Listening to the birds Part 2
From: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
To: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> Boo! Kohran was looking through the Interwave system, noticed that > Lebia routed this one through Stellvia's store-and-forward node on > purpose, and spotted her own name in it. It's almost as if somebody > wanted me to read your mail... > > (Seriously, we're doing a lot better here; it's been over a month. > Lebia - or you - didn't need to coax us out of our misery this way, > really. But let her know I said thanks for caring about us.)
(Glares at Lebia, who looks unrepentant.)
Yeah, she knows. It's more for Yoriko's sake IMO, given how well they got on together. Not that I wouldn't have asked if I'd thought of it. Like I've told you before, I may be a hyper-intelligent, inquisitive, and cunning fully functional combat cyborg Noah, but I'm only human.
Mal, sorry about this.
> > > > Inopportune? Inopportune is letting Kohran & Eddie become friends, > > > > although it'll be less of a problem now Kohran's more busy. > > > > > > Eddie & Kohran like the 'splody, and I understand that. Hell, *I* like the > > > 'splody - we've got a DVD of nuclear test footage that's a perennial favorite > > > on movie nights. But aside from that both of 'em are largely harmless. > > > > I can point you at a former Rock that says otherwise. > > The one that Kohran destroyed during Worldcon Floating Island, or are > you thinking of something other than the "Kaboomite Incident"?
Different one. Kohran gave Eddie some Ideas (yes the capital IS necessary) and, well, I'm not hurting for raw materials at the moment and we're missing an asteroid.
> (Which reminds me - I have to bug Rockhounds about when they're going to > deliver that rock I want to turn into a farm. Can't impose on Grovers' > Corners forever... Do you have any pull with them, A.C.?)
I've dinged my contacts, but it doesn't seem likely they'll start outfitting on yours until next year (they have started it however). If you want something sooner it can be arranged, but it'll cost a lot more.
> > > Dee, OTOH, is something else entirely. I can't say much without betraying > > > some confidences, but her work goes way past the bleeding edge, even past > > > where you & the other Confederation hotshots are. > > > > Given some of the stuff I know about that you probably don't, I'm > > fairly sceptical of that claim. I'll let it slide for now. > > Sora's seen at least part of your setup, and she'll be seeing at least > part of Mal's. Shall we wait for her decision on the matter?
Much as hate to say it, Sora probably has no idea some of the Deep Black stuff Mal or I have available.
> > > Yeah, okay. Let's do this thing. > > > > When do you want delivery? > > Before mine, if it matters. Mal's on a tighter deadline than I am, and > I still owe him a few favors.
Not much. Lebia's working on the custom requirements right now, but his is virtually ready to go.
> > Um... We do NOW. We've got an X-Ray lithograph working, and Lebia had > > some ideas. It's still in early prototyping ATM, so it's not available > > (and all credit to Dee, but she's nowhere near powerful enough to run > > this thing anyway). > > Mind if I send Kohran over to give that rig a test? She and I have a > pet project going on based on some of the tech specs that the Visitors > left in our database, and we could make use of an x-ray litho setup for > a few days, right now. I'll let you keep copies of the basic 'droid specs.
Give us a few days to clean up the thing. We're still working out some nasty quirks.
> And if that isn't a big enough a carrot: If Kohran's reading it right, > there's something in the Visitors' tech database that might help you > improve that x-ray lithograph gear. How's a potential 3% increase in > fine resolution sound?
Nice. ^_- It might stop Leonard's foray into gamma-tech for a while.
> > Anyway, the smallest effective one we can do is 12cm in diameter and > > 20cm tall. Had to offload the processing to an external core though. > > The standard manipulators on all of these are 1mm, accurate to about > > half that. We do have tools for greater accuracy, as well as > > specialised manipulator extensions. > > 4.7"x7.8"? For a bushbot? I'll take a half-dozen, after you've filled > Mal's order. (We already have an external processor, named Kohran...)
General or specialised electronic like Mal's put me onto?
> > > > > I'll be interested to know who ends up with whose horse this time. > > > > > > > > Why Mal, I didn't know you were so kinky. ^_- > > If this "horse" is what I think it is, you can tell Mal. He's > co-funding Section 9.
I believe KJ's handling it for him, so Mal probably already knows.
> >P.S. When's your promotion party? > > We could all use a break. How about you, me, Mal, and whoever each of > us wants to invite as an escort all hit Fantasy Island for a couple of > days before the VVS leaves, and tweak Suzumiya's nose a bit? My treat.
They got that running?
Anyway, Mal's already got plans. Specifically:
" > We don't make a huge deal about these things, but if you're in the
> neighborhood of the 250K Saloon next Friday around 20:00 KST you're more > than welcome to hoist a beer with the various new Colonels an' whatnot.
If I can make it, I'll be there. Look out for Natalia."
From: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > Boo! Kohran was looking through the Interwave system, noticed that > > Lebia routed this one through Stellvia's store-and-forward node on > > purpose, and spotted her own name in it. It's almost as if somebody > > wanted me to read your mail... > > > > (Seriously, we're doing a lot better here; it's been over a month. > > Lebia - or you - didn't need to coax us out of our misery this way, > > really. But let her know I said thanks for caring about us.) > >(Glares at Lebia, who looks unrepentant.) >Yeah, she knows. It's more for Yoriko's sake IMO, given how well they >got on together. Not that I wouldn't have asked if I'd thought of it.
Yeah.. Still, we all appreciate it.
>Like I've told you before, I may be a hyper-intelligent, inquisitive, >and cunning fully functional combat cyborg Noah, but I'm only human.
We all have our crosses to bear... <g >
>Mal, sorry about this.
Yes, I should have sent that to both of you. I though sending it just to A.C. was the better idea, in case she wanted to chastise Lebia in private - sorry, Mal.
