Episode 410: Search and Rescue, Part Three

Air Date: 24 Aug 2010
Present: Kim, Maer, Terri, Andy, and Bobby

Jump to:
Part 1
Part 2

Kiera: And we can tell them that I’d like to say as his primary doctor that I would like him to stay down here, because travelling is hard on him. Y’all have some things y’all need to get done, we will try’n give you time to get them done. And then he can be released, because moving would not be the wise thing to do right now.
Arden: I could go stay at The Albatross for a few days.
Joshua: (muttering) I don’t like the idea of you staying at The Albatross.
Arden: I don’t mind staying at The Albatross.
Joshua: You’re not staying at The Albatross. (a beat) The dueling equipment is not here.
Arden: I thought it was.
Joshua: It’s up on the ship. Out of his reach.
Arden: Up on the ship. (a beat) You know … you could make yourself look like him, we can duel, and it would all be over.
Joshua: I don’t what to be him.  I could be you and lose to him.
Arden: You could be him and lose to me.
Kiera: Um, if I remember correctly, losing to you means … (wait a minute) … losing to him means he’s dead.
Arden: I really don’t care. I just want this complication to be … away. Far, far away.
Joshua: Yeah.
Arden: However, I doubt it will be away.

We’re still debating how to deal with this crisis when Nika steps into med bay reminding us of our other plan.  What about his money? Wasn’t the plan to go get the money? Rina winces, realizing that in all the work with the sea rescue, she hadn’t had the time to break the news to everyone. 

Nika: Marina.
Kiera: Howdy, Captain.
Rina: Captain.
Nika: What’d you find?
Rina: It’s gone.
Nika: (no surprise) That is just the way our life works, in’nit?
Rina: (no joke) By now, we should be used to it.
Nika: And now maybe it becomes a matter of simply attempting to talk to the Sheriff. It’s the only way we’re going to find out why that box is missing is to bring it up.
Kiera: Has anybody told Mr. Collings that his box is not there?
Nika: I’m assuming not because I just found out from Rina.

Rina shakes her head.  Nope, she hasn’t told the man either.

Kiera: So he’s sittin’ there thinkin’ we’re gonna come with it.
Nika: Well ….

Yeah.

Kiera: Where is he right now?
Nika: I don’t know off the top of my head. I was in my quarters for a little bit.

Nika motions Kiera and Arden to walk with her and they follow her into the forward lounge. Once we’re out of earshot of the patients—conscious or otherwise—they discuss their treatment.  Rina’s going to be okay, the meds are taking care of the crap in her lungs.  As for von Braun? Kiera states that it’s just a matter of keeping von Braun down for as long as we can keep him down.   The Doctor-Captain conference breaks up and Kiera goes back to med bay to take Rina off the inhaler.

Later on in the evening, we gather up Dyson and Collings to discuss this latest unhappy development with the box.

Nika: We have a small problem. The box isn’t where you said it was.
Collings: It’s gotta be there.
Nika: No. It doesn’t gotta be there. It got moved.
Joshua: (quietly) Really?
Nika: Which probably means someone opened the box and said, “Oh wow! Tons of money!”
Arden: No wonder they buy our supplies.
Kiera: (speculative) Hmmmm …
Nika: That’s a possibility.  Right there.  They could be using it to keep the town afloat. Who knows?
Collings: (to Joshua) Did they use hundreds? Did you get a hundred note?
Joshua: No. Platinum.
Collings: It’s all hundred notes.
Nika: What the hell are you talkin’ about?
Arden: The money he had in the box was all hundred notes.
Nika: (lightbulb!) Gotcha.
Arden: Joshua got paid in platinum.

So the town doesn’t have the money.  Of if someone in town does, they’re smart enough not to spend it here. Then again …

Nika: That doesn’t necessarily mean that they couldn’t’ve traded it. Could also be that the Sheriff herself found it and said, “Well, crap. I don’t remember takin’ this for evidence” and she may have it put away somewhere. 
Arden: Or they could have another location where it’s being held.
Nika: Or it could be they don’t know where it is.
Joshua: What kind of money is it. Is it old credits?
Collings: Old credits, yeah.
Joshua: Are they still legal tender?

