Et tu, Brute? (Leviathan)

"Et tu, Brute?" is the eleventh episode of the second season of Leviathan: Distant Stars and the twenty-second episode in total.

## Summary

### Quiet

As the two groups that entered turn out to be the buyers and sellers she's after, Theea takes their orders and proceeds to put *Quiet* in the drinks, leaving the weakest-looking Sherpent's intact.

The plan keeps unfolding, with the caveat that the Treeko is Kika's son Tylo and her maternal instinct balks at his ~~poisoning~~ drugging. Theea leaves and waits outside the room, until yelling prods the crew to storm in. The brat's filial love proves amiss, as he shouts *Mom* and immediately shoots at Kika.

### Noise

Thanks to the *Quiet*, the ensuing fight rapidly turns to the crew's advantage and they fetch the Helm from its box. The crew storms out of the room, the baddies known as Scaly, Furry and the Human unconscious but stable; the Iratos a.k.a. Chicken, also stable and slightly plucked; the no-longer plucky Tylo firmly tucked under Xe'anna's arm; the bejeweled Helm looking huge on Ludwig's tiny face.

Theea retrieves on Scaly the guck-stick that was meant to pay for the Helm. After suggesting that they use some of the money to purchase meat and make up for the bird, a puzzled Ludwig asks Theea: *Why are you extending your claw to me?*

### Sneaking out

Xe'anna, holding Ludwig; and Rachel jump out of the building, Kika glides down, while Theea blends in with the crowd that exits the building. The bouncer escapes Ludwig's influence, but yields to Xe'anna's intimidating presence. A very proud Ludwig, his helmet still on, rides proudly on Xe'anna's back to the Bat'leth. Tylo, still carried by Xe'anna, is squirming, and sassy, and keeps talking.

### Unfinished business(es)

Before they leave Duranga, Theea requests Rachel's help to pocket her G5000 before it is canceled. The fee is 10% + G1000 for Rachel. Back on the ship, it's time to talk about Tylo and teach him manners by locking him in the Cube It's also time for Ludwig to forage for food in the galley. He takes all the meat-o-stik'ko he can find, except the vanilla-flavored ones Xe'anna favors.

Kika insists to drop off Tyco at the ICA Academy, but Xe'anna won't go there. They'll leave him on Tsarin instead, lest he joined another crew of spirited if left to his own devices. Kika's parenting in the Cube is not entirely successful, with her admitting at one point: *You do better without me.* and wishes him a happy birthday, not knowing when it was. She does get his *space contact*, though, and tells him about the Raze.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Ludwig find similarities in their experiences with psionics.

### Back on Tsarin

After docking with Tsarin, they find that an expedition is being set up against a Raze scout ship. Xe'anna plugs in Morva's former core, now Oxana's and resents that software of ^D4T3 's is *Installing*. In the ensuing conversation, Oxana, who seems to still be her own self, explains that *What remained of Morva is still here. I'm not just Oxana.* Given the choice to be transferred onto Tsarin, Oxana prefers to stay on the Bat'leth because *You'll die if I'm not assisting you.* Oxana also asks if Xe’anna can leave the ship to her in her will.

Meanwhile, Ludwig goes free Tylo from the Cube and lets him loose on Tsarin, because *I know what it is to be told what to do by your mother.*

Rachel then declines to bond with Tsarin, despite being described what the Raze can do. Ludwig cannot bond with Tsarin, lest it interfere with his ability to read the Raze's mind. Ludwig was aware of the Raze's *zombies* because *They told me what I needed to know. I read in their thoughts what I believed I needed to know.*

The episode ends with Ludwig asking Rachel *Are they inviting you to mate with their ship?*, Kika explaining that *Not everything is about mating.* and the whole group pondering how Ludwig may have used his retconning in this embarrassing context.

## Notes

1. ↑ *NftE*: Super proud I resisted the urge to write *baternal*.
2. ↑ *NftE*: Spelling of the artifact's name still unknown.
3. ↑ Thanks to Rachel's generous and discreet use of her area healing biopsionic ability.
4. ↑ The Iratos, that Rachel prevented him from skinning.
5. ↑ Which temporary takeover of her room Theea doesn't approve when she's back.
6. ↑ He also wonders aloud about monkeys canning their own urine after finding the stash of Dew.
7. ↑ *NftE*: My word.