, do you have the time?” Fugate began stammering, he wasn’t sure if he had the time or not. “Oh I forget to wind my watch all the time, but I know that watch of yours is wound, because when you let me see it the other day I wound it for you sir. Gee, you must be real distressed about that missing journal” Fugate sneered at Columbo. He had dared to wind his watch? That would throw his whole day off. Columbo walked over to the wall of clocks. “All these times are wrong sir. I’m the same way. I can’t sleep when I get a case like this. You forget the little things I guess.”

 

“I figured someone like you would have a terrific memory for times and dates, but I guess that’s why you write things down. You see sir, I checked with Dr. Elliot’s secretary about his time with your consulting firm. You were always on time. To the second, and he paid you handsomely for your consulting.” Columbo got up and began adjusting one of the wallcocks to match his personal wristwatch. 

 

“And where are you going with this Columbo?” Fugate was grinding his teeth. Where was his next appointment? It would give him the perfect excuse to get the Lieutenant out of here.

 

“Oh just observing sir. The thing is, Dr. Elliot’s watch didn’t match up with his time of death either. I figured that out by the Wayne Manor Grandfather clock. That clock loses time according to Mr. Pennyworth, so it shouldn’t have been so close to the correct time at the time of the murder and the party guests didn’t find Dr. Elliot till 9:15 with his watch reading 9:04, and the coroner fixed the time of death around nine o’clock”

 

“Well there you go, your murderer must have been there at 9 o’clock.” Fugate looked at his schedule, it was oddly free after Mr. Memento’s appointment.

 

“You see Sir,” Columbo opened the face of another clock and began to adjust it. “There is some wiggle room sir, you see the coroner is just giving their best estimate. I think Dr. Elliot was killed earlier than 9:04 about 11 minutes earlier at 8:53 PM.”

 

“What could possibly lead you to this insane conclusion?

 

“It’s just that I checked with Dr. Elliot’s accountant, they were canceling the use of your services. Nothing had been finalized and he had just talked with the accountant about it, but then I found it in his planner.” Columbo produced the small spiral calendar and flipped to a future date, “March 15th, Terminate” Columbo mumbled a bit and looked at the book. “Contract. And this sir” Columbo flipped to a different page where he had drawn a lot in pencil. “Indented writing sir. You see when someone writes with a pen or a pencil on paper they leave an indented mark. And this mark can sometimes be seen on other pages, and matching up right with the date of the 23rd is this note. Wayne Manor 8:52 PM, CK. This was when the murder took place sir.”

 

“So you need to find this CK.”

 

“You know what an incredible coincidence it was, I walked from Wayne Manor to the parking lot and then drove to the point where you met commissioner Gordon and it took me exactly 7 minutes 14 seconds to get there, but it took me 8 minutes 46 seconds to get there when I stopped to fix the time at the Grandfather clock. Commissioner Gordon reports that he met you over the police radio and that he would be busy for a bit. The time of that transmission was 9:01 PM and 51 seconds. You were a little late to that meeting. That’s very out of character for you.”

“I suppose even the best of once and while get delayed. One cannot account for every variable.”

 

“Oh I understand sir. I’m late all the time.” Columbo positioned himself in front of the clock where the fatal evidence was hid. “But did you know sir, Dr. Elliot had a nickname for you?”

 

Fugate was squirming. Columbo could bumble his way into the evidence right now.

 

“He called you the Clock King. Sometimes he even wrote CK for short, just like he did for the date on March 15th. That’s why you did it sir. He was going to fire you and tarnish your image with the public. A respected figure like Dr. Elliot firing you would no doubt have repercussions. Still, you met with him and you no doubt knew enough about some of his affairs that you could arrange a meeting at Wayne Manor under some pretext.”

 

“I do have to apologize for one thing sir. I made a fake appointment. Maury Memento, Memento Mori, Remember me? I thought the Latin phrase might make it better for you, but I just needed a time when we could meet like this. This journal here and these etchings really paint a clear picture of what happened.” Columbo opened the face of the Grandfather clock. Fugate reached into his desk drawer and produced a snub nosed revolver which he prepared to level at the Lieutenant. 

 

“Very well put together Lieutenant. Yes, I killed Dr. Elliot to hush up his plans to lay off my firm, but his practices would have never succeeded without my masterful efficiency. I’m impressed with your intentional lateness and use of inefficiency as a weapon. Yt’s a shame you broke into my office without a warrant and I feared for my life.”

 

“On the ground dirtbag!” Bullock kicked open the door to the office, and he and Montoya leveled their service weapons at Fugate. “I’ve heard enough to make sure they put you away a long time four eyes.” Fugate let the revolved drop to the ground as the two officers wrestled him down and cuffed him. Fugate internally cursed, Columbo hadn’t even needed the evidence he wrote himself about the murder, he had been outfoxed by this bumbling habitually late frumpy detective.

55 minutes ago, Culwych1 said:

I think you can still pull ahead can't you?

I technically have more points than you. I just get no more matches 

Also poor Trevor has been a handicap losing more than he wins for me for a second time 

6 minutes ago, Culwych1 said:

You were more than a worthy opponent, thanks for some great debates!

Now go win so I lost to the champ

Looks like I will settle for third

Agh I thought I could pull out Fox or Trevor. Dang.

7 hours ago, DSkillz said:

Well, much like Christine in another round, since Herbie won't really hurt Blurr, this would be a draw at best. 

Yes, but the other racers can hurt Blur while Herbie in pieces crosses the finish line