Strip 525 -- First Seen: 2010-09-10
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
Really an inset to Panel 2, which is a large flashback panel
 
Reggie: Man, did that Merry Petzger ever excoriate me.
 
Panel 2
Flashback panel: At the King's Court, Merry Petzger is yelling at Reggie. Merry is about average height for a woman, trim and fit but not voluptuous – a bit small-breated, dark wavy hair, round face with a small, receeding chin. Not unattractive but not a beauty queen either. Let's put them just outside the door to Reggie's office, with the 'Make A Joyful Noise' wording over the doorway.

Caption (Reggie): The next day she showed up at King's Court and read me the riot act.
Merry: You don't know how to run an anarchy!

Panel 3
Back to the present, the round corner booth at Callahan's: Reggie continues speaking.

Reggie: She's a big fan of Xeer, the 'customary law' of Somalia. To the exclusion of all else.
Reggie: Most arbitrators – myself included – use aspects of Xeer, plus appropriate elements from other systems. Whatever works.
 
Panel 4
Looking past Callahan at Bert.
 
Callahan: So what about these rats?
Bert: Neither Ernie nor I were willing to just cut these guys loose.


 Panel 5
Show both Ernie and Bert in this shot, plus one or two others.
 
Bert: The next time they get frisky they might end up with somebody dead.
Ernie: Besides, the low-lives owe Reggie for the destroyed mining equipment and the trash job they did on Little Toot.
Panel 6
Medium shot of the brothers. Ernie is making a 'quotes' gesture with one hand, with his other hand on his drink.
                       
Bert: At Petzger's urging, we've contracted with a disinterested arbitrator – Pablo Rosenberg – to hear the case and render a judgment.
Ernie: And, coincidentally, Rosenberg has asked Merry to represent these, uh, putative pirates.
 
Panel 7
Medium shot of Callahan, about to take a sip of his own drink as he speaks.   
Callahan: Asking her to put her convictions where her mouth is.
Callahan: This should be interesting.