Transcripts 2001-02

Transcripts from February 2001 strips.
==February 2==
Panel 1Tessa, Tin-Head, and Sticks are in a room with a shiny door and a cabinet? on the wall. Tessa looks downcast, Tin-Head looks indignant, and Sticks looks concerned. Tessa is wearing her uniform hat again.Tin-Head: I can't believe you're going along with this! Who the hell does Adams think he is, ordering me to be shut down!Sticks: Yeah and what about me? What's going on Tessa?Tessa: Sorry guys but it looks like I don't have a say in the matter...Panel 2Close-up of Tessa, eyes closed and turning her head away from the others.Tessa: Anyway it's not Adams that gave the orders. May-Tec are calling the shots and they don't what you two running around while they are on the station. I can see why they want you out of the way though.Off-panel (Sticks): Oh? Why is that?Panel 3Same as panel 1, but Tessa looks up while putting a finger to her lower lip, Tin-Head has his "ears" folded back, and Sticks looks indignant.Tessa: Humm I can't see why an enemy robot in an effigy of an insane military leader and someone that looks like he escaped a Swiss porno film would worry anyone...Sticks: HAY!Tin-Head: Next you'll say the toaster has to go coz it looks like Hitler!
==February 5==
Panel 1Tessa and Tin-Head are staring into the camera, looking gob-smacked. In the background there is a large screen television? and probably a VR headset hanging from a wall hook. Tessa is wearing a light blue sweater.Off-panel (Sticks): Oh hi, I did what you told me and went down to the general stores. I got some funny looks from the people down there though and the quartermaster was rather rude too!Panel 2Tessa is covering her mouth and laughing with a "*snigger*". Tin-Head gestures toward the camera and tilts his head with a questioning look. The background items from panel 1 are missing.Tin-Head: Er, Sticks, you know you were told to go down to the stores and lose the hot pants and leather jacket so people would stop staring at you? Well did you ever consider WHY that was at all?Panel 3Sticks is naked, with a plant blocking the view of his crotch. Tessa is laughing off-panel with a "HA HA HA". Another television? is in the background.Sticks: No, I just did what I was told to do.Tin-Head: Never considered buying new clothes while you were there?Sticks: No. Why?
==February 9==
Panel 1The Wildfire approaches the E11, with Uranus in the background.Caption: Four months later the fast May-Tec 'prep' ship, the 'Wildfire' makes it's final approach on the observation platform 'E11'. The mission of the 12-crew members on board is to prepare the station for the main May-Tec visit in a few months time.Caption: On board E11 the final preparations are being made to welcome the new visitors... Some are going better then others.Panel 2Tessa is lowering her head but looking up at a door.Tessa: Look Tin-Head we've been through this before and left it to the last minute. We have to shut you down before the May-Tec creeps come aboard!Off-panel (Tin-Head): Why can't I just stay locked in here? I'll be out of the way and I can't see or hear anything!Tessa: Because I might want to use my toilet within the next four months that's why!
==February 12==
Panel 1Tessa is in a storage closet and has removed the back of Tin-Head's head, making adjustments to a set of wires. Various boxes, bottles, and cans are visible on shelves in the background.Caption: Some gentle persuading later...Tessa: God this is a mess Tin-Head! Why the hell is it so hard to keep your neural-net powered? I can't even see a way of making a backup copy of it. Why is that?Panel 2The camera rotates to face Tessa and Tin-Head straight on.Tin-Head: It's simple. Factory settings are more then adequate for my old job but having a dynamic, learning neural-net always was a help and made us more efficient. But after a while the true sign of sentience begins to show: Boredom. Machines getting bored with their job is a dangerous thing, so our brains are supposed to be wiped once a month to stop that happening.Panel 3Same as panel 1 but Tessa has her hands down and looks happy, and Tin-Head turns to face her.Tessa: I guess they would start doing weird things like helping an escaped POW get out of the country and then defect to the other side! You know that's the first time you've explained WHY you did that for me Tin-Head!Tin-Head: Well "I was bored with sifting through peoples underwear!" is such a lame reason. But then so is owing your life to a bone-idle floor manager too lazy to wipe my neural-net for months!
