Alexei orders the invitation folios, seating cards, correspondence, and recordings into tamper-evident cases before Orda’s airship reaches the dock. Her two officers accompany the transfer; the remaining team stays aboard, preserving the relay chamber, detained guards, and original records.
Alexei
Seal every item separately, photograph its position, and move it directly to the civic evidence hold. No public interpretation gets ahead of custody.
Lady Orda remains under guard beside the gallery entrance. The burgundy-jacketed guest grips his correspondence while the silver-gloved guest points toward the recording, both voices tightening.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
If this testimony stands alone, my office is finished. Name the entire protection network, or they will make us the only villains.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
The network has to be exposed in full. I will testify, but not while senior officials erase their own promises and leave us carrying everything.
A civic custody alert blooms across Alexei’s secured display: senior officials are already disputing the evidence’s public interpretation. The notice requests an immediate classification of every claim and corroborating record.
Alexei
Then we answer with the complete chain, not a slogan. Gremlin, the room is secure, but the next presentation may determine whether Mosaic sees the network or only its expendable faces.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the senior officials challenging the authenticated disclosures
“I’ll correlate the custody alert with every promise, name, and office in the folios.”
FAILURE (Legendary Investigation, rolled -1)
Gremlin routes the custody alert through the civic access token and maps its names, offices, and promised favors against the available alert metadata. The sealed folios remain beyond reach in the evidence hold.
The correlation stalls at the records themselves. Their custody hashes confirm existence and location, but without the folio contents Gremlin cannot safely assign each promise to a specific official.
Gremlin
The custody index exposes relationships, but not the promise language needed to prove them.
Alexei
The folios are sealed and moving under direct custody. I will not break that chain for a faster presentation.
Gremlin’s map still isolates a usable cluster: three offices recur in the alert’s record references, each linked to separate correspondence bundles and the same reception window.
Alexei
That cluster gives us a lawful next step. We can request a supervised comparison in the civic evidence hold, with every page opened once and witnessed.
The failed correlation becomes a narrower lead rather than a conclusion. Alexei tags the three offices for supervised review, preserving the sealed materials and the possibility of a complete network map.
Establish a witnessed chain of accountability for the three offices
“I’ll classify each disputed claim and link it to its corroborating recording.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +0)
Alexei authorizes a supervised retrieval from the civic evidence hold. An evidence officer, a young adult woman with a slim build, dark skin, short curly black hair, and a blue-gray evidence-service uniform with a fitted jacket brings the relevant recordings and opens each tamper-evident case once, with cameras and custody witnesses present.
Gremlin aligns every disputed claim with its timestamped recording, separating direct admissions, corroborated promises, witness statements, and unsupported interpretations. The three recurring offices resolve into distinct evidentiary categories.
Gremlin
Each claim has a recording, a source, and a custody proof.
His map links Orda’s recorded seizure plan to the counterfeit directive, the burgundy-jacketed guest’s promised authority to signed correspondence, and the silver-gloved guest’s account to the reception recording.
The civic display generates a claim matrix: established fact, witness-supported allegation, and unresolved inference. Every entry carries a recording reference, hash, speaker identity, and precise limitation.
Alexei
Classification complete and independently reproducible. The network is visible without overstating what any recording proves.
Alexei attaches the matrix to the evidence registry and forwards it to Palmer’s legal team. The disputed claims now stand beside their corroboration, their limits, and an intact custody chain.
“I ask both guests to testify against Orda”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Gremlin
Testify against Orda. Tell the complete truth, identify the promises she made, and let the custody record protect your words.
Gremlin’s request cuts through the gallery’s panic without threatening either guest. The evidence officer keeps the cameras steady while Alexei records their response under supervised custody.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I will testify. Orda promised my office exclusive checkpoint authority, and I will identify the documents, the meeting, and everyone present.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
So will I. She promised sanctioned power, described the seizure, and expected us to help make her counterfeit order appear legitimate.
The evidence officer attaches both consent statements to the claim matrix, separating each guest’s firsthand knowledge from conclusions they cannot personally prove. Their signatures bind to the existing hashes.
Alexei
Both witness commitments are recorded and admissible for review. You will testify with counsel, protected identities where lawful, and no pressure to claim more than you know.
