Episode 702: Brand New Day, Part Two
Part 1, 2, Special Features
Despite just having come from a bloody fight and having nearly asphyxiated in vacuum, Joshua takes his usual place on the bridge.
Joshua: Dodge those missiles. Do it …
Nika: No shit. Thank you so much.
We've gained enough distance to maneuver clear of Mike's Reaverized Quan Fu but that just makes us an easier target for those missiles to hit. Or we would be, had we anyone else in the pilot's chair. She jinks us to port, then starboard, and she eludes the missile locks. The two missiles streaking our way veer into the bigger Quan Fu and explode. Nika opens a channel to the SDF.
Nika: We are free and clear, you guys. Blow it to hell.
And Nika aims us for the dirt of Angel. Silence from the comms follows in our wake and Nika gets a bad feeling about it. Her instincts are right. Our sensors start yarking: two more missiles are incoming.
Nika: Shiiii—those buggers!
Rina: (over earbud) They're firing at us now?
Nika: (jinking) Mm-hm.
Rina: What the hell for?!
Nika: Apparently we've been Reaverized.
Nika stops talking and keeps flying. Rina and Beglan try to get more power output to the flight controls. Joshua mans the sensors and keeps his Captain updated. Everyone else grabs something and hangs on. The SDF follows.
Joshua: Send them some sort of signal involving intelligence.
Nika: I've been trying to talk to them. (jinks again)
Joshua: I mean like, Morse code or the Fibonacci sequence.
Nika hauls hard on the yoke and as we jerk aside again, Nika spares a second to tell Shyla at the comms:
Nika: Oh my God, Shyla! Get on those frequencies and tell them to stand down! See if you can get somebody to listen to you.
Nika evades one of the missiles and the bridge crew watches it streak past our bow and spend out in atmo below us. The news gets relayed and Rina congratulates her on her flying.
Kiera: He's fine, by the way.
Rina: Thank you …
Kiera: I assume that's the one you wanted to keep.
We evade the other missile by a squeaker of a margin and it dies out like the first.
Nika: That was close. Made it.
Another set of missiles fire off at us.
Nika: Jesus Christ!
Nika is heading for the planet and in retrospect that might only be egging the SDF to keep firing at us—their overriding mission is to keep Reavers from making dirtfall and by their lights, we've been Reaverized. She has no time to speculate further. It takes everything she's got to concentrate on flying. She pulls out all the tricks she's got and she flies like a crazy bat out of hell. Rina and Beglan work their asses off in the engine room and somehow manage to boost our power all the way back to normal agility, despite the damage the chain gun dealt us. The combination is enough—just—to enable us to evade the volley of missiles the SDF fires at us. All the missiles try for us and miss. The last of them explodes just aft of our engines and the blast causes us to tumble toward Angel.
The buffeting is hellacious. Nika regains control and we hit atmo … and we start to burn. Flames spark and lick and roar along the ragged edges of our open hangar bay. There's nothing between us and vacuum except a single deck's worth of floor plates and crawlspace. Burn through is imminent. We must drop altitude and reduce our speed if we want to live.
And of course, that is the exact moment when we don't want to lose our grav. And of course, we do. It flickers and winks out and everything starts to float, then shift aft. Everyone on the bridge is strapped into a chair. All other crew and passengers deal with it the best they can. Rina and Beglan fare the worst. It's not enough that they simply hang on to something, they have to swim through the zero-gee to keep everything going—Rina's hack for the power boost requires constant tweaking.
Kla-KUNK!
The sound reverbs through the entire ship and something big and fiery flashes past us, painting a flaming arc toward the planet.
Nika: Was that our buffer panel?!
Actually, it looks like Lagniappe. The burn through must have melted through her dock couplings.
Arden: I saw that coming.
Kiera: Bye, Lagniappe.
Nika growls and yanks the earbud from her ear. Damned if she can concentrate on flying if her crew is chattering in her head.
