EPISODE 203: A Heart for Falsehood Framed

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Love? Truth? Beauty?
I prefer negotiable securities.

[Doge Miskich Var Miskich,   "All About Me"  301 AFC]

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===================================================================================
Scene: The Andromeda is docked at a large drift.  Dylan and Rommie walk and talk.
===================================================================================

Rommie: And if this were the old days, I would note this in my permanent files.

Dylan: So you want to lodge an official protest against inviting Doge Miskich on board.

Rommie: Hosting negotiations between Miskich and Clarion of Loss is like trying to 
juggle live plasma grenades.

Dylan: High risk, high reward.  If we pull this off, the Than Hegemony will owe us a 
huge debt, and if we don't try, they'll destroy Pierpont Drift.

Rommie: Pierpont Drift is a den of thieves. I say let the Than blow them up.

Dylan: Well, that is why *you* are not conducting the negotiations.

Computer: Doge Miskich boarding.

Dylan: I think I should look a little more official.  {He looks Rommie over} You too.

<She glances down at her clothes and walks off to change with an offended little 
"Hmmph.">

===================================================================================
Scene: Dylan meets Doge Miskich (a Chichin) on the Obs Deck, a view of the drift filling 
the window
===================================================================================

Miskich: I was hoping for a tour of your command deck, not a view of my own back 
yard.

Dylan: Command is being retrofitted. We, uh, sustained some damage recently.

Miskich: And you don't want me to see the good toys.

Dylan: Heh...  That's a nice looking orbital you've got there, Doge Miskich. It's vibrant 
and prosperous.

Miskich: Yes, yes.  Flattery aside, Captain, do you expect me to hand over my most 
valuable possession to a hive of bugs?

Dylan: The Hegemon's Heart may be a valuable gemstone to you, but to the Than it's a 
sacred relic – one that they claim you stole.

Miskich: Ach! Bought, stole – the Than haven't owned that jewel in five generations.  
We both know the truth. The Than want to control this system, and they're using the 
Heart as an excuse to attack!

Dylan: Sounds to me like a good reason to negotiate.

Miskich: I've got a better idea.  {gesturing around at the Andromeda} This is a 
Commonwealth battle cruiser...

<Holo Rommie fritzes in, looking ticked off>

Holo: A Glorious Heritage Class Heavy Cruiser, XMC10-284.

<Miskich barely acknowledges her>

Miskich: How 'bout I give you forty million throne, and you fight them for me?

Dylan: Yeah, yeah...you see, I-I'm not a mercenary.  And the Andromeda's 
services...they just aren't for sale.

Miskich: Captain, on Pierpont Drift, everything is for sale.

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka and Harper are hanging out in a bar on the Drift
===================================================================================

Harper: Look at this scrap heap.  {To the bartender} No offense. {Back to Beka} Looks 
like my toolbox puked.

Beka: You always say that about orbital habitats. You'd rather walk on *dirt* I suppose?

<Beka pays their tab and they leave, walking through a busy shopping area, pausing here 
and there to look at various goods for sale.>

Harper: I prefer the term "soil"...rich, moist.  Visualize, Beka, the green hills of 
Earth...purple mountains majesty and waving fields of grain.

Beka: Rain, mud, unfiltered air, Magog raids.  Thanks, I'll take a nice artificial gravity 
field.

Harper: We have nothing in common. Why do I worship you?

Beka: Uncharacteristic bout of good taste.

Harper {Impressed with the shot she's gotten in}: Hoo!

Beka: Hmmm!

<A piece of cloth in one of the shops has caught her eye. She pauses to look at it, while 
Harper walks ahead>

Harper: What I don't get is the Thran-Thre-Kull outmuscle Doge Miskich's "Rent-An-
Army" by at least fifty to one.  Why don't they just carpet bomb this tinker toy and take 
that Hegemon's Heart with extreme force?

Beka: Because the Doge is a thief, not an idiot.  He signed on with the Free Trade 
Alliance. Mess with him, you mess with the FTA Enforcement Wing. The next thing you 
know, you'd be knee deep in an interstellar war.

<She's gesturing with her ID chip.  A weaselly-looking guy (Beetle) suddenly runs past 
them, snatching the ID out of her hand.  Beka and Harper exchange looks, not terribly 
concerned.>

Beka/Harper: Thief.

Beka {gesturing}: Harper.

Harper: Got it. Going wide.

<They split up, with Beka chasing on the thief's tail and Harper circling around.  As Beka 
is running, a guy (Leydon) sitting at a nearby table sticks out his foot and trips her.   He 
stands and offers his hand to help her up >

Leydon: Here.

<Beka takes his hand, but instead of letting him help her up, she flips him over.  Both of 
them regain their feet.>

Beka: So the troll has backup, huh?

<She throws a couple punches/kicks.  Leydon dodges her easily, and grabs her leg after 
one kick.>

Leydon: Look, lady...

Beka: I'm no lady, I'm a starship pilot.

<She tries to hit him again.  He knocks her flat on her back, and ends up on top of her, 
their faces inches apart.>

Leydon: And I'm a cop. Leydon Bryce Hawkins, head of the Doge's security force.

Beka: In that case, shouldn't you be the one chasing the crooks?

Leydon: (?? – Something about tourists - ??)  Stealing's legal here.

<They stand up.>

Beka: Hmmm – really.  What a unique and refreshing cultural viewpoint. Now excuse me 
while I go steal back my ID.

