STORY: “Open her up, please.”
STORY: Jac’s watching the skies and the radar for pursuit, but there’s none coming yet.
MILLICENT: Millie kicks her feet in her chair and whoops. “It’s been a while!”
MILLICENT: “Just good old fashioned crime!”
ALEJO: Alejo nods, impressed. He unstraps and goes towards the crate.
MILLICENT: “What a hard lifestyle to get up, I think I’m beginning to understand the current recidivism rates.”
STORY: The code key from the briefcase works. Tueller, what’s in the crate?
TUELLER: Three orbs in a triad, about the size of large bowling balls, one glowing red, one glowing blue, and one vantablack.
STORY: “They intact?”
TUELLER: Tueller goes and grabs them without hesitation, and shifts them around.
TUELLER: “No cracks. No deformities. They’re glowing, except for the one that’s obviously NOT supposed to glow.”
STORY: “Good. Seat belts, please. Everyone make it out in one piece?”
TUELLER: “I got egg on me.”
STORY: She turns around at that.
STORY: “Huh. Okay.”
TUELLER: “Hollandaise too.”
STORY: You’re sitting at TC Forsythe’s large desk, quietly marveling at the cost it must have incurred for him to not only buy but bring to space an object that large made of real wood. He’s smiling at you.
ALEJO: Alejo smiles back. “You’ve got us at a bit of a disadvantage, I’m afraid. You know a lot about us. We know . . . well, less about you.”
STORY: “Fair enough! What would you like to know?”
ALEJO: “Well, I have to imagine that this desk has a story. Beautiful, by the way. I definitely want to hear that! But, I suppose, more immediately, how do you know us?”
TUELLER: Tueller gives Alejo a look when he starts in on the desk, and settles as he continues.
STORY: “I don’t! But I make it my business to know the people I steal from.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods, thoughtfully. “Makes sense.”
TUELLER: Tueller frowns.
ALEJO: “There was a crew member on Peregrine. Is she alright?”
STORY: “Two, plus a cat, unless you had stowaways. They’re all fine.”
TUELLER: “Oh good, Fiona.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods again. “Thank you.”
TUELLER: …Tueller can’t help but saying
TUELLER: “Don’t thank the thief for stealing from you.”
STORY: “Oh Tueller please, if I intended to keep your ship you wouldn’t be onboard. Let’s be friendly.”
ALEJO: Alejo gives Tueller a sidelong look. “So, you’re a business person. A good one.” Alejo looks appreciatively at the desk again. “I assume there’s a deal we can reach.”
TUELLER: “I’m being neutral. Sorry.”
MILLICENT: “This is him being neutral.”
STORY: “His ‘neutral’ and ‘not threatening’ could use some work.”
TUELLER: “I guess neutral for me comes off not so…yes, thank you Doc.”
ALEJO: “It’s a work in progress.”
TUELLER: “Enough about me, please.” Tueller says with mild irritation.
STORY: “Now. Typically, I offer folks like for like to reclaim the possessions of theirs that make their way to me. But… given your fuel source, it’s unlikely any of you have the resources to make that kind of a trade.”
STORY: “I’d wager that ship’s one of the most valuable items in the system. Stealth tech with a functionally unlimited power source?”
TUELLER: “The stealth doesn’t work as well as you’d hope.”
STORY: “Oh, the stealth doesn’t work when your engine’s off, that’s all. It’s intact.”
STORY: “Imagine my luck when I caught your ship on my radar, adrift!”
STORY: “I can think of a dozen warlords who’d wipe a city for that kind of thing.”
STORY: “Not that I like any of them. I like you three.”
MILLICENT: “But you just met us, Captain Forsythe.”
MILLICENT: “Surely our reputations haven’t outpaced our ship.”
TUELLER: Tueller brightens up. “Oh, we have reputations to spare, Doc.”
STORY: “Your reputations are quite bad! But I don’t judge people by their reputations.”
TUELLER: “How do you like to judge us by?”
STORY: “Your potential.”
ALEJO: “For?”
TUELLER: “You have us at a disadvantage. I’ve been away for awhile and do not know you.”
STORY: “I make it a point to be known as little as possible, Tueller. Right now, you represent a wonderful potential to assist my business. And I’d be more than happy to return your ship to you, if you’d help me with…” He looks over the three of you. “Two jobs.”
TUELLER: “Deal.”