The seconds—and kilometers—tick by. Equinox continues to plummet. Rina gets the call for more power, this time for braking. She and Beglan come through for their Captain and the sudden hit of thrust nearly jerks the yoke from Nika's hands. She recovers and hits the brakes. She glances over at Shyla and Shyla wisecracks:
Shyla: This is a whole lot bigger than that ship, girl. Maybe you should put some landing gear down.
And on that cryptic remark, Nika lowers our landing gear and she flies us for Jibril's landing beacon. We shake and bake all the way to the ground, trailing fire and smoke, and land in the ocean 20 kliks short Jibril. The crushing jolt of our landing and the return of gravity is punishing—everyone aboard blacks out. A massive wave of water is thrown when we hit the ocean, splashing down and hammering our hull—putting out the fire and turning into great billowing clouds of steam. Miracle of miracles, we don't sink to a watery death. We've come to rest a sandbar 100 meters offshore and the tide is on its way out.
Emergency lighting greets the crew when they blink awake. It's dark and noisy aboard. The hard landing has dislodged any number of pipe fittings and steam hisses everywhere inside. Nika comes to, puts the earbud back into her ear and calls out.
Nika: Sound off. Are you all okay?
Kiera: Nika? How're y'all doin'?
Nika: Yeah, we're tryin' to get us outa here. Shyla, see if you can get our comms online, see if you can get somebody out here.
One by one, the crew calls in. No one's dead. Just battered and bruised. Contusions. Broken bones. Arden gets his med supplies together and starts checking the crew. Kiera scrapes herself off the floor of her quarters with a groan and joins him. When she gets to a window she spies the ocean and comms Rina.
Kiera: Hey, Rina? How do you feel about a beach wedding?
Arden: They're already married aren't they?
Kiera: Yeah, technically.
Arden: I'm not going through this again. They're married.
Joshua: But I didn't get to say my vows.
Arden: You can email them to us.
Joshua: Fine. But I still get to say my vows.
Shyla gets the authorities on the horn, verifies we're not Reavers, please send help over. Nika's watching the entire exchange over Shyla's shoulder and she pins the official on the screen with a look.
Nika: (growling) Oh, by the way. I'm thinkin' half the damn repair bill is yours. You had your bastards shootin' at us. Because they didn't listen.
A chorus of assent chimes in all over the ship at this announcement. Hell, yeah. The authorities squawk over this—try to look at it from their point of view, they say to us. How could they know Nika wasn't the sole survivor, a pilot locked up on the bridge with Reavers about to break through any second? Once she went down, the Reavers would ride our ship to the surface and set themselves loose on the populace. It has happened elsewhere before. Nika grudgingly acquiesces the point.
Nika: I'm okay with it.
Rina: Easy for you to say, Captain. You're not the one who has to repair her. Yebani v'rot!
Nika: Really?
Rina: We just got her back on one piece and then these—and they!—and now—?!
Russian, Chinese, and English paints the air blue, punctuated with not a small amount of crying. Arden remarks that maybe Rina's wedding night won't be quite what she expected. Nika lets her engineer go on for a bit then cuts in.
Nika: Irina. Just be glad you're getting married.
Rina: (upset) I already got married.
Joshua: Hey, hey … We're getting married again.
Nika: Well legally speaking, yes, you're officially married.
Joshua: Because the Captain's a bitch.
Nika: But you haven't had the ceremony yet. So you know, we're just going to have the ceremony now.
Beglan: I don't think you can actually be married over the comms.
Nika: My ship. I'm the authority. In space, I'm the authority. Therefore, you got married.
Joshua: You're insane as the Captain. I took over.
Nika: You're the one who's freakin' insane, Joshua.
Kiera: Why don't we just wade out to shore? There's a beach and where there's a beach there's a wedding.
Nika: That's right. We'll have the ceremony and it will be wonderful. We'll rent a preacher. It's okay.
Kiera: I am still in my dress and I'm barefooted now. But—
Nika: No but-but! Beautiful dress. Did not get torn. No but-but.