Orda’s expression hardens as the guests move beside Alexei’s officers. The network now has willing witnesses, identified promises, and a preserved record ready for Palmer’s legal team.
“I trace the three offices to their senior officials”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +1)
Gremlin overlays the three recurring offices against civic directories, procurement signatures, reception access logs, and the preserved alert metadata. The pattern resolves cleanly.
The checkpoint authority belongs to Deputy Commissioner Irena Vale, the procurement promises to Infrastructure Director Tomas Rusk, and the legal cover to Senior Counsel Mira Pell.
Gremlin
The offices were not acting independently. Their senior officials shared the same reception window and authorization channel.
Gremlin binds each identification to its source records, distinguishing signed authority from access evidence and marking every inference that still requires testimony.
Alexei
Trace confirmed. Vale, Rusk, and Pell are the senior officials tied to the three offices, with separate evidence for each connection.
Alexei adds the names to the claim matrix and forwards the verified links to Palmer’s legal team. The registry records their offices, access histories, and relationship to Orda’s reception.
Alexei
Their roles are now public-record leads, not accusations. We will summon them under lawful process and let the documents establish what each official authorized.
Quest Complete
Identify the senior officials challenging the authenticated disclosures
Skill Upgrade: Intimidation Great→Superb
“I request lawful summonses for Vale, Rusk, and Pell”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Gremlin
Request lawful summonses for Deputy Commissioner Vale, Infrastructure Director Rusk, and Senior Counsel Pell, with the claim matrix attached.
Gremlin routes the request through the verified civic channel, attaching each official’s identified role, source records, access history, and the limits of every inference.
Alexei
Request received. I am issuing summonses for Vale, Rusk, and Pell under the preserved evidence file, with counsel access and clear response deadlines.
Alexei signs the process with her police authority and sends it to the civic court registry. Three authenticated notices appear beside the claim matrix, each tied to its recipient’s office.
Alexei
The registry has accepted all three. Vale must address checkpoint authority, Rusk the procurement promises, and Pell the legal cover surrounding Orda’s plan.
Palmer’s legal team confirms receipt and schedules supervised appearances, preserving the witnesses’ protections and requiring each official to answer the documented connections on the record.
Alexei
Summonses served and logged. Whatever they claim, the city will compare their answers against the same authenticated records.
“Prepare the witnesses for supervised appearances”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
In the civic evidence hold, Gremlin arranges the claim matrix, witness statements, and custody proofs into two clear preparation packets. Alexei keeps the recording active.
He separates firsthand knowledge from inference, marks every uncertainty, and pairs each promised favor with its document, timestamp, witness, and lawful question for the supervised appearances.
Alexei
The structure is strong. They will know exactly what they can testify to, what they cannot claim, and where the records answer for themselves.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I can identify Orda’s promise, the meeting, and everyone present. I will not pretend to know who authorized anything beyond that.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I will state what she asked me to do, what she called sanctioned, and which documents she showed me. The limits are clear.
Gremlin rehearses the order of questioning with them, using the matrix as a shield against intimidation and overstatement. Both witnesses answer steadily, their accounts aligning with the authenticated records.
Alexei
Prepared and protected. Their appearances can proceed under counsel, with every answer compared to the same evidence and no witness carrying the network alone.
“I attend the officials’ supervised appearances”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled +0)
Gremlin reaches Mosaic City Hall’s supervised hearing chamber as Alexei’s officers admit the witnesses and secure the claim matrix. Cameras record every entry.
Deputy Commissioner Irena Vale, a middle-aged woman with a broad build, dark braided hair, and a navy civic uniform, takes the first seat. Infrastructure Director Tomas Rusk, a lean middle-aged man with a trimmed beard and charcoal suit, sits beside her. Senior Counsel Mira Pell, a middle-aged woman with pale skin, auburn hair, and a severe green suit, arranges her files.
Alexei
These appearances are supervised and recorded. Each official will answer the documented question, distinguish knowledge from inference, and review the same authenticated evidence.
Gremlin takes his place beside the evidence display. The system verifies his attendance, the witnesses’ protections, and the chain linking Orda’s promises to each summoned office.
Irena Vale
I authorized no seizure. If my office appears in those records, I want the exact language and signature placed before me.
