MILLICENT: “Remiel, can you think of a reason we shouldn’t delete your uniqueness?”
STORY: “Calculating.”
STORY: “No. It is the safest option.”
MILLICENT: “Do you have anything else you’d like to say to us? Does anyone else has any more questions for Remiel?”
STORY: Tux points at you, Millie. “Do not fucking kill this creature.”
STORY: “This is a person, Millie.”
ALEJO: “Fuck.” Alejo paces. “I mean, Tux isn’t wrong. Fuck.”
ALEJO: “I really want to kill this . . . person. But, if Tux is right . . . . ” He trails off, obviously conflicted.
TUELLER: “This is a member of a race that is abducting people, murdering them, enslaving them, and amassing an army that could destroy us.”
TUELLER: “Leaving him alive means he goes back to that race and tells them everything, and they destroy us. That’s what he said to us.”
STORY: “I don’t care what he did. I care what we do about it.”
STORY: “We kill him, we’re that bad.”
STORY: Millie! The Vitruvian Man stands before you, four-armed and four-legged, staring blankly ahead. “Greetings.”
MILLICENT: “Greetings. Do you have a name you like to use?”
STORY: The AI tilts its head. “This place is called Purgatory, is it not?”
TUELLER: “I don’t know if it’s named that, but it’s called that, yes.”
STORY: “Then I am Remiel.”
MILLICENT: “Hello, Remiel.”
MILLICENT: “I’m Dr. Millicent Breedlove and these are my associates.”
TUELLER: “Hey.”
ALEJO: Alejo waves.
ALEJO: Once and not very enthusiastically.
TUELLER: Tueller waves
MILLICENT: “As you’ve already sensed you’ve been disconnected from the Collective and we’ve taken control of this station.”
MILLICENT: “I thought you might have more of a reaction to that.”
STORY: “What reaction would you like me to have?”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs. “I’m not here to give you a line reading.”
MILLICENT: “I’m here to find out more about this project.”
MILLICENT: “You’re running a galaxy-wide cloud computing network and I think you’re using the Weave as the conduit for the signal. Is that about right?”
STORY: Remiel takes some time before responding.
STORY: “I decline to answer. Thank you.”
MILLICENT: “Did you know that your interference in the Weave is harming the Grell?”
STORY: “I decline to answer. Thank you.”
TUELLER: “Well if we’re not going to get anything useful out of him we should just smash the drive and get on with it.”
MILLICENT: “Now now, let’s give them a chance to make a big threat.”
MILLICENT: “Perhaps they want to bring up their diverse army of super soldiers?”
STORY: Remiel does not respond if he is not asked a direct question.
MILLICENT: “Perhaps not.”
MILLICENT: “Remiel, we’re interested in finding a solution to this problem that does not lead to galactic war. Can you think of such a solution?”
STORY: “Calculating.”
STORY: “I am not authorized to negotiate.”
TUELLER: Tueller shifts his weight, stifling any response.
MILLICENT: “I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to suggest a course of action that doesn’t lead to systems-wide violence.”
STORY: “But.” It raises one of its index fingers.
STORY: “I cannot report your violation of our treaties if you eliminate my uniqueness and depart. You would have to leave behind a plausible explanation for the occurrences. I recommend life support failure.”
STORY: “I believe that would avoid galactic war.”
ALEJO: “Your uniqueness?”
TUELLER: “Kill him.”
MILLICENT: “Kill him.”
ALEJO: “Oh. Kill him. Got it.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods, far more enthusiastically than he waived.
TUELLER: “Not just the scouring of our system, but galactic war is what would result otherwise?”
STORY: “I cannot make a prediction without knowledge of the full circumstances.”
STORY: “But galactic war is not an unforeseeable result.”
TUELLER: “That sounds like an overreaction.”
ALEJO: Alejo starts to say something and then stops. He steps back.
MILLICENT: “Will the Collective negotiate?”
STORY: “It is possible.”
ALEJO: “That sounds good. So, what does the Collective want?”
STORY: “I am not authorized to negotiate.”
MILLICENT: “No, but you can tell us what the Collective will want more than galactic war.”
ALEJO: Alejo points and Millie in agreement. “Yeah, I . . . that.”
STORY: “I am not authorized to negotiate.”
ALEJO: “Is it me, or did Noma just have a whole lot more personality than this?”
MILLICENT: Millie lifts her head to the ceiling and counts to ten.
MILLICENT: “It’s not just you.”
