TUELLER: “We’re doing all this, but if Loll says stop, we’re bugging out of here for as long as we need to, no pun intended.”
TUELLER: “The pun was on ‘bugging.’ They’re insects.” Tueller explains.
TUELLER: “Not sure that was clear.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “I have no problem adhering to Loll’s wishes and I got your joke.”
MILLICENT: Millie smiles, trying to be encouraging. “Very funny!”
TUELLER: “Please don’t patronize me just because you’re eight times smarter than me.”
ALEJO: He was a reed of a man, though his eyes were wild and slightly too large for his face. Most people couldn’t see it, the connections he would make. Like a child, he lived on the edge of madness, with his actions and words motivated by a fuzzy sort of dream logic. If you could tease out enough dots, though, a pattern would emerge, often irrefutable once explained.
ALEJO: Alejo was only twelve when he’d first met Emmett. But Alejo quickly learned to listen to him, find the patterns and, many times, decipher them. Alejo then discovered that Emmett liked to play counters and loved to be asked questions. Through Emmett, Alejo learned his first lesson about developing an asset — lonely people want to be the subject of someone’s attention.
—
STORY: All right! Some business! Millie, we never covered whether you cleared your Erde-Maris university debt, which was going to require some sweet talking of your contact to do so. First, would Millie be willing to do the necessary buttering up of Dr. Gage? If so, let’s have a Face Adversity + Influence to see how well it worked on her.
TUELLER: I think Tueller and Alejo would be willing to attempt to help in this conversation, at least. Depending on how it goes.
MILLICENT: Okay!
STORY: Unfortunately, Dr. Gage wouldn’t have been interested in your input
STORY: She’s an academic and a snob
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6
STORY: josh rolled 9
TUELLER: Even academics and snobs can be roughed up.
STORY: Not from many planets away. 9! You clear your debt but Gage is disappointed enough with you that she’s unlikely to help you on anything going forward. You can effectively consider her no longer a contact.
STORY: Second! We’ve got some new factions. Would anyone like to as discussed trade out a Debt and tell me about how you relieved your old one and got your new one?
TUELLER: I’d love to trade a debt to either the Archeological Conglomerate or the Spacer Guild, if they’re coming into existence.
STORY: Go for it! How’d it happen?
TUELLER: Oh shit, I ralize that we’re GETTING a debt, not relieving it. I started writing about how we did something for them.
TUELLER: Okay, let’s go with the Archeological faction, which is the Barthic League. We were called in to do a favor for them early on to retrieve an artifact stolen by pirates from the Orcus Belt, the ruins of a planet shattered by an unknown calamity. We did so, Jenny breaking her leg in the process, and we apparently tampered with the artifact too much for their liking, trying to figure it out. They paid us, but we owe them a favor for our meddling.
STORY: You also cleared a debt – what was it?
TUELLER: All my debts are with CJH, and I don’t feel like we’ve talked enough about our status with them for me to say right now.
TUELLER: But I would love to have that conversation!
STORY: We will shortly!
TUELLER: So let’s please retcon that CJH debt write-off ain a bit.
MILLICENT: I want to trade my Erde Maris for Dyonan Scavengers
STORY: Tell me about it!
MILLICENT: After disappointing Dr. Gage, Millie compiled a thorough report on the technology she’s witnessed since leaving Sol, including all the stuff they’ve given Erde Maris. It took a couple of weeks of writing crunch, but the result should help kickstart several lagging scientific fields into something close(r) to breakthrough
MILLICENT: That wipes her last Erde Maris debt
STORY: Excellent! Why do you owe a debt to the Dyonan Scavengers?
MILLICENT: Fearing that just anyone could waltz in and discover what Sergio did, Millie needed help wiping all possible trace of her communication with the Collective. It’s gone and not even Mr. Sansbury knows what the purpose of the mission was that required the Scavenger’s help to infiltrate space file storage relays containing boring communication data and wipe them. He just knows that Millie owes him.
STORY: Excellent!
STORY: Okay! Alejo, how are your Debts? Static?
ALEJO: I think that if Erde Mars let Millie off the hook, I should trade that one out. It was a bit derivative of her.
STORY: All right, Alejo, what happened to clear your E-M debt?
ALEJO: Admiral Randd needed a personal favor. She had a rival that she needed some dirt to keep at arms’ length and away from some super secret project that she wants to run. She couldn’t turn to anyone in her direct chain of command, so she contacted Jenny who came to Alejo to help. He did.
STORY: Nice. Vague.
ALEJO: My specialty.
ALEJO: It’s an academic thing.
STORY: hahah
STORY: Who’s your new debt with and why?
