Strip 275 -- First Seen: 2009-10-02
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
Exterior shot, the Transport trundling across the dark Martian Polar surface enroute to the Array. The surface is black except where the Transport's lights illuminate a small area around itself and a larger, brighter ovoid area in front. We can make out that it is following a rough trail blazed by the hundreds of Transport trips that have come before. The illuminated surface is icy and cracked. Above the horizon, a starry sky.

Reggie (inside Transport): Is it much farther?

Irina: No. About 3 centimes.

Panel 2
Inside the Transport, Irina is driving while Reggie rides shotgun. He's trying to be light and jolly but she's completely deadpan.

Reggie: That Dr. Peña, what a guy. It took some doing to talk him into letting me stay at the Array for a decaday shift.

Panel 3
Irina speaks, but she's still deadly serious. Reggie is a bit surprised by what she says.
Irina continues driving in silence.

Irina: You did not mention the music.
Reggie: No, of course not! A promise is a promise.

Panel 4
Reggie sits there wondering how to get through Irina's shell.

Reggie: You know, Irina, a smile will not break your face.

Reggie: Let's see if a little joke will get at least a teensy smile.

Irina: Clean, please.


Panel 5
Show exterior of the Transport, perhaps from ¾ rear view for variety.

Reggie: Yes, of course.

Reggie: A man comes into a restaurant and sits down and says, 'Waiter! Get me a cup of coffee without the cream ...'

Panel 6
Inside the transport again. Now Irina bursts out laughing, taking Reggie by surprise.

Irina: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Irina: You stole joke from 'Ninotchka!'
Irina: Is my favorite movie of all time. Garbo laughs!

Panel 7
Same shot. Irina is still smiling.

Reggie: Okay, uh, your turn. Got any good jokes?
Irina: I am afraid I stink at jokes.

Panel 8
Exterior of the Transport, following its headlights, trundling away towards the black polar horizon.

Irina: I like economics. We can discuss maybe dialectical materialism and the labor theory of value?

Reggie: Uh, sure.

Reggie (thought): Oh well, better than silence.