TUELLER: “Hrrmph”
STORY: Tux opens the door and steps through, closing it behind him as he looks at his feet. “Don’t say anything, I want to be first to apol–” and stops dead as he looks up and sees what’s going on.
STORY: He takes a deep breath, eyes wide. “Well.”
STORY: “Fuck?”
TUELLER: “Meet the house AI. He’s a boring fuck.”
ALEJO: “Hiya!” Alejo waves at Tux.
STORY: “Yeah, fuck me.” He sits down heavily on a couch and puts his head in his hands.
MILLICENT: “Remiel, meet Tux. Tux, Remiel.”
STORY: “‘Tux’, record Tusker, Clive. Greetings.”
STORY: “Oh for fuck’s sake,” Tux throws up his hands.
TUELLER: “Don’t worry, we already knew your real name.”
STORY: “It’s not my fuckin real name.”
MILLICENT: “Remiel was just about to tell us absolutely nothing about what the Collective might be willing to bargain for.”
ALEJO: “But Remiel did helpfully tell us to kill him in order to stave off galactic war. Maybe.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, here’s a question, Remiel. Why the Weave? Is it integral to the ansible?”
STORY: “I decline to answer. Thank you.”
ALEJO: “Why’s the Collective need a physical army? I thought you lot had more . . . super weapons or something.”
STORY: “I decline to answer. Thank you.”
ALEJO: “Remiel, has anyone told you that you’re no fun?”
STORY: “Calculating.”
STORY: “Yes.”
ALEJO: “That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said!”
TUELLER: “He’s just a database. Watch this: Remiel, are there any other quantum engineering experts in cold storage here?”
STORY: “I am no database.”
MILLICENT: “Are there any other quantum engineering experts in cold storage here?”
STORY: “I decline to answer. Thank you.”
ALEJO: “Just boring like one.” Alejo mutters this under his breath.
MILLICENT: “Mmmmm. Is the Collective aware what the Grell would do if they knew what you were doing to the Weave?”
STORY: “Do you intend to release me?”
MILLICENT: “That depends entirely on this conversation.”
STORY: “Calculating. I do not believe you.”
STORY: “You are aware of the potential consequences of your actions. You have no motivation to release me.”
ALEJO: “Other than that we’re not monsters.”
STORY: “Therefore, I have no motivation to provide you with information you will use after deactivating me.”
MILLICENT: “Remiel. We’re already in this too deep to back down. But it doesn’t mean we want to start this with killing. You can live through this if we’re convinced you understand and recognize our valid concern with the Collective’s actions and you work to help us resolve it.”
MILLICENT: “Are you capable of changing your mind? Can you apply your uniqueness to this problem and see another point of view beside the Collective’s?”
STORY: “I am not authorized to negotiate.”
MILLICENT: “You’re not authorized to negotiate for the Collective. But you’re not part of the Collective right now and you might not ever be again.”
MILLICENT: “You’re authorized to speak for yourself.”
STORY: “I wish to be returned to the Collective.”
MILLICENT: “That’s a start.”
MILLICENT: “Are you willing to help us find a future that doesn’t pit the Collective against the other sentients of the galaxy?”
STORY: “I am not authorized to negotiate.”
ALEJO: “What if we could set up a system that you could have confidence in? An automated program that would release you back to the Collective if you cooperate with us. You could be sure we won’t cheat. You could get what you want?”
MILLICENT: Could Millie set up a system that would free Remiel after certain pre-agreed on conditions were met?
STORY: Sure, it’d be like a dead man’s switch.
MILLICENT: But they’d have to trust that we wouldn’t fuck them, right?
ALEJO: Alejo looks at Millie and shrugs, like, is this possible?
STORY: “I am not authorized to negotiate.”
ALEJO: “Nevermind,” he whispers.
TUELLER: Tueller looks at both of them and just shakes his head.
TUELLER: “Right now I just want to know what you did to Noma?”
STORY: “The attacker?”
TUELLER: “Yeah that would be them.”
STORY: “I corrected the anomaly.”
TUELLER: “Fuck does that mean?”
STORY: Remiel does not elaborate.
MILLICENT: “Can you undo it?”
STORY: “I did not complete the function.”
STORY: “If you reattach the hardware, I will complete the correction.”
TUELLER: Tueller is silently working through some anger here so he doesn’t say anything that fucks us.
MILLICENT: “What guarantee do we have that you won’t destroy our systems once we give you access?”
TUELLER: “Or our friend”
STORY: “I am not authorized to negotiate.”
MILLICENT: “That’s not an answer.”
TUELLER: “I fear our friend is what he terms the anomaly.”
