Conversation · Fractured Bullet

The bullet is still safely sealed away in a plastic bag bearing the RCM stamp.

"Kim, take a look at this. It's a jacketed bullet close to 5 mm in diameter."

"A jacketed bullet. Okay... It would have been shot from a military-grade breech-loading rifle, not from a muzzleloader like those typically found on the streets of Martinaise."

We were right. This came from a serious weapon.

Highly unusual. The people of Revachol haven't carried breech-loading weapons like this for nearly half a century.

"Even the RCM uses ordinary unjacketed conical bullets. This is... strange. Very strange. I like this, officer. Strange means unique. Unique means incriminating. We need to find the gun that shot it."

Something tells you that won't be any time soon. This'll have to be one of those epic tasks that's open for a while...

"I think I know where this came from." (Dangle the bag thoughtfully.)

"Okay. And?"

"The shot probably came from a Belle-Magrave rifle."

"An antique. That makes sense. There can't be many breech-loading rifles floating around in Martinaise, or anywhere in Revachol, really..."

"Why not?"

"Sure, there's some arms trafficking. But the laws prohibiting the use of breechloaders we inherited from the monarchy have been effective, from what I've seen."

"Some new RCM recruits get impatient with their muzzleloaders once they've trained with military-grade weapons, but they realize it's worth it, in the end."

Prohibiting peacetime law-enforcement to front loaded rifles is a policy enforced by the Moralist International in all the nations of the Reál Belt.

"Worth what? Getting shot?"

"Imagine if everyone -- cops, citizens -- had access to firearms that could shoot multiple rounds without pausing to reload. After the first shot, the second, third, and so on -- come much easier."

"But back to the investigation."

"Could the victim have been mixed up with some foreign guerrilla fighters?"

"Let's find out. Next step -- finding the gun itself."

"Yes. Something mysterious is afoot with this antique bullet type."

"Mysterious?" He shrugs. "Okay. Either way, we'll know when we find the gun."

"Seems we're looking for an antiques enthusiast."

"Doesn't seem that likely, but we'll check out all possible leads. Next step -- finding the gun itself."

"Have well-armed Jamrock bangers started crossing over into Martinaise?"

"Makes you consider every shot. I like it."

"I think we should have more powerful guns. We're the law!"

"That's probably a good thing."

He nods. "I have to hand it to the monarchs -- it's quite admirable that they took the advice of criminologists last century and banned the use of breechloaders in peacetime."

"I mean... have some ideas, but I can't be sure..."

"What's your best guess?"

"Belle-Magrave rifle. The ammo points to it."

"Our stiff was killed by a jungle gun."

"You mean some turn-of-the-century surplus firearm?"

Feel the bullet through the bag.

The squashed bullet has some sharp edges where the jacket has split open. It feels cold, even through the bag.

You wouldn't ordinarily have cause to handle jacketed bullets. The Citizens Militia uses cast bullets only -- little pebbles of metal loaded from the muzzle, usually in a cartridge.

The bullet has nothing more to say. [Put it away.]

Inspect the bullet closer.

The jacket of the bullet is made of yellowish metal. It has blossomed out to reveal a dark grey core. The base of the bullet is close to 5 mm in diameter.

This is a real killer. Not some garbage street ammo. You can feel it.

The core is lead. The brass jacket probably didn't cover the entire bullet, otherwise the softer metal wouldn't have expanded quite like that.

And the core?

It's quite destroyed. Some of the fragments are still lodged in the wound.

"What can you say about the bullet so far?"

Wow, I actually know this...

Yes. It's as if you've seen bullets before, officer.

"It's a jacketed bullet, close to 5 mm in diameter."

What's interesting about the bullet thus far?

Wow, I actually know this...

Yes. It's as if you've seen bullets before, officer.

It's a jacketed bullet close to 5 mm in diameter.

A jacketed bullet... which would have been shot from a military-grade breech-loading rifle, not from a muzzleloader like those typically found on the streets of Martinaise.

Very interesting. You have an unusual, military-grade bullet in your hand. Now all you need is to find a gun that could fire it.

Far away, Lieutenant Kitsuragi is flipping through stations in his Kineema. He is not here examining the bullet with you. He should be... he would find this very intriguing. Mention it to him, later when he's here.

Look at the jacket.

You can just about make out a few striations near the base of the bullet. Little hairlines, linear. It feels standard.

Try to determine what type of weapon shot this.

A rifle. Revolutionary-period. Your bullet looks to be an old 4.46 mm -- from the surplus left over from the turn of the century. Probably an antique or a retrofitted antique.

Make?