<He stops her.>

Leydon: It's legal if you're a citizen of Pierpont, which you're not.  But, assaulting a 
security officer, now there's a felony.

Beka: I am not the criminal here.

Leydon: Ok, we'll see about that.

<He fiddles with a display unit on his wrist, pulling up data on Beka, including a picture 
with red hair.  As he does so, Harper comes up behind him and starts to whack him with a 
pipe.  Beka makes an "ixnay" gesture at Harper to stop him.>

Leydon: Rebecca Valentine. Counterfeiting, smuggling, fraud. Known 
associates...{turning to acknowledge Harper's presence}...Seamus Harper. Grand theft 
spacecraft and interstellar flight to avoid prosecution and...public lewdness?

Harper: Only the one time!

Leydon: Hmmmm.  Tyr Anasazi. Assault, battery, mayhem, and attempted murder.  
Trance Gemini.  Petty theft, grand theft, theft, theft, theft.  You know, the only one who's 
not a criminal in your entire crew is Dylan Hunt, and I got my eye on him.

<Beka steps forward and checks out his wrist display, pushing a button to pull back up 
the picture of herself>

Beka: Hmmmm...what do you think? Better with the blonde or the red?

Leydon: In fact, I've got my eye on all of you.  {He turns and walks away, past Harper}  
Seamus.

Beka: Lucky us.

===================================================================================
Scene:  On the Andromeda, Rommie introduces a Ruby Than to Dylan and Doge 
Miskich.
===================================================================================

Rommie: Captain Hunt, Doge Miskich, may I introduce Red Glow at Daybreak Hails a 
Bloody Shadow, Clarion of Loss.

Dylan: That is a lovely name, General.

Clarion: I've earned it. And I wasn't going for lovely.

Miskich {talking over her}: Hey! I've got a poem, too!  "Finders Keepers, Losers 
Weepers."

<Rommie has to hold Clarion back from attacking Miskich.>

Clarion: Chichin scum!  Give me one good reason not to call down my task force right 
now!

Miskich: I'll give you three. Free. Trade. Alliance!  Mess with me, I'll be using your 
exoskeleton as a hat rack!

<Clarion moves to attack Miskich again, but Dylan steps in.>

Dylan: All right, all right. That's enough.  You both agreed to a seven-day cease-fire 
while we negotiate the status of the Hegemon's Heart.

Rommie: Frankly, I'd destroy you both myself, but he's my captain and I listen to him. I 
suggest you do too.

Dylan: Thank you, Rommie.  Now, look, I'm a soldier. Diplomacy's not exactly my 
strong suit either, but trust me: it beats interstellar war any day.  So, let's dust off our old 
copies of "Negotiation for Beginners" and see if we can avoid any bloodshed.

<Miskich and Clarion grumble a bit, but grudgingly sit down.>

Miskich: Seven days.

Clarion: Not a moment more.

Dylan {to Rommie}: I love a challenge.

===================================================================================
Scene: On the Maru, Beka and Trance watch as Harper finishes making a fake gem.
===================================================================================

Harper: I love a challenge.

Trance: Pretty.

Beka: Very. But is it an EXACT duplicate of the Hegemon's Heart?

Harper: Are you kidding? ROMMIE couldn't tell them apart – not without a week of lab 
work.

Trance: Well, if they're this easy to make, then why do the Than want theirs back so 
badly?

Harper: EASY?!  Ok, first I had to synthesize the silicone in the nanoforge. Then I had to 
grow five generations of (?bots?) to organize the crystal.  THEN, I had to modify the AG 
field to approximate the pressure, and THEN I...

Trance: You're saying it's hard, and you're really amazing?

Harper: It *is* hard. And I *am* really amazing.  {He holds up the fake heart} Beach 
sand transformed by the acumen of yours truly.  Besides, the real one is the crystallized 
ventricle of the first Than bug queen.

Trance: That's silly.  Than hearts are made of muscle protein. You said yourself, this is 
made of silica.

Beka: Trance, you're getting jaded in your old age.

Trance: I'm not old, I'm...{she changes what she's about to say at the last 
minute}...young.

<They all exchange a look. They realize she *almost* let slip something.>

Harper: Trance Gemini and goal.  Almost drops the puck, but she regains control, and 
SAVE!

Trance: Hockey. No one has played hockey in like a thousand years.

Harper: Oh yeah? How do you know? You ever SEEN a hockey game? Were you there?

<Beka whistles, saving Trance from answering.>

Beka: Let's focus, people. We're not gonna get past Leydon Bryce Hawkins with history 
lessons.  He's smart.

Trance: And cute.

Beka: A fact which, like your age and place of origin, has really nothing to do with the 
task at hand.

Trance: Good point.

<Beka looks speculatively at the fake heart.>

Beka: You know? I'd forgotten how much fun this is.

===================================================================================
Scene:  Beka walks around Doge Miskich's museum, passing an icky mummy
===================================================================================

Beka: Yuck. Tyr doesn't know what he's missing.

<She pauses in front of the Hegemon's Heart on display.>

Beka {Casually, as if to thin air, but really talking to Harper over comm}: Ok, so what 
have we got?

Harper {elsewhere in the museum}: Just your run-of-the-mill security system designed 
by typically anal-retentive, paranoid Perseid control freaks.  You've got pressure 
sensitive flooring, micro-targeted antigravity fields, infrared digi-cams.  {He checks a 
handheld device} Zero-G security nanobots? That can't be good.  Move over big brother.

