Starship Iris 3.04.5 "Seven Worlds"

Content warnings: discussion of death

THASIA

Explain again.

KREJJH

Thasia, thay gwee l’rinayway, qu’thay—

THASIA

That is not what I asked.

VIOLET

We’re so sorry.

THASIA

Again.

BRIAN

Her last words—

THASIA

How do you know those were Commander Liu’s last words? Did you see her die?

PARK

A drone was tailing her. The ship was out of fuel. We heard the connection break.

ARKADY

Please, do you know anything about someone named Winnie, she might know where Sana could’ve gone—

THASIA

I don’t. I don’t, do you understand me? Can you get off the line? I need to be free when Commander Liu comes back.

ARKADY

Thasia, we know this is hard but you need to—

ELLA

Connection ended.

ARKADY

ELLA, re dial Th—

VIOLET

Captain?

ARKADY

Yeah?

VIOLET

I think Thasia needs a moment.

ARKADY

Goddammit.

MCCABE

They did just lose one of the most important people in their life. That’s not a pleasant feeling.

ARKADY

What the shit do we do now? The one thing we knew for sure was that Sana was in Cresswin. We’ve got nothing. We’re lost. It’s hopeless. We’re dead in the water.

KREJJH

Captain Patel, I feel like maybe those are some inside-the-brain thoughts.

VIOLET

Give her a moment, too. This is part of the process.

BRIAN

Could we find Other Violet’s source on our own? How many Winnies from Cresswin could there be?

PARK

She was in Slateston. A secret prison. They might not even keep a roster.

MCCABE

Other Violet called her a kid—

BRIAN

Yeah but consider the source: she could’ve meant anything from two to twenty-nine.

PARK

She calls Red Gregor “kid” and he must be in his fifties.

VIOLET

Called.

PARK

Right.

VIOLET

She’s gone.

BRIAN

Yeah.

VIOLET

If we’re giving Thasia time to let it sink in, can we grant that to ourselves? We just lost someone too.

BRIAN

I think I thought she’d always be on the other end of the line. Solid and reliable and kinda vaguely disapproving.

PARK

Vaguely?

BRIAN

No, yeah, she maybe hated us.

KREJJH

What a way to go. The loneliest way there is. All that nothing.

ARKADY

People.

VIOLET

Are you gonna tell us to feel this later, too?

ARKADY

In this case? At this moment? We need to at least pick a direction to fly in. Every second we’re out here not taking action, we’re burning fuel and time.

FX: TYPING

MCCABE

“Winnie” can be short for Winifred, Winona, Edwin, Edwina, Winter, Guinevere, Gwendolyn, Gwenyth, Wynne, or Winner. In total, that represents about…thirty thousand people.

BRIAN

There’s gotta be some way to narrow that down.

MCCABE

Even without a prison roster, there could be individual arrest records—

VIOLET

If she was born in Cresswin pre-revolution, she wouldn’t have papers. If she was taken without criminal proceedings—

PARK

And even if we can find the right Winnie, if she’s on the run, she might not answer our calls.

KREJJH

Uh, fellas…

ARKADY

Yeah, Krejjh?

KREJJH

There’s another way to go on this.

ARKADY

Please.

KREJJH

ELLA, show previous map.

ELLA

Previous map.

KREJJH

Okay, see. We know Captain Tripathi and comrades were leaving from Cresswin Landing. There, right? That dot. They were headed in a direction. She realized she was being tracked, and split. Split in a shuttle. No matter the model, those have limited range. She couldn’t have gotten all that far.

VIOLET

If the tracker in her—if it was what I think it is, she’d only have five hours.

ARKADY

So if we know the original plan, where they were trying to go—

KREJJH

We can at least narrow down Captain Tripathi’s location to a slice of space, yeah.

ARKADY

Less than a slice. She wouldn’t have steered into the blank. She’s a mechanic, she knows the range on a shuttle. She’s friends with Violet and Doc, she might even recognize the tracker. She’d be headed for something safe and near. That doesn’t leave much. Shit.

MCCABE

What?

