STORY: The fire flashes in Ryo’s eyes, but starts to dim. He takes a few breaths himself, then mutters to his feet. “Fuck.”
STORY: “Millie, we’ve already lost.”
STORY: He’s calm now, defeated.
STORY: “Why do we have to risk dying just to show them we know it?”
ALEJO: “I’ve thought like that, Ryo, for most of my life. Survival at any cost, as though taking the next breath was the same as living.”
TUELLER: “And I lived in comfort for most of my life, not paying attention to the fact it came on the exploitation and deaths of untold numbers.”
ALEJO: “I’m not saying you’re wrong, certainly about Erwin. But doesn’t he deserve a chance at something better?”
STORY: As the three of you wrap up your debate and start to depart to handle your part of the plan, Maya wanders into the galley.
STORY: “Anything to eat on this ship?”
TUELLER: “How are you with spice?”
ALEJO: Alejo smiles. “He’s serious about the spice thing.”
STORY: “I’m Mexican.”
TUELLER: “Then you’ll do fine.”
STORY: She takes a seat and puts her elbows up on the table.
STORY: “Where are you taking me?”
STORY: No fear in this question, an almost unnervingly casual curiosity.
MILLICENT: Millie turns to Alejo to see how he’ll answer
TUELLER: Tueller gets up and starts putting dehydrated peppers in a rehydrator, and starts cutting up vegetables. He does not answer.
ALEJO: “Io. At least that’s our next stop. Ever been?”
ALEJO: He gets her a glass of water. “Anything else to drink?”
TUELLER: “Hey any food allergies I should know about?”
STORY: She shakes her head.
STORY: “Io’s enemy territory.”
ALEJO: Alejo sits next to her. “They’re pretentious. No mistaking that. But they aren’t enemies. Or they don’t need to be.”
TUELLER: Okay. Tueller takes the appropriate amount of time to put together a breakfast burrito from hydroponic vegetables, eggs, and peppers, and mostly lets Alejo talk.
TUELLER: “Pretentious, huh.”
TUELLER: “Just for that I won’t make one for you as well.”
TUELLER: “Doc, you in?” Tueller throws tortillas on the pan.
MILLICENT: “I find Ionians to be pleasant, especially when they’re cooking me breakfast.”
ALEJO: “Aww. Come on T.” He smiles and looks at Maya. “He’s a hell of a chef. Just a mite sensitive.”
STORY: “So he’s not the target?”
TUELLER: “Who’s your target?”
STORY: She takes a big drink of water. “That’s what I’m asking him. If it’s not you, I dunno who he wants me to kill.”
STORY: Again, totally calm through this conversation, just a very matter-of-fact kid having a conversation about work.
MILLICENT: Millie’s face goes ‘ohhhhh’
TUELLER: Tueller looks up at her from over the kitchen island, continues to putter around on the stove and says nothing.
ALEJO: Alejo smiles softly. “Maya, you don’t have to kill him. Or anyone else, for that matter.” He looks at her for a long moment. “You said that I was like you. I was. But not anymore. Do you want to be free?”
TUELLER: “You’re actually not allowed to kill me.”
TUELLER: “It’s not a question of have/don’t have.”
STORY: She looks confused.
ALEJO: Alejo smiles at her and shrugs. “Pretentious. Don’t worry about it. He grows on you, I promise.”
STORY: “Free how?”
TUELLER: “Alejo, we should probably be pretty precise here and not joke around just yet.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods at Tueller quickly but stays focused on Maya. “When did they take you? Do you remember?”
MILLICENT: Millie raises her hand. “If we’re setting ground rules, you’re also not allowed to kill me either.”
ALEJO: Alejo continues looking at Maya but rolls his eyes quickly.
STORY: She shakes her head.
ALEJO: He nods slowly. “I don’t remember when they took me either.”
ALEJO: “So, Maya, here’s the thing. They are not good people and you don’t have to fight their bullshit wars. I know . . . they drilled a lot of nonsense into you during training. I’ve been there. But you don’t have to go back there. You don’t have to do what they wanted you to do or be what they wanted you to be.”
