Space Pirates

Rumble In The Docks

A large plasmaline* tanker is docking at a space fuel compound. Shot of the pilot decelerating.

Pilot

"Actuating docking rail slides."

Four large mechanical arms spread from the body of the tanker. The arms have what look like large bearings that slide into a set of half-pipe arms. Inside the bearings are large magnets of the same polarity to a set of magnet pads at the base of the docking bay. The magnets slow the tankers, while also alleviating the pilot from having to carefully park the ship in. Once the tanker reaches a certain point in the bay, it's locked into place with large cotter bars, and the magnets are deactivated.

Dock Operator

"Copy that, cotters locked."

Pilot

"Powering down. Ignition out, see you in a few-"

There's a long, loud screeching sound, followed by a very loud pop and some metal grinding. The bay shakes a bit, and the electricity flickers.

Pilot

"What the hell was that?"

Dock Operator

"I think a tanker just wrecked at one of the east wing docking bays. Stay in your ship, I'll be back."

Another plasmaline tanker pulled straight through the docking bay and into the station. Without a dock operator to activate the deceleration pads, the tankers don't slow down when pulling into a bay.

Security Officer

"The tanker approached the station directly from the exit portal. It didn't follow the docking course, it came from the exit, over the thoroughfare, and straight into the base of the east wing. Even if a dock operator had been here, there wouldn't have been enough time to open the brakes. Likely better there wasn't."

Dock Operator

"Well where the hell's the pilot, he's got some fuckin' explaining to do, I'll tell you that. There's no-"

Gambill

(Coming from around one of the wrecked tanker's arms.)

"He's dead."

Dock Operator

"What?"

Gambill

"Dead. D-E-D, dead. As in no longer living, pushing up daisies, worm food, he's kicked the bucket, gone to a better place, playing poker with Poe, pal, he's dead."

Dock Operator

"Yeah, I get it, but what happened?"

Perry

(Kneeling on top of the tanker's nose, looking over on Gambill, the dock operator, and the security guard.)

"He was given diazoxide, a drug that's used to treat acute hypertension, but in this case was used to induce a heart attack."

(He hops down to the ground, and approaches the dock operator.)

"It's a vasodilator, and it drops blood pressure. Generally only used in a hypertensive emergency, but here was used to kill the pilot. Combined with his smoking habit, occupational stress, and exposure to extreme cold, he was an easy target."

(The pilot was actually hypertensive, and kept a dosage of diazoxide, which he received from an unlicensed doctor. He had been refused a prescription because of his high susceptibility for a heart attack, so to alleviate the seizures, he attained them illegally. While piloting the tanker, he had an artery spasm, which initiated a heart attack. He thought he was having a hypertensive seizure, and so he pumped himself with diazoxide, which dropped his blood pressure and caused vasodilation, thus making the heart attack fatal.)

Dock Operator

"Someone killed him? Why?"

Gambill

"Chaos. We've recently been investigating a group of terrorists that call themselves the Amaranthine Ire. A cult of anarchist extremists that have recently been sending us bits and pieces of information on how they've been responsible for a number of attacks across the solar system. The danger is that they're a group consisting of scientists in a number of different fields, and we don't know what their demands are."

Perry

"We need to get the CSI's in here, before the spaceport sends in the appraiser. Everyone leave the room, and don't touch anything."

Gambill

"With the amount of evidence the team's overlooked in the past few cases, I doubt it's going to make much of a difference. Let's get some pictures of the place before it becomes a Post-It ad."

The screen fades, and reappears with a view of a small, rickety building. At the base of the screen, text reads 48 hours earlier…

Cut to a room where the pilot of the tanker is talking with a man in a doctor's coat.

Pilot

"Thanks for this, doc. The other doctors are idiots. They don't know what I need. I hate to have to get my medication this way, but I had no choice.

Doctor

"Don't worry about it. Many doctors are unwilling to take the necessary risks to help people. Thank you for stopping by."

The pilot exits the room.

The doctor activates the video phone. A man appears on the screen, but only his back can be seen.

Doctor

"He's picked up the meds, sir."

Video Phone Figure

"Good. Thank you, doctor. The funds have been transferred."

Doctor

"You're too kind, sir. Too kind."

He hangs up.

Cut to the man's office. Still only a view of his back.

Man

"…One step closer."

Opening Theme

The Captain sits in the one of the Dreadknot's hallways and watches television.

Television

"-Now with twenty percent less dignity!" click "-Not the badger box!" click "-Finally, a disposable toilet!' click "-Side effects may include nausea, headache, dysentery, and may carry some risk of dependency. Contact your doctor if you experience death."

Hektor

Approaching from down the hall.

"Hey, come on. Rocko needs help in the cargo bay. Those idiot Frenchmen don't know what the hell they're doing."

The Captain

"Sounds like somebody needs a clone."

Hektor

"Alright, really now, get up. The space port charges by the hour, and those military Nerf weapons are surprisingly heavy. Well, not really heavy, just awkward. Lord only knows why they pack the weapons on one side of the crate and the ammunition on the other."

The Captain

"In a minute, my stories have a few minutes left."

Hektor

"Nevermind." muttering. "Useless…"

Hektor walks away.

Cut to Sam's room. She's smoking a joint and working on some sort of mechanical device, as is her hobby.

Hektor

Entering the dorm.

"Hey, we need some help in the cargo bay and- ! – Would you please put that crap out, it smells like a grease monkey died in a frat house in here."

Sam

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute. And don't be so snappy, pill doctor."

Hektor

"Hey! …I'm not a pill doctor, alright. There's nothing wrong with prescribing my patients with treatments that help them and pay me, so I can afford to help them. My time is valuable, I can't spend all day with a single patient, and don't be so sure you-"

Sam

"Alright, I get it, I get it, you're morals aren't skewed. (muttering) "…Just your ethics."

Hektor

His brow drops.

"…I'll be in the cargo bay."

Cut to the cargo bay. Hektor enters, to see Rocko using a medical donut as a cushion for his shoulder nub while he struggles to push the large crate onto the ship.

Hektor

"I thought these were just Nerf weapons, they can't be that immoveable. What the hell's in there?"

Rocko

Pushing and grunting.

"I overheard one of the port managers talking about needing some large cargo transported to Europa. Said he'd pay five figures to any rogue transport agent that could get it there in a few days. Figured we could use the money, so I took him up on it."

Hektor

"Did you happen to ask what was inside the cargo?"

Rocko

Stops pushing.

"Why? He's a manager at a space port. You really think it could be trouble?"

Hektor

"It's a large, heavy crate, and he's asking a rogue agent to transport it. That didn't seem a little fishy to you?"

Rocko

"I guess. Well let's look inside it, then."

