Episode 6

Dawes requests the crew attend an Earth-Mars Coalition Fleet-Week Christmas Masquerade Ball on the luxury yacht Elysian Dream docked in Ceres. Lu parts ways to offer her services at the under-staffed medical clinic in Rosse Buurt. Nikki and Julie reminisce about life on Earth. NoDot wins a poker tournament by accident. Alfie and Kova foil a terrorist plot lead by Marco Inaros. Mars unofficially declares war on Earth by blowing up a civilian ship, and the crew narrowly escapes being trapped on the Elysian Dream in the resulting chaos.

Starting: Sunday, 2350-12-24 Ending: Sunday, 2350-12-25 That's right, it's the Christmas episode.

2350-12-24 (Sunday)

Summary: Daily summary goes here.

---

Lu's Departure

Lu discusses her departure with the crew, stating that she has found her purpose, post-desertion of her UNN role as a combat-medic. She plans to offer her services to the under-staffed medical clinic in Rosse Buurt where she had previously borrowed an operating room.

Paid With More Work

Summary: Dawes asks the crew to attend a high stakes poker tournament being held the following evening on the Elysian Dream during the EMC Fleet Week Masquarade. Dawes offers to front the buy-in, and in for the paper UND currency, he will pay the crew the equivalent Belter credits (1,125,000 Cr).

After Nikki, NoDot, and Julie leave to pick up their tailored outfits, he informs Alfie and Kova that members of the Inaros OPA will also be present as staff, and

---

The Fleet Week Masquarade (FleWM)

Dawes thanks the crew for their help delivering gifts to the orphanage, and offers three tickets to the Fleet-Week Masquarade Ball taking place on none other than Jager Kruna's (the richest person alive) unmatched luxury yacht, the Elysian Dream. Dawes goes on to explain that the tickets are for Nikki, NoDot, and Julie.

Attendees include soldiers, politicians, rich business-folk, and their plus-ones and families. Doors open tomorrow at 18:00.

Dawes informs them that he has entered Nikki and NoDot into a poker tournament with a 5k UND buy in (75k Cr), winner takes all at a 5 person table. Dawes says he will exchange the paper winnings for Cr, without taking a cut. His interest lies in the procurement of physical UN cash. The crew is suspicious of this but Nikki's instincts tell her that Dawes is concerned about pending hyper-inflation of traditional belter currency.

Dawes mentions that no firearms will be permitted on the premises, but indicates that crimes will be taken very seriously due to the nature of the event. He explicitly informs NoDot that the consequences for cheating in the poker tournament will not be worth the risk. NoDot chooses to interpret this as "the consequences for getting caught cheating." Dawes attempts several times to clarify that he really would prefer they don't cheat, but eventually gives up.

Dawes then informs them that he's called ahead to his tailor who will know to give them his usual discount. They can also skip the line so that the outfits are guaranteed to be ready for the ball. Julie take's Nikki and NoDot to pick them up.

The Real Job

When only Alfie and Kova remain, Dawes informs them that they will need to sneak aboard as staff. Due to "increases in security" Belters would no longer be permitted as guests, with little exception.

Dawes has intel that members of Inaros OPA will also be attending the FleWM as well, and he is tasking Alfie and Kova with figuring out why, and to prevent them from doing anything bad.

He tells the pair to head down to get their measurements taken so that their tuxedos can be fitted, and informs them that they will be comped as an apology for not being able to get them proper tickets.

The Tailor

The boutique tailor shop is operated by a sassy gay man named Gim Tunn.

Nikki requests a traditional ball gown, while NoDot requests "the most hentai succubus strappy outfit with sex-mark tattoos" and the tailor protests heavily before they compromise on something that may not get his outfits banned from future FleWMs. Lavender silk with lace accent, backless, with side-slits, and matching glowing gloves. When NoDot requests a cat-ear headband the tailor informs them that one can be purchased at the novelty store down the street. NoDot does not appreciate this.

The discounted prices for the outfits are 75k Cr for Nikki's, and 125k Cr for NoDot's. NoDot incorrectly insists that Dawes said the outfits would be free, and Gim says Dawes was quite clear in his message that he would not be footing the remainder after the discount.

When Kova and Alfie show up, Gim swiftly takes their measurements, and tells everyone to return the following morning to pick up their outfits.

Julie and Nikki's Heart to Heart

Nikki and Julie go shopping for stocking stuffers together.

Julie asks Nikki how the previous day went, and Nikki informs her of her encounter with Star Helix and her near-encounter with Vice Admiral Draven Kennedy, making the realization that the reason he may be in town as a FleWM guest.

Nikki asks Julie the same, and Julie informs her that she had been drilling elements of the heist.

Before they part ways for the night, Nikki presents a hamster tube set to Julie, for her animatronic hamster to crawl around in. Julie finds it to be a very thoughtful gift.

Back on the Terpsichore

Kova succumbs to a panic attack over the thought of confronting Marco Inaros at the FleWM and retreats to her quarters. Mack shows up asking to hang out because he's been feeling neglected. He talks to Kova too much about plants and all of his intricate future plans. They watch Scooby Doo together. Kova's never seen it before and she likes it. She fills him in on Lu's decision to work at a clinic.

