Episode 504: Ghosts of Jing Jing Bei, Part Two

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Silence.

Paul: There was just a handful of men there. I don’t know even if they were armed after that, but … the threat was if we did anything, they’d come back for more.
Arden: Did she ever come back? Back with the kid?
Paul: (quietly) Nope.
Arden: What was the kid’s name? Do you remember?
Paul: Barrett. I remember when her mom … hanged herself.
Arden: That’s … pretty horrible.
Paul: Her father is still alive. Lives up in the hills, but I wouldn’t do atonin’. He’d fire on the ship. He’s gone pretty mad. We, ah … my daughter Mary there … (points to the woman with Joshua) … She takes him food most days. He won’t take care of himself. He’s pretty broken up.
Arden: Who are these bad people again? I missed that.

Joshua stirs, rousing from the shock of the news.

Joshua: (softly) Jing Jing Bei.
Arden: Jing Jing Bei?
Joshua: (louder) Jing Jing Bei.
Paul: Former owners of your ship.
Arden: Okay. I’m glad they don’t have it anymore. What was the name of this woman that kidnapped the kid and never came back? Do you remember?
Paul: I believe she was called Director Ah. A-H. “Ah”.
Joshua: Does the name June mean anything to you?
Paul: Yeah. June. June Barrett. She was the girl.
Joshua: (very softly) Yeah. Okay.
Paul: How did you know that?

It’s Joshua’s turn to sigh. He had such hopes for that list, hopes that it was evidence of something good along the lines he and Rina had discussed on the flight over. Dashed hopes, now.

Joshua: I told you I found some of their notes? Their notes … Going through—it was mostly Chinese—there were names. Town names, people’s names. Matched up. There would be a name and a city. Another name and a city.
Paul: Do you know where she went?
Joshua: That’s the thing. She’s the only one on my list that doesn’t have another name, doesn’t have another city. At all. Like … that’s why—
Arden: Except Alkali Flats.
Joshua: And that’s why I came here. I was trying to make sense of what was going on.
Paul: (glancing at Arden) I guess that makes more sense than comin’ out to doctor folks.
Joshua: We’ll do what we can while we’re here.
Arden: Yeah. We didn’t just come out here—I mean I want to help people, but we did have reasons for coming out here.
Joshua: Yeah.
Arden: (to Joshua) I sorta told him I would help people who might need help. Wanna stay here a day?
Joshua: Yeah, that’ll be fine. That’s fine. We can. We’ve got some give.

Our schedule can handle it, and after all, Arden’s original game plan when he first joined the crew was to practice medicine wherever he went. No problems there. Joshua turns back to the bartender, Paul.

Joshua: Yeah, I … Not the kind of news I wanted to hear but I appreciate your being willing to talk to me about it. (quietly to Arden) I got, we can probably, unless you’ve got some objection otherwise, I don’t think we probably would bother with the barter part of it. I don’t think we’re going to need enough med supplies to have to do that.
Arden: I think that since they’re frontier people, they probably would look down upon us just giving it to them.
Joshua: Either way.
Arden: I mean, I have no problem giving it to them but I want to leave them the opportunity if they so desire.
Joshua: That’ll be the general way we’ll work it. If they feel like they got to give us something for it, then we’ll take it but we’ll … (deep breath) … yeah.

He turns to Paul again.

Joshua: Thank you.

Joshua walks out, leaving Arden to set up the details of his frontier clinic, and finds the rest of the crew to tell them what he’s found out. Nika listens and when the subject of possibly visiting June Barrett’s father comes up …

Nika: We don’t even have a possibility to give him.
Joshua: I know. I know. I feel that if this were anywhere else …
Nika: If that’s where we picked her up at a destination and where we left her off with a new name …

She’s referring the name-city/name-city pairings on the list, a list Joshua’s pretty well memorized by now.

Kiera: They didn’t drop her off at all.
Nika: Hers is the one that doesn’t have anything.
Joshua: I know. I know. I know.

