Finally someone's angry about all this, even though it really ought to be Talita.
Transcript
Talita, Idrisah, and Gillie are in the yard space behind Talita's house. Gillie is sitting on a work table next to Talita's tablet, which has Bip's avatar on the screen, and is positioned on a motorized rotating platform with a webcam on a stick. Talita, glum and exhausted, is working on attaching a more articulated hand to one of the front loaders, mane feathers still damp from a shower with a towel around her neck. Idrisah stands behind her near Gillie and gesticulates angrily.
Idrisah: Mel wouldn't even transfer him!?
Talita: No, they only want to talk to him.
Idrisah: But he assaulted you!!
Talita: I mean, he didn't actually hurt me…
Idrisah: That's not an excuse! He needs to be removed from your team, NOW!
Talita: He'll be gone in a week, it's not worth the trouble for Mel to move him.
130 thoughts on “Runaway to the Stars: Page 233”
everentropy
“Well he didn’t hurt me”. But he *could* have and clearly didn’t care!
Vinemaple
Well, that awkward conversation in Mel’s office didn’t last nearly as many pages as I thought it would… Excellent timeskip, Jay! That’s a narrative skill I really need to learn, I get bogged down so often in my writing, by trying to write out scenes that neither advance the plot nor give anyone, including myself, any joy.
buam
Jay, you are such a skilled writer. Love how grounded and realistic the situation and characters are even though it’s a sci-fi setting. The use of sci-fi elements to reinforce and play with the story’s core themes (eg Talita being an alien who doesn’t physically fit in human buildings) is so so good & exactly the kind of thing I look for in speculative fiction. (The art and paneling is chefs kiss too, just wanted to take a moment to appreciate the writing.)
buam
Idrisah MVP
Both of them are so relatable. I’ve always been ride or die for my friends, but it took a while to learn how to stand up for myself, both personally and job wise. The best part of being mid career is I can just say “I’m not going to do that, and if you try to make me, I quit.” (Which I never have to say because I have a functional workplace & an excellent manager, but it’s nice to have the option.)
john
Handing out assignments at the start of the next shift:
“Yao, I’ve lined up a few hours of tutoring for you, from an offsite AI, on centaur emergency medicine and basic etiquette. When Mel introduces the next group of temps, pretend to be surprised. Adam, touching a coworker without permission under non-emergency conditions is against company policy. You’ve been warned repeatedly, so you’re fired. Pack your stuff. Clayton, make sure he reaches orbit with no funny business, then do whatever you can to assist Yao – without hurting your back worse, of course. Phoebe, Dominic, you’re with me. Some odd heat readings from the old refinery, we’re going to be checking whether anything important leaked or short-circuited. Questions?”
Adam raises his hand. “I have…”
“Alright, looks like everyone relevant understands what they need to do, so let’s get going!”
evileeyore
Oh no… Bip is just quietly taking it all in… Bip is going to do something about it ain’t they? Bip is going to do something and Adam is just going to be MIA…
Lezzlebit
I’m not saying that Bip should mess with Adam in a mischievously spooky and poltergeist-like way that makes him think he’s being haunted that he can’t tell anyone about without seeming crazy. But I’m also not saying that Bip SHOULDN’T do that…
JoB
Nah. If the vacuum suits are as much made to measure as ours are, all it takes to get Adam out of Talitas hair (feathers?), for two or three days at least, is for one of the RC frontloaders to amble from the airlock to the locker area and add a bit of wear+tear – emphasis on the latter – to his workwear. Comes with the added benefit of a very bored Adam getting ample opportunity to show his colors to everyone in the habitat.
And then‘s the time to have his Spaceflix account mysteriously suspended and the heating/ventilation/whatever in his flat go on the fritz. (Or maybe make the machinery on the construction site extra noisy or supply-line-damage-y that day. After all, the temps are housed in the same block as the Touati-Sharpes, and thus right next to the remodeling.)
Krasudreal
You know, I wonder if Bip would use Adam’s reckless behavior to get him an workplace injury.
This would be a bit of a satisfying conclusion to this matter, if perhaps not the most virtuous of outcomes.
