Episode 604: Search For Closure, Part Two

From RPGnet
Jump to: navigation, search


Jump to:
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Special Features


That’s extremely reasonable. Exorbitant, even. It only takes 250-300 credits to fill our tank to the top. Our regular rate with a passenger is 100 a week. With a full cargo hold, we’re looking at 500 a week. With a full passenger deck, we’d net 700. This man is offering us 1000 credits to fly empty for a week and he’s filling up our tank. We’d have to be idiots not to jump on this deal. Even so, Nika considers the offer before saying anything.

Nika: Just you? No cargo?
Man: There may be some return cargo. But no more than a few tons.
Nika: And it’s one week round trip?
Man: Yes. If it’s more, I can cover it as well. (mentally calculates it) Yes. Are you scheduled to be somewhere?
Nika: No. You’re request is highly unusual though, so I’m thinking through the logistics of that situation. Your offer’s a reasonable one. Do I need to … actively avoid entanglements?
Man: What sort of entanglements are you thinking of.
Nika: Well, for example, if we are headed for a planet that is under Alliance control for—
Man: I don’t believe there are any Alliance planets within a week from here.

We’re in Kalidasa. The Feds don’t really have a strong presence here. There are some places that you can do business with credits—like Beaumonde—but nothing approaching Alliance authority like some other places.

Nika: Then I’m not going to worry about it.
Man: If we encounter a hostile force, then I would defer to you as Captain to do what you need to do.
Nika: I was looking at the possibility that you are the one being chased.
Man: I’m not being chased.
Nika: Then I think we can come to an agreement.
Man: Very good.
Nika: When do you need to leave, again?
Man: As soon as it’s convenient to you. I’ve waited a long time. I can wait a little longer.
Nika: All right.
Man: Once you’ve broken orbit, I’ll tell you where we’re going.

And now we get to the nitty gritty: payment.

Nika: Half up front. And the rest you don’t have to pay until you get back.
Man: I’ll pay one-third up front, the rest of it if you … comply with my requests.
Arden: One third up front, the rest in escrow waiting for us when we return.
Man: Escrow? I don’t know that Beylix provides escrow services, but … You’ll need to get me safely back to get your other two-thirds.
Nika: That’s a given. Cuz I’ll bring you back.
Man: And of course, go where I tell you to go and fix the engines and all the various—
Arden: You’re not buying people who will slave for you.
Man: You’re not slaves, but a charter is a charter, so I’m within—
Nika: No. If what you’re bringing back is slaves—.
Man: I’m not bringing slaves. There will be no living cargo returning.
Arden: Me no carry suitcases for anyone.
Man: (looks askance) Are you some sort of—?
Nika: Arden.
Arden: What?
Nika: Knock it off.
Arden: I’m trying to making sure we understand—No.
Nika: Knock it off.

We’re trying to nail the deal and get paid, here. Sheesh. C’mon!

Nika: So.
Man: For a week, you’ll be my crew. You understand the rules of charter?
Arden: Apparently not.
Man: Except for the off-chance of some sort of violence or other danger, for one week the ship will in effect be mine.
Arden: Except for medical emergencies, in which case I become in charge.
Man: I’m okay with you dealing with medical emergencies, yes.
Nika: All right. I’ll talk to my engineer and see what she—
Man: However, somebody spraining an ankle is not a medical emergency that requires us to divert from this charter. You have one field doctor.
Arden: We have two.
Man: Two field doctors on a crew of how many?
Arden: Six.
Man: I can’t imagine—and with that lovely med bay you have—I can’t imagine we’d have issues you can’t handle.
Arden: I’m sure there won’t be.

Arden doesn’t sound too happy with the arrangement and looks like he’s got his trench dug for more verbal warfare.

Nika: There never have been before. (to Arden) Let’s drop it now. (to our new boss) One-third up front, all reasonable requests I don’t have any issue with going ahead and doing. Let me speak to my engineer and see when she wants to get off the ground. I don’t know if she’d like to take some time to run up a couple of those repairs before we lift off.
Man: Very good. I assume you’ll accept platinum.
Nika: We will. We’ll get in touch with you when we’re ready to lift off. Unless you’d like to stay aboard.
Man: If you could just have someone clean one of the first class suites, I’ll move in sometime in the next few days.
Nika: That will be fine.

