WYTCHCROFT

The Legend of Badger – Nance: Closing his eyes, Badger allowed himself a moment to listen his mind to the soothing words of a favourite song – music to soothe the savage breast or wotever… Maybe it’s coz I’m from Londinium – that I love… He opened his eyes and regarded the object in his hand, placed it slowly on his desk and spoke – in a slow, measured – professional voice. “It’s not a weapon you twonk – it’s a game”. Badger smiled with his mouth – beady eyes blearing around the office – strewn with the troves and hoardings of… how many years now? The shiny and the glittering and the worth some gorram coin. If you ignored the flickering power to the lights – the fact that the Blue Station Vii was always off and the toilets didn’t work. There was however an apple – fat, green and daily – sat on the desk. Priceless. An apple a day keeps the doctor away – and the punters in their place. Right. “Where was I?” “It’s a game.” “Oh, yeah right – DARTS mate, sport of the ancients – back from the Earth-that-Was. Back when it was Publicans versus The Bill – or… – don’t you know yer ‘istory? And – Oy! Am I boring you?” “Sorry Mr B – It’s just – if I could sit down.” Badger sighed, pacing on his restless bowlegs. “Awright awright – somebody get this bloke a chair!” It is always very satisfying watching underlings do the… undering. He looked hard at the solid form of the seated man. A little nervous looking – but a bit of the mean in there too. Dancin’ round the corners of the eyes. Interesting… “Feelin’ better? Spiffin’. I like my crew to keep happy.” There was a none-too subtle tittering from the open alcoves adjoining the office. “Knock it off! – You see? We like our… fun. Mister…?” “Square, Albert Square.” “Well Mr Square – I gather you’re lookin’ fer work on account of the unfortunate demise of your guv’ner one… Rennway Stenner - nasty piece of work – or so I hear. Alliance. Can’t say as I take too kindly to Alliance.” The man in the chair looked up. “You’d like ‘em a lot more if fings had gorn right an’ Reynolds was dead.” Badger bounced the distance between the desk and the chair in two swift movements. “Reynolds? Did you say… Reynolds?” “Yeah, thas right. Malcolm Reynolds – bleedin’ Browncoat ponce if ever I saw one.” “Well, well – I’ve met the bloke – kept ‘im his place too – yeh, he’s up ‘imself is that one.” “Too right.” Badger pulled his hat from his head – a worn bowler – and his most prized possession. “You see this hat – my most and very FAVOURITE hat? Bastard shot me through this hat once – took weeks to get it repaired. Still…” He tapped the top – and there was the dull noise of steel under the fabric. “It fixed up a treat.” He popped it back on his head. “Any’ow – what brings you to me – Mr Square – that is – why ME exactly.” “I ‘eard you was on the up n up.” “Straight up.” The two men shared a common chuckle. “Well – you ‘eard right – ‘specially compared to some geezers like Fanty and Mingo whose names I won’t even bovver mentioning.” He spat. “Slick – they think themselves – so very bleedin’ slick. Any’ow – It says ‘ere…” - a rustle of paper – real paper, mind, - “that you have proved to be a stone cold killer. Vicious. That true?” Albert nodded enthusiastically – the plied wave of his grey hair, bobbing. “Oh not ‘alf.” Badger nodded. “Hmm… you got anyone in your sights now? Anyfing you oughta be telling me?” “Jus’ Reynolds – Mr B. I see ‘im – and pop goes THAT weasel. Har har! I got it from a very reliable source that you have dealings wiv the fella.” “Needs must Mr Square – needs must – can’t pretend I wouldn’t wanna see the man brought dahn a peg or two…” “Exactly. Well, when I see’s ‘im – I kills ‘im. Nice an’ simple. – I heard you don’t do no killin’ yourself – bit of a nance – I mean a bit refined that way.” “That what I HIRE people for – it’s beneath me – awright? I’m a business man – I aint gonna sully my lily whites with wet-work.” “Right you are boss, right you are. I’ll do it for yer.” “Do what exactly.” “Kill Reynolds.” “That might n

WYTCHCROFT

[i]In the Emerald Isle – DoroFic, FirefLion, The Tin Machine Man and ScaredyFoxx27 confront the GREAT and POWERFUL JOZZ[/i] JOZZ 20.30.oo Hi, Guys, leave the gifts by the altar. DoroFic: 20.30.45 Hope you like ‘em!