ALEJO: He looks around. “Maya, you can be whatever you want to be.” He takes a drink of her water. “I’ll help you, if you want.”
STORY: She narrows her eyes.
STORY: “There’s no job?”
ALEJO: He bobs his head for a moment, indecisively. “Well . . . there are jobs. Just jobs you choose. At least usually.”
STORY: She nods her head slowly.
STORY: “You’re AWOL?”
MILLICENT: Millie sucks in a breath and joins Tueller at the stove.
ALEJO: He purses his lips. “I quit.” He takes another drink. “Listen, you don’t have to decide what you want right now. You’re safe. Just . . . yeah, don’t kill anybody. After Io, if you want to go back to Titan, we can figure that out. If you want something else . . . well, we can talk about it.”
ALEJO: He looks at her. “Do you want to go back to them, Maya?”
STORY: She thinks about it.
STORY: “No, I don’t think so.”
ALEJO: He smiles and nods.
ALEJO: “Well, you’re welcome here. And I’ll do my best to help you once you decide what you do want.”
STORY: “Hm.”
STORY: “Okay.”
STORY: She takes a big bite of the burrito. Then, to Tueller: “This is not spicy.”
ALEJO: Alejo laughs. “I like her.”
TUELLER: Tueller grabs a thing filled with containers of sauces.
TUELLER: “Yeah, it’s just poblano; there’s sauces here. Mix and match and try them out. Thai bird, Chili Crisp—there’s some ghost pepper stuff down there too.”
STORY: She tries out a few options, settles on one she likes, and finishes in three bites.
TUELLER: Tueller is making sure that he doesn’t come up behind her or surprise her. He’s a little wary of her.
MILLICENT: “Tueller brought home one time that was so bad it alerted the fire suppression system while he was cutting it and I made him throw it out.”
TUELLER: “Oh hush now.”
MILLICENT: “The fire suppression system, Tueller.”
ALEJO: “When you’re done, I’ll show you around the ship. Doc and T have some work to do.”
STORY: Maya stands. “I’m done.”
ALEJO: Alejo stands, still smiling. He looks over to Millie. “Let me know if you need my help.” He turns to Tueller. “You too. If you get stuck with the heartstring pulling.”
ALEJO: He looks back to Maya. “Let’s see what mischief we can find.”
TUELLER: Tueller winces at the word “mischief.”
STORY: Okay!
STORY: So you split up, and that’s when Maya asks who she’s really there to kill, and there’s some more explaining from Alejo, and it’s all very funny.
STORY: Millie, what are you doing?
MILLICENT: Millie goes into dissertation mode. She’s done tons of these. First she tries to identify an average technical level for our of the major Ark governments. Then she brushes up on presentation software, selects a new one that has some rather nice visual modeling components and tinkers with it for a bit, putting together the visuals of her presentation. Then she writes it. It’s precise and succinct and persuasive. Every sentence reinforces the next one until she reaches the end. The language is approachable to her audience and she doesn’t exaggerate. She just lays it all out. Alejo’s appeal will be the one to sway people. Her bibliography is extensive and the footnotes are tasteful and restrained.
STORY: Okay!
STORY: And Tueller?
TUELLER: Tueller doesn’t work as hard. he thinks a little about what he’d say to all sentient beings, but nothing particularly final. And then he sends Waves out about getting Erwin back to Io.
STORY: All right! Millie, let’s have FA + Expertise, Tueller, FA + Influence.
TUELLER: And for his family to look into the locations of any Grell or other experts on the Weave.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 5
STORY: Oooof.
TUELLER: Yikes. I might be the wrong guy to lead a nation.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 9 + 2 = 11
MILLICENT: Should have done the homework, smart guy
TUELLER: –maybe I should physically threaten people instead.
STORY: Alejo, when you get Tueller’s notes on what to say for this speech, they are so bad they actually knock you off your game a little. You’re shook.
