[CSI: Nexus] The Jien Garson murder case
Apr 2, 2017 16:48:30 GMT
themikefest, MarilynRobert, and 23 more like this
Post by Fogg on Apr 2, 2017 16:48:30 GMT
Who killed Jien Garson? Detective Fogg tried to find all evidence so far and invites you all along for the search.
Arrival in Andromeda
The novel Nexus Uprising describes how Sloane Kelly wakes up by accident in Andromeda. The Nexus is being torn apart as it moves through – what later will be described as – the Scourge. There are fires, doors are being ripped apart, systems are failing and a whole piece of the station breaks of.
After Kelly saves herself and others from cryopods near her own, she wants to find Jien Garson, who she deeply admires. She heads for Operations. She firsts runs into Chen, a janitor, who also woke up by accident. He seems panicked, wants to get to safety badly.
In another room, she finds an Asari that’s barely alive. She’s named T’vaan and with her last breath gives some details about the strange phenomenon that caused all the damage (hinting it’s not an attack, but something else, the Scourge we now know). She also tells Kelly to look for Garson in Chamber 00, where Garson’s cryopod is located.
Chamber 00 is empty, all the pods already opened. There’s one person there. Foster Addison, with a head wound. “We were all up in Operations. For the arrival”, she tells Kelly. Kelly asks why she isn’t in Operations then. “I’d just left it to find Jien.” “She’s alive?” Kelly asks. “At last check. Before official launch of arrival protocols, the science team wanted to nail down final readings. Jien had just stepped out so when we were ready, I went to get her.”
Kelly wants to know why Addison looked for Garson in Chamber 00. “I stopped in here for a sec. I had to use the… restroom.” Addison didn’t find Garson yet. “I was heading back to see if she’d returned when the whole ship lurched.” Kelly finds out T’vaan was also part of the science team.
When Kelly and Addison arrive in Operations, there’s a lot of damage. They find the bodies of the Nexus’s senior leadership. But not Jien Garson. They find a list of everyone attending the ‘arrival ceremony’. Except for Addison and Garson they all died because of the Scourge.
They find out that Jarun Tann is now in charge, or at least until Garson is found. He’s still in stasis at that moment. Meanwhile search parties are send out to look for Garson.
27+ hours after arrival in Andromeda
In the 27 hours after arrival, Jien Garson is not yet found. Those who woke up by accident have to do a lot of stuff to save the mission. One of those things is to fix the oxygen in the Nexus. To do this, a large part of the Nexus is shut off from oxygen. Those who are awake (up to 600 pioneers) can only access a small part of the station.
Then Kelly is called to the improvised morgue. Among the 100+ dead bodies, there’s a body bag. In it, is Jien Garson. “Where was she found?” asks Kelly. “In one of the apartments near Operations. We were doing a room to room, clearing bodies”, a tech (gaunt man with tired eyes) answers. A second life support-tech, his colleague, says: “Wounds are consistent with all the rest. Environmental damage. Significant burns. It’s… not a pretty sight.”
Addison arrives as well. Kelly sees the last glimmer of hope bleeding from Addison’s eyes. Kelly pulls the body bag. She can’t piece together any evidence of identity at first. Much of Garson’s face is hidden under charred skin. The smell is terrible. Burnt and swollen flesh, left to rot for untold hours in open air.
The Scourge survivors are accepting her death as a Scourge causality. At that time there are around 600 pioneers awake on the Nexus, confined to a limited area of the station. Among them, the killer?
14 months after arrival in Andromeda
Pathfinder Ryder learned the official story about Garson’s dead: one of the casualties by the Scourge. He’s still investigating her apartment, curious for hints about a mysterious Benefactor that made the Andromeda Initiative possible. Tann doesn’t know about any Benefactor.
SAM uses environmental data to reconstruct the scene of Garson’s death. SAM manages to do that with 82 percent precision. He generates an image of Garson lying on the bed in the apartment and ‘an additional unknown person’ standing next to it. It seems to be a male, but with 82 percent precision we can’t know that for sure, perhaps?
“This was no accident. She was murdered”, says Ryder. “But… wait. This whole area was shuttered back then – didn’t open ‘til the Hyperion arrived. So what was Garson even doing here?” Further scans show a secret door to a hidden room. There are two datapads in there.
Datapad 1:
Voice: “This is Jien Garson, I don’t have much time, I’ve been hiding in the sealed-off sections of the Nexus since we got here. Someone’s trying to kill me. And now I can hear them down in the hydroponics area – they’re coming. I’ve embedded what I know in my VI in the Cultural Center. This log has the code. And whatever happens – oh god, they’re outside the door!”