Hektor

"…"

Rocko

"Alright, then, what do you suggest?"

Hektor

"I suggest you go back in there and tell him you can't do it. We're already running late with the weapons, and we can't afford a UTC." (unlicensed transport citation.)

Rocko

"Fine. But we really could have used the money. This pirate stuff is feast or famine."

As Rocko walks away, there's a loud explosion from inside the Dreadknot, and he stops. Behind Rocko, unnoticed, we see The Captain's smoking, charred body thrust out an upper-deck window of the Dreadknot, and into a window of the docking station.

Hektor

"What the hell was that?"

Rocko

"I don't know, but we'd better check on the others."

They run into the docking bay.

Hektor

"What happened in here?"

There's a large hole in the right wall of the Dreadknot's docking bay, and three of the personal pods have been destroyed.

Rocko

"Sam? Sam? Sam, where are you?"

He runs to the damaged pods, and drags them around. He throws mechanical arm over, and finds Sam lying on a broken float board. (Similar to the wheeled boards that mechanics use to slide under vehicles.)

"Sam!"

He picks her up and carries her to a table.

"I don't know what happened, but it looks like something busted through the wall. We need to get Dr. Deaton down here. She doesn't look too bad, but she's been knocked out."

Hektor

"Are you sure something busted through the wall? The left side of the bay is fine. There's no exit hole, and if it were large enough to create this much damage, it would be in the bay somewhere, and noticeable.

…I think something exploded."

Rocko

"Well, right now we should probably get an officer out here to assess the situation, so we can get it fixed."

Hektor

"Good idea. You stay here with Sam, and I'll get someone out here. Don't clean anything, we're going to want them to see the damage, so we can find out what happened."

Hektor enters Debbie's office.

Hektor

"Call a police officer out here, there's been an accident. Get Cassandra out to the docking bay, Sam was out there when it happened."

Debbie

Chewing her gum mechanically.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Back at the docking bay, Rocko, Sam, JanitOR, Cardnal, Cassandra (Dr. Deaton) and the police officer are present. Cassandra is examining Sam's body see if she's sustained any blunt force trauma. JanitOR is dusting the busted personal pods. Hektor enters.

Rocko

"Where have you been? The police got here before you did."

Hektor

"I was looking for The. I can't find him anywhere, which, as the hair on your necks has already assumed, is likely a bad sign."

Cassandra

"You don't think he was in the docking bay when it happened, do you?"

Hektor

"HA. You couldn't get him down here if you tried, he was watching television in the hall. I may not know where he is, but he certainly wasn't here."

Cardnal

"Think we should split up and look for him?"

Officer

"No one's going anywhere. You're all to stay here until the CSI's get here. If your friend is in the ship, we'll find him."

Hektor

"And just when did this become a crime scene?"

Officer

"When I decided it was a crime scene. Now make yourself comfortable, this isn't a quick process."

Hektor

"Now you wait a minute, I know our rights, and I'm demanding an explanation for this-"

Gambill

"It's alright, officer, let the loud one go look for The Captain. If this had anything to do with anyone on this ship, it's another one that isn't present. The Captain couldn't have done this if he gained an IQ."

Perry

Entering from the hole, just behind Gambill.

"Where's Noah?"

Gambill

"Not here. No surprise."

Noah enters from the balcony. Leaning over the balcony, looking down on everyone.

Noah

"If this had anything to do with me, you wouldn't have found out about it so quickly. Now, if you want to investigate, I suggest you tip-toe your tight asses back to the city and pick up a search warrant. The institution is getting more and more unlawfully efficient, I'm sure they've got a drive through. You oughta be back in a matter of minutes."

Perry

"Already got one, so I suggest you come down here and sit tight."

Noah

"Way to go, boy scout. …You want anything while I'm up?"

Hektor

"Alright, well you three enjoy yourselves, now, I'm going to look for The."

Hektor exits the room, as Noah enters through the first floor doors.

Noah

As if to make a crack about Perry and Gambill.

"…So how are the kids?"

Cut to the docking bay of the station. The Captain, still quite charred, pokes his head out of the docking bay doors. He notices the large crate. He pounces, clings to the side, and begins gnawing on the crate. Seeing that this has little effect, he jumps down, thinks a moment, and runs off. He runs back over with a hand-saw. He draws in close to the crate and whispers…

The Captain

"You will tell me what I want to know…"

He begins sawing slowly on the side of the crate.

The Captain

"I can do this all day."

Cut to Hektor. He's walking down a hall in the Dreadknot's hotel, towards the north exit that leads to the deck.

Hektor

"Damnit. If The didn't have something to do with this, I could wager to be out millions. That idiot probably saw a mouse and rigged the bay with explosives just to kill the damn thing. Hell, I would be surprised if by the end of it, the Dreadknot wasn't more than space debris and-"

He pauses

"…What the hell?"

As he enters the elevator, he notices a pile of stray electrical cable.

"Must be making repairs to the elevator wires. Better take the stairs."

Cut to the docking bay.

Noah

"Wait. You think the Amaranthine Ire did this? That group of idiots couldn't gather the balls to put a bag of shit on a doorstep, let alone poison a pilot and send a tanker speeding into a space dock."

Perry

"Perhaps not five years ago, but while they faded from the galactic society's lime light, they began re-staffing their upper ranks. They've reorganized. And apparently, the new management is a bit more courageous and angry. These attacks have so little connection that it's tough to track their next move. And I don't believe it's going to get any less chaotic.

…All we can do is try to make it to the next incident quickly enough to catch someone in the act."

Noah

"Well of course it's not going to have a pattern, isn't that a point of the Ire? Or really anarchy in general? You're going to have a hell of a time catching these people, if it really is them. What's the lead on them, because I'm still not convinced."

Gambill

"A confession. It's a terrorist group, they aren't well going to hide their guilt."

Noah

"Point taken. But still…I've known a few members, and I'm telling you that they don't have the resources to make these things happen. Maybe access to diazoxide, but not the kind of explosive power to cause something like this. Even if they've organized, the funds aren't there. I'd be more inclined to believe it if they'd just rammed a ship into the Dreadknot, but this is the work of an explosive."

Perry

"Good ol' fashioned dynamite, to be exact. Real old fashioned."

Noah

"As in 1800's old fashioned?"

Gambill

"Yep. We found traces of nitroglycerin around the edge of the hole, blasting cap fragments, and the ash everywhere has burnt sawdust and twinges of cable in it."

Noah

"No one uses nitroglycerin anymore, where would they have gained access to any of it?"

Perry

"From your armory."

Noah

"What?"

Perry

"Your own armory. The Dreadknot carries a surprisingly large collection of colonial weaponry. Not to mention medieval weaponry, ancient oriental torture devices, millennium technology, and a few sea mines. Why, I can't imagine, but it was all found there."