LizardWizard
you mean Cargo serial number AD3M61674340? probably trying to figure out why he has a serial number instead of a name and his reisdency is registered as waste storage
Lettuce Vervain
oh man just look at the eyebags and the ruffled bedhead feathers…. jeeze
buam
I love the balance Jay has struck where Talita is distinctly alien but we can still pick up on the subtle body language details. A simple glance at this page is enough for all of us to know Talita is NOT okay. Incredible skill and design.
holly...!
i know you already said it in the description, but damn it’s refreshing to see someone in-universe treating the situation with the anger it warrants
cypr
THAT’S MY GIRL IDRISAH
Arcstone
Dat lathe tho
Effy Dubs
I know, right? Haven’t touched one in literal decades, but still interested in the set-up behind the Idrisah of righteousness.
3-jaw chuck instead of something more precise is interesting but makes sense the more I think on it. Possibly because of Talita’s poor close-up range vision making the dial adjustments a pain, when a 3 jaw is good enough for most one-off projects? Also looks like it’s set up for carbide insert tools instead of brazed or HSS, and the tail-end chuck is at the end of the tool-bed. The lathe likely sees a decent amount of use repairing or manufacturing fiddly shafts, bushings, etc. that would wear out at inconvenient times between shipments of parts. Given it looks like regular proportions compared to Idrisah, it looks to come up to Talita’s ribcage. She’s probably got to lay down to bring things to a more comfy work space, which would be gross with coolant, cutting oil and chips. At least she’s got a long armspan that means she can lean to adjust the tailend stock without having to stand up.
Little details like that in the background are always a joy, despite the horrors of dealing with violence in the workplace being the (rightful) focus of the scene.
Arcstone
Wow, that was way more of a technical response than I thought I would get. 😄
I was really just making a comment on how detailed jays backgrounds are, but that you can infer all this from it speaks volumes to that.
I just remember puttering with them in high school in the one year I did in mechanics before I decided it wasn’t really for me. I might be remembering it wrong, but I believe my class was supposed to be the very last ones to make use of manual ones like this or something?
Just another thing I’m slightly surprised is then still used in the far future. Thing must be a museum piece.
Effy Dubs
I used to work in a metal shop for around a year before I realized that I liked machining, but not machining for pay. Turns out it’s a lot easier to like a trade before you have to meet deadlines, production quotas, bad management, etc. The fun stuff you learn in your early adulthood, lol.
We were still using them even in the large shops I visited back then for multiple reasons. Just off the top of the head:
1. If it’s a simple one-off part (replacement crankshaft for farmer Jo’s swather) , no sense in taking the time to write to write up code for a CNC program, take down the jigs you already have set up for a ~2,200 part run, make it, and set everything back up again when you have some manual lathes and mills standing by. Good work for training apprentices too.
2. One-off complicated ones can be machined on there for similar reason about not taking production lines off of production. Lots of fiddly little operations, adjustments, weird materials like thermo-plastics could make more sense to work on something less high power to work it. Proof of concept work, stuff that your senior machinists would be trusted with before writing the codes to make sure it’s feasible too.
3. The part is just too dang big for what you have for CNC machinery. I used a radial arm drilling machine to drill and partially tap 30ish 1-1/8″ holes in a 4′ rotor arm before. It weighed like 800lbs prior to removing material, and that was the only machine in the shop with a toolbed heavy enough to accommodate it without excess vibration or wear on the motors. It was able to do the work without moving it too much thanks to the radial arm and the shop crane when I was swinging it into place. It can be just that simple sometimes. There was also an old horizontal milling machine that could travel like 6′ of verticality too. Didn’t always need that much reach, but if we did, we had it.
Those are all reasons for a medium-industrial facility in the early 2010s, let alone ones you can think of for a small repair shop on literally-a-rock-in-the-middle-of-nowhere Dirtball. Even if you go “Well, they could ask Calcery to do that for you,” it’s kind of a waste of uptime for your AI employee to be futzing with simple repair tasks that a reasonably competent machinist can do at a reduced cost instead of running the RC units that make you the bulk of your revenue. At least, what WAS the bulk of your revenue before somebody lost the big aluminum contract.
Vinemaple
Saw Jay drawing this on Twitch, I think they will be quite pleased at your reaction…
anon
Good ol Idrisah, always getting fired up on behalf of her friends. I wish we could hang
Gar G
Gosh why do I keep relating so hard to Talita 😭
(probably doesn’t help that I have autism and anxiety and work can be a pain sometime because of it…
Oh gosh, not to vent but I remember one time one of my supervisors insisted to me that any mental problems or physical limitations I had were all in my head because “I’m a man” and “all men are soldiers”, constantly repeating that and even trying to get me to admit it…)
Felgraf
“Oh it’s all in your head” yeah that’s where I exist, that’s kind of how all this fuckin works!
