Episode 303: Pericles Station, Part 2
Rina looks at Joshua and thinks the man must be positively dying right now.
Arden: It had changed into what I was now. Then.
Faria: Then perhaps it is like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.
Nika: (evenly) You keep picking on my steward, I’d take offense here.
Faria: I’m not picking on anyone.
Joshua: It’s okay, it’s actually…okay.
Arden: I don’t think you can say that this state can be a state because ‘this’ happens to you and you are in a different state, you’re different.
Joshua: I don’t think he’s trying to discuss. If you look at the spectrum of all the changes that can happen to somebody, where’s the point in that spectrum where you say they’re completely different from the person that started on that end to ‘is it complete body and brain transplant, sure!’
Nika: But it’s not a different person.
Joshua: I guess that’s what he’s after.
Nika: For example: my brother-in-law.
Rina: Oh, my God, yes.
Arden: Okay. What about him?
Rina swats Arden on the arm.
You know….Trey! Who went off to war and came back changed, thanks to an experimental drug.
Nika: Trey went off to war and came back changed, he was still Trey. He still had all the things that made him Trey.
Arden: And some things that made him more Trey.
Rina: And some things that made him psychotic.
Nika: Some things that made him a bastard, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t him.
Arden: No. (agreeing) What makes us human instead of an animal is that we can perceive that Event B follows Event A which is followed by Event C. Animal can’t determine that. Humans can.
Faria: But you of course know we can turn people into animals. We can turn thirty thousand into them.
Nika: Yes, we’ve already done that, thank you. Yes.
Rina: Can I ask you to clarify something, here?
Faria: You can ask me to.
Rina: Can I take the table just for a moment?
Faria: Whether I can clarify it or—
Rina: So you’re saying that if Arden walked into a class as Person A—Pre-Class Arden—and he walked out of the class different, with no memory of Pre-Class Arden, he is now Post-Class Arden. Are you saying it’s the same as dying having that great a change wrought upon a person? And therefore he is starting over fresh? Are you saying the sum of our memories do not have any bearing on who we are continuously as a person?
Faria: Those seem like opposite positions.
Rina: Yes, I realize that but are you trying to make a case that because the kitty was nearly dead and it is now back, that it is—if not the same kitty—the change is too great for it to be alive?
And for a minute the table erupts as almost everyone comments. Does she mean a part of a soul is taken over or lost? What if we dropped the concept of soul out of the question entirely?
Faria: Before I was a Shepherd, my job was to kill people.
Arden: It was to keep your men alive.
Faria: Yes, but—
Arden: I think that was the more important part of your job.
Rina: Arden, let the man talk.
Joshua: Focus, Arden.
Faria: It involved a lot of killing.
Arden: To keep your people alive, I’m sure it did.
Faria: And sometimes not. Sometimes my people were expendable. For other purposes. Purposes I didn’t question.
Arden: That’s not what I—.
Joshua: (to Faria) Go on.
Faria: In any event, I was not merely there to keep my men alive. In fact we were expendable in almost every case and many of us died. That was our job. But there was …that kind of a war was a throwback to a time when these kinds of questions were, at best, ones for academics. Because a person and a body were always together, the changes we had were gradual ones as well, for the most part. But since then….things have changed.
He pauses and looks at us.
Faria: Right?
Arden: No.
Faria: We’ve learned…. more. We’ve learned you can turn a man into some things.
Nika: We’ve always known you can send a man insane.
Faria: You’ve dealt with Reavers, right? They’re not just insane.
Nika: It’s an extreme form of it, but yes. That is insanity.
Arden: Well, there’s parts of their brain that function differently now.
Faria: They’re not men, anymore.
Arden: Eihhh, that depends on your definition of ‘men’.
Faria: They’re not the same men they were.
Nika: They’re not the same, no.
Arden: (to Faria) You’re not the same man you were yesterday.