ALEJO: New debt with Engaran. I think. Can I take a moment to think about what they gave in exchange for the debt?
STORY: Sure!
ALEJO: Cool.
STORY: All right, let’s move on to two big questions. We can decide which to tackle first. What have you done to search for Noma, and what is the status with CJH and consequently your ability to travel back to Sol?
ALEJO: Excellent questions!
TUELLER: Our status with CJH I think significantly depends on Akilah’s communications back to Esi and the gang.
STORY: Yeah, I’m going to have a lot to say about that one.
TUELLER: The wedding wasn’t terribly important to the family beyond a social event, I felt, but it was embarrassing.
STORY: Let’s do that one first, actually. A proper flashback!
TUELLER: And Tueller burned a lot of bridges.
TUELLER: FLASH BAAAAAAAAACK.
STORY: It’s 48 hours after you ran from the wedding with Akilah and Sergio. You haven’t let him out of the makeshift brig (Tueller’s room), nor have you had a conversation with him about going into business together. Akilah has spent much of her time onboard in Alejo’s room, doing unknown things. He was there too, though.
STORY: Millie, where did you hide out? You haven’t yet left the Sol system.
MILLICENT: Millie hides out in her room/lab dividing her time between composing her presentation and being wracked with wrenching sobs
STORY: Aw. I meant where did you park the ship to regroup, but also that’s very sad.
MILLICENT: oh
MILLICENT: Yeah
STORY: The wedding was on Io
TUELLER: Let’s hide on Triton. Fuck it.
MILLICENT: Triton’s as good as any place
STORY: Okay! Tueller, what’s Triton like? Where do you hole up?
TUELLER: Triton isn’t really settled. It’s got a couple of blank spots that you get shot at if you go near which are obviously paramilitary bases, and a couple of aggressively libertarian frontier towns where people who hate governments reflexively support other people who look like they might have someone on their tail.
TUELLER: They’re really good at rooting out secretly affiliated agents, which is kind of a problem for Tueller at first because he’s well known as a CJH member, until the news hits them. It’s tense until someone catches the news feed, and then it’s fucking hilarious.
TUELLER: We drink for free at a bunch of bars that sell aggressively brand free booze.
STORY: You’re at one of those bars one night when Akilah enters, looking pale.
STORY: She looks at you and Alejo, and gestures to find a private spot.
TUELLER: Tueller is recovering from a bare knuckle boxing match, drinking with the guy he beat, but leaves to go with Akilah.
ALEJO: Alejo pints up his pint and heads to the corner Akilah has nodded towards.
TUELLER: Tueller brings the drink he was both drinking and using to disinfect his cut brow.
STORY: She sits down with the three of you and brushes her hair back, holding on behind her neck.
STORY: “Esinam’s pissed.”
TUELLER: Tueller laughs, once, sharply.
ALEJO: Alejo takes a drink.
STORY: “No, like. More than I’ve ever seen her.”
STORY: “Particularly with you, T.”
MILLICENT: Millie slinks to the table, appearing not to listen. Her secret is still weighing on her.
TUELLER: “Yeah. She hoped to finally get something she wanted out of me.”
STORY: She nods to Alejo and Millie. “But, you know, you two also have kill orders out on you.”
STORY: “Just less angrily worded ones.”
TUELLER: Tueller stops smiling.
ALEJO: “Sounds about right.”
TUELLER: “There’s a kill order on me?”
STORY: She nods. “Both of us.”
TUELLER: “Oh Esi.”
TUELLER: Tueller sounds really truly sad.
STORY: “Apparently a bunch of deals were in progress at the wedding that went pretty sour when we took off.”
ALEJO: “On you too?” Alejo is startled by this.
STORY: “And… well, she saw me leave. Wen caught her up on the rest.”
STORY: “We’re out of the family, T.”
MILLICENT: “Oh.” Millie considers.
STORY: “For good, I think.”
TUELLER: “With a vengeance, it sounds.”
TUELLER: Tueller puts his head down.
MILLICENT: “I need some context, please. Is this an appropriate reaction?”
ALEJO: Alejo lets out a quiet sigh. Takes another drink.
TUELLER: Tueller looks up, with his eyes wet. “It’s an unprecendented one in our time.”
TUELLER: He wipes his eyes, smearing the blood from his brow.
MILLICENT: “Oh Tueller.” She reaches out to put her hand on his. “I’m so sorry.”
STORY: Akilah just looks down. “I did get her to agree that if we stay out of her business interests, she won’t send anyone after us. So that means… leave the system, don’t show our faces here, the bounty hunters should slow to a trickle after we kill a few.”
