[ Hickey is not as impressed by the Behemoth as Ashford. He understands the importance of it, the marvel of a true Belter ship, but it's no warship, no matter how many guns they've attached to it. It's a hodgepodge thing, grand in significance but not in style. Style will be crucial if they expect the Inners to take them seriously.
"It's a tradition."
"Can I say no?"
"No."
Hickey hangs back as his captain and Drummer square off. He busies himself observing, eyes darting as he takes stock of the construction zone of a shuttle bay. Another point against the ship. He doubts the UNN and MCRN ships need to build themselves on the go like this. They're the tag-along little sibling, aren't they?
At least hearing Harari's dressing down brightens his mood a little.
Drummer and Nagata head off and the rest of the Tynan crew disperse to settle in. Hickey's eyes follow Harari as he goes. Off to lick his wounds, no doubt. Pathetic.
But Hickey doesn't leave. Instead, he falls into place next to Ashford. It's a casual movement, but he's waiting for a command. ]
[Camina Drummer. All the way from the docks on Ceres to captain of the jewel of the Belter fleet. That she should be a captain, undeniable. Captain of the Behemoth? Yet to be seen.
He keeps his pace easy but purposeful, his demeanor one that belies a confidence and experience he doesn't need to prove. After all, his reputation precedes him and if anyone hasn't gotten the message they'll learn quick. In fact it might be fun if someone wanted to try him. He's invigorated by the Belter ingenuity inherent in the Behemoth, the sweat and blood of turning Earther and Martian scraps into Belter strength, and it prickles along his nerves. A fight could be a good release.]
She has some good people.
[He juts a chin specifically in the direction of Nagata. By 'good' he means skilled. And by skilled he means potential trouble if push comes to shove. He trusts Hickey takes his meaning.]
[ First time captain? His eyebrows tick up. That's new information. Hickey knows Drummer, at least in passing from their brief overlap working for Dawes on Ceres, but he hasn't exactly kept up with her career. ]
Quite a ship for a new captain.
[ He's heard of Nagata, too. It'd be impossible not to these days, but there, he did his homework. She is good people, and he's already thinking she could be trouble when Ashford hints as such.
Drummer may have shifted allegiances, but she's still OPA through and through. A Belter. Last Hickey heard, Nagata runs with Inners. She left the cause, and now wants back in. Why? And why is she acting like Drummer's second in command? ]
Ya. Flying with the famous James Holden and the Rocinante.
[He clicks his jaw, the ragged skin of his burns growing taut then slackening. It's as though he's deciding whether to spit out a rotten piece of meat or swallow it back.]
[ Her loyalties. With a record like that, does she have any, he wonders? Regardless, the information gets a nod. He'll keep an eye on her.
At the question... He huffs out a laugh, grinning, though his eyes drop. It's obviously a sore subject still, though more for practicality than sentimentality. Most of his network was wiped out in one go.
Granted, it's also an odd feeling, knowing the station he grew up in is just... gone. Wiped from reality entirely, leaving no hint that it ever existed in the first place. ]
Two that I know of. Maybe a couple more. No one has heard from them, but they were never easy to get in touch with.
[ He's been trying, but his best contacts were already ghosts. If they made it off of Eros, who knows where they wound up? ]
Canterbury. Donnager. Eros Station... Nagata was there. She and the crew of the Rocinante.
[Impossible to believe it is just a run of bad luck. Two utterly obliterated ships with only James Holden and his crew as survivors and then the devastation of an entire station.]
Now she is here when Belters have a real warship.
[Why leave the Rocinante?]
And... she has made sure she is very close to the captain.
[Objective: minimize Naomi Nagata's access to and influence on Camina Drummer.]
[ He says it quietly, aware that they're surrounded by said warship's crew. It's an insulting question given his skepticism, but it's also an earnest one. The Behemoth may be progress, but Ashford can't think they'd be able to match pace with Earth and Mars in a fight, right?
Regardless of their differing opinions there, Hickey understands the orders. He expects to strike out with his contacts—Tozer is difficult to reach on Callisto and Gibson... will probably just ignore his messages. Running interference between Nagata and Drummer, though? That he can do. ]
Before the Rocinante, I heard she did good work on the Cant. Chief engineer on a ship like this got to be a big job. Mi pensa she could use the help.
