Episode 704: Mind Games, Part Four
Part 1, 2, 3, 4, Special Features,
Joshua gets his bribe package together. We don't have a lot of credits to hand, we're basically broke. We can't use a weapon as a bribe, since the detectors won't let them onto the station. We have to use what we already have multiples of that won't trip the sensors. Joshua takes a leaf from Mische and appropriates a goodly chunk of medical supplies.
And then there's the matter of getting Rina's bomb on the station. She can't actually use anything dense. The sensor parameters are set off by certain densities found in weapons—like solid metal guns. Or grenades. If Rina's going to be taking a bomb aboard the station, somehow she has to either make it not-dense or make it out of something that isn't scanned for. Rina knows we've got enough chemicals aboard that she could mix something explosive up. Speaking of blowing stuff up, Joshua briefly wonders if it's possible to blow up the frigate docked on the station.
Do what now? Who are you, sir, and what have you done with Joshua?
Joshua HATES the things on the frigate THAT much. He would actually entertain the idea of going against his principles and killing them, than let them suffer another day alive. Based on what Mische said in med bay, we might even be doing them a favor. Of course, there are Feds aboard that ship as well … but for a moment, if only a moment, Joshua actually ponders blowing the frigate up. Right after we tap its fuel tank. Common sense reasserts itself a moment later. That and the fact that it is not alongside but docked opposite us on the station puts the kibosh on that plan.
But still … Joshua + wanting to kill = weird-assed moment.
Joshua decides that the drugs aren't enough inducement as a bribe. He sweetens the bribe with a little alcohol and 50 precious credits as well, and wraps it all up in a bundle—a bribery gift basket of goods. As he's packing it all up, still fretting if he's got enough in it, Mische comes up to him and lays a hand on his arm. She cocks her head as she looks at him.
Mische: (quiet) You really are kinda different, aren't you?
Joshua: Yeah … I'm really sorta one-way, so to speak.
Mische: What I would do, is I would go in there and I'd find out something they don't want anyone to know.
Joshua: (Sighs) Yeah … I am different.
It would be an invasion of privacy that Joshua isn't willing to commit—even against bad guys.
Mische: And I would offer to—
Joshua: Keep it quiet?
Mische: Or I'd go to someone else who might want to know it and I'd offer to give them that information.
Rina: That kind of currency works.
Joshua: (sighs to self) Doing all of that versus the crew being tortured …
Mische: Everybody's got something they don't want others to know.
Joshua: Yeah … yeah … (hating this) … Yeah.
Rina: (quietly) Best tactical use of our resources, Joshua.
Joshua: Yeah. I know, I know. You don't have to spell it out for me.
Rina: I'm sorry.
Joshua: It's okay. I just don't like doing it. (to Mische) Sorry. No offense. I was trained more to be other people rather than … (gestures) … And as it is now, I've kinda rejected that anyway, so I feel like I'm coming full circle again. Drugs and Reading people for blackmail information.
Rina hugs her husband a brief hug of sympathy and steps back. It's his decision. Joshua makes it.
Joshua: So basically I need to find somebody who's in a position to refuel us and bribe them. Or well, not bribe them. (to Mische) You know the station better than I do. Who's the person that can get the refueling done for us? Or is somebody in position to tell that person to refuel us. What position am I striking?
Mische gives Joshua a name. He's been hoping to move out of fuel maintenance into another position and that position's being run by yet another person, whose name Mische also gives to Joshua. Joshua decides to find the second guy first and Read him at a distance, find some leverage he can use to facilitate the bribe. He's still a little fuzzy from the drugs and Reading will be harder under the circumstances. But it is as he'd already said: Do this or let his crew—his family—get tortured.
One silver lining—Joshua won't have to go near the frigate to see his target. He will be spared the mental agony of going near the Blue Sun hunters when he makes his move. He readies the package and asks Mische her opinion of the plan.
Joshua: So that's what you'd do?
Mische: Well, depending on whether they'd give me any money. Which I doubt.
Joshua: Right.
Joshua weighs it: he thinks he can pull it off. The drugs aren't affecting him so badly that he can't function or Read. He'll be dealing with regular human greed, regular human motivations. A thought hits him and he turns to Mische again.