The crew returns to the Terpsichore where Alfie asks NoDot for a mysterious favor, and NoDot asks Kova to help move things out of an old apartment unit on Ceres with the intention of giving Hecate's belongings to Mack.

Alfie asks NoDot to acquire all Hermes Orphanage records for the last 30 years including where each orphan went when they left. NoDot agrees to do it in spite of failing to coax any more information out of Alfie as to the nature of this request.

Alfie then goes to the mess to get smashed on some space whiskey by himself.

2350-12-25 (Monday)

Summary: The crew exchanges gifts. NoDot moves out of their apartment. Repairs on the ship are initiated. Nikki and Julie dance. Number wins a poker tournament. The crew thwarts a terror plot by Inaros' OPA

---

Stocking Stuffers

Nikki blasts Kelly Clarkson "Underneath the Tree" at 8AM to wake everyone up and give out stocking gifts.

From Nikki

Everyone gets a chocolate orange and an additional gift in a stocking from Nikki.

Alfie: Buncha cigars. Alfie immediately lights one to nurse his hangover.

Kova: Beanie for Pip. Kova hugs Nikki and puts the clothes on Pip.

NoDot: Bedazzled Fidget Spinner. NoDot is moved by the gesture and feels guilty for not getting anything for anyone on the ship. Then she tries to do cool fidget spinner tricks but can't figure them out.

Mack: Nerf Gun. Mack is already making a mess with with it and asking if he can shoot Pip as target practice.

Julie: A set of tubes for her animatronic hamster to run around in. She isn't on the ship but sends a picture that morning of it all set up.

From Alfie

Alfie started on a hand-knit scarf for Nikki before the other members of the crew showed up around half a year ago, and didn't have time to knit anything for anyone else.

From NoDot

NoDot wrote a personalized song for Hecate based on Hecate's D&D character that she plays in her campaign with her femboy neighbors. She forgot to get anything for anyone else and feels pretty bad about it.

NoDot's Old Apartment

Summary: NoDot lays in a ball in her apartment. It was a depression cave for NoDot and they do not enjoy returning to it. Kova and Nikki help clean. Hecate asks that any botany stuff that she left behind before going to Ganymede be given to Mack. NoDot moves their servers to a colo (server farm) somewhere on Ceres.

---

NoDot decides it is time to vacate their old Ceres apartment unit, and enlists the aid of Kova. NoDot thinks that some of Hecate's old supplies might be useful to Mack and his new plant hobby. Kova obliges, and Nikki offers to come along as well.

When they arrive, it is "depression made manifest." It was not cleaned up before NoDot left to join the Terpsichore. There is a single, sad, dead cactus. Unassembled furniture. And a bunch of server arrays that NoDot has been using remotely. Additionally, there is bunch of Hecate's stuff.

Nikki asks Kova to go down the street and grab basic cleaning supplies, while she stays to have a little heart-to-heart with NoDot. NoDot curls into a ball on the ground and asks Nikki if we can burn the place down. After talking her down from arson, they agree to expedite the process by hauling out what's worthwhile, and having the servers moved to a colo on the edge of mid-town. The colo was recommended to NoDot's friend N3ko12 who works as a Security Engineer at Ceres U. Anything of Hecate's that was botany related goes to Mack. Everything usable gets hauled to the ship, everything else goes into trash bags. The mold and grime is left as gift to the landlord.

At some point they put in a food order for delivery.

Kova takes some of the sentimental stuff that NoDot would've trashed and hides them to take back to the ship, knowing NoDot will appreciate it later.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid

Alfie takes his sniper rifle in for repairs and upgrades, and has a chat with Jim the weapons dealer. Jim says it'll cost 350k, and to come back on the 27th to pick it up.

A Brief Stroll in Space

Kova supplies Alfie with a list of more pressing safety-critical repairs that will need to be performed by a team of mechanics. Alfie finds a local dock-yard that can do the repairs while the ship is in its current berth. One of the managers offers to take Alfie out in a windowed skiff, where he is able to see the exterior of the Terpsichore as well as, off in the distance, the exterior of the Elysian Dream. Alfie is in awe of this thing, and has never seen anything quite like it. Alfie can see that even the exterior has design choices that serve no other purpose than conspicuous display of wealth. It looks very Art Deco, and the skiff owner said that photos from a couple months ago showed it looking completely different. The skiff operator tells Alfie that it cost over 6Tn UND to build, and was built on a shipyard in Luna, and what's crazier it was built ten times faster than similar sized luxury yachts, being completed in only a year.

Afterward, Alfie gets some street food for lunch near the dock. It looks like some analogue of french fries and various dipping sauces. Alfie can't taste any of it.

Pre-party Preparations

Everyone, including Julie, meets up to prepare for the masquerade. NoDot picks a black wig to go with their lavender dress. Kova gets assistance from Alfie in tying a bow-tie, which surprises Nikki, who didn't expect him to be so accustomed to formal attire. Julie's outfit is as close to sexy as she thinks she can get away with, while remaining black-tie formal. Nobody notices Mack is not on the ship.

The Elysian Dream (Monday Evening)

Taking in the Excess

Code Names - Waiting in Line

The line to get onto the Elysian Dream stretches on for quite a ways. The dirty utilitarian vibe of the docks has been thoroughly hidden behind a facade of opulence that matches the Elysian Dream's art deco exterior. Most of the folks in the line, which is not moving quickly, are young; military-age. The crew go over their cover names before splitting up.

