19 characters: Peters, Hu, Saetang, Ambassador One, Judge, Stone, Announcer, Therapist, Renata, Ahmadi, Maradona, Marissa, Larissa, Ex-mayor, Sanders, Ambassador Five, Mother, Priest, Human Computer
Click on a character's name to get their lines highlighted.
Peters (49 lines, 1015 words, 17.22%) - [David Loftus] Salish Peters, chief mechanic. Great-grandfather was the first mission commander, and he never tires of telling people so and relating the stories of Earth he remembers hearing from great-grandpa. Sensible, direct, kind of average working Joe. Middle aged, has husband and two grown kids.
Maradona (30 lines, 845 words, 14.33%) - [Matt Ellis] Jesús Maradona is now the revolutionary leader of the returnists.
Saetang (18 lines, 326 words, 5.53%) - [Sova Reign] Detective Aranya Saetang is brand new to the job, but ambitious and ready to prove herself in this crisis.
Renata (16 lines, 920 words, 15.6%) - [Kathleen Li] Renata Mutombo is the mayor's daughter. Aged 30 or so. Ambitious and competent. A little ruthless at times.
Ahmadi (16 lines, 339 words, 5.75%) - [Paul Knierim] Former detective Arash Ahmadi is trying to find work.
Ambassador One (14 lines, 385 words, 6.53%) - [Azure] Ambassador One is a Centaurian. They communicate non-verbally, so in order to be understood by humans they wear machine translators.
Judge (10 lines, 146 words, 2.48%) - [Rachel Pulliam] Judge Lee is the arbiter of many things, negotiator, and consensus-builder.
Stone (10 lines, 158 words, 2.68%) - [John Gaunce] Doctor Stone. Willing to do whatever it takes to save patients, even if it goes against the laws or morals of society. Is frustrated by societal resistance to experimentation and progress, thinks Earth-sourced ethics need to be updated for life in interstellar space. Just a touch of mad scientist, but really means well and the audience will be torn on whether to approve of the methods.
Larissa (7 lines, 513 words, 8.7%) - [Lindsay Townsend] Larissa Flint. Younger sister of Marissa. Wants more independence and feels a bit resentful. Apprentice mechanic. Young (18), eager, optimistic and inexperienced. Academically-gifted quick learner.
Hu (6 lines, 165 words, 2.8%) - [Steph X] Communications chief Hu Jia just wants to live out her life in peace without everything changing.
Ex-mayor (5 lines, 345 words, 5.85%) - [Roger Arnold] The former leader of the asteroid, now trying to deal with retirement and hoping to maintain influence.
Therapist (4 lines, 84 words, 1.42%) - [Ahmad Joudeh] Husband of Peters.
Marissa (3 lines, 64 words, 1.09%) - [Virginia Hargrove] Older sister of Larissa. Overprotective.
Ambassador Five (3 lines, 37 words, 0.63%) - [espeak] Ambassador Five is a Centaurian. They communicate non-verbally, so in order to be understood by humans they wear machine translators.
Human Computer (3 lines, 32 words, 0.54%) - [Kathleen Li] Voice of the asteroid's computer system and multicoms.
Sanders (1 line, 211 words, 3.58%) - [Erin Suminsby] Ardent believer in returning to Earth.
Mother (1 line, 79 words, 1.34%) - [Virginia Hargrove] Grieving mother whose son has just been killed.
Priest (1 line, 27 words, 0.46%) - [David Nagel] The asteroid's religious leader, practicing an odd amalgam of world religions.
Announcer (2 lines, 205 words, 3.48%) - [Erin Suminsby] Reads opening, closing and credits.
Script format: Margined | Marginless (for phone viewing)
Listen along as you read:
1 SOUND: full conference room with squeaking chairs and such
2 Peters: I think we should use ranked choice voting.
3 Hu: What’s that, Peters?
4 Peters: It’s a system some countries on Earth use for instant runoffs. Voters number their preferred candidates in order. During counting, candidates are eliminated from the race from lowest vote count on up, with their votes re-allocated to the next choice of their voters. You avoid the problem of someone most people hate winning a plurality, and get a truer idea of who people will compromise on, without needing separate runoff elections.
5 Hu: But will the voters understand it?
6 Peters: It’s not that complicated. We only have four candidates who collected enough signatures, people will figure out how to number one to four.
7 Hu: I think approval voting is a better option. People vote for all candidates they approve of.
8 Peters: But then you don’t necessarily learn who the voter favored the most…
9 Hu: But we learn who the most people are willing to accept!
10 Saetang: And that’s what matters for keeping the peace, I agree with Chief Hu.
11 Ambassador One: Centaurians traditionally vote by secreting the scent of the desired candidate, whichever scent is most pungent in the room at the end of the allotted time is declared the winner.
