Hi there,
I watched this film in 2d, I'm not sure if it came out in 3d, but I did not see any obvious shots that were put in for the 3d viewing audience. Its a nice little film. It is set in the DC Comic universe. Superman has died (or at least, is not at all well, as they say.) Batman is holding down the fort for the time being and the Government is wondering what they do now ?
Their answer is to gather up the biggest bunch of baddies they can get their hands on and pit them against the uber baddies who will naturally come crawling out of the woodwork next. As they say "Fight fire with fire", a tried and tested solution.
This is another "turn your brain off and enjoy the scrap" film, as I had expected, with a few plot twists along the way. The scraps are ok. Lots of wisecracks. Will Smith gives a fair performance as Deadshot, but there is nothing to tax him here though. I doubt if I will buy this on DVD.
Smiles rather than belly laughs. Rating 7 out of 10.
Ivor
This is for my war gaming and role-playing exploits, including SF worlds, fantasy and post-apocalyptic settings, with a dash of history. A mix of solo and group gameplay. Terrain making is also included, with reviews of figures, TV shows and films.
Tuesday, 30 August 2016
Thursday, 18 August 2016
5P - Ship Log 3d - Job 1 Droids - Trouble pt2
Hi all,
Previously 5P - Ship Log 3d - Job 1 Droids - Trouble pt1.
On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet
Dave and Martin are still trying to troubleshoot the problem of a stuck sensor turret.
Mike, "Rosie to the bridge please. Just to let you know, we do have a technical issue at the moment, but it is not life threatening. Out".
"Maybe she can spot something that we have missed."
Rosie soon appears and they fill her in on the problem, "Well, our options are, we could limp back home to Hougemonte, but having the turret sticking out into the atmosphere would throw us off balance during re-entry, so I would have to manually retard our speed, it could also be damaged or totally wrecked in the process."
She pauses, "We could dock at Wheel One or Two with no problem, then see if they could somehow modify a large safety bubble, attach that to the hull with someone in a spacesuit, they could then remove the spacesuit and make the repair. Time consuming and messy.. But that would violate all sorts of safety regulations along the way, very costly to us."
They all have glum faces, looking at the display, when there is a knock on the door.
David, "Enter."
In walks D 834, "I have been listening to the problem. There is another option that you have missed."
David retorts, "Rubbish."
Martin looks puzzled, "I'm listening D 834."
D 834, "The one thing that you have overlooked," it pauses, "Is that you now have me on board. I do not need a spacesuit and I can fit into Aperture Port 23. I can splice the wires together and repair them at a later date."
Martin considers this, "Ok, D 834, you are our best option, you can give it a try. What do you need ?"
D 834, "Just a heating module, a number 4 toolkit, plus a standard safety line and clips."
Martin, "We will want to monitor your progress, so Ted will fix you up with Hologram capability as well".
D 834 was just about to enter the airlock.
Martin, "Comm Check."
D834 , " Coming through clearly. My eyebrow LED's are turned on and hologram feeds from my eye cameras are transmitting, as requested. The internal fluid heaters are active. The upgrades are working fine. My battery charge is at 93%. All systems are ready."
Rosie, "We have Holo and audio links, all comms are ok. Patching it through to the projectors."
Martin saw a small version of himself appear on the Holomats dotted around the area. "Away you go."
D 834 entered the airlock It closed and latched behind him, began the air storage cycle and the warning panel lit up.
PRESSURE DROPPING, NO ENTRY ALLOWED.
It clipped on the safety lines to the eyelets, tested them and moved to the outer door. The inner panel display read.
INNER PRESSURE ZERO. OUTSIDE PRESSURE ZERO.
INNER GRAV PLATE AT 1.00 GRAVITY. OUTSIDE GRAVITY ZERO.
PRESS BUTTON ZERO TO SOUND ALARM.
PRESS BUTTON ONE TO EMERGENCY PRESSURIZE.
PRESS BUTTON TWO TO OPEN / CLOSE HATCH.
PRESS BUTTON THREE TO PRESSURIZE.
PRESS BUTTON FIVE TO BEGIN DECONTAMINATION CYCLE.
PRESS BUTTON SIX TO PAUSE / RESUME DECONTAMINATION CYCLE.
PRESS BUTTON SEVEN TO BEGIN HEATING TO 17'C.
PRESS BUTTON EIGHT FOR HELP / SETTINGS / CHANGE LANGUAGE.
(Underneath this was a translated message in the Screand and Orkragg languages).
D834 pressed button two.
PLEASE CONFIRM SAFETY LINE IS ATTACHED AT BOTH ENDS BY PRESSING BUTTON FOUR BY THE SAFETY LATCH.
D834 pressed button four.
ATTACHMENT CONFIRMED.
REDUCING INNER GRAV PLATE TO ZERO AND OPENING DOOR.
PLEASE USE THE EXTRUDED HANDHOLDS PROVIDED.
D 834 took hold of the handrail as his weight began to reduce. It was not fitted with "Mag Feet" as it was not expected to be operating in a space environment. It soon floated off the floor.
