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.
Monday Evening - The Elysian Dream
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.
Code Names
This area of the docks has been cleaned heavily, and decorated to feel opulent, in contrast to its typical utilitarian and dirty metal vibe. Most of the folks in the line, which is not moving quickly, are clearly military-age. The crew go over their cover names before Nikki, Number, and Julie join the line. Alfie and Kova follow other staff to the front of the line, attempting to blend in with other staff who are doing the same.
Nikki - Cassandra Gainsborough
NoDot - Miss Lillith Asmodeous
Julie - Isadora Landon
Alfie - Conner *******
Kova - July McMillan
Conner & July
The elevator 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 elevator, 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 elevator 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 elevators, they split up. Alfie takes service elevator 2, while Kova locates the elevator to the casino level.
Alfie Has No Taste, But He Smells Just Fine
As Alfie stands in the elevator, 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.
Kova Locates the Casino
Kova ponders the odd inflection with which the task was relayed to her as she checks the directory to determine elevator 4 will take her to the casino level.
Cassandra, Isadora, and Lillith make an entrance
Nikki, NoDot, and Julie finally reach the front of the line and are let into the elevator bay.
NoDot immediately hops on their hand terminal, and attempts to access the security cameras on-board the ship.
After a short moment, the elevator 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 elevator.
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 And Kova
Alfie Visits Venice
As Alfie exits the elevator 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 Visits Vegas
Kova's service elevator 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 items to "our friend. 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 exchange counter."
He stares at the box in a puzzled manner.
"Thanks anyways." Kova says.
"Good luck."
She wanders off around a corner to peek inside the cardboard box.
They're definitely not poker chips. Instead the box seems to contain 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 the OPA would use to make a bomb, and these are those.
She hurriedly returns to the elevator bay where she parted ways with Alfie, but what feels like an eternity passes before he returns. Kova spends that eternity hyperventilating.
Nikki, Number, and Julie visit the 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.
Alfie and Kova Stand in an Elevator Bay
Alfie shows up in the elevator bay and notices 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 tricked 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 then he used the reactor access to blow one up. Two hundred innocent civilians died."
Alfie looks a little impressed.
"If he does it again here, thousands could die. The explosion would be big enough to take a chunk out of Ceres."
They discuss where they'd be likely to find the crew assembling the device.
Alfie's 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.
While Kova cries, Alfie paces and thinks out loud.
"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." [ Note: Keep this in mind. ]
