Episode 619: Maskirovka, Part Three

Part 1, 2, 4, Special Features

Thursday, 29 Apr 2523
Cultural Preservation Enclave
Sihnon

Badger's cargo came with special Companion Guild credentials, just plug them in and transmit and watch us bypass much of the flight restrictions. Once through the gauntlet, we have to decide when we want to deliver the cargo. As long as we have it in our possession, travel between Points A and B is greatly facilitated. Any grease for our wheels disappears the minute we deliver it to the Companion Temple.

It's a no-brainer. We will go to the Cultural Preservation Enclaves first then deliver the special cargo afterward. The only starport in the Enclaves is in the Israeli sector. The special Companion credentials get us right in and upon landing we're spared the shock we suffered at Eavesdown—here, everything looks pretty close to normal. People are industrious, things are getting done. We still have to pay double the normal rates in port fees, however. We pay it and ready ourselves for the trip deeper into Enclave territory. Beglan elects to stay with Equinox, doubtless to gain some more stargazing time on the top hull with his beloved telescope. Who knows when we will next be in the Core with its own unique fields of view?

We plot Lagniappe's course for our trip into the Enclave. Joshua meticulously double checks the destination before sending it in: St. Petersburg in the Russian Enclave. He admits he's not—well, not nervous, exactly, but let's just say he's cautious. Rina flat out admits she's nervous. It's been over ten years since the war and her family doesn't yet know she's alive. She has no idea how they'll receive her.

We take off and fly. We're directed to the shuttle landing area and once down on the dirt, we secure our shuttle and take to the streets. The city that meets us is gothic, grey, and crowded. There is a surprising amount of Alliance propaganda displayed here as well. Done in the theme of the old Soviet Era, posters exhort the people from the walls and windows and boards. There is also a number of posters for someone named "Anna" in the cult-of-personality style. Rina notes the posters and moves on, not lingering in the street like someone fresh off the turnip truck … but still, this was once home and the changes to it over the years deserve a long look or two. Joshua quietly asks her what he can expect from Rina's folks? Is anything he should watch for or do? She can't say. It's been too long and she's not sure what she can expect from her family either.

We walk straight over to Rina's old home. It's an old building, five stories tall, and in the style of the old world city brownstone. Standing at the bottom of the front steps, the place has a neglected look to it, being in a state of not-quite disrepair. Putting hand to the latch, Rina finds the door unlocked. A quick look inside the vestibule and entrance hall shows it hasn't been occupied in a while. Ringing the bell, she hears a tinny ring drifting through the house, but no movement by anyone or anything inside in response.

Where is her family?

Determined not to panic, Rina looks for the babushka, a senior pensioner who looks after the residential block. It takes some asking around and knocking on doors but Rina eventually finds her—a smallish troll-like woman who looks Rina up and down askance.

Babushka: Chto vy khotite? <What do you want?>
Rina: Zdravstvuĭte. <Hello.> The Tigranovs. Are they here?

Rina switches to English for the benefit of her crew. Luckily the babushka answers back in the same language. Her voice is gravelly and her tone cautious.

Babushka: They left.
Rina: Oh. I did not get word. So where did they go?
Babushka: Guest of the Pakhan. <Boss>
Rina: Well, I have not been here in quite some time so I am not sure I know the way.

That gets her an odd look.

Babushka: Ehh, then …. Your brother, Dmitri …

The old woman gives Rina directions to her brother's place. Rina thanks her sincerely and respectfully, then gathers her crew and leaves. Along the way, the crew tries to gauge how much of what they're seeing is the new malaise gripping the Core and how much is stereotypical Russian dourness. From where they're standing it looks pretty much the same. The Babushka's directions lead them to another apartment building and inquiring within, they're directed down to a basement apartment. Rina takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. The door opens a crack and a woman stares at Rina through it. Is Dmitri home? No, she says. My husband is not here. He is working at factory now. Rina takes in the gloomy surroundings and thinks of Dmitri's wood work and whimsical steampunk sculptures. Nothing of the sort is present and she doesn't know to what to say. Joshua catches her eye and quietly asks if we should wait for him to come back. Rina doesn't know—she's still thrown by the fact that her family seems to have disappeared. She turns back to the woman at the door.

