Editing Episode 312: Stealing Away Home

We leave Shepherd’s Mission on the 19th of November, arrive at ''Orcus'' on the 20th, and spend the next 6 days salvaging parts.  That brings us up to the 26th of November.  When we leave ''Orcus'', it takes us only a day to get to New Canaan, making landfall there on the 27th of November.

Our stores, however, are a different matter.  We need everything: food, fuel, medicine and Flomoxipan.  Arden leaves the ship to get the meds and before he goes, Rina gives him her last 15 credits and tells him to buy Flomoxipan with it, ''and'' to bring it back to ''her''.  If Joshua is adamant about skipping doses to make the meds last longer, by God she’s going to see to it that he has at least a half-month supply at full dose in reserve.  Just in case.  Arden is successful and hands her a small case containing 15 vials.  She stashes it in her quarters.

Meanwhile Joshua attempts to pick up the passenger/friend that Christian has arranged for us to take to Ariel. As our ship’s steward, Joshua is the logical choice for this duty.  Our passenger, however, cannot be found.  Calling for her at the Companion House turns up disappointing news.  Eliza Garrett is not there.  She left earlier that morning to meet us at the spaceport.  When four hours pass and she fails to show, Nika and Joshua fear the worst and set out to find her, hoping to encounter her somewhere on her route from the Companion House to our doorstep.  Or, barring that, finding news of her and her whereabouts.  We have no vehicle to pick her up in so they rent horses and ride out for the Companion House outside the spaceport and city.

Meanwhile, out in the open air on horseback, Nika and Joshua make the ride to the Companion House.  It’s on a high mountainside and at the foot of it runs a river, a village nestled near its banks and a monastery on the opposite shore.  Passing through the village, they encounter a band of monks knocking on the doors and talking to the people.  It seems the band is a patrol set to guard the village against the dangers of immorality, with special warning for the villagers to keep their young boys from falling prey to the blandishments of the Companions upslope.   

Our crew speak to the monks and quickly get the lay of the land.  The monks consider the Companion House and those in it to be their moral adversaries, and they see themselves as the village’s shield against the immorality the Companions might contaminate the area with.  The monks are also staunch Browncoats and any whiff of disagreement to their methods is instantly attributed to loyalty to the Alliance.  Unfortunately, Nika inadvertently brands herself a Fed in the monks eyes when she disagrees with their assessment of Companions, and they clam up and refuse to help us look for the missing woman.  She and Joshua withdraw to the edge of the village and wait for nightfall before questioning the villagers, and from their vantage point on a rise above the houses they see the monks roust the inhabitants for a sunset prayer service.  Vespers?  Perhaps.  It’s not a long service and the people are soon released to go back to their homes.  The monks make off for their monastery and our crew make their way back to the village.   

They knock on the door of an old woman, describe Eliza and to their relief, the woman verifies that yes, Eliza did pass through the village just this morning in the direction of Ba’al spaceport.  She even gives a description of Eliza, down to her appearance and the fact that she was carrying what looks like a fancy banjo on her back.  Knowing that they are looking in the wrong place, Nika and Joshua thank the woman and ride back toward Ba’al, keeping an eye peeled for Eliza on the way. it’s full dark by the time they ride back to the livery, return the horses and get back to the ship.  A call to the Companion House verifies the old village woman’s description and timetable for Eliza’s travels, along with the fact that Eliza did take her instrument, as befitting her job as music teacher.  If nothing untoward happened to her while on the road, chances are very good that Eliza is in Ba’al and is simply waiting for morning before approaching our ship.  

The crew gathers together and heads out to the city, near the entrance where Eliza would've entered. Rina sees something that quickly convinces her there is some sort of slave trade happening and the rest of the crew works hard to keep her from completely scaring away any people that they might be able to question. As he falls behind, Joshua hears sitar music coming from a side alley and slipping away behind Nika’s back, he goes to investigate.  He follows the music to a little hole-in-the-wall teashop, maybe only about 7 tables all told, and there in the back is Eliza Garrett playing her sitar for the enjoyment of the customers.  He waits until her set is finished before approaching her and introducing himself.  She’s delighted to meet him and is a little relieved to find the ''Gift''’s crew. He contacts Nika on the com and tells them that he has found her and they can go back to the ship. Nika collects the crew from the bar they wandered into, but not before Rick bellies up to the bar counter and orders two drinks—instantly makes it several more, which he speed drinks two-fisted.  He slams them back and they all head back to the ''Gift''. Meanwhile, Joshua escorts Eliza back to the ''Gift'' as well.  Once there, Joshua installs Eliza in the remaining first class stateroom and sees she’s made comfortable.   

Once she’s aboard and everyone’s been introduced—including Rina, now awake after the meds have worn off—we tell Eliza that we have to detour to Meridian on the way to Ariel to help out a friend in need.  Eliza agrees to this and we take off on the morning of the 28th for Meridian. Before leaving, Eliza stops at the information desk at the spaceport. Joshua, curious, asks the man behind the counter what she was asking about. He is unwilling to give much, but says she was asking about travel brochures and vacation information.

 

Now that we know where she is, the crew debates whether we essay a rescue.  After some wrangling, we agree to go and try to spring her out of her house arrest.  Asking questions of the staff that maintain the community, we get the lay of the land from one of the landscape gardeners and thus armed with intel, we call Valerie to tell her we’re coming.  We hire a water taxi out to the floating estate and take off. On the way

They start frisking us for weapons. Arden adroitly dodges his frisker, Rina steps up and punches for the frisker…and misses.  She’s still recuperating from her injuries and she’s not at the top of her game, nope.  Still, she has her vest on beneath her coveralls and she has her fists.  Meanwhile, Joshua rushes the leader of the thugs, despite the other man’s gun being aimed right at him.  Joshua rushes him and successfully disarms him. The gun goes skittering across the concrete.  Arden puts his gun to the man’s eyeball and orders him not to move.  Nika covers her crewmates and sees another goon behind us at the chain link fence.

From the courtyard in front of us, a man wearing the gloves of a Blue Hand walks up, backed up with two goons with guns.  He gives us his ultimatum: ''Give us Arden and we can walk away.''

Joshua rushes him but is put to sleep with a single uttered phrase from the Blue Hand.  

 

Blue Hand: ''Oh-'''ess'''-das-'''vah'''.  Noy-yey.''

The thugs get their licks in.  Rina and Nika are both hit for damage. And Blue Hand pulls out his sonic device, triggering it without concern for his nearby men.  Nika jumps over the side into the water but Rina is unable to do the same—she’s too far away from the parapet.  She runs for the dubious shelter of the trees and buildings in the courtyard but falls to the sonics, despite.

Go back to: [[Episode 311: Suckered | '''Suckered''']] | Forward to: '''[[Episode 313: Trade Off | Trade Off ]]'''<br>