I say the same. I do not want to derail any already established politics with my little pieces.
If requested, I could drop the 'Dirty Jobs' piece in a version that may (or may not) become canon.
Through I would expect (prefer) Discovery to just get around the whole issue by not airing the episode in the US while it is aired in Europe and/or Canada, where the 'Handwavium bad', 'Fenspace bad' and 'Fen evil' mindset is not as entrenched and in the minds of the very vocal Republicans of the US... Besides, Europe is known for airing rather controversial TV shows. I just like to point towards the ship storm that came when they aired the first Big Brother. Anyone who would then want to see the episode would simply download it somwhere.
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Don't feel that you have to drop the Dirty Jobs segment. There are no setting inconsistencies, only plot opportunities.
--
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
Heh. If only to make Whistler minor celebs and get more people into fenspace. :p
I hope this works out... :p
----------------------------------------------------
July 10th, 2010
Mike called us again and forwarded us a copy of the episode up with us.
From what I can tell it is a really good episode.
However...
Discovery is not going to air it in the US. They seem to be afraid of being sued by some anti-fen people.
Most likely some Republican hardliner...
On the good side, they are however airing it in Europe and Japan. And seeing the rather large amount of Discovery fans (or maybe fen?) up here, they may do an Interwave stream from their European site.
I for one want that someone slaps some sense into those politicos down there. True Kandor has nixed some problems for us, but still.
At least we could all pay off the debts we took to pay for the Toy Box now.
Best not to be known as someone to dodges debts by getting into space. Bad for business that...
————————————–
July 15th, 2010
Managed to reconnect with my folks back home. Even if I needed to pull out a few very embarrassing parts about myself to make them realize that its really me.
To say that they were shocked would be an understatement worthy of a Tommy.
I gave them my number to call me later.
Is going to be better if I allow them some time to digest it.
————————————–
July 21st, 2010
I'm going to be an uncle!
Well, okay...
I'm going to be an aunt.
Looks like I still need to get to terms with my biomod. Or at least a few parts of it.
BUT!
My sister asked me to be a godparent!
On the positive side that means that I will be back to Earth to be present.
On the negative side that means that I will have to be back on Earth to be present...
With all the stuff that includes it...
Name change, gender change, species change...
Oh my fracking god...
I think I need to get to Australia ASAP and connect to the German embassy in Canbarra or the consulate in Sidney...
I'm going to be stuck in bureaucracy for years...
help
————————————–
August 13th, 2010
Take that US Republicans!
We managed to secure a contract with Hughes Communications for pretty much the same as Astra and Eutelsat. Clean up their graveyard orbits and maintain their satellites.
I wonder who is going to try and sue us over that. Or maybe Hughes.
I can already see it. Some Republican is going to pull anti-fen bullshit out of his ass to try and stop us from following through with the contract.
Bad news for them that we are a registered German Company since last week.
I think we're setting a precedent here...
I think I'll try to call Noah Scott, from businessperson to businessperson, if he can recommend a lawyer...
————————————–
August 20, 2010
That was fast...
Someone guy from rural...
Alabama?
Alabama... tried to sue us and get a ‘Einstweilige Verfügung' in the Amtsgericht Berlin. Only to be shot down with some 88 flak.
Well, at least it seemed to be like that. Thankfully we did not need to be there. Might have been messy. Or at least a long flight from Sidney to Berlin or Frankfurt.
Good call to get ourselves some lawyers.
I bet he'll try to sue Hughes next.
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Quote:I think I'll try to call Noah Scott, from businessperson to businessperson, if he can recommend a lawyer...
Noah has a very good lawyer on retainer in Washington.
Quoting Noah, "If there's one thing I'm sure of about Rashid Abdallah, it's that he's scrupulously honest. That's why I have him on retainer, not his firm." (Being an Arab Muslim in the US after 9/11, Rashid has to be scrupulously honest.) However, "honest" doesn't mean "inexpensive", although Noah will try to get Whistler the same rate he gets. (Noah and Rashid were at Yale together - the "old boys' network" comes in handy here.)
