My next post will be in a new thread. Since the old thread was locked before anybody else could respond, I've reposted this post to the new thread. I'd been intending to lock the old one in two days, when it came time for the next segment, but this also works. ^^
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.