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 understaffed 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: Monday, 2350-12-25
(It's Christmas!)

2350-12-24 (Sunday)

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 understaffed medical clinic in Rosse Buurt, where she had previously borrowed an operating room.

Paid With More Work

The Fleet Week Masquerade (FleWM)

Dawes thanks the crew for their help delivering gifts to the orphanage, and offers three tickets to the Fleet-Week Masquerade Ball taking place on none other than Jäger 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, and advises that crimes will be taken very seriously due to the nature of the event. He explicitly informs NoDot that the consequences of 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 get measured tonight, and the outfits will be guaranteed to be ready for the ball. Julie takes 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 are no longer permitted as guests, with little exception.

He 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 preventing them from doing any terrorism they might be planning.

He tells the pair to head to the tailor to get their measurements taken for their staff tuxedos, and informs them that they will be fully comped as an apology for not being able to attend as guests.

The Tailor

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

Nikki requests a traditional black 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 might not get his outfits banned from future FleWMs: a backless lavender silk dress with lace accents, 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

Because it's Christmas Eve, Nikki and Julie spend the evening going 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, now realizing that 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 NoDot asks Kova to help move things out of their old apartment unit on Ceres. Nodot intends to give Hecate's old botany supplies to Mack. Kova agrees to help.

Alfie asks NoDot for the mysterious favor from the end of last session: to acquire all of Hermes Orphanage's records of orphans for the last 30 years, including where each one went when they left. NoDot agrees to do it, despite the limited information.

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

2350-12-25 (Monday)

Stocking Stuffers

Nikki blasts Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree" at 8AM to wake everyone up and give out gifts. They all meet in the mess, where she's making pancakes.

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 they try 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 gives Nikki a scarf he hand-knitted, with a Nordic pattern he found when googling Earth designs. He started working on it 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 furry goat girl D&D character that she plays in her campaign with her femboy neighbors. They forgot to get anything for anyone else and feels pretty bad about it.

NoDot's Old Apartment

NoDot lived on Ceres before leaving to live on the Terpsichore. They've kept their old apartment all this time, and it's sat empty. NoDot and Kova head there to empty it out, and Nikki offers to join.

When they arrive, it is "depression made manifest." It was not cleaned up before NoDot left. 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.

NoDot curls into a ball on the ground when they enter.

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 asks if they can "burn the place down," but Nikki talks them down from arson. The two agree to handle this challenge by hauling out what's worthwhile and having the servers moved to a colo (a server farm) 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, and everything else goes into trash bags. It's a good amount of work, and they order delivery lunch. By the end the mold and grime is all that's left, as a gift to the landlord.

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.

Alfie's Errands

Alfie takes his sniper rifle in for repairs and upgrades, and has a chat with Jim the weapons dealer, who sold Nikki knives in Episode 4. Jim says it'll cost 350k, and to come back on the 27th to pick it up.

Kova had supplied Alfie previously with a list of pressing safety-critical repairs for the Terpsichore, that will need to be performed by a team of mechanics. Alfie finds a local dockyard that can do the repairs while the ship is in its current berth. One of the managers offers to take him out in a windowed skiff, where he is able to see the exterior of the Terpsichore as well as, off in the distance, the Elysian Dream.

Alfie is in awe of this thing, and has never seen any ship quite like it. He can see that even the exterior has design choices that serve no other purpose than a conspicuous display of wealth. It looks very Art Deco, and the skiff owner says 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, completed in only a year.

He also tells Alfie that the ship is owned by the richest person alive, Jäger Kruna, and then jokes about how he only earned that title by killing his parents for their inheritance. Twenty two trillion.

Afterward, Alfie gets some street food for lunch near the dock. It looks like some analogue to french fries and various dipping sauces. Alfie can't taste it (editor's note: because his player has gone with the dumb idea from Episode 4 that he can't taste food. i am that player).

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 with tying a bow tie, which surprises Nikki, who didn't expect him to be so accustomed to formal attire. Julie's red gown is as close to sexy as she thinks she can get away with, while remaining black-tie formal. And they all, of course, wear masks. The ladies look stunning and the Belters look dapper in their staff tuxedos.

Nobody notices Mack is not on the ship.

The Elysian Dream (Monday Evening)

Taking in the Excess

Waiting in Line: Code Names

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 façade of opulence that matches the Elysian Dream's art deco exterior. Most of the folks in line, which is not moving quickly, are young; military-age. The crew members go over their cover names before splitting up.