They review the list. Jiangyin is listed twice. Beaumonde, five. The magnitude of what that list really means starts to sink in, along with the ugly scenarios raised by June’s name having no destination attached.

Joshua: Unless somebody has a strong urge to convince me to see Daddy, I …
Kiera: Not with your current med schedule.
Nika: Again, only because we have no hope to offer him, even.
Kiera: Well, if he’s already gone mad …

There really isn’t anything we can do.

Over the next few hours, people start coming in when word of a doctor reaches them. Arden offers them inoculations and Paul the bartender whispers to one of the parents, who shakes his head. They turn the inoculations down. Maybe they’ve been duped by people before—they’ll stand for basic examinations but refuse any injections. Arden understands their reluctance and he doesn’t press them. He goes out of his way to explain his medicines are good and that he’s a trained doctor. The folk aren’t much reassured and Arden does what he can for them.

Joshua tells Paul that he wouldn’t mind leaving some credits and supplies for June’s father.

Joshua: If I left them I don’t want you to tell him where it’s coming from.
Arden: (cutting in) I don’t think you should.
Joshua: Why?
Arden: Because it’s not your responsibility.
Joshua: I didn’t say it was my responsibility. I said I wanted to do it.
Arden: And he doesn’t want your charity either.
Joshua: … Yeah … (to self) … Nobody loves charity anyway. (louder) All right.
Arden: I understand your feelings.
Joshua: I’m good.
Arden: But being nice to him is just going to open up a whole ’nuther can of worms.
Kiera: Arden, why is leaving food a problem? I mean, they’re taking care of him. They don’t need to know where it came from if it takes some of the stress off of these people.
Arden: But sooner or later someone’s going to say something to him—I don’t think it’s a good idea, however, I’m not the only person. It’s not my money …

Joshua leaves them to hash it out and goes off to find Mary. He asks her the same question.

Joshua: If I were to give you—would you have any need for food, supplies, credits, anything to give to—
Mary: We’re poor folk. We could always use something. But for what?
Joshua: You mean why I’m doing it or … ?
Mary: I mean, what do you want from us?
Joshua: I don’t want anything from you. Just … Just maybe take it on faith that I need to do something nice for somebody and I haven’t had a lot of chances, like … and … this is a chance. I don’t want anything from you—
Mary: It’s not stolen is it?
Joshua: It’s not stolen or any of that. I don’t want anything from you. If you want platinum, straight out, I’ll give you platinum. As clean as you can get it. And if you don’t trust the food and you don’t trust the medicine, I can understand it. But I’m happy to give you some credits and then we’ll be gone in a few days.

Mary’s getting a little twitchy over Joshua’s insistence and he dials back.

Joshua: You don’t have to take it. I just ... (sighs) … You don’t have to take it. I just thought you might be able to use it. And … And I’ll be in the saloon for another few hours if you change your mind. If you don’t, don’t worry about it.

And he returns to the saloon to wait it out until it’s time to leave. We’re not getting the feeling we’re too welcome here, but we did say we’d stay the day and so we stay. Toward the end of the day, we pack up and leave. It’s a subdued walk back to our shuttle.

Arden: So do you think this … this law group or whatever they are … they were obviously doing something bad. Were they collecting slaves? Or … collecting people for houses of ill repute? Or what?
Joshua: Sure. Sure ….
Kiera: Won’t know until we find out where they were sent.
Joshua: Sure. Any of the above. Who knows?
Nika: It’s a whole lot of speculation. It could be any of those. (lowers her voice) It could also be, unbeknownst to her father, this girl wanted out. And they offered her a way out.
Joshua: It’s possible, too.
Nika: There’s just no way to know that.

No, there isn’t. But it’s still a possibility. Arden fills in Nika on the conversation in the saloon. How there were disputes when Jing Jing Bei arrived and how Director Ah handled them. How when people disagreed how things were done, the Director took June away.

Joshua: Yeah. It’s crazy. (a beat) Let’s get back to the ship. We’ve got cargo.

