Last Voyage of Delilah, Episode 203: Captures from the Past, Part 4
Jump to :Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Special Features
Which reminds Rachel of something. As everyone gets up, the impromptu staff meeting over, she approaches Tian about getting something to put on her hands. They hurt from slapping Weasel and his manacling them in his grip.
Rachel: Tian, can you give me some stuff? My hands are a little achy.
Tian: Yeah, sure.
A little achy? Weasel left bruises. Tian fixes Rachel up as best as she can. Valentine accompanies them to the infirmary and repeats his request to Rachel: no more slapping people, okay?
Rachel: I can't guarantee it. (miffed) He called me old. Val, you're young. There's a difference between knowing you're old and being called old.
Valentine: Whatever the difference is, I want you to be aware that Weasel is not the kind of guy you slap.
Rachel: I didn't know he was that kinda guy until I slapped 'im.
Valentine: Yeah. Maybe we should avoid slapping people althogether.
Rachel: I'm sure if I walked up and hit Poco he'd go from bein' a warm and fuzzy Papa Bear to a … well, a pretty dangerous dude real quick.
Poco: (sticking his head in) You're not gonna start slappin' people?
Rachel: I'm not gonna start slappin' people.
Poco: I'm gonna lie down. I think somethin' alive might'a been in one'a them bottles.
Yikes! Poco does look a little green. The rest of the crew looks a little squicked, though Rachel laughs just a bit.
Vikki: It's like Cthulhu Tequila, right? The worm got you? Ewwww…. Just don't, don't drink anything with a skull and crossbones on it. It's just a bad practice. No, but seriously, do you want something for your stomach?
Poco: (still green) … (shakes head) ….
Valentine: Okay.
Valentine ushers everyone out of the infirmary who isn't actively being treated. Poco hits his bunk to nurse his illness. Vikki and Valentine walk on to the lounge. Nuri joins them. Tian slips in after her. They settle with a hot cup of something and contemplate the next move.
Valentine: We'll settle in for a day or so. I'll hold on to the package and think about whether I actually want to pursue this crazy scheme when I'm already feeling bad enough as it is that I'm walking in my father's footsteps backwards.
Nuri: Your father's footsteps aren't so bad.
After a long pause, Valentine answers her.
Valentine: No, maybe not.
Nuri: He saved my people. And I bet he's saved others.
Valentine: And that's probably true, Nuri, It really is. But it's that I've spent my entire life trying to avoid walking in his footsteps. It's going to be a really hard adjustment thinking about it in a different way.
Tian: You wanna know the scariest—well, not the scariest—but the most ironic part of that. You've spent your entire life trying to avoid your father's footsteps and my son spent most of his trying to step into his father's footsteps. And both of you at this point are just about to do the opposite of what you always wanted.
Valentine: … Yeah … Funny how life works that way.
No joke. Sips are taken all around as everyone thinks on that truth.
Nuri: (quietly) I never knew your father but from what I've seen so far, it sounds like you're not really avoiding your father's footsteps. You're actually stepping in the same ones because—well, I don't understand all these treasure hunts and schemes but it seems like your father was also trying to avoid his footsteps. And maybe that's what made his footsteps so …
Nuri trails off, at a loss for words to describe it. Tian smiles a pursed smile over her mug.
Tian: You mean that underneath it all he seems like he was getting in?
Nuri: He was trying to—he would do good, but he was trying not to.
Vikki: By avoiding his fate, or trying to, he sealed it? That's a bit Oedipal.
Nuri: Well … or maybe it's what led to his misfortune.
Valentine: By doing the bad things?
Nuri: Or thinking that he needed to.
Tian: Or perhaps faced with the possibility of doing it the hard way versus the easy way, he chose the easy way.
Valentine nods, thinking on it.
Valentine: What worries me about this whole thing, this whole treasure hunt thing, is it feels like it's repeating the mistakes of the past.
Tian: You'll have to think upon that, because is it really worth following up on?
Valentine: I don't know. Part of the problem is we already have a little bit of it and that complicates things. It complicates matters a bit.
Tian: Very clearly, yeah. But it raised the question of what did he do with the rest of it?
Valentine: I think at this point, half of it for me is trying to figure out whether this sort of thing is as dead as it looks—if that makes sense. Is this treasure really dead and buried and we're not worrid that nobody will come looking for it?—Or is it just a lo-ooooooonnnnnng half-life?
It would depend on how long human memory and greed really are, right?
Tian: Yeah.
Valentine: It's a very dangerous line I'm walking with myself because, once again, it feels a lot like what my father might do. To tell myself that I'm doing something for the right of the ship. To "Make sure it doesn't have a dangerous half-life, to protect everybody…" while thinking I can get a quick score out of it.
