Move 23 Recap

Ashari, Iawa, Sasha, Sulen, and Mikodez; messages with Kaliyan

Sulen trusses Mikodez more thoroughly, using the restraints in their pocket, and asks what room to hold him in. Sasha says that leaving him in the room that used to be hers is fine. The group discusses what to do about the water on the floor, and whether locking him in the bathroom is an option. Sulen is concerned that Mikodez might destroy the bathroom, and says, "I suppose if you restore the bed I can secure him to it until we're able to set up a more humane and secure containment." Sasha is uneasy; Sulen suggests that later they and Sasha can design a more secure holding cell together thinking, optimistically, "a shared task might create some much needed camaraderie." They ask Ashari how close the ship is to "takeoff". Ashari consults with Kaliyan and instructs her to leave the station.

Ashari, Iawa, Sasha, and Sulen leave the room. In the corridor, Sasha tells the others that she looked up the meaning of Crowned with Eyes: "The grid says in the future it belonged to a notorious murderer, Shuos Jedao. The Shuos usually just dispose of cadets who have it. I guess dumping him on us was the next best thing." She summarizes Jedao's career as "the lover of the Shuos hexarch" who ended up murdering an army of Kel whom he commanded using an exotic weapon: "I forget whether it was the one that opens mouths in the side of your body, or the one that turns your bones into paraffin." Ashari observes, "That's...pretty inexcusable even for a Shuos, yes. I would normally have thought that murdering people was right up their alley."

Sasha tells Ashari, "I should not have assumed Mishka was a willing agent. I regret providing you with incomplete information." She assumes Iawa is silently criticizing her; meanwhile, Iawa is trying to work out how signifiers that get their owners murdered would persist with any meaning other than "death wish and/or lethal need to be hated, punished, and ostracised". Ashari says to Sasha, "I appreciate you bringing the matter to my attention, even belatedly. But we can't afford more galloping adventures like this in the future. The foxling should have been better handled from the beginning. I can only imagine that Quill is laughing up her sleeves at us." Ashari says, "I understand. I'll take a look at the ship's automatic record-keeping once we enter the rift, and make sure you have control over any data relayed to Quill." She tugs at the emergency blanket around her shoulders. Ashari tells her to go dry off, with a combination of sympathy and disdain for her bedraggled state. Sasha retreats, deeply embarrassed. Sulen observes, "All these excitable young people are a little exhausting, aren't they?" They withdraw with Ashari, suggesting that Iawa might want to dry off as well.