12 Judge: Let’s take a quick vote now on whether to use a simple plurality, ranked choice, or approval voting.
13 Stone: What kind of vote should we take on it… plurality, ranked choice or approval?
14 Judge: [sighs] Uh… let’s come back to that later. At least the other topic of our election should avoid these complications, we can have a simple “yes, continue the mission” or “no, return to Earth”
15 Peters: Actually, Judge, I’ve been thinking we need to add a third option.
16 Judge: What other option could there possibly be?
17 Peters: Our current mission isn’t the only possible mission. It’s a big universe out there, we can go anywhere.
18 Saetang: Proxima is the closest system, we’re already on course, and at least there’s somebody there waiting for us even if it’s not the Centaurian home world. How does it make any sense to turn a seven hundred and eighty year mission into something far longer by going somewhere else?
19 Peters: If my new propulsion concept works out, we could reach a significant fraction of the speed of light. There’s a lot of places we could go in a lifetime, as long as we don’t try to stop. Canceling out our velocity to stop would take decades and we probably wouldn't have enough ore to re-accelerate and stop in second system.
20 Saetang: What’s the point of flying past systems without the ability to stop?
21 Hu: We could still study them as we pass! Why's everyone in such a hurry to abandon our world? There's nothing wrong with living here!
22 Peters: We could probably devise a probe capable of slowing for a landing. Maybe even a one person spacecraft. Slowing a tiny mass quickly is a much easier problem than bringing our whole asteroid to a halt. Of course it'd be a one way trip for that person, no way to catch up again.
23 Stone: Who’s going to volunteer for *that*?
24 Peters: We’re getting ahead of ourselves here. All we need right now is a ballot option to chart our own course into the stars.
25 SOUND: opening theme
26
Announcer:
QuietPlease dot org presents “253 Mathilde”.
At the turn of the 22nd century, the asteroid 253 Mathilde was converted into an interstellar spaceship. Now 92 years into a 780 year mission, generations have come and gone.
Episode seven - Choices.
27 SOUND: door opens, footsteps enter
28 Saetang: [mildly surprised to see them] Chief Peters, Doctor Peters, what brings you to my office?
29 Peters: Detective Saetang… you know, I probably shouldn’t have come.
30 Therapist: You came here for a reason, you brought me along for a reason, you can’t just brush it under the rug and pretend you never thought about it. If you try to, it’ll haunt you.
31 Saetang: Let’s talk about it.
32 Peters: Well, see, Jesús Maradona is my friend. We’ve been friends for years. I can read his moods, I can tell when he's being truthful and when he’s up to something. And I feel bad about not reporting it when he warned me away from the arboretum before. But I don’t want to just turn on him and betray him and get him harassed or arrested because I shared my suspicions.
33 Saetang: What are you getting at?
34 Therapist: He’s trying to explain that this is a really sensitive issue and you’ll need to handle it carefully.
35 Saetang: Okay, understood, come to the point.
36 Peters: I don’t think Maradona plans to accept the election results if they don’t go his way. I think he’s planning something.
37 Saetang: What do you think he’s planning?
38 Peters: I’m not sure.
39 Saetang: That’s not very helpful.
40 Peters: I suppose not.
41 Therapist: He just needed to get it off his conscience, after what happened last time.
42 Saetang: But you *could* be very helpful, Chief. What we need is somebody on the inside. Somebody he trusts, who can become part of his plan and report back to me.
43 Peters: [reluctant] I’m no spy.
44 Saetang: That’s what’d make you the best spy: nobody would ever think you’re a spy.
45 Peters: But how can I do that to my friend? He trusts me! He’d certainly never forgive me if I do what you’re asking.
46 Saetang: If Maradona isn’t up to anything terrible, then you’ll never need to report to me and he’ll never know this conversation happened. You’ll have done your duty. If he’s planning more violence and you turn him in, then you’ll have done your duty and saved lives. If he’s planning more violence and you don’t follow it up, you’ll feel complicit and you’ll have to live with that the rest of your life and I don’t think you’ll want to remain friends with him.
47 Peters: [to husband, indecisively] What do you think?
48 Therapist: The detective’s logic is hard to dispute. But could this be dangerous?
49 Saetang: I’m not asking you to take any risks. You just find out if there’s a threat and tell me what it is, I’ll take over from there.
