Episode 1.4
From Heroes of the Great Tree
Contents |
TEASER
Now playing: “Home on the Ragoon” from the Shanghai Noon sountrack.
“... swear, I was cleaning out dead bees from the air vents for the next three weeks.” Del finished the story, to the amusement of the entire crew.
They were gathered together around the pool table, enjoying a meal of Blue Sun brand ravioli from a can and something colored orange made from a powder mixed with water.
“I'll make me a note,” Nadie said after her laughter died down, “We get to Haven, no hives of honey bees as cargo.”
“Haven is another mining planet, right?” Fin asked. He glanced down at his factory processed food and sighed. There was a pool ball in the middle of his bowl. “The table is acting up again.”
Del reached down and flicked the power switch on and off a few times. The holographic ball derezed and faded from sight.
“I'll add that to my list,” Del said, “Only up to about one-hundred and sixty-nine items. Not including the ones written down just in my brain.”
“The Claw ain't in that bad shape,” Nadie said in defense of her ship, “Anyway. Yeah, Haven's a mining colony. Independent. Not owned by the Corone Mining Consortium or the Mining Guild.”
“No chance of a real shower, then.” Fin said, “I'm getting a touch tired of sponge baths.”
“You're in such good spirits lately, Doc, I might be willing to help you out with your next sponge bath.” Del winked at Fin. “Anyway, need to go check on my girl.”
Vincent excused himself as well, since he was on watch. He wanted to check the astrogation sensors and make sure they were still on course. James wandered off to his room in order to do some writing.
“You have been in a plum mood these last few days, Fin. It's been nice.” Nadie said as she rose and started to clear the table.
Fin just smiled and helped with the dishes, though his mind wandered to the vials of painkiller tucked away in his room.
For the next twenty-four hours the crew kept themselves busy. There was sleep had, of course, and work. Vincent visited the bridge several times a day to ensure the Mao's Claw was on course and all green lights. Fin moved from crew member to crew member, injecting them with a short-term innoculation to counter any diseases they might come across on Haven. As captain, Nadie inspected everything. Every day, she visited every part of the boat to make sure things were in as good shape as possible. For Del, her duties were as much hobby as job. She constantly tinkered, moving from system to system, seeing what could be done to make things work better or fixing the damage from an earlier experiment.
Time wasn't spent on just sleep and work. In the morning, Nadie found herself leading a small class. It had started after the first few days, when the other crew members noticed her morning practice. Soon Del and, oddly, Fin were joining her both in running sword and martial forms and meditation. Del, though a bit clumsy at it, stayed the course from beginning to end. Fin, more physically dexterous, often stopped part-way through. Vincent worked through his own forms, practicing manuevers suited towards his dueling rapier as opposed to Nadie's katana.
Afternoons were quiet. Fin and James took advantage of the Mao's small library. Nadie worked at figures in her quarters, attemping to sort out how much profit would be made from the job. Del fiddled with an empty hydrogen cell, trying to figure a way to increase fuel efficency aboard the Mao's Claw. Vincent dozed in the pilot's seat.
The evening brought dinner, cooked by Nadie. It was beef stew, seasoned with spices from the captain's own stash. Afterwards, Nadie and Vincent settled onto the bridge. They were close to Haven. Del, James, and Fin gathered around the pool table for a few hands of cards.
On the bridge, Nadie watched out the viewport as Haven grew larger.
“Almost there. We'll break atmo in about fifteen minutes.” Vincent said. He was sitting in the pilot's seat, calculating out the proper vectors for a smooth landing.
“Got paid in advance. No trouble on the way here. Been a good, easy kind of job. About time the Claw got one of those,” Nadie patted the bridge wall as she tempted fate, “She deserves it.”
END TEASER
Opening credits: A single guitar version of “Real Folk Blues” from the Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack.
ACT ONE
Now playing: “A Gentle Place” from Daughters of the Celtic Moon.
Cap'n?” the brown coat asked as he looked from face to face. Nadie, Vincent, and Del had gone out to greet folk. James and Fin had chosen to stay inside.
“That'd be me.” Nadie said. She stepped forward and shook hands with the man. “Nadie Ling. This is my pilot, Vincent Locke, and my mechanic, Del Duke.”
“Bernabe.” the man introduced himself. “Millie, my wife and our colony's pilot, and Ryan, our quartermaster. Ryan will eye the inventory, make sure all that should be here is. Cap'n, I don't mean to be imposin', but do you have a medic on board?”
“A doctor, in fact.” Nadie replied.
“I don't suppose you could volunteer his services?” Millie asked, “We got a ruttin' nasty strain of flu goin' round right now. Our medic's been runnin' for a few days straight. She could use some help. We can't pay but we can promise you and your's a good, home cooked meal in gratitude.”
Nadie nodded.
“I'll send him right out.”
--
Currently playing: An instrumental version of Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.
Haven's sickhouse was a pretty sparse place. The patients were all kept on cots in one large, central room. Fin quickly assessed the situation as he entered. There were maybe two dozen people here. A quarter of those had IVs running to their arms, delivering fluids to folks too dehydrated and weak to drink. Others were just resting, here more to keep others from getting infected than out of any real need for direct medical assistance.
“Your the medic from the ship? I'm Rhonda.” the woman in a white lab coat, currently the only one in the room besides Fin that was standing, walked over. She was in her later years, with grey hair pulled back into a harsh bun and dark circles carved under her eyes.
“Yes. Phineas Cage. I'll just get started.”
“Cage, huh? Did you work on Ariel? And Osiris?”
Fin felt his stomach sink. He hadn't expected to run into someone who knew his shameful record of getting fired from one hospital after another. He nodded.
