Sunday February 9, 2014
Book 14: Broken Wind — Part III: Exhalation and Exit Strategies

Transcript

NARRATOR: Xeno Team...

LEGS: I think the swarm is trying to say "please don't shoot at us."

EBBY: I think there's more to it than that.  I think they want a visible gesture of peaceable intent.

Sergeant, put your plasgun back into Dropsy.

SCHLOCK: Did they teach you giant insect sign language in xenobiology school?

EBBY: No, but I'm the one who packed you that spare in the first place.

SCHLOCK: Fine, but I don't like this conversation anymore.

LEGS: The swarm is on the move.  It looks like they're headed this way.

EBBY: We made a gesture of trust, and now they're advancing.  I think this is progress.

LEGS: Uh-oh.

Something just painted us.

EBBY: The swarm?

LEGS: No.  High energy, decimeter-band sweeps.  I'm going active.

Six missiles.  Ship-killers.  Heavily shielded, and coming in hot.

By the time they're in range of our weapons we'll have less than a second to engage.

LEGS: That's going to happen in... seventy-two seconds.

MURTAUGH: Countermeasures!  Come on!  What have we got?

EBBY: *off-panel* Chaff rounds, three flare clusters...

SCHLOCK: ...one swarm of friendly bugs...