ALEJO: “We’re listening.”
MILLICENT: “What jobs?”
STORY: TC laughs. “Three, then. Settled. Glad you all agree.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks at everyone. “Obviously we’re doing this so let’s just get started.”
ALEJO: Alejo says this moments after Tueller and then looks at him, giving him a “what the hell?”
ALEJO: “Well, yeah, but . . . ” Alejo looks back at TC.
STORY: TC smiles at this exchange. “Perhaps you’d like a little time with Dr. Bolano before we get started? You two may want to try couples with her.”
TUELLER: “Definitely. You have a go yourself?”
TUELLER: “She can work wonders.”
STORY: “She’s wonderful company.”
ALEJO: “It’d be great to see all three of our Peregrine friends. But first, maybe you could tell us more about these jobs?”
STORY: “One thing at a time.” He stands. “You two can go visit your sick friend, make sure she’s settled in. Alejo, I can walk you through the first job.”
STORY: He gestures for you two to leave, and for Alejo to go into a back room with him.
TUELLER: “Kay, thanks, talk later.”
MILLICENT: “Hmmm.”
ALEJO: “See you soon.” He gives Tueller and Millie a smile and then turns to go with TC.
MILLICENT: Millie harumphs and stands, leaves with Tueller.
STORY: Millie, Tueller: Calixta is fine – she’s in the med bay, resting comfortably. They’re giving her fluids and monitoring her vitals, but there’s no change to her status.
STORY: Alejo! TC takes you into his back room and walks you through a job. It’s dangerous and illegal. What is it?
STORY: Broadly is fine, I’ll throw in details
TUELLER: Tueller just wants to get Noma to Peregrine.
STORY: You don’t know where Peregrine is!
TUELLER: Tueller thinks it’s docked on the ship, and will until he learns otherwise.
ALEJO: Train job. There’s something exciting on a train that’s being moved secretly. We have to find the courier and retrieve the item, then get off the train.
STORY: All right! He hasn’t even told you what the item is, only that it’s in a standard 5’x5’x5′ refrigerated crate and it weighs 500 pounds.
STORY: You’ve got a time and a place to meet the train. Tueller, what planet or moon in the Sol system is it on?
TUELLER: Iapetus, moon of Saturn.
STORY: What’s the terrain like there? Can you be outside without a vac suit?
STORY: Iapetus is tidally locked, so there’s a light side and a dark side
TUELLER: It depends on what you mean by outside. Iapetus is a rocky orb really far out, but they’ve domed literally the entire planet so you can be “outside” in the domed area. There are locks every once in awhile that open and close to let trains through.
TUELLER: Also, light side and dark side doesn’t mean that it’s always dark, it means one side always faces Saturn and the other never faces Saturn.
STORY: Right
TUELLER: But I guess Saturn actually gives off the light in the system, so yeah!
STORY: It reflects light! Anyway
TUELLER: But yes, you can be outside. It’s a geologically inert rock, so it’s easy to build on, relatively.
TUELLER: Iapetus has an equatorial ridge that makes it have some of the highest mountains in the solar system. Also a gigantic impact crater that gives it a Death Star look.
STORY: All right. Millie, you catch up with Tueller and Alejo. They’re hatching a plan. What is it?
STORY: TC is willing to lend you a moonskipper to use for this heist, and a pilot to handle the flying if you need it.
MILLICENT: It’s a standard briefcase swap. We kill the oven in the delivery kitchen so all meals have to be taken from the dining car. Once the courier’s there we kill the lights once we enter a tunnel, make the switch and push a punter into the courier to trick them into clutching the wrong briefcase.
STORY: Let’s say the courier has the code to unlock it!
MILLICENT: Sure! We swipe that!
STORY: Okay, how do you get the crate off the train?
MILLICENT: We drill on a magnet, cut a hole in the roof of the car it’s in, lower a magnet from the ship flying overboard, and lift it out.
STORY: All right!
ALEJO: “Better be one hell of a pilot.” Alejo beams, excited to be doing something familiar for a change.
STORY: Plan complete, the three of you head into the docking bay to board the moonskipper you’re being lent. It’s a small runabout, enough fuel to get you there and back, and you board it ready to issue orders before Alejo stops dead.
STORY: https://the-peregrine.obsidianportal.com/characters/jac
STORY: Jac stands up, visibly angry at Alejo.
TUELLER: “Hah!”
