Episode 411: Humanity, Part Two

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Rina makes off for her stores of spares and Kiera follows at her heels telling her to get the unused ones still in their wrappers … put gloves on … wash to here … Nika goes to the bridge and gets into the pilot’s chair and Joshua follows her in. He knows that unless we get a name of the poison used, it won’t much matter where we take Arden. Without that information, it will be very hard for the doctors to know what to look for and treat him for.

Joshua: Let me talk to Khan. Let me talk to him.
Nika: Go. Now. You have one hour before we decouple.

She pauses and looks over her shoulder as Joshua turns to leave.

Nika: Mindrape him if you have to.
Joshua: Yes, ma’am.

Nika turns back to the controls to start the decoupling sequence for the Gift and Joshua boards Valdric as ordered. Once aboard, he asks around for Khan and is told he’s with von Braun, though no one’s sure where they are. Joshua keeps going, asking after von Braun. People should know where he is. An attendant comes up to him and tells him that Mr. von Braun isn’t taking visitors at the moment.

Joshua: How about his Second?
Attendant: They’re in a meeting at the moment.
Joshua: And how long are they going to be in this meeting?
Attendant: I don’t know, sir. Would you like me to leave a message, sir?
Joshua: (firmly) You might want to tell von Braun he’s about to lose his chance at a duel so unless he’d like his Second to speak with me, he might as well kiss it good-bye. And you can put it in whatever words you like. He knows where to find me. Send his Second. I will be in the lounge.

And Joshua turns right around and goes to the lounge. If von Braun wants it that badly, Joshua knows he will send Khan to him. He hopes it’s soon: he has forty-five minutes before Nika blows this pop stand for Highgate. Fifteen minutes later, Khan shows up. He looks a little chastised. Certainly a little more humble than before. Even so, Joshua can see he’s being observed carefully, being sized up. Khan speaks first.

Khan: Mr. … ?
Joshua: Drake.
Khan: Drake… (memorizing it) … Drake.
Joshua: Lord Khan. (a beat) I value my friend’s life. I don’t know what you did or why you did it and before you quote me anything about honor, consider me honorless and we can go from there.
Khan: I appreciate that.
Joshua: Thank you. All I care about is saving my friend’s life and you’ve done something to him. What have you done?
Khan: I have done nothing that would hurt anyone.
Joshua: Really. So … what have you done?
Khan: A normal human should be immune, unaffected, by anything that transpired here. Other than perhaps mild discomfort. You’re not feeling bad, are you? Mr. Drake?
Joshua: No, I am not. But Arden is.
Khan: Yes.
Joshua: And I’m pretty sure you are directly involved with the reason why he’s feeling that way.
Khan: Perhaps you’re right.

And Joshua Reads him. On the surface, Khan seems a bit preoccupied with … frogs. Frog, frog, frog, frog, frog … run his thoughts. Joshua tries to coax what he’s looking for to the surface.

Joshua: I need the information. What did you do?

Khan is relatively steely against the prompt but Joshua catches a quick flash of several images: a microscopic view of a cell … a needle piercing the cell … a small vial of clear liquid …

Khan: I have … how shall I say it? A … passion … for humanity.
Joshua: Okay. Go on.
Khan: And I … have friends who share that passion.
Joshua: I was hoping it would be something as simple as wanting Arden off the ship.
Khan: Oh I want him off the ship.
Joshua: But not alive.

Khan shrugs eloquently.

Joshua: Are you really that impatient? Did you really think that Arden was going to run, and did you not think that von Braun was going to be able to take his chances?
Khan: Von Braun has been useful enough but … he is a … troubled man and therefore unreliable.
Joshua: Part of that passion for humanity, I assume.
Khan: Well, it is that passion that makes us what we are. I imagine that Arden must feel something like that as well, but … it’s nothing personal I have against Arden. I’m not like von Braun. He seems like quite a nice fellow.
Joshua: Nothing personal?
Khan: He seems quite … ah …
Joshua: I’m reasonably certain the last time I checked murder was very personal. It has to be, doesn’t it?
Khan: Does it? No. A doctor who removes a cancer isn’t a murder, is he? He has nothing against the cancer cells.
Joshua: I’ve seen some … terribly cold-blooded people. You are reaching new levels.
Khan: Cold blooded?
Joshua: Or perhaps … No, I have to say it’s pretty cold-blooded.
Khan: Well. This is just between you and me.
Joshua: Of course.
Khan: I’m killing a man because he’s not … a man. He’s something else.
Joshua: I think … I perhaps … more than most for reasons you’ll never understand, ask that sort of question about what it is that defines if a person is human and … it’s through their actions. And Arden by far has proved himself to be more human than you could ever be.
Khan: I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. But you should be glad that there are people like me.
Joshua: Why is that?
Khan: We’re keeping the Verse from becoming something that … one can never imagine.
Joshua: (quietly) I’ve heard that before.