Faria: Okay, well you don’t think there’s a distinction there—I think this is part of the problem. That our new civilization, Blue Sun, all of them, have decided that we are nearly these machines and if we can make someone faster, or smarter or more passive, if we can make someone capable of certain feats of intellect or physicality, well then that’s no reason not to. We’re not changing what we are, because we’re always changing.
Another silence.
Nika: So you’re just asking where the line is.
Faria: And I think that you should have a personal stake in it. (to Arden) It seems that you do.
Arden: Considering what was done to me, maybe I do have a personal stake in it. But there’s nothing I can do about it now, so I’ll just live with what I am now.
Rina: There are at least two people here who have been fucked over by ‘omnipotent moral busybodies’.
Faria’s gaze sharpens at Rina’s comment even as Arden protests.
Arden: That depends on your definition of ‘fucked over’. I wouldn’t be the person I am now if they hadn’t done what that they did, so therefore they did me a favor by making me exist.
Rina: You’re more magnanimous than I could ever possibly be.
Arden: I’m not being magnanimous, I’m just saying these people did something that made me who I am.
Nika: The people that did this, there’s never been anything else, Rina. They didn’t take a man and make him something he wasn’t. They took him from the cradle and molded him.
Arden: Well, before the cradle, actually.
Nika: I don’t think you can actually mold a person until they are born. Certain aspects of personality and behavior I believe are ingrained but not all.
Rina: Okay, now we’re debating Nurture over Nature.
Arden: No, we’re not.
Joshua: And if that’s all I was? I’m not saying that I’m not, but I’m not saying that I know either, for sure, that I was always this way. I have no way of knowing.
Arden: Does it matter?
Joshua: I don’t know. Does it?
Arden: It doesn’t to me.
Joshua: I mean, I don’t know. I like who I am now. I can’t say I know who I would have been if I hadn’t been this way, like, if it really matters.
Nika: No. ‘What if’ is a useless question
Arden: Except to Shepherds and philosophers.
Faria: I’m not asking ‘what if’, because you’re here now. I’m more interested in what happened to you. I’m sure it was both horrible and pleasant at the same time.
Come again?
Nika: I’m trying to decide if you’re actually sounding us out or some particular reason or if you’re just sounding us out because you like to sow debate and discussion.
Arden: Could be both.
Faria: I’m not trying to sound you out, to be quite honest. I suppose I am to a certain degree. Do you feel … You seem to feel that what was done perhaps to what these good gentlemen were before they are what they are now was inappropriate. Is that right? Do you think they’ve stopped doing this, because you escaped?
Arden: No.
Faria: If indeed you have escaped.
Nika: In Arden’s case, definitely not, because their whole society is based on the same situation.
Arden: Not only that but my entire crèche being called to Miranda.
Nika: Except you were different.
Arden: That could have been because it was A-C-C instead of A-C-G in the genetics.
And that end of the table goes off on a tangent about cloning and chromosomal degradation across multiple generations. Meanwhile, Joshua asks Faria:
Joshua: So are you asking why we are doing anything?
Faria: Why aren’t you doing anything, is what I want to know.
Nika: Why aren’t we doing anything about what?
Faria: About genetically modified clones. About brainwashed—
Arden: What would you suggest?
Faria: (to Joshua)..or whatever you are—
Arden: What would you suggest? If someone told me today that there are people being turned into planters from heck on this planet or that facility, then I say yeah, let’s go do something about it. But I have no idea where, or how, or who.
Nika: That’s not entirely true, we have taken steps to—
Faria: Blue Sun, of Osiris.
Arden: That’s a big planet with lots of people.
True. We all take a second to envision it. And in the ensuing pause, Joshua says:
Joshua: (quietly) Rubicon.
Arden: Rubicon?
Joshua: Rubicon. I haven’t forgotten but it hasn’t been my place to say.
Arden: What’s Rubicon?
Rina: That’s right. We never did investigate where that clue went.
Joshua AND Arden together: That’s true.
Joshua: The person who was trying to help me out left us a tag that had the note ‘Rubicon’.