“Well, at least I know not to ruttin' call you doctor.” Rhonda mused.
Fin muttered something sarcastic and got to work. For most of the people present, good food, hydration, and rest was the only real cure. Fin moved on past those. Others he flagged for shots from the colony's precious and small store of antibiotics. He didn't spend much time with any single patient. Or talk to them beyond asking medical related questions. Rhonda barely spoke to him in turn, using the minimum number of words to communicate. If the idea was for Fin to give Rhonda a chance to rest it didn't work. She dogged his every step.
--
“You sure you don't need any help?” Del asked as she watched Haven's quartermaster move from crate to crate, methodically counting and examining each item inside.
“No. Really, I'm fine. Thank you.” Ryan glanced over his shoulder. “I'm sorry. I tend to be very thorough in my work.”
Del glanced over to Vincent, who was sitting on the hood of the mule, looking bored beyond belief. She shrugged and smiled.
“We understand.”
--
“If I had the equipment I could run tests,” Fin said as he pulled the stethescope from his ears, “but they would just tell me what I already know. This boy needs surgery as soon as possible. Do you have a room?”
Rhonda nodded, pointing to a door on the far end of the room.
Fin gently picked the boy up and carried him into a small room that was very similar to a ship's infirmary. There was a stainless steel table, some cabinets, and not much else. He quickly took stock, looking through the available tools and drugs.
“This isn't going to cut it. We have better stuff on the ship.” Fin began writing down a list. He was glad he had spent time on Persephone gathering medical supplies to suit his standards.
--
The man who ran up into the cargo bay of the Mao's Claw wheezed like someone who had just run a marathon.
“Surgery... your medic... list...” he thrust a piece of paper out to Del.
Del looked over the list.
“I think there's probably too much here for one person to carry...”
“I'll help.” Vincent said, quickly, snatching the paper from Del's hand. He was just glad to have something to do.
With the runner in tow, Vincent hurried to the infirmary. Five minutes later, they were loading the supplies into the mule and driving out. It would be faster than running back to the sickhouse. Easier, too.
--
“You're too young to be wearin' that coat, Cap'n.” Bernabe said as he poured Nadie a mugful of potato wine. “I'm admit to bein' curious how you got it.”
“It was my ghu-ghu's. He died recent.” Nadie replied. She took the cup in hand but didn't actually take a sip.
Bernabe nodding in understanding.
“What was his unit?”
“He was in the 521st. Mostly Regina volunteers.”
“Infantry. Good people. Fought on the other side of the 'Verse from them, seems.” Bernabe shakes his head. “War ain't ever a good thing. I'm sorry 'bout your brother. Lot of folk never walked away from the war. Saw things men ain't supposed to see. Changes folk. That's coat you're wearin' is a powerful symbol of freedom but it can be a cage, too. Don't let it trap you.”
Bernabe looked down into his mug.
“But that's enough of the doom and gloom,” Bernabe said. He raised the mug, “To the 521st and all those what sacrificed for the brown.”
Nadie raised her mug as well.
--
“Well, that's everything.” Ryan Miller-Greene checked off one last thing on his clipboard and began to walk off. He had already had workers haul everything off the Mao's Claw.
Everything, that is, except for one seven foot tall crate.
“Umm...what 'bout that one?” Del asks, pointing at the crate.
“We didn't order it.” Ryan said, turning around, “and we don't keep things we didn't pay for. It isn't honest.”
Del walked over and put her hand on the crate. There had been four of them like this, seven foot tall.
“What's in it?” she asked.
“A robot.” Ryan answered, “Specifically a Foreigner Mining Mate Mark 2. We ordered three of them. I don't know why the fourth one is there, but it isn't our's.”
Ryan saluted with two fingers and then walked off, back into town.
“Huh.” Del said, staring at the box.
--
Fin peeled off the surgical gloves. For all her obvious dislike of him, Rhonda had proved a capable surgical nurse. She'd obviously done it before.
“He'll recover, but he's going to need some follow-up medication. I'll write you a list...” Fin began.
“... I can take care of it.” Rhonda snapped, “From what I've been led to understand, the farther you are from medication, the better.”
Fin sighed. He just couldn't win with some people.
--
“Yep.” Dee agreed, “Said they hadn't paid for it, weren't takin' it.”
The entire crew stood in the cargo bay, staring at the seven foot tall crate.
“What's in it?” Nadie turned to Del.
“Mining robot. Foreigner Mining Mate mark 2.” Del replied.
“Is it off?” James asked. His body posture was rigid.
“Yep.” Del said with a grin, “What's the matter? Afraid the big, bad robot'll come for you in your sleep?”
James frowned, never taking his eyes off the crate.
“Laugh all you want,” he said, “But I've read stories...”
“It is odd,” Fin noted, interupting James' worries, “that the client gave us an extra robot. This wasn't exactly a legal enterprise. I doubt he kept paperwork on this, much less made a clerical error.”
Nadie could only agree. The client hired them to smuggle the cargo in order to make more money. This way he didn't have to pay local taxes, shipping fees, or Alliance tarrifs.
“I'll wave the client.” Nadie said, “Ask him about the robot.”
“Can we please make sure the thing is off?” James asked. “And Del, can I borrow some oil. And bottles to put it in?”
“I'll want it all back.” Del said, glancing over at James for a moment, before going to ensure that the Foreigner Mining Mate mark 2 was, indeed, off.
--
James knelt down and placed the wooden bowl on the floor. Two ceramic bottles were carefully laid to rest inside. On either side of the bowl, James lit sticks of incense that had been carefully inserted into wooden vessels. Then he closed his eyes and prayed.
