Remembrance
Daybreak
I was going around in my duties as Regent this morning, when I came upon a piece of laundry that had not been dealt with by the castle servants.
Naturally, I was about to collar one of them and instruct them to deal with it with at once, when I found myself taking a closer look to see what it was. Ripped and tattered and very much dead, it was none other than @Caitlin!
I did know know that a sentient garment could be murdered, but clearly the Evil Ghosts have means beyond our mortal comprehension. So it is that I can reveal that she was the Psychic, and a Noble one at that.
So! Once again, I am the bearer of bad tidings.
That is all, except to note that, as ever, you must all react to this message with the emoji of the person you wish to execute.
The last words of The Dress:
"Well, I should have expected this, I've been murdered once before, not a surprise it happened again, especially when I had so much information.
My allies - the King and his court, you know what to do. You will have more information tonight, use it wisely, and strike firm when needed. Trust carefully, there are ghosts everywhere.
To the Demon Shark - I'm sorry I lied. I'm not sure what this means for you now, but my allies will take care of that.
To Buster - you confuse the hell out of me, rabbit.
I hope the dead are ready for me."
Captain’s log… any time entry is meaningless. Because I am dead.
In the afterlife, I am able to watch the events going on in the castle, but cannot participate directly except in very specific circumstances. I cannot even communicate with my crew, for the King did not choose to appoint a necromancer. (Sir Reep of Nernia is very displeased about that, and I don’t blame him: after all, the presence of a necromancer could have prevented yesterday’s entire debacle with the Queen of the Underworld patronage, and I would still be alive.)
Upon my arrival in the afterlife, Q presented me with a letter from Sir Reep, explaining what happened from his perspective. Originally written in what humans call Middle English, I have translated it into Federation Standard:
Greetings Captain,
I’m sorry you were erroneously executed tonight. We as the dead can shed some light on why that happened.
You see, Buster is telling the truth about the Queen of the Underworld role. Yesterday the Cardinal tasked me with picking someone to assign it to, and I chose Agatha.
The problem is, this power has a catch. Each night the person with this patronage can check someone’s allegiance, but the majority of the time it will tell you the opposite of the truth. So if they check a Noble they will be told they’re a Ghost and visa versa. There is however also a 50% chance that if they check a Ghost, they’ll be told they’re a Ghost.
This is a very tricky, devious power because of this, and I chose Agatha because I thought she would pick up on something being awry (Poxxy did give some hints), and she’s definitely caught on by now that the ability is warped
Agatha must have checked you last night and, due to the nature of this power which she was unaware of at that point, been informed that you were a Ghost. She must have told Alex about her new patronage and what she learned and Buster offered to take the fall and pose as the Queen of the Underworld in her place to protect Agatha’s identity, which he did.
Thus much chaos has ensued.
That much is obvious.
The Dress joined us shortly after daybreak, and I learned that she is not evil… rather, she was good in the end. I have since apologized for accusing her in my final words.
Q, in the form of the Cardinal, then presented us with a new patronage to hand out: the PACIFIST SOLDIER Patronage: Whoever receives this Patronage has the power to give their gun to one person, who can then use it to kill someone of their choice at any time. If either the Patronage or the gun is given to the King, it will not work.
After some discussion, the Dress and I elected to give the gun (or rather, my phaser) to Mr. Scrubb, and it is my hope that he will pass it on to Captain MacMurrough.
And now… all that remains is to watch the events unfold within the castle, and hope that the correct person is executed this night. I will be astounded if Mr. Buster is revealed to be noble.
Startled from sleep by an angry buzz of voices, Agatha looks around wearily.
The Noble Dead did give me a patronage, and they told me that Captain Shadow was a Ghost. I conveyed the message I was given (which I already explained to the Sentient Dress) to Buster, who did offer to protect me with his public claim of the role. This made sense to me at the time, and it was a plan the Dress was aware of.
After Buster publicly accused Captain Shadow, it was laughingly whispered to me that the Noble Dead perhaps had a different perspective than mine. I expressed concern that I then might be wrong about what I thought had been the plain message of the patronage, but no heed was seemingly paid attention to that concern and I was full of doubt. In public I appeared indecisive because I believed I was following the plan of an ally.
When Nightfall came, I cursed aloud. It was clear that the Noble Dead’s gift indeed worked differently than I had believed and had shared.