Nikki - Cassandra Gainsborough
NoDot - Miss Lillith Asmodeous
Julie - Isadora Landon
Alfie - Conner *******
Kova - July McMillan

Nikki, Number, and Julie join the line. Alfie and Kova follow other staff, who appear to be skipping the line altogether. They attempt to blend in, and are let onto the lift without question.

Conner & July - Galley

The lift opens up into the top level of a large, circular foyer with an intricate hovering chandelier in the center. The decor has a timeless elegance about it that would stun most Earthers and Martians. Belters, however, might struggle to see it for anything other than a tasteless display of near-infinite wealth. Before Alfie and Kova are able to exit the lift, a tuxedo-clad woman in an intricate fox mask blocks your path, and points behind them to the service exit. The fox pushes a button and the doors to the foyer close and the rear service-doors open. The elegant facade does not extend to this corridor, but it still gives the impression that no expense was spared in the high-quality construction of this vessel. The corridor opens up into a galley full of bustling staff, cooking, and cleaning up spills, carrying boxes of ingredients, and finished dishes on silver platters.

Another, much shorter tuxedo-clad individual, this time wearing a deer-like mask and holding a clipboard says, “Oh thank God. Ashur, Caelis, you’re back! Ashur, take these dishes down service lift 2 and bring them to table six. Big impatient looking tumang in blues. Can’t miss him. Hurry! Caelis, take this box of chips to our friend on the casino level!”

Clearly a case of mistaken identity, Alfie and Kova decide to complete their assigned tasks. Following the signs to the service lifts, they split up. Alfie takes service lift 2, while Kova locates the lift to the casino level.

Alfie Has No Taste, But He Smells Just Fine

As Alfie stands in the lift, looking at the dishes to be delivered. They both smell like different varieties of kibble that have gone off. One of them looks like some small, hollowed out iridescent rocks, each with a slimy rotting mushroom inside. The other is some something bright orange, presumably meat, covered in spices, with half a citrus fruit and some green tube-shaped vegetables on the side.

Cassandra, Isadora, and Lillith Make their Entrance - Foyer

Nikki, NoDot, and Julie finally reach the front of the line and are let into the lift bay.

NoDot immediately hops on their hand terminal, and attempts to access the security cameras on-board the ship.

After a short moment, the lift opens up into the top level of a large, circular foyer with an intricate hovering chandelier in the center.

Each of their names are read aloud by an Emcee, as they exit the lift.

The decor has a stunning, and timeless elegance about it. A balcony surrounds a massive library-esque sitting area, reachable by a central staircase. A wine red carpet spills out from the staircase, leading to the sitting area. Julie grabs Nikki's arm and pulls her down the stairs, in a superposition between awe and disgust.

Continuing along the sprawling carpet and through a set of imposing doors. Beyond the doors is a wide, gently spiraling and gently sloping corridor. People are clustered in groups, admiring paintings and artifacts inset into alcoves.

Julie and Nikki join in admiring the art and artifacts, which are mostly from Earth.

After what feels like several minutes of leisurely walking, the corridor levels out and a pair of doors open into a massive facsimile of a Venetian square. A convincing hologram of Earth’s pink evening sky envelopes the outer boundaries of the space. A gentle evening breeze passes through. The floor, or more aptly, the ground, is made of real paving stones. The nearest side of the space is lined with a contiguous series of brightly painted buildings mimicking the architecture of Venice. Many folks in fancy dress, mostly Earthers, are littered in, around, and outside the shops and restaurants. Several waiters in Tuxedos dart about, delivering drinks and food. Some of the guests have their masks pulled up, eating and chatting quietly at tables along-side the flowing canal that divides this expansive space. Across the canal, reachable by a central bridge, is a grassy park with a lazily winding dirt path and several of what seem to be real trees growing from apparently real grass. From the trees, a few birds let out melodious chirps that accompany the steady chorus of crickets. A lone and remarkably brawny Martian in Navy dress uniform takes drags from her cigarette, as she leans against the railing protecting the exterior edge of the park from an illusory cliff overlooking a vast sunset-adorned sea. If it weren't for the roughly 1/3rd gravity, and the inexplicable cliff, this space would be nigh indistinguishable from a real Venetian square.

Nikki sashays her way into the square, dragging Julie behind her. As she does so, she notices Alfie and Kova in the distance, bringing dishes out to customers. As she sees this, she is reminded of the mission, and asks nearby staff where the poker tournament is. She's assured that the event will be announced over the intercom fifteen minutes ahead of time.

NoDot is deeply upset by the callous display of wealth, and also experiencing strong vertigo from the apparent wide-open space. She sits down at an empty bench to catch her breath and continue hacking.

Alfie Goes to Italy

As Alfie exits the lift and walks out from the facade of a Venetian building, he is entranced by the experience of being on Earth. He stands in the doorway looking up, mouth slightly slack, until a man at table six begins to get impatient.

"Excuse me! Over here. I believe you have my oysters."

As Alfie sets the dish down, the lady across from him says, "Oh! My salmon smells delicious!"

