TUELLER: Tueller handles the two minutes of getting off a call politely, and then hangs up.
TUELLER: “Sorry, Bwana. I know you don’t like to wait, but Mr. Caro needs his ego stroked and these talks are very delicate.”
TUELLER: Tueller stands up and walks over to her, and takes her hand gingerly in his.
TUELLER: “How are you feeling?”
STORY: Esinam looks at you a long time, her head tilted slightly forward.
STORY: “Ousted.”
TUELLER: Tueller smiles, at a loss for words.
TUELLER: “Sure, I guess you could put it that way.”
STORY: She nods.
STORY: “All right. I’m going to catch up on some tv.”
STORY: She starts to leave.
TUELLER: Tueller is having trouble knowing what to say next, he keeps opening his mouth to speak, and rethinking on it.
TUELLER: “I love you, sis. I’m glad you’re up.”
STORY: “Thanks.”
TUELLER: “And when you catch up a little, and feel well rested, you should dive into our projects. I think you’re going to be amazed at what we’re doing with it all.”
STORY: “Good luck, little brother. Don’t get us blown up.”
TUELLER: “No promises, sis.”
STORY: You’ve got three days, more or less, before you expect Esinam to be recovered enough to be giving orders.
STORY: Ryo has most of the organization under control, though you’d probably best stay away from her personal guards.
STORY: What’s the plan, Stan?
TUELLER: Okay, let’s lay things out here just a sec so we can focus.
TUELLER: We have things we need to investigate: who attacked Esi with alien tech brain thing? Do we work on consolidating power for Tueller. How do we handle Sergio.
TUELLER: I think Tueller’s instincts are to work on a defensive perimeter of sorts to protect Esi and himself. He is sincere about protecting her and trying to make amends, and we have to assume Sergio is a threat.
TUELLER: Anything I’m missing here?
MILLICENT: That sounds like a pretty full dancecard.
MILLICENT: Millie is itching to examine that alien tech to try and determine purpose and origin.
TUELLER: Well, Sergio and consolidating power is the same task, really.
TUELLER: Okay, then, Tueller, gives orders as wide as possible to watch out for Sergio and his allies, to protect Esi, who had particularly worries about him, and let’s look into that alien tech!
STORY: Officially, Sergio is working for CJH and isn’t under any kind of suspicion or arrest.
STORY: He’s just somewhere on the compound, most likely.
STORY: Are you issuing orders to do something about that?
TUELLER: Sure. Orders to non-violently, definitely no killing, bring him in to discuss the future of CJH.
STORY: Okay! Millie, you have the object?
MILLICENT: Yup. Millie commandeers the tech facility and the best roboticists from the surgery the other night to assist her.
MILLICENT: They get to work as soon as Millie has slept after surgery.
STORY: Let’s have an Assessment + Interface for that one!
MILLICENT: Any advantage for the sick gear she’s using?
STORY: Nope! That’s not how this game works
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 10 + 2 = 12
STORY: Ooooo!
STORY: Okay, let’s delay your answer on that while we deal with the other thing.
STORY: Tueller, you’re having lunch with Ryo and the others when three guards knock on the door.
TUELLER: “Come in!”
TUELLER: Tueller stands up formally.
TUELLER: Still not quite sure of his place with these people so paying them respect.
STORY: One steps in. Ryo nods at him. “Mr. Ndrangheta is attempting escape, sir.”
TUELLER: “How so?”
STORY: “He’s boarding his ship, sir.”
TUELLER: Tueller pauses as a lot goes through his mind all at once.
TUELLER: “Do we have a ready boarding party? Is the Combat Air Patrol still flying?”
STORY: Ryo answers you on that one. “CJH is a tenth of its size when you were around. So no.”
TUELLER: “So we shoot him down or let him go, then.”
STORY: “Or chase him now, but you seem interested in letting that time bleed out.” Ryo picks dirt out from under a nail.
TUELLER: “Almost everything bad I’ve ever done was the result of acting impulsively.” Tueller pauses.
TUELLER: “Oh, alright.” Tueller takes off at a dead sprint to the dock.
STORY: Millie? Alejo?
ALEJO: Alejo will go with Tueller.
STORY: Okay! So it’s three people running through the hallways.
STORY: Ryo considers going with you, but his nose still hurts from the last time he tried to run.
MILLICENT: Millie runs after, huffing to herself about really needing to get more cardio as these two Olympic level athletes outpace her by an embarrassing margin
ALEJO: “We got a plan here, T?” Alejo says as he catches up and runs alongside Tueller.