<Harper is passing a "display" of a Perseid hanging by a rope around his neck>

Harper {to the display}: Hey! Just hanging out?  Feeling blue?

<A live Perseid guard walks past angrily>

Harper: Sorry.  {over comm} Uh, Beka? I don't think we heard them right. I don't think 
they said "Stealing is legal." I think they said "Stealing is LETHAL."

Beka {walking past him}: That's only if they catch you.

<She approaches a security camera and talks directly into it.>

Beka: Leydon? You in there? Listen, I'm approaching the "will kill for food" stage, and, 
uh, the museum closes in about an hour.

<As she talks, we see Trance's purple tail disappear into a sarcophagus exhibit.>
 
Beka: What say you meet me at the Valley Forge gardens. {flirtatiously} I hear it's got 
nice, uh, soil.

<Beka heads out of the museum, passing Harper again on the way out.>

Beka: She's in?

Harper: Enjoy.  Stay out late.

<Beka laughs.>

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka walks down a garden path, all dressed up. Tyr approaches her.
===================================================================================

Tyr: Hello.

Beka: Why, Tyr. I didn't know you liked gardens.

Tyr {eyeing her outfit}: New work clothes.  This all very, um, good.  Increased ease of 
movement. ECM grid woven in, I suppose.  No place for a sidearm, but I imagine you 
could bludgeon someone to death with that purse.

<Beka goes from mildly embarrassed to miffed.>

Beka: Jealous?

Tyr: Of a backwater night watchman?

Beka: Of what could be the crime of the century.  It's not too late to join in, you know.

Tyr: I have methods of my own.

Beka: Hmmph. Your loss.

<Leydon approaches them.>

Leydon: Hi. {to Tyr} Hey. {Noticing tension between Tyr and Beka} Am I interrupting 
anything?

Beka: Not at all.

<Tyr smirks and walks away.>

Leydon: What was that all about?

Beka: Oh, you know Neitzchean males – always marking territory. You've gotta be 
careful, or he sprays the trees.

Leydon: Not on my watch. {Offering Beka his arm} Shall we?

<They walk through the gardens.>

Beka: So, have you proven that Dylan's the ringleader in a gang of ruthless criminals yet?

Leydon: No, not yet. Your captain's reputation's rapidly approaching legendary status.  
But still, he's not the one the Premier Kwan called upon when she needed to escape from 
Blackwell's World, huh?  That was a fancy piece of smuggling, Captain Valentine.

Beka: Please. I played taxi-cab. And anyway, it's nothing compared to the making off 
with the Bordeaux Crown of Holyoke in a beer barrel.

Leydon: What do you mean?

Beka: Leydon, my father read me police blotters for nighttime stories. You didn't think 
I'd make you?  I know a bounty hunter on Rough'n'Ready who has your picture on his 
dartboard.  I like you better without the, uh, goatee, by the way.

Leydon {coyly}: Of course, I have no idea what you mean.

Beka: Of course.  Can I ask you something?

Leydon: Mmm-hmm.

Beka: Schroedinger's Cat?  What kind of person calls himself that?

Leydon: Well, speaking strictly as a security officer, I assure you that no self-respecting 
thief would ever – EVER – give himself a name like that. It's too flashy.

Beka: Well, whoever the Cat really is, he's very good.

Leydon: Or, he used to be.

Beka: Maybe.  Too bad, though.  I've used the Bordeaux heist in training simulations.

Leydon: And I've always wanted to listen to the infamous Valentine music library.
 
Beka {laughing}: That wasn't theft. That was archeology.  

<They've stopped walking during the conversation. Beka starts down the path again.>

Beka: Coming?

===================================================================================
Scene: In a bar on the Drift, Beetle, the green-skinned alien from earlier, points to 
something behind the bartender
===================================================================================

Beetle: Is that, uh, fungus you have up there?

<While the bartender is looking away, Beetle snags a bottle from the counter and walks 
away.>

Station Announcement: Green Bay Cargo One is closed due to renovation. Please redirect 
your travelers to Red Bay Cargo Four.

<A short ways away from the bar, Tyr intercepts Beetle.>

Beetle: I have nothing of yours, Neitzchean.

Tyr: I imagine you've got something I want.

Beetle: Maybe I do, maybe I don't.

Tyr: I'm rather certain you do.  Now tell me, you hideous little creature, were I 
endeavoring to purchase something rare and valuable in this...{he throws a disgusted look 
around the station}...place, with whom would I wish to speak?

Beetle: Depends. Do you offer a commission for my services?

Tyr: Maybe I do. { Beetle starts to smile ingratiatingly.} Maybe I don't.

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka and Leydon are still walking in the garden.
===================================================================================

Leydon: Hey, come here. I want to show you something.

<He leads her over to a platform where the garden's dome opens up, revealing that they're 
really high above the rest of the buildings on the Drift. Beka hangs back nervously.>

Beka: Ummmmm...

Leydon: Come on. Trust me.

Beka: Trust you. Couldn't we start with something easier? Perpetual motion, maybe? 
Universal translator?

Leydon: Come on. Come on.

<He drags her up onto the platform.  She hangs onto a nearby metal framework, and nods 
in feigned appreciation.>

Beka: Nice.

Leydon: Oh, don't tell me.

Beka: I'm afraid of heights.

