MILLICENT: “I am pleased to meet you, Three-Sing-Flowers.
MILLICENT: “I understand you need some help.”
MILLICENT: “Would you tell us more?”
STORY: They nod. “I am remain here. We were need help. No one will listen.”
TUELLER: “No one understands.”
STORY: They nod. “No one understands.”
STORY: “We come from very far. We ask help. They put me in small room with a machine. There is no time. We are dying.”
TUELLER: “Ahhh.”
STORY: They shake their head. “Now One and Two are gone.”
MILLICENT: “What kind of help do you need?
STORY: “I need travel.”
Continue reading “Chapter 14”
Chapter 13
STORY: The drinks finally arrive. Wen takes a big gulp of his and shudders. It’s stronger than he expected. “Look, I want to do this right. She doesn’t, I mean. Really talk about you. But I know things got complicated between you, and I know it’s been… this has been quick. So I wanted the chance to, well. Look you in the eye and.”
STORY: He looks flustered.
STORY: “You know, ask for your blessing.”
Continue reading “Chapter 13”
Chapter 12
MILLICENT: “Search archived files for “Ruma” and “attack”, show files on visual.”
ALEJO: Alejo is watching the door, but he turns his head back to watch the screen now.
STORY: A paper file appears in her hands, and she opens it for you, displaying a list of folders on the display inside. She stands so her breasts hang over the edge of the file.
STORY: There are four entries, three encrypted.
ALEJO: Alejo raises his eyebrows at this and shakes his head. “What a complete loser,” he mumbles quietly.
MILLICENT: “Dear, if you could just,” Millie shrugs her shoulders to indicate, then, when no movement. “Move your breast, I can’t read the file names.”
MILLICENT: “Run encryption, unlock files.”
STORY: She smiles and does so. “Password required, handsome.”
MILLICENT: Under her breath, “How on earth did he learn to kiss?”
Continue reading “Chapter 12”
Chapter 11
STORY: “Nice to meet you both.” She walks to the door.
TUELLER: “See you around, Cal.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, nice to meet you, dear!”
TUELLER: Tueller finishes his coffee in a drink.
STORY: She nods, smiles at Millie.
ALEJO: Alejo follows her, giving Tueller and Millie a quick glance like “if you don’t hear from me in a couple of hours, call out the search dogs.”
TUELLER: Tueller remains seated and watches them go.
TUELLER: Makes eye contact with Alejo as he’s going out.
ALEJO: Alejo grabs a jacket off a hook near the door, slips on a cap, and nods to Tueller as he walks out.
MILLICENT: RIGHT after they’re gone. “Think she’ll kill him?”
TUELLER: “Probably not tonight.”
Continue reading “Chapter 11”
Chapter 10
TUELLER: “The way I see it we’ve got an alien race to help in indefinable ways for indefinable ends. We have a widow who wants us to track down her attacked ship and rescue my ex-girlfriend’s embryos. To do that we need to figure out where the ship is, by either asking the right person, or hacking the right system.”
TUELLER: “And we also need to figure out if we’re going to help out that widow or shoot her in the face, as requested by my beloved sister at odds with the desires of my dead ex-girlfriend.”
TUELLER: “That about cover it?”
ALEJO: “More or less.” Alejo says this more seriously than he’s been since telling Tueller that he made a dumbass deal.
TUELLER: “You got feelings about the shooting-in-the-face part?”
ALEJO: “I’ve got feelings about getting pulled back into Family stuff that I thought was probably well behind me.”
TUELLER: “You travel with me, there’s always Family stuff.”
ALEJO: “You travel with me and that’s the stuff that I intended to move beyond.”
Continue reading “Chapter 10”
Chapter 9
TUELLER: “Alejo, I’m not sure you’ve ever meet Ruma, Nandini’s widow.”
TUELLER: “So sorry again for your loss. For all our loss.” To Ruma.
TUELLER: Tueller is genuinely sorry, btw. Not antagonistic.
STORY: Alejo, she shakes your hand warmly, wincing at Tueller’s last comment but not responding. “Alejo Soto? I hadn’t had the pleasure. Nice to meet you.”
ALEJO: Alejo bows his head deeply. “Madame.”
STORY: “Tueller, I had some trouble securing the armaments you had requested, but was able to pull some strings to get it done. The boarding armor will be delivered to the Peregrine when we arrive tomorrow to begin the refits. Now, if I may be so bold, I have done you a favor, and I’d like to ask one of you.”
TUELLER: “I am in your debt.”
TUELLER: He says that in a formal sort of way.
STORY: “Glad you understand. I’d like, Mr. Ya’Makasi, for you to help me become pregnant.”
Continue reading “Chapter 9”
Chapter 8
STORY: “Captain, Dr. Breedlove wants to give me a robot arm.”
Continue reading “Chapter 8”
Chapter 7
MILLICENT: “If you don’t help us contain the fuel cell we stole from you we’re going to become target practice for every bit of iron-ish ore meteorite in the Sol system in a matter of hours.”
STORY: She closes her eyes. “You stole the trirubidium.”
STORY: “Did you not read the signs?”
ALEJO: Alejo lays a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We did. But that’s not the leading story right now, T’chololl. We need your help.”
STORY: She sighs. “Humans.”
STORY: “What is on my chest?”
ALEJO: “We had to do some things to save your life.”
MILLICENT: “Oh. I built that!”
MILLICENT: “It keeps your body from expelling the jet fuel I turned your blood into.”
MILLICENT: “It’s been a long day all around, but I won’t begrudge you a particular feeling of disorientation about that news.”
STORY: “Jet fuel.”
MILLICENT: “Inert jet fuel.”
Continue reading “Chapter 7”
Chapter 6
MILLICENT: “They thrive on adventure, Emma! Their meat is combat and their drink is…other kinds of combat!”
STORY: She looks down at your hands. “Obviously.”
TUELLER: “Whiskey, actually.”
MILLICENT: “And whiskey!”
MILLICENT: “The tall one drank the Scotch we were saving!”
TUELLER: “It was alright.”
STORY: Her jaw drops, an unusual show of emotion. “You’re kidding me.”
TUELLER: “You’d be better off with a scotch from Enceladus, if we’re being honest. I’ll see if I can get you some next time we’re in port.”
TUELLER: “It was overcasked.”
STORY: “The Balvenie Nikka… my father rescued that from his commission when they broke apart in the Nier asteroid belt.”
TUELLER: Shrugging. “Overcasked. You’re better off without it.”
Continue reading “Chapter 6”
Chapter 5
STORY: As you both turn to see where it might be, a small mobile turret rolls into view and points at Millie.
MILLICENT: Millie waves
STORY: There’s a long second, then…
STORY: It turns back toward the area it came from and whirrs away.
TUELLER: “Oooof.”
ALEJO: “Damn, Doc!”
TUELLER: “Ours?'”
TUELLER: “Yours, that is, Doc?”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “I reprogrammed the security system to see us as Maitri.”
ALEJO: “You might have a future at heisting.”
MILLICENT: At the sound of distant gunfire, “Oh, and the Maitri as intruders.”
ALEJO: Alejo smiles broadly and looks in the direction that the turret left.
TUELLER: “Well let’s get heisting then.”
STORY: Dim screams down a long hallway.
Continue reading “Chapter 5”