Tian: The difference is … you actually are not looking for a score. You are not your father. You may not be someone who sets out to be a White Knight in the Verse, but you are certainly in your own way doing good.
Tian speaks with the utmost conviction. Valentine doesn't argue. He's got enough on his plate without adding arguing with his friend.
Saturday, 07 Jul 2525
Tian sets her clinic up and opens it to receive patients. Vikki sets her container up as well, setting out her Stirling Engines on display. Word starts to spread. People start coming in. Rachel lays low on the bridge to minimize running into people to slap. Poco is laying low as well, though for different reasons. Valentine tells Vikki and Tian to keep a comm on them at all times as a security measure. He will have his comm tuned to their channel and will keep an ear out for trouble.The women get their comms tuned to his and carry on.
Good thing, too. Vikki's more toward the rear and doesn't have a great vantage point but Tian notices a figure swaggering near the ship. He's got a five o'clock shadow and a fairly short haircut—though not military—and dressed in a brown coat with a badge on his lapel. He's hanging back at the edges, keenly watching Tian and Vikki. Trying to see if they're selling snake oil, perhaps?
The man walks up to her clinic.
Man: This your … operation here?
Tian gets a better look at the badge. It's a Sheriff's badge.
Tian: It is. … Sheriff?
Calhoun: That's right. Calhoun's the name.
Tian: Nice to meet you, Sheriff Calhoun. Dr. Grace Tian.
Calhoun. Okay, Dr … Tian?
Tian: Grace. It's Dr. Grace.
Calhoun: Oh. No, you're a doctor?
Tian: Yes. Dr. Grace.
Calhoun: Dr …?
Tian: Grace is my surname.
Tian follows the Chinese convention of putting last name first. Despite the integration of Anglo and Sino cultures in the Verse, it's still a cause for confusion upon first meeting.
Calhoun: Oh, right. (nods) Right, right, right. So what are you doing here?
Tian: Setting up a free vaccination clinic for the plague that's travelling round the Verse. I know you've heard of that.
Calhoun: Yeah. I got those reports.
Tian: Yes, it's for everybody.
Calhoun: Oh, okay. IRP. Right, right. Yeah. It's comin' back to me. Okay.
Tian: Also, I know you've got a local hospital. I was planing to checking in to see if they needed anything.
Calhoun: All right. I don't know, cuz I'm not a doctor, but that sounds … okay. You came in on that ship the other day?
Tian: I did, sir.
Calhoun: All right. I'll take a look-see over there, see what they're doin'. How long you reckon you'll be around?
Tian: Perhaps as much as a week. It depends on whether we can pick up another cargo.
Calhoun: All right. Well, you carry on then, Dr … Tian.
He nods and looks around and starts sauntering toward Delilah. Vikki's got her container a little closer to the ship and she sees Calhoun coming. Moreover, she recognizes him as the man they'd bumped into the day before as they were sneaking out the back of Muriel's tea house.
Uh oh. He's coming her way. Vikki continues working as if she hasn't seen him and bends over behind one of her engines. Under its cover, she thumbs her comm and whispers a quick message to Valentine.
Vikki: Val. Sheriff's here.
And thumbs it off. She gets on her back and starts fiddling with one of the pumps. She sees the Sheriff's feet coming closer and she inches deeper under her pump, busy with her tools and smearing grease on her face.
Calhoun: Hey, you.
Vikki keeps on working.
Calhoun: Hey, you. C'mere.
Damn. The Sheriff is not going away. When is Valentine going to get here? Vikki makes a show of dithering under the engine.
Vikki: Oh … Uh …
Calhoun: (annoyed) Now.
Vikki slides out from under with her most innocent expression.
Vikki: Um, hello?
Calhoun: Didn't I see you last night? Out by the Bodhi Teahouse?
Vikki: I'm sorry, have we met?
C'mon Val. Hurry up!
Calhoun: Did I see you last night at the Bodhi Teahouse?
Vikki: I don't know. I'm sorry?
Calhoun: Where you there?
Vikki: Sir?
Vikki pauses just a teense too long before answering and it's obvious she's stalling. She's just not good at lying.
Calhoun: It's a simple question. Were you at the teahouse last night?
Vikki: A teahouse. I didn't catch the name. You wanna talk to my captain?
Calhoun: Yeah. I wanna talk to your captain. Come with me.
And he takes Vikki's arm in a strong grip.
Vikki: Ouch.
Calhoun: Which way?
Vikki: The ship.
Calhoun: You first.
Vikki: Okay. Ow.
He pushes her toward Delilah.