Leydon: You can't be afraid of heights. You're a pilot. You live in (high ??).

Beka: I live in space. You fall in space, you keep falling. There's nothing to splat on.

Leydon: I won't let you splat.

<He pries her hand free and holds her around the waist as she leans out to look down on 
the drift.>

Beka: It's beautiful.

Leydon: Exactly.

Beka: Leydon, what happened to you? What is the best thief in the galaxy doing guarding 
a room full of rocks and bones for Miskich?

Leydon: Just needed a job. Pierpont's the only place that would take me in.

Beka: You're telling me you've gone straight. Schroedinger's Cat?

Leydon: Ah, man, I loved being a crook, you know?  For a long time – outlaw, rebel, 
loner, play by your own rules – it's romantic as hell.

Beka: Yeah.

Leydon: Anyway, it just, uh, it just stopped working for me.  I wasn't getting the buzz 
anymore, so I decided to stop being on the outside and come in.  So...  {He looks around 
the drift}  Am I making any sense here? 'cause...

Beka: More than you know.

<Leydon reaches out to touch Beka's cheek, then leans in to kiss her.  As he pulls away, 
his comm beeps.>

Leydon {on comm}: Hawkins.

Security Person: We've got a situation in Section 4. Can you handle?

Leydon: I'm on my way. {to Beka} One more thing before I go.  Now, Miskich is not a 
buffoon. He's ruthless, and he's got a nasty temper. So, no matter how much I love that 
crooked smile of yours, you are NOT ripping off my museum.

<He touches her cheek again, and Beka puts her hand on his, apparently liking it there.>

Beka: Whatever you say, officer.

<She kisses his hand.  Leydon leans in for a kiss.>

Leydon: Ok. 

Beka: You'd better get going.  Section 4.

Leydon {laughing}: Ok.

<He leaves. Beka immediately talks into a comm on her wrist.>

Beka: Harper, what do we know?

Harper {over comm, from the Maru}: We can pull this off, Beka. But only if, and it's a 
big "if", I can access the museum's central clock.  I'll need fingerprints and DNA.

<Beka pulls a thin film off of the cheek Leydon touched. It's marked with his 
fingerprints.>

Beka: In that case, we're in.

===================================================================================
Scene: Dylan is sitting at a table with Clarion and Miskich. The two aliens are yelling at 
each other in their own languages, while Dylan tries to get their attention. Rommie is 
pacing behind him.
===================================================================================

Dylan: Doge. General. Hey! {they both shut up} Heh, if we could all speak Common, it 
would be most helpful.

Clarion: I refuse to argue the legality of this "person's" theft.  The Hegemon's Heart is a 
sacred relic.  My people have owned it for ten thousand years.

Miskich: Ancient history. I have it now. That's all that matters.

Rommie: Actually, Commonwealth law has very specific provisions regarding religious 
artifacts.

Miskich: The Commonwealth is gone. The stone is on Pierpont, and according to our 
local ordinance, it belongs to me.

Clarion: No one cares about your self-serving apology for law and order.

Dylan: General, I'd be very interested in learning more about Pierpont Drift's unusual 
statutes.  I think...

Clarion: Fine!  But my patience and our cease-fire are rapidly reaching an end.

<She stalks away from the table.>

===================================================================================
Scene: Tyr surprises Beetle walking around the bazaar again
===================================================================================

Tyr: Have you met with your principle? And is he amenable to my proposition?

Beetle: Huh? Him? Oh, yeah, he's fine.

<He takes a credit chip that Tyr's holding and slides it into a device to see how much it 
is.>

Beetle: But this isn't enough.

Tyr: That's the amount we agreed on.

Beetle: Yes, well, finding what you wanted was harder than I thought. We need a new 
deal. Make me an offer.

<Tyr leans his elbow on the little guy's shoulder, so his bonespurs are right in front 
Beetle's face.>

Tyr: I offer not to pull your heart out through your eye socket and nail it to your forehead.

Beetle: That's very reasonable. How's noon tomorrow?  {He looks at a gadget on his 
wrist} My, look at the time.

<He hurries away.>

===================================================================================
Scene: In Miskich's museum, now closed, Trance looks out from the sarcophagus she's 
hiding in
===================================================================================

Trance {over comm}: Harper, can I come out now, please?

<Harper is elsewhere in the museum>

Harper: Not yet, my purple princess.  If I don't disarm those nanobots, and anything 
bigger than a housecat moves around in there, it's gonna sound like the Vedran Empress 
Day parade.

Trance: All right, just hurry. It's stuffy in here, all right?

Harper: I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying. 

<He puts covers on his fingers that fake Leydon's fingerprints.>

Harper: Hello, Leydon's hand.  Add a little DNA courtesy of Mr. Kissy-Kiss, and...

<He applies a DNA solution onto the fake-fingers, and nervously slides his fingers into 
an identification device on the wall.  It beeps acceptance.>

Harper: Yes! It likes me. It really likes me!

<In the museum, floating lights (the Zero G Nanobots) fall to the floor.  
Harper celebrates for a split second, then seems disappointed.>

Harper {over comm}: Thank you, Harper. Wow! Have I told you lately how amazing you 
are. No, Trance, you haven't. But you're welcome anyway.

<Trance has opened the sarcophagus, and is about to step out of it to the floor.>

Harper: Remember not to step on the floor!  A cyber-patch is useless against a spring-
loaded floor. Just do it like we practiced.