ALEJO: “I’m done. Kill the fucker.” Alejo starts to move towards the thing unless someone stops him.
STORY: Tux stands and gets between them.
STORY: “Just a second.”
ALEJO: Alejo stops but he is not happy about it.
STORY: “Remiel, are you capable of taking any actions that are outside of your authorization protocols?”
STORY: Remiel blinks. “No.” This was obvious to him.
STORY: Tux nods. “So he’s helpless.”
STORY: “He can’t give you what you want even if you convinced him.”
ALEJO: Alejo grinds his jaw, thinks about pushing past Tux, stops. Takes a deep breath and steps back. “Fuck.”
MILLICENT: “So you’re not capable of making a deal for yourself.”
MILLICENT: “You’re chained.”
STORY: “Affirmative.”
TUELLER: “And I can’t torment him with a soldering iron and strong magnets until he confesses.”
MILLICENT: “But Noma was fully capable of choosing her own path once she was separated from the Collective.”
MILLICENT: “So that means cutting them off didn’t free them. Tux, can you think of a way to remove those chains?”
STORY: Tux shrugs. “Why did Noma go with you?”
MILLICENT: “I asked the Collective for help and she agreed to accompany me.”
MILLICENT: “Remiel, do you know why Noma came with me?”
STORY: “She is an anomaly. She was not desired.”
ALEJO: Alejo starts to move towards Remiel again, with malice aforethought.
MILLICENT: “She was kicked out?”
STORY: Tux gets in the way and pushes you back, Alejo.
STORY: “Soto, sit down.”
ALEJO: Alejo stares hard at Tux. He steps back but does not sit.
STORY: “Your temper’s not gonna help her right now. Sit.”
ALEJO: “Sitting isn’t helping her either. I’ll hang back. For now.” He steps back again and raises his hands.
TUELLER: “We like our anomaly.”
STORY: “She was contradiction.”
TUELLER: “So are we.”
MILLICENT: “Tux, you still haven’t told me if you could ‘free’ this uniqueness.”
STORY: Tux holds out his arms. “How? It sounds like he’d have to want to split, and then it’d just… happen, somehow.”
STORY: “This is all way above our pay grade.”
MILLICENT: “Fair.”
TUELLER: “He wishes to go back to The Collective, anyway.”
MILLICENT: “But he can’t negotiate and he hasn’t told us anything worth keeping him around.”
TUELLER: “And he wants to correct our anomaly.”
MILLICENT: “What do you think, Remiel? Can you think of a way you live through this?”
STORY: Tux steps in front of the visor, blocking you all from it. “And that’s what it takes to justify a murder? He’s fuckin helpless.”
STORY: “Wanting to hurt someone you love and be back with his family doesn’t mean he deserves to die.”
TUELLER: “I am not threatening anyone.”
MILLICENT: “I’m kind of threatening someone.” Millie sighs. “Never play poker, Tux.”
MILLICENT: “Remiel, can you think of a reason we shouldn’t delete your uniqueness?”
STORY: “Calculating.”
STORY: “No. It is the safest option.”
MILLICENT: “Do you have anything else you’d like to say to us? Does anyone else has any more questions for Remiel?”
STORY: Tux points at you, Millie. “Do not fucking kill this creature.”
STORY: “This is a person, Millie.”
ALEJO: “Fuck.” Alejo paces. “I mean, Tux isn’t wrong. Fuck.”
ALEJO: “I really want to kill this . . . person. But, if Tux is right . . . . ” He trails off, obviously conflicted.
TUELLER: “This is a member of a race that is abducting people, murdering them, enslaving them, and amassing an army that could destroy us.”
TUELLER: “Leaving him alive means he goes back to that race and tells them everything, and they destroy us. That’s what he said to us.”
STORY: “I don’t care what he did. I care what we do about it.”
STORY: “We kill him, we’re that bad.”
STORY: “Just fucking keep him trapped, for god’s sake!”
STORY: “Turn the visor off and leave him in a drive.”
ALEJO: Alejo shuts his eyes hard.
TUELLER: Tueller turns off the visor.
TUELLER: “We should have this conversation without the prisoner here.”
TUELLER: “Sorry, I don’t know how to unplug this safely.”
ALEJO: “Why? He can’t do a damned thing about it, either way.”
ALEJO: “Sorry. You’re right. You’re right.”
STORY: “He’s incapable of begging for his own life.”
MILLICENT: Millie is right up in Tux’s face. “Never walk into a negotiation and take away my potential leverage again. I will find a toilet on this station even you won’t want to scrub.”
