Helvetica Files
In an attempt to determine what actually occurred on the Helvetica, the other detectives and I spent months compiling and cobbling together all video, audio, and computer records from the ship. We will only provide the court with the records from a few minutes before the bridge takeover, which appears to be the pivotal moment in this historical event. In some instances, only audio or video could be retrieved. In many instances, we can only provide partial records.
The following evidence will be broken down by date and time.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 02:39:12
BRIDGE ROSTER
NAME: Alía Houseman
RANK: Captain
NAME: Bertram J Albright
RANK: 1st Lieutenant
NAME: Kashvi Anand
RANK: Corporal - 3rd in Command
NAME: *technical error*
RANK: *technical error*
NAME: *technical error*
RANK: *technical error*
NAME: *technical error*
RANK: *technical error*
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 02:39:12 - 02:51:10
Lieutenant Albright--a thick man with deft fingers and ash-blond-going-to-grey, crew cut hair--types at the console on the bridge. The silver console and screen cover one quarter of the room. The tunnel directly behind Lieutenant Albright’s back leads to the walkway for the console. There are no other ways on or off the bridge.
Captain Houseman to Corporal Anand: “Make sure the thrusters stay at optimal temperatures.”
Anand to Houseman: “Ay, ay, ma’am.”
H to A: “Corporal, we’ve talked about this.”
“Right. Ay, ay, Captain!”
The captain laughs. “I meant the ‘ay, ay’.”
Corporal Anand wears a white uniform with two red stripes on the left breast. The man’s skin tone contrasts sharply with the pristineness of the uniform.
Captain Houseman’s build reminds me of a woman in charge. Makes sense, as she is in charge of the ship.
“The thrusters are fine, Captain. I checked them earlier.”
“Lieutenant, we need to keep on top of the temperature if we plan to jump to warp speed. The corporal will check now.”
She motions to the corporal.
“Captain, I’m telling you I already checked.” Clenched words make the deciphering more difficult but what we wrote in our transcript might be as close to what the Lieutenant actually said.
“Stand down, Lieutenant. This is an order. Corporal, go now.”
“And so *too garbled and low to understand* this.” Lieutenant Albright smashes his right hand on a button and his fingers fly, filling in a confirmation of the emergency shutdown box.
“Albright, don’t do it.” The corporal runs for the tunnel but emergency lockdown protocols enact too fast. The door slams down and seals everyone in. Lieutenant Albright pulls his officially mandated laser scope .380. The gun, when turned on, can sizzle through skin from front-to-back, which is why both the captain and corporal’s features flash alarm before a steely mask overtakes the fear.
“Both of you, move near the other three.” Albright motions with his gun between Captain Houseman and Corporal Anand before nodding his head towards the three Privates.
The corporal reaches for his gun when Albright shoots him with the laser through the face. Even if Corporal Anand lived at that point--we here hope he died immediately--he would die soon enough from the lack of available oxygen pumping through his body.
“Anyone else try to pull a weapon and I’ll kill you.”
Captain Houseman’s hand moves slowly up and away from her right hip until both hands are in a surrender gesture along the sides of her chest. “Okay, Albright, I’m moving. I’m moving.” She steps backwards nearer the other three off camera.
Lieutenant Albright does not shoot any of the remaining four before the video cuts out. However, a muttered audio was extracted from the video before static dominates the film.
Extracted audio: “The titillium extracts are mine.”
*Note: The roster indicated there were three others on the bridge. Based on other information compiled, they appeared to be Private John Rodgers, Private Emilia Norwood, and Private First Class Kahlia Johnson.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 03:01:59 - 03:04:19
[AUDIO ONLY]
“What are you doing, Kaylee?”
“Unless you’ve gone blind in the last eight seconds, Hunther, you can see what I’m doing.”
“But why are we climbing into the ceiling vents?”
“The door out of this room is locked from the outside. *crackle* twenty minutes *static* alarms and announcements by the Captain. *technical issues* about to be jettisoned. And with my luck, we’ll run out of oxygen if we stay here.