Trance: When we practiced, we messed up.

Harper: Except that part.

Trance: Ok.  Let's bring it.

<Trance jumps and grabs a metal framework above her, and works her way to a statue, 
and mutters "Hee...haw" as she climbs over the statue to get to a ledge on the other side.  
She gets a running jump on the ledge.>

Trance: Hee haw!

<She jumps across to a light hanging above the Heart display.>

Harper: Ok. Now when I freeze the security system's internal clock, time will stand still 
for precisely twenty seconds.  Is that long enough for you?

Trance: Do I have a choice?

Harper: No.

<Trance pulls out the fake heart.>

Trance: All right.  Cut the field.

<Harper does.  Trance uses her tail to hold onto the light she's hanging from and lowers 
herself to the Heart.>

Harper: Eighteen. Seventeen. Sixteen. Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen. Twelve. Uh, Eleven. 
Ten. Nine. Eight.

<Trance takes the Heart out of the display and replaces it with the fake one.>

Harper: Six.

Trance: Got it.

===================================================================================
Scene: On the Andromeda, Dylan exits the negotiation room, rubbing his temples. Tyr is 
standing in the hall.  Miskich and Clarion are still visible in the room behind Dylan, 
arguing heatedly.
===================================================================================

Tyr: Would you like me to kill them for you?

Dylan: Yes. {Tyr takes a step toward the room} Wait! I'm just...kidding. I've got a better 
idea.  Next time I offer to broker peace talks between a Chichin gangster and a Than 
warlord, just kill me.

Tyr: All right.

Dylan: Kidding, again.

Tyr: Captain, why don't you simply let them fight it out.

Dylan: Because, they're potential allies, and we can use all the friends we can get.  
How's Plan B coming along?

Tyr: On Pierpont, everything is for sale. We should have a new player on the field 
tomorrow.

Dylan: Good. I suppose I can stall the negotiations for that long.  I just wish I didn't have 
to be in the same room with them while I did it.

<The fighting has increased, and Clarion of Loss finally walks away from the negotiation 
room.>

Clarion: Oh! You are as spineless as you are dishonest! {to Dylan} I'll expect the Heart 
returned to me within 24 hours, Captain.

<She stomps off.  Miskich and Rommie come out, too.>

Dylan: What's going on?

Miskich: The Free Trade Alliance. They betrayed me – withdrew their support. I can't 
hold off a Than attack alone. They'll pay for this, I swear.  No one crosses Miskich Var 
Miskich and gets away with it!

<Miskich stomps off, too>

Dylan: He didn't pay his FTA dues.

Rommie: Six months in arrears.  I intercepted the message.

Dylan: Damn.  I should have anticipated that.

Tyr: Perhaps. You've got a contingency plan.

Rommie: About that. Beka would like to see you on the Eureka Maru, Captain.

Dylan: Great.

===================================================================================
Scene: Dylan enters the Maru as Harper and Trance are celebrating, clinking two mugs 
together
===================================================================================

Harper: Hey! Good timing. Champagne flute? {He hands Dylan another mug.}

Dylan: Are, uh, we celebrating what I think we're celebrating?

Beka: Hey. Catch.  {She tosses him the Heart}  Fell off the back of a landing pod.

Dylan: Uh-huh.  That's-that's-that's-that's...great. Uh, it's good work, Beka.

Harper: Hey!

Dylan: Uh...all of you.

Harper: You know, I'm impressed, boss.  You missed your calling. You'd have made one 
great criminal mastermind.

Trance: Hey, we're not criminals. We're a covert operations team.  Besides, it's legal to 
steal here.

Dylan: Only if you're citizens of Pierpont.  Technically, I'm afraid we are all thieves. 
Using a small evil in service to a greater good.

Trance: Well, it's not like we're going to keep the Heart.

Dylan: Right.

Harper: You know, I've been thinking.  What if we just got the hell out of here right now 
and cashed that puppy in.  No one would be the wiser.

Beka: Some of us ARE the wiser.  Let's just stick to the plan, ok?

Dylan {laughing nervously}: Yeah, the-the plan. You know, a – about that. Uh, 
unfortunately, there's been a, uh, slight glitch.

Trance: Glitch?

Dylan: Uh, Doge Miskich lost his fire support.  He didn't pay his FTA dues, which 
means his only way out is to return the Heart to the Than himself.

Harper: That's not a glitch. That's a snafu.

Beka: Harper's copy will never fool the Than.  If Miskich gives them a fake...

Dylan: Oh, yeah. They'll kill everyone on Pierpont Drift.

Beka: So, now we have to put it back.

Dylan: Exactly.

<He tosses the Heart back to her.>

Beka: Thanks.

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka enters the Maru carrying a flexi
===================================================================================

Beka: Trance! Harper! I just got a missive from Rev Bem. He's converting heathens by 
the truckload on (?Quolek?).

<There's no response.>

Beka: Guys?

<She looks around. Trance and Harper aren't there.>

Beka: Finally.

<She pulls out the Heart and puts it onto a nearby stand. She pulls out a device and shines 
a red light through the gem.  The light passes through the gem, and forms a garbled red 
blob on the other side.  Beka looks disappointed.>

Beka: Damn!

===================================================================================
Scene: Tyr is looking over Harper's shoulder while Trance & Harper play cards.  Harper 
draws a card and puts it into his hand, then considers what to do, half-pulling out another 
card.
===================================================================================

Tyr: That one.