Alfie, ditches the service tray nearby and wanders out across the bridge overlooking the canal, and towards the cliff overlooking the sea, where he spots a remarkably brawny Martian taking drags from her cigarette. Alfie rarely passes up an opportunity to have a smoke with a stranger, and even the Martian in MCR dress is no exception.

Alfie asks the Martian for a light, and she offers him a cigarette made from the finest Ganymede tobacco.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?"

Alfie panics for a second.

"Do they give you breaks?" She asks.

"Short break." Alfie replies.

Alfie can't taste, but he takes her up on the free cigarette anyway. Strangely, there is something about it that isn't quite the same as what he usually carries, and it is better.

"You from Earth? It's ... kind of hard to tell."

"No. Belter"

"You ever seen something like this?"

"No. You?"

"No."

"How do we not fall into the sky?"

"Sorry?"

"It just keeps going!"

"...gravity?"

"Oh." Alfie says, scratching his head.

"One day Mars will be like this. Hundreds of years from now. Long after I'm gone."

"That's a shame."

"The life of a Martian."

They smoke together in silence for a bit before the Martian breaks it.

"They paying you well?"

"The pay's dirt."

"That's a little messed up. They've got everyone working pretty hard by the looks of it. And I hear they won't even let Belters attend the party this year."

"Eh. It is what it is," Alfie replies.

Alfie turns to walk away.

"See you around. The name's Roberta by the way."

"Ashur."

Kova's Mystery Chips

Kova's service lift opens out into the back corridor of the Casino. She begins to ponder who the Deer could've been referring to when she said to deliver these chips to "our friend on the Casino level." She looks around for anybody who stands out, before settling on the nearest bartender.

"I was asked to deliver this box of chips to a friend down here."

"Chips?" The bartender asks.

"Yep." Kova replies.

"Potato chips?"

"Poker chips..."

"Uhh... I don't think anybody is supposed to be handling poker chips. They're kept locked up behind the cage."

He stares at the box in a puzzled manner.

"Thanks anyways." Kova says.

"Good luck, I guess?" He squints.

She wanders off around a corner and peers inside the cardboard box.

They're definitely not poker chips. It's various electronic components, bottles with some kind of solution in them, various metal components, and a few spools of wire. Kova is not entirely unfamiliar with components Marco Inaros would use to hijack a fusion drive, and these are those.

Heart beating rapidly, she hurries back to the lift bay and returns to where she parted ways with Alfie, but he's not back yet. An eternity seems to pass before he returns. Kova spends that eternity hyperventilating.

Nikki and Julie Sitting in a Tree, NoDot hacks CCTV - Ball Room

Nikki scans small Venice for people who might recognize her, and sees an impatient man and woman who are, un-mistakeably, waiting for their oysters and salmon. It's Vice Admiral Draven Kennedy and his plus one. Julie catches on and, in spite of her urge to stand around and gawk at space Venice forever, suggests it might be time to move on.

They double back towards the entrance they came in through, and continue a much shorter half-turn down the spiral ramp. Music fades in as they approach another set of double doors. The ballroom is massive. The ceilings are high, but not as high, and probably not a hologram. It's extraordinarily ornate, and the size of a football pitch. The front of the room is lined with banquet seating.

"Could we maybe sit down for a sec. Maybe find some... Aperitifs?" NoDot asks, still nauseous.

"Yeah, why don't you find a place. Julie and I will be right over. Save us a seat."

NoDot plays along and wanders off to sit alone with her hand terminal for a bit.

"Would ... you ... want to dance?" Nikki asks Julie, somewhat sheepishly.

"I think I know this one!" Julie says, and grabs Nikki by the arm to drag her onto the dance floor.

They spend the next while dancing Waltz, and having a wonderful time.

NoDot finally finds some time to sit and finish hacking into the ship's security cameras. They have gained access to cameras in the foyer, venice, ball room, Venice, a hotel hallway, and a separate banquet hall. They set up a script to forward the video feeds to their server, and alert them if any weapons are spotted, or any violence occurs. With the server in a new location, it takes a little while to find new proxy routes to prevent attempts to trace the hack back to it.

Things Get Tense

Alfie schemes, Kova Hyperventilates - Service Lift Bay

Alfie shows up in the lift bay to discover Kova hyperventilating.

"What's going on?"

"It's not a box of poker chips. It's a box of parts that will turn the fusion reactor into a bomb." Kova says, still short of breath from hyperventilating.

She continues, "They'll have more. Spares. Having this won't stop them. Marco has done this before."

And then sheepishly, "I ran with him for about five years. I was naive. I thought he was the best hope for Belter independence. I ... didn't know what he was capable of. He talked me into engineering a device that could control a reactor. Told me they'd just use it to stop their ships, so we could show up and look like heroes coming to the rescue. But after a few, he used the reactor access to blow one up. Two hundred innocent civilians died."

Alfie, looking at Kova in a new light, let's out a "Huh."

"Thousands could die. The explosion will take a chunk out of Ceres."

Kova begins to cry, and Alfie paces while thinking out loud. His intuition and experience tells him that they're likely assembling the device in one of the hotel rooms, since it is both easy to maintain privacy, and the closest public level to the reactor.

"We'll need NoDot to help us find the right room. And we'll need a plan to stop it, which might not be as simple as just showing up and causing chaos. They thought we were Ashur and Caelis. We can use that. We'll walk right in like we belong, and then sabotage or steal whatever is necessary."