ARKADY

The Regime was tracking her. Even if it’s not a steady signal—

PARK

They’d be able to work this out, too.

BRIAN

So, like. Breaking out of a terrifying secret prison. What’s your first move?

VIOLET

If any of them need medical attention—

ARKADY

It’s a Regime prison. Assume they all need medical attention.

PARK

That might not be the most pressing thing, though. It depends.

MCCABE

Okay, you’re leaving a Regime black site. Hypothetically, what’s most urgent to you?

PARK

Not going back.

ARKADY

Yeah, I’m with Park. Somewhere they felt they could hide.

KREJJH

I’m thinking, probably not a ton of ship models parked at the secret prison. No pleasure cruisers.

ARKADY

Right. There’s intake ships for the prisoners. But those are huge. Slow, lumbering. Odds are good Sana and the others lifted a clipper, for getting agents in and out.

KREJJH

Those suckers have range.

VIOLET

What kind of range? Can you draw it on the map?

KREJJH

Okay, assuming it refueled when it landed, something like—this.

MCCABE

San Ramos is in the circle.

BRIAN

Yeah, but Captain Tripathi would never take an escape ship into a bombing zone. Plus, that’d be dangerous for Campbell. And it’s exactly where the Regime’d look for her.

PARK

Hmm. The other side knows all of that, too.

ARKADY

You think it could be a double bluff?

PARK

Something like that.

VIOLET

Okay, so. Assuming San Ramos was the goal. Krejjh, can you draw a rough flightpath?

KREJJH

Let’s say they steer around there—everyone knows there’s a flock of drones—staying outta reach of that star, uhh never was totally sure what that is but let’s assume they also go around it…

ARKADY

What’s five hours or closer in a shuttle?

KREJJH

Okay, totalling it all up, here’s what’s around there and how the atmospheres are scanning—Doctor Liu?

VIOLET

Seven. There are seven moons or planets in reach that could sustain life.

ARKADY

In all of space?

VIOLET

If she’s okay.

ARKADY

Alright. Seven worlds.

BRIAN

Is there any way to narrow that down, or figure out what’s the best contender?

MCCABE

Um. It depends on when Captain Tripathi had to divert the shuttle.

BRIAN

So we just—roll the dice, on seven?

ARKADY

If anyone sees another way, I would love to hear it. (A PAUSE) We’ll do that planet. It’s the closest. It’ll give us the most time to find her. How long, Krejjh?

KREJJH

Going with our usual travel vibes, I’d say…eleven hours.

MCCABE

Giving us about four hours to recover her, and obtain and apply her intelligence.

VIOLET

Sounds good.

ARKADY

No, it doesn’t.

VIOLET

It doesn’t, no. But it sounds like our best shot for now.

ARKADY

Yeah. Brian, can you reach out to Thasia again?

BRIAN

On it, Captain.

ARKADY

And keep all distress frequencies open, just in case.

BRIAN

Of course.

ELLA

Attempting connection. Attempting connection.

BRIAN

Uh, Thasia just locked us out.

PARK

What are our orders?

MCCABE

Captain. Is Thasia the commander now? Do they just…take Other Violet’s spot?

ARKADY

I don’t know.

MCCABE

What is the chain of command without her?

ARKADY

Unclear.

MCCABE

Unacceptable.

ARKADY

McCabe, what do you want me to do?

MCCABE

Do I need to explain to you why it’s a problem to no longer have someone at the very top?

ARKADY

You don’t.

MCCABE

Who are we serving? What are we serving? Those aren’t fun hypotheticals for a dinner party. Even if we win, if we can’t maintain some semblance of order—if we can’t stay unified in the meantime, what comes after won’t be better.

ARKADY

Thank you McCabe, for that bracing spot of Revolution 101. (SIGHS) Look, it’s shitty. I’m not gonna pretend it’s not shitty. But we are bleeding out right now. And that means we, what’s the fancy doctor word, Vi? Ranking injuries?

VIOLET

Triage?

ARKADY

Triage, thank you. We take this one problem—one goddamn fire—at a time. We get ready, we get Sana back, we take down the drones long enough to get in one good blow, and then, while the Regime’s reeling, we start asking the big questions. No point losing sleep on them now. Trust me, they’ll still be there tomorrow. Understood?