And Joshua has to use everything he’s got not to say something to ruin the delicate dance he’s engaged in. He takes stock of the man in front of him, gauges he’s gotten pretty much everything he can from him—save the satisfaction of punching the living crap out of him—and quickly reviews the images he’s pulled from Khan’s mind. Going by them, Joshua suspects that it’s possible that Khan (or the people he has access to) has used something to cause Arden’s biology to turn against itself. That he has basically triggered an extreme allergic reaction to himself.

Arden has, in effect, lupus.

Joshua: We’re going to be leaving shortly.
Khan: So you say.
Joshua: That’s what my Captain tells me.
Khan: Well. Good luck with that.
Joshua: Thank you.

Joshua goes back to the Gift to tell Nika and the crew what he’s found. In the med bay, Rina and Kiera were successful in rigging up a dialysis machine and hooking Arden up to it, but he’s still deteriorating. The machine cannot shield him completely from what ails him and his vitals drop further. Rina’s standing watch at his side, tracking the numbers. Kiera’s hunched over a microscope, trying to find an answer to the puzzle, and Joshua approaches her.

Joshua: Dr. Kiera.
Kiera: Yes?
Joshua: What’s the … if Arden had been injected with something that turned his own unique biology against him, what’s the way to solve that problem?
Kiera: Find out what the hell he injected him with.
Joshua: Yeah.
Kiera: Who did it?
Rina: Who has access to that information?
Joshua: Khan.
Kiera: Get whatshisface on the phone.
Joshua: Who’s whatshisface?
Kiera: Von Braun.
Joshua: Does he talk on the phone?
Kiera: (rising) I’ll go. Dammit. I’ll go talk to von Braun.
Joshua: And I’ll go tell the Captain.

Kiera’s supremely pissed by now and she stomps off our ship and onto von Braun’s. She muscles aside his hangers-on all the way to his door and pounds on it. He answers it. She strides right in.

Von Braun: (not surprised) You’re back.
Kiera: I’m back. Let it be understood that I understand what the honor is but Khan has decided that instead of giving you your honor, sir, he’s going to poison Arden. So Arden will be dead, which is what I assume you wanted, but on the case.
Von Braun: Why would Khan do this? I don’t understand. It doesn’t make any sense.

Kiera left before Joshua could fill her in, she’s got nothing concrete to give him. Not that it fazes her one bit in her anger. Nope.

Kiera: I don’t know. You might want to ask him. Would you like to bring him in and ask him?
Von Braun: I’ve talked to him. He doesn’t know what you’re talking about.
Kiera: (accent totally gone now) Tell him to come back in.

Von Braun summons Khan and when he arrives, ushers him in. When the Second is settled, von Braun cuts to the chase.

Von Braun: They’re still making this bizarre accusation of poisoning.
Kiera: It has been reported to me that you poisoned Arden. Why are you denying your friend his honor?
Khan: It’s been ‘reported’ to you? By whom?
Kiera: (freezing) Yes. If I were him, I would jettison you in space.
Khan: Why do you think—?.
Kiera: (hellsafreezin’) Because you are lower than anything. You dare to hold out with people like this and you are depriving that man of his honor? What kind of a person are you?
Khan: I don’t know what—
Kiera: (hellsafreezin’ over) And from people I trust. You’re vile. (to Von Braun) You ought to have him thrown out.
Khan: Wasn’t I the one who brought him here so he can engage in this honor? You were going to fly away, speaking of honor.
Kiera: We weren’t flying away at all. We brought him back. We saved him in good faith. And now you are killing the man who saved him AND denying your friend the honor of a duel. You are less than nothing. What is your family line, sir?
Khan: If I could help this, I would do everything I can. The Khan family is well known for our good faith.
Kiera: You should be ashamed of yourself. The Khan family name if I can get to it will be smeared. You have no honor, sir.
Von Braun: You are making accusations I believe you cannot justify.
Kiera: I have a witness, sir. That’s all I need.
Khan: You have a witness?
Kiera: I do. The one that spoke to you.
Khan: Oh, well, please. Bring such a person forward.
Kiera: Why don’t you come to our ship, with all due respect, and see what you have wrought. Oh and let von Braun see what he will be denied. At least the man can witness the death of the man he would like to have honor from.