50 Peters: [sighs] I’ll have a talk with Jesús and try to volunteer my help. But if he asks me to make explosives again, I'll tell him that's off the table.
51 SOUND: scene end.
52 SOUND: some sort of public space, perhaps light crowd background or perhaps telecast from studio?
53 Judge: Do each of you swear to respect the results of this election even if they go against you, and not to use any form of violence to try to overturn the results?
54 Renata: Of course.
55 Ahmadi: Yes, I do.
56 Ambassador One: I do.
57 Maradona: I’ll respect any fair results, but I reserve the right to reject the count if it becomes clear that it’s fraudulent.
58 Judge: Ambassador One, would you like to make an opening statement?
59 Ambassador One: As you know, I have been the victim of the vicious attack Jesús Maradona perpetrated on me while I slept. His meddling destroyed my hibernation pod, and I am now faced with living out the rest of my life on this asteroid surrounded by you humans. But let us make the best of a bad situation, let my loss be your gain. No one is better equipped to guide you safely on your mission than I am. No human has anything close to my experience, as I have made three successful interstellar journeys to date in asteroids not unlike this one. Rest assured that I will restore your operations to peak efficiency and beyond. I will employ my superior knowledge, superior intelligence and superior technology to your benefit. The other candidates are simply objectively incapable of offering you what I offer. I humbly request and accept your vote. Thank you.
60 Judge: Jesús Maradona, you may make your opening statement.
61 Maradona: I’m the candidate who can bring change, who can bring us into a new and better era. I’m the candidate with the clear and consistent vision, who’s in this to bring that vision to life for all of you, while the others are just in this election to bring themselves power. When you vote for me, you’re not voting for a spoiled brat who accidentally became our detective at 24 due to an untimely death and quickly got fired. You’re not voting for the last mayor’s daughter who’s been groomed for power every day of her life and we all know is just a puppet to let our deposed mayor try to continue his failed rule. You’re certainly not voting for an alien who spent the last century lying to you. I’m a man of the people, just another hard-working middle aged ore processor who’s never had anything handed to him, no different from you. A vote for me is power to the people, not the elites.
62 Judge: Renata Mutombo, your statement?
63
Renata:
If you vote for Maradona, you know what you’re getting: a radical terrorist who puts us all in danger. If you want us to return to Earth, that’s what the other question on your ballot is for. I swear that I’ll faithfully implement whatever choice the people make on the question of our destination. There’s no need to hand power to a volatile, dangerous criminal who’s likely to stoke conflicts that could end us before we can get home to Earth, or to wherever we’re going.
You also know what you’re getting if you vote for me: stability, security, and competence. I’m the only candidate here who has any idea of what the job of being mayor involves. I’m not my father, but I’ve been keenly observing and learning from his experiences over the years. I know how our community functions, I know all the section chiefs, I know our strengths and our weaknesses, I know our problems and I know how to fix them.
64 Judge: Ahmadi?
65 Ahmadi: I’m the independent candidate here, I’m not on either side. I entered this race because I don’t want to see us ruled by a stooge acting for the old mayor, nor by an ideologue bent on imposing his ideology, nor of course by an alien who doesn’t understand our society. I’m here to offer a practical, pragmatic, centrist approach in which we’ll reform our system of governance without burning it down. If you’re upset with how the former mayor ran things but afraid of what Maradona might do, then I’m your candidate.
66 Ambassador One: I do not remember you being neutral when you were holding me against my will, Ahmadi.
67 Renata: [emphatically] Excuse me, Mr. Ahmadi, but you were Maradona’s right hand man who helped plan and execute the kidnapping of our esteemed Ambassador here… how much more “on a side” can you get?
68 Maradona: She’s got a point there, you’re nothing but an opportunist who pretends to pick a side and then betrays your people whenever it suits you. There’s no reason for anyone to trust anything you say.
69 Ahmadi: I was with Maradona, yes, but I drew the line when he ordered me to throw an explosive charge at Patel.
70 Renata: [mocking] You “drew the line”… by continuing with the kidnapping and only breaking ranks once everything was over. And Patel’s blood is still on your hands, because *you* led him into that hail of laser fire.
71 Maradona: And you assured him they had no defenses. You were our scout, the only one who’d been in there, it was your intelligence failure that got him killed.
