Strip 660 -- First Seen: 2011-03-18
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
Ed and Chang sitting at an outdoor cafe table.
Caption: With the Christmas truce extended, Ed and Chang continued their dialog.
Ed: So Chang, what are your orders?
Chang: Ed, I'm not at liberty to ...
Panel 2
Looking over Chang's shoulder at Ed.
Ed: You're at liberty to do whatever you choose to do.
Ed: Okay, you have secret orders and you feel duty bound to keep them secret, right?
Panel 3
Looking over Ed's shoulder at Chang. Chang is looking uncomfortable.
Ed: Only, I bet you were lied to about what you would find here and the true purpose of your mission. Am I right?
Chang: Ed, I have my duty to the UW.
Panel 4
Medium close-up of Ed – leave room for his extra dialog.
Ed: But doesn't the UW have a duty to you?
Ed: You are an officer. You could have declined the assignment, asked for another or tendered your resignation. But you were told a lie that took those options off the table.
Panel 5
High angle shot of the two men at the table, placed so that we can clearly see the look of uncertainty on Chang's face.
Ed: Would you have accepted this assignment if you had known the truth?
Chang: I really don't know. I have always followed the orders I was given.
Chang: Now I'm a bit … confused.


Panel 6
Looking past Chang at Ed.
Ed: Can you tell me what you were told you would find when you got here?
Chang: I guess so, and I'd like to hear your confirmation or denial.

Panel 7
Looking past Ed at Chang.
Chang: I was told that UW citizens visiting Ceres have been harassed, accosted, robbed and maybe worse.
Chang: I am sworn to protect UW citizens.

Panel 8
Two-shot of Chang and Ed, both of them sharing an ironic smile.
Ed: I thought the UW believes we are UW citizens. How are you protecting us?
Chang: You guys seem pretty well prepared to protect yourselves.