Nikki - Cassandra Gainsborough
NoDot - Miss Lillith Asmodeous
Julie - Isadora Landon
Alfie - Connor [redacted]
Kova - July McMillan

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

Galley: Connor & July

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 their path, and points behind them to the service exit. She pushes a button and the doors to the foyer close, and the rear service doors open. The elegant façade 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 finishing dishes on silver platters.

Another much shorter tuxedo-clad individual, this time wearing a deer mask and holding a clipboard, approaches them with an air of authority and 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. They following the signs to the service lifts and split up. Alfie takes service lift 2, while Kova locates the lift to the casino level. They plan to meet up again right after.

Alfie Has No Taste, But He Smells Just Fine

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. (editor's note: the hilarious joke here is that Alfie has never seen oysters and salmon before, thank you GM)

Foyer: Cassandra, Isadora, and Lillith Make their Entrance

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 onboard the ship.

After a short moment, the lift opens up into the top level of the large, circular foyer with an intricate hovering chandelier in the center. Each of their names are read aloud by an Emcee as they enter the room.

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

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

Julie and Nikki meander down the slope, admiring the art and artifacts, which are mostly from Earth. NoDot follows along behind.

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. The space itself is difficult to define in size, as it appears convincingly outdoors; a hologram of Earth’s pink evening sky envelopes its outer boundaries, and a gentle evening breeze even passes through. The floor--or more aptly, the ground--is made of real paved stones.

The near 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 alongside 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 woman in a 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, she notices Alfie and Kova in the distance, bringing dishes out to customers. The sight reminds her of the mission. She asks nearby staff where to find the poker tournament, and is assured 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. They sit down at an empty bench to catch their breath and continue hacking.

Alfie Goes to Italy

As Alfie exits the lift and walks out from the façade of a Venetian building, he is entranced by the experience of being on Earth. He stands in the doorway looking up, stunned, 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!" (this is the payoff for that joke, remember that? ha ha)

Alfie ditches the service tray nearby and wanders out across the bridge overlooking the canal, towards the cliff overlooking the sea. There he spots the 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.

Claiming he's on a short break, he asks the Martian for a light, and she offers him a cigarette made from the finest Ganymede tobacco. Strangely, there is something about it that is better than the cigarettes he carries, even with his lack of taste.

The two discuss the terrible pay here. The woman seems annoyed that Belters aren't allowed to attend, but she cares about it more than Alfie does. They connect over never seeing a view like the pink Earth sunset before.

"How do we not fall into the sky?" asks Alfie.

"Sorry?"

"It just keeps going."

"...Gravity?"

"Oh," he says, scratching his head.

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

"That's a shame."

"The life of a Martian."

When Alfie turns to leave, she says, "See you around. The name's Roberta."

"Ashur," he replies.

Kova's Mystery Chips

Kova's service lift opens out into the back corridor of the Casino. She begins to ponder who the Deer-masked person could've been referring to when they 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 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 the meetup spot with Alfie, but he's not back yet. An eternity seems to pass before he returns. Kova spends that eternity hyperventilating.

Ballroom: Nikki and Julie Sitting in a Tree, NoDot hacks CCTV

Nikki scans Space Venice for people who might recognize her, and sees an impatient man and woman who are unmistakably 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 the scenery forever, suggests it might be time to move on.

They double back towards the entrance they came 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."

Nikki hands them her clutch purse, and 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 time dancing Waltz, their black and red gowns swishing as they spin around the crowded ballroom floor. It's the perfect Masquerade dancing montage, and they have a wonderful time.

NoDot finally finds some time to sit and finish hacking into the ship's security cameras. They gain access to cameras in the foyer, Venice level, ballroom, passenger cabin floor, 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

Service Lift Bay: Alfie schemes, Kova Panics

Alfie returns to the meeting spot to discover Kova hyperventilating.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"It's not a box of poker chips. It's a box of parts that will turn the fusion reactor into a bomb," Kova explains, short of breath. "They'll have more. Spares. Having this won't stop them. Marco has done this before."

Nervously, she tells her story. "I ran with him for about five years. I was naïve. 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, lets out a "Huh."

"Thousands could die. The explosion will take a chunk out of Ceres." With that, Kova begins to cry.

Alfie paces and thinks out loud. If Inaros' men are putting together a bomb-like device, his intuition and experience tell him they'd likely assemble it in a passenger cabin--where it's both easy to maintain privacy, and the closest public level to the ship's 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."

Then he notices Kova bawling on the floor.