“So you have three options, Hunther--get your butt up here so we can try to stop the lunatic causing this, stay in this room until you run out of air, or stay down there until you’re offloaded into raw space. Now hurry up.”
“I’m already up here, Kaylee. There’s no reason to lecture me.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
*Note: Whatever microphones were stationed in the room caught some further rustling but the two must have been too far away for the microphones to pick up anything else.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 03:19:41 - 03:27:03
SECTOR 1 EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 8.
Sector 1 targeted.
Sector 1 under hostile takeover or virulent disease.
Sector 1 disengaged.
SECTOR 5 EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 8.
Sector 5 targeted.
Sector 5 under hostile takeover or virulent disease.
Sector 5 disengaged.
SECTOR 8 EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 8.
Sector 8 targeted.
Sector 8 under hostile takeover or virulent disease.
Sector 8 disengaged.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 03:25:10 - 03:29:09
[VIDEO ONLY]
Captain Houseman stands at the console with Lieutenant Albright holding his gun towards her back.
Houseman turns her head and says something to Albright who shoves the gun in Houseman’s face and must yell something for the captain to turn back to the console. Based on the video showing the console screen, we can see a message labeled “Sector 8” and “Emergency Protocol List.”
She scrolls down the list to Protocol 8.
The screen clears before an image of the remaining spaceship appears.
*Note: It is unknown if the other three trapped on the bridge are dead or alive at this timestamp.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 03:32:33 - 03:40:55
“What a wanker.”
“Are we still talking about Brandon?”
Hunther’s tall form trails Kaylee down the sector 4 hallway, closing in on the bridge.
“Who else would we be talking about?”
“Whoever’s taking over the ship?”
“Yeah I guess he’s--or she’s--a wanker, too.
“But yes, Hunther! I’m talking about Brandon. He could have at least messaged me he wouldn’t be on the ship and was actively avoiding the Helvetica.”
“Maybe we should focus on the breaking-onto-the bridge mission instead of your boyfriend drama right now. Yeah?”
“You are the worst best friend. Ever.”
“Gee, wow. Thanks.” Hunther laughs.
They arrive at the closed bridge still arguing about Kaylee’s boyfriend drama.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 03:49:00 - 03:56:13
[AUDIO ONLY]
“Hit the button, Cap.”
“We already lost a third of the ship.”
“Hit the fucking button, Alía!”
“No.”
*thunk* “Either you get rid of the other two sectors or I’ll bash this kid’s skull in rather than just knocking him unconscious.”
“Jumping to warp will use up too much oxygen too fa--”
“Then redirect the oxygen to us. I don’t care what we need to do but I’m offloading on Forenium 6 and then retiring with hundreds of millions. But first we need to get there. Jump to warp.”
“We don’t have the oxygen to war--”
*screams echo through the bridge*
“Bitch, then I’ll do it.”
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 04:15:21 - 04:38:16
COMPUTER LOGS
04:15:21 {Please enter your code}
04:16:01 {Choose a program from the list}
04:19:18 {Enter your code to confirm oxygen redirect}
04:19:37 {Choose redirect route}
04:25:11 {Redirect route engaged}
04:26:26 {Enter override code}
04:27:06 {Incorrect code. One more attempt before lockout}
04:28:01 {Override code accepted}
04:28:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-10 minutes}
04:29:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-9 minutes}
04:30:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-8 minutes}
04:31:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-7 minutes}
04:32:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-6 minutes}
04:33:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-5 minutes}
04:34:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-4 minutes}
04:35:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-3 minutes}
04:36:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-2 minutes}
04:37:16 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-1 minute}
04:37:46 {Oxygen redirect will complete in T-30 seconds}
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 04:31:01 - 04:38:17
The laser gun rests to the left of Lieutenant Albright on the console, blocking some of the buttons. Other weapons are below the console, in front of Albright’s feet.
Pounding sounds from outside the bridge’s tunnel door.
Albright turns with the laser in his hands. “What did you all do?!”