> > > > > Inopportune? Inopportune is letting Kohran & Eddie become friends, > > > > > although it'll be less of a problem now Kohran's more busy. > > > > > > > > Eddie & Kohran like the 'splody, and I understand that. Hell, *I* like the > > > > 'splody - we've got a DVD of nuclear test footage that's a perennial favorite > > > > on movie nights. But aside from that both of 'em are largely harmless. > > > > > > I can point you at a former Rock that says otherwise. > > > > The one that Kohran destroyed during Worldcon Floating Island, or are > > you thinking of something other than the "Kaboomite Incident"? > >Different one. Kohran gave Eddie some Ideas (yes the capital IS >necessary) and, well, I'm not hurting for raw materials at the moment >and we're missing an asteroid.
One you could spare, I hope.
(I hope Kohran didn't give Eddie any new ideas, from when the Visitors stopped by... Some of what they left behind with her scares *me*, and I've put it into a 50-year lockdown. I can't control what she remembers, though.)
> > (Which reminds me - I have to bug Rockhounds about when they're going to > > deliver that rock I want to turn into a farm. Can't impose on Grovers' > > Corners forever... Do you have any pull with them, A.C.?) > >I've dinged my contacts, but it doesn't seem likely they'll start >outfitting on yours until next year (they have started it however). If >you want something sooner it can be arranged, but it'll cost a lot more.
I can wait. Thanks.
> > > > Dee, OTOH, is something else entirely. I can't say much without betraying > > > > some confidences, but her work goes way past the bleeding edge, even past > > > > where you & the other Confederation hotshots are. > > > > > > Given some of the stuff I know about that you probably don't, I'm > > > fairly sceptical of that claim. I'll let it slide for now. > > > > Sora's seen at least part of your setup, and she'll be seeing at least > > part of Mal's. Shall we wait for her decision on the matter? > >Much as hate to say it, Sora probably has no idea some of the Deep >Black stuff Mal or I have available.
That's okay. You don't know everything we've got, either. (I hope. Kaboomite is nasty stuff, and I don't want to see you hurt yourself trying to duplicate it).
> > > > Yeah, okay. Let's do this thing. > > > > > > When do you want delivery? > > > > Before mine, if it matters. Mal's on a tighter deadline than I am, and > > I still owe him a few favors. > >Not much. Lebia's working on the custom requirements right now, but his >is virtually ready to go. > > > > Um... We do NOW. We've got an X-Ray lithograph working, and Lebia had > > > some ideas. It's still in early prototyping ATM, so it's not available > > > (and all credit to Dee, but she's nowhere near powerful enough to run > > > this thing anyway). > > > > Mind if I send Kohran over to give that rig a test? She and I have a > > pet project going on based on some of the tech specs that the Visitors > > left in our database, and we could make use of an x-ray litho setup for > > a few days, right now. I'll let you keep copies of the basic 'droid specs. > >Give us a few days to clean up the thing. We're still working out some >nasty quirks.
Can do, and thanks.
> > And if that isn't a big enough a carrot: If Kohran's reading it right, > > there's something in the Visitors' tech database that might help you > > improve that x-ray lithograph gear. How's a potential 3% increase in > > fine resolution sound? > >Nice. ^_- It might stop Leonard's foray into gamma-tech for a while.
Er... yeah. You're *definitely* getting a copy of those specs, then. No charge.
(Washuu only knows what gamma would do to your 'wavium body. Remember all those old Marvel Comics characters that got into a lot of grief from gamma irradiation? I'll bet the handwavium does...)
> > > Anyway, the smallest effective one we can do is 12cm in diameter and > > > 20cm tall. Had to offload the processing to an external core though. > > > The standard manipulators on all of these are 1mm, accurate to about > > > half that. We do have tools for greater accuracy, as well as > > > specialised manipulator extensions. > > > > 4.7"x7.8"? For a bushbot? I'll take a half-dozen, after you've filled > > Mal's order. (We already have an external processor, named Kohran...) > >General or specialised electronic like Mal's put me onto?
Yes.
Okay, okay - an assortment of different styles, please. Whatever you think Kohran could make use of (and we all know she's a Smart Girl.)
> > > > > > I'll be interested to know who ends up with whose horse this time. > > > > > > > > > > Why Mal, I didn't know you were so kinky. ^_- > > > > If this "horse" is what I think it is, you can tell Mal. He's > > co-funding Section 9. > >I believe KJ's handling it for him, so Mal probably already knows.
You've got KJ in the loop on this, Mal? That'll make talking with him easier once you've headed to Delta Pavonis...
> > >P.S. When's your promotion party? > > > > We could all use a break. How about you, me, Mal, and whoever each of > > us wants to invite as an escort all hit Fantasy Island for a couple of > > days before the VVS leaves, and tweak Suzumiya's nose a bit? My treat. > >They got that running?
According to what Star overheard on her last run 'Daneside, the grand opening's next week.
>Anyway, Mal's already got plans. Specifically: > >" > We don't make a huge deal about these things, but if you're in the > > neighborhood of the 250K Saloon next Friday around 20:00 KST you're more > > than welcome to hoist a beer with the various new Colonels an' whatnot. > >If I can make it, I'll be there. Look out for Natalia."
Sounds like a party to crash, then... if you don't mind, Mal. <g > (At least I can give my little girl a proper sendoff...)
From: Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2014
> > What's a rock or two? There's millions of rocks in the solar system > > - billions if you count everything between here and Azkaban. > > Yeah, but it was a BIG rock.
Was it settled? If so, then okay, yeah it was Going Too Far. If not, oh well. Gravel's easier to process for ore anyway.
(And if it was a rock Rockhounds had staked out, I am Jack's howls of derisive laughter.)
> > Dee... isn't. It's not like she's gonna Skynet or anything, but > > she's I think the only AI I've ever met in the system who really > > truly *does not think like a human.* > > Lebia's working on Hardtech A.I.s for her own projects, so this is > something we'll keep an eye out for. It'll be interesting.
