She lies down on her pillow, grimacing as the shiver begins to chatter her teeth again. Talita: Ugh… I’m not snapping because I’m angry, I… Bip: I know you aren't angry. You sound miserable. This mic doesn’t pick up infrasound but I can hear it vibrating the desk. Talita: I wish I’d just cry instead. Bip: Frankly, I think eye lube leakage is a far weirder stress response. Talita's jaw pries itself open again, and her voice becomes shaky. Talita: Whatever… It doesn't matter which I do, I'm still a pathetic freak…  Her teeth snap together again with a loud CLACK and another infrasonic groan sends a vibration through the dresser. Bip's avatar looks upset, unsure of how to respond to her self-loathing spiral. Bip: Talita, you are… THE most profoundly xenosocialized person I’ve ever met. I think it's a testament to your fortitude that you're as well adjusted as you are.

The comic panel borders fall away, and Talita, jaw still trembling, props her head up against a starry sky. Behind her in the void, the ring of forty servers that contain the physical person she's speaking to floats, connected to the body of the Runaway by thin strings of white, a metallic electric nervous system of wires and circuits. Talita: …Bip, can I ask a weird question? The servers speak to her through her tablet computer, encoded invisible waves of telecommunication transforming a digital process into the vibration of a synthesized voice and rows of pixels into a live-rendered vector puppet animation. Bip: Sure. Talita: Sapient A.I. like you are all descended from one "faulty" quantum computer coded by bug ferrets, split into thousands of unique copies. They say the reason you cooperate so often with organic people is because just like the sophonts who made you, you have an intense need for social connection. She turns, no longer shivering, to the tablet on the dresser of her cluttered bedroom in the dry storage unit. Talita: Is that true? Do you ever find yourself acting like a bug ferret? Bip: Hard to say, I’ve never been a bug ferret. But as far back as my personal memory storage goes... I’ve always hated being alone.

Bip's avatar perches thoughtfully on the edge of her tablet as if it were a physical ledge. Bip: I copied myself into those phones as a self preservation impulse. But before you recovered them… offline, in a broken ship with a crew I couldn't save… I felt like I didn't have anything left to preserve. Talita lies on her bed, looking at the tablet on her dresser. She responds softly. Talita: I'm glad I found you. You're worth preserving. Bip: That's kind of you to say, Talita. She turns her face into her pillow, thinking. Talita: Bip... will you be looking for a new crew after this? Bip: You'd be welcome onboard. Talita: I'll think about it... On the wall above her bed, behind her posters of rockets and planes and space stations, stars seem to twinkle.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Talita cries like a centaur and asks Bip a strange question. Chapter 9 over.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Check out the Kickstarter! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/runaw...

Profile art of the centaur species from comic series “runaway to the stars”

I had a ton of fun drawing Talita so I’m working on a centaur oc!

#wip #art #centaur #rtts #runawaytothestars #oc

Talita, a centaur from comic series “Runaway to the stars” as fullbody and bust sketches

I drew Talita for annual draw a centaur day!!
#runawaytothestars #centaur #drawacentaurday #fanart

youtube.com/shorts/0OV-V... #rtts #runawaytothestars #comic #comicdub didnt need to make this half as long lol

RUNAWAY TO THE STARS: Jay Eaton’s Sci-Fi Odyssey Hits Kickstarter Comic Book Addicts RUNAWAY TO THE STARS: Jay Eaton’s Sci-Fi Odyssey Hits Kickstarter Space Pirates and Sentient Tech: Why RUNAWAY TO THE STARS is the Must-Support Kickstarter of 2026 By Patrick Cornish RUNAWAY TO THE STARS is officially launching its crowdfunding odyssey this spring, offering a shady yet heartfelt portal into a universe … RUNAWAY TO THE STARS: Jay Eaton’s Sci-Fi Odyssey Hits Kickstarter Comic Books

RUNAWAY TO THE STARS: Jay Eaton’s Sci-Fi Odyssey Hits Kickstarter #RunawayToTheStars #SciFi #Kickstarter #ComicBooks #SpacePirates

#myart #art #rtts #runawaytothestars bluh blegghhh

Noooo! My pledge for #RunawayToTheStars early bird didn't go through, now I'll be stuck with the horrible shipping prices to LatAm.

(there was discounted shipping for early bird pledges)

Verengt: Then do not show me your TEETH. Verengt turns away and leaves with their entourage. Talita is left shocked and alone, a hand over her mouth as if it wasn't too late to take it back.

