[story][Fenspace Alternates] The South Is Rising, Someone Get A Hammer

[Jinx999]

From: Jinxie (Jinx999@hotmail.vega.fen)

To: Operation FIREFALL Mailing List (firefall@sovietairforce.fen)

Date: November 29, 2016

Subj: [FIREFALL] Thought
1) Featherstone is supposedly not stupid.
2) The energy requirements to put something like Grover Corners in orbit easily are fairly basic physics. They're not taking into account, handwavium's ability to break any phyical law it chooses, but that would make them overestimate us.
3) Unless we lie through our teeth, it'd be clear we disapprove of him starting a war or commiting genocide.
4) Unless he's completely insane, he would not start a war that he'd lose in a matter of days.

[Black Aeronaut]

From: Benjamin Rhodes (blackrider@roughriders.fen)

To: Operation FIREFALL Mailing List (firefall@sovietariforce.fen)

Date: November 29, 2016

Subj: Re: Good news, bad news, and worse news

>Worse news: We have no idea where to point it... unless the cross-world

>agent I discovered today can help us. (I'll say nothing more about that

>bombshell over comms channels. See me face-to-face if you want details.)

YOU SUNUVA... You know, now I understand why the hell you piss Mal off even more than I do.

First things first, and I think I speak for everyone when I say this: How the hell did you find this person so we can make sure we don't have any spies hidden among our own ranks? Seriously, if I got someone passing vital info about Roughriders to some other extra-dimensional parties, I want Jessica Ayanami to be the first person to know, and not ever the second.

Noah, we're grownups here. Sure, we act like as bunch of big kids at times, but I think we all know how to deal with critical info like that. I don't care if they're 'Just Observing'. Military Intelligence is 'Just Observing'. An act like this can be considered treason no matter where you go.

So share the wealth or pay the consequences.

On to other subjects.

>I don't know about you guys, but I'm not up for becoming the Grand

>Central Station of the multiverse because we panicked.

Mal, there's other universes for that. For one thing, I'm wondering if the Nanoha-verse exists. I'm thinking we could use the assistance of their TSAB.

That's not to say I think we should go looking for help and find trouble instead. That said, first chance we get we need to find these gaijin (again) and start drilling 'em. Hard.

As for backburner projects, well...

Exactly how big do we think this cross-world device is going to be? I need to know because I think I have a platform in mind that might do the trick nicely. Before, I have thought about the idea of having a 'bruise' Navy (black-blue-brown = space-oceanic-littoral). One such element would be a true centerpiece - an all-purpose battle-carrier that is capable of launching offensives against any target and repelling virtually any assault. Yes, it would be massive and take at least a year or two to construct, but from what I'm hearing that's a desirable time frame.

As for why I would want to build such a monstrosity? Teddy Roosevelt once said "Speak softly and carry a big stick." By Skuld, if we're heading into 191-verse, then I wanna be carrying the biggest, Goddess-damned nastiest looking stick these guys have never even dreamed of.

-Benjamin Rhodes

Roughriders of 36 Atalante

"Would you like blind, broke, or bedlam?"

[Cobalt Greywalker]

OOC: Somehow, I don't think we have to go looking for the Nanoha-verse TSAB...

---

10-Space realm
0.8 red, 0.6 antiblue, 0.7 green positive Sigma axis of Gernsback-2
Unknown Vessel
Second Shift, Vessel Time
(Wednesday 30 November 2016, Gernsback-2 calendar)

"We've arrived at our insertion point Captain." The navigator called out, causing the captain to look up from his paperwork.

"Understood. Set condition Blue throughout the ship. I want all sensors hot and ready to go as soon as we transition. Shields up, and prepare for turbulence." The captain ordered, saving his paperwork.

It had been a difficult trip, this dimension well off normal patrol routes. While technically within their sphere of influence, there were very few reasons to head in this direction.

That had all changed when the dimensional sensors nearly exploded due to an Event in this area. That they'd picked it up at this range gave Command heart-attacks.

"All stations report ready." His second-in-command stated, her voice not betraying the apprehension all the crew felt.