And then he looks over at Kova bawling on the floor.

"That means acting completely normal. If you can't handle this, stay out of it."

"I... uh..." Kova begins to reply.

"Sounds like you should stay out of it. Sit tight. Guard the box. I'll be right back."

Alfie walks down the corridor to the galley to have another chat with the Deer. Posing as Ashur, he attempts to coax the hotel room number out of them. The Deer, seeming a little dumbfounded, tells him it's the same room he's been going back and forth to all evening. Alfie does his best to respond in a way that would diffuse any unwanted suspicion. He's confirmed that it's a hotel room, but not which one.

Returning to Kova, Alfie sends a ping to NoDot: "Meet outside bathroom. Venice Floor. 10 minutes."

Alfie takes the box from Kova and finds a place to hide it, as he heads to the meeting spot.

Alfie and NoDot Get Serious - Venice Lobby

Alfie and NoDot take a stroll through a mostly empty park, while he quietly fills them in on the latest terror threat. In the crew feed, Alfie asks NoDot if she has any cameras on the guest cabin level, and they forward access to the group. Kova replies chimes in to check the power levels in each room, to see which ones are occupied.

Just as NoDot begins to investigate this option, the PA chimes: "10 minutes to the start of the Poker tournament."

NoDot swears. "Goddammit. They said they'd warn us 15 minutes in advance!"

Elsewhere, Nikki, hearing the same announcement, goes to find NoDot who is holding her clutch. The clutch is sitting on the table, NoDot is nowhere to be found. Nikki prepares to light up NoDot but notices about 45 messages in the crew feed and realizes something has gone wrong.

The latest message is from NoDot.

   NoDot: julie isnt part of this bomb thing right?
   Nikki: She hasn't said anything about it.
   Alfie: No. She's not in on it. She doesn't like Inaros
   NoDot: INAROS?? like MARCO INAROS???
   NoDot: kova if ur not busy u need to find an access panel nd plug in ur term
   NoDot: this could take a while so find somewhere secret
   NoDot: i hope its ok if i use my term at teh poker table

Kova, goes to the bathroom to clean up and muster up some courage, and then she scours the lift bay directory for a quiet floor. Settling on the storage room just below the wine cellar, she hops in the lift to floor 8.

Poker Tournament with Nikki, NoDot, Julie, Bobbie from Mars, and Rich from Earth

Julie - Kova's player
Bobbie, in Martian Marine Dress Uniform - GM
Rich, a wealthy Earther - Alfie's player

As everyone gathers around the poker table, Rich from Earth introduce himself, and Roberta introduces herself as Bobbie. She offers anyone who is interested a cigarette made from rare Ganymede tobacco.

Then Bobbie looks around, looks to NoDot, and declares, "We're gonna kick these Earthers' asses."

NoDot accepts the cigarette and immediately starts coughing like crazy. Bobbie tries to explain how to take it into your mouth before your lungs, but NoDot can't quite get the hang of it.

As the first hand is dealt, a man comes by and opens a drawer in the table, asking players to drop their terminal in, and stating it will be returned once a winner is declared, or when the player is out of the game.

NoDot plans to lose as quickly as possible, since Julie and Nikki are also in the game, and only one of them needs to win.

The game is six-plus no-limits hold'em. Each player starts with 5,000 UND worth of chips.

On the first hand, everyone stays in until the river. Rich is the first to fold, followed by Nikki. Bobbie thinks for too long before tossing more chips in the pot. She's already down a sizable amount. NoDot shows pair of kings, pair of queens. Nobody can beat it. The pot is theirs.

Several hands later, and up to this point, not much has changed. NoDot has switched strategies, and controls most of the chips on the table. Bobbie is the first to fold this round. Rich goes all in, and wins a fairly sizable pot with a full house.

All in all, the entire game only lasts about 30 minutes.

Julie is the first to run dry, closely followed by Bobbie.

Then Rich goes all in with the few chips he has left, and NoDot beats him with triple Jacks.

In a tense final battle, it's down to Nikki and NoDot. NoDot takes Nikki's three remaining chips with a pair of Aces. They call for the guy to unlock the terminals. NoDot collects the 40k UND winnings from the casino cage and hands them to Nikki in the provided discrete bag.

Alfie Runs Into an Old Friend - Guest Corridors

While the poker tournament unfolds, Alfie takes the time to do some investigation. He stands around the service lifts for a while, watching for any suspicious movement. After no discernibly nefarious activity, he makes his way to the guest lift.

Alfie presses 6, the last button on this guest lift. The lift quickly descends, and the doors open into the guest quarters level. To the left of the lift is the winding ramp that leads up to the banquet hall. To the right, a curved path that stays level, lined with high priced rooms, some of which even have windows. Straight ahead from the lift is another path that leads straight, and branches off perpendicularly in a few spots. Alfie camps out for a while at the lift, greeting the few guests who are taking a break from the party.