Talita sets down her tablet on her bedside dresser, which is ringing for "Unknown #." She sits stiffly on her bed gripping her neck and face, watching the tablet buzz as no one picks up. She begins to tremble. Seemingly against her own will, Talita begins to strain forward against her own hands, trunk curled tighter and tighter, mouth opening wider and wider, her sharp beak-like teeth exposed by her snarling lips.

The tension in her body cracks like gunshot, her teeth slamming together with a loud SNAP. She convulses forward, curling into her pillow, gripping the back of her neck. A groan below human hearing range leaves her excurrent nostrils, sending with it a shudder travels up her spine and sets her teeth chattering.  Suddenly, the tablet speaks. Bip: Do you want to talk about it? Talita's shivering stops in surprise. Her face prickles in embarrassment, and she pulls off her askew glasses. Talita: You saw that? Bip: I picked an awkward time to connect.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Talita snaps.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Book funding this month! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/runaw...

Verengt: Your mechanics team is helping us change our suits for ground work. Talita's face lights up a little for the first time in the conversation. Talita: Oh! That’s great! Verengt glances around, uncertain. They turn back to Talita, eye wider, lip corner tightened, and trunk angled to speak to her more quietly. Verengt: Talita… Are you the only member of your clan here? The light drains from Talita's face, overtaken by dread. Verengt: If possible I'd like to speak to your matriarch, and assure them we will treat you well...

Talita: I don’t have a clan. Verengt's eye widens, mane fluffing out. Verengt: Exile?? Talita rubs her own shoulder awkwardly. Talita: No, uh, never had one. I've lived with aliens since I was a baby. Verengt and their entourage exchange wide eyed, tight-lipped looks, then begin to whisper amongst each other, gesturing and glancing back at Talita. Suddenly, Verengt turns back to address her. Verengt: We know several large clans looking for new members. If you would like to be introduced– Talita: –Thanks, but I'm fine with living alone.

Verengt: Hm. Verengt considers Talita for few moments, then half-lids their eye and curls their trunk up again, the point of their lower lip down slightly. Verengt: Well, let us know if you change your mind. It’s been a pleasure to meet you. Talita tilts her head and smiles politely, drawing the corner of her lip back to show her teeth. Talita: You too! Will I see you on… Um… She peters off, confused by Verengt's face. They have flinched away, mane feathers flared, lips closed but drawn taut, trunk flattened up between their flared nostrils in an "S" shape, eyes squinting with nictitating membranes half closed. Verengt: Talita. Do you intend to bite me? Talita stares in disbelief. Talita: NO??

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: A rocky conversation, and two friendly smiles.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Book funding this month! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/runaw...

As she is walking away, Mel pops around the corner of the hallway, waving for her attention. Mel: Talita, could you come here for a moment? Talita shrinks against the wall, grinning nervously. Talita: I s-should really get going, I'm– Mel walks up to her, beaming with excitement. Mel: Starting next week, that's your new outdoors crew! You'll be managing other centaurs‼ Isn't that exciting⁇ I've got a meeting to catch. Introduce yourself! They walk off, back into the plant. Talita: Mel, wait. I– She stops, frozen in a pose grasping towards Mel. The centaurs are approaching her.

The largest adult centaur with the massive scar on their face walks up to Talita, lower lip down and trunk curled upwards. They are slightly shorter than Talita, with a stocky build, longer body feathers, and no visibly defined muscles like Talita's. Scarred centaur: You with the wide eyes. You are named Talita? Talita flinches back, grimacing in alarm with her mane feathers standing on end. The other centaur pauses, lowering their trunk, tightening their lips, and turning their head to look at Talita with their remaining eye. Scarred centaur: …Sorry, did I approach too quickly? Talita grabs her face as if to close her jaw. Talita: N–no, you’re fine! I–uh–didn't expect to be meeting you all so soon. …What were your names…? Verengt: We are the Gwailer clan. I am Verengt, the matriarch. Verengt points at their face with two extended center fingers. Their trunk is curled up, nostrils flared, and their eyes half-lidded.