Datapad 2:
Written: “Garson Notes. Entry 1.1 (2819). In 2179, once mentioned “A storm is coming.” Said “evidence was clear.” Meaning? Andromeda – why? Hyperion, still no contact. Where is Alec? Did they get him, too?”
Ryder visits the VI in the Cultural Center. He hears her secret message on his private channel: “For years, there was a silent partner involved with the Initiative. The truth is, I was running out of money. Then a ‘benefactor’ stepped in. I didn’t ask questions. I never met them face-to-face. That was a mistake… I lied to everyone. Something big spooked them in the Milky Way, and now they’re moving 100,000 of us to Andromeda. I hope it’s all for the good, but… I have my doubts. And now I think they’re going to remove me. Alec Ryder and I had a codeword for this: “Fulcram.” He may have learned more.”
Summing up
Jien Garson was last seen alive at Operations, just before the Scourge hit the Nexus. After that she hid in her apartment, fearing for her life. One or multiple killers (she’s talking about her murderers in plural) tracked her down and killed her, making it look like another Scourge casualty. There is – in theory – a 27 hour window in which this could’ve happened.
Potential suspects
In Nexus Uprising there are couple of persona’s mentioned, who could be the killer. Although there’s a big chance the killer is not mentioned in the novel of course. Let’s run through a couple of them.
Chen the janitor
Chen is running around the Nexus on his own when Kelly encounters him. He appears to be in panic and might just be introduced by the writers to show the chaos. There is no reason – apart from him being mentioned – to assume he’s involved.
Foster Addison
Addison is the only surviving member of the ‘science team’ that woke up earlier in Chamber 00 to inspect first readings in Andromeda. Her reason for being in Chamber 00 (bathroom break) is suspicious. Unlike Kelly, Kesh and Tann the writers never describe her thoughts. You don’t know what she’s actually thinking. While Kelly, Kesh and Tann thoughts are described in detail, at the moment of arrival they all try their best for the greater good and are upset about Garson’s death. Furthermore, Addison is the first to discuss succession protocol while others are still hoping to find Garson alive. At the same time she seems upset Tann is ranked above her in that protocol (she didn’t know the order) and she still seems sad when she finds out Garson is definitely dead.
William Spender
Addison’s right hand, of who we know is a bit shady, was still in stasis when Garson was killed. He can’t be the killer.
Jarun Tann
Jarun Tann was also still in stasis when Garson died. So it wasn’t his way of taking over power. This is confirmed by his thoughts described by the writers. He never expected this to happen and just tries to do his best.
The two life support-techs
The two life support-techs that find Garson in her apartment could be suspicious. What were they doing there? According to the game that section was sealed-off, shuttered back. And Garson does describe men coming to her apartment in Datapad 1. But that’s far from proof, there could even be a slight writing inconsistency between the novel and the game about the section being sealed-off. Also, the life support staff was awakened by Sloane Kelly, so they weren’t awake during the initial hit by the Scourge.
The Benefactor
Garson suspects the mysterious Benefactor ordered (or even committed?) the murder. Further details about this Benefactor are in Alec Ryder’s logs and memories. It was the anonymous Benefactor, not Jien Garson, who first approached Alec about the Andromeda Initiative. He (or she) used Ellen Ryder’s disease to motivate Alec to cooperate, offering him his last straw to make SAM happen.
Castis Vakarian tells Alec about the Reaper threat, while his son Garrus is still in C-Sec, so pretty short after Mass Effect 1. Alec tells the Benefactor about the Reaper threat, he or she already knew that ‘something’ was coming. But after it got confirmed by Alec, the Benefactor wants to hurry the Andromeda Initiative.
When Alec arrives in Andromeda, there is a message from Jien Garson for him.
“Alec, this is Jien Garson. For the record, Year 2185. It’s about “Fulcrum.” I’m on the Nexus, and we’re going into stasis for the voyage. Looks like you’re already asleep. I’m very uncomfortable with our “benefactor,” and the fact that we still don’t know who they are… and all these lives in our hands. I should’ve done something sooner. This is all very troubling, Alec. Let’s talk as soon as you reach Andromeda.”
He replies:
“Jien, I got your message about “Fulcrum.” It’s now 2819. We reached Andromeda, but have no sign of the Nexus. I have the same concerns as you. In all likelihood, the Milky Way… well, something terrible happened there. At least the benefactor spared us from that. But why keep hiding? Something’s off. But we’ve got bigger problems at the moment – Habitat 7 may be a bust. Finding a home is all that matters now.”
Traits of the Benefactor
- Has a lot of money
- Is interested in SAM
- Was involved with the Initiative ‘for years’ (before ME1 it seems)
- Was an early Reaper threat adopter (right after ME1)
- Wanted to kill Jien Garson upon arrival in Andromeda
Other clues?
