Scene 22: Reckoning

A proper description of the Shadow's Heart has been lacking up to this point.  The exterior is black with a purple tinge, which is hidden when out of direct light.  There are two turbine-style engines at its head, which possess internal maintenance corridors apart from the living space.  The cargo hold is the only entrance to the ship on the starboard side.  Living quarters reside to the port.  With three rooms side-by-side at two bunks each this crew is already too large to all sleep to one bunk each at the same time.

Aaron sets the ship to autopilot.  He pivots his seat and pauses a moment to glance and reflect upon the faint red stain pool on the floor.  He rises and walks the spine of the ship that leads directly from the cockpit to the common area.  The crew sit around the center table with surrounding lights dimmed and a strong overhead spotlight casting down on the table.

Valory absently strokes her arm while staring at the floor.  Ross and Sweets are present.  Aaron begins to sit only to momentarily look up and rise again at Tulia's approach. Her face is red from tears though they have stopped.

TULIA:  Someone has to kill him.  

SWEETS:  How's Rune?

TULIA:  I want him dead, Sweets.  

Sweets rises and holds her close.

TULIA:  He tore Rune up real bad.  

I don't think I can help him.

She thumps Sweets' chest.

TULIA:  You all keep getting hurt!

SWEETS:  And we're all still here.

Aaron takes a step toward them.

TULIA:  Don't you talk to me, soldier boy.  

This is my crew we're talking about.  

You had your chance to put a bolt in him.  

You had him dead to rights.  

I won't forgive you for that.

AARON:  I want something from him.

TULIA:  You want something from him?  

Oh, so long as you want something from him.  

Don't let our bodies stand in your way.

AARON:  I'm not saying he doesn't have it coming to him.  

But he got us here and we're on our way.  

Now we have to decide what to do with him.

VALORY:  Decide?

TULIA:  And I suppose you'll use the 

kid to make me out to be in the wrong.

VALORY:  Hey, I ain't a kid.

TULIA:  Get a new catch fraise, sweet heart.

AARON:  I didn't say it was going to be like that.

TULIA:  You haven't done anything.

AARON:  All I need is to talk with him.  

After, we do how the vote goes.

SWEETS:  Tulia... (turns her) Aaron is 

responsible for saving both Ross and me.

AARON:  For one thing, I need to know if Clemence 

told Vincent about Spencen before we can think about 

even risking drawing attention to him.

TULIA:  But that's not really what 

you want to ask Nick is it?

AARON:  No.

TULIA:  You just use all your friends up 

and dump them, don't you, soldier boy?

AARON:  I'll honor the vote.  I'll even follow through if 

that's what's decided.  But I got to talk to 

him first.  That's not negotiable.

TULIA:  Go to Hell.

SWEETS:  I want to know if Spencen is in trouble.

AARON:  I know I can't convince him to leave 

unless there's a direct threat to his life.  

And he is my friend.  I will go 

back for him if I need to.

VALORY:  Esben liked Spencen.  

I think he would say the same thing.

TULIA:  You just don't want to get your hands dirty.

VALORY:  I get a vote.  This isn't just about your 

crew anymore.  We got a new ship.  That means this 

is a new crew.  We get to care what happens to Rune too.

Growls over the coms.

VALORY:  That's Esben.  He says Nicodemus wants to talk.

TULIA:  We can have it out.

VALORY:  He says he'll only talk to Aaron.

TULIA:  You're a little too popular for comfort.  

What makes him think he gets to dictate?  

Isn't that hairy friend of yours set to cut his throat?

VALORY:  I don't know what to tell you.  That's what he said.

AARON:  We go together.

TULIA:  How generous of you to offer.

She draws and turns around holding her weapon pointed up.  Sweets grabs it up in a single swipe and she attempts a much angrier punch to the chest.  She hurts her hand on his scales.  He hands the gun back to her.

AARON:  We can't have him running the show 

by giving into his demands.  But you should let me talk.  

There's a lot we don't know.  And there won't be any 

secrets in there.  You already know mine.

VALORY:  Do we?

TULIA:  Yeah.  What else are you hiding?