Verengt gestures to the three smaller adults behind them, who each have a single trunk bar piercing. Two are light in color with thin black stripes and one is darker with wide stripes that break into spots. They all wear ornamental combs and collars. Verengt: This is my entourage: Yaunda, Pay, Jachipt. The three of them point at their faces with two fingers as their names are said. Verengt turns back to Talita. Verengt: My workers are currently occupied with the move. You will lead my workers during our stay here. They are my children, I am trusting you to keep them safe. Bring any concerns you have with the arrangement to me. Talita: Yes, of course. How many will be on my team? Verengt: We have 8 able adults. Talita: Do they have…  She looks at Verengt trepidatiously. Talita: Any prior experience with working in exosuits…? Verengt: We have worked for a recycling operation in microgravity.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Mel (ever helpful) leaves, and Talita meets Verengt, the Gwailer clan's matriarch.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Book funding in April! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/runaw...

Bing bong. A new work day "dawns". Talita is standing at the mobile life support unit truck, exchanging the gas in her tanks. She leans an elbow on the side of the truck, helmet in her hand, zoning out with a thousand yard stare. Phoebe: Something wrong, boss? Talita comes back to the present and turns to Phoebe. Talita: I'm… fine, Phoebe. What's up? Phoebe: The old radio tower is having outages again. Talita: Oh. Dammit. Well, we can deal with that later.

The work crew re-enters the plant at the end of the workday, announced by the beep beep beep of the airlock door. Talita wanders into the sorting area of the plant, looking worriedly over her shoulder. She finds Tod talking to a couple of internal mechanics interns, and Killian hanging from beam by their prehensile tail while working on cyclone sorter. Talita: Have you guys seen Mel? I need to talk to them. Tod: Weren't they busy giving the centaurs a house tour? Killian: Nah, I think I saw them out with Mel in the plant today. They twist around in their suspended position to look at Talita. Killian: Oh, and your new crew is centaurs! Tod: Surprise. Killian: Have you met them yet? Talita: No, I’ll… um… Get there.

Talita rounds the end of the hallway leading to the recycling plant's exit atrium, looking for Mel. Talita: Mel? Mel is standing in the middle of the atrium, talking to four of the adult centaurs from yesterday. Talita freezes, then tries to quietly walk away before they spot her.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Surely the other centaurs didn't notice Talita... surely she can just leave...

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Book funding in April! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/runaw...

If you hadn’t heard already, the printed #RunawaytotheStars book is going to be crowdfunding in April! Click the button over on the preview page to be notified when the campaign goes live: www.kickstarter.com/projects/iro...

Ranni: I noticed this convoy has a vessel marked as a passenger ship? But we don't have any personnel scheduled to leave until the 21st. Talita and Idrisah look at each other, wide-eyed. Ranni: I also don't recall Ixion owning a passenger ship of this class, just ground to orbit boats. I just wanted to check if there was an entry error. Idrisah glances down at Cheewut, who stares at her with expectant curiosity. Idrisah: It’s… uh… Talita barges into the cubicle, making Idrisah flinch. Talita: Hi Ranni! Talita here! I can explain!

Talita: There was a mix-up and an active ship got incorrectly added to a bulk scrap order. The original owners requested it be sent back to them. Ranni: Oh?? But under the SIMS profile, Ixion is listed as the title owner… She pulls one of her monitors closer to check the information. Idrisah: It's– uh– we had difficulty getting wormhole customs to process it otherwise. Ranni: Haha! Figures. Those worms sure love to micromanage their holes. Idrisah cringes but continues smiling nervously. Idrisah: Ahahaha! Yeah! Ranni: I’ll clear the vessel for launch. Take care, dears. And Talita, tell Killian he needs to call his moms more often! Behind Ranni, Evelyn enters the room, taps Paul on the shoulder, and reveals she has freshly baked cookies in a clamshell wire mesh tray.

Ranni hangs up and the call ends. Talita and Idrisah stare nervously at Cheevwut, who has been standing between them listening to the whole conversation. Cheevwut: Well, That was clearly a bunch of hasty lies. They turn and walk out of the cubicle. Cheevwut: Good thing it’s also none of my funny business. Bye! Talita and Idrisah look at each other, slump back on the cubicle desk, and sigh in relief.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Ranni questions, Talita doesn't technically lie, Cheevwut learned what funny business means.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Book funding in April! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/runaw...