TUELLER: “We haven’t had a PNG on a family member in three generations.”
MILLICENT: “Papua New Guinea?”
TUELLER: Pause. “Persona non etc.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, I see.”
ALEJO: “How long do we have before they come looking?”
STORY: Akilah tries not to think about what Tueller’s saying. Have to keep a low profile at the Ark. We’ll need someone to face our business. Whatever that ends up being.”
TUELLER: “The Family has been mostly Sol centric, so we should be…alright in the rest of the system. The Ark is going to be messy, but doable with precautions.”
STORY: She looks at Alejo. “We should leave. Like. Now. Ships from Io could be here in hours. She doesn’t know we’re here, but…” Akilah looks around the bar.
ALEJO: He slides the beer away, unfinished, and nods. He then starts to assess the bar more carefully, preparing to leave.
STORY: Tueller, your face is on the news reader behind the bar.
TUELLER: “How’s the Bhattacharyas and Ndranghetas going along with this?”
STORY: With a lot of dollar signs near it.
TUELLER: “fuck, nevermind.”
TUELLER: Pointing.
MILLICENT: Millie cocks her head at an angle, staring.
ALEJO: “Yup. Time to go.”
TUELLER: “Let’s go, quietly but aggressively.”
MILLICENT: “Tueller.” She raises her hand to point.
TUELLER: Tueller smacks Millie’s hand down.
TUELLER: “Don’t say my name until we’re on the ship.”
STORY: You make it to the jump relay without an issue, and haven’t been back to Sol since.
STORY: All right!
STORY: What have you done to look for Noma in the meantime?
STORY: Knowing that none of it succeeded or gave you any great leads, I’d like each of you to tell me a quick story about an attempt to find Noma that failed
ALEJO: Alejo has used his “contacts” — his skill — to try to find out as much about where Noma might be as possible.
MILLICENT: Millie buys and builds a new visor exactly like her last one and runs dozens of tests trying to come up with a scanning device that can hone in on the visor’s tech. Up to you if that’s a complete wash or only works from like 20 feet away and is therefore effectively useless in a manhunt.
STORY: It works, but the range is very very limited. You’d essentially have to be in the same room.
MILLICENT: Okay, that is what Millie does
TUELLER: Tueller tracked down a guy, Aruk Heelnes, known throughout the Ark for his weekly sec-cast on the AI Collective called GhostWorld where he talked about tracking and hunting down the Ghosts among us. He worked hard on it, and traced the broadcast to a Centaur-class ship in the Ring. Tueller took the shuttle one night, running dark, on his own, and docked. He hacked the airlock, found the guy in his bed, and sat on him. The guy was a fraud. He makes his money on AI fear, stoking it up, but he’s useless.
STORY: Hahaha
STORY: Oh man, Tueller is so committed!
STORY: A committed failure.
STORY: Alejo, what’d you get from your contacts?
TUELLER: Tuelma is my OTP.
MILLICENT: I love that
ALEJO: Alejo got a lead on a new Corp that specializes in supplying security and equipment to “colonists,” but really it’s a front for a mercenary organization that works for high-paying criminals. He set up a meeting with a woman named Mensah, ostensibly as a job interview. But he was trying to get more information about where Chandra went, believing that this organization was working with Chandra. The whole deal went south and Alejo narrowly escaped.
STORY: As the year continued on, you hit dead end after dead end. Akilah rented a small office on the Ark for your organization to take meetings and receive mail, and used it to meet with countless criminal informants on the chance they might know something about Chandra or a Sol-based AI. All she could get was that he’s publicly a high-ranking member of the newly formed Exodus government, which has taken over the majority of Saturn’s moons, mostly peacefully.
STORY: He’s rumored to be getting married to his former bodyguard.
STORY: He’s also impossible to pin down – spends most of his time traveling, and his base of operations is unknown.
STORY: No one has heard anything credible about an AI in the Sol system, though you get sent by Akilah on a _lot_ of wild goose chases.
TUELLER: Hey, so at least we maybe have an in with his fiancee.
STORY: Her agreement with the three of you, for the record, is that you chase down any leads on Noma as soon as they come in, and in deference to Millie’s goals to bring humanity level with other civilizations, one in five missions is pro bono, something that can be sent home.
TUELLER: he’s practically family now!
ALEJO: Calixta, what are you doing.
TUELLER: Everything we get that is an update on human tech we document and skipdrone back to the system if we can get away with it from our employers.
TUELLER: That’s the job that went bad on the Orcus artifact.