72 Ahmadi: [sarcastic] Well, I’m glad I can provide some common ground for you three. Seems like you’re allies now.
73
Renata:
Maradona is a reckless firebrand who should’ve been tried for terrorism, who’s responsible for a kidnapping and a death, who’s already caused us too much chaos and suffering. Of course he’s the most objectionable candidate. But Ahmadi has repeatedly shown poor judgment, has gotten too closely involved with Maradona and clearly bears some responsibility for those terrible events last week which he’s trying to wiggle out of. Ahmadi was too young and inexperienced when Detective Ekholm’s untimely death thrust him into his last job, and now he has the arrogance to expect us to promote him to mayor.
This is a moment of crisis. How you vote tomorrow may decide the very survival of our people. We’re completely on our own out here, centuries from any help. We can’t afford to gamble, we need a steady hand. We need a mayor who’s qualified, who’s experienced, who’s able to provide continuity and order. I think all of us, even my fellow candidates here, know who that is.
74 SOUND: end scene
75 SOUND: door buzzer, footsteps and open and more footsteps
76 Marissa: Hello Doctor Stone.
77 Stone: I’ve come to check up on your sister.
78 Larissa: Hi doc.
79 Stone: How’s your leg coming along, Larissa?
80 Larissa: I’ve started walking on it, seems okay.
81 Stone: Then I’d like you to start going to the centrifuge. It’s important for the bone to have some exposure to higher gravity as it heals or it’ll be permanently weak.
82 Larissa: Ugh, I hate the centrifuge. Always feels like being crushed to a pulp, and I get nauseous.
83 Stone: Start slow, just standing a few minutes for the first day. You know it’s only a fifth of a G in there, be thankful you’re not on Earth.
84 Larissa: Yeah, I hope we don't end up going to that crusher of a world. So who are you voting for, Doc?
85 Stone: Maradona. We have a certain understanding about common priorities. You?
86 Larissa: I’m leaning Ahmadi. He’s not an ideologue like Maradona, and not a puppet of the old mayor either. And he did help save my life, after all.
87 Marissa: [spitefully] That creep? Watch out, he’ll pass a law saying you have to date him.
88 Larissa: [playfully] Hey, that might not be so bad. So who are you voting for, sis?
89 Marissa: Well they’re all distasteful in their own way, I don’t know if I’ll vote for any of them. I don’t really care who wins, as long as somebody wins decisively and it’s not contested. Let’s just put this behind us.
90 SOUND: end scene
91 Maradona: But, Salish, I don’t get why you had them add the third mission option to the ballot, if you’re committed to our return to Earth?
92 Peters: I was trying to split the non-returnist vote.
93 Maradona: Oh, that makes sense… would’ve worked nicely if they’d stuck with a plurality vote, but they went with ranked choice so I don’t think it helps us. Well, anyway, it’s great to finally be working together. I was afraid you’d never get off the fence.
94 Peters: I thought long and hard about what you said and what I believe. I let you down last time, and I felt so helpless listening to news about the insurrection, so this time I want to be on the inside.
95 Maradona: This’ll be a different sort of operation. Just the two of us.
96 Peters: What’s the plan?
97 Maradona: [hesitantly] I don’t want to unnecessarily put it on your conscience if it ends up not being needed.
98 Peters: You’re not going to tell me?
99 Maradona: We’ll see how the vote goes. Join me for dinner at Marco’s Cafe tomorrow, eighteen hundred hours. We’ll check the partial tally, and if it looks like they’ve rigged it against us, I’ll tell you what we’ll do about it.
100 SOUND: end scene
101 SOUND: same room tone as the mayoral debate
102
Ex-mayor:
[rousing persuasive speech] Too many people have been talking about our mission as if it were *imposed* on us by the Centaurians. We’re out here not because of them, but because of Earth. We’re here because the international community came together after first contact and decided to make us their envoys to the stars. We’re here because they invested tremendous money and resources in us, and they trusted us. We’re here because of that first generation of pioneers under Commander Peters who dedicated us to a greater purpose than ourselves – who knew they’d never live to see the fruits of what they built, but nonetheless believed in future generations like ourselves following through for them.
If mission control says we change course, then we change course. A vote to continue our mission doesn’t mean we necessarily still go to Proxima. It only means we give proper consideration to what the ten billion people we left behind want, we talk about the situation with them, and we wait for them to tell us how they feel and what they recommend. Maybe Earth will tell us to take a vote, and in *that* vote you can choose where you’d like us to go. But for *this* vote, you should choose to stay the course for a few months until we can hear from mission control. If you consider yourself a returnist who truly loves Earth, you’ll respect Earth’s right to have a say in our decision instead of voting for a mutiny against mission control. We may be our own world, but we still need to honor our sacred obligations to the rest of humanity – to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us and the sacrifices of the entire planet Earth.