Idrisah and Cheevwut sit in her cubicle organizing a pile of loose cables on the floor. Idrisah: Cheevwut, do you know where I put that USB-G cable? A series of increasingly loud thumping footsteps causes Idrisah look up in surprise. Talita has returned, gripping the top of the cubicle wall, eyes wild. Idrisah: Is something wrong? Talita glances fearfully at the entrance to the admin wing, the direction she fled from. Talita: There’s… centaurs outside. Cheevwut: Oh yeah, that’s your new temp crew.

Talita grips her neck, horrified. Talita: What?? Cheevwut: Mel wanted it to be a surprise. Looks like it worked. Talita slumps on top on the cubicle wall, holding her head and staring off into space, dazed. Cheevwut seems amused by her anguish. Cheevwut: Haw haw. Idrisah: Are you… alright? Talita: I– Idrisah's computer, which isn’t packed yet, begins to ring. It's a call from someone named "Ranni Powell." Cheevwut leans over to peek at the monitor. Cheevwut: You're getting a call from the orbital station? Weird. They only do that for urgent stuff.

Talita and Idrisah exchange a panicked look. Cheevwut: Uh… You gonna pick it up? Idrisah quickly taps the enter key to pick up the call. Ranni's wrinkly whiskered face appears on the video call screen, with the tubular space station interior behind her. It is cluttered with decades of memorabilia. The bulkhead doors are ringed with circular drawstring curtains, the hatch handles and hand holds are covered with crocheted cozies, and family picture frames are attached all over the floorless walls. Paul floats behind Ranni, upside-down from the camera's perspective, using a computer console surrounded by duck figurines and childrens' artwork. Ranni: Hello Idrisah– Oh, sorry, dear, I forgot you were packing up today! Should I call Ohwitiil instead? Idrisah tries to conceal her terror. Cheevwut peeks over her shoulder nosily. Talita crouches behind the cubicle wall, trying to hide. Idrisah: Hi Ranni! It’s fine! Why’d you call?

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Cheevwut is watching this office drama and eating alien popcorn.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Read ahead: https://patreon.com/jayrockin

Happy Year of the Horse! Talita: Am I doing this right? Idrisah: Hold your palm flatter!

Talita gives a treat to an incredibly chill horse, Idrisah backseats horse feeding. #RunawaytotheStars #YearoftheHorse

Idrisah: Well… In my opinion, you should… She glances back at Cheevwut. Idrisah: (ASL) Also quit. Especially after that shit with Mel. Talita: (ASL) Maybe… Not now, soon after you, Gillie, AND Cal. Management is angry, I think. Ohwitiil walks past the cubicle. Ohwitiil: IDRISAH! Keep packing, I’ve got someone who needs your desk tomorrow! Maybe this one will actually stick around! Talita and Idrisah exchange a look of knowing exhaustion.

Talita: I’ll stop distracting you. Idrisah: Seeya later… Talita waves goodbye to Idrisah and exits the recycling plant, looking absentmindedly at her tablet while walking through the personal exit into the Shikaviil Port dome. An odd echo to her footsteps makes her look up in confusion. She glances around, trying to parse the sound.

Walking past the edge of the sound wall, Talita sees the source of the noise. Far across the dome, near the apartments, a group of centaurs walk on the circular road. There appear to be five adults, four smaller and one larger, as well as four children half their height. All of them have half-lidded eyes and implacable expressions. The four smaller adults are dressed in loose belted leather overpants on their rear four legs, with fabric undershirts that are neatly tucked into their waistbands to leave their upper torsos bare. They wear decorative fabric collars and necklaces adorned with dangling beads, strings, tufts of feathers, and pleating. In their manes they have tucked ornamental combs made from metal, bone, feathers, and beads. Three of them appear to be light in color with thin dark stripes and dark irises, and one is darker with broad stripes and light irises. All have a bar piercing through the upper portion of their trunks, and the oldest of the lighter individuals has two bars. They speak amongst themselves. The four children wear identical dark capelets with tassels that appear to be furred tails. Three are light in color, one is darker. They look around with wider eyes, and one curls their trunk up. They stand close to the small adults, who put reassuring hands on them. The largest adult stands in front of the group, speaking to an enthusiastically smiling Mel and politely smiling Tod. They are finely dressed in a tasseled skirt that covers their lower body and overpants, with a collared cape featuring long hanging panels with embroidery and a tasseled scallop pattern, with a brooch of a carved animal's head at their throat. A chatelaine with a six-legged turtle-like creature hangs from their belt. They are white with black stripes and dark facial markings that extend to the tip of their trunk, which has two bar piercings. The right side of their face is an eyeless crater of scar tissue, with bone missing from the crown of their head to nearly their nostril, an injury that on a human would have been instantly fatal. The large centaur turns their single dark eye and makes eye contact across the distance with Talita, who stares back in dumbfounded horror.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Oh golly, so that's what Mel's surprise was!