Von Braun is quite simply floored.

Von Braun: Dr. Sullivan, these are quite some very serious accusations you are making. What evidence do you have?
Kiera: (sweetly) Would you like to come aboard and see he’s dying as we speak?
Von Braun: Yes, but why do you think one of … that … why do you think that ... Lord Khan here is the one responsible for it?
Kiera: (staring hard at Khan) Would you like to admit what you have done?
Khan: (no) I don’t know what you’re speaking of.
Kiera: Of course you don’t. Follow me if you want. I’ve played these games before. You can look as innocent as you want.
Von Braun: Yes, we can go see.
Khan: I wouldn’t be surprised if you had introduced some sort of—
Kiera: Oh yes, we’re going to poison you just like you did Arden. Please come.
Khan: That you have induced some comatose state in Arden in order to—
Kiera: Yes. Because Khan I would stoop as low as you.
Khan: You keep saying I’m stooping low but so far you haven’t produced a shred of evidence.
Kiera: I can’t. It’s on my ship. Please come.
Von Braun: All right.

Kiera leads the way back to the Gift and marches them straight to med bay. Meanwhile, Joshua takes the time to fill in Nika and Rina of what he’s learned: Khan is a Humanist and is 150% <expletive>.

Rina: So he’s a species bigot.
Joshua: He feels Arden isn’t human and I don’t understand the reason for it.
Rina: He’s not ‘pure’ enough.

Kiera clears her throat as she walks in on that comment. Khan and von Braun are right behind her. Kiera doesn’t stop to explain but jumps right in.

Kiera: He’s seen the man and demurs that he doesn’t understand what we’re talking about. Oh by the way, von Braun, would you like to witness his death? Because here he is.

And it’s true. Smack in the middle of med bay is the examination couch and on it is Arden looking like a thousand flavors of crap. At death’s door, actually. If this is a ruse, it’s a damned nasty convincing one.

Von Braun: He looks pretty bad.
Kiera: At least you can have satisfaction. If you want, we can turn off his oxygen. I can give you an IV—
Von Braun: Now are you accusing me of something?
Kiera: No, not at all. I am giving you the pleasure of watching his death. I understand what you are trying to do, but I do understand that it’s been stolen from you.
Von Braun: You’re … ?

It’s too much for von Braun to take in. He looks confused.

Von Braun: What is the meaning of all this? Somebody tell me what’s wrong with Arden.
Joshua: Lord von Braun. He’s been poisoned.
Von Braun: Yes, I’ve heard that he’s been poisoned. But by whom and for what reason? I would not bring him here and feed him and clothe him to poison him.
Joshua: Yeah. I understand that. Your Second—
Von Braun:' My Second? Why would my Second do that? If you understood anything about the role of a Second, you’d know that it’s not to—
Joshua: Except that he has his own reasons. His own personal reasons.
Von Braun: Khan, did you even know Arden?
Joshua: He believes in a pure human galaxy.
Von Braun: What other kind of galaxy is there?
Joshua: He believes Arden is not human … and has poisoned him with a toxin that basically uses his own biology against him. An ironic stab basically at Arden being killed by his own unnatural state.
Khan: Lord von Braun. Are you going to listen to any more of this nonsense? He looks perfectly human to me. How can he—I don’t understand how you’re even talking about—I’m not a physician or a geneticist or anything. How would I even—
Rina: No. You are rich and you can hire people to do that for you.
Nika: And how would you know you’d need a geneticist to do it?
Khan: You were talking about using unique biology and such. I don’t know any of these things. I am reasonably well educated, but … I don’t even know what it would cost to produce such a thing.
Kiera: Does it matter? It’s of your level, Khan.
Khan: You seem to know a lot about me.
Kiera: Of course I do.

Joshua steps in.