[ And why not eek something for himself out of it, while he's at it? He'd like to be able to do more than slapdash repairs. ]
[Ashford turns heel and comes around so that his shoulder now blocks Hickey's way forward. His expression hard, intense.]
And it is our warship. For the Belt. Made with Belter hands.
[He slaps a hand against his own chest for emphasis.]
Belter blood.
[He lets the tenseness hang a moment, lets the sound of machinery and cussing workers and the smell of oil and steam fill that space before, with an amused huff, he grins.]
Better still we take the money right out of th'Earther pockets.
[He turns and begins on their original direction, his demeanor once again easy and sure.]
You are disappointed.
[He asks it casually but he won't pretend it's not a baited statement. He's not trying to be subtle. Hickey intrigues him. Young, ambitious. Impressive. But at times Ashford feels Hickey's seriousness, his specific breed of seriousness, gets in the way of vision.
[ Hickey stops just short of running into Ashford, surprised by the sudden shift. It's been a while since the captain has reprimanded him like this. He'd be angry about it, save for the fact that Ashford doesn't make a show of it. Their conversation is private, despite the bodies moving around them.
And really, Ashford does answer his question. It's a more idealist lens than Hickey can bring himself to adopt completely, but for a moment, he does see the grandeur of it all. A Belter ship, through and through, with Earth footing the bill. Not bad.
But not great, either. Hickey wants greatness. They've more than earned it. ]
It is an impressive ship.
[ He doesn't argue that he's not disappointed, though. He lets Ashford lead for a few steps before cautiously following, finding his place next to him again.
Then, he's silent for a moment. He's choosing his words carefully. ]
The Xuesen and the Thomas Prince are impressive, too. Built to be warships.
[ He shrugs. ]
Imagine what Belter hands could do if we na have to convert one thing into another. This ship is a step forward, yeah, but we're still feeding on scraps.
You know what Dawes would say to that. Scraps im gut for making strong stomachs.
[A worker pushes gun crates past them and Ashford's eye briefly follows.]
You want better things for the Belt. It is good to want that. But remember to celebrate our victories now. No sasa ke you gonya make it to the future you are dreaming of.
[He gestures with a broad sweeping motion]
The mormons they planned to use this ship to dig in the dirt.
[ His jaw sets. Ashford is right, and Hickey knows it. He should be eager to celebrate this victory, as well as his place in it. If he wants to climb the ladder, this is the best place to do it. The Belt's future lies within this ship.
Still. He wishes that vision was more evident in the reality.
He holds up his hands, conceding. ]
I'll celebrate when we plant our flag on that ring, keya? Then it's a new life.
[ Their warship isn't worth much if it can't earn them a seat at the table. ]
Since when do the Inners respect a rightful claim?
[ Obviously the ring should belong to the Belt, but "should" means very little in this life.
But he laughs too. Ashford is not wrong. Hickey follows him into the elevator. ]
Could say the same about Harrari. What's his history with Nagata?
[ He knows they crossed paths during that whole mess with Cortazar, but not the details. Then again, maybe there's nothing more to that story. Diogo is a pain in the ass even when he's an ally. ]
[Hickey's disdain for Diogo amuses Ashford. In part because Ashford doesn't appreciate being used as a babysitter for one of Dawes' Ceres strays and letting him take up food and fuel meant for his own handpicked crew. In other part because he knows how much Harari simply getting escorted right on to the Tynan and now the Behemoth with no qualifications or experience to show for it must prick at Hickey each day he has to see him.]
As far as I know they were both at Thoth Station.
[Though the details of what went down there have been vague at best.]
Then Dawes found him. A convenient distraction for taking Cortazar.
[But now Dawes has little to no use for Diogo, untrained and untempered as he is, but he also can't risk him being set loose.]
Another street kid from Ceres with too much balls and no brains.
[ He huffs out a dismissive laugh from his nose. ]
Of course he's from Ceres.
[ On that station, even a street kid is privileged in Hickey's mind. No wonder Dawes moved him right up the chain and sent him along now. Stupidity is fertile ground for blind obedience, in the right hands. When Hickey looks at Harari, he sees the man he would've needed to reduce himself to if he had stayed on that path. It reaffirms that he made the right decision—he prefers Ashford and the Tynan, anyway—but he's sharply aware that he deserves what Diogo's been so casually handed. With that comes jealousy. ]
I'd like to hear Nagata's side of that story. Whatever that was just now sounded personal.