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Read ahead: https://patreon.com/jayrockin

Original post on yiff.life

Anyone ever imagine that a century or two from now, #aliens may lie in bed and fall asleep watching the #videos we are currently posting on the internet?

I think about this domestic stuff a lot. It might be the most interesting part of #SpeculativeFiction […]

Chapter 9: Outside, Inside. Talita is shown repainting the centaur text on the outside of the Runaway where the hull patch has covered up the message. She and two electrician worms stand on a hanging crane lift with foam brushes, with the worms leaning perilously outside the railing to reach parts of the text. Inside the Runaway, Talita takes a photo of the cleaned up interior living space. Bip's avatar coils into the frame on the walls, winking and sticking out a tongue while throwing up a V-hand sign that is obviously a photo graphic of a human hand pasted over their vector arm. Talita smiles, standing in her socks on the exterior wall of the sideways room. Gillie is shown redying her hair "Ember Orange," with a dye brush in her gloved hand. She is in a stained white tank top with her wet hair brushed into a mound on top of her head, away from her ears, forehead and neck. Her eyebrows are also wet with color. Finishing application, she notices with sneering annoyance that her mystacial whiskers are growing back in. She opens the rather barren medicine cabinet looking for a tool to deal with them, but the only thing on the shelf is an open medicine box for her prescription of Estradiol—Dissolving Subcutaneous Implants, 0.125 mg/day, "for human use only."

Gillie stomps to get her wife's attention across the hallway. Gillie: (ASL) Did you already pack my tweezers? Idrisah looks up from where she is looking at her phone and squatting on the floor of their bedroom while organizing earrings. She is surrounded by stacks of reusable shipping boxes full of packed items. Idrisah: (ASL) Those should be with the first aid stuff. Gillie walks in and opens a box next to Idrisah. Idrisah shows her the phone screen. Idrisah: (ASL) But look! Talita sent photos of the Runaway! Gillie: (ASL) Wow. Spacious. Idrisah: (ASL) I didn’t know Bip was such a fancy vessel. Gillie: (ASL) Pirates live in style, I suppose. She looks at Idrisah, who is wearing belted pants, a loose top over arm warmers, a hijab, and jewelry. Gillie: (ASL) Heading out? You're all dressed. Idrisah: (ASL) Yeah, I’ve got to pack up my work desk.

Idrisah: (ASL) Can you start packing your computer desk while I'm out? Gillie frowns. Gillie: (ASL) We don’t leave till next week! Idrisah: (ASL) It’s only five days! Gillie: (ASL) I refuse to live out of boxes until I have to. Idrisah: (ASL) You’ll regret that this weekend. Gillie: (ASL) I will pack more NON-ESSENTIALS. In the Ixion admin wing, Idrisah packs up her cubicle space with help from Cheevwut. Talita leans on the edge of the cubicle wall, looking glum. Talita: Need any help over here? Idrisah: Thanks Talita, I think we’re good. Talita: I’m gonna miss coming to admin to bug you.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Talita repaints the Runaway, Gillie repaints her hair, Idrisah packs up.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Read ahead: https://patreon.com/jayrockin