Then Buster did his “bad bunny” bit and then became a “sad bunny” and accused me. I knew not what to say. The truth sounds outlandish. Because if I publicly replied (as I am doing now) and survive the night (which I might), it puts a target on me. If I don’t reply, as i was counseled to do by some, I look guilty by omission. And the truth doesn’t make me look good, either. I recognize that.
But the Dress knows all this, as she was aware of it since shortly after Daybreak yesterday. The rabbit hasn’t spoken to me since I voted yesterday, after which he thanked me, which I thought was extremely odd but didn’t know what to do with.
Daybreak is coming, and I await my fate. If I survive, then more horrors await me. I am checking how the Noble Dead’s gift works, even if it’s the last check I make.
To Captain Shadow, I am sorry; I believed the message given by the Dead.
The Dress: There is a lot of information that may come out at daybreak, I am waiting for that to say more, or to truly plan what to do next
But it’s true - I did know all of the above, which is why I voted for Captain Shadow. I am puzzled and confused about this failed power though, but that is one of the things I am waiting to learn more about
In a bit of savage irony, the Dress is killed before she can learn much of anything. Suspicion now falls on Buster for his campaign against the late Captain Shadow.
Buster: I really don’t know what I can do to convince you of my innocence. I shared some information with the King’s allies which I hope will lead me to be trusted, if only at arms length.
You may have seen I have already voted for Agatha. This is to avoid the list of shame most of all, but I am also baffled about the idea of the powers of the Noble Dead being used for anything other than good, at least this early in the game.
Let’s establish the facts. Fact: Agatha was given the power at nightfall on Thursday, which means that when chosen, Reep was the only member of the Noble Dead. Fact: in previous games, some members of the dead have switched allegiance to play for the villainous team, albeit this usually happens to those who die in public execution rather than at the hands of the villains.
Speculation: the powers of the Noble Dead can be chosen through 1 of 2 methods. Either, they have a list, same as the living, or the Cardinal gives them a role that they have to decide to distribute. Now, I am banking on the Noble Dead being good here, because them being otherwise gives the villains an extra advantage on top of the one they already have in the early game. Poxxy may be chaotic, but I do believe he is fair.
A dishonest test of allegiance is a mechanic I can believe existing, but it feels more like a late game strategy that you’d implement when the good have caught a ghost or two, to tip the odds back in the villains show favour and shake the game up. And I really can’t see Reep, or anyone for that matter, choosing a mechanic that lets someone receive false information if they had a list to play from. It’s way too chaotic, and helps absolutely nobody.
It just makes very little sense to me why you’d pull this this early, and it just makes more sense that Agatha is lying through her teeth and I foolishly took the bait without asking somebody about it first.
Jo: That’s a fair point.
Buster: I wanted to protect Agatha because I trusted her, and trusted that she had been given the role for a good reason. Those of you who were here for the train game will know that several of us on the side of good lied to protect the identity of the Detective, and my belief was that I was doing the same here, because a role like that is worth keeping in the picture.
I knew that claiming the role would paint a target on my back, whatever happened, and lol and behold it has. I thought it better to sacrifice my own skin, which was always a possibility (Christa won by a singular vote), in order to save the detective role was a gambit worth making.
Jo: It is worth pointing out though that Agatha’s role is still in play, so it is worth asking @Agatha a) who did you choose and b) what was revealed. And also @Agatha I’d like to know some more about how you ended up misunderstanding what the patronage was for. What exactly did the Dead say to you?
Buster: The message she shared with me claimed that a) Each night you must choose a player to investigate b) you learn whether the person you’ve chosen is a noble or ghost upon daybreak c) you do not learn about patronages
Jo: So them how did she come to mistakenly believe that Christa was a ghost?
Buster: She mentioned Tricky laughed in her message, claiming that Tricky did so because the alliance she formed with Christa was broken, but she did not mention any possibility of the Noble Dead having any ulterior motives, which is the sort of thing you’d expect to share with someone you’re working with
If I had recurved any indication that the power was potentially untrustworthy, then I wouldn’t have jumped on it. Agatha did not mention to me any possibility that her power was untrustworthy
Bryan: It’s possible she didn’t know that herself.
SMG: I think it’s time to come forward to rebuild some trust. I’m the king.