<Harper reconsiders and chooses a different card, playing it onto the table.>

Trance: Yoshidono. I win. 

Tyr: Fools rush in.

Trance: Now, you owe me four million, three hundred and twenty-thousand thrones.

Harper: Remember, all debts I incur in this game are dependent upon my share of the 
rock. Assuming, of course, we abandon this stupid "Put it back where we found it" fiasco 
and sell it at market value.

<Beka walks in and plonks the Heart down on the card table.>

Trance: Oh.

Harper: Now that's an ante.  Boss, we were just kiddin'. We don't want to sell it.

Beka: Sell it. Keep it. Throw it away. I don't care. It's not the real Heart.

Trance: But...But, I – I switched it myself.

Beka: You exchanged our fake for another fake.

<Harper checks out the second fake Heart.>

Harper: What do you know. Mine was better.

Beka: We got beaten to the punch. Now we have to find the real stone.

Tyr: I believe I know where to look.

Beka: Yep. So do I.

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka and Leydon are walking through the gardens.  Beka's dressed up again.
===================================================================================

Beka: You know, the more I find out about you, the better this retirement plan of yours 
looks.  Take your expense reports, for example.  Very imaginative.

Leydon: You got ahold of my personnel file. How'd you do that?

Beka: This is Pierpont. Ten guilders buys you a lot of looking the other way.  My favorite 
was the part where you had to investigate a lead on Infinity Atoll during fishing season.

Leydon {laughing}: That was…

Beka: That was classic.  And how did you ever manage to promote yourself a trip to 
Shindau?

Leydon: Shindau? Oh, that was, uh… I was chasing a bail-jumper.

Beka: Oh.

Leydon: Hey, well, it's not my fault he had a great taste in safehouses.

Beka: Did you manage to see the Dragon's Tomb? I hear it's incredible.

Leydon: Oh, no, I missed that. It was, uh, it was looted right before I got there, so…

Beka: Hmmm. Bad luck.

Leydon: Yeah.

Beka: Hey, didn't you get to Charo Prime right after that big diamond heist, too?  More 
bad luck, I suppose.

Leydon: Are you accusing me of something?

Beka: No. I was just thinking you're awfully young to retire.

<She approaches a big Venus Flytrap looking plant.  It snaps at her hand, and Leydon 
pulls her back.>

Leydon: Careful. That thing'll take your hand off.

Beka: Boy Scout.

Leydon: Yeah, that's me.

Beka: So, here we are, just a couple of law-abiding folk, just…strolling.

Leydon: In a garden full of man-eating plants.

Beka: So, what do two normal people on a drift full of criminals do for fun?

<She walks off seductively.  The scene cuts to the two of them kissing in Leydon's 
quarters.  Beka pushes Leydon onto the bed, they kiss again, and the scene fades.>

===================================================================================
Scene:  On the Andromeda, Dylan enters a room where Clarion and Miskich are waiting 
impatiently
===================================================================================

Miskich: Well, what took you so long?  Your ship wouldn't let me call my office.  The 
general's idea of conversation is reciting her weapons inventory.

Dylan: Oh. Well, you know, I'm sorry I missed that. I'm sure it was fascinating. I – I'm 
late because I wanted to consult the codes.

Clarion: And?

Dylan: And, uh, well, there are still some details we need to work out.

Miskich: What details? I give the Than their Heart. They leave. The end!

Dylan: Where?

Miskich: Huh?

Dylan: General, you'll want the Heart returned to you on your flagship, correct?

Clarion: That is correct.

Dylan {to Miskich}: And you'll want to do it on Pierpont.

Miskich: Of course.

Dylan: Yeah, well then, we still have some negotiating to do.  Refreshments?

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka gets out of bed after sleeping with Leydon, who is still asleep. She uses a 
device to scan his quarters and finds a hidden compartment in the wall.  There's a flexi 
inside. As she pulls it out, Leydon steps around a corner and aims a gun at her.
===================================================================================

Leydon: Find what you were looking for?

Beka: Actually, I was looking for a hunk of crystallized silicate about yea-big. {She 
indicates the Heart's size with her fingers.}  Seen it?

Leydon: Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing.  {He waggles the gun to indicate the 
flexi in her hand.}  Play it.  {Beka hesitates} PLAY IT.

<Beka plays the flexi. It contains a video of Trance taking the Heart from the museum.>

Leydon: Trance Gemini.

<Pause for commercial break. Scene picks up immediately after.>

Beka: Hmmm. Will you look at that. A video record of Trance swapping a fake jewel 
for…a fake jewel.  What is the penalty for grand theft FAKE around here, anyway?

Leydon: Death. If you steal from Doge Miskich, the penalty is death.

<He abruptly raises the gun and fires. The shot hits the flexi in Beka's hand and sets it on 
fire, destroying it.>

Beka: Ok, now I'm confused.

Leydon: Me too.  Come here.

===================================================================================
Scene: Beetle is scurrying around again. Tyr's waiting for him, cleaning his fingernails 
with a big knife.
===================================================================================

Beetle: Good, you made it. Uh, there's been a slight problem.  Let me explain.

<Tyr casually holds out the big knife, twirling it menacingly. Beetle aborts what he was 
about to say.>

Beetle: Follow me.

