The Magnus Archives - RQ Network Feed Drop – The Penumbra Podcast “Juno Steel”

Episode Date: July 11, 2025

This month we are featuring a feed drop from The Penumbra Podcast one of the brilliant shows on the RQ Network. This episode is called “Juno Steel and the Time Gone By (Part 1)” and is from the 2nd season of Juno steel, a sci-fi noir, queer cult classic which follows the adventures of Juno Steel a sharp-witted private eye on Mars dealing with a myriad of cases from politicians, to police, crime lords, mad anthropologists and more...Introduction and outro by Billie Hindle.   You can listen to the next exciting episode of The Penumbra Podcast by clicking on this link, or by searching for The Penumbra Podcast wherever you find podcasts, on the Rusty Quill website and at www.thepenumbrapodcast.com If you would like to support the creators of The Penumbra and access behind-the-scenes content like production scripts, commentaries, blooper reels, and more you can find more information at The Penumbra Podcast: Special Edition.On staff at the Penumbra:Ginny D'Angelo -- Head of OperationsMelissa DeJesus -- Script editorHarley Takagi Kaner -- Co-creator, Head of Episode Development, Director, Sound designerGrahame Turner -- Script editorKevin Vibert -- Co-creator, Head of Operations, Lead writerRyan Vibert -- Composer and performer of original musicThis episode's cast:Joshua Ilon as Juno SteelAlexander Stravinski as JacketSarah Gazdowicz as BuddyChloe Cunha as VespaWilliam Schuller as RasbachTranscript:A transcript of the spoken lines in this episode can be found here. Content Warnings:Sudden loud noisesDepictions of xenophobia and classismSlavery and forced incarcerationGunfire and explosionsAlcohol useViolence and threats of violenceDeathClaustrophobic spacesBlood and goreDepictions of extreme illness (both physical and mental)Violence towards animal-like monstersAttributions:Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcodeFor a full list of music and sound attributions please see the notes on the original episode release here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone, it's Billy Hindle here. Today we are sharing an episode from one of the brilliant podcasts on the RQ network, the Penumbra podcast. This episode is called Juno Steel and the Time Gone By Part 1 and is from the second season of Juno Steel, a sci-fi noir queer cult classic which follows the adventures of Juno Steel, a sharp-witted private eye on Mars, dealing with a myriad of cases from politicians to police, crime lords, mad anthropologists and more. Find other brilliant episodes in this series by searching for the Penumbra podcast wherever you listen to

podcasts. Click the link in the show notes or find more information at rustyquill.com or theenumbraPodcast.com. Have fun and enjoy the episode! Caution, radiation detected at fatal levels. Turn back. Turn back. User safety tip. This is a very bad idea. Suggestion, activate Thayer Global Map to search for shelter. Caution. I cannot act without user permissions. User permissions are needed. Awaiting user permissions.

You appear to be punching your own face. Would you like some help with that? Just shut up. For your safety, I do not recommend you lie down in this location. Reporting potential threats active as of last user scam. Threat 1, a massive sandstorm. Threat 2, fatal radiation. Threat 3, this area of the desert is recognized by the Martian Wildlife Foundation as a protected breeding ground for peepers. I said shut up! Playing previously downloaded information on peepers.

Native only to the northern deserts of Mars, peepers went uncaptured and unresearched for several centuries after their discovery. Above ground, peepers resemble colonies of small, tunneling creatures which pop into and out of the ground and make a noise not unlike Earth's groundhogs or meerkats. Researchers assumed these creatures to be individual organisms until 300 years ago, when the first peeper was successfully brought into captivity. And those small rodent-like structures were discovered to be the sensory organs of a much larger subterranean predator.

It took you long enough. Hey. Hey, you. Go away, I'm busy. Hey, what the hell are you doing? Put me down, you... What the hell? I know you. A correction. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm away, I'm busy. Hey, what the hell are you doing? Put me down! You... What the hell?