"Well then." The captain took a deep breath. "Make jump to Normal Space."

Before the ship, a great hole opened up, showing the black of four-dimensional space as the vessel passed through.

"All sensors online!" The senior Sensor Technician called.

"Transition complete!" The helmswoman announced. "Engines to station-keeping."

"We're twenty light-seconds off target!" The navigator called, surprised. "System elliptic plus 270 light-seconds, elliptic plane positive 600 light-seconds."

"I'm reading a lot of EM radiation." Communications warned. "Looks like basic Radio communication, analysing now."

"A technological civilisation." The second-in-command muttered. "That makes things difficult."

"At least we can find out what the locals know." The captain pointed out.

"Sankt-Kaiser preserve us..." The senior sensor tech breathed, looking at the initial readings. "Captain!"

***

In the briefing room an hour later, the captain sat forward in his chair.

"So, to summarise. We have an interstellar capable but non-unified civilisation, with colonies throughout this solar system and on the nearest star. Their technology is wildly inconsistent, but in cases overmatches ours by a large margin. The Event we detected was one of the Major Powers in this dimension and the continent it mostly sat on being trans-dimensionally swapped with another version. A version the locals recognise from a work of FICTION. And apparently one of their new neighbours is bad enough they're gearing up to strike against it to prevent the atrocities they know are coming."

"Also," The executive officer continued. "There is one, and maybe two, other dimensional organisations involved in this mess. And the natives may have detected our arrival." She sat back with a scowl. "Command is going to love this."

There were a few moments of silence before the captain spoke up again.

"All right. We will head back into transmission range of Command and send them all the data. I'm not qualified for First Contact, so they'll have to send someone out. And sure as heck do we need more researchers."

[robkelk]

(Edit: Retconned-out bits are crossed out.)

From: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
To: Operation FIREFALL Mailing List (firefall@sovietariforce.fen)
Date: November 30, 2016
Subj: URGENT: RESPONSE TEAM NEEDED NOW (was Re: Good news, bad news, and worse news)
Priority: High

>>Worse news: We have no idea where to point it... unless the cross-world
>>agent I discovered today can help us. (I'll say nothing more about that
>>bombshell over comms channels. See me face-to-face if you want details.)

> YOU SUNUVA... You know, now I understand why the hell you piss Mal off
> even more than I do.
>
> First things first, and I think I speak for everyone when I say this:
> How the hell did you find this person so we can make sure we don't have
> any spies hidden among our own ranks?

Not over a comms channel. Part of why I want people to come see me is so
you can pick up the intrusion detectors Kohran is building for you.

I'm posting this from my PDA. We picked up yet another dimensional
intrusion, 20 light-seconds away from Earth and Galactic North of the
ecliptic. Yayoi, Miyuri, and I are taking my store of kaboomite warheads
to the intrusion point, although I hope we don't need to use them.

If you're in your ships, come join the welcoming party.

--
Noah

---

Bridge, Epsilon Blade
30 November 2016

"I've got a good image of the ship," Miyuri announced.

"On my screen, please," ordered Noah. He looked at the feed, then relaxed. "Stand down from red alert. That's an Arthra-class dimensional cruiser. Miyuri, bring the holoemitter on line, please. Good thing I have the Midchilda font in our flyer-design package..."

Briefing Room
TSAB Cruiser

"All right. We will head back into transmission range of Command and send them all the data. I'm not qualified for First Contact, so they'll have to send someone out. And sure as heck do we need more researchers."

"It's too late for that, Captain," replied the helmswoman, from the bridge. "The natives have come out to meet us."

"Are you sure this isn't a chance flyby?"

"Look at this." The helmswoman's face in the view window was replaced by a feed from the port side. There were three ships holding position and another two arriving. The closest ship was displaying what looked like a giant view window showing a message written in formal Mid script: "We request permission for a diplomatic party to board your ship. Please reply."

The executive officer was the first to find his voice. "How does an unadministered world know our language?"