Yes.  We’d still have to go to a bank and exchange them because we couldn’t use them here.  New Canaan isn’t a Core-allied world.

Nika: So this may require some amount of actually approaching the Sheriff. As of right now, she doesn’t know we know anything at all about it.
Kiera: She doesn’t know that we know that she knows that we know.
Nika: Whatever. I … don’t want to get in the middle of that.
Rina: My head hurts.
Joshua: Well, actually I—
Nika: I’m going to go with my gut on this and not ask the telepath in the room.
Arden: (Uh, Nika?) Telepath in the room? I understand that but there are other people in the room than us.
Nika: (oops!) Never mind.
Arden: Pay no attention to the Captain babbling in the corner.
Rina: Sarcasm. It’s just another service we offer.
Khan: (looks askance) … Okay …

Moving right along …

Nika: Based on what I’ve seen of her so far? No, my guess would be “no”.  My gut would say “no”. It doesn’t mean it’s not possible. We would have to get a better feel for her. Which, considering the fact we’d just rescued a bunch of people on her watch, I need to go talk to her anyway.  (pointed look at Joshua) The XO may accompany me.
Joshua: Yes, ma’am.
Arden: You’re an XO now?
Joshua: (quietly) Yes, I am.
Arden:  Wow.
Rina: He’s been the XO for months. Where have you been?
Arden: In the med bay.
Rina: You need to get your head out of med bay every once in a while.  Pay attention.

And since there’s time to visit the Sheriff now, even though it’s getting late, there’s no time like the present to go do so.  Nika and Joshua go do so.  On the way, Nika and Joshua iron out a few things.

Nika: Joshua.
Joshua: Captain
Nika: You and I have to have some kind of agreement.
Joshua: Yes, ma’am.
Nika: Because either when I say it happens, it happens or when you say it happens, it happens. And if that’s the case, I’m abdicating the mantle.
Joshua: Yes, ma’am.
Nika: So, pick what side of the line you’re on and stick to it.
Joshua: Yes, ma’am.
Nika: And don’t “Yes, ma’am” me like that. Cuz it’s gonna make me backslap you.
Joshua: Okay. (off her look) I said okay. What do you want from me?
Nika: (scowling) Get that snotty piece’a … goat dung … off my ship.
Joshua: Okay.

They walk in silence for a couple of yards.  Then:

Nika: I suppose you could probably use that cute little talent of yours to figure out if she can be bribed.  Do I need to get her talking about something so as to make her start thinking about this for you to get the information about this or no?
Joshua: If you can get her thinking in that general direction, it would help.
Nika: Give me a minute to think about it.
Joshua: If you want me to find out if she can be bribed, that I can do without Reading her.
Nika: My gut is still telling me no.
Joshua: And I agree with you. She seems like a decent, straightforward, law-abiding law enforcement officer. But I can give you the backup and let you know for sure and we can go from there.
Nika: And then we can potentially raise this duel issue with her.
Joshua: That’s actually not a bad idea, Captain. Cuz I’m not sure how she feels about it. Duels are illegal.

Usually the legal issue would be gotten around by the parties involved: they’d agree to meet somewhere remote and the loser would be brought back as a victim of a hunting accident.  But if someone came forward with evidence that the duel was a premeditated thing, then the law can get involved. The Sheriff is clearly not a Coresider transplanted to the Rim.  She might not take too kindly to folk shooting up other folk, honor issues or not.

Nika: Get a feel for what she’s up for.  I don’t want to bring it up to her or if she’s going to turn a blind eye to it … You know, she could be a little bit of leverage too.  Not to mention if he brings his pistols around, who do we turn him over to? Or do we keep it so he can’t get to it …?

Right.  But for now, we need to talk to the woman first.  We show up at the Sheriff’s office and the lights are on. She’s actually there at her desk, despite the lateness of the hour, filling out the inevitable paperwork.  The sign by the door announces her last name: Jones. Nika pauses on the threshold and raps her knuckles on the jamb.

