TUELLER: “Thank you Ryo. Your plan got us here. You got us in a room with her. My name couldn’t have done that without you.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “You’ve been far more capable than I’ve given you credit for.”
RYO: “Kind of you to say, Mr.,” he catches himself, “Tueller.” He nods, genuinely appreciatively. “But I don’t think that my part did all that much. I’m . . . so impressed by you.” He then looks at Millie. “Both.”
TUELLER: “Epaphus will also do, if you must call me Mr. Something.”
RYO: “Mr. Epaphus dem lo bin Sol.” He nods again.
TUELLER: “I prefer nicknames, though.”
TUELLER: “No need to go the full mouthful.”
RYO: “It’s actually growing on me.”
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her head. “I don’t know. It’s too long.”
MILLICENT: “Grandiose.”
RYO: “Precisely!”
RYO: Ryo beams.
MILLICENT: “Did you get those diagrams I asked for, dear?” Millie asked as she poked around in Kahn’s arm. “I’d hate to get anything wrong in here.”
MILLICENT: “Of course, Millie, bringing them up on your visor’s display now.” Noma’s voice came in sub-audibly to Millie’s receiver.
MILLICENT: “Oh good, I’d hate these dashing new pirates to doubt my abilities from the outset.”
MILLICENT: “Are you sure you can do this, Millie? Your transcripts show you got an A- in Cybernetic Surgery I and a B+ in Cybernetic Surgery II.”
MILLICENT: “It will be fine, dear. I had a very strange looking TA for the first year and a very attractive professor for the second year. Besides, how complicated could the human body be?”
—
STORY: You head to Mercury. Two week journey. Anything you want to do on your way there? I’m going to forego the cramped quarters because we have a lot to get through tonight.
RYO: Ryo is good.
TUELLER: I’d like to spend some XP to replace one of my dead advancements.
TUELLER: Swap out the Armor for Interrogation.
STORY: Sounds good! Is that Refine?
TUELLER: Yes.
TUELLER: 8XP
STORY: ?
STORY: Millie?
MILLICENT: Nah I’m good I think
TUELLER: I shall also change my trigger to “A dark secret is extracted.”
TUELLER: Getting rid of the Valuable is stolen.
STORY: All right! So to review, Yetide’s instructions were to come to the abandoned Maitri base on Mercury to meet with her about buying this business. She told you to get a kind of certification she ought to have known you’d have no way to get within the time you had, and she instructed you to come both extremely unarmed and wearing only one sock.
STORY: Are you rule followers?
TUELLER: No.
MILLICENT: Which rules aren’t we following?
TUELLER: Tueller is dressed and wearing his gloves.
MILLICENT: Millie wears one sock, but brings her visor.
TUELLER: “Covert weapons only.”
RYO: Ryo wears his ring.
TUELLER: “Any luck faking that certification, Doc?”
RYO: And his mesh armor suit.
TUELLER: We’re on Mercury, so we’re wearing boarding armor.
TUELLER: If we’re going outside.
RYO: Oh right.
MILLICENT: “Depends on how much Ya’Makasi tech she’s still got. It’ll pass an eyeball inspection, but nothing’s deeper than that.”
MILLICENT: Still, one sock in the boarding armor.
STORY: You don’t necessarily have to go outside
TUELLER: “We’re set up to fail, so I feel like making an effort gets us as far as we can go.”
RYO: “Why would she just lure us here to kill us? I don’t see the angle. Am I missing something?”
MILLICENT: “Yes, that’s fair.”
MILLICENT: “Well, she might be trying to cut a deal by dropping a dime on Tueller.”
MILLICENT: “Did I use that right?”
TUELLER: “She has to know there’s no deal for her.”
STORY: Have you asked Figgan or Erwin to come onto the base with you?
RYO: Ryo nods absently.
RYO: I vote no.
TUELLER: Erwin definitely no. Figgan? What do you think, Millie?