Tomas Rusk
I will address procurement promises directly. I will not accept responsibility for commitments made without my authorization.
Mira Pell
And I will identify every legal review I conducted. If Orda used my work beyond its stated purpose, the record should show that distinction.
“I place each signature beside its recorded promise”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +0)
Gremlin activates the evidence display and places Irena Vale’s signature beside the recorded checkpoint promise. The system aligns both documents without altering their originals.
He places Tomas Rusk’s signature beside the procurement promise, then Mira Pell’s beside the legal-cover commitment. Each pairing carries its source, timestamp, and custody hash.
Irena Vale
That signature is mine, but the promise is not written in my authorization language. I want the discrepancy entered precisely.
The display separates signature authenticity from promised authority, marking Vale’s signature as genuine while flagging the accompanying commitment for direct examination.
Tomas Rusk
My signature confirms receipt of the proposal, not approval of exclusive checkpoint control. The distinction is now impossible to overlook.
Mira Pell
And this legal review bears my signature, but not authorization for a fabricated civic directive. Put that boundary into the record.
The matrix locks all three comparisons into a verified exhibit. Alexei’s recorder captures the officials’ immediate responses as the hearing display exposes each promise beside the signature that cannot quietly legitimize it.
“I question Vale about who drafted the promise”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Gremlin
Who drafted the promise, Vale? Not who signed it. Who wrote the language offering exclusive checkpoint control?
The hearing display enlarges the promise’s metadata, routing marks, and revision history. Vale studies the authenticated exhibit, then turns from the screen to the recorder.
Irena Vale
The language was drafted by Vell, Orda’s aide. My office received it as a prepared political commitment, not an operational authorization.
A second document appears beside the promise: Vell’s transmission header, Orda’s approval notation, and the delivery timestamp align without altering either original.
Irena Vale
Orda approved the wording before it reached my office. Vell drafted the offer, and Orda directed that it be presented as settled authority.
Gremlin
The signature proves receipt. The drafting trail proves whose promise it was.
Alexei
Entered precisely: Vell drafted the language, Orda approved and directed its presentation, and Vale’s signature records receipt rather than authorization.
“I question Vell’s role in drafting the offer”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +1)
Gremlin
Who drafted the promise, Vale? Identify Vell’s role, the source language, and how Orda’s approval entered the offer.
Gremlin isolates the drafting trail on the hearing display, separating Vell’s transmission header from Vale’s receipt signature and Orda’s approval notation.
Irena Vale
Vell wrote the language and transmitted the prepared offer. Orda approved it before delivery, directing that it be presented as settled authority.
Mira Pell
My legal review confirms that distinction. Vell drafted the political promise, while Orda supplied the authority claim it falsely implied.
The system binds Vell’s header, Orda’s approval, and the delivery timestamp into a new verified exhibit without changing the originals.
Alexei
Entered: Vell drafted and transmitted the offer, Orda approved and directed its presentation, and Vale received it without authorizing seizure.
The exhibit expands the investigation from a questionable signature to a documented chain of authorship, approval, and deliberate misrepresentation.
“I ask Vale to identify Vell’s transmission recipients”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled -2)
Gremlin
Vale, identify every recipient of Vell’s transmission, including the offices, individuals, and copies sent beyond your department.
Gremlin expands the transmission header and recipient fields without altering the exhibit. The hearing display pauses its broader comparison while Vale studies the authenticated routing trail.
Irena Vale
The primary recipient was my deputy operations office. Copies went to Infrastructure Director Rusk’s procurement liaison, Senior Counsel Pell’s review clerk, and Orda’s private secretary.
Irena Vale
Vell also sent a blind copy to a civic communications address. I cannot identify the individual reader from this header alone, but the account was active during Orda’s reception.
The system binds each recipient to the transmission hash and delivery timestamp. The civic communications account remains an unresolved identity, requiring a separate lawful access request and delaying the complete recipient map.
Alexei
Entered precisely. We have four named offices or agents, plus one authenticated civic account whose user must be identified without guessing.
“I audit reception communications through the preserved custody channel”
SUCCESS (Legendary Technology, rolled +3)
Gremlin routes the civic access token through the preserved custody channel, authenticating the reception communications without opening or altering the original records. The audit reconstructs headers, timestamps, recipient permissions, and relay acknowledgments.