---

(OOC: Damn. I was busy today, and I'll be gone all day tomorrow. You're going to race so far into the story before I can catch up, it won't be funny. Argh.)

[ooc:] Part of the problem with a Email-thread-based fic is that the "tell, don't show" can be knocked out quickly compared to the more carefully thought-out prose bits. FWIW, Stoker used the technological equivalent of his day when he wrote Dracula, but still...

OOC: We could solve both problems by putting the email-style posts on hold and concentrating on writing the meetings with the leaders of the new neighbours - that'll let everyone else catch up while the folks who are busy on Sunday and Monday don't get any farther behind. I believe Mal's got the new-US visit to describe, and BA's got the CSA and Mormon visits... and I've got a couple of stories on the go back in "real" Fenspace that I need to work on. And there are always gaps in the FenWiki to be filled in.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Cobalt Greywalker]

OOC: Couple of problems with your snippit Rob. One, the Exec is female. Two, I put our poor Nanoha-TSAB cruiser about half an AU above the ecliptic and between the orbits of Earth and Mars (about two fifths of the distance between their respective orbits). I'm willing to ignore the second because the image of Fenspace screwing with the minds of several extra-dimensional civilisations at once highly amuses me and won't leave me alone. Of course, it's screwing with the heads of the natives as well, but they're all used to it.

I'm claiming one of the inbounds as the White Stallion. Of course, that means I've got to work out what classes as formal for A.C....

EDIT: I'm surprised no-one's thought about this yet, but what's Haruhi's opinion/reaction on events? With Infinity, Centrum, and Nanoha-TSAB around, all her wants have been answered. Is she just tied down in a Medical Bay on Arisia Station untill she calms down or recovers from the 'episode' she had upon finding out, or what?

[Black Aeronaut]

OOC: You can bet I'll have to take some time to work on this. Worse, I don't have access to the source material while Underway and we don't show any signs of pulling into port real soon.

Nanoha stuff, though... I've seen First season and A's, and I'm currently working on Strikers.

Cobalt: I'll claim the two inbound ships. As for Haruhi, I vote the former. The idea that she went self-destructively spaztastic at the realization of her dreams and had to be sedated is most amuzing to me.

Hope you don't mind me using Rob's data - I don't know how to read the more technical version. (^_^

Of course, we can always retcon this stuff.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"SHIEST!" cried out Gina. "BEN! MAYO-CHAN! SCRAMBLE!" Benjamin and Mayonaka didn't ask questions. they didn't even give each other any funny looks. They simply dropped what they were doing and ran for the hangar (Mayonaka cursing her immature flight wings), confident that Gina would explain once they got into their ships.

Naturally, Gina got to her MiG-31 first (red with gold accents) and was uploading navigational data as soon as her cokpit canopy started dropping. Mayonaka came next, diving into her stasis pod before the lid slammed shut and retracted into the Magnificent Midnight. Then came Ben, who had somehow found something no one would miss to convert his biomod to its active state. He got a little flashy and cartwheeled, punching the hangar floor with his biomodded arm to send him careening neatly into the cockpit of his Firefox (black with silver accents).

It had taken him a year to master that trick.

"We're cleared to go!" came Gina's voice over the radio. "Punch it!" And so they did, leaving the hangar in a blaze of glorie that wasn't entirely figurative.

"Alright, milady," said Ben over the radio. "What's the sitch?"

"Noah sent out an email - he's got a fix on another dimensional intrusion, twenty light-secods from Earth. ETA in two-and-a-half minutes.

"Gotcha. Mayo-chan? Active and passive sensor sweeps on the target zone. Paint us a picture, Little Raven."

"Sure thing, Daddy. ... Whoah! Dad! It's an Arthra-class cruiser from Nanoha!"

Ben blinked as the image came up in his HUD. "Slag it all!" he cursed. "Me and my Texas-sized mouth!"

"Take it easy, Benjamin," said Gina. "These are supposed to be the good guys, remember?"

"And they could be the mirror universe equivilant."

"Point. Mayo-chan, sweetie? Remain in geosynchronous orbit. Your Dad and I will go ahead."

