M4L4SS4S - Player Report: William 'Jester' Crimson, David Baker, Alan Jones, Rule 11: Marine Law, Malicious Compliance

molasses · February 9, 2025, 8:49pm

M4L4SS4S - Player Report: William ‘Jester’ Crimson, David Baker, Alan Jones, Rule 11: Marine Law, Malicious Compliance

What’s your BYOND key?

M4L4SS4S

Round ID:

26337

Your character name:

Sampson “Ironfist” Ponds

Accused character name:

What rule(s) were broken?:

William ‘Jester’ Crimson, David Baker, Alan Jones

Description of the incident:

Rule 11: Marine Law, Malicious Compliance

Evidence:

I was walking into the brig to store the last of the evidence from Req’s black market when the CMP asked if he could see my headset. I, entrusting myself to the MPs, complied. I was then cornered by the MPs against a wall, cuffed, and then stripped naked as I was forcibly searched. After the MPs found nothing illegal, I was pushed into the CMP’s office and illegally detained by the MPs David Baker and Alan Jones. Who at first said I was not under arrest or detained, then stated that I was under arrest for subterfuge charges.

What I take issue with is that the Search Procedure wasn’t followed as I was forcibly searched/arrested by the MPs, highlighted by not having evidence to even try to incriminate me.

Addendum Edit: 2/9/25 3:00 PM PST, To add a crucial detail that I forgot to mention, I was a visiting officer onboard the Almayer.

SolidFury · February 9, 2025, 10:04pm

Hi, it appears you’ve left out a fair amount of information in this situation, which is just gonna make this take so much longer, but here we go.

During this situation, we were on a red alert due to CLF activity reported on the ship (later confirmed), we had around 3-4 dead shipside crew in relation to this, gunshots near the CIC, someone/people were suspected with tampering with the evidence, (wiping ARES logs), as well as 3-4 Majors arriving from another ship, as well as various other issues onboard.

After a lengthy round of the situations escalating and compounding to the situation above, including reports from multiple MPs, I spoke to the CO, who basically telling me just to handle it because he was busy with the operation. I stated that this could involve arrests for all involved, just to drive home how serious the situation was and he was onboard with it before heading to the CIC as swiftly as he arrived.

I used an excuse to justify all the MPs coming to the brig, with my warden voicing it to reduce the suspicion. Lopits (a suspect who was extremely helpful to the point of making us thinking she mayu have been tampering with evidence before we could reach it, or trying to point us the wrong way) arrived to the brig for this “riot training” we had planned. It was clear Lopits had rumbled us, or suspected us, but she left as we (fake) prepared for it. Once she left, we shuffled all the MPs to my offices bedroom (uwu) because we were concerned it was bugged and placed the Warden on the door.

I briefed the men on the situation (some who just woke up, Alan Jones and 1/2 others), and that we were going to have all the suspected searched/detained as the same time, so that nobody could tip off each other and/or the CLF. Seemingly Sampson Ponds caught wind of the riot training and came to watch, it came across like another suspect trying to keep an eye on how much we knew, so the MPs were told to once again pretend it was riot training (while we held merely stun batons) and I pretended we were organising things. Realising that we may have been rumbled, and this was the best chance we could get (as I could no longer brief the lads while the suspect was here)

I asked Sampson to hand over his headset, partially to check for hidden keys (CLF) and to prevent him tipping off the two-three other suspects in the CIC, (MPs being dispatched there once he was cuffed) and you were cuffed during this, during the red alert due to the deaths, CLF and the fact you were armed.

During this, I was arranging the other MPs handling it, while also explaining things to you, (while you were breaking further laws, if we want to follow the letter of the law as it seems we are in this report, by threatening to attack me, which also reinforced the need to have you cuffed during this) I asked the men to search you, then question you briefly before moving to the CIC to oversee the other situation as the men went silent there

I got there, MPs already searched them will full compliance, they had no signs of criminal items or suspicious documentation/tampering, the CE was also searched by myself and complied (as he did not pose a threat, he was not cuffed), I believe I mention that they’re all free to go, and was about to speak to the Major of the Almayer, but mere moments later, we get ANOTHER report of cargo being involved in the blackmarket, CMB are en-route and someone is dead in the cargo shaft. So we all quickly run to the cargo bay

We run down there, assuming its another murder, and we find the CLF agent we had been looking for hours

While I wasnt present for all your interaction with them, Alan Jones has not been awake for long (which is likely why he was somewhat confused with the subterfuge charge) and David Baker has been up for at least a while (iirc, as I chewed him out for laughing at XOs perma-death, he jumped"out the DS with no parachute, long story there too)

Ultimately, citing malicious compliance for the fact that you were cuffed due to the threat on the ship + being armed, before being told the full scope of the situation and held for perhaps a minute or two for questioning is…honestly such a strech, alongside the rather low effort, low information report which just creates more work for everyone

This was neither malicious, nor excessive, not does it match the criteria listed below.

Malicious Compliance

Malicious Compliance is using IC Military Law to impose excessive punishments, make an arrest on a technicality of someone non-disruptive who is acting in good faith, or causing intentional delays in the jailing and appealing process.

molasses · February 9, 2025, 10:41pm

I left out the context of the round because I want to focus on the mishandling and excessive use of force conducted by the MP department in this specific situation.

To add further context, I was the first person to discover which ASRS terminal inside Req had been hacked with the black market. Immediately reported it on the MP radio, and worked with the MPs to secure contraband and ensure that the black market wouldn’t be used further by Req. I was aiding in the work against the CLF on the Almayer so to me being detained/searched/arrested by the MPs violated my rights.