Up above, on the catwalks, Fin watched the little ritual and smiled wickedly.
--
James heard it in his sleep first. A whirring sound intermixed with the bumping of metal on metal in a fast but rhythmic pattern. He awoke suddenly, heart pounding, but the sound didn't stop as his eyes opened. He creeped across the tiny space to the door and pushed his ear against it, listening.
James keyed in the code to lock the door.
--
Outside, in the crew lounge, Fin held his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. A dented, Blue Sun brand coffee can was wobbling around in front of James' door. Inside, a small electric motor spun a piece of metal that bumped those strategically placed dents.
Vincent walked into the lounge, on his way to his room.
“What's going on?” he asked.
Fin just pointed to the coffee can. Vincent understood immediately and grinned.
“Arrggggh!” Vincent shouted, as loudly as he could, “... HELP ME! THE PAIN!”
Del peeked out from her quarters and sighed.
“That's enough of that.” Del walked over, grabbed the can, and walked back into her room. “Waste of perfectly good parts. Ya'll better hope I can re-use all this or I'll be plenty mad.”
Fin and Vincent just broke out laughing.
Inside his room, James flipped his unseeing tormenters the bird and went back to bed, trying not to think about the seven foot tall crate in the cargo bay.
--
Bernabe invited the crew to breakfast in the morning. It wasn't much, just oatmeal served in a communal setting. James watched the ritual of serving, eating, and cleaning up after curiously. He took notes in his mind. Later he'd transcribe them into his datapad. He helped with the dishes and tried to talk some stories out of people. He didn't get much, just variations on stories he'd already recorded. It was daytime, though. A few people promised him something better when the planet had risen and the atmosphere was more appropriate.
The rest of the day was spent mostly waiting for the night's festivities. The dinner promised in exchange for Fin's services as a doctor. Each crew member spent the time in their own way.
Del wandered the town, stopping by the quartermaster's office to speak with Ryan. She asked about spare plating or scrap she could use to help shore up the Claw's hull. It was still somewhat damaged from the asteroid collision.
“Sorry,” Ryan said, “Things like that we need to keep for Millie's boat. As it is, her ship isn't working properly. Hasn't for nearly a month now.”
Del nodded. “Well, maybe we have something you need. Let's compare parts lists. Maybe we can work out some trade.”
--
Fin didn't wander so much as he walked from breakfast back to the ship. Along the way, though, he was stopped by a young woman.
“Doctor,” she said as she shoved a basket of potatoes into Fin's arms, “You saved my little boy. Gracias. Bless you. Please, take these. They aren't much but I must pay you for the miracle you have done.”
Fin looked down into the basket . If he felt all warm and fuzzy due to the moment, he kept it to himself. He simply thanked the woman and continued on his way.
--
“Really only got a few choices if you want to stay local.” Vincent said as he touched a few keys. On the monitor several planets were magnified into individual windows. “Athens, Aberdeen, Beylix.”
Nadie nodded and looked over the choices. Whitefall orbited Athens and she wasn't eager to return to the scene of her brother's death.
“Beylix.” Nadie said. She leaned over Vincent's shoulder so she could tap a few keys herself, work out a very crude fuel use estimate, “We can pick us up some parts there to repair the hull, get refueled, and maybe find a job.”
“I'll start working out some vectors.” Vincent said.
--
Currently playing: “Knight Ride” from Daughters of the Celtic Moon.
The dinner turned out to be a party with the entire town invited. People played music and danced, sat around a fire and told stories. Being new to Haven, the crew of the Mao's Claw were of intense interest to the locals. Del and Vincent, especially, got more than their fair share of attention and dancing. Meanwhile, James listened intensely, as a story about Browncoats who crash landed on Haven, died, and were now haunting the mines was told. Nadie stayed for as long as would be polite and then quietly returned to the Claw.
As the celebration wound down, both Vincent and Del left in the company of new “friends” for a few hours of between the sheets enjoyment. So did Fin, to the surprise of some. James headed back to the ship. Browncoat ghosts, after all, might not take too well to an Alliance officer wandering about. As he left the fire, he noticed Ryan Miller-Greene for the first time. He frowned as he got a nagging feeling that he knew the man from somewhere. He shrugged it off, though, and continued on his way.
--
The next morning, Nadie sought out Bernabe. She had the picture of her father with her.
“All I know,” Nadie said in quiet tones, “that this was taken after my papa was supposed to be dead.”
Bernabe stared down at the photograph.
“There were rumors, durin' the war.” he started slowly as if hesitant, “Alliance was our boogie men so we had the ghost stories. Alliance capture you, they'll send you off to the torture farm. Just stories... 'cept, after the war... I had a lot of friends what got captured and sent to P.O.W. camps. They talked, sometimes, 'bout prisoners bein' selected. Taken out. Never seen again. I wouldn't think much of it except there were names. Me and Millie got curious, scanned the Cortex one night. Lot of those names were listed as killed while trying to escape.”
Nadie stared up at Bernabe as she processed that, hoping for more.
“Sorry I can't be of more use to you, Cap'n Ling.” Bernabe said, regretfully.
Nadie slipped the picture back into her pocket.
“I know more than I did.” she said.
--
A little over two hours away from Haven, the crew was relaxing. Nadie and Del were in the engine room, working on a small tune-up. Vincent was in the passenger lounge, snoozing. Fin was there, too, reading the occasional passage to Vincent as loudly as possible. James was in the crew lounge, entering notes into his datapad.
“200 credits ain't bad.” Del noted as she began injecting silicon lubricant into the main power switch.
