Strip 495 -- First Seen: 2010-07-30
Escape From Terra is updated with new pages every Monday through Friday.

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.

Kickstarter successful and closed

The Kickstarter campaign for Not-Safe.Space Chapter 3 concluded successfully on April 21, and Scott extended the time allowed for late pledges until May 19.

Books have been ordered from the printer and Scott will be spending the next week or so setting up and sending the PDF files to those who asked for them.

(There are still six of you who have not responded to the survey asking for e-mail and snail-mail addresses, he'll do the best he can.)

Thanks to all for supporting this Kickstarter!

The Transcript For This Page

Panel 1
The mass driver is on its side once again. Bert (on the left) is removing the hoppers from the Conveyer, Ernie is removing the bracing struts from the bottom-end of the Mass Driver.
 
Bert: You know, something occurs to me about our friends ...
 
Ernie: Yeah?
 
Panel 2
Bert is now standing near Ernie and making gestures in sign language. (He holds one hand cupped by his ear while the other arm does a double-exposure effect, pointing upwards and then at himself.)

Bert (translating his signs): They can still hear our radio transmissions.
Ernie (aloud): Crap.
 
Panel 3
Bert presses one of a half-dozen buttons grouped on the wrist of his space-suit.

Bert: We should be okay if we lower the gain on our transmitters to 50 milliwatts. That cuts the effective range to 250 meters.
Ernie: Gotcha.
 
Panel 4
Ernie glides by Bert, carrying one of the hoppers.
 
Ernie: Now, help me weld these things on the base end of the Mass Driver.
 

Panel 5
Tall panel. The Mass Driver, now inverted, is braced up against the inside crater wall, it's bottom-end pointed up. The four hoppers have been attached to the now-elevated bottom end. See reference sketch 'Rockrocket.gif' for the arrangement. The Brothers stand on the crater rim looking at their work.
 
Bert: This is going to be a walk in the park.
 
Panel 6
Two-shot of the Brothers, Ernie looking dubiously at Bert, Bert looking back at him.
                       
Bert: No, really, Ernie, this isn't rocket science.
 
Ernie: Actually, Bert it is rocket science.
 
Panel 7
Same shot, now the Brothers are both looking at their make-shift rock-rocket.
 
Bert: Oh yeah, I guess it is.
Bert: Anyway, it's not particularly difficult rocket science.