Stewart Baker, who so kindly heaped build this awesome site, is also an excellent writer. He has a very short story up now on dailysciencefiction.com, dark and weird with a twist…. just like I like. Check it out!
And also, we have two cats looking for a good home, but it should be a home where they are the only cats. They are both super cuddly and sweet, and when we brought Babette (the grey one) home from off the street as a wee kitten, her and Lucy (a mama from the streets herself) totally bonded. So they keep each other company (as seen in the video below)
They are both affectionate. Babette is playful and she likes lots of petting in the morning, and her meow is like a purr-chirping. Lucy is a jumper and climber, and loves laps and rocking chairs. They both have all their shots and are spayed etc.
The problem is, even after a couple years, they remain territorial and antagonistic to the other cats. We have six total, and the disharmony is making everyone unhappy (including us).
We love them both dearly, but feel all would be happy if we re-homed them. If you have no cats and want two, or know someone who does (we’re willing to drive a few hours out from the Albany, NY area in any direction), please contact me.
Thank you! -Christopher
My first comment, thanks Chris (and Don Ahe) for the excellent comics!
I may be overthinking this but there’s something I’m missing. How would the new information, “we had a crewmember who wanted to kill everyone in your system”, be any more reassuring to Galichknar than the original, “we’re bungling idiots sent unknowingly to their death”? That the bungling idiots know they can do damage is, if anything, an extra argument for offing them. That the crewmember with murderous intent is neutralized (which we know, but Gordon only indirectly implies it to the alien) can only be secondary to the fact that the Earthlings know they can do massive damage. Actually, Gordon’s telling Galichknar that the humans were planning to do harm may come off as a veiled threat, it did to me. The only way Galichknar could find this compelling is if the aliens can’t neutralize the Higgs ship from afar, and seeing what they’ve shown they can do, I find it likely that they can.
Anyways just some fan analysis. Thanks for the comics & keep up the good work!
I think Galichknar isn’t reassured so much as understands. Humans are bungling idiots whether or not they’re trying to kill. Knowing that this set of humans didn’t know anything about the plan does merit Galichknar cutting them some slack and giving the council full information so they can decide the next course of action. Sure Gordon admitted the intent to harm but also explained that the rest of the group stopped it. That shows we’re not all bad and that counteracts the implied threat.
Thanks Selena 🙂 I understand that’s the intent, but it just feels too easy. I mean the aliens don’t have to believe a word Gordon says, and if they despise the humans as much as they say I don’t expect them to. But then, maybe they can hear more than just what’s being said.
You know, it occurs to me that if they REALLY want to hurt humankind sending the ship back to Earth would be a great way of doing it. That way they don’t have to feel bad for killing people who didn’t understand their message, while simultaneously sticking it to the ones back home who did. Throw in some sort of uninterruptable broadcasting device and they could make sure their message was heard loud and clear to everyone on Earth with no ambiguity.
Or, you know, they could just blast ’em.
There’s also the information that the humans (in the ship, at least) didn’t know the message was ‘stay away’, they thought it was ‘look forward to meeting you’. So they aren’t coming in defiance of the message..well, not the ones who are actually coming.
Also, the upside-down boxing is adorable. I hope you find a new home for them!