STORY: But Millie is, as ever, so prepared that it soothes you and you regain some confidence. When the time comes for you to make your plea on behalf of all sentient life, Millie can Help Out + Expertise. Tueller may not.
ALEJO: Okay!
STORY: All right! Heading to Io?
TUELLER: Yep.
STORY: Tueller, describe for me the accommodations. Do you head back to the same office as before? Moon’s your oyster.
TUELLER: I don’t remember the office before, so sure, we’ve remodeled!
TUELLER: The new digs have done their best to play down the Mordor aspects of living on a volcanic moon. Soft curving lines, windows that soften the harsh glow of lava, and new mellower colors. The feel is comfort and approachability, with no ostentatious decadence, and an attempt to incorporate more basalt and obsidian into the design, to use local stone rather than imported stuff.
STORY: It’s lovely!
STORY: As requested, Ryo is in your office with Erwin. Erwin leans on a side table, scratching his ear and looking uncomfortable.
STORY: Ryo smiles. “I see it went… well, not deadly.”
TUELLER: “The only body is the one we went looking for.”
STORY: He nods. “Groovy. What do you need Erwin for?”
STORY: Erwin will not look at Alejo.
TUELLER: Tueller has a seat, and breathes in deeply, preparing himself.
MILLICENT: Millie quietly fixes some tea in the corner.
TUELLER: “Well, we have an idea as to how to address…everything.”
ALEJO: Alejo takes a seat, settling in.
TUELLER: “Erwin, there’s a lot to go over here, so I’m just going to be brief and we can fill things in as we go. The issue that you and Tux were looking into, the issue of the Weave, is due to the Collective using the Weave to use our brains as cloud processing. That’s what’s causing the issues with everything.”
STORY: Erwin stares at the floor. “They ride the Weave?”
TUELLER: “Yes. And doing a whole lot more.”
TUELLER: “They’ve also been cloning people–people who go through the relays–and using those clones as further cloud storage.”
STORY: Erwin looks uncomfortable, and glances at Alejo when you mention clones.
TUELLER: “To make matters worse, they want to keep this secret, and have set up planets full of people that they’ve armed and trained, to strike against those who learn this secret.”
ALEJO: Alejo politely pretends not to have noticed the glance.
TUELLER: “This slavery is wrong, this militarism is wrong, and the abuse of the Weave is wrong. That’s the most important thing, but also on top of how fundamentally wrong it is, it’s counterproductive. We believe that the Collective is being short-sided, and if we can put them in a position where everyone knows about this, they will be forced to come to the table, to work with all of us, and to be part of the universal society rather than a leech off of it.”
STORY: Erwin waits a moment, thinking. “Okay. So they’re evil.”
STORY: “Why tell me?”
TUELLER: “And so we are working to tell everyone. EVERYONE.”
STORY: Ryo realizes what you’re getting at, and steps in front of Erwin, holding out his hands. “Oh, no. No, no, no.”
TUELLER: “The doc is working to send out the skip drones with our proof, with our statement on this. But that will take time.
STORY: “No, Tueller, you’re not dragging him into this.”
TUELLER: “It’s a…two generals thing?”
STORY: Erwin nods. He knows the problem.
TUELLER: “And there is a ticking clock. So.”
STORY: “Unreliable link. You need me to code something?”
STORY: “I’m not as good as my dad was.”
TUELLER: “In a fashion.”
STORY: Ryo shakes his head.
STORY: “Tueller, I’m saying no,” Ryo insists.
MILLICENT: “Ryo, let him hear us out.”
TUELLER: Tueller ignores Ryo entirely.
ALEJO: “You know it could work because it’s crazy enough the Collective won’t see it coming,” Alejo says to Ryo.
TUELLER: “What we want to do is tell everyone through the Weave.”
STORY: Erwin narrows his eyes, thinking, and Ryo turns to him. “Absolutely not. Erwin, I may not be your dad, but I stepped in when you needed one, and I’m telling you this is not okay. They are not going to use you like this. You can say no.”
