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Chapter: Chapter 1: Dirtball

  • Talita looks deeper into the gash in the hull. The hole continues to the inner spine of the ship, where it has wounded the electronics. The torus-shaped living room is lying on its "side" and completely trashed, like a house flipped around by a tornado. Hundreds of phones spill outwards into the habitat module from boxes near the outer wall, screens glittering in the headlamp light. Talita: …Phones?

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 8

    Apr 20, 2024

  • Calcery: Goodness. I guess I don’t! Please, resume the reckless self-endangerment. Talita: What is this writing, anyways? Avian? Human? She leans over the rail of the jack stairs to look up at the symbols on the outside of the habitat module. Calcery: Centaur. As was the crew, presumably. No clue what it says. I think only two of your species’ written languages have been fully net documented. Talita stares at the writing. Calcery: Shoot, they’re packing my radio stuff. Catch you later, Talita. Talita: –Yeah! Sure thing. SFX: (radio click)

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 7

    Apr 18, 2024

  • Calcery: Not sure, it was part of a bulk deal from a scrap trawler. I guess the habitat capsule got busted enough that it wasn’t worth refabbing? Talita climbs up the stairs on one of the jack's bracing arms, to where it contacts beneath the puncture wound in the habitat capsule. Talita: Huh. It looks pretty spotless otherwise. She peers into the dark hole, eyeshine flashing. Talita: Probably even sound enough to walk inside. Calcery: Sure, if you want to risk getting trapped or crushed. Talita: Oh, I’m sorry. Do you work here?

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 6

    Apr 16, 2024

  • SFX: (radio click) Talita:  Aaauuugh Cal! I hate being a supervisor! She scrambles away on all sixes. Calcery: My condolences about your promotion. Talita: I hope working on a ship full of bug ferrets drives you nuts. Calcery: Haha! Talita: Then you’ll be stuck back on Dirtball with me again. Calcery: Hey, you could come with! Talita: Very funny. You’d have to saw me in half to fit me in that stupid hamster tube maze. Talita: Also, sorry to bring up work… But why’d we get this fancy little torchship? She approaches a large spacecraft sitting on a a massive sled jack. It's sitting on the rails next to the berm between the launch loop and the junk yard.

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 5

    Apr 13, 2024

  • Talita: Hey! Adam! Don’t walk within 3 meters of the grinder blade! She is yelling at a human worker in an exosuit, who is carrying something near the operating rotary blade arm of a utility vehicle. Adam: I’m not in front of it. Talita: Shrapnel can fly out at any angle! Adam: Isn’t that what the suit is for? Talita: Your suit is for breathing. You don’t want to find out what happens if you blow a hole in it! Adam: Fine. He walks further away.

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 4

    Aug 15, 2023

  • Talita is walking through an area with people working in large utility vehicles. She is a centaur-like hexapod with a long owlish face mostly obscured by a helmet and mantis-jointed arms ending in symmetrical, four digit hands. Calcery: Packing up is such a pain, but. Talita, I swear to god. If I stay here another day I’m gonna flip out and drive a front loader through the admin wing. Talita: Ugh, at least you’d be doing it on purpose. This temp crew is not very experienced with outdoors work. They’ve been– uh— Just a sec, Cal. SFX: (radio click)

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 3

    Aug 15, 2023

  • Opening scene on Dirtball. Overhead is a starry, atmosphere free sky with an enormous launch loop rail stretching off over the horizon as a string of lights. Talita is wearing an exosuit and walking in the spacecraft junkyard, having a radio conversation. Talita: How’s the move going over there, Calcery? Calcery: Shouldn’t you be busy managing my replacements? Talita: What are you, my boss? Calcery: Not anymore! Haha!

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 1 and 2

    Aug 15, 2023

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© Jay Eaton 2024