MILLICENT: Nope
MILLICENT: Just us three.
RYO: “I’m sure that you’re both well aware, but I’m not much of a fighter. This goes in a poor direction, I’m not going to be terribly much help.”
STORY: Okay! You dock at one of the stations you didn’t damage when you blew up the base, and are greeted by a little self-driving golf cart thing.
STORY: It chirps politely at you and waits for the three of you to board.
RYO: “That’s not ominous.” Ryo climbs in.
TUELLER: Tueller indicates the thing and makes a shushing noise, then gets in.
TUELLER: “Let’s get this deal done. I’m looking forward to seeing some family.”
RYO: “Reunions.” Ryo smiles softly.
TUELLER: “Hopefully this deal you put together for me pays off for all involved.”
RYO: “It most certainly can.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods, seriously.
STORY: The base is, as far as you can tell, completely abandoned – the Maitri that came to the Ark in search of the trirubidium you stole must have been the entire force. The lights are on, though, just no one home. You ride along a long hallway for about fifteen minutes as you’re transported to the designated meeting place.
MILLICENT: Millie looks around queasily.
MILLICENT: This is the site of her (second) biggest mistake.
TUELLER: Tueller points as we pass it “That’s where I met Loll.”
MILLICENT: Millie hangs her head
TUELLER: Tueller has a bit of a smile on his face when he says that, not noticing Millie’s discomfort.
TUELLER: “Had no idea what she’d turn out to be.”
RYO: Ryo notices her look. “Will you be alright Doctor,” he says, loudly enough to alert Tueller to her discomfort.
TUELLER: Tueller notices, and, not knowing what to say, just reaches out and pats her on the hand.
TUELLER: “Doc.”
MILLICENT: Millie raises her head. “I did some murders here.”
MILLICENT: “I’m not proud of that decision.”
RYO: Ryo looks away, giving them what privacy he can on this small golfcart.
MILLICENT: “I did it because it was easier than thinking twice.”
RYO: Uncertain whether she might be talking, in part, to him or not, Ryo simply nods and briefly meets her eyes.
MILLICENT: She looks around, taking it all in.
MILLICENT: “I intend to learn from that experience.”
STORY: This part’s still fully intact, Millie, but you notice now and then the odd blast door that’s been sealed – likely keeping the infinite vacuum of space from reaching you, given that much of this base was destroyed when you left.
STORY: It’s odd to be here when it’s unmanned – none of the old droids or automated systems seem to be operational, it’s just all as if it’s in standby mode.
STORY: Must have been a great place for scavengers, until Yetide got here.
RYO: Trying to alleviate the silence that’s fallen on them, Ryo asks, “How long has it been since you’ve seen your sister, Tueller?”
MILLICENT: Millie coughs. “So then. What do we need to know about Yetide?”
RYO: Ryo looks at Millie, embarrassed for the overlap. Then he smiles.
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs at Ryo, looks to Tueller.
TUELLER: “She’s a Ya’Makasi, but more like Akilah than Esi. A businesswoman. She likes making money, as smoothly as possible. She sees all the angles.”
TUELLER: “Oh, she’ll kill a motherfucker if she needs killing, but that’s not her first move.”
TUELLER: “She was perfect for smuggling. Her preference was for people to never realize that things were going on around them.”
RYO: “I like her already.” Ryo says this earnestly.
TUELLER: “I saw her at the wedding, but we didn’t talk.”
TUELLER: “Alejo ran away with the bride before the reception, so we didn’t catch up.”
RYO: Ryo raises his eyes at this. Then he smiles.
MILLICENT: “Why do you think she agreed to this meeting?”
TUELLER: “Well, we’re family. We were reasonably friendly. We weren’t close growing up, but we never fought.”
TUELLER: “I hope she’s agreeing to the meeting because she sees that we can all profit together, and we’re stronger helping each other out.”
TUELLER: Tueller shrugs. “I hope.”