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

"I... uh..." Kova begins to reply, with difficulty.

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

He walks down the corridor to the galley to have another chat with the Deer, the person from earlier who gave him directions. Posing as Ashur, he attempts to coax the cabin number out of them. The Deer, 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 of parts from Kova and finds a place to hide it, leaving her alone as he heads to the meeting spot.

Venice: Alfie and NoDot Get Serious

Alfie and NoDot meet up and take a stroll through the mostly empty park. He quietly fills them in on the terrorism threat. He then asks NoDot if they have any cameras on the passenger cabin level, hoping to find which room could house the terrorists. NoDot confirms they do, and forwards the camera access to the crew feed. Kova chimes in the chat with an idea 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!"

Back in the ballroom, Nikki hears the same announcement and goes to find NoDot, who was holding her clutch. The clutch is sitting on the table, NoDot 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: (⁠ʘ⁠ᗩ⁠ʘ⁠’⁠)
   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 floor that's both quiet and likely to have an access panel. 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 introduces himself, and Roberta the brawny Martian introduces herself as Bobbie. She offers everyone 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 floorman comes by and opens a drawer in the table, asking players to drop in their terminals. They will be returned once a winner is declared, or when a player is out of the game.

Because of this rule, NoDot decides to lose as quickly as possible. They need their hand terminal ASAP to help out with the terrorism threat, and since Julie and Nikki are also in the game, only one of them needs to win the money for Dawes. In a now-race against time, the poker game begins.

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.

As the hands go on, NoDot's plan to lose completely backfires. Their strategy is to keep raising the bet higher and higher in the hopes of losing a lot of chips at once, but everyone else keeps folding, so with a few lucky hands NoDot actually ends up in control of most of the chips on the table.

All in all, the entire game only lasts about 30 minutes. Julie is the first to run dry, closely followed by Bobbie. 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.

With that, the job for Dawes is done. The dealer calls for the floorman to unlock the hand terminals. NoDot collects the 40k UND winnings from the casino cage and hands them to Nikki in the provided discrete bag.

Guest Cabin Corridors: Alfie Runs Into an Old Friend

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 cabins level. To the left is a 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. Ahead is a straight hall that branches off perpendicularly in a few spots. Alfie camps out for a while at the lift, greeting the few guests who are taking breaks from the party.

He starts to get impatient. It's been quite a while without receiving a single message in the crew feed. He wanders down the corridors until he sees somebody in a staff tuxedo and tiger mask at the end of a hall, standing conspicuously in front of a door. As Alfie approaches, the figure notices he's being watched. He shifts his attention fully and walks back towards Alfie with a menacing gait. The man looks familiar. The two meet in the middle, and when tiger-man 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 in relief.

"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 asks.

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

"Ashur and Caelis?"

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

"Me?" says Zuko. "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," Alfie corrects. "And Caelis. They're here to blow this ship up, and... wait, do you have a gun?"

"Better, I have two guns," Zuko says, and discretely hands one over to Alfie. "Keep it hidden. You said 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 relays to Zuko, "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," sighs Zuko, "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 about 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 (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)
   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 (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥
   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."

Corridor 2: 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 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 (⁠・⁠o⁠・⁠)
   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 replies.

   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.

Inside is just one man, and a slew of mechanical devices on the coffee table. He wanders back to it and continues bolting something together.

"Where's the last box? I've been waiting for like two hours. Caelis was supposed to bring it," he 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 corridor 2, 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's looking at. Nikki briefly lifts her mask and Zuko relaxes.

The lift softly dings behind Nikki and Julie, who are halfway down the corridor, 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's 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 loud giggle. "Oops, wrong corridor!"

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

Deep Shit

Alfie looks over the mechanical objects on the coffee table for the brief moment his new terrorist friend is in the bathroom. He finds an important-looking component that has no apparent spare, and slides it into his pocket to sabotage the bomb.

The terrorist 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 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 on Caelis, but cleanly transitions into a chokehold as she flips her over. 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.

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

   NoDot : hah
   NoDot : i locked everybody in their rooms ᕙ⁠(⁠ ⁠ ⁠•⁠ ⁠‿⁠ ⁠•⁠ ⁠ ⁠)⁠ᕗ
   NoDot : except alifes!!!
   NoDot : alfie*
   Kova  : Omg is he okay?

Throughout the hall, a couple of door knobs rattle, followed by muffled yells of locked-in passengers.

Double Tap

The first two shots heard from the corridor were Alfie and the terrorist firing at each other. The third was Alfie shooting him again. He stands over the body and begins to plan wiping the place down of fingerprints.

