Juno Steel and the Sixteen Tons (Part 1) is an episode of The Penumbra Podcast in the Juno Steel series. It is the seventh Juno Steel episode of season 5, and the 13th overall episode of the season.
Overview[]
Deep in the Outer Rim, Juno has finally caught up with Peter Nureyev... but first he must infiltrate the halls of the mysterious Dokana Group.
Trigger Warnings[]
- Sudden loud noises
- Deception
- Suspicion and betrayal
- Violence and threats of violence
- Abuse of power
- Medical abuse
Episode Summary[]
Juno Steel and Rita arrive on Amun, which Juno notes is incredibly different from the Solar planets he's been on. They plan to infiltrate the Dokana Group's main offices, C&P Pharmaceuticals. Rita didn't manage to find out much about it from her hacking, due to nobody ever leaving, seeming to live in their offices. They find out that the basement uses as much electricity as a hospital would, leading them to believe it's where Slip may be held.
Juno infiltrates the place by pretending to be a reporter writing about the best places to work, with Rita having made a fake website for him. Rita gives him a ludicrously long fake name to use, but Juno discards it and instead goes by Mr. Rose. He is greeted at the door by Linda Phazer, who takes his comms off him and cites it as company policy. She introduces herself as the office manager, outreach manager, custodial staff, and a sort of fixer.
Linda puts a party hat on him in honor of MondayMania, asking him to say a few words for the workers in the office, who clap mindlessly. It is then revealed that the office workers change desks every hour. Juno tries to convince Linda to let him see the basement, but she tells him they don't have a basement, and that the elevators only go up. They meet Mr Doppel in the corridor, who Juno recognises from Nureyev's Journal as one of The Executives. Mr Doppel brushes them both off.
Linda shows Juno to the Zero-Gravity Playroom, which is incredibly uninhabited. She tells Juno more about C&P's philosophy on work-life balance, and Juno interrupts her to ask for a private place to work. She hesitantly shows him to a room, which he locks her in.
He finds an elevator and opens it with the help of the Ruby Seven. He climbs down the elevator shaft and forces open the door at the bottom to find the basement. Before he can get his bearings, two Executives approach from the end of the corridor and the Ruby helps him hide by camouflaging him against the wall. The Executives investigate the open elevator door, but decide to hurry to their next appointment with "Mister Nureyev".
Juno sneaks behind them, and spots Nureyev through the door, looking at the body of Slip Jackson, who Juno had never seen in person before. He hides in a cupboard as The Executives enter and inform Nureyev that Slip's care is too expensive, and they are considering moving to another sector in experimental pharmaceuticals. They mention that their profits have dipped since the eradication of the radiation treatment sector, thanks to the Aurinko Crime Family releasing part of the Curemother Prime. They offer to pay Nureyev money, but he turns it down in return for the Executives giving Slip's care another try.
Linda Phazer interrupts, calling Mr Doppel's shortwave comms, saying they need to talk about her guest Mr Rose. Nureyev recognizes the alias. The Executives dismiss Nureyev and leave him in the room with Slip.
Juno emerges from the closet. He only now realizes that he has no idea what he is going to say to Nureyev.
Cast and Crew[]
Cast[]
- Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel
- Kate Jones as Rita
- Linda Garzia as Linda Phazer
- Stewart Evan Smith as The Executives
- Noah Simes as Peter Nureyev
Crew[]
- Ginny D'Angelo as Head of Merchandise and Outreach
- Melissa DeJesus as Script editing team
- Harley Takagi Kaner as Co-creator, Head of Episode Development, Director and Sound designer
- Joelle Kross as Transcriptionist
- Noah Simes as Production manager
- Grahame Turner as Script editing team
- Kevin Vibert as Co-creator, Head of Operations, Lead writer
- Ryan Vibert as Composer and performer of original music
- Jeff Wright as Graphic designer