Joshua: (to Rina) Hey. Hey, we're fine … Hey, you. We're fine.
Rina's still upset and Joshua has to take her hand to get her attention. Arden brings Joshua a clipboard with pen and the marriage certificate. All it lacks is the requisite signatures. Joshua pushes it back at him.
Joshua: We're not doing this, Arden.
Arden: Please? For me?
Joshua: No. We're fine.
Arden: You could say your vows. Just get it over with.
Nika: (to Arden) Oh, dear God.
Joshua: (to Rina) Hey …. hey, we're fine.
Kiera: (rips off duct tape holding up her dress) Okay, I'm ready. Let's get married.
It takes a while for the furor to die down. We're all suffering the survivor's rush that comes of nearly dying. Drakkar hailing us with news that everyone aboard her is safe helps us put the harrowing experience behind us. Nika takes care of the mopping up with the authorities over our precipitous landing while the rest of us lick our wounds and get started on repairs.
Friday, 18 Jun 2523
We're cleaned up, healed and/or patched up, and we hold the ceremony. We have it on the beach in sight of our downed ship. Kiera plays her guitar to the soft murmur of the surf. Nika decides not to wear her uniform for the occasion but instead dons an ankle length skirt and an off the shoulder blouse, her hair loose to the waist. Rina, especially, is touched by the gesture. Joshua's tux is cleaned and repaired from the fight. Rina's dress only needed a shaking out of wrinkles. Kiera's outfit, however, fared less well and the redhead ditched it in favor of something more casual.
The family of the bride and groom are present. Joshua's mother and stepfather are there, though the stepfather is looking a little grim. Rina's parents are there in the front row. Beglan stands with the groomsmen and Rosalie sits nearby.
Kiera strums the opening chords, Feodor walks his daughter down the aisle and gives her away to the waiting Groom. The couple stands before their Captain and join hands. Nika calls everyone to attention, her voice carrying clearly through the air.
Nika: We are gathered together today to witness these two exchanging their vows. We all know we have seen much hardship over the years, some of us together, some of us have not actually served together before. These two have for the past three years served aboard my ship and I don't know if I've seen two people more suited to being together. They each have their unique capabilities and attitudes toward life but I think they complement one another very well. So as we share your joy together, please speak to one another.
Now's the moment. Joshua takes a deep breath, looks at Rina, and tells her what he's been waiting to say for so long:
Joshua: No matter where you may find yourself in the Verse, no matter what you may end up doing, no matter who you stand with, no matter who stands against you, I will be there with you. And that is my promise to you and my vow, Irina.
Fervent words and Joshua's hold on her hands is warm and strong. Not a few eyes start to water from emotion. Even Arden's mental companion, Valerie, is stirred by sentiment. Rina swallows thickly and her voice is soft.
Rina: I don't know what I did to deserve the gift that is you, but I will spend the rest of my life making you happy I said yes.
Arden hands Joshua the ring.
Nika: They have agreed to the exchange of rings—
Joan Guan: If I may …
Joshua's mother approaches the couple. Looks are exchanged amongst the crew: surely this is the wrong time for the audience to object to the union? Joan stops before Joshua and presents him with a ring.
Joan Guan: (to Joshua) Your father gave this to me.
She puts it in Joshua's hand with a dignified nod and returns to her seat. Joshua is touched. Rina blinks and Nika sees past her engineer's politely surprised expression, knows what her engineer is thinking—is the ring bugged?—and discreetly kicks her in the ankle. Joshua puts both rings on Rina's finger and Rina slips Joshua's ring on his.
Nika: With this exchange of rings and vows to one another I now pronounce them husband and wife.
Joshua kisses his bride amidst cheers and clapping. And the party begins. Cake is cut and Rina refrains from smushing it into Joshua's face.
Rina: Cuz that's just mean. And a waste of cake.
Arden: Can I do it?
