Sunday April 27, 2003
Book 3: Under New Management — Part I: The REALLY Clever Monkeys
Original Art

Transcript

Narrator: Operation Dark Chocolate (A.K.A. Operation kill our enemies and take back our library) is about to be launched. . .
Tagon: We're agreed, then. Half down, half on completion.
Sign: (Pe)nny arcade
(?authori)zed biography
(Slu)ggy freelance
(Compe)ndium Vol III
(S)chlock mercenary
The first 10 years - Tayler
(C)lassical human lit.
Enireth SWAT Command: Agreed. Let's do this thing.
Tagon: So. . . I need that half down, like, now.
Enireth SWAT Command: Oh! Sorry.
Narrator: One half down later. . .
Tagon: Pull your troops back. This could get messy.
Tagon: Anti-teraport systems are offline! We are 'go' in ten seconds. . . Mark!
Narrator: The teraport is a mode of travel whose endpoints can be assaulted, but whose path is effectively impregnable.
Tagon: Nine. . . Eight. . .
Narrator: Anything you teraport gets ripped apart, shoved through nanoscopic wormholes, and reassembled at the destination.
Tagon: Seven. . . Six. . .
Narrator: This is not something you should think about if you want to enjoy the trip.
Narrator: Teraport as a combat tactic is complex. It grows even more complex when you are feigning combat and robbing your employer at the same time.
Tagon: Five. . . Four. . .
Narrator: By the time Tagon says 'five' his ship has moved light-years outside the system.
Tagon: Three. . .
Narrator: By 'three' Sergeant Schlock's team has been 'ported out to the ship and is safe.
Narrator: In fact, the operation is complete before the countdown finishes.
Tagon: Two. . .
Enireth SWAT: You know that mercenary captain you hired? I think he just disintegrated.
Narrator: The complex part was making sure they got paid half in advance.