TUELLER: “She’s a Ya’Makasi, though. Playing all the angles. I usually just went straight at it all.”
STORY: Your cart drifts to a stop, then turns and enters a door just as it slides open, stopping just inside and beeping to announce your ride is over. Yetide enters through another door, beaming and arms wide, moving quickly over to hug you, Tueller. “Brotherrr!”
RYO: Ryo steps off of the cart, giving them space.
TUELLER: Tueller returns the hug, unflinchingly.
STORY: After a long hug, she releases you, holding both your shoulders and looking up at you. “Let me have a look at you.”
STORY: She finishes her inspection, nodding. “Good. You look healthy and miserable. As a Ya’Makasi should be.”
TUELLER: Tueller returns the favor, looking at her and her alone.
TUELLER: (That is not looking for others or ambush or anything)
STORY: She claps once, smiling at Ryo. “Soto is handsomer than I remembered him.”
TUELLER: “And a different race.”
TUELLER: “That’s not Soto.”
STORY: “Oh. Did you have a fight?”
TUELLER: “Is he handsomer, though?”
STORY: “This one? Oh yes.”
RYO: Ryo nods gracefully. Then adjusts his glasses.
TUELLER: “Naw, I got him killed.”
TUELLER: “Not intentionally.”
STORY: “Ah. Too bad, little brother.”
STORY: “And this one?” She gestures to Millie.
STORY: “I think I remember her from the wedding. Sorry we didn’t have time to talk before your dead friend kidnapped my sister.” She’s smiling.
TUELLER: “Akilah kind of kidnapped the rest of us.”
TUELLER: “Erde-Maris doctor. Breedlove. You didn’t hear anything about her from Esi?”
TUELLER: “She’s very strong-willed. She is Ya’Makasi, after all.”
MILLICENT: Millie puts out her hand to shake. “Always excited to meet a member of Tueller’s family.”
STORY: She shakes enthusiastically. “Nice to meet you both. Let’s eat.” She swans out of the room, back through the door she entered through.
TUELLER: “Ryo Hanaka, by the way.”
TUELLER: Tueller handles the introduction a little late, but as smoothly as he can.
RYO: Ryo nods again and will take her hand if she offers it.
STORY: She’s already gone!
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs and follows
TUELLER: Tueller follows.
RYO: Ryo looks up, notices that everyone has left or is leaving, shrugs, and let’s Tueller and Millie lead the way.
STORY: She’s got a meal set out for the four of you, and it looks decently prepared. A couple of her men shift around in the background, no one really taking part in this, just being silent muscle. She sits, gesturing for the three of you to join her.
STORY: “Local wildlife, of a sort – the Maitri left behind some livestock when they abandoned this place. Tastes… interesting.”
MILLICENT: Millie pulls up a chair and sits, waiting for Tueller to take the lead.
TUELLER: “Maitri like to prepare everything with lots of spice.”
TUELLER: Tueller sits next to Yetide, to her left.
MILLICENT: “Did they leave anything in the kitchen behind? Any interesting spices?
TUELLER: “Turns out they’re fiends for Szechuan peppercorns.”
RYO: “I have rather enjoyed the limited Maitri food I’ve had.”
STORY: Yetide shrugs to you, Millie. “No idea. Feel free to dig around when we’re done.”
STORY: You have some, eager for flavors resembling Loll’s cooking, and are very disappointed. It’s just a moderately oily slab of meat, cooked well enough but with no seasoning.
MILLICENT: “Thank you, I may.”
TUELLER: Tueller casually checks out the security of the room.
TUELLER: “You seem to be running a lean operation here, sis.”
STORY: She shrugs. “Not many people come knocking. We turned off the grid for your arrival.”
STORY: “And, you know.”
STORY: She waves her hand, as if avoiding addressing an unpleasant stain on the couch.
TUELLER: “It has been hard on the entire family.”
TUELLER: “Have you heard how the rest are holding up?”