"Awwww. But I got to see President Featherstone and the Mormon Prophet!"

"That was when we were sure you weren't going to be shot at, Little Raven," said Ben. "Once we know it's safe we'll call you, okay?"

*Sigh* "Oh-kaaayyyyy." With that, the Midnight broke off to settle into geosynchronous orbit.

"So, how do you wanna do this? Nice and easy or bright and flashy?"

Ben sighed. "I would love to make them piss their pants, but the last thing I want them to think is that we're doing a kamikaze run."

"Hmph. Spoil sport."

Ben only laughed as they came about to join up with the rest of the welcoming comittee.

[M Fnord]

OOC: Guys, I hate to be a killjoy, but could we please *not* drag the Nanohaverse into this mess? This is exactly the sort of thing I was worried would happen when Noah announced "HEY GAIZ WE CAN BUILD A CORSSTIME SHIP XD" though I wasn't expecting to happen *this fast.*
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[robkelk]

Couple of problems with your snippit Rob.

Assuming we aren't retconning the whole parcel, we can fix those in story-compilation.

Of course, that means I've got to work out what classes as formal for A.C....

Again, assuming we aren't retconning the whole parcel, Leda votes for A.C. to wear her Sailor Mars costume. Noah, after pointing out that Leda isn't there and doesn't get a vote anyway, suggests A.C. wear her JLI dress uniform. At least one TSAB Enforcer wears a cape, after all... (Noah is in his "good" suit - the one with the leather jacket with the Stellvia right-shoulder patch and the OF-8 rank insignia. Yayoi is in Sammie full-dress, with her OF-7 insignia, the crown-and-anchor right-shoulder patch, and the Stellvia left-shoulder patch. Miyuri is wearing her Kibi Space Guard uniform, with Stellvia right-shoulder patch and no rank insignia (since she isn't entitled to any). Sometimes having a personal yacht, with changes of clothes for everyone expected to be aboard, is an advantage.) The three ships on station-keeping would have been the Epsilon Blade, the White Stallion, and a ship to be named later. (It should be from one of the Big Six factions.) The two that the TSAB detected inbound are the MiG-31 and the Magnificent Midnight. This doesn't mean the TSAB detected everybody who's inbound, of course.

As for the SOS-dan, there's a reason Noah included Kyon instead of Haruhi in his first email... Keep Haruhi calm and she might be useful.

Negotiation plans: If Noah has his way, he'll propose Homeline assist in finding TL-191, and that Fenspace and Homeline (and TSAB if they're staying in the story) pool their resources to do so. Homeline has the ability to transit between universes, and Fenspace has Handwavium, the Whole Fenspace Catalog, and (most importantly) neutral ground on which to meet. (Sorry, Mal, but "constant visitors" are better than "overlords".) Noah will resist any attempt at Fenspace becoming a TSAB administered world or a Homeline colony, but will allow embassies on Odyssey, which he'll move out of Mars orbit. If and when Mohammed Chang comes to Noah's attention, he'll make the same offer of non-interference and embassy space to Centrum. Objections?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[ECSNorway]

(OOC: I suggest we have the MGLN folk show up later than this. Much, much, MUCH later. Yes, they're cool, yes, we'd all love to have access to their tech right now. Which is exactly why we shouldn't. It makes solving this issue much too easy. Right now we're dealing with 191-USA; if we get to the point of 'wave a magic wand and make it go away' it isn't much of a story.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Cobalt Greywalker]

OOC: OK, compromise time. Let's go with my original distances (half AU up, 0.2 AU further out). At that range only the fastest Fen ships (0.18 C or above) would make it in an hour (I was originally thinking it was out of range of the DQS sensors). The DQS sensor triggers on arrival, but the distance means it takes twenty-ish minutes to localise. Thus, anyone out there would be well out of visual range (the cruiser being in stealth mode once it detected a civilisation) when it leaves.

