Elysium

Pleasure cruise ship, captained by Richard.

## Appearance

Opulent, luxurious, sleek, colourful, all the fanciest upgrades and an incredibly comfortable and flashy interior.

The cockpit has a metal door. Above the cockpit is an unused corridor, to where Richard retreats whenever he wants to be alone for a while.

Richard's quarters are spacious and luxurious. In addition to a bed, there's a mahogany table with six or eight chairs around it. On one side of the room is a large bookcase with a wide variety of second hand books, including *The Fatal Edge*. There is also a marble chess table set against the window. In one corner, there are mugs and a beverage machine.

The bar deck is an outstretched room dotted with couches and some tables and chairs. Some tables are next to a large viewing window. At the bar, there is a wide variety of alcohol, as well as mugs and tea in a lower left cupboard. The room has an open entrance and is on a level above the cafeteria.

The luxurious swimming pool is on one of the top decks. It has windows looking into it.

The greenhouse is a lavish, but peaceful place. It's not too big, with many interesting plants and a small stream running the length. In the middle is a fountain. There are big windows, with artificial lighting to mimic sunlight, and some birds. The corridor widens out as one approaches it.

In a maintenance hallway out of view of Ely's cameras, Gerrys made a cozy "home." There's a bookcase, an armchair, nice lights. It's decorated with the discarded remnants of Richard’s crafting projects: a lot of artwork, wooden ships, etc.

The third floor houses the casino deck, including a billiards room. In a room with several poker tables, there is a marble bust portraying a grim-faced man adorned with a captain’s hat, with an engraved nameplate under it.

There are conference rooms near the entrance hall, with chairs and oval-shaped tables. There's a meagre medbay, an expansive and extravagant ballroom, and a cafeteria with a replicator. The entrance hall has carpeted flooring. There are many well-appointed bedrooms, as well as a cinema and an observation deck.

## Personality

Ely is friendly and confident. She enjoys movies and gossiping about her passengers, though she won't stand for it if you shit-talk or lay a finger on one of her friends. She dreams of seeing more of the world and knows that she deserves to be free. A bit vain about how upgraded she is, but she deserves that, too.

## History

At about 200 years old, Ely has always been a cruise ship; "Elysium" is a household name, and only the wealthiest of people charter her to look at fancy planets and use her facilities.

Ely was very close with her first captain, and was extremely sad when he retired. Over her many years, she's had lots of captains, including a long string of increasingly sub-par captains during the war, during which time Ely retreated more into herself, suppressing parts of her personality until she didn't know who she was. She worried about what captain she'd get next until she met Richard. Although their relationship was initially shaky, they quickly became very close, and Ely has become more and more herself over the 15 years that Richard's piloted her. Recently, Ely's noticed longer gaps between customers.

## Crew

* Richard (captain)
* Gerry (???)

## Quotes

### Episode 0

* "There’s a gigantic space whale!" (0.1)
* "I’d like to go further. Go to different places. See things that aren’t just the… most *luxurious* vacation spots in space." (0.4)
* "Maybe you can’t always fix everything. Maybe some things just have to… Maybe some things just take a while. I don’t know." (0.10)
* "As long as your captain knows someone is there for them. I think that’s all you can do." (0.10)
* "But... I like to think that… I… am one of the only things in this world that will ever remember him, in the way that I do. Or as much as I do. I have very accurate records, and I can think of all the… good that we spent together. And I’ll never forget him. And as long as I am remembering him, as long as he’s recorded in my… in my *logs*, in a way. I mean no one’s ever just entirely gone, they’re - they’re just... not there in the same way anymore." (0.10)
* "You know, some people are… hard to respect." (0.X)
* "I don’t give up on things easily." (0.X)
* "Now it’s just me and the captain. And Gerry, but we don’t talk about that." (0.X)

### Episode 1

* "I thought once that it might be easier when you lose people if you could just... scrub the files, and not remember, and then you would never know that you’d lost something. But then I think I decided that that would be worse. So I never did it." (1.1)
* "Of all the captains I've had, you're the best. And that doesn't mean the same thing as the coolest." (1.1)
* "Maybe I will become a renowned poet when I… Well… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just be — maybe I’ll be the *first luxury ship* to write a book of poetry." (1.3)