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka is talking to Harper on the Maru
===================================================================================

Beka: Ok, so he stole from his museum and set us up to take the fall.  Slick. Despicable, 
but slick.  I can admire that. But when he fried that thing… I swear, I just don't know 
which end is up anymore.

Harper: Well, guys do crazy things when they're in love.

Beka: You been watching old holo-dramas again?

Harper: Oh, is it so hard to believe someone could fall for you?

Beka: Nearly as hard as it is for me to believe that you missed a surveillance camera.

Harper: I know! That is unbelievable!

Beka: He's good. Quick on the uptake, smart, completely fearless.  He reminds me of – 

Harper: You. He reminds you of you.

Beka: Then I know I can't trust him.

===================================================================================
Scene: Tyr enters a storage warehouse. Leydon comes out of the shadows to meet him.  
Beetle hangs back by the open doorway.
===================================================================================

Leydon: Anasazi.

Tyr {amused}: Outstanding.  So, loverboy, how much for the stone?

Leydon: I think you got it all wrong, here.  Beetle said he was bringing me someone who 
could tell me about the stone.  I'm here to question you.

Tyr: Please.  You took the Hegemon's Heart and replaced it with a fake.  My colleagues 
stole the fake. I want the real one.  Not for the Than, not for Captain Hunt's 
Commonwealth – for me.  So, I'll ask again.  How much for the stone?

Leydon: Well, if I had it (which of course I don't), it would be, uh, say, fifty million 
guilders?

<Tyr thinks about that a split second, then grabs Leydon by the throat and shoves him 
against a nearby stack of crates.>

Tyr: How are you feeling about my counteroffer?

Leydon: You don't think I'd actually come here without security, do you?

<An alarm buzzer goes off. Beetle freaks and runs out the door. Guards are seen coming 
down the corridor toward the warehouse.Tyr turns around, putting Leydon between 
himself and the guards.>

Tyr: Can't blame me for trying.

Leydon: No.

<Tyr throws him through the door and runs for cover in the warehouse. Three guards 
enter and split up. Tyr sneaks up on two of them and breaks their necks, and throws a 
heavy container to knock out the third. He walks away, still amused.>

===================================================================================
Scene: In the gardens, Leydon dangles a lizard over the man-eating plant, distracting it 
while he gets the Heart that's hidden there.  Beka comes up behind him with a gun.
===================================================================================

Beka: You know the old saying.

Leydon: A leopard never changes his spots?

Beka: Well, I was thinking "It takes a thief to catch a thief."  I played right into your 
hands, didn't I?  What did you do, steal the rock the day I arrived?

Leydon: Legally, I didn't steal anything.  But, I did put the genuine Heart in my pocket 
the day after I became a citizen of Pierpont, six months ago.  It's why I took the security 
job in the first place.  {He holds up the Heart.}  Look at her. Man, she's flawless. How 
could I resist this?

Beka: So, you stayed, collecting a paycheck from Miskich and pulling outside jobs on the 
weekend.  Isn't that a little dangerous, even for Schroedinger's Cat?

Leydon: It's a lot less dangerous than trying to escape.

Beka: Unless you pointed him at another target.

Leydon: Which is where you and your merry band of thieves came in.  It was such a good 
plan.  It's too bad it fell apart.

Beka: Not to admit defeat or anything, but I don't see how it fell apart. You have the real 
stone, the cops are after Tyr.  What happened?

Leydon: You happened. Here.  {He holds out the Heart to her}  It's worth a Nightsider's 
ransom.  Beka, we could have it all, a clean slate. All you gotta do is marry me – become 
a citizen of Pierpont.

Beka: A citizen.

Leydon: Uh-huh.

Beka: So this would be purely a legal arrangement.

Leydon: The fringe benefits aren't lost on me.

<He lets go of the Heart, letting her have it, and steps in to kiss her.>

Leydon: What's it gonna be?

<Pause for commercial break, picking up right away.>

Beka: So, what? We run away together?

Leydon: Well, we'd make a hell of a team.

Beka: One problem. I already have a team.

Leydon: No, no. So, what are you saying? Last night was just an excuse to search my 
room?  Come on, I don't buy that.  You could've broken in any time you wanted to.  I'm 
a way easier mark than the museum.

Beka: You're hardly easy.

<The sound of gunfire is heard somewhere close by.>

Leydon: It's my men. I haven't trained them very well. They could shoot us by accident.

Beka: Meet me on the Eureka Maru in one hour.

Leydon: You mean that?

Beka: Show up and find out.

<She kisses him and leaves.>

===================================================================================
Scene:  Dylan is walking down a corridor. Holo-Rommie pops in.
===================================================================================

Holo: Dylan, the Than fleet is moving. They're vectoring toward Pierpont Drift at thirty-
five PSL.

Dylan {frustrated}: Maintain scanning and arm defensive missile tubes.  Where's Beka?

Holo: Unknown.

===================================================================================
Scene: After a brief SFX shot of the Than fleet, Dylan enters the room where Clarion of 
Loss is waiting
===================================================================================

Dylan: General, your fleet is on the move. Why?

Clarion: Time's up, Captain.

Dylan: Not according to our agreement. We still have two hours.

Clarion: And in precisely two hours, my fleet will be in position to attack!

===================================================================================
Scene: Leydon and Beka on the Maru. Beka's looking at the Heart
===================================================================================

Beka: It's almost too good to be true.

Leydon: Oh, this is real. All of it.