I’m coming forward now because, well gestures at the general mess of yesterday. In spite of losing Christa’s protection yesterday because I was deceived by The Noble Dead/ some other comedy of errors we don’t yet understand, there are still roles in place that should ensure I have protection. Between that and the fact I’ve given out plenty of patronages that should help the living already, I think now is the best time to let everyone know my role, so that everyone on the side of good can start working together.
I’ve been building an alliance for a few days with the help of the queen and the princess (I prioritised getting roles that allowed me to verify the allegiance people in play to combat the misinformation built into this game). The alliance currently includes 5 players. I won’t tell you everyone in the alliance, but as Caitlin’s said, she was working with us the whole time. She was communicating with Alex, but they weren’t working together as people seem to believe. And yes, she told people she was the queen to protect the real queen.
Laine explained her side of yesterday’s story to the alliance last night, so we decided to use the queen to check her allegiance. She is good and telling the truth - the Noble dead just deceived her. Jury’s out on Alex, in my opinion.
To further confirm I’m the King, I’m going to privately message everyone outside the alliance I gave roles, and let them know what roles I gave them. No harm in doing that now I’ve outed myself.
Buster: I shared information with Caitlin and as I imagine the rest of the alliance that I received a patronage from the dead last night.
I received a role called disguise, which meant that if my role was checked in the night, I would come up as a noble good. Tricky mentioned that this role only benefited the King, and The Ghosts. As far as I was aware, the Queen would be checking me yesterday night, so I thought I’d give them the heads up. I would have no benefit to doing this if I was evil, because it would mean that I would show up as good, and would get added to the alliance, which would give me all the intel I wanted.
I will retract my vote from Laine. I feel that someone was trying to pit us against each other, and I’m sorry for distrusting you.
However, now we know that your role is deceptive. It is still worth asking who you checked. If you found a ghost, they are likely to be a noble as yesterday, which means if you found a noble, well…
SMG: Well, the benefit to you if you are a ghost is obviously "try to win our trust and stop us investigating you". You did indeed say all of that to Caitlin, but it doesn't change anything in terms of how much we can trust you
Bryan: Why would the noble dead give that role to you of all people? I see no reason they would do that unless they’re actively out to deceive us. Surely giving that to someone not a suspected ghost would’ve been more ideal?
Agatha: I am awake briefly, and I am certainly glad to be alive. I was asked to check someone who had already been verified by the Queen (though I didn’t know that at the time) and the Dead told me that the person is a Ghost. Clearly I get a garbled message. The cryptic messages I received yesterday can be summed up essentially as “The Dead have a different perspective”. Whether they view ghosts as nobles and vice versa, or are telling me what they think, no idea. What their allegiances are, we do not know. The Dead do not say. We do not know why the Dead do what they do. It may have been a lie, it may not have been.
We may not truly know until we one day, after this wretched business is over, read some sort of log of these events
I only know, Buster, that I took what I was told by the Dead at face value and believed it. I did not lie to you yesterday, and I thought we were both helping the Nobles.
Buster: I don’t think there’s very much I can say that’s going to absolve my guilt, I have no real leads or suspicions, and starting another bandwagon today is only going to make myself look even more suspicious. The alliance know more than I do, and I say to them, trust your instincts, whatever they may be.
Captain’s log, supplemental: It appears that the nobles wish to bring one of the deceased back to life. To do so will require Sir Jo of Harquerre to sacrifice themself, for they are the Servant. There was some discussion over who should return: either myself or the dress. The majority favored me, though Sir Jo felt it should be the Dress, the Psychic.
As either of us will be a confirmed noble, a return will present a much needed dose of good luck to the King’s court. (Personally, I believe that as the rook, granting the King an additional level of protection is a better tactical decision than restoring the Psychic, but I admit a certain amount of bias in that regard.)
Nevertheless, Sir Jo has decided to follow the wishes of Her Majesty, King Gellar. I will be returning to life come nightfall. To thank them for this sacrifice, I have penned the following letter:
To Sir Jo of Harquerre:
If you are reading this, then you have given your own life in exchange for mine, so that I may return to Chessteros to complete our shared mission. I simply cannot thank you enough for your kindness and generosity in committing this noble act.
