Editing Episode 201: Crossroads, Part 3
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So how trustworthy is Mr. You? Christian asks Harry what she thinks of him. | So how trustworthy is Mr. You? Christian asks Harry what she thinks of him. | ||
− | + | Harry: I’ve encountered him before and he seems to be … ambitious…and not an idealist at all, but it strikes me that the reason that the Browncoats failed was because they were more idealistic than they were ambitious. And had there been more ambitious leaders, there may have been greater success. So you may be right. Would it surprise me if he’d somehow engineered the panic? Not necessarily. They haven’t told us how many people are infected, so it may be that ''no one’s'' infected and this is a mere panic. But if he did that, the question is what will the results be after a few years? Would it be another dictatorship?<br> | |
− | + | Christian: Are you saying that it’s possible that the potential for mass murder is outweighed by the potential good that might be created? I realize that revolution and government are built on the backs and sacrifice of other people. <br> | |
− | + | Rina: I’m hoping those other people are not us.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: But it’s a possibility. We all have to make our decision but I don’t think we need to make it right now. We should take a night to sleep on it.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: I’m fully in favor of an independent Blue Sun. <br> | |
− | + | Christian: Mm-hm. I am not against the concept. <br> | |
− | + | Arden: I am against the concept of ''me'' picking up a gun and going to fight for that.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: That may not be necessarily true for me.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: That may not be necessarily true for everyone.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: The question is does that negate the possibility of serving aboard a ship that is doing such?<br> | |
− | + | Arden: No.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: and in addition, if this disease is real, it may be your skills may be more beneficial in a laboratory on a planet.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: Possibly, but that’s not where I want to be.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: I know. I’m just pointing it out.<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: There are people suffering right now. There is no shortage of places where people can be helpful. No shortage.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: I will point out another thing before the rest of us scatter to think or talk about our options with the others: up to this point we have not had a Captain.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: This is true.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: That is not the way the other ship runs.<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: Also true.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: And the point being?<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: I don’t run things by consensus.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: You have to be able to follow orders.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: If you disagree with an order, it waits until you go to the Captain’s office and you have a conversation. Otherwise you follow the order. Period.<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: Well, not the minute you have a problem with it…<br> | |
− | + | Nika: That is not what I said. I did not say one and then the other. I said that you do and then you go talk.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: (to Nika) I thought that you were our Captain.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: No, but we did agree that in combat emergencies you were in charge.<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: Well…<br> | |
− | + | Nika: Do you want Brian kept here in Blue Sun?<br> | |
− | + | Christian: He is your crew member.<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: I’ll be able to keep him. And keep track of him.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: I’m not sure I’m comfortable with keeping him in Blue Sun. | |
Harry merely smiles and Christian gets it. | Harry merely smiles and Christian gets it. | ||
− | + | Christian: The Longbow.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: What about it?<br> | |
− | + | Christian: They’re giving it to Shyla.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: The Longbow?!<br> | |
− | + | Christian: Yup. | |
Shyla says nothing, and that’s answer enough for Nika. | Shyla says nothing, and that’s answer enough for Nika. | ||
− | + | Nika: (with a weak laugh) Okay, that makes me just a hair more comfortable.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: Wow.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: Congratulations. (tight grin) ''Nice car''. | |
At which point, everyone laughs. | At which point, everyone laughs. | ||
− | + | Nika: (sobering) What’s the complement of a freakin’ Longbow?<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: 230.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: Wow.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: Are you ''insane?''<br> | |
− | + | Rina: (eyeroll) She can delegate.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: She had better be able to delegate.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: You’re going to be the pilot an aircraft carrier?<br> | |
− | + | Rick: She didn’t say she was going to be the pilot.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: Remember, this thing has fighters.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: And she can project her sphere of influence from it.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: (impatient whine) Now that just turns me on….! I have got to leave this conversation. | |
And she gets up and leaves the table. | And she gets up and leaves the table. | ||
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Shyla being given the Longbow and her offering us places on it opens up a whole slew of tempting options. A kick-ass med bay for Arden. A top of the line engine room for Rina to explore…. | Shyla being given the Longbow and her offering us places on it opens up a whole slew of tempting options. A kick-ass med bay for Arden. A top of the line engine room for Rina to explore…. | ||
− | + | Rina: Oh god, I am soooo tempted.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: She didn’t offer you the position of chief engineer.<br> | |
− | + | Rick: She could let you be in maintenance.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: True, but still…. (she points aft toward ''Decatur'') | |
Top of the Line! Engines! | Top of the Line! Engines! | ||
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Nika's pacing up and down the lounge and comes back to the table. | Nika's pacing up and down the lounge and comes back to the table. | ||
− | + | Nika: I want to lay out here too that ''if'' we choose to take this, I want the ''Gift'' parked too, where we can get to it.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: Right. We don’t want to sell it. We want to be able to go back to it.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: Give us a day to think about it, okay?<br> | |
− | + | Rina: (breathes) Oh my God….<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: We could tow your ship.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: I think that would just slow you down. <br> | |
− | + | Shyla: (grinning) You think a thousand tons against a million will matter?<br> | |
− | + | Rina: Hell, they probably have a docking bay big enough for us to park the ''Gift'' in a back corner. The ''Gift'' is only about 40 feet tall and a couple hundred feet long. <br> | |