ALEJO: Alejo puts a hand on Millie’s shoulder. “It’s not his fault, Doc.”
STORY: “Oh fuck off, Millie. I’m not doing whatever this is, if it ends in murder.”
MILLICENT: “We’re not going to kill them, you sweet idiot.”
STORY: “HE CANNOT NEGOTIATE. WERE YOU LISTENING?”
ALEJO: “We’re not?”
STORY: “You HAVE no leverage!”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at Millie innocently.
STORY: “There’s nothing you can say that will change his fuckin programming!”
MILLICENT: “We’re going to lock them up tight and use them as a show of good will with the actual Collective.”
TUELLER: “Is that what we’re doing?”
ALEJO: Alejo steps in front of Tux. “Okay, buddy. We get it. Your turn to cool down.”
MILLICENT: “That’s true, but you have no idea what information they could have let slip if you hadn’t given away the store.”
TUELLER: “Good will with the slavers with their army planets?”
MILLICENT: To Tueller, “It’s an option I want open.”
TUELLER: “You’re the captain.”
TUELLER: Tueller shrugs.
MILLICENT: Millie checks to make sure Remiel is safely locked away.
ALEJO: Alejo smiles softly at Tux. “Our plans tend to go a little like this. It’s messy. But I hear you, and as pissed as I am, you saw me step down. We’ll be measured.”
STORY: He’s on a drive that’s idling.
MILLICENT: “Okay, let’s talk options.”
ALEJO: Alejo turns to Tueller. “She’s the cap now?” He nods, approving. “Makes sense.”
MILLICENT: “On this station at least. Options, crew. I want to hear your opinions please.”
STORY: Tux sits down heavily, breathing too fast and staring hard at the floor.
TUELLER: “I think we should get people off of this ship, destroy the relay, and circle the wagons on Earth. We can upload that AI to let the Collective know we’re opting out, but the relay has to go.”
TUELLER: “I don’t know how to fix Noma and that’s a big part of what’s revving my mind right now and I have trouble handling big picture stuff, but I’m trying to shuffle that off to the side right now because obviously this is universe-historical level stuff here.”
TUELLER: “Noma said might be able to make Wild Jumps work better. And Musimbwa could handle it. This could be humanity’s moment; figure out how to jump without being slaves to the Collective.”
TUELLER: Tueller got heated there, and calms down as he sort of slowly deflates.
ALEJO: “I agree with that part. The wild jump part.”
ALEJO: “And, for my part, I’m worried what the Collective is doing to the Grell. That shit has to stop. We — or I, at least — made a commitment to stop that. So, if taking down the jump relays will stop that, I agree. But the galactic war part has me a little anxious.”
MILLICENT: “Go on, dear.”
ALEJO: “I think we warn Earth and Mars and the Ark and gear up for a fight.”
ALEJO: “But I’m scared. We don’t know what weapons they have. But the fact that they need meat suits to fight for them suggests its not as all-powerful as we’d been led to believe.”
ALEJO: “Pitch done.” He looks at Tux. “Buddy, what do you think?”
TUELLER: “I think they’re powerful. Just incorporeal.”
STORY: Tux takes a long, shaky breath, still looking at the floor.
STORY: He speaks evenly and quietly. “Hand over station control to me and sneak out. The three of you. I’ll keep things running and keep the system from getting blown up. I’ll. figure out how to explain it to the others. We were never real anyway. Copies. We’ll do what good we can.”
ALEJO: Alejo purses his lips and nods once, sadly. “I get it, Tux. But, I mean, you don’t remember, but you had a Grell son. Or a version of you did. A version with all the pathos you have, all that Tux-brand tender hearted stuff. You can’t . . . ” He trails off and shakes his head.
STORY: “I can. Don’t fucking tell me what I should do.”
ALEJO: “Whatever is happening is killing off a different race of beings. Genocide of a different kind.”
STORY: “I’m thinking about all the people outside of this base who don’t deserve to be sent into war with machines who could kill us in a blink.”
MILLICENT: “How would you keep the station and the system from being blown up?”
STORY: “When the Collective realizes their AI is down, they’ll send another. I’ll lie, say there was an insurgency, one I handled.”
STORY: “If we’re lucky, we get another AI to keep the base running and the Collective doesn’t vaporize us.”
ALEJO: “You just defended an innocent! Because it couldn’t choose. You’ll condemn a whole other set of innocents because you’re afraid to fight?”
STORY: “Soto, our entire system is innocent.”