Joshua: If I were bribing you to do it, what would you want?
Mische: Can you kill Niska?
Joshua: Is he here on the station?
Mische: No.
Joshua: Where is he?
Mische: Ezra.
Joshua: If I told you I would, would you actually believe me?
Mische: (evenly) You're not really much of a killer.
Joshua: No. See, that's the thing.
Mische: You didn't even really kill Mike.
Joshua: Would you get out of my head? No offense but—
Mische: (continuing) You like to think you were okay with that, but … (shrugs knowingly) … I don't think you'd be a good enough assassin to get in and do it.
Joshua: (to Rina) This is why I don't Read any of you on a regular basis. Because I'd start doing that number. (to Mische) No offense. Wait. Yes, offense.
Rina: (quietly) Joshua. I expect you to do that to me anyway.
Joshua: I know. And that's why I don't do it. (to Mische) I couldn't kill him myself but that's not to say I wouldn't have any objections. If he owns this station and Werner is half a reflection of him, having him removed off the face of the Universe would not bother me in the least.
Mische: I guess I can see about getting your ship refueled. What can you do for me? Hmm.
The little girl thinks a moment.
Mische: It'd be silly for you to get rid of him.
Joshua: Who? Niska?
Mische: Yeah.
Joshua: We can … well, I don't know if I'm putting us in with the Independents, but we know some of the higher ups in command—not the high higher-ups, but kinda up—
Mische: But they're fighting their own battles right now.
Joshua: Yeah, I know.
Rina looks down at her boots. She's not saying a word. Nope.
Mische: What are you thinkin', Rina?
Joshua: (looks) Yeah. What are you thinking?
Rina: (very softly) Only that you're going to spill your guts and tell everything you know about high command.
Joshua: No.
Rina: But what if she sells that information to someone else? Someone who has a bigger wallet than us? How can we stop her from getting information out of our heads anyway?
Joshua reckons Mische has been Reading him non-stop and knows everything he knows already anyway.
Joshua: I was mostly making the offer because Niska is a financial/political power and it's possible the Independents could do something that would route things away from Grasshopper Station and Ezra, but—.
Rina: It's obvious that things are being done here that they need to know.
Joshua: And we don't even know that for sure.
Rina: Yeah.
Joshua: (to Mische) But if there's nothing I can offer you, and I may not be able to, then I'll do it myself.
Mische: No, but can you … You can just send me a care package sometime.
Joshua: Will you get it if I send it?
Mische: Yeah. (shrugs, grins) I might have to bribe someone.
Joshua: Okay.
Mische: Or intimidate them.
Joshua: (dry) Yeah, you wouldn’t have any experience with that, I imagine.
Joshua makes good on the promised care package with an advance and gives Mische some of his credits. She makes them disappear and nods.
Mische: Okay. I'll try to get your ship fueled. Go rescue your crew.
Rina: (at Joshua) You and me?
Joshua: You gotta plant the bomb.
Rina: Yup.
Mische tells Rina where the bomb needs to go to cut the power to the brig and Mische tells Joshua where the brig is. Of course, the easiest way to find the brig is to simply cause trouble and get arrested.
Mische: So what are you going to do to get arrested?
Joshua: I'll pick a fight with someone. Or punch a cop … But there's more personal satisfaction in picking a fight with an Alliance person. Basically the options are, go through the detector with something, but that would lose me the weapon, or start a fight. Starting a fight would be the easiest option.
Rina: Why not just walk through it with something heavy in your pocket?
Joshua: That's actually not a bad idea. I'll do that. I'll use something dense and when they show up to pick it up, I'll pick a fight with them too.
Rina gives him a hammer from her tool bag and leaves to plant the bomb. She has to be careful transporting it, finding the stash spot, and installing it—all without getting caught. It will take her some time and so she leaves first. Once she's well away, Joshua pockets the hammer and walks through the detectors. They immediately start yarking an alarm.
YARK! YARK! YARK! ZAP!
A blue shock slams through Joshua and his body short circuits and he goes down. Smoke rises off his clothing. Joshua is knocked out cold.
In the brig, Arden, Nika, Kiera, and Beglan are marking time, waiting for the opportunity to fight their way out when the elevator doors open and Joshua is dragged in unconscious. Nika takes one look and curses.
