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

I've got ideas on how to end it all and relatively quickly (no more buildup), but HPB and Terran seem to have gone Walkabout, are you up for a tandem to get it done and finished?

Basically I've got to the stage where the shuttle can be launched and, surviving characters dispatched, and the finalé completed. We then have the ever-so tricky business of writing Daltmooreby's reveal as Ozymandias to Arthur; The culmination of the subplot about family, Agency corruption and the like and Daltmooreby's 'death' at Arthur's hands. I could kind of write this myself but I'd rather share it and create something better as a team, which in my experience of writing this story has always been the case when we and others have collaborated.

Clive

R.S.V.P and P.S - can you possibly send me your email, I seem to have misplaced it.

Hi Clive - well, I have a bit of time off now so I'll certainly swing by the thread. I think I've just been imaginatively disengaged from the thing for too long, so I'll need to read some backstory before writing anything more. What's your plan for the ending?

Not a problem I know what you mean I've been writing off and on and it's not easy.

I wrote a bit last week with Sreka which was the barebones of what I wanted to do (have Arthur and X escape custody but fall into a cult trap) but it read and still reads to me as being rather empty despite acomplishing what i set out to do.

There's a precis of what I hand in mind in the ST3 forum around post 1501

Basicaly my immediate concern is having Ody and Jamilla get Arthur and X out of the cells I've locked them in, thus seperating the two groups, so ody and Jamila can escape on thier own and that just leaves Arthrur and X to board the space shuttle.

The endign was going to have Daltmooreby reveal himself as the traitor Ozymandias but he decides to destroy the agency anyway becuase of the grief arthur has caused him so Arthur has to stop him anyway - or somethign liek that

That works, yes...how about if Daltmooreby, knowing that the 'Turquoise Moon' is an imperfect fake, can calculate where the laser blast will go when refracted through the flawed diamond? I'm picturing targets on a map here, which flicker when he taps in new parameters. The Cult think they're targeting a random area of the Arctic to melt the icecap, but the blast will in fact hit the Agency in London, burning through all the reinforced sublevels like no other weapon could and killing everyone, destroying the heart of everything that ruined Daltmooreby. He then intends to fulfill his original mission not to let the Cult destroy the *entire* world by snatching the diamond and firing it into the sun, or somesuch.

Yes, that's got me thinking.

Surely we want the Agency to survive?

That said, I like the idea of the target co-ordinates switching. Maybe We encounter Daltmooreby coming out of the server-farm.

I thought actually the idea at one point was that The laser would target the Arctic Base, cue Annabell looking over devestation and the flowing or lava as the innards of the volcano are released and everyone runs for it including Ody, Sreka and Jamila. The event is marked up as a sudden an unexpected antarctic eruption in the news. ....

Oh, the attempt on the Agency could be foiled by Arthur of course - who might conceivably redirect the laser onto the base to wipe the Cult off the face of the earth for good...

Had another idea, which relates to what we discussed ages ago about bringing Bob and Jill and the others into this at the end. We know that around this time they're on their tropical recuperation holiday. What about something like...

"Daltmooreby's blow sent Arthur reeling over the controls, mashing a random sequence of buttons. Outside the hum of the laser became deafening, there was a burst of turquoise light and the beam sliced away from the station, down through the atmosphere and slashed randomly across what looked the South Pacific...

---

It was a beautiful day, Bob had decided, and it was *the* day. The sun was beaming down, the breeze was fragrant with the tang of salt and tropical flowers and, well, if he couldn't declare his undying love for Jill here he was unlikely to be able to do it anywhere.
She was basking on the beach, utterly oblivious, and as Bob floated a hundred yards off-shore he swallowed, looked to the sky and said:
"Well God, I know you said this wasn't Meant To Be, but...well...here I go..."
He had barely begun to swim back when there was a blinding flash and burst of heated air, driving him backwards.
When he recovered, spitting saltwater, the sea between him and the shore was a boiling cauldron of superheated water. He blinked, and knuckled his eyes. A few palm trees by the shore had caught fire, and what appeared to be a luminous spear of blue-y light from the Heavens was zooming south.
Bob coughed nervously, and cast another look to the skies.
"...or maybe I'll just forget it, eh? Ha ha...yikes..."

---

"Shut it off!" cried Arthur. "In sanity's name, Daltmooreby, if that beam hits a population centre millions will die!" He leapt for the controls..."

Or something like that.

Oh yes. that's good.

Maybe the a slip-up by X, mentioning a space laser, reignites Bob's troubled libido.

Also how's this?

When the escape pod crashes on the *far-side* island, Arthur and X must be *first* greeted by Anna coming in on An Agency helicopter. She and Arthur are reunited and share a moment. X is tactful and stands to one side. Arthur announces his intention to retire to X's utter surprise. Suddenly X sees Bob, Jill, Heddingly etc., running up the beach and X realises Arthur has to die.

"If they see you... Daltmooreby he can find you."

"He's dead X."

"No, the *other* one."

Bob and Jill are close, "Quick hide"

X then am-drams grief over Arthur in front of the others and they all board the helicopter to return to the Agency.

The 'copter pilot queries X "Where is the other lady the one who came with us?"

"You are mistaken sir. There was no-one"

"No but I thought..."

and X pulls rank, man-in-black style. "There was NO-ONE. Am I clear?"

"I see."

They take off and Arthur and Anna watch them leave from a rocky cove, in each others arms and the sun starts to set....



It'd be good if ever (ha!) ST4 emerges that the 'copter pilot can be the weak link in the chain when it becomes necessary to discover Arthur's whereabouts. X gets a series of new recruits none of whom are fit to the task, and X finds himself emulating Arthur more and more...

