Part 5: The Pirate's Declaration

At night, they make their way through a secret passage beneath the hotel, traveling through layers of earthwork before arriving at an underground club.
Riley: Hey!
Riley: I found us a new friend!
Regulus: Make that two new friends.
Regulus steps into the scene with her trademark flair.
Regulus: So, this is your hideout?
Riley: Well, yeah. It's not much, just an old stage. All that's left of an old speakeasy from a long time ago.
She gestured toward the performance area behind her.
Riley: It's not bad, except for the lighting, and the air down here can get stuffy.
Riley: But hey, it's somewhere to practice without those thugs breathing down our necks.
Riley: You said you were some kind of Radio DJ back in the car, right? So you know music.
APPLe: Miss Riley, when it comes to music, the Captain's taste is world-class!
Four-Finger Johnny: Is that a talking apple?
The band takes immediate interest in the appearance of the floating apple.
Regulus: Too right he is! He's the first and best mate of my crew!
Riley: Oh yeah, well, I guess it's time our crews met—
Riley presents her bandmates with electrifying showmanship.
Riley: You've met Four-Finger Johnny on bass, and on guitar we've got the rockadelic Flash Lianna, hitting the drums we've got Warhammer Uni, and lastly on those electric ivories we've got Octopus Dmitry.
Riley: And me—I sing.
With introductions out of the way, the newcomers are welcomed into their circle.
Riley: We're planning to record our own album and then distribute it to the people in town secretly.
Riley: Here—
She presents their music in a very unusual format.
Regulus: Whoa!
A stack of used x-ray film.
Regulus: X-ray film!
Regulus: You're recording music on these?
APPLe: That's quite the unusual technique.
Riley: You got it, sister. It's a trick we picked up from our Ruskie friend, Dmitry.
Not far away, Dmitry, busy tuning his keyboard, nodded in acknowledgment.
Riley: Apparently, back in Russia, they had to sneak in American music on these "bone discs."
Riley: Metal as hell, don't you think?
Regulus: Bang on, mate. But, let's get down to business.
Regulus: Why bother with old x-rays when we could just take over the Broadcast Theater?
...
Regulus pitches a curveball to her American friends.
The only noise that follows comes from the soft circling motion of the stage lights.
Regulus: Oi, mates! Did I rock your brains out with that or something?
She adjusts her sunglasses before launching into her proposal.
Regulus: Cutting records and distributing them ... It's all fine, yeah, but what'll it really accomplish?
Regulus: Why not really make some noise?
Regulus: Head right down to the belly of the beast and put a show on that'll blast them into the stratosphere!
Regulus: Now that's how a real rockin' pirate rolls!
APPLe: Captain, I feel I must offer a bit of caution. You're proposing quite a risky venture.
Riley: Gotta agree with the apple; I don't think I—we're prepared to do something so ... crazy.
The rest of the band grumbles out similar apprehensions.
Regulus: C'mon, gang! Picture it—a pirate radio special here in Gold Dust!
Regulus: We'll crank up the volume and blast our sound straight through their ban-happy skulls.
Four-Finger Johnny: What, so, like, we just storm in waving our instruments in the air and mosh our way through to the stage?
Four-Finger Johnny: Then hijack their mics to sing all those songs they don't want us to hear?
Regulus: Sharp as a tack you are, Johnny.
The bassist stops for a moment before a wide wolfish grin stretches out over his face.
Four-Finger Johnny: Metal! I'm in—I'm so in. What about you, Riley?
The bassist picks up his weapon of rock and plays an expectant riff.
The drums join in, followed by the keyboard.
Flash Lianna: Getting tired of playing underground, aren't you, Riley? Let's hit a new venue.
Riley stands on stage, looking out over her friends as they sign on with the rockin' pirate's proposal, feeling their eyes lingering on her.
Riley: ...
Riley: Sing? In front of ... everyone? I don't know ... I don't think I'm ready.
Enforcer I: This must be the place!
Riley: The hell!? How'd they find us?
APPLe: Sounds like we've got uninvited guests.
Regulus: Jackbooted censors!
Regulus: I guess we'll have to give them a little preview, hard rock style!
The defeated enforcers are tied up with rope and tossed over to the edge of the stage.
Four-Finger Johnny: Are we sure this is a good idea? Are these ropes gonna hold them?
Riley: Relax, these ropes are plenty thick. They used them for the curtains, I think, back when this place had curtains.
Regulus: But how did they find us here?
APPLe: Could it be the letter, Captain?
Regulus: Huh, you mean this old thing?
APPLe doesn't answer directly, instead looking over the letter intently.
Four-Finger Johnny: A letter?
APPLe: I'm beginning to form a connection here, Captain.
APPLe: The mayor offered us this invitation back on the street. He said it was from the Order of Enlightenment, but something about it gave off an eerie sort of feeling.
APPLe: I do believe the ominous nature of this letter wasn't just unease but arcanum!
Regulus: Cor! But why're they so bothered with us?
Regulus: Just because we didn't want to register with them?
Regulus: The absolute cheek! Thinking they could put their stamp on us!
Regulus: I might tolerate the Foundation tracking me, but these half-pence peelers? Not on your life!
Riley: See, this is why I was worried. We need to burn that letter and scatter while we can.
Regulus: No ...
Regulus: No. Because we're gonna bring that letter right down to their little theater and walk in like we own the place!
Regulus: They want to bug me, eh? Well, what's more rock 'n' roll than barging into their stronghold with their own tracker in hand?
Regulus: Get a move on; we've got a theater waiting for a show!
She turns to the tied-up guards.
Regulus: Try those ropes as much as you like, lads. By the time you're free, this town will be rocking out to a new kind of hymn.
Regulus: C'mon. We've got the gig of a lifetime ripe for the taking!
APPLe: Captain ...
Four-Finger Johnny: I'm ready to rock, Captain.
Her crew grows one by one.
Flash Lianna: Is life even worth living if you can't make a little trouble?
Regulus: Too right! We're not just going to flip them the bird; we're going to shove it right in their faces!
Flash Lianna: That's one hell of a way to put it!
She raises her guitar up like a sword, joining the Regulus's growing crew.
Flash Lianna: I always knew I had what it takes to be a pirate. Even though I can't swim.
Flash Lianna: The captain's right, folks—
She turns to her fellow bandmates.
Flash Lianna: And after the show, we'll follow up with a revolution!
Four-Finger Johnny: Speaking of revolutions, Lianna, I've got another great idea!
The "crew" buzzes with excitement, their plans and music echoing through the underground club.
APPLe: Captain, I do believe they think we're actual pirates.
Regulus: Hah! Aren't we?
She grabs the microphone—though it wasn't yet powered—and issues her first order.
Regulus: Alright, crew, grab your gear.
Regulus: Let's set sail! Our destination: The Broadcast Theater!