Nika: Ahh, shite…
Arden: Wow.
Kiera: Now what?
Nika: (pained) I'm assuming they had a plan …
Kiera: I love dragging dead weight behind me. Yeah, this will help me in the planetwide marathon. Dragging dead bodies.
The guards drag Joshua in the last remaining cell, the one closest to the elevator, and lock him in. The crew goes to the plexi separating them and they look Joshua over.
Arden: Is that smoke coming out of his ears?
Nika: (to the plexi) Beggar.
Beglan: Yes?
Nika: If we manage to overpower the guards and get out of here … (turns to Beglan) … Joshua is your priority. Get to him and both of you move.
Beglan: All right.
There is a groan behind them. Nika adds:
Nika: That's assuming he's still unconscious. (turns to Joshua's cell) If he's actually awake …
Beglan: Then he's not my priority. (breathes a laugh) You're all my priority, Captain.
Nika eyes the guards talking to their supervisor at Joshua's cell door.
Guard: Hey we found this on him. Looks like he tried to go through with a hammer. (holds up hammer)
Arden: (in cell) D'er!
He and Kiera share a what-the-hell-? look over that one.
Arden: No wonder he set off the metal detectors.
Kiera: (whispers) I think he got hammered with his hammer.
Arden: (ditto) If I had that hammer right now, I'd be using it.
In his cell, Joshua sits up with a groan.
Joshua: Hey … unghh … do any of you guys have an aspirin or something?
Arden: (calling over) I got some.
Joshua: Do you? Could you pass it over?
Nika: Not on him.
Arden: I wish I could.
Joshua: Cuz you know what doesn't help with the headache? A huge electrical shock.
Arden: I imagine not.
Nika: Dumbass.
Arden frowns at Nika.
Arden: You know, you used to be so much fun. What happened?
Nika: I got old.
Arden: I don't think so. I think it's time for this discussion. Maybe not right here and right now, but we're gonna have this discussion—the whole crew is gonna have this discussion with you.
Kiera: About?
Arden: Her not being any fun anymore. (off Kiera's look) When was the last time she peers around the corner and calls him a dumbass? (points to Joshua)
Kiera: Pretty often.
Arden: No, not really. (off Nika's laugh) I mean, yeah. It's usually appropriate. But in this case, I think it's uncalled for.
Nika: What? You think I'm not having fun now?
Arden: I just think you've been a bitch for too long.
Nika: Oh. (meh!) Sorry.
Joshua: Wow.
Joshua's just following this through the plexi, thinking: Is Arden really having this conversation right now?
Kiera: I guess we need to have this talk. Or do you have an itch that needs to be scratched?
Joshua: Is Kiera really having this conversation?
Arden: I guess so.
A guard goes into Joshua's cell with a cup of something, followed by Werner.
Arden: Is that water?
Guard: Yeah.
Kiera: I'm sorry but we're having a really really really personal conversation.
Arden: Could you come back later?
Arden elbows Nika as he turns around to talk to the new arrivals through the plexi.
Nika: Ow!
Arden: (to Nika) Look.
Kiera: It's this guy, you know?
Nika: Oh, you.
Meanwhile, Werner is interviewing Joshua.
Werner: So, we have an attempt to rescue your friends with a … ?
Joshua: A hammer.
Werner: A hammer. Nice.
Joshua: I was just trying to leave the ship.
Kiera: (scoffs through plexi) To hang a picture?
Joshua: I didn't think the hammer would set off the metal detector. For Pete's sake, if I really thought I could rescue my friends with a hammer, you'd have a much higher opinion of me than they do.
Nika: (through the plexi) That would be entirely true.
Joshua: So what's the general trial for a hammer? Is it three days torture?
Nika: Did they file a complaint on you?
Joshua: I think the metal detector is the complainant. So how many days of torture do I get for a hammer?
Werner: For bringing a weapon on this station?
Arden: A hammer?
Joshua: Is that death?
Werner: Do you not believe a hammer could be a weapon, sir? I thought you were a doctor.
Arden: A shoe can be a weapon. What's your point?
Werner: Ah, but a hammer is a much more effective weapon than a shoe.