Then Leicester attacks!

Just re-read these: A13819016 & A14593061 and I had an idea for what coulc donceivably come next.

Currently Daltmooreby and Sreka have succeeded (with Mary's help) of capturing Arthur and X. This should please Annabell - who should then immediately round on Sreka for letting them in in the first place as his instructions were to protect the door.

Chastened, she instructs him and Daltmooreby to take The Moon to the space laser.

Ody and Jamilla meanwhile successfuly released Arthur and X who make for the shuttle too. Ody and Jamila, meanwhile, look for a way out.

Daltmooreby ascends the ladder first but then betrays Sreka (getting revenge for the trainand kicks him off the ladder/ scaffold) Sreka falls down and is confronted by Arthur and X, the fight begins.

Arthur and X get the upper hand, Sreka limps off, and when destructions starts to reign down on The Cult, he sees Annabell one last time, from say an observation deck. She implores him to come to her aid, but after her admonishment from earlier, he abandons her and makes good his escape, possibly following Ody and Jamilla out the same exit they will discover.

I re-wrote the Sreka / Arthur-X chase sequence and I'm much happier with it now. Unfortunately some vascillation in the servers is preventing me from altering the GuideMl of the Entries so you'll just have to take my word for it.

A13303991 <---it's here now.

Chapter 58 (LVIII)

By-the-by, if you come across any articles where you or HPB or Terran are not yet credited: Don't panic! I have was busier getting the edting done and have attatched credits to some but not all of the edited chapters. Before I send any submissions to I always credit all four of us irregard of who wrote what actual bit and ultimately I'll get everyone credited on every chapter.

I re-wrote a bit of the Ody and Jamilla sequence and sent Sreka and Daltmooreby off to the Shuttle with the turqoise moon.

I'll need then to sort out how Ody and Jamilla release Arthur and X. I had figured on them snagging the keys from the gaoler's belt (possibly with a gag about the bull-whip) and then dropping them down the air-grate that I deliberatly mentioned Ody taking note of earlier.

For whatever reason, (Maybe Ody just decides to let whatever fate befall Arthur to take it's course) Ody and jamilla then have to make their own way out of the base leaving Arthur and X because what they do next is to board the shuttle with Daltmooreby.

So once Ody and Jamilla are taken care of, we can advance the plot with Daltmooreby and Sreka.

Clive

Here's an idea to store away for ST4 (should it ever come about)

Jaques Jaques D'Archeron the curator from Paris returns home from in an airy good mood, busy middle-class business preying on his mind, he ahs returned from shopping in an idyllic french village, he unlocks his door comes inside places his brown paper bag of groceries on the antique table in the large stone-clad drawing room with the grand fire place.

He comes back in from the kitchen and drops his fruit juice. Arthur (or maybe X - can't decide if I want this to be X tracking down Arthur or Arthur finding out who's after him...) is sat comfortably in the large recumbent chair by the fire. looking relaxed - but with a gun.

"You!"

a revolver is pointed.

"Sit down"

"Good to see you again. I had thought after Paris..." says the agent,

"Paris, yes.... You succeeded then?"

"We did." But at a high cost" (I / Arthur died)

"and now I need to know what you know. I seem to recall you once saying that your line of work involved prophesy..."

(Who is it who wants me / Where is Arthur?)


etc..

I've got ideas for the next bit of ST3 to write, it's difficult this one because it's going to be a lot of dialogue and a fair heft of emotion, I've got the outline in my head but I'm still filling in the blanks of who says what to whom.

I see X having a heart to heart with Arthur who is at his lowest ebb. This is our opportunity to underscore the theme of what the agency gets you to sacrifice; purposefully to mirror Daltmooreby's quest, due shortly, to fulfill his undercover mission as the descendent of Ozymandias, but to resolve on destroying The Agency anyway!

To X, Arthur will bemoan his lot about loosing Anna etc and X will have to tell him snap out of it -Think of the agency Arthur! - Think of England!

Meanwhile, Ody and Jamila get the keys off the gaoler, and Jamila is all ready to go back down the cells and rescue them and and and....Ody stops her. Why? He swore to kill Arthur for what he did to his family. He resolves this conflict passively: to help them one last time by getting them the key - but then for he and Jamila to get out and get out with their lives. Ody isn't his father: Ody is no killer. So he weights the key in the photograph he carries in his pocket - literally leaving the past behind. He drops the key and the photo down the vent where they fall onto the floor of the gaol.

X hears it fall and leaves Arthur, he picks it up and finds the key from Ody - and (miss) understands the message. The key - they got it - but the message from the photo is "this isn't over" "you owe me for her." He now fears for Arthur's life, which we can use to explain him helping Arthur to go into hiding at the end.

X opens the cell door and he and Arthur with a grim resolve to stop The Cult leave for the launch pad.

That's my outline - but filling in the details of how the characters express themselves is hard work which is why I've not posted to this or the ST3 thread all week I've been amongst other things, thinking through exactly what I want to accomplish in the next scene, since as I see it, an awful lot hangs on getting it to work.


Any suggestions. ?

I've had a go at writing Ody, the gaoler, Jamilla and the key.

I'll be posting it in the ST3 thread shortly...

It is done.

Ooh, I missed a lot. Sorry, I've been battling a head-cold for two weeks now and have not been feeling creative, to put it mildly. I'll go take a look-see.

Been busy last few weeks not had chance to sit down and do much writing - but have you had a chance yet to look over where we've collectively got to in the story?

Clive

I had some new ideas for the latest chapter.

"I'm not dead..."

I'm undead. Will that do?