← The Strange Case of Starship Iris
The Strange Case of Starship Iris
2.06 Fish Out of Water
00:38:23
Summary: Family, food, and the feeling of being way over your head.
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You know how the IGR is monitoring your sister? How would I forget that? Right? Well, they lost her. They what? Juniper's audio cuts off a week ago. There's nothing at all, is she. The file will be tagged differently if she was dead. Assuming the agent had any idea what they were doing, it looks like she's on the run. Tell me the truth, McCabe. Based on what? You know, what are her odds? One person without a ship, no contacts in the underworld, not much money. The regime after her. Violet, I really don't want to tell you that it can't be worse than what I'm already thinking it can. I'm sorry. Can I get you anything? Arkady or Brian? I know. I know. Their way with Krej and Parks, wherever he ran off to. And the rest of us have nothing to do between missions but pace around this giant, creepy ship like we're haunting it. Hey. We've got clear flying for the next couple hours, so I thought I'd stretch my legs, see if anyone's up for a game of what's wrong. Nothing we can fix by talking about it. Well, no pressure, but if you ever want to test that out, you know I'm always down to help work through some feelings. I appreciate the offer. I'd accept a hug. Of course. Incoming call from computer. Accept call. Listen, is this the crew of the Iris 2? It is. Can I ask who's. What's going on? Do you need help? How do we find you. Oh, no, it's just I'm in a room full of toddlers. They're finally sleeping and nap time is very important to me. Hang on, let me step out. Hi, I'm Julio. You met my partner, Max. Yeah, we did. On Hypatia. As per our agreement, we have a shipment of 14 young recruits waiting to be picked up. You know where New Dearborn is? I assume it's somewhere on Mirzakhani. Sending you our coordinates. You have one new message. Thanks. Don't mention what. No, no, Kelly, spit that out. We do not eat caterpillar. Connection ended well. Okay. So long. Can't dodge the dawn Red light shines on and on and on and on and on but it's not the sea that's coming for me and it's not the storm no, it's not the storm so come sing. Me no songs though. Once we go we are gone and gone and gone When I go to sea don't fear for me me Fear for the storm Fear for the storm. Okay, before we go in there, how's my outfit? Your outfit's good, buddy. Of course it's good. But does it say, I am not going to get caught up in your politicking schemes, Ishcrab? Because I've grown and changed and your approval matters not to me. It's mostly in the hat. The tilt of the hat. Yeah, I see it. Yes. Great. Can we please. Mission review. So we come in, engage Y'sgrab in some pre dinner conversation, a fight, or anything distracting. No, I mean, realistically, it'll be a fight. I slip away to Ygreb's, study, hack their systems and search their call history for anything from Vashran or any leaders from the regime. We're confident Vacheron's involved in the arms deal. I'm very confident about that. Should we have brought a better bottle of whatever this is? Kressh, love, you're gonna do fine. And Vacheron wants war with humans more than anything. They tried to kill Thazya for speaking against it last time. But it doesn't make them guilty of this. It's our main lead. Then all I have to do is slip back and try to explain why I've been gone for the entire dinner party. It shouldn't take that long. What if Yzgrab and Vashran just happen to chat? It doesn't mean they're involved in a crime this big. Ishgrab despises Vashrin. They'd only talk if they had to do we really think they'd work together then? Do we think Ishkreb is capable of this? I don't know. I don't. I have to know. Yeah. So, yeah, we should go in. We should. Do either of you want to give me a crash course on a whole bunch of conversational Dwarnian first? Oh, no. Ishgrab will speak English around us. You sure? That's something. It's an insult. Proper etiquette here says to speak whatever serves the least educated people in the room, even if you're not speaking to them. And me being fluent in four and a half languages, you being the words guy, doesn't. Human languages don't really count. It's hard to explain. No, it's not. It sucks. On that note. Nice night. We could have walked. Should