Kiera: No, actually, a belt's a better effective weapon than a hammer. We get to wear the belts.
She shows off hers.
Joshua: (sharp) Look, I can't figure out what my penalty is gonna be if you people keep running your mouth. (to Werner) Death? Or less than death?
Nika: (to Kiera) Daaaaaaaaaaaamn.
Kiera: (stage whisper) I thought he was getting some.
Werner: We haven't sentenced anyone to death since I have been on this station.
Joshua: Has anyone died because of, you know, like …?
Werner: Occasionally people die from stress.
Joshua: (dry) I'm sure.
Kiera: Yeah, but that's "our" fault.
Weerner: We do our best to resuscitate anyone who … (gestures)
Joshua: I'm sure you do.
Nika: (to Arden) I have been having a lot of that lately. Stress.
Joshua: I'm pretty sure this is a nice orderly station, except for the whole part that you're a complete psychopath.
Nika and Kiera together: WOW.
The women's eyes go wide. Did Joshua just verbally slap the psychopath? Yes, he did.
Werner: Yes, yes. Your insults are winning you favor.
Joshua: That wasn't an insult. That was the truth. I thought you liked order and truth.
Arden facepalms. Kiera steps back from the plexi.
Kiera: I wanna—wait, whose side do I wanna be on? (pinches nose) This is just bad … I can't get away from any of you people.
Werner draws himself up.
Werner: I believe the next person for interrogation will be the young man. (points at Beglan)
Arden: No, no. It's my turn. Not him.
Werner: No, you see, at this stage, it is more about … finding out your loyalties.
Arden: I'll tell you the truth.
Werner: Which is the truth?
Arden: You gotta take me before I tell you.
Werner: Well. In that case, I'll take him. (points at Beglan)
Arden: Now, see, that wasn't the choice, there. Oh by the way, how big are we on this law and order kinda thing?
Werner: Rules, you mean?
Arden: Yeah.
Werner: I believe in rules.
Arden: Okay. I haven't filed a complaint yet. I said I would, but I have not filed a complaint.
Werner: (smiles) Oh, we are not big on semantics here.
Arden: Ah! So I'll go instead of him because I'm volunteering.
Werner: You caused a disruption. Or you may have caused a disruption.
Arden: You've apparently made up your mind. I think you should recuse yourself from this case.
Werner: Well, interestingly enough, your accuser did try to recount his accusation. But that is frequent amongst frightened witnesses.
Arden: When needles are being shoved under fingernails and stuff.
Werner: (easily) Well, yes. There is that, plus, he may have been intimidated by your numbers.
Arden: Can I ask something?
Werner: Hm?
Arden: Was your yīnjīng really hard when he was screaming in pain?
Way to go Arden! Nika and Kiera blink again and Joshua golf claps from his cell.
Joshua: Wow. And you say I'm escalating the situation?
Arden: (continuing) And did you pull it out right there and stroke it?
Werner: Perhaps I should take you both so that you may watch.
Arden: Sure! Go ahead. That way you could reach it around and stick it right up your pìgu dòng.
Joshua: (softly) Whoa.
Kiera just softly, rhythmically starts banging her head on the plexi. Why? Why? Why did she walk back onto this ship of idiots? Why?
Kiera: Take me. Take me. Take me, please.
Joshua: So, who's not having fun on this cell block?
Five hands across both cells shoot right up.
Werner: (amused) Stun them all and we'll drag them in.
The guards close in with their stunners sparking. The crew steps back. Arden readies himself to—
BOOM!
Rina's bomb goes off and the lights go out.
Jailbreak!
Arden launches himself through the darkness and kicks the cell door as hard as he can. Wham! The door is a push and slide model and Arden's kick jogs it off its track, bowing it outward into the corridor. Arden wraps his hands around the edge of the door, plants a foot on the wall, and starts hauling the damned thing open. He manages to get through his door and he hunkers down low to the deck, hoping to stay below any bullets the guards might start sending his way.
Nika, on the other hand, freezes when the sudden darkness descends as her traumatic fears from being blinded hit her hard. Adrenaline slams right and her heartbeat speeds up in a panic attack. She finds the nearest wall and puts her back to it. The dark presses in on her, just like in her nightmares, smothering her. It's full-blown PTSD. She can't see, she can't move, she can't breathe. She can't even scream what's running through her head: Oh God Oh God OhGodohGod—!