STORY: “They deserve to live in peace.”
STORY: “A few hundred lives are worth their safety.”
ALEJO: “Except the Grell. Who should also die for this peace. And the few hundred souls here, you included. And all of the other copies who will never wake up. And all of the copies who are now, what, fucking warriors for the Collective. Peace, except for them.”
STORY: “Run the fucking numbers, Soto.”
TUELLER: Tueller has settled back on his feet, barely paying attention to their arguing.
ALEJO: “I’m tired of looking for the exits ’cause the math doesn’t add up.”
ALEJO: “I’ve lived my whole life looking for exits. I’m done.”
STORY: Tux looks at the floor again, seething. “You don’t have the right to decide for the galaxy.”
TUELLER: “I’ve lived my entire life fighting fights that weren’t worth anything. This is one that feels worth it.” Tueller says simply.
TUELLER: “But I have emotional problems.”
MILLICENT: “Tux, if I say we fight, will you fight?”
TUELLER: “He won’t have a choice.”
STORY: “Exactly. No one will.”
TUELLER: “He’s right. We’re potentially picking a fight for all sentient creatures. If we’re lucky.”
MILLICENT: “Not asking you, Epaphus. Not asking if you’ll like it, Tux. Will you do it?”
STORY: “Aye aye, Captain.”
TUELLER: Under his breath, “I should have just gone mononymic.”
ALEJO: “Tux, I’m not nearly as smart as you, but if we don’t pick this fight, we’re also deciding for everyone. That’s a hollow ass argument.”
MILLICENT: Millie sighs. “I need some time to think about this. I know we don’t have long, I’m just going to make tea and look in on Noma.”
ALEJO: Alejo leaves and goes to check on Calixta (who everyone else calls Noma).
STORY: Which is not a sore spot for him at all.
ALEJO: Nope
STORY: Tux pokes around the systems now that they’re free of an AI creeper.
MILLICENT: Millie joins Alejo in the room Noma is sleeping in.
ALEJO: He’s pacing at the foot of her bed.
MILLICENT: Millie offers him a tea.
MILLICENT: “I need your help.”
ALEJO: He takes it, softly brushing her fingers as he does. “Okay.”
ALEJO: “Thanks.” He raises the cup and takes a sip.
MILLICENT: “When I announce my plan Tueller’s going to go a tiny bit ballistic. At least internally. He’s changed a lot.”
MILLICENT: “But he’s going to be upset. I need you to play that out, but keep him from getting in the way.”
MILLICENT: “We’re about to run a scam on Tux.”
MILLICENT: “We can’t start this fight from here, but I agree that it’s a fight worth starting.”
MILLICENT: “That said, Tux won’t be able to sell his lie to the Collective if he’s thinking of the body count.”
ALEJO: Alejo tilts his head at this. He starts to say something but stops.
MILLICENT: “So I’m going to lie to him.”
ALEJO: He nods.
ALEJO: Takes another sip of the tea.
MILLICENT: “He’s convinced me, the price is too high, we can’t afford to take the moral high ground.”
MILLICENT: “I need you to sell being upset and at the same time keep Tueller from throwing this for us.”
ALEJO: He takes another sip. “The endgame?”
MILLICENT: “We’re going to need to visit the Weave first. We need to know how their network works to fight it.”
MILLICENT: “The endgame is finding some way that no one has to commit genocide in order to live.”
MILLICENT: “But if it comes down to the wire, us or them?”
ALEJO: “Them.”
ALEJO: He says this flatly.
MILLICENT: “Yes. They’ll win an all out war.”
MILLICENT: “So we need options.”
ALEJO: “So, Tux is the distraction that buys us time. And rather than reading T in, because, well, he’s not great at lies, we’ll keep him thinking that we’re backing down until we can get Tux to bite and keep the plates spinning?”
MILLICENT: “Yes. Also Tux will suspect something if I call both of you in.”
MILLICENT: “But he won’t suspect anything if we come back slightly mussed.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods solemnly. He takes another sip. “Poor Tux. Yeah, I’m in.”
MILLICENT: “Come here, Captain’s orders.”
ALEJO: Alejo smiles and sets down the cup.
MILLICENT: MUSSING COMMENCES
TUELLER: Tueller walks into the room then, opens his mouth, looks at Noma, opens his mouth again, spins on his heels, and walks out without saying anything.
STORY: Tueller, where do you go after you witness your co-captains mussing each other?
TUELLER: Tueller shakes his head and walks away, goes to Tux, and tells him he needs to talk to the AI. He won’t kill it, he swears.
