"Ankawala" is the first episode of One Ship, a set of bonus content shorts about the main characters of Season 6 of The Expanse. It was released to streaming on December 10, 2021
Synopsis[]
As Drummer and her crew struggle to survive on the run from the Free Navy, their love for each other is tested by the exhaustion of war, Michio's imminent departure, and Drummer's lingering attachment to Naomi.
Recap[]
In a voiceover, Naomi describes the Belter Doctrine of One Ship: As cells are separate but also make a body, so a ship is made from a crew, and a people from their ships.
Josep inspects the remaining supplies in the Tynan's cargo bay, when he is contacted by another crewman informing him they got some fuel pellets from the Dewalt. He is disheartened, however, when he is also told that their reaction mass tank is out. He receives an alert on his terminal, showing the increased bounties on the Rocinante crew and also on Drummer and the Tynan, and jokingly asks his crewmate if he'd rather die of thirst or be hit by a missile. He replies that missile would be quicker. Josep asks him to figure out how long they can last if they reduce water rations and leaves the cargo bay.
Drummer gets a message from Liang Walker telling her there were unforseen delays, and they must change their rendez-vous. He sends her new coordinates and warns her not to be late, or their deal is off. She is approached by Josep, who looks at her wordlessly, prompting her to ask him what other choice they have. Michio walks in, causing an uncomfortable silence, after which Drummer briskly walks away.
Michio approaches Josep and, though he initially assumes she is worried about the new bounty and tries to reassure her, she confesses she has broken into Drummer's private logs and looked through them. She feels he needs to know what is in there, but Josep is shocked she would do such a thing and worries what will happen if Drummer finds out, asserting he doesn't care to know the content of the logs. Michio assures him she left no traces of her activity and presses that, when she tells him what she saw, he will care about it too.
Drummer walks into her room and unstraps her armor, picking up her terminal. She plays an old message by Naomi, recorded back when they worked together on the Behemoth, where she sings Drummer a happy birthday song in Belter Creole. Naomi smiles affectionately and asks if Drummer thought she'd forget, saying there wasn't a chance.
Josep wonders why Michio is upset about a birthday song and understands why Drummer would keep it. Michio replies it's not all that Drummer's kept.
Drummer watches another message by Naomi, sent during the Roci crew's trip to Ilus IV. Naomi admits Drummer had warned her and was right about Belters losing their connection to their heritage when they get to live on a planet's surface. However, Naomi still believes that all Belters deserve to make the choice for themselves. She wishes Drummer could have been down there on Ilus with her. In spite of everything that happened, it was incredible.
Michio says that all the messages in Drummer's log were from Naomi; She has kept none from Bertold or Serge, or even Oksana. Nothing of their family.
Drummer watches a third message, sent after Naomi was retrieved from the Chetzemoka. Grieving and exhausted, and still wounded from her exposure to vacuum, she expresses her gratitude for everything Drummer did, as Holden told her that, without Drummer, the Roci would never have made it. Naomi can only guess what it cost her. Drummer lowers her terminal and stares stoically at the wall, before decisively getting up from her bed.
Michio feels that Drummer doesn't love them; she is still chasing Naomi, the one she couldn't have, and she is just making do with them. Josep expresses that they all have pasts they are running from and that if Drummer's heart is divided, so be it. Michio struggles to understand Josep's nonchalant demeanor, but he interrupts her, yelling that they are all flawed. Michio apologizes, and Josep lovingly takes her face in his hands, saying he understands she is angry and sad, and that he is too. Letting go of her, he agrees not to tell Drummer of what Michio has done, as long as she promises not to do it again. Michio replies she won't have the chance much longer and, after a moment of emotional silence, they warmly hug each other as Michio devolves into sobs.
In her room, Drummer deletes all of Naomi's messages one by one.
Cast[]
- Dominique Tipper as Naomi Nagata
- Cara Gee as Camina Drummer
- Samer Salem as Josep
- Vanessa Smythe as Michio
- Stuart Hughes as Liang Walker (voice)
Media[]
Notes[]
- "Ankawala" is a Lang Belta word for a romantic partner.[1]
References[]
- ↑ Twitter - @TheExpanseVerse 4:38 PM · Dec 13, 2021: An Ankawala can be any romantic partner. So in Drummer’s case, each member of her #PolyamBelterFam could in theory be her ankawala.
External links[]