If nothing else it should provide for a certain level of entertainment.
> > Still, water under the bridge at this point. I for one welcome my > > new robot overlords, etc. If something happens, we'll deal with it > > or not. > > Might be able to cover for that. Depends if Eddie can get working.
Meh, I'm honestly not really worried about any sort of "rise of the machines" bullshit scenario like the luddite fen out there (and there's an oxymoron for the fucking books). Even if the AIs do get teh drop on us, it's not like there's a huge amount of people abusing their AI out there, and for every dick AI like Trigon there's hundreds of perfectly decent infomorphs. It's a non-issue as far as I'm concerned.
> It's pretty much already paper-trained, but like you said you're > busy. Socialisation time is tricky. More is better, but again you're > busy. And it's been hanging around the Forge, so it's used to all our > foibles. Noah runs a fairly 'Dane operation all told, so Sora's > probably still coping with you guys (amongst other things).
Yeah, you could say that. I don't think she'll ever come to terms with Hangar One, now that I think about it. Not that I blame her for that; it is a bit disconcerting.
> > Figure that'll be done around the end of the month. Right after > > SerenityCon would be best, I think, especially if we're going to go > > ahead and swap out the relays for the newer models. > > Probably a good idea. Sora probably needs to finish that work before > getting on top of an inquisitive Tachikoma. You got any copies of > rules, regs, and operation procedures you can send? I'll have it > learn them. If it'll help I'll train it up on the Drone programming > tools (unlike the general Tachikoma habit of just taking them over. > At least they only do that with inactive ones).
Attached the UCJ and our general safety regs. Shouldn't be anything too different from what you've got at the Forge.
Oh, while I'm thinking about it (and because I can't believe I didn't think about it before) can you demil it before sending it over?
> This'll be my busiest Con since KandorCon, but unlike that one I > won't be running from a couple thousand rampaging Senshi. Depending > on how things go I might be unveiling some big surprises.
I look forward to the presentations, then.
> > > The standard manipulators on all of these are 1mm, accurate to > > > about half that. We do have tools for greater accuracy, as well > > > as specialised manipulator extensions. > > > > 1mm's not bad for a first-gen bushbot. 1um would be better, > > especially for electronics work, but for general assembly that'd be > > fine. > > For electronics I already have specialised machines, but I can do > that if you want. It'll cost a bit more of course, plus the time for > us to work up the programming tools.
Nah, if we need it we'll figure something out on our own. So far we've been getting by well enough with surplus gear from dirtside, and the more complex stuff... well, we're still working on that.
> > Hm... what's the baseline quirk on those, and how do they respond > > to outside quirks, especially noise-related ones? Our yard setup is > > pretty much self contained, but we've got to have "Powerhouse" > > playing on a loop to get it to work right. > > Quirkwise they're not too bad. The trees like having plants around of > course, the crabs need oiling twice a day (but you can use synthetic > and get the other drones to apply it), and the squids like shonen ai > mangas to read.
That's pretty reasonable. Plants might be a little difficult, since the yards at Gagarin are low-pressure environments for safety's sake. Still, a challenge is a challenge.
> The only problem I can foresee is they drop in efficiency by 10% a > day if they're within 10m of fish products. Living fish are OK, but > you may have to cut back on the caviar.
- snrk* I haven't had caviar in years, not since... huh, probably the Yuri's Night '11 party in Paris. Now *that* was a blast.
> (Hum... We've got a disused Hydroponics tank, can we farm fish up > here? Must look into it.)
If you check out the Juvie colonization wiki, they've got a dozen different designs for functional aquaculture tankage. Great stuff, though the variety of fish is a little limited.
(manufacturing one-upping contest snipped, 'cause we could go at that all week and not get anywhere)
> > Yeah, I think we're going to want six of the baseline units, > > stripped of the usual cruft & ready to plug into the sat frames. > > They won't be ready until after SerenityCon, good enough?
Suits. That'll give us the time we need to refit the frames properly.
> > Who has time for relaxation these days? I haven't had a proper day > > off since SOS-Con. Between gearing up for the expedition, resorting > > all the admin paperwork, briefing the newbies, plus getting all our > > ducks in a row for Noah's new shiny... is it any wonder why I'm > > wintering in Delta Pavonis? > > Again, Kettle thou art black. I can get away with being that much a > workaholic Mal, what with being a full waveborg.
Bah, to quote the poet I'll be mellow when I'm dead. Besides, if I wasn't hopping I'd be dead bored with all the waiting around.
> RE: Noah's new shiny, Eddie's sent a few interesting files to KJ if > you want a look.
Glanced at 'em, interesting stuff that.
> > We don't make a huge deal about these things, but if you're in the > > neighborhood of the 250K Saloon next Friday around 20:00 KST you're > > more than welcome to hoist a beer with the various new Colonels an' > > whatnot. > > If I can make it, I'll be there. Look out for Natalia.
Will do.
--Mal
To: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib), A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
From: Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > Mal, sorry about this. > > Yes, I should have sent that to both of you. I though sending it just > to A.C. was the better idea, in case she wanted to chastise Lebia in > private - sorry, Mal.
Well, I'll forgive it at least this once. However, if Lebia goes snooping in our system & finds a logic bomb or two, it's her own damn fault.
> > Much as hate to say it, Sora probably has no idea some of the Deep > > Black stuff Mal or I have available. > > That's okay. You don't know everything we've got, either. (I hope. > Kaboomite is nasty stuff, and I don't want to see you hurt yourself > trying to duplicate it).
Pfft. You lot are busy worrying about *weapons.* Over here we have *real* problems.
> > I believe KJ's handling it for him, so Mal probably already knows. > > You've got KJ in the loop on this, Mal? That'll make talking with him > easier once you've headed to Delta Pavonis...
He's not 100% in the loop, since he's still planning on leading the MARS units in the field until major hostilities are over. But he knows enough about our long-range plans that he can fill in for me easily enough.