103 Judge: Thank you. Presenting the argument for returning to Earth, we have apprentice botanist Juliana Sanders.
104
Sanders:
[with an edge of anger] Why should some bureaucrats on Earth decide our destiny? Why should we take orders from people who have no idea what it’s really like out here? There probably isn’t an adult human being on the entire planet Earth who’s only met 200 people in their life, but every one of us is condemned to that isolation. None of us has the option of moving to a new town for new opportunities, or even taking a vacation anywhere new in our whole lives. None of us have seen a sunrise, marveled at a thunderstorm, or felt the wind in our hair.
Nobody on Earth has to apply for a birth permit and get on a wait list when they want a baby. Nobody on Earth needs permission to change their career or needs to wait years for an opening in their preferred industry. Nobody on Earth has to eat such a limited diet.
Our children and their children deserve better than what we have, and they aren’t going to get it if we head off deeper into the void. We owe it to those who’ll come after us to get them home to the vast green hills and wide blue oceans of Earth as quickly as we can.
105 Judge: Making the case for a mission of open-ended exploration, we have apprentice mechanic Larissa Flint.
106
Larissa:
We aren’t Centaurians, and we aren’t Earthlings anymore… we’re Mathildans. This is where we belong.
I’m younger than almost all of you, but I’ve been through a lot lately. I’ve had to reconsider who I am and what my purpose is. In this referendum, all of you have to do the same. Is your purpose simply the mission you were born into and never questioned, set for you by strangers? Is your purpose to reject the difficult unwanted task you were born into and seek safety and comfort by retreating? Or do you have the ability to chart your own course? A course forward, not backward… but not toward a place somebody selected a century ago with incomplete information, but rather toward a place you can’t yet see but can trust yourself to find on the way?
If we continue at our current speed, it’ll take centuries to deviate far from our original course and future generations will be making their own decisions. But if my boss's theoretical propulsion enhancements work out, then it’s my generation that will be reaching the stars. In theory, at a constant acceleration of less than half a gee one could cross the entire galaxy through billions of star systems in a single lifetime – albeit hundreds of thousands of years from Earth’s perspective. I’m not saying we’ll actually do that, we’d run out of fuel and collisions with interstellar gas would start to become massive explosions… but I believe we could achieve a significant fraction of the speed of light and reach a handful of stars in my lifetime. Think of what we could learn, what we could see, and all without ever leaving home – because this is home, not Earth.
What I’m asking for is a leap of faith – faith in ourselves. We don’t need Centaurians or mission controllers telling us what our lives are for. We don’t need to have the answer ourselves yet either. We just need to start the ball rolling without being ruled by a fear of failure. If there’s one thing I discovered from nearly dying and then waking up with parts of my clone’s brain in my head, it’s that there’s something worse than failure – and that’s to never have tried, to never have experienced. I believe we can make something of ourselves by taking on a mission as vast as the universe and as open-ended as our imaginations.
107 SOUND: hydroponics. sounds of water and occasional squirts through scene maybe?
108 Ahmadi: Hey there ambassador, what brings you to hydroponics?
109 Ambassador One: Hey there terrorist, I have decided it is proper and customary for me as a candidate to make myself visible to all this morning with a general inspection tour.
110 Ahmadi: Excited about it being election day? Drumming up those last minute votes?
111 Ambassador One: No I am not excited. I am not a fool, I am well aware I have never had any chance of victory in this election.
112 Ahmadi: Then why make this effort?
113 Ambassador One: I wish to absolve myself of responsibility for what is to come. I have freely offered my guidance and leadership, now the future will be on your heads for your choice.
114 Ahmadi: Is that a threat?
115 Ambassador One: Not at all. It is a disclaimer. I will endure whatever result may come and act only as necessary for my personal safety and that of my sleeping comrades against terrorists and kidnappers such as yourself.
116 Ahmadi: Well, I think we'll do just fine with me in charge.
117 Ambassador One: It is amusing that you believe you have any better chance in this election than I do. You are not a serious candidate, there are only two in this race.
118 Ahmadi: Well, we'll see what the people have to say about that by the end of the day.
119 Ambassador One: May I ask what you are doing here, terrorist? Are you also on a tour?
120 Ahmadi: Can't you see I'm working?! They're rotating me until I apply for an apprenticeship, this is where I'm assigned today.
