Vestigial Memories, Session 1: Case briefing

The Assignment: Echoes of the Snake Pit

I was at home, nursing a whisky sour and watching the rain streak against the grime of my windows, when the call came in. It was Holden. No small talk, just the usual order: Report in. New case.

Case Brief: The Replicant Who Shouldn't Exist

Case Briefing Table 1 - Assigment:
[D6 + D10]: [2 + 10] => Murder
Case Briefing Table 2 - Relevance:
[D12]: [2] => Replicant is key witness or accuser
Case Briefing Table 3 - Initial Complication:
[D12]: [11] => Cold Case
Case Briefing Table 4 - Personal Hook:
[D12]: [1] => Involves an aspect of your key memory

The file Holden dumped on his desk was a ghost story from 28 years ago. A murder case.

• The Victim: Rhea Lang (28), a low-level clerk for the Tyrell Corporation.
• The Incident: Murdered at The Snake Pit nearly three decades ago. A man pulled a gun and began firing into the crowd at random. Lang was the only fatality.
• The Intervention: The shooter was talked down by Libby Kamarr, a Blade Runner who happened to be at the club off-duty. She de-escalated the situation without firing a shot.
• The Suspect: after the arrest, Kamarr put the suspect under Voight-Kampff. He turned out to be a replicant. Kasper (Model: Nexus-6, Serial: KS-1108). A Heavy Labor unit.
• The Escape: After his arrest, Kasper vanished. Retirement was postponed until all useful information was deemed extracted from him. He escaped custody during transport to a maximum-security facility. The department suspected external aid, but the trail went cold.

The Twist: Three days ago, a witness claimed to have spotted Kasper in Animoid Row. On paper, it’s impossible—a Nexus-6 only has a four-year lifespan. If he’s still walking, he’s either a medical miracle or, more likely, a bootleg replicant using an old skin.

• The Witness: Nombeko Esposito (52). He was a bouncer at the Snake Pit the night of the murder.
• Current Witness Location: A decrepit apartment in the Red Light District, near the Kumite.

The Briefing: A Legend in the Fog

As I looked over the details, a cold sensation crawled up my spine. The nightclub. The random shooter. The woman who used words instead of a gun. It was my memory—the one that made me who I am. Or was it?

Locke: "Did you know Kamarr?"

Question check roll:
[D10]: [6] => Yes

Holden: "Yeah. She was a legend back then. The best Cityspeaker the department ever had. Not a needle dropped in L.A. without her knowing about it."

Locke: "Is she still around? I'd like to talk to her."

Question check roll:
[D10]: [1] => Extreme no

Holden: "No. She passed away a few years ago. At least she got to taste retirement before the city took her. Most of us don't."

Locke: "Shame. Sounds like someone I would have liked. I’m going to need the full cold case file."

Holden: "You have access to whatever survived the Blackout. But Locke? Don't expect much. Most of the data is corrupted or gone. Double-check everything."