Alfie starts to get impatient. It's been quite a while without receiving a single messages on the crew feed. He starts to wander down the corridors until he sees somebody at the end of one, standing suspiciously in front of a door. As Alfie begins to approach, the figure in a staff tuxedo and a tiger mask notices he's being watched. He shifts his attention fully and begins to walk towards Alfie with a menacing gait. Alfie stops and waits for him to approach. The man looks familiar. When he is merely feet from Alfie, he reaches for something tucked in his jacket, never averting his gaze. With his other hand, he attempts to lift Alfie's mask up. Alfie doesn't stop him.

"Fucking hell Alfie. There's some fucker wandering around on the ship who looks just like you, and he's up to something." Zuko says.

"Like me? He's down here?"

"Yeah and earlier he was wandering around with someone else who looks like Kova. These fucking masks."

"Oh. Then that was me."

"You were carrying a bunch of boxes between the galley level and the guest quarters?" Zuko asked.

"Wait, no. That must've been Ashur and Caelis."

"Ashur and Caelis?"

"First tell me what you're doing here."

"Me? I was just here to see what all the fuss was about. At least until I had a confusing as fuck interaction with fake Alfie... Ashwin did you say? He took the lift down here. I followed, but he slipped into one of these rooms before I could see. When I saw you coming... You're lucky I didn't shoot you."

"Ashur. And Caelis. They're here to blow this shit up, and... wait, do you have a gun?"

"Better, I have two guns." Zuko says, and discretely hands one over to Alfie.

Zuko continues, "Keep it hidden. You Kova was with you? Where'd she go? Is it just the two of you?"

"Everyone is here, but I haven't heard from them in a while. I think they're busy. NoDot was trying to figure out what room they've been going into. I could probably reach Kova... hold on."

   Kova  : Number? 
   Kova  : Are you there? I can't find any panels
   Kova  : Number?
   Kova  : ...
   Kova  : What should I do?
   Kova  : HELLO? Remember about the BOMB?
   Kova  : Anyone?
   Kova  : Alfie??
   --- End of Unread Messages ---
   Alfie : Kova, you good?
   Kova  : No
   Kova  : I'm freaking out. I still haven't found a network access panel
   Kova  : I'm in the storage room now
   Kova  : Wait! Found it
   Alfie : We have to wait for NoDot
   Alfie : Hold position
   Kova  : Where's Number? Are they Okay?
   Alfie : Poker
   Alfie : Breathe.

Alfie continues, "She's helping NoDot with some hacking thing. She was having a bit of a panic attack earlier before going off to find an access panel. Sounds like she just found it. Probably better if she chills there. Still haven't heard from the rest of them. How long can a no-limits poker tournament possibly last when three of the five players are colluding?"

"Uh... Maybe they're trying to not get caught. How long have they been at it?"

"Uhh... thirty minutes."

"Do they know about the bomb?"

"Yeah."

"Then why they fuck are they playing poker?"

"Dawes."

"Okay... well... Let's see if we can't figure this out while we wait. Shouldn't be too much longer if they care about their lives more than the prize."

Zuko walks up to a nearby fire-exit map and points to several corridors, "I've already spent around 15 minutes standing at each of these intersections, that leaves these remaining three corridors."

"You go that way, I'll go this way. 15 minutes. If neither of us see anything, we assume the third corridor. You know how to reach me." Alfie replies.

NoDot Remembers the Stakes

NoDot gloats in their poker tournament victory, until Nikki taps on their shoulder and they remember their life is more important than the prize.

"Oh! Uhh... I gotta take a SHIT!" Number says, and takes off towards a bathroom.

   ...
   Alfie : Poker
   Alfie : Breathe.
   --- End of Unread Messages ---
   NoDot : shit im back plug in ur term
   Kova  : It is
   NoDot : hold pls
   NoDot : looking at power draw in hotel rooms
   NoDot : eight rooms are occupied 
   NoDot : 112 121 
   NoDot : 201 206 221 
   NoDot : 343
   NoDot : 434 
   Alfie : It's corridor 2. We've checked those other corridors already.
   Alfie : Zuko just went that way. I'm going to follow him.
   NoDot : Zuko??
   Kova  : Zuko???

Nikki Remembers the Steaks

Nikki, catching up on the group chat, realizes she needs a weapon.

   NoDot : Zuko??
   Kova  : Zuko???
   --- End of Unread Messages ---
   Nikki : Hey guys, what did I miss?
   Nikki : Wait Zuko is there?
   Nikki : Oh shit. brt.
   NoDot : two units are corpos and one room is pvt
   NoDot : never heard of either corpo
   Nikki : One sec. Getting a knife.
   NoDot : enjoy ur steak ;)
   Nikki : How'd you know? lol.

"Let's go." Nikki says to Julie.

"Go where?"

"I'm feeling Steak. I think the banquet hall has Steak?"

"Is this code?"

"No." Nikki says, miming a stabbing motion.

Julie stares at Nikki for a second, "Oh. Ohhh. Yeah, let's get Steak."

The Room

Alfie turns the corner, and Zuko is already standing in front of room 206.

Zuko puts his finger up to his lip, as if to shush, and then whispers, "Do you hear that clicking? It sounds like a socket wrench."

He pulls out his gun.

"Now's not really the time, but how were you able to smuggle these in?" Alfie asks, as he draws his from his pocket.