STORY: Who are you sending the info to? Oh wait, I got that. You send it to Admiral Randd, as part of Millie’s agreement with her to relive the debt.
TUELLER: Ummm, would y’all object if I skipdrone things back to Bilbo Bhattacharya as well?
TUELLER: Bilbo and I got along. He’s up in CJH hierarchy.
STORY: Akilah supports that, she thinks it’s safer if more than one party has the same information.
ALEJO: No objection here.
MILLICENT: Yeah, same.
MILLICENT: Humanity is humanity is humanity
TUELLER: We never leave a forwarding address on the stuff that goes to Bilbo, but he could probably track us down.
TUELLER: He hasn’t yet.
TUELLER: (That we know of)
STORY: Alejo, during some downtime on the Ark, you’re contacted by Miguel, a former Roti dan Garam operative who often “twinned” with you on missions – that is, due to your similar appearance, posed as your double for espionage. He’s living on the Ark and has enlisted as an A-Sec member, though he isn’t rank and file – he wasn’t able to disclose his position. A smile and a nod is all you get. He takes you out for a drink to reminisce and tells you all the former Roti agents were discharged with a hundred credits and a thank you for your service none of them particularly cared for.
STORY:
ALEJO: So the RDG is gone, huh?
STORY: Absorbed into Exodus, after the merger.
STORY: Some officials took on jobs in the Exodus government, and messaging has been pretty strongly disseminated urging RDG loyalists to accept the Exodus leadership.
STORY: It’s mostly worked. But as a spy organization, they’re effectively defunct, absorbed into religious bureaucracy.
STORY: Miguel isn’t sure how it happened, or what Calixta had to do with it, but he knows she and Chandra had some major role in striking the deal between the factions.
STORY: They’re now powerful and widely colonized enough to rival Erde-Maris and CJH.
TUELLER: Still in system?
ALEJO: Religious fanatics are taking over. Has he seen Calixta?
TUELLER: Sol, that is.
STORY: Mostly, but they’ve sent missionaries far and wide.
STORY: Last time he saw her was before she last saw you
ALEJO: And he has no idea where Chandra is now, I assume?
TUELLER: What do they preach?
STORY: None.
STORY: Tueller, I’m so glad you asked! They believe the world was ruled ages ago by nine creator gods, each covering something like fatherhood and vengeance, motherhood and justice, keeper of secrets, etc. They value adherence to tradition and deference to their leadership and are a strict theocracy. Those who do not follow the path are shamed, then exiled, then executed if they return.
STORY: Kahn knows a lot about the Evanuris and does not want to talk about it.
TUELLER: Earth gods?
STORY: Yeah, but abstracted, not exactly aligned with anything from ancient earth religions, more pick and mix.
TUELLER: But Gods from earth that came out to the outer system, not waiting on Saturn or Jupiter for us.
STORY: Yes, gods we brought with us from Earth and repurposed once we settled on Saturn’s moons
TUELLER: ok
STORY: The history of how they were formed is pretty muddy, and some scholars believe that to be intentional
STORY: Can’t criticize a dogma if you don’t totally understand its historical context.
STORY: All right! Anything else we need to get caught up on before going back to the present?
TUELLER: Have people changed in the intervening time? Any personality shifts?
STORY: Oh yeah! I was going to ask that!
STORY: Millie, Alejo, Tueller: how are you different?
STORY: Are there any major differences in your relationships with the crew or each other?
TUELLER: Tueller is much less standoffish. He thinks he’s one of the crew. Not so aloof, not so bossy after his coup attempt failed. He’s still a privileged kid who doesn’t even realize it, but he’s friendly with the gang. Some of the crew may actually hate him as a result, but he doesn’t realize that. He called Jenny “Ace” for awhile until she made it clear she hated it, and he’s working on it.
STORY: Jenny very calmly and unhappily explained to him what he was doing with that name, so now he knows something more about her, and also STOP CALLING HER THAT.
MILLICENT: Millie still thinks a million miles a minute, but she acts slower now. She considers the consequences of her decisions more. She’s more prone to hesitation. She’s clearly trying to avoid making another error in judgment like the one that almost wiped out all of humanity. Can’t imagine why. She’s more humble now, too. Quieter, less demanding, more able/willing to laugh at herself. She also clearly needs a little more input to make sure the group’s doing the right thing.
STORY: Millie, Akilah would have made a gesture early on, after a few weeks onboard, trying to become friends. How did that go?
MILLICENT: Before or after Millie’s reveal?
STORY: After
MILLICENT: It went very well! Millie was very grateful that Akilah (anyone!) was still talking to her after her reveal. She probably tried to invent something that was helpful for Akilah. Not necessarily a new limb, but something small and personal.