STORY: He decides to make iced coffee instead.
TUELLER: “Why does everyone always ask me that?”
TUELLER: Tueller huffs and puffs, out of shape and especially looking bad next to cybernetic Alejo.
TUELLER: “Talk to him, I guess.”
TUELLER: “Shooting him down would probably be a step backwards for me, but I’m tempted.”
STORY: You make it to the docks and catch Sergio boarding his ship, six guards entering with him. He rushes inside and starts closing the bay door as four of the guards stay behind, taking up a defensive position and drawing blasters.
STORY: What do you do?
MILLICENT: Millie hides behind some non-explosive looking barrels. “Why did I even come? I knew this was going to get shooty.”
TUELLER: Tueller slows to a stop and throws up his hands, opening his coat to show he’s not armed. “Whoa whoa whoa whoa, I’m just here to talk! I’m unarmed.”
TUELLER: Mutters “bad choice of words.”
STORY: You hear a “fuck you!” from inside the ship as the doors close.
ALEJO: Alejo stops as well, but a bit closer to two of the guards, his hands raised, but inching closer.
TUELLER: “Esi was unwell, Sergio! I’m trying to make it better!”
STORY: The guards look around at each other. It’ll be a minute before this ship takes off.
TUELLER: Sergio is unreachable?
TUELLER: Like, probably can’t hear us?
STORY: He might be able to! The guards definitely can.
MILLICENT: Are the door controls to the shuttle bay nearby?
STORY: Sure! There’s a console near you that should be able to access some of those controls.
TUELLER: “Hi all. I don’t know if we’ve meet…oh, heh, Fisher! We did that Mars job a couple of years…shit, ten years ago now. Good to see you’ve made it. Those who didn’t do jobs with me, I’m Tueller Ya’Makasi. I assume you know that, but just have to be sure. And I am helping Esi through her recovery, and will in all likelihood be your new boss soon. So please, lower the weapons. I mean you, and even Sergio, no harm.”
TUELLER: “but I do need to talk to him before he flees.”
TUELLER: “Rather abruptly if you ask me.”
STORY: Let’s make that FA + Influence!
TUELLER: /roll 2d6
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 9
STORY: Fisher looks around uncomfortably. He cocks his head towards the guard to his left, signaling with his eyes.
STORY: He shakes his head almost imperceptibly.
ALEJO: Alejo is close. He sees this and makes a quick move to disarm this guard.
TUELLER: To Alejo “get him.”
TUELLER: Tueller keeps his arms up and makes himself the focus.
STORY: Alejo, Launch Assault!
TUELLER: “Sergio feels he was threatened by Esi…which, if you’ve ever met Esi, feels like the weight of Jupiter.”
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: What happens, Alejo?
ALEJO: Alejo steps up, grabs the gun from the guard and John Wick style, now wields it himself. He holds the gun to the guard’s head.
TUELLER: “No, no hostages.”
STORY: The others lower their weapons. Fisher nods and pushes the disarmed guard off the catwalk.
STORY: The guard screams and flails as he falls to his death.
STORY: “Good to have you back, sir.”
TUELLER: “Thank you, Fisher. Doc, can you ground that ship please?”
ALEJO: Alejo looks over the catwalk at the now dead guard. He then slips the gun into his belt.
TUELLER: Tueller goes over to the docking panel and hits the ship to ship comms. “Oh hey, Sergio, please stop spooling up your engines. We need to talk. It’s about Esi.”
TUELLER: “She was sick. Is sick. And wasn’t herself. I apologize for what she’s put you through.”
ALEJO: Alejo moves up next to Tueller. He waits for him to finish. Then he whispers, “That how you want to play this? If so, let me handle Sergio. When the time comes.”
ALEJO: He nods towards the dead guard.
TUELLER: “I do not want to kill Sergio.”
ALEJO: “Okay. Then let’s work on keeping all of the body count down. Maybe?” He’s still whispering.
TUELLER: “I did not want Emilio to die” under his breath, so Fisher doesn’t hear.
ALEJO: Alejo nods. “Yeah. I should have knocking him out. My bad.”
TUELLER: Comms “Come on Sergio.”
TUELLER: Off Comms, “Come on Doc.”
MILLICENT: Millie closes the shuttle bay doors.
STORY: Millie! Access please
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 4 + 2 = 6
MILLICENT: Millie fails to close the door. “He’s locked me out!”