The cruiser takes three days to reach max transmission range, and after Command absorbs the data tells it to head home while surveying for a nearby location suitable for a forward base. It takes about three months for said base to be set up, and for the base to deploy a probe off to Fenspace. At which point a bigger problem turns up requiring people and resources that would otherwise be used on the Diplomatic/Research mission.

Fast forward to two years after Event. Local politics has sorted itself out, Earth is recovering from the financial nightmare, and the Fen have finished the prototype Traverser ship. The ship goes off, does an analysis of the universe it arrived in, and comes back.

This trips the sensors on the TSAB drone, causing an 'Oh crap, we forgot about that!' in the Bureau and sees the mission actually turn up.

Of course, if we don't retcon the entire the entire thing.

[M Fnord]

Of course, if we don't retcon the entire the entire thing.

I'm for "recton the entire thing." If people really, *really* want TSAB to show up, we can do like ECS suggested & have them show up much further down the line (assuming the story lasts that long). As it stands, though, the more LOLCROSSTIMEHIJINX get added the more muddled the story becomes, and we haven't even gotten into the whole CSA situation yet.

ETA something that's not just me bitching about MLGN, I give you the theme music for the Corners' arrival in Richmond:


Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Cobalt Greywalker]

The only reason I had the TSAB finding Fenspace is because I literally CAN NOT see them ignoring the transference event if they had any possible way of detecting it. Hell, we could even have the Q popping in to have a look, given the Event's magnitude.

If we make finding TL-191 difficult, I simply see a very frustrated group of people finally finding it. And if they find the cause, opening the sort of whop-ass on those responsible that has their grandmothers (or equivalent, given the nature of such beings) wincing in sympathetic pain.

[M Fnord]

The only reason I had the TSAB finding Fenspace is because I literally CAN NOT see them ignoring the transference event if they had any possible way of detecting it.

*shrug* The multiverse is large, and Alien Space Bats are everywhere. So they don't have a way of detecting it, or at least not a way that lets *this* transfer from the usual background ASB shenanigans. It's a quick and dirty handwave, but it explains *enough* that we don't have magical beamspam intruding into the mess.

Hell, we could even have the Q popping in to have a look, given the Event's magnitude.

I'm not even gonna put this one up for discussion. No. No, a thousand times No.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[ECSNorway]

What Mal said.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Norgarth]

OOC: Okay, well, B.5 command crew are Canadian so we'll be quite willing to assist Canada with that accidental incursion.

On a personal Note, my brother and sister-in-law live in Michigan, so my avater will be quite willing to assist Noah in his research as well.

Finally, between the Starhawk and B.5's other transports, they can probably help with any of the evacuations.
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin

[robkelk]

OOC: If I may suggest... If folks are completely wedded to the TSAB noticing the transference, they discover alt-Fenspace|USA on TL-191|Earth instead of TL-191|USA+CSA on alt-Fenspace|Earth. That way they can be searching from the other direction, and we still have fascists to stomp before that problem gets out of hand.

Once we've finished our war story and gotten to the point where all (instead of some) of alt-Fenspace's resources are devoted to finding our missing relatives and friends, then the TSAB can show up in alt-Fenspace.

Just a suggestion...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[robkelk]

Hell, we could even have the Q popping in to have a look, given the Event's magnitude.

I'm not even gonna put this one up for discussion. No. No, a thousand times No.

Ditto with Arisians, Guardians of the Universe, and other beings of comparable power, right?

I have an idea of how to work godlings into Fenspace if it truly becomes necessary, but this isn't it. (If folks are really interested, ask in another thread.) This setting and these stories are about people, not omnipotent beings (which is why I'm so strongly in the "Haruhi is not God" camp).
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[M Fnord]

Ditto with Arisians, Guardians of the Universe, and other beings of comparable power, right?

Yep.