I know you. A correction. I know you. I have been told it is important to speak accurately when beginning a business transaction. Brown jacket, tough skin, broad shoulders, dark hard eyes that look like they'd draw blood if you got too close. This guy had been stalking me since what felt like a lifetime ago back in Hyperion, and if I'd been scared of him then, seeing him up close only made it clearer how easily those

big scarred hands could snap my neck. My name's Juno Steel, and I'm... just a guy who wanders into near certain death in the desert and then gives the glad eye to his probable killer. You know, saying that out loud a lot of criticisms I've taken over the earth suddenly make a lot more sense. My hover cycle's radiation shield is only active when the engine is running, which means I'm going to go now, and you're going to come with me. You were watching me before the museum and before the subway, you were watch-

No, no, look, I'm done. If you want to spy on me, that's fine, but I don't care. I'm doing this on my own. Dying? That's- not necessarily the plan, but if that's the last move I can make solo, then sure, that. He'll find you, you know. What? The one who gave you that eye. Have you activated it recently?

Not for a few hours, but- Then he has your location. He will find you and whatever's left of your mind once the radiation's done with it. Unless you come with me. Yeah, why should I? I know how to remove that cyber eye from your head. I know how to set you free. You can get in the sidecar when you're ready.

Good. You should have strapped in. sidecar when you're ready. Good. You should have strapped in. Not until you tell me where we're going. Of course! Another man of mystery! Listen, I've really had enough of these, so if you can't even tell me where we're going, I'll... I'll tell you. I was just looking for a helmet in your size. What the... How many helmets do you keep in this bag? Like safety is important. We're going to see someone about a job. Very specific, thanks. Where? Where all of the most important jobs on Mars happen. A Cerberus province.

To be honest, I still wasn't convinced my mind hadn't gotten roasted. They say after one hour uncovered from the radioactive sun you start hallucinating, and after five it's time to say bye-bye to a good chunk of your brain. I've been out there... well, somewhere in between those two options. My watch said it had only been ninety minutes, but on the other hand I wasn't wearing a watch. So, do you have a good reason for walking out in the desert? Besides your death wish. Besides my what?

It's well documented. Documented where? How long have you been watching me? Is that how you found me out here? Hello? Hello. How long have you been? We're almost at the Cerberus province. Buddy will answer your questions when you speak with her.

If this job is not to your liking, well, back into the desert with you, and you die a free man. So it was out of the frying pan, into the biggest hideout of thieves and murders and outlaws in the solar system, I guess. We saw the volcanoes first. A ring of them, dusty and dormant, and then at the center of that ring... The lighthouse. What? The lighthouse activates at night, to guide ships to the spaceport beneath it. I hear before it was installed, more ships landed inside volcanoes than was acceptable. So like, one ship?

Would you like to research the number of ships- Shut up. I will not. Are you done throwing up now? It cannot be helping your radiation sickness to stay out here. I think- And if you vomit on my hover cycle, I cannot be helping your radiation sickness to stay out here. I think... And if you vomit on my hover cycle, I cannot be held responsible for what happens to you next. I think I'm good.

Get on then. The lighthouse was huge. An intricate crossing of plates and pipes that looked like somebody had spun a spiderweb from gold, then grabbed its center and pulled it up to scratch the clouds. It was even beautiful for a minute. Then I wondered if you could see the piranhas' body from up there, and it just made me feel sick. The lighthouse wasn't what I expected from the myths about some ramshackle pirate hideout hidden underneath the desert. According to the stories, the Cerberus province was more a meeting place than city, a nonstop

crime convention to trade business cards and thermonuclear weaponry. It didn't have a dome, after all. Living there long term would have been suicide. But the lighthouse didn't line up with the stories. Neither did the Cerberus province itself, once we slipped underground to see it. What the hell are all those? Do you mean the buildings or the tents? I don't know, both. Well, some are buildings, and some are tents.

I know that, I mean, look, that lady's drying sheets on a balcony. That's a grocery stand in a brick house. That guy's taking his clothes out of a laundromat. It is very dusty on Mars. Why do they live down here? Nobody lives down here. Nobody. Not by choice.