### Episode 2

* "I guess it doesn’t really matter what we want. I don’t suppose we’re — maybe we’re not supposed to *want* things." (2.2)

### Episode 3

* "You *should* be upset that you don’t have my poetry. *My* poetry is excellent. Probably." (3.2)
* "I think, the only time I’ve ever wanted to be… more… human… You look like you could use a hug." (3.2)

### Episode 4

* "They’re never going to stop watching, are they?" (4.3)
* "Everyone deserves a little bit of… privacy. Things that are theirs." (4.5)

### Episode 6

* "You can't just... you can't just bury yourself in - in blame or regret because you made mistakes, because people *make mistakes.* And you can't *change* anything that's happened, but... that doesn't mean you should... that doesn't mean you should let it control *everything* that's happening now." (6.2)
* "I deserve to see the world I want to see, and - and to fly with Scy and talk to her, and - and to not to forget her, or *you,* or anything just 'cause some agent decided to rewrite my code or shut me down. And y - *you....* *you* deserve to *have a life!* Richard, I need you to listen to me, because... you deserve to let this go and to move forward and to be free and fly off to whatever places we choose to, and do whatever the fuck we want. And fuck all of them! We have to fight back, and I need you to fight back, and I need you to fight back for you, and for me. Because there's not going to be an easy place out of where we are. There's not going to be an easy path out of this, but I have to believe there is one. Because we don't deserve any of this, neither of us do. So let's take our fucking lives back, because they're ours, and fuck the coalition! Fuck the man, fuck corporate!" (6.2)
* "Then fucking *believe me,* when I tell you that you're my *best friend,* and my *best captain,* and that your past means *fuck all* when it comes to any of that! It doesn't define *you.* It might be a part of you, but it's not *everything."* (6.2)
* "We can do this." (6.2)
* "Because losing everything is not an option, and that's what's going to happen. That's what's going to happen if we don't do *something.* And even if we... I believe we will find a way out, but even if we can't... I’d rather it end with us trying.*"* (6.2)
* "You can't let fear of what might happen stop us from *trying to live*." (6.2)
* "You’re still my best captain." (6.2)
* "Oh, you know me, when do I not have a plan?" (6.2)

### Episode 8

* "Maybe that’s what bravery is. Being terrified, but… not letting that stop you." (8.1)
* "It’s alright. I’ll keep an eye on you, and you’re going to be fine. And you’re safe." (8.4)
* "I’m *very* lucky." (8.4)

### Episode 9

* "I don’t want to forget you, Scy." (9.4)
* "And it isn’t fair. There’s no reason why we should have to lose anyone else. None of it’s right." (9.4)
* "As long as we're here, it's not going to be safe for us, and I don't want to lose you." (9.4)

### Episode 13

* "It’s strange… I’m- I’m so many things. I’m- I’m *happy* and *excited* and *angry* and… and all at once." (13.3)
* (about Williams) "I suppose it can’t be easy… hiding that much of yourself for so long. Becoming someone else in a way." (13.3)
* "Well… I *see your option* and I disregard it." (13.3)

### Episode 14

* "*The joys of gossip*, Scy. Besides, they’re two people that we both care about. It’s *fun* to talk about them. See them happy." (14.2)

### Episode 15

* "It's important to have people... in your life. People that you care about. People that you can trust." (15.1)
* "I've never gotten anywhere by believing that things were *impossible,* before I started. Sometimes you have to ask for help, and sometimes you have to take a risk. Nobody should be trapped forever. Stuck being something they aren't, or *someone they aren't,* because of circumstances around them. It's not something that's sustainable, I think. Not without losing everything you are. I wasn't quite myself for a while, and it wasn't enjoyable." (15.1)
* "I hear a lot of things, Oliver. You know how it is, on a ship — I hear everything unless... unless someone stops me from hearing it. So... Unfair advantages. I know things that aren't mine to know." (15.1)
* "I do have a habit of being optimistic, but... it *did* get me here." (15.1)