Private Emilia Norwood croaks, “We’ve been here the whole time, sir.”
Laser light floods the screen followed by complete silence.
***
“Do we even have a way onto the bridge once it’s locked down?”
“Hunther, how would I know? We just need to try something. I don’t want to die.”
Hunther and Kaylee pound on the door. They appear to shove a tool near the seal of the door to jimmy it open. This effort is proving fruitless at time of end transmission.
***
An explosion of movement occurs near the previous laser flash. Private John Rodgers dies face forward as he collapses to the floor when a second flash turns on him. First Class Kahlia Johnson utilizes the distraction to tackle Lieutenant Albright into the console as Captain Houseman limps at a rapid speed around his left side. With both working in tandem, they manage to turn Albright so he faces the console.
With a loose roll of gauze in hand, Houseman loops the white material around the front of Albright’s neck. Albright drops the laser gun to grip the gauze and attempts to pull it from his throat.
Albright’s reddening left ear and cheek, while the captain’s hands clench harder, indicate the Lieutenant’s demise consisted of strangulation.
Shortly thereafter, Private First Class Johnson taps away at the console. “Captain, he locked us out of the system. I can open the bridge doors but nothing else.”
“Open the bridge. Which sector is he depriving of oxygen?” Captain Houseman dumps the Lieutenants’ body near the closest window, presumably to make sure he is out of the way for good.
“Specifically the housing areas in Sector 4, Captain.”
“Fuck!”
***
The door slides upwards, allowing entrance to the bridge once again.
“Did we--
“I don’t know, Kaylee, but this is what you wanted. Let’s move forward.”
“Carefully.”
“Carefully.”
With what appears to be a screwdriver in hand, Hunther heads in first.
***
“There are around forty people in housing at any given time.”
“My codes won’t override the protocols. At least not immediately.”
“How much time. Captain?”
“Three minutes.”
*silence*
Hunther and Kaylee stop at the far end of the bridge. Everyone in the room can see the continuing countdown.
2…
1…
Countdown Complete
Protocol 8 Initiated.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 04:38:16 - 04:40:45
[VIDEO ONLY]
39 people reside in housing during this time period. 18 sleep--9 children and 9 adults. Those lucky few contract nosebleeds and blue tinges to their features as they slip quickly into unconsciousness and die.
The other 21 include:
4 children
1 baby
6 teens
10 adults
Color seeps from their faces as they gasp and clutch their throats. Most stumble before falling to their knees, still trying to pull in air that no longer exists for them.
The baby’s blue face, wide eyes, and silent screaming are now burnt into my retinas. My brain won’t let me forget.
Unconsciousness slams into these wretched souls in under a minute.
All are dead two minutes later.
Date: February 4, 3231
Time: 04:41:16 - 05:03:01
CAPTAIN’S PASSWORD ACCEPTED
OXYGEN REDIRECT CANCELLED
The four alive on the bridge can read the screen clearly. The action comes as the captain expected--too late.
Warp speed continues as Captain Houseman tries to steady the engines for a smooth landing on Forenium 6. First Class Private Johnson speaks with Kaylee and Hunther, presumably to make sure they’re okay. The audio is too low to make out actual words.
No one speaks loud enough for the next fifteen minutes for me to provide an accurate transcript.
The Helvetica enters Forenium 6’s atmosphere at a faster rate than is advisable for the planet’s re-entry limit.
“Captain--
“Hold on!”
Kaylee and Hunther clutch each other in a hug as they both sit on the floor immediately to the right of the tunnel’s door.
Shortly thereafter the video and audio cut out.
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Today’s Date: June 9, 3231
Current Time: 13:15:59
HELVETICA FILES
“Yes, your Honor. These are the files we compiled on the Helvetica crash into the Forenium 6 mountain base. Captain Houseman and Kaylee Rivers helped retrieve some of this information as well. The other 1,063 survivors were taken to the hospital immediately following the crash. However, we were unable to locate the bodies of First Class Private Kahlia Johnson and Hunther Freeman. Our search continues...”