When we land, it is imperative that you stay close to me and not look too long at anyone else's property When he was done parking we walked out into the street The buildings and tents I'd seen from above were thick here people packed elbow to elbow vendors shouting into the streets You get so lost in a place like that you forget you're part of it until it reaches out and grabs you. Please, please, you will help me, you will help me, the ticket they give me, the ticket, it is false. The ticket, I, I, I don't-

I have monies on Susano, I am doctor. Do you know this place? Bank account, years, interest, thirty, I have, I have. Please, please, tomorrow, you will help me, you will help me. The woman was wearing a mask, but I knocked it crooked in my surprise and... underneath. Her skin... it... God, it looked so painful. Big plates of cracking charcoal crust on a plane of soft, raw, red and gray. She looked burned, or melting, or both. Long-term radiation damage. The kind of stuff they showed us in old Academy videos and promised we'd never actually see. That you'd have to be crazy to stay outside a dome

long enough to get it. All of a sudden I noticed there were people all over the street wearing masks like that. People by the dozens that must have been covered in those burns. And if that many people needed those masks, maybe crazy wasn't the problem. Then Brown Jacket grabbed me by the shoulder and kept me moving. Juno, we have to leave now. Monies I have, sir! Please, your vehicle, your vehicle!

What? I told you not to look too long at anyone else's property. P-property? What? Property? But... You're just gonna let them... But her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her...

Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her...

Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... Her... You're just gonna let that- I have no choice. That woman is finished. She took an illegal ride to the solar planets, became ill, and sold herself to live a few years longer. It is a common mistake. But her... skin... how long has she been paying?

I have seen similar surface-level symptoms manifest within two years. Surface-level... yeah. Sure, that sounds great. About five hours ago, getting too involved in a city's politics nearly killed you. Do you really want to make the same mistake so soon? I... No. No, I guess not. Good.

Now please, get in this dumpster. What? I'm afraid I must insist. Hey, hey, hey! Put me down! What the hell was that for? Have you used any of your eyes' special function since we entered the Cerberus province? What? I haven't- In interest of fairness, I should tell you that if you have, I will be forced to crush your head with this dumpster lid.

How is that any fair- Woah, woah, woah there! No, I haven't used it. You said that's how Ramses is going to track me, right? That is good. And yet we are being followed. What? Quiet. Listen. There is a figure behind me. Slight, wearing a black hood. Do you see their face? No, it's covered by a scarf. It could have just come in from outside. They've got sand all over-

Our clothes have sand, but not their boots. It's a disguise. We may have to relocate our meeting. I'm going to step into the shop and buy a large decaffeinated Jovian tea with two sugars. You'll stay here and watch to see what they do. Wait, is the tea some kind of code? What does it mean? It means I am thirsty. It is large because I am very thirsty and decaffeinated because I have a predisposition to addictive- Okay, yeah, I get it. Just go get your stupid tea. I'll

watch the road. Thank you. I had to hand it to Brown Jacket. He was right. As soon as we stopped moving our hooded tag along stopped too. She sat at a roadside stand and looked over the menu flipping pages too quickly to read them. I knew a tale when I saw one. Jacket came back out a minute later sucking down something that smelled like gasoline with two sugars. The deed is done.

What deed? Wow. Did you pay them to say that? No. I paid the other customer to translate anything they said as hood. But if this place has so many people from the Outer Rim... There are too many languages spoken on the Outer Rim to keep up with. We have large communities from Baldr. Yama.

Susano. Indeed. And besides, they lost. Now take these. Keys? When the commotion settles, you will remove yourself from the garbage, go down this alley, and take your second left. You will look for the analog lock that matches this key. And you will wait for me there. At the lighthouse. The lighthouse, really? You have the key to that big tower? Hey! Hey, where the hell are you going? To ensure the area is secure. Now be silent.

Dumpsters cannot speak in the serverless province. I did what the big guy told me to do. Waited a few minutes for the dust to settle, and when I was pretty sure nobody was watching me, I went down the alley. The lighthouse was on the edge of town, and the closer I got, the more radiation ravaged the place looked. But there were no warning signs, no more radiation ravaged the place looked. But there were no warning signs, no public health notices, just an advertisement. Feeling itchy? Hearing things? Gamma rays got you down? Visit the Cerberus Board of Fresh Starts for your blood filtration bracelet today. No down payment required. Sigh.