I'd make an exception for Legion, but only if his sole purpose is to get the fail Brightslapped out of him. Since I can't see that ever being in the cards... well.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[firvulag]

This is probably a little farther back in the timeline (you people write too quickly)

---

The door of the Tim Horton's eased closed behind Master Sergent Lufy Starleaf who looked as though she would rather have slammed it.  Scattered around the tables in the restaurant were most of the rest of the team the Fen had sent to 'help' the Canadians with the minor incursion of an armoured column across their border.  Claiming a free seat next to the ostensible leaders, she accepted a cup of coffee and dropped her head into her hands with a groan.
"Things aren't going well then?"  asked one of the more newly arrived OGJ people, F, Lufy thought he'd been introduced as.
Lufy sighed and took a sip of the coffee.  "I think we've managed to head off a shooting war for the immediate future.  Lieutenant Cartleton seems to have gotten everything calmed down, and that telegram from the US government helped."  Lufy stared at the surface of the coffee for a long moment.  "Our friend from Foreign Affairs isn't helping too much though."  She took another pull on the mug and asked, "What have the Canucks been up to?"
F grimaced, an unhappy expression on his face.  "Mobilizing mostly.  Between this little incident and the fact they've managed to get a summary of Turtledove's work in front of the Defence Minister, some people in Ottawa are deciding to prepare for the worst."  The sour expression on F's face deepened.  "I think they're also worried about the upcoming meeting with the Yankee government.  They're not going to be able to keep the Governor General a secret for too long."  At Lufy's questioning look, he elaborated. "The black, female GG with a white husband, that's going to go over smoothly."
F shook his head and pulled a map over to their table, turning it so Lufy could see.  F traced the highway leading from Winnipeg to Emerson.  "The closest units to us are reservists, part of 38 Canadian Brigade, and based in Winnipeg."  He tapped two points farther west, much farther west.  "1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group is the closest regular force group in Land Force Western Area, and they're on their way.  But their mostly at Edmonton which is pretty far away.  They'll pass through Shilo," here F tapped the map, closer to Winnipeg, " and pick up their artillery, and unfortunately 38 Brigade's artillery here."
Juggling the now empty mug back and forth in her hands Lufy stifled another groan.  "They're not going to go off half-cocked are they?"
F shrugged and pushed his battered hat further back on his head.  "I don't think so.  Colonel Hanomansing seems pretty solid.  But they are digging in north of here, just in case."  He traced another line on the map.  "They didn't say exactly where, but I get the impression that there's going to be a small army dug in just far enough from Emerson to keep it from getting flattened if the Yanks decide to push north."
F took a drink of his own coffee while Lufy studied the wrinkled and much folded topographic map.  Judging by the contours and the rivers, there were a few obvious places for a defender to set up.  "I guess we should know, what have they got?"
"Not much.  Three regiments, sort of.  The Fort Garry Horse are armoured recce, mostly Leopard 2s and C2s.  The other two are light infantry, and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles are a single battalion only."  Gesturing at the map again, F indicated two small dots to the west and east of Winnipeg, both about twice as far away from the provincial capital as Emerson was.  "The closet artillery is in Brandon, waiting for 1 Mechanized, and Kenora."
Leaning back from the table F looked at Lufy for a long moment.  "I really hope we can keep things calm here," he said.
"Yeah, well, try talking to our Quebecois friend.  He is not making things easy."
F snorted at this.  "I'm not surprised.  If he's as true blue a nationalist as you've said, he might just be thinking about how this could be used against the Federal government."
Lufy stood up and stared at F, one eyebrow raised.  "How the hell did he get this job?"
That got her another shrug as F rose to join her.  "Quebec's got a lot of seats in the Parliament.  You don't get enough of them, you're probably not going to get a majority.  So you get appointees in an attempt to make the random Quebecer on the street think the party in charge in Ottawa cares about them."  F followed Lufy towards the door, and began to sing.  Horribly.  "When your voiture cannot start: C'est la faute du federal.  If you have a broken heart: C'est la faute du federal..."
"Please stop."
The horrible sound followed Lufy across the parking lot, past the looming blue and white mobile suit standing guard over the restaurant and towards the local legion hall where the negotiators were talking.
"Il fait trop chaud:  C'est la faute du federal..."
"Enough!"