TUELLER: “You can absolutely say no, that is absolutely true.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods at this.
TUELLER: “I would ask that you ask us questions, or ask Ryo questions. Because what we are looking for to end this enslavement, and we can not build that universe by forcing you to do anything.”
TUELLER: “This is what we’ve been investigating, without even knowing it, for years. It’s huge.”
TUELLER: “It’s dangerous and scary, and if you want nothing to do with us I’ll understand.”
MILLICENT: Millie leans forward. “There’s also a chance that the Weave dying may affect your own health, Erwin. There’s so much we don’t know about what the Collective is doing, but we know it’s not been good for the Grell.”
MILLICENT: “You should know that.”
STORY: “I know the risk.”
STORY: Erwin looks at Tueller. “So you want, what, to send some people a message in their dreams?”
TUELLER: “Yes.”
STORY: “I can maybe help you find a couple people. It’s tricky trying to look around literally like that, but not impossible.”
STORY: Ryo’s eyes widen. He shakes his head, full of anxiety.
MILLICENT: “We’re going to need you to help us with more than a few people.”
STORY: “Hm.” He scratches behind his neck. “I mean, yeah, I guess if I stretched I could do… maybe a dozen? We’d have to take some time to find them.”
STORY: “Who are you trying to talk to?”
TUELLER: “Everyone.”
TUELLER: “Literally every sentient being.”
STORY: He looks at you like you’re crazy.
ALEJO: “At least the sleeping ones,” Alejo adds quietly.
STORY: Ryo stands in front of Erwin and crosses his arms. “Kid, I love you. I’m not gonna let you risk your life on this. They can find another way.”
TUELLER: “Ryo, you don’t get to boss him around any more than we do.”
STORY: “He’s TWO FUCKING YEARS OLD, TUELLER. And I’m his fucking dad, as much as anyone is. So yes, I fucking do.”
STORY: “And you’re gonna shut the fuck up about my family if you want me to keep cleaning up your paperwork.”
MILLICENT: Quietly, “Ryo, we can’t get to any other Grell without risking a wild jump or the relays. There is no other way.”
ALEJO: Alejo frowns.
STORY: Erwin looks uncomfortable. “I don’t think they’d do it. It’s taboo.”
STORY: “We don’t mess around in people’s dreams for a reason.”
TUELLER: Tueller ignores Ryo, pays attention to Erwin. “We’re not looking to mess around. We’re communicating, that is all.”
STORY: “Communicating is messing around. Nobody knows we’re awake in there. Nobody knows it’s all connected.”
TUELLER: “The Collective has been messing around with people’s unconscious thought at a massive scale–one message, and we hope we can disrupt that.”
MILLICENT: “As far as we can tell the Collective is using the Weave as their own fiber-optic cable.”
TUELLER: “The Collective has exploited that connection.”
MILLICENT: “It’s a 20th century digital communications technology, never mind.”
STORY: Erwin shakes his head. “I understand what you’re asking me to do. I’m saying I can’t do it.”
STORY: “I’d get lost, guaranteed. And not come back out.”
STORY: “Nobody has that kind of focus.”
MILLICENT: “I believe I can build something that will help to amplify a signal you choose to send out.”
TUELLER: “We can help.”
MILLICENT: “We will help.”
TUELLER: “Millie can, at least. Noma maybe can as well.”
TUELLER: Softer: “We haven’t actually discussed that.”
ALEJO: “We think we can help. Let’s not lead anyone on about the chances or risks.”
STORY: “Dr. Breedlove, there are trillions of sentient beings. Even if a fraction of them are in the Weave, it would overload any Grell to reach out to that many.”
MILLICENT: “That’s absolutely true. I think with this amplification device we could project your message into the Weave without you having to enter the dreams yourself.”
MILLICENT: “Given what we know about the Weave, which, admittedly, isn’t much, it would be more like shouting through a bullhorn instead of pulling every sentient being into a conversation, but it should reach everyone who’s sleeping at that moment.”
STORY: “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Dr. Breedlove.”