   NoDot : guys my alarm went off
   NoDot : guns in c2
   NoDot : o wait its u
   NoDot : wow ur both strapped
   NoDot : looping camera feed so nobody sees

"I just walked right in. They didn't even check. How do you think Inaros smuggled all of these bomb parts in? For all we know the dock workers are in on it." Zuko replied

   Kova  : NoDot jam 500/1000mhz. Those are the frequencies we used for remote control
   Kova  : People will notice but we're running short on time
   Kova  : I'll go where you need me
   NoDot : rgr

"I'm going to knock. They'll think I'm Ashur. Stay right here. If I cough loud, shit's gone south." Alfie says.

Zuko nods.

There's rustling from inside, as the ratcheting sound stops.

   Nikki : Heading to Corridor 2.
   Nikki : Knives were brought out before the steak. :')
   Nikki : God, I'm hungry.
   NoDot : room 206 i think
   NoDot : yeah
   NoDot : far end of the hall

"We don't need housekeeping." A voice inside the room says.

"Hey it's me, let me in. Dropped my key card." Alfie says, hoping to pass as Ashur.

"Who?"

"Ashur. Let me in." Alfie says.

"Goddammit Ashur. Again? Now neither of us have key cards."

"Yeah."

The door pops open.

The person wanders back to the coffee table and continues bolting something together.

"Where's the last box? I've been waiting for like two hours. Caelis was supposed to bring it." The person says

"I haven't seen Caelis in a couple hours."

"Come hold this down while the epoxy cures. I gotta take a piss."

Shit hits the fan

Nikki and Julie come stumbling down the hall, giggling and pretending to be drunk.

Nikki whispers, "That's zuko right? In the tiger mask?"

Julie replies, "I sure fucking hope so."

Zuko, who isn't in the crew chat, conceals his pistol and stares intensely at them through his mask, not yet certain who he is looking at.

Nikki briefly lifts her mask and Zuko relaxes.

The lift softly dings behind Nikki and Julie, who are half way down the corridor from Zuko, and Zuko's eyes go wide. He begins jogging toward Nikki and Julie, and points behind them.

As they turn to look, clear as day, Alfie and Kova have just crested the corner and are walking right towards the three of them. They're about 15 meters away and closing.

Nikki confusedly whispers to Zuko "I thought Alfie was with you."

"That's not Alfie. Those are the two fuckers I've been following around. Knives out. Alfie is in room 206 right now impersonating the taller one. If we let them in that room he's fucked." He whispers back.

   Kova  : Guys I can't see the feed
   Kova  : Somebody say something
   NoDot : one sec

Nikki nudges Julie and lets out a giggle "Oops, wrong corridor!"

She takes the hint and they both turn around, facing down Ashur and Caelis.

Deep Shit

Alfie looks over the stuff on the table for the brief moment his new friend is in the bathroom. Alfie finds an important looking component that has no apparent spare and slide it into his pocket.

The friend comes out with his gun drawn and points it at Alfie.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know you're not Ashur."

"Well I tried."

Alfie draws his gun and fires it.

Birth of a Killer

Two quick gunshots can be heard from the corridor. And then one more.

Zuko hears the gunshots and lets out several obscenities as he turns around and races back to room 206.

Ashur and Caelis start running towards the room. Nikki and Julie wait until they're close enough to make contact.

   Kova  : Just a reminder I'm still here
   NoDot : one sec
   Kova  : At least tell me everyone is okay
   Kova  : Welp. I'm just going to curl up into a ball.

Julie misses her stab, but cleanly transitions into a chokehold as she flips over her opponent. Nikki shivs Ashur in the side and he lets out a shriek. She tackles him and crushes his windpipe between her bicep and forearm. For several seconds he lets out a very unpleasant squelching sound followed by unconsciousness, followed by death.

For a moment, Nikki and Julie both lie there, exhausted. And then the adrenaline starts to kick in again.

   NoDot : hah
   NoDot : i locked all the doors down there
   NoDot : except alifes!!!
   NoDot : alfie*
   Kova  : Omg is he okay?

A couple of door knobs rattle, followed by muffled yells.

Double Tap

Alfie stands over the mans body, already going over what he might've touched in his head, so that he could wipe the fingerprints.

Another shot goes off and the door slams open.

"Alfie!" Zuko yells.

"He missed. I didn't."

"What happened to the loud cough?"

"I had to improvise."

Zuko throws his tiger mask down on the bed.

"Okay. Give me a moment." Alfie says.

Zuko ignores him and begins tearing apart the device.

Alfie repeatedly kicks and stomps on the man who nearly shot him, until his face is an unrecognizable bloody mess.

"Okay I'm good." He says, followed by, "Oh shit. Hold on, my terminal is going crazy."

   NoDot : alfie*
   Kova  : Omg is he okay?
   --- End of Unread Messages ---
   Alfie : I'm good
   NoDot : there couple of murders
   Kova  : gnlfjgls!@$%!$%

Outside the room, Julie turns to Nikki and says, "No more gunshots. I think we're good. Let's get these bodies in there."

"I definitely heard another gunshot."

"That was Zuko forcing his way into 206. If there was a fifth shot I'd be worried." Julie explained.

Nikki pulls Ashur into unit 206, and his mask snags on something. Nikki tenses up, and then looks down.

Julie quips, "Huh. He really looks nothing like Alfie without the mask."