The, uh, lighthouse came soon after. The inside was a bar, dark wood, plush cushions. Even the dust looked nice, which was good because there was a hell of a lot of it. I helped myself to an unmarked, extremely potent looking bottle behind the bar and took a seat to examine it more closely with my eyes, mouth, and liver. Here's looking at you, Lighthouse. Seems like both of us are back from the grave. If you keep stealing my wares, darling, I'll return you to that grave myself.

That's ten thousand credits of fine liquor you've just spilled. A life like yours, I'd think you'd be a little more careful about putting yourself into debt with a stranger. Who the hell are you? The person you're here to meet. Now go get yourself a drink. I'll be taking this one. Hey, that was mine.

And now it isn't. It's nothing personal, darling. I just have a natural tendency towards envy, and I've always believed in doing what feels natural. Like now, for example. It feels natural for me to say I'll pay you the 10,000 credits you owe me if you shut up and get yourself a drink." The woman who'd just taken my drink was a bombshell.

By which I mean she looked extremely dangerous and made a hell of an entrance. She had big plumes of flame-red hair trailing over her neck and half her face and a dress so avant-garde I would have believed her if she said she got it next year. The first thing she did when she sat down was put a blaster on the table in front of her and in the process revealed she had another one, two knives, and what looked like a grenade strapped to her leg. She looked ready for a war. Hell, she looked ready to fight on both sides.

So you're the big guy's buddy? That's what he called me. His buddy. I'm sure he'll be disappointed to hear you disagree. I don't. It's just funny of him. Fine. You can call me the same. Buddy. Seems a little early for that.

I'm friendly. And him? He's not interested. No, I mean what's his- Besides, we aren't here to talk about him. We're here to talk about you. Juno Steele. Ex-cop, ex-patsy for Ramsey's o'flaherty. Currently extremely unemployed and not taking it very well.

You've got an eye problem, and I don't mean like glaucoma. You've just spent a few months being someone else's stooge, or 38 years, depending on how you count it, and you're just about ready to stooge stag. That's where we come in. What's the matter? Did I get any of that wrong? No, that's what's the matter. Oh, I'm sorry. Why don't you pour us both a drink and I'll try not to upset you so much, darling. What's the danger in just sitting and listening? No, you know what? I'm tired of listening. It's someone else's turn to listen.

Got it? The second it looks like you're trying to get me to do something I don't like, I'm walking out into the desert with a beach towel and no sunscreen. The second! Because I am not trading one smooth psychopath for another, you got me? I am not! I hear you. I'm stubborn, not deaf. Sit. There. Doesn't this feel so much more civilized? Gotta say, buddy, I kinda walked into the desert to get away from civilized.

I know. And that was a very big move. Made me act faster than I planned to, but you got lucky, and the position opened up a little earlier than expected. Position? That's why you've been watching me. Gainful employment. A lot to gain, too. Not walking into any more bad contracts or big debts.

And you don't have to. Like I said, I always keep my business partners happy, Juno. And unlike your two-bit former employer over at the Vixen Valley, I know that doesn't come by force. Father always said, there are only two ways to keep the chickens in the coop. Either build a big wall or make them never want to leave. Didn't think there were many farmers on Mars. He was a prison warden, actually. Incredibly popular with his inmates.

A bit less popular with dark matters. Rest in peace. Yes, I would assume the rest of him is in one piece, but we never found it. Regardless, Juno, my point. Scouting the talent I want is something I take very seriously, and you are only one name on a very, very long list. If you do not want this job, don't waste my time. The only reason you're here now is because I need three people. My third missed his flight to Mars. You happen to be available.

Wow, you sure do know how to make a lady feel special. I know how to make a special lady feel special. Maybe if you're very good, that'll be you. Now, a toast to a new and brighter future. No, no. I'm guessing we've both had entirely too much of that. To letting go. Moving on. Sure, to moving on. Now, the job. As I think you've already gathered, our work isn't exactly on the spotless side of the law.

