The Shadow's Heart descends upon where it has found the greatest misfortune of late, the hanger bay of a space station. From the treacherous fringes to the unhappily familiar captivated civilization, the local denizens remain none the wiser regarding the forces that confine them. Neither can any of them recognize the recurring vessel in their midst as the means to freedom it is; should they be prepared to perceiver a similar misadventure to the one already endured.
Among the Hearts' neighbors and the traffic outside are various transports, which might bear the people of Janriel away, but have been robbed of the drive to carry them. Any one of them might brave the depths of space, but the blockade is more likely to be dissolved long before reaching the boundary and make futility out of the journey. So the transport captains ferry and crisscross their way through the system and think the phantom ship like them.
Aaron stands over his bunk packing a bag.
Tulia appears in the doorway of his quarters.
TULIA: You and she talked?
AARON: I'm getting off here.
No one else has to come.
TULIA: What did you two talk about?
AARON: She just wanted to see
how I was doing.
TULIA: I heard she decided to go with you.
He finishes and starts to leave.
Tulia doesn't make way.
TULIA: What did she say to you?
Or... you to her?
AARON: What are you worried about?
You can keep the ship. She's yours.
TULIA: I'm wondering about a few things.
Let's start with if you like being stuck on Janriel.
AARON: Can't be trapped without letting yourself.
TULIA: See, that's what I'm talking about.
You're nobody. You're good, but nothing special
in a fight. Yet when we're anywhere in sight of
Janriel you're walking around like you own it.
At first I thought that was just your character,
but you didn't act that way on the Atlas.
You weren't in control then, just as scared
as the rest of us. But here you're looking to
leave us behind like you've got everything
figured now. What do you know, Aaron?
AARON: That I've been alone in looking for answers.
That we faced danger together. And that it's
only going to get worse from here.
And I promised the kid and her rug
shipping out with us was a one-way
ticket away from her life in this system.
TULIA: Don't use Valory to make your excuses, Aaron.
AARON: It's not an excuse.
TULIA: That's just the lowest-
AARON: It's the truth. And I was too long
in following through on that promise.
She rolls her eyes and he
takes her by the chin.
AARON: Look at me.
TULIA: We both kill for being touched.
Tell me I'm wrong.
AARON: She looked into the heart of it.
She saw whatever that monster was
doing to possess Sweets the way
he did and she faced it... alone.
She can't be all of 14, Tulia.
TULIA: And she hurt him for it.
Valory's one of us.
AARON: She deserves to get out of Janriel.
The rest of you do too. And it's the best thing
for her. But not for me. The answers are here.
I don't have them for you. Not yet, at least.
TULIA: I didn't ask you to go on this damn
quest of yours. I don't care.
She recoils at herself.
TULIA: I don't. You hear me? I don't care.
And since you bother to remember what happened
to Sweets you should know I've got blood in this.
I'm not in it for the mysteries of the universe, which
you already sacrificed my friends to. Don't deny it.
And you know the galaxy is going to Hell over whatever
is happening. And this is where the fire will spark. So what
are you selling, Aaron? Where are we supposed to run to?
AARON: Away from the flames.
Where else? Save who you can.
TULIA: We never really settled on staying together this long.
It just happened. But I'm starting to think you're as good as crew.
Which means I don't get to just leave you. There has to be another way.
AARON: With a sentiment like that you mark
yourself just as foreign to Janriel as I am.
TULIA: The place was filling up with a better
class of people before you came around
with that blockade of yours.
AARON: Wrong answer. The blockade isn't mine.
I've got nothing to do with it.
TULIA: So you say. But you wouldn't tell
me if you were a plant anyway.
AARON: You'll note I still haven't.
TULIA: You wouldn't have to be very high up.
Just a spy who got in over his head.
I can believe you didn't know who
Erimentha was. That's why you're
obsessed with all this.
AARON: You're getting warmer.
TULIA: Retired?
Aaron hesitates.
AARON: Deserter.
TULIA: The Republic?
AARON: Before.
TULIA: Really? But, you'd be hailed a hero
for turning your back on the old regime.
AARON: I had a duty, and still hold the unpopular opinion
that the Empire wasn't all bad. Just bad enough to warrant
my departure. And Janriel is a place to disappear.
But I stood out, made some choice friends.
TULIA: Like Doc Spencen, and now
the Police Captain, Noah.
AARON: I'm not afraid of getting caught.
But I couldn't say where this winding
road leads. It's best you take this one
chance and start a new life.
I already did mine.
TULIA: You ever think that blockade's
here for you, Aaron?
AARON: You're welcome to try for the
bounty if you want to find out.
I never looked up yours.
TULIA: Mine?
AARON: Why you came to Janriel. It's only the
new arrivals after bounties that don't have an in
with the police. You're original crew size was
to compensate for being too unwilling to
risk any police backup.