Noah

"Must've been from when we pirated the Museum of Earth Warfare."

Gambill

"Yes, well, we'll deal with that later. Right now we need to search for The Captain. I want everyone on the crew collected and brought to the docking bay."

Man

Entering from the large rear hatch of the bay.

"Find somewhere else to gather, I can't have the damage zone tampered with."

Perry

"I take it you're the appraiser."

Man/Appraiser

"Good call. Take everyone out to the cargo dock of the station. I'm going to need to speak with the captain of this ship, as well."

Cardnal

"Well that's all well and good, but no one knows where he is."

Appraiser

"Alright, then, you all should probably split up and find him. I'll need to speak with him about vessel insurance and give him the invoice quote."

Gambill

"Alright, people, get up and search the ship. Ma'am," (looking at Cassandra), "take her to the infirmary. An ambulance should be on the scene in a matter of minutes. Everyone else, grab a Wayforcer and search the ship top to bottom. If you run into Hektor, keep him in your party."

Cut to hands grabbing communication devices, which look like Ray Ban Wayfarers, that work like futuristic walkie talkies.

Fade wipe to The Captain. He's laying limp over the crate, sawing very slowly, and with great fatigue, at the crate.

The Captain

"I…I can do this all…all day…

…BAH! I can see you've been through rigorous torture training.

…Oh, but I am not through with you…"

He jumps off the crate and runs off.

Cut to the manager's office of the docking station.

Station Manager

On the holophone.

"We're gonna to be in real trouble here if they don't load that crate and leave the station. I don't know what the hell happened out there, but something exploded on their ship, and now we got a bot and two sherlocks within feet of that crate. I'm sure there are several ambulances on their way, too, and I'll tell ya, I won't be here very long if they show up."

Holophone Figure

"Calm down. Don't leave, you know I'll find you. I need you there, protecting our assets. And ensuring our liabilities are eliminated. Don't forget, you stand to make quite a comfortable stack for yourself off of this. If anything goes wrong, you'll be trading in your financial cushion for an ass cushion, so don't fuck it up."

Station Manager

"You said this would be a walk in the park. You said it would be simple. I found a ship, I followed your technician's directions and attached that little clip thing just like I was supposed to. What happened, why is this so complicated?"

Holophone Figure

"Don't worry about it. My technician can gain control of that ship whenever he pleases, and the explosive isn't active, so just calm down, or I'll end your small time insurance fraud right where it is. And I'll tell you this, if that happens, we won't be the ones with ten megatons worth of nuclear explosives to account for."

Station Manager

"Alright, alright, I get it. Well what am I supposed to do, then? I've got a crime scene at my station, and I'm waiting around to level the place. I've gotta get this ship to leave so we can redirect it back, or this won't work."

Holophone Figure

"I've not decided on a solution yet. Just sit tight, and I'll get back to you within the hour. Donovan out."

Station Manager

"Damn."

He walks over to the window and looks down at the Dreadknot. He notices The Captain running over to the crate.

Station Manager

"…Oh damn…"

He darts for the door.

Cut to The Captain. He's wrapping the crate in dynamite and electric cable.

The Captain

"You think you're impenetrable, eh? Impervious to my primitive hand tool technology, huh? Well it looks like I'll have to use this left over dynamite to crack you. Hahahaha….literally."

Station Manager

Running up quickly.

"STOP! STOP NOW!"

The Captain stands with a match at the end of the cable.

The Captain

"Prepare to meet my maker…."

As The Captain lights the match, the station manager dives and tackles him.

Station Manager

"What the hell do you think you're doing? That's my cargo, it is!"

The Captain

"I'll have you know, this treacherous crate carries secrets of government espionage…"

Station Manager

"No it doesn't, it's full of nucle- …well it's not carrying government secrets."

Hektor

Approaching from the cargo bay of the Dreadknot.

"Well then what is it carrying?"

Station Manager

"It's carrying Nerf weapons- isn't that what you've been loading on that ship all day?"

Hektor

"No crate of Nerf weaponry weighs as much as that monstrocity. If we're going to haul something, we're going to know what's inside."

Station Manager

"They're restricted access, alright? New weaponry, special ops issue. Not something you carry in on a wagon, mate."

Hektor

"Why would the United States government send special ops issue weaponry through a third rate independent space port via a ship and crew it's entirely unfamiliar with?"

Station Manager

"Look, mate, it's not my job to question my superiors, all I know is you can't look inside because I can't look inside. I can't open it. Take the bloody crate, collect the bloody money, and be on your way."

Hektor

"And just how am I supposed to do that with our ship wrecked at the bay, huh?"

Station Manager

"Well I don't know, figure it out. If you want the money, you'll-" (His holocell rings.) "…I have to take this, I'll be back in a moment. Don't go anywhere."

Hektor gives a face to reinforce the obvious.

The Captain

"Told you. Espionage."

Hektor

Rolling his eyes and shrugging.

"The, whatever is in that crate, it's not Nerf weapons, and it certainly isn't espionage. Where have you been, we've been looking for you. There was an accident on the ship, so we've got police and those two tight ass detectives up there. We've got to get back to the docking bay, ASAP."

They both walk off screen toward the cargo bay. The Captain pokes his head back on screen. He squints, points his index and middle finger at his eyes, and points them at the crate, in an 'I'm watching you' fashion.

Cut to the station manager's office. He's on the holophone with the same man as before.

Donovan

"Trying to detonate the crate? Alright, we'll have to work fast before that idiot kills everything within a square lightyear.

…Here's what I want you to do. Lend them one of the cargo ships to transport the crate while their ship is being assessed. Do NOT allow their captain on the cargo ship. I don't want that weapon detonated ahead of schedule. You're going to have to board their ship again and retrieve the E-Nav machine." (A tiny machine that is connected to the autopilot motherboard. It hacks the navigational program and hijacks a ship.)

Station Manager

"I have to reboard the ship? Look, I was lucky to get through the first time, let alone-"

Donovan

"Look, it should be simple. They'll all be in the docking bay of their ship on police order. You have to retrieve that machine and attach it to the cargo ship they'll be using."

Station Manager

"…Alright. I suppose I have no choice. I'll go tell them to transfer the crate to the cargo ship in bay twelve."

(muttering) "…I should've just set the place on fire."

Donovan

"Yeah, good luck lighting a fire in space."

The station manager turns around to speak, but the Donavan has already disconnected.

Cut to the Nucleox. (The computer core mainframe where Cybrus works constantly to keep the Dreadknot's massive computer core functioning perfectly.)

