Inside Defiance: Episode 6
Shady political dealings, a Castithan recipe and more that you didn't know about Episode 6.
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Pol Madis really knew how to push Datak's buttons when he accused Datak of "leaving his parents to die." Though Castithans enjoyed the majority of the space aboard the alien Arks, there wasn't nearly enough room for all of them. In addition, some Castithans refused to leave their homeworld. Most of Datak's friends and family perished with the Votanis solar system.
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Crystalline Drop Blasts use Votan technology to create massive explosions with a tiny charge. Standard drop blasts produce incendiary explosions. To modify them to create a cold fire effect, which is far deadlier, would take a brilliant mind (like Pol Madis).
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It's blink if you missed it, but this map in Amanda's office shows the layout of Defiance Valley.
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Who was the Hunter Bell that Amanda mentions to Kenya? Hmmm..... (hint: It means something. Pay attention).
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This is the first episode we get to see the lawkeeper charger in action. The engine's been replaced with a Votan-hybrid power plant that runs on petrohol (a byproduct of gulanite that's naturally progressed through Hellbug shtako). The shocks have been fitted for navigation across the rugged terraformed landscape, and much of the body work has been armored against attacks by Raiders and other predators - natural or otherwise.
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The name Pol Madis has struck fear into the hearts of humans and Votans ever since the early days of the Pale Wars. He was known for conducting experiments that resulted in a wide variety of new and eadly weaponry (which is how he got his scar). The Votanis Collective officially disavowed Madis are the armistice, and he's been on the run ever since.
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Notice some of Pol Madis' crimes on his wanted poster? Mass murder, bombing of public spaces, deployment of poison gas and creation of biological weapons - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
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The Varus Soleptor that Eddie threatens to turn Nolan over to is a Liberata businessman from the video game. Some believe he runs organized crime in the Bay Area. Before Nolan and Irisa came to Defiance, Varus hired them to recovered a valuable artifact known as the Libera Nova Gem. They recovered the fem (with a little help from players), but instead of handing it off to Varus, they kept it for themselves and headed east. Nolan used the gem to open a secret compartment in a Votan ark (in the first episode, remember?) which is where he found the terrasphere that saved the town.
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Following the Battle of Defiance, the Iron Demons (the fighting squadron of which Nolan and Eddie were a part of), were sent on a peacekeeping mission to Denver. Eddie was there when they busted up a Votan cult and Nolan rescued young Irisa (as we saw in Episode 5). The Earth Military Coalition ordered Nolan to surrender Irisa to one of their internment camps. Nolan knew Irisa wouldn't survive, so Eddie offered to steal a roller for them and cause a diversion. Nolan took off with Irisa, while Eddie was arrested and sent to prison for several years.
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"Kenya is an original because her view of sexuality exists outside societal norms. What she does want she wants unapologetically....one way that it's manifested is her style. Her clothing looks like it's been lifted off a Hurell photo mixed in with the magic of a dancer at Moulin Rouge. It was my idea of HEAVEN. I can't begin to tell you how much I love to play in the makeup and hair chair. I would collect images of movie stars, popular in the thirties, oil paintings...anything to inspire a new idea." - Mia Kirshner (Kenya)
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One of the reasons the Earth Republic is so desperate to get their hands on Pol Madis (hence the bounty) is that he's been working with Karl Von Bach, a notorious weapons manufacturer and one of the main stars of the video game. For a brief time, Pol worked as one of Von Bach's chief engineers before escaping with highly sensitive corporate secrets. The Earth Republic is desperate not to let those secrets get into the wrong hands.
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Datak and Pol eat Bulgur Ashkan, a traditional Castithan dish. Bulgur is a real Earth grain and is used in Tabbuleh. Ashkan can be made out of a variety of grains, most of them unavailable on Earth. But a terraformed version of Bulgur Ashkan tastes remarkably close to the kind they had on Casti. Here's the recipe:
1. Combine the ground beef and ground pork, seasoning with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to taste. In a pan, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meat on medium-high for five minutes. Set aside for later.
2. In a pot of extra-large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the onions until they turn golden. Mix in the bulgur and stir for a few minutes.
3. Dissolve the tomato paste in 1 cup of water. Season with smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
4. Add in the tomatoes, dissolved tomato paste, black pepper, white pepper, salt and 3 cups of water.
5. Let it simmer for 20 minutes over low heat with the lid on until the bulgur is well cooked. Add more water, if neccessary. Halfway through the cooking process, add in browned meat.
6. Remove from heat and allow it to rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
7. Add in the remaining 5 tablespoons of oil and mix well.
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Doc Yewll is always conducting some kind of strange experiment in her office. Since most of their equipment was destroyed when the Arks fell, Indogenes have learned to cobble together hybrid human-alien equipment based upon whatever they can salvage. Most Indogenes view the terraformed planet as a challenge to their scientifically-inclined minds.
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There really WAS an earthquake in St. Louis in 1811 - an earthquake so strong that the Mississippi River actually ran backwards, if eyewitness accounts are to be believed. Those items Rafe and Quentin discovered - the bones, the pickaxe, the spectacles - looked like they originated from that time period. But what were those people doing down there in the first place?
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In the fifteen years since its formation, the Earth Republic has taken over a large portion of the Eastern Seaboard known as Columbia. Connor must be awfully well connected to represent an entire province in the General Assembly.
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Due to terraforming, the Earth Republic maglev train will be forced to run through Oklahoma City. East of the city, however, there are several paths it can take on its way to Manhattan. Defiance is a natural choice, and the town desperately wants the business the maglev will bring. But Amanda refuses to allow the town to go into debt to the Earth Republic to pay for it. as Nicky said in the first episode, "Once they get their hooks into you, they never let go."
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The Votanis Collective, which Pol Madis speaks frequently of, is headquartered in Brazil, with the smaller colonies of Irath, Indo and Omec in Peru, Guatemala and Mexico, respectively. The Votanis Collective has established an underground railroad to safely ferry political prisoners back to South America. They exist in a Cold War state with the Earth Republic, and many believe it's only a matter of time before their borders collide. Hence both sides interest in Pol's valuable weapon making skillset.
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Following the Battle of Defiance, the Iron Demons (the fighting squadron of which Nolan and Eddie were a part of), were sent on a peacekeeping mission to Denver. Eddie was there when they busted up a Votan cult and Nolan rescued young Irisa (as we saw in Episode 5). The Earth Military Coalition ordered Nolan to surrender Irisa to one of their internment camps. Nolan knew Irisa wouldn't survive, so Eddie offered to steal a roller for them and cause a diversion. Nolan took off with Irisa, while Eddie was arrested and sent to prison for several years.