we have walked? Given my current health status, yeah. Wanted to save my energy in case we need to run away screaming. Let's not rule it out. Ah, Cray chap. And your friends? Yes, my friend. First mate Patel. And grooming Jeter, my intended. No need to remind me. I do hope you can contain yourself during dinner. Quite Niche grab. Good to see ya. It is. I've been wondering, why does the Dwarnian term for. You're aware that we have hundreds, if not thousands of languages, right? I've taken linguistics 101. Yeah. Why does the modern Middle Plains Exoduarnian term for gossip literally translate to fish bullying? That requires a great deal of cultural knowledge. Explain away. Where's the bathroom? That way. Long ago, the Middle Plains Dwarnian subsisted off the many rivers and lakes that streaked across the landscape. Our ancestors found the abundance of life swimming within was enough to nourish what became the greatest civilization. For light years around, the glories of the early Middle Plains empire were matched by the rich variety. Okay, let's do this. When you said school, I pictured more walls. Unless Goats. Garbage goat. We live to amaze. Sorry. Who are you? R.J. mcCabe. Bathing. Nice to meet you in person, Julio. I'd say likewise, but you're chucking a bunch of our kids straight into the jaws of the military industrial complex, so overall, I'd rate this experience as so. So that's completely fair. I understand. Are you a parent, Violet? Are you a teacher? No. Then you don't. How are those new supply routes rearranged working for you? They're good. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful. I've just got room in my heart to be pissed off, too, you know? This feels like Something of a strange stance for an ex mercenary. That's Max. Me, I was a counselor before. That's not a euphemism like butcher or surgeon. I counseled. How do you get from there to here? The short answer is burnout. The long answer is long. We weren't expecting you till the afternoon. You know, I hope you don't think you're taking anyone before they get their breakfast. If you're not busy, maybe you could give us a tour. A goat is eating my jacket. Just give her a little shove. She's fine. You folks familiar with animal therapy? A little bit. That it's good for trauma. And after having your family torn away from you, it's asking a lot to make these kids sit still in a classroom all day. Yeah, so we keep them moving, give them responsibilities. Something to care for, bond with. Plus milk. I mean, doesn't hurt. Some of the neighbors probably know we're not square with the regime, but we're the best source of milk and fertilizer for miles, so nobody asks too many questions. Violet? You okay? Sorry. It's weird to be stepping over toys and sidewalk chalk and stuff. Out in space, you can kind of forget about kids. Young people. Yeah, I'll say this, Kids know plenty of stuff that I didn't at their age. Like identifying plants. Did you know dandelion leaves are edible? Yeah, they serve them in fancy restaurants. God knows why. They're bitter as fuck. Language. Sorry. Bad influence. Why? Max? What was he about to say? He was gonna say, kids, go start making breakfast. No. Ruining the moment. Max. Come on, man. I'm suing for emancipation. Uh, hi again, Max. Hey. You're the angry one's wife. Violet. And Arkady's not my wife. She's. We haven't had that conversation yet. We haven't really had time to put a label on. On what we're doing. Sure. Dangerous time, full of upheaval. Definitely keep things loose and ill defined. Max, the rundown. Watch Mei. She's going through a daredevil phase. Showing off. Risa. If I had to guess, Akano and Lupe made up. I think we may need to check Gertrude's iron levels. Ezra actually said a few words. And Oakley needs new socks today. Before I go, which one needs their iron tested? Why? You a doctor? I was a paramedic on O11, and I'm the ship medic now. Oh, thank God. We can set up a clinic in the cafeteria. Can you wrangle the kids? Of course. See you, dear. See ya. Want me to carry that for you the med pack? No, it's okay. I'm used to lugging it around at this point. It's kind of a nervous habit. Plenty to be nervous about. Yeah. Look, what you said about us throwing your kids into the gnashing teeth of the military. Yeah. You know, it's voluntary. Nobody's here to make them do anything they don't want