Sorry you’ve had to deal with shit like this.
Gar G
Yeah that’s always a worry of mine, that would dismiss any problems I had as being that
And thanks
Harumin
I love the way the narrative compares Mel’s ability and willingness to put in all of the effort and planning to bring in other centaurs, something Talita has not asked for and does not want, but can’t be bothered to remove a dangerous employee when Talita brings it up. It really highlights the way that Mel has such a self centered view of good intentions
Claire
And then when it turns out those prescriptive “good intentions” in fact are not desired and are not met with the exact level of fanfare they expect (it’ll be far below but even a smidgen shy will do this) they’ll pikachu face
It’s… weirdly cathartic to see this shown in media. Makes me feel less alone, even as I work with a boss like that.
tam
First time commenting, but had to say two things: First off, WOW, the detail on Talita’s feathers and the towel on the second panel, just. Chef’s kiss.
Second, the contrast between Talita having said that she has trouble seeing her body as anything but a problem, but here we see her attaching a part that she clearly designed herself that’s inspired by her own hand, as a solution to a problem Bip was having… That is such a touching detail. I hope she’s starting to see herself as something more!
The Opossum Witch
oh my god i never made that connection about the attachment, she even mentioned it a few pages ago
The Opossum Witch
just saw jay’s post about this, and i know it wasn’t the intent but it feels like going form something visually very similar but clunky to mostly similar and articulate is like a symbol of Talita realizing her worth or something
Vinemaple
I always stop what I’m doing to watch Jay draw Talita’s feathers on stream
guest
i am so happy to see this page because of course it helps justify everyone’s outrage but also one of my biggest worries was that Talita may not wanna talk about the situation anymore and not tell her friends at all. i didn’t doubt Idrisah would be furious but i was really wondering if Talita would even tell her, or just hide it to not “make a big deal out of it” because of the Everything else that happened so far, so hey, im happy she told someone she can trust!
WayanayaW
Oh same!
Fallingfeather
Idrisah representing the entire comments section lol.
Also, I love the detail of Talita’s feathers’ being wet! The post shower scraggliness…
JoB
“He needs to be removed from your team, NOW!”
“It’s not worth the trouble for Mel to move him.”
Talita, Idrisah’s talking about where he needs to be moved from, not any place to move him to (except the brig or somesuch) to prove himself worthwhile (in some sense of the word I cannot think of offhand). 😐
eden
yes but what about the quotas? also side note I absolutely know talita is not getting paid to fix that machine, she should not be having to do that off the clock but we know ohwitiil will freak out at cheevwut even though the work needs to be done. that centuar clan probably isn’t even going to get paid the same rate too. that whole place just screams dying corporation eating itself and when talitaa leaves everything will breakdown at once I guarentee
Proxy
If it’s of any comfort regarding the point that she’s not getting paid to fix that machine, I believe she’s making modifications to Bip’s frontloader, it’s not a work project!
eden
ooooooh yes it does thank you! crime time lol
JoB
> what about the quotas?
… I’d dare to guess that one shift of Talita able to focus on work helps more in meeting the quotas than one shift of Adam while Talita’s forced to watch him …
Enai
I agree. When Adam isn’t working, productivity probably goes *up*. Clayton, on the other hand, probably is very much missed.
Nikki
Idrisah <3😭
$ilverware
let’s ruin Adam’s life, Bip. I know you can do it, with your AI powers
Also, Idrisah for the win!
ryn
big fan of black dot eyes bip on this page
forthebit
I love Bip’s custom rotating tablet-stand-with-webcam, that lets them see their surroundings at will. I assume Talita built it? It’s so thoughtful!
noodle
one time while i was getting off the bus from school someone twisted my finger really hard as i walked past. idk what her beef was with me but probably autistiphobia. when my parents talked to the school about it, her assigned seat was moved further back on the bus so i would not walk past her.
in hindsight, this was a very.. minimal, low effort response, to Move the problem instead of solving it.
its funny (read: infuriating) that Mel won’t even do that much.
eden
yeah! I also saw at least three different comments that described some really good alternatives to dealing with adam that weren’t just let him do whatever he wants. i feel like people who are saying they’d do the same thing as mel really don’t understand that or are too used to working in such a toxic workplace. the whole point of mels choices is that it’s just another example of dirt balls terrible management, like cheevwut constantly fighting with ohwitiil and having to scramble to fix their ruining of the aluminum deal. and I absolutely get it’s hard to be angry at a person who’s so outwardly nice because we as a society are taught to value intentions and not results, but being nice does not mean you’re doing your best.
buam
You’re absolutely right, but I think the problem is compounded by people not understanding that management is a skill, just like any other. Mel would probably make a decent individual contributor, but they lack management skills and aren’t trying to improve. (Partly because they have the worst possible personality for management; simultaneously too passive to act and too much of a bulldozer to listen to people.)