Nikki lets out a deep breath, like this was the outcome she needed. Then she slowly dares to look toward real Alfie. He's standing over a bloody mess of a dead man who has a hole in his chest and skull, which has been stomped until unrecognizable.

"You good?" He asks.

Well She Tried

   NoDot : there couple of murders
   Kova  : gnlfjgls!@$%!$%
   --- End of Unread Messages ---
   NoDot : no no everyone is fine
   NoDot : nikki and julie died them
   NoDot : did*
   NoDot : did the murders haha
   Kova  : @$^%$##!@%$!!!!!!!!!
   NoDot : can you call the other seven rooms and tell them theres a door malfunction
   NoDot : kova?
   NoDot : kova?
   Kova  : FINE 
   Kova  : Send me the contacts.
   NoDot : rerouting front desk to ur terminal

"G...Good evening," Kova says with a whimper.

"I want to apologize for any t...technical difficulties," becoming less intellgiible by the word as she chokes back tears.

"What's going on?" the voice replies.

"This better be comped! I want my money back."

"Yes... of... of course, sir."

"Somebodyneedstocomegetusoutofhererightnow. Whatifthere'safirewecoulddie!"

Kova disconnects the call, and immediately gets another one.

   Kova  : I can't do this.

Mackin'

NoDot calls the only other person she can think of in the moment.

"Hey Mack. Just gonna need a hand from you right now."

"I... I'm not. Uh. I'm on the ship right now." Mack says nervously.

"Uh huh... Did you find two girls again? Are they hot? Are they cute?" NoDot teases.

"No but I saw somebody who looked like Alf...er... I mean, I'm on the Terps--"

"Wait. WHAT?"

"Okay fine. I snuck onto the Yager ... yacht ... thing."

NoDot hastily fills Mack in, "Okay listen we're going to have a chat about this later, but right now I have a job I need you to do. Pretend to be reception, you're going to get a bunch of calls, tell them there's a technical malfunction with the doors okay bye."

"...what?"

Rolling Out the Red Carpet

"Okay well... we shouldn't stay here." Nikki says.

"Yeah, you're damned right we shouldn't stay here." Zuko replies, helping Alfie clean up prints and smear bloody footprints until they can't be made out.

Fake Alfie lets out a sputter.

"Get him in the tub. And give me your knife." Alfie replies.

"Y...yeah" Nikki says with a whimper.

Julie begins dragging him into the tub. And Nikki can hear a few sharp stabs.

"Here's your knife back." Alfie says after a second.

"You ... you killed him." Nikki replies.

"Jealous?"

"No! I've never... I've..."

"That dude was already dead" Zuko chimes in.

"What?" Nikki replies.

"Sure he was breathing, but the fanciest autodoc in the world wouldn't have saved him from the brain damage."

"I'll let you have that point." Alfie quips at Nikki.

"Seriously though. You alright?" Alfie says.

"Uh..."

Julie wraps her arms around Nikki, "Deep, slow breaths."

   NoDot : hows it going in there guys
   NoDot : theres no cameras in there
   NoDot : i cant see
   Nikki : everyone dead
   Nikki : BAD GUYS
   Nikki : BAD GUYS DEAD
   Nikki : WE ARE FINE

"You two should leave first." Alfie says to Nikki and Julie.

He hands Julie a bottle of wine from the desk. She takes it and dumps it all over her self and Nikki to conceal the blood.

  NoDot : guys i think were fucked
  NoDot : my alarm is going off on 
  NoDot : every
  NoDot : single
  NoDot : camera
  NoDot : wait no what the fuck
  NoDot : turn on the desk terminal

Escape from Elysium (Monday Night)

The Distress Call

Nikki turns on the desk terminal and a man's distress call is being played on repeat.

"My name is James Holden. Speaking for the remaining survivors of the Canterbury. Our ship was destroyed answering a bogus SOS from a ship called the Scopuli. We recovered a false beacon and identified it as Martian naval technology. It was a trap. We've been hailed by the MCRN Donnager. We intend to cooperate in the hopes that it means nobody will be harmed. Any such action will only confirm that the Canterbury was destroyed by Mars."

"Oh fuck." Nikki shouts.

   Nikki : Well that explains all of the commotion.
   Nikki : Kova?
   

Alfie is still meticulously cleaning when Zuko grabs his arm.

"C'mon kid. We gotta go. We've got bigger problems now."

"Huh?"

"Could be war. And this ship is shitty with soldiers from both sides." Zuko replies.

   NoDot : ill send the lift to ur floors
   NoDot : kova
   NoDot : b rdy
   Alfie : Roger
   NoDot : KOVA
   Kova  : 053@#T%@#%T

Wait, This isn't the Terpsichore!

NoDot leaves the casino floor bathroom to a cacophony of fighting and yelling. From cameras, NoDot was prepared for this to be the rowdiest floor.

Standing half way between NoDot and the lift is a small boy with a new-found love for plants.

"What's going on!?" Mack shouts over the crowd, while sidled up against the wall.

"We're leaving. Come with me." NoDot replies.

"Okay," Mack says, followed by, "Am I in trouble? Is Nikki going to kick me off the ship?"

"Not the time for this discussion. Let's run. Please." NoDot answers.

"Okay!"

The two of them make it to the lift as chaos erupts around them. Fists are flying, chairs are flying, people are flying.