There is another place name on the list for Jiangyin: Copperhead.

Kiera: I was going to say, you wanna try it one more time? See if we can find somethin’?
Arden: Is Copperhead another city on this planet?
Joshua: There’s two more cities, actually.
Arden: About how big is it?
Nika: (softly to Joshua) If that town is anything like this one, they’re not going to take kindly to offers of charity.
Joshua: I got it. I got that.
Nika: I know.
Joshua: I’m cool with it.
Nika: I know.
Joshua: Fort Jackson is the other one. It’s the city that doesn’t have the equivalent, along the Alkali Flats line. Where they’re taking her to or … So that might be the …(gives up)
Arden: If we go to Copperhead, which I think we are, I’m taking my medical stuff and I’m leaving it on the shuttle. I’m not going to come off as a doctor.
Joshua: The question is whether we want to go to Copperhead.

After all, we don’t know if there’s any information to be gained from going. We don’t know if we’ll find another piece of the puzzle there.

Joshua: Assuming that the pattern is consistent, Fort Jackson is the missing element. Because it goes Planet-June-Alkali Flats, missing-missing-something …
Nika: It could be the planet that’s missing. We don’t have a way to know that.
Joshua: Okay, then let’s go to Copperhead.
Kiera: Let’s go find out, if only to get it off your head just a little.
Joshua: No, that’s fine.

We get back to Equinox and fly her to Copperhead. When we arrive we see that Copperhead is a somewhat bigger town. Nika sizes it up from the air and comes to a decision.

Nika: We’re not taking all five of us into town. I think one or two at most should go. Joshua, this is your investigation so feel free to pick a companion to go with you and check into it as much as you like but if five of us strangers walk into a small town, it’s—.
Joshua: A shock.
Arden: Ohh! Ohh! Pick me! Pick me!

He’s clearly joking. Rina isn’t.

Rina: If he picks Arden, I think another one of us should go.
Kiera: What? To basically the entire time to hold onto his lips? (mimes pinching them shut)
Arden: Whose lips?
Kiera: Yours.
Arden: Why? I haven’t done anything wrong.
Kiera: Cuz you’re a straight shooter.
Arden: I’ll stay behind. I don’t mind.

Joshua looks over at Nika.

Joshua: You want to come with me?
Nika: I’ll come with you if you like.

Which leaves the crew and the ship without their XO and Captain. Nika puts Beggar in charge of the ship and nails her remaining people with a look and an order.

Nika: Just don’t destroy anything.

She and Joshua leave in Lagniappe. Copperhead is a much larger town than Alkali Flats—six, seven thousand people live here. Joshua finds a place to land and no one bats a lash. Rather than looking all over town for faded Chinese symbols, Joshua suggests heading to a place where people tend to gather and talk, like a saloon or something. There they might find someone who can direct them to someone who could talk.

Nika: I’m not sure we should ask about the detective agency though. I’m thinkin’ that’s not a good plan if they’re doing what you think they’re doing.
Joshua: I don’t know what they’re doing.

They need to find a place that seems likely to yield a lead, go in, and settle down. It sinks in: how are they going to ask, in a six thousand person town, about anybody knowing a girl named Kelly? Nika grudgingly admits that maybe they will have to start by asking about Jing Jing Bei first. Looking around, Joshua spies the Sheriff’s office.

Joshua: That’s actually a good place to start.
Nika: (dryly) Really? That’s because the law’s always our friend.
Joshua: I didn’t say they were our friend, but …
Nika: I know, I know. They’re gonna know.
Joshua: They’re gonna likely know.

Know about the people who live here … and lived here. They walk into the Sheriff’s office. There’s an older-looking gentleman there.

Joshua: Howdy.
Sheriff: Strangers. What’s up? What can I do for you?

He’s not unfriendly, just businesslike. Joshua steps up.