They conclude business. The man pulls out a standard self-charter legal document and puts his thumbprint on the paper where required. Nika does the same. The man hands over 335 credits in platinum.

Man: Bill me for the fuel. I’ll need a receipt.
Nika: Understood.

He leaves. Nika waits til he’s out of sight before she comms the crew to come back in.

Arden: (to self) This is such a bad idea …
Nika: (hears him anyway) Arden. Aside from the Chao-Marshalls and maybe Rick, have we actually ever had a good set of passengers—oh, wait. And the soldiers, they were a lot of fun. Well, they weren’t trouble-free, but they were kinda of fun. Okay, so aside from those, have we really had any good set of passengers? Ever?
Arden: Yeah, but they’ve never gone seeking trouble. And I feel like this is seeking trouble.

What? Some random guy offering us 1000 credits to take him somewhere?

Nika: You know what? Here’s the thing: I could say no.
Arden: But you didn’t!
Nika: I didn’t.
Arden: I noticed!
Nika: This is why you don’t get to go along on negotiations for cargo and passengers, you realize.
Arden: And I’m fine with that.
Nika: Good. I’ll remember that next time.
Arden: But this is a bad idea.
Nika: Meh.

The crew comes home. They’re weaving from side to side. Joshua has an arm across Rina and Kiera’s shoulders and it’s not entirely clear if he’s hugging them or they’re carrying him. He’s singing, if that’s any indication, and the two women are not. Nika is there to greet them on the cargo ramp. As they approach, she hears him ask with the boozy exuberance of the very drunk:

Joshua: Do you want to sing?
Kiera: No.
Joshua: I thought you liked singing?
Kiera: I do like singing. I just don’t know what language you’re singing in.
Joshua: You can sing and make it up.
Kiera: (eyeroll!) You have lost your mind.

Kiera starts singing “The Hero of Canton”. When she spies Nika silhouetted on the cargo ramp, she shoves Joshua onto Rina—who staggers a bit—and continues on alone. Rina and Joshua follow behind. Nika just grins at them.

Kiera: Captain!
Joshua: Welcome aboard, Captain.
Kiera: (to self) Lord, help me.
Rina: (to Joshua) C’mon you. Let’s get you upstairs.
Joshua: (to Nika) Holy crap, did you get laid? Cuz you got this look on your face like you got laid.
Nika: (still grinning) Oh, I wish. Not by that particular person but I really could wish.
Joshua: The engineer is dragging me away. Why is she dragging me—(gets a hard tug)—okay, dragging me away.
Nika: (waving) Good night!
Joshua: Good night!
Kiera: Say ‘Good night, Gracie’.
Rina: (terse) Good night, Gracie.

Rina drags the very-sloshed Joshua into the crew shower and turns it on full blast. Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold.

Joshua: Hey, what?! (sputtering) What? I’m awake! Awake!
Rina: (still terse) Sober up.

She drags him out, dries him off, and dumps him into their bed.

Rina: Stay out of trouble.
Joshua: I’m fine.

Rina tucks him in with a kiss and leaves to find her Captain. Nika tells her that they’ll have a crew meeting in the morning about their new hire and she releases the crew on their own recognizance til then.


Thursday, 12 Nov 2522

Once we’re all assembled, Arden speaks right up.

Arden: I’d like to say one thing before this crew meeting begins. This is a bad idea.
Kiera: Have a cup of coffee, Arden.
Arden: I just want to get that out front.
Beglan: You don’t want it on the record?
Arden: I want it on the record.
Nika: (at Arden) Before we even get started, here we go.
Arden: It’s a bad idea.

Kiera goes around the conference table and fills everyone’s coffee cup.

Joshua: What’s the bad idea? I’m sorry but what’s the bad idea?
Nika: We have a passenger. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. We have a charter.
Kiera: (pleased) Oh!
Joshua: That seems like a—how, how much? How much are they paying?
Nika: A thousand plus fuel.
Kiera: Awesome!
Joshua: For how long? Three weeks?
Nika: A week.
Joshua: What do we have to do? Bend over?