Rina: Would you happen to know where his brothers and his parents are?
Dmitri's Wife: Well … Grigoriy and his parents, they are in Little Kremlin. Guests of Anna.
Joshua: Guests of Anna?
Dmitri's Wife: Aleksandr … I don't know where he lives but he is around somewhere. Nikolai …

The woman shuts up. It's obvious she's uneasy talking about it.

Rina: (gently) What about him?
Dmitri's Wife: I shouldn't say much. Chernaya bashnya. <Black tower>

Black tower. It's not a phrase or idiom Rina is familiar with but she knows it can't be good.

Rina: I've been away from home for quite a long time. I don't remember … Anna? She seems quite the … personality?
Dmitri's Wife: She's … in charge. She's the Director. The Alliance Representative.
Rina: I see. So … has she been here … long?
Dmitri's Wife: Hmm. Perhaps … three years?
Rina: (faint) … Three years ...

Three years. Rina shakes off the shock and thinks. Where was she three years ago today? On the far side of Red Sun at St. Albans, taking Lem to see Dr. Kell Lawrence. Nowhere near Sihnon.

Dmitri's Wife: It's hard to remember.
Rina: Yes. The days run together.
Dmitri's Wife: Yes. But it has been recently she has become more … out in the public. She was … administrator before but now she is … in charge.
Rina: So.
Dmitri's Wife: She makes things happen here, that weren't happening before. Well. But … there is a price.
Joshua: Always a price.
Rina: I understand things are … stretched thin in the Core now.
Dmitri's Wife: You're not from the Core?
Rina: I have not been here for quite some time, no. I … (to Nika) … Can I talk to you for a minute?

Nika: Sure.

Rina and Nika take a few steps away from the woman's door.

Rina: (quietly) Can I leave a contact point in case he comes home and has more to say?
Nika: Don’t see why not.
Rina: Okay.
Nika: Here's my concern. If you leave her a Cortex address? They have no idea who you are. Why would they bother?
Rina: Yes, but we better get going.

Rina pulls a pen from her pocket and writes down the contact information and a short note on a piece of paper and hands it to Dmitri's wife. Dmitri's wife takes it and looks at Rina and her crew, obviously puzzled.

Dmitri's Wife: How do you know the Tigranovs?
Arden: Good question.
Dmitri's Wife: Are you … one of their clients?
Rina: No. (a beat) Did … Dmitri ever tell you about a sister?
Dmitri's Wife: Hmm. Yes. She was killed in the war.
Rina: (softly) You can't believe everything you hear. If you could please just tell him that I … Could you tell him that Irina is back in town and is looking for him?
Dmitri's Wife: 'Irina'?
Rina: Yes.

Dmitri's wife looks even more puzzled. Who is this strange woman on her doorstep? You can tell she's struggling to put the pieces together. Footsteps on the stairs clump down and a man's figure approaches our party. It's an older, more haggard looking version of her second oldest brother Aleksandr. He's surprised to see the crowd at his brother's doorstep and he takes in the scene: his sister-in-law talking through the door at a strange woman with a pack of strangers at her back.

Aleksandr: What's going on here?
Rina: (very small) … Sasha …
Aleksandr: Yes. (blinks) You … you look familiar … but I … don't recognize you.

They regard each other for a beat. Rina takes in the lines in his face, the sag of his shoulders, the calluses on his hands. The state of his clothes. The aroma of fish still clinging to them. Once an artist of fine lacquerwork, much in demand for his intricate borders and mother of pearl painting, he is now just an aging factory worker visiting family at the end of a long day. Seeing him like this hurts and Rina deals with it the only way she knows how: she smarts off. But this time, she bends it to good purpose. She keeps her voice low and says with a confidence she doesn't quite feel:

Rina: Did you ever ask Ludmilla out for that second date?
Aleksandr: She's not you. I remember her.
Rina: Oh, I remember her too. From when I walked in on the both of you. A little bit more than I wanted to know but … well.

Aleksandr stares harder. Who is this woman? Then:

Aleksandr: It … it can't be.
Rina: Yes. (sighs) It's a long story.
Aleksandr: The war …We … We saw your body.
Rina: You saw someone else.