So, is the killer someone we already know? When did Jien Garson got murdered, who had motive and opportunity? Is the Benefactor the killer, or did he/she ordered it?
Arrival in Andromeda
The novel Nexus Uprising describes how Sloane Kelly wakes up by accident in Andromeda. The Nexus is being torn apart as it moves through – what later will be described as – the Scourge. There are fires, doors are being ripped apart, systems are failing and a whole piece of the station breaks of.
After Kelly saves herself and others from cryopods near her own, she wants to find Jien Garson, who she deeply admires. She heads for Operations. She firsts runs into Chen, a janitor, who also woke up by accident. He seems panicked, wants to get to safety badly.
In another room, she finds an Asari that’s barely alive. She’s named T’vaan and with her last breath gives some details about the strange phenomenon that caused all the damage (hinting it’s not an attack, but something else, the Scourge we now know). She also tells Kelly to look for Garson in Chamber 00, where Garson’s cryopod is located.
Chamber 00 is empty, all the pods already opened. There’s one person there. Foster Addison, with a head wound. “We were all up in Operations. For the arrival”, she tells Kelly. Kelly asks why she isn’t in Operations then. “I’d just left it to find Jien.” “She’s alive?” Kelly asks. “At last check. Before official launch of arrival protocols, the science team wanted to nail down final readings. Jien had just stepped out so when we were ready, I went to get her.”
Kelly wants to know why Addison looked for Garson in Chamber 00. “I stopped in here for a sec. I had to use the… restroom.” Addison didn’t find Garson yet. “I was heading back to see if she’d returned when the whole ship lurched.” Kelly finds out T’vaan was also part of the science team.
When Kelly and Addison arrive in Operations, there’s a lot of damage. They find the bodies of the Nexus’s senior leadership. But not Jien Garson. They find a list of everyone attending the ‘arrival ceremony’. Except for Addison and Garson they all died because of the Scourge.
They find out that Jarun Tann is now in charge, or at least until Garson is found. He’s still in stasis at that moment. Meanwhile search parties are send out to look for Garson.
27+ hours after arrival in Andromeda
In the 27 hours after arrival, Jien Garson is not yet found. Those who woke up by accident have to do a lot of stuff to save the mission. One of those things is to fix the oxygen in the Nexus. To do this, a large part of the Nexus is shut off from oxygen. Those who are awake (up to 600 pioneers) can only access a small part of the station.
Then Kelly is called to the improvised morgue. Among the 100+ dead bodies, there’s a body bag. In it, is Jien Garson. “Where was she found?” asks Kelly. “In one of the apartments near Operations. We were doing a room to room, clearing bodies”, a tech (gaunt man with tired eyes) answers. A second life support-tech, his colleague, says: “Wounds are consistent with all the rest. Environmental damage. Significant burns. It’s… not a pretty sight.”
Addison arrives as well. Kelly sees the last glimmer of hope bleeding from Addison’s eyes. Kelly pulls the body bag. She can’t piece together any evidence of identity at first. Much of Garson’s face is hidden under charred skin. The smell is terrible. Burnt and swollen flesh, left to rot for untold hours in open air.
The Scourge survivors are accepting her death as a Scourge causality. At that time there are around 600 pioneers awake on the Nexus, confined to a limited area of the station. Among them, the killer?
14 months after arrival in Andromeda
Pathfinder Ryder learned the official story about Garson’s dead: one of the casualties by the Scourge. He’s still investigating her apartment, curious for hints about a mysterious Benefactor that made the Andromeda Initiative possible. Tann doesn’t know about any Benefactor.
SAM uses environmental data to reconstruct the scene of Garson’s death. SAM manages to do that with 82 percent precision. He generates an image of Garson lying on the bed in the apartment and ‘an additional unknown person’ standing next to it. It seems to be a male, but with 82 percent precision we can’t know that for sure, perhaps?
“This was no accident. She was murdered”, says Ryder. “But… wait. This whole area was shuttered back then – didn’t open ‘til the Hyperion arrived. So what was Garson even doing here?” Further scans show a secret door to a hidden room. There are two datapads in there.
Datapad 1:
Voice: “This is Jien Garson, I don’t have much time, I’ve been hiding in the sealed-off sections of the Nexus since we got here. Someone’s trying to kill me. And now I can hear them down in the hydroponics area – they’re coming. I’ve embedded what I know in my VI in the Cultural Center. This log has the code. And whatever happens – oh god, they’re outside the door!”
Datapad 2:
Written: “Garson Notes. Entry 1.1 (2819). In 2179, once mentioned “A storm is coming.” Said “evidence was clear.” Meaning? Andromeda – why? Hyperion, still no contact. Where is Alec? Did they get him, too?”