STORY: Ryo shoots him a look. Erwin adds, “Respectfully.”
STORY: “The Weave isn’t a place you can reach with a machine.”
ALEJO: “The Collective have,” Alejo says flatly.
TUELLER: “Isn’t it?”
TUELLER: “The Collective interfaces with machines, and with the Weave.”
STORY: “Yeah, and that scares me. It means they’re not just computers. It’s a different kind of energy. And to do what you’re talking about, you would need every Grell on New Vesta to work together and even then it’d kill half of us.”
ALEJO: Alejo tilts his head. “So . . . you’re saying the Collective isn’t . . .” He trials off and sits back.
MILLICENT: Millie pulls out her pad and runs her numbers again.
ALEJO: “Well shit.”
MILLICENT: Who’s right here?
STORY: Right about what?
MILLICENT: It is hard to take Erwin at face value here because he wasn’t raised among the Grell and he’s 2.
MILLICENT: Can what we were planning be done with just Erwin and Build Machine?
STORY: You assume he doesn’t talk to the Grell every night!
MILLICENT: Is that something I should have been assuming? I feel like we haven’t gotten any indication of that.
STORY: You think if you can figure out which brainwaves the Grell are surfing to stay lucid and interact in the Weave, you can probably help magnify them. But you also have to defer to Erwin’s experience about how strong a push they are able to do, individually. If he says it’s impossible for just him to do it, it’s impossible.
MILLICENT: Okay, thanks for clearing hat up.
MILLICENT: Millie finishes fiddling with her tea and sits down, leaning back. “Erwin, are you in contact with the Grell?”
STORY: He picks at his fingernails. “Of course.”
MILLICENT: “If we were amplify all of the Grell working in concert. Would that do it, without killing them?”
MILLICENT: “I could lay out the plans for the device in dreams, if you could connect us. And then you could act as more of a guide and there would be less risk to you.”
STORY: Ryo takes Erwin’s arm as the kid winces. “Don’t answer that. We’re done here.” He leads Erwin out of the room. “Head to the shuttle, I’ll be there in a minute.”
ALEJO: Alejo frowns again. “That went well.”
STORY: You hear Erwin start to object from the hallway, then Ryo cut him off. “Kid, this is not something I’m gonna let you die for. Wait in the shuttle.”
STORY: Ryo returns to the room. “What the fuck is wrong with you three?”
STORY: “You’re trying to get a teenager to save all sentient life? You think his decision making skills are up to this?”
STORY: He’s angrier than you have ever seen him.
STORY: “You think jumping around the galaxy with a child for a year then getting his dad killed qualifies you to pull him into this shit?”
TUELLER: “I think this is what he and Tux lived their lives trying to solve.”
TUELLER: “And I think you will not improve his decision making skills by making his decisions for him.”
MILLICENT: Tiredly. “Ryo, if we fail because we don’t have his help he’s dead anyway. If we try and fail to bring the galactic civilizations to the table the Collective will just wipe out Sol and every known associate of ours.”
STORY: “He’s not dead if the three of you keep your fucking mouths shut and live your lives like the rest of us. I’m not letting you pull him into your crusade.”
STORY: “You do not have to get ANYONE killed.”
ALEJO: “Everyone who jumps through a relay is killed. So . . . technically . . . ”
STORY: “And?”
STORY: “You just want that technology for your own use.”
STORY: “Based on what the doc says about how it works, getting Sol their own ansible isn’t going to change that process.”
STORY: “So nothing you do saves those people.”
MILLICENT: “Now do the prison planets with the tricked armies. Then explain why the Weave being destroyed is good after that.”
TUELLER: “The planets and relays full of slaves are who we hope to save. And the Grell whose Weave is being exploited in ways that kills them, too.”
MILLICENT: Millie tiredly grins at Tueller. “Jinx.”
STORY: “Raising people with an ideology you disagree with is not slavery. It’s propaganda, it’s ugly, but it’s what every goddamn government tries to convince their citizens: our way is the way, and it’s worth dying for. Those planets are full of patriots to a shitty cause, not slaves.”
