Posted on

Chapter 112

MILLICENT: Millie rolls her neck. “Well, then. Any last words, boys?”
TUELLER: “Uh, I believe ‘It’s been an honor’ is the traditional?”
MILLICENT: “A classic. It’s been an honor, captains.”
TUELLER: “Though honestly I’m mostly thinking about how this is the most stressed I’ve ever been for a woman to like me.”
ALEJO: Alejo laughs and takes Millie’s hand. “My best days have been with you two. Thank you.”
TUELLER: “Aww, back at ya, kid.”
ALEJO: “I’m not missing this opportunity ever again.” He kisses Millie.
ALEJO: “One way or another.”

STORY: “…Where’s Noma?”
MILLICENT: She pulls out a stethoscope and does a quick check up while trying to stay out of her way.
STORY: She’s okay, Millie. Like someone who has been in a coma for a month.
TUELLER: “Oh, she went home.”
STORY: Cali nods.
STORY: “I remember her.”
STORY: “I just don’t have her in there anymore.” She points to her head.
TUELLER: “And, uh, we think she’s explaining to the Collective why we should all be friends.”
STORY: “Well, that’s good.”
STORY: She looks around.
STORY: “Do you think it’ll work?”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs and grins delightedly. “We don’t know!”
TUELLER: “I certainly hope so! If not the universe drowns in fire!”
ALEJO: “They’re just hedging their bets. Yes. It’ll work!”
STORY: “Huh!”
STORY: She sits back.
STORY: “Well, either way it’ll be interesting.”

STORY: Three idiots and their companions take off in our beloved ship, dozens of smaller craft chasing them through the atmosphere, bullets and lasers flying around them as they dodge and weave and disappear into the black.

Continue reading “Chapter 112”

Posted on

Chapter 111

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.

Continue reading “Chapter 111”

Posted on

Chapter 110

TUELLER: “We’re shooting the moon here.”
TUELLER: “Sorry, game terminology. Big risk, big reward.”
TUELLER: “We’ve got four…I guess I could teach y’all.”
TUELLER: “But Alejo would cheat and Millie would count cards.”
TUELLER: “And you’d read our minds, so I’d be fucked.”
ALEJO: Alejo dries his hair. “I would never.”
ALEJO: He smiles.
TUELLER: “You would and have.”
TUELLER: “That’s how we got out of Ganymede alive that one time.”
MILLICENT: “Who doesn’t count cards?”
ALEJO: Alejo raises his hand. “Easier to just cheat.” He shrugs.
MILLICENT: “It’s not. How could it be easier? You just keep track of the cards.”
MILLICENT: She looks around flustered.

Continue reading “Chapter 110”

Posted on

Chapter 109

ALEJO: Then Alejo goes to the bay, gets buck naked, and crawls into the tank. “Damn! This is colder than last time. Seriously!”
TUELLER: “It was open to space for a bit, buddy.”
TUELLER: “These things happen.”
STORY: “Space is cold,” Erwin says, then sinks into the water.
MILLICENT: “There wasn’t enough time to add the seat warmer.”
STORY: He pops his head back up. “I just realized those might be my last words and wanted to come back and say something better.”
MILLICENT: “Oh shit me too.”
MILLICENT: “You first.”
STORY: “Well… honestly, now that I’m here I got nothing. Can we go with ‘space is cold’ again?”
STORY: “Space is cold,” he announces formally and then dips under the water.
ALEJO: Alejo dances a bit in the water of the tank before nodding and sinking down slowly. “Space is fucking coooollld.” Alejo finally is in all the way. “Shit.” He puts his head under the water.
STORY: There are little mouthpieces for the humans to get air through, Alejo, so you can pop that in while you float and watch Erwin and wonder which parts of him are representing clothes and why he got to keep his on.
MILLICENT: “I’m going to go with ’The only journey is the one within.”
MILLICENT: “Because I have read a book.”
MILLICENT: Millie grins and ducks under.
TUELLER: Tueller waits until everyone else is underwater, “I love you guys, goddammit.” Then he goes in too.
STORY: “I HEARD THAT,” Figgan shouts over the intercom. It’s the last thing you hear before the water floods your ears.

Continue reading “Chapter 109”

Posted on

Chapter 108

TUELLER: Tueller starts to go after him, but thinks better of it after all his history. Shuts the door, clangs the lock on it.
TUELLER: “Doc, get us our ship back.”
MILLICENT: Millie attempts!
MILLICENT: “I’ll get the ship back you see if you can seal decks around Alejo!”
STORY: Alejo, the next meaningful sealable hatch from the bridge is one that locks down the top deck from the other two. It has to be cranked into place manually.
STORY: And there’s kind of a lot of wind happening, and it’s already getting a liiiiittle thin up here.
TUELLER: “Oh hell.” Tueller reconsiders, opens the door, and leaves the bridge, shutting it behind him.
TUELLER: He hurries off to assist Alejo, significantly behind him.
MILLICENT: “USING THE COMPUTER! USING THE COMPUTER SEALS!”
MILLICENT: “Goddammit.”
MILLICENT: Millie gestures at the empty seat next to her.

Continue reading “Chapter 108”

Posted on

Chapter 107

STORY: The fire flashes in Ryo’s eyes, but starts to dim. He takes a few breaths himself, then mutters to his feet. “Fuck.”
STORY: “Millie, we’ve already lost.”
STORY: He’s calm now, defeated.
STORY: “Why do we have to risk dying just to show them we know it?”
ALEJO: “I’ve thought like that, Ryo, for most of my life. Survival at any cost, as though taking the next breath was the same as living.”
TUELLER: “And I lived in comfort for most of my life, not paying attention to the fact it came on the exploitation and deaths of untold numbers.”
ALEJO: “I’m not saying you’re wrong, certainly about Erwin. But doesn’t he deserve a chance at something better?”

Continue reading “Chapter 107”

Posted on

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.”

Continue reading “Chapter 100”

Posted on

Chapter 99

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.”

Continue reading “Chapter 99”

Posted on

Chapter 98

STORY: Ryo straggles in and asks the nurse at the desk for an ice pack. She finds him one. He sits between Alejo and Tueller on the waiting bench.
STORY: “This is not how I expected my week to go.”
ALEJO: “It’s been something. I agree.” Alejo looks over to Tueller. “Being the boss suits you. I think you might just be ready for it. For real this time.”
STORY: “Jesus, no. Why do people keep offering me that job?”
STORY: “Under no circumstances do I want to run this planet.”
TUELLER: “I think he was talking to me.”
ALEJO: Alejo smiles.
TUELLER: “I have the same instinctive response.”
STORY: “Oh. Good. Yes.”
STORY: “Although it sounds like… I mean, what they’re doing in there? Maybe you don’t need to.”
STORY: “You know, if she’s coming out of there her normal self, you may want to be gone before she does.”
TUELLER: “I’m here for her. Good or bad.”

Continue reading “Chapter 98”

Posted on

Chapter 97

TUELLER: “Well, you have a certain situational cowardice that will serve you well if you survive long enough to take the top spot here.”
STORY: “I have absolutely no interest in that.”
STORY: “And I think you know that. It would be suicide to take that job, especially as someone outside the families.”
TUELLER: “Is there an official order of succession, by the by?”
STORY: You hear a chuckle.
STORY: “You don’t want to know.”
TUELLER: “It’s not me, is it?”
STORY: “She had me update everything six weeks ago, when you got out.”
STORY: “Was going to talk to you about it. But that was during… a more cogent week for her.”
TUELLER: “Oh no.”

Continue reading “Chapter 97”