Joshua: Your Second is taking the decision out of your hands. If you choose to believe us or not, there’s not … we don’t have the medical facilities aboard this ship to solve the problem. You’re not a doctor, you’d admit that of yourself, right? Even if we had medical evidence, would it somehow convince you—
Von Braun: If you had something. I mean, did you find a syringe? Or a potion or something that would be responsible for this? I mean, we were all eating the same food and drinking the same drink.
Nika: That’s when Arden helped you get to sick bay. When we all came on board, Arden was on his own with you and your Second.
Von Braun: Right. I think I would have noticed that he’d been poisoned at the time.
Nika: I’m just mentioning it was an opportunity.
Kiera: You weren’t that well, with all due respect, Mr. von Braun. Were you in a state to recognize if he was being poisoned?
Von Braun: I’m going to guess that there are quite a few people that you’ve encountered before who have tried to kill you. Call it a hunch. Why do you think it would be my Second? An insult to my friend, who helped me to arrange this kind of a death. It seems odd we would go through this much trouble when you could poison him or something.
Kiera: I don’t think you are involved at all.
Von Braun: But why would he involve me in all this? What would be the point in that?
Nika: Because it was a good way to get to him. You already have your personal reasons for wanting to get to Arden. All he had to do was tag along.
Von Braun: Well, then let us dispel this myth by trying to fix Arden here until we can properly dispatch him. What is it going to take?
Kiera: It would help us to know what agent turned him against himself. One would assume since it was a very specific agent, it was created genetically.
Von Braun: You’ve lost me now.
Kiera: What was Arden’s number you referred to, sir?
Nika: 689-C.
Kiera: 689-C? So I’m assuming there’s 688 and 687?
Rina: It was the name of the batch. It wasn’t the number of the people in the batch.
Kiera: Ohh, see? This is all new to me. I confess I am completely stunned.
Nika: It actually helps that you realize that he is a clone.
Von Braun: Well I knew him when he was in college and he was something of a celebrity for his stranger in a strange land sort of behavior. Coming from that crazy planet.

Nika remarks that from what she’s learned of cloning over the past couple of years is that each successive cloning from the original DNA experiences shift. Which is interesting but leading off onto a tangent. Kiera returns us to the point of the exercise.

Kiera: Now let me get this: Mr. von Braun, I assume from your words that you are willing to help us save Arden.
Rina: Just so he can kill him.
Von Braun: Yes.
Kiera: Yes, but still save. Eventually Arden will die, but Arden will die by his hand.
Von Braun: Perhaps we can get to a hospital. Would that help?
Kiera: If you would be willing to do that, it will be a brilliant idea. The longer we delay …. If you’re willing to fly us there quickly.

Von Braun looks at Arden, pale and drawn, unconscious and pitiful, and sighs. He looks up at Joshua.

Von Braun: You’re also a doctor? This ship flies doctors?
Joshua: Yes.
Kiera: Mm-hm.
Von Braun: If I … I don’t know much how this poison works, but I do know that I’ve been … perhaps for the lack of a better term—inoculated—against a good many. My body has been enhanced with things that might be able to reverse certain damage. I’m not sure, since you say it’s been specially made for him.
Nika: (quietly) You would help him like that?
Von Braun: If it would mean he that he would be well enough to fight me, perhaps.
Kiera: It would repay the debt he owes Arden. For saving his life.
Von Braun: Well, our relationship is more complicated than that.

Khan doesn’t like hearing this new offer one bit, nope.

Khan: Lord, don’t fall for this nonsense. They’re just trying to weaken you. They realize they couldn’t fight you in a real fight, so they’ve induced some sort of coma in Mr. Arden—
Nika: Lord von Braun, would you take a seat so we can take a blood sample so we can attempt that?
Khan: I think this is a trick, sir. They couldn’t fight you on your terms, so they’re—
Nika: It’s interesting that for something so simple as a quick prick of the needle, that you’re going to stand there and argue against Lord von Braun.
Kiera: (sarcasm) Obviously we’re going to grow another von Braun.
Joshua: More importantly, if we were interested in jumping the duel, we could have done it without killing Arden. We could have dropped you off on your ship and taken off and be gone. Killing Arden is about the least logical thing we could do to avoid this duel.

Von Braun turns to Khan.