“Ain't much but it'll pay for food.” Nadie twirled a wrench in her hand as she watched Del work. “Plus, Bernabe and all them at Haven are good folk. We was goin' to Beylix anyway. Bernebe said his buyer had an emergency need for ore and Millie couldn't deliver it.”
“Ship's broken.” Del agreed, “Ryan told me. What 'bout the robot?”
“Jack Gracy got back to me.” Nadie replied, “That was the client. Said he meant to sell that robot to another customer. Asked us to bring it back. I return waved, told him we'd be glad to deliver it for him. For a reasonable amount.
A strange sound echoed, vibrating through the metal of the Mao's Claw. Del and Nadie's heads both snapped up.
“That sound weren't ship.” Del said.
--
Vincent had just managed to return to a light slumber when the sound woke him up. A whirling sound combined with the splintering of metal being ripped apart. He lept to his feet and ran, heading for the source of the sound. The cargo bay.
Fin heard the sound, too.
“It's just James trying to get back at us for the joke!” Fin called out after Vincent.
Vincent skidded to a stop at the base of the short ramp into the cargo bay. The seven foot crate had been torn open from the inside. The Foreigner Mining Mate mark 2 was out, chainsaw arm ripping into cargo crates. Ore spilled everywhere.
Vincent's hand went to his side, following instinct to draw his gun in a dangerous situation. Only, his gun wasn't there. It was in his room.
“We're so humped.” he moaned.
END ACT ONE
ACT TWO
Currently playing: “Run” from the Final Fantasy X soundtrack.
As Vincent watched, wide-eyed, the robot rolled across the floor on tank-like treds, straight for him. He staggered back against the wall, muscles tensed to spring into a dodge. He wasn't the target, though. The robot brought down it's chainsaw arm. The horrible sound of metal ripping apart metal echoed through the cargo bay as it cut straight through the hood and engine block of the mule parked right in front of Vincent's position. Vincent ran over to the intercom panel and slapped his hand on the shipwide button.
“Robot's loose! Someone bring me my gun!”
--
Up in the crew lounge, James heard the announcement of doom. He could feel the cold sweat dripping down his spine already. James stood up, datapad clutched tightly in hand, and walks into his room. Then he locked the door.
--
Nadie threw open the door to the ship's locker and jumped inside just long enough to snatch the shotgun leaning against the wall in the corner. With the shotgun in one hand and her katana in the other she took off for the cargo bay.
--
Fin frowned as he heard the horrible sound screeching from the direction of the cargo bay. Then Del ran past him.
“That sounded too real to be a practical joke.” he muttered to himself. Then he chased after Del.
--
Del slide to a halt at the end of the small ramp leading into the cargo bay just in time to see the robot try to punch a hole into Vincent's chest with it's drill arm. Vincent leaped backwards and, instead, the robot punched a hole into the deck plating.
“Don't hurt it!” Del cried out. Then, she said to herself, “One-hundred and seventy.”
“Hurt IT?!?” Vincent cried back.
Fin and Nadie reached the cargo bay at the same time. Fin spared a glance to the naked blade in Nadie's hands.
“Do you carry that sword with you everywhere?” he asked.
Nadie didn't bother to answer. She threw the shotgun towards Vincent, who snatched it out of the air and pumped it, once. Then he dodged around the mule and fired. The slug slammed into the back of the robot's body but did little but dent it. It turned around and began rolling towards the most obvious threat, chainsaw whirring and drill whirling.
Del, meanwhile, was thinking furiously. She stares at the robot but she wasn't actually seeing it. Instead, she was trying frantically to remember the user's manual she had read the night before. How could she stop the robot without damaging it too much? Wait... yes! That would work!
“Cap'n! There's an access panel on the back of the head!”
Nadie rushed into action. Her sword wouldn't do much against a metal an opponent but it might be up to this task. She lept onto the back of the mule, took three running steps and lept again, executing a flip before she landed on the ground. Nadie side-stepped to get the best angle and then thrust. The tip of her sword pierced the lock keeping the robot's access hatch closed. Then she twisted, forcing the hatch to pop open.
Del got a split-second glance before the robot turned around but that was all she needed. She knew what she needed. Del pressed the shipwide intercom button.
“I have a powerful need for a datapad right now!” Del shouted into the intercom, “That means you, James!”
--
James listened to Del's words and considered his options. For a long second, he considered staying right where he was. Finally, though, he stood up from his bunk. He stuffed both a gun into each pocket and grabbed his datapad. He paused only long enough to strip the datapad from the case. His datasticks were stored in the case and he wanted to make sure they survived this, even if the datapad didn't.
--
Fin ran across the cargo bay, pumping his legs for all they were worth. So far, he hadn't drawn the attention of the robot and that was just fine with him. He glanced up, looking at the mobile crane and forklift, both suspended by chains from the ceiling, then back at his goal; the cargo bay controls.
--
The robot turned, electronic eyes staring down at Nadie. It's sensors and processors had determined she was a threat and it reacted quickly, chainsaw descending towards the ship's captain. Nadie tried to dodge out of the way but she wasn't nearly so nimble as Vincent was earlier. The chainsaw grazed her side. The wound was shallow but that didn't mean it hurt any less.
Vincent took another shot, this time aiming lower. The shotgun rang out loudly and the slug slammed into the left tread of the robot. The treads deformed but not enough to break. The robot reversed course again, heading for him with chainsaw raised.
“Here!” James slapped the datapad into Del's hand. The mechanic went into action immediately, running forward and leaping in the air. Truth be told, she half expected to end up face down on the cargo bay floor but, somehow, she hit her mark. She landed right on the back of the robot. With the sort of experience that comes from years of practice, Del pulled the thin network cable from the datapad and plugged it into the port revealed when the access panel was opened.