STORY: She shakes her head.
RYO: Ryo politely crosses his silverware, indicating he’s done with the meal, though some of the meat remains.
TUELLER: “I saw Musimbwa a couple months ago. He’s still keeping on keeping on.”
MILLICENT: Relieved, Millie crosses her silverware and pushes her plate forward a bit.
TUELLER: “Esi and I didn’t part on the best terms, but I still hope she’s doing alright, wherever she is.”
TUELLER: Tueller claps his hands once, “Anyway, that’s not why we’re here.”
RYO: At this Ryo looks up, and at Tueller and then at Yetide.
RYO: As though he’s just entered the room.
STORY: “Right.”
STORY: “So. Pitch me.”
TUELLER: “I’m going to defer to my financial manager here.”
TUELLER: Tueller indicates Ryo.
TUELLER: Just for clarification, when Tueller took a look around for security, it’s just Yetide and a couple of her people visible in the room? And the aforementioned planetary defense system.
STORY: Yep!
RYO: Ryo smiles and acknowledges the indication. “Ms. Ya’Makasi.” He bows his head again. “I think that Tueller has already provided you with the details of the proposition, yes? I don’t want to needlessly waste your time.”
RYO: “I stand ready to answer questions, and I certainly can make the pitch. But you don’t seem the sort to want that kind dog and pony show.”
STORY: She frowns playfully. “Aw. C’mon, pitch meee.”
RYO: He smiles broadly. “Of course!”
TUELLER: “We’re Ya’Makasi. We always like to hear how we’re going to make money. So lay it out so we can both soak it up.”
RYO: Ryo acknowledges this with a giddy joy. “Well, I can absolutely appreciate that. And it would be my pleasure to lay it out.”
MILLICENT: Millie sits back to hear the pitch.
STORY: Ok, so you pitch her – let’s just have a FA + Influence to see how convincing you are.
STORY: I don’t actually need you to write out a business plan.
RYO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 9 + 2 = 11
STORY: Nice!
RYO: He leans back, after about fifteen minutes and smiles broadly.
STORY: You lay it out beautifully, compellingly, it’s like one of those scenes in Mad Men where the clients all have boners under the table.
STORY: She smiles. “Okay.”
STORY: “We’re in business. Let’s work out the details tomorrow morning.”
STORY: She looks at her watch. “Nightcap?”
MILLICENT: Millie leans forward. “Yes, please!”
TUELLER: “Of course.”
RYO: “Please.”
STORY: She stands, walking down another hallway, this one without any visible security, towards her quarters.
STORY: Over her shoulder, “They didn’t leave much good behind, I don’t suppose you have a bottle of something drinkable on you, T?”
TUELLER: “We have stuff back on our ship, if you’d like to join us there, but I didn’t bring anything with me.”
TUELLER: “a Sarandib Single-Malt from Enceladus.”
STORY: “Mm. Shame. How big’s your crew nowadays?”
TUELLER: “We’re running low these days. Pinched ourselves, and also…” Tueller is silent for awhile, “Some casualties.”
STORY: She nods. “Mm.”
MILLICENT: “Do you have enough crew here to handle the operation?”
STORY: You reach her quarters, which are pretty sparsely decorated. A few interesting looking blankets and tapestries on the walls, a few pieces of furniture she probably brought with her, but otherwise all standard issue Maitri stuff. “What operation? We’re in hiding, darling.”
STORY: “I’m amazed my little brother here’s still brazen enough to fly the black.” She gestures cheerfully.
RYO: Ryo begins to pay more attention to what’s happening around him. He watches Yetide, in particular, very closely. If Millie or Tueller look at him, they might notice that he’s not as relaxed as he usually is. He’s on high alert.
MILLICENT: “The morkfish.”
STORY: Ryo, Assessment + Influence, please
MILLICENT: “The pitch we just made.”