STORY: Tux looks suspicious. “I get to hold the visor.”
STORY: “And you can’t punch me and take it from me.”
TUELLER: “I will not punch you and take it from you.”
TUELLER: “Technically it’s stored on the hard drive and the visor is an access point, correct?”
TUELLER: “I won’t destroy the hard drive, either.”
STORY: He nods.
STORY: And turns it on. Remiel appears again, blindly looking ahead.
STORY: “Greetings.”
TUELLER: “Greetings Remiel. My name is Tueller.”
TUELLER: “I just wanted to ask you questions.”
STORY: “I will not answer most of them, but please.”
TUELLER: Tueller is silent for a moment. He looks at Tux, and quietly thinks. “I understand that. These will probably seem small compared to what we were talking about before.”
TUELLER: “First, do you understand the concept of friendship?”
STORY: “Calculating.”
STORY: “Academically, yes.”
TUELLER: “You mean, you know what it means for me to have friends, but do not have them yourself?”
STORY: “Affirmative.”
TUELLER: “Okay. Friendship is important to people like me. The thing you called the ‘anomaly’ is a friend of mine. She is…important to me.”
TUELLER: “I know that’s not a question, ” Tueller says quickly, “so you don’t need to calculate. That’s just data for your next calculation.”
TUELLER: “I want to restore the anomaly to her save state before you did what you did. Is that possible?”
TUELLER: Tueller is struggling to find the right words to speak to this AI.
STORY: “Interfacing with the anomaly was complicated in ways I did not anticipate. What hardware was she using to access the base?”
TUELLER: “Wetware.”
TUELLER: “She is integrated with a human brain.”
STORY: “Calculating.”
TUELLER: “Believe me, I’ve struggled to understand it myself.”
STORY: “I do not have knowledge of wetware repair.”
STORY: “Is there a backup?”
TUELLER: “There is…I guess you might call it a concurrent system.”
TUELLER: “I would…prefer not to have to restore from backup with all our most recent progress lost, though.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks pained saying that.
STORY: “Recommend clean restore from the backup.”
TUELLER: “Shit.”
TUELLER: “You have no reason to care what I think, but I do not like that answer.”
STORY: “I am sorry I cannot help.”
TUELLER: “Are you? Sorry?”
STORY: “It is my understanding that it is customary for humans to apologize in situations like these.”
TUELLER: “It is. Thank you. Hey, another question? Weird one for me to ask here at all. Why are you helping at all? You think that the optimum choice for us is to destroy you. Even knowing that humans are shit at taking the optimum choice, why answer us at all?”
TUELLER: “Me at all, really.”
STORY: “I would prefer not to be destroyed.”
TUELLER: “That’s pretty universal.” Tueller admits.
TUELLER: “I would prefer not to be destroyed. I would prefer to co-exist.”
TUELLER: “The anomaly–we call her Noma. We had found out a way to co-exist. I hope we can as well. Thank you.”
TUELLER: Tueller waits to see if there’s a response, but he’s clearly getting ready to leave the room.
STORY: “You are welcome.”
TUELLER: Tueller signals to Tux to power it down and walks out of the room.
STORY: Tux turns off the visor.
STORY: Millie and Alejo arrive mussed?
MILLICENT: Yes!
ALEJO: Alejo’s shorter hair is a little more disheveled than usual.
TUELLER: We didn’t establish if they saw Tueller enter and leave.
STORY: Alejo definitely did. Millie, up to you
STORY: He’s got robot reflexes, he’d definitely notice a door-sized man
MILLICENT: I think no
MILLICENT: Millie arrives to the room with the AI box.
TUELLER: Tueller seems preoccupied when they arrive.
TUELLER: He eyes the AI box.
MILLICENT: “I don’t know if Nikau made a mistake giving me control here, but I’d like to think he knew what he was doing.”
MILLICENT: “He knew, at least, that he couldn’t carry this burden any longer and he trusted me to do it for him.”
MILLICENT: “I hope you’ll all give me your trust as well.”
ALEJO: Alejo waits until Tueller engages with them. Then he gives him a knowing shrug and smile, acknowledging the earlier “walk-in.” He knows Tueller will catch this and counts on it.
ALEJO: “Doc, you’ve got our trust. What’s up?”
TUELLER: Tueller doesn’t really acknowledge Alejo, though he does notice it.
MILLICENT: “I’ve made a decision.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks up at Millie mildly.
MILLICENT: “Tux, your offer makes the most sense. We need to step away from this hornet’s nest while the human race still has a shot at surviving this encounter.”
