Atal receives orders to return home and take a new command.  He tasks Metcalfe with re-assigning the Arbiters.  The catch?  They can’t all go with Atal.  Atal must intervene in a labor dispute between the Navy and the owner of a space way station who’d rather go down fighting than give in.

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Listen to the free podcast: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

“Best Laid Plans,” ironically, was released on CD and performed in the studio a lot earlier than most of the other first series episodes. I wrote it, and we performed it, at the same time when we we working on the first two studio cuts. We recorded the rehearsals for the live performance and did the studio takes almost at the same time. I believe I even used the recording of the rehearsal to fill some lines in the final cut.

I had a couple of goals with this episode. One was to show some of the implications of truly commercial space travel, the idea that, if you needed way stations to assist people in navigating L-Space, lighthouses, if you will, then the owners of those lighthouses would have the right to refuse to serve anyone. And a really tough lighthouse-keeper, like Maeve Ginsberg, would not let herself be bullied by political interests into help people she thought didn’t deserve help. And, of course, a lady that tough is going to be of interest to Jan Atal. And being ordered to push around that lady would place him in a moral quandary.

It’s also the episode where Metcalfe has finally gotten the girl he’s always wanted–Kaya. But there’s trouble in paradise, of course.

Announcer – Paul Balze
Metcalfe – Steven H. Wilson
Carson – Scott Farquhar
Cernaq – Renfield
Kaya – Beatrice Kondo
Aer’La – June Swords
Atal – David Keefer
Faulkner – Cindy Shockey
Maeve Ginsberg – Renee Wilson
Rory Ginsberg – Eli Senter
Caleb Ginsberg – Ethan Wilson

Directed by Steven H. Wilson
Editing: Steven H. Wilson
Music: Scott D. Farquhar

The Arbiters go undercover to stop a slaver ring and host a visitor with a dangerous alien pet.

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Listen to the free podcast: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

In this one, I wanted to take Metcalfe and Aer’La into a Film Noir adventure on the sleazy side of the Arbiters’ universe, to have Metcalfe actually rebel against his Captain for a change, and to put Metcalfe very far outside his comfort zone, doing what spies often have to do to make a mission work: let bad things happen to him so others can get away safe. At the same time, I wanted to give an insight into Doc Faulkner’s home life, and what better way to do it than to introduce her husband–well, one of them–and have him be a bratty young witch? What kind of guy could someone as nice as Cernaq actually hate? We found out in this episode. Ian Bonds played Kaylin in the live production, but Ian was unavailable for the studio recording, so Eli Senter stepped in.

Announcer – Paul Balze
Metcalfe – Steven H. Wilson
Atal – David Keefer
Carson – Scott Farquhar
Cernaq – Renfield
Kaya – Beatrice Kondo
Aer’La – June Swords
Faulkner – Cindy Shockey
Kaylin – Eli Senter
Roloff – Paul Balze
Rena Kane – Renee Wilson
Zhay – Ethan Wilson

Directed by Steven H. Wilson
Editing: Steven H. Wilson
Music: Scott D. Farquhar

On leave, Metcalfe meets the perfect girl – only to find she may actually be him.

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Listen to the free podcast: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

I’m proudest of this episode because it’s actually referenced on TVTropes.org under “Go Screw Yourself.” Now that’s celebrity! We first performed this at a Balticon, which was a good audience. My nephew, Noah, attending his first con as a teen, instead of as a kid forced to go because his family went to cons, played the part of Tommy, the holographic host who almost marries the two Metcalfes. And, of course, this is the first time that we learn that Carson is in love with his best friend… at least, in some universes.

Announcer – Paul Balze
Metcalfe – Steven H. Wilson
Carson – Scott Farquhar
Cernaq – Renfield
Kaya – Beatrice Kondo
Aer’La – June Swords
Faulkner – Cindy Shockey
Tracy – Cindy Woods
Pallas – Renee Wilson
Tommy – Heather Mikkelsen

Directed by Steven H. Wilson
Editing: Steven H. Wilson
Music: Scott D. Farquhar

The Arbiters become military governors of a conquered planet.