Which unfortunately starts Rina down an ugly train of thought.

Rina: I’m not sleeping with this whoever-he-is.
Arden: If he gave you the order to, you will.
Rina: No I won’t.
Kiera: Hell, I’d sleep with him for a thousand.
Nika: (off Joshua’s look) It’s a charter. It’s a standard charter agreement.
Joshua: I don’t know charter agreements.
Nika: The standard charter agreement is that essentially when you charter a vessel, the crew becomes your crew from the time you charter the vessel.
Joshua: And he’s willing to pay extra for that?—(huh!)—His loss.
Nika: All reasonable requests are to be honored.
Arden: (to Rina) So if he gave you the order, you would.
Rina: But that’s not reasonable. It’s not.
Nika: Reasonable as defined by my definition, not yours.
Arden: (to Rina) See? I told you.
Nika: And if you do not honor all reasonable requests—by my definition, not yours—we forfeit two-thirds of the pay.
Rina: Well I understand that you would not ask me to sleep with the bastard.
Kiera: Why are you even worried about this?
Arden: For a thousand credits?
Joshua: Why are you—why is this even—?
Rina: Because it’s not reasonable.
Nika: Harping. You’re harping.
Kiera: But why would she keep assuming that she’s going to be slept with?

Cuz Rina’s all about marking out her personal boundaries. Besides:

Rina: We’re talking about the creepy guy.
Nika: Rina. Time out! (a beat) Love you. Nobody wants you anyway.
Joshua: (winces) Oooh.
Arden: Wow. That’s harsh.
Nika: Okay, here’s the thing: the man chartered us for a week. I took the job. You don’t want to be on board, get off.
Kiera: I’ll be more than happy to sleep with him for a thousand.
Nika: And third thing? Third thing—
Joshua: What was the second thing?
Nika: If you don’t wanna be on this vessel, get off.
Joshua: Okay.
Nika: Third thing: when the man comes aboard, you’ll present a professional front or you’ll be in your quarters for the entire voyage.
Joshua: Yes, ma’am.
Rina: Sounds reasonable.
Nika: Okay. And the first class cabin needs to be cleaned spic and span cuz I have the feeling he’s a little OCD.
Joshua: Does he now?
Rina: I told you he was creepy.
Nika: He’s an engineer of some form.
Joshua: (grokking it now) Oh, God …!
Nika: (to Rina) He said that your engineering panels are slightly leaking something. I said that you would like to be talked to a little bit about what the adequate protocols for such a thing are. Be polite, Rina.
Kiera: Did you just tell her that—?
Joshua: Oh, God. We’re doomed. So how much did we get paid up front?
Nika: I figure it this way. He doesn’t realize just how dicey things get out here out in the Black, so jerry rigging is foreign to his nature. Just be nice.
Kiera: Did I just hear you tell her that—I—But you—she—just—um …
Rina: (suspiciously) What kind of engineer?
Nika: I don’t know. I’d really like it if you could find out.
Rina: Sure.

Rina’s not entirely happy with the situation but she’ll follow Nika’s orders.

Nika: Joshua.
Joshua: Yes, Ma’am.
Nika: I’d really like it if you could find out what else is going on because he’s paying a thousand credits for a week. Not counting fuel and expenses. So, we’re about to go out somewhere—and I don’t know where we’re going yet and I won’t find out until we break atmo—and I don’t know what we might be bringing back but it might be a few tons of something.
Kiera: Ooh!
Joshua: All right.
Nika: (sweetly) Now, any other questions?
Arden: Should I stay on this ship and get off, rather than get off this ship and get off?
Nika: Maybe if you behave yourself, someday it can happen.
Arden: Maybe. (a beat) Of course, we’d have to remove that stick first.
Kiera: Owwww.
Joshua: I like this professional attitude we all got going here.

Is Kiera the only one excited at the prospect of having a well-heeled passenger willing to pay us a lot of money for not a lot of work? It’s obvious Arden isn’t too thrilled over the whole idea. Rina’s looking darkly dubious, too—although that could just be her usual expression.

