Editing Episode 509: Joshua Drake, This Is NOT Your Life ... , Part Four
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Arden: I’m bored. There’s no books. There’s no tv. <br> | Arden: I’m bored. There’s no books. There’s no tv. <br> | ||
Nika: There are cards and everything in here.<br> | Nika: There are cards and everything in here.<br> | ||
| − | Rina: You have a blonde woman willing to sit on your face. | + | Rina: You have a blonde woman willing to sit on your face. How can you be bored?<br> |
Arden: Um, the fact that she wouldn’t. And there’s no privacy here anyway.<br> | Arden: Um, the fact that she wouldn’t. And there’s no privacy here anyway.<br> | ||
Rina: We’d turn around.<br><br> | Rina: We’d turn around.<br><br> | ||
| − | Okay, now she’s just needling him. Kiera stares, twitches, and goes back to her card game. Having gotten the measure of her engineer—twitchy but stable, willing to go along, humor is a good sign—Nika gauges her other engineer, Beglan, next. His constitution is not as hardy as the rest of the crew but he seems to be getting better. Unlike Rina who routinely punishes herself with impatience as she heals, he’s sensibly taking it easy. Getting plenty of rest, taking in fluids, that sort of thing. Nika keeps an eye on him throughout the day, as she does on the ‘girls’. She sees they’re popular and the | + | Okay, now she’s just needling him. Kiera stares, twitches, and goes back to her card game. Having gotten the measure of her engineer—twitchy but stable, willing to go along, humor is a good sign—Nika gauges her other engineer, Beglan, next. His constitution is not as hardy as the rest of the crew but he seems to be getting better. Unlike Rina who routinely punishes herself with impatience as she heals, he’s sensibly taking it easy. Getting plenty of rest, taking in fluids, that sort of thing. Nika keeps an eye on him throughout the day, as she does on the ‘girls’. She sees they’re popular and the Aceso crew attentive and so far everything’s sailing smoothly. However, we have yet to see Joshua.<br><br> |
Rina: I don’t like that.<br> | Rina: I don’t like that.<br> | ||
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Nika: Yeah, no. <br><br> | Nika: Yeah, no. <br><br> | ||
| − | The woman pulls a card from her pocket and waves it at the panel next to the elevator. The elevator doors whisk open and they ride to the top deck and step out into what is obviously an observation area. Through the clear panoramic windows, Nika is surrounded by the starry Black and the field is filled with points of light and the ships of the fleet. And aft and a little below she can see our ship parked between | + | The woman pulls a card from her pocket and waves it at the panel next to the elevator. The elevator doors whisk open and they ride to the top deck and step out into what is obviously an observation area. Through the clear panoramic windows, Nika is surrounded by the starry Black and the field is filled with points of light and the ships of the fleet. And aft and a little below she can see our ship parked between Aceso’s nacelles, being worked on. Ambulance jockeys most likely.<br><br> |
As a view, it’s stunning. As a courtesy, much appreciated. As a means of manipulation …<br><br> | As a view, it’s stunning. As a courtesy, much appreciated. As a means of manipulation …<br><br> | ||
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Woman: Is that you? That was your ship?<br> | Woman: Is that you? That was your ship?<br> | ||
Nika: Yes, am’am.<br> | Nika: Yes, am’am.<br> | ||
| − | Woman: | + | Woman: That is a remarkable coincidence, that not only that you should have this unusual character to your story but that also you were the ship that went to Miranda and returned to tell the tale. That is very interesting. Hmm! Well, I wonder what that was like?<br><br> |
Her surprise and admiration seems genuine. Nika hopes it is. The woman looks at her with something like respect.<br><br> | Her surprise and admiration seems genuine. Nika hopes it is. The woman looks at her with something like respect.<br><br> | ||
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Nika: No, I understood him to be a contract agent.<br> | Nika: No, I understood him to be a contract agent.<br> | ||
Woman: Hm. I think I’ve heard this right, that he was a Blue Sun agent. Is that right?<br> | Woman: Hm. I think I’ve heard this right, that he was a Blue Sun agent. Is that right?<br> | ||
| − | Nika: He was an agent of | + | Nika: He was an agent of some kind, that his identi—<br> |
Woman: I’m not denying that probability.<br> | Woman: I’m not denying that probability.<br> | ||
Nika: That his identity at that time was a Cmdr of the Alliance Navy, so I was not under the impression that he was actually in the Navy, no.<br> | Nika: That his identity at that time was a Cmdr of the Alliance Navy, so I was not under the impression that he was actually in the Navy, no.<br> | ||