Vikki: No need to be pushy.
Valentine did indeed have his ear out for Vikki and Tian. He starts moving for the ramp as soon as he hears Vikki's warning. When he gets to the ramp, he sees a man escorting Vikki not-quite-gently toward him. Valentine keeps his expression civil but you can hear the edge in his voice as he takes in the Calhoun's hands on Vikki.
Valentine: Greetings. You wanna let my crewmember go, please?
Calhoun: Yeah.
Calhoun releases Vikki and she edges a safe distance away from him.
Valentine: Thank you.
Calhoun: You guys came in a … day ago?
Valentine: Yes, sir.
Calhoun: Got word of trouble at the Bodhi Teahouse last night. Were you there?
Valentine: I was there.
Calhoun: All right. C'n you tell me what happened?
Valentine: Some sort of … goons, is the only word I can use to describe them. They were looking to shake down the owner for some sort of—
Calhoun: That's a very serious accusation.
Valentine: Like I said, I was trying not to get involved with it. To be honest, we're here for a week, maybe a week and a half more or less and I'm trying not to get involved in a court dispute or anything. Court would take forever. The wheels of Justice grind slowly.
Calhoun: Of course, of course, they do. Well, we do our best here to make sure they keep turnin'.
Valentine: Sure.
Calhoun: So you saw some goons, as you describe them, tryin' to shake down the owner of this teahouse?
Valentine: That's what it looked like to me.
Calhoun scratches his chin and squints at Valentine. Valentine keeps his expression civil and law-abiding.
Calhoun: Yeah, we heard some reports about that. Were they askin' for anything in particular?
Valentine: It didn't seem so? I'm not involved in that sort of criminal nonsense but it seemed they thought they were owed something and she seemed to think that they weren't.
Calhoun: I would assume you would know what sort of establishment that is.
Valentine: It seems a little bit shady perhaps but the tea was good.
Calhoun: I don't know what you're—now you're a stranger here.
Valentine: That's true.
Calhoun: So I'm gonna let you know we're lookin' at two sets of bad guys here. We got the drug house lurin' in young people who lose their lives to opium and hashish and other things. And then you got these thugs tryin' to extort her for protection money. They're both bad sorts. If you could p'rhaps help me out with some evidence about this, then I can finally put an end to both of them. Now I understand that some witness said that there may have been some, ah, item of value that they were talkin' about.
Calhoun sighs and scratches his chin again, then looks at Valentine.
Calhoun: The reason I'm bringin' this up is because that might reach the statute. See right now all I got is, you know, they'll both say nothing happened even though I got witnesses sayin' it did. And if they're not gonna press charges, there's not much I can do. But if I can get them on possession of this … substance …
Valentine: Sure. I see where you're going.
Calhoun: That's a crime I can get both of them on. And so I can clean up the streets. So I need good citizens like you helpin' out in this regard.
Valentine nods helpfully in that regard but doesn't say anything more. Calhoun doesn't give up.
Calhoun: You know, I can see how a well-meanin' person might see this old woman and think she might need protectin' but she's not the sweet old lady she might pretend to be.
Valentine: I have a mild bit of experience with sweet old ladies that aren't what they pretend to be but I'll be honest. I'm not sure I feel comfortable testifying because I don't think I heard or saw anything that would actually be useable by you. And I think that the last thing you would want is—
Calhoun: What did you say your name was?
Valentine didn't.
Valentine: Valentine Quick, sir.
Calhoun: Mr. Quick. I have reason to believe that some … materials … left her possession last night
Valentine: Okay.
Calhoun: But the only people seen leaving were you. Now, I can totally overlook, as innocents tryin' to help out, as long as those materials are placed in my possession. If not, I'm going to have to lock down your ship, search it, and if you've got anything else aboard that's not up to snuff—
Valentine: Now you've got a wide selection of witnesses that saw everybody that left the teahouse that night? You got a judge's order or a magistrate's order?
Calhoun: As Sheriff that's my responsibility. I don't need a warrant.
Tian, of course, has been carefully watching this from her clinic. She gives Valentine time to defuse the situation. When it becomes clear that the Sheriff isn't going to be easily put off—and Valentine's good at that sort of thing—she makes her way over to the ramp.
Tian: Captain, are we having a problem?
Valentine: It seems he feels that we have some sort of evidence that we should be handing over. He wants to search the ship. He hasn't a warrant. He's flexing his muscle, is what he's doing.
Calhoun: I actually don't want to search the ship. Who knows what I'll find—.
Valentine: Yes, trust me. Have you seen our ship? You really don't want to search it. Do you value your sperm?
Sperm? That makes Calhoun blink.