RYO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 5 + 2 = 7
STORY: Watching her closely, she’s moving weird. Hiding an injury? Something. She moves slowly, awkwardly. You get the feeling something’s going on that she’s not telling you about.
RYO: “How long have you been here, hiding, if I may be so bold as to ask?”
TUELLER: Is she acting in a way that Tueller would find unlikely?
STORY: I’d say Tueller’s in a weird emotional place and hasn’t noticed.
STORY: “Frankly, longer than I’d like, but what can you do. Gin or vodka is it, I’m afraid, what are you drinking?”
RYO: If Ryo can catch Millie or Tueller’s gaze when Yetide isn’t looking, he’ll give a quick shake of his head.
RYO: “Vodka, please.”
TUELLER: “Mine is a gin.”
RYO: He smiles easily.
MILLICENT: Millie’s on her guard too. There was no answer to that staff number question.
MILLICENT: “Gin, please.”
STORY: She pours one and hands it to you, brushing your finger with hers when you both grasp the glass.
TUELLER: —Tueller?
RYO: Ryo gives her a quick smile.
RYO: –I assume Ryo.
STORY: Ryo! She thinks Ryo’s hot
STORY: Hands Millie a gin, smiling.
RYO: “It is a challenging situation.” Ryo references her comment about how long she’s been in hiding. “How in the universe did you find this place?”
STORY: “Oh, just lucky, I suppose.”
STORY: She pours Tueller a gin and hands his over as well.
RYO: “I highly doubt much that you do is based only on luck.” He smiles at her again.
STORY: Drinks from her vodka, saluting the three of you.
STORY: “I suppose I am good at some things.”
RYO: Ryo raises his glass and drinks.
STORY: She smiles again.
RYO: “Of that, I have not a single doubt.” He takes another drink. “Which is partly why I wonder why you brought us here. If I may be . . . perhaps unwisely blunt?” He looks at her squarely.
STORY: She nods, gesturing a “go ahead” with her glass.
RYO: He acknowledges with a polite bow of his head. “You are far too smart not to know that this piece of paper,” he brandishes the fake certificate that Millie created, “is bullshit. You already know that. And, not to be an arrogant asshole, but I just absolutely killed it, in that presentation. You’re a brilliant business person. You have to appreciate the clear upside here.” He takes a drink. “So, I wonder at why we’re really here, drinking early nightcaps, and not doing business?”
STORY: She laughs.
STORY: Then stands there awkwardly, a moment.
STORY: “Well–”
TUELLER: Tueller looks at Ryo, and shakes his head. “But there’s the truth…”
RYO: Ryo ignores Tueller and stays focused on her.
TUELLER: He walks over to Yetide, “We’re not really here for business.” And slams his fist down on her head, to knock her out.
STORY: Bop!
STORY: FA + Physique, Tueller.
RYO: Ryo steps back, eyes wide.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: She crumples to the floor.
TUELLER: “Sorry.”
TUELLER: To Yetide.
TUELLER: To the others, “Sorry.”
RYO: “This just took a turn.” He moves to the door.
TUELLER: Tueller gets an extremely worried look on his face. “I hope this isn’t another one of those things that I do.”
RYO: Ryo shakes his head. “I think it was precisely one of those,” he emphasizes the next, “very good things that you do.”
RYO: “We knew this was a setup. But clearly. It’s complete BS.”
TUELLER: “Now we just got to get back to the ship without getting caught, then off the rock without getting orbital lasered.”
RYO: “Well, we take your sister, yes?”
TUELLER: “Doc, any help with either of those?”
TUELLER: Tueller scoops up Yetide. “Yeah, I can handle that just fine.”
MILLICENT: “It’s very strange.”
TUELLER: Tueller does a quick search of the room for weapons or a terminal.
MILLICENT: “She didn’t seem very. Ya’Makasi-ish. To me.”
MILLICENT: “Am I reading that wrong?”
TUELLER: “I’m in too deep to say for sure.”