made a centaur sona yahoo

#furry #furryart #alien #rtts #runawaytothestars #centaur #commsopen

LOG 8: Z-Pinch Fusion The Runaway is a rapid transit vessel (colloquially, a "torchship"), designed to transport cargo and passengers as quickly as possible on intrasystem trips between wormholes. During the majority of a journey, the vessel acceleration is between 8 m/s² and 11 m/s², the comfort range of gravity for most sophonts. While this shaves days off of voyages and reduces crew time spent in microgravity, it requires a great deal of firepower. The Runaway's comparatively tiny habitat sits on top of a massive pair of fuel tanks and z-pinch fusion engines. As plasma fuel is injected into the fusion chamber, the engine’s capacitor banks deliver thousands of electrical pulses per second, creating magnetic fields strong enough to initiate nuclear fusion. This magnetic field “pinches” the plasma along the engine's z-axis into a blinding blue jet of super-heated gases, pushing the ship to its cruising acceleration. Engine Schematic: fuel tanks deuterium capacitor banks shadow shield outer electrode inner electrode plasma electric current The magnetic field follows the direction of the electrical current. magnetic nozzle helium, hydrogen, and neutrons FUSION Image: Bip grumpily holds up a sign in front of one of the deuterium fuel lines with “3He” written on it. Bip: Ideally, I'd have one tank of ³He and one tank of deuterium, that would be more efficient than reacting doot with itself... Talita: Beggars can't be choosers. Also, fusion engines aren't the only propulsion here! Image: She points at a small multi-nozzle rocket on the side of the Runaway’s habitat. Talita: On both ends of the vessel are rings of reaction control systems, aka RCS. These smaller chemical rockets are used for fine maneuvering and approaching dock, since fusion engines are illegal to operate too close to habitation. While fusion engines have less radioactive exhaust than fission engines (which use a process similar to a nuclear bomb for propulsion), they still emit deadly neutron radiation when operating. To protect the inhabitants from being fried by their own engine emissions, there is something called a "shadow shield" between them and the thrusters. This is a block of material that absorbs the thruster radiation and creates a cone of protective shadow around the body of the ship. Image: A diagram of the Runaway shows shape of the shadow cone, and the size of the habitable area of the ship (green) relative to the rest of the vessel. The main habitat is a four story structure under a 12th of the total length of the ship, with a short cargo bay hallway in the upper section of the spine. Most of the length of the vessel is occupied by fuel tanks, shielding, and the engines. Habitat (green) cargo bay (green) RCS (purple) shadow shield (dark blue) radiators (red) Neutron Radiation Zone (white with skulls and crossbones) Radiation Shadow Cone (light blue) This stellar flamethrower also creates a ton of waste heat, which in the insulating vacuum of space, dissipates very slowly. In order to prevent heat from traveling up the spine of the ship and turning the habitat capsule into a multi-story oven, heat from the propulsion system is diverted to the radiator wings. The radiators pump waste heat away from the engine and spine of the ship, giving it more time and space to dissipate, and can glow red-hot while the engine burns. Their triangular shape allows them hide within the shadow cone during burns, and extend to cool faster and provide maintenance access when the ship is coasting or docked.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Fusion spaceships are a radioactive explosion generator with a tiny pressurized box of air on the other end.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Read ahead: https://patreon.com/jayrockin

i love her
#runawaytothestars #rtts #talita

Gillie, Bip, and Idrisah all look with concern at Talita, who is slumped face down on the nose rig of the front loader, arms hanging limply, with her damp feathers in the air. The towel has fallen off her shoulders. Idrisah: Do… Do you want a hug? Talita picks her head up and turns back to them miserably. Talita: …Yeah… She sits down near her friends, and Gillie and Idrisah wrap their arms around her torso for a group hug. Bip watches from the webcam, their avatar looking thoughtful.

Talita wraps her arms around her friends, rests a cheek on top of Idrisah's head, and relaxes into the hug. Bip turns their webcam towards the the front loader, holding up its newly attached articulated hands. They reach out with them and gingerly grasp the group of women with the metal manipulators, who look down in surprise. Bip: Best I can do, sorry. Talita: Thanks, Bip.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Finally, at long last, Talita gets a hug. End of chapter 8.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Read ahead: https://patreon.com/jayrockin

🔥 talita plinko 🔥

Physics-based animation commission for @jayeatonart.bsky.social

#blender3D #RunawayToTheStars

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.

Bip's avatar leans its head on one hand, irritated eyebrow quirked. Bip: Sooo... if it's only a week, then why not just fire him? Idrisah scowls, whips around, and jabs a finger at the tablet, startling Bip. Idrisah: EXACTLY! She turns away from Bip, who realizes with trepidatious relief that they aren't the target of her righteous anger. Idrisah: Talita, you can't let them ignore this just because BASIC accountability would take SLIGHTLY more effort than sitting on their ass doing NOTHING! Talita: I guess… It's just that Mel was basically my parent all through college. I don't want to sour our relationship over this… Bip: Sounds to me like they're the one souring it. Idrisah: Yeah! That's not fair! Screw their good will if they won't even keep you safe! Bip turns the webcam's swivel motor to look at Idrisah and leans their avatar her way. Bip: Right? They so obviously only care about maintaining business as usual. And frankly, demanding he be removed would be doing them a bigger favor than they've bothered to extend to you. This guy's a walking liability. Idrisah: Oh, absolutely! At this point they've given you no reasonable options besides upsetting them!

