Bad Faith (audio story)

Template:Infobox episode Bad Faith is the second episode in Vienna: Series One, produced by Big Finish Productions. It starred Chase Masterson as Vienna Salvatori.

Synopsis

Vienna Salvatori has seen the light.

Time was, if you lost everything, at least you still had your faith – but not any more. Faith stealing is the latest commodity to light up the criminal underworld – extract somebody’s faith and sell it to the highest bidder.

On the trail of a faith stealing ring, Vienna Salvatori comes into the orbit of the charismatic Bax Spendlove, spiritual leader of the Church of New Wonderment, a breakaway sect of the Church of Old Wonderment. Bax has an important mission for his latest convert – and Vienna is a willing disciple.

But when Bax’s followers start to be murdered, it seems Vienna isn’t the only killer keeping the faith…

Plot

A Kreyfin approaches and asks a Sargeant Lane for the whereabouts of a 'vertibrate'. Lane informs it that they cornered the assassin on the north passage of the Karnon Rocks, and that she is believed to be wounded. The Kreyfin congratulates Lane on his successful work. The Kreyfin orders him to locate the assassin and keep her found entering the compound. Lane turns to his soldier and orders them back to base. The female soldier asks him to lead the way as she is feeling lost on Karnos Delta. Lane understands, stating that Karnos Delta is 'mountains and crators as far as the eye can see'.

Lane informs his soldier that the assassin's mission is to infiltrate the compound and shut down all Kreyfin operations. He orders three soldiers, over the comms, to enter a defensive position around the compound as the assassin is on her way. His soldiers do not respond. Thinking aloud, the soldier suggests the idea that the assassin killed the three soldiers, infiltrated her way into the ranks and kept Lane alive just to find out whether or not the whole operation was a trap. Getting a little uneasy, Lane asks her why he can't remember her name. She points out that that's due to her not having time to program an alias into the hypno leech attached to his neck. She informs him that her name is Vienna Salvatori. She then shoots him dead.

Approaching the compound, a Kreyfin soldier asks her to place her right hand on an activation panel. Vienna uses the hand of Lane to open the door, and walks inside. Meanwhile one Kreyfin is getting very panicky about Vienna's whereabouts. Another calms him. A caged man named Mylo, from the Society of Euphoric Happiness, offers Vienna his very limited help. Vienna realises that she is in the middle of a faith stealing operation. She explains to Mylo that his very faith and that of all the other prisoners is being stolen from them and sold off to the rich. A Kreyfin warns Vienna to leave over the intercom but true Vienna style, she warns them that she's coming for them.

Vienna blasts through the door and demands the name of the person who is running the operation from the Kreyfin inside. To her surprise, the two Kreyfin inside simply explode all over her. Back at her ship, she asks her computer to analyse the Kreyfin residue that she accumulated. The computer explains that due to the compound being several thousand feet above sea level, her act of opening the door depressurised the room and caused them to explode, thus making their deaths her own fault. This confuses Vienna, who points out that someone practically has done her job for her and has then paid her for it.

Vienna visits the New Church of Wonderment where she is welcomed by Miss Lily Trick. Vienna states that she wishes to report a miracle. She states that despite having just killed people on Karnos Delta, she was suddenly filled with love for the New Church of Wonderment and the 'devine Arno Goodfellow', despite never having thought about him before. She remembers being back on the ship and praying to Arno Goodfellow to protect those upon Karnos Delta. The computer then interrupts her prayer to suggest that her new faith may be an infection, to which Vienna responds in a very prickly manner. When the computer demands a brain scan to check for infection, Vienna forces an update in line with her new beliefs. Vienna then watches her new hologram message by a Bax Spendlove, who invites her to Ironimus Six so that he can tell her what Arlo has planned for her.

Cast

• Vienna Salvatori - Chase Masterson
• Bax Spendlove - Frazer Hines
• Sargeant Lane - ?
• Kreyfin - Mike Grady
• Mylo - ?

References

Food and beverage

• Vienna, posing as a soldier, notes that the inside of her helmet smells like sushi.

Species

• The Kreyfin are referred to as the 'Lobster Mobsters'.
• Lane informs Vienna that it is against his religion to serve the Kreyfin.
• Vienna uses a hypno leech to make Lane believe her credentials as a soldier.
• Vienna states that Mylo is being milked like a Three Horned Quench.

Technology

• The soldiers use Beta 3s to communicate with one-another.

Notes

• This is the first time we have seen Vienna not use an alias. In this context, this is due to her not having had time to fully prepare her identity before getting started on her mission.

Continuity

• Vienna states that her assignment crystal "got it all wrong". (AUDIO: The Memory Box et al)
• Vienna sticks to her main rule and is forced to shoot Lane dead when he learns her name. (AUDIO: The Memory Box et al)