RYO: Ryo watches Tueller lift Yetide over his shoulder with ease and nods.
RYO: “No, you’re not wrong. But times are desperate.”
RYO: “Shall we?” He’s at the door, ready to go.
TUELLER: Tueller was looking around the room for weapons or a terminal.
STORY: You find both!
TUELLER: “Doc, can you do anything with either of these?”
MILLICENT: Millie slides in front of the terminal and closes her eyes, takes a deep breath.
TUELLER: “Obviously when we go out the door I’m still your bullet shield. I’m armored and I’ll be carrying the boss.”
RYO: Ryo keeps watch at the door, though he’s obviously not skilled at this sort of thing.
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her head a bit to clear it and squints to focus.
MILLICENT: Pulls up the console’s security system
STORY: You’ve got it, Millie – no creds needed from her private terminal.
MILLICENT: Just quickly scoping out how many lifesigns there are and where they’re at.
STORY: Eight, four of them are in the room you were just eating in, the other four are down a hall somewhere, both together.
RYO: What weapons are there?
STORY: What do you want?
RYO: A pistol of some sort?
STORY: You toss the room and there’s a pistol, Ryo!
RYO: Ryo takes it. He looks at it dubiously. Then checks it out. He’s obviously not entirely helpless, though he frowns the entire time he makes sure that it’s in working order.
RYO: He adjusts his glasses.
TUELLER: “See if there’s a way to get a ride again, and a way to make sure the grid doesn’t fry us.”
MILLICENT: No lifeforms between us and the ship?
MILLICENT: Over her shoulder, “Tueller, shut the fuck up, won’t you?”
TUELLER: Tueller blanches.
TUELLER: Softly. “Sorry.”
RYO: “Why couldn’t she have just been a good business woman and taken the excellent bait.” He says this mostly to himself as this exchange between Tueller and Millie happens.
RYO: He looks back at them. “That was so fucking good, wasn’t it?”
TUELLER: “She did. This was always how this was going to go.”
RYO: He shakes his head and shrugs. Then goes back to the door.
MILLICENT: “Mr. Hanaka, you are also cordially invited to shut the fuck up.”
STORY: None in the way, Millie, no
RYO: “Duly noted, Doctor.”
MILLICENT: Any sign of anti-aircraft defenses that are armed and ready?
STORY: You actually find the settings for those – they’re off.
MILLICENT: Millie sits back from the terminal and rubs her temples. “No one in the way, no defenses to stop us. I’m going to set all the smoke alarms in the kitchens on either side of the station to go off in about six minutes.”
MILLICENT: Under her breath, “I hate this OS, I hate it, it’s this same goddamn purple on yellow color scheme.”
TUELLER: Tueller nods silently, sheepish.
MILLICENT: Millie stands, “I see this goddamn purple on yellow in my dreams and if I never see it again it will be too soon.”
MILLICENT: She claps. “Let’s go, let’s go! Shift it, boys!”
TUELLER: Tueller grabs a bit of cloth and fashions a gag for Yetide.
TUELLER: Looks back and forth at them, and nods. “Okay let’s go.”
RYO: Ryo looks around, confused momentarily, until he realizes that he’s been referred to as one of the “boys.”
STORY: Run?
MILLICENT: Run!
TUELLER: Tueller opens the door, looks out, and then takes off at a pace that he hopes people can keep up with.
STORY: You run!
STORY: Who’d like to be the group representative for running?
RYO: Ryo’s got the rear, but he runs.
RYO: Well, Tueller, please.
TUELLER: Oh sure, I’ll do that.
TUELLER: I’ll spend a Close Up, please. Mettle?
TUELLER: or physique?
STORY: Mettle!
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 11 + 2 = 13
RYO: –Fuck yeah!
MILLICENT: —wow
TUELLER: —Hands in the air like I just don’t care or have a sister held in them.