Rina: No—
Anything more is lost when Joshua pops cake in Rina's mouth. Saved. Rina throws her bouquet and it lands in the surprised hands of Rosalie Trahan. Joshua shoots his bride's garter next and Beglan catches it. Hmmm … coincidence? Perhaps.
The party gets into full swing with eating and dancing. Kiera brings out a bottle of the good stuff she's been saving and shares it with Nika. Some time later the crew pulls away to the side and lifts a subdued toast to Mike Carter, in recognition of his service to the Independent cause and his death. Talk turns to the battle's end. One could say that technically, Joshua hadn't killed Carter—the blood loss and wounds and decompression at the end did. And of course, Joshua did try to drag the unconscious Carter to safety before then.
Beglan: What was your plan with Carter? To bring him back? I'm intrigued.
Joshua: I just … (fails)
Nika: It was against Joshua's moral code to let him go.
Joshua: It wasn't that. It was just … Mike was important to Rina and even if he wasn't alive, having him there for a burial would have been … a chance to grieve.
Kiera: Yeah. Well, he's still out there.
Rina: Waiting.
Nika: Shut up. Hating on you.
Rina: (slowly) Quite frankly, given all the squeakers Mike's managed to eel out of over the years, I—
Beglan: He probably wouldn't have died if he hadn't been fighting for you.
Rina: That's true, but I didn't make him do it.
Kiera: 'I didn't make him do it'. You're not having any guilt over this are you?
Oh, Rina didn't say that. She admits she does, but she'll work through it.
Joshua: And you shouldn't. He wouldn't want you to have guilt.
Kiera: (chirps) It was a very Russian wedding. (holds out one hand) Wedding. (holds out the other) And death.
Rina: A wedding and a funeral. Kinda. Sorta. Only we don't have a body.
Joshua: Doesn't matter.
Kiera: We can have a memorial.
Nika raises her glass. No time like the present.
Nika: I hope he finds peace.
Joshua: Yeah, he think did.
Rina: The end of an era.
Rina raises her glass with Nika's. Godspeed, Michael Cameron Carter. May you find peace.
The toast given, the crew rejoins the party. It goes long into the night. Joshua takes a moment to go off somewhere alone no one can see him and does a little happy dance on the sand—he's beaten Carter in combat and banished the shadow he's thrown over Joshua and Rina's relationship. Joshua jigs and slows and finally stops. Whew. He turns around and Nika's standing there. She's been watching her XO carefully throughout the party and deliberately followed him so he could gloat to her. After all, gloating is all the more effective with an appreciative audience.
Nika: You sure you don't need to do it again?
Joshua: No. I'm good. I think I'm good. And you know, for the first time—well not for the first time—but I feel pretty …. comfortable … with me.
Nika: (slowly) I can tell you this much and I don't know if Rina will ever say it to you, but thank you for trying to save the man. And thank you in the end for letting him go. He would never have wanted to be that.
Joshua: I know. I know he wouldn't have. And I will say that … I wasn't kidding when I said that at his last moments he felt … complete. It's kind of hard to describe but he … he felt like he was where he should be. He didn't feel bad about any of what happened.
Nika: The man he used to be would never have wanted to be what he became.
Joshua: We're never the people that we want to be. We're only the people we are at the moment. And at that moment, at least, he was … peaceful.
There being nothing left to be said, Nika and Joshua rejoin the party.
Nika waits a day or two afterward before gathering her crew again. Joshua calls the meeting to order with that eerie call Mike used on the Reavers. Nika nails him with a look.
Nika: If you do that ever do that again on this ship, I swear to God I will sever your vocal cords.
Joshua: Yes, Ma'am. I had to do it at least once. I'm sorry.
Nika: Fine. (a beat) Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been offered … jobs. Several of them.
Joshua: Paying jobs.
Nika: …. Yeah.
Arden: Then what's to discuss?
Nika: Well … there are several paths we can travel to accept them.
Joshua: Wow, this sounds like one of those philosopher's poems. Go on.