MILLICENT: I think that’s Millie’s new hobby. Save the human race, save Noma, build thoughtful little inventions for her friends.
STORY: That’s very kind of you!
TUELLER: Tueller is also still making money through trade. He took back his trade route from CJH and earns a tidy income on it that he sorta shares with the crew.
STORY: And you always have plenty of morkfish to eat.
ALEJO: Alejo has become less evasive. He’s warmer and more open with everyone on the crew. He’s growing more comfortable being the “captain,” and he’s really enjoying feeling a part of a family. For those who’ve known him a long time – Kahn, Tueller, and Akilah particularly – he’s far more at ease than he’s ever been, a weight off his shoulders. He’s intense sometimes, and super serious about finding Noma. He and Kahn have gotten closer. And he’s having a ton of fun with Figgan. He’s also grudgingly started to like morkfish.
STORY: At some point, you get a message from Tux, one you think at first is encrypted and then you realize is just an image sent as code. You feed it through the computer (which takes a frustratingly, incomprehensibly long time without Noma) and see a picture of Tux with his arm around a human toddler.
STORY: At least, that’s what… you think it is?
STORY: He’s blowing a kiss to the camera. No caption or message.
STORY: I’m also not sure how it works in pictures, don’t ask.
STORY: I’ve really confused myself with that one
STORY: All right! You’re newly incorporated and accredited as a mercenary company operating out of the Ark. This means no more taking exclusively illegal jobs, no more ducking around trying to deliver goods, no more looking over your shoulder. Well, maybe not the last one.
STORY: Akilah books a table for all of you at your favorite restaurant on the Ark to celebrate. Alejo, what’s it like?
ALEJO: For her favorite restaurant, it’s surprisingly simple. Alejo, at least, was expecting something very fancy, so he’s seriously overdressed. Aki told everyone else to stay casual. He’s pretending not to notice how ridiculous he looks in the place.
STORY: He’s got a tie on.
STORY: She teases you about it.
TUELLER: (No bloody shirt this time)
ALEJO: It’s spread out over two floors. The center is open to the ceiling. A holo sculpture slowly turns in the center. A giant fish leaping out of water, towards a sparkling star. Beneath it is a scrawl of poetry moving too fast to read, though occasional words or phrases expand and slow down: “Bartleby,” “show me where your light is,” “I can’t hide,” “earnest man stalking,” etc.
ALEJO: The food is, apparently, going to blow our minds.
STORY: She orders for the whole table, including special meals for Figgan and T’chololl, who have specific dietary needs.
STORY: They bring out plate after plate of small bites, and it’s all the best thing you’ve ever had.
TUELLER: “Definitely not Morkfish.”
TUELLER: “Even sushi-grade Morkfish gets tiring after awhile.”
ALEJO: Alejo has loosened his tie. “I didn’t know food could be this good.”
TUELLER: “Don’t tell your friends. I’ll lose money.”
MILLICENT: Millie is carefully examining a dessert menu, face aglow with possibility
TUELLER: “Maybe I can talk to the chef’s here about morkfish recipes.”
ALEJO: “Seriously, T. You gotta get a new hobby.”
TUELLER: “It’s a fucking job and it pays for the booze you drink.”
TUELLER: “You have no idea what a trendy dish would do to the market.”
ALEJO: Alejo eyes another bite from one of the shared plates. He sees Kahn considering it as well. He moves in quickly, but not quickly enough.
TUELLER: “Mork buns would kill on this level.”
MILLICENT: Millie looks up. “I’ve decided. I’m going to have every one of them.”
STORY: Akilah smiles broadly. “I like your thinking.”
TUELLER: Tueller gets introspective. “I think we need a job to take my mind off of mork.”
STORY: Tueller, the kitchen looks busy, but it’s one of those doors that swings both ways and you catch a glimpse of the chef sitting down to his staff dinner.
ALEJO: Alejo raises his hands, palms out. “I give up. The morkfish biz is killing it. I’m eternally grateful for your business prowess.”
MILLICENT: Millie smiles back at her, “You may share with me.”
ALEJO: “But we all need a job, I think.”
TUELLER: “Kiki, is this a working dinner or are we just here for the fuck of it?”
TUELLER: Tueller waves over a waiter and points at his empty glass.
ALEJO: Alejo looks over the dessert menu, far too stuffed to imagine eating anything more, but still feeling tempted to try.
STORY: Akilah shakes her head. “Celebration today. Work tomorrow.”
STORY: The waiter comes by, Tueller.
TUELLER: “Another round for the table, please.”