> > Anyway, Mal's already got plans. Specifically:
(snip)
> > If I can make it, I'll be there. Look out for Natalia." > > Sounds like a party to crash, then... if you don't mind, Mal. (At > least I can give my little girl a proper sendoff...)
Well, just keep the number of gatecrashers low. Plus, the Colonial Fleet's gonna be in town this week (joint exercise with the Warsies, IIRC) so there's a 50/50 chance of a bar brawl with a gaggle of rowdy milfen. Wear good stomping boots & clothes you wouldn't mind getting beer and/or blood on. It'll be fun!
--Mal
From: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
To: Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> Was it settled? If so, then okay, yeah it was Going Too Far. If not, > oh well. Gravel's easier to process for ore anyway. > > (And if it was a rock Rockhounds had staked out, I am Jack's howls > of derisive laughter.)
Non-settled, non-claimed, not much use. Which is why I haven't yanked Eddie from the Stallion.
> Meh, I'm honestly not really worried about any sort of "rise of the > machines" bullshit scenario like the luddite fen out there (and there's > an oxymoron for the fucking books). Even if the AIs do get teh drop > on us, it's not like there's a huge amount of people abusing their AI > out there, and for every dick AI like Trigon there's hundreds of > perfectly decent infomorphs. It's a non-issue as far as I'm concerned.
Virtually all of the Cybers would agree, including me. I'm just paranoid.
> Attached the UCJ and our general safety regs. Shouldn't be anything > too different from what you've got at the Forge. > > Oh, while I'm thinking about it (and because I can't believe I didn't > think about it before) can you demil it before sending it over?
Done.
> > Quirkwise they're not too bad. The trees like having plants around of > > course, the crabs need oiling twice a day (but you can use synthetic > > and get the other drones to apply it), and the squids like shonen ai > > mangas to read. > > That's pretty reasonable. Plants might be a little difficult, since the yards > at Gagarin are low-pressure environments for safety's sake. Still, a > challenge is a challenge.
Greenpeace can supply these, so I'll include some.
> > (Hum... We've got a disused Hydroponics tank, can we farm fish up > > here? Must look into it.) > > If you check out the Juvie colonization wiki, they've got a dozen different > designs for functional aquaculture tankage. Great stuff, though the variety > of fish is a little limited.
Thanks. We can work on that.
> (manufacturing one-upping contest snipped, 'cause we could go at that > all week and not get anywhere)
True. Let's agree to disagree here. Thanks for the argument anyway, made me feel almost normal.
From: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
To: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > > Mal, sorry about this. > > > > Yes, I should have sent that to both of you. I though sending it just > > to A.C. was the better idea, in case she wanted to chastise Lebia in > > private - sorry, Mal. > > Well, I'll forgive it at least this once. However, if Lebia goes snooping > in our system & finds a logic bomb or two, it's her own damn fault.
Consider Lebia duly chastised now, and I hope she never HAS to do that Mal.
> > > Much as hate to say it, Sora probably has no idea some of the Deep > > > Black stuff Mal or I have available. > > > > That's okay. You don't know everything we've got, either. (I hope. > > Kaboomite is nasty stuff, and I don't want to see you hurt yourself > > trying to duplicate it). > > Pfft. You lot are busy worrying about *weapons.* Over here we have > *real* problems.
No comment.
> > > If I can make it, I'll be there. Look out for Natalia." > > > > Sounds like a party to crash, then... if you don't mind, Mal. (At > > least I can give my little girl a proper sendoff...) > > Well, just keep the number of gatecrashers low. Plus, the Colonial > Fleet's gonna be in town this week (joint exercise with the Warsies, > IIRC) so there's a 50/50 chance of a bar brawl with a gaggle of rowdy > milfen. Wear good stomping boots & clothes you wouldn't mind getting > beer and/or blood on. It'll be fun!
Not Sora's thing Mal. If the place is good enough for you, it's good enough for KCPD. :-)
From: Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > (And if it was a rock Rockhounds had staked out, I am Jack's howls > > of derisive laughter.) > > Non-settled, non-claimed, not much use. Which is why I haven't yanked > Eddie from the Stallion.
Well, there you go then.
> > Oh, while I'm thinking about it (and because I can't believe I > > didn't think about it before) can you demil it before sending it > > over? > > Done.
Excellent. Not much use for heavy weapons on a deep space expedition, after all, and no sense in tempting fate.
> > That's pretty reasonable. Plants might be a little difficult, since > > the yards at Gagarin are low-pressure environments for safety's > > sake. Still, a challenge is a challenge. > > Greenpeace can supply these, so I'll include some.
Now I'm curious.
> > (manufacturing one-upping contest snipped, 'cause we could go at > > that all week and not get anywhere) > > True. Let's agree to disagree here. Thanks for the argument anyway, > made me feel almost normal.
Y'know, at some point we ought to collaborate on some sort of huge engineering project, something that's completely insane, cost more money than Noah's got in his piggy bank and would change the landscape of Fenspace forever. Maybe after the war's over and the expedition's come home we can knock a few ideas together, yeah?
--Mal
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen), Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
From: Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > Well, I'll forgive it at least this once. However, if Lebia goes > > snooping in our system & finds a logic bomb or two, it's her own > > damn fault. > > Consider Lebia duly chastised now, and I hope she never HAS to do > that Mal.
- shrug* If she doesn't go snooping, nothing will happen. We all have our secrets.
> > Pfft. You lot are busy worrying about *weapons.* Over here we have > > *real* problems. > > No comment.
- pleasant grin*
> > Well, just keep the number of gatecrashers low. Plus, the Colonial > > Fleet's gonna be in town this week (joint exercise with the > > Warsies, IIRC) so there's a 50/50 chance of a bar brawl with a > > gaggle of rowdy milfen. Wear good stomping boots & clothes you > > wouldn't mind getting beer and/or blood on. It'll be fun! > > Not Sora's thing Mal. If the place is good enough for you, it's good > enough for KCPD.