--
Fin stared down at the cargo bay control screen. He had received a basic tutorial in how to operate most of the ship's systems during his initial orientation but, as he watched the display blink the word “Command?” over and over again he had to struggle to remember. Then it hit him, in a flash, and he began typing as quickly as his fingers would allow.
--
Nadie watched, aghast, as Del leaped onto the back of the robot. Then she saw her mechanic connect James' datapad to the mining machine and Nadie realized what Del was up to. They had to buy her the time to do it.
The robot began spinning it's treads, the damaged but still whole left forward, the right backwards. Immediately, Nadie grasped the robot's strategy. It was trying to dislodge Del using centrifugal force. Nadie ran forward and slammed into the robot, shoulder to metal shoulder. She cried out as she stretched the muscles in her already bloodied side but the robot's spinning speed was slowed down. Del kept hold and kept working.
--
With Del's arms and legs wrapped around the robot, Vincent suddenly had a much harder target to hit. He knew he could do it, though. Even though he was practiced with pistols and not shotguns. Even though missing meant possibly wounding his best friend. Vincent knew he could do it. He was the best shot around, after all.
Vincent pressed the butt of the shotgun against his shoulder, aimed down the sight, and squeezed the trigger. Inside, an electric current was generated, igniting the chemical propellant of the bullet. The slug exploded out of the shotgun and impacted, right on target. The already damaged tread flew apart, pieces scattering everywhere.
“That should slow it down!” Vincent cried out in triumph. The robot's weapons were a drill and a chainsaw. It couldn't move fast enough to reach them now and it definitely couldn't hit what it couldn't reach.
Then Vincent watched in horror as the robot's drill folded backwards and what appeared to be some sort of gun replaced it. He dived, quickly, managing to roll to the ground just before the robot's mining laser ionized the air above his head and sliced into a crate. Ore spilled everywhere.
“We are so humped.” Vincent muttered.
--
Like Del, James had spent time on the cortex reading the robot's user manual. The words he just shouted were the robot's default, emergency shutdown command.
The robot didn't shut down.
--
The mobile crane bounced when it hit the cargo bay floor. Fin jumped into the operator's seat and started it up. The crane's normal job was to move cargo and salvage too irregular in shape and size for the forklift. Now, it needed to be an instrument of combat. Fin knew he couldn't operate the crane neatly enough to snatch the robot and lift it into the air but maybe he could buy the others some time. He wrapped his hands around the controls and began shifting, pushing, and pulling. He managed to dangle the claw right in front of the robot, between it and Vincent.
--
The robot seemed confused by the sudden introduction of the crane's claw to the fight. It swept with its laser, slicing through the crane's boom. The cargo bay seemed to thunder as half the boom and the claw hit the deck.
Vincent took advantage of the opening and pulled the trigger. The robot's laser exploded with a burst of energy that singed Del's hair and skin. She grunted but ignored the pain, using one hand to furiously tap a sequence on the datapad's touchscreen. It was awkward work, though, because she had to use one hand to cling to the robot. The datapad was wedged between the robot's shoulder and her own. She glancd briefly up at the fallen boom, “One-hundred and seventy one.”
Vincent pumped the shotgun but nothing chambered. The longarm was out of ammo. He tossed it away and shouted out.
“I need another gun!”
James yanked a pistol from his pocket and tossed it towards the ship's pilot. Vincent raised his hands for the catch. The gun ended up clattering to the floor behind him instead.
--
Even as Vincent was lining up his shot, Nadie dropped her sword and took off running. Like Del before her, Nadie leaped up onto the robot's back and used her arms and legs to brace Del against the machine, allowing the mechanic to use both hands on her task. The robot, unsteady because of a missing tread, wobbled but didn't fall.
“James! Need your weight!” Nadie called out, realizing that they could further hinder the robot.
James grimaced but took off running, leaping into the air and landing in an odd pig-pile atop Nadie and Del. The extra weight and force of impact were enough. The robot toppled over, landing front first on the deck.
Del paused for a moment, startled by the sudden change in position, then went back to work.
The robot's broken and sparking laser folded back, allowing the drill to swing forward again. It punched downward, through the deck plating and into the wires below. Suddenly, it began to float. So did those clinging to the thing's back.
“It must have ruptured a grav plate! If we don't shut down gravity or disconnect the plate the whole grid will short out!” Del shouted without stopping her work. “One-hundred and seventy two.” She clung with her legs as if riding a horse and kept her fingers flying over the touchscreen.
Neither Nadie nor James were able to keep hold of the robot. They began to rise, finding no place to grab onto or push off of. Nadie yanked the wrench she had been playing with earlier from her pocket and tossed it as hard as she could. The motion was just enough to spin her out of the small zone of weightlessness. She landed hard but rolled and came back up to her feet just like her mother had taught her. Then she began running for the cargo bay control terminal.
--
Vincent forgot about the fumbled pistol as he saw the robot rise into the air. With the robot floating and the laser disabled they had the thing beat! There was nothing it could do now.
Then he saw a plate on the robot's chest open. A thick disc was ejected from the robot's chest, sailing through the area of no gravity. Once free the disc dropped to the ground and bounced a few times before coming to a rest. A series of flashing lights winked on the disc's surface.
“We are so humped.” Vincent sighed.
--
Nadie glanced over her shoulder and saw the explosive clatter along the floor.
“Mi tian gohn!” she swore as she began typing not one command but a sequence of them.
GRAVITY DISENGAGED.
AIRLOCK SAFETIES OVERRIDDEN.
AIRLOCK OPENING. OPENING WIDTH: ONE FOOT.
Nadie wrapped herself around the console's table. It was bolted to the floor.