--
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
Fen have to stick together against anti-fen hardliners? 
But it would depend on those rates. I doubt they would be low...
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He has to pay for that downtown-Washington office somehow...
--
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
Maybe a small company like Whistler can get a discount?
We're no Stellvia after all...
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You're going to make me actually flesh out Rashid Abdallah, aren't you? (Not that that's a bad thing.)
I doubt that he would work for any company pro bono, but I can see him offering a discount on Noah's suggestion... and Noah likes Whistler because of the Astrium connection.
--
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
What small things can do...
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Quote:July 21st, 2010
I'm going to be an uncle!
Well, okay...
I'm going to be an aunt.
Looks like I still need to get to terms with my biomod. Or at least a few parts of it.
BUT!
My sister asked me to be a godparent!
On the positive side that means that I will be back to Earth to be present.
On the negative side that means that I will have to be back on Earth to be present...
With all the stuff that includes it...
Name change, gender change, species change...
Oh my fracking god...
I think I need to get to Australia ASAP and connect to the German embassy in Canbarra or the consulate in Sidney...
I'm going to be stuck in bureaucracy for years...
help
Quote:FROM: bulletboy@island.fen
TO:
SUBJ: Somebody call for help?
DATE: 2010/07/22 0243GMT
Heya Naedial!
Heard it through the grapevine that you need some help getting the red tape sorted dirtside. As a favor to a fellow expat of the Fatherland, Gina wants to help out, pro bono. We've been through the bureaucratic they got going Down Under, so we at least knew where to start. Attached are the documents that you'll need. Fill 'em out and get them printed, and we can swing by first thing tomorrow morning and we can get this started. (Has to be tomorrow because the day after I'm due to run an important shipment.)
No need for repayment, but Gina mentioned that if you happen to be able to come by a keg of 'the good stuff' while your visiting home then you will be her most favorite person in the entire system. ![[Image: banana-dance.gif]](http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/forums/forumimportfiles//banana-dance.gif)
-Benjamin Rhodes
Pilot, Grunt Labor, and Co-owner/operator, Bullet Boy Express
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Figured you might enjoy this.
Will put up a proper response when not using my phone.
But it will get one with the suggestion of, perhaps, opening the last 50liter keg of Pilsner. 
And the email would be 'wogonpoet@whistler-os.fen' :p
On a slightly different bit...
What sort of documentary would Michael Moore make about Fenspace? A mostly positive one or a mostly negative one?
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One that somehow blames Republicans and Big Business for everything bad. Oh, he'll try to be positive about the Fen in general, but his favorite stalking horse *will* come up.
He might even do a piece about "Illegal Emigration." That is, leaving somewhere illegally.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
I wonder if there even is such a thing as "illegal emigration" in most 1st world countries.
blackaeronaut Wrote:Quote:FROM: bulletboy@island.fen
TO:
SUBJ: Somebody call for help?
DATE: 2010/07/22 0243GMT
Heya Naedial!
Heard it through the grapevine that you need some help getting the red tape sorted dirtside. As a favor to a fellow expat of the Fatherland, Gina wants to help out, pro bono. We've been through the bureaucratic they got going Down Under, so we at least knew where to start. Attached are the documents that you'll need. Fill 'em out and get them printed, and we can swing by first thing tomorrow morning and we can get this started. (Has to be tomorrow because the day after I'm due to run an important shipment.)
No need for repayment, but Gina mentioned that if you happen to be able to come by a keg of 'the good stuff' while your visiting home then you will be her most favorite person in the entire system.
-Benjamin Rhodes
Pilot, Grunt Labor, and Co-owner/operator, Bullet Boy Express
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Figured you might enjoy this. And the response, with another later mail to Noah.
----------------------------------------
FROM: Naedial
TO: Ben
SUBJ: Re: Sombody call for help?
DATE: 2010/07/22 0611GMT
>> Heya Naedial!
