Hussade Contract

Hussade Contract is the fourth episode of the third RIS Bouteina season.

Tagline

As some of the Bouteina's crew is still held captive on a Kzinti-held planet, they learn that they can gain freedom once again by winning a tournament of hussade against the prison guards. They start training for the moment they have been waiting for so long.

Summary

Act One

For the past 25 days, the prisoners have been busy repairing the prison, and then Chuft-Captain told the prisoners that Admiral Frep-Hrag is about to arrive to the prison world, with a challenge at hand: they will have to defeat the Kzinti teams in a hussade tournament. While recruiting teams for the tournament, the prisoners chose Zetra to play in it, as well as Annika Hansen for a sheirl. While explaining the rules of hussade to the new players, the Lyrans tell them that it is a very violent sport and, while discussing strategy, Zetra gets in a quarrel with them because it was not a "Klingon" way to play.

Act Two

But the Romulans did not want to play. Annika suggests S'arah that she should sew a dress but the latter objects because of the low-quality materials. She gets an idea to use her EMH to help Zetra play if the prisoners' team needed alternates, and this idea is taken by the team's captain, making her one of the standby players. And S'arah had to explain them that she could not program her to help them escape the prison world. Also, the Kzintis deal with Dhiemm and the other people in Starbase 148 even if they really just told the terms of the contract that was concluded and they are to transport the prisoners for themselves.

Act Three

After that, the Kzinti captain's yacht has arrived on the planet and, during the arrival ceremony, the Lyran prisoners boo him as he made his arrival with a red carpet. At the same time, some convicts prepared the hussade field in preparation for the tournament. When the tournament begins, the prisoners get the first right of placement. Both "Number 3" and Zetra jumped over the central moat as part of their strategy, under the encouragements of both the sheirl and the crowd. Annika was almost afraid to get the first ring pulled when Zetra pulled it first. The prisoners score another point but not without each team losing a player.

Act Four

After the first two points are scored, Marina gets her play time as she replaces Zetra in order to keep her fresh for the next game (if any). As the only "long-jumper" left in the team, she has trouble with her high heels, and her ineptitude led to the Kzintis pulling Annika's first ring. But she redeems herself while pulling the third ring of the Kzinti sheirl. Rakelli tries to have Marina recalled but Taev Radaik tells him that he'd better keep Marina out or else the Kzintis will think that she has escaped. But for "Marina Mur'Eq" to act as a sheirl in the next game, she is reprogrammed to look like a naked Romulan female.

Act Five

Marina gets to be the sheirl in the final match. However, unline Annika, she is a passive sheirl. Even with their best long-jumpers in play it took some time to score the first point. After both teams take the first two rings, it boils down to their reserve teams. Accersitus granted them victory and thus freedom. Brianna, back at SB148, watches a Pink Panther-class ship deliver a defensive satellite and Clouseau tells Brianna that the Kzintis are about to negotiate a formal treaty with the Lyran Star Empire. Frep-Hrag tells Brianna that they can begin the delivery of the prisoners off-world.

External link

• Hussade Contract on the RIS Bouteina boards