For contrast – Talita needs management training and doesn’t enjoy being a supervisor, but she’s aware of her short comings and has potential. Especially since most of her short comings stem from lack of external support…
Vinemaple
Stars, I feel so stupid now, for not seeing Cheevwut and Ohwitiil’s bickering as a serious problem. It really shouldn’t be happening, either. I guess because it’s so funny and I like Cheev’s whole deal, I never thought too hard about the implications.
FuzzySpiderPawz
Ah the good old having your problems be consistently downplayed and not taken seriously whenever you get the courage bring them up and internalizing it and thinking “maybe they’re right and I’m just being overdramatic” despite the fact that what someone did actually hurt you either physically or otherwise, I’m far too familiar with this line of thinking.
FuzzySpiderPawz
I think what’s worse is people like this find joy in hurting their peers. You could see the proud smirk on Adam’s face after he did it, and people like Mel would rather let this kind of dangerous behavior continue and worsen than inconvenience themselves by actually doing something to fix it and keep Talita safe.
eden
yeah I would not want to work at a place that considered this the best way to treat the situation. or with anyone who did for that matter
Daredevild
Ooh, is Talita working on the more dexterous front loader attachments for Bip’s repairs right now? They look kind of like her own hands!
Synthaphone
Ohh good catch, I hadn’t put that together until now!! That would make a lot of sense
Stray Cat
Every Talita in this world needs a friend like Isidrah.
Stray Cat
Since the first page of the Mel confrontation, I had the epiphany that for all we know, Adam might already have black marks on his record. On one hand, that would mean that Adam is someone who either doesn’t learn, or takes the wrong lessons, from things.
On the other, that would help build a case for making sure he faces consequences for what he did on Dirtball.
Enai
If, oh if! Mel would bestir themself to (checks notes) write a short remark in his personnel file and bar him from entering the workspace.
Something tells me that doing so might dramatically boost the productivity of the team, too. Running off trying to jump onto unsafe railings and not chucking space debris at coworkers surely must have a negative effect on output, no?
TeacupAngel
I thought the same. There’s a good chance that Adam is working for Ixion *because* he has black marks on his record that disqualify him from elsewhere. I mean, it’s dangerous manual work with low qualifications, on a fixed-time contract , in the middle of nowhere, likely with mediocre pay at best. That’s the kind of gig that will get you the kids looking for some starting worker experience and the outcasts who other workplaces pass over. Ixion might be desperate to find workers at all, so if they didn’t maim anyone in an accident, hey they’ll take them.
xLatias
Poor Talita… she looks so tired ):
malmo
I’m wondering if Talita designed and built this arm attachment herself. Those fingers look so much like hers.
Ellindsey
I keep thinking that the hand should have four fingers, but maybe she wanted Bip to be able to give a proper middle finger with them.
Ellindsey
I am confident in Adam’s ability to make the situation even worse in the week remaining.
Artor
Oh yes. I expect he’s going to pull some stunt that will jeapordize everything the gang has been working on, and probably force their timetable precipitously.
buam
When I was early career I was supervised by an Adam and when I was mid career I supervised an Adam… can confirm a LOT can happen in a week.
EnchantressEmily
I like the detail of Talita’s gloves hanging up to dry in the background.
Sabella
Idrisah’s saying what we’re all thinking, but Gillie’s awfully quiet and clearly plotting… What are you cooking up over there you absolute gremlin.
Vinemaple
Thank you, I have been wondering that since Jay streamed this!
40
Talita I did not know you could sit like that 😭😭😭
cain
omg her back legs are like a cat loaf, I didn’t even notice
Bea
Talita looks so exhausted in that last panel ToT
(Also is Bip doing text-to-speech for Gillie? If they are that’s so sweet <3)
40
IDRISAH MY GOAT
Scolopendra
Yes. She speaks for the angels here. Adam should be taken off space duty entirely ASAP since people with no respect for anything outside themselves are people who eventually cause decompression events.
Ruby
Sending all the crickets from human agriculture to Adam’s bed.
And a handful to Mel’s as well.
ttt
put regolith in their recreational electronics 🙏