Juno Steel and the Haunting of the Terrible Trio (Part 2)

Arc poster by Ellison Estephan.

**Juno Steel and the Haunting of the Terrible Trio (Part 2)** is the fifth Juno Steel episode of The Penumbra Podcast season 4, and the seventh overall. It was released December 21, 2021.

## Overview

In the basement of superstar writer Mick Mercury's mansion, in which an old friend has risen from the grave.

### Trigger Warnings

* Sudden loud noises
* Death and descriptions of death
* Kidnapping
* Deception and gaslighting
* Violence
* Parental abuse
* Depictions of alcoholism
* Body horror
* Violence towards animals (described)

## Episode Summary

As Juno Steel and Mick Mercury talk, it becomes apparent that Mick has trusted his personal assistent, Miss Germane, with all his communication and payments. Juno determines that she and the staff she brought with her, Ricky, Sammy, and Marty, are actually pirates who have convinced Mick of a false threat to his life so they can occupy the mansion while he lives in the basement.

Mick isn't especially upset. He doesn't mind his "staff" stealing his money, because he has enough for essentials and has already paid for Wilco's resurrection by a designer pet business. Juno doubts that it's really Wilco, who was killed in a gang war when they were kids. Mick goes on to explain that he kept Wilco's body in an industrial freezer from his dad's failed restaurant. With the body intact, Mick says cybernetic enhancements did the rest. Juno asks Mick whether it worries him that the technology that previously mind-controlled him is being reproduced by multiple companies and being applied with increasing accessibility. Mick agrees, but that's a problem out of his league. As much as it scares him, he's excited to have his dog back.

Juno, narrating, realizes that it's the first time in years *he's* been the one who needs help. Mick says he'll gladly do anything, as long as it doesn't involve killing the pirates, who he likes. Juno protests that nobody suggested killing anyone in the first place, while Mick continues to protest, before suggesting that they fake a haunting to get the pirates out of the house. Juno laughs that they have a zombie (Wilco) and a poltergeist (the Ruby Seven). As ridiculous as the idea is, he thinks it'll work. He and Mick set out to lay a trap.

MIck interrupts the three henchmen plotting to find Juno, and chats with them about hovercycle racing, his own criminal record, and how glad he is that he doesn't believe in ghosts. After all, the Dollhouse Manor was once owned by a serial killer who lured in criminals, and when she died, she laid a curse on the house. Any criminals who enter the house will see scary things and ultimately die in the house. He then puts on a performance, pretending he's seen a ghostly car in the hallway, before collapsing on the floor, clutching his chest. Marty checks on him, concerned, but all three see and hear Ruby themselves for the first time, and flee in terror to another room. There, Mick pretends to be a ghost accompanied by zombie dog Wilco, scaring them into the garden.

Miss Germane confronts Juno and Mick at blaster point, and she reveals that she's the "legendary" space pirate Arcana Lately. Unfortunately for her, neither of them has actually heard of her. She was retired for almost forty-five years, but has come out of retirement "to do a favor, and for one last score." Juno baits her, allowing Mick to seize the blaster. The three henchmen return, calling Lately their "mommy." They're not just a crew, but a family business of pirates.

Juno, narrating, regrets that he'd let the confidence he gained while on the Carte Blanche convince him nobody short of Dark Matters can bring him down. He's embarrassed to have underestimated the Lately family. Mick drops the gun to convince Arcana to explain why she feels she is "running out of time" to help her children make enough to retire on as well. She explains, after some hesitation, that in her day, it was possible for space pirates to be smart and stay away from Dark Matters' pirorities. But since the new director took over, Arcana has been hearing whispers. In a month, Dark Matters is planning a demonstration to end the age of space piracy. And Arcana will do anything to protect her babies. Juno snarkily asks whether she takes constructive criticism on her parenting style.

Mystery solved, Mick asks whether she was sincere when she called the Dollhouse Manor story creepy. Juno groans, realizing that Mick made up the story and posted the Net article himself. It's a multimedia tie-in with his new Boldcrown Gang story. He's even thinking about selling reproductions of the manor, called "Mick-Mansions." Juno is surprised, considering that this story has nothing to do with their childhoods, and as the Latelys ask whether other stories really happened, Juno realizes that only the first story Mick wrote had anything to do with them. The rest really were made up.

The younger Latelys start to cry at the thought of having to leave Mick, who insists they can keep working for him. They lean in for a group hug, as Juno mutters that they were *just* trying to kill him. Arcana and Juno have a brief conversation about unconditional love, ending in her noting that Mick is one of Juno's special people, and she'll make sure they can meet tomorrow morning.

Juno and Mick go to a diner for breakfast. Mick says that he can tell Juno's more upset than he is during a usual fight with Sasha. Juno agrees that there's no coming back from this one, and Mick says he doesn't feel a need to know what she did. He figures the whole galaxy will come down on her sooner or later. She doesn't have any more family or friends left, except for them. Mick doesn't think Juno should forgive her, but Mick feels like he owes it to Sasha to be the one person in her corner. He asks whether Juno will still be his friend if he does that, and Juno agrees, on the condition that Mick doesn't tell Sasha about Wilco. Mick agrees, adding that he'll keep Juno's secrets and help him if he can, too.

Puck Falco enters the diner, orders, and reminds Mick who they are. The three of them sit down for a meeting. Puck says Mick's personal assistant transferred creds to Puck and Juno on Mick's behalf. Puck has used some of the money to investigate the whereabouts of an old friend, who they buy a gift every year. Usually discontinued snack foods. Juno realizes he means Rita. Recently, Puck tried to buy her Salmon Creamies, and discovered every store was out of stock. Following this lead, they discovered the buyer used a very clever code to arrange their delivery without leaving a trace of their address in the system. Puck, using Mick's money, has greased the right hand to get the code. Puck and Juno listen to the translated message in Rita's voice, ordering snacks to a certain asteroid.

Juno, narrating, reflects that his priority has to be chasing Rita's present and help her, instead of continuing to investigate Peter Nureyev's past. So, eventually, he'll try the name his research has found linked to Nureyev's on the journal. But "Slip Jackson" will have to wait.

## Cast and Crew

### Cast

* Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel
* Chelsea Ruscio as Puck Falco
* Melissa Barker as Miss Germane|Arcana Lately
* Kiki Samko as Ricky Lately
* Lindsay Eagle as Sammy Lately
* William Schuller as Marty Lately
* Stefano Perti as Mick Mercury
* Kate Jones as Rita

## Trivia

* The designer pet industry on Mars was previously featured in Juno Steel and the Kitty-Cat Caper (Part 1).

## References

1. ↑ Juno Steel and the Soul of the People (Part 1)