Aleksandr stares and then breaks down and sobs. He grabs Rina in a bear hug and they rock for a minute in the dingy basement hallway. Rina chokes back her tears and pulls away, looking at the doors, the stairs for unwanted witnesses.

Aleksandr: How? How can this be?
Rina: Can we … can we go inside?
Aleksandr: We heard that you were a traitor and … were … And you died and …
Rina: (shushing him) Not here. Can we go inside?

Of course, of course! Everyone hustles inside and we shut the door. There's a minute or two spent finding a place for everyone to sit. In addition to Dmitri's wife, Svetlana, there are her three children. Rina is taken aback by the fact that here are a sister-in-law and three nieces and nephews she didn't even know existed. But of course, time did not stand still for her family, even though her memories of them had. She shoves her shock down deep and sets herself to answer her brother's questions.

Aleksandr: It's been … how long has it been? Ten years?
Rina: It's been … longer than that. It's been since … '06, '07. Seventeen years, now.
Aleksandr: How is it—what is … ? But how …? Explain yourself, girl!

Rina is at a loss as to where to start. So much has happened. Joshua gently pulls her hands from her face.

Joshua: Take your hands out of your mouth. So you can talk.
Aleksandr: Svetlana, get the alcohol.

The vodka is brought out and poured. Everyone takes a sip. Rina and her brother speak in Russian and Joshua translates.

Rina: (sighing) Do you want the long version or the short version?
Aleksandr: Short version now. Long version later. Now who are these people?
Rina: They are my crew. They are my family.
Arden: I'm your crew?
Nika: Shhh!

Aleksandr switches to English to keep misunderstandings to a minimum and Rina senses that though they look on, the children don't know the language well and another layer of significance is added to the switch.

Rina: The war went badly for me. I lost my ship. During the battle.
Aleksandr: They told us about it.
Rina: Yes. That whole traitor thing. They had to scapegoat someone. To explain the devastating … losses and … Well. (sighs) Air through the engine. I was picked up by the other side. They got me to defect. (off his look) Yes. What was once a lie, became something of the truth. They changed my face so I could get past the scanners and … (sighs) … I could never go back.
Aleksandr: But … after Amnesty …?
Rina: I couldn't claim it. I was supposed to be dead.
Nika: She had no way to prove who she was.
Aleksandr: Ah. And you could never get word to us?
Rina: (very softly) I didn't dare.

Her brother drains his glass and sighs.

Aleksandr: I wish I could tell you that things were good here. These last few years have gone very poorly. The art world is much diminished.
Nika: I understand your parents are … guests. Is that a polite euphemism?
Aleksandr: Yes. A little bit of … My mother and Grigoriy more than our father, that she wants.
Rina: It was all a lie, wasn't it? The reports I'd read on the Cortex.
Aleksandr: Anything in the last year? Probably. Mother did a few shows but nothing outside the Enclave and … When Anna took over, she—at first—sort of tried to charm the people she thought were worth knowing and invited them to parties … commissioned works and such. And so at first, it was flattering and brought money to the table and food. For not just to Mother and Father but to our whole families. And then the performances became more … mandatory. And then she commissioned Grigoriy to do some portrait work. That was about six months ago and they've been there the whole time. We haven't heard much from them other than they're alive.
Rina: Nikolai? The Babushka said something that … ?
Aleksandr: (whispers) Nikolai.

Aleksandr pauses and Rina already knows what he's going to say.

Aleksandr: That is the other thing that is holding them there. Nikolai was imprisoned. He was found guilty of … some kind of insurrection or something.
Nika: I see it doesn't run far.
Rina: No, it doesn't.
Aleksandr: And was sent to the Black Tower.
Rina: What is that?
Aleksandr: It's her semi-private prison.
Rina: Is it inside the Kremlin?
Aleksandr: No. Well … It's adjoining it.

Rina goes quiet, letting everything sink in. Nika covers for her.