“Everyone grab something! Vincent, the mine!” she shouted.
With gravity off, the crew had to be inventive. Fin pushed off the unsecured crane and grabbed a catwalk support strut. James, with nothing to push off of or cling to, pulled his second gun and fired at the seat of the mobile crane. The bullet embedded into the cushion and the recoil sent him floating towards the wall, where he, too, grabbed a catwalk support strut. Del just hung onto the robot and kept working.
--
Vincent took Nadie's meaning immediately. He reached out and snagged a chunk of ore floating by. Already the suction of atmo evacuating into space was drawing him towards the open airlock. Loose ore was sucked out into space. Vincent put it all out of his mind and worked the vectors. This was just like plotting a course. Just like finding the best way to get from point A to point B. The lights on the explosive charge were winking faster now. There were only seconds left. If that.
Vincent wound up and bowled just like he had as a youth playing cricket. The chunk of ore sailed through the air and grazed the charge on the outside end. The force was enough to send it spinning until it floated directly into the stream of air being pulled from the cargo bay.
Nadie watched, focused entirely on the explosive charge. When she saw it sucked out of the cargo bay she slammed her finger down on the ENTER key, executing the last command she typed in.
AIRLOCK CLOSING.
The doors had just closed when the ship shook. They'd gotten the charge out in the very nick of time.
--
“Done!” Del cried in triumph. She'd hacked past the robot's security layer. After that, all it took was a single touch of her index finger to the touchscreen to shut the ruttin' thing down.
END ACT TWO
ACT THREE
“What do we know?” Nadie asked her crew.
It was a little under an hour later and they were gathered around the pool table. They'd disconnected the damaged grav plate from the rest of the grid and done some cleaning up. All in all, they'd lost the mule, the boom of the mobile crane, a grav plate, and some of the ore from Haven. Fin had treated Nadie's wounds and wrapped her torso up. It looked worse than it actually was. He was only now getting to treating Del's burns with a cream.
“Delved into the robot's programming.” Del said as Fin applied the cream to her burns, “Thing was definitely set-up to wreck a ship. Not our ship specific but any ship. Cause as much gwai ma jeow as possible. Primary target was people but secondary target was breakin' everything possible as it made way towards the engine room. Thing had an extra box with it's own power source inside it, attached to the power regulator. It was set to activate the robot at a specific time.”
“So, this was about us, not Haven?” Nadie asked.
“No,” James said, “I don't think things add up that way. If someone just wanted to off us they would have done it on the way to Haven, when we had four robots and not three in our cargo hold. It was probably about Haven with the last robot on our boat to get rid of witnesses. There's a lot of variables there, though. Whoever set that up had to know the miners on Haven wouldn't just keep the fourth robot and they had to know that we'd be in the black and not near help at the point in time that the robot was activated.”
“If we had left a day earlier we'd have been on Beylix by now.” Vincent added.
“So, part of it doesn't make sense unless...” There might as well as been a ding because suddenly James' eyes lit up with an epiphany. “That's where I know him from! Captain, the quartermaster's name isn't Ryan Miller-Greene and he isn't a quartermaster. He's the inside man who set this all up. Del, did he touch the robot?”
“Well, sure. Had to in order to go over the inventory. I wasn't watchin' real close, honestly. He could have had time to connect a datapad and give some instructions.” Del confirmed James' suspicions.
“How do you know Miller-Greene or whatever he's named is the man?” Nadie asked.
“I can't say.” James said, voice hardening, “It is classified.”
“Classified?” Del asked, incrediously.
“Classified.” James confirmed. “You just have to trust me. He's the man. It all fits. He sabotages Haven's boat so that someone else has to carry the cargo. That way, the people of Haven have less time to examine the robots and less time to find something wrong. He makes sure the inventory reads in such a way that one of the robots will be taken. Since he's quartermaster he has the authority to refuse a shipment, especially on “moral” grounds. He knows we'll be staying for dinner but figures we'll be eager to be on our way. I won't go so far as to say he engineered the flu but he did know our timetable so he could program it into the robot. Like I said, it all fits.”
Nadie frowned, disliking the secrecy that James had begun his explaination with but pushing it aside. She'd accept James' reasons. For now.
“Alright. So this mo min chi meow mess is about Haven.” Nadie said, “Means there are three other robots back there ready to go nuts. If they ain't done so already.”
“Probably the Corone Mining Consortium.” Fin said, “and our initial client was probably in on it.”
“That's the truth of it, most likely.” Nadie agreed, “So, the question is, what do we do 'bout it?”
They all fell silent for a moment, examining the odds. Just one robot almost did them all in. Three might do it for sure.
“Del, can you shut them down remote-like?” Nadie asked.
Del was silent as the wheels in her brain turned.
“Well, assumin' all the robots are all set with the same security codes, I think so.” Del replied, “James had the right of it durin' the fight. They're designed to respond to voice commands. Sayin' the security override code followed by the right voice command should shut them down right and proper.”
“So, we'd just need to get close enough to say the commands.” Vincent pondered the problem. “That might be hard with a laser gunning for us.”
“Laser was revved up.” Del said, “Ain't no way a real mining laser would have that sort of range.”
“We'd also have to worry about the spy.” James noted, “Del, can the robots do facial recognition?”
“Nah.” Del shook her head, “The use a combination of thermal, photonic, auditory, and motion sensors as well as pressure plates build beneath the surface so they have feelin', of a sort. Probably software to let them identify one rock from another but not one face from another.”
James nodded.
“Then chances are our quartermaster friend would be seeking cover. The robots wouldn't know him from anyone else and he wouldn't want to shut them down in the middle of the job.”