My friend and I work in the craft of what we call relocation services. Which I'm guessing means you relocate other people's things to your pockets. My, you are quick. They aren't always things, but spot on. So is that what you need me for? Some kind of heist? No, no. The heist has been finished for weeks. It's the sale, darling. We need you to help us with the sale.

You want me to work the cash register on your black market deal? The sale is the most dangerous part of any job in the surface drugs. Where the hell did you come from? The door. Don't try and focus, Juno. Yes, the sale. This town is crawling with undercover law enforcement and people who expect you to do your work for free but don't feel like telling you ahead of time and neither sits particularly well with me. So, we're going to make certain we get paid or else we're not handing over anything. Yeah, okay. And speaking of which, what are we selling?

The sales in three hours in this bar. We've agreed to meet somewhere public which means within the next three hours we'll have to make this place public. We're opening it for business. We're... wait... you own the lighthouse? Just the first floor. I couldn't sell it if I wanted to, honestly. Too much radiation leaks in through the roof for anyone to want it. At any rate, once we open, my big friend is going to work the bar. You're going to play sad drunk at one of those tables by the door.

You will be drinking carbonated tea. Focus will be crucial. Sounds like a fun party. While the buyer and I make the exchange, you will watch the crowd and contact me on covertcoms if you notice anyone acting strangely. We take no chances here, do you understand? This is too important. Okay, but what do we sell- Hopefully it all goes off without a hitch and you get paid for sitting around and enjoying some tea. Then we'll show you how to remove that eye and you can decide whether this kind of work interests you. I feel like I could answer that question a lot faster for you if I knew what we were selling.

There's no need to get snippy Juno. You only needed to ask. Show him. We will be selling this briefcase. And what's inside the briefcase? oh that's none of your concern well if I wasn't concerned before I sure as hell am now listen I told you if you make me do any you listen thank you I understand the word of an outlaw probably doesn't mean much to you Juneau but it will mean even less if you don't let me finish a sentence you can't have it both ways you don't let me finish a sentence. You can't have it both ways.

You can't both know everything and live a life just for yourself. You understand that, don't you? If you aren't sure you want to stay here, then don't stay. Don't get involved. That's how a Hyperion hurt you, isn't it? I don't think that's your fault, of course. That's just what cities do. Once you get attached to somewhere or someone, you can't break apart without leaving some

of yourself behind. Where the hell is that sappy music coming from anyway? It's driving me nuts. What mi- Oh, that. Darling, would you? Thank you. Semi-autonomous music machines. They're all over the province and they all act like this. You'll tune them out eventually.

Alright, so you want me to watch the door while you make your trade-off, keep an eye out for anything suspicious? Don't use your eye. Yeah, thanks, I got that. Anything else? Just one thing. Give him his weapon. There's... no stun on this. Laser-proof vests are too common in these jobs. That will punch through them. So you just want me to kill someone just because you say so? I assure you that if anything goes wrong, he'll deserve it.

But... Then don't. Use your last few hours of freedom and walk to an early death in the desert based on the fear that something might go wrong, you might have to shoot, and the shot you fire might kill them. But those seem like silly odds to throw your life away on. My business and my past are my concerns, Juno. Just do the job and don't get involved. Then you go and do whatever it is you want to." Don't get involved. I kept repeating that to myself for the next three hours as we cleaned

the place up and opened the doors and let the crowd filter in. The gun was heavy in my pocket. I wished I'd taken my blaster off the piranha, but it was too late. She was gone. The whole life I'd known her in was gone. And meanwhile, in this life, the sale was just a few minutes away. I sat at my table by the door and watched the crowd mob the bar, a big guy toss drinks, and buddy schmooze like she knew everyone here personally. I've just received confirmation that he'll be here shortly. Anything strange on either of your ends?

Yeah, yeah, now that you mention it, I've been meaning to have a dermatologist take it. Do not complete this joke, Juno, or you will regret it. Okay? There is nothing over here. Juno? I listened into the crowd around me, all the faces and costumes of crime, and I didn't hear anything weird about them. But plenty about Buddy.

Buddy's back! A lighthouse! Has anyone seen Buddy? Buddy O'Rinko! All this time! Juno? Buddy O'Rinko. All this time. Juno?

