I dunno, did you see the distorted image in the robot's (I just CAN'T keep calling it a Dire-REA!) main...can't call it a windshield...viewport? There's a strong Kasashi-ish reminder to that pilot shape. I may be wrong, but it sure looks Kusari-ish to me.
And now it's getting an "out of position" call from the station.
DID the heavy DFA actually fizzzle, or did...let's just say "The Pilot"...abort the shot at Torg. Will it suddenly work, but miss Torg and do unto the station? Or part there-of? The aiming just a touch off?
I still wonder about some kind of fire-arm (pun intended) mounted under the fist.

I also worry about how many hits until Torg's faceplate cracks. Very quickly fatal. A damaged jetpack doesn't do him a lot of good. I sure hope we don't see the inside of his faceplate suddenly turn green...

I don't know. It would seem better for her to let Torg continue to cause damage to the station and it's engineers. Not stop him, so that she could take a shot herself.

I think Torg shot the Dire-REA first in panel 2 and caused it to malfunction (Han Solo/Greedo reference perhaps????) I think the dire-REA pilot is truly out to destroy Torg on this one as any damage to Torg's suit will cause decompression in Zero Gravity.

Yep, though it looks like he only got one shot off and hit a leg jet.

The Dire-REA pilot is apparently one 'Chachi' Cha, not Kusari

Riff has got to come to the rescue. He's the only one else out there who knows how to fly.

He's on his way! But now the Dire REA is focused on him! Let's hope the malfunctioning jump jets stay that way and prevent it from helping. Hah!

A good time to discover just what defensive capabilities the 'Secret Military' Musky 5 shuttle is packing.

I'm wondering also whether with the disruptions there might be an opportunity for Izzy to mount a cyber counter-strike on the station systems.

More widely (and pure spec) I wonder if it's possible to 'infect' a cyber intelligence such as the Kusari AI with the social engineering equivalent of a virus through the organic components? Maybe induce a specific personality disorder or trigger?

So, did the claw MEAN to pop the XT-34 instead of drawing it into the space station, or was that accidental when they tried to bring it in? That seems to have destroyed the changes of BunBun and Kiki getting pulled onboard. EXCEPT...Kiki's "wheeee" seems to indicate they are moving at a fast speed, so maybe they are being projectile'd somewhere...so maybe they are headed towards the station? That would be cool. Maybe right into a bay door opening or something.

Torg is also still careening around wildly, BUT he is still keeping close to the station, as luck would have it. So maybe he will end up somewhere useful. Maybe facing towards the back of the Dire REA suit, where he can ram it with Chaz? Or maybe ram the Mater-1, or hack at the claw arms as he flies by the O.A.S.I.S. satellite?

And when is Aylee going to wake up in her new form, which looks pretty much like her old form, but now she has the ability to fly out in space and take on the space satellite and save everyone?? Hah.

I think it didn't mean to...I mean, I think the purpose of a claw in general is not to break things, but to grab and bring things in.



Maybe everyone will crash into the bay/hatch doors that are opening to let the Oasis satellite in to be worked on?
I can imagine Torg, Gwynn, Zoe, Kiki, Bunbun all skidding through the opening/or closing doors.
Suddenly everyone in the same place at the same time!
I'm not sure how to save Riff and Oasis from the missiles though...

Except that the XT-34 is at the "bottom" of the space station and the Oasis satellite was at the "top". Check the first panel below.
http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?cha ... 2018-03-13

I thought about the briefly then realized it didn't work out logistically. BUT, hopefully there is an open bay door where the claw is coming from and they can sail into that.

[Fixed quote -Z]

Thanks for clarifying that! I am still getting a bit confused about where everyone is relative to everyone else. But yes, another open bay door would be good enough for me!

Well, if he can figure out how-to, a quick barrel roll would dodge unguided rockets, and keep them right on course. Or even a loop. I realize, it's space, no air to enable aerodynamics, but with a properly programmed computer system, such maneuvers could work. Heck, they worked in Star Wars!
By the way, a rocket is unguided, a missile is guided somehow. Just a note.

I think Zoe pushed off the claw, not the deflated XT-34. It looked like there was a small area of black under her feet, where the ship is white. I think. Look really carefully and you can see it.

Kinda like a young Aniken sailing into the Trade Federation Command ship? That would be totally nifty!

Well, I was partially correct! Zoe and Torg crashing in through some open bay doors!

Okay, Zoe and Torg are now on the space station. Granted, they are in the airlock that Roberts was in, so supposedly that is locked. I am wondering if Torg can use Chaz to open the airlock from his side. I am assuming Chaz is no longer powered, as it has been long enough, but Chaz is still a sharp sword, and Schlock DID say that most of the station is inflatable. So, hopefully there is a way.

It would ALSO be cool if the BunBun/Kiki box ended up in this same airlock. I am not sure if the angle is right for this, though. I am guessing not, but it would be cool. Or maybe it ended up in the open bay doors of the claw itself.

And maybe Gwynn can squeeze out of the squished XT-34 and follow the claw back into the station? Or maybe CappyBo is lost now, and she has access to her powers and can maybe go help Riff and the Musky-5. Hmmmm.

My first thought was that Kusari would open the airlock, but I'm not sure I like that idea. Perhaps Chaz is a better choice.


I'm guessing they'll end up elsewhere (from Torg and Zoe), and I think the open bay doors of the claw is plausible.


Hmmm, I hadn't though about the possibility of Cappy-bo being gone...but Gwynn's powers tend to be story-encompassing. I mean she tends to use them in stories about her using them, and this story has all the gang in big parts, so maybe not? I think your first guess is more likely.