---

OOC:  I'm going to pretend that Michaëlle Jean got a second term as Governor General, just to make things that much more awkward.
--
No, no, no. @MONOLITH is full of @STARS.
-- Shalon Wood

[ECSNorway]

(Quick OOC note: Lufy (like the rest of the Gall Force cast that I'm using for GSS crew) is a girl. http://img508.imageshack.us/i/51hahefgg0lss500bf7.jpg/ first pic I could find of her, the blonde with the green streak in front.)
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Bob Schroeck]

From: Bob Schroeck (rms@ourtown.fen)
To: Operation FIREFALL Mailing List (firefall@sovietairforce.fen)
CC: "Benjamin Rhodes" (blackrider@roughriders.fen)
Date: November 24, 2016
Subj: [FIREFALL] Re:Visting Hours Are Now Open

> And GC is going to be the closest to the action, if I'm reading Bob correctly.

To some variety of action, yes.

-- Bob

---

From: Bob Schroeck (rms@ourtown.fen)
To: General Fnord (fnord@sovietairforce.fen)
Date: November 24, 2016
Subj: Re: Information Needed - Urgent

> If you have it available, we need a HOWTO file on how you guys managed to put
> together the Corners. Procedures, methods, amount of handwavium necessary, etc.
> We might need it for Contingency Case TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.
> If it's available, package it up and hand it off to Benjamin *after* he's completed
> the diplomatic mission to Richmond. He'll be needing it for his next assignment.

We anticipated this during OGJ, actually, and were surprised no one asked then. 
It's all packaged and ready to go, and I will put a copy in Ben's hands per your
request.

-- Bob

---

From: Bob Schroeck (rms@ourtown.fen)
To: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
Date: November 29, 2016
Subj: Re: Information which may be useful in the current situation

> I cannot believe I completely missed the hint you gave me, Bob - "in a
> space smaller than a barn". (I'll blame it on being busy with 191-Con.)

Hint?    Oh, yes, hint.  Right.  So good of you to pick up on it. 

> Ever read "Doc" Smith's Skylark stories?

Sorry, no.  A few Lensmen novels was all I managed in my misspent youth.
But your explanation is clear and salient and makes much sense.

> It'll take at least three months to build, but *we can do it*.
 
I'd offer you a complete set of specs on how to build a Grover's Corners,
but that takes *two years* -- you can build a big enough hull with
hardtech in that time.

> Now the problem is getting hold of parachronics maps. I don't see any in
> the Whole Fenspace Catalog.

I'm not surprised.  The girls -- speaking as someone who allegedly has
access to their thought processes from time to time -- aren't really
operating with a coherent theory of parachronics.  They've got a couple
worldjump spells/techniques and the ability to sniff out Doug's trail.
If/when they reach Warriors' World, they may have the data necessary to
build their own parachronic theory, but I doubt it'll occur to them.

It may occur to Doug and Dwim, but not to them.

> But I might have a solution there as well.
> (You're familiar with the Infinite Worlds setting SJGames released a few
> years ago, I assume...)

I refer you, sir, to my Amazon.com bookstore page, and will wait until you
draw your own conclusions. 

Meanhile, my conclusion is that it's certainly the closest thing we have to hand
to a parachronic map.

Oh.  Oh... I am brilliant.

At least I think I am.  Do we have the girls' "sniffer" spell or whatever it is that
they use to track Doug?  And can we tune it to something that went with our
US to nasty ol' 119?  Like, say, some kind of souvenir of a national monument
or natural feature?  Like Gene Wilder said in "Young Frankenstein", It Just
Might Work!

-- Bob

---

From: Bob Schroeck (rms@ourtown.fen)
To: Operation FIREFALL Mailing List (firefall@sovietairforce.fen)
Date: November 29, 2016
Subj: Good news, bad news, and worse news

Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib) said:
> (I'll say nothing more about that
> bombshell over comms channels. See me face-to-face if you want details.)

You've been holding out on me, Noah.  You bet I'm going to see you
face-to-face, if only to find this out.

> Question: Do we want to build the cross-world ship?

My vote is yes.

General Fnord (fnord@sovietairforce.fen) wrote:
> Do we know where TL-191 is?