AARON:  I was only hiding the uniform.  

Everything else... simply doesn't matter anymore.

Roaring.

VALORY:  Esben says that if somebody's going 

to come down he wants a break from guard duty.

ROSS:  We're going right now.

They enter the hold.  Nicodemus is bound and sitting on the floor across from Esben who sits on a crate, which has caved somewhat under his weight.

NICODEMUS:  He keeps growling about something 

and pointing at his sword.  I keep telling him 

I never met his kind in Janriel before.

SWEETS:  Probably something about 

inviting you to a ritualistic sacrifice.

Esben glances sideways at Sweets.  

He makes a long series of growls to Valory.

VALORY:  Do you want the long or the short?

NICODEMUS:  Short.

VALORY:  He's been trying to explain to you how 

your blood would make a stain on his blade 

with your dishonor.  The gorier details include how 

he would make sure it didn't dry before he drew 

new designs on the blade to announce to all the 

other warriors the blade has struck down dishonor.

NICODEMUS:  You could sound less sweet while you 

were saying it.  That would make it all less disconcerting.  

I need to have a word with our closet imperial.

AARON:  Anything you have to say 

can be said in front of everyone.

NICODEMUS:  Your choice.  I don't think you want 

the rest to hear what you've been keeping from them.

ROSS:  I'd love to.

AARON:  I know I'm curious.

NICODEMUS:  Well gather around then.  

AARON:  What did you have to say to me Nicodemus?

NICODEMUS:  Why didn't you kill me?

AARON:  That's it?

SWEETS:  It's a popular question.  

Valory elbows him.

NICODEMUS:  You and I are after the same mystery. 

I know what you saw in Vincent's black vault.  

And I suspect you were the only one that could stand 

to look at it when the rest of them had to - 

I mean had to - look away.  I know what happened 

to you because the same thing happened to me.  

Only, I wasn't just exposed to a sample in a vial.  

I saw the genuine article.

ROSS:  What?

NICODEMUS:  I saw gods living among us.  

There were whole armies swept away with a stroke 

of their hand; achieving as much would take me days to do.  

The Empire could have never fallen while they were at our side.

AARON:  Then why did it?  Why tell me this fairy tale now?

NICODEMUS:  It's no fairy tale.  You saw it.  You know what 

just a little bit of their blood can do.  And I know where one 

of these angels is being kept right here in Janriel.

TULIA:  You can't be buying this.

NICODEMUS:  There's an asteroid.  The vial was proof 

of the goods.  It's just one.  They draw less attention that way.  

She's being held prisoner there.

SWEETS:  So turning aside armies ok, 

but can't handle a bunch of miners.

NICODMEUS:  My information says she's still a 

servant of the Order.  They found a way to trap her.  

How they did it they won't say.  But someone told 

Mr. Vincent how to store the blood sample.

AARON:  Blood, though?

NICODEMUS:  Yeah.  Mr. Vincent was bidding, but those 

asteroids are too far out for taxis.  Our mysterious 

benefactor is paying us to deliver her.

AARON:  Another job.

NICODEMUS:  But I say to hell with that.  

We break her out.  We blow the blockade.  

And we head straight for the Order's headquarters.

TULIA:  Why?

NICODMEUS:  Maybe they'll be grateful for 

their servant's return and reinstate the Prestmoors.  

The Order are the true rulers of the Republic.  

The Republic is but a shell of a government.

AARON:  I don't believe that.

NICODEMUS:  Believe what you want.  

But everything goes to hell unless we get 

the Order and the Prestmoors on the same page.  

SWEETS:  What is that supposed to mean?

NICODEMUS:  I'm done talking.  You can either go to 

that asteroid, save the angel, and get in the good graces 

with the Order or you can run the blockade, 

leaving her behind, and take your chances 

that they won't hunt you down for it.  

Your choice.  I'm here if you want it done right.  

Aaron bows his head in contemplation
and then addresses Nicodemus again.

AARON:  The rest of them are going to have 

a word with you about what you did to Rune.

NICODEMUS:  He had it coming.  That idiot pulled 

a gun on me while I was prepping for launch.