Beka: Leydon, if something… If it all goes splat – 

Leydon {amused}: Splat?

Beka: Just trust me, ok?

Leydon: Nothing is going to happen, hmmm.

<He kisses her. Tyr drops in from overhead and draws a gun on Leydon. Out of both of 
their sight, Beka quickly switches the real Heart for one of the fakes.>

Tyr: You might be surprised.

Beka: Tyr, what the hell are you doing?

Tyr: I could ask you the same question.  {to Leydon} Shall we? There's someone I'd like 
you to meet.

<Beka hands Leydon the fake Heart. He and Tyr walk out.>

===================================================================================
Scene: Miskich and Clarion are both on radios, talking to their people in their own 
languages.  Leydon is escorted in by Tyr, and Dylan follows them.
===================================================================================

Miskich: Hawkins?

Dylan: Good, that's everyone.  You may be wondering why I've called you all here 
today.  It's time to return the Hegemon's Heart to its rightful owner.

Clarion: It's about time.

<Leydon hands Dylan the fake Heart.>

===================================================================================
Scene: On the Maru, Beka sets up the real Heart on a stand and shines light through it, 
like she did earlier. This time, the light creates a sort of map, showing several planets and 
many lines around them.
===================================================================================

Beka: Well done, Valentine.

<She steps closer to the map.>

Beka: Calliope, San-Ska-Re, Shintaida.  One treasure map, no waiting.  {to the Maru} 
Scan and record image.

Maru Computer: Scanning.  Recording.  Complete.

Beka: Hope it was worth it.

===================================================================================
Scene: Back with Dylan, et al.
===================================================================================

Miskich: That's the Heart? The real one?

Dylan: It certainly is.

Miskich: So, the one in the museum…

Tyr: Fake. Substituted by a clever thief. 

<He looks pointedly at Leydon>

Miskich {to Leydon}: Ah, and you recovered the genuine Heart.

Leydon: You might say that, yes.

Tyr: "Recovered" is certainly a more flattering word than "Stole".

Miskich: Hawkins! You stole from me?!  Do you know what I do to people who steal 
from me?!

Leydon: I didn't steal it.

Dylan: We can worry about that later.  Right now, I believe it's time for that exchange.  
General, I'm sure the Hegemony will be delighted that you've achieved a peaceful 
solution to the stalemate.  It might not be as good as a victory, but hey, it'll have to do.

<Beka enters the room.>

Clarion: It may suffice.  If it's the real Heart.

Leydon: It's not.  Go ahead, check it. It's a fake. {Referring to Beka} She's the thief. I 
was using it to lure her out.

<Beka comes further into the room>

Beka: Check it, by all means. {She gets up close with Dylan, putting her arms around 
him} Boy, am I glad to see you.

<She kisses him, and uses the cover to hand him the real Heart.>

Dylan {Stunned}: Yeah. Yeah, I'm glad to see you too.

Beka {to Leydon}: It's flawless. Trust me.

Clarion: Captain?

<Dylan hands her the Heart.  She holds it up and examines it.>

Clarion: It is the Hegemon's Heart.  And I was so looking forward to a nice little war.

Dylan: Well, you see there? Everybody wins.  That's what the Commonwealth always 
strives for.

Miskich: And what do I win?

Tyr: No one's blown you out of the sky.

<Dylan makes a "What he said." gesture.>

Miskich: Ah…

===================================================================================
Scene: Beka confronts Leydon, walking down an Andromeda corridor
===================================================================================

Beka: You gave me up, just like that.

Leydon: I had no choice. It was the only move I had left.

Beka: I would have covered for you – told Miskich you were duped. He would have 
believed me.

Leydon: Why?  They already won the game.

Beka: Is that what it was? A game?

Leydon: Wasn't it?

Beka: Yeah. Sure.

Leydon: Smile.  {He kisses her cheek.} Well done.

<He starts to walk away.>

Beka: Leydon? Maybe we'll play again some time.

Leydon: Yeah, maybe.

<He leaves.>

===================================================================================
Scene: Rommie enters a conference room where Dylan is, carrying a fake Heart
===================================================================================

Rommie: Triagonal prismatic quartz crystal.  Trace elements of vanadium, chromium, 
manganese, and cobalt.  Eighty-two point two five grams.  I wonder how many of these 
fake Hearts are out there.  I lost count at three.

Dylan: You never lose count of anything. And I assume you could tell the difference the 
whole time.

Rommie: Of course.  Harper is sweet, but he still believes pretty much anything I tell 
him.  {She shifts to an air-headed attitude} "Oh, I'm sorry, I may have a brain the size of 
a planet, but I can't tell the difference between one pretty rock and another."

Dylan: Just as long as the Than got the real one.

Rommie: They did.

Dylan: Good.

<She starts to leave, but turns back around.>

Rommie: I was wrong.

Dylan: Hmmm?

Rommie: I didn't think Beka could be trusted to complete the mission.

Dylan: She came through, though, in the end.

Rommie: Still, you took a big risk, trusting her.

Dylan: Well, that's the thing.  I'm not a computer. I can't do a spectrographic analysis 
with my eyes. Sometimes I have to take risks to be able to tell the real hearts from the 
fake ones.

===================================================================================

Scene: As the Andromeda pulls away from Pierpont Drift, Beka stands on the Obs deck 
and gazes back at it sadly.

===================================================================================

===================================================================================
THE END.
===================================================================================