Von Braun: Don’t worry old friend. Just by doing this, we will make it clear our good honor in all this.
Nika: You have extremely good genetics and you’ve said you’ve been inoculated against a number of poisons. That could do nothing but benefit Arden.
Kiera: You truly are a great man.
Khan: This doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Khan makes a sudden move…which is what Nika had been hoping he’d do, the second she’d goaded him with the words “blood” and “genetics”. Rina holds her position at the door to the corridor, in case Khan tries to bolt. Von Braun freezes in the corner next to Arden’s bed. Kiera stands guard at the foot of it. Nika and Joshua stand between Kiera and Khan … making a living wall between Arden and the man who would do him in.

Nika has her pistol and Kiera has her scalpel. Before either woman can bring their weapons to bear on Khan, he dives for the dueling case and grabs the stun stick from it. Kiera judges the distance and moves to grab the gun from the case and slap it into Nika’s hand or failing that, grab Khan. She lunges and manages neither. Nika throws a punch, looking to deck him. Khan is fast and ducks aside, despite the close quarters of med bay.

And the fight is on.

We’re hampered by the small space and the fact that we don’t want to jostle the dialysis machine and disconnect Arden. Nika’s roundhouse kick can’t really come into play here nor can we all pile onto Khan and overwhelm him with our superior numbers. Khan has backed into the narrow hallway leading to the bath and the wardroom off the med bay and he can hold us off by forcing us to come at him one at a time. There is no room to charge him en masse. Standing at the doorway, Rina takes in the limitations and thinks around it: she can get into the med bay from wardroom and the wardroom is accessible from the passenger lounge. The door into the med bay from the wardroom will put her at Khan’s back. If she’s lucky, she’ll be through it before he realizes she’s there. As Nika and Kiera engage Khan again, Rina runs down the corridor and around to pull her sneak attack.

Kiera: You can drop the stun stick and you may make it off the ship. You ain’t gettin’ Arden. (a beat) Mr. von Braun, does this convince you that we’re not lyin’?
Khan: This is not s stun stick.

He jabs at her and Kiera dodges. Joshua moves forward. Rina’s come all the way around and has come up behind Khan, who has backed into the wardroom. Fine. She throws a punch from behind and it hits him solid. It doesn’t take him out however and he remains on his feet. Rina’s surprise factor is blown—he knows she’s there but now he’s got a fight on two fronts. Things start looking up for our crew.

Kiera falls back to give Nika room for her roundhouse kick and to check Arden’s condition. Arden lies there oblivious to everything, but he’s still hooked up. Khan jabs at Rina with the stun stick and connects. The man wasn’t lying—it’s not exactly a stun stick because a stun stick wouldn’t be so debilitating. Intense pain, excruciating pain, courses head to toe through her. She staggers back but remains on her feet, swearing and furious. Nika surges forward to grapple him and disarm, but he dodges and escapes her grab. Kiera is armed with a scalpel now, but cannot get to Khan—the bottleneck of the short corridor is keeping her back. Khan is free to jab at Rina again, connects, and the pain is too much for her. She hits the deck on her knees, immobilized by the pain, and effectively out of the fight.

Nika sees her engineer go down. Dammit. Another hit just might kill her.

Nika: (firmly) Khan, if you damage any more of my crew members I am within my rights to kill you where you stand. If you want to get off this ship, stand down now and you can walk.
Khan: Pardon me for not believing you.

Nika brings both her hands up and steps back from the door, pushing Khan backwards toward the far wardroom door.

Nika: Go. Rina? If he goes over you, let him go.
Rina: (not liking it) … Captain….
Nika: Do it. (to Khan) But I want the cure for my doctor.
Khan: He’s already got that.
Rina: (husks to Khan) …I’m gonna kill you, you shestiorka bliad …

Nika sees Joshua move in the corner of her eye and she curtly gestures him to hold his action. Joshua goes still keeping an eye on Khan in case he goes for Nika or Arden. Rina’s nothing but a tightly curled knot of hurtin’ on the deck. Kiera eases back around the corner into the med bay proper and silently loads the dueling pistol with the bullets provided alongside. The Captain of Summer’s Gift has ordered her crew to stand down … but Kiera’s not crew.

Khan watches us keenly for two beats, considers the odds, and hops over Rina for the far door. Kiera brings the pistol around and turns for the med bay door, clearly planning to shoot Khan down from the corridor. Nika thwarts her by stepping in and blocking the door.

Nika: Don’t.
Kiera: Why? The cure’s getting away.
Nika: We’ve already got it.

Nika points to von Braun.