Calhoun: Hey, uh …
Tian: Captain?
Valentine: One second, Sheriff.
Tian: (all innocence) I believe Secretary Han was asking about whether or not he could take a tour later today? (to Calhoun) Sheriff? If you want to take a walk through when the Secretary comes through, I'm sure we could make some arrangement.
Calhoun: If that's possible—oh, I got some rounds to do first. Of course, don't leave town. I may be back. And I sincerely would hate to think that the Secretary might be implicated in anything like this.
Tian: Oh. Implicated? In what?
Calhoun: I already know what sort of troubles he might have, so … I'll be back.
Valentine: (evenly) I'm sure you will.
Calhoun backs off the ramp with a polite nod. He turns away with a sweeping look at the ship and the crew. It has a tactical observance to it. He swaggers off with confidence, like he knows he's got everything sewn up. Valentine is observing details as well. As the Sheriff turns and walks off, Valentine sees the glint of body armor under the man's clothing. Keeping a weather eye on the man and the area around the ship, Valentine also spots someone lurking around the corner of a shipping container at the tarmac's edge. Looking closer, he recognizes the lurker as Weasel. A moment later, Valentine sees the Sheriff and Weasel meet and converse briefly.
Great.
Valentine: That's interesting. I really shouldn't be surprised. The local Sheriff and Weasel are in cahoots.
Tian: No, you really shouldn't be surprised.
Vikki: … Yeah … Figures.
Tian: I did somewhat forget to mention to you—do you remember the conversation I had with you last night?
Valentine: About the opium dealers?
Tian: Well, about … ahm … Just what's going on in the area in general.
Valentine: Oh. Yeah.
Tian: Yeah. I don't know if it'll work more than this one time, but Zhang offered the name to drop so I took him up on it just that moment because I have no idea what in the world did you get us into?
Rachel slips out to join them on the ramp as Valentine sighs and fills Tian in.
Valentine: So … her frenemy … (nods at Rachel) … is the owner of the teashop—the druggie hashish opium teashop, and—
Tian: (groaning) Oh God, really?
Valentine: Really. While we were there discussing the Old Earth cache of stuff, and she's seeming to imply that the set of records that we got and that they discovered was basically the tip of the iceberg …
Tian: So … what? Did they find one of the Ark ships that didn't make it all the way?
Valentine: Might as well be. It seems likely that the … the Collector—
Vikki: No, the Custodian.
Valentine: The Custodian, yes. It's thieves stealing from thieves stealing from thieves but basically, think about a huge huge pile of Old Earth stuff. And so we were discussing this with her when that psychopath Weasel walked in.
Tian: That's the one that the Sheriff just walked away with?
Valentine: That's the one.
Tina: (dry) When it rains, it pours.
No joke.
Valentine: He basically came to shake down the owner for the package that I hid inside the ship—
Tian: I know nothing!
Valentine: It's a little too late for that.
Tian: Oh no, I hear nothing. (covers her ears) La, la, la!
Valentine: Once again, too late for that.
Tian: La, la, la.
Valentine: You can close your eyes and cover your ears all you want but that pile of drugs is still there.
Tian: I am going back to my clinic and just so you know, I'm not going to be here tonight.
Valentine: (calmly) And where will you be?
Tian: Dinner. With a friend.
Vikki beams.
Vikki: Oh, good for you! Shower. Smell nice!
Valentine: (to Tian) Good for you. (to Vikki) And we're going to have to talk a little bit, Mad Genius, about social etiquette.
Vikki: But I hope she—.
Rachel just busts out laughing.
Vikki: But Val, we're all crew amongst ourselves here.
Valentine: There are still ways you could phrase that a little better.
Vikki draws breath to protest but Rachel's indignation trumps the conversation. She can't believe that Valentine is taking Vikki to task.
Rachel: Smell nice? That Weasel sumbitch called me old.
Tian: Whoa! Seriously?
Rachel: Yeah. I knew you'd understand.
Tian: How rude!
Rachel: I know. Want me to help you pick something out?
Tian: (incredulous) I'm just going to dinner with a friend!
Rachel: Uh huh.
Rachel just grins. It might start out as dinner, but why not see where it goes? And if it goes, why not be dressed for it? Tian sees the look on Rachel's face and gives in with a laugh.
Tian: Yes! Come help me pick something because I haven't gone out with a friend in ages.
The two women go off arm in arm and Vikki looks at Valentine.
Vikki: See? You lecture me but you don't lecture her?
Valentine: I've already lectured Rachel three times today. I only get three times a day with her.
Vikki: It doesn't work with her, so why do you think it works with me?
Valentine: I don't. But it's my job as Captain to make those lectures anyway.