TUELLER: “Sorry. Not the right response for the moment.”
ALEJO: Alejo blinks.
STORY: “Kahn told me you were dead. Another scam?”
MILLICENT: “Hi Jac!” Millie waves.
TUELLER: “One hell of a pilot, though.”
STORY: “You get him hurt then lie to him?”
MILLICENT: “Wishful thinking.”
ALEJO: “Ryo punched me when he asked the same thing. You . . . deserve at least as much.”
ALEJO: “But . . . it’s more complicated than that.”
MILLICENT: Millie somberly fades into the background.
TUELLER: “That’s the short short version, yeah.”
ALEJO: Alejo steps one step closer to Jac.
STORY: “Of course it is. Not one bit different.” She turns and sits in the pilot’s chair. “Buckle in.”
ALEJO: Who else is present?
STORY: You three plus Jac, that’s all
ALEJO: Alejo sits and buckles in. “For what it’s worth, I really was dead. Like, dead dead.”
TUELLER: I’m on punter push, I reckon.
TUELLER: “Let her be angry with you, man. Don’t make it worse.”
ALEJO: “It can’t get worse.” Alejo frowns and sits back.
TUELLER: “We do the job, then figure out how much you want to fuck it up.”
ALEJO: He nods.
TUELLER: “Maybe talk to the shrink a little too.”
TUELLER: “Bolano will straighten you out.”
ALEJO: “Hmm.”
STORY: Jac ignores you, flying stoicly through the quiet space, her jaw set. She’s angry, but not saying it.
STORY: You’ve got a few hours before you make it to Iapetus. What do you do to prepare?
TUELLER: Obviously Tueller is on punter pusher duty.
TUELLER: Alejo’s gotta make the grab.
TUELLER: Millie is on gadget duty.
ALEJO: Yep.
TUELLER: Any other ideas?
ALEJO: We can all work on the oven. Millie gets the lights. Yeah?
MILLICENT: Millie preps the magnets and prepares to be lowered from a ship to cut a hole in the roof.
MILLICENT: Huh?
ALEJO: On the job. We have to kill the oven. We can all do that. Then Millie needs to make sure that the lights go out when we’re in the tunnel, for cover during the switch, yes?
ALEJO: On the flight, Alejo mostly stays quiet and avoids Jac.
MILLICENT: If everyone else avoids Jac, Millie will sit with her and try to chat. She’s not terrific at making friends, but she does try.
STORY: Jac’s polite but avoids talking to you. She says she has to concentrate.
STORY: All right! You arrive moonside, Jac drops the three of you off near the station before your planned infiltration point. You buy tickets and board, getting ready. Step 1?
ALEJO: We find the delivery kitchen, steal two maintenance or cleaning staff uniforms, and get inside to disable the main oven.
ALEJO: Maybe?
STORY: All right! That’s a FA + Mettle for you, Alejo
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: Beautiful. You find an unlocked closet with some spare maintenance uniforms and hand them out. Once in them, the staff utterly ignores you. Millie, disable the oven with FA + Expertise please!
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 12 + 2 = 14
MILLICENT: I disable the shit out of it
MILLICENT: It’s a dishwasher now
STORY: Not only do you disable it, something else good happens. What is it?
MILLICENT: Now that Millie knows the wiring she can disable the lights from any power socket or light switch on the train
STORY: Groovy. She turns her electric screwdriver to the right frequency to fritz the lights when she turns it on.
STORY: The three of you depart silently as the kitchen staff realizes the oven is toast and starts planning meal service from the dining car to make sure everyone gets fed. Announcements go out to the passengers, to a general groan. What next?
TUELLER: Head down to the dining car, set up spots separately, wait for our target to come.
TUELLER: And Tueller will, when Alejo signals he’s in position, guide the punter into the target.
MILLICENT: Millie heads to the bar to get herself some tea
STORY: All right! Your mark boards the train and begins walking to his table, briefcase in hand. Tueller, that’s gonna be FA + Mettle please to push a rando the right way without detection.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 2 + 1 = 3
TUELLER: We knew that was coming.
STORY: Uh oh. What goes wrong?
TUELLER: Tueller gets up to push a rando in the way, and trips as he’s getting ready to shove the guy, and Millie kills the light he loses track of him entirely. He winds up just shoving someone’s table to the side. No one who was supposed to get touched gets touched at all, and there’s a loud crash as a someone’s eggs florentine spatters everywhere.