Nika: Do you remember asking me if we were going to go to war?
Joshua: I did. I remember you saying it was a decision we each had to make for ourselves.
Arden: Is it time for that decision now?
Nika: It is.
She outlines the conversation she had with Shyla, Omar, and Salazaar the night of the 14th. The first option she lays out is begin flagged as a non-combatant ship flying medical supplies. That news is met with silence and Nika speaks into it.
Nika: I've already been offered a position on the capital ship as CAG.
Joshua: Okay.
Rina: Way to go, Captain.
Arden: What's a CAG?
Nika: Leading a fighter squadron. But I've already turned it down. And the third option is to take a commission in the Merchant Marine.
Arden: So being CAG is already off the table?
Nika: Yes.
Arden: Okay, good.
Rina: (Softly to Nika) What are you thinking? (off her look) Wow. Seriously?
Arden: I doubt she's joking.
Joshua: So, what does the Merchant Marine thing involve? Since I don't know what—
Nika: It means literally being a member of the auxilliary Independent Navy.
Arden: A target?
Nika: Sometimes.
Joshua: (off Nika's look) Is that all? What are you thinking, Captain?
Silence as she looks at everyone.
Nika: You all said you'd go where I went.
Rina: That's still true.
Nika: Then I would like to take the commission in the Merchant Marine.
Kiera: Will they let you go without commission, for one of your crew not joining?
Nika: I don't think that'll be an issue. The one issue that will come up is that we will have to take on rank hierarchy. So you will come on as a non-com.
Silence again as Kiera nods and thinks on it.
Arden: Can I be a Rear Admiral?
Nika: No, you cannot be a Rear Admiral.
Arden: I can be your rear. Why can't I be your Rear Admiral? (off her look) Joking.
Joshua: It still stands. I go where you go, Captain.
Rina: Me too.
Arden: I'm on.
Kiera says nothing, eyes narrowing as she watches this unfold.
Joshua: So … what's your rank, Captain? Is Captain an actual rank?
Arden: Of course, different ranks mean different things across the services.
Nika: Yes. Captain's an actual rank.
Joshua: Just checking. All right, Captain Captain.
Nika: And you would be a Commander.
Joshua: Holy crap! I'm definitely signing up for this.
Nika: And most likely, both of you … (nods at Rina and Arden) … would fall under Lieutenant Commander.
Rina: I get to be officer now?
Joshua: I can be.
Rina: Wow. Definitely outranks stupid Lieutenants.
Nika and Kiera trade a look and understanding flickers between them.
Kiera: (softly) I'll fly with you as long as I can, Nika.
Nika: That's fair. And I'm okay with that. Traditionally speaking, aboard a Navy vessel, the Captain has a Steward.
To be honest, the Merchant Marines isn't exactly like regular Navy. The ranks aren't exactly transferable one-to-one. And in that sense, Nika's not really a Captain in the Independent Navy as such … Nika would still be Captain and Joshua would more likely be the Lieutenant Commander. But still! Ranks and Officers.
Arden: So what does that make me?
Nika: Lieutenant.
Arden: I don't have to salute, right?
Nika: As long as nobody who is of higher rank than I am is aboard, then no you don't. When someone of higher rank than I comes aboard, then yes you do. And I will give you a friggin' book of military protocol. But I don't really expect this is going to be like going into the Alliance Navy where they are going to be very high on protocol issues.
Rina: And trust me, you don't want that.
Nika: As long as you are polite and decorous.
She explains that, unlike when we were civilian cargo haulers, as a member of the Merchant Marine contracted to the Independent Navy, we cannot simply blow them off if they tell us they need us to go somewhere and it happens to be inconvenient for us. She explains the details of taking orders and rank and all the rest of it, especially to Arden, before asking her crew for their final decision on joining up.
Joshua: Do we get uniforms?
Nika: Yes, but I have to tell you the only gorram time I'm wearing mine is when I have to. (a beat) Are all of you okay with this?