Vikki: You're on a ship full of women, you know.
Valentine: I know. It's my job to make those lectures even if I don't think they're gonna work.
Valentine and Vikki follow Rachel and Tian aboard. The women's conversation drifts back to the Captain and the Engineer.
Tian: Slacks? Well, we're walking on the beach, though. I think. Maybe not. I think he said something about a beach.
Rachel: You don't want slacks on a beach, honey. You gotta roll them up otherwise.
Tian: Well, I don't want clam diggers.
Rachel: Either that or a skirt.
Tian: Ooh!
Rachel: Tian, you still got really nice legs, darlin'.
Tian: I haven't worn a skirt in … (thinks, fails) …Jesus.
Rachel: If there's a breeze, you want a nice flowy skirt.
Tian: It's just a friendly dinner!
Rachel: I got a lotta friends, honey.
Tian: He's not that kinda friend!
Rachel: They're not all that kinda friends, either.
Tian: Well, he's… not that I know.
And there's something in her voice that sounds as if maybe she's hoping that Zhang is that kind of friend.
Rachel: Tian, I have a lotta friends who just like to hang out, drink beer, and have a poker night. I don't always … (rolls her eyes) ….
Tian: That sounds like fun.
Rachel: It is a lotta fun. It's more fun lettin' everybody think that you had a merry ol' time.
Vikki leans over to Valentine and whispers:
Vikki: I'm sure whoever her friend is, he's got good intentions and I'm not saying she doesn't smell good.
Valentine: (whispers back) At this point I don't care about that. I'm just hoping that whoever her friend is, carries.
Vikki picks up his meaning right off.
Vikki: Well, yeah. That was the second thought that went through my head. If she's going out to dinner alone with a friend who happens to be the Magistrate or Governor or whatever of this place, then I'm kinda hoping he brings a bodyguard if not a gun.
Valentine: Look, she's an adult human being. I'll trust her own judgment in that matter.
Vikki: I'm not saying her judgment's bad. It's everybody else's bad judgment I don't trust. "Oh, that's a shiny target. Let's take her out."
Valentine: Okay, let's think positive.
Vikki: Oh, I am positive. Positive something's going to happen.
Rachel takes Tian up to her quarters on the bridge deck and pulls out a cute little sundress from her wardrobe. It's obviously from Rachel's younger days and yet it plays up Tian's assets. Which is why Rachel picked it out. Tian admits she's spent too much time in either military uniform or a doctor's white coat. She says as much when she models the dress to the crew. Vikki agrees that the change of pace looks good.
Vikki: And you might want to take that stick out of your butt.
Tian: Why?
Vikki: (grinning) It might get in the way.
Rachel: Meow?
Valentine: I'm going to suggest, once again, we might want to have a Social Interactions 101. The population of the class will be … (to Vikki) … you.
Rachel: It will be a very not-crowded class, with just you.
Valentine: No, there are people who could also use this class.
Tian: (laughing) Poco.
Valentine: And Rachel.
Rachel: Honey, you c'n keep thinkin' these things but it ain't workin'.
Poco: I'll take it if you want me to. Is it one'a those "Learning what fork to use"?
Rachel: Naw, he wants me to lean over an' take insults.
Valentine: No, I want you to learn to pick your spot a little more carefully.
Rachel: (chin up) He looked like a nice young man who would respond to being slapped gently.
Here we go.
Valentine: (heavily) "He looked like a nice young man"?
Rachel: (yup!) He did. Until I hit him.
Valentine: Okay, and the second thing I'd like you to do is bring your glasses with you and wear them, so that you can tell that that guy was not a nice young man but a complete and total sociopath.
Rachel: No, it was only when I hit him that he became a sociopath. An' you better hope I don't get glasses. It'll be a real scary day if I ever I need glasses. "What am I landin' on?"
Rachel mimes flying blind. It looks like Valentine's fourth argument of the day with Rachel didn't work either.
Vikki: Well, look. I'll trade ya, Val. I'll take the Social Graces-whatever if you'll teach me how to lie better.
Valentine: I don't want you to learn how to lie better. I like you the way you are.
Vikki: But I probably could've put that guy off the scent if I'd known how to lie.
Nope. Valentine isn't hearing it. He breaks up the meeting and dispatches the crew to their duties. They might have psychopathic/sociopathic weasels in cahoots with crooked Sheriffs who might not be scared off by Tian's friend-in-high-places, but you never know. Anything could happen and only the Universe will know what time will bring.
But showers would be a good idea. Just in case.
Jump to :Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Special Features
Return to Episodes | Season Two | Firefly-RPG Homepage | Crew Page