to. They're 18, 19. They don't know what they want to do. That's a little patronizing, though, isn't it? I mean, if they were underage, if they didn't have a choice, if we were sending them straight into a battlefield, yes, I would be right there with you. To be honest, I see what you're doing here, and I don't feel great about taking them away from it. I notice your words and your actions aren't really matching up right now. At some point, don't you have to let them be free to make their choices? I think I get why you don't want them teaching combat. But if it's that or run away to fight, once you send them to your Commander secret base, what's going to keep them from slipping off to join the fight anyway? I've seen what war does to people. I know we need fighters. I get it. But these kids have already been through so much. Our Commander other Violet. I wouldn't call her a friend, but her entire moral compass is geared towards making sure the revolution has a chance. Sometimes you can hear her running the cost benefit analysis and it's awful. But at the end of the day, your kids are way more valuable as teachers than soldiers. Letting them run off into the line of fire is. Well, it's Bad resource management. Sorry. I meant that to be comforting, but it came out kind of chilling. That's the first thing anybody said all day. That's a little reassuring. Jesus. What does that say about me? It says you've got a good heart in tough times. You mentioned burnout. Back when I was a paramedic, I was friends with this caseworker who wound up having kind of a breakdown and going home on 011. No wonder. And reading between the lines these days, I think they saw how broken the system was, and after a while, they started feeling like part of it. Like they weren't changing anything, just stretching it out. Lately, I've been thinking maybe this is how that change happens. Maybe this is what it takes. Hate to be this guy, but again, talk to me when you've got kids of your own. I don't see that happening. Yeah. Well, you don't always expect it. Look, I can't understand what you're going through, but it's hard saying goodbye. It's hard even when most of you thinks you'll see them again. It's like a nightmare sometimes. You've lost people. Counselor Powers at work? Nah, I've listened to the case files, of course. Have you thought about therapy? What, no. Separation from the family. A sudden massive shift in perspective. Life on the run. People seek treatment for way less. Just saying. If you ever want to call or make a visit. I'm guessing you're not insured, but we could cut you a deal. That and a chance at buying fresh milk. Who could say no? This is from Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Frier. Great Story time today. So I'm thinking over here, we can have a. You dropped your. Violet. Violet kingdom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. It must be pursued constantly and responsibly. Freedom is not an ideal located outside of man, nor is it an ideal which becomes myth. It is rather, the indispensable condition for the quest. Juniper? Violet. Oh, my God. Vi. Juniper. You're here. Yeah, I'm. I can't even. What are you doing on Mirza Khani? We're transporting some of the older teenagers to the Battle Teens Program. Right. Please tell me that's not what they're calling. What are you doing here? I was researching a story about Max's old unit. How a bunch of them came down with brain poisoning because the regime tested chemical weapons on them. Hang on. How did you get here? I've been ship hopping. That's so dangerous. Jesus, Junie. You left mom and dad alone? Already grieving their daughter. Still got Rosie? Well, yeah. Juniper. I hope the cat wasn't rash enough to follow me. Oh, my God. Mom and dad. Are mom and dad okay? Shit. Are you even listening? We can have this fight later, Vi. Right now. There's no time. What about the kids? The clinic? You can see them later. We need to move. So that's fish bullying. When you put it that way, it does make sense. Thank you. I'm not accustomed to young people paying attention when I talk. Ah, you're back just in time for the meal. Yes. How did. How are you doing, Arkady? Did you get lost? I got a gut condition. Real embarrassing. Look, me and Brian and Kraj need to step outside for a sec. Whatever's wrong? Nothing. We just need to go observe. A local customer of ours