A fourth shot goes off and the door slams open.

"Alfie!" Zuko yells.

"He missed," Alfie explains. "I didn't."

"What happened to the loud cough?"

"I had to improvise."

Zuko throws his tiger mask down and begins tearing apart the device on the coffee table.

"Give me a moment," Alfie says. Taking out some inner frustration over the orphanage incident yesterday, he repeatedly beats in the terrorist's face until it 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 in the hallway, 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 says.

Nikki pulls Ashur into cabin 206, and his mask snags on something and falls off. 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 beaten until unrecognizable.

"You good?" he asks.

Cut to Kova: 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 (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

"G...Good evening," Kova says to the first caller with a whimper.

"I want to apologize for any t...technical difficulties..." She becomes less intelligible 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 Jäger... 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?"

Back in Room 206: 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.

On the floor, fake-Alfie lets out a sputter.

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

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

Julie begins dragging him into the tub. 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?"

"Uh..."

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

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

"You two should leave first," Alfie tells Nikki and Julie.

He hands Julie a bottle of wine from the desk. She takes it and dumps it all over herself 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

Before leaving, Nikki turns on the desk terminal. 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."

The Distress Call: A Summary

The UN and Mars have been locked in a power struggle over the Belt for years. In these tense times, James Holden is describing that a falsified distress beacon of Martian design lured out the Canterbury, an ice-hauler flying under the UN flag, to a remote location. When the crew left on a shuttle to investigate, their ship was destroyed behind them. Then, suspiciously, the closest ship around to help was the pride of the martian fleet; the MCRN Donnager battleship, which has now taken them aboard as hostages. If anything happens to them, James Holden says, it will be proof Mars destroyed their ship unprovoked. But many watching this signal might interpret that as a forgone conclusion, and a declaration of war from 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!

The distress call has been broadcasted everywhere, and Elysian Dream has become pure chaos because of it. All the guests from Earth and Mars are breaking out into fights and desperately trying to push their way off the ship. 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.

The Lift Bay

Everyone exits the various lifts and meets up in the top-floor lift bay, adjacent to the Foyer. A familiar belter with a deer mask is standing in the corner of the lift bay.

As Alfie and Kova walk past, covered in blood, the Deer says "What the fuck are you doing? Did you get the device to the reactor? Now is the perfect time."

Alfie pulls out his gun. "You're coming with us."

The Deer holds their hands up and replies, "What the fuck is this?"

As they pass through the galley and turn the corner toward the one lift that takes people on and off the ship, it becomes clear that they will not be getting off that way. Belters, Martians, and Earthers are all fighting and being crushed, vying for a place on the elevator. Both doors are open and there are so many people trying to get in at once, that they doors will not close.

The Only Way to Go is Out

"There's a service door between the galley and the main elevator," NoDot shouts.

"Where does that go?" Zuko asks.

"I hope the suits fit us," is all NoDot replies.

Mack gulps. It's an airlock. "Guys... I've never been in open space before."

Alfie wrenches on the door handle but it won't budge.

"NoDot, you're up," Alfie says.

"I can't find the debug panel," NoDot replies.

"Stand back," Zuko shouts, and pulls out his pistol.

"Whoa whoa, no!" Nikki shouts.

"Is this the thing you're looking for?" Mack asks, pointing to the debug panel.

"Ten points Mack. You're crushin' it," says NoDot.

NoDot pops the door open. Zuko enters, gun drawn.

In the suit-up room is a lone Jäger Kruna, the richest man in the world and owner of the yacht. His suit half on, he yelps and puts his hands up. "Don't shoot."

Alfie shuts the door behind everyone and quickly shoots the Deer in the back of the head. Jäger jumps.

"Who was that!?" Jäger asks.

"Don't worry about them," Alfie says.

"They were trying to blow up your ship," Nikki adds.

"So you came here to rescue me? You're not going to shoot me?"

"Well we weren't planning to shoot you," Nikki replies.

"The suits are right there." Jäger quickly points.

As everyone begins climbing into their suits, NoDot snatches Jägers hand terminal. Alfie points a gun at him.

"What do you want? I'll give you anything. Money? Connections? Please just don't kill me!"

"Sit tight buddy. I'm just dumping all of the logs and passwords from your hand terminal," Number says.

"I'm starting to think you guys might've been the ones making that bomb."

"Be quiet," Alfie shouts.

"What are you guys doing!?" Mack asks, terrified.

