Strip 260 -- First Seen: 2009-09-11
Escape From Terra is updated with new pages every Monday through Friday.

What Comes Next

The war is over, but This Means War has a ways to go. Novo Paolo/Bubbleopolis is still in a nebula/stellar nursery, no one knows what happened to the planet Sharen (center of the Intergalactic Council), and the status of the now-surrendered Invaders is yet to be resolved. What will they do when they learn their homeworld is basically destroyed? Will Alyss and Li be re-united? How about Diana (the real one) and Otto?

These questions will be resolved in the next few weeks, before This Means War part 3 wraps in late May.

After that, I plan to go BACK in time about 400 years, to when Alyss and Li left their home in the Sol System to colonize a new world on the far side of the galaxy. As one might expect, hijinks ensue. New subtitle yet to be determined, start date sometime in around the start of July. Stay tuned!

A Little House Cleaning

I can't tell you how much I appreciate everyone who backed our Kickstarter project. One small matter remains: a couple of you have yet to provide your shipping address for your rewards. As soon as possible, please either fill out the Kickstarter survey request found on the Kickstarter site, or simply send us an email Orders address and we will ship your reward soon after. If you're wondering why you haven't received a notice about this via email, please check your spam folder.

The Transcript For This Page

Panel 1
Medium close-up of Reggie, looking somewhat incredulous. Leave background vague.

Reggie: So Rogers took all his clothes off, then cycled through the air lock?

Reggie: I hate to be insensitive, but how the hell did he manage that?

Panel 2
Establishing shot: the office of Dr. Carlos Peña, Administrator of SPAM (SETI Polar Array Mars). On one wall is a south-polar-projection map of Mars, on another is a large photo of an antenna-dish array not unlike that famous one we have in New Mexico. Otherwise office is about the size of Reggie's on Ceres, professional-looking, clean. There's a computer terminal with a holo-screen on Peña's desk but it's not on presently. Peña is seated behind her desk, Reggie is seated in one of two chairs in front of it, sipping a beverage. Peña looks a bit sad.

Peña: Apparently, he just held his breath.

Peña: Personnel locks here are very small and cycle in about 30 seconds.

Peña: Our guess is he entered the lock, took a deep breath, closed the inner hatch, cycled the lock and walked out.

Panel 3
Looking over Reggie's shoulder at Peña, who is propping his chin on his hands.
Reggie: How cold are the poles in the Winter?
Peña: In the -85° to -90° Celsius range. In winter, there is no sun for over a Terran year.
Peña: It's cold.


Panel 4
Two shot of Peña and Reggie, on either side of the desk (you can do a silhouette of the scene if you like).

Peña: Sv. King, I appreciate your coming in all the way from Ceres on short notice.

Peña: But let me be blunt, if I may ...

Panel 5
Medium shot of Peña, whose demeanor has become decidedly colder.

Peña: You were brought in on the – insistence, really – of Dr. Nightingale in the School of Psychology at the University of Mars.

Peña: May I ask why they wanted you so much?

Panel 6
Medium shot of Reggie, looking calm.

Reggie: Do you know how the media are treating this incident?

Reggie: They are calling it a 'paranormal' event caused by the 'Ghosts of Mars' and similar twaddle.

Panel 7
Looking over Reggie's shoulder at Peña, who is clearly peeved, waving his arms.

Reggie (OP): You and I both know that mystical irrationalism is an ever-present threat to science and reason.

Peña: Yes, but why you?

Peña: You are not a scientist. What possible qualifications could you bring to the table?