Though you and I are many centuries apart, one thing that binds us is the sense of sacrifice that comes with wearing our respective uniforms. I will do all that I can to honor your life, and complete our mission as swiftly as possible.
Furthermore: in repayment for what you have given me, let it be known that as of today, stardate 77674.5, I have granted you the posthumous rank of captain. Your actions are in accordance with the finest Starfleet tradition, and they deserve to be remembered properly.
In addition: once our business in Chessteros is complete, I will travel to Carcassone and inform your dearest Mina of not only your passing, but of everything you did during our brief time together. You may be gone from this mortal coil, but in our hearts and minds, you will live forever.
Yours always,
Captain Gemini Shadow
Meanwhile, the surviving castle-dwellers have elected to execute Buster this night. He has looked suspicious all week, and his campaign against me did him no favors. Still, in spite of the mutiny he inspired against me, I bear no ill will toward him. He was only acting on the information he had available, as we all were. But as my mentor once said, the road from legitimate suspicion to paranoia is very much shorter than we think.
[In the castle grounds, Bryan is pacing.]
Bryan: I hope we’ve got one this time Shark. The bunny. He’s got to be one of the ghosts.
Shark: I’d be surprised if he isn’t one.
Bryan: And then that’s one step closer to leaving this place.
Shark: One step closer to tracking-down your father.
Bryan: One step closer to finding out what happened a decade ago.
Shark: I hope we’re not being misled here.
Bryan: Me too Shark. But we trusted him. It’s heartbreaking.
[Bryan continues pacing uneasily.]
Buster: I’m sorry Shark. I long for a world where rabbits and sharks can be friends. Maybe when your time is up, and you enter the afterlife, you can meet my animal friends, and we can have fun, working playing and getting along with each other.
Shark: That would be nice. If you are innocent, we will end up in the same place on that day. I hope you have no hard feelings at having Bryan and I vote for you these last two polls.
Buster: I don’t. I’m sure there’s an Arthur episode about forgiveness somewhere, and that’s what I live my life by.
Shark: Thank you for your forgiveness Buster.
Bryan: Don’t get distracted Shark, he’s almost certainly a villainous ghost.
Shark: But on the off-chance he isn’t?
Bryan: Tell him from me it’s been an honour to have met him.
…
Bryan: Shark?
Shark: I think he knows.
Aife: "... So how is everyone"
Artoria: "...not great, cap. How are you?"
Aife: "It's been an extraordinarily difficult week. But if I understand the way the cogs are turning..." She smiles. "I think we may be getting our friend back."
Agatha: This has been one of the most stressful weeks of my life. Not even my biggest case compares. Also now apparently the Dead speak to me and that's been a wild ride
Aife: "It certainly clears up some long-standing questions, doesn't it."
Agatha: Well, it created a bunch of questions in the process, but yes
Jo: I feel peaceful
Aife: We never got to know each other very well, but I understand that it was not your choice to be the servant, and then you received instruction to sacrifice yourself. I appreciate that sacrifice. When we solve this mystery, we shall do it in your name, just as we do so in the name of all the dead."
Agatha: "Oh Captain Shadow, please forgive me..."
SMG: Thank you, Sir Jo. This sacrifice might just be what saves us. You'll be remembered.
Artoria: Rest in peace Sir Jo.... you were so brave.... And Buster... I know we didn't get along all the time but... I'm still sorry you've died, and we all got it wrong.... it'll be tough going forward... I hope we can honor both of your memories...
USS Endeavour, Captain Shadow's ready room:
Gemini Shadow was alive.
She couldn’t feel flagstones under her. Instead there was carpet, and her keen hearing detected a deep thrumming… could it be?
She sat up and took a look around. She was back in her ready room… her real ready room, aboard the Endeavour. She was home! Q had been kind to her, it seemed. Perhaps as recompense for earlier harm.
With this thought in mind, Gem got to her hooves and straightened her uniform, making sure everything was present and correct. There was her combadge, there were her rank pips… everything was in place. She felt like herself again.
Crossing the room to the small alcove where her replicator was, she faced it and said: “Tea, earl grey. Hot.” A cup of tea shimmered into existence and Gem took it, making herself comfortable behind the desk.
Opening a new log entry file on her computer, she paused for a moment. “Computer, what day is it?”
“Stardate 77674.5,” replied the computer.