Ryder visits the VI in the Cultural Center. He hears her secret message on his private channel: “For years, there was a silent partner involved with the Initiative. The truth is, I was running out of money. Then a ‘benefactor’ stepped in. I didn’t ask questions. I never met them face-to-face. That was a mistake… I lied to everyone. Something big spooked them in the Milky Way, and now they’re moving 100,000 of us to Andromeda. I hope it’s all for the good, but… I have my doubts. And now I think they’re going to remove me. Alec Ryder and I had a codeword for this: “Fulcram.” He may have learned more.”
Summing up
Jien Garson was last seen alive at Operations, just before the Scourge hit the Nexus. After that she hid in her apartment, fearing for her life. One or multiple killers (she’s talking about her murderers in plural) tracked her down and killed her, making it look like another Scourge casualty. There is – in theory – a 27 hour window in which this could’ve happened.
Potential suspects
In Nexus Uprising there are couple of persona’s mentioned, who could be the killer. Although there’s a big chance the killer is not mentioned in the novel of course. Let’s run through a couple of them.
Chen the janitor
Chen is running around the Nexus on his own when Kelly encounters him. He appears to be in panic and might just be introduced by the writers to show the chaos. There is no reason – apart from him being mentioned – to assume he’s involved.
Foster Addison
Addison is the only surviving member of the ‘science team’ that woke up earlier in Chamber 00 to inspect first readings in Andromeda. Her reason for being in Chamber 00 (bathroom break) is suspicious. Unlike Kelly, Kesh and Tann the writers never describe her thoughts. You don’t know what she’s actually thinking. While Kelly, Kesh and Tann thoughts are described in detail, at the moment of arrival they all try their best for the greater good and are upset about Garson’s death. Furthermore, Addison is the first to discuss succession protocol while others are still hoping to find Garson alive. At the same time she seems upset Tann is ranked above her in that protocol (she didn’t know the order) and she still seems sad when she finds out Garson is definitely dead.
William Spender
Addison’s right hand, of who we know is a bit shady, was still in stasis when Garson was killed. He can’t be the killer.
Jarun Tann
Jarun Tann was also still in stasis when Garson died. So it wasn’t his way of taking over power. This is confirmed by his thoughts described by the writers. He never expected this to happen and just tries to do his best.
The two life support-techs
The two life support-techs that find Garson in her apartment could be suspicious. What were they doing there? According to the game that section was sealed-off, shuttered back. And Garson does describe men coming to her apartment in Datapad 1. But that’s far from proof, there could even be a slight writing inconsistency between the novel and the game about the section being sealed-off. Also, the life support staff was awakened by Sloane Kelly, so they weren’t awake during the initial hit by the Scourge.
The Benefactor
Garson suspects the mysterious Benefactor ordered (or even committed?) the murder. Further details about this Benefactor are in Alec Ryder’s logs and memories. It was the anonymous Benefactor, not Jien Garson, who first approached Alec about the Andromeda Initiative. He (or she) used Ellen Ryder’s disease to motivate Alec to cooperate, offering him his last straw to make SAM happen.
Castis Vakarian tells Alec about the Reaper threat, while his son Garrus is still in C-Sec, so pretty short after Mass Effect 1. Alec tells the Benefactor about the Reaper threat, he or she already knew that ‘something’ was coming. But after it got confirmed by Alec, the Benefactor wants to hurry the Andromeda Initiative.
When Alec arrives in Andromeda, there is a message from Jien Garson for him.
“Alec, this is Jien Garson. For the record, Year 2185. It’s about “Fulcrum.” I’m on the Nexus, and we’re going into stasis for the voyage. Looks like you’re already asleep. I’m very uncomfortable with our “benefactor,” and the fact that we still don’t know who they are… and all these lives in our hands. I should’ve done something sooner. This is all very troubling, Alec. Let’s talk as soon as you reach Andromeda.”
He replies:
“Jien, I got your message about “Fulcrum.” It’s now 2819. We reached Andromeda, but have no sign of the Nexus. I have the same concerns as you. In all likelihood, the Milky Way… well, something terrible happened there. At least the benefactor spared us from that. But why keep hiding? Something’s off. But we’ve got bigger problems at the moment – Habitat 7 may be a bust. Finding a home is all that matters now.”
Traits of the Benefactor
- Has a lot of money
- Is interested in SAM
- Was involved with the Initiative ‘for years’ (before ME1 it seems)
- Was an early Reaper threat adopter (right after ME1)
- Wanted to kill Jien Garson upon arrival in Andromeda
Other clues?
So, is the killer someone we already know? When did Jien Garson got murdered, who had motive and opportunity? Is the Benefactor the killer, or did he/she ordered it?