PLASTICDINO

"Earth could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many." Interesting idea for science fiction, of course... and nothing new. The idea of shipping out to other places for this reason has been in sceince fiction stories for half a century. But let's look (briefly) at what's involved. First of all, you're going to need to find a suitable destination. Let's ignore the obvious difficulties, like it being only five hundred years in the future, yet humanity has had time to fly probes to a number of other solar systems, get back data, and persuade people to ship out. Since there's no FTL travel in the 'verse (as far as we know) it's going to take quite a while to get even a probe to even our nearest neighbour. Still, let's overlook that for the sake of the story. We found a new solar system, and it was so good, in terms of suitable lebensraum, that a significant chunk of humanity could be persuaded to give it a shot. We know there is 'cryo' storage of people, and we might assume that colonists could be transported for tens of decades in this way. Maybe we even stopped counting the passage of time while everybody was in 'cryo', which makes the 500 years in the future thing seem a bit more plausible. Let's overlook the diagram that the schoolteacher shows in 'Serenity'. Planetary orbital mechanics don't allow for a large number of Earthlike masses to circle a single sun. Let's assume that it's possible to monkey with terraforming, to shift material about, or make it denser, or less dense, so gravities match. We're violating physics here (mass/energy conservation) but it's for the sake of a good story, so okay. Let's further assume that it's possible to put gases in the 'atmo' of a planet during terraforming, such that even a distant planet can have enough of a greenhouse effect to remain warm. In fact, let's use the same process to explain why the inner planets are green and lush, while the outer ones are sun-baked deserts. Odd, but okay. So we have this terraformed system, which is achieved in decades rather than the millennia that one might expect. Maybe... with some von Neumann machines, or something similar. (Probably not the large machine seen in 'Serenity'.) Now... on a world that can't sustain its massive population, how do you build all these goodies? That technologies such as 'gravity drive' might be developed in a laboratory, I can believe. Scientists are doing amazing things right now, such as creating antimatter, and demonstrating quantum entanglement (a possible means of FTL communications, such as that demonstrated by the Coretex). So you have your new technologies... but how do you put them into production on a big enough scale, on a resource-starved world. Surely, the first country (or bloc) with these new technologies will use them to seize the present-day resources available. If your aircraft can fly into orbit, etc., you'll win any war you start... so it's possible that things got pretty damn nasty on Earth-that-was for a while. Technologies such as miniaturised reactors and new materials could have been used to provide better living accommodation on Earth. Failing that, they could have been used to create orbital habitats. (Room for about a hundred times the present-day population of Earth, up there.) Then, if you're developing terraforming technologies, where would you try them out first? Mars. And some moons, including those of Jupiter and Saturn. This overlooks the fact that constructing a spacecraft has huge cost (let's assume you get them cheaper in 'Henry Ford' volume production), produces a great deal of pollution, and requires a massive amount of energy. If heavy industry of the future doesn't have these side effects, there would be much less reason to leave Earth-that-Was. In our own solar system, we have vast quantities of materials. Everything you could possibly need to sustain life, including metals, water, oxygen, sunlight... Many in a remote place, or in an awkward form (oxygen in oxides, for example) but they could be accessed and released in our own syste

SILLYBOB

That's a working title, some of you may have seen my image in the blue sun room of a Mal Reynold's video game sprite, well I'm working on a game, a point and click adventure in the vein of Monkey Island, I'm not going to promise this will get made, the road to creating an adventure game is long and tedious process, and I'm not sure I'm up for, but keeping looking for updates on my game Firefly: Omnipresence, it will be placed in a time period before the BDM, and Those Left Behind, but after the final episode of the series.