TUELLER: The lights are still off at this point, and Tueller says “shit.”
STORY: The car erupts into complaints from passengers and louder arguments in your vicinity, Tueller. You hear someone just next to you say, “did you fucking push me, mate?”
STORY: What do you do?
TUELLER: “That wasn’t fucking me; I only got the table.”
STORY: Alejo, the lights are out, you had eyes on your target a moment ago, but now you can’t be sure. One thing you can likely be sure of is that he’s on his way out of this car. What do you do?
TUELLER: Tueller reorients himself towards the snarling.
ALEJO: Alejo hits his com. “Problem. Lights please,” he whispers as he moves towards where he thinks the target is. “Tell Tueller to switch. I’ll get the target to the right place if I can.”
MILLICENT: Millie hits the lights
ALEJO: Alejo is going to try to find the target and then manuever them to the right location. Either awake or . . . well, unconscious, if necessary.
STORY: Okay! FA+ Mettle, please Alejo
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 5 + 2 = 7
STORY: All right. You follow closely behind him, using your training to try to subconsciously crowd his peripheral to steer him where you want him, but just before he reaches the door to the other car he clocks what’s happening and turns toward you, clutching his briefcase and inhaling to shout. You’re a foot behind him in a crowded, confused car – what do you do?
ALEJO: Alejo pretends to trip, actually jumping forward at the guy full force, with the goal of knocking him into the door behind him, hitting his head hard enough to knock him out without actually hurting him too badly.
STORY: You knock him out cold and gently take the briefcase, depositing him to a seat near the door. A small child sees you, and tugs on her mother’s sleeve, pointing at you. Step 3?
ALEJO: Alejo smiles at the kid before moving away quickly.
TUELLER: Tueller tries to leave, embarrassed and trying to avoid attention.
MILLICENT: Millie heads out of the passenger cars and into the shipping containers.
MILLICENT: It’s the third one from the back.
MILLICENT: When she gets there she needs to drill a magnet onto the fridge, then climb up top and cut a hole over it.
STORY: All right! FA + Expertise, please
TUELLER: Tueller comes along as she’s getting started and observes. He has some hollandaise spatter on him.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 8 + 2 = 10
TUELLER: Tueller starts to speak, “So the mark three cryo container has a….no, yeah, you got this…nevermind.”
STORY: Millie attaches the magnet to the fridge and cuts a clean hole in the roof of the train. She’s finishing up and passing the last piece down to Tueller to stack neatly in the corner when Alejo arrives. Jac is above you, on time with the runabout. Who wants to do the Command roll to signal her?
TUELLER: Gotta be Alejo.
ALEJO: Alejo watches the door, but smiles, glancing at Millie while she works.
ALEJO: Okay! What am I rolling? Mettle or Influence? Actually, assuming it’s one of those, it doesn’t matter!
STORY: Influence
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 11 + 2 = 13
TUELLER: Tueller stands and feels useless.
STORY: Poor Tueller.
STORY: She drops the boatside magnet down perfectly, clanking it in place on the crate, ready to pull. The three of you step onto the crate and group hug as she lifts off and winds up the hitch to return you to the moonskipper. She pauses, watching the open hole in the train and leaving the bomb bay doors open.
STORY: It’s loud in here, with the wind and the train both screaming. She holds her position, eyes down as she watches the hole in the train car.
STORY: What do you do?
TUELLER: Tueller goes to close the doors.
MILLICENT: Millie looks down, following Jac’s eyes.
TUELLER: Not liking what he sees in her but not the one to address it.
STORY: “SIT DOWN!” She shouts back to you.
STORY: “ALL OF YOU!” You can barely hear her over the noise. She keeps watching the train.
TUELLER: We’re on the crate above the hole, correct?
STORY: You’re in the runabout! The crate’s hanging in place over the hole, and you’re all standing onboard.
TUELLER: Just making sure. We came up on the crate, got off, and now she’s watching the crate/hole/train/etc.
STORY: Yep!
STORY: She signals with her hand, still watching the train. “STRAP IN!”
MILLICENT: Millie follows orders!
TUELLER: Tueller follows orders.
ALEJO: Alejo does as well.
STORY: Jac holds the runabout in the air a few more seconds, watching the opening in the top of the train. The three of you stare as well, and see what she was waiting for – security forces spilling into the car, pointing their weapons up at the three of you.