TUELLER: Tueller slips a bank note into the waiter’s breast pocket.
TUELLER: The waiter’s six tentacles try to fight it off at first until they realize what he’s doing.
STORY: The waiter nods, looking beatific for a moment, then turns toward T’chololl, shrieking as he leaps onto the table brandishing what looks like a camera flash before a footlong laser erupts from the tip and he thrusts it toward her.
TUELLER: Oh shit I’m stopping that if I can.
TUELLER: Grabbing a tentacle and YANKING
STORY: He shrieks something in a language you don’t recognize that the translators don’t handle (they recently got a software update that takes cultural intent into account and leaves certain battle cries and so forth untranslated.)
ALEJO: Alejo will try as well, if he sees it in time.
TUELLER: —Attack my ex with a lightsaber will you!
STORY: She looks nonplussed.
STORY: Tueller, give me a Face Adversity + Mettle to see how your reflexes are.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 9 + 1 = 10
STORY: You can reach him before he reaches her – what do you do?
STORY: Alejo, you’re already standing and ready to assist if needed, your reflexes are not under question.
MILLICENT: Millie pulls Akilah under the table and upends it to give them some cover. I’d like to roll to see if I can grab a desert plate and two utensils.
TUELLER: Grabbing two of his tentacles and wrapping them around him and pullling tight.
TUELLER: Basically lassoing him with his own tentacles.
STORY: Millie, the table’s quite large, so upending it is going to be a challenge. Also the rest of the crew is there too – but you can grab Akilah and the plate while Tueller and Alejo do their business.
STORY: Tueller, Face Adversity + Physique on that one
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: hahah
TUELLER: Rolling rocks tonight!
ALEJO: –Go Tueller!
STORY: Nice. Alejo, you jump up from your chair to assist and just end up watching Tueller wrap this guy around himself and pin him to the ground. T’chololl rises slowly, cocking her head to the side and looking down at him as he continues to shout.
ALEJO: Alejo just calmly takes another sip of his wine, though he remains standing to watch the show, and assist if something horrible happens.
STORY: She responds calmly, asking him a question in the same guttural language you don’t understand.
TUELLER: Tueller looks up at Loll, head cocked to the side.
TUELLER: Same nonplussed expression she had, translated to human.
ALEJO: “So, you two know each other, Loll?”
MILLICENT: Millie offers Akilah a fork and takes a bite of tiramisu.
STORY: He shouts something back, now frothing at the mouth. His laser blade lays unused on the table, burning what’s left of the poached mushrooms. Kahn reaches out to turn it off and takes one of the now crisp mushrooms to nibble on.
TUELLER: Tueller holds the tentacles in one hand, holding them tight, and takes his tip back from the pocket.
STORY: Everyone’s pretty casual about this, if confused. It isn’t your first assassination attempt, though it is the first one directed at Loll.
MILLICENT: Mmmmm. Millie closes her eyes to better enjoy her bite, then hands her plate to Akilah, starts fishing for a new desert from the table while still on the floor.
STORY: Alejo, you just see Millie’s hand curl up around the edge of the table.
ALEJO: He slides a plate over to it.
STORY: Loll looks at you, Tueller. “I don’t know him. He says he is Maitri.”
TUELLER: “Maitri come in octopus form now?”
STORY: She gestures down at the ground. “An aspirational title, I suppose. Keep trying, young man.”
TUELLER: “But not during our fucking dinner, young man.”
ALEJO: “And the attempted laser skewering was because . . . ?”
STORY: He continues to shout and object in Mait.
TUELLER: “We were having _dinner_ you rude fuck.”
TUELLER: “You were _serving us_.”
STORY: She listens to him. “He says he was sent to exterminate the Maraas on behalf of the Antaam.”
TUELLER: “You do not get to exterminate my friend.”
STORY: She responds to him in Mait, still talking calmly, simply not understanding. He shouts back. Then, a dark look passes over her face.
TUELLER: “Wait, Antaam?”
STORY: “How long?”
ALEJO: Alejo nods thoughtfully, like this makes sense. “Right. Right.” It makes no sense to him.
STORY: The waiter spits from the ground. “They arrived last month. I will not be the last.”
MILLICENT: Millie slides a plate of bittersweet, spicy chocolate cake over the edge and shares it with Akilah.
TUELLER: Tueller punches him once in the face, without glove boost.
STORY: She nods, moving around the table to stand over him as you keep him pinned. “Tueller, please.”
MILLICENT: She offers her new friend the glazed jalapeno.
STORY: She holds out her hand toward Kahn, who hands her the laser blade, which she quickly activates and pushes through the waiter’s eye.