ZERO GRAVITY, OPENING DOOR.
The door swung open to the blackness of space.
It clipped on its second safety line on the point outside the airlock, then began to move towards AP 23, which was on the left side of the nose. At regular intervals it clipped the line to the handholds as it fed from the spool by its waist.
It halted outside Access Port 23.
Rosie on comms, "I am releasing the safety locks now. You are clear to open the hatch, the security code is 3341 Bravo. The faulty wire is in bundle Hotel 22. Power to that area has been cut."
It felt a small vibration through the handle as the locks disengaged around the port. It entered the code into the keypad. The panel flashed a green light and the hatch sunk into the hull slightly and slid towards the rear, exposing a tunnel. It pulled itself head first inside and looked for section 4a.
Section 4a was outlined with white tape for easy identification. It floated further in to find the optimum working location. Once it had located H22, it locked its feet into a stable position so that it would be operating from a stable base. It selected the snips from the toolkit, then cut the tags holding the wires together, then placed the bits in a waste bag, then spread out the wires for inspection.
D 834, "I have found the cause of the problem. The wire had been rubbing against a protruding bolt end as it vibrated it wore through the insulation, causing a short. Putting some padding over the bolt and a quick splice should fix it. Then I will add some more ties to a bracket that will keep it in a better position."
The job was soon done. It exited out of the port. "Try it now."
Rosie powered up the section again and got a green light on the status board. She pressed the turret deployment switch and it smoothly extended into its operating position.
Rosie, "A green light on the status, initiating a passive low level scan."
A smaller port on the turret slid back to reveal a series of lenses. The turret then rotated 360 degrees. The program mulled over the data returned.
Rosie, "The low level scan has been completed, the results are as we had hoped, our position has been verified. Its not accurate enough to initiate a jump from, but it is good enough to confirm it is working properly. Well done, Droid 834. I will just try the retract and deployment sequences, just to confirm the repair is holding."
The turret obeyed her commands without a hitch and the board remained green. "All clear, Martin."
Martin, "Come on back, D 834."
D834 retraced its path, retracting in the safety line as it did so, finally unclipping the one outside the doorway and swinging itself inside, then pressed button 2 to close the hatch and begin the entry and decontamination sequence.
Ivor
On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet
Dave and Martin are still trying to troubleshoot the problem of a stuck sensor turret.
Mike, "Rosie to the bridge please. Just to let you know, we do have a technical issue at the moment, but it is not life threatening. Out".
"Maybe she can spot something that we have missed."
Rosie soon appears and they fill her in on the problem, "Well, our options are, we could limp back home to Hougemonte, but having the turret sticking out into the atmosphere would throw us off balance during re-entry, so I would have to manually retard our speed, it could also be damaged or totally wrecked in the process."
She pauses, "We could dock at Wheel One or Two with no problem, then see if they could somehow modify a large safety bubble, attach that to the hull with someone in a spacesuit, they could then remove the spacesuit and make the repair. Time consuming and messy.. But that would violate all sorts of safety regulations along the way, very costly to us."
They all have glum faces, looking at the display, when there is a knock on the door.
David, "Enter."
In walks D 834, "I have been listening to the problem. There is another option that you have missed."
David retorts, "Rubbish."
Martin looks puzzled, "I'm listening D 834."
D 834, "The one thing that you have overlooked," it pauses, "Is that you now have me on board. I do not need a spacesuit and I can fit into Aperture Port 23. I can splice the wires together and repair them at a later date."
Martin considers this, "Ok, D 834, you are our best option, you can give it a try. What do you need ?"
D 834, "Just a heating module, a number 4 toolkit, plus a standard safety line and clips."
Martin, "We will want to monitor your progress, so Ted will fix you up with Hologram capability as well".
-------------------
A short time later.
D 834 was just about to enter the airlock.
Martin, "Comm Check."
D834 , " Coming through clearly. My eyebrow LED's are turned on and hologram feeds from my eye cameras are transmitting, as requested. The internal fluid heaters are active. The upgrades are working fine. My battery charge is at 93%. All systems are ready."
Rosie, "We have Holo and audio links, all comms are ok. Patching it through to the projectors."
Martin saw a small version of himself appear on the Holomats dotted around the area. "Away you go."
D 834 entered the airlock It closed and latched behind him, began the air storage cycle and the warning panel lit up.
PRESSURE DROPPING, NO ENTRY ALLOWED.
It clipped on the safety lines to the eyelets, tested them and moved to the outer door. The inner panel display read.
INNER PRESSURE ZERO. OUTSIDE PRESSURE ZERO.
INNER GRAV PLATE AT 1.00 GRAVITY. OUTSIDE GRAVITY ZERO.
PRESS BUTTON ZERO TO SOUND ALARM.
PRESS BUTTON ONE TO EMERGENCY PRESSURIZE.
PRESS BUTTON TWO TO OPEN / CLOSE HATCH.
PRESS BUTTON THREE TO PRESSURIZE.
PRESS BUTTON FIVE TO BEGIN DECONTAMINATION CYCLE.