Alfie momentarily points the gun at Mack. "Shut UP."

Mack, already fully suited up, is hyperventilating and holding back tears inside his helmet. He puts his hands up, too.

Everyone finishes donning their suit and helps each other check their vacuum seal.

"Everyone suited up? We're going," Alfie says.

He piles the remaining couple of suits into the airlock with the intention of chucking them out into the vacuum of space, including the top half of Jäger Kruna's. "So he can't follow us."

Nobody argues.

Julie is the last one into the airlock. Just before she enters, she punches Jäger hard enough to break his nose.

Two Hundred Feet

The ladder on the exterior of the elevator shaft is about 200ft tall. The trek is daunting, and Mack is crying into his comms.

"I've never been in space. What if I fall?" he asks.

"You're doing great, kid. One hand in front of the other. Just like that," Nikki replies.

After a long, nerve-wracking climb in the immense stillness of space, they reach the top of the ladder. Alfie notices that the leverage handle is already attached to the wheel. Somebody has used this hatch recently. On the bright side, it is easy to open.

Everyone climbs safely inside, pulls the outer door shut, and Alfie cracks the upper door to move a bit of atmosphere from Ceres into the emergency airlock. Once everyone's atmo gauge is in the green, people start taking off their suits. The upper door opens into a secluded area right next to the top of the lift in Ceres.

It's surprisingly quiet up here. It seems like the chaos on the Elysium has resulted in that elevator door never closing, and so nobody has managed to make it back to Ceres.

"Let's stagger our arrival back to the Terpsichore to minimize attention," Alfie suggests.

Everyone agrees.

Home Free

NoDot's 22 Billion Dollar Idea

NoDot spends the evening draining Jäger Kruna's liquid bank accounts into the accounts of the citizens of Ceres, taking care to do so in a way that won't be traced back to them or the Terpsichore. In total, 22 Billion is divided up, mostly in the form of various crypto currencies which NoDot converts to credits before distributing.

Everyone Else

Kova goes to her room, and now that she's no longer on the Elysian Dream, the worst of her anxiety begins to subside.

Mack is hiding in his room.

Alfie retreats to the shower.

Zuko is hanging out in the galley, and so are Nikki and Julie.

Can't Wash The Blood Away

Nikki's washing dishes nervously. Julie begins helping.

"How are you doing?" Julie asks.

"I don't know... uh. Is it easier? For you? Now? Killing, I mean."

"I wish I could say no. It was them or us." Julie said.

"Yeah. That's what I try to keep telling myself but... Until the mask fell off... I just. It was like I killed Alfie."

Julie leans into Nikki and puts her arm around her.

"Maybe you should talk to him about it," Julie suggests.

"Alfie's not much of a talker."

"I can't stop thinking about that message," Julie says. "That James Harlin guy."

"Me neither. What if it's not a coincidence? The bomb, and that ship."

"What do you mean? The bomb was Inaros. James said their ship was destroyed by Mars."

"Yeah, but... why would Mars start a war that way?"

"Hmm..." Julie ponders.

Breaking News

Martians being interviewed seem to vary from indifferent to excited about the attack, with some going so far as to say "It's about time." Martian officials are much more reserved.

Most UN networks are in damage control mode, stating that there is still no proof that Mars was responsible.

Nikki's father is on one channel, saying things like, "We all need to keep our wits about us," and to "not jump to conclusions" until "we know what's going on."

Nikki can tell he too is in damage control mode. The words coming out of his mouth indicate that he has no strong beliefs about whether or not Mars did it, but he feels it is important to keep everyone calm.

Mack Attacked

NoDot knocks on Mack's door. He does not answer. When they open it, Mack backs up against the wall before very slowly relaxing.

"What?"

"Hey Mack. Remember Hecate?"

"Yeah."

"She wanted you to have her old stuff."

Mack breaks down crying.

"I'm scared of Alfie."

NoDot continues, "I thought maybe you could help me sort through this stuff."

"Can you super lock the door while we're in here?" Mack asks.

"Of course," NoDot replies.

Epilogue: Nikki

Nikki sits in the shower in her pretty masquerade dress. Julie sits down next to her and starts to speak. "I really wanted to go back to that Venice hologram."

"Me too," Nikki agrees.

Then Julie said what's really on her mind. "You know, the one thing that I didn't know how to deal with tonight... was the fear of losing you."

She leans in and starts sobbing on Nikki's shoulder.

Previous: Episode 5

Next: Episode 7