Episode 99, Machination
11 Sep 2024Ryuko Ntsikana
Episode 99, Machination_____________________________
The campfire's glow flickered across the darkened forest edge, casting long shadows where everyone had gathered. Over the past week, they'd all been through an intense crash course in mining and exploration. Meredith, reclining slightly, let the warmth of the fire seep into him, feeling a sense of quiet satisfaction. He hadn’t expected it to be this straightforward, or this profitable. Leaning back, he stared into the dancing flames, his thoughts drifting.
Exploration was simpler than he thought, at least on the surface. For those looking to make quick credits, it was a clear-cut process—scan, map, sell. But for anyone serious about building wealth, there was a deeper well. Specific stars, planetary atmospheres, temperatures, and the right geological anomalies—variables that separated amateurs from those who truly padded their portfolios. The data he had been gathering all week now made sense, especially with Zaria's guidance. She’d been walking each of them through the finer points of the trade, the same way she had once done for Ryuko.
Tara had already gone planetside to set up the base camp, giving the crew a chance to acclimate back to gravity. It wasn’t something Meredith had thought about before, but after a week in the void, gravity—even at three-quarters of 1g—felt oppressive. Each step felt like pulling his boots through the mud. Dr. Jenkins and his team of medical androids issued nanobot boosters daily to help the crew adapt to the new environment. They eased some of the nastier side effects, keeping everyone's systems in check, but the aches and pains of adjusting to real gravity still lingered. The nanobots couldn’t do much for sore muscles or the dull throb of joints readjusting to the pull of a planet.
Meredith smiled to himself as he looked at his daughter, Ashlyn. They’d never done anything like this before—camping, sitting by a fire—but it was a strangely peaceful experience. He remembered the settlers they used to haul goods for, their fires burning much like this one, providing warmth, light, and the means to cook. He winced slightly as his gaze shifted to Zaria. She was busy with the grisly work of processing an animal, something Meredith and Ashlyn had seen settlers do but never participated in. It was part of the experience, he guessed.
Ashlyn lost in her own thoughts, stared across the fire at the rest of the Coterie. Over the past week, she’d gotten to know them better—each within their own boundaries. Nyx, in particular, fascinated her. The man had hardly spoken a word, an enigma among the louder, more boisterous crew. He absorbed everything, learning from his mistakes without complaint, while the others asked all the questions. Maybe, she thought, he just didn’t feel the need to speak if everyone else was saying what needed to be said.
“Where’s Ryuko? And Lianna and Jabir?” she asked, her voice cutting through the crackle of the fire as she glanced around the campsite.
“They’re out in the asteroid field,” Meredith replied, looking toward the sky. “Learning to fly through the rocks without using flight assist.”
Ashlyn frowned, her brow creasing with concern. “That sounds dangerous.”
Meredith smiled at the memory of Ryuko’s words. “Like Ryuko told Jabir—it’ll make them better pilots or kill them trying.” He kept his tone light, not wanting to worry her more than necessary.
“If they don’t wreck the ship,” he added, “they’ll come back a lot sharper.”
Ashlyn leaned over and grabbed her tablet. “I went over our take from the exploration sales. We’ve made more than enough to buy a new ship of our own.”
Meredith let out a low chuckle, feeling the weight of that realization. They’d both dreamed of getting a new ship ever since Ryuko had disabled and they had to abandon their Type-7. It was still hard to tell if Ryuko was actively helping them or simply indifferent to their plight. The cut they got from the passenger runs and cargo missions had been surprisingly lucrative—far more than Meredith would’ve found anywhere else. And now, after their first week exploring, the payout had been even more generous.
But that only deepened his confusion. Was Ryuko quietly pushing them toward their goal, or was this just part of the larger game? He couldn’t tell. All he knew was that for now, the credits were flowing, and their future—at least for the moment—seemed brighter. And, then there was Ceri. Where did she fit into all of this and why did Ryuko abandon Beau for her? Nothing that pirate did– that was more of a title than a status, made any sense.
Meredith couldn’t deny that he was making enough credits to choke the engines on this fleet carrier. With little effort, and while training others, Ryuko cashed in 933,610,821 credits in four days. That was not counting the fifteen percent he was charging from other’s discoveries– a paltry sum considering they were all doing almost as well as he. Still, that little taste placed him well over a billion credits in as little time.
–Ryuko certainly didn’t need Beau, and Beau did well before they met, but he raked it in once Ryuko and he partnered up. With Ryuko leaving his profits wouldn’t be as lucrative and that could cause a few hard feelings. Meredith watched the flames of the campfire twist and turn with the gentle breeze realizing that answering one question only created more. Why did Ryuko do any of it?
Meredith watched the flames twist and turn, his mind drifting. The man had been impossible to pin down. On the surface, Ryuko played the part of the pirate—taking what he needed, trading in favors and credits—but there had always been more behind those calculating eyes. A deeper game that Meredith couldn’t see, and wasn’t sure he wanted to.
With what he had made in such a short time with so little effort, it wasn’t about the credits, even before the trip out here into the hinter regions he was doing well. It couldn’t have been about power. Ryuko was in the dominant position in his relationship with Beau, and he was frugal in those dealings. There was nothing about him that was straightforward.
He disabled his ship and then took him and his daughter onboard and treated them better than either had ever known. From his understanding of the situation, Ceri was a pilot for Beau and Ryuko did the same to her, only this time it was disabling and pirating an Anaconda with a Type-8. That was worse than losing a Type-7 to a Dolphin. Yet Ceri was in the medbay, being cared for like she was one of his own and he carted all of them far away from any influence Beau could have, and profited insanely in doing so.
Meredith shook his head, the questions turning over in his mind like the embers in the fire. One thing was certain: trying to make sense of Ryuko was like trying to catch smoke. The moment you thought you had it figured out, it was already gone.
“Is something troubling you?” Tara’s voice broke the stillness, soft but direct. She emerged from the darkness beyond the fire, the flames casting dancing shadows across her form. The shifting light played tricks on her features, making her look almost ghostly, as though she had appeared out of thin air.
Meredith and Ashlyn both jolted slightly, caught off guard by her sudden appearance. Tara moved toward the fire with a slow, deliberate grace, her eyes never leaving Meredith. The crackling flames reflected in her eyes, making it hard to tell what, if anything, she was thinking.