Cybrus is moving data spheres from the core hard drive to a set of external hard drives he's set up to protect the Dreadknot's itemized cargo listings from being accessible to tele-cons: essentially, computer hackers that find sensitive information which they use for blackmail. It's a major market in the intergalactic economy, especially since intergalactic politics at this time are reminiscent of the Cold War era. A great deal of espionage takes place between new and old nations of the galaxies, and rogue agents can make a fortune selling secrets between governments.

As Cybrus is working, a digital ring is heard. One of Cybrus's hands swings around and pushes the call receive button.

Cybrus

"Yeah?"

Cardnal

"Hey, it's Cardnal. I need you to check the navigational hard drive, I was having some issues with the auto pilot earlier. It's not accepting my password set. I figured you might know how to bypass it so I can reset them."

Cybrus

"Sure. Give me about ten minutes to finish transferring some data, and I'll get right on it."

Cardnal

"Thanks."

A digital click is heard to signify the end of the call.

Cut to the bridge.

Cardnal

"Hm."

Noah

"Having some issues over there?"

Cardnal

"Yeah. I can't get into the auto pilot program. I just need to reset the destination point for the auto pilot, you know, because we're taking on that extra cargo, but my password set won't go through."

Noah

"Have you tried pointing a big gun at it? Works on people."

Cardnal

"Haha. No, and I doubt it's effectiveness. The Captain refuses to spend any 'loot' on an AI Auto Pilot system. He's paranoid of cybernetic mutiny."

A digital ring is heard. Cardnal turns and pushes the receive call button.

Cardnal

"Yeah, this is the navigation bridge."

Cut to Cybrus.

Cybrus

"Yeah, hey, there's a bit of an issue. You might want to come take a look at this."

Cut to Cardnal.

Cardnal

"Alright, be down in a minute." He hangs up. "Hm. I wonder what the problem is. Want to come check it out with me?"

Noah

"Sure. Anything to preoccupy my time and get me away from those damn sherlocks."

Cut to the Nucleox. Cardnal and Noah enter.

Cardnal

"What's the problem?"

Cybrus

"Well, I figured it out pretty quick. I pushed past the password set and found that the destination set is this exact dock. Now, that would've made sense if the ETA was about two hours ago, but it's not even set by ETA. It's set to return to the dock one hour after raising anchor from the dock. For the life of me, I can't figure out why."

Cardnal

"I have no idea, I haven't set it since we left Ganymede."

Noah

"Well someone set it. And I'd lay money it's got something to do with that crate we're hauling to Europa."

Cut to the bridge. The station manager pokes his head in. Noticing no one is there, he enters the room, and approaches the navigation computer. He looks back at the door, to double check. He opens the paneling below the board. Inside is a small machine that looks like a palm pilot plugged into one of the CPU towers. He pulls out the stylus and clicks a few times on the palm pilot to reset the auto pilot to it's last destination, which is the dock about two hours before. He then unplugs the machine, puts it in his back pocket, and proceeds to exit the room.

Cut to the Nucleox. A short digital alert sound wav is heard.

Cybrus

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute…The destination just changed. What? It's been reset to the dock, two hours ago! What's going on? This doesn't make any-"

Noah

"Someone's in the bridge! Go, now!"

Noah and Cardnal rush out, while Cybrus turns and activates the security cameras. A floating, transparent screen slides in front of him, with a view of many rooms. Cybrus clicks and moves the items on the screen around, (much like the way it works in Minority Report.), and draws up two camera views of the bridge. He notices that no one is there.

Cut to one of the halls of the Dreadknot, where Noah and Cardnal are running to the bridge. A beep is heard, and Cybrus's voice is heard over a PA system.

Cybrus

"It's no use, guys, whoever it was is gone. I've checked the bridge and the surrounding corridors. There's no one."

Noah

He stops running.

"Damn. Cybrus, quick, check the docking and cargo bays."

Cybrus

"…Nothing. The two detectives, several officers, and the appraiser are in the docking bay, and the Captain and Hektor are entering the ship through the cargo bay."

Noah

"Damn. Well at least Hektor found The Captain. Ask them where they're headed, we'll meet them."

Cybrus

"Alright."

Cut to a view on the inside of the doors leading to the cargo bay, where Hektor and The Captain are entering the inner ship.

Cybrus

"Hektor, where are you two headed? Noah and Cardnal want to meet up with you, there's been a strange development regarding the navigation system. We think an unauthorized person has been in the Dreadknot. Maybe even the bridge."

Hektor

"What? ..." He shrugs. "Alright. We're going to the docking bay. We'll meet with them and the detectives there."

Cut to the hall where Noah and Cardnal are headed toward the rear of the ship.

Cybrus

"They're headed to the docking bay to get back with the detectives."

Noah

"Alright. We're headed that way."

Cut to the docking bay. Hektor and The Captain enter.

Perry

"Good, you found The Captain. Where was he?"

Hektor

"Outside, messing with that damn crate."

Gambill

"Crate? What crate? Where?"

Hektor

"The crate outside. Rocko agreed to haul it, but didn't ask what was in it. I was talking to the station manager outside, and supposedly it's full of special ops weapons for the US government. Personally, I think it's bull shit, but he says he can't open it. Before I could refuse to haul it, he ran off to take a call."

Gambill

"Show me. Anything out of the ordinary needs to be assessed."

The Captain

In an 'army private' manner.

"You don't want to see it, sir, it's full of espionage. It's impenetrable, sir, absolutely impenetrable. I tried to crack the code, but it had fire walls and ice roofs and lava floors. It's a death trap, sir, a death trap."

Gambill stares for a moment, then raises an eyebrow.

Gambill

"What's that idiot rambling about?"

Hektor

"You answered your own question. Nothing. He's an idiot. Follow me."

Cut to the docking bay of the station, where the crate sets, still covered in dynamite.

Gambill

"Dynamite! The same kind used to blow the hole into the docking bay wall. Where did this come from?"

The Captain

"I told you, sir, I tried to crack it, but it wouldn't talk."

Gambill

"YOU did this? Where did you find the dynamite?"

The Captain

"In the armory, sir, I always carry a steady supply of dynamite. You never know when you'll have to blow up another ship, or a wall, or a bank, or the Pentagon, you just never know."

Gambill

"Hm. Well either The Captain blew a hole in his own ship, which wouldn't surprise me at all, or…someone is trying to keep you from hauling this crate."

Hektor

"Maybe the station manager was telling the truth. Maybe there is something sensitive in this crate. My God, even The could be on to something."

Gambill

"We'd better get the bomb squad out here.

…Come on, we need to get back to the docking bay and get an officer out here to guard this crate."

They enter the ship.

Cut to the station manager's office.

Station Manager

"Oh damn, oh damn. This is bad."

He sits down in his chair. Then he stands and walks around his desk. Then he walks around and sits down again.