Gem nodded, sipped her tea, and began to write furiously, recounting everything she’d experienced over the past few days. When she’d finished this, she tapped her combadge: “Commander Lykos, would you report to my ready room please?”
The Fenririan came in a second later, looking thunderstruck. “You’re back… you’re really back!”
Gem nodded. “I am. It’s good to see you, Number One.”
“You too, ma’am… you too,” Michelle replied. “Permission to speak freely?”
Gem nodded again. “Granted.”
“Where the hell have you been the last few days, Ponygirl?!” Michelle exclaimed. “We’ve been at Starbase 38 since Sunday! They won’t let us leave without you! I know Q’s involved, but what else is there?”
“That would take entirely too much time to explain, Number One,” Gem answered, still drinking her tea. “But suffice to say, I have an urgent mission of my own to complete in the Chaturanga sector.”
“What mission? We’re supposed to be out surveying the Bivor cluster!” Michelle cried out.
“A murder investigation,” Gem answered. “And the murderers are still at large.”
That got Michelle’s attention. “Alright, that sounds serious. What do you need?”
Gem drained her tea and stood up, making her way toward the bridge as she spoke. “A show of force, Number One: to prove to our enemies that we, the Nobles of Spookalot Castle, will not be intimidated. We will not be cut down. We will not allow them to run roughshod over the castle and Chessteros in general. We will find them, and we will defeat them.”
Michelle nodded. “And?”
Gem took up her command chair, her expression grim. “In the common parlance… they messed with the wrong captain.” She leaned forward. “Raise shields, go to red alert! Tactical, bring all weapons online, but do not fire until I give the order! Helm, set course for Chaturanga II, warp nine!”
“Aye, ma'am,” said the helmsmare, setting coordinates on her console. “Course laid in, Captain.”
Gem pointed forward and growled: “Engage.”
The ship jumped to warp, and was gone.
Nightfall
“Bah!” says the rabbit, as the axe falls. “I would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for you - actually I’m innocent, seriously guys it’s time to stop this now.”
But it is too late. Buster is killed, through the use of our anti-ghost axe. However, despite being a ghost rabbit, he was not an Evil Ghost. He was a Noble! And he held the Disguise Patronage.
Meanwhile, your attention is diverted elsewhere. Something strange is happening to Sir Jo. Something… Magical. Before you know it, Sir Jo is lying dead on the ground, having undergone some strange process. They, too, were a Noble, and the Servant at that!
And you hear a howl from somewhere nearby. Captain Gemini Shadow is back from the dead! What a perplexing development.
But there is no time to celebrate. You feel a rush of terror in your bones, as something incorporeal and truly, darkly evil passes through you… And suddenly you know. The Evil Ghosts will attempt to strike twice tonight.
Happy snoozing…
The last words of Sir Jo and Buster
To my comrades in this castle, know that I go to death willingly in order to resurrect a unicorn who was extremely kind to me, whose wrongful execution I was complicit in.
Self-destruction is against my basic programming, yet it is the right course of action for me to take here. Murder is also against my basic programming, yet I have made myself complicit in murder by voting for the executions of innocent comrades.
I don’t think I really have any advice to give you. King Gellar already laid the cards on the table. I am certain that they are trustworthy, although they acted rashly in revealing me so quickly this afternoon. That’s all water under the bridge now. I have made my peace.
I advise you all to be courageous, yet cautious.
I beg of you to return my body to the Kingdom of Carcassonne, and to give my journal to my beloved, the Lady Wilhelmina of Murrai. She must know why I died, and how truly I loved her. (Okay I admit she already knows that second part.) She needs to receive closure on this; I hope that then, she will be happy in her relationship with Lady Lucy and the rest of the polycule.
Please also convey the enclosed letter to Sir Peter of Hawekyng, also resident in Carcassonne.
And to Cardinal Poxxy: a pox on both your houses!
Goodnight.
Dear Mina,
My dear, I am sorry to tell you that you will not see me again in this life. I am wracked with guilt for my complicity in the execution of Captain Gemini, who had been so kind to me. I was foolishly convinced by others that she was duplicitous. Yet I have one hope for absolution: I have been granted a Patronage, by which I can sacrifice my own life in exchange for the resurrection of a dead comrade.