121 Ambassador One: That sounds sad for you. I will leave you to it.
122 SOUND: end scene fast, without footsteps or door open
123 SOUND: restaurant sounds, sparse to moderate crowd
124 Peters: I’m stuffed. Time to check how the voting’s going?
125 Maradona: I’ve been afraid to look so far.
126 Peters: Should I look for you?
127 Maradona: Nah, I’ll call it up.
128 SOUND: touchscreen sounds
129 Maradona: [shock turning to anger] That’s impossible! There's so many null votes it's obvious they've tampered! We can’t let them get away with this fraud!
130 Peters: There’s still a few hours of voting left, the results could improve.
131 Maradona: [angry determination] We’re going to *make* them improve! An hour from now, even those who’ve already voted will be rushing to change their votes.
132 Peters: What's the plan?
133 Maradona: [leaning over and talking softly to share secret] We’re staging a false flag attack, to make it look like the Centaurians are trying to take over and force us to continue the mission.
134 Peters: [softy] How?
135 Maradona: [leaning over and talking softly to share secret] I took a Centaurian laser rifle during the raid.
136 Peters: [softly] But if somebody sees you, how do you make people think a Centaurian is wielding it?
137 Maradona: [softly] I have a holographic projector on me. People won’t pause to look too closely with laser fire in the air, but they’ll catch a glimpse of an Ambassador in the middle of it. We just have to make his image advance through a handful of corridors terrorizing unarmed people, then make it look like he gives up and retreats to the Centaurian section before detective Saetang gets there to engage him. Doesn't have to stand up to careful scrutiny, we just need to convince most people for a few hours.
138 Peters: [softly] Are you sure nobody’s going to get hurt this time?
139 Maradona: [softly] I'll set the laser rifle on low power, so even if I hit some people they’ll be okay. We just want to scare them.
140 Peters: [softly] And what’s my role?
141 Maradona: [softly] I need you to be my lookout. Monitor the corridors ahead of me and direct me to the best spots for being seen, but not seen too closely.
142 Peters: [softly] Spots where they’ll be able to flee quickly, making sure you don't corner anyone?
143 Maradona: [softly] That’s right. You won’t be far away but you’ll be talking over multicom to my earpiece so nobody realizes we’re working together.
144 SOUND: maradona stands up and pushes chair in
145 Maradona: Come on my friend, there’s no time to lose.
146 SOUND: peters stands up and pushes chair in, then walking sounds
147 SOUND: fast pace scene transition
148 SOUND: ambiance from the ep 5 closet, and same reverb on all the lines taking place there
149 Maradona: This is the little supply room I launched the raid from, it’s close enough to the Centaurian section it’ll look like I’m coming from there.
150 Peters: Hopefully it won’t look like you…
151 Maradona: Time to turn on the projector…
152 SOUND: projector activation, and perhaps soft humming as long as it’s on
153 Peters: Not bad. It has some flaws when I stand right next to you, but if I were a few meters away and too scared to stare for long, I’d swear you’re Ambassador Five.
154 Ambassador Five: I am Ambassador Five, you puny human scum.
155 Peters: Nice touch. Easy to impersonate their voices when they speak through our software.
156 Maradona: Okay, I’m ready to head out. I’ll start by going past hydroponics, I can give them a scare with no more than a glimpse. Keep an eye on the map for movement and try to keep me going generally counterclockwise through the loop I showed you, should give me the best chance to evade any resistance and get back here.
157 Peters: Got it. Good luck, Jesús.
158 Maradona: Thanks, my friend. With your help, I won’t need luck.
159 SOUND: door opens and closes as steps depart
160 SOUND: multicom touch sounds
161 Saetang: [sfx: processed] Yes, Peters?
162 Peters: [hurried] He’s making his move right now, he’s using a holographic projector and a laser rifle to make it look like the Centaurians are taking over.
163 Saetang: Where?
164 Peters: [hurried] Moving out from near the Centaurian section, he just left my location.
165 Saetang: I’m pretty far from there… I’ll warn the ambassadors in case I don’t make it in time.
166 Peters: [hurried, starting to worry and regret reporting] Listen, he said we’re not going to hurt anybody, his weapon is on low power.
167 Saetang: I hope that’s true, but we can’t assume it.
168 Peters: [hurried] Gotta go, he’s expecting to hear from me!
169 SOUND: sporadic laser fire and footsteps
170 Ambassador Five: [sfx: hologram processing] This asteroid is being placed under Centaurian control in order to ensure the continuation of our mission. Surrender, humans!
171 Peters: [sfx: multicom processing, perhaps one ear only] Left at the next junction. The public side rooms off that corridor will give them somewhere to flee before they get too close a look.
