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 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 71
TUELLER: “Huh. No madmen in your family, I guess.”
RYO: “Oh, plenty. Just didn’t pass on to me.”
TUELLER: “No one studies Nixon anymore either, I guess.”
TUELLER: “Or Machiavelli.”
STORY: “Didn’t they lose?”
TUELLER: “Well, sure. That time.”
MILLICENT: “Was. Was there another time?”
RYO: “Unless you think that The Prince sheds some light on this situation, I don’t see what Machiavelli has to offer us right now.”
TUELLER: “Discourses on Livy, technically.”
MILLICENT: “Hey! Book club!” Millie snaps her fingers.
STORY: “Hey. Brain geniuses.”
STORY: Calixta smiles at Millie.
RYO: Ryo frowns.
STORY: “I have an idea.”
MILLICENT: “I don’t like not being the one who is getting lost in an academic aside.” Millie smiles back at Calixta.
Chapter 70
STORY: “Savvy. I think we can certainly work something out, Mr. Hanaka. But.”
STORY: “Unfortunately, there’s a complexity we have to deal with.”
STORY: “Mr. Ya’Makasi is your… partner?”
TUELLER: “Tueller, please.”
TUELLER: “I am a Ya’Makasi in name only.”
STORY: Ruell doesn’t look at you, Tueller.
RYO: “He is a partner, at least in some ventures. Why?”
STORY: “I’d like to negotiate for him, please.”
RYO: “I’m sorry?”
Chapter 68
STORY: “You see that?”
STORY: Calixta points at the screen.
MILLICENT: “It’s a bathroom.”
STORY: “Jump relays aren’t crewed.”
STORY: “What’s a bathroom doing inside one?”
MILLICENT: “It’s kind of a nice bathroom.”
MILLICENT: “What’s living on the jump relays?”
Chapter 67
STORY: You watch dozens of employees converge on the cargo bay, taking up positions around the Augusta King, some armed, some just there to see what they can offer.
STORY: They don’t see you, since you’re on the other side of an air vent, but you’re about 20 meters from the ramp into the belly of Chandra’s ship. It’ll be a quick and dangerous run.
STORY: And as you wait for whatever distraction Calixta’s arranging, you realize you’re not likely to all make it out of this. Tueller, you assume, is onboard. But three people running through a firing squad?
STORY: Your luck is going to run out.
MILLICENT: Millie reaches her hand out, still staring out at the troops.
ALEJO: Alejo gets them both into place, ready to make the run when that distraction comes. “Doc, when the moment comes, you run. You run and don’t look back, alright. That’s a gods damned order. You have to make it. I can’t do this without you. You can without me.” He takes her hand.
MILLICENT: Millie stifles a laugh. “Yes, captain.”
MILLICENT: “Mr. Soto?”
ALEJO: He smiles and shakes his head. “Cap to you.”
ALEJO: He squeezes her hand. And then gets serious again.
MILLICENT: “Cap. I’m so very glad you chose my ship to steal.”
Chapter 62
ALEJO: Alejo is there, sitting, with a bottle and two glasses. As Tueller walks in, he pours a glass for him and slides it across the table without looking up. Then he pours his own.
ALEJO: “Time for a talk.” He raises the glass.
TUELLER: “I didn’t see what happened, but it looks to me like things got bad and you went off and made them worse. That about right?”
ALEJO: “No,” he takes a modest sip and then a deep breath, collecting himself. “No, what happened is that everyone except Thasht did exactly what I said not to do. Tux wanted to play hero, though he should have never been on a field op. Kahn followed me even though I told him to go back to the ship. You and Millie didn’t leave with the most important item in the fucking galaxy when I told you to.”
ALEJO: “And now Chandra has Millie, Noma, and the deck.”
ALEJO: “Oh, and probably Kahn.” He drinks again.
Chapter 61
ALEJO: Alejo nods at Kahn and starts towards the gift shop. “You cover me at a distance when we get there. Run and get back to the ship if anything goes south.”
ALEJO: Alejo moves very fast but expects Kahn will keep pace.
STORY: Kahn takes one step with you but puts a hand on your arm, trying to stop you. “Captain.”
ALEJO: He pauses but doesn’t look at him. “Yeah.”
STORY: “Let’s go. You don’t need to do this.”
ALEJO: He spins and looks at him. His jaw is clenched tightly. He’s about to say something, then he stops. “You’re right.” He says this softly. “Lead the way. The ship.” He gives Kahn a quick smile.
STORY: Kahn relaxes, then heads off for the ship after Thasht.
ALEJO: As soon as Kahn has taken a few steps, Alejo slips away at top speed the other direction, towards the gift shop.
TUELLER: “I’m on my way. Where’s Alejo?”
TUELLER: Tueller skitter-walks the Gregor out of the Peregrine and aims for the thinnest walls between him and Millie.
STORY: There are three, Tueller!
TUELLER: “Listen for the sound of property destruction. It’s probably going to be me.”
STORY: You Kool-Aid Man through two of them. Millie, there are some faint destruction noises coming from your right.
MILLICENT: “He won’t tell me. What’s going on with him? He’s. Cold.”
TUELLER: “Tux. He takes death badly. Does stupid shit in response.”
MILLICENT: Millie taps Thasht and indicates that they should not be in the path of the tank.
STORY: Thasht gets the message and steps back as the third wall is blasted out and the Gregor greets you. It’s a little tight in these hallways, but obviously Tueller is making it work.
TUELLER: “Don’t know if it’s rage or if he goes suicidal but he makes bad choices even by his standards.”
TUELLER: “Oh, hi guys.”
MILLICENT: “Hi.” Millie waves, kind of dejectedly.
MILLICENT: “Let’s go save the day, I guess.”
Chapter 60
ALEJO: “Doc, how’s the deck going?”
MILLICENT: “We just got out of the research rooms. On our way to the prize.”
ALEJO: Alejo waves to Jenny. “Let’s see if we can catch up to the idiot. I’ll take point. You got our backs.”
ALEJO: To Millie: “I think Tux is headed your way. Try not to shoot him. Punching his dumb ass is okay though.”
MILLICENT: To Tueller, “Let’s keep our eyes peeled for Tux. He might have slipped away to try and get the deck.”
STORY: The four of you haul ass towards the Earth exhibit, a long hallway with various small rooms on each side focusing on major Earth scientists and historical figures. You come in from opposite ends, seeing each other as you all run for the door you all know holds Minaaki’s room, close to the middle of the long hallway.
STORY: A figure emerges from the room, looking exhausted but smiling, and holding a small tablet-sized black case. Tux looks up, noticing the four of you running for him, and grins at Millie. “Got it.”
Chapter 58
MILLICENT: “I’m pretty sure that Tux is about to do something monumentally stupid.”
TUELLER: “Well it is a weekday.”
ALEJO: “’Course he is.”
MILLICENT: “I don’t have any details. I practiced some extreme restraint. He asked me to help him with something, fine, no problem, and not to Alejo, which I, using my extreme restraint balked at. Then he clammed up.”
ALEJO: “Yeah, he’s keeping shit from me too. He’s worried I’m gonna shoot him in the head. Which, sometimes does seem very tempting.” He takes another drink.
TUELLER: “Hey, are you guys exes?”
TUELLER: “You seem like exes.”
TUELLER: “Like, you seem more like exes than Loll and I, and we’re actually exes.”
ALEJO: Alejo shrugs. “I crewed his ship.” The evasion is not lost on anyone.