[ He wonders if Ashford meant everything he said about her when he intervened, but he knows better to ask here. In the elevator, they're likely being recorded. ]
[Ashford's voice is steady, low. He too is a product of Ceres. A byproduct of its poverty, its crowding, its violence.]
Ceres [He breathes out slowly] is like a liver. It filters out the sick and the toxic. The waste. But just like anything of the flesh, it is fallible. Some things manage to get through.
[Diogo.]
Nagata and Diogo have a lot in common. They seem to find themselves on a lot of different teams.
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spotsalone) wrote2025-05-29 12:34 am
the behemoth; approaching the ring
"It's a tradition."
"Can I say no?"
"No."
Hickey hangs back as his captain and Drummer square off. He busies himself observing, eyes darting as he takes stock of the construction zone of a shuttle bay. Another point against the ship. He doubts the UNN and MCRN ships need to build themselves on the go like this. They're the tag-along little sibling, aren't they?
At least hearing Harari's dressing down brightens his mood a little.
Drummer and Nagata head off and the rest of the Tynan crew disperse to settle in. Hickey's eyes follow Harari as he goes. Off to lick his wounds, no doubt. Pathetic.
But Hickey doesn't leave. Instead, he falls into place next to Ashford. It's a casual movement, but he's waiting for a command. ]
She'll be a good captain, ke?
[ Drummer. Do we like her? ]
no subject
Eh, first time captain.
[Camina Drummer. All the way from the docks on Ceres to captain of the jewel of the Belter fleet. That she should be a captain, undeniable. Captain of the Behemoth? Yet to be seen.
He keeps his pace easy but purposeful, his demeanor one that belies a confidence and experience he doesn't need to prove. After all, his reputation precedes him and if anyone hasn't gotten the message they'll learn quick. In fact it might be fun if someone wanted to try him. He's invigorated by the Belter ingenuity inherent in the Behemoth, the sweat and blood of turning Earther and Martian scraps into Belter strength, and it prickles along his nerves. A fight could be a good release.]
She has some good people.
[He juts a chin specifically in the direction of Nagata. By 'good' he means skilled. And by skilled he means potential trouble if push comes to shove. He trusts Hickey takes his meaning.]
no subject
Quite a ship for a new captain.
[ He's heard of Nagata, too. It'd be impossible not to these days, but there, he did his homework. She is good people, and he's already thinking she could be trouble when Ashford hints as such.
Drummer may have shifted allegiances, but she's still OPA through and through. A Belter. Last Hickey heard, Nagata runs with Inners. She left the cause, and now wants back in. Why? And why is she acting like Drummer's second in command? ]
Nagata was on Eros. What she doing here?
no subject
[He clicks his jaw, the ragged skin of his burns growing taut then slackening. It's as though he's deciding whether to spit out a rotten piece of meat or swallow it back.]
We find out her loyalties.
[A glance at Hickey]
You have any contacts still alive from Eros?
no subject
At the question... He huffs out a laugh, grinning, though his eyes drop. It's obviously a sore subject still, though more for practicality than sentimentality. Most of his network was wiped out in one go.
Granted, it's also an odd feeling, knowing the station he grew up in is just... gone. Wiped from reality entirely, leaving no hint that it ever existed in the first place. ]
Two that I know of. Maybe a couple more. No one has heard from them, but they were never easy to get in touch with.
[ He's been trying, but his best contacts were already ghosts. If they made it off of Eros, who knows where they wound up? ]
no subject
[Impossible to believe it is just a run of bad luck. Two utterly obliterated ships with only James Holden and his crew as survivors and then the devastation of an entire station.]
Now she is here when Belters have a real warship.
[Why leave the Rocinante?]
And... she has made sure she is very close to the captain.
[Objective: minimize Naomi Nagata's access to and influence on Camina Drummer.]
no subject
[ He says it quietly, aware that they're surrounded by said warship's crew. It's an insulting question given his skepticism, but it's also an earnest one. The Behemoth may be progress, but Ashford can't think they'd be able to match pace with Earth and Mars in a fight, right?
Regardless of their differing opinions there, Hickey understands the orders. He expects to strike out with his contacts—Tozer is difficult to reach on Callisto and Gibson... will probably just ignore his messages. Running interference between Nagata and Drummer, though? That he can do. ]
Before the Rocinante, I heard she did good work on the Cant. Chief engineer on a ship like this got to be a big job. Mi pensa she could use the help.