Nika: Sheriff?
Jones: Yes? (rises) I assume you were successful.
Nika: Yes, ma’am. 
Jones: Excellent.
Nika: The boat’s a lost cause but the people onboard are back safe.
Jones: Well, prob’ly serves them right. Sailing in this kind of weather.
Nika: I’d say that’s about accurate.
Jones: Well I appreciate it. If we had anything to compensate you for it, we would but we don’t have any fuel or anything like that.
Joshua: Please. We weren’t asking.
Nika: We went because it needed to be done, ma’am.
Jones: (quietly) I appreciate that.
Nika: Listen, I … ah …
Jones: I didn’t get a chance to thank your engineer for fixing the back-up generator.
Nika: Oh good, I’m glad she was able to do that before we had to head out.  Listen, I … I’m real reluctant to bring it up because I don’t know how people in these parts feel about such things, but as coincidence would have it the doctor on board my ship knows one of the men who was aboard that one.
Jones: Oh, really?
Nika: Well … it … Yeaaahhh.  Apparently they both dated the same girl back in college. (breathes a laugh) So it ain’t so pretty. And the girl in the not-too-recent  past passed away and the old not-so-much friend has decided that a duel is the answer to that, because he blames my doctor for her death. I’m not quite sure what to do about that.
Jones: So.  A … a duel?
Nika: That was kinda my reaction to the whole situation.
Joshua: I believe they’re Core nobility, ma’am.
Jones: (getting it) Oh! Really. Wow. I thought it was just a myth.
Joshua: I didn’t realize it really existed either but his (faked British accent) Second said something about some dueling equipment back on his ship.
Jones: Do you think he’s a danger? Do you want me to put him in a holding cell?
Nika: Well right now he’s unconscious so he’s not a danger to anybody. But we’re keeping him for observation aboard our vessel just because it has a good sick bay on it.
Joshua: And he’s got a lot of money and people with a lot of money are hard to lock away.
Jones: I can hold him until somebody came to pick him up if you’re worried about him. We don’t have any real medical facilities here, but if he were safe to move … ?
Joshua: How often do you get traffic here?
Jones: When they bring in their hauls of oysters and kelp and such, we have ships come in to take it out.
Nika: How long could you keep something like that? For example, the dueling pistols or whatever the heck he brought with him, for proof?
Jones: Once you leave, I can let him go, where’s he going to go?
Nika: Well, he’s got a ship in orbit.
Jones: (thinking) Yeah.  If he can get a call out.  Some of these fishing boats have radios and they could pick him up. But that doesn’t solve your problem if you’re worried about your doctor getting dueled.
Nika: Well, I’m a little worried about that but I’m also worried about the fact that he’s apparently attempted to chase my doctor down. I’m not real sure how to respond to most of this. I mean, do the Federal Marshals come through any more? I don’t know if there are any more.

And there’s the opening Joshua needs.

Jones: Federal Marshals?  Where have you been?
Nika: I—yeah. I know. I figured I’d ask.
Jones: Now we got the PDF, does some work on occasion.  Now if it’s an interstellar thing, if he’s been following you, I can out in a word. It’s not likely they can do  much about it but if there’s a threat made …
Nika: How often do the PDF come through?
Jones: Not real often.  But I send stuff out to them every now and then. We actually had some old evidence for the Federal Marshals a while back and I sent it out to the crime lab.

Bingo!  Keep talking.  Keep thinking. 

Nika: You have a crime lab? (Cuz, dude. She’s not seein’ it.) Here?
Jones: (laughs) No. That’s why I sent it out to the PDF for them to pass on.
Nika: Ohh. So it would’ve gone back to Highgate or someplace.
Jones: Actually they don’t even have one there now.
Nika: Really?
Jones: Pericles Station.
Nika: Wow. That’s pretty impressive.
Joshua: That’s a haul. That’s a haul from here, isn’t it?

Well, not too bad a haul. We’ve done it but it is a four week trip.  Jones suggests a way to help us.

Jones: But I can put it in the Cortex. And then when he makes another threat, when you report it there’d be evidence against him. You can do that. Is that what your man wants? Or is he also interested in these duels?
Nika: Let me see what my doctor wants to do because he wasn’t at all interested in the dueling aspects of anything. Cuz that’s just antiquated and ridiculous.
Jones: If you want to drop him off on a threat, I could hold him here until you leave.
Nika: Okay. My doctor wants to be sure that he is stable. He was in the water when we reached the ship so he breathed in a lot of water.  And I want to make sure it’s okay.
Joshua: And it was damn cold.
Nika: So they’re making sure to treat him for hyperthermia and what have you.
Jones: That’s ironic.
Nika: Yeah, in’nit? All right, I just wanted to let you know that we had picked that up and …
Jones: If I can help you with this, let me know.
Nika: I will. I’ll see what the doctor wants to do and probably not too long after that we’ll be taking off. We much appreciate your hospitality, ma’am.
Jones: Thank you. It might take a couple of days to get your salvage completely taken off.

