The Roaming Storm

S3E2: To the Victor ...Go the Spoilers

ACT I [EXT. / SPACE / ... ANYONE GOT A WATCH?]

...

Well -- whatever the time -- the HMS Alice is well on its way back to Planet Immobi. After that krakentine catastrophe back on the moon, it's nothing but smooth sailing from here on out. And inside, two of its passengers get the chance to chit-chat on speed-dial.

Umeme: 'Kay -- so the rabbots on Immobi all have their own Nightmare Radars, right?

Friska: (voice-over) Yeah?

Umeme: Sooo how come the ones on the moon don't?

Friska: [currently flying in the Hopper with Doc] Well -- by the time I sent them up there, the radar was still in its prototype phase. Plus the whole point was finding the ziggurat here. Sooo figuratively speaking, I sorta let 'em go in blind.

Radi: Tsk-tsk Frisk. Gotta say, that was pretty unprofessional of you.

Friska: Uh, yeah -- said the guy who thought flying all the way back without a ship, let alone OXYGEN, was a good idea!

Radi: ... (to himself) Tch. Wasn't the worst idea.

Umeme: C'mon, you seriously think that woulda been a cakewa-

Radi: Don't say it! Do not say the C-word! Out of all the reasons our plan almost botched, that one takes the-...!

Umeme: [smugly awaits the end of his sentence]...

Radi: You know what I mean!

Friska: [she and Doc share a quick glance with each other]... What if... the plan did botch? As in -- what if the Nightmare Maker survived?

Umeme & Radi: ...?!

Umeme: I mean... after what Terra did?

Radi: Pfft, as if -- you shoulda seen it. Ain't no coming back from that.

Friska: So what, a bunch of black mushrooms just conveniently show up on their own? Right when you were about to leave?

The two are prompted to rebuttal that, but remain silent as they give it a bit more thought. And as much as they'd hate to admit it, an unlacking level of logic lingers over their lobes.

Friska: Look, I really wanna be wrong on this. Like "Mayan Calendar" wrong. But -- how do we know for sure?

Radi: [thinking long and hard for that rebuttal]... (only for the end-result to be an exasperated sigh)! You and that big brain o' yours.

Umeme: (equally stumped) Yeah well, I love her all the more for it.

Friska: [her foreboding thoughts get briefly blushed away upon hearing that]...

Umeme: Alright, let's just put that "what if" on hold. Focus on "what now".

Friska: Well... [double-checks her tablet to see that Team Blue Pill's still completely offline] from what you told me, it's not like you can turn back and grab a quick shroom sample. But at the very least, it's not like they're goin' anywhere either.

Doc: Meaning we'll have ample time to prepare before the HMS Alice can return. But until then, our work lies here on Immobi.

Friska: ... [with a firm nod] Right. Hopefully-remaining Nightmares first. Moonshrooms later. And the ziggurat last. (voice-over) You two got all that?

Radi: Eh, sounds simple enough. Pretty short-ass list, after all.

Umeme: Seeya when we seeya, Friska.