h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The plan was to have the train arrive (crash) underneath the Library of Congress, cue: loud rumbling, books off shelves, smoke from the furthest toilet cubicle - out emerge Ody, Jamila and Sreka in some order or another, shocked patrons that sort of thing.

Can't see why they can't go to the pub across the street to consider the whereabouts of The *real* Turquoise Moon which would set up the epilogue and complete the tale of James Watson. PD.

If you think you can make something of that I look forward to it.

Further ideas.

We hit on the idea of Arthur 'dying' (and retiring with Anna) as giving closure to Ody and Arthur's blood-feud over Odys mother's death.

Well he has to learn about it somehow.

So this washington pub has a TV set. (a la Terminator)

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

"Change the channel will ya walt?

"Wait! turn it up (grabs the remote hammers the volume key)

Reports coming in of an explosion in the atmosphere, debris seen rainign down in the pacific rim.

Nasa have declined to comment, saying they can account for their staelites and no shuttles were in current orbit and the international space statino is secure. They suggested it may have been a medium sized meteorite exploding.

Jamila laid a hand on Ody's shoulder. "Was that them?"

Ody was grim and silent...It was supposed to have ended like this.

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

Perhaps he even feels so cheated at this loss, it is this that motivates him with Jamila's assistance to seek out the real and genuine Turqoise Moon stashed away by Dr Watson.

am sat here thinking, and trying to write....

Went to go see Bond. For inspiration, of course.

Have some ideas percolating not quite there yet.....

"He's gone." Ody said quietly.

"no ... he...isn't." Jamilla said raining blows down on Grampling's chest.
Ody caught her arm by the elbow and gently whispered, "Stop."

"It's not fair!" Jamila said, collapsing next to the departed cultist. she looked up at Ody, her eyes wet with tears. "He wanted to come with us. We could have saved him."

Ody looked down at the quietly restful and lightly toasted Grampling. He thoughts ran to his father, The twisted old man, then to his mother, executed by the Agent, the intense need to avenge her killing, rose in his heart, 'perhaps this is what it must feel like to be him, so full of rage'. He was brought to his sense by a quite sob from Jamila still dealing with Grampling's electrocution. Avenging his mother's murder could wait, someone else needed him right now.

"Perhaps it is enough, just this once, that we save ourselves. Look."

Jamilla followed his pointing finger down the hall, past the terminating buffers along the sidings and rails to the platform.

The emergency generators had illuminated more of the station than Grampling's amateurish efforts with the fuse box had achieved.

Sat in the station, pointing toward a tunnel that led far away from here, was one of The Cult's trains.

Jamilla wiped her yes and held up her hand, Ody clasped her by the fist and pulled her to her feet.

The looked into each other's eyes. There was not love there but something else: gladness.

"Let's go."

Figured I'd move to get Ody and Jamila on the train ASAP. Also having the lights come on is a hook to give to Sreka later, (he had to hide to avoid being seen), and Ody's monologue is just to keep up the plot of his desire to kill Arthur, which will be denied him when Arthur 'dies'.

Next I need to get Arthur, X and Daltmooreby into space, so we can transition to the next phase....

Hi there guys. Clive had suggested to me that, having finished Whatever Next for The Post I might look in and see what you were all up to in here, and whether I mightn't be of any use at all. I've tried in vain to grappled with a huge backlog of stuff, but I thought it might be easier if I just popped in, said hello and asked exactly what you are working on right now.

Hiya BPM. Glad you could make it. There is a lot of backlog......


I'm a bit caught up with applying for jobs this week (see my question about 'ethnicity' in ask...)

but I'm at the point of describing what happens on-board the space shuttle (with Daltmooreby, Grobsvaughn, Arthur and X on board) as it enters orbit.

I took a bunch of notes on what going into orbit is like with the intent of maybe describing it but that's as far as I got before real life intruded.

*waves* Apologies for not coming up with much, my minds been a little preoccupied...

No worries Terran, we'll get there eventually.

Right, well I've have a look back at the other establishing information you gave me regarding these characters. Now it seems to be serious style of writing as far as I can gather, but is it sci-fi/fanatsy in terms of what is accepted to be true or are you guys taking a much more true to real life line? are there wizards and demons and teleporters and st

mmm good question.

It's semi-serious style of writing.

