Strip 315 -- First Seen: 2009-11-27
Escape From Terra is updated with new pages every Monday through Friday.

Launch Alert!

Ready for launch! The Kickstarter campaign to print the next volume of Quantum Vibe: Novo Palermo - Part 1 will take flight in just a couple of weeks on Oct 19th, 2026.

Your reward for backing our campaign starts with a personalized signed copy of the perfect bound printed collection of the online strip. You may also choose the ebook edition, a PDF downloadable from DriveThruComics.

And back by popular demand, coasters, magnets and stickers. Click on the art on the left, to go to our pre-launch page where you can check on updates and sign up for notifications on our campaign.

QV on a short break

QUANTUM VIVE is taking a break for a few weeks, as we prepare for Part 2 of the Novo Palermo story, and also for a Kickstarter campaign for Part 1, which will start in September.

In the meantime, Not-Safe.Space will continue, as a murder mystery begins and the relationship between Eithne and Diana develops in unexpected directions.

Not-Safe.Space is a NSFW strip but more than half the pages are SFW so I've set those to *not* require a Patreon membership. Readers should be able to follow the story without seeing the NSFW pages. If I've done this right.

The Transcript For This Page

Panel 1
Still in the cafe but a few days later now. Babbette the Elder (wearing different clothing) is sitting at one of the tables near her cashier stand, puzzling over several scraps of paper and a small electronic tablet (about the size of a Kindle) she's scribbling on with a stylus. Somewhere in the mess is a coffee cup. Caillard is walking up to her. Guy is a little bit more casually dressed than we've seen him before, although he still carries the knife on his hip (no firearm).

Babbette: Lordy, this is getting out of hand.

Guy: Anything I can help with?

Panel 2
Guy sits down at the table across from Babbette.

Babbette: Every decaday it seems I get more and more people escaping from Terra, looking for a loan to get themselves established here.

Babbette: It's getting hard to keep track of who-owes-what even though I have to turn worthy folks away most of the time.

Panel 3
Looking over Babbette's shoulder at Guy.

Guy: Perhaps I can help you, and solve my own problem in the process.

Babbete: Reggie's not over-working you, is he?

Panel 4
Medium shot of Guy. He has his fists doubled together on his chin, propped up on his elbows on the table.

Guy: Quite the contrary, I am bored half way to death.

Guy: Without a tax system to contend with, accounting on Ceres is so simple that even Reggie's various businesses, and the dozen other clients I have, only keep me busy a quarter of the day.

Panel 5
Pull back to show both Guy and Babbette. Emily has come to the table with a coffee pot and a clean cup for Guy.

Guy: And when I am idle too much, I tend to think about ...

Emily: Coffee, Sv. Caillard?

Panel 6
Medium shot of Babbette, we see part of Emily pouring some coffee into her cup.

Babbette: Fill me up too, wouldja honey?

Babbette: So, what d'you propose?

Panel 7
Medium shot of Guy, holding cup as to take a sip, when he's done speaking.

Guy: That we formalize your lending and pool our resources to form a finance company.

Guy: You approve the loans, I keep track of the accounts, and of course the books are open to you at any time.

Panel 8
Two-shot of Babbette and Guy. Guy is blushing a bit.

Babbette: Y'know, this could work. Draw us up a draft contract an' we'll hash it out.

Babbette: And don't worry about Fiorella. When she's done with her adventuring she'll come back to you. I know these things.