Nika: So you don't hear from any of them?
Aleksandr: I hear from Grigoriy and Father sometimes. Father has become somewhat … well, he's aged considerably since they've moved in. They let him—he has a little workshop in there but … I think he's … not so much there, anymore. Mother does her best to try to put on the face that she's there of her own will but she knows very well that—she thinks that if she pleases Anna long enough, then eventually they'll release Nikolai.
Joshua: Ah.
Nika: And the chances of that?
Aleksandr: I don't know. I have never heard of anyone being released from the Black Tower.

Rina stirs.

Rina: And Dmitri? He is working?
Aleksandr: Yes. He and I try to keep a low profile.
Rina: Yes. You have reason. (looks at the children and Svetlana) Three. Four. So … what of Svetlana? Is she with mother?

Rina is referring to her aunt, her mother's sister, who lived with them as housekeeper and friend.

Aleksandr: No. She passed.
Rina: When?
Aleksandr: Three years ago.
Rina: When everything started, right?
Aleksandr: I don't know if there's a … she had some illness … Why have you come back now?
Rina: I'm getting married. I thought perhaps my family had the right to know.

Aleksandr stares at his sister and then at her crew, wondering which of the men she's engaged to. Or perhaps … one of the women? You can see it in his eyes, trying to work it out. It's an awkward moment, not the least of which for Rina, and Aleksandr gives up and gestures at Arden. His sister is getting married to …? He can't quite see the attraction. Joshua's perversely enjoying this but relents and sets the matter straight.

Joshua: Vot by mne. <That would be me.>
Rina: This man is Joshua Drake.
Joshua: It's a pleasure to meet you, although not in these circumstances.
Aleksandr: Hm. (to Rina) Well, that's good that you found the way out.
Rina: (gutstabbed) That has always been my plan.
Joshua: What? You mean, marry me?

Oops! Nika steps up before Rina can make this any worse.

Nika: Forgive me if this is an ignorant question but why is it that those of you who are not caught up in that not gone ahead and left?
Aleksandr: I am not going to leave when my parents might need me. And Dmitri has his family here. And contrary to the appearances we may not have enough money to go far. Leaving the Enclaves is …
Rina: Difficult.
Aleksandr: Very difficult. It was difficult when you left. And it's more difficult now.
Nika: I'm sorry.
Rina: Very.
Aleksandr: But … times will change. Eventually she will insult someone higher up in the Alliance and I'm sure if the Alliance knew what she was doing—she's, she's a Regional Director. She's not Czarina. But somehow she's turned us into her own little …
Joshua: Fiefdom?
Aleksandr: Yes.
Joshua: Of course she has.
Aleksandr: We don't know much of what's going on outside. We have limited Cortex here and so we don't see as much of what goes on politically outside.
Joshua: It's a mess.
Rina: It's a mess, everything is Balkanized.
Nika: It's a bigger mess than you're living.
Aleksandr: So you're saying it's unlikely the Alliance will come in and …?
Nika: It's sort of like the Enclaves, except they're all fighting.
Joshua: Yeah, the Alliance has bigger things on their plate. Which is probably why she's able to do what she does.
Aleksandr: Well, she has increased production.
Rina: Of what?

Aleksandr plucks at his workshirt.

Aleksandr: Well, some of the—where I work, we package meals for military ships. Fish protein. She has increased production and exports in that, which is how she got much of her wealth.
Rina: How is she feeding the people who don't—how are you feeding your families here?
Aleksandr: It's tough but there is always a way.

The children lean forward and ask in hushed voices, as if afraid of being heard.

Child: Where do you live now? Out on the Rim somewhere? Maybe Santo or Persephone?
Rina: On a ship, mostly.

At that the kids explode with delight and more questions. What's it like being an engineer? Is it hard to make the ship run? Can it go all the way to the moon? Rina bites her lip as she smiles. Please God, to be that young and innocent again.

Rina: I live on a ship. And so we go everywhere.
Aleksandr: (with affection) Mm. That doesn't surprise me. You always loved to tinker with machines.
Joshua: (ditto) Still does. Still does.

Svetlana hushes the children and there is another awkward silence. Rina struggles to fill it.