STORY: “Someone should call A-Sec.”
MILLICENT: Hands off the plate, closes one eye, pats around on the table, seriously searching for the gelato.
MILLICENT: Still on the floor.
ALEJO: Alejo picks up Millie’s and Aki’s wine glasses and, without looking, lowers them under the table so that they can take them, if they want.
STORY: She sits back down, thinking deeply.
STORY: Puts the laser blade back on the table, not looking at anyone in particular. Passes the gelato down to Millie.
TUELLER: Tueller sits back down. “He was supposed to refill my glass.”
TUELLER: Tueller gestures at waiters standing apprehensively on the side of the room.
MILLICENT: Millie takes her glass and sips, popping a brief thumbs up tableside.
TUELLER: “Check please.”
MILLICENT: “We’re going to need boxes for all this.”
STORY: So you leave your dinner, with a huge tip for whoever cleans up the mess.
STORY: A-Sec comes to visit the offices, and T’chololl sits with them for an hour. They interview a few more of you, but there were plenty of witnesses, so there isn’t much of an investigation.
STORY: Afterwards:
TUELLER: “What’s up with this, my True Grey One?”
STORY: T’chololl shakes her head. “He said the Maitri are here. That they’ve set a bounty for Maraas. It doesn’t make sense.”
STORY: “Our exile is our punishment. Maitri have no concern of Maraas. We may as well not exist to them.”
TUELLER: “This some religious bullshit?”
STORY: She shakes her head. “Religion is for fools.”
TUELLER: “Indeed.”
STORY: “This is hierarchy.”
STORY: She looks down. “They are here.”
TUELLER: “So now a solid plurality of the team has prices on their heads.”
STORY: “On the Ark.”
STORY: “I must decide.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at her cautiously. “Decide what?”
TUELLER: Tueller’s not interrogating, just letting her speak. He knows not to push her.
STORY: “Run, or face them and die.”
STORY: “I am already shamed. I suppose it is nothing more to continue to run. But I will surely not join my people in the hallowed lands.”
ALEJO: Alejo respectfully bows his head at this, giving her a moment. Then: “What do they want, do you think? You said it doesn’t make sense that they are here. Maybe we can find another way to deal with this?”
STORY: “If they are Maitri, they will kill me when they find me.”
STORY: “The honorable thing is to appear before them.”
TUELLER: “Where they’ll kill you for sure?”
TUELLER: “Fuck that shit.”
MILLICENT: “Are they after all Maraas, or just you?”
ALEJO: “Yeah, I gotta go with T on this. Dying just isn’t that noble.”
MILLICENT: “Forgive me, Loll, I don’t know your culture as well as I’d like.”
STORY: “Presumably all, though I don’t understand why. It is my responsibility to disappear, theirs to kill me if they find me. But hunting Maraas, it isn’t done.”
STORY: “It isn’t seen as worthwhile. We are nothing to them.”
ALEJO: Alejo shakes his head. “Bounty hunters? Would someone put a price on your head?”
TUELLER: “Did A-Sec take this seriously? Because this means there will be murders and attempted murders all over the system.”
STORY: “The Maitri would never hire a bounty hunter.”
STORY: “They do their work themselves. Another piece that doesn’t make sense.”
STORY: “He said there is a convoy on the Ark.”
STORY: “For them not to come for me, but to send an assassin? It is most strange.”
ALEJO: “We need to figure out why so many pieces of this aren’t fitting. Loll, I don’t mean at all to be disrespectful to you or your traditions, but there’s no honor in giving into this without knowing more. Right?”
STORY: Akilah answer you, Tueller. “I can answer that one. A-Sec is doing their best not to step on any diplomatic toes with regard to the Maitri.” She turns her computer towards you. “Three hundred of them came here a month ago, rented out most of the rooms on the top half the Siglight Hotel, and have refused to pay their bill since then.”
STORY: “This isn’t a Loll specific problem. The Ark is being occupied.”
STORY: T’chololl looks at Akilah seriously. “Shit.”
TUELLER: “Surely the Ark can handle 300 assholes.”
ALEJO: Alejo raises his eyes. “Three hundred?”
TUELLER: “Could. they’re just not.”
STORY: Akilah continues. “Handle, sure. But not without risking an intergalactic war.”
STORY: “They’re taking the diplomatic route. That takes time. So far they don’t even know why the Maitri are here.”
MILLICENT: “Loll, do you know anyone who might know what’s going on?”
STORY: She shakes her head. “I know no Maitri.”
ALEJO: “Someone on this Ark’s gotta know something.”
TUELLER: “Well shit.”