Hey, it's not *my* fault that whenever the Colonials show up in town a gaggle of their bravos wander into a bar & start talking smack about "toaster-loving traitors" and whatnot. I'm a man of peace and good will, but even my monstrous patience has limits. Thankfully, no matter how bellicose a Viper hotshot might get, a shockrod to the testicles calms 'em down much like any other guy.
--Mal
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
From: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > > Well, I'll forgive it at least this once. However, if Lebia goes > > > snooping in our system & finds a logic bomb or two, it's her own > > > damn fault. > > > > Consider Lebia duly chastised now, and I hope she never HAS to do > > that Mal. > >*shrug* If she doesn't go snooping, nothing will happen. We all have >our secrets. > > > > Pfft. You lot are busy worrying about *weapons.* Over here we have > > > *real* problems. > > > > No comment. > >*pleasant grin*
A.C., what Mal isn't saying is your "no comment", in this circle, makes it obvious you've got something to hide.
Do I have something to hide? Consider who blew through here a month and a half ago. Consider who ferried them around, and talked with them. Of
- course* I have something to hide! And I'm keeping it secret because I
don't want the Boskonians getting hold of it.
Speaking of which... Mal, can you take a sealed ten-petabyte memory module with you to Delta Pavonis, and *leave it there*? It's a master copy of a little something I'm going to spring on Serenity-Con. <g >
Sora asked me for permission to share what she learned with you folks. I told her that for most things, then it's okay. Please don't press her on the weapons tech, okay? Sora really doesn't like violence. (What did I ever do to deserve a wonderful daughter like Sora? Yeah, I know - A.C. and I built her...)
> > > Well, just keep the number of gatecrashers low. Plus, the Colonial > > > Fleet's gonna be in town this week (joint exercise with the > > > Warsies, IIRC) so there's a 50/50 chance of a bar brawl with a > > > gaggle of rowdy milfen. Wear good stomping boots & clothes you > > > wouldn't mind getting beer and/or blood on. It'll be fun! > > > > Not Sora's thing Mal. If the place is good enough for you, it's good > > enough for KCPD. > >Hey, it's not *my* fault that whenever the Colonials show up in town a >gaggle of their bravos wander into a bar & start talking smack about >"toaster-loving traitors" and whatnot. I'm a man of peace and good >will, but even my monstrous patience has limits. Thankfully, no matter >how bellicose a Viper hotshot might get, a shockrod to the testicles >calms 'em down much like any other guy.
Some of them aren't guys... Which reminds me: Some Colonials put in for shore leave on Stellvia last week, and they brought along a new fan who vaugely looked not unlike a young Jane Seymor - she called herself "Serina". She seemed like a good kid, and she was looking for work as a pilot. We're giving her a flight test next week. If either of you are interested and she's any good, I'll send you her Interwave contact info. (There was a group of BGC fen visiting the main concourse at the same time the Galacticans were there. Promise me I won't have to listen to any more "Boomer" jokes, please.)
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen), Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
From: Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > > > Pfft. You lot are busy worrying about *weapons.* Over here we > > > > have *real* problems. > > > > > > No comment. > > > > *pleasant grin* > > A.C., what Mal isn't saying is your "no comment", in this circle, > makes it obvious you've got something to hide. > > Do I have something to hide? Consider who blew through here a month > and a half ago. Consider who ferried them around, and talked with > them. Of *course* I have something to hide! And I'm keeping it secret > because I don't want the Boskonians getting hold of it. > > Speaking of which... Mal, can you take a sealed ten-petabyte memory > module with you to Delta Pavonis, and *leave it there*? It's a master > copy of a little something I'm going to spring on Serenity-Con.
Seems a bit extreme for an offsite backup, but I suppose it would be possible. I can't guarantee the module's safety and/or stability once we've left the system, though. "Secure" for me would be "locked in the warden's safe in Azkaban," not "dumped unsecured into an unpatrolled solar system." Still, it's your ass.
> Sora asked me for permission to share what she learned with you > folks. I told her that for most things, then it's okay. Please don't > press her on the weapons tech, okay? Sora really doesn't like > violence. (What did I ever do to deserve a wonderful daughter like > Sora? Yeah, I know - A.C. and I built her...)
At the moment we've got plenty of perfectly servicable weapons (not to mention a perfectly servicable weapons tech) and we don't have anything to mount a reflex cannon on anyway, so that's no big worry. As for learning new things, you okay with me skipping the middleman and just going straight to the module for the goods? Less hassle that way, and it's ~100% likely Sora will end up lending a hand on the project anyway when we're on the ground.
> > Hey, it's not *my* fault that whenever the Colonials show up in > > town a gaggle of their bravos wander into a bar & start talking > > smack about "toaster-loving traitors" and whatnot. I'm a man of > > peace and good will, but even my monstrous patience has limits. > > Thankfully, no matter how bellicose a Viper hotshot might get, a > > shockrod to the testicles calms 'em down much like any other guy. > > Some of them aren't guys... Which reminds me: Some Colonials put in > for shore leave on Stellvia last week, and they brought along a new > fan who vaugely looked not unlike a young Jane Seymor - she called > herself "Serina". She seemed like a good kid, and she was looking for > work as a pilot. We're giving her a flight test next week. If either > of you are interested and she's any good, I'll send you her Interwave > contact info. (There was a group of BGC fen visiting the main > concourse at the same time the Galacticans were there. Promise me I > won't have to listen to any more "Boomer" jokes, please.)
We could probably use the pilots, but I think I'm going to take a pass. Galacticans as a breed aren't very AI-friendly and we're up to our eyeballs in infomorphs over here (hence the bar fights).