Joshua: I’m looking for somebody, or looking for, I guess, information on somebody. No harm intended. I’m not a bounty hunter. Nothing like that. I’m just … You know anything about a detective agency called Jing Jing Bei? They would have been in business—
Sheriff: Yeah. They were off—they did some of the private security.
Joshua: Yeah.
Sheriff: Rat bastards?
Joshua: Yeah, that fits the description.
Nika: That would be the one.
Sheriff: (concerned) They’re not back on the—?
Joshua: No, no. We stumbled onto some of their notes and we didn’t know who they were. Didn’t know anything about them other than their name, that they were called Peacekeepers or …?

The Sheriff settles back in his chair.

Sheriff: Yeah, well …. After the war, our town was occupied by Alliance Federal Marshals. In fact we had them here just until, you know, things fell apart.
Joshua: Yup.
Sheriff: Now I wanna say, as bad as Marshalls are, they were pretty good. But some places didn’t warrant having Marshalls stationed there and so sometimes they would hire these—if they had something worth protectin’ they’d hire private guys to come in.
Nika: Private guys. Yeah.
Sheriff: Usually Core corporations or something like that, those that had maybe mining operations or something like that, they would send these people in. And … you know, mostly because of their isolation, these places didn’t have much recourse.
Nika: Yeah, so they got taken advantage of pretty hard.
Sheriff: Quite often, yeah. Well, you know. They maintained the classic company towns with the company store and all that stuff. But sometimes it was almost like slave labor for some of those people. This is after Amnesty.
Joshua: Yeah.
Sheriff: So. You got a lawsuit against them or something?
Joshua: (breathes a laugh) No, we ain’t got anything like that. Before we came here, we stopped at Alkali Flats—I don’t know if you know it—but they told us the same story. Rat bastards got put in and … they took a girl. And the girl’s name was on a sort of list in their notes.

The Sheriff stirs. He looks uncomfortable. Then he takes a scrap of paper from his desk and writes a word on it. He hands it over, saying:

Sheriff: I don’t really know what you’re talking about. We ain’t seen them here in many years.
Joshua: Sure. Yeah…
Nika: Probably better for you guys.
Joshua: Yeah. Dead end. So … I guess I’ll have to go looking somewhere else.
Sheriff: You’re welcome to stick around.
Joshua: Yeah, we’ll do that a little bit.
Sheriff: I wouldn’t recommend you stay too long, though. It’s a big enough town but they tend to recognize strangers from off world and you might be taken advantage of…
Joshua: Sure.
Sheriff: I’d hate to have you come back to me because some local boy got, you know …
Joshua: Yeah, I appreciate it.

He does really. The Sheriff has told him lots without actually telling him anything directly.

Nika: Thank you for your time, Sheriff.
Sheriff: Watch yourselves.

Nika and Joshua walk out. Joshua opens up the paper the Sheriff handed to him and sees scrawled on it the words: Little Darlings.

Nika: (low) I hope that’s not what I think it is. Shii… (pissed) Let’s get the hell out of here.
Joshua: (holds up note) Captain. I’d like to go. I think I can find it here. And when are we going to be in town again? Maybe the place is here.
Nika: What? Maybe the place is… the other town?
Joshua: No. This name. (taps the paper) It has the ring of a place of—
Nika: You think it’s a bar or something? Or a house of … you know …?
Joshua: I was going to say the latter, yes.
Nika: Awww, shii. (growls) Oh, man … All right.
Joshua: I’m not saying that we go in.
Nika: No, all right. This’ll be about when I really want Christian back. Cuz he could just waltz in there an’ make it look real. (drawling) Just so you know? I’m not sure I can walk in there and then walk back out.
Joshua: I’m not asking you to walk in.
Nika: All-lll riiight.
Joshua: Let’s see if we can find it.

Despite what the Sheriff said about its size, it’s not that big a town. Finding Little Darlings doesn’t take a lot of work. Aksing around, they are given directions to it. It is, in fact, a brothel. It has the salon downstairs with a bar and a piano. Joshua gets a glimpse of it on the front steps and turns to Nika.