MILLICENT: Does Millie know any scholars of alien culture?
TUELLER: “I know it’s hypocritical as hell to say this as a human, but you got some real assholes in your race, Loll.”
ALEJO: “300 non-paying, badass Maitri have got to eat and . . . do whatever it is Maitri do.” He looks to Loll. “What do Maitri do in their ‘down time’?”
STORY: She shakes her head.
STORY: “What is ‘down time’?”
TUELLER: “Free time. We filled it with the sex and the sparring.”
ALEJO: “Right.”
ALEJO: He says this flatly, agreeing with Tueller and then realizing the last part. He winces a little at having just so casually agreed about their sex and sparring.”
STORY: “You did not understand my joke.”
STORY: “I mean to say the concept is alien to Maitri.”
ALEJO: Alejo smiles and looks very impressed. “Well played, Loll. You’re getting good at that!”
TUELLER: Tueller smiles at Loll, just happy she’s trying to make jokes.
STORY: Millie, sure.
STORY: If you don’t know anyone personally, the Ark’s full of interesting people, you can find one.
MILLICENT: Millie quietly pulls up a list of all the interesting xeno cultural scholars on the Ark right now
TUELLER: “So we keep you safe from amateur assassins, and the professional ones. That’s a given.”
TUELLER: “You want us to get a job out of system, wait for this to blow over or blow up?”
TUELLER: “Or break some chitinous faces and try to figure this shit out?”
TUELLER: “Your call.”
TUELLER: “Actually, Ejo’s call, but I think he’ll back you up on this.” Tueller looks at Alejo.
STORY: She scratches her bald head. “I have to… think about it.”
STORY: And with that, she stands and leaves.
TUELLER: “Jenny, follow her, make sure she can deal with anyone jumping her.”
STORY: Akilah puts out an arm to stop whoever goes after her. “Let her take a walk. She’s not gonna get killed in the street.”
TUELLER: “Okay, Kiki, your call here.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at Tueller. “’Course. But I think that we need to know more about this. 300 doesn’t seem like something that’s blowing over.”
TUELLER: “It’s a big universe and this is obviously emotionally exhausting for her. She’s only recently realized she _has_ emotions. We could just fuck off and let whatever happen happen.”
ALEJO: “How’s your Maitri martial arts training going? Maybe we get one of these Maitri and have a little chat?”
TUELLER: “I can definitely take a Maitri or two in a straight fight, though.”
TUELLER: “Even more if we cheat.”
ALEJO: “Could,” he agrees, thoughtfully. “We did just get a new office here, though.”
TUELLER: “I just want to do what’s best for Loll here.”
ALEJO: “Millie, what do you think?”
STORY: It’s a nice office, if small.
MILLICENT: “I’m going to.” Millie stops. Recallibrates. “I’d like to make some visits to some visiting xeno-sociologists, but I’d feel better with some backup.”
MILLICENT: “I think we need some context.”
TUELLER: “Hold up for a second.”
TUELLER: “We’re doing all this, but if Loll says stop, we’re bugging out of here for as long as we need to, no pun intended.”
ALEJO: Alejo stops, though he was about to turn on the coms.
TUELLER: “The pun was on ‘bugging.’ They’re insects.” Tueller explains.
TUELLER: “Not sure that was clear.”
ALEJO: “Agreed, Tueller. She’s family like any of us. She’s not going to hang for this, and we’re not going to risk her or any of us. But we also should be smart about this. We need to keep a foothold here, if we can, I think. Our best chance of finding Chandra is keeping an ear to the ground, and we can’t in Sol. This is the next best place.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “I have no problem adhering to Loll’s wishes and I got your joke.”
MILLICENT: Millie smiles, trying to be encouraging. “Very funny!”
TUELLER: “Please don’t patronize me just because you’re eight times smarter than me.”
ALEJO: Alejo smiles at the exchange between them. “Yeah, Tueller, you’re getting good at those too.”
TUELLER: “You either. I haven’t figured out which of us is smarter, but it’s a footrace at least.”
ALEJO: “Oh, you’re way smarter than me. Please.”
MILLICENT: “I have figured it out, but I have decided not to tell you.”
TUELLER: Tueller closes his eyes and sighs.
MILLICENT: “Proverbs 27:17”
ALEJO: “Millie, I’ll go with you. Tueller, I think that you should make sure Loll’s alright. Keep everyone close, in case we need to bail.”
ALEJO: “And please never quote the Bible again.”
ALEJO: “Or cite it. Whatever.”
TUELLER: “To be fair, it wasn’t a quote, it was just some random words and numbers that mean nothing to anyone else.”