The holophone rings. Then Donovan appears on the holophone.

Station Manager

"They're sending in a bomb squad to examine the crate! The crate that's harboring a nuclear explosive! This is bad, this was a bad idea, you have to fix this, mate, you have to fix this fast…"

Donovan

"Yes, well, regarding that…We've decided that this carries too much risk. We're pulling out. Good luck…mate."

He hangs up.

The station manager's face carries a hilariously frightened frozen countenance.

Station Manager

"…"

He makes a small squeak sound.

Cut to the docking bay of the Dreadknot. Cut to Perry and Gambill, speaking to each other aside.

Perry

"No progress, except for the crate. There's no evidence here of any presence other than the crew."

Gambill

"Well the bomb squad should be here shortly. Once we find out what's in the crate, I think we'll have some evidence we can connect to the Ire."

Perry

"I hope so, because right now we're at a stand still, and we can't afford another stale mate."

Cut away, to general character cinematography.

Hektor

"So what's the diagnosis, are we making any progress? We have an appointment, you know."

Perry

"Just sit tight. We're working on it."

Officer

"Sir, the bomb squad is here."

Perry

"Fantastic, now we're getting somewhere. Everyone stay put. Gambill, let's go."

Cut to the crate. The bomb squad is preparing to open the crate.

Perry

"Alright, here we go. Finally, some head way."

As the bomb squad nears the end of the laser cutting line, a large smoke begins billowing out of the station. They stop.

Perry

"Son of a bitch, what now?"

The station manager runs out of the station screaming, and runs across the dock. He boards the tanker docked at bay twelve and pulls out of the bay.

Gambill

"What the hell?"

He watches the tanker leave, and looks back at the station. It's on fire.

Gambill

"DAMNIT! Get the fire department out here, now!

Gah! Fuck me, we've got to get that crate out of here. Load it into one of these tankers and let's go!"

Cut a distance away. The bomb squad is loading the crate onto the tanker, while the station blazes.

Cut to Perry and Gambill boarding the tanker.

Gambill

"Come on, come on, we've got to get that thing out of here!"

Perry

"Gambill, get to the bridge, they can handle it. Let's go!"

As the tanker pulls out with Perry, Gambill, the police officers, and the bomb squad aboard, Hektor looks out from the docking bay of the Dreadknot at the flaming station.

Hektor

"What the hell? What are we supposed to do, we can't pull away from the dock with a hole in our ship, the pressure would destroy the docking bay!"

Noah

"We're going to have to seal off the bay and get the hell out of here, now! Everyone get to the bridge. Cybrus!-"

Cybrus

Over the PA.

"Yeah?"

Noah

"Seal off the docking bay from the rest of the ship. If you can, salvage as many of the personal pods as possible."

Cybrus

"I can save the pods that are still docked, they have storage dorms above the bays, but the ones that were thrown into the center of the bay will be destroyed by the pressure."

Noah

"Fine, just do what you can. Everyone to the bridge, now!"

They rush out of the bay, and the doors seal tight behind them.

Cut to view of the Dreadknot as it pulls out of the bay, and away from the station. The station falls apart from the inside, and when it burns a hole on an exterior wall of the docking station, the lack of oxygen puts the fires out, and the station breaks into debris and floats in separate directions.

Cut to the bridge of the tanker.

Gambill

"Why would the Ire plan on blowing up the station, and then set it on fire?"

Perry

"Misdirection, Gambill. Misdirection. They distracted us with this crate, and set the station on fire. We need the security tapes on that station."

Gambill

"Sorry to say, but I'd bet they were destroyed by the fire. There's nothing left from that station but debris and this crate. We need to dock somewhere and let the bomb squad continue their work."

Perry

"Right. Officer, set destination for Castinara." (Castinara is a Spanish space dock city on Mars.)

Cut to a room with five men in white coats sitting at a conference table.

Scientist One

"We've got some good news. The accident at the docking station has elevated. It somehow caught fire and was destroyed."

The scientist at the head of the table speaks. Clearly a leader type.

Head Scientist

"This is a good opportunity for us, gentlemen. Contact our man and get as much information as possible. When you get back to me, we will prepare to make a public statement."

Scientists In Unison

General acknowledgement.

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot.

Hektor

"What were those detectives saying about a group of terrorists? I think they may have been onto something. Too many accidents surrounding that station. Something's up."

Noah

"The Amaranthine Ire. A group of scientist anarchists that call themselves truth enforcers. They've never been organized enough to commit any creditable terrorist acts, but Perry and Gambill seem to believe they've got a hand in a number of incidents, including this one. I'm still not convinced. They just don't have the finances."

Hektor

"Hm. Well something's going on here, and I want to know why there's a hole in the side of our ship."

Noah

"Well I don't know why there's a hole in the docking bay, but I think what's more important right now is what's inside that crate that Perry and Gambill confiscated to that tanker.

...Cardnal, we need to find that tanker. Can you get us to it?"

Cardnal

"I should be able to. They went toward Mars. We can head that way, and I'll contact the major docking stations and try to find a police flight plan enacted in the past fifteen minutes. We can take Spaceway 54 toward Phobos. By the time we enter the lunarsphere, I should have the dock pinpointed."

Noah

"Good. Until then, Hektor, you find out what you can about the damage from the appraiser. Rocko, get to the Bowels and check for damage to the engines. Captain… go to your room."

The Captain

"Awww…fine…"

The Captain leaves the bridge. Hektor behind him.

We follow The Captain and Hektor out of the bridge.

Hektor

"Come on, The, you can go with me to talk with the appraiser."

The Captain

"Yay!"

Cut to the doors leading to the docking bay of the Dreadknot. The appraiser is in a space suit, tethered to one of the rails of the balcony in the bay. He slowly makes his way to the door, grabs on to the handle on the inside, and detaches himself from the tether. He enters the hall. The bay doors close behind him.

Hektor notices the appraiser on his earpiece talking to someone. Hektor backs around a corner, pushing The Captain with him.

Hektor

"Quiet, The. I want to find out what the damage really is before I talk to him. This profession is notorious for shyster bull shit."

Appraiser

Entering the hall.

"Yeah. No, it's good. Someone blew a hole in the side of the docking bay. No, we can't. The two detectives were here when it happened, so we can't pass it off as collateral damage. The only thing I can think is that we just call them both separately. No one knows what really happened, and at this point the only odd piece of evidence is the crate. …No, I don't know what's in it. The detectives think it was you. …Yeah. As long as I stay aboard their ship, I should know what was in that crate shortly. They're looking for the detectives so they can find out what's inside. It's not really a-"

The Captain eats a potato chip.

Appraiser

"Wait…I think someone's here. End."

Hektor

Whispering.

"Where the hell did you get potato chips?"