Joshua: Yes.
Rina: Absolutna.
Arden: We just said we were. Beggar? What do you think?
Beglan: (sighs) Yeah. At least til the end of the war.
Arden: God knows when that'll be.
Joshua: (grins) Soon. Cuz we're awesome.
Nika: Beggar's got the Hotline, so hopefully when God decides the war is over, he'll let us know.
Beglan: Well, I hope He doesn't tell me that in person.
Because allying with a side in the war paints a big fat target on you for the opposition. We're gonna get shot at and when the shooting starts, people might end up talking to God personally. Nika gives us one more chance to refuse.
Nika: Of course, there is always the option of remaining an independent vessel and doing nothing except the occasional job for them.
Joshua: Screw that. (off her look) I'm sorry. Screw that … Captain.
Joshua salutes Nika, to chuckles all around.
Arden: Do we get a salary?
Joshua: (off her nod) Wait—Holy Crap! I get a rank, and a uniform, and a salary?
Yup. Since Kiera will be a civilian hire for the steward position, her pay will come out of Nika's pocket. Kiera won't be paid by the Independent forces unless she's willing to sign up and take rank.
Kiera: Nope. That's never gonna happen.
Nika: And that's fine. I am perfectly okay with that.
Joshua: So it's a … (counts on fingers) … win-win-win-win-win.
Arden: The only catch is we're gonna have to take orders.
Beglan: And we won't get to decide where we have to go.
Nika: Yeah. There is that.
Joshua: To be honest, there wasn't a whole lot of decision about where we were going to be going. It was more like "Whoa, let's see … there's one job that's suitable for us so that's where we're going."
Kiera: And since this is now a navy vessel, they're going to have to fix the ship.
Joshua: True. So it's really a win-win-win-win-win-win win.
Rina: (quietly) Which flag will we be flying under? Can we take it off when we like?
Nika: We're flyin' the Independent flag, darlin'. WE are officially a naval vessel in the Independent Military.
Rina: Okay. I'll scrub off a spot on the hull then. Break out the paint. Put the Bars-and-Star on our girl.
Kiera: Gonna be hard to visit the Core now.
Nika: We should also decide if we're going to rechristen her and give her back her name.
Joshua: You mean, original name?
Rina: (off Nika's look) I love you! THAT is a perfect idea.
Arden: Okay. Whatever.
Rina: Exeter it is.
Whoa. Jumping the gun aren't you there, Rina? There's a flurry of confirmation around the table—Exeter or something else? Arden restates his position: he doesn't care what we call our ship. He just cares about one thing:
Arden: We can keep Jahn, right?
Nika: (sighs) Yes, we can keep the cat.
Arden: Does he outrank me?
Nika: No.
Arden: He's in charge of mice-ing.
Rina: He's got vermin detail.
Jokes on the cat's name, rank, and duties fly around the table. We laugh and then we sober again.
Joshua: Seriously, Captain, I think this is a you-decision.
Nika: No. That's an us-decision.
Arden: What's an us-decision?
Nika: Taking Exeter's name back. Because it comes with some baggage. Some of it's good baggage. It has a helluva reputation with the Independents.
Joshua: I have no problem with it. We're awesome.
Rina: As someone who's had to run without her name for quite a long time, I say we give our girl back hers.
Nika: Then assuming we're allowed to rechristen her as we repair her, we will go ahead and do it.
And that is exactly what we do. After some debate and favor calling, the word comes in: the Independents are picking up the tab for our repairs. The parts start coming in and the newly married couple leaves for their honeymoon, taking Rina out of range of the repair crew. Meanwhile, the Verse keeps spinning and the war goes on but for now, we enjoy the breather on Angel. God knows, we've earned it.
Part 1, 2, Special Features
Go back to: Nuptials | Go Foward to Dar Al Tabr
Go back to Season Seven, May 2523 - Feb 2504
Back to EPISODES or TIMELINE