STORY: Amazing. You fly through the hallways. You never even see the face of one of Yetide’s men, you just blast straight to the golf cart, flip it to manual, and tear ass back to Peregrine.
RYO: –Now your killer roll with get us somewhere! My business presentation — I’m just imagining the best PowerPoint in the history of PowerPoints — didn’t do shit. But . . . nice.
STORY: When you get back onboard, Figgan comes in over the comms. “Leaving or leaving fast?”
TUELLER: “Fast please.”
RYO: “Fast. Very fast.”
STORY: “Roger that.”
RYO: Ryo looks at the unconscious Yetide and shakes his head. Then he takes a seat for the retreat.
STORY: The ramp retracts and you’re gone before anyone has scrambled a defense.
TUELLER: “Thank you Ryo. Your plan got us here. You got us in a room with her. My name couldn’t have done that without you.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “You’ve been far more capable than I’ve given you credit for.”
RYO: “Kind of you to say, Mr.,” he catches himself, “Tueller.” He nods, genuinely appreciatively. “But I don’t think that my part did all that much. I’m . . . so impressed by you.” He then looks at Millie. “Both.”
TUELLER: “Epaphus will also do, if you must call me Mr. Something.”
RYO: “Mr. Epaphus dem lo bin Sol.” He nods again.
TUELLER: “I prefer nicknames, though.”
TUELLER: “No need to go the full mouthful.”
RYO: “It’s actually growing on me.”
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her head. “I don’t know. It’s too long.”
MILLICENT: “Grandiose.”
RYO: “Precisely!”
RYO: Ryo beams.
TUELLER: “It just says where I’m from. You’re not supposed to use it all all the time!”
RYO: “If you’ve not noticed, I err on the side of formal.” He gives the most earnest smile you’ve seen him give.
STORY: Figgan comes down to the cargo bay. “We’re on autopilot.”
STORY: She points at the unconscious prisoner. “Am I moving her somewhere?”
STORY: “And are we getting anyone else on this trip?”
TUELLER: “I haven’t developed any leads. I’m curious to see what this buys me.”
MILLICENT: “If someone can take her back to the sick bay I’m happy to host her. I’ll keep her medicated and put her on a nutrient drip.”
TUELLER: “Turning in family members to buy freedom feels…a little crass.”
RYO: “I am . . . ” He stops and looks at Tueller. “I am sorry. It truly is, and I can only imagine how difficult that must be. She did seem unworthy of all of this.”
TUELLER: “We definitely need to expand the brig. We can’t just keep people unconscious.”
MILLICENT: “It’s okay, I can keep her unconscious and healthy in the med bay.”
TUELLER: “We’re going to need her conscious to interrogate about the whereabouts of Esi.”
TUELLER: “For at least a little while.”
RYO: Ryo leans back in his chair. He puts his head back and takes a long deep breath.
MILLICENT: “Sure, I can do that. But I’ll need to put her into a kind of decline first. She’s probably flirting with a concussion from that blow. So it’ll be a few hours before I can ease her into consciousness without any serious worries.” Millie yawns. “I’ll go set her up if you’ll bring her up.”
MILLICENT: “Kinda rhymes.”
RYO: Ryo nods absently. “Rhymes.”
TUELLER: “Okay. Let’s aim ourselves out with an option towards Io, but out of the lanes for now.”
TUELLER: “Just in case.”
RYO: Ryo squints at this. “Aim ourselves out . . . ” he trails off. Then he raises his eyebrows and shakes his head. “Just in case.”
RYO: He closes his eyes.
MILLICENT: “Fine. I think we’ve got a plan. And once we’ve gotten some shuteye we can, you know, do the plan.”
MILLICENT: “Someone going to carry this large Ya’Makasi to my med bay?”
RYO: Ryo raises a finger and puts it on his nose.
RYO: His eyes are still shut.
TUELLER: “Got it.” Tueller picks her up. Struggling a little to do so.
TUELLER: But puts her over her shoulder and trudges over to the med bay.