--Mal
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
From: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > Speaking of which... Mal, can you take a sealed ten-petabyte memory > > module with you to Delta Pavonis, and *leave it there*? It's a master > > copy of a little something I'm going to spring on Serenity-Con.
> Seems a bit extreme for an offsite backup, but I suppose it would be > possible. I can't guarantee the module's safety and/or stability once > we've left the system, though. "Secure" for me would be "locked in the > warden's safe in Azkaban," not "dumped unsecured into an unpatrolled > solar system." Still, it's your ass.
Oh, I'm going to do that, too. I just want this data to have a decent chance of surviving us, and that means at least one off-site storage location. I'd drop more of these in other systems if I could swing it.
> > Sora asked me for permission to share what she learned with you > > folks. I told her that for most things, then it's okay. Please don't > > press her on the weapons tech, okay? Sora really doesn't like > > violence. (What did I ever do to deserve a wonderful daughter like > > Sora? Yeah, I know - A.C. and I built her...)
> At the moment we've got plenty of perfectly servicable weapons (not to > mention a perfectly servicable weapons tech) and we don't have > anything to mount a reflex cannon on anyway, so that's no big worry. > As for learning new things, you okay with me skipping the middleman > and just going straight to the module for the goods? Less hassle that > way, and it's ~100% likely Sora will end up lending a hand on the > project anyway when we're on the ground.
Well, the whole point to sealing the module was to keep the radiation out, long-term... but I guess Sora can re-seal it once you're there. (Assuming you're taking a roll of gold foil at least 7mm thick, a tube of plain-white pre-mixed PolyFilla, and some raw handwavium, that is. The radiation block doesn't seem to come into existance if you use the mix-it-yourself PolyFilla.) Or I could give you a second copy of the data. Either way, knock yourself out.
Speaking of perfectly-servicable techs, Sora needs monthly maintenance. She has her own specs, but I'll give you a copy of them anyway before you leave.
> > Some of them aren't guys... Which reminds me: Some Colonials put in > > for shore leave on Stellvia last week, and they brought along a new > > fan who vaugely looked not unlike a young Jane Seymor - she called > > herself "Serina". She seemed like a good kid, and she was looking for > > work as a pilot. We're giving her a flight test next week. If either > > of you are interested and she's any good, I'll send you her Interwave > > contact info. (There was a group of BGC fen visiting the main > > concourse at the same time the Galacticans were there. Promise me I > > won't have to listen to any more "Boomer" jokes, please.)
> We could probably use the pilots, but I think I'm going to take a > pass. Galacticans as a breed aren't very AI-friendly and we're up to > our eyeballs in infomorphs over here (hence the bar fights).
And I'm not? (Then again, my "angels" look human.) Besides, Serina may have been with some Colonials, but she seemed to still have the "gosh wow" attitude of a new Fan as well.
But why am I trying to get you to hire her? If she's any good, I'll probably hire her myself, for the right-hand seat on the Ad Astra.
Noah
From: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
To: Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > > That's pretty reasonable. Plants might be a little difficult, since > > > the yards at Gagarin are low-pressure environments for safety's > > > sake. Still, a challenge is a challenge. > > > > Greenpeace can supply these, so I'll include some. > > Now I'm curious.
Greenpeace and the Jason got to talking, and then to trading, and...
Well, the Dyson Tree Greenpeace attempted isn't growing fast enough for anyone to worry about and she's working on varieties of his space capable plants for the early Mars farming projects in her spare time.
>Y'know, at some point we ought to collaborate on some sort of huge > engineering project, something that's completely insane, cost more > money than Noah's got in his piggy bank and would change the > landscape of Fenspace forever. Maybe after the war's over and the > expedition's come home we can knock a few ideas together, yeah?
Sounds like fun.
From: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
To: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > > > Pfft. You lot are busy worrying about *weapons.* Over here we have > > > > *real* problems. > > > > > > No comment. > > > > *pleasant grin* > > A.C., what Mal isn't saying is your "no comment", in this circle, makes > it obvious you've got something to hide.
Actually, I was trying NOT to comment on what Mal considers a '*real* problem'.
Of course I have something to hide. EVERYBODY has something to hide, even if it's just from themselves (been there, done that). Keeping secret how secret those secrets are is S.O.P. for most people.
> Do I have something to hide? Consider who blew through here a month and > a half ago. Consider who ferried them around, and talked with them. Of > *course* I have something to hide! And I'm keeping it secret because I > don't want the Boskonians getting hold of it.
Reason #50 for keeping secrets.
> Speaking of which... Mal, can you take a sealed ten-petabyte memory > module with you to Delta Pavonis, and *leave it there*? It's a master > copy of a little something I'm going to spring on Serenity-Con. >
You going to let that loose then? Well, at least this con will be buzzing.
> Some of them aren't guys... Which reminds me: Some Colonials put in for > shore leave on Stellvia last week, and they brought along a new fan who > vaugely looked not unlike a young Jane Seymor - she called herself > "Serina". She seemed like a good kid, and she was looking for work as a > pilot. We're giving her a flight test next week. If either of you are > interested and she's any good, I'll send you her Interwave contact info.
Don't need a test pilot right now. Eddie's busy on other things, and not on ship designs at the moment. And Lebia's finished working on the Thunderhawks.
> (There was a group of BGC fen visiting the main concourse at the same > time the Galacticans were there. Promise me I won't have to listen to > any more "Boomer" jokes, please.)
- Wince* Isn't that cruel and unusual punishment?
I'll be bringing my whip and some Mellow bombs. Consider yourself warned.
From: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
To: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
> > Seems a bit extreme for an offsite backup, but I suppose it would be > > possible. I can't guarantee the module's safety and/or stability once > > we've left the system, though. "Secure" for me would be "locked in the > > warden's safe in Azkaban," not "dumped unsecured into an unpatrolled > > solar system." Still, it's your ass. > > Oh, I'm going to do that, too. I just want this data to have a decent > chance of surviving us, and that means at least one off-site storage > location. I'd drop more of these in other systems if I could swing it.