PRESS BUTTON SIX TO PAUSE / RESUME DECONTAMINATION CYCLE.
PRESS BUTTON SEVEN TO BEGIN HEATING TO 17'C.
PRESS BUTTON EIGHT FOR HELP / SETTINGS / CHANGE LANGUAGE.
(Underneath this was a translated message in the Screand and Orkragg languages).
D834 pressed button two.
PLEASE CONFIRM SAFETY LINE IS ATTACHED AT BOTH ENDS BY PRESSING BUTTON FOUR BY THE SAFETY LATCH.
ATTACHMENT CONFIRMED.
REDUCING INNER GRAV PLATE TO ZERO AND OPENING DOOR.
PLEASE USE THE EXTRUDED HANDHOLDS PROVIDED.
D 834 took hold of the handrail as his weight began to reduce. It was not fitted with "Mag Feet" as it was not expected to be operating in a space environment. It soon floated off the floor.
ZERO GRAVITY, OPENING DOOR.
The door swung open to the blackness of space.
It clipped on its second safety line on the point outside the airlock, then began to move towards AP 23, which was on the left side of the nose. At regular intervals it clipped the line to the handholds as it fed from the spool by its waist.
It halted outside Access Port 23.
Rosie on comms, "I am releasing the safety locks now. You are clear to open the hatch, the security code is 3341 Bravo. The faulty wire is in bundle Hotel 22. Power to that area has been cut."
It felt a small vibration through the handle as the locks disengaged around the port. It entered the code into the keypad. The panel flashed a green light and the hatch sunk into the hull slightly and slid towards the rear, exposing a tunnel. It pulled itself head first inside and looked for section 4a.
Section 4a was outlined with white tape for easy identification. It floated further in to find the optimum working location. Once it had located H22, it locked its feet into a stable position so that it would be operating from a stable base. It selected the snips from the toolkit, then cut the tags holding the wires together, then placed the bits in a waste bag, then spread out the wires for inspection.
D 834, "I have found the cause of the problem. The wire had been rubbing against a protruding bolt end as it vibrated it wore through the insulation, causing a short. Putting some padding over the bolt and a quick splice should fix it. Then I will add some more ties to a bracket that will keep it in a better position."
The job was soon done. It exited out of the port. "Try it now."
Rosie powered up the section again and got a green light on the status board. She pressed the turret deployment switch and it smoothly extended into its operating position.
Rosie, "A green light on the status, initiating a passive low level scan."
A smaller port on the turret slid back to reveal a series of lenses. The turret then rotated 360 degrees. The program mulled over the data returned.
Rosie, "The low level scan has been completed, the results are as we had hoped, our position has been verified. Its not accurate enough to initiate a jump from, but it is good enough to confirm it is working properly. Well done, Droid 834. I will just try the retract and deployment sequences, just to confirm the repair is holding."
Martin, "Come on back, D 834."
D834 retraced its path, retracting in the safety line as it did so, finally unclipping the one outside the doorway and swinging itself inside, then pressed button 2 to close the hatch and begin the entry and decontamination sequence.
--------------
The inner airlock door opened and the Droid emerged to smiling faces and a round of applause.
Martin, "Well done D 834, you have saved us from a very tricky situation. In recognition of that fact, I have decided to keep you on as part of the crew of the 'Magic Carpet'."
The screen noted, "Change of status has been recorded in the Ship Log, this date and time."
D 834, "Thank you, Martin".
Another round of applause and cheers met this news.
Martin, "You can download the ship maintenance logs and review them, always remembering that it states what should have been done, but not necessarily what actually has been done. There could be a difference."
----------
Later, after lunch.
Martin, "I had originally planned to just dump all of the droids at the first port of call, but they are quite useful, so I am thinking maybe selling one or two per customer and we hang on to 834."
Pinky, "If you don't mind, I would like to keep one too, for a hobby project. You can deduct it out of my pay."
Martin, "That's fine, Pinky."
-------------
If you are enjoying this, please hit the like button. Thanks.
Regards all,
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
5P - Ship Log 3c - Job 1 - Trouble pt 1
Hi all,
Previously 5P - Ship Log 3c - Job 1 - Coasting to CL.
On the Cargo Deck of Magic Carpet
Ted hits the start button of Droid 834, "Wakey Wakey sleepy head, rise and shine."
Droid 834,"I was not sleeping, I was deactivated."
Ted, "Same thing, same thing. Since you are fond of cleaning and I am on light duties, you can do my share of the polishing. Cleaning materials are in that storage bin there. Start at the top and work downwards, cleaning the hand rails. I want them clean, but not so polished that I cannot get a grip on them if I needed to. Safety is paramount. The same when you do the deck later, clean but not slippery, that is slippery by human standards, as in the safety protocols. You do have them loaded ?"
Droid 834, "Yes, Orakkg."
Ted, "Well, I'm glad to see that your species recognition software is working, You can call me 'Mr.Greene'...on second thoughts, you might as well call me Ted, like the rest of them."
Droid 834, "Yes, Ted."
Ted, "Any questions or problems, I should be in the kitchen. You may begin."