STORY: “And the Grell don’t own the Weave, they ride it. It’s everyone’s. Including the fucking Collective, however it is they’re getting there.”
ALEJO: “From what we saw, the people on those planets don’t get to leave. That makes them something other than patriots. And the Grell are dying because of what the Collective is doing to the Weave. Are you really going to justify that on some survival of the fittest bullshit line?”
STORY: “The people on any prewarp planet don’t get to leave either, are they slaves?”
STORY: “The Grell are dying when they go too deep in the Weave and get hooked in. They have cultural norms that keep most of them safe, and it’s when we involve ourselves, particularly when the fucking nahar manipulate them, that they’re getting fucked up. The Collective may be the thing that locks them there, but they know how to stay out of trouble.”
TUELLER: “The people on the relays are slaves, who are murdered if they fail. Including Tux.”
STORY: “And how many people do you want to risk killing to save them?”
ALEJO: “The status quo is comfortable and easy. For the people who have it comfortable and easy.” Alejo looks down. “But I take your points, Ryo. I do.”
MILLICENT: Millie sips tea. “There’s something I’ve been considering, while we’ve been making this case. I doubt it will sway you, Ryo, but I think it has a place in this room.”
MILLICENT: “What else?”
MILLICENT: “What else is the Collective doing that we don’t know about yet?”
MILLICENT: “They have shown literally zero compunction at things that would make the worst Ark civilization blanch.”
MILLICENT: “We have no reason to believe there might not be worse coming, if not already here.”
MILLICENT: “You ask me to calculate the number of people we’d want to save to risk everyone, I say everyone’s already at risk. Look at the things they’re comfortable doing right now! The things we know about!”
MILLICENT: “You’re working backwards from your solution. You want to save Erwin, so you’re making up your justifications from there. But I say Erwin is already in danger, living under the thumb of the Collective. They’ve shown us what they’re willing to do. Just because you haven’t felt at risk yet, don’t think you’re safe.”
MILLICENT: Millie takes a couple of deep breaths and looks out the window.
STORY: The fire flashes in Ryo’s eyes, but starts to dim. He takes a few breaths himself, then mutters to his feet. “Fuck.”
STORY: “Millie, we’ve already lost.”
STORY: He’s calm now, defeated.
STORY: “Why do we have to risk dying just to show them we know it?”
ALEJO: “I’ve thought like that, Ryo, for most of my life. Survival at any cost, as though taking the next breath was the same as living.”
TUELLER: “And I lived in comfort for most of my life, not paying attention to the fact it came on the exploitation and deaths of untold numbers.”
ALEJO: “I’m not saying you’re wrong, certainly about Erwin. But doesn’t he deserve a chance at something better?”
STORY: Ryo takes a long breath, sighing and pacing.
STORY: “Fuck you three. Seriously.”
STORY: “You’re asking me to serve up my kid for this. And you’re right, it is that important. But he’s still my kid.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods, trying to understand.
ALEJO: “He is. And I’m starting to get that more than you might think. But can we talk with him about it? Look, I loved Tux. You know that. The absolute last fucking thing that I want in the verse is for Erwin to get hurt.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “I really, really don’t understand, but I like Erwin a lot. He reminds me of the best of his fathers and there’s something there that’s just him. You can see it beneath the adolescence. He’s going to be an incredible adult. I will put myself into harm’s way before I let him get hurt.”
STORY: Ryo looks deflated. He speaks quietly. “You can’t talk to him because if you do, he’ll do it.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods once. “If that’s true, don’t you think he’ll want to talk about it more? Look, the best chance you have of him not doing it, at this point, is to talk with him about it. Let’s hash it out. I’m not even sure we can do it at all, based on what he’s already said.”
STORY: “Alejo, I know my kid. I’m telling you if you ask him, he’s going to do it.”
STORY: “And I don’t want him to die. It’s kind of my job to make sure that doesn’t happen_.”_
STORY: “And you can’t promise me this won’t kill him.”