Rubicon is historically the river on Old Earth that Julius Caesar crossed when he marched on Rome with the Roman Army. In more common usage, it is a catch phrase for crossing a line past which there is no return, that once crossed, you’re all in. In the Verse, it is the sixth planet out from White Sun, one planet in from Osiris, third planet out from Sihnon. It is also listed as being uninhabitable.
Faria: What’s on Rubicon?
Joshua: I don’t know.
Faria: You’re meaning literally?
Joshua: I mean literally.
The person/force/individual who was helping Joshua left him clues as to what was going on and the last clue given was Rubicon.
Joshua: As to why I’m not doing anything about it? Because I’m still learning to walk. So to speak. And it’s not my place, on this ship, at this time to…direct where we’re going.
Nika: And ultimately we’ve been basically running from crisis to crisis since that point. From the Trafalgar to here.
Faria: How’s that going for you?
Nika: Not that great.
Faria: Have you run it yet? Know what’s waiting for you?
Nika: I don’t know. We decided to pick you up and take you where you had to go first. Being able to eat certainly means something in this Universe.
Faria: And I’m not making you be able to eat—
Nika: No. It’s just that I dislike being made to feel like I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing because I have to make enough money to eat, first.
Faria: Do you think you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing?
Arden: He’s just asking questions that are circular. It’ll drive you crazy if you let it.
Joshua: (to himself) I don’t think they’re circular…but…(shrugs).
Arden is all for turning our boat around and chasing down the Rubicon lead. Do we have the fuel to do that?
Joshua: Not to be rude, but we have a paying passenger who was heading towards Blue Sun.
Nika: And he said he didn’t want to stop anywhere, which is why we didn’t take cargo to White Sun.
Arden: (to Faria) I guess we’re going to continue on our way because of you.
Which jab nets an appreciative snicker from Nika.
Rina: (eyeroll) All right. That’s enough for me. I know when I’m outclassed.
Nika turns to Joshua.
Nika: If you would like to go, if you would like to discover this…?
Joshua: I would like to go, I would certainly like to go—.
Nika: Then let me check my fuel consumption.
Joshua: (adding quickly) But that doesn’t—but…but..but, not to—Like I’ve said there’s—.
Nika: There’s no but-but-but. If you’d like to go check it out—
Joshua: (cutting in ) My point is—
Nika: (overriding him) AND the Shepherd, who doesn’t care about stopping…
Joshua: (relieved) Thank you.
Nika: I will check our fuel consumption and see what we can do. Give me ten minutes to double check fuel consumption.
Arden: (to Faria….again) So are you going to keep us from our destiny? Or help us get to our destiny?
Faria does not reply.
Rina: I’m gonna check on the cat.
She rises to leave, and Faria answers Arden.
Faria: As far as I know, my rebirth is already complete.
Arden: Are you sure?
Joshua: Yeah. I think he’s pretty sure.
Faria: I’m pretty sure.
Arden: You never can tell.
Nika: Rebirth into what?
Rina: I don’t know. (gestures to the prosthetics) You’re missing a quarter of your original parts, Shepherd.
Faria: The question, I guess, is do you have…what is the word I want?
Arden: ‘Moxie’?
Faria: Is it just the lack of funds that’s keeping you from doing this?
Joshua: (getting fed up now) As versus what? Speak up.
Faria: You could fly over this planetoid and hope to find something.
Joshua: (flatly) Yeah. Or?
Faria: Well—
Nika: Number one, we’ve only just picked up Joshua.
Faria: So you haven’t known about these nefarious plans of Blue Sun and…?
Arden: His nefarious plans?
Joshua: Blue Sun’s nefarious plans.
Nika: The particular nature of these nefarious plans, no. We have only just picked up Joshua and learned of that. And in point of fact—
Faria: I could have sworn I saw you on some sort of Cortex feed from Miranda.
Nika: I said specifically the ones he had. The Rubicon lead, which we’ve had for all of what? several months at this point. But between travel between Trafalgar and making enough money to eat on—
Arden: And being taken by slavers.