Droid 834, "Yes, Ted." He walked over to the storage bin, selected the correct items and went to the top deck and began cleaning the handrails.
After a few moments observing the droid, he walked off to the kitchen, thinking to himself *This is the life. I wonder if there is any of that Gerbiloid pie that Dave made left ?*
Ivor Cogdell
On the Cargo Deck of Magic Carpet
Ted hits the start button of Droid 834, "Wakey Wakey sleepy head, rise and shine."
Droid 834,"I was not sleeping, I was deactivated."
Ted, "Same thing, same thing. Since you are fond of cleaning and I am on light duties, you can do my share of the polishing. Cleaning materials are in that storage bin there. Start at the top and work downwards, cleaning the hand rails. I want them clean, but not so polished that I cannot get a grip on them if I needed to. Safety is paramount. The same when you do the deck later, clean but not slippery, that is slippery by human standards, as in the safety protocols. You do have them loaded ?"
Droid 834, "Yes, Orakkg."
Ted, "Well, I'm glad to see that your species recognition software is working, You can call me 'Mr.Greene'...on second thoughts, you might as well call me Ted, like the rest of them."
Droid 834, "Yes, Ted."
Ted, "Any questions or problems, I should be in the kitchen. You may begin."
Droid 834, "Yes, Ted." He walked over to the storage bin, selected the correct items and went to the top deck and began cleaning the handrails.
After a few moments observing the droid, he walked off to the kitchen, thinking to himself *This is the life. I wonder if there is any of that Gerbiloid pie that Dave made left ?*
-------------------
Later, on the bridge.
From one of the console comes "Beep, Beep, Beep" , on comes a red warning light.
Dave is alone sitting at his desk in Navigation / Science mode, "What now ?", he wonders.
The console flicks to diagnostic mode, showing that the sensor turret has only partially extended from the hull. He checks for more information and it reveals that the wire to the motor has snapped. "Oh dear."
He flicks a switch, "Martin to the bridge please."
Martin soon comes bounding up the stairs, almost colliding with the droid as he did so and into the bridge, "Whats wrong?"
Dave, "We have a major problem, The Navigation system is down. The sensor turret is stuck, half way extended. It will not budge either way. The fault is a snapped wire, but to get to that wire we have to go through Access Panel 23."
Martin nodded, "Which is only used on planets, and is too small for our spacesuits to get inside, even the ladies. So, we're stumped. We will have to go back, blowing our schedule and our reputation."
Continued in....Trouble Part Two.
He flicks a switch, "Martin to the bridge please."
Martin soon comes bounding up the stairs, almost colliding with the droid as he did so and into the bridge, "Whats wrong?"
Dave, "We have a major problem, The Navigation system is down. The sensor turret is stuck, half way extended. It will not budge either way. The fault is a snapped wire, but to get to that wire we have to go through Access Panel 23."
Martin nodded, "Which is only used on planets, and is too small for our spacesuits to get inside, even the ladies. So, we're stumped. We will have to go back, blowing our schedule and our reputation."
Continued in....Trouble Part Two.
Regards,
Ivor Cogdell
Saturday, 30 July 2016
5P - Ship Log 3a - Job 1 - Coasting to CL Jump
Hi all,
Previously - 5P - Ship Log 3 - Job 1 - Depart for CL
On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet
Melody on view screen. "Height 300 km, speed 27358 kph and increasing."
Rosie, on coms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, we have visual on Wheel 1, 100 km plus distant, please confirm departure vector clear of traffic."
Tower, "Wheel one departures reports no change, you are clear to pass through their 100 km outer sphere zone. Please set Navigation Transponder to send 10 minute updates and report when ready to jump. Tower out"
Rosie, "Understood, Clear to pass outer zone, 10 minute squawk and report when set to jump. Magic Carpet, listening out."
Captain Martin, "That was a very smooth departure Rosie, Well done."
Rosie shrugs it off, "Just a stroll down the lane, Captain."
Martin looks over at the other crew member on the bridge, "Anything showing up on Tactical, David ?"
Dave replies, "Not a bleep, apart from the Wheel 1 beacon. Tower reported that there were no scheduled departures for today, just a sky-bike coming from the Shack to pick up supplies for the Vac Jockeys at Wheel 2."
Martin, "Ok, you can switch everything over to automatic, long range and short range scanning as usual and...."
The door opens and in walks Lucy, looking sternly at the Captain, "And David can take it from here. You are now officially off duty."
Martin retorts, "But we haven't plotted the Jump Sequence yet !"
Lucy replies, "Then it will be good practice for them, won't it ? They can do it independently of each other and if they get the numbers differently then Melody can check both sets for errors. Agreed ?"
"Well..."
"Any other answer will get you confined to quarters with no computer access.", insisted Lucy.
"Agreed. David, you have command."
Dave, "I have command."
Lucy, "Now then, Martin, how about a nice game of Ma Jong ?"
She escorts him off the bridge.
Dave, "Right, lets get that sequence out of the way and then we can set the watch."
To be continued...
Ivor Cogdell
P.S. I have just ordered a few little bits from Angel Barracks, to spice things up a bit.