“We got enough fuel to turn course, get to Haven, and then get from there to Beylix again?” Nadie asked Vincent.
“Just enough.” Vincent confirmed. “We'll be in trouble if we run into problems on the way, though.”
“Well then.” Nadie said, looking to each member of her crew, one by one. “Do we go?”
“We got to go back.” Del was the first to speak up.
“We should pull every bunk in the ship out, put it in the cargo bay. There'll be wounded.” Fin added as he stood up, “I'll start setting up an emergency clinic.”
“I'll go turn us around. We should get to Haven in time for lunch. By their time, anyway.” Vincent stood and headed for the bridge.
“I want to look at the robot more. Maybe get some ideas.” Del said as she headed for the cargo bay herself.
“I'll go with you. I have an idea myself.” James said, following after Del.
Nadie watched her crew go, nearly bursting with pride. Then she got up and went to the bridge. She'd try to wave Bernabe and warn him.
--
Currently playing: Track 10 from the Braveheart soundtrack.
The fires the crew of the Mao's Claw saw as the ship descended told the story. The robots had already been activated.
“Let's just hope we ain't too late.” Nadie said, feeling dread knotting in her stomach. She'd been unable to reach Haven by wave. “Let's go.”
--
Del and Vincent creeped along, moving along the edge of buildings, trying to stay out of site. From the air, the damage looked worse than it actually was. A few structures were lost beyond repair and more than a few people were laying on the ground, hurt or worse, but most of the damage could be fixed. In the distance, they could hear Bernabe shouting orders, getting everyone into the mine.
“Short term solution.” Vincent noted to Del, “Once the robots start for the mines they'll be trapped.”
“Buys us time, though.” Del noted.
Up ahead, they heard the tell-tale whirling sound of a drill burying itself into metal. Vincent peeked around the corner and saw one of the robots in the middle of destroying what was an already beat-up old condenser, designed to draw moisture from the air and store it as potable water.
“This is just like that time on Jiangyin, remember?” Vincent asked Del.
“Not quite.” Del answered with a grin, “Weren't robots then. I'm ready.”
They tried to sneak forward but it did them no good. The robot could “see” in a full circle around it. The robot turned and rolled towards the motion, drill and chainsaw both running at full speed. Vincent acted immediately, tossing a what looked like a can of Blue Sun brand pear halves (in peach syrup!) as far away from them as possible.
The robot turned and began rolling towards the can.
“It worked!” Del shouted with excitement. It had been Vincent's idea but she'd been the one to do the work. It took most of their scrap and parts of the robot but Del had built two nice little toys that would momentarily confuse the sensors of the Mining Mates.
She ran forward and began shouting as the top of her lungs.
“Yi Wu Wu Ba Jiu Liu Er! Puhn yoh! Go hwong tong!”
The robot shut down.
--
James spotted the robot before it spotted him. He ducked behind a stone wall and waited for the right moment. Unlike Del, James wanted to take the more direct approach. He didn't trust that the security code and shutdown command would work or, if it did, it would work for very long. James drew a round disc and a roll of duct tape from his satchel and went to work.
--
Unlike the others, Fin wasn't on the hunt for robots or spies. Instead, he moved through the damaged town and checked each body he came across. Those who were already dead he passed by. Those who were alive he knelt down to examine. Those who didn't have life threatening injuries or who had injuries so severe that recovery was impossible were left. Those he could save, Fin picked up and carried back to the Claw. It was slow going by himself.
--
Nadie crept through Haven with both weapons worn but neither weapon drawn. His sword was slung over her shoulder. Her pistol was in a holster at her side. She kept her eyes peeled, looking for signs of movement. She'd gotten halfway towards the town center without encountering a single robot. In the distance, she heard Bernabe bellowing for the emergency gates on the mine entrance to be closed.
“Good.” she murmured to herself. Hopefully, that got everyone out of harm's way. Everyone but her and her crew, anyway.
Up ahead, Nadie saw a flash of movement. She moved to follow.
--
James lept into action. He threw the second of Del's miniature cry-babies past the robot. As the Mining Mate turned, James rushed forward and slapped the disc down on the robot's treads. He pressed a button and then ran. The scholar dived over the wall. The robot wasn't fooled for long and it turned, starting to roll towards the wall
It exploded before it got half-way.
James smiled grimly and checked his satchel. There had been two explosive charges remaining inside the mining robot that had trashed the Claw's cargo bay. James had just one left.
--
Nadie lifted her head up to spy what she could see. Kneeling just three yards away was the man who called himself Ryan Miller-Greene. He had his forearm in front of him, propped up on an overturned chair. Miller-Greene was using the braced arm to steady his gun hand as he took aim with a pistol for a snipe shot.
Nadie lifted her head a little more and focused beyond the spy, looking to see who his target was.
It was Del.
--
James was surprised when he ran into the second robot. He had mentioned before the stories he had read where robots turned on humans. The scene before him was ripped right from those stories. The mining robot was poised over a little boy, drill raised. It was just about to ram the drill down through the boy's young body. All the scene was missing was a puppy dog barking in futile defiance.
“Hey!” James shouted at the robot. It turned towards him. James took a shot at the robot, making himself the more immediate threat. He missed, wildly, but he wasn't really aiming. When the robot began rolling towards him, James turned and ran.
James glanced back over his shoulder, trying to judge how fast the robot was going. When they passed the edge of a house he began counting.
“One Londinum. Two Londinum. Three Londinum.” James kept glancing over his shoulder, so he could see how long it took the robot to move from the first landmark to the second, an abandoned cart. He almost tripped once or twice since he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going.
Once James was sure he had the robot's rate of travel right he pulled out the last explosive charge. He pressed a button on the charge and dropped it on the ground.