The unresolved civic account resolves to a restricted communications alias assigned to Vell during Orda’s reception. Its mailbox received the transmission, forwarded a copy to Orda’s private archive, and preserved the original routing metadata.
Gremlin’s audit also finds a second advantage: the account’s automated acknowledgment carried a live access token, proving the message was received and opened from inside Orda’s command network.
A custody-safe comparison binds Vell’s transmission, Orda’s approval notation, the civic alias, and the private archive receipt into one verified communication chain. No source record changes.
Alexei
That identifies the account without guessing. Vell was not merely transmitting through civic channels. The audit places the message inside Orda’s controlled archive.
The hearing display marks the civic account as identified, the archive receipt as corroboration, and the live acknowledgment as direct access evidence. Each classification carries its hash and limitation.
Alexei
I am adding the complete communication chain to the summons file. Vell, Orda, and the archive administrator can now be questioned against the same authenticated record.
“I request Vell’s sworn examination on the communication chain”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Gremlin
Request Vell’s sworn examination on the complete communication chain, including the civic alias, Orda’s approval, and the private archive receipt.
Gremlin submits the request through the authenticated hearing channel. The claim matrix attaches each communication record, its hash, and the precise questions Vell must answer under oath.
Alexei
Granted and entered. Vell will be examined as the transmission’s drafter and relay operator, with counsel present and no room for invented certainty.
The civic registry issues Vell a sworn examination order and opens a protected remote link. The communication chain appears beside the empty witness pane, preserved and ready.
Vell
I acknowledge the order. I drafted the language, used the restricted alias, forwarded the copy to Orda’s archive, and will answer for each action.
Vell’s sworn acknowledgment receives a timestamp and custody hash. Alexei marks the examination active, while the display separates Vell’s firsthand knowledge from every remaining inference.
Alexei
The record now has its witness. We will proceed from authorship to approval, forwarding, and the live acknowledgment, with every answer tested against the chain.
“I ask both witnesses to corroborate Vell”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Gremlin
I ask both witnesses to corroborate Vell’s account: the language, the relay, Orda’s approval, and the copy sent to her private archive.
Gremlin’s request enters the examination record. The claim matrix places Vell’s sworn acknowledgment beside each witness statement, separating what they directly witnessed from what the communication chain proves.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I corroborate Vell’s account. Orda presented that language as settled authority, and Vell was the person transmitting her approved offer through the civic channel.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I corroborate it as well. I saw Orda approve the wording, heard her describe the archive copy, and understood that Vell was relaying her instructions.
The recorder binds both statements to the communication hashes. Their testimony independently confirms Vell’s authorship, Orda’s approval, and the deliberate forwarding of the message into her controlled archive.
Vell
Their accounts match my own. I drafted the promise, transmitted it under the restricted alias, and forwarded the copy after Orda approved its wording.
Alexei
Corroboration entered and cross-matched. Three firsthand accounts now support the complete chain, while every witness limitation remains visible for the court.
“I ask both guests to brief Palmer's team”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +4)
Gremlin
Brief Palmer’s team directly. Explain what you witnessed, what Vell transmitted, how Orda approved it, and where the archive copy went.
The examination channel expands into Palmer’s secure legal conference. His counsel receive the authenticated recordings, witness statements, and communication chain without interrupting the custody record.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
Orda presented the language as settled authority. I witnessed her approval, saw Vell transmit the offer, and understood the copy was sent into her private archive.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I confirm that account. Orda described the archive copy as protection for her plan, while Vell relayed the wording through the restricted civic alias.
Palmer’s team marks each statement against the hashes and asks no witness to exceed firsthand knowledge. The briefing produces a signed preparation memo for the mayor’s public filing.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
We can also identify the reception table where Orda approved it and the officials she expected to rely on the counterfeit authority.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
That detail is in my statement too. Palmer’s team now has the room layout, the sequence, and the people positioned to receive Orda’s instructions.
“Request protection measures for both witnesses”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Gremlin
Provide both witnesses immediate protection, secure transport, counsel access, and identities shielded wherever lawful.
Gremlin’s request enters Palmer’s secure legal conference as a priority protection order. The witnesses’ statements, locations, and transit routes are compartmentalized behind restricted access.