On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet
Melody on view screen. "Height 300 km, speed 27358 kph and increasing."
Rosie, on coms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, we have visual on Wheel 1, 100 km plus distant, please confirm departure vector clear of traffic."
Tower, "Wheel one departures reports no change, you are clear to pass through their 100 km outer sphere zone. Please set Navigation Transponder to send 10 minute updates and report when ready to jump. Tower out"
Rosie, "Understood, Clear to pass outer zone, 10 minute squawk and report when set to jump. Magic Carpet, listening out."
Captain Martin, "That was a very smooth departure Rosie, Well done."
Rosie shrugs it off, "Just a stroll down the lane, Captain."
Martin looks over at the other crew member on the bridge, "Anything showing up on Tactical, David ?"
Dave replies, "Not a bleep, apart from the Wheel 1 beacon. Tower reported that there were no scheduled departures for today, just a sky-bike coming from the Shack to pick up supplies for the Vac Jockeys at Wheel 2."
Martin, "Ok, you can switch everything over to automatic, long range and short range scanning as usual and...."
The door opens and in walks Lucy, looking sternly at the Captain, "And David can take it from here. You are now officially off duty."
Martin retorts, "But we haven't plotted the Jump Sequence yet !"
Lucy replies, "Then it will be good practice for them, won't it ? They can do it independently of each other and if they get the numbers differently then Melody can check both sets for errors. Agreed ?"
"Well..."
"Any other answer will get you confined to quarters with no computer access.", insisted Lucy.
"Agreed. David, you have command."
Dave, "I have command."
Lucy, "Now then, Martin, how about a nice game of Ma Jong ?"
She escorts him off the bridge.
Dave, "Right, lets get that sequence out of the way and then we can set the watch."
To be continued...
Ivor Cogdell
P.S. I have just ordered a few little bits from Angel Barracks, to spice things up a bit.
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
5P - Ship Log 3 - Job 1 - Departure for CL
Hi Everybody,
Following on from 5P - Job 1 - Interlude.
Next morning, on the Bridge of the Magic Carpet.
The bridge has a standard ship layout, Rosie, in the pilot's seat, to the right of Dave, at the weapons console, with Martin sitting behind and above them.
"Melody, I want you in standard Quiet mode, while our passengers are on board, unless emergency situations apply. Understood ?"
Melody, "Understood, Captain. Standard text and tones will apply."
Rosie, "Captain, after we had filed a flight plan for Camp Livingstone, we had a message from the "Med Flyers", they have a couple of crates for the colony, I said we can take them for the usual transport fee. They will be delivering them in about 5 minutes. Also, some Personnel Parcels from "Ace Courier" to go into the safe for them as well."
Martin, "We are always glad to help the Med boys in red, and a bonus Ace delivery is sweet too."
Dave, "Chris and Eric have been cleared by customs and will be boarding shortly."
Martin, flicks on the coms, "Ted, can you take delivery of a couple of crates from "Med Flyers", arriving any minute, as will Eric and Chris. You can put them in the guest quarters next to Pinky. Also the "Ace Courier" Service will need access to one of the wall safes. Make sure they use the scrambler key code on it."
Ted, "Will do, Captain."
Martin, "Dave, keep the tactical console active, just in case the jokers from yesterday have some nasty friends. I don't think they would try anything, but just in case..."
Dave, "Yes, Captain, still monitoring local frequencies. We have a green light from security and customs."
Shortly afterwards....
Ted, on coms, "All buttoned up, Captain. Chris, Pinky and Eric are nice and snug in their cabins, The "Med Flyer" crates have their Customs seals intact, are stowed and the parcels are secure in courier safe 1.All Droids secure, charged up and in power down mode. The rest of us are in the lounge. Good to go here."
Martin, "Thanks Ted. Rosie, if you please".
Rosie, on comms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, requesting clear for lift.
Entities on board, 5 male and 1 female homo sapiens, 1 Screand female and 1 Orakkg male plus 15 droids.
No change to flight plan.. Magic Carpet - Over."
Tower, " Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, I have your beacon and flight plan. Clear skies, depart when ready. Tower standing by. Safe journey, Rosie."
Rosie, "Magic Carpet - Thanks George. Commencing lift. Liftoff."
Melody displayed text on the view screens, "Liftoff confirmed, at 10:05:05. Noted in Ship's Log".
The Magic Carpet floated off the deck with a slight humming of her engines and began her ascent.
Melody, "Heading is 43 degrees and increasing. Height above pad is 15 meters and increasing. Internal gravity engaged at 1.00g."
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, under way, green across the board. Heading up, Over."
Tower, "Depart vector is 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. take care. Tower standing by. "
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, understand depart vector 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Will do.Magic Carpet out."
She pointed the nose upwards to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag and then gradually increased the speed along the course they had been given into the sky and beyond.
Next - 5P - Ship Log 3a - Job 1 - Coasting to CL Jump.
Next morning, on the Bridge of the Magic Carpet.
The bridge has a standard ship layout, Rosie, in the pilot's seat, to the right of Dave, at the weapons console, with Martin sitting behind and above them.