“Let this work...” he prayed as he kept running.
The robot had switched from drill to laser during the chase. Sensors locked onto James and the angry beam of light fired, lancing a hole through James' shoulder. James stumbled and fell, clutching the wound in pain.
“Let this work...” James prayed through the pain. Because if it didn't work he was dead.
The robot rolled over the explosive charge just as it's internal timer reached zero. The robot was blown upwards into the air by the explosion. It hit the ground hard, a heap of broken metal.
--
Nadie pressed the barrel of her gun up against the quartermaster's head.
“Best you surrender now, Mr. Miller-Greene.”
The spy dropped his pistol and slowly raised his hands in the air. He knew it was over.
--
Currently playing: “Sister Moon” from Daughters of the Celtic Moon.
“Don't know how to thank you, Cap'n Ling.” Bernabe said as he shook Nadie's hand, “Wish we had enough money to spare. Or anythin' to spare, really.”
“Don't worry none about it.” Nadie said. In fact, they had given to the people of Haven instead of the other way around. They had used most of their medical supplies and given their defeated robot over so there'd be enough spare parts to fix the broken ones meant for the mine. After all, the miners still had need of those robots. After some reprogramming, of course.
All in all, fifteen people had died. Many others were injured but the quick thinking and surgical skill of Fin Cage saved them. A few miners had been spared from clean up to help rebox the ore that had spilled onto the Claw's cargo deck and the ore that had been lost into space was replaced.
“What are you gonna do with Miller-Greene?” Nadie asked.
“Ain't our way to kill folk if we don't have to.” Bernabe said, his voice rumbling. “Once Millie gets the boat fixed, which'll be easier with the parts we found hidden under Miller-Greene's bunk, we'll drop him off on a nice world we know with some food and such. He'll have his chance.”
Nadie nodded. She, herself, had considered giving her uncle the name of their client on Paquin but decided against it. Nadie wasn't sure she wanted to start along the road that Tong vengeance would lead her down.
“We'll get the ore to your client soon as can be done.” she said to Bernabe.
He smiled.
“Know you will. Like I said, we can't spare money or food or nothin' but you and your's will always have a place here. No matter what's chasin' you, we'll harbor you.”
“That's all the payment we could ask for, Bernabe. Thank you.”
--
James looked down at the man who called himself Ryan Miller-Greene. The man he knew as Sidney Pell.
“Been a long time.” James said.
Sidney turned his eyes up to the man. He was well tied down. There was a guard outside.
“It has been. Can't say I expected to see you here. Listen, if you get me out of here, you'll be generously rewarded. My employer will see to it.”
“I don't know.” James said, “Was this on behalf of the Alliance?”
“No. I'm a private contractor now. So will you help me?”
“If it weren't official, I can't help you with so many deaths involved.”
“The rumors I heard during the war were true, then.” Sidney sneered, “I heard you were soft.”
James smirked at the jab. “The rumors I heard during the war were true, then. I heard you were sloppy. I mean... killer robots... really?”
“It was the client's idea,” Sidney practically whined.
“Sure it was. Goodbye, Sidney. Good luck.” James turned to leave.
“Watch out for that doctor of your's.” Sidney called after him, “I've heard things about the place he was attached to during the war. If a man worked there he's probably a sadist. Who knows what he's capable of.”
James was unable to hold back a sardonic grunt, “I already know what he's capable of.” In his mind's eye he saw the back of Colonel Angela Jones' head exploding. “I already know.”
--
Bernabe and Millie stood side by side, watching as the Mao's Claw vanished into the night sky.
“Let's go see to our spy.” Millie said, her voice grim.
Bernabe turned and walked, hand in hand, with his wife back towards town.
“I hope he likes Shadow.”
END ACT THREE
EPILOGUE
“Are you sure you wouldn't like a cup of coffee?” Michaels asked.
“No, thank you.” the woman with the short cropped hair replied.
“I still don't understand why you were brought in on this. It really is a military concern. We've already questioned the driver and we're confident he was locked in the trunk at the time of Colonel Jones' death.” Michaels glanced back towards his office again. The woman's partner had been in there with the deceased Colonel's driver for twenty minutes now.
“Well, since you are curious,” the woman leaned forward as she spoke, “Colonel Jones was assigned to a very special project during the war. Certain experiments were performed there. Experiments of a highly sensitive nature. That's why her death, especially since it was very violent, interests us. We need to make sure no loose ends need wrapping up.”
Captain Michaels nodded his understading. He was about to open his mouth to say something when a blood-freezing scream was let out. It came from his office.
“You really shouldn't have been curious, Captain.” the woman said as she reached into her suit jacket. “You know what it did to the cat.”
The woman's blue gloved hand came out from inside the jacket. She was holding an odd looking instrument. Captain Michaels stared at the strange thing, almost jumping when two white prongs popped out from either side.
“I'm afraid, Captain,” the woman said as the high pitched whine began, “you've become just another loose end.”
FADE TO BLACK
| Heroes of the Great Tree Topics | ||
| Heroes of the Great Tree | Barsaive • Adepts • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Impossibilities | I-verse background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Phantapunk | Aeryn Background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Concrete & Crimson | World Background • Scoobies • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Keep Flying | The 'Verse • The Crew • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Polybius | The World • Investigators • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Labyrinth | The World • PCs • NPCs • House Rules• Leads | |
| Arkham by Cyberlight | The City • The Runners • Everyone Else • House Rules | |
| Keep Flying v2 | The 'Verse • The Crew • Other Folk • House Rules | |
| Savage Effect | The Galaxy • The Cliens • Everyone Else • House Rules | |