Kiera: (to von Braun) Are you still willin’?

Von Braun is looking a little stunned by this turn of events but nods.

Kiera: Aww, hell…

Kiera gives her pistol to Nika and the blonde runs down to the airlock to make certain Khan’s left her ship. Meanwhile, Kiera starts prepping von Braun for the IV. Joshua checks Rina. After a few minutes, the pain fades to blessed numbness and she’s able to uncurl and sit up. Down belowdecks, Nika sees the airlock standing open and no sign of Khan. She closes up the hatch and locks it and returns to med bay to stand watch at the door. Meanwhile, Von Braun explains the physical modifications that affected his miraculous recovery and could possibly deliver Arden’s cure.

Von Braun: It’s not that I have magic blood but I have organs that do different things, that my body can fight off poisons. I have a blastomere set of kidneys and liver.
Kiera: Wildest thing I’ve ever done. (inserts IV needle into his hand) I apologize profusely but this is going to hurt. You are a man beyond all honor.

Kiera’s basically hooked him up to Arden like a human dialysis machine, with IVs running out of both hands, with lines snaking to the machines and Arden and back again. Kiera installs von Braun in a second bed she’s brought into the med bay and makes the man as comfortable as she can. Everyone not directly involved in doctoring the patients are shooed out of med bay.

Nika goes three steps away to the bridge to check the scanners and she sees something odd. The Tao Hu Yan, the tender docked to the Valdric for decon, abruptly leaves von Braun’s ship … shortly after we’ve kicked Khan off of ours.

Huh. Maybe they got a better deal elsewhere. Or maybe … ? Who knows? Hell, who cares? So long as Arden gets better.

After several hours of feverish work and monitoring, Arden shows signs of improving and von Braun remains healthy as a horse. He is not unaffected by the experience, however, and sensing this Kiera takes extra pains to be polite to the old man. Von Braun finally falls asleep and still later, Kiera is finally confident that Arden will pull through. When she’s certain, Kiera unhooks Arden and makes von Braun comfortable and wearily joins the crew.

Nika’s on the bridge, manning the scanners and the comms. Joshua speculates with Rina about Khan as they loiter in the corridor outside.

Joshua: I wonder where Khan got off to?
Rina: Hopefully to hell. Straight there.
Joshua: Do they have lifeboats on his ship?

No, but they do have four shuttles.

Nika: (from the bridge) I’m reasonably sure he paid the tender’s captain to get the hell out. The tender took off very shortly after Khan left our ship. I didn’t call to verify that, but probably. Probably.

Kiera makes one last check to see how her patients are doing and everything looks fine. Relieved, she leaves med bay to join the rest of the crew outside and gives them the news.

Joshua: (mid sentence) —it was the right decision.
Kiera: Both patients are doing well. Sad thing is, von Braun is a very honorable man. (a beat) Who wants to kill our doctor. But other than that …
Joshua: Other than that, yeah.

He scrubs his face.

Joshua: That was one evil huen dan that we let go. I still think it was the right decision—
Rina: I don’t.
Kiera: Are you all right, Rina?
Rina: (pissed) Ask me later.
Joshua: The most important thing out of that is Arden coming out of it alive. And healthy. And the longer that that went on … ?

Meaning the fight in med bay. Yeah. No need to spell it out for us. We grok it. But it doesn’t make letting Khan go scott free any easier to swallow.

Kiera: So, y’all run into this humanist sect before?
Joshua: Not that I’m aware of.
Kiera: Well they seem to know who Arden is.
Rina: And I’d like to know how they found out.
Nika: (joining them) And he’s one of how many? It’s not like it’s terribly difficult if there’re others of Arden and others of whatever clones out there running around. He’s got at least one who’s an Operative, for heaven’s sake.
Rina: Don’t you remember? Arden told us his entire crèche disappeared…

Yeah. His entire crèche went missing, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. To go to Miranda, the crew reminds Rina in turn. And we all know what happened to them when they got there. Rina shoots back by reminding them that Miranda didn’t blow up Arden’s car that morning he left for work, the morning that kicked off his career as a man on the run. Explain that one.

And Rina’s just getting warmed up. In order to make something so Arden-specific, Khan would have to have had access to detailed medical records of Arden. How and when was this data compiled? How could Khan get his hands on that information? Who gave him access?