"Melody, I want you in standard Quiet mode, while our passengers are on board, unless emergency situations apply. Understood ?"
Melody, "Understood, Captain. Standard text and tones will apply."
Rosie, "Captain, after we had filed a flight plan for Camp Livingstone, we had a message from the "Med Flyers", they have a couple of crates for the colony, I said we can take them for the usual transport fee. They will be delivering them in about 5 minutes. Also, some Personnel Parcels from "Ace Courier" to go into the safe for them as well."
Martin, "We are always glad to help the Med boys in red, and a bonus Ace delivery is sweet too."
Dave, "Chris and Eric have been cleared by customs and will be boarding shortly."
Martin, flicks on the coms, "Ted, can you take delivery of a couple of crates from "Med Flyers", arriving any minute, as will Eric and Chris. You can put them in the guest quarters next to Pinky. Also the "Ace Courier" Service will need access to one of the wall safes. Make sure they use the scrambler key code on it."
Ted, "Will do, Captain."
Martin, "Dave, keep the tactical console active, just in case the jokers from yesterday have some nasty friends. I don't think they would try anything, but just in case..."
Dave, "Yes, Captain, still monitoring local frequencies. We have a green light from security and customs."
Shortly afterwards....
Ted, on coms, "All buttoned up, Captain. Chris, Pinky and Eric are nice and snug in their cabins, The "Med Flyer" crates have their Customs seals intact, are stowed and the parcels are secure in courier safe 1.All Droids secure, charged up and in power down mode. The rest of us are in the lounge. Good to go here."
Martin, "Thanks Ted. Rosie, if you please".
Rosie, on comms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, requesting clear for lift.
Entities on board, 5 male and 1 female homo sapiens, 1 Screand female and 1 Orakkg male plus 15 droids.
No change to flight plan.. Magic Carpet - Over."
Tower, " Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, I have your beacon and flight plan. Clear skies, depart when ready. Tower standing by. Safe journey, Rosie."
Rosie, "Magic Carpet - Thanks George. Commencing lift. Liftoff."
Melody displayed text on the view screens, "Liftoff confirmed, at 10:05:05. Noted in Ship's Log".
The Magic Carpet floated off the deck with a slight humming of her engines and began her ascent.
Melody, "Heading is 43 degrees and increasing. Height above pad is 15 meters and increasing. Internal gravity engaged at 1.00g."
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, under way, green across the board. Heading up, Over."
Tower, "Depart vector is 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. take care. Tower standing by. "
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, understand depart vector 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Will do.Magic Carpet out."
She pointed the nose upwards to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag and then gradually increased the speed along the course they had been given into the sky and beyond.
Next - 5P - Ship Log 3a - Job 1 - Coasting to CL Jump.
Regards all,
Ivor Cogdell
Ivor Cogdell
5P - Ship Log 3 - Job 1 - Departure for CL
Hi Everybody,
Martin, "Thanks Ted. Rosie, if you please".
Rosie, on coms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, requesting clear for lift.
I have Orbital Situation Report Gamma. Entities on board, 5 male and 1 female homo sapiens, 1 Screand female and 1 Orakkg male, plus 15 droids. No change to the filed flight plan. Magic Carpet - Over.
Tower, " Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, I have your beacon and flight plan. Confirm Report Gamma. Clear skies, depart when ready. Tower standing by. Safe journey, Rosie."
Rosie, "Magic Carpet - Thanks, George. Commencing lift. Lift-off."
The Magic Carpet floated off the deck with a slight humming of her engines and began her ascent.
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, underway, green across the board. Heading up, Over."
Tower, "Depart vector is 127 degrees, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Take care. Tower standing by. "
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, understand depart vector 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Will do. Magic Carpet out."
She pointed the nose upwards to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag and then gradually increased the speed along the course they had been given into the sky and beyond.
Next - 5P - Ship Log 3a - Job1 - Coasting to CL
Regards all,
Ivor Cogdell
Following on from 5P - Job 1 - Interlude At The Admiral's Table and More.
Next morning, On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet.
The bridge has a standard ship layout, Rosie, in the pilot's seat, to the right of Dave, at the weapons console, with Martin sitting behind and above them.
"Melody, I want you in standard Quiet mode, while our passengers are on board unless emergency situations apply. Understood ?"
Melody, "Understood, Captain. Standard text and tones will apply."
Rosie, "Captain, after we had filed a flight plan for Camp Livingstone, we had a ping from "Med Flyers", they have a couple of crates for the colony, I said we can take them for the usual transport fee. They will be delivering them in about 5 minutes. Also, some Personnel Parcels from "Ace Couriers" for storage in the PP Bonded safe.
Martin, "Always glad to help the Med boys in red, and a bonus Ace delivery is sweet too. I will see to that".
Dave, "Chris and Eric have been cleared by customs and will be boarding shortly."
Martin, on coms, "Ted, can you take delivery of a couple of crates from Med flyers, arriving any minute, as will Eric and Chris. Put them in the guest quarters next to Pinky."