The Captain

"I dunno."

Hektor

"Damnit! Walk...now!"

The Captain and Hektor enter the hall.

Hektor

"Hey, I was just coming down to get a read out on the damage. We could use a quote on the cost."

Appraiser

"Oh…right. Well you've obviously got serious damage to the exterior wall of the docking bay, and three of the personal pods were sucked out from the pressure, which didn't help the size of the hole, and caused massive damage to anything in the bay that wasn't bolted down."

Hektor

"Hm. Well I suppose that was to be expected. And a quote?"

Appraiser

"It's hard to say. I'd think you're looking at around fifteen million in damage, and five-hundred grand in appraisal fees."

Hektor

"FIFTEEN MILLION! You shyster son of a bitch, I'll-"

Cybrus

Over the PA.

"Hektor, Captain, get to the bridge, quick!"

Hektor

"What is it, Cybrus, I'm about to murder someone!"

Cybrus

"They found out what was inside the crate. You won't believe this!"

Hektor

"What? Alright, we're on our way.

…This isn't over, buddy."

They move quickly away from the dock.

Cut to the bridge. Hektor, The Captain, and the appraiser enter.

Hektor

"Alright, what's so important with that crate that you had to-"

Noah

"It's a bomb."

Hektor

"What? What kind of bomb?"

Noah

"The big kind. The nuclear kind. Someone was trying to do some serious damage."

Hektor

"A nuclear bomb? How big?"

Noah

"Ten megatons. Enough to take out the docking station and every ship in the area."

Perry

Over the video phone.

"The Ire's gone big time. This is no small attack. We're talking serious terrorism here."

Gambill

"Alright. It's time to find the Ire."

Cut to the conference room of scientists.

Head Scientist

"Alright. It's time to make a public statement."

Scientist One

"But we still don't know what was in the crate. Are you sure it's a good idea to consider it's contents of no consequence?"

Head Scientist

"The contents of that crate are irrelevant. We have enough damage to issue a formal statement to the media."

Scientist One

"As you wish. Esmund, inform our media contact that we're ready to issue a statement. We'll send it to him shortly."

Cut to the tanker.

Officer

"Sir, I've just been informed that the Ire have made a statement. Channel 12, US and BBC 4. You may want to take a look."

Gambill

"Mendosa, Intervision."

One of the bomb squad members flips a switch, and a transparent screen appears. Mendosa flips through a few channels to BBC 4. A newscaster is talking about the Ire.

Newscaster

"Tosh Wimbleton here, with breaking news. The anarchist terrorist group calling itself the Amaranthine Ire has issued a formal statement to the media regarding another attack on a space docking station.

A ship, which left the station and has yet to be located was targeted first. An explosive was detonated in it's docking bay, destroying several of it's personal pods and causing five million dollars in damages. A second attack took place on the station itself, when an inside man set the station aflame from the interior, destroying everything inside and essentially disintegrating the station entirely. More on this when-"

Perry

"Well at least we know who the inside man was. We need to locate the station manager."

Gambill

"Right. Mendosa, never mind docking at Castinara, remove destination from the flight plan, and about face. We need to contact the tanker he hijacked. Go through the directory and find the Transport ID for the tanker that was docked in bay twelve, and set the destination to the location of that ID.

...We've got the inside man, we just need to bring him into custody and we'll be leaps and bounds closer to the Ire."

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot.

Appraiser

"…Where's the restroom, I have…business to take care of."

Rocko

"Just outside the bridge on the left."

The appraiser leaves the bridge.

Hektor

"Wait. I'd gotten side tracked by the damage quote, but there's something I think everyone should know about. The appraiser was out in the docking bay while the rest of us were in the bridge. When The and I went back to get a damage quote, he came inside and I heard him talking to someone. Something about collateral damage and the crate being some kind of evidence."

Cut to outside the bridge. The appraiser stops before going to the restroom, and overhears Hektor talking about what he heard. He then proceeds to the restroom.

Cut to inside the restroom. The appraiser enters.

Appraiser

"We may have a problem. The little loud one overheard me talking to you earlier. Aside from that, I have great news regarding the crate. It was full of nuclear explosives. It's on the tanker with the sherlocks, the bots, and the boom men. If whoever planted it detonates it while it's on that tanker, our cause could be profoundly expedited."

Cut to the conference room of scientists.

Scientist One

"That's fantastic. We can only hope the real terrorists detonate it. God knows it must be terrorists. No government would send WMDs through a rogue transporter from a third-rate docking station."

Cut to the restroom.

Appraiser

"But who? For what purpose?"

Cut to the conference room.

Scientist One

"There's no telling. It could be any number of countries. This is a cold, estranged galaxy, my friend. But we're above it. We've found the edge. All we have to do is wait for the next accident."

Cut to the restroom.

Appraiser

"Understood. I'll wait for instruction, and try to eliminate suspicion."

Cut to the tanker.

Mendosa

"We're approaching the other tanker, Detective."

Gambill

"Good. Move in close enough to force dock. Officers, squad, prepare to board and take the terrorist into custody."

Cut to view of the two tankers. The detectives' tanker latches itself to the station manager's tanker.

Cut to the officers and bomb squad flooding into the ship. Then moving down the hall. Then into the bridge where the station manager is. They trample in.

Station Manager

"No! I didn't do anything, I swear, I-"

One of the squad members beats the station manager over the head with a small club.

Station Manager

"Oof! …Nooooooooo!-"

They drag him out.

Cut to the detectives' tanker.

Perry and Gambill are interrogating the station manager in one of the small offices on the tanker. The station manager sits in a chair, frightened and jittering.

Perry

"Alright, buddy, we know you're working for the Ire. Now you're going to tell us how to find them."

Station Manager

"I don't know what you're talking about, I swea-"

Perry smacks him.

"Oof! –Ah!" He whimpers.

Perry

"How about now, huh? Refreshing your memory at all?"

Station Manager

"Ahhh, I already told you, I don't know ah-hanyth-h-hing…" He whines.

Perry raises his hand to smack the station manager. Cut to the managers face. He gasps, and turns away from Perry. At that moment, Gambill smacks him.

Station Manager

"Bah!" He whimpers and cries.

Gambill

"You know you're making this harder than it needs to be. Just tell us where the Ire is, and we'll let you go. Honest."

Station Manager

"Why won't you listen? I don't know anything about any Irish people, or whatever, I'm sorry, I-"

Gambill smacks him.

Gambill

"Just tell us."

Station Manager

"But I-"

Perry smacks him.

Station Manager

"You don't-"

Gambill smacks him.

Station Manager

"It-"

Perry smacks him.

Gambill smacks him.

Perry smacks him.

Station Manager

"AHHHHH!"

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot.