Kiera brushes past Nika on her way to the door and hisses at her to get moving. Nika doesn't respond. Then Nika feels a gentle hand take her by the arm and Nika grabs the owner in a death grip. It's Beglan. She recognizes his arm by the sweater he's wearing.
Joshua kicks his door out just as Arden's done and pulls it aside. It groans but it gives and Joshua eels out. He starts praying Rina's making it back to Exeter as fast as she can and spinning the engines up. Things are going to be moving pretty damn quick from here on out.
Everyone's eyes adjust to the darkness and there's some faint light coming from the guard station down the hall—stuff on battery power, most likely. From it, they can see there's smoke in the air and bodies of people moving around but there isn't enough light to tell who's who unless you're right next to them and that works in our favor. Joshua grabs for Werner, pulling the man's last seen location from memory. Werner is right where Joshua remembered him. He claps a hand over Werner's mouth and yells out, mimicking him:
Joshua: Stand down, you fools! I'm in the hallway!
The guards freeze and Arden does an all-out push on the guards in front of him. The guard slams into the wall ten feet away. He doesn't stop but roars and tackles the second guard. They land in a pile on the floor and Arden is on top.
Kiera manages to get out and over the shouting her keen ears pick out the sweet clatter of weapons hitting the deck. She zeroes in on the nearest one by sound and picks it up. It's one of the stun guns. NOW we're talking! She runs right over to the guard station to the rear and shoves the muzzle of the stun gun through the window slot. The guards inside raise their hands and freeze.
Beglan's still holding Nika, just giving her the comfort of his presence, an anchor in the dark. Nika's panic attack recedes and she's able to move and think again. She leans in toward Beglan, her voice low.
Nika: We need to get the two out of the cell between us.
The two Feds in the cell next door, she means. She pushes Beglan for the door out and he squeezes through into the hallway. He goes to the next cell over and slaps the plexi, his brogue out in force.
Beglan: Move back, yeh fools!
And Beglan starts hauling on their door and kicking it. He manages to get that door open and he starts urging the men inside to move their bloody arses.
Joshua puts Werner in a sleeper hold and hangs on as the man starts to buck. Don't fight it. Don't fight it. Go down …. The man sputters the last of his air and goes down. Joshua eases him to the floor. Werner's a shēngbìng de bèndàn, but as much as Joshua hates the man, he's not going to kill him.
Kiera's got less compunction against doing harm. She zaps everyone in the guard station despite their surrender.
ZZAPPP!
Meanwhile, Beglan's wrenched the door open wide enough for the Feds to escape. Jensen stumbles out and Nika takes him by the arm, helps him up. Jensen straightens and pushes Nika for the elevator. It's not a belligerent push—more like a fellow soldier would urge a buddy in combat.
Jensen: Get out of here.
Nika: Seriously?
Jensen: Yeah. Go on. Get out of here.
Joshua: (coming up behind) We need to go, because we're refueling as we speak and we're gonna miss it if we don't move.
Nika looks at Jensen.
Nika: Get your friend out of here too. Be careful.
We give Jensen one of the stunners off the guards and then we beat a hasty retreat for the elevator, passing the unconscious Werner on the floor. Just as the door closes we hear a weapon discharge—not the zap of a stunner but the report of a gunshot—and then we're away, with no clue as to who the shooter or the target was. Presumably, Jensen got payback on Werner for his wingman … but there is no telling. On the ride to the main ring, Arden bitches about losing yet another medical bag. The crew tells him that they'll get him another one. And exiting the elevator, Joshua takes the crew the long way around to the ship, avoiding the frigate with its disturbing cargo.
Kiera: Why are we going the long way to the ship, Joshua?
Joshua: I'll tell you when we're on our way. Keep moving.
They make the ship. Rina's done her job—the engines are already spinning. Joshua pauses on the jetway's threshold and sends a thought out to Mische, a great wave of gratitude thanking her for her help. The crew hustles aboard and Nika beelines for the bridge. She eyes the fuel gauge—looks all right. Joshua shuts up our airlock and keys his earbud as he runs for the bridge.