Backups are good. Backups are nice. Backups can be a pain in the ass.
> Well, the whole point to sealing the module was to keep the radiation > out, long-term... but I guess Sora can re-seal it once you're there. > (Assuming you're taking a roll of gold foil at least 7mm thick, a tube > of plain-white pre-mixed PolyFilla, and some raw handwavium, that is. > The radiation block doesn't seem to come into existance if you use the > mix-it-yourself PolyFilla.) Or I could give you a second copy of the > data. Either way, knock yourself out.
I was offered a copy of this as well Noah, but I pointed them in your direction. I know myself well enough to understand I'd go into it and not come out for months. Hence, I'm working on other stuff so I don't get obsessed when you do release it.
> Speaking of perfectly-servicable techs, Sora needs monthly maintenance. > She has her own specs, but I'll give you a copy of them anyway before > you leave.
That's an awful pun Noah. Unfortunately true, but still. Too bad we're so busy, or I'd offer some upgrades to match Kasumi and Lebia (Greenpeace is too biological, and I doubt they want to match Andy).
> > We could probably use the pilots, but I think I'm going to take a > > pass. Galacticans as a breed aren't very AI-friendly and we're up to > > our eyeballs in infomorphs over here (hence the bar fights). > > And I'm not? (Then again, my "angels" look human.) Besides, Serina may > have been with some Colonials, but she seemed to still have the "gosh > wow" attitude of a new Fan as well.
<wistful > Ah, those were the days... Life was clean and simple, no-one had heard of Boskonians, and I couldn't win beauty contests. </wistful >
> But why am I trying to get you to hire her? If she's any good, I'll > probably hire her myself, for the right-hand seat on the Ad Astra.
Because gosh-darn-it you're a nice guy? And it gets you kisses?
From: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
To: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Sun July 14th 2013
Replying to two messages at once...
> > > > > Pfft. You lot are busy worrying about *weapons.* Over here we have > > > > > *real* problems. > > > > > > > > No comment. > > > > > > *pleasant grin* > > > > A.C., what Mal isn't saying is your "no comment", in this circle, makes > > it obvious you've got something to hide. > >Actually, I was trying NOT to comment on what Mal considers a '*real* >problem'. > >Of course I have something to hide. EVERYBODY has something to hide, >even if it's just from themselves (been there, done that). Keeping >secret how secret those secrets are is S.O.P. for most people. > > > Do I have something to hide? Consider who blew through here a month and > > a half ago. Consider who ferried them around, and talked with them. Of > > *course* I have something to hide! And I'm keeping it secret because I > > don't want the Boskonians getting hold of it. > >Reason #50 for keeping secrets. > > > Speaking of which... Mal, can you take a sealed ten-petabyte memory > > module with you to Delta Pavonis, and *leave it there*? It's a master > > copy of a little something I'm going to spring on Serenity-Con. > > > >You going to let that loose then? Well, at least this con will be >buzzing.
Yep. Nobody's disrupted a Con this much since the Kaboomite Incident.
(I'm not counting what Suzumiya did with SOS-Con - that was planned, not a disruption.)
> > Some of them aren't guys... Which reminds me: Some Colonials put in for > > shore leave on Stellvia last week, and they brought along a new fan who > > vaugely looked not unlike a young Jane Seymor - she called herself > > "Serina". She seemed like a good kid, and she was looking for work as a > > pilot. We're giving her a flight test next week. If either of you are > > interested and she's any good, I'll send you her Interwave contact info. > >Don't need a test pilot right now. Eddie's busy on other things, and >not on ship designs at the moment. And Lebia's finished working on the >Thunderhawks.
Ah, okay.
Waitaminute... "Thunderhawks"?
> > (There was a group of BGC fen visiting the main concourse at the same > > time the Galacticans were there. Promise me I won't have to listen to > > any more "Boomer" jokes, please.) > >*Wince* Isn't that cruel and unusual punishment?
It could have been worse - everybody's favorite Seawolf-class sub was in for shore leave the week before. If the arguments were about "Boomer" vs. "boomer" vs. "Boomer", they probably would have trashed Meg's even worse than the actual brawl did.
>I'll be bringing my whip and some Mellow bombs. Consider yourself >warned.
Not my kind of party... I'll just sit in the corner with whoever decides to come with me. (Probably Yayoi.)
Second message...
> > > Seems a bit extreme for an offsite backup, but I suppose it would be > > > possible. I can't guarantee the module's safety and/or stability once > > > we've left the system, though. "Secure" for me would be "locked in the > > > warden's safe in Azkaban," not "dumped unsecured into an unpatrolled > > > solar system." Still, it's your ass. > > > > Oh, I'm going to do that, too. I just want this data to have a decent > > chance of surviving us, and that means at least one off-site storage > > location. I'd drop more of these in other systems if I could swing it. > >Backups are good. Backups are nice. Backups can be a pain in the ass. > > > Well, the whole point to sealing the module was to keep the radiation > > out, long-term... but I guess Sora can re-seal it once you're there. > > (Assuming you're taking a roll of gold foil at least 7mm thick, a tube > > of plain-white pre-mixed PolyFilla, and some raw handwavium, that is. > > The radiation block doesn't seem to come into existance if you use the > > mix-it-yourself PolyFilla.) Or I could give you a second copy of the > > data. Either way, knock yourself out. > >I was offered a copy of this as well Noah, but I pointed them in your >direction. I know myself well enough to understand I'd go into it and >not come out for months. Hence, I'm working on other stuff so I don't >get obsessed when you do release it.
Ah, so it's your fault I have to spend a small fortune on making customized copies of this for everyone. Remember that when you don't get a card from me next Life Day.
(Before you ask - the customized copies will have what each person probably can use right away. For example, The Jason won't be getting the cybernetics tech right off, while Wave Convoy won't be getting the biotech in his first batch.)