172 Ambassador Five: [sfx: hologram processing] This section is now under Centaurian control, humans must leave!
173 SOUND: sporadic laser fire and footsteps
174 Ambassador One: Maradona!
175 Maradona: [startled at being recognized] What, how...?
176 Ambassador One: Time to pay for your crimes, Maradona!
177 SOUND: single powerful laser shot, then collapsing body
178 Peters: [sfx: multicom processing] [upset/concerned] Jesús! I’ll be right there!
179 SOUND: running footsteps approach
180 Peters: Can you hear me, Jesús? Doctor Stone is already on his way!
181 Maradona: [width difficulty through pain] I think this is beyond his help.
182 SOUND: jogging footsteps approach
183 Saetang: What happened here?
184 Ambassador One: Justice.
185 Maradona: [with difficulty through pain] Maybe it’s for the best.
186 Peters: [confused] What?
187 Maradona: [with difficulty through pain] Better to die a martyr than to live in defeat.
188 Peters: [sternly with fear] You’re not going to die.
189 SOUND: jogging footsteps approach
190 Peters: [urgently] Doctor, he's hurt bad!
191 SOUND: setting equipment down, clothes rustle, scanner instrument continuing behind
192 Stone: There’s laser punctures through his heart, stomach and lungs.
193 Maradona: [struggling to speak through pain] Salish, have my ashes spread on the Earth when you get there. With my ancestors in Argentina.
194 Peters: Yes, of course my friend. But hold on, keep fighting, the doctor can fix this.
195 Maradona: [groans in some pain]
196 Peters: Jesús?
197 SOUND: motion noises of Stone checking, running scanner over briefly and turning it off
198 Stone: He’s dead, Salish.
199 Peters: [devastated and grasping at straws] But… you brought Flint back, you can bring Jesús back too…
200 Stone: Larissa was only brain damaged while her body continued functioning. I wish it were within my power to bring the dead back to life. I’m sorry, Salish, there’s nothing I can do.
201
Hu:
[sfx: loudspeaker] Attention! Announcing final results from the mayoral election. 6 first choice votes for Ambassador One. 8 first choice votes for Arash Ahmadi. 22 null votes. 52 votes for Jesús Maradona. 73 votes for Renata Mutombo. In the instant runoff, 56 votes for Jesús Maradona and 83 for our new mayor Renata Mutombo.
Announcing final results from the mission destination vote. 35 null votes. 40 first choice votes to return to Earth. 42 first choice votes to chart a new course. 44 first choice votes to continue the mission to Proxima. In the instant runoff, 55 votes to continue the mission and 71 votes for the winning plan to chart a new course into the stars.
202 SOUND: arboretum, more nature noises than usual
203
Mother:
[emotional] Some people have called my son a terrorist, but he never actually hurt anyone. All he did was struggle for what he believed was right.
Jesús always had a rebellious streak, but only because he cared so deeply about righting the wrongs he saw around him. We can honor my son’s memory by standing up when something’s not right, by speaking up for those without a voice. I know that’s what he would’ve wanted.
204 SOUND: she sits down, someone else stands up (no walking required)
205
Peters:
This is a difficult moment for me. A large part of me feels I shouldn’t be here, because I feel responsible for Jesús’s death.
He was my friend, and he died believing I'd done everything I could possibly have done for him. I wish that were true.
Jesús was a very polarizing figure. That's part of his legacy. Many of us have conflicting feelings about him, we may have cared for him as a person and sympathized with his agenda but regretted how he pursued it. But his passion, his zeal for his cause, was part of what made him who he was. It was part of what made us like him. He had the ability to stir us, to rouse us, to force us to think and reexamine our beliefs and those around us. These were great qualities, even if we came to different conclusions than he did about some things.
With his death, we've lost a unique and very important piece of our community. But even in death, he still makes us think. He still makes us reexamine our actions and realize we could've done better. Let's keep that part of him alive.
206 SOUND: peters sits, then some footsteps from priest, who rings some bells
207 Priest: [solemnly] We now commit this soul to the flames, that it may be thereby cleansed, and that his ashes may help fertilize this arboretum which he so loved.
