Variations on a Theme

"Variations on a Theme" is the third mini episode of the podcast. It was released 5 October 2015.
== Episode Description ==
Captain Lovelace goes forwards and backwards in time. 
== Plot Summary ==
Lovelace reflects on the way things are different and the ways they have stayed the same between her first mission and this one. She shows confusion at distinguishing between the previous mission and the current one, correcting herself that she gets an update from Hera rather than Rhea. She also notices the similarities, the way she is aiming for the same goal, the way she has said the same thing so many times, even the way Hui and Eiffel both like the same joke, when they both had Decima.
As we listen it becomes more clear that these are her thoughts, rather than her speaking aloud, and we see how truly dark her thoughts are. She believes Hera hates her and only her programming forces her to be polite and not say what she thinks. She is caught up in shuttle repairs, all the things that need to occur, the fact that she feels like she needs to save everybody. 
There are many repetitions, especially of “Be a big girl.” and “Don’t die.” giving insight to how she is facing each day. She also notes that she is not getting much sleep, with 4 hours being “sleep high score,” due to being troubled by nightmares. She feels like the new crew is the same as the old, and repeats several times that everything changes but it also stays the same. The only thing that doesn’t change is Hilbert. She wonders if he feels guilt for what he did, but she tries to refocus on what she needs to get done. 
She also expresses self doubt. That she’s a different person than she was on the first mission and that she can’t save people and get home. She says she has no friends, trust, or safety on this mission, but she does have a bomb and a goal that needs to get done.
== External links ==
* Listen on Libsyn.
* Official Script.
Category:Episodes
Category:Mini Episodes