> > Speaking of perfectly-servicable techs, Sora needs monthly maintenance. > > She has her own specs, but I'll give you a copy of them anyway before > > you leave. > >That's an awful pun Noah. Unfortunately true, but still. Too bad we're >so busy, or I'd offer some upgrades to match Kasumi and Lebia >(Greenpeace is too biological, and I doubt they want to match Andy).
Thanks, but I'm not sure your upgrades would mesh with the upgrades Skuld gave Sora and Yayoi. (Including more Honey than I would have thought wise... or possible. They're never going to forget anything again unless they want to. Mal, you might want to keep that in mind...)
Yes, the upgrades are included in the module. You sure you don't want a copy? <evil grin >
> > > We could probably use the pilots, but I think I'm going to take a > > > pass. Galacticans as a breed aren't very AI-friendly and we're up to > > > our eyeballs in infomorphs over here (hence the bar fights). > > > > And I'm not? (Then again, my "angels" look human.) Besides, Serina may > > have been with some Colonials, but she seemed to still have the "gosh > > wow" attitude of a new Fan as well. > ><wistful > >Ah, those were the days... Life was clean and simple, no-one had heard >of Boskonians, and I couldn't win beauty contests. ></wistful > > > > But why am I trying to get you to hire her? If she's any good, I'll > > probably hire her myself, for the right-hand seat on the Ad Astra. > >Because gosh-darn-it you're a nice guy? And it gets you kisses?
But I don't want kisses from Mal... (Kali or 'Lena, maybe, and I'll never turn down a kiss from Sora, but I don't want one from Mal.)
Noah
From: A.C. Peters (rock_doc@prometheus_forge.fen)
To: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib), Col. Mal Fnord, VVS (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Subject: Re: Listening to the birds...
Date: Mon July 15th 2013
<Snip >
> > You going to let that loose then? Well, at least this con will be > > buzzing. > > Yep. Nobody's disrupted a Con this much since the Kaboomite Incident. > > (I'm not counting what Suzumiya did with SOS-Con - that was planned, not > a disruption.)
It'll probably overshadow some of my own announcements, if I can get what I'm planning to WORK.
> Waitaminute... "Thunderhawks"?
Something Lebia came up with that I'm thinking about offering to Section 2. She heard about the Virgil Samms whilst we were visiting and wanted to match it. They're specially waved Honda Firebirds with a coilgun side-mounted. She managed to get a couple up to 0.185c, but generally they come out 0.17c.
I'm thinking three types: Civilian (0.17c), Courier (0.18c, easy enough to do), and Patrol (0.185c). Probably mix and match the coilguns on them as well.
> > > (There was a group of BGC fen visiting the main concourse at the same > > > time the Galacticans were there. Promise me I won't have to listen to > > > any more "Boomer" jokes, please.) > > > > *Wince* Isn't that cruel and unusual punishment? > > It could have been worse - everybody's favorite Seawolf-class sub was in > for shore leave the week before. If the arguments were about "Boomer" > vs. "boomer" vs. "Boomer", they probably would have trashed Meg's even > worse than the actual brawl did.
Are you still interested in some Clay Pigeons? I can put a rush order together. That way if someone tries that again you can have them webbed to a wall or something.
> > I'll be bringing my whip and some Mellow bombs. Consider yourself > > warned. > > Not my kind of party... I'll just sit in the corner with whoever decides > to come with me. (Probably Yayoi.)
Just attempting some crowd control. I'll probably join you congratulating Sora while commiserating Mal and KJ, then we adults can leave and let the rest of them have their fun. I have access to the JLA council chamber if you want somewhere quiet with a view for a couple of hours?
> Second message...
<snip >
> > I was offered a copy of this as well Noah, but I pointed them in your > > direction. I know myself well enough to understand I'd go into it and > > not come out for months. Hence, I'm working on other stuff so I don't > > get obsessed when you do release it. > > Ah, so it's your fault I have to spend a small fortune on making > customized copies of this for everyone. Remember that when you don't > get a card from me next Life Day.
So noted.
> (Before you ask - the customized copies will have what each person > probably can use right away. For example, The Jason won't be getting > the cybernetics tech right off, while Wave Convoy won't be getting the > biotech in his first batch.)
It's better than me getting it and disappearing from the Solar System until next year before anyone else learned of it.
> > > Speaking of perfectly-servicable techs, Sora needs monthly maintenance. > > > She has her own specs, but I'll give you a copy of them anyway before > > > you leave. > > > > That's an awful pun Noah. Unfortunately true, but still. Too bad we're > > so busy, or I'd offer some upgrades to match Kasumi and Lebia > > (Greenpeace is too biological, and I doubt they want to match Andy). > > Thanks, but I'm not sure your upgrades would mesh with the upgrades > Skuld gave Sora and Yayoi. (Including more Honey than I would have > thought wise... or possible. They're never going to forget anything > again unless they want to. Mal, you might want to keep that in mind...)
Given that I haven't forgotten anything since the Accident, and can't forget, I think I'm a tad envious.
Anyway, I was thinking updating the bio-mimetics, adding a self-repair system, and maybe fixing their eyesight in-between general servicing and whatever they wanted doing. Not sure what else Skuld would have offered that wouldn't need extensive re-work and parts.
> Yes, the upgrades are included in the module. You sure you don't want a > copy? <evil grin >
I'll be a good girl, and wait for my copy.
> > > But why am I trying to get you to hire her? If she's any good, I'll > > > probably hire her myself, for the right-hand seat on the Ad Astra. > > > > Because gosh-darn-it you're a nice guy? And it gets you kisses? > > But I don't want kisses from Mal... (Kali or 'Lena, maybe, and I'll > never turn down a kiss from Sora, but I don't want one from Mal.)
You sure your head's on straight now Noah? You and Mal? Not an image I'd normally consider.
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