>>
>> Heard it through the grapevine that you need some help getting the red tape sorted
>> dirtside. As a favor to a fellow expat of the Fatherland, Gina wants to help out, pro bono.
>> We've been through the bureaucratic they got going Down Under, so we at least knew
>> where to start. Attached are the documents that you'll need. Fill 'em out and get them
>> printed, and we can swing by first thing tomorrow morning and we can get this started.
Thanks.
You are a lifesaver there, that is going to cut down the red tape by a few weeks at least. If I could get the paperwork for Germany done that fast as well, I would be set.
Mainly because we want to register ‘Whistler Orbital Services' as German company. May get is a better reputation for being Germans that way. :p
>> (Has to be tomorrow because the day after I'm due to run an important shipment.)
No problem there, swing by if you like, but call first.
>> No need for repayment, but Gina mentioned that if you happen to be able to come by a
>> keg of 'the good stuff' while your visiting home then you will be her most favorite person in
>> the entire system.
I think I will have to live with that then. We still got a 50 liter keg of Krombacher left. How would you feel about getting nicely hammered?
Naedial Warringer
‘Impossible is not a word that exists within the vocabulary of Whistler Corporation'
‘If its in orbit and broken, we will either run maintainance or salvage it.'
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- –
FROM: Naedial
TO: Noah Scott
SUBJ: In need of a lawyer
DATE: 2010/08/13 1841GMT
Good evening,
From one businessperson to the other...
Can you perhaps suggest a good lawyer to me? I think Whistler may be in need of one in the next time with a brand new contract with Hughes Communications.
We think that some people may not like a fen company doing business with as US corporation.
Naedial Warringer
‘Impossible is not a word that exists within the vocabulary of Whistler Corporation'
‘If its in orbit and broken, we will either run maintainance or salvage it.'
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FROM: Noah Scott
TO: Naedial
SUBJ: Re: In need of a lawyer
DATE: 2010/08/13 2047GMT
Good evening,
For legal matters that affect both the Fen and the United States, I recommend the services of Rashid Abdallah. He is based in Washington and specializes in international law.
I've taken the liberty of forwarding your contact information to Rashid when I spoke with him earlier today. I asked that he give you the same rate that he gives me - if he agrees, you'll be getting the services of a lawyer with fifteen years of experience at the rate of a lawyer who has just passed the bar. Whether he will agree depends on the impression you make on him when he contacts you, so I suggest making a good first impression. (Rashid is what some people are calling "fendane" - he isn't about to leave Earth, but he does like some of the crazy things we do up here. Just relax and be yourself, and you should be fine.)
Noah Scott, of station Stellvia ("The Gateway to the Solar System")
Ask about our package tours to Luna!
--
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
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HRogge Wrote:I wonder if there even is such a thing as "illegal emigration" in most 1st world countries. If they really want you back, they'll call it "tax evasion" (you took all of those valuables away when you left, and they're subject to capital gains taxes if you sell them) or something equally dubious.
--
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
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robkelk Wrote:If they really want you back, they'll call it "tax evasion" (you took all of those valuables away when you left, and they're subject to capital gains taxes if you sell them) or something equally dubious. Which is part of why a number of Fen, even if there was nothing else being done against them, deliberately gave up their United States citizenships. That, and the efforts to claim income taxes and that American Fen were still subject to all laws and regulations on their businesses.
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor
robkelk Wrote:FROM: Noah Scott
TO: Naedial
SUBJ: Re: In need of a lawyer
DATE: 2010/08/13 2047GMT
Good evening,
For legal matters that affect both the Fen and the United States, I recommend the services of Rashid Abdallah. He is based in Washington and specializes in international law.
I've taken the liberty of forwarding your contact information to Rashid when I spoke with him earlier today. I asked that he give you the same rate that he gives me - if he agrees, you'll be getting the services of a lawyer with fifteen years of experience at the rate of a lawyer who has just passed the bar. Whether he will agree depends on the impression you make on him when he contacts you, so I suggest making a good first impression. (Rashid is what some people are calling "fendane" - he isn't about to leave Earth, but he does like some of the crazy things we do up here. Just relax and be yourself, and you should be fine.)