ALEJO: “I can’t. You’re right.”
ALEJO: “So, how about we agree not to ask. At least yet.” Alejo sighs. “Ryo, we need some help here. It’s obvious that we don’t know as much as we need to about the Weave to even think about how to put this plan or some alternative together. Erwin’s the best chance we have. Hell, he’s the only chance we have.”
STORY: Ryo pours himself a drink, and takes it in one go.
STORY: “I need to know why you are doing this. And don’t shout about slaves or using us as cloud storage, tell me why you are doing this. Why not walk away and let everyone live in ignorance of,” he waves his glass, realizes it’s empty. “Of all this.”
STORY: “A thousand entities are using us in shitty ways every moment of our lives.”
STORY: “Why pick a fight with this one? One that will almost certainly kill us all.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at Tueller and Millie.
TUELLER: “Because what they’re doing is Wrong. Wrong on a galactic scale, and to walk away from Wrongness of this size is something I spent my entire life doing and that made me Wrong as well.”
TUELLER: “I’ve been to the planets, and been to the relays, and watched people die there. People who wanted to live in freedom, for us to take them with us.”
TUELLER: “So mostly I’m doing this for Elowyn, and the millions of Elowyns out there.”
MILLICENT: Millie swirls her tea in the mug. “I think the Collective are acting from a place of fear and grief. Based on what we know we have every indication that they are acting from a place of trauma. They are letting their fear take over and drive their actions. I have been there, locked tight in fear and grief. And while I believe they are an existential threat to the sentient races I think they are living lives of unchecked terror and I would like very much to help them move past living in that moment. The sentients embodied population is not the only one living in cage, if I might use some metaphorical language. I think we all have something to gain by dealing honestly with each other.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods along with both of them. “They’re a lot smarter than me. But so are you. I could say that, for me, it’s real personal. I woke up a clone on a relay cleaning toilets. Didn’t much care for that. But . . . ”
ALEJO: He straightens up.
ALEJO: “I’m tired of carrying water for the powerful. The rich. Maybe it is selfish, Ryo. I don’t know. But I can’t stop seeing the faces of all the people who just don’t have a say. Like Doc says, it’s time for some honesty. That won’t fix everything. But people deserve to be the authors of their own stories.”
STORY: Ryo takes this all in, and looks down at his empty glass. He makes a fist and taps it gently on the counter, a gesture of wrapping up.
STORY: “Well, I guess we’re fucking doing this, then. But I am not letting that kid out of my sight. You take one unnecessary risk with him, I drain Tueller’s bank accounts and we disappear, you hear me?”
MILLICENT: Millie grins and shrugs, it’s not her money
STORY: He turns around to pour himself another drink.
MILLICENT: No one’s asked, but her parents are STILL rich. She’s going to be FINE no matter how this ends up, money-wise.
STORY: I think she technically owns the ship
MILLICENT: Yeah, she’s one of the 1%
TUELLER: “I hear ya.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods.
STORY: “I will literally bankrupt this moon.”
MILLICENT: “Cool yeah.”
TUELLER: “I’ll move in with the Doc.”
STORY: “I’ll buy another moon.”
TUELLER: “I hear she’s loaded.”
MILLICENT: “I own the ship.”
STORY: “And I’ll put guns on it.”
MILLICENT: “You already live in my place.”
STORY: “And I’ll point the guns at this moon.”
MILLICENT: “Sorry, Ryo is trying to threaten you, can you please humor him?”
TUELLER: “Okay, I guess I need to sit through this entire plot, does someone else want to go get Erwin.”
MILLICENT: “It’s only polite.”
TUELLER: “Oh no, I would hate for Io to spend its existence with people pointing guns at it! That would be such a new experience!”
STORY: “THESE WILL BE BIGGER GUNS.”
STORY: He drains the drink petulantly.
TUELLER: “Warmonger.”
STORY: “Tyrant.”
ALEJO: “I’m so glad we’re all getting along again.”