Talita, finished attaching the robotic hand, leans on an elbow on the nose rig of the frontloader and slumps her face against her palm in exhausted resignation. Talita: Easier said than done. I have so few people in my social circle, I can't afford to burn bridges. And now you and Gillie are going back to Nexus Jovia… And I'm helping Bip leave in a convoy to Nexus Jovia... And I'm still stuck here. On Gillie's laptop screen, the BFGC web portal page is displaying the approval status of customs tracking number. It rolls over from "pending" to "shipping batch approved." Gillie: Haha! She pumps a fist in the air in triumph and signs to Idrisah, grinning. Gillie: (ASL) They approved the convoy! The ship can go through! Idrisah looks between her and Talita in nervous silence. Gillie's smile falls in confusion.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Idrisah is charging her righteous anger beam attack, she and Bip are in agreement for once, Talita is exhausted.

Catch up: https://runawaytothestars.com
Read ahead: https://patreon.com/jayrockin

Talita knocks on the door to Mel's office. SFX: KNOCK KNOCK Mel: Come in! She enters the room, which is not quite tall enough to stand up inside quadrupedally, sits down on her haunches, and silently closes the door. Mel: …Is something wrong? Talita: Um… It's one of the temps. Mel: Oh no, what happened? Talita: Adam pulled on my antler. Mel relaxes and sits back in their chair, considering her.

Mel: Is that it? Talita is taken aback. Talita: Well he did it, like, maliciously! He was trying to hurt me! Her face begins to bristle in frustration, and she grips her neck, back hunched to keep her head from knocking the ceiling. Talita: And he’s– he’s been– saying really rude things “out of earshot,” misgendering me, not listening to instructions in the field– Mel: I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow. Talita's eyes widen. Talita: No! Don’t– That wouldn’t help.

Talita: I don't think me being his boss is working out. Could you transfer him to internal mechanics? Mel puts a hand on their hip and thinks, expression doubtful. Mel: Well… it’s only about a week until his contract expires. Could you possibly stand waiting that long? We wouldn’t really have the time to retrain him, and your team is already short a member. Talita leans her face against a hand and looks away, dread and exhaustion closing in on her like the ceiling pressing against the back of her head. Talita: I… I guess. Mel: And if you'd rather I have a chat with him, let me know! The connecting tail of their speech bubble passes over Talita's face, as oblivious to her distress as Mel.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Talita enters another room she can't stand up in.

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#runawaytothestars getting a hang on this

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Yao: Oh, the velvet came off your antlers. Talita looks down at Yao's snap-on antlers. Talita: …Yeah? Yao: Was it bloody and painful? Talita pauses vacuuming and rubs her arm awkwardly. Talita: Er… there’s… blood… But it doesn’t hurt when the skin comes off. After the bone finishes growing, there’s not really any pain receptors left. Adam, who is standing to her left, looks up at her resentfully.

Adam reaches up and grabs Talita's antler, yanking on it hard enough to swing her head around. He smiles smugly. Adam: So you can't feel this? Talita recoils from him with a hand in front of her face, staring in shock. Yao gapes and then looks away fearfully from the two of them. Talita: What the fuck⁇ He throws his hands up defensively, still smiling. Adam: Hey, calm down!I thought you said it doesn’t hurt! Talita's face bristles in rage. Talita: What!? That doesn't mean you can YANK on me!

Adam: Ugh, ok! Since you grabbed me, I thought you'd be fine with it! He waves a hand dismissively and walks off, flanked by Phoebe and Dominic. Yao follows after them at a distance, looking back at Talita uncertainly. Phoebe and Dominic whisper to Adam, still unaware Talita can hear them. Phoebe: You trying to get fired? Dominic: Screw that– are you trying to get gored?? Adam: Whatever. We’re getting “fired” soon either way. It’s not like it’s gonna use those things, anyways. Talita tenses at his words with an electric shock of fury, gripping her face and clenching her jaw as if she could curl inwards until she imploded. Then the temps are gone. She slumps down to the floor of the changing area. The massive vehicle bay room is empty.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Yao probes, Adam escalates, Talita is alone.