TULIA: Since we know so much about each other
it's a shame to break this team up.
AARON: That's why I have to do it.
We know too much to be near each other.
He pushes passed her.
The crew collectively disembark from the Shadow's Heart. Tulia files her credentials with the automated registrar podium at the base of the loading ramp. Aaron and Erimentha stand off together. Nicodemus plugs a card into a complimentary computer station and stands motionless long after Tulia has finished.
Valory is the first to notice his frozen stare.
She reaches out to him, but inches from
the shoulder Tulia draws her back.
TULIA: What's the matter, Nick?
He proceeds to destroy the computer
station with kicks and his bare hands.
NICODEMUS: There's nothing. Nothing! He didn't wire
any of it. He even got in and took the advance.
TULIA: Who?
NICODEMUS: My contact. The one who told me to hire all you.
Valory is still shaken.
VALORY: I'm sorry that happened to you, Mr. Clemence.
NICODEMUS: I lost the Grim Grip. I betrayed Mr. Vincent.
I can't speak to the Order. And I didn't get paid.
All for what? What was it all for?
ERIMENTHA: You delivered your message, Mr. Clemence.
I will carry it in full. The Prestmoors will get a fair dealing.
He turns and disappears up the loading ramp. He emerges again with a duffle bag and his gun and marches down the loading ramp and pauses near Erimentha.
NICODEMUS: Make sure they do. Their good men.
They are what you made them.
Nicodemus walks off into the station.
Valory turns to Tulia.
VALORY: Esben and I have been talking.
AARON: Now wait a minute, Valory.
Tulia's going to take you away from here.
She's going to help you find a new home.
VALORY: What's wrong with here?
You're staying.
AARON: Janriel is no place for you.
VALORY: It's home.
AARON: Janriel isn't home.
It's where people go when
they can't go home.
VALORY: It's my home. You guys talked about
leaving Janriel. You didn't say anything
about we couldn't come back after.
We're staying.
She leads Esben by the hand into the station
as he shrugs at them while going.
ROSS: Anyone else you want to alienate?
AARON: I've got a meeting to keep.
By the time Aaron and Erimentha are on
the other side of the bay Desdine comes
around from the back of the ship.
DESDINE: Where is the master going?
TULIA: We're all being ditched.
Haven't you heard?
DESDINE: Ditched? Was it something
in my programming?
Aaron is sitting at the bar when Noah skulks in. He saddles up to the stool next to Aaron and orders a drink. Noah is clearly nervous as he barely comes short of hyperventilating and downs the glass when it comes and demands another. But the second drink Noah turns in his hand without partaking.
NOAH: You got me mixed up
into a lot of trouble, friend.
AARON: What happened?
NOAH: You see this nameless rock of yours?
I'm lucky to get it back... with, your results.
AARON: (whisper) So you got something!
NOAH: I lost something, too. The lab I sent it to,
would you believe it doesn't exist anymore?
AARON: You're talking nonsense.
NOAH: I mean one day I'm corresponding
with the lab technicians, results are being beamed
to me, rock's in the mail. And wouldn't you know?
I wake up and I can't reach them. I'm looking to get
the results explained to me. Come to find out,
all record of their existence has been scrubbed.
Probably dead.
AARON: Alright, maybe they closed down.
What makes you think that?
Noah grabs Aaron's sleeve.
NOAH: Because they already came for me.
My apartment's been tossed. The precinct
was bombed. I understand you've been away.
AARON: Yeah.
Noah stares back at him, nodding.
He lets go of Aaron.
NOAH: Yeah. Did you know what this was?
Aaron glances at Erimentha who stands
in the corner making conversation.
AARON: Not at the time.
NOAH: Not at the time, he says.
So maybe you can tell me about it.
AARON: Do you have the report?
NOAH: I've got it. But I want protection
with your merry band of gatecrashers.
AARON: We went our own ways.
NOAH: You picked a hell of a time.
AARON: I saw trouble coming, but
not like this. Do you know who it is?
Did you get a look at them?
NOAH: I'm being followed.
They show up everywhere.
AARON: I'll get you out of here.
They stand and Noah
grabs Aaron's shirt.
NOAH: I know what you used to do.
AARON: Now is not the time to draw
attention to us, captain.
NOAH: You've got to have some idea
of the kind of people it takes to do this.
AARON: I might at that.
Aaron looks passed Noah to the entrance
and two men in dress suits hesitate at the door.
AARON: Sorry, gentleman.
No cloaks and daggers, tonight.
Aaron draws a pistol and blasts away at them, forcing the men to take cover and draw their own weapons. Erimentha arcs toward Aaron and Noah in a beam of light with stray yellow lightning spilling off, grabs them and vaults between the agents and around the corner beyond the door.
Noah and them emerge again while he tries to catch his breath.
NOAH: What just happened?
AARON: You're first step
into the bigger picture.
Come on, let's go.
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