Noah

"The appraiser did get here pretty damn quick. Looking back, he almost would've had to have been on his way to the station to have gotten there so quickly. Wait a minute…why would the station manager run out of the station and onto a tanker, rather than to the detectives if the Ire had set the place on fire? The station manager was trying to escape the police, not just the fire."

Hektor

"That makes sense, but what are you getting at? You think the station manager had something to do with the fire?"

Noah

"Not just the station manager, but the appraiser. I think we're looking at a well planned case of insurance fraud. The appraiser must be in league with the station manager. They were trying to destroy the station with the nuclear device using our ship! That son of a bitch!"

The appraiser enters the bridge.

Noah

"Alright, dick weed, the party's over. We know you're working with the station manager. The insurance fraud is a commendable effort, but NOT when it involves taking me out."

Appraiser

"Whow, whow, wait a minute, insurance fraud? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Noah

"Don't act like you had nothing to do with that nuke in the crate. You planned to redirect the Dreadknot back to the docking station and destroy the place, along with our ship. Well you fucked with the wrong crew, pal."

Noah draws a laser at the appraiser.

Appraiser

"…Uh oh."

He darts for the door and runs out. Noah shoots, but hits the side of the door.

Noah

"Damn."

Noah darts out after the appraiser. Hektor and Cardnal follow after.

Cut to the hall. The appraiser is running down the hall. As he passes the camera, Noah slides around a corner just down the hall, and runs up the hall and past the camera. Hektor follows after.

Hektor

"Noah, wait! You can't just kill him!"

Cut to the deck of the Dreadknot. The appraiser enters the deck from a staircase leading below deck, and runs toward the camera. Just as he gets close to the camera, a laser shot is heard. The appraiser stops dead in his tracks. Then he falls. In the space where he stood, Noah can be seen just in front of the staircase, with his laser out and powering down.

Hektor comes up the staircase to the deck, just behind Noah.

Hektor

Breathing heavily.

"Okay…so you can."

Noah

"He tried to kill us, Hektor. More importantly, he tried to kill me. If he had tried harder, he wouldn't be dead."

Hektor

"Well how are we going to explain this to the detectives? We-"

Noah

"We don't. Follow me to the docking bay."

Cut to the interrogation.

Perry smacks him.

Station Manager

"Ahhh! Alright! Alright! I did it! I set the station on fire! The place was going under, I just needed the money, I swear!"

Perry

"Good, good. Now we're getting somewhere. Insurance fraud. What, did the Ire agree to help you for a cut of the fraud money?"

Station Manager

"I don't know anything about any Ire!"

Gambill

He sighs. "He's really got stamina. We might-"

Cut to Noah at the docking bay doors. He clicks a button on the side of his Wayforcers. He speaks to Gambill.

Noah

"Got some news for you."

He kicks the appraiser's body out into the docking bay. He's sucked out quickly.

"The station manager planned to commit insurance fraud."

Cut to Gambill.

Gambill

"Yeah, we know. We've already got that much out of him. But he won't tell us where the Ire is."

Noah

"The Ire? Hell, I can tell you where the Ire is. They've got-"Buzzzz"-street-"Buzzzzz-"And can-"Buzzzzzzz- click.

The line goes dead.

Gambill

"Damn. We're going to have to board the Dreadknot and find out where the Ire is."

Perry

"Right. Mendosa, you're in charge. I want you to head toward Earth, and await your destination. It's time to take out the Amaranthine Ire.

…And you,"Looking at the station manager."You're coming with us."

Cut to the Dreadknot's infirmary. Cassandra is present, watching over Sam. Rocko enters.

Rocko

"Is she going to be alright?"

Cassandra

"She's going to be fine. There was a slight bit of trauma, but only enough to give her a slight concussion."

Rocko

"Oh good. Well I hope she wakes up soon."

Cassandra

"It may be minutes or hours, there's just no telling right now."

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot. Perry and Gambill enter with the station manager in space-age hand cuffs.

Noah

"Welcome back. Seems the line cut out."

Gambill

"What was it you were saying about the location of the Ire? We're sending the men there now to bring them in."

Noah

"Ha. Right. Well last I checked, they were renting a conference room at the Duchacus Building in Megaloch."

Perry

"That's all we need to know.

…Wait…which room?"

Noah

He sighs. "…Room 854."

Perry

"Right. That's all we need to know."

He pushes a button on his Wayforcers.

"Mendosa? Mendosa, set your destination to Megaloch City. You and the squad will be infiltrating the Duchacus Building, conference room 854."

Mendosa

"Right. Consider it done."

Cut to the tanker.

Mendosa

"Head to Megaloch City. The Duchacus building."

Cut over to one of the bomb squad members, who is standing alone in the back of the tanker's bridge.

Squad Member

Talking quietly into his earpiece.

"Mr. Donavan? I've got bad news. The two detectives are sending us to the Ire's headquarters. We're supposed to bring them in."

Cut to Donavan in his big, mahogany-clad office.

Donavan

"Hm. Don't worry, Officer Maynard, I'll take care of it.

…Are you a religious man, Maynard?"

Officer Maynard

"I'm sorry, sir?"

Cut to a full view of the tanker.

Cut to Donavan. He holds a small remote. He pulls the handle.

Cut to full view of the tanker. There is a suction sound, followed by a stretching sound, and the tanker explodes.

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot. There's a feedback sound, and both Perry and Gambill thrust off their earpieces.

Perry

"Gah! What the hell?"

Gambill

Holding his earpiece at a distance.

"Mendosa, what's going on? Mendosa? Mendosa?"

The Dreadknot shakes a bit. Gambill, after re-establishing his stance, peers out the window of the bridge. He sees a massive dust cloud with bits of debris far, far in the distance where the tanker should have been.

Gambill

"The Ire! They detonated the bomb! Mendosa and the squad- They're dead! Those bastards!

…Who's the navigator on this ship? I want our destination set to Megaloch City, NOW!"

Cut to a full view of the Dreadknot. It turns around.

Cut to Donavan in his office.

Donavan

"Sorry, Maynard, but we can't afford for our zealous little scapegoat to be taken out just yet. With their willingness to jump at the opportunity to claim 'accidents' as their own terrorist actions, we can stage all the 'accidents' we need to in order to keep our business on top.

…With all the second-rate competition gone, we will be one inch deeper into our shareholders' pockets."

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot.

Perry

"Alright, Gambill and I are going to the armory. For this, we'll need a great deal of weapons. …Just not for us."

They exit the bridge.

Cut to the infirmary.

Cassandra

"-And that's why you never, ever, EVER put ketchup on-"

Sam

She opens her eyes, slowly at first, then they burst open. She shoots up out of the bed.

"WHERE'S THE CAPTAIN?"