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Listen to the free podcast: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

As mentioned in the White Lady writeup, I wrote two episodes together for Farpoint 2002. This one was specifically written to be a showpiece for our first ever celebrity guests, George Takei and Robin Curtis. I wanted to give George a meaty villain role, and I wanted to give Robin something that showed off what a funny lady she really is. One of the limitations, for me, of classic space opera is that the officers generally just do a couple of jobs over and over: Go to planet, find people in trouble, help them, get shirt ripped, get, um, affection and physical gratification, go home. Lather, rinse, repeat. Or they fight space battles, which I generally find boring. But military officers often find themselves taking on all sorts of challenges, and that includes, occasionally, governing a population in a state that’s been ravaged by war. My protagonist, Metcalfe, is so anti-government that I wanted to put him way outside his comfort zone and have him be forced to be the government for a while. I also wanted to get Captain Atal off the ship for a change, and let him interact a bit with his old friend Mors. Sadly, that original live performance could not be recorded under the terms of George’s contract. The studio version you can hear today does not feature George or Robin, but our usual wonderful cast.

CAST:

Announcer – Paul Balze
Metcalfe – Steven H. Wilson
Carson – Scott Farquhar
Cernaq – Renfield
Kaya – Beatrice Kondo
Aer’La – June Swords
Faulkner – Cindy Shockey
Pallas – Renee Wilson
Mors – John Weber
Thalia Kinson – Cindy Woods
Vireq – Paul Balze
Sponaugle – Marty Gear
Aide – Ian Bonds

Directed by Steven H. Wilson
Editing: Steven H. Wilson
Music: Scott D. Farquhar

Visiting the colony of New Rhineland, the Arbiters are lured into the centuries old German ghost story of the White Lady, a harbinger of death and spirit of vengeance. Metcalfe is confronted by the most haunting spectre of all — that of his sister, Lydia.

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Listen to the free podcast: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

This episode has also been novelized and is available in multiple formats, including iBooks, Nook and Kindle. Details here.

I wrote two episodes together for Farpoint 2002 — this one, and “Playing Politics.” I wrote this one first, and then realized that I needed a script with a meaty male guest star role for the same con, since George Takei would be performing with us, alongside Robin Curtis. I didn’t see George quite fitting the role of “The White Lady.” (Oh, my!) So we performed both that weekend. This one is based on a ghost story about the White Lady who haunted the Old Palace in Berlin, which used to scare the crap out of me as a kid. Drawing on my studies of European myth and folklore, I turned it into a more hopeful story than the original, and touched on some of my own notions of how a benevolent vision of the afterlife should look.

CAST:

Announcer – Paul Balze
Carson – Scott Farquhar
Cernaq – Renfield
Metcalfe – Steven H. Wilson
Kaya – Beatrice Kondo
Aer’La – June Swords
Faulkner – Cindy Shockey
Lydia – Cindy Woods
Lady – Renee Wilson

Directed by Steven H. Wilson
Editing: Steven H. Wilson
Music: Scott D. Farquhar

A day in the life of the Arbiter crew is viewed through the alien eyes of Cernaq as he writes a letter to his mentor, Professor Mors.  Kaya must decide whether her future lies on Arbiter.  Cernaq and Aer’La share an… educational experience.  Metcalfe tries to explainEaster to the Arbiters.

Buy a downloadable mp3 at BooksAMillion.

Listen to the free podcast: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

This episode has also been novelized and is available in multiple formats, including iBooks, Nook and Kindle. Details here.

By episode three, it became sort of obligatory that we perform a new Arbiters show at every con we attended. Shore Leave in 2001 was our next venue, and I had always liked those simple “Day in the Life” episodes of shows. One of my inspirations was the M*A*S*H script, “Dear Dad” and its sequels. One character’s impressions of the others can always be fun, in particular when the character is as off-beat as Cernaq. As throwaway as the idea seemed, we all seemed to just love doing this one, especially since it involved an ab-libbed ending and a very juicy audio spit-take. And, of course, Cernaq and Aer’La’s romance was born in this episode.

CAST:

Announcer – Paul Balze
Atal – Dave Keefer
Carson – Scott Farquhar
Cernaq – Renfield
Metcalfe – Steven H. Wilson
Kaya – Beatrice Kondo
Aer’La – June Swords
Faulkner – Cindy Shockey
Mors – John Weber
Pallas – Renee Wilson
Psychiatrist – Cindy Woods
Mass – Paul Balze
Bimbo – Betsy Childs

Directed by Steven H. Wilson
Editing: Steven H. Wilson
Music: Scott D. Farquhar