Cliff and Coral face off, with Glard cowering not too far behind.

  Cliff Mason
You don't know what you're doing.

Coral
* I'm saving a life.

  Cliff Mason
This is NOT one of your MISGUIDED SPIRITS, Jasper!
He is a soldier. He's an enemy!

Coral
* He was retreating. He's-- he's surrendered!

  Glard Gorpnan
I-- Uh--

Coral
* Even in war, there are rules!

  Cliff Mason
Do you know what his people have done!?
The joke they made out of the rules!?

Coral
* And that makes it okay!?
* You'll stoop to their level?

  Cliff Mason
YOU DON'T KNOW!!

Coral
* I think I'm getting a picture!!

  Cliff Mason
THEY KILLED MY FAMILY!!

Coral steps back, stunned.

Coral
* Wh. What?

  Cliff Mason
My wife, my child, they-- they took everyone.
They took EVERYTHING.

Coral
* Cliff...

  Cliff Mason
Not again. NEVER AGAIN.
NOT WHILE I CAN STOP IT.

Cliff steps forward, but Coral stands fast, hands clutched in trembling fists.

  Cliff Mason
Go home.

Coral
* I. I won't let you.

  Cliff Mason
GO. HOME.

Coral
* I won't let you kill him.

  Cliff Mason
He can't be left alive!
He is DANGER to EVERYTHING HERE!

Coral
* ...
* What about that engineer.
* Was she a danger?

  Cliff Mason
Jasper--

Coral
* Was she someone's child-- someone's wife!?

  Cliff Mason
I had to--!
Jasper, I had to!
To keep you safe!!

Coral
* ME!?

  Cliff Mason
No, no, EVERYONE!
Jasper, you-- You don't understand what they'll do if they find us.
Everything- all of this--
It'll be gone. There will be nothing left.

Coral
* ...
* Prove it to me.
* You need to kill this guy to save us all?
* You gotta go through me.
* KILL. ME. FIRST.

  Cliff Mason
What!? No, no, I--

Coral
* What's one more body on the pile, Cliff?
* Why am I different!?

  Cliff Mason
I couldn't do that to you!!

Coral
* AND YOU CAN DO IT TO SOMEONE ELSE!?

  Cliff Mason
You-- you don't--!!

Coral
* Your family would be DISGUSTED!
* HOW MANY WIVES AND HOW MANY CHILDREN, CLIFF!?
* HOW MANY MEN LIKE YOU HAVE YOU MADE!?

  Cliff Mason
I'm protecting YOU--!!

Coral
* Is that how THEY justified it!?
* Is what THEY told themselves WHEN THEY KILLED YOUR WIFE AND THEY KILLED YOUR KID!?

  Cliff Mason
I-- I--!!

Coral
* DO YOU HEAR ME!?
* YOUR FAMILY IS DEAD, CLIFF.
* DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND!?
* You killed them YOURSELF, A THOUSAND TIMES!!
* AND EVERY TIME YOU PULL THAT TRIGGER YOU ARE KILLING THEM AGAIN!

  Cliff Mason
AAAAAGGGHHH!!



Cliff collapses, leant against a tree, tears down his face.

  Cliff Mason
Stop-- stop.. please...
Please...







Coral
* Hey, um, Cliff...
* Listen... I didn't mean--

DEBATE WON.








Coral looks around. Glard's plasma rifle lays abandoned in the dirt with a track of dinosaur footprints leading away from it into the dark.

Coral
* Glard...?
* Glard!
* Where'd he...?


Coral
* Okay. Okay.
* Look, um. Cliff. You just. Get home safe, okay?
* I'm... gonna go look for Glard.

Coral disappears into the brush, leaving Cliff alone, weeping so softly.

Coral
* Okay.














Lum says:
Spiderforest comic of the week, round seven.
This week's theme is "Across the Universe".

Space's vast reaches make for just as vast an adventure!

Thunderstar
Thunderstar
- Thunderstar is about a sassy goth girl space pilot and her high-strung engineer who go on a quest to save the pilot's boyfriend from an evil cult and uncover secrets along the way.
[Thunderstar Webtoon Mirror]

O Sarilho
O Sarilho
- In O Sarilho, an alien gets shot in the face four times and for some reason that starts a war!