Noah Scott, of station Stellvia ("The Gateway to the Solar System")
Ask about our package tours to Luna! I wonder what the 'good impression' would need. :p
August 30, 2010
Birthday time!
My first birthday in speeeece!
That makes 31 years of inflicting myself on my surroundings.
Thank you whoever is responsible that we could pick up some of the good stuff from Australia when we went through all that red tape. I for one was surprised to find that we found German Pilsner.
I would have liked to do a BBQ, but then again its a bad idea on a space station.
I wonder about the presents...
————————————–
While KA Preiswert hung in space high above Earth, silently following its orbit around the home world of all humans, a party was happening in the expanded station. Hosted by the nominal CEO of Whistler Orbital Services there have not been anyone not in the company invited.
And so the party of five people and three AIs happened in the new larger living room module, which used to be a pair of 40 feet that had been welded together and sported a large ‘waved crystaline carbon window that allows full sight of Earth.
Naedial looked down at her first present, the open box balancing as she sat on the large couch, everyone looking at her.
"Surprise!" Danni said with a grin, as everyone chuckled.
Naedial pulled a camo patterned something out of the box, with a large number of quick release buckles and what appeared to be MOLLE straps.
"What is that..."
"Something called ‘Tactical Corset'," Danni noted, her grin still present as it was her present." We were surprised that those things exist, too."
That it was her idea, Naedial was notified by Vision, and that everyone had put together to get it for her. With a couple of modifications and ‘waving.
Naedial looked a little wary as she eyed the red dragon.
"What did you do?" she asked as she pulled the strange corset from the box.
"She added a small speeddrive," Terris said with a smirk." You did complain about your lack of agility while in space."
Naedial snorted.
"Speed drive..."
"Yep," Terris said." The controls are in the box as well."
Placing the thing on the couch next to her, she looked into the box again, discovering a pair of rather classic fingerless gloves. Looking closer she discovered a pair of small analogue pads on the gloves.
They were connected to the corset over wireless, Vision informed her. She only needed to make fists to take control. When she did she should be even more maneuverable then Vision.
"I'm sure that," Naedial said dryly, knowing that Vision never actually told them how maneuverable she was and filing that away for later.
Slowly she stood up and removed her normally ever present tool belt.
"Trying it on already?" Alex asked, getting a grin from Naedial.
"Why not?" she wondered and slowly put the corset around her waist, before pulling it close. "Bit tight, but okay."
"You can adjust the tightness with the buckles," Danni noted as Naedial slipped the gloves over her fingers.
She bit her lip as she curled both hands into fists for just a moment, before shaking her head.
"Nope, not going to test it now," she said. "Don't want to make an impression on any bulkhead."
That got a number of chuckled from the others, while Naedial sat down.
"Not uncomfortable," she noted.
"Don't forget to open the other presents," Thorsten said and held out his present.
Naedial chuckled and took the present, ripping it open. She raised her eyebrow as she looked at the box inside.
"MOLLE EOD Tool pouch and a utility pouch," she noted dryily and then looked at her tool belt. "Looks like you want me to get rid of my trusty belt..."
"Just doesn't suit you," Alex noted and handed her his present, which was opened quickly. "And any MOLLE gear can be put onto your new corset."
Naedial rolled her eyes at the second Tool pouch and something that looked like a pouch for her respirator.
"I wonder how I look like after adding these things to it."
That got her the present from Terris, who had a very wide grin on her face. Feeling some dread, she opened the present, took a look at it and then proceeded to throw the wrapping paper at the British astronaut.
"Smartass," she said with a grin and held up her new E-Tool, complete with MOLLE pouch.
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Warringer Wrote:I wonder what the 'good impression' would need. :p You're writing the story - you tell me.