Rocko

"Whow, whow, he's in the bridge, why?"

Sam

"That son of a bitch blew a hole in the docking bay!"

Cut to the bridge. Rocko comes on the video phone.

Rocko

"Noah? Hey, we've got, uh…we've got a bit of a problem."

Noah

"What is it?"

Sam

In the background.

"I'm gonna kill 'im, I swear to God I'm gonna rip out his-"

She continues as Rocko talks.

Rocko

"Apparantly…apparently that hole in the side of the docking bay…

…Yeah, well…The Captain might have had…something…to do with it."

Noah

"…What?"

Rocko

"Sam just woke up."

Noah

"Yeah, I can see that."

Sam

In the background.

"-and shove it up his-!"

Rocko

"She's not…she's not real happy at the moment. She said The Captain detonated some dynamite from the armory at one of the side bay doors. I guess he was rambling something about a Dreadknot crew from a parallel dimension trying to infiltrate our Dreadknot."

Cut to the Megaloch Docks. The Dreadknot docks at one of the bays.

Cut to the cargo bay. Perry, Gambill, and Cardnal are present. Noah follows after.

Noah

"Uh, hey you two. There's somethin' you might want to know about the-"

Perry

"Alright, Noah. We're going to give you an opportunity to kill a lot of people and get away scot free."

Noah

"…I'm listening."

Gambill

"What you're going to do is simple. Walk up to the conference room…and kill everyone. Here's a gun."

Gambill hands Noah a laser pistol.

Noah

"Sounds good."

Perry

"Gambill and I will be up after you flee the building to plant the weapons on them and stage the incident. Understood?"

Noah

"Oh, I understand.

…See you in a few."

He exits the bay and onto the dock.

Perry

"We would've just arrested them, but they had to detonate the nuke."

Gambill

"They killed our men. Jail isn't going to cut it."

Cut to Perry and Gambill's view of the Duchacus Building. Gunfire is heard, and scientists screaming. A small explosion is heard. Then nothing. Smoke billows out of the window on the eighth floor of the building. A moment later, Noah is seen exiting the building. He straightens his jacket and lights a cigarette.

Cut to Perry and Gambill. Noah approaches, and passes them.

Gambill

"Alright, let's go."

Perry and Gambill start away. Noah turns at the door.

Noah

"Oh, by the way…"

Perry and Gambill turn around.

Noah

"The Captain was the one that blew up the docking bay."

Perry

"WHAT? If The Captain blew up the docking bay, then-"

Noah

"I also have a little gift for you. Here."

He tosses them a datasphere.

"Watch it.

...Catch you on the flip side, gentlemen."

He tips his hat, then enters the ship. The door closes behind him, and The Dreadknot undocks.

Gambill

"…Damnit, the conference room!"

They rush up to the room. Cut to the room. Perry and Gambill are finishing tossing a few guns around.

Perry

"Alright, that should be good.

...They've got a screen in this room…"

Gambill

"Right. Pop in the datasphere."

It cuts on, and it's a clip of the news cast from when the Ire issued their statement to the media.

Newcaster

"An explosive was detonated in it's docking bay, destroying several of it's personal pods and causing five million dollars in damages. A second attack-"

Gambill

"I don't get it. It's just a clip from the news cast of the Ire's public statement."

Perry

"Wait…take it back a little…"

Gambill slides his hand across the screen, and it rewinds the clip.

Perry

"More…more…Stop! Right there…"

Newcaster

"-and causing five million dollars in damages. A second attack-"

Perry

"Son of a bitch!"

Gambill

"What?"

Perry

"The station manager didn't have anything to do with the Ire! The newscaster just made a specific damage quote."

Gambill

"And?"

Perry

"While the appraiser was assessing the damage, the station manager was with us on the tanker. When the statement was made, the station manager was on a tanker, miles away. The last time the appraiser and the station manager were anywhere near each other was before the station was set on fire. And why would the station manager, if he were in league with the Ire, set the station on fire while the appraiser was assessing the damage of the Dreadknot? They couldn't have been in league with each other."

Gambill

"…Well the appraiser couldn't have been in league with the Ire because The Captain was the one that blew a hole in the docking station, right?"

Perry

"That's where it gets confusing…"

Suddenly, Noah appears on the screen.

Noah

"By now, you two are probably wondering how the Ire was connected to all this.

…The thing is, they weren't. None of it. Now you may be saying, 'Oh, but they confessed!' Well yes, they did, but they didn't do a damn thing. I told you before, the Ire doesn't have the funds to commit such terroristic action. What they DO have are scientists. Smart people. Clever people. They were claiming major accidents as their own terrorist acts. Even if you dragged them in, even if they confessed, you'd have no evidence to convict them, because they had no hand in any of it. That was their safety net.

…What we do know is that the station manager had nothing to do with the Ire, which I should hope you've figured out by now. However, the Ire did have an inside man. But who, you ask? The only person, other than Hektor, that had knowledge of a damage quote. The appraiser. But I killed him, so you won't be able to question him, which is alright, because you already know what the Ire was up to. Nothing.

…The only question left…the only one you need to ask yourselves…is who planted a nuclear device on the docking station. Personally, I couldn't crack that one. But you're detectives, you should be able to figure that out, right? Haha…Well, in the meantime, I know you have a very specific question to ask me. I've still got my Wayforcers. Give me a buzz."

Perry and Gambill look at each other. Gambill reaches and pulls out his Wayforcers, and clicks the button on the ear arm.

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot.

Noah

"I'm waiting…"

Cut to Perry and Gambill in the conference room. They look at each other with common disgust.

Gambill

"…If the Ire had nothing to do with any of this, then why did you kill them!"

Noah

"Good ol' fashioned blackmail. Stay off my back.

...Catch you on the flip side, gentlemen."

He hangs up.

Perry and Gambill are left standing in the conference room. There's a digital ringing heard. Gambill slowly pulls his pair of Wayforcers out of his pocket. He clicks a button on the side.

Noah

"By the way, you know how the station manager was looking to get rid of that old space station? Well, I've always been in the market for flipping properties, so I took him up on it. Only, uh…I'm a little short on funds."

Cut to the bridge of the Dreadknot where Noah stands talking into his Wayforcers.

Noah

"The insurance money just isn't going to cover the expenses. A few hundred thousand oughta do it. Thanks, you guys are life-savers."

He hangs up on them. He laughs a little through his cigarette.

Cut to Donavan's office.

Donavan

Frusterated.

"The Dreadknot has made an enemy today."

Cut to outside his office window. Cut to a view of a large building in the middle of Megaloch City. At the top, in large red letters over a symbol of a tanker reads DONAVAN DOCKS."

Donavan's Voice

"I won't forget that name."

Closing Theme