VALROY:  We all saw the ramp close.  Rune fought 

you to keep us from being left behind.

NICODEMUS:  I beat him is all.  

If he wasn't too weak to take-

Tulia surges forward.

TULIA:  Finish that thought.

Pause.

TULIA:  Please?

NICODEMUS:  Let me give him a transfusion.  

She cocks her head and squints.

TULIA:  What now?

NICODEMUS:  That's all he'll need.

ROSS:  How do you know?

NICODEMUS:  Because I was touched.  

The same as you... and the same as him.

Ross looks around to see
Aaron standing near the exit.

NICODEMUS:  Your bodies will heal at an accelerated rate; 

if given half a chance.  I don't think you were exposed 

long enough to grow back limbs.  So don't get any ideas.  

But open wounds will close faster and burns will disappear.  

I got enough latent regeneration to be able to heal 

your friend if you let me.

He scans over their faces.

NICODEMUS:  Go ahead.  Hook me up to him.

Further hesitation.

NICODEMUS:  I can't kill him.

Nicodemus and Rune lie on parallel beds already hooked up.  Ross and Sweets stand with rifles extended while Tulia monitors the vitals.  Rune's face begins to move a little.  Tulia steps away from the readouts to meet with Aaron, waiting just outside in the hall.

AARON:  How's it working?

TULIA:  The bastard was right.  Rune's vitals are 

recovering three times faster than they should.  

He's out of critical support.  He still can't be 

moved without everything going south.  

AARON:  So maybe we hold off on 

making a run for the blockade just in case.

TULIA:  Can I trust you to tell me if 

you ever heard about these angels of his?

AARON:  Yeah.  How about what he said about 

being touched.  I never heard of that before, either.  

TULIA:  So you, with your all-access pass 

to robots on off-the-books space stations, 

have never heard of these beings before?

AARON:  No.  I did ask an old friend to look into it.  

Maybe that's another reason not to leave 

yet until we find some answers.

TULIA:  You're not seriously considering

about going to that asteroid?

AARON:  It's what you might 

call tempting.  Wouldn't you say?

TULIA:  You know what you're going to find 

on that asteroid?  Not a damsel in distress for 

you to rescue.  Those are probably his friends waiting

there and they're going to help him take back the ship 

because they want out of Janriel just like everyone else.

AARON:  How do you explain our 

little miracle in the infirmary?

TULIA:  Maybe I gave up on Rune too 

soon and he's finally pulling through.

AARON:  And the vial?  Ross?

TULIA:  Nick said that stuff did 

something to you too.

AARON:  I had a vision of a woman.

TULIA:  Am I supposed to believe visions are real?

AARON:  Look at it this way.  

Do you see any other leads?

TULIA:  I didn't have the mysteries of the

universe on my hands before I met you.

AARON:  Maybe you did and you just

didn't know there was anything 

you could do about it.

TULIA:  I still don't think that.  There's no such thing as fate.  

There's people that just look for trouble and those 

who aren't smart enough to get paid for it.

AARON:  We're on the last ship out.  

That's not lucrative?

TULIA:  Not if we wait too long to get out.

AARON:  Alright.  Never mind the asteroid.  

We can start probing the edge of the blockade 

for the thinnest part.  I just have to ask something.

He steps into the infirmary and
leans over Nicodemus.

AARON:  Did you tell anybody about Spencen?

NICODEMUS:  (sleepy) No.  I always told me guys

the doctor's place was off-limits.  And they don't 

know you and him have history, that he fought.  

Mr. Vincent doesn't know.  

Nobody does, except, me.

Aaron departs.  Aaron and Tulia head for the cockpit.  Passing through the lounge, they discover Safe opening a door in the corner.  With a spark of circuits the lock releases and the door slides open revealing a dilapidated foe.  A rusted scarecrow of one of the assassin robots leans back against the interior wall.  Safe rolls forward and extends a wand to the machine's midsection.

AARON:  No!

Safe replaces a circuit and the eyes glow dimly to life.
It takes a step forward on unsteady legs.

DESTINE:  Greetings.  Would you know

my master's whereabouts?

PREVIOUS                                                                                                                                     NEXT