Joshua: Rina. Let us loose and start us up!
On the bridge, Nika sees the telltale light of a landlock engaging. It's not complete—we've got a chance of getting free. She comms engineering.
Nika: Landlock!
And that's all the warning our crew gets and Nika guns the engines and disengages from the station. There's an unpleasant scream and squeal of metal twisting as Exeter moves. Nika winces and Rina curses. Dammit, we just got our baby fixed! Joshua's manning sensors and he sees the frigate powering up.
Joshua: Just FYI, that frigate has a small pile of people, the inhuman people that I don't want anywhere near us. Can we pulse, like, right now?
Nika: What?!
Joshua: I was gonna get around to telling you when I rescued you from the whole torture thing. So here I am. Um, pulse?
Nika's already programmed our course for Regina. We just need to get clear of the station before we pulse. The sensors yark again—the OCULA class ship is powering up as well and it's got weapons too. With the frigate and the OCULA painting us, Nika points the bow of our ship clear of the station and pulses right then and there. Nika executes a barrel roll in pulse and we miss the OCULA by a cat's whisker and streak away too fast for anyone to shoot at us.
That's it. No one's going to catch us now. We're pointed in the right direction and it won't take hardly any jiggering of our course to nail our target.
Joshua throws off the straps and goes aft for engineering. He takes Rina aside.
Joshua: (stern) Do not say anything them about her being a Reader. I wanted to give you a heads-up.
Rina: Do we have to leave her out of it?
Joshua: No. Just don't mention the Reader part of it.
Nika: (over the comms) Way to go, people. We just lost another refueling stop.
Joshua: (to Nika) Really? Is that what you're taking from all of this?
Kiera: (over comms) What's this "we", White Man?
We wind down over the next hour and settle to our normal routine. Arden's in the med bay when he hits all-ship.
Arden: (over comms) I just want to know one thing. Who's been messing around with the cabinets?
Joshua hits the wall comm.
Joshua: That was me. Sorry.
Arden: There's stuff missing.
Joshua: Yeah, that was me.
Arden: The bad stuff.
Joshua: Yeah, that was me.
Arden: Why?
Joshua: Come to the conference room.
Since this was on all-ship, everyone gathers in the conference room. We all take our seats at the table and Arden asks again about the drugs.
Arden: This is the stuff you worked to get off of.
Nika: What? What do you mean you're taking drugs?
Joshua: Let me—
Nika: (rubbing forehead) Break it down real simple for me, okay please? I'm blonde.
Joshua: That's the way you're going with that? (shakes head) Okay. So … The frigate. You remember the headache I had, the one that I left the table for?
Nika: Which you only get in the presence of other Readers?
Joshua: Yeah. Except this one wasn't actually from other Readers. You remember those inhuman sort of guys? The ones who were guarding—
Kiera: You mean the Kitty People who were following me around the subway?
Under the streets of Beaumonde?
Arden: (to Kiera) That's your term for them? The psychotic enhanced people?
Kiera: The Kitty People.
Actually, the street name for them are BT's: biotechs
Joshua: Yeah. Those are the ones. There's a small pile of them on the frigate. I got close to them and the frigate and I passed out. That should tell you something about how horrible they are. So I ended up having to take the drug in order to just shut them off long enough to be …
Arden: Gotcha.
Nika: All right.
Joshua: Now, I'm hoping there will not be a painful recovery period from this. We'll see how that goes but that's the price I was willing to pay to not have you all tortured.
Arden: That depends on how long you were on the drug to begin with and how used your body was to what it did to you. If you body suddenly realized it's there again, it's gonna scream bloody murder when it doesn't have it again.
Joshua: I know.
Kiera: (cheerfully) That's okay. We can lock him in and have him go through cold detox again.
Nika: Wow.
Arden: That's harsh.
Joshua: Again, I knew that was actually a possibility when I took it. And so basically our plan was to set off a bomb to shut off power to that section, then get me in place to get you out. That was the purpose of the hammer.
Arden: That was genius, getting yourself caught with a hammer.
Joshua: I have to say that metal detector hurt a lot more than I remember metal detectors.
Kiera: How much of that step down med did we have? Did you take it all?