STORY: Jac vents coolant, which explodes in the air behind you in a deafening boom, and takes the runabout into a sudden barrel roll, saluting the security guards sarcastically as she pulls away and hits the button to close the doors. You’re out of atmo in seconds, catching your breath.
STORY: “Open her up, please.”
STORY: Jac’s watching the skies and the radar for pursuit, but there’s none coming yet.
MILLICENT: Millie kicks her feet in her chair and whoops. “It’s been a while!”
MILLICENT: “Just good old fashioned crime!”
ALEJO: Alejo nods, impressed. He unstraps and goes towards the crate.
MILLICENT: “What a hard lifestyle to get up, I think I’m beginning to understand the current recidivism rates.”
STORY: The code key from the briefcase works. Tueller, what’s in the crate?
TUELLER: Three orbs in a triad, about the size of large bowling balls, one glowing red, one glowing blue, and one vantablack.
STORY: “They intact?”
TUELLER: Tueller goes and grabs them without hesitation, and shifts them around.
TUELLER: “No cracks. No deformities. They’re glowing, except for the one that’s obviously NOT supposed to glow.”
STORY: “Good. Seat belts, please. Everyone make it out in one piece?”
TUELLER: “I got egg on me.”
STORY: She turns around at that.
STORY: “Huh. Okay.”
TUELLER: “Hollandaise too.”
STORY: She goes back to flying silently.
ALEJO: Alejo sits and straps in.
MILLICENT: “So, Jac, how did you end up working for Forsythe?”
MILLICENT: “Anything you could tell us about him would be a help.”
STORY: “I don’t work for you, Dr. Breedlove.”
STORY: Jac keeps her eyes front, tone even.
MILLICENT: “Well, sure. Of course you don’t.”
TUELLER: “These things got a name?”
STORY: “Probably.”
TUELLER: “Bilbo definitely would call these fuckers Palantirs,” Tueller says to himself.
STORY: “Would have.”
STORY: Do you chat much more?
TUELLER: With this company? No.
ALEJO: Alejo does not.
STORY: All right! Millie, you notice from the star patterns around you that you don’t seem to be heading back out away from the system. From your best guess, you’re heading towards the sun – towards another moon, maybe?
MILLICENT: “Jac, you mind telling us where we’re going? If it makes it easier to give a straight answer, feel free to preface it by telling me to go fuck myself.”
STORY: “Helene.”
MILLICENT: “Why, please?”
STORY: “For part 2.”
ALEJO: Alejo frowns, looking at the floor.
TUELLER: “You get a briefing on Part 2, Ejo?”
MILLICENT: Millie looks around the cabin for some help.
ALEJO: He looks up at Tueller. “No. I did not.”
TUELLER: “Cool.”
TUELLER: “Good to get right into it. Get our ship back.”
TUELLER: “Get our crew back.”
MILLICENT: “Are you at liberty to tell us anything about the next phase?”
STORY: “Delivery.” You land at a small settlement, one with a dome sporting a large crack. This moon looks pretty rough – no food resources or growth to speak of, no work being performed, just people moving around from one enclosed home to another in vac suits, getting by.
STORY: Jac lands the runabout just outside of town and points to a locker that houses a tiny hovercart to help you walk it to your destination.
STORY: She gives you an address and an encrypted file to deliver to the person there.
TUELLER: “Cool. On it!”
STORY: “Straight there, straight back. Give her the lock codes.”
TUELLER: Tueller gets moving quickly and efficiently to follow this to the letter. Maneuver to the hovercart, get the package moving.
MILLICENT: Millie nods her gratitude, trying to hide her grief.
ALEJO: Alejo moves simply, efficiently, distractedly.
TUELLER: Once we’re off the craft, “Okay, you’re all in your head. Let’s focus and get the job done.”
MILLICENT: “I can’t help feeling bad for Jac. And also mad at her.”
ALEJO: “I’m here.” Alejo keeps his eyes forward and professionally alert.
TUELLER: “Nothing to be mad at in my book.”
ALEJO: “Let’s just get the job done. Like you said.”
ALEJO: He keeps looking forward.
MILLICENT: Millie throws up her hands.
MILLICENT: “Blind, both of you.”
ALEJO: “That’s definitely true.” Alejo smiles despite himself.
MILLICENT: “Her too.”
TUELLER: “That’s probably true.”