TUELLER: Tueller runs to the manual override lever at the far end of the shuttle bay. It’s a giant lever to handle these things in case of emergency, which looks to have never been used.
TUELLER: He puts his entire body into flipping the switch.
STORY: FA + Physique!
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 9 + 2 = 11
STORY: Strong boi!
TUELLER: Much muscles.
STORY: You groan and strain and push and grit your teeth and the gigantic level finally gives and THWONGS into place with an enormous ringing crash.
ALEJO: Alejo watches for a moment and then goes to Millie. “Can you get that Shuttle open? I really don’t want to have to breach it . . . violently.”
STORY: The bay door is locked. Sergio may be in his ship, but he’s not going anywhere.
STORY: Now what?
STORY: Ryo throws out his first batch. Clearly just brewing espresso over ice isn’t going to work.
STORY: But! He has another idea.
MILLICENT: Millie rolls up to the console pad outside the shuttle door and tries her luck.
MILLICENT: God am I invested in the B plot right now
TUELLER: “Just come on the comms, please, Sergio. I know this is triggering a definite fight or flight impulse in you, but I do not want to fight.”
ALEJO: Alejo walks over to Fisher and the guards. “We get that open, can we trust them?” Alejo looks at the other’s pointedly.
TUELLER: “I sincerely just want to talk.”
STORY: Millie! Access, please.
STORY: Alejo, FA + Influence
STORY: Tueller, FA + Influence
TUELLER: /roll 2d6
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 8
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 9 + 2 = 11
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8 + 2 = 10
ALEJO: –Nice!
ALEJO: –Double nice!
STORY: Millie, you have access to the system. Sergio doesn’t know you’re in, though I think he can probably logic that one out regardless, so you may want to hustle. What are you doing?
STORY: Alejo, Fisher nods. “They’re solid.” You believe him.
STORY: Tueller, you hear the intercom click on. Sergio’s voice blares out, echoing against the bay walls. “Get that bitch out of my systems and I’ll talk.”
ALEJO: “Follow my lead, then. No bodies. Unless absolutely necessary.”
STORY: Fisher nods.
MILLICENT: I install a remote back door using Program and relock and step away from the system.
MILLICENT: Now, if I hit enter a command on the console by the door his ship will be convinced it’s combusting. The protocol should force the ship to immediately land and pop all exits.
TUELLER: “I’m sorry about all this Sergio. I wanted to chat in better circumstances. I did not want to chase you.”
STORY: “You literally did though,” booms Sergio’s voice from the speakers.
ALEJO: Alejo rolls his eyes.
TUELLER: “Yes, because you ran.”
STORY: “YOU COULD HAVE LET ME LEAVE.”
TUELLER: “Here we are, regardless. I thought we were in a better shape than this, honestly. You have no idea how much it touched me that you fessed up and let me out of jail.”
TUELLER: “And then you swung a sword at me the next time we met! It seems like we’ve moved back into our old patterns so readily.”
STORY: “You were not going to let me leave that library on my own.”
ALEJO: Alejo walks back over to Tueller. “Seriously though. I can make it painless.” He whispers this so no one else can hear.
ALEJO: He shakes his head.
MILLICENT: Millie, in Alejo’s ear. “Let it go, dear.”
TUELLER: “Oh Sergio, I absolutely was. And did. Oh man.”
TUELLER: “I was hauling off on of my family’s artifacts, not rehashing old feuds.”
ALEJO: “I’m joking. I’m joking.” He raises his hands in surrender. “Mostly.” He adds every more quietly.
ALEJO: He’s talking to Millie now. Very quietly.
TUELLER: “I realize that its’ been hard for you here with Esi. She’s been more erratic and…cranky than usual, I think. Did you notice?”
STORY: “No, I was just fleeing my family’s moon for my own enjoyment.” It echoes for a few seconds.
TUELLER: “Sh wasn’t herself. She’d been attacked. She’s in a coma now with the attacking instrument removed.”
TUELLER: “She should be back to herself in a couple of days. Which I know is no picnic. more even than you do I know that.”
STORY: The intercom clicks on and then, a moment later, off again.
STORY: “Then why not let me leave.”
TUELLER: “Hold on a second.”
TUELLER: Tueller walks over, and flips that massive switch back. Then walks back to the intercom.
TUELLER: “I just wanted to tell you in person, so to speak. You’re free to go now. Sorry about all the stress.”
STORY: Some of the guards help with this one so you don’t have to burst any blood vessels.
STORY: “Y–”
STORY: “What?”
TUELLER: “I am working my way back into CJH.”