WYTCHCROFT

(see firefly episode 'safe') [i]She was the dark child dancing into light, She was the dancing River. The sun touched her through the clouds. The trees bent and swayed in imitation of her. Dancing. She drew a crowd. They watched her dancing. Colour leaping from her. She danced with them – reaching her free hands and bare feet for the feel of the ground and the delight of the ribbons ... weaving... ribbons around the maypole. She was the thing the people moved toward. Moved through, away from – and beyond. Everybody danced with River. She could see the smiles, hear the laughter, song and music. She knew the secret name of their velocities. She could call the angles and the ratios. All language was hers. It flowed within her. Calling out in a thousand different voices. Too much for any one tongue to tell. So she was silent. Dancing. Watching. Weaving through the ribbons and reeling between bodies near collision, objects in space weaving and reeling– but for a moment – smiling Safe Upon the River. [/i]

WYTCHCROFT

“Hi, i’m dead. Did i get your attention there? Yep. Dead. R.I.P. (say it with me people) My life is null and nada – i am deceased – a stiff – i’ve kicked the bucket. I’m pushing up the daisys. I am a dead parrot. Sorry –Pilot. Sorry. Cut off in my prime. Canceled like your favourite show - that someone always said would be too good to last. But my gosh – when they put you in the ground they really – well, they just – they really put you in the ground don’t they. I always prefered the stars myself. Will you look at ‘em down there? No, not the stars – well they [i]are[/i] stars but not the glowy pointy kind you look at with your loved one, not the ones that glitter as you lie together on a far flung hill side, in the after-glow of the big juicy bone jumping joy and – ok ok so wandering now but – hey! – have you SEEN my wife? You got any idea what i’m missing right now buddy!? And there aint no love-bots or batterys up here, i can tell ya. Just the misty longing and the – what? You got a problem?? Hello!- dead! Let’s get back to the part where i’m DEAD. I’m dead and [i]they’re[/i] crying??? Like i said they ARE stars. Some of ‘em even know it. Look at ‘em – i mean, hey - they got the hologram grave marker going on for starters, my pretty face all brave and understanding... for them – something they can look on ‘stead of staring at the ground. Did i mention that’s where i am? Look at their faces – sure they look sad now – but you shoulda seen ‘em in the shiny times – well the less rusty, well the – when i was ALIVE, ok. Those faces could make me do anything. Those faces made me feel like i mattered for the real and true first time. And yeh, those faces got me killed. Everyone has their favourite – i guess – we all pick someone to love, someone to hate, someone to trust, someone to just – well – ok – i don’t know what Jayne was for, but when someone has the courtesy to come to your dirt display – well, that’s worth a kudos or three. I bet the people they hook up with next’ll – oh yeah – they’ll be wondering – what are these people now – why are they together??... And which ones of that posse ARE together??? (and who’s still in the back with the bot and the batterys. Once again.) Does it matter? Not to me. I always thought it was the group of us, really, you know? It was the bunch of us that belonged together. I hope it stays that way. Somehow. And i’m thinking now – maybe i got the better end of the deal here – coz all they got to take away from where they are now is memories (i’m one of em). That’s all they got to go with. To take away. Me? – i got my whole life to take with me where i’m going. Going. Going. Gone. Yeah... times up – time to get jiggy with the black – time to – i dunno, what – do i maybe get to be an angel, are there angels? I could have some fun maybe, wings, a little bow and arrow? Maybe i’ll ascend somehow to a new kind of existence – my widescreen afterlife - hell, maybe i’ll become a higher power? Just kidding. Ok, this is me leaving now. Sue me – if i didn’t make with the great profoundness enough for you. Jeez some people! But listen just – just look after the one’s down there for me, will ya? they need it. OK, ok, i’m really going now, making with the vanish, fading – you could say that i’m all WASHed up.” ................................................ about face:

HOBBLEIT

Hi there, I had fun today. I went to Durham with my friend James, from Uni (well I say from uni; I didn't start hanging out with him until after we left). We went up to the Cathedral and I gave him a guided tour (I was surprised I remembered so much actually). We saw my dad, who James thinks is cool. He was pointing out stuff about the architecture and complaining aboutt he useless vergers who damage the choir stalls he just built. James was also very amused at the door that is the same height as me. Andrew has already named it the Jennifer sized door. Afterwards we walked along the riverside and then went to the pub. It's amazing that most of my stories about days out end up with a trip to the pub. My brother and our friend Karl were out yesterday and apparently they got really drunk. Andrew had to help John home. Anyway, John and Karl have gone to Bloodstock for the weekend. I have no idea where it's held; somewhere in the Midlands I think. TTFN Jennifer -x-