STORY: He waves a hand and the dozen AIs who surrounded you become red mist, floating away. You are alone, and a fifty-foot tall armored chieftain stands before you.
ALEJO: Alejo squares up, next to Tueller, shoulder to shoulder.
STORY: He takes a knee, looking down at you.
STORY: “Little humans.”
STORY: “Even now, you think you can battle us.”
STORY: “We have won.”
TUELLER: “We didn’t come here to battle.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods and shakes his head all at once.
STORY: “You have lost anyway.”
TUELLER: “So have you.”
TUELLER: “You just don’t know it yet.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods.
Chapter 100
TUELLER: “This is a more modest dreamspace than our last time. The familiarity is nice, at least.”
ALEJO: “It didn’t start great. For me. But it’s getting better.”
TUELLER: “Let’s go find the Doc and speak to the manager.”
ALEJO: He nods.
TUELLER: “Bad memories?”
TUELLER: Tueller gets up and goes to open the door.
STORY: You open it and emerge in boarding armor, standing on the surface of the fungal planet.
TUELLER: “Well this makes sense.”
Chapter 79
MILLICENT: “We need a supercomputer. Well, we need a network of supercomputers. And they must be in the Sol system.”
RYO: Ryo nods and tilts his head thoughtfully, listening for the rest of the details.
MILLICENT: “And I doubt anyone who owns such an array in the Sol system will be amenable to the idea of Noma and myself commandeering their use so we can peer under the hood of the most advanced and crucial tech in the system.”
STORY: Calixta moves over to a console. “You mind?”
RYO: “Please.”
STORY: She pulls up a star chart.
STORY: Pointing at the current locations of the planets in the system, she explains. “Got a couple options. We can all become priests and use the Exodus supercomputer on Enceladus. We can break into Chandra’s base on Titan, good luck with that one, or, well, there’s Io.”
STORY: “But I suspect Esinam Ya’Makasi isn’t interested in letting us borrow some time on her rig.”
STORY: “So basically we’re fucked three ways.”
MILLICENT: “One of three ways.”
MILLICENT: “Now we must simply choose the manner of our fucking.”
RYO: Ryo nods in agreement. “Spoiled for choice.”
Chapter 78
STORY: “You and Tueller are known enemies. Why should we believe your testimony for a moment?”
STORY: Sergio smiles again, looking Tueller in the eye. “What have I got to lose? I’m receiving nothing for my testimony today, no deals made. I simply wish to see justice done.“
STORY: Becker shakes his head, looks back at Tueller.
STORY: “No further questions, your honors.” He sits next to Tueller, puts a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
TUELLER: “You’re worth every penny I spent on you.”
TUELLER: “And not one more.”
Chapter 63
TUELLER: Tueller turns, “My associate just wonders, as friends, if we can ask what the Trirubidium was for?”
TUELLER: “As former inhabitants of Sol, we have a certain curiosity.”
STORY: “You may not.”
STORY: “Thank you for asking.”
JENNY: Jenny nods. “Thank you.”
TUELLER: “May I ask what, if anything, you may share with us if we are able to find the Trirubidium that Proog was unable to provide to you?”
STORY: “My gratitude.”
TUELLER: Tueller nods, “Thank you for your time, your grace. We must leave now; the authorities gave us only 10 minutes to discuss with you. Is there an easier way to reach you than talking our way through the police cordon outside, for our further conversations?”
STORY: The Antaam looks you up and down. “Why would you desire an easier way?”
JENNY: Jenny nods. Under her breath, understanding Thasht a little better, “Ohhhhh.”
TUELLER: Tueller nods, “Indeed, your Grace. Until the next time.”
Chapter 57
STORY: “Tueller, please. We have to trust each other. I need to be able to trust you.”
STORY: “…Tueller?”
TUELLER: “Trust goes both ways, Sprite.”
Chapter 50
TUELLER: “Lah, can you arrange a ship for us?”
FIGGAN: Figgan pours him a refill of the whiskey and coffee while he’s talking to Akilah.
STORY: “A ship?”
STORY: “Kinda figured we could just have you do a crime and I’ll ask the judge to send you there.”
STORY: She points at her chest. “Lawyer? Remember?”
TUELLER: “No, that…that….fuck, yeah, I guess that’s the job.”
FIGGAN: “Aww, this is gonna be hella fun.”
TUELLER: “Get me a new identity.”
STORY: Akilah nods.
STORY: “Jenny, Kahn, you think you can both get hired on as guards?”
STORY: Kahn tilts his head. “Sure, boss.”
STORY: Then you all remember, as I just did, that Kahn also worked for Akilah for years.
JENNY: Jenny nods, smiles. “Aye.”
TUELLER: “Ejo’s going to be so disappointed he missed this.”
Chapter 49
TUELLER: “Sure this is a good idea, Doc?”
STORY: Alejo, two of the ships have started moving towards you. They’re maybe ten minutes from intercept at slow burn, faster if they hustle.
MILLICENT: “Of course, now I’ll just send these off and they’ll be goose chasing for”
TUELLER: Tueller checks on the status of the guns.
MILLICENT: “You know, it’s possible I left the subspace metadata in the message.”
TUELLER: “That’s good, right?”
MILLICENT: “Not in this case, no.”
STORY: “That’s bad.” Loll stands behind the three of you, in the doorway to the bridge.
ALEJO: “Someone’s taken an interest in us,” Alejo says, angling away from the two ships and increasing speed, flying casual, but in a hurry.
MILLICENT: “In this case I think it may have been a bit like jumping into the room screaming our name.”
Chapter 48
MILLICENT: “Noma, will you ever tell us why you brought us here?”
ALEJO: Alejo sits down at the controls, straps in, and takes the helm.
STORY: “I have told you as much as I can, Millie.”
TUELLER: Tueller straps down everything as best he can, and tries to prepare people who haven’t done this before for a radical reorientation of gravity.
MILLICENT: “I miss Noma, Noma.”
MILLICENT: Millie straps herself in
STORY: “I do too, Millie.”
Chapter 47
ALEJO: Alejo leans in towards the fire, warming his hands. “Anyone else feeling like us just patching up and leaving doesn’t sit right?”
MILLICENT: Millie exhales loudly and leans forward. “Oh thank goodness.”
TUELLER: Tueller shrugs wordlessly.
MILLICENT: “We’re the madcap damn the consequences crew and here we were, _minding the consequences_.”
MILLICENT: “I say we get back to damning them.”
TUELLER: “People die.”
TUELLER: “Sometimes people we care about, even.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at Tueller for a long moment. Then nods once in solidarity.
ALEJO: “We should make the loss mean something, no?”