My next post will be in a new thread.
Tennie: Yes, and I don't know why.
Rob: Wow. Just when you think you know music...
CD: Quite... though the parallel wasn't intentional. I was basically asking myself "Given Jail Scaglietti, what sort of work would it take to support him in a (slightly) more fleshed-out universe?"The answer ended up being something like "Lots". That, and Uno really needed some depth. She was basically Mission Control and window dressing in StrikerS- there had to be more to her than that.
**********
I shook my head. "Should I assume that that's an understatement?"
She turned to face me, and flicked a window over to hover in front of me. Reams of data scrolled past my eyes- packed with statistics and programming code. "This is the weekly review of the automated manufactories." Another five windows joined it, each one full of coordinates and specifications. "These are the materials purchase orders for next week's production." Another large window, this one looking much more familiar, pushed them out of the way. "This is the budget for all the doctor's enterprises, adjusted for the recent decrease in patent licensing fees. And this-"
I waved my hands in front of me in surrender. "No more, please. I understand." I swept the windows she'd sent me up, squeezing them into a form I could handle one-handed, and tossed them back to Uno.
She spread them back out, exactly as they were before, and went back to work, a slight smirk on her face. "As you can see, I'm responsible for far more than just 'helping him work'. Think of me as Doctor Scaglietti's secretary, assistant, and seneschal- as well as the administrator of this facility. Even with Flawless Secretary, I have much to do."
"Very true." After a second, something Uno said hit me. "...wait. The doctor has patents? On what?"
She rezzed up a new window with a thought, flicking it over to me without breaking her rhythm. "As of last week, I've submitted eight hundred and sixty-four patents across one hundred and twelve false identities, covering everything from office equipment to medical procedures." Uno's small smile grew- I've never seen her this pleased before! "Not only have I made Jail Scaglietti profitable, but I'm saving a projected fifty thousand lives every year... including roughly eleven thousand children. It... feels good, honestly, to know that."
Hmm. On the one hand, she's loyal to Doc Bastard- she'd say or do anything that advanced his cause. This might be disinformation. On the other hand, I always did wonder how the doctor afforded all those wonderful toys. TSAB backing couldn't pay for everything- not under the table. I'll believe her for now- but check it when I get access to independent sources.
I moved forward, standing right in front of Uno, and looked right into her eyes. "The doctor doesn't know about this, does he?"
Uno snorted. "I love my father, Imma, and I will serve him until the end of my days, but the man couldn't balance a checkbook to save his life. He doesn't care about anything but his ambitions, his family, and the sciences. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care." She sounded dismissive, but I could see a momentary flicker of something- Doubt? Fear?- in her expression.
I waited a few seconds, just to set the mood, before gently smiling. "Why should he know? The doctor has a lot on his mind- worrying about things like money and patents would just get in his way."
Uno's expression didn't change much, and she didn't stop working, but I could see gratitude in her eyes.Instead of leaving, though, I just stood there, deep in thought. Spells need testing. Real-world experience best- missions too infrequent- need to find battles elsewhere. Bounty hunting? Freelance vigilantilism? Either way, can't go as Imma. Can't be linked to JS. Ford Prefect identity known to TSAB, older than I am right now.
"Hey, Uno? I've been thinking about something I can do, and I was wondering..."
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
Tennie: Yes, and I don't know why.
Rob: Wow. Just when you think you know music...
CD: Quite... though the parallel wasn't intentional. I was basically asking myself "Given Jail Scaglietti, what sort of work would it take to support him in a (slightly) more fleshed-out universe?"The answer ended up being something like "Lots". That, and Uno really needed some depth. She was basically Mission Control and window dressing in StrikerS- there had to be more to her than that.
**********
I shook my head. "Should I assume that that's an understatement?"
She turned to face me, and flicked a window over to hover in front of me. Reams of data scrolled past my eyes- packed with statistics and programming code. "This is the weekly review of the automated manufactories." Another five windows joined it, each one full of coordinates and specifications. "These are the materials purchase orders for next week's production." Another large window, this one looking much more familiar, pushed them out of the way. "This is the budget for all the doctor's enterprises, adjusted for the recent decrease in patent licensing fees. And this-"
I waved my hands in front of me in surrender. "No more, please. I understand." I swept the windows she'd sent me up, squeezing them into a form I could handle one-handed, and tossed them back to Uno.
She spread them back out, exactly as they were before, and went back to work, a slight smirk on her face. "As you can see, I'm responsible for far more than just 'helping him work'. Think of me as Doctor Scaglietti's secretary, assistant, and seneschal- as well as the administrator of this facility. Even with Flawless Secretary, I have much to do."
"Very true." After a second, something Uno said hit me. "...wait. The doctor has patents? On what?"
She rezzed up a new window with a thought, flicking it over to me without breaking her rhythm. "As of last week, I've submitted eight hundred and sixty-four patents across one hundred and twelve false identities, covering everything from office equipment to medical procedures." Uno's small smile grew- I've never seen her this pleased before! "Not only have I made Jail Scaglietti profitable, but I'm saving a projected fifty thousand lives every year... including roughly eleven thousand children. It... feels good, honestly, to know that."
Hmm. On the one hand, she's loyal to Doc Bastard- she'd say or do anything that advanced his cause. This might be disinformation. On the other hand, I always did wonder how the doctor afforded all those wonderful toys. TSAB backing couldn't pay for everything- not under the table. I'll believe her for now- but check it when I get access to independent sources.
I moved forward, standing right in front of Uno, and looked right into her eyes. "The doctor doesn't know about this, does he?"
Uno snorted. "I love my father, Imma, and I will serve him until the end of my days, but the man couldn't balance a checkbook to save his life. He doesn't care about anything but his ambitions, his family, and the sciences. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care." She sounded dismissive, but I could see a momentary flicker of something- Doubt? Fear?- in her expression.
I waited a few seconds, just to set the mood, before gently smiling. "Why should he know? The doctor has a lot on his mind- worrying about things like money and patents would just get in his way."
Uno's expression didn't change much, and she didn't stop working, but I could see gratitude in her eyes.Instead of leaving, though, I just stood there, deep in thought. Spells need testing. Real-world experience best- missions too infrequent- need to find battles elsewhere. Bounty hunting? Freelance vigilantilism? Either way, can't go as Imma. Can't be linked to JS. Ford Prefect identity known to TSAB, older than I am right now.
"Hey, Uno? I've been thinking about something I can do, and I was wondering..."
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.