Kiera: I’m the only happy person.
Joshua: I’m perfectly happy.
Beglan: I’m happy.
Kiera: That’s true. You, me, and Beggar can be happy together.
Joshua: I had a great night last night. I got to sample all sorts of really crappy liquor. It was amazing.
Arden: And you don’t have any aftereffects.
Nika: (chuckles) That sucks.
Arden: I hate you.
Nika: I hate him. I really hate him.
Joshua: Well if you would like to have the no-effect—
Nika: Oh, and one minor little detail I sort of left out …
Arden: Oh, yes, this detail. This detail is the part that really sucks.
Joshua: Oh I have some aftereffects. I’m just masking it really well.
Arden: You really want to listen to this part.
Joshua: Oh. Wait. Go on.
Nika: (grimace) So the schedules are going to shifted around before he ever comes aboard. To be sure the bridge and engineering are going to be manned at all times …
Rina: Why?
Arden: Because he wants unfettered access to the ship.
Nika: And not to be locked out.
Arden: Of anything.
Nika: (anticipating) Aside from quarters.
Arden: He didn’t say that.
Nika: Arden.

Cuz she knows how Rina’s mind works.

Arden: He didn’t say that.
Joshua: That’s actually a fair point. If he didn’t say that and he’s saying unfettered access—
Nika: We will verify that personal quarters are off-limits, but under the standard rules of charter—
Arden: We don’t have a choice now. You signed the piece of paper.
Nika: The Standard Rules of Charter already covers such a thing.
Arden: I don’t think it does.
Beglan: Do you have access to other people’s cabins? As Captain of the ship?
Nika: Generally, but I never use it.
Beglan: So he’d be Captain of the ship and he’d—
Arden: Yeah. See?
Beglan: So if it would be reasonable for you to, then it would be reasonable for him. But it would be rude to.
Nika: And generally it’s understood that unless it’s an emergency situation, nobody goes into somebody’s quarters.
Arden: You can make all the assumptions you want.
Rina: (heavy accent) “All keys belong to me only now.”

She’s referring to when Ivan Potemkin captained the MakeMake. Kiera wasn’t flying on the ship then, but Nika and Arden were and from the look on Nika’s face, she’d forgotten that little incident. Kiera also brings up a good point.

Kiera:Weapons lockers. Does he want unfettered access to those?
Beglan: He’s Captain.
Nika: Should he actually wander in that direction, let the very observant Steward and the very observant XO notice he’s wandering in that direction and happen to wander right on by. (a beat) I’m not a fool. Keep an eye on him without making it blatantly obvious that you’re keeping an eye on him.
Joshua: Is it just him?
Nika: It’s just him.
Joshua: We’ve been captured by much less. I mean, more. Well, actually I mean both.
Nika: You know what I mean.
Kiera: Captain, when do we take off?
Nika: (to Rina) That’s on you. Do you wanna make some repairs before we lift off? He’s not in a huge hurry. I don’t know how long it’s gonna take to make those repairs.
Joshua: Yeah. She does.
Rina: Yes. I’m on Beylix. They have loose parts. I could salvage or barter for them.
Nika: Yes. Get the parts. How long would it take you to get it done?

It depends. If she can get the standard parts on Belyix, the cost will be higher than for any she might alter or fabricate herself. But though the cost might go down in the other case, the expenditure in time and effort goes up. Also, the more she fabricates or alters from the original design, the more likely the parts will fail. She chooses the highest priority repairs going wanting for parts and she and Joshua start figuring the cost estimate off those. Nika cuts them off in the middle of the calculations.

Nika: Don’t spend his one-third.
Joshua: What?
Nika: Don’t spend his one-third.
Joshua: If we don’t spend his one-third, we can only afford one rep—
Nika: Lemme put it this way. If I break atmo and the charter person tells me we are about to do something that I am unwilling to do, I am going to hand him his money and land again.
Joshua: I thought we got the one-third regardless.
Rina: We’re not thieves. (looks at the ship we stole) Well, sure we are.
Joshua: It’s not a thieving thing if we signed a contract saying here’s his money … But anyway, if we don’t spend his one third …

He goes back to the calculations while Rina speaks up.

