Escape From Terra - by Sandy Sandfort, Scott Bieser and Lee Oaks! - Big Head Press, publishing Thoughtful Stories since 2002

Strip 52

Panel 1
Large panel, a high crane shot of the Hokey Rink and surrounding arena.

The rink is a smooth-carved surface several meters into the ice, with walls that curve up in parabolic arcs from the 'floor' and extending 3 meters high, surrounded by wide terraced platforms on which pressurized conveyances of various types can park on and allow spectator viewing. Surface craft of all manner of shapes and sizes are arrayed across the terrace layers. There are also two large bus-sized surface 'boats' parked at opposite ends of the rink, their airlock doors pointed towards ramps leading down to the playing ice.
Aside from a tall framework with netting arching over the rink, the playing surface is exposed to vacuum. Skaters in pressure-suits are emerging from one of the buses at the ends of the rink, down the ramps and onto the ice. (Can’t really tell from this distance but about 2/5 of them are females.)

Announcer (electronic): … Captain Brad Rodriguez leads the home team for tonight’s game, the Ice Hammers!

Panel 2
Exterior view of the Guzman’s viewing box, a pressurized plexiglass-and-steel, well, box (4mx3mx6m) perched atop a large conveyance that what might be regarded as a land-yacht. The yacht itself is about 8 meters long , five meters wide, and four meters tall. It’s on the centerline and from 10 to 13 meters above the ice in the terraced viewing area. In the foreground we can see two or three players warming up on the ice. The standard-issue hockey player is described in detail in the next strip.

Announcer: … the visiting team, the Rock Hunters …

Ernie: Everyone got everything?

Panel 3
Inside the Guzman box we see Ernie, Guy, Fiorella and Babbette sitting in high-tech cushioned chairs, using four out of eight which are arrayed on a slope (because the lounge atop the yacht is tipping toward the rink at about 40 degrees) affording the rear seats a good view. Also on each chair arm is a small tray on which are perched snacks or sandwiches and drinks. Ernie is looking at a 4-in x 6-in holographic display appearing above his chair arm. The display is full of sports stats.
Fiorella and Babbette are seated in the upper row, Guy and Ernie in the lower row.

Guy (thought bubble): Everything except a clue as to what is supposed to happen here.

Strip 52 - Click on page above to goto the next page. -- First Seen: 2008-11-25
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

Strip 52

Panel 1
Large panel, a high crane shot of the Hokey Rink and surrounding arena.

The rink is a smooth-carved surface several meters into the ice, with walls that curve up in parabolic arcs from the 'floor' and extending 3 meters high, surrounded by wide terraced platforms on which pressurized conveyances of various types can park on and allow spectator viewing. Surface craft of all manner of shapes and sizes are arrayed across the terrace layers. There are also two large bus-sized surface 'boats' parked at opposite ends of the rink, their airlock doors pointed towards ramps leading down to the playing ice.
Aside from a tall framework with netting arching over the rink, the playing surface is exposed to vacuum. Skaters in pressure-suits are emerging from one of the buses at the ends of the rink, down the ramps and onto the ice. (Can’t really tell from this distance but about 2/5 of them are females.)

Announcer (electronic): … Captain Brad Rodriguez leads the home team for tonight’s game, the Ice Hammers!

Panel 2
Exterior view of the Guzman’s viewing box, a pressurized plexiglass-and-steel, well, box (4mx3mx6m) perched atop a large conveyance that what might be regarded as a land-yacht. The yacht itself is about 8 meters long , five meters wide, and four meters tall. It’s on the centerline and from 10 to 13 meters above the ice in the terraced viewing area. In the foreground we can see two or three players warming up on the ice. The standard-issue hockey player is described in detail in the next strip.

Announcer: … the visiting team, the Rock Hunters …

Ernie: Everyone got everything?

Panel 3
Inside the Guzman box we see Ernie, Guy, Fiorella and Babbette sitting in high-tech cushioned chairs, using four out of eight which are arrayed on a slope (because the lounge atop the yacht is tipping toward the rink at about 40 degrees) affording the rear seats a good view. Also on each chair arm is a small tray on which are perched snacks or sandwiches and drinks. Ernie is looking at a 4-in x 6-in holographic display appearing above his chair arm. The display is full of sports stats.
Fiorella and Babbette are seated in the upper row, Guy and Ernie in the lower row.

Guy (thought bubble): Everything except a clue as to what is supposed to happen here.