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Nika: I think at the point we assumed it.<br> | Nika: I think at the point we assumed it.<br> | ||
Woman: So there is some disagreement on your own crew as to who he was working for.<br> | Woman: So there is some disagreement on your own crew as to who he was working for.<br> | ||
| − | Nika: Yeah, I don’t think | + | Nika: Yeah, I don’t think he quite knew who he was working for.<br> |
Woman: I see. But you all got your theories.<br> | Woman: I see. But you all got your theories.<br> | ||
Nika: Pretty much.<br> | Nika: Pretty much.<br> | ||
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Woman: I’ve only read some reports, I’ve seen some family videos from when he was a child and such but I don’t know this person at all. But it’s an interesting story, this idea that there is a … an outside group infiltrating the highest levels of—<br> | Woman: I’ve only read some reports, I’ve seen some family videos from when he was a child and such but I don’t know this person at all. But it’s an interesting story, this idea that there is a … an outside group infiltrating the highest levels of—<br> | ||
| − | Nika: (near-drawl) I did | + | Nika: (near-drawl) I did not say that at all. <br> |
Woman: He was—<br> | Woman: He was—<br> | ||
| − | Nika: I | + | Nika: I love how you spin things out though. It’s really entertaining.<br> |
Woman: Let me put it this way. We believe that Lt. Cmdr. Wise was part of a fairly specialized science investigators, which would be—<br> | Woman: Let me put it this way. We believe that Lt. Cmdr. Wise was part of a fairly specialized science investigators, which would be—<br> | ||
Nika: Well that would tally with what he was doing.<br> | Nika: Well that would tally with what he was doing.<br> | ||
Woman: Which is high ranking and difficult to infiltrate, we hope.<br> | Woman: Which is high ranking and difficult to infiltrate, we hope.<br> | ||
| − | Nika: As I said, he may have just been an agent within that, doing something as Joshua Drake, the identity he took on at the time. He knew | + | Nika: As I said, he may have just been an agent within that, doing something as Joshua Drake, the identity he took on at the time. He knew then, or presumed then, that that may not be his real name. So for example, to find now that just by sheer stupid accident that we’ve run into someone who knows him is not necessarily a terrible surprise to me. He was very up-front about the fact that he didn’t know about his own past.<br> |
Woman: And you offered, you said, to help him find his past but he, he refused?<br> | Woman: And you offered, you said, to help him find his past but he, he refused?<br> | ||
Nika: He said he was not ready yet.<br><br> | Nika: He said he was not ready yet.<br><br> | ||
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Nika: How do you know that—you’re telling me now that he was part of a top-secret agent in the military so … maybe that was the unit doing experiments on the Reavers, trying to figure out how to kill them.<br> | Nika: How do you know that—you’re telling me now that he was part of a top-secret agent in the military so … maybe that was the unit doing experiments on the Reavers, trying to figure out how to kill them.<br> | ||
Woman: I think I can safely say if that were the case then there should be no problems, but I can’t see why he would want to board your ship voluntarily at that stage. Which, so far, all of you have asserted.<br> | Woman: I think I can safely say if that were the case then there should be no problems, but I can’t see why he would want to board your ship voluntarily at that stage. Which, so far, all of you have asserted.<br> | ||
| − | Nika: Yes, he did, in fact. The situation with the Reavers was | + | Nika: Yes, he did, in fact. The situation with the Reavers was quite out of control.<br> |
Woman: and in his current condition with his … brain surgery and his drug addiction, he seems to corroborate your story.<br> | Woman: and in his current condition with his … brain surgery and his drug addiction, he seems to corroborate your story.<br> | ||
Nika: I never knew he had brain surgery but either way in terms of boarding the vessel, he … ah …<br> | Nika: I never knew he had brain surgery but either way in terms of boarding the vessel, he … ah …<br> | ||
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Nika: No.<br> | Nika: No.<br> | ||
Woman: How do you know?<br> | Woman: How do you know?<br> | ||
| − | Nika: Because I see Joshua after the surgery’s done and I get a full report on what was done and I can | + | Nika: Because I see Joshua after the surgery’s done and I get a full report on what was done and I can certainly tell whether or not the man’s had his head cut into.<br> |
Woman: Can you?<br><br> | Woman: Can you?<br><br> | ||
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Nika: (gotcha) Ah-ah.<br> | Nika: (gotcha) Ah-ah.<br> | ||
Woman: I’ve heard about—<br> | Woman: I’ve heard about—<br> | ||