Rina: Captain, can I say this at least? We have the money for some of the repairs. I say we pay for the first repair and see if I can’t get the second at a cut price.
Nika: That’s fine.
Joshua: You’re the engineer, Rina.
Nika: Do what you need to.

And the meeting adjourns on that note. For her part, Kiera’s going to go all out for our first class passenger. She spends her own money to buy those special chocolates you put on the bed pillows, like in all the fancy Coreside hotels. Mind, this is Beylix and chocolate is a luxury item. It will not be cheap.

Getting the repairs done without breaking the bank takes some doing. We’ve got some issues with our sensors, our propulsion, and generic hull damage. Joshua opens up the finances and cleans us out of everything save money for our docking fees. We get the parts we need to repair our ship all the way back to normal. It takes Rina a day and half of work but the job gets done. Meanwhile, Nika informs our charter client of our departure status and he arrives at our berth. He watches Rina repairing the hull damage with plating salvaged from other ships and waits for her to pause in her work before she calls up to her.

Man: Scuze meeeee.
Rina: (turning off torch) Yeah?
Man: What are you doing?

She’s got a torch. She’s welding hull plating. Rina thinks: This has got to be a trick question.

Rina: (slowly) Welding.
Man: Are you using … Are you welding metal hull plates to the metal fasteners on the ceramic hull portions?

It’s what she’s doing. It’s perfectly safe. Totally standard … For war situations. Which was where she learned that trick.

Rina: (still slowly) Yes. You’re good. To see that from all the way down there. Would you like to come up?
Man: Hnnn. I don’t think so. It doesn’t look safe up there. You really should have someone working with you up there. You should be strapped in.

Rina remembers Nika saying something about OCD. She also remembers her Captain telling her to be nice.

Rina: (sweetly) Thank you.
Man: Because I don’t want an injured engineer.
Rina: (getting back to work) I’ll be fine.
Man: Stop what you’re doing and let your assistant engineer help you. Stop. Just wait there. I’ll get him.

Rina eases back along the curve of Equinox’s hull and hides herself from view. And keeps on working. As she works, she comms Nika that our passenger has arrived. Nika gets the message even as our passenger punches the comms at the berth status board and hails the ship.

Man: Captain Earhart? It’s Basil Boston. Can you send the assistant engineer to assist the engineer?

Nika contacts Beglan over the crew’s personal channels. His voice is muzzy.

Beglan: Is there … is there an emergency?
Nika: Beggar, are you all right?
Beglan: Oh, it’s my sleeping time. What’s up?
Nika: I need you to get up.
Beglan: Didn’t you just change our—
Nika: I did and I apologize. I’ll make sure our new charter captain understands the schedule from here in.
Beglan: All right.
Nika: Thank you.
Beglan: Um, what am I doing?
Nika: Helping Rina on the hull.
Beglan: She’s on the … ?
Nika: She’s just about done.
Beglan: She’s not gonna want my help.
Nika: I know she’s not. Go up there and take a nap.
Beglan: All right.

Beglan goes topside and pops the hatch. Rina and he trade looks and she doesn’t question him when he stretches out on the hull for that nap. Meanwhile Nika meets Boston in person.

Nika: Welcome aboar—
Boston: Would you authorize me on the SmartShip system, please?
Nika: For the security locks? Yes I can.

She and Joshua set a timer on his access to expire in exactly one week. Until it expires he’ll have full access. Rina and Arden have both already privately declared the move a bad idea. Joshua’s of the mind that since he’s got nothing to hide, it’s okay. It’s the work of a mere minute and at the end of it, Boston’s got full access and security override on all our locks. Nika calls the crew in to officially meet their new Captain. He nods and says to them:

Boston: Hmm. I’m glad you’re doing repairs. It’s smart.
Nika: Yes. We weren’t entirely certain about where you needed to go but you did mention it could be slightly messy.
Boston: Well you know. Sometimes things are non-standard. You’ve landed on planets without spaceports before?
Nika: Yes.
Boston: Then it shouldn’t be an issue.
Nika: I have the schedule for you to look over. This is the schedule we generally run with when we’re on board.
Boston: Oh, I don’t have to see the schedule.
Nika: Okay. This is Kiera—

She motions Kiera forward, who dips her head in a graceful show of respect.