Ted, "Will do, Captain."
Martin, "Dave, keep the tactical console active, just in case the jokers from yesterday have some nasty friends. I don't think they would try anything, but just in case..."
Dave, "Yes, Captain, still monitoring local frequencies. Green light from Security and customs."
Shortly afterwards...
Ted, on Systems Console - "All buttoned up, Captain. Chris, Pinky and Eric are nice and snug in their cabins, The "Med Flyer" crates have their Customs Seals intact, they are stowed and strapped down. Their self-contained power packs running the refrigerator units show they will be well for 21 days. I have connected them to the Aux power supply number 2 for backup charging. Their status is green on the board. You have dealt with the parcels secure in PP Bonded courier safe 1. Their status is green as well. All Droids are secured, charged and in power-down mode. The rest of us are in the lounge. Confirm, good to go here."
Next morning, On the Bridge of the Magic Carpet.
The bridge has a standard ship layout, Rosie, in the pilot's seat, to the right of Dave, at the weapons console, with Martin sitting behind and above them.
"Melody, I want you in standard Quiet mode, while our passengers are on board unless emergency situations apply. Understood ?"
Melody, "Understood, Captain. Standard text and tones will apply."
Rosie, "Captain, after we had filed a flight plan for Camp Livingstone, we had a ping from "Med Flyers", they have a couple of crates for the colony, I said we can take them for the usual transport fee. They will be delivering them in about 5 minutes. Also, some Personnel Parcels from "Ace Couriers" for storage in the PP Bonded safe.
Martin, "Always glad to help the Med boys in red, and a bonus Ace delivery is sweet too. I will see to that".
Dave, "Chris and Eric have been cleared by customs and will be boarding shortly."
Martin, on coms, "Ted, can you take delivery of a couple of crates from Med flyers, arriving any minute, as will Eric and Chris. Put them in the guest quarters next to Pinky."
Ted, "Will do, Captain."
Martin, "Dave, keep the tactical console active, just in case the jokers from yesterday have some nasty friends. I don't think they would try anything, but just in case..."
Dave, "Yes, Captain, still monitoring local frequencies. Green light from Security and customs."
Shortly afterwards...
Ted, on Systems Console - "All buttoned up, Captain. Chris, Pinky and Eric are nice and snug in their cabins, The "Med Flyer" crates have their Customs Seals intact, they are stowed and strapped down. Their self-contained power packs running the refrigerator units show they will be well for 21 days. I have connected them to the Aux power supply number 2 for backup charging. Their status is green on the board. You have dealt with the parcels secure in PP Bonded courier safe 1. Their status is green as well. All Droids are secured, charged and in power-down mode. The rest of us are in the lounge. Confirm, good to go here."
Martin, "Thanks Ted. Rosie, if you please".
Rosie, on coms, "Tower, this is Echo Romeo Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, requesting clear for lift.
I have Orbital Situation Report Gamma. Entities on board, 5 male and 1 female homo sapiens, 1 Screand female and 1 Orakkg male, plus 15 droids. No change to the filed flight plan. Magic Carpet - Over.
Tower, " Tango Tango 74656 - Magic Carpet, I have your beacon and flight plan. Confirm Report Gamma. Clear skies, depart when ready. Tower standing by. Safe journey, Rosie."
Rosie, "Magic Carpet - Thanks, George. Commencing lift. Lift-off."
The Magic Carpet floated off the deck with a slight humming of her engines and began her ascent.
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, underway, green across the board. Heading up, Over."
Tower, "Depart vector is 127 degrees, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Take care. Tower standing by. "
Rosie, "Magic Carpet, understand depart vector 127, report when in orbit, then outbound of Wheel 1. Will do. Magic Carpet out."
She pointed the nose upwards to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag and then gradually increased the speed along the course they had been given into the sky and beyond.
Next - 5P - Ship Log 3a - Job1 - Coasting to CL
Regards all,
Ivor Cogdell
5P - Job 1 - Interlude At The Admiral's Table and more
Hi everybody,
Previously - 5P - Job 1 - Droids Part Three
At The Admiral's Table Restaurant
After a fine meal was had by all, (meals had been delivered for Rose and Ted from the local ET Eatery) the team relaxed with a drink, while Martin finished explaining the next part of the operation.
"So there you have it. Any questions ?" Asked Martin.
"Er, yes." said a voice, coming from an unexpected direction, behind him.
"The name's Chris, Chris Don Royton, and that's Eric Vickers. I'm a freelance reporter and Eric is my cameraman / Bodyguard / Survivalist, I heard you were going to Camp Livingstone and wondered if we could come along too ?"
Chris continues, "We could only pay about a third of the standard rate of the journey to Camp Livingstone, but if you want, we could do interviews of you and possibly, your crew and get your profile boosted in the area Who knows what that might lead to."
"Are we talking about one way or return ?", asks Martin
"Probably there and back, unless things have changed after we get there. what I'm after is the local angle. You get the headlines on the news, but nothing more. I aim to provide that follow-up, the grit and the dirt, that sort of thing. Get interviews with the civilians, some of the grunts, the commander, if I'm very lucky. It should take us about a day, all told. Then we edit it on the way to your next drop."