TUELLER: “It’s my family, after all.”
TUELLER: “Maybe really Mine, actually.”
TUELLER: “I’ll see you around, I guess.”
MILLICENT: In Tueller’s ear. “You going to ask him about the tech in Esi’s head?”
TUELLER: Tueller keeps the intercom off, “I’m playing this by ear–but the way he sounds…I don’t think he’s our guy.”
TUELLER: “I don’t have a good segue, either.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods and leans somewhere.
TUELLER: “Kind of got into a rhetorical culdesac here and I don’t think I can whip around and accuse him of an assassination attempt here.”
STORY: You hear a click inside Sergio’s ship.
STORY: Then a hiss.
STORY: Then the bay door opens, and Sergio stands there, peering curiously through the opening hatch.
STORY: He squints at you.
TUELLER: “No guns” back to his own team.
TUELLER: “Hi.”
TUELLER: To Sergio.
STORY: “You… intend to take over?”
TUELLER: “The thought crossed my mind.”
TUELLER: “I think I might actually be good at it.”
STORY: He peers at you, still not leaving his ship.
TUELLER: “And do good with it.”
STORY: “What’s your plan?”
TUELLER: “God, why do people keep asking me that?”
TUELLER: “Earn some goodwill from the rest of the CJH leadership, for starters.”
TUELLER: “Figure out who attacked Esi and how.”
TUELLER: “Crush them? I don’t know, that’s a big blank so far.”
STORY: “May I suggest…”
STORY: Sergio steps forward, hesitantly.
STORY: “Demilitarize.”
TUELLER: “Oh god, yeah.”
TUELLER: “We’re an interplanetary organization playing at being the Mafia, and the fact that we’re really good at it doesn’t excuse it.”
TUELLER: “We could do so much more for humanity. And also probably still keep making a profit too.”
MILLICENT: Millie pokes Alejo in the back of the shoulder.
MILLICENT: Mouths, “See”
ALEJO: Alejo shrugs and smiles sheepishly. “Brave new world. I don’t know that I buy Sergio, but I like this look on T,” He whispers to Millie.
STORY: Sergio takes another hesitant step forward. “You killed my guard.” He gestures to the three remaining mercs.
TUELLER: “Unintentionally.”
TUELLER: “I didn’t make an issue of it; we’re still in the baby-steps stage of reform.”
ALEJO: “My fault.” Alejo raises his hand. “And I’m truly sorry.”
STORY: Sergio takes a small device out of his back pocket and hands it to Millie.
STORY: “Your sister thought I was trying to take over.”
STORY: “She was right.”
STORY: Millie, you pull up the drive’s contents on the console in front of you. It’s detailed plans.
MILLICENT: Millie furrows her brow
TUELLER: “Of course she was.”
STORY: “Not by whatever you were talking about. I’ve been setting meetings with all our biggest partners and investors. Convincing them it’s time to become a regular government.”
STORY: “Actually help the people of the Jovan colonies.”
MILLICENT: What kind of plans?
TUELLER: Tueller hugs him without even thinking about it.
STORY: “I tried to take it to her. She wouldn’t meet with me.”
TUELLER: Claps him on the back.
STORY: Millie, what Sergio is describing. Demilitarization, reinvestment of CJH resources into public programs for the residents of Jupiter’s moons.
MILLICENT: “Huh.”
TUELLER: “Someone put something into her brain that was juicing her amygdala.”
TUELLER: “She couldn’t listen to you.”
STORY: Sergio nods. “That sounds right. Any idea who put it there?”
TUELLER: “I…”
TUELLER: “Well, I don’t know, but there are suspects.”
MILLICENT: Out loud to Tueller, “this is some real deal stuff. Some of the economics is fuzzy, but I’m not an economist. Might work if.” Millie flips around the console. “Oh yeah, it’s here in the fine print. This is a ten year plan, Tueller. This is might just be a good ten year plan. If these estimates are correct in 8 years Jupiter’s economy could rival the Terran/Lunar alliance’s.”
STORY: Somewhere, Ryo senses that he’s needed. He shrugs and goes back to uninstalling copper tubing from the espresso machine.
TUELLER: Tueller claps Sergio on the upper arm. “I don’t want to say more and prejudice the investigation at this point.”
TUELLER: “The Doc’s impressed with you here, so I’m impressed.”
TUELLER: “Let’s go see if we can make it happen.”
TUELLER: “You’re welcome to stay if you like. You can go, too, if you prefer.”
STORY: Sergio looks at you suspiciously, then nods.