Boston: You’ll find I require few requirements.
Nika: Wonderful. This is Ship’s Steward Kiera. Anything you need, she will certainly be at your disposal. You’ve already met Dr. Arden. Kiera’s also a physician, as well.
Boston: And what is your specialty?
Kiera: A little bit of general trauma and plastic surgery.
Boston: Plastic surgery? Interesting … interesting. Not particularly useful to me but that’s okay. If there’s traumas, we’ll expect you to jump in.
Kiera: Have done.
Boston: Excellent.
Nika: The ship’s XO.

Joshua nods and holds out his hand. Boston nods and turns back to Kiera.

Boston: Do you make tea? Iced tea?
Kiera: I can.
Boston: Do you have mint?
Kiera: I can get it for you.
Boston: Excellent. Why don’t you look to that?
Nika: If you have any special requirements for dietary, please let her know before we lift off.
Boston: Oh no. I eat pretty much anything. (holds up finger) I don’t eat meat …

And he lists in detail the pretty much anything he doesn’t eat. Kiera notes it all and goes on to ask about the tea we have on board: oolong, black, white, or green …? And Boston names a very specific type and brand of tea that we don’t have on board. She tells him she’ll have to purchase it and he says she doesn’t have to go to the trouble. If she makes tea, he just won’t drink it. Of course she wouldn’t hear of a passenger of hers going thirsty. And before he can reply, he’s recalled to the interrupted introduction to the crew.

Joshua: Mr. Boston?
Boston: Yes?
Nika: This is our XO, Joshua Drake.
Boston: I see. Okay.
Joshua: Pleasure, sir.
Boston: Very good.
Joshua: I’ll also be the cook on board.
Boston: Oh. Okay. As I said, I’ll eat anything.
Joshua: I’ll take that into account.

Before he can get to the next person in line—the senior engineer—Nika skips to the end of the meet-and-greet.

Nika: Once the repairs are completed, we’ll be taking off.
Boston: Very good.
Nika: I hope the cabin meets with your approval.
Boston: I saw a conference room with a holo table?
Nika: You did.
Boston: I could do some plotting? Thank you very much. I’ll need just a little privacy. If that doesn’t bother you at all?
Nika: No.
Boston: It’s not a signal or whatever.
Kiera: Would you like me to show you to your room, sir?
Boston: Oh. Hmm. (to self) Would I like to go to my room? Hm.
Kiera: There’s chocolate on the pillow. Everything smells lovely. I even ironed the sheets.
Boston: Hmmm. So you do even have an iron?

Yes. We do have an iron. She takes him to the first class cabin. He goes to the shower and tests the water with a cautious hand. Hmm.

Kiera: Do you need a shower?
Boston: Has it been tested?
Kiera: Mm-hm!
Boston: By a licensed plumber?
Kiera: Probably in its history. Yes.
Boston: Okay.

Boston puts his small bag down on the bed.

Kiera: Nightcap sir?
Boston: Oh. No. I don’t drink. About that. I don’t want to … I saw a bar. And I know what you’re thinking and honestly, what you do in your off time is your own business, but I would—if you would be so kind as to spread the word that I would prefer to have everybody reasonably aware.
Kiera: I’ll let everyone know, sir. Yes.
Boston: Now I’m not saying you can’t serve alcohol. I’m saying you should keep it within limits.
Kiera: I believe we can do that, sir.

She bows herself out of his cabin and jogs back to the crew deck. As she passes Joshua in the corridor, she looks at him and says:

Kiera: Give me some credits.
Joshua: What? Am I made of money?
Nika: You better be.

Nika actually forks over fifty credits from her own wallet to get our passenger—oops, Captain—what he needs.


Jump to:
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Special Features




Go back to: Trust, But Verify | Go Foward to Devil's Compromise
Go back to Season Six: Franc-tireurs
Back to EPISODES or TIMELINE