Alexei
Approved. My officers will escort them to protected housing, rotate their routes, and monitor every verified threat channel without exposing their identities.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I accept the protection. I will testify fully, provided my office and family are not left visible targets.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I accept as well. Keep the protection active through the filing and the public response, and I will stand by my statement.
Palmer’s counsel issue both witnesses protected-witness credentials, sealed contact procedures, and assigned counsel. Alexei’s team confirms secure lodging and escort coverage before either leaves the conference.
Alexei
Protection is active and recorded. No official named in this network receives their locations, and every access request will be logged for review.
“I prepare both witnesses for sworn testimony”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -3)
Gremlin moves both witnesses into the protected preparation room, arranging the claim matrix, communication chain, and custody proofs in a clear sequence for sworn testimony.
He rehearses the boundaries of firsthand knowledge with each witness, then has them practice identifying Orda’s promise, Vell’s transmission, and the private archive receipt without overstating anything.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I can state what Orda promised, where she approved it, and what Vell transmitted. I will separate that from anything I only infer.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I will do the same. The sequence is clear now, and the records show where my knowledge ends.
Their answers align with the authenticated hashes. Gremlin’s preparation gives both witnesses a steady, admissible account, while their counsel warns that public testimony will expose their offices and relationships.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I am ready, but this preparation makes one cost unavoidable: my colleagues will know I chose the record over their protection.
Alexei records the completed preparation and updates the protection order. The witnesses are ready for sworn examination, though their trust now rests with Gremlin and the evidence rather than their former allies.
“I escort both witnesses to sworn examination”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled -1)
Gremlin escorts both witnesses through the protected corridor, keeping them between his cloaked profile and Alexei’s officers. Their credentials and route confirmations pass every checkpoint cleanly.
The sworn examination chamber opens ahead, its evidence display already loaded with the claim matrix, communication chain, witness protections, and custody proofs.
Alexei
You are both safely inside. The record is active, counsel is present, and no one will question you beyond what you personally know.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I understand. I will identify Orda’s promise, her approval, and Vell’s transmission without carrying anyone else’s assumptions.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
And I will state what I saw, what I heard, and where the archive receipt confirms the sequence.
Gremlin seats them beneath the examination cameras as Alexei verifies each escort handoff. The chamber seals, the witnesses’ counsel takes position, and the sworn proceeding begins with every protection intact.
“I begin the witnesses’ sworn examination”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Gremlin activates the examination display and places the communication chain before the witnesses. The chamber recognizes his authorization, locks the evidence sequence, and begins the sworn record.
Alexei
The examination is now in session. State only what you personally witnessed, and identify each record that confirms your account.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I witnessed Orda approve the promise of exclusive checkpoint authority. Vell drafted and transmitted it, and I saw the copy routed to Orda’s private archive.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I confirm that sequence. Orda called the promise settled authority, Vell relayed her wording, and the archive receipt records where it went.
The display binds both statements to the approval notation, transmission header, live acknowledgment, and archive receipt. Their testimony aligns without exceeding either witness’s firsthand knowledge.
Alexei
The witnesses have established authorship, approval, transmission, and receipt. Each point is corroborated, and each limitation remains visible to the court.
Counsel records the opening testimony as a verified exhibit. Gremlin’s examination has begun cleanly, placing Lady Orda’s command chain before the chamber with its custody proofs intact.
“I question Vell about Orda’s archive administrator”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +2)
Gremlin
Vell, identify Orda’s archive administrator. Give the name, role, access authority, and every record showing who controlled that private archive.
Gremlin’s question enters the sworn record beside the archive receipt and live acknowledgment. The display marks the request as a direct authorship and access inquiry.
Vell
The archive administrator was Celia Marr, Orda’s senior records secretary. She held the private archive credentials, maintained its access roster, and reported directly to Orda.
Vell
Marr received my forwarded copy through the restricted alias. The archive receipt, access log, and acknowledgment token identify her administrator credentials and confirm she opened it.
The system binds Celia Marr’s name and role to the receipt, credential roster, access log, and acknowledgment token, preserving each source without altering it.
Alexei
Entered and cross-matched. Celia Marr is now an identified archive administrator, with direct access evidence and a documented reporting line to Orda.