I asked Sampson to hand over his headset, partially to check for hidden keys (CLF) and to prevent him tipping off the two-three other suspects in the CIC, (MPs being dispatched there once he was cuffed) and you were cuffed during this, during the red alert due to the deaths, CLF and the fact you were armed.

Had you and the MPs talked with me in the brig I would have been more than happy to comply with a search, as highlighted by me starting the interaction by trusting you, the CMP, to have my headset for a moment when you then ordered your MPs to “cuff him.” I was armed with the VO Mateba, M10 pistol, and armour due to the CLF threat onboard the ship and wanted to be more than prepared to defend myself, as were you and the rest of the MPs who were armed.

(while you were breaking further laws, if we want to follow the letter of the law as it seems we are in this report, by threatening to attack me, which also reinforced the need to have you cuffed during this)

By this point, I had already been cuffed and was being actively searched by the group of MPs at the brig. So my threat in the context of Marine Law would fall under bravado, especially considering the indignation In Character of Sampson being detained out of nowhere.

Ultimately, I cite malicious compliance due to the fact that I was detained after a short time of being in the brig out of nowhere and then kept in the brig until the round end. Meanwhile, the other two visiting officers, Misa Burnout and Isabel Lopits were given the chance to comply peacefully and weren’t stripped down naked or had their headsets removed to speak out against the detainments.

SolidFury · February 9, 2025, 11:39pm

Context is important. Leaving out the fact we had CLF onboard, multiple killed/dead and it was red alert is pretty important, especially within marine law.

In regards to why you were cuffed, I’ve already covered. I was not actually armed with any lethals beyond a sidearm with 6 shots I had since roundstart (I had rubberbullets for m39 incase the CLF or incase you or others reacted poorly to the search) but I can see why you may have thought that.

I ordered you cuffed because you were a potential threat, which I covered earlier and we couldn’t risk you tipping off potential coconspiritors at the same time. When you were cuffed, you were searched in the same manner you’d have been searched, regardless.

In regards to marine law, that is considered assault and NOD (under conduct unbeffiting of an officer). Which I could have applied (and should have by technicality) so the irony of being told I’m commiting malicious compliance while actively not chasing charges for you isnt lost on me.

In regards to being kept until round end? I’m quite certain that the round ended around 5 minutesish after I left you, as all I did was walk to CIC, ask the MPs if the other two indivuals were searched, quickly searched the CE who complied, told the MPs that everyones free to go for clarification, and then it ended a few minutes later when we confirmed the CLF in cargo dead and CMB onboard. Sure, I can imagine being cuffed for a few minutes and questioned was surprising, especially if you were unaware of our investigations direction, but to state its malicious compliance because you were "detained out of nowehre and kept for a few minutes "while CLF are on the ship, after multiple deaths is honestly nuts. And once again, you handed your headset over, we didn’t remove it from you or force you too. I even left it at the search scene while I went to confirm the search in the CIC as you were going to be given it back as soon as the other two/three suspects were searched.

Anyway, I’ll be waiting for the logs and soforth now, just so it doesn’t end up as a back and forth.

Arbs · February 10, 2025, 1:58pm

I don’t know man, nothing really happened. We were trying to get some RP or some interaction behind a suspicion that we wanted to prove wrong.

We just wanted to make sure the visitors weren’t in on what was going on and that was it. You were being searched as the MPs have that right. We didn’t really wrong you, just wanted some questions answered. We did this very kindly and only requested your cooperation.

But I suppose you weren’t that interested on continuing that interaction and would rather want to go over the technicalities here with Solidfury. Which is also okay, let’s just see how this is resolved.

Next time I share an interaction with I will no longer try to advance this kind of RP interactions anymore and make sure that everything is instead simply technical and followed to the letter, so that you will be more satisfied and hold no complaints. Sorry about that.

Steelpoint · February 19, 2025, 7:49am

There was no true CLF operative onboard the USS Almayer.

The only controlled CLF player on the server was one player in the Predator hunting grounds, who never reached the ground map let alone the Almayer.

The cause of the dead shipside personnel was due to the Cargo Technicians using the black market to purchase illegal goods, among them being CLF crates. These crates have a chance to be booby trapped when opened. This occurred on at least two separate occasions, killing the Chief Engineer and one of the Cargo Technicians (The CT being unaware of the lethal nature of the crates). Thus, this is what triggered the manhunt for the CLF. There may have been more casualties to these crates that were un-detected by the logs.

The ‘CLF operative’ found in the ASRS pit was also spawned by the black market CLF crate, which also has a RNG chance to appear.

As per this player report. A important provision is that according to our current rules, only the Almayer’s Commanding Officer, Flag Officers, and anyone specially designated via a staff event, are afforded the privilege of arrest immunity. Per this, visiting Commanders are not afforded this privilege.

I sought council from the highest authority regarding this, of which they concurred with this conclusion.

All of this aside. I am going to be ruling this incident as a ‘In-Character’ issue and deny the report. My rational for this is that while the cause of the MP’s concerns was un-true, the CLF infiltrator, the fact is from their IC perspective this was a genuine concern and rational to act as they did.

They seemingly had on the one hand several dead personnel, all of whom attested to a CLF operative being involved in their death, and on the other hand a large group of visiting officers who arrived at the same time. The conclusion that one of them may be compromised is not a far-fetched idea.

I do believe overall the MPs should work to improve their arrest and search procedure, as they did fail to inform the VO about the reason for the detainment for a long time. However, I am prepared to excuse their actions due to the extreme circumstances of the situation.

Its one thing to fail an arrest procedure on code green. Its another to miss a step when there is a possible CLF disguised operative loose on the ship who has seemingly killed multiple people.

Basically, this was all the result of black-market fuckery.

I apologise for the time it took to finish this report, as I had to do an extensive amount of log and code diving to get to the truth of the matter.