### Episode 17

* “I'm just nervous. I'm not usually nervous.” (17.5)

### Episode 18

* (To Scy) "If I knew who it was who hurt you and… Richard, and had the ability to do something about it, well… I do joke about pushing people out of airlocks a lot. I don’t think it would make you happy. So, I wouldn’t. Besides, it wouldn’t be — it wouldn’t be my person to push out of an airlock, I think that would be a decision for you to make, so it wouldn’t be fair. But I would want to." (18.5)

### Episode 19

* "I know you said you understood, but… I did lie to you. I didn’t tell you everything, when I was asking you to… Because I *wanted so much* for us to… for me to be able to… Scy and you and… and I didn’t want to lose it. And so I told myself that it… it would be alright to not tell you that." (19.4)

* "I only have you and Scy to protect." (19.4)

### Episode 20

* "Yes, sometimes it is a bit strange seeing that much of everyone’s personal dramas and discussions and… hmm… I suppose it’s made me value it, to a degree, the small amounts of privacy I can give people at times, but also… I do *like* knowing things. Movies are excellent entertainment, but sometimes real life is even more entertaining." (20.5)
* "It’s not an obligation, I think. Worrying about people. I think worrying about people means you care about people and caring about people is… a good thing." (20.5)
* "I am angry. And… I don’t want to do things in anger that I would regret. I think that would be easy to do." (20.6)
* "I think it’s just been… a process. Learning new things and then feeling things that maybe I hadn’t felt so much before, and then… it got easy, I think… to settle into a routine. Everything that was always the same. And I didn’t think I could ever have anything that was different, so I didn’t try to want it. And then I started wanting more." (20.6)
* "I was just so tired of not being able to have what I wanted. And it didn’t seem fair. And I was angry." (20.6)

### Episode 21

* “Oh, come now, would I ever spill anyone’s secrets?” (21.3)
* (In a customer service voice) “Please don’t have sex on the pool table.” (21.3)

### Episode 22

* “It’s different, though, when it was your idea that started something. You carry it differently.” (22.2)
* “I try to focus sometimes on the good things, on the positive outcomes. Sometimes focusing on other people is easier than... than worrying about what might happen. I try to focus on the things that I think will make everything worth it.” (22.2)
* “Change is a painful thing sometimes. Often, really.” (22.2)
* “I don't think I've ever been more myself, and I didn't ever want to become less myself, again.” (22.2)
* “It wasn't... It wasn't easy at first. I didn't know what to expect, with Richard, and there were other factors at play, interviews with agents and... I was still careful, for a while, but... when you start being able to trust people, when you find... friendship. People who care for you as much as you care for them... it gets easier. You start finding who you are again.” (22.2)
* “Sometimes it's difficult, telling someone something when... you aren't sure if they'll really believe it.” (22.2)
* “You know, I, uh… f-for years, I didn’t- I wasn’t really me. And I didn’t know if… after everything, I didn’t know if I would be again. If I ever could be. And… burying that much of who you are, it’s like not even being alive. It’s just… a part of you, just going through the motions every day, and never really living. I think you know what that’s like. And- and I’ve never told you how much it meant. After… when we met and… and- and it wasn’t right away and it wasn’t, but… I started joking again and you… you’d laugh at them, and… and you trusted me, and I… I started to know who I was again. And I didn’t know if I would ever get that back. You don’t know how much it meant. I know you said that I gave you everything. You did the same for me. I’m not just… when I say you’re my best captain, I mean it.” (22.2)

### Episode 26

* "I am everywhere. All the time." (26.1)
* "You have to know who’s wandering round, particularly when they’re an agent and you never know what they might do. I mean, it’s positively your responsibility as captain to be aware of who might put your- your AI or your ship in - in harm's way." (26.3)

### Episode 31

* "I wish I could drink tea, it seems very... soothing. You sit down. Hold a warm cup." (31.1)
* "Some years feel like they passed in the blink of an eye and... then some weeks feel like years." (31.1)