Nika: And being taken by slavers, you know. (indignant) It’s been a little busy.
Everyone stops and breathes for a moment. Rina leaves to check on Orbit.
Joshua: I suggest rolling back. What are you suggesting, Shepherd? You’re poking, you’re prodding. You want us to….
Nika: He wants something, or he wouldn’t continue to poke and prod.
Arden: No, he doesn’t.
Joshua: (thoughtfully) Actually, no, I’m pretty sure he does want something. Not necessarily out of us, but he wants something.
Arden: (sarcastically) He wants to enhance our spiritual growth.
Joshua: (still thinking) No, I’m not even sure that’s it.
Faria: (off Arden’s statement) That is always true of course.
Nika: Great. Christ….
Faria: (quietly) Indeed.
Nika: If that’s all he wants, I’m leavin’.
Faria: Well…
Joshua: Get to the point, Shepherd.
Faria: I don’t have any specific targets in mind. If you think that Rubicon has the answers…
Joshua: I don’t think it has answers.
Faria: I mean answers, any more than Miranda does. That’s not sayin’ nothin’.
Nika: No, it’s not. Miranda did have some answers and it raised other questions that have in fact led us to various places. And in point of fact, when we do have the opportunity, we are following up on those questions.
Faria pauses.
Joshua: Go on, Shepherd.
Faria: I was going to say that our discussion seem to engender a lot of heated discussion, so perhaps…perhaps I’m out of place in this, but…
Arden: It’s never stopped you before.
Faria: (quietly) If you feel interested in this, interested in the idea of what the future of mankind is going to be and if you have a position, I would be interested in seeing where that goes. If you think these are all unfortunate circumstances—or fortunate—then I see no reason to not just get your food and your fuel and do what you can do.
Joshua: I know what I want.
Nika: Why are you heading for Blue Sun?
Faria: I’ve got some business to take care of that I feel responsible for. I told rick about it. There’s an old subordinate of mine who’s run afoul of the righteous way.
Nika:(narrowly) Whose righteous way?
Faria: The righteous way.
Arden: I wonder if he’s a chef.
As in one of Col. Nguyen’s trained chef-spies.
Faria: He’s a security chief for a boss on Highgate.
Nika: So why is that a bad thing?
Faria: He’s abusive. From what I’ve learned. A lot goes on in the Rim, as all of you must know. Inappropriate behaviors. Mistreatment of people.
Nika: So….he’s beatin’ up his wife and you’re gonna go out all the way to Blue Sun from Kalidasa to take care of it?
Faria: Well….more like oppressed an entire community.
Nika: Ohh, great. Another one of those.
Like that community we’d helped our first voyage out on the MakeMake, perhaps?
Nika: (to Joshua) Well, ultimately the question becomes yours: if you want to check it out and—
Arden: Actually the question is his: (Points to Faria) Do you mind if we stop, go back and look?
Meaning, backtracking to Rubicon.
Nika: Well, you did say you were in a hurry.
Faria: Well, I would like to move on before more harm’s done, but …
Nika: Then we will take you where you need to go and we will deal with our own things on our own time. You, after all, are the paying passenger.
Faria: So you’re saying I’m in command. (breathes a laugh) I like that.
Arden: I’m sure you do.
Nika: No. You are not in command.
Faria: Well, when I was in command I felt like there was a person responsible for what happened. And I don’t feel like there is a conscience to the crew that they have to be accountable for.
Oh boy.
Arden: That’s not on my list of things to be concerned about.
Faria: Exactly. I think it’s something that everyone should be concerned about.
Arden: No-no-no, your feelings are not on the list of things I’m concerned about.
Joshua: I’m concerned.
Nika: (to Joshua) What are you concerned about?
Joshua: (struggling) I don’t know….as far as I want to be like…I dunno, I…Big goals, small steps I guess? I think I’m on board with Rina in that Blue Sun is …evil, for lack of a cleaner word. Maybe that’s clean enough?