TUELLER: “It might get complicated here.”
TUELLER: “But you are welcome.”
STORY: Sergio offers his good hand.
TUELLER: Tueller clasps it.
STORY: “This is so fucking weird.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods.
TUELLER: Tueller nods, “Right there with you.”
TUELLER: “I think the pending question is what the hell did that to Esi, Doc?”
STORY: Ah! The lab techs you sent on that mission return to you just as you bring Sergio back to Ryo’s quarters.
STORY: Ryo stands with his perfectly iced coffee, looking at Sergio with great confusion, when two lab techs rush in.
STORY: “Doctor!” They hand you a small printout.
MILLICENT: Millie examines it.
MILLICENT: “Jesus, is that cursive?”
MILLICENT: Millie orders the techs to trace the device parts to make sure they could have been sourced as she thinks they must have been.
MILLICENT: Millie looks up.
MILLICENT: “Sorry, Tueller, there’s no one’s head to bash in for this. It was Bilbo’s work.”
MILLICENT: “I’ve got a working theory.”
MILLICENT: “He set this thing in her brain to grow. As time went on it would take over more and more, then when Bilbo was ready he would take control and puppetmaster her.”
TUELLER: “Hmmm.”
MILLICENT: “Which he probably did for a while, but then he died. And there’s no one to tend shop. So it reverts to its previous directive: grow and take control. And as it did so it probably warped the normal functioning of her brain.”
TUELLER: “It seemed to know when to juice her brain. It seemed guided to me.”
MILLICENT: “She would have experienced this as periods of extreme energy and lethargy, back to back, at first. Then intrusive thoughts. Finally, any thought that stressed her would have been redirected to administer a jolt as if she’d just been startled.”
MILLICENT: “She was, accidentally, built to explode in this way. If Bilbo had been around to control the growth it would have been an efficient way of prodding her down certain behavioral paths.”
MILLICENT: “As it is,” Millie shrugs. “She was a time bomb.”
TUELLER: “Oh man.”
TUELLER: Who is present for this?
STORY: Ryo, Sergio, two techs, and the three of you.
STORY: Ryo is nodding along.
STORY: Sergio is, too.
TUELLER: “How long do you think this was going on?”
STORY: “She’s been off since I joined up. And Bilbo died, when? A year ago? More?”
STORY: “Had to have been quite a while.” Ryo sips his perfect coffee. A little condensation drips between his fingers and hits the floor.
TUELLER: “Oh nevermind. I had hopes that my childhood had just snapped into clarity.”
TUELLER: “Wishful thinking, I guess. Esi was a hard woman before this thing got into her head, and she’ll be a hard woman after.”
STORY: Sergio smiles. “Yeah, we’re still gonna be fucked when she’s up and about.”
TUELLER: “I guess.”
MILLICENT: “Oh yes and the scar tissue from where it inhibited growth and expansion is going to be undeniably a factor. This thing wrapped around her brain and spinal column. It was a real bitch to extract. It’s going to have left a mark.”
TUELLER: “Ryo…am I actually head of the family now? Is there an…incapacitation clause?”
TUELLER: “Functional head, that is?”
STORY: Ryo scratches his head. “I’d have to go over the paperwork. Probably? I think we can certainly make the case.”
STORY: “I’d recommend we do it today, if that’s your move.”
TUELLER: “Well, if you want to look into the paperwork to confirm it. In the meantime we’ll be acting off of that reality.”
TUELLER: “Esi will either want me killed or appreciate the realpolitik.”
TUELLER: “So, how much can we demilitarize this family and become a real government in three days?”
STORY: Sergio laughs.
STORY: He looks around for a beat. “Oh, you’re serious?”
STORY: “Well, shit.”
STORY: You get to work?
TUELLER: Sure!
MILLICENT: Hell yeah!
TUELLER: Back channel messages to foreign government, offers of peace treaties and trade deals.
STORY: All right! I’d like to do this thusly: each of you please give me three policy proposals you’d like to enact for the people of the Jovan colonies.
STORY: They can be ways of structuring your new government, specific nominations for people to serve, or plans for what you’re going to do. Anything you like, I just want to hear about what kind of world you want to build.
MILLICENT: I’ll go last!
TUELLER: Akilah should be freed and serve in the government here.
STORY: One!
TUELLER: Right of immigration/emigration to all sentient beings.
STORY: Two!
TUELLER: (Basically an EU to anyone with a brain, that is)
TUELLER: Universal basic income.
STORY: Three!
