Transcripts 2001-03

Transcripts from March 2001 strips.
==March 5==
Panel 1Sticks and Tessa are in the storage room where Tessa has kept Tin-Head's body. Tessa is on the floor and looking up at Sticks, who is wearing dark shades and a bright green shirt. The camera view is from over Tessa's shoulder. A large steel door, a two-button panel on the wall, and some boxes on shelves are visible in the background.Tessa: Sticks? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to greet the new arrivals.Sticks: Yeah but I felt awkward being there on my own so I came looking for you.Panel 2The camera rotates around to view Tessa straight on. She is sitting behind Tin-Head's body and looking inside his chest cavity. Sticks squats near her. Tin-Head's head is plugged into a panel in the wall behind Tessa, on the same shelf as Tin-Head's arm.Tessa: Yeah sorry, this little shit still has a distress beacon still active somewhere and I can't find it. God, even when he's turned off he's still a pain in the arse! Did I miss much at arrivals by the way?Panel 3Closer view of Tessa and Sticks as in panel 2, smiling at each other. Some shelves of boxes are in the background that did not appear in panel 2.Sticks: Not much, just more nerdy stiffs except for the pilot! Man she's a bit of alright! Has a nice ass too! She couldn't tell I was a synthetic with the glasses on and chatted me up! I thought they made me look like a tit but I think I'll keep them!Tessa: That's nice! After I've finished Tin-Head and ripped you a new recharge socket, I think I'll go and greet her by breaking her fingers!
==March 12==
Panel 1Exterior view of the E11, surrounded by Maytec ships. Uranus is in the background.Caption: Months pass and the May-tec presence at station E11 steadily increases. The station had never seen such movement since it was decommissioned as a mining-ship dock and fell into government control. Since the folding of the big mining corps, E11 has been deadly quiet and used as a dumping ground for all useless, lazy, flaky and problem offices the space core had to offer. This far out is where they could do the least damage without the hassle of the paperwork of kicking them out the core. May-tec didn't want them around while they did their work, so now the station's guards were given leave (not like they did anything anyway) and were replaced with May-tec security while whatever they were doing went on. The usual crew make use of the R&R time and of the fresh goods brought in on the May-tec ships that wasn't normally available...Panel 2Tessa and Sticks are naked. Tessa is angry, with her arms crossed over her chest, while Sticks is holding up a watermelon with an excited look.Tessa: No Sticks! I'll admit that the cucumber was fun despite my misgivings but I draw the line here!Sticks: Come on! It'll be fun! What if I lube it up a bit huh?Tessa: NO!
==March 16==
Panel 1Scott is asleep at his post (with a "Z" indicating the same) in front of a console with multiple screens and keyboards. A box with a two-button panel is in the background.Caption: Meet Scott Mandaly, the person with the easyest and most boring post in the whole solar system. Core regulations state that all stations have a lookout to spot the movement of enemy ships in the area and warn of possible attack. As E11 is so far out with nothing on it normally, no one wants to attack it. Even if they did other stations would pick the movement up before hand and warn him at E11.Panel 2A screen with a yellow dot at the center, surrounded by smaller green dots at varying distances.Caption: The most excitement Scott normally sees are UFOs... in other words rocks and lots of them. As tracking asteroids isn't that interesting, Scott pads his shift with masturbation and dreaming about girls sitting on his face.Panel 3The green dots from the screen from panel 2 have vanished, leaving a red, slightly elongated dot to the left of the yellow dot.Caption: If Scott were awake he would have seen the most interesting thing in his whole career. All the green blobs of May-Tec ships guarding the station, suddenly disappearing from screen to be replaced by one large, red "UFO" blob... But this was no rock...
==March 19==
Panel 1Close-up of Gates's eye.Gates: You know, I still can't take in the enormity of this machine's power even after all these years. May-Tec's finest ships all disposed of in a fraction of a second...Gates: No explosion, no flash of light, no debris... They just cease to exist! That still fucking scares me even now!Panel 2The captain (Jack Heart?) and another crew member are at their stations, the captain facing the camera at 3/4 profile, the crew member facing away.Off-panel (Gates): Well captain, what are the station's defences like?Captain: Minimal outer defence and only a handful of rent-a-cops and Core clowns on board... This will be so easy it's tragic!Panel 3Front view of a sneering First Advisor Gates, differentiated from "regular" Norman Gates by a black and red robotic-looking right eye and the lack of huge incisors.Gates: Huh... Just like the old man said it would be! Hail them and give them a chance to surrender... with any luck they won't!
==March 26==
Panel 1Adams is scowling at the communicator on his chest.Adams: ...Did you just say what I thought you did?Transmission: Yes sir! All the May-Tech ships have disappeared and there's an anarchist ship... hold on... GOOD GOD!Transmission: It's the 'Inglorious'!!!Panel 2Adams is shouting in anger at his communicator.Adams: The Inglorious! Now I KNOW you're winding me up! Wait let me guess... It's brought back Elvis... or Lord Lucian! Do you HONESTLY expect me to believe that a ship that disappeared 50 years ago is sitting outside my station?!Transmission: Er... Well... Um...Panel 3Close-up of the top of Adams's head as he puts on his uniform hat.Transmission: Well it's just haled us and... er... Whoever it is, is claming to be Norman Gates! I know it's sounds fucking weird sir, but what I do know for a fact is this... All of our ships have GONE and a battleship almost as big as we are, has all it's weapons locked onto us! He asked for you by name and for a May-Tech guy... Dr Cook... Whoever it is, is demanding to talk to you or he'll start firing on the station!Adams: Okay I'll bite! I'll be right up.
==March 30==
Panel 1Adams and Cook are standing in front of a monitor. Adams is scowling, arms crossed. Cook has his hands behind his back and appears meek.Transmission (Gates): Ah, good evening gentlemen! I sincerely hope I haven't pulled you any from anything important, as I know you are both busy men...Panel 2View of the monitor, showing a sneering Gates.Off-panel (Adams): Cut the crap whoever you are! Who the hell are you and what do you want? I must also warn you that this is union space and you presence here is a violation of...Gates: Normally people who interrupt me usually have a life expectancy measured in seconds but I can see why you're confused. That's why I asked the doctor to be here...Panel 3The camera focuses on Cook, panicking with "WHA! WHA! WHA! WHA! WHA!" sounds. Adams looks at him, eyes wide in concern.Off-panel (Gates): Who I am? Look in a history book. What do I want? Well the answer to that is the answer to "why is a 400 year old man talking to you from a ship that went 'missing' 50 years ago". Well I'll let the good doctor answer that one. Just so he doesn't pull that "May-Tec secrecy regulations" shit on you, I'll just say " Philadelphia project" and watch him gape like a goldfish for a while!
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