COUNTER/Weight 25: You Can Call Me Captain

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Episode description

The Kingdom Come has left the surface of Counterweight, but it hasn't quite made it out of orbit. Between a furious unit out for revenge, and a stuffy military bureaucrat insistent in doing things by the book, the Chime will need to get creative to get away. Cass tries to justify his ownership of Apostolosian materiel, Mako goes on a covert operation with his new best friend, and Aria and AuDy try to keep everything from spinning out of control.

This time on COUNTER/Weight: You Can Call Me Captain

Who's in charge here again?

Opening

It’s been five years exactly since they last spoke face to face, there on the boardwalk of Vox’s largest city, in the warmth of a sea breeze, lost together in the murmuring wave of the most patriotic of revellers.

"It’s heavy, is what it is." The veteran’s voice trailed away, and he thought about how unfair it all was, what a miserable responsibility to give to someone so young. He sipped at his drink, a glowing concoction of red and blue, a little umbrella with the colors of the Diasporan flag. Very patriotic. And Quentin — no, Jerboa, now his name was Jerboa, he reminded himself — he mirrored the action of his role model, eyes wide as the alcohol touched his young tongue.

"But don’t worry, little man, you can carry that weight."

Jerboa smiled.

"And hey, you got a good one. Detachment is… It’s like a falcon."

Confusion.

"Oh, uh, a falcon, it’s a bird, a big bird. Wide wings." He gestured, his arms stretched out, his body menacing and beautiful. The tourists on the boardwalk automatically cleared space for him without knowing why, whistling their nationalistic hits. "Sharp talons, incredible speed, a fierce hunger." Fireworks blossomed above them, punctuating this metaphor.

Jerboa tilted his head under the erratic light. "If Detachment is a falcon, then what’s Righteousness?"

Ibex resisted the mechanistic urge to bite his tongue.

"Oh, Quentin." He ran his hand down his little brother’s fresh fade. "It’s a vulture, man. It’s a fucking vulture."

Plot

Cast

Other Characters