Chris takes a drink, "Once we have it ready, we post short clips on the net to editors of magazines such as "Grunt", "Homesteader" or "Trailblazer" and the news corporations. After they have had their pick, we release the rest to Netblogs. Different material to different markets."
The Captain muses a moment, "Two return tickets at 1/3 usual rate, the Outbound to be paid in full, the Return fee notarized and deposited with "Safe flyer" until we get back, plus", he pauses slightly, "10% of any royalties you make from all of the interviews, before tax. Contracted with "Blog Bank", we get the fees straight from them. That way there are no messy lawyers and their fees involved."
Chris was surprised by the unexpected extra cost, "10% ?"
Martin explained, "Sure, you are cutting into our safety margin of supplies. No transport, no story. The regular supply run is not till the end of next month, the story will be cold by then. Look at it this way, I could have said 20%."
Chris looks at Eric, who nods at the unspoken question, "Ok, Captain Martin, you have two new passengers."
Martin smiles, "Good, now that's settled, let's seal it with a drink and you can get to know everybody."
Eric, "We would be delighted."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in an altogether shadier part of town....
A hooded figure knocks on a door.
The inset grille slides back and a gruff voice asks, "Who is it ?"
The figure replies, "Slinky, its me, Specs. Have you got a place where I can lie low ?"
"Sure mate, come on in,"
Assorted bolts clunk and the door swings open, revealing a dimly lit hall. Specs wearily goes inside, using the wall for support.
"You look a bit shaky, how did the job go ?"
The door shuts with a thud.
After a fine meal was had by all, (meals had been delivered for Rose and Ted from the local ET Eatery) the team relaxed with a drink, while Martin finished explaining the next part of the operation.
"So there you have it. Any questions ?" Asked Martin.
"Er, yes." said a voice, coming from an unexpected direction, behind him.
"The name's Chris, Chris Don Royton, and that's Eric Vickers. I'm a freelance reporter and Eric is my cameraman / Bodyguard / Survivalist, I heard you were going to Camp Livingstone and wondered if we could come along too ?"
Chris continues, "We could only pay about a third of the standard rate of the journey to Camp Livingstone, but if you want, we could do interviews of you and possibly, your crew and get your profile boosted in the area Who knows what that might lead to."
"Are we talking about one way or return ?", asks Martin
"Probably there and back, unless things have changed after we get there. what I'm after is the local angle. You get the headlines on the news, but nothing more. I aim to provide that follow-up, the grit and the dirt, that sort of thing. Get interviews with the civilians, some of the grunts, the commander, if I'm very lucky. It should take us about a day, all told. Then we edit it on the way to your next drop."
Chris takes a drink, "Once we have it ready, we post short clips on the net to editors of magazines such as "Grunt", "Homesteader" or "Trailblazer" and the news corporations. After they have had their pick, we release the rest to Netblogs. Different material to different markets."
The Captain muses a moment, "Two return tickets at 1/3 usual rate, the Outbound to be paid in full, the Return fee notarized and deposited with "Safe flyer" until we get back, plus", he pauses slightly, "10% of any royalties you make from all of the interviews, before tax. Contracted with "Blog Bank", we get the fees straight from them. That way there are no messy lawyers and their fees involved."
Chris was surprised by the unexpected extra cost, "10% ?"
Martin explained, "Sure, you are cutting into our safety margin of supplies. No transport, no story. The regular supply run is not till the end of next month, the story will be cold by then. Look at it this way, I could have said 20%."
Chris looks at Eric, who nods at the unspoken question, "Ok, Captain Martin, you have two new passengers."
Martin smiles, "Good, now that's settled, let's seal it with a drink and you can get to know everybody."
Eric, "We would be delighted."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in an altogether shadier part of town....
A hooded figure knocks on a door.
The inset grille slides back and a gruff voice asks, "Who is it ?"
The figure replies, "Slinky, its me, Specs. Have you got a place where I can lie low ?"
"Sure mate, come on in,"
Assorted bolts clunk and the door swings open, revealing a dimly lit hall. Specs wearily goes inside, using the wall for support.
"You look a bit shaky, how did the job go ?"
The door shuts with a thud.
"Well, tell ..Rusty.. it Ugghhh.." He passes out on the floor.
"Oh, great. FRANK, get the medkit, its going to be one of those nights..."
Later, Slinky makes a call.
"Rusty, Its Slinky. If you were expecting a package, I don't think its going to arrive. I have one of the delivery men here on my couch. I think they call him "Spats" or "Specs", something like that."
"I had heard there had been a foul-up from other sources. Is he going to make it?"
"Yeah, that is.. If you want him to?."
"No, no, he would not dare die on me, he still owes me for certain favours and I will collect, sooner or later, off him or his associates. Look on the bright side, it means you don't have to dump his body anywhere. I will pass the news along to any interested parties."
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Next - Job 1 - Departure for CL
Ivor Cogdell
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Next - Job 1 - Departure for CL
Ivor Cogdell
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