(At this point, you know as much about Rashid Abdallah as everyone else does, including me.)
--
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
I think I'll just ignore the problem then. :p
August 31, 2010
Today I've had some time to take a closer look at my new ‘space corset'.
And I noted the two little engines Vision ‘waved into the thing. Apparently a pair gyroscopes the size of a cigarette box from a microsat satellite that had been turned into a pair of reactionless drives. No I won't call them thrusters because that would imply that they are not reactionless.
Anyway, they are mounted to the ‘space corset' on both sides of the hips and now hidden from view by pouches. I haven't been able to test their full capability yet, but from the looks of it, the small drives are easily among the most maneuverable things in fenspace. But that reduces other things. I think that I can barely keep up with the Toy Box at full burn, but I have no idea about the max speed. I guess that I would be somewhere about 0.001c up to 0.01c when I trust Visions calculations.
Needs further testing, not the little stint outside of KA Preiswert.
————————————–
September 5th, 2010
I just had to...
Today I took off after breakfast and set my sight for empty space. Without the Toy Box, just to test out the limits of my ‘space corset'.
I think I hit the ceiling of the little speed drives somewhere at about 2400 km/s. Not bad for two gyroscopes powered by an pair of ‘waved Li-Ion batteries.
I'm just glad that my phone got an integrated space navigation system after ‘waving it. And that additionally to the normal Android Apps...
Oh, and I scared the whit out of some guy driving a Punto on his way t o Mars. I swear that he was white as a sheet after I buzzed him.
Note to self: Get more Pink Floyd for long journeys alone.
Also still trying to think of a use for the E-Tool in space.
Fighting off boarders perhaps?
————————————–
September 28th, 2010
I'm an aunt!
My sister just had her babies!
Yes. Babies. Plural!
A boy and a girl. Michael and Isabell.
…
Okay, I think I need to start to get the correct permits to land the Toy Box at Dortmund and take off again. My family does want to see the Box when I come down when the twins are baptized. And it would be a bad idea to do it without informing the proper authorities and get the permits.
We are a Germany company and have to comply to German laws.
Even if there are fen who frown at us keeping close relations with Earth.
Earth may be our cradle and we need to leave it. But that does not mean that we have to abandon it...
————————————–
October 1st, 2010
My sister called me.
The twins are going to be baptized on January 9th next year.
Now that I know the date, I can get the permits for that time frame. Hopefully its not going to be as much red tape as with changing identity. Or paying back the loans we took to build the Toy Box...
————————————–
October 15th, 2010
One of the first larger contracts for us that are not exactly commercial...
NASA asked us to run some service on Hubble. While the Soviets have done some work for them, our work for Astra, Eutelsat and Hughes seems to have been good enough for someone like NASA to ask for our services. Or maybe it was us saving Hubble from that large piece of Chinese satellite three month ago.
I for one like the fact that there are enough rocket scientists left in NASA to see the handwavium is a good thing for space exploration, even if we just do it for the money...
The parts we need for the maintenance are going to arrive at Stellvia in early November.
————————————–
November 3rd, 2010
NASA actually surprised us then they delivered yesterday. But perhaps that was because Ben did the run. Or the fact that its only a few electronic modules for the telescope.
————————————–
November 4th, 2010
We were just beginning with our work on Hubble when the airwaves started to all but clog up. Apparently some larger ship had made orbit.
Quite unusual that. We got new fen in strange new vehicles every week. Sometimes even every day.
I still remember that girl in her pink Smart...
Anyway, rumor has it that its an Irish military ship with operational guns.
I for one can't really understand what the fuzz is all about. Don't people realize that the stuff they throw overboard in orbit is all but a weapon against others?
I still want to find that asshat who lost a bucket of scraps, bolts and nuts and throw the stuff into his face. Nearly shredded one of our Orbital Sleds.
So what is one real weapon up here anyway?
I'm sure that one of the Mads has build a railgun already...
Not easy to stay legal with Earthside AND own a waved spaceship... *G*
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