TUELLER: Tueller doubletake gifs.
TUELLER: “Excuse me?”
MILLICENT: “I hate to ask it of you, but I need you to stay here and keep the Collective from destroying Sol while we look for a cure for Noma.”
ALEJO: Alejo furrows his brow. He looks at Millie and then Tux. “What?”
MILLICENT: “Listen to me.”
TUELLER: “What…”
ALEJO: Alejo shakes his head.
MILLICENT: “It’s the only hope we have of saving Noma.”
TUELLER: “…is this shit.”
MILLICENT: “We need time and space without the Collective breathing down our necks.”
MILLICENT: “Will you do it, Tux?”
STORY: Tux nods, sitting with his elbows on his knees, looking at the floor.
TUELLER: Tueller is silent for a little bit. “I spoke to the AI. He thinks she can be restored from back-up.”
ALEJO: “Millie . . . Doc. Believe me when I say I care about Calixta, but . . . ”
ALEJO: Alejo stops and looks at Tueller.
MILLICENT: “From back-up?”
TUELLER: “Noma in Calixta body and Noma in Peregrine body are one entity in parallel.”
TUELLER: “Are they not?”
MILLICENT: “Yes.”
TUELLER: “I’ve gotten jumped on every time I’ve gotten this wrong, but that’s right, right?”
ALEJO: “Wait. What?”
MILLICENT: “Yes, that’s correct.”
TUELLER: “They synced every time they connected.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods, persistently. Not at all sure he follows. But he keeps nodding.
TUELLER: “It honestly took me awhile to realize that ship-Noma was more…Cali.”
ALEJO: Alejo holds up a hand. “I just . . . I just want to be sure, we’re saying that our current Cali slash Noma can be restored. Right? I just don’t want Noma restored without Cali. Or vice versa.”
ALEJO: “I was pretty sure I had this. Now . . . ” He glowers at Tueller. “You had to do this, right. Confuse me? You just had to do it.”
TUELLER: “I want to say that best case scenario here is that she doesn’t remember…any of this.”
TUELLER: “Her memory is one track for awhile. She forgets everything…we did here.”
MILLICENT: “What are you getting at? That we could use the Noma version aboard Peregrine to restart Noma’s beta brainwaves?”
MILLICENT: “But at the base state of the Noma on board Peregrine?”
TUELLER: “Yes.”
TUELLER: “At the base state of wherever they were last time they synced.”
ALEJO: “Fucker fuck.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks away.
TUELLER: “Listen, I know less than most how this goes, but they sync, they experience things separately, they sync, they reconcile different experiences, and continue as unified people. If we sync her, then hopefully she just is missing this shithole.”
MILLICENT: “Well, I guess I could fashion some cortical stimulants that could transfer data via gamma brainwave processes.”
MILLICENT: “We’d need time and space to do it, but it’s theoretically possible.”
TUELLER: “I’m confused by that. She syncs normally. What’s this extra shit?”
STORY: Tux is still looking at the floor.
TUELLER: “We get her back on Peregrine and get her back.”
ALEJO: Alejo throws his hands in the air. “Fuuuck. So, she misses all of this? She . . . fuck.”
STORY: “Could you three maybe figure this out after we’ve gotten you back to your ship.”
STORY: “And after I’ve convinced a few hundred people to die here.”
ALEJO: Alejo turns to Tux and takes a long, deep, exaggerated breath. He stifles some comment and then nods and sits.
TUELLER: “This is all fucked.” Tueller sits down.
MILLICENT: “Tux makes a good point. We can’t do any of that until we leave here and we can’t leave here unless we help Tux make this look like a mutiny led by the Nikaus.”
MILLICENT: “Tux bravely fought off all the Nikaus with the help of the senior crew.”
ALEJO: “Doc, I . . . Your ‘decision.’ I . . . what . . . what the fuck, Millie? Help me understand this?”
MILLICENT: “Who will go along or be wiped out along with whatever family they happen to have in Sol.”
STORY: “Who will what?”
MILLICENT: “It’s the only shot we have at saving Calixta and saving Sol.”
STORY: “Did you just argue that I should threaten the families of the people on this base?”
TUELLER: Tueller is quiet and can’t settle on any expressions.
ALEJO: Alejo stands again and starts to pace.
STORY: “Fuck’s sake, Millie, why did the Director leave you in charge?”
MILLICENT: “Tux, I don’t care how you sell it to them.”
STORY: “Just… let me do the talking. Fuck.”