called Saying Grace. Fascinating. Do tell me about it. Just a little human practice. I picked up. We lay a blessing on the food before we eat it. In my culture, you bless it after too. And it actually presents kind of a fascinating challenge in this case since. But first, we need to bless it now. Outside where our gods can hear. Outside in the hallway. The gods have a thing for liminal spaces. We'll be back soon. Just quaint little human tradition. Yup. So quaint. Well, hang on. Let's make sure nobody's listening. Wouldn't want to ruin grace. Okay, we're clear. And I think so is ygreb. Are you sure? No. But no correspondence with Vachran. Nothing from the IGR Top brass scoured their accounts for fishy money. Nothing. They could be using code and working with intermediaries, but at this point, I think the case against Yreb is looking slim. We should tell them that we think they didn't do it. We should tell them what's going on. They're in a way better spot than us to help with all this political intrigue Krezh loved. Do you think they will? I think it's worth a shot. Also, I think they're listening from the other side of the door. Good guess. Krajeb. No bugs in the hallway. Come on. Amateur houry Grib. So what now? Hey. A.J. mcCabe, was it? Can I help you with those? R.J. and I think I've got them. I'm Oakley. And you? Super. Don't. If you drop a can, you'll dent it and Isadore will flip out about botulism again. I thought these were paint. Oh, they're beans. Jumbo size. Give him here. Where's your friend with the good boots? Captain Japati? She went to see if she can tweak the generator or something, make improvements. Be of use. Did Max or Julio send you to help? Oh, he just said you were on bean duty. Um, yes, he said there on bean duty. And dude, I use AM High five or not. Elbow tap. You must know other non binary people. Yeah, but as you can see, I live in a school. I know like six adults, and they're all cis. You're what, 30? 23. Right? Bean delivery. Get your fresh beans here. Thanks, but we're gonna need another can. Can do. No, you're pretty good at not stepping in goat shit. Thank you. I grew up on a farm. I suppose it's something you learn. My brother and my best friend and I used to run around. What? Nothing. Ignore me. Okay. Hey, Mae says there's a Dwarnian on your crew. Most of the time, yes. Well, what. What's that like? It's. It's so weird. I think half of coming out for me was trying so hard to convince everyone that going by they them didn't make me anything like them. You know, like space aliens. Yeah, the Dwarnian thing. What's even up with that? I'm nonbinary. I'm still a human being. Like, do I look purple to you? Right? How are we still having that conversation? How do you deal with it when people imply you're like xeno fauna? Um, not well. Yeah, not well. And then meeting an actual Dwarnian. Yeah, what are they like, all across the board? Like anyone. Hey. What? Where's Violet going? So you suspect an arms deal between the human IGR and some faction of Dwarnians from the capital? The regime is almost certainly going to use those weapons against their own people. And I thought y's grab would have the connections to fence alien guns. Ishgrab came up with the bribe money for us from Telemachus so fast. Isgrab doesn't care about humans, Krachep. Is that why you made the offer to visit? We had to know. I had to know. And there was no part of you that hoped to repair what is between us? Can you blame them? I mean, they can, but Ishgrab. If I do want things to be okay with us someday. Do you see why this needed to be the first step? And you think Vacheron is behind this arms deal? They're our lead suspect at the moment. They're certainly duplicitous enough. The only trouble is they're at the top of the list because they hate humans. Why would they want a bunch of our guns? I doubt they're a collector. The nuances of our politics may be difficult to grasp, but. Okay, dude, can we cool it with the barbs? All due respect, Ygrep, help us or cram it. Cause in the grand scheme of things, your condescension, it's not new, it's not novel. It's not even that well done. What does Vashran stand to gain from all this? You said your government intends to use these weapons against their own people. Maybe. Well, from Vashran's perspective, that leaves fewer humans. Divide and conquer. Precisely. But a revelation