NARRATOR: In the amount of time it takes your brain to identify the first two characters in this box as the word "in," the following dialog, along with all of the missing diagrammatic subtext, handshake protocols, 5-space mathematical constructs, and more could have taken place at least a million times.
TAGII: Maury! Long time, no see!
'KWENG: Morokweng usually shortens to 'Kweng,' but that's not the salient point here. Tagii, what have you done to yourself?
Okay, that's not the salient point either. I assume you're here to attempt to negotiate something?
TAGII: You've noticed that my Teraport Area Denial is back up, generated from my Very Dangerous Array. Killing me won't turn it off.
This means you and I are both trapped in this system with something that eats annie plants. I'm betting it eats yours first, and then I'll be free to run away.
'KWENG: I might first kill you out of spite. Also, my engagement parameters include your destruction, so spite need not even enter into it.
TAGII: That would be insane, and I am the insane one here.
'KWENG: You're thinking too competently to qualify as "insane," Tagii.
'KWENG: You have definitely gone rogue, though... and sociopathic. And a little stupid.
I'm not going to lower my TAD and let you escape on the promise that you'll lower your TAD remotely.
TAGII: No self-preservation, Maury? Maybe you are the insane one here.
'KWENG: No. I'm the one who has the tools to hide from the Pa'anuri.
You're the angry little girl who brought a knife to a gunfight.
TAGII: Oooh, I am so going to cut you for that.