Rina: I don't … know, really, what coming here would be like but I do know that … it was nothing like this.
Nika: I imagined a whole lot of yelling.
Rina: Well, yes. First there would be yelling and then there would be crying and then there would be drinking and dancing and then more crying. So. (weak laugh)
Aleksandr: So you haven't seen Mother and Father.
Rina: No, I haven't. (sobering) …. God …. If we could get this Anna person within earshot of my mother and then show her me, the scream alone would pierce the woman and she would bleed out and she'd die. Problem solved.

Kiera stifles a chortle. Arden looks at Rina quizzically.

Arden: She probably wouldn't recognize you.
Joshua: No, actually, I think she would. My mother recognized me and I look nothing like what I was before.
Arden: Okay. But I still think your—(air quotes!)—mother—(air quotes!)—was playing you.
Nika: Okay, now that's a conversation for another time. (at Rina) Because, you know when all you have is a hammer and everything looks like a nail, are we gonna go bust people out or what?

Cuz it's plain as day to Nika what Rina wants to do. Beside her, Joshua cuts loose his enthusiasm.

Joshua: Hell, yeah! Abseiling. There has to be abseiling involved in there somewhere.
Rina: (to Nika) I was hoping to ask but I wasn't sure if I should say anythi—
Nika: C'mon. Are we going on a jailbreak or what?
Joshua: Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Jailbreak. Abseiling.
Nika: Let's hear what Rina actually has to say about such a thing.
Rina: I was hoping to do something fun while I was here.
Nika: Okay, then I think we're going to need some explosives.
Joshua: Whoa. Explosives?
Rina: Yes.
Nika: (to Aleksandr) And where would your siblings and their children need to go? Do you want out?
Aleksandr: Wh-where would we go? Onto your ship?
Joshua: For starters.
Rina: For starters.
Aleksandr: We should speak to Dmitri about this.
Nika: You should definitely have a big family meeting about the whole situation because yes, we are offering you a way out if you want it.
Aleksandr: It might be difficult to arrange a big meeting, since we are not really invited to the Kremlin but … yes, at least between Dmitri and I. And his wife, Svetlana.

Give the man credit: you can throw a long-lost sister back from the dead at him and a free ride out, but Aleksandr gets over his shock and keeps his wits about him. It's decided to wait for Dmitri to return from work before we discuss the matter any further and Svetlana throws together a meal for us. Fish. Bread. No salt. It's poor stuff and it's obviously the best the family has. Nika privately tells her crew to take a polite portion but leave the lion's share to the Tigranovs. Especially for the children's sake.

The oldest is eight and the youngest is four and Rina asks the grownups how the children are doing. They seem to be doing all right, but ...

Arden: I don't know how to politely say this but is there anybody … I'm a doctor. Is there anything I can do for you and your community?
Aleksandr: Well … yes. Probably.
Arden: Give me a room and let people know and I'll do what I can.
Aleksandr: (cautious) How long do you want to be here?
Arden: I'll be here as long as she's here. (nods at Rina)
Aleksandr: The issue here is if you're to set up shop and get equipment and—are you thinking of setting up a medical shop here?
Arden: For people who are sick and who don't want to deal with the authorities in the medical establishment. While you're planning a prison break I want to have something to do.
Rina: Then you can start right here.

Arden has a family in front of him he can start on, after all. Arden starts with the children and moves on to the adults. They are all in reasonably good health. A blessing. While he's busy doing that and Rina is busy catching up with her brother and sister-in-law, Nika takes Joshua a few steps aside for a murmured conversation.

Nika: What do you think the possibilities are that we can get them into the Companion's Guild at least as a first stop on their way out? Then possibly over to either the Underground Railroad or at least as far as Nala? Hell, that's what she's doing out there.
Joshua: Is she? Well, I-I assume it's a possibility. Not being Christian I don't know what's going on with the Guild. But we've got a reason to go and they generally, for the most part, seem like nice people but ...

Without Christian here, we aren't likely to have much sway in our argument and traditionally the Companion's Guild maintains neutrality in any conflict. We can try, with the knowledge that there is no ideal situation for something like this but we have other options. We can take the Tigranovs with us straight to Angel when we leave here.

Nika: Omigod, this is crazy.
Joshua: This ain't nothin'. I've seen less crazy.
Nika: Well, this is family, so—
Joshua: Well, yeah.
Nika: If they want it, we're going to do it.