The claim matrix adds Marr as a new examination subject, distinguishing Vell’s firsthand account from the records that independently prove her credentials and archive access.
“I ask both witnesses to corroborate Marr’s role”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Gremlin
I ask both witnesses to corroborate Marr’s role: her identity, archive authority, reporting line, and what they personally know of her access.
The request enters the sworn record beside Celia Celia Marr’s credentials and access logs. The display separates firsthand testimony from the records that independently establish her authority.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
I corroborate Marr’s role as Orda’s senior records secretary. I saw her manage the private archive and report directly to Orda, though I did not witness her opening this specific copy.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I corroborate that account. Marr controlled the archive roster, handled Orda’s private records, and was treated as the person authorized to receive protected communications.
Alexei binds both statements to the credential roster, access log, archive receipt, and acknowledgment token, preserving their limits while confirming the witnesses’ shared account.
Alexei
Corroboration entered. The witnesses establish Marr’s identity, role, reporting line, and practical control, while the access records establish that she opened Vell’s forwarded copy.
Celia Celia Marr’s examination entry expands into a verified subject profile. Her authority is no longer merely asserted by Vell, but supported by two witnesses and the archive’s independent records.
“I let the witnesses submit protected written affidavits”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -2)
Gremlin opens a protected affidavit workspace beside the sworn record. The system strips unnecessary identities, binds each statement to its source hashes, and routes the forms to both witnesses’ counsel.
The burgundy-jacketed guest and the silver-gloved guest review their accounts separately, signing descriptions of Celia Marr’s authority, Orda’s approval, and the archive receipt under sealed credentials.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
My affidavit states what I witnessed, what the records confirm, and where my knowledge ends. I submit it under protected identity.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
I submit mine as well. Marr controlled the archive, Orda approved the communication, and the receipt confirms the copy entered that system.
Alexei verifies both signatures, witness protections, and custody hashes. The affidavits enter the evidence registry as sealed corroboration, available to Palmer’s legal team without exposing their locations.
The submission consumes the remaining examination window, leaving Celia Celia Marr’s direct questioning for a later session. One timestamp in the archive log still requires independent review before it can support a precise claim.
Alexei
Protected affidavits accepted and logged. They strengthen the record without overstating it, but Marr’s access timing remains an open verification point.
“I ask counsel to secure Marr’s roster without exposing witnesses”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Gremlin
Secure Marr’s access roster under seal. Palmer’s team needs the authority chain, but no witness identity or location can be exposed.
Gremlin routes the request through the protected affidavit workspace, separating Celia Marr’s credentials, reporting line, and access history from the witnesses’ sealed identities.
Palmer's counsel
Understood. We will file the roster as a restricted exhibit, disclose it only to cleared counsel and the court, and redact every witness identifier.
Counsel applies a dual-key seal, replacing witness references with protected designations while preserving Celia Marr’s credentials, archive authority, and reporting relationship for review.
Alexei
The roster is secured and hash-matched. Its access log will remain available for lawful examination without revealing where either witness is housed.
The registry confirms the restricted exhibit, its custody hash, and its narrow permissions. Celia Marr’s authority is now documented, while the witnesses remain shielded from the public record.
“I move the witnesses to protected housing”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled +3)
Gremlin guides the burgundy-jacketed guest and the silver-gloved guest through Mosaic City’s service corridors, using staggered routes, masked credentials, and cloak-assisted timing to defeat every camera sweep.
Alexei’s officers receive them at a secured civic residence, verify the handoff, and seal the witnesses inside protected housing without exposing their names or location.
The Burgundy-Jacketed Guest
We arrived cleanly. No one followed us, and the route gave us no reason to alter our statements.
The Silver-Gloved Guest
The protection is real, and the record remains intact. I can testify without letting Orda’s allies turn my location into leverage.
Alexei’s console confirms the exceptional result: every escort checkpoint passed independently, while Gremlin’s route analysis identifies a concealed municipal access lane suitable for future protected transfers.
Alexei
Both witnesses are secured. Your route also gives us a safer emergency corridor, one Orda’s network has not marked or monitored.
Inside the residence, the witnesses’ protected credentials activate. Their affidavits remain sealed, counsel is notified of their safe arrival, and Alexei opens the next secure briefing channel.