As far as what's allowed. That's tricky. In that we've had a fair few mentions of gods and demons before now so we've got elements of fantasy in there (and The shuttle pilot Grobsvaughn is shortly, if I have my way, due to enter his version of an Egyptian afterlife)

Real-life to the extent that It's sort of a heightened reality, if I can put it that way, where what you can get away with is within the scope of imagination and the internal coherence of the plot and we're not above parody but not weirdly fantastical. So it's where we can still launch a space shuttle out of a hollow volcano in Antartica with a trifecta of agents from a secret espionage ring and a minion from a secret Victorian criminal cult at the helm, and prepare to dock at an orbiting space laser - but not transporters because that would be ridiculous.

but it's also playing it straight as if this were real. So Sreka is really a psychopath and quiet dangerous. Arthur's supposed grief is real,

And what I've found is each author brings to it there own level and perspective of insanity and fantasy and it chimes in and sort of harmonises with what's around it, and we each end up feeding off it. I've tried describing that before, probably unsuccessfully.

In summary: semi serious; true within a heightened reality, but in a fantastic context. And y'know occassionally, funny. (I hope)

I've now done a smattering of reading along the back story of storytime so far, god knows I haven't time to read the whole thing. bearing in mind I've just been watching Doctor Who on i-player my intrinsic thoughts generally go in the direction of success at the very very very very last minute possible.

Essentially it seems to me that Antarctica is building towards two fairly significant climaxes- will the archaeologists escape and will Arthur and X be able to stop the shuttle before it launches. Off the flywheel (which is code for 'this is a shit idea but it's the only thing I can think of so please feel free to point out that it's a shit idea) maybe we leave the archaeologists trapped in some circumstance (perhaps in a relatively enclosed space with Sekra?) and follow Arthur and X all the way to the shuttle launch pad where they arrive just in time to see the thing take off. So Arthur and X now have to get on to the shuttle? But how? I haven't got that far yet. Once they do, obviously the whole business will unfold towards, ultimately, laser beam targeting Antarctica

Oh blast I pressed post message too soon. Anyway, I was going with something like, at this point we return to the fate of the archeologists who evade sekra only just in time to discover that they have seconds before the whole place is destroyed. Thye make it to the train just in time but, in a Hitchcock like twist, they do not realise, although we do, that Sekra (who they had thought to be dead?) has made it on to the train with them.

Excellent analysis. That's just about what we had in mind and the two climaxes - exactly.

The only point of departure form what you mention is that Arthur and X are already on the shuttle and it has already launched (you may not have got that far) Arthur and X have to stop the laser becoming operational whilst in orbit with it.

but that is as far *as we've written*: the shuttle has just launched and Ody, Jamilla and Sreka are in the same vicinity and preparing to board the train.

The idea was the laser fires down the cone of Mount Erebus and exposes the magma chamber. So a bit like Indy and The Mine Car chase in Temple of Doom but with molten rock.

These are the posts on this thread with the most recent material I've written.

<./>FFM135755?thread=333538&skip=1655&show=1</.>
Sreka's psychopathy emerges.

<./>FFM135755?thread=333538&skip=1665&show=1</.>
Ody and Jamila distraction causes a mutiny among the cult deposing annabel by imitating the voice of god through the tannoy system, Daltmooreby betrays the cult and hardwires the ignition sequence.

<./>FFM135755?thread=333538&skip=1667&show=1</.>
Annabel escapes but is confronted by Mary.

<./>FFM135755?thread=333538&skip=1669&show=1</.>
Daltmooreby dispatches Grobsvaughn to take control of the shuttle, which starts to take off.

<./>FFM135755?thread=333538&skip=1671&show=1</.>
As the shuttle lifts off, Von Trapp dies. As the shuttle leaves the Earth's atmosphere, it is tracked by The Agency.

<./>FFM135755?thread=333538&skip=1677&show=1</.>
An edit I made to the scene with Ody and Jamilla's distraction, removing Sreka from being known to Ody and Jamila and killing Grampling by other means.

<./>FFM135755?thread=333538&skip=1684&show=1</.>
Ody and Jamilla find the train. (Sreka is there but undisclosed)

Gah! I'm struggling to focus on this! I need something big to procrastinate about to help me! Which will probably be tomorrow now!

I am thinking, but don't wait for me!

Hi guys. Sorry I timed out, technical problems. So- where are we?

Same place as before.

I've been doing other things like applying for jobs and attending interviews.