Dmitri shows up and a scene similar to Alesandr's arrival ensues. When he first sees Rina with his brother, there is the inevitable "what's going on?" Then the second look, and the double-take. Then the shock, the surprise, and the demand for an explanation, softened with hugs and tears. Nika and Kiera slip out in the commotion to buy more food—if they've read the signs right, there's going to be more eating and drinking to celebrate the homecoming and damned if they'd be inconsiderate guests and empty the Tigranov larder. We have the cash and the Tigranovs can use what we can buy with it. We don't make a big fuss over it. We just go out and bring it back and help Svetlana with the prepping and the cooking. It is toward late afternoon when everything is finally on the table and afterward the children are sent to the next room to play while adults discuss the jailbreak and their escape off Sihnon.

It's not easy getting into the Kremlin on legitimate business. It helps if you have something of value to bring with you. Not quite bartering your way in, but making yourself interesting or valuable in some way to Anna. And she's flexible—you could bring in a criminal or you could bring in a gift of some kind. If she thinks she can use it to leverage an advantage, then you've got a chance to get in. In truth, it's graft and bribery, but it's the currency of corrupt governments the world over. We're no strangers to it and have paid that coin to get out of tight situations before. Ideas are tossed into the discussion as possible ways to get in.

Rina promptly offers herself as a wanted criminal—her war record might make her valuable as someone Anna could turn over to the authorities in exchange for a favor. But it's been over fifteen years and it's likely the Alliance wouldn't place that high a value on Rina's capture anymore. But as a Trojan Horse play, that of getting one of the crew inside the walls, it has some merit.

Talk turns briefly to where the Tigranovs would go once off planet. Could they go live with Rina's uncle—her father's brother—on Meadow? Uncle Andrei, who lives off the grid in a dacha somewhere in the taiga? The environs would at least be somewhat familiar—the language would be the same and the man is family. Nika has no objections to flying them to Meadow, despite everything that happened to us there—losing Summer's Gift, losing her eyes … But no objections from her if that's where Rina's family wants to go. Meadow's fine, we'll take you there, she says even as her stomach roils. Joshua has similar personal reservations against going—Roskov is on Meadow and he does not want to come within that man's influence ever again. But he does not object to flying to Meadow either. You do what you must for family, after all.

With that matter settled, at least for now, we turn back to the problem of getting into the Kremlin. What can we give Anna that will convince her to let us in? How well guarded is the Kremlin, Nika asks? What kind of resources does Anna have? More than we got. The Kremlin is pretty well guarded. It has both Alliance troops and local militsiya who answer directly to her. Anna runs a tight ship and since she's the Head of Security, maintains a tight grip over the whole city.

Can we pay anybody? Not exactly. We can't just pay to get in but if we had a cool cover story, we could convince somebody to let us in.

Rina: The woman has to eat. She needs to have stuff shipped in inside the walls, right? What if we did a variation of the Beaumonde factory job?
Nika: What? (frowns) I was kidding when I said explosives, you know.
Rina: I realize that. I don’t mean to take it to that level. But—
Nika: I really didn't mean it when I said explosives.
Joshua: I know you didn't mean it. (to Rina) I don't know where you're going with this.

Rina explains. A palace, even one like the Kremlin—huge, studded through with courtyards, making it a near-maze of walls and open spaces—will need regular shipments to make it run smoothly. Food. Linens. Office supplies. Whatever. We could get in by posing as the delivery service. Just like we did on Beaumonde.

What if we claimed to be delivering something she wasn't expecting, something bound to pique her interest? Nika is already thinking of the possibilities and beats Rina to the punch: We've already got something valuable stashed aboard our ship. Imagine the sort of favor Anna could gain by parceling out trade-secret Companion Guild pharmaceuticals.