TUELLER: “Not as smart as I thought I am, is what the universe keeps telling me.”
MILLICENT: “She’s so mad at Alejo she represents a liability for us on this mission.”
MILLICENT: “Forsythe knows that and wanted to see what we’d do.”
MILLICENT: “Probably wanted to see what she’d do.”
MILLICENT: “It smells like we’re being messed with. I don’t like that.”
TUELLER: “Huh.”
TUELLER: “No way out but through, either way.”
ALEJO: “If she’s messing with me, I deserve that. If she’s messing with the two of you, then . . . yeah, that’ll piss me off. But T’s right. The only what out is through.”
ALEJO: “But, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry to you both. And . . . thanks. For sticking with me.”
ALEJO: “I definitely don’t deserve you. Either of you.”
STORY: You arrive at the house, a crude-looking hut with a metal door.
TUELLER: (Yes, Tueller just let that go without knowing what to say to Alejo)
ALEJO: Alejo gets out and quickly surveys the area, looking for any obvious traps.
TUELLER: Tueller just goes and knocks at the door.
STORY: Alejo, Assessment + Mettle
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 6 + 2 = 8
TUELLER: Alejo is faster, so this goes on before Tueller can do anything.
STORY: Not only are there no traps, this place is a dump. They look to be barely holding on here.
TUELLER: Tueller raps at the door.
STORY: After a few moments, it opens. An older woman, grey hair spilling around the neck of her vac suit, looks at the three of you with confusion.
STORY: “Help you?”
TUELLER: “Delivery for you.”
STORY: I forgot to mention you’re all in boarding armor – there’s no air here.
STORY: “Delivery? From who?”
TUELLER: “Not sure I can say, but I’ve got a file for you, some lock codes, and the package itself for those codes.”
TUELLER: Tueller hands over the file.
TUELLER: Unsnapping the drive from his chest pocket.
ALEJO: Alejo stands back, letting Tueller take the lead. He simply smiles when the woman looks his way.
STORY: She looks very confused, but takes the drive and plugs it into her wall console. A moment later, she comes back through the door, wide-eyed, moving quickly to the crate. “Open it, please,” she says breathlessly.
TUELLER: Tueller puts in the codes, and snaps the locks.
STORY: The crate hisses as the pressure equalizes and the cold air escapes. The lid lifts off and she stares at the orbs inside, slack-jawed.
STORY: “My gods.”
STORY: “Where did you get these?”
TUELLER: “Someone else had them and we took them.”
STORY: She turns back to the door. “JENNA! They’ve brought a GECK!”
TUELLER: “Honestly, we were told to get them, and bring them here, so we did.”
STORY: “Thank you, thank you, you’ve saved us!” She grabs Tueller’s hands, squeezing them as tears come to her eyes.
TUELLER: Tueller glances back at Millie, questioningly.
ALEJO: Alejo looks over at Millie.
TUELLER: “You’re welcome.”
STORY: A younger woman appears at the door and stares agape at the orbs.
TUELLER: “Very welcome.”
MILLICENT: “Personal terraforming.”
STORY: “Get these inside! Quick – we might be able to save the east field!”
STORY: The two of them work quickly, lifting the orbs straight out of the crate and running inside.
TUELLER: “Oh, a Genesis Device. Got it.”
MILLICENT: “They’ll take a lifeless rock like this one and make it habitable in months. Crops growing faster than on factory farms in a year.”
TUELLER: “My Family looked at weaponizing it, of course.”
TUELLER: “It’s a pretty good weapon, actually. Cheaper just to nuke people, though.”
STORY: The older woman comes back to the door. “Thank you, again. Please, tell him we are grateful. We will spread word that it’s safe here.”
TUELLER: “We’ll pass that along. Thanks. We must be going. Enjoy!”
MILLICENT: Millie nods as much as boarding armor lets you nod.
ALEJO: Alejo looks to Tueller and Millie, bows slightly to the woman, and then heads back to their vehicle.
TUELLER: Tueller turns around and heads back towards the ship.
STORY: You make it back without incident. Jac’s waiting for you.
MILLICENT: “That’s not the run I thought we were on.”
STORY: “All good?”
TUELLER: “Yeah, they’re very happy.”
STORY: “Good. Seat belts.” She takes off.
TUELLER: “Seat belts!”
STORY: Anything happen on your ride back to the Tarrasque?