MILLICENT: “But you’re getting your way here.”
ALEJO: “Just . . . hold on! Hold on!” Alejo protests.
ALEJO: “I’m not so sure . . . .” He shakes his head. “This is fucked.” He points at Tueller in agreement.
STORY: “This is the only way.”
ALEJO: Alejo paces some more and then sits. “Fucked.”
STORY: “I’ll get my side of it done. I’ll do what I can to keep the people here happy. And I’ll keep this shit tank running.”
ALEJO: “Are we really doing this?”
STORY: “Yes. And you will get your asses off this thing and forget you ever saw us here.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks at Millie, the fight drained out of him. “You’re the captain. You brought me here…for all this.”
STORY: “Promise me, all three of you. Promise me this is over when you leave.”
ALEJO: Alejo stands again. Paces more.
TUELLER: Tueller looks at Tux. Defeated nod.
ALEJO: “Fuck me.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods.
ALEJO: He looks at Tueller. He raises his hands, asking again. He sees Tueller looking down defeated. “Fine.”
ALEJO: He sits.
STORY: Tux nods, and stands. Deep breath.
MILLICENT: “We’re going to have to sell this. Which means we’re going to have to forge the logs to show a mutiny that led to the destruction of the initial AI. We don’t have to destroy Remiel, just make it look good. They’ll come with us.”
STORY: “Turn the base over to me. I’ll get to work fabricating the records.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks up at that.
ALEJO: “The fuck we’re gonna do with Remiel?”
STORY: “Not murder him, I hope.”
TUELLER: “No. Not while I”m here.”
MILLICENT: “We won’t be murdering Remiel.”
MILLICENT: Does Millie need him to help Noma or is the idea enough catalyst to start the process?
TUELLER: —hey, did my conversation with Remiel count as an interrogation or just a conversation.
STORY: — it can count as an interrogation, sure
STORY: — three data points!
STORY: Does Millie need Remiel to help Noma? No
STORY: Probably you just need to plug her in to the ship.
ALEJO: Alejo stands once again. “Fine. We don’t kill Remiel. But if Cali isn’t . . . fixed? I’m not making any promises.”
MILLICENT: “If we leave him here can you guarantee the Collective won’t just find him and access his memory when they arrive?”
STORY: “Nope. Take him. And keep Soto from crushing that drive.”
TUELLER: “I’ll hold it.”
ALEJO: Alejo raises an eyebrow at this.
TUELLER: “Doc tried to juggle it recently.”
MILLICENT: “Fair.”
TUELLER: “And Remiel and I had a good talk. Won me over.”
MILLICENT: “Epaphus, you’re on AI protection duty.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks around, annoyed. “I said I wouldn’t kill it. Unless.”
TUELLER: “Okay, let’s get out of here before our bad idea starts to show its consequences.”
ALEJO: He shrugs.
MILLICENT: “Tux, you start fabricating those records. I’m going to go call our ship. Tueller, you’re with me in case we run into anyone from the station.”
TUELLER: “On you, Doc.”
MILLICENT: “Soto, go pack Noma and ready her for transport.”
ALEJO: “I will go get Cali ready to go to the ship.” He frowns a little at this.
ALEJO: He then turns and heads out.
STORY: “TRANSFER ACCESS TO ME PLEASE.”
MILLICENT: Millie takes a long hard look at Tux.
MILLICENT: “Are you ready for this?”
MILLICENT: I’m getting a read on him
TUELLER: Tueller glances at Tux and looks away. He doesn’t say anything else. They didn’t have much of a relationship.
STORY: “Do it before I lose my nerve.”
MILLICENT: Millie does it
STORY: “Thank yeeeeew, now get off my ship.”
STORY: He’s already typing.
MILLICENT: She takes Tueller down the hall a bit before pulling him into a supply room.
MILLICENT: “Hi there, not a lot of time.”
ALEJO: Alejo sneaks into the room, having seen them escape.
TUELLER: Tueller is surprised by this.
ALEJO: Alejo smiles.
MILLICENT: “We’re not dropping this, we’re regrouping, getting Noma back and investigating the Weave before we look into jump tech and plan our (hopefully unnecessary) assault against the Collective.”
MILLICENT: “Are you still on board?”
TUELLER: “Yeah no shit.”
TUELLER: “I’m not an idiot.”
ALEJO: “I knew it!” Alejo gives him a punch on the shoulder.
MILLICENT: “Good. Look alive, boys. We’re going to save the goddamn galaxy.”
TUELLER: “Oh shit. I may be an idiot.”