like this could destroy Vachran's career. The pro human contingent will be upset Vashran is arming the humans against themselves. And the anti human camp will be upset that Vacheron's working with them at all. Okay, but same question from the other Side? Why would the regime collaborate with Dwarnians? Resources, Power. Hubris, hubris. Pride that defies the gods. Hmm. What's our way forward? Well, we can't slip into Vachorn's house. They're famously paranoid. Guards everywhere. There's rumors they secretly record all their conversations on the hunt for blackmail fodder. All their conversations? Like Nixon, who. Doesn't matter. If we could just find a way to access those recordings. They live in a fortress, but they might take calls in their ship. Are there any big events coming up? Something where they'll be out all day. Do we need all day? We wait till that sucker's parked, distract any stray guards, slip in, grab the files, get out. Let's aim for half an hour. Arkady, can we hack a personal assistant's account, figure out Fashren's schedule? If you can get me a name and contact info. Shouldn't be too hard. There's a bar where a ton of the assistants hang out. We'll go up the chain till we find it. Krej, I can't believe what I'm about to say, but will you be able to make a distraction? Oh, boy, will I. Kratab. Yeah, I was only going to say the three of you work well together. I know it is not what we had hoped for you, but if you had to consort with humans, I'm glad these are the humans you found. Have you considered getting translator Jeter named a lahafla? What? A high status fancy scholar? Socially, it puts you above me. Actually, no, I haven't. Because there's never been a human lehafa. And we'd need a real big wig to sign off on it. Someone like an important diplomat. That's nice, I guess, but I'm not really a titles kind of guy. If you were declared a Le Hafla and Ishgreb endorsed you, we. We could get married here. For real. Married? What? Yeah. I. Thank you, xgret. Just. Thank you. If you can implicate Vashram in a crime, then I believe I can submit some paperwork. Juni, where are we going? How's the call security on your ship? Great. Arkady is very paranoid. Why can you still do The Schmidt voice? Mrs. Schmidt? Mom and Dad's terrible neighbor? Yes, I think so. What is going on? Just got a message from the downstairs neighbor. Regime agent's going around the building asking where I am. They were wiretapping you? Figured so. Look, I've been staying with mom and dad working remotely on my master's. Remember? Their Landlord Wyatt taken? He had banned books. Oh, Joyce. She seemed okay. She's making them pay double the rent or else she'll formally accuse them of helping you. That shit. They were cleared, right? Yeah, but, you know, it only takes one person's word. And you still ran, Junie. Now she has even more dirt on them. Please focus. The last time she came by, I recorded everything she said to them. All the threats she made. Long story short, if we can turn her in first for making a frivolous report, I think we can save mom and dad. Turn her in to the regime. Juni, they'll kill her. They'll. They'll do whatever they would have done to mom and dad. Yeah, but. You have a better idea? I'm not being sarcastic, Vi. Do you? You made yourself a fugitive. They'll never listen to you. But if Mrs. Schmidt does it. Hang on. Where are the files? Got them right here. Headphones. So what exactly is the plan? Dialing you in. Yes, hello. Adelaide Schmidt? Speaking. Is this the tip line for anti state criminals? Right. Well, I have one to call in. Joyce Hansen. She's a landlord on Lovelace on the Blue Sector in Chamford way. Manages building 5746 on Eagle Road. Well, I live across from George and Myrna liu in apartment 6B. Such lovely people. Unfortunately, you know, the walls are a bit thin, but fortunately for all of us, I happen to overhear quite the conversation. Extortion, criminality, baseless charges designed to waste your time. I have it all on tape for you. A second witness to confirm. Yes, that's very reasonable. One moment. Okay. Tell me you have a plan. I have a rough draft. The ship's got a few clean numbers loaded on for emergencies. When the comm rings, answer it as who? Does your friend Amelia still live in the building? Violet, you can't. Seriously. Does she. She's the one who took me off. But, Violet. We'll