How do you know that, demands Nika. Is Rina a doctor? And besides, who’s to say for sure it was Arden specific? Maybe the illness was engineered to make any clone from any batch sick. Perhaps Arden wasn’t targeted specifically, but simply had the genetic commonality in all clones that made him vulnerable. After all, Humanists would be against any of the clones from any of the crèches, not just Arden.

Rina: But they would have to know that Arden is a clone. How could they know that?

Arden does have a clone brother who’s an Operative of the Parliament. They could have seen Swordsman and then Arden and drawn the logical conclusion. Valerie knew him. People in medical school knew him. It’s not like Arden’s a big secret.

Joshua tells us that he got the sense from Khan that the Humanists are a big organization, with big financial support. In his estimation, that translates into power and therefore, the information on Arden that reveals his cloned state wouldn’t be hard for the Humanists to get.

Rina: In truth I was interested in finding out because it might give us an idea how to cure him but we had another solution already there, so it really doesn’t matter anymore.
Nika: And I don’t care if you thought it was the right decision or not, Rina. Arden’s life is worth more than you getting your hands on Khan and doing damage to him.
Rina: (scowling) I know that. Which is why I didn’t do anything.
Joshua: You were in too much pain to do anything.
Rina: I could have hurled imprecations on his head at the top of my lungs.
Nika: You did that anyway.
Kiera: Gimme your hand, Rina. I wanna check you’re coming down right.

Meaning her recovery from the pain stick. While Kiera checks her vitals, Joshua speculates on the possibility of a connection between the Humanists and the Libertores.

Joshua: After all, there’s some parallel there in that the Libertores are against people making people into something that—well, people reshaping people. There is a very common element. I’m not saying Khan is a Libertore or that the Libertores are doing it, although it wouldn’t surprise me if there were several—
Nika: Now you got me thinking the thought that the freakin’ Shepherd sicced them on Arden.
Joshua: (certain) I don’t think so. What I’m saying is it’s certainly possible that is an organization similar to it in aims but has a very different idea how they want to go about it. It could be even be the same group with different groups inside of it.
Nika: (dryly) Oohhhhhh, like we haven’t seen that before.
Joshua: This doesn’t really have any point other than saying … (deflating) … Don’t mind me. And I’m just glad I didn’t mention anything to Khan about it.

To say nothing of telling Khan about what Blue Sun did to him—fiddling with his brain and body to make him a Reader and a Borrower.

Joshua: I’m just happy Arden’s going to be okay.

True enough, but we are still mulling over the issue of extremist groups and the consequences of taking Khan down. Rina is understandably still sore we didn’t do more to the guy other than let him skip, scott free. Fed up, Nika puts her foot down.

Nika: Do you have any idea what would have happened if we’d continued to go at Khan and potentially killed him? In front of von Braun?
Rina: Well, the extremist bastards that he runs with would have all have been gunning for—
Nika: Nope. What would have happened to him if we killed him in front of von Braun?
Rina: Von Braun would have backed out. Or do you think he would have? Would his honor let him do that? After he already claimed to—
Nika: The whole point of von Braun’s issue is that we took his wife, so that she could commit murder. And that we are all equally as guilty but he’s taking it out on Arden. And if I were not a woman, it would have been me he would have called out.
Joshua: I was there.

On that note Kiera goes back to med bay to check on her patients again. Arden is sleeping and healing. Von Braun wakes some time later and as he blinks to consciousness Kiera leans in and whispers in his ear:

Kiera: Tell my father Jonathan that I am doing good out here.

Back with the rest of the crew, the conversation—such as it is—continues.

Joshua: I was there.
Nika: Not when we first got Valerie involved, no, you were not.
Joshua: No, that’s true.
Nika: So potentially, just by making sure that he did in fact get to walk away, maybe, just maybe that man will stop and think.
Joshua: Which man? Von Braun?
Nika: Yes.
Joshua: Ehhh, I doubt that.
Nika: I do too but I …
Joshua: I appreciate your—
Nika: You know what? It was the right call.
Joshua: I believe I already agreed with that. It was the right call.

Maybe by letting Khan go, von Braun will think twice about killing Arden. Maybe. We find out the answer when von Braun comes fully awake. Apparently this entire incident has made him think hard and change his immediate goals. His new goal is to put some distance between us and him. We don’t dissuade him but thank him for his kindness to Arden and when he’s ready to leave, we let him go.

After all, it was the right call.

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