We might.  I had an idea that I just shot to Noah, but I don't know if
it's going to pan out yet.

-- Bob

---

From: Bob Schroeck (rms@ourtown.fen)
To: Operation FIREFALL Mailing List (firefall@sovietairforce.fen)
Date: November 29, 2016
Subj: [FIREFALL] Thought

Jinxie (Jinx999@hotmail.vega.fen) said:
> 2) The energy requirements to put something like Grover Corners in orbit
> easily are fairly basic physics. They're not taking into account, handwavium's
> ability to break any phyical law it chooses, but that would make them
> overestimate us.

It's hard to overestimate the effect of 3/4 of a mile of solid bedrock floating
serenely overhead.  All we'd have to do is try to *land* in a specific location,
and we knock out most of their government.

-- Bob

---

From: Bob Schroeck (rms@ourtown.fen)
To: Operation FIREFALL Mailing List (firefall@sovietairforce.fen)
Date: November 29, 2016
Subj: Re: Good news, bad news, and worse news

Benjamin Rhodes (blackrider@roughriders.fen) said:
> Mal, there's other universes for that. For one thing, I'm wondering if the
> Nanoha-verse exists. I'm thinking we could use the assistance of their TSAB.

Oh, my, yes.  If this comes up as a motion, Imma goan second it *right away*.

> By Skuld, if we're heading into 191-verse, then I wanna be carrying the biggest,
> Goddess-damned nastiest looking stick these guys have never even dreamed of.

Seconding *that*, too.  That's a philosophy I'm in complete agreement with.

-- Bob

---

OOC: We could solve both problems by putting the email-style posts
on hold and concentrating on writing the meetings with the leaders of
the new neighbours - that'll let everyone else catch up while the folks
who are busy on Sunday and Monday don't get any farther behind.

OOC:  In that case, I'm stopping here.  I'm posting what I wrote, because I wrote it as I read, and I'll be damned if I'll scrap all that work, but I'll read straight through the rest of the extant material and see what I can come up with in a narrative form.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Bob Schroeck]

ETA something that's not just me bitching about MLGN, I give you the theme music for the Corners' arrival in Richmond:

Well, yes, that's the idea. 
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Black Aeronaut]

OOC: Consider my last post redacted then. Bandwidth has gone wonky out here and it's making it impossible for me to load the post-editing features of the board. I'll put an email from Ben to Noah instead about him being on his way to get info and hardware.

And as for the little musical bit... clues for the flash movie impaired?

[robkelk]

(Ignoring my own suggestion, because otherwise I'll forget about this...)

From: Noah Scott (bigcheese@stellvia.lib)
To: Bob Schroeck (rms@ourtown.fen)
Date: November 30, 2016
Subj: Re: Information which may be useful in the current situation

> Meanhile, my conclusion is that it's certainly the closest thing we have to hand
> to a parachronic map.
>
> Oh. Oh... I am brilliant.
>
> At least I think I am. Do we have the girls' "sniffer" spell or whatever it is that
> they use to track Doug? And can we tune it to something that went with our
> US to nasty ol' 119? Like, say, some kind of souvenir of a national monument
> or natural feature? Like Gene Wilder said in "Young Frankenstein", It Just
> Might Work!

I've got Yomiko and Takami looking through the grimoires for any trace
of Dee and Leese's sniffer spell.

Souvenirs? We don't need no steenkin' souvenirs! We've got *actual
Shuttles*! And Discovery is still in-system, parked at Port Phobos.

--
Noah Scott, of station Stellvia
It's not a "right" if someone else has to pay for it.
- Ayn Rand
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[firvulag]

ECSNorway wrote:
(Quick OOC note: Lufy (like the rest of the Gall Force cast that I'm using for GSS crew) is a girl. http://img508.imageshack....51hahefgg0lss500bf7.jpg/ first pic I could find of her, the blonde with the green streak in front.)

And that's what I get for not being familiar with the source material.  Corrected.
--
I still want a phone with caller-IQ.
-- Tanuki in the monastery