[ And why not eek something for himself out of it, while he's at it? He'd like to be able to do more than slapdash repairs. ]
no subject
[Ashford turns heel and comes around so that his shoulder now blocks Hickey's way forward. His expression hard, intense.]
And it is our warship. For the Belt. Made with Belter hands.
[He slaps a hand against his own chest for emphasis.]
Belter blood.
[He lets the tenseness hang a moment, lets the sound of machinery and cussing workers and the smell of oil and steam fill that space before, with an amused huff, he grins.]
Better still we take the money right out of th'Earther pockets.
[He turns and begins on their original direction, his demeanor once again easy and sure.]
You are disappointed.
[He asks it casually but he won't pretend it's not a baited statement. He's not trying to be subtle. Hickey intrigues him. Young, ambitious. Impressive. But at times Ashford feels Hickey's seriousness, his specific breed of seriousness, gets in the way of vision.
And in the way of life.]
no subject
And really, Ashford does answer his question. It's a more idealist lens than Hickey can bring himself to adopt completely, but for a moment, he does see the grandeur of it all. A Belter ship, through and through, with Earth footing the bill. Not bad.
But not great, either. Hickey wants greatness. They've more than earned it. ]
It is an impressive ship.
[ He doesn't argue that he's not disappointed, though. He lets Ashford lead for a few steps before cautiously following, finding his place next to him again.
Then, he's silent for a moment. He's choosing his words carefully. ]
The Xuesen and the Thomas Prince are impressive, too. Built to be warships.
[ He shrugs. ]
Imagine what Belter hands could do if we na have to convert one thing into another. This ship is a step forward, yeah, but we're still feeding on scraps.
no subject
[A worker pushes gun crates past them and Ashford's eye briefly follows.]
You want better things for the Belt. It is good to want that. But remember to celebrate our victories now. No sasa ke you gonya make it to the future you are dreaming of.
[He gestures with a broad sweeping motion]
The mormons they planned to use this ship to dig in the dirt.
[Then he taps at his temple]
Belter ingenuity has given her a new life.
no subject
Still. He wishes that vision was more evident in the reality.
He holds up his hands, conceding. ]
I'll celebrate when we plant our flag on that ring, keya? Then it's a new life.
[ Their warship isn't worth much if it can't earn them a seat at the table. ]
no subject
[He makes a gesture like crushing a clump of dirt in his palm.]
Xiya. Out here. This is ours.
[Coming to one of the elevators, Ashford laughs to himself]
Inners out here are like a kid discovering his cock for the first time.
no subject
[ Obviously the ring should belong to the Belt, but "should" means very little in this life.
But he laughs too. Ashford is not wrong. Hickey follows him into the elevator. ]
Could say the same about Harrari. What's his history with Nagata?
[ He knows they crossed paths during that whole mess with Cortazar, but not the details. Then again, maybe there's nothing more to that story. Diogo is a pain in the ass even when he's an ally. ]
no subject
As far as I know they were both at Thoth Station.
[Though the details of what went down there have been vague at best.]
Then Dawes found him. A convenient distraction for taking Cortazar.
[But now Dawes has little to no use for Diogo, untrained and untempered as he is, but he also can't risk him being set loose.]
Another street kid from Ceres with too much balls and no brains.
no subject
Of course he's from Ceres.
[ On that station, even a street kid is privileged in Hickey's mind. No wonder Dawes moved him right up the chain and sent him along now. Stupidity is fertile ground for blind obedience, in the right hands. When Hickey looks at Harari, he sees the man he would've needed to reduce himself to if he had stayed on that path. It reaffirms that he made the right decision—he prefers Ashford and the Tynan, anyway—but he's sharply aware that he deserves what Diogo's been so casually handed. With that comes jealousy. ]
I'd like to hear Nagata's side of that story. Whatever that was just now sounded personal.
[ He wonders if Ashford meant everything he said about her when he intervened, but he knows better to ask here. In the elevator, they're likely being recorded. ]
no subject
[Ashford's voice is steady, low. He too is a product of Ceres. A byproduct of its poverty, its crowding, its violence.]
Ceres [He breathes out slowly] is like a liver. It filters out the sick and the toxic. The waste. But just like anything of the flesh, it is fallible. Some things manage to get through.
[Diogo.]
Nagata and Diogo have a lot in common. They seem to find themselves on a lot of different teams.