Joshua: No.
He'd just taken the one dose, but it still remains to be see how bad the withdrawal symptoms will be. That's pretty much the sum of it.
Joshua: Oh and one more thing. Some of this was done by somebody that was on-station, a girl I ran into that helped provide us with information. She said our cargo was particularly attractive to Niska. Because there was a brief period of time I was considering seeing if I could trade the med supplies for all of you.
Arden and Kiera scan through their pharmacological knowledge on Pescaline D. Kiera knows from her days as an underworld doc that it can be converted into a powerful recreational drug, something like a super-heroin. It would have made one hell of a trade.
Nika: Arden didn't like the fact that I was going to trade myself for them.
Arden: Yeah, and that's a discussion that needs to be had.
Joshua: To be honest, I don't think that would have worked. Everything I got off of Werner was that he was a total psychopath and he had no indication of letting anyone go for anyone else.
Arden: You weren’t there for the conversation about Beggar and me.
Joshua: I'm just happy we're on target, cargo in hand, and the crew not tortured. As it goes, it could have been worse.
Nika: Far worse.
Kiera: That's true.
Joshua: I need to make a care package for her.
Meaning the girl who helped us engineer the jailbreak, he implies. Rina is silent throughout. Kiera looks at Joshua narrowly.
Kiera: How did the little girl know all that stuff?
Joshua: She was really tied into things. When we found her she was sneaking around in the sorta-back alleys of the station.
Rina: She was the ultimate street kid. She knew everything. She'd have to be.
Kiera: Yeah. I totally believe that.
Her tone says otherwise. She throws a look at him: You're lyin' to me. But being it's Kiera, she's not going to press the matter. Not here. There's no advantage to it.
Nika: (to Arden) So, you expect to ream me a new one? Is that what I heard?
Arden: When we have a crew meeting, yes.
Nika: We're havin' the crew meeting.
Joshua: Right now.
Arden: So I'm bringing it up.
Joshua: Bringing what up?
Arden: The fact that she's been a bitch lately.
Nika: And you propose to do exactly what about it?
Arden: There's nothing I can do about it. I just want to know why you're that way and what we can do to keep you from being that way.
Nika: Well, for what it's worth, I'm working through it.
Arden: Are you sure? I mean, you used to be a lot more tolerant than you are right this moment.
Nika: Of what?
Arden: Of anything. Of everything. (tries again) It seems like no one has any latitude. And if anyone makes a mistake …
She's been hard on the crew lately. She's also been hard on herself, though she never lets anyone else see that part of the equation.
Joshua: (half-joking) Did you praise me on my incredibly successful plan? Seriously. Did the Captain praise me for my incredibly successful plan? (off Nika's laugh) Excuse me. Where are we now? Wait, wait, wait. Look around in the not-tortured division. (laughs) I feel like there's a success there.
Nika: Okay. I think you did—I'm not sure I would have chosen to go that route but it worked, so hey. Any landing you can walk away from, right?
Joshua: That's right.
Arden: Yeah, not arguing success.
Joshua: That's the thing about being harsh. That's part of being a Captain.
On that note we adjourn the meeting and get back to our regular duties. We've a week to get to Regina and luck willing, we'll get there in one piece.
Epilogue
When they're in private, Rina mentions to Joshua that she wished they could have taken Mische off-station with them. Joshua reminds her that he did offer and Mische had refused. Joshua's not in the business of kidnapping little girls, much less girls as street-savvy as Mische. Besides, it's not like we'll ever be able to go back and fetch her later. We've burned our bridges with Grasshopper Station. Still, he's promised her a care package and while it could never match the worth of the crew's lives, it would repay her in small part for her assistance. Shouldn't we tell our guys, Rina asks? Meaning our Independent contacts.
Joshua: No. She'll be okay. She intimidates me a bit, actually.
Rina: Yeah. Tell that to me, right here. (points to her taped ribs)
Joshua: She's like … the finely-honed version of me. Like me without any soft edges.
Rina: Well, you're hard in all the right places. (grins) You're stubborn. Hard-headed ...
She laughs, despite the stab from her ribs, and kisses him and goes on to manually inventory everywhere he's hard. LOL indeed.
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