Business and pleasantries concluded, we take our leave and return to the ship.  Nika states that she wants to take some money out of her account to buy a chowder dinner for the entire crew. Joshua says that he can make a mean chowder.  As for the evidence box… at least we know where it went.  Pericles Station.  We’re not sure if breaking into anything on Pericles Station is a smart move … Of course, that’s assuming it even made it to Pericles Station.  We don’t know who picked it up.  And we still have that issue with El Raton.

They get back to the Gift and first go to Arden and tell him that we’ve got the Sheriff’s support if we want to involve the law in our defense over the duel.  If we leave von Braun here, the Sheriff is willing to hold him.  What does Arden want to do?  Arden doesn’t rightly know.  Leave him here? Transport him to his ship in orbit? What does Nika think? She doesn’t rightly know either. If we let him go, he’s basically going to keep chasing Arden.  Then again, if we don’t let him go, he’ll be chasing Arden anyway.

Nika: Or we can have you two hare off into the hills and kill each other, which is the stupidest idea ever.
Arden: I would say let’s just get him back to his ship and let them take care of him. We’ve done our part fishing him out of the water, making sure he didn’t die.

Nika tells him of the Sheriff’s suggestion about filing a report here to start the evidentiary chain against future harassment by von Braun. It can be uploaded to the Cortex, she says, and if this happens again on another planet, we’d have legal recourse against him. Joshua tries to go a step further.  How can we document that we rescued von Braun?  The Companion’s testimony might help us.  A Companion’s word is respected.  If we can get an affidavit to that effect, we’d have a weapon in our defense if von Braun makes another attempt against Arden. Nika tells Joshua to go and ask Adele if it would make him feel better.  And perhaps we can get the Sheriff to act as a witness as an impartial observer.

Adele is hesitant.  Companions are supposed to be neutral and if we’re doing this in order to file a lawsuit or something … We are completely willing to sign any paperwork necessary to assure her of our intentions.  Adele tells us in return that she will let the Guild know that we rescued her and her companions.  That, declares Joshua, would be wonderful. As long as there is some sort of documentation, he’s good. 

Joshua: As long as there’s some sort of documentation somewhere that it actually happened and that somebody realizes that it happened. I just have this odd intuition…
Adele: Of course. 

If she may give us some advice? Yes, please.  The First, when it comes to duels of honor, the privilege always goes to the higher rank.  Von Braun ranks Arden.  So when it comes to setting the rules, it goes to von Braun. That said, this business wasn’t designed to be fair, it was designed to preserve a certain kind of ranking and  all the effort expended toward honor worthwhile. She also tells us that Frederick is driven to restore his honor against Valerie’s actions—her assassination of the Prime Minister, the job on Colchester.  They are a black mark against him because what she does reflects upon him personally as her spouse.  Nika states that she can’t cotton to that idea of honor.  Why not build a hospital in her name, redeem his honor that way?

It’s not just about money or honor, Adele explains, it’s also about risk.  The risk entailed in coming within reach of death and escaping it. It’s a tangible demonstration of his dedication to his honor.  Saving his life, however, might satisfy honor’s requirements. Von Braun may not be able to pursue a duel against the very person who saved his life, it would be ungrateful … dishonorable, even.  Perhaps a public apology, or public humiliation, would be an acceptable substitute to participating in a duel.  There is no way of knowing.  The only man who can decide the matter is lying unconscious in med bay. Until he wakes, there is no going forward with this.  We thank Adele for her time, insight, and guidance and settle down to wait.  At this point there is little else we can do.

 

Jump to:
Part 1
Part 2


Go back to: Deadwood BBQ | Go forward to: The Next Episode
Back to Season Four: Trials and Errors
Back to EPISODES or TIMELINE