− | + | Shyla: The Longbow is a twenty-two hundred feet long and seven hundred feet wide.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: So, who wants to join the military? <br> | |
− | + | Nika: I hate to break it to you but I sorta did that from the start.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: I realize that. And then you left, too. Now it’s your choice: are you going to go with them? You want to, and you want to stay here too. But you want to. And let me say this: no one should feel under obligation to stay aboard this ship.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: I wanna go but if we can’t make a consensus, I won’t.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: (even quieter now) Oh, God…<br> | |
− | + | Christian: If there’s going to be fighting there’s going to be a heavy need for a doctor. And a good engineer. And very likely someone who can lead ground missions.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: And a counselor.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: I see very little point in my role—<br> | |
− | + | Arden: Have you ever been on a deep space mission, then?<br> | |
− | + | Christian: This isn’t exactly going out to explore the unknown. <br> | |
− | + | Rina: No, but we are going to be stuck in a tin can for days at a time. People are gonna go stir crazy. <br> | |
− | + | Christian: So….I’m the cruise director? | |
That cuts the tension and we laugh. | That cuts the tension and we laugh. | ||
− | + | Christian: I’d lose my License.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: Why? Right now, you’re just a citizen under Quarantine.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: Because this is eventually going to turn into a rebellion.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: And you’re stuck in the middle. That’s all you ever have to be.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: If I were aboard that ship, I would lose my License. But who knows? If Blue Sun does get its independence, they might be able to establish a satellite Guild.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: My god, you could even be a Priest.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: No. Only women can be Priestesses and only women can run Houses. | |
To keep power over women’s bodies out of the hands of men, ever the founding principle of the Guild. | To keep power over women’s bodies out of the hands of men, ever the founding principle of the Guild. | ||
− | + | Arden: You could start a new Guild.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: No thank you.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: Wasn’t saying you had to, just saying you could.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: No.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: And you’d probably be damned good at it, but I understand. | |
Speculations on Christian’s career aside, going with ''Decatur'' and Shyla would change everything. | Speculations on Christian’s career aside, going with ''Decatur'' and Shyla would change everything. | ||
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Dramatically. | Dramatically. | ||
− | + | Nika: Yeah. No shit.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: Okay, say we don’t go and we take off on the ''Gift''. Where are we going?<br> | |
− | + | Christian: we have the choice of continuing along the way we have been, picking up jobs and having our merry adventures…<br> | |
− | + | Nika: Or we run the blockade. On a fairly regular basis. <br> | |
− | + | Rina: I was about to suggest. She’s going to need a guy on the outside.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: We’d be the scout on the outside. Bringing supplies in and out, messages in and out, information in and out.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: (firmly) That suits me fine.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: That suits me fine.<br> | |
− | + | Rick: I have no desire to be on the Longbow. One: in the previous war, I was with the Alliance, so there’s a good chance that they will let me do anything. Two: I don’t want to be a part of killing people on a regular basis. I mean, you kill people on a regular basis—<br> | |
− | + | Shyla: Not professionally.<br> | |
− | + | Rick: But I don’t want that to be my sole role.<br><br> | |
− | + | Arden: Well, when you’re in the army, they’re sorta paying you to do it. | |
− | Christian: | + | Christian: That’s only going to happen if she runs the blockade. (to Shyla) Are you going to run the blockade with your ship then?<br> |
− | + | Nika: No, the ''Decatur'' will never run the blockade. She’s too big.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: (agreeing) No. They need her here.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: My guess is they’ll do policing missions and perhaps be involved in tracking down leads on the disease and they’re going to send a flag ship to check it out.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: I would much rather be mobile. I would rather be small when the enemy’s big. I’d rather be mobile when the enemy’s slow. I’d rather slip in underneath the wire—<br> | |
− | + | Christian: What you want is to trade this ship in for something faster.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: No. Let me finish. I would rather people look at us and say, based on the ship we’ve got, “There is no fucking way they can be involved. The ship’s too slow.” And let us go on our merry. <br> | |
− | + | Christian: I don’t deny that’s going to be the case, but I understand what you’re saying.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: I would rather be underestimated and left unmolested.<br> | |
− | + | Arden: (to Christian) Then you can be Ben Franklin and be an Ambassador. Blue Sun’s first Ambassasor.<br> | |
− | + | Christian: He did have a lot of sex. | |
Rina sighs and rolls her eyes. Shyla leaves us to discuss it as a crew, taking Harry with her. | Rina sighs and rolls her eyes. Shyla leaves us to discuss it as a crew, taking Harry with her. | ||
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Christian thinks it over. | Christian thinks it over. | ||
− | + | Christian: I don’t know.<br><br> | |
− | + | Arden: Is it acceptable for ''right'' now? | |
− | + | Christian: I don’t know. I’ll let you know in the morning.<br> | |
− | + | Nika: Okay. Fair enough. | |
And we adjourn. | And we adjourn. | ||
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Christian finally agrees to throw his lot in with us. | Christian finally agrees to throw his lot in with us. | ||
− | + | Christian: I think this entire situation bears a strong resemblance to the ten blind men and the elephant.<br> | |
− | + | Rina: If you ask me, what matters is who’s got the elephant gun. <br> | |
− | + | Christian: You’re going to trust a blind man with a gun?<br> | |
− | + | Rina: Who says the blind man is the one who has it?<br> | |
− | + | Christian: Because there’s only the ten blind men and the elephant! | |
Rina’s not convinced of that, but lets it slide. Nika brings up the last point for discussion. Being that we no longer need to take Brian to the Core, and we’d want him elsewhere so we can get to him if this entire thing goes south, does ''Decatur'' have the rehab facilities he needs? Shyla answers ‘yes’ and there is a surgeon she knows who may be able to help him. | Rina’s not convinced of that, but lets it slide. Nika brings up the last point for discussion. Being that we no longer need to take Brian to the Core, and we’d want him elsewhere so we can get to him if this entire thing goes south, does ''Decatur'' have the rehab facilities he needs? Shyla answers ‘yes’ and there is a surgeon she knows who may be able to help him. |