Strip 595 -- First Seen: 2010-12-17
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
At the bar, Larry applies a special bandage to Suki's forehead cut. Show one or two of the other players at the table, including Ed, looking on in sympathy.
Larry: This airskin bandage will stop the bleeding.
Suki: I have a bit of a headache. I think I'll go home.

Panel 2
Medium shot of Larry holding a T-comm up to his ear. Leave room for caption boxes.
Caption: A few centimes later, Mike called Suki's com to see how she was doing. No answer.
Caption: He considered the possibility of foul play, but also realized that Suki probably just shut off her comm so she could get some uninterrupted sleep.

Panel 3
In the medium background, Suki enters the bar again, in a very feminine silken dress (a different one from before). She is wearing a traditional Thai hat, covering the residual scar on her forehead. In the foreground right, Larry is at the bar cleaning a glass in that traditional bartender manner.
Caption: Three nights later ...
Larry: Nice hat.

Panel 4
Suki sidles up to the bar, Larry pours her a drink. Suki smiles a crooked, wry smile.
Suiki: I had a choice between this hat or a royal Chada headdress.
Suki: To wear that, though, I'd have to be a Thai queen.

Panel 5
Suki's smile disappears as Larry off-handedly asks her a pertinent question.
Larry: I guess you haven't seen that guy you caught cheating, have you?
Suki: No, of course not. Why do you ask?

Panel 6
Larry relates a quick story – need room for lots of dialog.
Larry: No reason, just that nobody's seen him since I gave him the bum's rush.
Larry: Except Fred, the guy at the Crillon did see him. He said our cheat came in with a bloody nose, cursing a blue streak. After 3-400 beats he came back down from his room with a small piece of luggage.
Larry: Nobody's seen hide nor hair of him since.

Panel 7
Two-shot of Suki and Larry, Suki takes a sip of her drink. Larry resumes his glass-cleaning routine.
Suki : Maybe he beat it out of town.
Larry: Maybe, but no passenger or cargo vessels have left in five days.
Larry: Hard to believe he's still on Ceres – this place is too damned small for nobody to have caught sight of him.

Panel 8
Suki looks darkly at Larry. Larry is turned away from her (facing towards the camera) but has a very uncomfortable look on his face as it occurs to him what Morris' fate really was.
Suki: Maybe his karma caught up with him.
Larry (thought): Well, none of my business.