| − | Nika: There are | + | Nika: There are theories about what he was doing but no one knows what precisely what Joshua was doing aside from Joshua himself.<br> |
Woman: So you’re saying—some of your crewmates have suggested otherwise—that he wasn’t doing anything like that.<br> | Woman: So you’re saying—some of your crewmates have suggested otherwise—that he wasn’t doing anything like that.<br> | ||
Nika: We can only tell you for certain what he was doing at the time and what he as been able to tell us since then.<br> | Nika: We can only tell you for certain what he was doing at the time and what he as been able to tell us since then.<br> | ||
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Woman: Certainly not. So you would agree, as his commanding officer, that he ought to be evaluated. I’m sure that you’ve learned, since you came here, that he has brain damage.<br> | Woman: Certainly not. So you would agree, as his commanding officer, that he ought to be evaluated. I’m sure that you’ve learned, since you came here, that he has brain damage.<br> | ||
Nika: You’ve informed me that there’s some evidence of surgical intervention, yes.<br> | Nika: You’ve informed me that there’s some evidence of surgical intervention, yes.<br> | ||
| − | Woman: I don’t want to cast any aspersion on any judgments made by Cmdr. Wise, but if you knew now that he boarded your ship on the false claim that he was, say, a contract agent for some shadowy secret agency but not, in fact, and but then discover that he had brain damage | + | Woman: I don’t want to cast any aspersion on any judgments made by Cmdr. Wise, but if you knew now that he boarded your ship on the false claim that he was, say, a contract agent for some shadowy secret agency but not, in fact, and but then discover that he had brain damage and was under the influence of narcotic substances, you would not feel he was under any obligation to—nor would you be—under any obligation to follow through on contracts or anything made at that stage, right? That would be crazy, to think that somebody under those conditions could make good decisions for themselves.<br><br> |
Silence.<br><br> | Silence.<br><br> | ||
Woman: Or do you buy that story. You think there’s more—aren’t you concerned? About his brain damage? <br> | Woman: Or do you buy that story. You think there’s more—aren’t you concerned? About his brain damage? <br> | ||
| − | Nika: (firmly) What I’m concerned about is my XO being railroaded. Because his father wants what’s best for him | + | Nika: (firmly) What I’m concerned about is my XO being railroaded. Because his father wants what’s best for him under his father’s definition of what’s best for him.<br> |
Woman: So you think what’s best for him is that he ought to—<br> | Woman: So you think what’s best for him is that he ought to—<br> | ||
| − | Nika: | + | Nika: I’m not going to say what’s best for him because that’s up to him.<br> |
Woman: Okay, so by your reasoning, if he thought that there were demons around, then you would want to encourage this belief because that’s what he thinks is best, to go slay demons.<br> | Woman: Okay, so by your reasoning, if he thought that there were demons around, then you would want to encourage this belief because that’s what he thinks is best, to go slay demons.<br> | ||
Nika: Lady, I’ve been through a lot of things with this man.<br> | Nika: Lady, I’ve been through a lot of things with this man.<br> | ||
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Woman: I guess I see it like a man dying of thirst in the ocean thinking it a good idea to drink salt water, I would say discourage that. Or perhaps a drug addict thinking they need another hit of the drug. We’d discourage that.<br> | Woman: I guess I see it like a man dying of thirst in the ocean thinking it a good idea to drink salt water, I would say discourage that. Or perhaps a drug addict thinking they need another hit of the drug. We’d discourage that.<br> | ||
| − | Nika: | + | Nika: Look. You heard him say himself that he is glad to be undergoing the removal of the drug.<br> |
Woman: I did hear that.<br> | Woman: I did hear that.<br> | ||
| − | Nika: Which I am | + | Nika: Which I am very happy for him.<br> |
Woman: It’s a good thing he found someone who was willing to do that. Because apparently for two years he was on your vessel, no one ever suggested this or followed through with this. Because of his autonomy to make choices of his own.<br> | Woman: It’s a good thing he found someone who was willing to do that. Because apparently for two years he was on your vessel, no one ever suggested this or followed through with this. Because of his autonomy to make choices of his own.<br> | ||
Nika: No, actually, it had more to do with the fact that in being uncertain what it would do for him to go cold turkey off of this medication, we were not equipped to actually— <br> | Nika: No, actually, it had more to do with the fact that in being uncertain what it would do for him to go cold turkey off of this medication, we were not equipped to actually— <br> | ||