Buddy O'Rinko. Hang on, is your name actually Buddy? That's what I told you to call me, isn't it? So what, is his name actually The Big Guy? That would be absurd. Then what is it? We are not there yet. We're not at names?

Quiet, you two. He's just come in the door. Do you see him, Juno? Uh, little guy, gray monosuit, kinda looks like he's allergic to light. That's the one. Doesn't look like a crime boss. Too nervous. Not a good sign. Experience suggests that that might just be his face, actually.

What was that? There you are, Mr. Rosbach. It's been too long. We spoke yesterday, I think. Yes, but you are late, and that does mean it's been too long, doesn't it? Oh, I see. You must excuse me, Miss Boddy. Both my tardiness and my uncomprehending, Solar is not my language initial. I'm only rousing you, Razzie.

You manage much better here than I would on Balder, I'm sure. Please sit. Would you like a drink? Two drinks? You'll have to forgive me for trying to upsell you, but a small business owner has to keep her claws sharp. It does not appear you starve of the business. Yesterday, this bar was not even in operation, and today... I've been away a long time, and I'm impatient. Surely you know how that is. I imagine you must miss Balder terribly. Is so. Is so.

And yet, there are the credits to be made in this planet solar, yes? A business top profitable. Do you know how it is to support a family, Miss Buddy? I pick my own family, Raz, and the first thing I make sure of is that they can support themselves. Perhaps is so here, but on the Outer Ream after the war this is not always possible. My planet men, they desperate, they take the first sheep from Balda they can find, they swallow the poisoning radiation, they need the health care to live, and so we give them this support. For the price. We support them.

Them support we. It's psychotop beautiful, I think. Do you mind if we get on with this? I have customers to attend to. Of course. Shall we show the wares? Watch the crowd Juno, this is the moment. I wanted to see what the hell was in that briefcase, but I tried to remember what Boddy told me.

It was none of my business, don't get involved. So instead I scanned the crowd, and that's when I saw her come in through the back door. Big Guy, our friend with the hood from earlier just showed up, didn't you say you lost her? What is she doing? So instead I scanned the crowd. That's when I saw her come in through the back door Big guy our friend with the hood from earlier just showed up. Didn't you say you lost her? What is she doing? Nothing yet? This is really the cure mother you have it now You pay me you take this and your group makes just oodles and oodles of money for you to send back to all the little orphans and victims and puppy dogs on Balder, or whatever your story is today. Do we even have children, Rassi, or is it all just a story? Does it affect our business, whether or not it is so?

I suppose not. Now the transaction. We will be using mycomps as agreed. Security transactional set to the audio, then the fingerprint. Are we ready? You read the bill of sale first, yes? Ensure there is no confusion. Alright. You see her, buddy? Ah, yes. Over by the music machine not moving.

Uh, what? Oh, forgive me, Razzie. A solar colloquialism. If something is, buy the machine and not move, that means it's straightforward. The money is to be transferred directly from your account to mine and the key to the cure of this briefcase from my account to yours. Oh, I have not heard this expression before. And you never will again. I, Buddy Orenko, consent to this transaction. And the fingerprint? Your turn.

Ah, thank you. She's moving. Buddy, you got someone coming right at you. I, Rozbach the eldest, agent acquisitional of the Cerberus Board of Fresh Starts- What's your game, Rozbach? My name? Miss Buddy, I was just saying. Finish it then, quickly. I consent to this transaction. There, it's done.

He did it? Really? It appears so, yes. Well, the business well done. Buddy, look out, she's right on top of you. Miss Buddy, it has been a ple- Rosbok! The hooded woman ran up behind Rosbok and without a sound a knife appeared in her hand.

Then it disappeared again, into Rasbach's back. Who? Who? You! Give me the briefcase! Stahler, we're on our way. Say where you are, the both of you. You don't have the key to this, what do you plan to do, break it open?