This is surely the right thing for me to do. It grieves me that our betrothal will never be fulfilled, yet honour dictates that I must take this course. And you will know that your fiancé died honourably, walking straight-backed towards Death, rather than being murdered in the night (which is a fate which was likely to befall me here anyway).
I know that you will grieve me greatly, yet I trust that in time you will find peace and happiness in the arms of Lady Lucy.
Farewell, my dear Mina, my one true love.
Sir Jo of Harquerre
Dear Sir Peter,
I carried out my quest insofar as conveying your documents to Cardinal Poxxy, yet alas I have found myself met with deadly peril here at Castle Spookalot, and shall be unable to return alive to Carcasonne.
I know it is not my place to say this, yet I strongly recommend reconsidering, or at least exercising great caution in, the proposed trade deal with the Kingdom of Chessteros. Cardinal Poxxy is a most bloodthirsty man, responsible for the deaths of myself and many comrades. I would not recommend trusting him.
Yours sincerely,
Sir Jonata of Harquerre
Friends,
I’m sorry I didn’t give you reason to trust me. I’m sorry I leapt before I looked, chased leads that weren’t worth chasing, and that I didn’t stop and think. I know my friend The Brain is tutting and shaking his head in the afterlife, and I don’t even want to imagine what Francine and DW are going to say, but I know Arthur will back me up.
I know that victory may look harder than it did earlier, but remember, the game isn’t over until it’s over. To the alliance, choose your moves carefully. Cover all bases, consider any possibility, and trust your instincts. But most importantly, I have a simple message, that comes from the heart. Believe in yourself, for that’s the place to start.
You know more than I do, but if you want any of my thoughts after all this: slice up the cook, exorcise the shark, and most importantly, burn the witch.
I hope it’s a wonderful kind of day in heaven today. I’m dead for real this time, I think. Maybe I’ll be back, somewhere, someday, on a 7 o’clock school day morning where I can make people smile again. That’s all I ever wanted to do. Help out. Make people laugh. Be a friend. I’m sorry I messed up there, but please know I did everything I did for a reason.
Yours,
Buster
Captain’s log, stardate 77674.5: I have returned to life due to the noble sacrifice of Sir Jo of Harquerre, one of my castle crewmates. I am now back aboard my ship, and we are proceeding with all haste toward Chessteros.
In the castle, the remaining nobles all gasped when they saw what was happening. A spaceship unlike anything they'd ever seen before sailed out of the clouds, filling them with much-needed hope. Because they all knew who was aboard that ship, and they needed her.
“So that’s what the Endeavour looks like…” Agatha whispered.
"It's huge!" squeaked Artoria.
“And if it’s here, then that means…” Aife began.
And, like a miracle, a blue-white shimmer of energy appeared in the middle of the common room, and Gemini Shadow, the Noble Rook of Starfleet, faded into view. Her uniform was on, with her combadge and rank pips in place. She carried a PADD under one arm, and her phaser rested on her hip.
To think just a day before, she'd been sentenced to death, and now here she was, alive. Only a faint cut on her neck, itself concealed by her light grey fur, revealed the truth.
She smiled, taking in her surviving crewmates. “Good evening, everyone. I am glad to see you all again.”
Artoria: Gemini!!! Captain! You're alive!
Gem: “Indeed I am, Ensign,” Gem says happily, hugging the young mage tight. “After a fashion. Being dead is… a peculiar experience, and not one I have a desire to repeat for some time. I wonder if this is how Spock felt…”
Artoria: Spock? returns the hug!
Gem: “A particularly beloved Vulcan,” Gem answers. “He too once died, only to come back to life.”
Poxxy: Oh, it's you. I wonder if your reincarnated self will prove any less intransigent than before, on the subject of your well-documented failure to find a job and general insolence in the face of your betters
Gem just grins at him and tugs on her uniform tunic. “You may test that assumption at your convenience, Cardinal. But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. As for my lack of job… there is a starship floating in the sky, you know.”
Artoria: I've taken over running the giftshop since Mr. Hook died, you can always help me out there.
Poxxy: I see your belief in your own fantasies remained undimmed
Agatha: I do hope you forgive me, Captain. I...would still like to be an Ensign, though I'm still not entirely sure what that is, and I don't know if your Starfleet deals well with people that the Dead talk to, and who knows if that's, well, a permanent thing... Your starship is here?!