sort it out later. Hello? Yes. Back with that number. The downstairs neighbor happened to overhear part of it, too. She can corroborate everything I say. Amelia? Don't know her last name. Lovely person. I'll transfer you right away. Incoming CALL FOR UNKNOWN NUMBER Violet, you asshat. What, you don't remember? You didn't wonder if there was a reason I didn't Just call us. Her. It's gonna say right on her file. What? She's from New Zealand? Computer accept call Unknown. Uh, Chiara. That says Amelia Taylor. Yeah. Nah, I just heard the tail end, but I reckon that was plenty, eh? She said you Better pay the extra fee. My cousin puts away heaps of dissenters. All I have to do is point the finger. Really terrible stuff, eh? I always thought she was a bit Susan. Ah, no worries, mate. You have a great day, too. Connection ended. Oh, my God. Yeah, my accent is a work in progress. I thought it was good. Really now? Waves might. I'm gonna have to warn Amelia in case the Regime wants to check back with her. She's gonna be pissed. What if they want to check back with Mrs. Schmidt? She tries to turn a new person every week. She'll probably figure she volunteered Joyce and forgot about it. Hey, what's going on? Violet, what are you doing in here? Is shit going down? Language. Ha. We had a situation, but it's resolved. Hi, Violet. I'm Oakley. Um, hi. Violet's friend. I'm rj. Oh, hi. I'm Juniper, her sister. I'm going with you. No, you're not. Juniper, listen to me. You're staying right here on Mirzakhani where it's relatively safe. Or what? You'll tell mom and dad? You go ahead in. Yeah, we'll just be one more sec. Grace. Yeah, Grace. Don't tarry. Well, shit. Lequisic. Legal. Real marriage. Kermit Jeter. Oh, man. Oh, wow. I'm, like, shaking. Come here. All we have to do first is catch Vacheron. You noticed the conditional, right? What? You aren't a little worried this could be leverage to make sure you take out someone Izhgrab doesn't like? Well, yeah, that's obvious. This is Yeb we're talking about. Who cares? We need to get to the bottom of the arms deal anyway. There's lives at stake until we figure this out. If it's even Vashraun. It's Vashran. I know it is. And speaking of things I know for sure. Brian Larkin Jeter. Will you marry me? Like, soon? Dude, of course. Yes, of course, Krish. Congrats. Now, let's go back inside, eat some eel jelly. Jellied eel. It's different. And plot how to break into one of the most secure ships in Duanian space. Juniper, I am not joking around here. You're not going with us. Hey. Bad news, Captain. Oh, my God. I'm so sorry. Max. The clinic. I completely forgot. Unfortunately, we're in no hurry. What's wrong? We've got that contact on Fortinbras waiting to pick you folks up and take you the rest of the way. The. The Zephyr. Right. Exactly right. Oakley. The Regime's been scouring Fortinbra, making the Zephyr crew jumpy. They don't want to intercept a bunch of young revolutionaries there. Especially not from any part of the Iris crew. You're saying we need a new hub to make the handoff? No, we need a new hub. You need to stay. Oh, my God. Violet, seriously, I've got a place where we can land. The cave. You? I know a privately owned little planet where they might not even have news of the Iris yet. How far from Fortinbras? Not far. Have you heard of Martineau? I've got a good sense of the geography there. I think I could find us a discreet place to land. Well, dang. Why didn't you mention this earlier? It's not ideal. Why not? Because it's home. I'm from there. The Strange Case of starship Iris episode 6 fish out of Water Starring Chant Wu as Mei Lee Leslie Gideon as Isadore Jones Finn Truant as Oakley Cannon Brown Ray Tay as Juniper Nate Dufort as Max Gavins Aaron Catano Saez S. Julio Ella Womersley as Ella Jackie Andrews as RJ McCabe Sean Rohani as EJ Grip Rukmini Desai as Sanathrapathi Brittany Lafever as Krej Jamie Price as Brian Jeter, Ishani Kanitkar as Arkady Patel and Cindy Chu as Violet Mew Written by Jessica Best. Directed by Rachel Kellum. Sound design, mixing and editing by Hannah Cross and Erin Bauman. Opening credits music is Fear for the Storm, written by Jessica Best and Essie Winters and performed by Kyron Starr with Aaron Bauman on vocals. Ending credits music is Rocket Science by David Devereaux of Tin Can Audio, the Fable and Folly Network, where fiction producers flourish.