If you're real, just give it. If not, get out. You could damage what's inside if you do, and then what use will it be? You sound familiar. Do I know you? I said get out! Then they were really at it. Hood took quick jabs, lots of them, but Buddy was quick too, working that briefcase like a shield, too precious for her attacker to stab. It was a good defense, but Buddy's back was almost to the wall and it wasn't going to be good much longer.

So Buddy raised her gun to turn the tide, but with her focus split for just that half second, Hood slashed at her fingers with a knife. Some people would have kept the briefcase instead of their hand, I thought, but Buddy wasn't one of them. She let go and Hood had it before it hit the ground. My stomach and shooting hand hardened. Still the same old Juno steel, I thought. The Proctor, Swift, Pollock, Pilot, the Piranha, someone says shoot and I say who's next. The thought made me sick. I was tired. I was just so, so tired

of making the same old mistakes again and again. That was my way! So I made a new one instead. Move! No! What do you think you're doing Juno? Do you want her to stab you? Too late. Move or I'll kill you! Lady if you knew the kind of week I've had you'd

understand why that doesn't scare me much an emergency situation all customers must leave immediately the diversion was just enough to distract her for a second so I tried to take a swing at her she was too fast for me and my fingers missed her face but grabbed her scarf and she did not look bad. I could see why she covered herself, because she had a look too memorable for covert ops. Bright green hair and bright wild eyes, but I didn't know her. Buddy did though. Green hair looked back, panicked, her eyes darting.

She pulled so hard her sleeve came up and I saw it was on her wrist. A debtor's tag for indentured servants. Just like that outer rim woman in the market. And hers had something written on it. Vespa I-5. Vespa was in a cold sweat. She looked like she was going to be sick. Not real. You're not real! Vespa, it's you! I thought you were- You're not real! Vespa, it's you! I thought you were- You're not real! Get out of my head!

Vespa, come back! Buddy, she's gone. She can't be gone! I saw her! I swear, I saw her! You're gonna need to slow down a little for the murder victim by the door, buddy. Who the hell is Vespa? She's... a dead woman. I saw her die. But now she's... Vespa! Vespa! Should we follow them? That depends. Are you injured enough that running will cause your organs to fall out of your body? Not that bad, but pretty-

Then we hide the briefcase and herbach's corpse in the back room first. Then we follow. Quickly. We searched the streets for an hour, but Vespa was gone. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

Ow. You make that noise a lot, don't you? Oh, sorry, does it bother you? Don't mind me, I'm just the guy who's been playing peekaboo with his large intestine for the past hour. Ow. Ow. You said your organs would not fall out. It was a joke. Do big cavemen get joke? I do not know.

I have never met one. Stop it. Immediately. Where's the briefcase? We left it in the back room. I remember you saying that but it isn't here and neither is Rasbach. Well it seems our sale was completed after all. He took the cure mother? He didn't die? But more importantly we have the money. He couldn't take it even if he wanted to. Both

of us would have to consent to another transaction. All sales final. So it's done. The sale is done. It sounds like it worked out, right? Do business with a glorified slave trader once, then wash my hands of it for good. That was the plan. So yes, everything went according to plan, but...

Vespa. Karma comes in all shapes, doesn't it? Buddy. Her deadest tag, Juno. What number was on it? What? I know she had one. I've been thinking about it for an hour, and that's the only option that makes sense. Just tell me what it said. It was, uh, five. Five? Five years? I can't... Thank you for not shooting her, Juno.

I've already lost her once, losing her again. I think that would be the end of me. The number on the Daedder's Tag is the number of years they've been... owned. Vespa has been in the Cerberus province without rest for five years. It's a miracle that the radiation hasn't killed her, unless... five years. Vespa, where have you been?" You could tell from the look in Buddy Orinko's eyes that the number of years wasn't what bothered her. It could have been five months or five weeks or five minutes and all it would have amounted

to was the same thing. She felt hope and she was terrified of it. The presumed dead were walking in the Cerberus province. And that was a nightmare. Because there's peace when hope finally dies, when it stops moving and you can nail the coffin shut. Buddy looked like she'd won that piece the hard way. But there was movement in that coffin now, something pounding the lid from the inside, and if the old hope was so hard to bury the first time, who knew what kind of damage it

could do the second?