TUELLER: “Any fucking reason you’re looking through my mail, Ghost?”
STORY: I AM ATTEMPTING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HUMAN INTERACTION.
STORY: THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.
TUELLER: “If you were human we’d be interacting about now.”
STORY: I DON’T FLIRT WITH MY COWORKERS, MR YA’MAKASI
TUELLER: Tueller lashes out with his fist at a bulkhead, which crumples waaaaaaaay more than titanium should.
STORY: Cheap-ass ship.
Continue reading “Chapter 4”
Chapter 3
STORY: You hear a growling voice pipe in over the intercom. “A CHALLENGER.”
STORY: “WELCOME.”
TUELLER: Tueller is going towards his flashlight as he hears that.
TUELLER: “Excellent!”
ALEJO: “Oh boy.” Alejo slips a headlamp over his stocking cap.
TUELLER: Tueller gets his light on, held in his off hand, and sweeping the cargo bay area.
TUELLER: His right hand is ready to punch something.
STORY: “TAKE MY SHIP, CHALLENGER, OR DIE. IF YOU WISH TO BE GRANTED *the universal translator issues the long beep that indicates a word it doesn’t understand* SPEAK NOW.”
TUELLER: Tueller grins.
ALEJO: Alejo clears his throat. “Granted what?” He mutters this and then repeats it louder.
STORY: “SKU-FARNUM.”
TUELLER: “We need the ship and we don’t have a ride. I’m assuming we’re not interested in asylum or mercy or painless death or what ever sku-farnum is.”
ALEJO: “Right.” Alejo frowns. “We’re taking your ship.”
ALEJO: Alejo shouts this at no one in particular.
TUELLER: “It’s our ship. You just haven’t given it up yet.”
STORY: “A FIGHT, THEN. EXCELLENT. COME FIND ME, TWO-VOICE.”
Continue reading “Chapter 3”
Chapter 2
MILLICENT: “Until very recently I worked with a genius. His was a mind that would have led a generation into the light. I was his strong right hand. Ready with a calculation or a reference or a note.”
MILLICENT: “At the beginning of his career and our relationship he petitioned the Ark Council for access to their scientific records.”
MILLICENT: “Discovery is made on the back of our forebears.”
MILLICENT: “If we were to take our place in the new galactic economy we would surely need to be on the same technological page.”
MILLICENT: “We would need some time to ramp up our production, economy and even our conception of the universe.
MILLICENT: “The Ark Council sent back three words in reply:”
MILLICENT: “Enjoy your youth.”
MILLICENT: “That is our mission, ladies and gentlemen. We will make them pay for those words. We will take our place in the stars, we will not wait to be told it.”
Continue reading “Chapter 2”
Chapter 1
MILLICENT: “Why did you steal this ship?”
MILLICENT: “Presuming your theft had gone according to plan?”
TUELLER: Shrugging. “I didn’t want to be on Mars anymore.”
ALEJO: Alejo smiles. “We . . . needed some space.”
STORY: “I can give you quite a bit of space if you’d step closer to the door, Mr. Soto.”
TUELLER: “No spacing!” Closest to panic you’ve seen from him.
ALEJO: Alejo rolls his eyes. “I’m sure you can.”
STORY: “Thank you for appreciating my humor subroutine.”
MILLICENT: “I’ve got this, Noma.”
MILLICENT: “Gentlemen. I don’t believe you and I control the airlocks.”