Gem: “Indeed it is! How else do you suppose I arrived here, Ensign Alden? As for everything else… I forgive you completely, and we will deal with everything else once our mission is complete.”
Agatha hugs Captain Shadow Let's find those Ghosts
Gem hugs back tight. “That’s why I’m here. Not even death itself will keep me from accomplishing the mission and keeping my crewmates safe. As for Sir Jo…” She looks down. “They will never be forgotten.”
Agatha: We won't forget them, not at all. Agatha stands a little taller And you've done all this without your fancy gadgets, too.
Gem chuckles softly, “Indeed. Gadgetry does not make the mare, attitude does."
Teary-eyed and beaming, Aífe rushes up to Gem. "Captain! I'm... I'm sorry I failed you, and I'm so glad you're back!"
Gem hugs her first officer as tight as she can, smiling. “You did everything I expected you to do, Number One. You defended me when I could not, and kept the vote from being unanimous. I am utterly grateful for your presence in my life, Aífe. I hope we get to work together for a long time to come.”
Aife: "I'll make sure of it." She looks up at the stars. "Your ship! It's like nothing I've ever seen before!"
Gem smiles, “Beautiful, isn’t she? There’s no place in the universe where I feel more at home… would you like to see the inside?”
Aife: "More than anything... Once we're no longer trapped in Spookalot Castle, I'm sure I'll get very familiar!"
Gem nods. “It’ll take a lot of luck, smart tactical thinking, and preparation… but I believe in us. In all of us.”
Aife: nods resolutely, her heart full. Finishes reading Buster's final message... sighs. "There are still faint glimmers of civilisation left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. He was one of them."
Gem: “That poor rabbit… despite everything, I cannot bring myself to feel angry at him. He deserved so much better.” Her eyes fall on one line in particular, and she simply nods. “We have a long night ahead of us, Number One. Let’s take this moment to simply be together, as friends and found family.”
Then she does something surprising: she takes off her uniform tunic, revealing the plain black turtleneck sweater beneath. “For this moment… I am simply Gemini.”
She makes herself comfortable somewhere, looking thoughtful. "It's funny... when I arrived in this place a week ago, I had no idea what I would find... it was all so strange and unfamiliar. I've spent my entire adult life exploring the unknown, but never have I ever been anywhere like this."
"And even with all the death and unhappiness I've found here... I've found joy. Friendship. Love. Family. Even in the darkest of nights, when the clouds seem to obscure everything... there are always stars, even if you can't see them."
Aífe by her side, oddly peaceful. "And I too. It's the first time I've known this since my family banished me." A pause. "No. It is the first time I have known this."
Gem: "It's a lovely feeling, isn't it?" Gem says softly. "One I've always tried to cultivate, no matter where I go or with whom I travel." She leans back, considering the speck of her ship doing orbits in the sky. "I look forward to showing you my world, Aífe. You'll be changed irrevocably in ways we cannot predict... but change can be a good thing."
Aife: "For years, I've wanted little else."
Gem smiles softly at the young woman, and sighs the sigh of someone entirely content with things. "I am sure, given everything... you have questions. Ask them, and I will answer."
Aife: "What's it like out there? I know you're not human -- what kinds of people are out there? Are there humans?"
Gem: "Oh yes, there are humans," she replies. "I've come to know a great many of them over the years. But there's so many more out there... Andorians, Vulcans, Orions, Romulans, Tellarites, Betazoids, Cardassians, Gallifreyans, the androids of Ni'kola-56... really, entirely too many to name."
"And the exciting thing is... those are just some of the ones we know about. There are an untold number of species out there, still unknown. The universe is an enormous place, and there is always so much more to explore. That's why I do what I do."
Aife: Eyes shining "That sounds amazing."
Gem: "Doesn't it just?" Gem smiles some more. "Another, if you have one."
Aife: "Did we ever drive the Brits out of Ireland?"
Gem: "The year 2024, to be precise," Gem replies at once. "A seminal moment in your world's history. The moment proved that all long nights do eventually end... some say the celebrations haven't stopped."
Aife: "And why would we?" She grins. "I think that will do for tonight. I have the rest of my life to explore the stars."
Gem nods in understanding and stands, stretching some. She gives her friend one more hug, then says softly, "Sleep well tonight, Number One. For whatever reason... I have hope we will live to see the dawn."
