Episode 201: Crossroads, Part 3
Christian: Well, can I just say: Holy Crap.
Nika: I take a couple weeks vacation and the world goes to hell.
Christian: Literally.
Nika: (undertone) …Oh, my God….
Arden: It’s not really that surprising.
Christian: How are you not surprised at a breakout of an unknown disease that’s Quarantined the system?
Arden: Becaue it’s the Alliance that did it.
Nika: Okay, just as a hypothetical, if we’re going to try to run the blockade, I’m not sure the Gift is in any shape to do that. (to Rina) If we’re gonna try this, you gotta make sure she’s not gonna tear apart.
Arden: What are the requirements of running a blockade?
Christian: Not getting hit by a—
Arden: (annoyed) I got that.
Rina: You need fast and maneuverable and can turn on a dime….and our ship can’t do that.
However, the powers that be can’t blockade the ENTIRE system. They can’t enclose the system with a power net. There will be holes for ships like ours to slip through. We just have to find them. The trade routes for Georgia and White Sun are the surest routes out of Blue Sun and likely to be the most scrutinized and policed so those aren’t our first choice. Given the elliptic of Blue Sun is 90 degrees to the greater ecliptic, the arc that faces the uncharted out-system Black may be less policed than the obvious ports of call…but the trade off would be lack of fuel stations. You’d need a big gas tank to cover the distance needed to leave and then double back once outside of the Feds’ sensor range.
There is the problem of food and fuel for the longer trip. The Decatur will supply us with the food and the fuel, but we may have to sacrifice a few of our cargo containers for fuel pods. Which would be a fair trade off—there would be no point in having the cargo capacity of the containers if we hadn’t the fuel capacity to deliver them. As for Decatur and her crew….
Christian: If we’re blockade running for them? They’ll supply us. Nika: And bear in mind, they’re well funded. Which means maybe we can make a contract to make these runs for them. Arden: Then I’d like to stand in line for insurance fraud to get a Longbow.
The others laugh and Rina swats Arden for that one.
Christian: The gentleman is a …let me put it this way: If he came to the Core, the Priestesses of the Temple would be the ones that he contracted with.
Nika: Oh my.
Now that’s pretty high up there, in nosebleed country.
Rina: So he has more money than God?
Christian: Well, not more money than God, obviously.
Arden: But he’s in the Top Ten.
Christian: But chances are likely that most of our fuel comes from him.
Rick: So why doesn’t he just pay to have food and supplies shipped in to him?
After all, we remember he has that moon somewhere to serve as his distribution center. He uses it for that purpose for his fuel business already. How hard can it be to route food and med supplies along with the fuel?
Nika: It’s not a matter of money. He said he couldn’t find anybody willing to run the blockades.
Christian: Actually, he didn’t say that but that they’re always looking for more.
So, are we in the blockade running business or not? Nika insists we need to get Brian to the better medical facilities on Osiris. While Decatur has the facilities Brian needs right now, he is going to need better PT and rehab than Decatur has. We have to run the blockade to get to Osiris. And there’s another wrinkle in the landscape…
Rina: Sooner or later the PDF is gonna be gunned for.
Christian: If this ends, the Alliance is going to see the PDF as a challenge to their authority.
Rina: Exactly.
Rick: Yeah, but they might be able to get the Independent to rally behind them.
Rina: Okay, which bureaucracy ever—ever—willingly gave up power it got for itself after it’s used to having it?
Rick: Then what you’re saying is that’s what the Independents are—?
Rina: No. What I’m saying is the PDF is letting the Alliance off the hook for doing its duty but once the Alliance decides the PDF is outlived its usefulness, regardless who’s manning those PDF ships, the Alliance is going to gun for. Because they cannot stand as a challenge to their authority.
Rick: But what I’m saying is the PDF can turn to the side of the Independents for—
Christian: They already have. but we don’t know how militant they are. They could be of the change-from-within variety. The man is very rich and very influential within the Alliance.
We get hailed from our airlock. It’s Shyla and Harry. The access is locked and they need to come in.
Nika: Did we lock the door?
Rina: Are you kidding? You’ve got me on the crew. Of course we locked the frikkin’ door.
Nika: My suggestion here would be that since we know we to have to run the blockade at least once, let’s talk to him about what he wants. See if we can make a contract based on that.
Rina: I’ve got no problem with that.
Christian: I’ll go let them in.
Christian returns with Shyla and Harry and as they settle in, he says to Shyla:
Christian: Let me guess: he’s going to give you a ship and you’re going to run the blockade for him.
Shyla: Yes, he is going to give me a ship. The question is: do you want to join me on my ship or…? You’re all obviously skilled people. We’d be happy to have you. Or if you’d prefer… (gestures at the Gift) It’s up to you. (a beat) But I will let you know that what Mr. You has suggested and I’ve known him for some time—he is one of the ‘others’ I spoke of—
Christian: He is a faction.
Shyla: While the Quarantine is obviously a pressing humanitarian issue, the purpose of us having this Longbow is not to enforce the Quarantine. It is to declare independence.
Christian: And he’s taking advantage of the Quarantine to build up his fleet without Alliance interference.
Rina: Aw, shit….
Shyla: They are doing this, yes, and I have decided to join them.
Arden: I am not changing my name to Patrick Henry.
Shyla: I don’t know if you caught that, the name of Decatur.
Rina: (getting it now) Ahh…Ancient history…
Shyla: Decatur was the Captain who captured the Intrepid from the Barbary Pirates back in the—
Rina: War of 1812.
Shyla: Yes.
Christian: Here’s the thing: everyone has a say in what they want to do.
Shyla: I understand if you want to stay on your ship. I understand if you want to get out of Blue Sun as fast as you can. There’s no shame in that.
Nika: (stung) You know better than that.
Shyla: You know what? Part of me would want to go with you, but this is yet another time the Alliance has shut the door and I’m not going to—I’ve been asked to help and I think I can help.
And there it is, Nika’s flaw—her friend and former Captain has effectively issued a challenge and Nika by nature cannot back down from a challenge thrown. Should she take the challenge or back down?
Christian: How violent is this going to get if his plans come to fruition?
Shyla: It could get bad.
Christian: Is he planning open insurrection? I mean, he’s assembling a fleet of warships. Well, at least two.
Shyla: From what You has told me, once we have control of Blue Sun and whle the alliance has no interest in it, the difficulty in taking it back may be something we can negotiate at the time.
Christian: Because Blue Sun is the least valuable.
Shyla: We’re the least valuable, the least populated, we’re not a major consumer of goods at this stage. If it could be a haven for malcontents, we would hae to deal with them instead of the Alliance, but it’s possible that they would be willing to cede.
Making an entire system a penal colony?
Christian: I don’t want to besmirch anyone but You has just positioned himself to become the person who could most benefit from this disease.
NOTE: Part 3 isn't finished. There's more to come--Maer
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