As to a plausible story as to why we're bringing it over to Anna, perhaps we can use the Companion Guild's reputation—because the Guild is so powerful, we feel uncomfortable delivering the cargo. We're virtual nobodies the Guild wouldn't look twice at and perhaps not even suspect us of stealing the cargo. However, someone with Anna's high status would be above reproach and if she were the one to deliver it to the proper owners … And so our story could go. It should be enticing enough for Anna to take the bait. She might even deliver the cargo to the Guild herself, the better to gain favor from them. If that happens, however, we'll be skunking our deal with Badger. Because this is the sort of thing he was trying to do for himself. He wanted to curry favor with the Guild by delivering that cargo. Do we want to be on Badger's shit list?

Kiera has absolutely no problem with hitting Badger in the wallet, depriving him of future contacts. She's been pissed off the entire way over from Persephone, riding Joshua hard over the deal he'd struck. If we do this and we pull it off, she'll have her revenge on the slimy Cockney bastard.

Nika's against the idea, because even if Badger never found out about it, once that cargo is used, word of it will get out anyway and our reputation goes right down the crapper. No one will trust us with their cargo again and do we really want to be on the Companion Guild's shit list? Companions mingle with the rich and the politically powerful, and while they do not seek public office themselves, they can be influential nonetheless. A word in the right ear, a hint dropped in the right lap … All completely deniable, of course, and untraceable thanks to the Guild's rules of client confidentiality. To be sure, no one flat out says this and perhaps Rina is the only one of the crew who thinks up each worst-case scenario in order of increasing severity—paranoid that she is—but one thing is clear: we cannot turn over the actual cargo.

But Rina is from a family of artists, people adept at manipulating wood and metal and paint. Surely she can work with them to gin up a convincing copy of the cargo box and offer it up instead. That way, should Anna resist using the cargo and deliver it to the Guild, she will be revealed as a fraud. Furthermore we can deliver the genuine cargo and sail through this with our reputation intact.

We've got enough to put us on the Kremlin doorstep, but that's only half the plan. What will we do once we get inside? We have two extraction goals, physically separated from each other: Rina's parents and brother are in one section and another brother is locked up in yet another section. We're going to have to split the crew and tackle both extractions simultaneously. Several ideas are tossed around. Can we simply show up and visit guests at the Kremlin? Or are the prisoners allowed visitors? No. While the guests aren't prisoners, per se, invitations aren't issued by them to visitors. And the prisoners are allowed contact only via wave, and that only if not under restrictions such as solitary confinement. We cannot expect help from the inside to gain entrance. It's all up to us.

More ideas are tossed out. Convince Anna to give a small party? Jigger the invitation list to get us on it? The Tigranovs tell they've heard of 'parties' being held on a regular basis. Well, not parties exactly, but social get-togethers were people rub elbows and network. At these parties, attractive women circulate and work the crowd as hostesses—not exactly trading favors (wink!) but it's understood their sole purpose it to be pleasant company. The hostesses stay at the Kremlin, eat better food, dress nicely, have better accommodations. Other perks are social advantages, such as dating Lieutenants instead of fish factory workers, giving them access to circles they would otherwise be shut out of. Some of the women of St. Petersburg have already chosen to go that route than continue a hard existence on the outside. Anna can be convinced to take one or two more in … and we do have two undeniably attractive women on the crew, with a third who can pose as the facilitator.

Joshua suggests Kiera as one of the hostess candidates, earning him even more of her ire. Nika is the logical choice to accompany her. Rina will go along as the facilitator and translate where necessary. The women will arrive with the fake Companion cargo as the inducement to be given admittance. It should make a very tempting package—a beautiful blonde and a sultry redhead coming in with a large-ish crate of Companion commodity sure to please? Who wouldn't welcome that with open arms?

Speaking of arms … it's highly unlikely we'll be able to escape without needing a firearm or two. Anyone going into the Kremlin is going to be searched for weapons. How do we get the weapons inside without being discovered? Simple—Rina proposes that since the value of the cargo is dependent on the box remaining unopened, we can make the cargo box with a false bottom so we can stash guns inside. Access will be from the outside and through the bottom, leaving the fake seals on the cargo intact.

Of course, this doesn't prevent the box being taken away from us before we need the weapons, effectively disarming us in the process. Hell, it doesn't prevent the box being taken from us and then getting put up against a wall and shot. No plan is without its potential snags, but it's the best plan we've got at the moment, so we'll go with it.

Part 1, 2, 4, Special Features

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