TUELLER: Tueller remains in polite silence to Jac.
ALEJO: Alejo does as well.
STORY: It’s a few hours of polite silence.
MILLICENT: Millie sits in polite silence as well
STORY: You arrive back at the Tarrasque and disembark, Jac quickly leaving to head to the engineering bay or somewhere not-where-you-are.
STORY: TC sends for the three of you.
STORY: “Sounds like it all went smooth?”
MILLICENT: “Not the job I thought we were doing.”
MILLICENT: “Well, maybe not the destination.”
MILLICENT: “The job went well.”
TUELLER: “Yeah, felt good, even. Other than the dining room flub.”
STORY: “Glad to hear it. I appreciate your help.” He narrows his eyes briefly.
STORY: “We building trust here?”
TUELLER: Tueller nods and shrugs agreeably. “Yeah!”
MILLICENT: Millie raises a hand, waggles it.
STORY: He smiles at you, Millie. “I’ll take it.”
STORY: “I gather you’d like to take your friend to your ship?”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “I would.”
MILLICENT: “I trust she’s been well taken care of.”
STORY: He nods, then gestures to the door. “Your ship is in bay 21-C. Please… don’t do anything, well. Let’s keep trusting each other, if you please. I want this to be a step in the right direction.”
MILLICENT: Millie purses her lips, nods.
TUELLER: Tueller starts to hurry out, and then takes a moment…
ALEJO: Alejo simply stands, watching all of this.
TUELLER: “I’m rushing through everything. I don’t want you to think I don’t…uhhh. Let’s. I want to rush through this, and it’s making it last longer.”
TUELLER: “So, you got a mission statement or something?”
STORY: “Time for that later. Go see to your friend, Mr. Ya’Makasi.”
TUELLER: “Cool cool cool. We’ll talk later.”
TUELLER: Tueller heads towards the med bay.
TUELLER: “y’all coming or not?’
MILLICENT: Millie is coming!
STORY: Peregrine is in the advertised bay, on and running in standby but with her landing clamps engaged, holding her tight to the deck.
STORY: You wheel Calixta in through the open cargo bay doors, and find Dr. Bolano inside, drinking a tea and reading the paper.
STORY: She stands. “Oh!”
TUELLER: “Hi Doc.”
STORY: “Goodness, I didn’t expect to see you two here. Good to see you.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods as she pushes Noma in. “Doctor.”
MILLICENT: “Have you been treated well?”
STORY: “Well enough.” She takes a step toward Alejo, extending a hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Margarita.”
TUELLER: “This is Alejo.”
STORY: “Oh no, is Calixta all r–”
STORY: “What?”
STORY: “Your Alejo?”
ALEJO: Alejo gives a quick smile and shakes her hand. “Hi.”
ALEJO: “Long story.”
TUELLER: “We’ll get into all that later.”
TUELLER: “Calixta is my priority here, so we’ll circle back around to all that.”
STORY: She nods. “Sure, please,” gesturing for you to continue, looking baffled.
TUELLER: “It’ll be at least a couple sessions.”
MILLICENT: Millie pushes her to the med bay
ALEJO: “Is T’chololl here?”
STORY: Bolano shakes her head. “She fought them.”
TUELLER: Tueller smiles a bit.
TUELLER: “That sounds like her.
STORY: The three of you end up in the med bay, standing over Calixta. She’s stable, nothing to do but find the port on the back of her neck and plug her in.
STORY: What do you do?
TUELLER: “Doc, I’m plugging her right in unless you tell me not to.”
TUELLER: “And give me a damn good reason why.”
MILLICENT: Millie finds the plug and is constantly having to shoo a hovering Tueller back. She gets systems back online, double checks everything, and plugs Noma in.
MILLICENT: “You’ll let me do because I have more degrees than you have confirmed kills, now back up.
TUELLER: Tueller stands in Noma’s sightline, fidgeting.
ALEJO: Alejo stands on the other side of all of this, simply holding Calixta’s hand.
TUELLER: “No one confirms my kills. They just happen.”
STORY: The lights flicker and you hear the power surge for a moment.
TUELLER: “Oh shit you might want to back up Alejo.”
ALEJO: He gives her hand a little squeeze and stays where he is.
STORY: Then the engine hum is back to normal, and there’s silence.
STORY: The intercom crackles on in this room. “Well, that took forever.”
TUELLER: Tueller faints.