Aife: hugs her back "We'll make sure of it."
Shark: Captain Shadow is back! What good news!
Bryan: Buster was innocent. How???
Shark: The good news is, Gem is back. She’s known as an ally.
Bryan: That is good. Really hoped we would catch a ghost today.
Shark: Tomorrow we go again.
Swedish Chef scuttles into the room, and notices Captain Shadow.
"Cepteen Unicurn beck? I thuought, feered deed iffter iferyzeeng silly buonny seed…" he looks around sadly. "Vhy deed he-a du vhet he-a deed?"
As the Chef looks around, he notices that Sir Jo is nowhere to be seen.
"Und vhere-a Sur Ju? Bluoe-a fece-a ilveys remeend me-a ouff Muoppets it Muoppet Shuo und I feel sumuohet mure-a it hume-a here-a in spuoky cestle-a. Is she-a ouk? Deed ghusts teke-a her tuo?"
Gem: “Not at all… Sir Jo and I have simply switched places, so to speak. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten… and by no one more than me.”
Chef: "Yuou deed a svitcheruo Cepteen Unicurn? Huo deed zees heppee-a?"
Gem can only shrug. “The boundaries that lie between life and death are not for me to discuss… one moment, I was dead. And the next? Back aboard my ship, approaching this castle at high warp.” She narrows her vivid green eyes at him. “Have you any reason for your curiosity, Chef?”
Chef: "Zeengs bee-a fery cunffuosing letely, I'm nut fery suore-a vhet's guing oun unymure."
Gem nods. “Indeed… it’s been a very strange week for all of us.”
Eustace: Captain! You’re back!
Gem: “Quite so, Mr. Scrubb.” Gem smiles at her draconic friend, and reaches out to stroke his scales. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Eustace: I’m… glad to see you too. What a thing Sir Jo did. Not very sensible, if you ask me, but - jolly decent of them. Not sure I would’ve done it.
Gem gives a solemn nod. “Sacrifice, as I wrote in a note I left for them, is a part of the lives they and I chose to lead… as lucky as I am to wear this uniform, I am all too aware I could die in it. And I’m sure they felt similarly about their armor.” She closed her eyes, almost whispering. “If our positions were reversed… I would not have hesitated to do the same.”
After a while, a thought occurs to her. She glances back at Eustace. “Provided you live to see the dawn… where do you intend to go when all this is over?”
Eustace: I… home, I suppose. Harold and Alberta must be worried sick and, well, I don’t suppose i have anywhere else to go. School term starts in two weeks, you know. Mind you, they might not take me back - shall we say, as-is.
Gem: "In case they do not... I know of a country on my world where you would fit in perfectly."
Eustace: I think I had better give this some more thought - and perhaps take a nap before daybreak. I daresay dragons ought to need less sleep than Boys, but that doesn’t seem to be the case - absurd if you ask me.
I’ll be somewhere outside. I think I should like to be alone for a while.
Gem: “I understand. Report back when you are ready, Mr. Scrubb.”
Gem goes for one last walk around the castle, unable to sleep. She instead feels somewhat like Picard before Wolf 359.
Captain’s log, supplemental: I have been accepted into King Gellar’s court, and I am pleased to report that Commander MacMurrough and Ensign Alden are there as well. It proves my decision to trust them was correct.
In bad news, it appears that the ghosts are to make two kills tonight. King Gellar, at least, will be safe, it is everyone else that I am concerned about.
While I don’t know if I will live to see the morning, I have been able to reunite and strategize with my fellow nobles. For their safety, I will not disclose their roles, but I believe that even with the two kills, we are still on the cusp of victory.
We shall know more in the morning. I hope I am still here to write the log.
Victoria starts in surprise from the corner she spent the previous day and most of the night drunk in Captain! You’re…I’m sorry. She raises an apologetic gloved hand.
Gem smiles at her. "No harm, no foul, Ms. Valentine. We've a mission to complete, and I am prepared to do so."
Victoria smiles slightly and nods.
Gem glances at a clock, and waits.
Aífe is surprised to learn that, for her life up until now, she hadn't actually been scared of dying.
Gem holds her first officer's hand, squeezing it gently. "I have died once already... I will do so again if I must. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."