MCCABE

Yes, Captain.

ARKADY

And in the meantime, I think…maybe we take a second to remember her. Commander Violet Liu. Does anyone have—anything to—?

BRIAN

She saw what needed to be done. She helped us when we had very few friends left.

KREJJH

Thasia loved her. Thasia loved her so much it almost made me love her.

PARK

She gave me a missile launcher once. That was incredible. And very funny.

VIOLET

I still can’t believe that the person I used to compare myself to when I was struggling in college turned out to be a commander in the revolution. I mean, really, what are the odds?

I think, we got so used to seeing her as Commander Liu, we didn’t always remember that she could’ve done almost anything else. A lot of us never even get the luxury of choosing sides, but. She had the grades and the connections and the skills to go far in the Regime. The world handed her the opportunity for a safe and comfortable life, and she looked at that, and she said “no.”

ARKADY

Which was very her.

VIOLET

I think maybe we all hope we would’ve done what she did. We can’t know. But we can hope. And maybe that’s the best you can say of anyone.

ARKADY

Amen.

BRIAN

May her memory be a blessing.

KREJJH

Yeah. (A BEAT) There should be music. There’s supposed to be music.

VIOLET

I can see what we can get on the radio—

FX: RADIO TUNING

BRIAN

Wait, wait, y’know what she liked? The one that goes “Call me prophet impossible...” Chiron Star and, what’s his stage name now, Juan Dolo?

VIOLET

Ohh, yeah, okay. Really?

BRIAN

She let it slip to Krejjh one time.

KREJJH

That’s right, she did!

PARK

She had depths.

MCCABE

Apparently.

ARKADY

To all the other depths we’ll never see.

VIOLET

To Violet Liu.

FX: “SAN RAMOS FEAT. JUAN DOLO”

CREDITS MUSIC

JESS

This episode features—

VRAI

Vrai Kaiser as Thasia

BRI

Bri LeFever as Krejjh

CINDY

Cindy Chu as Violet Liu

JAMIE

Jamie Price as Brian Jeeter

CHRIS

Chris Choi as Jin Seon Park

ISHANI

Ishani Kanetkar as Arkady Patel

JACKIE

Jackie Andrews as RJ McCabe

ELLA

Ella Whomersley as ELLA

JESS

Written by Jessica Best

NEWT

Directed by Newton Schottelkotte

ELEANOR

Production coordination by Eleanor Hyde

JEFFREY

Sound design by Jeffrey Nils Gardner

AMBER

Closing credits music is “Rocket Science” by Amber Devereux of Tin Can Audio

FX: HISS OF A COFFEEMAKER

VIOLET

Hey.

ARKADY

Hey.

VIOLET

Do you also still find yourself drawn in by the coffeemaker, even with nothing to brew?

ARKADY

All the goddamn time. I’m heating up some water if you want any. Muscle memory. It’s perverse.

VIOLET

Like zombies swarming a mall.

ARKADY

What?

VIOLET

Some old movie. Couple of movies.

ARKADY

You and me, we had very different entertainment, growing up.

VIOLET

Well, if I find an opera about zombies, I’ll let you know.

ARKADY

They mostly wheeze, right? Not sure they could handle an aria.

VIOLET

Hey. I wanted to say: thanks.

ARKADY

For what?

VIOLET

Giving us a moment. Feels like maybe it’s getting a little easier for you. Being captain.

ARKADY

It was your idea, thank yourself.

VIOLET

Then thank you to both of us.

ARKADY

We make one helluva team, huh?

VIOLET

Yeah. Arkady—

ARKADY

Gotta get our kicks there while we can. Fifteen hours. Plus, the return trip if we’re lucky. Hot water?

VIOLET

Uh, no thanks, I’m good.

ARKADY

Makes sense. Wanna watch something, or—?

VIOLET

I think I just need some quiet for a bit.

ARKADY

You know where to find me.

VIOLET

Yeah.

FX: ARKADY EXITS, DOOR CLOSES.

VIOLET

For now.