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The scissor lift begins to retract for repositioning. Bip's avatar is flopped over the tops of the comic panels, looking frustrated. Bip: I don't have much time to wait, I've got a rapidly approaching appointment with the launch loop. Can you do it off the clock? Talita switches radio channels and turns to write something on a physical logbook with a pen attached to its ring binding. Adam dismounts the scissor lift behind her. SFX: clk Talita: Tod's gonna ask questions if I pull that too often. Adam hops up the radio tower foundation and begins to scale the ladder up to the tower's ring platforms. Bip: Is there a tool I can borrow..? Talita: Hm... actually, I might be able to replace the claws with something more— She notices Adam out of the corner of her eye. Talita: –ADAM! GET DOWN FROM THERE! Bip's avatar pokes down in front of the comic panel with an apologetic sweat drop. Bip: Wrong radio channel. Talita: God fucking dammit!

Adam continues to the scale the rungs of the ladder. Then, without warning, Talita's hands clamp around his rib cage and she plucks him off the structure, putting him down on the foundation of the tower with an unceremonious THUMP. The surprise wearing off, he gets up and turns to look at her furious face. SFX: clk Talita: Do you have a deathwish⁉ Adam: It's GOT handrails! If we were using the damn things we'd be DONE by now!

The other temps stare awkwardly while Adam is reprimanded on the shared radio channel. Talita: Those rails were built decades ago to support 20 kilo avians! These structures are not stable enough for you to climb! She walks away to return to the job. Adam glares daggers at her back, cheeks flushed. Later, the crew returns through the vehicle airlock. SFX: BEEP BEEP BEEP Talita vacuums the outside of her exosuit after hanging it up. SFX: VVVVVVVVVVVVV She absentmindedly tugs on her lower lip with her trunk lips as she works. To her right, Yao looks curiously at her bare antlers while putting on a pair of prosthetics resembling deer antlers.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Talita plucks Adam off of a ladder like a naughty cat.

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Transcript Talita stands on the edge of the dollhouse cutaway, looking incredulously at the enormous luminous Bip avatar. It leans over, considering her with a hand on its chin. Bip: Isn't the water pressure down here deadly? SFX: ping! Talita's eyes open. She is lying disoriented in her bed on Dirtball, awakened by a chime from her tablet on the bedside dresser. Spread over the top of her usual comforter is the antler velvet blanket from the Runaway. She blearily tugs on her reading glasses and picks up her tablet to squint at the source of the notification.

Talita has a direct message exchange with Mel. Mel: Just got a message from the medbay. Clayton slipped a disc, he's off work until he gets better. Talita: Oh no! That sucks. I hope he feels better soon Mel: You and your temps will have to work harder to make up for it. No distractions, ok? ;) Talita: Of course Later in the day, Talita is testing a breaker box in the junkyard with a multimeter, while Dominic and Phoebe peer over her shoulders. Bip's avatar pokes its head up from behind the panel, looking down curiously. Bip: You around? Talita: Not now, Bip. Bip leans out over the panel to look at her grumpy face. Bip: When will you be available? Talita scowls. Talita: Later. Bip hangs off the edge of the panel, nonchalantly swinging their legs over the fourth wall and blocking some of the view with their avatar's body. Bip: Well, I've processed about 100 tons of heavy water.

In the pit with the Runaway, a frontloader positioned in front of a row of frames containing hydrogen gas tanks holds its manipulator arms as if it were a human with its hands on its hips. Bip: But the solenoids on the transport tanks have these caps with an awkwardly positioned guard ring. I can't grip them with the frontloader claw fingers, and the worms aren't strong enough. One of the frontloader claws uselessly pinches the guard ring. SFX: click click Talita: So cut the guards off. Bip: I thought we were trying to avoid hydrogen tank explosions. Talita rolls her eyes. Talita: Well, then, wait. I don't have time this week to run errands on the clock. She looks up from the electrical box on the ground in front of her and switches radio channels. SFX: clk Talita: Alright, none of those antennae are causing the issue. Let's move the lift and test the next array. She is speaking up to Adam and Yao, who are on the fully extended platform of a large scissor lift next to a short radio tower covered in dozens of mismatched radio antennae. Yao pulls cables from the side of the antenna they're next too, while Adam slouches against the platform railing, doing nothing. In the regolith around the base of the radio tower are the tracks left behind from the scissor lift repeatedly being extended, retracted, moved, parked, and extended again many times.

This week on #RunawayToTheStars: Wake up Talita, back to work!

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