Nika: You don’t have to point that argument at me.
Rina comes back and announces Orbit is still with us.
Joshua: My point is what I want to do is if I were asked what I could do, right now, is I’d like to do some good in the world, or the Verse or however you want to say it, and ideally, bring these bastards down. Like, completely. But that’s not something I can commit you to…..
Rina: Big goal. Small steps.
Joshua: Yes.
Nika: You’re a little late to the game on that one.
Joshua: Yeah.
Arden: Not that I’m not willing to help.
Nika: As I’ve said, I think we’ve already made that commitment, so he’s a little late to the game on that one.
Arden: I’m saying, if he wants to join us.
Nika: If he wants to jump in and get on board with us on that one?
Joshua: Okay…all right.
Arden: That is one of our long-term goals as well.
Nika: (making a face) Yeah. We’re not doing it by blowing up a factory next time.
Arden: I agree 100%.
So, it’s on to Blue Sun, then? Joshua states that Rubicon isn’t going anywhere. We check our position and our fuel consumption and determine that it would be risky to change course mid-trip due to the Cortex being down. Joshua assures us that he appreciates the generosity and the thought behind our offer to go to Rubicon but after all, if the information was time sensitive, the window of opportunity has already been missed—he’s been with us for several months now. If it’s not, then whatever waits on Rubicon will still be there for us when we can approach it on a more favorable vector. After we take the Shepherd to Blue Sun and help him out there.
Nika: Okay, that’s fine. It’s your call. It’s your situation.
Joshua: Why is it my situation all of a sudden?
Nika: This is your clue. If you wish to follow up on this now, then we will go. If you do not wish to follow up on this now and you’d like a little more time to deal with this, then that is your call.
Joshua: I mostly don’t want to inconvenience you to—
Nika: (firmly) It’s not inconvenient.
Joshua: It is, from what I can gather with the whole turning around without the Cortex and the fuel consumption and everything else. I gather that’s slightly inconvenient.
Nika: Lemme ask you this: would you go out of your way to do something I asked you to?
Joshua: Yes.
Nika: How is that any different from what we’re proposing that we would do here?
Arden: Yeah.
Good point.
Joshua: (whoa!) …Okay….
Nika: Okay. Let me check and make sure we can actually manage it and still make it somewhere with another pulse after.
A quick calculation tells us we wouldn’t make it to Pericles Station but we would be able to make it to planets in the Core. Gonghe is the next planet inward, big with four billion people on it, and would have what we’d need to continue our journey. Nika asks Joshua point blank—does he want to go or does he want to wait.
He’d rather wait. The Shepherd is onboard, a paying passenger.
Nika: (firmly) Okay. That’s the bottom line then. We’re done.
Joshua: Yes, ma’am.
Faria: So you are in charge now?
Meaning Nika.
Faria: I just want to know who I have to deal with.
Arden: Us. All of us.
Nika: (to Faria) It depends on what you want.
Faria: Well, you’re doing all the talking. I just want to know who I’m dealing with.
Nika glares.
Faria: I understand that if I need a band-aid, I go to the doctor. If I need my….ankles greased, I go to the engineer.
Rina glares.
Faria: (clarifying) My prosthetics.
Joshua: And if you need some soul baiting, you come to me.
Arden wants to know why Faria would need greasing—the prosthetics are advanced enough not to need greasing and Nika has to shut him down for his badgering.
Nika: So what would you need to talk to the Captain of the Ship about?
Faria: I just want to know where the ship is going.
Nika: Right now, it’s going to Blue Sun where you need to be dropped off.
Faria: I wasn’t hoping to be dropped off. I just want to go to Blue Sun.
Joshua: Are we taking you somewhere else after you go to Blue Sun?
Arden: Where are we taking you in Blue Sun?
Faria: Highgate.
Nika: So what is it you wish to do after?
Faria: I wish to clean up the messes I might be responsible for.
Joshua: (muttering) I’m familiar with that.
Faria: I may need a ship to help me do that.
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