Joshua: Your not coming in. I— (Off her look) I don’t know. Are you coming in? Or are you not coming in?
Nika: I’m just tellin’ ya.
Joshua: Well, that’s—Captain. I’m asking you…Nika. I’m asking you. As in your role of Captain.
Nika: (narrowly) Really? You’re gonna play that card?
Joshua: Yes, I’m going to play that card. cuz… How much trouble are you going to get us in if you go inside. I hate to be …

Disrespectful?

Joshua: The irony is overwhelming, Nika, for the fact that I’m not going to be the one who necessarily gets into trouble or gets us into trouble. Or gets us killed.
Nika: (sighing) Come on.
Joshua: All right.

She grabs his arm and they walk in. Nika takes them both to the bar where she orders a beer. They garner some looks. It’s not often a drop dead gorgeous leggy blonde walks in off the street into an establishment like this, much less with a man as an obvious couple. What’s their story? The Matron is serving them at the bar and she inquires in a friendly tone:

Matron: You all from out of town?
Joshua: Yes.
Nika: Mm-hm.
Matron: Well, we have the friendliest service in town.
Joshua: Good to know.
Matron: You know, we don’t water down our booze. And you’re welcome to sit around. Of course, if you’re lookin’ for companionship …

She waves a graceful hand at the establishment and the curiosity behind her eyes is clear—are they here looking for some business singly, as a couple, looking for a three way? Something else? What?

Joshua: Might be, might be. (pause) Your companions serve all sorts of tastes?
Matron: Well … Don’t have many couples come in. Oh, are you separate?
Nika: Yeah.
Matron: Oh. Well … we’ve got a few open-minded gals who might be able to help you out.

Nika levels an even look and tone on the Matron.

Nika: I don’t need anything but a drink. I’ll just wait for him.

You can almost see the thought running through the Matron’s head: the man’s been dropped off by his female relation to get himself laid? For his first time? Joshua can feel the heat mounting to his face and dares a glance at the back bar mirror. Yup. Red as a cherry. Um… maybe that was an unfortunate description …. The Matron sees Joshua’s blush and she smoothly changes gears. Classy from the moment we’ve met, she’s yet somehow even more polite, soothing, and reassuring as she speaks to Joshua directly.

Matron: Not all the girls are in right now. If you want to wait, usually what we do is you can haev a drink or two. Listen to some music. And then the gals will come down eventually and come over. If you find one you like, you ask her nicely. (pats his hand) She’s gotta agree. That’s one of my rules.
Joshua: All right.

After about an hour of sitting and listening to music, Joshua sees the girls come down. The shift at the local factory has let out and the place starts to fill. The atmosphere is actually pleasant and sociable. It doesn’t have the vibe of a forced house. Most of the women are between twenty or thirty or so, and none are underage.

Nika’s planted at the bar and keeping an eye on things. Joshua’s playing the nervous first-timer to the hilt: getting his nerve up to ask one of the girls and fiddling with his drinks. The Matron finally approaches him and he leans over to Nika, shaking his head.

Joshua: I’m not ready, I’m not ready …
Matron: Lookin’ for something special?
Joshua: I don’t know, I, uh … I’ll know when I see it. Um … but, I mean… I might be back but you know I … I don’t know. She’s insistent—(nods to Nika)—but I don’t know if I’m quite ready.
Matron: Well, how ’bout a dance?
Joshua: I ….. I don’t know ….
Nika: If I’m makin’ ya nervous, I c’n leave.

Joshua thinks that one over. Hmm ….

Joshua: Well, I … don’t …. I don’t know about that.
Nika: (into her drink) Performance anxiety …
Joshua: (what?!) … Gosh.

Joshua isn’t sure just which woman is Kelly. We don’t even know how old Kelly was when she was taken and Joshua’s at a loss as to how to pick her out from the crowd. Even though Kelly would be too old to still be a child, Joshua looks for and doesn’t find any evidence of children working the house. At least, not at the front of it. But how to make sure of it? Aware that the Matron’s still waiting for an answer from him, he starts pulling a plan together.