208 SOUND: more bells
209 SOUND: door buzzer
210 Human Computer: Mayor, your advisor has arrived.
211 Renata: You have a lovely voice, computer.
212 Human Computer: Thank you, mayor. I was fortunate the former mayor allowed you to provide my voice print.
213 Renata: Well, let him in.
214 SOUND: door opens and closes
215 Ex-mayor: You locked the door?!
216 Renata: A simple security precaution, given recent events.
217 SOUND: door opens again, footsteps enter, door closes behind lines
218 Ex-mayor: Wait, what’s *he* doing here… and why did the door open for *him*?
219 Renata: Bio-metric identification, he was expected. Welcome, detective Ahmadi.
220 Ahmadi: Mayor, what’s this about?
221 Renata: I wanted to let you know I’ve reinstated you as a detective.
222 Ex-mayor: [furious] You… what?! You can’t! I mean, you… why?! How could you?!
223 Renata: [calmly with barely-concealed amusement] Behave yourself, advisor.
224 Ex-mayor: This is an outrage! I… I just won’t stand for this! Your mother will hear about this!
225 SOUND: ex-mayor storms out
226 Renata: [laughing slightly at her father’s impotent outrage] I’m sure she’ll get a good laugh out of it too!
227 Ahmadi: What’s this about? Why’ve you reinstated me?
228
Renata:
A lot of reasons. For what it’s worth, I agreed with your decision to save Larissa Flint.
Bringing a political opponent into the fold helps establish unity. And I needed a quick way to show my father his place. He needs to know I won’t be his puppet. But also, while you may dislike me, you dislike my father more. You'll tell me things the people closer to him won't.
229 Ahmadi: And what about Detective Saetang?
230 Renata: Given recent events, I’m sure we agree it’s time for us to have *two* detectives. You can go now, Detective Ahmadi.
231 Ahmadi: Yes mayor, thank you mayor.
232 SOUND: Ahmadi walks out, door closes
233 Renata: Computer, put me through world-wide in ten seconds.
234 Human Computer: World-wide broadcast will begin in five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One.
235
Renata:
Citizens, this is your mayor speaking. Many of you feel frightened right now. I understand that. As a community, we’ve just been through a terrible trauma which divided us against each other. We’ve faced the possibility of a societal breakdown, and nothing is more frightening than that when you’re in interstellar space relying on all systems running smoothly to keep you alive.
But we got through it, and we’re stronger for it. We’ve gained a new understanding of how precious peace and stability is, and of how to achieve it. I’m honored that you’ve selected me to lead us into this new era.
None of us got everything we wanted. We compromised for the greater good, for peace. Disappointment is part of any democratic process.
We’re no longer pursuing the mission we’ve been dedicated to our whole lives, the mission which our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents were dedicated to. I feel a profound sadness about being the mayor who must preside over the abandonment of the mission. And I know many of you feel the same about that, or about not returning to Earth. But the people have chosen a new mission for us, a mission of open-ended exploration of our galaxy. We must set aside our regrets and dedicate ourselves to this new mission.
Right now, none of us knows where we’re going. We don’t even know how fast we’ll be going there, whether it’ll be the centuries we’re used to expecting or the mere decades Chief Mech Peters believes we’ll be able to travel the stars in. We may spend the rest of our lives in the Oort cloud or we may find ourselves passing a multitude of planets and discovering new alien life. None of us knows what the future holds, we can only expect the unexpected. But I do know that by coming together again as a community we’ll be ready to face every challenge and seize every opportunity.
236 SOUND: closing theme
237 Announcer: You've been listening to Two Fifty-Three Mathilde, episode seven - Choices. Created, written, produced and directed by Paul Knierim. Chief Mech Salish Peters is David Loftus. Jesús Maradona was Matt Ellis. Detective Aranya Saetang is Sova Reign. Mayor Renata Mutombo is Kathleen Li. Judge Lee is Rachel Pulliam. Doctor Stone is John Gaunce. Detective Arash Ahmadi is Paul Knierim. Apprentice Mech Larissa Flint is Lindsay Townsend. Ambassador One is Microsoft Azure neural voice Eric. The ex-mayor is Roger Arnold. Communications Chief Hu Jia is Steph X. Doctor Peters is Ahmad A.J. Joudeh. Marissa Flint is Virginia Hargrove. The human computer is Kathleen Li. Ambassador Five is the espeak speech synthesizer. Sanders is Erin Suminsby. Maradona's mother was ???. The priest is David Nagel. The announcer is Erin Suminsby. Sound effects and music courtesy free sound dot org and free p d dot com. Additional music by audionautix dot com. This program is licensed for free reuse and redistribution. Hear more episodes at quietplease dot org slash two fifty-three.
238 Ahmadi: Thank you for listening to the first season of 253 Mathilde. If you’d like it to return for another season, please share and rebroadcast it widely (remember it's licensed for you to do as you like with, play it on your own channel or include it as part of your own podcast or upload it to your own website). Please rate 253 Mathilda on podcasting services and like it on youtube to help more people discover it. If you have any feedback about the series, please send it to me through the form on the website.