MILLICENT: I love ’em!
STORY: Sounds like Alejo is up next.
ALEJO: Establishing a timeline and system for free elections of officials, replacing the family system of promotion and placement in key positions.
STORY: Four!
ALEJO: Decriminalization of poverty-related “offenses,” replacing penal processes with health and social support for those in need. This includes drug crimes, low level property offenses, loitering, etc.
STORY: Five!
TUELLER: Alejo goes right at Tueller’s divine right of kings.
ALEJO: Sponsorship/grants for entrepreneurial spirits who have innovative ideas and want to travel, research, or develop social projects.
STORY: Six!
STORY: Millie, you’re up!
MILLICENT: Education and living expenses paid for up to what we would today consider a liberal arts four year degree. Any education after that paid for with a stipend with an agreement that the next four years after graduation will be spent in service to Jovan space. Teaching, designing, implementing reforms. The shit jobs that a country needs educated, well-balanced people with hope for.
STORY: Seven!
MILLICENT: Socialized-ass medicine. Everyone is treated for free.
STORY: Eight!
MILLICENT: Innovation grants. The government gets into the business of funding promising inventors. If a new technology looks viable and helpful for Jovan or Ark or Earth space, then it will get a runway of investment. The Jovan government gets the first pass at paying for new tech, at a steep discount, but after the invention has reached 200% of investment the inventor is free to take it public. If it never makes a dime then we invested in human ingenuity, sometimes that has a cost without a benefit, but the investment in humans inventing things is the real goal.
STORY: Nine!
STORY: ? ? ?
MILLICENT: That one is Millie’s sweetheart idea
STORY: All right. You brainstorm for twelve hours, massage Sergio’s plan with your own special tweaks, and get time with a Jovan magistrate who is very confused why Tueller Ya’Makasi is asking politely to meet with him.
STORY: It’s not difficult to get your name temporarily assigned as head of CJH.
STORY: It’s more difficult to Be a Government.
STORY: So let’s make that roll. Because all things, regardless of scale or difficulty, should be decided by 2d6.
STORY: I think this is FA + Expertise, yeah?
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+3
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 7 + 3 = 10
STORY: Well dang!
TUELLER: (Using a Close Up)
STORY: Well, I mean.
STORY: You do that.
STORY: hahaha
TUELLER: Cool.
TUELLER: Good game all.
MILLICENT: We did it!
STORY: Three days later, when your sister sets foot in her office, you’re just finishing up a call with the president of the Ganymede colonies.
STORY: At her desk, of course.
STORY: She’s using a cane.
TUELLER: Tueller makes a “hold on” gesture to her, not letting his expression change, as he nods to the president.
STORY: She watches you quietly, and smiles.
TUELLER: “Yes, we were hoping you would be on board with that, indeed, sir.”
TUELLER: “I can have my man send over our proposal on the details of that, of course. I know this is an abrupt change, but the demilitarization savings alone will benefit us all.”
TUELLER: “I have another meeting I need to take, so I hope you review and we can talk about this again tomorrow.”
TUELLER: Tueller politely handles the two minutes of getting off a call politely, and then hangs up.
TUELLER: “Sorry, Bwana. I know you don’t like to wait, but Mr. Caro needs his ego stroked and these talks are very delicate.”
TUELLER: Tueller stands up and walks over to her, and takes her hand gingerly in his.
TUELLER: “How are you feeling?”
STORY: She looks at you a long time, her head tilted slightly forward.
STORY: “Ousted.”
TUELLER: Tueller smiles, at a loss for words.
TUELLER: “Sure, I guess you could put it that way.”
STORY: She nods.
STORY: “All right. I’m going to catch up on some tv.”
STORY: She starts to leave.
TUELLER: Tueller is having trouble knowing what to say next, he keeps opening his mouth to speak, and rethinking on it.
TUELLER: “I love you, sis. I’m glad you’re up.”
STORY: “Thanks.”
TUELLER: “And when you catch up a little, and feel well rested, you should dive into our projects. I think you’re going to be amazed at what we’re doing with it all.”
STORY: “Good luck, little brother. Don’t get us blown up.”
TUELLER: “No promises, sis.”
STORY: She pats you on the shoulder and leaves.
STORY: The three of you sit alone in what is now, definitely, Tueller’s office.
TUELLER: “So. Doc, how much of our budget did you set aside for other crusade?”
MILLICENT: “Oh, I uh.”
MILLICENT: She leans forward and whispers conspiratorially, “A lot of it.”