Joshua: Oh, god … I, um… they all seem—Can I ask you something please? (leans in) They all seem a little … a little older. Do you have anybody who looks a little younger than these girls?
Matron: Well…. I don’t know if any of them are working tonight, but we might be able to get a call. Is there someone in particular or something in particular you’re looking for?
Joshua: I … I’m, you know, I just …
Matron: You know we obey the law, here. ( a beat) But we can’t check every ID. Most of these girls come from the country.
Joshua: Sure. I … I just … Yeah, I’m just lookin’ for somebody who reminds me of my first girlfriend. Like, she was real young and kinda … kinda comely. (cups his hands at his chest)
Matron: Young and comely, you said? (smiles) If you’re willing to pay a little extra, we can get someone to dress up for you or something, if that’s what you want. You know, pigtails …

Watching and listening in, Nika suddenly downs her whiskey in one go. The burn keeps her from laughing. Nika starts to turn pink from holding it in. She’s going to have to leave him to fend for himself or she’s going to seriously injure herself internally. She looks around the front room, desperate for a distraction. In addition to the comfy chairs and loveseats and the piano and the usual brothel furnishings, there are some small tables scattered about for drinking and cards and such.

When Joshua hints he’s looking for someone younger, he Reads the Matron. He gets the surface impression of seventeen-year-olds and that eighteen is the age of consent here. She’s got maybe one or two that age but most of them are nineteen, twenty. Then he gets a feeling, a sense of something deeper that the Matron doesn’t feel so good about. Nothing at the front of her mind or that she’s got girls hidden in the back of the house or anything. But more like something from her past that she’s not too proud about. She has, in short, a shameful memory.

Joshua: You know … my first, my first girlfriend, the one who had the … the assets?
Matron: I’m not sure we’re the place if you’re looking for someone like—
Joshua: Yeah, I mean it doesn’t have to be … gosh, this is harder than I thought it’d be. You know, if you don’t have anybody as young, maybe you have someone with the same name as her? So I can, you know … maybe pretend it was … like her?
Matron: You can pretend whatever you want to, whatever you want them to.
Joshua: Yeah … Kelly was my, well, … yeah.

At the mention of Kelly’s name, the Matron looks stunned for a beat, then:

Matron: What did you say?
Joshua: Her name is Kelly. Like, ah … It’s … It’s Kelly.
Matron: (recovering) No. We don’t have a Kelly here.

Joshua uses all his skills at gauging people without Reading her: did she lie about that?

He gets the impression that she’s technically telling the truth—there is no Kelly working here now—but the name is familiar to her. It’s more like a Kelly’s not here anymore. Joshua takes a look around for the security arrangements, under cover of glancing away as if still embarrassed. There’s the Matron—and he gets the impression that she’s pretty tough—and a doorman. Nothing else is apparent.

Scattered around the front room are little tables for people to sit and drink and play cards. Nika’s found herself one and is watching everything from it. Nika notices that there’s one guy over there who’s looking more like a cowboy than a factory worker and he doesn’t appear interested in the ladies. He’s just sitting there, nursing his drink. Which is a little odd.

Joshua, meanwhile, is conflicted—he doesn’t want to continue under false pretenses and he just wants to find out what happened to Kelly. He struggles with keeping our mission a secret or coming clean … and the impulse to come clean wins. He leans in toward the Matron and lowers his voice so only she can hear.

Joshua: To tell you the truth … I’m looking for a girl that’s gone missing. (off her look) And I don’t got no interest in dispensin’ punishment or justice or whatever you people call it. I’m just curious if she came through here.
Matron: (settling) Lots of girls come through here.
Joshua: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (firmer) Kelly. You know she came through here. What happened to her. Like I said, I’m not interested in doing anything. I just want to know.
Matron: (quietly) She’s not here anymore. (a beat) She’s dead.

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