==February 16==
Panel 1Tin-Head's POV of Tessa, with a green, staticy filter.GUI: "TIN HEAD"Loader Bot v6.2Status: Under maintenanceBattery: %NAUser: "Tessa"Level: "ADMIN"Tessa: I'm going to cut you off now okay. Look I'm really sorry about having to do this...Tin-Head: Don't worry about it Tessa. I know that you tried your best and that you couldn't do anything about it. Let's just get it over with huh?Panel 2Tin-Head's visual feed cuts to pure static with a "FIZST" sound.Unseen (Tessa): Well... Sweet dreams Tin-Head.Tin-Head: Yeah, yeah... Just you remember to turn me back on okay!Panel 3An anarchist logo appears in Tin-Head's visual feed.Unseen (Tessa): Like I'm going to forget you! See you in four months.Anarchist logo caption: "Helping you - help yourself!"Preparing for safe shutdown...Panel 4Tin-Head's visual feed shows a message, "It's now safe to switch off your brain."Tin-Head: Wow! Now I know what life must have been like for George W. Bush!
==February 19==
Panel 1Tin-Head's visual feed shows a command prompt:<$/root/>cd system<$/root/system/>diagnosticPreparing to run system diagnostic.Please wait...Tin-Head: Oh by the righteous one! I've only been shut down an hour and I'm already bored out of my mind! *sigh* lets see what I've still got that's working...Panel 2Schematic view of Tin-Head, with all parts red except his skull, which is green with red eyes and a small orange section in his brain. White lines flow from various parts of the diagram off to the right.Tin-Head: My that was quick! Tessa must have taken my head off already as the only thing that's responding is my head mount and most of my neural-net. Everything else is timing out. Even my ears have gone and they are only heat sinks! Great my brain could fry because that silly bitch is too stupid to work out I hear with my chest, NOT the ears!Panel 3Schematic close-up of Tin-Head's I/O centre, indicating a red particle with the message, "WARNING! FOREIGN BODY DETECTED!"Tin-Head: Hold on! What the fuck is this!? There's something new in my I/O centre! ... Hay this thing has an interface ... Only one way to find out what it is, is to fire it up I guess!Panel 4Tin-Head's visual feed comes on with a "FIZZ" to a view of static.Tin-Head: HAY! WHAT THE ...Panel 5Unknown canine in a suit is sitting at a desk and speaking into the camera. "ASRA News" appears over the canine's head, and a photo of Saturn appears to his right.Tin-Head: ALRIGHT! An up-link to the station's antenna array! That means ... FREE TV! FOUR MONTHS OF NON-STOP ENTERTAINMENT!!! Tessa must have just installed it! By the One, I LOVE that girl! Hell she'll get lynched if anyone finds out! I'm not meant to use this ANY time let alone with these May-Tec arseholes about, but I could kiss her if I had any lips! Pity there's no way to pick up Anarchy TV this far out on this rig or I would have thought I died and gone to silicone heaven!
==February 23==
Panel 1Tessa is in uniform and walking down a corridor, pressing a button on her chest.Transmission (Eric): Comms room to officer Edwards, Comms room to officer Edwards. Please pick up. I need a word in your ear Tessa.Tessa: Yes Eric, what's the problem?Panel 2The camera rotates to view Tessa face on. A box with a red down arrow pointing to it appears in the background.Transmission (Eric): I've been picking up an Anarchist locator single from the storerooms... It's as if someone took apart an Anarchist robot down there and forgot to disable it's distress beacon...Tessa: Shit! Does anyone know about it yet?Panel 3View of the E11 with Uranus in the background.Unseen (Eric): No, and they won't if you get moving and turn him off before Adams comes by!Unseen (Tessa): Thanks Eric, you're a diamond! Ga, I'll miss the new arrivals though!Panel 4Unknown crew member adjusting something off-panel, wearing an Anarchist logo visor helmet with a reticle in the viewfinder and an Anarchist logo shirt.Off-panel (Eric): Don't mention it. It's only a locator signal and it's not like anyone is listening out there and I'll doubt they'll care if there was...Anarchist computer: Transmission detected...
==February 26==
Panel 1Interior of the Inglorious. The captain (Jack Heart?) is sitting in his chair and looking to the right. Another crew member is standing next to a vent on a platform behind and above the captain. An Anarchist flag is in the lower right.Captain: Has the signal been confirmed as real yet?Unseen (crew): Yes captain, the signal is authentic!Panel 2A stasis capsule containing a silhouetted figure.Off-panel (crew): Captain? May I be so bold to ask if this is the start of the prophecy?Off-panel (captain): I don't know but we must follow the directions given to us... Wake him up!Panel 3Close-up of what appears to be Gates's closed eye.Off-panel (?): I really do hope this is the signal we've been waiting for all this time... 300 years in stasis can REALLY make you cranky...Panel 4Gates's eye opens in an angry glare.
Category:Navigation